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Midnight in the Pentagram
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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November 2020 Group Read with all 32 authors of MIDNIGHT IN THE PENTAGRAM
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Kenneth wrote: "Tony Tremblay - you’re next. Father MacLeod is quickly becoming a fan favorite. I think it feels very familiar, yet has a life all its own. Can you tell us what your inspiration was and how it came..."Father MacLeod made his debut in The Moore House, my first novel. The man is a womanizer, a drunk, and pretty much self serving, but somewhere inside, he does have feelings. This story delivers his backstory to those who loved/hated the character in The Moore House, and the upcoming Do Not Weep For Me. The character's name and appearance is based on a good friend of mine, writer Bracken MacLeod, however Bracken is none of the things I've described above (he was delighted with the character so much, he wrote the introduction to The Moore House). I usually take the approach in my fiction that Catholic Dogma is true. If it is real, then it's important to show it's faults, mainly, that priests are human, and they can be every bit as evil as the demons they claim to fight. As we can see, Father MacLeod is all too human.
Story inspiration for me was a dream. A very weird one.As for story order, Ken M. and I start discussing it very early, what stories we like as openers or closers and such. I come up with several lists, trying to find threads that connect the stories, but ultimately Ken M. chooses the order for the Midnight books. So I can't speak for his methods, but there's quite a bit of discussion that goes into it up to that point.
With Graveyard it was a little more difficult, as that one was an open themed anthology. So the connective tissue was sometimes harder to find. With Pentagram, many of the stories had similar themes, so that made it a lot easier, and I think it came more down to finding the right balance more than anything.
Char wrote: "I'm enjoying the HELL out of these stories so far!Ken, is there a method to your way of ordering the stories?
I think I said it before, but just in case, I liked The Corn Maidens. I liked it a l..."
Ha! Thanks, Char! That means a lot coming from you!
Mod
Jason wrote: "I Know He Loves Me was really good"Much appreciated, Jason!
Char wrote: "I'm enjoying the HELL out of these stories so far!Shannon Felton's story right after it, had me wondering what the hell was going on? Everything went topsy turvy and then in a whole new direction. What fun!
Thanks, Char! That's pretty much how I felt writing it, too. :D
Tony wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Tony Tremblay - you’re next. Father MacLeod is quickly becoming a fan favorite. I think it feels very familiar, yet has a life all its own. Can you tell us what your inspiration was..."I'm tempted to ask what your wife thinks about Father MacLeod? ;)
Kenneth wrote: "Story inspiration for me was a dream. A very weird one.As for story order, Ken M. and I start discussing it very early, what stories we like as openers or closers and such. I come up with several..."
Well, I'm enjoying the order-at least so far, but I'm only a quarter of the way in. You both must work well together at this point.
Shannon wrote: "Char wrote: "I'm enjoying the HELL out of these stories so far!Shannon Felton's story right after it, had me wondering what the hell was going on? Everything went topsy turvy and then in a whole n..."
Shannon, do you enjoy when that happens or does it mess up your plans?
Lisa wrote: "Just finished “The Other” - what a great story with a different approach. As I was reading it, I was wondering what the heck was going on here...very creative, creepy, and poignant. Evokes empathy ..."Thank you so much, Lisa! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Kenneth wrote: "I’ll just throw this out to all the authors: Give us a little enlightenment into how your story came about, inspirations, etc."
I'd actually never written a short story before, and wasn't planning to submit because I didn't think I could. The submission call got in my head though, and I was mulling how one would approach the subject that didn't come to close to the standards. The isolated aspect of it was what intrigued me. Thanks for asking!
Char wrote: "I'm enjoying the HELL out of these stories so far!Ken, is there a method to your way of ordering the stories?
I think I said it before, but just in case, I liked The Corn Maidens. I liked it a l..."
Thank you, Char!
Kenneth wrote: "I’ll just throw this out to all the authors: Give us a little enlightenment into how your story came about, inspirations, etc."
My story, 'Devil's Ink,' was inspired by writer's block ironically. Sitting at my desk, ready to do my stuff in one of the small windows of opportunity that presented itself, and I had nothing! It started me thinking, what if I had to write? What if someone had a gun to my head, ready to pull the trigger if the screen remained blank? The gears churned, and this idea eventually transpired into the story you see, albeit with the premise of a self-induced ultimatum that would guarantee blood, sweat, and tears.
Kenneth wrote: "I’ll just throw this out to all the authors: Give us a little enlightenment into how your story came about, inspirations, etc."
"Family Business" was a hybrid idea for me - on the one hand I'd been researching historical demonology texts for a different matter, which is always useful, and then I fixated on the idea of rituals and courtship. I really liked the idea of a traditional courtship being expected and then something throwing a spanner in the works, of which there are many in "Family Business"
Char wrote: Shannon, do you enjoy when that happens or does it mess up your plans?Yes and no. I don't usually have a strict outline when I write, but I don't completely wing it either. I'm what Brandon Sanderson calls a mapper. I'll know I want to go from point A to point B in my story, I just don't know the best way to get there. So it can be frustrating when I have to backtrack or I've written a dead end, but also a lot of fun when I stumble across a surprise twist or a turn I wasn't expecting. When that happens it feels like I've discovered something, not that I've thought of something, and those are my favorite moments.
Really enjoyed The Story of a Lifetime. Would love to see an origin story for Demora...
The Black-Jar Man, powerful stuff, really good story.....
Finished a couple of days ago, and the last story was a perfect ending! Together with The Corn Maidens, it makes a perfect 'frame' for the anthology. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Thanks to all authors for joining here and telling us about your ideas and ways of writing! They are just as diverse as the book, which makes it such a treat. I love that I discovered new voices, and that there were so many surprising unexpected plots to be found, which made a perfect mix of traditional and modern horror.
Of course, now I can't wait for the next Midnight installment. If I remember correctly, there was also something about aliens in the pipeline?! Are there already plans for a next anthology?
As always, thanks also to the HA moderators for organizing this awesome group read!
Mod
Elke wrote: "'The Gods of Our Fathers' is an instant favorite of mine, though it was extremely sad, considering until now I most enjoyed the more humorous stories. I appreciated that neither religion was all good or bad, though one of them was painted preferrable to the other, but just at first glance.@Todd: While not as extreme as 'Devil's Creek', this story also had a critical view on religion(s). What do you believe in, if at all?"
Thanks, Elke! Sorry for the delay--I've been neck-deep in NaNoWriMo. I'm glad you enjoyed "Gods."
My religious views are admittedly critical and cynical, but in a nutshell, I'm basically agnostic when it comes to belief in a higher power. I think it's impossible to know if a higher power exists, and that organized religion is a human construct designed to capitalize on man's inherent need for all things to have purpose.
I went into this in a bit more detail on This Is Horror back over the summer: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-35...
Ultimately, this viewpoint wasn't the reason I wrote these stories, but whenever I write things set in the south (where I grew up), my feelings on the matter always tend to seep out. :-)
Just finished, wow what a great collection, brilliant every single one.
Chad Lutzke,Your story had me laughing out loud, man! Well done!
Mod
Thank you so much for reading our anthology and the kind words, Elke. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. You’ll be happy to know that we have many more MIDNIGHT anthologies in the works, with the next one being MIDNIGHT FROM BEYOND THE STARS. This one centers around alien horror - think of Alien/Aliens/The Thing/The Blob/Critters/Night of the Creeps. This one is set for a summer 2021 release and we can’t wait to start unfurling what looks to be another all-star lineup. Stay tuned!
Elke wrote: "Thanks to all authors for joining here and telling us about your ideas and ways of writing! They are just as diverse as the book, which makes it such a treat. I love that I discovered new voices, and that there were so many surprising unexpected plots to be found, which made a perfect mix of traditional and modern horror."Elke, thanks so much for participating.
Kimberly wrote: "Just started this yesterday with The Corn Maidens. What a strong start--I honestly loved everything about this one [spoilers removed]"Thank you, Kimberly. I'm thrilled you enjoyed my story.
I just finished Tim Curran's story on my lunch hour and DAMN!It knocked my socks off!
Char wrote: "Chad Lutzke,Your story had me laughing out loud, man! Well done!"
Thanks, Char! Glad you got a kick out of it.
I'm not as far in as I'd like by now but the stories are good! 'The Other' had a great twist at the end.
Mod
Migraines have put a serious halt on my reading, but hoping to get a few more in tonight now that they are ebbing.
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Whew! I'm in good company!
Still reading too...
I Know He Loves Me was great! Very creative look at this topic; at multiple topics, actually.
Lisa wrote: "I Know He Loves Me was great! Very creative look at this topic; at multiple topics, actually."Thank you so much, Lisa! I had a lot of fun writing this one, and it's nice to hear that shows.
I'm still reading too. *sigh*
I'm still reading, too :( It's definitely long enough to extend it to one of our December reads
Mod
Thinking that too...but I'm out of reading commission for a bit...
Thank you all for having us.
I'm still trucking on and enjoying myself immensely!Thank you for coming, Kenneth. You're always so gracious when you participate here.
I read and enjoyed Jason Parent's story as well as Mark Steensland's story on my lunch break, and loved them both.
Mod
Okay I'm late to the party. This book was on sale recently and I snagged a copy. :DSounds like everybody really liked it!
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Midnight in the Graveyard (other topics)Midnight in the Graveyard (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Brian Moreland (other topics)Graham Masterton (other topics)
Tim Meyer (other topics)
Brian Keene (other topics)
Ken, is there a method to your way of ordering the stories?
I think I said it before, but just in case, I liked The Corn Maidens. I liked it a lot, and I need to read more of Mr. Moreland's work.
Tony Tremblay, you know I consider you to be a friend, but your story was F***ed up! LOVED IT!
I've already discovered the awesomeness that is Laurel Hightower and this story just cemented in that knowledge.
Bob Ford's tale, (Bob, are you here?), Legion Cast Forth had me laughing my ass off in the doctor's office waiting room yesterday. It was crowded and people thought I was insane, I'm sure. Which maybe I am, but I found that story entertaining as all get out.
Shannon Felton's story right after it, had me wondering what the hell was going on? Everything went topsy turvy and then in a whole new direction. What fun!