Savannah chatted with Michael Stone about pen names, books, and what it takes to be a writer.
Today we sit down with the mysterious Michael Stone (aka Trevor Woods), author of feast for the senses, The Shimmering. An army vet with a heart of gold (but shhhh, he may give golden retriever vibes but this puppy will bite), this budding author has a bright (or should I say shimmering) future ahead of him.
Q: What do you want readers to know about you as an author?
My writing tends to be dark and a little weird. My upbringing wasn’t the best, and when you add in the horrific experiences of war, that darkness naturally finds its way onto the page. Though, I find my writing doesn’t really gel with my personality—In person I’m super friendly, loyal to my friends, and love to joke around. I often write stories with moral threads woven through them, which serves as a cathartic experience for me. I love writing stories where characters overcome aspects of trauma I’ve experienced in my own life. Nothing is off-limits in my writing, and I realize it may not fit the tastes of some readers. I love bleak stories, sometimes with bleak endings. I embrace the darkness, internalize it, and then conquer it through my writing.
Q: What inspired you to start writing? When did you start?
In 7th grade my English teacher told me to stay after class. I thought I was in trouble, but she wanted to let me know my writing was very good. I still think about that day—no one outside of my family told me I was good at anything. The next year, I took journalism and wrote for the school paper, though it was a different type of writing, I still enjoyed it. High school was when I realized I had the propensity to write, but I didn’t have the opportunity to fully focus on it until I left the military twenty-five years later. Now, writing stories allows me to fill the void after retiring from the Army. When service members leave the armed forces, it’s common for them to experience a loss of purpose and fulfillment.
Q: What works do you currently have available (solo and anthologies)?
The Shimmering (Novel)
Those Who Devour (Novel-in-Stories)
Dark Dreamcatchers (Novella/Collection)
Michael Stone Horror Stories (series exclusively on Amazon)
Pear, Anyone? (Wreckollections Anthology via Wicked Shadow Press)
Marbles: An Anthology of Micro and Flash Fiction (Anthology via Blue Marble Publishing)
Q: What was your gateway into horror?
Most definitely film. I remember movies like Poltergeist, Arachnophobia, and Nightmare on Elm Street were some of my childhood favorites. After I read Pet Sematary, I was hooked.
Q: What are your favorite subgenres of horror?
The better question is what subgenres do I not like? Haha. If I had to pick, I would probably say occult and supernatural horror. Both of my novels easily fall within these subgenres. However, I absolutely love cosmic horror in both literature and film and am currently writing my next novel in that space. I have a strong appreciation for occult horror. When I was growing up, my father was a “Christian,” yet he was not much of a “father.” That relationship created a great deal of resentment toward him and religion in general. I find it fascinating how humans are strongly drawn to belonging, connection, and purpose, sometimes leading to their own demise. Cult-like groups cater to these basic human needs by fulfilling them and then restricting access, so the group becomes the only way those needs are met. Control is not enforced through chains or violence; it’s enforced through dependency and psychological manipulation. It’s crazy to me how groups like these lulls you into a sense of safety, the next thing you know, you’re luring others into the same fate.
Q: If you didn’t write horror, what other genre do you think you’d be in?
I most definitely would be in contemporary fiction space. I tend to gravitate to social issues and personal struggles like family, depression, suicide, PTSD, and navigating the world around us. I have short stories and a narrative poem that are published in this genre.
Q: What are some authors (traditional or indie) that have inspired you or helped you along your journey?
I’m sure Stephen King inspired a lot of horror authors, and anyone who enjoys horror literature or film in general. But I remember reading Pet Sematary and falling in love with horror. Though I wasn’t inspired to write stories at that time, I was a regular consumer of horror films. My writing tends to lean more literary than genre fiction because I got my chops in a writing group of amazing writers called The Blue Marble Storytellers. The writers are mostly in the contemporary, literary, fantasy, and romance space. The prose is very thematic, flowery, and character driven. I got my foot in the door doing short fiction contests and actually placed in a few. I did nothing but beta, write, enter contests for a year. The feedback loop allowed me to find my style and hone my craft quickly. That small success led me to believe I could actually do this thing called ‘being and author.’ That being said, I’m definitely still learning.
Q: What’s on your TBR? Anything coming out soon that you’re looking forward to?
Of course, King Sorrow is on my TBR. But I currently have several commitments to my fellow authors, and I spend most of my reading time supporting their work—it’s really important to me. Right now, I’m reading Layla, in the Flesh by Nick Roberts, but once I’m finished, my TBR includes The Morningstar Confession by Matt Lutton, The Stranger by Jim O’Donahue, Manimal by A.C. Haussenhour, Clydoch by Kimberly Kraft, and any new Nick Roberts title the moment it releases. Can you tell he’s one of my favorite authors? On top of that, I’m also on the Crystal Lake Street Team, where I read and review one of their titles each month.
Q: What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on two short stories—one for an anthology invite and another for my Michael Stone Horror Stories series on Amazon. For longer fiction, I’m also drafting my next novel, The Birthing Pools of Pretty River, scheduled for release in late spring 2026. I’m incredibly excited about this project because it blends small-town horror and cosmic horror. The story will feature a heavy dose of body and psychological horror, along with some original, deeply unsettling creatures. Think of the movies, The Thing meets Annihilation, but contained within a small, isolated town where the reader constantly feels a sense of dread and claustrophobia.
Q: Where can readers follow you and find your books?
Website: www.michaelstonebooks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/trevor.woods.author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mike_stone_author
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DK7FZ7PK/about
Savannah R. Fischer is the permanently exhausted pigeon in charge of two well-loved chaos gremlins. When not with her family, she can usually be found in her cave, wrapped in an oversized blanket and dreaming of spinach puffs. She wants to show her gremlins that they can do hard things, even when it’s scary, like pulling the wrong lever and ending up in a pit of alligators. No llamas were harmed in the making of her works of horror.
PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.
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