Todd Russell's Blog, page 2
November 29, 2011
Stick a fork in NaNoWriMo 2011!
Summary: Motivational message to my fellow wrimos: you can do it!
Fellow wrimos, you can do it. I believe in you!
Believe me, I know what NaNo failure is like. I tried (short for National Novel Writing Month where goal is to write at least 50,000 words during the month of November) once before under a pen name. It was back in 2004, I think. I'm too ashamed to even travel back that far and research. I struggled to 35,000 words, pantsing it all the way, and ran into plot walls the size of Everest. As Yoda might say, "Disappointed, I was."
Fast forward to 2011 and the eBook revolution. Scored a Kindle and published a book of stories I wrote back in 1990s called Mental Shrillness. On my birthday, September 29, 2011 my debut novel Fresh Flesh was released. As I was digging through agent correspondences and notes for Fresh Flesh, I came across the log sheet for the first draft. I started the first draft in November 1988. I had thought about working on the second book in the Fresh series during CampNaNoWriMo and even signed up, but held off. When I saw this log sheet it seemed like a good idea to work on Fresh #2 during NaNoWriMo 2011.
That's what I have been doing. The title of Fresh #2 is Fresh Fetus and was given at the end of Fresh Flesh and on my NaNo page, so it wasn't a total secret. I'm happy to report to interested readers that I'm about 70% done with the first draft of Fresh Fetus. I didn't--and won't--be able to complete the first draft during NaNoWriMo 2011, but I started and wrote 50,000+ words of the first draft this month.
This was my first year of trying NaNoWriMo under this name. That's one way to tackle your past NaNo failures, I guess, just change names. I'm not writing this post to boast, I'm writing it to motivate my fellow wrimo buddies. Here are some things I did this time that I did not do on my first attempt seven years ago:
- Joined a NaNoWriMo writing group at writing.com. I wasn't even registered at writing.com until August 2011. Should have registered ten years ago. Why didn't I? I have no answer.
- Got paired randomly with a NaNoWriMo Writing Buddy. We sent each other an email every week during NaNoWriMo offering each other some helpful suggestions for staying motivated. Here is a sample of what I sent my buddy when she appeared to be stuck at one point:
- Attended a local, offline write-in event at the library. There are local writing groups all around the world and if there is one near you, wrimo, I encourage you to attend. I wrote over 2,700 words during one of these write-ins. They do group activity things like word wars and you can talk with other writers who are in the same trenches. I got a couple cool NaNoWriMo stickers. Wish I'd done this last time.
- Visited an online write-in. This one didn't go so well due to the low attendance, but I put it here because I think if you visited an online write-in with a big enough group, it could help.
- Joined a Facebook group with fellow wrimos. We commiserated about the process and posted our progress.
- Added a bunch of writing buddies through NaNoWriMo. I could have done more to communicate with these folks (for the most part, I didn't), but I followed their progress toward 50,000 words with interest.
The main difference between last time (fail) and this time (success) is that I got involved with other writers. Participating in group functions helped on some psychological level. They didn't write any words for me, of course, but I had an added motivation of not wanting to report back my daily writing as a goose egg. I didn't feel alone. Writing might be a largely solo profession (unless you're collaborating with others on a project) and if there is an opportunity to get out and meet other writers from time to time, it's worth doing. Even if it doesn't improve your writing output, you might make a new writing friend.
Throughout December, I'll continue working on Fresh #2 and hopefully can get the first draft done before the end of the year. Then it will sit for awhile before I go back and work on the second draft. Beta reading possibly as soon as March or April and then another coat of paint, final editing, proofing and a planned future release date!
NaNoWriMo 2012
Really? This soon?
Will I do NaNoWriMo again? Too early to tell. Overall, it was a positive experience and I did get a good chunk of a first draft done. I won't know how good the first draft is until it's done and settles a bit. I'm too close to first drafts when writing them to ever be a good judge of the quality, but there are a few things about the story that I like a lot. The important part to me is that my time was well used. I can never get this time back and if the material turned out during NaNoWriMo takes more time to edit and rewrite then it won't be something I'll likely do again.
Next? I'm thinking about trying Script Frenzy in April 2012. The goal there is to create 100 page script. I'd like to do an adaption for one of my novels, perhaps Fresh Flesh. Anybody reading done Script Frenzy? Please let me know what you think. Also, I'd love to hear from other wrimos in the comments. Let me know how you did during NaNoWriMo 2011.
Fellow wrimos, you can do it. I believe in you!
Believe me, I know what NaNo failure is like. I tried (short for National Novel Writing Month where goal is to write at least 50,000 words during the month of November) once before under a pen name. It was back in 2004, I think. I'm too ashamed to even travel back that far and research. I struggled to 35,000 words, pantsing it all the way, and ran into plot walls the size of Everest. As Yoda might say, "Disappointed, I was."
Fast forward to 2011 and the eBook revolution. Scored a Kindle and published a book of stories I wrote back in 1990s called Mental Shrillness. On my birthday, September 29, 2011 my debut novel Fresh Flesh was released. As I was digging through agent correspondences and notes for Fresh Flesh, I came across the log sheet for the first draft. I started the first draft in November 1988. I had thought about working on the second book in the Fresh series during CampNaNoWriMo and even signed up, but held off. When I saw this log sheet it seemed like a good idea to work on Fresh #2 during NaNoWriMo 2011.
That's what I have been doing. The title of Fresh #2 is Fresh Fetus and was given at the end of Fresh Flesh and on my NaNo page, so it wasn't a total secret. I'm happy to report to interested readers that I'm about 70% done with the first draft of Fresh Fetus. I didn't--and won't--be able to complete the first draft during NaNoWriMo 2011, but I started and wrote 50,000+ words of the first draft this month.
This was my first year of trying NaNoWriMo under this name. That's one way to tackle your past NaNo failures, I guess, just change names. I'm not writing this post to boast, I'm writing it to motivate my fellow wrimo buddies. Here are some things I did this time that I did not do on my first attempt seven years ago:
- Joined a NaNoWriMo writing group at writing.com. I wasn't even registered at writing.com until August 2011. Should have registered ten years ago. Why didn't I? I have no answer.
- Got paired randomly with a NaNoWriMo Writing Buddy. We sent each other an email every week during NaNoWriMo offering each other some helpful suggestions for staying motivated. Here is a sample of what I sent my buddy when she appeared to be stuck at one point:
> If you happen to be stuck (?), you might think of your favorite characters in your story and write some scenes with these characters. Even if the scenes don't seem connected to the rest of your story, you might find that it frees you from thinking about the rest of the novel. You can always pull these scenes out in editing and maybe make a tie-in short story or maybe the muse will connect your character(s) to the plot point you are at in your novel.
- Attended a local, offline write-in event at the library. There are local writing groups all around the world and if there is one near you, wrimo, I encourage you to attend. I wrote over 2,700 words during one of these write-ins. They do group activity things like word wars and you can talk with other writers who are in the same trenches. I got a couple cool NaNoWriMo stickers. Wish I'd done this last time.
- Visited an online write-in. This one didn't go so well due to the low attendance, but I put it here because I think if you visited an online write-in with a big enough group, it could help.
- Joined a Facebook group with fellow wrimos. We commiserated about the process and posted our progress.
- Added a bunch of writing buddies through NaNoWriMo. I could have done more to communicate with these folks (for the most part, I didn't), but I followed their progress toward 50,000 words with interest.
The main difference between last time (fail) and this time (success) is that I got involved with other writers. Participating in group functions helped on some psychological level. They didn't write any words for me, of course, but I had an added motivation of not wanting to report back my daily writing as a goose egg. I didn't feel alone. Writing might be a largely solo profession (unless you're collaborating with others on a project) and if there is an opportunity to get out and meet other writers from time to time, it's worth doing. Even if it doesn't improve your writing output, you might make a new writing friend.
Throughout December, I'll continue working on Fresh #2 and hopefully can get the first draft done before the end of the year. Then it will sit for awhile before I go back and work on the second draft. Beta reading possibly as soon as March or April and then another coat of paint, final editing, proofing and a planned future release date!
NaNoWriMo 2012
Really? This soon?
Will I do NaNoWriMo again? Too early to tell. Overall, it was a positive experience and I did get a good chunk of a first draft done. I won't know how good the first draft is until it's done and settles a bit. I'm too close to first drafts when writing them to ever be a good judge of the quality, but there are a few things about the story that I like a lot. The important part to me is that my time was well used. I can never get this time back and if the material turned out during NaNoWriMo takes more time to edit and rewrite then it won't be something I'll likely do again.
Next? I'm thinking about trying Script Frenzy in April 2012. The goal there is to create 100 page script. I'd like to do an adaption for one of my novels, perhaps Fresh Flesh. Anybody reading done Script Frenzy? Please let me know what you think. Also, I'd love to hear from other wrimos in the comments. Let me know how you did during NaNoWriMo 2011.
November 24, 2011
Huge Thanksgiving Black Friday 2011 eBook sale!
Summary: Happy Thanksgiving! Save up to 100% off the regular price of all my eBooks at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. As appreciation and thanks for giving my stories a read, all my eBooks are on sale at deep discounts on Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2011. If you already have these books, consider buying them as a holiday gift for friends and family. No coupon codes needed!
- Save 66% off the regular eBook price of *Mental Shrillness
- Save 75% off the regular eBook price of *Fresh Flesh, my debut novel!
- FREE Flash O'Lantern: 13+ Stories
Shop for these great deals at one of the following fine etailers!
* Fresh Flesh and Mental Shrillness are also available in paperback versions. Buy both and save on shipping costs.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. As appreciation and thanks for giving my stories a read, all my eBooks are on sale at deep discounts on Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2011. If you already have these books, consider buying them as a holiday gift for friends and family. No coupon codes needed!
- Save 66% off the regular eBook price of *Mental Shrillness
- Save 75% off the regular eBook price of *Fresh Flesh, my debut novel!
- FREE Flash O'Lantern: 13+ Stories
Shop for these great deals at one of the following fine etailers!
* Fresh Flesh and Mental Shrillness are also available in paperback versions. Buy both and save on shipping costs.
November 17, 2011
What Scares Author Renee Pawlish
Summary: What Scares Authors series #21, learn in her own words what scares author Ren�e Pawlish.
I don't get creeped out reading "scary" books or even watching a scary movie, at least at the time. What does scare me is something that seems so silly in one sense, and yet I know it's my subconscious storing all the scary scenes from books and movies in my head . . . so what is that thing?
It's the dark. I'll give you an example. I live in a tri-level house. My TV is on the lower level. When I go to bed, I shut off all the lights and head upstairs. There's usually a light on in my bedroom that gives off a hazy glow that barely illuminates a part of the hallway. But behind me, in the living room and kitchen, and the downstairs, where the TV is, it's all darkness. And what might be looming in that darkness?
As I walk up the stairs, I can just feel that ghost, zombie, or demon with his hands reaching out, trying to grab me. Silly, isn't it? Yet I will dash up those stairs and into the light of my bedroom, my heart pounding . . .
I try to create this is my novels - that sense of something out there that you can't see, and heck, it's probably NOT there, but then you know it is there, and it will pounce on you at any second. And what do you do?
About Nephilim Genesis of Evil
A dark power described in Genesis revisits a small mountain town.
A journalist who witnessed an evil presence searches for answers.
He finds a town succumbing to supernatural forces.
Now, an evil prophesy may be fulfilled by the Nephilim.
It's the first in a trilogy, available in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053DUCVG/
And Smashwords as an ebook:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65718
About the Author
Ren�e Pawlish is the author of Nephilim Genesis of Evil (first in the Nephilim trilogy), the Reed Ferguson Mystery Series (This Doesn't Happen In The Movies and Reel Estate Rip-off), Take Five, a short story collection, and The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within, a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation in Kansas. Renee's websites is www.reneepawlish.com
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Renee.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Dana Taylor
V.A. Jeffrey
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
I don't get creeped out reading "scary" books or even watching a scary movie, at least at the time. What does scare me is something that seems so silly in one sense, and yet I know it's my subconscious storing all the scary scenes from books and movies in my head . . . so what is that thing?
It's the dark. I'll give you an example. I live in a tri-level house. My TV is on the lower level. When I go to bed, I shut off all the lights and head upstairs. There's usually a light on in my bedroom that gives off a hazy glow that barely illuminates a part of the hallway. But behind me, in the living room and kitchen, and the downstairs, where the TV is, it's all darkness. And what might be looming in that darkness?
As I walk up the stairs, I can just feel that ghost, zombie, or demon with his hands reaching out, trying to grab me. Silly, isn't it? Yet I will dash up those stairs and into the light of my bedroom, my heart pounding . . .I try to create this is my novels - that sense of something out there that you can't see, and heck, it's probably NOT there, but then you know it is there, and it will pounce on you at any second. And what do you do?
About Nephilim Genesis of Evil
A dark power described in Genesis revisits a small mountain town.
A journalist who witnessed an evil presence searches for answers.
He finds a town succumbing to supernatural forces.
Now, an evil prophesy may be fulfilled by the Nephilim.
It's the first in a trilogy, available in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053DUCVG/
And Smashwords as an ebook:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65718
About the Author
Ren�e Pawlish is the author of Nephilim Genesis of Evil (first in the Nephilim trilogy), the Reed Ferguson Mystery Series (This Doesn't Happen In The Movies and Reel Estate Rip-off), Take Five, a short story collection, and The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within, a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation in Kansas. Renee's websites is www.reneepawlish.com
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Renee.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Dana Taylor
V.A. Jeffrey
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
October 30, 2011
Facebook Fans Save Money
Summary: How to become a Facebook fan and save money on books.
Let's face it, these are tough economic times. I love saving money and passing along money-saving coupons, discounts and giveaways to readers and fellow book lovers.
[image error]
For those reading the blog who haven't checked out my Facebook fan page, please take a second and visit the page and 'like' it: http://www.facebook.com/booksbytoddrussell
Once you have clicked 'like' and return to the Facebook page again, you'll see the fan-only page pictured above with coupons and other deals for my books.
Newsletter - get notified when new books are available
Another great place to save money and be the first notified whenever new books are released is to sign up for my newsletter. You can sign up at the Fans VIP page or below right now:
Happy reading to you!
Let's face it, these are tough economic times. I love saving money and passing along money-saving coupons, discounts and giveaways to readers and fellow book lovers.
[image error]
For those reading the blog who haven't checked out my Facebook fan page, please take a second and visit the page and 'like' it: http://www.facebook.com/booksbytoddrussell
Once you have clicked 'like' and return to the Facebook page again, you'll see the fan-only page pictured above with coupons and other deals for my books.
Newsletter - get notified when new books are available
Another great place to save money and be the first notified whenever new books are released is to sign up for my newsletter. You can sign up at the Fans VIP page or below right now:
Happy reading to you!
October 28, 2011
Browser compatible scrolling clickable book covers
Summary: iPhone users can't see Flash. I built a simple animated scrolling script using the HTML marquee tags so iPhone users can see and click on my book covers, banners and text.
I've been an iPhone user for a couple years now. It bums me out when I see heavy Flash-enabled websites because they don't look good on my iPhone. Keeping this in mind, we've tried to do things around toddrwrite.com that involve limited Adobe Flash usage.
With the release of my debut novel Fresh Flesh and a new Halloween-themed collection of stories called Flash O'Lantern, I now have three books. I wanted one of those cool scrolling book widgets and found one on Amazon on toddrwrite.com. The only problem is that the widget uses Flash.
So I put on my geeky hat and poked around HTML to see what I might be able to build to emulate those cool scrolling book widgets. Something quick and simple that would work in the most common browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and on the iPhone. The answer?
The MARQUEE tag.
If you are reading this blog post in your reader, then you won't see the marquee, so here's a YouTube video (sorry about my jittery video hand) I shot showing how it works:
How to build your own scrolling book covers
Anything put between the marquee tags will scroll which means you can create HTML and then add marquee tags around it. Voila! You're done. Here's the syntax for the marquee tag with Javascript so that when users hover over it with their mouse the scrolling stops and then restarts when the mouse leaves (note: if the user has Javascript turned off, this functionality won't work):
Everything after this tag will scroll until the marquee closing tag:
Notes: the only cross-browser compatible behavior's is "scroll" so no need to use anything else.
direction
left - as shown above, this scrolls the contents from left to right
right - scrolls contents from right to left
up - scrolls contents vertically from bottom to top
down - scrolls contents vertically from top to bottom
scrollamount
This controls how fast the contents scroll from left to right. Suggest you something under '10' or the scrolling contents will move too fast.
Are you third party hosted?
Flash is a good workaround for sites when you can't use your own HTML, like on third party hosted blogs (Blogger and wordpress.com). The MARQUEE solution won't work on a third party hosted site that doesn't allow using your own HTML and Javascript. In that unmodded iPhone users like myself will have to continue to go without.
MARQUEE obsoleted in HTML5
For any purists who might be reading, yes, unfortunately the marquee tag has been obsoleted in HTML5, but that doesn't mean the code above won't continue to be supported in common browsers for a long time. What should you use instead of marquee in HTML5 if you don't want to worry about obsolete code? Full Javascript scrolling is actually preferred since it allows you to much more complex animations. Here's a Javascript marquee script that might be a good start in that journey.
I've been an iPhone user for a couple years now. It bums me out when I see heavy Flash-enabled websites because they don't look good on my iPhone. Keeping this in mind, we've tried to do things around toddrwrite.com that involve limited Adobe Flash usage.
With the release of my debut novel Fresh Flesh and a new Halloween-themed collection of stories called Flash O'Lantern, I now have three books. I wanted one of those cool scrolling book widgets and found one on Amazon on toddrwrite.com. The only problem is that the widget uses Flash.
So I put on my geeky hat and poked around HTML to see what I might be able to build to emulate those cool scrolling book widgets. Something quick and simple that would work in the most common browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and on the iPhone. The answer?
The MARQUEE tag.
If you are reading this blog post in your reader, then you won't see the marquee, so here's a YouTube video (sorry about my jittery video hand) I shot showing how it works:
How to build your own scrolling book covers
Anything put between the marquee tags will scroll which means you can create HTML and then add marquee tags around it. Voila! You're done. Here's the syntax for the marquee tag with Javascript so that when users hover over it with their mouse the scrolling stops and then restarts when the mouse leaves (note: if the user has Javascript turned off, this functionality won't work):
<marquee behavior="scroll" direction="left" scrollamount="2" onmouseover="this.stop();" onmouseout="this.start();">
Everything after this tag will scroll until the marquee closing tag:
<marquee/>
Notes: the only cross-browser compatible behavior's is "scroll" so no need to use anything else.
direction
left - as shown above, this scrolls the contents from left to right
right - scrolls contents from right to left
up - scrolls contents vertically from bottom to top
down - scrolls contents vertically from top to bottom
scrollamount
This controls how fast the contents scroll from left to right. Suggest you something under '10' or the scrolling contents will move too fast.
Are you third party hosted?
Flash is a good workaround for sites when you can't use your own HTML, like on third party hosted blogs (Blogger and wordpress.com). The MARQUEE solution won't work on a third party hosted site that doesn't allow using your own HTML and Javascript. In that unmodded iPhone users like myself will have to continue to go without.
MARQUEE obsoleted in HTML5
For any purists who might be reading, yes, unfortunately the marquee tag has been obsoleted in HTML5, but that doesn't mean the code above won't continue to be supported in common browsers for a long time. What should you use instead of marquee in HTML5 if you don't want to worry about obsolete code? Full Javascript scrolling is actually preferred since it allows you to much more complex animations. Here's a Javascript marquee script that might be a good start in that journey.
October 24, 2011
What Scares Author Dana Taylor
Summary: What Scares Authors series #20, learn in her own words what scares author Dana Taylor
What scares this author? The daily news, certainly. Just today there is a killer shark on the loose, tons of tsunami debris is floating toward Hawaii and I think another dead satellite is about to hit mother Earth. Splash! Right into my pool?
However, my biggest fear is being taken for a crazy, flakey old woman. I hate it when that happens. And it does. You see, I hang out with psychics, healers, animal communicators and the like. And yes, it's a case of birds-of-feather-stick-together. I'm personally the least-gifted of the bunch, but I have developed a knack for energy healing. Officially, I am a Reiki practitioner, but there are many realms of energy healing.
To make matters worse, I am a Christian who believes in reincarnation. Have you ever been with a bunch of conservative Christians and brought up the subject of past-life therapy? Talk about scary! They perform an exorcism right on the spot. Or dissolve in laughter.
The scariest thing was putting all of my adventures into a book entitled Ever-Flowing Streams Of Healing Energy. In it I reveal how I was dogged by mysterious maladies and phobias for about forty years. After seeking relief through traditional medicine and mainstream spirituality, I ventured into the scary waters of alternative therapies and ultimately found healing through the work of a Reiki/Past-Life therapist.
Challenging belief systems and suggesting paradigm shifts is a very scary thing. But sometimes it takes facing our hidden fears (even if they're from a past life) to find peace and wholeness.
About the Author
Dana Taylor began studying healing prayer in the 1980s and attended seminars held by prominent healing teachers of the era including William Vaswig, John Wimber and Delores Winder. She learned principles of Chinese medicine under Sunrider International founders Tei Fu Chen and Dean Black. She was also one of the early distributors of Young Living Essential Oils. A Reiki II practitioner, she has attended Reconnection healing conferences conducted by Eric Pearl.
Born and raised in Southern California, Dana graduated from the University of Redlands. She has been published in various magazines, including the Ladies' Home Journal. Dana hosted the Internet radio program Definitely Dana! at Healthylife.net and won a number of contests with the Romance Writers of America, including Best First Book from the Golden Quill Awards. Her fiction books include Ain't Love Grand? and Devil Moon: A Mystic Romance. She has a new three-story collection for the Christmas season entitled Hope for the Holidays.
She is a founding member of SupernalFriends.com and writes a blog entitled Supernal Living with Dana Taylor.
Buy Ever-Flowing Streams of Healing Energy at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Dana.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
V.A. Jeffrey
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
[image error]
What scares this author? The daily news, certainly. Just today there is a killer shark on the loose, tons of tsunami debris is floating toward Hawaii and I think another dead satellite is about to hit mother Earth. Splash! Right into my pool?
However, my biggest fear is being taken for a crazy, flakey old woman. I hate it when that happens. And it does. You see, I hang out with psychics, healers, animal communicators and the like. And yes, it's a case of birds-of-feather-stick-together. I'm personally the least-gifted of the bunch, but I have developed a knack for energy healing. Officially, I am a Reiki practitioner, but there are many realms of energy healing.
To make matters worse, I am a Christian who believes in reincarnation. Have you ever been with a bunch of conservative Christians and brought up the subject of past-life therapy? Talk about scary! They perform an exorcism right on the spot. Or dissolve in laughter.
The scariest thing was putting all of my adventures into a book entitled Ever-Flowing Streams Of Healing Energy. In it I reveal how I was dogged by mysterious maladies and phobias for about forty years. After seeking relief through traditional medicine and mainstream spirituality, I ventured into the scary waters of alternative therapies and ultimately found healing through the work of a Reiki/Past-Life therapist.Challenging belief systems and suggesting paradigm shifts is a very scary thing. But sometimes it takes facing our hidden fears (even if they're from a past life) to find peace and wholeness.
About the Author
Dana Taylor began studying healing prayer in the 1980s and attended seminars held by prominent healing teachers of the era including William Vaswig, John Wimber and Delores Winder. She learned principles of Chinese medicine under Sunrider International founders Tei Fu Chen and Dean Black. She was also one of the early distributors of Young Living Essential Oils. A Reiki II practitioner, she has attended Reconnection healing conferences conducted by Eric Pearl.
Born and raised in Southern California, Dana graduated from the University of Redlands. She has been published in various magazines, including the Ladies' Home Journal. Dana hosted the Internet radio program Definitely Dana! at Healthylife.net and won a number of contests with the Romance Writers of America, including Best First Book from the Golden Quill Awards. Her fiction books include Ain't Love Grand? and Devil Moon: A Mystic Romance. She has a new three-story collection for the Christmas season entitled Hope for the Holidays.
She is a founding member of SupernalFriends.com and writes a blog entitled Supernal Living with Dana Taylor.
Buy Ever-Flowing Streams of Healing Energy at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Dana.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
V.A. Jeffrey
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
[image error]
What Scares Author VA Jeffrey
Summary: What Scares Authors series #19, learn in her own words what scares author V.A. Jeffrey
Two things scare the daylights out of me: dependence on others and insects. I have no idea where my fear of insects comes from. No one in my family has any recollection of me haing any life-altering encounter with them as a baby or a small child. It's an irrational fear that sprouted wings all by itself and it hasn't gotten any better as I've gotten older, sadly. I used to visit my grandparents in Jamaica when I was a kid every few years and this fear truly took root at their home. You see, my grandmother kept a spotless home. You could eat off of her floors, literally. Yeah it's cliche but it's also true in this case. The climate down there allows insects of all kinds to flourish and at that time, my grandparents didn't have screens on their windows or doors so it didn't matter how clean your house was, insects got in. Roaches, specifically. Gigantic, flying roaches. (My skin is crawling as I'm writing this. Seriously.)
I would take a shower in the mornings and jump and squeal at every shadow or glint of light and sometimes those things would be on the shower curtain or they would come up from the drains while I was taking a shower or brushing my teeth. I loved my grandparents and loved visiting them but usually by the time we left I was nearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown! Everyone would think it was so funny, too. My fear hasn't gotten any better with time. Even moths frighten me. The big fat ones especially. I remember my family had gathered around the TV many years ago to watch Aliens. Of course, those things just had to look like massively large insects. It was night time and there were no lights on in the house except for the TV. That further cemented my fear of insects. Don't know where it comes from, don't know if I'll ever shake it. Probably won't.
[image error] My other great fear is being forced to depend on other people to do important things for me. I like to do everything myself. I've been in positions before where other people saw a need and helped me out - but it was insincere. After a while, I was made to feel as if I were a burden to them and they were doing me a big favor - even though I never asked for there help; they volunteered it! The nerve of some people. I detest things like that because it robs you of your dignity. I don't have a lot. I certainly don't have a lot fo money but I do have pride and nothing injures it more than feeling like you're a louse feeding off of others. I know that in some cases it's necessary to rely on others and I don't mind it when someone offers me their help. I appreciate such gestures but being forced to rely on someone is hard and being forced to rely on those who use it has a weapon against you is hell. They can treat you any way they like and what can you do about it but put up with it. Not a pleasant position to be in.
About the pumpkin princess
Eerie dreams. Rotten pumpkins. A fairy princess in trouble!
A sudden, strange blight strikes pumpkins everywhere which means no pumpkin pie, no pumpkin bread, no pumpkin spiced cookies, not even pumpkin soup! Worse, the blight will eventually spread to other crops.Queen Faye's skulduggery spills out ever more into Anne's own world. She knows that the fairy Queen of Winter is behind this dark mischief. The blight and one of Anne's dreams leads her back to Other Land to rescue the Pumpkin Princess, the fairy who helps usher in the fall harvest.
Since Anne's first visit, the Winter Queen has grown more powerful and is terrorizing all of Other Land with her plans to rule the land. Many fairy folk have fled their homes, have gone in hiding or are preparing for war and a cruel, unending winter. Anne must find the courage and fortitude to brave the dangers that face her in Other Land and the cleverness to stop Queen Faye's plans and along the way she finds unexpected friends in unexpected places, but is it enough to stop the Winter Queen's rampage?
Buy the pumpkin princess at:
Amazon | Smashwords
About The Author
Victoria A. Jeffrey grew up in Portland Oregon, attended Portland Community College and studied graphic design. She is also an author and an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and non-fiction. She has written two collections of poetry and some short stories. She is currently working on the Secret Doorway Tales children's fantasy series.
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Victoria.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Two things scare the daylights out of me: dependence on others and insects. I have no idea where my fear of insects comes from. No one in my family has any recollection of me haing any life-altering encounter with them as a baby or a small child. It's an irrational fear that sprouted wings all by itself and it hasn't gotten any better as I've gotten older, sadly. I used to visit my grandparents in Jamaica when I was a kid every few years and this fear truly took root at their home. You see, my grandmother kept a spotless home. You could eat off of her floors, literally. Yeah it's cliche but it's also true in this case. The climate down there allows insects of all kinds to flourish and at that time, my grandparents didn't have screens on their windows or doors so it didn't matter how clean your house was, insects got in. Roaches, specifically. Gigantic, flying roaches. (My skin is crawling as I'm writing this. Seriously.)
I would take a shower in the mornings and jump and squeal at every shadow or glint of light and sometimes those things would be on the shower curtain or they would come up from the drains while I was taking a shower or brushing my teeth. I loved my grandparents and loved visiting them but usually by the time we left I was nearly on the verge of a nervous breakdown! Everyone would think it was so funny, too. My fear hasn't gotten any better with time. Even moths frighten me. The big fat ones especially. I remember my family had gathered around the TV many years ago to watch Aliens. Of course, those things just had to look like massively large insects. It was night time and there were no lights on in the house except for the TV. That further cemented my fear of insects. Don't know where it comes from, don't know if I'll ever shake it. Probably won't.
[image error] My other great fear is being forced to depend on other people to do important things for me. I like to do everything myself. I've been in positions before where other people saw a need and helped me out - but it was insincere. After a while, I was made to feel as if I were a burden to them and they were doing me a big favor - even though I never asked for there help; they volunteered it! The nerve of some people. I detest things like that because it robs you of your dignity. I don't have a lot. I certainly don't have a lot fo money but I do have pride and nothing injures it more than feeling like you're a louse feeding off of others. I know that in some cases it's necessary to rely on others and I don't mind it when someone offers me their help. I appreciate such gestures but being forced to rely on someone is hard and being forced to rely on those who use it has a weapon against you is hell. They can treat you any way they like and what can you do about it but put up with it. Not a pleasant position to be in.
About the pumpkin princess
Eerie dreams. Rotten pumpkins. A fairy princess in trouble!
A sudden, strange blight strikes pumpkins everywhere which means no pumpkin pie, no pumpkin bread, no pumpkin spiced cookies, not even pumpkin soup! Worse, the blight will eventually spread to other crops.Queen Faye's skulduggery spills out ever more into Anne's own world. She knows that the fairy Queen of Winter is behind this dark mischief. The blight and one of Anne's dreams leads her back to Other Land to rescue the Pumpkin Princess, the fairy who helps usher in the fall harvest.
Since Anne's first visit, the Winter Queen has grown more powerful and is terrorizing all of Other Land with her plans to rule the land. Many fairy folk have fled their homes, have gone in hiding or are preparing for war and a cruel, unending winter. Anne must find the courage and fortitude to brave the dangers that face her in Other Land and the cleverness to stop Queen Faye's plans and along the way she finds unexpected friends in unexpected places, but is it enough to stop the Winter Queen's rampage?
Buy the pumpkin princess at:
Amazon | Smashwords
About The Author
Victoria A. Jeffrey grew up in Portland Oregon, attended Portland Community College and studied graphic design. She is also an author and an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and non-fiction. She has written two collections of poetry and some short stories. She is currently working on the Secret Doorway Tales children's fantasy series.
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Victoria.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Jon Reisfeld
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
October 19, 2011
What Scares Author Jon Reisfeld
Summary: What Scares Authors series #18, learn in his own words what scares author Jon Reisfeld.
The lion at the door, bunny ski-slope designers ... and the current state of our society. Throughout my life, whether awake or asleep, the things that really scared me always had to do with human frailty, stupidity or evil -- even when they first appeared to me in disguise.
As a toddler, I had a recurring nightmare that always ended the same way: with me sitting up in bed, heart pounding, bug-eyed and drenched in sweat. What brought me to that state? The lion at the door. This was no ordinary lion, but a full-sized male, with powerful, sinewy legs, sharp claws, a large dark mane and hungry fangs, dripping with saliva. I never knew how it got there. It might have escaped from the zoo or slipped away from a traveling circus for all I knew. But none of that mattered as I watched, in terror, as the beast paced back and forth, just five feet away, passing between the bushes that flanked the sidewalk at the base of our front steps.
For some reason, our house's thick, wooden, interior front door stood wide open. Only a flimsy metal and glass storm door secured the space between the lion and me. Sometimes, I would grab the storm door's handle and attempt to turn it, just to make sure it was locked. Each time, to my horror, the handle would turn until the door slipped loose from the frame. When that happened, I'd quickly pull it shut again and then run through our dining room to the kitchen, to make sure that dead-bolted door, and the even flimsier wooden screen door beyond it, remained closed. I'd inch up to that door, turn its handle and pull with all my might, only to find its deadbolt still firmly in place. A wave of relief would wash over me, just as the lion came into view again, staring at me through the door's thin veneer curtains.
The nightmare always ended at the lion's initiative. At some point, he would either raise his front claw, growl at me or suddenly spring up, bridging the distance between the front sidewalk, where it paced, and the top of the stoop, where I stood. Years later, I decoded this nightmare, when I realized that my first childhood memory occurred in the very same spot. I was two and a half. It was mid afternoon, and my parents were having a fight. I was downstairs and my four-year-old sister was upstairs, playing in her room, when I heard my father yell and storm out the front door. As he got into his car, my mother ran past me, opened the door and yelled after him, "Wait, I'm coming with you!" As I stood there, behind the same glass and metal storm door, I watched them drive away in the family car. I'm sure they were gone for no more than a few minutes, but the fear of abandonment was palpable. And it returned, over and over again throughout the years, to taunt me in my dreams.
My issue with bunny ski-slope designers occurred eight years later, when my family went to the Pocono mountains for Christmas vacation. I had never skied before so I took an introductory lesson that taught me how to get up on the skis, push for speed and snow plow to a dead stop. Having mastered the basics, I headed for the top of the bunny slope and pushed off.
Down I went, straight as an arrow, building up speed all the while. This was living. This was fun. Incredible! The cold wind hit my face and burned my ears, and I was really starting to fly. Then, several hundred yards ahead, I saw it: A small, red wooden fence comprised of vertical slats held together with chicken wire. The fence rose out of a modest mound of snow, and there, directly in front of me on that fence was a sign. I couldn't make out what it said, but I knew it was time to start applying the brakes.
I turned the heads of my skis inward, as instructed, and pressed forward and down, digging them into the snow, which began flying up around me in enormous walls, just as my instructors said it would. (I could almost hear them slapping each other on the back and congratulating themselves as they marveled at my near-perfect execution of the snowplow maneuver.) Only one thing detracted from my reverie: my rapid rate of descent. Despite all my snowplowing, I continued to race ahead like a ski-slope juggernaut. No matter what I did, I kept barreling forward. When I had come within 100 yards of the fence, I could finally make out the writing on the sign. It read, "Beware, 300-ft Drop." I blinked. I shook my head and looked again. The message did not change.
Meanwhile, my impotent snowplow continued to make a big show of things as the distance to the fence grew shorter and shorter. When I was no more than 20 yards away from it, I finally rolled hard to one side. My skis flew off, and I began tumbling forward, head over heels. The sensation reminded me of getting caught under a big, breaking wave at the beach. Finally, the spinning stopped and I found myself sitting upright, with my ski boots dug deep into the snow. I had come to a stop just one yard before the fence and directly in front of the 300-foot drop sign.
That marked the end of my brief infatuation with skiing. The thought that someone, anyone, could build a children's bunny ski slope in front of a 300-foot drop was more than my 11-year-old mind could fathom.
As I've grown older, I've learned that bunny ski slope designers were the least of my problems. Plenty of people, who we all expect to act responsibly, demonstrating at least a modicum of concern for the welfare of others, have routinely proven to be derelict in their duties. That's why what scares me now -- and the most -- is the mess that our government, our society and our economy have gotten into. The economic collapse that we continue to wrestle with grew out of a failure of government oversight; the unbounded greed and arrogance of Wall Street investment bankers and the successful actions of paid lobbyists, who, for decades have bought preferential treatment for their corporate clients for pennies on the dollar and at the enormous expense of average Americans. Perhaps the reason Congress has failed to act, and to work with the Executive branch to solve our problems, is because many members know they have blood on their hands.
But the gravest danger to come out of this economic disaster is the notion that out-and-out crooks and disingenuous and corrupt government overseers do not have to pay for their crimes. We must insist that they be held accountable, if our society is to have any hope of continuing to function for the good of all. That's why I am encouraged by the Occupy Wall Street movement. At least it suggests that some of us are waking up and showing our displeasure with a society gone completely amok.
My book, The Last Way Station, tells the story of the final judgment of one of history's most notorious villains and mass-murderers: Adolf Hitler. But it's fiction. Hitler never paid, in this life, for his massive crimes against humanity, and for a good reason. He built the Third Reich on a foundation of complete non-accountability for evil doers.
About The Last Way Station
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler, one of the most notorious mass-murderers in history, retired to his room in his bunker, 25 feet beneath the old Reich Chancery garden. Above him, the Red Army was encircling Berlin as his dream of a thousand-year Aryan empire lay in ruins.
Hitler placed a glass cyanide capsule between his teeth and pointed a loaded service pistol at his right temple. Then, smugly believing he had both evaded capture and escaped all accountability for his crimes, he bit down and pulled the trigger. He was wrong!
The Last Way Station begins moments after Hitler's successful suicide, when the F�hrer finds himself mysteriously transported to a numbingly cold, solitary holding cell in the afterworld. There, he meets his caseworker, a supernatural being tasked with helping him face, and work through, his sins. The caseworker explains that Hitler will remain in solitary confinement indefinitely, as he prepares his soul for eventual return to the material world. The method, Hitler learns, involves seeking enlightenment through physically embodying his victims and then personally reliving the atrocities committed against them in his name.
This speculative, historical fantasy narrative explores Hitler's psychology, the psychology of evil and asks, 'What, if anything, constitutes fitting punishment for the 'super evil?'
Book Purchase Links:
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
About the Author
A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Jon Reisfeld has worked, most of his adult life, as a writer and marketer. He has more than 25 years combined experience in journalism, corporate communications, advertising and marketing.
At 23, Jon became the first writer ever to have a story start on the cover of Baltimore Magazine. (It was a piece about teenage suicide.) He later founded and published Housecalls, a Baltimore-based health-and-fitness magazine. In the mid 90s, Jon served as Director of Marketing and Communications for Duron Paints and Wallcoverings. He ran the half-billion dollar regional paint company's 12-person in-house advertising agency for several years before returning to his private marketing consulting practice.
Jon's eclectic interests run the gamut from cosmology, chaos theory, technology and sci-fi to social issues, politics, the economy, anthropology, marketing and writing. He began writing fiction in his 40s and enjoys reading, walking, cycling, attending the theatre and "most" new movie openings.
His next major fiction project will be a sci-fi trilogy set on earth and spanning "several hundred years" of human history.
website: www.jonreisfeld.com
blog: www.writeatyou.wordpress.com
Your book sounds like an interesting read. Thank you for sharing what scares you, Jon.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
The lion at the door, bunny ski-slope designers ... and the current state of our society. Throughout my life, whether awake or asleep, the things that really scared me always had to do with human frailty, stupidity or evil -- even when they first appeared to me in disguise.
As a toddler, I had a recurring nightmare that always ended the same way: with me sitting up in bed, heart pounding, bug-eyed and drenched in sweat. What brought me to that state? The lion at the door. This was no ordinary lion, but a full-sized male, with powerful, sinewy legs, sharp claws, a large dark mane and hungry fangs, dripping with saliva. I never knew how it got there. It might have escaped from the zoo or slipped away from a traveling circus for all I knew. But none of that mattered as I watched, in terror, as the beast paced back and forth, just five feet away, passing between the bushes that flanked the sidewalk at the base of our front steps.
For some reason, our house's thick, wooden, interior front door stood wide open. Only a flimsy metal and glass storm door secured the space between the lion and me. Sometimes, I would grab the storm door's handle and attempt to turn it, just to make sure it was locked. Each time, to my horror, the handle would turn until the door slipped loose from the frame. When that happened, I'd quickly pull it shut again and then run through our dining room to the kitchen, to make sure that dead-bolted door, and the even flimsier wooden screen door beyond it, remained closed. I'd inch up to that door, turn its handle and pull with all my might, only to find its deadbolt still firmly in place. A wave of relief would wash over me, just as the lion came into view again, staring at me through the door's thin veneer curtains.
The nightmare always ended at the lion's initiative. At some point, he would either raise his front claw, growl at me or suddenly spring up, bridging the distance between the front sidewalk, where it paced, and the top of the stoop, where I stood. Years later, I decoded this nightmare, when I realized that my first childhood memory occurred in the very same spot. I was two and a half. It was mid afternoon, and my parents were having a fight. I was downstairs and my four-year-old sister was upstairs, playing in her room, when I heard my father yell and storm out the front door. As he got into his car, my mother ran past me, opened the door and yelled after him, "Wait, I'm coming with you!" As I stood there, behind the same glass and metal storm door, I watched them drive away in the family car. I'm sure they were gone for no more than a few minutes, but the fear of abandonment was palpable. And it returned, over and over again throughout the years, to taunt me in my dreams.
My issue with bunny ski-slope designers occurred eight years later, when my family went to the Pocono mountains for Christmas vacation. I had never skied before so I took an introductory lesson that taught me how to get up on the skis, push for speed and snow plow to a dead stop. Having mastered the basics, I headed for the top of the bunny slope and pushed off.Down I went, straight as an arrow, building up speed all the while. This was living. This was fun. Incredible! The cold wind hit my face and burned my ears, and I was really starting to fly. Then, several hundred yards ahead, I saw it: A small, red wooden fence comprised of vertical slats held together with chicken wire. The fence rose out of a modest mound of snow, and there, directly in front of me on that fence was a sign. I couldn't make out what it said, but I knew it was time to start applying the brakes.
I turned the heads of my skis inward, as instructed, and pressed forward and down, digging them into the snow, which began flying up around me in enormous walls, just as my instructors said it would. (I could almost hear them slapping each other on the back and congratulating themselves as they marveled at my near-perfect execution of the snowplow maneuver.) Only one thing detracted from my reverie: my rapid rate of descent. Despite all my snowplowing, I continued to race ahead like a ski-slope juggernaut. No matter what I did, I kept barreling forward. When I had come within 100 yards of the fence, I could finally make out the writing on the sign. It read, "Beware, 300-ft Drop." I blinked. I shook my head and looked again. The message did not change.
Meanwhile, my impotent snowplow continued to make a big show of things as the distance to the fence grew shorter and shorter. When I was no more than 20 yards away from it, I finally rolled hard to one side. My skis flew off, and I began tumbling forward, head over heels. The sensation reminded me of getting caught under a big, breaking wave at the beach. Finally, the spinning stopped and I found myself sitting upright, with my ski boots dug deep into the snow. I had come to a stop just one yard before the fence and directly in front of the 300-foot drop sign.
That marked the end of my brief infatuation with skiing. The thought that someone, anyone, could build a children's bunny ski slope in front of a 300-foot drop was more than my 11-year-old mind could fathom.
As I've grown older, I've learned that bunny ski slope designers were the least of my problems. Plenty of people, who we all expect to act responsibly, demonstrating at least a modicum of concern for the welfare of others, have routinely proven to be derelict in their duties. That's why what scares me now -- and the most -- is the mess that our government, our society and our economy have gotten into. The economic collapse that we continue to wrestle with grew out of a failure of government oversight; the unbounded greed and arrogance of Wall Street investment bankers and the successful actions of paid lobbyists, who, for decades have bought preferential treatment for their corporate clients for pennies on the dollar and at the enormous expense of average Americans. Perhaps the reason Congress has failed to act, and to work with the Executive branch to solve our problems, is because many members know they have blood on their hands.
But the gravest danger to come out of this economic disaster is the notion that out-and-out crooks and disingenuous and corrupt government overseers do not have to pay for their crimes. We must insist that they be held accountable, if our society is to have any hope of continuing to function for the good of all. That's why I am encouraged by the Occupy Wall Street movement. At least it suggests that some of us are waking up and showing our displeasure with a society gone completely amok.
My book, The Last Way Station, tells the story of the final judgment of one of history's most notorious villains and mass-murderers: Adolf Hitler. But it's fiction. Hitler never paid, in this life, for his massive crimes against humanity, and for a good reason. He built the Third Reich on a foundation of complete non-accountability for evil doers.
About The Last Way Station
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler, one of the most notorious mass-murderers in history, retired to his room in his bunker, 25 feet beneath the old Reich Chancery garden. Above him, the Red Army was encircling Berlin as his dream of a thousand-year Aryan empire lay in ruins.
Hitler placed a glass cyanide capsule between his teeth and pointed a loaded service pistol at his right temple. Then, smugly believing he had both evaded capture and escaped all accountability for his crimes, he bit down and pulled the trigger. He was wrong!
The Last Way Station begins moments after Hitler's successful suicide, when the F�hrer finds himself mysteriously transported to a numbingly cold, solitary holding cell in the afterworld. There, he meets his caseworker, a supernatural being tasked with helping him face, and work through, his sins. The caseworker explains that Hitler will remain in solitary confinement indefinitely, as he prepares his soul for eventual return to the material world. The method, Hitler learns, involves seeking enlightenment through physically embodying his victims and then personally reliving the atrocities committed against them in his name.
This speculative, historical fantasy narrative explores Hitler's psychology, the psychology of evil and asks, 'What, if anything, constitutes fitting punishment for the 'super evil?'
Book Purchase Links:
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
About the Author
A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Jon Reisfeld has worked, most of his adult life, as a writer and marketer. He has more than 25 years combined experience in journalism, corporate communications, advertising and marketing.
At 23, Jon became the first writer ever to have a story start on the cover of Baltimore Magazine. (It was a piece about teenage suicide.) He later founded and published Housecalls, a Baltimore-based health-and-fitness magazine. In the mid 90s, Jon served as Director of Marketing and Communications for Duron Paints and Wallcoverings. He ran the half-billion dollar regional paint company's 12-person in-house advertising agency for several years before returning to his private marketing consulting practice.
Jon's eclectic interests run the gamut from cosmology, chaos theory, technology and sci-fi to social issues, politics, the economy, anthropology, marketing and writing. He began writing fiction in his 40s and enjoys reading, walking, cycling, attending the theatre and "most" new movie openings.
His next major fiction project will be a sci-fi trilogy set on earth and spanning "several hundred years" of human history.
website: www.jonreisfeld.com
blog: www.writeatyou.wordpress.com
Your book sounds like an interesting read. Thank you for sharing what scares you, Jon.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Laurie Stevens
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
October 14, 2011
What Scares Author Laurie Stevens
Summary: What Scares Authors series #17, learn in her own words what scares author Laurie Stevens.
About The Dark Before Dawn
High in the Santa Monica Mountains grisly murders are taking place. On each of the victim's bodies a note is left for L.A. Sheriff's detective, Gabriel McRay. The killer's identity is locked in the suppressed memory of a horrifying trauma from Gabriel's own childhood. Teamed with his forensic pathologist girlfriend and his psychiatrist, Gabriel runs two parallel investigations. The first: a dark journey into the terrifying recollections of his past and the second: the hunt for a serial killer who seems to know more about Gabriel... than he knows himself.
Where to buy The Dark Before Dawn
Amazon paperback
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456450115/
Amazon Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FM2F38/
Barnes & Nobel paperback
barnesandnoble.com
Nook
ebook
About the Author
Laurie Stevens is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. She has written for television (Chris Isaak's Guide to Jazz Fest), for film (Footprint Films and John Daly's Film and Music Entertainment) and her stage play, "Follow Your Dreams" ran for eight weeks in Los Angeles. Laurie's novel "The Dark Before Dawn" is the first in a psycho-thriller/detective series and was awarded the Kirkus Star and "Best of Indie for 2011". Psychology and forensics abound in her books. In her words: "My favorite research is to pick the brains of therapists - how's that for a twist?"
Website: http://www.lauriestevensbooks.com
Facebook: thedarkbeforedawn
Twiter: @LaurieStevens1
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Laurie.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
Heather Marie Adkins
Dolls scare me. I may have been a big fan of Barbie back in the day but most dolls creep me out. My parents insisted on buying dolls as souvenirs for me from their worldwide travels and they had a rack custom made to display their purchases. Ignoring my protests, my parents hung the display rack directly across from my bed. Every night I had to stare at that weird Japanese doll wearing a kimono and holding up a bucket in each hand. I could swear her arms wavered slightly. Then there was that innocuous-looking Dutch doll with her long blonde braids and eyes that could open and close. Did she wink at me? A baby doll from some unknown country scared me so much; I turned her around every night. I knew, just knew, that some morning I would wake up with her freaky smile facing forward again.
The dolls hung prominently in my room until the night I watched "Trilogy of Terror" with Karen Black. My older sister thought the T.V. movie was too funny but I watched it in wide-eyed horror. Something about that little voodoo doll running through Karen Black's apartment with a knife the size of its body and gnashing its overly large, sharp teeth made me shiver against the couch. The doll rack came down that very night and I checked under my bed before I went to sleep for the next three years. No lie. After watching Bride of Chucky, I got over my fear of glass-eyed stares (let's face it, even I had to see the humor in watching two dolls have sex). My fear, however, must have been genetic because my sister gave my daughter a life-size plastic doll one holiday season. We named her Penny. Penny was as big as my daughter. I knew something was dreadfully wrong the day I came into my daughter's room and saw Penny sitting amid a shrine of play food, fake flowers, and lots of comfortable pillows.
"What's the deal?" I asked my daughter.
She pulled me out of the room (so Penny couldn't hear) and whispered, "I have to keep her happy because I think she's going to kill me when I go to sleep." She began to cry. Oh, Geez... Penny had to go. I had to admit that when we both walked into the room and approached Penny's shrine, my daughter and I looked at each other. We were both afraid to throw her away. We shared visions of her lifting her plastic arm from trashcan and climbing out. We both knew we would open our eyes one night and see a ragged-haired, large-eyed plastic girl leaning over us, poised with a weapon. So, we did the only thing possible. We put my son on the job. Young boys have a knack for destruction and my son made an effective doll assassin. I think a hammer was involved. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this woman's kids are as weird as she is. Well, what do you expect? Their mother writes about psychological torment, murder, and police investigation. Blame the baby doll.
About The Dark Before Dawn
High in the Santa Monica Mountains grisly murders are taking place. On each of the victim's bodies a note is left for L.A. Sheriff's detective, Gabriel McRay. The killer's identity is locked in the suppressed memory of a horrifying trauma from Gabriel's own childhood. Teamed with his forensic pathologist girlfriend and his psychiatrist, Gabriel runs two parallel investigations. The first: a dark journey into the terrifying recollections of his past and the second: the hunt for a serial killer who seems to know more about Gabriel... than he knows himself.
Where to buy The Dark Before Dawn
Amazon paperback
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456450115/
Amazon Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FM2F38/
Barnes & Nobel paperback
barnesandnoble.com
Nook
ebook
About the Author
Laurie Stevens is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. She has written for television (Chris Isaak's Guide to Jazz Fest), for film (Footprint Films and John Daly's Film and Music Entertainment) and her stage play, "Follow Your Dreams" ran for eight weeks in Los Angeles. Laurie's novel "The Dark Before Dawn" is the first in a psycho-thriller/detective series and was awarded the Kirkus Star and "Best of Indie for 2011". Psychology and forensics abound in her books. In her words: "My favorite research is to pick the brains of therapists - how's that for a twist?"
Website: http://www.lauriestevensbooks.com
Facebook: thedarkbeforedawn
Twiter: @LaurieStevens1
Thank you for sharing what scares you, Laurie.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Stephen L. Brayton
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
Heather Marie Adkins
What Scares Author Stephen L Brayton
Summary: What Scares Authors series #16, learn in his own words what scares author Stephen L. Brayton.
Fear
I once read an article stating how fear is an acronym for False Evidence Against Reality. The article went on to discuss how most fears aren't as devastating when the reality of the situation is revealed.
For instance, I fear change. Change in my residence or employment usually produces a queasy feeling in my stomach. However, in the face of reality, the new apartment or job isn't as bad as expected.
Many of us experience fear in one form or another and at different intensities. Anything from a mild anxiety about an upcoming dinner date to a long suffered phobia of spiders or heights. Tony Shalhoub portrayed a man with the ultimate in fears in the television series Monk.
Fear, however, is a bit different from being scared. Fears can be faced and, in many cases, overcome. The phobias some people have can be dealt with through counseling or outright confrontation with the fearful situation. Scared is heightened and lingering fear. Scared is knowing potential danger is imminent. The teenage camper, having seen her mutilated friends strewn about the woods is truly scared of what's behind the door of the lonely old cabin she's discovered. She knows the killer stalks her and is watching, waiting.
For me, scared was driving seven miles on a curvy, hilly, ice covered road with steep ditches on either side and no way to turn around. As a child, scared was being stranded on the other side of a large lake with no way to return except for trekking another hour back, knowing the trouble I'd be in.
Horror movies rarely scare me. Sure there are moments that give my heart and stomach a short-lived jolt, but they're rare. The twist at the end of The Sixth Sense didn't really scare me, per se, but left me feeling very weird since, for me, Bruce Willis being dead was completely unexpected. Most horror films, though, are various versions of the same theme: the serial killer or mutated monster slaughtering the wayward young or ghosts, vampires, or other supernatural entities doing the same.
Radio and literature hold more potential to scare because they force you to use your imagination. One of the most famous radio incidents creating a mass scare was Orson Welles narrating the alien invasion of War of the Worlds in 1938.
I've collected hundreds of horror novels throughout the years and have been scared by only a few. Not very many have left a lingering sense of dread or maintained the imagination after the last chapter. There have been rarities leaving me wondering, "What if..." or "What would the next scene be?" because there was no real resolution in the story.
H.P. Lovecraft was a master at creating those lasting feelings for me. He wrote some truly scary material and years passed with several re-readings of a few of his stories for me to understand the attraction to his stories. Rarely did he show you the monster. One of his best stories, in my opinion, At the "Mountains of Madness," draws you in so well with so much detail and description, you feel that you are right there with the travelers discovering an ancient vanished civilization in the Antarctic depths. When they flee the scene, you are desperately wanting to know what the main character saw when he looked back over his shoulder, what awful, nameless thing destroyed the mind of his partner...but Lovecraft doesn't tell you. You are left wondering...wondering what could it be? For me, I loved that scared feeling imagining there really were super tall mountains at the South Pole hiding all sorts of unknown creatures.
I hope I've created some scary moments in my book, Night Shadows. I waited until later in the book before the monsters were 'seen' and known. Several readers have shared the fact they really didn't want to turn out the lights the night after reading the story. I hope I have also left people with a lingering imagination, a sense of 'what if?'
What scares me scares many people. The unknown, the possibilities in the unknown. Also the experience you have when-
Oh, crap! Don't you dare sneak up on me and tap my shoulder. You nearly scared me to death.
About the Author
Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton's Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree
Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association. He began writing as a child; his first short story concerned a true incident about his reactions to discipline. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a photographer for the yearbook. For a Mass Media class, he wrote and edited a video project. In college, he began a personal journal for a writing class; said journal is ongoing. He was also a reporter for the college newspaper. During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories both horror and mystery. He has also written a paranormal mystery, entitled Night Shadows, sequels to Night Shadows and Beta are in rewrite/revision stages.
Buy Night Shadows at Amazon
Website: www.stephenbrayton.com
Blogs: http://stephenlbrayton.blogspot.com ,
http://braytonsbookbuzz.blogspot.com
A fellow Lovecraft fan, right on! Thank you for sharing what scares you, Stephen.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
Heather Marie Adkins
Sue Owen
FearI once read an article stating how fear is an acronym for False Evidence Against Reality. The article went on to discuss how most fears aren't as devastating when the reality of the situation is revealed.
For instance, I fear change. Change in my residence or employment usually produces a queasy feeling in my stomach. However, in the face of reality, the new apartment or job isn't as bad as expected.
Many of us experience fear in one form or another and at different intensities. Anything from a mild anxiety about an upcoming dinner date to a long suffered phobia of spiders or heights. Tony Shalhoub portrayed a man with the ultimate in fears in the television series Monk.
Fear, however, is a bit different from being scared. Fears can be faced and, in many cases, overcome. The phobias some people have can be dealt with through counseling or outright confrontation with the fearful situation. Scared is heightened and lingering fear. Scared is knowing potential danger is imminent. The teenage camper, having seen her mutilated friends strewn about the woods is truly scared of what's behind the door of the lonely old cabin she's discovered. She knows the killer stalks her and is watching, waiting.
For me, scared was driving seven miles on a curvy, hilly, ice covered road with steep ditches on either side and no way to turn around. As a child, scared was being stranded on the other side of a large lake with no way to return except for trekking another hour back, knowing the trouble I'd be in.
Horror movies rarely scare me. Sure there are moments that give my heart and stomach a short-lived jolt, but they're rare. The twist at the end of The Sixth Sense didn't really scare me, per se, but left me feeling very weird since, for me, Bruce Willis being dead was completely unexpected. Most horror films, though, are various versions of the same theme: the serial killer or mutated monster slaughtering the wayward young or ghosts, vampires, or other supernatural entities doing the same.
Radio and literature hold more potential to scare because they force you to use your imagination. One of the most famous radio incidents creating a mass scare was Orson Welles narrating the alien invasion of War of the Worlds in 1938.
I've collected hundreds of horror novels throughout the years and have been scared by only a few. Not very many have left a lingering sense of dread or maintained the imagination after the last chapter. There have been rarities leaving me wondering, "What if..." or "What would the next scene be?" because there was no real resolution in the story.H.P. Lovecraft was a master at creating those lasting feelings for me. He wrote some truly scary material and years passed with several re-readings of a few of his stories for me to understand the attraction to his stories. Rarely did he show you the monster. One of his best stories, in my opinion, At the "Mountains of Madness," draws you in so well with so much detail and description, you feel that you are right there with the travelers discovering an ancient vanished civilization in the Antarctic depths. When they flee the scene, you are desperately wanting to know what the main character saw when he looked back over his shoulder, what awful, nameless thing destroyed the mind of his partner...but Lovecraft doesn't tell you. You are left wondering...wondering what could it be? For me, I loved that scared feeling imagining there really were super tall mountains at the South Pole hiding all sorts of unknown creatures.
I hope I've created some scary moments in my book, Night Shadows. I waited until later in the book before the monsters were 'seen' and known. Several readers have shared the fact they really didn't want to turn out the lights the night after reading the story. I hope I have also left people with a lingering imagination, a sense of 'what if?'
What scares me scares many people. The unknown, the possibilities in the unknown. Also the experience you have when-
Oh, crap! Don't you dare sneak up on me and tap my shoulder. You nearly scared me to death.
About the Author
Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton's Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree
Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association. He began writing as a child; his first short story concerned a true incident about his reactions to discipline. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a photographer for the yearbook. For a Mass Media class, he wrote and edited a video project. In college, he began a personal journal for a writing class; said journal is ongoing. He was also a reporter for the college newspaper. During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories both horror and mystery. He has also written a paranormal mystery, entitled Night Shadows, sequels to Night Shadows and Beta are in rewrite/revision stages.
Buy Night Shadows at Amazon
Website: www.stephenbrayton.com
Blogs: http://stephenlbrayton.blogspot.com ,
http://braytonsbookbuzz.blogspot.com
A fellow Lovecraft fan, right on! Thank you for sharing what scares you, Stephen.
- Todd
Read what scares the last 10 authors in the What Scares Authors series:
Velda Brotherton
Tim C. Taylor
LeAnna Shields
Sarah Woodbury
Jeannie Walker
Joshua Mays
Athanasios
Steven R. Drennon
Heather Marie Adkins
Sue Owen
