Four Ghosts
Page 19
I’ve submitted numerous stories for publication with JWK Fiction, so when I was invited to contribute a novella to the Four Ghosts project I was deeply honored.
And terrified.
I have a longstanding “joke” (it’s not funny, but I don’t know what else to call it), that I am the James Joyce of horror and dark fantasy. I certainly don’t mean that in terms of style or quality, but in terms of productive output. Legend has it that a friend came to visit Joyce while he was working on a novel (which novel is never mentioned in the many versions I’ve heard). Joyce laments that he’s only written three words and the friend, knowing how meticulous and perfectionistic Joyce is, responds with “that’s great James!” Joyce sorrowfully counters, “Yes, but I don’t know what order they go in!” Relinquishing control of a project long enough to meet a feasible deadline is not one of my strong points. Add to that bit of anxiety the fact that my work would be included with stories by William Cook, Murphy Edwards, and Christine Sutton, I sort of felt like dancing with excitement and throwing up at the same time.
It was unpleasant.
However, working with the aforementioned authors and the staff at JWK Fiction has been an incredibly eye-opening and ultimately enjoyable experience. I have learned so much about myself as a writer, about the realities of publishing, and about what it is that really scares me. I wrote “Mater Nihil” (Latin for Mother of Nothing) to explore the at times dark dynamic between mothers and daughters. Because I’m a writer of dark fiction who often explores familial relationships, I am often asked if my childhood was traumatic or particularly dismal. I can honestly say that being raised by my mom (Cheryl) and aunt (Anita) in a predominately black, working class neighborhood was (usually) fantastic. Because my early years were so stable, loving, and grounded, I learned very quickly to appreciate my family because not everyone’s family was so lucky. I learned very quickly to appreciate the fact that my mother, while very much aware of her enormous power, used her maternal energies to nurture and support those around her.
Because there are many who do not.
I do hope that those reading enjoy my story and this collection. For those who may be curious about my other works, you can visit my website: pauladashe.wordpress.com or my Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/pauladashe. Thank you: everyone at JWKPublishing, James Ward Kirk, Kim Myers, Danielle Haspel, those Williamson men, them Newsome folks, Cheryl Ashe and Anita Adams, Brent Brazelton, and my professional and creative colleagues.
Sincerely,
Paula D. Ashe
William Cook:
I live in Wellington – the small wind-blown capital city of New Zealand. I have been writing weird stories ever since I was a kid. My first published works were poems in various literary journals in NZ and a few in the States. Back in 1996 I published a collection of verse titled ‘Journey: The Search for Something’ and had the occasional poem and short story published online, but nothing really of note until 2010 when Triskaideka Books accepted my story ‘The Devil Inside’ for the 2010 Masters of Horror Anthology. I have always loved the Horror genre and dark literature, so this really inspired me to write what I loved rather than what I thought other people wanted to read and it has finally started to pay off. The thing I love about the Horror/Thriller genres is that a good story will get your pulse racing and your heart thumping. I feel it is the best medium to create a world where the reader feels alive because they are experiencing fear of some sort. Sounds sadistic I know, but I personally find that no other genre gives me the thrills I seek when I immerse myself in a fictional world. I have since had quite a few Horror shorts published in various anthologies.
My novel ‘Blood Related,’ was re-released by Black Bed Sheet Books Halloween 2012. Writing it was a labor of love and took me roughly six years to write and it wasn’t until I changed day-jobs that I had the time to bring it all together as my debut novel. The novel is about a disturbed young man called Caleb Cunningham, whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his father’s suicide, Cunningham’s disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality, as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose, when the brothers combine their deviant talents. Blood Related is a serial-killer/crime novel told in a first-person narrative style from the killer’s (Caleb’s) point-of-view.
My main WIP is a sequel to ‘Blood Related,’ tentatively titled ‘Blood Trail.’ This work deals more with the character of Detective Ray Truman, as he struggles with his own demons and his obsessive pursuit of Caleb Cunningham, the main character in ‘Blood Related’.
I have been privileged to have authors I look up to, give me feedback on Blood Related. People like Jonathan Nasaw, Guy N Smith, Laird Barron, Mark Edward Hall, John Paul Allen, and Nicholas Grabowsky, have all been kind enough to read and review my work – something I would never have believed possible until now.
If the readers out there would like more information on ‘Blood Related’, including bibliographical and background information on the extensive research and reading I did while creating the novel, please visit: http://bloodrelated.wordpress.com/ . If you would like to buy a copy of ‘Blood Related’, either paperback or E-book please visit my Amazon author’s page: http://www.amazon.com/William-Cook/e/B003PA513I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
You can check out William Cook’s writing here: http://williamcookwriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilliamCookWriterIllustrator
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/williamcook666
Murphy Edwards
When James Ward Kirk first approached me with the premise of “Four Ghosts” and invited me to contribute a novella I told him I would have to think long and hard about it. Three or four minutes later I called him back with an enthusiastic YES. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be in a collection of ghostly novellas with the likes of fellow authors Paula D. Ashe, William Cook and Christine Sutton and an editor like James Ward Kirk at the helm? Thus, the premise was set, the guidelines established and the wheels began to turn. A few weeks later, reality began to set in and I found myself asking ; “What in the Hell have you gotten yourself into this time?” Needless to say, those wheels were turning very slowly.
As with most authors, I found myself fighting a bit of writer’s anxiety. Actually, I was battling a humongous dose of writer’s anxiety. As I steadily flailed away with my ‘take’ on the redemption-by-ghost theme a tiny little voice kept roaring in my ear: “Murphy, what’s with you? You write crime and noir and horror and suspense. You don’t DO ghosts.” That little voice haunted me (no pun intended). It was everywhere— at my desk, in my car, in my sleep, in my nightmares—and I got little rest. Still, I kept at it, writing and rewriting—sentences, paragraphs, characters, even whole chapters. And that snotty little voice kept growling in my ear, giving me no quarter. And then, a wonderful thing happened. All those endless words, pages and scenes began to gel and make some sense.
The end result is my take on James Wards Kirk’s original idea of a ghostly redemption. It’s a little ditty I like to call “Stone Cold” and I’m not sure it would ever have been written, had James not honored me with the invitation, enticed me with his brainchild and motivated me with his ever-present editor’s whip and chair! And that little voice? Well, I finally managed to muzzle the cocky little bastard.
May “Four Ghosts” keep you up till dawn and thirsting for more.
Murphy Edwards
About Murphy Edwards
Murphy Edwards is the award winning author of Dead Lake, Serious Money, Bumper Music, Heavy Weather, Noodlers, Mister Checkers, Ace of Spades and The Last Days of Maxwell Sweet. His dark and deadly fiction has appeared in Trail of Indiscretion, Hardboiled Magazine, Barbaric Yawp, Samsara: The Magazine of Suffering, Nocturnal Lyric, Night Chills, Big Pulp, Criminal Class Review and in the anthologies Dead Bait, Dead Bait II, Dead Bait III, Assassin’s Canon, Abaculus II & III, Night Terrors,
Unspeakable:A New Breed of Terror, Bloody Carnival, Indiana Horror 2011, Indiana Horror 2012, Grave Robbers, Serial Killers Iterum, Hell and Indiana Science Fiction 2012. Edwards is the 2011 recipient of The Midwest Writers Workshop Writers Retreat Fellowship Award for Fiction and his short story, “Mister Checkers”, was chosen to be among the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror of 2009 for the Leucrota Press Anthology, Abaculus III. He is the Co-Editor of Indiana Crime 2012 and Indiana Crime Review 2013. In addition to the United States, Edwards has been published in Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and the U.K. He resides in Indiana and on the web at:
http://murphyedwards.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/murphy.edwards.96
Christine Sutton
My name is Christine Sutton. You probably already know that, but I like to be polite. I live here in the dead center of California, about an hour away from anything cool, and I write stories. I like to write stories that may frighten you, or may force you to think about things, or even stories that might make you cry or yell or get pissed off. Mostly, I like to scare you. The thing is, what scares you might not scare me. What sends chills down my spine might be a snoozefest for someone else. I have worked this out. My books range from graphic stories of serial killers, to witches and werewolves, to demons, zombies and of course, ghosts. You might ask why I skip around genres like a turkey on a hot plate. I have an answer.
I don't.
I am not a zombie writer or a paranormal author, or a serial killer fanatic. I am a horror writer. I love this horror genre so much, partially because it is such an open field. I feel free to explore all of the dark corners of fear with unapologetic abandon. I love all things frightening and I certainly hope you do, too. I invite you to open up a few of my other books and see what scares you.
Here is a little sample of what others have said about me:
A relatively new voice in the world of horror, Christine Sutton has already met with critical acclaim. She shows amazing flexibility in the genre. Her novel, Prodigal Son is a chilling view into the mind of a mad man, her Kayla Burkhart series is a fun and frightening romp in the dark world of fairy tales. The best is yet to come from this rising star of horror. Be sure to follow her!
- Jaime Johnesee, author of 'Oh, the Horror'
Here is what just a few people are saying about Christine Sutton and her latest work, 'Prodigal Son":
"In Prodigal Son, Christine Sutton has penned a tight, brutally honest portrait of a psychopath reminiscent of Theodore Sturgeon's 'Some of Your Blood'. This dark descent into the broken mind of Timothy Robert Shively will send chills down your back. Every word rings true, and every page is dark with menace. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up right now. You can thank me later."
-Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 'Inheritance' and 'Dead City'
"Christine Sutton has climbed into the mind of a serial killer as completely as Thomas Harris in Silence of the Lambs." - A.M. Lynch
Follow me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineSuttonAuthor
Twitter @csuttonauthor
Web: http://christinesutton.webs.com