Horror Aficionados discussion
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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November 2019 Group Read of MIDNIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD with 25 Guest Authors
Kenneth wrote: "Elke wrote: "I started with the book and just had to catch up on four pages of discussion posts...woah, that alone with all the stories about ghost sightings is worth participating here.I already..."
That's really interesting, thanks Kenneth. All the best for the future.
Dog Days - that was very creepy. It was the first story of the collection I immediately wanted to go back and re-read to see what I'd missed the first time. (view spoiler)
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Todd wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Since it’s unanimous, lets keep it going. Jeremy Hepler and Todd Keisling, you two are next. Would you care to share how your MIDNIGHT creations came to fruition?"Sure thing, Ken...."
Wow, that is fantastic! So interesting. I really liked Holes in the Fabric - love the last line.
Latasha wrote: "@Kimberly, I couldn’t find any other books in that series BUT! I was using the app and we all know how that goes..😒"Numbers 2 and 3 in the Jessica series aren't available any more :(
Hunter S, any chance they're coming out on kindle in the future?
Corinne wrote: "According to isfdb.org there is a second book Sinister Entityany GR librarians here that can add it to the series?
isfdb.org: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?1..."
According to his website they're coming in 2018! Probably the usual publishing politics holdup :(
Corinne wrote: "I was nosing around his site and couldn't see where he talked about it, could you link the area please?Also Sinister Entity which seems to be the sequel to Forest of Shadows does seem available. ..."
No worries, here's the link if my crappy computer skills are behaving today....
https://huntershea.com/about/
Melanie wrote: "Dog Days - that was very creepy."Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Partially, the idea came from the house I was born in, where the paranormal activity was both violent and frequent. I remember a lot from my first 4 years because of it. This ghost dog would occasionally jump through the window at night and vanish. Needless to say, that scared everyone.
As for the attic, that part came from the second house I lived in, which also had a fair amount of negative paranormal activity. This is the house where I was attacked by a shadow person and strangled. I managed a scream and they ran down the stairs and simply vanished. But that attic scared the heck out of me for a long time, so it ends up in a lot of stories.
Lisa wrote: "Todd wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Since it’s unanimous, lets keep it going. Jeremy Hepler and Todd Keisling, you two are next. Would you care to share how your MIDNIGHT creations came to fruition?"Sur..."
Thanks, Lisa! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. :-)
That is really cool inspiration Jeremy. It is one of my favorite stories in here. It spooked me. There were little hints and then there it was BOO! Man that gave me chills ! I loved it!
Oh thanks for the linkage about Hunter’s story! I felt dropped in and snatched out and I really wanted to know more. I liked what I saw of these two!!!
Agreed on Euphemia Christie ... I love stories you can almost, forgive me, “ chew on, “ at the end.
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Drown - Hunter Shea 4 stars"A year into their relationship, Eddie was well aware how saying or doing the wrong thing could lead to his doom." - I love a man knows how to make a marriage work!!!!!! ;-O
And thank you SO MUCH Hunter for the glam 80's flashback. I miss those years of skanky clothes and big hair :(
For the uninitiated....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptPek...
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This is about Jessica's father, and the "origin/reasons for" her turning to the paranormal investigations. It isn't really about her--more of a "beginning" to what comes later.
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The second two are about Jessica and Eddie.
Just finished up Those Who Are Terrified.Loved it! And especially the end. It felt so justified.
Great job Elizabeth Massie!
Shaina wrote: "That is really cool inspiration Jeremy. It is one of my favorite stories in here. It spooked me. There were little hints and then there it was BOO! Man that gave me chills ! I loved it!"
So delighted you loved it Shaina!!! Makes my day!!
These have all been very good. The one with the dogs.., Gonna have a tiny phobia for a while. Gonna stay the hell in my car around dogs for a while. Teehe. Just a while. This see, is an opportunity.. what to do if your dog tries to eat you! Just as important as the zombie plan is the Cujo plan !
Oh yeah, Ginger. I felt the same. Who Should be Terrified. Justice.
I truly did find that tale spiritually liberating.
Just finished Dog Days. I don't know if I loved it or loathed it but I definitely wanted MORE. I mean surely the poor lil mutts just needed a hug?!
Shaina wrote: "Agreed on Euphemia Christie ... I love stories you can almost, forgive me, “ chew on, “ at the end."Thank you, Shaina. I appreciate that - and please feel free to 'chew on' my stories anytime :)
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The one with the dogs.., Gonna have a tiny phobia for a while. Gonna stay the hell in my car around dogs for a while. Teehe. Just a while. This see, is an opportunit..."
This one actually "haunted" me afterwards--I kept going on with the story mentally, after I finished it!!
Glad you’re liking my story. I mentioned much of the inspiration but withheld one detail, so I figured I’d share. Back before Heather and I married, we visited my sister in Wisconsin. She had a German Shepard who was getting in a lot of trouble biting people, but she left him loose while we were there because we are “dog people.” The dog was huge, and he just stood in front of where I sat and growled and drooled. There I sat, trying not to look afraid. Anyway, I got through it, but when we went to left, he tried to bite Heather. We were both so terrified by that short stay. I guess that ended up in the story some.
Kenneth wrote: "Glad you’re liking my story. I mentioned much of the inspiration but withheld one detail, so I figured I’d share. Back before Heather and I married, we visited my sister in Wisconsin. She had a Ger..."I have to say I am a dog person, but earlier this year I met my sister's dog who is HUGE and playful as a puppy and let's just say it's the first time in my life I've been afraid of a dog XD
I think the story probably captured me more because the horror is in(view spoiler)
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YES! Horror in the "unexpected" places is so much more terrifying.
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(My cats are twice the size of my dog....)
Ginger wrote: "Just finished up Those Who Are Terrified.Loved it! And especially the end. It felt so justified.
Great job Elizabeth Massie!"
Hey, thanks! This story was based on some of my own experiences (though, obviously, not ALL is true..wink wink!) Glad you enjoyed it!
Shaina wrote: "Oh yeah, Ginger. I felt the same. Who Should be Terrified. Justice.
I truly did find that tale spiritually liberating."
Thank you, Shaina! And love that you found it liberating. That's pretty awesome for a writer to hear. :)
Corinne wrote: "@Elke My goodness you came up with some great questions."Thank you!
Char wrote: "Catherine wrote: "Krystal wrote: "General question to the authors: Do you think horror short stories work better when they have 'unhappy' endings for the main protagonist? Do your minds go beyond t..."I totally agree!
Kimberly wrote: "Corinne wrote: "RE: Hunter Shea - Drown I saw in a user's review this: Hunter Shea's Drown expands on characters he has written previously, adding a fun and interesting new chapt..."
Thanks for the detail, I think I haven't read that one yet.
Kenneth wrote: "Elke wrote: "I started with the book and just had to catch up on four pages of discussion posts...woah, that alone with all the stories about ghost sightings is worth participating here.I already..."
Thank you for this very detailed information, that really is fascinating, and I can only congratulate you for brave the decision to start with Silver Shamrock! So far, your publications are great additions to the horror genre, and the list of authors is really impressive.
So far, I really enjoy the anthology and the diversity of the stories, and now as you mention it I recognize that it indeed is edited perfectly (usually, I only consciously notice a badly edited book...).
And I love the idea of the Midnight anthology series, I'm especially looking forward to the alien horror!
Phew, after sharing my comments on recent postings (always seem to drag behind on the discussion due to the time difference), now some thoughts about the stories (just finished Sawmill Road).- IMHO, all stories are above average
- my personal favorite so far is Elizabeth Massie's 'Those Who Are Terrified'. It was sad and emotional and also had a nice revenge twist at the end - a perfect combo.
- the story that I most wished for to be longer or made into a novel(la) is 'Dog Days'. It triggered so many scenarios and ideas that I would love to know more details!
@Kenneth Cain: that event with your sister's dog sounds very frightening. I do love dogs as well, but I have a a deep respect for them, which may be based on my childhood (~6y old) encounter with the neighbor's dog. They let him run freely most of the time, and while he did not lease the property (no fence there!), he showed such aggressive behavior that we always crossed the street while walking past the house...a couple times he took off after us which of course made us run like hell, though he never made 'contact' or bit anyone.
- though I'm still waiting for a funny story (but not require one), a couple of the stories did make me grin already (e.g. Justin's Favorite or Devil's Dip...guess I've got sick sense of humor).
And another general question to both authors and fellow readers: what is your favorite ghost short story (not from Midnight...) that you would recommend?My alltime favorite is a story called "Wenn wir gestorben sind" (sorry, don't know the English title) by Frédéric Boutet which I read in an anthology in my youth. It's about a man visiting the grave of his fiancee. There he encounters the ghosts of the dead and learns about their afterlife. If I remember correctly, he joins them in the end.
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"Dog Days" was great and I'd also love for it to become a long story. Is there a petition we can sign? Elizabeth, Sir terrified me and that fact that you brought that out mainly through the children's observations of him—who didn't even know yet that they should be that terrified and without giving anything away to the reader—was really amazing.
Loved "Russian Dollhouse". I felt anxiety right from the start and then the end took it right over the top. Such a great story!
Elke wrote: "Phew, after sharing my comments on recent postings (always seem to drag behind on the discussion due to the time difference), now some thoughts about the stories (just finished Sawmill Road).- IM..."
Thanks so much for your super kind words about "Those Who Are Terrified." I'm so honored that it's your favorite so far. <3 !! And I agree with what you say about "Dog Days." Excellent story and I'd love to know more.
Kimberly wrote: "THOSE WHO ARE TERRIFIED, Elizabeth Massie---LOVED IT! Every last bit! I also read Jason Parent's RUSSIAN DOLLHOUSE last night, and thought it was "perfect"--original take on the "haunted house" sub..."Thank you, Kimberly! I appreciate that so much. I felt very "in" the story as I was writing (some of the details are from my own past) and hoped it would translate to the readers. :)
Shannon wrote: ""Dog Days" was great and I'd also love for it to become a long story. Is there a petition we can sign? Elizabeth, Sir terrified me and that fact that you brought that out mainly through the child..."
So glad the story worked for you, Shannon! And glad it came across as I had hoped it would. Thanks so much for the good words! Yeah, Sir was a real piece of work....brrrrr!!
Just finished reading "Justin's Favorite"! What a spooky ghost story that turned out to be! Loved that one!
Hmm, maybe I should consider expanding that story then with so many of you suggesting it. :)
Kenneth wrote: "Hmm, maybe I should consider expanding that story then with so many of you suggesting it. :)"You gotta give the people what they want! :)
Kenneth wrote: "Hmm, maybe I should consider expanding that story then with so many of you suggesting it. :)"You gotta give the people what they want! :)
Marie wrote: "Just finished reading "Justin's Favorite"! What a spooky ghost story that turned out to be! Loved that one!"Thanks, Marie!! Glad you enjoyed it!!
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I'm following along here (fun) and if anyone wants to ask a question of me, go ahead.
Yes, Chad's story affected me as well...I watched my father, father-in-law and then my sweet singer/songwriter musician brother, Jim, die of cancer and it was awful, especially my brother's death. He had throat cancer and hung on for three torturous years. I could barely read that story, my memories were so horrendous, but finished it. It was a good story but difficult for me to read. I always say to people: "Sure I write horror...but the real horror is our everyday lives. The things that happen to us and what other people do to us sometimes. Life is often the real horror."