Elizabeth Suggs's Blog, page 11
December 30, 2020
Book Review: The Stand
By Alex Child
The Stand by Stephen King follows a group of survivors as society collapses from a fatally contagious disease, wiping out nearly all of humanity. Masterfully written, the reader watches as infrastructure crumbles, and humanity is left to fill in the absence of power, for better or worse.
Two communities form from the ashes, rallying around opposing figures Randall Flagg, “The Dark Man,” and Mother Abigail, a 108-year-old woman receiving divine visions. It quickly becomes clear that only one can stand.
Faced with the threat of a new power structure built on enslavement and bloodshed, King’s characters are thrust from their dull, regular lives with humanity’s future placed on their shoulders. Filled with equal measures of wondrous triumph and heart-rending defeat, this isn’t your typical battle between good and evil.
No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.
Or you don’t.
Each character carries their own identity and confronts obstacles that feel horrifyingly believable (especially in the time of COVID-19). Stirring yet dark, both hopeful and tragic, the book manages to weave a narrative rare in its ability to accurately depict the contradictions of human behavior.
Every one of the 1,100+ pages is easy to turn. Delightfully macabre and surprisingly human, King proves he is capable of writing memorable work outside of horror. The Stand is essential reading for any who enjoys apocalyptic fiction.
If you want to hear more about The Stand, listen to the What About Stories podcast review by Elizabeth Suggs and Brandon Prows.
Writing has a unique power, and Alex Child is just smart enough to know that he's nowhere near smart enough to accurately describe it. Between working half as hard as he should and twice as hard as required at his day job, he continues pursuing that indescribable emotional swell from relating to a literary character and sharing their experiences. He hopes his story brings you even just a portion of that rush.
December 29, 2020
Book Review: Eyes of Sleeping Children
Eyes of Sleeping Children by D. A. Butcher is nonstop intensity. This story revolves around the Sandman and how he affects a father and husband Louis Lockhart.
The setting and the story are refreshing and kept me guessing. I didn’t expect any of the twists at the end, and each and every one fit perfectly within the universe.
Funny thing, I read this book in one sitting, but that’s what happens when you mix the year 2020 with an awesome book. I was able to fall into this world, forget where I was, and become one with this world.
Butcher has a wonderful grasp of the English language. One secret for having me fall in love with a book, one which I could read over and over again, is one not only with a powerful story and strong writing but also awesome one-liners.
Here are some of my favorites:
“If we all saw the world through the eyes of a child, we would learn to be better people.”
“Everyone’s complexions are pale from lack of sun, the atmosphere sucking all the goodness from us and leaving us to dry up like petrified wood.”
“Cranes become a habit that I don’t think I can bear.”
If you’re going to read anything this year, read this book, then read more of what Butcher has to offer.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 26, 2020
Book Review: Scratches
By Elizabeth Suggs
Scratches by Joshua Marsella is a horror novella about a mother and son who inherit a house after the death of a family member with a violent past.
This story, while horrific with fun horror elements, does touch on what true monsters are out in the world. In a way, it talks about what evil men and women are truly capable in a safe space. We need more stories like this out in the world, detailing the worst of humankind, not to glorify it, but to shed a light on something that should be addressed. This story does that while maintaining the theme of a fun horror story.
Marsella has a unique writing style that kept me on edge the entire time with great pacing. Another great quality of the story is the depth of the characters. And in that depth, we learn of some deep-seated questions. To survive, the mother and son have to put aside their differences, but at the same time, can either mother or son learn to understand each other?
Here’s a fun quote that sent shivers up my spine:
Heavy lascivious breaths released an obnoxious odor from the gaping rot mouth of the figure that stood erect in the darkness to watch the mother sleep.
I read this story in an hour, so if you’re looking for a quick scare, read this story.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 24, 2020
Book Review: 1984
George Orwell's novel 1984 tells of a world divided into three different States, all under sovereign and totalitarian rule: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The novel focuses on one individual in Oceania (this included the United Kingdom) who goes against society's expectations. This man, Winston, believes there is a brotherhood, one that is the answer—the ultimate defender—to this world. In his process of discovery, he meets a woman named Julia and uncovers more of the world than he had ever thought he could, especially about Big Brother.
The term "Big Brother is watching" was all-pervasive in this world, and the slogan: War is peace; freedom is slavery; ignorance is strength. Meaning that the world we know goes against everything that 1984 stands for, and in fact, there was nothing left of our world, and anyone who believes they can escape will also be destroyed.
Pete Linforth from Pixabay"
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It's been a while since I've read a book that left me both frustrated and deep in thought. I wouldn't say I like how it ended, but this is on purpose. The very act of what happens is meant to spark something inside each one of us. This anger is what gives us action. It makes us move, propel forward because, otherwise, all that is left is depression and self-annihilation.
After finishing this book, I couldn't go to sleep, not immediately. Instead, I had to write this. 1984 deserves 5/5 stars, not for the satisfaction of the story, but for the fact, I'm angry. Orwell is a talented writer who gets deep into your bones. He doesn't tell you how to think; rather, he makes you feel the anger. It's this kind of writing I love in a book, and it leaves more of a mark on a person—on me.
Author George Orwell
1984 explores complex topics that may be totally lost on an individual if not "shown." He makes us ask the questions: what IS creativity? Power? Love? WHY should it be important? This book breaks it all down, rips it limb from limb. It exposes everything for what it really is, and as the reader, you must undergo your own self-actualization to survive the read because this story is too close to home. It's too real, despite when it was written. Humans don't change, not really. We are stuck in this roundabout way of thought and slavery. And if we're not careful, those thoughts will be taken away from us. Big Brother will take those away. We will be enslaved by the government's thoughts, actions, and feelings.
Orwell writes to make us uncomfortable. Knowing his background, I'm guessing he wrote 1984, not for the enjoyment, but for the very act that it HAD to be written.
Given our current times, every citizen of every country should read 1984. Since the book's release, our world has changed considerably, but I don't think it has necessarily been for the better. For instance, the UK has CCTV for 24/7 surveillance of its citizens. China has something similar, and they use facial recognition and a point system to determine your worth in society. The US has an entire agency set for spying on its citizens. These are just three of probably hundreds—thousands of examples. We are moving toward the very existence 1984 cautioned us against. We're allowing it with our ignorance.
Read this book not to find satisfaction or the love of reading; instead, read this book for your duty as a human. You may not be pleased with the end, and I hope you're not. Because with that anger, maybe just maybe, we can become better people and make the world a better place. But perhaps, that is too much wishful thinking. Because really, isn't...
Big Brother already watching?
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 22, 2020
Book Review: The Moonlit Road
By Elizabeth Suggs
The Moonlit Road: A Collection of Short Horror Stories by William Stuart is a horror anthology. Each story has a slow build and an impactful climax.
Each story weighs heavy on meaning, and all could be unpacked a thousand-fold with new avenues of thought and ideas, but they need time.
“The Weatherman,” for instance, starts off the anthology with the development of a child’s life into adulthood. The child, named Tony, idolizes Marcus Haney, a weatherman who’s also a character called Mandable Mike. We watch the weatherman’s life unfold on the screen, through the eyes of Tony. We even see the collapse of Haney as a weatherman, after the death of his wife.
When Tony grows up and Haney dies, we learn that Tony has inherited an entire estate from Haney, even though Tony only knew Haney from letter correspondence. The ride that leads through the house is strange and twisted. While I would have preferred starting at Haney’s estate sooner, I appreciate the development of the characters and the relationships. The end is worth the wait.
Another notable story was “Mama.” Oof! This one makes my skin crawl. If you’re wanting something pure horror, this is the story for you. We start out with a couple getting lost in their car, then finding their way to an abandoned house. The premise sounds cliché, I know, but this story’s anything but! I’m still waiting to know what happens next...
Stuart builds his stories slowly, but with purpose. If you’re looking for something that’s more than just horror, something also about the characters and their lives, then this is the book for you.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
Book Reivew: The Moonlit Road: A Collection of Short Horror Stories
By Elizabeth Suggs
The Moonlit Road: A Collection of Short Horror Stories by William Stuart is a horror anthology. Each story has a slow build and an impactful climax.
Each story weighs heavy on meaning, and all could be unpacked a thousand-fold with new avenues of thought and ideas, but they need time.
“The Weatherman,” for instance, starts off the anthology with the development of a child’s life into adulthood. The child, named Tony, idolizes Marcus Haney, a weatherman who’s also a character called Mandable Mike. We watch the weatherman’s life unfold on the screen, through the eyes of Tony. We even see the collapse of Haney as a weatherman, after the death of his wife.
When Tony grows up and Haney dies, we learn that Tony has inherited an entire estate from Haney, even though Tony only knew Haney from letter correspondence. The ride that leads through the house is strange and twisted. While I would have preferred starting at Haney’s estate sooner, I appreciate the development of the characters and the relationships. The end is worth the wait.
Another notable story was “Mama.” Oof! This one makes my skin crawl. If you’re wanting something pure horror, this is the story for you. We start out with a couple getting lost in their car, then finding their way to an abandoned house. The premise sounds cliché, I know, but this story’s anything but! I’m still waiting to know what happens next...
Stuart builds his stories slowly, but with purpose. If you’re looking for something that’s more than just horror, something also about the characters and their lives, then this is the book for you.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 21, 2020
Book Review: Her Infernal Name & Other Stories
By Elizabeth Suggs
Her Infernal Name & Other Stories is a collection of short horror fiction from the mind of author Robert Ottone.
Each story takes us through a different sort of nightmare. From one about an Instagram-famous model in “Her Infernal Name” to a video game made into reality in “Playing God,” each story plays on the anxieties of our modern society. While this collection is a little predictable or cliché at times, the stories are fun, and I definitely found some favorites. There’s a ton of notable stories, but I’ll focus on four to keep things simple: “Apple Valley,” “Gnats in the Teacher’s Lounge,” “Playing God,” and “Green World.” Also, can we take a moment to take in that cover? It’s one of my favorites!
“Apple Valley” is a twisted story about a doctor who does tests on various creatures, some of these creatures are fish with human body parts. This is disturbing and weird, and I love this for that very reason.
“Gnats in the Teacher’s Lounge” is disgusting. Oh, boy! I despise gnats so much, and this feeds off that hatred and fear. Very good story, but don’t plan to eat while you read this!
“Playing God” reminds me of my childhood, which is probably why I like this story so much. As a child, I played a computer game called The Sims a LOT. It’s a simulation of the human world, where the gamer controls various characters, gives them tasks, and falls in love. “Playing God” has a lot of similarities, at least at the very beginning.
“Green Gospel” is what I wish the world would do—it fixes itself, changing the minds of humans to make the world a better place.
If you’re looking for some short, disturbing stories, then this collection is for you!
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 20, 2020
Book Review: The Shadows of Hades
By Elizabeth Suggs
The Shadow of Hades by Paul Williams is a fantasy novel set in a world where practicing magic is possible for those who dare, but it is considered dangerous or evil by many.
The most notable characters are Pam, a drunk singer witch; Blake, someone who can walk between worlds; Alle, a rich witch who loses everything, and twin boys, Carlos and Daniel. Each character is different, with different personalities and different wants and needs. The characters stay true to their personality, which I think is a big win for Williams. And similar to the world, Williams paints a deep picture of each of these people. I feel as though I know people who are like these characters, which makes me fall in love with them even more.
This is a refreshing take on witches and warlocks: those who practice witchcraft change their bodies as their human bodies can’t handle the magic. For example one character grows wings and another fangs. In many other fantasy stories like Harry Potter, a witch or warlock can do as much magic as possible with next to no consequences. I like that there’s a negative impact because it adds flavor and the perfect type of tension.
Another thing I enjoyed was the description of the Faes and how they came to be in this world. The way it was written, like everything Williams writes, was powerful and imaginative. I definitely fell into this world, and it was hard to come back to reality!
My only critique was the ending for some of the characters. I feel like there was a lot of potential, but it went a different way than I had hoped.
If you’re looking for something with mature and professional writing and awesome pacing set in a contemporary fantasy universe, then this is your story.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 19, 2020
Book Review: We Bleed Red and Green
By Elizabeth Suggs
We Bleed Red and Green – 12 Chilling Tales for Christmas by Jeff C. Carter, a follow up to his previous horror collection, We Bleed Orange & Black—31 Fun-Sized Tales of Halloween, is a stocking stuffed with holiday horror.
Each story touches on the holiday spirit, from “Candy Cane” about some bullies on the “naughty list” to “Blessed Silence,” about one character who finds complete silence during the holiday break.
One of my favorite stories is “Blacker than Coal,” where we focus on Santa Claus. He is watching Fox News and complaining about how everyone doesn’t fear Christmas because they can get whatever they want from Amazon.
This quote sums up the tone of the story:
Back in my day, children knew that they better be good, for goodness sake. When Santa Claus came to town, he didn’t come alone. My companion Belsnickle would beat naughty children with a switch. Le Père Fouettard would cut a liar’s tongue out, and Frau Perchta would slit their bellies open and stuff them with straw. Don’t even get me started with Hans Trapp!
Another favorite of mine is a very short story “P. S. Decoder Ring Not Included.” This is a fun short story that will get you bringing out your own pencil and paper!
Perhaps, Christmas used to be scarier than Halloween. It's a shame more people don't think it's scary anymore! Hopefully, this collection will change that.
Carter is a great writer with an eye for detail. He’s funny and scary and I always love reading his stories. Plus, the collection is only fifty pages long! I read it in one sitting.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com
December 18, 2020
Overcoming Writer's Block
Photo by Ivan Samkov from Pexels
By Chris Jorgensen
This is by no means an “insert method of fixing everything” sort of article. I am not an expert in, well, anything. But that does not mean that we can’t write up an opinion piece to give some people a new frame of perspective, right? So, with that in mind, let’s talk about overcoming writer’s block.
1. Read
I know. It sounds simple, but hear me out. Read. And don’t just read one thing, read everything. Your favorite book, the book you have read seventeen times in the last two years, the new book at the store that caught your eye because the cover was your favorite color, that book by some famous great American author that you were forced to read in high school but never did and only used spark notes to write your book report. Read it now.
Look, it might seem like the easiest answer in the world, and it is, but I promise you nothing will get your creative drive back faster than sitting down and seeing words on a page. There is something wonderful about it, and really, nothing gets you in the mood more than seeing what other thoughts are and how you can do something similar. From experience, reading is the thing that will drive you to write and create more than ever.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
2. Admire Other Art Forms.
Ever been to a museum? No? Go fix that. Haven’t been to a live concert? Fix that too. The arts are not just a singular form in the books you just read to get to this step. You have to expand your creative horizons. Go find new music to listen to at a record store (those totally still exist, right?). And if not, you have the internet at your fingertips. Youtube new music, go listen to something you never thought you would listen to. Try listening to an instrument you never knew existed before. Listen to the music of a foreign place you’ve always wanted to visit or never heard of. The world is full of dynamic and varied sounds. Explore that.
And go to a museum. Learn some history, or go to an art gallery and just look at things. The best part of being a writer is observing the way things around you work. The world is full of creative expression, and it is your job as a writer of things to explore everything you can and tell us about it. Or look up illustrations about literature. Find the illustrations of old stories and the myths that grew out of them. Art is the visualization of the words you write, and you should familiarize yourself with how other people are expressing themselves.
3. People Watch
But don’t do it in that creepy dude in the large coat at a park type of people watch. Just go where people go, see what they do, how they act, the things they say when no one else is listening. What do people do with their hands when they are shopping? How do they stand, how do they greet the person at the register of a store? These are all the things you never think about as they happen. The tiny idiosyncrasies that everyone has but no one acknowledges.
Also, go outside, go see people in the real world too. These are all the things you won’t get from the internet or movies. You need to go out there and discover it as it happens. I’m also going to put meeting new people in this category as well. Meeting someone new will give you a ton of insight into character design. All those tiny details we just talked about, yeah, observe and see what people do. Your characters will thank you for making them more genuine than the usual cookie-cutter character you thought was so unique that it turns out they have zero individuality about them. So go see how people act outside of your own head. They might just surprise you.
4. Reflect on Your Old Works
Here we get to the hard one. This is the one that gets everyone the worst. You have to go back and see your old works and find the things you could do better. All that stuff you just learned up there? Use it to examine your writing. Look at your characters. What is wrong with them? Why don’t they feel real? Read over your descriptions. What do they lack in the environment? Why does everything around your characters feel so flat?
All of these things can be found around you if you take the time to look. But the problem is, and I know this cause I wrote this after a series of blocks, we live in our own heads. When we write, we are so obsessed with looking inward to our ideas and story that we often forget that it’s the real world that inspires us in the first place. Don’t forget that it’s out there, and it is your greatest resource. Utilize that resource and make it yours.
So there we have it, a few things to help you get on when you find yourself staring at a blank screen for too long. Like I said before, none of this is expertise on my end, just things I have noticed and observed in the times where I need to find a new muse to write for. Now go live a bit and see how well it reflects in your works,
Chris Jorgensen is a writer of the Editing Mee team. Chris is often described as an amalgamation of too many things for his own good. Writer, musician, academic, book collector, scavenger, and one of the authors of our Collective Darkness Anthology.
