Monday, May 29, 2023

Dangerous Beginnings Release Party! 🥳

 

Gratitude...

I want to thank the Admins at ANYTHING GOES WITH A BOOK (on Facebook) for their amazing hospitality and having us crash their group to share the release of my short story. It was AMAZING and I appreciate you so much! <3 Thank you JJ, Sam, Danielle and Colin!

Thank you to my party planner extraordinaire Angelina Kerner for doing the planning and all the awesome posts for the party!! Thank you!! 💕 

And, to the amazing authors who came to support my release THANK YOU!! You guys Rocked it and are greatly appreciated!! Go Check out their amazing stories Shared in order of the party times listed in the image above. And please feel free to troll my blog to find a few of them and their posts on here. 💕

Angelina Kerner   All The Sites  Smoke Screens & Butterflies   


 Gage Greenwood  Website  Bunker Dogs 


CJ Landry aka Lara Brossi   All the Links   The Black Wolf

 

A.K. Hughey  Website & Newsletter   Desecrate The Darkness 

 

Kayla Krantz  Website   Flirting With Death

 

HK Christie   Website   What She Left


 Jim Ody   Amazon   The Last Weekend


Sara Ennis   All The Links   The Dollhouse


Renee Lake   All The Links    Blood Born


T. Elizabeth Guthrie   Website   Crossbreed


Kate DeJonge   Website   Soup


Jay Bower   Website   Cadaverous


Megan Stockton   Website   Bluejay


AnnaMarie Gardner   All The Sites      Soul Retrieval


John Durgin   Website   Inside The Devil's Nest


Fallon Raynes   All The Links    Dangerous Beginnings (short)

THANK YOU EVERYONE For coming to the party! 🎉

 Comment on this post to enter this month's giveaway or use the FORM.

Friday, May 26, 2023

Nick Roberts Haunts my Mind..

 

As an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association, I've written two other novels, a short story collection, and hold a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Anathema won Debut Novel of the Year at the 2020-2021 Horror Authors Guild Awards. My second novel, The Exorcist's House, is Crystal Lake Publishing's best-selling novel to date and made the Preliminary Ballot for the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards. The film rights for both books were acquired in 2022. I have two upcoming projects with Crystal Lake Publishing: a short story collection, It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories (June 16, 2023), and The Exorcist's House: Genesis (mid-2024).

Last June, I moved from West Virginia to South Carolina with my wife and three children. I'm an English teacher by day, writer by night and summer. As a person in recovery from substance use disorder (11 years last April), I'm an advocate for shattering the stigma associated with addiction. I've worked in this field on the front lines all the way up to the Board of Directors for West Virginia's largest recovery center. The subject of my research for my doctorate was stigma associated with substance use disorder on the hiring of educators. Addiction/recovery is a common theme in my work.

Website   Facebook   Instagram   Twitter   Goodreads   TikTok


From Nick Roberts, the best-selling author of The Exorcist's House and Anathema, comes fifteen dark tales that are as horrific as they are moving.

“Come for the horror, stay for the heartbreaking emotion that bleeds into every page. Roberts really shows his range here, and it’s obvious early on in these stories that they will stick with you long after reading them. It Haunts The Mind is that damn good.”—John Durgin, author of The Cursed Among Us and Inside The Devil’s Nest.



The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read? My favorite place to read is on my balcony in South Carolina. I can go out there with a nice cigar and a good book, and all is right with the world.

•    What did you want to be when you grew up? I’ve always wanted to be a writer/director. I was a film buff and lover of all things scary ever since I can remember. There was no other backup plan. In my early teens, I got distracted by too much partying, and all other hobbies/lifegoals were put on hold. By the time I got my life back on track, I was 25. I went back to college, got hired as a teacher for a day job, and eventually began writing for publication.

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write? I need absolute silence. This is difficult with a wife and three children, so I thank the ghost of Steve Jobs every day for noise-cancelling AirPods. And energy drinks are always welcome.

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author? Develop a routine that works for you and STICK WITH IT. It will soon become a habit and then an obsession. When you get to the point that you beat yourself up for missing a day, you’ve reached the necessary work ethic. If you aren’t doing it, someone else is. Writing is the easy part; getting someone to pay you for it is a completely separate beast.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter? Pantser. I watch the movie in my head and write it as I go along. There are pros and cons to this approach, but I’ve tried plotting and found it too spoilery for my motivation.

From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans? No beans.
•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why? Batman. He’s dark, brooding, and a billionaire with a grudge. I’ve always been drawn to the more realistic, vigilante superheroes.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel? The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie ever made. For that film alone, I have to say DC. I love Marvel, but they have yet to release a film on par with Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece.

•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you? Bret Easton Ellis.
•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower? I practice the Wim Hof Method, and cold showers are a crucial part of his routine. The only sounds I make are deep inhales and exhales as I focus on my breathing to distract me from the fact that my balls have disappeared into myself.

•    What animal would you be and why? A sloth. They live at the right pace.

•    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 humidor full of Cuban cigars and a MacBook.

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)? The Exorcist’s House: Genesis.
•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on? Darkness.
•    Cats or dogs? Dogs.
•    Who would you stalk? Elon Musk. That dude has got to be up to some strange shit.

•    What inspired you to start writing? I’ve always had an engine for creative expression but watching Pulp Fiction for the first time made me fall in love with writing.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story? Five.
•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote? My first published short story, “The Deal,” has a special place in my heart.

•    Who is your current favorite author? Stephen King.
•    What is your favorite genre? Horror.
•    Favorite horror movie? The Exorcist.
•    Favorite book of all time? The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla.
•    Pizza - pineapple or definitely never on a pizza? On. I’m a recent convert. 


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

•    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that. Caffeine and solitude.

•    Skittles or Starburst? Skittles.
•    Do you read or write anything that's not horror? Yes. I’m eager to see how readers respond to my upcoming collection, It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories, because a third of the tales aren’t horror. I definitely read more than just horror. Anyone who limits themselves to one genre is missing out on a universe of life-changing literature.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss. Only Aron Beauregard possesses the information you seek.

•    How do you feel about pants? I prefer togas.
•    Dogs, cats or ferrets? Dogs.
•    Mountains or beach? I moved from West Virginia to South Carolina.
•    Does pineapple belong on pizza? It has an open invitation but shouldn’t overstay its welcome.

•    What's your favorite taco? One I didn’t have to cook.
•    Would you go to space? Fuck off.
•    Do you eat supper or dinner? Dinner.
•    Favorite ice cream? Currently, it’s Blue Bell banana pudding flavored ice cream.

•    Were you a good student? I did well in elementary school, drunkenly derailed in junior high and high school, and excelled in college and grad school.

•    Who was your childhood crush? Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell.

•    Your favorite thing on French fries? Cheese.

 

From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    What’s something you want to learn/ get better at? Meditation and physical fitness.

•    Why did you decide you wanted to be an author? I didn’t; life did.
•    Is there anything you don't eat? Pickles.
•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be? Wealth, world peace, and to know the secrets of the universe.

•    If you could have 1 hour to sit down with anyone and talk? Who would it be and what would you talk about? Quentin Tarantino. I wouldn’t even bother to interrupt him.

•    What makes you unique? Fingerprints…?

•    What's something about you that no one else knows? I check my phone at urinals.

•    What’s something you want to learn or wish you were better at? I want to learn to make my own physical book covers.

•    Know any good jokes? A horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, “Why the long face?”

•    What’s something that bugs you? The sounds of people eating.
•    What’s the most embarrassing thing you can remember that’s happened to you? I don’t think the memory of having to walk to the front of the class in junior high with a disobedient erection will ever be topped.

•    What’s your favorite place on earth? Sanibel Island in Florida.
•    Who are the special people in your life? My family, friends, and the pizza delivery guy.

•    What’s something you’re proud of? Getting sober on April 15th, 2012.

•    If your life were a movie who would play you? Ben Affleck on a bender.

•    If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be? Sammy Scott, just so I could stand before a mirror and repeatedly punch myself in the face.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be? Invisibility…it would be easier to sneak away and write.

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now? Get ready for work because I highly doubt they’d cancel school.

•    What were you like as a child? Quiet, creative, and athletic.

Website   Facebook   Instagram   Twitter   Goodreads   TikTok   AMAZON Pre-Order

Thank you Nick for stopping by my blog! I clicked pre-order on that new collection.😀

Comment on this post to be entered in this month's giveaway, or use the FORM.

Thursday, May 25, 2023

I Hunted, and Along Came... C.R. Garmen!

 

 

C.R. Garmen developed her passion for writing at a young age. Starting with retelling the three little pigs, she went on to dream big of being an author one day. Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, she is very close to her family, especially her little siblings who light up her world and continue to support and fuel her passion for telling stories. Jack of all trades, master of none; C.R. Garmen dabbles in every genre, finding that each one is just a new challenge to explore and take on.

FIND C.R. GARMEN HERE

 


 

The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read? If I’m using the laptop, I like writing at my dining room table. If I’m using my phone, I like writing outside.

•    What did you want to be when you grew up? An author.

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write? A glass of Pepsi and my little figurines (I have Cthulhu, a hamster, and Scrump) to justify continuously buying them.

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author? Just do it. There will always be a reason not to jump in and publish, or even write something. You gotta push all of them away and do the thing.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter? Mostly a pantser but I’m trying to change that. Sort of.


From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans? Either one is fine with me.
•    Who’s your favorite band? Avenged Sevenfold
•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why? Deadpool because I love his sense of humor.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel? Because Marvel is the best, obviously. 😉
•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you? My mom.
•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower? Bring Me To Life by Evanescence

•    What animal would you be and why? A hamster, so I can amass my hamster brethren into a furry army and take over the world. Or because all I do is eat and sleep most of my life.

•    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 phone and my laptop.

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)? Mini Blind Bags for my Tiny Terrors books.

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on? All the lights on. I’m not that brave of a person.

•    Cats or dogs? Rodents.
•    Who would you stalk? Who wouldn’t I stalk? Nobody can stop me! Mwahahaha!

•    What inspired you to start writing? I don’t think it was any specific thing that inspired me to start writing. It was simply something I’ve always done.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story? About 6 years old.
•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote? Along Came A Spider
•    Who is your current favorite author? Sedona Ashe!
•    What is your favorite genre to write or to read? My favorite genre to write is horror/psychological thrillers. My favorite genre to read is romance.

•    Favorite horror movie? Paranormal Activity
•    Favorite book of all time? If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. It’s adorable, relatable, and nostalgic.

•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate? Both please.


 

From BOH reader Derek T.
•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror? It’s a mix of Jonathan Rand and Stephen King.

•    Skittles or Starburst? Starburst
•    Do you read or write anything that's not horror? Oh yeah, I definitely like to push myself and write outside of horror- it might not get published, but I enjoy the challenge of trying each genre out. And I read mostly romance.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss. You drive on the parkway and park on the driveway. So… It makes sense if you think about it.

•    How do you feel about pants? I like them.
•    Dogs, cats or ferrets? Ferrets!
•    Mountains or beach? Mountains.
•    Does pineapple belong on pizza? Personally, I don’t like pineapple on pizza, but to each their own.

•    What's your favorite taco? The beef chalupa from Taco Bell.
•    Would you go to space? No. I’m terrified of heights.
•    Do you eat supper or dinner? Dinner
•    Favorite ice cream? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

•    Were you a good student? I was quiet and attentive in class, but I’m dyslexic so my grades weren’t that great until I got help for it in late Middle School. So maybe?

•    Who was your childhood crush? Probably someone from N*Sync, but its been so long I’ve forgotten most of their names.

•    Your favorite thing on French fries? Cheese



From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    What’s something you want to learn/ get better at? Digital design would be cool to learn. Then I wouldn’t have to pester my PA so much for new graphics for my work.

•    Why did you decide you wanted to be an author? I don’t think I ever consciously chose to be an author; storytelling was something I always loved to do. Even as a little kid. So publishing just made sense.

•    Is there anything you don't eat? Cauliflower. And cherries only because I’m allergic to them.

•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be? To not have any more health issues. To have enough money to pay my bills and live comfortably. To snap my fingers and the area I’m staring at will be cleaned up in three seconds flat.

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

•    What makes you unique? Nothing. If everyone is unique then there’s nothing unique about us at all.

•    What's something about you that no one else knows? Not much, I have no filter so I will tell you.

•    What’s Something That Bugs You? Entitled people.

•    What’s Your Favorite Place on Earth? Mammoth Caves
•    Who Are the Special People in Your Life? My mom, my dad, my nana, my grand aunt, and my siblings.

•    What’s Something You’re Proud of? The books I’ve published, my book boxes I’ve done, my family, and my fur babies.

•    If your life were a movie who would play you? Jenna Ortega
•    If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be? Anyone who doesn’t have any physical limitations so I could experience being able to walk, run, and jump without any debilitating pain afterwards.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be? Cloning myself would be super handy. Or temporarily stopping time.

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now? Kiss my behind goodbye.

•    What were you like as a child? Depends on who you ask. I was quiet if I didn’t know someone or was uncomfortable around them. Loud if I knew them and liked them.


Thank you C.R. Garmen for stopping in! I love my signed copy of Along Came A Spider and the others. 💕

FIND C.R. GARMEN HERE

Comment on this post to be entered in this month's giveaway or use the FORM.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

I braved The Cannibal Peaks to get this interview with Guy Quintero.


I was born in the highlands of Scotland, where I died a brutal death for my clan. I resurrected miraculously. I have been alive for four and a half centuries and I am immortal. There can be only one.
But, when I’m not sword-fighting other immortals for their heads in San Diego, California. I am simply mild-mannered veteran and author, Guy Quintero.
I write an eclectic blend of dark fantasy, horror, thriller, military, action, the occult, and supernatural within my current series; The Unholy Slaying Agency. This was chosen because of my love for the occult, adventure, and my experience in military service. Stephen King says to write what you know. My dream was to combine all those aspects into something entertaining for my readers.

Free Chapters  Website   Instagram   Barnes & Noble   Amazon   TikTok

 


 

 The Tough Questions

 •    Where is your favorite place to write? Read?
I enjoy writing in my home or at a coffee shop. I prefer my home, where I can crack open the window and enjoy the beach breeze. I usually need a caffeine beverage depending on the time of day. My favorite place to read is usually in crypts or mausoleums, where I can slap at my ears hoping that cock roaches and other carrion insects aren’t crawling into them. I usually can’t get much reading done there, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Most times I end up going home to read in my living room or bed.

•    What did you want to be when you grew up?
I grew up on the mean streets of Camp Pendleton. Life was hard being a military brat. Gang banging was the only way to survive. I had to set trip and sell rocks to make ends meet whenever my father was deployed to war. My mother, bless her heart, was a banker. We had plenty of money and I quit the gang life after three days, when no one else would join my crew. Realized it wasn’t for me and that MTV wasn’t having a negative effect on my outlook. Plus, I enjoyed wearing more than one color of clothing. And have you tried running with your pants sagging that low? It’s not comfortable. I traveled the world with my family, living on both coasts and even seeing Japan, Spain, and Puerto Rico as a boy. I consider SoCal to be my home, especially San Diego since I graduated high school and planted roots here.

•    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write?
A cup of blood from this morning’s sacrifices, and Nina at my side.

•    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author? Never give up. And don’t doubt yourself.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter? I write by the seat of my pants.




From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans? Beans. Most definitely.
•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why? Dr. Strange. I can relate with him the most.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel? Neither. As a boy, I enjoyed reading Image comics the most, with Spawn, WitchBlade, Pit, and The Darkness.

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

•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower? Carry On My Wayward Son.

•    What animal would you be and why? A giant squid. I think it would be cool to attack people in boats.

•    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? Nina and a bible.

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)? My current project will be book 3 for the Unholy Slaying Agency series. ‘Door to Darkness’ features Butcher and Diver Team, battling sleep paralysis demons. They come into conflict with each other during their investigation into why thousands of children aren’t waking up from their sleep. This takes them beyond the comforts of reality into a realm of madness and terror, inhabited by insane creatures that do the bidding of their queen. The real name of this place is Pandemonium. But, there was a psychically gifted little girl who astral projected there in the 1800s by accident. Thanks to her powerful abilities and innocence the girl escaped unharmed. She recalled her adventures to a man named Lewis Carrol, who dubbed this place Wonderland.

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on? Darkness.
•    Cats or dogs? Both.
•    Who would you stalk? Fallon Raynes. Hehehehe…

•    What inspired you to start writing? I’ve always had a love for storytelling. It resonates from deep within and I can’t really explain why.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story? I was 12 when I wrote my first manuscript. It was terrible. lol

•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote? Goblin Wars. It’s a side project of mine that I am working on, combining comedy and fantasy.

•    Who is your current favorite author? Carl Jung
•    What is your favorite genre? Horror
•    Favorite horror movie? Predator
•    Favorite book of all time? The Magician’s Companion by Bill Whitcomb

•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla.
•    Pizza - pineapple or definitely never on a pizza? Only heretics put pineapple on pizza.


From BOH reader Derek T.

•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror? Stephen King.
•    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that. I enjoy listening to music playlists that I put together from indie composers and soundtracks. My current favorite is Graham Plowman.

•    Skittles or Starburst? Junior mints, Foo!
•    Do you read or write anything that's not horror? Yes. Fantasy is a love of mine. I think that all horror novelists tend to blend fantasy with their work. I like to consider myself a dark fantasy author as well.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss. That’s an ignorant question. Gosh! It was named after Tony Stark’s homie, Colonel Rhodes. Bruh, half of us would be gone right now if it wasn’t for the Avengers. Show some respect.

•    How do you feel about pants? Overrated.
•    Dogs, cats or ferrets? All of them.
•    Mountains or beach? Mountains. The beach is cool, but I see it damn near every day.

•    Does pineapple belong on pizza? Only sociopaths put pineapple on pizza.
•    What's your favorite taco? Cali tacos: Carne Asada, with heavy guac, pico de gallo, and French fries.

•    Would you go to space? Yes. But only if I could bring Nina.
•    Do you eat supper or dinner? Dinner. Supper is for chumps.
•    Favorite ice cream? Soft serve blizzards.
•    Were you a good student? Nope.

•    Who was your childhood crush? Stephanie Garcia
•    Your favorite thing on French fries? Carne asada, guac, sour cream, and lots of cheese.


From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    What’s something you want to learn/ get better at? Alchemy.
•    Why did you decide you wanted to be an author? I enjoy entertaining people with my imagination. That is my main goal.

•    Is there anything you don't eat? I try to avoid pork and unclean animals. Accidents happen.

•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be? More money than Elon Musk, Nina to live forever, have Netflix turn the USA series into a show.

•    If you could have 1 hour to sit down with anyone and talk? Who would it be and what would you talk about? I would want to sit down with God. Definitely ask questions on how to reach true enlightenment.

•    What makes you unique? I’m growing a second row of teeth.
•    What's something about you that no one else knows? I hold the record for most failed attempts at joining a pyramid scheme.

•    What’s Something You Want to Learn or Wish You Were Better At? Alchemy.
•    Know Any Good Jokes? What has four legs and one arm? A pitbull in a playground.

•    What’s Something That Bugs You? The stock market and how hedge funds/corporations manipulate it while SEC does nothing to stop them.

•    What’s the Most Embarrassing Thing You Can Remember That’s Happened to You? When I was on a recon patrol one time in Iraq, I had eaten something terrible that made my stomach erupt. My team found a nice man and his family that let me use their restroom and I broke their only toilet. I was so embarrassed. The family was very kind and I gave them $40 which was like a fortune to them, to compensate for their loss.

•    What’s Your Favorite Place on Earth? My house.
•    Who Are the Special People in Your Life? My manager, my brother, my furbabies, my mother, my aunt, my cousins.

•    What’s Something You’re Proud of? Publishing my debut novel ‘A Whisper in the Dark’ was my proudest moment. I felt like I achieved my true calling.

•    If your life were a movie who would play you? Hoping Dwayne Johnson or Samuel L. Jackson.

•    If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be? I’d love to switch bodies with Nina. Then, she’d have to be the responsible one while I run amok.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be? I want to be able to predict stock market trends years before they happen.

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now? Fill all my containers with water and sit back in my house.

•    What were you like as a child? Chubby, quiet, nerdy, dorky, with a big imagination.



Thank you Guy for stopping at my blog (I think... 🤔). 

Free Chapters  Website   Instagram   Barnes & Noble   Amazon   TikTok

Comment on this post to enter this month's giveaway or you can use the FORM

 

 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Nobody Knows About It but... Megan Stockton, and maybe Bluejay... 🤔


Megan Stockton is an indie author who lives in Grimsley Tennessee with her two children and her husband, who is an indie filmmaker. She writes in a variety of genres that all have dark/horror elements, and all of her work is character-driven and immersive. She is known for delivering works that are raw, thought-provoking, brutal, and cinematic. She has been writing since she was a child and was always obsessed with horror and the macabre. When she isn't writing (or working her day job) she likes to work with the animals on their farm, read, play video games, and watch movies.

 Megan's Site Links


 

The Tough Questions

●    Where is your favorite place to write? Read? My favorite place to write is in a comfy armchair or the end of the couch. I love to be able to kind of curl up into a corner with a blanket.  My favorite place to read is in the bath. It’s a little dangerous… but I am willing to risk wet pages to read when I’m at my most relaxed!

●    What did you want to be when you grew up? Author, veterinarian, ethologist, forensic pathologist. I went back and forth between things.

●    What is one thing you need when you sit down to write? Snacks and headphones!

●    What is one tip you would like to share with an aspiring author? Write. Just write. No matter what anyone says to you, or how discouraged you feel, just write. Write what you want to write, how you want to write it. Embrace those things that make you ‘you’. Be kind to readers, other writers, reviewers. Don’t expect anything from anyone.

●    Are you a pantser or plotter? 100% a pantser. I can not plot, plan, or outline to save my life.




From BOH reader Heather L.
●    Chili – beans or no beans? Beans! Load that sucker up with everything.
●    Who’s your favorite superhero and why? Does Jackie Estacado count? I also like Batman.

●    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel? Oh, you’re delusional if you think Marvel is superior to DC… but the real answer is Dark Horse.

●    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you? My sister.
●    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on? Complete Darkness.

●    What inspired you to start writing? I feel like I’ve always had to write. There was never a choice. I think I was definitely inspired by loving horror, and the worldbuilding of fantasy novels.

●    How old were you when you wrote your first story? I wrote a story in third or fourth grade about a boy who travels through rough backcountry to get his injured and dying hunting dog to a burial place. That’s the earliest story I remember.

●    What is your favorite genre? Horror, crime thrillers, and fantasy.
●    Favorite horror movie? Martyrs.
●    Pizza - pineapple or definitely never on a pizza? Love, love pineapple on pizza.

●    What is your favorite band? That’s really hard for me, and changes regularly. I always have time for older Papa Roach, older Slipknot, Bush, HURT.


From BOH reader Derek T.

●    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror? I can’t remember for sure. I know that I loved Edgar Allen Poe stories, and I used to try to memorize them so I could recite them in the dark to my sister. I would sometimes add my own twists or endings to the stories. I also got into Stephen King, R.L. Stine, and Ryu Murakami really early in life.

●    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that. I write best with music, I have a playlist for each project. I also need to be chewing gum or eating something, I don’t really know why that is.

●    Skittles or Starburst? Starburst.
●    Do you read or write anything that's not horror? I write thriller-type stuff, fantasy, science-fiction… but I like to say that everything I write is “horror-infused”. I read a little bit of everything, really.

●    How do you feel about pants? I only wear pants when absolutely required by law.
●    Does pineapple belong on pizza? Love, love pineapple on Pizza.

●    What's your favorite taco? A simple, soft-shelled ground beef taco with all the toppings.

●    Do you eat supper or dinner? I’m from the south so everybody calls it supper, but in my house it is ‘din-din’ lol.

●    Favorite ice cream? Salted caramel, birthday cake, cookie dough, classic chocolate.

●    Your favorite thing on French fries? Bacon, cheese, green onions, and ranch.


From BOH reader Shannon E.
●    Is there anything you don't eat? I’m allergic to shellfish. So I do try to avoid it. I also don’t like shaved coconut, liver, olives, fennel. I don’t like ice.

●    What’s Something You Want to Learn or Wish You Were Better At? Self-confidence, time management… haha.

●    If you could have a superpower what would it be? The ability to talk to animals is way up there lol. 

●    What would you do if there was a zombie apocalypse right now? I live in the middle of nowhere, so I guess I would attempt to secure my resources and establish contact with those that I think will be cooperative allies.

 Megan's Site Links

Thank you Megan for being here! 💙

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Monday, May 22, 2023

Jasper Bark is Beyond Love(craft) and Quiet Places

 

 

I write horror novels and graphic novels, and I’ve also written a lot of kid’s books (no really). I’ve topped Amazon best seller lists, I’ve been translated into multiple languages and I’ve won a This Is Horror Award and a Splatterpunk Award. I was nominated for a British Fantasy Award, a Bram Stoker Award and a British Comics Award. Outside of horror I won an Educational Reader’s Award and a Fringe First for a play at the Edinburgh Festival. While you were reading this self-congratulatory bio, I was slowly hypnotizing you into buying all my books. It’s too late to back out now, you’re already under my power, you won’t be able to stop yourself grabbing everything I’ve ever written, including a few incomprehensible shopping lists.

Jasper Bark    Facebook    Twitter   Istagram  Amazon US  Amazon UK

 


 US AMAZON     UK AMAZON

Beyond Lovecraft is an anthology featuring three tales of cosmic horror that explore the secret history of the Cthulhu mythos, and the terrible truths to be found when we stray outside the bounds of everyday reality. The Elder Gods have risen and reclaimed the Earth. In the apocalypse that follows a tiny band of human survivors find a way to access the fabled library of the Yith, an alien archive containing the history of the entire universe. As they search for a way to vanquish their conquerors they uncover untold tales and make a revelation so disturbing it challenges their whole existence.


The Tough Questions

•    Where is your favorite place to write? Read? 

Anywhere quiet and undisturbed, I do like to read on long journeys, such as bus, plane or train journeys. I listen to audiobooks while I exercise and do housework and I write whenever I have the chance.

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

I’ve wanted to be a writer and a performer since I can remember.

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

Like most writers, it’s time.

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

Turn off all notifications on your phone, your laptop, your tablet and any other device you own. You do not need to know who liked a friend’s post, or what junk email you have, or even that you have a text. These things steal your time and your concentration and those are the two most important things you need in order to write consistently ever day. Not only will your writing improve if you do this one simple thing, but so will your life.

•    Are you a pantser or plotter?

It actually depends on the story, some stories do need to be worked out in advance, whereas others don’t want you to waste your time thinking them through, they want you to tell them straight away so they can surprise you.



From BOH reader Heather L.
•    Chili – beans or no beans?
I love beans in chili, but I am a vegetarian, so that’s no big surprise.

•    Who’s your favorite superhero and why?
It would probably by The Doom Patrol. I came across an old comic book from the original 1960s run, by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani. in a thrift store as a very young child and it was so weird and traumatizing I have never forgotten it. I have loved them ever since in all their incarnations, but especially the first run and Grant Morrison’s tenure as writer on the strip in the 90s.

•    DC or Marvel and why is it Marvel?
The answer to this depends on what decade we’re talking about. I’m going to concentrate on the comics first. In the Golden Age of Comics, (1938 to 1954) DC, then known as National Periodicals, produced the superior comics with writers like Bill Finger and artists like Curt Swan Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. In the Silver Age (1956 to 1973), when Stan Lee started writing dialogue for the characters and stories created by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Marvel revolutionized comics and produced the best work all the way through to the Bronze Age of Comics (1974 to 1984) with writers and artists like Steve Gerber, Jim Starlin and Don MacGregor. In the 80s though, DC brought out Watchmen and The Dark Knight and they completely changed the face of both comics and how you told superhero stories. In the 90s DC launched Vertigo and launched the careers of writers like Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis. So they win hands down again. From 00s onwards, there isn’t much between the two publishers. Both continue to bring out the odd, amazing superhero comic like Al Ewing and Joe Bennet’s The Immortal Hulk and Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, but of late they’ve proven themselves to be little more than corporate entities endlessly exploiting their intellectual properties with no respect or consideration for their comic book origins.

When it comes to movies and TV, from 1940 until 2000, DC brought out blockbuster after block buster with Christopher Reeve playing Superman and a multitude of stars playing Batman, while Marvel brought out the most embarrassing TV movies every produced like 1979’s Doctor Strange and Captain America (go Google them). Finally, in the 00s they made a decent X-Men movie and in 2008 Avi Arad and Kevin Feige launched the MCU with Iron Man and have remained untouchable ever since.

This is probably a longer answer than you expected. And I definitely need to get out of the house more often.

•    You need to hide a body - who do you call to help you?
Actually, are you doing anything later (asking for a friend)

•    Favorite song to belt out in the shower?
If you’d ever heard me sing, you’d realize that belting out a song in the shower would be a crime against humanity.

•    What animal would you be and why?
My totem animals are the fox and the coyote, so I would be one of those.

•    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?
If I can’t have a fully stocked library, can I have an unbreakable kindle with unlimited storage? And something with a keyboard so I could continue to write?

•    Next project (what are you currently working on)?
A trilogy called Draw You In that will be part of a new series of books under the heading: Bark Bites Horror, coming soon from Crystal Lake Publishing.

•    Scary movies - complete darkness or all the lights on?
Complete darkness, so I have no idea whose cold, cadaverous hand I’m clutching in the scary bits.

•    Cats or dogs?
I love dogs, but I’ve never owned one, I have lived with cats my whole adult life though.

•    Who would you stalk? 
I can honestly say no one.

•    What inspired you to start writing?
My love of stories and language, which I’ve had since I learned to speak.

•    How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Four years old, I wrote it in an old log book that my father brought home from one of his union meetings.

•    What is your favorite book/story you wrote?
The story I’m currently working on, whatever that is, is always my favourite.
•    Who is your current favorite author?
There are too many to choose from.

•    What is your favorite genre?
It’s either horror or crime, but I’m reading a lot of sword and sorcery at the moment, something I haven’t done since before I was a teenager.

•    Favorite horror movie?
Dead of Night the old, black and white British anthology horror film from 1945. Although the made for TV movie from the 70s of the same name is also excellent as it’s written by the legendary Richard Matheson.

•    Favorite book of all time?
I don’t really have one, but If On a Winter’s Night a Stranger, by Italo Calvino comes close.

•    Cake - vanilla or chocolate?  Chocolate

•    What's your favorite band? Hard to pick a favourite band, but if you put a gun against my head I'd probably choose Neutral Milk Hotel.



From BOH reader Derek T.
•    Is there a particular author that inspired you to write horror?
The first horror author who really made an impression on me was Robert Bloch, I was 12 and the book was Psycho, I hadn’t seen the film at that point. Lisa Tuttle and Ramsey Campbell, whom I discovered a little while later, also showed me you could write about very personal horrors and be just as scary. 

•    Are there any things required when you write?, i.e., listening to certain music? an adult beverage? complete silence? stuff like that.
Time and a total lack of any distraction.

•    Skittles or Starburst?
I’d almost say neither, but it’s Starburst by default. Starburst started in the UK, but back when I was a kid they were originally called Opal Fruits, the advertising slogan was ‘Made to Make your Mouth Water!’ These days you can get shot simply for reminding people of that. Welcome to Dystopia UK.

•    Do you read or write anything that's not horror?
I read incredibly widely – fiction and nonfiction, literary, classics, crime, noir, sword and sorcery and even sci fi. I’ve written a lot of comics and kid’s books covering every possible genre.

•    Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island, please discuss.
I never rode the Rhode Island Line all the way to the end of the road, which I believe is Far Rockaway, but I’ve always wanted to, it would be rude not to (or Rhude even).

•    How do you feel about pants?
Didn’t wear them as a young man, cos my Mum (that’s British for Mom) stopped doing my laundry when I was a teen, I had to do it myself and not wearing pants cut down on laundry for me. When I could afford nice clothes, sometime in my late twenties, I started to see the benefit in them, much to my wife’s relief.

•    Dogs, cats or ferrets?
As a veggie, I’ve honestly never tasted any of them.

•    Mountains or beach?
Mountains, though beaches have their benefit.

•    Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Does Nickelback belong on a playlist???

•    What's your favorite taco?
Anything hot and vegetarian.

•    Would you go to space?
In a heartbeat, though I’m told that it’s better to go in a rocket ship.

•    Do you eat supper or dinner?
In the North of England, where I grew up, they call lunch ‘dinner’ further complicating this question.

•    Favorite ice cream?  Pistachio

•    Were you a good student?
No, I had a smart mouth and always knew what I would need to know later in life and, much to my teachers’ annoyance, I was right.

•    Who was your childhood crush?  Bugs Bunny – don’t judge.
•    Your favorite thing on French fries?  Mayonnaise 


 

From BOH reader Shannon E.
•    Why did you decide you wanted to be an author?
Since I learned to talk, at an early age, there’s never been a time when I didn’t want to tell stories. Since I learned to read, there’s never been a time I didn’t want to be an author.

•    Is there anything you don't eat?
Meat or fish, basically anything that once had a face or its own digestive system.

•    If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?
See, one of the reasons we watch and read horror is to prepare us for the potential crises and dangers in life. Have you ever read a story where someone is granted three wishes and it goes well? Nope! Three Wishes? Not even once!!!

•    What’s Something You Want to Learn or Wish You Were Better At?
I’m currently learning about advertising on Facebook and Amazon, if I can master that I will be very happy. Also, I kinda sucked at naked skydiving, so maybe I should brush up on that some, but courses are kinda hard to find out in the English boondocks.

•    What’s the Most Embarrassing Thing You Can Remember That’s Happened to You?
I don’t know if this is the most embarrassing, but a couple of decades ago, I went to the wedding of an old school friend. Many of my old classmates were there and a remarkable number wanted to buy me a drink (it’s a northern English thing). I was paralytically drunk by the time I went to bed in my hotel room.

I awoke in the night, badly needing to pee. My wife watched in puzzlement, and then annoyance, as I climbed out of bed, then clambered through my sleeping daughter’s baby crib, then, thinking it was the bathroom door, I opened the door of the hotel room, I walked through the corridor and out the fire escape door, which was opposite the door of my room, still in search of the elusive bathroom.

It wasn’t until the fire escape door slammed shut behind me that two things occurred to me. The first, that I was no longer in my room. The second was that I was stark naked and it was a cold January night. Now a lot more sober, I had to make my way down five flights of the fire escape, then walk around to the hotel entrance, on a busy main street, with my hands on my genitals and my skin turning blue.

At this point I had to bang on the locked doors of the hotel, while praying none of Her Majesty’s constabulary happened to be on patrol that night, and try to get the attention of the night staff. When I finally roused someone I had to convince them that I was a guest, who had lost his way and not some random streaker, lost nudist or sex-crazed pervert. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember my room number.

Finally, they took pity on me, let me in, gave me a spare bathrobe and sent me to my room. You can guess what the main topic of conversation was the next morning among all the wedding guests who had chosen that hotel to stay in. My wife was not amused and sent me down to breakfast with my daughter and a hangover, while she had a much deserved lie-in. She does, however, take great delight in telling this story at dinner parties, and to random strangers when I’m in earshot.

•    What’s Your Favorite Place on Earth?
My favourite place to be is in the arms of the special people in my life.

•    Who Are the Special People in Your Life?
My wife and my two incredible daughters.

•    What’s Something You’re Proud of?
Don’t want to sound too sappy, but my wife and my two incredible daughters.

•    If your life were a movie who would play you?
Given that I look like an ageing Frodo Baggins, probably Elijah Wood. I also look a bit like Edward Scissorhands, but I think Johnny Depp, might turn down the main role in my biopic.

•    If you could have a superpower what would it be?
An extendable force-field that would stretch to any distance, take any shape and exert any amount of pressure I wanted, instantaneously. I’ve thought about this waaaaaay too much haven’t I?

•    What would you do if there was zombie apocalypse right now?
Hack into reality with my patented magical keyboard that allows me to rewrite the world as we know it and come up with a better apocalypse. Like virulent snot monsters that only attack you when you sneeze. Or everyone’s toilet suddenly becoming sentient overnight, taking over the world and farming humans to feed them with number ones and number twos.

•    What were you like as a child?
If you go by my last answer, I’m wondering if I didn’t have issues with potty training. If I recall I was strange and highly imaginative and I loved books and comics, which made me stand out in the very rough, blue-collar, rural town in which I grew up. I wasn’t good at fighting and I’ve never been very tall, so I became very adept at making people laugh to get myself out of scrapes. 

I was often too rebellious and adventurous for my own good and this got me into a lot of trouble at school and with other adults outside of it. I developed a reputation because of this that I never lived down, even though it was, at times, a little unjust.

I left home and left the area as soon as I was able and never went back. I wouldn’t say I had an unhappy childhood, but I was bored for a lot of it, and escaped into my imagination, reading and writing stories, that I hid like a guilty secret. I think I was probably perceived by my peers, and their parents, as odd, sometimes charming, pretty, a little effeminate and too precociously intelligent for my own good but occasionally good for a laugh if you threatened to punch me.

Jasper Bark    Facebook    Twitter   Istagram  Amazon US  Amazon UK

Thank you Jasper for stopping in!

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