Sumiko Saulson's Blog, page 62
October 5, 2012
Interview with Pat McKinney, author of Haunted Richmond
Pamela K Kinney
Pamela K. Kinney is a published author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction ghost books published by Schiffer Publishing. Two of her nonfiction ghost books, Haunted Richmond, Virginia and Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales, have been nominated in the past for Library of Virginia Literary Awards. The others from Schiffer Publishing are her new 2012 release, Haunted Richmond II, plus from 2011, Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations. Also just released are two short horror stories, “Donating” in Inhuman Magazine, Issue 5 December 2011 and “Bottled Spirits” in BuzzyMag.com in June 2012, plus “Azathoth is Here” was reprinted in by Innsmouth Press in InnsmouthMagazine: Collected Issues 1-4 in Kindle and ePub formats. And of course, she has her horror and dark fantasy tales collected in one book, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations, published by Under the Moon.
Under the pseudonym, Sapphire Phelan, she has published erotic and sweet paranormal/fantasy/science fiction romance along with a couple of erotic horror stories. Her erotic urban fantasy, Being Familiar With a Witch is a Prism 2010 Awards winner and a Epic Awards 2010 finalist. The sequel to Being Familiar With a Witch, A Familiar
The Book:
Haunted Richmond II
Haunted Richmond II
Return once more to haunted Richmond, where no building is safe from supernatural happenings. Visit Stories Comics, which holds more than just comics within its walls. Step back in time at Henricus Historical Park where you’ll be welcomed by dead colonists, Civil War soldiers, and other haunts. Discover that not only is the Richmond Vampire out for your blood, but the Werewolf of Henrico waits for you beneath the full moon. It seems that the War Between the States is still being fought between ghostly Confederate and Union soldiers at Cold Harbor, Sailor’s Creek, Parker’s Battery, and Petersburg Battlefield. All this… plus a sea serpent, a lost city, ghostly cats, Bigfoot, a UFO, and haunted churches, parks, and colleges. So be sure to plan your visit now to a very paranormal Richmond. The dead don’t stay dead in this town!
The Interview:
Q. You have an impressive array of genres under your belt, including horror, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction ghost books. When you write, do you decide what genre you are approaching from the outset, or do you just see where the writing takes you?
A. Well, the nonfiction ghost books are pretty set what you have to write. I actually do this one chapter at a time, then put altogether in the sequence I want the book to be. Plus they have due dates once I send in the contract. Fiction—it all depends what I want to write. I have forced myself one book at a time. I have an urban fantasy finished and edited and critiqued by critique partners—now queries agents and publishers. Finished a YA paranormal next. Working on a supernatural thriller. Plus writing a short story here and there. I submit those to magazines, ezines and anthologies. I ended up doing a collection of short stories that Under the Moon, a small press, published, called Spectre Nightmares and Visitations.
Q. Your latest offering is a non-fiction ghost book – “what can you tell the readers of “Things that Go Bump In Your Head” about it?
A. Haunted Richmond II is several haunted spots in the Richmond, Virginia area (this includes not just downtown Richmond, but also cities and counties of Ashland and Hanover County to Henrico, Chesterfield, Amelia and Petersburg and Hopewell). Not just ghosts, but monsters, UFOs, Sasquatch, mountain lions supposedly extinct since 1900 in Virginia, and even non-paranormal legends of Richmond.
Q. How does fiction writing differ from non-fiction writing in your opinion?
A. Fiction is from your imagination, while nonfiction can have the truth in it, along with facts (like history) and myths and legends that have been told for years.
Q. Is the amount of research involved in non-fiction much greater? Where do you get started when you approach researching a book?
A. Yes, you have to not only research from books and online, but contact people to interview and actually go to the places you will be putting in your books. I even got permission to lead paranormal investigators in some places in my new release, to see what we could find.
Q. What advice would you give any aspiring writers who might be reading this?
A. To keep writing very day, even if it’s not for your manuscript, any writing keeps you doing it. To join a critique group or get a critique partner. And once it is ready to submit, submit and not let rejection get you down, but just keep on submitting.
Q. Is there anything you would like our readers to know that we haven’t covered yet?
A. That writing a book isn’t as easy as many think, but when you do write one, finishing it, there’s a feeling of accomplishment. And when it is published and you get the first copy or eBook for the first time, a thrill that others will be reading it and you are joining the ranks of authors you admire and read.
Where To Get It:
Haunted Richmond II can be found at Schiffer Publishing , Amazon, Barnes and Noble , Indiebound.org , Books-A-Million , plus many other online places and it can also be gotten at brick and mortar bookstores. If not available in the place, the bookstore can order it for you.
October 4, 2012
October 2, 2012
Announcing the Bats in the Belfry Contest!
Congratulations to Edward Piercy!
Edward Piercy is the WINNER of the September “Contest Creation Contest” and will be receiving a signed copy of the Sumiko Saulson BOOK OF HIS CHOICE! Way to go, Edward!
He deserved it… he put a lot of effort in to thinking his contest through. Here is his original concept:
“Bats In the Belfry Contest. Each contestant will submit a photo taken by themselves of a tower on a building or turret on a house that looks like it might have bats in it. Photoshopping allowed but emphasis on scary realism. “Tie In: Halloween, bats, crazy people who would do something like this.”
Bats in the Belfry Contest
The Contest:
Bats In the Belfry Contest. Each contestant will submit a photo taken by themselves of a tower on a building or turret on a house that looks like it might have bats in it. Photoshopping allowed but emphasis on scary realism. Tie In: Halloween, bats, crazy people who would do something like this.
But Wait! There’s More!
After giving it great consideration, the author Sumiko Saulson decided that not only would pictures of crazy-looking people in belfries be accepted, but pictures of people involved with bats in some other way where one might conceive they might be in a belfry would also count. Or, maybe she decided that after looking in her photo collection and finding this photo of her biting a rubber bat’s head off and imitating Ozzy Osbourne.
Yes! It could be that other thing.
So pictures of people in Belfries that look scary and/or crazy, or people with Bats, or better yet, Bat AND Belfry involvement.
This girl in the Eiffel Tower costume? Totally would have qualified for this contest.
http://www.craftster.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/eiffel-tower-oct-18-300×400.jpg
The Rules:
Submit your photo here:
https://www.facebook.com/authorsumikosaulson
The WINNER will be the person who gets the most votes, i.e. likes, between now and November 1st. Don’t worry: I’ll repost all of the photos here so no one’s photo gets overlooked on the page, when it gets closer to November 1st.
Can I enter more than once? YES! But you can only win once.
Can I use a Halloween costume picture? If it involves Bats or Belfries, then YES! If you went as a bat or a belfry for Halloween? Definitely. Especially a Belfry. Because there can’t be too many pictures of people dressed as towers.
The Prize:
A couple of nights ago a friend of mine wrote a piece about the Harvest Moon, and it reminded me that “The Moon Cries Blood” starts on a Harvest Moon and ends on a Blood Moon. You’ll get a signed paperback copy. Here is the description:
THE MOON CRIED BLOOD
It is said that the Wolf may howl at the Moon, but the Moon never howls at the Wolf. In the gritty urban streets of Los Angeles in 1975, Leticia Gordon is forced to come to terms with many things: the tragic death of her stepmother and baby sister in a car accident, fear she’ll wind up in foster care, and the sudden revelation she belongs to a long line of powerful witches known as Luna – who exhibit first power upon reaching womanhood. Running from foes natural and supernatural, will her newfound powers be the turning point that elevates her position of honor, or will it destroy her like the dark forces that consumed her father? In a world turned upside down where time itself seems in flux, in whom can she trust?
ISBN-10: 147510510X
ISBN-13: 978-1475105100
The Moon Cried Blood is about a multigenerational family with the characteristics of Leticia. On an unrelated note, a folk metal band from Barcelona called “Eldelvar” has a song called “When The Moon Cries Blood”. Don’t you think I should use it for my book promo video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcVBbtOseGk
September 26, 2012
September 24, 2012
October is BIG. Three book readings. One new release.
Photo Glossy Bookmark!
And to promote them, I’ve created this decorative bookmark.Would you like a bookmark? Or perhaps several, so you can let your friends who like books know about my book readings? Let me know… Just give me a contest idea for the “Contest Creation Contest” and I will send you one!
Or… alternatively, ask me nicely, and I will send you one. Or two. Why not? They’re small. You might need extras, for your friends.
But if you enter the contest which has an October 1st Deadline, you will also get the Sumiko Saulson short story of your choice from Smashwords – that means ones that are actually on Smashwords, which are there for a limited time because of course there is something else big coming out in October:
The release of my short story complilation, “Things That Go Bump In Your Head.” After that comes out, well… you can buy the entire book of short stories in eBook or paperback form.
I really should plug that book, which is coming out October 31st just in time for Halloween, more. That’s right: the night after my last October Book Reading there will be a brand new book. There are rumors that there might even be advance copies available at the October 30th reading at Laurel Books.
That’s big, right?
So October, a lot will be going on. Which is why I have a “Contest Creation”
Things That Go Bump In My Head (cover)
contest now, in September, where you, the readers can come up with fantastic ideas for contests for October. And win the Sumiko Saulson paperback of your choice!
What is that you say? Is it because I’m being lazy and feel I am too overloaded to get off my butt and come up with my own contest idea? Why no, of course not! That’s preposterous.
In fact, I came up with my own idea: the Cat Shaming Contest. You aren’t going to actually let me win my own contest, are you? Why, no… you are going to come up with your own, BETTER contest, and surpase my idea. Because it’s the right thing to do.
I’m glad you agree. /whew
The contest is here:
http://sumikosaulson.com/2012/09/16/the-contest-creation-contest/
September 22, 2012
Decompartmentalization
A spider seems to have moved into the driver-side mirror on my car, and no matter how many times I clean the webs off, in a day or two they are back. I even took it to the car wash, and the spiderwebs were still back in a very short period of time. Days, even. Less than a week. You know what else?
This is a digression… kind of like the three interludes in the Wife of Bath, which we studied and had a quiz on last week. A quiz on which I did abominably. Which is why this blog post is going to not be much longer: I’ve been swamped under a huge pile of homework, studying, reading, and writing thesis papers. When I went to my niece’s party at school, I had to actually bring my homework to her school. See what I mean?
Usually, I try to keep my life compartmentalized.
But it’s become very decompartmentalized this week. Nuff said.
September 21, 2012
About Stagefright
Stagefright at the Whisky (2003)
Founded in 1993 in San Francisco, California, Stagefright is an alternative rock/crossover band that combines the gothic and alt rock influences of its vocalists Sumiko and Carolyn Saulson with the reggae influences of drummer Don Geron and former bassist Prudah Walkman. Started as a family band with Scott Saulson on bass, Mangladata on Spanish Guitar, and Gunther Palmer on Drums and mother/daughter team Carolyn and Sumiko on vocals, the band has gone through a number of line ups since then, the longest running including experienced reggae and gospel bassist Prudah Walkman and Don Geron. Although Prudah has since relocated to Southern California, leaving the band, his influence remains.
Stagefright’s second guitarist Donald Schrieber performed with the band between 1993 and 1996 and is returning this year for the reunion performances in October 2012. Jason Engberg and Rachel were in the 1995-1998 line up. Gino Bertinelli also played with the band for four years between 2000 and 2004.
The next guitarist, Reggie, a friend and associate of Don Geron, only performed for one year in 2009, before tragedy stuck the band. Following the Juneteenth 2009 performance, both Carolyn Saulson and Reginald were diagnosed with cancers. We lost Reggie to cancer of the mouth shortly afterward. Here you can see him playing “Rockin’ in the Free World” at that Juneteenth.
Carolyn developed guillan-barre, an auto immune disorder that attacks the peripheral nerves, during the period of time when she was being treated with aggressive chemotherapy for her multiple myeloma. As a result, she lost some mobility, although her cancer went into remission. During this difficult time, when the band was unable to perform due to all of the tragic events mentioned above, Carolyn and Sumiko went into Rappin 4Tay’s studio with his engineer Bootsy and performed this haunting rendition of “I am Stretched on Your Grave” with the beat by the Amazing GRwY.
It’s been a rough three years, but as of this writing Stagefright is planning two performances for October 2012. Please visit our Event page:
http://stagefrightsf.wordpress.com/events/
September 19, 2012
The Shock! The Horror! M[b]oobs on Facebook
Facebook Censorship Standards Made EZ!
To avoid showing any offensive boobs, in this article, all images of topless females will be replaced by this non-Facebook standards violating photo of Jack Nicholson, topless:
Censored – Just to be safe. Jack Nicholson topless.
Facebook’s arbitrary standards when it comes to censorship are nothing new. By now most of you have already heard about Facebook banning breastfeeding women:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_bans_breast-feeding_photos.php
The notorious temporary shutting down of the New Yorker’s page for the innocuous Adam and Eve cartoon, aka Nipplegate:
Nipplegate: Cartoon Female Nipple Bulges (represented here by a simulated sketch of Jack Nicholson topless) are NOT allowed.
And Wendy Pini’s troubles with first an artistic topless rendering of her blue skinned (and almost boobless) Masque of the Red Death character Bunch, and now for reposting a frequently reposted art photo. Although the blue character wasn’t exactly female, apparently the hermaphrodite character was determined by Facebook to have not (acceptable) “male nipple bulges”, but the offending ”female nipple bulges”:
http://lezgetreal.com/2012/07/pinis-bunchh-censored-by-facebook/
Bunchhgate: Blue, sexually ambiguous nipple bulges are not OK on Facebook.
Well, part of the problem stems from the arbitrary nature of the policies:
Facebook’s guidelines tend to be heavy on the anti-nudity clauses, but with (generally and frequently ignored) clauses allowing nudity in art. The problem is determining who is the arbiter of what is or is not art here.
As the link above explains: the hired group of arbiters of good taste are a global group of Facebook subcontractors paid, on average, $3 to $4 an hour to flag photos. Because they are in many countries around the world, where standards of what is or is not obscene also vary, some are apt to flag things that others let go.
Is this art? What is art? Who knows at Facebook?
Although the link above averages the amount professional flaggers are paid, this one clarifies that some individuals are paid as little as one dollar an hour:
Add to this the fact that users can ALSO flag photos and what you have is a great big mess! Frequently, photos that to not violate Facebook standards (such as mothers breastfeeding where no nipplage is shown) are flagged by overzealous users, allegedly “friends” of the user.
The potentially offensive image of a breastfeeding mother and child has here been replaced by a photo of Jack Nicholson topless surrounded by teddy bears.
Anne Rice gives advice about writing
Today, Anne Rice posted this video on her Facebook Page:
You can find this and other up-to-the-minute postings from the author on her page here:
https://www.facebook.com/annericefanpage
September 16, 2012
The Contest Creation Contest
This month’s contest will be a Contest Contest. No.. I did not stutter. That is no typo. It is a contest contest – where the person who comes up with the best idea for the October contest wins this September Contest-Contest (or perhaps the better name for it is the Contest Creation Contest) wins a book! Which book? You can have your choice of one of the following:
Solitude
The Moon Cried Blood
Warmth
The book you select will be autographed – the paperback version – and sent to you, so the prize is an autographed paperback.
The Contest Creation Contest
How does this work?
We have had some fun contests this year – some more fun than others. Do you remember the contest back in June where everyone was dressing up as a zombie or sending in zombie/ghoul/vampire artwork? How about last month’s Horror Haiku contest? Fun stuff.
This time, however: I have three book readings coming up in October. You know what else is happening at the end of October? I’m releasing my 4th book, a sort story collection called “Things That Go Bump In My Head.” So.. I have my hands full. That’s where you come in.
Between now and October 1st, participants will submit their idea for contests for October. These can be Halloween-themed, “Things That Go Bump In My Head” themed, or any other theme that would relate in some way to any of my current or anticipated titles. You post your ideas here:
https://www.facebook.com/authorsumikosaulson
You will post the following:
1) Clever name for your contest
2) Description of your contest
3) Tie-in to a book (of mine) or October (or Halloween) for your contest
That’s it! The person with the most votes wins, and usually we have people vote by just liking your comment, but last month we did a Poll and that worked very well, so this month we are doing a Poll again – the poll will list your contest NAME so it’s important to have a good name.
Have Fun!
Bootsy strongly objected to the “Cat Shaming Contest” idea.
