Sunday, October 27, 2024

Books (Not Just) for Horror Writers

 


In my how-to-write-horror book Writing in the Dark, I included a list of reference books for horror writers. That was in 2020. I’ve since created an updated list, and here it is! Most of the books are about the horror genre, writing in the horror genre, or written by horror writers, but a few are books that I think can help any writer. If you have any books you’d like to add, put them in the comments!

101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered. Sadie Hartmann

About Writing: The Authorized Field Guide for Aspiring Writers. Gareth L. Powell

Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters, Michael Tierno

Body Trauma: A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries, David W. Page

Capturing Ghosts on the Page: Writing Horror & Dark Fiction, Kaaron Warren

Coffinmaker’s Blues: Collected Writings on Terror. Stephen Volk

Creativity for Life: Practical Advice on the Artist's Personality, and Career from America's Foremost Creativity Coach, Eric Maisel

Creep This Way: How to Become a Horror Writer with 24 Tips to Get You Ghouling. Rebecca Cuthbert

Danse Macabre, Stephen King

Dark Dreamers: Conversations with the Masters of Horror, Stanley Wiater

Dark Thoughts on Writing, Stanley Wiater

Dark Visions: Conversations with the Masters of Horror Film, Stanley Wiater and Tanya Wiater

The Dead Stage: The Journey from Page to Stage, Dan Weatherer

End of the Road, Brian Keene

Exquisite Horror: Essential Guide to the Best 150 Books. Alessandro Manzetti

For Exposure: The Life and Times of a Small-Press Publisher, Jason Sizemore

Forensics and Fiction: Clever, Intriguing, and Downright Odd Questions from Crime Writers, D.P. Lyle

Gentle Writing Advice: How to be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself. Chuck Wendig.

Horror 101: The Way Forward, Joe Mynhardt (ed.)

Horror 201: The Silver Scream, Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley (eds.)

The Horror … The Horror: An Autobiography, Rick Hautala

The Horror Writer: A Study of Craft and Identity in the Horror Genre. Joe Mynhardt (ed.)

How to Be an Authortunist. Angela Yuriko Smith

How to Write Horror Fiction, William F. Nolan

How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction, J.N. Williamson

Instigation: Creative Prompts on the Dark Side, Michael A. Arnzen

Is Writing. Matt Shaw.

It’s Alive: Bringing Your Nightmares to Life. Joe Mynhardt and Eugene Johnson (eds.)

Jeani Rector’s Advice on Writing. Jeani Rector

The Kick-Ass Writer, Chuck Wendig

Let Me Tell You a Story. Tim Waggoner

Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller (eds.)

Mark My Words: Read the Submission Guidelines and other Self-editing Tips, Lee Murray and Angelia Yuriko Smith

Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers. Michael McCarty

More Modern Mythmakers: 25 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers. Michael McCarty

Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, D.P. Lyle

My Life with the Living Dead: Autobiography. John Russo

My Quirky Little Memoir: Confessions of a Small-Press Writer. John R. Little

Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror: Speculative Genre Exercises from Today’s Best Teachers, Laurie Lamsen (ed.)

Other Words. Brian Keene

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King

On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association, Mort Castle (ed.)

Out in the Dark: Interviews with Gay Horror Filmmakers, Actors, and Authors, Sean Abley

Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction. Patricia Highsmith.

Ramsey Campbell: Master of the Weird Fiction. S.T. Joshi

Ramsey Campbell, Probably. Ramsey Campbell

The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition, Becky Siegel Spratford

A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them. Rick Hipson.

The Science Fictionary: A Dictionary of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Robert W. Bly

The Scary Movie Writer’s Guide. Seth M. Sherwood

The Scream Writers Handbook: How to Write a Terrifying Screenplay in 10 Bloody Steps, Thomas Fenton.

Screaming for Pleasure: How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy. S.A. Bradley

Shadows & Ink: Mastering the Art of Horror Writing and Publishing. Vols. 1 and 2. Joe Mynhardt

The Shadows & Ink Companion. Joe Mynhardt

Shooting Yourself in the Head for Fun and Profit: A Writer’s Survival Guide, Lucy A. Snyder

Something Strange About My Brain. R.L. Stine

Southern Fried and Horrified, Ron Kelly

Starve Better: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life, Nick Mamatas

Stupid Writing Tricks: Tips, Hints, Riffs & Raffs. Daniel Knauf

Supernatural Horror in Literature, H.P. Lovecraft

Techniques of the Selling Writer, Dwight V. Swain

Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction, Benjamin Percy

To Each Their Darkness, Gary A. Braunbeck

Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Storytelling in the Horror Genre. Joe Mynhardt and Eugene Johnson (eds.)

Weird Fiction: A Genre Study. Michael Cisco

Wonderbook, Jeff Vandermeer

Write the Fight Right, Alan Baxter

A Writer’s Tale, Richard Laymon

Writers Workshop of Horror, Michael Knost (ed.)

Writers Workshop of Horror 2, Michael Knost (ed.)

Writing for Emotional Impact, Karl Iglesias

Writing in the Dark. Tim Waggoner

Writing in the Dark: The Workbook. Tim Waggoner

The Writing Life, Jeff Strand.

Writing Monsters, Philip Athans

Writing the Paranormal Novel, Steven Harper

Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words. Joanna Penn

Writing Horror Fiction, Guy N. Smith

Writing the Uncanny: Essays on Crafting Strange Fiction. Dan Coxon and Richard V. Hirst (eds.)

You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton: Monster Motivations to Get You to Move Your Butt and Do the Thing. Chuck Wendig and Natalie Metzger

Yours to Tell: Dialogues on the Art & Practice of Writing, Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem


Monday, October 21, 2024

Art Appreciation

 


Last weekend, I attended the 50th World Fantasy Convention in Niagara Falls. I had great time seeing old friends and making new ones, hanging out with my agent, and meeting with editors. I moderated a panel on AI in Fantasy and Horror, and I was scheduled to do a reading, but when I got to the appropriate room, I found my reading had been rescheduled to later in the day – unfortunately, it was the same time I was due to moderate the AI panel. So, no reading for me. I also presented my workshop Build a Better Monster. I was told I’d have maybe ten to twelve people, but I ended up with a packed house of thirty or more. I virtually presented the same workshop for Readercon 31, which is available on YouTube if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWS0llBGrhk&t=48s

 

In the workshop, I discuss what makes effective monsters and how to avoid clichés to create monsters that are fresh and effective, while at the same time tapping into the underlying archetypes that give them their power. My novelization of Terrifier 2 was recently published by Titan Books, and I’ve written the novelization for Terrifier 3 as well, although I have no idea when it will be out. I’ve spent a lot of time with Art the Clown (metaphorically speaking, of course, otherwise, I’d be extremely dead right now) over the last year or so, and I’ve thought a great deal about why Art and the Terrifier films are so insanely popular, and one of the major reasons is that Art’s a perfect example of how to build a better monster. So this time, I thought I’d talk about why Art is so popular with viewers, why he’s such an impactful monster, and how you can use the lessons Art has to teach to create your own kick-ass monsters. But let me say a few words first. . .

 

Whenever Horror creators develop a new monster, some of the choices we make are conscious, but a lot are unconscious, too. I make no claim that all the aspects of Art I’ll talk about were consciously chosen by series writer/director Damien Leone, or by David Howard Thornton, the actor that portrays Art. I’m going to talk about what I see in the character. And while I may have written two novelizations of Terrifier films (with hopefully more to come), I have no special insider knowledge of the character.

 

A word of warning, too. If you haven’t seen the movies, there may be some mild spoilers in this discussion. Proceed at your own risk.

 

Okay, let’s get to it!

 

In the Build a Better Monster workshop, I talk about the core underlying qualities that monsters are based on. Here’s the list I use, but I’m sure you can think of more qualities to add to it. I’ll put an asterisk next to the qualities I think apply to Art.

 

·       Predator*

·       Agent of Death (Deathbringer)*

·       Transformer (of others, of self)

·       Duality of Self/Existence*

·       Tormentor*

·       Tempter/Corrupter

·       Controller

·       Disease-Spreader

·       Agent of Decay/Entropy

·       Embodiment of Pure Evil*

·       Embodiment of Wildness/Cruelty/Indifference of Nature/the Universe*

·       Agent of Chaos*

·       Violator of Reality*

·       Agent of Afterlife

·       The Lifeless Comes to Life

·       Conqueror

·       Opposing Force*

·       Physical Threat*

·       Emotional/Psychological

·       Spiritual Threat

·       Elemental Force

·       Threat of Others: Community, Family, Lovers, Parents, Children

The most effective monsters tend to embody more than one quality on the list. For example, Romero zombies are a combination of the following qualities: Predator, Agent of Death, Agent of Decay/Entropy, Disease-Spreader, Transformer of Others, Threat of Others, Violator of Reality, Agent of Afterlife, Embodiment of Indifference of Universe. Art embodies nine of the qualities on the list, to one degree or another.

 

Let’s get into some specifics.

 

Art Embodies the Nightmare/Evil Clown Tropes – but with a Difference.

 

The scary clown trope has been around probably since the first clown thought, You know what’s missing? A bunch of paint on my face. The Nightmare/Evil Clown isn’t just scary, though. It’s a monstrous lunatic killer. The Joker is the epitome of the Evil Clown, and Pennywise is the epitome of the Nightmare Clown. But Art is both the Evil and the Nightmare Clown combined. He’s also a mime, so he doesn’t speak, just as Michael and Jason don’t. The tortures Art inflicts on his victims are, for the most part, realistic, and when he kills, he often projects the sick satisfaction of a human killer. That’s Evil Clown. But when Art’s torture continues and moves from realistic violence (he shoots or stabs a victim) to grotesquely surreal violence (shoving mashed potatoes into the gaping void of a dead woman’s face while the corpse is seated at a dining table) he’s Nightmare Clown. His ability to shift back and forth between these two aspects keep viewers off balance, and since Fear of the Unknown is the basis for all Horror, this shifting makes Art unknowable, increasing the audience’s dread. Classic Vampires are safe Horror tropes. We know exactly what they will do at all times in a story. Nothing about Art is safe, which is a vital quality for a truly effective Horror character.

 

Art makes his victims suffer – often for a long time – before they finally die, and he enjoys the hell out of it. He enjoys the smallest cruelty he inflicts as much as the most horrendous torture. He likes to hurt people, both physically and psychologically (by taunting them, showing them the mutilated remains of friends and family, etc.). And because he can act silly in the course of torturing and killing someone, because he interacts with them, victims hope they can somehow reason with him and get him to stop hurting them. Who bothers to plead with Jason, Michael, Pennywise, or Freddy? There’s nothing about them that’s remotely human. But Art sometimes acts human, and because of this, his victims aren’t sure how to relate to him, aren’t sure what to expect. They hope what’s happening will somehow be revealed as a big joke. But of course, the joke’s on them. Jason and Michael are killers, but they aren’t Evil. Art’s sadism and how he revels in it make him the absolute embodiment of Evil with a capital E.

 

Art Embodies the Fear of an Excruciatingly Painful Death.

 

Jason and Michael are reworkings of the Grim Reaper image – silent, with hard white features that don’t move (like a skull), dressed in monochromatic clothing (like a black robe), and they harvest lives with metal instruments, Michael with a butcher knife, Jason with a machete (both substitutes for a scythe). They embody the fear of an approaching death that creeps up on you and then takes you when you least suspect it. But Michael and Jason are extremely merciful killers. They swiftly dispatch their victims who die almost as quickly and easily as if they have an off switch that gets flipped. Their suffering, if they suffer at all, is minimal. This makes both Jason and Michael safe killers for an audience. Their victims basically vanish into nothing like videogame NPCs that deres when they’re killed. And Jason and Michael don’t have emotional responses to killing. They kill like mindless, emotionless machines. They’re basically the Terminator, but wielding blades instead of guns.

 

Art isn’t the Grim Reaper. Art is Cancer. He gets inside you (quite literally, by cutting and gutting you) and kills you from within, slowly, painfully, and you are awake and aware and feel every goddamned horrible second of your body dying one small piece at a time. And the audience is forced to endure that awfulness alongside the victim, heightening the empathy they feel toward the victim. Who feels bad for Jason, Michael, and Freddy’s victims? They exist simply to be blown out like a candle flame, and whatever discomfort we might feel over their deaths passes in an instant, just like they do. But in the Terrifier films, the audience isn’t given that mercy. Rob Zombie does the same thing in his films. He does not look away from pain. He does not make death clean and easy, because in real life death is never like that. That makes Zombie’s and Leone’s films honest. Their kills are ugly and brutal because killing is always ugly and brutal. When killing is portrayed as easy and without any real impact or consequence, it’s dishonest. Worse, it’s importance is minimized.

 

Art Isn’t Merely a Killer. He’s a Tormentor/Torturer.

 

He has this in common with Freddy. Freddy is basically a repackaged Satan – a demonic figure associated with fire who torments people in a hellish realm while wielding a pitchfork (his knife-glove). Freddy torments the kids of Elm Street to punish their parents for the sin of killing him. Art torments and tortures because it’s fun and exciting for him. It amuses him to see his victims reduced to what he views as a ridiculous state. There is no rhyme or reason to how he chooses his victims (again, he’s like cancer this way). Even Freddy dispatches his victims quickly when he decides to kill them, and his torments never go on very long. He’s way more merciful than Art in that sense. And once Freddy became a jokester, he lost his edge as a monstrous force. Art can be both a jokester and a terrible force of annihilation at the same time, without ever losing his effectiveness as a monster.

 

Art is Unpredictable.

 

The audience knows that Art is most likely going to kill someone he encounters (although not always), but we don’t know when or how that’ll happen, how long it will take, and how bad it’ll be. Art’s like a cat that way. He plays with his food before eating it. Art is an Agent of Chaos in the deepest sense. Jason, Michael, and Freddy all have rules. Jason kills whoever’s foolish enough to come to Camp Crystal Lake. Michael kills people only on Halloween, and (in most versions of his story) he wants to kill his sister (or niece or nephew) most of all. Freddy wants to torment and kill the children of his murderers. Rules make Horror characters safer for audience members. Art has no rules. He’s bloody fucking anarchy from start to finish. He’s an (un)natural disaster.

 

There’s a Deep Ongoing Mystery to Art.

 

Michael is an enigma in terms of his motivations and internal world (if he even has one). Jason’s only mystery is how the hell he came back to life after drowning as a child. Freddy’s mystery is how a murdering child molester became a dream god after he died. Only Michael’s mystery is an actual part of the movies. Jason’s and Freddy’s are just plot holes. Art’s mysteries are part and parcel of the films. What the fuck is he exactly? Human, demon, some combination? What’s his connection to Sienna’s dad? What’s his connection to the demonic entity embodied as the Little Pale Girl in T2 and Victoria Heyes in T3? What the ever-loving-hell is the Clown Café? How does Art get there? Can he travel through dimensions? It’s clear he has some purpose related to the Big Bad Demon, but what is it? Is he just a servant? Is he a full-fledged partner? Do the demon and Art have any purpose beyond mutilating and killing as many people as they can? What’s Art’s connection to Sienna? Can she really defeat him and the demon?

 

Leone is creating a mythology for Art and Sienna piece by piece, and the audience is witness to the ongoing evolution of this mythology. No other Horror icon I can think of has this rich of a background. Pennywise is just a fucking giant space spider. And Michael, Jason, and Freddy are so small in comparison to Art.

 

There’s a David and Goliath Aspect to the Ongoing Story.

 

Sienna vs. Art is the age-old struggle of Good vs Evil, but with a David and Goliath element tossed in. Sienna is portrayed as a real, everyday-type person, not an idealized figure (her brother Jonathan is portrayed this way too), so we can empathize with her and root for her more deeply than we might for Ellen Ripley, Laurie Strode, or Sarah Conner. In the third film, Sienna and her brother are still dealing with the trauma of their encounter with Art in the second film, and even with the Divine help that Sienna receives, there’s no guarantee she can stop Art or the Big Bad Demon. She sure as shit hasn’t been able to stop them from killing all her family and friends.

 

Art is An Active, Present Monster, and He Interacts with People.

 

Art does not lurk, stalk, or hide. He does not spring out from behind a tree in the woods, kill someone, then disappear. Art shows up, interacts with people – often in small, silly ways – and he communicates with them (silently) and responds to their words and actions. He interacts. Jason and Michael don’t interact with the outer world or anything in it, including people. Freddy torments his victims verbally as well as physically, but he talks at them. There’s no real back and forth between him and his victims. Art is an intimate monster this way, and his seeming connection to others makes the tortures he inflicts on them so much worse. Michael and Jason don’t know their victims are people. They’re just moving meat they want to turn into unmoving meat. Freddy’s victims are just names to be cross off a list as he pursues revenge. But Art knows his victims are people, and he delights in destroying them. And Art is present in the world. In T2 he goes into a laundromat to wash his blood-soaked outfit. He’s right there, out in the open, naked, for anyone to see. He walks down streets, he drives vehicles, he wanders into stores and bars. . . He can be anywhere at any time, and he’ll be right there, out in the open, and although you can see him, although you know he’s coming, there’s still not a goddamned thing you can do to protect yourself or escape him.

 

Art isn’t Just Duality of Self. He is Legion.

 

Sometimes Art is a primal evil force. Sometimes he’s a clown performing silly bits for the people around him. Sometimes he’s a mischievous, naïve little boy (and the innocence he projects at these times is an effective counterpoint to his sadism). Sometimes he’s a cold, methodical sadist. He’s a killer, a tormentor, a torturer, a butcher. He’s a physical being (who sometimes has to wash his outfit) who can be injured like anyone else (although he’s more resilient than regular humans), but he’s also a supernatural thing that can return from the dead. He can shift between these aspects of himself with fluid swiftness, and we never know which Art we’re going to get, so we’re always off balance, always holding our breath because we know that eventually, he’s going to become the monster he is deep down. This makes him the absolute embodiment of Chaos. We have David Howard Thorton’s genius as a performer to thank for this complex portrayal of what might seem at first to be a simple Horror antagonist. Art is anything but simple.

 

My absolute favorite moments in the Terrifier films are when Art drops all the pretense, stops putting on a performance, and his eyes go cold and dead and his features go slack. Only in those moments do we get to see what Art really is, and that’s when he’s the most terrifying.

 

Summing Up

 

The Terrifier films are a delight for gorehounds. They’re like a walk through a haunted house attraction (like the Terrifier itself) to see how much you can endure, and then you can laugh about the experience with friends once you’re safely outside. And there’s nothing wrong with appreciating the movies on that level alone. But Art the Clown is a fantastic case study in how to take an old worn-out trope, breathe new life into it by combining different Horror archetypes, and end up with one of the greatest movie monsters of all time. If you’re a Horror writer, see if you can do the same in your own work. And if you’re a Horror fan, I hope you come away from this essay with a deeper awareness of and appreciation for our boy Art.

 

It's Art’s world, and we’re just (until he catches up with us) living in it.

 

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

 

Terrifier 2 Novelization Released



My novelization of Terrifier 2 came out Oct. 8th, just a few days before the release of Terrifier 3 movie (almost as if Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting planned it that way). It’s 100,000 words long, and half of that is material I added to the story. So far, reader reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, which warms my cold, dead heart.

 

Synopsis:

 

The nightmarish Art the Clown returns from the dead to continue his murderous and mad spree, in this gruesome novelization of the hit horror film.

 

It has been one year since the sleepy town of Miles County survived the murderous spree of demented killer Art the Clown, but little do they know the nightmare is about to begin anew.

 

Resurrected by a sinister entity, Art is back with an appetite for murder and mayhem—setting his sights on the recently bereaved teenager Sienna and her younger brother Jonathan. The streets are about to run with blood, and Sienna must somehow survive this gruesome Halloween night and discover how to defeat a brutal and unforgiving killing machine from beyond her nightmares.

 

There's no stopping Art once his sights are set on you…

 

Order link:

 

https://titanbooks.com/72530-terrifier-2/

 

(Titan has links to various sites where you can buy the book.)

 

Fangoria Review of the Terrifier 2 Novelization

 

I was thrilled that Fangoria decided to review the Terrifier 2 novel. I believe it’s the first time I’ve ever had any fiction of mine reviewed by Fango, so this was a definite bucket-list item for me. It’s a positive review, but be warned: it’s a bit spoilery.

 

https://www.fangoria.com/terrifier-2-novel/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF0tcZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXKc2RMH5S230T8Bzal671eJjKt_4Q4iGuhiFEeY_C7vAH_QaS8bUkHvrg_aem_BVQx12C22NFjAqoXc6hVTg

 

Excerpt from the Terrifier 2 Novelization in Variety

 

I was really surprised to discover that Variety published an excerpt from the book. Writers are always the last to know about things like this. If we didn’t do daily Google searches on ourselves, we might never find out. If you haven’t seen the movie, be warned: the scene Variety chose to publish was the absolute most brutal one in the film. If you’ve seen the movie, I’m sure you know which scene I’m talking about.

 

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/terrifier-2-novelization-art-the-clown-salt-torture-1236147795/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF0tqhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZJ3HKnbpnB2W6cOggqhxY7xB6dUm4ECJdAJ3Sb4tIs8ZAyHe5Ifkmd4vg_aem_gE73jwbKmNhZB9uffubrKg

 

X Novelization Released



I was thrilled to be asked to write novelizations for Ti West’s X Trilogy, and the X novel came out Sept. 1st. Unlike the Terrifier books, the X Trilogy novels are slim, around 44,000 words apiece. Ti West didn’t want me to add any material of my own to his story, and movie scripts are too short to make full novels. Ti’s feelings about someone else expanding his stories are perfectly understandable, and work-for-hire is a different beast than writing your own original work. The IP holder is the boss, and you have to do what the IP holder says. Plus, A24 went with a retro 1960s/1970s pulp paperback vibe for the trilogy’s cover designs (which were created by artist Matt Ryan Tobin), and those books were always short, fast reads. So shorter books fit the aesthetic A24 was going for. Reaction to the X novel so far has been extremely positive, and I’m glad people are enjoying the book.

 

Synopsis

 

When screams of X-tasy turn into cries for help!

 

In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas. But when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives…

 

Written by four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning writer Tim Waggoner, this thrilling novelization is printed in throwback pocket-sized paperback format, bringing beloved scream queens Pearl and Maxine to a new medium. Relive the tragedy that befell Lorraine, Bobby-Lynne, Jackson, Wayne, RJ, and Howard with grisly new details drawn from West’s original screenplay.

 

As Sherrif Dentler would say: it’s one goddamn fucked up horror story.

 

Order Links

 

A24: https://shop.a24films.com/products/xtrilogy?srsltid=AfmBOorCYylVQbe4CkipiZ0EBZy7xFHUhA7UnaRoc5tmbiQTGV1aumun

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/X-Novel-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1960078208/ref=sr_1_5?crid=20Z9JCU6W99BO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QnFswliNkGeSfD3cnlzpj52PeurqPRruLRmvDuAoZDjVLy64skrBQsdamJC9frnOEck1fKZytoMA4EdpPtUL18x3iv-iXHdJAdHRU2VliBmrMWnOf84_-JiXgPLlqJeoEqGO2lAI9hPY2maIxsBNQ5HLFhX19JqYL22etpbrs_vIsudh_-IDDxttmdU5KFdx5K5fBDFMVvAAmYc0Cw3j_SdeLSrNjDBZn--1t97OZYShfoe0ZVxscCtGiIN0i9qQnHRv9VR8ivZjzpQ083mLI1pVm4w1t68k8JQ8Kq2WGjY.ak1cV_6Vr01uhfL6M5TRPRdCcFNxF0tL7mgDp500Mdo&dib_tag=se&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1728568045&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C124&sr=1-5

 

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/x-tim-waggoner/1146311639?ean=9781960078209

 

Fangoria Interview About Writing the X Trilogy Novels

 

Want to know all about the writing of the X Trilogy novels? Fangoria interviewed me about the books, and you can learn all the behind-the-scenes goss here:

 

https://www.fangoria.com/tim-waggoner-ti-west-x-trilogy-novelization/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF0tmpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaCdaZfFvSRIQK5uy-5rZq6mNccGvmYD-CJN_8WCixpGkz3asBX2G4Hu8g_aem_CoWUCX6cdm2b_jM65jgdBA

 

The Desolation War – the Concluding Volume in the Custodians of the Cosmos Series – is Released



I had a blast writing this dark fantasy adventure series, and if you’d like to see me write more adventures of Neal and Gina, contact the good people at Aethon Books and let them know. If you’re not familiar with the series, the first volume is The Atrocity Engine and the second is Book of Madness.

 

Synopsis

 

Rachel Blackburn is back, and she’s more powerful – and terrifying – than ever.

 

She’s now one of the Lightbringers, an ancient race of cosmic beings dedicated to “saving” the Omniverse from the ravenous Gyre by absorbing it into themselves piece by piece.

 

But Rachel doesn’t give a damn about the Lightbringers’ mission.

 

She intends to use her new powers to get revenge on the two Maintenance agents who stopped her from activating the Atrocity Engine – Neal Hudson and Gina Sandoval. And when she’s finished with them, she’s going to destroy Brother Nothing and the entire Multitude.

 

To complicate matters further, Neil and Gina find themselves trapped on a devastated parallel Earth overrun with Aberrants – and where a Kaiju-sized version of Teguzilla lives.

 

If they don’t find a way to win this war, they won’t have a home to return to.

 

Time to roll up their sleeves and get to work . . . one last time.

 

Order Links

 

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Desolation-War-Custodians-Cosmos/dp/B0DK4Z2R2P/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2W0DOBODO986V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QnFswliNkGeSfD3cnlzpj52PeurqPRruLRmvDuAoZDjVLy64skrBQsdamJC9frnOEck1fKZytoMA4EdpPtUL18x3iv-iXHdJAdHRU2VliBmrMWnOf84_-JiXgPLlqJeoyiKmkJKvCJXDdBRoLHZVZMSumsVUncmTXd2vsco_vpvspi718UkB3nzhZOPf07Aa1Hxz0NFQQEcxGQAREeMUlqd5exPOnJj4rXgPjEDFAdaewwry76Xuf8LrZ8HukBiwQLiqJSOPGrbEjVBSA5biCap5T8KcAoq_z-MNM-1YuH4.DSsWK6dH0vRymUCHwOPQbSrkwRBpNA-p7SXneZugREA&dib_tag=se&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1729559718&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C123&sr=1-2

 

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Desolation-War-Custodians-Cosmos-Book-ebook/dp/B0D9ZQ9PV6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3T2TPUJUH3121&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QnFswliNkGeSfD3cnlzpj52PeurqPRruLRmvDuAoZDjVLy64skrBQsdamJC9frnOEck1fKZytoMA4EdpPtUL18x3iv-iXHdJAdHRU2VliBmrMWnOf84_-JiXgPLlqJeoyiKmkJKvCJXDdBRoLHZVZMSumsVUncmTXd2vsco_vpvspi718UkB3nzhZOPf07Aa1Hxz0NFQQEcxGQAREeMUlqd5exPOnJj4rXgPjEDFAdaewwry76Xuf8LrZ8HukBiwQLiqJSOPGrbEjVBSA5biCap5T8KcAoq_z-MNM-1YuH4.DSsWK6dH0vRymUCHwOPQbSrkwRBpNA-p7SXneZugREA&dib_tag=se&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1729552087&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C125&sr=1-2

 

SCHEDULED APPEARANCES

 

Authorcon V. March 28th to March 30th. Williamsburg, Virginia.

 

Scarelastic Book Fair III. April 5th. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company. McCordsville, Indiana.

 

StokerCon. June 12th to June 15th. Stamford, Connecticut. I’m one of the guests of honor!

 

Books & Brews 2.0. August 2nd. Scarlet Lane Brewing Company. McCordsville, Indiana.

 

A Really Cool One I Can’t Announce Yet. I’ll let you know more when I can!

 

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE