Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the new cover art by Natasha Alterici for Michael West’s new short-story collection, Straightjacket Memories!

Featuring 10 tales of horror, including both previously published stories and brand new ones,Straightjacket Memories will be released Friday in eBook format with a print version in trade paperback to follow one week after. Straightjacket Memories is Michael’s second collection of short fiction, following the critically-acclaimed Skull Full of Kisses.

On the new release, Michael said, “I am just so crazy about this collection! Gathered from various magazines, anthologies, and eBooks–some in print for the very first time–these stories represent some of my best work to date. I’m very happy with the way in which Seventh Star Press has put them all together, and excited that my faithful readers will be able to share in more of my nightmares and slightly twisted imaginings!”

Straightjacket Memories includes the following stories:

“Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite”

“Flowers in Winter”

“The Grove”

“Sandwalkers”

“In Vino Veritas” (Written with Tim Waggoner)

“For the River is Wide”

“Masako’s Tale”

“Hell’s Hollow”

“Inner Goddess”

“Unknown Caller”

The new release continues a banner year for Michael that saw his novel Cinema of Shadowsbecome a national bestseller in horror on Amazon.com and his Legacy of the Gods series take the next step with the recently-released Hades Disciples. For further information on Michael and his work, please visit his site at www.bymichaelwest.com

Synopsis of Straightjacket Memories:

There is a fine line between love and madness, between insanity and pure evil.

This is Michael West at his terrifying best! From heart-stopping horror to the strangest of fantasies — these are tales from the darkest regions of his twisted imagination! All the usual tropes are here — vampires and shapeshifters, ghosts and witches, gods and monsters, mummies and zombies — but none of them are exactly what you would expect…

A dream vacation takes a nightmarish turn when a couple finds they did not come home alone…

A man agrees to a meeting with his estranged wife and learns the horrible, obscene truth of the old saying: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…”

An American platoon, cut off from the outside world, discovers an unbelievable enemy they were never trained to fight…

And a man struggling with depression and grief receives text messages from beyond the grave, messages that push him to the edge of sanity…and beyond…

Ten more reasons to say your prayers.

Ten more reasons to check beneath your bed.

Ten more reasons why you may never want to close your eyes again.

About Michael West:

Michael West is the bestselling author of Cinema of Shadows, The Wide Game, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses, and the critically-acclaimed Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

Writing keeps him sane.

This may not be a new review, but it is new to me.  Richard Dansky of The Green Man Review, posted his thoughts on the Legends of the Mountain State 3 anthology, featuring my story “Flowers in Winter,” based on a legend of tragic romance that takes place in the John North House in Lewisburg, West Virginia.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Massie leads off with ‘The Caretaker,’ a slow build of a ghost story that takes an unexpected but appropriate turn at the end. Scott Nicholson’s ‘Wampus Cat’ is another, sidestepping the pitfalls of both the predictable and the overly folksy. Steve Vernon gives a fresh take on the legend of John Henry with ‘Where You Gonna Run To?,’ and Michael West’s ‘Flowers in Winter’ neatly reverses the twist of Massie’s story, all the more effectively since the two are back to back…more than solid and deeply entertaining.”

Read the full review here!

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! 

From the Woodland Press website:

“The third and final installment of the Legends of the Mountain State series is already being called the most amazing of the ghostly trilogy. Michael Knost again takes the reins as chief editor and coordinator. Here you’ll find 13 final chapters—bone-chilling ghost tales and treacherous legends—to delight the reader. Stories are penned by many of the preeminent writers in the business. The tone in this project is perhaps darker, tales creepier, and the overall texture even grittier than the first two installments.

“‘(West Virginia) is often portrayed with absurd stereotypical elements. Movies like Deliverance, Wrong Turn, and many others offer the impression that the Mountain State is overflowing with ignorant, incestuous, bloodthirsty hillbillies—and as my fellow Mountaineers know, that simply is a false view,” Michael Knost writes. “This is why I love the Legends of the Mountain State series. Writers from all over the United States (and a few from Canada) offer respectful stories depicting our citizens as normal American’s caught in the middle of a spooky legend or ghost story.’

“Foreword by Homer Hickam, one of America’s most beloved authors. Pre-order today. Legends of the Mountain State will ship on or before October 12th, 2009.

Legends 3 contributors include:

• Elizabeth Massie
• Michael West
• Scott Nicholson
• John R. Little
• Brian J. Hatcher
• Kelli Dunlap
• Matt Venne
• Douglas F. Warrick
• Steve Verno
• Fran Friel
• Matthew Warner
• Mark Justice
• J.G. Faherty

$18.95″

Be the first to get a copy!  Click here to order!

“I have always been a fan of folk tales and regional fiction, admiring both their narrative authenticity and organic origins. But in a brilliant bit of post-modern tweaking, Michael Knost has recruited a host of contemporary horror writers to put their own spin on spooky legends from West Virginia. The result is a series of wonderful stories that seem as old as the hills and as current as today’s news. Bravo!”
~Bentley Little

I am thrilled that my short story, “Flowers in Winter,” based on the legend of The John North House in Lewisburg, WV, will be part of the third Legends of the Mountain State anthology, due out this October.

For more info, or to place your order:
http://www.woodlandpress.com/