Guest Post: All in Fear Featuring Author Avon Gale

We’re so pleased to have author Avon Gale joining us today on the All in Fear blog tour. This is some awesomely frightful and fantastic Horror, all in one book–I loved it–and Avon’s Legion: A Love Story is exceptional.

Welcome, Avon!

Favorite Horror Reads

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This is my favorite book, my favorite horror novel and the film adaptation is my favorite horror movie (not the one made in the 90’s, that movie is dead to me). I get a little fangirly (okay, a lot fangirly) talking about it and why I love it so much, so I’ll try to make it concise so this doesn’t turn into an essay. I love the gorgeous descriptions; Jackson makes the house sound like the most sinister place in the world simply by discussing the way the angles are oriented. I love the subtle air of dread she weaves throughout the narrative, how she builds the tension and suspense. I love the lesbian subtext. But what I love the most is the main character, Eleanor. Because in order to make horror work for me as a reader (or a viewer, if we’re talking about movies), I need to care about the characters. Or I need to be invested in them, which sometimes means I don’t like them at all but still want to see what happens. What makes this book so terrifying is that on one level, it’s a brilliantly executed haunted house story. On the other, there’s the implication it might all be in Eleanor’s mind and you, the reader, might never know which it is. It’s as disquieting as the things that happen in the house, not knowing if it’s real, half-real, or all Eleanor’s doing (consciously or not). There’s this suffocating claustrophobia that is delicately and brilliantly rendered. I could talk about this book for hours, seriously.

One Thing About the Night by Terry Dowling
I read this short story in a horror anthology I picked up at the library, and then spent years trying to find it again. (God love whoever read my post on a sci-fi/horror forum and provided me the name!) This is not a perfect story, and Dowling’s writing might not be for everyone. It’s heavily-saturated, as dense as Jackson’s is delicate, but I think the length of the story really does it justice. Short stories are, in my opinion, well-suited toward horror and this one is exactly why. It’s about a man who’s investigating a psychomanteum – a circular room made of mirrors that is used for scrying – in the home of a recently deceased man. This story has the absolute best, scariest ending of any horror story I’ve ever read. I’m sitting at my desk and covered in chills thinking about it. Supposedly they’re going to make a movie out of this story, and I think it’s going to be impossible to translate to the screen. As dense as the language is, it’s the last line that just makes it and that one is perfectly, beautifully simple. The first-person narration is absolutely the perfect choice here, too. Honestly I love all of Dowling’s stories, they’re wonderfully shivery but this one just affected me on a level that I can’t explain. Someone read this and come talk to me about it.

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
I picked this up in a used bookstore on my lunch break a few years ago, with no idea it was Stephen King’s son, and couldn’t put it down. Like, I was trying to read it in my office. It’s not only scary, it has the best romance plot in a horror novel ever – and I was totally not expecting it! It’s about an aging, former heavy-metal rock star that finds a haunted suit on eBay and bids on it. When he receives it in the mail, everything goes to hell. What works for me in this novel isn’t just the wonderful plot (a haunted suit!! For sale!!) and shivery writing, but the character development. It’s a slow build, too, and I think that’s very hard to do. Jude changes a lot from the man you meet at the beginning of the book in a realistic and captivating way, and I felt like I was on that journey with him. I listened to this on audio as well and it’s just as wonderful. I’m fairly certain they’ll make this into a movie, and I’m so hopeful they pay attention to the character development in lieu of jump scares and special effects.

About the Book

Want something a bit different for the holidays? Horror has never looked this enticing! New release, All in Fear, is a gorgeous collection of horror tales from some of the hottest names in queer fiction. Be prepared to be titillated…and terrified.

Horror wears many faces, and its masks can be tantalizing. Some of the top names in queer fiction come together to spin their own versions of horror. Worlds rife with dark beauty and mystery, the familiar becoming terrible, creatures ethereal and alluring—and all bearing the gleam of love. Does hope lie along these grim passages or only doom? It will become clear. All in time—and all in fear.

Company by Roan Parrish
Nick Levy’s family is falling apart and he has no friends, but at least he can escape into the world of his favorite comic book series, The Face of the Vampire. Naturally, when the vampire in question shows up one day, Nick is enthralled. After all, what could be better than his own personal fantasy made real? Except that Nick isn’t exactly sure whether Michel is real or not. And when the arrival of a new boy in school promises romance, Nick sees a side of Michel he never could have imagined. This Michel is cruel, jealous . . . and he’ll do anything to keep Nick for himself.

Love Me True by Kris Ripper
Palmer’s life is as good as it gets. Well, okay, so he hates his mind-numbing office job. But he’s found a hot, smart, incredibly kinky guy. The sex is explosive. The power play is off the hook. And if he gets his way, Jon will soon be his husband.

When Palmer asks, Jon says yes. For the first time ever, Palmer thinks things might be really good. Sure, bad things happen in the world—to other people. But this is all he needs: Jon at the end of the day, in their bed, arms around him.

How could he have possibly been so stupid?

The Price of Meat by KJ Charles
Johanna Oakley will do anything to save her beloved Arabella from the cruelty of Mr Fogg’s madhouse—but ‘anything’ turns out to be more than she bargained for when she finds herself working for a man suspected of worse than murder. As Johanna is plunged from the horror of Sawney Reynard’s barber shop into the foul, lawless labyrinth at the heart of London, can she or anyone get out alive?

His Mouth Will Taste of Chernobyl by Steve Berman
Joining Zeta Psi isn’t Steve’s dream, it’s his dad’s. Nevertheless his dad’s gift of the mysterious Bailey flask gets Steve an in to the frat house, and maybe his best shot at being accepted on campus. But the flask’s silver sheen may only be lighting his way into the darkness at the heart of the frat—and the darkness he’s learning is within himself. Steve wants to choose who he is, but choices are dropping like flies as he learns the true mystery of the Bailey flask. How does he give back a gift that’s also a curse?

Legion: A Love Story by Avon Gale
STAFF SERGEANT JASON ESSEX, YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING ORDERS FROM THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS:

REPORT TO: CAIN INSTITUTE [ADDRESS REDACTED]

ACTIVE DUTY COMMITMENT: GUARD AN ENTITY CURRENTLY HELD IN AN ENCLOSURE AT THE CAIN INSTITUTE. RECORD DAILY MEASUREMENTS. KEEP ANY AND ALL PERSONS FROM ENTERING OR LEAVING THE FACILITY. ENSURE THE ENTITY REMAINS COMPLETELY INCARCERATED. OBSERVE THE ENTITY WITHOUT ENGAGING.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS: THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN FULL ISOLATION. PLEASE BE ADVISED.

Beauties by J.A. Rock
When Dr. Lester Usole attends an event at AI developer Carnificiality, he’s introduced to Beauties: artificial beings designed to provide tailored sexual experiences for their human owners. Lester isn’t interested in sex—but he is fascinated by Ira, a Beauty too violent to be sold.

Lester convinces Carnificiality to give Ira to him. Lester has always wanted the chance to work with an adult AI, and around Lester, Ira isn’t violent. He’s strangely innocent, uncannily perceptive, and his company does much to ease Lester’s loneliness. Except something’s not quite right: Ira roams at night, even when Lester’s sure he’s locked Ira’s door.

Soon Lester is certain of only one thing: Ira has a secret. Something that will link their pasts and change the course of their future—if Lester is willing to face what’s on the inside.

Learn more on Goodreads

Order it now: Publisher’s Site  |  Amazon  |  B&N  |  ARe  |   Apple  |  Kobo

About the Authors

Steve Berman
Steve Berman loves to tell stories that are both queer and weird. He was a Zeta Psi back in his college days at and remembers being hazed. He survived and graduated and even earned a Masters Degree in Liberal Studies. He has written and sold over a hundred articles, essays, and short stories. His YA novel, Vintage, was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award.

Website

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KJ Charles

KJ Charles is a writer and freelance editor. She lives in London with her husband, two kids, and a cat with murder management issues. KJ writes mostly historical romance, mostly queer, often with fantasy or horror in there.

Find her on Twitter @kj_charles, pick up book info and free reads on her website at kjcharleswriter.com, get the infrequent newsletter at kjcharleswriter.com/newsletter, or join her Facebook group, KJ Charles Chat, for sneak peeks and exclusives.

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Avon Gale
Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon: Website || Facebook || Twitter @avongalewrites || Sign up for Avon’s Newsletter || Goodreads

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Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

Sign up for her Newsletter to receive updates about new releases, works-in-progress, and bonus materials like sneak peeks and extra scenes!

Website || Facebook || Twitter @RoanParrish || Pinterest || Instagram

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Kris Ripper
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a little kid, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Links: The Site || The Facebook Group Ripper’s Irregulars || The Twitter

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J.A. Rock
J.A. Rock is the author or coauthor of over twenty LGBTQ romance, suspense, and horror novels, as well as an occasional contributor to HuffPo Queer Voices. J.A. has received Lambda Literary and INDIEFAB Award nominations for Minotaur, and The Subs Club received the 2016 National Leather Association-International Pauline Reage Novel Award. J.A. lives in Chicago with an extremely judgmental dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

Website || Blog || Twitter || Facebook