"Blindness when one can see is another kind of ghost."I purchased a copy of this story from Charitable Chapbooks by Nightscape Press and what a treat. The book is self is lovely and the artwork to go with it is simply wonderful. I enjoyed the story and the writing was poetic almost. A quick read that is worth your time.

As I read this beautifully written and oh so creepy story I kept having to remind myself that it was written months ago. It is a story perhaps more pertinent today than when it was first conceived. That it could be torn from today's headlines is both sad and hopeful. Sad because we still have a long way to go but hopeful because I believe things may finally be changing. As a teenager in the 60s I also felt things were changing and indeed many did. Still, as the story reminds us, it is hard to er...

This is a gorgeous, nightmarish tale of secrets, rage and guilt. The story took me on a journey, surprising and frightening me along the way. The fictional tragic event could be ripped from the headlines, reflecting today's turbulent society. Bea is a passive white woman who believes in the safety of her idyllic neighbourhood and of maintaining the status quo even at the expense of others. The buildup of Bea's increasing self-awareness is beautifully written. While I started off disliking her, I...

Late at night, in the comfort of my cozy bed with my husband slightly snoring next to me, I read stories about werewolves, monsters or bad things happening to people when they’re camping. I can rest easy before sleep knowing I can leave all those made-up nightmares in the pages of the books on my nightstand (I don’t camp or go outdoors so, no real threat there). For me, the most terrifying horror stories are the ones that hit close to home. The subject matter is a little too believable or probab...

** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **“It would leave the town in muted and blessed darkness.”Michael Wehunt returns with a devastating novella that is unfortunately all too topical. I loved his collection ‘Greener Pastures’ and when I saw him announce a follow-up release, I was beyond excited. Wehunt is a super technical writer that is incredibly accessible to read. It makes for such a pleasant experience knowing you’re being immersed in such beauty but able to follow along and

One resident of Fontaine Falls, North Carolina, in a perplexing window of living with new knowledge of neighbor bringing insight and deep reflection on humanity and tragedy with this somber ghost story on things people hide with hate involved.That old fierce hate and rage shows itself in the narrative of one short lucid nightmare with letters, nouns, verbs, and characters, death is calling and one small heroism.Publisher and author giving thanks to denizens of this earth paying forward with kind...

The idea of using high quality, limited editions of work by some of the most exciting voices in horror and weird fiction to raise money and awareness for good causes began in May 2018 when Nightscape released their first, Jon Padgett’s The Broker of Nightmares, which quickly sold out. The idea is simple: a third of all sales from each book will go to a charity selected by the author. Not only does the reader have the choice of owning a limited-edition physical copy (ebook editions are also avail...

I thought I could read this novella slowly, really make it last, because the descriptive writing was so beautiful I kept stopping to re-read sentences. Then as the story picked up, I was afraid for Bea—or more accurately, for what she would find out and what it would say about her and those near her—and I couldn't stop reading. This is a fast read, but not an easy one. Highly recommended.

My review of EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING BAD CAN EVER HAPPEN HERE can be found at High Fever Books.Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Bad Can Ever Happen Here is a ghost story, and while it does feature a good dose of the supernatural it’s not that kind of ghost story. Forty-four-year-old Bea, a wife and mother of two, finds herself haunted by spectral horrors, but it’s the ghosts of the past rearing their ugly heads at the epicenter of Michael Wehunt’s charitable chapbook from Nightsca...

Whenever a white author wants to talk about racism in their story, I get a little anxious. Not because I believe a white author shouldn’t write a story about racism. It’s because, when they do, the story rings hollow. Too often, stories about racism from white authors offer too many platitudes that simply are not true.Like the idea that racists are simply ignorant people too stuffed up with hate, uneducated country boys and girls that need to be educated. Or maybe, the story will feature a well-...

The subject-matter of the novella, ‘Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Bad can ever Happen Here,’ written elegantly and with perception by Michael Wehunt, is not something many writers would attempt to engage with these days. The story centres around Bea Holcombe, a quietly-spoken Christian woman living in the small town of Fontaine Falls, who embarks upon a terrible journey of discovery, assisted by a band of gruesome, yet somehow pathetic phantoms. What Bea finds out, leaves her conflicted as...

As timely a tale as one could hope for with the current climate of hate and fear-mongering plaguing America (and much of the world...). The guilt of being complicit in hate given shape in the form of a domestic haunting here is nothing short of breathtaking. This is a story that will stay with you for a while.

Bea is haunted, in the way so many of us are haunted. By our choices, regrets, the things we don't see, and the things we choose not to see. Confronted with proof that her husband helped orchestrate a racial motivate terrorist attack, Bea's world is torn apart. Everything she thought she knew about her supposedly safe, comfortable life has been taken from her. And it would be easy to judge her for not fleeing, or turning him into the police herself. But like many women, Bea is trapped in her mar...

I preordered this signed Charitable Chapbook as soon as I was able, Michael is a talented author and passionate about current events. The mechanics of the ghost-y parts of the story were too simple, but the parts that mattered (e.g., relationships, tension) were perfectly plotted and navigated. While this is obviously a commentary on our times, any solutions offered here are unclear. The main thrust is a wake up call: this is happening in your sphere of influence, so what are you doing about it?...

I think it's understood that all criticism is colored and informed by the critic's experience. It's a given, but not something we often think about when perusing the reviews here on Goodreads or anywhere else. But this book is a special case and I think requires a preface of sorts; an acknowledgement of something I like to forget in my day-to-day life.I grew up in Texas in the 70s and 80s. My high school had a Confederate flag in its insignia. Its mascot was "The Colonel," a literal soldier wear...

"Wouldn't an evil like that burn brightly enough for those of us around it to notice while there was still time?"The first thing I thought upon holding this slim book in my hands is what an incredibly beautiful thing it is. Nightscape Press has put out an excellent edition of this compelling novella by rising horror author Michael Wehunt. The illustrations by Luke Spooner are haunting and terrifying work. (I'm slightly disappointed I had to look up the illustrator's name on the publisher's websi...

Modern master of Southern Gothic Michael Wehunt presents in this novella a staggeringly relevant tale of racial prejudices and violence in the South, a reflection of America that is too accurate. He reflects on the unanswerable conundrum that many of us face when we see the people turned to monsters who commit grievous acts of injustice, and how they can seem so benign, but Wehunt holds up a grimy mirror that unflinchingly captures a hideous portrait. And just when you think the circumstances ca...

I'm sharing this post from author Michael Wehunt and his book "Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Bad Can Ever Happen Here." Though he comments the $30 is pricey for a Novella, a portion of the proceeds go to The Southern Poverty Law Center. Sadly, all 250 copies have to be sold for that to happen. I'm extending the plea in his honor because I FINALLY have read the book, sorry Michael!! And, it's a great book to begin the process of opening your eyes to a slit of light to start to see the shado...

Michael Wehunt has written an excellent little novel about racism in not only America, but the world. The horror elements didn't scare my completely, but the tone did creep me out. It left me thinking about my own complicitness, and how often racism can foster and grow. Even out of sight, it still exists, and can be found much closer to home than we'd like.

This was so well written. This was a great dive into continuing racial issues and complicitness written as a ghost story. I loved it. Highly highly recommend.