We Are Monsters debuts in 30 days. To celebrate, I’m giving away a signed print copy through Goodreads. Enter to win, and feel free to tell your friends. Thanks for your support.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Brian Kirk
A Journey of the Imagination
Page 6 of 8
The first professional review of my debut book, We Are Monsters, just came in. And… It’s a good one!
CLICK HERE to read the complete review, graciously offered by the fine folks at Ginger Nuts of Horror. If you want to know what it felt like to receive this initial review, read on.
It’s strange, this life. Five years ago I decided to walk away from a lucrative position at an ad agency to devote more time to fiction writing. Not just any fiction, mind you. Weird fiction. Dark fiction. Fiction that sometimes hurts to write. Sometimes hurts to read.
I started this website five years ago and gave it a name: A Journey of the Imagination. Sounds a little puffed up, maybe, but it’s been fitting thus far. The latest stop along this path was the 25th Anniversary World Horror Convention, which took place this past weekend in my hometown of Atlanta, and I’m still reeling from the experience.
I’ve got a secret: I used to want to be James Bond. But that was before I met Jonathan Moore. This guy is living on another plane of existence. Jonathan Moore has been a whitewater raft guide on the Rio Grande, a counselor at a Texas wilderness camp for juvenile delinquents, and an investigator for a criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C. This was all before getting his law degree in New Orleans.
Now he’s a successful attorney living in Hawaii with a drop-dead gorgeous wife (forgive me, Mr. Moore, I mean no offense) who writes smart, gritty, mind bending thrillers whenever he’s not sailing his boat.
Meanwhile, I have a hard time getting out of bed before 10 a.m.
Jonathan was kind enough to read an advance copy of my debut novel, We Are Monsters. This is what he had to say.
“Keep an eye on Brian Kirk. His ambitious debut We Are Monsters is a high voltage thrill, like watching Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor and Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners on split screens.”
-Jonathan Moore, Bram Stoker nominated author of Redheads, Close Reach, and The Poison Artist.
When I say I’m happier to receive this endorsement from Jonathan Moore than James Bond I’m not joking. He doesn’t just hand these out. In fact, this was the first time he’s ever put his name behind a blurb.
Mr. Moore has authored three excellent novels with a fourth underway. His chilling debut Redheads was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. And his terse thriller Close Reach was one of my favorite books of 2014.
I’m eagerly awaiting the release of his next novel The Poison Artist which you can pre-order HERE.
For more information about the talented Jonathan Moore, visit his website. If you’re like me, you’ll go hoping to access whatever raw energy he’s harnessing to lead such an exceptional life.
If this endorsement has intrigued you to check out my book, I humbly invite you to pre-order it HERE.
I just received another excellent endorsement for my debut novel, We Are Monsters. This time from author, Robert Ford. I’m actually more excited to talk about Bob’s work than my own, as I’m a big fan. Not only is he ridiculously talented, he’s among the most courageous writers I know, taking the toughest experiences in his life and transforming them into exquisitely devastating tales. He’s been known to evoke tears at his live readings – hell, he’s been known to make people ugly cry, and then thank him afterwards. And no one comes up with better book titles than Bob: The God Beneath My Garden, No Lipstick In Avalon, Samson and Denial. I recommend them all.
Here’s what he had to say about my pending release, We Are Monsters:
“With We Are Monsters, Brian Kirk has created a disturbing, gets-under-your-skin debut novel. This is an excellent read — not only for a first novel, but a proud accomplishment for a seasoned writer. I expect to read much more from Kirk in the future.”
-Robert Ford, author of The Compound and Samson and Denial
It’s surreal to be getting praise from people I admire as much as Robert. If you’re not familiar with his work, you’ve got to check it out. He’s the real deal. A true writer in every sense of the word. A ton of talent, zero compromises. He writes what he wants. He writes what he must.
I’d say start with Samson and Denial and see if you can put it down. Then check out his short fiction in The God Beneath My Garden, but fortify yourself first.
In case you missed it, here’s another great endorsement from the wonderful Mercedes M. Yardley.
When I signed up to attend the World Horror Convention last year in Portland, I went with one goal in mind: to pitch the novel I had just completed in hopes of landing a book deal. I had never been to the WHC before. In fact, I had never been to a convention of any kind before. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect, or how I was going to meet the editors or agents who could either offer me a contract, or help me get one. Nor did I know how I was going to smoothly present my project without coming off like an overeager putz (which I most certainly am).
Early reviews of my debut novel, We Are Monsters, are coming in, and the feedback has been extremely kind. Here’s a wonderful blurb from one of the most skilled, and original writers I know, Mercedes M. Yardley. If you haven’t read her work, please do. It will break your heart and rebuild it. Here’s what she had to say:
“Brian Kirk’s We Are Monsters takes us into the intricate Jekyll and Hyde world that exists within us all. It’s a high quality, smoothly written novel featuring characters who are both monstrous and horrifyingly human. Kirk’s book combines shades of Edgar Allan Poe’s The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether and Stephen King’s The Green Mile in order to make something satisfying, surprisingly humane, and uniquely his. Easily the best book I’ve read this year.”
-Mercedes M. Yardley, author of Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy
I’ll admit, I was terrified when I learned Mercedes had agreed to read an advance copy of my book. Not only do I admire her courageous approach to storytelling, and her lyrical prose, I respect her taste in literature. I knew this would be a tough test to determine the subjective worth of my work. I am both thrilled, and terribly relieved, to have received such flattering feedback from a writer whom I admire as much as her.
Check out her latest release: Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Tale of Murder and Whimsey. It’s a fun and ecstatic fairy tale that rivals the best of Neil Gaiman. Order from Amazon HERE.
To learn more about We Are Monsters, or to pre-order the Kindle edition now, go HERE. The print edition will be available for pre-order in June.
I’m pleased to reveal the official cover for my debut novel, We Are Monsters, scheduled for release on July 7th. As you’ll see, we chose to go with a clean, simple, and iconic design.
I’ll be honest, this took some work. Simplicity often does. Too often, people are inclined to cram as much stuff onto a cover as they can. More is considered more. For me, and my personal tastes, the cover is not meant to work as a movie trailer for the content inside. Instead, it should evoke a feeling or emotion similar to the one the reader can expect to experience while reading the book. It should pique one’s curiosity, not satiate one’s desire to know what the story’s about. That’s what the back cover, or inside flap, is for.
We explored two other completely different concepts in addition to this one. Both had their merits and limitations. All the while, I kept drifting back to this design. It made me feel uncomfortable for some reason. There’s a tension to it. A subtle sense of unease (or disease).
We Are Monsters is a story about our inner demons. The ones we face and fight every day. And a psychiatrist’s experimental drug that unintentionally casts them out into each character’s world, where they are forced to confront them. Some may call that bad medicine – anti-medicine, as the upside down staff implies. But it just may lead to the asylum we all seek from the monsters within ourselves. You’ll have to read the book to find out.
You can pre-order the Kindle edition HERE.
The trade paperback, and audiobook, will both be available soon.
Here’s a quick guide to some local places you may want to visit while in Atlanta for the World Horror Convention this May.
First of all, if you have never been to Atlanta before, welcome. You’re bound to have a good time. While the WHC will have plenty of activities to keep you occupied, I wanted to provide a list of some local haunts in case you want to go exploring. Just be forewarned, getting around Atlanta can be confusing as hell.
Here are a few of my favorite spots that tend to attract readers, writers, and creative folks in general. I offer them in no particular order.
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I’ll admit, I can’t stand the five star rating system, especially for books. Actually, it’s not the rating system itself that I mind as much as the impact these ratings can have on a book’s ability to fail or succeed.
For one, the enjoyment of a book boils down to personal taste, which is both subjective and fickle. Not only is there a broad spectrum of individual tastes, but one’s individual tastes can vary over time. There are books I’ve started and put down because I wasn’t into them for some reason, but then picked up later and ended up loving them.
About Me
I'm a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of dark thrillers and psychological suspense. Feel free to contact me to discuss a current project, or just to chat. Don't worry, I only kill my characters.
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