It’s always a delight to help an author friend push a new book that I’ve read and enjoyed, and this one is a winner!
Newfoundland, Canada, 1992.
Gale Harbour hasn’t seen any excitement since the military abandoned the base there thirty years ago, unless you count the Tuesday night 2-for-1 video rentals at Jerry’s Video Shack. So when a dead body turns up floating in the town water supply, all evidence seems to point to a boring accident.
Niall, Pius and Harper are dealing with pre-teen awkwardness in the last days of summer before the start of high school. The same night the body is found, the three of them witness unusual lights in the sky over the bay.
Is it a coincidence? Are the lights connected to the rapidly-increasing string of mysterious deaths? And what does the creepy old lady at the nursing home have to do with it?
There is an evil older than time hidden deep beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. It is hungry, and vengeful, and it has its sights set on Gale Harbour to begin its path of destruction. All that stands in its way are a group of kids who would rather be playing Street Fighter II…
My review:
Set in Gale Harbor, Newfoundland in the ‘90s, this book comes replete with pop culture references from that era. The author must have an excellent memory for his tween years, because the three tween protagonists are beautifully drawn—tender, vulnerable, awkward, dorky, and in Niall’s case, lovesick.
I love the way Gallant-King’s unexpected villains avoid the bad-guy stereotypes. I won’t spoil the story by telling you who the villain is, but it’s original and scary! And you’ll love the way he endows very old ladies with superpowers, making them villainous and heroic.
Tons of laughs, great characters, descriptions and pacing. Perfect balance of humor and horror, just like in Gallant-King’s Hell Comes to Hogtown. I highly recommend both books!
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Beast-Outer-Space-Harbour-ebook/dp/B08BY2XGBC
AMAZON CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/Psycho-Beast-Outer-Space-Harbour-ebook/dp/B08BY2XGBC
AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psycho-Beast-Outer-Space-Harbour-ebook/dp/B08BY2XGBC
C.D. Gallant-King writes comic horror and fantasy stories in a variety of settings and genres. He is a proud Newfoundlander and Canadian currently living in Ottawa, Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. He lived in Toronto for 10 years and tried to be an actor and a rock star, but we don’t talk about that. He is now a happy husband and father of two.
C.D. has previously published two novels, and a third book, PSYCHO HOSE BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE, is set to be released September 28. His book HELL COMES TO HOGTOWN was a semi-finalist in Mark Lawrence’s 2018 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. His work has also appeared four times in Mystery & Horror’s STRANGELY FUNNY anthologies of comic horror stories, an upcoming issue of The Weird and Whatnot magazine, and in two anthologies from Dancing Lemur Press.
Tell us about your inspiration for this story.
I have wanted to write a story set in my home province of Newfoundland for a while. I’ve also seen lots of 80s nostalgia as of late, and while I get it, I’m more of a child of the early 90s. I wanted to see more stories that captured my own childhood, but with more otherworldly monsters.
What do you love about the genre you write in?
I tend to write in a variety of genre fiction- fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mystery – but always with a comic touch. I find genre fiction to be inherently funny. There are so many tropes and cliches and baggage that come with it that it’s basically a parody of itself already. I just think we need to embrace it and have fun with it – there is no need to take anything so seriously.
Do you write in other genres?
While I stick mostly to horror and dark contemporary fantasy, I’ve dabbled in mysteries, romance, sci-fi, and some YA fantasy. I would love to do more. I would love to write a western, historical fiction or Amish erotica. It’s just a matter of finding my sense of humour in those other styles.
Tell us about your journey from aspiring writer to published author.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I started seriously trying to get published in my early twenties, querying agents and magazines and publishers. I never got anything but a box full of rejection letters (this was back when they still did all of this by regular mail). Life got in the way after that and although I kept writing I didn’t submit much anymore. Fast forward ten years – while I missed the dawn of self-publishing, I really felt like this was the path for me. I saw other writers doing it and said “I can write better than that.” Hopefully now I inspire others in the same way.
What does your writing space look like?
I write wherever and whenever I can. I wrote most of my last book on the bus during my commute to and from work. I wrote my newest book primarily on my phone. I have to find whatever time and space I can get, so I’m not going to get bogged down by fancy things like a desk or a chair or a computer that actually works.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Do not listen to the advice of other writers. At the very least, take everything with a hefty shovel full of salt. What works for them may not work for you.
Connect with C.D. Gallant-King on social media:
Website: https://galeharbourbooks.wordpress.com/
Blog: http://cdgallantking.ca
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/book/show/54746956-psycho-hose-beast-from-outer-space
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CDGallantKing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdgallantking
