Steve Stred's Blog, page 61
June 15, 2022
Book Review: ZOO: Eight Tales of Animal Horror by Joe Scipione
Title: ZOO: Eight Tales of Animal Horror
Author: Joe Scipione
Release date: April 27, 2022
It’s funny, because I keep telling myself that I’m completely exhausted reading collections and anthologies, burned out by devouring so many over the last few years, yet, every time I start reading a few books, I need to get a collection started, so that I can bounce between longer reads and shorter reads. I don’t know what to say? Could be some sort of medical condition!
Which brings us to ‘ZOO: Eight Tales of Animal Horror.’ Hilariously, I started this feature called 3Q’s, where I get various authors to answer three questions (and a fun fourth). I started it with the hopes that folks who follow along with me, might discover some new-to-them authors or reads. Guess what? In the few weeks of me scheduling these features, I’ve bought about a dozen ebooks. Insert face palm emoji. That’s right. Spoiler alert – Joe will be a featured 3Q’s author coming up, but when I was putting his together, I read more about ‘ZOO…’ and well, here we are!
What I liked: The collection is exactly what the title says – eight stories of animal horror. But, the title is also a bit misleading, as this isn’t specifically set in a zoo, nor is it limited to what zoo animals might pop into your head. I have to say – I loved all of the stories and enjoyed the novella at the end.
Highlights for me were;
‘Well and Unbitten’ – this was an anxiety inducing story that I just happened to read while camping. The story revolved around the world being overrun and taken over by mosquitos and a families fight to survive. Nothing like reading this while trying not to itch mosquito bites.
‘Hunting with Pepper’ – this story was one of the most exhilarating and original pieces I’ve read in sometime. After a divorce, a man searches for a hobby. Deciding to enjoy nature and take up falconry, he goes hunting rabbits with his falcon, Pepper. Only problem is, this time, Pepper takes down something that isn’t a rabbit. Horrifyingly amazing.
‘Goal Hike’ – look, we all know I’m a sucker for a story set in the woods. This one follows a recovering alcoholic who decides that the way for them to stay away from alcohol is to go on a hike every week. And now, here they are, week 52, hike 52. They’ve waited to do this hike, the hardest hike, until the last one as a celebration. But on the way down, a menacing bear is waiting for them and then it becomes a tale of survival.
Throughout, Joe has a deft way of ramping up the tension and keeping you on the edge of your seat. Case in point – the story ‘Obsession’ starts off simply enough but then over the course of a few pages, you can feel the energy lift and flow, growing to a crescendo. It is really well done and engaging.
What I didn’t like: I wasn’t riveted by the final novella, even though the story had some high points. I think it was more the animal chosen, as for me, I’m not a huge fan of that animal in general. As with all collections, readers will find some stick with them more and others won’t, but I have to say, Joe does a great job of making it tough for you to not want to finish each story!
Why you should buy this: If you’re like me, short story collections can be a great job of breaking up the longer reads you may have on the go. At the moment, the two other books I’m reading are both right around 400 pages, so it’s great to read each of those for a bit then, break it up with a short one or two. Scipione’s collection starts out high and stays that way and I think fans looking for a collection that features non-typical antagonists will eat this one up!
4/5
3Q’s – Stephanie Ellis turns our wheels!
I don’t know who I would suggest you read first between Alyson Faye and Stephanie Ellis, but between these two they’ve released some outstanding stuff and collaborated together.
Now, after we got to visit with Alyson, we get to visit with Stephanie and I’ve so excited to have her here!
Welcome, Stephanie!
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?
Stephanie: My schedule as such was all over the place no matter what I tried. Then I spoke to Joe Lansdale on the Darkfusion podcast and he told me he writes for 3 hours every morning and that’s it, always stopping at a point when he wants to carry on. I tried it and it works! The routine creates the right mindset whilst getting rid of the tyranny of the word count. I’m actually finishing more and getting on with things because of this. I will say this is for the creative side of things – not the admin or all the other stuff which I tend to do in the afternoon.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a character you could write about forever?
Stephanie: Not actually one, but three characters, they come as a job lot! Tommy, Betty and Fiddler from The Five Turns of the Wheel and Reborn (due out October via Brigids Gate Press). They are wonderfully animalistic and grotesque. I love them.
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Stephanie: Paused is my newest release. It came out earlier this year via Silver Shamrock for a few months and then was on hold when the company closed. Brigids Gate Press have taken it on and should be out very soon complete with new cover (I am literally just waiting for them to announce the links to buy)! It’s a fast-paced biological horror playing ‘what if’ the human race all developed ‘locked-in’ syndrome, ie you suddenly freeze, cannot respond in any way but are completely aware of what’s going on around you. The few who managed to read it before it went off the shelves have all praised it which has been very reassuring! Hopefully Paused will be taken off pause soon!
Steve: Bonus Question! Did you have a favorite wrestler as a kid?
Stephanie: Hmm. Wrestling was always on the telly on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid – this was the 70s! The pub would be shut for a few hours in the afternoon and Mum and Dad would fall asleep to it. The main event always seemed to be Giant Haystacks v Big Daddy. I tended to root for the latter – he was the good guy!
Very cool! Thank you, Stephanie!
As always – check the links below!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Ellis/e/B06XSNSGXS/
Website: stephanieellis.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/el_stevie
June 14, 2022
3Q’s – Author S.H. Cooper drops the People’s Elbow on some ghosts!
Week two of 3Q’s and we get to start it off with a BANG!
Join me in welcoming author, S.H. Cooper aka – the WORLD CHAMPION of How to Write a Man!
Welcome, S.H.!
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?
S.H.: Writing time is whenever I can squeeze it in! I don’t really have a set time to sit and write, I prefer to let the words come to me instead of trying to chase them down. I don’t even write every day, only most of them (I know, I know, for shame!). I try to keep my minimum word count to 500 and hit it more often than not, but I’ve learned not to beat myself up if I don’t. The most important thing is getting any words down at all.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a character you could write about forever?
S.H. I really love all my characters, but I think if I had to pick one, it’d probably be Eudora Fellowes from Inheriting Her Ghosts. I feel the most kinship with her and just love her personality. She’s strong-willed and sharp-tongued and just a lot of fun to spend time with. Not to mention it means I get to write about her dogs, Black Shuck and Cerberus, too, who are just the goodest of boys. I still hear her quite loudly, so who knows; maybe her story isn’t quite done yet (though it was meant to be, even if she refuses to accept that).
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
S.H.: My newest solo release was the aforementioned Inheriting Her Ghosts (Sleepless Sanctuary Publishing), a Victorian gothic novella. People should read because it features a strong, middle-aged leading lady (which I think we definitely need more of) squaring off against both ghosts and society as a whole with two of the bestest boys at her side. A haunted cliff-side manor, a half-century of secrets, a bitter legacy that refuses to rest. What’s not to love?
I also co-edited the feminist horror anthology, A Woman Built By Man (Cemetery Gates Media), which is an absolute powerhouse of feminine voices coming together to rally against all the ways women are built up and broken down by a patriarchal society. From the brutally realistic to the fantastic, our authors covered a lot of ground that I think is very important when it comes to understanding the female/female-identifying experience.
Steve: Bonus question time! Did you have a favorite wrestler as a kid?
S.H.: Yes, actually. It wasn’t The Undertaker or Stone Cold Steve Austin or even The Rock, though! It was the 4-foot-tall teddy bear my brother would practice The People’s Elbow on in our backyard. He was a good sport, never complained.
Thank you so much for doing this!
To find more awesomeness from S.H.;
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/S-H-Cooper/e/B01MY17287/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsPippinacious
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16210891.S_H_Cooper
June 13, 2022
3Q’s – Andrew Pyper scares us in our dreams!
Week two of 3Q’s begins with a bang! When I launched this feature, I actually had several people DM me in shock that today’s guest wasn’t the very first guest of this feature. Truth is – while I bother him and tag him relentlessly week in and week out, I get super nervous asking him anything that encroaches on his time (except signing books for me!).
But, alas, I broke down and asked and he accepted! So, please welcome, Andrew Pyper!
Welcome, Andrew!
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?
Andrew: When I’m working on a draft, I try to keep it Monday to Friday, starting first thing in the morning after the coffee and kids’ lunches are made. I tend to fade as the hours go on, so by noon I’m typically at 50% power (or less!). Hopefully by that time I’ve hit my word count, which varies the deeper I go into a project. At the outset, it could be as little as 600 words, but toward the end I’m often up to double that.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a favourite character you’ve written?
Andrew: There’s a few different ways to evaluate “favourite,” from “the character I’d like most to hang out with,” to “the character I feel best realized in prose.” But splitting the difference, I think Ellen O’Brien from The Demonologist came to life in a way I was most pleased with.
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Andrew: My most recently released project is Oracle 2: The Dreamland Murders, the audio drama sequel to my audiobook, Oracle. It’s an entertaining way to consume a story: the voices and sound effects of a radio play, with terrific performances from Joshua Jackson and supporting cast.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Oracle-The-Dreamland-Murders-Podcast/B09CLMJPJ4
Steve: Bonus Question! Do you have a cherished book?
Andrew: I have a few very special volumes, but I think my signed copy of Dance of the Happy Shades, Alice Munro’s first collection, is the most valued prize.
Whoa! How amazing!
Thank you, once again, Andrew!
To find more awesome books by Andrew, check the links!
Website: andrewpyper.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpyper
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Pyper/e/B001HD0266/
Archives: https://theandrewpyperarchives.ca/
June 10, 2022
3Q’s – Mason McDonald loves his Monsters!
The end of the first week of 3Q’s! Thank you so much everyone who has read these, shared them and supported them! It’s been a blast!
For today’s, I bring you one, Mr. Mason McDonald! Mason and I connected a number of years back and he’s done a bunch of covers for my own releases. Now, with his recent debut collection out and about, it’s been great seeing people discover how awesome of a writer he is!
Mason hails from Eastern Canada, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying his work!
Welcome Mason!
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?
Mason: I have a day job that has fluctuating hours so it makes sticking to a routine very difficult. However, I’ve always gravitated towards working in the evening. I used to aim for 2k words a day but eventually got burnt out. So nowadays I set small, easily accessible goals – usually 3 to 4 pages of prose, or 2 pages of a screenplay. Having smaller goals makes staying motivated much easier.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a character you could write about forever?
Mason: This is such a fun question! If I had to pick a single character, I would say the unnamed protagonist of my story ‘I, Defile.’ He’s an awful, narcistic nihilist with a horrid taste in food, but his story is incredibly interesting. I expect to follow him through many more stories (if he survives them, that is…).
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Mason: My debut collection is scheduled (at the time of writing this) to be released tomorrow on June 1st 2022. It is an eclectic collection with stories ranging from cosmic horror to folk, to sci-fi crime and everywhere in between. Folks should read it because I heard a rumor that if you do, you actually legally become a certified badass. I don’t know for certain that the rumor is true, but I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity if I was you.
Steve: Bonus question time! Did you have a favorite wrestler as a kid?
Mason: I grew up in the 00s, so my favorite wrestler was John Cena. Trust me, I live with regrets about it.
Thanks so much, Mason!
If you wanna find more info about Mason;
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17721994.Mason_McDonald
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mas0nMcD0nald
June 9, 2022
Book Review: Black Bloom by Felix I.D. Dimaro
Title: Black Bloom: A Story of Survival
Author: Felix I.D. Dimaro
Release date: April 22, 2022
As somebody who reads a ton of books, I always love when your TBR aligns and you find yourself reading several books close to each other that all seem to share a commonality between them.
Case in point – recently I read the stunning ‘Helpmeet’ by Naben Ruthnum. This was followed closely by ‘The Hungry Earth’ by Nicholas Kaufmann. And now, along comes ‘Black Bloom.’
All three feature aspects that are the same, yet different, but all three feel like a tonal trilogy of sorts and it is fantastic.
When Dimaro announced ‘Black Bloom’ I was pumped. Look at the cover! Read the synopsis! If you’ve ever read any of Dimaro’s work, you know you’re in for a bleak, sorrow filled affair and this one was no different.
What I liked: The story follows a man, recounting what has occurred in his life since the first black dandelion was reported. It’s a simple set up, but Dimaro leads us through the days as the world falls into chaos, quarantine and ultimately a place with no hope.
Oddly, when I started reading this, a tweet went viral-ish on my timeline. It said something along the lines of; “What if the planet itself is harvesting us and now its had enough and ready to fully consume its children.” Powerful and frightening and with the ongoing and increasing global climate crisis, topical.
That is the idea that Dimaro pushes through this, as the world becomes infected and when we see the horrifying events that take place and what happens to those infected, it’ll leave you shaking with fear. I loved it. Much like Shyamalan tried to showcase in his hit-or-miss movie, ‘The Happening,’ Dimaro shows us just what Mother Nature is capable of.
What I didn’t like: I loved this one, but there was one minor annoyance I had, and that was the continued reliance on using the phrase; “if only I knew what was going to happen,” and then insert bits after. We all know something horrible is happening and we all know things are going to be worse, so for me, personally, I found that phrase lost its suspenseful nature after the second or third time of it popping up.
Why you should buy this: Dimaro writes smart, topical and extremely emotional stories. His characters are flawed, beat down but all possess a humanity that shines through and makes you want to root for them. Even after Eunice becomes infected, we want to see her improve so desperately. That’s on account of Dimaro’s strength as a writer.
This was a great read, and one that I want to say I had fun with, but that word isn’t correct here. This was a well done climate-body horror piece, one that definitely will leave you rattled.
5/5
3Q’s – Alyson Faye – Always a must read!
3Q’s arriving again today and once again, I’m excited to see just what this author gets up to and how they craft their stories! I’ve long been a huge fan of Alyson Faye’s take on the dark and the disturbing!
Alyson resides across the Atlantic and has released some phenomenal stories.
Welcome, Alyson!
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?
Alyson: I write mainly between UK time 22.00 and 02.00. I am an ‘owl’ not a ‘lark’. I also write in bursts, sometimes thousands of words to get a short story drafted and sometimes just the finer detail of a poem and piece of flash fiction. I don’t write every day but I do usually edit, rewrite, submit and network with other writers most days.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a favorite character you’ve written?
Alyson: Tough one this, cos I’m fond of a few of my characters, as they’ve lived in my head then on paper for quite some time. My crime novella, set in 1940s Britain, stars an escort girl, Maggie, and is my homage to those femme fatales of the film noirs. Demain published ‘Maggie of my Heart’. Maggie remains a girl I’d like to have a drink with and a laugh.
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Alyson: I am delighted to have my latest Gothic horror story in the latest issue of ‘Space and Time’ magazine #141 – called ‘The Glass House’. S&T is a cool mag and the staff work very hard (largely unpaid) to produce a top quality publication. My story has been wonderfully illustrated by Anthony R Rhodes. It’s a darkly Gothic tale of a blighted inheritance, a feisty but troubled young heroine, one heck of a scary housekeeper, experiments in the titular glass house and a horror waiting to be unleashed.
I loved writing it.
Steve: Bonus question time! What is your favorite album?
Alyson: Music isn’t my first love, but film is and old movies of the 1930s and 1940s in particular. So I choose :- ‘The Night of the Hunter’ 1955 starring Robert Mitchum and directed by Charles Laughton.
Thanks again, Steve.
Most welcome, Alyson!
If you’d like to discover more of Alyson’s work;
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16452908.Alyson_Faye
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alyson-Faye/e/B01NBYSLRT
The Horror Tree: https://horrortree.com/author/alysonfaye/
June 8, 2022
3Q’s – Craig DiLouie and his Cult Children!
Hello, and welcome to another edition of 3Q’s. I’m your host, Steve Stred. How lame did that sound! Ha! Well, then, back to the regular enthusiasm, yeah!?
Up today is the awesome, Craig DiLouie! Craig actually lives about three hours south of where I currently reside but we’ve not yet had a chance to catch up and meet in person! He’s written a ton of books, including the phenomenal ‘Suffer the Children’ and the recent cult based-thriller ‘The Children of Red Peak.’
Welcome Craig!
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?
Craig: A novel is like climbing a mountain. It looks real daunting when you look at what you want to accomplish. Then you take a step, then another, and when you look back, you see how far you’ve come. Once you reach the peak, it’s all downhill from there. At that point, I’m writing so fast my fingers can barely keep up with my brain—and I’m a fast typist. That final phase is the golden time, the writing-is-a-drug time, when I’ve internalized the characters and plot so well I’m practically dreaming the story while awake. Once the novel is done, I get the hangover—elation, exhaustion, the sense of something missing, the itch to do it all over again, but god, look at that next mountain, it’s huge.
Obviously, anybody who aims at mental mountain climbing—a huge investment of hours into an uncertain outcome—does it out of love. For me, the story always begins with passion. Here’s an idea; I can see the book in my hands, it’s good, it must be done. And then I do it.
This always begins with research and note taking. For weeks, months even, I “dream” the story, playing out little scenes in my head while driving or in the shower that end up in my notebook, researching anything needing research, and building the character arcs and basic plot structure. By the end of this phase, I pretty much have the story not only known as in plotted but internalized so that it can flow out of me. The rest is discovery, where the story begins and the characters and their impact on the plot take on a life of their own. It sounds pretty Zen, but when you’re building a novel, you can plot it, but then it writes itself.
After that phase, we get to the main answer to your question, which is the average writing day. If I can sustain love mode—a state of passion about the story where I believe in it and I’m practically living and breathing it—I can tear through anywhere from a thousand to three thousand words a day, every day, until it’s finished. I could write more, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist, rereading and editing the preceding chapter before I begin, and making sure every sentence advances the story without filler stuff. As I work at home and have contract clients, the answer of when I write and for how long is it depends on what else is going on. When I’m deep into a novel I’m loving, it’s hard to pry myself out of my chair to use the bathroom, much less do anything else.
As for what the actual writing looks like, it’s, well, typing. I’d love to say I’m one of those writers like Stephen King sitting there while classic rock blasts out of speakers, cranking away with a manic grin like I’m some kind of mad god of the reality I’m creating on the page. But nope—watching me write would be like watching paint dry. I write in near total silence, a gaping fugue state involving absolute focus. While nothing seems to be happening, inside my head, though, all hell is breaking loose.
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a favorite character you’ve written?
Craig: The short and sweet answer is I do not. I love all my characters, just for different reasons. In One of Us, a Southern Gothic about misunderstood monsters, I have a small town sheriff conflict because his son is a monster but he defines himself as a defender of the natural order where monsters and humanity cannot mix. In Suffer the Children, a novel in which children die only to return with a need to consume blood to go on normally living a few hours, the kids are vampires but the parents are the monsters, including Joan, who will do anything to keep her kids alive even as she comes to realize they’re not quite her kids anymore. In Our War, Hannah loses everything in a second American civil war and becomes a child soldier, growing up way too fast until she receives the chance to become a child again. In The Children of Red Peak, the survivors of a mass suicide by an apocalyptic cult try to make sense of it all as they become adults, including Deacon, who relives his pain to keep it alive every time he performs on stage as a singer in a goth band. In my next novel with Hachette, Episode 13, ghost hunters discover that ghosts are real but not what they imagined, producing a mystery that drives them to something like madness.
For these and all my other characters, I’ve grown to love character arcs as a tool in which a character is granted a misbelief or flaw, a want and driving need sometimes in conflict, and some type of change occurring due to what happens in the story’s central conflict. For example, in The Children of Red Peak, these flaws are different stages of grief that must be addressed by the main characters by returning to the mountain where their families took their own lives and discovering whether the entity they believe they saw that night was real. This is essential for good horror, as to quote a writing book I read once, plot is what happens but character is why it happens. If the reader cares about the characters, becomes invested to the point of active empathy, then the story really comes alive. And as a writer, if I understand the character’s internal conflict, I know them fairly inside and out, their point of view and even how they take their coffee, before I start breathing life into them on the page. Writing to an extent is acting, where you inhabit the characters while giving them parts of you. For me, character arcs are kind of like the Stanislavsky method of writing.
Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Craig: I write military/WW2, zombie/apocalyptic, and spec fiction as an indie writer and generally horror as a writer working with big traditional publishers like Simon & Schuster and Hachette. My latest indie release is Strike, a novel about a young, green dive bomber pilot who survives the Pearl Harbor attack and boards the Enterprise aircraft carrier to fight from the Marshall Islands to the Doolittle Raid to the decisive historic Battle of Midway. It’s a simple, fun, action-packed adventure story about a young man finding himself in the challenge and horror of modern warfare. On the trad side, my latest horror release was The Children of Red Peak, which I think someone should read if they’re interested in a more literary, emotional, and challenging horror story that goes all the way with its premise while incorporating challenging ideas about spiritual belief.
My next release is Episode 13, which will be available in bookstores, libraries, and online retailers in paperback, eBook, and audio in January 2023. In this epistolary novel, while investigating a haunting, a ghost-hunting reality TV crew discovers a mysterious door promising a ground-breaking episode, one they may not survive. I’d never written an epistolary novel before and found it a lot of fun, offering the reader a variety of formats to engage the reader with the stimulation and mystery of found footage movies combined with the depth and more character-driven enjoyment of fiction. Readers will get an insider’s look at how reality TV shows work, the techniques and technology of ghost hunting, and what scientists say about ghosts, while coming along with standout characters on a roller skate ride of discovery in a house that is very much haunted.
Steve: Bonus question time! What is your favorite album?
Craig: Again, I must hedge. No favorite here, or rather that spot in my heart is a revolving door. I tend to love songs more than albums and love albums that either deliver an incredible experience across the board or show a striking evolutionary progression from a band’s earlier work. Off the top of my head, examples include Boston (Boston), Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd), Nevermind (Nirvana), Abbey Road (The Beatles), and so on. But again, I haven’t fallen in love with a band since Nirvana, and I’m much more likely to fall for a song than its creator, and even that’s changing as I get older. While I still periodically fixate on a new song and give it repeat listening until my family hates me, these days, I’m more into general eclectic listening. I’ll throw on a local college station or public arts station and check out whatever’s on.
Thanks for having me as a guest, Steve!
Fantastic! Thank you, Craig!
If you want to discover more of Craig’s work;
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Craig-DiLouie/e/B001JS1SCQ/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/682045.Craig_DiLouie
Website: http://craigdilouie.com/
June 7, 2022
3Q’s – Jill Girardi Play’s With Madness!
Here we are! The second 3Q’s feature and the second day in a row! Look, the reality is – I had an amazing response, so expect one a day during the week. I might as well get this promo out for all of these amazing authors!
I’m posting these with no rhyme or reason, literally I’m looking at the list of folks and whichever catches my eye, BAM – uploaded! Today’s is a golden one. Currently crushing it over in Brooklyn, New York, you may know her from her own writing, or from her amazing anthologies through Kandisha Press! That’s right, please welcome (drum roll….)
Jill Girardi!
(PS I stole this from Goodreads!)
Welcome, Jill! And thanks for doing this!
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?
Jill: Hi Steve! Thanks so much for doing this interview with me. My writing time usually starts with me going over what I’ve written the day before and gutting it. I know they say you’re not supposed to edit as you go, but I find having loose ends disturbs my ability to move forward with the story. I like to have everything “acceptable” before I continue writing. I do try to write at the same time each day but I also try to have all my other work done and out of the way. That way I can focus on writing without worrying about everything else I need to do. I try to get at least 500 solid words down per day. That sounds like such a small amount but when you consider how many words I type and delete, then type and delete again during the process, the word count is a lot higher. (I just realized how neurotic this whole paragraph sounds. Haha!)
Steve: Out of all your releases, do you have a favorite character you’ve written?
My favorite release is my novel, Hantu Macabre. It was the first thing I ever really wrote, and though I made every rookie mistake in the book (I’m currently rewriting it for a new publisher, to edit out all the CRINGE.) I really love the characters I created–a punk rock detective and her supernatural creature/demon baby partner. It was a best seller for an international publisher, shortlisted for a readers’ choice award, and a film is being made based on the book and a short story I wrote featuring the characters. The director is Aaron Cowan, a special FX artist who has worked on many Hollywood films such as Avatar, Iron Man, The Avengers.. you name it. So if nothing else, I expect the FX in the movie to be pretty awesome! Not bad for a first novel where I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. (I still don’t know what I’m doing, but I like to think my writing has developed in the years since the book came out.)
Steve: That is so amazing! Huge Congrats! Switching gears, tell me about your newest release(novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
I’m working on a collection of (most of) my published short stories, a couple of new stories, and perhaps a republication of the short story that’s being filmed (featuring the characters from my novel.) I think people should read it because the stories are heavily influenced by 80’s creature movies, EC Comics, Tales from the Crypt, and Malaysian folklore (I lived there for many years, and there’s also a special person who collects creepy local tales for me, and always inspires me with new ideas.) In essence, the stories are a lot of fun to read, written with dark humor and a lot of heart. Or at least, I think they are!
Steve: Bonus question time! What is your favorite album?
Jill: Ok, this is really hard because I go through phases where I’m obsessed with a band or album for awhile, and there are many years worth of those. So, an album I’ve been listening to my whole life and have never gotten tired of? Hmmm.. maybe Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.”
Thank you so much, Jill!
If you want to check out more of Jill’s work or follow her journey you can do so below;
Website: https://kandishapress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jill_girardi
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15971044.Jill_Girardi
Book Review: Territory by Dan Howarth
Title: Territory
Author: Dan Howarth
Release date: May 11th, 2022
Huge thanks to Dan for sending me a digital copy of this one!
I gotta say, when Dan announced this and I saw the cover I was really intrigued. I mean, this is right up my alley. Then when Kev Harrison raved about it on Twitter, I was hooked and couldn’t wait for release date! Imagine my surprise and gratitude when Dan reached out to see if I wanted an early copy! Heck yeah!
In truth, if it wasn’t for a migraine headache the other night, I would’ve read this in a single sitting. Instead, I started it and had to stop, going to bed for the first time in a few years after only reading for about fifteen minutes. Even my wife couldn’t believe it.
When I dove back in, I was so excited to see just what Howarth would do in this small hunting village in the remote Finnish wilds.
What I liked: The story follows Jari, a once-respected hunter who has lived in the village his whole life. Over the last few years, his wife has died and then his trusted hunting dog was attacked and killed by wolves. This led him to spiral, drinking excessively and coming close to being ostracized by the community. His friend Astro, who has moved back from Helsinki, has helped him regain his footing. But now, the wolves have returned and this time, Howarth has them growing bolder, moving in closer and killing more ravenously.
I loved the characters and the setting. Other than something I’ll discuss in a moment, this novella hums along closer to the movie ‘The Grey’ with Liam Neeson (which FYI is one of my all-time fav movies and a huge influence on my writing aesthetic) than anything approaching supernatural or paranormal. I’d even say this has a similar feeling to Adam Nevill’s ‘The Ritual’ without any of the otherworldly influence. The crack of branches will have readers hyperventilating in places and a scene involving a bus stop is practically anxiety inducing.
I also really loved the inter-community dynamics at play. We see the relationships pushed back and forth over what to do and how to do it. The argument for preservation versus community protection. Having grown up myself, in a very small hunting town, this brought me back to some townhall meetings decades ago.
The ending of this is quick, violent and unexpected. If my son hadn’t been asleep beside me while reading this, I would’ve loudly cursed Dan’s name.
What I didn’t like: I mentioned it before, and I’ll do my best to stay spoiler free, but the reason behind what happens at the end, and the pseudo-epilogue that occurs after felt a bit unnecessary to me. I loved how it remained far away from a supernatural based novella and was firmly planted in a real, living and breathing moment in the world and I know when the “reveal” occurred my face scrunched up.
Why you should buy this: It was so refreshing to read a novella that embraces the cold and the small town aspects and elements and really pushed forward with suspense, thrills and dynamics of life. Howarth does a splendid job of making this location come to life and feel like a place the reader has lived their entire life, even in a page count just hovering North of 100. The storytelling is fast-paced, but succinct and the plot is solid and tangible.
This was really outstanding and will make many, many readers happy.
Well done.
5/5
