Month: September 2021

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ricky Fleet

megHan

For those of y’all who don’t know, me and Ricky have… history (haha). I met him at a Scares That Care event a few years ago… and it was an experience… such a great experience that I have made sure to invite him back to the blog every year since so that everyone else can experience the amazing Ricky Fleet… though, if you ever get the chance to experience him in person, I tell you it is SO much better. Super talented. Read all of his books. I know what you’re going to tell me – they’re zombies – but don’t hold that against him. They are GOOD.

Meghan: Hey, Ricky! Welcome back. It’s always a pleasure to have you on the blog. What is your favorite part of Halloween?

Ricky: My favourite part about Halloween is the knowledge that at no other time of year are the two realms, the living and those passed on, any closer. As someone who has lost family members, I like to think of them visiting us to see how we’re doing. Not to mention the vampires, werewolves, mummies, mermen, and assorted other monsters who come out to play.

And, of course, the innocent mischief of the makeup; sharing the night with ghouls and goblins, fairies and princesses.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Ricky: We’ve never really had the money to go all out on the decorations, but there will always be a few creepily carved pumpkins on our doorstep, inviting the unwary to knock on our door. My kids are all grown up now, but I’ll never forget the joy of walking them from street to street, taking in the displays from the more creative neighbours. We even had Anubis jump out on us one Halloween, nearly earning the wearer a right hook from a surprised dad.

Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?

Ricky: It would be my second favourite, simply because NOTHING beats Christmas. The nights are finally cold, and you get to wrap up warm and have the fires blazing. You can glut yourself on all manner of sweet treats without the calories counting (I’m sure that’s been scientifically proven). The kids are filled with a healthy dose of excitement and nerves, wondering what really lurks in the night.

Meghan: What are you superstitious about?

Ricky:
I salute lone magpies.
I don’t walk under ladders.
I try not to step on cracks in paving.
If I spill salt, I toss some over my shoulder.
I don’t open umbrellas in the house.
I’m cautious on Friday the 13th. Always.

However, I don’t mind black cats crossing my path and I don’t believe in the luck of a rabbit’s foot. They should be left attached the owner of said foot.

Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?

Ricky: Anyone who knows me knows the answer: Zombies! I freaking love the crumbly, rotting little horrors. They have to be, of course, the Romero type. They just fill me with a primal dread. Remorseless. Ever hungry. Never tiring. Runners are fun and all, but they just don’t stir the same passion. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Dawn remake, and, although they’re technically just infected, 28 Days Later. But nothing, simply nothing, compares to the feeling I had when I first saw the shambling zombies in the original Night of the Living Dead.

Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?

Ricky: Not so much a murder, as a disappearance that I believe is a murder. It’s a horrible one, but it’s Madeleine McCann. There’s so much wrong with the case, not least the fact that they left their children unattended to go out for dinner and drinks. It would never enter my mind to do what they did. Yes, they’ll pay for that mistake for the rest of their lives, but do you know who I care more about? Maddie!

Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?

Ricky: We’ve not really got any urban legends in our area. One mystery/myth that has always fascinated and scared me was the Bermuda Triangle. Knowing that people have been merrily bobbing along, and then suddenly, BAM, they’re gone without a trace. Where did they go? Did a whirlpool open, sucking them into the darkness? Did something unknown emerge from the unknown depths of the ocean to feed? I’d love to know. Or would I?

I tie these kinds of disappearances into my Infernal series.

Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?

Ricky: I think about what these types of people did and I’m of the opinion they should be questioned, studied, then put to death. If I lost a loved one to their barbarity, it’s the least I’d demand.

So, when it comes to my favourite, I look to films and books because the suffering is always pretend. Acting. And no two individuals sum up the pervasive evil of a soulless killer better than Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter. The first because he is an awkward, shy individual and the truth of his transformation and murders shocked a generation. There are few musical scores that can instantly transfer someone to a scene than the discordant strings of Hermann as the knife fell. The second is the polar opposite of Norman: educated, cultured, refined. The cannibalistic depravity hiding behind the suave face of Dr Lecter is absolutely terrifying to me.

Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie? How old were you when you read your first horror book?

Ricky: There are two that stick in my memory. One was a film when I was very young, but I have no idea of the plot or story. All I can remember was that I was scared to death, and someone had a massive bell drop on them. That’s it. The second was Return of the Living Dead. I was a year or two older, six or seven. I made it to the bit where they started to cut up the first zombie after burying a pickaxe in its skull before I bowed out. Now I look back and laugh as I LOVE the movie and its sequels, but at the time I had nightmares for weeks.

My first horror read was Salem’s Lot that I “borrowed” from my mum’s dresser. Barlow was in stark relief on the front cover, the vampirized townsfolk stretching off into the distance. I’ll never forget the words in those pages. A love for reading horror was born that day.

Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?

Ricky: I’ve never really felt “scared” while reading. Maybe I just haven’t found the right books. I can honestly say that two authors who can make my stomach churn are Matt Shaw and Aron Beauregard. Masters of extreme, graphic horror.

Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?

Ricky: There are two notable movies that have left a lasting impression on me. The first is Drag Me to Hell. As a comedy horror, it worked really well. I was laughing along with the best of them. But that final scene… damn. That has never gone away. There you have the boyfriend who never really bought into the whole doomed soul story, watch as the minions of Hell literally drag his girlfriend to an eternity of suffering. I mean, how do you come back from that? I’d be crazy in five minutes flat. Justin Long’s face captures that emotion perfectly as he leans over the side of the platform. Knowing that my lover was forever out of reach, being tortured over and over again without respite. A padded room would swiftly follow.

Number two is Event Horizon. (You’ll notice Hell is a key feature of both films). The rescue shuttle gets stranded and the gate to another dimension opens. Except the other dimension is not another part of our universe, but Hell itself. The sense of isolation and the steadily increasing terror thrilled me. Once again, I asked myself, what could you do? In other films like Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc, they were in peril but there was always a slim chance they could get away. Where could the team who found the Event Horizon go? Pop the airlock and run out into space. Nope. They were trapped from the moment they set foot aboard the vessel, and that stuck with me too.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?

Ricky: I’ve never been a fancy-dress kind of guy. I did go as Hannibal Lecter to one party. Meg as the Slutty Cat in Family Guy was pretty good. I think I’d have rocked that costume.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?

Ricky: It’s gotta be Michael Jackson’s Thriller, no contest. Closely followed by the Monster Mash.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat? What is your most disappointing?

Ricky: I’m not a massive sweet eater, but if I had to choose, it would either be lemon bonbons, or Lemonheads. Oh, or Maoam Sours. Anything fruity like that with a bit of kick.

Meghan: Before we go: Top Halloween movies and/or books.

Ricky: I’ve not really read any “Halloween” books that spring to mind, so I hopped over to Goodreads. They state that Sleepy Hollow and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark are two that make the list, so I’ll pick those.

As for Halloween films, the entire Halloween franchise, even the crap ones. I really enjoyed the recent remake and look forward to Halloween Kills later this year. The Craft. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sleepy Hollow with Mr Depp. Night of the Demons (original and remake) Monster House the animated film. The Monster Squad (is that set on Halloween?). And lastly, one of the best films ever, The Crow.

Boo-graphy:
Ricky Fleet has been a lifelong horror fan. One dark night, many years ago, he ‘borrowed’ a copy of Salem’s Lot from his mum’s bedside table. Sneaking it into his room, the terrifying visage of Barlow gazed out from the cover. Doomed townsfolk stretched into the distance, and in bold, silver font was a name – Stephen King. The story contained within those pages spawned an appetite for horror that has yet to be sated. Masterton, Lumley, Koontz, Laws, Herbert, Hutson, Laymon, Barker, and many more have influenced both his life and his writing.

His career took him into the plumbing and heating sector, keeping Britain’s homes warm and watered.

Born and raised in the UK, cups of tea are a non-negotiable staple of the English life and serve as brain fuel for his first love – writing.

With the Hellspawn series being enjoyed across the world, the growing saga has a dark edge that begins to explore the true horror of a world without rules. A nod to the master, George A. Romero. The only thing running on his zombies are the fluids of decay. What they lack in velocity, they more than make up for with utter remorselessness and insatiable hunger.

Infernal: Emergence is the first in his new demon series. A tale of conspiracy, untapped powers and the vast armies of Hell who yearn to tear our world apart. Only one man stands in their way; he just doesn’t know it yet.

His latest series – Devoured World – takes a new and terrifying look at the question ‘Are we alone in the universe.’ It appeared to be a gift; it was, in fact, a terrible curse. Nuclear Armageddon. A dead world. Billions of mutants roaming the darkened wasteland. These are the least of the survivor’s problems. The aliens are coming, and then the true war will begin.

Devoured World: Volume 1 —
A gift from the stars crashes to Earth, ushering a golden age of human cooperation. The genetic secrets in the pods eradicate Cancer, HIV, even the common cold with a single pill. The jubilation is short lived when the horrific truth reveals itself. The cellular changes wrought by the treatment continue, and degenerate. Global efforts to halt the rapidly mutating victims fail. Breaking free, the creatures spread their contagion with teeth and claws; tearing, ravaging, devouring. Nuclear Armageddon is mankind’s only hope to hold the infected back. Decades later, the radioactive dust has settled, and the survivors leave their bunkers. Woken from an endless sleep, Andrew Burton must choose his destiny within the Sovereign Guard army. Using advanced weapons and technology, they’re humanity’s last line of defence. Billions of monsters lurk in the wastelands of a dead world, but they’re not the only threat. Across the vastness of space, the aliens are coming, and with them, the real war will begin.

Devoured World: Volume 2 —
Following the devastating mutant attack on the mining facilities, humanity’s continued existence hangs in the balance like never before. Lacking the essential elements to power their advanced weaponry, it’s only a matter of time until the infected legions overrun the weakened defences of the fortress cities.

Empress Verena, ruler of the Divinity Alliance, is faced with a stark choice; trust G with full access to their most sensitive systems, or accept the extinction of every remaining human on Planet Earth. What secrets lie behind his sarcastic, cheeky façade? Will the newly created AI be a saviour, or only hasten their doom?

Appraised of the dire situation, Hardie is tasked with bringing an offer of cooperation to the band of Scavs. Taking Andy and the new recruits out into the wastelands, things aren’t what they seem. What they discover will shatter everything they thought they knew of their dead world.

Devoured World: Volume 3 —
The die is cast; G has been fully integrated into the Divinity systems. With the snarky AI in full control over every aspect of the Alliance territory, Verena can only pray she made the right decision. Will G’s cheery mask slip? Will the unknowable motives harboured by the newly created intelligence be their end?

Rocco arrives at Tempest City for Devastator training, but doubts begin to surface about his choice. A fleeting glimpse of something that could not possibly be sends him down a rabbit hole of danger and discovery.

To the north, Hendrick’s cowardly act sees Hardie and the team put in peril like never before. Facing the hordes of infected is one thing. What waits to greet them beyond the rotting totems is far, far worse. Secrets long buried will begin to surface, shattering the soldier’s belief in the system they fought and died for.

Meanwhile, out in the cold wastes of a barren world, something long dead begins to awaken.

Devoured World: Volume 4 —
The countdown begins for the critical attack on the corrupted mutant bastion of Fort Hope. With the trust of Verena, G works with the hardened battle commanders to minimise the casualties of his adopted people. Will the plan of attack be enough to turn the tide in mankind’s favour?
Out in the bleak wastelands of the old world, Rocco and Hyde race against time to discover the fate of their missing friends. Their search will lead them into the rocky Appalachian mountains and discoveries beyond their wildest nightmares.

In Toronto, maniacal troops search frantically amidst the abandoned streets of the ruined city. Andy moves like a ghost, hunting the hunters, working ever closer to his imprisoned team. A chance meeting will alter the course of his mission with catastrophic consequences for everyone.

The arena awaits. If they thought the infected were bad, they have nothing on what the dark minds of humanity can create.

SHORT STORY: A Different Kind of Soldier by John Linwood Grant

megHan

I learned of the amazing John Linwood Grant when I read the book A Study in Grey. I instantly fell in love with Major Redvers Blake and have been wishing and hoping I could read more about him. Well, Virginia, dreams really do come true…

A Different Kind of Soldier

Autumn bleeds in tawny shades, a suspicion of winter hiding under sodden foliage. And if I have an ‘autumnal’ character in my tales, it can only be Lieutenant, later Captain and then Major, Redvers Blake. His khaki uniform is shorn of the reds and vivid yellows of autumn, though – it is a dull reminder of death, which is always on his horizon. All Hallows Eve is, for him, just another day of troubled and departed souls.

Blake’s time in South Africa during the Boer Wars left him with a permanent stammer and a dead father; his mother, driven insane, left him with the burden of being a physical sensitive. He can feel, can listen to the world around him if he touches it – which means he remains gloved whenever possible. Bloody-minded and occasionally insubordinate as he is, his masters eventually place him in Military Intelligence, and try to have as little to do with him as possible. From there he deals with those strange ‘incidents’ which others dismiss or cannot grasp, either working on his own, with Special Branch or with the regular army (one or two readers might spot the source of the Royal North Surreys, the regiment to which he is attached at various stages in his career).

I have tracked him from the Second Boer War, through the Edwardian era, through ab-natural threats, espionage, a Balkan crisis or two, into World War One, and beyond. He has saved some, shot or had hanged many more, and done his duty to a dead Queen; he has worked with the great minds of the period, even with a reluctant Mr Sherlock Holmes:

Holmes stared at him. “You are no John Watson, Captain Blake.”

“Indeed not. He was courageous, steadfast and m-m-many other noble things. I have no d-d-delusions about my own character. I lie, p-p-perjure myself, and deceive d-d-decent folk. In the last week alone I’ve killed a man with the revolver you saw, and p-p-probably sent at least one other to the gallows.”

There was a sudden tiredness about the detective’s face.

“It seems that I was correct to retire,” he said. “This is not my world.”

Two new Redvers Blake tales came out this year. The first is a story of insanity and art in turn of the century Paris, ‘In Service to a Distant Throne’, included in the Stygian Press anthology Y. Blake is sent to track down a British agent embedded in the feverish artists’ circles of Montmartre, a man whose communications have become delusional, incomprehensible.

The second is a bleak episode early in his career, ‘At Vrysfontein, Where the Earthwolf Prowls’, where Blake faces the horrors of the Boer War concentration camps. That one is the final story in my latest collection, Where All is Night, and Starless:

Blake stares at the huddle of displaced women and children in the wagon. The woman whose son was screaming has a baby in her arms, a small thing which is too quiet, as if to compensate for the sounds its older brother has been making. She has a flat, dirty face, and her eyes are full of red-rimmed anger at the English officer on his fine horse. The officer who watched as his troops burned the family’s farmhouse and took the cattle.

“Are you content?” she asks in Afrikaans. “They will be quiet, maybe, until I bury them.”

“I did not want this duty, mevrou.” His horse moves restlessly, and he comforts it with one gloved hand. He has no such comfort for the woman, or for himself…

Here, though, is a vignette I wrote for the talented writer Doungjai Gam Bepko, something which I posted briefly for her on Facebook. It references one of Blake’s few journeys to the East for his Military Intelligence masters, and hasn’t been in print or on any website, until now.

RATTAN

Siam, 190-

The clearing by the river smells of damp soil, sweat, and dying empires; cinnamon bitterns rise from the reeds, a brief clamour of alarm…

Blake smiles. It helps with the pain, and it confuses the French officer, who fingers the leather flap of the holster, uncertain.

“You are not in Burma now, Captain Blake” says the sous-lieutenant. “Go back to Rangoon and drink quietly, for your own sake. The Chao Phraya valley is neutral, not territoire Britannique. Your Lord Salisbury said this, on behalf of your own government, and you should listen to him.”

Behind the Frenchman, rattan sways. Yellow silk whispers between the slender canes.

“Can’t d-d-do that, old chap.” Blake’s smile does not fade. “My Lord Salisbury is dead, his ulcerated b-b-body crammed into a wooden b-b-box. He says very little, these d-d-days.”

“Capitaine…” The sous-lieutenant draws out his revolver, a decision made. On either side of him, soldiers of the Third Republic begin to load their rifles. Pride and shame make them eager to end this, eager to leave an Englishman in a foreign grave.

Blake’s left hand grips the carving he found in the ruins of the village – the wooden figures of a squat bird, the beak broken away by a heavy, careless boot. He looks down at it; there is blood on his fingers, though not as much as wells from his wounded shoulder.

“This speaks to me, though,” he says, mastering his habitual stutter for a moment. “It tells me that three nights ago, your men came down from hill patrol – where they should not have been – and took their pleasures by the Chao Phraya.”

The sous-lieutenant trembles. He is twenty two years old, and has a girl in Chanthaburi who he loves almost as much as he loves his Normandy wife. Ordering the death of another European, an officer, is not easy, but…

Yellow silk slips past the spines of the rattan, yellow silk, then brown. Sturdy material, not the finery of court. Four sisters were not in the small fishing village when the French came to call – Blake met the women later, whilst he was closing lifeless eyes, sparing the sky such terrible stares. Despite an initial misunderstanding, they believed him when he said he could find the French. They believed him when he asked them to follow his path, and to wait for their moment.

He lets the carving slip to the forest floor. The signal…

Four sisters; six soldiers. Doungjai Song breaks from the rattan and the trees, her curved knives held low; Doungjai Sam is behind her, a fishing spear held high. Doungjai Nueng, the oldest, has a Siamese Mauser rifle, and Doungjai Si, almost a child, waits with a knotted cord in her hands, ready to tend to those who fall.

Louis Abras, with semen still crusted on his trouser leg, dies first, the serrated spear-head in his gut. The sous-lieutenant, who was not present on that shameful night in the village, who might have lowered his gun and waited for judgement, chooses badly and fights back. He falls last, a Mauser bullet in his heart, spared the twist of Doungjai Si’s cord around his neck. He will not see Chanthaburi – or Normandy – again.

One of the sisters murmurs something to the others, and they begin to drag the bodies to the Chao Phraya, which – Blake has been told – has many, many catfish of a remarkable size and an even more remarkable appetite. Doungjai Song has a bullet wound in her arm, but otherwise…

Doungjai Nueng – all the name she ever offered Blake – kicks one of the corpses. The lines on her dark skin are deep, her expression deeper.

“Where will you go?” she asks in her own tongue, and he understands well enough.

His smile has left him, because it is no longer of value. He was sent here for intelligence on the French, but does not care for what he has learned. Not that he is greatly surprised. He rarely is.

He bows to her, because sometimes you just do. “Why, b-b-back to Rangoon, of course. To d-d-drink quietly.”

She nods, and turns away. Silk flows between trees and creepers, flows smoothly like the great river, and Blake is alone.

As usual.

Redvers Blake is also featured in various other anthologies, such as The Chromatic Court (18thWall) and A Winter’s Tale (Pavane Press). Where All is Night, and Starless (Trepidatio, July 2021) is available in paperback on Amazon, with eformats available directly from the publisher.

“A far-reaching collection, imbued with beautifully deft prose, where dark humour, melancholy and ghoulishness effortlessly share the same space as though in cosmic alignment with the fates.”

US Paperback
UK Paperback
US & UK Eformats

John Linwood Grant is a professional writer/editor from Yorkshire, UK, with some seventy short stories and novelettes published during the last five years in venues such as Lackington’s Magazine, Vastarien, and Weirdbook, and in several award-winning anthologies. He writes dark contemporary fiction and period supernatural tales. His novel The Assassin’s Coin (IFD), features the feared Edwardian assassin Mr Dry, from the collection A Persistence of Geraniums, and the related novel 13 Miller’s Court (with Alan M Clark) won the 2019 Ripperology Books award. He is also the editor of Occult Detective Magazine and various anthologies. His second collection of weird fiction, Where All is Night, and Starless, is out now from Trepidatio. He is ageing, sarcastic, and has his own beard. He can be found regularly on Facebook, and at his eclectic website GreyDogTales.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Carver Pike

megHan

Carver and I have known each other for a long time, way before he became known as Carver, and it’s a huge pleasure to have him back on the blog.

Meghan: Hey Carver. Welcome (back) to the blog. What is your favorite part of Halloween?

Carver: The overall atmosphere. It’s the time of year for horror authors to shine. I love walking the aisles of stores and seeing all the fall colors, grinning jack-o-lanterns, and creepy costumes. Of course, I love the vast amount of horror movies on offer by all the different channels. Back in the day, this was the only time of year you could watch ALL the Halloween films back-to-back on cable TV.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Carver: I’m pretty basic, to be honest. I always make sure to watch Halloween (my favorites are the first one, Halloween 4, and H20). The 2018 Halloween was pretty cool too. Can’t wait for the next one.

Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?

Carver: I love taking the kids trick or treating in neighborhoods where homeowners really get into the holiday. I’ve heard there’s a guy down the street who stands in his window every year dressed as Jason and when kids come to his door, he chases them. That’s awesome! That, and it’s the only time of year where you’re sure to see horror-themed shit in all the stores.

Meghan: What are you superstitious about?

Carver: I don’t mess around with Ouija boards. Fuck that. Too many scary movies start out that way. When I was a kid, I didn’t worry about it. I used them with friends all the time. I remember ripping one in half and using one of the pieces to hold up my bedroom window. I was probably 12 or 13 at the time. That probably wasn’t a great idea.

Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?

Carver: Definitely Michael Myers. For the longest time, I had nightmares about Michael. I had plenty of other bad dreams too, but the nightmares with Michael chasing me always scared the shit out of me.

Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?

Carver: Off the top of my head, I’d probably have to go with the Zodiac Killer, mostly just because he toyed with the police the way he did and got away with it. I mean how do we let that happen? Jack the Ripper is another one that I find fascinating, but his murders took place so long ago and detective work wasn’t quite what it is today. We should have been able to track down and take out the Zodiac.

Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?

Carver: Bloody Mary is a pretty freaky one. There was another one similar to Bloody Mary that I was always afraid to play. I can’t remember what it’s called but you stand in front of a mirror, with the light off, and say his name however many times and then you’d see this creature or demon far away inside the mirror. It would sprint toward you and if you didn’t turn the light on before it reached the mirror, it would dive through and attack you. I wouldn’t dare play that game.

Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?

Carver: What a morbid question, Meghan. It seems wrong to have a favorite serial killer. I think the one that fascinates me most is Dahmer. I mean he was into some sick shit. Drilling holes into some of his victims’ heads to try and create zombies. Of course, there was that whole thing about eating them too lol. See? Even adding that “lol” in there seems wrong. There’s really nothing funny about it. Edward Kemper was interesting too. Did you watch Mindhunter? Great show. A lot of people don’t know that Kemper’s voice was the one narrating a lot of the old audiobooks. He recorded Flowers in the Attic and even Star Wars.

Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie?

Carver: Oh, man. Probably like three or four. I think the first one I remember watching was Friday the 13th. I used to love watching Commander USA on the USA channel. You know, the guy who’d dress up as a super hero and spoke to the face he’d drawn on his hand with cigar ash. He’d always play awesome horror movies… I think on Saturdays. I remember seeing a double feature of Friday the 13th V and April Fool’s Day at the drive-in.

Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?

Carver: To this day, and I read it after picking it up from a Goodwill when I was about 12, the horror that unsettled me most is The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle. That’s the book The Conjuring 3 was based on. For a long time it was impossible to find. After the movie came out, they republished it with the movie cover, so I was able to buy a copy. I haven’t read it yet, but I can’t wait to see if it still unnerves me like it did back in the day. Unlike the movie, the book focuses more on David, the little boy who ended up being possessed. The movie skipped all that and went straight to the murder case that followed. The boy’s story was a lot scarier.

Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?

Carver: Probably The Exorcist. I was really young when I saw it and I remember my dad sneaking up behind me and scaring the shit out of me. Then he told me I needed to turn it off because I was too scared. Another movie that messed me up as a kid was Lamberto Bava’s Demons. That and the sequel are still two of my favorite horror movies.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?

Carver: I can’t think of a favorite, but I can tell you my least favorite. When I was a young teenager, maybe 15, I dressed as a car crash victim. So I basically just wound gauze around myself. Around my entire body. And I did it so tight that I could barely walk. I looked like a mummy. My friend drove us around to a couple of Halloween parties that night and it sucked so bad. Everyone else was having a great time and I could barely move.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?

Carver: Well, Michael Jackson’s Thriller is definitely one of them. This is Halloween from A Nightmare Before Christmas is another great one. Oh, and Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. If we’re talking themes, I’d have to go with Halloween.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat? What is your most disappointing?

Carver: Favorite: Butterfingers, Twizzlers, and candy corn. Most Disappointing: Apples or raisins (I like both but it’s a damn shame when people put them in kids’ candy bags)

Meghan: Before we go, what are your top 5 Halloween movies?

Carver: Trick ‘R Treat, Halloween 4, Night of the Demons, Hocus Pocus (if the kids are around), I’m a fan of the old made for TV movie The Midnight Hour (yes, the cheesy one starring Peter DeLuise and Levar Burton), and I’m going to cheat and add the 3 new Fear Street movies (1, 2, 3) as one. I don’t think they were necessarily Halloween movies, but they were fun and I think fit in well.

Boo-graphy:
My name is Carver Pike. Since as far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by everything horror. I’d sit cross-legged in front of the TV and watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre while devouring a bowl of Kaboom cereal. I always wished the ghost at the end of each episode of Scooby-Doo wouldn’t be just another man behind the mask. I wanted real ghastly ghouls, dastardly demons, and malevolent monsters.

At some point, I knew I couldn’t sit back and keep watching this horror world from the stands. I wanted to be in the game. So, now I wield this virtual pen and sling ink onto the page from my home in West Virginia where the people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous, and horror story inspiration is in every nook, cranny, and holler.

I want to create those worlds you visit, feed that fear that keeps you up at night, and entertain you in ways only the greatest storytellers can.

Be advised, most of my books are very graphic in nature. Most are packed with violence, gore, sex, and more. I’m tastefully twisted at telling tasteless tales.

That’s enough about me. This is about you, the reader, enjoying the ride. Hopefully, we’ll form a great author-reader relationship and you’ll come to trust that Carver Pike will always keep you entertained.

The Maddening: Diablo Snuff 3 —
You don’t go looking for Diablo Snuff. It comes looking for you.

You should have heeded the warning. You should have gotten the message. Evil isn’t coming. It’s already here, and it’s wiping the world out in phases.

Step 1: Seep into the sexual underbelly – Through hotels, hostels, nightclubs, and pornography, they will steal the seed needed to create the bastard maniacs of the future: children created to dominate and destroy life as we know it.

Step 2: Rip through the world in the written form – Through novels of all genres, use the written word to drive readers violently mad.

Step 3: Destroy the rest by digital means – Through an app created by Diablo Snuff, convince the world’s wolves to slaughter the sheep. Highest paycheck goes to the most creative kills.

Step 4: Kill EVERYONE left.

Sooner or later we all go mad.

The Maddening is the final book in the Diablo Snuff series. This is where it all ends… or does it?

Be advised, all the other books in the Diablo Snuff world (A Foreign Evil, The Grindhouse, Passion & Pain, and Slaughter Box) can be read in any order. The Maddening, however, should be read after all the others. Thank you for reading.

SHORT STORY: The Meaning of Halloween by Frank Oreto

megHan

The Meaning of Halloween

“Trick or Treat.” Sidney repeated the words, then pointed to Meikare. Teaching the Amawaka boy bits of English helped pass the time. Even the Brazilian rainforest got tedious after a month of daylong marches.

Meikare grinned but said nothing.

“Come on, kid. You’re going to like this.” Sidney pulled a fun-sized Snickers bar from the pocket of his cargo shorts.

Meikare reached for the candy, but Sidney closed his hand.

“Trick or treat,” he repeated.

The ten-year-old’s grin straightened into a hard line. His hand blurred, drawing the machete that hung at his waist.

“Whoa.” Sidney stepped back, dropping the candy into the grass.

The boy shoved against him. Sidney, already unbalanced, fell to the ground. Meikare brought the machete around in a vicious arc, neatly beheading a long, striped snake. The snake’s fangs bit convulsively at the empty air.

Meikare knelt and picked up the fallen Snickers bar, handing it back to Sidney. “Trickertreat?”

“Yeah, I think you earned it.”

Oket, Sidney’s guide, squatted nearby, rearranging supplies.

“I’m going to give your grandson a Snickers bar,” Sidney said. “It has nuts in it.” Were nut allergies even a thing down here?

Oket regarded Sidney with disinterest.

“And he killed a snake.”

The guide nodded and turned his attention back to the supplies.

“Okay then.” Sidney handed over the treat, smiling as Meikare shoved the chocolate into his mouth. “Happy Halloween, kid.” He stood and stretched. Sweat rolling down his skin. October 31st should not be this damned hot. Sidney wished he were back in Pittsburgh.

Truth be told, he wished he’d never come. This was supposed to be an adventure.

“You go in under the radar. You and one guide,” the company rep had said. “You verify the mineral deposits, do some sightseeing, and there’s a big fat paycheck waiting when you get back. A lot more than you make teaching geology.”

Sure, the whole thing was a bit hinky. The indigenous zone was off limits to mining. But Sidney wasn’t mining. Just scouting and taking samples where Nav-Corp was already sure the rare earth deposits would be. Besides, weren’t adventures supposed to be a bit hinky?

It turned out Sidney didn’t much like adventure. The rainforest was mostly mosquitoes and humidity. And the mineral deposits were not such sure things after all. To top it off, they were a week and a half behind schedule, and he was missing his favorite holiday, Halloween.

Oket drew his own machete “We go,” he said. The guide spoke English but was so taciturn it hardly mattered. This strong-silent act had been why Sidney hired the man. The other guides had bragged. Oket simply said, “This is my world. You listen. I keep you alive.”

They had a system. Oket walked ahead to scout the best route and get rid of any immediate dangers. A few minutes later, Meikare would follow, babysitting the soft American. Sidney had to admit he liked the arrangement. Despite his early misgivings about Oket’s grandson coming along, he soon realized he preferred the boy’s company to the old man’s.

Meikare spoke almost no English but had the decency to smile and nod a lot. “Trickertreat?” the boy asked.

“Maybe later, kid.”

“Okay.” Okay was the first word Meikare had learned, and he used it often.

Sidney figured they would hike a few hours before Oket doubled back and called out “We sleep” or “We eat.” So, to pass the time, he talked about home. “Back in my world, it’s cold in October. The leaves turn colors, and you rake them up into piles and jump in them.”

Meikare nodded and smiled.

“On Halloween, people give out candy by the pound. As long as you’re dressed up and know the magic words.”

They reached the top of a rise and paused for breath. A narrow valley spread out below them. Within the green expanse, Sidney spotted a burst of red and gold. He blinked, waiting for the colors to resolve into some flowering tree or maybe a flock of exotic birds. “That’s an oak tree,” he finally said. “And the leaves are changing.” Sidney really couldn’t be sure. The tree was pretty far away. But the shape and color seemed right. “That’s impossible.” Or maybe not. Sidney was no botany expert. He only knew it looked like home.

He tapped Meikare on the shoulder and pointed toward the colored leaves.

“Okay,” the boy said.

“We go,” said Sidney, pointing again.

Meikare frowned.

Sidney could see the boy wanted to run ahead and ask his grandfather. Oket would scowl and turn back to his chosen route. If Sidney argued, Oket would simply answer, “I keep you alive.”

This is ridiculous, Sidney thought. I paid good money for a guide; shouldn’t he take me where I want to go? Then inspiration struck. “Trick or treat?” he asked, and patted his pocket.

“Trickertreat okay,” said Meikare.

Sidney pointed toward the tree again. “We go there, then trick or treat.” Suddenly, going to that tree was all Sidney wanted. To stand under branches full of fall leaves and perform the ancient ritual of Trick-or-Treat with his last two snickers. A little taste of home.

Meikare hesitated, but the lure of chocolate proved too much.

The forest thickened as they moved downhill, swinging their machetes. Sidney expected Oket’s harsh voice at any moment, but it never came. Abruptly, there was nothing left to cut. They stepped into a clearing. It wasn’t large, only twenty yards or so. In the center stood Sidney’s tree. It was perfect. Pure Norman Rockwell. Red-gold leaves hung from the tree limbs, practically glowing in the afternoon sunlight. More formed a circular carpet beneath the spreading branches.

Sidney stared, a dopey grin on his face.

Meikare pulled on his sleeve hard enough to make Sidney take a step back. The boy pointed up the hill and tugged again. He looked unhappy. “We Go.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell Oket I made you come. I wanted you to see this. It’s what I was talking about. Halloween.” He said the word again, pointing at the tree. “Halloween.”

“Trick or Treat?” asked Meikare.

Sidney nodded.

They ate the last candy bars while looking at the tree that shouldn’t be there. Meikare licked chocolate from his fingers and turned back to the path.

Sidney knew he should follow, but he was not quite finished with his little miracle. With a whoop, he ran to the carpet of leaves, kicking them high in the air. Surrounding himself in a shower of red and gold. Leaves swooped and twirled. But they did not fall.

More leaves rose from the ground, arching themselves through the air. Beneath them lay a second carpet. This one of bones. A leaf landed on top of Sidney’s hand. He felt a pinch, like a doctor’s needle. He grabbed the leaf, crushing it. The thing was leathery. Its body cracked as Sidney squeezed. He tossed it to the ground. The top of his hand welled blood. Two more of the leathery things dove onto the wound. Another landed on his cheek, biting.

Sidney flailed, scraping the creatures off as fast as he could. More bites stung his arms and legs.

Meikare stood frozen at the forest’s edge, his eyes wide, mouth still rimmed with chocolate. Sidney moved toward the boy. He had made a mistake, that’s all. He had forgotten this wasn’t his world. This was Oket’s world and Meikare’s. If he could get back to them, they would know what to do. They would save him.

He stumbled forward one-step, two. Shrill cries rent the air like a children’s choir gone mad. Sidney looked up at the thousands of reddish-gold shapes hanging from the branches above him. No. Not hanging, Sidney realized. The things above him crouched, waiting for prey. Waiting for me. They burst from the branches then, filling the air. Shrieking as they came. Red and gold shapes poured over Sidney. Tiny needle-sharp teeth tearing flesh, draining away his life sip by sip.

Meikare ran. Tears half-blinding him as he stumbled through the forest. He found his grandfather, grim-faced with anger at the top of the hill. The boy dragged the old man down to the clearing, but they were too late. All was quiet now. The leaf things once again hung unmoving in the branches. Where Sidney had last stood lay a mound of leaves, more red than gold, rising from the forest floor as if raked up and ready to be jumped in.

Meikare knew his forest home could kill. His grandfather had taught him to avoid a thousand dangers. And more importantly, that there were always more to learn. Now, it was Meikare’s turn to teach his grandfather about this new threat. He even had a name for it. The one his American friend had taught him. He pointed to the beautiful tree whose leaves bit and killed and pronounced the word with slow precision. “Halloween.”

Frank Oreto writes in deepest darkest Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His stories have appeared or are upcoming at The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Pseudopod, and the Corpus Press anthology series In Darkness Delight amongst many others. When not telling lies and writing them down, Frank spends his time creating elaborate meals for his wife and ever-hungering children. You can follow his exploits, both culinary and literally, on Twitter and at his Facebook page.

A sampling of anthologies and magazines featuring stories by Frank Oreto include: Beyond the Veil, edited by Mark Morris; In Darkness Delight: Fear the Future; Unnerving Magazine 16; Vastarien Volume 4; The Year’s Best Hardcore Horror 4; In Darkness Delight: Creatures of the Night; plus a bunch of audio adaptations at various podcasts, like Pseudopod, Tales to Terrify, The No Sleep Podcast, and Centropic Oracle.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Dan Zeidler

megHan

For those of y’all who don’t have the pleasure of knowing Dan, this is your chance to get to know him. (Dan – my people; my people – Dan.) We are currently coming to the end of a project together (him the author, me the editor) and, even without my help, I think he’s a pretty fantastic author. (I can’t wait til y’all get to read his book.)

Meghan: Hey, Dan! Welcome to Meghan’s HAUNTED House of Books. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to welcome you here today. What is your favorite part of Halloween?

Dan: My favorite part of Halloween would have to be… costumes. Definitely costumes. I have lots of fun memories associated with Halloween costumes. When my sisters and I were little kids, around Halloween time the local supermarket would pretty much line the front wall with stacks of Halloween costumes in boxes. They weren’t particularly fancy costumes – just a cheap little mask and a plastic or vinyl coverall with a graphic and text identifying what the costume was meant to be. We thought they were awesome though.

The opportunities were rare and far apart as an adult, but when the chance arose the fun was more making or improvising a cool or amusing costume. More on that in a later question.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Dan: My favorite Halloween tradition is more of a family Halloween tradition, I suppose. Growing up, every year we would watch the Disney Halloween special on TV – this was before streaming services, DVRs, DVDs, etc. so the only time those particular Halloween themed Disney cartoons (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, narrated by Bing Crosby, in particular) were on was whatever night it was broadcast every year around Halloween. It was a big family social event. One of my sisters made sure to acquire the animated Headless Horseman on DVD and every year around Halloween we still have our showing.

Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?

Dan: I would say it is my second favorite (with Christmas being my favorite). It’s fun to decorate the house, check out some of the really elaborate decorations some people put up, hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters, and the occasional fun costume party with friends and family.

Meghan: What are you superstitious about?

Dan: As a modern man of science I, of course, have acquired no superstitions whatsoever, knock on wood. Sure, if I spill some salt I throw a pinch over my shoulder, but that’s just good common sense. Naturally, I avoid walking under ladders because that’s just wrong – I mean, who would do that?

Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?

Dan: Well, if we are talking classic movie monsters I would say Dracula or classic vampires in general. From a story point of view I think they are great monsters – very powerful, terrifying foes with specific strengths and weaknesses. My hometown library had a great selection of books on vampire lore which as a kid I probably borrowed and read as often as I borrowed and read books on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

As for more modern movie monsters, the xenomorph from Alien is pretty cool as is the thing from, well, The Thing.

An honorable mention goes to the villain/monster from The Incredible Melting Man. My sisters and I caught the tail end of that movie on TV one Saturday afternoon and, well, villain/monster was neither cool nor scary. We thought he looked like a guy covered in applesauce. Our parents thought it would be fun to go out to dinner that night and the restaurant they brought us to just happened to be having a special on apple pie filling topped sundaes. My sisters and I pretty much spent the entire time entertaining ourselves with tales of the Applesauce Man and apple pie ice cream sundaes. At one point an elderly couple sitting unnoticed at the table next to ours rose from their seats, paused by our table, and thanked us for the funniest evening they had had in a long time. Yay for the Applesauce Man!

  • ???????????????????

Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?

Dan: I can’t really say that I have a favorite unsolved murder. Unsolved murders are vexing – it means one of the bad guys got away with something.

Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?

Dan: My favorite urban legend, not because it’s scary (although it is supposed to be), is one about a bunny suit-wearing, axe murder who lurks or haunts a railroad bridge down in Virginia. I’ve heard several variations of the killer/evil spirit that lurks in remote places waiting for victims. They all have some sort of weapon: a hook for a hand, a knife, a hammer, or an axe. The wearing of the bunny suit is a unique, and pretty funny, variation.

Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?

Dan: I don’t have a favorite serial killer, but I do have a favorite book on the catching of serial killers: Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.

Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie? How old were you when you read your first horror book?

Dan: I would say I was around 10 or 12 when I saw my first horror movie although it would have been an old school horror movie, filmed in black and white, and shown on rainy Saturday afternoon on one local TV channel or another – it might have been Dracula (with Bela Lugosi) or the Wolfman (Lon Chaney, Jr.). I was 14 or 15 when I saw a more modern horror movie, John Carpenter‘s The Thing. A friend got a copy of the movie on VHS and invited a bunch of us over one Saturday afternoon to watch it. I can’t say that any of us thought it was scary, but we did think it was pretty cool.

I was 17 when I read my first horror book: Stephen King‘s The Tommyknockers. I thought it was more Twilight Zone-ish than horrifying – you know, one of those stories that you read or see that gives you an eerie feeling. I also recall thinking that the characters in that story cussed more than even the most prolific of cussers I knew in real life.

Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?

Dan: The book that unsettled me the most wasn’t actually a horror novel, it was a historical fiction novel set in Appalachia just before, during, and just after the American Revolution. I don’t remember the name of the novel, but for the more graphically violent sections he used actual entries of diaries from the era to describe some of the more horrific ways human beings can kill one another… slowly and, as I mentioned, horrifically. It was quite unsettling.

Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?

Dan: The answer to this question is, clearly, the movie starring the Applesauce Man. Why, to this very day, I never trust an open jar of applesauce past its expiration date. No one should. Not even you, there in the back row.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?

Dan: Favorite costume… all right, gather ’round friends. It’s story time. Heh.

When I was in the Air Force, stationed in Korea, there were these two other service members I knew who spent some of their spare time volunteering at a… for lack of a better phrase, a local after-school school off base helping the kids practice English, serving as chaperones for field trips, and things like that. When Halloween rolled around the Korean couple who ran the school decided it would be fun to throw the kids an American-style Halloween party so they asked the two guys invite some friends to come out the school join in the fun and help out with teaching the kids how to carve jack-o-lanterns, helping them pretend to go trick-or-treating, and stuff like that. One of the six people who were supposed to go canceled last minute so I got drafted to go along. “We even have a costume you can use,” they said. It was a dark, hooded robe with a goofy rubber monster mask and a set of goofy rubber monster hand gloves. I told them to keep the mask and the gloves, but the robe I could as the start to a good costume.

One of my hobbies was studying Medieval swordsmanship and that hooded robe was perfect for a costume based on one of the figures in my favorite Medieval swordsmanship book (and who doesn’t have a favorite Medieval swordsmanship manuscript, right?) – The Royal Armouries Manuscript I.33.

It was a very basic, last minute kind of costume – I just wore a black t-shirt with pair of black pants tucked them into my combat boots, then I put on that hooded robe and hitched it up like in illustrations found in I.33, and then, as one does, I grabbed my trusty wooden sparring sword and buckler. My friends all thought I looked like Darth Zeidler, Lord of the Sith.

When we arrived at the school, one of the teachers had some fun identifying what each of us was dressed as and when she got to me she said “Oh! And a handsome knight!”

“What?!” my friends exclaimed. “He’s Darth Zeidler.”

The teacher shook her head. “Noooo – he’s clearly a handsome knight.

Clearly.

Favorite. Costume. Ever.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?

Dan: Let’s see… The Monster Mash is an oldie but a goodie. Spooky Scary Skeletons is also pretty amusing.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat? What is your most disappointing?

Dan: My favorite Halloween candies would be: the various varieties of miniature Hershey bars, Nestle Crunch bars, Milky Way bars, and Peanut Butter Cups. The most disappointing Halloween candy for me was anything with ground coconut in it – I just don’t care for the texture.

Meghan: Before we go, what are your top 10 Halloween movies?

Dan: It’s more an animated short than a movie, but Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is fun and an American classic.

Segueing into classics, I say you can’t go wrong with these classic monster movies: Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Wolfman (1941), and The Mummy (1932). For Classic monster fun on the other hand, try Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy. (As an aside, after church on Sundays we would all go over to my grandparents’ house and the adults would all hang out in the kitchen, talking over a cup of coffee or two or three. My sisters and I would play outside or play board games inside or read or watch Abbot and Costello movies on TV. Every Sunday afternoon one of the local TV stations would always show an Abbot and Costello movie and since those were considered reliably child-friendly, that’s what was always on TV Sunday afternoons when we went over our grandparents’ house.

Anyway, back to Halloween movies…)

For modern horror movies, my top Halloween choices would be Alien, The Thing (1982… although for fun you can also watch the 1951 version in all its “man in a rubber monster suit” glory), and Resident Evil.

Boo-graphy:
Dan Zeidler is a writer of science fiction and fantasy and the author of the upcoming science fiction adventure novel Ghosts of a Fallen Empire. Dan began expressing his love of writing at an early age with the parentally acclaimed poem Trains are Great which, along with other early examples of his work, earned a place on the prestigious Refrigerator Magnet Gallery. While nothing can be done for his poetry skills, which haven’t improved a whit since that train poem, a steady diet of great stories ranging from ancient mythological tales to Arthurian legends to classic sci-fi and fantasy and on up to Star Trek and Star Wars have improved his storytelling abilities considerably. To further refine and enhance his writing and storytelling skills, Dan lived a life of adventure first by getting a degree in geoscience, then by serving in the US Air Force, then by embarking on a career as a data analyst… hmmm… okay, let’s go back a bit to the part about how a lifetime of reading as many great stories (and many not so great stories) as he could have inspired Dan to write his own stories; stories that above all strive to be fun and entertaining reads.

Dan currently resides with his family among the rugged, forested hills of his home state of Connecticut.