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Halloween Extravaganza: Christine Morgan: George

megHan

Today, Christine Morgan joins us to tell us about the most important part of her Halloween… George.

For some, the ritual involves a trip to the pumpkin patch, maybe haunted hayrides, a corn maze. For others, it’s the ceremonial carving and lighting of the jack-o-lantern, or deciding on a costume, or stocking up on trick-or-treat goodies (sometimes early, so you oops have to go buy more before the big night arrives).

I am in favor of all those things, but, for me, THE main thing about Halloween prep involves setting up a George. Halloween just does not feel right without a George. When I was a kid, as far back as I can remember, we always had a George.

George. That first George, the one from my childhood, had a saggy scowly old-man face with warts and a hooked nose, mean little slits for eyes, and scraggly greyish hair. He wore a plaid lumberjack style shirt, overalls, scuffed brown work boots, thick gardening gloves, sometimes a hat. He sat in the blue chair we hauled outside for the occasion, between the front stoop and the garage side door. Maybe he’d have a carved pumpkin on his lap, maybe a bowl of candy.

I loved George. Even after the first year I thought I was big and brave enough to go trick-or-treating without my parents, and did fine until I got back to my very own yard and realized I’d have to go past George to get in the house. I had never been scared of George before. I ended up crying at the bottom of the driveway, until a kind neighbor lady took pity on me and walked me to the door.

Now, I KNEW, even in my young brain, that George was harmless. Hadn’t I helped set him up myself? Wadding newspaper to stuff into his legs and arms? Tugging his mask down over his styrofoam wig-head? Propping him up just right, just so? Posing with him for pictures? I knew George. I loved George. And yet … that year, cowering in the dark with my pillowcase full of candy … that year, for the first time … I finally understood.

Good ol’ George. All the neighborhood kids became familiar with him over the years. They’d call, “Hi, George!” as they approached to knock. The littler ones might hide their faces, have to be coaxed past him. The older and bolder – swaggering tween boys, most often – would dare each other to go up and poke him, or flick his nose.

My dad was always into Halloween. Looking back, it probably explains how he eventually became a Civil War re-enactor, being able to dress up all the time. We’d often do themed costumes; I remember being a chunky little girl Peter Pan one year, with my baby sister as Tinkerbell and Dad as Captain Hook. I remember another year, Dad, who had long hair and a full beard, put on a white caftan and sandals and a crown of plastic thorns to go as Jesus.

Then, one year, Dad didn’t pick a costume. Dad had another plan. That year, when the evening of October 31 rolled around and we still hadn’t made a George, I found out why, because Dad donned George’s outfit, mask and gloves and all. Dad sat in the blue chair between the garage door and stoop. Sat very still, totally motionless. Sat there … waiting.

I lingered eagerly to watch. Soon enough, along came the trick-or-treaters, including some of those older-bolder swagger boys. All “Hi, George” sneering, going right up to him, reaching to flick his nose. Just like they’d done plenty of times before.

Only, this time, ‘George’ lunged forward in his chair, going “Raarrrr!” And oh, my goodness, did those boys hit the high notes? Could you have heard them from blocks away? Did they run, even dropping plastic pumpkin buckets to spill across the yard? Why, yes, yes indeed. There may even have been pants-wetting. It was glorious. Simply glorious. You’d better believe, next year, George was greeted with far more respect.

It never occurred to me back then … in fact, it never occurred to me until just a few years ago, and I’m now 52 … to wonder why his name was George. When the question finally did surface, I asked my parents. No luck. Not even Dad could recall just how George had gotten his name in the first place. It just WAS.

Looking back, I’d like to theorize it was in homage to George Romero. We used to watch a lot of Saturday night black and white creature-features. I had the Hammer horror glow-in-the-dark model kits, and monster movie trading cards. I got most of my reading material from the bookshelf my grandma made my grandfather keep in the garage – seeing Grady Hendrix do his Paperbacks From Hell presentation was a wallop of nostalgia right back to my childhood.

So, yeah, I’d like to think it was for Romero, maybe, maybe not. We’ll never know. What I do know is, once I was grown up, moved away, done with college, and ready to be a responsible adult (well, more or less), I needed a new George of my very own. Had to keep up the family tradition! Especially once I had a kid! It couldn’t be a proper Halloween without a George.

These days, my George is bald and pruney, with a blue-grey kind of drowned/dead complexion going on. He wears blood-spattered surgical scrub pants and a stained white long-johns shirt. One of his gloves grips the handle of a bloody cleaver. Instead of just a chair, he has an entire butcher shop, filling my porch with tables of body parts, choice cuts of meat, jars of organs, and the various violent tools of his trade.

He even has company in the form of the lovely Roxy, who went from being a dead hooker in a box (found her at a haunted house garage sale one summer, that was what it said on the sign) to a mutilated prom queen, before signing on as George’s shop assistant, resplendent in red-soaked apron and chef’s hat over her raw, flayed flesh. Classes the place up a bit.

To complete the effect, costumed visitors are given a choice when they knock at my door. They say “Trick or Treat,” and I say “Candy or Meat?” Because, yes, every year, I have a supply of lunchmeat packets as well as a bowl of candy.

The reactions, from kids and parents alike, is always priceless. The sight of an eight-year-old running down the walk, waving a packet of ham, hollering “That lady gave us MEAT!” … the ones who’ve torn them open and scarfed them right there on the porch … the previously bored dad who was all “hey, I want some too!” … makes it memorable, makes it fun.

That, to me, is what Halloween is all about. And it’s all thanks to a guy called George.

Christine Morgan grew up in the high desert and moved to a cool rainy coast as soon as she could. Though anything but the outdoorsy type, she loves trees and water … preferably viewed through a cozy window or from the deck of a cruise ship. Alaska, Norway, Scotland, and Germany/Austria are her vacation destinations of choice. Seeing the Northern Lights in person is on her bucket list. She’s currently three cats toward her eventual fate as a crazy cat lady; yes, she does talk to them, but don’t worry, she draws the line at knitting them little sweaters (because she can’t knit).

White Death

January 12, 1888 

When a day dawns warm and mild in the middle of a long cold winter, it’s greeted as a blessing, a reprieve. A chance for those who’ve been cooped up indoors to get out, do chores, run errands, send the children to school … little knowing that they’re only seeing the calm before the storm. 

The blizzard hits out of nowhere, screaming across the Great Plains like a runaway train. It brings slicing winds, blinding snow, plummeting temperatures. Livestock will be found frozen in the fields, their heads encased in blocks of ice formed from their own steaming breath. Frostbite and hypothermia wait for anyone caught without shelter. 

For the hardy settlers of Far Enough, in the Montana Territory, it’s about to get worse. Something else has arrived with the blizzard. Something sleek and savage and hungry. Wild animal or vengeful spirit from native legend, it blends into the snow and bites with sharper teeth than the wind. 

Spermjackers from Hell

Let’s summon a succubus, they said. It’ll be fun, they said… 

I have some friends and we had a crazy idea: let’s summon a demon. Not just any demon but a sexy devil chick that will do anything we want—even butt stuff. It’ll be easy. It’s not like it’s going to work. Monsters aren’t real. 

We were wrong. Really fucking wrong. 

The demon is not what we thought and it’s making horrible things happen. People are cutting into each other’s junk, some guy is fucking his dog, and sex slugs from Hell are raping us and stealing our semen in order to build a goddamn hive! 

We didn’t mean for any of this. But we’re gonna fix it… Just after a few more beers and bong hits. 

From Christine Morgan, author of Mythic Lust: the Minotaur, and The Raven’s Table: Viking Stories, comes a sleazy and deviant satire about sex, occultism, and nerd culture.

Lakehouse Infernal

Lake Misquamicus was an unremarkable lake in Florida, unremarkable that is until suddenly it was filled with six billion gallons of blood, bile, pus, piss, shit and …things… directly from the pits of Hell. First the public was in shock, then the government built a wall, and as time passed it became another urban legend. But for some, it has become a travel destination. Spring-breakers, drug-runners, and religious nuts. But a weekend getaway on the shores of Hell, may not be the safest idea… 

With an introduction by and officially endorsed by splatterpunk legend Edward Lee, LAKEHOUSE INFERNAL is an official entree in Lee’s infamous INFERNAL series. Christine Morgan expands on this universe with her own twist of hardcore horror tourism. 

The Raven’s Table: Viking Stories

Listen…

The furious clangor of battle. The harrowing singing of steel. The desperate cries of wounded animals. The gasps of bleeding, dying men. The slow, deep breathing of terrible things–trolls, giants, draugr–waiting in the darkness. The wolf’s wind howling, stalking like death itself. The carrion-crows, avaricious and impatient, circling the battle-ground, the Raven’s Table.

Listen…

The skald’s voice, low, canting, weaving tales of fate and heroism, battle and revelry. Of gods and monsters, and of the women and men that stand against them. Of stormy Scandinavian skies and settlements upon strange continents. Of mead-hall victories, funeral pyres, dragon-prowed ships, and gold-laden tombs. Of Ragnarok. Of Valhalla.

For a decade, author Christine Morgan’s Viking stories have delighted readers and critics alike, standing apart from the anthologies they appeared in. Now, Word Horde brings you The Raven’s Table, the first-ever collection of Christine Morgan’s Vikings, from “The Barrow-Maid” to “Aerkheim’s Horror” and beyond. These tales of adventure, fantasy, and horror will rouse your inner Viking.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Christine Morgan

megHan

I’ve known Christine for quite some time and absolutely love having her here on my blog. It’s interesting: every time we try to do this whole interview thing, something happens, and we fail to communicate. I think I’ve given her the same interview questions every time haha. Let’s hope THIS time we get it right.

Meghan: Hi, Christine. Welcome to the new blog. It’s been awhile since we sat down together. What’s been going on since we last spoke?

Christine Morgan: Overall, things have been going fairly well. Medical-wise, I’ve continued having my facial reconstruction after surgeries, and while the results are (and always will be) weird-looking, so far everything’s holding together. Seeing a new doc for more followups on other stuff, but still cancer free! Writing-wise, it’s been great; Lakehouse Infernal came out in May from Deadite Press and has been getting rave reviews (and Ed Lee’s not averse to me possibly doing a sequel), and my collection Dawn of the Living-Impaired and Other Messed Up Zombie Stories just debuted this month from Death’s Head Press.

Meghan: Who are you outside of writing?

Christine Morgan: After appearing on an episode of the Bizzong podcast, I was dubbed “the Martha Stewart of extreme horror” for my baking and crafts hobbies, so, I’m going to roll with that gladly and continue those pursuits. I also work the overnight shift in a residential psychiatric facility. The rest of my time is mostly spent sleeping and being bossed around by my cats.

Meghan: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?

Christine Morgan: The awkwardness continues; my sister recently let my nephew take Lakehouse Infernal with him on a visit to his dad’s, and his stepmom remarked how nice it was to see a teenager reading for a change, while I’m sitting over here the crazy auntie asking if he’s gotten to the character made entirely of boobs. So, y’know, I’m THAT relative, but it’s fun.

Meghan: Is being a writer a gift or a curse?

Christine Morgan: This is where we need that gif meme thing with the little girl saying “why not both?” I do think it’s both. A gift, because it is so much fun, being able to create characters and settings, experience adventures (or horrors) in a safe but still thrilling way. A curse, too, because for one thing we can never stop thinking about it, we’re always on the job. For another, when we see it done badly, it’s all the more maddening. But even as a curse, it’s one I wouldn’t trade.

Meghan: How has your environment and upbringing colored your writing?

Christine Morgan: I grew up the oldest of three siblings, the oldest of nine cousins, and one of the older kids in the neighborhood, so it often fell to me to come up with ideas for playtime. Even on my own, I was making up complicated storylines for my dolls and toy animals. Not sure where it came from. Just developed naturally, and then as a teenager I was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons (by my mom and her friends, no less). I tend to write about relationships a lot, not because of any big family drama but because I find them fascinating. Probably also part of why I ended up majoring in psychology.

Meghan: What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your books?

Christine Morgan: Last time I stopped by here, I mentioned working on my deep-sea chompy chompy and the bizarre stuff I’d been learning about life in the ocean … well, that manuscript’s done now, and let me tell you, nature is freaky and horrible. The sex lives of giant squids, for instance. How much is down there we still don’t know about. Never mind alien planets; just look to the depths!

Meghan: Which do you find the hardest to write: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Christine Morgan: Endings. Always. I have a hard time with endings. My favorite writing projects are the ones where I’m having fun, and when I’m having fun, it’s hard to see that come to an end. I also still have a holdover from my gaming days where story hooks and continuation ideas automatically get built in – the campaign must go on! – which is why my project list includes several sequels.

Meghan: Do you outline? Do you start with characters or plot? Do you just sit down and start writing? What works best for you?

Christine Morgan: I only very rarely outline, and when I have to (for big complicated projects, or ones where plot details or timing is crucial), I whine and complain about it the whole time. I much prefer starting with a general idea, a situation or setting or character, and seeing where it takes me from there. Again, this even ties back to my gaming … more often than not, the sessions would take off in random directions on player whim, and end up being more fun than whatever I might have had planned. I’m a run with it, roll with it, see what happens kind of writer.

Meghan: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline/plan?

Christine Morgan: See above … usually run with it, roll with it, see what happens. I like to give my characters a lot of free rein. I love it when they surprise me. I love going into it not knowing who’ll make it, who’ll turn out to be a good guy or not, etc. That’s how I went at Lakehouse Infernal, and again with the deep-sea one. I had this whole list of characters, some of whom I had a feeling would survive, some of whom I couldn’t wait to gruesomely kill … and, several times, they surprised me.

Meghan: What do you do to motivate yourself to sit down and write?

Christine Morgan: I have something of a routine or schedule … I do most of my writing at work, so, it often depends on how calm the night is. If the whole house is up and I actually need to do my real work, I may not get any words in. Even when I’m not actively writing, though, I’ve always got editing to do, or reviewing, or reading for reviewing. I keep a loose to-do list going, mostly stuff like anthology calls with deadlines, and fit them in around or on breaks during the bigger projects.

Meghan: Are you an avid reader?

Christine Morgan: For as long as I can remember. And even before that, if the snapshots from the family photo album of me sitting on a potty chair with Dr. Seuss are to be believed (don’t print that; ah no go ahead). I also read obnoxiously fast. Becoming a reviewer has been its own kind of god-send because suddenly people are bombarding me with free books! At any given time, I have two or three reads in progress – a print book, an ebook, and something via pdf.

Meghan: What kind of books do you absolutely love to read?

Christine Morgan: I have my favorite genres, such as extreme horror, but what I absolutely love is a book – of ANY kind – in which it’s clear that the author was having fun. I’ll forgive a lot of literary or grammatical sins if there’s just sheer joy and play and enthusiasm on the page. By the same token, I could read something technically flawless, but if it doesn’t have that sense of fun and enjoyment, I’m likely to find it a great big yawn. This is why Edward Lee is one of my idols, why I gravitate toward the extremes and the bizarros … whatever these folks are doing, you just know they’re having a blast, and that kind of energy really resonates with me.

Meghan: How do you feel about movies based on books?

Christine Morgan: Oh, there’s good ones and bad ones. I’m as guilty as anybody of being that person who sits there snarking about how such-and-such “wasn’t like that in the book,” (I do the same with history or mythology; one glimpse of a Viking with a horned helmet and it’s buckle your seatbelts time, I’m flooring it). I do think, sometimes, we’re better off with the cinemas inside our heads; sometimes even the biggest big screen and most lavish effects can’t do a book justice or cheapens it trying.

Meghan: Have you ever killed a main character?

Christine Morgan: Oh, yes. Sometimes even on purpose, but more often, it’ll be another of those surprises. I’ve had moments where I end up sitting staring at the screen, thinking, “well, (bleep), didn’t see that coming, now what?” More often than not, though, it’s what was right for the story all along. I think my muse knows a lot more of what’s going on than she tells me, the sneaky thing. But she’s good and she’s clever, so I’m glad to have her on the job.

Meghan: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?

Christine Morgan: Isn’t that the whole point? Back to the gaming again, my motto always was “it’s easy to kill characters; making them WISH they were dead, now, that’s art!” And same holds true for writing. Especially in horror, where there are so many fates worse than death. Dying might be getting off easy by comparison. More, though, I think I enjoy taking the readers along with them in that suffering, making an empathic journey of it. I’m very into immersion, description, sensory experiences. Good or bad, I like to elicit that response in the reader.

Meghan: What’s the weirdest character concept that you’ve ever come up with?

Christine Morgan: I write a lot of demonic, inhuman, and Lovecraftian stuff, so, things get pretty weird. I get a kick out of those sorts of challenges, writing a relatable, believable character who’s so far from human. Many of the chapters in the deep-sea book are from the points of view of aquatic creatures, and how they interpret and react to the presence of man-made machines in their environment.

Meghan: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

Christine Morgan: If we’re sharing adages, truisms, or what have you … a friend of mine always liked to say “don’t worry about getting it RIGHT, get it WRITTEN” … the worst finished manuscript is better than the best that never makes it onto the page. On the other end, I hate “write what you know” when it’s taken to mean only writing about external real-world things you are personally familiar with or skilled at; where’s the fun in that? When it’s “write what you know” about feeling and emotion and inner stuff, okay.

Meghan: What do your fans mean to you?

Christine Morgan: I’m still (and always will be) startled and shocked to HAVE fans. Even going back to the days when I was writing fanfic and had a reputation and following, I was just me, didn’t see why all the fuss. The idea that anybody reads something I wrote who didn’t have to for one reason or another (some poor slushpile editor for instance, or guilt-tripped friend) always amazes me. And humbles me. And makes me simultaneously giddy with gratitude and wonder what the heck’s wrong with them 🙂

Meghan: If you could steal one character from another author and make them yours, who would it be and why?

Christine Morgan: Pff, I’ve written tons of fanfic, already been there done that! And I’m arrogant enough to think that I did a better sixth Harry Potter than was canon, not to mention a better Gargoyles third season. I also do pastiches and mash-ups and wacky crossovers. So, really, no one is safe once the idea pops into my muse’s head.

Meghan: If you could write the next book in a series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?

Christine Morgan: More Infernal books as part of Edward Lee’s Mephistopolis series!

Meghan: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?

Christine Morgan: Edward Lee, Edward Lee, Edward Lee! Another Mephistopolis book! I want to play with some of the other-pantheon suburbs of his more classic biblical Hell, I want to do Niflheim and Tartarus and Xibalba in that universe!

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Christine Morgan: Dreadful Fancies, a steampunkish/gilded age/dark fantasy collection, should be out soon from Lycan Valley Press. I’ve got some short story commitments and other projects to catch up on, and then will be starting officially on Murder Girls 2: Eight Little Words.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Christine Morgan: I’m almost always either asleep or online. Asleep, you’d have to get past three cats. Online, though: WordPress ** Facebook ** Email ** Amazon

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview or the last?

Christine Morgan: Did I say (bleep) cancer last time? If not, (BLEEP) CANCER. If so, (bleep) cancer anyway, because it sucks.

Christine Morgan grew up in the high desert and moved to a cool rainy coast as soon as she could. Though anything but the outdoorsy type, she loves trees and water … preferably viewed through a cozy window or from the deck of a cruise ship. Alaska, Norway, Scotland, and Germany/Austria are her vacation destinations of choice. Seeing the Northern Lights in person is on her bucket list. She’s currently three cats toward her eventual fate as a crazy cat lady; yes, she does talk to them, but don’t worry, she draws the line at knitting them little sweaters (because she can’t knit).

White Death

January 12, 1888 

When a day dawns warm and mild in the middle of a long cold winter, it’s greeted as a blessing, a reprieve. A chance for those who’ve been cooped up indoors to get out, do chores, run errands, send the children to school … little knowing that they’re only seeing the calm before the storm. 

The blizzard hits out of nowhere, screaming across the Great Plains like a runaway train. It brings slicing winds, blinding snow, plummeting temperatures. Livestock will be found frozen in the fields, their heads encased in blocks of ice formed from their own steaming breath. Frostbite and hypothermia wait for anyone caught without shelter. 

For the hardy settlers of Far Enough, in the Montana Territory, it’s about to get worse. Something else has arrived with the blizzard. Something sleek and savage and hungry. Wild animal or vengeful spirit from native legend, it blends into the snow and bites with sharper teeth than the wind. 

Spermjackers from Hell

Let’s summon a succubus, they said. It’ll be fun, they said… 

I have some friends and we had a crazy idea: let’s summon a demon. Not just any demon but a sexy devil chick that will do anything we want—even butt stuff. It’ll be easy. It’s not like it’s going to work. Monsters aren’t real. 

We were wrong. Really fucking wrong. 

The demon is not what we thought and it’s making horrible things happen. People are cutting into each other’s junk, some guy is fucking his dog, and sex slugs from Hell are raping us and stealing our semen in order to build a goddamn hive! 

We didn’t mean for any of this. But we’re gonna fix it… Just after a few more beers and bong hits. 

From Christine Morgan, author of Mythic Lust: the Minotaur, and The Raven’s Table: Viking Stories, comes a sleazy and deviant satire about sex, occultism, and nerd culture.

Lakehouse Infernal

Lake Misquamicus was an unremarkable lake in Florida, unremarkable that is until suddenly it was filled with six billion gallons of blood, bile, pus, piss, shit and …things… directly from the pits of Hell. First the public was in shock, then the government built a wall, and as time passed it became another urban legend. But for some, it has become a travel destination. Spring-breakers, drug-runners, and religious nuts. But a weekend getaway on the shores of Hell, may not be the safest idea… 

With an introduction by and officially endorsed by splatterpunk legend Edward Lee, LAKEHOUSE INFERNAL is an official entree in Lee’s infamous INFERNAL series. Christine Morgan expands on this universe with her own twist of hardcore horror tourism. 

The Raven’s Table: Viking Stories

Listen…

The furious clangor of battle. The harrowing singing of steel. The desperate cries of wounded animals. The gasps of bleeding, dying men. The slow, deep breathing of terrible things–trolls, giants, draugr–waiting in the darkness. The wolf’s wind howling, stalking like death itself. The carrion-crows, avaricious and impatient, circling the battle-ground, the Raven’s Table.

Listen…

The skald’s voice, low, canting, weaving tales of fate and heroism, battle and revelry. Of gods and monsters, and of the women and men that stand against them. Of stormy Scandinavian skies and settlements upon strange continents. Of mead-hall victories, funeral pyres, dragon-prowed ships, and gold-laden tombs. Of Ragnarok. Of Valhalla.

For a decade, author Christine Morgan’s Viking stories have delighted readers and critics alike, standing apart from the anthologies they appeared in. Now, Word Horde brings you The Raven’s Table, the first-ever collection of Christine Morgan’s Vikings, from “The Barrow-Maid” to “Aerkheim’s Horror” and beyond. These tales of adventure, fantasy, and horror will rouse your inner Viking.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Tambo Jones

megHan

I’ve known Tambo Jones for a couple of years now, making her acquaintance after I read her book, Spore. She is such a talented author, and someone who very much enjoys talking to her readers, so make sure you look her up and say hello.

Meghan: Hi, Tambo. Welcome to the new and improved book blog, Meghan’s House of Books. It’s been awhile since we sat down together. What’s been going on since we last spoke?

Tambo Jones: Wow. The past two years have been all uppy-downy-uppy-squiggly, I guess. My husband and I have had some medical issues with our parents (they’re fine now, but it was touch-and-go with his dad for a while), hubby’s job sucks balls, our granddaughter is awesome, we have too many love-em-to-pieces cats, I’ve written two new novels (a quirky/snarky Women’s Fic and a SF Thriller), I haven’t sewn anything in about a-year-and-a-half, and I’ve begun rapid-releasing an interconnected, multi-timeline GrimDark forensic-fantasy series that’s partly books Bantam published years ago but mostly all new material. There are going to be at least five timelines that splinter off of a milkmaid found dead in the snow and it’s going to be amazing. The Children of Nall project has been in the works for almost a year now and I am sooooo brain fried!

Meghan: Who are you outside of writing?

Tambo Jones: Does ‘boring’ count? I’m a wife, mom, grandma, quilter, and cat wrangler from small town Iowa. Mostly I’m at home doing boring at-home stuff.

Meghan: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?

Tambo Jones: I’m cool with it. Fwiw, some don’t talk to me much anymore because my stuff’s too scary/violent/weird, and I’m generally cool with that, too.

Meghan: Is being a writer a gift or a curse?

Tambo Jones: It’s both. On the ‘gift’ hand, I know a ton of utterly awesome and amazing people I never would have met or worked with had I not been a writer. Creative people are MY TRIBE, BABY and that’s probably the best thing. One thing that’s both gift and curse is the ability to see patterns and structures in things. I used to read voraciously, five novels a week, give or take, and now… Now I see the structure beneath the work and I spend more time tracking the pacing and character arcs and whatever and far less time enjoying the ride. Same with movies. I usually have a fairly good idea of how it’s going to end by the time the first act finishes up, which is great on a story-geek sense, not so great on an enjoyment sense. But it’s not just in story-based things. I’ve become pretty good at predicting what people will do, and how supposedly unrelated or barely-related items or events will impact each other and then bounce into this other thing. I can, sometimes, see the cascade of events before they happen. It’s not really like seeing the future, more an educated guess. My therapist says it’s because I’m an empath and I pick up on little cues most people miss, but I think it’s more that I’m a professional story teller and I understand the basics of correlation, causation, and prediction. I have to, it’s my job, and I have to be good at it or my books won’t hold together. I see patterns and story-structure everywhere. So, I guess, never being able to truly take a break from my job is a curse.

Meghan: How has your environment and upbringing colored your writing?

Tambo Jones: Oh boy.I’m not quite sure how to answer this in a coherent, cohesive manner, but here goes. I grew up ‘we-don’t-have-plumbing’ poor with one highly-dysfunctional parent and the other trying to compensate and fill in the lack while working several jobs to keep us financially alive (and fed). Being responsible for my siblings when I was very, very young has made me responsible (bossy), independent and quick-witted, but rather psychologically fucked up (we don’t need to go into that). Three of those qualities—rather fucked up, quick-witted/brainy, and independent—rapidly led me to creative endeavors where they could be expressed. Among the multitude of creative-stuffs I do or have done, I worked as a graphic designer/illustrator, I design and make quilts professionally, and I’ve been writing since I was a small child. Since my dysfunctional parent allowed no disobedience or defiance, I used many various creative outlets to express my own otherwise-silenced voice.My therapist says I used creativity as self-therapy. She’s probably right. My creative productivity really drops when things are going great in my regular life.

Meghan: What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your books?

Tambo Jones: Genetic sequencing for brain electrical activity and what specific chromosomal parts and pieces impact development of brain structures and function. (It was super fun though since I am a science geek at heart)

Meghan: Which do you find the hardest to write: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Tambo Jones: The beginning.

I generally know a vaporous shape and direction of the book before I get too far in, but until I nail the beginning, it doesn’t want to move forward. I almost always FIGHT beginnings (or maybe they fight me) but once they work, the rest of the book usually churns forward and I scramble to keep up. If I can get the beginning, I’m golden. If I can’t, I’ll set aside the project until I can.

Meghan: Do you outline? Do you start with characters or plot? Do you just sit down and start writing? What works best for you?

Tambo Jones: I tend to write what I call character-driven narrative (but a few readers have said I ‘heavily plot’ – dafuq??) in that I start with: A character with a problem and a complication. Boom, there’s the concept. I let that stew around in my head and I’ll often make some loose notes, not so much plot events, but more something like ‘there’s a brown dog on a porch somewhere’ or ‘It’s raining. Lots and lots of raining’ and other weird little things that don’t make much sense when you look at them, yet they really matter to the story. The characters tend to show up as themselves and I just write what they show me. I learn more about them as the story progresses, just like the readers do. I start right off, first scene, with that character/problem/complication—in SPORE it was: A comic artist on a deadline (character) wakes to find used-to-be-dead people walking into his yard (definitely a problem) and he becomes responsible for them (complication)—but I didn’t really know any of the DETAILS about Sean’s comic or his life situation or why the used-to-be-dead people showed up or what they need/want or who the antagonists were or any of it until his book opened up for me. I had utterly no idea about Mindy at all, let alone as a major character, or Mare and her ball bat, or Todd and his daughter, or Sean’s mother or any of it other than when I started that first sentence Sean walked on as himself and his comic was titled GhoulBane and he lived in a teeny town in rural Iowa just like me.HE dealt with the people in his yard and I just kept typing.

Meghan: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline/plan?

Tambo Jones: ?? There is not outline plan, not really, and if they’re not leading me where I think it’s going, I backtrack until I see where THEY say it needs to go. Sometimes I lose a few pages, but never more than that. It doesn’t take long for them to refuse to cooperate because we’re on the wrong track.

Meghan: What do you do to motivate yourself to sit down and write?

Tambo Jones: Every day is a new adventure in writing avoidance and too much caffeine consumption. I am not, nor have I ever been, a ‘happy writer’, but I do manage to get my ass in my chair and my word document open and get the job done by deadline. Then I’ll sleep for a week.

Meghan: Are you an avid reader?

Tambo Jones: I used to be. Now I want to red-pen the prose and I usually see the structures and it’s just work. DAMMIT. I am enjoying the heck out of my Audible account though.

Meghan: What kind of books do you absolutely love to read?

Tambo Jones: I mostly l read Horror, Thrillers, some SciFi/Fantasy, and a little off the Women’s Fiction and fiction bestseller lists. I don’t often finish books, though.

Meghan: How do you feel about movies based on books?

Tambo Jones: As a viewer, I usually don’t get too upset when they obliterate the original story, but I decided long ago that if one of my books would ever get made into a movie, either I would maintain control (ala Rowling) or they’ll have to pay me enough money that I won’t care they’d butchered it.

Meghan: Have you ever killed a main character?

Tambo Jones: LMAO. YES. All things serve the story. Nothing and no one in my books are sacred or safe. The characters all know this before they sign up.

Meghan: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?

Tambo Jones: Um, that’s kind of my job? What’s the point of story if it’s EASY for the characters? Pain, struggle, and failure ARE the guts of story. I don’t pull punches. Ever.Well, not unless a publisher is paying me to ‘not be so mean’. I had to not-kill a character once due to editorial direction. It still perplexes me.

Meghan: What’s the weirdest character concept that you’ve ever come up with?

Tambo Jones: Ever? Wow. Um… I honestly don’t know, they’re all unique, but I recently wrote an adorably-married, gay, viciously-ruthless, corporate hitman-for-hire anti-hero. His name’s Huey and he’s awesome.

Meghan: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

Tambo Jones: Write to please yourself. It fits both questions.

Meghan: What do your fans mean to you?

Tambo Jones: I love them!! I have so, so many fans who’ve become great friends. {{hugs}} for everyone! However, I have had stalkers and stalkers SUCK. Don’t be a stalker. Just don’t. The WRITER decides the boundaries, not you.

Meghan: If you could steal one character from another author and make them yours, who would it be and why?

Tambo Jones: Nick Andros from The Stand. He needs an ending with a little hope.

Meghan: If you could write the next book in a series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?

Tambo Jones: Back to Stephen King’s The Stand (which is my fave book of all time). I’d like to write (well, read) what happens to the survivors and how they’re really not done with Flagg.

Meghan: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?

Tambo Jones: Please note my answers to question above on environment and upbringing. I tend to take charge and don’t generally work well with others. I’ve never been a good employee and I know I can be difficult and determined (bossy/opinionated/cranky/belligerent). Of all the writers I know, there are none I’d want to subject my pain-in-the-assery to, I love them too much.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Tambo Jones: I’ve recently received the rights back for my entire backlist, so I’ll be re-releasing some of the titles soon, and I have two complete new novels but I’m also dancing with an agent for them and I can’t say more there. BUT. I’m taking the forensic-fantasy series originally published by Bantam (which had barely a passing nod at what I originally wrote) and repackaging ALL OF IT into a sort-of Choose Your Own GrimDark Adventure with five-to-seven separate timelines as novella-length episodes under The Children of Nall banner. There will be a new episode every six weeks and we’re guaranteeing a minimum of twenty-one episodes in three timelines between this September and October of 2021. I think it’ll take about eight years of episodes to weave all the timelines back together into one brutal ending, and it’s going to be awesome!

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Tambo Jones: Amazon ** Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Instagram ** Mewe ** Emenator

Fwiw, I’m most active on Facebook. Shoot me a friend request and let me know you’re a reader! ❤

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview or the last?

Tambo Jones: You always ask great questions, but I’d like to remind folks to check out Weight of the Castellan’s Curse, the beginning of my multiple-timeline Grimdark Fantasy series in paperback and Kindle. Thanks, Meghan! ❤

Tambo Jones started her academic career as a science geek, earned a degree in art, and, when she’s not making quilts or herding cats, writes grisly thrillers. Despite the violent nature of her work, Tam’s easygoing and friendly. Not sick or twisted at all. Honest. Check out her Grimdark Children of All multi-timeline fantasy series, with a new episode every six weeks. Available in paperback and Kindle exclusive.

The Winter of Ghosts & Ghosts in the Snow 1: Weight of the Castellan’s Curse

For Dubric Byerly, aging head of security at Castle Faldorrah, saving lives has become a matter of saving his sanity. A silent, unseen killer stalks his castle, mutilating servant girls while leaving no clues or witnesses—only the gruesome ghosts of the victims. Ghosts only Dubric can see. 

Caught in the grisly tangle is Nella, a linen maid working to free herself from a tortured past—if she can survive the invisible killer and pay off her debt to Lord Risley Romlin, grandson of the King and Dubric’s prime suspect. Every snowy dawn brings a new victim, a new ghost, and Dubric must resort to unconventional methods to unravel the few clues. With the future of Faldorrah and countless lives at stake, including his own, he can’t afford to be wrong. And if he’s right, the entire kingdom could be thrust into war.

The Winter of Ghosts 2: Protection of the Holy Knights

Haunted by the ghosts of mutilated servant girls, desperate Castellan Dubric risked his page to look for ghost-stuff and catch their invisible killer. His bold move failed, and his page, Lars, nearly died. But Lars saw a scratch on Dubric’s prime suspect, Lord Risley Romlin, grandson of the king, who has motive, opportunity, a weapon similar to the killer’s, and an obsession with linen maid Nella.Each morning, another servant girl dies under the killer’s razor, each murder more vicious than the last and their bodies left in the snow. Details of the murders suggest dark magic is involved, magic Dubric had fought a war to defeat, and soon guards are murdered beside the women they were ordered to protect. Meanwhile Risley, determined to win Nella’s heart and ensure her safety at any cost, makes a bold move of his own.

Ghosts in the Snow 2: The Lord Apparent’s Razor

Haunted by the ghosts of mutilated servant girls, desperate Castellan Dubric risked his staff to catch their killer. His bold move failed, and page Lars Hargrove nearly died. But Lars saw a scratch on Dubric’s prime suspect, Lord Risley Romlin who is grandson of the king and Faldorrah’s lord. Risley has motive, opportunity, a collapsible razor similar to the killer’s, and an ever-increasing obsession with linen maid Nella.Each morning brings another dead servant girl in the snow, each girl missing her kidneys and hair, each razor-slashed more viciously than the victim before. Residents of the castle grow angrier every day and demand Risley’s arrest, but Dubric has to be certain of Risley’s guilt before risking war. At least until Dubric’s own guards are killed beside the women they failed to protect.

Halloween Extravaganza: Fiend Gottes: Old Man Feind on Halloween

megHan

I’m happy to have author Feind Gottes here to give us his thoughts on his favorite holiday, Halloween.

Listen up all you whining little whippersnappers! First, I am not an old man but I’m probably older than you so listen up and listen good! I need to get a few things off my chest about the most glorious holiday ever created by man. You can have your gimme, gimme, gimme Xmas celebration. You can stuff your face with copious amounts of the ugliest bird on the planet and a mountain of dried bread and mashed taters covered in a lake of your momma’s gravy. You can drink yourself into a coma to “celebrate” the birth of your nation while blowing off appendages so you remember it forever. You can have it all! I’m here to tell you about the only holiday that matters and I’m here to tell you to stop being a bunch of whining little wussies about it! That’s right, Old Man Feind needs to sound off on Halloween!

Back in my day Halloween was fun! We made our own costumes! We didn’t need all your fancy schmancy “Ooh Mommy this is my favorite” store bought get ups! NO! We were poor and we liked it! You kids today think you have to be whatever little damn princess was in the last movie you saw or the latest shiny superhero. Why, in my day if my sisters wanted to be princesses they better hope Mom could build a tiara out of Elmer’s glue and bits of broken glass and if I wanted to be Captain America my dad needed to have an old hubcap lying around. We didn’t spend hundreds of dollars in Spirit Halloween… there was no Spirit Halloween! We had to actually get in the holiday spirit all by our damn selves! Buy a costume? Y’all are a bunch a spoiled rotten little turd sandwiches nowadays! And don’t you even start to laugh parents! I’m just gettin warmed up on you!

Parents of these little wussy pricks now it’s your turn! Wipe that stupid smile of your stupid face! Your kids are a bunch of wussies but just how did that get that way? Hmmm? Go look in the mirror numbnuts! You mollycoddle those little SOBs never teaching them the meaning of a good hard NO. Little Johnny wants to be Iron Man? Back in my day you got handed a bunch of cardboard, a pair of scissors and some crayons and got told, “Go ahead make yourself an Iron Man suit!” Now all little Johnny has to do is pout for half a second and your dumbass is in the store buying it. Little Susie wants to be Elsa from the most annoying movie ever made? Well hand her some white paint and blue tissue paper and tell her to go ahead! But NOOOO, today little Susie pulls a sad face and you have her at the salon getting her hair did followed by a trip to the damn dress shop! Tell Johnny and Susie if you want it then you better bloody well make it! Maybe, just maybe, then your little namesakes wouldn’t grow up into whiny little bitches. Your kids suck because you suck, Damn it!

Now let me tell ya about Trick or Treating! Back in my day my parents handed us an old pillowcase that smelled like moth balls and old farts and we were happy to have it! Then they kicked our butts out the door! They didn’t hold our hands while we walked up to one strangers’ door after another begging for candy. They said “Get Out and don’t come back until 9pm!” They didn’t brag to the neighbors about how precious little Johnny and Susie looked. They didn’t care! It was Halloween! The one night a year they could put their children at the mercy of strangers while they sat around with their friends drinking beer and telling dirty sex jokes. And we liked it that way! These days you pansy parents stand around all afraid of your own neighbors! Oh someone might put a razor blade in an apple or slip little Suzie into a van never to be seen again! In my day our parents only dreamed of the day one of us would be taken away never to be seen again! We got razor blades in our candy apples, pins in our 3 Musketeers and we liked it! That’s how you learned to be careful! We learned responsibility and if we learned that lesson because little Billy was found beaten and left for dead in a ditch then so be it! Little Billy should’ve been more careful! He was always a little sonofabitch anyway! Good Riddance we said! These days you wussies cry over every little accident. That’s life damn it! Survival of the fittest! It’s EVOLUTION! Little Billy didn’t survive Halloween because he was stupid and then his parents would go make another little Billy and teach him better! In my day parents learned from their mistakes! Now you want to put a cage around little Suzie so nothing bad can ever happen to her. That’s how you build a nation of whiny little bitches! Damn it!

Then there is the absolute worst thing you damn wussies want to do to MY Halloween! You want to completely take it away, make it a homogenized holiday where every little Suzie and Johnny has a “safe” place. Some of you want to move Halloween to a different day! Yes, just change the damn date to make it more freaking convenient for your little manufactured lives and turn Halloween into just some new wussy version of a “play date.” Play date! In my day we didn’t have play dates! Mom or Dad kicked your butt out the door and said “Go Play! I’ll call you for dinner. Now get out!” AND WE LIKED IT! Have you heard this latest BS? They want to take away October 31st as Halloween and move it to the last Saturday of October! Halloween is October 31st you damn pansies! Ooh but it’s dark and inconvenient. Yeah? Well life is a long string of inconveniences so quit yer bitchin! Ooh but my babies have to go out in the dark. Yes! They have to learn to get over their fear of the dark. They have to learn that Mommy isn’t always going to be there to hold their hand through life even though you keep trying, STOP IT! Did you learn to stop being afraid of the dark by never going out into the dark? Hell No! So why would your little mini-mes be any flippin different?!? Halloween is a day to celebrate spooky, to celebrate the things that go bump in the night. It’s a day to look your fears dead in the face and scream, “You’re a freakin pussy and I’m not afraid of you!” Don’t take that away from kids. It’s an important lesson to learn!

Yes, I’m screaming because you mollycoddling idiots ruin things for the rest of us. Yes, I know times have changed since I was a young boy dressing up as a “hobo” for the fifth year in a row with a pillowcase trick or treat bag. I grew up in a time before school shootings. I grew up in a time when the “razor blade in the apple” was a hoax along with poisoned candy or pins stuffed into mini Snickers bars. I grew up in a time when the guy in the van was named Joe and he was a pothead but otherwise harmless and everyone knew him. I grew up in a time when you could let your kids run the streets of the town and our parents didn’t have to worry that someone would snatch us away. Now stop for a moment and think about why that is and how it could be that way or, at least, close to it again. When I was a kid my parents knew our neighbors. They might not be best friends but they knew Joe down the street worked at the mechanic shop, Jane up the way was a beautician, Vanessa next door was a widow, Jack two doors down drove truck and made the best BBQ for five counties. Everyone knew each other, perhaps not well but well enough to say “Hello, how’s your wife” or some such friendliness. I rarely see that sense of community anymore and that’s the real shame. Don’t blame Halloween. Don’t take Halloween away. Instead maybe get to know your neighbors so you don’t have to be so damn afraid of them and they don’t have to be afraid of you. That’s all this Old Man has to say about it. Now GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN!

Feind Gottes [Fee-nd Gotz] is a horror nut, metal lover and an award winning horror author. Feind currently resides near Omaha, NE with his girlfriend, son, and two crazy cats.

Feind has short stories and flash fiction appearing in over a dozen anthologies with several more scheduled for release including his first ever published poem.

The first draft of Feind’s debut novel won the 2016 Dark Chapter Press Prize followed in 2017 by a Top Ten finish in The Next Great Horror Writer Contest and winning the Vincent Price Scariest Writer Award from Tell-Tale Publishing.

2018 marked a milestone for Feind with the publication of his first solo work with the unleashing of his novella, Essence Asunder, by Hellbound Books. Feind’s debut novel, Piece It All Back Together, is currently being edited for a late 2019 release by Hellbound Books.

Essence Asunder

A gut-wrenching, stomach-churning journey into one man’s private hell – Essence Asunder is one brutal novella! 

One man. Two fiends. A cold, dark basement. A table of torture devices. A garrote chair. Jacob Falgoust has woken into his own private Hell where Pain and Misery greet him with open arms. A reason wrapped in riddles of beauty and pain may be his only chance to escape the suffering. Jacob must find the answer before his very essence is torn asunder.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Feind Gottes

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Feind. It’s so wonderful to have you here today. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Feind Gottes: Starting at the beginning… my name is Feind Gottes [Fee-nd Gotz]. I write horror. I listen to heavy metal. I attempt to fuse horror & metal in my own way to create stories that will make you soil yourself and stick with you long after you put the book down.

Meghan: What are five things most people don’t know about you?

Feind Gottes: Wow! Well here goes nothing…5) I worked in debt collections for nearly 15 years 4) I possess somewhere around 4,000 albums3) My favorite view is a mountain view 2) I grew up in an area where I’m pretty sure cows outnumbered people, now I live where corn outnumbers people1) When I was about 5 yrs old I got bit in the crotch by a German shepherd.

Meghan: What is the first book you remember reading?

Feind Gottes: Little Arliss by Fred Gipson. I was probably about 7 and it lit a spark in me for reading. I have never forgotten that book.

Meghan: What are you reading now?

Feind Gottes: I don’t read as much as I used to for many reasons, but mainly because I tend to pick up on other authors’ syntax easily. I want to have my own voice, not simply mimic whoever I read last. However, I recently found a graphic novel adaptation of Clive Barker’s The Great And Secret Show and I’m reading that!

Meghan: What’s a book you really enjoyed that others wouldn’t expect you to have liked?

Feind Gottes: People who know me personally may not be surprised, but I think The Watchmen written by Alan Moore is one of the most brilliant books ever written. Ignore that it’s a graphic novel, the story is just as poignant today as when it was first penned perhaps even more so today.

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

Feind Gottes: I was an avid reader for years devouring books. Then I read several in a row where I mainly hated how they ended. I started thinking I could do better, but it was a brief thought. A few years and several more books later, I kept having that same thought so I decided it was time I either did better or just shut up about it. After a few stops and starts, I sat down in 2012 and wrote my first tale from start to finish. After several edits and title changes, that story became my first solo published work, my novella, Essence Asunder.

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

Feind Gottes: I always write at my desk with headphones on and the music pumping!

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

Feind Gottes: I really don’t think so. I’m a pantser, in general, which means I get a simple idea and begin writing without making a very detailed outline. I may make a few notes but that’s usually about it though there are exceptions to that rule.

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Feind Gottes: Trying to avoid interruptions and distractions. If I could write in a cabin, alone in the middle of nowhere, with no internet, I could pump out a half dozen novels a month. Maybe someday I’ll have that, but I doubt it.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve written so far?

Feind Gottes: The most satisfying and most frustrating would be my first novel, Piece It All Back Together, due out soon (sorry I don’t have the exact release date as of this interview). The story came out better than it was in my head when I began, but I’m also glad to be done with it.

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

Feind Gottes: Every book I’ve read in my life has inspired me in some way, whether they were so bad I wanted to write something better or so great I can only hope to come close some day. I’ve read books in pretty much every genre other than romance; for the record, I don’t just hate romance I despise it. Obviously, it’s fine in real life, in my personal life, but I enjoy watching or reading it about as much as smashing my crotch with a cinder block. The author part is easy and difficult because the answer is kind of the same. Clive Barker is someone I aspire to be able to write like, but style-wise we’re very different. Some have told me my writing style reminds them of Dean Koontz which is actually weird because I think I’ve read maybe two books by Koontz and I couldn’t tell you what they were. I consider myself an amalgamation of all the writers I’ve read which is too many to count.

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

Feind Gottes: A good story to me is one you don’t want to put down. Personally a little mystery does that well for me. Basically I want answers to the questions a book raises. The catch is the answers have to be worth the wait.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

Feind Gottes: I’ve always been drawn to the villain or the “bad guy,” whether it’s in a book or movie. I want to know what makes them tick. Why do they do the terrible things they do? But again the catch is it better be interesting or you’ll just piss me off. I use that myself when creating my baddies. I want the reader to want to learn more and what I like to do more than anything is show you the character you felt sympathy for never deserved an ounce of your sympathy. Yes, I laugh when I reveal the “good guy” was really a big fat SOB the whole time. Sorry not sorry.

Meghan: Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

Feind Gottes: As a writer I can tell you there is a little of me in every character I write. Which one was the most like me? Well, I could tell you but then I’d have to sacrifice you to our dark lord and savior Cthulu!

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

Feind Gottes: I think everyone is turned off by a cover that isn’t visually appealing to them. Comics were a main avenue in creating the reader I became so I truly enjoy graphic art. So far because I haven’t self-published I’ve had very little, if any, say in my book covers though honestly they’ve all been great so far.

Meghan: What have you learned creating your books?

Feind Gottes: I’m completely self-taught in every aspect of writing thus far. I hold no degrees from a fancy university other than graduating summa cum laude from the School of Life. I had some great teachers when I was younger and I remember some of their lessons well, which helps the actual writing and my self-editing. I do all my own research. I’ve taught myself how to format Word docs. Basically everything you need to do as a writer I’ve taught myself. One of the coolest though was trying to learn some time specific ‘60s slang for a story that will come out about the same time as this interview. The story is Kairos Chamber which will appear in the anthology Tenebrous from Stitched Smile Publications.

Meghan: What has been the hardest scene for you to write so far?

Feind Gottes: I can name two so far. The first is in a tale that no one has ever read but myself. I wrote a necrophilia scene from the assaulter’s perspective in the 1st person. I wanted the reader to be uncontrollably turned on but absolutely repulsed by themselves for being turned on. Putting myself in that person’s skin was disturbing to say the least. When I write a character, I am that character and this particular one shook me to the core. Someday I’ll finish that tale so I can see if I get that reaction from readers. The second is a scene in my debut novel, Piece It All Back Together. I started with a couple of pretty sick ideas then decided to push myself to see how nasty I could make it. It involves the torturous murder of a child abusing pedophile but I don’t want to say too much on that. My goal was to make the reader want to throw up but be unable to stop reading at the same time. I spent about two hours on a single paragraph in that scene trying to achieve that goal.

Meghan: What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Feind Gottes: I write horror for adult horror fans by an adult horror fan. I am not trying to appeal to everyone from 8 to 80 so I can sell a bajillion books. I toss in references here and there that only horror fans will get. I write adult horror that pulls no punches for adults who want to have some bloody good fun with their books. I don’t build my stories around the “ultimate gross out” but when I have an opportunity to turn a reader’s stomach I try to make sure they actually spew.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

Feind Gottes: This is actually an easy one for me. Every story I write shares a title with a song or album that helped inspire it. I am a huge heavy metal fan, a metalhead, and doing this is my way of paying respect to the music that has given me so much in my life. I often use band member names or variations of them for my characters. Like my horror references these are little winks and nods to other metal fans. If you don’t recognize them your reading experience is not affected in any way, shape or form but if you do then they should bring a knowing smile to your face.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

Feind Gottes: The cop-out answer is to say they’re both the same. Every story I finish fills me with an awesome sense of accomplishment. I love the short ones and the long ones. I would say finishing a novel was slightly more satisfying but there’s a reason for that. I spent nearly two years of my life working on my novel from the writing through the re-writes and editing. I’ve lived the thing for two dang years! I’m proud of it. I want people to read and love it. I also want to never see it again… like ever!

Meghan: Tell us a little bit about your books, your target audience, and what you would like readers to take away from your stories.

Feind Gottes: So far the bulk of my published work has been short stories in anthologies. The themes have covered demons, possession, serial killers, monsters and much more. My novella, Essence Asunder, is a work of “body horror,” which is a nice sounding phrase meaning it deals with massive amounts of torture. My debut novel is mostly a mystery along the lines of Dexter if he were placed in the movie Seven. I write for adult horror lovers, if you’re just starting to dabble into horror then my work likely is not for you but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. My mother says my stories are like Stephen King on steroids, but her drug knowledge is limited so I’d probably say meth. I want my stories to stick with a reader long after you’ve put the book down. I want them to swirl around in people’s brains and possibly inspire some to take up a pen and try doing it themselves.

Meghan: Can you tell us about some of the deleted scenes/stuff that got left out of your work?

Feind Gottes: I try not to pull any punches and so far I’ve worked with publishers who want exactly that. However, there was a scene in Piece It All Back Together that an editor suggested I change. It was the first murder scene. She felt what I wrote was pretty cool but a little too farfetched with the realistic tone I was setting unless there was going to be a paranormal/supernatural element which there is not. I had my killer stab a couple while they are having sex but, of course, I couldn’t be normal about it. Using a long thin spear I had my killer stab the man through his manhood into the woman. I agreed it was unlikely to be possible even though it pained me to change it.

Meghan: What is in your “trunk”?

Feind Gottes: I have a potential novel in the “trunk” that I hinted at earlier (with the necrophilia scene). It’s a story I started as a short story but it grew out of control until I got to about 40K words with no end in sight and no idea what I wanted the ending to be. I still don’t know but the story is too good to leave unfinished forever. At some point I will figure out an ending and then you’ll all be sorry!

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Feind Gottes: Right now I’m working on a short story for an anthology called Blood & Blasphemy to be edited by my author friend Gerri Gray through Hellbound Books. Hopefully what I’ve come up with will make the cut. After that I have a pretty epic undertaking with a planned novel trilogy. I’ve been dying to get started on it for so long it felt like the day I’d start working on it would never come. I don’t want to give away too much this early, but I will say it involves Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Satan, Lilith, curses, wars in Hell and much, much more. If I do it right, it will be the most blasphemous thing written since Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. Does that make me sound egotistical? I hope not, my ego isn’t that big in all honesty.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Feind Gottes: Amazon ** Website ** Facebook ** Twitter

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

Feind Gottes: I’d like to close, the way I close every post on my website, with my personal motto that I try hard to live by every single day…

Stay Positive & Make. Good. Art.

Feind Gottes [Fee-nd Gotz] is a horror nut, metal lover and an award winning horror author. Feind currently resides near Omaha, NE with his girlfriend, son, and two crazy cats.

Feind has short stories and flash fiction appearing in over a dozen anthologies with several more scheduled for release including his first ever published poem.

The first draft of Feind’s debut novel won the 2016 Dark Chapter Press Prize followed in 2017 by a Top Ten finish in The Next Great Horror Writer Contest and winning the Vincent Price Scariest Writer Award from Tell-Tale Publishing.

2018 marked a milestone for Feind with the publication of his first solo work with the unleashing of his novella, Essence Asunder, by Hellbound Books. Feind’s debut novel, Piece It All Back Together, is currently being edited for a late 2019 release by Hellbound Books.

Essence Asunder

A gut-wrenching, stomach-churning journey into one man’s private hell – Essence Asunder is one brutal novella! 

One man. Two fiends. A cold, dark basement. A table of torture devices. A garrote chair. Jacob Falgoust has woken into his own private Hell where Pain and Misery greet him with open arms. A reason wrapped in riddles of beauty and pain may be his only chance to escape the suffering. Jacob must find the answer before his very essence is torn asunder.