Staci Layne Wilson's Blog, page 3

Where Do Ghosts Live?

In boooooks, of course!If you were around in L.A. in the 80s, then you probably remember Wally George, the controversial, conservative pundit and host of a talk show called Hot Seat. (Fun fact: he’s Rebecca De Mornay’s dad… Happy Father’s Day!)George sat at a presidential-style desk in front of a huge American flag and a photo of the space shuttle launch, captioned “USA is #1.” He was forever red-faced, irate, yelling about “ludicrous liberal lunatics,” and had a comb-over helmet of blonde hair. (Remind you of anyone?) His live studio audience loved him for his outspoken antics, raising their fists in the air and yelling “Wal-ly! Wal-ly! Wal-ly!”Though he died practically penniless in 2003, George’s aggressive approach influenced an entire generation of histrionic talk shows — from Jerry Springer to Glenn Beck to Bill O’Reilly. His dubious superstar status lives on. [click image to watch Wally take on GWAR!]Even I’m culpable in helping keep the Wally legend alive. People often ask me where I get my ideas for the fiction I write. I’ll admit, some of my stories are pretty out-there! For one of the most pivotal scenes in my new horror novel and audiobook THE TRAGEDY MAN, I based a derisive talk-show host on none other than Wally George.The main character in my book is Cary, an author who finds success in writing the very stuff he detests: trashy horror novels. When his publisher sends him on a book tour, Cary finds himself in the “hot seat” of Al Jackson’s ambush-style talk show. Let’s take a listen, shall we? [click image below]THE TRAGEDY MAN is now available on Audible.com and since you’re so cool, I figured I’d give you the opportunity to win a free copy. All you have to do is email me and say you’d like to win. The deadline is Wednesday June 20 at midnight where ever you are. I’ll announce the winner in next week’s blog.

Based on a true story.

While writing today’s missive, I felt like Keith Morrison reporting on NBC’s “Dateline.” (Or did I…?) I was thinking back on some of the true crime shows I’ve watched and how they helped influence a couple of the stories in my tarnished Tinsel Town anthology CITY OF DEVILS.There is one in particular, which is called Based on a true story. It’s about what goes into the making of those heart-wrenching reenactments. I’m not an actor—I don’t have what it takes to really let myself go and disappear into someone else—but I can imagine how draining it must be to play the roles of killers and victims. Some amazing performances come to mind, such as Farrah Fawcett in The Burning Bed (the true tale of a battered woman who set her abusive husband on fire) or Shane Meier in The Matthew Shepard Story (about the young man who was cruelly slain because of his homosexuality).What kind of headspace do actors have to get into, to put in such convincing performances? And what if some of those actors are Method? So, that’s how I came up with my main character in Based on a true story.CITY OF DEVILS is out now on Amazon (paperback and kindle) or you can get an autographed copy directly through me.= = =Music notes…On a more personal note, we are nearing the homestretch in the production portion of the (untitled) documentary feature on THE VENTURES. The most-recent interviewee is Waddy Wachtel (his resumé includes playing guitar for Keith Richards, Warren Zevon [he co-wrote "Werewolves of London"], Jackson Browne and Stevie Nicks), and we also got my dad (Don Wilson, co-founder of The Ventures) performing onstage just last week. Check out the video!The characters in my scary books aren’t the only blood donors…Last but not least, if you’re in the L.A. area and you want to do a good deed, please give blood for Evie Swierczynski, a lovely and brave 12-year-old girl who is undergoing treatment for Leukemia.

#MeToo is No Laughing Matter...?

There’s nothing funny at all about sexual harassment. There’s nothing even slightly amusing about death, but we see it being laughed at all the time – from The Darwin Awards, to Spike TV’s 1000 Ways to Die, and right on up to the Academy Award winning feature Get Out which is rife with subtle gallows humor. And how many times have you seen “LOL” written in a text on Facebook in response to something that is not even remotely hilarious?Sometimes it is necessary, or cathartic at least, to explore things that are horrifying in a fictional setting. Like horror movies. Or scary books. In this case, we are safe. We have the control. We are not truly in danger, but we still get that adrenaline rush. I also think it’s important to be able to metaphorically shoot down our real-life villains and reduce them to the pathetic cowards they really are. “Comedy is tragedy plus time,” goes the old saying. But in today’s world “too soon?” is merely a catchphrase.It was this idea that sparked my desire to write the short story He Was Asking For It (which is in my new anthology, City of Devils). It’s the twisted tale of a sleazy Hollywood producer who gets his comeuppance in a most inventive and devilish way. I’m sure a lot of you saw the news footage this morning of Harvey Weinstein being led out of the courthouse in handcuffs—and he had a smile on his face.He Was Asking For It was also partially inspired by my favorite season of American Horror Story, “Hotel”. There’s just something about hotels that is so mysterious, because everything that happens in a hotel room is temporary and yet the memories can last forever. It makes you wonder about the residue of other people’s memories and if they can somehow possess us. While I was working on He Was Asking For It, I donated money to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. (You can too, here’s the link) https://www.gofundme.com/timesupCity of Devils is at a low introductory price for the Kindle on Amazon (and paperback) for only a few more days, so do check it out if you have a moment. I’d love to know what you think of the premise!Other stuff I’m working on that may be of interest:A feature-length documentary on guitar legends The Ventures – check it out at Facebook.com/TheVenturesMovieThe Tragedy Man, a horror novel for Kindle and via Audiobook (if you love audiobooks, please let me know as I am giving away *free* downloads …but only for a short time) Pre-order info hereWhy don’t you come up sometime and see me?Lastly, if you are in L.A. on Sunday June 2, please come by and say hello at Dark Delicacies in Burbank from 4-6pm. The main event is My Favorite Horror Movie, which is a compilation of 48 fab essays, plus I’ll have a few of my own books there as well.As always, thank you for reading - I know and appreciate how valuable your time is.= = =

Small Is Scary!

I’m more scared of bullets than bombs. I worry more about nanobots than I do an invasion of giant robots. Maybe it stems from the first horror I movie I saw as a kid that really and truly frightened me: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (the original, not the remake!), in which a coven of diminutive demons terrorize a full-grown woman and eventually drag her to their dark lair. To me, that was more chilling than a 6’5” Jason Voorhees crashing through the woods.But it’s not just me. Pretty much all people are freaked out by cockroaches scuttling in the dark and going up our leg or the thought of spiders crawling into our mouths we sleep. Mice and rats, cute as they are, are another tried-and-true trigger. It’s the idea of the hive-mind driving little creatures to attack in unison in an unstoppable wave that made Hitchcock’s The Birds such a classic. And to think of tiny beaks, teeth or claws tearing you apart… it would take much longer to die. Yikes!It was this idea that sparked my desire to write the short story "Ankle Biters" (which is in my new anthology, City of Devils). It’s a scary yet darkly-comedic look at how a pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua transforms into a vicious mini-Cujo! Maybe I’m onto something, because the same week City of Devils was released, there was a headline about a woman who was mauled by a pack of wiener dogs! (I think it’s fake news… and so is my fictional story, but it’s fun in a twisted kind of way. And you won’t believe what the dog in my story does!)City of Devils is at a low introductory price of $2.99 for the Kindleon Amazon (and paperback), so do check it out if you have a moment. I’d love to know what you think of the premise!Other stuff I’m working on that may be of interest:A feature-length documentary on guitar legends The Ventures – check it out at Facebook.com/TheVenturesMovieThe Tragedy Man, a horror novel for Kindle and via Audiobook (if you love audiobooks, please let me know as I am giving away *free* downloads …but only for a short time)Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?Lastly, if you are in L.A. on Sunday June 2, please come by and say hello at Dark Delicacies in Burbank from 4-6pm. The main event is the My Favorite Horror Movie signing, which is a complication of 48 fab essays, plus I’ll have a few of my own books there as well.As always, thank you for reading - I know and appreciate how valuable your time is.

"Lordy, I Hope There's a Blog!"

Your hope is my command. Sorry for the six-week silent treatment! I’ve been so busy that the days have flown by.Double Vision: SO L.A. and LEGENDS AND LIPSTICK I’m thrilled to announce that shortly after my sold-out book signing at DARK DELICACIES, I did another one – a Mother’s Day special with my mom, Nancy Bacon – at GIG HARBOR BOOK CO. It was such an amazing feeling, signing paperbacks side-by-side with the woman who inspired me to become a writer! If you missed the book signings, that’s OK: you can still get autographed copies via mail. Order now There’s also Kindle, for you gadgety folks. Oh, and by the by…. the download of my book, SO L.A. is huge. Amazon dings me for that, so I will soon be removing the photos and reissuing it in its new, svelte file size. If you would like to read the version that’s packed with pics, then I suggest you order it now. Here's the linkListen Up: HORROR HAPPENS I was on Jay Kay’s HORROR HAPPENS podcast, talking about my book and film projects. Jay is a great interviewer and this is a super-entertaining show – so give it a listen! Also chatted it up on The Bill and Sheri Show, and Awesome 80s Podcast And later on this month, you can catch my airwaves here: The Dorkening, Horrific Network Podcast, and Your Weekly Dose.PSYCHO THERAPY’s Crazy Success Continues! Since last I checked in, the short film I wrote and directed for Philly Chick Pictures, PSYCHO THERAPY, has won a few more awards. It’s really been such an incredible experience, and I am so grateful that folks are enjoying it. Here’s a pic of Brooke Lewis, Ricky Dean Logan and I after having accepted our Los Angeles Movie Awards. PSYCHO THERAPY has most recently bagged three WEST COAST FILM FESTIVAL AND AWARDS 2017 WINNER CHAPLIN GOLD FILM AWARD BEST DIRECTOR - STACI LAYNE WILSON CHAPLIN GOLD FILM AWARD BEST ACTRESS - BROOKE LEWIS CHAPLIN GOLD FILM AWARD BEST ACTOR - RICKY DEAN LOGAN It also won the Silver Lei at the Honolulu Film Festival, and it’s an Official Selection for the awesome Action on Film Festival (quite a feat, since 98% of the time in the film, the characters are sitting down!

“So L.A. – A Hollywood Memoir” SOLD OUT!

Soooo, we sold all the copies of my book at the very first signing. Which, of course, was at my fave reading-rave, Dark Delicacies Book Store in Burbank.I’m happy the signing was a success (I had visions of blowing dust off a stack of unsold books at the end) but even better is the fact that so many friends showed up to support. That’s what I love about the so-called “horror community” here in Los Angeles. We are a loyal lot, and we do the best we can to help each other out in our creative endeavors.The books, of course, can never sell out on Amazon. So, you can still get copies there – Kindle, too! – or if you have your heart set on a signed paperback, simply click books/buy here on my site. (StaciLayneWilson.com/buy - just in case this post is shared!)Psycho Therapy – An Insane SuccessWell, guess what? We have another laurel for Psycho Therapy, the short thriller I wrote and directed for Philly Chick Pictures. It stars Brooke Lewis, Ricky Dean Logan, and Emily Sansiri. Stephan Colson shot it, and Michael Trapp scored it. Psycho Therapy is now an Official Selection of the Independent Horror Movie Awards 2018! They do awards and selections a few times per year and have a screening with the winners next January 2018. Stay tuned!On the Radio (Not quite Donna Summer, but we try)I did / am doing a couple of interviews this week. Earlier today, I was honored to speak with Jay Kay on the Horror Happens podcast. This is the second time we’ve spoken, and I must say: he’s a fave. One of the most prepared, and truly-interested people I know in the biz. Tomorrow night I’ll be live on “on the Rag” … um, Rag House Radio, that is! It’s hosted with sass by metal rocker grrrrl April Duran and broadcast on the air and on Facebook Live. I’ll be winding up the week on Friday evening on the Bill and Sherri Show with my mom, Nancy Bacon, who also has a new memoir out (Legends and Lipstick, on Amazon).

My Trip Back to the 80s with the L.A. Meekly Podcast

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself seated in the famous red leatherette “Slash booth” at The Rainbow Bar & Grill in the heart of Hollywood with Daniel Zafran and Greg Gonzalez, the congenial hosts of one of the top-rated podcasts about Los Angeles, L.A. Meekly.The first time I parked it there, in 1983, it was just a booth. The world at large wouldn’t know the name Slash until 1987 when the first Guns N’ Roses album, Appetite for Destruction, was unleashed. (Also, in 1983, Daniel and Greg weren’t even born.)The Sunset Strip hotspot was opened on April 16, 1972 by owners Elmer Valentine, Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri, kicking off with a party for ivory-tickler Elton John. Though you might be making a gay connection with the venue’s name and the artist, FYI: At the time, the word “rainbow” signified only peace and freedom. (The original pride flag flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978.)I was on the L.A. Meekly Podcast to discuss my new book, “So L.A. – A Hollywood Memoir” as well as the history of The Rainbow, which is truly a legend of the Sunset Strip. Since I misspent a lot of my youth there, complete with fake I.D. and a lust for rock stars, it was the perfect place to rock down memory lane *and* don my “Hollywood historian” hat.The guys referred to my I.D. shot as "ghostly" -- I think it's The Dorian Gray of fake I.D.'s! In addition to the “Slash booth” The Rainbow is also home to the renowned bronze memorial statue of Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy, the frontman of the heavy metal band Motörhead.Here is a photo of us after our interview, taken by the lovely Nicole Sixx. (I never groped Lemmy’s thigh in real life, so I figured this was my chance.)One of the things I love about The Rainbow is its never-changing ambiance. Even though it’s 2017, you can walk inside and be transported back to its 1970s and 80s hey-day. You can practically picture the apparitions of young Jimmy Page, super-groupie Pamela Des Barres, David Bowie, The Runaways, Keith Moon, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Hal Stone, and so many more, all drinking and carousing here.There have been songs inspired by The Rainbow, record deals struck, and the flash-in-the-pan Richie Blackmore band, Rainbow, took its name from these wood-paneled walls. There are so many great stories!Listen to them hereon the L.A. Meekly PodcastAnd read even more stories about The Rainbow in my bestselling book, “So L.A. – A Hollywood Memoir.”

Cinematic Cats

Several years ago, I wrote the definitive Guide to Animal Movies. It’s out of print now, but you can still get it on Kindle. The book covers all kinds of four-footed stars—from ferrets to felines, and everything furry thing in-between.When I released the book, I was especially happy to be able to put the spotlight on cat movies. Dogs and horses usually get the lion’s share when it comes to screen time. I even added a sidebar interview with my mom (Nancy Bacon) because as a young starlet in Hollywood in the 1960s, she had modeled with Zamba the lion (Fluffy) and Sir Tom the cougar (Disney’s The Cat).Sometimes I wish I could do a sequel or an addendum to Animal Movies Guide. But, this blog is it for now.I saw a really sweet cat movie recently. It’s called Although I (probably) won’t be writing a sequel to my animal movies book, I do have a lot of stories about horses, dogs, ferrets, rats, and yes, cats, in my new memoir So L.A. which is on Amazon. It was fun to think back on my checkered childhood and our odd assortment of pets. Cats were consistent, though: my mom loved them, and so always had at least two or three. Sometimes more, especially in the 1970s when the litters of kittens rivaled bunny-numbers. Here’s an especially vivid memory I shared in the book:Our pets were spoiled, but it’s nothing like today. The dogs didn’t get their bones in Bento boxes, and the cats didn’t have their own Instagram accounts. They were lucky if they got flea collars. Spaying and neutering wasn’t a thing yet, so we’d have assorted litters of kitties running around the house, climbing up the curtains, and swinging from the chandelier. When the kittens were old enough to be weaned, it was my job to round them up in a cardboard box, stand in front of the grocery store and yell, “Free kittens!” And you know what? It actually worked. Well, there was one time it didn’t—so, I found a car that looked like it belonged to someone well-to-do and, grateful it was unlocked, I placed the leftover fuzzballs inside. (Don’t fret, kitten-crusaders! The car was not hot inside.)Of course, no one would dream of doing such a thing today. At least, not in L.A. Times have changed!

All Booked Up!

I noticed that I’ve been acquiring books at a faster rate than I can read them. Some were sent by publicists, some were given as gifts, and some were inherited from friends who downsized, but I must confess that most were bought by me and thrown on the to-be-read stack.I decided to count them, and came up with the alarming number of 50. Even more alarming is the fact I’ve had some books sitting there for the better part of a decade (sorry, Stieg Larsson).Here’s an overview of inviting spines……you may notice a preponderance of fiction, leading you to believe I love fiction. Actually, it’s my last resort so that’s why there’s so much left over. I tend to dive right into biographies and memoirs first, then true crime, books I need to review on deadline, then anything topical or sociopolitical, assorted how-to or historical, and, finally, fiction. (Unless it’s by a fave author, such as Michael Connelly or Gillian Flynn.)What’s your criteria for choosing which book to read first?

6 years = leaps & bounds

It's hard to imagine that my first short film premiered 6 years ago... and all that I have created since then! (Thanks for the reminder, Facebook.)I said in my post that I don't feel like I have accomplished all that much. I guess it's all relative, and how one measures "success" - is it the creative expression, accolades and awards, or is it the cold cash?