Steve Stred's Blog, page 46

Book Review: Songs for the Lost by Alexander Zelenyj

Title: Songs for the Lost

Author: Alexander Zelenyj

Release date: Originally released September 1st, 2014, re-released April 3rd, 2016

I’m horrible with time/dates. What I mean is that – I’m 99% sure I’ve been solidly posting my reviews for about 7 years… maybe 8? But pretty sure 7? Or at least that many years of devoting myself to sharing my love of reading online versus just devouring books at home and not really telling people about it.

In that time – there’s a reviewer who I’ve connected with. We’ve become pals and DM buddies about books and he’s never steered me wrong. That guy is Tony Jones, who you may recognize from GNOH and Horror DNA. And even though I’m beyond burned out on reading short story collections and anthologies – when Tony asked if I’d read Alexander Zelenyj, I told him that not only had I not, I wasn’t aware of who he was. How shameful! Since that fateful DM, I’ve connected with Alexander – who happens to be a fellow Canuck! – and I’ve now devoured his collection, ‘Songs for the Lost.’

What I liked: I gotta be honest – one thing that always worries me is when a book/stories are described as ‘weird.’ I’m wishy-washy on Bizarro. Sometimes it works, most times, for me at least – it doesn’t. My reading brain seems to pocket weird and Bizarro into the same small circle and I worry I may not enjoy it. Zelenyj’s collection is described as “Horror, SCI-FI and Weird story collection, Speculative Fiction at its best.” Ok – so, I love horror, sci-fi and speculative. So, I can push past my hesitancy around the weird part.

This collection… er… uh… collects a cross-section of Alexander’s work over a number of years and lays them out in an order that flows really nicely. Usually, I point out a number of stories that I really enjoyed, but with this one I actually found myself engaged in every single piece and really wanted to see what happened to the characters involved.

As for the ‘weird’ aspect – I would say it’s more akin to the movie/magazine ‘Heavy Metal.’ Where a fairly straight-forward story occurs, with weirdness around it. It’s hard to really say a lot without specifically spoiling some stories, but if you’ve seen that movie and loved how each segment was phenomenal but also borderline bonkers – you’ll know what I mean.

When a collection is this solid from start to finish, a reader invariably will try and mentally relate it to other authors and their short story escapades. This one reminded me of a mix of what T.E. Grau has done, but also what would happen if Adam Nevill remixed Grau’s work. To a degree. It is really had to summarize vaguely enough to not ruin anything, but vaguely enough to get those eyes reading this excited for his work!

What I didn’t like: While I really enjoyed every story, I will say – a few were too brief, a few were too long and for each reader, as is always the case with collections – some you may just not like.

Why you should buy this: For those who devour short fiction as though it’s Lindt Chocolate at Christmas time, you’ll want to dive headfirst into this. I suspect for many, this collection would be a great gateway book to discovering a new favorite author and one that you’ll quickly look at snagging the rest of his work. Alexander is a painter whose paintings I’m glad to have discovered. A musician whose music I’m glad to have heard. And he does all of that with words, making him an author I feel so fortunate to have read. Thank you, Tony, for pointing me in his direction.

This is a collection for the ages.

5/5

3Q’s Special – Tiffany McDaniel shows her Savage Side!

It’s not very often someone leaves me speechless or shocked. Ask my wife. I can pretty much talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere. It’s a gift and a curse. Because I also don’t have much of a filter.

Over the last few years, a few moments have arrived though where I was left a bit speechless. Receiving a blurb from Andrew Pyper. Adam Nevill thanking me in his afterword. J.H. Moncrieff doing the same. My first writing award nomination. And when I received an email from Tiffany McDaniel a few years back. In my mind I have imaginary tiers of writing success/level of ‘visibility’ lets call it. Its a lame thing in my mind, but it’s essentially the line where, for me, a writer goes from being a writer to being a celebrity. Tiffany is absolutely that for me. She’s an internationally lauded author, someone who’s books break hearts, crush souls and move readers like no other. And when she emailed me, I was stunned!

I say all of this, because, she recently reached out again to see if I’d be up for reading her next release and after a few emails back and forth, I worked up the courage to ask her if she’d do a 3Q’s and GUESS WHAT! Well, it’s obvious – she agreed!

So, please do give her a hearty round of applause!

Welcome Tiffany!

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?

Tiffany: I’ve always written with pen and paper, only coming to the computer when I type the writing in to a file. I love the connection to handwriting a story. Because of this, I have notebooks throughout the house. I do write daily, but not at a certain time each day. I don’t have a word count I go for either. I think sometimes setting goals means you’re writing more for the goal than for the story.

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?

Tiffany: Oh, this is an interesting one. There’d be so many questions of why it was unpublished. Was it lost? Stolen? Forgotten? I wouldn’t want to keep it, because I’m superstitious, and I’d feel a bit haunted by having it. And because I wouldn’t know the author’s wishes, I wouldn’t want to publish it without their permission. I think the best thing would be handing it over to the author’s family or estate, leaving the decision to publish with those who knew the author best.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Tiffany: My newest is ON THE SAVAGE SIDE. It’s inspired by a series of women murdered in Chillicothe, Ohio. When the crime first took place, there were some in the community who felt the loss of the women wasn’t a big deal because of their association with drug use and prostitution. I really wanted to capture the spirit of such women and discover who they might have been beyond the headlines and show that their lives mattered. Like with my previously published book, Betty, there were some real-life places to visit. In writing On the Savage Side, I visited where the women’s bodies were found or where they were last seen. Visiting the water especially allowed me to step into the atmosphere of the crime and understand that the ripples of a river carry many voices with them.

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

Tiffany: Such a fun question. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a writer and a witch. I’d say if I could get a superpower, it’d probably be hocus pocus. And what I mean by that, is the old school superpower of a witch. Being able to speak to spiders and cats, read cobwebs, stir up a good spell in a cauldron, and have some lightning magic in my fingertips. And of course, fly on broomsticks.

That is a fantastic superpower! And very timely for October as well!

Thank you so much, Tiffany! I’m excited to dive into ON THE SAVAGE SIDE even though it sounds like it’s going to destroy me like BETTY did!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tiffany-McDaniel/e/B01DAN905O/

Website: https://www.tiffanymcdaniel.com/

3Q’s – Joe Koch is CONVULSIVE by nature!

You know what really grinds my gears? Especially as every day, my hair thins and fades and retires from my head? Seeing Joe and they’re posts about waking up with ‘mad scientist’ hair and ‘oh, hey, just me and my crazy hair’ posts! hahahaah! Friggin’ disrespectful I tell’s ya!

Anyways, enough of my own problems, let’s er ah… no, that’s a horrible segue into Joe’s intro! Baha! Really losing it today, yeah!!

Today’s guest is a phenomenal writer, phenomenal human and someone who I’ve loved seeing create and unleash new and horrible reads on unsuspecting readers!

Please do welcome, Joe!

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

Joe: I’ve been asked this many times and the answer keeps changing. I think it’s because my writing process changes with the type of project I’m working on and the character or mood of the piece. In general, I write every day, preferably in the morning and afternoon. I often spend so much of my time thinking about a project that it feels like I’m always writing even when I’m not typing. I have to get up and move a lot. In a very subjective intuitive way, I generally know when I need to wait for an idea to ripen before I hit the keyboard and when I’m being lazy and need to push myself to get down to business, but that time of day or night can be quite random.

For a first draft, I try for 500-1000 words a day. A long time ago I saw Betty Rocksteady mention 500 words a day was all she wrote, and that helped me relax and feel okay about being a slow writer. (Thanks, Betty!) I did the math and found you’ll finish a short story pretty fast that way and get a novella finished in a little over a month, and let’s face it, when the words are flowing it’s easy to exceed the daily goal. Giving myself a low word count goal allows more time crafting the first draft, which I like to do much more than slamming words on the page. I edit very slowly, generally going through at least three drafts, and a good first draft keeps that process from being too painfully slow.

Steve: If you started a series and for some reason had to have another author finish it, who would you choose?

Joe: This is a terrible question to ask because I’m a total control freak about my writing! Although, come to think of it, I’ve done three successful collaborations with great authors and been delighted with the results, so maybe I’m speaking too soon. Oh, gosh; I’d have to choose someone who understood that particular project and understood the meaning of the series arc, both emotionally, structurally, and creatively. It’s hard to answer without knowing the specifics. The collaborations I’ve done were each tailored to the strengths of the different co-authors and to what different strengths I brought to the table. Our differences are what made the pieces work, in fact.

Okay, so I think at this point I’m going to pick Kyle Winkler to finish the imaginary series. He’s a good choice because we intend to do a collaboration one day but haven’t gotten around to it yet, because he has a playful mind and weird poetic way with words that suggests he could satisfy someone who wants a “Joe story,” and because if I knew he’d have to finish the series I’d have fun going all out setting up impossible problems for him to resolve, ha ha. That’s not mere cruelty; I set up my stories that way for myself, to keep things interesting and see how hard I can push myself. Woe to anyone tasked with completing unfinished work after my death.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Joe: My new collection CONVULSIVE came out in April and sold out right away, to my surprise. You should read it because the stories are more like experiences than everyday stories in the way language is employed poetically, surrealistically, and emotionally. They deal with issues of gender, religion, abuse, and autonomy, and these seem to be the issues constantly in the news these days, don’t they? Don’t get me wrong; there’s no simple message or preaching in my stories. Rather I present issues as complexes (in the Jungian sense) and mix the themes with references to art history, alternative music, my love of gardening, and anything else that resonates to make a sort of waking dream for the reader to consider. I’m told the final effect is a creeping dread that sticks with you for a long time.

Steve: Bonus Question! If they made a movie about your life, what actor or actress would you suggest they get to play you?

Joe: Sam Neill would be perfect. I bet he’d be a good sport and wouldn’t mind wearing a dress for the earlier years, too.

Great choice! And I feel like he would!

Thank you again, Joe!

To find more of Joe’s work – you know what to do!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Koch/e/B079TTBTSG

Twitter: https://twitter.com/horrorsong

Website: https://horrorsong.blog/

3Q’s Special – Alexander Zelenyj and his barbarian ingenuity!

Really exciting 3Q’s Special today with a newish to me author! If you know Tony Jones, reader and reviewer, you’ll know he has a voracious intake of literature second-to-none. He is frequently recommending books to me. In this case, I reached out and asked him for some 3Q’s suggestions and Alexander was at the top of his list. Alexander and I connected not to long ago on social media, and it’s always great to discover new Canuck authors. In this case, I’ve just started reading one of his short story collections and I have to say – from what I’ve read so far, he should be on every dark fiction reader’s “must-read” lists!

Please, do welcome Alexander!

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?
AZ: I used to write very late at night and into the early hours of the morning, but in recent years have changed things up, and write a little in the morning, afternoon, and night, every day. I try to sleep more, though I’m rarely successful. And no, I don’t pay too much attention to word counts—I just try to do good work, and if that means a smaller word count on any given day then that’s okay with me.

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?
AZ: I would definitely share it with the world, because it would inevitably mean a great deal to a lot of people who likewise love the work of the author in question. But…I would hold onto it a while first, and read it, and savour it, and maybe share it with any friends who are also huge fans of the writer. Maybe we’d form a cult based around the manuscript. But after that, I’d spread the literary wealth with the world at large.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
AZ: My new book is entitled These Long Teeth of the Night. It’s a retrospective compendium of my short fiction spanning the 20-year period of 1999-2019, published by the amazing Fourth Horseman Press. Fans of dark/Weird/cross-genre/ speculative fiction should check it out because it offers a good cross-section of my work, including material that’s been published in a wide variety of places, such as in my previous full-length collections and chapbooks, as well as in magazines and anthologies, so it has the benefit of getting the thumbs-up from multiple editors and readers. The book also has some new fiction, and introductions to each of the stories by yours truly, in which I talk a little about the stories, their inspirations, background, and assorted other details. The hardcover edition is currently available, with the trade paperback and digital editions coming very soon. Reviews have been positive, and people tell me the stories are difficult to classify in terms of genre, which suggests it’s an interesting and unique read that stands out from some of the other stuff out there.
I also have a book out entitled The Long Dirty Night Trilogy, published by Somniatis Press. It’s my version of a grindhouse novel, told in three interrelated parts/novellas. It’s a combination of very extreme horror and sleaze and dark humour, but with a very serious underlying message about personal freedom and the right to make important life choices in a difficult world. It’s also a lot of over-the-top fun. It was published as an extremely limited-edition omnibus, with all three novellas in one volume, and features three colour interior artworks by Greg Maxwell, and an introduction by Nick Cato, author of Suburban Grindhouse: From Staten Island to Times Square and all the Sleaze Between. The first edition is sold out, but there should be a second edition of the individual volumes available in the near future. Fans of transgressive way-out-there fiction should get a big kick out of it.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your superpower?
AZ: Great question. If we’re talking about pre-existing comic books, I’d have to go with my childhood obsession and go with one of the barbarian/sword & sorcery comic books I loved: Conan or Arak or The Warlord. Who am I kidding: I’m Conan and my superpower is my barbarian ingenuity and the strength of my sword-arm, by Crom!
If we’re talking about an entirely new comic book character, I would be the Reader, and my superpower would be the ability to speed-read as fast as the Flash is able to move and to retain all that I read. So that way I’d be able to read every book ever written before I die. I’m not sure what greater use I’d put my power to, but I’d figure something out, and I’d be pretty happy with it.

Ha! Fantastic!

Thank you so much, Alexander!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AZelenyj

Website: https://www.alexanderzelenyj.com/

3Q’s – Lex H. Jones disrespects the DEAD!

If my ongoing attempt at click-bait headlines doesn’t excite you, then maybe today’s guest will! Lex H. Jones has the distinction of appearing alongside myself in more anthologies than any other author. Think we’re at seven or eight currently! What that goes to show you is that somehow I’ve managed to sneak into some of these books featuring some amazing talent – one of which is LEX!

I’m a huge fan of his work, so I’m truly excited to welcome Lex as today’s 3Q’s guest!

Welcome!

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

Lex: You know it’s funny, I’ve been all over the place with this kind of thing. At one point I had a routine, then that didn’t work for me anymore due to life changes, then I formed a new routine, then had a period of just doing what I could fit in whenever the mood struck me. Then I had a period of quite severe illness earlier this year, which made writing of any kind off the table for a long time (nerve damage in my skull, made laptop usage extremely difficult). So now that’s, thankfully, behind me, I have started a new routine of aiming for at least 2 pages per day, and then just carrying on past this point if I feel like it/have time to do so.

Steve: If you could write a story for another author’s fictional world/series, which would it be and why?

Lex: Oooh, that’s an interesting one. I think I veer between Masters of The Universe (which was my first real fictional love) and Batman. Both of those are worlds where I feel I could do something different, write something that hasn’t been done before, and where I have enough personal love and reverence for them that I wouldn’t mess it up. This may be a controversial point these days, but I personally feel that anybody taking on an existing franchise (be it films, TV, comic books etc) ought to really love and care about the thing they’re now continuing. That doesn’t mean it should all be “safe” fan-service with no risks or chances taken, but I don’t like the “screw what’s come before” approach that some seem to delight in taking. People loved these things for a reason, these franchises that you’re now being paid to write for still exist for that same reason, so have a little respect, please. So yeah, I definitely think the kingdoms of Gotham or Eternia are lands I’d like to explore and try something a little different in, but whilst still paying respect to what people love about them.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Lex: My most recent release is a collection of short ghost stories called Whistling Past The Graveyard, which was released last year. I haven’t had anything new this year due to the aforementioned health concerns, but hoping to get some stuff done this year which may see the light of day next year. Whistling was something of a labour of love, because I love writing short ghost stories. The ability to dip into a world for just long enough to witness whatever oddness the protagonist is experiencing, and then leaving with the reader (hopefully) wishing they could stay a bit longer, is a joy to me. The style I go for is a bit old-school, subtle horror. So if you like the kind of ghost story that you’d read round a campfire, or by the fireplace on a winter’s night, then this book is for you. I remember you giving it a very lovely review, Steve, so thank you for that.

Steve: Bonus Question! Do you have a cherished book?

Lex: A Christmas Carol. I have a copy from 1923, which I read every Christmas Eve. I think it’s not only the greatest ghost story ever written, but the greatest story of any kind. It balances the dark and the light, the gloom and the hope, the despair and the joy so perfectly. Even if you think that seeing the film adaptations is enough, I still implore you to read the book because it’s so wonderful. A couple of Christmases back, I arranged for myself and some other authors to do live readings of one chapter each, which was really fun.

Outstanding! How very, very cool!

Thank you so much, Lex!

To discover more of his work – please do check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lex-H-Jones/e/B008HSH9BA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexHJones

Book Review: Satan’s Hideaway by Matthew Vaughn

Title: Satan’s Hideaway: A Hellsworld Hotel Short

Author: Matthew Vaughn

Release date: October 14th

If you’ve followed me anywhere on the socials (as the cool kids call ’em, right? Right?!) you’ll know two things – one – I’m a reader who doesn’t mind extreme extreme extreme horror. Let’s call me an extreme horror lite reader. I also know that is a bit odd considering I’m now a Splatterpunk-Nominated author and wrote The Father of Lies Trilogy… Which, I know, sounds ludicrous, but I love horror that tells a story that’s centered around a story, not so much just a story told so that the author can rip folks apart. The second thing you’ll know, is that I always make an exception for Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn has set himself apart for me with his ‘grounded’ extreme extreme horror. For those shaking their heads at me right now, what I mean, is that his characters are always solid, well done characters who you want to root for, even when you know they have no chance. I enjoy his stuff so much and one of the highlights of my writing career was being asked to provide the foreword to his 30 Minutes or Less Omnibus!

So, when Vaughn messaged me asking if I’d like to check out his newest novella set in the Hellsworld Hotel world, I jumped at the chance and dove right in!

What I liked: The story starts out at 100mph on page one. Tiffany is bound, naked and unsure where she is, hanging from ropes. As her memories come back, she remembers that her and three friends decided to go to their very first haunted house attraction, Satan’s Hideaway, which has arrived in town for Halloween. But fans of Vaughn’s work know what family operates it and things don’t go so well for the friends.

From here, Vaughn does what he does best – that is, the friends try their best to survive, only to discover that the family, led by Zed once again, has all the escape routes covered. Blood is spilled, organs are ripped out and we get the return of Dog, who just wants to touch the strung up Tiffany.

If you’ve never read any of Vaughn’s previous Hellsworld entries, you’ll want to go back and be introduced to the family properly, but for those want to dive in here – think the Firefly clan from Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses, only worse and more depraved.

The ending does set us up for another story involving the friends and I’m excited to see where Vaughn goes with that one.

What I didn’t like: As with the prequel tale that Vaughn gave us in this world, I just wish we learned more about what drove the family to become who they were. This is chalk full of splatter, but I would love a little bit of an appetizer before the main meal is served.

Why you should buy this: Vaughn gives us another fun entry into this expanding world. Expect the usual fare from him – brutality, blood, boobs and bludgeoning. It starts from page one and never lets up until the gore-filled, orgy-tastic finale.

Now, bring on the next entry!

4/5

Satan's Hideaway by Matthew Vaughn – OCTOBER 14th

3Q’s Special: Tim Waggoner wants us to RISE!

Isn’t it cool to see how many dark fiction authors are able to write phenomenally bleak and gore filled books, while also creating media-tie in releases for the larger reading world? Case in point is today’s guest, Tim Waggoner. Take a scan at Tim’s bibliography and you’ll see a solid mix of his own work and novelizations of movies and TV shows. It’s really cool to see!

Tim is one of the nicest guys out there and one of the most supportive in the community!

I’m so happy to have Tim drop by!

Please, do welcome Tim!

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?

Tim: My writing time varies, depending on the project and the deadline (if any). It also depends on my schedule at the college where I teach, since that changes each semester. In general, I try to write for several hours in the morning before class on the weekdays, and in the mornings and afternoons on weekends. I tend to start slow on a project, but toward the end I pick up speed, and I often end up writing every waking hour until the project is finished. I don’t worry about hitting a specific word count each session, although with novels, I do have a general word goal for the day I need to hit in order to meet the deadline, but I usually exceed it, so it’s no problem getting the book finished.

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?

Tim: Share it with the world! I’d try to contact the author’s relatives first, though, and I’d hope they’d want to see the work published as well. I’ve heard stories about dead authors’ relatives who won’t allow work to be re-published, or unpublished work to be released because they have an unrealistic view of how much money there is to be had in publishing. So, they always hold out for more money than they can realistically get. If the relatives of the author whose manuscript I found were reluctant to publish, I might find a way to “accidentally” leak the manuscript to the world.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

Tim: My latest horror/dark fantasy novel came out in July from Flame Tree Press. It’s called We Will Rise, and it’s about a ghost apocalypse. All over the world, ghosts return in an event they call the Homecoming, and they begin attacking their living family and friends, trying to kill them and add more spirits to their ghostly ranks. You should read it if you like character-focused survival horror with elements of both cosmic and extreme horror added to the mix.

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

Tim: My superhero name would be Tempus, and my power would be to reverse time anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. This would allow me to counter any kind of moves my opponents make, as well as correct any mistakes of mine made during battles. Plus, it would make me a valuable member of a superhero team, as I could do the same for any of my colleagues.

Oh, great superpower! That’s excellent! Thank you again for doing this, Tim!

To find more of his amazing work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Waggoner/e/B001JP0XFM/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timwaggoner

Website: https://www.timwaggoner.com/

3Q’s – Stephen Kozeniewski NEVER DIES!!

3Q’s is locked and loaded with another fun one today! I’m excited to share this one as today’s author has carved out a phenomenal bibliography for themselves, while also joining an existing world that is beloved by many!

Please do welcome Stephen Kozeniewski as today’s guest!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try to write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
SK: I have become a creature of either Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, or Slaanesh lately. (I genuinely can’t even claim to just be chaotic; it would be far too definitive.) As I write this, it’s about half past midnight on a Saturday evening, and that’s about as reasonable as my writing schedule gets (and as unreasonable as my night life gets.) This does, however, change a great deal in November, because I have made it a point of personal pride to win National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the last thirteen years running. And because I’m so unbalanced the rest of the year, perhaps I’ve begun to rely in an unhealthy way on that November spurt. But, in any case, during that time period, I try to shoot for a minimum of 2000 words a day, and sometimes land as high as 5000.

Steve: If you could write a story for another author’s fictional world/series, which would it be and why?
SK: I would be delighted to write something in the world of William Hope Hodgson’s THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND. And I think since it is now in the public domain I probably just can. I came to this world admittedly late in life, but I have nevertheless been fascinated by it and re-read at least annually. This is a story that creeps. It creeps into your subconsciousness. It creeps in the back of your mind. I just feel like there are so many unanswered questions, although I have no idea if I would ruin the beauty of that by revisiting the horrible portal in Kraighten. Still, maybe.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!

SK: CLICKERS NEVER DIE is something I never thought I would work on. I mean, who could even imagine getting invited to work on something like that? For those of your readers who may not be familiar, CLICKERS is an old-fashioned munch-out series (think “Gremlins,” “Critters,” “Them” or, frankly, almost any ’50s sci-fi movie) about giant crab-lobster-scorpion monsters. After both of the original authors who created the series passed away, I was invited, along with my cohort in crime Wile E. Young to reboot it. So, yes, you can just start with this one. And why should you? Well, if the heartwarming story of a boy and his Clicker isn’t enough to entice you, there’s also a World War II battle interrupted by the titular marine (ha!) beasties, and, if that’s somehow still not enough, a beautiful man-on-gill-man love scene. In a way, we did you a favor by writing it.

Steve: Bonus Question! Do you have a cherished book?
SK: I do! I have an original signed paperback copy of THE RISING (you know, the one with the zombie jazz hands busting through the boarded-up door.) I cherish it for the normal reasons, but I also cherish it because it is an object which, in a lot of ways, put me on the path to being the nominal success I am now.

Oh, very cool! That’s great! Thank you so much for doing this, Stephen!

To find more of his amazing work – check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/outfortune

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Kozeniewski/e/B00FFLC5Y8

Book Review: Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

Title: Penpal

Author: Dathan Auerbach

Release date: June 4th, 2022

Over the years of reading, you get a number of books that are frequently recommended to you. Books that sound great but your TBR is so large that you simply can’t get to them in a timely manner. Such was the case with ‘Penpal,’ one of the most frequently suggested books I read from people I interact with all the time. When it got to the top of my TBR, I was excited and went in wondering just what I was in store for.

What I liked: I’ll be upfront, this was a book that landed directly on the 50% enjoyed, 50% annoyed line. The story follows a man who is looking back on some spooky and horrible events in his life. He wants to come to find out the truth about what happened and as he dives into it, discovers it is way worse than he ever suspected.

It starts out innocently enough – in their kindergarten class they fill out cards, attach them to balloons and release them in the hopes that whoever finds the card will become a pen pal and write back to the student. When our main characters is launched, at first he gets no reply, but soon he does. Someone who is sending him polaroid photos back that appear to be taken of the boy.

The story jumps back and forth a bit through different time periods of his youth and we get some really creepy and frightening moments. There were a few spots that I was beyond unnerved with and loved when things really ramped up.

The ending was sad and allowed for some closure, even if it didn’t completely feel like it.

What I didn’t like: The two biggest things that annoyed me continued throughout the entire story. The first thing was that the age of the characters and actions didn’t always line up. When the kids are portrayed in Kindergarten there are a lot of things they’re doing that would be more accurate or physically accurate if they’d been in grade five or higher. I say this with having a kid in Grade 1 who is smart and a solid guy, but who wouldn’t be doing a bunch of what this Kinder kid is apparently doing. This annoyed me to no end as the book progressed.

Minor spoilers ahead here FYI.

The second was the seemingly lack of any actual action regarding the person doing these creepy things. It doesn’t seem like the police were ever contacted nor informed of anything and trust me, if someone was sending polaroid’s of your kid from a distance repetitively for years, you’d be contacting the police. Let alone if they followed you at night, were living under your crawlspace of your home or drove a car highspeed into your date. It just frustrated me to no end that these things happened and our main character just seemed to always forget about it.

I will add – it could try and be explained away as a ‘small town’ thing. I grew up in a really small town. When something ‘off’ happened, everyone knew and things wouldn’t be swept away like it seems they were here.

Why you should buy this: As always, take my feelings with a grain of salt. You may love this book and rave about this book, but for me it was a miss. If it weren’t for the tension and dread filled moments I would’ve dnf’d it and I almost did following the opening chapter which didn’t do much for me at all.

Overall, I categorize this one as a miss, but you may very well enjoy it and rave about it. In which case – I’m so happy for you! But for me, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

2/5

Book Review: Nocturnal Creatures by Robert P. Ottone

Title: Nocturnal Creatures

Author: Robert P. Ottone

Release date: October 4, 2022

If you’ve followed my reviews, you’ll know I have a soft spot for the big fella. You know who – Bigfoot, the big stink, Sasquatch, the one who woops in the night! I love squatch fiction and having recently read a number of Ottone’s work, I was excited to dive into his newest, ‘Nocturnal Creatures.’

You never know what you’ll get with Bigfoot fiction (and the same with movies). You could get heartfelt nature pieces, blood-and-guts gore, or simply a combination of the two. What was Ottone going to do with it?

What I liked: The story follows a family, living on their farm, trying to make ends meet, when something seemingly arrives and begins to steal from their orchard. Our main character, Cassie, a teen girl who is struggling with her brother gone, overseas fighting in a war, finds an unlikely friendship and growing relationship with the new boy, Darwin, who has moved with his mom to their extra house on the property.

The story progresses quickly from when Darwin and his mom arrive to when everything hits the fan. The creatures descend, the family tries to defend itself and a plan is hatched to get rid of them once and for all. Ottone does a solid job of ramping up the action, while also painting a vivid picture of what the creatures look like.

I really enjoyed this take on the struggle between a creature losing its habitat and interacting with humans who’re encroaching on their territory. Cassie is a really solid character and one that I would hope we get to revisit in the future when she’s older.

What I didn’t like: There’s a couple of minor things. The first is that the entirety of the characters within the book seem to just accept that the creatures exist. It happens so rapidly that it made for a jarring moment.

The second is the ending. A lot happens and within that it kind of felt like a deflating moment instead of a solid finale. A key familial character just disappears and I didn’t find those who remained to react like I thought they would. As well, several others either die or are grievously wounded, but it happens so quickly it lost some of its impact.

Why you should buy this: If you love creatures in the woods raining tons of carnage down on those around them, look no further. This one rips along from start to finish and the squatches never let up. Ottone attacks each section of the book with a crazy grin on his face and you almost feel like he was laughing like a loonatic the entire time he wrote this.

This was a fun one!

4/5