July 2025 Group Read #1 with Guest Author, Blaine Daigle > Likes and Comments
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I'm all set for a scary month of July. Luckily, the hours of daylight are long and the darkness is short.
Bring on the horror! 😱
Ooh sounds nice. I’ll try to keep up with the books from now on 😅. Honestly a reason I keep putting these off is because I think I haven’t read enough books in this genre to set my expectations 😭. But sounds cool!
Oh, this is exciting! I’m a fan of this author’s - his A Dark Roux and A Dark and Endless Sea were both excellent, in my opinion.
Hello everyone! Super excited for this!
Mr. Daigle is a terrific author! I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for his 1st book. I highly recommend all books (or anything) he writes.
Awesome -Blaine's books are universally excellent, and Ashes is no exception. Look forward to seeing folk's thoughts!
just got the audio book, i'm ready to go.
Just grabbed my copy today! Blaine - Can you tell us a little how your journey to being an author came to be?
I started this early cause it takes me longer to read or listen than it use to. I don’t think that’s going to be the case here. I listened to 2 hours and had to make myself stop. It’s sooo good and atmospheric! I love fog. A good foggy morning is my favorite. They are so magical, like anything can happen. I’m eager to find out what’s that’s about and the librarian?!
When I saw this one I had to pick it up! I may have read it a little too early though, so eagerly waiting to join in when the conversation begins!!
Kenneth wrote: "Just grabbed my copy today! Blaine - Can you tell us a little how your journey to being an author came to be?"
Absolutely! So I've always been a fan of darker stories. I like to joke that I was raised on Scooby Doo and Goosebumps. I also always knew I wanted to write books as well. Throughout my teenage years, I had this scary cabin in the woods story swirling in my head. I stopped and started and stopped and started over and over and over again to no avail. I kinda gave up on it when life got serious and I figured "well, it was a nice dream to have but now its time to wake up". And I actually drifted away a little bit from horror as well. It was Adam Nevill's THE RITUAL which pulled me back to the genre with a vengeance.
So, fast forward to 2020 and we find ourselves in lockdown. I suddenly found myself with a whole lot of time that I didn't have before, and so I decided to go ahead and write that cabin in the woods story and buffer it with everything I'd learned about life and loss over the past decade. But this time I really committed myself to actually going for it and taking a big swing. A few months later I had a rough draft that I spent two years working on and poking around looking for potential publishers. However I rarely received any response, either rejection or acceptance. For the most part my book just seemed to sit in portals or submission spots.
I made the decision after a while that I would just self publish it and enjoy that I'd accomplished what I'd always wanted to. Then, out of sheer chance, I stumbled across an ad for a new publisher named Wicked House. I sent the story in, not really expecting anything. That book was my debut THE BROKEN PLACES, and two and a half years later that book and that ad has opened so many opportunities that I never dreamed I'd get, including this one to be here with you all!
If anyone wants a bit more detailed story, I'll link one of my blog posts where I really go deeply into detail about the journey: https://www.blainedaigle.com/post/sin...
Latasha wrote: "I started this early cause it takes me longer to read or listen than it use to. I don’t think that’s going to be the case here. I listened to 2 hours and had to make myself stop. It’s sooo good and..."Jennifer Pickens did the narration and did a perfect job. Absolute perfection.
The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the last few years.Can you tell us a little how Ashes of August Manor came to be?
Kenneth wrote: "The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the last few years.Can you tell us a little how ..."
So I've always been really interested in gothic horror. And recently the trend of quiet horror has also piqued my interest. I love almost all forms of the genre, but I do find that I tend to gravitate towards those long quiet hallways in creaking old homes. So I always wanted to write one.
The title actually came from a writing exercise. The exercise was to come up with a book written by a fictional colleague. The idea behind it was if you tried to do something that wasn’t so much “you” that it would be easier to throw out ideas.
So the title was going to accompany a story written by a fictional author about a family who refuses to leave their manor during a wildfire, and an assessor goes in after the fact and finds the one room of the house is virtually untouched and contains strange artwork. I didn't really think much of it as it was just a simple writing exercise
Well, when I sat down and started planning out my gothic novel, which was originally titled QUEIT, I stumbled across some of the stuff I'd done on that old exercise. From that, I incorporated the idea of ashes falling all over the property while pulling some things like concept of strange artwork from what I'd already done. What tied the entire thing together was the decision that the book would be about death.
Along with gothic horror, I also really enjoy folk horror and so some of that crept into the story as well. While researching the Yukon for my debut novel I came across a village near the Arctic Circle called Old Crow and just thought that was such a cool name to incorporate into the story in some way. In the end, the book become something of a love letter to Shirley Jackson as well as Adam Nevill. Nevill's book HOUSE OF SMALL SHADOWS was certainly another major inspiration for ASHES OF AUGUST MANOR.
Blaine wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the last few years.Can you tell ..."
I’d love to see more authors jump into quiet horror. I think it’s something sorely lacking in horror today. What are your favorite gothic and quiet horror authors?
Kenneth wrote: "Blaine wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the last few years...."For gothic there are obviously the classics in Shirley Jackson, Henry James, Stoker, Shelly. Susan Hill as well. In terms of more modern examples,I think LV Russell is a name to watch who has really hit the nail on both gothic and quiet, and JT Croft has written a few really good ones as well. In terms of southern gothic, Andy Davidson is really hard to beat. Ronald Malfi is another one who doesn't always do quiet or gothic, but when he does he absolutely crushes it.
Kenneth wrote: "Blaine wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the last few years...."Judith Sonnet has recently shifted gear into quiet horror and their work is phenomenal.
Andrew wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Blaine wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "The pandemic seemed to be the springboard for you and many of your peers. It feels like horror has seen a bumper crop of great horror authors over the..."YES! I've been meaning to check her out as I've heard the same.
Are there any works by Judith Sonnet in particular that you guys would recommend, for quiet horror in particular, or anything in general?
Netanella wrote: "Are there any works by Judith Sonnet in particular that you guys would recommend, for quiet horror in particular, or anything in general?"She has a collection of quiet horror here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Might be a good place to start. I plan on getting a copy at Books and Brews,
Also, for those really looking for those modern gothic stories, Quill and Crow Publishing makes that their specialty.
I know I read AHES OF AUGUST MANOR early, but I have to comment on the excellent atmosphere. Lately, I've also been driven to more Gothic horror and Folklore, and this was one that started well, with the "heavy" atmosphere, then managed to steadily increase it the entire way.
Kimberly wrote: "I know I read AHES OF AUGUST MANOR early, but I have to comment on the excellent atmosphere. Lately, I've also been driven to more Gothic horror and Folklore, and this was one that started well, wi..."Heavy is exactly what I was going for!
A question for the author: How do you choose the names for your characters?
August is an unusual last name. How did you decide on that name and did the name influence the story at all?
I'm only a bit into the story but enjoying it very much.
WendyB wrote: "A question for the author: How do you choose the names for your characters?
August is an unusual last name. How did you decide on that name and did the name influence the story at all?
I'm only ..."
So, as I mentioned earlier the title came from a writing exercise. I thought August Manor just had a good ring to it. It felt kind of stately and grandiose in a way that I thought really blended well with the story's tone, themes, and inspiration. And I do love the alliteration as well.
As for my other books, it really depends. The Broken Places's characters were all named from names I remember being generated for created players in an old baseball video game I had. In A Dark Roux the name Rhiannon had a specific purpose that fit well into the themes of the story, as did her brother Rhett. In A Dark and Endless Sea, Whitt Rogers's name is a wink and a nod to Whip Darling, the protagonist of one of my favorite ocean books, Peter Benchley's Beast.
So the answer is no real answer I suppose. Noelle's name was because I just liked the name! Usually one will hit and stick.
Wait, I thought you wrote an R and a blank and then waited for the rest to come to you! (Jk of course)
Andrew wrote: "Wait, I thought you wrote an R and a blank and then waited for the rest to come to you! (Jk of course)"Thats the emergency step
i finished this today. I liked it. I loved the atmosphere of it, i loved the folk horror or it. Thank you for joining us Blaine.
Latasha wrote: "i finished this today. I liked it. I loved the atmosphere of it, i loved the folk horror or it. Thank you for joining us Blaine."No, thank you for reading! Glad you dug the atmosphere of it!
Half way through, and I agree with others — the atmosphere is excellent.Blaine, what made you decide to set the story in Oregon?
Kenneth wrote: "Half way through, and I agree with others — the atmosphere is excellent.Blaine, what made you decide to set the story in Oregon?"
Ive always had this love of the overall vibe of the Pacific Northwest. 3 of my 4 novels are actually set in that general area (Bering Sea, Yukon, Oregon). I also wanted a place where there is usually steady rainfall for various reasons both aesthetically and in service of certain plot points in the story. Then while researching I came across the Cascade Mountains and just knew that HAD to be the setting for the story.
I read on your bio that you teach high school English. Do your students know that you write horror fiction, and have you had any fans in class?
Netanella wrote: "I read on your bio that you teach high school English. Do your students know that you write horror fiction, and have you had any fans in class?"Despite my best efforts to keep it hush hush at first, they did figure it out. Turns out high school kids love to google their teachers. I have had quite a few students read my work and they generally seem to enjoy it. I don't know if they think its actually good or if they just like hearing their english teacher drop F bombs or what, but many of them have read it. I like to think that many of them are kids who just actually like horror and maybe are learning that a whole genre of books are out there that might well be the ones to make them excited about reading.
Fun fact, there were two covers for Ashes of August Manor that my publisher and I couldn't decide between, so I actually showed them to all my classes and took a vote. My students essentially picked the cover that ended up being used.
I'd like to think that perhaps you will have a few budding horror writers amongst your students, inspired by the real thing. That would be awesome!
Blaine wrote: "Netanella wrote: "I read on your bio that you teach high school English. Do your students know that you write horror fiction, and have you had any fans in class?"Despite my best efforts to keep i..."
That’s awesome!
Blaine wrote: "Netanella wrote: "I read on your bio that you teach high school English. Do your students know that you write horror fiction, and have you had any fans in class?"Despite my best efforts to keep i..."
I had one last year write a horror short story and ask me to read it. It was one of the few bright spots of a difficult year.
One of the early scenes that first struck a chord in me was with the little boy, sitting alone in his upstairs room in August Manor, and being creeped out by the trees outside his window, and how he's afraid that the tree limb will break into his room and snatch him up. I was instantly reminded of the movie "Poltergeist" and a very similar scene. Were there any specific movies or film that you drew inspiration from as you were writing this story? How did you decide to move the ashes from (view spoiler)
Netanella wrote: "One of the early scenes that first struck a chord in me was with the little boy, sitting alone in his upstairs room in August Manor, and being creeped out by the trees outside his window, and how h..."So, the main inspirations for this book were Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House and Adam Nevill's House of Small Shadows. In terms of that particular scene I was just trying to think about what a kid in his situation would be afraid of, and in the context of the story the woods are horrifying to him. In so many ways they are alive, and I thought having that at the very beginning would create a sense of dread anytime Noelle found herself surrounded by trees, such as on the drive up to August Manor.
In terms of the ashes (view spoiler)
Finished this up last night. Well done, Blaine. I think you’ve successfully married Gothic horror with folk horror. What was your inspiration for Old Crow?
Kenneth wrote: "Finished this up last night. Well done, Blaine. I think you’ve successfully married Gothic horror with folk horror. What was your inspiration for Old Crow?"
I was looking for something a little different than I usually do. I knew ravens played a huge role in the story so I thought about something avian in nature and went from there. I took some inspiration from the way mothman was depicted in The Mothman Prophecies as well as the way the witch was shown in the Blair Witch sequel in 2015. So I took those aspects and combined it with avian features. Then I added some aspects of Germanic/Austrian folklore with the Nachtkrapp, which is a huge raven-like being that would hunt children at night and devour them by ripping off their limbs and consuming their hearts.
I mean, how could I NOT use that?
The name Old Crow was less exciting. When I was researching the Yukon for my debut novel, I stumbled across a town along the arctic circle that goes by the same name and it stuck it my head. It sounded very, i don't know, "cultish" in a way that seemed to give some sort of reverence. So I remembered it and when it came to name the entity in the book, Old Crow just fit perfectly.
Man, this month flew by fast! Thanks for joining us, Blaine. Can you tell us what you have coming down the pike for the rest of 2025 and beyond?
Kenneth wrote: "Man, this month flew by fast! Thanks for joining us, Blaine. Can you tell us what you have coming down the pike for the rest of 2025 and beyond?"So in January I will release my fifth novel titled Porcelain Lullaby. Im really excited about it. Its about two brothers who recieve a phone call from their long dead mother calling them to an old abandoned orphanage. Then at some point next year I will have a collaboration released with William F Gray as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Ashes-...