Douglas Hackle's Blog, page 2
June 1, 2021
Podcast Interview
Hey, not that anyone asked for it, but here's me on a podcast drinking (probably too much) and talking about my new book (Zoltergeist the Poltergeist), retiring my pen name, possibly going in new directions as a writer someday, and related miscellany for like 12 straight hours (okay, closer to 2.5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Mcv...
Sincerely,
D
May 27, 2021
Review Copies of Zoltergeist the Poltergeist Available
Hey, I have a few unclaimed paperback copies of my new absurdo-bizarro comedy-horror novel, Zoltergeist the Poltergeist, on my hands.
If you'd like one in exchange for writing and posting an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, a personal blog, a review site, Bookstagram, BookTube, etc., shoot me a DM. (U.S. only please.)
Kind regardz,
Level D
May 14, 2021
Zoltergeist the Poltergeist and Other News
Hey, y’all. I have some good news and some “not-so-good?” news. How about the good news first?
***
About two weeks ago, I published my fifth book, a whacko-absurdo-horror-comedy novel called Zoltergeist the Poltergeist. At about 55,000 words, it’s the longest book I’ve written to date.From the back cover:
Jimmy Green is a middle-aged limousine driver and a devoted fan of the insane TV sitcom Zoltergeist the Poltergeist. Once when he was a boy, Jimmy had an impure thought about the lead singer of The Bangles.
After confessing his sin to a drunken priest thirty-five years later, Jimmy is sentenced to six months’ penance in an old, isolated house—dubbed Penance House—in the middle of nowhere in rural Ohio. There, sequestered from civilization, Jimmy must repent for his sinful nature or else endure the Everlasting Fires of Hell.
As if Penance House weren’t creepy, whack, and janked-up enough, Jimmy is forbidden to enter the room at the end of the upstairs hallway. Does something sinister lurk beyond its closed door? And what about that leprechaun he keeps seeing skulking around in the woods?
Lucky for Jimmy, he has all forty-nine seasons of Zoltergeist the Poltergeist saved to his laptop to distract himself from his unsettling surroundings. Toward that end, probably the only thing better than rewatching old Zoltergeist episodes would be a visit from the show’s enigmatic, titular star itself…
“The head honcho of the absurd, the governor of wackiness, the top dog of insanity is back! Intelligent and imbecilic, Douglas Hackle is one of the most unique voices in bizarro fiction. Watch out, ’cause Hackle’s brain tissue is coming to town in a sleigh carved out of mad puppets and pulled by alcoholic poltergeists. Dare to see what Douglasgeist Hacklegeist leaves in your socks!”—Zoltán Komor, author of Flamingos in the Ashtray
“Zoltergeist the Poltergeist had me laughing, tittering, chortling, and popping out guffaws like nobody’s business. It even had me dancing for some reason—like I was listening to the hottest new bizarro track out this summer. Your kids are going to love it and so are you.”
—Luke Kondor, author of The Run Fantastic
Click the cover to go to the Amazon page.Also, here’s a positive review of the book courtesy of Ben Walker and Kendall Reviews.
***
Now for the “not-so-good?” news: I’ve decided to hang up the Douglas Hackle pen name (yes, it is a pen name) and cease writing and self-publishing bizarro books.
In practical terms, that means Zoltergeist the Poltergeist will likely be the final Douglas Hackle short novel. I also have a nearly completed bizarro short story collection—my third one—on my hands. I had hoped to publish the collection at the same time as Zoltergeist the Poltergeist, but wasn’t able to make that happen. I intend to publish it in a few months. For posterity’s sake, the collection will include a newly revised version of my out-of-print novelette “The Ballad of TERROR TINY TIM,” along with several new short stories. I expect this collection to be the final Douglas Hackle book.
So that will make six Douglas Hackle books in total. Not a bad little run, huh, BIG SAM?
I’m not quitting writing, but I am stepping away from it for a bit. Not sure when I’ll hop back in the writer’s seat, but when I do, it will likely be to try my hand at some other genres or styles while taking up a new pen name.
Nothing wrong with a little change, right? KnowwhutI’msayin’, BIG SNOOP?
To those of you who have enjoyed and supported my bizarro stuff over the years, I hope you’ll check out Zoltergeist the Poltergeist and the final collection.
Sincerely,
dh
May 1, 2021
Zoltergeist the Poltergeist Is Now Available
It’s launch day for my fifth and probably final book, a whacko-absurdo-bizarro-horror-comedy novel called Zoltergeist the Poltergeist .
You can get a paperback or Kindle copy HERE. Here's the Goodreads link: Zoltergeist the Poltergeist.
From the back cover:
Jimmy Green is a middle-aged limousine driver and a devoted fan of the insane TV sitcom Zoltergeist the Poltergeist. Once when he was a boy, Jimmy had an impure thought about the lead singer of The Bangles.
After confessing his sin to a drunken priest thirty-five years later, Jimmy is sentenced to six months’ penance in an old, isolated house—dubbed Penance House—in the middle of nowhere in rural Ohio. There, sequestered from civilization, Jimmy must repent for his sinful nature or else endure the Everlasting Fires of Hell.
As if Penance House weren’t creepy, whack, and janked-up enough, Jimmy is forbidden to enter the room at the end of the upstairs hallway. Does something sinister lurk beyond its closed door? And what about that leprechaun he keeps seeing skulking around in the woods?
Lucky for Jimmy, he has all forty-nine seasons of Zoltergeist the Poltergeist saved to his laptop to distract himself from his unsettling surroundings. Toward that end, probably the only thing better than rewatching old Zoltergeist episodes would be a visit from the show’s enigmatic, titular star itself…
“The head honcho of the absurd, the governor of wackiness, the top dog of insanity is back! Intelligent and imbecilic, Douglas Hackle is one of the most unique voices in bizarro fiction. Watch out, ’cause Hackle’s brain tissue is coming to town in a sleigh carved out of mad puppets and pulled by alcoholic poltergeists. Dare to see what Douglasgeist Hacklegeist leaves in your socks!”—Zoltán Komor, author of Flamingos in the Ashtray
“Zoltergeist the Poltergeist had me laughing, tittering, chortling, and popping out guffaws like nobody’s business. It even had me dancing for some reason—like I was listening to the hottest new bizarro track out this summer. Your kids are going to love it and so are you.”
—Luke Kondor, author of The Run Fantastic
P.S. I have some review copies if anyone would like to review the book for a dedicated review site, BookTube, Bookstagram, podcast, etc. DM me if interested.
January 11, 2021
Coming Soon(ish)
Cover art by Hauke Vagt.
November 30, 2020
The Best of Indie Horror
Not previously published, my short story “The Duffle Bag” is now available in The Best of Indie Horror, a new anthology of horror stories just released by KJK Publishing and edited by Kevin J Kennedy.
What’s in the duffle bag? If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
Here's the full ToC:
Shaun Hutson (of Slugs fame!)
Tim Curran
Mark Lukens
Lee Mountford
John R. Little
Andrew Lennon
Calvin Demmer
J.C. Michael
David Owain Hughes
Lee Murray
Christina Bergling
Mark Cassell
Christopher Motz
Mike Duke
Kyle M. Scott
Steven Stacy
Lex Jones
Douglas Hackle
Nicola Lombardi
Buy a copy HERE.
Also, I have permission to share a few free mobi copies with any reviewers or bloggers who'd like to review the book. Message me if you're interested.
Laterz,
Docta Dizzy D
May 17, 2020
Author Interview: Douglas Hackle
Hey, yo, foolz. Writer/reader/bizarro fiction enthusiast Zé Burns interviewed me for his blog. We talk about my writing style/philosophy, “honesty” in writing, what I have coming down the pike, and that place in France where the naked ladies dance. Check it out maybe:
https://zeburns.com/2020/05/16/dougla…
May 9, 2020
TERROR MANNEQUIN - A Book Review
https://zeburns.com/2020/05/09/terror...
And while you're there, check out some of the other great content on the blog, including more book reviews, author interviews, and writing-related posts.
Sincerely,
Uncle D
Book Review: Terror Mannequin
An excellent review of TERROR MANNEQUIN courtesy of Zé Burns. And be sure to check more book reviews and author interviews at Zé’s blog: https://zeburns.com
Terror Mannequin by Douglas Hackle
Rating: 8.5/10
Terror Mannequin by Douglas Hackle is the reason why I read bizarro fiction, a blend of humor and the preposterous assembled in the perfect ratio. It’s one of those stories that makes you ask: “How did he ever come up with that?”
When I began reading, I thought the book seemed predictable. How wrong I was. Hackle launched me into his insane world where each paragraph was a startling revelation. Terror Mannequin lies on the nutso-bananas side of the weirdness spectrum, yet it is immensely readable. His writing style is neither too colloquial nor overblown, hitting a happy medium.
It is the story of Glont Lamont, his two “nephews,” and one crummy Halloween night. These nephews, in fact, are ancient beings, loathed by the town of Selohssa (spell that backwards). Both Tom Two (perpetually two years old) and the Membrane (name self-explanatory) are…
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April 11, 2020
My Latest Short Story Collection Is FREE on Kindle for Two Days
Click the cover image below to get it at Amazon.
As always, reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, book review sites, personal blogs, YouTube, Instagram, etc., are encouraged. Even short reviews of one or two sentences are appreciated.
From the back cover:
To entertain its new neighbors, a kind puppet puts Chicken McNuggets into tiny coffins and buries them in its yard. A famous pest control man is diagnosed with the “In the Air Tonight” disease, an incurable sickness that slowly turns its sufferers into the rapist referenced in Phil Collins’ hit song “In the Air Tonight.” Having just escaped TERROR TOWN, a man is opened up like a can of sardines by a can of sardines. The supposedly debunked but very real ghost caught on camera in the movie a Three Men and a Baby exacts revenge on humanity for not believing in him. Though Courtney Cute is indeed the cutest child in the world, her evil doll and batshit-insane grandfather are anything but. A Ouija board grows bored of being a Ouija board. Two passengers (one human, one evil scarecrow) aboard the sinking RMS Titanic refuse to abandon ship because they’re too busy watching the blockbuster film Titanic on the actual Titanic…
These and many more ABSURDITIES await in Is Winona Ryder Still with the Dude from Soul Asylum? and Other LURID Tales of TERROR and DOOM!!!, the second collection of bizarro-whacko-absurdo short fiction from Douglas Hackle.
“Hackle may be the best absurdist story writer working today.” –Bradley Sands, author of Dodgeball High
“Hackle combines an English major's love of literature and respect for the written word with a twelve year old's penchant for dark, dirty, demented imaginings and the crassest of crass, sick/twisted humor.” –Arthur Graham, author of Tanuki Tango Overdrive
