Today’s post on The Horror Bookshelf comes from Todd Keisling, the author of Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors – which is out now through Crystal Lake Publishing– and a ton of other great books. I will be reviewing this in the future, so I won’t get into the book too much, but trust me when I say this is an outstanding book you will want to add to your collection. I reviewed Ugly Little Things – Volume One a few years ago (review) and ended up listing it as one of my top collections of the year. This edition features those stories along with other entries in the Ugly Little Things series and Keisling’s outstanding novella, The Final Reconciliation and I’m positive it will end up on this year’s “Best Of” list. Todd stops by The Horror Bookshelf to share 11 facts about the collection that will give readers a look behind the scenes at what went into crafting this collection.
Before I turn over the blog to Todd, I want to thank him and Erin of Oh, For the Hook of a Book Publicity for having me on the tour!
Ugly Little Trivia: Eleven Facts about Ugly Little Things
By Todd Keisling, author of Ugly Little Things
1: Many of the stories were written while I was suffering through a period of intense depression. The title Ugly Little Things refers to all the dark, nasty things that lurk inside all of us. The stories were my way of facing those demons, giving them names, and exorcising them. Several of these stories seem haunted to me because of this, like little totems representing a particularly dark point in my life.
2: The title Ugly Little Things was originally the title of a story in the collection. That story eventually became “The Harbinger” in order to avoid confusion.
3: The ULT “sessions” began in early 2013 and stretched through the end of 2016, but ideas for several of the stories go back nearly ten years. The aforementioned story, “The Harbinger,” originally began in 2007 as a Lovecraftian mythos tale set in West Virginia; “Saving Granny from the Devil” had multiple beginnings going as far back as 2009; and “House of Nettle and Thorn” was originally conceived in 2004 when I was still in college, with a working title of “Papercuts.”
4: Charles Boid, the antagonist of “Human Resources,” is a recurring character in a couple of unpublished tales involving his communion with an eldritch being that lurks in a digital domain. He may receive a proper story in the future, but for now, he pops up here and there as he pleases.
5: The opening scenes of “When Karen Met Her Mountain” were taken directly from a dream I had.
6: A limited-edition hardcover of the first four stories was printed in 2014 with the title “Ugly Little Things: Volume One.” There were only 45 in total. Henry Rollins has one of them.
7: I am my own worst critic and fully expect everyone to hate what I write. When I gave my wife an early draft of “The Final Reconciliation,” I did so with the warning that she probably wouldn’t like it. As fate would have it, that’s actually her favorite story of mine. Go figure.
8: Sometimes, I see my stories as images in my head. They’re mini-movies, their characters acting and speaking on their own behalf, and I’m just there to record things as they happen.
9: I’m currently at work on a novel titled “Devil’s Creek” that takes place in the hometown of the band from The Final Reconciliation. It’s also has some ties to “The Harbinger.”
10: Many of the events in “Saving Granny from the Devil” actually happened, including Granny seeing a man in black from her living room window.
11: Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors isn’t a book of “feel good” stories. They’re dark meditations on the human condition, and if you aren’t careful, they’ll cut you in the most delightful of ways. You’re going to have a bad time. You’re going to hurt. And I think you’re going to like it.
Links
Todd Keisling’s Official Website
Crystal Lake Publishing’s Official Website
Purchase Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or grab a copy from your favorite bookstore!
Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors Synopsis
UGLY LITTLE THINGS
Short Story Collection by Todd Keisling
Includes the Novella, The Final Reconciliation
Published by Crystal Lake Publishing
THIS IS GOING TO HURT.
The eleven stories in Ugly Little Things explore the depths of human suffering and ugliness, charting a course to the dark, horrific heart of the human condition. The terrors of everyday existence are laid bare in this eerie collection of short fiction from the twisted mind of Todd Keisling, author of the critically-acclaimed novels A Life Transparent and The Liminal Man.
Travel between the highways of America in “The Otherland Express,” where a tribe of the forsaken and forlorn meet to exchange identities. Witness the cold vacuum of space manifest in the flesh in “The Darkness Between Dead Stars.” Step into the scrub of rural Arizona and join Karen Singleton’s struggle to save her husband from a cult of religious fanatics in “When Karen Met Her Mountain.” Visit the small town of Dalton in “The Harbinger” and join Felix Proust as he uncovers the vile secrets rooted at the heart of Dalton Dollworks. And in the critically-acclaimed novella “The Final Reconciliation,” learn the horrifying truth behind the demise of the rock band The Yellow Kings.
With an introduction by Bram Stoker Award-winner Mercedes M. Yardley and illustrations by Luke Spooner, Ugly Little Things will be your atlas, guiding you along a lonely road of sorrow, loss, and regret. This is going to hurt—and you’re going to like it.
Praise for Todd and Ugly Little Things
“Todd Keisling is a born storyteller, drawing the reader into artfully constructed narratives that scout the darker end of the literary spectrum with skill and bravado. A pleasure to read, his stories linger well after the last page has been turned. Excellent stuff.” – John Langan, Bram Stoker award-winning author of The Fisherman
“Keisling writes in the shadows, his words like that first long drag on a cigarette after work. I couldn’t help coming back for more, and before I knew it, that one story, that one cigarette, turned into the whole pack.”—Stephanie M. Wytovich, Bram Stoker award-winning author of Brothel and The Eighth.
“In Ugly Little Things, Todd Keisling ventures deep into the dark abyss of cosmic horror. What he finds there—or what’s found him—will terrify you. This varied collection is tailor-made for fans of existential dread. Prepare to face the void. Try not to scream.”—Brian Kirk, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of We Are Monsters.
“Todd Keisling’s promise delivers with Ugly Little Things. The only time you will dare to look away from the page is when you stop to look over your shoulder. He’s earned his right to sit on the shelf alongside King, Koontz, and Ketchum.” –Eryk Pruitt, author of Dirtbags and What We Reckon.
“Todd Keisling’sUgly Little Things contains 11 tales that sing with lyricism while they move the reader with suspenseful, clever, humorous and often wonderfully elegiac developments. The author has a keen, lucid understanding of suffering, which lends each plot-line extra heft and depth. These stories contain tenderly and humanely rendered characters who are drawn towards various forms of uncanny annihilation. After reading this excellent collection, I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Keisling produces next.” –Jon Padgett, author of The Secret of Ventriloquism
“One of the few perfect story collections I’ve ever read. Todd Keisling will keep you guessing page after page. He also has a knack for surprise endings you will not see coming!” – Armand Rosamilia, author of the Dying Days series
“Keisling always gets down to the essence of good storytelling. His no-nonsense approach arrests us, showing us worlds and characters that expand our imagination, leaving it tainted with horrors only the author can deliver. These stories are a testament to one of the bravest and scariest new voices in horror fiction.” —Ben Eads, author of Cracked Sky.
“Herein lie stories told in the traditional manner of spooky tales told round the campfire. Read this collection on a dark and stormy night and don’t answer the door if someone knocks.” —Kristi DeMeester, author of Beneath.
“A soundtrack to darkness, Ugly Little Things is hauntingly inviting and absolutely horrific. Keisling deftly weaves together a web of genre-bending terror in this must read collection.” – Michelle Garza, co-author of the Bram Stoker nominated Mayan Blue
About Todd Keisling
TODD KEISLING is the author of A Life Transparent, The Liminal Man (a 2013 Indie Book Award Finalist), and the critically-acclaimed novella, The Final Reconciliation. He lives somewhere in the wilds of Pennsylvania with his wife, son, and trio of unruly cats.
Twitter: @todd_keisling
Want to Feature?
If you’d like to feature Todd in an interview or guest article, or review Ugly Little Things, please contact Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, Publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com
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