Book Review – “Creature” by Hunter Shea (2018) Flame Tree Press

I started reading Shea’s work several years ago and have been Hooked On Hunter ever since. From ghost stories to crazy, blood-thirsty cryptids, he packs it all into a fast-paced read that I don’t seem able to get enough of. But, I’d hear that if you’re a fan of Shea’s monster books, you’re in for something very different with “Creature” – and you won’t be disappointed.

Andrew Woodson rents an idyllic lakeside cabin in the woods of Maine as a place for his chronically ill wife Kate and he to get away from all the doctors, hospitals and medical procedures – if only for a few months. But, it doesn’t take long before they realize there’s something in the woods beyond happily twittering birds and a chattering squirrels. There’s something big out there, really big and really, really pissed off.  At first they think maybe it’s just a moose or a bear and briefly convince themselves it’s a deer. But, can any of those creatures throw huge rocks onto the roof or slam so hard into the walls of their vacation home as to knock items off shelves? When Kate’s brother and sister-in-law arrive for a visit, things only get worse.

As mentioned, this isn’t your ordinary Hunter Shea novel. Oh, there’s monster mayhem, but what that monster is and why it’s gone completely insane remains a mystery until the agonizing end. There’s a lot of pain in this book, physically and emotionally. It’s a story of fighting for your life, be it against a possibly terminal illness or a mysterious monster stalking you and your family. How do you fight back against something you can’t see, or when you don’t even know what that something is?

I was warned, but didn’t believe, that I’d be crying at the end of this one. I was.

5 out of 5 Ravens

The Raven Scale
1 Raven: Ew. Yuck. Don’t Eat That.
2 Ravens: Bread Crumbs, A Bit Dry & Flavorless, But It’ll Keep Us Alive.
3 Ravens: Peanuts, Popcorn, And Cat Kibble! Nom-nom.
4 Ravens: Pizza Place Dumpster After Lunch! Hell, yeah!
5 Ravens: Holy Shit! Fresh Road Kill, Dudes!

Author Interview – Kasey Hill

For the month of October, we’re stepping into the wonderfully witchy & macabre world of author Kasey Hill who’s been writing since Kindergarten!

1. Much like myself, I know you began reading and writing from an early age, elementary school. I’d love to know a little bit more about that. What were some of your favorite books as a child and do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

KaseyHillI was all over genres growing. I read the entire Babysitter’s Little Sister’s Club books when I was 8 in like 2 weeks. I loved science fiction, fantasy, any kind of books I devoured. The first story I remember writing was in Kindergarten. I wrote a 500 word story about a princess and a castle. The second one was in 4th grade and I wrote a mix of Freddy Krueger, Jason, and the Devil coming after me on Halloween. I then started writing more the next year. My mom bought a typewriter and I started writing stories on the typewriter. This was before computers were really affordable or used often. I would write stories and read them in class the next day. I remember having an Animorphs fan fiction story with vampires. This was before fan fiction was even a thing.

2. The occult and anything paranormal always piques my interest. What can you tell me about the work you’ve done with Nancy Chandler and Trinitarian Wicca?

Nancy Chandler and I have been working together for 10 years on a follow up book to her debut book “Christian Wicca: The Trinitarian Tradition”. She quickly realized that her book was taken out of context. We are currently working on rewriting that book and finishing up Book 2 about the Goddess. (Note from Pamela:  Due to the lengthy answer needed to explain Trinitarian Wicca, Kasey & I agreed to cut her replay a bit short. – If you are interested in learning more about the concepts behind Trinitarian Wicca check out the website: Trinitarian Wicca)

Haunting_Hill3. Setting a mood for a story is one of the most important parts of writing, but what about setting the mood for yourself as you sit down to write? Do you have a special time and place, or maybe some music you like to put on to get your creative juices flowing for a good session?

Actually, no. Unless my kids are misbehaving to the point it’s a distraction, I don’t really need anything to set the mood so to speak. The story just has to be there. The story paints a picture for me like a movie and I type as I see it in my head. The characters are very real to me and jump off the movie screen into the story.

I recently finished one book and published it under my maiden name Kasey Thompson, Surviving Sarah, which I did use music for but for a different reason than most would. The book centered on depression and suicide, and since it was very close to home, I used the music I listen to during dark days to get into character. I recently overcame a really bad bout of depression and it was harder getting back into character, so the music that aided me I used to write.

4. I recently had the pleasure of seeing the Wicked Witch of the West’s gazing ball used on the set of the original Wizard of Oz movie. I’m a HUGE fan of Oz. Tell us about your Return To Oz series and when can we expect to read more?

WastelandOzI decided to write the Return to Oz series because there really isn’t a continuation of the story. Dorothy is in Oz at the end of Baum’s books and will never grow old or die, or so they think. I wanted to make it more realistic and after the death of her aunt and uncle, she returns to the real world to start her life. It’s much later in years, but she has riches from the kingdom to sustain her new venture. She has a daughter that becomes the main focal point of the spinoff. I actually reassigned the stories to a pen name since my children are now in school. I didn’t want my young adult books tainted. So Isobel Ingram is the new penman of the series and I hoping to finish book 2 this year to release.

5. Speaking of reading more, what’s next on the agenda for you? Any works in progress you can tell us a teaser about and where can we find your work and learn more about you?

I have 4 series in progress right now. I recently started a ghost story series about the haunting of my land. I also have Books 3 through 4 pending writes for sequels to my Guardians of Light series (Firefly of Immortality). I have a coauthored book with Nancy Chandler about vampires that we are doing Book 2 for The House Sarkozy series as well as the Wicca books. I also have the sequel to Dombie: A Love Story to finish that I also gave to another pen name Girty Thompson. I counted up all the story ideas I have started and unfinished just the other day and have well over 50 to do before I die. I plan to get each one out. Don’t even ask me about my poetry books. LOL. I write poetry nonstop and have a poetic series I am launching called Tattered Wings.

You can follow me on social media I am EVERYWHERE! www.facebook.com/kasey.hill.author
www.twitter.com/kdt02201988
www.instagram.com/kaseyhillauthor
kaseyhillauthor.wordpress.com
kaseyhillauthor.tumblr.com

And you can find my books on Amazon or any book retailer outlet.

All images provided by author Kasey Hill and used with her permission. (c) 2018