Guest Post: Recommendations from Derek Clendening

I am excited to welcome Derek Clendening to Book Den. Derek is an author with a penchant for the dark and paranormal. Today he is sharing with us a list of recommended reads as well as a list of authors every horror fan should check out.

Be sure to leave Derek a comment to be entered for a chance to win a Kindle Fire!

I’m a very eclectic reader. As such, my recommendations are all over the place. For the most part, my taste falls in line with the horror genre, but even that is multi-faceted. I do have one recommendation outside of the genre, and I always steer people towards that one if they can’t travel on a dark journey with me.

1. Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright.

This is a literary novel about a school teacher in rural Ontario in the 1930s. It’s a good rainy day read. I know because I read it on a rainy day. Gobbled most of it up during that sitting, in fact.

2. House of Windows by John Langan.

To me, this novel is much more about a haunted person than a haunted house. It might not be bloody, but I couldn’t put it down, and I gladly recommend it anytime.
 

3. Everdead by Rio Youers.

Yes, it’s a vampire novel, with a traditional vamp to boot, but you won’t find a word play quite like it. Highly recommended.

4. Billy by Whitley Strieber.

This might be the scariest book I’ve ever read. I wouldn’t make that statement loosely. There’s nothing supernatural about it, but if you have a kid, a stepchild, a niece or nephew, or a pet you’ll want to protect them much more after reading this.

5. Ghost Story by Peter Straub.

This was Straub’s breakout novel and has been cited by Stephen King as his favourite horror novel. It’s well-written, multi-layered and compelling. Best of all, it’s still in print. It’s also available as an e-book.

Okay, I’m done with individual books. Now for some authors which horror aficionados should read. Bentley Little and Richard Laymon are a start. Horror fiends will know plenty about them, but if you enjoy horror and you’re just coming off of Stephen King’s backlist, you should give them a shot.

Other authors I’ve enjoyed include Douglas Clegg, Brian Keene, Scott Nicholson, Sephera Giron and Gord Rollo. These are slightly lesser known authors than Little or Laymon, but they’re all worth checking out. You’ll be glad you did.

You can find Derek Clendening's adult and YA novels and short stories on Amazon.com as well as on Derek's website: Derek Clendening Horror Author.

The Breeding

It began in New York. Then it spread. Zombies outnumber humans ten-to-one and they must retool the Earth to suit their needs. Capitalism has survived the Apocalypse and a billionaire zombie plans to cash in by opening a human breeding farm near Buffalo, New York. He will provide sustenance to his fellow zombies . . . at a price . . . . Remaining humans have been imprisoned, paired, made to breed and have been treated like the lower form of life that they have become. A deadly ultimatum forces their darkest family secrets and worst fears to surface. The strong will survive. The weak will perish.

The Between Years

Randy and Carol Fuller face the worst horror parents can possibly face when they lose their six month old son, Kenny, to Sudden infant Death Syndrome during a freak snowstorm. In the following months, Randy wants a second chance at parenthood, but Carol isn’t ready. Their marriage disintegrates. However, Randy discovers his second chance, anyway, when he begins to see Kenny at age four. Then at age eight, twelve and eighteen. Soon it becomes apparent that Kenny is alive and growing up within the walls of Randy’s ancestral home. Randy has the opportunity to be a father to Kenny again, although in ways he never expected. And he must face obstacles he never imagined. The Between Years is a novel of ghosts and memory, obsession and darkness, and the undying love only a parent can understand.


More from Derek regarding his exciting Kindle Fire giveaway:

To enter to win a Kindle Fire, leave your name and e-mail address in the comment form below. You can enter once per blog stop. Visit each blog stop to increase your odds of winning. If I crack the Kindle Top 100, I will give away another Kindle Fire. E-mail me for the tour newsletter including a full listing of tour stops at derek (dot) r (dot) clendening (at) gmail (dot) com.