Book review: Casting Shadows Everywhere

L.T. Vargus has produced here a début of stunning quality and depth. The voice of the narrator is one of the best-realised teenage voices since 'The Catcher In The Rye', though this is not some pale imitation. indeed, I was delighted by the avoidance of so many of the 'Angry Young Man' clichés, even as the subject matter turned dark. The combination of wide-eyed innocence with the sometimes blank amorality of youth was skilfully woven, and the author also managed that rare trick of a first person narrative where the reader feels the ice cracking beneath the protagonist's feet long before he does so.
The final quarter of the novel is nothing short of stunning, audacious and thrilling and genuinely moving.
Casting Shadows Everywhere is a really special book, and an amazing début. I can't wait to see what L.T. has for us next.

Five stars. Get it for FREE here. There is no way the next book will be free. This author is going places.

It's Publication Time!!!

Well, yes, okay.

So since we last spoke, I've had four publications! One fiction, the other three - less so. Oh, and another interview. So, ranked in order of profitability (hey, these cheeseburgers don't buy themselves, people) we have...

1. Burnt Offering Books have launched their debut anthology 'Till Death Do Us Part' and my short horror story 'Cold Shock' has been included! This anthology is available in either Kindle or print formats and can be purchased right here, right now. I'm really proud to be a part of this collection, and reading through the other entries I have been really impressed with the overall quality so far - Marta Salek's 'Promises' was a particularly gut-wrenching highlight (in a good way). Please consider picking up this anthology and scaring the hell out of yourself.
2. Ginger Nuts Of Horror is a superb horror site, featuring great interviews and features with horror writers and editors. I've been lucky enough to write for this site on TWO occasions over the last several days. I'm sorry that they were that hungry for content, of course, but delighted and honoured to have been published there. The first piece I wrote for them was part of the on-going series 'The Book That Made Me' where authors discuss the book that first inspired them to write. My entry, on Stephen King's seminal work IT, provoked some lovely comments from people pissed off that I'd gotten there first, which I accept as perfectly fair criticism.
3. Meanwhile, over at the 'Tales From The Booth' blog, Max Booth III has been asking fellow crime writers to write their own responses to the question 'Why are we so fascinated by criminals?' He was kind enough to agree to publish my thoughts on the subject, even when I basically re-phrased the question and went on a rambling diatribe mainly concerning screen and TV crooks, as opposed to literary ones, for which forbearance, much thanks, Max.
4. Back at Ginger Nuts Of Horror, a dream was about to be realised. After a joking exchange about the film RoboCop, I exclaimed loudly (on FaceBook, so not really, but, you know) that were Jim ever to run 'The Movie That Made Me', I was SO bagsying RoboCop, because by crimminy could I say a thing or two about THAT particular cinematic masterpiece. With the week, this happened. Jim, I will love you forever for inspiring this piece, and I can only hope that your site will somehow live down the reputation of hosting an essay proclaiming RoboCop to be (amongst many, many other things) the best horror movie ever made. You also win the Internet for that gif. Y'all need to click through right now to see what I'm talking about. You will not regret it.
5. Oh, Ginger Nuts Of Horror also ran an author interview with me,  which was awfully nice considering I've had one novella and three short stories published so far. Learn all about my astounding height, dazzling good looks, pathological lying, and so, so much more.

 What an incredible week! What an incredible start to 2014. Thanks to every single one of you mad buggers for reading my stuff. I hope it brings you joy. It sure does me!  :) Talk soon.