Hi All! 

I wanted to dedicate this week's blog post to my social media Haunt giveaway that is currently live! You have until March 1 to enter. Head to my Facebook and Instagram and find the giveaway post (image below). On Facebook, share the post with the hashtag #NothingPeak to enter, and on Instagram, re-post with the same hashtag. Easy! 2 winners from Facebook and 3 from Instagram will be announced on March 2. Thanks for all of your support in making the first year of Haunt a great one! More writing is in the works. Stay tuned. In the meantime, enter the giveaway for a free book! Links to my social media can be found on my Contact page here on the Nothing Peak site. 

-Ryan 

Buy Haunt here. Preview my books here. Find me on social here. ​​​​​

It’s been a few years since the first volume of John Carpenter’s Tales for a Halloweenight, but with the third volume out now, I thought there’s no better time to review the series from the start than now. I was given the first two volumes as a gift a few years back, and I’m itching to write about these crazy stories. In short: they’re wild.
 
This collection of horror stories make up an anthology, with each tale written and illustrated by different artists, compiled by the legendary John Carpenter. I consider this, in a way, to be the Tales from the Crypt of graphic novels: each story is introduced and reacted to by “The Groundscreeper,” a crazy, old—you guessed it—groundskeeper for a cemetery. The storytelling is diverse across every tale, and each just as unique as the last.
 
I think in this first go-round, none of the stories themselves necessarily “wowed” me. It was mostly the artistic styles that roped me in. One of my favorites, “At Sea,” presents a pseudo-cartoonish style, especially in the characters’ facial expressions. Only, this style fades into a dark, shadowed painting of the story. As a group of friends on a boat begin experiencing some strange occurrences and visuals in the night, they soon realize they might not be alone. Layering the writing itself, the art pulls you down into the dark and never lets up. I found that especially effective.
 
Another notable story is “Notice to Quit,” following a man haunted by a demon driven to bring him to his death. While at times it feels somewhat goofy, this piece’s heavy tone resonates, magnified by the muted colors and “painted” appearance to the drawings. The protagonist’s skewed sense of self reminded me a bit of horror films of the early aughts, similar to characters from movies like Darkness Falls and Final Destination.
 
The pieces that make up Tales for a Halloweenight pay homage to their horror predecessors, while also providing a fresh take on the genre. There are more than a fair share of horror-themed graphic novels out there, but with Carpenter’s involvement, this series has an extra opportunity for the accessibility that the genre could only benefit from. I’m so excited to delve deeper into this series, and to see what more gory, twisted madness these dark storytellers have in store.
 
Have you read any of the volumes of this series? What are some of your favorite stories? Let’s discuss!
 
-Ryan 

Buy Haunt here. Preview my books here. Find me on social here. ​​​​

I happened upon the work of Ada Limón after browsing the shelves of the poetry section at a bookstore in Seattle, and I’m so thankful that I did. Turns out she’s kind of a big deal. And her poetry kicks so much ass. Her writing is rooted in reality and armored with a strong bark of metaphor. Yet there is vulnerability throughout, a clear and visible pain that radiates through almost every poem, hidden in the language she uses, yet displayed on her sleeve for all to see.
 
Probably the strongest theme in The Carrying is that of life and death. This 2018 release starts with a short poem about self-identity, almost like a stepping stone in the rollercoaster of life. Limón talks about Eve, taking in all the animals and giving them names. “I wonder if she ever wanted / them to speak back,” she writes, “looked into / their wide wonderful eyes and / whispered, Name me, name me.” The vulnerability and modesty that this poem brings to the table feels like a teaspoon at the mouth, to test out how hot the drink will be. There’s a lot to unpack in many of Limón’s pieces, insinuating layers of meaning and emotion. And there’s a lot to commend, for that: it’s clear that she is a talented poet, revealing so much through so few words, right off the bat.
 
Later on, in poems like “The Real Reason,” reality and symbolism collide in harmonious and heartbreaking ways. The speaker discusses wanting a tattoo that means something special to her, and dictating that thought to her artist mother, not getting the response she had expected. “It wasn’t until later that / I knew it wasn’t so much the tattoo, but the marking, the idea / of scars. What you don’t know (and this is why this is not my story) / is that my mother is scarred from burns over a great deal of her body. / Most from an explosion that took her first child she was carrying…” If that doesn’t hit you right in the gut, I don’t know what will. There are several instances like this in The Carrying, instances that come out of left field, that you can’t expect to catch and hold on to like you might hope. There is grief in many of these poems. And there is sorrow.
 
But Limón also wields strength, for example, “Wonder Woman” recounts a speaker’s need to stand and applaud a little girl in Wonder Woman garb. “… she bowed and posed like she knew I needed a myth— / a woman, by a river, indestructible.” She builds a foundation of female power that serves as the support for everything she needs to hold up in this collection of poems. It certainly leaves me wanting more, needing to delve deeper into her work and find her other published books. I am floored by Ada Limón, and I hope more readers are effected by her talent in the same or similar ways.
 
Some other favorite poems of mine from The Carrying include: “Dead Stars,” “Prey,” “Notes on the Below,” “Killing Methods,” and “Full Gallop.”
 
Are you a fan of Ada Limón’s? What other works of hers have you read? Is anyone going to check out her writing who haven’t already? I want to know. Let’s discuss!
 
-Ryan 
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Buy Haunt here. Preview my books here. Find me on social here. ​​​