Title: Hell on High

Author: Michael Clark

Release date: March 15, 2023

Huge thanks to Michael for sending me a digital ARC of this one!

Michael Clark is the author of the The Patience of a Dead Man series, a trilogy of novels that own, all of them on my Kindle, but have yet managed to get to any of them. My good pal, George, has told me to read them close to a dozen times, but like many of you out there, my TBR is a mile high and I’m hoping to get to them shortly (like within a year or so… haha!).

‘Hell on High’ caught my interest (not from the fantastically ominous cover art) but from the climbing synopsis. As you’ll be aware, I’m a huge fan of wilderness based dark fiction. But I also love watching/reading non-fiction set in the wilderness. Extreme athlete documentaries and works such as ‘Into Thin Air’ by Jon Krakauer. There’s been a few horror novels I’ve read that deal with high-up mountain stuff, ‘Ararat’ by Christopher Golden and ‘The Mourner’s Cradle: A Widow’s Journey’ by Tommy B. Smith, so I was really intrigued with what Michael was going to do.

What I liked: The story follows two characters before their plots become interwoven. We have Juliana, who discovers the truth of her father and is whisked away to the US in the hopes of being safe and finding a way to get her sister out of South America as well, and Patrick, a douchebag, spoiled son of dentist’s. He himself is now also a dentist, but being a total dick, he likes to travel and spend money as though it grows on trees.

Their worlds intersect when Juliana, now having changed her name, meets Patrick in the US. Patrick has returned after being detained in Greece, the results of him letting his girlfriend die while on a hiking trip. He tries to play it off as though he desperately attempted to help her, but the evidence is stacked against him and without his parents paying off the government officials, he’d still be in jail.

Juliana is constantly worried about her father catching her. One big aspect of this is his connection to black magick and it works well to keep a growing sense of dread. No matter the distance she puts between them, she knows he has the ability to find her.

When Patrick and Juliana go to Everest, things really ramp up another level and we get some wonderful environmental revenge/supernatural elements that leak in and show just how much doing wrong to someone can get you in deep water over your head.

Clark does a great job of keeping these two at polar opposites of who the readers will side with, while also having us desperately want things to work out very differently than you can expect it to happen.

The ending is a blast, it rips along and I really loved seeing the tides turn and the various elements get wrapped up.

What I didn’t like: I spend an awful lot of time on Twitter and interacting there. With that in mind, I found myself constantly pulled out of the realm of the story with the significant amount of characters named after people I interact with a lot. It made it hard to suspend some disbelief in parts because all I could picture was the real life person. I know some people don’t mind, but for me it was a tougher aspect to ignore throughout.

Secondly, I know Michael has discussed his usage of short chapters before, but this is a roughly 225 page book with 225 chapters. At times the shorter chapters worked to slow the pace in places it would’ve been great to have it ramp up.

Why you should buy this: This has a ton of elements that’ll have dark fiction fans happy. We get some great characters, tons of back story and ‘why’s’ over various actions and of course a ton of action involving the outdoors and mountains. Clark has really delivered a fun read, one that definitely does the cover art justice.

Really engaging read.

4/5

https://brigidsgatepress.com/product/hell-on-high

One thing I’ve learned through this entire 3Q’s interview series, is that I’ve managed to connect with so many amazing authors – from folks who’re about to release their first book – to internationally recognized and best-selling authors. It’s been great seeing the processes of all of them, and today’s is no exception. With his debut novel now out in the world, I’m super happy to have Tyler join me today!

Welcome Tyler!

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?

Tyler: As I write the first draft, I make notes of scenes and moments that are especially weak, or if there are major changes that occur to me (a new beginning, introducing a new character or subplot, etc.). I always force myself to finish the first draft, so I have something to work off of, but after it is done I compile all my notes and sit down to replan. I’m a big planner and listen to the playlist I have made for that novel as I write and plan to get into the mindset for that story.

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

Tyler: I don’t, I am a fairly skeptical person, but I really hope Bigfoot is real. As a Coloradan, there are a lot of references to him in the state (Them? It’s supposed to be a species, right?) and also since cultures across the world have similar stories, I think it would be cool if there was some truth behind all the legends.

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

Tyler: I am currently working on my debut novel! (Steve’s note – it is now out!) However, I am also proud of this one. I really think it’s a good story and I have put a lot of effort into it. Think of it as a character driven SciFi political thriller with a dash of military SciFi elements. Dune meets Red Rising, for two easy comps.

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

Tyler: I had an old teammate who went camping for his birthday. When he was gone, we called his very fun dad and asked for help pranking him. His dad told us where he went to camp so found his car, covered it in condoms and tampons, and then discovered the day he got back that the person next to his site had the same car and we put them on their car instead!

Steve: Oh man haha! That is hilarious! Wonder how long it took you to clean it up! Reminds me of the episode where Homer’s car gets covered in seashells and starfish on The Simpsons!

Thanks so much for doing this, Tyler!

To follow along – check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Writer_Wright12

Website: https://www.writer-wright.com/

3Q’s today is with Texan, Michael R. Collins!

Michael continues to creep out his ever-growing legion of readers and it was with that in mind that we connected! I’m super happy to have him stop by today!

Welcome Michael!

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?

MC: Once the first draft is done, I like to set is aside and let it rest. I feel it’s important to approach each draft with fresher eyes. This way I can catch issues with story and add nuances that I planned on but forgot to on the first pass. Depending on what other projects are in the works, I might let it sit for a few days to a few weeks.

…And sometimes I’m kinda excited about it and just barrel right back into it immediately.

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

 MC: I’ve never really been one for cryptids. They’re fun to read about and write stories of, but I don’t think they are real.  That being said, I’m open to the possibility. It’s a weird, wide world out there and who knows what other surprises it has.

I guess from my time living in Texas, I secretly hold out for the existence of the chupacabra. He’s and ornery, goat eating sonofagun, and I appreciate that about him.

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

MC: It’s hard to pick favorites. But I suppose if I were to single one out it is my first novel, Night Shall Overtake.  Not only is it my first but that book is the reason I met my partner. If she hadn’t have read it and we started talking about it, life wouldn’t be as wonderful as it is today. (Yes, I’m sappy like that.)

Also, it’s just such a fun story. I enjoyed writing it and the world I created. With some luck, I’ll have a sequel written for it’s tenth anniversary next year.

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

MC: I’m drawing a blank on this one. Guess the jokes weren’t that good. Lol.

Steve: It happens to the best of us!

Thanks so much for doing this, Michael!

To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-R.-Collins/author/B00LV3RZF8

Website: https://michaelrcollins.wordpress.com/

Title: Faces of Beth

Author: Carver Pike

Release date: April 10, 2022

When the nominations for the 2022 Splatterpunk Awards were announced, I took a look at the list to see who had made it (and was surprised and elated to see my name on the list – yeah, yeah, humble brag!), for one specific reason – I wanted to see who I still needed to read that I’d not read yet. The first name on that list was Aron Beauregard, which I fixed by recently reading his nominated novel, The Playground. The second was Carver Pike. I connected with Carver a number of years back and have always loved seeing how passionate and supportive he is. I felt a bit like a d-bag that I hadn’t gotten around to reading any of his work yet, but after reading the synopsis, I was super intrigued.

What I liked: The story follows possibly one of the most caring main characters you’ll ever come across. Andrew is an orderly/assistant at a long-term mental health institution. While there, he fell in love with a patient who had checked herself in, Beth. Even with her multiple personalities, Andrew doesn’t care – he loves her and decides to consider the other personalities as extended family members. It takes a turn when one of those personalities appears to take a very malicious turn and ‘detaches’ itself from Beth physically.

Carver has simply done a phenomenal job with this novel. This reminded me of the books/movies I used to watch as a teen that really had me excited upon discovering. We get thoroughly fleshed out alternative personalities, so much so that when Andrew is dealing with each one individually, it doesn’t come across as him talking to his wife while she pretends to be a different version of herself. It also makes us feel and connect with each one, which means later on, when things get truly horrific, there is a LOT of emotional moments and big scenes that’ll make you root hard for that personality as well as Andrew, to make it out alive.

The ending is fantastic and we get a ton of events that not only give us answers about what happened, but also solidly show us/reaffirm to us just how much Andrew loves Beth and the lengths he is willing to go to save her and be with her.

What I didn’t like: I did find the ‘reveal’ of Beth and her personalities to be a very jarring moment early on. Even though I knew what the deal was with the book, it still felt like a hard shift.

Secondly, I wondered how this novel would’ve played out had it not gone with the religious events/background and focused more on just Gore and Andrew attempting to keep things in check with his life and with Beth and her personalities.

Why you should buy this: This novel rips along from page one and never really lets up. Masterfully crafted, with some really great characters, I found that I desperately wanted to get back to the book whenever I was away from it, which tells you a lot about how awesome it was.

Pike has really crafted a gem here, one that I think casts a wide net for horror readers and their interests, but never falters in his deliver. A phenomenal read.

5/5

3Q’s today is with an author whose work I have really enjoyed reading!

I connected with Christopher through Kendall Reviews and have read a fair amount of his stories. Christopher reminds me a lot of Adam Nevill, in that he writes how the current crop of authors write (fast and loose) while also keeping one steady hand in the old ways (slow and delicate) and because of that, his work is always something that makes you sit down and take notice.

Super excited to have him stop by today!

Welcome Christopher!

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?

CH: If only I had finished my current book in a single draft! I’m afraid the first draft lost its way during the pandemic and by the time I’d got my mojo back, ripped apart that attempt, and wrestled the remains into a form I was happy with, I was onto at least Draft 4!

There does come a point, however, when it’s important to put the work aside for a few weeks. You need to return to that manuscript with fresh eyes or else you’re in danger of seeing only what you expect, rather than what’s actually there.

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

CH: Perhaps I wouldn’t have spent so many years writing non-fiction. My initial plan was to write horror, but when I started out in the 1990s, the quickest and easiest route to getting published and paid was via letters to newspapers, writing filler paragraphs, and submitting magazine articles. One of my abiding interests is folklore and the paranormal, and at that time magazines were practically screaming for articles on those subjects thanks to the phenomenal popularity of ‘The X-Files’. I found some success writing those, and that helped to deepen my interest in those subjects. Step by step, I ended up focused on serious paranormal research on the one hand and writing collections of local legends and real-life ghost stories on the other. It wasn’t until a few years ago when political changes in the UK resulted in me losing my regular non-writing income plus much of the money I’d set aside for the proverbial rainy day (do NOT get me started on that!) that I found myself no longer able to afford the lengthy and often expensive research that went into those books. Those changes forced me to take a long, hard look at where I had ended up. In the end I said goodbye to that life, began again with a pen name, and set out to write the horror fiction I’d initially intended.

Having said all that, maybe I wouldn’t change the past because so much of that old life is now fuel and source material for this one.

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

CH: My favourite is always the story I’m thinking of writing next. The one still full of endless potential, existing only as waves of probability yet to be collapsed by decisions and imprisoned in words.

But I particularly enjoyed writing ‘The Horror at Lavender Edge’. It’s a novel that seems to divide opinion, and while some readers have raved about it, others (your good self included!) have not been as keen. For me, though, it was a chance to escape the modern world and revisit childhood memories by setting events in London in the 1970s. It’s an era that fascinates me at the moment.

That book was the first in a series and as I answer this question, I am getting ready to release Book 2. It kicks off six months after the events at Lavender Edge with a protagonist coming to terms with how those events have changed him, and struggling with the knowledge that his own selfishness was partly responsible for the way things panned out.

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

CH: Woah, that’s a hell of a question!

The romantic part of me – that bit of my soul that keeps making me re-read Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ – is drawn towards the endless expanse of the ocean, to the magnificent isolation of vast horizons and the silent, crystal clarity of the stars at night, and to the poignant hopelessness of surrender to the inevitable.

But mountains bring at least a slight possibility of obtaining shelter, water (of the drinkable sort), and food. With luck, I might learn to survive in the mountains long enough to find my way out or else to start yet another new life. Why not? I’ve always rather fancied being a hermit.

Steve: That is excellent! And if you lived as a hermit, you could conceivably write a ton of books!

Thanks again for doing this, Christopher!

To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Henderson/author/B0768KRXXR

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChendersHorror

Website: https://www.christopherhendersonhorror.com/

Special 3Q’s today is with one the most supportive guys out there – Zachary Rosenberg!

I’m so happy to have him join me today! His newest novella is a rampaging fun time and one thing you’ll soon discover while interacting with him – is that he’s infectiously supportive!

Welcome Zachary!

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?

ZR: I always try to get between 500-1000 words there. Personally, I don’t really have a “writing time.” I can be far too chaotic and hard to hold to a schedule that way, especially with the day job (and find it very hard to actually write at work proper). Really, it’s usually in the afternoon or evening when I can get a good moment to just take a crack at it.

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?

ZR: I see I’ve found the Steinbeck werewolf novel at last! Naturally, if I found a secret manuscript in this context, it’d be one shared with the world. But not before taking a read first, of course!

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

ZR: My latest release is “Hungers As Old As This Land,” through Brigids Gate press! Combining two of my loves, westerns, and horror. If I may say so myself, it’s a darkly thrilling story of the hungers at the heart of America’s past, along with grim reminders of persecution, violence, and Manifest Destiny. Told through the eyes of likable, relatable characters, with cool monsters and a tight, moving story.

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

ZR: Ooh, either Magneto or Professor Xavier. Power over magnetism would be pretty epic, let alone that telepathy of the latter!

Steve: Oh – two great choices!

Thank you so much for doing this! To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZachRoseWriter

Really exciting 3Q’s Special today with the fantastic author and anthologist, Rebecca Rowland!

I’ve read some of her work and what I have has been really great! With the launch of a really thrilling anthology on the horizon, I was so happy Rebecca was able to stop by for a visit!

Welcome Rebecca!

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?

RR: As an author, I pay more attention to how I write things than what I write. More often than not, I type a handful of paragraphs, then go back and revise those snippets two or three times before continuing on with the story. When I’m done, unless I’m under a tight deadline, I put the story away for a few weeks before revisiting it. When I finally read the first draft as a whole, I’m looking more for plot holes than for syntax or diction tweaks.

As an anthology editor, I read stories as I receive them—often, two or three times. I have never been a fan of editors who try to align a writer’s style to their own, and I try to keep a creator’s voice intact: that means not fussing too much. In general, I select stories for projects based on the writing rather than on the story-telling, so when I copy edit, it’s very minimal, and once the story is placed, I tend to not look at it again because by that time, I can’t see the forest for the trees. I send the stories back to the authors and ask them to take one final scan for typos: by that time, they should be able to see their pieces with fresh eyes. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to trimming and shaping our own work; we pick at things too much. Outside proofers are godsends: they clip stray hangnails without any emotional attachment.

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

RR: I would have gone into writing horror not giving a fuck about what others think, to be crudely honest. For years, I was so self-conscious about how something might come off: to my friends, to my co-workers, to people who might form a first impression of me based on what they read. Maybe it’s a product of age or maybe it’s a product of experience, but these days, I write what I want to write without much filter. Sometimes it’s too filthy for people; sometimes it’s too clean. It took me a while to feel comfortable in my own writing skin. Some authors mold their work around what’s “hot” or what sells. I can’t fault them. However, I try to approach writing and curating the way I approach my personal relationships: for me, duplicity is one of the most loathsome traits to possess. I can’t employ it in my relationship with others, and I can’t employ it in my work either.

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

RR: Although I will always have a soft spot for “Bent,” I’d have to say Shagging the Boss is my new favorite. People hate the title. One well-known reviewer refused to even look at the story because she insisted it “had” to be erotica (even though there isn’t a wink of sex anywhere in it). The novelette takes place in Boston—where I set a lot of my fiction—at a location where I worked in the mid 1990s. On one level, it’s a fun creature feature, but at its heart, the story is about the ethical limits people bend (or break) and the nefarious actions they ignore when they want something badly enough. Ambition isn’t a bad thing, but it can be monstrous at times as well.

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

RR: It would have to be the mountains, if only by default. My skin’s pallor rivals a graveyard ghoul’s. If I were adrift on the open sea, the sun’s reflection might damn well set me ablaze.

Thank you once again for doing this, Rebecca!

To find more of her work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rebecca-Rowland/author/B07GCBFCXP

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_rowland_books/

Website: https://rowlandbooks.com/

Title: The Entangled Dragon

Author: DS LaLonde

Release date: January 14, 2023

Huge thanks to the awesome DS for sending me a digital ARC of this one. I had tried really hard to get it read and reviewed before release date, but alas a jam packed reading schedule and personal and family colds threw that plan into the fire!

But, here I am, having devoured this in a few sittings and gleefully smiling over the contents that LaLonde has delivered this time around.

I read their prior novel, ‘A Bleak Remedy’ last year, and while this one has shades of similarities, it is its own beast, while still showcasing LaLonde’s snappy prose.

What I liked: The story begins by following middle-of-the-road, Rick. A middle manager, living a meager existence, getting by without being flashy or having too much money in the bank. Just a regular dude. That is, until he gets invited to participate in a trial. At first, he’s convinced it’s a scam. But soon enough he discovers its not – but the truth of what it is, is where we leap off.

At this trial, he discovers demons exist, that there’s more to the world than what we see on directly before us, and its this starting off point that LaLonde uses to then unleash a fantastic romp of a story.

LaLonde has really created an imaginative and very in-depth world here, one that has layers and texture and feels fully fleshed out and lets us become immersed completely in it. Rick is a solid character and the secondary characters who are introduced and play various roles in the ever growing story all feel solid as well.

The ending is both engaging, but if you look at the cover you see it says Book One, which means we get a fair number of open ended questions that will most likely contribute to wherever we end up going in the sequel.

What I didn’t like: While I did appreciate how much was thrown at us, sometimes it did feel a bit overwhelming. This could be because – in comparison to ‘A Bleak Remedy’ – it is a shorter page count/word count, but it also comes down to the large scope of the world LaLonde’s created. On the flip side, cutting some away would feel awkward, so there really isn’t a solution, just more me finding there to be a lot going on haha!

Why you should buy this: LaLonde has a really easy and engaging way of telling their stories and between the two novels I’ve read of theirs now, they definitely work hard to create sprawling set pieces that are filled with crazy corporations, secret society type aspects and compulsive plot points.

Another solid winner from LaLonde!

4/5

Title: Hungers as Old as This Land

Author: Zachary Rosenberg

Release date: May 17th, 2023

In the past, I typically passed on doing both a blurb and/or review. When someone reached out, I’d either say yes to one or the other but not both. But over the last few months, I’ve seen more and more reviewers decide to either reduce the number of books they’re taking on or stop reviewing ARC’s completely. It’s a tough spot out there right now and I see it from both sides – as a reviewer and an author. At the time of writing this, I have a novel coming out in two months and (and I completely understand life and no disrespect meant) some of the reviewers I always knew would be willing to read an ARC from me are no longer taking anything on.

So, I decided to make that switch and if someone wanted both, I’d be willing to do that. Every little bit helps.

Which, was why I was excited when Zachary reached out to see if I wanted to check out an ARC of his upcoming novella. I’ve only read a short from Zachary previously, but was really eager and keen to see what he’d created with this western/folklore horror story.

What I liked: The story follows events in Grey’s Bluff, years after the Civil War. Esther and Siobhan are secret lovers, living in Esther’s fathers home and tending to the town as needed. Part of that ‘tending’ is making sure their end of the pact that Esther’s father made with those called The Hungers who live in the mountains is maintained.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Esther and Siobhan and thought they made a really solid, thoroughly crafted couple. I would suspect that they are based on a real-life couple, the little mannerisms Rosenberg adds in suggesting that.

It sets up an exciting wild-west tale and Rosenberg holds nothing back. We get topical and timely socio-political commentary interspersed within. The meat of the story occurs when an old army friend of Esther’s dad is sent to forcefully take Grey’s Bluffs.

Rosenberg uses this as a way to pack a solid quarter of the story with an action-packed sequence. It rumbles us along until we get to the ending and we get to see what happens when those who’ve not treated The Hungers kindly step into their world uninvited.

What I didn’t like: Two things nagged at me. The first is the bigotry/anti-Semitism parts. I feel like it wasn’t expanded upon enough. This is a short, snappy novella – but I would’ve been just as happy if we had another ten pages added and Rosenberg took his time digging into that deeper and making the reader feel more for the characters and less off of historical acceptance. The rise of anti-Semitism over the last few years has been unacceptable, but unfortunately it isn’t something new. I would’ve loved Rosenberg to have these characters discuss how it had impacted them more, instead of an impassioned speech that is delivered. As well, the racism/bigotry plot line could’ve been expanded a bit more too to really work as a powerful novella showcasing this. Knowing the publishers and the publishing house, I’m certain they’d have had no qualms about that.

Secondly – NOT ENOUGH HUNGERS! AH! Zachary! You’re killing me here! They are kept in the shadows and remain there and we get hardly enough description to formulate what they might look like. And they barely get involved to any formidable degree. Definitely something I would’ve loved to see more of! Maybe a sequel or prequel will hit that aspect down the road!

Why you should buy this: This novella packs a ton of emotions and action into its short page count. Rosenberg wields his pen like a master swordsman, slashing beautiful and compulsive prose in each and every paragraph. This one really does a wonderful job of playing to the strengths of what makes westerns great, but also what makes folklore horror great.

Definitely one to snag!

4/5

Today’s 3Q’s is a fun one! I always like when people send in some fun ‘accessory’ stuff for their answers and Ezekiel did just that!

I connected with Ezekiel a while back and it’s been great watching his fans get new and saliva-creating works of dark fiction!

Please, welcome Ezekiel!

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?

EK: Once I’m done with my first draft, I take some time away from it and work on something else. I usually work on something drastically different. For example, if I’m writing horror comedy I will switch to something intense and scary. This keeps my mind fresh and allows me to switch gears. When I go back to the first draft, it helps me look at it with fresh eyes.

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

EK: Of course! Look at this picture I took around my property. My fiancé says it is just a puddle. But I say it is a Sasquatch footprint. This is obviously a major point of contention in the relationship.

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

EK: Man, this is a tough one. I’d have to say it is my Dreadful Death series (third book in the series is forthcoming). This series is based on the ghost of a little girl that appeared to me a few years ago. There’s also a real-life haunted photo involved with the writing of the books as well as a haunted doll. This series was by far the most intense thing I have ever written and has literally given people nightmares. I had a few beta readers tap out before the end because the story got to them too deeply.

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

EK: There have been many, but my all-time favorite is the one I pulled on my oldest daughter. When she was around ten or eleven, I told her this story about some haunted VHS tapes I found in an old man’s trash can when I was around her age. I told her these tapes have real documented footage of a family being harassed and then possessed by an evil entity. I showed her my Paranormal Activity DVDs and said that I had to hide the tapes, so I got them transferred onto DVD and made them look like real movies. I told her I did all this so I could “hide them in plain sight.”

She was fascinated by the story and the movies. She asked me what happened to the VHS tapes, and I told her I had gotten frightened and threw them away. I told her the other weird thing about these tapes was the date on them. I told her I found them in 1990 but the date on the camera when recording was around 2007.

For years my daughter would ask me about the tapes and when she could watch them. I even had my brother involved in the prank, confirming my story about the footage. Finally, when my daughter turned sixteen, I let her watch the movies. She was enthralled and scared out of her mind, thinking they were real. After we watched the first Paranormal Activity movie, she was searching for it online, still convinced that what she saw was real. Even when she saw the actors and actresses names, she still couldn’t put it together. It wasn’t until she read an actual interview with the actors that it dawned on her.

She had been had! The look on her face was epic. I carried this joke on for about five or six years and the payoff was well worth it. It is still a running joke between me and my kids about how bad I got her. My patience for being able to carry this thing on for years is also praised by my friends and family. It was a fantastic prank and still brings us laughs to this day.

Steve: Hahaha! Oh man, that is great! The long game always pays off!

Thank you so much for doing this, Ezekiel! To find more of his work – check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ezekiel-Kincaid/author/B08GZQ55PQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EzekielKincaid

Website: https://theparanormalpastor.square.site/