November 2018 Group Read #2 with Guest Author, John Everson

[Kenneth]

This is the thread for our November 2018 Group Read with Guest Author, John Everson. This is John's second graveyard dance with us here at HA and with his amazing cover alone, it promises to be worth the price of admission. John knows how to sling the red stuff, so make sure you have plenty of SprayNWash for this one and help me welcome John Everson!

[Latasha]

Welcome back John! This sounds great and lots of fun! I’m reserving my spot. And! Happy Halloween 🎃👻☠️

[Char]

Hello, John! It'll be great to see you here again!

[Meli]

JOHN! Long time no see >:-)

I have some other reads on deck this month, but I will see if I can squeeze in The House By The Cemetery.

It's been too long!

[Ami]

Thanks for hanging out with us again, John. :)

[Kimberly]

Welcome back, John!

[John]

Hey gang! Thanks for having me back - I had a blast writing the new one which takes place in a real haunted cemetery near where I grew up - and it gave me the chance to geek out in referencing some of my favorite old horror films. I hope you'll enjoy it and look forward to talking about it with you!

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

Thanks for joining us here! I'm looking forward to the discussion.

[Dustin]

Hello, John. Welcome back, we're pleased to have you here.:)

[Latasha]

that sounds great John.

[Catherine]

Looking forward to reading this one, John :)

[John]

So I know Char and Kimberly have already read it... and am looking forward to talking about their thoughts on the book... but don't want to get into spoilers for anyone too early.

Has anyone started it for the month yet?

I'm getting ready for Halloween -- watched two Dario Argento films over the weekend and pumpkin carving tonight... so I have to admit I haven't been reading anything of late!

[Kenneth]

I’m finishing up a McCammon read and then starting HOUSE.

What Argento flicks?

[~Teresa]

I just started Windwood Farm a ghost story. Guess I'm saying this to say I should be starting this book on November 1. Looking forward to starting this one!

[John]

Ken wrote: "What Argento flicks?"

I watched the SUSPIRIA 4K remaster from Synapse for the 3rd time this year on Friday night and was once again blown away but how amazing it is. That film gets better for me every time I see it, and the remaster is just so vibrant, it's just beautiful. I even blogged about it: http://www.johneverson.com/suspiria-i...

Then on Saturday, I watched Argento's third and long-delayed conclusion to the "Mothers" trilogy, Mother of Tears. I was hoping to find that my original thoughts on the film a decade ago were due to indigestion or some other malaise and that maybe the film was much better than I remembered. But sadly... that was not the case. Mother of Tears has absolutely none of the things going for it that made SUSPIRIA and INFERNO Argento's most artistic films. It's more like he hired some direct-to-video camera hack to shoot this with him and some effects guys that just wanted to show off their stunts. There were a few scenes that had promise but as a film - particularly as the finale of this concept - it's a DOA.

[Dustin]

Whoa, phenomenal review of Suspiria, John!! I'd never hears of it, but you've made me believe that it's a film that every horror fan needs to see, or any film buff in general. Thank you for sharing.

[John]

Dustin wrote: "...you've made me believe that it's a film that every horror fan needs to see, or any film buff in general. Thank you for sharing."

That's exactly what I believe! It's an amazing movie on many levels and I believe any film buff who likes things a little dark should see it. Just make sure you get the new 4K edition -- the improvement in color, contrast and sound over other editions is phenomenal.

[Meli]

John wrote: "Dustin wrote: "...you've made me believe that it's a film that every horror fan needs to see, or any film buff in general. Thank you for sharing."

That's exactly what I believe! It's an amazing mo..."

Have you seen the remake yet?

[John]

Hasn't opened anywhere in Chicago yet... looking forward to it!

[Dustin]

John wrote: "Dustin wrote: "...you've made me believe that it's a film that every horror fan needs to see, or any film buff in general. Thank you for sharing."

That's exactly what I believe! It's an amazing mo..."

Good to know that's the superior version. Thank you. I DEFINITELY feel the need to see it now.

[Kenneth]

And...I’m off. Just cracked this one open.

[Catherine]

Just started yesterday and I'm loving it. That creepy house... and the two girls... Something very wrong there - in a delicously horrific way of course. :)

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

Catherine wrote: "Just started yesterday and I'm loving it. That creepy house... and the two girls... Something very wrong there - in a delicously horrific way of course. :)"

Yes, something is very wrong there but I will not spoil :)

[Catherine]

Bark wrote: "Catherine wrote: "Just started yesterday and I'm loving it. That creepy house... and the two girls... Something very wrong there - in a delicously horrific way of course. :)"

Yes, something is ver..."
Me neither...

[Char]

Yeah, the creep factor starts in early on this one! It sustains for most of the way through as well, but for me? The best part of this one was the finale. Oh, that bloody finale!
(Can't wait until everyone gets there.) :) :)

[Kimberly]

Char wrote: "Yeah, the creep factor starts in early on this one! It sustains for most of the way through as well, but for me? The best part of this one was the finale. Oh, that bloody finale!
(Can't wait until..."

My absolute favorite part, as well!!!

[Kenneth]

Kudos, John, for having such as awesome cover. Flame Tree really outdid themselves with this one!

[John]

Thanks Ken! They did a great job on that cover, I agree!

[Marie]

Since I already read it, I am just going to keep track of what everyone thinks. :)

[John]

I think yours was one of the very first reviews, Marie!

[Marie]

John wrote: "I think yours was one of the very first reviews, Marie!"

Really? That's cool! When I saw it come across Netgalley I thought to myself there was no way I was passing up requesting it as the cover not only creeped me out, but the story sounded great! I am so happy I read it and now it is one of my favorite books! :)

[John]

So glad it worked out that way! Always cool when the right book finds the right reader!

[Char]

John, your book Siren was among the first books I ever reviewed. How long have you been writing altogether now?
Is publishing easier now than it used to be?

[Dustin]

Char wrote: "John, your book Siren was among the first books I ever reviewed. How long have you been writing altogether now?
Is publishing easier now than it used to be?"

Great questions, Char!😊

[John]

Hey Char! So glad you liked SIREN (my 4th novel) back in the day! I've been writing for about 25 years now. My first short story was published at the very start of 1994 and over the next 10 years I mainly wrote short stories (my first two books were collections of short fiction). Then in 2004, COVENANT, my first novel was published. THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is my 10th novel -- a thing I never would have imagined possible back in 1994 when my first short story appeared!

As for publishing being "easier"... that depends what you mean. I think the "tools" for publishing are easier than ever. Literally, anyone with an internet connection who can read a few directions and click a mouse can upload a manuscript and put it on sale. Conversely, that has also made publishing as a professional career more difficult than ever. Because as every human in the world who has ever decided to type uploads their manuscripts to all of the self-publishing platforms, it has bloated the market with so much material - typically at prices undercutting the books from professional imprints - that it's increasingly difficult for books that go through an actual quality control process (traditional publishing) to make a profit. The result is a lot of publishers going out of business and a lot of professional authors who once could make a living at their craft no longer able to do so.

There are pros and cons to it all. It's easier for a writer to make something available to readers. Readers have more to choose from than ever before. But the flip side is there is a lot more content that should never have BEEN published now fighting for the readers' money indiscriminately next to content that has been rigorously edited and selected for publication due to some kind of baseline merit. it becomes more and more costly and labor intensive to get a book seen above the glut of competition for eyeballs.

So I'd say it's easier to be published than ever but harder than ever to be seen and read!

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

Oh that middle paragraph makes me so sad but I know it's true. I like to think I'm a well informed bookish person but it's difficult even for me to weed out the good from the bad when sorting through new releases. I have real-life reading friends who only do KU and Bookbub freebies and nothing else. I've been trying to buy books directly from the publishers or writers when I am able. It's also why I try to be as vocal as I can about my favorite books.

[Char]

John wrote: "Hey Char! So glad you liked SIREN (my 4th novel) back in the day! I've been writing for about 25 years now. My first short story was published at the very start of 1994 and over the next 10 years I..."

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have wondered how traditionally published authors feel about the whole self-publishing thing-now I have a better idea.

[Kenneth]

Most of the authors that I read anymore all have full-time jobs to pay the bills. Honestly, I can count on one hand the number of authors that I read (outside of the ones that became established in the 70s, 80s and early 90s) that write full-time. It’s sad that the profession of being an author has such little value in the consumers eyes. For every talented author trying to bust out a meager living, there are 50 hacks that bypass the traditional editing and publishing route for self publishing page after page of error-filled drivel. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a problem with bonafide talented authors self publishing their work. What I do have a problem with is people using those same means to saturate a market with horrible writing that should’ve been weeded out by any publisher with a brain.

I feel for you, John. That’s why I take our role here on HA seriously. We strive to elevate talented authors, such as yourself, and get your work noticed by the masses. We have such a great community here and I have discovered so many great authors since joining HA. I hope that many others will do the same.

[Kimberly]

I've wondered about that myself. When I first got a kindle, I'd download free books all the time.... It didn't take long to realize "most" weren't worth the space.

I agree with Ken in that this community has introduced me to so many "new-to-me" authors, and we love to help others discover them, too. Reading the reviews of other members has been extremely valuable to me in finding books/authors that I might not have noticed otherwise. :)

[John]

I think for too many it can be a tantalizing "easy way out". Why bother suffering through the potential years of rejections and edits and rewrites if you can just put something on sale as soon as you have a first draft and get the instant gratification of having it "published"? There are plenty of good writers who have gone the self-publishing route and found some success. But it is tough and most do not have the resources that a good publisher has to get the book marketed and distributed. It's easy to self publish. It's hard to get the book seen by more than your friends.

That said, there are sometimes good reasons to self-publish. I have had a handful of books go out of print because the original publishers have gone out of business (Delirium, Samhain, Twilight Tales). Rather than look for another publisher willing to put out an "old" previously published book, I went ahead and simply put them back in print on my own imprint, Dark Arts Books -- because that was a small press I started in 2006 to publish anthologies. I had the imprint and the mechanism, and the books were already previously edited and published. They already had their "heyday" and were "proven" properties so I simply made them available again.

And then there's REDEMPTION -- the final book in my trilogy that began with COVENANT. I wrote that book knowing that it probably wouldn't have a home. COVENANT and SACRIFICE, the first two books, had been published by Leisure Books , and then when 47North bought out the rights on the Leisure catalog after Leisure went bellyup, they stayed in print. But 47North wasn't interested in continuing the series. I wrote the book anyway because I wanted to finish the trilogy, and as expected, they passed on it. It was a "dead" book then because what publisher wants the third in a series when they don't own the first two? So... I put that one out myself for the fans who had been waiting for a conclusion. But that's the only thing I've done that with and it's been really hard to get that book in the hands of those readers who would be interested, who had read the first two novels.

I think the editing, cover design, marketing and honestly, "legitimacy" that you get by being with a real publisher that actually has the resources to make a book successful are all hugely important. But that's me. I still think books should be bought in bookstores, too! :-)

[Char]

I totally agree with you on that last paragraph, John. Oh, some of those self published covers...are just...wow. Many say not to judge a book by its cover, but let's face it-I believe we all do at some point or another.

I know that hundreds if not thousands of "books" are uploaded to Amazon every day. But then what happens? With no marketing, your book could sit there for sale on Amazon for years, with no one ever looking at it or hearing about it. Hell, even WITH marketing that some companies can provide, it must still be difficult to get noticed.

[Dustin]

John wrote: "Hey Char! So glad you liked SIREN (my 4th novel) back in the day! I've been writing for about 25 years now. My first short story was published at the very start of 1994 and over the next 10 years I..."

Wow! Very well-thoughr-out and candid answer, John. Thank you.

[Dustin]

Bark wrote: "Oh that middle paragraph makes me so sad but I know it's true. I like to think I'm a well informed bookish person but it's difficult even for me to weed out the good from the bad when sorting throu..."

😎

[~Teresa]

Finished The House by the Cemetery last night. I loved it. Loved the writing, the theme, the descriptions and stories of the wacky characters and all the blood and guts. Guts hanging out, what more can you ask of a horror novel. It had everything I like, a witch, a dilapidated old house, sketchy cast and tons of blood.

[Kimberly]

Teresa wrote: "Finished The House by the Cemetery last night. I loved it. Loved the writing, the theme, the descriptions and stories of the wacky characters and all the blood and guts. Guts hangin..."

That house was absolutely PERFECT for the setting!!!!

[John]

Thanks Kimberly!

Teresa - I'm so glad you liked it! Any questions, or things you'd want to discuss about the way it all went?

[Catherine]

Just finished The House by the Cemetery last night. Really enjoyed the atmosphere, characters, twists and turns. Great ending too!

[John]

Thanks Catherine! Awesome review... I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[Catherine]

John wrote: "Thanks Catherine! Awesome review... I'm so glad you enjoyed it!"


My pleasure, John. Thank you for the excellent entertainment. Chillingly perfect

[~Teresa]

John wrote:

Teresa - I'm so glad you liked it! Any questions, or things you'd want to discuss about the way it all went?"

The only question I have is which one of your books should I read next!?! :)