Author Spotlight: Michael Hernandez
My new work Bonemeal is set to release this week (June 6, 2026) and with that, I'd like to share a bit about a single story in the work as well as a few words on the whole. I grew up reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and was enthralled by the storytelling variance in the book.
My own work reflects my love for this far-swinging style and readers will experience everything from short stories to novellas to 'two sentence horror', wanted ads and even poetry. Illustrations I drew and painted by hand punctuate the book giving the reader a fully immersive and unsettling experience and I've enjoyed every part of the creative process for it!
One story I am particularly proud of is 'Ten Went Down' in which I get to explore a form of folktale yarn-spinning that was a unique challenge. The piece follows a party of men venturing into the woods to combat a creature that has terrorized their village over weeks. As they make their way down into the beast's lair, things begin to unravel quickly for the ensnared party and the reader finds the pace, the language and the meter of this haunting poem intensify.
Even as I read the ending each time, I'm pleasantly surprised and feel a sense of impending doom creep up my spine. I know readers will get quite a kick out of it as they will the rest of the work.
Excerpt From Bonemeal:
The order brought by man
went down into the void,
where good can’t understand
the malice it employed.
The heaviness of death
pressed down upon their heads.
It stained their very breath
and filled their souls with dread
The blood still dripped its path.
Along they went but slow.
Now caution outweighed wrath,
too late for them to know.
Check out Bonemeal on AMAZON
About the Author:
A brief note about myself, I'm a Texas native, teacher and coach here in the lone star state. I've been happily married for fourteen years now with a busy house of children and my oldest son has also picked up my love of horror literature that I grew up with. When I'm not teaching or writing, I enjoy working out, hunting, hiking and spending time with my family everywhere from home to the woods to church and beyond. It means the world to me that anyone would read a book written by a random dad out in Texas and I work hard to give them the best possible stories to read that tell a little bit of truth about the world.
If anyone is curious about the book they can go to BonemealBook.com or go to FiresideWords.com to learn more about me and my other work.
