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Churn the Soil
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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March 2023 Group Read: Churn the Soil with Guest Author, Steve Stred
Jennifer wrote: "Hi Steve!I was super happy to see this as March's choice as that meant I had to buy it now rather than wait until I've read a few more on my TBR pile. So yay! My copy arrives tomorrow just in tim..."
Cheers! Thanks for checking out Mastodon! Hope you dig this one too!
Jason wrote: "It was 80 degrees F here last week, I could use some colder temps in my lit."It was -25F here at the start of this week! I could use some 80F weather haha!
I started this morning! What an opening scene!!!I'm soooo intrigued. Can't wait for the weekend when I have some more time.
megs_bookrack wrote: "I started this morning! What an opening scene!!!I'm soooo intrigued. Can't wait for the weekend when I have some more time."
Awesome to hear!
Damn, I'm jealous too! lol
Hi, STeve! Read it this week. Good stuff, man. Just wanted to say hello and I look forward to the next one!
Glenn wrote: "Hi, STeve! Read it this week. Good stuff, man. Just wanted to say hello and I look forward to the next one!"Thank you again, Glenn. I'm so honored you gave it a spin!
Starting this book today. The cover art is just lovely. So much creepiness and intrigue there is something to see on the entire cover.
I am so excited to read this one!!!
Badseedgirl wrote: "Starting this book today. The cover art is just lovely. So much creepiness and intrigue there is something to see on the entire cover."Totally agree! I love the cover art as well.
I started this last night and WOW, what a prologue 😱
destiny ♡ wrote: "I started this last night and WOW, what a prologue 😱"Right!? I definitely sat up and paid attention.
I bought this last night and started reading it today. I was actually happy to be sitting in a doctor's waiting room so that I could read it. And that's mostly what I want in a book. Lol
Glenn wrote: "Hi, STeve! Read it this week. Good stuff, man. Just wanted to say hello and I look forward to the next one!"Nice to see you here, Glenn!
Thanks everyone! I've been really happy to see people's response to the prologue! When I started the novel, I sent that to my editor, David Sodergren, and asked if he thought this was solid and a good opener and he was super happy with it, which is always a good indicator for me. If he likes things he tells me. If he hates things. He tells me haha!
The prologue is quite a hook on this book. I was just going to read a couple pages yesterday to "get the feel" of this book. 54 pages later I realized I needed to eat some dinner!
Hi everyone! I just ordered the paperback of this, (UK), and it arrives Saturday! (Paperback because I'm old school! lol). I am really looking forward to taking part - I have been out of writing, (and reading, to a large extent), for years due to several factors. I am trying to carve more time for it because life is nothing without books in it.
Badseedgirl wrote: "The prologue is quite a hook on this book. I was just going to read a couple pages yesterday to "get the feel" of this book. 54 pages later I realized I needed to eat some dinner!":)
Julian wrote: "Hi everyone! I just ordered the paperback of this, (UK), and it arrives Saturday! (Paperback because I'm old school! lol). I am really looking forward to taking part - I have been out of writing, (..."thank you! hope you enjoy this one!
Hi SteveI’m about halfway through this book. Loving it
About 30% in and love it! It‘s fascinating how at the same time we know about „them“ by what Nancy told and at the same time don‘t have a clue what they are. Were they inspired by existing folk tales oder something like that?
I am going to start this book this evening. I am so excited about it as I've heard really good things about it.
My copy arrived. Read a little bit today - - just the four-page prologue. Builds dread beginning on the second page and two pages later it gets incredibly frightening. I'm hooked. Might be up late tonight reading.
Arrived at the hut in the woods…soo curious what happened in Brown’s past leading to the strange occurrences. And not sure I want to know what happened to the dog - animals getting hurt always get to me the most in horror novels. But for the time being I imagine he‘s still alive and happy in the woods…Like the complexity of the plot, always adding new details that make me wonder what’s behind all this and turning my thoughts in new directions.
My copy just arrived from Amazon! Looking forward now to a night of reading horror...
I'm already halfway finished with this book and it is so good! I love the cold, isolated atmosphere, and the feeling of knowing that something weird is happening, but not knowing precisely what it is has built a lot of tension. It's a great book so far!
I just finished my last read and I'm on to this one! Thanks so much for that note, Steve. :)
I'm at Page 59, Chapter 13. A little mystery, lots of questions, and I sense another bloody encounter coming.Question for Steve Stred: The story reminds me a bit of The Village film. Have you seen that, and did it have any influence on the novel?
This is so good. I know I will have nightmares tonight, but I cannot stop. Well played, Steve!! 👏Through chapter 17: (view spoiler)
I finished Churn the Soil last night and it was a wild and creepy time. I enjoyed this read a lot. Thanks Steve!
Finished! So glad about Bruiser, I would have been really
Michael wrote: "I'm at Page 59, Chapter 13. A little mystery, lots of questions, and I sense another bloody encounter coming.Question for Steve Stred: The story reminds me a bit of The Village film. Have you seen..."
Hey! Sorry - on the weekends I'm pretty much completely off the computer so didn't get a chance to pop onto Goodreads!
Michael - yes, I have seen it (and loved it! even the ending!). No, that film had no influence on this book at all. I've seen a few folks mention it now, but the movie The Grey with Liam Neeson influences everything I do, honestly, and that one once again influenced me.
Elke wrote: "Finished! So glad about Bruiser, I would have been really pi not pleased otherwise ;) The ending was a great showdown and I am glad most questions about the creatures’ history were answered.":)
I love Bruiser. I wish I could put some sort of content warning/reassurance, but anything I say would be a spoiler!
Tracey wrote: "Hi SteveI’m about halfway through this book. Loving it"
Thanks!
megs_bookrack wrote: "This is so good. I know I will have nightmares tonight, but I cannot stop. Well played, Steve!! 👏Through chapter 17: [spoilers removed]"
So sorry about the dreams! :)
Char wrote: "I just finished my last read and I'm on to this one! Thanks so much for that note, Steve. :)"
Welcome, my friend!
Elke wrote: "About 30% in and love it! It‘s fascinating how at the same time we know about „them“ by what Nancy told and at the same time don‘t have a clue what they are. Were they inspired by existing folk tal..."They are - I won't say more about it right now, as not sure where others are in their reading progress, but I do discuss it in the afterword
I am at the beginning of Chapter Forty-One, Page 173. I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. I would expect more chaos and finger-pointing. Intense is a pretty good short descriptor of what has happened up to this point. Also, this very blunt synopsis . . . .(view spoiler)
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Steve wrote: "I love Bruiser. I wish I could put some sort of content warning/reassurance, but anything I say would be a spoiler!""No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This Book"
That would really spoil the reading - this way, the surprise was even sweeter.
I had to google Cane Corso, they are beautiful dogs! Despite of their size and muscle power, they seem to have some sad look in their eyes. And I like what is explained about the trait of that species. When I first read where Patrick got Bruiser from, I thought of a mean fighting dog, but Bruiser is such a cutie!
Steve wrote: "Elke wrote: "About 30% in and love it! It‘s fascinating how at the same time we know about „them“ by what Nancy told and at the same time don‘t have a clue what they are. Were they inspired by exis..."The afterword was really helpful to bring the last bits and pieces together. I used to be a real (view spoiler) groupie, but sometime I got bored of the genre because there was too much of the same and they got too soft. However, I still enjoy books where the creatures are still truly evil or that present an original variation of the theme like this one. Bringing in some folklore and giving the book its own flavor was definitely the right choice!
Michael wrote: "I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. "At some point, I wondered if they would call in external forces like the FBI or army, but I also understood that could have brought even more chaos. At all times, this presented itself as a very personal operation.
Michael wrote: "I am at the beginning of Chapter Forty-One, Page 173. I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. I would expect more chaos and finger-poi..."Part of that is based on how police forces work here in Canada. We don't have an 'FBI.' We do have CSIS which is more for intelligence and security issues, but they would never be called in unless it was a terror attack or most wanted Interpol type situation. So, essentially, you have local police/city police and the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and that's it. So, I tried to walk that line or keeping it 'country neutral' but still staying true-ish to where the story was set!
Elke wrote: "Michael wrote: "I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. "At some point, I wondered if they would call in external forces like the FB..."
Elke - see my reply to Michael!
Steve wrote: "Elke wrote: "Michael wrote: "I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. "At some point, I wondered if they would call in external force..."
Thanks for the explanation, Steve!
Elke wrote: "Steve wrote: "Elke wrote: "Michael wrote: "I am surprised at the ability of the small police force to remain relatively calm after what happened. "At some point, I wondered if they would call in ..."
For sure! And I wanted it to keep the feeling of isolation present as well! Forgot to mention that :)
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I am a quick reader, I absorb everything and besides a full time job housing homeless people and full time college (at 48 years old), I have nothing else to do. I just took up reading again to take me away from social media and games on my phone. So I am just diving on in. I think the last week alone I read 7 books or more.