Glenn Rolfe's Blog, page 16

EXCLUSIVE! Cover Reveal for the audio edition of THE HAUNTED HALLS

Joe Hempel (Voice of Joey) finished up the audio for THE HAUNTED HALLS last week. He then got Scott Carpenter to do an all-new, exclusive cover for it.  Scott has done the covers for Blood and Rain, Chasing Ghosts, Things We Fear, Abram’s Bridge, Boom Town….And many others for the Samhain brood.

While I don’t have a release date for the audio book just yet (it will be very soon), I did receive the new artwork from Joe and Scott.

Without further ado:

 

For those who have yet to enter these halls….

“an atmospheric, spine-tingler that sustains the reader’s attention until its resolution with the inclusion of vile, cringe-worthy moments that’s sure to accommodate the churning of one’s stomach. Without a shortage of unwarrantable violence, sex, and profanity, Rolfe revels in his storytelling like that of a feverish child during a winter day; blissfully engaging himself in the act of snow angels.”- Horror After Dark

“This is fantastic storytelling with copious amounts of sex and violence. Rolfe’s novel means more to me than just a King inspired horror yarn, this is a book that will proudly be displayed between John Skipp and Craig Spector’s seminal novel The Light at the End, and Clive Barker’s The Damnation Game.” – The Horror Underground

“Glenn Rolfe’s The Haunted Halls pulls out all the stops in delivering a blood-soaked, sexually charged spook show” – Peter N. Dudar, author of A Requiem for Dead Flies

“The Bruton Inn is the scariest hotel I have read about since The Overlook…”- Terry M. West, author of Heroin in the Magic Now

“Fast-paced and chilling, with eroticism and gore delivered with style.” – Russel James, author of Q Island and Dreamwalker

 

THE HAUNTED HALLS

The Bruton Inn, located outside of the small Maine city of Hollis Oaks, is home to something sinister. An icy presence has made its way from a dark past to the present day. Cold spots, shadows, and whispers permeate the halls, and guests are beginning to change.

For two front desk employees, the dark rumors are about to come to light. They call upon an urban shaman and his connection with the spirit world to dig up the truth. Will they be able to stand against this malevolent force? Or will they come face to face with something beyond their most frightful dreams.

Welcome to the Bruton Inn. The Ice Queen has arrived.

Get your eBook copy HERE

(REVIEWS) SALVAGE by Duncan Ralston and OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES by Chad Lutzke

This is the first of Duncan Ralston’s works I’ve read. What a wonderful find.

SALVAGE is a ghost/mystery story centering around Owen Saddler, Rev. Everett Crouch, and the Church of the Blessed Trinity. When Owens sister, Lori, goes off to find out the truth, she winds up finding nothing but trouble. Owen sets out to discover what happened to Lori and winds up in the quiet town of Chapel Lake An array of characters, a series of nightmares, and the mystery of what lies beneath the lake lead Owen in a desperate search to solve this mystery.

There were so many cool things about this novel. The characters are all well done and believable. The mystery of what became of the town beneath the lake (Peace Falls) is a huge driving force along with the need Ralston’s writing initiates in us to discover the truth about Rev. Crouch and his flock. My favorite characters were Owen, Howie, and, surprisingly, Jo. Its always wonderful when you pass judgement on a character upon first “meeting” them only to have the author make you change your mind.

There are plenty of religious aspects to the story, as well. A lot about faith and trust, and the power that both can wield, for better or worse. All in all, a wonderful story that had some really fantastic moments. Definitely recommended reading.

I give SALVAGE 4-4.5 stars!

Get your copy of SALVAGE   HERE

Duncan Ralston was born in Toronto and spent his teens in small-town Ontario. As a “grownup,” Duncan lives with his girlfriend and their dog in Toronto, where he writes dark fiction about the things that frighten, sicken, and delight him. In addition to his twisted short stories found in GRISTLE & BONE (Shadow Work Publishing), the anthologies DEATH BY CHOCOLATE (Knightwatch Press), WHAT GOES AROUND (Great British Horror), Extreme Horror Author Matt Shaw‘s EASTER EGGS & BUNNY BOILERS, and the charity anthologies BURGER VAN and THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS Vol. 1 (Sinister Horror Company), he is the author of the novel, SALVAGE, and the novellas EVERY PART OF THE ANIMAL and WOOM, an extreme horror Black Cover book from Matt Shaw Publications. He also co-hosts the horror podcast Screen Kings, dedicated to dissecting Stephen King movies and miniseries.

Chad Lutzke’s novella, Of Foster Homes and Flies, is a nice change of pace for me. Its a compact little coming-of-age tale of a 12-year-old boy, his dead mother, and a spelling bee.

The twist is that his mom dies at the beginning of the book and the spelling bee he’s been living for for the last few months is still almost a week away.

Wonderfully written, this story has some real sweet spots to it. Being that it is a novella, these spots are exactly that-short but sweet. The scene with the maggots comes to mind…but also the scenes with Sam. Well done.

Lutzke professes his love for coming-of-age tales in the the “liner notes”. He can sleep well knowing that he’s added a nice little nugget under that umbrella.

Definitely worthy of your time.

I give Of Foster Homes and Flies 4 stars!

Get you copy of OF  FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES  HERE

Chad lives in Battle Creek, MI. with his wife and children where he works as a medical language specialist. For over two decades, he has been a contributor to several different outlets in the independent music and film scene including articles, reviews, and artwork. Chad loves music, rain, sarcasm, dry humor, and cheese. He has a strong disdain for dishonesty and hard-boiled eggs.  He has written for Famous Monsters of Filmland, Rue Morgue, andScream magazines and is a regular contributor to Horror Novel Reviews, Halloweenforevermore, and Heavy Planet.  You can find his published work here.

You can also find him lurking around the following websites:

Facebook Author page

Amazon Author page

(Review) STONE WORK by Dominic Stabile

 

Stone Work is a cool futuristic set of stories about a man-for-hire by the name of Stone. He’s been through hard luck and and survived a place they call “The Wall”. Slightly disfigured and with a new found admiration of shooting people he’s paid to, and hanging with his tech girl, Megan, Stone is just trying to get his while making it to another day.

Stone Work is a collection of three tales starring Stone.

“‘Roid Rage” sets things off. We come into the story learning what we can of this cool character and his life. This one was taking one direction and then drops you into a world of mutated freaks, which Stabile has a lot of fun with, and makes you wonder how the heck Stone and Megan are going to get out!

“Plumb Inc.” was interesting, but not as good. It has a great direction, but for whatever reason, felt too rushed or short or…just not pushed to the borders of its potential.

“Godless City” is by far the winner of the batch of stories. This one, as with the previous stories, pulls you in right at the word go. When a stranger shows up at Stone’s door with a book that exposes the truth about the god’s of City, Stone and Megan are right back in the thick of things.

This one hit a slight hiccup in the middle, dragging out just a bit too long for me, but once Stoner and Megan arrive at the church of “Walforg”, we’re in for a load of awesome.

Stabile does a great job tiptoeing around some existential religious questions here adding a layer of depth to the story. His Walforg worshipers are definitely the most interesting and brutal bunch of antagonists in Stone Work. Definitely my favorite of the bunch.

Overall, Stone Work showcases Stabile’s imagination and his ultimate creation, Stone. Part of writing is making the unbelievable believable and getting away with it. Stabile succeeds over and over within these pages. At times, the story had me thinking of Simon R. Green’s excellent Nightside series. That’s a plus in my book. I can’t wait to see what Stone adventures lie ahead. Take me to City and show me the truth!

I give Stone Work 4 stars!

 

 

 

Stone Work by Dominic Stabile

Synopsis

City stands in the irradiated dunes of America, nearly two centuries after the Final War. The wall surrounding it is a buffer for the wasteland inhabitants who covet entrance, and a trap for the citizens smothering in its polluted air and drowning in its blood-filled streets.

Stone is a criminal for hire. Robbed of his loved ones and scarred almost beyond recognition, he navigates City’s darkest corners, doing some of its darkest deeds. In this collection, he’ll pursue an elusive thief, bent on raising an army of juiced up mutants. He’ll break into the office building of a mysterious corporation, only to find the executives are less into sending faxes and more into performing hexes.

In the final chapter, he’ll track a man through the Alleys of South City with the help of his tech savvy partner, Megan, and together they’ll face the sentient darkness of City’s deepest underbelly, and confront the violent potential of City’s most dangerous cults.

Part Blade Runner. Part Sin City. Stone Work is an action-packed ride through the rain-slicked streets of a dark, unforgiving urban landscape, rife with sadistic criminals, inter-dimensional abominations, and a creeping darkness that seeks to erase the last, now almost mythical traces of human goodness left in a world always teetering over the edge of its own extinction

A follow-up novel is set to be released in 2017.

Dominic Stabile, Biography

Dominic Stabile’s short fiction has appeared in Fossil Lake III: Unicornado!,Sanitarium Magazine, The Horror Zine, Atticus Review, Far Horizons, and has been adapted as a radio play by Manor House Productions.

He has held jobs as a warehouse worker, cashier, bookstore associate, textbook manager, and carpenter. He’s a born southerner, transplanted to Penobscot, Maine by a desperate desire to escape retail work.

When not writing or reading, he enjoys horror, sci-fi, and noir films, westerns, and bourbon.

Read his blogs on all things horror at dominicstabile.com or via Facebook.

Praise for Dominic Stabile’s Whiskey for Breakfast

“With Whiskey for Breakfast, Dominic Stabile provides a page turning mystery that kept me guessing as to who the real killers might be….”- Brenda Casto, Readersfavorite.com

“I loved the quick pace and witty dialogue. The writing style brought to mind old school murder mystery novels even though the setting is more recent. I can’t wait for the next one!” -Jen Leboeuf, GoodReads on Whiskey for Breakfast

Purchase Links

Amazon US

Watch for more links to come!

About Mirror Matter Press

Mirror Matter Press is the sister press of Sinister Grin Press. With common ownership, Mirror Matter Press will focus on Science Fiction, Fantasy, Pulp and all fiction not strictly Horror-related. Mirror Matter Press will be bringing the best fiction to market from new and established writers.

www.mirrormatterpress.com

(Review) THE NIGHT PARADE by Ronald Malfi

The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi

Kensington Horror

First the birds disappeared.

Then the insects took over.

Then the madness began . . .

They call it Wanderer’s Folly–a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out the human race.

After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he’s bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he’s on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.

Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they’re running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road . . .

REVIEW by Glenn Rolfe

Author, Ronald Mafli (Little Girls and Floating Staircase), delivers in his new novel, The Night Parade. In this story, Malfi unleashes the next great plague upon humanity– Wanderer’s Folly. You daydream, you forget, you see things, until you finally lose it. Some go screaming, some jump to their death, and some wander into a fiery demise. No one knows how it’s spread or why some contract it while others don’t, but one thing is certain—it’s getting worse.

It’s a story that’s been told before, but as with all familiar tropes of fiction, it is the author’s voice that provides the melody over these familiar chords that make it something new, something special. I’ve been a huge fan of Malfi since reading his novel, Snow, and that awe, that amazement over his talent I felt then grows with each novel. The Night Parade is another fine example of his incomparable grasp on storytelling.

This is a beautiful story of a man named David, and his daughter, Ellie, as they struggle with all that has just happened in their world. David has lost his wife and knows that he must do whatever he can to keep his daughter safe. Escaping into the night, they hit the highway, leaving what’s left of their quarantined town behind.

I’m not going to tell you the story. I want you to enjoy the ride yourself. Let me just say that Malfi’s ability to craft these amazing stories and characters in such tight fashion, where you breeze through nearly four-hundred pages like it was a two-hundred-page book is astonishing and wonderful. You don’t want it to end. You want it to stay a little longer, to linger, so you can wrap up in the magic and keep the cold, harsh world at bay. Yeah, even if the story is about a deadly plague. That’s a testament to how good this guys is.

I loved this book. Definitely in my Top 5 of 2016.

I give The Night Parade 5 stars!

 

Ronald Malfi, Biography

Ronald Malfi is an award-winning author of many novels and novellas in the horror, mystery, and thriller categories from various publishers, including The Night Parade, this summer’s 2016 release from Kensington.

In 2009, his crime drama, Shamrock Alley, won a Silver IPPY Award. In 2011, his ghost story/mystery novel, Floating Staircase, was a finalist for the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award for best novel, a Gold IPPY Award for best horror novel, and the Vincent Preis International Horror Award. His novel Cradle Lake garnered him the Benjamin Franklin Independent Book Award (silver) in 2014. December Park, his epic childhood story, won the Beverly Hills International Book Award for suspense in 2015.

Most recognized for his haunting, literary style and memorable characters, Malfi’s dark fiction has gained acceptance among readers of all genres.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, and eventually relocated to the Chesapeake Bay area, where he currently resides with his wife and two children.

Visit with Ronald Malfi on Facebook, Twitter (@RonaldMalfi), or at http://www.ronmalfi.com.

Praise for Ronald Malfi

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting, the words, the ending. Color me impressed.” –Melissa Reads on The Night Parade

“The Night Parade has a creepy vibe and some genuinely terrifying moments. I even teared up a time or two. It’s everything I look for in a great read.” – Frank Errington on The Night Parade

“One cannot help but think of writers like Peter Straub and Stephen King.”

—FearNet

“Malfi is a skillful storyteller.”—New York Journal of Books

“A complex and chilling tale….terrifying.”—Robert McCammon

“Malfi’s lyrical prose creates an atmosphere of eerie claustrophobia…haunting.”—Publishers Weekly

“A thrilling, edge-of-your-seat ride that should not be missed.”

—Suspense Magazine

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Want to feature this book/author?

If you are a blogger, author, or member of the media and you would like to feature The Night Parade or Ronald Malfi in a review or interview, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Follow the Publicity Tour here:

(Giveaway) Enter for your chance to win my latest novella, CHASING GHOSTS

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Chasing Ghosts
by Glenn Rolfe

Giveaway ends September 24, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

 

The Cobbs were ignorant woods-people that died off and left nothing to fear. Locals in Naples, Maine think they know this story. But are they wrong?

Luke Howard and his mom move to Naples and Luke’s eager to make new friends. When Jason and Davey invite him out to the abandoned Cobb place for a game they call “chasing ghosts,” he’s ready and willing. However, the boys will come to discover that some vacant houses are better left to die alone.

Meanwhile, a punk band set to play in a rented cabin out of town feel eyes upon them. Somebody’s watching, but not their usual audience. When their lead singer strays too far from the group and disappears, his band mates set out in the darkness to find him.

Police Chief Walt Henderson is about to discover that there’s more going on out in the woods of his town than he ever imagined.

Chasing ghosts is more than just some children’s game.

Enter to win! One signed copy of from your truly.

 

Praise for CHASING GHOSTS

“Chasing Ghosts is one of the scariest books I have read in a while and it may just be Glenn’s darkest work yet…definitely my favorite novella of the year” – The Horror Bookshelf

“Rich with gore, baked with deranged backwoods madmen, and topped off with a breakneck pace, Chasing Ghosts manages to not only channel Laymon’s Beast House series, but includes more than passing nods to Jack Ketchum’s Off Season and sequels.”- Horror After Dark

With shades of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th, Rolfe also summons his inner-Laymon and, in my opinion, outdoes what his predecessor couldn’t do.” – Into the Macabre

“This story is bloody, violent, and fantastic for horror lovers who aren’t squeamish. Glenn Rolfe has outdid himself with this nasty little book! I highly recommend this fast paced and graphic 5 star read.” – Catherine Cavendish, author of The Pendle Curse and The Devil’s Serenade

“The horror was just enough, right there whispering in your ear, leaving you with shivers and a bad taste in your mouth. And the ending… the ending left things way too wide open for my comfort and I’m not sure I’ll sleep comfortably for a few nights at least.”  – Nikki, Amazon/GoodReads Review

Be sure to follow the Hook of a Book Media Tour

 

Also available from Glenn Rolfe:

 

That Damn TBR Pile…What I’ve got lined up for the final quarter of 2016.

We all have that ever growing mountain of books that we want to read. Whether authors or publishers are throwing books your way, or you’re addicted to the 1-click download of each sale title on Amazon, maybe you use the library,or maybe you’re old school and enjoy thoughtfully perusing and selecting something off the shelf of your local bookstore, whatever you’re flavor,  that to-be-read pile seems insurmountable.

Believe me, I’m right there with you. This is my “planned” reads of the final quarter of the year. I love reading new books, so I can make the best Best of possible. I will miss plenty of books, but I will try.

Here’s my schedule…sort of:

SEPTEMBER

Ronald Malfi- The Night Parade

Damien Angelica Walters- Paper Tigers

Lee Thomas- Shine Your Light on Me

Brian Keene- Pressure

Duncan Ralston- Salvage

OCTOBER 

Patrick Lacey- Dream Woods

Chad Lutzke- Of Foster Homes and Flies

John Quick- Consequences

Kristopher Rufty- Seven Hill Road

James Newman- Odd Man Out

NOVEMBER

Paul Kane- Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell

David Bernstein- The Sludge

Paul Tremblay- Disappearance at Devil’s Rock

Adam Cesare- Zero Lives Remaining

Jason Murphy- The Black Goat Motorcycle Club

DECEMBER

Jack Ketchum- The Secret Life of Souls

Richard Chizmar- A Long December

Sarah Pinborough- 13 Minutes

Joe Hill- The Fireman

 

Obviously, I may not get all of these finished, but I will try my best. I own 9 of these titles and will hit up the local library for a couple of the bigger titles.

Here’s what I’ve read so far this year: GOODREADS CHALLENGE 2016

Wish me luck!

 

What’s left on your 2016 reading list?

Welcome to THE HAUNTED HALLS: Matt Shaw re-releases my debut novel today exclusively for the Kindle!

“More than just a King knock-off, this is a truly gruesome and fun ode to the splatterpunk days that are long since gone. This is fantastic storytelling with copious amounts of sex and violence. Rolfe’s novel means more to me than just a King inspired horror yarn, this is a book that will proudly be displayed between John Skipp and Craig Spector’s seminal novel The Light at the End, and Clive Barker’s The Damnation Game. The Haunted Halls is a tremendous read that is hard to put down.” – David Sharp, Beneath the Underground

“The Bruton Inn is the scariest hotel I have read about since the Overlook…

Glenn Rolfe runs at the front of the pack with the best of today’s emerging horror authors.” – Terry M. West, Author of Heroin in the Now and the Night Things series

“The Haunted Halls is a terrifying novel that is full of blood and guts but most importantly – a very engaging plot. Rolfe has definitely come out of the gates swinging on his debut and has established himself as one of many excellent up and coming horror writers.” – The Horror Bookshelf

“The Haunted Halls is a fantastically creepy ghost story. The setting of the Bruton Inn works very well. For me, old hotels always seem to have a sense of history and impersonal menace. Although the ghosts you find at the Bruton are anything but impersonal. They are straight up evil and out for blood.” – Horror Maiden Reviews

“Creepy, darkly humorous, and absolutely terrifying – yet smart and intelligent, not to mention character driven, there’s a lot going on here that will appeal to the masses. Part Laymon, part King, complete Rolfe, this is a book that any horror fan needs to read. Essential.” – Stuart Keane, Author of Grin and Charlotte

GET YOU COPY HERE:  AMAZON US      AMAZON UK     AMAZON AU   AMAZON CA

Much thanks to Matt Shaw for taking this  novel under his dark cloak and bringing it back to the light!

Any reviews are greatly appreciated. Hope this one bleeds your horror heart and scares the shit out of each and every one of you.

Stay tuned!

GR

 

(Review) THE JERSEY DEVIL by Hunter Shea

The Jersey Devil by Hunter Shea

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hunter She’s writing is like great comfort food. I mean, he’s like a wonderful plate of mashed sweet potatoes with a perfectly buttered ear of corn, and a breast of juicy barbecued chicken. Keeping with his previous books like The Montauk Monster, Sinister Entity, Island of the Forbidden, and They Rise, his latest, The Jersey Devil, delivered all the delicious flavors I have come to expect in a Shea novel.

The Jersey Devil is the epitome of paperback horror. The kind of story you expected every month from Leisure Books back in the day. The characters live and breathe within each beat, the evil creature (and star of the show) is scary as hell and will have you curled up, eager to see if anyone comes out of these woods alive. There are some great kills near the front of the book as Shea introduces the creature.

The Willet family has a history with the beast, one that comes to light by books end. Shea does a great job of weaving this main plot in with a couple handfuls of Devil fodder in between. While the side characters add some extra fun, the story really takes hold and stands up once Shea focuses on the Willets as they arrive at the Pine Barrens.

For me, the Pine Barrens, the home to the Jersey Devil, are as much a character as anyone or anything else in this book. Shea brings this devouring land of creepy trees, soft soil, and early graves to vivid life. The result is the reader truly being immersed into the story, adding to the near-constant fear factor.

In the end, I really enjoyed the hell out of this book. It’s the perfect end of summer read!

I give The Jersey Devil 4 stars!

Grab your copy here THE JERSEY DEVIL

 

 

The Jersey Devil, Synopsis

File Size:1261 KB
Print Length:352 pages
Publisher:Pinnacle (August 30, 2016)
Publication Date:August 30, 2016
Sold by:Penguin Random House Publisher Services

 

THE LEGEND LIVES

Everyone knows the legend of the Jersey Devil. Some believe it is an abomination of nature, a hybrid winged beast from hell that stalks the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey searching for prey. Others believe it is a hoax, a campfire story designed to scare children. But one man knows the truth…

THE DEVIL AWAKES

Sixty years ago, Boompa Willet came face to face with the Devil—and lived to tell the tale. Now, the creature’s stomping grounds are alive once again with strange sightings, disappearances, and worse. After all these years, Boompa must return to the Barrens, not to prove the legend is real but to wipe it off the face of the earth…

THE BEAST MUST DIE

It’ll take more than just courage to defeat the Devil. It will take four generations of the Willet clan, a lifetime of survivalist training, and all the firepower they can carry. But timing is critical. A summer music festival has attracted crowds of teenagers. The woods are filled with tender young prey. But this time, the Devil is not alone. The evil has grown into an unholy horde of mutant monstrosities. And hell has come home to New Jersey…

Hunter Shea, Biography

Hunter Shea is the product of a childhood weaned on The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and In Search Of. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself.

Publishers Weekly named The Montauk Monster one of the best reads of the summer in 2014, and his follow up novel, Hell Hole, was named best horror novel of the year on several prestigious horror sites. Cemetery Dance had this to say about his apocalyptic thriller, Tortures of the Damned – “A terrifying read that left me wanting more. I absolutely devoured this book!”

Hunter is an amateur cryptozoologist, having written wild, fictional tales about Bigfoot, The Montauk Monster, The Dover Demon and many new creatures to come. Copies of his books, The Montauk Monster and The Dover Demon, are currently on display in the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, ME.

He wrote his first novel with the express desire to work only with editor Don D’Auria at Dorchester (Leisure Horror). He submitted his novel to Don and only Don, unagented, placed on the slush pile. He is proof that dedicated writers can be rescued from no man’s land. He now works with Don, along with several other agents and publishers, having published over ten books in just four years.

Hunter is proud to be be one half of the Monster Men video podcast, along with his partner in crime, Jack Campisi. It is one of the most watched horror video podcasts in the world. Monster Men is a light-hearted approach to dark subjects. Hunter and Jack explore real life hauntings, monsters, movies, books and everything under the horror sun. They often interview authors, crytid and ghost hunters, directors and anyone else living in the horror lane.

Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to get Gray’s Papaya hot dogs when the craving hits. His daughters have also gotten the horror bug, assisting him with research, story ideas and illustrations that can be seen in magazines such as Dark Dossier.

You can follow his travails at http://www.huntershea.com, sign-up for his newsletter, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Praise for Hunter Shea

“Shea delivers a tense and intriguing work of escalating tension splattered with a clever, extensive cast of bystanders turned victims…An otherwise excellent, tightly delivered plot…Fans of cryptid creatures are likely to revel in this love letter to a legendary menace.”– Publishers Weekly

“Bloody good read!  This guy knows his monsters!”- Eric S Brown, author of Bigfoot War and Boggy Creek: The Legend is True, on Swamp Monster Massacre

“Hunter Shea is a great writer, highly entertaining, and definitely in the upper echelon in the current horror scene. Many other writers mention either loving his work and/or having the man influence their own, and for just cause. His writing suits anyone with a taste for the dark and terrifying!” –Zakk at The Eyes of Madness/The Mouth of Madness Podcast

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Want to feature this book/author?

If you are a blogger, author, or member of the media and you would like to feature The Jersey Devil or Hunter Shea in a review or interview, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

View all my reviews

Update City: Let’s Get, Let’s Get, Let’s #GetRolfed

CHASING GHOSTS at Amazon.com PURCHASE NOW

CHASING GHOSTS at Amazon.UK    PURCHASE NOW

THE HAUNTED HALLS at Amazon.com  PURCHASE NOW

THE HAUNTED HALLS at Amazon.UK  PURCHASE NOW

If you’ve never been Rolfed before, September is the best time to acclimate yourself. August 1st saw the release of my Laymon-esque effort, CHASING GHOSTS (Sinister Grin Press), and this weekend (Spetember 3rd) offers those of you new to the Rolfe universe, a chance to own my first novel, THE HAUNTED HALLS (Matt Shaw Publications). There will be a Facebook Release Party for THE HAUNTED HALLS Friday. Stay tuned for details.

Z-Dubz over at THE EYES OF MADNESS coined the phrase, #GetRolfed  We’re hoping it catches on.

For those of you new to my work, I have three novellas with Samhain Publishing (Abram’s Bridge, Boom Town, and Things We Fear). They are also available in a collected book called, WHERE NIGHTMARES BEGIN (also from Samhain).  These three novellas find me branching my horror out into the edge of mystery, sci-fi, and psychological horror, but I’ve always had a thing for the Laymons, Keenes, and Ketchums of the world. If you read my werewolf novel, BLOOD and RAIN, you got a hint at my darker side. With CHASING GHOSTS, you got a full on kick to the teeth (Read the latest review HERE). And if you think that was rough you will be begging for mercy with THE HAUNTED HALLS. It’s my first novel,. It was originally self-published in serial format, then released by James Ward Kirk Publishing in 2014. I signed on with Samhain and they offered to republish it. When Samhain announced that they were closing their doors (which they later decided not to do), I got the rights for the novel back. Within days of getting the rights back, I signed an exclusive eBook contract for it with British Horror master, Matt Shaw. There’s a reason this novel found a home with Mr. Shaw–it is brutal and pulls no punches.  I’m super excited to see it coming back out and can’t wait to see what people think. An audio version will follow, narrated by the talented Joe Hempel (Voice of Joey) who did my audio book of SLUSH. Joe has also recently been busy with Adam Cesare and Mercedes Yardley. Print rights for the book are being shopped around. hopefully, we’ll find a happy home.

Looking ahead, I will have another 99 cent set of short stories for you guys before the end of the year. The stories included will be “The Death Wish” and “One of These Things…” along with a surprise that I can’t mention yet.

My next two novels, WINDOW and WAITING FOR DARKNESS (aka the sequel to Blood and Rain) will hopefully see the light of day before the end of 2017 or early 2018 at the latest. I think these are my strongest two novels to date and can’t wait to share them with you all. I’ll keep you posted.

As for now, I’ll be pushing these two latest piece, both of which I am hugely proud of, and I look forward to chatting with you guys soon.

Keep up to date with all my latest releases by following my Amazon Author page HERE

Stay tuned!

-GR

 

 

 

 

Bleeding Springsteen: How Bruce’s Writing Inspires this Weirdo.

 

I recently posted a list of fifteen writers who have had an influence on my work. One of those writers was Bruce Springsteen. Does he write books? No, but he does write stories. He creates characters and places and moments in his songs that breathe just as well as Jack Torrance or Scout Finch. You’ve lived in his towns. You’ve felt the pain of losing someone close to you and the joy of doing the things you love. He writes about things that have influenced his day-to-day life as well as yours, and he does so effortlessly. Okay, he makes it seem that way, but I’m sure he fights for his words as hard as any of us writers do.

There are plenty of authors who mention the impact of his work in their own. Brian Keene is the big one that comes to mind (he does have a book called, Darkness on the Edge of Town). For me, it’s that magical ability to make you feel something. His stories are so heartfelt. And the fact that he usually shies away from simple nonsense lyrics, choosing instead to bust his ass conveying an emotion that won’t let him rest that makes all the difference. And you really have to be gifted to succeed at this time and time again.

His lyrics are beautiful, haunting, desperate, and celebratory. His characters feel real and his stories are our own. That’s the magic. His songs resonate. It’s how he started with his debut album in ’73 and is still going today. It’s why he is so beloved by his fans and why being in the crowd at a Springsteen show is like being at church on Sunday morning. His hymns are eternal, yet he takes to that stage night after night after night to earn our appreciation.

He could ride off into the sunset, retire and relax, but he won’t. His wheels are always rolling, those gears always shifting. There’s always something inside that needs to get out. And that’s how I feel as a writer. It’s why I hear a line a Springsteen song and think–there. Like Brian Keene, I was moved to write a book based on Bruce’s words. When he sings, my wheels start rolling:

“ Tell her there’s a spot out ‘neath Abram’s Bridge

And tell her there’s a darkness on the edge of town

There’s a darkness on the edge of town

Well, everybody’s got a secret Sonny

Something that they just can’t face

Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it

They carry it with them every step that they take…”

I was trying to write a ghost story for a writing group and I had the album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, playing in my headphones. And it was like I heard those lyrics, truly, for the first time.  What is this secret? What’s going on under Abram’s Bridge? What is this darkness? I compelled then and there to discover all of this for myself. I wound up writing my first published novella, Abram’s Bridge.

Like Bradbury or Matheson to King, Springsteen has provided me with my own desires and questions and what if’s and those moments of magic. I said in a comment on that post that his work bleeds into my own. The story above shows the direct line, and it is far from the only one. His catalog of songs is immense and still growing. For me, he is the Stephen King of songwriters. The body of work is incredible and inspirational.  Whether through sadness and despair of songs like “The Promise” or “Lost in the Flood”, the storytelling of “Jungleland” or “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, or the youthful energy and excitement of “Born to Run” or “Badlands” or the controversial and poignant, “American Skin (41 Shots)”, Bruce Springsteen ignites the fire inside this writer’s heart and soul, and I praise him for it.

The rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night

And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine over the Jersey state line

Barefoot girl sitting on the hood of a Dodge drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain

The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants, together they take a stab at romance and disappear down Flamingo Lane

Well the Maximum Lawman run down Flamingo chasing the Rat and the barefoot girl

And the kids ’round here look just like shadows, always quiet, holding hands

From the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world

As we take our stand down in Jungleland

 

Burce’s official biography comes out next month, September 27th. It’s called, Born to Run, and it is the first penned by “The Boss” himself.

Pre order your copy HERE