Mike Thorn's Blog, page 27

Farah Rose Smith Interviews Mike Thorn on The Eldritch Index

"Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to be a writer?

I can’t remember a time before I started writing. For better or worse, it has been a lifelong impulse. I was always drawn to reading, which is probably where my interest in writing originated. As a kid, I was excited by fantasy and horror (J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and R. L. Stine when I was quite young, and then Stephen King when I got a little older).”

Read the full interview here.

Prairie Gothic Kickstarter

Prairie Gothic is the passion project of literary agent Stacey Kondla, with help from Jim Jackson of Prairie Soul Press. They gathered up-and-coming talents from the prairies to write a thriller of psychological horror story set in these vast open spaces. Then the pandemic hit, and their finances weren’t doing as well as we’d hoped. But they truly want to bring this collection to the public. So they’re looking to make up half the cost of paying their talented authors and editors, printing books and shipping. And they’re looking to make it well worth your while. By contributing, you can unlock special swag – books, music – exclusive contributor-only events, get a professional consultation on your writing and even have a song written about you!

Contribute to this Kickstarter.

(This anthology features the talents of P.J. Vernon, Chris Carolan, Chris Marrs, Calvin Jim, Taijia Morgan, Konn Lavery, Stacey Kondla, Rhonda Parrish, Sarah L. Johnson, Rob Bose, Mike Thorn, Marty Chan, Liz Grotowski, and Jim Jackson).

Mike Thorn on Seventh Row Podcast: The Best Films of 2020 (So Far)

Seventh Row podcast hosts Alex Heeney and Orla Smith discuss the best films of 2020 (so far).

Feat. special guests Brett Pardy, Ben Flanagan, Lena Wilson, Fatima Sheriff, Mike Thorn, & Valeria Villegas Lindval.

Listen here.

Read the shownotes.

Mike Thorn Discusses Prince of Darkness (1987) on Film Formally Podcast

Author and critic Mike Thorn swings by to talk about Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter’s 1987 horror film, and how it both expresses and interrogates the subject of epistemophobia — the fear of knowledge. It’s a great movie to go into knowing very little, so be aware that we spoil the entire plot in this episode.

We get into how the film withholds or ambiguates information for the audience, the film’s balance between pessimism and intellectual humility, and its place in Carpenter’s “Apocalypse Cycle” of movies.

Listen to the full episode.

Stephen King’s Short Story & Novella Collections, Ranked

I’m nearly finished reading Stephen King’s fiction bibliography. Since I’ve now finished reading all of his collections, I thought I’d share my personal ranking:

01. Skeleton Crew (1985)
02. Full Dark, No Stars (2010)
03. Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
04. Night Shift (1978)
05. Different Seasons (1982)
06. Just After Sunset (2008)
07. Everything’s Eventual (2002)
08. Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993)
09. Four Past Midnight (1990)
10. If It Bleeds (2020)
11. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015)

“A Day in the Life” of Author and Film Critic Mike Thorn

Mike Thorn is an author and film critic who currently resides in Calgary, Alberta (mostly inside his apartment, at the moment). Thorn’s Darkest Hours, a collection of short stories, is anything but mundane. Although his writing is full of darkness and supernatural horrors, it is always rooted in something painfully human. A genre film enthusiast, Mike excels at uncovering allegorical meanings behind fantastical works of art, often rooted in depictions of trauma and hidden pasts. He also can name the top ten horror flicks from any decade at the drop of a hat; the man has lists for everything. Mike is unique in his approach to writing, as he is informed not only by his intense love for literature, but also by his extensive knowledge of cinema. He is particularly influenced and inspired by 1930s horror. Currently, Mike works as an instructor at Bow Valley College, while also keeping up with personal writing projects. Keep your eyes peeled in February 2021 for his debut novel, Shelter for the Damned.

See the full article on Calgary Guardian.

Today on Cinematary: Some Kind of Connection (2020) by Sophy Romvari and Mike Thorn

Many people are doing their best to process the current state of the world amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and attempting to do anything creative has become impossible. While an onslaught of projects will percolate in the future related to this time in quarantine, it will be difficult to find one that resonates quite like Sophy Romvari and Mike Thorn’s short film, Some Kind of Connection.

Read the full article on Cinematary.

Today on iHorror: What are Horror Authors Reading During Lockdown?

Today on iHorror, Mike Thorn shares his thoughts on Daphne du Maurier’s 1959 collection The Breaking Point.

Also featured: Rob E. Boley, Samantha Kolesnik, Aaron Dries, Megan Hart, and Glenn Rolfe.

Read the full article.

Stephanie Evelyn interviews Mike Thorn

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW.

Mike Thorn Reviews Randy Nikkel Schroeder's Arctic Smoke for FreeFall Magazine

"Randy Nikkel Schroeder’s Arctic Smoke does not simply inhabit its multiple genres, but instead interrogates the intersections and tensions between those genres’ methodologies."

Read the full review.