Have monkey skull, will travel

5:53 pm 22 February 2015

  • The latest in my series of author interviews is with a author by the name of Charlie Morgan. 

     

    Reaper's Harvest Horror - First, what got you started in writing? 


Charlie Morgan - When I was a kid, I would sit and have all day horror movie marathons with my dad. I can remember watching H.G. Lewis movies and Elvira and it all stuck with me because I loved being scared. It didn't take long for me to start making up my own stories to try and come up with something scarier. My dad and I would actually compete in "what's the scariest thing that could happen right now?"

 

 
RHH - What was the best thing you came up with in that competition?
 
CM - I was pretty young at the time. One of the few that I can actually recall was in our barn. The steps to the loft were old and whenever you went up, the thought of them giving way was always in the back of your mind. I'm highly arachnophobic, so I thought of what it would be like to fall through near the top, fall the fifteen feet to the hard floor, break a leg and be trapped in the tight space with this massive horde of spiders that was sure to be tucked away down there. 

I read Clive Barker's Rawhead Rex when I was really young and there's a part when Rawhead is buried for centuries and is tortured by this wad of spiders that keep gnawing at his head. I guess that played a part in that one.

 

RHH - Nice!! I was a big fan of those Saturday afternoon creature features. My favorite from back then is a tie between Peter Fonda's Race with the Devil and War of the Gargantua.

 

 

 

CM - You have excellent taste. Race With The Devil is an all time favorite of mine. There's a mountain, not far from my house, that's rumored to be the meeting place of a similar cult. I've been through there many times and never found any proof though.
  
RHH - That movie was the moment I realized sometimes the monsters didn't have fangs or claws. Sometimes it's the quiet family down the street. To this day, I love reading cult horror. I had a similar situation close to where I grew up. I might have seen something, or it might have been over active childhood imagination. I will never know.
 
CM - I've heard of people who claim to have seen the group. I do remember going to school and seeing skinned dogs by the side of the road. That always freaked me out.

 

 

Devil's Rain is another good cult flick. Shatner vs Satan. Cheesy gold! 

 

 

RHH - Wow. I might need to look into that one. 

So, have you been writing for a while?

 
CM - Definitely worth it. Ernest Borgnine as Satan and its John Travolta's first movie. I'm full of useless info.
 

I've been writing most of my life. I started when I found an old typewriter when I was 8 or 9. One of my first stories was a Night of the Demons ripoff called The Halloween House.

 
RHH - Will that ever see the light of day?

 

 

 

CM - I doubt it. It really sucked! Haha! The movie I ripped off is much much better.
 

 

RHH - Well, that leads me to my next question. Which of your stories is your favorite?
 

 

CM - I would say A Cold Night In Fouke, with Sticks and Stones as a close second.
 

(Autocorrect is the devil.) 

 

 

RHH - No, Ernest Borgnine is... ;)
 
CM - Touche

 

 

 

RHH - Sticks and Stones was my first story of yours. 

 
CM - That's probably one of my most personal stories. 

 

 
RHH - I was hooked. Bigfoot is a nasty way to go... and he almost got away with it too.

 

 
CM - Bigfoot has been an obsession of mine since I was four years old and watched Legend of Boggy Creek for the first time.

 

 
RHH - I've listened to some of your audio recordings. Scary stuff. I've never heard the audio, but I think I was close to seeing one when I was 8 to 10 years old. I know you have a "big" interest in this elusive cryptid. A good bit of your stories involves him.

 

 

CM - Yeah. Its always interested me. I mean the possibility of a species of giant creatures living in isolated areas all over the world is the holy grail for horror fans. There could be an actual monster roaming around your yard. I've spent many hours trying to see one. I've never had a sighting but I have heard numerous sounds that I can't explain. Its exciting!

 

RHH - Since you are a believer, why do you think that a corpse or bones have never been discovered? I was watching a documentary today that suggested that one possible reason is that remains break down much faster in a forest environment.

 

 

 

CM - Certain areas can break down a body pretty quick. Factor in weather conditions, acidity of the soil and, most importantly, scavengers.

We know bears exist. That's common, undisputed, knowledge. How often do you hear of someone stumbling across the corpse of a bear that has died naturally? I know people who have hunted their entire livesand never found a dead bear. They've seen plenty of live ones. Why not a dead one?

 
RHH - Even deer remains are uncommon when you consider the magnitude of population.

 

 
CM - Exactly. I can only think of a few times that I've found bones while hiking. What I did find was only small bits and the rest of the body was nowhere to be seen. There's a chance that somebody has found bones and didn't know it.

 

 
RHH - Definitely with the realm of possibility.

 

 
CM - Oddball fact: I have part of a monkey skull in my truck that I ride around with.

 

 

 

RHH - Ok. I'll bite. Why do you travel with part of a monkey skull?
 
CM - Haha! I have a friend named Pattie that owns a shop in Hendersonville, NC called Greene Man's Treasures. I was in there snooping around one day and she mentioned that she had it. I immediately snatched it for inspiration and WTF factor. Some people carry a rabbit's foot. I carry a monkey's brain bucket.

 

 
RHH - Wow. All I have is a deck of playing cards and a luck charm from Puerto Rico. I've never been to Puerto Rico .

 

 

 

CM - I thought it might be a good luck charm for bigfooting. "Find your giant relative that makes the horrid sounds." My ex wife cuts me off in traffic. "My God! It works!"
 

 

RHH - Lmao!! Its a divining rod for primates!!

 

CM - Bingo!

 

 

 

RHH - So who would win in a fight - Bigfoot or a werewolf?
 

 

CM - I would have to say werewolf on that. Unless the Bigfoot lucked out and found a silver weapon, the werewolf is getting a feast.
 

 

RHH - I think he stands a chance. Brute strength might give Bigs an advantage.
 
CM - True, but the only way to kill the wolf is silver or fire. It could always bounce back.

 

 

Either way it would be one hell of a match.

 
RHH - I've always heard the werewolf's claws could do it harm. When Bigs rips his arm off and starts beating him with it I think that is a knockout punch. You're right, though. I would love to witness that. Speaking of werewolves, you have a new collection coming out that includes a werewolf story called Prowl. (Thanks for the ARC, by the way!) What can you tell me about the new collection?

 

 

CM - The collection is called The Hangman's Lullaby and Other Horrors. It'll have a couple stories that are new territory for me. The title story is my first attempt at a ghost story and Prowl is my first werewolf. There's even an apocalyptic poem in there for good measure. Many of my stories are ways for me to vent frustrations or cope with certain things that are going on in my life. Sticks And Stones was dealing with my marriage ending and Prowl came about by an unpleasant visit at a doctor's office. I've wanted to write a werewolf for quite a while and I figured the time was right to unleash the beast. 
 
RHH - Sidenote: I love Carcass. The only horror/western hybrid I have ever enjoyed. It needs to be filmed. What brought that one out? I've always wondered.
 

 

CM - Carcass was my first published story. I love vampires (even have the original Fright Night poster tattooed on my right arm) but was disappointed with what they had become in recent years. Sparkles? Really? I wanted to go back to what a vampire is according to the old legends - a vicious, nasty, undead, MONSTER that would rather tear your throat out than take you to prom. There is one, and I do mean ONE time that it is acceptable for a vampire to sparkle. That's in that magic moment when sunlight touches the skin, right before it explodes in a shower of gory chunks.

 

 

RHH - AMEN!!! Thank you 1000x!!! Vicious is where it at. I hope you plan on expanding it. I've also read Carcass: Bloodstorm, though it has been a while. I can't remember if you left that open ended.

 

CM - Bloodstorm pretty much wrapped things up, but I have toyed with the possibility of another. 

 

 

 

RHH - This guy would love that. Just saying!!
 

 

CM - I'm open to digging in again.
 
RHH - Three more quick questions for you. Anything in the works?

 

 

CM - There's a couple that are brewing. The main one is something called Mercy House. Not saying too much about that one at the moment. Gotta keep the suspense.

 

 
RHH - Any advice for aspiring writers?

 

 
CM - To aspiring writers - never give up and don't let negativity get you down. Write what you would want to read and give them hell! 
 

 

RHH - Keep writing, I'll keep reading. That's great advice. Finally, do you want my address for those nude pics of Bea Authur?

 

 
CM - Yes. I need the address. Just don't freak if the envelope is ticking.
  
RHH - Lol. No worries. I'll take it to work and let my boss open it. Charlie, thanks so much for giving me a good portion of your night. 

 

 

CM - You're welcome and thank you! You did a fantastic job. This was the most fun I've had with an interview.
 
There he is, the elusive Charlie Morgan. Author, cryptid hunter, and great interview. I hope you had as much fun reading as we did talking. Check him out, buy his catalog, and don't forget March 1st for The Hangman's Lullaby.

 

You can check out his Amazon page, here

Interview 2015