The Scare by Robert Shaw
Is a zombie bully committing murder in Emerald Bay? Are his victims coming back to life to do more killing? Ethan, Shay and their friends must solve the mystery to stay alive.
Haunted by the murder of his little brother, sixteen-year-old Ethan Harris finds a kindred spirit when Shay Cassidy moves to Emerald Bay. Like Ethan, Shay is the product of a guilt-ridden, broken past, and Ethan is drawn to her.
But town bully, Viktor Sols, harbors his own dark desire for Shay, and will stop at nothing to get her. When Sols is killed during his latest rampage, a series of grisly murders begins, and Ethan is convinced that Sols is coming after Shay from beyond the grave. His friends agree to help investigate, but mystery and death follow their every step.
After Shay vanishes, Ethan refuses to accept that she’s dead, believing instead that Sols has taken her. He and his friends must launch an attack on the dreaded Sols House to try and rescue Shay.
Can they save her before it’s too late, or will the horrifying secret of the Sols family kill them all?
Set in the stormy coastal town of Emerald Bay, The Scare is a contemporary Gothic horror story in which love and friendship triumph over bitter jealousy and brutal lust. It is not for the squeamish: there are nasty bits and mean bits; love, laughter and tears; good friends and deadly enemies. There is blood and there are screams… and a fight to the death
If you like Stranger Things and IT, you’ll love The Scare.
Targeted Age Group:: Not for children
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 3 – PG-13
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The Scare was my first novel, adapted from my screenplay of the same name. When said screenplay was optioned in the late 90s by executive producer, Tom Fries (of Fries Entertainment), and had Australian director, Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend), interested, I began toying with the idea of doing a novelization. Tragically, Tom Fries passed away of cardiopulmonary illness in September 2001; and director Jamie Blanks made Valentine as his next movie, then returned to Australia. The motion picture rights for The Scare reverted back to me, and I decided to adapt my screenplay into a novel anyway. This book was the result.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
My six main characters – my heroes of the piece – are friends that I would have loved to have had when I was a teenager; and, of course, Shay, is the girlfriend I would have loved to meet when I was a teen. I feel so close to these characters that they really could almost be my friends, even though they're fictional, and I love to revisit them occasionally by flipping through the book. The main villain is a sort of dark-mirror opposite of my main hero, Ethan, and his motivations are typically driven by the time-worn emotions of jealousy and unfulfilled desire. He's angry that the 'cool kids' always seem to have what he never can, and it makes him crazy. But is he evil, or just human?
Book Sample
Holly screamed, sending an icy burst through everyone’s veins. “He’s coming this way!”
They stared intently at the cliff base, and now they all saw the shape, vague against the blackness of the cliffs, a chunk of shadow that had broken away from the rock and was floating to them on the breeze.
But it definitely looked like a person.
Or the shadow of a person.
Coming right at them.
They tensed, clinging to each other, feeling so cold it was as if the fire behind them had suddenly frozen over. Even its glow seemed diminished.
“Maybe we should get out of here,” Chad suggested in a tiny voice.
And then suddenly the shadowy figure vanished.
They stared, eyes still registering the shape for a moment, brains still thinking they were seeing it.
“Where’d he go?” Gordo said.
Breathless, Quincy added, “He did just disappear… right?”
Shay held Ethan’s arm tightly. “That was soooo freaky,” she breathed.
Then everyone screamed.
Because the dark shape was suddenly there, blasting through the fire, flattening the flames with a sound like the flapping of giant wings. Sand kicked up, spraying them all, then the fire hissed and sputtered and finally danced back to normal.
And the dark shape was gone.
Not moving away along the beach.
Not running back to the cliff.
Just gone.
Vanished.
As if it had never been there.
The friends stared at each other for a long moment, girls clinging to guys as if they were life rafts in a sea of dark. The fire was no longer a comfort of any kind.
“Did that just happen?” Eejayce asked.
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, but don’t ask me what it was.”
“It definitely wasn’t Sols,” Quincy insisted.
Chad had only himself to cling to. “I want to go home,” he moaned.
No one protested.
Links to Purchase Print Book version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy Print Edition at Amazon
Links to Purchase eBook version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy this eBook On Amazon
About the Author
Follow the author on Amazon
Follow the author on Social Media:
Goodreads
All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.
