What Digs Itself Free

What Digs Itself Free 

What Digs Itself Free is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. I have been waiting impatiently for this one, and I must admit that I am excited to finally have the book in my hands. I had previously read Angry Hornet Nest, which was Stoney Brooks’ debut novel, and really enjoyed it. 

Which meant that I was excited for something new from him, and it has arrived. I’m not much of a horror novel fan. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you likely already know that. When an author can get me to like a genre I’m normally not a fan of, I’m impressed, and it deserves me reading more from them. 

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I feel the same way about Ryan Hyatt’s stories. I dislike science fiction, and he has made me like it. Or at least his version of it. Stoney Brooks is the same way with horror novels. I can honestly say that I’ve never looked forward to a horror novel until now. There really is a first time for everything. 

“His body was a factory of fluids. Sweat rolled from his forehead. Blood drenched him from the hips down. His eyes were misty with tears of his own. His nose a leaking faucet as snot pooled at the corners of his mouth.” 

Stoney Brooks, What Digs Itself Free

Have you found any authors who have helped you to enjoy a specific genre you previously didn’t like? If so, let me know about it in the comments! I would love to hear about your experiences like that. 

This year I’ve made it one of my goals to read more from my favorite authors, because I think life is too short to read bad books. This means you’ll be seeing more from multiple of my favorite authors, including both Stoney Brooks and Ryan Hyatt, among others. I want to keep checking my favorites off my to be read list and making those a priority. What are your reading goals for this year? 

Have you read What Digs Itself Free? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About What Digs Itself Free 

Zap Rogers has made a career out of exploiting others, most of whom are dead. With one of the most successful, longest running ghost hunting shows on the market, he and his team have raked in the cash. But with market trends shifting, Zap and his crew are no longer relevant, and are losing market share to younger, more hip trends.

Scrambling to remain in the spotlight, Zap and his crew order new gear in an attempt to give the show a facelift. But when a mysterious package arrives from a secret admirer, things begin to take a sour turn. Investigations are seemingly sabotaged, weird sightings around the house have everyone on edge, Zap’s plagued with nightmares of a mysterious old hag, and the manifestations are not only haunting, but starting to get physical.

With the help of an old colleague Zap begins investigating the occurrences, following the trail right back to his own selfish behavior. Now Zap must do everything in his power to stop the malevolent entity before this investigation turns into his last. 

Thoughts on What Digs Itself Free 

“I will dine on your flesh, Zap Rogers. I will suck the marrow from your bones. Will crunch your teeth like bits of hard candy. Your soul is mine. Mine! My betrothed!” 

Stoney Brooks, What Digs Itself Free

In What Digs Itself Free we meet Zap Rogers, a ghost hunter. He runs a very successful television show, and then slowly but surely his ratings drop and he’s in danger of the show being dropped and him being forgotten. 

He is not the greatest person in the world. In fact, he is generally a terrible person, a womanizer who thinks with the wrong head. It is hard to like him. We’ve all known someone exactly like this, unfortunately. So Zap was a hateable character, but also someone who felt real at the same time. The question I wanted answered was, does he evolve as a character as the story goes on? 

Can Zap and his team give the show enough of a facelift to save himself? Or does it even matter? Zap really does have bigger problems to handle than his failing show. 

Because once things with Zap’s own haunting start to heat up, the show begins to seem irrelevant. His real life problems are far bigger, time consuming, and certainly interesting. My first question is, who did you piss off enough to start haunting you? I had to keep reading to find out. 

My biggest complaint is that the prologue and the actual story put together don’t tell the full story of the supernatural entity that is haunting Zap and what a Dybbuk Box actually is. I wanted to know more. I also wanted to know if at the end, Zap’s haunting was actually over, and the box had actively been destroyed. This didn’t detract from the story, which is important to keep in mind. But it certainly would have been nice to know more as I went, and maybe helped to have a deeper connection into it all. 

“It’s all your fault, Zap. All of it. And it all could have been avoided. Now come give us a hug and let’s ride the midnight train together. I hear it whining already, don’t you?” 

Stoney Brooks, What Digs Itself Free

The backstory of how things got started could have been far better developed, in my opinion. I think that is what would have made it a five star read. I wanted more, and Stoney Brooks had room to write it. The book was only two hundred and fifty six pages. It wouldn’t have been too long with adding in more to develop the entire story and make it feel more well-rounded. 

What Digs Itself Free is still a good story, but I found myself wanting more. I am going to skip telling you much more because I’m worried about spoiling it all. But this was a fun book to read. It was fast paced with short chapters, and had a good flow to the story that kept me reading. Sometimes the descriptions were hilarious, and others were gross. 

I was impressed by the flow of the story, and the fact I wanted to keep reading it to find out all the answers. I still need more answers, but honestly, my complaints are minimal. They aren’t enough to detract from the fact this is still a good story that I enjoyed reading. 

This book was a journey. It starts out goofy, goes in a dark direction, and then comes back to complete the circle in a complete and redemptive way. 

Final Thoughts on What Digs Itself Free 

“She was right. This thing was right. They did belong together. They were meant to be together. Forever. All he needed to do was take a few steps forward, grip the knob on that box, and swing the hinges outward. That’s it. That’s all it would take. Just a few simple steps. A few small actions and they could be together forever. Together as one. As they were meant to be.” 

Stoney Brooks, What Digs Itself Free

I’m calling What Digs Itself Free a solid four star read. It was fun, interesting, dark, and kept me on the edge of my seat because I had no idea what was coming next. One of my personal criteria for a five star read is that I’ll read it again. I can’t call it a five star here because I know what happens. Which means the twists are spoiled, so to speak, and I can’t see reading it again knowing how everything happens. 

I’m so glad that I’ve given Stoney Brooks’ books a chance. As I’ve said before, I’m not normally a horror genre fan, but he’s managed to write some good stuff that I can enjoy. I really appreciate it when authors can change my mind about specific genres. I’m now looking forward to his third book and reading it. 

I love when I get to read an author from the very beginning, and watch their writing grow and evolve as time goes on. Continue reading for the author interview that Stoney grants me about What Digs Itself Free farther down. 

I went to read reviews of this when I was finished. I’m always curious how my thoughts on a book compare to others. Sometimes they are similar, sometimes I am the odd duck in the bunch. It all depends on the day and the book. Many reviewers mentioned this being about a specific ghost hunter on television. Or at least mocking that person. 

I’ll be honest and tell you that I kind of went into this book blind. I’ve never watched a ghost story or television show in my life. I remember watching the Blair Witch Project when I was young and thought it was stupid. Which is probably why I don’t watch ghost hunting shows. 

This means I don’t know much about the concept, and I think that helped me with reading this story. If I was an avid watcher, I am not sure how I would feel about the story. I always say to read the story and form your own opinions on it. I went in with absolutely no expectations, and it helped me to get into the book and enjoy it more. 

I hope you enjoy What Digs Itself Free as much as I did. It was very much a journey to read it, and I’m glad I was along for the ride. Stoney Brooks has an excellent future in writing ahead of him, I can assure you of that. We’ll see great things from him in the near future. 

Discussion 

Have you read What Digs Itself Free or any other writing from author Stoney Brooks? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Stoney Brooks is a good old fashioned SoCal boy, with a healthy touch of Gypsy blood. After multiple moves, he’s landed back in his childhood stomping grounds of San Bernardino County, dragging along his wife, two kids, and smattering of barnyard critters.

A finance professional by day, he holds multiple distinguishing titles. By night, he crafts dark stories tinged with just a touch of humor to cut the tension. Stoney is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Horror Authors Guild. 

Purchasing What Digs Itself Free 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of What Digs Itself Free, click here.
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from Stoney Brooks

Did you enjoy my review of What Digs Itself Free? Need another great Stoney Brooks novel to read? Here are my favorites! 

• Angry Hornet Nest
• What Digs Itself Free

Author Interview 

I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Stoney Brooks again and chat about What Digs Itself Free. It is so much fun for me when authors are willing to talk about their books. I’m always grateful for this, because it gives everyone a chance to get to know more about an author, learn, have a laugh or two, and just enjoy it all. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. 

What was the inspiration behind What Digs Itself Free? 

The inspiration for this novel very much came from watching too many trashy ghost hunting shows. The more outrageous the better. If it’s got night vision cams or EMF detectors, you can bet I’ll be hooked. 

I wanted to take that concept and dive more into the behind-the-scenes process. We all know what the finished product for one of these shows looks like, but what happens when a show goes downhill? Do the on-screen personas they create really match their off-screen behavior? And what would happen if one of these “professionals” got in over their head? 

If What Digs Itself Free were turned into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?  

Oh gosh, I’m terrible with names. He’s nowhere near what I’m picturing in my head, but I feel like Nick Cage has the perfect energy for Zap. A little bit goofy, a flair for the dramatic, and a once bright star that’s now fizzled out. Maybe Mia Goth or Jenna Ortega for Rose. The age isn’t quite right but they both have a similar look to what I was envisioning. And one of the Skarsgard brothers for Noah. All of them are top tier creepy with the perfect amount of unhinged potential. It’s something in the eyes!  

Did you feel connected to any of the characters in this book when you wrote them?  

I definitely felt a strong connection to Zap in this story. I had this perfect picture in my mind of a total douchebag with a secret heat of gold. It was tons of fun to watch his antics play out on the page, going from an almost greedy need to be the center of attention, to realizing his friends and family are what truly makes him special. 

The last time we chatted after Angry Hornet Nest, you mentioned having written seven novels. When can we see a third published? Will you give any hints on what this one will be about?  

Absolutely! Book # 3 is currently in the editing phase and is loosely scheduled for release between Oct-Dec 2026. This one is a survival story set in a remote northern Arizona wilderness. Think Scott Smith’s The Ruins mixed with Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley. More details to come as it nears final production.  

I know Stephen King is your favorite author, but do you have a guilty pleasure book, author, or genre that you read?  

This one pains me to admit, but Colleen Hoover. Specifically, her thriller novels since the romancy stuff is above my paygrade. My wife coerced me into reading one of her books a while back and I was actually surprised to find that I liked it. Her and I have a mini book club going whenever we find one that suits both of our tastes.  

Which character would you want with you during a zombie apocalypse?  

In my own universe, I’d say Muata from Angry Hornet Nest. Can’t beat a shape shifting shaman, though he might as well just abandon me the first chance he got. In the greater book universe, Smaug from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. A giant fire-breathing dragon would do wonders to clean up legions of the undead. But then again, he might just eat me if he needed a little snack.  

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