Horror Aficionados discussion

This is the thread for our May 2020 Group Read with Guest Author, Justin Holley. Justin will be joining us this month as we’ll be reading his novel, Seven Cleopatra Hill. If you’d like to join us, you can grab a copy of his book at the link below. Please help me welcome to Horror Aficionados, Justin Holley!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/195...

Welcome Justin! Thank you for joining us!

Thanks, Kimberly! My pleasure. I'm super excited to be here, so thanks so much for having me. I look forward to answering questions, saying hello, and responding to general horror tomfoolery.

Hi and welcome Justin!

That's so cool, I just downloaded this book a few days ago for my kindle. I stumbled upon it online and thought it sounded really interesting. I am glad to be able to read it here in this group. Can't wait to start :)

Hello Justin! Thanks for joining us.

Excited to start reading this! I just downloaded my copy :)

I live in AZ and have been to Jerome. And since I'm a sucker for any story set in Arizona I'll be reading this. :)

Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoy...and I'd love to hear what you think :)

Feli wrote: "Hi and welcome Justin!

That's so cool, I just downloaded this book a few days ago for my kindle. I stumbled upon it online and thought it sounded really interesting. I am glad to be able to read i..."

Thanks, Latasha! Glad to be here :)

Latasha wrote: "Hello Justin! Thanks for joining us."

Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy :)

NicholeReadsWithCats wrote: "Excited to start reading this! I just downloaded my copy :)"

Awesome! If you've been to Jerome you will definitely recognize some stuff :) I vacationed there and this story came to life!

WendyB wrote: "I live in AZ and have been to Jerome. And since I'm a sucker for any story set in Arizona I'll be reading this. :)"

Ken had me laughing so hard at the email introducing these May books! He also got me very interested! Usually I find the ones I want to read are so expensive and/or on a long wait list at the library! I almost cried for joy when I saw your book Justin as an Unlimited!!! I grabbed it right up! I have been feeling bad all week but that made me feel so good! Thanks for joining us with a Kindle Unlimited book! 😂😁😍

You're very welcome! Unlimited is a win-win. Readers get great books and publishers & authors still get $. I hope you enjoy the story :)

Montzalee wrote: "Ken had me laughing so hard at the email introducing these May books! He also got me very interested! Usually I find the ones I want to read are so expensive and/or on a long wait list at the libra..."

Justin wrote: "Awesome! If you've been to Jerome you will definitely recognize some stuff :) I vacationed there and this story came to life!

WendyB wrote: "I live in AZ and have been to Jerome. And since I'm a s..."

SEVEN CLEOPATRA HILL seriously rocks!!!

Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words :)

Reading Reindeer wrote: "SEVEN CLEOPATRA HILL seriously rocks!!!"

Hey, Gang! Feel free to ask me any questions you like! I'll start things off with a question for all of you: As horror fans, do you prefer a graphic flavor of horror or do you prefer something quieter in nature? No right or wrong answers!! :)

I like a quiet creepy feel of horror, a slow build, great atmosphere. I like to imagine what I would do if I was a character in the book.

i like both but extremely graphic (violence, abuse, things like that) i tend to avoid.

I'm OK with graphic if it lends itself to the story. I don't like when authors feel overly graphic violence/sex/language = horror. Atmosphere, tension, build-up, dread, the unknown make for much better horror to me. (And this is just a general statement, not directed at you. I don't think I've read any of your works so I have no idea what your style is like.)

I second Alan's sentiment. I appreciate graphic violence if it's done intelligently and adds to the story. If it seems gratuitous I end up feeling a bit ripped off. I think it's important that the terror is in the atmosphere more than the physical.

Lots of atmosphere and character development to set the mood and make me care about the characters. Then, ratchet things up in the final act by putting those characters that I now care about in peril. Sprinkle in graphic kills and you’ve got me.

Awesome feedback, gang! Appreciate it. I tend to agree with your unanimous opinion that gore should play a secondary role and needs to make sense for the story. Character development, relationships, are everything. A tidbit: you will always find some romance in every horror novel I write. Don't get me wrong, I love stories such as Jack Ketchum's OFF SEASON and Kealan Patrick Burk's KIN...both books with significant gory chops. But they have heart! Anyhow, feel free to fire me any questions you have :)

Justin. Can you tell us how this story came about? I understand that you stayed at this hotel.

Yes! I was hoping someone would ask. My wife and I did stay at this hotel while making a tour of Las Vegas, Jerome, and Lake Havasu City. In the middle of the night, I heard what sounded like a wheel squeaking in the hallway outside our door. Lasted a good ten seconds. When I looked, nothing there! The next day, in the lobby, I found a notebook which held stories of the macabre from other guests: ghost cats, ghost of the maintenance guy, and...you guessed it, the sound of gurneys rolling by rooms in the night. The back of the menus in the restaurant do ask you to look around and imagine invisible guests sitting at unattended tables. The place has a spooky vibe, for sure. So, having experienced my own installment of strange goings on at the Jerome Grand, this story began to take shape. I started taking notes immediately, and Tah-dah! You have SEVEN CLEOPATRA HILL. I hope you all enjoy it :)

Kenneth wrote: "Justin. Can you tell us how this story came about? I understand that you stayed at this hotel."

What's your writing process? Are you someone who plans ahead a lot or just writes and lets the story come out? And how do you decide where in the story you want to start?

Krystal wrote: "What's your writing process? Are you someone who plans ahead a lot or just writes and lets the story come out? And how do you decide where in the story you want to start?"

Hey, Krystal! Thanks for the question. So, I'm a bit of a hybrid when it comes to my style. Not quite a pantser and not quite a plotter. I start with a general plot, or idea, get a feeling for how the story will end, then develop some key plot points to hit along the way. Everything in between is fluid, including the characters who often develop over time as the story unfolds. As of now, every story I've written has started at the very beginning of things. I haven't experimented with dropping characters into an ongoing situation. Yet! We will see what the future holds :)

Justin wrote: "Awesome! If you've been to Jerome you will definitely recognize some stuff :) I vacationed there and this story came to life!"

Never been to Jerome / Arizona / the US. I'm in lockdown in a small town on a Scottish island, so I'm hoping you're going to transport me there.
No pressure ; )

I googled Jerome - what an amazing place!

Thank you! The process always fascinates me. :)

Very keen to get into it!

Annerlee wrote: "Justin wrote: "Awesome! If you've been to Jerome you will definitely recognize some stuff :) I vacationed there and this story came to life!"

Never been to Jerome / Arizona / the US. I'm in lockdo..."

I hope my version reconciles with what you've researched online! Please let me know. A Scottish island?? Sounds awesome :)

Krystal wrote: "Thank you! The process always fascinates me. :)

Very keen to get into it!"

I hope you enjoy it! :)

Justin, can you tell us a little how you got into writing and who your influences were?

Kenneth wrote: "Justin, can you tell us a little how you got into writing and who your influences were?"

I'd love to! So, I come from a long line of poets. I even inherited my great grandfather Albert's journal which spans the late 1800s into the very early 1900s in which he wrote poetry, narrative non-fiction, and even song lyrics. I am the first to write fiction prose. I'm late to the horror world from a literature standpoint. I watched tons of horror movies. Grew up on Amityville Horror, Alien, Jaws, the Halloween franchise, etc but was never exposed to horror literature until I ran into a book called Offspring by Jack Ketchum. I swooned! My next read was Dark Hollow by Brian Keene. I double swooned. The emotions in those book were palpable: fear, love, hope, dashed hopes, the whole nine yards. I've since read horror exclusively and widely. John Coyne rocks! Not only was he a magnificent horror author, he also was a fantastic golfer. A dude after my own heart. Anyway, I was already writing poetry and decided I wanted to explore novel development, see if I could carry a narrative over the course of 250 plus pages successfully. As with most fledgling novelists, my first 650,000 words were a good training ground but unsuccessful. They weren't good enough. I kept at it and got better. How much better? Well, I'll leave that to the readers. But...my Bruised series got some good reviews and so far so good with Seven Cleopatra Hill. I am ALWAYS striving to improve my craft and have relished the editing process with some high quality editors. I think I enjoy the editing just as much as I enjoy crafting the original tale.

Krystal wrote: "Thank you! The process always fascinates me. :)

Very keen to get into it!"

Krystal, also, when you said "Get into it" I assumed you meant Seven Cleopatra Hill. But did you mean writing? If you're thinking about it, you should definitively try your hand. It's rewarding :)

Having read (but still need to type my review), I want to say that (view spoiler)[ I enjoyed the infusion of mythology/legend with an original threat, carried over the years. (hide spoiler)]

Kimberly wrote: "Having read (but still need to type my review), I want to say that [spoilers removed]"

Thanks, Kimberly! I really enjoyed the mythos behind this piece. It was a lot of fun to work with. Thanks for reading...and for your forthcoming review. Much appreciated :)

Justin wrote: "Krystal wrote: "Thank you! The process always fascinates me. :)

Very keen to get into it!"

Krystal, also, when you said "Get into it" I assumed you meant Seven Cleopatra Hill. But did you mean wr..."

Haha I did mean the book but I do dabble in writing! It's more about being creative for me than anything serious but it's definitely good fun. :) But I tend to have a lot of ideas with no structure so that's why I'm always interested in the writing process for others.

Krystal wrote: "Justin wrote: "Krystal wrote: "Thank you! The process always fascinates me. :)

Very keen to get into it!"

Krystal, also, when you said "Get into it" I assumed you meant Seven Cleopatra Hill. But ..."

All art is good art...even if we're the only ones who ever see it! :)

Okay so I'm currently 32% in (starting chapter 11) and wondering ...

(view spoiler)[how much research went into these rituals? (hide spoiler)]

Also so far I really love Miles, he's making the story a lot of fun!

Krystal - I'm at 31% too! Lots happening so far! Miles is an entertaining character for sure

Krystal wrote: "Okay so I'm currently 32% in (starting chapter 11) and wondering ...

[spoilers removed]

Also so far I really love Miles, he's making the story a lot of fun!"

Um...I was very careful to keep the ritual generic. So, I grabbed bits and pieces from here and there and kind of patchworked. I didn't want anyone conjuring a demon on my watch :) *laughs nervously*

NicholeReadsWithCats wrote: "Krystal - I'm at 31% too! Lots happening so far! Miles is an entertaining character for sure"

So happy you are enjoying Miles! He's one of my favs :) Was fun to write!

Justin wrote: "Krystal wrote: "Okay so I'm currently 32% in (starting chapter 11) and wondering ...

[spoilers removed]

Also so far I really love Miles, he's making the story a lot of fun!"

Um...I was very care..."

Haha good plan! Guess I'll let the chicken go, then.

Justin, were there real people that inspired your characters in SCH, or were they all 100% made from imagination?

Kenneth wrote: "Justin, were there real people that inspired your characters in SCH, or were they all 100% made from imagination?"

So, it's strange. Usually, as an author, I write what I know and take pieces of real life folks' personality and use those traits within the composite of my characters. I'd guess most authors do the same. This time was different for me. Other than Miles reflecting my persona a bit from my youth, these characters are one-hundred-percent fiction.

geez... I'm really glad now that Jerome is 2 hrs away. :)

Justin wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Justin, were there real people that inspired your characters in SCH, or were they all 100% made from imagination?"

So, it's strange. Usually, as an author, I write what I know and ..."

Speaking of characters, which ones did you most enjoy writing about?

WendyB wrote: "geez... I'm really glad now that Jerome is 2 hrs away. :)"

So close yet so far :) Hopefully far enough! Bwahahaha. :)

Krystal wrote: "Justin wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Justin, were there real people that inspired your characters in SCH, or were they all 100% made from imagination?"

So, it's strange. Usually, as an author, I write w..."

My favorites to develop were Miles and Janey. I also enjoyed Angela's character a lot!

Hey, Gang! So, the questions are slowing. I know...there's only so much you can ask an author about. Let me ask you all one. What do you think about "slow-burn" horror, where the story develops in a methodical character build, then all the bad things hit at the end like an avalanche? I can't explain why I'm asking. YET. Hopefully soon ;)

Justin wrote: "Hey, Gang! So, the questions are slowing. I know...there's only so much you can ask an author about. Let me ask you all one. What do you think about "slow-burn" horror, where the story develops in ..."

I probably prefer it a little, because I find the key to me loving a book is getting attached to the characters early on (this is probably my favourite element of King's work). But at the same time, I don't like the pace to be too skewed or I lose interest, and then everything coming at the end feels too little too late. So I guess I like the slow-burn, but still with enough action or even just mystery to keep me hooked.