Trey Stone's Blog, page 4

Podcast Review: Coatbridge – The Disappearance of Moira Anderson

A terrifying true tale of a missing child – and the craziest cold case you’ve never heard of!

I often forget to review the podcasts I listen to. For some reason, I tend to just write about the books I read. There are a few exceptions, for example, I’ve reviewed all the great podcasts I’ve listened to from Aaron Mahnke (Lore, for one, is exceptional), and I’ve reviewed Death by Unknown Event and No Such Thing As A Fish (my favorite podcast of all time), but I’ve let slip absolutely amazing true crime stories like Body of Proof, Evil Has a Name and The Last Days of August (all of which you should definitely check out if you’re into true crime!)

Well, I’m not going to forget this one – just like I won’t forget the story of Moira Anderson any time soon. Because this one just gets wilder and wilder the more you listen.

The story starts off simple: in the small town of Coatsbridge, Scotland, a little girl by the name of Moira Anderson goes missing in the ’50s. The story is told by Sandra Brown, who also grew up in Coatsbridge, and was around Moira’s age by the time of her disappearance. At first, it seems like a standard missing person case – maybe Moira had just got lost in the sudden snowstorm that struck that day, maybe she’d had an accident, or of course, maybe someone had taken her. But as Sandra grows older, she realizes the case of Moira’s disappearance hits much closer to home – and might even involve her own family!

What follows is a deep dive into Sandra’s own troubled past and childhood, and honestly, the most disturbing and incredible cold case I think I’ve ever heard of. Suddenly there’s revelations of years of child abuse, unknown prison sentences and well-kept secrets, a network of local criminals, and memories of decades of familial terror. Honestly, every time you think it’s taken the weirdest turn it possibly can, it goes even further.

Worst of all – it’s all true.

I’ll be honest, parts of it is difficult to listen to. Be sure to know what you’re getting into before starting this, because a lot of this is heavy. Very heavy. But for me, that’s part of what makes it so incredibly captivating. If you’re into true crime, and particularly cold cases, you’ll definitely want to check this out. Because this an incredible story.

What do you think? Have you heard of the case of Moira Anderson before? Do you have any true crime or cold case podcasts to recommend? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As always, I’d love it if you checked out my books! An indie author like myself needs all the love, care, support and readers he can get – and if you give them a browse, I’d be eternally grateful. If you’re into crime thriller The Columbus Archives will sate your thirst, and if you’re looking for some psychological horror, look no further than my novel At The Gate, published by the magnificent Inked In Gray.

You can find all my books right here – including some short stories and anthologies!

Trey Stone’s Books

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Book Review: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

I finally got around to reading the second book in the series – and oh my God – why did I wait?

I remember loving the first book, The Final Empire, but I also have a vague notion of thinking that I didn’t want to carry on with the series – at least not right at that moment. Maybe it was because I felt like reading something else, maybe Brandon Sanderson was a bit lengthy and heavy for where I was in my headspace at the time, or maybe I just didn’t love the story as much as I thought I would, but that’s all changed now.

In fact, I actually regret not carrying on immediately.

Because, The Mistborn Saga is fantastic. The world, the characters, the unique magic systems, the lore and the histories, not to mention the plot, the story, the prophecies, intrigue and conspiracies… it’s just all so good!

Other than the first book in this series I’ve also read the first book in the Skyward series (which I also haven’t carried on with (yet)), and I read the 4 kickstarter novels that Sanderson released last year (or was it 2022? Time moves too fast to keep track anymore). Of all of these, two of the kickstarters stand out – Tress of The Emerald Sea and The Sunlit Man – and this: The Mistborn Saga.

Honestly, I can’t wait to start book 3 – I’m going to cleanse my palette with a couple of other books first, but then I’m right back to Sanderson, The Mistborn Saga, and book 3! What’s really fascinating is that this is actually a trilogy of trilogies. I’ve wrongly assumed that this is a long, hefty series of 6, 9, 12 or however many books there are, but apparently, the first three are separate from the next four, which is set in the same universe but in another time, with a whole ‘nother group of characters and plots (I imagine?)

I can’t wait to start that after this! Because this is fantastic writing. I love fantasy and I rarely read much of it that I don’t like, but Brandon Sanderson is something else. He writes huge books, which I often don’t appreciate (some authors get a bit lengthy-y), but these are still so easy to devour. Compared to something like The Rats and The Ruling Sea, by Robert V. S. Redick, which is the most intricate, complex, and convoluted book I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading (though still absolutely amazing), Sanderson is much more easy to consume.

And the world-building is absolutely incredible, it’s unique, it’s beautiful, it’s fun and… I don’t even know what words I’m looking for here, but I love it. Honestly – if you like fantasy and you haven’t gotten around to reading Sanderson yet, I highly recommend starting with Mistborn. You won’t regret it.

Are you a big Sanderson fan? Have you devoured Mistborn like I have, or do you find his immense back catalog a bit daunting to get into? Let me know in the comments! I love to hear what you think!

As always – please consider checking out my books! If you like crime thriller and psychological horror, if At The Gate has spurred your interested and you would love to support an indie author (honestly, it means so much) then please, find all my books below!

Books by Trey Stone

And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list for all the latest news and deals

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Book Review: Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom

By far the best book I’ve read all year, no question about it. Maybe even the last ten years.

An old guy who’s dying, and a young guy who tries to figure out life, sit down and talk. Every Tuesday, until it’s over. The results is one of life’s greatest lessons. That’s the plot. Now, it might not sound like much – but it’s more than you could ever imagine.

This is a beautiful book. It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s so simple, it does exactly what I described in the paragraph above, nothing more, nothing less, and yet it’s so incredible deep and meaningful, and captivating that I promise it will linger with you for years.

It follows Mitch – yes, the author himself – who after seeing his old professor, Morrie, on TV, dying of ALS, decides to visit him. It’s been years since they met last, but Mitch remember liking his old professor very much, a lot, actually, so he picks up the phone and calls Morrie. Morrie, of course, wants to see Mitch immediately.

What follows is three months of visits in Morrie’s house, always on a Tuesday, where Mitch and Morrie sit and talk about life, love, careers, the past, the future, and everything in between, from life greatest questions, to the most minuscule things, as Morrie slowly withers away and dies in front of Mitch.

In case you didn’t realize based on the fact that the author placed himself in the driver’s seat of this story (because I didn’t until I came to the very end of the book) this is a true tale. This is actually about Mitch Albom, the author, meeting with his old professor, before he died. It’s an incredible book and I highly recommend it to everyone!

It’s an incredible book and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Thing is, I was actually recommended this book by my publisher, Inked In Gray, an Arizona-based indie press who published my psychological thriller At The Gate back in 2022. What drew me to Inked In Gray way back when is that they have a mission to represent people, authors and stories that deal with the imperfect, troublesome, painful side of humanity – which really caught my attention. At The Gate is a horror novel, but this deals with some heavy, depressing themes that fit neatly into Inked In Gray’s vision. Anyway, that book was written, sold and published, and at some point I wrote another book, a book about dying, about taking time to think over one’s life, about trying to understand what it all means, how it all ended up as it did, and whether or not it was all worth it. It’s a very biographical novella, and of course, I had my hopes up as soon as I finished the draft that I could place it with Inked In Gray. I’ll be honest and say I was very excited when it turned out they wanted to publish it.

At some point I wrote another book, a book about dying, about taking time to think over one’s life, about trying to understand what it all means, how it all ended up as it did, and whether or not it was all worth it.

During a meeting with my editor, when we were discussing the title and the cover and what my new book really is about, they told me, “Well, it’s quite like Tuesday’s With Morrie, isn’t it?”

I think I just replied, “What?”

Honestly, I had never heard of this book before. Not even by name, not of Mitch Albom, none of it rang even the tiniest bell. I find that incredibly weird, considering how famous, good, and wide-spread this book is. And yeah, now that I’ve read it, I have to agree with my editor – my upcoming book share a lot of similar themes.

If that makes you interested in picking up my book, I’m very happy to be compared to Mitch Albom, but you’re going have to wait until some time next year. In the mean time, won’t you tell me what you’ve been reading lately? Have you read Tuesday’s With Morrie? Or are you going to, after reading this review? Let me know in the comments!

As always – please consider checking out my books! If you like crime thriller and psychological horror, if At The Gate has spurred your interested and you would love to support an indie author (honestly, it means so much) then please, find all my books below!

Books by Trey Stone

And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list for all the latest news and deals

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Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

The series comes to a close (kind of!) and though I loved it, it also left me feeling divided.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock, at the bottom of a well, in the middle of the desert, you must have heard of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It’s a fantastic crime thriller mystery, probably one of the best ones I’ve ever read (I reviewed it here) and I can honestly say it’s a must-read for probably everyone who reads books, whether you usually like mysteries or not. It’s just so well constructed and fleshed-out, and the mystery itself is incredible intriguing. It was followed by The Girl Who Played With Fire, which I also read, loved and reviewed. What was good about the second book was that it expands on the characters and their relationships, digging into their pasts and forcing us to get to know them better in a way we didn’t in the first book. It’s a very good sequel, though it isn’t as good as the first one, which often is the case.

And there’s this book, the third and last book in the trilogy. (Actually, the series has continued after this one, but the following books were not written by Larsson, since he unfortunately passed in 2004, so I will consider this the original trilogy).

The third book is good. It’s a very well written, a strong, complex thriller, with much of the same vibes as book 1 and 2.

At the same time, I found it quite boring.

The start is good. And the ending is good. I can’t say too much–not anything, really–without spoiling it, and though I really wish I could, I’m not going to, but know that it all comes together in a very satisfying way by the end.

But yeah, the whole middle part is kind of boring. What bored me, is that compared to book 1 and 2 which revolved a lot (almost exclusively, at times) around the characters of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, book 3 kind of doesn’t feel like it does. The book sees them get caught up in a case so to speak, and then from there on, it’s all about that. Of course Blomkvist and Salander are there for all of it, doing the things they do, trying to figure things out, trying to get to the bottom of things, but it doesn’t feel like it’s something that’s about them. It’s just something they got caught up in while they were living their lives, and it’s just something they have to get through to carry on living their lives.

One problem I had with the middle part, is that the whole big mystery case everyone is caught up in (the one I won’t say more about), seems like a kind of non-issue. People in this book, Blomkvist and Salander included, get mixed up in this huge “scandal”, so to speak, that really doesn’t feel like a scandal at all.

Maybe it’s just me. It probably is–it usually is–but the middle was a slog to get through a lot of the time. Which made me probably pay less attention than I ought to. As a result, I struggled to keep up with a lot of the names, who worked were, and who were involved with who. I got there in the end, but by then it also felt like it didn’t really matter who I thought people were.

Still, don’t get me wrong: this series is fantastic! One of the best crime thrillers you’ll ever read. It probably helps if you read the three books a bit faster than me though, ’cause I realize it’s been three years since I read book 1.

What are you up to these days? Have you read The Millennium Series? Did you like it? Do you agree or disagree with me? Let me know in the comments! And please, if you have any recommendations for future reads, let me know that as well!

As always – please consider checking out my books! If you like crime thriller and psychological horror, and would love to support an indie author (honestly, it means so much) then please, find all my books below!

Books by Trey Stone

And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list for all the latest news and deals

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New Release! – A Little Soul Searching Can Go A Long Way – 42 Stories Anthology

It’s release day – and what a cool release it is!

I never get tired of writing short stories. Micro fiction, flash fiction, short stories, novelettes… However long they end up being, I love trying my hand at different formats, at different ways of telling stories. It’s challenging, it’s different, and most importantly: it’s fun.

I also love submitting these stories to websites, anthologies, collections, books, magazines and e-zines, and it’s even more fun when they get accepted!

This latest story was definitely tons of fun, as well as probably the most unique, most different thing I’ve ever done. Why? because it’s just 42 words long.

It’s called A Little Soul Searching Can Go A Long Way, and it made it into the 42 Stories Anthology, by Bertram Allan Mullin.

The anthology is a collection of 1764 stories, that’s 42 chapters (divided into 42 different genres), with 42 micro stories in each, all 42 words long. Even the titles and the author bios are 42 words long! (You have to fling on a full stop on mine to make it work).

So yeah, if you’re looking for the most unique coffee table book you’ll ever get your hands on, full of beautiful little stories, check this one out!

I even won an award for Story of Excellence in my category, Siblings, so I had the honor of writing a little introduction to my genre. Check it out below.

You can check out the 42 Stories Anthology Project right here.

As always, find all my books and short stories right here, and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

Trey Stone’s Books

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I Think I Just Sold Another Book

That’s… That’s the third one this year!

I’ve you’ve followed my blog at all this year, you know Ive been calling it my Year Of A Thousand Projects. The whole idea was to try my best not to write anything new, and instead focus on going through my back log of old projects, first drafts and manuscripts I had lying around in drawers (cloud-based drawers, mostly), and get them up to a certain state and quality where I felt I could use them for something.

Now, I wasn’t able to not write a few short stories here and there – which I submit rigorously to e-zines and indie publishers, but all in all, I managed to keep my hands away from fresh, exciting new writing.

There were four major projects: one horror novella, two novels (one in English, and one Norwegian) and one massive science fiction thriller. I’m still working my way through that huge, science-fiction thing, because it’s proven to be one of my biggest, most difficult things to revise and work through, but the three other ones I managed to get through fairly easily. Through out spring and summer, I actually managed to make a plan, stick to it, and get stuff done! That was very rewarding in and of itself, because one after another I could put things aside and tell myself I finished things.

What was even more rewarding was when people wanted to buy these manuscripts! I sold two, TWO!, the English and Norwegian novel, within three weeks of each other! I actually signed the contracts for them both on the same day.

The horror novella however, the first that I finished and the first that I sent off to potential publishers, I had no such luck with. I had a plan for it as soon as I started working on it, that I wanted to sent it off to one specific indie publisher. And they actually liked it! They requested a full manuscript, but unfortunately, they couldn’t take it. They praised the work, but said it wasn’t right for them at the moment. Fair enough, I get it, and I appreciated the kind words and the nice feedback.

I had other projects to work on either way, those two novels needed to be whipped into shape and that massive science-fiction thriller I’m still wrestling with was looming on the horizon, so I wasn’t deterred. There was nothing wrong with putting the horror novella back in the cloud-drawer and know that I had at least revised it and made it better than it was.

Then came the day. It was weeks after I had received contracts for the two other projects. I was trying to work on the sci-fi thing, but probably spending most of my energy on finding way to procrastinate that didn’t feel like I wasn’t working, when I remembered that horror novella. Maybe there were other indie publishers that would be a better fit? It wasn’t like anyone was considering it at the moment, so I might as well send it out into the world again and see what happens?

Maybe there were other indie publishers that would be a better fit?

So I hit the web in search for indie publishers. I used Twitter mostly, because I knew I wanted to go for something small, something I had maybe heard about before, or at least a name I recognized. I know a lot of good people on there (though many are fleeing to other, better, alternatives), and the more I looked the more options I found. There are so many great creative souls out there, so many passionate people, it was difficult to know where to begin.

Problem was, very few of my friends and peers, people who maybe run an indie press all alone on their spare time, or with a couple of friends, after they’re all done with their day jobs, don’t have a lot of time. They have short windows for submitting manuscripts, and they were all closed for the year.

Every, single, one.

“Ah well,” I figured. The horror novella can go back in it’s sky-drawer, no biggie. I still have a huge science-fiction project I’m supposed to make make sense anyway.

Then came the unexpected message, ticking into my DMs. It was from one of those I had been most hopeful about, one where I figured my chances were best, and where my novella could truly find a home. Unfortunately, they too were closed for submission.

I am, however, interested in taking a look if you are still shopping your novella.

Of course, I sent my manuscript right away. I got a response, thanking me for sending it their way, and letting me know they would be in touch.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then, two weeks ago, another message: “Thanks for letting us read this, Mr. Stone. We enjoyed the story, and we’ll be in touch.” I’m paraphrasing here, but that was essentially it, and I didn’t know what to think of it. It’s not a “No”, right? Most people who decline do so right away, usually after a paragraph or two of praise and then followed with an explanation of why they’re not interested. This wasn’t this. It wasn’t a “Yes”, but it was something.

And then, a couple of days ago, another message.

If I could consider doing some minor editing, tweaking the story just a little bit, here and there, then they would be happy to take it in. They wanted it. My horror novella finally found a home.

Which leads me to this blog post, and me saying, I think I just sold another book?

I haven’t signed anything yet, haven’t seen a contract, but the publisher is very transparent online so I can’t see any reason I’d change my mind. I’m beyond excited for this, and I’m so looking forward to place my story in a good home, where it can reach the rest of the world.

And I’m beyond thrilled about my year – that’s three books to three different publishers in the same of three months. This is more success than I could every imagine having when I first started out doing this, and I’m so grateful for all the support and backing I’ve received over the years. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m very excited to see what next year will bring.

Most of all I’m thankful for you, my reader. You who come here to read my blog, you who check out my books, you who dive into my stories. Thank you. Thank you for being interested, thank you for being supportive, and thank you for helping me spread the word, my words. I couldn’t do it without you folks.

As always, find all my books and short stories right here, and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

Trey Stone’s Books

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Book Review: ShadowBane by Cal Logan

An epic story of epic proportions!

Whoa, what a tale. I truly don’t know where to begin with this.

ShadowBane follows the story of Shura and Jin, two Shikõken siblings – divine-blooded humans – who make their living hunting demons for the various kings and rulers of Tanikoku. Armed with katanas, axes, guns and net-cannons, they have nothing but each other, and the company of their Euran friend Wallace, a squire of sorts, and Feng, an actual tiger, as they roam the land, trying to kill first what’s trying to kill them.

Shura’s motivated by trying to prove herself, by overcoming the odds together with her brother, defeating the demons once and for all, and restoring their family’s name and honor. Jin… well, he’s motivated by more tangible things. Like food, whiskey, and whores. As long as he gets to kill things and be left alone, he’s happy.

The whole thing reads like a grimdark Japanese-inspired fantasy version of Supernatural – and it’s absolutely magnificent.

This is Logan’s debut novel and I’ve got to say, he has an incredible way with words. Every sentence feels like it’s incredible carefully planned and structured – which says a lot considering this book’s length – and everything that is said and told seems to have purpose. In one sense, it’s a bit of a struggle to read, because you’re afraid you’re going to miss some important detail if you don’t pick up on every little word, every little nuance in the way things are said, but it’s also incredibly beautiful.

Logan is also a master world builder. I can’t remember the last fantasy novel I read that had such detailed, vibrant world, with so many lands, regions, towns, country sides, rivers, mountains, people and places. For some people (read: me) it’s actually incredibly exhausting, because I find it very hard to keep track and keep things separate in my mind – especially since this is Japanese-inspired and I struggle with a lot of names being difficult to pronounce and looking similar on the page – but of course, it’s also incredibly well-executed and impressive. If you’re the kind of fantasy reader who loves to get lost in a world that will just swallow you up, this is definitely your cup of tea.

What I struggled with the most however, was the action. I love a good action scene, don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing cooler than seeing a well-written, expertly choreographed sword fight jump out at you from the page. The problem with this is just that there’s so incredibly many, and that they’re incredibly long. Shura and Jin do a lot of fighting, and I mean a lot. And it often goes on for a long while, which, while cool and exciting at the start of the book, gets a bit much toward the middle, and at times a little boring toward the end. I found it much more exciting to hear about the quarrels between them, their hopes and dreams, their troubled pasts, what they think about the future. I found myself thinking I wanted to know more about Jin as a person, rather than read another 18 pages of him lobbing the head of yet another demon. I’m exaggerating of course, but you get my drift.

Of course, the fighting is also really well-written, so if you pick up fantasy books for violent, bloody carnage, then ShadowBane is going to be right up your alley. Don’t even question it.

But the story is great, the build up to the rest of the series is exciting and Logan has created an impressive world with his debut. If you’re into epic fantasies, if you like Japanese-inspired worlds, and you’re partial to katana-swinging, demon-hunting demigod-siblings then this is the one book you’ve waited for your whole life. No doubt about it.

What have you been reading this autumn? A cool new debut? Working your way through a classic? Stuck in a rut with reading? Let me know in the comments! I love to hear about what other people are reading, and who knows, maybe I can recommend something?

As always, I’d appreciate it immensely if you’d care to check out my books! f you’re into crime thrillers, I’d recommend my The Columbus Archives series, starting with The Consequence of Loyalty. If you prefer psychological horror, then go for At The Gate. There’s also short stories and anthologies if you prefer fantasy, sci-fi, or speculative fiction.

You can find all my novels and short stories right here.

Trey Stone’s Books

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Where Does The Time Go – No Really?

Is there a cave somewhere where time goes to hide away?

How is it November already? Wasn’t it just June? Or February? This year has absolutely flown by. I feel like it was only weeks ago that I decided to sit down with a bunch of old projects, those first drafts that I’d written ages ago and somehow forgotten about, to try and figure out what I could salvage.
At the time, it seemed like kind of a daunting task. I wanted to start new things, I wanted to write fresh stories, but at the same time, I felt like I couldn’t neglect those things I’d started way back when.

After all, the first drafts where already written – how difficult could it be to whip them into shape?

All in all, I sat on four major projects. I’ve written about the whole process at length previously, here, here, here, and here. The short version is that I’ve gotten through three of them, one got rejected (by a publisher I really hoped would pick it up), one got picked up by Inked In Gray, whom I’ve previously published At The Gate with, and one got picked up by an entirely new, Norwegian(!), publisher. Also, I’m back to shopping around for a buyer for that first project. I just feel like it deserves to come alive somewhere!

But if you’ve paid attention up till this point, you realize there’s one project missing. The fourth. The biggest. The one I was so happy I was able to start working on in June, because I figured it was going to take a little while.

Now, I know I’ve been busy, so it’s not like I haven’t been doing anything, but I didn’t really think it would take this long. I mean, is it really November already?!

Thing is, this fourth project is doing my head in. I’ve been through it with a fine-tooth comb twice now, and I feel like I’m getting nowhere. I’m not feeling it. I like the story, and I think it’s engaging, exciting and cool to read, but there’s something missing that I can’t put my finger on. I have alpha readers who look through my first drafts, give overarching comments on the major plot lines, and help steer me in the right direction, but in this instance we’re finding it particularly difficult.

The problem probably has most to do with the theme of the story. You see, it’s a science-fiction mystery-thriller thing, where persons are able to move throughout their world in a way that confuses things. (It’s essentially time travel, okay? You got me.) This makes for a lot of fun scenes, because things that happen, or can happen or has happened, might happen again, or not at all.

Which makes for a really cool story, but a ¤#”¤¤! pain to edit.

A second reason for the issues I’m having is that I wrote the whole thing off the back of a short story that never led anywhere, and I pants’ed my way through a first draft that while it had some great general ideas, and goals, and plots, was very open-ended and loose.

So now I’m wading my way through the very painful task of making it all make sense.

I love it though. Don’t get me wrong. But considering how fast, efficient and successful I was with the three previous projects, the ones I actually managed to whip into shape in record time, and submit, and hear back about, I wasn’t really prepared to still be struggling with this one in November.

(Also, it probably doesn’t help that I keep distracting myself with writing and submitting short stories every other week).

I won’t complain! It’s fun to have things to do, and even more rewarding when projects keep being picked up and people love my stuff. But honestly, where the hell does the time go? There must be a cave somewhere where it goes to hide.

What have you been up to this year? Anything new and exciting on the horizon? Or are you working your way through old manuscripts like me?

Let me know in the comments!

And as usual – I’d love it if you took time out of your day to check out my books. Whether it’s crime thrillers, psychological horror, or sci-fi and fantasy short stories, I’ve got you covered. And as an indie writer, I appreciate every single one of my readers, even if you just have a browse, maybe you send a link to a friend who would love my books. Honestly, everything helps, and I’m eternally grateful.

You can find all my work right here!

Trey Stone’s Books

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Busy Busy Busy

It’s been a strange three quarters of the year – and oh my God how exciting it has been!

From starting the year thinking I wouldn’t do anything new – only work through my Year Of a Thousand Projects – to submitting and querying novels, receiving two contracts, being picked up by a new publisher, I’m now finding myself contacting famous authors asking for quotes.

Honestly, I love it!

At the start of the year I made a plan: I didn’t have any major projects that took up my time, nothing that was about to be released, no urgent deadlines, so of course I figured it was a good time to start something entirely new. That’s reasonable, right? Then I realized that a much better plan was to go over all the half-finished stuff I had lying around. First drafts, things that weren’t properly finished or things that needed to be revise, that kind of stuff. Get everything up to a certain standard, know what I mean?

So I did that, for the first 6 months. I occasionally wrote and submitted the odd short story here and there, but most of the time I worked on old stuff I had lying around, dividing my time between four different projects of varying proportions that I wrote ages ago and left in a drawer (read: the cloud) to simmer.

Then, right before the summer (I think?) I sent them off to place they needed to go: some to publishers and presses I knew were interested in certain genres and formats, and some to editors and contacts I have that I wanted to have a look at my work. I got one rejection pretty fast, and didn’t hear anything about the two other ones. Then I kept going with the fourth, massive project, the one I knew needed A LOT of work. I’m still chipping away at it occasionally.

Then, in September, within a couple of days of each other, those two projects got picked up. Publishers wanted them! I received the contract the week after, and signed them both on the same day.

Which brings us to now: I’m still chipping away at Massive Project No. 4, I’m still writing the occasional short story, but now I’m doing edits and revisions for one speculative novella that will be released by Inked In Gray next year, and I’m doing a whole myriad of things for my new Norwegian YA adventure. Getting new head shots, planning the cover, writing blurbs, bios and synopsis, and organizing the pre-orders.

At the same time, I’m also being published in the 42 Anthology by BAMWrites in November, anthology consisting of 1764 individual 42-word micro stories! (I actually won a prize for the best story in my category, yay!) and I’m in the early stages of collaborating with Something Or Other Publishing on an exciting horror anthology.

Which brings me to this blog post: Busy busy busy.

But honestly, I love it! I like being busy, and I love having all the routines around me. There’s something very rewarding and motivating about having specific deadlines and things that need to be done, know what I mean? Sure, I like working independently and setting my own schedule, at the same time, it’s easy to be distracted and postpone things when no one’s expecting anything form you. So yeah, there’s a lot of new things happening, and though it’s fun, I won’t lie and say it’s not making me a bit nervous. But what can you do, other than jump into it headfirst without giving it a second thought? That’s what I’m doing at least!

What have you been up to lately? Any cool new projects? Finally finalizing that ancient manuscript you’ve been chipping away at for ages, or did you just start something new and exciting? Let me know in the comments!

As always, I’d appreciate it immensely if you’d care to check out my books! You can find all my novels and short stories right here. If you’re into crime thrillers I’d recommend my The Columbus Archives series, starting with The Consequence of Loyalty. If you prefer psychological horror, then go for At The Gate. I’ve you prefer short form, there’s also fantasy, science-fiction and horror short stories.

Trey Stone’s Books

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Book Review: Under Huda by Aleksander Brun

The first short story collection I’ve read in quite a while – and the first in Norwegian!

This is also probably the first time I review a book I’ve actually read in Norwegian (because usually, when I read Norwegian authors such as Jo Nesbø, I read the books in English).

I was actually gifted this book by my new publisher who I signed a contract with in September, and they sent me a bunch of books of theirs to check out. This one immediately caught my eye so I threw myself over it and actually finished it all in a day (while traveling to Athens, with a massive layover in Frankfurt).

Under Huda means Under the skin and it’s a collection of weird, goose-flesh inducing horror stories. Almost all feature a protagonist that sees, hears or experiences something that’s a bit off, and then right at the end there’s a strange twist and a horrifying reveal. I enjoyed all of them, but Gløymde røter, about a girl whose house seems to be inhabited by someone, or something other than herself was definitely my favorite.

Brun writes in nynorsk, not bokmål which I’m not a huge fan of. You see, Norway has two official written languages. They’re both Norwegian, don’t worry, but during the late 1880s two variants were developed when we wanted to separate ourselves more from the Danish. Bokmål is the most widely used form today, and the thing you’ll read in most major newspapers and official documents, as well as see on TV and the news, but it’s based on the old riksmål which was based on Danish. Nynorsk (literally New-Norwegian) was based on local dialects and sought to find redefine how we wrote and spelled Norwegian. It has a lot of alternate words and spellings compared to Bokmål, and can be very confusing for people who are not used to it (like people from Oslo and the wider regions in the east country). Nynorsk is most common along the west coast.

Anyway, since most of what people consume in popular entertainment is produced in Bokmål, it can be difficult to switch over. Personally, I find it very jarring to read in nynorsk. There are a lot of words that are completely different than what they would “normally” be in Bokmål, and some I don’t even recognize at all. At times, it’s even difficult to take the reading seriously, because the words seem so out of place.

But Brun’s writing is still good. It’s direct and to the point, yet descriptive and detailed where it needs to be. I felt like a few perhaps missed the mark a little toward the end – I caught myself trying to guess the twist, and was kind of disappointed when I was right, when there wasn’t something more. Then again, I’ve written a lot of similar short horror stories and I’m always trying to guess, so maybe I’m shooting myself in the foot here.

All in all, a great horror story collection. I only wish there were more and that the book was longer. Recommended to any Norwegian reader, and let’s hope an English translation is right around the corner. Have you read any interesting collections or anthologies lately? Any horror stories I should know about? Any other languages that have more than one official written language? Let me know in the comments!

As always, I’d appreciate it immensely if you’d care to check out my own books! You can find all my novels and short stories right here. If you’re into crime thrillers I’d recommend my The Columbus Archives series, starting with The Consequence of Loyalty. If you prefer psychological horror, then go for At The Gate. I’ve you prefer short form, there’s also fantasy, science-fiction and horror short stories.

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

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