Rebecca Besser's Blog, page 71
November 22, 2012
A Celebration of Thanks, Dedicated to Todd Card
Me with my signed, first edition, copy of Hell Cometh!
Do you know Todd Card? If you don't, you don't know what you're missing! He's a great guy with a real zest and passion for writing. I first met him on Facebook and eventually interviewed him on my blog, only to find out what a truly amazing person he is.
Despite all the hardships of his life, his spirit has survived. Now, he's facing the sadness of his body turning against him as it shuts down. He no longer has feeling in his hands and he struggles to type. Yet, he pushes forward to get his next novel out to the world.
He has dreams of reaching the world with his words and he doesn't know how much longer he'll have the opportunity to do so; it might be years, but who knows. That's why, this Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks for having Todd Card as a friend.
I've set up an event on Facebook and invited others to share Todd Card and his book with the world. We're doing a promo EXPLOSION for Hell Cometh to help Todd with his dream of reaching a larger audience. He's touched so many in a positive way and we all want him to know that we appreciate all he's done and accomplished despite the obstacles thrown in his way by an unjust life.
If you'd like to join in the event (taking place from Nov. 22-25) visit it on Facebook!
To learn more about Todd's book, Hell Cometh, visit the book's website!
If you would like to learn more about Todd Card, read the interview I did with him! You'll be inspired!
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser and Todd Card, 2012. All rights reserved.
November 19, 2012
Interview with Author Jeremy C. Shipp
Author Jeremy C. Shipp
Jeremy C. Shipp is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Cursed, Vacation, and Sheep and Wolves. His shorter tales have appeared or are forthcoming in over 60 publications, the likes of Cemetery Dance, ChiZine, Apex Magazine, Withersin, and Shroud Magazine. Jeremy enjoys living in Southern California in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse called Rose Cottage. He lives there with a couple of pygmy tigers and a legion of yard gnomes. The gnomes like him. The clowns living in his attic–not so much. His twitter handle is @JeremyCShipp.
http://www.jeremycshipp.com
Bec: Welcome to my blog, please start out by sharing a little bit about yourself –
Jer: Thank you for having me! I’m a writer, a geek, a yard gnome whisperer, and an attic clown wrangler. I live in a moderately-haunted Victorian farmhouse. I enjoy short walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners in spooky caves.
Bec: What first got you interested in writing?
Jer: My dad would read to me and my brothers all the time when we were kids. That’s when I fell in love with books. And then in 4th grade I wrote my first short story. That’s when I fell in love with writing.
Bec: What are the worst struggles you think writers face, writing and marketing?
Jer: I enjoy all my struggles, so I’d have a hard time saying what’s worst. I suppose the most difficult thing is that accomplishing your dreams requires a lot of hard work and a lot of luck. The hard work isn’t so bad, but can be difficult to create luck.
Bec: Tell us about your book/s –
Jer: My books are weird, surreal, dark and funny. My newest books are called Attic Clowns and Attic Toys, because, in my mind, the world needs more books about attics.
Bec: Are you working on a sequel/s?
Jer: I would love to write a sequel to Cursed, because those characters are so fun to be around, but so far I haven’t thought of an idea that would work. I would want the sequel to be better than the original. Otherwise I won’t write it. I’m also considering writing a comic book series about Globcow from Attic Clowns. He’s my favorite little monster.
Bec: What other projects are you working on or involved with?
Jer: I’m working on a new short story collection about monsters, a comic book, a new anthology that I’m editing. I might even create a web series in the near future. More details will be available on all these projects at jeremycshipp.com.
Bec: What's your favorite color?
Jer: I love the color of a chupacabra’s spleen.
Bec: Do you like to listen to music while you write or have complete silence?
Jer: Every once in a while, I’ll listen to some Cranberries, but most of the time I prefer silence. And by silence I mean the meowing of cats mixed with the chortling of attic clowns and the yodeling of yard gnomes.
Bec: What's your favorite writing snack?
Jer: More often than not, I forget to eat or drink while I’m writing. In general though, I like potato chips and fried Smurf brains.
Bec: What genres do you most like to read/write?
Jer: I like fantasy, classic literature, horror. I try to read a little bit of everything. When I’m writing, I don’t think about genre. But my books and stories usually end up getting classified as some combination of horror/fantasy/sci-fi/literature/bizarro.
Bec: Sticky or slimy?
Jer: Slimy. I love the feel of ectoplasm squishing between my fingers. And there’s nothing slimier than ectoplasm.
Bec: Do you find writing a lonely profession?
Jer: I don’t think writers feel lonely while we’re writing, since we’re too busy playing with our imaginary friends to notice that we’re taking part in a solitary activity. But of course, it’s important to socialize with real people as well.
Bec: If you could design your own army of killer Smurfs, what would it be like?
Jer: I would create a horde of zombie Smurfs that would use little pick axes to break into my enemies’ skulls. Then the Smurfs would eat their way inside. I’d also make tiny suits of armor for my zombies, so they would be pretty much unstoppable.
Bec: Country or city?
Jer: I would prefer to live in the country, not far from a big city that I could visit from time to time. I want to make my own cheese, but I also want to visit museums when the mood strikes me.
Bec: What would you share with a beginning writer?
Jer: Write, write, and write some more. Try to write every day, even if you only write a paragraph or a sentence. Don’t let anyone’s negativity discourage you, including your own.
Bec: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Jer: I would want to change my arms into dragons, so that I could have dragon arms.
Bec: There is a city of trolls living in your sink drain. Once you've made contact with them, how do you convince them that you're a friend and not an enemy?
Jer: I would dump mead and grog into the drain until the trolls were drunk. And as we all know, a drunken troll will believe anything.
Bec: What do you wish someone would have told you when you first started your writing journey?
Jer: Everything’s gonna be alright, buddy. Just chill out and enjoy the ride. Oh, and here are some peanut butter chip cookies I made for you. I know they’re your favorite.
Bec: Date night: Going out to eat and drinking? Or meal at home and having your woman all to yourself?
Jer: I like to switch things up. Out to eat one night. Meal at home the next night. Then, another night, we’ll eat inside a cave and paint antelope on the walls.
Bec: Do you think having other writers as friends is a good thing for your growth as a writer?
Jer: More experienced writers can definitely teach new writers a lot about how to survive and succeed. And, of course, if you have a writer friend you respect who gives you feedback about your work, this can help you grow.
Bec: What's your favorite book? Why?
Jer: One of my favorites is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I love the creative use of language in the book. Every sentence feels like magic.
Bec: Zombie hookers or zombie clowns?
Jer: Zombie clowns, because they might eat some of the clowns in my attic. And there are WAY too many clowns in my attic. Five million is too many in my book, anyway.
Bec: Who's your favorite author? Why?
Jer: Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorites. He wrote so many brilliant books. He was able to express complex ideas and emotions in simple and graspable ways.
Bec: Is there anything you would like to share that I haven't asked you about?
Jer: I’d like to share my opinion about juggling babies. Personally, I believe that juggling babies is almost always wrong.
Bec: Thank you for stopping by and sharing! Best of luck with your books and future projects!
Jer: Thank you kindly! May the yard gnome and attic clown gods smile upon you.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser and Jeremy C. Shipp, 2012. All rights reserved.
November 16, 2012
Hostess To Close - R.I.P. Twinkies
After reading this article (Hostess To Close) it's now plain to see that something all of us have loved since our childhood could be lost forever under financial crisis. Hostess is in the process of closing its door and will only be shipping out the snack cakes they have in their storage facilities.
This closer was brought on by a union strike that went a little farther than the workers had planned on. While some were willing to negotiate it all came down to a small union who refused to budge. The continued strike crippled the company who was already having management and financial difficulties.
While I think someone will buy the brands and company - heck, they already have a good thing set up - I can't help thinking about Zombieland. The great search for just one more Twinkie could now be a reality. What if someone doesn't buy them out and continue with the snack cakes that bring out the nostalgia in us all? Is this truly the death of the Twinkie?
Now, instead of having to fend off the undead while you search for the Hostess cake of your choosing, you'll be fending off other people who want them (WARNING: They may also appear as shambling, moaning, single-minded, purpose-driven entities that will do anything for their one last taste of Hostess!).
Not only is this alarming because it takes away something that triggers happy memories for most, but a great American company. Someone commented on the link when I shared it on Facebook, saying they'll prolly move the plant to a different country. Another comment brought that into stronger resonance when she said they would want to get away from the unions.
I guess we'll all have to wait and see if the Twinkie is resurrected from the grave after Hostess' funeral is over. Until then...R.I.P. Twinkie.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser (article/art), 2012. All rights reserved.
This closer was brought on by a union strike that went a little farther than the workers had planned on. While some were willing to negotiate it all came down to a small union who refused to budge. The continued strike crippled the company who was already having management and financial difficulties.
While I think someone will buy the brands and company - heck, they already have a good thing set up - I can't help thinking about Zombieland. The great search for just one more Twinkie could now be a reality. What if someone doesn't buy them out and continue with the snack cakes that bring out the nostalgia in us all? Is this truly the death of the Twinkie?
Now, instead of having to fend off the undead while you search for the Hostess cake of your choosing, you'll be fending off other people who want them (WARNING: They may also appear as shambling, moaning, single-minded, purpose-driven entities that will do anything for their one last taste of Hostess!).
Not only is this alarming because it takes away something that triggers happy memories for most, but a great American company. Someone commented on the link when I shared it on Facebook, saying they'll prolly move the plant to a different country. Another comment brought that into stronger resonance when she said they would want to get away from the unions.
I guess we'll all have to wait and see if the Twinkie is resurrected from the grave after Hostess' funeral is over. Until then...R.I.P. Twinkie.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser (article/art), 2012. All rights reserved.
November 14, 2012
What's The Deal? - Secession
The entire petition to secede thing is fascinating me. It's apparent that most don't know what it means or what's being implied by the petitions. If you read them, you quickly find out people believe that our government is far from what it should be. They believe that the rights of the American people are being trampled on or taken away. In essence, they don't believe we are as close to following the Constitution as we should be.
Alabama (exceeded the 25K) asks for a peaceful withdraw to form their own government. Their claims and quotes are from the Declaration of Independence. (Most of the petitions copy this one almost exactly.) **
** Arizona (still needing 6K+), Arkansas (still needing 5K+), California (still needing 14K+), Colorado (still needing 6K+), Delaware (still needing 18K+), Georgia (exceeded the 25K), Indiana (still needing 7K+), Kansas (still needing 18K+), Kentucky (still needing 9K+), Louisiana (exceeded the 25K), Michigan (still needing 8K+), Mississippi (still needing 9K+), Missouri (still needing 8K+), Nebraska (still needing 19K+), New Jersey (still needing 12K+), New York (still needing 11K+), North Carolina (exceeded the 25K), North Dakota (still needing 14K+), Oklahoma (still needing 9K+), Pennsylvania (still needing 14K+), South Carolina (still needing 4K+), South Dakota (still needing 20K+), Utah (still needing 18K+), Virginia (still needing 18K+), West Virginia (still needing 19K+), all mirror the Alabama petition, quoting the Declaration of Independence.
Alaska (still needing 18K+) is declaring they don't get the right to vote like they should, and is demanding a 'statewide free election' to see if they should be a free and independent nation.
Florida (has exceeded the 25K), Montana (still needing 13K+), and Wyoming (still needing 17K+) declare that the Federal Government has not led citizens justly or with honor. They want to take matters upon themselves to ensure their continued freedom. Then they quite Benjamin Franklin.
Nevada (still needing 16K+) is short and sweet by just saying they want a peaceful withdraw.
Ohio (still needing 15K+) states that they want to become their own free nation, quotes John F. Kennedy referring to revolution.
Oregon (still needing 12K+) states that the Federal Government's size is bigger than what the Founding Father's intended, and that they're abusively trumping the state's constitution - imposing policies that aren't in the best interest people of Oregon. They want to separate themselves from the 'tyranical Goverment' that cares nothing about creating a sustainable future for their children.
Tennessee (exceeded 25K) is shorter than even Nevada with a simple: Help the people of Tennessee.
Texas (exceeded 25K with almost 100K) and brings up NDAA and TSA, two very blatant abuses of our government against 'the people'. They also bring up their economical/financial strength and that they could thrive very well on their own. They also say they can '...protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and
liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our
founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal
government.'
Wisconsin (still needing 20K+) states: We believe in our rights that were granted to us in the constitution our
ancestors wrote, and we also believe that your administration is
infringing on those rights. They also quote Thomas Jefferson, and end their petition with: LIVE FREE OR DIE FIGHTING
In case anyone doesn't know what the 25K implies... For the petition to get a response from the White House, the petition must reach at least 25,000 signatures. Being that most of the petitions are exactly the same, I'm wondering if there will be some research done as to the authenticity of signatures and sources before a response is made. A few of the petitions have reached/exceeded the total required.
I find the petitions interesting for a few reasons.
1) If there was only one state with a petition we could assume someone was just throwing a tantrum, but when more than half of the states in the Union have a petition that thought process gets voided, signaling a problem.
2) Most of the states with petitions aren't even close to the other states, and they all want to be nations unto themselves, not with each other.
3) If so many people from such a variance of regions are wanting the same thing for the same reasons, isn't something wrong?
4) It's apparent that people feel that their government is NOT working in their best interest.
5) People want their rights protected and upheld - they WANT the Constitution to stand firm and don't believe it currently is.
Don't most of these issues raise questions? Are you, like me, wondering what the White House is thinking?
People are standing up and saying something's wrong and they don't like it, and they're getting called stupid by people who are too afraid or blind to do it themselves.
I see this as a peaceable cry for a revolution. Not to change the United States into something they want it to be, but to restore it to what it was to begin with and still should be today - a land of freedom.
But is Secession the right way to go? It is believed to be used as a political bargaining tool, to get attention and negotiation for what is wanted. And, according to some, secession is illegal according to the Constitution. BUT, when it's about political freedoms and tyranny, things take a new twist. It is believed that the oppression of the people is a good reason for secession.
The United States Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession unconstitutional while commenting that revolution or consent of the states could lead to a successful secession.
Some of Thomas Jefferson's words referring to the Alien and Sedition Acts says something very different though.
It's unclear how all these petitions will pan out, but I'm curious to see how the White House responds. If nothing else, I hope it makes them think about what the American people want and what they're crying out for: FREEDOM!
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
Alabama (exceeded the 25K) asks for a peaceful withdraw to form their own government. Their claims and quotes are from the Declaration of Independence. (Most of the petitions copy this one almost exactly.) **
** Arizona (still needing 6K+), Arkansas (still needing 5K+), California (still needing 14K+), Colorado (still needing 6K+), Delaware (still needing 18K+), Georgia (exceeded the 25K), Indiana (still needing 7K+), Kansas (still needing 18K+), Kentucky (still needing 9K+), Louisiana (exceeded the 25K), Michigan (still needing 8K+), Mississippi (still needing 9K+), Missouri (still needing 8K+), Nebraska (still needing 19K+), New Jersey (still needing 12K+), New York (still needing 11K+), North Carolina (exceeded the 25K), North Dakota (still needing 14K+), Oklahoma (still needing 9K+), Pennsylvania (still needing 14K+), South Carolina (still needing 4K+), South Dakota (still needing 20K+), Utah (still needing 18K+), Virginia (still needing 18K+), West Virginia (still needing 19K+), all mirror the Alabama petition, quoting the Declaration of Independence.
Alaska (still needing 18K+) is declaring they don't get the right to vote like they should, and is demanding a 'statewide free election' to see if they should be a free and independent nation.
Florida (has exceeded the 25K), Montana (still needing 13K+), and Wyoming (still needing 17K+) declare that the Federal Government has not led citizens justly or with honor. They want to take matters upon themselves to ensure their continued freedom. Then they quite Benjamin Franklin.
Nevada (still needing 16K+) is short and sweet by just saying they want a peaceful withdraw.
Ohio (still needing 15K+) states that they want to become their own free nation, quotes John F. Kennedy referring to revolution.
Oregon (still needing 12K+) states that the Federal Government's size is bigger than what the Founding Father's intended, and that they're abusively trumping the state's constitution - imposing policies that aren't in the best interest people of Oregon. They want to separate themselves from the 'tyranical Goverment' that cares nothing about creating a sustainable future for their children.
Tennessee (exceeded 25K) is shorter than even Nevada with a simple: Help the people of Tennessee.
Texas (exceeded 25K with almost 100K) and brings up NDAA and TSA, two very blatant abuses of our government against 'the people'. They also bring up their economical/financial strength and that they could thrive very well on their own. They also say they can '...protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and
liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our
founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal
government.'
Wisconsin (still needing 20K+) states: We believe in our rights that were granted to us in the constitution our
ancestors wrote, and we also believe that your administration is
infringing on those rights. They also quote Thomas Jefferson, and end their petition with: LIVE FREE OR DIE FIGHTING
In case anyone doesn't know what the 25K implies... For the petition to get a response from the White House, the petition must reach at least 25,000 signatures. Being that most of the petitions are exactly the same, I'm wondering if there will be some research done as to the authenticity of signatures and sources before a response is made. A few of the petitions have reached/exceeded the total required.
I find the petitions interesting for a few reasons.
1) If there was only one state with a petition we could assume someone was just throwing a tantrum, but when more than half of the states in the Union have a petition that thought process gets voided, signaling a problem.
2) Most of the states with petitions aren't even close to the other states, and they all want to be nations unto themselves, not with each other.
3) If so many people from such a variance of regions are wanting the same thing for the same reasons, isn't something wrong?
4) It's apparent that people feel that their government is NOT working in their best interest.
5) People want their rights protected and upheld - they WANT the Constitution to stand firm and don't believe it currently is.
Don't most of these issues raise questions? Are you, like me, wondering what the White House is thinking?
People are standing up and saying something's wrong and they don't like it, and they're getting called stupid by people who are too afraid or blind to do it themselves.
I see this as a peaceable cry for a revolution. Not to change the United States into something they want it to be, but to restore it to what it was to begin with and still should be today - a land of freedom.
But is Secession the right way to go? It is believed to be used as a political bargaining tool, to get attention and negotiation for what is wanted. And, according to some, secession is illegal according to the Constitution. BUT, when it's about political freedoms and tyranny, things take a new twist. It is believed that the oppression of the people is a good reason for secession.
The United States Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession unconstitutional while commenting that revolution or consent of the states could lead to a successful secession.
Some of Thomas Jefferson's words referring to the Alien and Sedition Acts says something very different though.
It's unclear how all these petitions will pan out, but I'm curious to see how the White House responds. If nothing else, I hope it makes them think about what the American people want and what they're crying out for: FREEDOM!
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
November 6, 2012
Blind Panic? - An Amazon Accident?
"What's going on in the workings of Amazon?": That's what most authors are wondering right now. According to this article from Opposing News (LINK) Amazon is panicked over sock-puppet reviews and is just deleting reviews at random.
A majority of us authors are paying attention to this, not only because disappearing reviews hurt our books' rating, but because it could be disparaging to those who take the time to write reviews. Who wants to write a review and post it, only to have it taken down for no reason? This could be destructive to all authors over time; it's already hard enough to get people to post honest reviews, now they've made it even harder.
Their reasoning behind the deletions apparently has something to do with paid reviews. Supposedly authors are paying people to review their books. This is a low practice if you ask me. If you have to pay people to leave you a good review, your writing must be terrible. When I try to find reviewers for my work, I shy away from any site or person who asks to be paid. I don't mind providing the review copies though, that's just a given - they need to read the book to review it!
I'm hoping Amazon comes to their senses and realizes they're causing more harm than good. They would be better off creating a verification process for reviewing than they would deleting at random.
Because of everything that's going on, people are leaning more toward B&N and GoodReads - I applied with GoodReads to become a librarian earlier today. What's important to me is that reviews are still written, still read, and people can buy and enjoy books that appeal to them.
Keep reading! Keep reviewing! KEEP SUPPORTING YOUR FAV AUTHORS !
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
A majority of us authors are paying attention to this, not only because disappearing reviews hurt our books' rating, but because it could be disparaging to those who take the time to write reviews. Who wants to write a review and post it, only to have it taken down for no reason? This could be destructive to all authors over time; it's already hard enough to get people to post honest reviews, now they've made it even harder.
Their reasoning behind the deletions apparently has something to do with paid reviews. Supposedly authors are paying people to review their books. This is a low practice if you ask me. If you have to pay people to leave you a good review, your writing must be terrible. When I try to find reviewers for my work, I shy away from any site or person who asks to be paid. I don't mind providing the review copies though, that's just a given - they need to read the book to review it!
I'm hoping Amazon comes to their senses and realizes they're causing more harm than good. They would be better off creating a verification process for reviewing than they would deleting at random.
Because of everything that's going on, people are leaning more toward B&N and GoodReads - I applied with GoodReads to become a librarian earlier today. What's important to me is that reviews are still written, still read, and people can buy and enjoy books that appeal to them.
Keep reading! Keep reviewing! KEEP SUPPORTING YOUR FAV AUTHORS !
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
November 5, 2012
Reviews - Amazon is doing what?
It has recently come to my attention that Amazon is removing reviews for books written by authors (LA TIMES LINK). Apparently, they consider us all to be competing with each other - which we are in a way. I don't believe it's an unfriendly way for the most part, and this is going a little overboard. There are a lot of people who post reviews for books under false names or pseudonyms, and are trashing people's work for personal reasons without ever reading the book. I know for a fact this happens. But, overall, the majority of reviews can be read by the viewer, and honestly, they can tell who has read the book and hasn't. There's also the gusher reviews that can be known to be true or false once the book is read.
I'm an author and I do book reviews. I even have my own review site: http://varietyreviews.wordpress.com
As of right now, I haven't noticed any of my Amazon reviews being removed, but I wouldn't be shocked if they started to disappear. Regardless, I'll still be reviewing on my site and posting my reviews on Amazon (as long as I can), and on GoodReads. If/when I notice my reviews are not being posted on Amazon, I will discontinue to try to publish them there. *shrug*
One of the things that I really don't like about all this is, being an author and editor, I can tell you more about a book than someone who doesn't have any idea about editing, plot, etc. I design my reviews to be informative and helpful for the writer and the possible reader. Heck, I'm not even bias! I've given a friend of mine (a fellow writer) a three star review because their book was poorly edited. Since then, the book has been reedited and I'm sure it's in much better shape. I'm not say that was because of me, but if people leave HONEST reviews and not back-scratching bullshit the writer and future readers can benefit.
Besides that, most readers don't take the time to review. Being an author, I understand the importance of a review. Most, even diehard, fans won't take the time to write a review and post it. They'll just wait silently for the next book while the author thinks no one likes their book.
Here's a previous post I did on book reviewing and how to make them count: http://blog.rebeccabesser.com/2012/08/31/reviews---how-to-make-them-count.aspx
I'm hoping this doesn't go full blown with Amazon, because most of the reviews on the site will go missing. Authors care more about reviews and reviewing than most other people. Where would we be without each other? I guess if Amazon has its way, we'll find out.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
I'm an author and I do book reviews. I even have my own review site: http://varietyreviews.wordpress.com
As of right now, I haven't noticed any of my Amazon reviews being removed, but I wouldn't be shocked if they started to disappear. Regardless, I'll still be reviewing on my site and posting my reviews on Amazon (as long as I can), and on GoodReads. If/when I notice my reviews are not being posted on Amazon, I will discontinue to try to publish them there. *shrug*
One of the things that I really don't like about all this is, being an author and editor, I can tell you more about a book than someone who doesn't have any idea about editing, plot, etc. I design my reviews to be informative and helpful for the writer and the possible reader. Heck, I'm not even bias! I've given a friend of mine (a fellow writer) a three star review because their book was poorly edited. Since then, the book has been reedited and I'm sure it's in much better shape. I'm not say that was because of me, but if people leave HONEST reviews and not back-scratching bullshit the writer and future readers can benefit.
Besides that, most readers don't take the time to review. Being an author, I understand the importance of a review. Most, even diehard, fans won't take the time to write a review and post it. They'll just wait silently for the next book while the author thinks no one likes their book.
Here's a previous post I did on book reviewing and how to make them count: http://blog.rebeccabesser.com/2012/08/31/reviews---how-to-make-them-count.aspx
I'm hoping this doesn't go full blown with Amazon, because most of the reviews on the site will go missing. Authors care more about reviews and reviewing than most other people. Where would we be without each other? I guess if Amazon has its way, we'll find out.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2012. All rights reserved.
November 1, 2012
Interview with Author Brady Allen
Author Brady Allen
Bec: Welcome to my blog, please start out by sharing a little bit about yourself:
Brady: I’m a dad and a writer. A rural, southern Ohio boy who is stuck in the suburbs for a while. I also love Reds baseball and horror films and Waylon Jennings and AC/DC.
Bec: What first got you interested in writing?
Brady: My folks were both big readers. Mama always read to me and took me to the library. Pop would tell me these “make-up” stories at bedtime, where I’d have to fill in the blanks and help him.
Bec: What are the worst struggles you think writers face, writing and marketing?
Brady: With writing, I’m not sure. I guess some folks get writer’s block, but I’ve never had that issue (knock on wood). Maybe reading too many “how to” books and not just reading fiction and writing. Marketing? Decisions! There are too many to make. Agent, big publisher, small press, indie press . . . ? How do you know where your writing fits? None of us have time to explore every angle and avenue. Researching markets and all takes up a lot of time, writing time!
Bec: Tell us about your book:
Brady: Back Roads & Frontal Lobes is a short story collection. I love short stories. There’s a lot of horror, but much more, too. This is what the description on the book says: These 23 short tales take you along dark, unlined roads and into dark minds less traveled. Held together by themes of isolation and loneliness, existentialism and hope, and choice versus fate, and at turns both disturbing and darkly comical (while often tinged with sadness), this collection of stories explores both speculative fiction and realism: horror and dark fantasy, road stories and crime, dark drama and soft sci-fi, and surrealism and magical realism.
Bec: Are you working on a sequel/s?
Brady: I have a lot of other short stories set in Stairway Falls, Ohio, my fictional town (many in the collection are set there), but not a sequel, really. Some familiar characters, maybe. Or places.
Bec: What other projects are you working on or involved with?
Brady: Several short story deadlines. I can never seem to stop writing them. I’m doing a ghost story, a sword & sorcery tale, another horror story—man, a bunch of them. Plus, I’m working on rewrites for a novel called The Disharmony of Frogs, and—and I’m excited about this—I’m part of a new group organized by friend and author D.A. Adams called “The Outlaws of Fiction.” D.A. Adams, James R. Tuck, Steven Shrewsbury and I are each writing a weird Western novella for a book we’re gonna pitch.
Bec: If glitter was made out of ground up unicorn bones, what would glue be made of?
Brady: No comment. (My mind went immediately to X-rated monsters and sticky, uh, substances.)
Bec: What's your favorite color?
Brady: Blue.
Bec: Do you like to listen to music while you write or have complete silence?
Brady: I can go either way. I listen to Waylon and AC/DC a lot, but when I get into the work, I lose track of the music. I love this CD called Tango Ballet, this crazy-ass classical music. Horror writer Rain Graves turned me on to it.
Bec: If a dinosaur offered to trade you a six pack of beer and a dozen tacos for a meal, who would you feed to it?
Brady: Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals (hey, I’m a Reds fan!), an ex-landlord, an ex-sister-in-law, or . . . Naw, I’ll be good. Any of them.
Bec: What genres do you most like to read/write?
Brady: Horror holds a special place, but I’ll read about anything but straight-up romance. A lot of speculative fiction. Literary and classics, too. I like dark stuff, weird stuff, character-driven stuff, stories about real folks, blue-collar folks . . .
Bec: If you had a fairy in your pocket that provided you with limitless money, where would you go and why?
Brady: Well, what you don’t know is that that is a fairy in my pocket.
Bec: Do you find writing a lonely profession?
Brady: Not anymore. I’ve made so many friends on Facebook and at conventions. I can’t say enough about attending workshops, book fairs, and conventions. We’re all in this together, writers.
Bec: What would you share with a beginning writer?
Brady: A shot of whiskey. Seriously. But, also seriously, anything they wanted to ask. I teach fiction writing, have for 13 years, and I’m proud to have a great number of published former students who get back with me and thank me for writing and publishing tips. I guess that’s what I’d share—that there is no golden ticket or key or condom that helps you get all up in publishing. If you write well, write a lot, and research markets diligently and carefully, so you can submit appropriately, it can very well happen for you. There are more opportunities to publish now than ever. And I’m not talking about vanity presses.
Bec: If you were stuck in a car with an angry mountain lion, what would you do?
Brady: Is it angry with me?
Bec: What do you wish someone would have told you when you first started your writing journey?
Brady: “Get your ass in gear and get serious.” And the piece of advice I got years ago but have only started adhering to in the last couple of years was, “Write what you need to write. Stop apologizing for your subject matter.”
Bec: A two-year-old holds your fate in his little hands. What would you tell him in an attempt to convince him to let you live?
Brady: “Look. I do great armpit farts!”
Bec: Do you think having other writers as friend is a good thing for your growth as a writer?
Brady: There is no doubt in my mind. None.
Bec: What's your favorite book? Why?
Brady: Just one? One? Can’t do it. I love short stories, so I treasure collections by Charles L. Grant, Robert McCammon, Ray Bradbury, Elizabeth Massie, Stephen King, Kelly Link . . . and on and on. How about any “best-of” horror anthology?
Bec: If you could be one female character you've seen in a movie, who would you be?
Brady: Be? Or be with? ‘Cause I’d have fun with Sheri Moon Zombie’s character, Baby, in House of 1,000 Corpses. What is it she says? “We like to get fucked up and do fucked-up shit.” I own the T-shirt.
Bec: Who's your favorite author? Why?
Brady: Robert McCammon. He made me love reading so much that he made want to try writing.
Bec: Is there anything you would like to share that I haven't asked you about?
Brady: I love fruit pie. It’s a weakness.
Bec: Thank you for stopping by and sharing! Best of luck with your book and future project!
Brady: Thanks, Becca! To you, too.
Help me stalk Brady! I mean follow him, yeah, follow him and his work...
You can find him or more about him on his website, his blog, on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter!
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser and Brady Allen, 2012. All rights reserved.
October 31, 2012
From Three Tales of Middle Grade Horror - Which Witch?
To celebrate Halloween, here's a sneak peek at Three Tales of Middle Grade Horror!
Which Witch?: A girl’s cat is lost and she can’t find it. With Halloween
being so close, she worries for her pet’s safety and searches for him.
When she and her friend can’t find the cat, they check out the house on
the hill, where a witch supposedly lives. They see the collar inside,
through a window. The next night, after Trick-or-Treating, they go back
to get the collar and things take a turn for the worst, but not the way
they expected.
Available for download on Smashwords.
WHICH WITCH?
By Rebecca Besser
“What’s wrong?” Taylor Simmons asked as she walked up to the porch steps where her friend was sulking.
“Tiger went missing sometime yesterday,” Susan Hughes said with a heavy sigh. “I’ve looked everywhere, but I still can’t find him.”
Sitting down, Taylor wrapped her arm around Susan and gave her a hug.
“How did he get out of the house? Don’t you usually keep him inside?”
“Yeah,” Susan said with a sniff. “Brian didn’t shut the door when he took the trash out last night – it’s the only time I know of that Tiger could have gotten out of the house.”
“Maybe he’ll come home on his own,” Taylor said. “If he can’t find food or something, maybe he’ll just come back.”
“But he doesn’t have his claws,” Susan sobbed softly. “What if he meets another cat and has to fight? He’ll be at a disadvantage. Tomorrow is Halloween. . . What if someone does something mean to him just for fun? You know how people can be!”
Taylor hugged her friend again.
“How about we go for a walk around the block and see if we can find him, and if we don’t, maybe one of our parents will drive us around to look for him later.”
Susan sniffed, wiped tears from her cheeks, and nodded. “Dad said he would take me when he got home from work today, if it wasn’t too dark.”
Taylor smiled. “Hopefully we find Tiger and we don’t have to worry about that.”
Susan went in and told her mom what they planned to do.
When she came back outside, the two girls went for a walk to find the lost orange tiger-striped cat. Susan had gotten him for her tenth birthday, two years ago, and she was really attached to him.
They called his name and walked slowly, going to the door of each house to ask the residents if they’d seen the cat. No one had.
“This is frustrating,” Susan said. “He had to have been seen by someone.”
Soon, they came to Miss Nordstrom’s house. She was a nice, younger woman who was friendly with the children of the neighborhood, and always inviting them over for cookies or lemonade when she saw them outside playing. Not only was she friendly and nice, but she was beautiful as well. She had long blonde, curly hair, aqua blue eyes, and perfect white teeth. Her nose was the perfect size, and her dark pink lips were always smiling. The girls of the neighborhood always envied her and wanted to look just like her when they grew up.
The girls climbed the light blue painted cement steps and smiled at each other as they rang the door bell. If anyone would help them, it would be Miss Nordstrom.
In a matter of moments the door opened to the cheery smile the girls expected.
“Susan! Taylor!” Miss Nordstrom said happily. “What are you doing here? Come to visit? I just pulled a pumpkin roll out of the oven. Would you like to come in for a piece?”
The girls looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded yes. They could smell the pumpkin and spices in air as it drifted out of the house and it made them hungry.
“Have a seat in the parlor,” Miss Nordstrom instructed. “I’ll get us a snack. Would you like tea or hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate,” the girls said in unison, and then giggled.
Miss Nordstrom grinned, nodded, and went to the kitchen.
Even though Susan and Taylor had been in the parlor many times, they were still fascinated by the elegance of the decor – everything appeared to be antique and well maintained.
They sat down on an lavish red velvet couch and looked around.
“What’s that smell?” Susan asked, wrinkling her nose.
Taylor sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.”
Susan looked down at the couch, frowning. She didn’t find anything, so she looked at the small, round end table that sat beside her. Resting on its top was a lamp and a shallow bowl with a mesh bag, which looked like it held potpourri. Leaning closer, she sniffed.
“Found it,” she said, lifting the bag by the string and holding it out for Taylor to smell.
Taylor wrinkled her nose and gaged. “That reeks! Get it away from me!”
Susan made a disgusted face and put it back where she’d found it.
Miss Nordstrom entered the room at that exact moment, carrying a tray full of mugs of steaming beverages, small plates, forks, napkins, and pumpkin roll.
The girl’s faces lit up as the pumpkin and spice aroma overpowered the stench of the little bag, but not before Miss Nordstrom saw their expressions.
“What’s wrong?” she asked the girls, setting the tray down gently on the coffee table. “You look disgusted with something.”
Taylor shrugged and looked at Susan.
“I was just sitting here and I smelled something funny,” Susan said, picking up the little mesh bag to show Miss Nordstrom. “I found this – it really stinks.”
Miss Nordstrom laughed. “If it bothers you, I’ll put it some place else.”
She took the bag from Susan, put it back in the bowl and moved it to the top of an old piano that was in the opposite corner of the small room.
“Better?”
Susan smiled and nodded. “Yes, thanks. What was in it? Why do you keep something so smelly in here?”
“Susan,” Taylor gasped, elbowing her friend in the side. “That was rude!”
Miss Nordstrom laughed. “Not at all – I have no problem answering those questions. The bag has a mixture of herbs in it. My great-grandma used to make those bags before every Halloween, to keep bad spirits out of the house; it’s an old superstition. I can’t say I really believe it, but doing it each year makes me feel closer to my family.”
Both girls smiled and nodded. They knew that Miss Nordstrom didn’t have any living relatives, and didn’t want to push the subject. They took what she said at face value and let any weirdness slip by in the name of politeness.
They talked and laughed for the next ten minutes as they ate their delicious snack, forgetting about the stinking bag.
“Now,” Miss Nordstrom said, putting her empty plate back on the tray, “what has brought you two to my doorstep this afternoon? You didn’t look too happy when you arrived.”
With the reminder of the reason for their visit, tears sprang to Susan’s eyes and she gushed out the whole tale of Tiger going missing while Taylor held her hand.
“Oh, that’s terrible,” Miss Nordstrom exclaimed. “No one has seen him? What does he look like?”
“He’s a plump orange and yellow tiger-striped cat,” Taylor said, as Susan was now crying too hard to speak. “He has a tie-dye collar with a little gold bell on it.”
“Hmm, let me think,” Miss Nordstrom said thoughtfully. “I don’t recall seeing any strange cats around lately. Have you checked over by Mrs. Larson’s? I’ve heard of all kinds of animals disappearing over there.”
With the mention of Mrs. Larson, both girls froze, their faces going white with fear. Mrs. Larson was a crazy old lady who lived in an old rickety house on the hill. Her yard was always overgrown, and dark clouds and fog seemed to linger around the house. She was a witch, or so all the children believed.
“Mrs. . . . Mrs. . . . Larson?” Susan asked in a quivery voice, swallowing hard. “You think she might have taken Tiger?”
Miss Nordstrom shrugged and sighed. “I’m not saying she did, but I’ve heard stories of her taking animals that she finds roaming around. If you don’t find Tiger anywhere else, I would check there.”
The girls glanced at each other; the knuckles of their clasped hands were now white for gripping so tightly. They were afraid of Mrs. Larson – they always had been.
“I hate to rush you two out,” Miss Nordstrom said, standing and picking up the tray now laden with empty plates and mugs. “I wasn’t expecting company today, and I have an appointment soon. I wish you good luck in finding Tiger.”
The girls mumbled their thanks for the refreshments and made polite good-byes, but as they walked out of the house chills ran down their spines; they jumped as the door closed with a loud thump behind them. Thunder boomed from the sky where dark clouds had gathered. Lightning flashed and the wind picked up with a vengeance.
They glanced at Mrs. Larson’s house on the hill, which was shrouded in dark storm clouds. The lightning flashed off the windows and made the house look like it was coming alive and wanted to eat them.
Thunder boomed again, and the girls screamed. They ran off the porch and all the way back to Susan’s house, knowing it was about to storm. Just as they stepped through the door, closing it tightly behind themselves, rain poured from the fall sky. The huge drops of water drowned the world in gray, stripping radiant red, orange, and yellow leaves from the trees, laying them out in a murky carpet on the road and lawns.
The girls darted up the steps to Susan’s room and talked in hushed voices about what they would do tomorrow – how they would find Tiger. They decided as a last resort, they would go to Mrs. Larson’s, but only after they’d checked everywhere else.
~
The next morning was still overcast; gray, damp clouds hung low to the ground, setting the perfect stage for Halloween. The girls met at the agreed upon time and continued their search, but no one had seen Tiger.
“Let’s just go do it,” Taylor said. “The sooner we go and ask, the sooner we can get home and get ready to go Trick-or-Treating. Besides, I’m cold and hungry.”
Susan nodded, her teeth chattering from the cold and fear. “Okay.”
Slowly the girls walked to the gate set in a high brick wall that surrounded Mrs. Larson’s property. The land had been in her family for years, having been owned by the town’s founder, who was Mrs. Larson great-uncle.
They stood at the ornate wrought iron gate, staring at the twisted trees, overgrown bushes, and weed choked gravel driveway. Gulping, they pushed the gate open; it screeched in protest and a murder of black crows took flight from their hiding places in the trees. There were so many of them, that the sky looked black with stars of gray where the clouds shown through.
“I don’t want to do this,” Susan whined. “Can’t we just have my dad or someone come up here?”
“Your dad is at work, and it’ll be dark by the time he gets home,” Taylor said, trying to be brave. “Besides, if we don’t do this now, we won’t be back in time to Trick-or-Treat, and I don’t want to miss that.”
Susan nodded and took Taylor’s hand in a death grip. They walked together, hand in hand, up the gravel drive to the house that stood on the top of the hill. The stones of the drive crunched under their feet with each step. Their eyes darted about anxiously, expecting some huge monster to come bounding out and gobble them up at any moment.
Before they knew it, they’d made it to the house, which was an old Victorian made of red brick. Vines grew up the sides, like the fingers of vegetation were trying to grab the house and pull it down into the earth, swallowing it and the inhabitants forever.
Slowly, they stepped on the wooden steps that led to the house, each one creaked ominously, causing their apprehension to grow. By the time they reached the top, they were both so tense that they moved in short stilted steps toward the door.
The porch went all the way around the house, so after they knocked tentatively – with no answer – they decided to walk around the corner to see if there was a back door.
As they went around to the side porch, they saw a light. There was a large window close to the back corner of the house that was like the beacon of a light house to a stormy sea.
The girls headed for it.
Kneeling down, they peeked over the windowsill to see what was inside. The room appeared to be a kitchen. Herbs hung from the ceiling on strings, small containers with hand written labels covered every available surface, and a large pot was steaming on the stove.
Mrs. Larson stepped into the room. Her gray and white hair stuck out from her head at odd angles. As she turned and took something out of a cabinet, they saw that she’d attempted to tame her hair into a bun, but had failed. She wore a calico print dress that looked homemade and old – something that would have been worn twenty or thirty years ago. As she closed the cabinet, she turned to face the window.
The girls hurriedly ducked down, before slowly peeking in again.
They hadn’t been seen.
They watched as Mrs. Larson stirred the contents of the pot, singing to herself. She walked over to a drawer and pulled it open, and that’s when Susan saw it. Tiger’s collar was hanging from the handle of the drawer!
With a gasp, Susan spun around to sit on her butt, facing away from the house. “She has him. She took Tiger. How are we supposed to get him back? For all we know she’s cooking him right now in that pot!”
“Shh!” Taylor hissed. “Be quiet. We don’t want to get caught – she’ll probably cook and eat us, too!”
Just then the window slid open and Mrs. Larson stuck her head out and looked down at them.
“Hi, girls,” she said in a cracked voice. “Want to come in for something hot to drink?”
The girls screamed, jumped up, and ran. They were off the porch in moments, down the drive in minutes, and as they passed through, they slammed the gate shut behind them. Only then did they stop to take a breath. Only then did they stop screaming.
They hurried to Taylor’s house, where they were going to get ready to go Trick-or-Treating. They took turns taking showers, and then they had some soup to warm them up; it did the trick for their bodies, but their minds were still frozen in fear from their experience.
When they went back upstairs to get ready to go, Susan started to cry.
“I can’t believe she ate him,” she sobbed. “I loved him so much, and she ate him. It’s just not fair.”
Taylor hugged her friend. “I know. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. We might as well try to have fun tonight. Maybe some time out with friends will make you feel better.”
“I don’t know,” Susan sniffed. “I could tell my parents. They could call the police. Isn’t that cruelty to animals or something?”
“We would have to get evidence for that,” Taylor said thoughtfully. “Maybe if we went back and got the collar, you know, as proof that she took him, then they could do something.”
Susan shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “I can’t go back there. I’m too scared. She’ll get us this time for sure!”
“Calm down, calm down,” Taylor sighed and sat down on the bed. “We’ll do it after we’re done Trick-or-Treating. She should be asleep by then. All we have to do is find a way in and take the collar. I bet she doesn’t even lock her doors. I mean, she’s a witch, who would dare try to steal from her? They would probably be cursed for life!”
Susan nodded, but still looked scared.
“Let’s get our costumes on,” Taylor said with a soft smile. “We don’t want to be late for the candy!”
Susan laughed through her tears. “You know. . . We’re getting kinda old for this. How many more years do you think we can get away with candy begging before they stop giving it to us?”
Taylor grinned. “I plan to try for a couple of years yet. After that, I’ll just start throwing Halloween parties!”
For the next hour the girls forgot about all their cares as they applied each other’s make-up and dressed in their costumes. This year Susan was a giant teddy bear and Taylor was an undead fairy princess.
With pumpkin pails in hand, they left to beg for candy. The night flew by with friends they met along the way, and the excitement of seeing everyone’s costumes.
Before they knew it, they were standing in front of the wrought iron gate, staring up at Mrs. Larson’s house.
“I don’t want to do this,” Susan said.
“You want to report her for eating Tiger, don’t you?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, but I don’t want to go up there again.”
“What are you two doing?” Miss Nordstrom asked, coming up behind them, dressed as a sexy rock star. “Trick-or-Treat is almost over. The two of you shouldn’t be out here all alone. Something bad might happen to you.”
The girls looked at each other, wondering if they should tell Miss Nordstrom what was going on. They missed the malicious gleam in her eyes, and the slight smirk that flutter across her face for an instant.
“Mrs. Larson took Susan’s cat and ate him,” Taylor said. “We saw his collar in her kitchen. Everything is true. She is a witch!”
“We have to go up there and get his collar,” Susan gushed. “So that we have proof when we tell the police.”
“Oh, I see,” Miss Nordstrom said. “Do you want me to come with you? You both look scared. . .”
Taylor and Susan smiled with relief at having an adult to come with them.
“That would be great,” Taylor said.
Susan nodded in agreement, too choked up from relief to speak.
“I have to go and get something from my house first, okay?” Miss Nordstrom said. “You two wait right here.”
In just minutes, Miss Nordstrom was back, carrying two strings with something attached to them.
“These are charm bags I had laying around the house,” she explained. “My mom made them for us kids when we would go out on Halloween, to protect us from evil spirits. Kinda like the bag you asked about yesterday, Susan – these are a little different though.”
She slid one over each girl’s head, to dangle from their necks, over their costumes. They stunk worse than the bag in the parlor had.
“Where’s yours?” Taylor asked, trying not to gag.
“I have one in my pocket,” Miss Nordstrom said with a smile. “It’s been in there all night.”
“Oh, okay,” Susan said, turning her head to try and breathe in some fresh air.
Together they stepped up to the gate. The two girls hung back a little, thinking about their earlier experience. Miss Nordstrom didn’t have that problem, and pushing it open; it screeched louder than it had earlier, and both girls shuddered.
Miss Nordstrom looked back over her shoulder. “You two coming?”
They nodded and followed her inside. The trees and the bushes were even more unnerving in the dark.
They hadn’t gone very far when Susan started to yawn.
“I feel so weak and tired,” she said, covering her mouth as she yawned yet again. “Do you mind if we take a break?”
Taylor was yawning, too. “A break does sound nice.”
“I agree,” Miss Nordstrom said with a gleeful smile. “Let’s rest. I think I see a bench over there, just past that tree. Why don’t you two go sit down?”
The girls nodded and stumbled over to the bench, where they sat heavily.
“Why do I feel so drowsy?” Susan mumbled as she almost fell asleep and would have fallen off the bench if Taylor hadn’t been there to lean on.
Taylor kept dozing off herself, and would try to startle herself awake again, blinking like an owl and shaking her head.
Miss Nordstrom watched with amusement. “It’s the charm bags I gave you. They’ll put you to sleep and then I’ll take you home. It’s time for me to do my beauty spell again, and I’ll be needing some parts of young girls for the potion. You two should do nicely. You’re both young and subtle.”
Susan finally fell asleep and landed in the overgrown grass with a thump.
Taylor whimpered, still trying to stay awake. “Why are you doing this to us? I thought you were our friend.”
“I have no friends,” Miss Nordstrom laughed. “I use people and I move on. I’ve been doing it for hundreds of years. Luckily my spells last for a long time, so I don’t have to move too often.”
“You’re. . . you’re a witch,” Taylor gasped, before she too fell off the bench, sound sleep.
~
Susan woke up slowly; her body was weak and it took effort for her to move. She was surrounded by tall grass and it was dark out. Her head throbbed with a headache – the strangest headache she’d ever had.
As she sat up, she looked around. There were trees, bushes, and a cement bench, but nothing else. Slowly her mind started to work again, and she remembered where she was and what had happened.
“Taylor?” she croaked, standing up. Dizziness overtook her and she had to immediately sit down on the bench.
After the world stopped spinning, she looked around again. Taylor was nowhere in sight, but she could now see a path of flattened grass that led back to the driveway.
“Miss Nordstrom,” she muttered to herself. “She must have taken her back to her house.”
Standing again, Susan closed her eyes and willed the dizziness to go away. She needed to find help, and fast. Miss Nordstrom would be back for her soon, and she had to get out of there. She almost panicked when she realized that the closest person to go to for help was Mrs. Larson. The thought of going to that house again still scared her. But the thought of being chopped up and cooked into some kind of potion scared her even more.
Stumbling and weaving, she made her way up the overgrown drive. She tripped and fell over the weeds multiple times, and by the time she reached the house her knees and her hands were scratched and bleeding.
She gulped hard before she lifted her foot and forced herself to climb the porch steps. She ran across the porch and up to the door on shaking legs, and knocked – there was no answer.
She stood there for a moment, thinking maybe she’d just dreamed all this up, when she heard a rustling of leaves and a twig snap behind her. Turning, she saw Miss Nordstrom rushing up the drive.
Susan pounded on the door with all her strength, yelling, “Help! Help!”
She glanced behind herself to see Miss Nordstrom just entering the overgrown grass that surrounded the house. As she looked back and prepared to knock on the door again, it opened and she fell inside.
Mrs. Larson stood over her with her hands on her hips; she was wearing a long, white cotton night gown and her hair was even more wild than it had been before.
“Can I help you, dear?” Mrs. Larson asked, her voice cracking.
Susan lay speechless, looking outside at the now empty yard, and then up at Mrs. Larson.
“Can you talk? Cat got you tongue?”
At the mention of a cat, Susan’s throat went dry and she feared she’d made the biggest mistake ever coming here. The thought that Mrs. Larson and Miss Nordstrom were both witches and were working together hit her brain like a lightning bolt, making her gasp.
She began to tremble violently and tears slid down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she lay back on the floor, thinking she was doomed.
Something cold and wet touched Susan’s ear, and then a rough tongue began licking her cheek. She opened her eyes to see Tiger!
Forgetting about the women she thought were trying to kill her, she sat up and squealed, picking up the cat to cuddle him close.
“Ah, so he belongs to you,” Mrs. Larson said with a soft smile. “I found him yesterday – he’d hurt his paw and was lying on my porch.”
Susan wiped the tears from her face and noticed that Tiger had a white bandage on his left hind leg. He hadn’t been eaten! He’d been rescued!
“I. . . I thought you ate him,” Susan said softly.
“No, dear. Why ever would you think that?”
“I thought you were a witch,” Susan said, blushing and rubbing her now smiling face on Tiger fur.
“That’s just silly, dear,” Mrs. Larson laughed. “I’m just an old woman who keeps to herself and takes care of injured animals when they come her way. There’s no witches around here!”
Susan froze and looked up at Mrs. Larson, her eyes huge with fear. “Yes, there is. Miss Nordstrom is a witch. She tricked me and Taylor – she’s my best friend – to wear these charm bags, saying they would protect us. They put us to sleep and she planned to take us to her house and use our body parts to make a potion that would keep her looking young and beautiful! We have to save Taylor! She took her!”
“Calm down, dear,” Mrs. Larson said. “I’m sure it was just a prank or something. Where’s Taylor now?”
Susan stood up, still clutching Tiger. “It’s not a prank! I’m telling the truth. We have to call the police. She has Taylor!”
“Okay, okay, dear,” Mrs. Larson said. “We’ll call the police. I’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding though.”
~
Dawn was just starting to light the distant horizon as Miss Nordstrom was led out of her house in hand cuffs.
“We’ve been looking for this one for a long time,” one of the officers said to Taylor’s dad. “She’s been on the FBI’s most wanted list for years. I, myself, have never believed in witches, but this has changed my mind.”
Taylor was being loaded into the back of an ambulance, to be checked out at the local hospital, although she seemed fine – they’d found her in Miss Nordstrom’s basement, still asleep.
Upon investigating, they’d also found the charm pouch that Susan had been wearing, laying beside the stone bench. Luckily for her, it had gotten caught on a sharp corner where the cement had eroded and chipped, cutting the string that held it around her neck. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have woken up, and they would never have caught Miss Nordstrom.
Mrs. Larson walked up to Susan, who was watching all the activity from across the street, wrapped in a fleece blanket. She put her arm around Susan and gave her a hug.
“You were very brave. If it hadn’t been for you, your friend would have died,” she said.
Susan smiled up at Mrs. Larson, still holding Tiger in her arms. “I’m glad you’re a nice woman instead of a witch; it’s strange that we had it all mixed up. The real witch pretended to be our friend, and you were just a nice woman we thought was strange. I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Larson laughed. “Well, now you know that you can’t believe what you hear about people. You just have to meet them and find out for yourself.”
Susan giggled. “I guess so.”
“Susan,” her mother called as she walked across the street. “It’s time to go home and get some rest. You’ve had a big night. I’ll take you to visit Taylor at the hospital tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mom,” Susan said. “Can Mrs. Larson come, too? I’d love for Taylor to meet her. Oh, is that okay with you, Mrs. Larson?”
Both women laughed.
“That would be fine with me,” Mom said.
“I’d love to, dear,” Mrs. Larson said.
Susan and Mom started walking away when Susan handed Tiger to her mother, and ran back to Mrs. Larson, giving her a hug.
“Do you think I could come and visit you sometime, and you could teach me about taking care of hurt animals?”
Mrs. Larson laughed. “I’d like that very much.”
~
Many years later, Susan was locking up her veterinary clinic to go home; she smiled, never tiring of seeing her name on the door. With a content sigh, she turned to walk down the street, heading home.
She pushed open the gate and started up the well-maintained drive way. The crisp autumn air rustled the orange and red leaves that dangled from the pruned trees. Giggling, she caressed the bushes that were trimmed in the shapes of pumpkins, ghosts, and ghouls. Today was Halloween, and after dark the children would come to her house to Trick-or-Treat. All the orange lights strung in the bushes would light the way to her house. The house on the top of the hill. The one she’d bought from Mrs. Larson – the woman who’d nurtured her passion for animals, and had been an inspiration to her life.
Standing at the bottom of the steps, she looked up at the house that had once scared her, which was now a place of warmth and friendship.
“Happy Halloween,” she whispered, and went inside to put on her costume, knowing Taylor would be there soon to help her pass out candy.
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser, 2010-2012. All rights reserved.
October 30, 2012
Interview with Author Murphy Edwards- Psst! It's his birthday!
Author Murphy Edwards
Bec: Welcome to my blog, please start out by sharing a little bit about yourself –
Murph: I’m from a small town in Southern Indiana, a lover of dogs, books, firearms, knives, Indian cusine and people with bold, bombastic attitudes. I was the drummer for Sidecar Prophets, Dante’, OFB, the Mystic Prisoners and a long string of bar bands. Over the years I’ve worked as a delivery driver, farmer, foundry worker, X-ray technician, carpenter, bar tender, busker, weapons inspector and a ton of Joe jobs.
Bec: What first got you interested in writing?
Murph: Three things. First and foremost would be my oldest brother. From an early age he was engrossed in literature. He would often read entire books in one sitting. On my thirteenth birthday he gave me a boxed set of “Lord of The Rings” and began feeding me the classics like “Catcher in the Rye”, “David Copperfield”, “Sherlock Holmes”, Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Sadly. I lost him to cancer eleven years ago and I’m still struggling to come to grips with that. The second major influence comes from both my brother and my grandfather. Being of Irish descent comes with a few advantages, one of which is the beautiful and often brutal skills they both had for telling a story. They could sit at a table or gather around a campfire and weave a tale out of thin air that would have you hanging on every word. The stories always involved quirky characters or oddball locales that pulled you into the story. Some of it was fact, some of it was fiction, but all of it was entertaining. With each telling, the stories would take on something new—an additional character, a new twist, a different ending—anything to keep it fresh. I think my good fortune of being exposed to this over the years got me interested in seeking out unusual people and places for my own stories and then finding unique ways to tell them. The third significant influence was Ms. Nancy Hamilton, my high school English Literature teacher. She was a stickler for accuracy in all things writing—not just the basics like punctuation, spelling and grammar, but theme, substance, voice and detail. She always told me: “If you choose to write fiction, write it BIG.”
Bec: What are the worst struggles you think writers face, writing and marketing?
Murph: I think many writers, including me, have struggled with rejection. When I first began submitting to editors, publishers and agents I quickly became disheartened by the responses I received. I had prepared myself for negative responses, so that wasn’t really an issue. What I found discouraging were the number of “form letter” replies which provided no detail into why the submissions were being rejected. All writers crave input, even when it comes in the form of criticism. Sadly, like most authors, I’ve also received a few very unprofessional rejections which bordered on a personal attack. Eventually, you learn to filter those out. On the flip side of the coin, are the editors and publishers who take time to provide you with extraordinarily professional and precise input to your work. They usually center around weak points in the story, rough transitions or lack of detail. These are the ones I focus on because they give valuable insight into ways of strengthening my work.
With marketing, I think most authors tend to find themselves in a constant state of playing “catch-up.” With the advent of social media and the ever changing world of electronic publishing, an author can quickly become discouraged and feel like they are not making much headway. I think it’s something we all have to deal with, but not to the point of becoming overwhelmed. Several things work for me to help me remain focused. First, I am learning to think more like a publisher. How do they market? How do they promote? How do they reach consumers? Once I’ve done that, I put an “Indie” spin on it by realizing I have as much, or more skin in the game simply by having my name on a given project. From there, it becomes: How do I market? How do I promote? How do I reach consumers? And finally, as an author, I realized I had to seek out and research trusted information on marketing, social media, platform development, promotion and valid support groups. To avoid being overwhelmed I decided to divide all of this into manageable chunks that could be easily developed and added to my marketing plan a step at a time. It’s a long process and each author tackles it in a different way. The important thing is to not give up.
Bec: Tell us about your book/s –
Murph: I have been fortunate enough to be featured in all three of the Dead Bait series of books alongside such greats as Tim Curran and Ramsey Campbell. Dead Bait included my story “Noodlers”, DB2 included my story “Heavy Weather” and Dead Bait 3 features the crime / horror smash-up “Sinkers”. The series is published by Severed Press and they do some outstanding work. Coming out later this year will be my first release of an eBook, titled Deadly Detours. It will feature seven of my short stories of crime, horror and debauchery. As Editor, I have been extremely pleased with the response to Indiana Crime 2012, which I co-edited with friend and fellow writer James Ward Kirk.
Bec: Are you working on a sequel/s?
Murph: There are plans for another book in the Dead Bait series and the editors at Severed Press has approached me to write a full length novel centered around the briney deep. There are also plans for Indiana Crime 2013 and James Ward Kirk and I hope to open for submissions in early 2013.
Bec: What other projects are you working on or involved with?
Murph: Perhaps the one I’m most proud of to date is Indiana Crime 2012, which I co-edited with James Ward Kirk. I pitched the idea to James shortly after he accepted my story “Bumper Music “ for his anthology Indiana Horror 2011 and he was very enthusiastic. He followed up with an e-Mail and after ironing out some details he asked if I would like to edit the book with him. We worked through a massive amount of responses and ended up with Indiana Crime 2012, which is full of short fiction, poetry, artwork and photos all centered around Indiana Crimes and Indiana authors. I’m very proud of the finished work and we plan to do another for 2013. Amazingly, James and I never met in person until long after the finished book went to print. We did everything electronically and it just clicked. James is also working on some projects for Static Movement and my stories will be featured in two of those volumes, “Ace of Spades” will be included in Graverobbers and “Identity Theft” will be in Serial Killers 2. My short story collection Deadly Detours has just passed muster with my editor and is scheduled for release through Amazon Kindle in November. My short story “Devices” is set to appear in Indiana Science Fiction 2012 and Early 2013 will see another of my short story collections published through Amazon Kindle. I plan to follow that up with my recently completed novella “Pain” and a full-length novel which is nearing completion.
I will also be working with fellow writer and editor, Elisha Murphy on her Halloween anthology, tentatively titled Haunted Highways. If all goes as planned, it will be opening for submissions around March 2013 and released in paperback in September 2013. This will be a collection of all things horror, including fiction, poetry, art, photos, the works. Elisha has some awesome ideas for this collection, including stunning cover art, some old school lithographs, modern art, photography, poetry and a boat load of opportunities for both new and experienced authors to strut their stuff.
Bec: What's your favorite color?
Murph: Black and Blue, baby. Black and Blue.
Bec: Do you like to listen to music while you write or have complete silence?
Murph: Music. As a drummer I’ve always loved music. I’m a big Prog fan, so if you throw on a little Spock’s Beard, Porcupine Tree, Yes, Tool, Marillion Coheed and Cambria or Dream Theatre, I’m down with it. Also got my stand-by’s like Foo Fighters, Led Zepplin, Rammstein, Bad Company, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Whitesnake just to keep the old feet tapping. If I’m writing in flow, the music helps keep me pumped. When editing difficult sections I have to have minimum distractions and complete silence.
Bec: Walking or riding a bike?
Murph: Walking. It gives me a chance to think, which in turn helps me develop characters, scenes, plots and those dark and deadly details. I know they say once you learn to ride a bike you’ll never forget, but I don’t want to take that chance. And nobody wants to clean a mess like that up!
Bec: What genres do you most like to read/write?
Murph: Reading, it has to be crime, noir, horror and pulp fiction in all of its forms, although I also dig a good western and the odd sci-fi when well written.
Writing, it’s pretty much the same. I love mixing genres in my writing. I’ll usually have elements of crime/horror/ and noir all in the same piece. I have written everything from westerns to romance, but my pen always seems to swerve over to the dark side of fiction.
Bec: What's your favorite type of bird?
Murph: Gotta be the hummingbird. They fascinate me simply from the “mechanics of flight” perspective. I mean, your eyes are taking it all in, but your brain is saying “There’s no way a bird should be doing that.” I’ve seen them fly up-side-down, backwards, sideways and those incredible wings never stop buzzing. There’s a lesson to be learned there—even when you’re in a crash dive, keep on flapping those wings.
Bec: Do you find writing a lonely profession?
Murph: I do. Fortunately, I have all these bizarre characters in my head to keep me company. Seriously, though, I think as a writer you quickly learn to become your own best friend. Once you enjoy yourself and become comfortable in your writing skin, you can seek out others you can trust and rely on.
Bec: Water or soda?
Murph: Water. I worked in a soda bottling plant when I was young and I gotta say, I despise the stuff.
Bec: What would you share with a beginning writer?
Murph: Believe in yourself, read as much as you write and never, ever give up. There will be times when it feels as if you are moving backwards and nothing is going your way. Ride it out. It will get better. And always seek out other writers. Talk to them, ask questions, seek wise counsel because most will give it freely. When you have achieved any level of success, no matter how small, take time to thank those who helped you get there. Above all, pay it forward. You will be repaid sevenfold.
Bec: What was your most memorable birthday? Why?
Murph: The one I’m celebrating this October 31st, cause it means I’m still alive and still writing.
Bec: What do you wish someone would have told you when you first started your writing journey?
Murph: To always make time in your life for your passion, be it writing, music, painting, gardening, auto mechanics, or bowling, you owe it to yourself to pursue it with all the gusto you can muster. Take risks, be bold, seek out mentors and follow your dreams, even when everyone around you tries to discourage you. Don’t ever look back and say ‘what if’ or ‘if only’.
Bec: What's your favorite number?
Murph: .357—cause there’s just something about a magnum.
Bec: Do you think having other writers as friend is a good thing for your growth as a writer?
Murph: Absolutely. I find creative people in general to be very supportive, and writers especially so. The vast majority of writers I’ve encountered have given me awesome support, often in unbelievable ways. Writers carry a spirit of generosity that I seldom encounter anywhere else in my life. This has helped me grow and take chances I might not otherwise have taken.
Bec: What's your favorite book? Why?
Murph: This is always a tough one because I enjoy so many. I’ll try to narrow it down to a few, knowing I’ll be forgetting someone. Anything by Ken Bruen, but especially “Once Were Cops” anything by Elmore Leonard, Ray Banks’, “Saturday’s Child” and Brian Keene’s “Ghoul” are all top of the list, followed closely by all of Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. All of them have several things in common which draw me in as a reader: The techniques they use for dialog, scene, atmosphere, language and tension are what entertain me as a reader and inspire me as a writer.
Bec: Who's your favorite author? Why?
Murph: Another toughie. Again, I have to say, I’m drawn to several. Ken Bruen, for his excellent crime voice and the Irish atmosphere, Ray Banks, Anthony Neil Smith, Seth Harwood and Victor Gischler for their down-in-the dirt crime writing, Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker and Raymond Chandler for outstanding and quick witted dialog, Brian Keene, cause, hell he’s Brian Keene! And I’m way into Jeff Somers and his Electric Church series. Jeff mixes the sci-fi, crime and horror genres seamlessly. On a more local front, I love the work being produced by Paula D. Ashe, Matt Cowin, David Bain, James Ward Kirk, Marianne Halbert, Paul DeThroe, Todd Card, Jeffrey Ashby and David Scott Pointer.
Bec: Is there anything you would like to share that I haven't asked you about?
Murph: Yes, I had an interesting writing experience that I think would benefit a lot of writers. This one, again started out as just a quick idea batted around on e-Mails and coincidentally, also involved my friend James Ward Kirk. One of us, I forget which one, asked the question: Have you ever thought of writing a story together? We decided to toss it out there and see what would happen. James fired the opening salvo with a first paragraph which was e-Mailed to me. I then added the second paragraph and fired it back. We followed this method all the way through till the end. The only rule we established was that there were no rules. Neither of us knew where the other would wind up taking the story. We decided to call it a ‘deadly duo’ and it soon turned into ‘writer’s roulette’. We didn’t even consider editing, changing or altering anything till the story was through the first draft. We had a ball. The resulting story, “Me and Sister Mercy” was shopped out and eventually picked up by Criminal Class Review. They will be publishing it in the next volume of their excellent journal. The piece has elements of crime, horror, sci-fi and hardboiled fiction. I encourage others to try their hand at this. It’s a challenge, but quite rewarding as both a writing and learning tool.
The only other thing I can think of to share it this: “Never insult seven men when all you’re packin’ is a sixgun!”
Bec: Thank you for stopping by and sharing! Best of luck with your book and future project!
Murph: The pleasure was all mine, dear lady. I’ll have you over to the Murphy Edwards Dungeon real soon.
About
Murphy Edwards
Murphy
Edwards is the award winning author of “Serious Money”, “Bumper
Music”, “Heavy Weather”, “Noodlers”, and “The Last Days
of Maxwell Sweet”. His work has appeared in Dimensions
Magazine,
The
East Side Edition,
Black
October,
Horizons,
MidAtlantic
Monthly,
Modern
Drummer,
The
Nor’Easter,
Walking
Bones,
Escaping
Elsewhere,
Trail
of Indiscretion,
Hardboiled
Magazine,
Barbaric
Yawp,
Samsara,
The Magazine of Suffering,
The
Nocturnal Lyric,
Night
Chills,
Big
Pulp Magazine,
Criminal
Class Review
and in the anthologies Dead
Bait
(Severed Press), Assassin’s
Canon
(Utility Fog Press), Abaculus
II
(Leucrota Press), Night
Terrors
(Blood Bound Books), Unspeakable
(Blood
Bound Books), Bloody
Carnival
(Pill Hill Press), Dead
Bait II
(Severed Press), Indiana
Horror 2011,
Indiana
Horror 2012
(Indiana Horror Writer’s Association), Dead
Bait III
(Severed Press), Grave
Robbers
(Static Movement), Serial
Killers 2
(Static Movement) and Indiana
Science Fiction 2012
. His short story, “Mister Checkers”, was chosen to be among the
best in science fiction, fantasy and horror of 2009 for the Leucrota
Press Anthology, Abaculus
III.
Edwards is a 2011 recipient of The Midwest Writers Workshop Writers
Retreat Fellowship Award for Fiction and is the Co-Editor of Indiana
Crime 2012.
In addition to the United States, Edwards has been published in
Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and the U.K. He resides in Indiana
and on the web at:
http://murphyedwards.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/murphy.edwards.96
Copyrights owned by Rebecca Besser and Murphy Edwards, 2012.
October 29, 2012
Sneak Peek - Zombies Gone Wild! 2
We've made it through Wild Week! with a look at the authors and their work included in Zombies Gone Wild!. Now, I'm bringing you a 'sneak peek' at what will be in store for you when Zombies Gone Wild! 2 is released!
I've asked Timothy Frasier the same questions I asked the other authors, and I've also included an excerpt from his story, "Road Whore." Enjoy!
Bec: When you heard 'wild' and 'zombie' together, what was the first thing you thought?
A crazy girl I knew back in the 90’s.
Bec: What's the wildest thing you've ever done?
I can’t say what the wildest thing is…I value my freedom. One thing that comes to mind is when I rushed my wife to a veterinarian after she was struck in the chest by a ricochet from a full-auto M16. Fun times! BTW, she went shopping after we left the vet., tough girl.
Bec: What's the most extreme situation you think someone could be in when dealing with a zombie?
Unarmed and cornered by multiple zombies.
Bec: If you had a zombie fighting badge for your Zpoc team, what would it say? What would your motto be?
Badge – Blade Brigade Motto- “We bring the healing touch.”
Bec: What kind of zombie scares you the most? Why?
The fast ones like in the “Dawn of the Dead” remake. Because headshots would be real tough.
Road Whore by Timothy Frasier, excerpt:
As if an answer to Lizzy, the Farris wheel began to move again. Instead of just lowering each seat and having its occupants dispatched, the clown let the ride continue through its usual pattern. As each seat momentarily whizzed by the ground, zombies would grab at the kicking legs. A couple of small children were snatched away from their screaming mothers.
Danny and Lizzy fared well during their first pass through the zombies because they were busy fighting over the children’s remains. Danny’s heart almost skipped a beat as he got a close look at the blood soaked clown when they skimmed by. The clown looked Danny dead in the eye and gave him a horrible grin.
“He remembers me! Fucker remembers me. This sure as hell ain’t going to turn out good.”
“We’ve got to get out of here. Maybe we can jump.”
“We’d have to jump when we were low. All that area is covered with these things. We’d be jumping right on top of them.”
After a couple of more passes, the clown got down to business. He stopped the ride and began to lower each seat with its screaming occupants to the boarding platform.
Author Timothy Frasier
Timothy Frasier is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. His work appears in several Static Movement anthologies and in Indiana Science Fiction 2012. He has appeared in two Big Biting Pig horror movies, Spirit Stalkers and Lucid, which is scheduled for release in 2013. Frasier lives in rural Western Kentucky with his wife, Lisa, and their German shepherds. When not writing, shooting guns, or cruising the back roads searching for trouble, he is an active member of the Hanson Writers Workshop in Hanson, Kentucky.
Copyrights owned by Timothy Frasier, 2012. All rights reserved.
I've asked Timothy Frasier the same questions I asked the other authors, and I've also included an excerpt from his story, "Road Whore." Enjoy!
Bec: When you heard 'wild' and 'zombie' together, what was the first thing you thought?
A crazy girl I knew back in the 90’s.
Bec: What's the wildest thing you've ever done?
I can’t say what the wildest thing is…I value my freedom. One thing that comes to mind is when I rushed my wife to a veterinarian after she was struck in the chest by a ricochet from a full-auto M16. Fun times! BTW, she went shopping after we left the vet., tough girl.
Bec: What's the most extreme situation you think someone could be in when dealing with a zombie?
Unarmed and cornered by multiple zombies.
Bec: If you had a zombie fighting badge for your Zpoc team, what would it say? What would your motto be?
Badge – Blade Brigade Motto- “We bring the healing touch.”
Bec: What kind of zombie scares you the most? Why?
The fast ones like in the “Dawn of the Dead” remake. Because headshots would be real tough.
Road Whore by Timothy Frasier, excerpt:
As if an answer to Lizzy, the Farris wheel began to move again. Instead of just lowering each seat and having its occupants dispatched, the clown let the ride continue through its usual pattern. As each seat momentarily whizzed by the ground, zombies would grab at the kicking legs. A couple of small children were snatched away from their screaming mothers.
Danny and Lizzy fared well during their first pass through the zombies because they were busy fighting over the children’s remains. Danny’s heart almost skipped a beat as he got a close look at the blood soaked clown when they skimmed by. The clown looked Danny dead in the eye and gave him a horrible grin.
“He remembers me! Fucker remembers me. This sure as hell ain’t going to turn out good.”
“We’ve got to get out of here. Maybe we can jump.”
“We’d have to jump when we were low. All that area is covered with these things. We’d be jumping right on top of them.”
After a couple of more passes, the clown got down to business. He stopped the ride and began to lower each seat with its screaming occupants to the boarding platform.
Author Timothy Frasier
Timothy Frasier is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. His work appears in several Static Movement anthologies and in Indiana Science Fiction 2012. He has appeared in two Big Biting Pig horror movies, Spirit Stalkers and Lucid, which is scheduled for release in 2013. Frasier lives in rural Western Kentucky with his wife, Lisa, and their German shepherds. When not writing, shooting guns, or cruising the back roads searching for trouble, he is an active member of the Hanson Writers Workshop in Hanson, Kentucky.
Copyrights owned by Timothy Frasier, 2012. All rights reserved.
