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Live Through Grief and Trauma
The Coldmoon Café follows a rotating cast of mourners, monsters, and misfits who stumble into a mysterious café that only seems to exist for the broken. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration was simple; to share the experiences that our close group of friends had. Not only for each other, but with the world. Before it was all forgotten forever.
The supporting characters in this novel, I felt, were intriguing and well-developed. Who was your favorite character to write for?
While it’s hard to pick just one character (as each added their own voice), for me personally, Simon, Mourns and Charity will always share a special place in my heart.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The most important themes in The Coldmoon are the same ones that every being faces in life. Finding a way to live through grief and trauma, finding love/friendship, and perseverance. Even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
The Coldmoon Cafe took place every night, over many years, but was never intended to survive the test of time. Logs weren’t even recorded for the first 1/2 of its time, and most of the rest became lost to the digital graveyards of floppy and Jazz disks. In this first book, I was able to present some of the most important storylines. While there were many not touched from which a second book could be done, they would all be from after the decline of the Cafe. I could definitely do a follow-up short book to address and wrap things up for the readers if there’s a call for it later. But for now, I’m just happy that The Coldmoon is published and out there to share a part of the darkness most people would never get to experience otherwise.
With this project behind me, I’m currently working on my next books, which will be part of a high fantasy adventure series, comprising at least 3 books. I greatly appreciate your time and attention toward my book, and can’t wait until its release date on Oct. 7th!
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
In a town where magic simmers just beneath the skin, the Coldmoon Café offers a liminal sanctuary—for monsters, misfits, and haunted hearts that refuse to disappear.
☕ The coffee’s always hot.
💀 The regulars don’t ask questions.
🫀 And if you sit long enough, you might hear a heartbeat that isn’t yours.
Inside This Book
✔ Found family
✔ Vampires and supernatural drama
✔ Grief, memory, and slow-burning healing
✔ Shapeshifters, secrets, and cozy horror
✔ Sad immortals with great boots
Just be careful what you order. Some hungers can’t be satisfied.
Recommended for mature teens and adult readers.
Contains emotionally intense themes and moments of intimacy—nothing explicit.
Strength of Character
Jigsaw: The Face of the Joker follows a team of Temporal Guardians racing through time to save a single 1927 film whose failure could unravel a century of history, culture, and humanity itself. What inspired you to center the plot around The Man Who Laughs?
I have always, since the time my father introduced me to Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, been a fan of Universal Horror Movies. What made me center on The Man Who Laughs is that the movie both set the cinematic scope for Universal classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, but also provided, through Jack Pierce’s makeup for the Conrad Veidt character, the inspiration for Batman’s The Joker. When coming up with the story, I thought The Man Who Laughs would be a wonderful fork in the temporal roads to center on. I also wanted to pay homage to Paul Leni, an acclaimed director who died before his time and who may have directed Dracula with Veidt in the lead role had he not died prematurely from an infection.
The dynamic between Noah and Francesca feels particularly alive. Were any of their interactions drawn from real-life experiences or relationships?
Yes. I based it on some of the interactions between my wife, Gwyn, and myself.
Did you have a favorite scene to write, maybe one that brought together your love of film, history, and sci-fi in a satisfying way?
I like the scene where Francesca and later she and Noah dealt with Norman Kerry, the actor who tried to harass the women on set. It showed their strength of character and why they are indeed the heroes of the story. I also like the interplay between Paul Kohner and Noah and Josh, as well as the interactions between Mary Philbin and Francesca and Tori. It brought history alive.
The book has a sharp, cinematic style. Did you imagine it visually as you wrote, and has there been any interest in adapting it for the screen?
Yes, I did because I always thought back to scenes in Universal Horror classics for some of the chapters. There is also a subtle homage to Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in the chapter with the custodians. There is also an interest in having it adapted for the screen.
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Franesca and Noah are excited to start their new lives as newlyweds, but the fight for reality never ends! Catapulted back into yet another adventure, life is put back on pause.
Thrust into the battle to stop the vampire Lilith from helping Novus Ordo change history by stopping the production of the Universal silent movie The Man Who Laughs, Francesca, Noah, Tori, and Josh face off against the supernatural forces of evil in 1920s Hollywood — both in this universe and a parallel Neo-Fascist one.
Resist And Survive
Steve the Zombie follows a seasoned detective infected with the undead plague who is trying to find a cure before he loses what is left of his humanity. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Whenever I’ve read or watched a horror movie, I have always seen one perspective: the survivor’s perspective, their struggle, their will to survive. Then, once I watched a zombie horror movie where the unfortunate person who turned into a zombie had a past, a life, and a family, and was killed just because they turned into something they never wanted to be. This got me thinking: What happens if these people inside still retain some of their humanity? What if they can’t communicate it? In my opinion, good horror is when the main character is helpless, seemingly with no way out, so you have to root for the hero. And what could be more frightening than being surrounded by monsters, bound by something you can’t control, essentially helpless, and then the hero realizes they’ve become the monster too. This is how Steve the Zombie was developed – exploring what happens when someone realizes they’re no longer in control of their body, but still conscious, surrounded by monsters. As they roam with them, they become one of them. Deep within, while everyone wants to hunt them down, the hero tries to resist and survive. Getting into his perspective invokes the greatest fear, where horror isn’t just around the hero, but within the hero – the battlefield isn’t just the streets or the surroundings, but his own body as well.
Steve is not your typical zombie; rather, he holds on to his humanity and determination to save others. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
To draw the line between good and bad, between human and monster, I needed to keep Steve’s core ideals from his former detective self, to set him apart from the monster he ultimately becomes. While he is aware he is a zombie, he must hold strong to his humanity, to not become the true monster everyone fears and that he also despises and fears. One of the core ideals was to present that even if someone appears monstrous on the outside, they can still be a hero, a good person on the inside. In the book, as seen in a few scenes, those who appear human are often more monstrous and cruel than the hero zombie himself.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
I have always been drawn to the paranormal, the unexplainable. I’m only afraid of a handful of things, but I love to experience fear, like many others. I strive to find ways to scare even myself, which is likely why I write horror – to create scenarios that would frighten me too. Interestingly, my love for horror might have been influenced by my mother watching Alien in a theater while pregnant with me. Needless to say, the Alien franchise is a favorite of mine, with the second installment, Aliens, being my favorite movie. The blend of horror and action in that film resonates deeply with me. One of my other favorite scary movies is Screamers, notable for its isolation, where the heroes also have to confront the unsettling realization that anyone can turn into a terrifying evil monster.
Regarding the paranormal, as a child, I received a book filled with unexplainable mysteries, and I’ve always been captivated by the idea that there are things no one can rationalize, like the Bermuda Triangle or UFOs. Then came The X-Files, which brought visuals to many similar stories I had read and imagined. Horror and the paranormal are two intertwined genres for me, both dealing with the unattainable and often unexplainable. I have a passion for mysteries and constantly seek ways to uncover the enigmatic.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next book will be another monster story, but this time set in the Roman Empire. It follows a brave Praetorian Centurion tasked with discovering the true reason behind a madness that has befallen many emperors. The project’s working title is I, Praetorian, and I hope to have it completed this year.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Website
In a city ravaged by an undead plague, Steve, a seasoned detective, finds himself ensnared in unimaginable horror. His body, overcome by the infection, roams with the mindless horde. Yet, miraculously, his consciousness persists, distinguishing him as a unique aberration among the undead.
As his physical form drifts unchecked among the undead, his fragmented memories coalesce into a grim puzzle, providing vital clues about the onset of the apocalypse. Aware his time is limited, Steve’s mind strains relentlessly to decode the mystery of the epidemic that he failed to investigate and which has now seized his world.
Amid the unrelenting terror, he clings tenaciously to his dwindling humanity, driven by an insatiable need for answers and the faint glimmer of redemption before time runs out. His journey teeters on the precipice of danger; every breath he draws is borrowed, and each heartbeat could be his last, as survivors, determined to reclaim their city, pose a relentless threat.
Steve the Zombie invites you on a chilling, adrenaline-fueled journey into the heart of a dystopian nightmare. Witness a struggle where hope wrestles with despair, as a man trapped within his own body battles the living nightmare that’s consumed him to unearth the truth that eluded him in life. This haunting narrative exposes the stark reality behind the undead apocalypse, offering a perspective on horror that you’ve never experienced before.
Review: Night of the Chupacabra by Michael Hebler
Night of the Chupacabra is a western tale of a demon lurking through the rural southwestern U.S.; killing, feeding, and never being seen. Drake is a family man, moving west after the Civil War. His hopes for a prosperous life on the west coast are completely obliterated when his camp is attacked by the Chupacabra. He’s left horribly scarred, physically and emotionally. In the aftermath he finds his wife and daughter missing, his brother dead and everything he owned is burning around him. He’s left with no choice, he must find his family. His search takes him to a small town called Dillmore Valley where the busiest place is the saloon and the townsfolk want nothing more than to keep their quiet town quiet. Drake sets the town on edge when he arrives. His horribly scarred face makes him look like he’s a monster, but the real monster is hiding in the hills and shadows of Dillmore Valley.
Night of the Chupacabra is a well written western fantasy where the characters are easily cut out’s from any western, but they still feel fresh and believable. There’s a subtle bit of humor through the novel that relieves the darker moments. Drake is either; fighting for his life against the townspeople that are convinced he’s a demon, fighting against the Chupacabra or fighting against his own inner demons. It all leaves the novel with rarely a dull moment. The Chupacabra is mix of several animals and is possessed by… well I won’t give it all away, but the description of the Chupacabra is as good as any other explanation that I’ve heard. But I hope in future novels we go farther into the description and origins of the creature. The ending to the novel wasn’t really a surprise, but more of a welcomed twist that keeps the hunt for the Chupacabra alive.
Pages: 300
Published October 17th 2012
ISBN: 0983388407
Find out more about Michael Hebler
LITERARY TITAN 