Grivante's Blog, page 8

Grivante writes the story, “Biscuit: A Love Story” in our new anthology, Mashed: The Culinary Delights of Twisted Erotic Horror. “Biscuit: A Love Story” is the story of a baker whose prized creation is stolen, defiled and destroyed. He sets out on a journey of revenge, with a quick trip to his tormented past to show us how he got to where he was.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in the panhandle of Northern Idaho with my wife and our family of fur babies. We are blessed to have a magical piece of mountain paradise to call our own and it makes for a great place to write. Fun fact, the man who built the house was also a writer.

When not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy spending time with my wife and going on adventures. While it won’t make much sense, a lot of the crazy stuff in my stories comes either directly from or is inspired by real things that have happened when we are out in the world together.

For your story “Biscuit: A Love Story” what was your inspiration?

I wanted to take something wholesome and twist it in the weirdest way I could come up with.

Influences:

When did you first discover that you wanted to be a writer?

In the fourth grade I wrote Friday the 13th fan-fiction and when I saw how my classmates reacted to it, I was hooked. I found being able to illicit an emotional or physical response from another with just my words to be a powerful and mostly positive addiction.

Did you have any writing mentors?

I had many teachers throughout school who were both encouraging as well as educating when it came to my writing. One in particular, Mrs. Lay, taught a creative writing class and I always appreciated how excited she was to read my new stories and give me feedback on them.

Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite books?

Favorite authors are probably some of the usual, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, but on the more obscure side I love Phillip Jose Farmer, L. Ron Hubbard and a ton of comic book writers most people have never heard of, like Garth Ennis(Preacher), Jeff Smith(Bone), Terry Moore(Strangers in Paradise), Drew Hayes(Poison Elves) and a lot more.

Favorite books, King’s The Dark Tower series and all of the connected pieces throughout his fiction. All of Pratchett’s Discworld series, but specifically those dealing with the character, Death.

What films or books have most influenced you as an author?

Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ was powerful for me. Making writing a part of my daily life was some of the best writing advice I ever received. Sometimes when we look up at the big picture, say writing a 100k novel, it can look like an impossible feat, but plugging away a 100 to 1000 words at a sitting get the job done.

Outside of Horror, what other genre’s do you write in?

I write whatever idea grabs me with the most intensity, so in short, all genres. That said, I currently have a children’s book out as well as projects in the works for a Dystopian Sci-Fi series as well as a YA Fantasy series.

Is there anything else that has influenced you as a writer?

I grew up reading comic books and I think a big part of the way I tell stories is related to that. I create a picture in my head and write out what that looks like in words. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks which allows me to experience stories I wouldn’t likely read and I feel this gives me a broader scope of storytelling influences then I would have if I only read books that were the kind I liked.

What is the first book that made you cry?

I know there have been some, but I can’t recall any at the moment. Most often after a particularly long book or at the end of a series, I grieve the loss of those characters from my day to day life.On Writing:

How do you describe your writing style?

That somewhat depends on the genre, for horror, it’s more weird or gonzo. For my fantasy series it’s pretty straight forward and for my upcoming Dystopian series, it will be fast paced with my normally weird wit thrown in.

What advice would you give to new writers just getting started?

Write every day if you can. Don’t worry about it being any good or even going anywhere. Just keep writing. When you feel you have something that’s good, either join a writing group that critiques eachothers work or hire an editor. You will learn a ton.

What part of writing do you find the most difficult?

Editing and doing rewrites. I find it difficult to edit my own work and often find it boring to do rewrites.

What story are you most proud of?

Guppy Butter, my children’s book. I took a ten year absence from writing while I had a family, ran a business and built a career. When I finally got back to writing, Guppy Butter, was the first story I wrote and finished that reminded me why I loved to write in the first place.

What do you hope your readers take away from your stories?

I hope it opens their eyes to a wider world and entertains them in the process. Whether that comes from new information received in the story or simply by the attitude or opinions of a character.

What is your next big writing project fans should be on the lookout for?

The second book in my Zee Brothers: Zombie Exterminators series should be out mid-year. I am excited about it because as crazy as the characters in the story are, I wanted to dive deeper into their lives and explore where some of the crazy stuff in the first book originated.

Write a 6 word story, GO!

Alien probing should not involve anal.

Is there anything else you’d like your fans to know?

Yes. Know that every time you read a piece of my work you are helping to make my childhood dream and my adult passion real. Thank you!

Where else on the internet can you be found?

Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, & Twitter.

And now, here is a special preview of Grivante’s story in MASHED!

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Biscuit: A Love Story

I. Market Day

Golden beams washed away the night’s chill as the sun rose on the horizon. A group of bluebirds perched in the old oak at the edge of the park let loose their morning song. Chirping away, they filled the air with melodious music. Two butterflies danced across the awakening market as vendors set up for a day of commerce.

Simon Roth stepped from his bakery, a wide smile across his face. Hefting the large package in his arms, he paused for a moment and took in the sights and sounds of his beloved piece of the world. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun wash over him as birdsong filled his ears. In the distance, the innocent giggling of children playing added their harmony to this divine morning.

He exhaled, feeling his whole body relax. He had been waiting for this day for quite a while. Market Day, the first one of the season, and this one was going to be the best one ever.

He breathed in slow and deep, catching the scent of wild flowers and spring blossoms in the air. They were followed closely by a wave of fresh baked golden buttery deliciousness from the large wrapped package he held in his hands.

This was it! He’d spent months perfecting it. Getting the exact right mix of ingredients: two sacks of flour, a gallon of buttermilk, and an entire slab of Amish butter, melted and gently basted on as it baked. It was layered, so that the scent would emanate as it cooled and fill the market with mouthwatering allure, leading the shoppers by their noses, right to his door!

His grin widened as he set his cherished masterpiece on the display table he’d made to hold it. He peeled back the layers of cheesecloth he’d wrapped it in after removing it from the oven, a warm waft of heaven washed over him. He stared down at his creation. Measuring just over twenty-four inches around, fifteen inches tall and, for all its ingredients, as light as a cloud: the perfect, giant biscuit.

Scrumptious tendrils drifted up and away, mixing with the fresh spring air and sending their invitation aloft. The affect as it reached the arriving market patrons was almost instantaneous. They sniffed at the air, perking up and looking around, searching.

The baker beamed! Customers often told him when they entered his shop and smelled all the fresh baked goodness, that if he could just pump that delightful scent outside, his shop would have a line down the block.

An elderly couple standing next to a flower vendor shifted their attention and the man pointed toward Simon. He licked his lips, grabbed his wife’s hand and stepped away from the flowers, coming in the baker’s direction.

Simon adjusted the sign hanging from the table that read, ‘Fresh Baked Wholesome Goodness Inside! C’mon in!’ and darted back in the door.

“Get ready boys,” he said to the two young neighborhood kids he’d hired to help on market Saturdays. “Here they come!”

And come they did. After the elderly couple entered, the little bell that rang each time the door opened, clanged like a 5-alarm fire until the door was held open by the line stretching out of it. Simon floated around the bakery, chatting with his customers and cheering the boys on as they hustled and bustled to help the throngs of customers select their treats. He patted Timothy on the back of the shoulders and said, “What a success my biscuit is!”

Outside, the scent of the succulent biscuit aroused appetites in all who caught a whiff. One person in particular found his appetite stimulated by it in ways it hadn’t been in some time. His name was Eddy, often referred to as Crazy Eddy but, unlike the many patrons of Roth’s Bakery, he didn’t join the line to enter the store and make a purchase.

Eddy peered from around the corner of a dark alley three buildings down. His clothes were two sizes too big and covered in the dirt and grime that came from sleeping next to a restaurant dumpster. Anyone who got close to him would’ve found the scent of the biscuit over-ridden by the stink emanating from the homeless man.

He sniffed at the air, hand gripping the bricks until his knuckles turned white. A strand of drool hung from his chapped lips and his sore-covered tongue darted out to catch it. Too late, the drool dripped onto the front of his stained Nirvana t-shirt. His bugged out eyes traced the round luscious curves of the giant biscuit, imagining what it felt like, how warm and moist it would be. He wanted it, wanted it bad, unlike anything he’d ever wanted before, including the drugs that had led him to his life on the streets. The thought of taking it, making it his own, consumed his mind like a demon taking possession.

A tap on his shoulder startled him out of his lusting for the biscuit. Behind him, Tyler ‘Pigpen’ Tulips mirrored his own hunger. They smiled at each other with wicked intent.

…to be continued!

Thanks for joining us for #MASHEDMONDAYS, Find the rest of Grivante’s story and more sensually sinister tales inside MASHED: The Culinary Delights of Twisted Erotic Horror

Find more #MASHEDMONDAY Author Interviews here!

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Published on May 15, 2017 06:58

May Audiobook Review: Aftershock

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Run time 7 hrs and 27 minutes, narrated by Daniel Rose

In Kristopher & Valerie Lioudis’ Aftershock Book 1: A Collection of Survivors Tales we follow a series of short stories from different characters perspectives. These stories lead us from where they are at the beginning of the outbreak to how they survive and eventually how they all start to meet up and their stories intertwine.

Being that this was the 3rd book this year that I’ve listened to with a similar short story after short story model, I was concerned that it would leave me unfulfilled, as I was really wanting a deeper listen to immerse myself in. The good news is, it didn’t take long for me to discover that not only was there something very unique happening to some of the characters but also that their stories were going to connect and form a larger overall narrative.

The stories start with a survivor who is abandoned by the people he is with. He is bitten but survives… this pulled me right in. Why? What’s going on here? What makes him immune? The conspiracy theorist in me wanted to know more!

What did I like about this story?

As mentioned above, I liked the mystery of the characters who got bit but didn’t turn. This storyline appears to connect many of the characters and reminds me to a degree of Stephen King’s The Stand, where we have 2 different factions of survivors coming together in a post-apocalyptic world. Some for good, some for evil.

There were a number of great lines in the stories, one that made me smile and laugh, was in reference to how to dispose of the piles of the dead. “The most grotesque barbecue in man’s history.” And while that and some other lines made me laugh, the book also has some pretty hard stories where people you are rooting for just don’t make it.

Near the end, there is a great group of scenes where things go very bad for one of the main collection of survivors. Their leaders are at odds about why and how things happened and we are shown each of their perspectives in alternating chapters before they confront each other. The realization that they are both blaming one another gets you on the edge of your seat waiting to learn how it will play out as soon as they come face to face.

What didn’t I like about this story?

There were some moments, possibly because it was in audiobook format and being narrated by a male that I found myself confused about a character’s gender. This resulted in me having to do a double take and reorganize my understanding of events.

The book does have something of an abrupt ending, which leaves you wanting more. This is both good and bad. The book could have continued on, but I suspect it stopped where it did because to continue would have needed a lot more time and space to tell what happens next.

Narration:

The narration was done by Daniel Rose. In general, Mr. Rose has some great moments and at others, it seemed to lack engagement with the story. It’s a minor detail as overall the stories flow well and he does a good job of giving voice to all of the various characters and storylines taking place.

Conclusion: (Aka: Would I listen to more by these authors?)

Absolutely! The story is engaging and it is really cool to see a husband and wife author team working together like this. I look forward to more by them individually and as a team!

Plus, the book ends in such a way that I find myself awaiting word of the sequel!

I give this 8 out of 10 stars.

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Published on May 14, 2017 17:10

May Audiobook Review: Aftershocks