Horror Slices - Issue #13
Well, this means we've been doing this for over a year!
Writing updates
A Few Vials More
I recently took a family holiday to Turkey (the first family holiday in 16 years) and it was a delight to get away from everything with my wife and two girls. To run away, momentarily from all the problems of normal life: being perpetually broke, facing redundancy, work which aside from facing redundancy for what feels like a year on end is a pretty challenging day job managing a homeless centre (today, for example, I had my hand down the toilet gripping someone’s shit and pulling it out of a blocked up toilet - who says this writers life ain’t glamorous).
But after a while I found myself wanting to run back, odd right? But I didn’t want to run back to all that Bull shit and human shit. What I wanted to run back to was my Western novel A Few Vials More - I wanted to get back behind the typewriter, strap myself into the saddle and continue with this remarkable horror story.
The characters really have their teeth in my hide at the moment and I can’t shake them loose, which I’m taking as a good sign, it’s a good sign, right? We’ve got Doc and Ike two honest guys trying their very best in a very bad situation, accompanied by their dutiful and trustworthy horses Pest and Horace. Then we have Abigale and her perilous existence in the hands of her kidnappers: Dutch Douglas, Gallows Gibson, The Kid, Smudge and the Lady in the Mask. Plus the ill-fated existence and memories of Chuck and Hannah. Not only did I miss these characters and their terrible story, I also missed the sprawling landscape of 1894 Nebraska… but now I’m home, and writing again and it feels so so good!
I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet
Things are still ramping up with I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet and I honestly can’t wait for this book to hit bookshelves and start gutting its readers. I was also fortunate enough to explore something quite different and a first for me with this book…more details on that in the near future.
I also wanted to say that CLASH BOOKS is a wonderful publisher, I always wanted to be published by them and now being on that other side of the veil, I can tell you that they are brilliant, they have a real heart for what they are doing and they are intelligent about it - if you’re looking for a publisher, I couldn’t recommend them more highly.
I know I shared a couple of blurbs last month for this book, but they keep coming in and so I thought these new blurbs might get the blood pumping and that finger twitching on the preorder button…
“The longer we are on this earth, the more we are shaped by the experiences that expand and contract our memories. Ross Jeffery knows this well. In his latest, I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet, Jeffery demonstrates how grief doesn’t just wash away with the passage of time. Here we are witness, or rather concerned bystanders, to Henry, a father that has lost his child and in tragedy has lost part of himself. It’s tragic and yet also endearing in its fragility, a sorrowful balancing act that walks the line between solemnity and horror. This novel, like grief itself, will leave readers changed.” Michael J. Seidlinger, author of Anybody Home? and The Body Harvest
“I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet is a novel in which Jeffery’s passion for his art literally oozes from every page. Prepare yourself for a visceral tale of woe.” Catherine McCarthy, author of A Moonlit Path of Madness and Mosaic
The Devil’s Pocketbook
This has been out since May so it has been three glorious months and I’ve loved seeing how it’s been enjoyed by readers - We hit a few milestones, over 1000+ purchases, over 50+ Amazon reviews and also approaching 100 Goodreads ratings - there is more news to come on this book soon and I can’t wait to share it with you all. So, a huge heartfelt thanks to everyone who is reading, buying, reviewing and spreading the love for ‘The Devil’s Pocketbook’ - I appreciate you all… if you’ve still not picked up a copy or taken the dive from the cliff into the murky waters of Polperro, I urge you to do so… you will be forever changed. I even made it easy for you, just click the link below!
Slices of Horror - We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (Folio Edition)
My thoughts: Shirley Jackson will forever be one of the foundational stones the horror genre has been built upon, along with the likes of Stephen King, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and Ray Bradbury - the list is long and exhaustive, feel free to chop and change that list with the many other talented authors who have written horror and blazed a trail for the rest of us to follow.
Last year, knowing I needed to get to reading some of the greats, I read a couple of Shirley Jackson titles, including The Lottery, The Sundial, The Birds Nest and The Haunting of Hill House - the first and last of those giving me much reason to seek out her other works in the future, although I seem to be in the minority when I say I wasn’t overly impressed with The Haunting of Hill House, but having said that, her mastery of place (her descriptions of Hill House and its grounds) and the Gothic tickled me something pink and made me a fan.
Recently Folio Society got in contact with me and mentioned that they are releasing Jackson’s much-heralded We Have Always Lived In The Castle and asked if I would be interested in reviewing it. I couldn’t bite their hand off fast enough, of course, I said yes!
This edition includes a printed slipcased with gorgeous artwork, is bound in printed and blocked textured paper, set in Arno with Zachar display, 200 pages with frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations, including 2 double-page spreads with 10 integrated tailpieces - it is a thing of beauty which will set the average reader back £50. The artwork is by Angie Hoffmeister and there is also an afterword by Donna Tartt which was, for me, a fabulous insight into the work and a notable inclusion to this wonderful edition.
There is no denying that Jackson is the dark queen of Gothic literature, her works are infused with dark elements, eerie settings and populated with conflicted and disturbed characters; whilst also being whimsically horrific and more often than not some element of romance (love and loss). We Have Always Lived in the Castle is no exception to that rulebook of writing Gothic fiction, it has all of the above and more.
So, let’s get on with the story itself before I wax lyrical about the design of the book.
I wasn’t a fan. I know that this book is heralded as one of Jackson’s best, but for me it was dull, the pacing was off from the start and the characters were so unreliable and so strange that it caused a barrier for me to connect with them - and also through the whole of this book, nothing happens. There’s a fire in it, sure, but there is an awful lot of exposition and walking and talking and thinking and there is the sudden appearance of a strange visitor from their past, but there are no peaks and troughs as one would expect, it’s just a bland straight line... a tired plod of a book.
I was expecting horror, and I yearned for ghosts and treachery. I went in with high expectations given how this book is spoken about in the circles I swim in and was hoping to be chilled and terrified in equal measure, but all I got was complete apathy towards the story and its characters.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle has to be one of the dullest books I’ve read in a long while - but others have raved about its brilliance, and that’s why books are great, the beauty of a book and its true impact lies in the mind of the reader - this one wasn’t for me.
There was a spike in my flagging pulse - which I checked often - as I continued labourously through this story. The spike was caused when Jackson finally reveals something to her readers, to be honest, the twist, if you can call it such after seeing it coming from the very start, was the only thing in the book which made me raise my eyebrows and lean in closer; begging, demanding that Jackson take this thread and pull it, revealing to us something hidden beneath the surface. But she didn’t pull it, instead, she just let that thread go and it fluttered into obscurity - because although it’s a reveal it isn’t really mentioned again and doesn’t have an impact on the outcome of this thoroughly unimpactful story.
People may think this review is a trifle harsh, but given the expectation I had going into it, and knowing how this book is held in such high esteem, I was majorly let down.
But it wasn’t all bad. The opening chapters start off with a bang, and there were some deft turns of phrase which I marvelled over throughout and some delicious descriptions which are a staple of many of Jackson’s works I’ve come to discover, and I particularly enjoyed the sharp lens Jackson chose to shine a light on her empathetic characters and their eccentric domestic life (which is also mentioned in the afterword by Tartt). Tartt also sheds light on the novel and Jackson’s decision to cut much of the poisoning which featured heavily in the first drafts of the novel, a decision that Tartt applauds, but a decision I feel hampered the story for me because I wanted to know more and was left bitterly disappointed with this meandering, lackadaisical tale.
But with my dislike of the book out of the way, now we can move on to the book as a ‘thing of beauty’ and what a book it is. The Folio Society has produced a remarkable treasure for all Jackson fans and it contains artwork from the same artist (Angie Hoffmeister) who worked on their previously released The Haunting of Hill House. Hoffmeister’s artwork graces the printed slipcase and also haunts many of the pages within the novel. It’s one of the most attractive editions I’ve seen for this book and would take pride of place on any fan’s shelf. This edition has a sense of luxury and a sense of regalness too, which is fitting for the author who is seen by many as the queen of horror. Hoffmeister also chose to use a relatively muted/washed-out colour scheme - similar to the artwork she composed for The Haunting of Hill House - but the palate is different here, warmer, but still limited to a few autumnal shades whereas The Haunting of Hill House revolved around dark blues, greys and purples.
The afterword by Donna Tartt was also exceptional.
What’s it about: ‘Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me.’ Deeply unsettling, subversive and wickedly funny, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is widely regarded as Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece – a dark gem in a career of sinister treasures. Artist Angie Hoffmeister worked on The Haunting of Hill House and has returned to create a volume rich with atmosphere and ominous imagery, including an illustrated slipcase and a binding that introduces us to the Blackwood daughters. Legendary author Donna Tartt, one of the modern masters of American Gothic, has written an illuminating afterword exclusively for this edition, examining how Jackson’s empathy for outsiders and eccentric domestic life were the crucible for her remarkable works.
Where to buy: You can buy a copy from The Folio Society here .
Slices of Horror - Decorum At The Deathbed by Josh Malerman
My Thoughts: I’m not a huge audiobook fan, there I said it. I don’t know why, sometimes I just don’t get on with them, but as I was heading off on holiday I thought I’d get this one because it’s one I’ve not devoured yet and any fan has to devour all the works of their favourite author right, right? Anyway, I signed up to Audible, got this with my first free credit (whilst also downloading Stephen King’s IT) and then immediately cancelled my subscription, Amazon will not be taking any more money off this guy!
And as the sun baked me and I sipped on an ice-cold beer, I sat and listened and I have to say, it worked a charm. The only small issue I had was with the narrator, she sounded a little robotic, a little like it could have been AI that had recorded this - but it’s small fry really, given how the story itself was such an immersive one.
The concept was brilliant, the idea large and insane. A woman finds a confessional booth in the middle of a forest and returns each day to lessen her guilt and shame. And it’s that crazy idea which kept me listening. I was listening along, enraptured by the tale, trying to second-guess Josh at every turn, but the thing with Josh Malerman is that there is no second-guessing what his mind is capable of or where the story might go. I was blown away by the unique idea of the story, the way it exploded out the gate and how it was brought to a satisfying conclusion which left me thinking ‘Oh no you didn’t!’
The bonus with this is that it’s also short and I listened to it within two hours, so it’s a short sharp shock of a story and worth checking out for sure, especially if you are a fan of Josh Malerman’s work!
What’s it About: With her husband barely clinging to life at home, Becka has taken to jogging. Running helps clear her head and her heart. But it's not until she discovers a free-standing confessional booth deep in the woods that she begins to clear her conscience.
As the days pass, and as her husband's condition worsens, Becka returns to the booth, finding it hard to stay away.
But what draws her there? Is it the clean feeling of confession? Or is it what might be listening on the other side of the grate?
Where to Buy: This one as I mentioned is only available via audible and you have to have a subscription - but if you’re a Malerman fan, do what I did, or wait for a free trial (just make sure to cancel your subscription afterwards if you don’t want to continue).
Slices of Horror - Cujo by Stephen King
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this offering from King. If I’m honest I was hoping for something a little different, but what I got I was happy with and the ending, I found to be perfect!
Going in and knowing nothing really about the book other than it is about a rabid dog, and having not seen the film, I thought the majority of the book would be about a woman and child held captive in their broken down car to the beast which lurked, foaming at the mouth outside. But there was more to this story than just that rabies-infected dog, and I enjoyed the interweaving narrative of the three separate tangents King chose to explore, it added a little more meat on the bones Cujo would eventually chew through.
I will say though that when the action was away from Cujo I did find myself longing to be back in the car… but that ending, wow!
What’s it About: Cujo slept. He lay on the verge of grass by the porch, his mangled snout on his fore-paws. His dreams were confused, lunatic things. It was dusk, and the sky was dark with wheeling, red-eyed bats. He leaped at them again and again, and each time he leaped he brought one down, teeth clamped on a leathery, twitching wing. But the bats kept biting his tender face with their sharp little rat-teeth. That was where the pain came from. That was where all the hurt came from. But he would kill them all. He would--
Cujo is a two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard, the beloved family pet of the Joe Cambers of Castle Rock, Maine, and the best friend ten-year-old Brett Camber has ever had. One day Cujo pursues a rabbit into a bolt-hole--a cave inhabited by some very sick bats. What happens to Cujo, and to those unlucky enough to be near him, makes for the most heart-squeezing novel Stephen King has yet written.
Where to Buy: It’s a Stephen King book, you can find him anywhere - but I’d always recommend you buy from an independent bookshop.
Horror on Celluloid - Bates Motel
I haven’t watched anything spooky this month, but that won’t stop me from recommending something to you. I watched Bates Motel a while back, but it’s one of those series that comes to converse with me often, such is the brilliance of it. It follows the life of Norman Bates, you know the guy who eventually grows up and is the lead character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. So, if you’ve seen the film, you know how it all ends, but this series explores how Norman became the person we meet in Hitchcock’s film. Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga excel in the lead roles but it is the storylines which keep you watching, as we follow Norman into his maddening descent of what he will become by the time the series is over.
Until next time…
So, I hope you’re all keeping well and still finding these newsletters interesting… I hope to have more news to share with you all next month, so until then, stay horrified!
Also, why not check out DarkLit Press and their free horror library here not only does it include my companion piece to ‘The Devil’s Pocketbook’ called ‘Lemmings’ (which has a stunning cover too) but you’ll also find a whole host of short fiction from the startling array of talent DarkLit Press is publishing, including Brennan LaFaro (Come Take My Hand), Yolanda Sfetsos (Time To Return), Christopher Badcock (Hummingbird) and many more!
Yes, that is a great sign! The characters that won’t let you go. And man, writers are so underpaid, your story is the rule. Even those that appear to be successful struggle and hustle. So, keep on. Good luck with all your projects!