Some inspiration for my forthcoming novel

 

Despite being relatively short (just over 200 pages), my novel LOVERS was a slow writing process. I had started it in 2017, and due to several other projects (novellas, non-fiction film books) and situations, it took a necessary back seat, but was finally finished in 2022. And during that time, I had revisited a few films whose themes were an inspiration.

Abel Ferrara’s 4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH (2011) is a dark, moody, quiet drama that looks at how a couple spends their last day together before an impending scientific apocalypse. Instead of panicking, Cisco (Willem Dafoe) and Skye (Shanyn Leigh) hold up in their apartment contemplating their past lives and creating art. It’s unlike any end times film you’ve seen before, and encourages artists from all mediums to do something different. It’s easily Ferrara’s most underrated work.

THE SWIMMER (1968) first caught my attention when I watched it on the late movie when I was about 8 years old. I was at a sleep over at a cousin’s house, and when everyone else had passed out, I stayed up glued to the TV. I had no idea what the film meant back then, yet it stayed with me and left a lasting impression. It’s a masterclass in existential dread, of a man attempting to remember who he is, and the mystery of the finale still sparks discussion to this day. As LOVERS evolved, I had Ned Merrill (a brilliant Burt Lancaster) in mind.

LOVE ME DEADLY (1973) isn’t the first film to deal with its taboo subject, but is perhaps one of the more unusual films to look at the life of a person obsessed with the dead. Beyond being an exploitative drive-in film, main character Lindsay Finch (Mary Wilcox, who refused to discuss the film after it became a notorious cult hit) is deeply examined, from her mentally abusive childhood through her adult indoctrination by a most unusual cult. The film proved you can deal with grim subject matter without being over-the-top disgusting, and that concept was incorporated into my story.

1962’s CARNIVAL OF SOULS feels like a dream from its opening moments until its haunting finale, as we follow Mary Henry (a grossly underrated Candace Hilligoss) as she tries to make sense of her life after a car crash claims the lives of everyone involved except herself. LOVERS’ main character, Dan, was a semi-tribute to Mary, as he struggles to understand what is happening to him in his average, everyday life.

The one thing these films have in common is how their main characters are in states of discovery and unusual self-reflection. I’m hoping some of the themes I’ve built LOVERS around will haunt the reader (in a positive way) to consider where they’ve been and where they may be headed. 

CHEW TOYS second edition

 

Above is the wrap-around cover design for my novella CHEW TOYS. The novella was first published in 2018 in a 3-novella anthology titled THREE A.M. WAKE UP CALL, published by Books & Boos Press. This second edition features original artwork on the cover by UK artist Simon Pritchard with the wrap-around design by Dave K (DK Graphic Works, @a_fiend_no_more). This was one of the best times I ever had writing a story, as the tone is darkly comic yet overall serious despite the absurd subject matter. Release date is 7/28/26 through Squid Salad Press. Zoom in on the back cover to read the full synopsis. More news soon...

Some Fresh Bloodsuckers...

 

NIGHTJARS by Michael Wehunt (to be released 9/29/26 by St. Martin’s Press / 352 pages)

Luke Oshel is a divorced man and a recovering addict, finally back out on a blind date, when his life takes a dark turn: his date excuses herself never to return, and she has left behind the first in a series of disturbing photographs which feature Luke as a child with his father Ed … and a dead woman.

As the photos get more graphic, Luke struggles harder trying to recall his past, going so far as to try hypnosis. But as fresh corpses start showing up all these years later, signs point to Luke as the culprit, and it seems his ex-wife and daughter are the next targets for his killing spree … or is the killer someone (or something) else?

NIGHTJARS is a creepy-as-it-gets take on serial killers, vampires, and generational trauma. Vampires are a hard sell for me, but here they’re handled as Appalachian folklore, allowing the author to craft something fresh despite keeping some familiar tropes in the background. Wehunt’s writing is seriously engaging, particularly during the second half, which while violent and action packed, loses none of the novel’s earlier chill factor.

NIGHTJARS is a recommended good time, and for me, the best take on vampires since Tim Lebbon’s 2006 novel BERSERK.

Aliens get Sneaky…

 

VEIL by Jonathan Janz (to be released 9/16/25 by Blackstone Publishing / 360 pages)

In the latest from genre favorite Janz, people begin vanishing into thin air one seemingly ordinary night. But as dawn arrives, it appears those being snatched are abducted by some type of invisible force, their faces full of terror. This is the complete opposite of a heavenly rapture many hope for.

The novel follows a high school teacher named John who loses his wife and son, and after a couple months of struggling to survive, his teenaged daughter is ripped right from their allegedly safe hiding space. John meets up with a radical group of survivors who have discovered, by a (literal) accident, how they can see the invisible alien creatures who have figured out a strange way to invade our world.

After undergoing risky surgery to gain this new vision, John and co. are on a mission to rescue their loved ones on the aliens’ turf, and what follows is an action-packed sci-fi creature feature that’s full of heart and stand-up-and-cheer moments, not to mention a wickedly heartbreaking scene when John finally manages to locate his abducted son.

You’ve heard the term “popcorn movie.” This is an exciting “popcorn novel” that can be enjoyed even by those who don’t regularly read horror or sci-fi. With a super fast pace and a cast the reader cares for, this VEIL is nearly impossible to put down until you’ve completely looked behind it.

Don’t Miss this Haunting

 

 

THE OCTOBER FILM HAUNT by Michael Wehunt (to be released 9/30/25 by St. Martin’s Press / 336 pages)

The title of this book is the name of a trio who visit horror film sites and blog about them. One film, titled ‘Proof of Demons,’ gains a hardcore following, and after a real life tragedy, a sequel is being made by a cult of the film’s fans. But now, Jorie, a member of the Film Haunt who has left the horror scene, is being forced to star in the sequel by the original film’s fans/cult and director, who have oddly enabled a supernatural creature to help them.

I’ve been loving the trend of horror film-themed novels, and author Wehunt blends this with another recent trend, Internet influence, and has created a genuinely unsettling tale where the reader is often required to decipher what’s actually happening or what is part of an otherworldly slant.

This could’ve used a bit of tightening up, as a few areas drag for a bit, making the story slow down at times, which is difficult to say about an otherwise very well-written novel. But the payoff is certainly worth the reader’s time, and one chapter features a possession scene from the human point of view that hasn’t been done this effectively since Michael Laimo’s novel THE DEMONOLOGIST 20 years ago. 

A fine addition to the crop of horror film-themed horror novels, Wehunt’s debut was well worth the wait for those who have been following his short fiction (he has two published collections). I’m eager to see what’s next.

Religious Terror in the Deep South

 

WORDS OF CHRIST IN RED by Robbie Dorman (2025 Independently Published / 304 pp / to be released 4/18/25)

Pastor David Ingram accepts a job in a small church in Georgia, taking over for his friend, the previous minister, who died in a tragic car crash. The job is offered to David by the late minister’s wife, and it doesn’t take long for the super-conservative congregation to split.

David, along with his husband and young son, are accused of bringing Satan into the church and continuing to change things as the previous pastor had begun. As David attempts to preach love and acceptance, Eli, a long standing member of the church, believes it is his calling to bring judgment and punishment to those who refuse to stay on his side. A commissioned statue of Christ is removed from the church, and Eli believes it is giving him commands straight from God.

WORDS OF CHRIST IN RED may be a bit more thriller than flat out horror, but supernatural elements do come in to play, especially when one of the faithful shows David his special way of communing with God.

Anyone who grew up in (or even visited) a small church can easily associate with the turmoils presented here, and the author builds enough suspense and tension that even if religious horror isn’t your thing, you may still find yourself racing through the pages to see what happens … and the final chapter will surely be debated by all who take this emotional trip.