Writing Blog – Page 2 – The Literary Underworld

13 Octobers returns to familiar spooky ground

By Alexander S. Brown

I would like to start this by giving thanks to the Literary Underworld for granting me the opportunity to elaborate on my collection, 13 Octobers. Since this will primarily focus on why I chose to release this collection as an author’s preferred edition, I will spare the reader of what inspired this work in the first place. If you’re interested in those details, just visit my YouTube page Bookworm of the Damned and watch my video entry titled “Great News.”

Originally 13 Octobers was released in 2016. Back then, it was called The Night the Jack-o’-Lantern Went Out. Which despite how cool of a title that was, I couldn’t take credit for its name, as that was suggested by my publisher. And for this reason, when I decided to make this collection available to the public once again, I changed the name simply because it felt right.

Primarily, there were quite a few reasons why I decided to pull my work and regain my rights. But instead of listing everything that went wrong, or what I considered to be a red flag, I’ll stick to the main factors that played into 13 Octobers becoming my preferred edition over the original text.

The main problem I had with The Night the Jack-o’- Lantern Went Out was because it had been published with a plethora of errors. And when I brought this to the publisher’s attention, I was told it wasn’t a big deal. It may not have been a big deal to him, but it was to me. After I requested a revision multiple times, and nothing was done, I came to the realization that no changes would be made. Imagine the frustration there.

As other issues began to mount, the weekend that made me decide to yank all of my work took place at a horror convention where I had been invited as a guest. At this convention, my publisher and I sat on a panel together to speak about the horror fandom. Shortly after we introduced ourselves to the audience, he said, “Horror is a dead genre.” Then he proceeded to explain how horror doesn’t sell.

All I could do was sit there and think, well, you just shot yourself in the foot. Then I asked myself, if the genre is so dead, why are you representing me? Since I wasn’t in the mood to argue, I expressed how I saw the genre reinventing itself. Once the weekend concluded, I mulled over a gameplan to regain my rights, which resulted in me sending an email that expressed it was time to part ways. Of course, I was met with resistance, but I eventually got what I wanted.

From there, my work went out of print, but I knew I needed a creative outlet. For that reason, I began the YouTube channel Bookworm of the Damned. This came about mostly because I wanted to document what I read and connect with other readers. Since I had spent nearly the last decade doing conventions and speaking on panels, I had a good idea of how I wanted to present myself.

But while my main focus became directed at this channel, I couldn’t just throw away my books altogether. Because of that, I decided I would to return to the author life when it was right for me. Nonetheless, I continued to write new stories, until I felt it was time to return my attention to my previous published works.

Among my out-of-print collections and novel that I had released over the years, I decided to tackle The Night the Jack-o’-Lantern Went Out first. In 13 Octobers, I give a deeper meaning why I chose this collection first. But for here, I will simply say the subject matter was symbolic and comforting, as many of its characters reminded me of my family.

When time would allow, I tried to eliminate plot holes, gain historic accuracy, and fix grammatical and spelling errors that had gone untouched with its first printing. Then I handed my book over to friends and family, who I trusted could give me constructive criticism, which they did. Over the better part of two years, we corresponded frequently about what needed to be revised, and had it not been for their help, I doubt I would be writing these words now. Also, since the original cover art for The Night the Jack-o’-Lantern Went Out was provided by the publisher, I knew I wanted a new cover. I reached out to local artist Chuck Jett to create the current image.

Being DIY with this book was a great learning experience, especially when it came down to formatting the ebook and paperback. But to prevent future struggle, I made notes from beginning to end of the steps I took for 13 Octobers to exist. While going through all of these steps did prove to be a headache, the fact that I now have complete control over my work, and I can make changes whenever I like, I can sleep better at night.

Before I close out, I would like to advise that not all publishers are like the one I described. Please don’t think I’m bashing all publishers. Nonetheless, if you are interested in a publisher, no matter what size house they are, purchase a few of their books and read them. When finished, ask yourself if the book was good quality. Then go online and research the publisher. Not only will a quick search help you determine how established their house is, but it will also allow you to see if the publisher has been in hot water. Furthermore, if you’re able, reach out to authors of that house, inquire about their publishing experience, as well as how loyal that publisher has been with sharing royalty statements.

In this mixed bag of treats … and tricks, readers will return toI/ older times. Back when oral tradition warned of grisly things that lurked about on autumn nights. A bygone era when people heeded superstitions and lore, and few dared to brave the forbidden.

Readers will encounter thirteen chilling stories presented in four decades of vintage life. These horrors include: ghosts, unlucky animals, murderers, creatures, and the devil himself.

Buy it now from the Literary Underworld!

ALEXANDER S. BROWN is a Mississippi author whose first book, Traumatized, was published in 2008, later re-relased by Pro Se Publications. Brown is currently co-editors/coordinator with the Southern Haunts anthology series published by Seventh Star Press. His horror novel Syrenthia Falls was published by Dark Oak Press. His short story collection The Night the Jack O’ Lantern Went Out reached bestseller status in three literary categories on Amazon.com upon release. Brown is the author of multiple young-adult steampunk stories found in the Dreams of Steam anthologies, Capes and Clockwork anthologies, and Clockwork Spells and Magical Bells. His more extreme works can be found in the anthology Luna’s Children published by Dark Oak Press, Reel Dark published by Seventh Star Press and State of Horror: Louisiana Vol. 1 published by Charon Coin Press. Brown is also an actor and producer in the short film The Acquired Taste inspired by a story in Traumatized and directed by Chuck Jett.

ADHD and writing

By Diana Morgan

October is ADHD awareness month and as a writer with ADHD, I’d love to help bring more awareness to how we portray ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions in writing and media. If you’re plugged into any social media lately you’ve probably run into at least one creator whose content revolves around ADHD or autism. It’s a hot topic, thanks to new diagnostic standards and the special community that forms on social media platforms.

Neurodivergent identity has been stigmatized for a long time. Autism, ADHD, bipolar, and other brain differences were hidden or avoided, leaving people with shame and nowhere to look for representation.

But things have changed. From Sheldon Cooper in Big Bang Theory to Abed Nadir in Community, more and more characters are showing up and giving the neurodivergent community the representation it needs.

Authors like Helen Hoang and Talia Hibbert, who are both autistic, have started including autistic characters in their romance novels showing the complexities disability gives to a relationship. In sci-fi authors like Ada Hoffman and Corrine Duyvis are exploring how science and disability rights can affect the future in new ways.

In my Lost Colony series, I have two neurodivergent characters. Jacob Moorland has AudHD (ADHD and autism combined) and in the upcoming sequel, there will be a new character names Henry with autism.

It’s exciting new territory for those of us who grew up in a world where our conditions were often shamed. I was diagnosed as a child and grew up in the 90s when ADHD hadn’t been studied in girls. Growing up, I rarely saw characters with ADHD in the media and when I did, they were highly exaggerated or stereotypical. Boys who were “walking disasters,” running wild and being destructive; non-verbal girls who could only repeat songs they heard on the radio. It gave an inaccurate idea of what ADHD and autism can look like and further stigmatized our differences.

Like any good representation, progress is slow, and mistakes are made, but we must keep trying to improve. If you’re a writer who is interested in writing better, more realistic neurodivergent characters, here are a few tips to get you started.

This is also a good time to say that I am not a medical professional, I’m just a writer who’d lived their whole life with ADHD (diagnosed at 5 years old), raised an autistic ADHD child, and spent a lot of time with the neurodivergent community learning about being an advocate. I’m still learning, but one thing I do know about is writing, and I want to help other writers.

Neurodivergent is NOT just autism and ADHD. It’s also bipolar disorder, Tourette’s, Down’s Syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, borderline personality disorder, and a host of other brain differences.
Be mindful of what terms you use. A lot of things have changed about how autism and ADHD are diagnosed over the last few decades, as such so have the terms used to describe people with those diagnoses. Terms like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and Asperger’s are outdated and in some ways offensive. Depending on your story’s setting and time period, you need to be mindful about what terms you use.
This also goes for slang. Like any community, a few slang terms have cropped up in recent years. Words like “neurospicy” and “the ‘tsim” have gotten popular, but people are divided on how they feel about them. Some people think neurospicy is fun and empowering. Others find it infantilizing and demeaning.
Autism/ADHD/disability is a superpower or they have a superpower that “cures” the disability. This is disrespectful at best and can be offensive if done badly. Disability doesn’t need a cure or magic powers, it needs acceptance.
Neurodivergent is not a monolith. Even people who have the same diagnosis will have vastly different presentations and symptoms. Many neurodivergent conditions are also co-morbid. ADHD and autism frequently appear together, they are also often accompanied by dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety, and depression.

Good representation takes time and a willingness to learn, but we can all do more to help neurodivergent representation improve. If you are interested in including more characters with autism, ADHD, or other disabilities, do your research, listen to advocates with those disabilities, and whenever possible hire a sensitivity reader.

If you’re interested in more ADHD content and resources, check out the resources page on my website dianamorganauthor.com, or find me on any of my socials @dianamorganauthor

Keep writing and I’ll see you among the stars.

DIANA MORGAN is a superhero by day, writer by night. Okay, not really, but when she’s not writing books, she’s a librarian at a local library, which is kind of a superhero. Her superpowers include always knowing what kids like to read, being able to read more than 10 books at one time, and the ability to eat more pizza than anyone.

Diana has always loved science fiction and fantasy. She grew up watching Quantum Leap, Power Rangers and Star Wars. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making up stories.

She was a geek before being a geek was cool, and she loves hanging out with other geeks and sharing her love of all things space and magic and books.

Just a regular bloke

By John McFarland

It was to be the trip of a lifetime. One of those ‘bucket list’ deals that retirees dream of. My wife Cindy’s ex daughter-in-law, Michelle, had always stayed close to Cindy through the years. And after years of hard work, elevating herself to comfortable circumstances, Michelle invited us to join her family on a tour of the UK.

Although Michelle’s family trip was only to encompass the UK, Cindy, always looking at the big picture, saw a larger opportunity. Having two publishers in Germany, Wandler-Verlag and Zagava, and an illustrator in Seville, Spain, she planned that we could get a Europass and see the Continent by rail after our hosts went home. These were exciting prospects, and it occurred to me that there was yet another literature-related possibility open to us before we left England for the train tour.

I had become facebook friends with Ramsey Campbell perhaps three years before. He was always the first person to wish me happy birthday every year, and I enjoyed reading his regular-bloke posts about partying with his friends, cinema, horror, and The Three Stooges. He was and is an avid assembler of 1000 piece picture puzzles and loves a good glass of cheer. We had a sort of connection through the person of the iconic T.E.D. Klein.

The very first fiction I ever wrote was a tale called One Happy Family. Ted was the wunderkind editor of The Twilight Zone Magazine in those days and he accepted that story and published it in October 1983 issue. Subsequent stories I submitted to him didn’t fare so well, but Ted always explain in detail and with much kindness, what he felt was lacking in them. I reconnected with Ted when my first story collection appeared in 2020 and he was graciously supportive and gave me very positive blurbs. He even sent a collection of essays he had recently published, as a gift.

As it turns out, Ted was equally encouraging to Ramsey when he first came on the scene with his novel The Doll Who Ate His Mother, also in the early ‘80’s. They have been friends ever since. Ramsey was impressed when I was honored to be included in a two author chapbook with Ted issued by Wandler-Verlag.

I messaged Ramsey through Facebook that we were going to be in the UK in late August. I asked if he were going to be available then and if we could meet. His response was ‘Let’s have dinner.’ We selected a Turkish restaurant Ramsey and his wife Jenny had wanted to try in Wallasey Village, across the Mersey River from Liverpool. The restaurant was just a few blocks from their home. Ramsey made reservations for four for the evening of August 25.

Cindy has never been a fan of horror. She felt ill-equipped to meet an author whom I had told her was a celebrity. “How famous is he?” she asked me.

“Maybe not quite as well-known as Stephen King, but close to that.”

I told her I was a little apprehensive too. I had never met, face-to-face, a writer in that hierarchy and though I had read three of Ramsey’s novels and many of his short stories, I didn’t consider myself qualified to speak authoritatively about his work.

Cindy and I got to the restaurant first. It was a nice neighborhood place, but completely empty, but for us. We were seated in a booth in the front window. Remembering Ramsey’s love of jigsaw puzzles, I had bought him a gift of a thousand-piece puzzle of horror movie posters over the years. For good measure, I threw in copies of my two story collections.

After about a ten minute wait, an Uber pulled up outside and Ramsey and Jenny made their way out of it. “Here they are,” I told Cindy. I stood to greet them, hoping the coming conversation would not lag and would take on a life of its own.

It took about three seconds to see that Ramsey was the same fellow in person as he is online. His left arm was in a sling. He said he had taken a fall a few weeks before and broken it. “Lucky it wasn’t my writing arm,” he said, as he had just started another new novel. Jenny apologized for looking tired but said she was just preparing for a weekend babysitting her rambunctious grandsons. “But first things first,” Ramsey said. “What are we drinking?”

The first of several bottles of Pinot Grigio was brought to the table and we made short work of it. Cindy need not have been concerned about her conversational skills as we spoke of non-horror books, wines, grandkids, travel, sightseeing (Ramsey and Jenny had just returned from visiting a son in Singapore) and pets. We ordered our food and everyone shared whatever was on their plates. More wine came and Ramsey entertained us with magic tricks and tales of such notables as Robert Aickman and Ted Klein. And always an occasional Three Stooges reference.

I gave Ramsey his gift bag. He was delighted with the puzzle and seemed genuinely grateful for my books. “Did you sign them?” he asked. I had thought he might resent the presumption. But, not at all.

For four hours we talked, ate and drank our wine. Jenny said more than once she was really enjoying herself and she hoped we would stay in touch. I called the waiter over and he took four photos of us together. We had the restaurant to ourselves the entire evening. At ten o’clock I paid the bill and offered to share an Uber with our guests.

I had to help Ramsey to his feet. I think his injury had taken something out of him. The four of us waited on a deserted street for our ride. When it came I helped Ramsey into the car and in five minutes we were at their home on a comfortable, ivy-draped residential street nearby. Everyone hugged everyone and Jenny repeated she wanted to stay in touch. Ramsey seconded this and I could see they had really taken to Cindy. Me too, apparently.

I didn’t initiate this memorable evening with any plot or plan, but as it turns out, Ramsey really did read my books and loved them. He gave me several blurbs to use in the future. More than I ever expected. I just wanted the chance to meet him and talk writing. And, as it turns out, Wandler-Verlag will be publishing another chapbook next year, featuring Ramsey and myself.

I still hear from him regularly. And many of the messages, though not all, begin or end with some reference to The Three Stooges.

JOHN MCFARLAND’S first novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010, and the story continues with the recent Mother of Centuries. His work has appeared in The Twilight Zone Magazine, Eldritch Tales, National Lampoon, River Styx, Tornado Alley and the anthology A Treasury of American Horror Stories, which also included stories by Stephen King, Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He has written extensively on historical and arts-related subjects and has been a guest lecturer in fiction at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a lifelong Bigfoot enthusiast, and Annette: A Big Hairy Mom is his first novel for young readers.

Escape with Bladespell

By Steven L. Shrewsbury

Questions are posed to me often about what I write. I’m pretty approachable, oddly enough. Although many experienced writers have warned me to be a bit more exclusionary, I have a tough time not interacting with folks. Sometimes, that is different, but in this case, I’ll share.

Someone asked me, “Did you set your new novel, Bladespell, in Africa to be trendy?”

First, I doubt that sword & sorcery pre-flood tales set in Africa are a trend. Second, while I get the question, the book wasn’t set there as part of some agenda. “Africa was in the direction our main characters traveled in when they sailed off at the end of Killer of Giants.” S’true.

I do my best to make my novels, be they about Gorias La Gaul, Joel Stuart or in this case, Rogan the Kelt, as single, standalone tales. One can pick up any novel and enjoy it without getting the rest in a series or saga. Hopefully, the reader will want to seek out the others in time. In the past, I’ve been distressed to see a tome that looks very intriguing and then see it’s number 4 in a series. Ugh.

The yarn unfolds in primeval Africa not out of any desire for inclusiveness or whatever political agenda some might have. I told a story. I didn’t check boxes. That’s it. I’m a true believer that fiction should be escapism, a way to get away from the harangues of the media and the insanity of politics. Open the pages of a book and you escape from the drivel online or on the television.

The main character, Rogan, is a swaggering savage from thousands of miles away from where the book is set. How he survives in such a place, and against evil folks, cannibals, forces, demons and time traveling wizards, well, that’s the deal. Never once did I have the thought “THIS will piss folks off” or “Better include THIS class of people.” Just told the tale. If the story jerks a knot in someone’s undies, praise Jesus. Things happen.

Does that sound vanilla? It isn’t. The world, even back then, was made up of all sorts of interesting people, thoughts and stuff. These segue into a story, and I don’t need to consult a chart or give sacrifices to a political ideology to feel swell about myself. Am I dissing folks that do have such agendas? Naw. Do what makes ya feel good. Readers will judge whether to purse their lips, toss the book away, or read more.

Up against all that, Rogan encounters bad folks and good, but that’s life. I weave in some Lovecraftian horrors, the scope of which turns broad towards the end, and yeah, one of the time traveling wizards is Aleister Crowley in the form of shaman Oliver Haddo. What’s he up to in such ancient times? You’ll have to check it out and see.

That is if you want to escape this world of oppressive nonsense and dwell in a place of action, intrigue and wild times.

One can find Bladespell at the Literary Underworld or at Amazon.

STEVEN L. SHREWSBURY lives, works, and writes in rural Illinois. More than 360 of his short stories have appeared in print or electronic media, along with more than 100 poems. Nine of his novels have been released, with more on the way. His books run from sword & sorcery (Overkill, Thrall, Bedlam Unleashed) to historical fantasy (Godforsaken) extreme horror (Hawg, Tormentor, Stronger Than Death) to horror-westerns (Hell Billy, Bad Magick, and the forthcoming Last Man Screaming). He loves books, British TV, guns, movies, politics, sports and hanging out with his sons. He’s frequently outdoors, looking for brightness wherever it may hide.

5 Unique Ways to Show Your Favorite Authors Some Love

By Rachel A. Brune

As the summer grinds on, I’m hard at work on the third volume in the Rick Keller series—available from the Literary Underworld! My secret agent werewolf and his partners are back on another mission, and I’ve been burning through my stash of index cards trying to figure out the twists and turns of middle section of the book.

And so, because I’m supposed to be writing, I’m instead surfing my reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, refreshing my author page, and generally doing lots of things other than writing, including reading a rotating selection of books from the local library.

I picked up my phone to mark my latest book as “read” on Goodreads (gotta make that annual Goodreads challenge!) and dashed off a quick review. And it made me think—will this writer see this review? If I really like the book, should I post something on social media? Should I recommend that book? How can I let people know I really liked it?

After thinking about it—and yes, procrastinating a little more from Rick and friends, I have come up with this list of five different—and maybe somewhat unusual—ways that readers can show some love to their favorite authors.

And hey—they don’t even have to be your favorite authors – if you read their book and liked it, share the love! (I’ve gotta confess—these are all on my writer bucket list.)

Place their work on your body via tattoo art. If you’re into decorating your body with art, use a favorite quote, character, or object from a book as an excuse to get more ink! Not a fan of written quotes and how they look? Take the quote to your favorite tattoo artist (I’m a big fan of James Tuck) and ask them to use it as inspiration for an original piece. (Obviously don’t do this one if you’re not allowed to get a tattoo for parental, legal, health, or religious reasons.) Literary tattoos make great conversation pieces, and you’ll be supporting not just one but two creative people!
Make some fan art. As a reader, I love seeing other people’s takes on a book I’ve read and enjoyed. I especially love it when a writer will post (with permission) pictures of fan art they’ve received. These may range from basic pencil or crayon sketches all the way to professional-level drawings, but the one thing they all have in common is a shared love of the writer’s world that they are expressing authentically. Sometimes the characters depicted in the art look exactly as I’d imagined in my head—and sometimes they don’t. That’s all part of the fun of it!
Pick their book for your book club. Don’t have a book club? Start one! All joking aside, this is a great way to find people with whom you can schmooze about the books you enjoy over a nice snack and beverage. Not only that, but you’re helping an author find a wider audience, and that is a magical thing. If you reach out to them, the author might even be available to attend your book club meeting and answer your questions about their work, either in person or via Zoom. At the very least, they will appreciate the gesture.
Write a poem praising them. The more complicated in terms of meter and rhyme the better! There exists a long literary tradition of praising someone by writing a poem (the technical term is, coincidentally enough, “praise poem”). Channel your inner chaotic good Bard and share your love of a writer’s writing by writing them some writing about their writing!
And of course, give them a review, subscribe to their newsletter, and follow their public platform! Every writer I know spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to communicate with the people who enjoy their work. Whether it’s a website blog, social media account, or newsletter, authors love to hear from the folks who have read and enjoyed their work. Let’s face it—this is a hard business to gain financial fortune; many of us really appreciate the messages from our fans that feed our souls in between royalty checks. And if you’ve followed a single writer online, you already know how much reviews mean to writers (and their publishers!)

So there you have it! Five different ways you can show authors some love. Maybe one of these will be perfect for the book you’re reading now. What’s that? You are in need of a book to read? Not to worry—check out one of the Literary Underworld’s nearly 200 titles—and if you end up getting some new ink, or hosting a book club, or want to send us some fan art, then drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!

Rachel A. Brune graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May 2000, and was immediately plunged into the low-stakes world of entry-level executive assistantship. Her unexpected journey out of that world and into the military is chronicled in her self-published book Echoes and Premonitions. Rachel served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq, and a brief stint as a columnist for her hometown newspaper. After her second tour, she attended graduate school at the University at Albany in NY, where she earned her M.A. in political communication, and her commission as a second lieutenant in the military police corps.

Although her day job has taken in her in many strange, often twisted directions, Rachel continues to write and publish short fiction. She released her first novel, Soft Target, in early 2013, and other books have followed. In addition to writing, she is the founder and chief editor at Crone Girls Press and edits the Falstaff Dread line of horror fiction at Falstaff Books.

Opening Death’s Door

By Jim D. Gillentine

Back when I wrote my first horror/romance novel, The Beast Within, I had a very minor character in the story named KD. KD was brutally beaten to a pulp, then murdered, then thrown into the Wolf River.

This minor character was named after my friend, KD. It was done in light-heartedness just as a joke to rib my friend of eight-plus years at the time. But then he came to me, saying how many people thought I had done him so dirty. He actually seemed hurt.

So to make it up to him, I came up with the story of Death’s Door. In this story, I created the powerful vampire hunter character named KD. An ex-Green Beret badass through and through, I wanted to make it up to my friend by making him a hero. However, I have to say I still had fun kicking that character’s ass – in story, of course.

All jokes aside, A Night at Death’s Door is a fun action comedy that I wrote partially in response to the whole Twilight sparkle trend that was going on at that time. My vampires are uncaring, vicious creatures that view humans as a food source, and maybe a sexual source if you are that unlucky. They view humans as cattle, and are determined to dominate the world.

So who is going to stop them? My little band of one college girl, a guy out for revenge, and two former soldiers, that’s who.

I call my story an action comedy because I tried to put humor into the mix along with the flying bullets, throat ripping, and of course the “dusting,” as they called it on Buffy. I hope you’ll take the time to read A Night at Death’s Door. I think you will be entertained with the blood and laughs.

And always remember, don’t forget the garlic.

Janet left her simple life in Mississippi for the hustle and bustle of New York for college. At the insistence of her new roommate, Janet goes to Death’s Door, a mysterious and trendy nightclub, in reality the hidden domain of the evil vampire Jeanova. She is planning the Rising…a ritual that will give all vampires power to resist the sun, making them the rulers of the world.

In danger of being turned into a plaything for the Vampire and her brood, Janet is saved by a small group of vampire hunters determined to stop Jeanova at all cost. Thrust into a battle for her very soul, for the planet itself, Janet and allies she barely knows must fight their way through Death’s Door to stop the Rising…or humanity will fall.

JIM D. GILLENTINE grew up with a fondness for horror, science fiction and fantasy flavored with the southern tang of his native Memphis. His debut novella, Of Blood and the Moon, was published in 2009 and was runner-up for the Darrell Award. Other publications include stories in anthologies Cover of Darkness and When Darkness Sees the Light and a novella titled A Night at Death’s Door. His novel The Beast Within begins a bittersweet love story between a woman and a beast, which continued in Crossroads, published by Inkstained Succubus Press. The trilogy was completed with Heart of the Beast, published as a compendium by Pro Se Press. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and philosophy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He is a member of the Literary Underworld and the Eville Writers, and is the biggest Godzilla fan in the western hemisphere. Find out more about him at www.jimmygillentine.com.

If only this had happened thirty years ago

By John McFarland

It looks like 2024 may be my biggest year ever. Early last year, German publisher Wandler-Verlag caught wind of my work through my association with T.E.D. Klein, horror icon, former editor of The Twilight Zone Magazine, and early champion of Ramsey Campell. Michael Schmidt of Wandler contacted me and asked permission to publish a chapbook featuring a story of mine and one of Mr. Klein’s.

Amazingly, my publisher rejected this idea at first. I managed to talk her into it, as the deal promised to make money for Dark Owl Publishing. Also, of course, it brought some prestige to her small publishing house.

Wandler produced the small book, featuring the most reprinted tale I have ever written, One Happy Family with TED’s story The Ladder. To my surprise, Michael informed me that my story was printed in a collection in Germany before, in 1985, without my knowledge or permission!

Five hundred copies of our chapbook were printed and they sold out. With that success and having purchased my story collection, The Dark Walk Forward, on Amazon, Michael sought permission to publish the collection also. Having seen illustrations I have done for my Bigfoot kid book, Annette: A Big, Hairy Mom, Michael asked if I could illustrate the collection too. That book will appear in May. He also wishes to publish Annette this year or next.

Like most writers, as soon as the first collection was out, I started work on the second. It’s looking like 100,000 words. Stories that continue the sad tale of Ste. Odile, and more. Each story has a title page with an illustration. It’s an old-timey touch that I like. I may do that from now on. The cover was done by the incomparable dark artist and native of Brazil, Gabriel Augusto and like my other books, I am satisfied that the cover is a real attention-getter. Blurbs have generously been provided again by the inimitable T.E.D. Klein, Dacre Stoker, best-selling novelist and great grandnephew of Bram Stoker, and Michael Schmidt. There is a lot of advance interest and the book drops June 1.

Getting your work out there is essential and sometimes it helps to know people, as they say. I am now friends with an Irish expat living and working in Seville, Spain, Joseph Dawson. I had happened across Joseph’s work online because he is a book illustrator in love with horror. His work is amazing. He contacted me through facebook saying he had read my historical horror novel, The Black Garden. He expressed praise for it a writer seldom hears. He loved it and said it changed him in some ways.

It turns out one of the houses he illustrates for is Zagava in Dusseldorf, Germany, who produces leather-bound, illustrated collectors editions of special books. Joseph asked if he could recommend The Black Garden to Jonas, the publisher at Zagava. Jonas loved the book too, Joseph is illustrating it and it will be out later this year.

Also later this year, possibly in summer, the sequel to Annette, entitled Annette: A Big, Hairy Grandma will be out too, as will my story The Testament of Cleander in the collection Alone On The Borderland from Belanger Books.

In my experience, the best way to sell these things are book fairs and comic-cons. I already have one under my belt for 2024; next is Beltane Bash in Champaign, Ill., always a good one; the Bigfoot Festival in Sutton, W.V.; Dark History, also in Champaign; a book festival in Washington, Mo. and various book events in Illinois and St. Louis.

JOHN MCFARLAND’S first novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010, and the story continues with Mother of Centuries. His work has appeared in The Twilight Zone Magazine, Eldritch Tales, National Lampoon, River Styx, Tornado Alley and the anthology A Treasury of American Horror Stories, which also included stories by Stephen King, Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He has written extensively on historical and arts-related subjects and has been a guest lecturer in fiction at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a lifelong Bigfoot enthusiast, and Annette: A Big Hairy Mom is his first novel for young readers.

Check out John McFarland’s work on the Literary Underworld!

An infernal Ste. Genevieve

by John S. McFarland

As a kid in St. Francois County who already loved history, learning about Ste. Genevieve, Mo. was the treat in the Cracker Jack box. Even in my earliest years of elementary school in a small mining town that no longer exists, I was fascinated by the past. I loved historical movies, not yet suspecting how grotesquely inaccurate they mostly were, and reading stories set in historical times. I was a bit frustrated by how brief the history of the United States was, at least from a Hollywood-inspired Euro-centric perspective. We had no castles, no dolmens or Roman ruins, no walled towns and no sunny islands populated by sirens and Greek monsters. But then I discovered we had Ste. Genevieve.

I heard of it long before I visited it. It was sort of a legendary “old town” on the nearby Mississippi, a remnant of the French-controlled great river, the enormous diocese of Quebec from the 18^th century. On my mom’s side of the family, there were old stories of an ancestor who was “raised by Indians” but my grandmother and her sister knew no more about the story than that. But my grandmother did know that I loved history, and feeling some vague connection to Ste. Genevieve, apparently, she and my grandfather took me there.

I was amazed, at age ten or so, that there was something so reminiscent, I imagined, of old Europe so close to my home town. A French town with 200+-year-old buildings where French was spoken, primarily, until sometime in the 19^th century. There was also, when I imagined it, a sense of old world decadence out of place, out of time. It was a little slice of the French Quarter in southeastern Missouri.

Eventually I found out more about that mysterious ancestor. It turns out the old story was essentially true. He was a child of English settlers in Pennsylvania, age three or so, taken, along with his infant brother when his parents were killed in an Indian raid in the early 1750’s. The infant brother died of a fever soon after, but my ancestor, my great grandfather five times removed, survived with the band of raiders as they moved west to the Mississippi Valley. The group was on Kaskaskia Island on a day when the parish priest at Fort de Chartres nearby, Father Callet, was ministering to his second flock there.

Callet knew the boy was white, though he had little left of his English language by then. The priest bought him from the raiders for five barrels of whiskey and renamed him Hypollite Robert. Hypollite went on to become one of the patriarchs of old Ste. Genevieve and to father twelve children. Over time the name Hypollite was corrupted to Politte, which was my grandmother’s maiden name, she being a descendant of Hypolitte’s son Charles.

In my late teens I discovered the work of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. I was struck by how the fictional inhabitants of Yoknapatawpha County and northern Georgia in these writers’ work were people I had essentially grown up with and known all my life. As Jane Austen had found the whole world in a few counties and a smattering of families, so too had these American writers, working in a fictional field called “regionalism.”

My love of horror was at least as foundational to my development as was my love of history. In my mid-twenties I discovered H. P. Lovecraft. Here was a different kind of regionalism: an infernal one scattered with rotting gambrel roofs and cosmic terrors. One evening a light switched on in my head. I hit on the idea of creating a fictional Ste. Genevieve, an accursed, forgotten village with a dark history and tentative future.

I wanted to re-name the town. I wanted an unusual French name and oddly, I wanted the name to begin with the letter ‘O’. On many visits to the old graveyard in Ste. Genevieve, I kept coming upon the name Odile. That was perfect. Ste. Odile it was. I drew a detailed map of the town, keeping some landmarks that existed in the real location, and changing most others. Then I started thinking of a story, a dark narrative to cast a pall over my newly invented region.

I wanted all the classic elements of 19^th century horror which I had enjoyed in my youth. I needed an ancient evil, a crumbling mansion, a forgotten village populated by a closed, unwelcoming citizenry. The result, after years of research and writing, was my novel The Black Garden.

The book was well-received. All reviews were good from the UK to India and beyond. The novel gave rise to a sequel, The Mother of Centuries, which resolved the life narrative of one of the essential characters of the first book. It also inspired my story collection The Dark Walk Forward, soon to be republished in German. At this moment I am at work on a second collection of Ste. Odile stories, Baby Monster which will appear later this year.

There may be one or two of my readers who wonder when I will move on and leave old Ste. Odile behind. It has happened intermittently. I am producing some tales now that have nothing to do with the crumbling village. Still, ideas keep popping into my head that include foreboding mansions, well-kept secrets and a cursed, forgotten old town.

Poe’s Dream Mag

By John S. McFarland

I have lived most of my life in or near St. Louis, Mo. And ever since I was old enough to realize that I actually liked being scared and unsettled, I have been a fan of Edgar Allan Poe. I was surprised to learn, in recent years that there was a connection between the city and my literary hero, or at least one was in the making when Poe died. In fact, if Poe had lived another month or so, he very well could have been buried in one of the grand old cemeteries in the city which have been the last resting places of historical and literary figures for nearly 200 years.

When he died in Baltimore on Oct. 7, 1849, Poe was poised to move to St. Louis. There he hoped to realize his greatest ambition: the founding of his own literary magazine.

For many years, beginning in the early 1830s, Poe worked long hours for low pay, editing magazines for others. In addition to squabbles about his pitifully low salary, Poe also had frequent disagreements with his publishers about content, as well as the sporadic “irregularities” that were the result of his terrible alcoholism. Desperate for his own magazine, he issued a prospectus in 1840 for a periodical, solicited contributions from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell and others and began years of futile attempts to raise money and begin publication.

Poe’s greatest friend as an adult was Frederick W. Thomas, a novelist and government bureaucrat who had moved to St. Louis from Baltimore. Thomas encouraged Poe in his dream and agreed to contribute articles. Eventually Thomas began soliciting subscriptions in St. Louis for the magazine, to be called the The Stylus.

Somehow, the needed capital was always just out of reach, and Poe’s plans were further set back by his debilitating bouts of alcoholism and tragic personal life. In 1847, Poe’s young wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis, as had his mother and foster mother. By 1849, Poe’s health and spirits had greatly deteriorated, and the prospect of his magazine ever coming into being seemed far-fetched. Then, out of nowhere, Poe received a letter from the little northwestern Illinois town of Oquawka that offered him the prospect of realizing his dream.

Edward Patterson was a well-to-do newspaper publisher and admired Poe, and he had heard of the failed plans for The Stylus. Patterson offered to finance the project in Oquawka. Poe responded excitedly, outlining his vision of a lofty literary journal and predicting a circulation of 20,000 within five years.

More letters between the two men followed. Poe convinced Patterson to publish the journal in St. Louis, where Poe had support from Thomas and Joseph Field, editor of the St. Louis Reveille. Patterson agreed and arranged to meet Poe in St. Louis on October 15, 1849, to work out details.

His dream at last in sight, Poe began a lecture tour in the south to raise money and sell subscriptions to the magazine. Unfortunately, after a brief hiatus of sobriety, he resumed drinking and began experiencing paranoia and occasional hallucinations. When his tour brought him to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, he joined The Sons of Temperance, and became engaged to an old childhood love.

Then he made the mistake of visiting Baltimore, his home for many years, where he again fell off the wagon. It is generally accepted that Poe, who was possibly already intoxicated when he arrived in Baltimore, was plied with liquor by crooked electioneers and sent with other inebriates to vote repeatedly for a Whig candidate in a city election.

He was found delirious near the Fourth Ward Club, and died on Oct. 7, eight days before he was to meet Patterson in St. Louis.

Could Poe have made a success of The Stylus in St. Louis? In Some Words With a Mummy, Poe wrote, probably self-analytically: “The truth is, I am heartily sick of this life, and of the 19^th century in general.” Many biographers doubt that in the 41^st year of a troubled life, Poe would have had enough strength to see the project through. It is likely that The Stylus, like so many women in Poe’s stories, represented to him an idealized and unattainable dream.

*****

JOHN MCFARLAND’S first novel, The Black Garden, was published in 2010, and the story continues with Mother of Centuries. His work has appeared in The Twilight Zone Magazine, Eldritch Tales, National Lampoon, River Styx, Tornado Alley and the anthology A Treasury of American Horror Stories, which also included stories by Stephen King, Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He has written extensively on historical and arts-related subjects and has been a guest lecturer in fiction at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a lifelong Bigfoot enthusiast, and Annette: A Big Hairy Mom is his first novel for young readers.

Why do we need horror?

By Nick Rowan

“What do we need horror for anyway?”

The title was asked by a smart young person of my acquaintance who, at 11, has never been really afraid of anything. He has had sadness, a couple of deaths in the family, but not fear.

He has never sat on the exam table and heard the words, “The test is abnormal. You’re pre-cancerous.”

He has never fought for air as he was held under the surface of a lake, an air mattress on top of him.

He has never had a child vanish for days.

He hasn’t hidden in the woods, with people he loves, and watched armed men hunt them with rifles.

He hasn’t watched laws against people like him or those he loves spread across the country faster than those pre-cancerous cells spread through my body.

He hasn’t worked three jobs, knowing he’s not even making the mortgage payment, let alone utilities or food.

And I hope he never has to.

That, in a nutshell, is why we need horror. Neil Gaiman famously said, “Fairy tales are important not because they tell children there are dragons, but because they tell children the dragons can be beaten.”

Horror serves the same purpose. There are rules to it, as to every genre. And the monsters in the book or movie abide by those rules: vampires are allergic to sunlight, silver, crosses and garlic, werewolves change on the full moon, the psycho-killer is never killed by falling out the window. This is unlike the real world where the monsters just change the rules to suit them, and weaponize the machinery of the state against those who don’t like it.

Political? Sure. But these days, most of my fears ARE political. We’re on the eve of Pride Month and I’m considering buying the 16 oz. party-sized pepper spray. I’m definitely taking anti-tear gas measures with me. Although, how much trouble I can find sitting in the shade and reading tarot cards…

Right now, it feels as if we are living in a very large haunted house called the United States, and the flies are swarming in weird ways on the walls. Maybe we should run before the walls start bleeding?

See?

Rules and tropes. We know how a movie or story will go, usually. Sometimes there is a twist. Sometimes the author or director doesn’t give us a true ending, just a freeze frame scene. But usually. The house will be cleansed and either collapse or settle down. The vampire will be staked. The werewolf will be shot with silver. The zombie apocalypse will end and humans will get back to business of civilization.

The monsters are real.
They can be fought.
It will get bloody and awful.
But it will end. And hopefully well.

But I can’t explain all that to an 11-year-old who has never been really afraid, for himself or for someone else.

On the other hand, I can offer you some of my dreams and nightmares, 15 to be precise.

Contes Cruels is French for “cruel stories,” and some of these are. Whether it’s a broken-hearted man fighting his memories, a clairvoyant trucker, a lover’s pledge, a haunted house actor protecting friends in a crisis or a promise made to a small child, these tales take you inside the darkness in everyone. The small pinpricks of light in the darkness are optional.

I am also running a promotion on my Patreon through Sunday, June 11. You can get a chance to win my entire backlist, as well as all the perks. There are free ways to enter as well: leave a review if you’ve read a book; or sign up for my mailing list (about once a month).

As for current projects:

Appearances:

Memphis Pride, June 3. I’m in booth 506.
Polestari yard sale, June 23-25, Bartlett, Tenn.
Mephit Fur Meet: Aug. 31-Sept 4, Southaven, Miss.
Sippin in September: Sept. 30, Farmington/French Village, Mo.
Pagan Pride: Oct. 7, Nashville, Tenn.
Festival of Souls: Oct. 12-15, Memphis, Tenn.
Arkansas Scottish Festival, Oct. 27-29, Batesville, Ark.

Writing:
I have nothing forthcoming. I’m working on several things, including a long-overdue short story. We are planning on finishing the next book in the Eight Thrones series this summer.

Where to find me: Linktree

My alter ego can be found here!

NICK ROWAN is a bus driver who lives quietly in the mid-south. He writes and crafts to support his yarn habit, You can follow him on Facebook (NickRowan) or Patreon (NickRowan) or Twitter (@NickRowan16) or Tumblr (nicholasrowan) or blogger (NicholasRowanSp) or Etsy (thecarpenterswyfe). Nick has been writing professionally since 2004 as Angelia Sparrow.