Horror Aficionados discussion
This topic is about
Seed
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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Seed by Ania Ahlborn *SPOILERS*
Thanks for having me, Jason. I'm excited as well.Kindness and respect, indeed. It's the least I deserve for terrorizing everyone. ;)
Ania, thank you for stopping by and discussing your book. I and so many others here at HA are a fan of Seed and suggest it to as many people as we can. I was born and raised in Alabama, and while reading Seed I assumed the author was a fellow southerner; but later read in your bio that you were born in Poland and live in New Mexico. I am very sensitive to the fake southern touches in a book—characters, dialect, way of life—but you really nailed the struggles of a low income southern family, their manner, their dialogue, their desperation. Have you ever lived in the south? Visited here? Why is Seed set in Georgia and Louisiana? Are you a fan of southern gothic literature?
I think what I like so much about Seed is that it goes for those small, almost throwaway scares that a lot of horror writers just don't appreciate. I and a few others have mentioned how chilling the scene is where Charlie's mother is on her knees tying Charlie's shoes (I believe this is what she's doing), and feels Charlie's breath on the crown of her head. The effortless way that the possessed Charlie spins on the one leg of the kitchen chair. The slow build up of menace in Seed is done so perfectly, turning Charlie from a likeable little girl into someone capable of so much harm.
I plan on reading the revised version in the next day or two and am looking forward to the fleshing out of the story.
Thank you for taking the time to do this Ania. I read Seed a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I was really intrigued by the characters, especially the transformation of young Charlie from sweet little girl into something much darker.When you were creating the character of Charlie did you find it difficult making that transition from sweet to terrifying? It flowed so well in the book and the buildup was intense - I was just curious how Charlie developed during the creative process.
Many books I read in the past try and force the tension - either bringing it on too fast and miss out on opportunities to provide a scare or too too slow and you start to lose interest. Seed was perfectly paced for me and I am looking forward to reading The Neighbors!
I must say I read this book a bit (older version) and I really loved it. How did the story come to you? Was it gradual? I especially like Charlie. She is a great character.
I think if I reply individually in this thread, there will be a hundred thousand replies from me by the end of the month, so to streamline a bit, I'm going to try to answer in one post.Tressa: I've never lived in the south, and I say that with a heavy heart, because when I visited Louisiana for the first time in 2008, I was absolutely floored by what I felt. And that may sound a bit weird--felt instead of saw; though I did see so much, all of it strangely heartbreaking in its beauty. I say felt because as soon as I arrived, I crossed some invisible line. I'd never been there before, but I felt like I'd known the place forever. I'm not a religious girl, but I'm a strong believer that faith and religion aren't necessarily intertwined. What I felt on southern soil was nothing short of otherworldly. There was a connection there that I can't adequately put into words (sad for a writer). I tried to recapture that feeling I had by bringing in the little details--the hum of locusts, the moss on the trees, the sticky heat. If I hadn't meant the south to be Seed's setting in the beginning, it made itself the setting whether I liked it or not. That part of the country haunts me to this day. Setting Seed in that part of the world was, in a way, my attempt of satiating my ever-present longing for it.
Bill: I actually found Jack far more difficult to write than Charlie. Maybe that's why they say that innocence is so easy to corrupt. Charlie's transition from plucky pipsqueak to downright creepy felt pretty (disturbingly?) natural because I was that kid. Not that I was possessed by demons or anything... at least not that I remember, but I was a bit 'off'. My parents and I lived next door to a cemetery for a time, and leave it to me to find a hole in the chain link fence to crawl through. When I think back on it now, a five year old wandering around a cemetery on her own is really friggin' creepy, but as a kid I didn't think anything of it. I tried to approach Charlie's transition in a similar way. The adults may have been going 'woah, what the hell?', but Charlie didn't know any better. I think that alone lends even more creepiness to the way her character unfolds.
Jennbunny: This is one of those stories that sits inside you for a long time. In this case, I was around ten years old and made the mistake of sitting down to watch The Exorcist while my parents were living it up at a New Years Eve party. I pretty much scarred myself for life. Ever since then, I've had this love/hate relationship with the concept of possession. I love it because it scares the living crap out of me. I hate it... because it scares the living crap out of me. So having this story stew inside of me for so long was kind of uncomfortable, because on one hand I was excited to write it, on the other, well... you get where I'm going with this. I kept putting it off, putting it off, first because the idea of writing something so dark was creepy in and of itself, later because I was worried I'd screw it up. I mean, look at the majority of possession flicks that come out in theaters. They're horrible, right? And the ones that have the potential to be good end up taking a wrong turn only to spiral away from scary and into total cheese. The potential of doing that to a story that I've wanted to write for so long was terrifying. So, was it gradual? I guess it was. Though when I finally decided to sit down and write it, it's was like :snaps fingers: now. But I guess that's how it goes with stuff we're scared to do. We spend what seems like a lifetime thinking about it only to make a split-second decision and suck up our fear.
You guys are going to have to get used to these monster replies. ;)
Thank you for your insight. I really do appreciate you taking the time to participate and answer some of our questions. Kudos to Jason as well for getting Seed as HA's first guest author group read. P.S. Monster replies are good :)
Thanks again for participating, Ania. Seed was my favorite book of last year and the way you slowly and carefully built the tension until that amazing ending was phenomenal. It has stayed with me all this time. Remarkable job. I only wish B&N had the newer version for the Nook so I could read that, too. Any chance of that happening?
I love monster replies; keep them coming. I still cannot get over the fact that you aren't immersed in southern culture. Instead of making a show to point out all things southern to force your tale, everything unfolded so naturally that I was fooled.
My favorite genre is demon possession (you should read Come Closer, a marvelous book about a possessed woman spiraling out of control), and I spook myself by daring to read it. It's almost like I'm afraid I'll conjure up Beelzebub by partaking in the literature and films about demons. So I know where you're coming from.
My take on the story (the title is a big hint) is that the generational possession of that blood line will continue. It's almost too cruel to ponder that Charlie's memory of her family will fade, and she will fall in love and have children and the cycle will continue. It's nauseating to even think about.
I'm currently rereading Seed so excuse any memory problems I have with the story.
Gatorman: I think since Seed is published by 47North (an Amazon imprint), they're keeping the ebook exclusively for themselves. Either that, or B&N doesn't want to push ebooks that are Amazon published. I don't know exactly what the deal is with that. Lots of red tape that I don't quite understand. I wish I could answer your question, but I just really don't know.
*I have the "older" version of Seed & will start on it ASAP, too, but will I be missing out if I don't buy the "updated" version? *In what way is it updated...or will I be asking for a spoiler?
*Why did you feel the need to update your original work?
Also...I remember seeing the "Exorcist" when it first came out and it scared the liver out of me!!! I was afraid to turn out the lights and go to bed for quite some time after!!!
Well...I best get to reading my copy of "Seed" ASAP! From all the comments I've read of members here and those of Ania...this is a must read...and soon!!!
Thanks for taking time, Ania, to answer our questions.
I bought Seed immediately it was available on Amazon; will take time to read it so I can participate in the discussion.
Ania wrote: "Gatorman: I think since Seed is published by 47North (an Amazon imprint), they're keeping the ebook exclusively for themselves. Either that, or B&N doesn't want to push ebooks that are Amazon publi..."That's what I thought. Thanks for the response.
All things demon and possession related scare me as well and that is why I read them....sounds kind of weird. I read "Seed" back in February. I really felt the build up and Charlie's turn was so subtle....at first maybe there was hope but in the end.....best part of the book. I agree with Tressa on the Southern thing....I am Southern as well and never would have guessed you were not immersed somehow in the Southern culture.
By the way I also like both covers for the book.....did you take any part in the design or make suggestions? I am a big believer in great book covers and usually am quite disappointed in books that flake on them.
Ania wrote: "I think if I reply individually in this thread, there will be a hundred thousand replies from me by the end of the month, so to streamline a bit, I'm going to try to answer in one post.Tressa: I'..."
I feel the same way when I go to Louisiana. I was able to get Seed from BEA. Now I just have to find it among my piles!
Cecilia: I wouldn't say you're "missing out" if you read the original version rather than the updated one, though I do feel that the second edition touches on some plot points that a lot of readers were curious about--stuff that I'm expecting will be brought up in this discussion once people who read the original start discovering them as they read the new one. I was approached by Amazon to "re-launch" Seed under one of their imprints, and the people they threw at me after I agreed were all phenomenal. I felt that ignoring their expertise would have been really arrogant of me, so I was open to change. And while the 47North team made it clear that they loved Seed as it was, I'm a perfectionist (as most writers are). I couldn't pass up the chance to elevate my work above and beyond what it was. Seed was originally self-published under Amazon's KDP program, and self-publishing is an amazing way to get your stuff out there, but you're always going to have mistakes, there are always going to be things, stylistically, that you can improve. I didn't want to shut my eyes to that and pretend like I'm some phenomenal writer who can't improve on her own work. There's always room for improvement, and I couldn't pass up that opportunity.Jennbunny: The cover was actually a real concern for me. I think the original is so strong, but I didn't feel right leaving the same cover on a book that has an extra six thousand words, that has been rearranged and edited and whatever else. It just didn't feel right, so I gave the publisher the go-ahead to see what they could come up with for a new cover concept. Some of the stuff they threw at me was... my god... I laughed, I cried, I sat in front of my computer, flabbergasted and terrified. At one point I was convinced I had made a huge mistake, but I'm a pretty blunt girl, especially when it comes to something I've put my heart and soul into. So I wrote my senior editor an email and I was like "look, man, these designs are total crap. I can't hack it," and I sent him a bunch of book covers that I did like, encouraging them to use those as reference and see what they could come up with. It really was a pretty scary and stressful experience, but in the end I was both floored and thrilled with the design we came up with. (My editor was quite proud of himself, sending me an I TOLD YOU SO email after we signed off on the final design. It was too funny.) But, was I involved? Did I make suggestions? God yes. Every step of the way. To the point of lunacy, I think. I was actually terrified at one point that I was going to get an email that said "you know, you're just way too difficult, forget we ever met."
Hearing Southerners say that I hit on the atmosphere so well really makes me happy. I tried to make the setting feel almost like a character in itself. So thank you. :)
I completely agree about how you completely nailed the southern atmosphere in Seed. I am from Mobile,AL and the way you described both atmosphere and characters were done very well. We have a small home town hero here called William March who wrote a book The Bad Seed about a child serial killer, as seen through the eyes of the mother as she discovers the true side of her eight year old. I can see a lot of influence from the Exorcist, but only so much. You really put your own spin on possession that "hits where it hurts", especially coming from a mother of a young daughter. Jesmyn Ward, author of Salvage the Bones, winner of the 2011 National Book Award and Associate Prof of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama, recently spoke at a writers confrence in Daphne, AL about "Being brave and writing what you have to". Did you have any inner-struggles that you went through while in the process of writing Seed, where you might have second guessed yourself or told yourself that you might have cut too deeply? Overall, you did an amazing job and if you did have any doubt, I am glad, as well as many of the rest- I am sure, that you did not let that stop you because the horror genre would be that much more empty without your work. By the way- I would love to see your take on Zombie Apocolypse!!!
Ah well now I am going to have to break down and buy the new addition :)Did you always feel like a writer? Was there always a story inside that you felt you needed to write (not just "Seed")? Is horror your favorite genre?
Brandy: Thanks so much. Again, it's great to hear from true Southerners. Did I have any inner-struggles, and did I second-guess myself about the ending: honestly, no, but there's a story behind that. When I first sat down to write Seed, I had every intention on pounding out query letters and submitting my work to literary agents when the book was complete. That had been my intention with the stuff I'd written previously as well (don't bother looking, nothing prior to Seed is out there... and for good reason!). The problem with that approach is that, no matter what you're writing, you're always going to be stuck with a somewhat crippling question inside your head: is there a market for this? That question had always tripped me up a bit. It would make me second-guess myself at every turn. So imagine my intrigue when, more than half way through writing Seed, my husband sends me a link about Amazon's KDP program. Up until then, I was clueless to the fact that I could write whatever I wanted and toss it up online with no representation, with no gatekeepers. Would it sell? That was a whole other ballgame, but by that point I was beyond that.
I had spent over a decade writing and querying. I never got anywhere. Now, add a few horribly written multi-million dollar bestsellers on top of that and you've got yourself one very disillusioned, angry writer. I admit it, that was me. So when I learned about KDP, it was like a release, and I had a LOT of venom to unleash. I thought to myself, "okay, no gatekeepers? Watch what I can do." And I did it. Did I feel like I was crossing a line with Seed's ending? Absolutely. But that was the point. It was the ending the story needed.
I didn't know what was going to happen with Seed when I self-published it. Part of me was expecting to get hate mail from outraged PTA groups, but so what? I decided that for me to be happy with the story, the end had to be extremely dark, because that's the nature of reality. We're all familiar with The Exorcist, so lets use that as an example. If Reagan MacNeil was a real person rather than a character in a movie, do you think she would have survived her ordeal? And if she had, do you think her family would have? And what about the priest that allows the demon to enter his body to save Reagan in the end? Do you really think a demon that was so powerful would allow that priest to throw himself out a window? And even if he had, would he have died? These are the kinds of things that really bug me in possession movies, and I was determined to get away from all of those easy outs, regardless of what happened to the characters in the end.
Maybe someday I'll write a zombie novel, but I'd have to figure out how to get away from the shoot-em-in-the-head thing before I'd ever commit. Zombies are just way too predictable for my taste.
Jennbunny: Did I always feel like a writer? Not at all. My first taste of writing came when I was around eleven or twelve I think. It was a boring summer and my cousin and I were stuck at my grandmother's house. I came up with the brilliant idea of writing a story in tandem, and my cousin decided that sure, she'd give it a go. It was this terrible pre-teen thing about a hot guy and a really cute girl, and omg, they're like totally in love. The guy may have sparkled. (Was that out of line?) Anyway, long story short, it was utter crap, but I became deeply addicted. I wrote a lot during high school and even more during college, but it was hardly ever a serious effort. I did it for fun, nothing more. But there were years in between there that I didn't write a single word. I either didn't feel like it or I was caught up in high school drama or whatever else. Honestly, even during the last decade where I've been nothing BUT serious, I hardly ever genuinely felt like a writer. Even after I published Seed, telling someone "I'm an author" felt so weird. It was actually embarrassing. Don't ask me why. Maybe I need a therapist. ;) It's only recently that I've started to feel like I've earned the title. I'm not saying that you need a publishing deal to be called a writer or an author, that's just how I feel about that title for myself.
Seed has been brewing inside me since I saw The Exorcist, but the other stories simply come as they will. It's like divine intervention. And horror isn't necessarily my favorite genre. A lot of horror is just plain terrible, but when you find something good, it's usually REALLY friggin' good, you know? That's what makes horror so fun.
(EPIC post!)
Wow, this has been really successful so far, and it's only the beginning of the second day.I was wondering, Ania, if you plan on writing horror for the rest of your writing career? Is the genre something that comes naturally to you?
Ania, do you think that the predictability you mentioned concerning zombies is bringing down horror as a genre across the boards?That the urge to jump onto a trend is killing the creativity needed to bring horror the respect and readership it deserves?
Ania, thanks for responding to my previous questions. I'm going to go ahead and get the newest ed. of Seed. I appreciate your explanation & think the extra plot points would be worth the price of the newest ed. It's refreshing to know that you are an author that doesn't think her writing is so perfect that editing is out of the question. Bravo!I can understand why you may not want to jump on the current craze of another zombie tome...there are so many out there and they are all starting to sound alike when you read them...although there are some really good ones & I do appreciate a good zombie tale. Maybe a zombie story wrapped around the witchcraft of hoodoo & zombies as the main creep factor & how to undo a curse- or not -instead of just "shoot-em-in-the-head" as you said.
Thanks again!
This was the first book to give me the willies in a long time, what scares you? And is that where you get your inspiration in giving your readers chills?
Jason: I think that I'll always be drawn to the creepy and dark stuff, but I don't think it'll forever be considered horror. This is actually something that I'm struggling with right now, if you can call it that. I'm currently writing my fourth novel, and while at first I thought it would certainly be considered horror (lots of paranormal stuff in this one), half-way through I'm not so sure anymore. Yes, it has creepy elements, and I do think that horror fans would enjoy it, but I think it's treading a fine literary line. One of the things I absolutely love, and what readers will begin to discover when The Neighbors releases in late November, is that while I love making stuff scary, I love exploring the relationships between characters even more. I think that, in part, this is something that draws people into Seed. It isn't just a story about demons and death; it's a book about a family and their struggles. The Neighbors delves even further into that exploration, and my third book, Into The Woods (no release date yet), while a throwback to classic monster horror, is more relationship-driven than anything I've written in the past. So I keep catching myself asking that question: is this straight-up horror? And the answer is usually 'no'.
Jon: Yes, I do think that a lot of authors are jumping on certain bandwagons, and I personally find it a little disturbing. There are so many books out there that are a series when the story would be fine with a single installment before being put to bed. Fan fiction is now becoming mainstream, it's being published and, with a few tweaks, toted as 'original work'. Now, we all know that there are only so many plots in the world--eventually, we all end up reading and writing stories that we've read before. The magic lies in where the story you've already read in the past has been given new life. Can a zombie novel do that? Absolutely. Do most of them try to breach new territory? Unfortunately not.
I think that writing something for the sheer fact that it's popular is a great way to write a crappy book. I mentioned in my previous post that when I was writing with the idea that I had to sell my work to an agent, my work always suffered. That applies here too. Because you're writing for such a distinct audience, there's pressure to stick to certain guidelines. It's hard to let yourself be creative if you're forcing yourself to stick to a formula.
Horror will always be a genre underdog. Will it ever get the respect and readership it deserves? I don't know, maybe. Will it bother me if horror remains the ugly step sister of the literary world? Not really. All I can do is try to make my own work outstanding. Really, that's the only power I have here.
Marc: I'm the biggest chicken of the bunch. Seriously. Hardly anything scares me if we're talking movies--and if I do find a movie that does the trick, I get a little obsessed with it because it's so rare. The stuff that really scares me self-made. I could be lying in bed, half-asleep, and I'll hear something shift in the kitchen. I can't just let that go. I'm immediately thinking that someone's broken in (even though the house alarm is armed) and is tooling around in there, looking for the biggest knife to murder me with.Seed is inspired by my own fear of losing control in the worst possible way. The Neighbors was inspired by, yes, one of my neighbors who aggravated me with the state of their yard, and when I threatened to go over there and say something, my husband said 'yeah, that's a bad idea, you don't know who those people are.' My brain does this weird thing where it twists even the most mundane things into potentially horrific situations, and that's what really gets me going.
What scares me in this world are freak accidents and mundane occurrences snowballing out of control. So The Neighbors sounds like something I'd enjoy. Can't wait to read it. (Funny thing, Thomas Berger's Neighbors seems comical on the surface, but deep down in places where we don't like to dwell, it's scary, too.)
Having dealt with neighbors whose normalcy was only skin deep, I'm looking forward to The Neighbors also.
When you think about it, neighbors can be the ultimate horror story because you don't know what goes on behind those drawn curtains and shut doors.
Tressa wrote: "When you think about it, neighbors can be the ultimate horror story because you don't know what goes on behind those drawn curtains and shut doors."Bottom line, you don't know what's going on behind their eyes.
LOL I am definitely the weird neighbor.....we have constant barky dogs on one side and yelling yahoos on the other.Ania......how did you come up with the name for Charlie? It is such a fitting name for her? Did you have the ending all planned out?
Jen: I'm not really one of those authors who slaves over names. I know some go so far as to look up their meanings and name their characters accordingly. Charlie just fit. I knew that in the end, either Jack or Charlie had to die, but I didn't know which way the story would bend. I let the story develop pretty organically, so when it came to the end I stepped back and just let it unfold. And of course, with my brain, it unfolded in the darkest way possible.
So being a writer do you have a set time you sit and write or do you just write when the story hits the brain? The part about the photographs Aimee finds is really good. They give her a glimpse into the real Jack and how he has known all along. Have you had any ghostly experiences with photographs?
Ania, do you have a favorite movie and book about demon possession?I think the ending of Seed is perfect. Seems to come full circle for Jack, and starts the wheel rolling for Charlie. The guy in the pickup is a chilling addition to the story.
I just wanted to pop in to say that Seed was also my favorite horror read of last year. I think it's awesome that you are here answering the questions of readers. Thank you!
Hi Ania,Like everyone else, I really enjoyed the book, and was surprised at how quick a read it was. Once you start, you just don't want to put it down. One of the things I really enjoyed about your writing, is that I felt like I was in the story as it progressed. The dialog the characters had, their reactions to events, and even your descriptions of places, were filled with realism and put you in the story rather than just enjoying it in a peripheral way. You really give the characters human dimensions that, as others have said, aren't necessarily in other books. As someone who has trouble just writing messages online, I'm always impressed with people who can do such a good job of keeping me on the edge of my seat! Have you had classes or teachers that you think helped you most with your writing, or do you feel like it's more having a good imagination and life experience? Thanks again for taking part in the book group!
Jenn: The ideas come when they come, but once I know I'm going to start working on a novel it's a 7-day-a-week affair. I take it easy on weekends, but typically shoot for 5k words per day on weekdays until the story is complete. It can get exhausting, but I work well when I have a pretty stringent schedule. Depending on the day, 5k can take me four hours or eight, so I start as soon as I can and push through until I'm satisfied with that day's work.I've never had a weird experience with photographs, but I've always been fascinated by ghost photography. That isn't to say that I believe everything I see, of course. ;)
Tressa: I don't know if it really falls into the realm of demon possession, but The Shining has always and probably will always blow my mind. And now that I say that, it's kind of funny that both father's in The Shining and Seed are named Jack. (Subconscious much?) I just love the way an everyday family man turns into a monster. Did King's Jack fall victim to cabin fever, or was it supernatural? That's an argument for another thread, probably... but for me, I see it as a possession movie.
The guy in the red pickup wasn't planned. He just eerily appeared. Not kidding.
Rick: During college I switched my major from psychology to English, so I do have quite a bit of writing workshops under my belt. But college was never my thing, and the instructors weren't exactly what I'd call fans of my work. I remember one instructor in particular who I'm convinced loathed me entirely because I didn't like following her rules of storytelling. She was very by the book, and I get antsy when I'm not allowed to stretch my legs. So I said 'screw it' and did it anyway. She didn't like that. Not. at. all.
The teacher that inspired me most was my AP English teacher during my senior year of high school. Ironically, that wasn't a creative writing class.
I was really only interested in English in school, and my favorite teacher ever was an 11th grade English teacher. She made analyzing poetry and discussing novels and plays so interesting. For a short while she taught history in junior high, and she made history come alive. She'd sit on her desk and tell us wonderful stories about evil rulers. Gotta love those kinds of teachers. I'm an English major, too. I don't have the discipline (or imagination) it takes to write a novel, which is why I treasure books the way I do. I know how much goes into writing them. I've known a few people who had teachers who rigidly taught literature, and a poem or story could only be analyzed a certain way. What a shame. If I were a writer I would love to learn the different ways my work was interpreted because I would expect it to be subjective. What do they say?: "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way"? Words for a writer (and reader!) to live by.
I never thought of The Shining as a possession story, but you may have something there. I always felt that Jack was possessed by his violent, misogynistic, drunk father. He never could escape him, even at the Overlook. But the hotel possessed him, too.
Ania, Seed is truly a great read. Thank you. I downloaded the book after I saw that you would be here to answer questions and discuss (thank you for that as well) and must admit I had no real expectations. Actually, I sort of had low expectations if I have to be honest. While a lot of self-published horror can be fun, and cheap, I haven't been bowled over by the writing. So, what a great surprise Seed was! I haven't actually been frightened by a book in a long time, but you really threw in some nice chilling elements (like the demon Abby sees in Charlie's bed) that spooked me. *shiver* And as others have noted, the overall story was strong and the writing top notch -- I was/am really impressed. (As if you really care about my critique!) This was the best horror book I have read in a long time. I have an off the wall and completely minor question, but I can't help myself. You are obviously a huge King fan, so why did you make Aimee dislike The Stand?
Leah: Of course I care about your critique! If I didn't care about what people thought of my work, I wouldn't have taken the opportunity to make Seed better. :)That's a great question; one I've never considered myself. You're right, I am a pretty big King fan, but my husband is even moreso. Things from my everyday life creep into my writing on a constant basis, so when Aimee mentions that she can't get into The Stand, it was a lot like my husband--the biggest King fan I know--saying "wtf is up with this Dark Tower stuff?" My characters like what they like, regardless of what I have to say about it. I've read Les Miserables once, and I did love it, but when I tried to sit down and read it again within the last year I couldn't do it. It was Aimee who suggested to me that I give it another shot.
I finally got Seed in the mail and started it last night ...Im hooked already its so hard to put down I cant wait to get further into it,but so far its awesome, good work Ania
Ania wrote: "Marc: I'm the biggest chicken of the bunch. Seriously. Hardly anything scares me if we're talking movies--and if I do find a movie that does the trick, I get a little obsessed with it because it's ..."I can completely relate to you. I can watch and read anything horror related and be fine,but If I hear something at night my imagination takes hold of me. Ive got 2 kids to protect so my biggest fear is someone breaking in.
I saw The Blair Witch project in the theater and thought 'eh, what was the big deal?' Should have seen me later that night. I was crawling out of my skin.It's true what they say: less is more, especially in horror.
I saw that in theaters too and it had snowed, the car couldn't make it up my long driveway (my house was in the middle of the woods). I did fine the first 15 feet then I heard something and took off running,i'm not a runner by any means so after an acute asthma attack and the safety of a locked door, I was finally able to settle myself down.
hi ania! living in NOLA i agree with the previous comments on the books authenticity...speaking of ironic names (Jack...and Jack Torrence), was Reagan a play on the excorist? Jack's companion in the novel and Reagan's companion in the exorcist? not many horror novels have given me the creeps (exorcist, haunting of hill house, totem, shining) but seed certainly did! as i was reading the movie paranormal activity was also running through my mind...did this movie influence the story at all? i cant wait to read neighbors and hope in the woods (?) get published soon!!!
Gregg: Believe it or not, but I didn't realize the Reagan coincidence until I was in the second or third edit of the book. I've always loved the name Reagan as a first name, so I decided to roll with it. Now, as I mentioned previously, The Exorcist was a huge inspiration, but because of how badly it scared me, I hadn't watched it again since I was a kid (up until recently). So imagine my surprise when I realized the little girl in that movie was Reagan too. Strange, strange coincidences, I tell ya'.I'll admit, I'm typically not a fan of 'found footage' films. They were fun for a while, but I feel like they've been beat to death by the movie industry. That being said, I DID like Paranormal Activity. There's something about it that got to me when I first saw it. It may have been that the house reminded me of the house I lived in with my parents when I was in high school, it may be the fact that I have a pot rack just like they do hanging in my own kitchen (that scene scared the crap out of me); regardless of what it was, adding the familiar always makes things more scary, and for me there was a lot that was familiar about that movie. But as far as Paranormal Activity inspiring Seed? Not really.
Then again, it can be argued that every horror novel, every scary movie, every moment that freaked me out inspires what I write. If it's in my subconscious, there's no getting away from it.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Seed (other topics)Come Closer (other topics)
I read the newer, updated version, but I'm sure that if you've only read the older one, it won't hurt. It also won't hurt to pick up a copy of the newer Seed if you're curious as to how she added to the story.
Feel free to ask Ania any questions about her book. We at HA ask that you treat her with kindness and respect. She is taking time out of her schedule to be here, after all.