Sumiko Saulson's Blog, page 63

Interview with Ben Barrett, author of “Raisin”

The Author
Ben Barrett was born in Arkansas but has lived in a lot of places since then, from Pennsylvania to the Florida Keys.  He’s never been published in a magazine before and has never received any awards from his writing, but he does have a loyal fan following on the internet which he considers to be reward enough.  Ben has been writing since he was very young, when he saw an episode of FAMILY MATTERS in which Steve Urkel wrote a detective story.  The writing bug bit him and he’s been penning short stories ever since.  His first book, RAISIN, was published by Amazon in 2012.  His favorite writer is Stephen King, from whom he has learned a great deal about the craft of writing.  He considers a good time to be a good book, a bottle of Coke, and some Jimmy Buffett tunes.

When asked for an author photo, Ben answered “None provided.  I prefer people not know what I look like.  Kind of like Wilson from HOME IMPROVEMENT.”

The Interview
Q. In your bio, you said you already had a loyal following on the web. Where can we find your writing on the web, where do you have a following?

A. I have actually spent the last five years or so of my life writing fanfiction on Fanfiction.net.  A lot of my readers have encouraged me to “get published” and I’ve had a few tell me I’m their favorite writer.  Most of what I’ve written there is slash fiction, though that’s not necessarily what I set out to do.  I prowled around the website for a long time, looking at the different stories people seemed to react well to. What I found is that in fanfiction, people seem to really enjoy slash fiction.  I’d say about eighty to ninety percent of the stories on FFN involve some kind of romance between two members of the same sex.  I mean, if you look at just about any section, from Harry Potter to South Park, you’ll find slash stories in abundance.  So that’s what I started writing simply because it’s what people on that site want to read.  However, that’s not all I write.  I’ve also written a lot of horror, some of which has gone out via email correspondence to those who want to receive such things, kind of like how Stephen King did “The Plant”.

Q. Was writing a novel very different from your previous writings? Did you find any areas specifically challenging?

A. Writing a novel was a lot different from my previous writing because it gave me more room to move around.  Whereas in writing short stories you’re kind of limited in the amount of detail you can give and the different plot turns and twists you can use, with a novel you don’t really have those limitations.  You can make it as long or as short as you want, you can add as many characters as you want (case in point: The Stand), and you can say pretty much whatever you want.  When writing short stories to post on places like Fanfiction.net or Fictionpress, you have to kind of censor yourself at times.  You have to stop and say “Is this going to get my story removed from the website?” and that sucks.  As far as finding areas specifically challenging, I’d have to say it’s the flip side of the coin.  While writing a novel gives you plenty of room to move around and do what you like, it also adds the extra challenge of keeping track of all the small details so you don’t end up contradicting yourself.  I remember one point in the story in particular when I was describing a minor character’s background and I described him as trying to help out his mother who was sick with the cancer.  Later in the story, I described him as trying to help out his mother, who was working long hours as a waitress to keep a roof over their heads.  I didn’t catch this little mistake until after I’d sent the manuscript off to my beta readers (and unfortunately, not one of them noticed).

Q. Without giving spoilers, of course, can you tell us if there is anything supernatural in “Raisin”? Are all of the monsters human monsters? 

A. There aren’t really any ghosts or ghoulies in the story.  As you said, the monsters are human.  There are moments that I hope will cause people to hold their breath, like this one scene where the main character, Brian, is being chased down the road by men in cloaks that jumped out from the woods.  I tried to shock my readers without having to resort to giant spiders or evil clowns.  Humans by their very nature are wicked to the core.  The Bible even says that.  If that’s true, why would I need to invent a monster when I can make it more realistic by making all the bad guys real?

Q. You say Stephen King is one of your favorite writers: do you like any other horror writers, and how do you feel your love of horror has affected your approach to telling the story in “Raisin”?

A. Well it definitely influenced my style.  The book reads a lot like a horror novel should: it doesn’t pull any punches.  One thing I’ve found that is true of Stephen King is that he lets the characters tell the story.  He talks about that in “On Writing”, and it’s clear from the content in his books.  If it comes to his mind while he’s writing, chances are it’ll wind up in the book, or at least in the first draft.  Take, for example, “It”.  There’s are scenes in that book that made me kind of raise an eyebrow, like this scene where one preteen  boy is… pleasuring… another in the junkyard.  Was it necessary?  Probably not, but it’s an example of not pulling any punches.  If it could happen in real life it could happen in his stories, and I’ve definitely tried to do that in my own writing.  I’ve learned my lessons well from reading a lot of King books, and I think by not just reading them but analyzing them, I’ve come to a deeper understanding of how horror works.  As for other writers, I’ve wanted to expand my horizons for a long time but haven’t really had the opportunity to do it.  I’ve got a big stack of books I’m reading now, and I just don’t have any more room on my TO READ list for anything else.  When a spot becomes available, however, I definitely want to check out Dean Koontz.  I’ve heard some very good things about him.

Q. You say that your book, which has a gay protagonist, is not intended solely for gay audiences. What do you consider the target demographic for the novel, and what do you consider it’s genre?

A. You know, giving it a genre was harder than I thought it would be.  When I came right down to it and had to pick one for the book at the time of publishing, I just picked “gay fiction”, although it could also be classified as horror, crime, drama and romance.  It’s got elements of all of those genres in it.  That’s what made it so hard to place and hard to sell.  After all, if I have these different types of genre all thrown together in a big literary stewpot, then it lessens the appeal for hardcore readers of certain genres.  Those who only want to read horror might be turned off by the romantic aspects of it, those who only want to read crime might not want to read it because it has horror in it, and those who like drama might not like it because of the gay themes.  I suppose this has a lot to do with me not picking a target demographic when I started writing.  I just went to work one day and five years later I had a book.  I never stopped to think about whether I should write it to please this group of people or that one.  I just wanted to write a great story.

Q. Earlier, you mentioned that Hollyville was based on a real town. In what ways did the geography and culture of the real town help inform your story? Were there particularly frightening or intimidating places or incidents you chose to write about?

A. Well its where I grew up until I was twelve, and I always found the place very creepy.  The house we  lived in (which is, by the way, the same house the main character lives in) was especially creepy.  There was a presence in the basement that was just pure evil.  At times we could hear what sounded like growling sounds coming from down there.  My mother, who isn’t frightened easily, wouldn’t go down there until she absolutely had to.  Also, my little brothers, who were just toddlers at the time, would have long conversations with someone none of the rest of us could see, someone they referred to as simply “the man”.  As for the town, it was one of the most unsettling places in the world.  People I’ve shown pictures of it to have refused to look at any more.  It always feels like eyes are on you while you’re there.  And yes, I chose to use some real life incidents in the story.  One of which was a group of hooded figures who snatched a member of my family, no lie.  It was because of something that my uncle did that really made these people angry, and a member of my family actually disappeared.  My grandfather had to go out into the woods and make a promise to these people that what my uncle did would not happen again.  He couldn’t see them, but he knew that they were there and listening to them.  He told them he wanted his kid back.  When he got back, the person who had been taken was back and my uncle never went snooping again.  We know they were hooded figures because my uncle saw them outside the window before this disappearance happened.  So I incorporated these hooded figures into the story.  It makes it that much more frightening to me because these people actually exist.

Q. I understand you’re working on a sequel? What can you tell us about that?

A. The sequel is temporarily on hiatus to be honest with you.  The first book hasn’t proven to be that popular so I’m going to work on other projects for awhile.  Besides, I spent five years of my life working on the first one and I need a little break.  I can tell you, however, that the second one will end in a cliffhanger that will lead into the third one.  Also, I will expand a great deal on details that seemed to be quite small in the first one.  I can say JK Rowling is to blame for that one.  She really enjoyed putting in things that seemed so small but turned out to be really important, and I really enjoy her books, so I tried to incorporate some of that into my trilogy.  We’ll see how that goes.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers that we haven’t covered yet?

A. Well, Sumiko, I’d like to take this time to tell people about my website ben-barrett.com, which I’m still building.  There’s not much there right now, but I invite anyone who’s interested in my writing to check back periodically.  I’m planning on posting short stories and excerpts there.  I’m also building a community there for people who love fiction.  Anyone can join who wants to join is welcome to.  Anyway, thanks for having me.  It was a blast answering your questions.  Take care!

Where To Find the Book/Author:

You can buy “Raisin” at Amazon.com (search “Raisin Ben Barrett”) or through Createspace at https://www.createspace.com/3940412

Other contact info:

ben.barrett82@yahoo.com

www.ben-barrett.com (under construction)

www.fanfiction.net/~benbarrett

I really like connecting with my fans…

This is a photo of me putting dye in my hair and what I may actually look like when I am blogging with you. I like connecting with my fans… and you can find me @sumikoska on Twitter.

My author page on Facebook is www.facebook.com/authorsumikosaulson - you can easily like it over on that side bar.

Misty from Oregon in commiserating cap.

 

You know what else? I also have a Google+ and a MySpace account, which I, like most other people in the universe, almost never use. But you know, if you are on MySpace just leave a comment below asking for my Myspace address. Not because it’s too hard to leave the address here, but because I really must meet the only other person on earth who still checks their MySpace account.

When you like my facebook page, you will meet fabulous people, like this fan from Washington, who immediately sent me a commiserating photo of herself in a matching weave cap.

Thank you, Misty from Oregon. Misty also knows Jody at The Secret Chicken.

I am now demanding photos of chickens in weave caps.

I am still breathing

Serena Toxicat, Carolyn Saulson, Sumiko Saulson – Serena and Sumiko will be reading at Laurel Bookstore (shown in photo) on October 30, 2012 at 7pm.

I know I have things to do…

I know that I have not two, but three book readings coming up next month (the third one will be at Salon on Sunday, October 14th during the Sunday Streets at Berkeley event) I am having a really hard time motivating myself to update anything. I have gotten some news about my dad’s health, but it still feels like we are all holding our breath right now, waiting for the other shoe to drop and to find out if whatever is in his back is yet more cancer – has it metastasized? And last week, I fell significantly behind in my homework. I really need to catch up. I need to focus. But it’s not easy.

Here is the information about the October 14th event: It takes place at the Blow Salon, 2112 Berkeley Way in Berkeley, CA and is hosted by Jil Girvin at the Salon. Jil, Serena and I will be reading, and if you want to read also, please contact Jil at 510/508-6020. The event is from 11 am to 4pm on Sunday, October 14th.

You can RSVP for it here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/379698752099315/

It is going to be going on in conjunction with this:

http://www.sundaystreetsberkeley.com/

And is going to be hosted at/take place here:

http://blowsalon.com/

Trying to breathe

My Dad and Franchesca (my niece)

I have to go meet my mom, and I need to catch up with homework. I know that I don’t want to fall behind in class, but I just… I just… I just wish I wouldn’t have made myself so busy with the things of life, because life is so very short, and now I am worried about my parents and how little the time I have left with them may be. But I have to remind myself to pull it together, because there is no sense in grieving for the living. I do feel better than last week, but I don’t want to chit-chat as much as usual. I shut off my chat messengers because the idea of idle conversation makes me want to scream. I decide all that I am feeling is perfectly natural… and that other people have felt the same way. I feel connected to the rest of the world emotionally, but it is hard to speak.

My dad (Robert) and niece (Franchesca)

When words are difficult, sometimes there are pictures. Usually my father is the one holding the camera: there are so many pictures of his children: me and my brother Scott, of his grandchildren, Franchesca and Elisabetta, where he is the one you don’t see in the photo: holder of the camera. But there are some pictures of my dad, and I determine to take more, in a sentimental gesture that I don’t usually make. I think it was Betty Bianca who told me to take pictures of my dad, while he is still here, so I do. I take pictures with my dad’s camera phone, and my niece’s ipad, and my dad sends me the pictures I took with his phone.

I say they are too red, but I still take them home and try to tinker with them in

My dad, in the doctor’s office Thursday

Photomania. Photos are like memories… we try to make them more beautiful than they are. We want everything to be just so. We create our past in a series of precious vignettes or devastating tragedies, forgetting all about the many, many, many times that we were bored… those times when we were forced to just be. Why can’t we just be? Who are we that we have to fill our lives with frenetic action, action that distracts us from our pain?

And I feel like there is an elephant sitting on my chest sometimes, but I continue to move forward. Time.. we can’t stop it’s tick tick tick, even though the water we wade through in life is the murky brackish water of mortality, some separate pocket of water between the here and now and an unknowable afterlife. My dad doesn’t pray, but I pray. I pray for life. I pray for air. I pray for a sense of serenity. I am glad I have God to fall back on, because I can’t rely on myself at all right now.

And I take pictures, because words fail me.

Words failing a writer?

Who’d have thought?

Let the Little Ones Lie by Joslyn Corvis – Horror

I really love this creepy little short story by a very talented fellow horror author, Joslyn Corvis. Check out her story, and her blog, here…

Let the Little Ones Lie by Joslyn Corvis – Horror.

Events in October, Sale Today

SFBayView Reading Advertisement color

Wow.  After I got my first book reading, all of the sudden they just started to pour in for October… thanks in part to Serena Toxicat, who introduced me to the hosts of the other two events in October. Serena will be reading with me on October 30th and October 15th, and I have another author TBA reading with me on October 12th.

So… wow! I am really excited.

I have advertisements coming out in the SFBayview, and probably in the Metro, and I like them. So I am showing them to you. Heh. This is what the one in the SF Bayview will look like. Speaking of events, I have an event page on my blog now, and you can get information about my book readings and signings and things there. Here is a convenient link:

http://sumikosaulson.com/events/

Speaking of Advertisements…

A sale! At Lulu! You can buy my books, or any other books for that matter, for 20% off with this coupon code!

20% off! at Lulu.com

Interview with Hollis Jay, author of The Ever

The Author

Hollis Jay

Hollis Jay is an up and coming author focusing primarily on both the gothic and horror genres. She also loves to work within the realms of both poetry and nonfiction as well. Having seen John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) at the age of five, she became infatuated with the horror genre watching films such as The Uninvited (1944) and The House on Haunted Hill (1958) and reading such outstanding authors such as Richard Matheson, Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Stephen King, and of course H.P. Lovecraft. She graduated with both her BA in English and American Literature and her MFA in Creative Writing specializing in fiction. She is continuing with her educational goals and is currently working on her MA in English focusing in the gothic. She plans on also eventually receiving her PhD specializing in Gothic Literature. She is working as an intern for Magic Cat Press and plans on releasing her first edited anthology focusing on the horror genre. Traveling her whole life, Hollis not only takes on a different point of view and walks a different path due to her exposure to new cultures but she also uses those experiences within her writing to illicit reactions-both good and bad- and bring about discussion within her readers. Visiting and living amongst historical locations gave her not only an understanding of loss, but an appreciation of the sanctity of life. Raised in an unconventional and abusive family, she turned these negative fixtures in her life around towards a positive goal and used these elements to help her to dictate not only the emotions of her characters but she also used these traumatic events as an inspiration to her and as an advantage throughout her work. Her first novella, The Ever is the classic story of a haunted house turned inward and personalized towards its victims. Set throughout various sections of life, the Mark’s house becomes a representation of the minds of its occupants engulfing them in not only their own nightmares but haunting them in every aspect of their lives. In her writing, she believes in the reader completing the story for themselves and that the writer does not always have to present the back story in order for the readers to understand the complexities of the characters and the issues at hand. She presents an honest story without formalities and without presuming that there will always be a happy ending. Hollis lives with her family and her dogs in Arizona. When she’s not writing, she enjoys photography, helping animals, being with her significant other, and of course reading or watching a good scary story.

The Interview
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“The Ever” by Hollis Jay

Q. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us to day to talk about your debut novella, “The Ever”. I see that you have written poetry and non-fiction as well, and “The Ever” also begins in poetic verse. When did you first start writing poetry, and do you think that your history as a poet affected your approach to writing the novella?

A. Thank you very much for having me here. I am happy to be here!!! Oddly enough, I started writing fiction way before I had ever even attempted to write poetry but yes I do believe that listening to words and the intent of the meaning of words has helped my writing in general. Poetry really allows for the writer to concentrate on every aspect of the piece. One finds a focus there and usually falls short in fiction, but I try to mix medias and develop new intentions throughout my work. I enjoy mixing themes and placing the reader into a different atmosphere, which also corresponds to different types of writing. Blending worlds is always a part of the challenge.

Q. I really like the fact that you use the word “novella” – I’ve always preferred it to the other names for longer-than-short but shorter than novel length works, like novelette. Many traditional works in the horror genre such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” were novellas. Modern horror tends to favor the novel. Did you write your gothic horror story in the novella length as a conscious nod to the traditional writers?

A. Yes and no. I adore the majority of horror’s traditional works, but in no way would I say that I am trying to regulate to those set rules. Yes, the novella was a way to give creed to those great works but I have always truly been a fan of its size. I like the way that it embraces the story in a way that some longer books tend to ignore. My next novel is a lengthy one (so far) and I find myself learning how to allow myself to tell the story in a less compact way which has been quite fun. Gothic chapbooks have also enhanced my thoughts in regards to length and process.

Q. The length isn’t the only element of traditional horror present in your story: you frequently use elements of psychological terror and suspense to engage the reader. Your short story, “The Mistakes”, is also very suspenseful. Do you think that the lines between horror and suspense frequently blur in general, and have you been a fan of suspense stories in addition to the many horror writers you admire?

A. Thank you. Suspense is a natural element of all writing, not just horror. I believe in creating various emotional reactions throughout my piece and allowing the audience to react in their own way. I am a fan of all types of writing and I try to learn from everything that I read (and some things that I don’t). Horror has always been the genre that I come back to though and continue to love and adore.

Q. In “The Ever”, you create an atmosphere of dramatic tension through the use of brevity in descriptions and dialog. You do not seem to have the tendency of many poets who embrace narrative writing to use a lot of flowery language. I like the way you imbue a stark realism into the haunted house story, giving your characters and locations a gritty feel. What do you think has most influenced the development of your writing style?

A. Thank you. I’m not sure. I just allow images to come in, think about them, and describe them to the best of my ability. I have always loved to write, but if I had to pin down one exact thing that has influenced me it would have to be other writers. I started reading when I was three and ever since then I was hooked. I could allow facets of my personality to come alive that I would never let out in public and I could free my own personal monsters. I could change what needed to be changed and complete the sentence. I could become God.

Q. Your biography states that you came from a difficult background but have “used these traumatic events as an inspiration to her and as an advantage throughout her work.” I often think that those of use who go through difficult things can be helped or encouraged by knowing that others have been able to survive and indeed, find a way to turn a bad experience into the basis for something good. Do you think that the writing has helped you to process these experiences?

A. Yes. One day, I plan on writing about my life. In the meantime, writing always helps. It clears my mind and allows me to focus on what is really important. It helps me to find my peace. Writing is what makes me happy and ultimately it is what has helped me realize a world far beyond my own experiences.

Q. On a related subject, is there anything you would want to say to any reader out there who may be going through things you have had to survive?

A. Never give up. Never. Hold on tight and drive yourself through. Cut yourself out. Freedom is right around the corner-closer than you think.

Q. Thank you for being here today. Before we wrap this up, is there anything else you would like to say to our readers that we haven’t already talked about?

A. I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my work and for being with us here today. It’s a pleasure to

Congratulations to Resa Haile, our Horror Haiku Winner!

Frankenzombie Tee (hers is short sleeved)

And we have a winner! Congratulations to Resa Haile, the winner of our Horror Haiku contest. She has won a one-of-a-kind Frankenzombie t-shirt with her haiku printed on the back, a signed copy of the original Proof Copy of “Things That Go Bump In My Head” (a collection of my short stories) which will become worth lots of money in the unlikely event that I at some point become famous, and… a signed bookmark and an eBook short story just for entering. Her Frankenzombie t-shirt will have the design pictured to the right in front, and the haiku as shown above, on the back of it.

Our Winner:

Resa Haile is a writer and artist, working on a comic paranormal mystery novel.  Her haiku won first place in a poll on Facebook, posted here:

https://www.facebook.com/questions/367298453340409/

Because the poll was anonymous, voters were able to select a winner based on the strength of their writing rather than just voting for their friends and this was not just a popularity contest.

She won for her haunting haiku, below:

“Shadows fall down hard

There, the crash of breaking glass

A heart stops beating”

The artwork to with the red “Winner” seal will appear on the back of her t-shirt, and the front of it will have the Frankenzombie artwork. After creating this custom design, I took it down, so she will be the only one who can have this special t-shirt.

However, the rest of you are welcome to order a regular Frankenzombie t-shirt that doesn’t have the poem on the back of it. Also.. don’t forget, the one-color Frankenzombie t-shirt design will be available to the winner of the costume contest we are having on October 30th at Laurel Bookstore.

Honorable Mentions

Back of Winning T-Shirt with Haiku

We would also like to give a shout out to our two tied-for-second-place haikus:

“The moon is full,

My body change is grim.

I, the werewolf, howl”

- Kay Zieger

and

“Outside my window

Vague shapes hover, leering in…

Good day to stay in.”

- Beth Johnson

Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest. I have to say this is the most fun I’ve had since the Zombie contest several months ago. I’ll be announcing the September contest in a couple of days.

Tomorrow, we will have writer’s interview with Hollis Jay, author of “The Ever”.

Location, Location, Location (Solitude)

There are a lot of beautiful places in San Francisco, and many of them appear in my novel “Solitude”… although, granted, they are frequently on fire or infested with feral rats, cats and dogs that want to tear your throat out… they are beautiful, nonetheless. This blog is dedicated to some of those beautiful locations.

Bay Bridge (image created from Sick YG original)

The San Francisco Main Public Library

SF Main Public Library Facade (by Alexander Marks)

One of our heroes, Gerry, is a homeless guy who sleeps outdoors in the Civic Center area near the San Francisco Main Public Library (http://sfpl.org/). The building’s exterior architecture, while interesting, is no where near as exciting to me as it’s interior.  The inside of the library centers around a spiral shape encasing a sunny domed atrium. The building itself is square, but is filled with numerous windows, creating an atmosphere filled with natural light. The spiral shell logo for the building depicts the view of the ceiling looking from the ground up.

If you’ve read the book, you already know that Gerry has an unpleasant encounter with some dogs. Here is another, earlier scene featuring the same pack of dogs running into a different character:

“It was a pack of wild dogs, but they just looked very wrong. Some of the dogs

SF Main Public Library Roof (by JPaulus)

were big, others little, they all looked like they were once someone’s pet. His first instinct was to laugh – a dirty miniature poodle with a grown-out poodle cut was dragging a battered pink leash attached to an equally pink collar from which dangled a torn pink bow. But as they got closer, he could see some of them foaming at the mouth and others had odd eyes –pale yellow eyes exuding a scary, unnatural glow. And that snapped him out of it. “

Now doesn’t it all sound a lot less scary now that you know that Gerry is underneath the gorgeous skylight shown to the right while running away from the homicidal canines?

The Bay Bridge

Bay Bridge, Empty (by Sick YG)

Another memorable moment in “Solitude” was the point where Shane, another character, was crossing the Bay Bridge when all of the sudden… everyone on the bridge disappeared. But see.. their cars didn’t disappear, so Shane was forced to do some emergency demolition-style driving through the crashing, burning vehicles as they smashed into one another and piled up in various dangerous configurations due to their recently attained driver-free status. Not long ago… back in October 2009,  a cable on the Bay Bridge snapped, and the bridge was closed for a while during repairs. I can neither confirm nor deny that is why the bridge was so empty when my friend Sick YG took this eerie photo of the empty Bay Bridge.

The situation when Shane was on the bridge in the book was a bit more intense, though: because there were still cars. Here is an excerpt:

“This happened almost instantly, but it seemed like minutes in Shane’s shell-

Bay Bridge from the side (Sick YG)

shocked mind. Multiple vehicles ahead of him began to collide. Every other car on the Bay Bridge headed in the San Francisco direction started behaving erratically, as if the drivers had all simultaneously fallen asleep at the wheel. The vehicle immediately in front of him veered to the right, smashing into a stalled car the next lane over, which folded like an accordion. “

Doesn’t it sound a lot more relaxing knowing it was all happening with the gorgeous views of San Francisco and Alcatraz Island as a scenic back drop, on the beautiful bridge in the photo?

Solitude now has it’s own Facebook page, HERE:

https://www.facebook.com/SolitudeBySumikoSaulson

Today is the Day! Vote! For your favorite Horror Haiku

The Contest:

Thank you to everyone who submitted horror haikus for the contest. Well. today is the day: the day that we vote and there is a final tally. The winner gets a proof copy of “Things That Go Bump In My Head” and a t-shirt (Frankenzombie or Meathead).

Today is the last day, so we are down to the voting. In case you are curious: here are the rules:

http://sumikosaulson.com/2012/08/08/announcing-the-horror-or-horrible-haiku-contest/

And now… here are our contestants!

The Entries

ENTRY ONE: 

The moon is full,

My body change is grim.

I, the werewolf, howl

(Kay Zieger) (6)

ENTRY TWO:

Necrotic pustules

tease me mercilessly

under layers of skull print lace.

(Hobbit Des) (2)

ENTRY THREE:

Cold night grows darker,

Fatigue blocks any escape.

Famished zombies feast!

(Ronald S. Houston) (4)

ENTRY FOUR:

Shoveled dirt pounds box.

Stench filled air dwindles away.

Death shrouds open eyes.

(Ronald S. Houston) (5)

ENTRY FIVE:

Teeth combing bloody

Head tangles brain til dead

Tongue speaks nothing said

(Kristin Henderson) (4)

ENTRY SIX:

Knocking at the door

I hear their nails scratching

Blood grows in my throat

(Hollis Jay) (2)

ENTRY SEVEN:

Shadows fall down hard

There, the crash of breaking glass

A heart stops beating

(Resa Haile) (6)

ENTRY EIGHT:

Outside my window

Vague shapes hover, leering in…

Good day to stay in.

(Beth Johnson) (6)

ENTRY NINE:

Icy, she comes forth

bringing chills, terror, panic

she smells of the grave

(Beth Johnson) (5)

ENTRY TEN:

Terrorised, running

from *IT,* indefinable,

unstoppable me.

(Beth Johnson) (4)

ENTRY ELEVEN:

Warm smells of decay

infest our summer village

fresh trumps rotted death

(Beth Johnson) (3)

ENTRY TWELVE:

Sanity fleeing

shadows close in, surrounding….

I regain my edge

(Beth Johnson) (3)

ENTRY THIRTEEN:

Leaves cover his eyes

She crawled fast to his graveside

Her breath blows them away

(Jason David Butko) (4)

ENTRY FOURTEEN

I feel them creeping

Impending sense of darkness

The hell is that smell

(Jason David Butko) (3)

How To Vote:
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“aarrrggghhh” – a haiku. I think.

Each entry above is listed with the name of the person who submitted it, and the total number of tallied votes from my Facebook page in brackets and italicized after the entry. I have a poll pinned to the top of the page, in case people just want to vote for the haikus without knowing who wrote them. However, I also tallied up the number of individual likes (separate from the poll, no double voting).

You can vote on the Facebook page HERE:

https://www.facebook.com/authorsumikosaulson

OR, you can just leave a comment with the Entry Number you are voting for below this blog post. This one. Not the earlier, linked ones. I would appreciate it. We really need tie-breaking votes.

The Three Way Tie:

So far, these three are tied:

ENTRY ONE: 

The moon is full,

My body change is grim.

I, the werewolf, howl

(Kay Zieger) (6)

ENTRY SEVEN:

Shadows fall down hard

There, the crash of breaking glass

A heart stops beating

(Resa Haile) (6)

ENTRY EIGHT:

Outside my window

Vague shapes hover, leering in…

Good day to stay in.

(Beth Johnson) (6)

Interview with Ron Houston, author of Rogue Prophet

The Author

Ron Houston

When Cincinnati resident, Ron Houston, first entertained the notion of writing he was a mixologist in one of the city’s most notable nightclubs. “There I was standing behind the bar. At a point when every customer had been served, I developed an observing eye, I saw what was really going on in the club and started to really hear the conversations. I thought, somebody ought to write a book about this stuff. After a few moments more, a light came on in my head and in realized, ‘Why don’t I write it?’ (oh, did I mention, I’m kinda slow?). I studied writing technique for three years then produced my first collection of short stories, Tales From the Satellite. In one month it became a local bestseller.”

 
Educated in Organic Chemistry and working full time as a lab technician, this licensed certified mixologist, was now an author and owner of GorillaWorks Publishing. Next he wrote the shock novel, The Devastation of Mr. Drake, and gain strong book club support.
 
As an experienced radio talk show guest, Ron Houston has been heard frequently on 1230 WDBZ the Buzz of Cincinnati, 1480 WCIN and 1230 KCOH in Houston, Texas. He’s an articulate, humorous media guest and is known locally as, “ The Mixologist.”
 
The Interview

Q. Your writing has a nice, modern conversational tone to it, and you say that you were inspired to write when listening to conversations you overheard as a local mixologist. What was the transition from deciding you wanted to write to producing your short story collection “Tales from the Satellite” like for you? Were the people around you encouraging? Did you have to overcome any resistance?

A. The transition was a wonderful time of discovery. As I studied the writing craft by day, I’d go to this wellspring of characters, situations and conversations at night. This went on for about two years and I must confess, I never told anyone about my writing intentions. I just listened and watched. I didn’t want any resistance and I wanted the flow of ideals to keep coming.

Q. You have worked with both the short story and the novel, not only with your latest novel “The Rogue Prophet” but in your previous work, “The Devastation of Mr. Drake.” What challenges did you find in working with the novel length format vs. the short story?

A. Definitely, the challenge was patience, or should I say, resisting the urge to rush the novel. I knew that I shouldn’t blow through the details of some sub-plots just to get to main plot-line payoffs, but it was difficult. So I decided that it was best for me to write main and sub-plots as individual short stories then craft my novel from that. In fact, “Tales from the Satellite” and “The Devastation of Mr. Drake” were both carved out of the same stone. It added time in the process but it helped me with detail consistency and pace.

Q. I was interested to learn that you became a local best seller. What was it like to market your work locally, and is there any advice you could offer to other writers on local vs. national focus when it comes to developing an audience?

A. I put the most focus on local marketing. Newspapers, radio and magazines are more accommodating to hometown talent. I also used grocery store bulletin boards. No outlet was too small. “Tales from the Satellite’s” themes were nightclub related, so I did book signings in various local nightclubs. Whenever I traveled I took books with me. Once I added E-publishing and Amazon to my arsenal, I began to get national and even international responses.

Q. The Rogue Prophet definitely has an eerie, supernatural feel to it while taking place in an urban setting, and it could fit into more than one genre. I’ve seen you categorize it as a religious thriller. What can you tell our readers about the genre and how it relates to horror (which is the focus of this blog)?

A. The vehicle of the “Prophet”, novel is religion, and it’s driven by rapid episodic suspense. There are at least five characters that the reader will truly connect with. It’s from the connection of these five characters that the horror comes. All conflict has horror rooted in it, just at varied intensity. The horror intensity in the conflicts of the main protagonist, Lawrence Garnier, three children and one other character is extreme. Remember, horror is sticky. It stays with you. It disturbs you. I love to disturb my readers.

Q. There is a bit in your novel “The Rogue Prophet” I especially like where your protagonist, Lawrence Garnier explains the imprecision of his psychic “gift” or as he deems it, “curse” by telling the Ezekiel Barnes that he didn’t know if his vision where he saw people in front of the television with their mouths dropped and shocked expressions was of 9/11 or Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary performance until 9/11 actually happened. The lack of clarity in his vision really is a major part of the character. What inspired you to write him that way? Is his inability to see clearly in any way a protection against people like the Bishop?

A. Lawrence Garnier is based upon the brother in law of a close friend of mine. He is a faith healer. I saw video of his performance and he was actually impressive. The problem was when he was away from the pulpit. He was a flawed person, and I don’t just mean imperfect, we are all imperfect. His imperfect life was very flawed. After I met him for the first time, I said to my friend, “So that was the rogue prophet.” I imagined what would happen if a very flawed person had a true God-given gift.

Lawrence Garnier is a flawed man with a true gift that is limited at best. This limited gift of foresight came to light under tragic conditions in his childhood, which has tortured him his whole life. His horror is that he can’t control it. Can’t get rid of it. He ruins lives around him because of it. He’s exploited by those who knows he has it. He’s blind to how his life will turn out because his future is the only one he can’t see. With all this, the evil Bishop Ezekiel Barnes is there with outstretched arms to guide this poor soul to salvation.

Q. Your book has the tag line “Just when you thought it was safe to believe.” What does that mean to you and what would you like it to say to your readers?

A. Influence. I remember the first time I was of the proper size to ride a roller coaster. I was scared to death and everyone around me knew it. They all said “Come on, it’s fun.” At that point, I chose to believe them. As we clack, clack, clacked to the top they all said, “Put your arms up, it’ll make it better.” Down the first drop, I knew I wasn’t ready for this. I wanted out. I was trapped and forced to endure what I felt at the time was torment. I gave in to influence that I believed in . . . had faith in. This was a small thing, but I was a child. It’s always your own choice to believe what you choose. Everyday our lives are products of what we choose to believe. For instance, someone might say, “You seem so nice, everyone speaks so highly of you. I would love to have dinner sometime. Great, well it was really nice meeting you, Mr. Dahmer. . . okay. . .Jeffery.” Are we so sure about what we are lead to believe, that we breed safe choices every time? Does the tireless social worker always place the helpless orphan in the best foster home every time? Horror disturbs. So to my readers I say, “Question everything.”

Q. Is there anything else you would like our readers to know that I haven’t asked you yet?

A. I would like your readers to know that I am presently writing the sequel to, The Rogue Prophet. Once you read the first you’ll know why the second book had to come. The two books make the story an event, always surprising, always satisfying. I thank you, Sumiko ( I’m such a fan of your work), and thanks to your readers for their time.

The Book

THE ROGUE PROPHET- Lawrence Garnier, a loser with a real but limited gift of foresight, is convinced that his talent is a curse. After he joins the ministry of Bishop Ezekiel Barnes, he realizes his talent is only the tip of a horrific iceberg between good and evil. At a time when faith is the only thing left to cling to,this novel dares its reader to question everything. Just when you thought it was safe to believe. 

The Rogue Prophet, an Ebook by Ron Houston

www.smashwords.com

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120887

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