Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 80

Short Story Submissions

When I first started writing, I mean as an adult, with a view towards being published, I would send out my short stories to magazines and other publications. I had a few published, and all went well. Until, one day, I just… stopped.

Sitting here, I can’t remember why I stopped. I mean sure, novels came along and took up most of my time, but I still wrote short stories, but rather than submit them, I posted them on my blog, and / or Wattpad etc.

Somewhere on my journey from there to here, I forgot all about magazines and never once considered sending something anywhere.

It was only earlier this week, when I was browsing through the posts of fellow horror writer Armand Rosamilia, and saw him talking about how often he submits to paying markets etc, that I remembered that whole avenue of writing.

I look at my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and most of my friends on there are other writers, and or small press publishers. I can see where I went wrong, I became so focused on writing novels, and anthologies for publication, I simply developed tunnel vision with regards what it meant to be a writer.

Paying dues is all part of the process, writers should earn their success and not have it handed to them. This is why I hate shows like X-Factor all that other crap. People need to slog away, sing in crappy night clubs and bars, they should face rejection and heartbreak. It’s what helps us develop not just within our craft, but in life. The ‘Me-Me-Me, Now-Now-Now’ attitude that seems to be spreading through all walks of life needs to change. However, I digress slightly. Let me put my soapbox away and get back on track.

Submitting to magazines and other such publications is a natural part of writing, and something that I feel bad about overlooking. If I want to become a member of the Horror Writers Association, then I need to have some stories published here and there. Plus, it is an excellent way to advertise yourself and the books that will eventually follow.

With all that said and done, I wrote a short story this week, something I haven’t done in a while. It was only 2100 words, a big change as most of my work comes in at around 10k, and then sizes itself out of many paying markets.

The story is being read by a few friends of mine; the wonderful Ranee Dillon, and the very talented Matthew Munson

After that, I plan to send it off into the big wide world in search of a home. Not on my blog, not on any social network account I may own. This bad boy is flying the next and going solo.

I would like to try to write one story a month of that length and send them out in search of glory.

The question now is, where do I send it to… hmmm

 Do you submit your work to magazines, or are you like Me (how I was at least) and focused on only one goal.

Allow me to Introduce: Joseph Beekman

Today it is my privilege to to be able to introduce you to an amazingly talented multi genre author Mr. Joseph Beekman.

That is more than enough waffle from me, so without further ado, let us begin the interrogation… I mean…. yeah.

1.   Before we start talking shop, please, tell us a little about yourself. What makes you tick outside of writing?

Thanks for the spotlight, Alex!  Well, I guess what has always made me tick, outside of the writing, is my desire to keep things always interesting; to be adventurous and never complacent.  I’ve always had a mind that keeps going and going, so to create, to tell stories, has always been a great outlet and medium for all the madness.

2.   What event in your life has been the most pivotal?

I’d say it would be an event that occurred a little over 4 years ago when I had been severely injured and had major facial reconstruction surgery; But thanks to God, I came out of it a better soul.  I had spiraled down into a dark Hell, but that incident changed everything for the best.  I am now fully involved in my writing, as well as helping others that are in similar places where I had been.  It is indeed a true blessing, and forever grateful for that one single incident.

3.   What books have most influenced your life?

Dune by Frank Herbert.  My brother, Dan, had given that book to me when I was in high school, and I must say that it was the coolest book I had ever received!  Everything about it just blew me away!  The writing style is brilliant, the story is genius, and it just spurred me into really getting serious about writing books.   Some others would be The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: those are just amazing stories.  I can’t say enough about them, but they truly changed my outlook on life, as well as writing!

4.   If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Frank Herbert.

5.   What inspired you to write your first book?

My love for fantasy adventure, science fiction, the paranormal, and my two cool cats! J  I’ve always been writing short stories, and such, but the actual first book was “A Tail Spun”.  It’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy war story that involves animals and other paranormal creatures, as well as mythological creatures.

6.   What’s the most blatant lie you’ve ever told?

My age.  Most people think I am look younger than I am, so I’ll just let them guess the age.  If they guess below my age (43), then I’ll just nod my head, “yep, that’s it!” J

7.   What is the biggest sacrifice you have made for your writing?

Time for others.  I would love to spend more time with helping out more people, and animals in need.  I have a giant heart for the welfare of neglected/abused animals, so I’d like to find some balance for that.

8.   How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

With a grain of salt.  I look at it as someone’s opinion, hopefully an honest one, and that it should be viewed as constructive criticism.   Just stay true to your heart, and keep an open mind to what others may say: no one can change anybody else, so once your work is out there, then its open game for anyone’s opinion.

9.   Which one of your books would be your favorite as a reader?

Little Orphan Anvil: the Shades of Fate.  However, I do love all three of them as an entire tale told.

10. What’s your favourite fruit?

Blueberry.

11. If you were going to commit the perfect murder, how would you go about it?

That’s a tough question…I’ll leave that one to the experts!

12. Who would play you in a film of your life?

Any of the major top stars in Hollywood would be fine!

13. What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Stay true to you, and never abandon hope.  And take a deep breath once in awhile.

When I was a kid, I got kicked out of my English class for saying my dog ate my homework. Sadly however, it was true. My teacher kept the remaining book as a trophy. So tell us…

14. Has the dog ever eaten your manuscript?

No, but I had a dog that once ate the book “Dune Messiah”, the second of the Dune books!  I was halfway into the book, left it on the patio, when I returned in was in shreds. J

15. Do you laugh at your own jokes?

Sure!

16. What scares you?

Complacency, Isolation, lack of imagination, losing my sense of keeping things simple.

17. Did you ever come up with any ideas while writing that were so wild that you scared yourself, and made you wonder ‘where did that come from?

Sometimes.  Like when I was writing “A Tail Spun”, there were a few characters that I thought: “what the hell?”  and then, “oh well, cool! I’ll use them in this scene, or that scene!” lol

18. When did you write your first book, and how old were you?

Probably 8 or 9, but it was only a little story, more of a “once upon a time’ type thing.

19. What is your favorite color

Dark Red.

20. If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

Mark Twain.

21. If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?

I think Aragorn from Lord of the Rings would be super cool!

22. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

The Firemoth.

23. What is your favorite scary movie.

Susperia, great Italian horror film, a real classic!

Joseph Beekman moved to Arizona when he was a year-old from Bozeman, Montana and has lived in the Pheonix/Scottsdale area ever since. A graduate from the University of Arizona (1994), Joseph has always had a passion for creating, reading, and writing. He has been a production assistant and editor of small budget independent film productions, as well as having produced, directed an award winning independent short in 1997. He currently writes books and screenplays, and is an avid supporter of animal rescue and protection. A follower of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and horror novels, as well as a big fan of history, music, and the arts, much of his material focuses on the fantasy/science fiction based genre. He currently lives in Arizona with his two cats, Jack and Bardamu.

Joseph’s books are all available on Amazon, and can be accessed via his Author Page

While you can also track him down on Facebook

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Top 10 Favorite Horror Movies

I haven’t made any Top 10 lists of the like before, at least not for the blog. I thought it was about high time that I did, and what better way to start my quest to get more horror themed subjects onto my site.

The Omen: I’m talking the 1976 Gregory Peck version. I could watch this film every day. Unlike the Julia Stile version which has me tempted to reenact the part of the Nanny within the first 5 minutes.

Inside: This French horror movie is disturbing on so many levels. A pregnant woman, trapped at home the night before she is due to give birth. Stalked by a crazy woman with a knife. The revelation at the end of the movie, and the final few scenes took my breath away. More than just a slasher flick, this movie inspired my to write one of my favorite short stories.

Martyrs: Another French horror movie that just stuck in my brain. Directed by Pascal Laugier, this movie will disturb you to the very core. You will hate it because it makes you question humanity. It is a Frankenstein’s monster of a movie. It will be feared and sunned by many because of the subject matter. Certainly not a film for the faint hearted but highly recommended.

Silence of the Lambs: Subtle horror with things happen in every scene. From the terror of kidnap to… well Hannibal, this movie has so much to offer. In my opinion Lecter is one of the best villains of all time. Chilling… just plain chilling.

Saw (only the first one) This movie blew my mind the first time I watched it. It still does  today, although to a much lesser degree. I mean that moment where Jigsaw just stands up was incredible.

Alien: From the artwork to the plot, the performances and the direction, this movie is one firmly cemented in my top 10. How many people haven’t had a ‘Chestburst’ nightmare at some point in their lives.

Jaws: This movie is responsible for scaring generations of the children out of the water. So strong was the image created of the Great White and Peter Benchley became a staunch activist for their protection. There are so many ways to look at this movie, and even though it is aging now, it will remain timeless, simply because for want of a little bit of poetic license, it is true.

Unthinkable – Anybody that has seen this film and does not agree this is a horror movie are just plain wrong. While marketed as a thriller, it is an incredibly study into human emotion, and asks the intelligent questions about right and wrong, about limits and boundaries. My only issue with the movie was that they made the villain Islamic. It was utterly unnecessary and merely pounced on an already vilified religion. Once you get past it, this film ROCKS!

The Thing - I’m talking Kurt Russell here not the new remake. I haven’t seen the new one yet, but fail to believe it could even hold a candle to this version. Everything about this movie is awesome. The barren setting, the isolation. The story was compact and well executed. The Thing itself is probably one of my favorite villains in terms of appearance and scares.

Psycho: What is here that can be said about this movie. From the terror of the shower scene to the utterly terrifying Anthony Perkins. That moment when we see his mother in the chair still gets me even today. Plus, (correct me if I am wrong) it was the first movie where someone was nominated for an Oscar despite having such a short role in the movie itself.

 

There are many great horror movies out there, and if you ask my honest opinion I don’t believe that the ten I have listed above are actually the best of the best. Rather, they are horror films that interest me. They make me think, and stick around in my head for a while. I find that my top ten lists often change, which is why I have refrained from posting them until now. Then I figured what the hell!

There were a lot of films that almost made the list, films that got cut at the last-minute or were taken off again. I mean you have horror classics like the Exorcist to popular franchises like Friday 13th, Hellraiser or Elm Street. These didn’t make the list because they went on too long, and while I enjoy the movies, they don’t speak to me in the same way (currently) as the ones of the list.

The most notable movie (I guess) that I have no mentioned is The Shining. This is for a reason. I think it is the most overrated movie I have ever seen. I do not see the big fuss about it. Sure, it was well made, and Jack played a good nutjob, but there was no substance. So many of the things from the book that explained the strained relationship, the history of the characters etc, just wasn’t there. That however, will be another post for another time.

The Horror, Oh The Horror!!!

Last night, just as sleep was about to take me into its gentle embrace, a thought struck me, scared away the Sandman and left me staring at the ceiling in a sort of stupefied amazement.

I am a writer, that much is rather easily apparent, and I don’t just mean my often messy appearance, disinterest in the people around me and a face in desperate need of a shave. Anybody who has read through this blog will understand what I am fairly early on. Yet, I am not just a writer. I am a horror writer. Yet, looking back through my posts, besides the odd piece of artwork stolen from Google, or a short story, there is very little Horror related happenings on my blog.

It goes without saying that it is time for this to change. However…

Now that I sit down to think about it, there is very little horror in my life at this point in time.

I used to watch a lot of Horror movies, but over the last year or so, my movie watching has become all but extinct. That is apart from  a mild (read heavy) addiction to Criminal Minds.

The same goes for my reading. I know that they say you need to read a lot in your genre in order to develop as a writer, and for a long time I read a lot of horror, however, in the last 12-18 months, since I have started making so many new friends and hanging around the whole writing scene, I have found myself reading a much more eclectic body of work.

Not that this matters, in fact, I enjoy reading other genres, because I feel it helps me develop even more, because I can see how other  writers work, how other genres are written in different ways and tones, thus allowing myself to develop even further.

The problem, which I am not only just coming across, and rather ashamedly should have seen coming is that I have almost forgotten horror. Not in my writing, but in my life, in my blogging.

I think it is time that I take a step back from the rest and re-immerse myself in the art I love. I feel a bit of a revamp to the website, and at least one purely horror themed post a week. There is more to horror than just blood and guts falling out all over the place, and I want to soak it all up, I want to read it all, breathe it all and just generally get back in touch with my favorite genre.

OK, that’s a little too extreme even for me.

A New Hobby?

Over the last few months, I have found myself thinking more and more about photography. It is not something that has ever really interested me before. Beyond taking snapshots of my kids and family gatherings etc.

Yet, it seems to be invading my subconscious more and more. Not in the case of, damn I wish I had my camera with me. That would be too easy. For me, it is a much more subtle process.  I see something and just find myself thinking about that image constantly. Imagining how it would make a great photo. Not necessarily one I would take, but more in the general scheme of things.

One specific example is on my drive into work every morning, I drive along a particular stretch of road, less than a kilometer from my house. It is an expanse of open fields, and in the background a small wooded area. The sun rises above this point, normally at the time I am driving in – depending on the time of year of course – there is also often a bit a mist hugging the grass and the rising light kind of gets watered down a bit. Every time I see it, I promise myself that one day I will stop and take a picture of it. Only, that day never comes. Not it is too late, until the seasons change my commute will be deprived of this image.

I now find myself thinking more and more about how cool it would be to take more photos.  There is so much going on around us to see and to experience, that we often miss it.

Maybe it is just me… I don’t know, changing in some way, but I find myself inexplicably drawn towards this new art form.It is hard to explain. This sudden urge. It is almost like a craving, an itch that I just cannot scratch. I need to get outside and start taking pictures. A tree bending in the wind, the rooftops of the neighboring houses as seen from my bedroom window, the early morning mist in the cemetery alongside which I park my car. I am suddenly seeing these things in a new light.

I find it exciting, as if some new layer has been revealed to me, that I am seeing these things for the first time.

I don’t really have time for another hobby, but sometimes things come along in our life that cannot be ignored. Will not be ignored. This flame has been lit and has been slowly tempering away in my mind for some time. Maybe now is the moment to release it. Maybe it will fizzle and die, but maybe it will grow into something else.

The below photos are all pictures that have been taken in the town where I live. Maybe the question I should be asking myself is why has it taken me this long to see the beauty that surrounds us?

Happy Friday!!

This is my Confession

I think I have mentioned this before, but it could have been a draft post that I made but never posted.

In any case, this is me, Alex Laybourne, and this is my confession.

Just this morning, I was posting about an award nomination I got, and as part of it, I had to nominate three other blogs to receive the award. I was staggered when I ran into such difficulty in naming three blogs.

I had never thought about it before, but most of my interaction and friendships with other writers is built around Facebook and Twitter conversations.

Similarly, I nominated three friends for an award just last month and didn’t want to nominate the same three people again. Not that they didn’t deserve it, but I like to share my appreciation with others too.

They say to be a writer, you need to be a reader. I couldn’t agree more with this statement. I don’t think it is possible to be one without the other. I write a lot, and read a lot. They go hand in hand and compliment each other perfectly.

When it comes to blogging however, while I feel the same theory should be used, I fail miserably.

I start out with the very best of intentions, I follow a great many blogs all of which I really want to read… most of them at least, and I flag all of the posts as they come in. I just fail to sit down and read them. Why? I don’t know. That is the problem. I really don’t know. It is just some sort of mental block I have.

There are a couple of blogs that I read every post of, but that is not enough. It is like only reading books by one author, it does help you, but after a while you hit the limit of your potential, unless you broaden your horizons.

I have tried setting aside time in the day to read blogs, but then I often find myself either forgetting or having to sacrifice something to accommodate the rest of my rather hectic daily schedule.

I do think that the first step I need to take is to unfollow a few blogs. Not because the content is bad, or because I don’t like them, but rather because, I don’t have time to read them all, and seeing the list growing longer and longer in my email folder seems to make it all the more daunting. Also, I feel sorry for the bloggers themselves. I have marked myself down as a follower yet actually do little more than accumulate emails from them. I would hardly call it a follower. Perhaps I should just need a much better system.

I understand that to develop my own blog, I need to read blogs, to comment on blogs, but really, I want to read more blogs simply because I am eager to learn. To improve myself. I promise to you all, that from today, I will make a much better effort to read more blog posts, not just from you, my friends, but on a much broader spectrum.

Until now, I have had no strategy in my blog reading. I am not good with Google. I can use it of course, but only on basic levels. For finding things like blogs, and interesting hangouts, I suck… big time.

No matter what way I look at it, what excuses I try to use to cover up my failings, the long and the short of it is, I do not do enough work when it comes to reading blogs, and I should do.

I will do.

I promise

Dr. Horrible Made My Day

It is always a pleasure to wake up in the morning and read some good news. Imagine how great my day started when I saw that my good friend Andrea Flory had nominated me for the Dr.Horrible Award.

As is the rule with blogging awards, accepting is not merely a matter of having a gracious thank you speech written up. There are rules that must be followed. In this instance, there are three specific questions that must be answered, and three nominations that must be given.

Dr. Horrible’s inquisitive mind wants to know…

a) If you ran the world, what would you outlaw immediately?

b) Boxers or briefs?

c)If you made a Nobel speech, who would you thank?

I’m not really sure what goes on in the good Doctors mind, but there is something about these questions that makes me believe he is a little bit deranged. Maybe that is why I like him already and think this award is one of the coolest around. (See, it’s not just for menacing graphic.)

a) If you ran the world, what would you outlaw immediately?

This is a tough one. Mainly because I don’t know whether to go seriously, or with the comic option. I mean if I went with the comic option there is a much wider scope, but being British it means a lot of people may not get it, or it will be a German joke and then I run the risk of offending people.

I guess I had better go with a serious answer… no, apparently I really cannot be serious for that long.

I am going to cheat a little bit and rather than outlaw a particular action, I’m going to outlaw not doing something. I would make not performing this particular something punishable but a lengthy prison sentence.  If I ruled the world, people who didn’t use their indicators (turn signals) would be locked up!!

They are on the corners of the car for a reason!!

Ok, I’m calm… really.

b) Boxers or Briefs

As the obvious jokes have been made between Pugilists and legal paperwork, I will stick to the sensible answer here (and try to repair my damaged reputation following my indicator comment above)

Boxers all the way. You need to keep it cool. It’s that or install some air conditioning down there, and that’s just an expense I don’t need.

c)If you made a Nobel speech, who would you thank?

This was the toughest question of them all. I mean, it sounds like a big award, but does anybody ever watch the ceremony? It’s not like the Oscars when you know your friends, colleagues and well pretty much everybody you have ever met will be watching and expecting to hear their name. I guess I would thank my Wife and my children, and of course the Novel Commission for their fabulous mistake that allowed me to take home the prize.

Thank you London

With regards my nominations for this (soon to be) prestigious award, I will cast my vote towards the follow people:

1) Catherine Green

2) Armand Rosamilia

3) Monique Snyman 

With that I will end this blog and hand the ball over to my three esteemed writing colleagues.

Have a great day!

Is Inspiration A Gift of a Curse

This is something that has been bouncing through my mind for a while now. As writers, we see inspiration all around us. Very rarely does it fail us.

I like to keep a stock pile of draft posts for my blog so that I can pick one and off I go. There are times when I get down to the last couple of saved post prompts, and think… blimey, I have no idea what I am going to write about. Then, sure enough by the end of the day, I have been hit by the inspirational stick and find myself with a healthy list of topics to discuss.

However, have you ever taken the time to think about inspiration. Not just what it is, but where it comes from. What is it inside us that sees it. Also, is this ability a gift, or a curse.

We have all been there, sitting down with family and friends, then suddenly, someone says something, or something happens around and BAM!!

Inspiration strikes. More often than not, unless you happen to be surrounded by similarly minded people, you will be the only one hit with this sudden burst of creative genius. Is this something we are born with, or rather something that we learn and develop over time.

Sure, the ability to conjure up stories and find inspiration in the natural flow of life around you is great, but there are times when it leaves me wonder if it is more of an affliction.

The case in point was a new article I was reading online. It was a horrible article about a mother that had killed her own children and left them in suitcases in the attic of her parents home. There were several bodies, killed over a period of time… they were babies.

While this appalled me beyond belief, at the same time, that pesky light-bulb went off in my head and I came away from the computer with a rock solid idea for a short story that I plan on writing.

Tell me, is it just me that seems to find inspiration from such tragic tales, or is it merely a macabre side effect of being a writer, and therefore beyond my control?

The writer stood on the burning deck

Whence all but he had fled;

The flame that lit the battle’s wreck

…

Put far too many story ideas inside his head.

5 Ways to Meet a Deadline

Reblogged from Writing Is Hard Work:

As an independent author, I set my own deadlines for rough drafts and the final draft publishing date.  However, just because I do this myself doesn’t mean I don’t hold myself to the standard of finishing on time.  You might say: “You’re not like a real novelist who has a deadline from a publisher set in stone.  You can change your deadline at will and still be ok with it.”  The answer to that is definitely “no.”  I take pride in being able to meet a deadline.  

Read more… 785 more words