Charlie Morgan's Blog, page 11

Mini Tour

The fictional town of Lakewood has been in most of my stories. It is actually based on the actual village of Tuxedo, North Carolina. Lakewood was the original name (and Lake Summit's original name was Lake Edith) so I decided to keep it and fill it with my own little psychotic visions.



So, I figured I'd share a few images that have inspired some new stuff that will be heading down the line in the future.



Below is a view from "Table Rock." It's just inside the Greenville County line in SC. Table Rock 2Table Rock 3Here is a view from a fan-freaking-tastic location called "World's Edge." If you're ever in my area of North Carolina and you like the outdoors, you have to check this place out.



Also in this shot, is David Edney (left) who is a fantastic photographer (and all around jack of all trades) who will be doing some work for me in the near future.A view from World's Edge.I will say that World's Edge will be featured as one of the main locations in Sticks And Stones 2 & 3.



That's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I'll post some more little tours later and some videos.

May 25, 2012

Still here.

It's that time of year again... my one and only superstition.

May 22nd. Today would be my grandmother's birthday.

I've never been a superstitious person. I've had plenty of black cats, broken a shitload of mirrors etc. My bad luck was no worse than usual and Friday the 13th has always been a really great day for me (Jason marathon all the way). So I've never felt the need to be superstitious... that is... until a few years ago.

May 23, 2003

I had just gotten out of school and had enough time to get home and get ready for work. The job wasn't that great but the people were (for the most part) friendly and I actually enjoyed going on most days.

Around 4:30 or so, I was traveling down Tracey Grove road. I could see a car sitting on one of the side roads and didn't think that much of it. Then the car shot forward and picked up speed as it came my direction. I slowed down and tried my best to dodge it but it was too late. I had just been in a head on collision with a drunk driver. When witnesses to the accident came to help, they eased me out of the car and pulled me away. It took me a moment to notice that they had taken me to a grassy spot on the side of the road that belonged to Forest Lawn Cemetery.



It wasn't as bad as it could've been. I was healed up and back to work rather quickly.

May 23, 2005

I was on my way to the grocery store with my grandmother. We were traveling north along highway 225 and had just passed Lake Summit. There was a car cresting the hill at high speed about 100 yards ahead of us and heading our direction (I later found out that he was doing 110 mph when he lost control. When he hit us, he was doing around 75 mph). The car hit a dip on the side of the road, lost control and crashed into us. When I awoke, I had no memory of anything that had happened. I was covered in blood, I thought I'd lost my left eye, I had no idea where I was, if anyone knew and wasn't sure help was even coming. I was trapped in an upside down truck, in a creek, with my grandmother beside me...lifeless.



Help did come and I was flown to mission hospital where I was told that I had broken every vertebrae in my back, along with my nose and left eye socket. I was also told that I was the only survivor of the crash.

Since then, I've stayed home on May 23rd. It has become my one and only superstition.

To anyone who's reading this, please, drive safe and be careful.




Happy Birthday, Anna Lee Morgan - May 22, 1937 - May 23, 2005

A True Book Nightmare

This blog post has been making the rounds on Facebook and other social media sites. It's an interesting read and it's quite the nightmare. I'll let you have a look to form your own opinions though. I will say that if you are new to the writing world and trying to get your foot in the door, you should read this.

The Schlitz Has Hit The Fan!

One thing that I love just as much as horror is humor. There's nothing like sitting back and laughing you ass off at something. With that said... I give you this. It was given birth during a discussion on Facebook and the possibilities of where I could take it was too much to pass up.

I can't say how long it will be or when it'll be released (although I will say it will be pretty soon). I will, however, give you the synopsis to mull over. }:-)~


Bender of the Dead:
To survive a zombie apocalypse... you must be loaded!

As the world collapses around Declan's Pub, three friends find that their drunken state may be the key to survival. 

 During one final bender on the bar's dwindling stock, the three stumble/shamble into the sea of decay with hopes of blending in.

It's happy hour at the end of the world.
 

Horror Writer Nearly Has Coronary.

Yeah, I was on the phone and roaming around outside and saw this big bastard. I felt as if I'd been punched in the chest. It then became rather pissed which resulted in a further attack of panic.
Old and new curse words were flying.

Yes, I have a slight case of arachnophobia... which I explored in Skitter and may dig into some more... after a breather.

Eric S. Brown Interview - Gunslinger of the Apocalypse

Blazing guns, monsters, buckets of gore, break neck paced action and fun are what you'll normally hear about the writing of fellow North Carolinian, Eric S. Brown. His books read like the classic B - Horror Movies that many of us love. I had a chance to fire a few questions his way and he was kind enough to take the time out of his, constantly busy, schedule to shoot the breeze (and perhaps a zombie or two).


eBook Nightmare: What scares you and how has that played a role in your writing?

Eric S. Brown:  I was terrified of Bigfoot and snakes as a child. That fear of Bigfoot did help me write Bigfoot War. 

eBN: You took a chance with Bigfoot War by breathing new life into a creature that had seemingly faded from horror fiction over the years. How did that come about and how do you feel about it's success and the influence it's had since publication?

ESB: I've been a horror fan pretty much my whole life. After years of writing zombies, I was ready for something new and I remembered how much Bigfoot used to freak me out as a kid. I also couldn't find any Bigfoot books that had a kind of survival horror feel on a zombie scale. I set out to write one that did and Bigfoot War was born. It's basically the tale of one little town's struggle to stay alive in North Carolina as a horde of Sasquatch come out of the woods and fill its streets with blood. Of course, as the series goes on, the stakes get higher and a zombie pandemic sets in on top of the human/sasquatch war.

eBN: There are other books of yours which tie into the Bigfoot War series in ways. Could you elaborate on those?

ESB: Yes, mainly A Pack of Wolves. It leads directly into Bigfoot War IV and several of its characters carry over into the Bigfoot War series. A Pack of Wolves is an Old West werewolf tale about a family of guns-for-hire werewolves (think something along the lines of an anti-hero, werewolf version of the A-Team. 

eBN: Any news on the movie?

ESB: There is Hollywood interest in Bigfoot War but only time will tell how that plays out. However, Bigfoot War's success did land me my first novelization deal already. I was hired to turn the new Boggy Creek film into a book. My book Boggy Creek: The Legend is True based on the screenplay will be out later this year.

eBN: You've also been treading into the realm of other beasts, such as the werewolves, zombies and aliens. If someone were just finding out about your work, which would be a good starting point?

ESB: If you like something different and survival horror, I would recommend Bigfoot War. If you dig shoot'em up action and characters that you won't soon forget, I would say A Pack of Wolves.

eBN: I know you're a big fan of comic books and have dabbled with creating one by the name of Croatoan. Could you tell a little about it and if there is a possibility of more comics?

ESB: Croatoan will be soon from Knightwatch Press. It's very much a period piece of Bigfoot survival horror set in the colonial era of America. It's been a great experience so far. It's really cool to see the art the artist comes up with from your script and see your story come alive visually on the page. As to other comics of my own, I hope so however there will be a comic based on Bigfoot War due out later this year as well. A devote fan of the book who happened to be a talented artist created one. It's awesome. Really can't wait for it to come out.

eBN: Who or what has been you major influences with writing?

ESB: David Drake is my hero. That many is crazy intelligent, super talented, and prolific beyond belief. He's what I aspire to as a writer. I learned to write action, heck, I learned to write period from reading his Hammer's Slammers stuff. Lovecraft is another writer who has moved me a lot. 

eBN: Any upcoming projects that have you particularly excited?

ESB: Bigfoot War IV and V are slated for release this year as are my Boggy Creek adaptation and A Pack of Wolves II and III. I am also in the process of beginning a second novelization for another movie but I can't give details on that yet. 

eBN: If you had a chance to visit any period of history for one day and use your experience for inspiration, when would it be and why?

ESB: If we're going with only the past, I would say ancient Rome in its prime because I dig that period. 

eBN: Any advice that you'd like to give to up and coming writers?

ESB: Never give up. Write every day even if you throw it away at the end. Listen to your editors even when you don't want to. And keep the faith.

Scares That Care

You like horror? Sure you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here.

Well, listen up folks and let me tell you a tale.

Scares That Care is a group that uses the genre that we all love to do something very noble. It's a charity to help children. They are good people who do fantastic work. Please drop by their website if you'd like and see what they have to offer. They have some pretty cool stuff! Plus it gives money to the kids! It's win win.

I just added a banner to the bottom of this page and it will be there for as long as this page is active.

Also, please feel free to share their link http://www.scaresthatcare.org on your site, blog, twitter, facebook, bathroom, cemetery, etc.

Audio Books?

Possibly.



I'm toying around with Audible.com to see what developes. If all goes well, Sticks And Stones will be the first. It's already listed and looking for producers and a voice. This is a test run and if it pans out, there may be a few more down the line. We'll just have to see.



On the note of Sticks... it just picked up it's 6th 5 star review. Swing by and give it a read if you'd like. Hey, it made me smile.



A quick word on ze paperback. I've been talking to David Naughton-Shires (a fine Irish fellow) over at Knightwatch Press and I'll be sending in stuff soon. I've got 15 or so tales lined up. Most of them are new stuff with my Kindle and anthology titles mixed in. I'll post a list of the final lineup when I can.

The Lowdown of Being Down

I've been in a bit of a funk with writing as of late. This is partially due to being hunched over a keyboard all day plays hell on my back. On May 23, 2005, I broke my back in a car accident and have been having battles with it ever since.

If you have back problems, you know that when it flares up, you don't feel like doing much. I've been working on taking it easy for a while and trying not to piss off my spine. I think things will go smoothly as I move forward into new territory.

My phone has been one of my saviors when it comes to writing. I wrote Sticks And Stones on an office app and only used the computer to do edits and publishing. In fact, I'm doing this post on the little bugger right now. Yeah, I fuss at it and say horrid things about it's mother, but it's been a useful little rat bast... nevermind.

There are many stories that I want to tell and a few that I need to tell. Within the coming months, I'm hoping to dive in, pound the keyboard (or phone) to death and get them out.

I will be starting my first of two collaborations very soon (hopefully this week) and with any luck, it will kickstart the creative juices.

Another plan I have is to begin work on something that is a step away from my normal path. It will NOT be a horror story. It will be based on something that I wrote about ten years ago and have kept filed away for a rainy day. It won't be the same but it will be the driving force behind this project.

Even though it's not horror, it will be dark and violent as it's based on some pretty harsh events.

I'll post more details later and discuss some more about the collaboration with Sean M. Thompson.

The idea was to write something that is twisted, disturbing and balls to the walls scary. With this fellow, I believe that's possible.

I'm also in the process of putting together a collection for a paperback release. Most of the stories are finished and that should be landing in the near future.

Now that my insomia fueled rant is drawing near it's end, I'd like to toss out a "feel better soon" to a fellow horror writer. I feel your pain... literally. Here's hoping it all goes well and you're back to your old, smelly self again.

P.S. If they can't attatch a scorpion tail, see what they can do in the neighborhood of a gatling gun.

I also want to give a special thanks to Elizabeth Stahr for allowing me to borrow her laptop to do edits, covers and so forth.

I also want to give a thank you to David James Edney, Glen Morgan, Dave Lightfoot, R. Phillip Roberts, the fine folks on my Facebook page, The Dungeon and Moody's Survivors for keeping me sane with insanity fueled antics.

Best to all of you.
- Charlie