In the introduction to his novella The God Provides, Thomas R. Clark explains how the first portion of the narrative – “Fireflies and Apple Pies” – started out as a short story before being expanded to fill a slim book. Yet it is the first stretch, rather than the novella as a whole, that found its way onto the Splatterpunk Awards ballot; and so, this review shall set aside the latter portion of the book and concentrate on the opening.

The story takes us to the Tully Foothills, where October has started – bringing with it the annual Apple Festival. But this year, the festival becomes the site of the town’s first murder in a century:

At first, it appeared as though preschoolers went to town practicing covering her mouth with lipstick.
“She looked like she stuck her face in a can of strawberry jam.” One of the workers…

Summerhome is a harrowing tale that brings to light the sentiment what we don’t know, will hurt us! Meghan’s Mom is an elderly woman with a lot of secrets. She has recently been diagnosed with Dementia and is going down-hill quickly with a knowledge that she refuses to relinquish. Meghan and her brother decide to put her in Summerhome where she can continue to be as independent as possible but still get help when she needs it. Little do they know, there is darkness in every corner.

Summerhome residents see and feel things that they are not entirely sure is real. Some residents have no idea that something is going on and live their life as they see fit. A paranormal team gets word that the residents are seeing things and weird stuff is happening so they go to investigate. They, along with Meghan and her brother discover what the…

Happy Friday! What’s everyone reading?

House of Stitched’s own Thomas R Clark has a new book out: SummerHome.

After Maureen Coleman is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, her children bring her to live at SummerHome. As her condition deteriorates, siblings Sean Spencer and Meghan Coleman are unsure if they have made the correct decision. They grow concerned when their mother claims to see the ghost of her dead husband, and a series of tragic, unexplained events impact the community.

Now, with the residents of SummerHome believing their complex is haunted, the world-famous Para-Hunters come in to investigate. The ghost hunters soon learn this isn’t a typical haunting. Because slinking through the shadows is an evil, unleashed from underneath the Mound nearly 300 years ago, and it doesn’t want to go back.

Bibliophilia Templum calls SummerHome “A poignant and graphic tale, a combination of folklore and splatterpunk that grabs you…