Horror Aficionados discussion

This is the thread for the September 2018 Group Read #2 with Guest Authors, Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey. We will be reading their haunted collaboration, Practitioners, which has been gathering excellent reviews since it's release. Patrick has been a repeat offender here on HA, but this is Matt's first time with us. So, please don't torture him...too badly, that is! Please help me welcome Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey!

Welcome Matt, and welcome (back) Patrick!!

Welcome Matt and Patrick, wrote a great review of this and I'm really looking forward to it.

Welcome Matt and welcome back Patrick. this sounds great. I'm going to try to fit all these reads in. everything sounds so great this month!

Latasha wrote: "Welcome Matt and welcome back Patrick. this sounds great. I'm going to try to fit all these reads in. everything sounds so great this month!"

ok I bought it and I'm ready to go.

I’m so excited, I have a few things to say!!!

*Ken- However you managed to get this kickass lineup for guest authors for September, BRAVO!!! Oh, and you rock at consistently putting together guest author reads, so please keep doing what you’re doing & let’s ALL give Ken a thumbs up, a kudos, well wishes, or any type of sign of appreciation! ;)

Patrick Lacey - I’m thrilled that you’ve dropped by to hang out with us horror fanatics & bringing some new collaborated material no less! This is where I do my happy dance... I have been a super fan of your writing since I inhaled WE CAME BACK, loved it, then proceeded to read all of your books. I’m ready to dive into this one for September. 😆

Matt Hayward - Greetings & welcome to HA! Thank you for agreeing to spend some time with us this month. I’m looking forward to getting to know a bit about you & am on my way to reading your work for the first time, however something tells me that it will be fantastic. ^_^

Hope you enjoy the book, Sheri! Looking forward to your questions, which are consistently great.

I'll be purchasing this one to join in!!

Kimberly wrote: "Welcome Matt, and welcome (back) Patrick!!"
Thanks, Kimberly

Latasha wrote: "Latasha wrote: "Welcome Matt and welcome back Patrick. this sounds great. I'm going to try to fit all these reads in. everything sounds so great this month!"

ok I bought it and I'm ready to go."

Rock N Roll time

Sheri wrote: "I’m so excited, I have a few things to say!!!

*Ken- However you managed to get this kickass lineup for guest authors for September, BRAVO!!! Oh, and you rock at consistently putting together guest..."

Hope you enjoy it, Sheri

Matt and Pat, your cover has a wonderful 70s/80s vibe to it. What can you tell us about the design and artwork?

That’s all the work of author/designer Rachel Autumn Deering. We originally wanted just a worn-out guy screaming, with a third eye. Rachel went above and beyond. We’re both fans of classic pulp paperback covers so when Rachel turned in that cover we both lost our minds.

How was it co-writing with someone? How do you and Pat decide who writes what? How did the idea come about to write the story together?

The novel originated as a short story that was essentially the opening chapter. A magazine wanted to buy the short, but wanted me to change the ending. I’d become attached to the main character and asked Pat if he’d be interested in developing it as a novel. The process was a lot of fun. I polished up that first chapter, send it to Pat, he fired back a second chapter within days and the story took on a life of its own. Watching someone work in real-time gives you a whole new appreciation for their storytelling. We really didn’t have an outline, so we just allowed the story to breathe and go where needed

What Matt said. I'm also happy that the cover is tinged with a heavy metal vibe, which isn't exactly surprising, considering she's a huge fellow metal fan.

Ken wrote: "How was it co-writing with someone? How do you and Pat decide who writes what? How did the idea come about to write the story together?"

Right, no outline to speak of and at a certain point, maybe halfway through the draft, Matt and I started intentionally trying to outdo the other. I'd throw something ridiculous into the mix, assuming he wouldn't be able to take it from there, and then he'd prove me wrong. It was truly a great experience and I think we're both better writers because of it.

Welcome back, Patrick! Hello and welcome, Matt! It's awesome to have you here. :)

Char wrote: "Welcome back, Patrick! Hello and welcome, Matt! It's awesome to have you here. :)"

Thanks for having us, it's a blast so far

Matt wrote: "Char wrote: "Welcome back, Patrick! Hello and welcome, Matt! It's awesome to have you here. :)"

Thanks for having us, it's a blast so far"

I very much enjoyed listening to your interview on THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE. I hope you have as much fun here as you seemed to have in that interview. :)

P.S. PESTILENT looks AWESOME.

Thanks, I had a great time at Keene’s place (and in the States in general)

Just cracked this one open last night and busted out the first chapter. One of the things that threw me for a loop was (view spoiler)[ Henry Stapleton's old partner is enabling his distraught and hallucinating co-worker by participating in these delusions. Why would anyone do this?? (hide spoiler)]. I have to know more!

Ken wrote: "Just cracked this one open last night and busted out the first chapter. One of the things that threw me for a loop was [spoilers removed]. I have to know more!"

That's a great question, Ken. I think that George does this reluctantly. He knows he's in some ways enabling Henry but in an another sense, these delusions are a big part of Henry's road to recovery. It also helps establish some tension from the offset. They've been partners for a good while and things are bound to get tense after a while.

About to sit down and dig back into this. I finished Chapter 7 last night and (view spoiler)[ I feel like I've been allowed to wander through the mind of a madman. Henry isn't the only one having trouble trying to decide what is real and what isn't. There's a murder and now Henry says he know where the body is? I'm thinking there are many more layers here than meets the eye. (hide spoiler)]

Ken wrote: "About to sit down and dig back into this. I finished Chapter 7 last night and [spoilers removed]"

Thanks, Ken. We had a lot of fun weaving the dream world and the real world together.

Hooray! Finally finished my other books so starting this one tonight.

Melanie wrote: "Hooray! Finally finished my other books so starting this one tonight."

Hope you enjoy it, Melanie

Finished this one up this weekend and enjoyed it. Matt and Pat, you guys really through everything at this story but the kitchen sink. It runs the gamut through all the genres - horror, sci-fi, fantasy, crime drama, etc. While reading the story, it has it's moments that reminded me of some of Clive Barker's works. But early on, the one story I kept being reminded of was Phantasm. Something about the two different worlds and the evil trying to come through into ours. I think you could make the case for Lovecraft, and half a dozen other authors/stories/movies. Was there anything, in particular, that influenced either of you while you were writing?

Thanks so much, Ken. Really glad you enjoyed it. I think a lot of Bentley Little went in there, for starters. Both Pat and I are huge fans of his so when it came to world-building, he definitely fueled our craft. Nightmare On Elm Street was another subconscious influence. Because of our setup, I think the Elm Street vibe crept in as the story progressed. Personally, A lot of TV shows came to mind when I wrote my chapters (True Detective / Breaking Bad), I think that’s because television was where I was getting my crime fix at the time.

Here's my review of PRACTITIONERS. Now, I'm off to Amazon to post it!

http://intothemacabre.com/2018/09/20/...

Great review Ken, I'm just over half-way through and it's really picking up the pace.

What’s your thoughts up to this point?

I must admit I was a wee bit concerned in the early chapters when (view spoiler)[ Henry didn't realise too quick the chick running naked down the road was not real or at least not able to be seen by other people!! (hide spoiler)], fortunately he seems to have gained a few clues since then. I'm a bit concerned about (view spoiler)[ what's happened to poor old hippy-lad 'Kale', hoping there'll be some more info there. I also really like the way there seems to be two (or more?) overlapping realities, and that Henry's smart enough to have figured that out as a possibility. I get so irritated when the reader is way smarter than the protagonist, who ends up blundering around like some sort of bewilderbeast making one idiotic decision after another. (hide spoiler)]. I do however think George deserves a good slap upside his head for (view spoiler)[ suggesting Henry ask the waitress out. Too soon mate, too soon. (hide spoiler)].

Matt and Pat, what all do you have coming down the pike for us for the rest of 2018 and beyond?

I have a new novel called THE FAITHFUL coming on 15 October through Sinister Grin Press, and I recently compiled the shared-universe anthology WELCOME TO THE SHOW which includes stories from Brian Keene, John Skipp, Patrick Lacey, Bryan Smith, Rachel Authumn Deering, Jeff Strand and more. I’ve also just turned a coming-of-age Horror novel over to my agent titled FROM UP HERE, and I have a new short story titled SHE SELLS SEASHELLS in October’s issue of DARK MOON DIGEST

Matt wrote: "Thanks so much, Ken. Really glad you enjoyed it. I think a lot of Bentley Little went in there, for starters. Both Pat and I are huge fans of his so when it came to world-building, he definitely fu..."

Yes, what Matt said. In fact, sometimes at conventions, I pitch this as True Detective meets Nightmare on Elm Street meets Jacob's Ladder. Definitely an everything-but-the-kitchen sink novel.

Ken wrote: "Matt and Pat, what all do you have coming down the pike for us for the rest of 2018 and beyond?"

I have a new novel, WHERE STARS WON'T SHINE, coming out through Grindhouse Press. Not entirely sure of the release date yet, as the ink is still drying, but probably sometime early next year. I also have another co-written novel releasing next year that I can't really talk about but it definitely doesn't have pirate cults or giant sea snakes, that's for sure.