Horror Aficionados discussion

This is the thread for our second group read with the author. We'll be reading AND THE AUTHOR, Rob E. Boley will be joining us as we read and discuss.
This book is part of the Kindle Unlimited program and is available for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Will-Foll...

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Rob E. Boley!

Thanks for having me here! I'm thrilled that The Body Will Follow is one of your Group Reads - especially during this most auspicious of months, October. I'm looking forward to the discussion!

Hi Rob, it's great to "meet" you! Normally, Ken would be here to welcome you, but due to certain circumstances, he was unable. I, however, am happy to have you here, and I will do my best to fill Ken's HUGE shoes!

Right on, Char. Many thanks for filling in!

Welcome, Rob. :)

Whenever you have a moment Rob, can you tell us a little bit regarding how your book came about and how you came into contact with Ken and Silver Shamrock?

Sure thing, Char!

I can't exactly recall the moment I was first inspired to write The Body Will Follow, but I've long been a fan of stories that start in the aftermath of a horrific event. A great example is KIN by Kealan Patrick Burke, which I believe was one of this group's reads last month. I loved the idea of a tale starting with a solid female character whose life had just been torn apart by a possession.

Also, in recent years, I've written a few ghost stories in which the ghosts must oblige to the limits of the physical world. So I incorporated those ghosts into the book, as well.

The book flowed together quickly. It was a breeze to write because the characters practically wrote themselves. I saw that Silver Shamrock had an open call, so I submitted. By happy coincidence Ken had read and enjoyed a werewolf story that I'd had published years ago in Best New Werewolf Tales, edited by James Roy Daley. He recognized my name from that story, and that piqued his interest.

To my gleeful surprise, he offered to publish it. It's been a wonderful experience publishing with Silver Shamrock. The editorial was spot-on, and that cover . . . wow. I love it!

Side note: the cover is actually by Kealan Patrick Burke, mentioned above. Another happy coincidence.

What a tale! First off, I am a huge fan of Kealan Patrick Burke and once interviewed him online-unfortunately that site is now defunct. These days it seems like KPB is just as great of a cover designer as he is an author.

Like you, one of the main things I liked about KIN is that it starts off where most other horror tales are just finishing.

KIN was amazing! I recently finished his novella, BLANKY, and was simply blown away.

I'm finding that lately, I really enjoy shorter, novella-length reads. I've become obsessed with short vintage horror/gothic paperbacks. I love when an author can tell a complete story but keep the page count low.

That's actually why The Body Will Follow is novella-length. I forced myself to keep it under 40,000 words.

Rob wrote: "KIN was amazing! I recently finished his novella, BLANKY, and was simply blown away.

I'm finding that lately, I really enjoy shorter, novella-length reads. I've become obsessed with short vintage..."

Blanky was killer! Also, The Tent. And Jack and Jill. And The Turtle Boy. :)

I've long thought that the novella is the perfect length for a horror story. It's long enough to develop the characters and get us to feel for them, but short enough to still pack a punch and not take a year in doing so. Every word has to count.

welcome and thank you for joining us! I liked Blanky a lot too.

Latasha wrote: "welcome and thank you for joining us! I liked Blanky a lot too."

If you liked Blanky, Latasha, have you read the Tor novella, Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones? I just finished it last night. Great read! Quick and powerful and imaginative.

Welcome Rob--looking forward to reading this!

Thanks so much, Kimberly!

Rob wrote: "Latasha wrote: "welcome and thank you for joining us! I liked Blanky a lot too."

If you liked Blanky, Latasha, have you read the Tor novella, Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones? I just f..."

That's another GREAT novella! I freaking love that guy. I highly recommend The Only Good Indians, though it's not a novella.

Char wrote: "Rob wrote: "Latasha wrote: "welcome and thank you for joining us! I liked Blanky a lot too."

If you liked Blanky, Latasha, have you read the Tor novella, Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jon..."

That one was amazing, too!

I have not read Mapping the Interior but I know my library has it. I’ve looked at that cover longingly. I should add it to my list?

Latasha wrote: "I have not read Mapping the Interior but I know my library has it. I’ve looked at that cover longingly. I should add it to my list?"

Oh definitely! It's a darkly imaginative tale, and you could probably read it in one sitting. I read it and Blanky back-to-back, and it was like a one-two punch!

Thanks for the recommendation!

Latasha wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation!"

You bet! If you have any favorite novellas, please let me know. I love book recommendations!

Here you go then:

(One of my all time faves.) (creature feature with a kangaroo)




I guess that's enough for now, but I do have more.

My TBR pile just grew significantly. I. Am. THRILLED. Thank you!

I second Char's list!

I bought my copy and am looking forward to starting this, but will be unable for the next week or so.

Rob, can you share with us some of your influences as far as writing are concerned?

When did your interest in dark fiction/horror start?

Thanks so much for picking up a copy, Char. I really appreciate that!

My interest in horror dates back to when I was a wee little lad. During 1st grade show-and-tell, my teacher started calling me "Monster Man" because I'd always bring in monstrous toys.

While visiting my mom's family in Eastern Kentucky, my uncle showed me Halloween and Halloween II at a very young age. The movies scared the hell out of me, but also fascinated me. I was hooked!

Growing up, my sister, my dad, and I watched horror movies as often as we could. I was a huge fan of all the classic 80's slashers.

My dad has always been a huge Stephen King fan, so I devoured as many of his books as I could in middle school and onward into high school. As a teen, I discovered the likes of Anne Rice, Douglas Adams, and Neil Gaiman. I'm sure those authors all contributed to my dark imagination and black humor.

Later influences would be Joe Hill, Brian K. Vaughn (graphic novels), Robert Kirkman (graphic novels), and Jeffrey Ford. Lately, I've become obsessed with slim vintage paperbacks, especially by female authors. I've been loving the works of Shirley Jackson, Josephine Hart, and Daphne du Maurier.

Right now, I'm slowly gathering the obscure works of Florence Stevenson, whose writing is rich, sensuous, dark, and imaginative.

BTW, thanks so much for recommending The Ballad of Black Tom. I'm reading it right now, and wow - loving it!

Rob wrote: "Thanks so much for picking up a copy, Char. I really appreciate that!

My interest in horror dates back to when I was a wee little lad. During 1st grade show-and-tell, my teacher started calling me..."

I'm psyched that you're enjoying it!

Now that you've mentioned Brian Vaughn, I'm wondering when the hell is SAGA is coming back?

I enjoy Joe Hill's work a lot myself, and I've even met him a few times. I have a lot of his doodles and signatures in my collection. I never did get anything signed by Stephen King though.

Argh! I miss SAGA. Such a great read! I'm hoping he gets back to it soon. PAPER GIRLS was awesome, but SAGA has been such a brilliant series - on par with or maybe even better than Y THE LAST MAN.

Right? After that last edition that RIPPED MY HEART OUT, I've been so eager to get back to it.

I'm about 25% into this so far and I like it!

I was a bit nervous this would be too extreme for me, but so far I'm okay.

Char wrote: "I'm about 25% into this so far and I like it!

I was a bit nervous this would be too extreme for me, but so far I'm okay."

I'm glad you said that Char, because it's why I am hesitating to start! LOL! Last year I wouldn't have thought twice, but this year has thrown us all for a loop!

With me, I think it's mostly aging that's affecting me. Pretty soon I'll be telling children to get off my lawn!

Glad you're liking it so far! There are definitely some moments that are a bit intense, but hopefully the characters get you invested enough to keep going. I think at its core, the story has a lot of heart!

THANKS for giving it a go!

I finished up and enjoyed it! To be honest, the first 2/3 or so I loved the 70's/80's vibe I got from it, but I got a little lost in that last third.

I do enjoy your writing style though. Is there something else of yours, novella length, that you would recommend I try?

THANKS for reading, Char! I appreciate that.

I do have a novella-length story in INTERSECTIONS: Six Tales of Ouija Horror. This anthology is actually the first book published by Howling Unicorn Press, the lil' imprint started by my wife Megan Hart and me. It features ouija-themed horror stories by Megan, me, Sèphera Girón, Brad C. Hodson, Kerry Lipp, and Chris Marrs.

Here's a link to the book:
http://www.robboley.com/books/interse...

If you're into shorter stuff, I do also have a short story collection called BETTER ALIVE THAN DEAD: 13Tales of Monster Horror.

http://www.robboley.com/books/better-...

Much obliged!
Rob

Ok then, I purchased this one and am looking forward to checking it out. It's going to be a bit though, as I have a pretty big backlog.




Did you end up enjoying ?

Awww. Thanks so much, Char! We are really proud of that book. It’s a diverse set of creepy stories. Hope you dig it!

Oh, and yes, I did enjoy THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM. Loved the retro vibe and the POV switch midway-through, as well as the social commentary. It packed so much into just a few pages! THANKS for recommending it, Char!

Thanks Rob, for joining us here this month! I enjoyed getting to know you a little bit and I did enjoy the book for the most part.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors, sir!

Thanks so much for having me, Char! It’s been a pleasure! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, everyone!

I'm sorry that it wasn't as busy in here as usual. I think everyone is just worn out from the dumpster fire called 2020, but I'm happy to have "met" you, sir.

Happy Halloween!

It’s all good, Char. I dig this group and aim to stay connected. I’m getting great reading recommendations. What a great community!

Thank you!