Hunter Shea's The Dover Demon - Blog Tour and Author Interview {Giveaway}

A trip Hunter Shea made to the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine two years ago sparked the idea for THE DOVER DEMON. While he was there, he met famed cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman and talked about creatures he’s personally investigated. It turns out, he was the man on the scene in Dover, MA in the late 70s when the uber strange biped was spotted by several people over the course of two nights in April, Hunter reported. He also gave it its name, Dover Demon.

Now, Hunter’s fictional world of The Dover Demon has been published as a novel and he was able to go back to the museum of cryptids in August and have a launch party for the book with Loren Coleman! To read more about that and see photos, head over to his site via this link: http://huntershea.com/2015/08/30/the-dover-demon-raises-his-round-little-head-cryptid-novel-release-day/

Follow along the tour using the hashtags #TheDoverDemon #HunterSheaLovesCryptids #Monsters #Cryptozoology #cryptids

Interview with Hunter Shea

CM: First of all, I would like to thank Hunter for joining me today and taking the time for this interview.

Hunter: Thank you so much for having me here! We writers love getting out of the lair every now and then and talking to the living. ;)

CM: Your new novel, The Dover Demon, was recently released. Congrats! Can you tell us a little about it?

Hunter: The Dover Demon is based on an actual sighting of a strange creature over a two night period in 1977 in the bucolic town of Dover, MA. Six teenagers saw an upright, skinny, peach-colored being with a bulbous head and large, orange eyes in the woods in three different locations. What today we might call an alien or Gray, back then was an unknown animal or perhaps paranormal entity. It truly frightened the witnesses, and no one has ever recanted their story.

With my book, I ask the question – what if it was seen by other teens those nights, and what they saw was so perplexing, so terrifying, they were not only too afraid to tell anyone, but it also changed the course of their lives? It’s present day, those teens are in their 50’s and the Dover Demon is back!

CM: Was there an inspiration behind the writing of Dover Demon? 

Hunter: I was visiting the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, ME and got to talking with the owner, famed cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. I was writing my cryptid book, The Montauk Monster, at the time. I asked him if there was a cryptid that didn’t get enough love and attention. He pointed me to the Dover Demon. He was on the scene in 1977 when the news broke and gave it its name. How could I resist? Plus, the story itself is so strange, almost otherworldly. I was hooked from the get-go.

CM: Horror is a great genre, but have you ever thought about writing in a different genre? Perhaps historical fiction or mainstream fiction? If yes, what would you write about?

Hunter: Absolutely. I’ve been mulling over a few non-horror ideas for a couple of years now. I’ve led an unconventional life, always shunning the easy road. I think because of that, I’ve had several lifetimes of experiences, both wondrous and strange. I’d like to write a mainstream novel about a family going through hard times and how they cope, or don’t cope, with the obstacles they face or even put in their own way. My wife and one daughter are handicapped, and I keep leaning toward writing something about coping with those challenges that goes beyond not sweating the small stuff. We’ve been through hell together, and I don’t think we’d be as strong a family without those diversities. Any kind of debilitating ailment takes its toll on the person with it and the people who love them. I think we’ve done a pretty good job facing everything. Maybe there’s something we can teach others going through the same thing.

CM: Over the past few months, I’ve read Island of the Forbidden and Tortures of the Damned, two novels I enjoyed immensely. How do these books differ from The Dover Demon? 

Hunter: If I was to categorize them and drop them in buckets, they would be Ghosts, Apocalypse, Cryptids. Island is the third in a series of novels I’ve written about a ghost hunting family. When I walk into that world, it feels familiar, like coming back home to a haunted house. Tortures is a non-stop thriller with real-life horrors. With The Dover Demon, you get a cool monster story, with that little niggling knowledge that it’s based on something real, which makes it all the more terrifying.

CM: I read in your Goodreads bio that you’re an amateur cryptozoologist. I think that’s incredibly cool! I’ve always had a fascination with Bigfoot (I wrote a report on it when I was in the 7th grade) and I’ve passed that fascination on to my 14 year old son. Have you learned anything interesting in the field that I can report to my son? 

Hunter: Yes, with all the technology we have at our disposal, we still, incredibly, don’t have many answers. No matter. I like to think that our world is vaster and stranger than we think. I’m beginning to fall into the rising school of thought that things like UFOs, ghosts and cryptids/monsters all come from the same nebulous place. People who study these phenomena need to pool their resources and see all of the commonalities. I don’t know what it all means, but I think it may be hiding in plain sight.

CM: Tell us a little bit about your Monster Men podcast with Jack Campisi. What can we expect when we tune in? And how do we tune in, by the way? 

Hunter: The Monster Men is two guys who love horror. We talk about movies, books, monsters, going on ghost hunts, interviewing people who create fresh horrors and just have a lot of fun with it. The list of people who want to be on the show is enormous now! We’ve had to step up our game so we can meet the demand. Expect a ton more interviews with authors and directors very soon. You can find us on our YouTube channel, Monster Men 13, or our website, www.themonstermen.net. We’re the most watched video horror podcast in the world and coming up on our 100th episode!

CM: Have you been inspired by any particular books or movies? What is your favorite horror novel and/or movie? 

Hunter: I’m inspired by tons of horror books and movies. It’s impossible to pick one or even a few out of the bunch. They all banded together to make me who I am. I do love Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life. Pure perfection in storytelling. Some of my favorite movies are Alien, The Haunting, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Funhouse.

CM: What books would we find on your nightstand? Any recommendations (besides your own books, of course)? 

Hunter: Got a few on the nightstand now that it’s Horrortober. For horror I have Darkness Rising by Brian Moreland, The Deep by Nick Cutter, We Are Monsters by Brian Kirk. I also have a Joe Picket novel by C.J. Box, going to reread The Garden of Eden by Hemingway and a few others at the bottom of the pile. There is never a shortage of reading material in my house.

CM: And last, but not least, what do you have in store for your readers next?

Hunter: Well, in 2016 I’ll have another cryptid novel out through Pinnacle. I can’t reveal the monster yet, but I know it will have people excited. My next Samhain novella, I Kill in Peace, will be released in April. This is a total departure for me and I took some big chances. It won’t be for the faint of heart and definitely not for the politically correct. I’m also hoping that my first novel for Severed Press, They Rise, will be out next year, too. It’s a sea monster book that is just flat out crazy.

CM: Thanks again for joining me today, Hunter. I look forward to many more years of great horror to share here at Castle Macabre.

Hunter: Thank you! Keep on flying the horror flag!

About The Dover Demon

File Size: 1032 KB
Print Length: 242 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (September 1, 2015)
Publication Date: September 1, 2015

The Dover Demon is real…and it has returned.

In 1977, Sam Brogna and his friends came upon a terrifying, alien creature on a deserted country road. What they witnessed was so bizarre, so chilling, they swore their silence. But their lives were changed forever.

Decades later, the town of Dover has been hit by a massive blizzard. Sam’s son, Nicky, is drawn to search for the infamous cryptid, only to disappear into the bowels of a secret underground lair. The Dover Demon is far deadlier than anyone could have believed. And there are many of them. Can Sam and his reunited friends rescue Nicky and battle a race of creatures so powerful, so sinister, that history itself has been shaped by their secretive presence?

Purchase~

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Praise for Hunter Shea~

“This wholly enthralling hulk of a summer beach read is redolent of sunscreen and nostalgia, recalling mass market horror tales of yore by John Saul, Dean Koontz, and Peter Benchley.” — Publishers Weekly — Voted one of the best reads of summer, on The Montauk Monster

“Bloody good read! This guy knows his monsters!”- Eric S Brown, author of Bigfoot War and Boggy Creek: The Legend is True, on Swamp Monster Massacre

Hunter Shea Biography~
Hunter Shea is the author of the novels The Montauk Monster, Tortures of the Damned, Sinister Entity, Forest of Shadows, Swamp Monster Massacre, Evil Eternal, and The Dover Demon. His stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Dark Moon Digest, Morpheus Tales, and the Cemetery Dance anthology, Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. He’s currently working on or completed a few more manuscripts set to come.

His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on.

Hunter is proud to be be one half of the Monster Men video podcast, along with his partner in crime, Jack Campisi. It is one of the most watched horror video podcasts in the world. Monster Men is a light hearted approach to dark subjects. Hunter and Jack explore real life hauntings, monsters, movies, books and everything under the horror sun. They often interview authors, cryptid and ghost hunters, directors, and anyone else living in the horror lane.

He lives in New York with his family and vindictive cat. He waits with Biblical patience for the Mets to win a World Series. You can read about his latest travails and communicate with him at www.huntershea.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway~
On this tour, win one signed print copy of The Dover Demon if you are in the U.S.! Just sign-up at the Rafflecopter link below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjMxYWEzMGI1ZDE2MGYyYTgzYjk4NzVhYzhmMTdmOjIx/?