Fun one today (Oh Hell, they all are, am I right?!) with a guest who is a super awesome dude!

Michael Tyree has created some truly stunning fiction over the last few years and while we patiently await his next creation, he has kindly stopped by for a visit!

Please, welcome Michael!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
Michael: With taking care of my son during the day and working nights, I get whatever time I can. Right now, sitting in front of my computer is a commodity, so I take notebooks with me everywhere I go and write any chance I get (while he’s napping, during my lunch break, etc). For the longest time my daily goal was around 500 words. It’s low enough that I know I can at least do that everyday and if I stick with it, it adds up quick. I’m naturally a morning person, so in a perfect scenario, I would get up around 530 or 6, brew some coffee, and hammer out everything I can until after lunch.

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
Michael: This is tough. I’m torn between idols and friends. First, I would absolutely have to invite my buddy, Robert Ottone. He was the first real friend I made in the horror community, and I don’t know where I would be without him in my corner. I would have to invite Clive Barker. He’s the reason I got back into writing, and the inspiration for writing horror professionally. Since I feel like I would be excluding someone no matter what, let’s just make it interesting and say we would have a seance and summon the ghost of Oscar Wilde.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Michael: My newest is a collection of novellas and novellettes called, The Pale Horse. It’s a follow up to my collection, Potter’s Field Blues. Like everything I write, it’s in that same universe and it continues some of stories from that book as well as introduces new recurring characters.
On the surface, it’s an anthology loosely based on the mythology of The Reaper and the deconstruction of death. There are stories that make you question what it means to pass on with unfinished business, stories about the finality of death, and the personification of The Reaper. There is a story where an ex-president/war criminal learns to live with the ghosts of collateral damage. Another centered around a modern-day martyr who is given an unorthodox second chance on earth as a vengeful avatar. The rest are written specifically to wreck you emotionally.
That and all of my other books are available wherever books are sold, just in case you don’t wanna give Amazon any more of your money.

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
Michael: So, I think Count Dracula is a better conversationalist, and I could listen to him talk about world history and everything in-between for hours. But I haven’t forgotten why Jonathan Harker left a 1 star Yelp review. So, I would take the safe bet and chill with Dr. Frankenstein. Plus, I love talking about science, the soul, and grave robbing.

That 1 star Yelp review will follow him for eternity it seems! Thank you so much, Michael!

To keep up to date with his work, follow the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Tyree/e/B08LQZ4WZF

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSTyree1

Today’s guest is one the nicest guys in the dark fiction community! Scott is always supportive and is a very talented author.

I’m excited to have him join me today!

Please welcome Scott!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Scott: Hey, thanks for having me, Steve. There’s no set answer here, life being what it is, but I’m currently shooting for 500 words a day to complete the first draft of a new novella. I haven’t been perfect, as I’ve just purchased a home and with moving and all, the mental bandwidth hasn’t been there, but I’m excited to get back to a daily routine. I write most weekdays at night, and though it varies on the weekends, I shoot for the morning/afternoon.

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?

Scott: I’d have to say Tyler Jones and JAW McCarthy off the cuff. I see them as literary siblings, if a term like that exists. We just hit the same tones and themes in our writing and I’m always excited to see what they’re up. The third is tricky, and so I’ll cheat a bit: either Brian Evenson (my favorite living author) or Claire North (the most influential author on my work).

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Scott: My latest release is alongside weird horror author Carson Winter via Dread Stone Press. It’s a dual split book with a novelette from each of us, blurbed/endorsed by the likes of Brian Evenson, Laird Barron, Joe Koch, Alex Woodroe, and many others. Carson brings the weird cosmic noir, while I bring what I think is a mix of weird/horror adventure(?) fantasy? The reviews and reception have been swell so far, and I’m looking forward to the additional volumes in the series from Dread Stone. If you like weird horror that reminded contemporary masters Baird and Evenson of past greats, you’d probably be into it.

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?

Scott: Hmm… This one’s tough, but for the sake of empathy (and self-preservation) I think I’d say Victor Frankenstein. That man is intensely afraid of death, and seeing as we’ll both die one day, I think there’d be an empathy there. I think something we as humans have to come to grips with, sooner than later, is that we’re all gonna die one day. This isn’t morbid, mind you, but simply fact, and I think knowing it makes us live harder and take less for granted. If I received an invitation from Dracula, he might not eat me outright, but that dude might drone on about living forever, and that’s not really my bag. Besides, I’ve recently become a morning person, and enjoy my coffee in the sun.

Excellent decision!

Thank you so much for doing this Scott!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottJ_Moses

Website: https://www.scottjmoses.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Scott-J-Moses/e/B08BWPRRN8

Title: Peregrine’s Tale: The Timmy Quinn Series Book 4

Author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Release date: August, 2010

Reminder – I’m reading this as part of Kealan Patrick Burke’s Stage Whispers Omnibus. This is book four. To see my reviews for books 1-3 you can find them here;

Book One The Turtle Boy;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2022/12/23/book-review-the-turtle-boy-by-kealan-patrick-burke/

Book Two The Hides;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2022/12/29/book-review-the-hides-by-kealan-patrick-burke/

Book Three Vessels;

https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2022/12/30/book-review-vessels-by-kealan-patrick-burke/

Now, I arrive at book four, wondering what Kealan has in store, not only for Tim Quinn (as he now prefers to be known), but also for Kim and this mysterious Peregrine character. All roads led to Tim needing to find and confront Peregrine at the end of book three, so I was excited to dive into this one.

I will say – this is almost completely a stand-alone story – or off shoot story to the overall narrative. If Peregrine hadn’t been mentioned previously and if Timmy wasn’t connected at the very end, you could read this completely on its own and enjoy a truly memorable and emotional novella. It was released as a limited, signed hardcover through Cemetery Dance prior to its release/inclusion into this series, so there’s the chance at one point that this one might not’ve even been necessary for Timmy’s overall series and completion.

What I liked: No matter, what we get is a harrowing story of a young boy who is also introduced to the veil, to the parting between here and there, the curse Timmy has been carrying since he was eleven and discovers there is a connection between them.

This novella is incredibly hard to review while remaining spoiler free. What I will say, is that Peregrine’s father is gone, his mother struggles to make ends meet and her newest man has now also left, telling her its either him or the kid.

I find this to be a frequently utilized plot point and, even so, Kealan used it magnificently. It immediately creates a reaction from the reader, it makes you root for and choose the side of Peregrine and when things get really dark/hard and brutal, you empathize with this young man who has to do the most difficult thing he’s ever had to do.

Kealan doesn’t give us a lot of ‘the veil’ in this one, but what he does give us is just enough. It opens up the potentials in our imagination for what the final book in the Timmy Quinn series will entail and it also gives us just a sliver to the prospect of what Peregrine is capable of.

What I didn’t like: I do wish we would’ve been given just a bit more connectivity to the overall series here. It ends perfectly and sets things in motion for the fifth and final book, but I would’ve really loved for Peregrine’s ‘dad’ to share just a little bit more about how Peregrine was touched and became able to see the veil and why these two (Peregrine and Timmy) are on this collision course.

Why you should buy this: Blah, blah, blah – come on – this is book four of five. If you’ve read the first three you’re going to read the fourth. If you have the omnibus, you’re going to read this. But, if you’re still on the fence on diving into book one, just know that every single book has been phenomenal and leading us to what I can only assume is going to be a stunning conclusion.

5/5

Peregrine’s Tale;

Stage Whispers;

And here we are! The FIRST 3Q’S of 2023! How crazy is this. Even crazier? I’m scheduling this currently on October 14th. That’s how far out I am currently.

Today’s guest is a truly talented writer and stunning illustrator. I’m a massive fan of his artwork and have done two of Kickstarter’s already! I’m so very happy Russell Smeaton agreed to join me today and thank you, Russell, for ringing in 2023 with me and the readers of 3Q’s!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
Russell: My schedule is pretty much non-existent, so I squeeze in a bit of writing whenever I get the chance. It’s not ideal, but I’ve learnt to work in short bursts. In some ways it works for me, but it would be nice if I could set aside proper time ever day to write. I try not to look at how many words I write. Sometimes, when things are flowing, I have been known to rack up 2,000 or more words in one sitting, but I try not to obsess over it. It can be a pleasant surprise when I’m finished, and I look at the word count. Not always, but sometimes.

Steve: You end up at an estate sale and discover an unpublished manuscript from an author you love. Do you keep it just for yourself or do you share it with the world?
Russell: Ooh, that’s a good question. My first thought would be, can I pass it off as my own?! I’m kidding (sort of). I’d definitely share it with the world. I’m the type of guy who’s forever trying to get his mates to read his favourite author or listen to his favourite band, so I would be sharing it as soon as I could.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Russell: I’m working on several things at the moment. You might have seen pictures of these little pumpkin dude pictures I created? I’ve managed to convince a couple of great poets to write some beautiful, folk-horror type stuff inspired by the pictures. My aim is to put them together into an anthology of some sort and that’s shaping up nicely. I’m also putting together an anthology based around my local area of Teesside. It’s in the early stages, but hopefully will shape up to be a great collection of tales. With regards to my own actual writing, I keep chipping away at two novels. One a cosmic horror tale set in my hometown, the other a reworking of a famous children’s story. Both have stalled a bit as I focus on my Patreon (up to 5 supporters now!) where I put out short stories. These will all end up in a collection that I hope to put out around Christmas. That’s the plan, anyway!

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your superpower?
Russell: If I woke up in a comic book, I’d probably be Bud Bradley, but would love to be in Love and Rockets. I can see myself as a male Maggie or Hopey! Superpower would probably be something low-key. Maybe something like Arno Strine’s power in The Fermata – I’ll leave it there if you’ve not read the book!

I haven’t read that so I’ll not Google it and spoil it for myself!
Thank you so much for doing this Russell!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Russell-Smeaton/e/B06XSYJ8TP

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tikirussy