Steve Stred's Blog, page 49

Book Review: Ghostwritten by Roland Malfi

Title: Ghostwritten

Author: Ronald Malfi

Release date: October 4th, 2022

Firstly, huge thanks to Netgalley, Ronald Malfi and Titan Books for approving me for a digital ARC!

Malfi struck gold with ‘Come With Me’ his novel that came out just last year, Summer 2021. Imagine our surprise when it was then announced that we would be getting not one, but two releases from him in 2022. First up was the fantastic ‘Black Mouth.’ And now, here we are with ‘Ghostwritten.’

‘Ghostwritten’ is a collection of four novellas that can either be digested individually, or read as four parts to a longer story all interconnected through the mysterious books that take center stage and the horrible events surrounding the books. Malfi covers a lot of ground in these ones and it shows just how solid and capable of a writer he is that none of them felt repetitive when held up in comparison to the other’s within here.

What I liked: We start off with a bang – ‘The Skin of her Teeth’ is both a straightforward story of a book that drives people to madness and death. Taken at face value, we follow as an agent desperately tries to save a huge deal between her client and a movie studio, as her client is tasked with writing the screenplay. It could also be taken as a metaphor to the writer’s grind of trying to make a deadline and feeling all consumed by a project.

Either way, Malfi gives us creeps and tension which all comes to a head and will leave you breathless.

Next up, we get ‘The Dark Brother’s Last Ride.’ This was a fun one, revolving around two hired goons tasked with transporting a briefcase and given some simple rules. Follow the map exactly. Don’t open the case. Don’t touch what’s inside. Ignore anyone asking about it. It made for really fun trip.

Third was ‘This Book Belongs to Olo.’ First – the cover of this collection relates to this story, which really heightens the insanity you’ll find within. Second – this was my favorite story within the collection. Almost a YA-Fantasy novella that has tinges of Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro, Malfi introduces us to Olo, a lonely child who has no friends and lives in a mansion with his stepdad and mom. Both are preoccupied with their own careers to even care about Olo, so he decides to find a way to make friends. I almost wish this particular one was illustrated or maybe one day we get a stop-motion movie out of him akin to James and the Giant Peach. I can’t rave more about this one without going into spoiler territory, but really loved this one.

Lastly, we finish with ‘The Story,’ which goes in so many different directions. Malfi manages to hold it together and close out with a strong finish.

What I didn’t like: While I enjoyed them all, I did find ‘The Dark Brother’s Last Ride’ to be the one that didn’t click with me as much and I think a part of that is my own personal reasons. I’m not a huge fan of mob stories, gangsters etc and this starts off with that aspect and then goes from there. It is fun and solid, but not completely my cup of tea.

Why you should buy this: Malfi continues to deliver and showing why so many people rave about his work. Throughout we get solid storylines, great characters and horrifying events – all the while tied together thematically from start to finish. Really well done and definitely a place where new fans can dive in, while old fans will be more than happy with what they read.

4/5

3Q’s – Madison McSweeney stays near the Fringes!

Look at this! Another 3Q’s annnnddd another Canuck writer haha!

I’m excited to introduce you all to Madison!

Welcome, Madison!

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?

Madison: I’m tempted to lie and say I have some intense gothic writing process, but alas, I’m a bit of a cliché. I like parking myself at picnic tables, coffee shops, and libraries; when writing at home, I tidy up my apartment so I’m not staring at too much clutter and set myself up with a record and a cup of tea. Sometimes scented candles, lava lamps, and/or essential oil dispensers are involved.

Music is probably the most important part of my set-up. I can’t get much done without a soundtrack and I make a big production of selecting songs, albums, and playlists that match the tone of whatever I happen to be writing. (For The Doom That Came to Mellonville, that meant listening to Richard Band’s Re-Animator score on repeat).

I often start writing with an idea for a vibe rather than a plot, and music feeds into that; my novelette The Forest Dreams With Teeth owes a lot to Robert E. Howard and The Wicker Man, but it probably wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t been walking in the woods in the ‘burbs while listening to Dio.

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

Madison: Conan the Barbarian or Beastmaster. I love sword-and-sorcery and I don’t think its possible to create a better hero than Conan or Marc Singer’s Dar. Specifically, I want to write a prequel to Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus, which I’m sure there’d be a market for. And the Conan universe is just so swashbuckling and mysterious; I’d love to write a Howard-style throwback that really plays up the weird horror.

I also recently had an idea for a Hellraiser story focused on a vengeful Chatterer, which I might actually sit down and write.

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

Madison: My debut poetry chapbook Fringewood was released this summer by Alien Buddha Press. It’s a collection of 22 gothic, folk horror, and paranormal-inspired poems set in a strange little town that may or may not exist.

Content-wise, it’s a mix of monster mayhem and melancholy musings (and that’s my alliteration allotment for the day). When I was pitching the collection, I compared it to My Heart is a Chainsaw, Midsommar, and Welcome to Night Vale, as well as the works of The Misfits and Phoebe Bridgers, which seems a little presumptuous; but if you can’t carnival bark for your own stuff, no one else will.

Self-indulgently, I was very excited for this one because I drew the cover illustration (a first for me), and many of the poems are very personal. There’s also a lot of in-jokes – for instance, “Tunney’s Pasture,” which I portray as a muddy field that dissolves rubber soles and mutates livestock, is the name of a downtown Ottawa bus station I used to hate waiting at.

Check out Fringewood if you like witchcraft, cryptids, and sinister small towns.

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

Madison: In the dying days of Zellers, I picked the carcass of my local store and found a single copy of Clive Barker’s Cabal. The 1989 paperback edition with just a U.K. price on the back – I’m honestly not sure how it ended up in a Canadian Zellers in 2013. I was a high school senior and had never consumed any Barker before, but I was immediately drawn in by the beauty of the language and the vividly conjured characters (not to mention the feminist and queer themes). This particular book also had the most tantalizing back cover copy I’ve ever read.

Sadly, Barker’s planned trilogy never happened, so we may never learn the fate of the Nightbreed. But Cabal is still a small masterpiece and my all-time favourite book.

Great choice and that is crazy that it ended up at a Zellers! I love when people make crazy finds!

Thank you again, Madison!

To discover more of her work – click the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Madison-McSweeney/e/B0979N64R1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MMcSw13

Website: https://madisonmcsweeney.com/

3Q’s Special – Josh Malerman believes he can put it off!

One thing that I’ve loved hearing back from people who read these and those who I’ve invited to be on the 3Q’s, is just how fun it is, but also how short and snappy it is. The reality is, while I love reading long interviews or watch long interviews, sometimes we just don’t have the time to fit it all in. So much content is being created and it’s getting harder to decide what to consume. 3Q’s was imagined as an interview feature for the social media age. 5-10 minutes of time to check it out, have a laugh, find a good book and ultimately learn just a little bit more about your favorite authors!

Today’s guest really doesn’t need an introduction. Josh Malerman is a force, having written numerous best sellers, hit singles with his band The High Strung, created sought after limited editions and been behind one of the biggest movies (and social media phenomenon’s) on Netflix with Birdbox. I was super grateful that he agreed to do one and was super excited to get his replies back so fast! So, naturally – here he is for a Special 3Q’s!

Please welcome Josh!

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?

Josh: So, this is exclusive to each book. So far, each book has followed its own routine and has maintained the routine for the duration of the rough draft. Bird Box was written between 8AM and noon every day, an average of 4,300 words a day. The newest, Incidents Around the House, was written between about 8PM and midnight, at about 2,500 words a day. Ghoul n’ The Cape was 1,000 a day. Unbury Carol was 5,300 a day. So… within themselves, in and of themselves: routine. But no overarching routine heading into the first draft. The story kinda tells you, This is when you’re going to write me and this is about how much you’re gonna get out of me each day.

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?
Josh: Ha. How about I read it first, then definitely share. I couldn’t live with the guilt. And who’d want to do that anyway? It’s an interesting question though. I wonder if a hardcore collector might want it for him/herself. Come to think of it, this is a good story idea. A hardcore collector discovers an unknown novel by a beloved author, keeps it for himself, suffers the horrifying consequences. Maybe the ghost of the author or the author’s family or something starts showing up around the house. (Steve – I would read that!)

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Josh: Daphne (Del Rey) came out September 20th. We hosted a great theatrical reading: rented out a gymnasium, had fog and lights, scary music playing, and my fiancée Allison hit a fifteen-foot shot as I was narrating her making the shot. Incredible. Daphne, the seven-foot denim-clad whiskey and smoke smelling slasher, absolutely represents a panic attack. And the girls on the Samhattan High School basketball team must contend with her predilection for ballers. The more they think about Daphne? The closer she gets. So, just don’t think about her, right? Riiiight. Just like panic or anxiety, she’s coming. I’d been looking for an angle on anxiety, a prism, for years, and Daphne came to me fully formed.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your super power?
Josh: Call me Optimo. And my power is that I’m the guy on the superpower team who says, “Hey, actually I think we can pull this off.” And then the people with the real powers say, “Hey, shit man, if Optimo thinks we can… maybe we can.”

Ha! Great answer. Love it.

Thanks so much, Josh, really appreciate it.

As always – check the links to find more of his work!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Josh-Malerman/e/B00K8R9C8Q

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshMalerman

Website: https://joshmalerman.com/

3Q’s – Kevin J. Kennedy – Horror Master!

Truly, truly honored to have today’s guest join us.

Kevin J. Kennedy has been so very important in my writing career. Not only was he my first story acceptance, he was also my very first anthology invite! He’s always been super supportive to myself as well as a whole host of other writers!

Everyone – Kevin!

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?

KJK: Nope. I write whenever I can squeeze it in. I always have a pretty busy schedule so I just need to find time. I also never set myself a word count. I do what I can in each session and when my brain melts, I give up. I seem to be okay at hitting deadlines but that’s likely because I work well under pressure and work harder on the last few days before something is due and push other stuff aside. After I sub I go back to normal life for a bit.

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

KJK: That’s a tough one. It would depend on the sub-genre I suppose. As things are going just now it would likely by Matt Clark (writes under Matthew A. Clarke). I’m doing more and more Bizarro stuff and I love Mark’s work. He never seems to stop working so I’m sure he could squeeze it in somewhere and we have similar tastes, so it could work well.

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

KJK: My newest release is an anthology called The Horror Collection: Nightmare Edition. It contains stories by eighteen authors. I don’t have a story in this one. I just read the subbed stories, picked my favourites and then picked the story order. It may be the last book in the series which now has twelve books. It’s roughly three times the size of the other books in the series so it would be a good one to close with.

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

KJK: Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Maybe Vin Diesel. We both have a shaved head and a really deep voice. Being fair, I think he hits the gym a bit more than me, but I seen a picture of him on a yacht with a beer belly at one point and that look would have been perfect for a movie about me. lol

Good choice! I reckon if he can play Groot so convincingly, he can play you!

Thanks again, Kevin!

To find more reads from Kevin, click the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kevin-J-Kennedy/e/B016V0NA7M

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinJKennedy01

Book Review: This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

Title: This is Where We Talk Things Out

Author: Caitlin Marceau

Release date: September 22, 2022

Firstly, huge thanks to Caitlin, Andrew and DarkLit Press for sending me a digital copy to review!

I actually read this at the end of last week, casually starting it on the Thursday night, but became quickly engrossed and would’ve finished it that night if I hadn’t already read for 90 mins prior to starting this. I typically don’t post reviews on the weekends (some rare occasions based around release dates or special requests – and let’s face it, sometimes social media can be crickets on the weekends) but I wrote this up on my phone once done to post first thing this Monday morning.

The novella is quick, sharp and rubbles along like a freight train about to come off the tracks.

What I liked: The story follows an daughter and her mother who are tentatively trying to rebuild some of their estranged relationship following the death of the father. We quickly learn that the mother, Sylvie, doesn’t fully approve of her daughter, Miller’s life choices (she is engaged to another female and partakes in recreational substances) as well as the fact that Sylvie has always been a difficult parent, someone who makes statements and comments that are horrific and then gaslights Miller into apologizing for upsetting Sylvie when she’s called out.

This pattern continues, as Miller reluctantly agrees to visit with Sylvie for a weekend in a cabin she believes her mom has rented. Marceau does a great job of infuriating us with Sylvie’s constant overreactions and ability to turn everything around onto Miller. It works really well to exasperate the reader but also ramp up the tension between the two of them.

With a huge storm barreling in, Marceau adds in some unforeseen turn-of-events that works really well to isolate Miller and the cabin even more and the level of craziness that Sylvie exhibits goes off the charts.

The ending – which is expected – still works to add another layer of paleness over the preceding 100 pages and closes it off really nicely.

What I didn’t like: There are trigger warnings for some of what happens, but I will say, if you’ve ever dealt with a parent who exhibits any of the same traits as Sylvie, you’ll be furious reading this. True, it shows just how well of a job Marceau does bringing this character and their relationship to life, but holy man, I didn’t realize I was going to take some of this as personally as I did and how angry it made me in spots! So, be aware ha! Additionally, there’s a bit about the father that is made fairly obvious early on, which dampened some of that reveal.

Why you should buy this: It’s always exciting to me when a novella rips right out of the gate and holds you solidly until you finish it off and finally exhale. Marceau never once lets the pedal off the floor while steering us readers through thick and thin. So, if you’re looking for a really solid, fast-paced, family based piece, look no further. This one was really well done.

5/5

3Q’s Special – Dan Coxon wants to Isolate you!

It’s always an exciting time when a star-studded anthology is about to be released!

And what’s even more exciting? When that anthology is about to be launched in the US, only a few short days after winning a British Fantasy Award for Best Non-Fiction!

Dan Coxon is a celebrated author and editor and today, I have the pleasure of welcoming Dan, just before the launch of his newest Anthology!

Welcome Dan!

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?
Dan: I actually have so many things going on at the moment that – out of necessity – I’ve come to see writing as only one part of it. The way I’ve learned to look at it, the writing is simply part of the bigger project, which is being a writer. So while it may sometimes feel like I’ve wasted a day editing submissions to an anthology, or preparing a writing workshop, or even booking membership for conventions and arranging travel, that’s all still part of the bigger project. All this is a long way of saying that I’m not always writing, and that old adage of ‘make sure you write every day’ just doesn’t ring true for me. What I do instead is make sure I engage with writing every day – whether it’s as a reader, a writer, or an editor. That said, when I’m deep into a project – a novel manuscript, or a longer story – I tend to make sure that I’m coming to it every day and adding to it, so that the momentum and energy behind it don’t fizzle out.

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?
Dan: I’d be straight on the phone to a few publishers I know! In all seriousness, I’ve always felt that it’s like trees falling in a distant forest – if the words aren’t being read, then it’s basically the same as if they didn’t exist. It’s why being published is so important not just to me, but to most writers – for some people it’s ego pure and simple, but I think for most of us we don’t feel like our work truly comes alive until it’s published somewhere. The reader brings your world into existence.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Dan: My latest release is actually an anthology. Isolation: The Horror Anthology is out now in the UK and the US from Titan Books, and as for why you should read it… well, I might as well reel off the contributors. We have stories by Joe R. Lansdale, Paul Tremblay, Tim Lebbon, M. R. Carey, Ken Liu, Laird Barron, Gwendolyn Kiste, Jonathan Maberry, Angela Slatter, Owl Goingback, Ramsey Campbell… the list goes on. I’m also really pleased with the way it all came together. There are a few pandemic stories in the mix – it’s one of the reasons why we decided to do the anthology in the first place – but isolation has a much longer history than that within the horror genre. From the abandoned cabin in the woods to the star freighter adrift in the vacuum of space, isolation is a cornerstone of so many horror stories, and it’s fascinating to see so many great writers approaching it from such different angles.
If you want to check out my own writing, I also have stories coming out in Mother: Tales of Love and Terror from Weird Little Worlds, and Great British Horror 7: Major Arcana from Black Shuck Books. It’s been a busy few months.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your super power?
Dan: I have two boys, aged 7 and 10, and this is something that frequently comes up in conversation! I think my favourite answer so far is ‘Imaginarium’, who has the ability to make anything he imagines come true. That pretty much covers most bases, since you can imagine other super powers. It also feels remarkably like being a writer, now I come to think about it…

That is really a fantastic answer and what a fun game to play with your boys!

Thank you so much for doing this, Dan!

To find more of Dan’s work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Coxon/e/B0034PDEYM/

Website: http://www.dancoxon.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanCoxonAuthor

3Q’s – Dan Soule gets himself in a Jam!

Big, big fan of today’s guest! Dan Soule is a tireless promoter of others, as well as a talented author and burgeoning cover designer.

Really excited to introduce you all to Dan!

Welcome Dan!

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?

Dan: Routine isn’t something I have the luxury of. I learned a while ago to write around other areas of my life, like family, work, martial arts. I believe that ‘you are what you do consistently.’ but I didn’t want an ‘ideal’ routine to be a reason not to write. So, I write wherever and when ever I can. Mostly, I find myself a space with my laptop and go. It’s the summer holidays as I write this and I’m off with the kids while my wife is at work. I get up when she does and grab a couple of hours writing before the kids emerge, if I’m luckily. Basically, If I keep writing a book will emerge. I am a little bit more ordered than that, like I outline before I write, and I re-outline as I go along, and generally I have a pretty tight draft structurally speaking, by the end. An editing phase comes next. That’s about it. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes not. It all depends. Just do the work. I’m not an artist and an artisan, blue collar writer. I don’t lie around waiting for my muse and aching over my unrecognized creative genius.

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

Dan: I’m not a big reader of series, but I love the first three Alien movies and read some of the spin-off books. It would be an honour to be asked to write in that world, assuming I didn’t have to follow the lore that Ridley Scott arsed up in the last two movies.

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

Dan: My newest release is a novella (quite a long one) called THE JAM. Perhaps you can tell from the title, it is either a horror about a nightmare English afternoon tea party OR an horrific traffic jam. Basically, I thought a traffic jam was an under-utilised setting for a horror story. As authors we are always looking for ways to trap out characters and those strange, in between type of places are always a little creepy by their very nature. Also, it’s a realistic contrivance for putting a diverse set of characters together, who ordinarily wouldn’t meet in real life. Thereafter, I can’t say much. It is all about what caused the jam and ultimately how and if they can get out of what’s coming. I hope I throw some curve balls to the reader and it isn’t what they think it is going to be. Like all my books, I tried to make it much more about the characters, and in this one particularly a teenage boy called Max and the less than ideal relationship with his mother and father. Max does just have to escape the terror outside his vehicle but inside it too.

Awesome! Thank you so much, Dan! I appreciate you doing this!

To discover more of Dan’s work, check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterDanSoule

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Soule/e/B01N7WNQBQ

Website: https://dansoule.com/blog/

3Q’s Special – Greg Chapman keeps it pretty drab!

Real special 3Q’s here today! Since I first read Greg Chapman’s novella ‘The Eschatologist’ (I read it titled as ‘The Followers’), I was hooked. ‘Netherkind’ is still one of my favorite novels EVER and everything he puts out is bleak and dark. Couple that with how phenomenal of a cover artist is, and Greg is a force to be reckoned with. I’m truly honored that he did the cover for my release ‘An Endless Darkness: The Novellas,’ and if you thought that cover was amazing, wait until you see the cover he did for my next novel.

I’m so happy and honored to have Greg today as my 3Q’s Special guest!

Please, do welcome Greg!

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?

Greg: These days my writing time is pretty sporadic. Earlier this year I took three months off from my day job (which is also writing) to work on two new short story collections I’ve got coming out from IFWG Publishing in the next year or so. But when I do write I grab a notebook and venture into a quiet space and write longhand. Eight handwritten pages usually gives me about 3000 words so that’s what I aim for.

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

Greg: Matthew Tait. He’s a fine writer and is probably one of the few author mates of mine who truly understands my fiction.

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

Greg: As I say I am currently working on a couple of new short story collections, but Crossroad Press recently re-released three of my novels – Hollow House, Netherkind and The Noctuary: Pandemonium. Every author says this, but I poured my heart and soul into these novels. Hollow House is a broad strokes character study of people’s pain and an empty house that feeds on them, Netherkind is my attempt at making readers see an anthropophagic monster as a messiah and The Noctuary mythos is just dark madness – a love letter to my all-time favourite author, Clive Barker. They’re early works, but I love them all the same. I especially wish Netherkind had more readers. If you like bleak horror that looks at the ugly side of the human experience then my books might be for you. I also recently guest-edited an issue of Midnight Echo Magazine that contains some fantastic fiction by some of Australasia’s best horror writers. It was a real privilege.

Steve: Bonus Question! If they made a movie about your life, what actor or actress would you suggest they get to play you?
Greg: Haha. That would make for one pretty drab movie, but if I had to choose, I’d say Martin Freeman would be great for it.

Great choice, though! Martin is a fantastic actor!

Thank you so much for doing this Greg!

To find more of his work – both written and artistic – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Greg-Chapman/e/B004Q7PCRE/

Author website: https://darkscrybe.com/

Cover Artist website: https://dark-designs.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/darkscrybe

3Q’s – Sara Tantlinger weaves her own Dreamland!

Today’s author is someone I think a lot of the 3Q’s readers will be excited to check out! Sara Tantlinger is an award-winning author, editor and I have to add – a fantastic nature photographer! I love seeing the photos she posts on her social media pages of the things she sees on her adventures.

Saying that – today we’re here to talk about THE DARKNESS she creates… but we may see a fuzzy animal pop up on the most unexpected way!

Please welcome SARA!!

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?

Sara: It’s a bit varied. My daily schedule for work isn’t always set in stone, so every day can look a little different. I like the fluidity because at least I’m never bored! It can, however, be difficult to have a set time to write, but when I can, I prefer to get some writing done in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee before I disappear into my job or other tasks for the day. If I’m in the middle of a project or have a deadline coming up, I try to give myself word count goals, but otherwise, I just do what I can that day and try to let that be good enough.

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

Sara: What a fun question! I think about Mona Awad’s Bunny a lot, and it might be really interesting to write a story from the perspective of one of the uh… “creations” we’ll call them for people who haven’t read the book yet. Of course, that one is not in the public domain since it’s a more recent work, so I’ll just have to play out what that would look like in my head. Twisted fun and weirdness abound.

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

Sara: My second anthology Chromophobia just released! It’s been such an honor working with all of the talented authors. The stories are inspired by colors and all written by women in horror. This deadly combination made for some truly unique and horrifying tales. The anthology feels really special to me, and I’m so proud to see it out in the world.

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

Sara: I think I’m always going to love Dracula the most—I collect different covers/versions of it, which just brings endless joy.

Always a great choice! Thank you so much for doing this Sara!

To discover more of her work, please do click the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sara-Tantlinger/e/B06X6GBXZB

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraTantlinger

Website: https://saratantlinger.com/

3Q’s – Eddie Generous Came From Space!

Today’s 3Q’s features fellow Canuck and BC-residing writer, Eddie Generous! Many will know Eddie from his own releases, but also from his work running Unnerving, Unnerving Magazine, Unnerving Podcast and Books North Podcast! Eddie has always had a keen eye for what darkness readers will want to discover and I’m a big fan of his writing!

Please welcome, Eddie!

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?

Eddie: The time spent working depends on the book. It’s a bit like fucking: sometimes you’re going to pound town, sometimes you’re taking your time, getting real sensual with it. Also like fucking, it can happen whenever, you can dabble all day or night. Again like fucking, when the work for the day is done, it’s done (though nobody wants to be a minute-man, so when I’m into something I usually go for 1,000 words a day, at a minimum).

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

Eddie: I have a series on a go with Severed Press titled It Came From Space; so say for some weird reason it HAD to go on, I guess Renee Miller would be the prime candidate to carry it on. She’s Canadian, she writes great suspense, monsters, and gore. Plus, I think we come from similar social viewpoints, which would probably keep the underlying targets similar (the wealthy, organized religions, etc).

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

Eddie: I have too many ideas. I write at a rate much faster than is accepted by the writing public, but rather than bury the sum like a cat in their litter dish, I started this unconnected series of suspenseful horror novels and collections called Night Crawlers. The first book is out now: Shackled By Night. It’s about this woman who is suffocating in a loveless marriage and has to move herself and invalid husband out to an old farm, only to discover it’s kind of haunted by an old-timey, revival style magician with a knack for manipulating electricity. The second book is coming September 1st: Head in the Icebox and Other Stories, which is a novella and a handful from my personal short story heap. The third book, out December 1st, is titled Nightmares Alive, which is another short novel. All the books in the series are a bit old school (which is one of the most common comments I get in reviews, and I’m happy to take it as a compliment). So you should read the series if you dig the style of the 70s, 80s, 90s horror but want more modern sensibilities and subjects.

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

Eddie: Michael Shannon, that guy seems nice and crotchety.

Excellent choice! Thank you so much, Eddie!

To discover much more of Eddie’s work, click the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Generous/e/B07BHZWHRL/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GenerousEd

Website: https://www.jiffypopandhorror.com/