Joseph Cillo Jr.'s Blog: Joseph Cillo Jr.'s Most Excellent Blog, page 2
November 19, 2019
Between Mind and Madness
Between Mind and Madness
A Ten-Sentence Horror Story
By Joseph Cillo, Jr.
I had become used to them coming in the night, in the half-sleep of waking. A voice, but more than a voice--a presence, unsettling, and thus far more memorable than the whispered words that leave indecipherable trails covered so quickly by conscious thoughts. They tempt, or bring to mind long forgotten sins not adequately confessed, and thus, unabsolved, tickling my illicit desires or vexing my conscience, according to their particular disposition. Brutish they are, or seductive, if lust is their temptation, and always sly, or attempting to be so, as their preference is to hide and pretend to be my own mind, my own desire, my own regret. But I see them and know them for what they are, and they have no power over me. Easy they are to resist, and once discovered, they flee.
But then, he comes. Powerful, elegant, sophisticated, supremely confident, almost beautiful, or something about him betraying an ancient beauty lost and now--terrifying. Knowing him for what he is, I cry out in the silence of my mind, "Mother of God, help me! Crush his head!"
And now, fully awake, the ancient malevolence of the lost garden fades and I tremble in fear, knowing that tonight, once more, the pall of sleep will beckon and the thing from hell that awaits me in the half-waked world between mind and madness has honed his diabolic schemes in which to trap my everlasting soul and drag it to that place of torment from whence it came, and from which not the dimmest hope escapes.
A Ten-Sentence Horror Story
By Joseph Cillo, Jr.
I had become used to them coming in the night, in the half-sleep of waking. A voice, but more than a voice--a presence, unsettling, and thus far more memorable than the whispered words that leave indecipherable trails covered so quickly by conscious thoughts. They tempt, or bring to mind long forgotten sins not adequately confessed, and thus, unabsolved, tickling my illicit desires or vexing my conscience, according to their particular disposition. Brutish they are, or seductive, if lust is their temptation, and always sly, or attempting to be so, as their preference is to hide and pretend to be my own mind, my own desire, my own regret. But I see them and know them for what they are, and they have no power over me. Easy they are to resist, and once discovered, they flee.
But then, he comes. Powerful, elegant, sophisticated, supremely confident, almost beautiful, or something about him betraying an ancient beauty lost and now--terrifying. Knowing him for what he is, I cry out in the silence of my mind, "Mother of God, help me! Crush his head!"
And now, fully awake, the ancient malevolence of the lost garden fades and I tremble in fear, knowing that tonight, once more, the pall of sleep will beckon and the thing from hell that awaits me in the half-waked world between mind and madness has honed his diabolic schemes in which to trap my everlasting soul and drag it to that place of torment from whence it came, and from which not the dimmest hope escapes.
October 20, 2019
A Five Sentence Horror Story
Death of the Bride
By Joseph Cillo, Jr.
I took the cup. And as His blood passed over my lips and onto my tongue, I realized it was not His blood at all, but merely wine, offered at the funeral of His Bride, who lay in the tomb, murdered by evil men in sacrifice to a false god. Numb, I wandered from the church, the cold drops of rain on my head and face ignored, as a blanket of darkness enveloped my soul, knowing that the Church in which I had placed my faith no longer had power in Her sacraments, as She lay in the eclipse of death. And all that remained to do was to grieve and to pray. And await Her resurrection.
By Joseph Cillo, Jr.
I took the cup. And as His blood passed over my lips and onto my tongue, I realized it was not His blood at all, but merely wine, offered at the funeral of His Bride, who lay in the tomb, murdered by evil men in sacrifice to a false god. Numb, I wandered from the church, the cold drops of rain on my head and face ignored, as a blanket of darkness enveloped my soul, knowing that the Church in which I had placed my faith no longer had power in Her sacraments, as She lay in the eclipse of death. And all that remained to do was to grieve and to pray. And await Her resurrection.
May 15, 2019
April 22, 2019
When the Wood Is Dry - III. Resurrection FREE!
When the Wood Is Dry - III. Resurrection will be FREE on Amazon on April 23rd and 24th 2019.
Part III includes a synopsis for the first two parts, so you can pick up the story and be sufficiently oriented.
But, When the Wood Is Dry - I. Call of the Innocent is also FREE, so you can start at the beginning if you like.
Go get them while they're FREE!
Part III includes a synopsis for the first two parts, so you can pick up the story and be sufficiently oriented.
But, When the Wood Is Dry - I. Call of the Innocent is also FREE, so you can start at the beginning if you like.
Go get them while they're FREE!
April 6, 2019
Hope Out of Darkness, Free EBooks
Ida Smith, author of The Invisible Cipher and Anticipated writes stories of jagged journeys, with twists and turns leading to Hope Out of Darkness. Check out these FREE books, perfect for the Easter season, in the giveaway she is sponsoring.
There's one in there by Joseph Cillo Jr, 11 great FREE books to chose from. Claim yours today!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/k...
If you like a book you read for free, leave a review. Just a couple sentences really helps.
Ida Smith
The Invisible Cipher: A Neill Gatlin Thriller Book 1
Anticipated
There's one in there by Joseph Cillo Jr, 11 great FREE books to chose from. Claim yours today!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/k...
If you like a book you read for free, leave a review. Just a couple sentences really helps.
Ida Smith
The Invisible Cipher: A Neill Gatlin Thriller Book 1
Anticipated
April 3, 2019
Want All 3 Parts of When the Wood Is Dry for FREE?
When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller by Joseph Cillo, Jr. will be published as 3 separate parts. Only the first part, Call of the Innocent, is currently available as an EBook. But, through this special, limited time, FREE promotion, you can get all three parts in a single EBook, totally for FREE! Plus, all the other books are free as, as well!
Check it out!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/2...
Claim yours, today!
No need to enter a contest. There are 11 Books to choose from.
Everybody is a winner! Especially you!
Check it out!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/2...
Claim yours, today!
No need to enter a contest. There are 11 Books to choose from.
Everybody is a winner! Especially you!
April 1, 2019
Totally FREE Rollercoaster Fiction
Just the thing to get you ready for spring! A totally FREE, promotion of what author Grace Jolliffe, the award-winning author of The Sunshine Girl and Piggy Monk Square, calls
Rollercoaster Fiction.
Check it out! There are 30 free books to choose from, so get to it!
Yes, one of my books is in there. Can you guess which one?
You're welcome!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/m...
Check out Grace on Goodreads: Grace M Jolliffe
Yes, one of my books is in there. Can you guess which one?
You're welcome!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/m...
Check out Grace on Goodreads: Grace M Jolliffe
March 22, 2019
Banned by Google!
Is the Cover of When the Wood Is Dry Too Edgy or Too Catholic for Google?
My new novel, When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller will be released in three parts. The first part, I. Call of the Innocent, is currently available for FREE as an EBook from a number of sites including Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc. You may check it out at:
https://books2read.com/u/4EMonM
When I Googled my name, however, my author profile came up and the book cover for When the Wood Is Dry was censored. Ironically, they did not censor my covers for Blind Prophet, even though those covers have demons on them.
You can see a screenshot of my Google profile with the cover blocked at:
http://edgycatholic.com/banned-by-goo...
So, I'm trying to figure out why Google would censor the cover, without concluding it is a religious bigotry thing. There isn't any graphic violence or sex. There is a very stylized wound on a hand, which has highly religious significance, but it is not graphically bloody.
And, I think it goes beyond that. When I googled, When the Wood Is Dry, I got a lot of results on how to dry wood, but my title was nowhere to be found. Are they making it difficult for people to find my book?
I want to believe that our friends at Google are tolerant, enlightened people who do not discriminate based on religion. Am I wrong to be suspicious?
Google has a lot of power to censor content and make it hard to find. I would hate to think they are abusing that power. What do you think?
My new novel, When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller will be released in three parts. The first part, I. Call of the Innocent, is currently available for FREE as an EBook from a number of sites including Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc. You may check it out at:
https://books2read.com/u/4EMonM
When I Googled my name, however, my author profile came up and the book cover for When the Wood Is Dry was censored. Ironically, they did not censor my covers for Blind Prophet, even though those covers have demons on them.
You can see a screenshot of my Google profile with the cover blocked at:
http://edgycatholic.com/banned-by-goo...
So, I'm trying to figure out why Google would censor the cover, without concluding it is a religious bigotry thing. There isn't any graphic violence or sex. There is a very stylized wound on a hand, which has highly religious significance, but it is not graphically bloody.
And, I think it goes beyond that. When I googled, When the Wood Is Dry, I got a lot of results on how to dry wood, but my title was nowhere to be found. Are they making it difficult for people to find my book?
I want to believe that our friends at Google are tolerant, enlightened people who do not discriminate based on religion. Am I wrong to be suspicious?
Google has a lot of power to censor content and make it hard to find. I would hate to think they are abusing that power. What do you think?
March 4, 2019
When the Wood Is Dry: I. Call of the Innocent is FREE, Right Now!
When the Wood Is Dry: I. Call of the Innocent - An Edgy Catholic Thriller is FREE, Right Now! Check it out on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and a bunch of other places at this link:
https://books2read.com/u/4EMonM
Everybody's a winner!When the Wood Is Dry will be published in three parts: I. Call of the Innocent, II. Crucifixion and III. Resurrection. Part I is FREE right now, so get started!
What people are saying about When the Wood Is Dry: An Edgy Catholic Thriller...
"The storyline is like nothing I've ever read before. "
"...a chilling, unpredictable, fascinating story which I couldn't put down."
"...a well thought out, complex story with strong, diverse characters and a unique concept. The story was easy to read and follow. Full of twists and turns, action and heart-wrenching moments."
December 15, 2018
In Defense of Books That Bite
I came across this quote from Franz Kafka:
"Altogether, I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn’t shake us awake like a blow to the skull, why bother reading it in the first place?"
As a writer, I try to write books that at least prod, if not bite and sting, and try to shake people awake, but not necessarily so roughly as a blow to the skull. To turn the question around, I would ask, why bother writing in the first place, if you haven't something important to say?
Alas, most readers prefer not to be bit or stung or smacked in the head. And, think well of themselves when they warn other readers off the dangers of an unwanted disturbance of their slumber with often slanted and distorted one-star reviews.
I don't decry their right to their opinion but I do wish there were more readers like Kafka.
"Altogether, I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn’t shake us awake like a blow to the skull, why bother reading it in the first place?"
As a writer, I try to write books that at least prod, if not bite and sting, and try to shake people awake, but not necessarily so roughly as a blow to the skull. To turn the question around, I would ask, why bother writing in the first place, if you haven't something important to say?
Alas, most readers prefer not to be bit or stung or smacked in the head. And, think well of themselves when they warn other readers off the dangers of an unwanted disturbance of their slumber with often slanted and distorted one-star reviews.
I don't decry their right to their opinion but I do wish there were more readers like Kafka.
Joseph Cillo Jr.'s Most Excellent Blog
A blog to be blogged about, so start the blogging...
I will mostly be blogging about progress on my projects, unless there is something else that is most blogworthy.
I will mostly be blogging about progress on my projects, unless there is something else that is most blogworthy.
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