Roxanne Crouse's Blog, page 40
April 18, 2012
Roxanne Crouse’s Reviews> The Nightmare Within by Glen Krisch
The Nightmare Within by Glen Krisch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Nightmare Within by Glen Krisch is about a man named Maury who has the unique ability to pull dreams and nightmares from peoples heads and trap them in the real world. He uses his ability to create a museum of dreams and nightmares. One particularly nasty nightmare named Mr. Freakshow, a dream from a small boy’s imagination, escapes and sets all the other nightmares free to cause havoc on the city of Chicago.
This story mostly takes place in the city of Chicago at the museum of dreams called Lucidity. Other parts take place at the home of the boy’s grandmother where the mom and son move after the murder of the boy’s father. The story is well written and easy to follow. It is also blessedly free of typos and formatting errors. The author definitely put his time in to present a professional product.
The characters in this story are well developed and have extensive histories. On occasion, it’s too developed. I found myself getting bored as the characters rambled on about their pasts that had no connection to the plot, especially the part where the boy returns to his home town and reflects on his past every time he sees something familiar. Some readers may disagree enjoying the extra information. I found that it slowed the pace of the novel especially toward the end when events could have moved much faster to keep it exciting. I found myself skipping through paragraphs to get to the good stuff.
The plot is a tight one and well developed even if it is predictable. Nothing surprising happened, but I did enjoy the idea of this story which was unique from my perspective. I even think this book would make an interesting movie, especially if the same people who filmed, The Cell, made it.
I thought the ending dragged too long. There was an entire chapter about the major I felt could have been cut and a part about a serial killer on a train that didn’t tie into the bigger plot in any way and could have been cut. Although, I did enjoy the contrast between how the serial killer viewed himself and how others around him viewed him. IT would make a great short story on its own, but wasn’t needed in this story.
Overall I do recommend the book for its unique idea using dreams, and its professional writing style I enjoyed reading.
April 16, 2012
Just Returned From Ravencon
If you are a sci-fi/fantasy writer and you are not going to cons, you should be. They are not only a great time, they are a wonderful learning opportunity and a great place to meet editors, publishers, book cover designers, and other writers both traditionally published and self published. Plus you can party all weekend and let yourself have a great time.
I just returned from Ravencon in Richmond, VA. This year they had a lot of panels about self publishing which was awesome for me. I wish they would have had special FX makeup people again and maybe a panel on book cover design. I went to a FX panel at Ravencon last year and loved it even though I’m not an FX person. I used the ideas I learned at that class to turn my son into a bloody zombie at Horrorfind weekend. The panels they did have, especially the writing panels, were very informative and I’m glad I went to them.
For fun, my family an I went to the Fantasmo screening of Troll 2. Fantasmo is a group who loves bad movies and are very informative about them. They do a mystery science theater type commentary during the movie that will leave you laughing and gasping for air the entire movie.
My son always participates in the costume contest. This year he dressed as Master Chief from Halo. He was working on a Minecraft costume but didn’t finish it in time. Hopefully he’ll get to wear it at Balticon a con we are attending for my son’s birthday. We saw some great steampunk costumes and now my son wants to build one too. I have to say, I really love steampunk themed shoes and may have to buy a pair.
At Mysticon back in February I met Andy, the lead singer of Bella Morte. I didn’t get to see them perform then, but I did Saturday night at Ravencon. I highly recommend their music. I have two of their CDs and love them. They put on an awesome live show and are the nicest band to talk to. One of these days I think they will make it big and I’ll be able to say, I got to sit down and talk to them before they were famous. The first day I was at Ravencon I walked by Bella Morte’s booth and Andy actually remembered talking to me even though he probably talked to a hundred other people that day. He also writes books while he’s on the road and I plan to get one soon and check it out. Bella Morte will be attending Blood on the Beach, a horror con at Virgina beach, this upcoming weekend and I wish I could go and see them play again but I’ll be at Disney World with my son. 
I also met Miss Lee who wrote her first book at the age of 12 and is now 15 working on her third book in the trilogy. I bought her 1st and 2nd book and can’t wait to read them. I thought it was funny, if she joined my writing group, she would be the most accomplished writer in the group and she’s only 15. Makes you wonder about the time we waste as adults. As soon as I read her first book, When October Ends, I plan to write a review so stay posted. I read a little of the beginning, because I couldn’t wait, and I am already hooked.
Such good times. I can’t wait for Balticon next month.
April 11, 2012
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What I’m reading- The Nightmare Within by Glen Krisch
The Nightmare Within
by Glen Krisch
“Krisch writes with sheer force and raw power–a welcome entry to the horror ranks.”
–Scott Nicholson, best-selling author of The Red Church
_________________________________________________
Maury has the power to pull dreams into the waking world, giving the dreams corporeal form. These dream-people range from seemingly human figures, to monstrous beasts compelled by the most primal urges. Once exposed to the real world, the dreams evolve, adapting to their surroundings.
Maury is gathering dreams for display at Lucidity, the soon-to-open Museum of Dreams. From a boy named Kevin, he removes Mr. Freakshow, a nightmare feeding on the trauma of Kevin having recently witnessed his father’s murder.
As Maury falls in love with a dream-woman named Juliet, he realizes how wrong it is to enclose the dreams. During the Lucidity’s Grand Opening, Mr. Freakshow escapes. To create a diversion, Mr. Freakshow frees the other dreams. The Nightmares, The Erotic Dreams, The Serenity Dreams–all of the dreams–invade the city.
Mr. Freakshow knows the rules that govern the dreams:
1. A dream-person achieves immortality by killing its dreamer.
2. If a dreamer dies for any other reason, the embodied dream disappears forever.
At first Maury seeks out Mr. Freakshow in order to stop him, only to realize there is only one way to accomplish this; he must find Kevin first, killing him before the nightmare has its way.
Kevin will do whatever it takes to be free of his nightmare, once and for all.
Maury will do whatever it takes to protect the love of his life.
Mr. Freakshow will do whatever it takes to realize his immortality.
Will Kevin survive his nightmare?
What I'm reading- The Nightmare Within by Glen Krisch
The Nightmare Within
by Glen Krisch
"Krisch writes with sheer force and raw power–a welcome entry to the horror ranks."
–Scott Nicholson, best-selling author of The Red Church
_________________________________________________
Maury has the power to pull dreams into the waking world, giving the dreams corporeal form. These dream-people range from seemingly human figures, to monstrous beasts compelled by the most primal urges. Once exposed to the real world, the dreams evolve, adapting to their surroundings.
Maury is gathering dreams for display at Lucidity, the soon-to-open Museum of Dreams. From a boy named Kevin, he removes Mr. Freakshow, a nightmare feeding on the trauma of Kevin having recently witnessed his father's murder.
As Maury falls in love with a dream-woman named Juliet, he realizes how wrong it is to enclose the dreams. During the Lucidity's Grand Opening, Mr. Freakshow escapes. To create a diversion, Mr. Freakshow frees the other dreams. The Nightmares, The Erotic Dreams, The Serenity Dreams–all of the dreams–invade the city.
Mr. Freakshow knows the rules that govern the dreams:
1. A dream-person achieves immortality by killing its dreamer.
2. If a dreamer dies for any other reason, the embodied dream disappears forever.
At first Maury seeks out Mr. Freakshow in order to stop him, only to realize there is only one way to accomplish this; he must find Kevin first, killing him before the nightmare has its way.
Kevin will do whatever it takes to be free of his nightmare, once and for all.
Maury will do whatever it takes to protect the love of his life.
Mr. Freakshow will do whatever it takes to realize his immortality.
Will Kevin survive his nightmare?
April 8, 2012
Roxanne Crouse’s Reviews> The Dark Path by Luke Romyn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Dark Path written by Luke Romyn reminds me of dark super heroes such as Spawn, The Crow, and The Punisher. If you like that type of fiction, then you will love, The Dark Path. Here is the description from Amazon:
New York’s underworld quivers at the mention of his name. Evil courses through his veins like blood and his conscience has lain dormant for over a decade while he has slashed and burned his way to the top of the food chain.
Vain.
The Dark Man, born of torment into an existence of death. In the underworld of killers he reigns supreme. And yet he is chosen for a task of supreme benevolence. Why would he be selected to save a young boy, the Avun-Riah, and then protect him against a horde of enemies, both mortal and demonic?
Because he is the only one with any hope of success.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have risen from the pits of Hell and, along with a fanatical army of cultists, are ranged against Vain. If the boy is slain then Sordarrah will be raised to destroy the Earth, a feat even Lucifer never managed.
Evil is being used to fight evil in the ultimate battle for the outcome of all existence. Armageddon sits upon the horizon and all that stands in its way is a man whose path has always been dark….
Most of the story is set in New York where Vain, the best underworld assassin, reins as a terror even the most harden criminal fears. Vain’s beginning is typical of most comic book anti hero characters, something terrible happens to his family, and he is powerless to stop it. The experience changes him and he forgets his old life and transforms into a killing machine. This is why I gave the story four stars instead of five. Something more unique could have been developed instead of the overused murdered family. I do like how Romyn uses the memory of Vain’s family throughout the novel in later parts.
The character, Vain, is supposed to be a scary figure in the novel, but I didn’t find him scary because of the amount of joking around he does and all the one liners he uses. It makes the character more likable, but takes away from the fear factor. There are also scenes where the dialog could have been more mature, such as the scene between Priest and Vain when they first meet. Something about the dialog rang immature to me, despite the few scenes like this, I still enjoyed the novel, just not as a horror. I enjoyed it more like a comic book character.
Another reason I gave the story a four instead of a five is because parts of the plot reminded me too much of the golden child. I even said to my husband that this novel was like the Spawn meets the Golden Child. If you’re familiar with the two story lines, I think you’ll see the similarities. I also thought the author could have done more research on the Buddhist religion. If he had, he’d know that Buddhist don’t believe in a hell.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it. It is well written and blessedly free of errors and typos that other self-published books contain. I just didn’t enjoy the book as a horror novel. It didn’t scare me, but then very few horror movies and novels do, so I may be desensitized to the genre. It is a fast paced book with almost no scene that bored me. I never found myself skipping paragraphs to get to the good parts. The good parts keep coming on a regular basis.
Roxanne Crouse's Reviews> The Dark Path by Luke Romyn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Dark Path written by Luke Romyn reminds me of dark super heroes such as Spawn, The Crow, and The Punisher. If you like that type of fiction, then you will love, The Dark Path. Here is the description from Amazon:
New York's underworld quivers at the mention of his name. Evil courses through his veins like blood and his conscience has lain dormant for over a decade while he has slashed and burned his way to the top of the food chain.
Vain.
The Dark Man, born of torment into an existence of death. In the underworld of killers he reigns supreme. And yet he is chosen for a task of supreme benevolence. Why would he be selected to save a young boy, the Avun-Riah, and then protect him against a horde of enemies, both mortal and demonic?
Because he is the only one with any hope of success.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have risen from the pits of Hell and, along with a fanatical army of cultists, are ranged against Vain. If the boy is slain then Sordarrah will be raised to destroy the Earth, a feat even Lucifer never managed.
Evil is being used to fight evil in the ultimate battle for the outcome of all existence. Armageddon sits upon the horizon and all that stands in its way is a man whose path has always been dark….
Most of the story is set in New York where Vain, the best underworld assassin, reins as a terror even the most harden criminal fears. Vain's beginning is typical of most comic book anti hero characters, something terrible happens to his family, and he is powerless to stop it. The experience changes him and he forgets his old life and transforms into a killing machine. This is why I gave the story four stars instead of five. Something more unique could have been developed instead of the overused murdered family. I do like how Romyn uses the memory of Vain's family throughout the novel in later parts.
The character, Vain, is supposed to be a scary figure in the novel, but I didn't find him scary because of the amount of joking around he does and all the one liners he uses. It makes the character more likable, but takes away from the fear factor. There are also scenes where the dialog could have been more mature, such as the scene between Priest and Vain when they first meet. Something about the dialog rang immature to me, despite the few scenes like this, I still enjoyed the novel, just not as a horror. I enjoyed it more like a comic book character.
Another reason I gave the story a four instead of a five is because parts of the plot reminded me too much of the golden child. I even said to my husband that this novel was like the Spawn meets the Golden Child. If you're familiar with the two story lines, I think you'll see the similarities. I also thought the author could have done more research on the Buddhist religion. If he had, he'd know that Buddhist don't believe in a hell.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it. It is well written and blessedly free of errors and typos that other self-published books contain. I just didn't enjoy the book as a horror novel. It didn't scare me, but then very few horror movies and novels do, so I may be desensitized to the genre. It is a fast paced book with almost no scene that bored me. I never found myself skipping paragraphs to get to the good parts. The good parts keep coming on a regular basis.
April 7, 2012
Mother Grows Up- A Short Story
Monica pulled off the road into the grass and turned off the car. She took in a deep breath and glanced over at her son, Sid. She smiled at him as he glared at her from the corner of his eye. Looking in his cold blue eyes was like drowning in arctic waters. What could she do to warm those waters again? His coldness wore her down with every passing day. Her plan to have fun with him at the Earth Day celebration probably wouldn't make a dent, but she was out of ideas.
Cars lined the road stretching across the entire length of the park. She watched as families held hands and laughed on their way to the event. They looked so happy, content. She wanted the same happiness for her little family, but she hadn't felt it in a while now, not since Sid hit puberty. He locked himself in his room and never came out. She had no idea what was going on in his life anymore.
The hill blocked her view of the celebration, but she could see and hear the little red train running. Her son used to beg to ride the train every year, but not anymore. Last year, he scoffed at the red contraption. She chalked it up to him being in a bad mood that day.
Without saying a word, she opened the car door and got out. The cold, spring air brushed against Monica's skin sending shivers through her body. She tucked her hands into her arms glad she wore a sweater. Sid had on a thin long-sleeve shirt and started to grumble as he got out of the car.
"It's too cold, ma. I don't want to go, let's leave." His face tightened, and impatience dripped from his entire body. He stomped off, bent over like a troll, and appeared just as grumpy.
"I told you to put on a jacket. We haven't even seen anything yet. Why do you want to leave?" The Earth Day event appeared in front of them as Monica trotted along to keep up with Sid's fast pace. They came every year and Sid always loved it, at least he used to love the celebration.
An assortment of vendors had set up along the park path, and Monica read a big sign that said, funnel cakes, at the end of the row. "Look, funnel cakes, you like funnel cakes." She smiled again at Sid, but he didn't return the affection. His body crumpled together even more as he tried to hide himself from the world.
"I don't want to go here. It looks stupid!" he said and stopped in the middle of the path to sulk. The crowd pushed by him oblivious to his tantrum.
"Come on, Sid, give it a chance. We haven't even seen anything yet. Let's at least walk through and see what's here before we leave," she said. She continued to walk toward the booths knowing Sid would follow whether he wanted to or not.
Monica had hoped for a more impressive event. Instead of an Earth Day celebration, the park looked more like a big fat consumerism party. The booths all sold items like jewelry, food, books, nothing related to helping the earth. Everyone ate food and dropped litter on the ground. The irony. She had hoped everyone would be cleaning the park, not trashing it even more. Some volunteer work would have done Sid some good. His new self- centered attitude disturbed her. Monica sighed and continued searching for a path through the booths.
"You don't see anything interesting at all?" she asked glancing behind at Sid, who fell further back.
"No," he said and scowled at her. He crossed his arms tight around his chest and dropped his head down hiding his face.
"Look down there. They have funnel cakes. You don't even want a funnel cake?"
"No," he said under his breath. "You already asked me that!" Monica found a gap and made her way to the road where the crowd of people and booths lined up one after another. She glided through the crowd glancing at each of the tables as she passed searching for something, anything Sid might like. The crowd of people swelled around her. Monica glanced back to make sure Sid still followed behind. He pushed his way through the sea of arms and legs letting them bounce against him as he continued forward. She maneuvered her way to the end of the path where the funnel cake booth waited, and slowed to let Sid catch up.
"Are you sure you don't want a funnel cake?" She stopped in front of the booth. The line stretched all the way back to the bathrooms like a meandering snake. Hopefully, his answer wouldn't change now. She didn't feel like waiting in the long line.
"Yes I'm sure," he grumbled at her side hiding his face against her shirt. She put her arm around him and started leading him back toward the car. Well, that was a short, pointless trip.
"What's your problem Sid? You used to love going to stuff like this." She squeezed him tight to protect him from the cold. Why didn't he listen when she told him to wear a coat? He never listened to her anymore.
Monica stopped in front of some kids playing with a giant Earth ball, tossing the planet back and forth to each other, laughing and running. "Look at that! Why don't you play with them for a while? It will warm you up." She jostled him a bit against her side and ruffled his blond hair. He poked his head out from under her arm. His cheeks reddened, and his eyes narrowed. He pulled away from her, crossed his arms, and walked faster to the car.
"Are you crazy mom!" he yelled back at her. "They're way too young for me. Can we please go now?" He marched ahead of her straight to the car never looking back.
After the Earth Day disaster, Monica drove to the public library. She heard a writer's celebration was being held today and wanted to check it out. She also hoped to expose Sid to something new besides video games. They walked in the children's Library entrance and Sid stopped at the door.
A group of young children gathered around a woman dressed as the Easter bunny. The woman read from a book to the children. They all seemed mesmerized by her as she continued reading in a high-pitched friendly voice.
"Mom! Why do you keep dragging me to all this kiddy stuff? I'm not five anymore." His eyes burned with anger evaporating the cold sea that occupied them before.
"We're just walking through the kid section. We're not staying here. We're going upstairs. There's supposed to be a lot of authors here today. I wanted to check it out," she said and searched around for the stairs leading out of the children's section before Sid had a meltdown.
"They're over there mom. Are you blind?" he said guessing she searched for the stairs.
"You don't have to be snotty about it. What's gotten into you today?" She climbed the stairs hearing Sid's stomping footsteps behind her. She sighed, and continued until she reached the next level. All she wanted was to spend time with him. Why did he have to act like this? She should have left him at home with his games.
As soon as she opened the stairwell door, another crowd of people appeared, filling the main floor of the library. Loud conversations drifted around the long tables hugging the walls with authors displaying their books. They smiled at fans and signed their names. Monica didn't recognize any of the writers. Booths for some of the local colleges intertwined with the author tables. She hesitated in front of the Mountain State University booth. She wanted to ask if they had a graphic-design program yet, but Sid started huffing with impatient breathing behind her.
"Why are we at a bookstore?" he asked and crossed his arms in front of him.
"This isn't a bookstore. This is a library like you have at school," she said surprised, "I thought we would get a library card while we're here so we can save money. They might have that book series you like, and you can check them out instead of spending your money on it."
"But mom, I want to be able to keep the books. I don't want to give them back!"
She sighed. Apparently, he planned to fight her on everything today. She walked over to the main counter and searched for a schedule of events. She didn't see one, and turned to leave.
"Do you need help, miss?" A man's voice came from behind. She turned and saw a man about forty or so with a friendly smile. She stumbled for a moment trying to remember why she came.
"Can I get a library card?" Monica finally managed to say.
"Why sure, that's why I'm here." The man's smile brightened, and friendliness oozed off him. The man even brightened up Mr. Grumpy Pants Sid's face. "Would you like a library card too young man?"
"No thank you," Sid returned softly, shifting his body awkwardly. Sid moved closer to the counter next to Monica and grabbed her arm. His body relaxed, and the stubbornness melted from his stiff frame.
"Here you go, mam, just fill this out, and we'll get you in the system." The man winked at Sid. "If you change your mind, your mom can check books out for you, or you can still sign up for your own card."
A warmth lit Sid's face as he smiled at the man. Monica hardly saw that brightness anymore. Sid reserved it for strangers now. Her heart sank in her chest as she realized he was a teen. The beautiful little boy full of love and hope for her was gone. He'd never want to spend time with her the way they used to ever again. He belonged to the adult world now, not her.
She patted his head and immediately his cheeks turned red. She quickly removed her hand and smiled apologetically at him. She understood now. She had to change. Letting go would be hard, but she could do it.
April 4, 2012
My Second Review At The Book Hoard
A second review came out for my story Fortune and I got 4 stars! Yippy! All excellent motivation to keep me writing. You can click the link to check out the review at The Book Hoard. I can't wait to finish Saving Avalon and get her out there in the world to see how she does. For that reason, this post is going to be short so I can get back to work!
April 3, 2012
Right Now I’m Reading The Dark Path
The Dark Path [Kindle Edition]
I got this book Free and am currently on Chapter 7 if I remember correctly. So far I am enjoying it. You can get it FREE right now on Amazon so don’t WAIT! Check it out and get a copy if you like horror. I personally love horror. Once I’m done reading I’ll be putting up a review so come back to read what I think about, The Dark Path.
Get it for FREE while yo still can. The Dark Path
