Aiden James is the author of a popular series of horror novels set in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains….

“Buried deep in a ravine in the picturesque Smoky Mountains is a very dark secret.

David Hobbs, vacationing with his wife Miriam, inadvertently stumbles upon a small cloth ‘keepsake’ bag and a broken tooth. A human tooth. Miriam begs David to hand the bag and tooth over to park officials, but he ignores his wife’s pleas and secretly keeps the ‘harmless’ items. The action opens a doorway that had been closed for nearly a hundred years and unleashes hell on earth, or at least hell in the lives of David and Miriam.

Following the brutal murder of his best friend in Denver, and unprovoked attack on his oldest son, David desperately seeks to understand why a mysterious teenage girl has chosen to terrorize him and the males closest to him. To prevent further devastation to his family and end the wanton bloodshed, he returns to the enchanted hills of eastern Tennessee, where a terrible truth awaits discovery… one that forces him to face the consequences for the unpaid sins of his ancestors.”

To order copies of these novels visit links below….
Cades Cove: The Curse of Allie Mae
The Raven Mocker: Evil Returns to Cades Cove
Devil Mountain

1) Can you give us a little info on your background? Are you from TN originally?

I have worked as a novelist now for the past 20 years (as of May this year, when I began work on my very first story). Before that, I grew up in Denver, Colorado, and moved to Nashville in January 1990 for music. Having said that, I felt at home immediately upon arriving in Tennessee, and this has been my home ever since.

2) Tell us about your Cades Cove Series of books? How did the idea originate?

The story was born out of a few experiences that my wife and I had while visiting Gatlinburg on several occasions, from 1994 to 2004. Fiona had served as the Tennessee Rep for the American Ghost Society, and we had investigated many hauntings in the greater Nashville area, as well as a few famed haunts outside of the state (Louisiana and Illinois come to mind). We have always loved the cove and the surrounding areas (our favorite locale in all of Tennessee is Sevier County, despite the fact we have mostly lived in the greater Nashville and in the small town of Paris, further west)…. But a few unusual experiences in both Gatlinburg and in the less frequented areas of Cades Cove helped inspire the basis for the first book. Some of the paranormal events (such as the ‘Ping’ instances, cold spots, footsteps, voices caught on tape) were based on actual events, and then added to the fictional narrative. Fiona helped with some aspects, too, such as the creation of the little cloth bag known as “Allie’s Treasures”.

3) Were/Are you a regular visitor to Cades Cove and the Smokies prior to writing the books?

As touched on above, we had visited Cades Cove several times, beginning in the fall of 1994. We had returned twice for anniversary trips, and then returned in the fall of 2004 with our two sons. A ghostly encounter at the chalet we stayed in soon inspired me to begin work on “Cades Cove” that winter, and the details of the chalet we stayed in were added to the story (the layout and the gliding rocker, but not the pinging—that happened previously in our lives, when we lived in Spring Hill, to the south of Nashville). **We have returned to Cades Cove three times since then, and if possible, we would visit every year—especially in the fall.

4) If so, what are some of your favorite spots in the Cove and the Smokies?

Obviously, the John Oliver Cabin is a place we always come back to visit. But we love all the sites available along the loop through the cove—the churches, other cabins, walking trails, and the grist mill—those come to mind the quickest. It’s a place we never get tired of, as we believe to be the case for most folks who visit the area.

5) Do you have any more books planned related to Cades Cove or the Smokies?

Oh, yes. There will be more that involve John Running Deer and his granddaughter, Evelyn. Some stories will take place elsewhere in the country, but will always touch upon John’s home in the Tennessee side of the Smokies. And, as we become aware of more interesting ghostly legends and such that deal with the area, the chances for more books that are centric to the Smokies will be high.

6) Anything you’d like to say to Cades Cove lovers about your work or anything else?

I realize the story won’t be for everyone, and the first two books especially are intended for a pretty mature audience. The books that feature John Running Deer (beginning with book 3, “Devil Mountain”) will never be quite as graphic as the first two books, and should appeal to a broader audience. My wife and I have been careful to protect the integrity of Cades Cove and its people who once resided there. To that end, we have heard from some of the descendants of the last residents of the cove—including the great, great, great granddaughter of John Oliver, who wrote how she enjoyed the books. She loved the story and merely wanted to know more about the genesis of Allie Mae McCormick (the last name isn’t a ‘cove family’ and with good reason, since we wanted to ensure none of the names of the good people who founded and built Cades Cove would be associated with the character and fictional history of this angry spirit).

– AIDEN JAMES’ WEBSITE