Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Chris Bedell. I’m thirty years old, and I’ve had over 20 books published by small presses.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
That I’m a shy/quiet person. I’ll be polite and respectful to people who are polite and respectful to me. But I’m the last person who would start chatting someone up. Although I don’t necessarily mind if someone starts chatting me up.
Tell us about your writing style.
I’m an outliner. Whether that involves pages of outlines before I start writing or outlining as I write. Outlining is very important to my writing process. I spend a lot of time thinking about my books. While it doesn’t take care of every issue, I find outlining can be like revising at the front end. Outlining forces writers to think about issues they might need to deal with once they type, “The End” if they hadn’t outlined.
Why did you choose to write LGBT characters/romance/fiction?
I choose to write LBGT characters/romance/fiction because fiction should reflect the diverse world we live in. And while people have become more tolerant and accepting, there’s still a lot of closeted people. Nobody should feel pressured to come out. But if there’s still a lot of closeted people, then clearly there needs to be more work done with tolerance and acceptance. Fiction ultimately is a way to create empathy.
Give the readers a brief summary of your latest book or WIP. What genre does it fall in?
For the purpose of this question, I’m gonna chat about the book I’m promoting with this blog tour…my YA Horror novel THE LAKE HOUSE MASSACRE, which was released from Baynam Books in January of this year. It’s a teen slasher with a slow-burn mystery. And while there are romantic elements in the book, this isn’t a romance book. I want to make that clear so readers don’t expect a HEA. I don’t want anyone to feel cheated. The book also includes family secrets…that’ll spill into book 2.
Give us a little insight into your main characters. Who are they?
The main character is Tate. He’s an 18-year-old high school senior. The book is in third person. But it’s very close third person. It basically almost feels like first person. Nick and his friends are staying at his family’s lake house over winter break. And there’s a serial killer. His ex-boyfriend Nick appears and is an important part of the story. I can’t say too much. But Nick definitely has an agenda. Emma is another important character. She’s Tate’s BFF.
Will we be seeing these characters again? Is this book part of a series?
Yes, you will be seeing some characters again. I can’t say too much because of spoilers. But you’ll definitely see Tate and Emma in two more books. MOTHER MANIA…the sequel to THE LAKE HOUSE MASSACRE is coming out this month (Tuesday, March 18th). And there’ll be one more book after MOTHER MANIA…THE SPRING BREAK MASSACRE. Ultimately, the story is just getting started in Book 1 (THE LAKE HOUSE MASSACRE). And there’s a lot of story left to unpack in Books 2 and 3. But I’ll never say “this was never real.” The further story that needs to be unpacked is more layers of what I’ve already introduced.
THANK YOU
Book Title: The Lake House Massacre
Author: Chris Bedell
Publisher: Baynam Books
Cover Artist: Christy Aldridge
Release Date: January 20, 2025
Tense/POV: Third Person, Past Tense
Genres: YA LGBTQ Horror/Thriller (the main character is a bisexual male)
Themes: Forgiveness vs Revenge, Trust
Length: 30 000 words/172 pages
Heat Rating: 2 flames
It’s a standalone book. A sequel (Mother Mania) is coming out in March.
There is a mild cliffhanger, but it wraps things up for the most part. The door is left open for the sequels. But a lot of questions get answers.
Note from author: This book isn’t a romance book. But Tate’s ex-boyfriend, Nick, is a part of the plot. I can’t say much because of spoilers. Although I want to make it clear this isn’t a romance story because I don’t want people to expect a happy ending for Tate and Nick. It’s a horror/thriller story first and foremost.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
18-year-old Tate Robinson should focus on having a relaxing winter break with his friends. Their parents all agreed to let them spend several days at Tate’s family’s lake house without adult supervision. Instead, someone wearing a scarecrow mask stabs Tate’s friend, Elijah, on the second day of the trip.
Tate narrowly escapes the killer when he flees the woods and runs back to the house, rejoining his friends. To complicate matters, everyone discovers their smartphones are missing. Therefore, they can’t call for help. Their phones were the only technology they brought because the trip was supposed to be a break from Senior Year stress.
Everyone remains at the lake house. At least temporarily. The body count starts rising after Elijah’s death, though. So, if Tate and company want to survive the trip, they must uncover who’s after them. And quickly.
Furthermore, Tate must deal with his former fling, Nick, who tagged along by showing up at the lake house uninvited. Tate and Nick were supposed to be taking a break…they wanted different things. Tate hoped to keep their relationship casual because he was afraid of getting his heart broken. Meanwhile, Nick craved a real relationship. But just because Tate and Nick could reconcile doesn’t mean they should reunite. With a killer on the loose, Tate can’t be too careful about who he trusts.
Tate walked away from Nick, then grabbed his jean jacket on the rack by the door. The wind howled, stinging Tate’s face once Tate left the house. So much for Elijah claiming it wasn’t cold. Tate should’ve realized that Elijah downplayed the temperature.
Snow crunched under Tate’s sneakers while he shuffled towards the woods. Nick could make breakfast, which he all wanted, but when Tate returned to the house with Elijah, he demanded that Nick go. If redirecting Nick’s focus didn’t work, Tate would try another strategy. He wouldn’t give up until Nick left. That simple.
“Everything okay?” Tate asked after trekking deeper in the woods. He just found where Elijah was. And Tate had no idea why Elijah would be staring at a tree.
Elijah whirled his body around. “Just wanted some time to myself.”
“No problem.” Tate huffed, breath becoming visible once he exhaled. “But are you certain everything’s fine?”
“No. But it will be.”
Tate glared at Elijah.
“Don’t give me that look. Nothing’s wrong. I just have a crush.”
“Care to share?”
Tate didn’t care about seeming nosey. Being best friends meant they could discuss anything with each other. Tate might even be able to help Elijah. Having a disastrous love life didn’t mean Tate couldn’t be there for his friends. He would. Perhaps his strained dynamic with Nick might provide insight to help Elijah with his current romantic problem. Just a thought, anyway.
“I like Sydney as more than a friend.” Elijah tucked his hands into his jacket pockets.
Tate gaped. “Wow.”
Elijah blushed. “Please don’t say anything to her.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious, Tate.”
While Tate understood that awkward stomach feeling better than anyone else, he didn’t need Elijah hassling him. Tate had nothing to gain from outing Elijah’s secret. Doing so wouldn’t have benefited Tate. Spilling personal secrets was also a shitty thing to do. And Tate would never stoop that low. Not ever.
Tate beamed at Elijah. “You have my word.”
“Good.”
“Do you plan on telling her how you feel?” Tate asked.
“I was hoping to be alone with her sometime during the trip. Just don’t know where even to begin.”
“I’m sure you’ll find the right words.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“How are things with Nick?” Elijah asked.
Tate shouldn’t have been shocked by Elijah’s question. If Elijah’s love life could be dissected, then Tate imagined his romantic life would be scrutinized, too. Only fair. Being asked a question didn’t mean Tate had to answer it. Not if he didn’t want to.
A lump lingered in Tate’s throat. “Don’t ask.”
“Okay then.”
“I wasn’t saying that to be snarky. I was being serious.”
“I’m sure everything will work itself out. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, situations usually seem worse than they are.”
“Maybe.” Tate’s teeth chattered. Perhaps visiting his family’s lake house during winter wasn’t the smartest idea.
Tate’s heart thumped louder and faster. Something stole his attention from the corner of his eye. More specifically, someone. A person wearing a scarecrow mask stood behind Elijah. But someone wearing a disguise wasn’t why Tate’s pulse hadn’t slowed down. Sunlight glinting against the metal object the stranger held was why sweat coated Tate’s brow.
Tate screamed. “Behind you, Elijah!”
Elijah spun around, back now towards Tate. The person in the scarecrow mask lunged forward, stabbing Elijah in the throat. Blood spurted from the top of Elijah’s neck before he collapsed.
A bright red color stained the snow near Elijah’s head.
Disbelief swelled inside Tate. Someone couldn’t have murdered one of his best friends—the idea was unfathomable to Tate. Yet the dread coursing through his veins remained as palpable as the desperation from Nick during their earlier argument in the kitchen.
So, Tate had two options.
Fight the person who killed Elijah. Or run.
Chris Bedell is the author of over twenty small press books. He also graduated with a B.A. in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2016.
Author Link
Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win
one of two ebook copies of my YA LGBTQ novel The Killing Game. It’s another teen slasher novel.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6f12da15564/
