Today’s author is petrified of the woods in the middle of the night – so naturally, that’s the setting of many of his books.  Maybe that’s one way to conquer your fears?  Welcome Steve Stred!

Would you rather be part of the X-Files team or Ghostbusters?

X-Files 100%. I absolutely love the show and I’d want to know all of the cool conspiracy theory stuff. I love watching alien related stuff or reading about it. I really hope we someday can answer the question – “Are we alone?” I personally think the answer is no, and I’d love to see that be correct. Unless of course we only find out because they’ve come to destroy our planet!

Would you rather be locked in a haunted insane asylum or lost in the woods with a killer on the loose?

This question actually made the rounds on Twitter recently. I’ll take a haunted insane asylum any day of the week over the woods. If you’ve read any of my stuff, you’ll know my connection to the woods. I’d rather do some urban exploration with some ghosts or ghouls than dealing with a killer, bears, wolves, cougars, werewolves or Bigfoot any day of the week.

Would you rather be abducted by aliens or a serial killer?

Another easy one. Abducted by aliens. Chances are you’re going to live and it’s highly likely that you’ll not remember much of it until a bright light gets flashed in your eyes or something triggers your experience. A serial killer, at the least, the very least, is going to remove a bunch of your body. So you’ll be scarred, maimed and in pain for the rest of your life. More likely though, they’ll kill you.

What is your favorite cover of all your books?  Why?

I chose this question because of how difficult it is. I’ve been blessed to have some really, really awesome covers. But I think I need to go with my latest collection release ‘The Night Crawls In.’ Aesthetically, it’s pretty much me as a writer. I’ve worked with Mason McDonald on a dozen covers now. We have this connection that is just outstanding. We met through Twitter and hit it off and have become great friends, so I think that helps. We’re both Canadian, like the same bands, books etc. So I can send him an idea and he’ll get something back that’s spot on. With ‘The Night Crawls In’ it has this amazing forest scene, but if you look closer you’ll see that the cover is made out of boards, almost like an old cabin in the woods has been torn down and repurposed and painted on. Just love it.

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in the same setting, where would you choose?

I have so many releases out that are set in the woods, and I’m petrified of the woods in the middle of the night, but I’d have to suggest somewhere wooded that had a staggering amount of Bigfoot sightings/reports. I’ve been intrigued about Sasquatches since I was a small child, so I’d love to take the time and hike into the wilderness in the Pacific North West and live there as one with nature.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Too many! The ones I can talk about – unpublished; Piece of Me (coming Dec 2019), Scott, The One That Knows No Fear, The Window in the Ground (all coming 2020). Then I have four other works on the go that I’d like to try and get out next year but we’ll see. I typically have between 5 and 10 in some form at any given time!

Meet Brad.

A quiet, hardworking man who goes about his daily routine with joy.
He works as a telemarketer, trying this best to sell poorly made, over-priced products to the unsuspecting people on the other end of the phone.

Brad doesn’t mind though, its a means to an end.

Life’s about to change for Brad. Now that Father has anointed him the Chosen one, the one to open the gates and allow them to flock into the Black Heavens.

Eternity awaits.

But is Brad ready to perform on the big day?

“’Ritual’ is a fast and thrilling dive into the depraved mind of a man and his dogma. It draws you into the horrors of a mysterious cult, and doesn’t let go until the very last page. I loved this story.” -Sonora Taylor, author of “Without Condition” and “Little Paranoias: Stories”

Purchase Link

Amazon

Bio

Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.

Steve is the author of the novels Invisible & The Stranger, the novellas The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, and the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun.

On September 1st, 2019 his second collection of dark poetry and drabbles called The Night Crawls In will arrive. This release was specifically created to help fund the 1^st Annual LOHF Writers Grant.

Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.

Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.

Social Media

Website: stevestredauthor.wordpress.com
Instagram: /stevestred
Twitter: twitter.com/stevestred
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/SteveStredReadersGroup/

I’ve read several books by today’s author, and he can take you to some dark, uncomfortable places.  And that’s just one of the reasons I enjoy his books so much.  Somehow I missed his newest release – not sure how with such a stunning cover – but it’s going in my TBR.  Welcome Michael Patrick Hicks!

Would you rather walk through a haunted graveyard at midnight or spend the night in a haunted, abandoned house?

I’m not much of a believer in the supernatural, so walking through a (supposedly) haunted graveyard doesn’t seem like too big of a chore to me! If I had to spend the night in an abandoned house, I’d be more worried about my lack of a wi-fi or cell phone signal. I figure if I just have to talk a quick walk, that’s not much of a biggie, and I can go home and sleep in my own bed.

Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf? 

Vampire! I’m not a fan of shopping for new clothes and don’t want to risk ruining my favorite outfits. Plus, I’m not a big fan of losing control and being amnesiac (or worse, remembering what I did as a werewolf). Vamping out seems relatively easy, right? I get to sleep all day. Cool cool.

Would you rather be part of the X-Files team or Ghostbusters?

X-Files! I love Ghostbusters, don’t get me wrong, but I’d love nothing more than to team up with Mulder and Scully. I’d probably side with her more often than not, but I would absolutely relish each and every crazy theory and conspiracy Mulder comes up with.

If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in the same setting, where would you choose?

Alaska! My wife and I took an Alaskan cruise for our anniversary some time ago, and I’ve been itching to get back there. It’s such a beautiful region, and I’m a big fan of arctic terror, so this one’s a no-brainer for me. Put me in view of the mountains and glaciers, let me go wild with an Alaskan-set creature feature, and I’m in heaven!

What is your favorite cover of all your books?  Why?

My favorite is easily the cover Kealan Patrick Burke put together for The Resurrectionists. I love the tone it sets and the imagery is absolutely fantastic. I didn’t have much of a conception for what the cover should be, but as soon as Kealan sent me his first swing at the artwork, I was completely blown away. I don’t have any art prints of my covers, but this is one that I absolutely need to get printed and framed.

What are you working on now?

A few things, actually! I’m working on a short story for submission to an upcoming anthology, getting the drafts for books two and three in the Salem Hawley series ready for editing, as well as writing a new full-length novel that’s occupied my thoughts for a few years now. After committing a violent crime, a small group of robbers find themselves lost in the haunted woods of Northern Michigan. They’re pursued by not just the police but the ghosts of the past. It’s got a bit of police procedural elements to it, along with some occultism and, hopefully, some good scares! Like The Resurrectionists, it’s actually based on some real-life incidents that occurred in Michigan and a few local urban legends. At the time of this writing, I’m about 20,000 words into it, and I feel like I’ve got a long ways to go before I hit the head. There’s a lot of ground to cover in this one.

Having won his emancipation after fighting on the side of the colonies during the American Revolution, Salem Hawley is a free man. Only a handful of years after the end of British rule, Hawley finds himself drawn into a new war unlike anything he has ever seen.

New York City is on the cusp of a new revolution as the science of medicine advances, but procuring bodies for study is still illegal. Bands of resurrectionists are stealing corpses from New York cemeteries, and women of the night are disappearing from the streets, only to meet grisly ends elsewhere.



After a friend’s family is robbed from their graves, Hawley is compelled to fight back against the wave of exhumations plaguing the Black cemetery. Little does he know, the theft of bodies is key to far darker arts being performed by the resurrectionists. If successful, the work of these occultists could spell the end of the fledgling American Experiment… and the world itself.



The Resurrectionists, the first book in the Salem Hawley series, is a novella of historical cosmic horror from the author of Broken Shells and Mass Hysteria.

“The Resurrectionists is a stunning achievement ─ an effective historical novel AND a brutal horror story. Salem Hawley is a fantastic protagonist I look forward to following in future stories.” – John Hornor Jacobs, author of The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky: A Novella of Cosmic Horror

“Gritty, grand and grotesque, The Resurrectionists is a mind-bending, Lovecraftian myth set in the murky underbelly of post-Revolutionary War Manhattan. It played out in my imagination in a palette of reds and browns like a lush Hammer horror film. Salem Hawley is a riveting avenger, and I’m eager to follow him on further macabre adventures.” – Chris Sorensen, author of The Nightmare Room

“As terrifying and action-packed as a slasher flick, but also saturated with literary merit at its core, exploring social issues like racism, classism, and the ramifications of medical experimentation. It was such a fun, provocative read. I can’t wait to see what direction he steers the plot in the second book.” – Jeremy Hepler, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Boulevard Monster 

Purchase Link 

Buy The Resurrectionists or read in Kindle Unlimited at https://www.amazon.com/Resurrectionists-Salem-Hawley-Book-ebook/dp/B07S3RWLKN

 Bio and Social Media

MICHAEL PATRICK HICKS is the author of Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella, Mass Hysteria, an Audiobook Listeners Choice Awards Horror Finalist, and Convergence, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Finalist. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers.

In addition to his own works of original fiction, he has written for the online publications Audiobook Reviewer and Graphic Novel Reporter, and has previously worked as a freelance journalist and news photographer in Metro Detroit.

Michael lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. In between compulsively buying books and adding titles that he does not have time for to his Netflix queue, he is hard at work on his next story..

To stay up to date on his latest releases, join his newsletter at http://bit.ly/1H8slIg

Website: http://www.michaelpatrickhicks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormichaelpatrickhicks
Twitter: @MikeH5856

Today’s author offers a compelling reason why he’d choose to be abducted by aliens over a serial killer – totally makes sense to me.  On the cover of his featured book, The Mind’s Plague, is his own terror-stricken face.  How cool is that?  Welcome Morgan K. Tanner!

Would you rather spend a night in The Overlook Hotel with Jack Torrance or be in the high school gym during prom with Carrie?

The Shining is one of my favourite films of all time and it still never fails to unnerve me with its creepy vibe and claustrophobic atmosphere. That being said, I’m pretty sure I could survive one night in there with crazy Jack, especially if he’s only limping after me with his axe. Plus I know that the cupboard in the kitchen’s a good place to hide (if I’d fit, though), and I could copy Danny’s excellent tactic of disguising his footprints in the snow. And when I’d finally outrun him I could enjoy some quality time riding on those 70s carpets on my little pedal bike.

Would you rather be abducted by aliens or a serial killer?

I’m of the belief that if aliens really wanted to harm us they’d have either done it already or would simply spread a plague-like disease that would wipe us out in no time at all. So being abducted wouldn’t frighten me that much (he says!). I suppose it would be interesting to see life from another planet, and their spaceship would be awesome, I’d imagine. It certainly beats a serial killer because I’ve read enough books and watched enough movies to know how that would ultimately end. They usually aren’t very nice people.

Would you rather be part of the X-Files team or Ghostbusters?

Ghostbusters all the way! Not that the characters would be a laugh-a-minute, and would probably spend long nights talking about science and other ‘intellectual’ stuff. I think Mulder would get a bit heavy after a while; he’s not exactly brimming with charisma. Although hanging out with Scully may have its benefits. Plus, if I was a Ghostbuster I’d get to wear a proton pack and slide down that sweet fireman’s pole whenever I wanted. The young me would be ever so jealous.

What is your favorite cover of all your books?  Why?

My debut novella, An Army of Skin, has such an awesome cover that really encapsulates the tone of the book, I think. M.R. Tapia was responsible for it; I’d submitted my manuscript to him originally and he emailed me back with three covers he’d ‘doodled’. When I saw what eventually became the cover, I was blown away. So much so I now have the design tattooed on my arm.

I must mention the cover of my short story collection, The Mind’s Plague and Other Bites of Brutality, if only for the fact that the strange, terror-stricken face in the TV screen is none other than my beautifully handsome face. There was absolutely no Photoshop involved, either.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I haven’t really been at the writing game long enough to have lots of unfinished books; I try to keep going to the end. There are a few short stories that still haven’t seen the light of day, although they probably never will as they are, well, not up to scratch. I do have an 80000 word novel that I am planning to re-edit and do with something with, either self-publish again or submit it somewhere. I haven’t looked at it in about 3 years – intentionally – so we’ll see how it holds up when I eventually do.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m writing a short story about a burglar who is tied up and tortured by the man who’s house he breaks into, but by the time this is posted I hope to have finished this one. I’m also writing what was a short story but now seems to developing into a novella (at least) about a haunted house. But instead of the house being old and derelict, it’s a new build property, so hopefully it’s a different take on the genre. There’s not a bricked up hole or creaky floorboard in sight. We’ll see how things pan out, though.

Three friends search for an infamous internet video of an urban legend with devastating consequences; a passionate drummer joins the band of his dreams, or perhaps his nightmares; a man tries to find fame in a world where the mundane call the shots; and a grieving father loses his grip on reality.

These ten stories delve into a world of darkness and suffering, where the terrors are more vivid than they may first appear. Blood is spilt, minds are destroyed, as madness ultimately reigns victorious.

Purchase Link

Amazon

Bio

Morgan K Tanner is a writer, drummer, and golfist currently residing in the English countryside. The idyllic surroundings make it an ideal place to write, drum, and hide the bodies. The busy sound of the typewriter is perfect to drown out the hum of the antiquated torture equipment.

 

When not writing or inflicting pain and suffering on his numerous victims, he indulges himself in all things horror and metal.

 He is the author of An Army of Skin, and The Mind’s Plague and Other Bites of Brutality.

 You can praise or indeed abuse him by visiting http://www.morganktanner.com or find him on Twitter @morgantanner666.

Social Media

http://www.morganktanner.com/
Twitter @morgantanner666
Instagram @morganktanner