Thank you for everything Mr. Ketchum!

I'm sad that my first entry has to be one to honor the passing of one of my favorite authors of all time. Dallas William Mayr known to horror fans throughout the globe as Jack Ketchum, passed away in January. I have been living abroad for the last year, so this news had eluded me till just the other day. When I saw that he had passed, my heart sunk. Another great had rode off into the sunset.

I first discovered his novels in a used bookstore in Fargo, ND several years ago. I'll never forget how I spent my first year employed at a summer camp spending my lunch breaks in a backroom devouring "Off Season". I remember thinking to myself that I had found an incredible gem of a writer as I grimaced through the gruesome bits. Shortly after that, I found three more of his books for discounted prices at my neighborhoods Giant Tiger store (Leisure Books just went under). I read the novel "Joy Ride" and recognized that it was the type of extreme novel that I had been waiting for my entire life. I then tracked down and sped through six more of his novels (with novellas and short stories on the side) before the year was out.

Last year, I was happy to discover a new book by him (co-authored again by the always fantastic Lucky McKee) at the library. It's a beautiful novel and a fitting swan song to Jack's legacy. I was gifted with my first kindle earlier this year, and the first books I bought were "Ladies Night" and "She Wakes". I hadn't had a chance to read those yet because someone had stolen all the Ketchum signed copies of his books from the downtown library (I'm lucky enough to have my own copy of "The Woman" with his autograph back at home in Canada). I cracked my copy of "She Wakes" last night after discovering the sad news.

I could never thank Jack enough for the hours of though provoking art and entertainment that he has given me over the years, but I'll honor him the best way I can. I'll keep recommending his work to others (I mailed my oldest and dearest friend a copy of "Off Season" last year for his thirtieth birthday) and of course I'll never stop revisiting the written works that he blessed us with. If you haven't read any of his writing, seek out anything from his written legacy. No matter what you choose, it's guaranteed to be a treat. Thanks Jack. For everything.