Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Rick McQuiston- Fear the Sky



Happy Tuesday readers. 
Please join with me in welcoming Class Acts author, Rick McQuiston to the blog as he shares his new book and answers a few questions about himself.

Welcome, Rick. Please start by telling us three words that describe yourself starting with A, B, and C.  

A- Artistic; B- Bizarre; C- Creative

*What are your three favorite things? 

Reading, watching movies (horror movies, of course), and playing drums.

Are you self- published or with a publishing company (if so, which one?)? 

My first two novels were self-published; my third, fourth and fifth (pending) are published with Class Act Books.

What is the ultimate goal you have for your career? 

To reach the point where I can make a living with my writing.

When not writing, what can you be found doing?

Aside from my day job and spending time with my family I'm usually working on my music or researching history.


When writing, which do you prefer to write with, computer or paper and pen?

Definitely paper and pen. For me, it's easier to relate to my characters and the situations there are in if I write them down by hand. It allows me greater control to shape the outline of the story. In addition, I can work faster since I'm not the greatest typist in the world.





Blurb: Fear the Sky

A small town sheriff and three young boys fight to protect their town from an age-old evil.

Excerpt:

The lone sparrow soared through the air above the dense foliage surrounding the tourist town of Frankenmuth. Its glossy black body, streamlined to achieve maximum aerodynamics, moved with minimal effort; the natural advantage its species had achieved through evolution. The wing-to-body weight balance it possessed was geared specifically toward a relatively predator-free existence in the sparsely-populated heavens. God Himself, in conjunction with Mother Nature, Father Time, evolution, and a host of other variables both fictional and non-fictional, had bestowed upon it an efficient and successful combination of senses and attributes. It would live a long life using only common sense and a bit of luck. Of this much the sparrow's future was assured.
But this was no ordinary bird. This feathery creature soaring through pillow-white clouds and basking in the life-giving sunshine was not a natural product of God, or Mother Nature, or even evolution. No, this solitary sparrow cutting a graceful swath through the sky above Frankenmuth and its host of unsuspecting inhabitants, was anything but natural. Its roiling mind convulsed with strange and dangerous thoughts, complex frightening ideas, and a single-minded, tunnel-vision resolve that was unmatched by any other living thing on the planet.
Or anywhere else for that matter.
The sparrow lowered its gaze down to the thick forests covering the landscape like a heavy green rash. Virtually every single tree or bush grew wildly enough to touch its neighbors, forming an even coating of lush plant life, unmarred by the taint of fire or disease.
It had no pupils in its deep-set red eyes; the sparrow tilted its conical head to one side, and then to the other. The warm breeze that rushed past its leering face and up through its outstretched wings nurtured it to a degree. It didn't need oxygen, food of any type, or at least the kind normal birds would require, so it didn't particularly care to focus its attention on any movement far below or to breathe in the atmosphere.
But it did regardless. A certain level of enjoyment coursed through its lithe body, and although rather alien in nature to its senses, it found it liked it nonetheless. Much like a virus would attach itself to a human.
A virus. It was a fairly appropriate analogy to be sure.
What could only be construed as a crude, rudimentary smile creased the bird’s fluttering visage. A flake of hardened cartilage on either side of its beak snapped and obediently drifted downward, falling through the warm air in a chaotic dance of nothingness.
The sparrow circled in a tight formation. It moved with purpose, and yet slowly, patiently. All the time in the world rested beneath the greasy folds of its wings in the form of a small, somewhat isolated forest town bordered by huge expanses of green wastelands. It had chosen this location carefully, knowing full well its presence would be no more noticed than a passing cloud or gentle breeze through the congested streets of Frankenmuth. Unbeknownst to the shuffling crowds and their seemingly important agendas and desires far below, it would be able to further its plans substantially without interference.
The sparrow's eyes narrowed as it surveyed the landscape. There was little movement in the brush, but it mattered little because it hadn't yet reached its destination. It needed to fly a little ways further to get to Frankenmuth and all the plump new prey that would be there.
A fire lit in the sparrow's belly. An intense heat seared outward from its center and burned straight to the bird’s eyes. Already red as blood, the tiny misshapen orbs deepened to a shade unlike anything on Earth, a swollen hue tinged with disease and hatred and all things evil.
The sparrow blinked once, and then twice, feeling the liquid death welling up within its eyes. It needed to wait for the proper time to release the fresh batch of its judgment on the Earth. But once it did, nothing would be beyond its reach.
With a gentle but biting wind in its blackened face, the devil surged forward toward Frankenmuth.

Buy links for Fear the Sky:


About the Author:

Rick McQuiston is a forty-six year old father of two who loves anything horror-related.  By day, he works for a family-owned construction and management company. By night, he churns out horror fiction.

Rick has well over 300 publications so far. He’s written seven anthologies, one book of novellas, and edited an anthology of Michigan authors. He’s also a guest author each year at Memphis Junior High School, and is currently working on his fifth novel, a Cthulhu-based anthology. Rick currently has two novels with Class Act Books:  Fear the Sky and When Only the Nightmare Remains, which was voted #2 in Horror for 2015 by the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice.

Find out more about Rick at:
Publisher's website: www.classactbooks.com
Author's website: www.many-midnights.com

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