Steve Stred's Blog, page 86
February 28, 2020
Book Review: The Residence – Andrew Pyper
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Release Date – September 1, 2020
Skybound Books
Pages: 352
“My dear Clara, it seems that the White House is haunted.”
– Major Archie Butt, summer 1911.
The only written record of ‘the Thing’ that haunts the White House has always fascinated me. Growing up, my Grandma Hankins always had copies of the Weekly World News sitting around her house, and I remember one such story vividly – the ghost in the White House. Is it Lincoln’s son who died while he was in office? Is it Pierce’s son who died in a train accident prior to his presidency?
No matter what it is, Pyper has latched onto an amazing moment in US paranormal history and created a stunning dread-filled story.
It’s no secret I’m a Pyper fan. His writing voice is second to none and his novels have a way of immediately capturing your attention and then keeping you engrossed. One such trait Pyper has, that many “high profile” authors lack, is his willingness to go there. The darker areas. The seedier spots of horror. A perfect example is the ending to his last novel ‘The Homecoming,’ or the horrors that he wrapped his readers in with ‘The Demonologist.’ Pyper is willing to make his readers squirm and with ‘The Residence’ boy does he ever.
What I liked: While I was reading this, I tweeted out how this book read like Pyper’s writing in 2020 with the dread he infused in ‘Lost Girls.’ When I read ‘Lost Girls’ I knew something bad had happened, something I didn’t want to know. But Andrew pulled me along and when it came together you felt heart broken and despondent. Much like Andrew Cull’s recent release ‘Remains,’ ‘The Residence’ at its core is a story about grief and how it affects those impacted by it. Both physically and psychologically. There are essentially four main characters playing out here; President Pierce, his wife Jane, The White House itself and the presidency. You see, as things continue to spiral and Jane grows more and more withdrawn, Pierce constantly has to decide what can and can’t be made public and how the perceptions of the people to his decisions will look. Pierce had a presidency marked with highs and lows within the slavery era, and while Pyper touches on that, he does so with delicacy.
The story arc of Jane was really well done, and while you may argue that the main character was Pierce, I’d suggest that the true character to follow was her and her struggles, her acceptance and her resolve.
The secondary characters here were also fantastic. Pyper used them as fantastic set pieces, coming and going as needed and aiding when asked. You could see that they had a singular devotion – to the house and the presidency.
Lastly – ‘the Thing.’ The synopsis tells us upfront that after losing their son Bennie and then moving into the White House, Franklin and Jane begin to experience things. That synopsis does not prepare you in the least for what is to come. Pyper has once again crafted some amazingly frightening moments, parts in this book will stay with you for many, many years to come. To say I was riveted really doesn’t do it justice. Outstanding frights.
What I didn’t like: I loved this book, but there was two small parts that I found wishing for more. The first was Jane’s relative. Because Jane is unwilling to participate in public events, Pierce recruits a stand-in for her. They do develop some feelings towards each other; Franklin struggling with seemingly having lost his son to death and his wife to grief, but then for a period, the relative disappears and we don’t hear much from her.
The second part that I wished for more was hearing about the sisters who rose to prominence in paranormal circles. Pyper does have them both for a period featured and then one of the sisters returns near the end, but the paranormal fan in me was hoping they’d play a bigger role.
Neither of these things worked as a detriment to the overall story, and truthfully – this is more me splitting hairs to show that I can look at and read a Pyper book fairly!
Why you should buy it: This one ticks off a number of boxes for horror/thriller/ghost fans. This has moments that made me feel like it had been influenced by The Shining as well as Books of Blood period Barker. The descriptions are lush yet pointed, creating a claustrophobic setting in a house that is expansive and a mansion.
Pyper, to me at least, is the most confident writer I’ve ever read who is unfailing in his approach to delivering. From the beginning, to the middle and then the ending, everything has a place, a purpose. Just look at the toy mentioned throughout – The General. If you have any plastic army men kicking around, you’ll never look at them the same way after one particular scene.
I know I frequently sing my praises for Pyper – but rightfully so. After delivering a stunning novel in ‘The Homecoming’ to return in such short time with an absolute gem of historical fiction with this shows he’s really found a groove and there seems to be no slowing down.
Recently it was announced that this book had been picked up for production to become a historical fiction/non-fiction series. Now having finished this book, that couldn’t be a more perfect fit.
For new fans or fans of old, Pyper has given us another gift and easily one of his best books. I’m so thankful to have been allowed to give this one an early read and it didn’t disappoint.
Thank you to Skybound Books, Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster Canada and Andrew Pyper for the copy for review. Thank you to Michael Patrick Hicks for giving me the heads up that this was available on Edelweiss and thank you to Edelweiss for the approval. I already have the Hardcover and the Kindle copies pre-ordered!
5/5
Writing Update!
Hey friends! Welcome back! If you’ve previously missed the note – I’m doing a blog post every two weeks now, just with how hectic life is!
I’m going to keep this simple and straight forward! This weeks is 100% on my writing projects!
What I’m Working On;
Here’s an update on almost every single thing I’m working on right now!
The Window in the Ground – with David Sodergren for copy editing. Once back, I’ll go through, finish the edits and then this will head off to Ross & Joseph at The Writing Collective for formatting and release prep. Believe we’re looking at a July-ish release!
COMMUNION – I’m done everything on my end. It will head to Sodergren once he is ready for copy editing. Then back to me, finished, formatted and prepped for release. Prob see the light of day in a few months! I’m already feeling a buzz about this one and I think the direction it takes will be well received. FYI – still brutal, still depraved, just more story!
Piece of Me Hardcover – the hardcovers with the limited artwork are now live on Lulu! I would suggest highly that you order from Lulu – simply because it is the lowest price point. I’ve managed to whittle it down to $24 on there, and Lulu frequently has discount codes – which you can apply at checkout. It is now available on Amazon but I can’t control the prices and they are pretty crazy!
http://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-stred/piece-of-me-sermons-of-sorrow-i/hardcover/product-24431192.html
Cathedral of the Skinned – the sequel to Piece of Me is about 50% done draft one. While I know that sounds like not much, rest assured, with the way I work, it’ll be through draft two and three within the next few months.
Carry the Moon – the finale in the Sermons of Sorrow trilogy is actually plotted and I’ve written bits and pieces. I’ll keep you updated on that!
Wound Upon Wound – my serial novella has been a super fun exercise! A new chapter added each week. The latest is now live!
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/
Scott: A Wagon Buddy Tale – the sequel to Wagon Buddy, and one I’ve actually been receiving messages about lately, asking when will it arrive, is done and awaiting to be sent to Sodergren. Again, once back, I’ll finish edits and prep for release! I’ll keep you updated!
456 Blatchford Drive – I’ve given bits and pieces about this one. Its a folk tale, its a haunted house tale, and its coming together nicely. I’m about 75% done draft one. I’m still looking to make this a highly limited release. I may only do 5 hardcovers and 10 paperbacks total. We’ll see. I want to create something unique for book lovers! I’ll keep you posted as always!
Mastodon – With so many freakin’ projects always on the go, its inevitable that something will get pushed aside – that is Mastodon. Have I even really mentioned this one that much? Here’s a teaser image;
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Have I even given much info on a synopsis?
17 years ago, Tyler’s mother disappeared in the Canadian Rockies. Now, on the anniversary, he receives a phone call from the RCMP – the plane his father was on has lost contact and presumed crashed near where his mother was last seen. Tyler doesn’t believe that it was an accident. Armed with almost two decades of wilderness survival, he decides to hike into the area and search for his dad. Nothing will prepare him for what he will find.
Sound good?
Having seen the synopsis and the cover(which this image is NOT), The Writing Collective is also keen to take a look at the finished product for possible publication. At this point, it’s completely plotted, but I haven’t spent any time writing anything yet. Will keep you posted!
The Boy Whose Room Was Outside – I’ve been putting this one aside recently to work on COMMUNION, The Window and Scott. Recently I read a book called Where the Woods End and it actually helped me with this one. The Boy… is a YA/Middle Grade fantasy story and I think I was struggling with it a bit because I wanted to make sure I didn’t go too dark. After reading Where the Woods End, I’ve been reinvigorated with what I can do! I’ll be focusing on this one the next two-three weeks to really flesh it out before getting prepped for Sodergren.
Before you go!
On Tuesday, February 25th, 2020 my 200th review was featured on Kendall Reviews! That’s right – 200! I probably have another two dozen still to be featured, but its been great to have connected with Gavin and for him to let me share my love of horror. Originally, I was just going to post my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. He said he could host them and the rest is history!
My 200th review was for the amazing “The Passengers You Cannot See” by The Behrg. The Behrg has always been an amazing supporter of my writing and reviewing and this was some nice planning by Gavin on the back end to sync this review up with the 200th!
If you missed the review you can see it here;
So, now you might be asking yourself – what was review #1! I actually couldn’t even remember! I have all of the reviews here on the blog under the Kendall Reviews tab, so I went there and what do you know?! My first review was for another amazing collection by another author who has been amazing since day one!
“Dreaming At the Top of My Lungs” by Israel Finn is a must read collection and what a nice bit of kismet there that those are the two that ended up being my first featured and my 200th!
Dreaming At The Top Of My Lungs: Israel Finn (Kendall Review)
Alright, so there we have it!
No new post next week, but a new chapter will once again be added for Wound Upon Wound!
Take care friends!
Steve
February 24, 2020
Book Review: Where the Woods End
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Where the Woods End – Charlotte Salter
August 14, 2018
304 Pages
Sometimes, in the book world, you stumble on a gem.
Here in Canada, we have a store called Shoppers Drug Mart. Depending on your location they will have a book section, some larger than others. Most of the locations will also have a discount book bin – where books they want to get rid of go to die. I have had wonderful success with these bins. Most of the books are 80% off, but occasionally they’ll just have a new sticker price on it that is well below the price on the cover. This bin was where I found a brand new hardcover copy of Michael Crichton’s ‘Dragon Teeth’ for $3. Retail price – $39.99. So it was, that recently I took a look and saw a copy of this book ‘Where the Woods End’ by Charlotte Salter. 80% off and featuring a fantastic cover. I checked the synopsis and was sold. I grabbed the hardcover to read with my son in the future, but as I usually do, I’ll message some book friends to ask if they’ve read it. When I messaged Bookden Jen, she said she hadn’t but we decided to do a buddy read.
This was only my second buddy read ever and it was a blast.
The book is tailored towards Middle Grade readers. I don’t have a lot of experience reading in that category, but from what Jen said, this was one of the creepier books she’s read in that category. I concur. If you never told me the age category for this, I’d have no problem believing this was a straight ahead Dark Fantasy/Horror book.
The story follows Kestrel, a 12 year old girl, who lives in the woods in a small village. She lives near her mom, Kestrel refusing to sleep in the house. She has a side-kick, her trusty weasel friend Pippit and she’s armed with a spoon she received from her dad. Her dad is a wolf trapper and is gone for long periods of time.
Kestrel is unique. You see, each person eventually is hunted down by a beast of a thing. They are called grabbers. Kestrel is able to kill them, but she’s never been able to kill them before they’ve grabbed and devoured the person, only after.
I couldn’t put this book down. Between wanting to know what the grabbers were, wanting to know if there was in fact something beyond the woods and intrigued as Kestrel tries to remember events of her life, I was hooked.
This was such a great book that before I was finished, I’d already ordered Salter’s other book “The Bone Snatcher.”
If you have a young reader in your life, this is such a great book to introduce them to so many concepts within the darker genres. The bonus here is that there is no swearing and no sex, so for that 10 year old to 13 year old group, I suspect that is something parents are looking for.
I loved this book and I’m so glad I buddy read this with Jen!
5 Stars!
February 14, 2020
Researching Ritual and COMMUNION
By now, you’ve probably seen the cover for COMMUNION.
Big thanks to Gavin at Kendall Reviews for sharing it with the world for the reveal this past week.
For those that missed it, VOILA
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Once again, Mason McDonald delivered a stunning cover and one that both relates back to the bleakness of the cover for Ritual, but also gives you an idea of the direction this sequel takes.
As I said in the cover reveal post, the ebook will again be $0.99 to match Ritual. I don’t have a confirmed release date yet, but will keep you posted!
Recently, on my private readers group on Facebook (if you are on Facebook, come, join the fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/SteveStredReadersGroup/) I asked what people wanted to see/what questions they had. Author Eleanor Merry (Dead Awake series) said she’d love to see what dark areas of the web I entered while researching Ritual and COMMUNION.
I posted the following on that page, but now want to share it with you all!
I think a lot of people who have read Ritual and those who have now read COMMUNION in beta form do have some questions about the background of these two reads for two reasons; A) they are quite graphic and B) they’ve started to connect some dots.
I’m going to try and keep this as spoiler free as possible for those who have not read either, but mostly for those who have read Ritual and are intrigued with COMMUNION. There is a third book coming and I will mention one brief moment related to Book Three, but I can promise it is not a spoiler.
The novella has a singular focus – told through two converging characters. Brad – the chosen one, aka Mr. Boring. When I wrote this piece, I wanted the mundane nature of Brad’s daily life to really create this sense of ‘hey, I know this guy.’ I find this is the frequent narrative of horrible news. Someone does something and the neighbours and co-workers always say ‘he just seemed like a normal guy.’ I find this to be a very frequent theme within organized religion. Now, I will say – I won’t bash religion here, and truthfully, I don’t believe Ritual or COMMUNION do in fact bash religion. I think both are more a discussion on the zealot level some become. Which leads us to the 2nd converging character – Father. Father is a true leader of a cult. He commands power, has charisma and charm and believes he will ascend to the chosen place – in this fictional world, that place is the Black Heavens.
So, to start with, let’s discuss three pieces of stuff here – Abaddon, Sheol and the Black Heavens.
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(Apollyon aka Abaddon)
Abaddon and Sheol are both entities as well as places. Abaddon is referred to as the King of an Army of Locusts, as well as The Angel of Death and the Destroyer. He is also known as Apollyon. Abaddon is also referred to as Doom or a bottomless pit.
Sheol is referred to as the darkness where spirits are kept, or the underworld. Some refer to Sheol as Hades itself. Sheol has also been referenced as an underworld Deity similar to Nergal.
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(Sheol as defined as a place)
The Black Heavens is a completely fictional place that I’ve created for this trilogy. It is loosely based off of a theory known as Chaosophy. This was something propagated by a Swedish cult known as Misanthropic Luciferian Order (MLO). Now, I just want to interject – if you google MLO – be warned that they have some horrific ideals that do not fall in line with my personal beliefs. MLO is now known as Temple of the Black Light. The most famous member of MLO was Jon Nödtveidt of the band Dissection. Jon killed himself in 2006 by self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found in a circle of candles and conspiracy folks (aided by interview quotes from Jon’s brother) have said that Jon followed a Ritual to ascend. Through MLO they’ve decreed this Chaosophy which doesn’t follow the biblical creation theory but instead follows what they’ve labelled Liber Azerate – creation through chaos.
“In the beginning, there was nothing but the energy of Chaos. Absu and Tiamat slept, and dreamed their darkest dreams. And all was good until their dark dreams began to spawn the cosmic gods.”
Liber Azerate is also a grimoire created by MLO aka TotBL which describes Azerate specifically as “the hidden name of the “eleven anti-cosmic gods.” See where this is going? Two of those anti-cosmic gods are listed as Abbadon and Sheol.
Dissection’s album ‘Reinkaos.’ The lyrics and music were written and created specifically in line with MLO tenets and designed to invoke the anti-cosmic gods.
So, with Ritual and Father specifically, in order to ascend to the Black Heavens to live forever/achieve immortality, Father must work with Sheol and Abaddon to complete the Ritual and Father and his followers will live forever in the chaos of cosmic time.
Now, let’s chat a bit about Father and the complex. I think for most people the most famous occultist of all is Aleister Crowley.
Crowley loosely inspired Father based on a few things. While Crowley was a known drug user and wanted to expand his mind and attempt to open up all of the worlds available to him, I’ve kept Father as a straight forward “preacher” figure. He shuns drugs, shuns fornication with women and is focused solely on the singular desire to achieve immortality. Like Crowley though, Father has a penchant for males and in order to relieve some of his anger and frustrations, Father has decided Brad aka the chosen one, as his outlet. I used this relationship as a way to create a despicable abuser, one who is seen as horrific by Brad but revered by the flock.
This theme will play out a bit more in COMMUNION.
Crowley developed his beliefs of Thelema when he wrote “The Book of the Law” in 1904. Crowley also owned The Abbey of Thelema in Italy, which was my inspiration for the complex in Ritual. Preacher’s Rock is a fictional structure/formation that I used to act as a way for Father to physically move closer to the cosmos.
(Outside of The Abbey of Thelema on the left, inside of a room on the right.)
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(Artwork and graffiti adorning wall in The Abbey of Thelema.)
One of the frequent Thelema and Chaosophy features is the usage of the number 11. This does creep up within Ritual and COMMUNION but will feature more prominently in book three.
There you have it. A slightly deeper dive into both Ritual and COMMUNION. I have attached some pictures of Abaddon, Sheol and The Abbey of Thelema. I found these pictures through deeper dives into the stuff I’ve mentioned here, but they are also easily found on Google and through Wikipedia.
Wound Upon Wound
I did a surprise cover reveal for my serial novella Wound Upon Wound in my Instagram stories as well this week. Mason once again created a great piece!
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Chapter Four is now live and as I said previously, once this story ends it will be available as a free ebook and a paperback version for as cheap as I can make it!
You can read the latest chapter or catch up on the full story so far here;
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/
New chapter next Friday!
That’s all I got for this week!
I’ll see you next week with some more writing news!
Steve
February 7, 2020
A few titles I’m excited for!
Hello and greetings humans of the world!
It is I, El-Stevo, sent back from the future to share with you some books you should be very excited about. These books will be arriving in the coming days, weeks, and months and for a variety of reasons – El-Stevo believes you should El-reado them!
So, please ensure your seat belt has been done up and cinched tight, time travel can be bumpy!
Borne of the Deep: Salem Hawley Book Two – Michael Patrick Hicks
This is correct. Book two is coming and from MPH himself, it is looking like an April arrival! I finished reading an ARC just a few days ago and this thing hums along and then deposits grotesqueness galore into your brain tissue. Loved it!
Cover art will once again be done by Kealan Patrick Burke! Can’t wait to see this!
If you haven’t read book one The Resurrectionists, I suggest you catch up!
Hairspray and Switchblades (Rewind or Die! Book 5) – V. Castro
That’s right! V returns to deliver some hot and spicy horror. I loved her novel Maria: Most Wanted (still hoping we see another release in that world soon!), but while we wait for that – Hairspray and Switchblades is now up for pre-order, release date February 20, 2020
Food Fright (Rewind or Die! Book 7) – Nico Bell
Speaking of the Rewind or Die! Series, here is another one I’m excited for!
I’ve interacted a bunch with Nico on the various socials and she’s kindly read and reviewed some of my work! She’s a frequent contributor to Sci Fi & Scary and now – she has her very own Rewind or Die! release! How awesome!
This is up for preorder and arrives to kick your face in on March 26, 2020
Sole Survivor (Rewind or Die! Book 6) – Zachary Ashford
OH DAMN SON! Another Rewind or Die! Yup! El-Stevo says you should read all of this series from Unnerving! I’ve had the pleasure of reading a few shorts from Ashford as well as his Short Sharp Shocks! release through Demain, so I’m really looking forward to this one as well!
It is up for preorder and also drops into your eye balls on March 26, 2020
Dead Girl Blues – David Sodergren
I had the honour of finally gaining David’s trust enough to finally beta read one of his books! Ha! If the name sounds familiar – Sodergren has become my go to for copy editing/line editing as well as a good friend. If that doesn’t ring your bell – paperbacksandpugs should. Boris is probably more recognizable than Sods is by now.
Well, Dead Girl Blues is money. Start to finish, it flew along and delivered everything you expect in a Sodergren release.
Haven’t read him yet? Definitely get on that!
Why not start here?
Return to the Black Gate – Joseph Sale
Joseph Sale has fast become one of my favourite authors. I had the pleasure of beta-reading Beyond the Black Gate – Book Two in the Black Gate Trilogy. At that point, it was simply the sequel to Gods of the Black Gate. Myself and a gaggle of like minded folks begged and pleaded for Sale to wrap up the arc with a trilogy and here we have it! Peer pressure has come through!
Details are sparce – I have a digital ARC on my Kindle to dive in to shortly, so I can’t confirm a release date – but have a read at the link below to know just what the hell you are getting into!
http://themindflayer.com/2020/01/
Juniper – Ross Jeffery
Last but not least is Juniper by Ross Jeffery. Another book I had the pleasure of reading, Ross delivers a really awesome post-apocalyptic story. I had a blast and I think you will as well!
Up for pre-order now, this will devastate the world super powers on February 21, 2020
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/bf102188-40e1-11ea-a9d2-cf337a3bfa89
Alrighty!
Let’s move on to three last bits!
COMMUNION
COMMUNION is completedeedddddd ishhh. I have my almost done book out to beta’s. I saw almost done as there are two sections I have been pondering since I sent the beta ARC’s and already someone has messaged me about the first part. So – I’ll be tweaking that.
As for the cover – a full reveal will be coming on Kendall Reviews soon!
If you are excited for COMMUNION but haven’t read RITUAL yet – get on it! The ebook is and forever will be $0.99 and it is available as a paperback as well!
Dive in and find out why six people so far rate this a 1 star!
The Window in the Ground
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You remember this beauty? No? Well, get excited. I’m just about finished my last go through before it goes off to the editor. As is now, look for this to come out around Summer 2020 through The Writing Collective!
Wound Upon Wound
Are you following my weekly serial novella? Wound Upon Wound follows Ash and her little brother Caleb. Haven’t read anything yet? Well, every Friday a new chapter is uploaded;
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/
Music
OK, last bit here. I said I’d share some music in my last post in my next post.
So here’s some good tunes;
Checkmate – Lamb of God
DAMN RIGHTS! A new LoG album is dropping in May and here is there new song! What do you think? Dig it? Nah? Let me know!
Treasonous – Bloodbath
I’ve been listening to the ever loving hell out of The Fathomless Mastery album lately by Bloodbath. As my boy Glenn Parker said in a message – this is a tough sounding album. Sure is.
Kuaga (Lost Time) – Pierce Fulton
You know I love my happy EDM! So here is a song I love and dig.
All You Need to Know – Gryffin & Slander
God, I love this tune. It’s like if Above & Beyond wrote a song for someone else! I’ve shared it before but I hear it all the time and it’s just phenomenal.
What’s Up?
Life has been hectic. Currently Mr. Man is in a full on Komodo Dragon phase and god those animals are fantastic and the things of nightmares!
I hope the start of 2020 has treated you all well!
Cheers
Steve
January 31, 2020
LOHF, Ri2ual, Wound Upon Wound
Hey! Hey!
It’s the last day of January!! That’s right. Which means tomorrow is February 1st and that means it’s LADIES OF HORROR FICTION MONTH!!!
February is the annual celebration and focus on all things amazing with the Ladies who continually crush it in the horror world. I highly suggest you make sure to follow along at the awesome https://www.ladiesofhorrorfiction.com/
That will be a go-to resource and will help you choose an amazing book or books to read from amazing women authors!
So far this year, I’ve read;
Benny Rose, The Cannibal King by Hailey Piper
City of Ghosts by J.H. Moncrieff
The Celestial Agreement by Theresa Braun
Severin by Lydian Faust
Crowded House & Other Stories by SJ Budd
Moonlight, Gunshot, Mallet, Flame by Alicia Hilton
I’m currently reading;
Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower
Lucid Screams by Red Lagoe
Any of these options would be worthy places to begin if you’ve not spent much time reading women in horror.
Additionally, this is what I have coming down the pipeline from amazing LOHF writers!
Food Fright – Nico Bell
Hairspray and Switchblades – V. Castro
Wither and Other Stories – Sonora Taylor
The Making of Gabriel Davenport – Beverley Lee
The Farm – Amy Cross
Soon – Lois Murphy
The Luminous Dead – Caitlin Starling
Experimental Film – Gemma Files
The Bone Weavers Orchard – Sarah Read
and many, many more!
Once again, I’m teaming up with the LOHF for the Annual Writer’s Grant! We will have more details later in the year, so keep watching!
Ri2ual
What is Ri2ual? Well it’s a hilarious moniker that my friend Sonora Taylor bestowed on the sequel to Ritual. That’s right. A sequel.
I’m in the final stages of my last go throughs, before I’m sending it to a few beta-readers.
I do want to say two quick things before the title review and a brief synopsis/over view.
I was petrified when I released Ritual. I absolutely loved the story, and Father is a unique character. It also let me run through some demonology stuff that I’ve wanted to touch on. But it is a very stark turn from my other releases. Don’t get me wrong – if you’ve read my stuff you’ll know damn well that I like to go dark and awful – but Ritual went to another level. Graphic, sadistic, and in some places gratuitous – all to tell this horrible story. I was surprised at the response. I really was. I want to believe it was because the price point was awesome ($0.99 for the ebook) and the cover is DA BOMB. But, shockingly, people really seemed to connect with the depravity of the story. Beyond surprising was seeing it listed on the recommended reading list for the Stoker’s. I never once believed it would carry on further, but what a boost.
Secondly – when I finished Ritual, I barfed out a sequel and a very rough trilogy finale. I refined the sequel, then waited to see if people would want to read more. It was one particular review that cemented that the demand to see more was there (no, not the 1 star review, which has been a godsend for interest FYI!). It was from my friend Diamond. Her review actually touched on a bit of the direction I’d went with the sequel, and seeing that cosmic connection on Goodreads – all systems were go.
So book two is dedicated to DIE!mond. Thank you for your kind words, but also never sugar coating anything. It’s meant a ton!
So what’s it called you ask?
Book two is formally and officially known as COMMUNION.
The word communion has a few definitions;
a group of persons having a common religious faith
interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication
the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.
Those are but a few, but it all relates to the trilogy arc as well as book two itself.
Here’s a sneak peak of the cover, once again done by the amazing Mason McDonald.
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A full cover reveal and preview will be coming to http://www.kendallreviews.com soon, so keep watching for that.
COMMUNION is approximately 90 pages, so about 15 pages longer than Ritual. The story picks up a week after the events of Ritual and follows Detective McKay (who appears at the end) as he tries to put the pieces in place from what happened and the compound.
For now – that’s all I’m giving you!
Wound Upon Wound
Lastly this week, I want to chat about some changes with my ongoing serial novella Wound Upon Wound. Originally, I’d said that a new chapter would appear every two weeks, but after reviewing the story and how it flows, I’ve changed that timeline. Now a new chapter will appear EACH FRIDAY until it is done. That’s right, each Friday, a new entry will drop. Chapters 1 and 2 are now live and you can read them here;
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/
When all is said and done, as I mentioned before, I see this lasting about 15 chapters. Once it’s wrapped up, I’ll share a cover and then this will become a perma-freebie ebook on Amazon, and will be deleted from here. Apologies, I am not tech savvy enough to know how to make each chapter a clickable jump spot, so you will need to scroll down each week for the next entry.
Alright, that’s all I got this week. I’m not going to share any music or anything, I’ll do that next time.
So, read more women horror authors and support this community!
Cheers,
Steve
January 22, 2020
Book Review – Severin by Lydian Faust
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Severin by Lydian Faust
52 pages
Released – January 21, 2020 through Amazon
“Said he’d make my bones talk.”
Last year I read ‘Forest Underground’ by Faust, a bleak re-imagining of a well known fairy tale. It was brutal and fast paced and left me excited to read more from Faust.
Somewhere, along the line, I connected with Lydian on Twitter and through interaction we developed a friendly rapport. She shoots straight, doesn’t sugar coat stuff and has always been engaging and supportive.
Through her tweets, it had become evident that due to demands in her life (namely having a newborn) she was struggling to get time for writing and we were left wondering when the return would come.
Seeing this collection; ‘Severin’ released yesterday was such a fantastic moment. Well technically I am on a book ban, I had to buy this and support Lydian. (Side note – I’ve now failed my self imposed book ban twice. Once here for Lydian and once last week when The Luminous Dark went on sale. Guess my ban doesn’t apply to Ladies of Horror Fiction!)
‘Severin’ is unflinching in its delivery. I am not trained in literature or English literature – so I really can’t discuss the technical side of the poems within, but each one is filled with emotion and a sort of desperate anxiety.
I found three real themes or narratives carried through this collection; Science-Fiction, Horror and Present Times.
My absolute favourite was ‘Saint Louis,’ where that line I quoted at the beginning was taken from.
Shockingly or unexpectedly, this collection finished with a short story – ‘Little Gus.’
I really enjoyed this short story, but I think some may find it exciting or deflating.
Exciting to see the return of long form writing from Faust.
Deflating about just when we may see more.
With her self-publishing experience now fully in hand, here’s hoping that she’ll continue to give us some more collections like this.
It’s great to have you back in the fiction world, Lydian. You’ve been missed.
5/5
January 17, 2020
Welcome to 2020!
Hello and welcome to the year 2020… on my blog!
Yes, it’s like three weeks in and yes, this is my first blog post of the year, but too bad – I’ve been busy!
With what you ask?
Well – a bunch of stuff – jerks!
First up – last week over on Kendall Reviews, I announced the Sermons of Sorrow trilogy. This is a three part trilogy, with part I being Piece of Me that came out in December.
It will be releasing as a hardcover soon with new artwork. The next two parts will also be out this year, as well as a limited hardcover compendium! For the covers and synopsis stuff;
{Feature} Prepare yourself for Steve Stred’s stunning new trilogy, Sermons Of Sorrow.
If you haven’t snagged Piece of Me yet – the ebook is still $0.99 and it is also available in paperback;
The reviews so far have been very kind, which is always nice to see.
Now, this is going to be a brief blog one today. Life is just friggin hectic.
So let’s jump into some songs I’m jamming!
Strigoi – Phantoms
Strigoi is a new black metal band featuring the guitar player from Paradise Lost. It is brutal in the best way possible.
Jasta – They Want Your Soul (Featuring Corpsegrinder)
Jamey Jasta – singer of Hatebreed – has returned with another solo album. This one again features a lot of guest musicians. This particular one has Mr. George Fisher on guest vocals aka Corpsegrinder, singer from Cannibal Corpse.
Gryffin & Slander – All You Need to Know
On the EDM front, this song is one that gets stuck in my friggin head for weeks on end. Just catchy and upbeat – exactly how I love my EDM!
Ok, I’m finishing this off with a what I’m working on bit;
As you know I always have a bunch on the go, but I think part of it is just exercising my mind and keeping things fresh.
This year – I’m only 100% sure on five releases.
The Boy Whose Room Was Outside – this will be my first release this year. I still have to finish up the last draft with some changes, get it off to the editor and then format with the artwork. When will it arrive? Not too sure, I’m thinking maybe March?
Cathedral of the Skinned: Sermons of Sorrow Part II – this is the sequel to Piece of Me, but also a stand alone. All three parts will be individual stories with linked characters, so you can read and enjoy however. I’m about 25% into draft one, so will be getting my act together and getting this hopefully to your eyeballs by summer.
Carry the Moon: Sermons of Sorrow Part III – a sequel to Cathedral of the Skinned, this one will play off of the story told in Part II but can again be read on its own. I plan on having this see the light of day in December.
Sermons of Sorrow: The Collected Works – the compendium release. Will feature Parts I, II, III as well as some short stories. This will be a limited hardcover release, expecting it to only be available in the month of December.
As for the other stuff I have on the go – they may or may not arrive this year, but I’m still working on them! Scott: A Wagon Buddy Tale is pretty much complete. I just need to do a re-read and off to the editor. The Window in the Ground is in the same scenario.
456 Blatchford Drive is a limited I was planning on doing. I have it about 60% done, piecing some stuff together. So I’ll keep you updated on this one.
As for a few other parts – as always, I’ll keep you posted.
Lastly – last year I had mentioned a story I was working on called Wound Upon Wound. I’ve decided to have a bit of fun with this one – so, I’m going to attempt to work on it as a serial release. Every two weeks a new chapter will arrive. It will be approximately 12-15 chapters long, each chapter 1000-3000 words. When all is said and done, it will be in the 20K range and I will release it as a novella. Currently – chapter one is live on the site;
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/wound-upon-wound/
I will be editing as I go and things may change as I tinker, but for now – go take a read. Chapter two will arrive on the 31st.
Take care!
Steve
January 8, 2020
Mini-review: The Salesman by Mason McDonald
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Mini-review: The Salesman by Mason McDonald
If you follow any of my author exploits, the name Mason McDonald should ring a bell! Not only has Mason grown into a great friend, he’s also the man behind the covers for my 11 of my releases (a few haven’t come out yet and this number will surely grow!).
What I’ve also been yelling about frequently for a few years as well – is that Mason is a fantastic writer. It’s almost to the point of me bullying him to hurry up and release ‘Crawley’s House,’ a novella that blew me away.
So, it was a pleasant surprise when I saw him announce the release of the short story ‘The Salesman.’ To be fair, part of the surprise was I had been hounding him to submit this story to a few places for the better part of the last 6 months, but I’m glad to see it arrive.
‘The Salesman’ follows our main character Tom. He needs a fresh start, so he searches out the mysterious Salesman to make that happen. We get a great flashback that tells us just why he needs this redo and then things go bonkers.
It was released on Amazon yesterday (January 7th, 2020) and will be free today and the next three days after!
If you want a really fun, quick read, please go snag it!
5/5
US LINK
December 13, 2019
Piece of Me Arrives! Plus Year in Review!
It lives!
Happy release day to Piece of Me!
This is my third novel and (holy hell!) 6th release this year! What the heck!
Piece of Me is a love story. Set within the backdrop of an epic-fantasy/horror landscape, we follow our main character Kari as she struggles to survive and ultimately searches for her husband and son.
Early reviews have been kind and I absolutely love this story. I really hope you all do as well.
Featuring another stunning cover by Mason McDonald, adapted by a photo my father-in-law Peter took, we return to the same land that my short stories ‘For Balder Walks,’ and ‘Poppa?’ are set in.
The ebook is only $0.99 until middle February! Paperback is live, so snag it and enjoy!
As a bonus, this comes with the short stories ‘For Balder Walks,’ ‘Poppa?’ and ‘Krampus Comes Calling.’ The third story actually drops today as well, Friday the 13th on Kendall Reviews.
You can find it right here;
{Christmas Feature/Exclusive Fiction} Krampus Comes Calling: Steve Stred
All three are related to ‘Piece of Me’ but can be enjoyed on their own. I figured it would be neat for you readers to have them all together in one place!
Now, I mentioned I had a heavy release year.
This year saw the arrivals of ‘The Girl Who Hid in the Trees,’ ‘The Stranger,’ ‘Ritual,’ ‘The Night Crawls In,’ and ‘The One That Knows No Fear.’
‘Ritual’ and ‘The One That Knows No Fear’ are both available as $0.99 ebooks as well!
In other writing news from this year;
I had drabbles accepted in 100 Word Horrors Volume 3 and 4. Volume 3 is already out, Volume 4 will be coming shortly.
I had drabbles accepted in Forest of Fear and 100 Word Zombie Bites.
I had a short story accepted into Aphotic Realms Halloween Issue
I have a drabble accepted for release early next year in an Insignia release for Japanese Fantasy Drabbles.
I’ve also had three short story acceptances in three soon to be announced projects!
It’s been a very productive year!
For links to those, please check it out in my menu!
Alright – year in review stuff.
Books: as of typing this up, I’ve read 212 books. I’m hoping to finish at 225, but we’ll see.
I’ll have a full ‘Best Of 2019’ list over on Kendall Reviews at the start of January, but my favourite book of the year;
The Homecoming – Andrew Pyper
I mean, come on. My favourite author firing perfectly on all cylinders? Pacific North West Mansion with a crazy stipulation. Just outstanding.
Check out my full review here;
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2615577642?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Snag a copy here;
Best Album;
Misery Index – Rituals of Power
From start to finish, this album rips. Crushing, melodic, emotional and savage. Everything I love about heavy music.
Best Movie;
No clue. I’ve pretty much stopped watching movies and TV shows. I just don’t have the time and they don’t engage me like they used to do.
Best Moment;
The return of The Ghost Inside. What this band has been through. Jesus. But seeing their return and knowing they’re still fighting – unbelievable.
Alright. Well, it’s been a blast. I hope 2019 has treated you well and I hope you keep crushing it in 2020.
As for me – what’s next?
I’ll be focusing on getting ‘The Boy Whose Room Was Outside’ done and ready for my first release of 2020. So keep watching for that.
This is my last blog post until probably January 3rd. That may stretch out until the 10th, we’ll see how hectic things are.
So, until then – have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Years, and all the best to you and your families and loved ones!
See you in 2020.
Steve
