I’m a big fan of Michael Patrick Hicks and I’ve been really looking forward to his latest novel, Mass Hysteria, which is released today!
Just check out the synopsis and then read this great guest post from Michael about the books inspiration then make sure you pick up a copy. I’ve already read great reviews about this one and I cannot wait to dig in! Purchase links are at the bottom of the article and look out for my review soon.
It came from space…
Something virulent. Something evil. Something new. And it is infecting the town of Falls Breath.
Carried to Earth in a freak meteor shower, an alien virus has infected the animals. Pets and wildlife have turned rabid, attacking without warning. Dogs and cats terrorize their owners, while deer and wolves from the neighboring woods hunt in packs, stalking and killing their human prey without mercy.
As the town comes under siege, Lauren searches for her boyfriend, while her policeman father fights to restore some semblance of order against a threat unlike anything he has seen before. The Natural Order has been upended completely, and nowhere is safe.
…and it is spreading.
Soon, the city will find itself in the grips of mass hysteria.
To survive, humanity will have to fight tooth and nail.
Creating Mass Hysteria
By Michael Hicks, author of Mass Hysteria
Back before the days of The CW network (and UPN before it, and a Fox affiliate even before that), Channel 50 was just Channel 50. It was an independent Detroit network, and oftentimes my go-to station to get a horror fix during their weekend matinee broadcasts or late night terrors.
After turning the UHF dial and, occasionally, playing with the rabbit ears to get a better signal, Channel 50 brought Cujo into my home. Every now and then, I was treated to poorly dubbed Godzilla marathons, Planet of the Apes, and Jaws sequels, showings of Piranha, Critters, and a number of other creature features whose names escape me, stuff with killer spiders, killer ants, and killer dogs. There were homicidal maniacs and serial killers galore, and the occasional werewolf thanks to plenty of showings of Silver Bullet. Not all of the movies Channel 50 aired were good; some were downright bad, and others were a jumbled, hot Edited-For-TV mess, but those matinees were still something special to behold.
Just as formative and special was our local video store, which I would take regular visits to and then spend the weekend wearing down VHS tapes of Arachnophobia, Tremors, The Relic, and Man’s Best Friend. The local video store was constantly full of wonders, and not just because of its prominent display of Suzanne Somers on the VHS cover to Ants (also known as It Happened At Lakewood Manor) in the Horror section, but that’s neither here nor there… the video store is gone now, along with VHS tapes as a staple in my life, but the impact it had on my life still remains.
All those accumulated years of creature features shaped me quite a fair bit, and I always had a certain fondness for the natural horror flicks, the ones where Mother Nature strikes back at humanity and runs amok. Mass Hysteria is more than a nod toward those B-movies – it is practically an ode to them. Right from the start, I set out to write a pulpy B-movie in the form of a novel, something that would take me back to those halcyon days of Channel 50 matinees and their gorier shockfest VHS counterparts.
After a few meteorites land in the fictional northern Michigan town of Falls Breath, the animals go crazy. Domesticated dogs and cats suddenly turn primal, and the police and townsfolk have to contend with killer deer and blitzkrieging birds. The entire town gets turned upside down as the natural order goes completely bonkers. It’s man versus nature, and everyone – and everything – is fighting tooth and nail to survive.
Mass Hysteria ventures into some darker territory than the natural horror flicks of old, though. This book was one of the few stories I’ve written that managed to shock me with the directions it took. Let’s see if it shakes you up, too.
Buy Mass Hysteria from here.
Check out Mike’s website here.
Support Michael Patrick Hicks on Patreon here.
Follow along this tour with the hashtags: #MassHysteria #BMovieFun
Mass Hysteria, Synopsis
- Publishing Date: August 15, 2017
- Publisher: High Fever Books
- Page Length: 186 pages
It came from space…
Something virulent. Something evil. Something new. And it is infecting the town of Falls Breath.
Carried to Earth in a freak meteor shower, an alien virus has infected the animals. Pets and wildlife have turned rabid, attacking without warning. Dogs and cats terrorize their owners, while deer and wolves from the neighboring woods hunt in packs, stalking and killing their human prey without mercy.
As the town comes under siege, Lauren searches for her boyfriend, while her policeman father fights to restore some semblance of order against a threat unlike anything he has seen before. The Natural Order has been upended completely, and nowhere is safe.
…and it is spreading.
Soon, the city will find itself in the grips of mass hysteria.
To survive, humanity will have to fight tooth and nail.
Biography
Michael Patrick Hicks is the author of the science fiction novels Convergence, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 Quarter-Finalist, and its sequel, Emergence, as well as several horror titles.
His work has appeared in several anthologies, and he has written for the websites Graphic Novel Reporter and Audiobook Reviewer, in addition to work as a freelance journalist.
In between compulsively buying books and adding titles that he does not have time for to his Netflix queue, he is hard at work on his next story.
Website: http://michaelpatrickhicks.com
E-Mail: mphicks@michaelpatrickhicks.com
Praise for Michael Patrick Hicks
“Let Go is a poignant zombie story. …an excellent addition to the zombie genre, a study not in bloodthirsty hordes but the internal struggles of one lonely, old man.” – Hunter Shea, author of I Kill in Peace and They Rise
“[A] truly gut twisting, heart wrenching, sphincter squeezing tale of loss and abandonment that stuck with me long after the last page.” – Anthony Vicino, author of Time Heist, about Revolver
“Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks, however, takes the ‘shocking’ gold medal. A classic example of social science fiction … most gripping.” – David Wailing, author of Auto
Purchase Links
Would you like to feature?
If you would like to review Mass Hysteria or feature Michael with an interview or guest article for a media publication, blog, or author blurb, please e-mail Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com .
Grim Reader Reviews 
Liking the sound of this! Great guest post 😆
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