Let's talk about Flesh Trap

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Starting October 1st, my serialized horror novel Flesh Trap went live. This is only week three and the story is seven chapters in, and already receiving a fair amount of positive responses from readers. (With a few having received advanced copies and giving their feedback. Doesn't it pay to know the author?) I've been told that the story is everything from scary-as-hell to heartfelt, touching to uncomfortable, hypnotizing to Dickensian. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the reaction so far.

Are you still unsure what Flesh Trap is? Not sure you should care? Then you've come to the right place. Let's talk about Flesh Trap.

What is Flesh Trap?

Flesh Trap is a serialized horror novel, updating Tuesday and Thursday each week. It's about Casey Way, a gay 30-something and insomniac library cataloger who lives with his boyfriend Joel. Casey, though a bit of a smarmy jackass who hates therapists like most people hate taxes, is a decent guy under all the cigarettes and jaded remarks. He keeps a garden of Venus flytraps in memoriam of his dead mother and would do anything for those he cares about. Casey also sees visions of his dead father and murdered strangers whenever he closes his eyes, if and when he sleeps, keeping a journal of nightmares and missing persons fliers in an attempt to make sense of the madness. His father, a pedophile who abused his stepsister for eight years, was murdered in front of him by his stepmother when Casey was twelve, leaving scars so profound that Casey hasn't quite learned to deal with them yet.

On the twentieth anniversary of his father's death, his stepsister Mariska takes Casey back to their childhood home to investigate the scene of the crime and put their family's demons to rest. Unfortunately, something follows Casey back out, something ugly and alien and yet so familiar, so natural to Casey. It begins stalking those close to Casey, taking the shape of objects and people from Casey's childhood memories in an effort to get closer, to go home again, and only he can stop it.

It's one part horror story, one part mystery story, one part love story. It's about broken people and family secrets, and how people cope with themselves and each other. It's Casey's journey to deal with what's eating him up inside. It's just Flesh Trap.

Is it finished?

Yes, the novel is done. Sixty-two chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue. There will be no impromptu hiatuses or writer's block to throw me off or stall me, so no worries there.

Is it multimedia?

Yes. It features illustrations by Anna Yoken, which will be posted as they are finished. Any and all audio/visual stuffs, such as the trailers and the upcoming soundtrack, are from my in-house A/V guy, the Reverend Civilian. These elements will be posted as they are completed as well.

What are people saying about it?

Here's some of the public responses I've received so far:

"I fucking love it."

"oh my god it's 4:24 am and i just finished your manuscript and TEARS ARE ROLLING DOWN MY FACE. oh my god. emotional outburst to say the least. thank you so much for that, and i just wanted to say in the heat of the moment how awesome it was now that i just finished. time to go find the kleenex and dab my tears away."

"I love how hypnotic your writing is. The moment I begin reading, I find it almost impossible to tear myself out of the story. I feel ensnared by the way you arrange words and your subtle descriptions."

"The Dickensian haunting on the bus was certainly the stand out scene and also the lushness of this site is reason enough to return next week and the week after."

"just finished reading the prolouge. i looooove iiiiit i cant wait for more ; ;"

(And I'm using public responses because nobody can accuse me of fudging reviews, hurr.)

Why did you choose to write a horror story about two gay men and a woman? Doesn't that go against the grain?

Because it's a horror story about two gay men and a woman. And yes, it does. Going against the grain hasn't stopped me yet. Why should it stop me now?

I don't like that.

Well, that's too bad, isn't it? Joel's a boy and Mariska's not wearing a dress anytime soon.

Okay, you've sold me. Now what?

Go. Read. Enjoy. Like the Facebook page. Retweet and reblog. If you like the story so far, let me know. Hell, let everybody else know. This is indie horror, I have little-to-no budget and only a small army of volunteers to get us through. We need all the help we can get to lure readers in, so if you really like the novel and want to see more, tell two friends. Then they'll tell two friends, and then they'll tell two friends. Lets' go old-school on this mother.

Does that answer your questions? Good.