Former Brownsville resident releases latest novel, ‘Ties’
Former Brownsville resident Michael Kelso鈥檚 13th novel, 鈥淭ies,鈥� is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Kelso
Horror doesn鈥檛 need bloodshed to thrill readers, according to former Brownsville resident and author Michael Kelso.
鈥淚t鈥檚 suspense,鈥� he said. 鈥淎m I on the edge of my seat, saying 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going to happen next?'鈥�
While not strictly horror, he鈥檚 hopeful his latest novel, 鈥淭ies,鈥� will also keep readers guessing. The self-published crime/mystery book, released through Amazon on June 6, focuses on a father investigating his daughter鈥檚 sinister secrets, the blurb promising 鈥渕ystery, murder, mayhem, and a twist of romance.鈥�
鈥淭ies鈥� is Kelso鈥檚 13th book, along with numerous short stories. Two of his short stories even feature locations in Brownsville, where he grew up: the Union Station and the former hospital.
His experiences working as a corrections officer influenced his first two novels, 鈥淥ne on One鈥� and 鈥淚dentity.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of people, unfortunately, that just jump right up and say, 鈥楬ey, I want to read a book about a prison,'鈥� said Kelso.
After retiring in 2016, he decided to shift focus.
His horror short stories found success on Reddit. Under the username Horror_Writer_1717, Kelso gripped readers with tales of park rangers and truck drivers encountering sinister threats. The success spread to YouTube, where narrators read his stories, racking up more than 3 million views.
With a growing social media following, Kelso leaned into writing horror. While 鈥淭ies,鈥� is a departure from that, he used the novel to engage in some cross-genre world-building. Fans of his first two books will recognize a familiar face in 鈥淭ies:鈥� the sheriff.
鈥淗e carries over to most of my books, even if it鈥檚 just in a small way, because I liked writing that character,鈥� said Kelso, who now lives in Bedford County.
His inspiration for 鈥淭ies鈥� stemmed from three pieces he wrote for a group on TikTok called 鈥渁uthortok.鈥� The writing prompts, created by member Neil Christiansen, helped Kelso form an idea for a new story.
鈥淸After] those three successive short stories, I said, 鈥榊ou know what, I could definitely have a novel out of this,'鈥� said Kelso.
Online spaces like Reddit and TikTok played a significant role not only as a sounding board but as a way for Kelso to build his own community. As an independent author, Kelso is familiar with the realities of self-publishing.
鈥淚 like having that control to say, 鈥極kay, I鈥檓 responsible for the quality, for the pricing, for the marketing, for everything,'鈥� he said. 鈥淸Though] I wouldn鈥檛 mind if somebody else could step in with marketing and say, 鈥楾his is how you鈥檙e going to sell a million copies.鈥� That would be great.鈥�
Despite the workload, Kelso鈥檚 dedication and passion for storytelling keep him writing, as does the help of friends and colleagues. He credits fellow horror author Boris Bacic for his advice and support as well as two mentors he met on FanStory, an online site that offers experienced and new writers a way to get critiques of their work.
As for those who think they may want to write, Kelso鈥檚 advice, regardless of genre, is simple: 鈥淲rite as much as you can, write as often as you can.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 through the process of doing it that you learn how to do it,鈥� he said.
Kelso empathizes with the fear new writers feel when sharing their ideas, but he encourages them to push through it.
鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid to put them out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he only way you truly fail is if you don鈥檛 try.鈥�