NEW BOOK: The Old Lady
A new novel, dogs, and Texas.
For many people, December is a time of great joy and festivity. But for some, it’s a time for somber contemplation, reflection, and searching for peace. I fall into the latter category. Having endured multiple traumas during the holiday season, including the death of my beloved dog Bear this past Christmas, the last month of the year is the hardest, so I’m always pleased when January rolls around. It’s the furthest possible time from more Christmas crap, and it also ushers in the cold, snow, and gray skies I prefer. Next to autumn, winter is my favorite season.
It's also a season of horror.
My favorite horror film, John Carpenter’s The Thing, is as snowy as a movie gets. My favorite horror novella is White by Tim Lebbon, and it too is buried with snow to the point of claustrophobia.
I’ve also written several winter novels and stories. The season plays a large roll in A Fine Evening in Hell, Shepherd of the Black Sheep, A Cold Place for Dying, and The Ruin Season.
I’m happy to officially announce another novel that takes place during the coldest time of year, a book that will chill you even more than the weather outside.
Coming this February is my survival horror novel, The Old Lady.
The signed hardback is now available exclusively through my website. It’s ready for preorder right now, so grab one while they last.
Item is expected to ship out February 1st, nearly three weeks before the wide release on Amazon and at other retailers, so you’ll get it first! The paperback and eBook will be released everywhere on February 20th.
Here is the synopsis:
She never wanted to come home.
After the death of her estranged father, Tracey returns to the remote cabin she grew up in. As a traumatized veteran of the Vietnam War, Tracey’s father subjected her to rigorous survival training under brutal conditions, believing it was for her own good. She escaped and never looked back. Now in her fifties with a criminal record, Tracey returns to claim the property she’s inherited.
Hiking through the forest, teenage Alicia and her friends get lost in the snow. They stumble upon a compound run by extremists, and when the teens see too much, only Alicia manages to escape. She searches for help and comes across a secluded cabin.
With the panicked girl banging on her door, Tracey is launched into combat mode, awakening her inner demons. Though she suffers from extreme PTSD, she is skilled in combat, making her a deadly adversary—perhaps too deadly. As a snowstorm hammers down, the women must work together to save Alicia’s friends from their captors.
Alicia has a protector now, but what if this strange old lady is even more dangerous than the people she’s escaped from?
The Old Lady is a new tale of survival horror from Kristopher Triana, author of Gone to See the River Man and Full Brutal, and columnist for Backwoods Survival Guide.
Praise for The Old Lady:
“This hefty novel spews intrigue, drama, and horror like blood from a bayonet wound in the aorta. Maniacal survivalists, a traumatized psychotic, and more guns than a National Guard armory provide the flawless moving parts for this unrelenting body-horror thriller that holds its own against the likes of Ketchum, Slade, and Vachss. With The Old Lady, Triana maintains his seat at the very top of horror’s most relevant scribes.” - Edward Lee, author of The Bighead and The Television
“The Old Lady is pure Triana, full of rich characters, a detailed plot, and enough gore for the most seasoned horror fan.” - Daniel J. Volpe
I’m very excited about this book. Not only is it a brutal, suspenseful novel, but it also gave me the chance to write about some of the survival skills I’ve learned over the years, which I normally only write about in magazine articles for Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. These publications are excellent for those interested in homesteading, hiking, camping, woodworking, and survival techniques for all situations. They can be found on newsstands everywhere (check your local CVS or grocery store).
The Old Lady also features one of my favorite protagonists to date, a mentally scarred woman doing the right thing in the most barbarically violent ways. Like my novel Gone to See the River Man, it also takes place deep in the woods, which is always a fantastic place to set a terrifying tale.
I think my readers are going to love this one.
In other news, I just returned from a trip to Texas.
My friend Shane McKenzie invited me and five other horror author friends—Aron Beauregard, Wrath James White, Judith Sonnet, and Lucas Mangum—to a lake house in Bay City for a writer’s retreat.
As excited as I was to go, I almost canceled after Bear died. I worried my grief would still be too fresh to have a good time and get any writing done. I didn’t want to bring everyone down or disappoint them with my level of productivity. But after talking it over with the people closest to me, I decided it would be good for me to see friends and get motivated to return to my writing by being around other scribes. Each of these authors are modern horror icons and I couldn’t ask for a better creative team to work with. There was a lot of laughter and good food, and we all got a significant amount of writing done over the long weekend, with Judith reigning as the word count queen with an astonishing 30,000-plus words written.
Getting there and back from Austin, I spent a total of six hours driving with my buddy Wrath James White. We talked about life and death, women and love, boxing (our favorite sport), horror films and books, and our current collaboration. We worked hard on that together throughout the retreat.
That’s right, fright fans. You can expect a Wrath James White and Kristopher Triana extreme horror novel collaboration later this year. Stay tuned for more gruesome details.
Even though I’m still grieving Bear (and therefore had to isolate myself in my room a few times while in Texas), I’m glad I went. Being with these wonderful friends did a lot to cheer me up, and I’m grateful for every one of them. I’m also especially grateful to Shane’s dog, Lucky, who I bonded with while staying at his home during the end of the trip. Shane and his lovely family were so gracious and welcoming to me and Aron, adding more days of fun after our flight got canceled. Shane has two great dogs, Lucky and Jack, but it was Lucky who cuddled me throughout my stay, as if he knew of my loss and wanted to comfort me. He succeeded.
While driving to The Museum of Weird, Shane, Aron, and I spotted a German Shepherd and Pitbull running down the sidewalk of a busy four-lane road. The dogs were wearing collars. After pulling over to catch them, I got down on one knee and let them approach and sniff me before touching them. They were sweet and gentle despite being breeds many people find intimidating. Using the tracking barcode and phone number on their tags, we managed to reach their owner. He told me his wife was out looking for them and I gave him the location. I wish I could tell you the wife was grateful and relieved to be reunited with her escaped pets, but she barely even looked at us when she arrived. Instead she just grabbed the dogs and tossed them into the car, cursing at them, and ignoring me when I told her to take it easy because the dogs were already scared. Just before driving off, she gave us a flat “thank you” without so much as a smile.
What kind of miserable bitch is mad when their dogs are found? Any decent person would be overjoyed. I will say, the dogs didn’t seem to be abused. They appeared healthy and happy. But they’re obviously neglected, at least by the wife, which pisses me off. But while this heartless owner showed little gratitude, my friends and I were just happy we managed to corral the dogs and prevent them from being hit by cars. We may very well have saved their lives. I only wish we could have adopted them too. They’d certainly be treasured more by Aron, Shane, or myself.
With their horrendous customer service, United Airlines screwed me and Aron over more than once on this trip, to the point we both vowed to boycott them forever. When a company is dead to me, it stays dead, and this shit pile of an airline has secured their headstone. But the cancelations of two of our flights allowed us some extra time with the McKenzies, including hours of snuggling with my new buddy, Lucky. The good memories far outweigh the aggravation of air travel.
I hope you all had a very happy New Year and your 2024 is everything you could want it to be. Thanks for reading my newsletter. I hope you dig the new book!
Currently watching: The Holdovers, which is easily my favorite movie of 2023. A glorious return for director Alexander Payne, with stunning performances by the central cast. It was a beautiful, bittersweet movie to carry me out of this very blue holiday season.
Currently listening to: Tim McGraw’s Doggone, which was sent to me by a reader. I’m not much for pop country these days, but this loving tribute to dogs who’ve passed away definitely brings a tear to my eye.
Currently reading: Ryan Harding’s brutal new collection, Transcendental Mutilation. Fans of splatterpunk should not miss this one!
Until next time, keep reading, and try to be happy.
Your pal,
Kris
It was so good to see you, my friend. So glad you got home safely despite the incompetence of United Airlines.
Ohhh now I got to get a signed copy. You and wrath writing a book together is epic af.