October Frights Blog Hop Day 6

 THE SCARIEST CARNIVAL IN THE WORLD

More than 12 years ago, I wrote a novel about a demonic carnival that only appears on Halloween.

CARNIVAL OF FEAR is still one of my most popular books, and it's been described as this generation's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.

On this, the last day of our October Frights Blog Hop, I thought I'd share the story of the carnival's conception with you, along with my little gift: an excerpt from the book (which is on sale for the entire month of October - 99 cents for the Kindle version!).

I started writing in 2002; for several years I only did short stories. I never wanted to (or believed I could) write a full book. And then one night it happened:

I had a dream. 

It sounds corny, but it's the truth. I dreamed about this terrifying carnival run by demons, and a group of people were stuck inside the Haunted Mansion and transported to alternate worlds where the different exhibits came alive. Only by defeating them all can they return to the real world.

In that dream, I saw the entire book laid out before me. The monsters. The main characters. Who gets killed when and how. Even the dialog. I woke up at 5 in the morning and ran downstairs to grab a notebook and pen (back then I did first drafts long hand). It took me 10 days to write the entire first draft - before breakfast, on my lunch break, and in the evenings before dinner. Then another month to type it into the computer, which took extra time because I had to put all the different scenes in the proper order, fix the mistakes, etc. 

When I finished, it was 125,000 words. And I had no idea what to do with it. I knew it wasn't good enough to publish, but I also had no proofreaders, beta readers, etc. I barely knew anyone in the industry.

Luckily, I was able find some of the best writers around to help me. I got a fantastic mentor through the HWA and then signed up for the Borderlands Bootcamp for Writers. When all was said and done, I had whittled it down to 96,000 words. I started submitting, and the third publisher I sent it to bought it. My luck held out even longer when an artist friend of mine offered to do the cover (which went on to win him some awards at competitions).

When I woke up from that dream, I had no idea that concept would begin an entirely new phase of my writing career. Since then, I've done a novella, a short story, and some poetry all based on the Carnival of Fear universe, and sitting in my computer is the outline for the sequel, which I'd love to finish someday. It also taught me I could write novels, and I now have 9 other books plus 11 novellas to my credit in the 12 years since CARNIVAL OF FEAR first hit the shelves.

With that in mind, and because what could be scarier than demons, werewolves, vampires, axe-wielding psychopaths, aliens, zombies, and witches all in one book, here's a peek into the Carnival of Fear! (And if you haven't gotten your copy yet, the link is at the bottom.)

 

 

CARNIVAL OF FEAR

Every Halloween, the Carnival of Fear mysteriously appears, never in the same location twice. What follows is twenty-four hours of violence, death, and horror. This year it has come to the small town of Whitebridge.

When JD Cole and his girlfriend, Amy Cherry, find themselves trapped in the Castle of Horrors, they must lead a group of friends and rivals through a maze of torturous attractions, where monsters from fiction come to life and must be defeated. Vampires, crazed killers, aliens, werewolves, demons, and even Frankenstein oppose the brave humans, and more than one life is lost in the ensuing struggles. Along the way, friendships form, unlikely heroes emerge, and old heroes fall. Not everyone survives, and no one comes out unchanged.

The final showdown takes place in Hell, where the ultimate battle between good and evil will determine the fate of JD and the other students, along with the entire town.

 "CARNIVAL OF FEAR is aptly named--Faherty takes us on an outrageous journey into nightmare that's equal parts Bradbury and Barker. From the opening page, this one rips into high-gear and takes you on a funhouse ride you'll never forget." --Thomas F. Monteleone, Stoker Award-winning author of more than 36 novels and several anthologies

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Excerpt:

Just after midnight on October twenty-ninth, with a full moon riding high overhead and wisps of fog scattered about like miniature clouds too weak to reach the sky, something strange occurred on the one-lane road near the east pasture of Dan McCready’s corn feed farm.

An ink-black circle, visible even against the night sky, appeared without a sound. Twenty feet in diameter, it glowed with darkness, shimmered with a disquieting energy, a wavelength not meant for the human eye.

Twin lights appeared in its dark depths, followed by a rumbling, clattering noise. A moment later, an eighteen-wheel rig rocketed from the other-worldly tunnel. With a horrendous squeal of air brakes, it slowed down to make the turn onto the unpaved lane paralleling McCready’s east field. Then it turned again, this time into the field itself.

Several other trucks followed, their spectral emergence leading the way for a caravan of pickups, SUVs, and mobile homes. Gothic lettering on the sides of the trucks spelled out Carnival of Fear in giant, blood-red script.

As soon as the last vehicle exited, the circle disappeared without a sound.

In the field, the various trucks arranged themselves in a rough circle several hundred feet across, forming a modern-day wagon train.

Or perhaps outlining a predetermined area.

Once the last truck parked, all engine noise ceased. The sudden quiet was absolute, the kind of quiet where the only thing you can hear is the soft background hum or buzz that indicates your otic nerves are on standby.

No tic-tic-tic of engines cooling in the chill October air. No sound of a truck or trailer door opening. Inside the truck cabs, no tiny, glowing red lights gave evidence of cigarettes being lit. The trucks looked empty, as though they’d been parked and abandoned long ago.

    Within the circle of trucks, patches of fog rolled towards each other, joined and merged, the resulting cloud building upon itself like cotton candy. As more fog gathered, it began to solidify, condensing and growing more opaque with each passing second.

    Pieces of the fog broke off and assumed individual shapes, faint at first but becoming more recognizable as additional cloud matter attached itself. Squares and rectangles, circles standing on edge, something resembling a large tent.

    The shapes moved themselves about the field to various locations. As the supernatural gravitational force of each shape pulled in more vapor, size and definition improved.

    True outlines became identifiable, The tent-form grew into a circus big top, the squares and rectangles formed concession stands and game booths, and the circles mutated into rides such as the Ferris wheel and the merry-go-round. In the very center, the largest aggregation of mist took on the form of a castle. Towers and lookouts, tiny, rectangular windows, even a drawbridge took shape in a matter of minutes.

    Just as the mist-forms reached maximum definition, there came a burst of blackness, a silent explosion of lightlessness that for the space of one heartbeat covered the entire field in a shroud of pure night. In that one instant of unholy energy, every bird and animal within a mile of the epicenter spontaneously combusted.

When light returned, the fog was gone. In its place stood the carnival. Rides, booths, the big top, all of it painted in vivid oranges, yellows, reds, blacks, and browns proudly proclaiming the official arrival of Halloween.

Rising two stories above the ground, the Castle of Fear was the centerpiece of the midway. A sign, written in crimson, dripping letters, pronounced ‘Terror! Blood! Mayhem! Monsters, Ghouls, and Murderers! Enter and experience the agony of the damned!’ A second sign proclaimed ‘The World’s Most Terrifying Haunted Mansion! Enter At Your Own Risk!’

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Dan McCready’s corpse sat in his living room, in the same place where a drunken stupor had claimed him before the end of the eleven o’clock news. He’d never even woken when the force wave of evil darkness tore the flesh from his bones and ripped his soul away.

He would be one of the lucky ones.

In the unnatural quiet, the Carnival of Fear waited. 

Soon it would be time to feed.

 

Carnival of Fear Amazon Link

 

 

 

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 Stay tuned for tomorrow's creepy entry and be sure to check out everyone else on the blog hop!

 
 

 

 As always, be sure to check out  A.F. Stewart's October Frights blog page, https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-blog-hop-participants/, for the links to all the different bloggers and the latest about the blog hop and all things horror. While there, be sure to visit the Book Showcase Page (https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair/) where all the participants have made their terrifying books available for purchase (most are on sale, including my novel CARNIVAL OF FEAR, which is only 99cents for Kindle!). And don't forget about the free book giveaway page: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/oyHMogF.