Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror by Eric J. Guignard

Welcome to the cool side of the 1950s, where the fast cars and revved-up movie monsters peel out in the night. Where outlaw vixens and jukebox tramps square off with razorblades and lead pipes. Where rockers rock, cool cats strut, and hot rods roar. Where you howl to the moon as the tiki drums pound and the electric guitar shrieks and that spit-and-holler jamboree ain’t gonna stop for a long, long time . . . maybe never.

This is the ’50s where ghost shows still travel the back roads of the South, and rockabilly has a hold on the nation’s youth; where lucky hearts tell the tale, and maybe that fella in the Shriners’ fez ain’t so square after all. Where noir detectives of the supernatural, tattoo artists of another kind, Hollywood fix-it men, and a punk kid with grasshopper arms under his chain-studded jacket and an icy stare on his face all exist.

This is the ’50s of POP THE CLUTCH: THRILLING TALES OF ROCKABILLY, MONSTERS, AND HOT ROD HORROR. This is your ticket to the dark side of American kitsch . . . the fun and frightful side!

The Big Thrill caught up to Eric J. Guignard to discuss this intriguing new anthology:

What was the most important criteria in your selection process for an anthology such as this?

This anthology promotes well-crafted fiction in the form of short stories, blending elements of horror, action, mystery, pulp, and thrills. It takes a fun look at an alternate view of the 1950s and imagines it with monsters and arcana and many other supernatural features while also exploring modern-day themes of merit.

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

A love of all things pulp, rockabilly, and thrills!

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

The stories in this book are made for general adult audiences, and meant to be fun as well as compelling. Some of the tales are thoughtful, introspective pieces, exploring characters’ lives from half a century ago, while most are just badass adventure, with mishaps and mayhem and music.

*****

Eric J. Guignard is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He’s won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award, and a multi-nominee of the Pushcart Prize.

His stories and non-fiction have appeared in over one hundred genre and literary publications such as Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, Shock Totem, Buzzy Magazine, and Dark Discoveries Magazine. As editor, Eric’s published six anthologies include Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations, After Death…, and A World of Horror, a showcase of international horror short fiction.

Read his short story collection, That Which Grows Wild: 16 Tales of Dark Fiction (Cemetery Dance Publications), his standalone novella, Baggage of Eternal Night (Journalstone), and watch for his first novel, Crossbuck ‘Bo, which is currently being shopped around.

Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, cats, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric on his website, his blog, and on Twitter (@ericjguignard).