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The Midwives
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August 2022 Guest Author Read - Midwives by Duncan Ralston
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Allan
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rated it 4 stars
Aug 03, 2022 04:45PM
Halfway through and a great story and cast of characters! Have no idea where this is going but very much enjoying the read!
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excellent choice! ralston is a terrific storyteller and overall a great guy!
i'm looking forward to the discussion.
Hi Guys - nice to meet you all.Anyway, just joined HA and really looking forward to reading this one with you all, especially as it’s been sitting, just waiting on my kindle now for quite some time. Will be starting it later in the month though (about 20th), which I hope is ok?
Quick question - if we wish to make comment when reading the story do we write on this thread or is there another to use so as to avoid ‘spoilers’?
Btw - absolutely loved Woom…cheers, Duncan!
Hello, Ian! Yes, it's okay to start later in the month as I am doing the same. Usually we preface our posts with where we are in the book, for example page 25, or chapter 25 or 25% and then put our posts within spoiler tags.
There are directions to do that are just above the box in which you type, just click "some html is ok" and follow the instructions.
We're glad you're here!
Just finished the book. Don't want to say too much until more of you finished it, but what a fun and creepy story.Duncan, I loved the story. It had engaging characters and a great story line that had me hooked from beginning to end.
Char wrote: "Hello, Ian! Yes, it's okay to start later in the month as I am doing the same. Usually we preface our posts with where we are in the book, for example page 25, or chapter 25 or 25% and then put o..."
Cheers, Char - appreciated. 👍
Hi Duncan.Just to say how much I enjoyed ‘Video Nasties’, your anthology of short horror stories. ‘He Is Risen’ was a particular favourite feeling very, erm…satanically…British. 😊
Wondered if you had any stand-out favourite after completing your final selection for the collection? Any particular reason?
I finished my current read, so I’m in! I think I’ll read a short story or two and start this in the morning.
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Char, I can't wait to hear what you think!!!!
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I'm not far from there!
Allan wrote: "Just finished the book. Don't want to say too much until more of you finished it, but what a fun and creepy story.Duncan, I loved the story. It had engaging characters and a great story line that..."
Thank you, Allan! Wow, you blasted through it! :D Glad you had a fun time with it!
Ian wrote: "Hi Duncan.Just to say how much I enjoyed ‘Video Nasties’, your anthology of short horror stories. ‘He Is Risen’ was a particular favourite feeling very, erm…satanically…British. 😊
Wondered if yo..."
Great question, Ian! ANd thanks for the kind words about VN and Woom. Not sure if I have a favorite, though I did have a lot of fun writing the entire collection, most of which were written specifically for the book - it was originally meant to be published by a small British press. Maybe the title story was the most fun to work on, and I've been considering writing a sequel to it for some time now.
WendyB wrote: "Early on the author in the book is in Reading, PA and gets annoyed at the way Pennsylvanians say "warsh". Had to laugh at that having been born in Reading. :) Thanks for the memory."lol glad I got that detail right!
Duncan, have you always been a fan of horror? Did it start with movies or books? Which movies or books, if I may be so bold?
Char wrote: "Duncan, have you always been a fan of horror? Did it start with movies or books? Which movies or books, if I may be so bold?"
Great question! I've always been a horror fan, for as far back as I can remember. It started with kid's horror books - ages 5+ type stuff, the ones with the cool illustrations - and I started drawing a lot of horror images around that time.
Horror movies didn't become a big part of my life until I was 8 or 9. I started reading adult horror pretty much exclusively (until college) when I was 13, I think - Night Shift. A few years later I dropped the drawing pencils and started writing.
Do you not draw anymore? Night Shift was near the beginning of my love for horror as well.
Who were some of the writers that appealed to you in your teens?
I must apologize for not starting The Midwives yet as I forgot about an ARC. It's a short one though, so I'll be back into this conversation, hopefully by Monday morning if not sooner.
Char wrote: "Do you not draw anymore? Night Shift was near the beginning of my love for horror as well.
Who were some of the writers that appealed to you in your teens?
I must apologize for not starting Th..."
No worries at all!
I read mostly King and Barker in those days, but also some of the older classics. Night Shift was such a formative book for me, as well as Barker's Books of Blood. King's Danse Macabre was my bible when I was 15 or so - I read it so often!
I haven't drawn very much since about 15 when I started writing. Here and there through college, then pretty much none at all. I just got a drawing pad so I'm looking forward to flexing those muscles again!
Duncan,Loved that short story in Video Nights anthology about the museum of horror and freaks show. Anyway, I recently went to a house museum about Mary Shelley (which was really all about Frankenstein) in a city in England called Bath. Very nice place Bath, but definitely one for the tourists from overseas to visit.
So what I was wondering was, have you ever read Frankenstein and if so, what did you think of it?
Ian wrote: "Duncan,Loved that short story in Video Nights anthology about the museum of horror and freaks show. Anyway, I recently went to a house museum about Mary Shelley (which was really all about Franke..."
Thanks! My aunt and uncle used to rent a house in Bath, they loved the town.
I read Frankenstein in my teens, along with Dracula, Dorian Grey and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, some Poe and Ambrose Bierce. I appreciated them all as precursors to 20th century horror, but my favorite of them were Hyde and Poe's stuff.
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If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?
Duncan wrote: "Ian wrote: "Duncan,Loved that short story in Video Nights anthology about the museum of horror and freaks show. Anyway, I recently went to a house museum about Mary Shelley (which was really all ..."
👍
WendyB wrote: "Have any of your books been made into movies? If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?"
I wish! I'd love to see The Midwives as a miniseries or Ghostland as a series. Salvage would probably be neat as a movie, or The Method. I've written screenplays for several of my books, but Woom seems to be the only one that's gotten producer interest.
Duncan wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Have any of your books been made into movies? If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?"
I wish! I'd love to see The Midwives as a miniseries or Ghostland as ..."
Oh my god, Woom as a movie! Reading it put some crazy vivid images in my head, and I can't imagine actually seeing it played out on the screen. I hope it happens for you because that would just be freaking amazing, but I'm not sure I could stomach watching it. I am a bit of a movie wimp, though. :)
I'll admit it, I'm afraid of Woom!
Woom on the big screen would be absolutely brilliant! (18+++)Just loved that bit in the back of the transit van, with the rolled-up carpet. 😊 👍
Shannon wrote: "Duncan wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Have any of your books been made into movies? If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?"
I wish! I'd love to see The Midwives as a miniseries o..."
Thank you, Shannon! The one producer I had a phone call with said it would probably rival The Human Centipede lol. We talked about prosthetics and "life casts" for certain scenes (IYKYK). It was a very interesting look into the business I left to work way behind the scenes in TV!
Ian wrote: "Woom on the big screen would be absolutely brilliant! (18+++)Just loved that bit in the back of the transit van, with the rolled-up carpet. 😊 👍"
Thanks, Ian! That part of the puzzle was inspired by a true life case of "attachment therapy" gone wrong.
Duncan wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Duncan wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Have any of your books been made into movies? If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?"
I wish! I'd love to see The Midwives a..."
I lack the courage to watch The Human Centipede. I make jokes about it like everyone else, because, I mean, how can you not, but to actually watch it....nope, lol.
I just read the part in The Midwives at around 52% where (view spoiler) so gross!! Good god, man, just good god. I'll be thinking about that one for quite some time. :)
Duncan wrote: "Ian wrote: "Woom on the big screen would be absolutely brilliant! (18+++)Just loved that bit in the back of the transit van, with the rolled-up carpet. 😊 👍"
Thanks, Ian! That part of the puzzle ..."
Duncan wrote: "Ian wrote: "Woom on the big screen would be absolutely brilliant! (18+++)
Just loved that bit in the back of the transit van, with the rolled-up carpet. 😊 👍"
Thanks, Ian! That part of the puzzle ..."
Woom - Just needed to also use some underlay in the van and hammer home a whole screed of carpet gripper to make completely secure. Might have worked wonders. 😊
Seriously though, Duncan, hope things eventually worked out for you and you a managed to move on without carrying too much attached trauma etc. Sounded heavy.
Btw - what are you working on next?
Shannon wrote: "Duncan wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Duncan wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Have any of your books been made into movies? If not, which one would you most like to see on the big screen?"
I wish! I'd love to see..."
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Centipede! But I appreciate what the director was going for. Sorry about the unintended trauma re: that scene! :D
Ian wrote: "Duncan wrote: "Ian wrote: "Woom on the big screen would be absolutely brilliant! (18+++)Just loved that bit in the back of the transit van, with the rolled-up carpet. 😊 👍"
Thanks, Ian! That part..."
Ha! Fortunately I never took part in any therapy sessions, aside from family therapy when I was a kid.
I'm currently working on a gamebook (like Choose Your Own Adventure) set in my fictional theme park, called Try Not to Die at Ghostland. It's been a lot of fun to write so far, since I can bring back a bunch of old characters for cameos.
After that, I'll be doing another book in the Woomiverse.
I'm getting into this one proper now at about 20% through. I am enjoying your writing style. It flows nicely and makes the pages go by quickly. I have some thoughts about Barclay that I'll keep to myself for now.
Hi everyone !! I haven’t been able to start this book yet :/ I’m currently reading a book from another book club and it’s taking forrrrreeeeevvvver lol hopefully I’ll be able to start this book next week! I really can’t wait to start reading it ! :)
I had a late start too. See when you get here!
Char wrote: "I'm getting into this one proper now at about 20% through. I am enjoying your writing style. It flows nicely and makes the pages go by quickly. I have some thoughts about Barclay that I'll keep to ..."Thanks, Char! I await your thoughts re: Barclay with bated breath lol
Charlene (Char) wrote: "Hi everyone !! I haven’t been able to start this book yet :/ I’m currently reading a book from another book club and it’s taking forrrrreeeeevvvver lol hopefully I’ll be able to start this book nex..."What book are you reading in the other group, Char? Too long or just boring you?
We're at Barrow's Bay now and excuse me for saying so, but there's a bunch of effed up women in that place. LOL
Late start as well, just finished my last book. Starting my insomnia tonight with a good book lol. I’m happy to have purchased this book, I’ve been wanting to read a book from this Author.
Glad to see you, Sarah! I started late too, but I'm in the thick of it now!
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I read this when it came out, and it stuck with me!
Now I’m trying to get these lyrics from Queens of the Stone Age out of my head: Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol
I’m at 36%
Char wrote: "Now I’m trying to get these lyrics from Queens of the Stone Age out of my head: Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol
I’m at 36%"
It's a chune, for sure! As for the effed up women... you ain't seen nothin yet lol
I'm at 78%, and I'm still wondering how this is all going to end! So much crazy in this small town, lol, and like you all mention, lots of effed up women! So good though! :)
I'm not reading this thread much fearing spoilers before I'm done with the story :PBut just took a sneak peak and read you (Duncan!) are writing s choose your own adventure story! I love that!! Recently bought the one called Choose your own apocalypses with Trump, Kim, and Putin, haven't tried it yet, but it's so damn fun!
also the movie 18+++ is that another way to say it's 40+ ;)
We usually use spoiler tags here, prefacing our posts with where we are in the book, like so:36% (view spoiler)
Directions as to how to add spoiler tags are listed above and to the right of the box in which you are typing.
I know char, but I have realized the tag doesn't work (always, or often I'm not sure) in the app. It just says spoilers, but doesn't hide it, so you have to press to read the spoiler. That's why I'm tip toeing when I'm trying to avoid them :D
Aww, I see. The GR app leaves a LOT to be desired!
Yep it really does. I find it a bit weird, it's so bad, it's not like it's a new thing to make these kind of apps. Also their browser in android is different than the browser version on a computer, and not in the positive way. I mostly use the app, and in some instances it's better than browser on mobile, can't remember which right now though lol. But even a simple thing as looking for friends recommendations aren't possible in my app, or changing names on shelves and deleting them.
Shannon wrote: "I'm at 78%, and I'm still wondering how this is all going to end! So much crazy in this small town, lol, and like you all mention, lots of effed up women! So good though! :)"Thank you, Shannon!!
