Indie Horror is a real thing, folks. It’s so real, in fact, that it’s being talked about in Esquire Magazine, for cryin’ out loud! And what’s wonderful about it is you don’t have to look too hard to find some incredible indie presses putting out some fantastic books. One shining example is The Swallows by Kristen Clanton:
In the Black Mountain region, Fullmouth is a town of women and children. When local mothers start dying, the town is panicked. At first, the citizens believe the deaths are suicides. Yet fifteen-year-old Pearl is unconvinced. Pearl has known visions her whole life, known the feeling of when the darkness shifts inside her, and her power comes to surface. But having recently moved to Fullmouth, the supernatural is suddenly magnified. She now finds herself able to commune with ghosts. She sees visions of how mothers will die. Relying on these powers, Pearl faces a daunting foe and the responsibility of saving the town. The only question is … will she be too late?
There’s so much to love about this book. The prose is delightfully thoughtful, the main character — Pearl — is a fantastic protagonist, and the horror runs deep. Whether it’s Pearl’s visions or her encounters with the ghosts of women who died, the story defies many predictable tropes to keep the story fresh. Pearl’s antagonists are both real and ethereal.
But I enjoyed the book for another big reason, too: the richness of the setting. I could see the town of Fullmouth in my mind’s eye. The people in the story felt at home in this town. They belonged there. In other words, the setting didn’t feel like a prop. It didn’t feel like a Hollywood background made of cardboard that the characters simply walk past. Clanton’s details put me on edge because I knew Pearl — our main character — was in danger. I knew because this town was dangerous, its citizens broken, its very atmosphere tainted.
Dark Pathway: Build a Town!
Good writers infuse their stories with a setting that is interesting and unique. Great writers give their setting a history and a culture. Readers want it to feel more than real — the setting needs to feel alive. That’s what Clanton’s town feels like in her book: you not only imagine the streets of Fullmouth… you also smell the cold air and see the citizens constantly struggling. The characters live in the town, and as readers we know this.
So try this yourself with a few landmarks! Don’t worry about using EVERY detail you come up with in a story. Instead, think of this as background research … the more realized your setting is, the more you have to draw upon when you start writing your story!
The library — Every town has a library. What does yours look like? Describe it. Who uses it? Have budget cuts created any challenges? What’s the librarian like?
The town bar — Who hangs out here? Who runs the place? This is a great excuse to go visit a few local dives so you can see and experience the richness of watering holes that exist off Main Street!
The Market — Not a supermarket. This should be the place the locals go when they want fresh stuff. Lots of towns have these … they’re run by colorful characters and the products are hard-to-find. Maybe it’s a little Mexican shop that also sells fresh tacos. Maybe it’s a butcher shop that sells lots of cheese (these are everywhere in Wisconsin!).
Now center a story around these landmarks. Let your expansive knowledge of them fuel your imagination!
Ken Brosky is the author of The Beyond, a horror novel available through Timber Ghost Press. His work has been published in Grotesque and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, among others. He’s currently working on a screenplay and a new novel.
