The Trajectory of Today’s Topics

• A New Thriller Coming From the “King” of Horror

• I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons, A Review

• Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

• Exploring the Wonderful World of Oz in Book Form

Hot Off The Press

Never Flinch Releases In May

Stephen King is reported to write every day—I wish I could manage that task—and because of his unwavering dedication, a new book from the master of horror is coming soon. Never Flinch is coming to you in May. 

Never Flinch will feature two separate but intertwining storylines. One is about a deranged killer threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty.” Detective Izzy Jaynes is tasked with tracking down the killer, but he soon realizes that he’s going to need help to save all those lives. Racing against time, Izzy turns to Holly Gibney (a recurring character from books such as Mr. Mercedes, The Outsides, and Holly) to help get to the killer.

At the same time, a controversial and outspoken women’s right activist, Kate McKay is becoming a target. At first her events are being disrupted, but soon the stalker gets bolder and the horror amps up. Soon Holly is hired as Kate’s personal bodyguard. Both of these stories converge in a conclusion that only Stephen King can come up with. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m interested in this book. I’m about six books behind in my Stephen King TBR, and this will end up stacking up on it. The last one I read was Fairy Tale. A young man ends up with the key to a fantastic world and embarks on a quest to save a dear friend. During this quest, it becomes much more than one life on the line, he ends up working to save this magical land from a corrupted evil. I’ll do a review on this one soon.

The TBR Files

From The Last Unicorn to Pesky Dragons

Peter S. Beagle, I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons Review.

I have been a fan of the animated movie The Last Unicorn since I was a young kid back in the 80s. It was, and still is, hauntingly beautiful, poignant, and the soundtrack brings all the feels. It was also quite terrifying, but back then, many animated films tried to traumatize kids. I’m talking about you Watership Downs and Secret of Nimh. Anyway, it was only a few years ago I found out that life altering movie started out as a book by Peter S. Beagle. I then became obsessed with the book and tracked it down, along with a beautiful graphic novel. 

I go into all that to say that I was beyond excited when I found out the octogenarian recently put out a new fantasy book. I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons was released in May of last year and I immediately snatched it up. While for me, it didn’t capture the same intrigue or indescribably magic of The Last Unicorn, it was still an enjoyable, fun story. 

Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (that’s more than a mouthful) is the resident dragon exterminator. Luckily, he just wants to be called Robert. In the kingdom of Bellemontagne, dragons are more like rats and unwanted vermin, and indeed, they are generally small, live in dark crevices and holes in castles, and are an all around nuisance. The thing is Robert knows these little dragons have personalities and are actually nearly as smart as humans. He hates his job, but he’s excellent at it. 

Because he’s the best, he’s summoned to the castle to rid the ground of a large infestation. There he meets Princess Cerise, who only wants to impress the visiting Crown Prince Reginald. The Prince only wants to impress his father and comes up with the task of slaying a giant, vile dragon. With Gaius Aurelius…ahem, Robert, by his side, and the Princess coming along as well, what could possibly go wrong? 

The following quest is full of Mark Twain like and The Princess Bride style satire and humor. It’s a far cry from the somber tone and seriousness of The Last Unicorn, but it was still an enjoyable, easy fantasy read. There is definitely danger along the way as the trio end up having to face off against a mad wizard and his army of “Kings” ancient, mythical, giant dragons no one has seen in centuries, which opens the door for a nice twist at the end. 

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons will not be touted as a literary masterpiece, but if you enjoy fantasy, dragons, typical fantasy tropes, or have fond memories of any of the books and movies mentioned here in this review, I’m sure you will enjoy this book. 

…And Then This Happened

Ideas Can Come From Anywhere

I attended several events last year, and plan on doing as many as I can this year. It’s a great way to meet new people, authors, and hopefully gather more fans of my works. I’m awful at marketing, and it seems it’s the best way for me to get these books into the hands of eager readers. When talking to customers, one question I got often was “Where do you get your ideas?” I could answer pretty simply, “Everywhere,” but that’s not a satisfactory answer. 

It’s the truth though. Sometimes ideas just pop into my head seemingly at random, sometimes I’ll be working, reading, watching a show, or taking a walk and something will trigger an idea. I can get ideas just by watching people or listening to conversations and just asking “what if (blank) happened?” 

That being said, I have to say that some of my best ideas actually have come from dreams. In fact, my writing journey started because of a vivid dream I had in the middle of the night. I woke up after watching a young girl running terrified from an unseen adversary in the dark woods. Something huge, horrifying, and fast was closing in on her as my vision floated above her, urging her to run faster. I woke up before it caught up with her and started scribbling down everything I would remember before it vanished like a puff of smoke. Since then, I’ve been wanting to tell her story. 

Another dream I had was written out in the beginning of one of my favorite horror short stories, Child Erased. In this dream, I was laying in bed, but I felt like I was awake. I had an eye covering on because my bedroom was rather bright, but I opened my eyes because I could feel a presence in my doorway. Through the sleep mask, I saw a shadowy figure coming closer to me. I pretended to be asleep as the intruder leaned closer to me, and then pressed his hands on my head, gently at first but heavier. I was terrified, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. 

Like a wild animal I ripped my blankets off, threw the sleep mask off and launched out of the bed to take the intruder by surprise, only to land on the floor and find myself completely alone in the room. And that was the abridged version of the first few pages of Child Erased. To find out what else happens, check out the short story on Kindle for only $0.99, or get three more stories to go along with it in Storm of Echoes.