Bringing in the Creeps

Ray and I are of a similar age — darn near exactly, if I’m being honest, but I like to hold my ever-so-slight seniority over his head like a big brother might. We grew up doing much of the same things. His framework was from the lens of the 80s dirtballs and metalheads, mine from the 80s freaks and goths. Even back in the 80s, these subcultures bonded quite readily and often found common ground, largely because we were all “outside of society” as Patty Smith sang [I won’t risk offending anyone by naming the song, you know or you can look it up]. We were all rejects.

And we all liked the same kinds of things, even if those things were different flavors at times. But, by way of example, Ray and I both agree that some of the best movies of their type from the era (or any era): “Blade Runner” (scifi noir), “The Thing” (cosmic horror), “Return of the Living Dead” (braaaaaiiiinnnnz)… to name a few. And I tended to listen to metal when the mood hit, while he listened to post-punk when the mood hit. Our subcultures became very blended over the mid-80s to the mid-90s.

Same with much of our tastes in fiction, which is probably why he and I both appreciate a good tale of horror. And, while I tend to think about writing some horror in my spare (?) time, Ray has managed to actually do it.

Last night this little treasure showed up in my mailbox, a personalized copy of his newest collection of short horror that I won in contest by coming up with a name for a character of his. “Avernus”, a placename that became synonymous with an entrance to the Underworld, or Hell. I also suggested “Gary”, mostly because it was the least evil name I could think of for a ghoul/demon/monster. When I submitted those names to his contest, I didn’t have much hope of having either selected. After all, I have always said that if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all. [I used claim it is my Irish DNA, but it may be the full composition of my ancestry, as most of ancestors came from put-upon folks just trying to get by].

Imagine my surprise when I won!

Anyway, while I am familiar with Ray’s output in other genres of writing, I haven’t yet read any of his horror and I’m looking forward to diving into this book to remedy that omission. Ray’s a longtime reader and commentor on this site, and he’s a great guy to boot. While I know some folks find horror unappealing to read, view, or experience, those of you who do like such things should give this short fiction a whirl. For those of you who prefer less horror-driven fiction, I would recommend you check out “Coming of Rage“, which is a collection of tales that I have read and enjoyed that is more focused on slice of life and coming of age subject matter.

Congrats, Ray on the continued output and publications. I’m looking forward to digging in to this newest offering.