Solitary Man

New Books, Tour Dates, and the Joy of Isolation

If you’ve read enough of my books, you may have noticed a theme of solitary main characters. This applies to both protagonists and antagonists, male and female. Loners, vagabonds, hermits, ramblers—these are my people. Take, for example, The River Man, who lives in a shack deep in the woods. Or Tracey from The Old Lady, Jonathan Zain from Ex-Boogeyman, or Kim White from Full Brutal. These fictional folks are lone wolves through and through. Their loved ones are usually dead or estranged or otherwise out of the picture, and they have few friends if any. Sometimes they even like it that way.

While I don’t write my characters as isolationists on purpose, it’s not exactly an accident either. We write what we know. You see, I’ve lived alone for years, residing in my own house in the woods, content with the company of my dogs. My immediate family is dead and have been for a long time. I had a wife once, but the marriage ended years ago, which was really for the best. But even if I hadn’t had these isolating forces thrust upon me, I would still be a loner, because that’s how I’ve always been. Even as a child, I preferred playing by myself. As an adult, my favorite activities are ones that don’t require other people, such as reading, writing, listening to music, hiking, and watching old movies. My hobbies are ones I can do at home or in the woods, which I consider my second home. I did not choose these things because of their solitary nature, but my solitary nature surely dictated my preferences. While my lifestyle is not entirely eremitical, I often spend weeks without seeing or talking to anyone other than clerks when I run errands. I may text a small handful of friends, but phone calls are rare, as they tend to be in these days of constant connectivity yet infrequent personal interaction.

 I’ve talked before about how isolation benefits writing. Solitary time is crucial for introspection, reflection, creativity, and peace. It gives us a stronger sense of self, of who we are when no one is looking. When it comes to my work, copious amounts of alone time are an absolute prerequisite, and as a human being, additional alone time is mandatory for my well-being. I honestly think people don’t get enough of it these days. When I’m around people for too long I become uncomfortable and irritable, and I get far less work done, which makes me even more irritable. Social interaction doesn’t give me terrible anxiety; it just drains me. I believe part of this is due to my self-imposed deracination from general society and the temporal world. Though I love and cherish people close to me, and adore all my readers, I have never cared much for human beings as a whole. But I’m no misanthrope, even though I thought I was one when I was younger. It’s not hate, just avoidance. This world (or what’s left of it) does not concern me and hardly grabs my interest for long. I have no allegiances to any groups—not even sports teams—and don’t consider anywhere my hometown.   

The benefits of this are plentiful. I’ve never been swayed by public opinion or given in to peer pressure. I have never cared what was popular and have often found that what is popular can be terrible. This isn’t to say I’m some snooty, hipster idiot that makes it a point to only like things with esoteric appeal. I love some enormously popular stuff, such as The Simpsons, Batman, and Cormac McCarthy novels. But I chose them all for myself. I was actually surprised to find that The Holdovers, I move I adore, has been nominated for so many Academy Awards, because of the academy’s history of giving Oscars to what I consider pretentious garbage (Birdman, The English Patient, Titanic, Nomadland—then add to this the insults of Forrest Gump beating Pulp Fiction and Dances with Wolves beating Goodfellas, both of which are crimes against cinema). And the older I get the less pop culture even enters my line of sight. I cannot name a Taylor Swift song and have never watched an episode of Game of Thrones or Lost. I’m a much bigger fan of 20^th Century entertainment anyway.

When I’m alone, I am in a perfect state, so much so that I’ve never really been lonely. I understand loneliness as a concept but have never experienced it the way others do. Most people need regular interaction with others. They hate living alone—many see it as a scary possibility or great failure. Some folks can’t stand to be single and thrust themselves into one relationship after another. I don’t look down on anyone for being extroverted and know my form of introversion is extreme. But I’m comfortable with what I am. It’s other people that seem to have a problem with it. But being seen as a weirdo is nothing new to me, and as we’ve already covered, I don’t need those people anyway.

Perhaps this lifestyle choice causes me to miss out on certain things, but I retain no fear of missing out. No matter what’s going on, I’m usually happier to stay home. Clubs, concerts, bars, movie theaters—they’re just not for me at all. Never have been. That said, I greatly enjoy traveling and experiencing new places, and even meeting new people. This is especially true when it comes to other horror fanatics, avid readers, writers, and fans of my work. These are my people, and I always look forward to seeing them, just as I do my friends and loved ones. The horror community means a great deal to me and makes it possible for me to do what I do in my preferred seclusion. This hermit thanks you all for that.

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With this in mind, I’d like to announce my current book signing appearances for 2024. I’m excited for all these events and honored to be a part of them. Thanks to all the organizers who’ve invited me. I’m glad to know I’m a draw for all my fellow sickos out there!

My first signing of the year is coming up in just a few weeks. Below is my current schedule, featuring two more events that were added since my last newsletter. Other appearances may still be added. I hope to see you all at one of these, if not more, because as I said, I love you guys. Click the links to find out more.

March 23^rd : The Horror Depot’s Horror Author Con. Rhode Island College Student Union. Providence, Rhode Island

April 12^th - 14^th : Scares That Care presents Authorcon III. Williamsburg, Virginia.

June 8^th : Vortex Books & Comics – Columbia, Pennsylvania

August 3^rd : Books & Brews (Books of Horror) – Evanston, Illinois

August 9^th - 11^th : Killercon. Austin, Texas.

September 21^st - 22^nd : CT Horrorfest. Hartford, Connecticut.

October 4^th - 6^th : Scares That Care presents Authorcon IV. St. Louis, Missouri.

October 19^th : Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. Haverhill Public Library. Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Spring is creeping up on us, and this monster is crawling out of his cold, dark hole in the ground. This year just keeps moving along, with the clocks changing this weekend, Easter on the way, and snowy days turning to rainy ones. Though I always dread the coming of summer, I embrace spring with a smile. Once the snow has melted, the end of winter offers only drabness, mud, and bare trees, so it’s an annual pleasure to see some green again and watch the flowers bloom. It reminds us that life goes on, even as the world burns with multiple wars and Americans stare down the barrel of an election rematch nobody wants. We’ve survived a pandemic, inflation, and violently partisan politics. We’ll survive this bullshit too. Probably.

See you soon.

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The new issue of Bare Bones is out now. This is a very cool series that mainly focuses on forgotten horror films and books. This issue features an article on the Splatterpunk Awards written by legendary horror scribe David J. Schow, in which I receive a shoutout. Be sure to grab your copy! It’s currently a number one new release on Amazon.

Today is my good friend Aron Beauregard’s birthday. I believe he turns 13 (at least that’s his maturity level). Anyway, help me wish him a happy birthday by grabbing a signed copy of one of his books. I suggest his new project with Daniel J. Volpe, Through the Eyes of Desperation, a tale of gambling gone grotesque. Remember the classic Tales from the Crypt episode “Cutting Cards” with Lance Hendrickson? Think that but on a larger scale.  

This week also saw the release of my buddy Scott Cole’s new extreme horror novella, Headless. If you’re looking for a solid blending of cosmic horror and splatterpunk, get ready to literally lose your head over this one. Cole’s work is always tight, vivid, and enthralling, combining bizarre plots with copious amounts of gore. I highly recommend you check him out.

I’d also like to remind you that my new novel, The Old Lady, is now available everywhere. And The Night Stockers, the Splatterpunk Award-Winning novel I co-authored with Ryan Harding, has just been rereleased in a new edition featuring new cover art by C.V. Hunt (author of Ritualistic Human Sacrifice) and the iconic Devil’s Food logo by Nick Justus (illustrator for The Obituaries).

And as thanks for you all being such supportive fans, I’m offering a 10% discount code for my online store. This code is: NEWS. It’s good now through March 9^th and can be used on top of the other sales going on. Just enter NEWS at checkout.

Currently reading: Lucy by Kristopher Rufty, a story of crime and canine badassery, and Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary by Jim Cobb.

Currently watching: Rocky IV: Rocky Vs. Drago (The Ultimate Director’s Cut). This new edit of the fourth Rocky film was recently composed by Sylvester Stallone to transform the film into something that’s less flash and more substance. Using a great deal of footage that never made it into the theatrical cut, this version of the movie has more dialogue and a fuller narrative. It doesn’t discard the overzealous training montages or James Brown, but we do lose the robot Paulie was dating because what the fuck was that about anyway? Ivan Drago has more lines and is a better-rounded character, as opposed to the stoic terminator he was before. Apollo has more scenes and there is a greater focus on his friendship with Rocky. Even Adrian gets additional scenes so she’s a character again instead of a mere accessory to her husband.

I’ve always felt that Rocky IV was one of the weakest in the series, an explosion of 80s esthetics and Cold War fantasy that drips with your typical Reagan era nationalism. Its flimsy storyline and dependance on music videos have always been too harshly in contrast with the all heart nature of the films that preceded it. So seeing the movie reshaped like this makes me smile. It updates it for modern audiences and, better still, makes for a sturdier bridge through the Rocky saga. Highly recommended for fans of the series!

Now if only we could somehow get a better version of Rocky V. . .

Currently listening to: Coffee Blues by Mississippi John Hurt, Unearthed by Johnny Cash, and Golgotha by W.A.S.P.

Until next time, keep reading, and try to be happy.

Your pal,

Kris