DEATH IS FUNNY SOMETIMES through this collection of 13 stories of horror and science fiction. Among them are…
ANOTHER WILD NIGHT AT THE F***ED HEN – A former punk rocker turned bar owner protects his patrons from the latest blitz of vampires who aren’t thirsty for beer.
ONE HUNDRED DEGREES AFTER MIDNIGHT – A wrongly convicted man’s final hours on the planet before his execution on death row.
DEAD KID AT A SLEEPOVER – Fun nostalgia trip of a typical sleepover with friends in the 1980s. Just with a dead kid.
SAL & SON – A butcher shop owner seeks revenge against New York mobsters after his father is killed for failing to pay protection money. This one is for slasher fans.
POSTCARDS FROM CHERNOBYL – A young girl who is immune to radiation takes a stand against a government experiment to dominate the world during the nuclear arms race of the 1980s.
MIKE & MANDY FIGHT THROUGH THE END OF THE WORLD – Mike and Mandy were ready to finalize their divorce and start a new life. But the zombie apocalypse screwed it all up. It was just one of those days.
HOW TO CATCH CRAWFISH AS TOLD BY RUFUS WHEELER – In the Louisiana bayou a down on his luck father makes a strange discovery while crawfishing and has hope it can give his son a better life.
SUPERFICIAL CRACKS IN A PORCELAIN FACE – An aging star of Italian Giallo cinema is not ready to retire.
What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in?
Quite simply -- I love horror and sci-fi, and my main heroes and influences are Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling and Robert Eggers. The story in my DEATH IS FUNNY SOMETIMES anthology titled ONE HUNDRED DEGREES AFTER MIDNIGHT was written as an homage to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
What part of writing do you consider a chore?
Outlining, but it is also my favorite part of the process.
Where were you when you first thought "I need to write this story?"
I have always been a fan of anthologies such as TALES FROM THE CRYPT and CREEPSHOW and wanted to write one of my own. Both were actually referenced in reviews I have received, and that felt really great. My current favorite anthology series is LOVE, DEATH AND ROBOTS on Netflix.
A lot of authors have a soundtrack while writing. Are there are songs you had on repeat?
I like to listen to soundtracks from Studio Ghibli films at a low volume in the background while I write. I know, not the typical answer for a horror writer, but I find those pleasant scores help with my creativity and writing flow/rhythm. I did listen to a lot of music from the '70s and '80s while writing the stories that take place in those decades in the anthology book.
What advice would you like to pass on to aspiring writers that is unconventional but true?
Not unconventional, but I would just say KEEP WRITING.
Do you have a WIP? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
I am currently writing another anthology and it keeps with the fun vibe of DEATH IS FUNNY SOMETIMES.
Which of your characters was your favorite to write and why?
Wiktor Wojna, mainly because he was the lead character of my first book, the crime novella SMORG WAR OF '84.
You've watched a movie 50 times and you still aren't tired of it. What movie is it?
THE BLUES BROTHERS.
Which animal (real or fictional) would you say is your spirit animal and why?
Probably just a dog because they are friendly.
What would you say is your weirdest writing quirk?
I like to read all of my dialogue out loud while I am writing it, so sometimes it looks like I am having a conversation all by myself in my office.
Using only emojis, sum up your book.
INSERT A SKULL AND A HAPPY FACE HERE. Haha.
You've just gone Trick or Treating. What do you hope is in your bag? What do you pawn off on your kids/SO/random stranger?
Starburst and Skittles, and I would pawn off DOTS or Junior Mints.
What is in your internet search history (researching for your book) that you would want someone to wipe if you were under suspicion from the police?
I had to do some morbid research regarding the operations/procedures of a Medical Examiner for my short story THE JOY OF COLLECTING STAMPS & HUMAN REMAINS.
You wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. What was it?
I tend to have the same recurring nightmare where I get stuck in an elevator. And my short story A CHURCH AT TRADER'S CREEK was actually inspired by a weird dream I had where a preacher walked into a lake and did not resurface from under the water.
What movie completely scarred you as a child?
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW. I saw it when I was 12. Enough said.
What are your SM links? Can we follow you and pretend we're besties?
I can be found on Twitter @MichaelAugust.
MC August is a former editor from Chicago. That job sucked.