Fear is not just a job...it's an adventure...with blood!

Well, I’m running late this week folks. That damn Willie wanted to put something on his blog, so I let him out for a bit. Actually, he was kind of good this time. Not like the last time when body parts were scatted around the house… Of course, I can never seem to stay mad at him for very long. heh heh! Speaking of Willie, he just reviewed Hostel for Horror News Net. And, remember those old Hammer Films starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee? He’s planning to revisit those real soon too. They’re his all-time favorites. You can keep up with him at his blog, WeeWillieWicked.blogspot.com.

So I’ve written on A Lawnly Existence for the past week and seem to be getting somewhere. The problem is that I continually keep coming up out of the grave with and incorporating more story ideas. Originally, this was simply supposed to be a short, maybe 5K-word piece. However, it appears as though it is going to be longer than expected. Can’t say whether it will end up novel length or not, but it certainly isn’t a short story anymore and is growing like a weed. Of course, it’s taken me away from writing on Future Past, which is and isn't okay. The plus side is that time away always aids refreshment. And, during the past couple of weeks I happened to consciously notice that my writing is becoming more refined with considerably less concentration. I suppose I suspected this would naturally occur over time and with experience, and it seems to have at least begun to. I’m now making a conscious effort to no longer rush and quickly put out a piece…but that doesn’t mean that the compulsion to is completely gone either. Regardless, this is probably typical to most writers, especially the relatively new ones…like me.



Been reading The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2011 edited by Paula Guran and there are some great tales in it. Unfortunately, I seem to only find the opportunity to open the book just before going to bed, and typically make it just a few pages before nodding out. I just finished Raise Your Hand if You’re Dead by John Shirley, a post-apocalyptic tale about trolling in a boat below the Golden Gate Bridge awaiting bodies (whether it be suicide or murder) to fall and heisting their possessions. Looking forward to the next tale; As Red As Red by Caitlin R. Kiernan.

Besides this, that and the other thing, I’m considering writing series of essays detailing some horror questions I have. Here are a few of my thoughts;

Why does it have to be a silver bullet?

Why won’t a zombie eat a cow?

Motivation…the primary factor compelling Jason, Michael and Freddy

What’s the best horror magazine?

Why do they call it “The Witching Hour?”

When did vampires learn to love?

Found this gruesome little gothic garden kit while out and about. The kit includes odd plants, tombstone like stakes and some miscellaneous items such as mini skulls and plastic spiders. Of course I had to get it.



While at my local bookstore I ran across a copy of Scary Monsters Magazine, a quarterly periodical that takes an in depth, nostalgic and historical look at monsters in general, primarily the older ones. The format reminded me of the late sixties and early seventies monster mags and certainly brought back memories. Chock full of pictures, this magazine’s coverage of old, as well as newer horror films seems second to none. Even the ads are intriguing, resembling those of the classic Famous Monsters of Filmland, Creepy and Eerie magazines. If you are a fan of television’s Chiller Theaters’ type of programming from days gone by, and a connoisseur of the likes of Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff and many others, this rag is certainly for you.

The Daily Death – How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days has had another high profile review. This time it is by John Clements for Horror News Net. Click here to read it.

I’ve been interviewed before, primarily for blogs and such, but I’ve never been interviewed for a college research class…until now. Raina Lorring has sent me 13 (heh heh 13…that’s great) questions, with the end result to be a magazine type article. She has mentioned maybe even considering attempting to publish her final product. Good Luck Raina.

I, well actually Willie, just finished reviewing The House That Dripped Blood. The review should be posted soon. Watch for it here.

And, while we’re on the subject, I, well Willie again, went out and bought a Dracula four film pack. It contains Horror of Dracula, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Dracula A.D., all are Hammer Studio Films starring (in my opinion, the best Dracula actor Christopher Lee). Watch for the future reviews here.



No Rest for the Wicked

After four rewrites, I finally finished a tale called The Sidewalk Ends. It’s a 4k word dark psychological tale of unheeded warnings, not fully understood repercussions and too late realizations. I submitted it to Shock Totem. We’ll wait and see. Now I’m working hard on A Lawnly Existence, a story about an old man & his Pug dog who wants to win the town’s coveted “best lawn” award. He stumbles across an old book of ancient intricacies at a flea market. But, there is a cost for applying them.

Of course, this is besides the words put down on Future Past, my novel about a company that can show you what could have happened had you taken a different route in life.

The Walking Dead seems to be starting off quite well with a quicker pace. I’m glad to see that because, although I thoroughly enjoyed last season, the show did seem to lag a bit. I suppose after this season’s buildup, it will end with a bang and the waiting game will be on again. Don’t ya just hate that?

Just checked out a film called The Dead and I was surprised. Not your typical “dead” flick. It is centered in Africa and after attempting to flee the growing horror, the plane crashes off the coast and a few victims make it back to shore. But, only one survives the entire movie and the story surrounds him trying to survive not only zombies, but hunger, thirst and harsh elements as he makes his way across the African plans. Rather chilling and very gruesome, for zombie lovers, check this one out.

I’m giving away 5 signed copies of The Daily Death – How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days on a Good Reads sponsored contest. Over one hundred people have signed up so far. If you’d like a shot at one, the link is on the top left of this page. It won’t cost you a thing and I’m even covering the postage.

Finished reading Cemetery Dance #65 and the February issue of Suspense Magazine. Both are exceptional, offering a bevy of tales, interviews, articles and reviews. I highly recommend both. Click the pics if you are interested.

Looks like I’m on a devil kick with regards to film reviewing. Ever seen that 1975 movie “Race with the Devil?” It’s about two couples out for a camping trip of a lifetime and inadvertently pays witness a demonic sacrifice. Read my review of it at Horror News Net. Next on the list is The Devil’s Advocate, with The Omen series and a few choice other satanic types films coming soon.

Creepy pic of the week.

And, I suspect Wee Willie Wicked will be out and about this weekend since he has a couple of things in mind he’d like to chat about on his blog.

Otherwise, have a horrifying week folks and remember…Stay Scared!





Dinner Is Served

Well, it’s finally here, the day of the new episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead.



Here's a scene from the new episode

Watch the trailer here



Needless to say, I am ghoulishly excited about it and thought this piece might be in order. It’s taken from a piece I had started but never finished and so I’m calling it…Dinner is Served…

I was doing fine, that is to say that fear and constant moment was keeping them behind and at bay before I fell, landing full force on the cap of my knee. With the ground sparsely covered with burnt out grass, one would think it would have been a soft landing, but it wasn’t, it still felt like concrete. I rolled to my side, yelled out in pain and drew the knee up to me, grabbing for it like some football player that had taken an injury inflicting bad hit. My fingers distinguished the gash. The warm gooey moistness oozing through them told me it was bad and I was too afraid to look. With pain rampantly flowing, I fearfully glanced back. This stumbling of mine allowed them to chronically close the distance I had already put between us.

Ignoring the pain, I let loose the knee, rolled back over and scrambled for a moment to regain footing before taking off running again. I could feel the swelling growing, causing the muscles to tighten. The wound, which I still hadn’t looked down at it, remaining focused at what lied ahead, pinched as the skin tore wider with each forced step. A constant trickle running down my shin almost tickled, overtaking the increasing numbness.

After six or so steps, the knee threatened to buckle and I countered with primarily hopping on the good one, only using the bad one when absolutely necessary and to keep from falling again. That was when my plight truly soaked in. Beforehand, I had hope of getting away. Now that hope was completely gone and I was strictly on survival mode at any cost. I didn’t need to look back to know that with each step mustered, the gap closed between the horde and myself. I desperately continued on, knowing that eventually that gap would no longer be.

When they did finally catch and grasp hold, tackling me to the ground, the first bite was directly below that bad knee, on my calf, and for just a moment the pain of that thing’s flesh sinking teeth took away the throbbing pain in the knee and it was oddly relieving. Of course, the relief was short lived as the flesh was tore away. Within moments, other bites came, into my back and arms and increasing everywhere as they gathered about, dropping to their knees and surrounding me. I remember faintly wondering, as they rolled me over, whether their knees hurt when they did before fading to pitch black from either the horror or the pain or maybe both.

When my eyes opened, I could move them. Looking down I noticed that most of my body, especially the fleshy meaty portions was torn away, having nourished many. Two buzzards leaped about, one on each side, arguing back and forth with squawking sounds as they occasionally pecked into my ribcage, fighting over what was left of my innards.

I attempted to move, but couldn’t. And, although having seen and knowing that I had no stomach left, I felt famished and ravenously hungry.

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I verified whether Kelly Stewart of Fangoria fame and Ellen Datlow (The Best Horror of the Year) received their copies of The Daily Death - How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days. Kelly received his and Ellen indicated that it might be in her mail, which she'll check when she finishing jet-setting. I can only hope that they enjoy the macabre ride. Otherwise, I haven't heard anything from the other review requests from the likes of Rue Morgue, Scream Horror, Albedo1, HorrorHound and a few others.

But, and I'm sure some of you already know, Sheri White has reviewed it for The Horror Fiction Review and Dale Elster (Yule Tide Tales of Horror, Look What I Found) has posted a review on Amazon, calling it Greeting Cards From Hell.

My bad side, Wee Willie Wicked, was out creeping around this week and updated his blog.

Check it out

Until next week ghouls and ghoulies,

Stay Scared,

Thomas

The Strange Case of Weary Willie...a true story

Well Creeps, I just happened to be off from work today and besides writing on my novel Future Past, I thought I'd blog too. This is my second blogging this week, so if you would like to see the first, click here.

Weary Willie, at one time, and maybe still is in certain circles, was or is the world’s most famous clown. Unlike Stephen King’s It, Willie was not an evil or wicked clown, nor did his make-up even remotely resemble so. On the contrary, this specific clown whole-heartily appealed primarily to one’s compassion and sympathy.

But, in an uncanny course of events, a dark side associated with this clown character emerged, and although the players had changed during the second and third incarnations, that dark side remained, increasingly becoming worse with each subsequent actor.

Willie number one was conceived in 1931. However, stardom didn’t reap its rewards until 1942, when he joined a world-renowned circus and became a major attraction, even starring in various films, the most well known being Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth. 

But, the dark side started to emerge and his wife sought divorce, citing that the character had taken over her husband and that his personality changed into that of the character. He died of a heart attack in 1979 at the ripe old age of 80.

The second person, the creator’s son, took on the character and increased the stardom that the first Willie had obtained, but didn’t appear in any films. However, as with the creator, his personality too was taken over and he died in 2006 from pneumonia. He was 83.

It was then that the third incarnation of Willie occurred with the grandson of the original, and it was then that the dark side became much more storied and considerably worse.

Estranged and having previously lost a leg in a horrible train accident prior to taking on the character, he eventually resorted to continuing the legacy, even changing his name from Paul to that of his grandfather and adding a III (the third). When he did, promiscuity and drugs followed closely, leading to despair and the eventual confessing to murdering two gay partners.

The year was 1978 (the same year that John Wayne Gacy, another reputed clown, committed his last murder) and this third incarnation of Willie was believed to have also taken over the person’s personality, which became clear after making an outrageous claim that Willie had been his accomplice. He was eventually diagnosed with multiple personality disorder.

So…who was the first Weary Willie?

Emmett Kelly  

Check out the story here

Ever wonder where folks are buried?

Find A Grave can tell you

Check out FearNet's top 10 creepy clowns

Horrifyingly psyched to start reviewing films for Horror News dot net. Here's a link to my first review. It's for Rogue River.

The Daily Death – How I Killed My Co-Workers In 30 Days was reviewed a couple of times. The first was by Dan L. Elster, posted on TDD Amazon page (read it here), and he says it’s Like Greeting Cards…From Hell. Sounds good to me…heh heh.

The second was by Sheri White for The Horror Fiction Review. In it, she referred to yours truly as a “twisted Rod Serling.” Considering that I am a major fan of both Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, I couldn’t ask for a better compliment. Read the complete review here.





Well, I think I'll have a snack. Have a gruesome week ghouls!

Thomas