Chasing Ghosts is - for me at least - Glenn Rolfe's most explicit and full-on horror yet, with the darkest ingredients and his storyteller's ability to grab all the senses at once. I'm delighted to welcome him as my guest today. The sinister stage is all yours, Glenn...
Where did it come from?
At the beginning of the story, three
pre-teen boys set out to play a game they call, “Chasing Ghosts.” The idea is that they go out to the old
creepy house in the woods and pretty much dare each other to go in, or get as
close as you can without chickening out. Bad things tend to happen when kids
mess around with creepy old houses…
Just think back to when you were 8, 10, or
12… What kind of crazy games did you play? For me and my dumb friends, it was
“The Russians are Coming.” We’d wait
until dusk and hang out by the road. We had some ditches, some trees, and
bushes to hide behind. Whenever a car’s headlights burst on the scene, we’d
scramble and hide. If you didn’t get down before it went by, you were captured
(and presumed dead!). We played it all year-round (hiding behind snow piles in
the winter). I watched a lot of 20/20
with my mom, and had lots of irrational fears involving soviet spies and
kidnappers. This was more than a game to me, especially when it got pitch black
out and the vehicles that passed put their brake lights on. Those two demon eyes stopped my heart every
time. Of course, they were usually just turning into the trailer park, but my
mind went a mile a minute with real life horrors each time. I never ran into
any trouble playing this game until, at 14, I decided throwing apples at “The
Russians” would up the ante. It sure did. That stopped the moment someone got
out and chased my ass into my friend’s house where we locked the door and hid
like a bunch of babies until they went away.
Anyways, I brought a small piece of my
childhood and a whole bag of Richard Laymon-flavored tricks into Chasing Ghosts. I hope you’ll take a
chance on the story and share your thoughts!
Cheers!
Biography
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, Jack Ketchum, Hunter Shea, Brian Moreland and many
others. 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 the novellas, Abram's Bridge, Boom Town, Things We
Fear, and the forthcoming, Chasing Ghosts; the short
fiction collection, Slush; and the novels, The Haunted
Halls and Blood and
Rain.
His first
novella collection, Where Nightmares Begin, was
released in March 2016.
Praise for
Glenn Rolfe
“Things We Fear is a
compulsively readable tale of obsession and dark suspense, with one of the
creepiest villains I’ve encountered in recent years.” — Tim Waggoner, author of The Way of
All Flesh
“Glenn Rolfe’s new thriller is addictive.
A quick, compelling read. Rolfe creates tension with a minimal amount
of words. His characters are so well-drawn they come alive (before they die).”
— Duncan Ralston, author of Salvage
“Fast paced and
tense, with one of the most interesting monsters I’ve read about in recent times.”
— Patrick Lacey, author of A Debt to Be Paid
“Glenn Rolfe is quickly establishing a name for himself
as one of a number of excellent new writers to ensure the horror genre is kept
alive and well.” — Catherine Cavendish, author of Dark
Avenging Angel
“There is a definite old school feel about this novella (Things We Fear). It isn’t an over the
top gore fest. Instead, what we have is a tense, psychological thriller that
builds steadily towards a fitting climax.” -Adrian Shotbolt, at Ginger Nuts of
Horror
Purchase Links
Also available in paperback!