Cameron Trost

2012-01-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

LETTERBOX now available in print for just $7.99.

Some very unpleasant deliveries end up in the letterboxes of Mirebury in my debut novel, "Letterbox". However, your letterbox now has the chance to get hold of books for cheaper than before thanks to lowered printing costs. "Letterbox" is now on sale for just $7.99 USD (plus p&h) from Amazon.com, making it five dollars cheaper than before!

Interview with Gordon Reece

2012-01-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Dear Readers!

To kick things off for 2012, I'm posting an interview I did with Gordon Reece. He is a fellow Ho Ho Horror contributor and author of the electrifying suspense novel, Mice. Find out more about his writing at his official website

Christmas horror has a strange appeal to fans of scary stories, perhaps for the very reason that it is supposed to be the loveliest time of the year. Have you ever had a nasty Christmas yourself?

I don’t recall a nasty Christmas, but I remember I used to get very excited on Christmas Eve – just like Danny Coyle – and would struggle to get to sleep; so in a strange way Christmas could be quite a stressful and anxious time. There was also a lot of pressure for the day to be perfect so if there were any arguments (I was the youngest of six so there were always arguments!) the fact that it was this supremely special day made them seem much worse.

Can we expect other tales from you that are set during festivals or special dates such as Easter or Saint Valentine's Day?

The only story idea I have at the moment concerning a festival or special date is one set during the Pamplona bull run where an English tourist tries to show off to his girlfriend and ends up coming off worse in an encounter with a ton of rampaging bull. But I think the festival/special date has a lot of potential for thriller writers – Greene used it a lot, for example in the opening of ‘Brighton Rock’, where Fred Hale runs for his life through the crowds enjoying their Whitsun bank holiday, or in The Godfather Part Two when De Niro kills Don Fanucci while the neighbourhood fiesta is taking place all around them. I suppose it’s the contrast between the gaiety and the horror, the light and the dark, that’s so effective. Valentine’s day is a great one – I’ll have to start thinking of a good grisly St. Valentine’s day horror story now... the avenging wife sends her adulterous husband a heart-shaped box of chocolates but when he opens it he discovers desiccated slivers of his mistress’s heart...

In a previous interview with Aus Lit, you were asked about your favourite horror stories. A writer's inspiration doesn't just come from other works of fiction though. Can you tell me what or who else inspires you (music, art, etc)?

We’re definitely influenced by more than just the books we’ve read. I was hugely influenced by American horror and science fiction comics when I was growing up. As for movies, I’d say the movies that have most shaped my aesthetic are: ‘Straw Dogs’, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘Psycho’, ‘Don’t Look Now’, ‘The Birds’, ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’, ‘Les Diaboliques’, ‘Sleuth’, ‘Deathtrap’, and ‘Images’ (an underrated masterpiece starring Susannah York). There was a TV series called ‘Thriller’ in the UK in the seventies that was terrifying - certain episodes I can still remember vividly today. I don’t think I’ve been influenced by art very much, although, as I’ve said before, I’d like to think that any novel I write in the future could have Munch’s ‘The Scream’ as its cover. As for music, I agree with Auden that it’s the greatest of the arts; it’s very rare for literature to be able to move us in the way music can but it’s something writers should aspire to. Funnily enough I haven’t thought much about the screen adaptation of ‘Mice’ except for the sound track. I’d love them to use Peter Gabriel’s ‘Here comes the Flood’ in the part where the very heavy rainstorm comes, and I think PJ Harvey’s ‘Who the f**k?’ would make great exit music – a real feminist finger raised to the world: ‘I’m not like other girls/You can’t straighten my curls’.

Tell us about your writing environment. Do you ever write in unusual places, whether it be at home or outdoors? Do you have any particular habits that help you to write?

I’ve got a very boring writing environment I’m afraid. I sit at a desk that looks out onto a little English suburban back garden. I’m close to the kitchen where I make countless cups of coffee (‘I have measured out my life with coffee spoons....’). As for weird habits, I have lots of pens and change the pen I’m writing with every half hour or so as I get bored writing with the same one. I have a purple stone which my nephew bought me years ago which I like to play with when I’m thinking – it fits nicely in the hand and is beautifully smooth. I can’t listen to music like I used to, which is a shame, as it made the working hours a bit more cheery. I’m not sure how great my concentration is these days – I check the ipad for emails every five minutes even if I’m in the middle of a sentence. I don’t know who I’m expecting a message from, but, whoever it is, the message never comes!

Do you have a favourite length when it comes to fiction - short stories, novellas, novels - and why?

I’m really interested in the novella - something between thirty and fifty thousand words. Two of my favourite books – McEwan’s ‘The Comfort of Strangers’ and ‘The Cement Garden’ – are novellas, and I think there’s a growing trend for shorter novels now (Julian Barnes’s ‘The Sense of an Ending’ which won the Booker prize in 2011 was a novella). I read ‘War and Peace’ this year and it took me six months – I just don’t think literature can demand that big a part of our lives anymore. The novella gives you enough space to tell your story well, and then to get out of there before you overstay your welcome. It’s a very interesting hybrid between the short story and the novel and I think we’re going to see a lot more novellas in the future.

I read that you are interested in script writing. Can you tell us (without giving any secrets away) what type of films you envisage creating?

I’m interested in trying my hand at writing scripts for a whole range of genres. So on my desk at the moment there is a thriller called ‘Graphic Designs’ about a father who’s being hunted down by his psychotic son; another about a US spy plane crew shot down over Siberia in the sixties who uncover something sinister in an abandoned Soviet prison camp; and a romantic comedy set in Oxford (working class boy with chip on his shoulder falls for beautiful hooray Henrietta type). The great thing about script writing is that it’s more of a science than an art – three acts, 120 pages, plot point one at the end of Act One, plot point two at the end of Act Two etc – and, if all goes well, you can write a script in six weeks whereas a novel is going to take at least a year. Since a novel and a movie script have roughly the same chance of being picked up, I think the smart money’s on the script writing.

Thank you, Gordon, and all the best with your future projects.

Ho Ho Horror

2011-12-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Horror is a collection of short and scary tales that will ensure you spend Christmas hiding in your bedroom with the doors locked.

From the terrors of physical danger, to characters at the edge of insanity, unsettlingly disturbed children, poignant psychological horror, and the supernatural, this collection of Christmas horror provides a unique blend of Christmas cheer and Christmas fear.

Ho Ho Horror is a project of The Australian Literature Review (www.auslit.net).

Contents:
Ho Ho Ho, by Gordon Reece (UK, formerly north east Victoria)
Let it Snow, by Sam Stephens (Central Coast, near Sydney)
Unwanted Gifts, by Belinda Dorio (Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne)
Naughty or Nice, by Cameron Trost (Brisbane)
Satan Clause, by Keith Mushonga (near Harare, Zimbabwe)
X-mas Secrets, by Steven Gepp (Adelaide)
Rainmaker, by Kathryn Hore (Dandenong Ranges, near Melbourne)
Glittering Were the Leaves, by Tony Dews (Melbourne)
***
Artwork by Andrew J McKiernan (Central Coast, near Sydney), who is no stranger to artwork for Christmas horror fiction. He is also currently Art Director at Aurealis Magazine and a short story writer.

Buy "Ho Ho Horror" from Amazon.com

KINDLE $2.99

PRINT $9.99

2011-11-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,
I'm presently editing my debut short story collection, "Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales" which at about 90,000 words will include more than twenty previously published and brand new tales of mystery, suspense and horror. I am planning to release the collection as a self-published ebook because a) self-publishing allows me to control all aspects of the product, including its content / editing and marketing and b) epublishing is cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than print publishing. What I'd like to know is how many of you have ereaders and what file formats and websites you use to download stories. Please either leave a message below or on my Facebook page "Trost".

2011-08-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Craig Bezant of Dark Prints Press has done it again - he's offered the reading public of Australia and the world yet another extraordinary collection of FREE short fiction!

With a theme of ‘A Pile of Rubbish', Eclecticism's landmark 4th Anniversary Issue features 92 pages of amazing stories from: Simon James, Lynley Stace, Cameron Trost, Erol Engin, Rebecca Fung, Ian Harrison, Wilda Morris, Harold Mally, Karen Zelas, Guy Salvidge, and Featured Artist Courtney Bernard.

Pollution and waste are taking their toll on our planet and it is up to us to take responsibility for our actions and to send a message to our governments. As always, this issue of Eclecticism will entertain and catch the imagination but, hopefully, it will also make us think about our wasteful habits. Download your FREE COPY HERE.

2011-08-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Throughout the month of August I am giving my readers who have read my debut novel "Letterbox" the chance to receive a free copy of my novella "Let Darkness Take Hold". All you have to do is let me know what you thought about "Letterbox" by writing a review on your FB page, blog, Smashwords, Goodreads or other review site and then letting me know about it.

You can buy your e-copy of "Letterbox" from Amazon, Smashwords or Nook for just $0.99 US.

2011-07-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

It's finally here... it's time to open your letterbox - if you dare!

Naked Snake Press presents Cameron Trost's debut novel, LETTERBOX, available now from Amazon and Smashwords for just $0.99 USD.

Ian Carew left London to become a teacher in Mirebury, a town lost in the moors of Cornwall where everybody knows each other and life is quiet and pleasant. His elderly neighbour, Mrs Mary Hopkins, treats him like a son, and the local butcher, Jack Cochon, is his closest friend. All that is missing from Ian’s life is a good woman to share his bed with and a little adventure.

Little does he know, he is about to get a taste of both.

One day, when Mrs Mary Hopkins opens her letterbox, she makes a gruesome discovery and suddenly Mirebury is thrown into a state of shock and outrage.

At first, they assume it was a random act, but the horrible deliveries continue and, before long, the townsfolk of Mirebury are forced to acknowledge that they have become the target of a campaign of terror – and nobody’s letterbox is safe.

Is the dreaded “Postman” one of them, or is he an outsider?

Tensions grow and the solid communal values of Mirebury crumble as suspicion and accusations tear the town apart. Neighbour is pitted against neighbour and tempers flare.

The enemy only strikes at night and moves through the fog like a phantom as he makes his deliveries - it seems impossible to catch him. The fate of Mirebury will come down to one man.

LETTERBOX is a dark thriller about how fragile the fabric of small town society really is and how one man, by pulling the right strings, can expose dirty secrets and trigger underlying tensions between neighbours.

What stalks the streets of your city at night?

2011-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Do you live in a city - a concrete jungle of skyscrapers where it's easy to get lost at night, in a maze of identical streets? Do you know the people who live in your block of flats - do you really know them? Do you sometimes think that somebody, or something, is following you home and watching you through your windows?

The "Urban Horror Special" from Morpheus Tales won't help your bad case of city jitters, but you really should read it anyway - you need to know what's out there - in the streets of your city...

My tale of urban suspense, "Noisy Neighbours", is included in this must have issue of Morpheus Tales.

"Let Darkness Take Hold" - Out Now !

2011-05-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

My debut novella, "Let Darkness Take Hold", is now available as an ebook.

This tale of suburban suspense plunges the reader into the dark world of Michael Braun, a landscape gardener who has lost everything he loved. When the opportunity to discover the truth about what really happened that fateful night six years ago presents itself, he seizes it. . . and lets darkness take hold.

This title is available in most ebook formats for just $1.20 USD.

Grab your copy at SMASHWORDS and let darkness take hold!

2011-05-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

"100 Stories for Queensland" is a fundraiser for all those hit by the floods that covered an area of my home state, Queensland, the size of France and Germany put together. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the Premier's Flood Relief Fund. The uplifting tales included in this anthology range from humour and romance to adventure and science-fiction. I was very pleased to participate in the creation of this anthology by pre-selecting submissions and by contributing my own piece of flash fiction, "Elsbeth's Melody". For more information or to buy a copy (paperback or .pdf), click here.

Cathedral Man and the Rare Twelve Inch

2011-04-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

My story "Cathedral Man and the Rare Twelve Inch" is out now in Blue Crow magazine #3. What happens when a Brisbane office worker discovers that the homeless man who lives in the square outside his building possesses something that he absolutely must have?

Hardwicke's Fair Share

2011-03-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

Four politically active students from the University of Queensland are about to graduate and begin leading separate lives, but before they do, they decide to make a pact. What does the pact involve, and what will happen if one of them breaks it? "Hardwicke's Fair Share" is available now in Eclecticism #15.

Ambulance in Eden

2011-03-04T20:55:00.001-08:00

Dark Valentine's Spring 2011 issue delights the avid reader with a selection of dark an disturbing tales. A word of warning to the gentlemen who frequent this blog. This particular issue of Dark Valentine contains several tales in which the fairer sex shows us who's boss... including mine, "Ambulance in Eden". Nightmares guaranteed - especially for those of us who do not sleep alone!

100 Stories for Queensland

2011-01-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

As you will probably all be aware, the state of Queensland has been hit by a series of severe floods recently. Sure, natural disasters strike all around the globe every day, but they don't hit my hometown of Brisbane every day - maybe just once every forty years. Personally, I got off lightly, but a lot of people haven't been so lucky. You can all help out, not by donating, just by buying one book whose proceeds will be given to the flood relief fund. I'm proud to be taking part in the selection process for the anthology, along with an army of fellow writers and fiction critics. More news to come. "100 Stories for Queensland"

Freedom!

2010-11-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

Patrick O'Malley - Trost's short tale of the struggle of an Irish convict to escape from the Moreton Bay penal colony opens issue 14 of Eclecticism.

What would you do to be free?

2010-10-05T01:51:00.000-07:00

How important is freedom to you?
Patrick O'Malley is condemned to a life of hard labour in a strange new land far from his home in Ireland. He dreams of escaping the harsh realities of the Brisbane town penal colony at any cost.
This tale, set during the dark, early days of one of Australia's biggest cities, explores the meaning, importance and even the very existence of freedom.

Coming in late October from Eclecticism.

Cockatoo Cabin

2010-08-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Cockatoo Cabin is the perfect place to get away from the city; an isolated shack lost in bushland just a stone's throw from Brisbane. Elisa, Barry, Kevin and Gordon are in for one hell of a weekend!

Cockatoo Cabin, Ripples Magazine #19

2010-06-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

In case you were not aware, Trost also has a presence on Myspace and Facebook, so feel free to keep in touch and up-to-date using these sites.

In other news, or lack thereof - times have been busy, with a move from France back to Australia earlier this year, but a handful of new tales are being concocted or are brewing at the moment. Hopefully, you will be hearing about them shortly! Until then, dear reader, why not spend an adventure-filled night on the hill where legendary bushranger, Redback Jack, made his last stand.

The Legend of Redback Jack

2010-01-31T06:51:00.000-08:00

So you want to read a tale that mixes mystery and suspense with adventure and terror? A tale set in the Queensland bush, a timeless land of harsh beauty? A tale in which the present digs into the colonial past?

THE LEGEND OF REDBACK JACK

Atlantic Wind and Cloudy Skies

2009-11-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

Atlantic wind and cloudy skies are convincing me to spend even more time indoors than I already do. So over the past few weeks I have been writing, editing and daydreaming without restraint. The looming prospect of a French winter has somehow inspired me to write tales that take place in another season, another land - the island continent that I call home, with the burning brightness of its ferocious sun and the mystery of its deep dark outback nights.

I have also been revising other works of mine, short and long pieces, some of which will be released into the wild shortly and forced to find themselves a new home, under the care of a new master who will both protect and exhibit them. Others, especially the larger specimens, will remain with me for the time-being.

In the meantime, dear reader, you can find a list of my tales under the section entitled 'The Trost Library' - to the right hand side of this blog entry.

Enjoy!

Hoffman's Creeper

2009-06-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

Following hot on the trail of 'The Ritual' published in issue 2 of the AHWA's magazine Midnight Echo comes my latest acceptance 'Hoffman's Creeper' which is now available free from the suitably bizarre folks at Legumeman. Hoffman's Creeper is the story of a botanist obsessed by his family of rare and endangered plants. Their survival depends on him and his love for them is true... as they say, sap is thicker than water.

MIDNIGHT ECHO #2

2009-06-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

MIDNIGHT ECHO #2, the Australian Horror Writers Association's official magazine, is out now! If you love dark fiction and artwork then you must grab yourself a copy of this magazine in either the PDF or printed form.

2009-06-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

She was timid, the kind of girl who felt uncomfortable at social gatherings. He needed a volunteer. The other guests pushed her into it, she didn't really have a choice. She just tried to ignore the attention and told herself that it wouldn't be so bad... after all, it was just a party trick.

Reflets d'Ombres

2009-01-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have read Digging in the Garden in English you can now try your hand at deciphering the tale in French. I am pleased to announce that Mon Jardin d'Hiver has been published in issue 17 of the Gallic gothic literary zine Reflets d'Ombres. Bonne lecture, mesdames et messieurs!

Kangaroo Point

2008-11-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

Australian Reader is a webzine dedicated to showcasing true-blue tales told by Aussie writers...

now including yours truly.

Kangaroo Point is a story set in a beautiful location that anyone who has ever lived in Brisbane is sure to know like the back of his angry wife's hand. What happens at Kangaroo Point, as anyone unfortunate to have read one of my works of twisted fiction before will know, is as horrible as the setting is delightful!

2008-07-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that the Trost Library has a new tale gracing its shelves. How I became a Criminal is now available to the reading public on the literary fiction webzine, The Beat. I hope you enjoy it and, more importantly, I hope it makes you think...

DemonMinds spring edition

2008-05-07T01:05:00.000-07:00

DemonMinds has finally released its much awaited spring edition which includes short stories, poetry and some artwork. Don't miss Looking Forward to the Dusk written by you know who. In other completely unrelated news, I'm currently working on translating one of my stories into French so I'll keep you all up-to-date on that as it progresses.

Digging in the Garden

2008-04-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Good and bad news today, I'll save the best for last so here's the bad. I had a story rejected by the acclaimed Australian publication Borderlands today, the feedback was quite positive and I will certainly try again in the near future, enough said. On to the good news. My short tale of psychological torment Digging in the Garden has been published by The Beat e-zine. I came across this British site and liked what I read there so decided to give it a shot myself. Please read it, you only need five minutes, and feel free to tell me what you think.

Waste Disposal

2008-04-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've had a few rejections in the last couple of weeks, that's life, but I'm pleased to announce that Waste Disposal will grace the AntipodeanSF site in August (issue 123). I'll tell you more about that as the year grows older but I'd just like to say I love this snippet of flash fiction and it's certainly original (once you've read it you will understand why I say this, but if you tell me it reminds you of something else you read once upon a time on the back of a cereal packet that you found in your neighbour's rubbish bin I might cry... in which case I will be sure to post the photos of myself pathetically weeping on this very blog).
By the way, if you haven't read the post below and followed it to the Brimstone Press site and ordered your copy of Black Box you need to seriously question your sanity (or insanity as the case may be)... so do it!

2008-03-17T13:26:00.001-07:00

Black Box, the ground-breaking dark fiction, art and music production has been opened! I dare you to look inside... you're not scared are you?

WHAT'S INSIDE THE BOX?

100 of the darkest, most surreal flash fiction stories from 80 of the hottest horror and fantasy authors:
Will Elliott, Stephen Dedman, Lucy Sussex, Robert Hood, Richard Harland, Kaaron Warren, Mikal Trimm, Jay Caselberg, Rick Kennett, Martin Livings, Trent Jamieson, Lee Battersby, and more!
You will find my tale Beneath the Flowers inside, a flash fiction trap with well-chosen and strategically placed words that will send you hiding under your blankie!

Music from the best Australian alternative, gothic opera, metal, and hip hop artists:
Dandelion Wine, Wendy Rule, Opera Macabre, Pathogen, Temujin, Empyrean, The Eternal, and more!

Electronic galleries of dark art from the finest Australian and emerging international artists:
Andrew J McKiernan, Adam Duncan, John Banitsiotis, Brian Smith, Bryn Sparks, and more!

Black Box is brought to you by the highly acclaimed Aussie author/editor Shane Jiraiya Cummings and the team at Brimstone Press and all proceeds will go to the Australian Horror Writers Association.

Grab your Black Box while they last!

Looking Forward to the Dusk

2008-03-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

March is turning out to be a great month for me, another of my tales has been accepted for publication. 'Looking Forward to the Dusk' will be published online on DemonMinds (Spring 2008 edition). It's a fun little tale about a surprise birthday party where - you guessed it - things don't go exactly as planned!

Factory Worker

2008-03-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

One of my flash stories has been published on the Microhorror site! It's a nasty little tale of real-life, everyday horror (the scariest kind as far as I'm concerned), maybe you can relate to it... I hope not for your sake!

BLACK BOX

2008-02-23T02:34:00.000-08:00

BLACK BOX

2008-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Who can solve the mystery? What's inside the BLACK BOX?

Translations into French

2008-02-10T06:24:00.001-08:00

If you are a writer of short stories and would like to have your works translated into French in order to broaden your reading public get in touch with me! I am fluent in French and love translating fiction. Just don't ask me to translate stories longer than approx. 2000 words though.

I'm not asking for anything in return for this service, just promise to give me credit for the translation by including 'Traduit de l'anglais par Trost' along with your own name wherever you send your story for publication. The e-mail address is ctrost@hotmail.com, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.