Former Brownsville resident releases latest novel, ‘Ties’
Former Brownsville resident Michael Kelso无毛视频檚 13th novel, 无毛视频淭ies,无毛视频� is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Kelso
Horror doesn无毛视频檛 need bloodshed to thrill readers, according to former Brownsville resident and author Michael Kelso.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 suspense,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淎m I on the edge of my seat, saying 无毛视频榃hat无毛视频檚 going to happen next?'无毛视频�
While not strictly horror, he无毛视频檚 hopeful his latest novel, 无毛视频淭ies,无毛视频� will also keep readers guessing. The self-published crime/mystery book, released through Amazon on June 6, focuses on a father investigating his daughter无毛视频檚 sinister secrets, the blurb promising 无毛视频渕ystery, murder, mayhem, and a twist of romance.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭ies无毛视频� is Kelso无毛视频檚 13th book, along with numerous short stories. Two of his short stories even feature locations in Brownsville, where he grew up: the Union Station and the former hospital.
His experiences working as a corrections officer influenced his first two novels, 无毛视频淥ne on One无毛视频� and 无毛视频淚dentity.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 not a lot of people, unfortunately, that just jump right up and say, 无毛视频楬ey, I want to read a book about a prison,'无毛视频� said Kelso.
After retiring in 2016, he decided to shift focus.
His horror short stories found success on Reddit. Under the username Horror_Writer_1717, Kelso gripped readers with tales of park rangers and truck drivers encountering sinister threats. The success spread to YouTube, where narrators read his stories, racking up more than 3 million views.
With a growing social media following, Kelso leaned into writing horror. While 无毛视频淭ies,无毛视频� is a departure from that, he used the novel to engage in some cross-genre world-building. Fans of his first two books will recognize a familiar face in 无毛视频淭ies:无毛视频� the sheriff.
无毛视频淗e carries over to most of my books, even if it无毛视频檚 just in a small way, because I liked writing that character,无毛视频� said Kelso, who now lives in Bedford County.
His inspiration for 无毛视频淭ies无毛视频� stemmed from three pieces he wrote for a group on TikTok called 无毛视频渁uthortok.无毛视频� The writing prompts, created by member Neil Christiansen, helped Kelso form an idea for a new story.
无毛视频淸After] those three successive short stories, I said, 无毛视频榊ou know what, I could definitely have a novel out of this,'无毛视频� said Kelso.
Online spaces like Reddit and TikTok played a significant role not only as a sounding board but as a way for Kelso to build his own community. As an independent author, Kelso is familiar with the realities of self-publishing.
无毛视频淚 like having that control to say, 无毛视频極kay, I无毛视频檓 responsible for the quality, for the pricing, for the marketing, for everything,'无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淸Though] I wouldn无毛视频檛 mind if somebody else could step in with marketing and say, 无毛视频楾his is how you无毛视频檙e going to sell a million copies.无毛视频� That would be great.无毛视频�
Despite the workload, Kelso无毛视频檚 dedication and passion for storytelling keep him writing, as does the help of friends and colleagues. He credits fellow horror author Boris Bacic for his advice and support as well as two mentors he met on FanStory, an online site that offers experienced and new writers a way to get critiques of their work.
As for those who think they may want to write, Kelso无毛视频檚 advice, regardless of genre, is simple: 无毛视频淲rite as much as you can, write as often as you can.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 through the process of doing it that you learn how to do it,无毛视频� he said.
Kelso empathizes with the fear new writers feel when sharing their ideas, but he encourages them to push through it.
无毛视频淒on无毛视频檛 be afraid to put them out there,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭he only way you truly fail is if you don无毛视频檛 try.无毛视频�