With this ring, I thee bled

Last Friday I received a telephone call. This call was from the filmmaker of 386films and simply wanted to convey that there might be a screenwriter interested in my writing. This caught me completely off guard and since I was tied up at the time with another priority, we really didn’t have the opportunity to discuss this in any depth. He did, however, mention that he would contact me in the very near future concerning details, and we hung up to go about our day.

However, after we hung up, that’s when the impact hit me like a ton of bricks and I quickly sent him an email containing my contact info. While he hadn’t mentioned, if any, of my tales might be the subject of this, I am hoping that maybe it is Twitch. Of course, I’m fully aware that this industry is 95% rejection, and so I'm currently taking it with a grain of salt...but remaining optimistically hopeful.

Twitch, in my opinion (I know, I’m the writer and that probably sounds more than a little biased) has the potential to be a horror blockbuster. It’s an original tale that surrounds a blind, overly deformed sideshow attraction that was never truly wanted. All his life he has lived in a cage, treated as if he were little more than an animal, and been subjected to cruel abuse from the patrons of the various carnivals he’s been attached to. However, he holds a dark secret, a secret that allows him to retaliate in rather gruesome ways.

Of course it goes without saying that I would enjoy seeing my tale turned into a film, but I might add that I also tend to think that a little rewriting might be in order too. Since Twitch’s release by Suspense Publishing in 2011, I have had some other ideas pertaining to this poor soul and thus, entertained thoughts of writing his full-length novel tale. But, one thing at a time and I prefer to finish A Lawnly Existence first.



And, I’m getting far too ahead of myself with all this. But, rampant excitement will do that to a person I suppose. Therefore, nothing is ever guaranteed and please accept that the moment something is concrete, you’ll find out about it here.

Speaking of Suspense Publishing, they also publish Suspense Magazine, a monthly periodical that showcases thriller, suspense and horror with tales, articles, interviews and reviews, and I have been fortunate enough to find my writings included on a number of occasions. By the way, I have a tale entitled The Sidewalk Ends that will be included in a future issue.

Regardless, recently I had this off-the-wall idea to write a series of fictional interviews with some of the great horror icons, namely Frankenstein, Dracula and Wolfman, to name a few, treating and viewing each as if they were actual living persons with specific characteristics and nuances. While I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not a publisher would see my angle, my intentions real in attempting to obtain a six-month column stint somewhere and see them in print or e-print. So, I wrote the first (Frankenstein), and sent it off to Suspense Magazine along with my proposal to write at least five more. Well, I’m proud to say that they accepted and I have since finished and submitted the second of the series (Dracula).



And, my Land of Shadow and Substance weekly column discussing the Twilight Zone at Horror News Net is moving right along. Being my all-time favorite television show (with Night Gallery coming in at a close second), these articles allow me the chance to review and appreciate each episode one at a time. Believe me, if I had more time, I’d probably have a Night Gallery column somewhere too. Maybe in the future…we’ll see.

Have you seen Mimesis – Night of the Living Dead yet? Wow! This is an entirely different approach to the Romero classic and a very well made one at that. While I won’t be a spoiler, I will say that it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this concept turned into a film franchise.

See the trailer HERE

And, speaking of the dead, the midseason premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead’s started out with a serious plot twist. While I have read the entire comic series, giving privy to the series’ basic future, it never ceases to amaze me how the producers successfully and subtly deviate, giving the show a fresh look. C’mon Sunday night!

Also on Sunday nights is the new Spartacus series War of the Damned. Talk about blood, guts and gore, with nudity and sex tastefully tossed in. I like to refer to it as the man’s soap opera, which is a bit of a misnomer since many women like it too.

Well, that’s about it for the week ghouls, so keep the horror fires burning and remember…

Stay Scared,

Thomas