Zombie Gnomes

Every horror writer should have zombie gnomes in her front yard!

(Too bad they'd be stolen the first night.)

By Doug Hudson on Etsy. 

Creepy on the Inside

An artist friend visited today. She asked some questions about how my writing was going. When I showed her the original cover of Eaters and the Permuted Press website, she was a bit shocked and said, "You don't look that creepy." With a laugh, I replied, "I'm creepy on the inside." I sort of feel like Clark Kent during day, only revealing the big dark "C" for "Creepy" online at night. Since I'm not always walking around in goth attire, I guess it surprises some people to know that I read and write horror and paranormal stories. If I were unchained from the corporate world, I'd probably have a dozen tattoos, wear a lot of black, and rock some silver skull rings on my fingers...or maybe not. I wake up feeling a different flavor every day, so I don't know that I'd ever consistently look creepy on the outside. Maybe it's more fun to dress like plain Jane and see the wide eyes when I reveal my secret creepy center.

The Walking Dead Premiere!

I cleared the deck to watch The Walking Dead season premiere on AMC tonight.
It really sucks to be Rick, doesn't it? He'll always be damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. It was interesting that with all the zombie killing there wasn't a single gun fired until the very end (making that shot more climactic.) And we don't know who the shooter was. I thought the terror and tension scenes were good, but I had mixed feelings about the rip-open-the-dead-dude-to-see-what-he-ate scene. (What do they make that black muck out of? I started out in college as a Radio/TV/Film major. If I'd landed in Hollywood, maybe I could have been in on some of this cool (gross!) stuff.) How many of you thought the Jesus statue in the church was going to move or speak? LOL. It did have a zombie-esque look to it. I think there has to be religion factored into apocalyptic stories. The hopeless situation either strengthens faith or dooms it all together. In Eaters, the main character doesn't believe there's any supreme being--but that makes her own will to survive stronger.  Will Rick get a sign? I'm betting not until the very end of the series.

Eaters Manuscript is Done!

I finished the Eaters manuscript last night. I think I heard bells when I typed "The End". Or, maybe it was just the Dead Collector walking the streets:

 Part III of the story is Eaters: Destination, the end of what was originally to be a trilogy of novellas. The manuscript for the novel has been sent to Permuted Press, and I'm anxious to go through the editing process and see it in print. Thanks to all my beta readers for your input and my family members for allowing me to be a hermit at the keyboard for so many hours.

It's the Twisted Things

 

Sometimes, it's the twisted things that make my day.  (Thanks, Mark Buford.)

This Scary Gary was from 9/23/11.

I really am working diligently on the Eaters manuscript. I'm half way through going through it with a fine-toothed eye, and still on the fence as to whether I need to add a scene near the end to add more closure. I've gotten three very different opinions by beta readers on the current ending, so I guess I'll just have to go with my gut.

I got a present in the mail today. Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison. It was a prize in a blog giveaway by Dorchester Publishing. I look forward to stepping into its shadow world...