‘They Hunger’:

Author Scott Nicholson releases his newest horror-thriller
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

On a rafting trip through an isolated region of the Appalachian mountains, the twang of a banjo can be most unwelcome. Then again, so can winged vampires.

Author Scott Nicholson thrusts a colorful cast of characters into such a situation in his latest horror-thriller, “They Hunger,” released April 3.

Set on the river of a steep and treacherous gorge, the novel was inspired by Nicholson’s frequent camping and hiking excursions to the Linville Gorge.

“I was camping and hiking, when I thought how cool and scary it would be if these weird, winged monsters came down from the cliffs above,” Nicholson said. “And being a big fan of ‘Deliverance,’ I wanted to set it on a rafting trip, so the characters could have a means to escape while also being isolated.”

Mixed in to the fray with the hapless rafters are a delusional abortion clinic bomber, his hostage, and two FBI agents in dogged pursuit. To make matters more deadly, a trip wire at the bomber’s camp sets off an explosion, opening a crevice into the earth’s darkest depths – a space that has never before seen the light of day. This awakens a race of long-dormant cave dwellers, and, as Nicholson put it, “They hunger.”

Nicholson’s vampires are not the type clad in capes and ascots, but rather primitive, bloodthirsty creatures intent on survival at any cost.

“All these different characters meet in the worst possible conditions, and not everybody is interested in mutual survival,” he said, adding readers can expect the unexpected in terms of plot twists. “The river is the only escape from the vampires, but when a freak storm erupts, the natural and supernatural worlds collide and humans seem awfully fragile.”

Nicholson’s works are often based on Appalachian myths and legends with a supernatural twist. Though there are no tales, however tall, of vampires in the Linville Gorge, he views these story facets as tellingly metaphorical.

“I have fun with the local legends, knowing the people and the Appalachian folklore,” Nicholson said. “I love that kind of stuff, and it makes writing more fun for me.”

Nicholson is somewhat surprised other authors haven’t attempted this type of local fiction in the commercial realm, as most regional fiction is written as a sort of literary celebration of events long past. “I see no reason why it can’t be done now in contemporary fiction,” he said.

Nicholson’s other novels include “The Farm,” “The Home,” “The Manor,” “The Harvest” and “The Red Church,” his first novel, which was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award and an alternate selection of the Mystery Guild.

Nicholson noted that a screenplay for “They Hunger” is under consideration from a major Hollywood producer, though he still encourages fans to first read the novel, which is available at local and online bookstores.

For more information on Scott Nicholson, visit his personal Web site at www.hauntedcomputer.com.