Good morning, squiders! In honor of spooky season, I have a horror short story collection for you today! I also asked the author’s opinion on the core of a horror story, so read below to see their answer!
THE ROOTS RUN DEEP
C.M. Forest
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GENRE: Horror Short Story Collection
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BLURB:
Dug from the twisted mind of C.M. Forest, the acclaimed author of Infested, comes a collection of 15 horror stories that will drag you into the abyss of fear and despair.
A fast-food playland with a nightmarish secret, a greenhouse with a bug problem, a busload of kids lost in the woods, a trip through the solar system to investigate a strange comet, and many more.
Brace yourself for an unrelenting journey through a world where evil knows no bounds, and darkness consumes all.
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EXCERPT:
The truck door swung open with a painful groan. Gordon kept his gaze locked on the barn as he climbed out. A cool breeze wafted across the field to grab and tussle his long, unkempt hair. Ahead, the barn door swayed as if in anticipation.
In the bed of the truck were two gas cans. The fuel sloshed as he pulled the red, plastic containers free. The weight of the cans felt comforting as he approached the structure.
He caught the barn door with his foot and kicked it open enough to enter. He thought he might feel a twinge of nostalgia, or maybe even horror, at returning to the old building, but the truth was, it looked just like every other barn he had ever been in. Spinning the caps off one of the cans, he began dumping the gasoline.
A low, creaking sound pulled him away from his work. He stared around the darkened structure, trying damn hard to convince himself it was just the wind, but failing. Despite his darkest imaginings, he could not wrap his head around what could be living within the old, warped walls of the barn. What malevolent force was animating the ancient boards and struts?
When nothing materialized from the gloom, he returned to his business.
With both cans empty, Gordon stood in the door and fished around in his pocket for his lighter. As soon as it was free, he began thumbing the flint wheel. A few angry sparks jumped from the end, but the flame was stubbornly absent. Once again, he heard the creaking. This time, it seemed to come from everywhere all at once. With his lighter forgotten, Gordon stared ahead as something started moving, opening, along the floor. A spike of cold fear chilled him to the bone. He turned to run.
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GUEST POST:
I asked: What is the core of a horror story, in your opinion?
And the answer:
That’s a hard question to answer. I think horror, and why it works for any individual person, is subjective. Some people believe that for a scary story to work, there needs to be violence, blood, and gore. Pure carnage! Others would say it is all about the characters. Are they relatable? Do we fear for their safety? While a different group would say it all comes down to the atmosphere of the story. The growing storm of unease. Personally, I learn toward that option (I’m not saying the others aren’t important, just that they aren’t the core of a horror story for me). When writing a story, I try to build a spooky atmosphere. If done correctly, it creates a great deal of tension and dread in the reader. Once you’ve instilled those feelings in the audience, the ability to scare them becomes much easier. From there, I’m able to find the right characters for the situation. I’m able to add in the violence, gore, and mayhem.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
C.M. Forest, also known as Christian Laforet, is the author of the novel Infested, the novella We All Fall Before the Harvest, the short story collection The Space Between Houses, as well as the co-author of the short-story collection No Light Tomorrow. His short fiction has been featured in several anthologies across multiple genres. A self-proclaimed horror movie expert, he spent an embarrassing amount of his youth watching scary movies. When not writing, he lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife, kids, three cats and a pandemic dog named Sully who has an ongoing love affair with a blanket.
Website: http://www.ChristianLaforet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristianlaforet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianlaforet/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/c_laforet
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@christian_writes_horror
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawaySee you next week, squiders!
