My Review of UnWelcome, by MJE Clubb

 (link to Goodreads page)

This was a fun and quick read. A troubled teen boy. A mother still reeling from the kidnapping of her daughter, a divorce, and the death of her ex, and now cancer. And then they bring in a demon-haunted mirror. All hell breaks loose.

My review of The Gordon Place by Isaac Thorne

 

The Gordon Place by Isaac Thorne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very original horror!

Two news reporters come to a small town to make a puff piece about spooky tales. Little do they realize that they will witness, and become part of, a supernatural horror involving possession and a spirit dog. One of those reporters grew up there and must face her fears about her murdered parents. Meanwhile, the town constable returns to his childhood home, remembering his abusive father and his mother who disappeared, only to be possessed by his father's spirit.

The Gordon Place is unique in a number of ways: you get the perspective of what it's like to be possessed and seeing through the possessive spirits eyes and you experience a one-of-a-kind supernatural spirit beast. This story doesn't shy away from themes of bigotry, racism, and murder, so be prepared.

And stay out of the cellar!

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Cheers and happy reading!

Review of The Disappearance by Lisa Hodorovych

 

The Disappearance by Lisa Hodorovych
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ashlynn goes on a yearly retreat to a reclusive cabin in the woods of the Northwest with her brother, Glen, and two best friends, Roman and Kaden. But then they act odd and disappear without explanation, leaving her alone. Horrifying beasts stalk the woods around the cabin, but she can't just leave her loved ones behind. The help of an old friend, Jack, who happens to be a paranormal investigator, sheds light on the nature of these beasts and sparks more than a paranormal investigation...

The Disappearance is a quick read and a short novel, barely longer than novella length. It's a "gentle" paranormal story, something all too rare, in that it isn't focused on gore or gothic descriptions. Hodorovych leaves you feeling fulfilled with a sense of relationship, as the story is centered around the female protagonist and her devotion to the characters around her.

My main critiques are that I would have liked more scenic descriptions in the book (for instance, it takes place in the woods of the Northwest, but there's nary a description of ferns or fir trees), and I saw the plot twist coming long before the protagonist did. But Hodorovych demonstrates a mastery of writing craft and you feel the genuine emotions of the character as she navigates the challenges and searches for her missing loved ones against the threat of these cryptid creatures.

Cheers and happy reading!

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Results from my poll on what scares you the most

What scares you the most?

I ran a Twitter poll asking which of these things scares horror book fans the most: creepy clowns, evil children, manipulative demons, or shadowy ghosts.

I find it fascinating that people find evil children the scariest, followed by creepy clowns.

If you look at mythology, eerie folk tales, or real-world accounts, it's usually the opposite; demons and ghosts seem to prevail.

I have a couple theories around this. First, mythology and folk tales reflect the more religious nature of older societies. I think, in the modern Western world, we are less apt to fall back on religion, and thus are less likely to dwell on demons and the devil, and maybe also less fearful of an afterlife and ghosts.

Second, real-world stories of ghosts, and even "demonic hauntings", are now relatively common, thanks in part to reality TV ghosthunter and paranormal shows and a long publication history over the decades. Maybe we've become used to them?

A third theory I have is that we may find more fearful those things that we would normally presume are harmless, like small children and babies, or clowns, but which have been perverted by supernatural forces. I'm convinced this is the most important of my theories.

I once turned harmless little rabbits into vengeful spirits, in my novelette "Rabbit Cry" (a story in my my book, Around the Corner from Sanity). I think it's the creepiest story in the anthology.

I wonder... what other seemingly "harmless" beings I could pervert into a good horror story?

What do you think? What other harmless creatures/entities/forces do you think could be a source of fear?

Cheers and happy reading!

A fantastic review of my horror collection, Around the Corner from Sanity

Quoth the Writer Book Reviews has regular reviews of books, author interviews (stay tuned for one with me!), and more.

Now they've just released an in-depth review of my collection of 14

The reviewer, Lisa Hodorovych, with her copy.

horror and paranormal humor stories, Around the Corner from Sanity. Some quotes from the review:

• "one of the main reasons I loved these stories was because you legitimately felt shivers coursing through your body, your heart skipping a beat, your eyes widening in fear, and just felt a real reaction to these stories."
• "He does a fantastic job of making you feel what the character’s feeling, of making you feel scared, of making you scream “Oh my gosh, run!” at the book. I was truly amazed."
• "The stories in it will shock you and horrify you, but some will also make you laugh. Jason does an excellent job of tying in different emotions or behaviors, like laughter, to make it more real."

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE.

You can also go to the book's Amazon page, where you can read all seven of the 5-star reviews that readers have left.

Cheers and happy reading!

My review of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a thrill to revisit Danny, all grown up and full of problems, and to watch as he finally overcame his demons and use his powers to help others. Then he mentors a child who is even more powerful than him and winds up helping defend her against the True Knot, a group of shining-eating entities that once were people.

There's a lot of great stuff in there. It's not a rehash of The Shining, but it certainly evokes memories of it. Doctor Sleep started a little slowly, and it definitely doesn't have the creepy feel that The Shining did. But Doctor Sleep is a more expansive story with a bigger picture. The character of Abra - the little girl that Dan helps - is very compelling and well-imagined. Her powers are incredible and, frankly, scary to imagine when hitched to the mind of a 12 year old.

No one can tell a story like King does, particularly when it comes to all the little stuff along the way and the dialogue that makes King so loved by the everyday reader. The tidbits of blue collar dialogue. The details of AA meetings and quotes. Snippets of well-placed lyrics and poetry. Little recurring visions.

From a writer's perspective, King had quite a few "point of view shifts", where the story suddenly jumps from one character's POV to another's. These annoyed me, but it's something King has always done. I prefer to stay in one character's POV until changing to another chapter. But this wasn't a big issue. The ending was satisfying to me, something I can't say about all of King's books.

One last comment: the book of Doctor Sleep follows the storyline of the book of The Shining. The movie does not. The movie for Doctor Sleep follows the storyline of the Kubrick movie for The Shining. And there are some HUGE differences between the book and the movie, like the ENTIRE ending. Both are equally satisfying, but in very different ways. Be sure to keep that in mind as you watch or read them back-to-back.

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Cheers and happy reading!

My review of "Diggum" by Isaac Thorne

Diggum by Isaac Thorne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a dark humor sort of paranormal short story available on Amazon for a dollar.

From Amazon: "Meet Diggum, the local graveyard caretaker, who lives in a small cottage at the edge of the lot. Diggum has spent most of his life angry with God, whom he blames for the devastating house fire that cost Diggum his family. But Diggum has a secret. It is a secret he will carry to his own grave. It is a secret that he hopes will finally get him his ultimate revenge on God."

My review:
I got a chuckle out of Diggum's dark humor. The main character had a very consistent, folksy voice. He was twisted in his logic, and his goal of burning remains so they didn't go to God was intriguing. Told in first person, it was a little window into the crazy old, murderous, cemetery caretaker's head. I won't give it away, but the ending is a paranormal treat. And I got some good laughs. Worth a dollar or a pound to purchase this quick read!

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Cheers and happy reading!

Overwrite Podcast narrated an excerpt of my horror story, "Rabbit Cry"

As Halloween nears, the Overwrite Podcast is featuring spooky stories, and they chose my Around the Corner from Sanity, which is available from Amazon in paperback or Kindle, HERE. story, "Rabbit Cry," from my recently-released collection,

Overwrite features excerpts from a variety of different authors and genres, and has a contest to do so. If you're a writer, I recommend you submit to them. Entries are free.

So I sent them excerpts from a couple stories, and, to my great pleasure, they chose this one.

Listen to it HERE.

Nothing like a scary horror podcast to build up to Halloween, right?

They do such an amazing job. Enjoy listening!

Cheers and happy reading!