Rebecca Besser's Blog, page 64
October 28, 2013
New Release - The Carnival 13 from SAD House Press
The Carnival 13 from SAD House Press
A charity novella for Scares for Cares!
The
Carnival 13
Come one, come all! Step right up and
join thirteen masters of macabre literature as they take you on a
journey unlike anything you've ever traveled. We've got freaks,
fantasy and fear; all lined up waiting to take your breath away.
Will you be tempted by the Freaks of
the Flesh? Astounded by the Freaks of Fantasy? Baffled by the Freaks
of the Mind? All this and more await you for just the small price of
three tickets... and your soul.
Featuring all-new and exclusive
chapters from John Everson; Jason Darrick; Dan Dillard; Charles
Colyott; Dale Eldon; James Garcia Jr.; Matt Schiariti; Anne Michaud;
Rebecca Besser; Armand Rosamilia; Jon Olson; Brent Abell; and
Julianne Snow - this twisted tale will leave you gasping until your
last breath.
All proceeds to benefit Scares That
Cares!
Available at:
Amazon: US,
UK, Canada,
Germany, Spain,
Italy, France,
Brazil, Japan,
India, Mexico
The Carnival 13
Excerpt:
From
Chapter One –
John Everson
“I hate fuckin’ carnivals,” Brian said to a captive audience of
clothes. They hung silently on their hangers, steadfastly refusing to
comment. He absolutely did not want to go to the carnival. His
clothes weren’t going to argue. But that didn’t change the fact
he had to get dressed.
The colorful B & S Enterprises trucks had started
unloading and setting up the tilt-a-whirl, Pirate’s Delight, and
Bumble-Bee Bop rides in the Blackburn Mall parking lot on Wednesday.
Polly had seen them on her drive to work after school. As much as
Brian hated the damn things, he wasn’t going to let her see that,
not after Polly had asked – with big gosh honey please eyes
– if they could go. He was sure his face had lost all expression
when he’d realized what she was begging for, but he’d gained
control before letting her see his game-losing stare.
“Uh, sure!” he’d somehow managed. And Polly, excited about the
idea of cotton candy and watergun balloon games, had managed to
ignore or completely miss the look of frightened, anxious “Oh
God, please no!” on her boyfriend’s face for the second it
had appeared.
He rolled his eyes in the silence of his room and pulled his American
Idiot concert t-shirt from the hanger. Somehow it seemed
appropriate.
Fifteen minutes later, he was forcing a smile on the doorstep of
Polly’s place. When she came to the door, light brown hair
perfectly tousled over her shoulder, wearing a tight pink t-shirt and
blue cut-off jean shorts, Brian’s forced smile changed from false
to full-on for-real. She looked delicious.
“Don’t be too late,” her mom called from inside the house.
Polly turned and flashed an “oh puh-leez” look behind her. “I
won’t,” she promised. Then she took his elbow and pulled him
toward the driveway. “C’mon,” she said. “I want to get there
before dark!”
Brian took another look at her glowing smile and even brighter eyes
and decided that as much as he hated carnivals, this was going to be
an amazing night.
***
The mall parking lot was already packed when they pulled in and were
directed off the asphalt to an impromptu lot in the neighboring
field. The carnival itself straddled both the asphalt and the long,
normally empty grass to the west of the mall. It was the first real
heat of summer, and everyone in town was ready for a party. The
visiting carnival gave them a good excuse, and they didn’t pass it
up. It looked as if everyone in Blackburn had turned out. The buzz of
the crowd was already loud above the festive music of the midway.
Brian and Polly stood in a long line at the ticket counter for 10
minutes before a ticket-taker – oddly garbed in clown makeup, with
pitch-black fingernails – snapped up their money and slapped down
two generic red rectangles that said ‘Ticket’, proving they
should have entrance.
“Can we get cotton candy?” Polly asked, as soon as they stepped
past the ticket booth.
“Sure,” Brian agreed, and led her across the asphalt to an
electric pink cart just a few steps away. A man in a white coat and
hat was busy swiping a cardboard cone around the inside of the glass
cart, gathering up strands of spun sugar to create a hive of sweet
cotton for someone waiting just on the other side of the window. The
air around them throbbed, alive with tinkling bells, calliope music,
and the screams and laughs of people diving and soaring not far away
on one of the big oval rides that took you up into the air almost to
the moon before suddenly dropping down to the earth in a pendulum arc
that looked guaranteed to end in a crash to the pavement. Lights
caught them, blinded them in hazy yellows, reds and blues and then
were momentarily gone.
They were in the center of it all, and Brian knew that his
trepidation, no, alienation about the carnival, was not going
to find a receptive ear here. All around them people were having a
blast.
They eventually made it to the concessions cart’s window and as the
white-clad man spun sugar onto a paper cone for his girlfriend, the
hair on the back of Brian’s neck stood up straight as a voice from
behind yelled out, “Polly! What is up, girl?”
It was Francis Blellingfield. Brian knew that without looking….
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser & SAD House Press, 2013. All rights reserved.
October 25, 2013
New Release - Nightmare Stalkers & Dream Walkers from Horrified Press
Nightmare Stalkers & Dream Walkers
Horror Anthology: Nightmare Stalkers & Dream Walkers
EDITED BY: Suzie Lockhart & Bruce Lockhart 2nd
Author List:
Desperate Dreams – By Chantal Boudreau
Dose – By Jay Wilburn
Chosen – By Rebecca Besser
Virtual Black – By Todd Nelsen
Dreamer – By Ben Pienaar
Silent Scream – By Scarlet Norton-Duperre
MacKenzie’s Rose – By Rie Sheridan Rose
If You Should Die Before I Wake – By Josh Strnad
Flesh – By James S. Dorr
Dialogues with the Dead – By Kate Monroe
Seven Snowy Deaths – By K. Trap Jones
Nightmare – By Rick McQuiston
Shadow – By Mathias Jansson
Knock Knock – By Joel M. Kremer
7 Hours – By Max Booth III
Whispers – By Mark Slade
Gateway Drug – By Lindsey Beth Goddard
Rêve Noir – By Eli Wilde
A Daffodil or Tulip Shan’t Compare – By Justin Tate
Phantom Flirts – By Justin Tate
The House on Cedar Street – By Sean Farren
The Twenty – By Ray J. Robbio
The Boy Who Usually Wasn’t There – By Allan Izen
The Patrol – By Kenneth W. Cain, author of FRESH CUT TALES, THESE OLD TALES, THE SAGA OF I trilogy and THE DEAD CIVIL WAR
Arcticus – By Greg McWhorter
The New Gaoler – By Konstantine Paradias
Special Delivery – By Wiiliam Holden
Oh Baby! – By Patrick O’ Scheen
Apep – By Joseph A. Pinto
The Ferryman – By Suzie Lockhart & Bruce Lockhart 2nd
Mr Creator – By Joe McKinney (Bram Stoker Award winner and author of ‘The Dead World’ series, as well as ‘The Savage Dead’)
October 22, 2013
Drink Up The Horror - October 19, 2013
Drink Up The Horror attending authors (left to right):
Brian Dobbins, Courtney Rene, S.p. Durnin, Rebecca Besser (ME!),
Patrick D'Orazio, & Brady Allen
As you may or may not know...I was involved with a book signing event at Fado Irish Pub in Columbus, Ohio this past weekend. Six authors made it to the event (three who had planned to attend did not make it).
There were raffled off prizes:
And books for sale:
New friends:
Old Friends:
Decorations, technology, and advertising:
And all around food, drinks, and fun:
For those of you who didn't make it, you missed a great time!
I hope to see those of you who didn't make it next time!
October 9, 2013
Honesty - People Can't Handle It
The other day we were visiting some family friends. While we were
sitting and talking, one of the women (in her 90s) brought up how she
didn't think sex had a place in books. She told me she wrote to an
author and complained about the way she put sex scenes in her stories.
Her main argument was: What if children read it?
My response:
Adult books aren't written for children. They're written for adults. If
children are reading them, their parents are at fault for not paying
enough attention to what their children are getting their hands on and
reading.
I also made if very clear that people who write
ADULT
books don't have children in mind when they're writing them, because the books are for adults.
Later, I was informed that the woman thought I was "opinionated."
This
didn't offend me in the least. I know I am. I'm proud that I know
myself well enough to stand up against something I don't like or believe
in just because it might upset someone else. I can't live with the
what-ifs of others and be true to myself.
People have to be
responsible for themselves. This goes along with people getting
offended, and the thinking that the author is ultimately responsible for
who gets their hands on their books, regardless of the genre or age
group.
I can't be responsible for a child getting a hold of one
of my stories or books that isn't written for their age group. That
child and their parents are responsible for regulating their intake of
literature. That's the truth. Take it or leave it.
Stop blaming
everything on the authors. If you don't like what they write, find an
author you like better. God knows there are plenty of authors out there
and they could use real fans.
Authors don't sit and think about
how everything in there work will offend people, or make them like their
work better. We sit down and we tell a story. Maybe it's a happy story.
Maybe it's an ugly story. Maybe the characters are messed up. Maybe
everyone in the story is completely sane. Who knows! At the end of the
day (unless it's nonfiction) it's all made up and not real anyway; it's
just a story for entertainment. If the stories authors write happen to
push your comfort zone and make you think beyond you're own experience,
so be it! But don't blame the authors for what you like or don't like.
We didn't write the story to personally piss you off.
Read and be
enlighten, and stop pointing fingers at authors who have no control
over each reader's likes and dislikes. Because, if you continue to do
so, you might just run into a writer like me who will straight up tell
you you're wrong.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.
October 8, 2013
Characters - Why We Love or Hate Them
According to my husband's TV viewing show choices, I've discovered that he tends to like female characters that I have similar traits with. I'm not "identical" to any of them, but they all seem to embody something I've found similar in myself. You could literally take all the female characters he likes, put them in a blender, and end up creating me as a whole. Example: On one show my husband watches, he likes the goth chick character that's kind of smart/nerdy, but completely adorable and loving at the same time. I kinda fit that. While on another show, he likes the wild, crazy, unpredictable chick with a great sense of humor. That could also fit me.
Through this observation I've learned to watch characters more closely to see why I do and don't like them. I've found that I like a lot of characters that have the same traits as my husband. I've also found that I like children characters that have the same cute/silly characteristics as my son!
It's really not that far fetched to recognize and realize why you do and don't like characters, when you can identify who you do and don't like in your everyday life and why.
People are drawn to the people and characters that speak to their baser instincts. No one likes someone who they know is going to screw them over and who can't be trusted. Most people avoid those people and dislike them in real life. When you put those traits in your "bad guy" in a story, you'll get the same gut reaction of dislike, often more intensely and more clearly because when you're reading or watching a show, you're in a safe environment. There will be no backlash from the "character" that you don't like, so you'll speak your mind freely about what you dislike about them. This also goes for characters you like - there's no fear of rejection. For these two reasons alone, I believe, is why reading and television capture the interest of so many.
I hope now you'll look at characters in a different light and learn to break them down to the point where you can see the "humanity" of them according to your world of influence (people around you). This will help you understand why you love and hate them, and it will make it more fun and interesting to write characters in your stories and give them more depth.
Have fun with your characters...there are patterns all around you.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.
October 7, 2013
Honesty - People Can't Handle It
My response: Adult books aren't written for children. They're written for adults. If children are reading them, their parents are at fault for not paying enough attention to what their children are getting their hands on and reading.
I also made if very clear that people who write ADULT books don't have children in mind when they're writing them, because the books are for adults.
Later, I was informed that the woman thought I was "opinionated."
This didn't offend me in the least. I know I am. I'm proud that I know myself well enough to stand up against something I don't like or believe in just because it might upset someone else. I can't live with the what-ifs of others and be true to myself.
People have to be responsible for themselves. This goes along with people getting offended, and the thinking that the author is ultimately responsible for who gets their hands on their books, regardless of the genre or age group.
I can't be responsible for a child getting a hold of one of my stories or books that isn't written for their age group. That child and their parents are responsible for regulating their intake of literature. That's the truth. Take it or leave it.
Stop blaming everything on the authors. If you don't like what they write, find an author you like better. God knows there are plenty of authors out there and they could use real fans.
Authors don't sit and think about how everything in there work will offend people, or make them like their work better. We sit down and we tell a story. Maybe it's a happy story. Maybe it's an ugly story. Maybe the characters are messed up. Maybe everyone in the story is completely sane. Who knows! At the end of the day (unless it's nonfiction) it's all made up and not real anyway; it's just a story for entertainment. If the stories authors write happen to push your comfort zone and make you think beyond you're own experience, so be it! But don't blame the authors for what you like or don't like. We didn't write the story to personally piss you off.
Read and be enlighten, and stop pointing fingers at authors who have no control over each reader's likes and dislikes. Because, if you continue to do so, you might just run into a writer like me who will straight up tell you you're wrong.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.
September 18, 2013
New Release - Print Version of Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death by Rebecca Besser
Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death is available in paperback!
The paperback has four bonus stories not included in the ebook version.
Twisted Pathways of Murder & Death
When emotions go to extremes murder happens.
Sometimes it’s because of betrayal.
Sometimes it’s in revenge.
Sometimes it’s to hide a lie or in self-defense.
Sometimes it’s to feed a secret hunger.
Whatever the reason, the human mind lends itself to twisted pathways that lead to murder and death…
Includes four bonus stories: Evil Mountain, The Heart of Heroism, Historical Significance, & Memories
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser. All rights reserved.
September 3, 2013
Publishing Mistakes - Happily Ever After
I've had a bad experience with a press in the past, and I've seen other people I know having bad experiences with presses they've worked with. I honestly believe that ever writer will have some type of experience along these lines at some point. It could be with a press, an editor, or even an agent.
When things don't go the way you expect, or are supposed to, with your publishing, it's disheartening (which is putting it mildly). You spend a lot of time on your short stories, novellas, novels, etc. You want to birth them into the world and have everyone behold the beauty of your brain child. What you don't want is to have a doctor (publisher, editor, agent) who is known for malpractice.
The Preditors & Editors site is a good place to start when checking out viable options. But, please keep in mind, that presses don't start out bad. You could be with a press that's doing great, and all of a sudden things start to spiral downward. This can have something to do with the owner, or if there's a new head editor. When policies change, everything changes. People focus on different things... Maybe the old editor was faster at getting works out and doesn't spend as much time on cover art, but the new one takes their time and waits for everything to be perfect. You just don't know what changes will come about with a shuffling of people associated with a press.
You should be prepared to deal with let down because not everyone works the same, and people make mistakes. Even you when you choose to go with a press that eventually lets you down. Don't be too hard on yourself. Learn from the situation and move on - that's what I did.
Relationships in publishing can be like dating... You like someone, get to know them better, things don't work out, and you break up. But, you try again next time you find someone you like and who gets you excited... You keep going with the process (wiser for the past mistakes and learning) and eventually that one special someone (press, agent, editor) comes along and makes all the dreams you've been hoping for come true.
Don't give up because things don't go your way. Step back out into the world wiser and chase down you're "happily ever after" in publishing.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.
August 30, 2013
New Release - The Samaritan's Pistol by Eric Bishop
“Pull a trigger, save a life.”
When faced with a perilous choice, Jim makes this decision without hesitation—but not without consequence. Eric Bishop, debut novelist, explores the life-threatening results of Jim’s choice in The Samaritan’s Pistol.
Released August 24th, The Samaritan’s Pistol is a fresh, gritty Contemporary Western. Bishop’s powerful prose is reflected by his rugged characters, and yet, Bishop’s characters, just like his writing, possess an appealing soft side. With a fast-paced plot full of mobsters and cowboys, this novel will attract both lovers of Western and quality, action-packed fiction.
Even among his small town neighbors, Jim is a content man. Despite emotional baggage from time spent serving in Desert Storm, he successfully runs a massive ranch, owns several beautiful horses, and makes loads of extra cash as a wilderness guide for wealthy tourists. He’s a modern day cowboy.
That is until he runs into an ongoing mafia hit while riding in the mountains. Now, his best most beloved horse is bleeding to death, three mobsters are dead from his pistol and a wounded criminal is begging for his help. Jim has to make a decision. He can run from the Mafia boss whose family he’s killed, or accept a tempting offer made by the criminal—a promise of millions in stolen mafia cash for any help he gives. Only an idiot would turn down such an appealing offer when they’re marked for death anyway. And Jim’s good nature won’t allow him to leave anyone for dead, even a criminal.
Eric Bishop
Copyrights owned by Eric Bishop, 2013. All rights reserved.
August 29, 2013
Write On Time by Rebecca Besser
Write On Time
By Rebecca Besser
In the last year (a little over), I’ve been working part-time outside my home. This was after being a stay-at-home-mom/writer for years! Time constraints and everyday life as a wife and mother, plus now working, has made it extremely hard for me to find time to write. This has cut back in my word count and short story submissions.
When I do decide to try to get a short story written – preferring to spend my time on longer works – I’ve found that I’m having difficulty getting the stories written in a timely manner to meet the deadline.
Deadlines mean different things to different authors; they are either motivation to get things done, or something that can make us horribly disappointed in ourselves when we don’t meet them. They are an upper and/or a downer.
Lately, for me, they’ve been a downer. I’ll read a submission call I want to write for and try to work writing a story for it into my limited writing time, only to realize a month later that the deadline is a few days away and I have yet to write a single word for it.
If the call is something I really want to write for, I’ll go balls-to-the-wall and slam a story out really fast. If the call is something I’m not as excited about, I’ll usually let it slip unless I’m for some reason spontaneously inspired with a fantastic story idea. Sometimes, if it’s one I really want to make and know I won’t have anything for it on time, I’ll ask for an extension.
Have you ever asked for an extended deadline? Do you feel that’s too bold?
I would encourage you to do it, but only if you know for sure you can have something decent or possibly great to submit by the end of the extension. I can usually get away with this because I have a lot of short story credits to my name and am somewhat known in the anthology circles I travel in. But, even if you’re not as well known, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for an extension.
Here are the reasons you should ask if an extension is possible: 1) You don’t know how many “useable” submissions they’ve received and they could use a couple more stories to get the word count they’re after. 2) You have the unique opportunity to ask if there was a type of story the editor would have liked to have seen submitted and no one sent.
Those two reasons alone could get you an acceptance you thought had passed you by just because of a deadline.
Keep in mind also, that there will be more open submission calls that you’ll have plenty of time to write for. Don’t take every single one to heart. I don’t! If I did, I would be depressed with how my short story submissions have gone in the last year or so.
I’m currently staring a deadline in the eye and might have to ask for one of those extensions. I have a week left. I might, just might have the story finished in time to send it in…right on time!
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2013. All rights reserved.
