DEREK MUK IS HOWLIN’ AT THE FULL MOON

Werewolf stories have always interested and appealed to me, the horror of them especially. Something about them always spooks me and gives me goosebumps. I think it has to do with the primal, savage animals that they are and of what brutal harm they can inflict. Werewolves seem like our dark inner selves and I guess that makes them scary to me. 
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Remember that scene in “Underworld” where the werewolves are chained to the ground and threatening to break free of their restraints with all their might? 

​Like it did for a lot of other viewers, the werewolf transformation scene in “An American Werewolf in London” still rattles and unsettles me when I watch it now. You can feel the sheer agony and pain he’s going through when the metamorphosis is happening. This is what makes it an emotional and powerful scene for me.   

​Not to mention the chilling climax of “The Howling.” Who can forget that? Those eyes freaked me out! 

I guess it’s obvious that I’m a fan of the sub-genre. My upcoming horror double novelette release, due for release on December 3, from Unnerving will feature two stories: “Private Number” and “Claws.” “Claws” is the one-half of the book that sinks some werewolf fangs and rips people to shreds. My werewolf love shines through, with a paranormal detective lean.
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The book will be in the style of the old double novels from the 1960s. I love that old-school concept. I love anything old-school basically, books, movies, magazines, music. The inspiration for this new release was based on going back to basic, fundamental grass roots horror. Stripped down, straightforward, go-for-the-throat horror. Imagine yourself at a drive-in theater in the 1970s catching a horror double feature, a double shot of horror, and that sums up my new book. Major kudos and shout outs to Eddie at Unnerving, thanks for believing. 

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What’s in a Clue?    
Detectives in horror. We’ve all seen the shows. Remember when The X-Files went dark? Or when the Winchester brothers in “Supernatural” experienced heavy, life-changing stuff? Recall when Dean became a demon in season 9?  

 
Remember all the times when Sam and Dean have died? Some people have lost count. Some of my favorite detective/horror films/TV series are “Se7en,” “The Game,” “The Legend of Hell House,” “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” and the TV show, “Supernatural.”      
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“Se7en” is the perfect modern day combination of mystery/suspense and horror. Who can forget the climax of that movie? I still get the chills thinking about it. “What’s in the box? What’s in the box?”
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​And the climax for “The Game?” When I first saw that movie I was floored and didn’t see that coming. Love that movie. 

​Detective stories are puzzles. That’s what I like about them. As a reader or viewer you’re trying to put the pieces together. When I first watched “The Legend of Hell House” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” I was forever changed, for those two masterpieces from the detective/horror genre stamped quite an impression in my mind and have influenced and inspired me to write about a detective/investigator now. I enjoyed the blend of horror and mystery in both (“Legend of Hell House” is also a great ghost story) and also liked the investigator protagonists who are trying to solve a puzzle. Detective fiction is also a great study of the human condition and of human behavior in general in all its complexities and extremes.
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My love for these kinds of stories is why I created Albert Taylor, and have used him as a vessel to explore the underworlds and the paranormal in my fiction. My upcoming horror double novelette release, due for release on December 3, from Unnerving will feature two stories: “Private Number” and “Claws.” Both feature Albert Taylor exploring the impossible, risking life and limb.   

Derek Muk is a writer and social worker from California. His short stories have appeared in various online and small press magazines, including: “The Dead Walk” (anthology), “Fear and Trembling Magazine,” “13 Magazine.” “Diabolic Tales 3” (an anthology of horror), “Both Barrels of Legends of the Monster Hunter I and II” (anthology), “The Trigger Reflex: Legends of the Monster Hunter II” (anthology), “Suffer the Little Children” (anthology), “Splatter: An Anthology of Horror,” “Death Rattle,” “Dark Things II” (Anthology), “Anthology of Ichor: Hearts of Darkness,” “Twisted Tongue Magazine,” “Static Movement,” “Sex and Murder Magazine,” “Sinister Tales,” “Night to Dawn,” “M-Brane SF,” “Sonar4 E-Zine,” “The Ethereal Gazette,” “7th Dimension Magazine,” “Switchblade Magazine,” “ESC! Magazine,” “Scorched Wings Magazine,” “Hardboiled,” “Masque Noir,” “Detective Mystery Stories,” “Dawnsky,” “The Pinehurst Journal,” “Mystery Forum Magazine,” “The Green Queen,” “Kracked Mirror Mysteries,” “Golden Visions Magazine,” “Crossroads Magic,” “The Street Corner Magazine,” “Calliope Magazine,” “Unspoken Water,” “Space and Time Magazine,” “Infernal Ink Magazine,” “Tales of the Talisman Magazine,” “Dark Eclipse,” “Whispers From The Past: Fright and Fear” (anthology), “ParABnormal Digest,” “The Haunted Academy” (Novella-Midnight Frost Books), “Fiction On The Web,” “Bards and Sages Quarterly,” “NeaDNAthal” (anthology), “Aurora Wolf,” “The Horror Zine Magazine,” “Nebula Rift,” “9 Tales,” “Story of the Month Club,” “Cranial Leakage,” “New Realm,” “Ink Stains Anthology,” “Cheapjack Pulp” and “Disturbed Digest.”

He has three chapbooks published: “Three Parts,” “The Sacrifice and Other Stories,” and “Sin after Sin.” In addition to writing, he enjoys reading, traveling, museums, art, dining out, and meeting new people. He has a bachelors and masters degree in social work.
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His author website is:
https://theoccultfilesofalberttaylor.wordpress.com/
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