Home » Posts tagged "Dave Simms"

Book Review: Definitely Not Kansas: Book One in the Nocturnia Cycle by F. Paul Wilson and Thomas Monteleone

Definitely Not Kansas  Curses! The problem with missing out on getting up a review in a timely fashion is that this book, Definitely Not Kansas: Book One in the Nocturnia Cycle, initially published in a limited edition, is not currently available. I hope the publishers will put it out as a trade paperback or at least an ebook soon, though, as that’s the best way to reach the market this is actually intended for. Most readers of YA or middle grade fiction aren’t seeking out small presses for their reading material, and this sounds like a book that would definitely snag their interest. Here’s the review for Definitely Not Kansas, anyway, though, because with a recommendation this enthusiastic, certainly those outside the horror community ought to know about it. You know, like librarians. Who can’t purchase a book that is out of print, so come on, great publishers, and get that book out in a more easily available edition! Read on for a great review and go hassle these folks into getting it out into more hands.

–The Editor

 

 

Definitely Not Kansas: Book One of the Nocturnia Chronicles by F. Paul Wilson & Tom Monteleone

Borderlands/Gauntlet Press, 2013.

 

We’re definitely not home anymore, and I doubt Dorothy would last a minute in Nocturnia. Munchkins would likely find themselves on a menu in this imaginative, fascinating homage to Oz.

The last time Borderlands Press and Gauntlet Press combined their talents to produce a single book, readers were treated to Shadow Show, which garnered a Bram Stoker Award.  So when the two presses decided to collaborate again, fans wondered how the presses could top that title.  The result of their partnership is a young adult novel penned by two well-known authors.  F. Paul Wilson and Thomas F. Monteleone are no strangers to awards, blockbuster books, or each other.  Where many collaborations fall short due to varying factors, these two created a fantastic, delightfully horrific world , with writing that flows effortlessly. It could be due to the fact that they’ve been buddies for decades or that they both know how to tell a lean, mean, story.  Merging styles is difficult– here, however, the writing is seamless and it feels like a single author penned the entire novel.  Not once does the reader feel as if he or she is holding a book; instead, the covers disappear as the reader falls into the grand world Wilson and Monteleone have created.

Definitely Not Kansas owes something to The Wizard of Oz, of course, but that inspiration is merely jumping off point.  Nocturnia is a much darker, more frightening place and when the tornado drops Emma and Ryan into the strange world, the similarities end and all bets are off.  On a quest to find Telly, their missing older brother, Emma and Ryan are pulled through a vortex where reality ceases to exist. Nocturnia operates in parallel to Emma and Ryan’s world, separate and deadly, as readers discover the origins of these creatures on Earth and even the flowers can kill.  The nation of monsters is a nation of states which exist uneasily with each other and something much darker frightens them all.

Humans are considered slaves and cattle, bred for labor– and food — in a land inhabited by vampires, werewolves, zombies, and more. This could be considered a “kitchen sink” story, cashing on popular tropes, and likely would be just that in lesser hands. Yet here, the setting is character, and the creatures reside in a well-constructed world where they are anything but clichés.

Emma and Ryan propel this tale as they take the reader along a journey of survival and discovery. Both are strong lead characters and the cast of monstrous villains are anything but cookie-cutter caricatures. Surprises await around every corner and one can only imagine where the next book will travel.

An interesting afterword is included, on how the series was created by both authors, and will only further intrigue the reader. Monteleone and Wilson obviously love living in Nocturnia, and it shows on the pages.  It’s doubtful that readers will be able to resist, either, on this frightening, but fun, ride.

Nocturnia takes the reader by the throat and the heart, and never relents. Anyone who loves a good story, and who still embraces the youth within, will tumble head over heels into the vortex for this new series.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on May 12, 2014 by , Reply

Women in Horror Fiction: Alexandra Sokoloff

Image of Alexandra Sokoloff

Alexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award-nominated author of the supernatural thrillers  The Harrowing, The Price, The Unseen, Book of Shadows, The Shifters, and The Space Between, and the Amazon bestselling new FBI thriller series Huntress Moon. The New York Times Book Review called her a “daughter of Mary Shelley”, and her books “Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.” It’s no surprise that reader’s advisory expert Becky Siegel Spratford spotlighted her as one of the top women writers in horror in the Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror Fiction

As a screenwriter she has sold original horror and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios. She has also written two non-fiction workbooks: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Writing Love, based on her internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (ScreenwritingTricks.com), and has served on the Board of Directors of the WGA, west and the Board of the Mystery Writers of America.

Alex is a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where she majored in theater and minored in everything Berkeley has a reputation for. In her spare time (!) she performs with Heather Graham’s all-author Slush Pile Players. Fellow bandmate (not sure that’s a word, but I’ll run with it) and Monster Librarian reviewer Dave Simms asked her to answer some questions for us.

On a personal note, The Price was, for me, unforgettable. Since I read it, the story has never quite left me. Beyond the awards and bestseller status, Sokoloff is a genuinely talented storyteller and well worth recommending even to readers who wouldn’t traditionally approach anything labeled as “horror”.

 

1. Can you give our readers a brief introduction?

I’m the bestselling, Thriller Award-winning, Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of ten horror, thriller and crime novels, with number eleven, the third book in my Thriller Award-nominated Huntress Moon series, coming out in May. I started my career in theater as an actor and director but turned to screenwriting so I could, you know, eat… then I worked as a film writer in L.A. for ten years before I snapped and wrote my first novel, The Harrowing (best career move I ever made – I’m MUCH happier as an author.)  I’m both traditionally published and independently published; I also teach a very popular story structure workshop based on my Screenwriting Tricks for Authors workbooks and blogs.

 

2. Why do you write horror?  What draws you to the genre?

I have to admit that a big reason I read and write horror is because I’m an adrenaline junkie and I love the sensual exhilaration of terror. But as a writer I also find horror one of the only genres adequate to express my outrage at the cruelty that exists on this planet. Horror allows me to explore the life question that most troubles me: Why is there evil in the world and how can we mitigate it? That being said, I don’t think of myself as a straight horror writer; I write more of a mix of mystery, suspense, thriller, and horror.

 


3. Can you describe your writing style or the tone you prefer to set for your stories?

Being a woman I’m a fan of the slow, sensual build (!) My books have been described as nail-biting, poetic, page-turning, terrifying and addictive, always good stuff to hear. My particular style is to blur the line between horror, thriller and mystery: keeping the reader guessing about what’s really going on: Is it supernatural, or the distressed mental state of an unreliable protagonist, or a con, or even a crime?  My current series, the Huntress Moon thrillers, aren’t really horror at all, there’s just the slightest possibility of the supernatural – which can easily be explained away. But the level of tension and suspense is still excruciatingly high, and the underlying theme is exactly the same as in my horror novels: What can good people do about the evil in the world?

 

4. Who are some of your influences?  Are there any women authors who have particularly inspired you to write?

I discovered Shirley Jackson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman when I was quite young and I was deeply affected by their mix of terrifying suspense and an overwhelming psychological state that is particularly feminine, and feminist, encompassing  mental illness and a soul sickness that comes from societal repression, as well as the possible supernatural. I think women have a particular understanding of horror because we live with it on an intimate, daily basis that men in non-warring countries (or outside of prison) rarely experience. For us, a simple walk out of the grocery store to the parking lot at night can turn into the most horrific of nightmares. We have a lot to say about terror. A lot.

 

5. What authors do you like to read?  Any recommendations?

Besides the above mentioned, I’ve loved Daphne du Maurier and Madeleine L’Engle since I was a child. More recently – Mo Hayder is one of the most terrifying writers I’ve ever read, and I’m a big fan of Denise Mina and Val McDermid. I’m lucky to have extremely talented friends who provide me with lots of reading pleasure: Sarah Pinborough, Sarah Langan, Rhodi Hawk and Lisa Morton come to mind. There are some men, too. 🙂

 

6. Where can readers find your work?

And everyone has e readers now, right? You can find everything on Amazon, naturally. But you can browse the books on my website,http://alexandrasokoloff.com, and readers can sign up for my newsletter there to get announcements about special deals and giveaways. And libraries, of course – please support your local library!


7.  You’ve been in a very cool group – the Killer Thriller/Slushpile Band – for years now.  What has that experience been like for you?

The best! Maybe even lifesaving. I grew up doing music and theater, but I never expected to be in such a great group as part of my author life, and to be acting and jamming with my own literary idols like F. Paul Wilson, Heather Graham, John Lescroart, David Morrell, and Michael Palmer, plus so many new author friends like Scott Nicholson, Blake Crouch, Harley Jane Kozak, Beth Ciotta, Daniel Palmer and (ahem) Dave Simms.  I guess it shouldn’t be surprising – so many authors have musical and theater backgrounds, and let’s face it, we’re such hams. When we’re writing we’re so much in our heads that it’s fantastic to be able to cut loose and perform with such talented friends.

 

8. Is there anything else you’d like to share with librarians and readers?

For librarians – I am so aware that times are tough, and if you’d like to get more of my books into your branch, please contact me directly. And readers – I love to dialogue on Facebook. Please stop by my page and keep me from writing! I mean, say hi!

 

Interested in learning more? Visit Alexandra Sokoloff’s Amazon page, her website, her Facebook page, and, for tips on screenwriting,  her blog, Screenwriting Tricks.

 

Posted on February 22, 2014 by , Reply

Teen Read Week: Guest Post by David Simms– “Teens with Disabilities and the Power of Music”

 


David Simms is the author of Dark Muse, a dark fantasy for young adults released earlier this year. Dark Muse focuses on the journeys of four friends with a variety of disabilities, brought together by their love of music, as they search for the protagonist’s older brother in a fantastic realm where music is alive.

He’s also a special education teacher, a musician who belongs to the Killer Thriller Band, and a reviewer for MonsterLibrarian.  For Teen Read Week, I asked David if he would share his thoughts on writing about disability in YA fiction and the power of music to change teens’ lives.

For more on representations of disability in YA fiction, check out the blog Disability in KidLit (link).

 

Teens with Disabilities and the Power of Music 

By David Simms

My first novel, Dark Muse, was released a few months ago, realizing a lifelong dream. It’s exciting that a publisher enjoyed it enough to sign me, and receiving high praise from both colleagues I respect, and, most importantly, from my readers, is enough to keep me smiling for years. I see that smile reflected in the eyes of students I work with every day, who remind me why I wrote the tale in the first place.

 

If someone had told me a decade ago that my first novel would be young adult, I would’ve laughed. However, marrying music and kids with disabilities seemed to happen by itself. Writing from the misfit’s point of view wasn’t exactly rocket science for me. I was a small kid until almost 17 and only felt at home when playing music with my friends, much like Muddy, Poe, Corey, and Otis, the teens who form the Accidentals. The Accidentals bond together and find resiliency, as they often push each other to bring out the best they have, and many times, that strength displays itself in music.

 

Dark Muse centers around the mythology of “the crossroads”, an old blues legend that a musician playing at the crossroads of Memphis would summon the devil and could make a deal for fame and fortune, but I wanted to change it up a bit. What if by playing your heart out there, you’d be transported to a world where music came alive, where the inspiration for many classic rock songs still lived? Creatures threaten the band of four in a gauntlet which includes a “stairway” to somewhere, “smoke” on the water, and an “iron man.”

 

I noticed that I’d never heard of a novel with teens with disabilities as protagonists before, at least none without using it as a novelty device. I wanted to celebrate my students (many of whom now make more money than me)! After teaching for special education for several years, I had volumes of experience to draw from, and hundreds of great kids from which to draw characters. All of the teens in Dark Muse stem from past students, of all backgrounds and musical persuasions. Muddy, Poe, Corey, and Otis fight through their demons, which include disabilities or their place in life. For example, Poe is nearly blind and Otis, the drummer extraordinaire, couldn’t be more fragile with brittle bone syndrome. Yet when they’re in the land of the crossroads, their disabilities fade. Instead of using it as an easy fix, though, each learns how to tap into inner strength to rise above adversity in our world. Muddy, the protagonist, has a father and brother who are technically more talented than him, yet his drive and purpose propel him much further than both. Dark Muse is just as much about the teens fighting daily just to survive in a school setting as it is a dark, mythological adventure.
Unfortunately, many public schools still have not picked up on the fact that not everyone learns–and tests—in the same way. “Respect differences and tolerate all – except when it comes to test scores” seems to be the mantra of many in government. Thankfully, many teachers and some administrators, like mine, understand the difference. I think that more teens, those with disabilities and those without, would flock to books more often if they could relate to characters similar to them. Just look at Harry Potter. It isn’t the magic or creatures that resonate with the millions—many books for kids have similar plots and setups. It is the characters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren’t the cool kids–not at first, anyway. Readers got to grow up with them, flaws and all. Dark Muse is no Potter, but I hope to reach kids who battle daily with problems of all kinds, whether they’re disabled or just having trouble fitting into that odd-shaped contraption that is our society.

 

My students are proof that success for all is possible if the dream is strong enough, and music (and other arts) give teens the opportunity to discover that they have amazing, magical powers. In fact, my favorite song, Triumph’s “Magic Power” is all about the power of music in young people’s lives. It’s a great song because it’s all about how music can cut through everything that’s going on.

 

I hope that in my future efforts I can continue to create characters based on those I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and develop unique ones that make readers feel they’re not alone in the halls and lunchrooms, at dances and sports, or in the dating scene. Of course, my characters just might have to survive in an even more twisted setting. I’m looking forward to revisiting the band many more times if readers enjoy them!

 

Posted on October 16, 2013 by , Reply
12 » Last