Really fun 3Q’s today for all of you who’re still reading these! Thanks for your continued interest in this series, it’s been a blast! Today’s guest is someone that I connected with over on Twitter a few years back and it’s been great interacting with her and supporting each other as we go!

Please welcome Ruth!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Ruth: I almost immediately shoot it off to beta readers, which forces me to take a break. Once they get their comments back to me, I usually dive right in and start nipping and tucking and fixing it up. If it’s big changes, I often let it sit for a bit while my brain works out how to incorporate the changes without ruining the whole story. I edit as I write, so I don’t usually have a ton of editing to do that is obvious to me, so that’s why I always, always use as many beta readers as I can.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Ruth: Hmmm…I think that there are definitely some sea creatures that are outside of what has been confirmed. Like some crazy alien shit with superpowers the likes of what we haven’t imagined. So I totally think there is some fantastic giant squid with, like, mind control powers or something, lurking in the deepest of trenches.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Ruth: My collection No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares has some really deeply disturbing stories in it. It isn’t just stories to me; it’s my fears brought to life and then turned up to eleven. I love the supernatural elements, but it’s the really-could-happen aspect of the stories that frightens me the most. I think it’s a really scary book.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Ruth: Omg, this was terrible, but when I was a kid, we lived next door to our landlord. He was the nicest old man, always fixing things and teaching us stuff and generally being great. On April Fool’s Day one year, we decided to get him, so we ran over to his house screaming that the ceiling in the kitchen had fallen down onto the kitchen table. That man 100% believed us, and his face—I’m just glad he didn’t have a heart attack. So, it was a terrible prank, but so believable, because it was a shitty little house. That’s the only one I can remember, so it’s going to have to be the best ;).

Steve: Haha, that is amazing! And I think it’s a solid prank because nothing bad had actually happened to the house!

Thank you so much for doing this, Ruth!

To find more of her work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ruth-Anna-Evans/author/B09J21ZQB7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruthannaevans

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ruthannaevans/

Today’s guest is an author who has been churning out dark, thought-provoking stories for some time and one whom I connected with a few years back when he kindly reached out to me to see about a potential blurb for his excellent ‘Ghostflowers.’ He’s had a long and storied career and has written for an IP that many of the horror world loves to play!

I’m super happy to have Rus Wornom stop by today!

Welcome Rus!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Rus: I do a little bit of everything. First, I revise while I’m writing. A lot of writers suggest not to do that, but if something that I’ve written bothers me, I fix it and move on. I’ve gotten into the habit of writing the first draft in longhand on legal pads, and then transcribing and revising into the first computer draft in Word. That helps hone the language some, but in no uncertain terms does one revised draft make a polished manuscript.

I generally tear into the first draft almost as soon as I finish. A writing professor I once had, a fine, character-based writer named Tony Ardizzone, suggested to our workshop that writers should wait a minimum of a month before revising their first draft. I don’t necessarily disagree with that, because a certain amount of time away from the manuscript will provide a little more objective perspective, and allow you to better see elements that might be working wrong. On the other hand, deadlines may not allow a writer the luxury of a month or two to start something else, so you have to go into revisions with the knowledge—and the decided opinion—that, yes, Your Shit Stinks. Hemingway was right: “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector. This is the writer’s radar and all great writers have had it.”

In other words, I revise as necessary. After I finish a second draft, I generally mull things over in my head without rereading the ms. Things will hit me—I’ll come up with a new scene, or I’ll realize that another scene isn’t working. At that point, I print out the 2nd draft manuscript and work it a little with a red pen, mostly in those areas that I’m thinking about while not really writing. Things come to writers when they’re least expected: in the shower, while driving, having a meal, and you have to take advantage of inspiration if and when it strikes.

After I add or subtract those areas that hit me unconsciously, I go back into the entire manuscript and start cutting. I tend to write long, and while SF and fantasy novels are frequently accepted for publication at about 125,000 words, publishers want mainstream novels at 100,000 words or less, and that includes horror. My longest draft of Ghostflowers ended up at 130,000. With the final and 13th draft at 113,000 words, I knew I had cut some scenes I liked and wanted, but I also knew that the novel was tighter and more straightforward.

The first draft is always the real grunt work. Cutting, pasting, revising—that’s where the magic comes in, not to mention the real fun for a writer.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Rus: That’s an easy one. I wish I’d known when I started out how the publishing industry was going to change over the decades. Publishing is no longer writer-friendly, and I blame that on corporations becoming giant conglomerates, corporate greed, and on Jaws and Star Wars.

When I started thinking about becoming a writer—subscribing to Locus and Writer’s Digest, taking college writing workshops—it was the 1970s. Publishing was largely a business of educated guesses and editorial needs, and of relationships between editors and writers. Woolworths across the country had long walls of paperbacks. Paperback spinner racks were in every 7-Eleven, along with comic book racks. They’re not there now, because books don’t have as high a profit margin as most corporations demand today. If you compare these past offerings to the paperback selections available in Kroger or Publix nowadays, you’d see huge differences. Then, there was more variety to the titles available. Today, it’s mostly bestsellers. Then, the authors available on the racks may have been new or unheard of. Today, it’s a selection of popular authors chosen by algorithm, based on previous, blockbuster retail sales.

Well into the 1980s, paperback publishers had a set number of books to publish a month. If I remember correctly, Warner’s Questar Books, edited by Brian Thomsen, published four or six science fiction titles a month. These schedules were filled with novels that had been agented, and some that had been found in the slush pile, and some were requested by the editor. That’s how it was done back then; the editor might have an idea for a book he’d like to publish, and he’d call a writer he knew—and he knew he could depend on— and might say, “Hey, I’d like an SF spy story that feels like something Greg Bear might write, crossed with Three Days of the Condor. I need 80,000 words in six months. You interested?”

That type of publishing has pretty much vanished. Mass market paperbacks are in short supply today because the conglomerates that have bought all the mainstream publishing houses want more of our money than ever before—and mass market paperbacks just don’t make enough for Wall Street types. Trade paperbacks have replaced them, and today’s publishers expect in 2023 that trade paperbacks will become the new hardcovers: cheaper to publish, but we’ll be charged more for them.

Publishing has changed so much because conglomerates realized there was revenue to be had by buying up a bunch of publishing houses; so now we really have only the Big 5 publishers as serious players, all because of corporate greed, combined with the bestseller mentality that has ruined a lot of things—and that came about by the back-to-back success of Jaws and Star Wars. Publishers today don’t want midlist titles, say 10-20 a year that each make respectable sales. They want only potential bestsellers. They’ve given up seeking incremental revenue and are concentrating instead on massive sales.

Hence, we now have a landscape with five big mountains, and innumerable little hills that represent indie publishers and publishing on demand. As to horror, the same rules apply: they want only bestsellers, and they don’t want to take chances on unknown writers.

Self-publishing, which has really caught on nowadays, still isn’t very profitable for most writers. So, if I were starting out today, I’d have many, many second thoughts, because the opportunities for real financial success are today stacked against creatives.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Rus: My first three books were works for hire, written for Dungeons and Dragons in the 1990s at the request of the editor in chief: Brian Thomsen, who I mentioned above. They were in a jam with the final book in the Spelljammer series, and Brian asked me to take it over and deliver the novel in thirteen weeks. During that time, the publisher decided to create a new series called Endless Quest, basically a Choose Your Own Adventure series set in the D&D universes, and Brian called me up and asked me if I’d like to write the first two.  I bring all this up as explanation for why I don’t consider these books as original works of mine, even though I wrote every word: Spelljammer: The Ultimate Helm was written by me, but based on an existing outline by the writer who had to leave the project. The Endless Quest books, Dungeon of Fear and Castle of the Undead, were juvenile derivatives of D&D. Dungeon was original to me, but the first writer of Castle was let go, and I was told I could use as much of the existing manuscript as I wanted (or not). I retained only the main character’s name, if I remember, so 99.9% of Castle is all mine. Still, they’re based on existing properties, and while I wrote them, I don’t consider them either very original nor my best work.

Ghostflowers has to be my favorite so far, simply because I lived through the era it depicts, and the ‘70s still resonate through me. Dark Shadows, vampire lore, and summers living in the South were extremely important and formative, and Ghostflowers touches a part of my secret soul. Now, the novel that my agent is currently marketing for me is also quite close to my heart, but because it’s completely different. The Enigma Club is a little bit meta: a pulp novel that plays with pulp tropes, while also subverting them for comic effect. Think circa 1930, Indiana Jones meets Monty Python, with dedicated nods to John Carter and Tarzan and the Shadow and Howard and Lovecraft. Enigma Club is a high concept novel, but Ghostflowers is more personal. The novel I’m working on right now, Shades— Well, it hates me, and I hate it. But I WILL finish it.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Rus: Mountains. I can’t drown or get eaten by sharks.

Steve: Amazing responses, Rus. Wow! Thank you so much for this. Just phenomenal insight!

To find Rus’ work and connect – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rus-Wornom/author/B0B558XM43

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RusWornom

Website: https://ruswornom.com/

Title: One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve

Author: M. Shaw

Release date: April 1, 2022

Night Train. All Hail the House Gods. At the End of the Day I Burst Into Flames. Armageddon House. Helpmeet. The Mud Ballad.

Over the last number of years, there’s been a handful of books that were unlike anything I’ve ever read before and absolutely had me held rapt.

We can safely add One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve to that list.

This novella came onto my radar initially when I saw my friend Sonora Taylor rave about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, just look at that synopsis, but I knew going in that I’d be in for an unexpected journey and that’s exactly what happened.

What I liked: The story follows a body that wakes up on the table in the morgue, cut in half. Each side wakes up as their own individual half; Left and Right.

From there, M. Shaw delivers perhaps the most heart-wrenching yet unconventional coming-of-age story you’ll ever read. Two halves, making a whole, trying to find their way in the world and to remember who they were before. Each side has a dream of what their life should look like, or what they should work towards. The Left half takes over the cooking, cleaning and finances of their day to day lives, while the Right half gets a job and does the driving. From the outside looking in, this seems pretty mundane, but when gathered into this story, it works to not only challenge the reader, but for us to also empathize with each half. They both want to be whole, both want to remain connected to the other, while each wanting to be their own person. I suspect this is a constant issue with identical twins growing up.

The story unfolds really nicely, seeing a growing tension build between both sides, especially as some regrowth begins, which ultimately pushes them harder mentally about being their own person.

The ending is really great, a very powerful way of tying it all together and showcasing not only some of what society has become, but also the difficulties those stuck in their ways have at attempting any sort of positive change.

What I didn’t like: I actually wasn’t too fond of the epilogue. The tone and narrative style felt completely different from what the entire novella had been up to that point and it almost worked to subtract some of what had been built up for the ending. It may work for you, but for me, I would’ve almost preferred it wasn’t there at all.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read any of those books I listed at the beginning and were blown away, then this should be an auto-buy and an auto-to the top of the TBR book. This is unsettling body horror that will make you squirm but also question what it is to be connected to someone and what it means about where we ultimately fit into the world.

Phenomenal.

5/5

Today’s guest was an author whom I connected with after reading his phenomenal novella ‘The Mourner’s Cradle: A Widow’s Journey’ a few years back. It rocked my world and is a story I still think of often. From there, we’ve been huge supporters of each other’s work, so I was so excited when he agreed to stop by and do one of my 3Q’s!

Welcome Tommy!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Tommy: A short time after the first draft is complete, I begin the revisions, essentially the first round of edits, and the most extensive. It’s after this point that I take some time away from it. A short period to reflect on the piece often proves beneficial, after which time, I revisit the manuscript from a slightly different angle for the next pass.

Steve: What’s the one thing you’d change now if you’d have known it when you started writing?

Tommy: I’ve gleaned so much along the way. Perhaps I should have worked with some experienced editors in the earlier stages, a step which might have assisted me in honing my craft earlier on, rather than to have developed my skills along the bumpy road I traveled instead. At the same time, I don’t regret that journey one single bit. I’m the writer I am now because of it.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Tommy: Anybody Want to Play WAR? It’s an oddball entry in my catalog of work, since it doesn’t fall into the horror genre. Instead, it’s a coming-of-age novel that peels deep into the layers of the St. Charles setting, which I’ve also explored in books such as Poisonous and The Mourner’s Cradle. It’s the most nuanced tale of anything I’ve done so far, and the characters resonated with me in a strong way.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – Would you rather be lost at sea or in the mountains?

Tommy: In the mountains. I actually enjoy exploring the mountain regions, whereas being lost on a seemingly endless expanse of water sounds rather dull.

Steve: Excellent decision! Thank you so much for doing this, Tommy!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tommy-B.-Smith/author/B008WTNZHG

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenOfChaos

Website: https://www.tommybsmith.net/

Something I get a lot from people, in comments or DM’s/emails, is the ‘how do you find the time?’ Whether it’s about reading, writing, or posting stuff, it comes up often. When it gets asked, I usually think of folks like today’s guest. Michelle River is the driving force behind Eerie River publishing. Not only that, but she’s also an accomplished author, creator of Book Box Canada AND a wife and mother. So, I don’t think I have as much going on as others, especially Michelle. I don’t have to edit works, design covers, contact places to sell books, organize book events, package, and ship sub boxes etc etc. I got it easy!

So, it is with great pleasure that I welcome today’s guest! One of the hardest working women in dark fiction!

Welcome Michelle!

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?

Michelle: My writing is as hit and miss as it can get. Between Eerie River Publishing commitments, developing edits, setting up book fairs and markets and now the Book Box Canada, my writing time is shoved violently in the minutes between dusk and dawn.

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?

Michelle: Jesus Steve, what a question! This is going to be a two-part answer. First, I would lovingly take that bad boy to bed and read through it over and over again until I had memorized every word and the pages had taken on my scent. Then, and only then, would I call the heirs to the estate and let them know what I “just discovered in that antique chest of drawers I purchased six years ago”, and see what they would like to do. It isn’t my call. But I would take my fucking time with it first.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release and why someone should read it!

Michelle: I have nothing new, but I DO have something coming out in 2023. It is called “Rotten House” and it will be published in 2023. It is a psychological/paranormal horror of a woman’s descent into madness after she inherits her mother’s hoarder house and begins to declutter it.

You should read it because it is going to be fantastic. This one is really personal to me in a few different ways. Although not by any means based on real life, is inspired by family and friends. It tackles grief, mental illness, and abandonment, in a way that only horror can. With brutality.

Steve: Bonus Question! You wake up in a comic book. What is your comic book character and what is your superpower?

Michelle: Cries silently into her cold cup of black coffee in shame. I have to admit something. I do not read comics. Yes, I have seen Marvel and DC movies, and yes, I have even tried to read comics growing up, but they weren’t and aren’t for me. I wouldn’t even know where to start!

However, a superpower? I can give you this one. I would want the ability to heal any injury or disease to myself and others. Not necessarily an “immortality” power, but one that would potentially make a longer life?

Thanks for having me. I apologize for the swear words.

Steve: Thank you so much, Michelle!

To find more of her work and Eerie River Publishing’s work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michelle-River/author/B07WKKB3Z5

Eerie River Website: https://www.eerieriverpublishing.com/

Book Box Canada Website: https://www.bookboxcanada.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EerieRiver

Title: Lure

Author: Tim McGregor

Release date: July 18, 2022

Ok, I’m going to get a huge ‘negative’ right out of the way to focus on everything positive. I – Steve – am not a fan of mermaids. At all. I get a lot of folks are intrigued by mermaids and how these sirens sign so sweetly causing men to be transfixed before being lured to their deaths. Just not for me.

BUT. And that’s a capitalized BUT (you make the big butt joke here! not me!) I also know that I – Steve – am a HUGE fan of horror masquerading as magical, fantastical fable. And having seen a few reviews of this one and re-reading the synopsis (and knowing it was on Tenebrous Press) I knew I had to give it a try. Tim’s a fantastic author/writer and I was looking for a change of scenery considering a huge schwack of my recent reads have been haunted house or set in the woods.

What I liked: Set on a coastal village where fishing is main source of food, we follow a young boy, the father of the town’s preacher, as he navigates life. The family is struggling. His mother has disappeared, his father turned angry and his brother has suffered a head injury of some sort, leaving him with challenges. His older sister is growing bitter and food has grown scarce. His true love has been chosen to marry another and he wonders just how he’ll regain her hand.

This is all thrown for a loop when, one day, a mermaid appears. At first it is seen as a positive sign, a turning for the village, but after they catch her, things turn sour very quickly. It’s here that McGregor takes us on a dark and wondrous journey. We see our main character struggle with doing what is right versus what the village wants, and we see how this decision impacts every single inhabitant. The story telling is told with a deft and seasoned hand. It reminded me of how much I loved the Henson The Storyteller series from years ago. I could almost imagine John Hurt narrating this within my mind.

The final third of this novella is ruthless and brutal. Things go from bad to worse as the mermaid unleashes her unholy terror on the village and her powers are revealed fully. Throughout we see a battle of wills, of our boy struggling still to comprehend what is happening and what role he plays.

I found the ending to be fitting, expected and horrendously sad. It’d be great to see a follow up some time in the future, to learn what has become of the village and what is discovered should others arrive. McGregor made sure to drive home the underlying story of family lost but returned and how each villager had a singular role for the over-reaching story.

What I didn’t like: It’s actually SUPER minor in the grand scheme of things, but our main character is bitten at one point and his hand begins to change. I personally wanted to know more about it. About the inner workings, the why of what was happening and what would occur if left to continue. It seems odd, but that aspect had me riveted and ultimately just didn’t feel resolved.

Why you should buy this: So, what did this non-mermaid fan think? This was friggin’ fantastic. Like seriously amazing from start to finish. This bridged the divide between fantasy and horror and was infused with a sense of Nordic folklore that made each moment feel cold and as though the sun would never shine again. McGregor owned every single word on each and every page and absolutely delivered an outstanding novella. One I should’ve read by now.

Phenomenal.

5/5

Title: Bowery

Author: Matthew Vaughn

Release date: February 14, 2023

If you’ve followed my reviews, you’ll have seen me use this phrase to describe my reading style – “extreme-lite.” I love when things go insane and we get gore and carnage and horribleness, but I need more to it than just that. I need a solid story arc, a beginning, middle and ending and I need to have a character I can root for.

In the Extreme Horror world/Splatterpunk world, one such author that I love to read is my pal, Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn does all of the above in spades and always keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Just how will our character get out of whatever horrible situation they’ve found themselves in?

Over the weekend, Matthew emailed me a digital copy and said – Hey, here’s my new book, if you’re able, read it when you can! DEAL! DEAL, GOOD SIR! Now, normally I would’ve just read all of this in a single sitting and had a review up and good to go for release date, but alas my lingering head cold and migraine issues prevented that from happening. But I did devour this in two quick sittings and here’s my thoughts! Apologies, Vaughn on this being a day after release!

Just a note – this one has a TON of Trigger Warnings so be aware going in that it might not be your cup of tea.

What I liked: This one wastes no time getting right into the extreme and repulsive. We find Sandra, eight-months pregnant, captured and trussed up naked on a milking table, while some redneck farmers have their way with her. She’s trapped and as they insist she is now a cow to be bred and keep the milk flowing for the Mother Cow, you know you’re in for an insane ride.

If you read that paragraph and were intrigued, I suggest you head over to Godless and pay the $1 because this one is filled to the brim with just utterly extreme moments. Sandra wants to fight for her survival and the survival of her unborn, but she’s continually battered and broken, abused to the utmost that a human can stand.

The ending comes along like a sledge hammer. We get a brief moment of hope that things have taken a solid turn, before Vaughn slams the door shut and we let out an agonized groan of despair.

What I didn’t like: As I mentioned at the start, I like my stories to have a solid and complete story line and I found this one lacked that. We didn’t get any ‘why,’ any reasoning behind why this bowery exists, why they worship the Mother Cow and why it needs to happen and for who. Because of that we’re left with a lot of unanswered questions that were really frustrating.

Why you should buy this: If you frequent Godless and love the extreme of the extreme this is a no brainer for you. Same goes if you love reading Matthew Vaughn’s distinct brand of horror. If you’re neither of the above and want to dive into something this ruthless for the first time, just know you’re in steady hands with one of Extreme Horror’s masters. A veteran storyteller that does it like so very few others do.

3.5/5

Bowery by Matthew Vaughn

We got a Special 3Q’s today with the amazing Stephanie Parent! Stephanie and I connected (I think?) last year during the LOHF Writers Grant season, and it’s been fantastic seeing what she’s got on the go and what she’s working on!

Now, with the release of her upcoming novel, ‘The Briars’ through Cemetery Gates Media just announced, it was the perfect time to have her drop by!

Welcome Stephanie!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Stephanie: I edit a lot as I write, so by the time I finish a novel or story, I already consider myself to be on draft 1.5. If I’m writing a short story, I’m often aiming for a specific submission call with a deadline, so I have no choice but to dive right back in! If I don’t have a deadline, I would still likely edit it right away, but then put it away for as long as I can bear to wait before looking at it again. After that distance, I will invariably see more things I want to change.

I’ve only completed one novel so far, and for that one I did go back and begin editing right away. It had been so long since I’d looked at the first half of the book that I felt like I’d let it sit long enough! That said, after I’d finished all my own edits, I had to wait while some other readers looked at the manuscript, so then I had time away from it before implementing their suggestions.

Steve: You win a very prestigious award and are invited to receive it. The award is a bronze plated copy of the book that means the most to you in your life. What book is it and why?

Stephanie: Oof, this is a hard one. There are a few answers I could give here that would be equally true, but I’m going to go with Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block. This is technically five short novels/novellas, but they have all been collected into one book-length volume. I discovered these magical realist, fairy tale-inspired novels in my early teens, and they not only ignited my love for fiction that combines the real world with the fantastical, but also inspired me to move to Los Angeles. Francesca Lia Block writes about the City of Angels like no one else, revealing both the magic and the ugliness, the glitter and the grit of the place. After reading her books I knew I had to live in LA, and moving there changed the course of my life. I would not be the person I am or have written most of my work if I had not had the Los Angeles experiences I did.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Stephanie: I’m going to cheat a bit and name my upcoming gothic horror novel The Briars, which is releasing in May 2023. I think it’s by far the best, most personal and emotional work I’ve written. Inspired by my experience working at a commercial dungeon for six years in Los Angeles, it’s my love letter to both BDSM and sex work, while also acknowledging the problematic aspects of both. I’ve written a lot of nonfiction about BDSM and sex work, but ironically, writing fiction with supernatural elements allowed me to go deeper into my own raw emotions about the subjects. I also wrote much of this novel while feeling isolated and lonely during the pandemic—I kind of think of it as my Wuthering Heights experience, as if I was alone on the moors with only my wild imaginings to keep me company. I think I came up with something quite unique and true to myself as a result.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – You’re on a camping trip when suddenly a wild animal confronts you. You take off running and it follows. What animal are you confident in thinking you could outrun?

Stephanie: Oh man. I am not fast, but I also have been known to accomplish amazing things with a kick of adrenaline to motivate me. I’m going to say a snake, because if I see a snake I am getting the hell out of there as fast as (in)humanly possible!

Steve: That’s great! And – hopefully it is a slower snake! Some of them can motor! Thank you so much for doing this, Stephanie!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SC_Parent

Website: http://www.stephanieparent.net/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephanie-Parent/author/B0B6Q89QDX

Today’s guest is an author whose work has captivated readers and has recently released a stunning novel that is getting tons of rave reviews. John Mantooth came onto my radar (as a lot of authors do) because of a recommendation from fellow reviewer, Tony Jones.

I knew I had to invite John to come do a 3Q’s, so I’m super excited to have him as today’s 3Q’s guest!

Welcome John!

Steve:  What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

John: My process is so messy that it is sometimes difficult to determine what my first draft really is. I rewrite a lot as I go. But, when I have what I’d call a readable draft, yeah, I like to take some time off. Usually this is when I send the manuscript to my agent for feedback. He’s good about responding quickly, but I often continue to wait before diving back in, even after I’ve seen his comments. The more time I can stay away, the more likely I’ll be able to read it with fresh eyes when I return to it. I want it to be a little foreign to me when I go back, otherwise, I can’t get a good feel for what is working and what isn’t working.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

John: Twenty, even ten years ago, I would have said, “No, cryptozoological creatures do not exist.” Now? I’m not so sure. As I’ve gotten older, I find certainty is an increasingly difficult wall to scale. The nature of this world is a mystery to me, and the possibility of such creatures only serves to deepen that mystery. So, I guess my answer is “maybe?” Sorry if that’s a bit of a cop-out. Like I said, certainty and I aren’t really on speaking terms these days.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

John: I think the purest story I ever wrote was “The Water Tower.” It’s in my collection Shoebox Train Wreck and was selected by Paula Guran for one of her Best Dark Fantasy and Horror books in 2010. Most of the stories I’ve ever written have been a struggle, usually involving multiple drafts and extreme agitation. But not that one. The idea occurred to me on a drive in rural South Alabama. By the time I got to a computer, I had the whole thing in my head. I sat down and wrote it fast, and it was pretty much done with that draft. It’s also, in many ways, the story that best represents me as a writer, and what I am trying to do (if that doesn’t sound too presumptuous). Which is to make the world, the real world, strange, to make the reader—and myself—see it as the alien and beautiful thing it really is. That story comes closest to accomplishing that, I think. Of course, I might be wrong. They say authors are always the worst judges of their own work.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

John: Oh, I’ve been involved in a few. But the one I’ll share was a joke played on me. When I was in college, I lived with three other guys in an apartment. One night when I came in after a late shift at work, I noticed all the lights were off in the apartment. That was unusual. We typically stayed up until all hours of the night. This made me uneasy. When I went to the door, I saw it had been left open and some of the furniture had been turned over, as if there had been a struggle. Cautiously (stupidly), I went inside. There on the wall, was a message written in what appeared to be blood. I killed them all. At this point, I backed out. It’s easy to remember this now and think, “yeah it’s obvious they were pranking me,” but in the moment, late at night, when the apartment is silent and dark, it’s pretty damn scary. I went down to a friend’s apartment and called my apartment. Luckily, one of my roommates had been expecting a call, and answered. That was when I knew. I wasn’t to upset at them. They all owed me for the pranks I’d pulled on them over the years.

Steve: Oh, that’s great! Good thing you called the apartment and not the police!

Thank you so much for doing this, John!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Mantooth/author/B006Z1LDA4

Twitter: https://twitter.com/busfulloflosers

Title: The Residence

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: September 1st, 2020

“..all that could have been avoided by staying the boy who loved to walk in the woods, rather than the portrait who was chosen to hand in the long hallway of white.”

Back in February of 2020, the e-ARC of Andrew Pyper’s (at that time) novel, The Residence, was made available on Edelweiss. Michael Patrick Hicks alerted me, and I requested it. I didn’t believe I was going to be approved for it, as at that time, I had fifty or so rejections on Edelweiss and essentially stopped using it completely. Netgalley was the site for me! Well, imagine my surprise when I was approved! I dove in, read it in a fever, excited to be devouring my first Andrew Pyper ARC (I could’ve requested one for ‘The Homecoming’ but was a weirdo and decided to await release date like a schmuck!) and devour it I did. I raced through it, loved it and tossed together my thoughts. A few months later – to my utter surprise – Andrew kindly mailed me a physical ARC! When it arrived, I reread the e-ARC, loving it once again.

Since then, The Residence has held an odd spot in my mind. It’s weird because I know everyone out there knows my love of his work, but I think the real world chaos that is the United States political landscape now, essentially dampened my overall love of this book. ‘A book about The White House?! Pfffttt.’ Or something like that.

So it was, that after there was a group read-along of Andrew’s stellar ‘The Guardians,’ I knew that I needed to revisit ‘The Residence.’ Having now completed the second group read-along of Andrew’s work (this is just me trying to figure out new and exciting ways to promote Andrew’s books!) I was stunned at how different I had this book in my head versus what it was I actually read.

What I liked: A Historical Horror novel, ‘The Residence’ follows Franklin and Jane Pierce as they prepare to arrive at The White House, Franklin the new President of the US. Tragedy strikes them on their way, a train derailment with only one casualty – their last living son, Bennie. With that, they go to The White House, both in a fog of grief. Franklin wants to lead the country and the people. Jane simply wants her son back.

It’s from here that Andrew masterfully weaves real-life people and events within the fictional happenings of Bennie ‘returning’ in a deliciously dark form known as Sir. This novel is BLEAK. It feels like once you open the pages the power has gone out and you’re forced to read it by candle light. Time and time again, this mansion that is supposed be the most lavish and cherished house in America feels like it is abandoned and broken down.

Andrew does a great job of filtering in the slave aspect – both with the decision before Franklin of making them free or allowing slavery to continue, but also with how the house itself was built on the backs of slaves and those souls still haunt it. It created an atmosphere where, as the reader, I didn’t want Franklin or Jane to remain in their rooms as the demonic presence stomps and clomps about, but I also didn’t want them to venture to the lower levels, knowing those that haunt the boiler room are awaiting to exact some sort of vengeance.

The ending is fantastic. We get a battle of good versus evil while also seeing how this presence remains behind after they’ve left The White House and could very well be what is known as ‘The Thing’ for years after. Andrew doesn’t hold back, showcasing just how this occurrence has driven a wedge between Franklin and Jane and how they need to work to get back to being with each other and their for each other.

What I didn’t like: Franklin is a hard character to like and to root for. It’s purposeful, especially when you consider his place in history, but it still makes for tough going as a reader when you want to see success and achievement against supernatural odds, but you kind of wouldn’t mind seeing him fail and get decapitated. Of course, in this case, you know that won’t happen – history and all – but it will challenge some readers to push through, especially when Franklin puts his Presidency over his wife at times.

Why you should buy this: I don’t see this novel enough ANYWHERE. This is a phenomenally written haunted house story where we get solid (real) characters, a presence that will chill you to your core and a pacing that will have you wanting to skip work and stay up late to finish. We started out as reading a single chapter a day, which only lasted for a short time before we bumped it to three chapters a day, and even then we still all wanted to race through it.

It showcases the Pierce’s as they try and overcome an obstacle they didn’t expect while dealing with the harshest and most horrible moment in their lives. Grief is a weight that can drown even the strongest of swimmers and in ‘The Residence,’ Andrew shows just why he is one of the only authors out there that can navigate these choppy waters and get our characters back to shore.

I’m so happy I re-read this one again. Just a stellar experience.

5/5