I stopped reading Amazon and Goodreads reviews about a year ago. Since the black-listing, my sales have been minimal. The only difference is conferences; obviously I’m charismatic enough to peddle my wares face-to-face successfully.
Statistically, most people we know don’t review things. We do as authors because it helps out our colleagues. Also, since we throw our own feelings out into the universe, we know how good it feels to get a pat on the back. Unfortunately, some reviewers have become roaming cyber-gangs of literary bullies, demolishing careers because they don’t agree with something the author said on social media. The book could be absolute fire, but there’s a smear campaign against the author because a single, loud Horror-Karen got her wittle feelin’s hurt. That said, I stopped reading my own reviews. I already know it sucks; I wrote it.
In the independent literary world, it’s conform or be invisible. Every genre and subgenre has their own social media militia, protecting the “yes-authors”, and fluffing one another for the sake of sales. All I care about anymore is which one of my kids will get me rediscovered after I die, and how I’ll be remembered as “not of the literary poony persuasion”.
I travel alone now. It’s quiet here. I scream at clouds, but they’re my clouds.
For some reason, the spirit trees whispered that I should run through my Amazon inventory for old time’s sake, just to see if anyone had left anymore one-star Starving Zoe, aka One-Star-Zoe – masterpiece, reviews. Instead, what I found was mesmerizing. Someone actually read Jim Walker.
Sure, I know people read it – they sell – but no one has gone as far as to really break it down. This is yet another example why I will always listen to Spirit Trees over Lit Cliques.
Gritty & Unforgiving
Reading Jim Walker’s story has been a long time coming, an experience I have been eager for though it unfortunately was cast to the wayside in light of life’s many important annoyances. After reading his popular novel ‘Starving Zoe,’ I knew I had likely come upon a favorite author. I am delighted to report that ‘Jim Walker and the Redemption Hymn,’ which serves as a sort of sequel to ‘Starving Zoe,’ upholds the same gritty, unforgiving story-telling I loved.
A brief period following the first book, Zoe remains on the rampage in the wild west. Called to the rescue is one Jim Walker, a mysterious man with mysterious abilities. At first, it is unclear whether the skeletons hiding in the old man’s closet quite match Robert Jack from ‘Starving Zoe,’ but gradually as his past is revealed, we see he is ever the evil or at least morally questionable devil. His bottom line is his own hide, his soul more or less held for ransom by the same witchy Navajo woman who holds the reigns of Zoe the skinwalker.
You would think the plot pretty straightforward: find the beast, kill the beast, story over. However, Rev. Cloud continuously pulls the unsuspecting reader into horror after horror, twist after turn. It’s one of those books where you think you know what’s going to happen, only for something different to smack you in the face.
I adore Rev. Cloud’s unapologetic and brutal writing style. He writes about villains and anti-heroes in their purest, truest forms, never attempting to water down their behavior or thoughts. And it is this dedication to the honesty of their characters that makes them so alluring. The unpredictability of their actions draws the reader in like a cowboy to a saloon. Savage. Undeniable. Inevitable.
Interesting to me is how despite Jim Walker’s clearly questionable morale, he holds to certain truths that could mistakenly come across as righteous, such as his opinions on the strength of a woman and giving them proper respect. Nevertheless, this is not a matter of ethics for Jim. Rather it is simply a matter of fact that he has learned over his grueling years. His accursed life of unknown duration, even to himself.
While this book does definitely hold up to the first, it is *slightly* less graphic. Not in the way of individual scenes because trust me, the violence is duly detailed, but more in the sense that there seems to be a bit less of these scenes than there were in the other. That isn’t a complaint, just an observation.
Overall, an awesome adventure filled with action, mystery, and otherworldly obstacles that I will recommend even to those who are not too keen on westerns. Because despite the genre, it remains so, so much more.
I’ll be honest, folks. Every day of my life since the Starving Zoe attacks and the Tik Tok firing – over two years now – is another day I’ve had to convince myself not to stop writing. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how brutally I was treated, mislead, and turned against by the community. The difference with my situation and anyone else’s is that I met them halfway, burning my end of the bridge just so I didn’t have to hear about it anymore.
I wanted to start fresh, and so I did. With that goes the horrors of rebooting. Your name now means squat. I’ve accepted that.
This review was strong enough to keep me going until tomorrow. That’s why it’s important to review independant art; books and films. Without a studio or publisher, we have no one to tell us how we are doing or how we should focus. Reviews spark emotions and give directions.
And that is why I no longer read them. Emotions get you in trouble, and my direction was set a long time ago; the opposite direction of noise. I needed this noise, though. It’s appreciated.
Preach truths, toke jokes, and shoplift Amazon. Have a wonderful weekend.
The Dime Western Returns!
“Reading Jim Walker and the Redemption Hymn is equal parts quirky fun and riveting action. Cloud’s confident, entertaining voice draws the reader in like an old radio western: the perfect bite-sized story with a main character you’re ready to follow through every adventure he finds himself on. So, tune in next time…”
– Megan Stockton, author of Lovely, Dark & Deep
The history books would read that Jim Walker was brutally executed after the Battle of Goliad, but a few promises in the right ear blurred the contrast between blood and ink. Now an aging bounty hunter on the verge of retirement, his services are requested in the Northern Arizona Territory to solve the terrifying mystery of the Verde River Massacre. With guns from a local Deputy, courage from a saloon proprietor, and a deathbed confession from an all-too-familiar Medicine Woman, Jim sets off on what could be his final adventure. Will he lay the ghosts of his past to rest once and for all, or is he simply whistling his Redemption Hymn?
The “comments” section is at the very bottom of the page. That way, if you’re going to be a poon, I can try to sell you a book on the way down.
The Reverend’s Reads
To most, 1865 was an eye-opening year. The American Civil War was officially over and the soldiers fortunate enough to survive the bloody conflict returned home to collect the pieces of their former lives. To young Arizonan, Robert Jack, the fateful desert homecoming marked the end to all he once knew. Forgiveness is overrated. Death is final. Revenge, however, dances between the fine lines of mortality and eternity. Love always finds a way.
“Reading Jim Walker and the Redemption Hymn is equal parts quirky fun and riveting action. Cloud’s confident, entertaining voice draws the reader in like an old radio western: the perfect bite-sized story with a main character you’re ready to follow through every adventure he finds himself on. So, tune in next time…”
– Megan Stockton, author of Lovely, Dark & Deep
The history books would read that Jim Walker was brutally executed after the Battle of Goliad, but a few promises in the right ear blurred the contrast between blood and ink. Now an aging bounty hunter on the verge of retirement, his services are requested in the Northern Arizona Territory to solve the terrifying mystery of the Verde River Massacre. With guns from a local Deputy, courage from a saloon proprietor, and a deathbed confession from an all-too-familiar Medicine Woman, Jim sets off on what could be his final adventure. Will he lay the ghosts of his past to rest once and for all, or is he simply whistling his Redemption Hymn?
“Someone call DC and tell them this is how you write a female hero character!” – Lisa Lee Tone, Bibliophelia Templum
Angel Burns is a young firefighter with a shrouded history. During a routine night at work, she stumbles upon a demonic ceremony that brings her memories out of hiding – as well as her repressed supernatural powers. Angel soon learns her life was intended for things greater than extinguishing fires for mortals. Now on the payroll of the Vatican, Angel embarks upon an epic quest to protect the Gutenberg Bibles from evil. If successful, she will secure peace for generations. If she fails, the power of the ancient books will bestow an eternity of darkness upon all humanity!
Toby Liberman is nearing the end of his rope. After a fateful confrontation with his wife’s lover, he is chased into the woods only to be discovered by an unidentifiable creature. He is attacked and rendered unconscious. Upon waking at the scene of a gruesome triple homicide, Toby is arrested as the sole suspect and thrown into a jail cell with a strange man that knows way too much about his predicament. The stranger reveals to Toby that he now possesses the curse of the werewolf. Using his new-found strength to flee his captors, Toby begins to discover that things are not what they seem in the sleepy town of Twin Oaks, TX. Now hunted by law enforcement, as well as the town’s gun toting civilians, Toby seeks vengeance against his false accusers and embarks upon a quest to clear his name once and for all.
A Curse Beyond Comprehension. A Power Beyond Belief. A Girl Far From Home. Katie Liberman is your typical eighteen-year-old college student…or at least that’s what her family thinks. Picking up five years after the events of A Taste of Home, Katie has dropped out of school and embarked upon a dangerous quest to find Kurt Jimmerson, the New York City attorney responsible for her family’s werewolf curse. Unknown to her, the attorney’s grip on the ‘City That Never Sleeps’ is tighter than imagined and she’ll need any and all help available to be victorious. But… where do you find friends when you’re Far From Home?
Twin Oaks, Texas is at war! Taking place immediately after the Far From Home events in New York City, Katie Liberman has returned to rescue her birthplace from the clutches of her nemesis. As the paranormal battle of North vs. South rages in the shadows, the tiny town must decide to fight against the odds or become one with the darkness. Blood will be shed and only one will survive as the final battle of the Home Series concludes.
I know this is the part where I’m supposed to talk about the book, but I feel as though the synopsis needs its own preface to truly understand. 2023 was quite an eye-opening year! I began it by living my dream as a vintage steam locomotive fireman, but that dream was soon squashed thanks to my writing career. It won’t matter that you wrote your extreme horror offerings years ago and under a pen name. Also, it won’t matter that your publisher and author friends from days gone by express pleasantries and kind, nurturing words to your face, because they’ll clique-up and talk trash the minute you turn your back. F**k the biz, create. Create for art, not clicks. Click for love, not hate. Those are words true artists should have no issues living by, yet most seem to hide behind their keyboard shields, flinging ill-thought words of destruction toward once-trusted ears. Don’t pour something into everything; pour everything into something. Do it all by yourself if necessary. With any luck, 2024 will be the year of The Reverend. I’m not exactly sure what that means yet, but we’ll find out together. Anyway, here are a few short stories and poems I wrote as C. Derick Miller in 2023. I stole them from myself. Fair and square. Enjoy.
Poetry has always come naturally to me. Whether it is an expression of emotion toward someone I care about, or a display of humor pointed in the direction of those I loathe, it is my true outlet. Several of these works were written in a passenger seat while exploring the highways of the United States and somehow managed to survive “The Great Ex-Wife/Ex-Girlfriend Poetry Purge” of 2019. Others were penned during COVID-19 quarantine. Although it may not be the most epic poetry collection you’ve ever read, it all contains bits of blood and soul. You will feel something. Guaranteed.
“This profound collection of horror brings classic monsters into new light in the modern day” – B.L. Blankenship, God Walks The Dark Hills series.
The modern world is a crazy place. Worrying about childish politicians, empty grocery store shelves, and our pending membership to the “global disease of the week” club, it leaves very little time for the average reader to finish an entire novel. This is where Six from Five Seven: Short Stories from a Short Man comes in clutch! A story per day to keep the impending apocalypse away, with a single day left over to contemplate why you purchased this book in the first place. That sounds like an entertaining week when compared to the one you were destined to have regardless. What do a cursed husband, a privileged brat, a curious prostitute, a repressed savior, a vengeful son, and two hell-bound soldiers have in common? Their stories lie within the pages of this collection and invite you to tag along on their journeys of fate, redemption, and demise. When finished, you, dear reader, can hide this book inside your basement with the rest of those important documents you wished you’d never taken home. The FBI won’t be happy, but at least they’ll know you’re a cool person for owning a copy while conducting the raid. That must count for something, right? Let’s hope the judge thinks so!
Also, there’s a few other things not listed here that are floating around out there. Best of luck with the hunt.
Current Projects
Rev. Dare Cloud
Reverend · adjective. worthy of adoration or reverence. synonyms: sublime · sacred.
is a Dallas author, musician, and gonzo journalist. Some of his works include the controversial splatter-western Starving Zoe (written as C. Derick Miller), the Taste of Home trilogy, and the ongoing Jim Walker series. He is also the co-host of the American Justice Podcast and Senior Writer/Junior Producer for AtuA Productions LLC. His literary crushes are (of course) Hunter S. Thompson, J.D. Salinger, and Kevin Smith. Preach truths, toke jokes, and shoplift Amazon.
“You’ve got to press it on you You’ve just been thinking That’s what you do, baby Hold it down, Dare!” – Gorillaz
The Gonzo Wolf 
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