About the series, Shadows of Miskatonic
I consider myself a right-brained horror writer. What does that mean? I love serial killers and monsters. I love all the stuff of nightmares. But I have to care about the characters. I have to be invested in their fate for horror to work. Think Laurie Strode in the original Halloween. Or Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. When Clarice was trapped in the basement with serial killer Buffalo Bill, I couldn’t breathe. My heart was in my throat. Because I didn’t want Clarice to die. I wanted her to survive. To defeat the darkness. Even if the victory was a brief one.
The Shadows of Miskatonic is a character-driven series, centered around the lives of two people: Andrew Carter, a professor at Miskatonic and Ellen Logan, a student eager to find her place in this strange world.
H.P. Lovecraft created Miskatonic University almost a century ago in 1921’s Herbert West-Reanimator. Many writers have used Miskatonic as a setting, but I have never read an in-depth exploration of the place. Of the people that work there. That dedicate their lives to the pursuit of terrible knowledge. And what better way to do that than focus my stories on the experience of a professor and his eager (and sometimes misguided) student.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t shy away from monsters or blood and gore. I just need to the human element. I want to watch people struggle. With each other as well as with the horrible things they learn and experience.
And what about the bureaucracy? I was an instructor for almost ten years at San Diego State University. Miskatonic University is first and foremost an institution. It has rules. I can’t even imagine how a place like this could possibly work. And that’s the attraction...
I’m not sure how many books will be in the series, but here’s what I have so far and their current status:
The Darkness Below
Released March 3rd, 2023, Available at Amazon or via Independent Bookstores
In the depths of an abandoned mine, an ancient creature is summoned. Enraged at being awakened, it spreads its tendrils towards the town of Arkham. Only two people know what’s going on: Andrew Carter and Ellen Logan. Can they stop the creature? Or will they fall victim to the darkness below?
Thin Places
Releases October 2nd, 2023, Pre-Orders Available at Amazon
A bat-like creature appears in the skies over Arkham. The mysterious sightings coincide with the appearance of a man who claims to be a demon. A man who takes an unhealthy interest in Ellen. When one of her friends is kidnapped, Ellen and Carter follow a trail that takes them to the border of another world.
Shadow Zone (1st Draft Complete, Editing Underway…):
A brazen daylight robbery of an art gallery. Activity in a local graveyard. Reports of dogs roaming the halls of a nearby retirement home. Random events or signs of something more sinister? As Ellen and Carter investigate, they find themselves face-to-face with a legend. A legend that threatens to disrupt the world around them.
Theia Mania (Working Title: Under Development)
Ellen moves to New Orleans, to find out more about her missing family. One day, she spots Connie Blake, Andrew Carter’s friend. He is in the company of a strange woman. He seems disoriented. Out of it. She calls Carter, who tells her Connie has disappeared. When he comes to New Orleans to search for his friend, Ellen finds Carter a changed man. One she’s not sure she knows. Or trusts...