Author: Melody E McIntyre

Writing Advice from Stephen King

 

Stephen King is one of the most prolific and successful writers of the modern world. How did he get that way? What makes Stephen King’s work so enjoyable? How can we, as growing writers, emulate him? Luckily for us, Stephen King has long been open about his writing process and the lessons he’s learned over his lengthy career. The best way to learn about King’s process is to pick up a copy of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. But here I’m going to look at eight pieces of writing advice from Stephen King that resonated with me.

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WiHM 2023: An Interview with Ruth Anna Evans

Ruth Anna Evans is a short horror fiction writer from the American Midwest. She is the author of Phantom Pain, Don’t Kill the Dog: A Short Story, and Missing: A Short Horror Story. Recently she edited the anthology Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror. Evans does not shy away from difficult topics in her writing. When I pick up her stories, even though I know a happy ending is unlikely, I still get invested in the main character’s fate. Ruth Anna Evans’ stories are dark, gruesome, and delightful.

I met Evans through Twitter and have had the privilege of beta reading some of her work. She is a friendly, kind person and I was delighted to be able to interview her for Women in Horror Month.

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Epeolatry Book Review: Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream by Dennis L. Prince

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream
Author: Dennis L. Prince, designed by John J. Hill, and co-produced by Julia Hobgood
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: December 20th, 2022
Synopsis: Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream, produced by AMC Networks Publishing and Creepshow showrunner and executive producer Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), is a coffee-table book which brings fans behind-the-scenes of the acclaimed Creepshow series with deep dives into its riveting origins, gripping development, provocative production, sinister special effects, and much more. Features a foreword by legendary storyteller Stephen King and an afterword by horror aficionado Kirk Hammett, Metallica’s lead guitarist. Based on the hit anthology series from Nicotero, Cartel Entertainment, Striker Entertainment, and in partnership with Titan Books, the book is written by Dennis L. Prince, designed by John J. Hill, and co-produced by Julia Hobgood. The series has been heralded as “an irresistibly macabre package,” (Slant Magazine) and “an undeniable love letter to all generations of horror fans,” (CBR), and over three seasons, has been one of the most watched programs on Shudder.

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Epeolatry Book Review: The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: The House Guest
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Publisher: Tor
Genre: Mystery
Release date: 7th February, 2023
Synopsis: The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan—but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?

 After every divorce, one spouse gets all the friends. What does the other one get? If they’re smart, they get the benefits. Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she’s dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a devastating divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her—leaving her alone and penniless. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend.

 And then she gets one. A seductive new friend, one who’s running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers Bree Lorrance the safety of her guest house, and the two become confidantes. Then Bree makes a heart-stoppingly tempting offer. Maybe Alyssa and Bree can solve each other’s problems.

 But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.

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Epeolatry Book Review: Holy Ghost Road by John Mantooth

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Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Holy Ghost Road
Author: John Mantooth
Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
Genre: Horror
Release Date: 20th December, 2022

Synopsis: Some roads are haunted by the past. Some by ghosts. Some are even haunted by demons. The one Forest must travel is haunted by all three.

When she discovers Pastor Nesmith praying to a demonic entity in her family’s barn, Forest knows she must run. Enraged at the possibility of having his true allegiance exposed, Nesmith pursues Forest as she flees on foot, hoping to reach the one person who will believe her—her grandmother. Unfortunately, Granny is forty miles away, and Forest has no car, no phone, and no friends. To reach her, Forest will have to learn to see the world true, even as the demonic and the sacred wage war for her soul.

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Epeolatry Book Review: Wicked Blood by E. C. Hanson

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Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Wicked Blood
Author: E. C. Hanson
Publisher: Demain Publishing
Genre: Horror 
Release Date: 6th May, 2022

Synopsis: After the unexpected death of their parents, three teenagers must fend for themselves in a farmhouse. Marina, the lone daughter of the Florin family, assumes the reins of the family. But her brothers start to display weird habits and their penchant for violence gets out of control. Will Marina be able to contain them or will she submit to their power in an attempt to prolong her young life?

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Epeolatry Book Review: Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Children of Memory
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Tor
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: November 8th, 2022

Synopsis: Earth is failing. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, Heorest Holt, carry its precious human cargo to a potential new Eden. Generations later, this fragile colony has managed to survive, eking out a hardy existence. Yet life is tough, and much technological knowledge has been lost.

 

Then Liff, Holt’s granddaughter, hears whispers that the strangers in town aren’t from neighbouring farmland. That they possess unparalleled technology – and that they’ve arrived from another world . But not all questions are so easily answered, and their price may be the colony itself…

 

Children of Memory by Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Adrian Tchaikovsky is a far-reaching space opera spanning generations, species and galaxies, and the unmissable follow-up to Children of Time and Children of Ruin.

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Epeolatry Book Review: Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Children of Ruin
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Pan Books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: September 8th, 2020

Synopsis: It has been waiting through the ages. Now it’s time.

 

Thousands of years ago, Earth’s terraforming program took to the stars. On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life – but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth. Then humanity’s great empire fell, and the program’s decisions were lost to time.

 

Aeons later, humanity and its new spider allies detected fragmentary radio signals between the stars. They dispatched an exploration vessel, hoping to find cousins from old Earth.

 

But those ancient terraformers woke something on Nod better left undisturbed. And it’s been waiting for them.

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