Dissecting A.D. Ross
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.D. lives in the North of England and partakes in such varied hobbies as AI anxiety, climate concern and fear of fascism. He also has a PhD in Modern British History, though he is not entirely sure why.
He started out writing screenplays as a student filmmaker, before switching to writing prose. His first short story was published in the anthology Realities Perceived in 2017 and since has had stories featured by The Fifth Di…, Tales to Terrify and Penumbric Speculation Fiction Magazine. He is currently working on editing a far-too-long novel.
Bibliography:
"Demon", Realities Perceived (anthology, Left Hand Publishing, September 2017)
"The House of Master Essen", Aephilion Webzine (March 2019)
"The Unseen", Frostfire Worlds (Alban Lake Publishing, November 2019)
"The Daughter of Doubt", The Fifth Di... (Hiraeth Publishing, March 2020)
"Grandfather Rot", Tales to Terrify (Episode 628 February 2024)
"Doorway", Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine (February 2024 & Best of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag, vol vii: June 2k23 to April 2k24)
"A God in Binary", Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine (June 2026)
Connect:
Bluesky: @adrossfiction.bsky.social
Tell us about yourself. When did your passion for reading and writing start?
I’ve been imagining stuff and making up stories for as long as I can remember, spending as much time (read: far more time!) off in imagined worlds and scenarios than existing in reality. Writing really is just the best outlet, because many of the other potential outlets probably end in a sectioning.
Have you ever based a character on someone you know?
Yes. I don’t generally base characters one for one on people I know, usually just taking aspects or templates and twisting them around, but for one story that’s unpublished and probably never would be published, I did basically include a future version of a good friend (with their permission) as a fully fledged character. That was a bit of a one-off though and probably will never be repeated. Otherwise, I’ll continue using little bits in the stew of character creation.
How do you come up with character names for your stories?
It’s a combination of methods and in large part depends on the setting. Broadly speaking, I’m always on the lookout for good character names, and if a good idea pops up, I try to bank it for later usage.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
Writing myself into corners. This tends to happen when I don’t have a clear sense of where I’m going and so things just start to drift. It’s not really a case of not being able to write anything, but rather just writing reams of stuff that doesn’t go anywhere.
What’s your favourite or least favourite part of the writing process?
My favourite part is where I’m right in the middle, the roadmap of broadly where things are going is set, and then I’m moving fast along the trail. When I’m writing that tends to be when a story really starts to come together and I get the most enjoyment; it’s also where the metaphorical smoke starts coming from the keyboard. My least favourite aspect is where I’m trying to form an idea into something solid, particularly if the process is a bit forced. Unfortunately, I do end up producing a lot of half-formed ‘somethings’, that just litter my folders; that said, sometimes I do come back to them much later on and turn them into fully fledged stories.
What’s brewing? What are your next big writing goals?
I’m currently working on editing a full-length novel, actually the third I’ve written, whilst also starting a bit of writing on the fourth. Novel three still needs a lot of work, but I’m pleased with how it’s coming together, and so my next major aim is to finish that and actually get it published.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Launch date: 26th September 20
Isaac Landis has crossed half a continent chasing a ghost.
Six years after the war, the Minnesota sheriff rides into the lawless frontier on the trail of Bill Mastersohn—a notorious blood magician whose passage leaves madness, death, and broken minds in his wake. Somewhere in the outlaw's shadow lingers Jeremiah Landis, Isaac's younger brother, long dead yet somehow still trapped between worlds.
But Isaac is not the only hunter on Mastersohn's trail.
Virginia Vinegood, a scarred Southern belle with secrets of her own, wants the outlaw dead. A ruthless Mexican general wants vengeance. Ghosts walk beside the living, ancient magic festers beneath forgotten ruins, and every mile west drags Isaac closer to a reckoning he cannot escape.
Bound by a promise made to his dying father, Isaac must decide how much blood he is willing to spill to save a soul already lost.
As old grudges ignite and supernatural forces gather beneath the mountains, the line between hero and monster begins to blur. In a land haunted by war, guilt, and the dead, redemption may demand a price far greater than death.
A dark supernatural western where ghost stories are real, vengeance rides armed, and the past never stays buried.
BUY
WEBSITE
What sparked the idea for this story?
It started with a stray phrase I heard, ‘a pale rider on a white horse’. Everything else seemed to come together very quickly after that, which happens occasionally for me, but less than I’d like.
Did you plot or pants this story, and would you change your process if you had to start again?
Because the ideas came together quite quickly and organically, I didn’t do very much planning and the story just came together very quickly in the writing, which was done within a couple of weeks. There weren’t any points where I needed to go back or make major revisions, and that makes this story a bit of an outlier for me. Usually, I need to do a lot more plotting for a story to come together neatly.
How much research did you need to do for this story?
Not a huge amount of specific research. In the first instance, the story takes place in an alternative history, so there’s plenty of latitude for straying from historical fact. I have a reasonable familiarity with the history of the Old West and the Western genre to which this pays homage, and so there were only a few small things, such as looking up the currency in Mexico in the 1860s.
How much did the story change from first draft to publication?
Very little, which makes this story slightly unusual. There was some editing of course, but what I first wrote is very similar to what is being published.
What elements (if any) from your real life ended up in this story?
There really aren’t any, given the setting and fantastical nature of this story.
How did you come up with the title?
The name of the titular antagonist, Bill Mastersohn, came to me quite early and a central idea was to have this notorious character with a whole rogue’s gallery on his trail, and so the statement ‘Bill Mastersohn Will Die’ seemed to fit the punchiness I was going for.
What’s your favourite scene? Why?
Probably the conclusion where the various characters finally catch up with the titular outlaw, largely because I was able to tie off each character thread quite neatly.
Is there a particular message that you hope readers will take from the story?
THE STITCH UP
How do you celebrate when you finish a story?
If you could ask any author a question, who and what would you ask?
J.R.R. Tolkien: Can I ask you a million questions, please?
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?
Sadly nothing that exotic; probably a ruler.
What’s a book you’re reread multiple times?
Perdido Street Station, by China Miéville
Hook me! Why should I read this story?
It’s got guns, ghosts, blood magic and vengeance.
Want more? Read all the Dissecting Author Interviews on the Black Hare Press website: blackharepress.com/