Author | Critic
Calgary author publishes debut horror compilation
CALGARY – Halloween may be behind us, but the horror never stops, especially for Calgary artist, filmmaker and writer Mike Thorn, who just finished up his MA in English at the University of Calgary, writing his thesis on the relationship between horror and epistemology and is about to publish out his first book, a collection of 16 stories, nine of which have seen publication in various horror and genre outlets over the past couple years.
Mike Thorn and Dustin LaValley talk in depth about writing, influences, music and their collections A Soundless Dawn and Darkest Hours on Unnerving’s website.
Darkest Hours is now available to order in paperback and eBook. Get your copy.
“The element of surprise is a tribute to Thorn’s ingenuity; the assuredness of his prose is due to his extensive knowledge of the horror genre.”
— S.P. Miskowski, author of Strange is the Night
“Mike Thorn is brilliant.”
— Waylon Jordan, iHorror
“When you first encounter Thorn’s writing, a number of qualities impress themselves: the macabre intelligence (brutal really), the chilling wit, the naturalness of the dialogue. Plus there’s the skill and style of the prose.”
— Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines and Willy
“This is subversive literary horror.”
— Tim Murr, Biff Bam Pop
“Mike Thorn has delivered a promising debut with this collection showing off his commitment to stories of nuance, heart, and of course… darkness.”
— Daniel Braum, author of The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales
“The hallmark of great horror is that it surprises, scares, and most importantly, entertains. Darkest Hours succeeds on all these levels.”
— Brandon Wilson, The Weal
“Mike Thorn writes with refreshing originality and hides fangs behind a smile.”
— John C. Foster, author of Mister White
“Mike Thorn’s debut story collection is not to be missed by those who enjoy an academic intellect with a potent flair for fiction.”
— Dustin LaValley, author of A Soundless Dawn
For Roadie Notes, I wrote about some sources of inspiration/influence on my collection Darkest Hours (coming tomorrow, November 21).
Waylon Jordan reviewed Darkest Hours for iHorror. Here’s a glimpse of what he had to say:
“I knew two things when I finished that story [‘Hair’]:
1. I was completely repulsed and disturbed by what I’d just read.
2. I would have missed the chance of a lifetime if I’d skipped this announcement because Mike Thorn is brilliant.”
Mike Thorn’s debut collection, Darkest Hours, lurks just around the corner. It will be published through Unnerving Magazine on November 21st and the cover art alone has me frothing at the mouth. Add to this the fact that I already know Mike can spin a good yarn having come across his work in Dark Moon Digest. I also know he is passionate and knowledgeable about the horror genre and its writers. His Thorn’s Thoughts reviews over at Unnerving Magazine provide in-depth analysis about books and I always look forward to reading them. I thought now would be a good time to get to know a bit more about Mike Thorn and his new book.
TGR: Mike, thanks for stopping by. Firstly, who are some of the authors that have helped shape you as a writer and where did your love of dark fiction come from?
Thanks so much for having me! I think my love of dark fiction came fully into being when I was suspended from school at thirteen years old, and I picked up Stephen King’s Pet Semataryrather than reading my assigned class materials. Since then, I’ve always associated horror expressly with more productive and adaptable forms of transgression.
When it comes to writers who have inspired me, I always have a hard time compiling an exhaustive list. In addition to King, a few of my favorite working horror writers are Kathe Koja, S.P. Miskowski, Eden Robinson, Robert Dunbar, Thomas Ligotti, Joyce Carol Oates and Gwendolyn Kiste. I also read a lot of stuff outside of the genre—off the top of my head, I love Herman Melville, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, Jim Thompson, William Faulkner, Hubert Selby Jr., William Blake, Flannery O’Connor, Georges Bataille, Don DeLillo and Roberto Bolaño. I’m sure I’m forgetting some essential names here, but those are definitely some of my major influences!
Eddie Generous invited me to discuss Darkest Hours (coming Tuesday, November 21) on Unnerving Magazine Interview Series. We also chatted about the writing process, navigating difficult subject matter, and the Friday the 13th movies, among other things.
“Mount Royal University alumnus Mike Thorn is establishing himself as a premier horror fiction author. His book of short stories titled Darkest Hours is being released in both digital and print form on Nov. 21, and one of his first stops is his alma mater.
He will be reading from his collection during the What the Writers Say: Fiction Edition event on Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the University BookStore.”
Many thanks to Armand Rosamilia for having me on Arm Cast: Dead Sexy Podcast. We talked about Darkest Hours, the writing process, music, and many other things.
Also on this episode: Erin Al-Mehairi, who discusses her new book BREATHE., BREATHE and other interesting stuff!
Mike Thorn 