Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: We love to get politics all over our pulp fiction, so here’s screenwriter and novelist Shawn Whitney to tell us about his latest book, Deads Rise! Shawn, tell us about the book!

Shawn: It’s the first in a series called No Signs of Life. When half the world’s population suddenly drops dead, humanity braces for the zombie apocalypse. But as the “Deads” reawaken hours later, it becomes clear this is something far more complex.

Tanitia Mortero never asked to die, let alone rise again. Now, she finds herself caught in a war between the living and the Deads – a war fueled by fear, misunderstanding, and a refusal to accept that death was just the beginning of a startling evolutionary leap.

Rachel: That sounds rad, and hints at something more complicated than your typical action-horror.

Shawn: My own work focuses on typically unrepresented folks. However, when I’m writing to pay the bills, I have to write what my publisher tells me. That means male-led and even restricts the kinds of men that can appear because apparently the audience for male-led sci-fi is so fragile that they can’t even handle a flawed hero or they will explode into a thousand tiny pieces of testosterone. Nonetheless, I try to squeeze in some thoughtful elements that relate to social change, changing consciousness and personal transformation.  

Rachel: Testosterone explosions sound like the least fun type of apocalypse. What inspired Deads Rise?

Shawn: It might have been seeing the film adaptation of The Girl With All The Gifts, to be honest. I saw it and thought “what if the zombies were the heroes in the zombie apocalypse story?” Originally it was conceived as a kind of YA TV series but getting anything past first base is easier at a Mormon summer camp than in the film/tv industry. So, it sat for a couple of years till I decided to make it a novel.

Rachel: Do you have a playlist for your book? Can you tell us why you picked a couple of the songs?

Shawn: Lots of Rage Against the Machine. Always. Maybe some Wet Leg and Gil Scott Heron —both the Revolution Will Not Be Televised and Whiteys On The Moon. Largely for the particular energy of the music for different plot points. Heron for a pivotal scene near the end of the book.

Rachel: Speaking of good taste, what book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours, of course!

Shawn: At the moment it’s Children of Time. I was blown away by how the writer handled an alien species’ consciousness, culture and history. And how they created a continuous character through multiple generations.

Rachel: And it’s another great example of making the “monster” the hero of the story. Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers? 

Shawn: The most important thing to do is to write a lot and write to the end. Practice makes perfect. The more you work a muscle, the stronger it gets. 

Then start writing another novel because you don’t want to be one of those writers who never finishes their books. Once you get past your first, it’s important to learn not to be precious about it. I’m not saying you need to crank out ten a year—and maybe your pace of writing and the spaces in your life only allow one every couple years. But don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.

There’s no right way. I started reading John Truby’s Into the Story and I got so annoyed with him constantly emphasizing how brilliant he was and how all other methods were wrong that I stopped reading it. There are some rules to writing—rising action, conflict, etc. But there’s many ways to skin a novel.

I remember people used to say “writers are readers. You should read obsessively.” Yeah, well, I don’t. I have a job, two kids, a house to maintain. And I also want to read about what’s going on in the world and understand the source of conflicts or scientific advances or whatever. Sometimes I want to watch TV. There’s only so many hours in a day. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t read a book a week.

Rachel: What’s your next writing project?

Shawn: For my publisher, I’m ghostwriting a trashy, male harem fantasy story set in Hell. Gotta pay the bills! For myself, I’m torn to be honest. I just finished the second book in the No Signs of Life series. I’d like to take a break from that world and I’m tossing around a few different possibilities, all sci-fi. You know how it is; ideas are never wasted; they just come back as new story ideas down the road.

Rachel: We’re so looking forward to reading Deads Rise! Where can our community find you and your work?

Shawn: You can find me at my website, shawnwriteshere.com, or my Amazon author page. I can also be reached via email at shawn@shawnwriteshere.com. on Twitter I’m @shawnwriteshere. On FB I have a page called Shawn Whitney – author guy that absolutely nobody goes to.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

SSabitha: Poetry has the ability to reflect emotion in a pure form, and emotion is what Michael Finelli brings in the collection Tears of Pan. Michael, can you tell us a bit about your book?

Michael: My debut book of poetry is called The Tears of Pan, delving into the individualistic warring of the mind between caustic repugnance and rejuvenating love. Greek myth is intermixed with dreary contemplation on life, death, suicide, and love. These emotions are emblematic of the oscillation between dissonance and confidence, regret and hopefulness for the future. We all of us can find relatability in these sentiments. Miscellaneous poetry juxtaposes the overwhelming

atmosphere of dread.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Michael: I started writing poetry back in 2010, at a different stage in my life. At that time, depression, self-loathing, doubt, and hopelessness assailed my heart, and my creative response was to transmute those intense and profound emotions into cathartic poetry. Mythology has always fascinated me—especially Greek—so I made the artistic decision to merge the two subjects into poems that allowed for a unique writing experience; mythical, introspective reflections, representative of the complexities of the human condition.

In October of 2023, I had a third-life existential crisis. I felt like a large portion of my life had slipped away from me, that I had been remiss with my writing passion. The flame of creativity was suddenly relit, with a torrent of miscellaneous and love poetry being written at nearly break-neck speed. The time felt right in October to publish.

Sabitha: Do you have a playlist for your book?

Michael: I absolutely do! Music plays an integral part in my life, more so during bursts of inspiration. The Tears of Pan was written within a framework of depressing music; the soul of the artist truly presents itself in a bare and raw form, devoid of the clandestineness of falsehoods. Flowing Tears’ Lovesong for a Dead Child and Radio Heroine, alongside The Sisters of Mercy’s Nine While Nine and Some Kind of Stranger encapsulate the feelings representative of my book.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Michael: Always be true to yourself, and the words will flow. Authenticity is the foundation of true art, so never diverge from the genuineness and the veracity found in reality and experience.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Michael: Another two books of poetry are already being written! There’s two Wonderland-esque children’s books in the work, a collection of fantasy short stories, and a fiction novel. So, quite a bit to juggle. Stay tuned!

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Michael: Readers can purchase a copy of The Tears of Pan on my website (michaelfinelliauthor.ca). If interested, please connect with me on Facebook (Michael Finelli – Author) or Instagram (@michaelfinelliauthor)!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’ve got Thomas Wrightson here, and he’s got a military space opera to blow your socks off. Thomas, can you introduce us to your books? 

Thomas: My debut work is The Cluster Cycle, a science fiction space opera published by Roan & Weatherford. It’s set in the distant future, reimagining old stories with new problems. The current title is Lost Station Circe.

Lost Station Circe follows the junk cargo ship Benbow and its seven person crew, each with ambitions and problems. One day, chance grants them a datacube holding the secret to a fortune. A covert expedition is formed to find an ancient space habitat near intergalactic space. Waiting beyond known space are treachery, revelations, and a horrific secret that threatens to destroy them all.

Sabitha: Spooky! What inspired you to write this book?

Thomas: Since my last book. Starborn Vendetta, drew from Dumas’s Monte Cristo, I decided to use two of my other favourite old works, Robert Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Homer’s Odyssey. It’s not one-to-one, but there’s definitely references. Both share a theme of toil, growth, and bonds.

Sabitha: How much research did you need to do for your book?

Thomas: I not only had to read through the books I was inspired by, but look up some facts behind the science featured. The theory of warp drive, the concept of engrams, mutation—the usual science fiction fare.

Sabitha: Do you have a playlist for your book? Can you tell us why you picked a couple of the songs?

Thomas: Sonus Lab’s album Planetary Suite and some of Gaming Ambience’s extended tracks helped set a good writing tone. And for certain later parts of Lost Station Circe, Jerry Goldsmith’s original non-theatrical Alien soundtrack was essential listening, particularly tracks 4 to 10.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read?

Thomas: Ursula le Guin’s Earthsea series—with Juliet E. McKenna’s Green Man’s Quarry,

Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy and Arthur Clarke’s A Fall of Moondust as

close seconds.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Thomas: It’s easy to say “write what you know.” But I’d say “write what speaks to you.” I can’t do Lovecraftian, non-speculative or straight male/white leads to save my life. I may not be straight, but I am male and white.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Thomas: One is editing the next book in the Cluster Cycle, which is a tribute to Golden Age detective stories. My two current WIPs are a new science fiction concept, and a fantasy set between Heian and Reiwa-era Japan.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Thomas: You can order my book here. Night Beats denizens can visit my website and blog where I post reviews, opinions and short stories. I also have a podcast, Author Talks, on Spotify and YouTube which includes different opinions and short story readings. I can be found on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and LinkedIn.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Looking for thrills and suspense? Tony Healey has you covered with his latest book, The Girl Between. Tony, can you introduce us to your mystery novel?

Tony: Five years ago Maddie Ryan found herself the target of a vicious serial killer and barely escaped the encounter with her life. She lost everything in the process and had no choice but to leave Seattle and start afresh. Now a resident of Sanctuary Bay, a small seaside town, Maddie owns a popular local diner and has done everything in her power to leave the past behind her.

But when local girl Ruth Preston goes missing over Thanksgiving, Maddie finds herself drawn into assisting police chief Ben Taylor to help find her—and realizes that her long-dormant ability to see the dead has been reawakened.

With winter holding Sanctuary Bay in its icy grip, and the truth of Ruth Preston’s disappearance proving all the more elusive, Maddie must reconcile the specter of her past with the new life she has made…

The Girl Between is a gripping small-town mystery with a paranormal twist that will appeal to fans of The Family Plot by Megan Collins, Later by Stephen King, and the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Tony: I wrote two mystery novels for Thomas and Mercer, then four westerns for Berkley, and so when it came to writing my latest I really wanted to return to some of what I’d done with T&M, a mystery with a paranormal edge. But whereas Ida Lane in my Harper and Lane series can see things about people by touching them, I wanted a main character who could literally see the dead. That, combined with a desire to write a small-town romance at some point, gave me the bones of what would become The Girl Between. The novel is a complete story in and of itself, but there will be a direct sequel, The Wolf Circles, next year at some point that will complete the story of the main character, Maddie Ryan. It’s envisioned primarily as a two-book series (but that could change if readers enjoy the books and demand more, of course!)

Sabitha: Do you have a playlist for your book?

Tony: I listened to a LOT of Bob Dylan during the writing of The Girl Between. I also listened to a lot of jazz, but I’d say Dylan was definitely my jam this time around–I made a playlist called Seven Eras: The Best of Bob Dylan that the Night Beats community might enjoy.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read?

Tony: I will always point readers to An Unsettled Grave by Bernard Shaffer, which is my favourite of his Santero and Rein series. I also like to pontificate about a book that inspired me during the writing of The Girl Between, and that is Who Haunts You? by Mark Wheaton. It’s a ghost story told through the lens of neurodiversity, and I couldn’t put it down.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Tony: The Night Beats community can find me over at www.tonyhealey.com and on Threads. The Girl Between is out and if anyone would like a free review copy in PDF format, just give me a shout.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: My favourite books defy classification. Noir? Love story? Fairy tale? All of the above? Something entirely novel? Jeff Wiederkehr gives us this phantasm of a novel, Closer, and frankly I don’t know what to make of it, besides that I like it. Jeff, your turn. You try and describe this thing.

Jeff: I really don’t know what it is, but I do know what inspired me and by knowing that, it might be possible to get near a description that works. The works of Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin hit me at a certain point in my life. I found their works to be both beautiful and tragic and both for the same reason ~ they gave me the dirty yellow underbelly of very hyper-specific situations. Despite the worthy inspiration, with Closer, I was originally attempting to shoehorn the narrative into a more classic Romance template (Miller rolls over in his grave), that is, whatever happens, in the end there is a happy ending. 

Closer is a lot of things, but it certainly isn’t a Romance novel. It’s got the spice, but not the required ending.

Maybe it is this … a dirty, yellow, mockumentary, one with a twisted happy ending, one that both Miller and Nin would be happy to read.

Zilla: Do you have a playlist for your book?

Jeff: I do. It is on Spotify. It’s called “Closer ~ a soundtrack to a novel.” 

Zilla: Fair enough. Next question. If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them? 

Jeff: “You are an idiot.”

Zilla: Relatable. I would phrase it more delicately, but I’d probably say the same to my characters. So what would they say back to you?

Jeff: “Fuck you.”

Zilla: Also relatable. Next question. What book do you tell all your friends to read?

Jeff: The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe.

Zilla: You seem a pretty tragic guy. Did you ever kill a fan favourite character? 

Jeff: With Closer I mainly killed every character’s dignity and self-respect.

Zilla: Honestly, even better. How much research did you do for this book?

Jeff: The great thing about fiction is I made it all up. Though my writing was informed by my love of the south western desert and my collection of broken hearts dating from 1st grade.

Zilla: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers? 

Jeff: Oh man, I need all of the suggestions. Please collect these answers and send them my way.

Zilla: Who did you imagine reading your book as you wrote it?

Jeff: For fans of Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin. I am not sure if those people exist any longer. The people that ended up taking a chance on the book and loved it were people who needed to hear a story like this. A story where they imagined themselves as the nameless narrator looking to be seen and heard and loved in a draught of a relationship. So, people who are stuck and hurt and unsure if there is anyone else out there in the world that wants more than the status quo ~ those that need to vent the guilt associated with wanting more out of life.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

Jeff: Cherry-Rose: Blood & Wishes ~ it is a reimagined fairy tale. Super dark and creepy and lovely.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Jeff: I can be found being silly, going to dive bars, playing records, drinking whisky on instagram @likeshattereddiamonds, and sometimes promoting my book Closer @closer_not_further_away. And also on my fancy new website! You can find the book on Goodreads and you can buy it here.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re here for the weird and wonderful, which is why we’ve got C.E. Hoffmanto tell us about their anthology, Losers and Freaks. C.E., what do we have to look forward to in you book?

C.E.: Losers and Freaks is a short story collection of speculative and generally weird fiction. It’s my second full-length release!

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

C.E.: For my second short story collection, I chose another theme that resonates with the collective shadow, and me personally. I tackled sexual stereotypes in Sluts and Whores, and sought to do the same for the losers and freaks of the world (and in my heart) with this collection. The theme isn’t as obvious or pointed as it is in my first collection, but I still think (and hope!) the message comes across.

Sabitha: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

C.E.: Thank you for choosing me as your writer!

Sabitha: What books do you tell all your friends to read?

C.E.: For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide by Ntozake Shange, NW by Zadie Smith, Come and Join the Dance by Joyce Johnson, and The Grass Harp by Truman Capote.

Sabitha: How much research did you need to do for your book?

C.E.: Does living count as research?

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

C.E.: I’m pitching a horror novella and two more poetry chapbooks! I’m writing my first memoir and I’m editing MANY novels.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

C.E.: I’m on Twtter as @CEHoffman2. cehoffman.net. Visit cehoffman.net, and buy Losers and Freaks here!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Full disclosure—I read Lonnie Busch’s science fiction thriller Cargo Hold 4 and I absolutely loved it. I don’t want to say too much, because the mystery is part of what makes this horror so compelling. So Lonnie, tell us a bit about Cargo Hold 4—but no spoilers!

Lonnie: Several years into a multi-decade deep space mission, a team of eight scientists—four women, four men—explore a dwarf planet near the Kuiper Belt and inadvertently bring aboard a stowaway, which is desperately trying to escape from Cargo Hold 4. Or so the crew believes.

Zilla: The alien is a science fiction horror masterpiece, mashing up elements of frogs, bees, and plenty more. What inspired it?

Lonnie: I honestly don’t know. I’m what a lot of writers call a “pantser,” meaning I “write” by the seat of my pants. In other words, I don’t plot out the story. Cargo Hold 4 came out of nowhere. I’m trying to get my latest book, Project Übermensch, ready for publication, and I keep hearing in my head, Cargo Hold 4, Cargo Hold 4, like a mantra. I ignore it as long as I can, until “something” in Cargo Hold 4 starts beating on the huge yellow metal hatch, and I can see the big yellow hatch, and these enormous dents pushing out (which is what I animated in my book trailer.) 

So, I start writing, and when I get to finally revealing this thing, I realize I may be done. Nothing’s coming but worn-out tropes from years of too much TV and moviegoing. I ease forward and wait for something to emerge, and it does, and it’s super creepy and I go with it, trying to learn what it is, and what’s going on. There is always a risk with the panster approach of writing a lot of pages and ending up nowhere. But I’m used to that from my background in painting and working on sculpture. Just part of the creative process. I’m okay with it.

Zilla: It’s not just the alien though–plenty of the characters have their own dark secrets. Who is the real monster, the aliens or the humans?

Lonnie: Yeah, that was so cool, how organically it developed. Once this thing was kind of revealed, I started following what I imagined this crew would do, how they might react, how I might react, pitting reason against morals, navigating the conundrum they found themselves up against. I tried to be as honest as possible about the potential eruption of human emotions and choices, no matter how dark it got. As you know, it got pretty dark, way darker than I imagined.

Zilla: I really enjoyed the science tidbits you sprinkled through the book. Do you have a scientific background?

Lonnie: None. My older brother had a telescope when we were kids, but that was about it. But the first moon landing happened when I was 17 years old in 1969. That had to have affected me, I suppose. However, I believe many of the ideas I had about the journey, sprung from a reasoned approach to what might be needed for extended space exploration. I wasn’t ready to concede to “replicator-type” devices like Star Trek, as I didn’t see the mission that far in the future. And I’m glad I didn’t. The idea that came to me for their food and supply problem became a huge plot element. I hadn’t planned that. I think one thing that really spurred my ideas around the mission was reading about Voyager 1 and 2 and the Hubble telescope. Those articles debunked many misconceptions I had about space. Voyager 1 and 2 are still out there, still traveling into deep space after decades. Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is still sending data back, and is expected to keep sending it back until 2036! And Voyager 2, also launched in 1977, is the only spacecraft ever to visit Uranus and Neptune, and is now in interstellar space. That’s wild to me.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Lonnie: My books are on Amazon—go to this link for Cargo Hold 4. I’m still in the baby-steps stage as an indie author. My first novel was published by Blackstone Publishing, The Cabin on Souder Hill. I had an agent, a nice advance, a sweet two-book deal, and it seemed like after twenty plus years of writing I had finally arrived. But no. When The Cabin on Souder Hill didn’t fly off the shelves, Blackstone terminated the contract for the second book. Not long after, I ended my relationship with my agent when she seemed less than enthusiastic about my novel, All Hope of Becoming Human, which has won numerous awards and done pretty well. The audiobook for The Cabin on Souder Hill is now an Audible bestseller with over 3400 reviews, but that’s most likely due to Sarah Mollo-Christensen, the narrator. She has an incredible voice and a massive following. So, yeah, the short answer, just Amazon. But it’s cool. I like the KU aspect. I can reach a lot of readers I might otherwise not reach. All Hope of Becoming Human was just accepted into the Amazon Prime Readers Program, though I’m not sure when it will be available there.

People can find all my books, as well as links to my social media, on my website. They can even sign up for new release news and shout-outs for review readers there. I always welcome review readers!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: In the bright days of summer, sometimes we yearn for the dark, the mysterious, the thrilling … so today we have David Kummer here, to tell us about the newest book in his series of psychological thrillers, The Silent Forest. David, can you introduce us to these books?

David: My books are psychological thrillers and mysteries. I love to dig into fear and memory, the thin line between the two, and especially how those emotions play into group dynamics. This series is about a family in a rural farm town called New Haven. Here’s the blurb:

In New Haven, everything is changing. And there’s no going back now.

It’s been weeks since Allison went missing, and everyone has given up except for Kaia. New Haven mourns their dead as she keeps looking. And now, she’s starting to find answers.

As the unsolved cases pile up, a new discovery in the forest offers hope. But it also threatens to unbury all of New Haven’s darkest secrets.

For the Woods family, it will take everything they have. For Kaia, it’s the last chance.

There are some shadows you can’t keep underground.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

David: This book really started with the idea of a haunted house, but I wanted to do something new and exciting with that idea. I’ve read so many cliched haunted houses, so I wanted to play around with every aspect. And also, I love putting my own familiar settings into novels, so the “safe” Woods family lives in a house very much like my grandma’s, like a little piece of myself added to the story.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read?

David: The Little Stranger is my favorite book I’ve ever read, and it’s so underrated. Besides that, I always enjoy Mark Edwards, as he’s consistently great, but I’m trying to branch out more and read different types of psychological thrillers.

Sabitha: Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

David: Oh, yeah. All the time. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but one of my books has a beloved character who ends up dying, and it tore me up to write. But you’ll never know when, ‘cause I ain’t saying which book! (There might be multiple, to be honest… I love killing off characters.)

Sabitha: Who did you imagine reading your book as you wrote it?

David: This book is really about family and love, in the face of terrible danger and awful events. But I always imagine my dad reading my book, because he’s always my first reader. Over 2,000 people read The Misery House, so hopefully even more enjoy this one!

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

David: I’ve gotta finish this trilogy first, and I can’t wait for that, because I’ve got a super secret project up next… It’s already half written, and it’s calling my name.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

David: I’m all over the place! You can find me on any of these sites, and please do, because I love to chat with readers! I’m on Twitter, Facebook, my blog, Instagram, my Amazon author page, and Goodreads. The Silent Forest can be found on Amazon and Goodreads, or Bookshop if you want to support local bookstores.