CW | CW Hawes - Part 26

Mystery vs Suspense vs Thriller One Reader’s View

Crime can pay. Crime writing, that is. Then, again, real crime can pay too. But we’ll leave real crime for others to do. Today I want to talk about crime fiction; specifically about mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.

Thrillers

Thrillers are all the rage these days, but what exactly is a thriller?

A thriller is an action story. Usually fast-paced. The protagonist is in danger from the beginning. There is a bad guy and the protagonist must stop him (or her) from accomplishing his nefarious deed. We usually know the good and bad guys right from the beginning.

The scope of the thriller is often large. The bad guy isn’t playing for pennies. He’s going to blow up a city, poison a country, start a nuclear war. The thriller is about big action and big bad guys. The protagonist, to some degree, must also be larger than life.

The works of Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler are examples of good thrillers.

In the hands of a good writer, the thriller can be a thrilling read. Often, though, the writing is sub-par and the story not plausible, unless I, the reader, exercise a mega-dose of the suspension of disbelief. This is how the Jack Reacher stories strike me.

Many books are labeled as thrillers, which technically aren’t. Why? Money. As one wit noted, the difference between a mystery and a thriller is about a hundred thousand dollars.

Suspense

The suspense novel is often a slow burn story. The focus isn’t on action, although there may be quite a bit of action. The focus is on creating a feeling of suspense in the reader.

In the suspense story, the reader is omniscient. We see everything. We see the bad guy planning whatever it is he is going to do. We see the protagonist completely unaware, at least at the beginning, of the bad guy and his actions. We, the reader, see much more of the danger than the protagonist does and therein lies the creation of suspense.

The scope of the suspense story is generally limited and focused on the main character. Things are happening, usually to the main character, and he doesn’t know why. We, the reader, usually do, however, which adds to the suspense.

Cornell Woolrich was the suspense writer par excellence. Lester Dent also wrote some fine suspense novels.

The Mystery

The mystery is about solving crime, usually a murder. The crime usually happens at the beginning of the story and the sleuth’s job is to solve it. The protagonist (the sleuth) can be a professional or an amateur. And we usually do not learn who the bad guy is until the end of the story.

There are many mystery sub-categories. Right now, the most popular is what I call the chick lit cozy. It is the cozy mystery with the addition of elements from chick lit: a young (or youngish) woman, who is the main character/sleuth; she is divorced or a widow; has moved to a new location, and embarked on a new career; and there’s romance. Along with the regular cozy mystery, these are very clean and non-violent reads.

An indie example is Agatha Frost’s Peridale Cafe Murder Mystery series.

In a mystery, the reader only knows what he or she is told. We see what the sleuth sees. The story is as much a puzzle for the reader as it is for the protagonist.

The mystery can be filled with suspense and it can be thrilling. The danger to the protagonist builds, along with the story. The more the sleuth learns about the criminal, the greater the danger he or she is in.

Personal Assessment

For me, I find the mystery to be the most satisfying reading experience. It combines the puzzle with suspense and thrilling action.

While the mystery is technically a plot-driven story, rather than character-driven, I find that the most interesting mysteries are those which have interesting characters.

Mystery plots are basically all the same. There is a murderer who has killed someone and is trying to cover up the crime while the sleuth is trying to uncover it.

What makes the mystery story interesting is the cast of characters and the twists and turns of the storyline. And quite often the cast of characters can save a mediocre storyline.

After all, we remember Nero Wolfe, Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot, Mr and Mrs North, and Sherlock Holmes. But how many of the actual mystery stories featuring these characters do we remember? I bet not many.

In my opinion, interesting characters make mysteries more interesting reads than thrillers or suspense novels. Which usually have fairly stock characters.

Pacing is another reason I prefer the mystery as a reader. The pacing accelerates with the action in the story. As the clues (and sometimes the bodies) pile up and the more the sleuth knows, the more desperate the killer becomes. And the sleuth finds himself in ever increasing danger.

The action ratchets up in a natural progression. Unlike the thriller where were out of breath by page 2 or 3. The mystery, to my mind, is much more realistic and natural.

Finally, as a reader, I don’t necessarily want to know everything. For me the suspense of knowing there is a killer out there is sufficient. As I learn information with the sleuth, I form a bond with him. We are in this together, as it were. The very nature of the mystery, helps draw me into the world of the sleuth and his dilemma.

There are some fine mysteries being written today by indie authors. Two I especially like are:

Richard Schwindt’s Death in Sioux Lookout trilogy

Joe Congel’s Tony Razzolito P.I. series

Both are very good and very much worth a read.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Sredni Vashtar

Of all the books and stories I read during my elementary school years, there is one that stands out above all others and that one is “Sredni Vashtar” by Saki (HH Munro). You can read the story for free here.

Munro was one of a host of brilliant British writers and poets who died in World War I. He was killed by a German sniper on 14 November 1916. He was 45.

“Sredni Vashtar” was written sometime between 1900 and 1911 and was published in his short story collection The Chronicles of Clovis.

Readers who say they don’t like short stories because they supposedly lack a fully developed storyline or fully developed characters, can’t have read any good short stories. Because a good short story will give you all of those things and will do so in a small package. A package that will be quick to read — yet possibly remain with you for a lifetime.

The Story (warning: there be spoilers here)

Like all good short stories, the focus of the tale is narrow. “Sredni Vashtar” revolves around two people who are forced to live together and who don’t like each other. We learn very little about the household or the two people’s history. But we don’t need that information in order to understand what is going on in the story. The tale is about two people at a specific point in their lives.

Ten year old Conradin is an orphan, and the story is told through his eyes. He is sickly, the doctor giving him but five more years at the most to live. He has been taken in by his well-to-do cousin, Mrs De Ropp, who is overbearing, controlling, and takes great delight in denying her ward any pleasures.

To escape the unpleasantness of Mrs De Ropp and her world, Conradin lives in his imagination. He dreams of escaping his cousin’s smothering attentiveness and of getting revenge for her meanness.

Somewhere along the way, Conradin picks up a hen and a polecat-ferret. The former he loves, and she becomes, in a way, the object of his affection. The latter he both fears and holds in awe. He names the creature Sredni Vashtar and comes to think of the animal as his god, even going so far as to worship the animal with offerings of nutmeg that he steals from his cousin, which she uses to help her toothache.

The two animals are kept in an unused garden shed. For a time, Conradin is able keep their presence a secret as Mrs De Ropp is quite myopic, but eventually his continual trips to the shed draw her attention, and that is not a good thing. So it is, one day, over tea, that she announces the hen has been sold.

Conradin doesn’t give his cousin the satisfaction of seeing the hurt she has caused. He simply refuses to eat the toast she has made for him, which is one of his favorite things to eat.

From that point on, Conradin’s faith in his god soars to a new level. He nightly prays an unmentioned request, simply saying: “Do one thing for me, Sredni Vashtar.”

But when Conradin’s trips to the shed do not stop, Mrs De Ropp becomes suspicious and makes another visit. This time she finds the locked hutch and suspects her ward has another pet. She goes through his room until she finds the key, and then forbids him to leave the house.

From his window, Conradin watches Mrs De Ropp invade the shed and feels that once again he has lost. Even his god is powerless against his cousin. He loses his faith, as it were, and despair seizes him. He will never be free of his cousin and will die as her doctor has predicted.

However, a long time passes and Mrs De Ropp does not leave the shed. And as Conradin watches, he sees the polecat-ferret, its mouth bloodied, depart the shed and head for the woods. In his joy, Conradin chants a hymn of praise to Sredni Vashtar.

Tea is served and Conradin makes himself a slice of toast. There is a scream and a general commotion in the household. Conradin overhears the servants discussing who is going to tell “the boy”, while he simply makes himself another piece of toast.

Meaning

“Sredni Vashtar” is rich in meaning. A search of the internet reveals numerous commentaries on the story. In the end, commentaries aside, a story either touches you or it doesn’t. It will touch you if your experience connects with that of the main character in the story.

I think what touched me (I was 11 when I first read the story) was Conradin himself. His world was not unlike my world. A boy with an unhappy home life. Emotional abandonment, yet the exercise of cloying overprotectiveness and control. And most devastating of all, the knowledge that nothing we children did was ever good enough.

Like Conradin, my imagination was my refuge from a world that was not pleasant and one that could even be viewed as being hostile. At least for the most part.

Any piece of writing that can tap into our basic fears, joys, hopes, wishes, desires, and dreams, has the potential to be life changing or inspiring or, at the very least, memorable. Short stories, because they are short, can pack an emotional wallop much more effectively than a novel with its tens upon tens of thousands of words.

A good short story makes an impression that does not soon go away. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. Conrad Aikin’s “Silent Snow, Secret Snow”. Hemingway’s “The Hills like White Elephants”. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”. O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi”. WW Jacob’s “The Monkey’s Paw”. Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Algernon Blackwood’s “The Willows” and “The Man Whom the Trees Loved”. HP Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space”. And the list goes on and on.

Of all the short stories and novels I’ve read, the one I never forget, even when having a senior moment, is “Sredni Vashtar”. Now that is good storytelling.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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A Possible New Series

The Medusa Ritual (Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations, Book 5) is available on Amazon. You can buy the book here.

Books 6, 7, and 8 in the series are written. I’m currently proofreading and line editing Book 6 and typing Book 7, doing an initial line edit while typing the handwritten manuscript.

The Pierce Mostyn series is loads of fun to write, and doing so has introduced me to the fascinating sub-genre of the occult detective.

The occult detective sub-genre has been around since the mid-1800s. Being largely a fusion of the detective story and the Gothic horror tale. It came into being as the form we recognize today through the Flaxman Low stories by E. & E. Heron. They were first published in Pearson’s Magazine in 1898 and 1899.

The most famous occult detectives are probably Thomas Carnacki, created by William Hope Hodgson, and Jules de Grandin, created by Seabury Quinn.

I very much like detective mysteries, and I very much like supernatural horror — which makes the occult detective pretty close to perfection.

For some time now, simmering on the back burner, has been a contemporary occult detective series of my own. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I’m getting there.

The series would be something of a companion piece for Pierce Mostyn — readers of one series crossing over and reading the other. At least I hope they will!

There will be more on this in the coming months, as I get additional details of this new fictional world established.

If you haven’t tried Pierce Mostyn, take a peek. The series is on Amazon. Mostyn won’t bite, but the monsters might!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Pierce Mostyn in The Medusa Ritual

Pierce Mostyn, that intrepid foe of the things that go bump in the night, last appeared in Van Dyne’s Vampires, published October of last year.

Next week he will appear in a new adventure, his fifth: The Medusa Ritual.

The germ of the idea for Mostyn’s latest adventure can be found in the Hazel Heald and Lovecraft collaboration “The Man of Stone”. Collaboration, though, is a generous term; for, according to ST Joshi, Heald seems to have contributed virtually no prose to the story — based on textual evidence.

Thus, Heald probably only provided a story idea for Lovecraft to run with. Which he did, and that story then provided me with the idea for The Medusa Ritual. So thank you Hazel for that original idea!

However, while “The Man of Stone” got the wheels turning for The Medusa Ritual, there is nothing of the earlier story in the later one other than people being turned to stone.

While Van Dyne’s Vampires focused on what is essentially a mad scientist and his monsters, in Mostyn’s new adventure we return to the world of cosmic horror. That world where the terror originates from the realization that in the big picture we are completely and totally insignificant. A realization that can easily drive us to despair, madness, or self-destruction.

Nietzsche’s answer to achieving this awareness and its accompanying despair, was for the person to become a creative individual. To become as a god, in other words, for gods create; and in creating, the individual can thereby bring meaning to his or her otherwise meaningless life.

Nietzsche’s answer was essentially an existential one. We are in command of our fate. Counter the meaninglessness of existence by creating your own meaning.

Lovecraft, on the other hand, retreated into antiquarianism, and racial and cultural identity. The old days are good. The old ways are known and comfortable. My own kind are known to me. The foreigner is unknown, a mystery, and therefore suspect.

In Lovecraft’s fiction we see his philosophy play out in his vision of our world having been invaded by alien monster beings who have no regard for us. In strange, swarthy, and dark foreigners who do the bidding of these monsters. And in the insignificance of us Westerners and our science in the face of these ancient beings and their magical rituals. HPL’s conclusion is that it’s best if we don’t know too much of what is really out there, or know any of it at all.

When I come away from reading Lovecraft, I have the feeling that ignorance is bliss. In being ignorant, I can live my life in the delusion that this is a world of meaning and purpose. That I have essential meaning and purpose.

In “The Shadow over Innsmouth”, the narrator comes face to face with the horror of the curtain being pulled aside to reveal what truly is. He has looked into the abyss. In the end, when he realizes that he too will eventually join those monstrous denizens of the deep, rather than end his life, he resigns himself to his fate. For Lovecraft, once we know the truth, we either surrender to it, or go mad, or destroy ourselves. There is no Nietzschian optimism in Lovecraft.

Pierce Mostyn, knowing the truth, doesn’t go mad or destroy himself, but he is weighed down by the understanding that in the end all of his actions are futile. He resorts to duty to keep on going. Much like the ancient Roman Stoics. Duty gives him purpose and meaning in what is an otherwise meaningless and chaotic universe.

Now all of the above is a heck of a lot of philosophy. But don’t worry. It’s all in the background. The Medusa Ritual is not a philosophical treatise. It’s a tale of cosmic horror with plenty of action, adventure, monsters, and daring do. Just what we want to read. Right?

And it will be available, Amazon willing, on July 29th for your reading pleasure.

Comments are always welcome; and, until next time, happy reading!

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And, Yes, Yet More Suggested Reads

Below are 5 more suggested reads, just in case you still have no idea what to read next. There are so very many excellent books out there. And so very many adventures we can get in on, just by riding our armchairs!

The Stone Seekers by Jack Tyler

Jack Tyler is one of those writers who just doesn’t write fast enough for me. Doggone it. Nor is he a prolific writer. Double doggone it. He has but four books published and a short story in an anthology. I own them all.

My favorite is his epic fantasy novel The Stone Seekers. It is refreshingly different. No Tolkien pastiche here! And like any epic fantasy novel, it has a quest, high adventure, and larger than life villains. What makes this novel memorable, is the world building and the superb storytelling.

Tyler gives you a good story. A story that will take you places you’ve never been, with fascinating travel companions.

Get this book. Heck, get all of his books. They’re worth it.

Daguerreotype by Ray Zacek

I do not remember when I ran into Ray Zacek. Most likely it was on Twitter or Facebook. I do not know him even though we follow each other on Twitter and are friends on Facebook. We’ve never chatted.

However, what I do know is this: he is one heck of a good writer. I don’t own all of his work — yet. But I’m working on it. He’s that good.

He writes horror, sci-fi, dark comedy, humor, crime, and satire. And it’s all superb.

Daguerreotype is a tale of terror. A tale about greed and its unfortunate consequences. And like all of the Zacek stories I’ve read, it’s riveting.

Very highly recommended.

The Peach Widow by Zara Altair

Zara Altair writes historical mysteries set in Ostrogoth Italy after the fall of Rome. Her sleuth, Argolicus (who was a real person, by the way), is a retired civil servant with a knack for solving murders in a time and place where murder wasn’t a crime!

The Argolicus series of four (and counting) mysteries is well worth your time. A good way to pass a lazy afternoon, or the ride on the bus or train to work.

The research and storytelling bring this little known era to life.

So if you like history, or want to learn some history, and have fun doing so, and like mystery, then pick up these time machines and step into another world.

Good stuff be here!

Off Grid by Simon Osborne

To my knowledge, this is Mr Osborne’s sole offering — and it’s a good one.

Not quite a post-apocalyptic cozy catastrophe, it’s still close enough to get my attention.

Aliens come to earth and take over. The humans that remain are being hunted to extinction. And the pockets of survivors that remain are doing their best to avoid their decreed fate.

The story focuses on truck driver Harry Lennard and his quest to stay off grid, thereby avoiding the aliens, and to try and make a life for himself minus his family, who appear to have been killed in the attack.

The book is told well. Mr Osborne is a natural storyteller.

If post-apocalyptic fiction is your thing, Off Grid is definitely for you. If you like a tale of survival and adventure, then you’ve found your cup of tea in Off Grid. Good reading be here!

A Very English Mystery series by Elizabeth Edmondson

I am a committed indie author/publisher and a dedicated indie author reader. In fact, as a writer, I’m anti-traditional publishing. As a reviewer, I rarely review traditionally published books. As a reader, I very rarely buy new traditionally published books. I will buy them used.

However, the late Elizabeth Edmondson so impressed me with her Very English Mystery series, that even though it’s published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint, I though I’d give it a shoutout here.

There are actually four books in the series. The novella, A Youthful Indiscretion, fits into the series between books one and two.

I grew up in the Cold War. The 1950s (the time period of the books) was a time when we tried to carry on life as normal, even though there was the underlying fear an atom bomb was going to blast us into oblivion.

Ozzie and Harriet were on TV, while we practiced hiding under our desks at school and read our civil defense manuals on how to build and stock a bomb shelter in the basement. The Red threat was on everyone’s mind, and we chanted Better Dead than Red.

Ms Edmondson captured the era perfectly in her books.

The series revolves around Hugo and Freya and their involvement with murder in the town of Selchester.

The atmosphere is much like an Agatha Christie or Patricia Wentworth novel, and packs the punch of a good spy thriller.

An excellent series. One well worth your time and money.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Still More Suggested Reads

This is my fourth list of suggested books and authors with which you can while away those lazy summer days, or hunker down and wait out inclement winter weather if you’re south of the equator.

Banana Sandwich by Steve Bargdill

Actually anything by Mr Bargdill is well worth your money and your time. For example, here is a story that is a superb example of show, don’t tell: http://www.tingemagazine.org/left-with-the-moon/

In Banana Sandwich, Carol is mentally ill. After a stint of being off her meds, she decides to start taking them again and get better. And then the world goes crazy on her.

This is a masterful novel. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s dark. One of the best works of contemporary literary fiction out there.

Don’t miss this one. I own all of Bargdill’s published work. He is one awesome writer. Incredibly awesome.

Hotel Obscure by Lisette Brodey

This book is billed as a collection of short stories. Nix that. I mean they are, technically speaking, short stories. However, Ms Brodey has written the stories around a theme and they are to be read in the order they appear in the book. So to my way of thinking, Hotel Obscure is something of an episodic novel rather than just a short story collection.

Having worked in public assistance, I could easily relate to the characters in this book, because only the down and out go to the Hotel Obscure.

The book, however, lives on a much grander scale. Because it is about people, and living, and dying, and the meaning of life.

Hotel Obscure is a fabulous book. I highly recommend it.

Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations by CW Hawes

Hey! Wait a minute! I know that guy! Okay, maybe I’m cheating, but this is my blog and I want to do a little promo for the Pierce Mostyn series and the new Mostyn adventure that is coming out at the end of this month.

I’ve been very pleased with the good things that have been said about the Pierce Mostyn books.

Here’s an excerpt from a review of Nightmare in Agate Bay:

CW Hawes, author of the fantastic “Rocheport Saga”, has done it again putting together a well-crafted story that slowly builds in tension. Trust me, you won’t want to put it down! Hawes has managed to capture that Lovecraftian atmosphere that so many get wrong, superbly managing to weave a contemporary thread to the shadowed tapestry of the past. Bravo indeed!

Now if comments like that don’t warm an author’s heart, nothing will.

I serialized the working draft of The Medusa Ritual, the fifth book in the Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations series, on this blog and if you read the blog installments, thank you!

If you decided to wait for the book to come out, good for you. Because good things come to those who wait.

I got good feedback on the book and all those improvements will be in the book version. So even if you read the serial — the book will be even better.

Keep your eyes peeled. Watch this blog, my Facebook page, and my Twitter account for the publication announcement.

Or better yet, sign up for my VIP Readers list. You’ll be the first to know, get exclusive offers, and you’ll get “The Feeder” which is a Pierce Mostyn novelette exclusively for my VIP Readers.

Here is another review excerpt, this one for Terror in the Shadows:

Terror in the Shadows, the third book in the adventures of Pierce Mostyn and the Office of Unidentified Phenomena, picks up where Stairway to Hell left off. …to investigate strange sightings and attacks in a rural countryside. The investigation leads Mostyn’s team to an abandoned mansion, where things quickly go from bad to worse as a certain family history turns out to have gone downhill… if not down the gene pool.

Terror returns to territory Hawes traveled with Nightmare in Agate Bay, where he explores HP Lovecraft stories in a more modern setting. In this case, Hawes plays homage to Lovecraft’s “The Lurking Fear” (there’s a brief reference to the title in the first chapter – don’t miss it!). The idea of “regression” is well explored in the storyline, and is well explained in contrast to evolution. The climax of the story is especially exciting, like a strange cross between Lovecraft’s original narrative and the climax of the original Assault on Precinct 13.

If you haven’t read the Pierce Mostyn series, you can check it out on Amazon. But remember: there be monsters here!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Even More Suggested Reads

Here is my third list of suggested reads for your summer holidays, or lazy days. Or if it’s winter where you are, reads with which you can snuggle up on the sofa or in your favorite chair and escape the less than perfect weather outside.

The Death in Sioux Lookout Trilogy by Richard Schwindt

I’m a big fan of Richard Schwindt. I own all of his fiction. Because he is simply that good. His writing is laced with humor, full of life-like characters, enchanting (but not ponderous) descriptions of places that will transport you right out of your chair, and masterful storytelling that grabs you and doesn’t let you go.

Sioux Lookout is one of Schwindt’s favorite places and he makes it come alive for us in this trio of murder mysteries.

I love this series. My only complaint is that there aren’t more stories. Three just aren’t enough!

Do pick up this trilogy and join Chris Allard, dysfunctional social worker, as he solves 3 murders. An unlikely, yet astute amateur sleuth.

The Razzman Files and The Razzman Chronicles by Joe Congel

I love private investigator mysteries and Joe Congel writes doggone good ones. So good, in fact, that I bought every book he’s published to date.

In Tony Razzolito, The Razzman, Congel pays homage to the classic noir detective, without the overwhelming dark atmosphere. At the end of the day, we have bad guys — not bad humanity.

These are well-written whodunits, perfect for your armchair detective work. Pick them up, because the game is afoot!

The Monkey Idol by KD McNiven

I met Ms McNiven on Twitter, and I’m glad I did. Otherwise I’d never have discovered this delightful book — which is the first in her Decker and Callie series of adventure yarns.

My interest in archeology and lost cities and civilizations goes way back, and because this novel taps into all three I was hooked.

Ms McNiven tells a tale that will remind you a bit of Dirk Pitt, Indiana Jones, and Lara Croft. Lots of action in a thrilling adventure.

There are 3 books out now in the Decker and Callie series, and the two I haven’t read are definitely on my TBR list! And they should be on yours, as well.

Dark Fiction Tales by Andy Graham

Andy Graham is an incredible wordsmith. Simply incredible. His command of the English language is superb. And I’m more than a little envious! 🙂

His Dark Fiction Tales are amazingly dark tales about us. You know, people who could be you or me and yet aren’t you or me. The folk in Graham’s tales are the Mr Hyde that lurks inside each and every one of us — whether we want to admit he’s there or not.

I Died Yesterday is Book 1 and contains 5 stories that examine the consequences of our deepest wishes and desires, and of our seemingly innocent actions.

An Angel Fallen is Book 2 and is a powerfully eloquent tale of consequences and redemption. If this story doesn’t move you, I’m not sure any will.

A Crow’s Game is Book 3 and has just been released. I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

If you love to read the handiwork of a master craftsman, one who does things with language that no one else can, if you love good storytelling and well-crafted imagery, then you’ll love Andy Graham.

Once Upon a WolfPack: A #WolfPackAuthors Anthology by the #WolfPackAuthors

Short stories are the perfect reading experiences for this day and age when everyone is busier than busy.

But for myself, I’ve always loved short stories. I cut my reading eye teeth on them. A well-crafted short story is a thing of beauty. A powerful experience in a small package.

The #WolfPackAuthors is a writing group on Twitter dedicated to promoting and supporting its members. And one of our projects of mutual support is the Once Upon a WolfPack anthology. This collection of 17 stories and poems not only highlights the work of 17 members of the pack, but the profits from the anthology go to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center. The center helps save wolves from senseless and careless destruction and helps support returning veterans to transition back into civilian society, a society that doesn’t often understand the hidden wounds they carry.

Pick yourself up a copy and meet 17 new to you authors — and help out wolves and vets. This is such a good deal!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Some Suggested Reads

It’s summer in Houston. Tropical heat and humidity. TG for AC.

The other day I was saying to my wife that when we lived in Minnesota we stayed indoors in the winter. Moving to Houston, we now stay indoors in the summer. And when one has to stay in it is a good time to raid the bookshelf.

Of course, in truth, any time is a good time to read a novel. From the comfort of my easy chair, with the AC on (or the heat in winter), hot tea at hand, I can take any number of adventures.

I can leave earth entirely, or I can travel to a fantasy world that only exists in the writer’s and his reader’s minds.

If I want, I can go to another city, or another country.

I can do all of that and never leave the comforts of home. Just by reading a book.

If you happen to be looking for something to read this summer (or winter, if you live on that part of the globe) I have a few suggestions for you.

Church Mouse by RH Hale

I recently re-read this incredible novel to refresh my memory and prepare for Church Mouse: The Change, which I’m currently reading.

How Ms Hale can generate such tension and suspense from her slowburn Gothic style is beyond me. As a writer, I’m in awe. As a reader, I’m in love — and chewing my fingernails down to the quick.

But tension and suspense aren’t the only thing. She excels at painting a word picture that lets you experience the setting. And she gives you characters that are so life-like, you’ll swear you’ve run across them in real life.

These two books are good reading anytime. They are amongst the best vampire novels out there. And they are so much more. They’ll get you thinking about what it means to be human.

Exit and 01134 by Crispian Thurlborn

Mr Thurlborn is one of my favorite authors. His imagination gives rise to fabulous stories.

Exit is a dreampunk tale that examines if we are truly free to do as we want and change who we are. It is a superb addition to the ranks of weird fiction.

01134 is another stupendous addition. This book examines loneliness. It examines choices we make, or don’t make. It is a book that takes us to The Twilight Zone.

Your Arms Around Entropy and Other Stories by Brian Fatah Steele

I love short stories. A well-written short story, IMO, is more satisfying than a long novel. I know there are people who don’t like short stories. I feel sorry for them.

Mr Steele is a very accomplished writer, and this collection of short stories blew me away. I went out and bought all of his books.

These are dark tales that will make you fear the dark. They are superb examples of contemporary Lovecraftian fiction.

Keep the light on if you read these at night.

All of the above recommendations are dark, quite dark. Maybe you prefer lighter fare. If that’s the case, the next two fit the bill quite nicely.

Agonising: The Problem Page Letters of Jean Price and Raine Vincent by Ernestine Marsh

Ms Marsh has a knack for humor and the witty turn of phrase. She also is quite at home dishing out biting satire. You’ll find both in Agonising. You’ll also have to take periodic reading breaks to catch your breath and give your stomach a break from all the laughing.

The Garden of Jane Pengelly by Stephen A Howells

This book is a hidden gem. It took me completely by surprise — a very pleasant surprise. It is a sweet and tender paranormal love story. Not normally my cup of tea. No, not by a long shot. Yet, I was drawn in by Mr Howell’s wonderful storytelling. And yes, it brought tears to my eyes. Definitely not one to miss!

The above ought to keep you going for awhile. I’ll be back next week with more gems for your ereader or bookshelf.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Good Villains

What makes the hero (or heroine) stand out, and show us what he (or she) is made of, is the villain. The hero’s nemesis.

Who can forget the Wicked Witch of the West? Or Inspector Javert?

A memorable villain will make a story a success, even more so then a memorable hero. Because the hero must triumph over the villain to win. The bigger the villain, the bigger the triumph.

Of course, an author can shake things up. Take Macbeth, for example. Where a hero becomes his own worst enemy, aided by his lovingly ambitious wife. The same can be said for Stevens in The Remains of the Day, where he is the villain to his own hero.

Generally, though, the villain and the hero are two separate persons. Both want something and are at cross purposes in the achieving.

A good villain can even save what might otherwise be a mediocre production. The TV show Colony, canceled after three seasons (which is a shame), in my opinion, was carried on the back of the villain Alan Snyder. The hero and heroine, Will and Katie Bowman, were lackluster characters (nor was the acting very good for their parts).

What made Colony a success, I think, was the complexity of the character of the bad guy. Alan Snyder was someone you justifiably hated, and yet empathized with because in many ways he is us. He personified the dilemma of survival.

There are many great villains in literature. A few of them are:

Augustus Melmotte in The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

Count Dracula in Dracula by Bram Stoker

Captain Ahab in Moby Dick by Herman Melville

O’Brien in 1984 by George Orwell

Fagin in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Mrs Danvers in Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Four of my favorites are:

Mrs Proudie in Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

Mrs De Ropp in “Sredni Vashtar” by Saki

She in She by H Rider Haggard

Cthulhu in “The Call of Cthulhu” by HP Lovecraft

Mrs Proudie, like Lady MacBeth, is driven by ambition. However, operating in Victorian society, Mrs Proudie must take a different approach than did Lady MacBeth in achieving the goals of her ambition.

Mrs Proudie whips her milk toast husband, the bishop, up the ladder of clerical success — and she steps on whoever gets in his way. Trollope makes it quite clear early on that it is indeed Mrs Proudie who wears the trousers in the Proudie household. The bishop’s attempt at taking over the reins of his life are quickly quashed.

Mrs Proudie is not a nice person. Unlike Lady MacBeth, she doesn’t have anyone do the dirty work for her, nor is she the least bit repentant.

Mrs De Ropp, for me, represents the evil of duty, and manners, and expectations — all hidden under a façade of do-goodism. Mrs De Ropp does what is proper and expected and in the process is killing Conradin. And she doesn’t seem to care.

She, or She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, is the ultimate jealous bitch. She kills her lover in a jealous rage, then bathes in the magic fire so she can live forever until her true love is reborn and they can be reunited.

In the meantime, she enslaves a whole nation of African tribal folk to serve her. She takes a woman scorned to a whole new level of meaning.

By the way, her actual name was Ayesha, and she was an Arab. Her lover was Egyptian and she wanted to rule Egypt. Ambitious to boot.

The ultimate question about Cthulhu is this: is he truly evil, or just indifferent?

When it comes to, let’s say ants, are we evil or just indifferent? There are ants on the sidewalk. Do you step on them, or over them? Do you even notice them?

Given Lovecraft’s worldview, I’m inclined to say Cthulhu and his ilk are merely indifferent. On the other hand, an argument can be made for the evil of indifference.

Put yourself in the place of the ant. Now contemplate humans.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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