Glenn is one of my friends and fellow authors at Samhain and, following hot on the ghostly heels of his last scary novella, Abram's Bridge, he has a new book out on April 7th called Boom Town. I've read it, loved it and you can read my review later, but for now, I asked Glenn to share some of his thoughts with us, so here is his take on novellas in general and the genesis of his latest work:
My latest piece with Samhain Publishing is called Boom Town.
Boom Town is a Horror/Sci-Fi story
based off the strange underground “booms” the town of Clintonville, WI
experienced back in 2012. The story is centered on a UFO sighting over the
fictional town of Eckert, WI. Thirty years after the strange craft blasts a
hill in town with a large blue beam that caused an earthquake felt for miles,
the nightly booms begin. Residents, waiting on an explanation, are on edge and
may soon discover that there is reason to fear. Two pre-teens are the first to
discover the blue ooze when they stumble upon a busted water pipe poking up
from the ground at the sight of the latest tremor. Horror ensues.
Boom Town is a
novella (my second for Samhain Horror). There’s something special about taking
a story that could be much bigger and keeping it packaged in such a short,
tight format. That’s not to say there’s not more to Boom Town…but that’s for
another day. I wanted this to be a novella, because novellas are fast becoming
one of my favorite things. Novels are still the best, but let me talk about
this a little more.
For me, the
novella has replaced the short story. I used to read short stories between
novels; sort of a breather before entering that next grand adventure. Now, with
a number of independent publishers releasing so many quality novellas, I’ve
found these bigger short stories.
The first two
companies that come to mind are Dark Fuse and Samhain. Authors like William
Meikle, JG Faherty, Hunter Shea, and more are taking the time to craft these
special little pieces. They’re packing fully developed characters into
intriguing situations and cutting out all of the filler material that some
novelists tend to get carried away with. Don’t get me wrong, there are still
novellas that miss the mark altogether, but the ones that get it offer a
spectacular mix of all the things we love about a novel without the “come on,
get back to the story” bit. There’s no space to waste and you can read them in
one sitting.
If you’ve been
reluctant to try one of these babies I would suggest getting over it and diving
in to one tonight. Let me make some
suggestions:
by
William Meikle
by
Hunter Shea
by
Jennifer Loring
by
Jonathan Janz.
I strongly advise
you to give the novella a try. Writers too…take the Pepsi Challenge! Can you
give us a bigger story without the fat?
I bet, if you put your mind (and red pen) to it, you might surprise
yourself.
I hope you’ll start your novella adventure with Boom Town, but if ghost stories are more your speed, maybe start with my first novella, Abram’s Bridge.
I hope you’ll start your novella adventure with Boom Town, but if ghost stories are more your speed, maybe start with my first novella, Abram’s Bridge.
Here's some more information about Boom Town:
Terror from below!
In the summer of 1979, Eckert, Wisconsin, was the sight of the most unique UFO encounter in history. A young couple observed a saucer-like aircraft hovering over Hollers Hill. A blue beam blasted down from the center of the craft into the hill and caused the ground to rumble for miles.
Now, thirty years later, Eckert is experiencing nightly rumbles that stir up wild rumors and garner outside attention. The earthly tremors are being blamed on everything from earthquakes to underground earth dwellers. Two pre-teens discover a pipe out behind Packard’s Flea Market uprooted by the “booms” and come into contact with the powerful ooze bubbling from within. What begins as curiosity will end in an afternoon of unbridled terror for the entire town.
Now, thirty years later, Eckert is experiencing nightly rumbles that stir up wild rumors and garner outside attention. The earthly tremors are being blamed on everything from earthquakes to underground earth dwellers. Two pre-teens discover a pipe out behind Packard’s Flea Market uprooted by the “booms” and come into contact with the powerful ooze bubbling from within. What begins as curiosity will end in an afternoon of unbridled terror for the entire town.
"...Stephen King-lite. (Boom Town) is quick, punchy and goes places you may not see coming before the final page is swiped or turned." - Horror After Dark
"Boom Town is quick and entertaining read that harkens back to the 1980's brand of small town (or intimate invasion) alien pieces. Like a reader’s digest version of Late Night Horror Television presentations (every region had one, for me it was "Fright Night Theatre") of "Invaders From Mars", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Night of the Creeps" or "Xtro"” – Zachary, Mouths of Madness Podcast
“Rolfe weaves a wonderful tale of big, bad things happening to a small, good town. A sure winner!” – Hunter Shea, author of Island of the Forbidden and The Montauk Monster
Now, here's my promised review:
"Alan Packard lives in a ramshackle house with his higgledy piggledy Flea Market on the ground floor. His is an unfulfilling life, more of a difficult day to day existence in a town which achieved notoriety among ufologists back in 1979. Now, the town is back in the news. There have been unexplained seismic rumblings, apparent mini earthquakes and a feeling that all is not right with the Wisconsin town. However meaningless Packard’s existence, it didn’t need the invasion of the awful blue slime that took over his house…and more.
Kim and Brady are two pre-pubescent kids. Best friends. Both from homes that have known tragedy and heartbreak. These two will grow up together. Probably date soon. That is until the day Brady discovers the broken pipe and the bubbling blue ooze…
I love horror and I love sci-fi. Put them together in a well-crafted blend and I am a happy reader. Boom Town proved to be just such a blend. I read the story in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened. It contained all the elements of mystery, suspense, scares, cliffhangers and a cast of characters who worked. I believed them. I rooted for them. I feared for them. This is a fast, satisfying read and I highly recommend it."
You can find Boom Town here:
About the author:
Glenn Rolfe is an author, singer, songwriter and all around fun loving guy from the haunted woods of New England. He has studied Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University, and continues his education in the world of horror by devouring the novels of Stephen King and Richard Laymon. He and his wife, Meghan, have three children, Ruby, Ramona, and Axl. He is grateful to be loved despite his weirdness.
He is the author of the ghost/mystery/thriller novella, ABRAM'S BRIDGE (Samhain Publishing, Jan. 2015) and his latest novella, a Horror/Sci-Fi mash-up, BOOM TOWN (Samhain Publishing). A full-length novel, BLOOD AND RAIN, will come out this Fall from Samhain Publishing and THINGS WE FEAR, a novella, is set to publish from Samhain in 2016.
His debut novel, THE HAUNTED HALLS (James Ward Kirk Publishing, 2014), is available now, as well as his short story collection, SLUSH (Alien Agenda Publishing, 2014).
Look for his punk rock band, The Never Nudes, on Amazon and Facebook.
Check out his website: www.glennrolfe.com