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A Degree of Seductiveness
Michael W. Holman Author Interview
The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal is a collection of short stories that follow three ghostly women and a vampire. How did this collection come together for you? Did you write them individually over time, or did you set out to write a compilation?
My short story compilation came together when I was getting my apartment organized one weekend this past summer and found some college ruled notebooks. From notations I had made in side margins, all four of them had been written years ago. Frankly, I had forgotten all about them. They appear in chronological order; “Another Helen’s Haircomb” was written in 2011 and is the oldest. The last short story, “There’s Always Another One,” was finished in 2014. As readers can see, even with all of them combined, the cumulative word total is less than 8,500 words, but I remembered that while I attended business college I had enjoyed various compilations and Reader’s Digest editions during breaks from classes. An idea of putting four of my own writing projects together grew more and more appealing to me, so I ran with it. Pun intended.
I really like the cover of the book. How did you decide on what cover to choose?
I appreciate what you wrote about the cover for my compilation, many people have had similar comments, for which I’m grateful. But credit doesn’t belong to me. The Chief Executive Officer of my publisher, Captive Quill Press, is also an author friend of mine, Kenya, and that attractive, haunting woman on “The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal” cover was Kenya’s idea. She said market research showed potential consumers react with more interest when a striking female model appears on a book, especially when it is in the paranormal fiction genre. I trust my friend’s savvy, so I approved her suggestion.
I consider this a thrilling paranormal romance collection. Do you read books in that genre? Are there any books in that genre that have influenced you over the years?
Yes, I do read paranormal romances. Perhaps that’s unusual for bachelors, but my reasoning is there’s more opportunity for the creative half of my brain to engage when I read stories with supernatural content, and I can immerse myself with the element of “what if” because it makes for great entertainment, a great escape from my work life which is compartmentalized, ordered. I see enough drab, plain stuff everyday.
I want my imagination to have adventures.
Stephen King’s “Bag of Bones” influenced me to write “Intervention” in particular.
I felt that the characters had a lot of depth. What ideas did you have about your characters when you started and how did that change as you were writing?
As I mentioned earlier, “Another Helen’s Haircomb” was written in 2011, so I can’t remember specific ideas about my characters as I wrote at the time, but the reason I thought it was so important to include within The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal is our basic human curiosity and awe when it comes to the vastness of eternity. However, what dove tails with that concept is simply no matter how many technological advances are made, we’re still much like my fictional character of Helen from ancient Athens, in that we grieve and love deeply. Furthermore, according to what I’ve read and heard over my life span, thirteen-year-old girls, especially those who have faced traumatic incidents (such as the loss of a parent), seem to be more apt to accept paranormal manifestations they witness. I took some liberty with a father “rolling with the punches” too, granted, but I thought it was reasonable if I demonstrated a dad and his daughter seeking to adapt as best they could together. Where my other three short stories are concerned, the characters remained as originally written, except for Moira in “There’s Always Another One.” When I did a final edit before I sent my file to you, I decided to make her a bit more complex. While I wanted her to keep a degree of seductiveness, it was vital for readers have a more pronounced idea that she’s no bubble-headed nymphomaniac who happens to be a vampire. She has an agenda, and she has every intention of carrying out her objective with a mercenary’s calculating, cold willfulness to succeed.
What is the next story that you are writing and when will that be published?
Currently, I’m in the process of writing a novel, still on its fifth chapter, which is a ghost story entitled “The Stein and the Studebaker: Book 1 of the Norseman Chronicles.” Another of Stephen King’s older works, “Christine,” is influencing me again, but there will be notable differences when my book is done this coming summer or autumn. For starters, King’s supernatural auto, a 1958 Plymouth Fury, is written as a homicidal, vengeful wraith on wheels. By contrast, the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk in my story is motivated by a desire to see justice is brought to bear for a murder investigation that went cold in 1960. My intent is to have the story written sometime between June and October of 2017, but I have no idea how long it will take to get the book published after that. Oh, and it will be the first of a trilogy series.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Readers, prepare yourselves, and embark on a supernatural journey spanning the battlefield of Marathon in ancient Greece to the present day in America’s Pacific Northwest. Three long distance runners will encounter ghosts, one falls in love with a beautiful vampire who has an agenda, and all four will cross very different finish lines, whether they’re ready or not.
Coffin Dodgers
Coffin Dodgers is about a competition to be the last man standing, but with significantly higher stakes than your usual strong-man event. Survivathon takes place on the planet Atrocitas, a pre-historic world where the competitors need everything from high-tech gear to their own wits to make it to the end. While the planet and its inhabitants could spell the end for the various contestants, a sinister plot is waiting to spring out and make surviving the hardest game of all.
In the newest page-turner from Tom G.H. Adams, the thrills and the excitement are in full force. In the near-distant future, thrill seekers and endurance buffs clamor to become the winner of the inaugural Survivathon. With a high reward, but even higher risk, adrenaline junkies prepare to push their skills to the limit. However, making it through will be near impossible due to the beautiful yet deadly fauna and the creatures wanting to make meals of the newcomers. The players must also complete challenges that test mental and physical strength. The various entrants have advantages and disadvantages, but all have shown that they are up to the challenge. Ranging in gender, nationality, and skill-set, the players can either work together to survive, or split up to try to win the whole bounty. But there is another force they must overcome – a killer looking for a bigger prize than money.
Adams constructs a story that flows and keeps the pages flipping. It was hard to stop the momentum from building, and even when taking a breath, the stream of excitement is easy to hop back into. The action isn’t over the top and allows for the contrast of the quiet scenes to shine through. The choices of the characters feel natural for the most part and help move the story along. While the development is lacking, it doesn’t keep the book from being enjoyable. The world, Atrocitas, is described in rich detail and is the perfect setting for the Type-T’s (slang for thrill seekers).
While the narrative is easy to follow and allows the reader to understand everything, some of the twists and turns in the story could be seen coming from a mile away. And, with details being a high priority in this book, the descriptions could be a bit jarring. This shouldn’t deter interested readers, as the story’s pros far outweigh the cons.
All in all, Coffin Dodgers is not just a great title but also a solid story, interesting characters, and a hidden power to keep readers on a thrilling ride from beginning to end. The novel is worth anyone’s time and will have anyone wanting more thrill-seeking.
Pages: 164 | ASIN: B01N4ISYQQ
Nightmare From World’s End
The Nightmare From World’s End, a science fiction thriller by Robert J. Stava, takes place in Wyvern Falls located along the Hudson River. The action begins when various people begin to go missing along the river. Members of the community are confused about the disappearances until it’s discovered that a giant squid-like creature is wreaking havoc, leaving carnage and even more questions in its wake. That’s not all to the story, however. There isn’t just one creature, there’s two!
A major player in the chaos is John Easton, a private detective, begins to unravel the history around the two creatures. Alongside him is Sarah Ramhorne, a strong-headed Native American archeologist who seems to hold some of the answers. Together they, along with others, try to unravel the story that surrounds these two mysterious creatures and put a stop to the death that has been taking place along the Hudson River.
This book is definitely a thriller that will have readers flipping through the pages wondering what will happen next. The author holds nothing back when he describes each vicious attack committed by the giant squid. Also, the tie-in with Native American culture within the book was handled well. It’s obvious that Robert J. Stava did his research on the tribes in the Hudson Valley area, and while the main purpose of his book was to thrill his readers with the tale of giant, murderous, perhaps ancient sea creatures, a secondary purpose was to provide them with a history of the area and enlighten the reader on Native American history.
Adding to this point, Native American folklore is very present and relevant within the piece. The leading lady, Sarah makes it a point to educate those that she encounters about the injustice done to the tribes within the area. The author doesn’t just place Sarah’s dialogue as disconnected rants within the piece; it all leads up to the climax the unfolds towards the end of the story. This is evident through the actions of Crazy Jack, a homeless Native American (and real folklore character), that contributes to the climax of the story by waking up the second creature that lives on the other end of the river from where the squid is attacking. Throughout the story, Crazy Jack is guided by the voices of his ancestors, telling him what must be done in order to bring an end to the death and carnage unfolding.
This book has a lot going on it in; sea creatures, Native American history and folklore, a private detective with a tragic past, ancient aliens, mind-reading, and even ghosts. You name it, and it’s probably in this book. At times, it was a bit too much, and a little disconnected for the reader. Especially, the bit on ancient aliens. It’s hard to see how Guillamo Del Tesler and his fanatical theories about the river monster being an ancient alien come into play. He’s brought to the area after Jennie Roderick, a half-witted archaeologist student, mails him some doctored petroglyphs that indicate an alien existence within the area. While this part of the plot is an entertaining aside to the major drama going on in the story, it was difficult to discern how it actually contributed to the overall plot, if at all.
Overall, the author tells a good story. The entwinement of sci-fi thriller with Native American folklore is unique and provides a sturdy foundation upon which to base the plot of the entire story. Regardless of a couple smaller story lines falling out of place within the book, it was an entertaining read.
Pages: 249 | ASIN: B01MQLLNM3
A New Kind of Monster
Konn Lavery Author Interview
Seed Me follows Logan as he tries to navigate a murder, avoid a deadly cult and try to figure out who the girl was he made out with behind the dumpster. This is a unique setup to a novel. What was the inspiration that made you want to write this story?
The concept had evolved over time through various plots while keeping the same underlining theme of cults, a dead girl and carnivorous plants. The protagonist and scenarios changed from the original concept back in 2011. In a way, Seed Me is a prequel to the original manuscript. So there may be another book in the works in the future.
A lot of the inspiration that helped create Seed Me came from my own discomforts. For example, I had bed bugs back in 2011. They were hard to kill, only fed on human blood and spread like wildfire. I found it intriguing that a creature so small could cause something so large (being me) so much grief. This sparked my research into symbiotic relationships within nature. You see this style of monsters in the horror genre all the time. Some notable ones being John Carpenter’s The Thing or Ridley Scott’s Alien. This research is where a lot of the time was invested for the novel. I wanted to create a new kind of monster for the story l I was writing. Plants often get a bad wrap in the horror genre because they are difficult to make frightening, so I decided to challenge this.
As for the cult, religious groups are a huge interest of mine – you can see this in my Mental Damnation series as well. People have done some wild things in the name of their faith. It is a strong motivator.
I enjoyed the characters in this story because they were slow to build but had depth. What was your writing plan when creating these characters?
The characters within Seed Me are pulled from my own experiences of living in Edmonton. A lot of them being mashups of numerous personalities of people I know to create their unique persona. My Mental Damnation series has a lot of characters that serve a single function in the story. With Seed Me I wanted to strip away as many characters as possible and really see how deep I could go with their personas.
An example of that would be Janet’s passion for renewable energy and her father’s work in the oil industry. This brief backstory reveals conflict within her personal life, explaining some of her choices in the story.
There is a mysterious group of people called Harvesters that may or may not be behind the murders in town. How did you set about creating this group and did you accomplish everything you wanted?
The Harvesters went through MANY revamps. Much like the plants in the story, I researched to help define who the Harvesters were. Originally they were a group from eastern Asia, since these cultures have a vast history of working with plants and using them as medicine. However, after reading about the history of Edmonton and Alberta, I learned that many of the first settlers were from Europe. Settlers from Asia came to Alberta much later. With this new knowledge I had to restructure the Harvesters’ origins. Ultimately it worked better than the original concept: druids are well known in pop culture for having strong ties to nature which supported the plants.
I would say that the Harvesters accomplished what I wanted. The reader is given enough information to know what their goals are and where they are from, while how they came to be and their inner workings remains mysterious. There’s a lot more that could be told about them, perhaps this will be revealed in a sequel.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will that be available?
Currently I am working on the Mental Damnation series again. The story hasn’t been completed and I would love to give a conclusion for the readers. I have a lot more to share regarding this in the coming months. Keep watch for early 2017 for this next novel.
One thing I’d also like to add is that Seed Me’s release was accompanied by a musical score. Some of the tracks were written by me and others by local musicians in Edmonton who based their songs on various chapters found within the novel. The 10 track album encompasses the whole story of Seed Me through dark ambient music.
You can stream the album for free on Bandcamp
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
If you’re reading this, then you did not take the above warning seriously. In that case, you’re probably as stupid as me. I’m Logan, by the way. I didn’t pay attention to any warning signs either. Being an unemployed deadbeat in Edmonton with no family and getting dumped by your girlfriend for her best friend can wear a guy down. All I had was my cokehead buddy, Skip, to cheer me up.
Surprisingly, my precautionary tale was not caused by either Skip or the drugs. Let’s just say a drunken make-out session with a pale girl by a dumpster, who was supposedly pronounced dead earlier in the evening, can leave you mentally jumbled up. A good motivator to figure this scenario out is having robed cultists stalk you, asking where the girl is.
Is this an ill twist of fate? Did I bring this on myself? Is there a reason behind my misfortune? Is the moral to not make out with spooky girls behind dumpsters? Hell if I know…
PrimoDeus
PrimoDeus, written by John Lachance, is a novel based on the life of Beaulyn deFaux. Beaulyn is a defrocked priest, caught in a nightmare of illusion and reality whilst having flashbacks of his childhood. Abandoned as a toddler, Beaulyn was thrust into the arms of his babysitter, Claire. Shortly after, arrangements are made to foster the boy and he is soon visited by a group of triumvirs to assess his well being. During the meeting, the terrible secrets haunting each woman are unraveled and secrets of the past are exposed. Flash forward to the current time and Beaulyn is fighting his own demons as he tries to forget the pivotal moment in his life that leads to this future- a beast in revelation.
PrimoDeus is a novel styled around religious ideologies and focuses on a journey of demons and biblical style events that surround the life of Beaulyn DeFaux. Beaulyn is a former priest who is lost within a land that tortures him into a delirious state of confusion. Throughout the story, the characters intertwine in both past and present to allow the reader to gauge the truth around the mysterious Beaulyn.
The chapters are written in a similar format to a play with parts of the story labeled as an “Act” and even an “Interlude”. Throughout the various Acts, the story occasionally changes the font in order to depict inner thoughts. For example, one style shows Beauby (Beaulyn) as a baby where he slips into “daymares” as the characters of his life morph into witches and fairy tales. This can sometimes act as a moment of relief for the reader as some of the themes are sensitive and may be a trigger for some individuals.
One part of the story takes place in the past where Beauby is being assessed by women from a church (sometimes referred to as triumvirs). Memories of imaginable horror resurface during the triumvir’s visit to Beauby, providing an insight of the tragic circumstances each woman endured throughout their lives. Bizarre interactions begin to occur between the women and child as they strive to understand the probing stare of his intense blue eyes. Little do they know that a torturous moment in his childhood is forming the path of his unfortunate demise.
In the present time, Beaulyn is constantly battling his inner demons in a fight to decide what is real or a delusion. Haunted by his own personal demon, Azra (sometimes appearing as a vulture throughout his life) the story flickers through characters of the future and past, leaving the reader to slowly piece together what is real and what is an illusion.
At parts, the story delves into unimaginable trauma and John Lachance’s style of writing leaves the reader feeling emotional and empathetic to characters that you would not expect. Brigitte is one character that is involved with Beaulyn during his years as an apostate and her innocent demeanor and loyalty to him is one attribute that I admired. They are lost in the Caldera, walking for days with no food or water, yet the intricate details of her love seem more like an infatuation with the powers Beaulyn seemingly possesses.
Demons, swarms of bugs and exorcisms are all part of the biblical style novel that leaves the reader questioning, what is real and what is simply a delusion? I would give this book 4/5 and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the mystic of demons and religious beings.
Pages: 532 | ISBN: 1524653942
This Might Sound Horrible
Jason Hubbard Author Interview
“The Taming of Adam“ follows a prickly teen named Adam. While he attends college studying black magic he goes out of control, gets arrested and is forced to face his shortcomings. What were some themes that you felt were important to highlight in this story?
This might sound horrible (probably because it is), but I’ve always been kind of interested in the school-shooter phenomenon, especially the Columbine incident. I wonder what those two young men went through and why they decided to do what they did. Did life truly not seem worth living? Did counterculture somehow help them come to their decision?
By the time I wrote “The Taming of Adam,” I already did two novels, and I decided to try something unique and risky:
A story about a man who could become a school shooter.
It didn’t have to be an urban fantasy story, but fantasy is the genre I’m most interested in. Of course, Adam’s situation is very different from a typical real-world school shooting, but he is a very antisocial guy with sociopathic tendencies–someone who might think little of going on a carnage spree. The message of the book is that you can find friends even in unlikely places, and that it’s better to indulge in the love and care of friends and family than go at the world alone. It’s corny, yes, and I’m not sure it would reach a sociopath, but it might help more than hurt.
Are you a fan of the fantasy/paranormal genre? What books do you think most influenced your work?
I’ve read a lot of fantasy books over the last few years mostly thanks to my Kindle, which can get me obscure books right at home, but before I wrote ToA, I mostly read Stephen King books and a handful of fantasy books. The works of Stephen King were a great influence, as well as Harry Potter of course, but there’s also a bit of Star Trek in there, too. I love how fantasy and horror can make for very adventurous books that break the rules of reality to be fully realized. On the other hand, to be honest, I am a little disappointed to see so many fantasy stories rely on cliches such as “The Chosen One,” “The Great Holy Artifact,” and “The Prophecy That Gives Sufficient Motivation.” These cliches can more or less cheapen a story and rob characters the chance to be endearing and relatable.
Adam starts out as an unlikable character. He’s a jerk to everyone, even his friends. What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Adam? Did any of the characters development occur organically through the story?
Adam is a pretty sensitive guy who went bad due to a bit of a traumatic experience as a child. He wants to live in his own little world where nothing and no one can hurt him, and he keeps telling himself that not even his family is important to him. But when he makes his sister cry over a matter of his own making, he gives her a hug, realizing that he wouldn’t want to be treated as he had just treated her. Another pivotal moment is when he reveals his feelings about the opposite sex to Naomi. They’re feelings he’s always been aware of, yet this is the first time he’s put them into words to anyone. If Naomi simply got disgusted and called him names, Adam would have probably stayed the same and refused to open himself up any further. But just getting his feelings out and not getting a huge backlash gave him the opportunity to reconsider his position on life. I’m not sure if any of the other characters changed with the story, but I like to think Russell was pretty brave in talking to Adam, a guy who had just assaulted him, while other people would have advised against it.
This is part 1 of “The Taming of Adam” series. Where does the story go in the next book and where do you see it going in the future?
Parts 2 and 3 are now available for digital download. In Part 2, Adam attends a school in a new city. He gets serious with a woman named Amy who gradually makes him a better person without him knowing it. But there are some people behind the scenes with a sinister agenda, and they happen to have some connection with Adam’s past. There’s another character named Ricky whose unique perspective helps to clarify things.
Part 3 is the most ambitious and epic installment of the series, involving gods and time travel, and it puts a new spin on the title “The Taming of Adam.” Can’t say much more without going into spoiler territory!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
Meet Adam Taylor. He is a black mage: a magic-wielder who draws power from the essence of shadows. He is also a loner who prefers only his own company and dreams of power simply to make a living with it. He shuns and pushes away others, making him an extremely rude and antisocial miscreant. On the inside, though, he is a sensitive soul who doesn’t quite know the meaning of love and friendship.
Gene London, meanwhile, is a famous attorney who has a knack for defending difficult cases. He is also a government lobbyist who speaks to lawmakers on behalf of corporations (a normally legal profession as long as he doesn’t give lawmakers luxurious gifts … which he regularly does). Lately, he’s been seeing a mysterious person whom he calls “the lady in the mirror.” This lady claims she is trapped in another dimension, and she says that if London finds a way to free her, she will be his forevermore.
Little did Adam know, on the day he did something foolish and horrific, that he was setting himself on a course to a meeting with the dastardly Gene London … and setting in motion a series of events that will change him for better or worse.
The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal
If you’re in the mood for something short, supernatural and entertaining, look no further than The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal compilation by Michael Holman. These four short tales come together in one volume to tease and delight readers. We meet three ghostly women and a vampire during our adventure and they all have something on their minds. One wanders the world in limbo waiting for a lover that will never return. Another warns her former partner of impending danger and another woman is completely unaware that she has even passed on. We close out with a vampire who is seeking someone to accompany her on her immortal journey. Four women, four tales of spooky versions of affection. Will all four tales have a happy ending? What would be a happy ending for a spectre? You’ll just have to read to find out for yourself!
When writing a compilation of stories it is always good to have an underlying theme or two. Holman uses slight affairs with romance and the supernatural in all of this tales. While the ideas are entertaining, the writing lacks somewhat. Our first story doesn’t have clear transitions in time and the characters are all too accepting of the supernatural event that takes place. It seems unrealistic and rushed. Our second story is shorter and is written much better than the first installment. There are some stylistic issues, but they do not detract from the actual tale. The same can be said about the third and fourth story, although they all feel as though they were rushed and incomplete. It can be difficult to write in a shorter format and still get all the important details across, but I feel that Holman has made a valiant effort.
If you could skip the first story and focus on the remaining three you would have a much better read. They are better written and feel more like short stories than the first. The language used in the remaining three fits better and more of the important substance of the tale comes across. The first story is brimming with so much possibility that the story feels hampered by the shorter format, where it would really shine as a full length novel.
The Nefarious, Noble and Nocturnal is an interesting compilation of four supernatural events and their impact on a very natural world. All four tales are separate from each other but have an underlying theme of romance or affection. I found the ideas behind each story to be entertaining and the story lines were easy to follow, but the feeling of being rushed detracts from what could otherwise be an interesting read. The language is easy enough that these stories should be enjoyable for all reading levels. Readers will find a nice nugget of storytelling in this small book.
Pages: 28 | ASIN: B01NANCV3M
Monster Literary Book Awards: January 2017
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and Literary Titan is proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
![Recusant (The Brin Archives Book 2) by [Cronin, Jim]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519ot1b1sqL.jpg)
![In His Way by [Duvall, Rebecca]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51W%2BAbWyHXL.jpg)
![Stealing Magic (The Legacy of Androva Book 1) by [Vick, Alex C]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NunPYMRWL.jpg)
![The Inlooker: Full Length (The Dreadnought Collective Book 2) by [Tumbler, Terry]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/510-XDJ9jWL.jpg)
![Oliver and Jumpy - the Cat Series, Stories 10-12, Book 4: Bedtime stories for children in illustrated picture book with short stories for early readers. (Oliver and Jumpy, the cat Series) by [Stejskal, Werner]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/518L3GM2RyL.jpg)
![REN: Awakened by [Brittany Quagan]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51eTcwEV9JL.jpg)
![Seed Me by [Lavery, Konn]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51JsLll6YRL.jpg)
![Master Athina (The Books of Athina Book 4) by [Estes, Danny]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uqEj%2BQfmL.jpg)
![Zurga's Fire (The Orfeo Saga Book 3) by [Eiland Jr., Murray Lee]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vLRzc0C4L.jpg)
Silver Award Winners
The Great Scourge by C.A. MacLean
The Heart of Hannen by Fawn Bonning
Jesus and Magdalene by João Cerqueira
The Crown Princess Voyage by Dylan Madeley
“Books give me the freedom to step outside of myself. That words alone can transport the reader to a reality as believable as the one he or she actually lives in, should not logically be possible. It’s a kind of real life magic.” – Alex C. Vick, author of Stealing Magic
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information and see all award winners.
LITERARY TITAN 