Local writer featured in new horror-themed anthology

This story originally appeared in the October 8 print edition.

Mike Sullivan has long been fascinated by storytelling and the horror genre. Growing up in Stoughton, he became a fan of Stephen King, whose varied ways of scaring readers (and movie goers) are well known. Primarily a film editor, Sullivan also writes and is now himself a published horror writer.

Mike Sullivan

With the inclusion of his short story, “The Bugs Come Out at Night,” in an anthology being published this week titled Stories We Tell After Midnight Vol. 2, Sullivan has joined the New England horror tradition. From Providence-born H. P. Lovecraft to King, a native “Maineiac,” writers from the Northeast are disproportionately represented in the genre, Sullivan said.

Whether it’s simple coincidence or the influence of Salem’s gruesome history, New England writers do seem to be drawn to horror and even make some money at it. The ones Sullivan has met have been welcoming and helpful; he is grateful for guidance from James A. Moore and Christopher Golden, leaders of a workshop in Haverhill he participated in about four years ago. Their input helped shape his project into what became “The Bugs Come Out at Night.”

Sullivan said he first decided to self-publish the story because it had received many rejections. It is technically a novella (or longer short story), which meant its chances of being accepted by a publisher were lower as novellas are believed to be less popular. After self-publishing it in 2016, however, he submitted it to Crone Girls Press. The editor was happy with the length, even making Sullivan’s story the anchor, or final, culminating read of the collection.

Now living in Canton with his wife, an artist, and daughter, a college senior, Sullivan won’t be quitting his day job. He is a freelance documentary film editor with a long list of work produced for museums and visitor centers, including the Smithsonian and the Harry S. Truman Library. His work has received awards; he also teaches film editing at Massasoit Community College in Brockton.

“There’s a huge relationship between editing and writing,” Sullivan said. “Both involve storytelling, pacing and characters.”

In addition, there are less obvious parallels such as film cuts and short sentences. The film editor also plays a critical role at the end of a project: once shooting is complete, he said, the edit room is where the last draft is finalized.

Sullivan started thinking about filmmaking as a child, explaining, “Dad got me into movies.” His father, a news photographer for Channel 7, was very interested in all aspects of how movies are made, including editing. The Star Wars movies developed Sullivan’s fascination with storytelling, and he majored in film at Emerson College. Beyond that, he said, he is “mostly self-taught” in editing and technologies.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Sullivan said he’s been told he is a very visual writer, which enables readers to picture vividly real scenes. He is influenced by familiar surroundings and uses them in his writing. “The Bugs Come Out at Night” takes place in Vermont mountains, but more often, he said, he uses what’s in his head, which is always New England and specifically, locations in Canton or Stoughton. He is currently working on his first full-length novel, which takes place in a town that is a mix of the two.

Another short story has been accepted for publication by Suspense, a print and digital magazine. Sullivan also publishes non-fiction articles on film and video editing for specialized and trade magazines. But perhaps because he was born on Halloween, horror storytelling through fiction seems to be a special passion.

He is careful not to reveal what kind of bugs are in the story — he wants readers to discover for themselves what is meant by the mysterious note left at a remote vacation house rented by a family with two young daughters. The note warns, “Get inside before sundown. The bugs come out at night.” Sullivan stressed that this is a story for adult readers, not children, so chances are, these bugs are not just ordinary mosquitoes.

Stories We Tell After Midnight is available through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle at amazon.com/Stories-We-Tell-After-Midnight/dp/1696935164. To learn more about Sullivan and his film editing work, visit sullivanedit.com.

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Posted by Candace Paris on Oct 23 2020. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.