Miguel Gonçalves's Blog, page 2

Spilled Ink #24

Hey everyone! This will probably be the shortest newsletter you’ll ever receive from me. So short that I won’t even break it into sections and I even thought about numbering it differently.

So let’s get this going this is mainly to let you all know, if you haven’t seen it on Instagram, I will be doing a Live book reveal tomorrow, August 16th, and I would like to invite you all to attend.

It will be at 9:30 pm (GMT) / 5:30 pm (EST), and it would be awesome if I could interact with all of you.

This is it for now and I promise you a full newsletter soon.

I hope to see you tomorrow.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #23

INTRO

Hi everyone! I know, I know… I’ve been MIA for quite some time and wish I had a good reason but it’s more of the same.

I’ve been trying to center and get my mind in the right place. You probably don’t know this, or maybe some of you do, but the thing is, it is really easy for me to go down into the dumps doesn’t matter how excited I might have been the day before. Sometimes it’s just a matter of hours or not even that. It can happen for a variety of reasons too, but I won’t go into that here.

When that happens my first impulse is to give up on everything. I’ve been close to doing it too. But then comes that moment, when amidst the will to give up an idea arises, or you decide to do a new project, and I know writing is what I want to do and I could never give it up.

And so I march onwards, which brings us to the next part!

WRITING UPDATES

I can finally announce that there will be a new release soon!

I’m just finishing polishing some corners and taking care of last-minute details I missed but I think I can say that the beginning of September sounds like a good “date” for the release.

It’s a short story mini-book, kind of like what I did with The Scarecrow Man, only this one is a longer story and will be published in a bigger format than the previous one.

Here is a sneak peek at the cover. It will be fully revealed in a couple of weeks but, as readers of my newsletter, you’ll get the title reveal first hand, and you won’t have to wait for it!
The new book is called School’s Night Out and its story has a long history of gathering submission call rejection letters but it’s a story I really like, the reason I decided to publish it, and that I hope you will like too. The only thing I regret to tell you is that, unlike the previous one, this book doesn’t have any pictures…

In other writing news, I’m also working on a project that will be sort of a spiritual successor of what I’ve been doing here and with Nightmare Ink Presents, the wheels are in motion and I will have news to share with you soon. For now, I can only say that it might be the most ambitious thing I have tried.

FAIRGROUND

I had to create this section because I wanted to talk a bit about one thing and I didn’t know where to place it. So, welcome to the fairground, where I will talk about markets and fairs I attended or will attend.

The last event I attended was the second edition of Mercado do Contra and as always it was an amazing experience. I met, and reconnected with, some very nice people and I got some cool scarecrow art that I will share with you the next time we speak because, of course, I didn’t scan them…

Unfortunately, all this didn’t reflect so much when it came to sales but the networking ended up making up for everything else.

This marked the first time I had the wooden Nightmare Ink logo on the table and also the first time I had the Devils Rejects anthology on sale. Also, another thing that came out of this event was the “informal” reunion with the artist who did the cover for the new book. But more on that next time!

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

There are lots of things happening in the next few months that I’m really hyped to see how they will turn out.

I don’t want to jinx anything so I won’t name them, but they involved projects, conventions, and book fairs just to give you all a peek behind the curtain. And as soon as I’ve know more you’ll be the first ones to know.

LAST WORDS

Hope you like the announcements and that you had a nice time reading this, rather, shorter newsletter and I can’t wait to hear from you!

Hopefully when we next talk I will have more to show you.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #22

INTRO

Yes, I’m still here…

I know I’ve been away for a while and broke my streak with this newsletter and its sister publication, Nightmare Ink Presents, and the story I’ve been publishing there, but I needed to center myself and see where I wanted to go from here.

The truth is, I’ve been a bit disheartened with how things have been going and with the evolution of my projects. I’ve been dispirited by how things seem not to move forward and everything seems to be stuck in a kind of limbo.

But this doesn’t mean I’ll stop working and that there aren’t plans, new and old, on the horizon. I’ll get to them in a bit.

One thing I can tell you now is that next Saturday I’ll be at the second edition of Mercado do Contra. I really enjoyed the experience of the first one, even if it didn’t go that well when it came to sales, and I’m expecting the great ambiance to repeat itself. Even if, once again, I don’t think it will reflect on sales, the contacts I’ll make, and the projection of my book and Nightmare Ink as a brand will be worth it.
Unfortunately this edition I won’t have anything new to offer as I did on the first edition of the market but all will be well as to the first twenty visitors, I’ll have the Nightmare Ink Sampler to offer.

Also, look at the cool poster that Daniel da Silva Lopes made for the market:

And now for the news.

WRITING UPDATES

I haven’t been writing per se but I’ve been preparing some stuff which I think you will enjoy.

One is still in a very early stage of production/creation with most of it only existing in my head. What I can tell you is that it's something I’m hyped and it’s probably the thing that’s still giving me some hope for the future of my writing.

The other has to do with what I will refer to here as Project: School although it has a real title.
It’s a story that I really like and that has an ending different from all the other stuff I wrote. It’s also a story that I sent to, at least, three submission calls and that has always been sent back. So, what do you do with a story that seems to be rejected by everyone? You publish it yourself, after all, what’s Nightmare Ink for? I’m already working to get someone to do some cover artwork and I’ll try to edit it myself.
What I’ll also do is try to get some beta readers to get some feedback about it, so if you are interested in reading what will probably be my next published short story contact me and I’ll send you an Advanced Reader Copy.

My Secret Project is on hold for now as money has been short… But I’ll keep working on it and I’ll try to get it out the sooner I can, but its release will always be conditioned by its theme, which makes it a last trimester of the year release. So if it isn’t out by October of this year, it will only be out by the end of 2025.

BOOK REPORT

I was lucky to get an Advance Reader Copy of Cain the new Red Forest series release by Michael R. Goodwin. I love this series of mini-books and Cain is an amazing addition to it. It is the first tale in the series, chronologically, but I don’t recommend reading it first as if you read them as they came out with each tale we get to see glimpses of the others.

As I finished Cain I started Paul Tremblay’s Horror Movie. It’s a bit of a slow burn but I’m really enjoying the mixed media format, with parts of the script of the movie the story is about being revealed as the story itself progresses. Also, there’s a now/then plot that I really enjoy and also use a lot in my stories, and that kind of makes me think of Project: School. And now that I say this, part of the setting for Horror Movie also takes me back to my little rejected story.

I’m still reading Ride Upon Midnight, and I’ll have more to say about it soon!

PULL LIST

I guess this is the first time I don’t have any comics to share with you.

Let’s see if I fix this for next time…

ON-SCREEN

A lot of random stuff…

I watched an anime, something I hadn’t done in a long time. It’s called Solo Leveling and it’s one of the best animes I have watched in a long time.

I’m also rewatching Lost in those moments when I need something in the background or those when I can’t give a new series the attention it deserves. I’m currently in the second season and there are still some episodes and characters that I think are really good.

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

The thing I’m most hyped about at the moment is that I’m feeling kind of creative and want to do stuff.

I’m talking with people to work and collaborate with me on various stuff and I’m working hard to get some stuff ready to show them. If everything goes according to plans there will be good news on the horizon.

LAST WORDS

So, do you forgive me for my absence? What have you been doing since we last talked?

Tell me everything, get in the comments, share your opinions, and question me about stuff. I truly want to hear from you.

See you soon, and, until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #21

INTRO

Hello everyone and welcome to another issue of Spilled Ink. This one is a bit late and for that I’m sorry.

The last two weeks weren’t too busy but somehow I lost track of time as I spent some time in a creative dump and a lot of time lying on the couch… So I’m afraid that there’s not going to be a lot to talk to you about.

I tried to go out to do some writing work, mostly at McDonald’s because in the last few months, I’ve been writing mostly dearly in the morning instead of late at night as I used to, and it is the only open place. Fast food joints weren’t the only place I spent some time writing as Bedeteca is turning into a place I like to go to more and more. I know it isn’t but it kind of feels like an office space.

In case I don’t talk to you before that I’ll be present at Maia BD with my good friends from Gorila Sentado. Among other things, we’ll have the release of Last Call, the so-expected comic book by the man behind The Scarecrow Man art, Gonçalo Fernandes. If you are around just come by and say Hi! It starts on the 24th and ends on the 26th of this month. I might be planning something for it.

WRITING UPDATES

As I said earlier, I’ve been doing some writing early in the morning. Most of those sessions have been quite productive even if not in the way I intended them to be. What I’m trying to say is that the stories I should be working on are in different types of “on hold”.

Project: Sails is on hold due to me not knowing where I want to go with the story. I have the beginning and the ending done, and they in a way work as a prologue and an epilogue to the main story which I’m having trouble with.

I picked up Project: Shovel again and I did some quick edits to the pieces I had and added some new stuff but didn’t dive into it as I truly wanted.

I also picked up Project: Kids again, even if it was by doing some more research into the theme. This one I don’t think I’ve spoken about. It’s about one of my favorite urban legends/cryptids, the Black Eyed Kids (some might use Children instead of Kids), or BEKs for short. I really think they are a curious phenomenon but, of course, I’m also trying to give it a personal twist.

What I’ve been able to do, and by this I don’t mean I’ve done it right, is to finish my first from-scratch comic script. I’ve been calling it Project: Lights, and it’s a mix of sci-fi and a bit of horror. I enjoy the final product but I haven’t shown it to many people yet, so I don’t have that much feedback. But one thing I can tell you is that I want to do something with it!

Cover page for Project: Lights comic

I also did another layout for a short story adaptation and I started another script. These are two different stories and I’m not sure what they will turn out into. Let’s wait and see what will come out of it.

BOOK REPORT

On a whim, I bought a series of books about writing. I didn’t know anything about them but I went all in and got the two volumes and the companion workbook all at once. And I couldn’t be happier with them. Shadows & Ink: Mastering the Art of Horror Writing and Publishing by Joe Mynhardt and Crystal Lake Entertainment is an amazing book. True I only got to chapter two. But I love the way the themes are presented and how it deals with the subject. I strongly recommend it. The only thing I would change is the size of the workbook but that’s just my personal opinion.

And I’m still reading Ride Upon Midnight and cursing myself for not having more free time…

PULL LIST

Not much here this week. The X-Men arc Fall of X is reaching its end with a new line of titles coming around July and I’m trying to keep up to date with those.

I read a couple of the Portuguese editions of Dylan Dog, this time a team-up with Dampyr. It follows the thread we are more than used to, mix-ups, the two main characters at odds before getting together to face the big bad guy. It’s used up but it doesn’t mean it isn’t good. And these two volumes were good.
Dylan Dog has become something of an obsession for me and I can’t wait to add more to my collection. And yes I’m still trying to get some volumes in Italian!

Another thing that I read was the first two issues of DC Comics’ collaboration with Sergio Bonelli Editore. The story is cool and the interactions between characters from the two universes are also well achieved. Of note is that the first pages where Dylan Dog appears are taken directly from the first Dylan Dog issue.

I always enjoyed the Valiant Universe and X-O Manowar might be one of its flagship titles and the most strange combination ever, him being a Visigoth warrior, Aric of Dacia, who comes into the possession of a powerful, living suit of armor. This new collection, by Becky Clonan and Michael W. Conrad with art by Liam Sharp and published by Alien Books, is just incredible both in terms of storytelling and art. If you like beautiful art and compelling storytelling this one is definitely a title that should not be missed. I can’t wait for the revival that this universe is about to undergo in Road to Resurgence.

ON-SCREEN

I started watching a new series. It’s one of those I usually watch while having lunch. Nothing too serious or that I can’t miss a bit but I have to say that I’m hooked on it.

Tracker is about a guy who drives around collecting rewards for finding missing persons, most of the time that is as he also finds other stuff. Of course, things couldn’t be that simple and there’s a mystery behind his family moving to the middle of the woods when he was a kid and his father turning from a college professor into a survivalist. Oh, and there’s the fact of his father being murdered too! I always enjoyed this kind of detective show so I guess I’m going to keep watching this one as long as it is around.

And Saturday the long-awaited new Doctor Who series came out, and with it a new Doctor (which regeneration we saw on the special episode The Giggle) and a new companion Ruby Sunday. We had seen both characters in the episode The Church on Ruby Road but with two new episodes, we get to see more of their chemistry and what they can bring to the characters. Up until now, I’ve enjoyed this iteration of the characters and the way the series seems to be moving ahead, with a bit of an overall plot encompassing the episodes. The writing is solid and the actors (especially Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor) are bringing new stuff to the role without forgetting those who came before him.

PLAYLIST

As I got up to date with Lore, I’m thinking about start listening not an informative podcast but the audio drama (let’s call it that) Bridgewater. It’s from the creator of Lore, Aaron Mankhe, and one of the actors doing the voices is Misha Collins, Castiel from Supernatural, so I might be a little biased… I’ll be updating you on the story as I read-, sorry, hear it.

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

First of all, Maia BD. I love conventions even if I’m not a part of the event itself.

And then I have all my projects, of which I have a new one in the works that I’m really hyped to see how it turns out. Mostly because it’s something new to me in various aspects of it.

LAST WORDS

And this is it. Hope you enjoyed this little voyage into my world.

Can wait to hear from you. Tell me your favorite cryptids, your thoughts on the TV shows you’re watching, who’s your favorite Doctor and companion, or just whatever you like to tell me.

I am up for everything you want to share.

This leaves me with my last question. Is there anything you want me to talk about? Anything you want to know? if so do what they say in YouTube videos and TikTok, and get in the comments.

Can’t wait to see you all again! Keep up the good work.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #20

INTRO

Hey everyone. Welcome to the newest issue of Spilled Ink. Your source of information on all things Nightmare Ink. Twenty issues, who would have guessed?

Hope everything is good on your side of the screen. Things here have been a bit all over but it was a good week.

Why you ask? Let’s see.

Mostly it had to do with this. See, since we last spoke a couple of weeks ago I had a story published on the Fábrica do Terror website. It’s one of those stories that I really like and that was rejected by a submission call. Fortunately, it was picked up by the amazing folks at Fábrica do Terror and it got a new lease on life! If you want to read it just click the picture below. Oh, I forgot to say that the story is in Portuguese but if you want a translation into English just say so in the comments and I’ll add it to the next Spilled Ink.

I also took some time to redo my Linktree page. It was just some rearranging and organizing (as I do not want to pay for the full version) but it was something that needed to be done. Click here to see it.

On the bad news side of things, unfortunately, we weren’t able to be at Contacto 2024. There’s always next year if they’ll have us.

WRITING UPDATES

Things have been kinda mixed in the writing department. That means I’ve been writing but not the things I should…

The submission I was working on is on hold at the moment as I hit a bump in the road and don’t know how to continue it. But instead of lingering in front of the page wondering what to do, I started working on another idea I had. I’m calling it Project: Dinner and it’s about a man who organizes a dinner party every year only some of the guests are not what they seem and the man has ulterior motives to invite them. I want to try and make it a fun story while still using the horror basis you are used to.

I kinda also started another project, although this one is just a new take on an old story. I took a 150-word flash story and decided to try and make the script for a two-page comic. I won’t say I did a flawless job but I’m quite proud of the result. Oh, I also did a small layout to illustrate what I imagined. Now let’s see what I get back from the true artist.

My layouts for the story. On the loose sheet is the first layout I did, the one on the notebook is a prettied-up version of said layout.

I also went back to one of my favorite in-progress projects, Project: Shovel (do you remember that one?). I rewrote a bit of what I already had and I added a few more lines to it. I’m also thinking of trying and do something different when (if) it goes to publication.

BOOK REPORT

I’ve been making progress with Ride Upon Midnight. I’ve been meaning to read at least a chapter each day. And it’s been working. It’s like reading a short story or a comic. And it helps when I’m out of time because you can always squeeze a chapter into 15 or 20 minutes while having lunch or before bed right?

All I will say for now is that the story is amazing and Robert Weaver’s writing is magical.

PULL LIST

The week wasn’t that fruitful when it came to reading comics. And most of them were series that came to an end. But let’s start from the beginning.

I’ve been meaning to read Dylan Dog for a long time. Not only from curiosity as to what it was about but also out of professional curiosity. If you don’t know the character, Dylan Dog, created in 1986, is one of the most famous Italian characters from their comics (Fumetti). It’s about the eponymous character, a paranormal investigator (I always thought he was a normal private investigator) and his stories always lean to the horror side of the spectrum.

The story in this one, O Velho Que Lê (The Old Man Who Reads), was great and the artwork was superb, I have always enjoyed the work of Italian artists and this didn’t disappoint. As I said in the previous newsletter these Italians really know what they are doing when it comes to horror

I should say that I truly enjoyed this first volume and I will get the ones I’m missing and try to do this collection as new volumes come out. Also, as I don’t know Italian I had to make do with the Portuguese translation.

I would lie if I said I’m not trying to get some of the issues from Sergio Bonelli Editore in Italian. Maybe it’s what I need to finally learn it!

Cover for the Portuguese edition

Tenement is over and this final issue was one I really enjoy. If you’ve been following Spilled Ink for some time you know Tenement was my favorite of all the Bone Orchard Mythos series that were released until now. This series always delivered a consistent story and pacing and the artwork was also always on point. Can’t wait for the next Jeff Lemire / Andrea Sorrentino project and to see where they take us on this world they are creating.

Another finale to a series. Cullen Bunn’s Invasive was an amazing journey, into the mind of both mad doctors bent on improving the human body and people mad with grief. My only complaint about this one is that I wish it could be a bit longer. But taking into account how it ended, maybe we can have an Invasive 2 sometime in the future.

This one is probably one of my favorite series at the moment. I never know what is going to be the next twist and when issue 12 is in my hands I’m reading the whole thing again! Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti make this medical horror drama one of the best stories I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to see what secrets are reserved for Dr. Nick Shaw as his memories return and what final twist we will be left with as we reach the last page.

PLAYLIST

Finished Lore! 252 episodes down, plus 25 Lore Legends, and I finally am up to date with this podcast. Now I just have to listen to the weekly episodes each Monday.

Now that I’m done with this do any of you have suggestions on what I should hear next?

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

Next month will be the launch of Last Call, a project I’m slightly involved in. I think it will be a great one and I can wait for you all to get your hands on it.

I’m also in talks to get artwork done for a secret project (that lots of people know about) that I plan to release later this year and I couldn’t be more hyped from what I already saw!

LAST WORDS

This is it for this week.

I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about all I told you about. And don’t forget to tell me your favorite podcasts!

I’ve also been thinking that maybe I should turn this newsletter into a biweekly one instead of trying to do it weekly. What do you think?

I won’t steal more of your time. See you when the next issue hits your mailbox!

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #19

INTRO

Hey everyone! Welcome back, once again, to Spilled Ink! Hope you had a great week and that you are ready to hear about mine!

[EDIT: this newsletter got too long due to all the images I shared so to see the whole thing hit the “view entire message” thingy. Sorry for this…]

Before anything else, some quick news.

First of all, I have the confirmation that Nightmare Ink will be represented at Contacto 2024 taking place on the 27th and 28th of this month. I say represented because I won’t be able to be present due to work, but my friend Daniel Lopes will be there with his books and he’ll do a great job making sure all the people get to know the scoop about mine. So, if you have a chance visit us at the festival. Thanks to Imaginauta for this opportunity.

Also, I’ve been working with Daniel’s publisher Gorila Sentado on some projects and one of them was just announced. Last Call is the brainchild of Gonçalo Fernandes, who you might remember as being the illustrator for my mini-book The Scarecrow Man. This project is also very dear to me, not only because I was the one handling the “translation” and in charge of corrections, but because it was one of the first things me and Gonçalo talked about on our first telephone calls. Well, at least the first story was. Yes, the book will have two stories, the first one, Triple Threat Terror, is a Wrestling Noir kind of story that mixes the world of Pro Wrestling and the world of Criminal investigation. The second one, Land of the Free, is a heist/road-trip movie hybrid that will be full of action. I’ll leave you with some images of the comic and if you want to preorder it you’ll have access to an exclusive cover and some more goodies. Just click the images below and you’ll be redirected to the store.

Last Call #1 covers. The one on the left is the regular one, and the one on the right is the pre-order incentive one. Pages for Triple Threat Terror (left) and Land of the Free (right), from Last Call #1

And now, let’s go on with the show.

WRITING UPDATES

This week I made some progress in the story I’m writing for a Pirate Horror submission call. It’s strange because I got the beginning and the ending done, something I usually don’t do. The middle part has been more complicated to come out but I’ll keep on trying and see what I can do.

I’ve also been working on a new submission but that one is a bit more in my head than actually on paper. So let’s see how that one goes, I’m not even certain I’ll submit it.

On my ongoing projects, all I can say is that they are underway and I can’t wait to share more with you. The secret project is going well after the alterations I made to it. Also, Blackwood Manor should come back in the next weeks.

BOOK REPORT

I’ve put a few more pages into Ride Upon Midnight but this week will be the one I’ll dedicate myself to it.

PULL LIST

It was a week to read the stash I brought from the store almost three weeks ago… This means I read a lot of comics this week.

I’ll start with Gumaa: The Beginning of Her. This one has been a little all over the place with the story of most of the first issue and then the second focussing on the past of a character and seemingly forgetting the first pages of the issue. In issue 3 we get some revelations and find out the flashback has a reason for being. It might not seem like it but I’m enjoying this one and I’m excited to see where it will go from here.

Cullen Bunn section now!
Let’s start with Ghostlore. This issue was a ride, we are getting to see new levels of power for people who can talk to the dead, and Lucas for sure is one of the most powerful. And his distance to get to Shane is getting very short. I must say that I love the way this comic intermingles the art of the main story with the art of the stories the dead have to tell.

Invasive is also getting to a high point. Whenever we think that we are getting answers more questions arise, and the ending of this issue raises all kinds of questions! I’m truly enjoying this body-horror/medical/investigative story and I can’t wait to see what more secrets are hidden in the shadows.

A Bunn comic that I feel is getting some questions answered is A Legacy of Violence as our main character is remembering bits from his past and what he was told about Unit 731. This is another one that’s medical-based at its core, but less investigative in a certain way. This is one of the comics I’m more interested in a the moment and the one that goes to the top of the pile as I get home from the store.

Jeff Lemire’s and Andrea Sorrentino’s Tenement is on its last legs and the story won’t stop throwing the readers off course. Tenement has been one that is always twisting what we think we know about the story and this penultimate issue wouldn’t dare to be different. For me, this is the best out of all The Bone Orchard Mythos books that the pair released and I know the next, and final, issue of the series won’t disappoint.

Horror Comics… I read a lot of these ones. So I’ll divide them into “arcs”.
Firstly I read the three Jabberwock one-shots by David Hutchison. Despite being one-shots the story of these, in a way, continues from one issue to the other and it’s sort of a retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland only with more gore and horror added to the mix. The art, also by Hutchison, is amazing and even if I wasn’t a sucker for retellings I would have totally loved these.

Next, we have two issues that were comprised of short stories. These were originally horror stories by Italian author Marcello Bondi. The stories were all very well executed and the black and white art in these gives them a classic and cool look. I love this kind of anthology type of comics and Italians do really seem to know what horror is about.

Origin Point was a 4-part story about an underground science consortium that engages in illegal experiments and the consequences of said experiments. Each issue came with a part of the main story and a backup story detailing the past of one of the characters. The art was not out of this world but I ended up liking it for the kind of story it was trying to tell.

Last, but, definitely, not least, we have Saint Seiya: Time Odyssey. I grew up with the Saint Seiya anime. I read the mangas. When I saw this announced on Previews I didn’t hesitate. Even if I was not sure what it was (yes, I’m one of those who doesn’t like to know a lot of stuff in advance). It’s the American adaptation of a French series that adds to the Knights of the Zodiac lore without being a retelling of the story. It’s set after the Sanctuary arc and deals with the outcome of what happened up until that point. The art is superb and each issue comes with lots of back matter about the creation of the series and characters.

ON-SCREEN

Just so that I can get this out of the way…
AND YOUR NEW UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPION “THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE” CODY RHODES!
Cody won the main event on WrestleMania XL Sunday and the story is finished. I truly can’t wait to see how the storyline will evolve from here. But it’s a new era in WWE with Paul “Triple H” Levesque at the helm so I’ll be here to see how it goes. But enough wrestling for today.

The fifth episode of X-Men ‘97 was amazing with the writers going all in and throwing us some curve balls. I won’t go into detail in case some of you haven’t watched it, or in case you are interested in doing so, but I have to say that the ending of the episode… It will hit you in the feelings…

I said it was enough of wrestling for today but I also watched the WWE documentary about Whindam Rotunda, or Bray Wyatt as he was best known. It tackles all of his characters, being the cult leader Bray Wyatt or The Fiend you’ll find them all here. It was also a sentimental documentary as we traveled his amazingly creative mind from his very wrestling beginning up until his untimely death last year. It’s a good documentary into the mind and creations of a man who was full of potential and who would probably become wrestling’s new face of horror, and that, in my opinion, could reach as high in pop culture as The Undertaker.

PLAYLIST

I’m down to the last episodes of Lore and as I was thinking about what podcast to hear next a miniature game I used to play, Malifaux launched a new book and I remembered that they have a podcast called The Breachside Broadcast where they read the lore of their books as if it was an old radio drama. So can you guess what will be next on my playlist?

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

As I mentioned before there’s a new expansion of a miniature game I really like. It always had a hint of horror in its lore but this new book, Ashes of Malifaux, truly brings amazing, and horror-like, miniatures. So much so, that I’m even looking to other factions in the game than the one I usually play with… It’s for the better that the ones I have my eyes on haven’t come out yet. I’ll leave you with some images from the new book.

I haven’t played in some time but I’m planning to get some games done in the next few weeks if work and writing let me with some free time.

LAST WORDS

This is it for today. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Any questions you have you know what to do. Get in the comments. You know I love to hear from all of you.

Be it questions about my writing, projects, or even Malifaux or Saint Seiya (or God forbid, Wrestling) just ask and I shall answer.

Have an amazing week and can’t wait to be back here with you.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #18

INTRO

Hey everyone! How was your week?

Things here moved rather quickly and the days kind of got away from me. But everything is good and projects are running along. Even if they aren’t the projects I should be working on (more on this below).

This newsletter will have a big chunk you might want to skip as this is one of the most important weekends in wrestling, and I had to talk about it…

One thing before I go into the updates.

I was invited to a fair but unfortunately, due to work, I won’t be able to attend. But my good friend Daniel Lopes is going to be there and he kindly offered to represent myself and Nightmare Ink in the event. As it gets closer I’ll share more information about it.

And now to the stuff that brought you here.

WRITING UPDATES

I know I promised a new Nightmare Ink Presents and a new chapter of The Haunting of Blackwood Manor for this past week and I didn’t deliver it. Don’t be mad at me. I had planned everything for the release but as you know I’m writing that as I go. There are no pre-written chapters that I can release if I lose track of time or something happens. This was one of those weeks. I got a bit lost and days, as I said before, slipped through my fingers. What I can promise is this. I have plans for this story and characters. And they want to have their stories told, so I’ll keep writing it and I’ll be doing it soon.

One of the reasons I didn’t get to Blackwood Manor this week is because I’ve been working on some new short stories for some submission calls and I dedicated all the free time I had to them. They are stories I’m really hyped to work on mostly because they are a bit out of my comfort zone.

I’m also juggling some stories and some other formats I would like to get my hands on, but it sometimes feels like a stretch. But I’ll keep playing around with them and who knows? Maybe one day I can do something with those ideas.

BOOK REPORT

I just was able to put a couple of pages more on my reading of Ride Upon Midnight. I know I’m doing the book a disservice reading it like this but it’s been really had to find time to read for a longer time.

I need to change this this week.

PULL LIST

Do you believe I went to the comic book store and hadn’t read any of the books I bought there???

What I read, apart from the usual X-Titles, was a lot of Spawn. I already told you that I’m focused on reading all the released issues and getting up to date in it, so I read fifteen issues this week, and I maintain my opinion that this is one of the most versatile characters ever created.

I will keep the adventure of reading all the issues up to 350, along with the adventure of finding the missing issues in my collection. At the moment I’m locking my sights on issues 224 to 349. My usual comic book store has almost all of them except issues 227 and 333, so if you know any store that have them let me know ok?

I also read all the available issues of Seven Years In Darkness, by Joseph Schmalke. The only physical issues I have are SYiD Year 2 #1, which I received as part of the author’s Patreon, and SYiD: The Shamir Worm, which currently is in London waiting to make its way into my hands. So I read the whole thing on Patreon, where the author shares all the pages. And I loved it. I could talk about it for hours and one newsletter wouldn’t be enough. The writing is superb, and the illustrations are gorgeous (did I mention that Joseph is the one who does it all?). This is one of those independent titles that might get under your radar, so I am here to tell you not to miss it. A TPB is coming out, so you can get all of this School for Black Magic first-year all at once. Don’t miss it. And if you want a sneak-peek at the inside art just click the covers below.

ON-SCREEN

It’s WrestleMania weekend so what do you all think I’ve been watching?

Due to time zones, I wasn’t able to watch the first night of the show live and I won’t be able to watch the second one either. But I’m almost finished with last night’s show, only the main event to go, and I’m kinda hyped.

But, before getting into the first night of ‘Mania, I need to tell you about the WWE Hall of Fame. I liked it better when they did a whole ceremony-like thing and not a post-Smackdown event, but I have to say that inducting Paul Heyman was long due. I always appreciate the man if not the persona he plays on TV, but his speech was amazing. The other inductees were all deserving of their spot in the 2024 class, but after Heyman, they lacked a bit of flair.

Now, back to ‘Mania.

First of all, Sami Zayn has dethroned Gunther as the Intercontinental Champion, after what was a grueling match. I’m really happy about the recognition WWE has given Zayn in the last few years. He was always a great performer and he was always relegated to the middle-card. Let’s see if they keep supporting someone who, in my opinion, could really be part of the backbone of the company.

If you are one of the people I talked with about wrestling you know how disappointed I was when Cody Rhodes left AEW to return to WWE. But, he had his reasons and even if I had preferred him to stay with the company he helped create I will always be a Cody guy. With that, I had my share of letdowns as it seems WWE is always willing to let him walk the distance but never get to the destination. And that’s how we got where we are this weekend: a tag team main event on Night 1 where “The American Dream” Cody Rhodes teams with former rival Seth “Freaking” Rollins to take on the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns alongside the “Final Boss” The Rock. The outcome of this will decide the stipulation for the combat on Night 2 that will let Cody finish his story and hopefully get the Championship he so deserves. If Cody and Rollins win, The Bloodline (Reigns’ group) will be barred from ringside; if Reigns and The Rock win the combat will be held under Bloodline rules (a kind of no-DQ combat).

I really don’t know how this will go, as I don’t see WWE making Reigns lose two matches in consecutive nights, especially at WrestleMania, so let’s see how this will play out.

EDIT: I just watched the main event for Night 1 and I must say that things will be interesting tonight. Cody and Seth, unfortunately, lost the match. This will make things hard for Cody as he will have to deal with the entirety of the Bloodline in his title match against Reigns. But maybe WWE will make this the underdog comeback and make Cody weather whatever the Bloodline throws his way and end up with gold around his waist? That is what I hope for at least. It’s not that I don’t like Reigns, I do, but he’s been champion for over three years and I like Cody more…

Posters for Wrestlemania XL Night 1 (feat. the tag team main event of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins against Roman Reigns and The Rock) and Night 2 (the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship main event of Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes)PLAYLIST

Only ten-something episodes of Lore to finally have caught up with the show, so it’s easy to guess what I’ve been listening to right?

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

The work I’m doing for the submission calls is one of the things I’m most hyped about at the moment, along with that special secret project I’m always talking about.

I’m also hyped about a project by Gorila Sentado that is really close to me and that I’m having the chance to see developing from the beginning. I’ll see if I can share more with you next week.

LAST WORDS

This is all for today, hope you enjoyed the ride.
I truly didn’t want to make this newsletter about wrestling but it kinda got away from me, and believe me there was so much more I could have, and wanted to, told you.

I’ll be waiting to hear from you, as your opinion is really important both to me and NI.

Hope you have an amazing week and that you come back for the next issue.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #17

INTRO

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the time away but as I told you it would have been difficult to make the last release date and instead of launching the newsletter a couple of days later I decided to take a little break and get some rest and I’m glad I did, to be honest.

So, last time we talked it was the week before Comic Con Portugal and I have to say I had a great time in the four days of the event.

I was present not as a writer, I was just there as a visitor, but that didn’t stop me from peddling my wares, mostly the Nightmare Ink Sampler I did at the beginning of the year. I just gave it to some people I thought might enjoy my writings be they guests of the Con or people selling their stuff. But there were two that I’m really hyped with the idea of having them read my little stories.

Now, a little about the Con.

I met some artists and writers during these few days and I got some cool stuff.

First, the reason I was able to enjoy the four days of Comic Con was thanks to Maria J. Lima and Inês Barros who gave me tickets for the days I hadn’t bought. They were there presenting their illustrated children’s book Enya e a Dragão do Jazz (Enya and the Jazz Dragon) and they were joined by Rosário Tavares who made amazing dolls out of their ideas. For now, there’s only the Portuguese version of the book available but there will be an English translation soon. I’m also happy to say that they completely sold out all the copies they had.

I had the chance to have Frank Cho sign two of the comics I had of his. I spent an incredible amount of time looking for a comic of his that I couldn’t seem to find. I also attended one of his talks and he had some interesting stuff to say about the world of comics. Oh, and that comic I was looking for? I found it on the last long box I searched…

One of the truly incredible moments I had this Comic Con was when I met Mike Grell. I had read Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters a long time ago but one thing I remembered was how great a piece of storytelling it was and that both the writing and the art were amazing. And the Man behind that was Mike Grell.
As he signed books he presented us with a brief story on how the cover was made and also gave us a brief story of the Seatle architecture that features in it. I truly regret having missed his panels. Mike Grell was one of the Con gusts I presented with one of the Samplers and as I asked him for a photo he made a point of featuring it in it.

And then I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Henriques. And believe me when I say that this name will give everyone more than a reason to talk soon. Having begun his career as an inker, he’s been doing art for Frank Miller’s Ronin Book II and has his first credit as a writer coming later this year when his Spawn Universe project No Home Here comes out.
This one is a direct spin-off of Spawn #5 and follows one of the characters, Sherlee Johnson, after her death at the hands of child-killer Billy Kincaid. From what I heard of the story we can expect something really cool and disturbing from the title.
Daniel is an amazing and really easygoing person. If you ever have a chance to meet him make sure you do.

Still on Daniel Henriques. I asked him to sign Spawn #5, a comic in which he didn’t work but that I thought made sense because it is a prologue of his Spawn-related story.

Still, Comic Con related I spent the last two days with some friends so here’s the photo dump of some of those moments (and I met two Power Rangers!!!!!)!

I also got two presents from Comic Con.
One was a wooden sign saying Horror Writer made by the amazing people at NerdCraft, and the other was a print of Guts from Berserk by Patrícia Costa. Follow them both for amazing projects.

There’s not much else to tell you about the week so let’s move on.

WRITING UPDATES

During this hiatus, I didn’t write anything but it doesn’t mean my mind was idle when it comes to writing.

I decided that I would let go of the format I had for the Blackwood Manor series and that I’d write it without a chapter limit. If you remember the idea was for it to have 13 chapters but I decided that maybe it would make things move faster than they should so I’ll just write and see what happens.
There were no new chapters during this Nightmare Ink hiatus, but it will be back again next week where we’ll deal with the aftermath of the (spoiler) ghostly attack on Alex.

I also started plotting a story for an anthology submission call that I think might be interesting. The plans for this one are just a bunch of ideas swirling around my head but I like what I’m playing with, Let’s see what comes out of it.

My focus is also on my secret project, and I already informed everyone involved of the changes I had to make. I think the project is solid, so I won’t give up on it despite all the changes.

BOOK REPORT

I’m just a few pages into Robert Weaver’s Ride Upon Midnight, which I started last week, but I will dive back in soon. I promise.

PULL LIST

So, thanks to listening to Daniel Henriques talk about Spawn I decided I should get back to it. So, not only am I trying to fill in some of the holes I have in my collection, I’m buying Spawn again monthly.

Due to this, I decided to reread the most recent TPBs as I make my way to the next issues I’ll get at my usual comic book store.
Up until now I read five of them and I must say that Todd McFarlane’s creation is a treasure trove for telling stories, be it superheroes, horror, or whatever you want.

ON-SCREEN

The only thing I got to watch during this time was the new X-Men ‘97 animated series.
I must say that storywise I truly enjoy the direction they are following, but there’s something about the art that I’m not sure about.

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

Secret project, secret project, secret project, secret project!

LAST WORDS

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and I can’t wait to get back to you with more news next week.

As always I’ll be waiting to hear from you all in the comments.

I also wanted to remind you that if you want to know more about the authors and artists I talked about I have left a link for their pages. Just click their manes and you’ll be redirected.

Have a nice week and we will talk again soon!

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Spilled Ink #16

INTRO

Hello everyone and welcome to my channel… Sorry, wrong medium…

Hello everyone and welcome to another issue of Spilled Ink!

Life is getting back on track from the chaos that always is Fantasporto week, which means getting the sleep cycle in order, at least the best I can with my work schedule. Without the festival, I will have more time available to write and get my projects running again.

And man. do I have a lot of those… I think I’ll get my head into completion mode and just finish some stuff before I get into the new ones. Maybe get some more stories sent to submission calls. Who knows?

Also, I will have some time off of work so I will be able to put some more time into writing, right? Sort of. Why? Because Comic Con Portugal is here so I’ll have four days where I won’t do anything more than geek out. But maybe I can take a notebook with me and get some stuff done? Let’s hope so. What I can almost guarantee is that next week’s newsletter will be a day or two later. Sorry in advance.

WRITING UPDATES

I didn’t write that much this week as I was getting my bearings after last week but I have some quick updates I want to share.

My three one-hundred-word stories for Horror Tree have been up on their website since last Friday, which was really quick on their part. Tales from a Midnight Fire (click the image below to read the stories) is a trilogy of stand-alone stories that if read together get a lot more context and depth, or maybe it’s me just being too hopeful about my work. The stories in this one are The Whispering Grove, Footprints, and The Camper and they are all stories being told around a campfire. So prepare your marshmallows and stick and lean in to listen.

We are reaching the conclusion of The Haunting of Blackwood Manor and I hope I can do it justice. It’s been a ride and I know I deviated from the original plan from the very beginning but one thing I really wanted to do was maintain the planned number of chapters. But I won’t rush the story either. What happens will happen and I am as much in the dark as all of you on what it will be.

I decided to do a file with all the chapters released up until now in case anyone who wants to read the whole thing doesn’t need to go post by post (even if that would give me views) so feel free to use the files below to read the story.

The Haunting Of Blackwood Manor (Chapters I to XI)200KB ∙ PDF fileDownloadDownloadThe Haunting Of Blackwood Manor (Chapters I to XI)46.4KB ∙ EPUB fileDownloadDownload

This reminds me that I shared an extra on the last NIP newsletter that I won’t reveal hear so I don’t do any spoilers, check it after you read all the chapters.

I also did a very loose outline of a sci-fi story for a project I’ve been told about but I’m a little lost on how to go on with it. Let’s see if this week brings any developments on this one.

BOOK REPORT

What I lacked in writing I made up in reading and so I read a book in more or less two days.

I’ve had my eyes on this one for a while, and it was the right pick for the moment. Not only it was an easy read but also really fun.

I love Brandon Sanderson, he’s one of my top three favorite writers, and although this book is not part of his larger body of work it doesn’t mean it’s not just amazing.

A story about a man who finds himself in medieval England without memories and with just a few pages of a book to help himself understand how he got there, this reads as a mixture of Discworld and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with the Sanderson genius making it something completely different at the same time.

It also helps that the book has pages from the in-world book of the same title scattered between chapters giving the reader hints to the world-building (and information) without taking time from the main plot. I truly recommend this one.

PULL LIST

I also got the time to read some comic books this week. In addition to a handful of Fall of X X-titles, I read a couple of very interesting stuff.

I’ll start with Four Gathered on Christmas Eve, and yes I know I should have read this one in December, ‘tis the season and all that, but I only got around to it this week. This one has four short stories in it, one by project creator Eric Powell (of Goon fame) who also contributes with the framing story (more on that in a bit) and who is joined by Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan, and James Harren. All the stories are amazing but I have to say that Cloonan’s was my favorite, both in theme as it was in the way it was written. In terms of art, all of them were really good even if using different styles.

A quick word about the framing story. It’s based on the old-time tradition of people gathering to tell ghost stories during Christmas time, and that is what the four narrators do, only each narrator is a mid-19th century version of the authors of the stories. And each of them has a secret…

Then it was a jumble of genres…

The second issue of The One Hand keeps us trailing Detective Ari Nassar as he looks for the killer that he thought he had caught years prior. Only two issues in (three if you count the issue of The Six Fingers, the series “companion” title) I can tell this is going to be a great noir/detective story. Ram V truly knows what he is doing.

Crave is Maria Llovet’s latest work and it revolves around an APP that can make your cravings come true. It takes place in a school setting and it’s both as sexy as it is eye-opening to the dangers of technology and social media apps. I’ve been following Maria Llovet’s works for some time and her ideas are amazing as is her art.

Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña’s Avengers: Twilight is one of the books I read as soon as I get it. This future look at the Marvel Universe is one I can truly see coming true. Not only taking into account the in-universe happenings but also the way things are evolving in the real world. But that would be another conversation altogether. Gods have joined the resistance but at the same time, the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) has now revealed himself and things, so you can bet things are getting serious. I should mention that Zdarsky is to be applauded for giving Thor an understandable reason for having abandoned his fellow Avengers, even if it’s a bit trope-y and has been used in other places. I feel you, Thor!

And I left this one apart for a specific reason.

I love Peach Momoko’s art. I love Japanese myths and legends. That’s what made me enjoy X-Men: Demon Days. So when I saw that she was going to do Ultimate X-Men I was overjoyed. Don’t get me wrong it’s a solid first issue with a great story and art, I was just hoping for a more “X-Men”-ish take to the title. I never gave much attention to Armor but I’m up to see how they handle her character in this new iteration. I will keep this on my pull list for sure, first because it’s Peach Momoko and second because it’s good!

ON-SCREEN

I watched a documentary this week. Yeah, you can grab your jaws from the floor.

The Greatest Night in Pop is a documentary about the creation and recording of We Are the World. It was fun to find out some things about this well-known song, like Lionel Richie was one of the minds behind all this??? How come I never knew that?

It’s a very interesting hour and a half (or so) and if you like music it’s one you shouldn’t miss.

I also saw, sigh, The Crow remake trailer… And I won’t talk about it.

PLAYLIST

I’ve been in a strange mood this week. One of those that I devolve into classic rock…

So this was a week full of Bon Jovi… And I won’t say anything else about this except:

Kidding. I own my liking of Bon Jovi.

THINGS I’M HYPED ABOUT

My secret project! I’m using this time off to dot some Is and cross some Ts on the project and hopefully, I will have something concrete and planned by the end of it.

Also hyped about some submission calls but you know how those go.

Oh, and I have been doing some revisions to a friend’s project that I think will be a blast!

LAST WORDS

And this is it for this week.

Hope I kept you entertained for a while and I hope to hear from you.

And wish me luck on all I have planned for next week.

See you in the next newsletter.

Until then, let the ink of nightmares flow.

Thanks for reading Nightmare Ink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Nightmare Ink Presents Issue 10

Welcome to Nightmare Ink Presents!

Here is this week’s chapter of our serialized story, a chapter where all the storylines come together in a way.

If everything goes according to plan there are only two more chapters to this story so let’s see what the future brings.

And so, without further ado, dive in into our story!

The Haunting of Blackwood Manor Chapter XI: Nightmares Unveiled

Emily looked at the xeroxed page her brother had given her a few moments before.

Alex had barged into her room, closing the door behind him as fast as he had opened it. She was starting to protest but then saw his face and reconsidered. He had sat on her bed and handed her the piece of paper. She looked at him but he motioned for her to read before saying anything else.

And now she was looking at him inquisitively.

“So?” he asked of her.

“What do you want me to say, Alex? It’s a page from an old journal, well, a copy of one,” she looked at her brother. “A diary of a woman who probably was under post-partum depression. It’s not unusual, and it usually went undiagnosed in the earlier decades of the last century,” she couldn’t get her head around why this had left her brother so on edge. “What’s the matter, Alex? You know you can talk to me.”

“I’ve been having dreams, Em. But they feel too real,” he paused.

“Are they about…” she didn’t want to bring Addie up, she had been her friend too and she was still scared by what had happened, but it had been harder for Alex who had been talking to her the whole time, even as he ran down the street to her house.

“No, well, I had one but… that’s not what’s important now. Em… I’ve seen someone in my room,” he saw the look on his sister's face. “I know what you’re thinking. I rationalized everything the best I could. It’s not “new house jitters” and it’s not the “refraction of the light” or whatever you might think of. I’ve seen her through the corner of my eyes. I felt the weight as she sat on my bed. Em…”

“Her?” his sister interrupted him.

“Yeah, it’s a woman. I’ve seen her flowing nightgown the first night here, at my room door. And she spoke too.”

This seemed to have perked Emily’s curiosity.

“Sure it wasn’t mom?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. She said something about babies and another time she said son. And when have you seen mom wear a nightgown?”

Emily stared at him, not saying a word. In her mind, all the noises she had heard since coming to the manor, the rippling paper, and the overall uneasiness she felt came over her as a wave. She had always tried to play them down as stress from moving and because the setting of the manor was ripe for an imagination like hers, one filled with horror tropes, to play with. But now her brother was revealing to her similar experiences.

“So,” she said after a long pause. “You think that the woman in the paper is the one you’ve been seeing?”

Her brother nodded.

“I do. Don’t ask me why but I do.”

“You know what you’re saying right?” Her face was serious, her brother nodded once again. “You are, as a fact, saying that the house, this house we are now living in, is… haunted?”

After the conversation in Emily’s room, the twins got ready and after a quick breakfast were out of the house, having asked their father for the car to go meet their friends in town.

They drove in silence, each one pondering what the other sibling had told them. Emily had come clean about what she had been experiencing, down to the nightmare, or maybe the not-so-nightmare, of the scraps of paper coming out of the wall. There was much they didn’t know yet, blanks on the story that the little paper their father had been sent couldn’t answer. But that paper gave them an answer to one question. The question of who could help them find out more, who could have the solution to whatever was happening. The man they had met last time they were in town. Dr. Morrison.

They had been knocking for a while at the Cedar Books & Curios door to no avail, they knew that no one was inside so they had decided to leave when suddenly Emily turned away from the direction of the car and into ComicScape.

Pete was behind the counter organizing some long boxes and smiled as he saw Emily coming in.

“Em, wasn’t expecting a visit today. What brings you to my humble abode? Missed me?”

“Careful, Pete. Her brother’s here too,” Alex said as he entered the comic book shop. “And I hope you have a real house and that you don’t sleep here,” Alex smiled at him.

“Guess both Smiths missed me! What a lucky guy I am!” The three teenagers laughed. “Now, what brings you to town today? I might have some stuff you’ll probably like.”

“Matter of fact, we came to go to Dr. Morrison's shop, but it’s closed. So, we came to say hi, before heading home.”

“Yeah, he told me he would be out for a couple of days. Should be back tomorrow. I’m glad you did come by. You can go for so much time without visiting.”

“Sorry to interrupt your mating dance, man, but maybe you can help us with something.”

Emily looked inquisitively at her brother.

“Shot.”

“You know the Manor, right?” Pete nodded at him. “And remember what you said when we first met? You were amazed we were living there and that you were the right person to tell us all about it. So, I’m putting you up to bat. Tell us all the juicy bits as you put it.”

As Pete was starting to speak the door opened and a familiar face came in.

“Lily, just in time! I was going to start telling our friends everything about their new home.”

“All his going to tell you are campfire stories,” she sighed. “But those are fun,” she sat herself on the counter, which made Pete frown at her. “Go on master storyteller, spin your tales.”

Alex and Emily discussed what they had learned as they drove back home. From what they gathered from Pete,  the house had been a who’s who of supernatural phenomena. There had been witchcraft, demons, and human sacrifices at the plot where the manor now stood, all of which led the owners of the manor to go crazy and do all kinds of crazy stuff themselves. That was probably the campfire part that Lily had been referring to, but he also told them of the triple murder/suicide that took place some time ago. A family, the Holloways, had been found dead, husband, wife, and baby and no one could find out why. At least that was the way in Pete's story, in which he said the deaths were probably a demon wanting the innocent soul of the baby and ending up taking the whole family.

What they were certain of was that there had been a family with a baby in the house. The diary page told them so, and Pete’s story confirmed it. They couldn’t be sure of anything else, even of the deaths, but the pieces they had seemed to be getting into place.

They just had to go through the night.

She was next to his bed again; Alex knew that for sure. He had heard the creaking of the floorboards at the entrance of the room as she made her way to him. Only this time Alex didn’t resist the temptation, he opened his eyes and looked up. He saw his mother in her grey pajamas, “as it been her the all-time” he thought, but he saw something else. Not really behind her or atop her, more like occupying the same space her mother did. A woman with curled hair in a flowy gown. The woman lifted her arms and so did his mother, a pillow in both the women’s hands.

“Don’t worry baby, mama knows how to stop your crying,” was the last thing he heard before darkness overtook him.

Mark was awakened by a muffled scream and the creaking noise of a mattress springs. He rolled over but then he heard a scream. He jumped out of bed and ran to the door. He saw Emily standing in front of her brother’s room, panic on her face, behind her stood the ominous form of Silas Holloway.

“I told you it would happen. You didn’t listen,” the man said to him.

Entering the room, he saw Sarah leaning over Alex, a pillow in her hands. The boy was jerking, his legs trashing under the now loose blankets.

Mark neared his wife calling her name, but she didn’t seem to listen.

“Sarah! Stop! What are you doing?” he screamed at her, grabbing her wrist, and trying to make her lose the hold on the pillow. She was too strong, where did she get that strength? She looked at him, a mixture of Sarah and the other woman he had seen. She ignored him and returned to the task at hand.

Mark was getting desperate. He felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked and saw Silas leaning into his ear. The ghostly man whispered a word.

He ignored him and kept on calling for his wife. The trashing on the bed had almost subsided.

Mark took a deep breath.

“LAVINIA! STOP!” he screamed.

The woman looked at him, releasing the pillow.

“Wha…”

She was Sarah again. She looked around, confused, wondering how she had gotten here, before falling to the floor.

Here is another week of storytelling.

I decided to include something in this end-of-chapter ramble that I thought might be interesting. It’s the page I’ve been mentioning in the past chapters and that revealed a bit to the Smiths, at least to three of them, about the occurrences in the Manor. If at least it had come to the hands of Sarah right?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I’ll be waiting for your feedback on the story!

See you next week,

M.

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