The Wide Game by Michael West | Virtual Tour

Last October my Halloween read was Spook House by Michael West. In my review, I mentioned "a strong desire to pick up The Wide Game next." I very excited Seventh Star Press has just reissued Michael West's The Wide Game. I'm also very excited to take part in the The Wide Game blog tour!

Book Description

On the advice of his wife, Paul Rice is making plans to attend his 10th year High School reunion. Returning to his boyhood home of Harmony, Indiana, he finds that he is still haunted by memories of that time-memories of Deidra, his first love, and memories of the Wide Game. It was ten years ago that Paul and his friends watched their day of fun become a race for their lives, a fight for their very souls.

Now, as he meets the survivors of that day once more, Paul makes a chilling discovery: the incomprehensible forces that toyed with them have yet to finish playing their own game.

The Wide Game is one of the Harmony, Indiana horror novels from Michael West, which also include Cinema of Shadows and Spook House.

The Wide Game is the first book in Michael West's Harmony, Indiana series although they are each stand alone. If you want to check out what I thought about the rest of the Harmony, Indiana books you can read my reviews of Cinema of Shadows and Spook House.


About Michael West

Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses, and the Legacy of the Gods series. A graduate of Indiana University, with a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, West has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.

Website: http://www.bymichaelwest.com
Twitter: @bymichaelwest


Blog Tour

You can check out the rest of the tour which includes reviews, interviews, guest posts, and a giveaway here.

Tour Stop & Giveaway | Vampires Don't Sparkle!

I am very excited to be a tour stop for Vampires Don’t Sparkle! as part of the SSP Anthology Extravaganza. This anthology contains so many kick ass authors and is edited by none other than Michael West. Make sure you enter the giveaway while you are here!

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MY KIND OF VAMPIRES: a guest post by Jerry Gordon

I’m lucky enough to be born in the world’s most plentiful country.  My fellow Americans compose roughly five percent of the Earth’s population while consuming almost twenty-five percent of its natural resources.  Our way of life is literally sucking the planet dry, and we’re not alone.  China, India, Russia, and the EU are all doing their level best to match our voracious appetites.  And behind them, an almost nameless sea of countries left behind, looking at the developed world with a mixture of admiration, contempt, and anger.

So what does this have to do with vampires?

You can tell a lot about a person by examining their monsters.  I wrote “Vampire Nation” for Michael West’s charity* anthology, Vampires Don’t Sparkle!, with dwindling world resources and first-world arrogance in mind.  Gandhi once said that you can judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable members.  I wanted to take a look at what happens when the developed nations of the world are forced to pay a high price for dogged self‑interest.

“Vampire Nation” takes place in an overpopulated future where space has replaced energy as our most precious natural resource.  China and India have pooled their military and scientific might to dominate the world stage.  That is, until a global pandemic resembling vampirism explodes in the most primitive reaches of the third world.

It’s no secret I’m a great fan of Richard Matheson’s book, I Am Legend.  I wanted to pay homage to his vision of a worldwide vampire plague while exploring the politics of our current energy crisis, nuclear brinksmanship, augmented reality, and the price nations pay for ignoring the less fortunate.

The world is full of vampires.  Some wear suits and ties.  Some try to save the world.

None of them sparkle.

*Proceeds from the book donated to breast cancer research in honor of Sara J. Larson.

Jerry Gordon is co-editor of the Dark Faith and Last Rites anthologies. His fiction has appeared in Apex Magazine, Shroud, and The Midnight Diner.  You can find him blurring genre lines at www.jerrygordon.net and saying inappropriate things on Twitter @jerrylgordon and Facebook @jerrygordon.

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VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE!

Vampires Don’t Sparkle! (editor Michael West): What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else? Anything else?

The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”

Edited by Michael West
Foreword by Michael West

“A New Life” by J. F. Gonzalez
“What Once was Flesh” by Tim Waggoner
“The Darkton Circus Mystery” by Elizabeth Massie
“Robot Vampire” by R. J. Sullivan
“Beneath a Templar Cross” by Gord Rollo
“The Weapon of Memory” by Kyle S. Johnson
“The Excavation” by Stephen Zimmer
“Skraeling” by Joel A. Sutherland
“Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman
“Dracula’s Winkee: Bloodsucker Blues” by Gregory L. Hall
“I Fuck Your Sunshine” by Lucy A. Snyder
“A Soldier’s Story” by Maurice Broaddus
“Rattenkönig” by Douglas F. Warrick

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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MORE INFORMATION

Thank you so much, Jerry, for stopping by Book Den!

If you guys want to check out more tour stops for Vampires Don't Sparkle or the entire SSP Anthology Extravaganza, you can see the full schedule here.

Book Review | Spook House by Michael West

Spook House is the latest book in Michael West's Harmony, Indiana series.

Book Description

There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

As much as I love reading a great horror novel, I love watching horror movies as well. Now that I have young children, I don't get to watch many (any!) horror flicks. Michael West's Harmony, Indiana books are a great combination of both worlds. The fun and the scares are much like watching a horror movie. The movie references scattered throughout are an added bonus as well.

Spook House is a great book to read this time of year. The Halloween tie-in was more subtle than I expected; you could definitely curl up with this one any time of the season.

If you haven't read anything by Michael West, Spook House is a perfect place to start. His Harmony, Indiana books are stand alone and entertaining in any order you choose to read them. Although, after reading Spook House, you will likely have a strong desire to pick up The Wide Game next.

7/10: Recommended Read

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Seventh Star Press author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I'm fortunate to be reviewing Spook House as part of Michael West's virtual blog tour.

You can find more tour stops including reviews, guest posts, interviews, and giveaways here.

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About the Author:
Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows,
Skull Full of Kisses, and The Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the
Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera,
and their dog, King Seesar.

Every Halloween, he turns his garage into a haunted house.

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Haunted house garages are the best. I have such wonderful memories of our neighborhood haunted garage.

Wishlist | Spook House by Michael West

This week I am pining after Michael West's new book, Spook House. It's set to be released October 27, 2012 - just in time for Halloween.

There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

I love reading Halloween books for Halloween! Spook House is part of Michael West's Harmony, Indiana series, but they are all stand alone novels. You can read my review of Cinema of Shadows here.

Do you have any Halloween books lined up for the end of October? What are you waiting for this week?

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's "Waiting on" Wednesday.

Book Review | Poseidon's Children by Michael West

Poseidon's Children is the first book in the The Legacy of the Gods series by Michael West.

Book Description

Man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change. After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current--high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead.

And that's just the beginning.

Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes ... at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse. Now, to stop the carnage,Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

How would you classify the 1998 movie The Faculty? I would classify it as horror, yet I've seen it on urban fantasy lists. I find the same blurring of lines with Michael West's Poseidon's Children. It is classified as an urban fantasy novel, but it is very much a horror story.

Poseidon's Children starts out a lot like Jaws except the sharks in Poseidon's Children have hands. These sea monsters are descendents of Poseidon, and they have taken up residence in Colonial Bay.

"What kind of mythological creature would you like to be?" is a common question among paranormal book discussion forums and the book blog hops. I've never had an answer to that question until now. I want to be one of Poseidon's children. It would be awesome to be able to transform between a sea creature and a human. If I had a set of gills, my life would be complete.

Moving on.

There are a lot of characters in Poseidon's Children. It seemed like every chapter in the first half introduced someone new. I worried about being able to keep them all straight, but even with West switching between first and last names, I was able to keep track of such a large cast. I'm looking forward to further development of some of the characters in the next book.

Poseidon's Children is a great start to the The Legacy of the Gods series. The ending provides a lot of setup for the next installment, but we are given a complete story prior to the sizable epilogue. I greatly appreciate when a series book can be read as a stand alone.

If you enjoyed the 1998 movie The Faculty (I did), you should check out this series. I've been trying to ease into the urban fantasy genre and being that Poseidon's Children was dark and scary for an urban fantasy, it was a great selection for me. I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes in the next book. I hope to vicariously spend some time out at sea as a sea monster.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by the publisher

Guest Post | Character Assassination by Michael West

I'm very excited to welcome Michael West back to Book Den today. I'm also excited to point out his latest novel Poseidon's Children is free for Kindle through today. Be sure to go grab a copy!

It’s far too easy to kill people. Well, at least for some writers. They create disposable characters that are designed to be slashed or clawed or eaten. They give them the slimmest of characterizations, make them stereotypes, and before you know it...BAM! The axe falls and the annoying one, or the jock, or the virgin, or what-have-you is worm food. They give us victims rather than people.

But where’s the suspense in that?

When slasher films first came into existence, they were gory who-done-its. You had a cast of characters who were being murdered, and you had to guess who was doing it and why. But you knew who the people were. You got a chance to see them interact, to see their friendships, to know their wants or dislikes, all their quirks and their habits...you got actual characters. Don’t believe me? Go back and watch the original Halloween, or Friday the 13th, or My Bloody Valentine, or Happy Birthday to Me. Even if a character was going to die in the very next scene, you got to know something about them. You got to care.

But not for long.

Fast forward a few years, after a few sequels and a few remakes, and you find that character stopped being important. So did any sense of mystery. Now, the killers were the stars, and it wasn’t so much who-done-it, but how’s-he-gonna-do-it? This led to the construction of more and more elaborate death scenes. And when all conventional weaponry had been exhausted, we got the Saw movies and the Final Destination films, where intricate traps and step-by-step coincidences conspired to rip total strangers limb from limb.

But where is the emotional investment?

I remember reading William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist; Stephen King’s The Stand, Christine, and Pet Sematary; Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, and I would get so wrapped up in the characters and their plights, so afraid for them, that I couldn’t put the books down, I couldn’t even sleep, until I knew what happened to them, until I knew they were safe. All too often now, however, Horror novels have mirrored the films, and it is hard to find characters you would shed tears over if they met their doom. Sometimes, it’s hard to even find characters you like.

But that’s just not scary.

For me, there is no fear without emotional attachment. You can shock people all you want, but if they aren’t invested in the people their reading about on the page, or watching on the screen, they’re not going to experience true terror. That’s what I strive for in my work: terror. Oh, I’m not above the jump scare, mind you, and I can do gore with the best of them, but I just don’t think a story is memorable unless it has good, believable, relatable, characters; people you’d like to hang out with, people you’d like to date, maybe even people who remind you a bit of yourself. It’s not so easy to see those people die, is it? Put those people in jeopardy, and you actually care. And when you care, suddenly you don’t feel safe alone in your room. You don’t feel safe closing your eyes. You don’t feel safe at all! You are, in a word, terrified. And that, after all, is the whole point of a Horror story, isn’t it? Sadly, those kinds of books, with those kinds of believable characters, and threats that are equally real, are few and far between.

But they are out there, and when you do find them...oh, baby...you get very real goosebumps.

To find out more about Michael West, author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, and Poseidon's Children, visit his website at www.bymichaelwest.com. 

Interview and Giveaway | Michael West

I am very excited about two things today! First, I had the opportunity to do a quick interview with Michael West, author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, and the upcoming Poseidon's Children. Second, I have a fabulous giveaway for three lucky readers! Seventh Star Press is giving away ALL EIGHT (8) of their new Seventh Star Singles short stories. That's an awesome prize.

Without further ado, I'm pleased to welcome Michael West to Book Den:

Seventh Star Press has released a fun series of stories called Seventh Star Singles. Can you tell us a little bit about this series?

The Singles are short stories set in the various worlds of the Seventh Star Press authors. Right now, we have a pair of sword and sorcery tales by Steven L. Shrewsbury, some epic fantasy/urban fantasy by Stephen Zimmer, and a couple of horror tales from me. The Singles provide a very unique experience for both the writers and the fans, as they become a way to explore more of these worlds we've created. And since they are stand-alone tales, they also give new readers a chance to discover our work for the first time. At $0.99, you can't beat the price! I think people will be much more willing to take a chance on new, unfamiliar talent when it costs them less than a cup of coffee to try. And just like coffee, I hope they become totally addicted and want more and more and more. LOL

How do your Seventh Star Singles stories Goodnight and For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry tie into your novels?

They're stand-alone tales that require no previous knowledge of The Wide Game or Cinema of Shadows to enjoy. They are set in the same small town of Harmony, Indiana, or involve people who attend the local college, Stanley University, but that is the only tie they have to the novels.

I really enjoyed reading Cinema of Shadows. Do you have plans for more books set in Harmony?

Oh yes. In fact, I'm writing the next Harmony, Indiana novel right now as we speak. It's called Spook House. The Harmony fire department works to turn an old farmhouse into a haunted attraction. Growing up, there was always that haunted house put on by the local Jaycees to raise money. So much fun! But, since this is Harmony, the house they've chosen sits atop a gateway to another dimension, and there are some nasty things on the other side of that doorway that have been waiting a long time to get out. Robby Miller (The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows) really takes center stage this time out. He's been a supporting player up until now, but this is his novel, and we get just a little bit of set-up for the climactic battle of good vs. evil that will take place in the final Harmony novel, Field of Screams.

That sounds awesome! Obviously, I cannot let you go without asking about your upcoming series The Legacy of the Gods as well. What can you tell us about Poseidon's Children?

The Legacy of the Gods is an epic, dark Urban Fantasy series that will kick off with the release of Poseidon's Children. I'm very excited about it. This is a story that has been with me for years, and every time I would talk about it with faithful readers, they would always ask me, "When is that coming out?" I'm happy that they will finally be able to read it for themselves this March. I can't say much about it (no spoilers!), but if you're interested, you can read the entire first chapter right here, right now: http://www.bymichaelwest.com/pcsample

Excellent! Thank you so much for taking a moment to tell us about the Seventh Star Singles and for giving us the scoop on your upcoming releases!

More Information

For more information about Michael West and his books, please visit his website at http://www.bymichaelwest.com.

Seventh Star Singles Giveaway

Three random winners will be selected to receive all eight (8) of the current Seventh Star Singles:

1. Goodnight by Michael West
2. For the River is Wide and the Gods are Hungry by Michael West 
3. Author and Finisher of Our Flesh by Steven L. Shrewsbury
4. Insurmountable by Steven L. Shrewsbury
5. Temples Rising by Stephen Zimmer
6. Into Glory Ride by Stephen Zimmer
7. Land of Shadow by Stephen Zimmer
8. Lion Heart by Stephen Zimmer

This contest will be open until January 31, 2012. Once the winners have been selected, Seventh Star Press will contact you to ensure you get the ebooks in your preferred format.

This is my first time using Rafflecopter. Please let me know if you have any issues! Be sure to click Read More>> if you don't see the Rafflecopter entry form.

TBR | Poseidon's Children by Michael West

Michael West is coming out with a new Urban Fantasy series called The Legacy of the Gods. It sounds awesome!

The first book, Poseidon's Children, will be released in March 2012. Check out the description:

Man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change.

After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current—high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead.

And that’s just the beginning.

Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes….at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse.

Now, to stop the carnage, Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

Right? I can't wait. I enjoyed Michael West's Cinema of Shadows, and important to note here, I could tell he did a lot of research while writing it. It makes me excited to see where he'll take this new series based on mythology. I have high hopes it could excel where some previous mythology based books have failed for me.

You can find Poseidon's Children here on Goodreads if you want to add it to your wishlist!

Are you a fan of Urban Fantasy or books based on mythology?

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's "Waiting for" Wednesday.

Book Review: Cinema of Shadows by Michael West

Cinema of Shadows is the first novel I have read by Michael West, but it won't be the last.

Book Description

Welcome to the Woodfield Movie Palace.

The night the Titanic sank, it opened for business...and its builder died in his chair. In the 1950s, there was a fire; a balcony full of people burned to death. And years later, when it became the scene of one of Harmony, Indiana's most notorious murders, it closed for good. Abandoned, sealed, locked up tight...until now.

Tonight, Professor Geoffrey Burke and his Parapsychology students have come to the Woodfield in search of evidence, hoping to find irrefutable proof of a haunting. Instead, they will discover that, in this theater, the terrors are not confined to the screen.

I'm a big fan of all things ghostly. I love watching reality ghost shows like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State or fictional ghost shows like Supernatural and The Ghost Whisperer. I've read more non-fiction ghost books than fiction ghost books, but I would still go as far as saying ghosts are my favorite subject matter.

All of that to say Cinema of Shadows was right up my alley.

I was hooked into Cinema of Shadows from the start. Michael West used a lot of common horror elements as well as common urban legends when building up the story and background of Cinema of Shadows, but there are certain tropes when it comes to hauntings and horror stories to which I may never grow tired.

Once the action really got underway, Cinema of Shadows was an original and frightening story. I have some vivid images from inside Cinema of Shadow's Woodfield Movie Palace that will continue to haunt me (in a good way).

The only complaint I had at first was everything seemed to be so ideal. The paranormal investigations and the characters' relationships all seemed too good to be true. By the end, however, I couldn't help but like the characters and root for them to survive.

I'm a new fan of Michael West, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Review copy provided by publisher