In the late ’60s Eric Clapton fell hard for his friend George’s wife, Pattie…and his way of dealing with this unrequited love was to write the now classic album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. Not every musician is so lucky. Take the one in J. Ashley Smith’s new musical ghost story, Ariadne, I Love You (paperback, Kindle). In the following email interview, Smith discusses what inspired and influenced this spooky story.
Many ghost stories are tales that have been passed down: from older brothers to younger sisters, from fathers to sons…. And many of the Greek tragedies have shared similar trajectories: from storyteller to apprentice, from college professor to student…. Which could bode well for J. Ashley-Smith’s novelette, The Attic Tragedy (paperback, Kindle), since — as he explains in the following email interview about it — it’s a ghost story with tragic Greek roots (among other things).