When cute, cheeky squirrels become the monsters of a horror novel…
When I heard the premise for Shannon Lawrence’s newest novel, I knew I had to learn how it came about. Take it away, Shannon!
It Turns Out Squirrels Are Terrifying
As someone whose first horror movie in the theaters was Cat People (at the ripe old age of five, which my mother was not delighted about—my grandma had taken me), I’ve long been a fan of creature features. My next in-theater horror flick was Gremlins, about two years later. But even before that, my parents would get together with another family to watch what was either a weekly or monthly horror movie on TV. Movies like King Kong, The Blob, and The Mummy would play in all their glory on a Friday night. I wasn’t supposed to be watching it; there were other kids to play with. I and one of the other kids would do our best to sneak to where we could see the movie, but stay off our parents’ radars. Those stolen snippets were all I needed to know I wanted more.
Nuts! Squirrelpocalypse was born of that love of killer critters. Specifically, I wanted to write a story similar to movies like Tremors and Lake Placid, where the risks were real, but there was an edge of humor or sarcasm to lighten things up. It started out as a short story inspired by the troublemaking squirrels running rampant in my backyard. They’re adorable, but cheeky. They love to cuss my cats out and run along the fence wrestling with each other. Frequently, I just hear the rapid pitter-pat of their feet on the wood and see their tails go running by, but they’ve also been known to jump onto the pergola over my hammock and stare down at me, sometimes even vocalizing.
It was only natural that I’d start to wonder what would happen if they ganged up on humans. Surely, they’d outnumber us. You’d think they couldn’t do much, as small as they are, but many monsters in horror history depend upon sheer numbers to do their evil. Zombies on their own are rotting corpses with bits falling off, but their strength is in how many of them there are. The same would be true for squirrels.
Only squirrels are fast, agile, and they have naturally sharp claws. The better to climb trees…or humans…with.
The story was so fun to write that I just kept going until it grew from a short story to a novella to a novel. It turns out squirrels are terrifying. They scratch, they bite, and they burrow. They can squeeze into the tiniest of spaces. And if they turn on us, we’re in deep trouble.
About the Book Nuts! Squirrelpocalypse
🌰 Title: Nuts! Squirrelpocalypse 🐿️💥
✍️ Author: Shannon Lawrence
👻 Genre: Horror
The Squirrelpocalypse is nigh!
They’re always around us, hidden in plain sight. They watch us from the trees, scurry past us in parks. They can even get inside our walls.
And their tiny claws and teeth are so deceptively sharp.
A sudden outbreak of squirrel violence sends survivors fleeing for their lives. One moment, Lauren is giving her nephew a hard time in a hardware store, the next she’s gathering a group of fellow survivors in an attempt to get to safety.
Across town, Lauren’s husband David is at the gym when it’s overtaken by the furry assassins, sending him on a mission to get back home or die trying. Without his belongings, he’s forced to be creative when it comes to defending himself.
But nowhere they go is safe from the insidious creatures, and they must find a way to stay ahead of the persistent rodents if they want to see tomorrow…or each other.
🐿️ Join the Squirrelpocalypse!
Putting the fun and gruesome back in horror, this tongue-in-cheek horror novel brings back the dark pleasure of creature features.
Available in paperback and e-book, Kickstarter backers get the book before the official release date. There are also select online writing courses available as add-ons, along with my other books. Depending on stretch rewards, there will be some fun goodies to go along with the books.
The book will be released wide to regular stores, but not for several months.
Kickstarter Dates: September 24 to October 13
How does Kickstarter work?
Campaigns (funding drives for creative projects) are run for a limited time, with backers pledging (agreeing to purchase if it funds) a certain amount for specific items. There are multiple reward tiers (typically), such as a tier that is just for the paperback and a tier for the e-book. A goal is set for how much will be raised by the end of the campaign. If the goal is reached, the project funds, Kickstarter processes the pledged funds, and the creator delivers the items promised. If it doesn’t fund, backers don’t pay, and the creator does not get any of the funds.
A lot of fun can be had with Kickstarter campaigns, with things like special editions, exclusive items, merchandise, and book boxes. Since this is my first one, I’m keeping it fairly simple as a learning experience, but I’ve successfully self-published seven books, so that part isn’t new!
About the Author Shannon Lawrence
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her short stories can be found in over sixty anthologies and magazines in addition to her collections, novels, and her nonfiction title, The Business of Short Stories. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem and a columnist for Rocky Mountain Reader. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. Find her at www.thewarriormuse.com.
💥 The Squirrelpocalypse Is Coming!
Thanks for the nightmares, Shannon! 🐿️💀
Now excuse me while I go check whether there are any squirrels hiding in my walls…
🌰 Ready to join the Squirrelpocalypse?
