MISTY: Thank you so much for taking the time to share in Malevolent Mind’s release day and thank you to Cat for being willing to host me here. This book has been a lot of fun for me to write and I hope in turn that readers will enjoy it as much as I. You can join me also over on my website for more release weekend fun.
The idea for this novel came from a lot of different places. One being that as a child my nephew and I, whom I was extremely close to would write these horror stories. We’d take our younger siblings down into the creepy basement of my house and we’d read them bits of it. As the story hit its scariest peak we’d run out of the room, flipping off lights as we went and leaving them screaming down there. More often than not our parents would be waiting for us at the top of the stairs and we’d be punished afterward. Still, it did little to deter them from joining us to hear the next installment of ‘Red Eyed Guy’ (We were so creative over the title, don’t you think? Lol).
There are bits of me in the father figure as well as Kade. I’ve always loved to write horror stories to be able to create such a physical and chemical reaction in a person with words is the
most incredible thing to me.
CAT: I asked Misty what her top five scariest things are.
MISTY Top 5 scariest books I’ve ever read (Wow, only 5. Yeesh, here are a few)
- It by Stephen King
It was actually the first horror novel I ever read and to this day, I still can’t walk around sewer grates, because you know ‘We all float down here’. *shivers*
- The Dollkeeper by Jack Scaparro
- Intensity by Dean Koontz
While not technically a horror the psychological thriller factor was so on point that it actually gave me nightmares about how far real people could lose it.
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Top 5 Scariest Movies I’ve ever watched (That was a lot harder than I expected)
- Thir13en Ghosts
- Shutter
- The Grudge
- Lights Out
- The Others
Top 5 Foods that make my stomach churn
- Calamari
- Octopus
- Anything that still has a head and eyes attached
- Beef tongue
- Monkey brain
Top 5 things you’re the most scared of (Not necessarily in this order)
- Spiders (which is kind of a more normal one)
- The things that lurk in the dark haha
- Children in horror (It’s a love-hate thing with them. It terrifies me to have something so innocent used in such a corrupt way and yet I love it.)
- Something happening to my family and never knowing about it
- Losing my mind in a dark and horrific way
Top 5 scariest nightmares I’ve ever had
- Zilla from Malevolent Mind. She literally came to me as a nightmare before she ever made it into the novel.
- I had a nightmare once that a little girl stood beside the bed of her parents. When her mother woke up, her daughter told her that she wanted to skin her alive and wear it like a coat. She then produced a knife and tried to do such. The father woke up then and tried to help fend off the attack to save the mother. Suddenly, the daughter’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she sank to the floor and was convulsing with foam coming out of her mouth. When the father jumped down to try to help his daughter the girl stopped and then stabbed him. It was rather horrifying that night.
CAT: Pulls her throw over her head!
- The creation of the soulless children of the damned from my Creatures of the Damned novel were a product of both my nightmares and my son’s.
Hm…nightmares come and go with me. I’m having a hard time thinking up any particular ones beyond those. I have nightmares in waves. Sometimes I will go through bouts of them coming for weeks at a time and other times I won’t for months at a time.
CAT *peering warily out from under her throw*: That was lots of fun Misty! Thanks for sharing. Now let’s go take a look at your new release!
Malevolent Mind
Misty Harvey
Published by Misty Harvey
Release day March 16th
Pages: 265
Genre: Horror, Dark Fantasy
A story so dark, twisted, and unfinished has a way of driving the sanest to the brink of insanity.
Between the constant state of bullying from Heath and his friends, and the unrest of not knowing what happened to her twin, Raven seeks revenge. Years later, she becomes the nanny for Heath’s young son, Kade. She helps him start a horror story with the plan to bring the horrible creature Kade created into the real world to torment Heath and his friends. It was perfect, until everything began unraveling. When Kade’s creation no longer wishes to do Raven’s bidding, it becomes a fight for life or death. The only way to survive is to figure out how to finish off the creature before she finds her freedom. Will Kade find a way to stop the creation of his malevolent mind? Or will Raven’s revenge consume them all?
Kade sat there in the middle of the room. He pulled his legs up against his chest, wrapping his arms around them. There was nothing to see now that his head cowered there in the darkness of his own lap. If tonight was the night that he’d die, he wasn’t so sure he’d want to see either of the girls coming for him.
His ears perked up. Behind him came the sound of wet clothes slapping together. He lifted his head, unable to keep it down. It was just his imagination. That was all.
The feel of icy breath slid over the back of his neck. Each tiny hair stood at attention as the stench of decay washed over him. Was it the girl from the river or was it Zilla? Kade flipped onto his knees, the beam of the flashlight straight forward.
There, inches from his face, was Zilla. She stared at him. Her mouth was open at an angle as her tongue flicked out against the air. It was too late to run anywhere.
Death stared him right in the face. Part of him felt relief that it was only her. Of course, that was if the other one wasn’t waiting for him as well. He didn’t dare move the flashlight beam to find out. Zilla had appeared out of nowhere so who knew what would happen once the light wasn’t on her?
Kade watched as her blue-tinged hand reached up for him. She held her hand for him to take. Something told him that doing so would be the end of him. Panic gripped his insides and he knew he had moments to make the first move. If he didn’t react soon, she’d overpower him.
He swung out with the flashlight, catching her on the side of the head. Her body rolled across the floor with a sickening thud. Kade was sure that the magnum flashlight had cracked her skull. It had nearly broken his foot when he’d dropped it one time. He jumped across his bed, darting into the hallway. His gaze moved around the hall as he tried to make out anything.
The sound of her rapidly skittering toward him had him running down the hallway. He stopped at Raven’s door, trying her handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. Instead, the old wood rattled in the frame.
In a flash of lightning, he watched Zilla skitter into the hall on her hands and feet, her body parallel to the floor as she let out a sickening hiss. Half of her head remained dented in from where he’d clocked her with the flashlight. It was a terrifying image to behold. The fact that she continued to chase him regardless turned his stomach.
Kade looked back only briefly before he ran. She was close on his heels. In the distance, he could just make out his father’s door. His bare feet padded against the wood flooring.
Goosebumps raced up his spine as her icy fingers wrapped around his ankle. The weight of his body hit the floor with a loud thud. His head bounced against the hard surface blurring his vision. Tears filled his eyes making it even harder to see. At least now, he wouldn’t have to worry about seeing his death coming.
The cold sensation crept up his leg, over his knee and toward his waist. He could feel the weight of her above him as she crawled up his body. Time slowed so that each second felt like eons. The stench of her undead body burned at his nostrils. Kade gagged on the smell that was so strong he could almost taste it.
He didn’t want to die. Life was too short for him. There was still so much that he wanted to do. Besides, he wasn’t sure who would take care of his father if he wasn’t there any longer. That thought rolled inside of him. He wasn’t going to go out like this, a cowering lump of fear on the floor. If she wanted to kill him, she’d have to fight a lot harder for it.
Kade grabbed her arms, rolling them over as he kicked out with both his legs. Her body smashed into the wall across from them, freeing him to run. He scrambled onto his feet, darting for his father’s room.
The bright light blinded him as he ran for it. That was it. He’d found his end and now he was headed into the light. Just as he’d read in another book. It was his time to cross over.
If you’d love the chance to read more about Kade, Heath, Raven and Zilla you can purchase the ebook here. Or if you’re more of a physical book type of person as myself, that can be purchased here.
Misty Harvey loves writing spine-tingling horror novels sure to thrill readers. The psychology behind such tales has always been a fascination for her since she was younger. Even to the point that she once contemplated taking up psychology as a profession. Still, her love resides in the art of storytelling. An art she wishes to continue to share with readers for the rest of her days.
After climbing out of her writing cave and searching the house for the sound of the latest creak or pop, Misty can be found doing one of many things. Often times she spends the remained of her day with her amazingly supportive husband and youngest daughter. While she has two older children that are out there spreading their wings around the world, including giving her a few grandchildren.
Her favorite things to do when not writing are crafts, wrestling with her dog, avoiding her cat’s bite or generally making her husband and daughter crazy. Often times she can be found creating vivid tales with her daughter about whatever mundane thing happened in their day and turning it into a crazy story. She is also an avid gamer, crochet goddess (we shall pretend there), domestic queen, and animal tamer (it’s a work in progress).
Website: Mistyharvey.com
Facebook: Author Misty Harvey
Twitter: AuthorMDHarvey
Goodreads: Author Misty Harvey
MISTY: So, out of fun and to celebrate the release of Malevolent Mind tell us your fondest memory of scaring someone or even make up a brief story if you wish. The winner of a Malevolent Mind ebook will be chosen by our special blog host, Cat! So do your best! I’ll be watching you. Ooohh (scary voice lol)
CAT I will pick the winner Monday using Random thing picker.
Be sure to leave a contact address so we can reach you if you win. Feel free to invite friends to stop by and check out the post and enter too. The more the less scared I’ll be!