STEVE CARROLL WRITES

Lawrence Block is a true literary legend, followed by   millions of readers and the recipient of the title  Grand   Master by the  Mystery   Writers of America . He   has published over 100 books in a career that spans over   half a century. His area of expertise is crime and he is best known for his long-running   series   of books focused on recovered alcoholic private investigator Matthew   Scuddard. The Naked and the Deadly , a new compilation courtesy of Bob Deis   and   Wyatt Doyle and their Men’s Adventure Library, collects Block’s earliest work   from his days as a young contributor to the sensationalistic men’s   adventure magazine   (MAM) market of the late 50s, 60s, and early 70s. The famous author Lawrence Block is not   exactly the same Lawrence Block that is found in this robust and informative   volume. Or as the back-cover   blurb notes: “Not that Lawrence Block. Not yet...”  ...

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of Nick Robert’s newest book, a collection of short stories entitled, It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories , published by Crystal Lake Publishing . I also recently conducted an interview with Nick which can be found here . Having read his previous novel, The Exorcist’s House , which I enjoyed (review forthcoming), I was eager to sample his short stories. In my experience some authors excel at longer prose forms and some excel at short tales. I’m happy to report that Nick Roberts deftly handles both. It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories features a total of 15 stories that run the gamut from in-your-face grisly horror to genuine chill-inducing subtle innuendo; from weird fiction to hard-boiled noir; and even a touch of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, all culminating with a possession tale set in the world of The Exorcist’s House .  In truth, all of the stories in this collection connect to each other to a certain degree on two different fronts....

Nick Roberts exploded onto the literary horror scene in 2020 with the publication of his debut horror novel, Anathema , which went on to win the 2020-2021 Horror Authors Guild Award for Debut Novel of the Year .  His second novel, The Exorcist's House, was released in 2022 by Crystal Lake Publishing to great acclaim. His newest release, a collection of short stories titled It Haunts the Mind and Other Stories was just released (also by Crystal Lake). Look for a review of that collection and The Exorcist's House on this site very soon. Now, on to my conversation with Nick Roberts, English teacher by day, horror author by night... When did you first feel the writing bug? I’ve always had this creative drive. As early as kindergarten, I started drawing vicious monsters and then progressed by giving them dialogue bubbles. I eventually abandoned the artwork in favor of the stories, and by junior high/high school, I wrote short stories, screenplays, and even filmed my own shitty...

I was recently sent a review copy of  At Home with the Horrors  by Sammy Scott. I was unfamiliar with the author   prior to some communication with him   about this review and  was excited to dive right in.   What we have here are a total of 13 short stories and a novella. For   me, all good horror needs a relational point that enables the reader to connect with characters in some way and identify with them—in short, we   need to care. A   situation instantly becomes more intense and terrifying if it involves someone in   whose plight we have become honestly invested. This   is Sammy Scott’s real gift   as a writer; he can quickly establish characters who feel real and relatable,   not just rough sketches that are operating to   advance the needs of a plot. All   of the characters in every one of these tales is believable and their responses   to the supernatural elements when   they’re introduced don’t...