Review Week! Part 6: THE STAKE by Richard Laymon

I have Christine Morgan to thank for a lot of things.  First, for her novel CURSE OF THE SHADOW BEASTS.  Second, for a whole shit-ton of reviews of my work.  Third, for a batch of Christmas cookies.  (Yeah, really.)  And, finally, for my first Richard Laymon books.

Laymon is a sadly underrated gem in his own country, the old joke about rock stars being "big in Japan" (or in his case, Germany and the UK) being applicable.  This was my first Laymon book, and the reason I read it is because I was working on vampire novel for Sinister Grin Press and I couldn't get over the worry that I was writing the same old shit, so my good friend Claire Ashby suggested I pick up a vampire novel to kick me in the ass.  It worked (I think) but more about that later.  Today is about THE STAKE.

About THE STAKE:

In an isolated corner of a deserted hotel, horror writer Larry Dunbar uncovers a grisly relic. It's naked, it's female, and it has a wooden stake through its heart.

Bonnie Saxton was a young, innocent high school senior...sacrificed on the altar of a madman's obsession to rid the earth of its most ancient, pitiless evil: the curse of the vampire.

A world of horrors was born the day the stake was driven in.

Now Dunbar wants to pull it out...

Review:

There's a sexual peccadillo or technique called "edging" which basically involves bringing yourself or your partner right to the edge of climax and then backing off multiple times so that when release finally comes, it's incredible. THE STAKE is essentially the literary equivalent of edging. The climax of the book is a foregone conclusion within the first hundred pages or so, as Larry Dunbar, a horror author and (one supposes) a thinly veiled version of Laymon himself, discovers a desiccated corpse in the desert with a stake through its heart.

For hundreds of pages Larry obsesses over pulling the stake, what will happen, whether the corpse is a vampire, and regardless of whether anything supernatural is going on or not who, exactly, staked her and why. And this is why I brought up edging at the beginning of this review. There must have been a dozen scenes when Larry or one of his close friends or relatives for one reason or another just about wraps their hands around the stake and then doesn't pull it out. For a while I thought that stake was going to come out handily, but (SPOILER ALERT, I guess, for a 25-year-old novel) it doesn't come out until the very end.

For a while I was pretty sure Larry was going to pull the stake early on and then the rest of the novel would be about the fallout from that. Instead, the whole matter was drawn out so excruciatingly that the tension never really seemed to tamp down. Meanwhile, a number of human monsters began to creep into the lives of Larry and his family, perhaps remoras riding along on the evil of the stake or perhaps just representing the general cussedness of the universe. And then, like the master I've repeatedly been told he is, Laymon weaves all of the plot threads together into the conclusion. It was a rather incredible balancing act, to be sure.

This is definitely an unconventional vampire novel - if it can be called a vampire novel at all. I suppose I won't spoil that for you. If you want to find out what happens when the stake gets pulled, well, you'll just have to read it for yourself.

About Richard Laymon:

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.

He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).

Also published under the name Richard Kelly.

Review Week! Part 5: BONE MEAL BROTH by Adam Cesare

It's the rarely seen Review Week! here on Ye Olde Blogge!  Today we feature a collection by a real up-and-comer who I've had the pleasure to have met in person.  Adam Cesare ("che-za-ray" or "see-zar," depending on whether you're endlessly singing the wrong lyrics of a Neil Diamond song or not) is a hell of a stand-up guy.  And a school teacher.  In Philly.  Which means you know he'll fucking cut you if you don't buy his book.  So do it.  Do it now.

About BONE MEAL BROTH:

The world is full of horrors both real and imagined. BONE MEAL BROTH adds a few more.

The nine stories in this collection vary in style and content, but all of them strive to unsettle.

Inside BONE MEAL BROTH you'll meet a P.I. who works the dark streets of a post-biological-cataclysm New Orleans, a sleazy glamor photographer with a pest problem, and a misanthrope who's just made the most important (and deadly) purchase of his life. And those are the heroes.

You'll visit the grotesque inhabitants of America's backwoods and shrink from the quiet terrors of suburbia. No matter your dark preference: a cup of BONE MEAL BROTH will hit the spot.

Review:

It seems peculiar to use the word "breezy" to describe a collection of deeply dark and disturbing tales of short horror, but that's the adjective that leaps to mind. Not "lightweight" in the sense that there was no substance to them, but "breezy" in that they flew by, slipping down the throat of my mind like sliders from some kind of infernal White Castle.

First, some generalities. Cesare has an incredible command of prose, and the way he assembled words and phrases reminded me of an orchestral conductor. This isn't workmanlike prose, this is art.

As for the style, I wouldn't really classify any of these as extreme horror, but neither are they quietly restrained Victorian spook pieces, either. I hate to use a term like "middle-of-the-road" because it implies mediocrity (and these stories are anything but) but their scare levels are somewhere between 4 and 7 on the terror spectrum. Gorehounds like myself will find a lot to enjoy but I don't think average, non-horror types should feel intimidated, either.

Now, a look at some of the specific stories. As with any collection, there were highs and lows. Nothing was truly terribly, but a few of the weaker stories elicited a "meh" rather than a bloodcurdling scream.

"Pink Tissue," on the other hand, was the standout of the lot. Set in a post-apocalyptic New Orleans populated by mutants who have become the de facto norm, this noirish body horror piece packed a punch and managed to sketch out a world in a few thousand words better realized than most sci-fi movies can do with a couple of hours and a multi-million dollar budget. I sincerely hope Cesare revisits this setting in the future.

"Bringing Down the Giants" was a fascinating creeper. I was a little bit lost on the nature of the creatures. Were they toys brought to life? If not why did they so closely resemble one of the protagonist's childhood toys? In any case it takes a conceit played for fun in countless cases of children's fare like "Ferngully" and "Epic" and turns it on its ear with the result being rather grotesque.

I know now where Cesare gets his reputation. As a primer and an introduction to the Cesarean section of the horror world, BONE MEAL BROTH is definitely worth checking out.

About Adam Cesare:

Adam Cesare is a New Yorker who lives in Philadelphia. He studied English and film at Boston University. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including Shroud Magazine.

His nonfiction has appeared in Paracinema, Fangoria, The LA Review of Books and other venues.

Review Week! Part 4: ONE UNDEAD STEP by Ian McClellan

Hello, chums and chumettes!  It's pretty rare that I feature reviews on the blog (because I don't want this to turn into a review blog - way too much stress) but every once in a while I break down and run out of other content...er...I mean...I decide that I've read a few books that are just so damn good, not reporting on them would be something of an unforgivable sin.  2016 has been a rare good year for me for reading, and for reading horror especially, and I've discovered a few incredible new authors and caught up with some old friends who I probably shouldn't have put off for this long.  So, let commence the second ever Review Week!  

We start with someone who is no stranger to the blog, having been interviewed here before, our good friend and star of "Lord of the Rings" Ian McClellan and his zombie/moon landing faking novel ONE UNDEAD STEP.

About ONE UNDEAD STEP:

Many people know that the 1969 moon landing was faked, but are unaware of the actual circumstances. Find out how the U.S. faked the moon landing to avert the zombie apocalypse as the lives of a disgraced B-movie director, a bar owner, some drunks, an Army Ranger unit, a bunch of gangsters, an affluent but very dysfunctional family, and a few cops come together in ONE UNDEAD STEP.

One year after Romero shocked the world with Night of the Living Dead, a small city is rocked by grisly killings, the gory details of which are only known through whispered rumors. The government presence that makes the populace all the more nervous is unable to contain the impending threat that grows out of control on a hot, humid night in Mid-July. As the city's residents fight for their lives, the Military rushes to make a film about two men landing a small spacecraft on the moon. Will their plan work? Find out as an evil man finds redemption, some soldiers choose between their mission and duty, a young couple finds forbidden love, an older couple reignites their passion, and a bartender gets stiffed for lots of drinks in ONE UNDEAD STEP.

Review:

** spoiler alert ** SPOILERS!

McClellan starts off with a familiar premise, one that's been run into the ground in fact: a group of plucky survivors in an American urban center face down the zombie apocalypse with nothing to rely on but their wits, and each is paid back in kind according to their moral compass (assholes die horribly, heroes die heroically, and plucky kids survive.) If you've read more than one zombie book you've heard this story already.

As I read on, though, I realized that my familiarity with this premise was what McClellan was counting on, and possibly preying upon. As the book progresses, he slowly fills in some fascinating details that gradually turn the narrative on its ear. With clever flourishes like a gangster named Nicky "No-Nickname" (get it?), a rather perverse story of statutory rape that ends as it must, and always, always in the background a seemingly unrelated B-story about a director faking the moon landing, McClellan gradually draws us in to a tale that's not been told before.

ONE UNDEAD STEP is "Mad Men" meets "Night of the Living Dead." Where the latter was a product of the '60s played straight, the former was an attempt to re-create an era through its anxieties and foils, also played more-or-less straight. I admired how McClellan tries to do the same with ONE UNDEAD STEP. As with any historical drama, occasionally the satire was a little too on the nose, but I don't remember anything especially egregious along the lines of, "Look, we're smoking on a plane because people used to do that back then isn't that craaazy?" or "Wouldn't it be cool if someday we had phones we could carry around with us?" McClellan's depiction of the '60s was aware but nuanced, without ever resorting to easy targets.

For a long stretch of this book I was wondering why the moon landing plot was even there. It felt completely shoehorned in. By the end, though, I realized that this was by design, so that McClellan could smash us over the head with a Shyamalan-style twist. Believe me, by the end, the title and the focus on the moon landing and not just "Mad Men" style '60s shenanigans becomes fully deserved.

If you love the shambling dead but you've been waiting for someone to do something new with them, your wait is over. Grab a copy of ONE UNDEAD STEP now.

About Ian McClellan:

Ian McClellan was born in a small harbor town in southwest Ireland. In an effort to be cliche his parents moved the family to New York when he was thirteen. Once a promising up-and-comer in the world of competitive eating, his career was cut short by an ACL injury. He now resides in Florida with his dogs and drives a truck for a living, but is crossing his fingers and hoping his writing career will earn him enough money that he can tell his boss where to stick it.

The Top 15 Manuscripts Burn Posts of 2015!

I may have to start whittling down these end-of-year lists as the century proceeds, but since it's still only a bit over 10, I'll stick with the 15 of '15 conceit.  For now.  And, as you're about to see, my Year of Interviewing Dangerously was a smashing success, as with very few exceptions my boldly requested interviews were the top posts of the year.  And so, without any further ado, here are the 15 most popular posts of 2015:

15.  Never Mind Molly Ringwald (Interview with Christine Morgan, Author of MURDER GIRLS)

14.  The Quintessential BRAVE NEW GIRLS Post

13.  Identity is What We Share and What We Hide (Guest Post from Jay Wilburn, Author of THE DEAD SONG LEGEND

12.  My 1000th Post

11.  No Bonus Points (Interview with Joanna Gaskell, Writer and Actor for "Standard Action")

10.  Feeling All Britishy (Interview with Guy Haley, Author of THE RISE OF THE HORNED RAT)

9.  Review:  EVE BRENNER, ZOMBIE GIRL by A. Giacomi

8.  2015 Appearances

7.  Stupid Dinoaurs (Interview with Tara Pratt, Actor on "Fringe," "Supernatural," and "Standard Action.")

6.  Good Hearts in Small Jars (Interview with Lily Luchesi, Author of STAKE-OUT)

5.  Literally Just a Chunk of Congealed cow Blood (Interview with Phronk, Author of STARS AND OTHER MONSTERS 

4.  A Lil Between the Sheets (Interview with Shawn Coleman, Arranger and Co-Composer of "Too Many Cooks")

3.  Ten Rules (Guest Post by Katrina Monroe, Author of SACRIFICIAL LAMB CAKE)

2.  Five Things I Rate About You (Guest Post with Kit Power and Rich Hawkins)

I'ma let you finish, but by a wide gulf our number one is not just the most popular post of the year, but by a margin of nearly 2:1, the most popular Manuscripts Burn post of all time (OF ALL TIME):

1.  Behind the Potatoes and Molasses (Interview with Patrick McHale, Creator of "Over the Garden Wall" and Creative Director of "Adventure Time.")

Big thanks to all of my guests, and especially to you, my dear friends and fans.  I hope your 2016 is a smashing success!

Review Week! Part 3: KING OF THE BASTARDS by Brian Keene and Steven Shrewsbury

Howdy, pardners.  In case'n ya didn' know, it's Review Week! here on yonder blog.  Enjoy!

About KING OF THE BASTARDS:

Rogan has been many things in his life as an adventurer — a barbarian, a thief, a buccaneer, a rogue, a lover, a reaver, and most recently, a king. Now, this prehistoric bane of wizards and tyrants finds himself without a kingdom, lost in a terrifying new world, and fighting for his life against pirates, zombies, and the demonic entity known as Meeble. And even if he defeats his foes, Rogan must still find a way to return home, regain his throne, save his loved ones, and remind everyone why he's the
KING OF THE BASTARDS.

It's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apex, AbeBooks, Kobo, Book Depository, and you can discuss it on Goodreads.

Review:

When people complain about "Game of Thrones" being too violent or too eager to kill off characters, I often roll my eyes. Life's pretty fucking short and miserable for the vast majority of the world's population these days, and I can only imagine what it was like in the Middle Ages when most people were just the property of a few rich assholes whose only real sport was killing other rich assholes. (Actually, maybe not so much has changed after all.)

But I digress. KING OF THE BASTARDS is set in a grimdark world full of characters who cast aside even the tiny veneer of civilization that the rich assholes of "Game of Thrones" wear. Rogan, the titular King of the Bastards, is a particularly brutish human being who apparently thinks nothing of shitting into an enemy's gaping wound on the battlefield. He has no respect for anything or anyone and only his unwavering loyalty to his blood relatives could be considered a positive character trait - albeit, he usually expresses that loyalty through gruesome bouts of Burgessian ultra-violence.

This is my first time reading Shrewsbury's work, so quite a few references were lost on me. The story is self-contained, but I gather that Rogan has already had and will go on to have many adventures all over his world. From what I can piece together, Rogan lives in a version of our world with Bronze Age aesthetics. He took over the throne of Albion (England) got bored and took to the ocean, where he wrecked on what seems strongly implied to be North America.

Now, I am more familiar with Keene's work, and we quickly learn that the antagonist of this self-contained story is Meeble, one of the Thirteen deicidal extradimensional beings from Keene's Labyrinth Mythos. All signs point to a showdown between Rogan and Meeble, and our intrepid authors do not disappoint.

This is very much a grimdark fantasy by way of extreme horror - about what you'd expect from these collaborators. From Rogan's first fight on the high seas to his final showdown with Meeble, countless gallons of blood and miles of intestines are spilled, eyeballs are popped, and corpses are mutilated. Horror and fantasy fans alike will find a lot to enjoy about this novel.

About Brian Keene:

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, THE RISING, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s "The Walking Dead" comic and Danny Boyle’s "28 Days Later" film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including "Ghoul," "The Ties That Bind," and "Fast Zombies Suck." Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

You can follow Brian on his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Steven Shrewsbury:

STEVEN L. SHREWSBURY lives, works, and writes in rural Illinois. Over 360 of his short stories have appeared in print or electronic media along with over 100 poems. 9 of his novels have been released, with more on the way. His books run from sword & sorcery (OVERKILL, THRALL, BEDLAM UNLEASHED) to historical fantasy (GODFORSAKEN) extreme horror (HAWG, TORMENTOR, STRONGER THAN DEATH) to horror-westerns (HELL BILLY, BAD MAGICK, and the forthcoming LAST MAN SCREAMING).

He loves books, British TV, guns, movies, politics, sports and hanging out with his sons. He’s frequently outdoors, looking for brightness wherever it may hide.

You can follow Steven on Facebook and his website.

Review Week! Part 2: PHOENIX ISLAND by John Dixon

Ahoy, me hearties!  'Tis the first ever Review Week! here on ye olde blogge.  Enjoy, ye scury dogs.

About PHOENIX ISLAND:

The judge told Carl that one day he'd have to decide exactly what kind of person he would become. But on Phoenix Island, the choice will be made for him.

A champion boxer with a sharp hook and a short temper, sixteen-year-old Carl Freeman has been shuffled from foster home to foster home. He can't seem to stay out of trouble, using his fists to defend weaker classmates from bullies. His latest incident sends his opponent to the emergency room, and now the court is sending Carl to the worst place on earth: Phoenix Island.

Classified as a terminal facility, it's the end of the line for delinquents who have no home, no family, and no future. Located somewhere far off the coast of the United States and immune to its laws, the island is a grueling Spartan-style boot camp run by sadistic drill sergeants who show no mercy to their young, orphan trainees. Sentenced to stay until his eighteenth birthday, Carl plans to play by the rules, so he makes friends with his wisecracking bunkmate, Ross, and a mysterious gray-eyed girl named Octavia. But he makes enemies, too, and after a few rough scrapes, he earns himself the nickname "Hollywood" as well as a string of punishments, including a brutal night in the sweatbox. But that's nothing compared to what awaits him in the Chop Shop: a secret government lab where Carl is given something he never dreamed of.

A new life. . . .

A new body. A new brain.

Gifts from the fatherly Old Man, who wants to transform Carl into something he's not sure he wants to become.

For this is no ordinary government project. Phoenix Island is ground zero for the future of combat intelligence.

And for Carl, it's just the beginning. . .

PHOENIX ISLAND is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo, and you can discuss it on Goodreads.

Review:

This novel is truly remarkable. The truth is, I wasn't 100% sure what I was getting myself into when I picked it up. I had read the back cover which suggested one thing, but I had also watched a few episodes of "Intelligence," the TV show this book inspired, and that told another story, and I also knew that this novel recently won the Bram Stoker Award. So I was fairly perplexed on whether PHOENIX ISLAND was an espionage thriller, horror, YA, or what.

If I had to put PHOENIX ISLAND in a category, I'd say it most closely resembles a classic. The sort of thing you had to read in school. A clean, trim sort of book with only a few characters and only a few locations that manages to draw you in.

Speaking of classics, Dixon obviously wears his love for LORD OF THE FLIES on his sleeve with this one - there are wild pigs, feral kids, and enough LOTF Easter eggs that I was sort of surprised nobody sounded a conch by the end. There's also a lot of the DNA of ENDER'S GAME in here. But where PHOENIX ISLAND really carves its own niche is in the way boxing is woven throughout.

Dixon is a Golden Gloves boxer and he brings a breadth and knowledge of fighting experience to this book like I've never seen before. Whenever the main character Carl fights the book transforms into something akin to ballet where you just have to admire the beauty of the prose as the scene unfolds.

I read this book in four days. It's been a long time since I've devoured a book that fast. I'm still not sure whether to quite call it horror, thriller, YA, or something else entirely. But I'll stand by my label of "classic." I really hope this ends up in classrooms in the future. I can't imagine kids not loving it.

About John Dixon:

John Dixon's debut novel, PHOENIX ISLAND, won the Bram Stoker Award and inspired the CBS TV series "Intelligence." The sequel, DEVIL'S POCKET, comes out August 4th, 2015, from Simon & Schuster / Gallery Books.

A former boxer, teacher, and stone mason, John now writes full time. He lives in West Chester, PA, with his wife, Christina, and their freeloading pets. When not reading or writing, he obsesses over boxing, chess, and hot peppers.

You can follow John on his website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Review Week! Part 1: THE BREADWINNER by Stevie Kopas

Greetings, frenemies!  As long-time followers know, I've long resisted the urge to turn this into a review blog (with the notable exception of the entire year of 2013 when it became nothing but a review blog - but I digress.)  With that being said, I've reviewed occasional books here and there, but I've usually just peppered those in alongside my usual, indispensable pearls of wisdom. 

This week I thought I might try something different and see how it goes over.  I just read three great books in a row, so I thought I might throw all three review up on the blog and see if anybody gives a shit.  If you do, hey, maybe Review Week! will become a recurring event.  If not, I'll be back to my usual bullshit next week.  So, with that being said, let's kick it off with THE BREADWINNER by our good friend, Stevie Kopas:

About THE BREADWINNER:

The end of the world is not glamorous.

In a matter of days the human race was reduced to nothing more than vicious, flesh hungry creatures.

Criminal defense attorney, Samson, struggles to keep his family safe and his sanity intact when the world comes apart at the seams. Veronica, the high school track star, races to get her brother out of their doomed city. Ben, a military veteran, is forced to come to grips with the end of the world as he fights the undead. Andrew, a police officer, struggles to maintain some sort of humanity in a world overrun by death and destruction.

There are no heroes here, just survivors, and they all have one thing in common: who you once were can no longer determine who you will be in the face of catastrophe.

THE BREADWINNER, book 1 in The Breadwinner Trilogy, thrusts you head first into post-apocalyptic Northwest Florida and will leave you craving more.

It's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and can be discussed on Goodreads.

Review:

So I'm sitting here reading a perfectly serviceable modern zombie novel. A couple of survivors with a give-'em-Hell attitude and tales of woe battle the gruesome undead while trapped in an urban hellscape after the collapse of woefully inadequate emergency services - you know the score. Not brilliant, not terrible, just your standard "Walking Dead" clone that maybe you give three stars if you remember it long enough afterward to review it.

Then in walks Moira Eckhart.

Moira is an ingenious creation, I dare say one of the greatest and most mortifying characters in modern horror. She's clearly a villain and yet...there's no moustache-twirling to her. She's just adamant in refusing to bend to the new reality of a zombie apocalypse. Her attitude is that the world will simply have to adapt to suit her lifestyle and not the reverse.

It's such a brilliant, original, cuttingly satirical take on modern American culture that I can hardly believe it's never been done before. Most zombie stories - hell, most stories, period - make their hay out of how the characters change in the wake of dire straits - with their true faces laid bare, are they really a hero, really a villain, or really just a pragmatist? Moira eschews that entire journey by refusing to ever take off her mask.

Her children are trophies. Her husband - the titular breadwinner - is a trophy. She's even aware to some extent that she's a trophy. And while the reasonable characters are off hunting and scrabbling for a can of beans to survive the night, Moira refuses to cede one centimeter of her opulent lifestyle to reality. It's such a perverse notion, such an American notion - the sting of Kopas's satire cuts deep. I think most of us imagine we'll be Gary Cooper when the end of the world comes, but his glory days have long since dwindled into twilight. We're a culture steeped in the Kardashian ethos now.

Perhaps THE BREADWINNER is a metaphor. Moira represents the cult of celebrity, husband and breadwinner Samson is the American public who indulge such navel-gazing, and in the end it's only the children who suffer. Then again, maybe it's just a gleefully dark and twisted tale of a uniquely American suburban nightmare. Either way, it's definitely worth your time and money. 5 stars.

About Stevie Kopas:

Stevie Kopas was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. She is a gamer, a writer and an apocalypse enthusiast. Stevie will never turn down a good cup of coffee and might even be a bit of a caffeine addict.

Stevie is the author of THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY. Books 1 and 2, THE BREADWINNER and HAVEN were originally self-published in 2013 and 2014. THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY was picked up by Permuted Press in May of 2014 and the second editions of both the first books were released in March and April of 2015. The third and final installment in THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY, ALL GOOD THINGS, debuted in May of 2015.

Kopas also participates in the AT HELL'S GATES horror anthologies and all profits are donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Her short stories, "Nefarious" and "Patient 63" can be found in the first two volumes of AT HELL'S GATES.

She currently resides in Panama City Beach, Florida and tries to spend as much time as she can in the sun.

Stevie is also the Managing Editor of the website Horror Metal Sounds and a writer for the site. She is an avid reader of horror and post-apocalyptic fiction (especially zom-poc) and reviews for The Bookie Monster. Offline, Stevie is a telecommunications professional.

You can connect with her on her official website, Facebook, and Twitter.