Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Darkness Whispers
WORK NOTES: with Richard Chizmar
PSEUDONYM(S): Kidman, James
BIRTHDATE: 1979
WEBSITE: http://www.brianjamesfreeman.com/
CITY:
STATE: PA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
Married; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Freeman
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; has children.
ADDRESS
CAREER
General manager of Cemetery Dance Publications, publisher of Lonely Road Books, and founder of Books to Benefit. Cemetery Dance magazine, managing editor, 2008—.
WRITINGS
Editor of Dueling Minds, 2013; Reading Stephen King, 2017; Halloween Carnival, volumes 1-5, 2017; and Detours, 2017. Editor, with Richard Chizmar, of Dark Screams, volumes 1-10. Short stories published in magazines and anthologies, including Borderlands 5, Corpse Blossoms, and Shivers.
SIDELIGHTS
Brian James Freeman is a writer, editor, and publisher focusing on horror stories. His companies, Cemetery Dance Publications, Lonely Road Books, and Books to Benefit, have published authors including Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, Frank Darabont, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Max Brooks, Michael Koryta, Justin Cronin, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Slade, Mick Garris, Stewart O’Nan. Of his career, he told Unbound Worlds online interviewer Matt Staggs: “The stage might have been set by the creepy old woods we lived by until I was five years old. We were in the middle of nowhere and I would explore those woods for hours on end, finding all kinds of abandoned trash and treasures.” He was also influenced by reading his parents’ collection of Stephen King novels, and he went on to read all the authors cited by King, such as Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, H. P. Lovecraft, and Peter Straub. He has written books about King’s work in addition to novels, novellas, and short stories.
The Painted Darkness
The Painted Darkness, a novella, tells the story of a painter scarred by a childhood trauma. Henry has blocked any memory of the incident, but it emerges in his paintings, which he creates in the attic of the farmhouse he occupies with his wife, Sarah, and small son, Dillon. Henry is working prolifically but turns his paintings to face the wall, and he cannot always remember what is on the canvases. Sarah becomes resentful of the time he spends on his work, and she leaves one night, taking Dillon with her. The next day Henry hears noises coming from the boiler in the basement. As he attends to the boiler, the memories he has repressed begin coming back to him. Flashbacks detailing a horrifying incident are interspersed with the narrative of Henry’s present life.
The book found favor with several critics. “In The Painted Darkness, Freeman is doing far more than telling a scary story (although he is telling a scary story, and doing it quite well),” remarked Darkscribe online contributor Blu Gilliand. “He’s looking at the questions that all artists are frequently asked. Questions about where ideas come from, and whether something imaginary becomes real once the artist brings it to life.” Gilliand added: “Freeman balances both narratives expertly, dovetailing them together at the end so that we are presented with one cohesive, impactful story.” Wayne C. Rogers, writing on the Horror Novel Reviews website, called the novella “the perfect display of how an author paints his own picture with precise and thought-provoking words that are weaved carefully together to enable the reader to not only smell the air, but to taste it as well.” A Publishers Weekly commentator noted that the climax “isn’t entirely shocking,” but The Painted Darkness remains “a compelling read thanks to skillfully composed prose.”
The Halloween Children
A collaboration with Norman Prentiss, The Halloween Children is the tale of a canceled holiday celebration with disastrous consequences. It focuses on a family living in an apartment complex where the father, Harris, works as the handyman. Harris and his wife, Lynn, have a son, Matt, and a daughter, Amber. Harris and Lynn are having serious marital problems, and Lynn believes that Matt has some sort of disorder. The complex’s owner adds to the family’s tensions by decreeing that there will be no Halloween party or decorations at the location. Eventually a nightmarish scenario plays out, narrated alternately by husband and wife, both of whom may not be telling the whole truth.
Several critics thought The Halloween Children riveting, with some likening it to Stephen King’s acclaimed novel The Shining, a horror story involving the troubled Torrance family. “It’s actually more frightening than seeing the Torrance family torn apart, because it draws in neighbors, friends, or maybe something much closer,” related David Simms at the Monster Librarian website. He praised the characters and further noted: “The storytelling here is near flawless, as is the writing—always a challenge in a collaboration.” Blu Gilliand, writing online at October Country, termed The Halloween Children “a twisty funhouse ride through the minds of Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss, two enormously talented writers who have created an instant Halloween classic.” Gilliand continued: “From the great, early slow build of the book to the terrifying, satisfying payoff, The Halloween Children is a complete success.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer did not care for the novel, finding the characters unlikable and concluding: “After an enjoyable build-up, the story’s ending feels melodramatic and draws attention to its significant plot holes.” A blogger at Behrg Writes, however, termed the conclusion “one of the most tragic and shocking finales you’ll find,” adding: “A fantastic collaboration between two amazing authors, this is a book that will stay with you long after you close the final page.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly. March 29, 2004, review of Black Fire, p. 44; September 20, 2010, review of The Painted Darkness, p. 52; September 1, 2014, review of The Halloween Children, p. 50; January 16, 2017, review of Darkness Whispers, p. 45.
ONLINE
Behrg Writes, https://thebehrg.wordpress.com/ (April 18, 2017), review of The Halloween Children.
Brian James Freeman Website, http://www.brianjamesfreeman.com (October 25, 2017).
British Fantasy Society Website, https://www.britishfantasysociety.org/ (January 10, 2013), Mario Guslandi, review of More Than Midnight.
Darkscribe, http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/ (December 1, 2010), Blu Gilliand, review of The Painted Darkness.
Horror Novel Reviews, https://horrornovelreviews.com/ (March 8, 2013), Wayne C. Rogers, review of The Painted Darkness.
Monster Librarian, http://www.monsterlibrarian.com/ (January 25, 2015), David Simms, review of The Halloween Children.
October Country, https://theoctobercountry.wordpress.com/ (January 28, 2013), Blu Gilliand, review of More Than Midnight; October 3, 2014, Blu Gilliand, review of The Halloween Children.
Unbound Worlds, http://www.unboundworlds.com/ (November 10, 2014), Matt Staggs, “Talking Horror with ‘Dark Screams’ Editors Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar.”*
Novels
The Painted Darkness (2010)
More Than Midnight (2012)
Weak and Wounded (2013)
Darkness Whispers (2017) (with Richard T Chizmar)
The Halloween Children (2017) (with Norman Prentiss)
Collections
Seven Stories (2010)
Novellas
Blue November Storms (2004)
Dreamlike States (2014)
The Christmas Spirit (2016)
Anthology series
Dark Screams (with Richard T Chizmar)
1. Dark Screams: Volume One (2014)
2. Dark Screams: Volume Two (2015)
3. Dark Screams: Volume Three (2015)
4. Dark Screams: Volume Four (2015)
5. Dark Screams: Volume Five (2015)
6. Dark Screams: Volume Six (2017)
7. Dark Screams: Volume Seven (2017)
8. Dark Screams: Volume Eight (2017)
9. Dark Screams: Volume Nine (2018)
Halloween Carnival
Halloween Carnival Volume 1 (2017)
Halloween Carnival Volume 2 (2017)
Halloween Carnival Volume 3 (2017)
Halloween Carnival Volume 4 (2017)
Halloween Carnival Volume 5 (2017)
Anthologies edited
Dueling Minds (2013)
Better Weird (2015) (with Richard T Chizmar and Paul F Olson)
Detours (2016)
Non fiction
The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (2012) (with Bev Vincent)
The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Trivia Book (2012) (with Hans-Åke Lilja and Kevin Quigley)
Fate and The Exorcist (2013)
Reading Stephen King (2017)
James Kidman
A pseudonym used by Brian James Freeman
Novels
Black Fire (2004)
Brian James Freeman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Brian James Freeman
Born
1979
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pen name
James Kidman, Brian Freeman
Occupation
Novelist, short story writer
Nationality
American
Period
1994–present
Genre
Literary fiction, horror fiction
Website
www.brianjamesfreeman.com
Brian James Freeman is an author whose fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies including Borderlands 5, Corpse Blossoms, and all four volumes of the Shivers series. His first novel, Black Fire, was written under the pseudonym James Kidman. Published in 2004 by Leisure Books and Cemetery Dance Publications, the book was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, one of the major awards in the horror genre. His work has been nominated for several awards in the horror genre over the years. Cemetery Dance Publications recently published his Blue November Storms, a new novella, and The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book, which he wrote with Stephen King expert Bev Vincent. Acclaimed horror artist Glenn Chadbourne created over fifty unique illustrations for the book.
He graduated from Shippensburg University in 2002 with a journalism degree. Brian Freeman lives in Pennsylvania and he is currently writing a new novel.
His first published work was the 1994 short story "Bus Trip" in the anthology Paths of Imagination. His first novel was Black Fire in 2004.
Brian Freeman is also the founder, owner and publisher of Lonely Road Books, a publishing company that specializes in deluxe signed limited edition books. Lonely Road Books has released and are releasing books by Stephen King (Blockade Billy[1] and Riding the Bullet: The Deluxe Special Edition Double) Ray Garton (The Arthur Darknell Double), Douglas Clegg (The Vampyricon Trilogy: The Definitive Special Edition), Stewart O'Nan (Poe), and the Dark Forces: The 25th Anniversary Special Edition anthology edited by Kirby McCauley.[2]
Contents [hide]
1
Selected bibliography
1.1
Novels and Novellas
1.2
Non-fiction
1.3
Chapbooks
1.4
Short story collections
1.5
Short stories
1.5.1
Short story anthology appearances
1.5.1.1
Shivers anthology series
1.6
Poetry
1.6.1
From Halloween: New Poems
1.7
Essays
1.8
Interviews conducted
1.9
Columns
2
External links
3
See also
4
References
Selected bibliography[edit]
Novels and Novellas[edit]
Blue November Storms (Limited Edition hardcover from Cemetery Dance Publications, 2005)
A revised paperback and E-book edition of Blue November Storms was released in 2013 with new illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne, an introduction by Ray Garton, and "Ink-slinger: An Interview with Glenn Chadbourne" by Robert Brouhard
Black Fire (as James Kidman) (Cemetery Dance Publications, hardcover, and Leisure Books, paperback 2004)
This Painted Darkness (as Brian James Freeman) (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010)
Non-fiction[edit]
The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book - co-authored with Bev Vincent and illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2005)
Buzz Your MP3 (Pigeonhole Press, November 2001)
Chapbooks[edit]
"Pulled Into Darkness" (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2004)
Short story collections[edit]
More Than Midnight - limited edition hardcover featuring "What They Left Behind," "The Final Lesson," "Among Us," "Pulled Into Darkness," "Answering the Call," with an introduction by Michael Koryta and illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2012)
Seven Stories - eBook featuring "Walking With the Ghosts of Pier 13," "Running Rain," "Answering the Call," "The Punishment Room," "What They Left Behind," "A Dreamlike State," and "Where Sunlight Sleeps" (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010)
Short stories[edit]
"Where Sunlight Sleeps" - featured as an exclusive on Mark Sieber's Horror Drive-In [1] (April 2009)
"The Gorman Gig" - featured Short Story of the Month on Horror World (June 2006)
"Bigger and Better" — Horrorfind.com (Spring 2001)
"Partners for Life" — Dark Abstractions (Summer 2000)
"Red #5" — genrEZONE Magazine (June 1, 1999)
"Red Rose" — The Story Shop VI (Winter 1998)
"White Wine" — Lost Worlds (July 1997) and reprinted in Mausoleum (January 1998)
"The Circle" — Cedar Cliff Annual Magazine (May 1997)
"Art Work" — Nocturnal Lyric (April 1997)
"The Return" — Nocturnal Lyric (Fall 1996)
"Sold My Soul to King" — NuTH0uSE Magazine (October 1996) and then reprinted in The Story Shop VI (Winter 1998) and also in Uncut Gems II (June 1999)
"I Don't" — Eyes (June 1996)
"Beginning & End" — local Gold Key winner (1996)
"White Wine" — local Silver Key winner (1996)
"Objects in the Rear View Mirror" — Bright Beginnings (Fall 1995) and reprinted in Nocturnal Lyric (April 1998)
"Bus Trip" — Paths of Imagination (Fall 1994)
Short story anthology appearances[edit]
In Laymon's Terms - edited by Kelly Laymon, Steve Gerlach, and Richard Chizmar (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010), featuring "Loving Roger" and a non-fiction piece called "Meeting Richard Laymon"
4 Fear Of by Richard Chizmar, Brian Freeman, Brian Keene, and Tom Monteleone (Borderlands Press, 2006), featuring "Passenger 36-B," "What They Left Behind," and "One Last Lesson" (revised version of the previously published "Bigger and Better")
Borderlands 5 - edited by Elizabeth E. Monteleone & Thomas F. Monteleone (Borderlands Press, 2003), featuring "Answering the Call" which was reprinted in From the Borderlands (Warner Books, 2004) and The Best of the Borderlands (Borderlands Press, 2005)
Corpse Blossoms - edited by Julia Sevin and R.J. Sevin (Creeping Hemlock Press, 2005), featuring "Running Rain"
The Best of Horrorfind II - edited by Brian Keene (Horrorfind LLC, 2003), featuring "Bigger and Better"
In Darkness Eternal II - edited by Glenda Woodrum (Stygian Vortex Publications, 1996), featuring "The Glow"
Shivers anthology series[edit]
All from Cemetery Dance Publications and edited by Richard Chizmar:
Shivers (2002), featuring "Walking With the Ghosts of Pier 13"
Shivers II (2003), featuring "Marking the Passage of Time"
Shivers III (2004), featuring "What They Left Behind"
Shivers IV (2006), featuring "Something to Be Said for the Waiting"
Shivers V (2009), featuring "One More Day"
Poetry[edit]
"Storm Filled Dreams" — Cedar Cliff Literary Magazine (1998)
"The Rain" — Cedar Cliff Literary Magazine (1997) and reprinted in Dreams of Yesterday (1997)
"The Storm" — Bell's Letters #82 (Autumn 1996)
"I Was Left in the Dark (and That Was Just Fine With Me)" — Bell's Letters #81 (Summer 1996)
"I Don't" — Eyes (June 1996)
"Darkness" — Bell's Letters #80 (Spring 1996)
"Where Has She Gone (She Doesn't Come Here Anymore)" — Bell's Letters #79 (Winter 1996)
From Halloween: New Poems[edit]
The following poems are all from Halloween: New Poems edited by Al Sarrantonio (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010):
"Treats of the Trick"
"The Midnight People"
"Under the Halloween Tree"
"Remembering Octoberland"
Essays[edit]
"Meeting Richard Laymon" — In Laymon's Terms (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010)
"A Doorway to Other Worlds" — Don't Read This! Chilling, Thrilling, Fantastic Tales for the Young and Young at Heart (August 2009)
"My Mother's Secret Stash of Stephen King"— the Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009, (Book of the Month Club, September 2008)
Interviews conducted[edit]
"A Few Words With Mick Garris About The Shining" — the Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2010 (Book of the Month Club, October 2009)
"A Conversation With William Peter Blatty" (Cemetery Dance #62, October 2009)
Columns[edit]
"The Final Question" featured in Cemetery Dance Magazine (June 2009 to present)
"Jobs in Hell" (November 2002 to July 2003)
"Hellnotes" (January 2003 to June 2003)
Brian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and his first novel when he was twenty-four. His novels, novellas, short stories, essays, and interviews have been published by Warner Books, Cemetery Dance Publications, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, Leisure, and many others.
His novella, The Painted Darkness, took the Internet by storm as an eBook during the summer of 2010, reaching more than 30,000 readers in the first few months after publication. The book was published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications, with the signed editions selling out in just 24 hours. Due to overwhelming demand from booksellers, the first printing of the trade edition went out of print on the day of publication and Cemetery Dance rushed a second printing. The Painted Darkness was also offered as the "Free eBook of the Month" by WOWIO.com in October 2010 and within two weeks it became the most downloaded title in the program's history.
Freeman is also the author of Blue November Storms, which was recently revised and republished, and Black Fire, his first novel, which will be revised and republished by the end of 2013.
His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies since 1994 including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), and all seven volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).
He has four short story collections on the way in 2013 and 2014: More Than Midnight, Weak and Wounded, Dreamlike States, and Lost and Lonely. Seven Stories, an Amazon eBook exclusive short story collection, was the #1 bestselling story collection on Amazon.com in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, and France, and #2 bestseller in Italy, during the first week of February 2012.
Freeman is also the editor of the anthology Dueling Minds, which was published in 2013 as the 10th volume in the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Signature Series.
He's well-known in the Stephen King fan community for his retired website, StephenKingNews.com, and his two well-regarded books of Stephen King trivia: The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (with Bev Vincent) and The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Trivia Book (with Kevin Quigley and Hans-Ake Lilja), both of which featured the artwork of Glenn Chadbourne.
Since December 2008, Freeman has been the managing editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, where his column "The Final Question" appears. His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009 (Book of the Month Club), The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2010 (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance. His non-fiction has been translated into French.
Freeman is also the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Mick Garris, Stewart O'Nan, and other acclaimed authors. You can learn more on the official Lonely Road Books website at http://www.LonelyRoadBooks.com
He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, two cats, and two German Shorthaired Pointers. More books are on the way. Learn more about his work on his website, http://www.BrianJamesFreeman.com
Brian James Freeman
Brian James Freeman's novels, novellas, short stories, interviews, and essays have been published by Warner Books, Cemetery Dance, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, Leisure, and many others.
His newest book-length work of fiction is The Painted Darkness, which took the Internet by storm during the summer of 2010 and was published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications. Due to overwhelming demand from booksellers, the first printing went out of print on the day of publication and Cemetery Dance rushed a second printing. The Painted Darkness was also offered as the "Free eBook of the Month" by WOWIO.com in October 2010, and within two weeks it became the most downloaded title in the program's history. Brian is also the author of Blue November Storms, Black Fire, and The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (with Bev Vincent.)
Brian's short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), and all six volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).
Brian is currently the managing editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, where his column "The Final Question" appears. His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2009 (Book of the Month Club), The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar 2010 (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance.
Brian is also the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Mick Garris, Stewart O’Nan, and other acclaimed authors. You can learn more on the official Lonely Road Books website at LonelyRoadBooks.com
Quoted in Sidelights: “The stage might have been set by the creepy old woods we lived by until I was five years old. We were in the middle of nowhere and I would explore those woods for hours on end, finding all kinds of abandoned trash and treasures.”
Talking Horror With ‘Dark Screams’ Editors Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar
By Matt Staggs
November 10, 2014
SHARE
Good anthologies have always been a staple in my fiction diet, and I can credit the tireless (and often sadly thankless) efforts of talented editors for leading me to what became some of my favorite authors, as well as extending the sometimes limited lifespans of favorite short stories. I am very pleased to introduce two such hard-working editors to our readers, Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar.
Brian and Richard are two of the people behind the legendary horror magazine Cemetery Dance, and have recently finished work on Dark Screams: Volume One, an e-exclusive horror anthology from Hydrafeaturing stories by Stephen King, Kelley Armstrong, Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark, and Ramsey Campbell. Purchase it from your favorite ebook retailer December 9, 2014
—–
First of all, I want to thank you for agreeing to an interview. I’ve admired Cemetery Dance for a long time, but must admit that I don’t know much about the circumstances of its origin. Can someone give me the quick version of the story? Also, what does the name mean?
RC: “Cemetery Dance” was the title of one of the first short stories I ever sold. Way back in the Golden Days of the late 1980s! All I really remember is that I set out to write a story where the cemetery itself was almost a living and breathing character. I believe the first two magazines I sold it to went out of business before the story was ever published. Peter Crowther, a wonderful writer and editor, finally published it in his fine anthology, Narrow Houses, first in England and then here in the States.
I was selling a fair amount of short fiction during that time. There were dozens of small press magazines to submit to, and it was an exciting and energetic time to be a young writer of horror fiction. But…a lot of those small press magazines were of – how shall I say this? – less than stellar quality when it came to visual presentation. In many cases, not a lot of thought or energy went into concepts such as cover design, interior page design, or even the overall mix of contents.
I can remember being very excited to open an envelope containing my contributor copies, only to be a little embarrassed to show my friends and family the finished product. These feelings ultimately led me to start my own magazine in the summer of 1988. I was most impressed with David Silva’s The Horror Show magazine and once I discovered that he handled the editorial, promotional, and design duties all by himself, I figured if he could do it, why couldn’t I? Ahh, the ignorance and bravado of youth!
I published the first issue of Cemetery Dance in December of 1988, and it featured the mix of fiction, non-fiction, and interviews that I personally preferred in my own reading. It also highlighted a solid mix of established writers along with newcomers, something I greatly admired about The Horror Show and something we still try to accomplish today. And now, here it is almost 30 years later, and we are still ticking. Who ever would’ve guessed that?
I’ve always called Cemetery Dance “the horror fiction periodical of letter” because it seems like getting a story published there has often been the prelude to many professional careers, or a sign that you’ve made it. Who are some of the up-and-comers that you’ve published early on and seen go on to greater recognition?
RC: We were fortunate enough to publish early stories from writers such as Bentley Little, Norman Partridge, Ronald Kelly, Gary Braunbeck, Barry Hoffman, and many others.
Are there any experiences that you can remember that first turned you on to horror fiction? Mine was an anthology for young readers titled Ten Tales Calculated to Give You Shudders.
RC: For me, it was horror comics and then those Saturday afternoon Creature Double Features on television. I was captivated and used to run inside – skipping out on whiffle ball games, football games, fishing with my friends, etc. – just to get home in time to watch my scary movies. Once I got a little older, it was Stephen King. And I never looked back.
BJF: In terms of my childhood, the stage might have been set by the creepy old woods we lived by until I was five years old. We were in the middle of nowhere and I would explore those woods for hours on end, finding all kinds of abandoned trash and treasures. One of the biggest treasures was a rusted pick-up truck with a tree growing out through the smashed windshield. The truck had probably been there for thirty years, and I always looked at the miles of trees all around it and wondered, “How did this get here?”
In terms of my reading, I read everything I could as a kid, mostly your standards like The Hardy Boys and The Kid Who Only Hit Homers and Choose Your Own Adventure type books until I discovered a bookcase full of Stephen King books in my parents’ basement. I spent a summer reading as many of them as I could reach, and then I started reading the books and authors that King had mentioned in his afterwords and introductions: Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, HP Lovecraft, Peter Straub, etc. At that point, I was hooked for life.
How did you go about choosing the stories for Dark Screams? You have to have read hundreds of thousands of short stories In your lives. Is it harder to do an anthology with a more general than specific theme, say, “the best horror stories of the last hundred years” versus “vampire stories”?
BJF: Our main goal with Dark Screams was to find a really nice mix of different types of horror stories. Some quiet, some loud, some with twists, and some that played off of tropes and standards. Hopefully, there’s a little something for every horror fan in these!
You’ve got a nice little mix of names here; some real heavy hitters. Seeing Kelley Armstrong is a very nice surprise, and Stephen King’s story was made into one of the stories in Creepshow, wasn’t it? I think that he starred in it, too.
BJF: Correct! The actual short story has only appeared in print a few times and never in any of Stephen King’s collections, so we were really pleased to be able to include “Weeds” here for the majority of readers who have never had a chance to actually read it.
I’ve always considered Ramsey Campbell one of the horror genre’s lesser-known masters, at least among casual readers in the United States, and while I’m quite familiar with Simon Clark, I think he’ll be a new and welcome discovery for some horror fans. I’m very interested in your inclusion of a story by Bill Pronzini, though. I’m not familiar with his work. Isn’t he a crime novelist?
BJF: Bill is well-known for his many mystery and detective books, such as his Nameless Detective series, but he also has a real dark streak. “Magic Eyes” is his story in Dark Screams and it’s the sort of tale that sneaks up on you from behind when you least expect it.
What are you hoping readers will get out of Dark Screams? What will qualify as “mission accomplished”?
RC: First and foremost, a solid return of entertainment for their investment. I hope they find the stories to be worth their time and money, and they decide to seek out further volumes. Mission accomplished would be a lot of happy readers, and hopefully a lot of happy readers who might not select horror or dark suspense as their usual reading material.
My question about Pronzini seems like a good segue into a discussion of genre. How solid are the boundary lines between horror and other genres? I’ve read a few crime and science fiction stories that absolutely horrified me, but they weren’t labeled “horror”, and as problematic as defining horror can be, the popular alternative designation, “dark fantasy” seems even more difficult.
RC: I don’t believe the lines are very solid at all. Not anymore. Sure, some folks still need to squeeze everything into neat little categories to help them with marketing campaigns, but I completely agree with what you said above. I have read crime, mystery, fantasy, western, science fiction, even mainstream fiction that has chilled me to my core.
With an exception made for the eighties horror boom (which I’d credit almost completely to Stephen King) there has been a stigma associated with being labeled a “horror author”. Am I correct in this observation? Is it getting any better? I know a few really great “lit” writers who use pseudonyms to publish horror material, lest one taint the other. It seems easier for great horror writers to cross over to literary fiction than literary authors to cross over to horror.
BJF: How authors are categorized is always kind of interesting to me because some of the darkest, most twisted things I’ve ever read have been in books that no one would think to call horror, least the judges for the literary awards get the wrong idea about how smart or deserving the author is!
Fantasy suffered from a similar stigma, but it seems to have nearly disappeared now. I’ve seen a handful of writers and public figures who previously showed no public interest (or even denied any interest) in fantastic literature and fan culture tripping over their own proverbial feet in the rush to demonstrate their fantasy and “geek” bona fides! Not that I mind: Welcome to the party, folks! (“Gooba gabba, gooba gabba, we accept you! One of us!”) Will the horror genre ever see the same kind of sea change?
BJF: It’s always funny because I’ll hear from people who say they had never read any horror fiction, but they always tune in for The Walking Dead, never miss an episode. Then one day they realized, “What a second, I bet there are scary books, too!” So, we always welcome everyone who has never given horror fiction a shot who wants to check it out. There’s something for everyone if you look around, there really is!
This is, of course, an eBook exclusive. I’ve likened being a writer in the age of the Internet and e-publishing to the golden age of the pulps: If you’re versatile, have the requisite skills, and can meet deadlines, then you can find work. However, I’m not a fiction writer or even a publisher. What is it like on your side of the aisle?
BJF: eBooks really have changed everything, of course, in terms of being able to reach readers anywhere in the world. There are more ways to get your work out there than ever before, although at the same time there are fewer paying markets for most fields. There are also more expectations on the writer, I think, to be able to promote your own work via social media and the such.
One last question: What kind of practical, real world advice would you give an aspiring horror writer?
RC: Read as much as you can, write as much as you can. It’s not easy to do or find the time and energy to do. It’s take a lot of sacrifice. But if you’re serious about it you have to do it. Read in all genres. Read fiction and non-fiction. Learn to recognize how words flow and connect to make a sentence sing. Figure out what it is you want to say and how to say it. And, maybe most importantly, don’t be afraid to fail. In fact, expect it and embrace it as part of the process.
Brian James Freeman is the author of The Painted Darkness, Blue November Storms, Black Fire, The Halloween Children (with Norman Prentiss), Darkness Whispers (with Richard Chizmar), More Than Midnight, Weak and Wounded, Dreamlike States, Lost and Lonely, and Seven Stories, an Amazon eBook exclusive short story collection that was the #1 bestselling story collection on Amazon.com in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, and France, and #2 bestseller in Italy, during the first week of February 2012. He is also the editor of Dark Screams (with Richard Chizmar), Detours, The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (with Bev Vincent), The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Trivia Book (with Kevin Quigley and Hans-Ake Lilja), Reading Stephen King, and Halloween Carnival.
Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and his first novel when he was twenty-four. His novels, novellas, anthologies, short stories, essays, and interviews have been published by Grand Central Publishing, Cemetery Dance Publications, Borderlands Press, Book-of-the-Month Club, Leisure, Random House’s Hydra imprint, and many others.
His novella, The Painted Darkness, took the Internet by storm as an eBook during the summer of 2010, reaching more than 30,000 readers in the first three months after publication. The book was published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications, with the signed editions selling out in just 24 hours. Due to overwhelming demand from booksellers, the first printing of the trade edition went out of print on the day of publication and Cemetery Dance rushed a second printing. The Painted Darkness was also offered as the “Free eBook of the Month” by WOWIO.com in October 2010, and within two weeks it became the most downloaded title in the program’s history.
His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies since 1994 including From the Borderlands (Warner Books), Borderlands 5 (Borderlands Press), Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press), Shocklines (Cemetery Dance Publications), and all eight volumes of the acclaimed Shivers anthology series (Cemetery Dance Publications).
He’s well-known in the Stephen King fan community for his two well-regarded books of Stephen King trivia: The Illustrated Stephen King Trivia Book (with Bev Vincent) and The Illustrated Stephen King Movie Trivia Book (with Kevin Quigley and Hans-Ake Lilja), both of which featured copious amounts of artwork by acclaimed horror artist Glenn Chadbourne.
Freeman is the editor Dueling Minds, which was published in 2013 as the 10th volume in the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Signature Series. He is also the editor of Detours, which collects works from numerous bestselling authors.
His essays, columns, and interviews have been published in The Stephen King Library Desk Calendar (Book of the Month Club), Jobs in Hell, Hellnotes, and Cemetery Dance. His non-fiction has been translated into French.
He is the general manager of Cemetery Dance Publications, the publisher of Lonely Road Books, and the founder of Books to Benefit. In these positions he has published the works of Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, Frank Darabont, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Max Brooks, Michael Koryta, Justin Cronin, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Slade, Frank Darabont, Mick Garris, Stewart O’Nan, and many other acclaimed authors.
Brian James Freeman lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, his sons, three cats, and two German Shorthaired Pointers. More books are on the way.
Darkness Whispers
264.3 (Jan. 16, 2017): p45.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Darkness Whispers
Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman. Scarlet Galleon, $35 (160p) ISBN 978-0-69278623-9
Anthology editors Chizmar (the Shivers series) and Freeman (the Dark Screams series) build tension and hook readers but ultimately disappoint with this svelte tale of modern small-town life gone wrong. When a stranger comes to tiny Windbrook, Penn., to test its claim as "PA's Friendliest Town," gruesome murder and mayhem follow. Sheriff Benjamin Logan, a traumatized military veteran, investigates the uncharacteristic violence besetting the town, darting from one crime scene to the next until he finally confronts the stranger and faces his ultimate challenge. The characters are instantly engaging, and the story moves at such a satisfying clip that readers will regret their rapid arrival at the weak ending, which suffers from a painfully cliched twist. The volume also contains two bonus stories: Chizmar's "The Meek Shall Inherit" follows two boys investigating a neighbor they suspect of being a serial killer and displays the same comfortable prose marking the main story; Freeman's "What they Left Behind" is a tense exploration of a haunted office building abandoned after a mysterious fire. Both stories fall flat at the end, leaving readers to wish for fresher ideas or deeper thematic content. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Darkness Whispers." Publishers Weekly, 16 Jan. 2017, p. 45. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA478405276&it=r&asid=74c5b1b3ae88f8a48f92b900d40890a1. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A478405276
The Painted Darkness
Quoted in Sidelights: “isn’t entirely shocking,” “a compelling read thanks to skillfully composed prose.”
257.37 (Sept. 20, 2010): p52.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Painted Darkness
Brian James Freeman. Cemetery Dance (www. cemeterydance.com), $19.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-58767-208-8
A free prerelease e-book edition has garnered plenty of advance buzz for this fast-paced, satisfying horror novella from Cemetery Dance Magazine editor Freeman (Blue November Storms). Twenty years after a traumatic childhood incident, Henry has become a professional painter who uses his work as an outlet for his inner demons. Something from his past has taken up residence in the basement of the house he shares with his wife, Sarah, and young son, Dillon, challenging Henry's ability to "paint against the darkness." The narrative builds up to a conclusion that isn't entirely shocking, but it still makes for a compelling read thanks to skillfully composed prose that builds tension and evokes emotional response. The paper edition includes several eerie full-page b&w illustrations by Jill Bauman. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Painted Darkness." Publishers Weekly, 20 Sept. 2010, p. 52. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA238177554&it=r&asid=94973668000674ba1acb6fc46d3b9f4b. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A238177554
Quoted in Sidelights: “After an enjoyable build-up, the story’s ending feels melodramatic and draws attention to its significant plot holes.”
The Halloween Children
261.35 (Sept. 1, 2014): p50.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Halloween Children
Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss.
Earthling, $40 (200p) ISBN 978-0-9838071-6-2
Prentiss and Freeman try hard but miss the mark in this tale of what happens when Halloween is canceled. Harris Naylor is the handyman of a Maryland apartment complex, living on-site with his neurotic wife, Lynn, and their two children, Amber and Mattie. After Harris posts fliers announcing that the complex's Halloween party will be replaced by trick-or-treating, the background irritations of living in close proximity to others--an invalid being spied on by her insurance company, a frail man with an impressive stomp, a family with an obnoxious pet--take a turn for the gruesome, leading up to the horror of a Halloween with no sanctioned outlet for the spirits. The use of an apartment complex for a haunted house story is interesting, but the characters are so unlikable, particularly the lamentably foolish Harris, that readers never engage with the horror. After an enjoyable build-up, the story's ending feels melodramatic and draws attention to its significant plot holes. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Halloween Children." Publishers Weekly, 1 Sept. 2014, p. 50. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA381406420&it=r&asid=78679bec21aeafdd5ff24eeb1a5e9aae. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A381406420
Black Fire
251.13 (Mar. 29, 2004): p44.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2004 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
BLACK FIRE
JAMES KIDMAN. Leisure, $6.99 (352p) ISBN 0-8439-5327-6
In his highly readable horror debut, Kidman employs several narrative tactics (including flashbacks, dreams and journal entries) to tell the moving story of Eddie Farris, a 20-something writer with an overactive imagination who killed his father, Michael, seven years earlier in self defense and is still suffering severe psychological consequences. Making matters worse is the fact that Eddie still lives in tiny Black Hills, Pa., where the town residents treat him like a freak. When Eddie's high school sweetheart returns, claiming to he stalked by a resurrected Michael, Eddie's life spirals even further out of control. The brutal murder act, referred to as "The
Showdown" by Eddie, isn't actually depicted until the book's end. Instead, Kidman refers to the incident throughout, slowly foreshadowing and building tension as the reader becomes emotionally invested in the characters. Readers journey with Eddie through air adolescence made miserable by his abusive father, and they share in his blossoming romance and brutal breakup with his former girlfriend. Unfortunately, a contrived conclusion cheapens the plot and may leave readers feeling duped. (May)
FYI: Cemetery Dance will release a limited-edition hardcover of Black Fire in May ($40 1-58767-106-9).
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Black Fire." Publishers Weekly, 29 Mar. 2004, p. 44. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA114922417&it=r&asid=5b06efcfce6e939385df516859de5089. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A114922417
Quoted in Sidelights: “one of the most tragic and shocking finales you’ll find,” adding: “A fantastic collaboration between two amazing authors, this is a book that will stay with you long after you close the final page.”
Book Review: “The Halloween Children” by Brian James Freeman & Norman Prentiss
Book Review: “The Halloween Children” by Brian James Freeman & Norman Prentiss
April 18, 2017
The Behrg
“The Halloween Children are watching me. They’re watching us all …”
This novella reminded me a bit of a Jack Ketchum story. The first 2/3 of the book is spent exploring the characters – in this case a quite dysfunctional family. A constant sense of dread continues to build as questions are strung throughout the narrative like carefully placed decorations, until you reach the end which comes screaming at you like a freight train lifted from its tracks.
The narrative point of views, in flipping from Lynn and Harris’s perspectives, worked extremely well as you couldn’t fully trust either of the two narrators. The savvy reader begins to get the real picture of what’s going on by what’s NOT being said. I’ve always enjoyed the unreliable narrator motif, and it’s used here in quite a unique way that’s not fully understood until you reach the end.
But the ending — I’ll admit, a few times I grew a little weary of the bickering between the two parents, but this has one of the best endings for a book I’ve ever read. The thematic metaphors woven throughout one of the most tragic and shocking finales you’ll find … as I was reading I felt as if my jaw kept dropping lower and lower. Beautifully crafted, this is horror that will affect even the most jaded of horror fans.
A fantastic collaboration between two amazing authors, this is a book that will stay with you long after you close the final page.
“You’re all guilty. You’re all the Halloween Children.”
NOTE: This book will be released June 7th, by Random House and their Hydra imprint. You can pre-order a copy here.
** I received an advanced review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
Review: ‘More Than Midnight’ by Brian James Freeman
January 28, 2013 by blugilliand
1
Brian James Freeman is one of those writers that someone, some day, is going to call an “overnight success,” completely ignorant of the fact that the guy has been pounding a keyboard for years, honing his craft and developing his voice the way all good writers do.
I say this because Freeman’s 2010 novella The Painted Darkness brought him all kinds of attention, and he seems poised to be one of those “next big things.” That’s what happens when guys like Richard Matheson and David Morrell rave about your stuff – people start looking to see what you’re going to do next. What Freeman has done is offer us a peek at the earlier stages of his career with More Than Midnight, a collection of five previously-published short stories now available from Cemetery Dance. While the stories themselves may not be as transcendent as The Painted Darkness, they’re full of the kind of pulpy goodness that we just don’t get enough of these days.
Take, for example, “Pulled Into Darkness,” my personal favorite of the collection. Freeman gives us the classic setup of a stalk-n-slash movie: A man and his young daughter in an isolated house on a stormy night. On the television, news of a riot at a nearby mental health facility, the very same facility where the man’s wife (the daughter’s mother) has been locked up for allegedly trying to kill her family. Now she’s on the loose, leaving a trail of bodies behind her…and the power just went out…
Think you know where it’s going? Think again. Freeman takes the obvious conclusion and deftly twists it on its head. Granted, seasoned readers of horror fiction will likely spot the twist coming, but by giving us two possible scenarios Freeman keeps us guessing right up to the last page.
You get the sense that Freeman was having a ball writing these, telling his own little campfire tales and hoping they’d find an audience. His enjoyment is infectious – just try reading the scene in “Among Us” when the mysterious bosses of a giant law firm begin undressing and intoning “Join Us!” in front of a batch of newly-minted partners without relishing the realization that things are about to go bad for someone. These stories are full of little moments like that, and if you’re like me you’ll enjoy every one.
I have one suggestion for those able to snag a copy – don’t read these stories in the order they are presented in the book. Take a look instead at the copyright page and read them in the order they were originally published. What you’ll get is a glimpse of a young writer gleefully playing with everything the genre has to offer while laying the foundation for what’s likely to be a highly successful career.
I can’t let the review end without giving a tip of the hat to the illustrations of Glenn Chadbourne, whose insanely detailed black-and-white drawings serve as the perfect punctuation marks at the end of these stories. Top it all off with a mesmerizing cover by Vincent Chong and you’ve got a total package that’s well worth hunting up.
Quoted in Sidelights: “the perfect display of how an author paints his own picture with precise and thought-provoking words that are weaved carefully together to enable the reader to not only smell the air, but to taste it as well.”
Brian James Freeman ‘The Painted Darkness’ Review
Posted on March 8, 2013 in Authors A-L // 0 Comments
Rate This
Written by: Wayne C. Rogers
Brian James Freeman is primarily known for his small, classy press, Lonely Road Books, and as the Managing Editor of Cemetery Dance magazine. What most people don’t realize is that this very talented man is also an author of speculative fiction. In fact, Brain is so good at the written word that he could give Stephen King a run for his money.
The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman is a short novel, but every bit as powerful in character development and cutting-edge prose as the larger tombs that are now being published by the mainstream houses. In other words, this little book is what I consider to be a priceless gem just waiting to be discovered by readers of horror fiction.
The story is centered on a present-day artist named Henry (no last name is given) and what happened to him as a five-year-old child when he encountered an evil so great it changed his life forever. As an adult, Henry has blocked out the incident from his childhood. The effect of it, however, is still evident in the type of paintings he does and in something he will soon discover in the basement of his old house on a cold, wintery day. The question for Henry is what is real and what is imagined? One of the reasons Henry is such a talented artist is because of his vivid imagination. Not all the things he sees are real, though it appears to him to be so. He will have to deal with this as he tries to stay alive long enough to survive the onslaught of evil that’s raging through his home, seeking to finish the job that was started so many years before.
The Painted Darkness is the perfect display of how an author paints his own picture with precise and thought-provoking words that are weaved carefully together to enable the reader to not only smell the air, but to taste it as well. Each page comes alive in such a way that you are there in the snow with a young Henry, feeling the coldness seeping through your winter clothes, sensing the thing hunting you through the thick woods, and trying to keep the deep fear from overwhelming you as you search for the path to safety.
This is a short novel that every reader of horror fiction needs to have on his/her bookshelf because Brian James Freeman is there as an author with this gripping, fast-paced story that grabs you by the throat and throttles you senseless. Once you read The Painted Darkness, you’ll want to find everything else this author has written and then burn the midnight oil reading his stories under the sheets of your bed as tree limps rattle against your bedroom window, letting you know that there could be someone outside in the night, desperate to get in and to meet your acquaintance.
This is what writing is all about.
Grab the novel here!
Rating: 5/5
Quoted in Sidelights: “It’s actually more frightening than seeing the Torrance family torn apart, because it draws in neighbors, friends, or maybe something much closer,” related David Simms at the Monster Librarian Web site. He praised the characters and further noted: “The storytelling here is near flawless, as is the writing–always a challenge in a collaboration.”
Book Review: The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss
Posted on January 25, 2015 by Kirsten Posted in Uncategorized
The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman & Norman Prentiss
Earthling Publications, 2014
Available: Limited edition hardcover, lettered traycased hardcover.
Note: You must order directly from Earthling Publications here.
Earthling Publications’ Halloween books are something that no reader of horror fiction, or any genre of fiction, should ever miss, and The Halloween Children is no exception; Freeman and Prentiss have produced another book that has been knocked out of the park. This is a disturbing, claustrophobic, enjoyable read that encompasses everything Halloween should be.
This is an everyman’s horror story: the best, most relatable kind, that holds family close to its dark heart. Harris, the handyman for the Stillbrook apartment complex, narrates the events through diary entries. Harris lives with his wife, Lynn, his son, Matt, and his daughter, Amber. From the opening diary entries, we learn that Harris’s and Lynn’s marriage is about as frayed as possible, without blood being spilled (for the moment). Lynn is paranoid about her husband’s work around the complex, assuming the worst. She also believes something is seriously wrong with their son. Parents can have favorites, and this usually leads to hurt, deceit, and psychological wounds that have far-reaching effects. In this case, mother sides with daughter, and father with son. Neither parent, however, is aware of what their children are doing, or planning. Then the owner/manager of the complex decides that Halloween should be canceled this year. No party will take place, no decorations will adorn the buildings and grounds. When the children hear about the holiday cancellation, the slow-motion disintegration of the family, community, and soul is already underway.
Parallels may be drawn to The Shining, but The Halloween Children is utterly original and deserves to be given applause on its own merits. Freeman and Prentiss are talented, far more than has been recognized by the masses. The storytelling here is near flawless, as is the writing– always a challenge in a collaboration. If this is what they are capable of as a team, I hope that more writing from both will be on the way soon. The characters make the story, and it’s actually more frightening than seeing the Torrance family torn apart, because it draws in neighbors, friends, or maybe something much closer. While The Halloween Children can be read in one sitting, take some time and enjoy it, allowing its effects to take hold. A perfect tale for any holiday. Well, any holiday that includes a fragmented, fragile family. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by David Simms
Quoted in Sidelights: In The Painted Darkness, Freeman is doing far more than telling a scary story (although he is telling a scary story, and doing it quite well),” remarked Darkscribe online contributor Blu Gilliand. “He’s looking at the questions that all artists are frequently asked. Questions about where ideas come from, and whether something imaginary becomes real once the artist brings it to life.” Gilliand added: “Freeman balances both narratives expertly, dovetailing them together at the end so that we are presented with one cohesive, impactful story.”
The Painted Darkness / Brian James Freeman
Cemetery Dance / December 2010
Reviewed by: Blu Gilliand
Brian James Freeman has gotten a lot of attention for the way he's gone about marketing his new book from Cemetery Dance, The Painted Darkness. In case you're one of the few who hasn't heard — he gave it away. Every word, available for free as a download. There was no gimmick. There was no agreement required that those downloading the file would turn around and purchase the physical book when it comes out in December. Hey, he even gave it to this reviewer twice — not long after I downloaded the electronic version, he was kind enough to send me an advanced copy of the printed product.
So, while we've heard a lot about the way Freeman is publicizing his work, we’ve yet to hear a lot about the work itself. I have no doubt that's going to change as we march closer to the publication date, and I'm happy to be among the first voices moving beyond the cry of "It's free!" and into the realm of "It's great!"
Because it is, you know. It's an ambitious piece of storytelling that delves not only into the mysterious act of creation itself – something that many in Freeman's audience will be able to relate to – to something we can all relate to: the crippling power of childhood fears. The fact that it does all this in quiet, understated tones reminiscent of the likes of Charles L. Grant makes it all the more amazing, moving and powerful.
Henry is a painter, living in an old rural farmhouse with his wife and young son. His attic is his workspace, and lately he's been spending a lot of time up there – even more than usual – painting canvases that he promptly turns to face the wall. He can't remember what he's painted on those, and for the time being it doesn't seem important. On this particular day, he's poised in front of another blank canvas, seeking that thin entryway into the state of semi-dreaming that he enters when he works. It's not coming easy, though, as there's more than art on his mind — his wife, upset at the amount of time he's been zoning out and working lately, took off with his son last night, and he hasn't heard from them since they left.
Eventually, though, he eases into work, only to be brought out of his reverie a few hours later as the boiler in the cellar begins making ominous sounds. As he breaks away from painting to take care of the boiler, Henry finds that the threads of a childhood memory are beginning to come back to him — a memory that ties right into the core of his artwork. Freeman presents that memory to us in a series of flashback chapters intercut with the chapters following present-day Henry, allowing us to discover the incident even as Henry is recovering its memory for the first time in his adult life.
In The Painted Darkness, Freeman is doing far more than telling a scary story (although he is telling a scary story, and doing it quite well). He's looking at the questions that all artists are frequently asked. Questions about where ideas come from, and whether something imaginary becomes real once the artist brings it to life. Writers in particular talk often about how their "real" and "imaginary" worlds blend together — how often have you heard writers say that their characters speak to them, or that they feel less like they're making something up and more like they're transcribing events that are really taking place? If characters in books seem real to readers, imagine how they must seem to the one that created them.
For Henry, the reality of his creations is even more, well, real than most. And as the events of this book unfold, both in the present-day sections and the flashback, we begin to understand how dangerous that reality is, and how important his work has become.
Freeman balances both narratives expertly, dovetailing them together at the end so that we are presented with one cohesive, impactful story. Jill Bauman contributes a series of black-and-white illustrations that perfectly convey the mood of the tale.
The Painted Darkness is a quick read, but it’s one that sinks in and stays with you for a while. Artists will have a special appreciation for Freeman’s views on the nature of creation, but anyone who has an appreciation for the work that artists do – not to mention the appreciation of a good old-fashioned spook story – will enjoy this book.
More Than Midnight by Brian James Freeman. Book Review
Posted on January 10, 2013 by craiglockley in Reviews
Tweet
MORE THAN MIDNIGHT by Brian James Freeman, Cemetery Dance, 128 pages, $ 35.00
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Besides his involvement with Cemetery Dance , Brian James Freeman is by now recognized as an acclaimed horror writer. A fine example of his writing is provided by  the recent successful novel “The Painted Darknessâ€.
For the numerous readers who have developed an appetite for Freeman’s charming dark fiction, here’s a brand new mini-collection assembling five excellent short stories.
“What They Left Behind†is a scary tale full of tension, set in a dilapidated warehouse ,abandoned since a terrible fire where many people got killed.
In the accomplished, captivating “The Final Lesson†a placid teacher takes revenge on two punks bringing violence and death in a peaceful small village.
“Answering the Call†effectively portraits a young man with a difficult job , namely getting rid of evil souls trying to return from beyond the grave.
The highlights of the volume are two extremely well crafted tales. The first is titled “Among Us†, a great, quite horrific story about the monsters who hide among us and inside us. A frightening horror tale but also a parable about evil lurking in the world. The other story is “Pulled Into Darkness†a tense thriller with a shocking ending taking place during a violent nocturnal storm.
It is now evident that Freeman is no longer a promising horror writer but an established master of the genre.
Quoted in Sidelights: From the great, early slow build of the book to the terrifying, satisfying payoff, The Halloween Children is a complete success.
a twisty funhouse ride through the minds of Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss, two enormously talented writers who have created an instant Halloween classic
Review: ‘The Halloween Children’ by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss
OCTOBER 3, 2014 BY BLUGILLIAND
1
TheHalloweenChildren-HC-mediumThe first weekend of October has arrived. A cold front is sweeping through Alabama tonight, scrubbing away the awful humidity and bringing us, at least for a few days, actual fall temperatures. I’ve got the makings for a huge pot of chili, there’s wood in the fire pit, and various autumn-flavored ales are stocked in the fridge. And, best of all, I’ve got a great October read to tell you about, the perfect way to start what I hope will be a month full of literary greatness.
The Halloween Children is a twisty funhouse ride through the minds of Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss, two enormously talented writers who have created an instant Halloween classic in this, their first collaboration. Much like Norm Partridge’s Dark Harvest, The Halloween Children is an expert distillation of the Halloween season, capturing that peculiar mix of excitement, dread and outright fear in its pages.
Stillbrook Apartments is a quiet apartment complex with a history shrouded in rumor and secrecy. Some bad things may have happened there at one time – or maybe not. “Truth” is something of an abstract concept in this novel, and the authors work very deliberatly and efficiently at keeping any sort of real answers tantalizingly out of reach.
What we do know is this: Harris, his wife Lynn, and their children Mattie and Amber live in Stillbrook. Harris is the complex’s handyman, met each day with a list of resident complaints both normal (burned-out lights and broken locks) and unusual (whining in the walls and untraceable odors). From the get-go we can see that there’s a humming wire of tension running through the family, an obvious dividing line that pits father and son against mother and daughter. For the most part they keep things civil, even loving at times, but as Halloween approaches outside forces go to work on the wedge that’s already there. First come small things, like uncharacteristic bursts of rage from Lynn, and possible hallucinations experienced by Harris. There seem to be easy explanations for these things at first, but as the story moves forward everyone – characters and readers
alike – begins to question, well, everything.
The final mad descent begins when the family finds a living creature being baked alive in their oven. From there the tone shifts from unsettling to downright horrifying. It’s a change that could have easily derailed the book, but Freeman and Prentiss keep a tight reign on the proceedings all the way through to the tragic end.
From the great, early slow build of the book to the terrifying, satisfying payoff, The Halloween Children is a complete success. Freeman and Prentiss do a great job in blending their unique styles into one pure voice – like Stephen King and Peter Straub with The Talisman and Black House, you’ll try to guess who wrote what, and you’ll most likely get it wrong. Reading this was the perfect kickoff to the Halloween season for me, and I have a feeling it will be part of my permanent October rotation for a long time to come.
Advertisements