Glenn Rolfe's Blog, page 8
February 1, 2018
(Share the Horror Interview) Talking horror writing with author, Michael Patrick Hicks.
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In the horror writing community, especially on the indie level, you hear a lot of names. When reviewers and other authors start repeating a few of these names and the author’s works over and over, you tend to want to know what’s going on. One of those names I’ve been hearing on blogs, review sites, and from fellow authors is Michael Patrick Hicks.
I’d see a few book covers that looked really cool, and form the synopsis’s on the book pages, I thought the stories sounded intriguing. For whatever reason, I’d never purchased one. BUT I kept hearing people talking about him and seeing his books pop up among friends on social media.
We were already Facebook friends, but I hadn’t made time for his work yet.
Then, I saw the cover for his latest release, BROKEN SHELLS. I knew I was going to read it as soon as I could. Yes, folks, a beautiful, kick-ass book cover can persuade people to read your work!.
I quickly gobbled up two of his fantastic shorter pieces (THE MARQUE and REVOLVER), and then dove into a review copy I received of BROKEN SHELLS. This guy is legit, and definitely one to keep an eye on.
Last week, in preparation for his new release, I got to interview, Michael.
Check it out.
Glenn Rolfe: How long have you been writing, how long have you been actively publishing?
Michael Patrick Hicks: I’ve been writing for twenty years now, going back to a high school creative writing class. I’ve been writing in some form or another all my life, but it wasn’t until very late in high school that I became a huge reader and then set about learning the fundamentals of storytelling and writing my own long-form stories. Whatever embers of storytelling I had were stoked into a serious fire in that creative writing class, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Publishing-wise, 2018 will be my fourth year in this business.
GR: High Fever Books. Can you talk about that and whether you’d ever consider releasing works from other authors?
MPH: I started off independently publishing science fiction and horror stories, and decided last year that, with the release of Mass Hysteria, it was time to differentiate. My first two novels were cyberpunk/sci-fi adventures. Mass Hysteria was my third novel, and wildly different than either of those, going into extreme horror. A lot of my short stories have horror elements to them, or are in fact straight up horror, but Mass Hysteria felt like a good jumping off point to stake out my own ground in the horror genre and let my readers, or would-be readers, know that I’m serious and am planning on sticking around for a while. So, I started High Fever Books and set about rebranding those short stories that I felt fit under this horror banner, and launched Mass Hysteria. Broken Shells is up next, and there will be plenty more to follow!
High Fever Books is just getting started, but at some point in the future, I would most definitely consider releasing works from other authors. There’s no timetable for this, but frankly, I just don’t have the time and money to open my doors to others just yet. When I do it, I want to do it right, and that’s going to involve learning a lot about contracts and contract law and making sure I can offer authors a fair shake and a good reason to entrust me with their books.
GR: You have a number of short stories, novellas, and books, out there, plus a Kindle Worlds release. How did the Kindle World piece come about? Did they approach you? Have you seen more or less success compared with your other releases?
MPH: Back in 2016, Amazon approached author Nicholas Sansbury Smith about creating Kindle Worlds titles around his best-selling Extinction Cycle series. I’d read and reviewed a couple titles in Nick’s previous Orbs series, and he got in touch to thank me, then found out later that I was an author. He was, in fact, one of the first people to blurb my debut novel, Convergence, and we’ve been corresponding online for several years now. So, when Extinction Cycle got picked up for Kindle Worlds, he invited me to take part, we hammered it out with Amazon, and From the Ashes came out later that year. It’s been a wonderful experience for me, both personally and professionally. I’m honored Nick thought highly enough of me as a writer to bring me on board and trust me with his universe and his monsters. Professionally, it’s been among the most successful things I’ve written, and it allowed me to stretch my writerly muscles a bit and dig into military sci-fi/horror, so I definitely have no complaints! It was an awesome experience all around.
GR: You just had a new baby recently, how’s that going? Any new routines in the writing schedule?
MPH: It’s going well, thanks! And our two-year-old loves being a big brother, so I think everyone is pretty happy, so long as we get the baby fed on time. With our first child, I was still able to maintain a fairly routine writing schedule, but having two kids has pretty well upended that beyond all repair or reason. My new writing routine is a “whenever, whenever” philosophy. I don’t find a lot of time to write at home anymore, and I work a full-time job, so I’ve bought a portable foldable keyboard and installed a writing app on my phone. I try to squeeze in my writing during my lunch break or before work, otherwise, life just gets too chaotic.
GR: I first heard of you through Hunter Shea, I think a couple years back. I finally dug into your work at the end of last year with your piece, THE MARQUE. I’m late to the party, but I’m glad I made it. That story was fantastic. Sci-fi/western, I believe…at least, that’s the vibe I got. I quickly followed that with REVOLVER (an amazing piece). I think you have a bleak outlook on our future… Is this something you feel or is it just fun for you to fuck with us?
MPH: Both! I maybe don’t have the sunniest disposition by nature, and I tend to gravitate toward darker, bleaker stories in general. Writing them just comes naturally, but I won’t deny that it is fun for me to fuck with people. And Hunter’s a great guy; I’m glad he convinced you to give my work a try.
GR: On to your latest, BROKEN SHELLS. Another fine piece, sir. I read your blog post about the origins of this one, those car dealership “winning” tickets/games. I get those ALL the time. My kids try so hard to get me to call them. After reading BROKEN SHELLS, I’m glad I never have. What was your favorite part about writing this one?
MPH: The creatures! I love a good creature feature (and since you mentioned Hunter, I have to say, he’s one of my favorite creature feature authors out there right now; dude knows how to write a fun book!), and I wanted to do something that was gritty and monstrous. Once I figured out how to make them more monstrous than a car salesman, I found my in and got to work.
GR: Your creatures were my favorite part of this one, too. They really steal the show. Loosely based on Native American folklore, was this a separate piece or idea at one time that just fit where you wanted the dealership story to go? (I loved the idea)
MPH: While BROKEN SHELLS was a creature feature right from the get-go, the folklore aspect of it all was a late development. I don’t think I really hammered out what these creatures were until the third or fourth draft. In the first draft, they were just kind of there, but I knew I had to do more to deepen their existence and give them a bit more definition. I was researching various hollow earth myths and once I came upon the Native American folklore, I thought that was something I might be able to use and twist around a bit.
GR: You’re a very versatile writer. The three works I’ve read from you are all over the map. Obviously, they all have a toe (or torso) in the horror realm. It’s got me wondering, what are five of your favorite books all-time? Any genre.
MPH: IT by Stephen King. DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND by Dennis Lehane. TRANSMETROPOLITAN by Warren Ellis. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller.
GR: We just lost a great in Jack Ketchum. Any of his works that really meant something special to you?
MPH: I’m loathed to admit it, but I actually haven’t read any of Ketchum’s work yet. I had been planning on fixing that this year, but now that we’ve lost him I feel a greater sense of urgency to explore his works and discover his voice. Seeing so many other authors speaking on his passing and what he meant to them as a friend or colleague, or as an author, or in writer’s who found him a source of inspiration in their own works, has been heartbreaking. He was clearly one helluva guy who meant a lot to so many. I definitely need to read his books and have OFF SEASON queued up on my Kindle as my first Ketchum.
(*Note–Michael has since read and reviewed OFF SEASON. You can check out his review HERE)
GR: What books are you looking forward to in 2018?
MPH: GLIMPSE by Jonathan Maberry and OBSCURA by Joe Hart are at the top of my digital to-read pile right now. I’m dying to get my hands on the CLICKERS: FOREVER anthology from Thunderstorm Books! I’m also really excited to see what Flame Tree Press does when they launch in September. They’ll be publishing new titles from Hunter Shea and Jonathan Janz, so I’m eager to get my hands on both of those, and I’m curious to see what else they’ll be coming out with. While I want to catch up on a lot of the books I already have, I’m positive plenty of new releases will catch my eyes and tug on my wallet over the weeks and months ahead.
GR: Any news or links you want to share?
MPH: No news yet, aside from the release of BROKEN SHELLS on Feb. 6, but hopefully I’ll have some soon regarding a historical horror novella trilogy I’m hard at work on. You can stay tuned for news on that at my website, http://www.michaelpatrickhicks.com, or join my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/RmjWf and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
Thanks, Glenn!
GR: Thanks for stopping by the blog, Michael. Best of luck with BROKEN SHELLS.
BROKEN SHELLS by Michael Patrick Hicks
Antoine DeWitt is a man down on his luck. Broke and recently fired, he knows the winning Money Carlo ticket that has landed in his mailbox from a car dealership is nothing more than a scam. The promise of five thousand dollars, though, is too tantalizing to ignore.
Jon Dangle is a keeper of secrets, many of which are buried deep beneath his dealership. He works hard to keep them hidden, but occasionally sacrifices are required, sacrifices who are penniless, desperate, and who will not be missed. Sacrifices exactly like DeWitt.
When Antoine steps foot on Dangle’s car lot, it is with the hope of easy money. Instead, he finds himself trapped in a deep, dark hole, buried alive. If he is going to survive the nightmare ahead of him, if he has any chance of seeing his wife and child again, Antoine will have to do more than merely hope. He will have to fight his way back to the surface, and pray that Jon Dangle’s secrets do not kill him first.
Get your copy of BROKEN SHELLS HERE
January 31, 2018
2018: THE BEST YEAR IN HORROR NOVELS? CHECK OUT THESE RELEASES!
2017 was a pretty great year for horror. IT was huge at the Box Office, and we had a number of great releases in horror fiction from authors like Stephen King, Ronald Malfi, Hunter Shea, Jonathan Janz, Joe Hill, Josh Malerman, the Sisters of Slaughter, Russell James, Kristopher Rufty, Patrick Lacey, Matt Hayward, and many, many more.
As January is getting ready to say goodbye (January 31st is my beautiful wife’s birthday, btw), a rash of beautiful and thought-provoking covers for 2018 releases have been flooding social media. And I am freaking excited!!!! These authors and these cover are amazing. There are way more than the ones featured here in my post, but these ones are special to me.
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PRACTITIONERS from Patrick Lacey and Matt Hayward (Bloodshot Books)
Wow, great cover, great new writers…great new publisher. Get ready for some horror madness!
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One of horrors next big names, Jonathan Janz releases his next novel with FLAME TREE PRESS. (Don D’Auria from Leisure Book/Samhain is heading this new horror line).
Janz is on the cusp of exploding, will THE SIREN ADN THE SPECTER be his breakout hit? I don’t know, but that title rocks and that cover is gorgeous.
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Bram Stoker-nominated author, Peter N. Dudar returns with his next nightmare fueled release, THE GOAT PARADE (Grinning Skull Press).
Look at that cover! And yeah, this one promises to be dark.
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Hunter Shea is one of the kings of creature-features, and this next release, CREATURE (from Flame Tree Press) looks awesome!
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Another Flame Tree Press release for 2018, THE MOUTH OF THE DARK from Bram Stoker winner, Tim Waggoner looks like another terrific novel. This is one of the hardest workers in the horror community. Tim will deliver, no doubt.
And of course…..
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My next release, LAND OF BONES, should be dropping in the next month. 
January 29, 2018
Favorite Reads of 2017
BECOMING makes another BEST OF 2017 list. Check out THE HORROR BOOKSHELF’s full list of novels, novellas, and collections.
I’m a bit late with my 2017 list as the first month of 2018 is just about over (seriously, where did this year go?), but I still wanted to take a minute and share some of my favorite reads from this year. There is always a staggering amount of great horror books released every year, but this year felt like it was a really high mark for horror fiction. I’m already anticipating a ton of 2018 releases, so I have a feeling I will be saying the same thing next year!
This list is by no means exhaustive of all the books out there, some I was unfortunately unable to get to in time to include on this list. However, of the works I did get to read, these were among my favorites. There are a lot of books on here that appeared on numerous other lists, but I think you…
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January 26, 2018
LAND OF BONES
Demon lights, granted wishes, strange things, and brutal love at the Lucky Lounge Motel. A haunted sister, desperate parents, a little human touch, and the end of the world…
These are the stories whispered among dead leaves, the script etched bare for all to see. When the chills sink deep and your heart begins to pound…are you alone?
Welcome to Glenn Rolfe’s LAND OF BONES
14 tales of the strange and macabre
LAND OF BONES
Current track listing:
The Land of Bones
Charley Sings the World Away
Welcome to Paradise
Wish
Simon
Little Bunny
One of these Things
The Rooster
Believer
Death Lights
Out of Range
Human Touch
Not Kansas Anymore
Too Much of a Dead Thing
This collection is coming very soon!
Stay tuned.
January 17, 2018
(SHARE THE HORROR) MY BEST OF 2017
There are always so many great books I miss out on during their year of release (this year, Grady Hendrix’s MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM meets that criteria—such a fun book from 2016).
I did manage to squeeze in a few more in the early weeks of January that I’d been interested in. As always, you don’t have to be the most original, the best writer in town, or the scariest MFer on the planet to make my list. Just have your book come out in 2017 and entertain the heck out of me. So, here is my list of the Top 12 horror books of 2017.
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12. THE SOUND OF BROKEN RIBS by EDWARD LORN Despite our differences, I still enjoyed this novel from Mr. Lorn. A bit like a lost Laymon or Ketchum novel, maybe not THE CELLAR or OFF SEASON, but a good one.
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11. BLACK MAD WHEEL by JOSH MALERMAN This one started off slow, got really, really good, and then fizzled out. But that good center was really good. Different without being obnoxiously so.
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10. WE ARE ALWAYS WATCHING by HUNTER SHEA Shea always delivers the goods. This has some of his best characters yet.
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9. EXORCIST FALLS by JONATHAN JANZ My most-anticipated read of 2017 and my favorite book cover of the year. Not what I expected–it went in a different direction than I thought–but still an awesome, action-packed thrill-ride.
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8. THOSE WHO FOLLOW by MICHELLE GARZA & MELISSA LASON Just as crazy and weird and fun as their debut, The Sisters of Slaughter give us another deliciously macabre offering.
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7. WHAT DO MONSTERS FEAR? By MATT HAYWARD Another favorite cover of mine, Matt Hayward’s debut novel is a cool mash-up of ...Cukoo’s Nest and The Thing….Beware PHOBOS!
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6. FUNGOID by WILLIAM MEIKLE Meikle does horror/sci-fi so freaking well. The spores will spread…. (This one is currently out of print. Go find a used copy, or message the author!)
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5. WE CAME BACK by PATRICK LACEY Lacey’s deeply personal novel showcases his growing talent and dares you not to become a fan.
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4. AGENTS OF DREAMLAND by CAITLIN R. KIERNAN I’ve never been so enthralled, yet so confused by a book in all my life. AoD is terrific horror/sci-fi madness.
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3. THE WARBLERS by AMBER FALLON I read this just after reading Joe R. Lansdale’s THE BOTTOMS. Had you taken the name off the cover, I would have thought this was another one of his books. Blew me away. Just the style and voice.
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2. CAVERN OF THE DAMNED by RUSSELL JAMES I haven’t seen many people talking about this one, but if you miss Samhain Publishing or Leisure Books, you should buy this now. You will LOVE it. My favorite book from Russell James yet. And the most fun I had with horror this year.
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1. BONE WHITE by RONALD MALFI Hands down my favorite read of the year. Malfi is one of THE best writers out there. Malfi casts his spell from the first page on and you will have no choice but to go up into these Alaskan hills…. Soooo good!
Honorable Mentions:
SYMBIOSIS by TIM CURRAN
THE BOULEVARD MONSTER by JEREMY HEPLER
FAIRY LIGHTS by EDWARD LORN
THE LUCKY ONES DIED FIRST by JACK BANTRY
Also,
You should read PAPERBACKS FROM HELL by GRADY HENDRIX (non-fiction) Excellent stuff, and it will make you seek out more books for your TBR pile.
PS: Most of my friends and followers may be surprised to find one of these authors on my list. I know. Haters gonna hate. That said, if I read a book (all the way through, mind you) and I enjoy it, I’m going to say so.
Here’s to another great year of reading!
There are always disappointments and other good books that didn’t make the cut….
To see all the books I read go to 2017 HERE and 2018 HERE
#ShareTheHorror #StayTrue #GrudgeFreeCommunity #KeepItOnThePos #RonaldMalfiFanClub #BestOf2017
January 4, 2018
Hello, 2018!
Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Clean slate, right?
I did manage to toss a couple of new works out last year. BECOMING
came out in March. And Christmas week, I put out WELCOME TO PARADISE
(a short story, and precursor to my first release of 2018).The front half of 2018 will see the release of two collections from me. First up, I will be putting out my second collection of short stories, LAND OF BONES. "Welcome to Paradise", along with 13 other stories that I 'm very proud of, will make this an exciting addition to your #GetRolfed library.
That will be followed by a limited edition collection called, A BOX FULL OF MONSTERS, that will combine BECOMING, ABRAM'S BRIDGE, BOOM TOWN, and CHASING GHOSTS. I can't share the full details on that one yet, but promise I will as soon as I am allowed.
Beyond that, I am busting my butt to complete two novellas and the follow-up to BLOOD AND RAIN.
I'm hoping to make it to both STOKER CON and SCARES THAT CARE this year. I can't wait to catch up with a lot of cool peeps that I missed this last year. Maybe I'll see you!
I hope you guys have a great and successful 2018.
Cheers!
December 25, 2017
GET ROLFED FOR FREE THIS CHRISTMAS: WELCOME TO PARADISE
WELCOME TO PARADISE is free for Christmas. Grab yours today Click HERE
“….Joe R. Lansdale gone hair metal in tone…get Rolfed on a break from the daily grind!” —John Quick, author of THE JOURNAL OF JEREMY TODD
“WELCOME TO PARADISE is a fun and nasty read, and a rapid fire shot of alt-seasons greetings.” — Michael Patrick Hicks, author of MASS HYSTERIA
“Brutal, bloody, sexy and strangely sweet.” – Chris Kosarich, author of THE LAST CHORD
And don’t miss these 99 cent specials! (Click the covers to purchase)
SPLATTERPUNK FIGHTING BACK
(99 cents for a limited time join the Goodreads author invite group read, ask the authors anything)
VS: X : US vs UK EXTREME HORROR
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
December 4, 2017
NEW RELEASE: "Welcome to Paradise"
Just wanted to let everyone know that my latest release is now available for Kindle users.
"Welcome to Paradise"
"A short story of brutal love."
Glenn Rolfe (author of Blood and Rain, Slush, and Becoming) offers up a love story for the ages.
Veronica's yearly winter vacation leads her to another brutal tryst in her favorite dump in the world, the Lucky Lounge Motel. When she meets her next victim, things don't go as planned. This Christmas in New Jersey, she finds a lot more than she was looking for....welcome to Veronica's world of blood and murder...welcome to paradise.
A short story from Glenn's forthcoming new collection, Land of Bones (due in 2018)
Get your copy today for just $1.49
December 3, 2017
Get Rolfed Update City: New short story release and more
Hey, hey…
I’ve been busy working on a bunch of new stories for the coming year. Today (Sunday) Dec. 3rd, sees the Kindle release of my short story, “Welcome to Paradise”, specially priced at $1.49. I won’t be doing much promoting of the release (even though I freaking LOVE this one) as I am trying to get my next release (short story collection) LAND OF BONES ready for early 2018 release. I’ll add the link to the short story later today.
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I’m hoping to have some cool news in the December Get Rolfed Horror Club newsletter. Look for that in a couple weeks.
Also, the official LAND OF BONES cover reveal should be coming your way sooner than later.
In the meantime…
Grab a copy of the charity anthology, Splatterpunk FIGHTING BACK, featuring stories from me, Kristopher Rufty, Matt Shaw, Bracken MacLeod, Tim Curran, Duncan Ralston, and more. ALL proceeds are going to fight cancer.
Get your copy HERE
A row with a boyfriend leads to unexpected and bloody consequences…
A high powered CEO undertakes a highly unusual therapy to take his career to the next level…
A mother frantically searches for the child as the world burns…
Featuring new fiction by Adam Millard, Matt Shaw, Bracken MacLeod, John Boden, Duncan Ralston, Rich Hawkins, Glenn Rolfe, George Daniel Lea, Tim Curran, WD Gagliani & Dave Benton and Kristopher Rufty.
A charity anthology.
Edited by Jack Bantry & Kit Power
That’s all for now, folks.
Stay tuned!
