#BadMoonRising Father of Lies by Steve Stred #horror #occult

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Happy Halloween from Bad Moon Rising! Are you ready for all the little ghosties and ghoulies who may knock at your door tonight? I’ve got my candy ready. We’ve reached the end of BMR, but it’s been a month full of fun conversations, new books, and maybe some new friends. But it’s not over quite yet. Today’s author writes horror – but when he watches a horror movie he makes sure his feet are on the couch and nearly covers his head with a blanket. Welcome Steve Stred!

Which urban legend scares you most?

I don’t know if any scare me now, but growing up I was always worried about swallowing chewing gum or stepping on a crack on a sidewalk. It’s funny how those little things kind of work into your brain and stay there.

Have you ever had a tarot card reading?

No, I actually haven’t, but would be up for having it done. I have had an incredibly strange experience with an Ouija board when I was younger, so I try to avoid them at all costs, but over the last few years they keep lurking closer and closer. It’s the oddest thing.

If you watch horror movies, are you the person who yells at the characters, covers your eyes, or falls asleep?

It’s very rare that I get a chance to watch any horror movies right now, just with having a 5 year old and our schedules, but when I do, I typically have a list of a few that look just insanely good – so those ones are always bound to scare the crap out of me and I watch them with my feet on the couch and the covers up to my nose.

Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision?

I had facial reconstruction surgery on my right side when I was 21 or so. For a year I had no peripheral vision on that side, it was the weirdest thing. Would often make me feel ill. But when it started coming back, I always used to think someone was walking towards me and when I’d look – nobody. Never creeped me out but sure did make me antsy.

How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

As lame as it sounds – I start the next one. I don’t really have too much ‘down time.’ It may be that I’ll take time away from writing to go over edits and re-writes if a book is back from my editor or anything like that, but for the most part I try and stay full-steam ahead on whatever it is I’m working on and whatever it is that is after.

Which book have you read more than once?

I don’t typically re-read adult books (I re-read kids books a million times to my son right now!) but one book I’ve actually re-read a number of times over the years has been The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Many people have watched the movie or even the sequels, but I personally love the book. The second half is just as magical as the first and my son is named after the Auryn medallion given to Atreyu to protect him on his journey and plays a prominent role in the second half.

If you could spend the day with another popular author, who would you choose?

Absolutely Andrew Pyper. If you’ve followed me on any of my social media pages you’ll know how much I love Andrew’s work and was even given permission to create an Official Archive of his work, which you can find at theandrewpyperarchives.ca

This book contains scenes of extreme violence and sexual content. Do not purchase this book if you are easily offended or require trigger warnings!

Beginning in October, 2019, Steve Stred released three of the darkest, most depraved novellas – Ritual, COMMUNION, and Sacrament.

These three novellas completed the ‘Father of Lies’ trilogy, telling the story of a disturbed man trying to open the cosmic gates and enter the Black Heavens to live forever. Inspired by Steve Stred’s research acquired while joining a real cult, the stories from the trilogy have already become favorites within the horror world.

Now, here for the first time, is the complete and definitive ‘The Complete Father of Lies Series.’

Featuring;

–          All three novellas

–          An exclusive foreword by Sonora Taylor

–          An exclusive essay by cover artist Mason McDonald

–          A bonus fourth story ‘Eucharist.’

–          ‘The Battle Raged On and On’ essay from the author, answering reader questions about the trilogy

Not to be missed, this Omnibus will be available in ebook, paperback and hardcover!
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Father-Lies-Complete-Steve-Stred-ebook/dp/B09854197X/

Author Bio and Social Media

Steve Stred writes dark, bleak fiction.

Steve is the author of a number novels, novellas and collections.

He is proud to work with the Ladies of Horror Fiction to facilitate the Annual LOHF Writers Grant.

Steve has appeared alongside some of Horror’s heaviest hitters (Tim Lebbon, Gemma Amor, Adrian J. Walker, Ramsey Campbell) in some fantastic anthologies.

He is an active member of the HWA.

He is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife and son.

Website: stevestredauthor.wordpress.com

Twitter: @stevestred

Instagram: @stevestred

52 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising Father of Lies by Steve Stred #horror #occult”

  1. Strange about the peripheral vision, Steve. Don’t blame you for having your feet on the sofa and a blanket nearby while watching horror movies.

    Thanks for this fantastic series, Teri. Hard to believe the month is over!

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  4. Congratulations on another Bad Moon Rising series wrapping up today, Teri, and it looks like you saved the perfect author to share on Halloween! Steve, your work sounds fascinating and this trilogy, pretty darn scary. I’d like to check it out, but I think I might have to wait until the world in general cheers up a lot more. Horror is something I can only take in small doses these days (though way back in my misspent youth, I read a fair amount of it). But I’m definitely putting Father of Lies on my Amazon Wish List for when I think I can handle a real good scare.
    And by the way, congratulations on one of the coolest covers I’ve ever seen!

    Wishing you great success with this one. (Now I’m scrolling back up to study that brilliant cover again!)

    Great post you two, and Teri, fantastic Bad Moon Rising this year! Super job! 😀 ❤

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  5. Pingback: #BadMoonRising – Post 31 Featuring Steve Stred | The Write Stuff

    1. Deby – I was interested in a specific musician’s state of mind who’d helped form a cult. This was an offshoot. I had plenty of questions for research, so a contact suggested I reach out, but the only way I could work into getting deeper answers was to participate. It was a crazy thing, but I think, ultimately worth it!

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  7. Steve has been on my radar for quite some time. I have all his books, but sadly, have not read them yet. I will use this interview as a hop in the pants to get reading. I haven’t met him personally, but Steve is a genuine dude based on my interactions with him via social media. Cheers, Steve!

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    1. You gotta be scared! I grew up in the middle of nowhere with lots of wild animals/predators around. Walking home after dark and the streetlights went out was always the scariest times. Same with that moment in a movie when everything dims, the music gets low and you know something is about to happen!

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  13. I totally love it that Steve named his son after the Auryn medallion in The Neverending Story. How cool is that. And the inspiration for The Father of Lies is super creepy. A great Halloween post, Teri and Steve. Have a wonderfully spooky day.

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    1. Oh wow! I hope he is managing. Mine was actually after being sucker punched while working as a bouncer. A lot of damage to my face but it wasn’t discovered until a week later. I went to my family doc to get the stitches out of my eyebrow I’d received that night. She looked at me and said “Your face doesn’t look right.” We did X-rays and I had over 100 fractures along the side of my face, my orbital floor. Two plastic surgeries later and was all fixed up!

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  18. Victoria Zigler

    Fantastic interview to finish on. And now I want to read the Neverending Story even more than I already did (I’d heard it was even better than the movie, and since I love the movie have had it on my to-read list for ages).

    Liked by 2 people

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