Charlie Morgan's Blog

A message from Charlie Morgan.
It has been one hell of a year on my end of things. It began with facing a fear that damn near broke me, I won't lie. I needed to take time away from everything so I could deal with the aftermath of it all (still am).
In that time I had three notebooks that I began writing in. There were some musings, doodles, poems and little pieces of flash fiction. Then I began to "visit some old ghosts," so to speak. Once I did, they began talking and the stories started coming. There were three that stood head and shoulders above the rest. I started calling them my "unholy trinity." These three broke me down and built me back up a little stronger than before.
There were also those who have been there from the beginning and have sailed with me into the storm. For that I am eternally grateful. You know who you are.
In the coming months, Back Road Books will be releasing this unholy trinity. They may break you down, they might build you back up, but make no mistake, they do have teeth and will bite.
The three books are not a trilogy. Every book is different but they are all connected in some way. An Unholy Trinity would be a better term.
One is the horrors of youth - The Overnight
The horrors of adolescence - Nomads
And horrors of adulthood - Tribe

Check out the teaser trailers for the first book in the Trinity, The Overnight. If, like me, you grew up watching summer camp slasher flicks and loved every second of it, then this might be for you.

Here's a couple of screenshots from the FINDING BIGFOOT episode that I was on. It was filmed in Asheville, North Carolina in February of 2016.

The episode is called "The Family That Squatches Together"


Click HERE to watch now.

Howdy, folks.

It's been a little while since I've posted anything. Sorry about that. Things have been about 67 different flavors of chaotic insanity. Everything began back in October when my dad was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. We ended up taking him to the hospital this past Friday because he was incredibly weak and in lots of pain. The doctor told me that if we hadn't got him to the ER, he wouldn't have made it to February.

Long story short - the tumor in his brain had grown and developed some swelling that was causing quite a few problems. He was transferred to Mission Hospital in Asheville (they have been amazing. If you ever get sick, come here). The surgery went smoothly and it looks like they got everything from his brain. After one night in ICU, he's back in a regular room and doing fine. He'll be here for a few more days, but any and all improvement is welcome.

I just want to take a second to thank a few people for all they've done since this began.

Heather Kiger
David Edney
Renee Torres
Wilma Gilbert
James Jobling
Tracy Moore
The staff of Mission Hospital
All of you who have sent well wishes on Facebook and anyone else that I might've forgotten. It means a lot and we love you all.

Thank you.
- Charlie

"I doubt you'll find a lonelier, spookier place than down around Boggy Creek." So says Vern Stierman in his haunting narration in The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972). Anyone who has ever viewed the film can certainly see the logic in that statement.

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that my love for this film has been expressed on numerous occasions. It sparked my interest in cryptozoology and filmmaking. The desire to make short films eventually evolved into writing short fiction. I've always wanted to write a tribute piece to pay homage to the film and I did just that in October of 2013.

A Cold Night In Fouke quickly became a reader favorite and set some personal records. It was my first young adult story, it was my most - and best - reviewed work and my biggest seller to date. Whatever it was that I did with this story had obviously struck readers and I couldn't be happier with the response.

The story ended with a question mark. Was that really the end? I've been asking myself that question for the past three years. Was that all I had to say about the legendary Fouke Monster?

Nope.

Halloween In Fouke picks up just a few days after the events of the first story with two boys who have heard about Emmett's encounter. Curiosity drives them deep into the swamp to seek out answers. Like the original, there will be plenty of atmosphere and suspense. The focus will be on that growing sense of dread and pure horror. You'll also find some historical facts about the creature and I'll be throwing in as much reality as I possibly can.

Keep your eyes on this site for updates.

Hey, guys.

It's been quiet around here for a little bit. Lots going on... nothing good, I'm afraid. If you're on my Facebook page, odds are good that you've already heard the news. If not, I'll go ahead and lay it out here.

A few weeks ago, my dad took a fall and got scratched up and cracked a rib for his trouble. He went to the hospital, got x rays and all that fun stuff. Then there was a discovery (a pretty shitty one, I might add). Something else showed up in the x ray... in his left lung. As it turns out, it is lung cancer. After visiting a specialist, they also determined that there is another tumor in his brain.

That's the bad news.

The good news in this big ol' shit sandwich is that both are small and can be easily removed. Hearing that didn't stop the worry, but it did ease it off.

Naturally he feels like hell, but we have a plan of attack and are just taking things one step at a time.

Thus my absence on damn near everything.

For those of you who've sent well wishes and shown support in some way, we both thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I'll be in touch and update when I'm able to do so. Until then, my friends.

With the long awaited release of Cut And Run: Sticks And Stones Part 2 just ahead, I thought that I would give you guys a sample to whet your appetite.

Coming soon from Back Road Books!

Copyright ©2016 by Charlie Morgan

When we walk among the burning dreams...

Blackberry Winter was in full swing when Jake and his hunting partner, Gary, hit the woods on the southern end of the Lowe Road. This last stretch of woods was all that was left to explore on a weeklong excursion.

Jake was tall, muscular and worked as a court clerk during the week. In his free time, he was completely absorbed in his hobby. In his youth he had been introduced to a film that would change his life. The Legend of Boggy Creek was a drive-in era, cult classic. It told the true story of a giant, hair-covered creature that terrorised a small Arkansas town. His interest quickly grew into obsession as he read all the books, articles and reports that he could get his hands on. In his teenage years, he would hit the woods when school was out, hoping to find some sign that hinted of a creature passing through.

Gary was tall, skinny and drove a cement truck during the week. He'd met Jake through a mutual friend several years back. Seeing that both of them shared interests in Bigfoot and Cryptozoology, a friendship quickly grew that eventually led to outings to look into any local reports. When the incidents of the Lowe Road  finally broke after the attack on a logging crew, Gary was in shock to see such a significant event happening so close to home.

Both men had planned the weeklong vacation into the mountains, camping and seeking whatever evidence they could lay their hands on.

So far, the trip had been a complete bust. The only thing they'd found was a big, steaming pile of shit that turned out to have been manufactured by a black bear that they saw just forty yards ahead of them.

They passed the site of the Laymon Logging Company incident and came up empty. Most of the forest floor was covered in branches and fallen trees. The clear spots had been riddled with tracks of the logging crew, paramedics, police, etc. If there ever were any tracks made by the creatures, they'd long been destroyed.
Gary froze in front of a large fallen pine. There were dark, rust-colored stains along the bark. His stomach began to churn as he tried to picture what had happened. I wonder if this is where one of those men was killed?

The local newspapers had gone wild when one of the injured men told what had really happened. The original story, told to the press by Laymon, had been that the men had been attacked by a bear who had a cub nearby.  Speculation began when analysis of the bite marks and other injuries pointed toward another, unknown, culprit.

When the injured man awoke after surgery, the story he'd told had been much more bizarre. He'd said that a dozen, or so, hair-covered things sprang from the forest. They ran on two legs and were gigantic and fast. The first man had fallen before he had time to react. The creature swiped at his head, snapping his neck with one thunderous blow. The other creatures charged at the loggers like the gates of hell had opened; spitting forth it's berserker warriors.

One of the men had managed to bury an ax into the chest of his attacker. The creature, enraged by pain, shot forward and sank it's teeth into the man's skull, shattering bone with ungodly strength.
From atop the hill, RJ Laymon raced to his truck and grabbed the .38 Special that he kept in the glovebox. He returned to scene and began firing at the attackers. Several fled at once after the first shots rang out. The rest soon followed as shots continued to strike around them. The whole event lasted almost two minutes, but to those who were there, it seemed like hours.

In the end, two men were dead and eight were severely injured. No bodies of the creatures had been recovered.

Its been a while since I've posted a poem. This is the most recent that I've written. I recently found it among my files and believe it was written in October of 2015.
Enjoy.

©2015 - Charlie Morgan

A raven whispers through cloudy skies.
Loved ones gather with forgotten ghosts.
They gaze upon my weary eyes.

Take me down where the willows weep.
Where the swans can sing for me.
Lay me down and bury me deep.
When the rain comes for me.

A shadow lingers beyond the pain.
Thunder shatters a tempered heart.
Soon the tears will fall like rain.

Take me down where the roses sleep.
Where memories are all that be.
Don't forget when the rain comes for me.

A  spectre whispers "the time has come."
Please don't let me fade away.
Greet the mourning and succumb.

Take me down where the widow weeps.
Where the songs can play for two.
I'll be waiting
When the rain comes for you.

With my new novella, STICKS AND STONES Part II, in the editing stage, I've taken a few days off to relax and let my mind rest up. This has resulted in me turning to YouTube to look up... damn near anything (the next time you're on there, be sure to check out CoverKillerNation and AlphaOmegaSin's channels. They're my typical haunts).

While prowling around, I came across a video that was of a playable demo for Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (via AlphaOmegaSin. I normally hate commentary on such videos, but his is hilariously entertaining and worth watching just to witness his assault of a mannequin). The game looks incredibly realistic and creepy as all hell! I'd definitely say to check it out, if you're a gamer.

After this, I found a video for a demo of the ill-fated Silent Hills. I never had the chance to try it out and wanted to see what the world was denied. Here's my review of that... THAT WAS INCREDIBLY FUCKIN' CREEPY! WHOEVER THE DIMWITTED SHIT PICKLE WAS THAT SCREWED THE POOCH ON THAT DEAL NEEDS TO SPEND AN HOUR IN A LOCKED ROOM WITH PYRAMID HEAD!

*ahem* If you haven't gave it a peek, you should. Just be sure to have clean underwear handy.

This foray into YouTube proved to be rather inspiring. The wheels began to turn and the muse woke up to slap an idea on me. Feeling charged with curiosity, I turned to Google and began hunting down all things creepy. By the end of the night, I had enough notes to convince me to go forward.

What all of this amounted to was the basis for a psychological horror short story, tentatively titled Room 8. I'm not sure if it'll be submitted to an anthology or become a Kindle exclusive, but you will be seeing it in the near future. Details will be announced here and on my Facebook page.

So, on that note, "Nerds, Nerdettes and Readers, read the fuck on!

I had the immense pleasure of reading one of the first books in ages to unnerve me more than a little.

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my favorite subjects is Cryptozoology - specifically Bigfoot. I've written my share on the subject (with more to come) and it never fails to grab my attention when I find a new book.

Enter Michael McBride.

I purchased Snowblind, and it's sequel, several months back. Working my way through my "to read" pile, I finally got to this gem. Ladies and germs, I have to admit that I was utterly floored by this book! It is CREEPY AS ALL HELL and an absolute MUST for anyone interested in Bigfoot.

Michael McBride has firmly announced himself as a tremendous voice in horror fiction and that voice howls like a monster on the hunt.

Buy this book! I can't possibly stress that enough. If you read this blog, chances are good that you like sasquatch tales. You will LOVE Snowblind!

Trust me, folks, this guy knows what he's doing and isn't afraid to dig his teeth into the raw meat. This is easily the best fictional Bigfoot tale since Eric S. Brown's original Bigfoot War.

...and there is a sequel.

Click HERE to get your copy.

This announcement has been a long time coming. Its been around five years since the release of Sticks And Stones and, since that day, people began asking for a sequel. One was promised and has since been in limbo.

There were many ideas as to where to take the series. Some remained, many were tossed to the four winds and banished.

The current incarnation began during a sleepless night and the thought of fuck it. Let's give it another go. Before I knew it, I had written nearly three thousand words and the sun was creeping up the horizon. Since then, I locked myself away, determined not to say one word to anyone  until it was finished.

Fifteen days later, the once cursed project's first draft is now complete. I've waited many years to say those words. This sequel binds every installment thus far. Those who have read Just In Sight, The Wilds and Here Be Devils will notice some familiar territory. There's plenty of new faces, surprises and nastiness awaiting. The original Sticks And Stones has been a reader favorite from day one. I hope this sequel lives up to your expectations.

Editing will begin in the coming days and I'm hoping to have a final draft ready for a release around Independence Day of this year.

This book is for all of you that have been asking for it. It wouldn't have happened without you.

THE FIRST DRAFT OF BEFORE THE DAWN: STICKS AND STONES PART II IS FINALLY FINISHED!

In the past, I've posted my playlists for certain projects to serve as a sort of unofficial soundtrack. So, here was my background during these sessions.

Lulabox - Ride On
Silent Scream - Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Deus In Absentia - Ghost
We Will Rise - Arch Enemy
Don't Open Til' Doomsday - The Misfits
Extinct - Moonspell
7 Devils - The Goddamn Gallows
Party Time - 45 Grave
Shallow Grave - A Pale Horse Named Death
Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride) - Don Felder
Haunted - Poe
The Hearse Song - The Marshmallow Ghosts