Matt Hayward's Blog

FOR OLD SCRATCH

Just a recording in memory of Old Scratch. You can listen HERE.

SHOUT

A new recording finished last week. A cover of Tears For Fears' Shout. Can be heard HERE.

CALAMITY - A WESTERN NOVELLA

My new western novella, Calamity , is out now as an eBook, paperback and hardcover as part of the Welcome to the West series. This series also includes Blood Roses by Robert Ford, and Desolation by Lucy Taylor.

The book can be found HERE .

From the back cover:

An all-new novella from the author of Those Below The Tree House and Various States of Decay!

On the eve of his twenty-third birthday, cowhand Trevor Morris finds himself in the drought-ridden town of Silverton, playing cards with Sandy Ankrum, the local sheriff's shady tax collector. Outside sits his pride and joy, a young horse named Calamity.

But Sandy and his men aren't after Trevor's money.

They want his horse.

And as night falls, the town of Silverton will become a battleground of monsters and men. A place upturned by heartache and revenge.

A town ravaged by absolute...Calamity.
​
Book 3 of the Welcome To The West series

December 29th, 2020

Another track from the upcoming project. Again, I have no title in mind, I just know the album will be part covers, part originals. Perhaps two EPs bundled as one. Anyway, this time I tackled a lesser-known Nirvana track titled Pen Cap Chew. A huge thank you to my buddy Glenn for his fantastic drum work this time around. Hope you all had a great holiday, and I'll see you in 2021.

You can listen to my take of Pen Cap Chew HERE.

COVER SONGS

I've been in the studio recording an album since November. Having not recorded since 2015, I'll admit I was a little rusty to start. Though it's been fun. The music world has shifted hugely in the past decade, and though I've no intention of committing to a band full-time anytime soon, it's been a great experience reconnecting with playing for the sake of playing. The days of the album are, according to many, over, so with that in mind, I may release various EPs throughout 2021. I've put down a dozen covers to dust myself off, and a covers release may see the light in the new year, starting with a heavy rendition of My Sharona. My friend Dave joined me for a duet on this one, and I've got many more being mastered as we speak.

You can hear the track HERE.

Thank you.

THOSE BELOW THE TREE HOUSE - OUT NOW

Those Below The Tree House is OUT NOW. You can get a copy HERE.

After an attack leaves Tony's stepfather wounded, his thirteenth birthday descends into a nightmare. His stepdad is home, a bite on his neck, as Riverside's only officer searches the woodlands for the aggressor. Tony is told not to cause a panic among the few kids living in Riverside's mountaintop community, and his best friends Ben Rodgers and Lee Tally are unaware.

Overnight, the condition of Tony's stepfather worsens. His mother won't leave the bedside. And soon, Riverside is turned upside down as residents morph into moss-covered abominations. Freaks.

Joined by the local bully, the boys seek refuge in Rodgers' tree house, trapped inside as neighbors, and even family, claw the trunk... Food and water soon run low.

With all hope lost, the boys decide to have their first of what they can before time runs out. Their first drink, their first cigarette, their first of anything at all. Like baby birds thrown from the nest, they will need to fly or fall. And time is running short.

For his thirteenth birthday, Tony learns the world has teeth. And someone else is out there, too, watching. An adult in a butcher's apron. Waiting...

Those Below The Tree House is the new supernatural coming-of-age from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of What Do Monsters Fear? and A Penny For Your Thoughts.

"If you like apocalyptic coming-of-age horror stories, Those Below The Tree House is for you. Fast paced, scary, and refreshingly inventive, Hayward has crafted a barn-burner of a thriller."--Richard Chizmar, author of Gwendy's Magic Feather

"A towering epic that blazes with energy, excitement and horror--highly recommended."--Simon Clark, British Fantasy Award-winning author of Blood Crazy and Vampyrrhic

"...the future of the horror genre is changing hands, and there is a whole new brew of writers assuming the task. Matt Hayward leading that pack."--Edward Lee, author of The Bighead and White Trash Gothic

"...Hayward bleeds onto the page."--Brian Keene, author of Ghoul and The Rising

THOSE BELOW THE TREE HOUSE

June sees the launch of my new novel, Those Below The Tree House. In it, four boys are trapped in a tree house with dwindling supplies during a nightmarish outbreak. H'oh, boy. If only I'd known.  The book's original release date of 2018 never happened due to the work catching the attention of an agent. We shopped it around to the Big 5, and though it garnered great interest, marketing found it too extreme. No one could seem to understand that YA characters did not mean a YA book, and (at least now) I'm fine with that. Diluting the horror meant diluting the message -- the world has teeth. And I just couldn't do it. It went through two possible movie options. The first fell short due to one particular scene, and though I agreed to remove the scene, the person acquiring the rights dropped the project like a child who'd found a worm in his sandwich. Again, what can I say? The second one didn't happen because, well, 'movie people'. They're as mysterious to me as writers are to others. So, moving on. Already, the book has made two reviewers' "best coming-of-age" lists, and I'm greatly humbled. The book did land me an amazing agent, and even received incredible blurbs from Richard Chizmar and Simon Clark. So, at the end of the day, I'm happy. It's an ode to Brian Keene's Ghoul and Richard Laymon's The Traveling Vampire Show, a novel with teeth and a whole lot of heart. And I sincerely hope readers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. However our current situation affects  the release is yet to be seen, but I'm still excited. It's been through the ringer for two years and still fightin' and kickin', and much like the kid in the novel, I think it'll come out the other end and see the light of day.

LADY LUCK - COVER REVEAL

Thrilled to share the cover for Lady Luck, the sequel to A Penny For Your Thoughts by Robert Ford and I. We had an absolute blast returning to this world and these characters, and it's far from the last time we will. Lady Luck comes out on 27 August

THOSE BELOW THE TREE HOUSE - COVER AND RELEASE DATE

I'm absolutely thrilled to share the cover for my upcoming coming-of-age novel, Those Below The Tree House. This will be available as a trade hardcover, mass market paperback, and eBook on 11th June via Poltergeist Press.

Artwork by Ben Baldwin.

"If you like apocalyptic coming-of-age horror stories, Those Below The Tree House is for you. Fast paced, scary, and refreshingly inventive, Hayward has crafted a barn-burner of a thriller.”-Richard Chizmar, author of Gwendy's Magic Feather

SUMMER APPEARANCES

While my annual ritual of attending Scares That Care in Virginia is not on the cards this year, I'll still be making my way to a couple of events this summer.

First up is StokerCon in Scarborough, UK this April. Tickets for StokerCon can be found HERE.

Then, in June, I'll be at the International Dublin Writers' Festival in Ireland. Tickets are available HERE. I'll be discussing horror in Ireland alongside authors Chris Rush, Seán O'Connor, and Emma Ennis.