10iversary Chilling Chat with Mike Bennett

Mike Bennett is the five-time Parsec Award-winning author of Underwood and Flinch, Blood and Smoke, Hall of Mirrors, and One Among the Sleepless. He lives in Wexford, Ireland. Mike can be heard on Season 1 Episode 2 and Season 1 Episode 15, as well as his cameos on GothHaus.

1.)    How old were you when you first became interested in horror?

Very young. I had a friend when I was about eight or nine whose parents let him stay up with his older sisters to watch horror movies on TV on Saturday nights, and he’d tell me all about them. I used to drive my parents nuts begging to be allowed to stay up, too, but they never relented (and quite right, too). This meant that these horror movies I was hearing about existed only in my imagination. I don’t know, maybe those horrific imaginings had more of an effect on me than being allowed to stay up to see the movies themselves would have. Either way, when my grandmother died and her old black and white portable TV found its way into my bedroom, I finally got to see the forbidden fruits for myself – and I loved them all.

2.) Could you tell the Addicts a little about Underwood and Flinch?

It’s a free podcast novel that became a saga. It’s won 3 Parsec Awards (2 for Underwood and Flinch as best novel and one for Blood and Smoke as best novella). Here’s the book blurb:

All David Flinch ever wanted was a normal life. But when you’re a member of the Flinch family, normal has never been easy.
For hundreds of years, the eldest-born male of each generation of the Flinch family has been servant and guardian to the vampire, Lord Underwood.
While the Flinches have changed through the generations, Underwood has remained eternal. David had hoped to be spared the horror of serving his family’s lord and master, but when he is summoned to the Flinch home in Spain by his dying older brother, he knows his luck has run out.
After fifty years of slumber, Underwood is to be resurrected from the grave in a ritual of human sacrifice, and David, by right of succession, is to be his resurrector. But there is another Flinch, one who craves the role of guardian to the vampire: David’s sister, Lydia. It’s a job she means to have, even if it means making David’s the first blood shed in this new age of Underwood and Flinch.

3.) How did you feel about winning Best in Blood?

Honoured and delighted, as anyone does when winning something that listeners have voted for.

4.)    What is your favorite kind of horror? (i.e. Classic, Splatterpunk, Slasher, Gothic, etc.)

I like it all. I can’t pick a favourite.

5.)    What is your favorite horror novel?

Hard to say, but I can certainly identify the one that had the biggest impact on me: James Herbert’s The Rats back in 1977. I was 12.

6.)    What is your favorite horror TV show?

The 1979 mini-series of Salem’s Lot.

7.)    What is your favorite horror movie?

For many years I would have said Dawn of the Dead (1978). Nowadays I’ll probably say Dawn of the Dead (2004).

8.)    How did you first become involved with HorrorAddicts.net?

When Emerian interviewed me for the podcast ten years ago.

9.)    What is your favorite part of the blog? (i.e. Book Reviews, Movie Reviews, Interviews, Game Reviews, Free Fiction, Crafting, etc.)

Book and movie reviews.

10.)  What would you like to see on the HorrorAddicts.net Blog in the future?

More of the same 🙂

Addicts, you can find more about Underwood and Flinch here.

HorrorAddicts.net 122, Dario Ciriello

Horror Addicts Episode# 122

Horror Hostess: Emerian Rich

Intro Music by: Valentine Wolfe

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dario ciriello | glass android | mario bava

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Underwood and Flinch: Bonded In Blood

The last time we heard from Underwood and Flinch in Resurrection, Flinch discovered he has no choice in being Underwood’s guardian. He also can’t stop Underwood from killing people.  In Underwood and Flinch: Bonded In Blood  by Mike Bennett, the story picks up right after the first one ended.

With David and Lord Underwood both knowing where each other stand, Underwood decides to find out what the local nightlife of Almacena is like. They go to a bar, owned by friends of Lydia, and Underwood sets his sights on the wife of the bar’s co-owner, Michelle.  Underwood wants a new mate, but things are not that easy as David and Lydia do not approve of his choice.

To make matters worse, the Russian mafia is hunting down the owners of the bar and Michelle’s husband does not want to give up his wife. Also, Lydia has plans of her own to get Underwood to make her and the other members of the Black Circle into vampires, even if she has to trick her master to do it. There is also the question of whether David can handle the  job of being Underwood’s guardian.

That’s not all you get in Bonded In Blood. This book also talks about how Underwood  became affiliated with Flinch. His origin story starts in the early 18th century and explains how Underwood was forced to become a pirate and how his escape attempt lead him to become a vampire. The story shifts seamlessly from the present to the past and then back to the present.

Mike Bennett has a great story here and the book was hard to put down. I think what I liked best about the book was how it worked as drama, horror, action and comedy. I loved when Underwood starts talking about butts and also when Underwood starts dancing to Motorhead with Michelle.

There were also some great horror scenes such as when four pirates are being stalked by something in the dead of the night and when Underwood looses his cool in a strip club. Mike Bennett adds a lot of different ingredients to his story and it works well even if you’re not a horror fan. There were also some great fight scenes throughout the book and the story itself is very deep.

This story also looks at the theme of redemption, loyalty, love, and friendship. You get to see Underwood and Flinch’s relationship change throughout the book and even when they don’t see eye to eye, they still work great together. Even some of the minor characters in Bonded In Blood get some great scenes. One part where the Russian Mafia shows up at Michelle’s bar is memorable and there is a scene where even though both Michelle and her husband are under Underwood’s influence, they still manage to show their love for each other.

The only thing that bothered me a little was the ending. It made sense and kept true to the themes of the book, but there was one loose end that needed to be tied up. There are more books scheduled in the Underwood and Flinch series and I hope Mike Bennett does as good with the next book as he did on the first two. Bonded In Blood is a good example of how great vampire fiction can be. Even if you don’t like vampires, you will find something to like here.

Underwood and Flinch: Resurrection

David Flinch is a recovering alcoholic that has made a decent life for himself. He is a an English teacher and has a nice girlfriend named Lisa. David’s family has a dark history which he wants to escape, but you just can’t walk away from the family business. When David gets a letter stating that his older brother, John, is dying of cancer, he has no choice but to go to Spain and take his rightful position as servant and guardian to the vampire, Lord Underwood.

David doesn’t want to be the guardian, but he swears to his dying brother that he will do it, much to the disappointment of his sister Lydia who wants the position herself. Now that David is guardian he vows to stop Underwood from killing and turn him into a kinder, gentler vampire.  But how do you stop a vampire from killing and how will he stop Lydia from taking his job and using Underwood for her own plans?

Underwood and Flinch Resurrection by Mike Bennett is an excellent horror novel that shows books about vampires never get old. I was hooked on the story right from the beginning when you get to see the relationship between Underwood and Arthur Flinch who is David’s father. They are a team and work well together. I loved the part when Arthur and Lord Underwood have a conversation on the meaning of life right before Underwood goes into a casket for a 50 year hibernation. Mike Bennett did a good job of creating multi-dimensional characters and creating a vampire that you can’t help to root for.

Flash forward to the present and you have David who is the opposite of his father. He looks at the family business of taking care of a vampire as evil and wants no part of it. You see when he is introduced, he has trouble with relationships and doesn’t trust people. He wants to make a difference in the world, but his past  is dictating his future and his life is not his own.

There seems to be a theme in Resurrection of how everyone is a shade of gray. Lydia and Lord Underwood both look at themselves as evil, but both of them show several times how they have a conscience. Lydia feels guilt when someone close to her dies even though she says it was for the greater good. Underwood kills two people and then apologizes for it, saying he had to do it. David threatens to kill his neighbors at one point, but he still wants to stop Underwood from killing. All of the characters in this book are fascinating and not what they first appear to be.

What I liked most about Underwood and Flinch Resurrection is how it blends comedy with horror. Leading up to the resurrection scene, the exchange between the three people who are reviving Underwood was funny along with Underwood’s worshipers who try to get a closer look at the resurrection. I also liked how all the followers run off when they discover that Underwood may not be the savior they thought he was. Underwood And Flinch Resurrection is an excellent vampire tale that has everything you could want in a horror novel. I’m looking forward to what Mike Bennett has in store for us in his the second Underwood and Flinch novel called Bonded In Blood.