A guest post from Glenn Rolfe - The author of Becoming

Look for my review of Becoming tomorrow, but for now here's Glenn Rolfe


“Lake-Effect”

Lake-effect:  a meteorological phenomenon in which warm moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead resulting in precipitation especially downwind —usually hyphenated when used attributively.

Last summer, I was at the lake I take my kids to. I was staring out at the water and all the people swimming around, and thought, “what if we were being drawn here?” Simple question, right?  Here in Maine, most of our lakes are in small towns that you must drive to. There are always locals, usually a tiny population, and it’s those people I focused on in my new novel, BECOMING. I set the story in Maine and after school is back in session. If you’ve been here in September and October, you know it’s no longer beach weather. So the summer folks stay home, and the lake reverts back to being sole possession of the locals.

I love lady of the water stories. John Everson’s Siren is one that comes to mind that I really enjoyed. I didn’t quite go the full siren of the sea here though, I went more “creature” in the depths (which may have a bit of Lovecraft happening). The folks of Avalon, Maine are being drawn into Jade Lake and then returning to town to tell others how great it is.  Okay, so they might be acting a bit off when they come back, but I’m telling you, swimming in a Maine lake in October does things to you. It’s just not a good idea.

The story is also very much about family and community. The relationships that make or break us, that mold us into the people we will…well, become. There is strain, there’s neglect, there’s loyalty, there’s compassion, and for one Clint Truman, there is torment. I’ve almost always lived in small towns, and I’m never amazed at the wonder, the strength, or the horror that is happening all around me at any given moment. We keep many of our own monsters.

Becoming started out as a land monster story, but after scrapping the original manuscript, I found myself thinking about that lake idea. I started over and found myself caught up in one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. I couldn’t wait to see how it ended or what would become (I know, I can’t help it) of my rural cast. In the end, I felt swallowed by the story, and when I was spit out, I knew it was more than I ever imagined it would be. I couldn’t be a happier writer.

If you like small-town horror, water monsters, stories steeped in paranoia and mystery, I invite you to come visit Avalon. Maybe take a quick swim while you’re here.  You won’t just like what you become.

Cheers!

-GR

Praise for Becoming

“Old-fashioned creature feature…Becoming is raw horror.” – The Haunted Reading Room

“Classic horror. Original and entertaining.” – Catherine Cavendish, author of The Pendle Curse and Saving Grace Devine

“Becoming shows that Rolfe is indeed, becoming a force to be reckoned with. Back in the day when John Saul, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King, were getting started in their horror writing careers, this was the type of story they would write and I would want to read.” – Horror Novel Reviews

“Becoming is a creepy horror tale with depth. Rolfe proves he's a master of capturing the essence of small towns--how communities come together, for good or ill. Claustrophobic!”  - J.H. Moncrieff, author of City of Ghosts and Monster In Our Wake.