Hunter Shea's Blog

What if the world didn’t end with a bang… but with a burn? That’s the question I set out to answer in my latest post-apocalyptic horror novel, Combustible — now available from the fine fiends at Dark Wolf Books.

Grab your copy on Amazon

I’ve written about swamp monsters, undead killers, mutants gone wild, haunted places and people, and cryptids that make Bigfoot look like a teddy bear. But this time, I wanted to dive into the raw, ugly horror of a world collapsing under the weight of something totally out of its control — where society isn’t just broken, it’s on fire. And not metaphorically.

In Combustible, people are literally exploding.

Not all of them. Just anyone who sneezes. Which means it’s coming for you, no matter what! And once it starts, there’s no stopping it. One second you’re sprinkling too much pepper onto your meatloaf, the next you’re a pile of smoldering ash.

Yes, spontaneous human combustion is real — in Combustible, at least. And while I could’ve gone full doom and gloom, I wanted to inject this chaos with a sharp edge of satire. Because let’s face it — if the world really did end due to something as normal as a sneeze, it would be terrifying and kind of hilarious.

This isn’t a quiet horror. It’s loud, visceral, brutal, and sometimes funny. And yet, at its core, it’s about love and survival — about a husband doing anything he can to protect his wife even though their marriage was in flames before the world followed suit.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll smell burning hair (in your imagination, hopefully).

From flame-worshipping cults to roadside lunatics, no one’s safe and no meltdown goes unnoticed. It’s Zombieland by way of The Road, with a little bit of Warm Bodies sprinkled in for flavor.

A massive thanks to Dark Wolf Books, who jumped at the chance to publish this beast. These folks aren’t afraid to take chances on dark, bloody, emotionally raw horror — the kind that bites and burns. If you’re not already following them, you’re missing out on some of the best indie horror in the game.

If you’re a fan of horror with teeth, apocalypse tales with bite, and humor darker than the inside of a burnt-out SUV, Combustible is calling your name.

Warning: May cause spontaneous laughter and/or anxiety the next time you feel a sneeze coming on.

Available now in eBook and paperback:
Get it on Amazon

Thanks to the great folks at Dark Wolf Books and their new horror line, We Are Always Watching is now back in print and ebook! Inspired by the true crime mystery of the Westfield Watcher House, We Are Always Watching is filled with creeping dread, dark mysteries, and a secret too dangerous to be revealed.

The original cover that was on the Sinister Grin edition was pretty badass, so the folks at Dark Wolf wanted to stick with that theme. This is home invasion horror taken to a whole new level.

About the book:

When West Ridley’s family is forced to abandon New York for a crumbling Pennsylvania farmhouse, he expects misery—but nothing could prepare him for the horrors lurking within its walls. His father’s worsening illness, his mother’s exhaustion, and his grandfather’s drunken ramblings paint a bleak picture of their new reality. But it’s the eerie warnings and shadowed figures that truly unnerve him.

The words “WE SEE YOU” scrawled on his ceiling are just the beginning. Something sinister roams the halls at night, whispering through the silence, watching from the darkness. Grandpa Abraham swears the house is haunted. But the truth is far worse than restless spirits—because in this house, secrets are buried deep, and the Guardians will do anything to keep them hidden.

As the Ridleys unravel the mysteries of their new home, one thing becomes chillingly clear: escape is impossible. No matter where they go, the watchers remain.

A pulse-pounding horror thriller packed with eerie suspense, We Are Always Watching is perfect for fans of Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, and haunted house stories that linger long after the last page. Dare to uncover the truth?

For the first time in many years, I’m also going on a week-long blog tour. During the tour stops, you’ll see new (and I hope interesting) posts by me, Q&A, and some cool giveaways, including a signed copy of the book. The links to the various stops are right here –

June 5 Gail’s Gory Details
https://gailsgorydetails.blogspot.com/

June 5 Sapphyria’s Books
https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/

June 6 Bewitching Book Tours
https://bewitchingbooktours.tumblr.com/

June 6 Paranormalists (Interview)
https://paranormalists.blogspot.com/

June 9 Roxanne’s Realm
http://www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com

June 9 Liliyana Shadowlyn
https://lshadowlynauthor.com

June 10 The Book Junkie Reads (Interview)
https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blogspot.com/

June 11 Fang-tastic Books
http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

June 11 The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom (Guest Blog)
http://creativelygreen.blogspot.com/

June 12 Supernatural Central (Interview)
http://supernaturalcentral.blogspot.com

June 12 Lisa’s World of Books
http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/

So, take a stop on the tour, enter to win some stuff, and most importantly, grab a copy of We Are Always Watching. You may just end up afraid of being in your own house.

King of the Cryptids! B-Movie Monster Maker! That Pulp Horror Guy!

I’ve been called all of those things and much more (and far worse!). I wear all of those badges with pride and honor. It’s exactly what I set out to do when I started scribbling stories back in the 90s when I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston was the #1 song in the world, and the first Jurassic Park was lighting up the big screen. Folks always said, “Oh, you want to be the next Stephen King.” In the sense that I wanted to write horror and make some money doing it, yes. King money would be incredible. But really, I was hoping to be more along the lines of Guy N Smith, James Herbert, and Hugh B. Cave.

So, for you, kind reader, who has happened upon this page, I wanted to share a bit of my writing journey and showcase the strange little darlings that seeped from my brain pan onto the printed page. You may be new to Hunter Shea, or a tried and true hellion. Come on, follow me (and keep your hands in the car and no flash photography)…

I may be fully immersed now in all things cryptid and monstrous, but I actually started out writing ghost stories. I lived in a haunted house from 1993 – 2019, and for a great part of that time, we had the spirit of a young boy sharing our living space with our family. I liked him a lot because I didn’t have to pay for any food or clothing, but I do wish I could have claimed him as a dependent on my taxes. Needless to say, I became obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife. My first published novel was Forest of Shadows, with the now defunct Samhain Publishing. I went on to make it a trilogy that is still available today. Numerous short stories have since followed in different anthos, and I feel there are more full-length novels that need to be told.

While churning out novels and novellas for Samhain, I came to the attention of an editor at Kensington Publishing, aka Pinnacle books. That editor and I collaborated first on 3 mass market paperbacks (still my favorite format), with 2 focusing on cryptids – the Montauk Monster and the Jersey Devil – and one a post-apocalyptic nightmare. It was pretty damn cool having books available everywhere, including your local Piggly Wiggly.

Samhain eventually goes kerplooie, and I hitch my wagon to Severed Press, where all things cryptid and monstrous really take center stage. I’ve grappled with the Dover Demon, squatches of all kinds, prehistoric ghost sharks, megalodons, the Goat Man, Loch Ness Monster, dinosaurs and even very pissed off killer whales. I’m still publishing with Severed and working on a new story idea as we speak for 2025.

My editor at Kensington came to me about writing a series of novellas about the things you used to be able to order from old comic books. Since we’re both technically 12 year olds, we were giddy as hell to get to work. Out popped the Mail Order Massacre trilogy over the course of one summer. We delved into the horrors of receiving sea monkeys, x-ray specs, and a submarine made of cardboard in the mail.

For our encore, we created a new trilogy of novellas, One Size Eats All! Easily my favorite book covers, this time we had rats invade NYC, a dinosaur eat a Florida town, and a strange fungus turn a camping trip into a nightmare.

And thank heaven my dream editor at Samhain, the legendary Don D’Auria, brought me along when Flame Tree Press when they started their horror line. This really gave me a chance to stretch my wings. I wrote my first slasher with a killer that would make Jason head for the hills, delved into the Melon Heads, and mined my personal life with a tale of real and unimaginable horror.

There are other books that are now out of print (some of them coming back with a new publisher this year!) and even a new one that will be out in 2025. Mostly these days I’m happily working on ghost writing projects outside the horror genre that give me great joy to write (and I’m spared having to do promotion). Sure, I may not be on the NY Times bestseller list, but I know I’ve given a whole lot of people a distraction from the real world. And really, that’s what matters most. I hope you’ll stick with me as I keep on typing away (a little slower now, but still getting it done). There are plenty more monsters that need to come to life!

I’m going to come at this topic from the angle of a writer, but it applies to everyone and every endeavor.

Being knocked out for 6+ weeks getting seriously ill and then recovering, the last thing I thought of was writing, even though I had just agreed to pen a new book with a specific deadline. Things were so bad at one point, the thought of watching an episode of The Office was like asking me to scale Everest. Occasionally, I would look at my laptop and know that a few thousand words were in there, waiting to be expanded upon. Then I would see my pillow and collapse on it.

Cut to now and I have no shortage of energy. The drive is getting there. A shortened attention span is hopefully just here for a visit and will soon hit the bricks. There is a book to be written, and I need to get in the proper headspace.

That calls for a recharge. Even though my body is willing, the mind, the will, the drive, needs some bulking up. Daily ra-ra sessions are good ways to get your ass in gear. What am I doing to get myself in the mood? Pretty much what I’ve always done.

I love podcasts. And I love the work of Ernest Hemingway. His aesthetic helped teach me to keep my writing lean and clean. So, it’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of One True Podcast, a deep dive into the works and deeds of not just Hemingway, but other artists of his generation. Hearing Hemingway scholars and other esteemed authors discuss the process, meaning and real-life circumstances around his stories and books always gets me going. I missed a few episodes while I was down and out and have enjoyed catching up.

Writer’s Digest still gets delivered to my house every month. When I first subscribed in the 90s, it was my glossy bible, one I hoped would lead me to the Land of Published Authors. All these years later, with over 40 books under my belt, I’m still reading WD, always learning, always being inspired. I like to read an article or interview just before I sit down to write. Another publication that helps in this regard is The Writer.

Reading as much as I can gets the juices flowing. I don’t just read books in the genre that I’m writing. Life is too short to pigeonhole myself. I drink from a fountain of variety, picking up things both consciously and subconsciously from the great, good, and even bad books. When I read what others are putting out there, it motivates me to finish my own stories.

Last but not least, I look for shows or movies to watch that are in the genre I’m focusing on. If it’s horror, I’m on Shudder or Tubi or combing through my personal library of movies, just absorbing all the bits and pieces. For, say, a book set in the old west, I’ll fire up The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, the Lonseome Dove series, or Silverado. If I want to add a little comedy, I’ll pop in The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Big Lebowski or Dr. Strangelove. You get the idea. I also have a whole section of movies just about writers that I’ll hit every now and then to remind myself why I do what I do.

Way back in the day when I worked in telecom customer service, I would blast heavy metal in my car to psych myself up for another day of problems and getting yelled at. When I saw Dwight on The Office do the same before sales calls, I nearly fell off my chair laughing.

The big question is, how do you recharge your batteries? Is it spending time with your favorite guinea pig? Chopping wood? Hitting the treadmill? Or just vegging out on the couch? Reply in the comments here and I’ll pick some folks to win a signed book. Bring it on!

A little over three weeks ago, I was in the Intensive Care Unit wondering if I was going to make it through the night. I was in some pretty rough shape. The one thing that saved me from total panic was the thick fog that had enshrouded my brain. It was if I were a half step removed from everything going on around me.

Luckily, my story has a happy ending. I was stabilized and have been home recovering quicker than expected. I’ve gone from walking with a cane to walking for a half hour without one. I even hit the gym for a super light workout yesterday. So much of my life has changed in just a short amount of time. I have to be mindful of how and what I eat, make sure I stay mobile, build my strength and stamina, set up doctor appointments, and take my meds, some of them unpleasant.

Needless to say, I’ve had my share of downtime, and also time for reflection. Allow me to take a dip into waters I never tread.

It’s been impossible to avoid the election madness leading up to this Tuesday. If I see one more TV ad or find one more postcard in my mailbox, I’ll scream into my pillow, unless my cat Salem is close by. Don’t want to frighten him. He’s kinda skittish.

Since 2015, the word hate has been thrown around as if it were free samples of General Tso chicken at the mall food court. The country is split with hating the candidates. They hate people who oppose their candidate or point of view. They hate Washington. They hate the media. They turn on each other and hate close friends and family.

We’ve all seen and heard some awful things over the past eight or nine years. I watched whole families crumble just because we’ve somehow forgotten how to have civil discourse. People in the horror community and beyond have said and done terrible things, all in the name of ‘my candidate is better than yours’. They talk about the country devolving into socialism or totalitarianism. They rant and rave and provoke and, sometimes, assault.

Stop. Please, please, stop.

None of the things we’ve been told to fear will come to fruition. Our country is run by a giant, and I admit, in need of repair, machine. No one person can topple almost 250 years of history. That’s it. Plain and simple.

This hate, this fear, it’s all a waste of time. I’ve ‘hated’ doctors my entire adult life. Let me tell you, there wasn’t a shred of hate when I was in that ICU, wondering what the hell was happening to me. Nor has there been any of the ‘h’ word during my many follow up visits.

“Darkness cannot cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Because in the end, we all need each other. Everyone brings something to the table, whether it be a rare or special skill, knowledge or wisdom, love, an act of kindness, or even something as simple as a smile on a day when you feel like a dark cloud is following your every move.

If after Tuesday, your side wins, win with dignity. And if your side loses, lose with dignity. Keep the peace. Make your voice heard, peacefully. We must find a way to stop the division and fighting that has been stoked by all sides. Evil loves chaos and hate and dissent. All of this anger has gotten us nowhere. It’s time to move forward and shake off this whispering devil that has been crouched on our shoulder for too long.

In the end, this isn’t a post about politics. It’s a plea for a return to sanity, to loving one another, to peaceful coexistence. Because the dissent has stretched way beyond the political arena. Stop watching and following people who drag us down. Stop filling your mind with hate.

I don’t know about you, but I have plans for Wednesday and beyond. None of them involve living in a world turned upside down just because one person gets to live in a fancy house, and another doesn’t. I have family dinners, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, visits with friends, books to read and write, new things to explore, movies to watch, Final Guys and Monster Men podcasts to record, daughters to see get married and hopefully give me grandkids. You have plenty of wonderful things to experience, too. Let’s all live our lives peacefully and lovingly.

Pretty please.

If there’s just one thing I love more than sinking into the couch and watching horror flicks, it’s reading horror books. And like every year, I’ve set aside a few reads to get me through the Horrortober season. I admit, I haven’t been reading much horror lately, so this will be a nice month-long foray into my favorite genre. Hope you’re ready, because this year’s list is, ah, eclectic.

I have Jason Brant to thank for this one. How can I resist that title?

Johnny awakes. A puppet looms over his bed.

He recognizes the furry monster: Grandpa was its puppeteer on the children’s television show R-City Street. But Grandpa went missing a year ago. He disappeared from this very apartment building, which was converted from the old R-City Street studio.

Desperate to see Grandpa again, Johnny follows the puppet inside the building’s walls, ever deeper into a puppet-infested labyrinth…

Inept cryptozooloist Hunter Shaya returns for another round of monster mayhem with Armand Rosamilia’s St. Johns River Monster. I feel like I know that character…

In the darkest depths of the St. Johns River, a legend awakens from the shadows of the past. For half a century, the elusive river monster known as Pinkie has remained hidden, its monstrous presence a chilling mystery.

Now, just as a politician stands on the banks of the St. Johns River, the beast resurfaces with a vengeance, igniting a cataclysmic rampage that plunges the unsuspecting citizens of Jacksonville, Florida into a nightmarish battle for survival!

We’re heading to Roswell in the flat-out amazing new series by Preston-Child. I can’t wait!

Lucas Tappan, a wealthy and eccentric billionaire and founder of Icarus Space Systems, approaches the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute with an outlandish proposal—to finance a careful, scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site, where a UFO is alleged to have crashed in 1947. A skeptical Nora Kelly, to her great annoyance, is tasked with the job. 

Nora’s excavation immediately uncovers two murder victims buried at the site, faces and hands obliterated with acid to erase their identities. Special Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned to the case. As Nora’s excavation proceeds, uncovering things both bizarre and seemingly inexplicable, Corrie’s homicide investigation throws open a Pandora’s box of espionage and violence, uncovering bloody traces of a powerful force that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets—and that threatens to engulf them all in an unimaginable fate.

Got a signed copy at a cryptid con this June and have been waiting until now to crack that spine.

In the woods of the Luke Miller State Park, north of Eastham, NJ, an urban legend lives in peace with nature. You don’t bother it and it will leave you alone. A simple rule to live by and one the park rangers enforce.

Unfortunately, Rick and Max don’t know this natural law, and when they come face to face with an immense monster, they react, and in a moment of panic, inadvertently shoot it.

Their actions set off a series of events that leaves Rich, his wife, Kara, Max, and the others fighting for their lives against a force that cannot be stopped. As things spiral out of control, Rich wonders if there’s any way to escape the thing in the woods.

Here’s the big question. What’s on your Horrortober reading list? Share it with hellions far and wide and you might just get a free ebook!

I was driving my family to the Mahoning Drive-In last night (to see a double bill of The Outsiders and Rumblefish), when we started talking about AI’s capabilities. My wife and daughter really haven’t dipped their toes in those waters yet, so they were curious. During that conversation, we wondered what AI would come up with if we asked it to write about the career of Hunter Shea.

Well, it’s Sunday morning and I’m waiting for the floors to dry. I entered my one line request and the following is what popped out of ChatGPT. I’m going to give it a B+. Points are deducted for not mentioning my podcasts, Monster Men and Final Guys, or my Video Visions column. But otherwise, solid work. I really feel bad for teachers today. How the heck will they know what’s real or not? A smart kid can take what AI spits out and manipulate it just enough to pass a smell test.

And I feel even worse for new generations that will rely more and more on AI and less and less on their own brains and imagination. We may not be that far from the scooter people in Wall-E. What seemed like a silly premise may be just around the corner.

So, what did AI say about me? Read on and please, for those of you who have been following me over the years, let me know your thoughts. This is really wild stuff.

THE CAREER OF HUNTER SHEA

Hunter Shea is a prolific American horror writer best known for his works that delve into cryptids, monsters, and supernatural entities. His career spans numerous novels, novellas, short stories, and anthologies that blend fast-paced action with eerie atmospheres, cementing him as a modern voice in the horror genre. His works often touch on themes of fear, survival, and the unknown, with his vivid imagination and keen ability to capture the macabre earning him a devoted fanbase. This essay will explore Hunter Shea’s career, from his early beginnings to his rise as a notable figure in horror fiction, examining his influences, most significant works, and the impact he has made in the genre.

Early Beginnings and Influences

Hunter Shea, a native of New York, grew up fascinated by the world of horror, science fiction, and the unexplained. His childhood interest in monsters, fueled by a steady diet of horror films, urban legends, and classic horror literature, laid the foundation for his writing career. He has frequently cited influences like Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan Poe, along with the pulp fiction tradition of the mid-20th century.

Shea’s early love for writing was evident from his youth, where he began crafting short stories, albeit with no initial intention of turning it into a career. Writing took a backseat as he pursued a professional life outside of fiction, but the call of storytelling never left him. It was only later, after years of working in various industries, that Shea returned to his first passion: writing horror.

Career Breakthrough and Cryptid Focus

Hunter Shea’s first major breakthrough came with the release of “Forest of Shadows” in 2011, a paranormal thriller that explored the terrifying events that unfold when a man seeks to uncover the truth about supernatural phenomena in the Alaskan wilderness. The novel was well-received by readers, praised for its suspenseful plot and character-driven narrative. It set the stage for Shea’s distinctive style, one that blends the supernatural with personal tales of trauma and survival.

However, it was his foray into cryptid horror that truly marked Shea’s place in the horror landscape. Cryptids—mythical creatures whose existence is often debated—became a recurring theme in his work, with Shea pulling from folklore, urban legends, and modern-day sightings to craft some of his most well-known novels. “The Montauk Monster” (2014) is one such example, which gained mainstream attention. Based on a real-life mystery surrounding an unidentified carcass that washed ashore in Montauk, New York, Shea turned the premise into a fast-paced, gory thriller that plays on the fear of government experiments and genetic tampering. The novel was named one of the best horror books of 2014 by Fangoria Magazine.

Shea’s fascination with cryptids didn’t stop there. “The Dover Demon” (2015) and “Loch Ness Revenge” (2016) further expanded his portfolio of creature-centric horror. In these novels, Shea manages to tap into the primal fear of the unknown, blending real-world folklore with cinematic horror. His ability to take cryptids, which are often relegated to niche interests, and craft stories that appeal to a broader horror audience is a testament to his skill as a storyteller.

Writing Style and Themes

Hunter Shea’s writing is marked by an ability to create tension and suspense while weaving in elements of humor and humanity. His characters are often average people thrust into extraordinary, terrifying situations. The monsters in Shea’s books are not just physical threats; they often represent deeper psychological fears, such as isolation, loss, and helplessness.

In addition to cryptid horror, Shea has also written extensively about the paranormal. Novels like “Sinister Entity” (2013) and “Tortures of the Damned” (2015) explore hauntings, demonic possessions, and apocalyptic scenarios. His novella “We Are Always Watching” (2017) delves into a family dealing with a mysterious and sinister presence in a remote farmhouse. These works showcase his versatility in the horror genre, proving that his talents go beyond creature features.

One of the recurring themes in Shea’s work is survival—both physical and emotional. His protagonists are often forced to confront not only external threats but also their inner demons. Whether it’s a group of friends facing a rampaging cryptid or a family haunted by spirits, Shea’s characters must grapple with their own fears, guilt, and trauma. This human element adds depth to his horror, making it more than just a tale of terror.

Another significant aspect of Shea’s writing is his ability to build believable, immersive worlds. Whether it’s the dense forests of Alaska or the murky depths of Loch Ness, Shea’s settings are richly detailed, adding a layer of realism to his supernatural stories. His works often have a cinematic quality, with readers frequently describing his books as “fast reads” or “page-turners” due to his ability to keep the pace brisk and the stakes high.

Collaborations and Short Fiction

In addition to his novels, Hunter Shea has made significant contributions to horror anthologies and short fiction collections. His stories have appeared in various publications and have been praised for their brevity and impact. Shea’s short fiction often delves into the same themes as his longer works—cryptids, the paranormal, and survival—but with a tighter, more focused narrative.

Shea has also collaborated with fellow horror authors on various projects. His partnership with Severed Press, a publisher known for its focus on horror and science fiction, has resulted in numerous successful novels. This collaboration has allowed Shea to consistently release new material, ensuring that he remains a prominent figure in the horror writing community.

Legacy and Impact

Hunter Shea’s career, while still ongoing, has already left a lasting impact on the horror genre. His ability to take lesser-known myths and cryptids and bring them into the mainstream has earned him a reputation as one of the leading voices in creature horror. His works have been praised for their accessibility, combining the thrills of B-movie horror with well-developed characters and engaging plots.

In addition to his success as a novelist, Shea is also known for his interactions with fans. He is an active presence on social media, often engaging with readers and fellow writers, and sharing insights into his writing process. This connection to his audience has helped him build a loyal fanbase, eager for each new release.

Conclusion

Hunter Shea’s career as a horror author has been marked by a dedication to exploring the unknown, whether it be through cryptids, ghosts, or apocalyptic horrors. His ability to craft stories that are both terrifying and deeply human has earned him a place among contemporary horror writers. As he continues to write and expand his body of work, Shea remains a vital force in the genre, keeping the tradition of monster and supernatural horror alive for a new generation of readers.

Write every day.

That was what I heard from working writers over and over again. It was in just about every book and article I read. In every lecture and interaction.

Write every day.

So, I wrote every day. Even when I was sick, or exhausted, or just plain not in the mood. Sure, I snuck a few days off (like Christmas and my birthday) here and there, but there was always this steady march marked by word counts, deadlines, and desire.

I did that for the past fifteen years, and all those dreams I had when I started scribbling came true. In that time, I published 35 books, from a children’s picture book with Random House, to a slew of horror novels with Samhain Publishing, Pinnacle (Kensington), Severed Press and more, and incredible ghost-writing gigs.

Feeding the beast that was my muse (a rather pleasant lass who is demanding but has my best interests at heart) was my prime directive. If starved my muse or got skimpy with the day’s meal, that old bastard, guilt, would tap me on the shoulder. I hated guilt and would do anything to avoid him.

Then the fall of 2023 happened. I moved my family out of state for the first time in our entire lives. And while we were in the process of boxing up our belongings, my wife’s doctor told us he was pretty darn sure she had some kind of blood cancer, so let’s do every test known to man to find out what it is.

There we were, surrounded by our belongings in a beautiful house, two states away from her doctors, filled with joy, trepidation, and creeping fear. We decorated like crazy for the holidays, hosted friends and family, traveled for tests and fretted over results that were always inconclusive. On top of that, I was adjusting to working remotely and had a deadline to meet for a ghost-writing project.

It was exhausting. The silver lining is that we loved where we lived and weren’t being robbed blind by New York prices. I somehow managed to finish the book in January of this year, around the same time the doctor said it probably wasn’t cancer, but he did find rheumatoid arthritis (just another tagalong disease to add to Lupus, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and several others). In our special way, we were relieved.

And I was plum pooped.

Whenever I tried to write, I couldn’t get past a few hundred words. It was if I’d never written in my life. All those skills and word muscles I’d developed over the years went to flab. Guilt sat atop my laptop screen, wagging his finger at me.

Then my muse popped in and said she was tired, too. She promised the flow of ideas would always be there. Let’s just take a break. And if during that break we both decide we’ve done our part, that was okay, too. Reinvention, taking on new challenges, are the core of the human experience. A bibliography of 35 books was a kinda cool achievement and about 33 more than I thought I’d ever write.

I took a break. I settled into my home. My wife’s health, which is always in a precarious balance, improved, so much so that we’ve had the best run since my writing odyssey started. We went out like the old days. We spent our time in the sun at the pool. We went to drive-ins. We turned our house into a home and explored our community, making new friends and finding sweet spots to eat, shop, or just enjoy nature.

Best of all, that bastard guilt was nowhere to be found. I watched my muse lock him in a trunk and toss him out to sea. I relaxed, I read, I enjoyed all that extra time with my wife and family.

After a wonderful eight months, not knowing if I was ever going to write again, I’m back in the saddle, on my own terms. I have a new ghost-writing job that will be a lot of fun. I have a proposal out for a pretty cool drive-in theater tie-in that I hope will make a ton of readers smile.

I’ll go where my muse takes me, except we’re older and wiser now. I’m starting to think guilt is a younger man’s game. I’m officially in my ‘I’ve got zero fucks to give’ era, and it feels great. The sands of time ain’t slowing down, even though I am…just a tad. That’s a natural thing in your mid-50s. Nothing to bemoan. Rise and grind can kiss my ass.

If you’re kicking your own ass and fretting over word counts, likes, subscribers, reviews, take a good long breath. Life is too fleeting to get caught up in the artificial madness. When you exhale, get back to writing, or don’t. Maybe find time to rediscover why you wanted to be a writer in the first place. Find that love, that passion, that compulsion that lit a fire in your soul. Or maybe there’s something else that has been calling to you, but you couldn’t hear it over the wall of noise you built around yourself.

Do what makes you happy, and be happy with what you do.

Sometimes taking a break is the only way to find out exactly what that is.

Can you imagine a time when there were only a handful of horror podcasts? That was the landscape when Jack Campisi and I started Monster Men way back in 2011. We had no idea what we were doing, but decided to give it a go to help promote my first book. Thirteen years later, we’re still at it…and more!

Since then, we’ve met some amazing people who have branched out into their own podcasts. So, here’s a little podcast history all the way to the present. If you’re looking for some rabbit holes of entertainment to tumble down, there’s plenty to choose from.

Now, take my hand and let’s walk to where it all began, with two guys who love horror and wanted to do a podcast about buds at a bar talking about their favorite genre. Monster Men was born in my living room. We started with an episode called Vampires Kinda Suck and now, 186 episodes later, we talked to author Kristin Dearborn about her latest book and all things skunk apes. Quite a few episodes under our belt about cryptids.

A few years later, we were contacted by this dude called Jason Brant who had a new show called Drinking with Jason (RIP…to the show, not Jason). The concept was and is brilliant. He invited horror authors and the like to his show, asked them for their favorite adult beverage so he would drink it along with them during the show. It made for funny conversations. Until he discovered that most horror authors drank milk or water. Sigh. Jack and I were on separate episodes. You can watch them here. And yes, we imbibed a lot of booze.

Now, Jack and I must have made a good impression, because in 2017, Jason had an idea to do a horror review show and he asked the crusty Monster Men to join the band. On a late May evening, Final Guys was born! As of this date with just under 350 episodes under our belt, we’re going stronger than ever, broadcasting live every Tuesday night. Every episode features a drinking game, award winning news, a curation of horror movies, books and games, and a deep dive into our main feature. Oh, and a gang of nut bars in the live chat who we can’t live without!

In 2020 while we were trapped in our houses drinking way too much, the Final Guys added author Tim Meyer to the gang. He had a long running audio podcast called Aperture Hour that has since closed their microphones. When Tim had to step away from being a regular, we added author Chad Lutzke to the regular lineup. Now, Chad had a pretty cool long form podcast called PaleoCheeze (another RIP). Here’s an episode with the Monster Men as we discuss The Fly!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the most popular podcast of them all, Jason Brant’s hilarious So Bad It’s Good. Think MST for a new generation. Big ups to Steven Seagal for making so many terrible movies. Jason and the gang kill it every week, and now have a warehouse full of crappy movies to mine for the next thousand years.

But that’s not all! Jason and Chad have since started another podcast, Bleeding Page. On it, they interview some pretty incredible horror authors. If you’re a writer or fan of the genre, it’s a must listen. Here’s an episode with Chad’s writing hero, the legendary Joe Lansdale.

I have joined forced with some great folks across the pond and their fun movie review show, Bloody Good Screen. I’m usually called to action when there are terrible movies to review and no one else wants to watch them, but I did just compete in their annual trivia contest (and came in a respectable second).

Brand new, out of the box, is Chad’s Creepy Couch, where he and his lovely wife watch horror flicks new to both or one of them. You get their funny reactions as they watch, sometimes a quirky skit or two, and a wrap up. And a pretty cool 70s feeling opening.

Last but not least is another new podcast, but this one has nothing to do with horror. Jason’s alpha male brother Bryan and his family sold their beautiful McMansion in TX to rebuild the family farm in rural PA. Armstrong Acres Farm is a no-holds barred riches to rags, DIY story that unfolds every week, showing all of the warts that come with rebuilding a property. Turn off that ridiculous HG channel and see how this kind of work is really done.

And that, for now, is the whole shebang. Will there be more? I’m sure. Until then, check these fun shows out and escape from the total misery of real life for a while.

Ahoy to the hellions far and wide! It’s a new year, and I have a new book for you! This time around, get set for a road trip across the United States into the wilds of Canada while the world is burning down…from the inside out.

COMBUSTIBLE is like the ‘soup’ we used to let our kids make when they were little – it has a dash of just about everything. An apocalypse brought on by…hold on…spontaneous human combustion. Suspense. Terror. Body horror. Dark humor (because the end of humanity doesn’t have to always be so serious). And at the center of it all, a marriage in a tailspin as the world spins out of control.

I wrote the majority of Combustible in 2021 at the tail end of the pandemic. One thing that kept me going through all of that insanity was laughter, either with co-workers or friends that I couldn’t see in person, but through Zoom watch parties of Joe Bob’s Last Drive In Show or bad horror movies. The unrest and unease in the US specifically pre-dated the ‘Rona-demic. Through all of the fear and shouting, dissent and brand new victim culture, we lost the ability to take a step back and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

So, if you like a good end of the world story with healthy dashes of dark and light humor, ala just about any Jeff Strand book, Combustible was written for you.

About the book:

The End No One Saw Coming
An outbreak of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) has mankind teetering on the edge of extinction. People are going up in flames from every corner of the globe. Panic has led to lockdowns and the complete breakdown of society, but there is no escaping the inevitable.

Love in the Time of the Apocalypse
Sam and Aja watched their marriage implode just as everyone around them was going up in smoke. Forced to sequester in their small apartment, tempers flare hotter than a crematorium. The SHC pandemic and forced proximity has only made things worse. Waiting for the end seems a better alternative than waking up to another day.

Hope in the Great White North
Rumor has it that there’s a Canadian town called Consumption that is free from cases of SHC. Sam steals an RV, refusing to leave his estranged wife behind. Along with his best friend, they embark on a road trip through a vast and weird wasteland, picking up an odd cast of characters along the way. Will they find salvation? Can the flickering flame of love be rekindled amidst a planet on fire?

When it’s your last rodeo, hang on for dear life and ride it out. The end of the world was never so strange.

“Combustible is explosive! A hot new take on the end of the world.” Brian Keene, author of The Complex and Ghoul

“Showcases the best the genre has to offer—body horror, an unknowable and terrifying threat, a post-apocalyptic world told from the perspective of an every-man, and a marriage disintegrating in real time. I absolutely loved it.” – Laurel Hightower, author of CROSSROADS and BELOW

CLICK HERE TO BUY COMBUSTIBLE IN EBOOK OR PAPERBACK TODAY!