novel

November Reads

Christmas carols are floating down the stairs to where I sit in our little living room. Across from me, our Christmas tree is lit, glowing its halogen reminder of what time of year it is. The dogs are dozing peacefully (for now), and the boys are having a bit of quiet time. It’s a quintessential Christmas-season afternoon. The outdoors are a little less on-theme; it’s unseasonably mild and raining steadily.

It’s good weather, in other words, to snuggle up with a book. Or to talk about books!

Last month I only got through about four books, mostly because I’ve been busy writing. I decided to start a new project for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which meant I was effectively juggling four projects (two novels in their rewrite / revision stage, one being prepped for audiobook release, and the new one for ‘Wrimo). This left little time for reading. Still, two of the books I read were incredible. Can’t wait to talk about them. But first…

Welcome to Nightvale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

Welcome to Nightvale is the novel based on the podcast of the same name. I’ve never listened to the podcast, which may have impacted my enjoyment of this novel. But I don’t think so.

Nightvale, the titular town, is a bizarre and isolated community in the middle of the desert. The town is populated with strange people, and strange things happen as a matter of routine. The story is ostensibly about several residents of the town and a strange man who shows up and starts handing out mysterious notes.

At first the strangeness of the town is entertaining and speaks to some great mystery lurking underneath it. Then it becomes clear that the strangeness is largely a coat of paint overtop of an underwhelming story that might have to do with accepting responsibility and something about family. The absurd idiosyncrasies that are at first amusing, quickly become predictable beats smothering an otherwise barely coherent narrative. Anytime something remotely noteworthy is mentioned, it will be surrounded by inane absurdities.

I love bizarre stories and I’m rarely bothered by things being weird for the sake of being weird, but this one rubbed me in many of the wrong ways. Don’t take my word for gospel, though. This book is pretty darn popular and has a solid following.

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher

If you’ve been following this blog for some time, you might smirk to yourself or shake your head when you read that title. The Dresden Files is sort of a guilty pleasure for me, one that I have a love/hate relationship with.

The books are far from highbrow literature, which is nothing to complain about. They follow Harry Dresden, a wizard-for-hire who operates as sort of a spell-wielding gumshoe detective. The stories are entertaining adventures filled with all manner of monsters and magic. They also contain their fair share of inconsistencies and downright cringeworthy moments.

Blood Rites follows Dresden as he attempts to stop the actresses and female production crew of a pornographic film from being murdered. Monsters, demons, vampires, and fairies all play a role in this latest adventure. Also a puppy.

I can’t bash these books because I keep going back and reading them. So I guess that speaks to their appeal. If you want to give Butcher’s Dresden Files a go, I strongly recommend starting with the first in the series.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

This year has been a great one for books, in large part because I’ve finally read some classics that have long been on my list. Early this year I read both The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring (planning on making Two Towers the first book I start in 2024) and I remember feeling glad I got to read them for the first time so late in life, but also a little salty with myself for sleeping on them. I feel the same way about Dracula, probably more given my love of horror.

Stoker’s classic vampire tale is ridiculously good. It’s packed with atmosphere, creepy settings, and truly gothic horror. Of course I already knew it inspired much of what horror is these days, but I had no idea how much. Bram Stoker really was a literary genius, at least as far as this book is concerned.

Right off the hop, we’re thrown into Dracula’s castle, following poor Jonathan Harker into his nightmare. Reading the descriptions of the castle, after being immersed in the horror genre for so long, is like stepping into the halls of a museum.

Dracula’s coming to England is truly epic. I can see now why an entire movie (The Last Voyage of the Demeter 2023) was made based on his voyage at sea. The storm described in the book is terrific.

The whole investigation of Dracula’s reign of terror is engaging and familiar. It’s become the formula for monster hunts across the horror genre.

I could rant for pages and pages about this book. It’s absolutely earned a spot in my very fluid top five books of all time, a list that will likely forever remain locked in my mind, changing to suit my mood from moment-to-moment. The challenge will be resisting reading it again in the next year.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

Christopher Buehlman has been a favourite horror author of mine for the past couple of years, ever since I read his werewolf novel Those Across the River. And while I love his horror novels, this journey into fantasy is my favourite yet.

The Blacktongue Thief follows a—you guessed it—black-tongued thief named Kinch, an indebted member of the Taker’s Guild. Owing the guild money, he embarks on a quest along with a knight named Galva. But while Kinch’s journey is to serve the Taker’s Guild, Galva’s is much more noble.

Coming across all manner of monsters, fighting their way through cities, sewers, and mountains, and meeting tons of interesting folk along the way, Kinch and Galva’s adventure is truly epic.

Buehlman’s imagination is one of the finest out there as far as I’m concerned. From the creatures he comes up with to the characters he breathes life into, his worlds are overflowing with life and magic. The dialogue and first-person narration are snappy and often hilarious.

I’m very excited for the follow up to this one, which I believe is expected next year.

-

So that’s it, like I said, just the four. Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments, on Instagram or Facebook @authorchristophersweet, or by shooting me a message using the contact page.

Thanks very much for reading!

Oh, and if you’d like to receive news about my upcoming novel The Orchid Room, head to the homepage and sign up for my monthly newsletter.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Chris

July Reads

Hey! I hope your summer is going well.

My own summer (inadvertent Deftones reference) has been flying past—it was May just yesterday! The campground has been busy and I’ve been hard at work on revisions for my upcoming novel, The Orchid Room, which is slated to be released early in 2024. More info and an actual publication date for that one are on their way. Because I’m some sort of masochist, I also did the first read-through of another novel that I’m hoping to release in 2024, maybe by summer. But I’ve eaten my share of crow in the past.

So for this entry, I present you with four titles subject to my musings, two of which I listened to the audiobook for. Read ‘em and weep.

The Keep by F. Paul Wilson

This book has been on my list for a long time (nine years, according to Goodreads, though I’m pretty sure that’s when I created my account). I became a fan of F. Paul Wilson’s work a decade ago or more, when I started reading his Repairman Jack series. If you haven’t read any of the RJ books, I highly recommend it. I’ll be revisiting them all again soon.

The Keep is the first of seven books in Wilson’s “Adversary Cycle”, which basically tells of the war for our world between two cosmic forces. The books include standalone novels, as well as books in the Repairman Jack series. Trying to understand the timeline and order of these books can be a confusing affair, so from here on out, I’ll try to focus on The Keep.

The book takes place in Romania during the nazi occupation and is set almost entirely in, you guessed it, a keep. The titular structure rests in a nearly sunless valley in a small Romanian village, and is made the operating base for a squad of nazi soldiers. Shortly after the nazis take over the keep, a dark presence begins to hunt them. Searching for answers, the nazis send for history professor Theodore Cuza and his daughter, Magda. Almost immediately, Cuza and his daughter are swept up in the mystery of the dark presence preying on those within the keep.

This entire book was fantastic, old-school horror from start-to-finish. I had some idea of the direction things would go, since the Repairman Jack books take place in more modern times and are tied to the Adversary Cycle, but I found myself wrapped up in the story and wondering how exactly this book would kick off a universe full of some of my most beloved novels.

Even as a standalone book, The Keep is worth checking out, especially for fans of older (80s) horror novels.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

You’ve more than likely heard of this one.

The Devil in the White City was described to me as a narrative telling of the crimes of the notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes. As a fan of horror and as someone who is fascinated by tales of true crime, I was immediately sold on it.

Unfortunately for me, that is not what the book is. The Devil in the White City would probably have interested me more if I was an architect, a gardener, or a city planner. The book primarily tells the story of Daniel Hudson Burnham, director of Chicago’s World’s Fair, with interludes to speculate on the machinations of Dr. Holmes’ mind and movements during his time in Chicago.

As an historical account of one of the biggest / most attended events in US history, this book is fantastic. As the tale of a twisted serial killer, it falls a bit short. The two stories don’t really go together. On one page, Larson lists each item on the menu at a particular event (this happens several times in the book), and on the next, he is musing on the thoughts and intentions of Holmes.

Apparently very little is actually known about the murders committed by H.H. Holmes, though his macabre hotel is fascinating.

It was neat to read about the World’s Fair and I’m glad I learned what I did about it, but the book was a bit of a slog for me overall. That said, it’s very popular and if American history, architecture, or landscaping is your thing, I recommend checking it out.

Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey

This book had been popping up on my feeds for some time now, always with comments about the satisfying 90s nostalgia throughout. Let me tell you, while the 90s vibe is enjoyable, there is so much more to this book.

Head Like a Hole is the tale of Megan Monroe and her group of friends, who are each haunted by a young woman from their shared past. As Megan and friends hunt for answers, it becomes clear that they are targets of a violent, terrifying life form.

This book checked all the right boxes for me: strange creatures, 90s setting, a group of friends solving a mystery that threatens their existence, and so much more. At times, this felt like an X-Files episode, while at others, it resembled something directed by John Carpenter.

If you like horror, add this one to your to-be-read pile.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (The Carls #2) by Hank Green

In June I stumbled across the audiobook for Hank Green’s sci-fi mystery / adventure, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, and loved it. Not only was the story original, entertaining, and well-written, the performance by Kristen Sieh was fantastic.

When the sequel popped up as a suggestion in my Libby app, I immediately downloaded it. The audiobook is very well performed, though Ms. Sieh does not do the majority of narrating—she shares the task with over half-a-dozen other performers.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor takes place something like six months after the events of the first book. It continues the story of April May, her friends, and the Carls.

This novel does a good job of explaining everything that happened in the first book and brings the short saga to a satisfying conclusion. It leans heavily on some pretty extraordinary scientific premises that feel all-too plausible.

While I didn’t love this book as much as the first, it was an entertaining and well-told adventure.

—

And that’s a wrap. What’d you think? Have you read any of these? Any suggestions for what I should read next? Drop me a line or leave a comment!

And have a good day.

-Chris

Worlds of Horror (Mystery & Suspense Magazine)

A short while ago, I was approached by an editor at Mystery & Suspense Magazine to write an article on the worlds of horror.

In lieu of an actual blog post, I present to you the link to said article: Worlds of Horror (opens in new window)

I promise I’ll get back to posting semi-regularly. My wife just gave birth to son #2 (Sullivan Rowan) and, between babies and book launches, things have been hectic.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the article!

Keep in touch!

That Which Frightens You

There is a lot of writing advice out there, much of it repeated in texts, lectures, tutorials, workshops, and the like. For the most part, you’ll hear a lot of the same lessons phrased in different ways. This can be great because it may take several different outlooks for a valuable lesson to truly stick, at least if you’re anything like me. It also means a lot of substandard or downright bad lessons are repeated, creating poor habits or, worse, issues of confidence with writers who might otherwise soar.

One of the most common, and maybe one of the most misunderstood pieces of advice is to write what you know.

On the surface this makes sense. How can you write something you don’t know, right? What about sci-fi and fantasy writers though? I won’t swear to it in court but I’m confident George R.R. Martin has never actually seen a dragon, just as I’m sure Michael Crichton never visited an island of dinosaurs, and Stephen King has never…well…take your pick.

Taken literally, write what you know is a bit of a fallacy.

What I think the advice is meant to convey, or what it should convey, is to write the truth, or what you know to be true. Don’t lie to yourself, your audience, or your characters in the context of the story. On its surface, fiction is confabulation. Many of us know however that fiction can tell deep, ancient truths. Fellowship of the Ring may be filled with literal malarkey (I say this with the utmost respect for Tolkien’s work and only to make a point) but profound truths can be gleaned from its pages.

One of the best, and toughest, pieces of writing advice I’ve been given is to write what scares you. I believe effective writers of every ilk do this in all their best works.

Let’s look at Mr. King again, inarguably the modern master of the horror genre. He may have legitimate concerns about obsessive fans, but I’m reasonably confident he doesn’t lose sleep at night for fear of waking up in Annie Wilkes’ guest bed. Nor do I believe he’s frightened of an ancient cosmic being dressed up as a clown who lives in the sewers. But perhaps he does have some real concerns about obsession, addiction, alcoholism, vulnerability, the unknown, abuse. The reason he’s such an effective writer isn’t because he makes clowns or fans or cell phones scary, but because he uses these devices to deliver deeper truths about the human condition and the state of our world.

If nothing else, writing provides an effective outlet for confronting things we may otherwise be too scared, anxious, or nervous to face. It’s a hard thing to do, writing what scares you, confronting your fears. Not only that, it’s hard to do in a manner that is relevant to other people. I have a litany of concerns and fears, especially as a husband and father, but very few of them would make an interesting story to the average reader, at least the way I might tell it. But the essence of those fears and the potential they hold is what makes them effective story devices.

If you’re not a writer, or not someone who wants other people to read what you write, journaling can be an effective way of confronting your fears. It’s not even about putting the pen to paper, but more about admitting the concern exists. It’s about acknowledging the monster under the bed, understanding why it lives there and what it feeds on, and depriving it of everything that supports its existence. That goes far beyond writing of course and more into self-analysis and actualization.

Write what scares you is not only some of the best writing advice I’ve ever received, especially as a horror author, but also some of the best life advice I’ve ever received.

As always, thanks for reading. Your likes, shares, subscriptions, and greetings are always appreciated. Please consider signing up for my newsletter if you’d like to receive news, updates, special offers, and more regarding my upcoming novel The Boy in the Canvas.

Have a great week!

Back at it

Forty-one days we’ve been here and it feels like we’re starting to hit our stride.

We’ve been working pretty steadily on a daily basis making improvements to the campground and performing general daily maintenance. Some days this means clearing brush, some days it’s chopping wood, other days it’s moving furniture. One consistency is that, at the end of the day, we all feel like we’ve accomplished something. We all earn our supper and rest comes easily because of the work we put in, with is both satisfying and validating.

I’ve yet to figure out a consistent writing time and routine but I’m back to hitting my daily word quota, which is what really counts.

The big challenge is making time for the things I’m less excited about, mainly the whole marketing and publishing process for my upcoming novel. Don’t get me wrong, I am, of course, very excited for the release of my first-ever novel. Like a lot of writers, though, I’m not super comfortable with self-promotion. Nor am I very enthusiastic about maintaining a presence on social media. Blog posts are a different story, probably because they require less finesse, less sculpting of the message. I can just let me brain go on this platform and post what comes out with relatively little editing.

Social media on the other hand, well you know how that can be. Just the word “algorithm” makes me anxious. There are so many things to consider when posting for a platform, it can be overwhelming to the point of exhaustion. Thinking of something worth posting is tough enough without having to worry about how it’s phrased, the placement of keywords, hashtags, the time of bloody day that is most conducive to receiving an optimal amount of views. It’s the way of the world, I know. But I’m allowed to whine a little bit here.

These things are integral to the process though, especially since I’m going the indie publishing route. And the rewards are rich. This past week has been full of little achievements that contribute to the whole: The Boy in the Canvas has been sent to the printers and I’ve ordered proof copies, the first of which I received this afternoon! I also received word that I’ve been approved as a Goodreads Author, something that feels almost as good as the upcoming publication of my book. And I became a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors - my very first alliance!

As they say, nothing worthwhile comes easily. I think they say that. Do they? Someone should.

More book news on the way in the weeks and months ahead. Best way to stay up to date? Sign up for my newsletter. I promise I won’t spam you.

Thanks for reading. Share, like, comment, or just say hi if it tickles your fancy. I enjoy hearing from you.

Talk soon,

-Chris