Steve Stred's Blog, page 27

3Q’s – Paul Flewitt knows where to look!

Today’s 3Q’s is a blast and I’m super excited for you all to give this one a read!

I connected with Paul when he joined the Kendall Reviews review team, back when I was a member and he’s written some really strong think-pieces on the current state of horror publishing, the various platforms and the various representations we see within horror itself.

Always a fun convo, I’d like to welcome Paul!

Hi Steve, and thanks for the interrogation. It’s a pleasure.

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Paul: Well, I’m kind of old school, so my first draft is always handwritten. I type up whatever I wrote the day after, so that really becomes my first edit pass. I still mistype, but a lot of the embellishments are done during the typing.

The process once the manuscript is complete can vary, depending on how long I’ve spent with the project. If it’s a short story, I’ll generally jump straight into editing and embellishing before sending it to my editor to pick apart. With longer work, I’ve inevitably spent months, or sometimes even years with those characters. That means I’m a little too close to the project and will miss things that should be glaringly obvious. So, I’ll take a couple of weeks away from it and either work on my secondary project (I usually have two or three projects in varying stages of development,) or tickle away at my Wattpad project. Sometimes, I might even just take the couple of weeks away and do nothing writing related at all … unless you count reading.

Once the rest period is over, I come back to the project fresh and read through the whole manuscript from page one. I’ll pick up typos and change them, make a note of clunkiness, any plot holes or anything I might be able to do better. Then, I read through again and make the changes I made a note of. Then, when I’ve done all I think I can do, it goes to my editor, Patti. That’s where I cringe while she picks it apart and paints the file in a wonderous variety of colours.

Actually, this is the part of the process I like best. I receive the edits back from Patti and spend some time reading her comments and recommendations. She never makes any changes to the document, only highlights the section at issue and adds a comment. Then, it’s up to me to decide whether I want to act on those changes or not. There’s usually only one or two suggestions she makes that requires discussion, usually because the choices I made are subjective or questions of artistic style. At those points, we’ll have a conversation about it where I will put across what I’m doing, and she will either agree or disagree and explain why she disagrees.

Patti might go through the manuscript three or four times before we both sign off on it and agree it’s done.

And that is my process.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Paul: Honestly, I would probably not have released my debut novel when I did. In hindsight, it was probably too soon and caused me some issues which set me back a good few years. It’s a long story, but the cliffnotes are basically these: I released and it was moderately successful. I got a bunch of good reviews from industry reviewers, comparing me to some of my favourite writers. That was all cool, but then I put a lot of pressure on myself to follow that up … or better it. The problem was, I didn’t know how to do that. I didn’t know whether I wanted to write a sequel to the first book, or whether to go a different way. I started writing a couple of stories, but they seemed forced to me and weren’t working.

Alongside that, I got a lot of invitations to write for anthologies and didn’t know how to say no. I didn’t want to come across as a diva or unprofessional. I didn’t want to not be asked in future, so I just said yes to everything. Big mistake. I got bogged down in deadlines, then started resenting them because I wasn’t writing a follow up to my novel. Then, it all stopped. I found I couldn’t write. I’d sit for hours with a blank page in front of me, and nothing would come. That was a first for me, and it got scary. I’d committed to all these projects, and I didn’t know how to honour those commitments. For the first time in my life, I started to feel anxiety and had panic attacks. Little did I know that this was an unrelated health issue rearing its head, and the stress of trying to keep up was making it manifest. In the end, I stopped writing for around a decade, except for releasing a short story here and there.

So, that’s a longwinded way of saying that I released my debut too soon and found I couldn’t handle it when it did well. My plan had been to write short stories and hone my craft, find my voice and then write longer form stuff, learning the industry as I went. Needless to say, I ended up jumping in at the deep end and found myself drowning. So, now I’m coming back forearmed, knowing what to expect … and also knowing that it’s fine to say no.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Paul: It’s interesting, because there are a few answers people might expect here. It could be my debut Poor Jeffrey,) because, for all the nightmares it caused, it proved that I can actually do this thing. Also, it wasn’t a half bad story and still stands up. It could be the last thing I released (Defeating The Black Worm,) which you reviewed quite favorably. It could even be the next thing, a novel called Architecture, which will be released February 28th.

In truth, it’s none of those things. The one I’m most proud of is a short story which first appeared in the Demonology anthology a few years ago, and was reprinted in the paper version of …Black Worm. It’s called Climbing Out, and is the life story of a Nephilim as he climbs out of Hell. It’s a sad little tale really, not really big on horror. I like it because it’s the one where I felt like I was writing with my true voice, writing something I would really enjoy reading. It was the first one I thought was complete, and as good as I could make it.

Of course, that opinion could change with the next one … or the one after that …

https://www.burdizzobooks.com/

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Paul: Oh, in the mountains for certain. Just thinking about this question made me uneasy when I pictured being lost at sea, surrounded by nothing and very little in the means of sustenance for survival. The nonsense rhyme comes to mind: “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…” and it is kind of anxiety inducing. I’m not sure I’d do well with no landmarks, no way to mark the distance travelled or the distance still to go.

The thing I like about mountains is that there’s bountiful food, as long as you know where to look. I like walking in the countryside, and there’s something invigorating about walking in landscape that’s largely been untouched for thousands of years. There’s always something new to explore over the next hill, around the next bend, in the next valley, and the next … and the next … and the next. I get some of my best ideas when I’m rambling around in the wilderness, alone and miles away from the city. That, my friend, is where I feel at home.

And anyway, we’re never really lost. We’re only ever waylaid for a bit (as my dear departed Dad used to say when he was clearly lost.) We always find home eventually.

Steve: Great choice!
Thank you so much for doing this, Paul!

To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Paul-Flewitt/author/B00FG34L7O

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealPaulFlewitt

3Q’s – Mark Zirbel is on a boat!

Today’s 3Q’s guest is a Wonderland nominated author and someone who continues to push his readers to allow them to follow along with his steady and imaginative adventures!

Please do welcome Mark!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Mark: For me, it’s important to step away for a while so I can review my draft with fresh eyes. If other people choose to dive right back in, I think that’s fine. Whatever works. However, when it comes to proofreading your work (versus revising it), it’s essential for everyone to take some time away. The only way you’re going to catch errors in your own work is if enough time has passed for you to see what’s really on the page instead of what your mind wants to be there.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Mark: When I started to get serious about my writing, I joined a writers workshop. The group met once a week, and I always wanted to have new material for feedback, so I’d crank out a story a week. It was great from a creative standpoint, but it got me in the bad habit of making my short stories very short. If I hit 1,500 words, that was an opus for me. Sometimes less is more, but my writing was suffering because of the brevity. I needed to slow down and dig in deeper to everything – the characters, the setting, the plot, you name it. I finally figured that out, but I wish I had figured it out sooner.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Mark: I’m really proud of Cyberpunk Zombie Jihad because it was my first book and it was nominated for a Wonderland Award in 2020 for best collection. But I think I’m even happier with my new novel, Shithole USA. It has a lot of the same elements as Cyberpunk Zombie Jihad – including cyberpunk, bizarro, horror, and satire – but it takes things to a much weirder, much more experimental level. Ze Burns, who writes a fantastic bizarro fiction blog, said that Shithole USA may be the weirdest book he’s ever read in the bizarro genre. That makes me feel like I’ve really hit the mark this time.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Mark: Good lord … I’d be dead in either scenario. I don’t fish. I don’t hunt. I’m not a survivalist. Then again, I don’t think most doomsday preppers are all that prepared, either. In Shithole USA, there’s a prepper who can make a gun from nothing but sticks and shit. The guy poops out his own bullets, too. He puts himself on a low-fiber diet so he can make rock-hard ammo – and he ends up dead on the toilet from constipation. There’s survivalism for you. But anyway, I never answered your question. Let’s see – I guess I’ll try my luck in a boat. Maybe it’ll be a luxury yacht with a month’s food supply.

Steve: Fair enough! Thank you so much, Mark for doing this!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Zirbel/author/B0BL82BKDR

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.zirbel.1/

Book Review: Oblivion’s Child by Tommy B. Smith

Title: Oblivion’s Child (Black Carmenia – Book 2)

Author: Tommy B. Smith

Release date: January 17th, 2023

I have to admit I’ve read far too little of Tommy B. Smith’s work. What I have read has been fantastic and everyone should make time to read his excellent ‘The Mourner’s Cradle: A Widow’s Journey.’

Recently, he reached out to me asking about if I was open for reviews, as he had a few out and was trying to get some eyeballs on them. This one caught my eye, but before I bought it on Amazon, I confirmed that it was fine that I hadn’t read Book 1 in the Black Carmenia series. He said it would be fine and, after having finished this, I can confidently say I never felt lost or as though I’d missed something. Saying that, we do learn some back story about the Black Carmenia, so I suspect that tied into Book 1 and I’d be curious to dive into that one and see what’s what. The synopsis of that book – ‘New Era’ – is definitely intriguing!

What I liked: The story follows nine-year-old Zander, who lives with his grandma and aunt. His aunt has been unresponsive for some years, but now, after a storm moves in and ravages where they live, she wakes up. Within the storm are – oddities – which is the best way of saying that while remaining spoiler free.

From there, we get a stranger who is thrust into their home, a forced burying and an elderly woman who house is on the edge of what awaits those who walk further.

Smith has created a really engaging and imaginative narrative and place here. We race along as Zander and his aunt (aided by the elderly woman, Nellie) search for this stranger but also for Zander’s mom and Nellie’s son. What they find is fantastic and while it’s never out right said, this read like a portal-horror novella and I for one am always down for that.

The ending was great and not only allows for furthering Zander’s story, but also can easily be utilized for more in Smith’s Black Carmenia series.

What I didn’t like: 99% of this novella read like a fantastic YA portal-horror story. Saying that, what I wasn’t really a fan of was the domestic violence angle involving the stranger that meets with Zander. It just didn’t fit the rest of the story at all and didn’t add much to the overall aspect of what was happening at all.

Why you should buy this: If you like storm-based/portal-horror with fantastic set pieces and really intriguing lore, look no further. Smith does such a phenomenal job of setting and atmosphere that you’ll be pulled into the world and will love being within.

Really well done.

4/5

Book Review: Sleeping Among Wolves by Robert Royal Poff

Title: Sleeping Among Wolves

Author: Robert Royal Poff

Release date: March 7th, 2023

After reading Robert’s collection ‘Call to the Void: Definitive Edition’ and really enjoying it, I was really excited when he reached out to see if I’d be keen on an e-ARC of his upcoming novella, ‘Sleeping Among Wolves.’ I had no idea what it was about or what to expect so once I dove in, I was immediately engaged and brought into the world that he had created.

What I liked: The story follows Atlas and Moose, six months after an infection has ripped through humanity, leaving some alive and others with an insatiable desire to eat those who live. The two of them escape and decide to make their way over to where a radio broadcast is offering safety.

The reality here, is, that if you’ve read much in the way of zombie/post-apocalyptic survival books, you’ll have come across a lot of what you’ll find within. The strength of this novella though, is Atlas and Moose and their relationship. They will do whatever it takes to make sure they both survive and it’s the most compelling aspect of the story.

We get a lot of emotions laid on the reader throughout and as things take a turn and we get to the ending and discover what will be happening, it hinges on how much the reader has bought in to their relationship.

What I didn’t like: As I said, most of what we experience in here is something you’ll have come across before. I almost groaned when we got a bad guy with a baseball bat wrapped in razor wire. It’s tough to find new ground in this subgenre, but as I did say before, the relationship here definitely pulls you past a lot of the predictable plot twists.

Why you should buy this: Well, if you love this type of fiction, you’ll really want to read this because this will be your bread and butter. If you’ve not read Robert’s work previous, this is a great spot to jump in and see his ease of how he tells a story. And of course, I can’t overstate this enough – this novella features one of the strongest relationships between two primary characters I’ve read in some time.

Good stuff.

4/5

3Q’s – Ruth Anna Evens and the day the ceiling fell!

Really fun 3Q’s today for all of you who’re still reading these! Thanks for your continued interest in this series, it’s been a blast! Today’s guest is someone that I connected with over on Twitter a few years back and it’s been great interacting with her and supporting each other as we go!

Please welcome Ruth!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Ruth: I almost immediately shoot it off to beta readers, which forces me to take a break. Once they get their comments back to me, I usually dive right in and start nipping and tucking and fixing it up. If it’s big changes, I often let it sit for a bit while my brain works out how to incorporate the changes without ruining the whole story. I edit as I write, so I don’t usually have a ton of editing to do that is obvious to me, so that’s why I always, always use as many beta readers as I can.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Ruth: Hmmm…I think that there are definitely some sea creatures that are outside of what has been confirmed. Like some crazy alien shit with superpowers the likes of what we haven’t imagined. So I totally think there is some fantastic giant squid with, like, mind control powers or something, lurking in the deepest of trenches.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Ruth: My collection No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares has some really deeply disturbing stories in it. It isn’t just stories to me; it’s my fears brought to life and then turned up to eleven. I love the supernatural elements, but it’s the really-could-happen aspect of the stories that frightens me the most. I think it’s a really scary book.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Ruth: Omg, this was terrible, but when I was a kid, we lived next door to our landlord. He was the nicest old man, always fixing things and teaching us stuff and generally being great. On April Fool’s Day one year, we decided to get him, so we ran over to his house screaming that the ceiling in the kitchen had fallen down onto the kitchen table. That man 100% believed us, and his face—I’m just glad he didn’t have a heart attack. So, it was a terrible prank, but so believable, because it was a shitty little house. That’s the only one I can remember, so it’s going to have to be the best ;).

Steve: Haha, that is amazing! And I think it’s a solid prank because nothing bad had actually happened to the house!

Thank you so much for doing this, Ruth!

To find more of her work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ruth-Anna-Evans/author/B09J21ZQB7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruthannaevans

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ruthannaevans/

3Q’s – Rus Wornom and the Endless Quest!

Today’s guest is an author who has been churning out dark, thought-provoking stories for some time and one whom I connected with a few years back when he kindly reached out to me to see about a potential blurb for his excellent ‘Ghostflowers.’ He’s had a long and storied career and has written for an IP that many of the horror world loves to play!

I’m super happy to have Rus Wornom stop by today!

Welcome Rus!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Rus: I do a little bit of everything. First, I revise while I’m writing. A lot of writers suggest not to do that, but if something that I’ve written bothers me, I fix it and move on. I’ve gotten into the habit of writing the first draft in longhand on legal pads, and then transcribing and revising into the first computer draft in Word. That helps hone the language some, but in no uncertain terms does one revised draft make a polished manuscript.

I generally tear into the first draft almost as soon as I finish. A writing professor I once had, a fine, character-based writer named Tony Ardizzone, suggested to our workshop that writers should wait a minimum of a month before revising their first draft. I don’t necessarily disagree with that, because a certain amount of time away from the manuscript will provide a little more objective perspective, and allow you to better see elements that might be working wrong. On the other hand, deadlines may not allow a writer the luxury of a month or two to start something else, so you have to go into revisions with the knowledge—and the decided opinion—that, yes, Your Shit Stinks. Hemingway was right: “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.”

In other words, I revise as necessary. After I finish a second draft, I generally mull things over in my head without rereading the ms. Things will hit me—I’ll come up with a new scene, or I’ll realize that another scene isn’t working. At that point, I print out the 2nd draft manuscript and work it a little with a red pen, mostly in those areas that I’m thinking about while not really writing. Things come to writers when they’re least expected: in the shower, while driving, having a meal, and you have to take advantage of inspiration if and when it strikes.

After I add or subtract those areas that hit me unconsciously, I go back into the entire manuscript and start cutting. I tend to write long, and while SF and fantasy novels are frequently accepted for publication at about 125,000 words, publishers want mainstream novels at 100,000 words or less, and that includes horror. My longest draft of Ghostflowers ended up at 130,000. With the final and 13th draft at 113,000 words, I knew I had cut some scenes I liked and wanted, but I also knew that the novel was tighter and more straightforward.

The first draft is always the real grunt work. Cutting, pasting, revising—that’s where the magic comes in, not to mention the real fun for a writer.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Rus: That’s an easy one. I wish I’d known when I started out how the publishing industry was going to change over the decades. Publishing is no longer writer-friendly, and I blame that on corporations becoming giant conglomerates, corporate greed, and on Jaws and Star Wars.

When I started thinking about becoming a writer—subscribing to Locus and Writer’s Digest, taking college writing workshops—it was the 1970s. Publishing was largely a business of educated guesses and editorial needs, and of relationships between editors and writers. Woolworths across the country had long walls of paperbacks. Paperback spinner racks were in every 7-Eleven, along with comic book racks. They’re not there now, because books don’t have as high a profit margin as most corporations demand today. If you compare these past offerings to the paperback selections available in Kroger or Publix nowadays, you’d see huge differences. Then, there was more variety to the titles available. Today, it’s mostly bestsellers. Then, the authors available on the racks may have been new or unheard of. Today, it’s a selection of popular authors chosen by algorithm, based on previous, blockbuster retail sales.

Well into the 1980s, paperback publishers had a set number of books to publish a month. If I remember correctly, Warner’s Questar Books, edited by Brian Thomsen, published four or six science fiction titles a month. These schedules were filled with novels that had been agented, and some that had been found in the slush pile, and some were requested by the editor. That’s how it was done back then; the editor might have an idea for a book he’d like to publish, and he’d call a writer he knew—and he knew he could depend on— and might say, “Hey, I’d like an SF spy story that feels like something Greg Bear might write, crossed with Three Days of the Condor. I need 80,000 words in six months. You interested?”

That type of publishing has pretty much vanished. Mass market paperbacks are in short supply today because the conglomerates that have bought all the mainstream publishing houses want more of our money than ever before—and mass market paperbacks just don’t make enough for Wall Street types. Trade paperbacks have replaced them, and today’s publishers expect in 2023 that trade paperbacks will become the new hardcovers: cheaper to publish, but we’ll be charged more for them.

Publishing has changed so much because conglomerates realized there was revenue to be had by buying up a bunch of publishing houses; so now we really have only the Big 5 publishers as serious players, all because of corporate greed, combined with the bestseller mentality that has ruined a lot of things—and that came about by the back-to-back success of Jaws and Star Wars. Publishers today don’t want midlist titles, say 10-20 a year that each make respectable sales. They want only potential bestsellers. They’ve given up seeking incremental revenue and are concentrating instead on massive sales.

Hence, we now have a landscape with five big mountains, and innumerable little hills that represent indie publishers and publishing on demand. As to horror, the same rules apply: they want only bestsellers, and they don’t want to take chances on unknown writers.

Self-publishing, which has really caught on nowadays, still isn’t very profitable for most writers. So, if I were starting out today, I’d have many, many second thoughts, because the opportunities for real financial success are today stacked against creatives.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Rus: My first three books were works for hire, written for Dungeons and Dragons in the 1990s at the request of the editor in chief: Brian Thomsen, who I mentioned above. They were in a jam with the final book in the Spelljammer series, and Brian asked me to take it over and deliver the novel in thirteen weeks. During that time, the publisher decided to create a new series called Endless Quest, basically a Choose Your Own Adventure series set in the D&D universes, and Brian called me up and asked me if I’d like to write the first two.  I bring all this up as explanation for why I don’t consider these books as original works of mine, even though I wrote every word: Spelljammer: The Ultimate Helm was written by me, but based on an existing outline by the writer who had to leave the project. The Endless Quest books, Dungeon of Fear and Castle of the Undead, were juvenile derivatives of D&D. Dungeon was original to me, but the first writer of Castle was let go, and I was told I could use as much of the existing manuscript as I wanted (or not). I retained only the main character’s name, if I remember, so 99.9% of Castle is all mine. Still, they’re based on existing properties, and while I wrote them, I don’t consider them either very original nor my best work.

Ghostflowers has to be my favorite so far, simply because I lived through the era it depicts, and the ‘70s still resonate through me. Dark Shadows, vampire lore, and summers living in the South were extremely important and formative, and Ghostflowers touches a part of my secret soul. Now, the novel that my agent is currently marketing for me is also quite close to my heart, but because it’s completely different. The Enigma Club is a little bit meta: a pulp novel that plays with pulp tropes, while also subverting them for comic effect. Think circa 1930, Indiana Jones meets Monty Python, with dedicated nods to John Carter and Tarzan and the Shadow and Howard and Lovecraft. Enigma Club is a high concept novel, but Ghostflowers is more personal. The novel I’m working on right now, Shades— Well, it hates me, and I hate it. But I WILL finish it.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Rus: Mountains. I can’t drown or get eaten by sharks.

Steve: Amazing responses, Rus. Wow! Thank you so much for this. Just phenomenal insight!

To find Rus’ work and connect – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rus-Wornom/author/B0B558XM43

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RusWornom

Website: https://ruswornom.com/

Book Review: One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve by M. Shaw

Title: One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve

Author: M. Shaw

Release date: April 1, 2022

Night Train. All Hail the House Gods. At the End of the Day I Burst Into Flames. Armageddon House. Helpmeet. The Mud Ballad.

Over the last number of years, there’s been a handful of books that were unlike anything I’ve ever read before and absolutely had me held rapt.

We can safely add One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve to that list.

This novella came onto my radar initially when I saw my friend Sonora Taylor rave about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, just look at that synopsis, but I knew going in that I’d be in for an unexpected journey and that’s exactly what happened.

What I liked: The story follows a body that wakes up on the table in the morgue, cut in half. Each side wakes up as their own individual half; Left and Right.

From there, M. Shaw delivers perhaps the most heart-wrenching yet unconventional coming-of-age story you’ll ever read. Two halves, making a whole, trying to find their way in the world and to remember who they were before. Each side has a dream of what their life should look like, or what they should work towards. The Left half takes over the cooking, cleaning and finances of their day to day lives, while the Right half gets a job and does the driving. From the outside looking in, this seems pretty mundane, but when gathered into this story, it works to not only challenge the reader, but for us to also empathize with each half. They both want to be whole, both want to remain connected to the other, while each wanting to be their own person. I suspect this is a constant issue with identical twins growing up.

The story unfolds really nicely, seeing a growing tension build between both sides, especially as some regrowth begins, which ultimately pushes them harder mentally about being their own person.

The ending is really great, a very powerful way of tying it all together and showcasing not only some of what society has become, but also the difficulties those stuck in their ways have at attempting any sort of positive change.

What I didn’t like: I actually wasn’t too fond of the epilogue. The tone and narrative style felt completely different from what the entire novella had been up to that point and it almost worked to subtract some of what had been built up for the ending. It may work for you, but for me, I would’ve almost preferred it wasn’t there at all.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read any of those books I listed at the beginning and were blown away, then this should be an auto-buy and an auto-to the top of the TBR book. This is unsettling body horror that will make you squirm but also question what it is to be connected to someone and what it means about where we ultimately fit into the world.

Phenomenal.

5/5

3Q’s – Tommy B. Smith doesn’t want to be bored while lost!

Today’s guest was an author whom I connected with after reading his phenomenal novella ‘The Mourner’s Cradle: A Widow’s Journey’ a few years back. It rocked my world and is a story I still think of often. From there, we’ve been huge supporters of each other’s work, so I was so excited when he agreed to stop by and do one of my 3Q’s!

Welcome Tommy!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Tommy: A short time after the first draft is complete, I begin the revisions, essentially the first round of edits, and the most extensive. It’s after this point that I take some time away from it. A short period to reflect on the piece often proves beneficial, after which time, I revisit the manuscript from a slightly different angle for the next pass.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Tommy: I’ve gleaned so much along the way. Perhaps I should have worked with some experienced editors in the earlier stages, a step which might have assisted me in honing my craft earlier on, rather than to have developed my skills along the bumpy road I traveled instead. At the same time, I don’t regret that journey one single bit. I’m the writer I am now because of it.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Tommy: Anybody Want to Play WAR? It’s an oddball entry in my catalog of work, since it doesn’t fall into the horror genre. Instead, it’s a coming-of-age novel that peels deep into the layers of the St. Charles setting, which I’ve also explored in books such as Poisonous and The Mourner’s Cradle. It’s the most nuanced tale of anything I’ve done so far, and the characters resonated with me in a strong way.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Tommy: In the mountains. I actually enjoy exploring the mountain regions, whereas being lost on a seemingly endless expanse of water sounds rather dull.

Steve: Excellent decision! Thank you so much for doing this, Tommy!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tommy-B.-Smith/author/B008WTNZHG

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenOfChaos

Website: https://www.tommybsmith.net/

3Q’s – Michelle River is gonna take her f&cking time with it!

Something I get a lot from people, in comments or DM’s/emails, is the ‘how do you find the time?’ Whether it’s about reading, writing, or posting stuff, it comes up often. When it gets asked, I usually think of folks like today’s guest. Michelle River is the driving force behind Eerie River publishing. Not only that, but she’s also an accomplished author, creator of Book Box Canada AND a wife and mother. So, I don’t think I have as much going on as others, especially Michelle. I don’t have to edit works, design covers, contact places to sell books, organize book events, package, and ship sub boxes etc etc. I got it easy!

So, it is with great pleasure that I welcome today’s guest! One of the hardest working women in dark fiction!

Welcome Michelle!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Michelle: My writing is as hit and miss as it can get. Between Eerie River Publishing commitments, developing edits, setting up book fairs and markets and now the Book Box Canada, my writing time is shoved violently in the minutes between dusk and dawn.

Steve: You end up at an estate sale and discover an unpublished manuscript from an author you love. Do you keep it just for yourself or do you share it with the world?

Michelle: Jesus Steve, what a question! This is going to be a two-part answer. First, I would lovingly take that bad boy to bed and read through it over and over again until I had memorized every word and the pages had taken on my scent. Then, and only then, would I call the heirs to the estate and let them know what I “just discovered in that antique chest of drawers I purchased six years ago”, and see what they would like to do. It isn’t my call. But I would take my fucking time with it first.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release and why someone should read it!

Michelle: I have nothing new, but I DO have something coming out in 2023. It is called “Rotten House” and it will be published in 2023. It is a psychological/paranormal horror of a woman’s descent into madness after she inherits her mother’s hoarder house and begins to declutter it.

You should read it because it is going to be fantastic. This one is really personal to me in a few different ways. Although not by any means based on real life, is inspired by family and friends. It tackles grief, mental illness, and abandonment, in a way that only horror can. With brutality.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your superpower?

Michelle: Cries silently into her cold cup of black coffee in shame. I have to admit something. I do not read comics. Yes, I have seen Marvel and DC movies, and yes, I have even tried to read comics growing up, but they weren’t and aren’t for me. I wouldn’t even know where to start!

However, a superpower? I can give you this one. I would want the ability to heal any injury or disease to myself and others. Not necessarily an “immortality” power, but one that would potentially make a longer life?

Thanks for having me. I apologize for the swear words.

Steve: Thank you so much, Michelle!

To find more of her work and Eerie River Publishing’s work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michelle-River/author/B07WKKB3Z5

Eerie River Website: https://www.eerieriverpublishing.com/

Book Box Canada Website: https://www.bookboxcanada.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EerieRiver

Book Review: Lure by Tim McGregor

Title: Lure

Author: Tim McGregor

Release date: July 18, 2022

Ok, I’m going to get a huge ‘negative’ right out of the way to focus on everything positive. I – Steve – am not a fan of mermaids. At all. I get a lot of folks are intrigued by mermaids and how these sirens sign so sweetly causing men to be transfixed before being lured to their deaths. Just not for me.

BUT. And that’s a capitalized BUT (you make the big butt joke here! not me!) I also know that I – Steve – am a HUGE fan of horror masquerading as magical, fantastical fable. And having seen a few reviews of this one and re-reading the synopsis (and knowing it was on Tenebrous Press) I knew I had to give it a try. Tim’s a fantastic author/writer and I was looking for a change of scenery considering a huge schwack of my recent reads have been haunted house or set in the woods.

What I liked: Set on a coastal village where fishing is main source of food, we follow a young boy, the father of the town’s preacher, as he navigates life. The family is struggling. His mother has disappeared, his father turned angry and his brother has suffered a head injury of some sort, leaving him with challenges. His older sister is growing bitter and food has grown scarce. His true love has been chosen to marry another and he wonders just how he’ll regain her hand.

This is all thrown for a loop when, one day, a mermaid appears. At first it is seen as a positive sign, a turning for the village, but after they catch her, things turn sour very quickly. It’s here that McGregor takes us on a dark and wondrous journey. We see our main character struggle with doing what is right versus what the village wants, and we see how this decision impacts every single inhabitant. The story telling is told with a deft and seasoned hand. It reminded me of how much I loved the Henson The Storyteller series from years ago. I could almost imagine John Hurt narrating this within my mind.

The final third of this novella is ruthless and brutal. Things go from bad to worse as the mermaid unleashes her unholy terror on the village and her powers are revealed fully. Throughout we see a battle of wills, of our boy struggling still to comprehend what is happening and what role he plays.

I found the ending to be fitting, expected and horrendously sad. It’d be great to see a follow up some time in the future, to learn what has become of the village and what is discovered should others arrive. McGregor made sure to drive home the underlying story of family lost but returned and how each villager had a singular role for the over-reaching story.

What I didn’t like: It’s actually SUPER minor in the grand scheme of things, but our main character is bitten at one point and his hand begins to change. I personally wanted to know more about it. About the inner workings, the why of what was happening and what would occur if left to continue. It seems odd, but that aspect had me riveted and ultimately just didn’t feel resolved.

Why you should buy this: So, what did this non-mermaid fan think? This was friggin’ fantastic. Like seriously amazing from start to finish. This bridged the divide between fantasy and horror and was infused with a sense of Nordic folklore that made each moment feel cold and as though the sun would never shine again. McGregor owned every single word on each and every page and absolutely delivered an outstanding novella. One I should’ve read by now.

Phenomenal.

5/5