THE AUTHOR
The other day, I was talking to Geoffrey Wilson about his work. Unlike the other writers I've showcased so far on A Macabre Cabal, Geoffrey takes a very traditional approach to dark fiction, staying strictly in the genre of classic horror. But his stories are more like campfire tales, and the books he sent me to review resembled something very familiar I couldn't quite put a finger on at first; Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a popular compilation of campfire stories that I remember scared me half to death when I was younger, and have stuck with me since all these many years later.
Geoffrey Wilson hails from United States and from what I have seen seems to have a very good grasp on the marketing element of writing and publishing. There are some common claims you hear from many new writers; they don't care if they are published, if at least one person likes their work that will be enough, they aren't in it for the money, etc. But in todays market, it is nearly impossible to even have your work be seen by a single person if you are not constantly pushing your wares, and this is doubly true for those braving the tide of the self-publishing industry, which has ballooned out of control over the past few years thanks to venues such as Lulu and Createspace. These are trying times for the new author trying to make his voice heard, but Geoffrey already seems to be ahead in this department.
For one thing, the books he sent me were gorgeous; something of a rare site for authors utilizing a vanity press. It's a load of hogwash that you can't tell a book by its cover. Though the cover may not speak about the contents of the book, it's a good indicator of the effort, time and care put in by the author themselves to deliver a product worthy of the consumers hard earned money, and Geoffrey certainly delivers in this regard. It may seem strange to spend time addressing these points, since at the core of everything, the writing is what counts, but I'll get to that; I just wanted to highlight Geoffrey as a good example of how to proceed if you are a writer trying to make your mark in the world.
Apart from two published short story compilations, Geoffrey also maintains a blog on his website mostly concerning his own progress, but also offering some insights into horror as a general construct. Like his other work, it is all well written and approachable.
It will be interesting to see where Geoffrey goes from here. The anthology in general is a hard sell. But presenting it as he has attempted to, as a sort of recreation of an iconic release that continues to haunt its readers to this day is a commendable step in the right direction. For anyone who loves campfire stories, Stephen King novels, and even a bit of Poe and Lovecraft in the mix for good measure, Geoffrey is certainly a writer to keep on your radar.
Geoffrey Wilson hails from United States and from what I have seen seems to have a very good grasp on the marketing element of writing and publishing. There are some common claims you hear from many new writers; they don't care if they are published, if at least one person likes their work that will be enough, they aren't in it for the money, etc. But in todays market, it is nearly impossible to even have your work be seen by a single person if you are not constantly pushing your wares, and this is doubly true for those braving the tide of the self-publishing industry, which has ballooned out of control over the past few years thanks to venues such as Lulu and Createspace. These are trying times for the new author trying to make his voice heard, but Geoffrey already seems to be ahead in this department.
For one thing, the books he sent me were gorgeous; something of a rare site for authors utilizing a vanity press. It's a load of hogwash that you can't tell a book by its cover. Though the cover may not speak about the contents of the book, it's a good indicator of the effort, time and care put in by the author themselves to deliver a product worthy of the consumers hard earned money, and Geoffrey certainly delivers in this regard. It may seem strange to spend time addressing these points, since at the core of everything, the writing is what counts, but I'll get to that; I just wanted to highlight Geoffrey as a good example of how to proceed if you are a writer trying to make your mark in the world.
Apart from two published short story compilations, Geoffrey also maintains a blog on his website mostly concerning his own progress, but also offering some insights into horror as a general construct. Like his other work, it is all well written and approachable.
It will be interesting to see where Geoffrey goes from here. The anthology in general is a hard sell. But presenting it as he has attempted to, as a sort of recreation of an iconic release that continues to haunt its readers to this day is a commendable step in the right direction. For anyone who loves campfire stories, Stephen King novels, and even a bit of Poe and Lovecraft in the mix for good measure, Geoffrey is certainly a writer to keep on your radar.
THE REVIEW
I went into Right Behind You: Tales of the Spooky and Strange You without any preconceived notions of what it was. I became acquainted with Geoffrey a few years ago online, and when I saw he was offering his book up in exchange for an honest review, I leaped at the opportunity.
When I received the gorgeous little book in the mail, I was ready to sit down and enjoy an evening of well weaved tales of the macabre meant to make my spine tingle. But the eeriness I was expecting from the stories within caused me to feel something far different from what I was expecting. As I read through each story, I was hit with waves and waves of nostalgia; this wasn't a compilation of morbid disturbia I had come to expect during my time spent with modern horror authors, this was as familiar as the campfires I sat around as a kid, listening to the fathers of friends as they quietly whispered terrifying tales meant to inspire fear in us, and prevent us from sleeping at night. For the most part, these were traditional campfire stories, meant to be told on a cool summer night, and aimed more or less directly at a much younger audience.
It's difficult for me to put myself in the shoes of my eight year old self, therefore, and feel the same way I did back then. So much of the campfire stories I heard as a youngster relied on the execution of the storyteller themselves in order to be effective. And, as is made very clear during my time reading Right Behind You, this same method of storytelling is expected in order for most of the stories to be really effective in stirring up fright.
I'm glad for this, because as I was reading, I noticed the odd tonal jump between stories that I initially found jarring. One piece if a fairly innocent retelling of The Golden Arm by Mark Twain, while another is a fairly tense familial struggle with language you probably wouldn't want your children hearing around the campfire. The keyword here is discretion; It seems to me this was meant to be read by adults before being retold to their kids, and this is fine. But I felt sometimes while reading that the book would have been better served had it been more consistent in the kinds of horror being presented, while perhaps saving some of the more adult oriented tales for a different anthology entirely.
One thing Right Behind You is, is fun. It was a lot of fun to see the creativity involved, not only in resurrecting or retelling classic tales such as The Golden Arm, but also in reinventing the mythos of other old fables such as Bloody Mary while acknowledging their roots at the same time. This book pays homage to many different eras of horror, from classic to ultra-modern, even bordering on sci-fi. And the constant change of pace throughout helped it feel fresh and non-repetitive, despite the gripe that the tone was a little sporadic and potentially alienating at times.
In short, this book would be great for anyone who loves to curl up under a blanket with a horror flick, or sit around with their friends and play with an Ouija board for a night. It hit all the right marks for me in that regard, though I can't personally say I found the writing to work for me on a visceral level. I couldn't help thinking instead how much I was going to enjoy reciting these tales to my kids one day, grabbing their arm and yelling at the climax of The Golden Arm, and doing whatever I can to sufficiently creep them out and ruin their night just as mine was ruined so often when I was their age.
It doesn't mean I don't appreciate the writing, or think it falls flat, but it has a definite audience, and that audience is in my opinion of a much younger, more starry-eyed variety.
Definitely worth picking up if you have kids, or if you simply want to remember what it was like to be one.
When I received the gorgeous little book in the mail, I was ready to sit down and enjoy an evening of well weaved tales of the macabre meant to make my spine tingle. But the eeriness I was expecting from the stories within caused me to feel something far different from what I was expecting. As I read through each story, I was hit with waves and waves of nostalgia; this wasn't a compilation of morbid disturbia I had come to expect during my time spent with modern horror authors, this was as familiar as the campfires I sat around as a kid, listening to the fathers of friends as they quietly whispered terrifying tales meant to inspire fear in us, and prevent us from sleeping at night. For the most part, these were traditional campfire stories, meant to be told on a cool summer night, and aimed more or less directly at a much younger audience.
It's difficult for me to put myself in the shoes of my eight year old self, therefore, and feel the same way I did back then. So much of the campfire stories I heard as a youngster relied on the execution of the storyteller themselves in order to be effective. And, as is made very clear during my time reading Right Behind You, this same method of storytelling is expected in order for most of the stories to be really effective in stirring up fright.
I'm glad for this, because as I was reading, I noticed the odd tonal jump between stories that I initially found jarring. One piece if a fairly innocent retelling of The Golden Arm by Mark Twain, while another is a fairly tense familial struggle with language you probably wouldn't want your children hearing around the campfire. The keyword here is discretion; It seems to me this was meant to be read by adults before being retold to their kids, and this is fine. But I felt sometimes while reading that the book would have been better served had it been more consistent in the kinds of horror being presented, while perhaps saving some of the more adult oriented tales for a different anthology entirely.
One thing Right Behind You is, is fun. It was a lot of fun to see the creativity involved, not only in resurrecting or retelling classic tales such as The Golden Arm, but also in reinventing the mythos of other old fables such as Bloody Mary while acknowledging their roots at the same time. This book pays homage to many different eras of horror, from classic to ultra-modern, even bordering on sci-fi. And the constant change of pace throughout helped it feel fresh and non-repetitive, despite the gripe that the tone was a little sporadic and potentially alienating at times.
In short, this book would be great for anyone who loves to curl up under a blanket with a horror flick, or sit around with their friends and play with an Ouija board for a night. It hit all the right marks for me in that regard, though I can't personally say I found the writing to work for me on a visceral level. I couldn't help thinking instead how much I was going to enjoy reciting these tales to my kids one day, grabbing their arm and yelling at the climax of The Golden Arm, and doing whatever I can to sufficiently creep them out and ruin their night just as mine was ruined so often when I was their age.
It doesn't mean I don't appreciate the writing, or think it falls flat, but it has a definite audience, and that audience is in my opinion of a much younger, more starry-eyed variety.
Definitely worth picking up if you have kids, or if you simply want to remember what it was like to be one.
CONCLUSION
As a part of the new format for the website, I will be reviewing another book by G.R. Wilson next week. I think he is a fine author with a definite understanding of the genre he is writing in, and this is harder to achieve than it would seem to be. It's very tough to go out there and find your voice, find a consistent method that works for you. Geoffrey knows what he likes, knows how he wants to approach it, and executes it very well.
You can learn more about G.R. Wilson at his website. His first horror compilation, Right Behind You: Tales of the Spooky and Strange can be purchased HERE. His second book, Paranoia: More Dark Tales from the Mind of G.R. Wilson can be found HERE.
You can learn more about G.R. Wilson at his website. His first horror compilation, Right Behind You: Tales of the Spooky and Strange can be purchased HERE. His second book, Paranoia: More Dark Tales from the Mind of G.R. Wilson can be found HERE.