Archive for the ‘Scary Stuff’ Category

So, I have an announcement regarding Hannah and Other Stories. If you’re unaware, Hannah and Other Stories is a collection I wrote that was published by BSC Publishing Group on September 23, 2023. The collection contains tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things.

The collection has been well-received, if the reviews I’ve gotten are anything to go by. Unfortunately, sales have not been as good as they might have been, despite my best efforts, and, with my contract ending earlier this year, BSC Publishing has decided to relinquish the rights to publish the book back to me on January 1st, 2025.

Which means on January 1st, 2025, Hannah and Other Stories will go out of print.

Honestly, I’m going through several emotions at the moment. But the major one is acceptance. It is what it is, and I’ll always be grateful for BSC helping me get Hannah to the level it was. Trust me, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be as well received as it was without their help on the later drafts. Having to go through this kind of sucks, but I know it could be a lot worse.

And I also feel hopeful and determined. You see, once the rights are back in my hands, I can publish the book again, either with another publisher or self-publish. And I think I’ll self-publish. Not immediately, but at some point in 2025. I’ll release Hannah and Other Stories again, and it’ll be the same great book as before.

Well, with some changes. BSC’s business model called for only selling paperbacks if there’s enough demand for the ebook. Now, I’ll be able to publish a paperback, which I’m sure plenty of people who haven’t converted to ebooks yet will appreciate.

I also plan to return the Lovecraftian elements to “What Errour Awoke,” one of the stories in the collection. BSC wasn’t a fan of the Lovecraftian and wanted me to take them out. In the end, we compromised and made it semi-cosmic, but it’s never sat right with me. Now, I have an opportunity to make that story the way it was supposed to be, rather than how it was. (I may make a few more changes, but that’s the big one.)

And I think I’ll shell out for a new cover. Something I think will not only attract readers, but symbolize the book’s rebirth to a tee.

2025 is going to be full of possibilities.

So yeah, Hannah and Other Stories is going away for a while. But it’ll come back sometime in 2025, better than ever and in paperback, too. And if it does well enough? Maybe an audiobook version as well. It could happen.

For now, though, if you haven’t read Hannah yet, you still have fourteen days and about five hours to get an ebook copy. Even if you don’t read ebooks, buying a copy will help me in the long run and show me that there is plenty of demand for this book. And if you do read ebooks, please read it. And then leave me a review so I know what you thought. Not only will I really appreciate it, but it’ll help when Hannah eventually returns.

Hmm…between Hannah and the collection I’ve been working on, 2025 is looking like the year for collections. Maybe I’ll do a third as well? Well, we’ll see. However many I release, I hope they all do well.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Links for the book are below. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and thank you for always supporting me. It means the world to me.

As many of you know, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas has become one of my favorite novels, if not my favorite (you can read my review from 2018 here). So, when I heard Thomas was releasing a collection of four novellas, I had to get my hands on it. And while it took me longer than I wanted to get through it (I picked it up in September and only just finished it), I’m glad I got to read it.

Taking place in a fictional version of Kansas that’s part of the same universe as Kill Creek (and possibly his other novel Violet, I’m not sure), each novella follows a native who gets pulled into horrors beyond their control. Three of these stories connect to the very land and the entities, natural or supernatural or preternatural, that inhabit and make up Kansas, all of these stories deal with dark histories and hidden truths, and each story connects in some way to the authors who were the stars of Kill Creek,* enhancing the reading experience.

The first novella, The Door in the Field, follows a young construction worker with anger issues who joins his boss for a drink after an incident, and ends up spending a night in terror. This story does move a bit slow at times, but it’s a thrilling tale full of blood, violence, and cosmic horror that pays off well at the end with the reveals and the main character’s growth. My one major criticism is that the novella is kind of a story within a story, and the framing device doesn’t really add much to the story. It doesn’t take anything away, but it doesn’t add much, either.

The second novella, Wear Your Secret Like a Stone, follows a troubled young woman who, after her pick of book for the Halloween display at her job is taken down by a customer complaint, goes on a mission to get her favorite book back. Only along the way, she learns some frightening local history which is more alive than she thought. I think this might have been my favorite novella of the bunch. It’s atmospheric, the protagonist is likeable, and the ending is a dark fantasy twist that will bring you chills.

The third novella, The Boy in the Woods, is about a young boy who, on the last night at camp, finds himself in the middle of a slasher story with a rage zombie twist. It’s a wild ride of a story with a sympathetic protagonist and a the way the slasher/rage zombie aspect are approached gives both tropes new life that I wasn’t expecting. If Wear Your Secret was my favorite, then The Boy in the Woods is a close second.

The final novella, One Half of a Child’s Face, is about a mother who is able to see into her ex’s apartment building al a Rear Window. There, she frets about not having her daughter living with her full-time and gets a vicarious thrill at watching the residents live their lives…until a strange painting in an empty apartment seems to throw an evil influence over the building’s residents. Of the four novellas, I would consider this the weakest. It takes a long time to build to anything and there are quite a few plot threads left hanging at the end. However, the last fifty pages are so were hard to put down and I enjoyed reading them.

All in all, Midwestern Gothic by Scott Thomas is a worthwhile collection of novellas. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3.9. Pick up a copy, settle down in your favorite chair, and prepare to be transported to a different sort of Kansas.

*If you haven’t read Kill Creek, don’t worry. You can still read the collection just fine. Kind of like how you can watch The Big Bang Theory and still laugh at all the jokes while not necessarily getting every sci-fi or comic book reference the characters make. Still, I highly recommend Kill Creek, so if you’re curious, read that one, too.

Photo by Dzenina Lukac on Pexels.com

This past Thursday was Halloween, and I was lucky to have two stories release in audio. And since I know that not everyone was able to tune in for them (especially the second one), I’m including links in this post so you can check them out whenever you’re able.

First, on the Tales to Terrify podcast, we have my short story “White Leaves,” which follows the events that occur when an apartment complex wakes up to find a sea of white leaves on their front lawns. The story was narrated by an A+ narrator named Andrew Gibson, and can be found about 28 minutes into the podcast (though I highly encourage you to listen to the two stories preceding mine).

Second, we have the radio play based on my short story “Hannah,” which leads Hannah and Other Stories. The play was performed by the students at Christopher Ray’s Whetstone Academy of Performing Arts, which I’m given to understand is part of Whetstone High School here in Columbus, and produced by WCBE 90.5’s program The Craft by Doug Dangler. It was a really good performance, and the kids did an amazing job (special props to Evelyn Boreman, who played angry and entitled Dianne Shawcross. I could believe all the other actors were teens, but I was very surprised that wasn’t really a middle-aged woman!).

I’ve mentioned it before, but this is the first time my work has ever been adapted into another storytelling format, and I’m quite honored. So, if you can, please check this program out and give it a listen. It really was an amazing show and I’m so proud to have had my story be used for this show and for the teens to use as they work hard to make their careers blossom.

(Sounds like someone I know.)

And finally, if you’re interested in reading the original tale this radio play is based on, you can check out Hannah and Other Stories using any of the links below. And if you do, and you get a copy, I hope you’ll leave me a review so I know what you thought. Not to mention reviews help other readers decide whether or not to check out a story.

That’s all for now, my Followers. I’m off to work on the next collection of short stories. Hopefully I can tell you more about that at a later date. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Surprise! The new episode of the Tales to Terrify podcast dropped today instead of tomorrow. Which means my new short story, “White Leaves,” is now live and available to be listened to. It tells the story of an apartment complex that wakes up one morning to find the entire place blanketed in strange white leaves.

Did I mention that this episode is not just the Halloween episode, but episode 666? That’s a devilishly awesome coincidence!

Anyway, if you’re at all interested in giving it a listen, the episode is available to stream now. “White Leaves” is the third and final story in the episode and comes about twenty-eight minutes in after some sponsor ads. It’s quite spooky, if I do say so myself. I’ll include a link below. And be sure to let me know what you think when you’re done! I love reader feedback, after all.

Happy Halloween, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re having a wonderfully creepy day. And I hope you check out the “Hannah” radio play later today at 7 PM EST on WCBE 90.5’s website. Yeah, I can’t stop speaking about this, but can you blame me? It’s my very first story adaptation!

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Happy Halloween, Followers of Fear! I hope you’ve left treats out for all the spirits crossing over from the other side and have dressed up appropriately for the holiday.

And, if you are at all interested, tonight airs the radio play version of “Hannah,” the lead story of my collection, Hannah and Other Stories! It’s my first adaptation, so I’m very excited. I really hope a lot of people tune in to check it out. Especially since it’s a ghost story involving a pair of ghost hunters checking out a haunted school and finding something unexpected in the girl’s bathroom.

Anyway, if you’d like to check out the radio play, it airs tonight at 7 PM EST on WCBE 90.5’s website, which I’ve linked in a button below. It’ll be one story dramatized among others as part of WCBE’s annual Halloween program (not sure what the order is or what the other stories are). And if you aren’t able to tune in live, it should be available to stream on The Craft, the show that interviews creatives I was on recently and which the Halloween show is part of. I’ll be sure to post a link for anyone interested once the stream is available.

I may also do a YouTube or Instagram Live broadcast, but I haven’t done either of those yet, so it’ll depend on interest and if I can figure out how it’s done.

So, if you’re looking forward to the show tonight, the link’s below. I look forward to listening to the show with you and hope it’s as amazing as I dream it will be. And that you’ll let me know what you think when it airs.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, Happy Halloween and pleasant nightmares.

Some of you may remember me announcing a while back that my short story, “White Leaves,” was going to be narrated on the Tales to Terrify podcast. The story follows what happens to an apartment complex when it wakes up to a sea of white leaves outside on their lawns. And this morning, I was informed that the story will be narrated on their Halloween episode this week (rather fitting, given that the story takes place on Halloween).

And guess what else? This is going to be Episode 666 of the podcast! What a devilishly crazy coincidence!

But man, this is turning out to be a really good week for me. First, I took the week off for mental health reasons, and have found myself healing by leaps and bounds with every passing day. Second, the radio play featuring “Hannah” from Hannah and Other Stories will air tomorrow night as part of WCBE 90.5’s annual Halloween show. Third, I got some good news this week on something else I’ve written (can’t say what it is yet, but it’s big). And now, “White Leaves” is going to be airing on Friday! I can’t wait!

Anyway, I hope you’ll check out Episode 666 when it airs. And in the meantime, why not check out Episode 565, which includes my previous work narrated by Tales to Terrify, “The Dedication of the High Priestess.” I’ll include the link below. And I hope when the radio show airs tomorrow at 7 PM EST, you’ll tune in for that as well (link below as well).

And if any of these stories give you the bug for my stories, I’ll include a link for my Books page below. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, there’s something for every horror fan to enjoy. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. They help me, and other readers as well.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I have a pumpkin to carve before dinner. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

As I announced in a previous post, my short story “Hannah” is being adapted into a radio play. It will be one of several stories that are being adapted and broadcast Halloween night on WCBE 90.5, a local radio station. And suffice to say, I’m super excited about the whole thing.

After all, it’s the first time I’ve ever had my work adapted into something like this.*

So many authors dream of having their work adapted. Mostly into movies, but also TV shows, comic books and manga, plays, music, video games, and, of course, radio and audio plays. Yet it only happens to so very few, both during and after their lifetimes. So, I feel incredibly honored that one of my stories was chosen to be adapted.

Not to mention, it’s “Hannah,” the titular story of Hannah and Other Stories. I’m really hopeful that this will lead more people to check out the original work.

You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve been approached about adapting one of my stories. I’m not kidding, it almost happened. Last September, an actual production company reached out to me to ask if the film/TV rights for another one of my short stories were free. I won’t say which company, but I will say if I were to name them, you could look them up and find that they’ve been involved in a lot of famous movies and TV shows.

Anyway, I let them know that the film/TV rights for that story were available and sent them a PDF copy. A couple of months later, they let me know that they were going to pass on adapting that story, but thanked me for being willing to work with them. And I thanked them right back, feeling honored to even have one of my stories considered.

And even though it didn’t work out, I felt, given I was approached once about an adaptation, there was a good chance it might happen again. And it did. “Hannah” is going to be in a radio play next week. One week exactly from the time this post is published, at 7 PM EST on Halloween night. And I cannot wait to listen to it live.**

And who knows? Maybe after this, there might be more chances of having my work adapted. After all, it’s happened once. And I’m always happy to work with people to bring my stories to more people. Just send me an email, and we can see about making something happen.

Anyway, speaking of the radio play, I’ll be sure to put out a reminder post on Halloween next week so you guys remember to check it out. In the meantime, you guys can check out both WCBE 90.5 and the interview I did with the radio play’s producer, Doug Dangler, using the buttons below. I hope you’ll check them out.

Also, if you’d like to familiarize yourself with “Hannah” before the show, or you’re just looking for a spooky collection before Halloween, you can check out Hannah and Other Stories using any of the buttons below. And if you do end up reading it, please consider leaving a review so I know what you thought. They help me and other readers out big time.

Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re excited for what’s coming next week as I am. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and…oh shit! Law & Order’s in an hour! Excuse me, but I gotta go!

*Audio books and stories read aloud on podcasts don’t count, that’s reading with your ears. And before you say, “that’s not reading,” if Braille is reading with your fingers, then audio books and podcasted stories can be reading with your ears.

**And don’t worry if you miss it live. It’ll be archived and available to stream later.

You know I love Halloween. Hell, on my social media, I have been counting down every day since around August. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that, when October comes, I love having a yard display like the ones my neighbors would put up when I was growing up. Especially now that I have a condo with a small patch of dirt that I can use for a yard display.

Today, after breakfast, I got my Halloween display props out of the attic, and began setting up. The results are below.

Pretty cool, huh? The ghost with the face like the Scream villain is the only new piece I bought this year. Everything else is stuff I’ve collected over the years. Whenever I got them, I think they all look amazing when they’re out on my lawn like this.

And if you read the title of this post, you know I also have a Halloween costume. Last year, I went as Cthulhu using a kigurumi. The year before, I went as the King in Yellow. This year, what am I going as?

I am going as…Sweeney Todd.

Pretty cool, huh? I wore this costume for Purim (sort of like Halloween for Jews, but in the spring) and I got kind of attached for it. So I’ll be wearing this costume, minus the nametag and the wristband on my wrist, for Halloween. And the makeup, which I love in this image. I mean, holy shit, this makes me look my eyes entirely white!

Oh, but when the local ballet company does its production of Dracula later in the month, I’ll be going as a vampire with a cape. You have to dress appropriately for these things, after all.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you all. I hope you’re having a good October so far and that you’re looking forward to plenty of spooky tricks and treats. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and only 26 days till Halloween!

I love horror and I love ballet. I often combine the two in my work. And when I find another author who has combined the two forms of storytelling, I want to read it. And if it’s good? I’m especially glad to read it. Jamison Shea’s novel I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me is one of those books I’m especially glad to have read.

Taking place at the Paris Ballet and its attached academy, I Feed Her to the Beast follows Laure Mesny, a dance student in Paris who is the most talented in her class, but has had to deal with privilege and racism in the academy and the company every day. When a fellow ballerina she admires leads her into the tunnels of the catacombs, she is introduced to an ancient godlike entity that offers her a deal: her blood in exchange for the power she has always craved. Laure takes it, and it leads her on a path that could end in her stardom, or her destruction.

Where do I start?

Well, let’s talk about the horror. While there is some eldritch occult horror here, the real horror is with the human characters. Not just what the characters are willing to do for their goals, but what they’re willing to do to each other out of spite. Laure’s fellow dancers, often white and privileged, treat her horribly and tell her, behind her back and to her face, that she doesn’t belong and will never be good enough, even though she is amazing. More than a few bring up that she’s black and from a poor background and, in their view, wouldn’t be a good fit for the company. When Laure finally gets some power, it’s kind of scary how quickly she not only gets used to it, but how much she enjoys using it, including to do violence!

Not to say there isn’t some more traditional horror. The gods living beneath Paris are quite cool, as is the destruction they wrought, and there’s a murder mystery throughout the story which resolves in a way that surprised even me and which felt quite satisfying.

I also liked how most of the characters felt real. They’re all extremely complicated, especially Laure. She’s had it rough, coming from a broken family and dealing with racism and poverty, and often being told to be better and be perfect despite doing everything she should. And despite all that, she still wants to belong and feel loved by her coworkers, which honestly feels very human to me. I also empathized with her struggle to try to balance her dreams and her relationships. She’s not all good, and she’s very flawed, but it’s hard not to root for her, even at her worst. And we see her at her worst a lot.

I think the one flaw is that some of the supporting characters could have used some more development, especially Keturah. She sort of becomes a sister figure to Laure halfway through the novel, but I never really felt like we got a chance to see past her surface. Maybe in the sequel. (Yes, there’s a sequel, and I’ll check it out as soon as I can.) And, at times, the story did drag a little.

All told, I award I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea a 4.5 out of 5. This is a riveting slow-burn novel that delights in being bad and in delving into the darkest parts of humanity. Get yourself a copy, put on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and prepare to be transported. Believe me, it’s worth the read.

The Anchorage Mansion looks so creepy in the dead of night, doesn’t it?

So, as many of you know, I was in Marietta, OH this weekend for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. And you probably also know that I not only freaking love Marietta, but that it’s filled with haunted buildings. And while I was in Marietta, I made sure to do some ghost hunting at two of my favorite places: the Lafayette Hotel, where I was staying, and the Anchorage Mansion, where Hidden Marietta does their main business.

And hoo boy, did I get some results!

Now, for those unaware, I tend to use dowsing rods quite a bit when I ghost hunt. These are copper, L-shaped rods that have copper cylinders around the handles. The idea is that the ghosts can manipulate the rods to answer yes-or-no questions or to point. And the cylinders around the handles keep the questioner from manipulating the rods.

My first session was in my hotel room, where I contacted the spirit of a former employee. And, given the answers I got, I felt kind of sad for her.

After that, I decided to try getting some responses in the hallway. Where, by the by, I got some amazing results with some friends about two years ago (see that post here). And this time around, I got results again!

Pretty awesome, huh? The most amazing thing is, when I played the video back, you could clearly hear that thumping noise! My audio clearly picked that up! Now, as to what caused it, or for my camera to go out of focus for a couple of minutes, I don’t know. Still, it was pretty cool! (Also, I met the husband of the couple at breakfast the next morning and got to fill him in on my results. I wonder if he’s a believer now?)

With my exploration of the third floor completed, I headed down to the basement. According to the guy at reception, there are nine spirits of children haunting the hotel, as well as several dogs and a cat. (He also thought he’d heard of a woman who used to work at the hotel dying in the last twenty years and a guest having a heart attack in the 1980s, though he wasn’t sure of the details and couldn’t remember where the employee who died used to work.) The most active and famous of these children is Thomas, whom I was told during my first stay at the Lafayette can be contacted from the basement.

So, to the basement I went! And Thomas reacted to my calls.

How spooky is that? At 5:48 and 8:42, you can clearly hear a snapping sound that likely isn’t the front door! And at 8:08, I could have sworn I heard a whisper coming from down the basement hallway!

Well, after that, I headed to the Anchorage Mansion, where I met my friend Jeff Ignatowski, and we were led on a tour of the Anchorage, hearing about its history and ghost stories. And let me tell you, there’s been some new stories. For instance, there’s apparently a nasty new spirit in the attic and tower that’s pretty territorial. It’s even forced Henrietta and Clarabelle, the two little girls who play up in the attic, out of the attic and to the second floor! The staff have been moving their toys down so they’re not constantly being harassed by this new, mean entity.

Now, after the tour, Jeff and I went to the servants quarters, which is on a sub-floor leading off the second floor. Here, another malevolent entity that has a problem with women is supposed to lurk. Here, we tried to contact said entity and get some answers.

Creepy, right? We didn’t get any answers, but it was interesting how some of those entities reminded me of the Donner Party. And I nearly hit my head on a barrier hanging from the ceiling. Was something leading me there, hoping I’d hurt myself?

Well, after that, we spent a bit of time in the room where Clarabelle and Henrietta’s room, or the room where their dolls, pictured below, are now. The dolls in the rocking chair are theirs, and were designed based on their feedback. Supposedly, you mess with the dolls, they’ll mess with you right back. One college student touched them, and then got slapped on the back. There was a child-sized handprint on his back, according to the stories.

After that, Jeff and I tried messing with some of the equipment to rent in the dining room, but it didn’t really work for us. And that ended the evening. Still, it was pretty cool. And I always enjoy coming to the Anchorage Mansion. Hell, I always love coming to Marietta! And I’m so glad it gave me some amazing experiences again.

Though my experiences with scary stuff didn’t end once I left Marietta. You see, after I left the convention, I stopped by a computer store in Columbus to pick up something. And while I was there, I found something that filled me with fright! You can see the video below!

3D printers! After writing an entire novel about an evil one, so many of them in one place filled me with fright! And I’m sure if the novel ever gets published, a gathering of them will scare plenty of people!


That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Remember, we’re 32 days away from Halloween, so if you’re still looking for something spooky to read this October, I’ve got plenty of stories to offer. Plant/human hybrids and strange gods, Mafia-hunting serial killers, and carnivorous horses! Just check out the button below and you’ll find all my published works, including some free stuff available for download.

And if you end up reading any of my work, please leave a review! Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps other readers find my work.

Also be sure to check out my YouTube channel. If you like it, you can subscribe and be the first to watch my videos when it uploads.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.