ACTC professor's 1st novel released

Sep. 18—ASHLAND — An Ashland Community and Technical College instructor has published his first novel.

Coy Hall, associate professor of history, has released "Grimoire of the Four Imposters," a collection of six horror tales set in the 17th century. The presence of a real grimoire, or spell book, links all the stories for an overarching story.

Hall, who has written fiction since he was a teenager, has often placed his stories in the past.

"This was the first time I placed my stories in the 1600s, which, as a historian, is a favorite era of mine to study and teach. I thought that era would be a good niche for me," he said. "A lot of people write stories set in Victorian times, but stories set in the 17th century are rare."

The book starts with an English lord searching the Hungarian countryside for the real grimoire. Once he finds it, it leads the reader into the four-impostor tales that make up the core of the book: "The Orb of Wasp and Fly, Being a Psalm of the Malformed Mind," "The Nightshade Garden," "The Brine and Bone Alchemy" and "Sire of the Hatchet."

The book then moves into the catacombs beneath Nottingham with its closing tale, where the reader finds out the results of deciphering a code hidden in the real grimoire, Hall said. A variety of characters is involved, including occult scholars, French adventurers and German executioners.

"In each tale, horror builds to a crescendo, so I want to warn that some readers may find the book frightening and disturbing," Hall said. "Although the stories are fictional, the places, events, and ideas found in Grimoire of the Four Impostors are real, and I hope that adds another layer to the book."

Hall has published about 40 short stories in magazines and anthologies, but this is his first book to be published. His second and third books, a crime novel and a western, will be released next year. He also has two additional novels, crime and horror, to be released in 2023.

"('Grimoire of the Four Imposters') can stand alone, but I have a sequel planned that would feature six linked stories set in Europe following World War I," Hall said. "I have a great interest in 1920s Germany, revolutionary Hungary and especially the film industry in those nations. A tentative title is 'Visions of Cheops,' which would tie in the book with the German occultist Albin Grau. The 'real grimoire' here would be films rather than texts."

Hall will make appearances in the area to sign and sell his books.

"I'll also be doing something with the book to coincide with my second annual Halloween Horrors: Journeys into the Macabre series with the ACTC Library, as well," he said.

(606) 326-2661 — lward@dailyindependent.com