3 Picks with Todd Keisling

 

It's time for 3 Picks! This week features Stoker Award Nominee, Todd Keisling. Todd's novel, Devil's Creek, is nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards. Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors and The Smile Factory are also among the notable catalog of work Todd Keisling has written. 

Devil's Creek has consistently been well reviewed since it's release. Being nominated for the Stoker Award is an outstanding achievement that speaks to exemplary work Keisling has written. To win the highest honor for a horror novel would be the icing on the cake. But, being on the final ballot for the Stoker Award is an insane achievement in and of itself. Any piece of horror that makes it the the final list has already won something special. Let's not forget those special works that fell just short of winning an award but succeeding in being recognized as superior work and the cream of the crop.

So it is with that in mind, that Todd Keisling gives his 3 Picks for horror books that made it to the final list but fell short of winning the Stoker. Just because they didn't win doesn't mean they aren't winners.


Pick 1: CROSSROADS by Laurel Hightower – Preliminary Ballot for Long Fiction (2020)

I’m going to cheat with this one. It didn’t make it to the final ballot (and official nominee status), but goddammit, it should have. What Hightower accomplishes in this novella is something most of us struggle to do in a full-length novel. The story of a mother grieving the loss of her son is already emotionally charged, but Hightower ups the ante with every page, telling a tale of how far a parent is willing to go to see their child again. The emotional fallout is devastating. The best stories often are.


Pick 2: KILL CREEK by Scott Thomas – Nominated for First Novel (2017)

One of the better “haunted house” tales I’ve read. It’s a new take on an old trope: a small group of horror writers gather on Halloween at the Finch House, a place with a bloody past, for a publicity stunt. Strange shit ensues, and quickly escalates to violence. I went into the book expecting another rehash of Amityville or Hill House, but this one surprised me, and I had a blast reading it. This would’ve been my pick for Best First Novel that year.


Pick 3: OCCULTATION by Laird Barron – Nominated for Fiction Collection (2010)

One of the de facto collections of modern cosmic horror (although to be fair, all of Laird’s collections deserve that moniker). Nine stories, including the fantastic novella, “Mysterium Tremendum.” I’ve said this for years and will continue to do so: I want to write like Laird Barron when I grow up. If you want an education about the state of cosmic horror, start here. Definitely would’ve been my pick for Best Collection.

There you have it. 3 Picks for horror books that could have, maybe even should have, won the Bram Stoker Award. But, not everyone can win and not winning doesn't make these gems and so many others winners in their own right. If you haven't read any of these titles you, be sure to check them out knowing you will be reading stand out works of horror fiction.

And, whether Devil's Creek wins or doesn't at this year's Bram Stoker Awards ceremonies, know for certain that Todd Keisling has already won. Best of luck to Todd and all the rest of the nominees for this year's Bram Stoker Awards!

You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about Todd Keisling at https://www.toddkeisling.com/

What are your 3 Picks for horror books that fell short of winning the Bram Stoker Award? Let us know in the comments below.

Death IS Getting A Book

Hey Folks!

Yeah, I'm still here. Things have been quiet for awhile. However, there is some news on the writing front to share so let's get you all up to speed.

First, BRATS IN HELL is still in a holding pattern waiting to be reviewed by a potential publisher. There is not much more I can say about it other than that.

In the time since I completed the BRATS IN HELL, I've had two short stories released in the State of Horror Anthology series published by Charon Coin Press. State of Horror: New Jersey features my story Pork Roll, Egg and Sleaze. It has the honor of being the first story in the anthology and has been getting exellent feedback.  In the State of Horror: Illinois book I have a story entitled  In Chicago, The Dish is So Deep, No One Can Hear You Scream. The title maybe longer than the story but I still had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you will check out both.

While we are on the subject of the State of Horror anthology series, I am also able to announce that I have been officially accepted into one of the books for the next round of releases. State of Horror: North Carolina will contain my tale of fowl poop entitled Chicken Bingo. You may ask how this story (loosely based on a true personal experience) about chicken crap can possibly be horrific? You will have to wait for the new release from Charon Coin Press to find out. Be on the lookout early 2015.

Finally some new business that I am happy to announce. Over the summer I embarked on a new career (the one that pays the bills). My new job absorbed a lot of my time between new hours and intensive training. Needless to say, my writing suffered somewhat. I was able to keep writing but my output slowed severely.

Fortunately, I am through the most difficult part of my training. Also, the work is very seasonal and going into the fall and winter months, I will find myself with more and more time to dedicate back to writing.

With that in mind, I wanted to focus on a new novel length work. My decision was to dedicate an entire book to the subject of my first published work and the most praised character I've wrote to date. In short:

EVERYONE LOVES DEATH

Death, from Death Gets A Life is getting his own book. The tentative title: DEATH GETS A BOOK.

On October 1st, I started writing for the book. The model is the same as BRATS IN HELL, 50,000 words in 50 days. The story will not be one linear story but more a collection of various length short stories around the character Death. There is a bit more to it than that but that is the nuts and bolts of the idea.

So if you were a fan of Death Gets A Life, stay tuned here to get updates on Death and his new book.
As always you can look over to the right hand side and check on the progress of DEATH GETS A BOOK by monitoring the word meter.

Thank you for your continued interest in what I'm doing. I really hope that 2015 can bring not one but two books for you and thus the start of something great. Until there are plenty of short stories to check out in SCARED SILLY, The State of Horror Anthologies, Strange Fucking Stories, Strange Versus Lovecraft and of course, Armand Rosamilia's STILL DYING 2.