Mike Thorn's Blog, page 39
November 17, 2017
Appearance on Unnerving Magazine Interview Series
I'm sorry if you're tired of listening to/reading me discussing Darkest Hours (coming Tuesday, November 21). If you're not, here I am on Unnerving's podcast series.
We also chat about the writing process, navigating difficult subject matter, and the Friday the 13th movies, among many other things.
We also chat about the writing process, navigating difficult subject matter, and the Friday the 13th movies, among many other things.
November 16, 2017
"What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition" by Rob Petrollini in Mount Royal University News
"Mount Royal University alumnus Mike Thorn is establishing himself as a premier horror fiction author. His book of short stories titled Darkest Hours is being released in both digital and print form on Nov. 21, and one of his first stops is his alma mater.
He will be reading from his collection during the What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition event on Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the University BookStore."
Read the full article here.
He will be reading from his collection during the What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition event on Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the University BookStore."
Read the full article here.
November 10, 2017
Arm Cast Podcast: Episode 180 - Al-Mehairi And Thorn
I appeared alongside Erin Al-Mehairi, author of BREATHE., BREATHE, on this week's episode of Arm Cast: Sexy Dead Podcast.
I discuss Darkest Hours, the writing process, music, and lots of other stuff.
Tune in!
I discuss Darkest Hours, the writing process, music, and lots of other stuff.
Tune in!
November 8, 2017
Interview About DARKEST HOURS in The Gauntlet
Matt Hume of The Gauntlet interviewed me about Darkest Hours, my debut fiction collection slated for a November 21 release with Unnerving.
"Looking for stories to send chills down your spine? There’s no need to wait for the next blockbuster horror flick or nostalgia-based Netflix series. U of C master of arts alumni Mike Thorn is releasing his debut fiction collection, Darkest Hours, through Unnerving on Nov. 21. The collection consists of eight previously published and eight never-before published short stories that all fit somewhere within the vast realm of horror fiction.
The collection, which was written over the past two years, ranges in style 'from satirical to brutal horrifying realist fiction, to more supernatural horror,' according to Thorn. Darkest Hours has already received substantial praise from notable horror writers such as S.P. Miskowski and Robert Dunbar."
Read the full interview on The Gauntlet's website.
"Looking for stories to send chills down your spine? There’s no need to wait for the next blockbuster horror flick or nostalgia-based Netflix series. U of C master of arts alumni Mike Thorn is releasing his debut fiction collection, Darkest Hours, through Unnerving on Nov. 21. The collection consists of eight previously published and eight never-before published short stories that all fit somewhere within the vast realm of horror fiction.
The collection, which was written over the past two years, ranges in style 'from satirical to brutal horrifying realist fiction, to more supernatural horror,' according to Thorn. Darkest Hours has already received substantial praise from notable horror writers such as S.P. Miskowski and Robert Dunbar."
Read the full interview on The Gauntlet's website.
November 1, 2017
Calgary Readings & Book Launches: December 1 and 6, 2017
Two Calgary book launches/readings have been announced for Darkest Hours in collaboration with Bill Bunn (author of the upcoming YA novel Out on the Drink) and Randy Schroeder (author of a forthcoming novel, title unannounced).
The first, “What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition,” will take place at the Mount Royal University bookstore on Friday, December 2 at 2 PM.
The second, “IGWIG Triple Reading and Book Launch,” is set to be at Owls Nest Books on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 PM.
Bill Bunn is an associate professor in the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University. He is the author of four–soon to be five–books, and many essays and articles. His next young adult novel, Out on the Drink, will be out in December of 2017. He’s published two other young adult novels: Kill Shot in 2015, and Duck Boy in 2012. His published essays were collected and published as Hymns of Home in 2013. In 2003, he published Moon Canoe, a children’s picture book. Moon Canoe was translated into French, and released as Canoë Lune, in 2005. When he’s not writing, Bill makes sausages, plays guitar, and wanders the hills of Millarville. He is a founding member of the Intensive Genre Writing Inquiry Group; he currently serves as the group’s first Superintendent.
Randy Schroeder is an associate professor in the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University. He is the author of one book of fiction, one co-edited anthology, many short stories, a few bits of poetry, and a moderate but curiously indeterminate number of scholarly articles. His new novel will be published in Fall of 2019 by NeWest Press. It has no title yet, but he can tell you that it concerns three aging punk musicians, a tour into the Canadian Arctic, a renegade CSIS agent, and a demonic snowman who may or may not be a hallucination. Randy is a founding member of the Intensive Genre Writing Inquiry Group. He splits his time between Calgary and The Porcupine Hills, where he frequently visits his coauthor and arch-enemy, A.M. Arruin.
The first, “What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition,” will take place at the Mount Royal University bookstore on Friday, December 2 at 2 PM.
The second, “IGWIG Triple Reading and Book Launch,” is set to be at Owls Nest Books on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 PM.
Bill Bunn is an associate professor in the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University. He is the author of four–soon to be five–books, and many essays and articles. His next young adult novel, Out on the Drink, will be out in December of 2017. He’s published two other young adult novels: Kill Shot in 2015, and Duck Boy in 2012. His published essays were collected and published as Hymns of Home in 2013. In 2003, he published Moon Canoe, a children’s picture book. Moon Canoe was translated into French, and released as Canoë Lune, in 2005. When he’s not writing, Bill makes sausages, plays guitar, and wanders the hills of Millarville. He is a founding member of the Intensive Genre Writing Inquiry Group; he currently serves as the group’s first Superintendent.
Randy Schroeder is an associate professor in the Department of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University. He is the author of one book of fiction, one co-edited anthology, many short stories, a few bits of poetry, and a moderate but curiously indeterminate number of scholarly articles. His new novel will be published in Fall of 2019 by NeWest Press. It has no title yet, but he can tell you that it concerns three aging punk musicians, a tour into the Canadian Arctic, a renegade CSIS agent, and a demonic snowman who may or may not be a hallucination. Randy is a founding member of the Intensive Genre Writing Inquiry Group. He splits his time between Calgary and The Porcupine Hills, where he frequently visits his coauthor and arch-enemy, A.M. Arruin.
October 30, 2017
Thorn's Thoughts: Ugly Little Things by Todd Keisling
"For the most part, the stories in Todd Keisling’s Ugly Little Things occupy the space and language of middle-class Somewhere, USA (sci-fi “The Darkness Between Dead Stars” excepted). Keisling’s narration often reads very much like the voices of his characters; these stories are as much about the routine and the quotidian as they are about their eventual diversions into terror."
Read the full review in “Thorn’s Thoughts,” a book review column on Unnerving Magazine‘s website.
Read the full review in “Thorn’s Thoughts,” a book review column on Unnerving Magazine‘s website.
October 24, 2017
DARKEST HOURS eBook Available for Pre-Order (Paperback and eBook Release November 21, 2017)
Darkest Hours is now available to pre-order in eBook format. Click here to get your copy.
Official release date for paperback and eBook: November 21, 2017.
Early Accolades
“In these sharply compelling stories Mike Thorn intertwines the bizarre and the quotidian to form seamless chronicles of personal disaster. The protagonist may not know the precise nature of the catastrophe heading his way, but you get the feeling he’s been anticipating something bad—and inexorable—for a long time. This rueful wisdom, a product of youthful disappointment and early trauma, informs each tale as it winds its way toward a natural yet surprising conclusion. The element of surprise is a tribute to Thorn’s ingenuity; the assuredness of his prose is due to his extensive knowledge of the horror genre. Perfectly paced from the first sentence, these stories grab you by the collar with the urgency of mortal danger. Highly recommended.”
— S.P. Miskowski, author of Strange is the Night
“Everyone has their own mythology. Most people, however, don’t recognize it as such. Mike Thorn gets it. His fiction seems to blur distinctions between horror and noir, between science fiction and fantasy. Between dream and reality. They’re all here. Demons. Monsters. Big ones, little ones. (Sometimes the things done to them are worse than the things they do.) When you first encounter Thorn’s writing, a number of qualities impress themselves: the macabre intelligence (brutal really), the chilling wit, the naturalness of the dialogue. Plus there’s the skill and style of the prose. It may all play out like a nightmare, but a terrible logic remains inherent. His characters make bad choices, and it’s those decisions that bring on calamity. At once, the reader recognizes this. Mike Thorn is inescapable, and he understands that most terrifying variety of monsters, the hidden ones, the inner ones. They’re on display here. Savor the experience.”
— Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines and Willy
“Darkest Hours is for readers wishing to take a thrilling walk on the dark side. Mike Thorn has delivered a promising debut with this collection showing off his commitment to stories of nuance, heart, and of course… darkness.”
— Daniel Braum, author of The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales
“I’ve long been a fan of authors who can create a style and allow it to be as important as the story itself. Mike Thorn is a prime example of an author who builds off the baseline mechanics of prose on his own terms, and in the process writes witty and honest, dark literary stories, as is the case with Darkest Hours. Mike Thorn’s debut story collection is not to be missed by those who enjoy an academic intellect with a potent flair for fiction.”
— Dustin LaValley, author of A Soundless Dawn
“Fast, fun and full of fear, Darkest Hours turns on a dime from a laugh to a scream. Terrifying and sly, Mike Thorn writes with refreshing originality and hides fangs behind a smile.”
— John C. Foster, author of Mister White
Official release date for paperback and eBook: November 21, 2017.
Early Accolades
“In these sharply compelling stories Mike Thorn intertwines the bizarre and the quotidian to form seamless chronicles of personal disaster. The protagonist may not know the precise nature of the catastrophe heading his way, but you get the feeling he’s been anticipating something bad—and inexorable—for a long time. This rueful wisdom, a product of youthful disappointment and early trauma, informs each tale as it winds its way toward a natural yet surprising conclusion. The element of surprise is a tribute to Thorn’s ingenuity; the assuredness of his prose is due to his extensive knowledge of the horror genre. Perfectly paced from the first sentence, these stories grab you by the collar with the urgency of mortal danger. Highly recommended.”
— S.P. Miskowski, author of Strange is the Night
“Everyone has their own mythology. Most people, however, don’t recognize it as such. Mike Thorn gets it. His fiction seems to blur distinctions between horror and noir, between science fiction and fantasy. Between dream and reality. They’re all here. Demons. Monsters. Big ones, little ones. (Sometimes the things done to them are worse than the things they do.) When you first encounter Thorn’s writing, a number of qualities impress themselves: the macabre intelligence (brutal really), the chilling wit, the naturalness of the dialogue. Plus there’s the skill and style of the prose. It may all play out like a nightmare, but a terrible logic remains inherent. His characters make bad choices, and it’s those decisions that bring on calamity. At once, the reader recognizes this. Mike Thorn is inescapable, and he understands that most terrifying variety of monsters, the hidden ones, the inner ones. They’re on display here. Savor the experience.”
— Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines and Willy
“Darkest Hours is for readers wishing to take a thrilling walk on the dark side. Mike Thorn has delivered a promising debut with this collection showing off his commitment to stories of nuance, heart, and of course… darkness.”
— Daniel Braum, author of The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales
“I’ve long been a fan of authors who can create a style and allow it to be as important as the story itself. Mike Thorn is a prime example of an author who builds off the baseline mechanics of prose on his own terms, and in the process writes witty and honest, dark literary stories, as is the case with Darkest Hours. Mike Thorn’s debut story collection is not to be missed by those who enjoy an academic intellect with a potent flair for fiction.”
— Dustin LaValley, author of A Soundless Dawn
“Fast, fun and full of fear, Darkest Hours turns on a dime from a laugh to a scream. Terrifying and sly, Mike Thorn writes with refreshing originality and hides fangs behind a smile.”
— John C. Foster, author of Mister White
October 17, 2017
Interview with Gwendolyn Kiste About DARKEST HOURS (Coming November 21, 2017)
I was thrilled when Gwendolyn Kiste, one of my favorite working writers, invited me to talk about my collection Darkest Hours (coming November 21, 2017) for her interview series.
We discussed my genesis as an author, influences, the writing process, horror filmmakers and many other topics.
You can read the full interview on Gwendolyn’s website.
We discussed my genesis as an author, influences, the writing process, horror filmmakers and many other topics.
You can read the full interview on Gwendolyn’s website.
October 16, 2017
Thorn's Thoughts: Strange is the Night
"Miskowski writes well about the tedium and anxiety of work (as seen in 'Death and Disbursement' and 'Fur'); she unveils the vile ignorance and delusions of misogynistic men (most notably in the aforementioned 'A.G.A.' and 'Strange is the Night'); she writes frequently and insightfully about regret and memory and the complicated correspondence between expectation and reality. She attends to all of these thematic threads with artistry and formidable intelligence."
Read the full review on Unnerving Magazine's website.
Read the full review on Unnerving Magazine's website.
October 3, 2017
Tim Murr Reviews DARKEST HOURS for Biff Bam Pop
"It’s rare that a writer in the horror genre hits us with a perspective or idea that we didn’t see coming. Nor is it unusual for a story or novel to haunt us with creepy images, vivid descriptions of gore, or a heartbreaking death. How often, though, does an author pull this off with superior literary quality?
This is the territory the reader will find themselves in with Mike Thorn’s Darkest Hours."
Read the full review in Biff Bam Pop.
This is the territory the reader will find themselves in with Mike Thorn’s Darkest Hours."
Read the full review in Biff Bam Pop.
