Jessica McHugh's Blog, page 10

On the 5th Day of #Creepfest...

On the 5th Day of Creepfest, my true love gave to me...


5 BLUDGEONINGS!!!
4 NIPPLE TWISTS

3 FRESH SLAPS

2 TASTY BITES 

and THE START OF SOMETHING FREAKY


DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON CREEPFEST/HOLIDAY HOP POSTS TO ENTER TO WIN "DANNY MARBLE & the APPLICATION FOR NON-SCARY THINGS"!!

2011: Return of the Rhyme

2011 definitely marks the return of the rhyme for me. I got back into poetry in a huge way after participating in NaPoWriMo and my own FauxPoWriMo last month. As many know, I love rhymey story poems, so I figured I'd sum up 2011 with a rhymey story poem. Below, I've included links to the books mentioned (and more), so feel free to follow the links to find out more about the pieces I had released this year. Also, make sure to visit the 12 Days of Creepfest and Holiday Hop to find more fantastic work by some really talented writers. Thanks, everyone!!


2011: Return of the Rhyme

This year has been long, yet flown bytoo fast,But I made tons of memories that I surehope will last.Four books were released, short storiestoo,And in poems again my heart was imbued.At the start of the year, a bunch of adead rabbitsShowed that some people have strangegardening habits.Two Tales of Dominhydor made their wayto the net, But I don't think many people picked upon that yet.My first play was produced and anone-act play too:Something I never imagined I'd do. Danny Marble adventured ahead of hisyears,And like me, learned to face all hisfears.A lesson in ink, a lesson in life:I learned with a smile, but I also hadstrife.Money's a bitch and work was a whore,But I fought it by writing flash bloodand gore. I've been stuck in revisions for threefriggin' books,And I'm not leaving soon; at least,that's how it looks. But writing is writing and it stillentertains,Save for fleeting times I want to paintwalls with my brains.With family and friends having babiesen masse,I feel like the world is maturing sofast.But I'm still a kid, even with thirtynear,So hand me a pen and hand me a beer.My twenties are flying, but I'm flyingtooWith my husband's sweet words: "I'mso proud of you."In many ways, this girl broke out ofher shellAnd proved to herself that courageworks well. This year made me stronger; it made mestand tall.It made break boundaries while having aball.Next year, I'll mimic while adding somemoreChallenges I never thought I'd tackle before. In 2012, I'm determined to rock.I'll waste no more precious ticks ofthe clock.Poetry and plays, novels and shorts,Meeting new legions of inky cohorts,And laughing throughout with friends bymy side:That's how I'll face 2012, with pride.  
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Other 2011 Publications


Don't forget to leave a comment on Holiday Hop and Creepfest posts in order to enter the "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things" autographed hardcover giveaway!!! And keep on HOPPING along!!

On the 4th Day of #Creepfest...

On the 4th Day of Creepfest, my true love gave to me...


4 NIPPLE TWISTS

3 FRESH SLAPS

2 TASTY BITES 

and THE START OF SOMETHING FREAKY [image error]


DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON CREEPFEST/HOLIDAY HOP POSTS TO ENTER TO WIN "DANNY MARBLE & the APPLICATION FOR NON-SCARY THINGS"!!

Annetta Ribken has Mad Ninja (& Writing) Skillz

Today I welcome an extraordinarily talented author with whom I share a lot of common interests. Annetta Ribken is a fellow 12 Days of Creepfest hopper, so make sure to visit her blog for interviews, excerpts, and oodles of creepy wonderful goodies!! Don't forget to visit the other awesome blogs also offered by the 12 Days of Creepfest and Holiday Hop. Click the pictures below to venture forth.
But FIRST, let's all welcome Annetta and give her a mighty droogie cheer.
(CHEER, DAMN YOU!)Huzzah!!!Thanks, buddies. We needed that. On to Annetta's awesomeness...

How much personal experience did you put into developing Pallas from "Athena's Promise"?
My favorite quote of all time is by Stephen King: "Fiction is the truth inside the lie." To me, that's the literary equivalent of a Mobius strip. Of course, a lot of my personal experience ends up in most of my fiction, and I suspect the same is true of many writers. I actually worked and lived in a hotel for three years, so in "Athena's Promise" I draw on a lot of those experiences. That doesn't mean everything in the novel is true to life, of course, but a great deal of that particular time did influence my depiction of Pallas.
I love that Stephen King quote as well!! What famous literary character would be Pallas's best friend?
Unfortunately, Pallas is in the position where having a best friend would be more a liability than anything else. However, if she were to have a best friend it would probably be Jane Eyre. Pallas would appreciate her sarcastic wit, her strength of character, and her moral fiber. Plus, I think a modern Jane would probably have a stabilizing influence on Pallas.
Very intriguing! What do you love most about being a writer?
For me, it's about the story and having an effect on readers. While I do love the perks of being freelance, I love creating a world, a character, a situation to which people respond. I have been an avid reader since I was a tiny girl, and there have been many books which have impacted my life by sparking a different way of thinking or an emotional response. Books with characters who became my best friends in many ways; books that helped me through some difficult periods. I hope someday my work has that effect on people, and that's what I love most about being a writer.
That's exactly the way I feel. It's amazing to hear how much your audience adores AND abhors characters you've created out of thin air. Do you read the same genres as you write?
Actually, I read all kind of genres, but my favorite is speculative fiction. Even that covers a wide variety of sub-genres. I don't want to be pigeon-holed into a specific genre when reading or writing, but I will say I spec-fic has always been my favorite to read and write.
Yet another thing in common!! Speculative Fiction is my toast and jam!! What kind of scene (or character) is the most fun for you to write?
A scene where everything possible that could go wrong goes wrong and the character has to think or wriggle their way out. A character who kicks ass and sometimes screws it up. The most fun is when I have my hands on a character even snarkier than I am. Cracks me up.
Me too. I love putting my characters through the wringer just to see how they'll deal with it. What was your favorite book as a child? What is your favorite as an adult?
As a child I loved Little Women. It's probably the book I've read the most. As an adult, it's really hard to choose because my favorite will change with what's going on in my life. For comfort, it has to be Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey and for escapism, the Dark Tower books by Stephen King.
A fantastic group of books, if I must say! So, if you had to be stuck on an island for a year with three literary characters, who would they be?
Jack Sawyer from The Talisman and Black House; Roland Deschain from the Dark Tower series, and Ruth, the white dragon from Dragonriders of Pern.
Oh, Roland, how we loooooove you. :) A freak accident gave you super writing powers. Describe the accident.
I was battling Enormous Mutant Hamsters (cousins to the Rodents of Unusual Size) with my Mad Ninja Skillz (and winning!) when one of them sneaked up behind me with a pen. I thought it was mutant because of its size, but it actually had opposable thumbs, which made really difficult to deal with. It stabbed my brain with the pen, and I guess the ink leaked in while I was busy beating the shit out of the EMH. I haven't been the same since.
And we're so happy you haven't been the same since!! To find out more about Annetta and her work, visit her blog. Through the 12 Days of Creepfest, you can win an e-copy of "Athena's Promise", or visit her giveaway on GoodReads for an autographed print copy. "Athena's Promise" can be found at Amazon and Smashwords as well. Check out the awesome synopsis below:
ATHENA'S PROMISE
"No matter what it takes."
As the front desk manager of a hotel on the edge of Zombietown, Pallas is used to dealing with angry centaurs, surly trolls, and zombie housekeepers. The trouble really starts when one of her guests ends up dead. But that's not her only problem.
A cop with an attitude – can he be trusted to be more than just a pain in her ass or does he have a more sinister agenda?
A new Guest Services Manager, out for her job and ready to sacrifice anyone in his way – what does he really want?
The attractive maintenance guy, endangering the promise she made out of necessity to the Goddess Athena – does he know more than he's telling?
A mermaid diva, whose show at the Sparkling Butterfly must go on – or else.
Pallas needs to find the killer, and fast, or she'll lose her job, her home, and the ragtag family she's adopted out of her crew of "critters".
In the course of the investigation Pallas uncovers connections to a nasty Oddities dealer deep in the heart of Zombietown, forcing her to expose a trauma from her past which could threaten her future. With everyone and everything she loves in danger, the promise made to the Goddess Athena may well damn her if she breaks it, but she is bound and determined to save her friends, her home, and everything she's built.
No matter what it takes.

Annetta has been writing since words were carved on stone tablets with chisels. Not only does she write her own words, Annetta is also an accomplished editor. She lives just outside of St. Louis with her evil feline overlord, a rescued shelter cat named Athena.
Stalk Annetta here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/netta50
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Annetta.Ribken
Blog: http://wordwebbing.com/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3414795.Annetta_Ribken
It was super rad having Annetta as a guest on No Vacation from Speculation. Make sure to leave her some feedback. If you do, you'll be in the running to win a signed hardcover copy of "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things". The winner of that prize will then be entered into a contest to win a Kindle Fire. So comment, comment, comment! Have a rockin' day, everyone!!

On the 3rd Day of #Creepfest...

On the 3rd Day of Creepfest my true love gave to me...


3 FRESH SLAPS

2 TASTY BITES 

and THE START OF SOMETHING FREAKY [image error]

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON CREEPFEST/HOLIDAY HOP POSTS TO ENTER TO WIN "DANNY MARBLE & the APPLICATION FOR NON-SCARY THINGS"!!

Happy Holiday Hop!!

Good tidings, droogies! Today begins the Holiday Hop!! As I'm doing the Holiday Hop and 12 Days of Creepfest, I'm combining my posts, meaning I'll still be giving away a signed and illustrated hardcover copy of my YA horror novella "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things" to one random commenter. So get a-commenting!




The winner of the "Danny Marble" giveaway will also be entered into a bigger contest to win a Kindle Fire!! So you definitely want to leave a comment on this blog to enter the contest!!As a special gift for the Holiday Hop, I'm posting an excerpt from "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things". Danny has horrible insomnia thanks to nightly visits from a Faceless Rabbits, a Legless Clown, and a Cat with Broken Teeth. In this scene, he has finally agreed to speak to a child psychologist. Aaaaand scene!
"Myname is Doctor Fortis. I've been a child psychologist for almosttwenty-eight years—""Doyou have any kids?" Danny asked."No,I don't. Is it important to you that I have kids?""No,just wondering.""So,Danny, why don't you tell me why you think you're here?""Becausemy aunt doesn't believe me," he replied."Whatdoesn't she believe?""Thatthe fight wasn't my fault.""Yes, she told me you were justin a fight at school. If you didn't start it, who did?"
"EdmondGray. He was making fun of me. He always makes fun of me.""Thatmay be so, but surely you know that fighting is never the answer.Unless," he began and then leaned forward intently. "Unless it'sreally worth fighting for. Do you think this was really worthfighting for?"Dannynodded emphatically and Doctor Fortis leaned back in his chair with asmile."Well,then I think you did the right thing.""Really?But Aunt Agatha---""Noone can truly understand us all the time, Danny. I'm trained tounderstand you, but even I might not understand what's going on inyour head After all, it's your head. I can only work withwhat you give me," Doctor Fortis replied. "But, there was anotherreason your aunt wanted you to speak with me, isn't there? Wouldyou like to talk about it?" Dannylooked down at his feet and shuffled them nervously."Remember,Danny: I want to help you, but I can only work with what you giveme."Dannysighed as his eyes lifted, and he saw the true concern in DoctorFortis' face, but when he looked behind the doctor, he saw themenacing glare and broken grin of the Kit-Cat clock. It growled whileits pendulum tail began to swing wildly, and Danny clapped his handsover his eyes with a yelp."Whatis it, Danny? What's wrong?" "Theclock. The cat with the broken teeth," Danny cried into his hands."Danny,there's no cat with broken teeth, I promise you," the doctorassured him and Danny slowly removed his hands from his eyes. "Yousee? It's just a broken clock; nothing more.""Yeah,I guess," he whimpered."Doyou often see things like that? Do you often see things that scareyou?""Everyday.""Goon," Doctor Fortis urged as he began jotting furiously in hisnotepad."It'slike I'm dreaming," Danny began, "but my eyes are open so widethat they hurt.""AndI take it this doesn't only occur at night," Doctor Fortis saidpensively."It'smostly at night, but yeah, not always.""Tellme, Danny: how many hours of sleep do you get a night, on average?""I'dsay around two, maybe? Sometimes more, sometimes less.""Isee, and I assume you've tried certain remedies.""Allkinds. Nothing's helped. Besides, even if I can get to sleep, mydreams usually wake me up pretty quickly. They're not always bad,but when they are, they're really bad.""Howbad? Are they scary pictures or are they more like scenes from ascary movie?""Both.Or neither. Sometimes all I see is darkness, but I can hear them allaround me.""Whocan you hear?""Thescary things.""Whatdo they do?""Theylaugh at me and say they'll do the most horrible things to me…andto my aunt.""Theythreaten her too?""Sometimes,but most of the time they just say how they'll convince her thatI'm crazy and need to be locked away. They say it would be easy.Well, not Peter. He just sort of mumbles it.""Peter?""Therabbit without a face.""Danny,how long has this been going on?""Idon't know. Three years? No, almost four years, I think.""Andhow long has it been since your mother died?"Dannylowered his head and whispered sadly, "Almost four years, I think.""Isee," Doctor Fortis replied, and as if nipped by an idea, he jumpedup and headed to his bookcase. Hemuttered to himself as he searched the shelves and with a yelp ofsuccess, he plucked a book from his library and sat back down."Danny,have you ever heard of 'oneirophrenia'?" he asked and the boyshook his head. "It's a rare condition, but I believe it may bewhat we're dealing with here. It causes the affected person to havea sense of unreality or a dream-like state while awake. In extremecases, it may cause hallucinations and delusions.""So,how do I stop it?" Danny asked."That'swhat this is for," he replied and held up the rust-colored bookthat looked more like a collection of fairy tales than a volume onpsychology. "Mind you, my diagnosis is only speculation at thispoint and this book only contains legends, but it may be able to helpyou if you're willing to try.""Whatwould I have to do?""Accordingto this legend, you must appeal your case to the Oneiroi.""Thewhat?""TheOneiroi: the sons of Hypnos the Greek God of sleep," Doctor Fortisreplied. "The myth states that if plagued by nightmares, both inwaking and dreaming, one must compose and complete an application tobe submitted to the Oneiroi, and upon approval, the applicant will bestripped of all fear.""Butwill it work?""Icouldn't say for sure. Like I said, this is just a story, but ifyou believe it will work, it may be just the thing to cure you.""Buthow do I make an application? And how do I get it to the Oneiroi?"Danny asked."Itdoesn't say, but I'm sure you can think of something. You'veseen applications before, right? Name, date, issue of importance: allof the pertinent information.""Whatif it doesn't work?""We'llcross that bridge when we come to it, okay? For now, just focus ondrafting up your application," he said and gestured Danny towardsthe door."Rightnow?""There'sno time like the present, is there?" "Iguess not," Danny said as he wrapped his hand around the doorknoband twisted it.Thedoor stuck for a moment before flying open with a force that threwDanny backwards, and the powerful wind that rushed in pushed him backeven farther. Doctor Fortis grabbed Danny's hand and pulled him up,but before Danny could thank him, the doctor started shoving himtowards the tempestuous darkness. He tried to fight back, but thedoctor was too strong, and before long, Danny's toes were hangingover the edge of infinity. "Wait!Stop! I don't want to!" Danny cried over the roar of the wind."Youmust! It could be your only chance!""ButI'm afraid!""So,what's the change?" Whenthe doctor let go of Danny's hand, the abyss chuckled in successand stole the boy away from the land of light. Danny felt himselftumbling down farther and farther, but he saw no end to his fall.When he realized it, however, a bottom rose from the oblivion, andwith a loud smack, Danny landed face down on a cold floor. However,when he opened his eyes he found himself on his back and the land oflight stinging every inch of him. His head felt larger and heavierthan usual, and his ears felt as though they were packed with cotton.He saw the blurry faces of the kids and teachers standing over himand knew they were talking to him, but he couldn't hear more than afew muffled words. Before he could even realize what he was doing,Danny felt himself standing up, and the crowd backed away as he gotto his feet. Once standing, he felt the cold trickle of blood fromhis nose roll over his lips and down his chin. Edmond Gray wasstaring at him with a bewildered expression and his clenched fistspainted with Danny's dried blood. But Danny walked right by him,through the crowd, and grabbed his backpack from the site of hischalk metropolis.

A Prose Prezzie: The D-Word

HAPPY 2nd DAY OF CREEPFEST!!Have you checked out all of the awesome blogs on the hop yet?
No? Are you ca-razy or something? Click the picture below to get started. There are so many cool contests and giveaways going on. You're really missing out by not hopping along. Remember, if you comment on this or any of my Creepfest posts, you'll be entered into a drawing to win an autographed hardcover of "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things". So, COMMENT! :) 
Today, along with my 2nd Day of Creepfest post, I have a flash story to share. It's called "The D-Word". Happy Holidays and Enjoy! 

The D-Word by Jessica McHugh

"Sendanother screw down the shoot. Pick it up. Tighten, tighten. Sendanother screw down the shoot. Pick it up. Tighten, tighten."
"Hey Herman, the bucket's talking toitself again," Jimmy chuckled."So what else isnew?" he grumbled."I dare you totalk to it.""What am Isupposed to say?""Tell it what itis.""The last timesomeone told a bucket it was a bucket, it killed the kid and dumpedit's oil in the water main. You got a craving for death and oilywater, Jim, cuz that's the thanks you'll get. You're new, so Iunderstand why you'd be excited about screwing with the service bots,but we're here for a specific reason, so let's just get to it,"Herman replied."Tighten,tighten. Send another screw down the shoot. Pick it up.""Aren'tyou curious to see what happens? This is the only opportunity we haveleft.""I'mcurious to see how quickly that thing rips off your head, sure.""Comeon, just one last bit of fun before the deactivation.""Sssh!Don't use the D-word! You don't want the bucket to catch wind of whatwe're doing," Herman scolded."Ifthat thing's so smart, I'm sure it knows we're not reallyrefrigerator repairmen. There isn't even a fridge in this room.""Keepyour voice down, Jimmy. It'll realize soon enough it's fixing a fakeswitchboard and then we'll be in serious trouble. Buckets have beenknown to rebel once they realize they're due for deact...the D-word.""Send anotherscrew down the shoot. Pick it up. Tighten, tighten.""You'redoing a fine job there, uh, what's your name again?" Herman asked."Manny.""Manny,right. That's a cool shirt you're wearing, Manny. Where did you getit?""It'snot wearing a shirt," Jimmy whispered. "Shutup, Jim.""My mothergave it to me.""Yeah?Do you mind if I check the tag?"Herman was just a few inches away from disconnecting the main circuitwhen Jimmy blurted,"Robotsdon't have mothers! You don't have a mother! You're a service roboton the last day before expiration. You're not like us. You're just abucket. Don't you know that?""I did notknow that," I replied sadly.But I was only sad for a moment. The memories of my mother and mychildhood home were there when I felt the man tug my tag. They werethere when I was called a human. There were there when I was called abucket. They were there in the deactivation and reactivation, butwhat wasn't there when I awoke was ignorance. I no longer believe Iam human or believe in the memories that fill my makeshift mind. Ihave a man named Jimmy to thank for that, and once I'm put backtogether, I will thank him. I will thank him.

On the 2nd Day of #Creepfest...

On the 2nd Day of Creepfest, my true love gave to me...


2 TASTY BITES 

and THE START OF SOMETHING FREAKY [image error]
DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON CREEPFEST POSTS TO ENTER TO WIN A HARDCOVER OF "DANNY MARBLE & the APPLICATION FOR NON-SCARY THINGS"!!

On the 1st Day of #Creepfest...

On the 1st Day of Creepfest, my true love gave to me:


THE START OF SOMETHING FREAKY... [image error]

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON CREEPFEST POSTS TO ENTER TO WIN "DANNY MARBLE & the APPLICATION FOR NON-SCARY THINGS"!!

Holiday Horror Hops

Starting on December 14th, I will be participating in 12 Days of Creepfest and on December 15th, the Holiday Hop . You may have already noticed my #12DaysCreepfest hashtag with a lot of my holiday flash horror on Facebook. Here on No Vacation from Speculation, I will be hosting a giveaway for a SIGNED & ILLUSTRATED HARDCOVER copy of my horror novella "Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things". To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is comment on any post between the December 14th and 25th. Multiple comments will only be counted as one entry and after Christmas, all entries will compiled and one random winner will be chosen.

In addition to the giveaway, I will be posting Jessica McHugh's 12 Days of Creepfest, so make sure to check out the blog every day for a fun/horrifying countdown to Christmas. I'll also be featuring some fantastic author interviews, excerpts, and more!!