Eric Butler's Blog, page 39

The Shadow Within is being highlighted

On the front page and at the top of the Independent Book Review's site, you can see The Shadow Within. It's pretty cool to find my book in a place I didn't put it. I've been adding my information and the book to just about every place I can to get the word out, but the Independent Book Review asked if they could showcase it after having one of their reviewers read it and give me feedback. It was a thrill to read that request; to see someone who wasn't family or a friend have a positive reaction to the book. So much so they wanted to post it on their site and tell all their readers about it. I'm going to hit some highlights here but I encourage you to go check them out to read the full review. Maybe you'll find some more Independent writers to check out. We need all the help we can get. "With The Shadow Within, author Eric Butler turns a long-awaited trip home into a lustful, gruesome, and horrific summer. Be ready for it. This novel might just make you double lock your doors tonight." - The Independent Book Review "Before I get too far, I have to mention how great of a job Butler does with these characters. They all have enough recognizable backstory and discernible traits to help the reader understand why this trip is important and why giving up on it could mean catastrophe." - The Independent Book Review "Both terrifying and steamy, The Shadow Within is a horror you’ll read in a fever—and a romance you’ll read with a pumping heart." - The Independent Book Review Click here for the full review.

Alabaster Snowball's fury

I found a site that wanted weird holiday or Christmas flash fiction. It needed to be 350 words and after I wrote the piece, I found a clause saying they were hoping for less Santa stories. Since my story focused more on one of his elves, I thought it would have a chance but that combined with some harsh language and I have another quick story I can share with you. I've edited the language a bit because after some contemplation I think it's funnier with the replacement... "That big fat meanie," Alabaster Snowball growled as he read the computer readout for the third time. The proof was right in front of him, had been for a while but Alabaster refused to see. Sugarplum Mary tried to help him discover the truth, but he had ignored her. Balling his fists, Alabaster stalked to his room. The halls were empty. The elves were all in the workroom busy with the final run. Every year there was a last-minute push to reward the kids who swung out of the naughty list. Alabaster opened his door and froze. He knows. Sugarplum Mary's naked body lay on his bed, a nasty gash ran across her neck. The walls were painted in her pink blood, and the room stank of bubblegum. Before he could stop himself, his stomach heaved up his lunch of gingerbread and hot chocolate. This must end. Stepping to his closet, he reached to the far back. His fingers wrapped around the handle of his candy cane. It had been an eon since he last fought, but a quick inspection showed the peppermint blade was still sharp. Alabaster kissed Mary on the forehead before hustling out to find her killer. His grip tightened on the cloth wrapped handle as he burst into the sleigh room. This late in the season, it was the only place Santa would be. "You'll pay for Mary and the children," Alabaster snarled, springing towards Santa. For such a large man, Santa nimbly moved aside, grabbing his club in the process. A toothy grin split his cheeks, and he laughed his trademark laugh. "Alabaster, whatever is the problem?" Their weapons clacked together with a spray of candy shards. Santa answered each attack with a block before driving his club down on Alabaster's head. He stood over Alabaster, raising his club. "Silly little elf. I'm freaking Santa Claus. I do what I want." "Language," Alabaster said faintly, driving his blade up into Santa's exposed belly. Santa blinked in disbelief as his insides poured out. Alabaster faded knowing the abuse of the naughty list was over.

The winner has been selected

And I have contacted them by email. Congratulations to ganbare-sarami@hotmail.com for winning a signed copy of the book and a copy of Crystal Lake Memories. I need to get your mailing information so I can send you the stuff. Go ahead and email me the information at the email I used to let you know you won. If I don't have a response by Sunday at midnight, I'll move to the runner up. Thanks to everyone for participating and I hope to have some more contests soon.

The Shadow Within is available

Dec 13th, 2019, The Shadow Within is set loose on an unsuspecting world of readers. Hopefully, they enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it. But it wasn't always that way. This book is a labor of love, a mashup of ideas, and a collection of realizations and there were times when it simply wasn't going to be. I have always been a writer and a reader. As I grew older I moved more to the reader side but I never lost my love for storytelling. I would write stories for my wife, or jot down ideas so when I had the time to write I could explore them. But I never seemed to have time, what with family and work obligations there wasn't a lot of downtime. So I would have small runs of creative energy and produce 2000 words here or 1200 words there, share with a select few and put it away for another burst to hit. One of these bursts hit around 10 years ago, and in a creative fury quickly got 20000 words produced but slammed into a wall. I was stuck and didn't know where to push the story. The burst subsided and I put it away. But in those words, you will find the main players in The Shadow Within. They look a little different, and a couple have different names but they are there. More importantly, they are good solid characters, with substance and I thought about them often. Years passed and during that time, my wife spoke often of her desire to see me write a book. She encouraged me without pressure, and feed my underinflated ego engine with positivity. But to no avail...until one night I thought, "I'm going to write a book and give it to her on Christmas." It would be something she's asked for but wouldn't expect and it would be a real surprise...something hard to do after 15+ years of marriage. The problem was I made this decision in October, so less than two months to produce a book. I did some research and I was looking at 50000 words at the low end to 90000 at the very longest. It was then that I discovered that no one in the industry does anything by page count; they only care about the word volume. How was I going to get that many words done in my new time frame? I pulled out Panic, the original title of The Shadow Within, and immediately realized what I needed to do to get out of the plot trap I originally got stuck in. It was so easy, I thought as I began to correct what was there and then spring forward with my new story ideas. And every night after my wife went to bed I went to my computer and typed. Even on days when I wanted to work on it while she was awake, I waited so it would be a total surprise. And on those days I didn't want to write, when I was exhausted from working a 14 hour day in a job that required a lot of manual and mental energy, I wrote. And the book moved from 18000 words to 15000 to 30000 to 60000 and then finally to around 70000 words. However, Christmas was almost here, the in-laws had arrived, and I didn't have an ending. I had less time than ever to write and keep it a secret. And so with time running out, I hammered out an ending. Got the book printed on regular 8.5x11 paper and into a binder...On Dec 24th. Just in the nick of time! I wrapped it and slipped it under the tree and it went over even better than I thought. It was the perfect surprise. And so I was like, "I wrote a book"... but not really. I wrote a draft. A rather bad one if I'm being honest. And most, if not all writers, will tell you the first draft of their first novel is terrible. And Panic was just that...terrible. Now I've discovered that there are people in the world who don't care to fix their mistakes and just puts them out there for everyone to read. The market is flooded with poorly written, and worst yet poorly edited books. It's not that hard to do really. Luckily I let some people read the book, and I knew it needed editing so I request help from those that enjoy doing that (I am not one of those people) and the book stayed in a binder for my wife. I started going to classes after hours at TCU and taking classes online to improve my writing, and to figure out how to get my book into people's hands the right way. And I started editing. I mean real editing; the heart wrenching, gut-twisting actions needed to tighten up the story and fix the obvious and not so obvious flaws. Now all this wasn't an overnight process, not even a 2 month one. I was still working of course, and the hours were getting longer and I was always tired. It took almost 2.5 years of hard work, soul searching, and determination to produce something that I could be proud my name was on. In the front, I have 3 dedications. I wish I could just list all the people who have helped me through the years and with this book but I decided I will just have to produce more books until I can thank them all. But like I said there are 3. The first to my mother, Dorothy, who has always been my biggest fan. She is the reason I love books. The second is to my wife, Dawn, the best thing that happened to me and the only person who would put up with my nonsense this long. The third is to my friend's wife, Lisa. She is the reason I figured out the book wasn't ready. She was the reason I worked so hard to fix the issues before printing the book. We've never actually met and unfortunately, we won't be able to as she passed earlier this year. She was a Facebook friend who I enjoyed interacting; she liked horror, I just wrote a horror novel so I sent her a copy. She started it and then nothing. And it was within that silence, I realized the book was not up to snuff. Thank God for that. I hope you get and enjoy the book. If it was rated it would be a hard R ( if I could get it rated at all) so you've been warned. You can get it on kindle and as a paperback. And if you read it and want to take the time to let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you on here or on the review page on Amazon or Goodreads.com

Hammer time...

Kids today don't know how good they have it. Not only do they have a million channels, if they have cable/satellite at all, but they can stream on several services. When I was a kid, even with cable it was quite a feet to find exactly what you wanted to watch when you wanted to watch it. Oh you could get a ride, or even walk the 30 minutes to the local video rental store (I began pre-Blockbuster) and check the shelves hoping the movie you wanted was still there or had been returned recently...if they even carried it. The younger reader may ask something like, why don't you go to Wal-Mart and buy it or just look it up on cable and hit record on the DVR. And I can only say, "You fool, you didn't buy movies back then." Who wanted to pay $100 for a VCR tape when you could rent it for a buck? Then I pull out my phone and show them the nightmare that is setting a VCR to record. And point out you still had to search the weekly TV guide, if you were lucky enough to have parents to subscribe, or go through the newspaper which didn't always include all the channels, to find the one movie or show you wanted to watch or tape. If you've ever watched a youth look something up, you understand they would never find anything as they gave up once they realized there was no search function with either choice. Now I mention all this terrible torture children of the 80s had to endure to tell you there is a wonderful documentary on the studio that helped introduce and foster my love of the horror genre - Hammer Studios. Now if you wanted to watch horror movies in the 80s and they weren't at the theater at the time, many turned to USA, TBS, or TNT. Back in the day those stations didn't play original material. They didn't have shows or movies produced for them exclusively and they didn't run 24 hour marathons of your favorite CBS or NBC dramas. No, TNT focused more on amazing animated collections and basketball, they did play the occasional movie marathons. Sometimes they would be mysteries, romances, and on good days horror. TBS and USA was better because they told you what days to look. Friday nights and all day Saturday. And it was glorious...but edited. Back then unless you paid for specific channels, hello HBO or Showtime, your cable was edited. Scenes were cut and curse words were replaced with everyday words that made no sense in the context they now appeared in. It was here that you could sit down and absorb hours and hours of uninterrupted horror movie masterpieces. Or terrible movies to be honest but beggars couldn't be choosers back then. Our choices were what was on TV, Atari, or God-forbid going outside and playing. And it was here that I got a steady diet of classic horror monster; Frankenstein's monster, Wolfmen, Dracula, Phantoms, Fish people, Mummies, and so on. But I wasn't getting Universals' versions but the ones redone in color in the late 50s to the 70s. The ones Hammer Studios redid with Universals blessing. Movies where Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed, and a revolving door of beautiful leading ladies brought these stories to life. Stories that generated multiple sequels of each monster, enhancing and broadening their stories along the way. And while these movies don't hold a candle to the amount of gore that can be seen in horror movies today, since these were some of the first to be in color these are the ones that are considered the grandfather to the modern era slasher films. Even compared to what they did in the early 80s, these movies have some truly gruesome special effects and large amounts of blood...although not all of it made it to the small screen. And in celebration of the studio that brought you these movies, there is a wonderful documentary that can be streamed on Amazon Prime: Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror. It is filled with not only the recognizable faces of Hammer, Cushing and Lee, but with many of the behind the scenes people and other actors and actresses. If you are a fan of cinema from the 50s-70s or horror movies in general this documentary is full of wonderful tidbits. And after you watch the movie, you can simply search for the titles that jump out or you might have missed. Many are on Prime for free or you can jump around to a few other streaming services and find them there for free. You can even search on your cable provider to find some and it will record it for you no issue. Even if they aren't free, most can be rented immediately for a couple of bucks and you don't have to do anything but click a button. Just think of all the time we could have saved in the 80s by just clicking a button. But then I think of the fun time I had searching to see these gems and I wonder if maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we had it a little better because it wasn't so easy to get a hold of whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it and we got to enjoy the hunt as much as the actual movie once we got our grubby little hands on it. I can hear the "OK Boomer", as I finish typing this last line out...

4 more days

Just a reminder that the book will be available on Friday, December 13th. The kindle version is available for pre-order here and you can order the paperback on the 13th. If you signed up on the blog to follow my posts you are entered in the contest for a signed copy and a copy of Crystal Lake Memories. You can also get an entry by signing up with the contest link here. I'll draw the winner on the 12th at 11:59 p.m. and announce the winner in a post on the 13th.

8 Days

I know you are all chomping at the bit for new material but I thought I'd remind you that my new book, The Shadow Within is coming out on December 13th. You can pre-order it on Amazon if you want the kindle version, click here. Or the Paperback will be available to order on December 13th. Hopefully the Independent Book Review will have their review up soon, but I can share a little here... "...this novel accomplishes what it sets out to do. Both terrifying and steamy, The Shadow Within is a horror you’ll read in a fever—and a romance you’ll read with a pumping heart."

A classic whodunit

One of my favorite directors had a movie come out this week and Rian Johnson's Knives Out doesn't disappoint. A classic throwback to the fun murder mysteries from the 70s and 80s, where a large cast of famous and impressive actors are thrown together doing their best to befuddle the investigator and the audience. Most importantly, it's refreshing to see an original movie not only made but marketed for the big screen. In this day and age, it feels like movies either have to be a part of a cinematic universe or a remake of a classic (or even a not so classic). Yes, I'm looking at you, Kenneth Branagh. So while this movie is the unique creature, a one-time feature, I'd be thrilled to see another movie with the Private Investigator Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. Although I have a feeling that unless Rian Johnson wants to revisit the character, it isn't going to happen. Taking a quick peek into Johnson's IMDB timeline, he will be rather busy with future Star Wars projects. From beginning to end this movie is a fun ride, filled with interesting characters, and a well-written mystery with all the necessary twists and turns. A little more about Rian Johnson. I'm sure the big Star Wars fan recognize him as the writer and director of Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi; and while that movie is a fine addition to the Star Wars family, it is not his strongest entry. We get a little warmer with Looper. A time traveling mob movie filled with twists and turns and starring three of my favorites; Bruce WIllis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt. The reason I give everything Rian Johnson does a chance is this movie, Brick. An amazing detective story turned on its head. Johnson takes the classic 40s-50s gumshoe film noir and places it in a high school environment. But this isn't High School Musical 4: Who the Hell Killed My Ex-Girlfriend. It's a smart, well put together murder mystery with all the classic feel of a Robert Mitchum or Humphrey Bogart production. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as the central character, putting the pieces together as he searches for the truth. This is one of my favorite movies and the reason I always will give Rian Johnson the benefit of the doubt...although I've never been disappointed by anything he's worked on. Hopefully, you haven't canceled Netflix after getting Disney+ because you can stream Brick there...

A new page

I've included a new page where you can find just the stories I have shared and will share on the site. This way if you are interested in rereading something or just want to read the story without any of the other information, you can go to the Stories Page. Click on the picture and it will let you open a PDF of that specific story. I hope to have a weekly serial up and running in January, and the Stories Page is where you will find it.

What's next?

I find myself stuck in a time trap. I finished the book, fell down the self-publishing rabbit hole, got stuck like Winnie the Pooh in the how-to advertise window, and am now waiting for the release date to finally get here. While all this was and still is going on I have to wonder "What's next?" I wonder this in the same way my wife asks a question she already knows the answer to...an answer I better get to quickly. I need to write, and while I have 12000 words completed on the next novel, I'm not feeling it. Of course, I'm not sure if by not feeling it, I mean I'm having an issue with the storyline, still overwhelmed with all the non-writing issues I'm dealing with, or I'm just so excited to write and I have so many ideas I am becoming storytelling cluttered. Unfortunately, Marie Kondo can't just slip in and straighten up my mind...she'd most likely run away screaming if she did. So I guess I need to do it, and housecleaning is not one of my strong suits. I'm planning to produce 5 books, novels and novellas, and then reassess. Book 1 is in the bag, so now I tell myself, get your butt in motion. I hope to have something tangible to share soon. But for now, I want to share a short story to introduce a character I'm thinking about writing a series of books about. I'm still struggling with the overall theme of this one, as it seems to be leaning more towards dark fantasy than horror but I still plan on filling it with monsters and horrible things... Nadya Unger poked a thick branch into the roaring fire. She sat in a circle of trees, her back to the widest trunk. Her gear sat within reach, and she stared at the dancing flames. She was the last of her kind, although honestly she knew them only in stories. Nadya often wondered if the stories were real or just exaggerations to make her try harder. As the heat from the fire washed over her in waves, Nadya, a smile forming on her lips, almost allowed herself to relax when a branch snapped to her left. She sighed and gripped the hilt of her dagger. She had hoped for a quiet night, maybe staying an extra day. Not now. The thought of traveling again so soon upset her. "Ah," a deep voice called out, "I was wondering if you and your party would be open to sharing such an inviting fire?" Nadya slipped into a crouch. It wouldn't do to have someone rush in if she wasn't ready. The cold handle warming either by the fire or her tight grip. She didn't know or care. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A man burst from the right of her, barreling toward her at a breathtaking speed. He held a short stubby sword high as he charged forward. Another man appeared from the other side of the fire. He was tall and thin, his weapon of choice, an ax on a rather long handle. Nadya wondered if the weapon had any practical application. She shook her head after studying the weapon a moment. Not in his hands. Nadya shifted her weight to the right a fraction, twisting at the waist and flipping her wrist. The dagger flew through the air with a hum, striking the man in the throat. Dropping his sword, the man reached for his throat pulling the blade out with a gurgle. Blood sprayed outward and Nadya swore as she darted back. The tall man was to the fire and stepping over it to take her by surprise. She studied him for a moment, counting the many ways to disarm him or kill him. She really did not want to feed another mouth, so she slipped closer to him, and the fire. Her boot caught the end of a burning branch and with her toes; Nadya flipped it at the tall man. It spun end over end before striking him in the forehead. As the flames burned his flesh, the tall man began to screech. "Fool, you'll attract the whole forest," Nadya hissed as she stepped around the fire and jabbed her knuckles into his throat. His cries cut short as he now struggled for breath. "Much better," she said nodding to herself. Her leg kicked out, driving her heel into the man's left knee. She smiled at the satisfying crunch. The man fell forward into the fire, his clothing quickly began to smolder. His muffled cries became sobs as the flames consumed his flesh. "What in bloody hell have you done," the owner of the original voice said as he stepped into the circle. He made sure to keep his distance and without realizing what he was doing, got between Nadya and the rest of her supplies. She eyed her sword, still sheathed lying against her pack. "I've defended myself," Nadya said matter-of-factually. Her lips pulled back, showing teeth. "Are you smiling or growling at me, girl?" Nadya stayed quiet but started to slide to her left, forcing the man to mirror her movement. She did it slowly, keeping his attention on her and not the subtle movement. "Why smiling of course," she said with a voice suddenly sweet. "Now that those two are out of the way there will be more time for us to get better acquainted." The man's eyes widened at her statement. Nadya knew the effect she had on men. This one would be no different. She straightened to her full height, a few inches less than six feet and shook her head; her long dark hair falling loose past her shoulders. Having taken off her armor before starting the fire, Nadya wore only a loose white tunic, tight black breeches, and her cloak. Her black boots laced up to her knees and ended with a solid point that protected them from direct attacks. She paused for a moment, her head cocked slightly and her hands out in front of her. The man licked his lips and smiled. She could see the bulge forming in the front of his trousers, and she hoped she hadn't miscalculated. With her sword or an ax, the man would be no issue, but he was easily double her weight. If he was able to lay hands on her she might truly discover what was on his mind at that moment. "However, I'll make you a deal," Nadya said as she hopped quickly to the other side of the fire. "You leave now and I promise no harm will come to you." The man let loose a roar of laughter before pulling lose his belt and letting his trousers fall. "Or you can get over here and fill your whore mouth or I promise I will hurt you...very badly." He no longer smiled his face tight with lust. Nadya frowned. It would do no good to let a man like this free in the woods. If he could not feed his craving with her flesh, he would find another. Unacceptable. She reached back and flipped up her hood. The man's erection wilted and he gasped. "Oh no," he stammered, each word coming out quicker as he scrambled to pull up and secure his trousers. "Please, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'll leave." Nadya's smile widened as she stepped closer, her red hood shimmering in the fire light, "I find you guilty and I sentence you to death." Her voice was soft, calm. The man turned, scrambling to escape. Roaring, a dark blur sprang from the night striking him to the ground. His screams filled the air as his flesh tore open and his bones splintered and cracked. "Damn it, Kane," she snapped as she slipped back her hood and grabbed the exposed boot of the tall man. She dragged him from the clearing before returning for the first attacker. She glared at the large wolf licking his chops as blood stained his fur darker. "Do not think for a moment you can leave that there." The wolf glanced at the mess before him and back to Nadya. He threw his head back and howled. His normally mournful cry sounded happy and playful. Nadya shook her head, pointing towards the dark. The wolf stood and shook but eventually grabbed his kill by the shoulder and dragged the body away from the fire. Nadya returned to her spot and leaned back against the trunk. She cleaned her dagger before slipping it back into its sheath. Kane returned and pranced around the fire before pulling up next to her. She reached out and rubbed the top of his head. "You know I had him," she said returning her blank stare at the fire. "But thanks." The wolf showed his teeth, still stained with the man's blood and Nadya laughed. Kane curled up next to her and rested his head on her thigh. Her fingers scratched through his rough fur, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. Nadya resumed staring at the fire. "Better watch out for the girl in the red hood and her big bad wolf," she whispered as Kane's soft snores came almost instantly. "