Psychologist turned author delivers it all in this disturbing novel set in Marquette State Prison in Michigan’s U.P. inspired by real-life stories of inmates told in her practice, and by her husband’s stories.
Protagonist Clifford Ratz is a small-town drug dealer who gets caught near Mason by an astute cop.
“It’s a tale about his life,” Den Houter said, “because he was passive he became a target of other prisoners. I wanted to convey that prisoners are human beings.”
Several strains run through this meticulously crafted psychological suspense novel; from Ratz’s passive humanity, his daughter’s rebellion, and the police & correctional systems at work, to loving beyond betrayal.
As a psychologist, Den Houter knows what makes her characters click, in fiction and in real life. And the cover eloquently captures Ratz’s humanity.
“It’s a very real face of someone who was down on his luck,” Den Houter said.
And all of us have a dark side. Some of us just don’t manage it well. So what do we need from each other so that we can go on living?
The novel answers that question. Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of ‘Prison Shadows.’
Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, and author Kathryn Den Houter.
The special episode, Panel of Fear with horror authors Andrew Smith, Matthew Hellman, Craig Brockman, Bob Williams, and ghost author Stacey Rourke will air this week on For the Love of Books Podcast just in time to get spooked before Halloween.
Asylums, roller coasters, haunted houses, psychics, Zombie walks through the night forests, a man hangs himself during a Halloween scare in the closeby woods, nature at its worst, we drive out to the piers….why do we seek out fear? Or does fear seek us out? Is it natural or supernatural? Normal or paranormal? Do ghosts exist? Is the Tower Farm haunted?
“It definitely is,” said its former resident Addie Abel.
We sneak into attics and basements to find what? When was the last time you were scared? And why? What profound experience has influenced your actions?
We all have a dark side, and not all of us manage it well, according to Dr. Kathryn Den Houter, author of the psychological thriller ‘Prison Shadows.’
This year, Halloween expenditures are projected to reach a record high of $11 billion, according to Statista.
Author Kathryn Den Houter on fear
Dr. Kathryn Den Houter, author and retired psychologist.
“The reason why people seek out fear is that humans feel the most alive when we are in the state of mixed emotions: When we have fear yet are on the alert for excitement we are titillated. Our brain and emotions are working at full capacity. We yearn for the peak experiences that let us know we are “truly alive,” said Dr. Kathryn Den Houter.
Den Houter is a retired psychologist, the author of five books, and a fan of Alfred Hitchcock.
So let’s take a look at our panelists:
Author Craig Brockman
Author Craig Brockman currently lives with his wife Sally in Tecumseh, Michigan. In 2020 he published the ghost novel “Dead of November: A Novel of Lake Superior”, in 2007 the middle grade “Marty and the Far Woodchuck”, and in 2022 “Curve of the Earth”, and has been published in anthologies
Dead of November
Ghosts of those drowned and never recovered are swarming from Lake Superior. But they are not there to haunt the living. They are fleeing something far more sinister.
Author Matthew Hellman
Author Matthew Hellman earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University calls Michigan’s U.P. home. He has been writing since 2013. His published works include the novel “Solomon’s Seal”, the novel “The Biting Cold”, the novella “The Hawthorne Blow”, and a short story in “Six Guns Straight from Hell”. “The Biting Cold” and “The Hawthorne Blow” both take place in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
The Biting Cold
The residents of a small Michigan town fight to survive in a brutal winter storm. But their fight isn’t against the storm, it’s against what the storm has awakened.
Author Stacey Rourke, Corpse Queen
Author Andrew Allen Smith
Smith is a prolific author of Masterson Files, poetry, and most recently two short story anthologies ‘Slice of Fear’ and ‘Another Slice of Fear.”
Another Slice of Fear
Are you ready to see how deep the rabbit hole can go? Another Slice of Fear contains 16 original short stories from the mind of Andrew Allen Smith that may help you get there.
It’s that time of the year again to get ready for National Novel Writing Month in November. I’ve participated three times and won three times, and got three books out of my participation. Don’t get me wrong it’s a grueling challenge when you have to write 1,700 words a day to reach the 50K goal.
“Bank on words when you can,” said author Jean Davis, a 17-time NaNoWriMo participant. “There will be days when you won’t be able to write as much.”
Number one tip: Be ready. Clear your schedule for November, no unnecessary projects. Make it very clear what you’re going to be doing in November.
Don’t get distracted, stay focused on your project. Don’t go back to rewrite anything. Just keep on moving forward. The outlines are good, but the synopsis is better. The synopsis clearly shows a developed idea.
Zone into your writing at the same time every day. No deviations in the schedule.
NaNoWriMo has coaches to get you through the challenge, but ultimately it’s up to you to pull it off. And the first draft does not have to be messy. No. 1 thing is clear thinking and letting the characters lead you into the story. Let them carry the story.
Then, you also have a buddy system to keep you accountable. Use it or not, just be careful with your time. Use tools such as the Pinterest board for the project to keep everything together.
When you can’t write you can’t write, go for a walk, take a break. Just don’t stay out there all day. Keep your writing simple kind of like journalism writing for all to understand at all levels. No adverbs or big words. Just big ideas.
Have several ideas going on at once, just in case the first one doesn’t work out. Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter, just write.
Having said all of the above, I will be working on a sequel to The Lost Town. I am hammering out the main character as we speak and placing him ready for the adventure.
Each book should be better, than the previous one. I will keep that in mind. Ok, I have just found out that the best plotting method for me is The Save the Cat 15-beat sheet. Onwards.
To-day……I will be chatting with author, and artist Joanna Walitalo who will announce the details of her book giveaway of Woodburnings after the reading at the end of the interview.
When did you move to the UP? And are you a full-time Yooper?
Joanna Walitalo grew up in Oil City Michigan, taking art classes in middle school and high school. She attended Central Michigan University, where she earned a BS in Biology and Environmental Policies. From there, she moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where she earned a Master’s in Forestry at Michigan Technological University. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Forest Science at MTU and continues to live in the UP with her loving husband and son.
J Walitalo Woodburnings, Highlights from the first five years” is a book of fine artwork done in pyrography. It captures the range of artwork that the Walitalo’s have created, and promotes environmental ethics through the use of scrap wood as the platform for the artwork, as well as through the images they create. “Our goal is to help spread appreciation and love for our natural environment and wildlife by sharing the beauty of it through art.”
Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger and Modern History Press.
So you want another book under your belt? After all a year to get out your next book is the standard time frame. All the authors below have done it within slight time variations. They all have a few things in common. Listen in to find out what are those and how to win a signed copy of their books.
It was actually fashion that got T.J. London interested in the American Revolutionary War as a young author as simple as it may seem.
“I was getting into my persona,” she said. “The look got me interested in that time period. Now it draws attention to my books.”
Yes, it was the red coats and tricorne hats that sparked the imagination of a young mind, and later served well as a counseling tool during a period of grief. Rather, than writing a journal, T.J. London went the whole way and wrote ‘Man of War.’
T.J. London is an expert at digging out little-known facts in history and asking herself questions. She was referring to battles in upstate New York that T.J. London didn’t know about.
“Why don’t we learn this stuff,” she said.
What fascinated T.J. London were all the changes that were happening at the same time.
“It was this incredible cataclysmic moment in history,” she said. “But in fiction where were those stories? I felt like I needed to know more.”
And the prequel is not just about the revolution, but also about digging deep into the roots of what was going on T.J. London’s life after the loss of her father.
It took her four years to write ‘Man of War’ backed up by solid research about the Royal Navy.
Come along on a journey with ambitious captain Merrick and revengeful India for a chance to win a signed copy of ‘Man of War.’
That is the million-dollar question that today’s panelists authors Jean Davis, Vera West, and Emma Palova will attempt to answer. There is not a one size fits all guideline to win the 50,000-word challenge coming up in November.
At times, the challenge reminds me of final exams in college, when you had to pull it all together in one month, and in four different subjects. As authors, we each have a different approach to getting it done. I like to have some kind of pillars to rely on kind of like a suspended bridge, not necessarily a full-blown outline, but rather a synopsis as Davis suggested.
Davis has been participating in NaNo for 17 years, which has increased her productivity immensely. Out of that, she won 15 times. West enters every year but does not always win. So far, she has won once.
“For me, any progress is better than none,” she said.
True, if you enter and get 10,000 words written, that’s 10,000 words more than you had before entering.
These experienced NaNoWriMos offered invaluable tips in the special episode: Have two projects in the works in case you get stuck on one, and work hard in the honeymoon phase at the beginning before exhaustion settles in.
Don’t go back to fix anything, keep moving forward even if you don’t like the way the story is evolving; you might not like it two hours later either.
“There are two ways to go about it,” Davis said. “First you can outline that you have to write 1,667 words a day, secondly you can just work on something like I do.”
Whichever way you pick, just stick to your commitment.
Find out what to do when you do get stuck. And we all do, indeed.
Sponsored by Doc Chavent, The Lowell Ledger, Modern History Press
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In his first book, author Ash Bishop teleports protagonist Russ Wesley into another galaxy with a sugary cookie in his pocket, in this light-hearted sci-fi novel.
Listen in for the keywords for this week for a chance to win a signed personalized copy of Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc.
When Wesley finds an unusual artifact in his grandfather’s collection of rare antiquities, the last thing he expects is for it to draw the attention of a ferocious alien from a distant planet. Equally surprising is the adventurous team of intergalactic exterminators dispatched to deal with the threat. The exterminators specialize in “ecosystem preservation”— a thankless job that involves hunting down alien predators of all shapes and sizes. They’re so impressed with Russ’s marksmanship that they insist he join their squad . . . whether he wants to or not.
“Russ is an interesting fella,” said Bishop. “He doesn’t have close family, and his grandma needs money.”
So Russ goes off and works for a galactic space group.
“It’s heartfelt,” Bishop said. “Fifty percent of the story has to do with the characters.”
Based on the success of Intergalactic Exterminators, Bishop landed a deal to publish his previous book in 2023.
“They’re completely different books,” he said.
But, switching genres comes to Bishop easily.
Listen in for some tips on how to switch genres and for the keywords of the week to win Bishop’s book.
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