THE BEST AND WORST DAYS OF MY LIFE

A Month Like No Other

Welcome dear friends.

It’s been a little while since we’ve talked. This edition of the Maggot Mailing List is a melancholic yet exciting one. Allow me to explain. This one will be without audio because I think words would serve it best. Also, I might cry.

R.I.P. DAD

The past few months have been highly emotional. Several weeks ago I received a call from my uncle who broke the news to me that my father had stage four pancreatic cancer. For those fortunate enough not be overly familiar with cancer, that is essentially a death sentence. Even with chemo, my father’s chances would’ve been about 5% at best. Based on a poor reaction to the first round of chemo, my dad decided—no more chemo. He would instead just try and have as much quality time with his family as possible before he moved on.

I spent the better part of the last couple of weeks by his side—along with his wife and siblings—doing my best to keep him comfortable, remind him he was loved, and keep him as pain-free as possible. There were some wonderful moments and terrible ones. There were some things I saw that have forever changed me as a human being.

Another sad aspect of this entire situation was that my father and I were estranged for close to a decade prior. My family situation has always been challenging, but I can’t help but wish I’d tried harder to reconnect earlier. If you take anything away from this somber piece of writing, hopefully it’s that—if the situation warrants it, don’t wait until it’s too late to mend fences. And if you’ve tried once and you fail, don’t be too prideful to extend yourself again. Looking back, it just feels like so much time was squandered over situations that we should’ve been able to work through. My dad said that much to me too, just before he started to rapidly decline.

Either way, I’m grateful that I got to tell him how much I loved him. That we got to play cribbage and watch the Twilight Zone, and talk about the good memories we had together—memories I’d often let the negative ones overshadow.

I’m very grateful that I got to share many of my accomplishments and milestones with him. I learned that he’d been following my horror writing career from afar. It was nice to hear the happiness in his voice and see how proud of me he was.

I feel like he got closure.

I feel like I got closure.

I know I’ve started this thing out on a heavy-ass note, but my dad was a sweet guy. He was an Air Force vet, a man who loved his garden, and—for better or worse—gave me my love for the NY Giants and Pro Wrestling. He used to take me many places outdoors. I fondly look back on our camping trips. We’d go on hikes, or swimming at lakes and beaches. Actually, one of my first memories is of him is in front of this vibrant, orangey sunset. I stood on the shores watching him catch his breath while holding onto a plastic bag full of clams. I see his matted, black hair and big bushy mustache just before he holds his breath and dives back into the foamy water, in search of more clams to add to his haul. I miss him, and those simple, care-free times already.

Something else you may not know is that my dad loved horror movies. I think, in part, he was definitely responsible for my love of horror. I watched Army of Darkness, Evil Dead 1 & 2, Night of the Living Dead, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and so many horror movies by his side. He always liked to bring us to the video store and grab a few things. I wish I could just go back to the early 90s and do that with him one more time.

Here are a few vintage pictures of my Dad:

Vintage Paul William Beauregard

Until we meet again, I’ll always appreciate all the advice you gave me and things you’ve done for and with me. And I’ll always love you.

Your son,

Aron

WET MARKET RELEASE

Man, how the hell do I go and promote a book after that? Because, it’s what my dad would’ve wanted. As a man that worked three jobs and was up at the crack of ass every morning, I know he would want me to keep going at this hard.

And am I ever.

When I posted “This one’s gonna hurt” on my socials a week or so ago along with the cover of Wet Market, I meant it. I wrote this novelette while going through my own personal hell—watching my father slowly pass.

My pain is in this book.

My anger is in this book.

My sadness is in this book.

Wet Market is NOT for everyone. The editor of the book wishes to remain anonymous and not be credited stating, “I would not have finished reading this if I wasn’t the one editing it.”

Seasoned extreme horror vets may put this book down or not finish it at all. Therefore, it will only be available direction via ABHorror.com

Full details on “Wet Market and Other Horrors” will be posted in the next week or so. A limited hardcover run is in the works.

PLAYGROUND GO VIRAL AGAIN AND HITS #1 BESTSELLER STATUS ON AMAZON!

For a few days it’s not Stephen King, it’s Aron Beauregard—at least on Amazon, anyway. I titled this entry “The Best and the Worst Days of my Life” because losing my dad in the manner I did dragged me to my lowest, but overnight I suddenly notched the top spot and became an Amazon Bestseller for several days. Talk about a rollercoaster ride. I know how proud my dad would’ve been to see this.

I just want to say how grateful I am to all the people who took a chance on reading my work. This is truly a life changing moment. Also, there is someone who is directly responsible for this success that I’d like to take a moment to recognize.

Bailey, AKA Jiggysawgirl on TikTok (PLEASE FOLLOW HER), is a big fan of the Saw movies and horror films/books in general. When she said that she was checking out my book “Playground” in her video, she did so in such a manner that it absolutely captivated her audience as well as the larger BookTok and Horror Community. Now, 14.7 million views later, Playground has made its biggest viral push yet. And in case you’re wondering, yes, Bailey has gotten a ton of free AB Horror books, merch, and swag, in addition to some monetary bonuses which she more than deserves.

I take care of my people :)

Huge thanks to you again, Bailey! I can’t thank you enough for shining a light not only on my work, but Extreme Horror and Splatterpunk as a whole.

MORBID CURIOSITIES AUDIOBOOKS ARE COMPLETE!

All three installments of the Morbid Curiosities series are completed! They are being preformed by the legendary Lila Kerry (narrator of The Slob, Son of The Slob, and Playground). I’m very excited for these to be approved—the process usually takes about 2 weeks. If you’ve been waiting to listen to these, just keep checking Audible and Amazon over the next couple of weeks and they’ll be out very soon!

KIND WORDS FROM EDWARD LEE

Speaking of Morbid Curiosities, take a look at the post below and see what horror legend Edward Lee said about MC Book 1: Came with the Frame:

Not only did he describe it as “riveting”, but he also said that the impetus for his book, “Here Comes Santa Claus” came from our stories in The Obituaries Issue #3. This stuff just blows me away. Edward Lee is one of the greats—great author, great guy—and I implore you to check out his new one! CLICK HERE TO BUY!

HAPPY B-DAY TO KRISTOPHER TRIANA

This Sunday is one of the most godforsaken bumps on the calendar—none other than Kristopher Triana’s birthday. I know, who cares, right? WRONG! Wait—hold on a sec! Hear me out, damnit! While I agree with you, we don’t give a shit about Kris as a person, we do still enjoy his way with words. Why is this relevant? Because he’s decided be kick off his birthday bash early, offering 10% off on all TRIANAHORROR.COM orders placed between 7/9 and 7/16.

Just use code: BDAY at checkout.

This applies to all books and merch. He has several new book bundles available and recently restocked a lot of items, including the Body Art Coloring Book, and paperbacks of The Prettiest Girl in the Grave and The Thirteenth Koyote. So if you’d like to give an old turd a birthday boner, simply buy something for yourself.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

I want to thank everyone again for all your support during this difficult time. Also, HUGE thanks to everyone who offered their condolences and kind words. This is why I’m so proud to have you as my readers. You are all very sweet people.

Remember, keep it 100% horror :)

Aron Beauregard