Patrick Quinn Kitson, aka Lunar Lunatic on KDNK, is a published horror/comedy writer who grew up in Carbondale. He recently appeared at Mountain Fair to promote his most recent book, “Bonedale.” This collection of 13 original short stories, all of which take place within the Roaring Fork Valley and other iconic Colorado places, features elements of mystery, horror, science fiction and humor. Kitson also published “Night” and “Day” — both in 2024 — following a similar format of 13 stories per book.
Some places featured in his stories include the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Resort, a dig site in Fruita, Denver International Airport, Starwood estates in Aspen and surrounding forests. Many of these stories have appeared on “Transmissions from the Campfire” — a horror-based podcast which Kitson hosts with Daniel Kelley.
“My works are mostly in a milieu that I am referring to as ‘Valley Horror.’ There is a particular chill kind of mindset that is very specific to Colorado. When I am working on stories such as this, I am always trying to frame it within that mindset with the goal of creating a different kind of horror,” Kitson told The Sopris Sun.
“The type of horror that I write is a different kind of horror that’s not quite as focused on grim, dark introspections into the human condition. I really like monsters. I do like when they’re metaphorical, but you know, I like monsters. I like heroes and I like humor, so my horror tends to be more like creepy ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes that are set largely in and around the Roaring Fork Valley.”
Kitson shared an excerpt from “Bonedale” in a ‘Works in Progress’ feature within The Sopris Sun leading up to Mountain Fair. This short story, titled “Flicker,” takes place at Mountain Fair and paints the scene for a spooky event that begins unnoticed due to the collective euphoria and absurdities of the fairgoers.
“There’s been this movement toward grim, dark nihilism in the last like 25 years in the horror genre. I’m kind of pushing back against that a little bit because, to me, horror has always been more fun. I like seeing spooky stuff,” he shared. “I think Halloween is fun. I think horror can be fun.”
His inventions include a mythical creature devouring tourists at a lake, a religious cult terrorizing a group of teenagers at a house party along Cattle Creek Road and a monstrous appendage that puts a character in a life-or-death struggle in a beaver pond up Thompson Creek. Discussing the inspiration for these stories, Kitson said there’s a kernel of truth from events he experienced growing up in the Valley.
In the story centered around Mountain Fair, for example, Kitson recalled working the event with his father at the Lost People’s Booth in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, where the purpose was to establish a waypoint for lost children to be reunited with their parents. Kitson said it served a second unofficial purpose, which inspired his fictitious story.
“The second, unofficial function of the Lost People’s Booth was to be somewhere for people tripping balls to cool their heads so they could assimilate with the collective, instead of freaking out everybody in the crowd. Basically, it was for the babies and the trippers,” Kitson explained. “I featured it in the story because it is one of those things that could only really exist at a place like Mountain Fair and in a town like Carbondale.”
Kitson said he has always been a writer but didn’t take the craft seriously until a few years ago when he sat down to write his first two story collections. With the publication of all three, he said the response from readers has been overwhelmingly positive. He was even nominated for a Killer Nashville Award, which he will hear back on in the coming weeks.
“Bonedale.” “Night” and “Day” are all available for purchase on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The newest book is also at White River Books in Carbondale and Alpenglow in Glenwood Springs. To keep up with upcoming releases, check out “Transmissions from the Campfire” on YouTube and Spotify.