Point of Crisis Arrives

Posted on by Steven Konkoly

1114 Steve Konkoly ebook POINT OF CRISIS_4_Lon thousands of Kindles across North America and the UK! Yes, I did have nearly 50 pre-orders from eager readers across the pond. Paper versions will ship today and the audiobook should be available in late August or early September.

If you haven’t purchased a copy, may I direct your attention to this link? Purchase Point of Crisis

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Book Review of Michael McFarland’s BLOOD ON THE TRACKS and DUPLEX

Posted on by Steven Konkoly

Michael McFarland recently notified me that he released a new novel—apparently the first book he’d ever written. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed McFarland’s work in the past, so I was naturally excited to hear the news. Then it dawned on me that I haven’t shared my reviews of his work on my blog. Not sure how that slipped past my ever vigilant radar (not difficult, I suppose). Here is my review of Michael McFarland’s most intriguing novel to date, BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, plus a quick review of a novella he published a year or two ago, DUPLEX. Both excellent supernatural horror/thrillers. Trust me, either novel will impact your electric bill—you’ll find yourself turning on ALL of the lights to walk around at night!

Review of BLOOD ON THE TRACKS:

Blood on the TracksMichael McFarland delivers a brilliant supernatural horror novel with his latest release, Blood on the Tracks, landing him a place next to masters of horror like Stephen King and Blake Crouch, on my must read list.

The story terrified me from start to finish, leaving me afraid to walk around in my own home. This is not an exaggeration. There is something so menacing and chilling just behind the surface of the novel’s narrative, that my imagination ran wild, conjuring up images and concepts of what lurked in the Condon House.

McFarland primarily delivers the tale through the eyes of Detective Gary Murdoch, summoned to the fated Condon House to investigate the latest tragedy to cast a shadow over the house: The suicide of a rising musical artist, with eerie and inexplicable links to the house’s bizarre and twisted past. As evidence mounts to suggest horrible undertakings within the basement’s recording studio, the final pieces of the Condon House mystery start to fit together, culminating in a finish that left me speechless.

There is considerable history surrounding McFarland’s fictional mansion and its deceased inhabitants, starting with lumber magnate John Bradford Condon and focusing on controversial poet/songwriter Ian Ellison. The author does such a good job weaving this history into the story through old journals, news clippings and interviews, that I was left wondering what was real and what was fiction. I hope it was all fiction, because the integration is disturbingly realistic, which in my view is why the story scared the daylights out of me.

Like McFarland’s other work, the novel is well written, with vivid descriptions and natural dialogue. Well paced, building tension from start to finish, the story will keep you turning the pages or clicking the buttons. I am very eager to read McFarland’s next offering.

Review of DUPLEX:

DuplexMichael McFarland has created novella worthy of inclusion in any of Stephen King’s anthologies. The novella incorporates a perfect mix of supernatural suspense and pure human malevolence, to leave the reader reeling with a dominant sense of helplessness, and a sliver hope, even at the most disturbing moments in the story. For a novella, the plot is perfectly paced, launching the reader into immediate distress, and dragging it out just long enough until the ceiling caves in. I found myself attached to the protagonist, and intimately concerned with the family’s situation. What happens to the family, is for the reader to discover. As a huge fan of Stephen King’s writing, I stand by my statement, that this story has all of the elements I’ve grown to love and seek out in Stephen King’s short stories. Michael McFarland has a bright future in the horror genre, if “Duplex” is any indication of the stories rattling around inside of his head.

Finding a little inspiration…

Posted on by Steven Konkoly

to start a new novel.

You’d think that starting novel number six wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s always a big deal, and frankly, I find myself more than a little nervous as I type the title on the page, make sure it’s centered and STARE at the screen for an indeterminable amount of time. The first words are always the most difficult for me, compounded by the fact that those words commit me to a minimum of three straight months of writing.

I wrote the first 420 words to The Perseid Collapse this morning, sitting at a desk in a hotel room. Not exactly where I would choose to start such an important undertaking, but my day job requires these things, and I write everyday no matter where I find myself…even a lonely hotel room. No, it wasn’t someplace fancy or scenic. As a matter of fact, it was within sight of both a mall and the Maine Turnpike.

But it was in Bangor, less than eight minutes (as measured by my iPhone’s mapping software) from my favorite author’s house.

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I’ve been to Bangor several times over the past few months for work, but I’ve purposely avoided West Broadway. I’ve driven by it and struggled not to turn. Why? Because I wanted the context of seeing Stephen King’s house to be special. Seeing it on the same morning that I typed the first words of my sequel to The Jakarta Pandemic qualified, so I made the turn off Union Street and parked in front of his house long enough to take a few pictures. It was all I needed to round off a perfect morning…almost perfect. I forgot to bring the power cord for my Mac Air on the trip, and found myself with 46% power upon waking at “zero dark thirty.” 420 words was all I could write before the computer basically told me to save my document and find something else to do.

 

The habit of writing…

Posted on by Steven Konkoly

is hard to break. 

For those of you that enjoy my books, don’t worry yourselves…I’m not trying to break myself of the habit. It has been two years since I published The Jakarta Pandemic, and I found myself once again reflecting on these years, which is my custom in between novels. I struggled to finish Jakarta over a three-year period, starting and stopping that novel more times than I care to admit. I had carefully ignored Stephen King’s sage advice to carve out a ritualistic writing routine, which is the first, and most important step to taking yourself seriously as a writer. So much has changed since then, and it is hard to believe that I have finished three more books since launching Jakarta in October of 2010. Of course, I almost fell into the same trap that would have everyone, myself included, still waiting for book two.

I started writing the first Black Flagged novel in the same haphazard fashion in May of 2011. By June, I realized that it would take me two years to finish Black Flagged. I decided that this was unacceptable for many reasons.  This shift in mindset was mostly motivated by a thorough enjoyment of writing. I had finally found something that I enjoyed without reservation, and didn’t need to do as part of life’s struggle to survive. However, I’m a pragmatist, so I won’t try and pretend that the success of The Jakarta Pandemic  didn’t also figured prominently in this cathartic moment. It did, and I couldn’t wait two years to launch another book. Self-publishing ebooks came into it’s own that year, and I was well positioned to ride the ebook wave.

I revisited Stephen King’s On Writing, and decided to take his advice to set aside time every day. The same time. Since I don’t function well at night any more, I settled on the morning. I set my alarm for 4:30 AM and slept through it for a few days…at least I tried, and my body started to realize that I might be serious about getting up this early. Within a week, I had established a tentative routine, which had me sitting at my desk, listening to Pandora and writing by 5 AM. By the end of June, I had solidified this routine into a habit, and found myself waking up early on weekends to write. By mid-July, I realized that I would finish my second novel by the end of August (total writing time of three months), instead of the spring of 2013 (two years).

I remember chuckling at portions of Stephen King’s book, especially the part about his writing habits. I couldn’t understand the concept of writing every day, including holidays, until I had finally settled into my own habitual routine….thanks to his advice. I now wake up at 4:30 without the help of an alarm, and find it unsettling to miss a writing session. I wake up early on vacation, on our sailboat…just about anywhere. I find it equally disturbing to be in between novels…and there’s plenty to do between books, especially as a self-published author and a part-time writer. I balance this time between marketing the latest book, writing reviews and setting up the next novel. 

The next book in this case will be Book Four in the Black Flagged series. I had originally planned to take a break from the series (the last novel came in at 170K words, which is twice the size of most self-published offerings) and pursue a post-apocalyptic follow-up to The Jakarta Pandemic, but the Black Flagged story is far from finished. The Russians are still operating a bioweapons development program and Srecko Hadzic is plotting his escape from the United Nations detention unit. Loose ends galore, and lots of opportunity for Sanderson’s Black Flagged group. 

So, did what did I do this morning? You’re looking at it. 

I’ll start writing Black Flagged Vektor tomorrow!

Review of Blake and Jordan Crouch’s EERIE

Posted on by Steven Konkoly

EERIE is a collaborative novel written by Blake Crouch and his brother Jordan. I refer to the author collectively as Crouch in this review. I’ve read many of Blake’s works…my favorite by far is RUN, which I reviewed here earlier. See Review for RUN. From what I can tell, crafting exceptional stories runs in the Crouch family DNA. 

EERIE kept me riveted to the page until the very end. I honestly haven’t been this “chilled” or “goose bumped” by a novel since rereading Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT after moving to Maine. I finished EERIE in a twenty-four hour period, constantly sneaking fifteen minutes here and there to get to the next scene.

I won’t retell the story in detail, though it is important to pay attention from the beginning. I love stories like this…where I often search back through the book to reread a scene for clues and hints. At one point in the book, I guarantee you will reread the first chapter. This may sound like a spoiler, but the book is so engrossing that you won’t think about it until the time has come. When it does, you’ll have that “Sixth Sense” moment, when everything falls into place.

Before that reveal, I was spellbound by the horror and darkness wrapped into the two main characters’ world. Grant and Page Moreton are estranged brother and sister, perpetual victims of tragic curveball thrown at them as children. No better off as adults, they are reunited through a menacing coincidence, which binds them together and forces them to confront an unspeakable presence.

The descriptions of the house and the presence they experience are unforgettable…and trust me…you’ll want to forget before you walk into any dark parts of your house. Many of the scenes were exponentially frightening, brought to life by Crouch’s prose and ratcheting suspense. I highly recommend that you read this book in as few sittings as possible. The imagery evoked will surface your most intimate fears. If you’ve recently come to terms with basements…get ready for some more therapy.

I rather enjoyed the ending to this book, in relation to the main reveal, however, I could have used a little more explanation of why the “original” event occurred. Why “he” was chosen for the experience. I won’t say more than that. It didn’t in the least bit diminish the experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Crouch’s first offering of the summer.