Troy McCombs On Becoming A Writer @sonne3 #Horror #AmWriting #AmReading

I’ve always loved to tell stories… especially scary ones. I can remember getting lots of ideas and inspiration from watching horror movies as a precocious child. From Amityville to Evil Dead, from Friday the 13th to Nightmare on Elm Street, I sucked up horror like a vacuum and never let it go.

Or perhaps it never let me go.

I was about nine when I wrote my first story. Our teacher wanted the students to write a story for class credit. I ended up writing a story about a Native American who’s trying to get away from the settlers. The man ends up falling face-first into a campfire and getting a lizard (which somebody had been cooking) melted to his face. Consequently, he has to live the rest of his days as a freak.

Not exactly horror, but that’s where I began. I distinctly recall falling in love with the craft instantly. I said: “Here’s what I want to do: tell stories.” It filled a void in my life; does still.

Looking back, I can also remember the first two books I ever purchased: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood and H.P. Lovecraft’s Lurking Fear and other Stories. Despite the big words and complicated prose, I ate them up. Early on, Lovecraft became my favorite author of the genre. No other writer has ever given me chills the way he has. Even today many of his stories resonate with me, twenty years later. I skipped Stephen King for the longest time, mainly because 1000 page books seemed like a lot to digest. Nowadays I read quite a bit of his work.

So what is it about horror that I like so much? What do I find so fun about trying to scare people?

Well, since I was young—even before I started writing—I’ve had a severe social anxiety that lasts to this very day. I have panic attacks in crowded places, have great difficultly socializing with people I don’t know, and have been stigmatized by my peers because I’m so different. I guess I’ve always felt like I was a monster (like in Lovecraft’s The Outsider) from society’s standpoint; and that from mine, society was the monster. Writing helps set me free.

That’s me in a nutshell, no pun intended.

My novel, Imaginary Friend, is about a tormented young boy named Nathan Stevenson, who magically brings his imaginary friend (his only friend) to life when he can no longer bear the abuse from his father, peers, and elders. Max not only helps him out, but slaughters anyone who tries to hurt his creator. The boy learns later on that his friend is developing a mind of his own and may end up turning on him before the worst is over.

It’s a dark, disturbing book, and I know one person who could not read past the first chapter without having to stopbecause of the brutality. So, if you’re a fan of demented stuff, this should be right up your alley.

I intend to keep on writing for as long as I live. Not all of my stuff is dark, and not all of my stuff is horror. I also love drama and coming-of-age stories (of which I’ve written). In fact, the next three stories I have lined up to write are in these genres.

I thank you for reading this, and hope you’ll check out my work sometime. Be safe, have a nice summer, and happy reading!

Peace!

The apostles said to Jesus, “Make our faith greater.” Jesus answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.”

Tulpa: a materialized thought that has taken physical form.

Eight-year-old Nathan Stevenson is beat by his father, teased by his peers, and has zero friends—except Max, his imaginary friend. Max is a heroic creature he created years ago when the physical abuse became too much to bear. Strangely, every time Nathan imagines him, he becomes more lifelike, more substantial… but nobody could guess what soon happens when Nathan refuses to be a victim anymore.

The barriers of reality break down, and Max becomes real. Only Nathan can see him, but anyone can feel his violent wrath. The monster slays anyone who gets in his creator’s path, and eats the hearts of his casualties in order to obtain strength. There’s only one question: can Nathan learn to control his Tulpa? Or will it break free from his mental restraints to do whatever it desires? Either way, there will be a lot of dead bodies to clean up!

Author’s Note:
This paranormal/splatterpunk horror novel, Imaginary Friend, has been updated with a new cover and has been reedited for a more soothing read. It also contains elements of science fiction and fantasy, but the information about “Tulpas” are based on fact. For adults only!

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Horror

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with Troy McCombs on Facebook & Twitter

Blog http://tmhorror.blogspot.com/

#Excerpt from GENERATION by @_William_Knight #AmReading #Thriller #Crime

Four hours after crawling from a fern-covered hide on Dartmoor, and driving along the M4 through one of the heaviest March downpours since records began, Hendrix Harrison stood at his desk sorting through a collection of prints featuring the so-called Ashburton Wolf. He took each in turn, held it to the light, then placed them in order of preference, working silently and quickly. He liked to spread them out on a table rather than peer at a screen, which limited his ability to compare subtle differences. Others called him a Luddite.

The editorial offices of Strange Phenomena included a large open-plan floor space and half a dozen rooms in a red brick office block conspicuously dumped between gleaming façades on Broadwick Street in Soho. An expensive location afforded through the magazine’s publishing group, RET, and the fact that the space was shared with three other publications, all owned by the group. Strange Phenomena’s set of desks occupied a four by seven metre island in the centre of the main room and seated a staff of five dedicated to the monthly issue and the website.

Joan O’Connell was the latest addition to the team, taken on as editor for online content. She coordinated work for Kirsty and William who, as junior reporters, bashed out much of the routine copy which she and Hendrix later rendered readable.

Sometimes he wondered if he should just write it all himself, but with so few staff, a regularly updated website and a monthly issue, roles were somewhat fluid. The magazine relied on half a dozen key freelancers to write features for the print copy.

At one end of the island-of-desks Tom Giles, the managing editor, had arranged a two-seater leather sofa which had followed him around since university. These days it was rarely visited except during crises when he and Hendrix shared a shot of Tequila and resolved the world’s problems over a lick of salt and a slice of lemon. Hendrix had to admit crises were getting more common as readers abandoned print subscriptions for the internet, and retailers concentrated on more commercial lifestyle titles.

A man emerges from the sodden undergrowth, lost, lonely and starving he is mown down by a speeding car on the edge of a remote forest.

Rumours of ghostly apparitions haunt a rural Northumberland community.

A renowned forensic research establishment is troubled by impossible results and unprecedented interference from an influential drug company.

Hendrix ‘Aitch’ Harrison is a tech-phobic journalist who must link these events together.

Normally side-lined to investigate UFOs and big-beast myths, but thrust into world of cynical corporate motivations, Hendrix is aided by a determined and ambitious entomologist. Together they delve into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagining.

In a chase of escalating dangers, Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged victims donated to scientific research.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Crime, Thriller, Horror

Rating – R-16

More details about the author

Connect with William Knight on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.williamknight.info