Tommy Donbavand Scream Street Blog Tour

I think Scream Street is just the killer bee's knees. It's the perfect read for younger kids looking for something a little spooky and a lot funny, so I was a somewhat saddened to learn that the thirteenth book, Flame of the Dragon, will be the last in the series. Luckily my blues were lifted and I was returned to my normal shade of zombie green by the news that Tommy has written a Scream Street short story to be released in thirteen parts over thirteen days.

If you haven't been following it already, head back to the Scream Street website to read it from the beginning. But if you're already up to date, settle in for part seven of the Scream Street tale, Shiver of the Phantom...

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Chapter Seven

The Boss

Henry Horatio Harper turned and began to shuffle away across the central square. Luke, Resus and Cleo hurried after him.

“Lunchtime?” asked Cleo, catching up with the phantom. “You mean the bell rings like that at this time every day?”

Henry nodded, his top hat wobbling. “Not that you’d be able to hear it; it’s a phantom bell.”
“A phantom bell for phantom lunch hour?” said Luke. “Please don’t think I’m being rude, but lunch hour from what?”

The ghost continued his shuffling walk. “From haunting,” he said. “What else?”

Resus looked surprised. “You mean you’re doomed to haunt the houses of Scream Street?”

“Not doomed,” said Henry. “Although there are days when I feel like that.”

“So, how does it work?” asked Luke.

Henry sighed. “I work for a company called Haunting in Scream Street – or HISS for short. Haunting houses around here is my job.”

“And you get a lunch break from it?” asked Resus. “That’s ridiculous!”

Henry stopped and stared hard at Resus. “Have you been talking to my boss?”

“No,” said Resus. “Why?”

“He wants to do away with our lunch hour as well.” The phantom turned and continued walking. “And if I don’t get back to work soon, he won’t let me take my exam.”

“I still don’t understand,” said Cleo, catching up with the ghost again. “What exam?”

“All ghosts start out at the bottom,” Henry explained miserably. “It’s called spirit level one. Over the centuries you can take haunting exams to rise up to spirit level two and beyond.”

“What do the levels mean?” asked Luke.

“They determine what kind of haunting jobs we get to do,” replied Henry. “Level one ghosts can only make things go bump in the night, but when you go up to level two, you get to go ‘Whoooooo!’ between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., throw one item a night and spook pets by blowing in their faces.”

“And level three?” asked Cleo.

“Light chain work and creepy footsteps.”

“I get it!” said Resus. “Going up a spirit level is like getting a promotion.”

“That’s it,” said Henry.

“And the longer you’ve been a ghost, the more you get promoted,” said Cleo.

“Exactly,” said Henry.

“How long have you been a ghost?” asked Luke.

“Just short of three hundred years.”

“And what spirit level are you at now?” asked Cleo.

Henry looked as though he might cry again. “Level one.”

“Ah,” said Resus.

The phantom sighed. “I’d love the chance to scare a cat, but they just ignore me – like everybody else. I’ll never get to go ‘Whoooooo!’”

“Of course you will,” said Cleo. “All you’ve got to do is pass your exam. It can’t be that hard...”

“Then why has he failed it over a thousand times?” roared a voice. Henry began to tremble as another figure shimmered into existence in front of the group. “And why is he late for his last chance to take it?”

***

Oh no! How will it all end? Will Henry ever get to level two in his Spirit Levels? Make sure you head on over to Tall Tales and Short Stories tomorrow for the next part of the story! 

Review - The Fear by Charlie Higson

The Eulogy (From the Publisher):
HE DOESN'T KNOW IT, BUT DOGNUT IS ABOUT TO SET OFF A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT WILL AFFECT EVERY KID IN THE CITY.
The sickness struck everyone over the age of fourteen.
Mothers and fathers, older brothers, sisters and best friends. No one escaped its touch. And now children across London are being hunted by ferocious grown-ups . . .
THEY'RE HUNGRY. THEY'RE BLOODTHIRSTY AND THEY AREN'T GIVING UP
DogNut and the rest of his crew want to find their lost friends, on a deadly mission from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace and beyond, as the sickos lie in wait.
But who are their friends and who are the enemy in this changed world?

In a Nutshell: Brilliant. Just read it. Now.

Dearly Departed,
We are gathered here today to discuss The Fear by Charlie Higson. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. How do you do it? Every time I read one of the books in this wonderful zombie series, I'm simply floored by how he writes. Mostly, it's in the characters - these books have a huge cast of characters, but at no point do any of these characters feel like they're just filler. Every single one of them has their own story to tell in the zombie apocalypse, and Higson has such a knack for writing characters that feel so real. The exchanges between characters and the glimpses we see of their thoughts makes you really want them to survive, though in a book like this you know that not all of them will make it to the last page.

The first book in the series, The Enemy (technically, though, this is the third in chronological order) really blew me away due to its no-holds-barred approach to killing off characters. Nobody was safe, and I think that's what makes for damn good horror. You really come to care for the characters and don't want to see anything bad happen to them. But when the bad does happen, it's still pretty spectacular. Some of the gory scenes in this book are just top notch - rather than just excess blood and guts, they're original gross-out stuff, particularly DogNut's flashbacks to what he finds in the bank cellar.

Reading this has made me want to go back and reread the rest of the series so I can see how all the stories intertwine. Higson really is a masterful storyteller, one of the best, and you never find yourself wanting to get back to other groups' stories, which is a common gripe of mine in multi-POV stories.

Truly top-notch zombie horror, and I'm very pleased to see there will be another book in the series out next year.

Author Interview - J.B. Thomas

I am going to go on record and name last month Aussie Horror Author Month, because two excellent YA horror/dark fantasy authors burst onto the scene with their début novels, and while two may not seem a staggering amount, it's a lot by Australian YA standards. One was Rhiannon Hart, who was interviewed here earlier this month, and the other was J.B. Thomas with Mammon, the brilliant first book in her Ferryman Chronicles. 

I was blown away by the demon mythology J.B. created in her book, and so I thought I'd stalk her and question her at length. Enjoy!

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Can you tell us a bit about your latest book?
Mammon is the first in a series of dark fantasy novels called The Ferryman Chronicles. I started writing it three years ago with two ideas in mind: that there would be a character that could open and control dimensional rifts, and that humans would become demons. The rest grew from there.

What would be written on your main character’s gravestone?
(She) hath awakened from the dream of life, by the poet, Shelley. I put ‘she’ in brackets because the original quote uses ‘he’. Yes, I think this is a suitable epitaph for Grace. Life for her, as a telepath, has a dreamlike quality (and is, at times, nightmarish).

Why do you write horror?
Because I think that elements of horror exist around us, for real. Now, there may not be demons out there (at least, not that we can see) but just take a look at the news and you will see the terror. I like to link my stories to the horror of the real world through symbolism, metaphor and allegory – so they’re still enjoyable stories but also have layers of meanings that we can discuss and think about.

Have you ever had your own spooky experience?
No, but I know some scary Irish ghost stories told to me by my husband’s family. One involves a haunted house, a cold, dark bedroom and the feeling that someone is rolling a pillow up your leg, your stomach and eventually reaching your throat…but you’re the only person in the room.

What is your favourite book of the past month? The past year? All time?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I say this because I have never found an author who could show such a brilliant understanding of how people think and act. My love affair with Russia began years ago when I was in my late teens. Tolstoy (not to mention Dostoevsky) has done much to keep that fire burning.

What does your writing space look like? 
As I see it now: I’m in a blue room with a giant iMac on the desk. It dominates! Honestly, the thing is huge. I didn’t realize this when I ordered it. There are lots of books in here (d’uh!) – and the kitchen (and, more importantly, the Nespresso machine) is within a few steps. George, my Great Dane is cuddled on his armchair that he has pretty much ruined under his mammoth weight. I can hear QI on the TV (yes, I’m one of those people who can write with the TV on in the background) and there’s macaroni cheese in the oven. Yum!

What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read?
James Herbert’s books are frightening. The Rats is good because no matter where you go, there’s always the scratching and gnawing at the floorboards below. It’s about the unrelenting realization that it’s only a matter of time before they get you.

What’s your biggest fear?
Kidnap and torture – when you cannot reason with the person who is torturing you…and it could go on for weeks, even years. Also, being eaten alive. It’s the fact that you know what’s happening to you and you can’t do anything about it. My high demon, however, sees these activities as afternoon entertainment.

What are you working on right now?
I am working on Book 2 of the Ferryman Chronicles.

You can find out more about J.B. Thomas' books at http://jbthomasmammon.com and read a sample chapter of Mammon here:

A book by Booki.sh

Review - Mammon

The Eulogy (From the Publisher): 
Forget anything you ever heard about possession, exorcisms, salt circles and pentagrams. The modern demon is far more difficult to catch - and even harder to destroy.
After the savage, tragic deaths of their parents, Grace and Joe Callahan learn that they they are descendants of the sarsareh - an ancient order of mercenaries who hunt very special prey. Grace and Joe take their place in the Order, but are treated with hostility and fear by other recruits.
For the Callahan siblings have powers that fascinate and terrify.
Joe is a Ferryman, capable of opening dimensional rifts, while Grace's telepathic abilities surpass anything the Order has ever seen.
To complicate matters, Grace falls for her older, more experienced squad leader, Ivan. Meanwhile, the sarsareh elders have their own plans for Joe.
But none of that will matter if the powerful demon Mammon manages to convince Joe to open a gateway to his demon world and overrun Earth with his armies.
If he succeeds: game over.

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A great start in a new Australian series with truly original demon mythology.

Dearly Departed,
We are gathered here today to discuss Mammon by J.B. Thomas. This is a fantastic dark fantasy debut from Australian author J.B. Thomas. I was fascinated by the mythology in Mammon – the fact that demons aren’t summoned, but merely come to be when a regular person is evil enough. The Renfield Academy, with its prison of psychopathic demons and its core staff of psychics and mercenaries is the perfect backdrop for this exciting demon tale. It’s also a real thrill to see a great core of villains, and the demon Mammon and his assistants are some exquisitely evil characters – in one memorable scene onboard a ship he throws a servant into the ocean for ruining his favourite shirt.

For horror fans, this first book in the new Ferryman Chronicles is a must – great world-building, high-stakes action, and some wonderfully wicked villains!

Terrifying Tuesdays

This week I've been reading Raven's Gate, the first book in the Power of Five series by Anthony Horowitz. This is one of those books I've picked up two times already and never got past the first couple of pages... I'm not quite sure why, since I'm now a good few chapters into it and I'm loving the slow building of suspicion against the devilish Mrs Deverill and the weird town of Lesser Malling, such as the bizarre chemist that Matt walks into:

He found a flask filled with yellow liquid and turned it round, the almost cried out as a severed eye floated to the surface, kissing the edge of the glass. The eye had been taken from a sheep or a cow. It was trailing tissue behind it. Matt felt sick.