What About The CAT?! | AstraDaemon

HOW I ENDED MY MARRIAGE by Victor Vilestone is a flash fiction story about a husband who has a very literal interpretation of his marriage vow. I enjoy how the author shoves the ugliness of people into the reader's face, but I think Vilestone's characters deserve more pages. (I also want to know what the narrator did with his cat.)

For a longer story, I recommend his novella THE JINXED JUNIPER TREE.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Severe Consequences | AstraDaemon

THE JINXED JUNIPER TREE by Victor Vilestone has made me completely paranoid about planting my garden this year, without consulting some tinkers first. Pete ignores a warning about planting his juniper tree on the night of the full moon, ignores it, and his life falls apart within a week. When he finally accepts this is more than just bad luck, he discovers the way to break the curse is horrifically morbid.

I enjoy Vilestone's stories, but this is another one which makes think the author isn't pushing himself enough. The disgusting scene with Pete and Sally seems like a missed opportunity to introduce yet another curse. After all, he was supposed to follow the instructions exactly, and, well, he decided to get a little freaky for a few moments.

Some readers might be tempted to write off the author as predictable, but I feel this is the year Vilestone is going to catch us all off guard.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Death Sentence | AstraDaemon

JUSTICE FOR JIMMY by Victor Vilestone is a short story of revenge. While the concept seems straight-forward, the author throws in a few curves.

As I read this, sitting on my couch, I found myself on the edge of the cushions, racing to the end. Vilestone is often a savage with his characters, and this is no exception.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Death by Marsh | AstraDaemon

THIRD TIME UNLUCKY by Victor Vilestone is a flash fiction story about a thief who pushes his luck too far by stealing from the same residence more than once. I will admit, I hoped for a drain to be involved. In any case, I'd love to see Marsh brought back for another story.

I also recommend CREAM OF REVENGE SOUP by Vilestone.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Halloween Reading: Consumption Week | Vilestone Interview | AstraDaemon

CREAM OF REVENGE SOUP by Victor Vilestone is NOT a recipe. This is a short story about a man who discovers his wife has been keeping secrets from him. He decides to take her advice and cook something organic.

The author begins with suspense, and delivers an ending so graphic and brutal, readers might want to keep a barf bag nearby. The grand finale shocked me...I don't know what I expected, but it sure as hell wasn't anything I could imagine. Vilestone has finally lived up to his name with this one.

After this story, I decided to invite him into the Lair...

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How did your writing career begin?

I first had an interest in becoming an author in the late 90’s when I purchased a typewriter and enrolled in a creative writing correspondence course. As with most things in my life though, I started but never finished. For the next two decades I dreamt of being a bestseller, sitting at my desk all day working on stories, but did very little about it. The closest I got was jotting down a ton of ideas in an old notebook and getting a few letters published in a British boxing magazine. In the spring of 2020 the dream and desire came to the forefront once again, but this time I took decisive action and haven’t looked back since.

What do you think sets your stories apart from others? What can readers expect from your creations?

They say you should write what you know about, and I think that is excellent advice. The vast majority of my characters are bang average, leading dull and predictable lives. Until the shit hits the fan, that is. Another trait to my work is I don’t believe in censorship. I’m not the most gory and disgusting author out there, far from it, but I won’t hold anything back in the name of good taste if I feel it’s appropriate to help tell the story. You only have to read about real historical events like the holocaust to realise nothing my twisted mind can spurt out into a piece of fiction can be as horrific as humanity has been in the past and still is today.

Have you ever frightened yourself with your own stories?

Every evening at around 11pm I drive to an isolated wood to walk my two dogs. The location is ten miles from town and three miles to the nearest house. When I am there it’s just me, the hounds, the stars above, my imagination and whatever lies in the darkness. I often write when walking and have stumbled into bushes and bumped against trees many times when not paying attention to where the footpaths are. Once I was writing a scene where a guy was outside in the wilderness and could hear screams in the distance. As I typed, I realised where I was and it sent a shiver down my spine. I rarely get frightened by horror books and movies (real life is a lot scarier) but on that occasion I startled myself, if only briefly.

Where did the idea for CREAM OF REVENGE SOUP come from?

I’m a massive fan of the Death Wish movie franchise starring Charles Bronson, which influenced me to write violent revenge short stories. I was in the process of researching a non-bloody way to seek vengeance for my next tale when I came across poisoning. There I discovered the Roman emperor Claudius died from suspected death cap poisoning, a mushroom which that grows in the wild throughout Europe. The controversial ending to this story certainly wasn’t planned and only occurred to me during the writing process. Initially, the antagonist Geoff was going to lie on the bed and hold his wife, waiting for the fungi he had eaten to kill him, but one thing led to another, and he thought of other ways to spend his final hours with the corpse.

Why do you choose to write within the horror genre?

I recall enjoying watching Hammer Horror films as a boy with such greats as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in starring roles. Then as a teenager I read all the Stephen King, Shaun Hutson and James Herbert books available at my local public library. I’m uncertain what attracted me to horror in the first place, but I believe our characters and interests stem from both nature and nurture. My earliest memory of writing a story outside of school lessons was when I was around eight years old. I wrote it by hand in a Star Wars notebook, and it was about a pair of siblings who had to live with their grandfather after their parents were bludgeoned to death with an axe in the woods near their home. God knows what my mum must have thought when she read it, but as I said before it was always in me.

Are you working on any new writing projects? What can fans expect from you in 2021?

I have a plethora of ideas stacking up, so as long as I don’t burn out, I should have plenty of content coming out soon. My debut novella The Jinxed Juniper Tree will be released on 9th October 2020, followed by The Letterbox in November, and a Christmas themed story in December. I feel 2021 will be an even busier year for me, starting with the release of two or three more novellas. After that, I plan to complete my first novel length work, which will be a prequel to my short story The Drain. If I get any spare time between all that lot I will send out short stories to anthologies and may even target traditional publishers to see if they are interested in one of my novellas.

Thank you for stopping by!

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Keep your eyes open for more Vilestone stories this year, after October. As always, AstraDaemon

Two Wrongs | AstraDaemon

BURNING FOR REVENGE by Victor Vilestone didn't elicit one bit of sympathy from me for Vince, which is surprising because my dog is considered one of my babies. Vince should've just fed Jack to some pigs...in fact, Vince should've been a pig farmer to give the story a little something extra.

I think this story is too much like the crap in the news this year, and I look for stories to entertain me in some way, not remind me how much people suck.

I recommend THE WEEKEND COTTAGE by Vilestone instead, for a better story of revenge.

As always,
AstraDaemon

A Price For Everything

THE WEEKEND COTTAGE by Victor Vilestone is a frightening twist on the haunted house theme. Phil doesn't think to question why a co-worker would offer a cottage up, free of charge, while Gerry notices more and more wrong with the entire situation.

When Phil disappears outside, Gerry must search for him. What he finds is a memory which refuses to stay buried. Perfect ending.

This is my favorite Vilestone story, but I also recommend The Drain.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Lots of Bad Guys

THE DRAIN by Victor Vilestone has been revised and re-released. In my review of the original version, I stated the author should've included a twist or two because the story was predictable. This ending is far superior, and I LOVE the changes. In fact, I think Vilestone should consider writing a follow-up short because the characters are so much more intriguing this time around.

MESSED WITH THE WRONG GUY is filled with raw emotion, leading up to one hell of a shock. Dave only wanted revenge, but he found a horrifying truth instead.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Deadly Discovery

THE DRAIN by Victor Vilestone is a dark tale about a gardener who finds something horrific while trying to unblock a drain. This is a little too predictable for me. The author could've added a twist or two to make the ending more of a shock.

I prefer the writing style of FRIENDS REUNITED by Vilestone.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Changing Lanes

FRIENDS REUNITED by Victor Vilestone is a short story about a man who is given a new perspective from an old friend. During his conversation with Mark, Alan begins to realize what a wanker he was in his younger days, but soon he must admit to himself, he's still a jerk to most people.

I didn't know what to expect from this story, but the lesson Alan receives will likely be an eye-opener for many readers.

As always,
AstraDaemon