Gore and More discussion

This is the thread to discuss We Came Back by Patrick Lacey. As if reading a great horror tale isn't enough reason to jump on this Group Read, Patrick is donating all of the proceeds to the American Cancer Society in honor of his late father. Please help me welcome Patrick Lacey!

I am going to join in with this one too.
Welcome Patrick! Thanks for doing this with us.

Great cause, and thanks for having it at .99. I'm sure more people would participate in group reads if authors offered their books at a low price for the group reads.

Hey all. Pat here. Just checking in and introducing myself. Thanks very much to everyone who's taken advantage of the sale and picked up a copy of WE CAME BACK. This book is near and dear to my heart, which is why I chose to donate all of my royalties. Very much looking forward to discussing the novel with everyone so send me your questions as they pop into your collective heads!

I was fortunate to read this for review, and you all are in for a great experience as you read it. Welcome, Patrick!

Thanks for the kind words!

Just grabbed a copy! Never heard anything about it but I'm very curious. Will start it soon. Thanks Patrick.

Just purchased the Kindle version.
A big thank you Patrick for donating to a very worthy cause.
I was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2009, & it is a tough thing to deal with and I think even tougher on the family.
Looking forward to reading your book.

@Patrick Lacey: Thank you for letting us put something we love doing to a great cause. I'm a survivor myself & have been touched by cancer in other ways as well. I am both proud and excited about your book as what you're doing with the royalties is such an honorable thing & I'm a horror fanatic!! Welcome to our group! We are happy to have you along for the ride.
^_^

I will be getting the kindle version tomorrow and can't wait to start reading. Thank you Patrick Lacey for the donations going to such a good cause.

Thanks again to everyone who's picked up the book! It's wonderful hearing your personal stories and it means more than I can articulate.

What an amazing act of generosity and kindness by you Patrick. We'll done.

Are we starting now?
I started and am at 15%. Loving it!
This is my kind of book.
Started out very descriptive, I could really picture the scene.
Also love getting to know the characters. The high school feels realistic to me.
I have a feeling this is going to go fast for me.

I started it too. I'm 13 % and I'm enjoying. I don't read synopsis so it is nice to not know anything.

Ok so this is my first group read with you guys, I've downloaded this onto my kindle so should be starting soon once I finish up my current reads. I read the first bit on the amazon look-inside thingy and I'm definitely intrigued.

I read this book a few weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. My favorite read of 2017 so far.

Whoa, thanks buddy! This made my day.

It is definitely hard to put down. I have a busy week, but I find myself procrastinating on things I need to do to read this!
I am now at 34% and I wonder (view spoiler)[Why he hasn't allowed/encouraged Alyssa into the "club". She would be so easy to turn.
Also, wondering more about Alyssa's dad and about the fact that he was in the cafeteria when Melvin shot himself and actually was a bystander is going to play out.
I definitely think that is why Busty is dating her. But, what is his plan for this?
I also found it hysterical how the good kids gone bad has basically leveled the parents to the point they are speechless and don't know what to do. (hide spoiler)]

Patrick, what can you tell us about the cover? Who designed it and what amount of input did you have?

Ken wrote: "Patrick, what can you tell us about the cover? Who designed it and what amount of input did you have?"

Thanks for asking, Ken! There are a few key scenes in the novel, without giving too much away, that involve *something* being nailed to a door (as part of a possible sacrificial ritual), which then results in a bloody message written out. I wanted to incorporate that not only into the cover but the title itself. I relayed this to Sinister Grin and they sent me a hilariously bad mock-up just to see if they were on the right track. I incidentally got the OK to share this on my Facebook as a joke, which generated some good laughs. When they sent the cover you now see, I was blown away. I think it represents the novel perfectly and I also love the creature peeking out from the window because you can't quite make out all the details. A+ in my humble opinion, though I might be biased.

I am about half way through and I love it! Really starting to regret scheduling such a busy week for myself, I won't be able to get to it until later this evening and I'm dying to know what's going to happen! So creepy!

Patrick wrote: "Ken wrote: "Patrick, what can you tell us about the cover? Who designed it and what amount of input did you have?"

Thanks for asking, Ken! There are a few key scenes in the novel, without giving t..."

Is it pretty standard for publishers to give artistic freedom to the author in regards to cover design?

Ken wrote: "Patrick wrote: "Ken wrote: "Patrick, what can you tell us about the cover? Who designed it and what amount of input did you have?"

Thanks for asking, Ken! There are a few key scenes in the novel, ..."

In my experience in the small press publishing corner of the world, it's fairly collaborative. Some publishers will ask for detailed notes from the author regarding their vision, while others just request an overall theme or tone that the author has in mind. They then pass these notes along to the graphic designer and there's a bit of wiggle room (again, this is just my personal experience) until both parties come to a consensus. I'm big on collaborating so this is one of my favorite stages of the publication cycle.

Am at 75%
My fav scenes so far are
(view spoiler)[when Justin is at the graveyard talking to his dad and sharing a rootbeer
And
The jail, when Tom was able to escape- very scary (hide spoiler)]

My question for Patrick is:
Do you base your characters on people you know or parts of yourself or do you create them from imagination?

Vicki wrote: "Am at 75%
My fav scenes so far are
when Justin is at the graveyard talking to his dad and sharing a rootbeer
And
The jail, when Tom was able to escape- very scary

My question for Patrick is:
Do yo..."

Thanks for the question, Vicki!

This book in particular is very autobiographical, much more so than my other works. I lost my father in high school so he, Justin, and Justin's mother are all very much based after my own experiences. Many of the teachers, too, are drawn from reality. I was an education major for a long time in college but switched near the end because the teachers I was observing seemed so exhausted. They more or less told me of the toll the educational system takes on you. I have nothing but the utmost respect for teachers and think they're vastly underappreciated, so I wanted to show this side of their jobs. With that said, I tend to take different traits and aspects from reality and add other fictional aspects, so I guess you could say they're a hodge podge of both real and fake. Hope that makes sense and I didn't ramble too much!

I really liked this book. It reminded me of those Point Horror books I loved to read as a teenager, by authors such as R L Stine, only this was obviously a more adult version. I thought the characters worked well and the plot was well thought out. However, (view spoiler)[as someone who loves cats, I must say there were a few iffy moments (hide spoiler)]. Overall, I gave it 4 stars.

I'm late starting this as been ultra backed up with work, but I've got a few free days to play catch-up now. And hey, Patrick, nice touch with donating the proceeds. I hope you raise a stash!

A little over 1/3 of the way through the story and I'm loving the idea of (view spoiler)[ the silver spoon Rhodes Scholars turning into creepy bad asses. (hide spoiler)]

a little late myself but getting it right now. it looks like my kind of read☺

60% in and I'm trying to put myself in the teacher's shoes. What would I do if this was going down at my school?

Patrick, I'm kinda digging that (view spoiler)[ the affected ones that have been "recruited" are mainly the prissy nerds that all got straight A's. Were you one of those prissy nerds in school? Lol. (hide spoiler)]

Ken wrote: "60% in and I'm trying to put myself in the teacher's shoes. What would I do if this was going down at my school?"

I was thinking the same thing when I read it! I would have definitely taken time off! I wouldn't have messed with that!
I also liked that it was (view spoiler)[ the 'prissy nerds who were recruited and not the bad kids. It made it all the scarier, because now who was left?!
And Yes, I was one. :) (hide spoiler)]

I absolutely LOVED every aspect of this book. My review says it all. I began reading it within a few days of downloading it & when I started, I finished in 2 days I haven't done that in quite a while. I have had intentions to or I may plan to read a book that quickly, but it usually takes longer. I read so early in the month that I haven't been in the discussions w/those of us in the group that are at different places in the book. I envy those of you that are reading it for the first time. My advice...stretch it out a bit *if you can!

As usual I find myself juggling my reads (a habit I really need to break). But I've still managed to hit the 70% mark, and this is definitely the most fun I'm having with my current reads! ;)

Ken wrote: "Patrick, I'm kinda digging that [spoilers removed]"

Ken, I was certainly a nerd and am proudly still one today. I used to watch horror movies and categorize my metal CDs much too often, which usually got in the way of my homework. I don't think my grades were good enough to be classified as "prissy," though.

This is a really good book. I'm loving it. I'm going to check out your other books.

Patrick wrote: "Ken wrote: "Patrick, I'm kinda digging that [spoilers removed]"

Ken, I was certainly a nerd and am proudly still one today. I used to watch horror movies and categorize my metal CDs much too often..."

I have to admit that I have the same tendencies. I had a huge collection of metal CDs, horror videos and a bookshelves full of horror fiction - all of them alphabetized. It always made it hell when I would get a new AC/DC disc or the new Alien movie and have to move all of the others down a notch to create room for the new purchase.

About 35% through and MAN is it intense!

Then you are definitely in for a ride! I remember 35-45% mark & I thought I had an idea of the outcome, the book has a great beginning & just keeps building & getting freakier all the way through. By 70%, you'll be unable to put it down as you won't believe what you're reading.

*Enjoy!!

Troy wrote: "I'm late to the party, but finally had a chance to start this last week. One of the most unique horror stories I've read in a long time! Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"

Thanks so much for the kind words, Troy! So glad you dug it!

I've been neglecting reading lately but I want to get right back into this. I was enjoying it.

@Monica, if you do get back onto this book-after a while, it won't let you put it down! It's my favorite of 2017 & I read a lot. In fact, I wish I was where you are--having not finished it yet! :D

Wow this will definitely help me go back into it :D

Awesome! :)

My official review!!

https://chatterfromacoffeehouse.wordp...

Kyleigh wrote: "My official review!!

https://chatterfromacoffeehouse.wordp..."

Thanks very much for the review, Kyleigh!

Hi, sorry for the lack of input recently, but I've been up at the coast for three weeks. Still, it allowed me some reading time. Kudos to Patrick, I enjoyed the book! ;)

Here's my review, which I'll post on Amazon within the next 24 hours:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

David wrote: "Hi, sorry for the lack of input recently, but I've been up at the coast for three weeks. Still, it allowed me some reading time. Kudos to Patrick, I enjoyed the book! ;)

Here's my review, which I'..."

Thanks very much for the kind review, David! I especially like your comment about the multiple points of view. This novel has, by far, the most characters out of anything I've ever written, so that was a major concern of mine while writing.

Thanks again!

I finally finished it. I enjoyed it, but I think that the fact that I left it so many times worked against it.
One thing that bothered me was (view spoiler)[ the way the vamps were killed, it didn't make much sense to me and the explanation didn't feel plausible. (hide spoiler)] Overall a good creepy read.