A dark monster stalks the night, the ultimate hunter. Preying on children who don’t obey their parents. Could it be, the Boogie Man? No… it is none other than The Steel Van Man.
Open the Door?
I will admit that the thought of writing a horror story scares me a bit. No, not because it’s a horror story – but rather because I have to put myself into a mindset that can be… Uncomfortable for the average person.
I have one such horror story I have worked on, set it down. Worked on again, and set it down. The truth is, the main antagonist in the story is of an imaginary man from my childhood: The Steel Van Man. As a child my father used to warn me to get to bed or he would call the Steel Van Man. I can remember hearing the theme song to MASH and wanting to stay up to go watch it and my father would go to the telephone (then NOT cordless on the wall) and pick it up feigning dialing. I would freak out and run for my bunk bed.
This image developed in my head about this phantom creature that stalked children in the night and collected the bad ones. It became so solid in fact that it became quite easy for me to sit down and write the novel, having a plethora of details already in my mind.
Now, I have once again picked up my proverbial pencil (actually my keyboard) and started writing it again. I think what disturbs me most is that some of the chapters I write are from his point of view… And if find it unnerving that I can tap a part of my psyche that can write this man into existence.
So, in short, I hope that everyone will enjoy this thriller when I am done. Let me know if you want to hear more and I will post more thoughts on the project as it develops.