Bloody Mary

The frigid chill of the darkness is all that I seem to be. I cannot tell where I begin and the unknown begin, instead viewing myself as a horrid amalgamation of the darkness given the ability to think. The few times I can think, outside of my own endless existence… I don’t like it.

I open my eyes, the siren call ringing true through the darkness. Someone is calling me.

Tears welling in my eyes, I shake my head back and forth, my stringy black hair floating around me weightlessly. No! I think bitterly as I feel the darkness swirl around me. Not again, please not again!

The call grows stronger as a sliver of light pierces through the darkness, slowly chipping away to reveal an open doorway, full of light and warmth. Sadly, the doorway is too small for me.

They always are.

Ravens: Chapter One, Part One

     Prologue

It all started some time ago, in a land not far from here. A land known as the Kingdom of Aura. A prosperous land that grew on the labors of hard working men and women in fields of barley and rye, of brewers most bold and of frivolous merchants and moneylenders that made the whole kingdom run so well. Knights and soldiers patrolled the borders, ridding the kingdom of the occasional bandit menace that was so prevalent during those budding years of our happy little city-state.

I was one of those knights… well, truthfully I was one of those knight’s footmen, a spearmen that moved with the young lad to act as one of his personal guard. Yeah, I know, guards for the guardians of the realm. Seems silly doesn’t it? I always thought so. But I was paid a sack of grain a month, and it was more than enough for me to barter with for food and… luxuries. We’d gotten word from a ragged looking man that his town, some nameless little burg on the Eastern most edges of our borders, had succumbed to the Plague.

That meant Zombies.

Netflix Movies Worth Watching

     Even I like to take time every now and again and relax to a good thrillerama, especially now that I'm so often away from home now. This is where Netflix comes in; with their instant streaming option, I have the ability to watch movies wherever I am, be it from my phone or my computer. I tend to enjoy the darker horror movies, but every once in a while I like a good dark romp that is equally funny as it is terrifying. This of course requires a bit of research on my part, something that I am glad to share with those who grace my little dark hole on the internet.
     I Sell The Dead is a British horror/comedy about a pair of grave robbers that have begun to literally find and sell the undead. While delightfully fresh in many regards, it goes so far as to pull cliches from the horror genre, if only to mock and make fun of. With a surprise appearance by Ron Perlman (from Hellboy) as a priest interrogating one of the grave robbers before he is to be executed, the entire movie is full of well versed characters. Have a look.

Fighters of the Damned Part Two

           Part One

Matt slowly opened his eyes, groaning from the pounding in his head along with the general soreness throbbing throughout his joints. Looking around to try and gather his wits, he could only curse inwardly as he found himself in possibly on of the worst possible situations.

Strapped to a table beneath a bright light in a darkened room.

He was nude, if the chill of the room and steel of the table were any indication, with an IV steadily dripping some mysterious liquid into his left arm. Flexing his arms and legs individually, he was pleased to learn he hadn’t suffered any breaks or sprains, but cursed his luck at how tight his restraints were.

There was no chance for escape, to be certain.

Fighters of the Damned, Part One

Matt heaved a sigh of relief as the roars of the crowd washed over him, raising his wrapped hands high as the referee called out his victory to the world. This had been what he’d been training for the last six months, and now that it was over he couldn’t be more proud of himself.

He’d taken on the United States Heavy Weight champion in Mixed Martial Arts and won. Not only won, but won through a landslide of a fight, tearing through his opponents defenses and getting under the man’s weak guard to deliver bone cracking blows in a hailstorm of regimented fury. According to the clock on the wall, the fight had lasted less than five minutes.

Perfect.

Bookworm

David sighed as he leaned back in his stiff-backed chair, stretching his aching muscles and popping his back in a series of sigh-inducing cracks. He’d been studying for his Mythological Creatures class for the last two hours now, a dismal flickering light barely keeping his small study room lit enough to read the numerous books by.

He’d signed up for the elective after hearing the class was essentially an easy A. This was before Professor Stocking retired and Doctor Vicks came on staff to take her place. The surly old polish professor was one of short stature and even shorter temper, demanding the utmost attention to detail in his class. Between the long and sundry list of books David was expected to read, he was told he had to research in the Miskatonic Library a minimum of three hours a week. The old coot had even left a sign in the roster at the front desk for his students to check in and out throughout their studies.

The Next Big Thing

What is your working title of your book?

Pride, Love Bites and Jack in the Box

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Pride is a fantasy book that comes from my days as a gamer, whereas Love Bites comes from my wife's love of paranormal romance. Jack in the Box is inspired by my niece and countless horror stories I've read throughout my years.

What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy and Horror

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I honestly couldn't say.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jack in the Box: The half-finished works of a madman's dream coming to fruition in a young girls nightmares.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Prefer an agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Three months on average

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I have been told my writing is similar to HP Lovecraft, though I don't see it.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My wife

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

All of my books come from a secular mindset with Atheist protagonists. They generally have several metaphors for popular issues going on in the secular movement at the time, as well as characters modeled after popular theists.

And so ends my addition to the revolving blog review. I'll choose five bloggers to challenge with this exercise by weeks end.

Zombie Lovers Unite!

     Welcome blog hoppers to my dark corner of the internet!
     While I have been busy with my new job, I have cooked up a special treat for all of those in need of a good dead-time story, and you can find them all here!
     Over twenty segments of zombified plots and stories to share with those of you who've come from all over the web to visit little old me!
     Enjoy!

Dark Eclipse!

     The new Dark Eclipse e-zine is out and ready to be read! My monthly article this issue highlights the more likely apocalypses that can occur, a fun brain exercise I thoroughly enjoyed.
     You can find the magazine here!

Scary Elevator

   

     A reality TV show from Brazil does a good job scaring up some laughs from the audience with an amazing practical joke that leaves the audience in stitches and the victims in tears. The fear we've instilled in our culture of children is so ingrained that the mere presence of a child can be discomforting, let alone when one suddenly appears and disappears like this.
     Getting a good grasp of what scares and what doesn't is every horror authors job, and instilling fear through words is a difficult task at times. The readers imagination is our greatest weapon, and the best ammunition is common fears used in unique and unheard of ways, like above.