BUSY @ #HORROR WORK (2021 UPDATE)

Hey, folks! Just wanted to take a moment and share what I’ve been up to as far as my own personal writing and publishing is concerned as of lately. What better day than Friday the 13th! Am I right? Aside from recently pulling most, if not all of, my more controversial, dated, and unnecessarily explicit work out of print for a couple different personal reasons (print and digital editions of three specific novellas, and a novel/ my limited-edition chapbooks have all been sold-out for the most part, and will always hold a special place in my heart and have always been some of my utmost best and published work to date), BUT, have no fear, I’ve been very hard at work and busy working on a handful of new and exciting projects (finished writing a new book, finished writing a new short story, gave an awkward semi-motivational/definitely successful pitch for my new book I just finished writing to a well-known and personally loved and respected publisher/publishing house). I’ve also been setting aside and taking some time to enjoy, learn, and further study the craft of writing. One of the things I have personally always needed to learn and figure out, in which, I personally figured out the hard way in a couple different not so pleasant ways was TIMING. Timing is everything. Slow down. There’s no need to rush projects. You’re better off going unnoticed until the time is right. We all come from different walks of life and some people simply have more time than others for many different reasons (some great, some not so great). Everybody is unique. Everybody is different. There’s no need to rush to hurry up and put out sloppy works on ridiculous timelines to later on regret and to try and keep up with those able to attend to their craft every minute of every day. The writing community has its own flaws and always will (look at how divided we are on politics) and the book market is ever-changing and nearly impossible to keep up with, especially for those of us maybe unable to even attend to their writing desires twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The work will speak for itself. Just slow down, do the work, and make every word count. Pun intended.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be a wonderful time for me to sit back and participate in as many online writing retreats and conventions as I can, and, let me tell you, it’s been an absolute blast. The idea of future HYBRID events is intriguing and inspiring to me. I feel like they’re the way of the future Con, allowing those that are unable to travel for many different reasons to be able to still attend worthwhile events and panels they’d otherwise have missed, left out and unable to attend, let alone the public health and safety factor concerned with further spreading the virus. They also seem like they’re a great way to generate more money. Let’s face it, we’re not making millions doing this whole writing thing. Being somewhat anti-social myself at times, it’s also just a genuinely fun and convenient format to be able to interact with others, being able to choose how much or how much not to participate. I’ve always enjoyed learning whatever I can about writing and publishing. It’s awesome to be able to participate without the added stress of needing to travel. Being from a somewhat small and disconnected state/town from, let’s say the rest of the writing community, a lot of us have had to trust, depend, network, network, network to figure out and learn how to progress in the writing world very much from the advice of others through all that networking (although this seems to be ever-changing and growing as genres push to become more diverse). The downside to working off the advice of others is not always necessarily knowing or learning the right things, the right way. We’re in a business where you want your work to standout from others. Some people act like they know everything about everything. Some people are dishonest and purposely sabotage others. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. It can be detrimental to one’s own personal career when following the bad advice of others. This has sort of indirectly pushed me and led me to the path of wanting to participate in a more conventional and traditional publishing model and network of writers and publishers. My personal quest for always wanting to learn more about writing and know how to do the right things, the right way, even at the right times as I’ve found out some things the hard way on my own. There are plenty of credible and available resources out there on the market. From writing guides, beat sheets, collections of well-known author’s personally published advice and tips. Reach out. Ask the right questions.

We all know some of the best people on this planet are those involved in the Horror Community. I first learned this in 2012 when I started writing Horror reviews for ‘The Horror Fiction Review’, and ever since and recently joining the Horror Writers Association a couple of months ago. The events and friendships I’ve made thus far have been worth the annual fee and money alone. The time, focus, and dedication spent to strengthen and diversify the horror genre we all know and love is nothing short of admirable and positive for the future of the craft of writing and publishing itself, but also for the horror genre to be able to flourish and grow in numbers whilst creating and generating a much larger network of authors, publishers, readers alike. I also recently got involved with the local HWA Chicagoland Chapter, which has also thus far proven to be great fun and an honor to be part of such a great group of people with common interests in writing, publishing, and HORROR. Be on the lookout for future public and virtual reading events from the HWA Chicagoland Chapter, there are some great events planned and more to be planned going on behind the scenes as we speak.

(New and Updated Bio and Photo Up @ HWAChicago.org/   )

Occult. Horror. Weird Fiction. Nature. Horror Writers Association(@horrorwriters)
HWA Chicago Chapter (@ChicagoHWA)

Vincent Price’s New Author Photo (meow)

For more information about the Horror Writers Association and HWA Chicagoland Chapter check-out the link below.

https://horror.org/

http://www.hwachicago.org/     

Oh, yeah! I was also lucky to be a guest on one of my favorite podcasts of all-time where I shared a number of my own personal paranormal, ghost hunting, and high strangeness encounters over the years. I had an absolute blast talking with Timothy Renner over at the Strange Familiars Podcast (links below). If you’re a fan of the weird and the strange and any and all things paranormal then you’re probably already familiar with the show as it’s one of the best of its kind out there. I was even lucky enough to get invited back for a second follow-up episode where I was able to share some more recent and personal encounters. Bigfoot. High strangeness. Occult. Paranormal. Check it out!

Shadows, Orbs, and High Strangeness (Episode 249)

https://www.strangefamiliars.com/home/shadows-orbs-and-high-strangeness

Join the Strange Familiars Gathering group on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/strangefamiliars/

instagram: @strangefamiliars

http://www.strangefamiliars.com

Below is a list of events I was able to attend and had a blast participating in one way or another this past year so far.

What am I reading right now? I am currently reading and enjoying these. The Lost Village by Camilla Sten. I plan on writing up reviews for both of these when I am finished with them and able to. I’m also working my way through The Big Book of Science Fiction edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer. I have plans for this one to be rather lengthy and will definitely require some more time to compose, but it is brilliantly put together and definitely up there with my current favorite SF anthology of all-time, The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction.

Below is a list of books I’ve also read lately worth mentioning that I haven’t got around to typing up and reviewing just yet as I’ve been extremely busy wrapping up the new book and edits and all of the other work mentioned above here.

So many great new book releases lately! Here’s a stack of newer book releases I’ve picked up in the last couple months or so, ranging from last year to here recently.

I think that’s it for now if you’ve made it this far. Until next time! Be kind and rewind.

2B by Mark Allan Gunnells- Book Review

2B
Mark Allan Gunnells
Valhalla Books; 1^st Edition (February 13, 2021)
Trade Paperback/ eBook/ 155 pp

“No one tells you how terrifying love can be.”

Just in time for Valentine’s Day here we have ourselves a rather feisty one from Valhalla Books. This time in the shape of a steamy ex-lover’s quarrel turning into a violent murder/suicide in the main character’s bathroom in his apartment 2B. When Berkley Simmons wakes up in the hospital with his best friend, Sasha, he is more than ready to go. Hospitals are an absolutely terrible place to wake up. Surrounded by so much pain and suffering and death. Especially after barely surviving such a traumatic event. Luckily, the paramedics and the guy with a crush on him that lives across the hall in 2A arrived on scene quick enough to bring poor Berkley back from the dead after being clinically gone for approximately five minutes. They even told him that if it would have been just a couple more minutes, he too would have been a goner for good, and not just his ex-sociopathic-lover, Kevin, who had just attempted to drown him in the bathtub while blowing his brains out all over the bathroom walls. After arriving back home, we as the reader quickly realize that our main protagonist, Berkley is not alone. Books and CDs whose artists and authors have all committed suicide in the past are randomly falling off his shelves and littering his apartment floor, and all the faucets keep turning on full blast and spraying out water. The mysterious events are even happening while he is at work at the bookstore. Water coming out of nowhere and flooding the pages of recently stacked books, as well as a myriad of items falling from their appropriate shelving devices.

“Home is the place that you have to go to, even when you’d rather go anywhere else.”

Berkley knows it is him. How could it not be him? Who else would come back from the dead and torment him like that? He’s never witnessed a ghost or poltergeist before. But it must be him. It’s all too real and won’t stop giving him the absolute creeps. But why does nobody believe him? Everyone thinks it’s all just part of him surviving a traumatic encounter such as the one he’s just been through. What can he do to prove it to them? This is when things get even more exciting as Berkley hosts a terrible dinner party with terrible food, but he does it all for the evenings main event. After the crew of four washes their food down their throats with extra glasses of water and wine and slips little pieces of scraps under the table to feed their imaginary dogs, Berkley breaks out the Ouija Board! I absolutely loved this scene as I am a huge sucker for the occult and paranormal, and I love a good old fashioned haunting/possession scene in my horror art and media. I promise this one will not disappoint. Also! The supernatural fun and games do not stop there. His boss from the bookstore eventually hooks him up with a young, psychic medium as the tragedy in apartment 2B prevails, and we as the reader soon discover that our main character may have even more baggage and quite a few more ex-skeletons than we had originally thought in his closet (pun very much intended), as the book leaves us hanging onto our own devices and questioning what really happened with two different potential endings (the author does this in a good way neither of which will disappoint) that are somehow equally rewarding as far as death certificates are concerned. The author puts the idea of a potential overall metaphor in our head as we are faced with the lingering question of maybe our main character was actually the problem throughout their entire relationship the whole time, and that is what had sparked his ex-lover Kevin’s sudden psychological glitch in the reality matrix, which had then resulted in and pushed him to such extremes in erratic, unpredictable, and violent behavior, or perhaps maybe he was just a raging sociopath with a plethora of childhood abandonment issues acting out in the most impulsive, aggressive, and violent ways.

I said it years ago after being introduced to the work of the author here and reading one of his brilliant earlier works (The Summer of Winters), as well as a few really solid, well-written short story collections (Companions in Ruin, Flowers in a Dumpster) that Mark Allan Gunnells was one to watch out for and I stand by that statement from years ago still to this day. The author has an uncanny way of engaging his readers into the psych of his characters. No matter how loveable or hateable his characters are, the author continues to make sure that we as the reader are able to connect/understand what the main characters/characters in his stories are going through, experiencing, or have experienced. There are SO many authors working today (big and small press) and I don’t even know how many books I will actually physically quit reading time and time again and year after year that are unable to pull this concept off… BUT the gift here is true and admirable and absolutely for real. Gunnells is also able to show off his obvious love for writing and horror in new and fun and exciting ways time after time with each and every release. For example, in this book we have a chapter more than relevantly but also hella creatively titled ‘It Follows.’ We also encounter random bits of early horror movie adoration and nostalgia and even a few book shout-outs in the most-clever and often humorous ways. This is a fun one, folks. Do yourself a favor.

Check it out!

The House of a Hundred Whispers by Graham Masterton- Book Review

The House of a Hundred Whispers                                          
Graham Masterton
Head of Zeus; 1^st Edition (October 1, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 400 pp

“On a windswept moor, an old house guards its secrets…”

Alright, folks. Just when we all thought we couldn’t handle yet another supernatural/haunted house story because the use of this trope has literally been beaten into the ground time and time again (pun very much intended here). Graham Masterton, master of his craft and Horror/Suspense/Supernatural Thriller author extraordinaire somehow manages to prove us as the reader wrong with another timeless tale of that same old classic haunted house story we all know and love, but in this strikingly fresh, modern, and unique way. Master of his flavor of horrorcraft yet again and ode to the supernatural horror stories of yesteryear, this time around the ghastly mysteries abound are in the shape of an old mansion (All Hallows Hall) with a rare priest’s hide hidden within its legendary walls, but that’s not it. There’s something far more sinister and demonic lurking within the house on the eerily misty Dartmoor (and if you figure it out be sure that you don’t speak its name because it will know and it will only make things much worse for everybody involved) and the legends may or may not have all the secrets uncovered just yet, with more than just a recently found hammer used in a family murder buried within its past here at All Hallows Hall. ‘The House of a Hundred Whispers’ is a powerful retelling of the classic haunted house story with the right amount of modern flair, engaging plot twists, and whimsical dark humor for horror fans of all shapes and sizes without any exceptions in quality written almost cinematically by a true master of his craft.

“Do you know what? This crucifix isn’t a crucifix at all. It’s a handle. It’s probably attached to a lever, and when you lift it up, it must activate some arrangement of strings and pulleys and weights under the floorboards, and the dado opens up.”

“Dartmoor, with its mists, bleak winter weather and overwhelming sense of isolation, is the perfect place to build a prison. It’s not a place many would choose to live—yet the Governor of Dartmoor Prison did just that. When Herbert Russell retired, he bought All Hallow’s Hall—a rambling Tudor mansion on the edge of the moor and lived there all his life. Now he’s dead, and his estranged family are set to inherit his estate. But when the dead man’s family come to stay, the atmosphere of the moors seems to drift into every room. Floorboards creak, secret passageways echo, and wind whistles in the house’s famous priest hole. And then, on the morning the family decide to leave All Hallow’s Hall once and for all, their young son Timmy goes missing.”

“From what I’ve read, an alchemist will have mixed various elements into the plaster so that after the plaster dried the room was kept suspended in time. If you entered the room and somebody recited a particular incantation, that incantation would trigger a metaphysical reaction from the walls, and you would become trapped in the moment that it was spoken to you, forever…”

The mixture of the metaphysical, paranormal investigation, parallel dimensions, and heavy religious background found within the setting, magic, and history of the old house and its mysteriously rare ‘priest’s hide’ made this a very fun atmosphere for the entire setting of the overall story. As the Russell family reunites at the old, creepy mansion members of the family (Timmy and Martin), as well as a paranormal investigator by the name of, Ada Grey, soon wind up missing as if they just vanished into the walls without a trace. But, if you listen very closely at night it’s almost as if you can hear them whispering out to you from within the walls. We as the reader eventually come to the realization that a large hidden room used to hide religious figures from the past was built in this very home. The plot unfolds as a group of paranormal investigators begins to uncover the origin and mysteries of the room, as the cops and their extensive search and rescue team continue looking for any evidence of their missing family members or belongings to no avail. One of the things I really liked about this book was the author’s use of that same old haunted house trope, but somehow managing to just tread enough water from that same old story that we all know and love, whilst creating something new and unique and timeless. It’s like we as the reader thought we knew what was going to happen, but the author was only toying with us, throwing twists and turns at almost every turn of the page as the story unfolded before our very eyes.

“Portia turned round from the painting and said, “Just look at this picture. It’s like everything that’s been happening in this house. If you ask me, it’s all the Devil’s work.”

Dark, suspenseful, eerie, often thought-provoking and down right out of this world magical this book will keep you on the edge of your seat and lurking in the shadows at all times. Check it out!

Autumn Bleeds Into Winter by Jeff Strand- Book Review

Autumn Bleeds Into Winter                                                       
Jeff Strand
Amazon Digital Services (September 14, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 256 pp

When teenager Curtis Black’s best friend turns up missing after an argument at a what was supposed to be sleepover at his house, he accidentally stumbles upon and witnesses firsthand what appears to be the abduction of his best friend. He then soon comes to the harsh realization that the man who drove off with his friend lives nearby his neighborhood further down the street. Without any help from the police, Curtis quickly decides to take matters into his own hands when he steals approximately three-hundred and fifty dollars from his dad and buys an untraceable firearm from a sketchy felon to pursue his spurt of the moment plan and confront the kidnapper living in his neighborhood. This is when things take a much more violent and sadistic turn for the worse, and the danger abound comes back to haunt him tenfold. But, for only fourteen years old, young Curtis Black is made of nail-hearts and tougher than an entire wall of cinder blocks. The true art and magic of this book is the gut-wrenching tension, violence, mystery, and suspense that continues to unfold as we as the reader continue to turn the pages of what could be the author’s best work to date. Oh, and shout-out to Lynne Hansen’s always visually stunning cover art. This one is sure to deliver, folks.

Check it out!

Visceral: Collected Flesh by Christine Morgan and Patrick C. Harrison III- Book Review

Visceral: Collected Flesh                                                           
Christine Morgan and Patrick C. Harrison III
Death’s Head Press (July 22, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 128 pp

“Some tales are best told wet, dripping with blood and bowels, like a freshly slaughtered steer, its flesh and organs splayed across the butcher’s floor for all the world to see. Whether reading such stories or seeing such slaughters, the observer is witnessing two primal truths: fear can be measured in body parts and death is rarely heroic. These eight tales were run through the meat grinder and served-up raw. If you’re going in, bring plenty of napkins.”

Something exciting happened on July 22, 2020 of this year. Can you guess what it was? Of course, you can’t. But that’s right, folks. It was the release of a great little collection of Splatterpunk stories from two brilliant minds working out there in the Splatter Field of dreams. Somewhere out there colorfully splattered in the Splattersphere lurks a Visceral book of tales doused in bloody fragments of collected flesh. These two said brilliant minds are the crimson brain pieces of author and horror book reviewer extraordinaire, Christine Morgan (Spermjackers From Hell, Dawn of the Living Impaired, White Death), as well as author and publisher extraordinaire, Patrick C. Harrison III (Death’s Head Press, Five Tales That Will Land You in Hell). With an introduction by no stranger to the genre of Splatterpunk himself is Splatterpunk guru, Ryan Harding (Genital Grinder, Reincarnage, Header 3 co-authored with Splatterpunk’s notorious All-Time Master Daddy Edward Lee). So, let’s sit back and take a look at these brilliant stories found within the pages of this ever-so-brilliant collaborative beautifully and relevantly titled ‘Visceral: Collected Flesh’. Proceed with caution.

Going Green/ C.M. 

Future society reminiscent of Burgess’s ‘Clockwork Orange,’ Zea wants to erase her carbon footprint with the help of Earthstock, when we as the reader will see how much she is really willing to charge for the sake of the environment.

Placenta/ PC3

A group of medical professionals share personal war stories when one of them asks the group what the worst thing they’ve ever seen is. Sam Garfield takes that placenta cake to a whole new level here, when he recalls firsthand accounts of a patient who delivers a placenta demon whilst in bloody labor.

Vicarious/ C.M.

A first-person account of a donor addict who donates more than just blood after discovering that they’re able to see/feel the recipients’ personal journeys, so the donor is able to live a more fulfilling/adventurous life from the confines of their own home. A weekly visit to the library may be enough after all.

Full Moon Shindig/ PC3

A military man is back in town when his friends invite him over and throw a little local hometown party. Once at the party he discovers more than a Full moon going on that night when finding out that a young girl has been tied up to the pool table may not be what she may seem. Think Ketchum’s ‘The Girl Next Door’ meets Stephen King’s ‘Silver Bullet’ with the brutality and depravity knobs cranked to the max.

Little Fingers/ C.M.

Something much more sinister is going on behind the scenes here when a teacher creates an unforgettable Halloween game of reach your hand in the box and guess what it is inside there, folks? It feels like something lifeless and lifelike at the sametime, but you’ll never guess what it is…

Mildred’s Garden/ PC3

When a jealous neighbor tries to sabotage an award-winning garden nearby, things begin to get a little weird and messy before taking a turn for the worse, and by worse I mean DEATH.

Bad Taste/ C.M.

“Oh, hell to the fuck no…” Who needs therapy when you can heat up a metal torture device to near death temperatures, stick it in your mouth, and melt your effing face off?

Pigs/ PC3

In conclusion, we as the reader are pushed out the door with a tale of half human/pig hybrids in this pig pen reminiscent of Dr. Moreau’s ‘House of Pain.’

Often shocking, brutal, bloody, and always thought-provoking this collection was a great time and then some. The two author’s styles and skillset are very well accompanied by each other’s here, whilst making this collection an even more entertaining and enjoyable read overall. I would also like to note that this was a personal first for me reading anything by PC3, but it will definitely not be the last. With that being said, I would also like to point out that I am in by no means a stranger to the brilliant work of author Christine Morgan, who somehow manages to keep getting better and better with each and every release. These two give us as the reader an honest run for our money here in this bloody homerun of an unforgettable collaborative collection. For fans of Extreme Dark Fiction, Weird Fiction, Splatterpunk, Horror and Bizarro Fiction alike.

Do yourself a favor and check it out!

The Bad Box by Carlton Mellick III- Book Review

The Bad Box                                                                                
Carlton Mellick
Eraserhead Press (September 1, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 152 pp

I think we can all admit that the year 2020 has been a public display of one never-ending shit-show after another. But let’s try really hard to keep it positive here because the great godfather of Bizarro Fiction has dropped a new book on us back in September, and it’s quite honestly more than a lot of fun. It’s tons of fun and then some really if we’re going to be completely honest here. It’s a long walk in the park with hairy white goat legs. It’s x-ray vision. It’s kind of like shooting rainbows from out of your fingertips. It’s weird looming googly, ball-bearing eyes. It’s learning how to instantly speak Cantonese out of the deep blue. It’s also body moles, A.D.D., and wiggly wretched brown banana slug fingers. Like I said, TONS of fun and then some because it’s the bee’s $#@&!#% knees, folks.
 
“Little Benny isn’t very good at taking tests. It’s not that he’s a stupid kid or doesn’t pay attention in class. It’s just that he’s absolutely terrified of failure. It doesn’t matter how hard he studies. He gets so nervous that he freezes up and his mind goes blank, rarely even answering a single question before the time is up. This is especially difficult now that he’s in Mrs. Gustafson’s fifth grade class, where the punishment for failure is to draw a curse from the bad box—a magical device that permanently mutates children into horrific monsters.”

Benny Paulsen hates taking tests more than anything in the world and just can’t seem to pass any of them to save his life. He keeps having to reach his hands into that godforsaken bad box made of black steel, wrapped in barbed wire and chains, accompanied by a set of long drooling monstrous teeth. It hisses and growls in the Mrs. Gustafson’s hands, oozing a thick, dark fluid that smells like dead fish. It’s filled to the brim with dread and unease. It’s a very, very evil box. Benny just received his fifteenth punishment, and it might be worse than all the others, but, at this rate, only time will really tell. After hooking up with and becoming friends with Mika, a translucent blue slimeball (thanks to Mrs. Gustafson’s Bad Box) the two of them are now known as the Super Villains. So, what better time than now to team up and plot a devious bad box heist. But you will have to read the rest of the book to find out what really happens for yourself. This book is a lot of fun. The author manages to keep the reader heavily engaged in the storyline as the loveable (and well not-so-lovable) characters continue to keep getting weirder and weirder by the turn of every page, and the payoff in the end is exactly what we as the reader always wanted or needed. It’s also kinda/sorta like this overly cute, cuddly fun body horror story. Imagine a group of kids playing Candyland on the set of Hellraiser. Or, something like all hands on deck the Ouija planchette on a colorful playset with the Teletubbies.

Check it out!

Sabbath of the Fox-Devils by Sam Richard- Book Review

Sabbath of the Fox-Devils
Sam Richard
Weirdpunk Books (May 15, 2020)
eBook/Trade Paperback/ 158 pp

“This sin that we have let infect every single aspect of society will not stop until it has claimed each and every child in this room until it has dismantled and destroyed the lives of their entire generation.”

Listen up, folks. I’m going to say two words. Well, two names… rather. A first name and a last name and I want you to shut the lights off as you whisper them into the closest mirror in the dark. Do this three times with your eyes closed and then go ahead and slowly open them while staring deep into the mirror to reveal some of the darkest secrets buried in your mind’s eye. Repeat after me, “Sam Richard.” Do you see it? Can you feel it? The looming shadows of weird fiction, bizarro author extraordinaire, who after the recent release of his debut collection, ‘To Wallow in Ash and Other Sorrows’ continues to shock and torment and amaze us as the reader by melting brainwaves with his highly unique and original prose. This time with a Bizarro Fiction story that pays dark homage to the small creature horror films of the 80s, jam-packed with the time’s darker bits of nostalgia. So, throw away the black and white checkered slap bracelets and the radical hot pink and fluorescent, lime green skateboards and say hello to the Satanic Panic of yesteryear with style and grace.

“I am my own undoing and try as I might, I cannot yet spit you from my mouth. Neither hot nor cold, you are lukewarm and useless to me. I have searched your Word for freedom from subjugation my entire life and found only more chains.”

“After learning about the existence of a powerful grimoire through a cartoon, 12-year-old Joe is determined to find it and change his lot in life. But in doing so, he’ll also uncover a local priest’s dark secret and how it may be connected to Joe’s brother abruptly leaving town five years ago. Part homage to the small-creature horror films of the 80s (Ghoulies, Gremlins, The Gate) and part Splatterpunk take on a Goosebumps book, Sabbath of the Fox-Devils is a weird, diabolical coming-of-age horror story of self-liberation in an oppressive religious environment set during the Satanic Panic. Prepare your soul to revel in the darkness.”

The author hits a dark and creative homerun on the turn of every page with this bizarre Splatterpunk tribute to the above-mentioned themes and imagery of yesteryear. With a dark and evil preacher lurking, hideously ferocious and violent but also somehow extremely loveable fox-like creatures wreaking havoc on an oppressed and abusive religious setting, chock full of enough satanic magic and occult ritual panic for days and days and days. This is one sure to leave more than the mark of the beast on your technicolored and tormented soul…. Hail Satan! 666.

Check it out!

Cherry Blossom Eyes by S.T. Cartledge- Book Review

Cherry Blossom Eyes
S.T. Cartledge
Eraserhead Press (November 1, 2019)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 134 pp

“A work of poetic surrealism reminiscent of the films of Guillermo Del Toro and the Siúil A Rún manga, The Girl From The Other Side” – Carlton Mellick III

Margot and Blanko live on the Isle of Flowers, blessed by the rose gold light of the cherry blossom sun. In the season of the Cold, they build bonfires on the beach to ward off the malicious shape-shifting sea creatures known as tourists from the island. Each year their home becomes colder, their resources become tighter, and more tourists swim ashore and murder the locals, bury them beneath the cherry blossom trees, and take their identities like nothing ever happened. Can they survive long enough to sort out real from imposter and put a stop to this hostile takeover?

This was a really fun and entertaining book from start to finish. The author manages to deliver a completely solid and original Bizarro Fiction story jam-packed with beautiful and eclectic prose and dreamy and artful imagery. One-part fantasy, one-part horror, the story follows two loveable characters in love as the powers that be are attempting to split them apart all in fear of the Isle of Flowers biggest fear, the tourists. The tourists are shape-shifting sea black shadow creatures who can mimic and shape-shift into anything they want. Their reputation, to trick and deceive (but not everything is as it seems here as we as the reader continue to read on as the books true magic begins to unfold before our very eyes). When a loved one disappears and falls victim to the tourists lies and deception the two lovers are separated. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as we discover more about these mysterious shape-shifting creatures. Once the tourists true nature is brought to light (yes, pun very much intended) we as the reader discover there is far more going on and the author leaves it up to us as the reader to dig and decipher how far we really want to dig into their true meaning. Which I thought was a really impressive feat by the author here, as he manages to uncover more depth to the overall book, as if hidden away and lurking and waiting in the shadows and there but only if you really want to uncover the truth, which also ties in beautifully with the overall concept of the book, all the while also managing to tie in some hella strong sociopolitical commentary on modern society.

All in all, a very solid and original Bizarro Fiction story that was very well written, beautifully and memorably poetic, and often extremely thought-provoking in terms of overall artful imagery and sociopolitical commentary on modern society alike.

Check it out!

Snuggle Club by Carlton Mellick- Book Review

Snuggle Club
Carlton Mellick
Eraserhead Press (March 1, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 126 pp

Alright, folks. Step right up, read all about it. The king of bizarro has a new book out and you should be all about it. Until those new pre-orders for the author’s recently announced ‘The Bad Box’ from Eraserhead Press arrive in September, I came to the harsh realization that I hadn’t taken the time to write up a review for this one yet. So, let’s take a moment to remedy that situation real quick as I had finished this one up around the time it came out a little bit earlier this year (back in March, I believe) and then just here again decided to reread it for the sake of typing up this review. So, here it is. Right here. Right now-now-now.

‘Snuggle Club’ by Carlton Mellick III summed up in three words or less is this… A GOOD TIME. It’s like if Chuck Palahniuk’s ‘Fight Club’ were to meet H.P. Lovecraft at a Dungeons and Dragons tournament and then at the end of the tournament the two of them gazed into each other’s eyes, got hella weird and creepy, and then one of them said to the other, “Oh, hey… I have something I need to show you and maybe while we’re at it we can make some weird cuddly fur babies and shit.” And then, you know… H.P. Lovecraft continues to show Chuck Palahniuk’s ‘Fight Club’ the door but in this case it’s a secret door that leads to all the fabulous creations that only the most creative weirdos in the universe could even begin to imagine.

You get the point, so when recently widowed Ray Parker’s wife dies and he’s sick to death and tired of not being able to sleep at night because he misses the closeness of his beloved wife. He decides to visit a local cuddle group at a place called Cuddle Me! A place that hosts and specializes in just that, cuddle parties, so that he can try to experience the closeness of another human being and hopefully get another good night’s sleep before his eyeballs dry out of his skull and his brain rots into a pile of mush-fog. No matter how strange or awkward it might be Ray’s willing to try anything at this point. But what he doesn’t see coming, well, aside from the overall weirdness and eccentricities of the other members of the group, was just how serious others really took to the whole overall art of cuddling. He didn’t even know it was a thing before. When the event coordinators realize just how soft, squishy, and cuddly Ray really is they decide to invite him to another group. A group that takes place below them after the cuddle session is over. A place right beneath their very feet. Imagine the netherworld of cuddling. The inside-out of the Cuddlesphere. Picture an entire CUDDLEACOLYPSE right beneath your very bones and it’s raining cuddles in every direction and then some. This is where the author really steps up his creative genius and introduces us to the ultra-soft and squishy cuddle gods of the Snuggleverse, sentient worm and bug-like creatures from another dimension who cuddle so hard, whilst taking the art of cuddling beyond the entire overall human experience and turning them into something much more, how do you say it… extraterrestrial, perhaps?

Oh, and there is a character named DJ Tanner. Shout-out to ridiculous cheesy 90s family comedies, heyyyyy. There’s a lot more than a Full House going on in this one though, folks.

Check it out!!!

 

Allison by Jeff Strand- Book Review

Allison
Jeff Strand
Amazon Services, LLC (Mar 15, 2020)
eBook/ Trade Paperback/ 270 pp

“Some might say that if a woman had the power to severely harm or kill you with her mind, and she couldn’t control this power, it was best not to date her. There was a definite logic to that point of view.”

Alright, folks. One of our favorites in the genre has just managed to do it again. Strand delivers to us a new and compelling, visually-stunning, fast-paced read of brilliant action-packed telekinetic superpower goodness in his latest book here and she comes by the name of, Allison. But, be careful ghouls and gals. Especially if swiping right and hitting the mean streets of today’s up and coming dating scene. But, let’s also take a moment to breathe and take in the beautiful cover art created by the talented cover artist, Lynne Hansen.

“Takes the girl-with-supernatural-powers-gets-pushed-too-far trope and makes it delicious again.” — Errant Dreams

Allison can break your bones with her mind, and she can’t control her power. Now forty-five years old, she’s spent her life trying to stay away from other people. But a random encounter with a couple on the street leaves her believing that she may have done something horrible. Something unforgivable. Killer-for-hire Daxton and his girlfriend Maggie know the truth. Instead of easing Allison’s anguish, they come up with a cruel plan to take advantage of it. But with Allison’s abilities exposed, there may be a grisly body count very soon…

From its shocking opening to its sinister conclusion, ALLISON is Jeff Strand at his over-the-top best!

“The idea that she could just… crush him from the inside out like that was terrifying.”

You may need more than a pocket full of contraceptives for this pretty little lady because you might just get yourself into a little bit more than what you bargained for. Just in case that’s not clear enough for you, I’d like to remind you that we’re not talking about happy endings and puppy dog kisses over here. Nope, we’re talking about big, bad infamous mob bosses here spinning a tale full of gore, blood-curdling, neck-snapping, intestine-munching madness with no hope and despair. Especially if you’re the one trying to tame such a beast. She’s wild and crazy folks, so be careful what you wish for. There might not be a soul left alive on this planet that is strong enough to pin this one down.

Check it out!!!