Kevin Lucia's Blog, page 2

Shadoweyes, by Kathy Ptacek

Shadoweyes is an engaging and thrilling read about an ancient evil menacing Albuquerque, New Mexico, and those trying to stop it. Filled with Indian myths and lore and so very-written, it ascends above standard creature-feature fare. Also, I found the depictions of Native Americans to be respectful, and it didn’t feel like Ptacek was leaning on stereotypical tropes, such as that of the “Magical Indian.” Our main character, Chato Del-Klinne, an Apache and former college professor, is not cast as a man who “suddenly” discovers his “mystical Indian nature.” He’s searching for his faith, and it’s handled beautifully. Laura, a reporter, is a strong female character, while Sunny feels more like an afterthought because she sorta just “stands by her man” at the end. Regardless, it’s a wonderful read worth your time. Check it out.

Blood Autumn, by Kathy Patcek

Blood Autumn, Kathryn Ptacek, is an exctremly well-written and entertaining period-piece about an ancient force of evil which preys on the life-force of young men, and this creature’s destructive legacy which stretches from the Sepoy Rebellion to 19th Century Savanah, Georgia….and probably back even further than that. The lore is convincing, and Ptacek paints a classic tale of a seductive evil which lurks throughout the centuries.

Our main characters are convincingly drawn, and there’s something refreshing about a novel from the eighties and nineties that shows not only feminity as a powerful, seductive force, but also a redeeming force of salvation (although the female character in question is saving her fiance, and I know that fails the Bechdel Test), but even so, seeing men falling powerless before a unstoppable female force which can only be stopped by another female is still nice to see.

Pick it up today.

Vacation Reading #1

Just a "few" of the books coming with me to Bangor, Maine tomorrow....

What I'm Reading

I've been grappling with how to restart my Substack, and I've decided to go old school and do what I did at the very beginning: post about what I'm reading. So, here's my first post:

I have many novels by the great Kathy Ptacek, and I've never read one. Time to fix that.

Also…I need to read more James Herbert.

My reading has been in a slump before this. There's always one thing that cures that: an encounter with the King.

THE HORROR AT PLEASANT BROOK ON SALE!

My debut novel, THE HORROR AT PLEASANT BROOK, is currently .99 on Kindle! Go grab it!

“Kevin Lucia paints in blood and dances in the viscera in a terrorized small town. Chilling and non-stop, horrifying in the best kind of way. Forget Halloween movies and pick up The Horror at Pleasant Brook instead.” —NYT bestselling author Tosca Lee

“The story has tones of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King with characters and a setting that played out like a classic John Carpenter film.”—Morbidly Beautiful

Into the Abyss: C.H.U.D.

Into the Abyss watches and reviews C.H.U.D!

Timor Infinitum Live!

My novella, Timor Infinitum, which was previously published in my collection When the Lights Go Out, is now available as a standalone eBook!

Today in Clifton Heights, a troubled young man faces his fears...and drowns in them, coming to learn the following truth: "Time is the fire in which we burn."

"Kevin Lucia's writing is both scary and smart, a lethal cocktail that makes for mesmerizing storytelling." -- Tosca Lee, New York Times Bestselling Author of Demon: A Memoir

"Lucia is a true craftsman of the horror story, with a fine sense of the genre's best traditions." --Norman Prentiss, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Invisible Fences and The Fleshless Man

Into the Abyss Returns!

In this episode, we talk about The New York Ripper, the final episode of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, and this month’s edition of Books & Booze.

Reviews coming in for TIMOR INFINITUM!

The reviews are starting to come in for my short little tale, TImor Infinitum, due out on my BIRTHDAY, February 28th! Preorder today! (Note: Appeared in the collection When the Lights Go Out).

"Kevin Lucia's "Timor Infinitum" is a short tale tying in to his Clifton Heights series of stories, though it can be read entirely independently on its own. In fact, as a standalone, the story is open to an allegorical reading which hits hard if you're a bit older and feeling stuck in life or on permanent repeat.

On the face of it, "Timor Infinitum" is a super-creepy story about Mitch, a man who can't forget being lost, as a teenage boy, in the woods around Clifton Heights, with a couple of classmates, all three ending up in a sort of liminal space (a small abandoned church) where unknown symbols are carved on the walls and sinister things are waiting to happen. After they're eventually found, Mitch remains deeply traumatized by what happened, especially since he can't remember it in full. He develops a phobia of "infinite spaces".

In less than fifty pages, Lucia tells a haunting episode from the life of these three teenage boys, intertwining it, however, with snapshots from Mitch's life as an adult; his worries, his anxiety, his trauma and his missing memory. Inevitably, the resolution won't satisfy everyone, but I personally found it a fitting and satisfying ending to a meditative and suspenseful story about time, adulthood, phobia of liminality, and the injustice of singularly bad choices. Recommended!" - Goodreads

"I am a huge fan of Lucia’s Clifton Heights stories and this joins a long string of them that I’ve enjoyed. It works well as an amuse bouche for those of us who’ve visited this eerie town before. Lucia is a clever writer and the concept is quite cerebral. Those with a love of coming of age-tales and cosmic horror will probably feel at home here." - Goodreads

New Titles

So these are the first five titles I'll be experimenting with through Darkly Dreaming Press. Only two of them are original works not seen by the public (The Night Driver and Caretaker of the Dead), the rest are pulled from larger collections. It'll be interesting to see what ads work and which ones don't (granted, I don't have much of an ad budget at the moment), and how well a Review Team helps getting the word out.

Again, keep in mind: Kevin isn't going all self-pubbing. But I am at the point in which I want to try everything, so we're going to play with these titles, and see what the results are. I expect that for quite some time, I’ll see more losses than gain, but as always, I’m playing the long game.

Caretaker of the Dead: Previously Unpublished

Paul Olson is the new mortician in Clifton Heights, New York. After his studies and internships, he feels confident that he's prepared to fill the shoes of his predecessor, Henry Atkins, who is finally retiring. What he's not prepared for, however, is Clifton Heights itself. A strange little town where there's more to everything than meets the eye, and the dead don't rest easy. Here, Paul Olson will learn what it really means to be the caretaker of the dead.

Daughter of the Mists: Previously published in October’s End

Earl Flanagan loves old horror movies. To him, they are the epitome of grace and mystery. He's dedicated his life to honoring their memory, ensuring that their legacy lives on. Unfortunately...no one cares. Too caught up in trendy horror releases made for the masses, no one in Clifton Heights loves the old classics like Earl Flanagan. He knows this, and is resigned to a life of a relative obscurity because of his passion for the noble monsters of the past.

What Earl doesn't understand is that Clifton Heights is a place that knows our deepest fantasies and nightmares. It brings them to life...and changes our lives, forever. This Halloween, Earl Flanagan will learn - very painfully - that the old monsters are not as tragic and as noble as he thought.

Timor Infinitum: Previously Published in When the Lights Go Out

Today in Clifton Heights, a troubled young man faces his fears...and drowns in them, coming to learn the following truth: "Time is the fire in which we burn."

The Night Driver: Previously Unpublished

Paul Queensberry and his son Gabe are racing enthusiasts who travel along the Northeast, following their favorite race car drivers. Their love for racing brings them to Five Mile Speedway in Clifton Heights, New York, where they will encounter the legendary, ghostly Night Driver. Will The Night Driver be their doom...or their salvation?

Arcane Delights: Volume One - contains Things Slip Through, Through a Mirror Darkly, Devourer of Souls, and Things You Need