The face of publishing has changed drastically over the past few years and continues to develop and change. With the constantly growing market of electronic books and e-readers the method and means of buying and reading books is far different from what it was only five to ten years ago. I, as a writer and avid reader of independent horror, am thrilled with the way the market is changing. No longer do talented writers have to rely on the power of New York publishers to try and get a slim chance of publication. Many imprints and independent publishing houses allow for better chances for authors to get their work published.
However, potentially even more lucrative and easily available is the option to independently self-publish. Online services such as Lulu, CreateSpace, and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing make it so author's have easy access to a large audience of readers. My first book--Office Horrors--was published through these services and has seen some success.
Therefore, I am a strong advocate for self-publishing, especially through electronic books.
Recently, I was searching for Christmas themed horror fiction and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a short story by Travis Hill--a self-publishing author--titled, A Christmas Tale. The story is free to download for Kindle so I went ahead and quickly picked it up. (Having some short fiction that is free for e-readers is a great way to get picked up by readers. And those who enjoyed the story will be more likely to pay for a book in the future.)
A Christmas Tale takes the old classical image of a father telling stories to his little boys in front of a fire place and turns it on its head. Donny, Mickey, and Terry are three misbehaved little boys. They have managed to really outdo themselves this time. They have managed to burn a large hole in their family's couch.
Paul, the three boy's father, is furious. But more than that, he is afraid. Paul is well aware of what happens to little boys who make the "naughty" list around Christmas time. Once Paul's wife comes home--and after her fearful outburst--Paul sits the three boys down and tells them a story of his own childhood. He tells them of a year that he himself made the "naughty" list.
He recounts how he burned down a barn and an entire field with come firecrackers one year. He knew he was a very naughty kid and would definitely be on the naughty list that year. But it wasn't until he received the morbid gift on Christmas morning that he realized how naughty he truly was.
Paul's story scares his three boys to their wits end. And Paul hopes to all goodness that they won't make the "naughty" list.
To give any more details about the story would be to destroy its truly horrifying moments. The pinnacle of the story, when Paul's younger self opens the Christmas package, is a satisfyingly grotesque moment.
A Christmas Tale manages to satisfy as a horror story and does well and characterizing the father and his three boys. Being a short story we never get too deep into any one of these characters, but it is sufficient enough to engage the reader in their plight. By the end of the story I truly felt sorry for Paul.
Paul's wife, however, feels a little tacked on. She doesn't seem to have much of a roll in the story and her presence feels a little odd. I do see how she added to the atmosphere and dynamic of the middle to lower class household--which Hill captures very well. The story has a distinct tone to it that I appreciate.
A few of the plot elements feel convoluted and disjointed from one another. I was surprised and satisfied by the ending and yet still found it a little strange in connection with the rest of the story. I only wish there had been more foreshadowing for the final outcome of the work.
However, potentially even more lucrative and easily available is the option to independently self-publish. Online services such as Lulu, CreateSpace, and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing make it so author's have easy access to a large audience of readers. My first book--Office Horrors--was published through these services and has seen some success.
Therefore, I am a strong advocate for self-publishing, especially through electronic books.
Recently, I was searching for Christmas themed horror fiction and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a short story by Travis Hill--a self-publishing author--titled, A Christmas Tale. The story is free to download for Kindle so I went ahead and quickly picked it up. (Having some short fiction that is free for e-readers is a great way to get picked up by readers. And those who enjoyed the story will be more likely to pay for a book in the future.)
A Christmas Tale takes the old classical image of a father telling stories to his little boys in front of a fire place and turns it on its head. Donny, Mickey, and Terry are three misbehaved little boys. They have managed to really outdo themselves this time. They have managed to burn a large hole in their family's couch.
Paul, the three boy's father, is furious. But more than that, he is afraid. Paul is well aware of what happens to little boys who make the "naughty" list around Christmas time. Once Paul's wife comes home--and after her fearful outburst--Paul sits the three boys down and tells them a story of his own childhood. He tells them of a year that he himself made the "naughty" list.
He recounts how he burned down a barn and an entire field with come firecrackers one year. He knew he was a very naughty kid and would definitely be on the naughty list that year. But it wasn't until he received the morbid gift on Christmas morning that he realized how naughty he truly was.
Paul's story scares his three boys to their wits end. And Paul hopes to all goodness that they won't make the "naughty" list.
To give any more details about the story would be to destroy its truly horrifying moments. The pinnacle of the story, when Paul's younger self opens the Christmas package, is a satisfyingly grotesque moment.
A Christmas Tale manages to satisfy as a horror story and does well and characterizing the father and his three boys. Being a short story we never get too deep into any one of these characters, but it is sufficient enough to engage the reader in their plight. By the end of the story I truly felt sorry for Paul.
Paul's wife, however, feels a little tacked on. She doesn't seem to have much of a roll in the story and her presence feels a little odd. I do see how she added to the atmosphere and dynamic of the middle to lower class household--which Hill captures very well. The story has a distinct tone to it that I appreciate.
A few of the plot elements feel convoluted and disjointed from one another. I was surprised and satisfied by the ending and yet still found it a little strange in connection with the rest of the story. I only wish there had been more foreshadowing for the final outcome of the work.
Summing it Up
A Christmas Story is by no means a perfect work of fiction. However, it is a satisfying story of holiday horror. It manages to combine the strange atmosphere that accompanies the holiday season with the dark grotesque elements of modern horror. It is disturbing without going overboard. Hill creates a realistic home with realistic middle class American characters, and then he plants a disturbing plot of horror right in their little lives. It is a good and short holiday story and is worth a read.
Deaths: 4
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 0
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 3
Overall Rating: 3.5
Deaths: 4
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 0
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 3
Overall Rating: 3.5
To learn more about my rating system click here.