Now it’s being released by Thunderstorm Books as the first volume in a series of limited editions called the Essential Ronald Kelly. Did you take this re-release as an opportunity to revise the book at all? This book originally came out as a Zebra paperback called Moon of the Werewolf back in 1991. The following night, I abandoned the novel I had originally been working on and began writing Undertaker’s Moon. That frightening howl caused the old imagination wheels to start turning and, before long, I had a southern-fried werewolf story evolving in the back of my mind. At first I thought it was a dog, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it sounded like no dog I’d ever heard before. As I was sitting on the steps, I heard a long, bestial cry echo from a ridge of dark hills a mile or so away.

Everyone in the house was asleep, so I stepped out onto the porch to unwind and breathe in some fresh country air.

The idea for the novel happened one night after a long, grueling writing session. It is only when the arrogant young son of the family, Devon O’Shea, craves something more satisfying than cold flesh that all hell breaks loose and Old Hickory and its citizens find themselves under siege. Soon, several of the townfolk discover that the new proprietors are not what they appear to be that they are a coven of werewolves who use their undertaking business as a means to discreetly acquire food during the cycle of the full moon. RK: Undertaker’s Moon involves an Irish family, headed by the stern and stately Squire McManus, who takes ownership of a funeral parlor in the rural town of Old Hickory, Tennessee. What can you tell us about the story of Undertaker’s Moon ? OC: Let’s start at the place writers always start – the story. Kelly takes us through that path in the following interview, and shares a little about writing the tale along the way. Leading the collection off is Undertaker’s Moon, a werewolf novel with a long and difficult path to limited edition status. He’s also joining forces with Thunderstorm Books to release The Essential Ronald Kelly, a series reprinting his ’90s-era horror novels originally published by Zebra. He’s been a busy man as of late and has a slew of work coming out, including new novels and a couple of short story collections. Lucky for us in October Country, he leans a little to the dark side. Ronald Kelly is a natural-born Southern storyteller.

Something Out There by Ronald Kelly