Creating A Paranormal Monster, Giveaway and IWSG

This is going to be a fun day! First, we have Cherie Reich talking about how to create monsters. And then, if you'll scroll down, you'll find my IWSG post.

But first, the fun stuff! Take it away, Cherie!*******************
Thank you so much for hosting me, Gwen!

Creating paranormal monsters is a lot of fun. I love playing off legends and mythological creatures and making them my own.

When I first consider a paranormal monster, I have to decide which one. Do I need someone more human or beast ... or a combination of the two?

For The Nightmare Collection, I wanted something like Bigfoot in appearance but not quite. A hairy humanoid monster creeping through the forest. But I needed more. After all, Bigfoot isn’t all that creepy or scary. I thought of a monster that lives a long time, almost like a vampire in its immortality and bloodlust. So I combined longevity and a thirst for blood with my Bigfoot-like monster.

So I had appearance and a couple things that made the monster scarier, but that wasn’t enough.

Paranormal monsters are the best if there is a hint of humanity in them as well as a touch of reality. My monster can talk, although not very much or well. And forensics has discovered genetic mutations within him.

So combining legends and science, the familiar with the unfamiliar, and the old and new can create fascinating new monsters waiting to keep you up at night.

What is your favorite paranormal monster?
The Nightmare Collection Information:


A legend is hungry tonight.

A child monster will get its first taste of blood in Nightmare at the Freak Show. Four friend will enter the forest on December night, but only one can survive in Once Upon a December Nightmare. Almost ten years after Cassie's December nightmare, the monster awakens to hunt again in Nightmare Ever After.




 Purchase Links for the ebook:
Amazon US .UK.DE .FR .ES .IT.  JP Nook . Nook UKKobo Smashwords
Purchase Links for the print book:
Amazon US .UK. DE. FR. ES. IT Createspace
Author Bio:

A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a writer, freelance editor, book blogger, and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. Her e-books include the horror series Nightmare, a short story collection with authors Aubrie Dionne and Lisa Rusczyk titled The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk, the futuristic space fantasy novelette trilogy Gravity, and The Foxwick Chronicles, a series of fantasy stories. She is a member of Valley Writers and the Virginia Writers Club.

Author Links:

Website. Blog. Twitter. Facebook . Goodreads
Rafflecopter Giveaway:

I am giving away prizes to two lucky people. The prize packages are open internationally and include: a signed copy of The Nightmare Collection, a signed copy of Gravity: The Complete Trilogy, and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



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I'm not sure what the heck happened to November, but my calendar assures me that it's now December and time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Thank you Alex Cavanaugh for hosting!
Today I'm going to talk about the new business I'm about to launch. Yikes, did I say that? Me? Run my own business? Of course, I know how to run a swimming pool construction business, inside and out. I did it for ten years. But that's somehow different:It wasn't my business and I didn't start it. I wasn't middle-aged (Can you believe it? But 50 is the new 40, right?). It's success wasn't solely reliant on me. Who knew it wasn't easy to make a living at writing? Well - I did. I knew it. So - how to supplement my novel-writing income? The only thing that makes sense is for me to have my own business, working from home.
I live in the mountains, 60 miles (through mountain passes) from the nearest big town that might employ me. It's way too far for an employer to be comfortable with me being reliable enough to always show up, even during a snow storm.
And besides, I love the career change I made. I love writing and everything that goes with it: editing, proofreading, formatting. I LOVE it all! It's what I'm good at.
Those who know my background know that I had a life-changing epiphany which prompted me to leave my good-paying job: Life is too short to not chase your dreams. That's how I ended up in this writing business. And now I'm expanding to formatting, proofreading and copy editing.
But now I'm feeling insecure about my new venture: What if people won't hire me? What if they do, and I make a mistake? What if I don't have enough experience?What makes me think I can do this?Yep, I could go on and on, but I won't.
Whew! Glad I got this off my chest. And really, I already took the biggest leap, right? Wow, I feel better already. Thanks for listening!
What's your insecurity?