Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 62
January 12, 2013
Boggy Creek: The Legend is True – Bigfoot, Campers and Bloodshed
I picked up Boggy Creek a few weeks ago, and have been looking forward to it ever since. I have never read much about bigfoot. Growing up in the UK and now living in the Netherlands, it was not a legend I was really ever exposed to. Unlike Eric. S Brown (who dropped around for a chat last week ) who grew up in the area and was raised with the legend hushing him to sleep.
This familiarity with the legend certainly comes through in the writing. The book is two tales woven together, coming together at the very end.
Jennifer is grieving the loss of her eccentric, solitude loving father and is travelling up to his backwater home to clear her head and sort through his things. Her friend tags along and, in true horror style invites her friend, who invites his girlfriend. Throw in said friends boyfriend and some beer and you have a party. The property is on the edge of town, by the woods, and when the rather unusual neighbour arrives to warn them all about the monster, and offer his protective services, they shoo him away and continue to have fun.
The second storyline involves the town deputy, who is sick of the number of violent deaths in the town, and decides to put an end to the monster that is causing it. We are introduced to this beast – Bigfoot - in the first few pages, and know that it is not a case of mistaken identity. Bigfoot exists, it hates men, but enjoys the pleasure of women.
The story alternates, for the large part in a chapter on chapter off storyline. The teens frolic and eventually decide to camp in the woods for a night. The deputy, against the orders of the Sheriff head off into the woods, but not to camp, but heavily armed and ready for war.
One by one the bigfoot picks off … well, everybody more or less, his sheer power enough to rip a man in two and sever body parts, not to mention the teeth, the hunger for flesh. The monster is a great creation, that stays true to my understanding of the myth, in terms of size and appearance.
It isn’t until the final chapter(s) that the two storylines converge, as everybody is running for their lives.
Who survives, if anybody? How many bigfoot are there hiding in the woods… what have they been doing with all of the women they kidnap over the years? Well… to learn that you are going to have to buy the book.
It is a short novella and I polished it off in a few hours. The length is good, the pacing is good, everything about the book is good. Is it great… in parts, in many parts in face, barring a couple of small details, nitpicking really, I cannot say anything bad about this book.
If you are looking for action, adventure, bloodshed and horror, then this is the book for you.
Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) by Katrina Halle Promises of a Strong Series
To be honest with you, I was not sure what I was expecting when I grabbed my copy of Darkhouse. I scanned the description and saw a diss on the whole lovey-dovey vampires craze, a promise of something other than zombies – I am a fan of zombies, but sometimes you want something else when you search for horror – and nothing too childish. X files and Supernatural were also mentioned. In short, I was sold before I even got to looking at the actual plot description.
The book starts at a pace, a nightmare which introduces us to the… well, let’s call her the heroine of the book. Perry Palomino. The nightmare itself was ok, nothing too creepy, but a solid start to the tale. These become a recurring item throughout the book, visions and nightmares alike, all slowly tying together.
I like Perry. Why? well, she is not you typical action hero, movie girl. If they ever make a movie of this it will be a tough role to cast. Perry is short, kind of frumpy, more round around the middle than other places, and generally you everyday, ordinary-meet-on-the-street woman. In short, she was believable. A stark contrast to her tall, skinny, more attractive sister. A comparative device used well by the author.
The book is very much a tale of two halves. We are with Perry as she visits family; her uncle, and one night while out on the beach with her cousins, sister and friend, decides to break, and into a lighthouse that her Uncle owns. It is here that the real spooky stuff begins. These passages were well written and moved at a brisk pace which kept the tone in line. It was here we meet Dex, the hero of the tale. A ghost hunter / jack of all trades that Perry feels an instant pull to. Her feelings for him change, but not in error. They are well accounted for and serve as an interesting plot device.
Dex is a dark character, we are never sure of his true intentions, not until the end of the book that is, but even then, there are a lot of unanswered questions regarding him. He is an interesting character, and while his ‘relationship’ with Perry is not all too believable at first, things do improve. If it was intentional or not I cannot be sure, but on some level, it works.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the rather slow sections focused on Perry’s day job, her lack of enjoyment and bitchy colleague, and her parents, who we see rather little of. It didn’t really have much to do with the plot, and could have been further thinned without much trouble. That being said, I have a feeling the job will play a role in the other novels in the series so I will give the benefit of the doubt.
The novel really gains momentum in the second half, as the pair team up and head back to the lighthouse to make the first episode of – what I assume the series will be based around - their ghost hunting show. We finally learn about the lighthouse and make it all the way to the top. The action comes thick and fast, the atmosphere is creepy and the jumps were well written and executed smoothly.
The story rises well to the setting and overall it was a satisfying and well-rounded end in terms of action. That being said, there were a lot of unanswered questions. The final pages clarify a little, but only by way of promising answers at a later date. If this applies for the main ghost of this tale or not I am not sure. I hope so, as the important questions…Why?, was no answered.
Throughout the whole book there was only once scene that I disliked, and when you get to it, for I don’t wish to spoil anything, I am sure you will see it too. It was creepy, trapped in the woods, and lost, but it made no sense, and was never really alluded to again. I got the impression that maybe some things were cut from the first draft that may have expanded this scene a little.
All in all the book was a very fun and easy read, even if there was a little too much romance or romantic thoughts in this case, for my liking, I will certainly read the other titles in the series.
January 10, 2013
Best Selling Author Eric.S Brown Talks Bigfoot, Comics and Bloop
Today I am not alone in these horror themed halls, but have the rather enjoyable company of fellow author, Eric S Brown. He has agreed to take a few minutes out of his day and sit down to talk with me, so without further ado, let’s get started.
Eric, thank you for being here with me today. I am a big admirer of your work and your productivity, so it is an honor for me to have you drop buy.
1. You write novels, a newspaper column, a comic book, my hats off to you. How do you managed to find time to get it all done.
ESB: It’s pure grace of God combined with the sheer determination of wanting to write. That said, I miss sleep.
2. Much like myself you have young children am I correct?
ESB: I have a ten month old little girl and a seven year old son who keep me on my toes being Mr. Mom.
3. Do you find yourself to be somewhat flexible in your writing patterns and times or do you have a set period where, emergencies apart, you cannot be disturbed?
ESB: I pretty much have to write whenever I can. There are no such things as set times for me. I however do prefer to write alone. I will often escape in my car and write in some parking lot somewhere.
4. Let’s take a moment to talk about your writing. It is only the 9th of January, but you have already brought two books out this year. Let’s start with the first one, Bloop. Where did your inspiration for this book come from?
ESB: Bloop actually wasn’t mine. Director/Producer James Baack came up with the concept and hired me to write a script treatment for it. That treatment was so well liked, they asked me to turn it into a full out novelization which I did. Bloop is a crazy book about Yetis, warrior nuns, and a giant Godzilla style monster. The other book already released this year is Bigfoot War: Outbreak.
5. You are probably best known for your series Bigfoot War. Can you tell us a little bit about this series?
ESB: After eight years of writing mostly zombies, I got really well acquainted with the end of the world and totally sick of zombies. I wanted a monster that was bigger, faster, and scarier. Growing up in the rural south, Bigfoot was something that scared the crap out of me. So I took the zombie apocalypse formula and turned it into the Sasquatch apocalypse. I had no intention of Bigfoot War becoming a series when I wrote the first book but it was so well received and raved about by reviewers from everywhere from Rue Morgue Magazine to Chizine to the Horror Fiction Review as well as by readers, it currently has over 100 five star reviews on Amazon, that I couldn’t help but write more. The first book is a small town affair that kicks off the war. The second book introduces the zombie apocalypse to the series. The third book picks up years later after zombies have crushed humanity and leaves our races struggling to survive against the growing number of Sasquatch who now see the world as their own. Bigfoot War IV and Bigfoot War: Frontier are both old west prequels that set up the events of Bigfoot War II: Dead in the Woods. Bigfoot War IV also crosses over with my A Pack of Wolves series as events drag the family of gunfighter werewolves in a direct confrontation with the very first zombie Sasquatch pack. Bigfoot War: Outbreak, the newest in the series, also ties into Bigfoot War II: Dead in the Woods expanding the story of the second book and taking it into a more urban setting as Sasquatch tear through city streets, toss about police cars, and the dead start to reanimate to eat the living.
6. Would you say that these novels will appeal to a wide range of Genre readers?
ESB: Oh yeah. They’re simple, fast paced, fun stories that anyone who likes action or horror can enjoy.
7. You have just released the most recent addition to the bigfoot saga, so I have to ask, how long can this series run for? Do you have a set number of Bigfoot books ready and then you will say, OK, done is done, or could you keep writing them?
ESB: The people reading them still really seem to love them and I continue to get fan-mail about the series. The books also continue to get great reviews. I have plans for a 7th book in the series later this year if possible and Coscom Entertainment has released a collected Kindle box set of the first three books.
8. You recently mentioned on Facebook that you have been talking with some producers about possible movie options on your stories. Congratulations on that. Do you think that Bigfoot Wars would make a good movie?
ESB: Bigfoot War has been under option for a long time. Lord willing, someday it will get made. As to the latest option stuff, I can’t say about a lot about that yet beyond that a company is interested in maybe turning some of my short fiction in a film.
9. Would you consider the idea of an animated movie? Manga for example? As a horror writer, I believe that in some instances, for some creatures and hellish tales, the freedom offered by a medium such as Manga makes it an untapped reservoir of movie making potential.
ESB: I recently just did a book for Bizarro Pulp Press entitled Jack Bunny Bam-Bam and the Weeper Apocalypse. It’s the tale of a green rabbit hitman in a future world that’s part cyberpunk, part magical, and post-apocalyptic in nature. I would LOVE to see an animated film of it. A Jack animated film would in some ways be even cooler than a Bigfoot War movie.
10. Bigfoot aside, your true passion is Comics am I right?
ESB: Yes. I am a lifelong comic nerd. I was also recently hired by Unstoppable Comics to write their superhero team book The Storm Chasers later this year. My arc on the book will begin with issue 10. I am really excited about it and can promise some really cool stuff to come in the series.
11. Which universe are you the bigger fan of?
ESB: As a kid, I loved Marvel and DC but as I got older, Marvel just lost it for me. Their movies and marketing may rock but their comics, not so much. DC’s writing and the care they gave to their actual books makes Marvel look like a joke compared to them, at least to me.
12. Who is your favorite character and what about him was it that first made him (or her) stand out to you.
ESB: The Flash and Wonder Woman are two of my favorites. I would love to have super speed for obvious reasons. Ha. With Wonder Woman, I am a fan of strong female characters and she certainly fits that.
13. I am really sad that Comics are not a bigger part of the UK lifestyle, I have long admired them from afar. As a fan, would you say you are ever too old to start reading them?
ESB: One is never too old to enjoy comics. They are a very under respected form of literature.
14. For any other wannabe readers out there, where would you recommend they start? Can they pick up a recent series, or do they need to go right back to the early comics and familiarize themselves with everything?
ESB: That totally depends on the title. With the Legion, my favorite team book, you kind of have to know some going in or you’re lost. With books like say Jonah Hex however one can leap in anywhere and be fine.
15. You also, on top of everything else, write a weekly newspaper column on Comics right?
ESB: Yes, I write a local, biweekly column called Comics in Flash. It’s equally a comic news, opinion, and history of the characters kind of deal that is just one more effort on my part to get the rest of the world to love comics like I do.
You sure are a busy man, Eric, thank you once again for dropping by, and I wish you the very best of luck with it all.
Bigfoot War: Apocalypse Box Set
Alex Laybourne: Fabulous Author, Husband, and Father – The Next Stephen King
Maxine Owen: Greetings, Alex. Welcome to my blog. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me.
Alex Laybourne: It was my pleasure Maxine. It is an honor to be here.
Maxine Owen: Alex, as you know, I am a big supporter of your written work. I have both of your Highway to Hell books, and am currently reading your short stories.
Today I am making an appearance on the blog of Maxine Owen, come check it out and learn more about... me
January 8, 2013
Sure, Sex Sells but for the Love of F*ck not a the Expense of Story
Sex sells, there can be no denying that fact, otherwise we wouldn’t see (semi) naked men and women selling everything from deodorant to cars and groceries. At least I hope not.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not against sex… at ALL, but I always struggle to understand why, in this modern world, we still all feel the need to revert to sex as a means to express emotion.
The change first happened in film, where every movie, or so it felt to me, a man who in my younger years would watch between three and five movies a day, that every movie had to have a sex scene in it. Not just the allusion to one, but the whole thing needed to be played out in all its hyped up, romanticized glory. Why? Because all relationships are bonded by sex. It is what ultimately drives us as humans (as some would say), and I can accept that, but why the details? Surely seeing the couple walk into the bedroom at the end of one shot, and lying beside each other with the sun streaming through the windows in the next is enough. Right?
We are a society that reveres sex in so many different ways, it is used as a tool to convey so many different things, from love and affection, to hate, to cover up problems, to show a character getting over a problem, beating their past by moving on… and into bed with their ‘hero’.
This movie trend is now spreading into the fiction I have been reading, with sex scenes being added not only as plot devices, but, it would seem, simply because the author felt slightly horny at the time of writing it. I mean sometimes, yes, I can understand using a sex scene, (and have included some in my most recent novel) even if it is just for the fun of writing (and or filming) it, but to throw it into the mix in a time and place that just makes no sense is stupid. Even if you can keep the pace going, make it dangerous or passionate to fit with their circumstances, as was the most recent case I can recall, there still remains the small burning question in the reader’s mind… WHY?
We have placed sex on a pedestal in our lives, we look up to it, we look down upon it, and until we can change our own view-point and stop seeing it as a naughty / disgusting / dirty little secret / perfect end to a perfect day sort of event, and just allow it to be present in our lives, things will never change. I don’t mean we should become strict schedule sex times beings, far from it, but as a collective, we need to stop viewing sex as the ultimate make or break life act.
Relationships can and do develop outside of sex, both before and after, so use a sex scene, but you don’t need one every time the sun goes down, a couple in love, seen having sex once in the book or film, it is fair to assume the audience knows what they are doing in the dark.
We may live in a world where romance is (sad to say) for the large part, dead. We decide to start a relationship based upon that first sexual encounter, and for many youngsters today that encounter comes before all other forms of relationship building. Romance can develop in other ways, it can be based around other things, and if you incorporate that into your writing. Allow your characters the chance to develop a proper, deep and meaningful relationship, then their bond with each other, and with the readers, will be that much stronger.
Please don’t misinterpret me, I am not saying this from any religious viewpoint or in any kind of no sex before marriage, wait for Mr. Right (or Mrs. Right), kind of way. The first point alone would mean my first two children should not be here. I am simply saying that, as writers, it is our job to create wonderful characters, that people remember, that they care about, and feel for, and to do that takes more than just throwing a couple into the sack and saying, there you go, they are an item.
Handy Site for Horror Writers
I just had this site recommended to me, and thought I would share it on with you all. It is a site that gathers the information for numerous sites and publications with open submissions for all things horror.
I have been very vocal about my desire to submit more work to anthologies this year and so this site is perfect for me. I hope you can all make some use of it to. Hey, even if horror isn’t your thing, you can always give it a try.
The site is The Horror Tree
January 6, 2013
Avenger’s Assemble for this Dark (Fiction) Knight to Rise
OK fine, I watched Batman last night and now think I’m a superhero, but it is a pretty catchy title if you ask me.
This post is not going to be one of my wisdom filled, eye-opening spectacles. It is rather a request that I submit to you all.
I am on the lookout for anybody that is willing to aid me on my promotional trail following the launch of Highway to Hell.
I am offering myself to the group, in the form of guest posts, interviews and book extracts.
If anybody is interested in hosting me, just leave me a comment and I will get back to you. Of course, any offer of kindness extended to me today (or any other day for that matter), will be reciprocated, and I will host you in any way you would like.
So come on, who is willing to put my up for the night as I travel the internet highway and by-ways in search of the fame and fortune that currently evades my grasp?
January 5, 2013
A Week In Retrospect – What did Alex Do?
I am planning to post a weekly round-up every Sunday. Just a little post that keeps things ticking over.
Being the first week of the year, and with the revelry of Christmas and New Year still echoing in the background, I could not have asked for a better start. The first four days saw me write over 2000 words a day, and various freelance projects and blog posts.
I completed the editing of my third (and currently final) short story collection, and ran through a secondary grammar sweep too. This has now been sent to my editor for her final approval.
Each collection clocks in at around 30,000 words. My plan being, to introduce three separate eBooks, and one ‘omnibus’ paperback collection. I am excited by these short stories, as I have been writing them for years, they were some of the first things I wrote. They have been heavily edited, but the core details remained the same.
I managed a blog post every day this week, and saw increasing stats with each one. I really hope that I can keep the interest in the blog going. Not sure if it will lead to any book sales, but it is more of a personal goal anyway.
I sold some books too. Not many, but I’m still ironing out my marketing strategy. Judging by the amazon rankings and their rise and subsequent fall, I think I sold something on almost every day, which is nice.
I even had a pretty decent week in the office, something that happens very rarely.
I also planned out a press release that I am applying the finishing touches to along with five anthology submissions.
I have one story actually already written, just in need of an edit, so that was a nice find. I have written the first draft of one entry, a 1,000 word flash piece, and have got two fully planned yesterday. One, an Urban Fantasy piece that will clock around 5,000 words and the second a Horror story that will come in at 7,500 and is tentatively titled ‘The Keeper of the Watch.’
All in all, it was a great week, and I really hope that it will serve as a good foundation for the year ahead.
How was your week? What did you get up to?
What are your plans for the coming week?
Mine is to write 2,000 words a day, now that my editing is done, I am all three ‘writing slot’s’ wide open and should hit that target. That will give me 12,000 words by next Sunday and should be both of the longer anthology subs taken care of. First drafts at least. I will try to keep blogging at one post a day, but in the very least it will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
January 4, 2013
Art Imitates Life; It is Character Reaction That Builds True Depth
In life, they say that it is not how we react to a situation as it arises that defines who we are, but rather how we respond once it has happened.
Yet, this is not just restricted to real life, for in fiction, the truly memorable characters are those that have the greatest depth, who seem, despite the setting or the novel, almost real. This is not achieved by accident, or without careful planning on the part of the author.
It is our responsibility as writers, to ensure that we deliver believable characters to our readers, and that means ensuring that they have enough depth to them; not just so that readers can relate to them, but really believe in them.
All books have a certain rhythm to them; peaks and troughs, plot points, cliffhangers, chapter / scene arc, call it what you will, we put our characters through the wringer. Whether it is mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically, we don’t make it smooth sailing for them.
It may sound obvious, but these are not the only incidents in the book, every time we use one of these ‘moments’ we are actually creating two, but often, one gets forgotten in the rush. We put our characters through something, and they get through it, they push on and somehow come out the other side, yet immediately following that, is a second ‘peak’ that will see them change as a result of what comes after, not just as a consequence of what has occurred.
Every change in our character, is multi-layered, and it should be the same for the characters we write about.
A horrible event in our lives; the death of a loved one for example. This changes us, and would change a character, in two ways. There is the initial change that the loss brings, maybe a steely resolve shows through, hardening them (us) to life, and preparing them (us) for the rest of the journey. Yet, it doesn’t end there, we continue to change, once the loss has occurred, and they (we) have processed it, in whatever way they (we) choose to do so, the second level kicks in, and we hit another layer of change, one that we may not notice at the time, but when looking back, and it should be evident if the reader does the same, is there and clear for us to see.
The death is dealt with (the act itself, or if you will, the peak is reached), but then life is dealt with, the consequences of that event or action, and the long-term implications, are processed and adapted for / to.
I have read a lot of books and stories where the characters were very believable, until that big moment, their change was two-dimensional, and as a result, so they too became flat. It didn’t kill the story, far from it, but it certainly reduced it in some measure. The difference shall we say, between a good piece of writing, and a great one.
The Importance of Anthology Submissions in 2013
Your book has just come out, you are on top of the world, and spend the whole day smiling and laughing to yourself, telling the wonderful news to anybody and everybody that you see. Hurriedly, you log on to Amazon, expecting to find your book storming up the charts, why, because you wrote it, that is its destiny, surely. What do you find… *gasp* you have yet to sell a copy, or maybe, you have just broken into the top half million.
Your mood drops, reality sets in. The hard work starts now…
But… what do I need to do?
I am glad you asked. You need to hit the promotion trail… hard. You need to get your name out there, get people listening.
How do I do that?
Um… well, through hard work, through blood sweat and tears, and from doing anything and everything other than sitting down, twiddling your thumbs and expecting people to discover you. The finer points of this branch of Writerdom still evades me.
One great way to get your name not only seen, but read, is through anthologies. I made it a goal of mine this year, even before Highway to Hell was published, to submit more work to anthologies. To get my name out there and read. Not only that, but get my name associated with other great writers.
Being published in an anthology is of course, an achievement in itself, however it is one of the best ways to attract new readers. People can read your work, get an idea for your style of writing and then, based on how good they find it, make a decision as to whether they want to read more of your work.
Anthology pieces are not novels, they are short pieces, and therefore can be written (worked on ) at any time, and so can be a constant source of production for you. An example being during a period of heavy editing, you can always pull out a potential submission piece and work on it a while, just to keep the creative juices flowing.
The more anthologies you can be accepted to, the more people will see your name, and recognition is the biggest thing we are all searching for. If you can constantly produce good quality stories, that people enjoy, then they are more likely to search for your name, to check out your website, to follow you on Twitter, to befriend you on Facebook and of course…
buy my books!
Now you’re getting it.
There are always anthologies open to submissions, and they are not that hard to find, so I would say, what are we all waiting for? I know I am planning to get working on a few this weekend.
