Horror Aficionados discussion
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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November 2019 Group Read of MIDNIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD with 25 Guest Authors
Chris wrote: "Justin's Favorite--several of these stories have been what I would call "traditional" stories. Sort of like the ones you would read in Creepy or Eerie or older anthologies. For me that is a good th..."Glad you enjoyed "Holes in the Fabric," Chris. So sorry to hear about your mom, though. Deepest condolences.
Kimberly wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Kenneth asked: I’d like to hear from the rest of the authors that haven’t chimed in yet on how their story came to be. First: Chris...I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mother..."
Thank you Kimberly.
First off, thanks to everyone for your kind words about my mom's passing. I have met so many really great people here at Goodreads--authors and readers. I love this community.I am really enjoying this story collection.
Drown--I have read several stories and even seen a movie that dealt with these drowned towns that were sacrificed for progress. It is an image that is very hard to shake. I enjoyed this story--one of several that had a twist that I did not see coming. I would like to read more stories about these protagonists.
Those Who Are Terrified--Elizabeth Massie is such a good writer, I knew that I was going to love this one. I found the concept of the hidden basement playground to be very interesting although I can't picture a young me (or an older me for that matter) having the courage to enter into such a place. Don't want to give anything away but another ending that I did not see coming. I have noted that several of these stories deal with ghosts being more sympathetic than the living characters in the story. Many of the stories in this collection are very compassionate toward the restless dead.
Cool for Cats--I have been reading Willie's work for a while. This story reminded me of how much I enjoyed his novella Broken Sigil. The concept of places as doorways is a very interesting one. I have enjoyed the discussion about this story also. I am sure it is often hard to make an unsympathetic main character compelling. I thought it must also be hard for writer to make a story interesting even when we know where the plot of the story is going. I mean, in Pet Semetary, once we knew about the burial ground and saw the trucks roaring by in front of the house we knew what was going to happen with Gage--right? But we kept reading. This story was like that. I kinda knew where the end was going but I wanted to see it anyway and it was good.
Russian Dollhouse--I enjoyed the cinematic style of this story. The scenes were so vivid and well described it played like a horror movie in my head.
Sawmill Road--I was surprised where this one was going. Not to give away anything but I thought this was going to be a simple cautionary tale about kids going where they should not go type of story but I was surprised and moved by the emotional turn that it took.
I’m about half way through and I have been thoroughly enjoying this collection. All of the stories pack a punch, in their own unique ways.If I hadn’t been reading this in short bursts during train journeys, I would have been making little notes to include here. Alas, that has not been possible, so here I will mention the ones that have stood out to me the most so far.
Euphemia Christie
Firstly, what a brilliant name!
Suspenseful and creepy throughout.
Justin’s Favorite
I had The Haunting of Hill House vibes reading this. The suspense building was spot on and it was wrapped up rather neatly for a short story.
Drown
An awesome concept, which had me hooked right from the start with the two likeable characters. I enjoyed the back and forth between what usually happens during their ‘normal work’ sessions and what is taking place this time.
Chris wrote: "First off, thanks to everyone for your kind words about my mom's passing. I have met so many really great people here at Goodreads--authors and readers. I love this community.I am really enjoying..."
Thank you, Chris. I am so glad you enjoyed Euphemia :)
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I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glimmer Girls - loved this story as well though it was sad, but the atmospheric story telling was awesome! I was entranced with the storyline so much that I didn't want it to end. Revenge is sweet in this one though!
@Kenneth - You are an awesome storyteller and I cannot wait to see what other books you will be writing in the future! :)
Haunted World - Really liked this story too and it drew me in so much to the story that I didn't want it to end as well.
Ghost Blood - Loved this story and I will be adding this author to my horror list. Going in search of more of her books! :)
Last Call at the Sudden Death Saloon - This was a cool story and it was atmospheric to me as well. Another author I am going to explore and add his books to my tbr list. :)
Will check back in with more later as I go along.
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New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glimmer Girls - lo..."
Thank you for the kind words, Marie. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Alan wrote: "Elke wrote: "I thought it was a perfect opportunity to give the series a try......"
I would be very curious to know how it reads. Would you try to remember to let me know what you think of it?"
No problem! I made a personal note with the book so I hopefully won't forget :)
Kimberly wrote: "Kathryn, I really enjoyed the novelty of what would otherwise have been a "revenge/justice" story. Your descriptions made these characters come "alive"..."Well said. I appreciated that this story took place in a graveyard like the books' title suggests...
Which makes me think more about the title now...while the atmosphere it creates in my mind fits perfectly, it not immediately brings to mind only ghost stories.
@Kenneth: How/why did you settle on the book's title 'Midnight in the Graveyard'?
Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:Ghost Blood - Loved this story and I will be adding this author to my horror list. Going in search of more of her books! :)
I'm glad you liked it! You'll find that particular character again in the Wilted Lily series =)
Kenneth wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glim..."
You are welcome, Ken! :)
Kelli wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:Ghost Blood - Loved this story and I will be adding this author to my horror list. Going in search of more of her books! :)
I'm glad you liked it! You'll fin..."
Awesome! I will be pursuing your books! :)
Melanie wrote: "Bettor's Edge - that was good. [spoilers removed]"Yesssss!
Russian Dollhouse blew my mind! Well done, Jason!Sawmill Road was excellent too, but in a quieter way.
Join My Club by Somer Canon was awesome. It amazes me that an author can build the life of a young child so vividly and in so few pages. Timmy and Tommy will be camping in my head for a while. Bravo!
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Well said. I appreciate..."
Great question, Elke.
When I started Silver Shamrock, one of the things that I wanted to do was bring back anthologies that I would want to read. I felt that horror had got way off the beaten track with anthology tropes. I mean, I’ve even seen a horror anthology for pizza. No one was doing the classic themes anymore - ghost stories, occult/demons/possession, vampires, alien horror, werewolves, haunted houses, etc. It was my goal to not only bring those back, but to make it a reoccurring thing (part 2,3,4...), something for fans to look forwards to. So, I let my brain wander. I knew I wanted to have something that tied it all together, so that fans could easily recognize by the title that it was a Silver Shamrock “brand,” if you will. That’s where the MIDNIGHT title came in.
MIDNIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD is our first anthology and it centers around ghost stories.
MIDNIGHT IN THE PENTAGRAM is our next one and it’s theme is Occult/Possession/Demons/Satanism. We’re sifting through stories now and, even though it’s only been a couple of weeks since we made the announcement, we have over a hundred submissions with 4 signings that I can announce - Chad Lutzke, James Newman, Todd Keisling, and Jason Parent. We have a wonderful lineup waiting to be finalized with some surprise names. Stay tuned. We’re set for a summer 2020 release.
I will also announce here for the first time (see...membership has its privileges!) our third offering from the Midnight universe, MIDNIGHT FROM BEYOND THE STARS will be our Alien Horror offering coming late 2020/early2021.
When was this read starting? I haven’t been getting any email updates 😕. I had to come find it!
Chris wrote: "First off, thanks to everyone for your kind words about my mom's passing. I have met so many really great people here at Goodreads--authors and readers. I love this community.I am really enjoying..."
Hey Chris. Jessica and Eddie are featured in my books Sinister Entity and Island of the Forbidden. They are out of print but coming back next year, so stay tuned.
Lou wrote: "I’m about half way through and I have been thoroughly enjoying this collection. All of the stories pack a punch, in their own unique ways.If I hadn’t been reading this in short bursts during trai..."
Thank you so much. I was so happy to bring those characters back in a short story.
Marie wrote: "Holes in the Fabric - really liked the story - wish it had been longer as I would like to know more about what happened with Norma.Dog Days - spooky read - I have had dogs in the past so I can re..."
Thank you so much. I really missed Jessica and Eddie. Their books will be back out next year and I hope to work on a new one, soon!
Corinne wrote: "RE: Hunter Shea - Drown I saw in a user's review this: Hunter Shea's Drown expands on characters he has written previously, adding a fun and interesting new chapter to their adve..."
THey were in 2 books - Sinister Entity and Island of the Forbidden (and Jessica was also in Forest of Shadows, but she was only 6 in that one). SE and Island are coming back in print in 2020.
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I started reading horror before the boom, and fell in love with short stories and classic anthologies.
I've come to miss them over the years....until now.
This old horror fan thanks you.
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I started reading horror before the boom, and fell in love with short stories and classic anthologies.
I've come to miss them over the years....until now.
This old h..."
I’m with you, Jon. I’m an old soul when it comes to horror (Okay. Maybe more than my soul is old. Ha!), and I want to see my favorite authors kicking ass with these classic tropes.
Hunter wrote: "Chris wrote: "First off, thanks to everyone for your kind words about my mom's passing. I have met so many really great people here at Goodreads--authors and readers. I love this community.I am r..."
I will keep my eye out for notice that they have been re-released! Thanks.
Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glimmer Girls - lo..."
Thanks, Marie! Glad you liked it.
Hunter wrote: "Marie wrote: "Holes in the Fabric - really liked the story - wish it had been longer as I would like to know more about what happened with Norma.Dog Days - spooky read - I have had dogs in the pa..."
Awesome Hunter! I will be keeping my eyes peeled for anything new you write about Jessica and Eddie! Love those characters! :)
Glenn wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glim..."
You are welcome, Glenn! :)
Wow Ken! Awesome! I love horror anthologies! Already having a lineup for future books gets another "wow" from me! :)
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ wrote: "When was this read starting? I haven’t been getting any email updates 😕. I had to come find it!"It started November 1st, but some people started reading it a day or so before. Not sure why you were not getting updates, but it goes the whole month of November, so you can still jump in anytime! :)
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I loved that one! The atmosphere was absolutely perfect for the anthology!!
Char wrote: "Russian Dollhouse blew my mind! Well done, Jason!Sawmill Road was excellent too, but in a quieter way.
Join My Club by Somer Canon was awesome. It amazes me that an author can build the life of..."
Thanks, Char! Haven't read Somer's yet, but I'll do that next!
Latasha wrote: "Currently reading “Ring of Truth”. This story is fucked up! No idea how it’s going to end."That was one of my favorites too Latasha! Great writing and so twisted. I loved it!
Kenneth wrote: "Elke wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Kathryn, I really enjoyed the novelty of what would otherwise have been a "revenge/justice" story. Your descriptions made these characters come "alive"..."Well said...."
That's great news, and while I'm curious for both, alien horror sounds even more fantastic! I'm not a short story enthusiast, but anthologies like this are doing a fine job to change my mind :)
I finished the book last night and I gave it a five star review! Well done to all authors that participated in this book as it was one of the best anthologies I have ever read! Kept me in suspense mode every night that I was reading it and a couple of stories gave me bad dreams, but that is a good thing for me as it means the story dipped down deep into my subconscious and was messing with my mind! lol :) Kudos to bad dreams! :) And Kudos to all of you!
I got my author copies in the mail. It's a nice hefty tome and looks great. Good job by all concerned.
I read THE CEMETERY MAN as well as NEW BLOOD, OLD SKIN by John Everson and Glenn Rolfe, respectively. I very much enjoyed them both.
John Everson, I've been away from your work for a while now, but remember very much enjoying your novel SIREN. Is erotic horror a specialty of yours?
Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glimmer Girls - lo..."
I'm so glad you enjoyed "Last Call," Marie!
Allan wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glim..."
I liked it so much that you now have a new follower! :) Not only that I went and checked out your books finding that I had already added a couple or so last year to my tbr! Now that I have sampled your writing style I am going to have to go buy those books! :)
Char wrote: "John Everson, I've been away from your work for a while now, but remember very much enjoying your novel SIREN. Is erotic horror a specialty of yours?"Hi Char - Thanks! It seems to have turned out that way. Most of my novels and quite a lot of my short stories, including THE CEMETERY MAN have had erotic horror scenes or themes to them.
File under... write the kinds of stories that you want to read? :-)
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That's a great way of putting it!
Thanks Kenneth... Richard Laymon was amazing!
Kenneth wrote: "John’s writing has always struck me as the thinking man’s Richard Laymon."Actually, I agree with that. I like Laymon's ideas, but often times I get aggravated with scenes about boobs that don't really further the plot. ;)
Allan wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have read a few more:New Blood Old Skin - loved this story by Glenn Rolfe! Captures that monster quality! Cannot say more than that as I do not want to list spoilers! :)
The Glim..."
Okay, I'm a tech moron, so I can't figure out how to quote your comment, Marie, but I just want to thank you for making my day! Finding new readers is not easy, and I'm thrilled to hear you liked the story so much you're checking out my novels. And it really tickles me to learn you already had a couple in your TBR pile :)
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First: Chris...I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mother 11 years ago an..."
Kathryn, I really enjoyed the novelty of what would otherwise have been a "revenge/justice" story. Your descriptions made these characters come "alive" (view spoiler)[ (well, "some" of them, anyhow...) (hide spoiler)], and the circumstances, atmosphere in general, and twists, made it stand out.