Sian B. Claven's Blog, page 2

Review - Tortured Tales

Author: Todd Love

5 Stars

What a great collection of stories although warning one will break your heart. Thanks Todd for making me cry after you scared me. All in all I really enjoy Love’s writing style. Despoiler was my favourite story by far but they all had their own merits. If you’re looking for short strange creepy reads this is the book for you.

Blurb:

From a possessed small town street that comes alive seeking the living, to a group of hungry demons searching for their next meal in the apocolypse. A runaway boy returns home with a new friend, while a new father fights for a chance to meet his newborn. A boy is found murdered behind and arcade, as a girl watches a funeral from a priests window. The Ringmaster has one more trick up his sleeve for a town that left his family for dead. All of these stories and many more await you inside these Tortured Tales.

To purchase your copy click on the image below

Author Interview - Todd Love

Today I have the wonderful pleasure of introducing you to a GREAT horror author.

Help me welcome, ladies and gentle, TODD LOVE

1. What sub-genre of Horror do you write?

I really love to jump into the splatterpunk genre. Trying to mix blood with something that makes the reader think, even if the thoughts are somewhere in the back of their mind.

2. Which is the best book that you’ve written (in your opinion) and what’s it about?

I feel the novella that I am currently working on is my best work. The book is called, “Thresholds of Suffering”. I hope to have it ready for early next year. The idea for the story is based on a promise that has survived a world war and has haunted the main character for 50 years.

For work I have already published, “Tortured Tales” show a lot of different classic horror themes, from the Wendigo, to survival, to camp slasher.

3. What advice would you give budding horror authors?

Keep writing. It is very easy to get discouraged, I get discouraged daily, but a writer has to keep writing.

4. Tell us about your background. Where you grew up and what life was like.

I grew up in Northern Ontario Canada, small town life. Born in the 70’s and raised in the 80’s. All I can say about what it was like, if I could go back for just a day, I wouldn’t hesitate to go. Life was fun back then, easier, maybe it was because I was a kid. I have three teenage boys now and I always talk about the 80’s with them.

5. Who is your favourite author in the horror genre?

I am a huge Stephen King fan. In my option he will always be the master.

6. You’re stuck in a haunted underground mansion for the night, how do you survive the ever-changing passages and deadly ghosts?

Being a horror fan and writer, I would just give in a become one of the ghosts haunting the mansion. That seems way more enjoyable.

7. Who is your favourite villain? What book are they from and what was your favourite thing about them?

I have thought about this over the years and always land on The Walking Dude, The Man in Black, Randall Flagg. He is just a relentless force of evil that has never been stopped, even when he is knocked down, he rises back up.

A close second is Fayde from Dune. He is just a bad ass cool character.

8. Where can we follow you?

Godless -Todd Love

Instagram: todd_love_author

TikTok: toddlove_author

BLACK FRIDAY SALE

I'm so excited to announce that for a limited time the ebook copies of Asylum I and Asylum II are available on sale for 99c each.

Grab them before you miss them.

Click on the image below to purchase what you want

Setting - High School Murder Site

In both Tatum and Kallista there is mention of the (same) victim who is killed in the classroom at the high school.

This room belongs to Mr Barker who is considered to bet he most popular teacher. As such his classroom is the favourite of the places for the students to study. The single desks are grouped together in fours around the room while his large wooden desk is at the far end to the left if you’re facing the board.

Along the back wall Mr Barker has put up some interesting fact posters not at all related to his subject. He changes them regularly and if a student teaches him a fact that he didn’t know he would put it up on the “FACT OF THE WEEK” section. Students love to compete for this space.

On the right wall is a lot of college information, how to apply and when and what to include in your application. Partially covering the back end of the right wall is a list of extra credit assignments, groups and suggestions that would look good on a college application.

To the left, there are floor-to-ceiling windows, made up of three windows going from the floor to the ceiling, and 6 windows in each row. Mr. Barker only decorates the windows for holidays, including all religions and cultures.

Start the series today

Character Interview - Sylvana

Tell us a little about your life growing up.

I grew up in what was supposed to be a quiet neighbourhood but my family was plagued with bad luck. My father died when I was young, and then my sister Tatum was murdered. We moved after that but my Mom couldn’t let go of the house. After that I focussed on the arts more than my studies and I loved to paint and draw and write poetry.

Name five things you love to do when you have the time.

Paint Scenery

Draw animals

Write twisted poems

Spend Time with my family

Cook

Name five things you hate having to do.

Visit the house where my sister died

Being drawn into conversations about serial killers

Handling weapons

Cleaning mould off the bathroom tiles

Raking leaves

Who is your best friend? What about them do you love most?

I don’t really have a best friend. My sister Kallista and I were very close after Tatum died, so she was my best friend but she was tragically taken from us by a copy cat killer.

What is your favourite food and why?

Oh I could talk about food forever. I especially love roasts. You start that in the crockpot with vegetables and broth and led it soak in the flavour before you throw it in the oven to roast the outside until it’s crispy. Especially pork roast, that is my ultimate favourite.

Do you believe in the Supernatural?

Yes I do, I believe there are things, both good and bad, that have an influence over the living dimension.

What’s the strangest thing that has happened to you?

A ghost saved my life once, and I’m not even kidding. It was a possession, and the boy was driven by the evil spirit of a dangerous man. But the spirit of a girl stopped him.

For more information on Sylvana read the book!

A Moth-eriffic Pin Collection

Hi Blog Followers!

It's me, your friend neighbourhood horror writer coming at you with something different.

Kayla, who is going to be doing my swag in the future, is hosting a Kickstarter at the moment for Mother-eriffic pins! She's hitting out the park but we need your support to really hit those last stretch goals.

If you would please consider supporting a fun and great first project or even just share with your friends it would be greatly appreciated.

Here are some images from her proposed collection! You can see the order they are in on the actual Kickstarter.

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Review - Scalp

Scalp

Author: Carver Pike

My Thoughts:

Pike has a very realistic way of writing which draws you in and makes you feel very vulnerable. I took exceptionally long to read this book because I had to keep putting it down to scratch at my head. It played with my mind and creeped me out. The characters are so likeable and so relatable. I absolutely loved them but well Pike has a way of stabbing you in the gut and pulling your heart out when it comes to characters. Overall I loved the story and loved the ending, how creeptastic! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good horror read that makes you itch

Grab the book now for an itchy experience.

Author Interview - Carver Pike

Today I have the absolute pleasure of welcoming a good friend of mine to my blog. Carver Pike is a great supporter in the horror community, and a dear friend. He writes amazing books, both horror and not, and I asked him to please let us know a little about himself.

1. What sub-genre of Horror do you write?

This is a difficult question to answer because I tend to dabble in most subgenres of horror. Like my latest novel, Faces of Beth, is a possession story that also deals with mental health. Scalp is a creature story that’s also kind of zombie-like. It’s basically parasitic head lice. The one I’m working on now, Kin of the Fallen, will be a slasher story. My Diablo Snuff series is just wild. It really does bring in all the subgenres in one way or another. It’s probably the series that got me labelled an extreme horror author. Not all my books are extreme.

2. Which is the best book that you’ve written (in your opinion) and what’s it about?

I think Faces of Beth is probably my most mature novel. It’s the one I can see being on the shelf at a local Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble. My personal favorite just because of how fun it was to write and how wild it is would probably be The Maddening, which is the 5th and final book in my Diablo Snuff series. Let’s go with Faces of Beth though. You asked what it was about? Without giving too much away, newlyweds struggle to deal with the wife’s mental illness while their family is tormented by a demonic presence.

3. What advice would you give budding horror authors?

Do your best to write something every day or at least most days. Finishing a book is simple math. If you want to write a 70,000 word novel and you write words every day, they will eventually add up to that 70k. If you write 500 words a day without fail, you’ll write that 70k novel in like 5 months. If you can do 1,000 words a day, you cut that time in half. Obviously, shit gets in the way. Trust me, I definitely know that. I used to knock out books in like a month or two. Across three pen names (because I’ve also written some erotica and dark romance) I think I’ve published about 35 books. I’ve slowed down a lot. Now, I’m lucky to finish two or three a year. So don’t get discouraged. It’s not a race. When you see authors cranking out a book a month, let them do them. You do you. Just focus on your work at your own pace and put out your best work. That’s all you can do.

4. Tell us about your background. Where you grew up and what life was like.

I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My parents got divorced when I was about five. From then on, I would go back and forth between my parents. My dad pretty much stayed in Oklahoma but my mom moved to San Diego, California and eventually moved to the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. Eventually, my dad settled in Florida to be closer to us. So, I bounced around a lot until about middle school.

No matter who I was with, everything revolved around horror. I always wanted to watch horror movies, every game of hide and seek had to be horror related (Freddy, Jason, or Michael Myers was doing the seeking), and even when I played with action figures, I didn’t play war. No, my G.I. Joe figures always landed on a distant planet where the beds or the couch were mountains and the carpet was an alien goop that if touched would seep through the skin and take over the body. When I discovered the school library, I checked out Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and any other book with a spooky title or cover. I was once kicked out of a sleepover on Friday the 13th because I told the host kid that Jason comes out on Friday the 13th to kill kids who host parties that day. He started crying and his parents weren’t too happy about it.

5. Who is your favorite author in the horror genre?

There’s no way I can pick only one. My go-to authors right now are Bentley Little, Richard Laymon, Brian Keene, Jeff Strand, Lucas Mangum, and I’m really digging Bryan Smith’s work.

6. You’re stuck in a haunted underground mansion for the night, how do you survive the ever-changing passages and deadly ghosts?

First, I’d make sure I have some of those glasses from the movie Thirteen Ghosts. That way I could always see the ghosts and be well aware of them so they couldn’t just sneak up on me. And I’d probably bring some salt. I don’t know why. They always have salt in movies though. I think Dean and Sam used salt a lot, too, in the show Supernatural. So, I’d get like a Costco sized package of salt. I’d just sit in circles of that shit right inside the front door and wait ‘til morning. The passages can change all they want to because I’m staying right next to the door! In my circle of salt! With my glasses on! And I need snacks like pretzels and maybe sugar free Twizzlers because I’m diabetic. I know they kind of cancel each other out since one is totally carby. I’m gonna die in there, Sian, aren’t I?

7. Who is your favourite villain? What book are they from and what was your favourite thing about them?

My favorite villain, and I’m just going with this one because it’s the first one that came to mind that’s not an obvious one like The Joker or Hannibal Lector is Luther Kite from the Andrew Z. Thomas series by Blake Crouch. I first encountered him in the novella Bad Girl by Blake Crouch and then immediately went on to read Desert Places and the rest of the series after that. This character has been in several of Crouch’s books and has even shown up in some of his books he’s written with Jack Kilborn/JA Konrath. I just like how demented he is. He’s a sick son of a bitch.

8. Where can we follow you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carver.pike.98

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carver-Pike/e/B01MPWAO4H

Newsletter: https://carverpike.substack.com/

The Metz Family House

Set in a quiet neighbourhood, there is nothing special outwardly about the house that would make it stand out amongst the other houses in the sleepy area. It’s a quiet suburban place, with neat houses and neat gardens. All are painted neutral colours, with little wooden fences separating each house. The people are so trusting those fences don’t even encircle the houses at the back, leaving most houses to be open to the forest behind them.

When you walk through the black door, you’re greeted by a small area where the girls keep their shoes and coats. The first door to the left will take you into the family living room, a cosy room with stuffy sofas and a large box television in the corner.

Going back to the entrance to your right is the open plan kitchen and dining room combination. All family meals are shared here, with many bittersweet memories being created. This is also the room where the most fights are had, any time of day. There’s a back door that is often unlocked that leads to the backyard and the forest beyond.

Back to the entrance, there is a staircase in front of you, if your back is to the door and a small passage to the left.

Down the passage is the guest bathroom and the laundry room, nothing special there.

Upstairs, you’ll find the four bedrooms that are inhabited by various occupants. Luell’s room is a mix of black and white décor, creating a nice balance of light and dark. Sylvana is all about nature. Kallista’s room is about music and parties while Tatum’s room is just a neat little room filled mostly with books and art supplies. Each room has its own closet and there’s a bathroom upstairs that everyone shares.

Don't miss out, start this thrilling four book series today.

Character Interview - Tatum

Tatum is the main character in the first book of The Butcher Book series by Sian B. Claven. All four books are available in Paperback, Kindle, KU and Audio.

Let's get to know a little about Tatum.

Tell us a little about your life growing up.

We were really close-knit growing up. Kallista and I were best friends, and we were very protective of Sylvana. We would take family trips to camp in the mountains or to the sea to play on the beach. My father was very kind and loved to spend time with us but when he passed everything changed. Things just got hard and horrible.

Name five things you love to do when you have the time.

Playing with Make Up

Visiting with my friends

Reading

Listening to Music

Painting

Name five things you hate having to do.

Speaking to the opposite sex

Being scared

Something I don’t HAVE to do but that I hate is smoking.

Babysitting Kallista – she never listens

Hosting Brownie meetings

Who is your best friend? What about them do you love most?

Jacqui is my best friend and I would be lost without her. I love how free and confident she is with life and she just goes with the flow.

What is your favourite food and why?

I love my mom’s mac n cheese. She always puts in too much cheese and it’s just sooooo good. I also love turkey, it’s my favourite lunch meat.

Do you believe in the Supernatural?

Um, no I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t know for sure. How can ghosts exist anyway? I think that people just think they see stuff to comfort themselves or because they scare themselves by overthinking things.

What’s the strangest thing that has happened to you?

I saw this girl dressed up as a skeleton the other day. Like full on Skeleton. She had her face painted, she was in a black leotard, black boots. It was freaky especially cause it’s nowhere near Halloween.

Don't miss the chance to start this thrilling horror series today.