Mark McLaughlin's Blog: Revenge of the B-Movie Monster - Posts Tagged "cthulhu-mythos"

Excerpt No. 1:

Along the far wall was a four-poster bed with sky-blue silk curtains. Lounging in the middle of the bed on a pile of navy blue pillows was a willowy, dark-haired woman in a white dressing gown edged with pink lace.

She seemed normal enough – from a distance. But as Melina walked closer, she gradually realized there was something very wrong with the woman.

Mrs. Hamogeorgakis had fine bone structure and large blue eyes. But the eyes had an intense, vicious look to them, like those of a wild animal.

The woman’s pale skin had a slight olive cast – and was coated with a shining layer of tiny, iridescent scales.

Her dark hair was full and lustrous – far too lustrous. It glistened with a slick sheen, as though covered with a layer of oil.

Mrs. Hamogeorgakis smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow, needle-thin teeth. “So this is the fancy expert,” she said in a wet rumble of a voice. “The miracle worker. Do you think you will be able to make a goddess of me?”

-- An excerpt from "A Beauty Treatment for Mrs. Hamogeorgakis," one of the 25 Mythos-inspired ‪horror‬ stories in the fiction collection, BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM by Mark McLaughlin.

-------

Excerpt No. 2:

The land of Computronea used to be ruled by a power-mad mega-computer known as the Continuum. To save the day, a noble warrior scientist had overloaded the evil machine with data on goodness, causing it to explode. The explosion released a great amount of the mysterious Zing Energy that powered the Continuum. All this unleashed power created a new race of beings known as Nekronomi Pals, composed of either digital goodness or evil, or sometimes an unpredictable mix of both.

Basically, there were four main types of Nekronomi Pals. The most common by far were the Tulus – loyal, doglike creatures with tentacled faces, bat wings, claws and scales. Brott’s very favorite Pal was one of these, and his name was Peeka-Tulu. Most of the Tulus were friendly and relaxed. Their favorite pastime was taking long naps in dark, damp basement corners. But some could be quite snarly and ill-tempered, and their claws left awful scratches. Tulus contained high levels of Zing Energy.

Daggies resembled monkeys that had been crossed with goldfish. They had pale, lanky limbs, big fishy eyes and blubbery lips. They enjoyed swimming and splashing around in cool streams. Though electro-digital by nature, Nekronomi Pals could move about in water when in solid form – in fact, many enjoyed it. All the Pals had to eat and drink to nourish their solid bodies, just like real animals. Daggies loved water the most. Each Daggy was either all-the-way-good or all-the-way-evil.

Fungos had the appearance of hermit crabs, but instead of shells, they sported over-sized mushroom heads on their backs. Their stretchy eyestalks allowed them an expansive field of vision. They were aggressive fighters, with sharp, fast pincher-claws. Also, each type of Pal had its own special power – and the power of the Fungos was an especially formidable one. The other Pals certainly did not like to fight Fungos.

Shoggies were big, bouncy, rubbery Nekronomi Pals. They looked like juicy globs of gelatin with funny little wiggly bits suspended inside. These wigglies were their internal organs. Each Shoggy had two sturdy hearts and three pulsing brains, and so they were very industrious and intelligent. Their Zing Energy burned with a steady glow....

-- An excerpt from "Super Digital Nekronomi Pals Are Zing!" ... another strange tale from BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM.

-------

BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM ... available as a trade paperback or a Kindle download:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Little-Wit...


Best Little Witch-House in Arkham

Mark McLaughlin

I'm having a Facebook conversation with a friend about Robert W. Chambers (1865 - 1933) and it reminded me of another conversation I had with a business associate about a month ago. He asked, "You've been writing for a long time and haven't had a bestseller yet. Where's the return on investment? Maybe you should try writing stuff that's more commercial."

I responded by telling him about Robert W. Chambers, author of THE KING IN YELLOW. In his time, Chambers wrote loads of non-horror, including some best-selling books -- I believe they were about lads and shop-girls and their romances. Things like that. Mainstream stuff. And he also wrote THE KING IN YELLOW, his weirdest book, which went on to be a major influence on HP Lovecraft and the inspiration for the NECRONOMICON. His mainstream books are pretty much forgotten today, but his weirdest book lives on.

That's the thing about writing ... a person never knows how they'll be remembered in the future. Chambers is not remembered for his best-selling books -- he's remembered for THE KING IN YELLOW. I'm not interested in trying to write bestsellers-on-demand -- I just want to write the best books that I can, my way. The late Karl Edward Wagner, who put stories of mine in his last two volumes of YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES, once told me: Just keep writing the weird stuff you like to write -- eventually the world will catch up with you.

I decided long ago to follow his advice. When it comes to my writing, I'm not overly concerned about money, per se: The money I make through my writing is fine with me. I also make good money in my day job. Long story short: My bills are paid. :-) If I had to write in a more mainstream way to make more money, I wouldn't enjoy writing -- in which case, what would be the point of doing it? And what if I *did* somehow manage to churn out some uninspired, formulaic bestsellers? I'm sure they'd all be forgotten within a few years, just like Chambers' bestsellers are now all forgotten.

There are a lot of people in the world who will tell you: Here's the RIGHT way to write a horror, fantasy or sci-fi story or book -- follow these rules and publishers will snatch you right up! That might work for some people, and it's probably helpful for beginning writers, but I've never had any need for that. Why would I want to follow somebody else's rules for writing stories? If that means I'm not published as much as other people -- so be it. I've been *me* my whole life and I'm not about to change any time soon. :-) There will never be a Mark McLaughlin School of Writing because I don't want to turn Joe B. Writer into me. I want Joe B. Writer to be the greatest Joe B. Writer he can be, with a style all his own.

If I DO ever write a bestseller, I'll be delighted and grateful. But if it turns out that only a limited number of people ever like my work, I'll still be delighted and grateful for the support and appreciation offered by those people. So, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, just as Karl Edward Wagner suggested. What's the return on investment, you ask? I appreciate it when people buy and read my books, and when I get a nice letter or email about my work, or see reviews posted online, that great feedback makes all the effort worthwhile. :-)



Here are my latest story collections from Wildside Press, in case you're interested in checking out my weird works....

HIDEOUS FACES, BEAUTIFUL SKULLS: http://www.amazon.com/Hideous-Faces-Beautiful-Skulls-McLaughlin/dp/1479401889/

GoodReads page: Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls

BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Little-Witch-House-Arkham-McLaughlin/dp/143444208X/

GoodReads page: Best Little Witch-House in Arkham

BEACH BLANKET ZOMBIE: http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Blanket-Zombie-Humanoid-Horrors/dp/1434440990/

GoodReads page: Beach Blanket Zombie: Weird Tales of the Undead and Other Humanoid Horrors

THE RELIC IN THE EGYPTIAN GALLERY & More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr.
FREE on Kindle Unlimited:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KK5B5Q/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071KK5B5Q/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

McLaughlin and Sheehan present tales of weird Lovecraftian horror, populated by ravenous creatures and ancient horrors. In the title story, you'll learn of a grotesque Egyptian revenant, forced by an evil power to destroy all living things in its path. An excerpt from "The Lurker In The Kelp Forest" is presented above. "The Nightmare In Delapore Tower," a sequel to H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale "The Rats In The Walls," tells of a repulsive family secret, hidden in the shadows of the Maintenance floor in a glorious high-rise. "The Power Of Azalareon" takes you down a forbidden stone stairway into a slime-streaked cave, where dwells a nightmare being that can warp reality. Strange passions bloom like blood-red roses in "Another Terrible Old Man." "The Thing From Beyond The Living Door" reveals the identity of the freakish, vampiric entity that obeys the commands of the evil Mrs. Veng and her horrendous tenant, Dr. Brandywine.

Mark McLaughlin is the author of BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM, and Michael Sheehan, Jr. has co-authored THE ABOMINATIONS OF NEPHREN-KA, THE HORROR IN THE WATER TOWER, THE BLASPHEMY IN THE CANOPIC JAR, SHOGGOTH APOCALYPSE, THE CREATURE IN THE WAXWORKS, and THE TESTAMENT OF CTHULHU with McLaughlin.

THREE COLLECTIONS OF LOVECRAFTIAN & EGYPTIAN HORROR by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
All FREE on Kindle Unlimited

THE BLASPHEMY IN THE CANOPIC JAR & More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M08J985/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M08J985/
GoodReads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

THE RELIC IN THE EGYPTIAN GALLERY & More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KK5B5Q/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071KK5B5Q/
GoodReads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

THE ABOMINATIONS OF NEPHREN-KA & Three More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos:
US: www.amazon.com/dp/B015KCOYPE/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015KCOYPE/
GoodReads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Mark McLaughlin is the author of BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM and HIDEOUS FACES, BEAUTIFUL SKULLS, and Michael Sheehan, Jr. has co-authored the above collections, as well as THE HORROR IN THE WATER TOWER and SHOGGOTH APOCALYPSE, with McLaughlin.

______________

THE TESTAMENT OF CTHULHU: Tales Of Weird Fantasy & Horror by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr. FREE on Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBX631N/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

THE TESTAMENT OF CTHULHU features five stories of weird horror in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers. In "Sea-Green Gown With Gold Buttons," a tale of THE KING IN YELLOW, a beautiful drag queen is caught in a web of evil upon falling in love with a citizen of Carcosa. A grotesque deity exacts an unspeakably complete vengeance in "The Foul One Lives To Destroy." In "The Testament Of Cthulhu," an ailing traveler visits a community with a hideous secret ... a secret that might be the answer to his complex medical problems. "The Ambassador From Ulthar" tells of a young man who cannot escape his fate after injuring a denizen of the Dreamlands. While escaping from an abusive relationship, an aspiring writer encounters an unlikely ally in "The Sea-Spider." Mark McLaughlin is the author of BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM and MAGIC CANNOT DIE, and Michael Sheehan, Jr. has co-authored THE ABOMINATIONS OF NEPHREN-KA, THE HORROR IN THE WATER TOWER, THE BLASPHEMY IN THE CANOPIC JAR, SHOGGOTH APOCALYPSE, THE RELIC IN THE EGYPTIAN GALLERY, and THE CREATURE IN THE WAXWORKS with McLaughlin.

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS has been selling briskly since the day it was released in 2021. In Amazon's sales rankings, HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS is currently No. 167 in Horror Anthologies (Books) and No. 202 in Fantasy Anthologies & Short Stories (Kindle Store).


HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
The Lovecraftian story collection HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, which I wrote with Michael Sheehan, Jr., features new Mythos monsters that we created. The book is now available in paperback and hardcover formats, and on Kindle Unlimited.

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLBJ33K

The book includes many of the usual Lovecraftian entities, but we felt that more needed to be added to the mix.

In the book, you’ll find the traditional horrors, Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, the King in Yellow, and a Mi-Go being from Yuggoth, among others. But you’ll also meet the monstrosities we created. Here are many of them:

The creature Azalareon can be found in “The Power of Azalareon.”

Toadface lurks in the story, “Toadface.”

The Sea-Spider dwells in the story, “The Sea-Spider.”

The oceanic being Yagdolak can be found in “The Lurker from the Kelp Forest.”

Setek the colossus resides in “The Colossus in the Catacombs.”

The monstrosity G’hodloth dwells within “The Thing from Beyond the Living Door.”

--------------------

"The Power Of Azalareon" is a story from HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr. I've posted it at http://www.BMovieMonster.com as a sample story from the book. Feel free to visit the website and read the story. Also, look at the index on the right side of the website to see other recent posts you might enjoy. :-)

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS is available as a 248-page paperback on Amazon.com:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791560520/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1791560520/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

THE PRISONER OF CARCOSA & More Tales Of The Bizarre by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/165...
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

THE PRISONER OF CARCOSA presents tales of the bizarre, featuring Lovecraftian horrors, alien nightmares, oceanic monstrosities, an account of The King In Yellow, and much more. Many of these adventures have only been available so far on Kindle. This paperback collection is a companion volume to HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT, and CITY OF LIVING SHADOWS.

In “The Prisoner Of Carcosa,” a traveler falls in love with one of the owners of the Golden Moon Bed & Breakfast. He doesn’t know that the owner’s family guards a copy of the accursed book, The King In Yellow, which brings madness to those who read it. He soon learns that when that evil book is near, a hideous creature known as the Seeker of the Yellow Sign isn’t far behind.

“Horrors Of The Trash Island” presents a Lovecraftian tale of ecological horror. Millionaire Asher Bellworth and his staff take a cruise on his yacht to check out an area in the South Pacific said to be the location of R'lyeh. R'lyeh is a legendary city on a sunken island where the evil entity Cthulhu is said to be trapped in a temple. They see a massive trash island floating over Cthulhu’s realm, and discover that the trash island is inhabited by a bizarre array of deadly mutations, as well as a bizarre human inhabitant.

“Yuletide Mementos: A Tale Of Lovecraftian Horror” is a sequel to Lovecraft’s "At the Mountains of Madness." The tale is set in the family home of Professor William Dyer, leader of an ill-fated Antarctic expedition conducted by Miskatonic University in 1930. When he returned, he brought back two trunks, which he stored in the attic. A young relative is now curious about those trunks, not realizing that they hold an ancient horror, waiting to be unleashed.

In “Diabolical Entities And How To Deal With Them,” Professor Artemis LaGungo provides an overview of the demonic denizens of Hell, and tells how to resist their unholy temptations.

“You Shall Have This Delicacy” tells of the world’s most powerful witch, who gathers her friends for a dinner party with a shocking agenda.

Set in the far future, “Tell Your Secrets To The Slime” follows a band of space explorers to a polluted planet populated by a grotesque life-form that feeds on guilt and sorrow. Will they be able to escape the alien horror that threatens to destroy them?

Mark McLaughlin is the author of EMPRESS OF THE LIVING DEAD, BEST LITTLE WITCH-HOUSE IN ARKHAM and HIDEOUS FACES, BEAUTIFUL SKULLS, among other horror collections. With McLaughlin, Michael Sheehan, Jr. has co-authored the Lovecraftian paperbacks, HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT, and CITY OF LIVING SHADOWS, as well as the Kindle collections, THE ABOMINATIONS OF NEPHREN-KA, THE HORROR IN THE WATER TOWER, THE BLASPHEMY IN THE CANOPIC JAR, SHOGGOTH APOCALYPSE, THE RELIC IN THE EGYPTIAN GALLERY, THE CREATURE IN THE WAXWORKS, THE TESTAMENT OF CTHULHU, STAINLESS STEEL SARCOPHAGUS and more.

Five Books of LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR
A Novel by Mark McLaughlin
and Four Story Collections by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.

INJECTABLES: A NOVEL OF LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR
by Mark McLaughlin
INJECTABLES combines and continues concepts found in the H.P. Lovecraft stories, “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” “At the Mountains of Madness,” and "Herbert West–Reanimator.”
Available as a paperback and FREE on Kindle Unlimited:
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JVMS26R/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JVMS26R/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS: 24 Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos
Enter a midnight world of grotesque creatures and ancient deities from nightmare dimensions. This collection presents 24 stories of Lovecraftian fantasy and horror.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791560520/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1791560520/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT & More Lovecraftian Nightmares
Tales of Lovecraftian fantasy and horror, as well as an epic poem regarding the return of Nyarlathotep to the modern world.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1795518367/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1795518367/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

CITY OF LIVING SHADOWS & More Lovecraftian Tales
Unearthly fantasy and horror tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, crawling with Lovecraftian creatures.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1687570779/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1687570779/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

THE PRISONER OF CARCOSA & More Tales Of The Bizarre
Tales of the bizarre, featuring Lovecraftian horrors, alien nightmares, oceanic monstrosities, an account of The King In Yellow, and much more.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1659240719/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1659240719/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES: 13 Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr. US: $5.00 / UK: £3.74.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Available on Kindle Unlimited.
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LRH6S4T/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09LRH6S4T/

NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES presents 13 tales of Lovecraftian fantasy and horror, written by collaborators/best friends Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr. Many of these are longer stories, some are older stories by Mark McLaughlin, and some are more recent stories that haven’t appeared in previous McLaughlin/Sheehan collections. Previously, most of these stories were only available in anthologies or short Kindle collections. NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES has been compiled for the convenience of readers who enjoy a robust selection of Lovecraftian tales. It will be released first on Kindle and then as a paperback.

Stories in NIGHTMARES & TENTACLES include Shoggoth Apocalypse by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; Stainless Steel Sarcophagus by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; Pyramid of the Shoggoths by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; Horrors of the Trash Island by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; The Idol in the Hedge Maze by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; Just Another Afternoon in Arkham, Brought to You in Living Color by Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.; and more.

McLaughlin and Sheehan are the authors of the Lovecraftian paperback collections, HORRORS & ABOMINATIONS, THE HOUSE OF THE OCELOT, THE PRISONER OF CARCOSA, and CITY OF LIVING SHADOWS. McLaughlin is the author of the Lovecraftian novel, INJECTABLES, as well as the horror novels, HUMAN DOLL and THE HELL NEXT DOOR.