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Demons, witches and things that go bump in the night with Elizabeth J. Brown 😱

Elizabeth was born in Kent, England. This probably explains her obsession with tea and cake. She currently writes the Brimstone Chorus series - dark fantasy horror featuring demons, witches and a whole host of things that go bump in the night.

Awards: 2023 Bookstagram Awards – Author of the Year

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The Laughing Policeman

The law failed him. The demon won’t.

Charlie Haynes is an ageing ex-detective, working unsolved cases. Obsessed with cleanliness and order, Charlie is a loner who trades on his experience of grisly crimes, and struggles to maintain a relationship with his adult daughter.

When three teenagers are murdered in a public cemetery, the ritualistic killings show similarities to one of Charlie’s old investigations: a savage serial killer who targeted the members of a notorious Traveller family, the Boswells.

Charlie is called in to speak to the one surviving witness, whose terrifying testimony confirms his fear: the Caravan Cannibal is back, roused by the reappearance of an ancient dagger that has haunted Charlie throughout his career.

As Charlie realises he has a personal connection to the killer, he must confront his own demons to protect the last remaining Boswells, Ciara, and her young daughter, Addy, and free an innocent from the grip of an insatiable evil.

The Laughing Policeman is the first book in the Brimstone Chorus dark fantasy series. If you like gritty, fast-paced suspense, dry humour and dark supernatural forces, then you won’t be able to put down Elizabeth J. Brown’s addictive and ultraviolent debut.

The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read?
I tend to write in my office upstairs. It’s a little chilly, and in the colder months I need to snuggle under a throw just to keep from shivering, but it’s my space and I love it. Before that, I used to write huddled in the corner of the sofa. We got rid of it a while ago, but it was one of those L shaped sofas, the kind that’s pretty much all cushion that you sink into and then struggle to get back out of again. Comfy, but not great for the back!

As for reading, I’ll read pretty much anywhere. But my favourite place is probably in bed. It’s warm, it’s quiet, what more could you want?

•    What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a child I used to love comic books, still do in fact. X-Men was my comic of choice, I’m a Marvel girl through and through. I’d spend hours designing comic strips, usually about anthropomorphic animals of some kind. So for a while I definitely wanted to create comics for a living. Then I think I wanted to be a graphic designer. Then an author. Then a fire fighter, briefly. That one didn’t last very long - I was not what you’d refer to as “athletic” in the slightest. Also, I was more likely to cause the fires than prevent them.

A fun little story for you: I decided to make bread once, I can’t remember how old I was, maybe around 10 or so, anyway, the instructions said to place a tea towel over the dough as it was rising in the tin. What the instructions did not say, however, was to remove said tea towel when you then put the dough in the oven to bake. Now, anyone with a shred of common sense would’ve been able to fill in the gaps… but I was not anyone. Luckily my dad saw what was happening before the tea towel caught alight. I also grilled a cake once. Surprisingly enough, I never had any desire to become a pastry chef.

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write?
Tea. Always tea. Though I’ve had to switch to decaf now. I was drinking so much tea that the caffeine was giving me heart palpitations. Some might say that when you reach double digits your tea consumption has become obsessive, but I like to think I’m being patriotic. It’s the law to drink tea if you live in the UK*.  *This may not be entirely true.

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author?
Write. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just write. You can edit a mess, you can’t edit a blank page.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter?
Oh, I’m definitely a plotter. I need to know what’s going on. I outline my books, in fact the outline for The Laughing Policeman was about 22k words. I don’t always stick to an outline religiously, but it really helps to stop me from stalling. I liken it to a map, if I know the rough route I want to take from point A to point B it doesn’t matter if there are a few detours along the way because I know I’ll get there.

From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans?
Beans. I only discovered that chili wasn’t supposed to have beans because of Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory. I can’t be the only one, right?

•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why?
Oooooh, that’s a tough one. It’s a toss up between Wolverine and Deadpool. I’ll go with Wolverine. He was my favourite when I was a child.

I love an anti-hero. And whether you want to admit it or not, Wolverine is an anti-hero. A lone wolf, known for brutal tactics, but with a big heart? “I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn't very nice.” I mean, come on, you’ve got to admit he’s pretty cool.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel?
Marvel. Obviously. Do I really need a reason? It’s Marvel!

•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you?
This is a nice question—yes, I know how that sounds—but it’s made me realise how many people I’ve got that I could depend on in a body-hiding situation. I won’t incriminate them here, but they know who they are.

•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower?
Hmm… usually whatever I’ve had to watch on repeat with my son. At the moment he’s going through a bit of an Encanto phase. So probably: We Don’t Talk About Bruno. Bet that’s stuck in your head too now isn’t it? You’re welcome.

•    What animal would you be and why?
Are we talking real animal or does it include mythological animals too? Because if it does, the answer is werewolf. No hesitation. But I’d have to be able to control when I shift, none of this controlled by the phases of the moon nonsense.

•    If you were stranded on a deserted island with all your human needs taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
A fully stocked Kindle with an unlimited battery supply and a really good pillow. I might be showing my age here, but why is it so hard to find a decent pillow? Is it too much to ask for to be able to wake up in the morning without a sore neck or back? *Descends into a muttering rant*

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)?
I’m working on the sequel novella to The Foundling.
If you haven’t read The Foundling, here’s the blurb:

All Edmund wants is a family. But the darkness inside him wants his life.
Being a cursed and sickly boy in eighteenth century England isn’t easy. So when Edmund Brownlow’s father abandons him outside a hospital for orphaned and unwanted children, the boy doesn’t think things can get worse.

As the newest foundling at the hospital however, Edmund is fresh meat, and nothing attracts predators faster than easy prey. When a scrap with an older boy leaves Edmund fighting for his life, his days look numbered. But when he makes a full recovery, it comes as a shock to everyone, including the mysterious doctor, ‘Black Barrow’.
Tormented by the bullies who use his only friend against him, Edmund is pushed to the edge. It’s then a dark power rises inside him—something that’s of interest to Barrow and that could cost Edmund dearly.

Now Edmund has a choice to make. Will he embrace his full potential and turn his back on real friendship, or will he deny what he truly is for the chance at a normal life?

Shameless plug time, you can download a free copy of The Foundling by subscribing to my monthly newsletter on my website https://elizabethjbrown.com

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on?
Darkness. I have a thing about artificial lights anyway, they give me a headache after a while, so I usually watch the TV in the dark given the choice. Plus, complete darkness helps to immerse you into the story. And saves on electricity. Win-win. Yes, I know, I’m old…

•    Cats or dogs?
Dogs. Not that I have anything against cats, they’re just not dogs. And dogs are awesome.

•    Who would you stalk?
I’m too lazy to stalk anyone. Anyway, isn’t that what they invented social media for? Sofa-stalking, is that a thing?

•    What inspired you to start writing?
Reading. I think most authors are avid readers. You fall in love with words, with stories, and you want to create your own characters and worlds. They live inside your head, taking on a life of their own until you’ve got no choice but to write it all down.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Non school assignment story? I can’t remember honestly, but it would’ve been some time in primary school. When I was collecting The Animals of Farthing Wood comics. I tried to create my own version of those stories, talking animals going on some grand adventure. They never got beyond a few pages, but I still enjoyed writing.

•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote?
When I was a teenager my English teacher would give us assignments to complete over the holidays. Being a fan of all things spooky, my stories were always horror based. Werewolves, vampires, that kind of thing. So one day I hand in my work. I can’t remember the story exactly, but it revolved around a party at a mansion in which rival werewolves and vampires were in attendance. Anyway, a couple of days later I get asked to wait behind after the lesson. My English teacher then proceeds to grill me on my story, asking me what particular words meant, asking me where I got the idea for certain metaphors. Turns out she thought I’d plagarised it. After answering all the questions to her satisfaction she eventually apologised. I told my mum about it when I got home and she wrote a letter to the school… and brought it up at parents’ evening. Just what every teenager wants!

Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled about it at the time, but thinking back on it now it was pretty complimentary really.

•    Who is your current favorite author?
Terry Pratchett.
For a while, during my school years, the fact that I was being forced to read things as part of the curriculum that I had no interest in put me off reading for a while. Terry Pratchett, specifically Hogfather, rekindled my love of reading. The Discworld series is one of my all-time favourites.

•    What is your favorite genre?
Here’s where I get ostracised from the horror community… it’s fantasy. Fantasy is what ignited my passion for reading and writing. But Terry Pratchett and Brandon Sanderson aside, the fantasy I usually read is dark, brutal and definitely horror adjacent. The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence are just superb.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good horror book, but fantasy will always have a special place in my heart.

•    Favorite horror movie?
Cabin In The Woods. It’s hilarious. The scene with the merman? Chef’s kiss. I really enjoy the way it plays with horror conventions. If you haven’t seen it, I 100% recommend it. It’s got a unicorn and everything.

•    Favorite book of all time?
Urgh. Why are you making these questions so hard? I’m going to say Hogfather. It’s one of the few books I’ve read multiple times. It’s definitely my comfort blanket of a book.

•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate?
Chocolate. Chocolate! CHOCOLATE!!! If you couldn’t tell, I like chocolate.

•    Pizza - pineapple or definitely never on a pizza?
Pineapple for the win. Despite the line in The Laughing Policeman, I’m actually a huge fan of pineapple on pizza. Ever wonder why they still make Hawaiian pizzas? Yeah, that’s me. I’m the one who’s ordering them.

•    What’s your favorite band?
I’m not sure I have a favourite band. My favourite singer was probably Chris Cornell, but I much preferred him solo than with Soundgarden or Audioslave. He had such a wonderful voice!

Band-wise, I definitely lean more towards rock. Biffy Clyro, Muse, Mumford and Sons, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park… I like a fair few metal bands as well. To be honest, I’d listen to almost anything.

From BOH reader Derek T.
•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror?
Coming into writing as a fantasy reader, I don’t really have a particular horror author that I can credit for wanting to write horror. I watched a lot of horror though. My favourite film as a child (and I’m talking 5 or 6) was Gremlins. I think that probably explains a lot of why I turned out the way I did. I can even remember sneaking downstairs and hiding behind the sofa just so that I could watch the horror film my parents had on the television, Pulse I think it was – the 1988 version.

It’s no surprise I fell into writing horror. I’ve always been fascinated by monsters and villains, and my sense of humour is dark. I was never going to be the author of anything light and fluffy. Flawed characters. Anti-heroes. Cryptids. That’s me all over. Plus a little gore thrown in for good measure.

•    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that.
I have to write in silence. If the music has lyrics I get distracted and start listening to them instead. Maybe I should give classical music a go.

•    Skittles or Starburst?
Chocolate. Strangely enough I’m not too fussed about sweets, but chocolate… If it weren’t for the groaning protests of the waistband on my jeans, I’d eat chocolate all day long.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss.
I’m from the UK, so I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to enter a discussion about Rhode Island… But for your entertainment, here are a few of our funniest road names:
Sandy Balls, Hampshire
Scratchy Bottom, Dorset
Crotch Crescent, Oxford
Fanny Hands Lane, Lincolnshire
Cockermouth, Cumbria
Bell End, Worcestershire
The Knob, Northamptonshire
Fanny Avenue, Derbyshire
Butt Hill Road, South Yorkshire
Backside Lane, Oxfordshire

•    How do you feel about pants?
I like plants. Can’t keep them alive for toffee, but I like them. Let’s just put it this way, if we’re comparing casualties between the plants in my house and the characters in my books, the plants take it by a mile.
Now I’ve re-read it, I realise the question was about pants… not plants. I also like pants. We call them trousers this side of the pond, over here pants are underwear.

•    Dogs, cats or ferrets?
Dogs.

•    Mountains or beach?
Mountains. The beach just doesn’t do it for me. I’m quietly confident I’m part vampire.
Dark hair – check.
Pale skin – check.
Burns in the sun – check.
See, part vampire. Not beach compatible.

•    Do you eat supper or dinner?
Dinner.

•    Favorite ice cream?
Mint chocolate chip.

•    Your favorite thing on French fries?
Vinegar.

From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    What’s something you want to learn/ get better at?
I’d really love to learn a new language. My brother lives in Japan, so I think that’d be a good one to start with.

•    Is there anything you don't eat?
Brussel sprouts. Bleurgh! When I was little my parents tried to get me to eat them by telling me they were baby cabbages. They. Are. Not. Baby. Cabbages.

•    Know Any Good Jokes?
No. But I like this one: What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot!
Sorry… I’ll let myself out…

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be?
The ability to pause time. Think of how much stuff you could get done if you had all the time in the world. I’d be able to write everything and anything that pops into my head without having to worry about deadlines. Maybe I’d even be able to get through my TBR pile? Probably not, but I’d be able to make a dent in it.

•    What were you like as a child?
Feral. As a child I was feral. Apparently my parents didn’t want to stifle my creativity with discipline (a technique they chose not to adopt with my brother for some reason…), so there are lots of interesting stories about me as a child. Including the fact that I got banned from ballet. Twice.

Thank you so much Elizabeth for stopping in and sharing! 💕 

Be sure to check out her stories or interact with her here: 

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Last giveaway drawing for the 2023, comment to enter or use this FORM.

 

 

Oh what treasures we will find at Mia Dalia's Estate Sale! 😍

Mia Dalia is an internationally published author, a lifelong reader, and a longtime reviewer of all things fantastic, thrilling, scary, and strange. Her short fiction has been published by online by Night Terror Novels, 50-word stories, Flash Fiction Magazine, Pyre Magazine, Tales from the Moonlit Path and in print anthologies by Sunbury Press, HellBound Press, Black Ink Fiction, Dragon Roost Press, Unsettling Reads, Moon, Anthology of Lunar Horror, Phobica Books, Psycho Toxin Press, Wandering Wave Press, Bullet Points vol. 3, Critical Blast, and DraculaBeyondStoker Magazine. Her fiction will be featured in the upcoming anthologies by Nightshade Press, Off-Topic Publishing, Exploding Head Press, Sinister Smile Press, and Crystal Lake Publishing.

Mia’s Noir tales have been published by Mystery Magazine and Bang! Noir Anthology from Headshot Press. Her short fiction has been featured by narrative podcasts such as Zoetic Press' Alphanumeric and Tales to Terrify.

Mia's novelettes, Smile So Red , Spindel, and The Trunk, are available on Amazon.
She has released two novellas with PsychoToxin Press: Tell Me a Story and Discordant.
Her debut novel, Estate Sale, was published in April of 2023 to rave reviews.
She makes her science fiction debut with a novella, Arrakoth, in the summer of 2024.
Her second novel, Haven, will be released by CamCat books in the fall of 2024.

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The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read?  my  couch, beneath a giant thinking gorilla art.

•    What did you want to be when you grew up?  famous

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write?  my glasses

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author?  Don’t stop. Actively solicit and carefully process criticism. And read, read, read!

•    Are you a pantser or plotter?  Pantser. All the way!

From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans?     beans

•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why?   Superman.  Because he can be anything, but he makes a choice to be good.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel? DC Vertigo, actually, who produced some of my favorite comics of all time.

•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you?  I think hiding bodies is a one-person job.

•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower? I don’t belt, I hum. The tune changes.

•    What animal would you be and why? Some kind of a monkey, I suppose. I need those opposable thumbs.

•    If you were stranded on a deserted island with all your human needs taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you? My Kindle and my ukulele.

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)? Just finished a novel. Might focus on putting out a collection right now.

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on? Complete darkness. Always.

•    Who would you stalk? That doesn’t seem like the sort of thing to announce publicly.

•    What inspired you to start writing?  The stories came into my mind and wouldn’t leave. My wife insisted I write them down. I never  stopped.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story? The cobwebs of time have obscured that information.

•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote?  I couldn’t possibly choose. I love them all.
•    Who is your current favorite author? I have too many, I read too broadly.

•    What is your favorite genre? I would say literature, with speculative overtones.

•    Favorite horror movie?  Candyman. The original.

•    Favorite book of all time? Tough call. Let’s say, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla? I’m not much of a cake person.

•    Pizza - pineapple or definitely never on a pizza? Firm yes to pineapple.

•    What’s your favorite band? It changes, changes, changes all the time.

From BOH reader Derek T.
•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror? Neil Gaiman was pretty instrumental in inspiring me as a storyteller in general. Richard Masterton and Jack Ketchum informed a lot of my short story writing.

•    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that. Complete silence is always good.

•    Skittles or Starburst? neither

•    Do you read or write anything that's not horror? All the time, actually.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss.  Not much to add. But Providence is rather nice.

•    How do you feel about pants?  I’m a fan.
•    Dogs, cats or ferrets?   Dogs.
•    Mountains or beach?   Beach.
•    What's your favorite taco?  The one my wife makes.
•    Would you go to space?  Not voluntarily.
•    Do you eat supper or dinner? Supper.
•    Favorite ice cream?  n/a
•    Were you a good student? Very.
•    Who was your childhood crush?  Who can remember?
•    Your favorite thing on French fries? Ketchup.

 

From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    What’s something you want to learn/ get better at?  More languages.

•    Why did you decide you wanted to be an author?  It wasn’t much of a choice. Or rather, it chose me, and I didn’t stop it.

•    Is there anything you don't eat?  Flesh.

•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?  I think wishes are a profoundly private matter.

•    If you could have 1 hour to sit down with anyone and talk? Who would it be and what would you talk about?  I wouldn’t mind picking Neil Gaiman’s brain. Or Neil deGrasse Tyson’s. One of the Neils.

•    What makes you unique?  My brilliance and utter absence of modesty?

•    What's something about you that no one else knows?  It’s that thing I intend to keep a secret.

•    Know Any Good Jokes? Lots.

•    What’s Something That Bugs You?  Willful stupidity.

•    What’s the Most Embarrassing Thing You Can Remember That’s Happened to You? This is all so terribly personal. Um … pass.

•    What’s Your Favorite Place on Earth?  The ocean. Any ocean.

•    Who Are the Special People in Your Life?  My wife.

•    What’s Something You’re Proud of?  My work.

•    If your life were a movie who would play you?  Ha. No idea. I’d be curious who’d they cast.

•    If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?  A superhero.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be?  Immortality.

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now?  Survive. At all costs.

•    What were you like as a child?  Smart. Well read. Mature.

Thank Mia for stopping in and sharing your answers to the tough questions! 💕

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Erin Banks talking About Rage

Erin Banks is an autistic Northern German-born author with Scandinavian and American roots, who started her writing career on CrimePiper, a blog about True Crime and Psychology.

She wrote the female serial killer Horror Thriller “ABOUT RAGE,” the True Crime book “Ted Bundy: Examining The Unconfirmed Survivors,” and has contributed to several other authors’ works in different genres, such as Horror, True Crime, Fantasy, Poetry and Mental Health. She will be featured in several more authors’ books in the near future and is working on the sequel to her debut novel.

Together with Peter Douglas, she also wrote and composed a soundtrack for ABOUT RAGE, which can be accessed via Spotify, YouTube and most other platforms.

Website   Instagram  Facebook   TED BUNDY  ABOUT RAGE

ABOUT RAGE is the story of the journey and inner workings of vicious female serial killer Emily Sand. It bridges the gap between action-laden, fast-paced psychological Horror Thriller and exploration of questions revolving around morality, humanity and accountability in relation to killers, drawing parallels to infamous True Crime cases, such as Ted Bundy's.

Who is the protagonist and who the antagonist in this tale? Should we trust the unreliable narrator - the killer - or the stranger with shadowy motives who suddenly appears in her life? Is he watching, or watching over her?

Emily soon not only finds herself in the ever-present company of her "secret weapon" - the Rider, who resides in the bottomless pit that once replaced her soul - but of those she had never dared hope she could share her true self with, amongst them a therapist. Can she trust them though? The more Emily discovers about the betrayals of her past and present, the more she realizes she must battle a seemingly omnipotent enemy.

Enjoy the soundtrack for ABOUT RAGE on Spotify, YouTube, and most other available platforms (written and composed by Peter Douglas and Erin Banks).

EXCERPT:

ABOUT RAGE. Excerpt from chapter 5, “The Marriage Of Passion And Pain.”
ISBN: 979-8359985482; 333 pages, publication date: October 24, 2022

“…The girls are still sobbing hysterically, each of them comically holding on to their own torsos. They’re a few feet apart, glancing back and forth between each other and the knife on the ground.
“I won't do it.” Grace pants. “I can't kill my friend.”
Charity’s swollen eyes cannot hide the calculation flaring up in them, a split second before she scrambles to pick up the blade. Called it.
Our finger finds another button on the console in front of us, and a portion of the wide wooden cabinet slowly opens. As it reveals its contents to the corpse-brides-to-be, they gasp in unison. We take their reaction as a compliment. It really is an extraordinarily neatly arranged array of torture instruments.
Eyeing each other suspiciously, the girls’ sobs come less frequently now. We planted the seed of distrust between them. They will water it themselves.
“C-can I just get a hug?” Grace hiccups eventually. Is that her ploy? – Should Charity agree, will Grace reach for the closest knife at hand from the kill cabinet behind her and literally stab her friend in the back? Charity looks as though she were pondering the same thing. Finally though, her shoulders slouch, the blade clutters to the ground. “I can't do it. I know I can be…but I’m just not...”
“Then...let's not do this,” Grace concludes with relief. “Let's be in this together. As sisters. Chances are she's going to kill me or you anyway if one of us kills the other. We stand a better chance if we work together.”
Ah. The bargaining stage.
Charity steps around her friend, closer to the two way mirror. “You hear that, you sick freak? We won't do it!” she shouts.
Well, this is regrettable. We watched someone starve to death in one of our other kill rooms before but it’s a slow and mostly boring process, during which you have to supply the victim with water to make sure they’ll wither over a few weeks, rather than days. And we’re really just not feeling it right now with these two.
We sigh and heave ourself out of the chair, biting down on our lip as the pain shoots through our hip. Our narrow pelvis bone, once broken in two places, reminds us of how far we have come in life. It’s still tying Emily to her past, cautioning both of us to never forget where the Rider had come from, and that vulnerability is only ever a lack of preparation, the consequence of a lazily trustful mind.
We yank out a gun from underneath the console, quickly checking the safety, and enter the tunnel.

Their cries swell to a chorus as Charity is forced to strip for us, before being tied to the chair sitting atop the hole, the basement below the basement. In a flash of genius, we realized what to use her clothes for later on, and neatly fold them up, placing them in the far corner of the tunnel, lest they get sullied.
Our own heart, relentless and quick like a tribal drum, provides the beat to this exquisite soundtrack of terror. It is spiraling down, down, down between our legs, to a pit just as vicious and voracious as the Rider’s.
The stainless steel knife handle is smooth and cool in our hand when we pick it up. It's an average WMF butcher knife that Emily once bought on the recommendation of a church friend. The Germans are experts at crafting long-lasting quality tools for cooking and killing, indeed.
We can’t but close our eyes in reverence, because we remember so vividly the things this knife has done for us. Yes, this knife has sliced, cut and fucked large red holes into already bent and broken bodies. We’ve pleasured ourself with the bloody handle too. For the record, Emily is averse to swearing, but the Rider has his own will and life, and once we are one, there’s no accounting for any bad language.
Quickly, we trace the knife across Charity’s cheek. For a moment, there's nothing but an empty gash. Blood can be awfully shy. But once it starts pushing through the wound, Grace cries, “Oh!” before burying her face in her hands.
“Oh!” we imitate her hoarsely, adding, “Will you look at that!”
Charity seems yet too perplexed to dare utter a sound. Her eyes are turned inward, as if trying to determine how severe the wound is by focusing on the sensation of the steady flow of blood oozing from it.
“We want you to watch this, Grace.”
“Who is she talking about?!” Charity gulps, her eyes darting back and forth between us and Grace.
“I-I don’t know, maybe she’s psychotic,” Grace whimpers. Now, that’s a big word for a community college mattress, kudos!
“Grace,” we laugh softly. “If you keep looking away, you won’t get the chance to save her anymore.”
“What do you want me to do in order to save her?”
A sly smile lifts our cheeks. “But we already told you. The only way to save her is to kill her.”
To emphasize the meaning of our words, we hook a finger into the side of Charity’s mouth. One swift cut and her face is beautified by half a Glasgow smile. This time, with her senses heightened, body on high alert due to the earlier knife attack, Charity feels the pain at once. She's screaming at the top of her lungs, which gives us the opportunity to slash at the other corner of her mouth to complete the Glasgow smile. Her mouth is a gaping red hole. She looks like a creature from the Predator movies.
“What is wrong with you?! Why are you like this!” Grace howls while Charity's eyes are rolling back in her sockets, head bobbing back and forth in an attempt not to faint.
We grab her limp cheek flesh between two fingers, wiggling it back and forth a bit, eliciting more low pitched groans from Charity. “It's like she's a ventriloquist's dummy!” In a mock male voice we continue, “E.T. phone home,” before bursting into a happy laughter.
“You're insane... you're insane...” Grace whispers to herself.
We understand. Humans do that. They call others names in order to elevate and separate themselves from them. She’s trying to confirm that she is still sane after witnessing what she has.
“Come here.” Just as we wonder whether it is fear or courage prompting her to take a few hesitant steps in our direction, we smell the urine before we see it. There’s our answer. The bitterness of it mingles with the metallic stench of fresh blood.
We pull her into us by her belt, wrapping our arms around her midsection, one bloody finger pressed to her quivering lips.
“Lick it off,” we whisper in her ear as our lips brush against her soft skin. We enjoy that it erupts in goosebumps too, little flesh bubbles of fear made corporeal.
“No,” Grace bawls, her head almost violently falling onto our shoulder. An act of passive rebellion.
“She's counting on you to save her.”
Her jaw unclenches, accepting our offering. “That's it, let us in,” we whisper, resting our forehead against her cheek. Naturally, she gags once the blood hits her taste buds.
We pout at her. “It’s an acquired taste. Do you know what that means?”
She’s confused, shakes her head.
“It means you can acquire that taste if you try. Close your eyes.”
Upon her doing so, we kiss her. It takes a few whispered promises in between until we finally feel her respond to our kisses. Her eyes close, she relaxes, even if only slightly. She is in the moment. That is the vulnerability, the level of trust, we needed from her.
“We’re going to rape you now,” we smile tenderly, our face inches from hers. Let the words sink in. We can tell the message doesn’t immediately compute in her brain, takes even longer to reach her heart.
“You’re a woman, you can't rape me,” she sputters. Her voice is just a tad more high-pitched on the last word, revealing her uncertainty as much as her words reveal her unoriginality.

We don’t know how many hours we spend with Grace and her friend in the tunnel. At the end of it all, we lie in pools of coagulated blood on the floor, whose coldness we barely feel in our state of overheated exhaustion from pleasure.
We cannot form a coherent thought, struggle to remember the correct order of events that unfolded, and just let go, allowing individual, unfiltered images to wash over us.
Charity’s breast leaking a gel-like substance after we’d retracted the knife. Silicone. A novum for us, and another memory to call upon whenever we’d need a good laugh.
Another flash of Grace’s head between a dead Charity’s legs, obeying our orders.
A corpse’s fingers inside us, a flash of bright light before our eyes when the Rider climaxes.
And another. Grace screaming, “Why are you killing us?”
It was that particular wording that made us look up at her. Her having accepted her fate. We’re not going to lie, we had hoped that she might have something poignant to offer when we asked her, “Why not?”
Expectations are fertile ground to disappointment, thus resentment. And so her frantic ramblings only served to enrage us further.
“You can't play God like this.”
“Why not?”
“It's just wrong,” Grace had whimpered.
“Why? Is a lion wrong for slaying a gazelle?”
“The lion doesn’t enjoy this!”
We had chuckled then. “Yes, they do. Seals rape baby otters to death. Cats play mice to death and leave them to rot, undevoured.”
“But,” Grace had scrambled to argue, “but why do I have to be the gazelle?”
“Because you are not the one who lured us to your abode today with the intent of killing us. Because you did not even entertain the idea of throwing any of the knives or other weapons from the cabinet at us as soon as we stepped inside this room.”
“Oh my God, oh my God, please save me,” she had feebly cried.
“What God are you calling upon?” we’d asked. “Odin convinced one of his followers to tie his daughter, Rindr, to her bed so he could rape her. The Biblical god murdered the entire world with a flood. Gods have demanded blood sacrifices, abortion, stoning, hanging, incest. Have you not read the so-called holy books? Gods are monsters. I see none of them stepping down from their divine thrones to stop us. It would appear they are either not powerful enough to do so or applaud us. Were we not created in their image, after all?”
She’d started murmuring something to herself. A prayer? We’d approached her to spy on her most private conversation between her and her delusion of an invisible friend.
Only, she had murmured, “Mommy, mommy, I’m coming” over and over. We understood. Still asked. “Is your mother dead?”
“She’s an angel,” Grace had whispered, an otherworldly, far too peaceful smile on her face.
“What did your mommy die of?” We’d asked in mock concern.
“She died of cancer,” she simply breathed, no tears following that statement. That had irked us even more, the audacity of depriving us of her passion in that way.
“So you watched her suffer. Possibly over multiple years. You’re cruel, Grace.”
Grace’s objection came in a whisper. “No. No, I was never cruel. I never would have harmed my mother in any way. I wanted her suffering to end.”
We had her.
“And if you look at your friend here now? Knowing that in just mere seconds we will ram this knife up her vaginal cavity, does that make you want to save her? Or will you let her die like you let your mother die?”
Her eyes went blank. She was ready.
The first stab had accidentally punctured Charity’s lung, prompting her to spew up blood. She was drowning in her own human life juices, an irony we much appreciated. For we all do not live but die our lives.
But rather than shrink away, Grace had put her foot onto the seat of the chair between Charity’s legs, pulling the blade out of her friend's breast plate with such vigor that it trembled like a leaf of grass in the wind. Stabbing, stabbing again, as Charity kept spitting blood. Despair had given way to rage when Grace roared, “Why won’t you die already, die! Die!”
Now she was starting to understand…” 

The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read? In bed. 

•    What did you want to be when you grew up? 

When I was little I wanted to be a Comanche warrior, and a few other curious things such as Buddhist nun, but from my teen years onward I wanted to be a writer.

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write? My glasses.

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author?

Find your own routine. Most authors I know do struggle with mental health, and many struggle with substance use or abuse to whatever degree. We’re artists, we’re all insane in our own way. I’ve said this in other interviews, as an autistic person with other co-morbidities, I can’t always write every single day and being forced to do so would end in nothing but meltdowns. Other authors, regardless of how big, don’t live with your brain, they don’t know or live your life, and don’t write your stories, so they don’t get to have a say in how you run the show. Learn what you need so as to be an effective writer, and of course that can include experimenting with other people’s suggestions. But trust yourself over anyone else.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter?

I’m more of a pantser. The characters write the story, for the most part, I am the one who fills in the gaps, so there will be some plotting in that sense. They show me a scene, and it’s for me to work out how to get there. I already know how ABOUT REVENGE ends, and have caught a few glimpses into future chapters and events, but only when I sit down and go into this strange writing trance can I suddenly combine it all.
I think it’s fantastic when people can plot, it’s an incredible talent and gift to have. What instantly makes me dislike someone is when they are being arrogant about it. I recently stumbled across a Fantasy author’s lengthy post about the “myth of writer’s block,” which was filled with condemnation and hyperbole. I didn’t read more than a few sentences of it, as I have no time for close-minded people. I wish them the best and never engage again. 

From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why?

I’m always more interested in the villains and their motives. The villain is the hero of the other side, they say, right?

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel?

I don’t really watch superhero movies. I watched Antman because I think Corey Stoll plays a fantastic villain, and I always pictured him playing Rob (a character in my novel) when I fantasized about what an ABOUT RAGE movie would look like.

•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you?

That’d be a rookie mistake. No calls, no texts, no taking your cell phone with you when hiding the body, no traces.

•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower?

I don’t sing in the shower, but my characters often talk to me in the shower, showing me the next few scenes, or any random future scene I’ll somehow have to connect to prior story lines.

•    What animal would you be and why?

A honey badger. They’re ferocious, fearless, resourceful, and relentless. They’re complete monsters.

•    If you were stranded on a deserted island with all your human needs taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

A boat and a book on how to navigate that thing. I love my alone time but I also love people; a deserted island wouldn’t be to my liking.

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)?

A horror short story for an anthology, a horror novella for another anthology, and ABOUT REVENGE, the sequel to ABOUT RAGE. I’m also always writing poems on the side, as the mood strikes, for “About Rage – The Poetry” that will be published together with the third and last book, probably in 2025.

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on?

Lights out for mundane horror movies (serial killer-related, for instance), and full daylight for any supernatural ones, which I rarely watch.

•    Who would you stalk?

I surmise you can say I stalked people in relation to the True Crime cases I study. So I found some rarer photos and information about investigators, judges, victims – to breathe life into their stories as people rather than just victims. I’ve also looked into their and the offenders’ families. It gives one a different and more complete outlook on these cases, makes them feel more real, in a way. Of course I never publicize anything personal of what I find on living people, in order to keep them safe from harassment, which is a large issue in True Crime.
With our CrimePiper blog we had to counter-stalk the stalkers, as we faced cyber-attacks, doxxing, and so forth, by people disagreeing with our work and views. I had character assassination reviews of my books written in the name of my late father, and even under my maiden name by these people, and it took a long time to remove most of them. They even had my Erin Banks Writer blog indexed by Google as a malware site. This all kept on happening after I left True Crime to focus on Horror and other fiction writing, so they are quite relentless.

•    What inspired you to start writing?

My dad always encouraged me to write and be creative in any way. I blogged because I was never sure enough of myself as a non-native speaker to try and publish books. But when my friend Kevin M. Sullivan, who is the top Ted Bundy author worldwide, asked me to write a chapter for his sixth book on the case, it gave me the courage to write my first book.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story?

Six. I still have one illustrated story I wrote for my parents when I was nine years old, which was surprisingly elaborate. It’s quite hilarious and very naïve, but it had some adventure and horror elements to it already, so perhaps it’s not surprising I ended up in Horror after all.

•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote?

I think ABOUT RAGE will always remain my favorite book, just because there is so much of me and my life – albeit in metaphors – in it as well as its characters. It was a type of therapy to write this novel, and helped me to process some difficult events in my life, such as the death of my father, the assault I survived, and other, more interpersonal things.
My favorite short story is probably “The Goat Maiden,” as it only happened because of a meme of a taxidermied goat in a frilly dress that I sent to a group chat I’m in. We joked around about it, and I said that would make for a great Horror story. And immediately, a scene popped into my head, so I knew it had to be written. Christopher Pelton of PsychoToxin Press published it in his summer anthology “Crazy From The Heat.”

•    Favorite horror movie?

The House That Jack Built.

•    Favorite book of all time?

I mentioned Jane Eyre in so many other interviews, so I’ll give you a newer favorite of mine, “Bones and All” by Camille DeAngelis. They turned it into a movie as well, but the way DeAngelis describes this insane need, this compulsion to eat human flesh, to kill, is extremely realistic.

•    Favorite Band?

I’m more an individual song kind of person, but I like a lot of what Mark Lanegan has done.

From BOH reader Derek T.
•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror?

I skidded into Horror by pure accident, to be honest. I didn’t read much Horror until last year, and never thought that my (unpublished) short stories qualified because they were mostly not very gory, and hardly ever supernatural. I wasn’t aware of what a versatile genre Horror was. People that have been inspiring me in the last year are Ronald McGillvray, Angel VanAtta, Guy Quintero, Justin Boote and Dr. Stuart Knott.

•    How do you feel about pants?

Fortunately, I live and work at home, so I hardly ever wear any. So far, I have at least remembered to put them on when leaving the house. Fingers crossed.

•    Were you a good student?

As an undiagnosed autistic kid, I didn’t have the help I would have needed. So I excelled in some classes – languages, art, ethics, religion – and failed miserably in others, to the extent my teachers and parents thought I was trying to rebel and deliberately failing. They didn’t understand what special interests and “island talents,” as we call them here, are.

•    Who was your childhood crush?

I was crushing hard on Gary Oldman and Jennifer Tilly.

 

From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    Is there anything you don't eat?

Babies. Now, that’s a step too far, even for me.

•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?

This is where I’m supposed to say world peace, right? I won’t even lie, I’m too self-serving for that. I’d want five million dollars, tax-free, a US visa so I could live in Washington State, and lifelong health so I can write as long as possible.

•    If you could have 1 hour to sit down with anyone and talk? Who would it be and what would you talk about?

I’d love to talk to my dad again and share with him all my writing and how far I’ve come in only two years’ time. He didn’t live to see me publish.
I guess a cooler answer would have been something like the Zodiac Killer, just so I would learn and be able to share his identity with the world.

•    What makes you unique?

I’m radically non-judgmental. I think it’s a lost art to be able to entertain a thought or theory without judgment these days but also accept people’s experiences, lifestyles and viewpoints. Having conversed with serial killers and being the go-to person for friends and strangers alike, I have heard things that you’d probably only read in Horror or True Crime books. I hear a lot of tragedy, abuse, violence, misdeeds, moral dilemmas all day long. I can compartmentalize like hardly anyone else and that allows me to remain calm and be solution-oriented.

•    What's something about you that no one else knows?

I accidentally helped start a cult when I was 19. It’s extremely small but still active, and no, I was never a member. It was a thought experiment on a drunken weekend in Sweden that someone actually wrote a book about and implemented.

•    What’s Something You Want to Learn or Wish You Were Better At?

My best friend is trying very hard to teach me patience and foresight. I’m a slow learner, which only serves to illustrate her only level of patience, really.

•    Know Any Good Jokes?

I don’t know many jokes, but I like learning new things. Recently, I learned about kois. They travel in packs of four. If attacked, koi a, b, and c will scatter, leaving only the d koi.
And if you didn’t get that joke, here’s an easier one: What kind of Doctor is Dr. Pepper? - A Fizzician!

•    What’s Something That Bugs You?

People thinking their opinion has any value when the facts clearly negate it.

•    What’s the Most Embarrassing Thing You Can Remember That’s Happened to You?

I recently had another assessment related to my autism. The interviewer asked about my insomnia, what I do to help me relax enough to sleep, and, thoughtlessly, I replied, “I don’t think you want to know.” He and my caregiver laughed uncomfortably, and it took me a few seconds to understand why. Mortified, I spat out, “No! I don’t mean THAT. I mean I listen to Ted Bundy confession tapes because the monotone voice makes me sleepy.” Silence. That was probably worse than what they had imagined, which apparently was a bit naughty. Autism is a doozy, I tell ya.

•    Who Are the Special People in Your Life?

Oh, that’s a difficult one. Everyone who taught me something about myself, themselves, life and people is special to me in some way. Even the people who hurt me or whom I hurt because of incompatibility or misunderstandings, for instance. I see everything as an opportunity to learn from, a building block for happiness.
I’m also grateful to everyone who has ever helped me or shown me kindness, these are things I remember and always try to repay.
Of course my friends are all very special to me, and none is more special than both my best friend and my favorite guy friend who, if he doesn’t make me laugh like a lunatic, puts a smile on my face every day. I love them both very much.

•    What’s Something You’re Proud of?

My cognitive empathy.

•    If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?

Emily Sand from ABOUT RAGE. I would just love to look into Rob’s crazed blue eyes in person, and feel the inexplicable and magical connection between these two characters.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be?

Teleportation. I think we already talked about my being self-serving, so I’ll leave it at that, lol.

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now?

I have a bug-out bag, weapons, food supplies, I know how to set up traps and clean water, and I know myself enough that I could slip into survival mode and be absolutely ruthless in order to make it to whatever the real world equivalent of The Walking Dead’s Alexandria Safe Zone would be.

•    What were you like as a child?

Soft. Very soft, gentle, shy and considerate. She wasn’t built for this world, but I sure am.

Thank you Erin for stopping in and sharing your intriguing excerpt and answers to the questions. 💕 

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