Creepy Kansas - with Stuart R. West

Stuart R. West is one of my favourite horror writers. He manages to blend the sinister and macabre with dark and often wry humour. He says he owes his inspiration to his home state of Kansas. Here he tells us why:

 Kansas is creepy. Shocker. All of my life I’ve lived there and for most of my life I’ve hated it. But I finally learned to use that hate in my writing and embrace the peculiar nature of Kansas, perfect fodder for a horror writer.

You see, Kansas isn’t just a “red state.” No, it’s a bloody red state of mind. Everyone carries guns. Recently, they made it legal for students to carry weapons on college campuses. It’s like we’ve reverted to the ol’ wild West. Kansas legislature recently tried to pass a law giving restaurant owners the right to refuse service to gay people on “religious” grounds (mercifully, it didn’t pass). Hey, where else in the world will you still find active chapters of the Ku Klux Klan? And the mob! Only in Kansas is it still active, old school style. Let’s not forget about the meth-head pockets, a thriving (non) life-style for many. And, of course, Satanism is big. Black masses, devil worship, goat sexing, death metal, you name it, we got it in spades in Kansas!

So…yep, perfect for a horror writer. In my first short story collection, Twisted Tales from Tornado Alley, I’m ripping the band-aid off of Kansas’ bleeding underbelly. Many of these horror stories were written in a (red) state of shock and anger after the relatively recent presidential election. America has become a nation divided and nowhere is it better encapsulated than in our lil’ state of Kansas, God bless the USA, lil’ ol’ Tornado Alley.

 But wait! Don’t go away because I brought up that naughty word, “politics!”

Tornado Alley, I’d like to think, is right next door to the late, great Ray Bradbury’s October Country. It’s a place where it always seems to be dusk. Where a hideous group of monsters live beneath the streets of Kansas City. Tornado Alley confronts racism on a personal level when a privileged white male wakes up in the body of a Midwestern man. 

Do you see all of those giant webs strung throughout the trees in suburban Kansas? You might be better off avoiding them, thar be monsters in those parts. Around the corner in Tornado Alley, there’s a secret night school catering to vampires, zombies and other marginalized supernatural creatures. Hey, don’t forget about the family forced into the country through downsizing, the only farmhouse available haunted by…something. Bigfoot’s storming through Tornado Alley, ripping off the arms of vile human polluters, enough to dry up Iron Eyes Cody’s tears. There are other horrors awaiting you, both all to Kansan real and unreal. Or are they? I mean, Kansas is creepy. Who’s to say what’s real and what’s not?

So, join me on a little trip through Tornado Alley as I carve up that oddly Kansan niche, where dark humor coexists with horror, where suspense and all-too-recognizably human characters collide, and where things just seem a little (okay, a lot) off. Keep the lights on, though. You don’t wanna know what exists in the dark of night.

 Stuart R. West is a lifelong resident of Kansas, which he considers both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse because...well, it's Kansas. But it's great because...well, it's Kansas. Lots of cool, strange and creepy things happen in the Midwest, and Stuart takes advantage of them in his work. Call it "Kansas Noir." Stuart writes thrillers tinged with horror and horror tinged with thrillers, both for adult and young adult audiences. He writes at the crossroads of horror and sneaky humor.  

 Twisted Tales from Tornado Alley is Stuart’s first short story collection and third book with Grinning Skull Press, and Stuart feels funny talking about himself this way. Stuart spent twenty-five years in the corporate sector and now writes full time. He's married to a professor of pharmacy (who greatly appreciates the fact he cooks dinner for her every night) and has a twenty-six-year-old daughter who's still deciding what to do with her life. But that's okay. It took him twenty-five years to figure that out.

Stuart's blog can be found at http://stuartrwest.blogspot.com/. 

Drop in on him at Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/stuartrwestwriter

Peculiar County - smack dab in the middle of October Country- with Stuart R. West

 

  Stuart R. West has the knack of keeping me entertained, not only with his creepy characters and storylines, but with the humour he injects into his stories. Here he talks about his latest - Peculiar County, where the creepiest things have a habit of happening....

 Peculiar County is not only the name of my new nostalgic ghost tale, it’s an October state of mind. It doesn’t matter where you live, Peculiar County can sort of creep up on you, kinda like a shadow that shouldn’t be moving of its own volition. You’ll know when you’ve been plunged deep into Peculiar County, the signs are many: falling leaves the color of fire; the crisp, brisk breath of air that teases ill omens; darkness so thick you’re tempted to take an axe to it to loosen an impossible ray of sunshine.

It’s a time and place where witches run the local library, a boy’s ghost stalks the cornfields next door, and strange, unseen creatures take flight at night. At least that’s the Peculiar County I’ve written about. But we all have our own personal Peculiar Counties to deal with, childhood fears to contend with and pesky monsters that still lurk under the bed.

 And that’s what I’ve tried to do with my book, Peculiar County. Evoke that curious blend of nostalgia and creepy allure even though we all know it’s bad for us. It’s the kind of book I would’ve alternately cherished and been terrified by as a boy, forbidden fruit. It’s what Halloween is all about. And I suppose, in a way, I’m once again writing about what scares me. Confronting my demons. (Because I don’t think I’ll EVER get over creepy old ladies coming back from the dead. Brrrr…)

The heroine of my tale is Dibby Caldwell, a teen tomboy, the mortician’s daughter in a small Kansas town in the ‘60’s. Dibby deals with common teen issues such as bullying, the cute new bad boy in town, a runaway mother, ghosts next door, a serial killer stalking the town… Wait. Okay, maybe all of Dibby’s issues aren’t so common after all. But then again, there’s nothing common about Peculiar County.

Nothing except for our childhood fears, the ones we still can’t shake.

So this Halloween, go outside, pull up a pumpkin, and read beneath a full moon. Settle in at Peculiar County. It’s gonna be a spine-tingling ride.

“Amazingly good. Brilliant. Pitch perfect characterizations and intriguing use of language remind me of the master writer, Stephen King. Dibby is a heroine of the first order taking charge in a very Peculiar County in Kansas. Totally recommended for light horror fans.” – The Cellophane Queen 5-starred review. 

Where to buy Peculiar County. 

About the Author

Stuart R. West is a lifelong resident of Kansas, which he considers both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse because...well, it's Kansas. But it's great because…well, it’s Kansas. Lots of cool, strange and creepy things happen in the Midwest, and Stuart takes advantage of them in his work. Call it “Kansas Noir.” Stuart writes thrillers and mysteries usually tinged with humor, both for adult and young adult audiences. 

Stuart spent 25 years in the corporate sector and now writes full time. He’s married to a professor of pharmacy (who greatly appreciates the fact he cooks dinner for her every night) and has a 25 year old daughter who’s dabbling in the nefarious world of banking. (Stuart also finds it uncomfortable writing about himself in the third person, but whatever).

*Stuart R. West’s brand-spanking new website!
*Amazon author page.
*BWL Publishing author page.
*Stuart R. West's (totally inconsequential) blog: Twisted Tales from Tornado Alley
*And the rest (like on Gilligan's Island): Facebook, Twitter

On Writing Horror with Humour and Other Interesting Tales - Stuart R. West

 

Today, it is my pleasure and privilege to be joined by Stuart R. West. Now Stuart is a very different kind of horror author - in fact sometimes he doesn't do horror at all! Frequently, when he does, there is a lavish helping of humour on the side, so I thought it was about time I asked him how he achieves this, and about his cross-genre experiences.

CC: I found your latest novella – Demon with a Comb-Over – a brilliant read.

Blending horror with humour is a really difficult act to pull off, yet you do it so effectively in this story. Come on, spill, what’s your secret?

SRW: Hey, Catherine, thanks for having me here! No secrets here (as anyone who reads my blog can attest to). Demon with a Comb-Over didn’t start as a humorous book to be honest. Originally, I’d planned it to be straight-up horror. But once I got into it, the subject matter, setting, characters, everything sorta screamed out for a humorous bent. It was a happy accident. Now is the book funny? Humor’s very subjective. Reader’s calls. 

 CC: Well, I certainly enjoyed the humour, and I loved your central character – Charlie Broadmoor. I kept wanting to tell him to stop taunting that member of the audience. You knew it was going to end badly, but he just kept on teasing him. So engaging and authentic. Kobal was a masterful demon too. I believe there is to be a sequel. Can you tell us what we can expect from Kobal in the future?

SRW: Thanks Cat. Well, regarding Charlie, I’m a sucker for everyman sad sack characters (being one myself). If you can’t root for the lead character in a book, it doesn’t work for me. Of course, the villain has to be as strong as the lead, too. Now there’s not a sequel to Comb-Over. But I have written a prequel: The Book of Kobal. As suggested, it’s my demon Kobal’s tale up until the events in Demon with a Comb-Over. I had a lot of fun writing it, although it’s much darker than Comb-Over. And outrageously irreverent (might get me in trouble with some Bible thumpers). Kobal manipulates Satan into battling angels, spanks Hitler and gets into a hissy slap fight with Jesus. Oh, and he totally destroys a disco during the ‘70’s. Violent, gruesome, sickly funny stuff.

Alas, with the closing of Samhain Publishing, the book is currently without a publisher. (One beta reader told me that no one should read it!)

CC: I think it sounds like great fun. Come on publishers, sign Stuart up so I can read it! 

Moving onto your other work, you have also written a comedy whodunit – Bad Day In A Banana Hammock. How did that one come about?

SRW: Simple! It was my way of selling out! What better way to sell books than have a vapid male stripper as the lead and his very pregnant, very cranky sister as the brains? Most fun I’ve had writing a book, actually. I plan on a sequel later this year.

 In fact, genre-wise, you’re hard to pin down – The Ghosts of Gannaway is a story about a seriously haunted mine. Then there’s your dark horror thriller Godland and much more besides. Tell us a bit more about your other books and why you choose to write in so many diverse genres.

SRW: Catherine, I’m probably not doing myself any favors by writing all over the board. Readers never know what to expect. The way I like it, though. I can’t imagine writing the same type of book over and over. As long as I’m interested, I’ll keep experimenting. I have a children’s picture book coming out later this year and there’s a straight up romantic comedy in my future. But horror’s always my first love, something I keep getting drawn back to.

Ghosts of Gannaway was the toughest book I’ve written. I spent two or three months in research alone! (Not doing historical horror ever again). Godland is my dark psychological horror tale, a puzzle piece that I’m proud of. Then there’s my YA paranormal, mystery, comedy, romance quartet, Tex, the Witch Boy which deals with current topical issues. Oh! And my morbidly amusing serial killer thriller series, Killers Incorporated.

The only links between the books? Every one is a bit autobiographical (except, um, I’m not a witch nor a serial killer) and they all take place (at least partially) in Godforsaken Kansas.

CC: Speaking of Kansas, you say that your home state provides a lot of inspiration. What is it about the Midwest that inspires your writing?

SRW: Inspiration’s giving Kansas a lotta credit, Catherine! Well, I’m stuck here for better or worse. But as I like writing dark, Kansas is full of creepy things and people. It gave birth to the heinous Westboro Baptist Church for crying out loud! There’s still an active KKK branch, mafia, black magic worshippers. Lots of gist for my books.

 CC: Right. That certainly sounds scary! Now, what is the hardest lesson you have learned in relation to your writing?

SRW: Ah...don’t give up your day job? Momma, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys? Don’t poke a sleeping bear?

What are you working on now?

SRW: Dread and Breakfast is another Samhain contracted book that’s currently in need of a new home. Think Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, only it’s modern day and takes place at a bed and breakfast during a terrible Midwestern blizzard.

Wait...where’s that blurb when I need it? Hey, here it is!

During one of the worst winter storms in recent history, a handful of people converge at the Dandy Drop Inn, a Midwest bed and breakfast. A courageous woman and her young daughter fleeing for their safety; an immoral accountant with one last plan to make his mark; a happily married hit-man with a code of honor; a psychotically enraged police detective; a germophobic mobster and his nephew; and a young newlywed couple with a very strange honeymoon in mind. Some come out of desperation, some by design, some because the storm gives them no other choice. All of them have secrets. But none of them are as dark as the secret deep within the Dandy Drop Inn.

 I’m also wrapping up the third and final book in my Killers Incorporated saga. Yay!

CC: I love the title and the story sounds great. Thank you so much for being my guest today, Stuart. I'm sure your creative, original and highly entertaining work will soon find a new home

SRW: Thanks for having me on, Cat. It was a gas and a half!

Stuart’s Amazon page: Horror and humor just waiting to be clicked!

Stuart’s blog: Rants, ravings and other fun crap from the Midwest