Horror Aficionados discussion

This is the thread for the August 2019 Group Read with Guest Author, Tom Deady. This month we’ll be reading his Bram Stoker Award winning novel, HAVEN. Please help me welcome, Tom Deady!

Hi! Welcome Tom!

This sounds great! i'm in!

Hi all and welcome Tom!

I already own a copy of Haven, so that's the time to finally read it, then. Can't wait to begin :)

Welcome, Tom!

Tom! It's great to see you here. :)

So exciting! Welcome, Tom!

Greetings Goodreads readers!

I am honored to be here as guest, and thrilled that Haven is the book to discuss. Haven is my first novel, a labor of love almost fifteen years in the making.
I grew up during the wonderful years for the horror genre in the late seventies and eighties. In those days, bookstores had generous horror sections, filled with the likes of King, Koontz, McCammon, Simmons, and Straub. To this day, those are some of my favorite authors.
Haven is heavily influenced by their works, and my goal was to write a sort of throwback novel as an homage to the great, doorstop-sized books so readily available back then. I wanted to write a sweeping story that captured some of the coming-of-age magic found in Summer of Night, Boy's Life, and IT. As I wrote, on and off for all those years, I realized I was pouring a lot of my own childhood and young adult life into it.
Having the limited edition published by Cemetery Dance was a dream come true, and winning the Bram Stoker Award still seems surreal. It is the kind words of the readers that mean the most. I truly hope you enjoy Haven.
Please fire any questions my way - try to avoid spoilers for those still reading!

i will be listening to the audio book.

Wanted to read this for some time now and this is the perfect opportunity. Just checked and gladly it‘s already downloaded to my Kindle, as I don‘t have it connected to the net at the moment (vacation time :) ... can‘t wait to start!

August 1st is upon us! Post your thoughts or questions as you read!

Tom, can you tell us a little about how you got into writing and what drew you to horror?

I just read the first chapter and really liked it. What a great start. I hope to get some more reading done today cause I really want to know more about Paul and what happened.

Ken wrote: "Tom, can you tell us a little about how you got into writing and what drew you to horror?"

I grew up watching Creature Double Feature, so I was always a horror fan. It wasn't until I picked at 'Salem's Lot when I was around thirteen that I became a horror reader.
I've always wanted to write but never had the confidence to take it seriously until I finished Haven.

Tom, it was great meeting you at Scares That Care and talking about your books in person.
I'll just briefly share with the others here, that I mentioned I felt there was a tonal shift in the latter parts of Haven, but you had the great response, having written it over so many years, you were a different writer at the end than at the beginning.

Alan wrote: "Tom, it was great meeting you at Scares That Care and talking about your books in person.
I'll just briefly share with the others here, that I mentioned I felt there was a tonal shift in the latter..."

Great meeting you as well! You were the first person to ever mention that, but it doesn't surprise me. You have a keen eye!

Hi Tom, it's nice to have you here. I just started the book yesterday, enjoying it so far, and hope to get some more reading in today... just depends on how good my fav baseball team plays. :)

I love Tom Deady's work and can't recommend it highly enough. Plus he's an all round wonderful guy.

Tom, can you tell us a little about your weekend at Scares That Care? Perhaps some of the highlights for you or maybe a little info about the event, for people that aren’t familiar with it?

WendyB wrote: "Hi Tom, it's nice to have you here. I just started the book yesterday, enjoying it so far, and hope to get some more reading in today... just depends on how good my fav baseball team plays. :)"

And your favorite baseball team is...?

Dave wrote: "I love Tom Deady's work and can't recommend it highly enough. Plus he's an all round wonderful guy."

Thanks Dave - you rock!

Ken wrote: "Tom, can you tell us a little about your weekend at Scares That Care? Perhaps some of the highlights for you or maybe a little info about the event, for people that aren’t familiar with it?"

Scares that Care is the only charity horror convention in the country. This was its sixth year (my first!) and I cannot say enough about the event. It is well run, there is amazing programming, and a TON of cool vendors. The all volunteer staff is incredibly helpful and courteous.
My own experience was only limited by my poor planning. The hotel sells out quickly and I had to stay a few miles away. That means I missed out on a few impromptu "unadvertised events" usually held at the hotel cafe or bar. Next year I'll know my way around better!
Huge props to Joe Ripple, Brian Keene, and everyone else that helps make the event such a success.

Tom wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Hi Tom, it's nice to have you here. I just started the book yesterday, enjoying it so far, and hope to get some more reading in today... just depends on how good my fav baseball team..."

That would be the Arizona Diamondbacks. Been a mediocre year but I just can't resist a ballgame.

WendyB wrote: "Tom wrote: "WendyB wrote: "Hi Tom, it's nice to have you here. I just started the book yesterday, enjoying it so far, and hope to get some more reading in today... just depends on how good my fav b..."

Nice! I used to be a diehard Red Sox fan. My friend and I ran a website called Surviving Grady for over ten years (he still runs it). We got the name following the 2003 ALCS when then-manager Grady Little was blamed (rightly so, in my opinion) for blowing the series. The first year we did the blog (2004(, the Sox won the World Series and we compiled all of our posts into a book by the same name. Unfortunately, this guy named Stephen King also published a book about the 2004 season, so ours went vastly unnoticed! I've since lost my passion for baseball, not sure why...

Hi Tom. I’m currently listening to the audiobook. The narrator is great! I’m really enjoying the book. I like that (view spoiler)[ you have really thrown everything in but damn! It’s working! I like that. Can’t wait to find out what the creature is. Nessie? (hide spoiler)]

Thanks Latasha! Matt Godfrey is my go-to narrator now, he is amazing. He's also done Eternal Darkness and Backwater for me!

That’s great. I’m positive I’ve heard him before. I just can’t place which books.

i'm curious, have you heard of Charlie no face before? it's really, really sad.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/raymo...

Thanks for the Infos about Scares that Care! Sounds like a great event. Unfortunately, in Germany we have no such events for Horror books/movies etc. We usually don't even have a Horror section in bookstores or libraries. It's so sad.

I've read the first 100 pages of your book now, Tom, and am really liking it. I especially love the characters; the kids are cool and Father McCarthy and Paul are so interesting.

Feli wrote: "Thanks for the Infos about Scares that Care! Sounds like a great event. Unfortunately, in Germany we have no such events for Horror books/movies etc. We usually don't even have a Horror section in ..."

Feli,
Thanks for the kind words on Haven! It's too bad you don't have events like Scares that Care, it was wonderful. StokerCon is in the UK in 2020!

Latasha wrote: "i'm curious, have you heard of Charlie no face before? it's really, really sad.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/raymo..."

Latasha,
Wow, that is sad. I had not heard that story before. Part of my inspiration for Paul came from The Man Without a Face (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107501/).

Tom wrote: "Latasha wrote: "i'm curious, have you heard of Charlie no face before? it's really, really sad.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/raymo..."

Latasha,
Wow, that is sad. I had not heard that ..."

ohh ok. i haven't seen that movie, sorry.

Lake monsters. So glad I have a nice safe in-ground pool to splash around in on a hot summer day with nary a nasty critter in sight.

Hmmm...a story about a monster that lives in pools...

Tom, the cover of Haven has a unique look. What can you tell us about the artwork? Did you have any say in it’s direction?

I actually had the cover designed myself, just in case I ended up self-publishing. I gave the artist an idea of what I wanted, and she came up with a great B&W draft. When Cemetery Dance asked for input on the cover, I sent the draft and they colorized it. I LOVED it immediately!

Tom wrote: "I actually had the cover designed myself, just in case I ended up self-publishing. I gave the artist an idea of what I wanted, and she came up with a great B&W draft. When Cemetery Dance asked for ..."

Oo that was lucky the publisher took what you gave them. It really is a cool, ominous and fitting cover for the book.

So I finally started reading, about halfway through now. Reading Haven definitely feels like a time leap back to the eighties with the doorstopper books by the authors you mentioned earlier Tom.

Those books marked my entry into the wonderful world of horror stories and therefore were the most influential I guess. After a couple pages I had a strong feeling of coming home, just like Paul does when he returns to his hometown. The coming-of-age angle, the bullying, the slowly building mysterious happenings around town, the unlikely group of 'heroes' that is beginning to take form - I just love it!

However, I still wonder about the creature in the lake.
(view spoiler)[At first I thought about something with tentacles (because of the rows of bite marks on the legs)? Now, after reading the part about the military, I think more along the lines of a mutant creature, maybe a mix of several species intended as a super weapon consisting of multiple deadly features (hide spoiler)]

Btw, I just purchased a small X-Wing model kit for my son, who wants to give model-building a try, so reading about Denny's gift was a funny coincidence.

Alan wrote: "Oo that was lucky the publisher took what you gave them. It really is a cool, ominous and fitting cover for the book"

Exactly, and I'm glad the cover doesn't reveal any information about the creature, like a small piece of a tentacle or other appendage surfacing from the lake.

Elke,

I'm so happy you are enjoying it. That is a weird coincidence about the X-Wing model!
Your spoiler comment is very...perceptive!

Tom, as you mentioned, Haven is a bit more of a door stopper than the 200-250 page novels we’re used to seeing these days. Did you originally intend for Haven to be a large tome or did it simply demand to be that size as you were writing it

Ken wrote: "Tom, as you mentioned, Haven is a bit more of a door stopper than the 200-250 page novels we’re used to seeing these days. Did you originally intend for Haven to be a large tome or did it simply de..."

Great question! I don't outline, so I had no real expectations when I started. I wrote the book over a period of years, just writing scenes as they came to me, regardless of where they "fit" in the story. When I finally finished...I had no idea it was a 500 page book. I ended up having to write out an index card with a scene description and approximate date it took place in the story, then arrange them on the dining room table like a puzzle to make sure everything was in the right time sequence, etc. But no, I never would have guessed it would be a door stop when I started it. On the other hand, I would LOVE to write another one of that length...

I think that length is great. Most of my favorite reads have been epic tomes that you don’t want to ever end.

Which length do you find more challenging to write? Short stories, novellas, novels or doorstoppers?

Ken wrote: "I think that length is great. Most of my favorite reads have been epic tomes that you don’t want to ever end.

Which length do you find more challenging to write? Short stories, novellas, novels o..."

I've always struggled with short stories. I love strong character development and backstory and subplots...I want to write another long novel. I've been considering the sequel to Eternal Darkness for a while. Maybe it's time...

Tom wrote: "Your spoiler comment is very...perceptive!"

Heh, now I know what you mean ;)

I am nearly done with Haven, just 50 pages left. Still loving it.
The book just didn't feel like 500 pages. It was fun reading every part of it and I was much faster than normally when reading such door stopper books.

I agree on the cover: it's really beautiful. Great to hear you designed it yourself :)

How do you start a book like Haven? Do you have an idea and just start writing a scene? You mentioned you didn't outline the book. But did you, like, create all the characters before writing or are they appearing during the writing process?

Tom, can you tell us what you have in store for us horror fans for the rest of 2019 and next year? Will you be doing any book signings or cons?

I hope to see you Tom, at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival in October! Thanks so much for joining us this month.

Finally, my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks to all for another great group read!