Author | Critic
From the Airdrie Echo: “On Saturday at 11 a.m., we have another author reading, for adults this time, with Calgary horror author and film critic, Mike Thorn.
Thorn is the author of two short story collections, Darkest Hours and Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation, and his film critiques can be found in several publications.”
Join us Saturday October 19, 2019 at 11:00am for the APL Author Series with Mike Thorn. Come enjoy open discussion and reading with the author and refreshments.
Mike Thorn is the author of the short story collection Darkest Hours.
His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies and podcasts, including Dark Moon Digest, The NoSleep Podcast, DarkFuse, Unnerving Magazine, Turn to Ash, and Tales to Terrify. His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Film Stage, The Seventh Row, Bright Lights Film Journal and Vague Visages.
He completed his M.A. with a major in English literature at the University of Calgary, where he wrote a thesis on epistemophobia in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.
Mike Thorn reviewed Niall Howell’s debut novel Only Pretty Damned for FreeFall Magazine (volume 29, no. 2).
My upcoming short story duology, Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation, is now listed on Goodreads! The book will be released on September 27 through Demain Publishing‘s Short Sharp Shocks series. This is my first standalone publication since Darkest Hours, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.
These stories both depict characters who unearth horrific, long-buried family secrets.
It was only in retrospect that I could see the connections between the two pieces. When I revisited them for publication, it struck me that they work well as companion pieces. Both plots depict unfulfilled pacts with supernatural undercurrents, both include journeys to uncover unresolved familial trauma, and both pivot around the revelation of repressed memories. I wanted to explore the relationship between setting and atmosphere in these pieces, and to depict horror within internal and physical ‘sites of trauma.’ The characters are grappling with painful memories / experiences that have held them back, consciously or unconsciously. One story focuses on a character who is the agent of her own revelations, whereas the other story sees someone whose agency is quickly and brutally taken away.
Join Niall Howell (author of Only Pretty Damned) and Mike Thorn at New Level Brewing Co. on August 21 from 7-9 pm. New Level is offering a special Damned-theme Clown Alley Porter for this event.
Niall and I first met as undergrads at Mount Royal University. From what I remember, we first connected through our mutual love of film, either through a course or a club of some kind. It wasn’t long before I learned that Niall was also a fiction writer, and we started exchanging excerpts from our works-in-progress. Niall’s rare, formidable talent was immediately evident to me—I saw in all his work a unique sense of humour and a mastery of pacing, plot and voice. After reading his phenomenal debut novel Only Pretty Damned (available now through NeWest Press), I reached out asking if he’d like to do a Q&A. He kindly agreed, and the dialogue below is the result of our email exchanges.
Read the full interview on Kendall Reviews.
For episode 376, Tales to Terrify has released its audio adaptation of Mike Thorn’s latest short story “@GorgoYama2013” (read by Spencer DiSparti).
Also featured on this episode: part 2 of Drew Sebesteny reading Arthur Machen’s genre classic The Great God Pan.
“I truly enjoyed reading this book. It is evident through his writing that Thorn has a true love for the horror genre. Each of the stories were distinct and well thought out. He can write subtle horror and then switch to something weird and morbid. He masterfully uses imagery to make his fictional work all that more realistic and disturbing. But he also leaves a lot up to the reader’s own imagination, which doesn’t always work, but in this case it was beautifully executed.”
Josiah Morgan and I have been online acquaintances for several years, bonding initially over our mutual passion for film. I recently read his debut poetry collection Inside the Castle and was stunned by its formal sophistication, thematic complexity and breadth of reference. I sent him a message asking if he would like to publish a chat with me about writing, genre and influences, and he kindly agreed.
Our conversation is now available to read on Kendall Reviews.
