Michael West ~ Guest Post

 

Respect for the Genre

By Michael West

     Last weekend, I had the great honor of meeting the one and only Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, Halloween II) during her one and only Horror convention appearance at HorrorHound Weekend: Indianapolis.  For years, I’d heard that she was embarrassed by her early Horror roots, but nothing could have been further from the truth.  She was gracious and enthusiastic about meeting her fans, and during a fantastic Q&A panel, she admitted that, while she may not like watching Horror (because she says she’s a big fraidy cat); she has a “respect for the genre.”

     That really struck me.

Sci-fi, Fantasy, Westerns...they all have their detractors, but Horror has always been the bastard step-child, maligned and belittled far too often. 

Say the word “Horror,” and many people will think of Saw and Hostel, they think of “Torture Porn,” and they are quick to dismiss the work as “trash” or something unworthy of their time.  In fact, when people post reviews of my novels, they often talk about it being well-written as if they are shocked and surprised, as if they go into it thinking, “It’s Horror, so how can it be good?” 

Of course, most publishers don’t help matters.  Walk into any Barnes & Noble and try to find the Horror Section.  There isn’t one.  Sci-fi and Fantasy?  Sure.  Romance and Westerns?  Of course!  But Horror?  Not a single shelf.  No, to the larger houses, Horror is a label to be avoided like the plague.  Instead, they package their authors works as “Thrillers,” “Mysteries,” or even “Paranormal Romance.” Anything but the dreaded “H” word.

Now, I have no problem with Horror being shelved in General Fiction and Literature.  Years ago, when I worked at Borders, it always bothered me that Anne Rice was in Literature, but Stephen King and Clive Barker were shelved in Horror.  It was as if the people who made such decisions were passing judgment on the work, and King and Barker were unworthy of being real literature. 
     No respect.  No respect at all.
     So how do we fix it?  What do we do to show that this genre is more than blood and guts?--more than hack and slash?  How do we get people to give this genre the respect it deserves?

I wish I knew. There’s no quick fix, no magic wand.  But there is one thing we can use to our advantage...our passion.  If you are a Horror fan, don’t be embarrassed; embrace it!  Let your Horror flag fly!  Show friends the shining examples of the genre: that movie that stays with you and won’t let you sleep at night, that novel that you keep thinking about long after you’ve read the final word.  Sure, like any other genre, there’s some bad…oh, who am I kidding?  There’s some really terrible stuff out there.  But there is also some amazing stuff, some life-altering stuff!  And the more we can shine a light on the real gems of Horror, the more people will look for them. 
     As for me, I will keep doing what I do best: writing strong, believable characters that just happen to find themselves in horrific situations.  I will write with a respect for the genre that I have loved for so long.  And maybe, just maybe, I can earn the respect of Horror fans and non-Horror fans alike.

 

Michael West | Goodreads | Twitter | FB | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis of Spook House:

There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

About the Author:

Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Skull Full of Kisses, and The Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

Every Halloween, he turns his garage into a haunted house

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Seventh Star Press author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

New Young Adult Steampunk Series from Seventh Star Press

Seventh Star Press Announces New Young Adult Steampunk Series with the Addition of J.L. Mulvihill to its Author Family


Seventh Star Press proudly announces the addition of J.L. Mulvihill to its author family with Steel Roots, an exciting new young adult steampunk series set in an alternate history with a dash of folklore.  The first title, The Box Car Baby, is slated for release in the 2nd quarter of 2013, with new titles following at the beginning of 2014 and 2015. Readers can look forward to meeting a host of enthralling, distinctive characters within a richly-developed landscape woven by the imagination of J.L. Mulvihill.

(Steel Roots illustration by Rachael Ward)

The Box Car Baby introduces the character of AB'Gale Steel who was born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia, according to what her papa told her.  Bishop Steel, a mechanical engineer for the Southern Railroad, found his adopted daughter snuggled in a basket of cotton on an otherwise empty boxcar in the train yard.  When no one came around to claim the baby, Bishop Steel, rather than relinquish the child to the State only to end up at the Workhouse someday, smuggled her home to raise as his own. The name on the boxcar he found her in read, A B Gale Logs, and so he named the baby AB'Gale.

But if the mystery of who her real parents are isn’t enough for fifteen-year -old AB'Gale, Papa Bishop goes missing. Worried for her family and afraid of having to spend her life at the Workhouse, AB'Gale goes into town to see if anyone’s seen her papa, only to find a deeper mystery.  At the train station no one seems to know who her papa is even though he’s worked for the Southern Railroad for thirty years.

An encounter with a strange Hobo-man, who claims to know her father, results in the acquisition of a leather eye-glass tube that he says belongs to her papa. Before AB'Gale can question him further the man runs away.  When she gets home, she finds the Crushers taking her grandma off to the Oldies-home, so she hides until they are gone.

AB'Gale finds that the leather tube contains a map of the United States, with markers made by various towns across the country.  By each marker is a word or a name written in her papa’s handwriting.

Alone, and with only the clues of the map to go by, AB'Gale has no choice but to set out on her own to find her papa.

"Seventh Star Press has a very vivacious group of people with an incredible amount of awesome novels and stories pouring out," J.L. commented on her addition to Seventh Star Press.  "I just thought that SSP might need a little more Teen-Steam, so I am very pleased they have asked me to come on board with my young adult steampunk series, Steel Roots."

Born in Hollywood and raised in San Diego, CA, J.L. Mulvihill has made Mississippi her home for the past fifteen years.  Her debut novel was the young adult title The Lost Daughter of Easa,  an engaing fantasy novel bordering on science-fiction with a dash of steampunk (Kerlak Publishing).  J.L. also has several short fiction pieces in publication, among them "Chilled Meat", a steampunk thriller found in the Dreams of Steam II-Of Bolts and Brass, anthology (Kerlak Publishing) and "The Leprechaun’s Story", a steampunk urban Fantasy found in the anthology, Clockwork, Spells, & Magical Bells  (Kerlak Publishing)

J.L. is very active with the writing community, and is the events coordinator for the Mississippi Chapter of Imagicopter known as the Magnolia-Tower.  She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA), The Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG), as well as the Arts Council of Clinton, and the Clinton Ink-Slingers Writing Group. 

"J.L. Mulvihill is a perfect fit for our family of authors, editors, and artists," fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented. "She is already well-loved on the convention circuit, and in addition to her great talent as a writer, she has a fantastic work ethic and approach to the realities of the publishing world today.  We are all so excited to have her with us."

The Steel Roots novels will be released in limited hardcover, softcover (trade paperback), and several eBook editions, including versions for Kindle, Nook, the iBookstore, and Sony-compatible devices.  The books will also include interior illustrations, in addition to cover art from Seventh Star Press' award-winning artists.

For further information on J.L Mulvihill and the upcoming releases, please visit www.seventhstarpress.com or the author's site at www.elsielind.com




Contact: C.C. James
Public Relations, Seventh Star Press
ccjames@seventhstarpress.com


Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky