Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Ascent, excerpt

These are first words I have presently in this story that will part of Horror Bent II.


Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
Vishnu in the Bhagavad-Gita

His breathing deepened as he became immersed deeper into the dream. The plaza extended below his perch high above and the crowd was beginning to mingle. Over to the side the TV cameras were getting set up on their tripods for broadcasting the speech. It was a perfect sky, only a few puffy clouds were marring the bright blue sky.
I check the magazine and slide it into place until I hear the satisfactory click that tells me it’s locked in place. Shoving the bolt home I pull it back out a nudge to make sure a round is in the chamber and that it’s ready. Sighting down the barrel I make sure I have clear sight of the grandstand. There's the limousine coming up the street now! Only a few minutes more and I’ll be able to take him out and finish up this job! Know he isn’t expecting anything to happen here. Boy am I ever going to change his mind!
Damn, there's a slight air movement coming from my left that I’ll need to take that into consideration and adjust my aim accordingly. Just nudge the muzzle a little to the left and it should compensate for the windage. When you’re 1,500 meters away it’s so damned easy to miss the shot. I’ve never missed before but there’s always a first time for everything I guess. But I’m not going to miss this one…
Don’t hurry, never hurry! Remember, squeeze the trigger slowly and try not to jerk the weapon. Come on, control your breathing John. Ah, there he is now getting out of the car! Time to make sure I’m absolutely 100% ready. The stock feels good seated against my shoulder. He's walking to the podium now with his speech in hand. Oh yes! I need to let him get a few minutes into his speech. My eyes sweep the audience as I search for threats, things that might try to stop me but they never will. I’ve double checked everything. My finger is sitting on the trigger. I’m ready to pull it...
Click!
The disturbing sound in his ear jerked him out of his dream and he woke up sweating like always when he had these types of dreams. His heart palpitated within his chest as the sound filled his ears. It was sometimes much worse when his dreams took him back to what had happened back in Afghanistan during the war. So many targets were sighted and so many were killed. Unfortunately, he would be revisited by those he was ordered to kill despite his seeing the Army Psychiatrists. I wonder when the ghosts will go away for good. I’m so tired of them sharing my life.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Ascent

So far I've ran my shooter story by a couple more politically minded people and they like it. They're really interested in fact in this story line.

Imagine if you will, the character like the one Pacino plays in The Devil's Advocate now goes for President. You know, the Devil Incarnate sets his sights on the highest office in the land in this story.

Now, throw an Oswald type character into the mix who will attempt to assassinate him. He served in Afghanistan as a sniper. Of course, he misses and so the candidate is wounded only. Because of a sympathy vote he gets in to become the next President.

This is a truly disturbing story I think and will become a part of Horror Bent 2.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Buried alive!

(I was toying around with ideas when this one came to me)

I awake in total darkness. Attempting to roll over I find that I can't. My shoulder connects with something flat and solid. I feel it and find that it's only a couple of inches away. This is disconcerting for me as I explore by touch and find I am confined. I notice the smell of earth and plywood mixed.

Where am I at?

I lay there still as I clear the vestages of sleep from my mind. Then it begins to dawn on me.

Oh my God, no!

I get out my lighter and see the rough plywood confines I now find myself.

Someone has put me in this box and buried me! Why did they do something like that?

Banging my fists against the plywood it doesn't give way. I hit it harder. Oh shit, it's not giving way. I realize that I am trapped in a casket and I don't like it. My thoughts focus on my pounding heart. Need to conserve air.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

I wish you and yours all the best this Christmas. May your every wish come true.

We won't be doing much ourselves other than having ham for our Christmas dinner. We don't have a lot but I do feel very blessed.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Wishing you the best.

I hope everyone has a good Christmas Eve. I'll be doing a bit more writing tonight on one of the stories from Horror Bent II though I should probably take a little break from everything and watch a movie. Too bad I don't have a copy of Hellraiser.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Favorites and memorable books of 2012

These are books that I've read during 2012 and they are the ones I will remember most of all. It was actually difficult to pick out specifically these titles from the many I've read. They are in no particular order and it looks like there's 19 of them.

Silenced by RaeBeth McGee

The Spirit Box JH Glaze

Pride and Prejudice and Vampires by PJ Jones

A Mormon Massacre by Joseph Rinaldo

Harry Ballsack And The Quid Witch Caper by Mike Cooley

A Job From Hell by Jade Scott

Robyn's Egg: A Futuristic Thriller by Mark Souza

The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin

War Brides by Helen Bryan

Dance with Life by J.M. Hurley

Estelan by Trace Broyles

The Devil's Fire: A Pirate Adventure Novel by Matt Tomerlin
The Devil's Tide (Devil's Fire, Book 2) by Matt Tomerlin

Ruptured by Tarek Refaat

Quatrain by John Medler

The Cartographer ~ 1492 by Othniel J. Seiden

Do Unto Others by Rebecca Stroud

Treasure of Egypt by Barbara Ivie Green

Island of Secrets by Tammie Clarke Gibbs

Friday, December 21, 2012

Horror Bent II

I'm busy working on Horror Bent II at present. Some of the story are much darker than what is in the first anthology. One of them has this vicious vampire little girl in it, she's anything but sparkly or sexy. Another story has this quite convoluted plot that involves an attempted assassination and a demon possessed Presidential candidate. One more story has a two escaped convicts that meet the wrong woman, a headhunter. It's all adding up to be something that's very exciting to write. I really do hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Right to keep arms

There is much being made about it these days in politics and so forth and there's good and bad with both stands. I'm looking mostly at the why it was instituted in the Bill of Rights so there's a bit of a history lesson that's involved.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Now why would they feel it was necessary to include such a statement? Part of it was Cromwell who usurped power in England for 10 years. So in the infinite wisdom of the authors of the Bill of Rights a militia system existed throughout the Confederation of States (it wasn't The United States at this point) and none of the States had a standing military. Cromwell was of course part of a standing military and instituted for all intents and purposes instituted a coup. Needless to say they were afraid of a coup happening. The organization a military unit brings would make easier to achieve. Of course a militia is a decentralized military structure except during time of conflict.

Normally, if you were an adult male you had a musket at home and when the mustering call went out you brought your weapon with you. Once there you would drill they would provide powder and shot but not the weapon you would be using during the conflict. It wasn't until later that the first armories was built for national defense. 

There was also a second issue. You needed to protect your own home. In many places it could be a while for help to reach you if something went down, sometimes days. It isn't like you could call 9-1-1 and have help within 30 minutes or so. There are numerous accounts I've read where everyone on a Kentucky farm was killed and those who came to help found only dead bodies. Of course, it didn't anyone's minds that those who were killed were all armed but that's beside the point here. At least you would have a chance to protect your home.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Loss in Connecticut

Everyone has of course heard of the shootings by now. For me its something very saddening, what if it was one of my children at that school so I can't help but empathize with the parents at this time. They will never get their children back no matter what else is done but hopefully some healing will come later.


Daybreak 

Opening of my heart 
Life beginning to start 
Reaching beyond the sea 
A heart the yearned to be free 
The books open pages 
Life starting a new stage 
Daybreak now reaching me 
Letting me know I’m free 
New spirit lives inside 
Darkness moving aside

Friday, December 14, 2012

Diedre Frost interview.

Tonight I'm doing something different, I'm interviewing Diedre Frost.

Brian Bigelow: Tell me about the book you've written.

Diedre Frost: well it is poetry but not the fluffy bunny poetry i write darker poetry that is saddness and sorrow happiness laced with pain and darkness with a silver lining

Brian Bigelow: So you write dark poetry. Is there some loss you are trying to deal with?

Diedre Frost: well not at the time but i knew i had drepression and then in 2008 my friend since i was 5 yrs old passed away so some have stemmed since her passing other were just dealing with heartaches and life.

Brian Bigelow: Well, I know from experience that poetry can sooth the soul. What are coming out with in the future?

Diedre Frost: i'm hopefully coming out with a book series at least 6 and a book with Faellin and another couple of poetry books

Brian Bigelow: That sounds really cool. Where would I get your book at?

Diedre Frost: i have it on amazon and smashwords both in paperback and ebook

http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Dreams-Beautiful-Nightmares-Akers/dp/1480241512

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/251231

Have you thought of doing any longer story lines?

Brian Bigelow: I can understand that. It can sometimes get difficult to get a story line out

Diedre Frost: i game and listen to music to get back to that state of mind sometimes re-reading what i wrote when i get stuck and see why i'm stuck
Brian Bigelow: Well, thank you for visiting with me tonight. I wish you the best.

This is one of Diedre Poems. Quite good if you ask me but what do I know, see for yourself.

On this moonlit night

A fire is ignited and runs
Rapid through my veins
As my blood flows like
Molten lava, the clouds
Above rumble like a freight
Train out of control
My fingertips are electrified
As I line myself with
The power nexus
The words of the spell
Roll off my tongue
Like honey, as the
Clouds intensify
The raindrops start to
Fall telling me their
Story as they hit
the ground
The rain has soaked me
Through, as I stand with
My arms stretched to the
Sky, as lightning begins
Striking outside my circle
As I continue chanting
My spell the storm
Gets stronger still
Chanting until you can
No longer hear the
Words
The words swirl
Around my circle
taking on a life of
their own, as the
white light illuminates
the circle
As the light shimmers
And fades the storm
Ceases to a light mist.
I stand in my circle my eyes
Aglow feeling alive and
Empowered
Feeling alive is a
Feeling of wholeness

Here's another poem


Gone So Soon 05/06/2009
As the glimmer fades
So do the twinkle in her eyes

She has realized that she
Has given up on everything
The demons have won the battle
All of her wishes have shattered
And her dreams have burst
What is left? She wonders
Nothing! She quietly whispers to herself
As a single tear escapes down her cheek
Her eyes staring at the ceiling see nothing
Her eyelids heavy, slowly shut
Her breathe slows to a whisper
One final breathe and all is still
She is gone another goddess has fallen
And all she wanted was love
Broken hearted and emotionally beaten
All was lost the demons won
Good-bye fair goddess you shall return
Stronger from this
You shall be loved for you
Are beautiful and kind
Till we meet again…soon

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Reviews

I've had some really great reviews lately on Amazon and even Smashwords which is really nice. I'm glad that I'm writing some things that many like. Liturgy now has a 4.2 star average on Amazon US, UK and on Goodreads.

US: http://www.amazon.com/Liturgy-ebook/product-reviews/B009TZR48S/ref=la_B00667745A_1_13_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B009TZR48S/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16099337-liturgy

I also included Liturgy in my horror anthology "Horror Bent"
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Horror-Bent-ebook/dp/B00ADKIQ3U
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Horror-Bent-Brian-Bigelow/dp/1481097903

I also have a 5 star review on Smashwords of The Visitation. Guess you could say there's a lightly romantic element to the short story. It's also a permanent freebie. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259956

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Now on All Romance

Not all women I'll admit but a number of women actually like horror, so why not make these available on All Romance? Tonight they are up and ready.

$0 https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thevisitation-1017676-140.html

$2.99 https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-horrorbent-1017677-140.html

How To Buy An Ebook – And Keep It

(from Derek Haines Blog "A Vandalism of Words")


When you buy an ebook, do you buy it, or do you really only rent it? Then after this consideration, what restriction come with either choice?

In recent months, the issue of ebook ownership has been discussed at length in both the news and on publishing blogs. The most popular ebook platforms, although very convenient, often impose limitations on ebook purchases. Limits such as the inability to back up, copy, lend or update are just a few of the restrictions that can be placed on a file. While proprietary file types lock your purchase into a ‘walled garden’, the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the most common form of controlling the after purchase use of an ebook.


The much publicised stories of a user’s Kindle being wiped of all purchases by Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s limit on updating an ebook after a credit card expires are just two examples of ebook control gone mad.

So what can you do to ensure that when you buy an ebook, you actually buy it with no, or next to no limitations? The easiest answer is ebooks in the .epub format and DRM free. Most popular ereading devices use .epub, with the exception of Kindle. For Kindle users, the most suitable is the .mobi file type, DRM free.

A number of online retailers are now offering ebooks that are both DRM free, and in the popular file types to suit almost all ereading devices. Smashwords, Kobo and Diesel are at the forefront of DRM free ebook sales.


Another very useful tool to use in ensuring you actually own your ebooks is Calibre. If you can’t locate a DRM free version of an ebook for you device, you can buy or download an .epub version of an ebook and then use Calibre to convert the file to the type used by your device.

While ‘one click’ purchasing and instant delivery to your device may seem appealing, the drawbacks often outweigh this convenience. Perhaps when you would like to lend you purchased ebook to your spouse, and then discover you can’t for instance. So just an extra few seconds at time of purchase may bring you many more advantages.

One of the simplest way to load ebooks onto most devices is old fashioned email. As almost all ereading devices are equipped with an email facility, it is just a matter of downloading or buying the correct file type, or converting using Calibre, and then email the file to your ereader. Open and start reading! Then know that you have really purchased an ebook that you can share, lend, copy, back up and keep forever.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

A little fun


I was having a little fun this morning when this started running through my head.

Twas the night before Christmas, I awoke with a shout
The undead were stirring, just outside my house
Holding the shotgun ready to shoot them all down
My heart in my chest, so loudly it pounds

Friday, December 7, 2012

100th copy

A little over ten years ago I awoke to find that my first wife Patricia had passed away while we were both sleeping. She of course didn't wake up. I'll never forget the abject feeling of loss and emptiness for the rest of my life. It was as if my life ended also for a while. I even had to force myself to eat. To help with the final healing I produced two different versions of a poetry book that was meant as a memorial to Patricia and the renewal I went through. I called the book "Into Renewal" and it's permanently free. Today marks quite the occasion for me as it has been downloaded 100 times on Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/211410

27 times on Barnes and Noble.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-renewal-brian-bigelow/1112572285?ean=2940044766921

Have another slightly different version on Free e-books.net with 305 downloads so far. http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Into-Renewal

I'm now quite glad I put out that memorial.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Book reviews

These are reviews for other books, not mine. These are ones I selected for my own personal reading.

Last night I read Into The Flames by Wendy Steele.

This is a great book especially if you don't have a lot of time on your hands. It's possible to read the entire book in a little over an hour. Really excellent imagery has been used throughout in this well written book. It also delves into the characters mindset well. This book is a permanent freebie from what I understand.


(Since I used to do most of my reading while commuting on a city bus being able to have quick reads has been important to me. I hate to say it but I personally am not a fan of novels but that is strictly my own taste. It's also one of the reasons why most of what I write is short stories.)

My other little foray I will talk about here is a really good one.

Pride and Prejudice and Vampires by PJ Jones

OMG, this book is a *&^%$ riot. Can't say I've laughed as hard as I am while reading this one. Of course my sense of humor is a little coarse at times. On top of it, this parody is well written and edited.

One thing I'll add here, you can't go wrong with the 99 cent price tag.


Friday, November 30, 2012

An award.


This is cool this morning, just received an award for the shorter version of "Witchery Afoot" that I posted in this competition. All the hard work of learning how to write effectively, relearn grammar I should have learned in school, create decent dialog and decent story lines is paying off.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Visitation

This little short story was an interesting one for me to write, it is classic horror but its not scary and there's even kind of a romantic element to the story. A widower (which I have been) who has been alone for six years is the central character. He's extremely lonely and though I don't directly mention he's rather elderly. There's no other woman Seth would ever want than his beloved Beverly. He's always been a one woman man. Finally, its time for him to go and his wife comes back to  lead him into the afterlife. It was a very refreshing story to write and I've made it permanently free.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259956

Monday, November 26, 2012

Horror Bent release

Just uploaded the book to Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble and it's now available on all three sites. I'm even making a paperback version which will also be available through Amazon I believe by December 4th.

If you're in the mood for some occult horror, demon possession, reanimation of corpses this might be the book for you.


99 cents with this code XY22L https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/258825

Also available at Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/Horror-Bent-ebook/dp/B00ADKIQ3U/
 and Barnes & Noble   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/horror-bent-brian-bigelow/1113848581?ean=2940015786569

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday today and an even better Christmas.

We don't have much planned at our house. There's a 19 Lb (8.5 Kg) turkey defrosting this morning in the sink. Our refrigerator does a really great job keeping things cold and so it didn't defrost completely even after a couple of days. Last night I made the pies which are presently covered with plastic wrap, also made about 2 dozen biscuits for dinner.


These are the pies I made as they looked fresh out of the oven. The one with the rather rough looking crust is one I made from scratch and the recipe came from my 1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook. Every year I make the pies for Thanksgiving in our house. Last year, I made all of the pie crusts from scratch. (Yes, I like getting in the kitchen once in a while)

This is the turkey for this Thanksgiving that is defrosting at present.

At this moment our cat is complaining, think she's ready for some of the turkey we're fixing later today. Then again, she probably just wants attention or could be wondering what I'm doing home on a weekday.

Between the things Brandy and I will be doing in the kitchen I'll be working on the anthology pieces. Finally have a final release title, it will be called Horror Bent. So far there are six stories that will be included in the set.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Kind of funny

I've been working a couple of days on another short story for the Continuum anthology. It's kind of funny how you can start with one story line and some things will come up and it begins to look like its changing tack in unexpected ways. Now you're on the verge of a lot more story than you had previously. Now it's looking like my character just gave birth to the anti-Christ in the comfort of her home. What a lovely little demon baby. Now I want to watch The Omen again.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Quite the year

One year ago I was working on my job hunt manual Get The Job. Since then I've written quite a bit and its been in a lot of different genres. Now my primary focus is on horror. Things that go bump in the night, weird things occurring and so many other things like the dead coming to life. It's amazing where the writing journey will take you once you embark upon it.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Paperbacks and e-books

I personally think that people really want to hold a print version of a book in their hands. It's what they're used to having, used to seeing from the time someone is little. There's a love affair with the printed page even for me. I personally have quite a collection of printed books myself. My 3rd edition Webster's collegiate dictionary (1945), my 1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook, Poet's Gold (1933) and my Crowell Roget's Thesaurus (1946, printed in 1960) are highly treasured by me and I'll never get rid of them.

That being said I use my Kindle all of the time for regular reading, it's quite convenient. I think I now read around 60-80 books per year now. Some of those books are for the reviews I write. I also beta read a lot of author's work on top of the regular reading. If I printed out all of that it would be difficult to tote around on my bicycle and would probably become a fire hazard in the house.

Even though most people I think really want printed versions I think it's how much they have in their wallet that helps guide them in the decision what they buy. Adam Smith stated in Wealth of Nations that basic economics guides someone's behavior. "I have x amount of dollars and I need to maximize what I'm getting out of those dollars." You can substitute whatever currency you want to but its the same guiding principle. I remember seeing the headlines recently that trumpeted that printed versions brought in a higher amount of revenue for publishing as a whole. It wasn't all that much higher either. Knowing what I know about pricing books that means there are two to three e-copies being sold to every printed copy.

Being a self published author I can't help but look at all kinds of pricing issues. Just wander through the Kindle store some time and notice the difference in prices. Especially with Indie's like me the Kindle's price is about one half to one third of the paperbacks price. In Sea Witch the amount of price difference is even larger. I really don't think that hard covers and paperbacks will ever totally disappear because I think people really want them. They just won't ever sell like they used to and they're going to become more of collectors item more than anything like some of the volumes I have in my personal library.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Is Erotica Literary Porn?


Indie Thoughts by Aneesa Price 

If a book contains sex scenes does it make it erotica?

To me, the answer is no.

I write romance and recently, also erotica. With my first book I purposefully kept any descriptions of sex scenes mostly suggestive, however, with my second book, the sex scenes were more explicitly described. I did not describe body parts and the acts in detail. I did, however, describe the emotions and sensations in tantalizing depth and sex was a major initiator for many events in the book.

My first novel, Finding Promise, was not labeled as erotic. It was labeled as I meant it to be - a sweet, small town contemporary romance for adults. My intention with the second book, Coffin Girls, was not to be erotic either - it was to provide a realistic description of what occurs within adult romance, which in my book (both literally and figuratively speaking) means a description of sex. I purposefully curbed the level of detail provided. However, I was surprised (neither pleasantly nor unpleasantly) when I received feedback that the book was in fact erotic. This confounded me.

I’m a firm believer that whatever the reader feels is their reality and thus true for them and so I accepted that to some, the book may seem to be erotic. This acceptance was shaken when most of the feedback I received was that Coffin Girls definitely fit into the erotic paranormal romance category. I then sat back and thought - very long, extremely hard (no pun intended *grin*).

What I was struggling with is that I had indeed read erotic literature long before the hype around “Fifty Shades of Grey” arose and as early back as when I was a university student. Back then I devoured the colorful descriptions writers such as Anais Nin and Henry Miller gave to carnal endeavors. To me, that was erotic. These classically acclaimed writers, to my mind, celebrated sex through the mastery of their words.

At this point, it may shed clarity to share my philosophy on sex in literature and other entertainment media. To me, sex is a natural activity that occurs between consenting adults and a very important one. As a romance advocate I cannot imagine a happily ever after for a couple who do not enjoy sleeping together. This is one of the many reasons I do not enjoy YA (Young Adult) reads. They seem to leave something to be desired due to the nature of the genre - like the proverbial ‘coffee without caffeine’.

I was baffled. Here I thought I was being very conservative with Coffin Girls and yet, the general consensus seemed to label it as “erotic with a bit of fang”. I then embarked on a journey to try and figure out if it indeed was erotic and if my definition of erotic was accurate or more akin to literary porn.

A series of events occurred. I read and reviewed a few newly released indie books labeled as erotic. I found that they weren’t actually erotic in my book and that Coffin Girls was indeed more explicit than they were. As I was outnumbered, I had to concede defeat. Next, I read explicit erotic short stories and here found that they made Coffin Girls look like a Disney production, which was more aligned to my original thinking. So, still in a state of confusion, I pulled out the old erotic classics and re-read them and reeled back in shock. They weren’t explicit in nature but what they were, were terribly illegal. A strong word but I cannot find any other to describe the grotesque acts I re-read in those books. Shocked and disappointed in writers I had previously looked up to, I then decided to read their journals. And that clinched it for me.

What I found in reading Anais Nin’s journal in particular was that she hated what she wrote.  The erotic works she created were commissioned by a benefactor that had no desire to read ‘poetry’. They wanted cold, hard, despicable acts of sex with an undercurrent of darkness and sometimes violence. Anais (also the name of the main character in Coffin Girls - and yes, I named her after the famous writer) experienced an enormous amount of dissonance but had been compelled to write those stories because she needed to earn money. She, in short, felt as though she was prostituting her art.

This was a revelation for me and it was is what led me to realize that what separates erotica, as a masterful literary art-form from literary porn is the story and the conscience within the work. If a book contains sex that discriminates and violates unless it is part of a story then it is porn. However, if sex is part of the story, adds richness and depth to the story and is not the story in itself, then, it is erotica. Erotica does not exploit its characters, instead the act of sex provides insight into how they think, feel and behave. It is not an attempt to fulfill a reader’s more promiscuous desires but to provide the reader with a full experience of the character’s hearts and minds. Erotica is then to me, a further development of adult romance. Sex is not implied, it is celebrated along with the other emotions and behaviors that characters possess.

And so I’ve discovered that I do indeed write erotica because my definition of it has matured. 

New Poster

I have a friend who will be doing some posts here on the blog also. Her name is Aneesa Price and she lives in South Africa. I think its interesting that since I became an author my friends are all over the world, none are here where I live these days. It's not like I could normally stop at their house for a cup of coffee or tea.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Next Big Thing

I didn't realize it but I was tagged by two in the Next Big Thing blog tour. Here is the interview.

What is the working title of your book? Liturgy

Where did the idea come from for the book? I wanted to read something a little different than I had seen previously. Many of the ideas come from a mix of Twilight Zone, and movies like “Hellraiser” along with some rock songs mixed together.

What genre does your book fall under? Horror

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I really don’t know but it would be really cool if Stephen King did a cameo.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? It’s a short story designed to chill the bones with a strong female main character.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? This one is self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It’s only a 5,000 word short story so it didn’t take long, a week.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Probably the Exorcist would be one.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? I was listening to some newer Iron Maiden (Dance of Death) when the idea hit me first.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Do you like things that levitate on their own and glow?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Novum Vicinos


(This is a short story I wrote a while back and I've just about finished with sprucing it up, plan on including this version in Continuum which is coming soon.)

Tap! Tap!
The noise awakened him from a deep sleep and that wonderful dream he was having. What a nice one it was too with that brunette who was so damned hot! The two of them had been making love on the deck of the boat while they were sailing along. The sun, the waves, the wind all seemed so real and perfect. I wish that would have really happened! He smiled to himself as his reverie still captivated his thoughts. Even better, in the dream he didn’t have any gray hair!
Tap! Tap!
Hearing the sound again caused him to sit up on the queen sized bed and look around the room. Everything in the bedroom looked just like they did earlier in the day except for the shadows. Even the hallway looked the same that was visible through the glass panels in the French doors. I really need to get some curtains for those soon. That was something he now remembered the realtor had mentioned as he became sentient. During the weeks of waiting for the closing it was one of those things that didn’t seem all that important. Somehow, they went from looking charming to something that was now rather disturbing with that appliqué spider web he decorated one of them with.
Getting up Josh went to the window and put his hands on the sill so could look out. There wasn’t much to see, the driveway between the two houses. The late fall chill was very noticeable as it transferred through the glass into his fingertips. This is the first night in the new place. I'm sure I'll get used to this house. Now what in the hell is making the noises that’s woken me tonight? Heading back to bed he heard the noises behind him again.
Tap! Tap!
The hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end and his skin felt prickly. This is definitely getting on my nerves. Rousing himself from the bed he made his way over to the window once again. An eerie feeling came over him and caused his stomach to churn. Just before he reached the window he heard the sound once again.
Tap! Tap!
Pulling the curtain back he peered out of the window. Observing the branch blowing back and forth and hitting the casement eased his concerns. Relief flooded in as he breathed a heavy sigh while he stood there watching it move. Letting the curtain fall back down he headed back to bed once more. Sitting down on the edge of the bed the tension he felt twisted within. His stomach wasn’t calming down and trying to will it to ease just wasn’t working.
Tap! Tap!
His ears located where the sound was coming from this time. Groaning, he rose to his feet and stepped over to the window to look out again. Man, this is really getting tedious!
Pulling back the curtain this time he was seeing some kind of glowing ball that was floating along. It faintly lit the concrete of the driveway and the light fog. His attention was riveted as he watched it floating by. He wanted to go out to touch it but yet was frozen in amazement. Slowly, it moved along to the garage door and then disappeared over the six foot high privacy fence.
Josh stood there gazing out a few minutes to see if anything else would happen but nothing did. It seemed to him the mystery was now solved as he headed back to bed. Lying down, he pulled the covers over himself and fell into a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night.
Waking to a bright shining morning the events of the evening were still fresh in his mind. Dressing quickly he went out to the driveway past the plastic molded pumpkin by the door. He ran to where the glowing orb went over the fence last night. Peering over it to the other side he now could see something that he hadn't noticed when he looked at the house. Why didn't I see those before? Row upon peaceful row of head stones greeted his vision. The cemetery was beautifully accented by the fall colors of the trees edging it. The unpleasant realization hit him that he might get a few more rather unwelcome visitors if he continued to live here.
Why did I have to move in just before Halloween? Is it too late now to get out of that damned contract I signed the other day?!
The End

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day.

Take some time to send your thoughts to those that have fallen in various wars. They served your country and it doesn't matter what country you're talking about. This doesn't mean you have to agree with the war they served in as that's a separate issue entirely. Personally, most wars shouldn't have ever been fought but the leaders for whatever reason felt that war was necessary. There's better ways of solving conflicts in my opinion. Think you actually have to serve in conflict to see it that way which most of our leaders don't. This time of year the ghosts come out and I do talk to them.

I myself am a veteran of the US Army, served in Iraq in 1991. Mostly did vehicle recovery, helped pull them out when they were stuck which was often. This especially was the deuce  and a half and five ton cargo trucks. While many times I don't feel it was an important contribution to Desert Storm apparently it was necessary at least.

My Grandfather served in North Africa during WWII. He wouldn't talk much about what happened while he was over there except for a very few things and it wasn't often. His job was to repair the fiber glass on some of the aircraft used while the Army was chasing after Rommel's forces.

While we both made it home we both knew many who didn't. My Grandfather more than me I'll admit. Take time to thank a Veteran today even if its just in your thoughts.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Elections

I don't really want to talk much about the elections that we had recently other than you need to be aware of what goes into campaign promises. They are ALL saying what they think you want to hear. It may even be the truth but it probably isn't. It's kind of funny, I get away with less made up stuff in my fiction than most politician's does and I'm writing fiction of all things. If I put some of that same drivel in what I write it would be bashed.

What I will recommend you do for the next election cycle is get yourself informed. What have they really done previously? Are they guilty of what they say their opponent did? In many cases they are and you need to be aware. Remember, all of those ads are created to sell that candidate to you and in particular negativity sells. This especially holds true in the political arena. You don't like what's happening in YOUR government? Do something about it. Get informed. It IS your government after all. At least that's what I read in the Constitution.

An additional viewpoint on freedom to choose:
http://daneladwig.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/post-election-results-to-friend-or-defriend/#comment-498

Monday, November 5, 2012

Opening a book

Have a friend of mine in Switzerland and he wanted to check the formatting on one of his books that's listed on Barnes & Noble. He found out he couldn't download the Nook app or his book. I decided to help him out a little bit. Might run into a similar situation with one of mine at some point, who knows. I downloaded the app to my computer, installed it and proceeded to get a copy of his book from B&N. I then forwarded a copy of his book to him.

Well, the Nook copy of his book wouldn't open in Calibre since the Nook app wasn't a viable option. For those of you that don't know Calibre is an e-reader app that opens most e-books. Apparently in Switzerland that may not happen though with some books. He put the book on his iPad and it opened right up and he started looking through it. I just really thought that was quite convoluted and probably shouldn't have been necessary.

I'm wondering why it even matters where you are at on whether you get a book or not. It doesn't make any sense to me. You should be able to read one of my books anywhere in the world, it shouldn't matter where you are. That's my opinion any way.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Spiritus Renascentis

This piece will be published in an anthology in the Spring produced by Perseid Press. It was quite an interesting project also. The Spiritus Sancti pieces have to do with I finally ended up writing. Now that it's complete I'll be going back to work on the Witchery Afoot rewrite. I love the three dimensional world's that I live in at times. It's a blast. It's cool to get inside of a characters head and see everything your character does. What's a little weird is when your character is the opposite sex. We'll leave it at that. Have a great night.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Busy week

As of yesterday we got most of the office set up and it looks pretty good. It's even pretty comfortable to work in and should allow me to be even more productive. Probably need to organize my paperbacks on the shelves though, just didn't feel like doing that last night. Other than that I've been really busy with rewrites and the two I'm working on both are starting to look really good. Even have been getting some other story ideas, I think really good ones. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time for much else and there is a long list of books to be read right now.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Spiritus Sancti

That is the name of a little short story that I wrote recently. The title doesn't entirely have anything to do with the story. I just liked it and it comes from I believe one of the Catholic masses but I could be wrong. Hopefully it will be selected for the anthology I attempted to write it for. Earlier today I submitted the mostly cleaned up manuscript. Like the rest of what I've written it is a little different than the usual. 

Back in the 1880's or so it was common to make a death portrait of someone. This portrait would be included in a kind of macabre shrine to the dead person. One thing led to another and my thoughts were directed towards what would happen if one of the subjects came back to life. The idea really interested me and I found it fascinating to the point I got the kernel of an idea for a short story.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy

My thoughts go to those on the east coast where the hurricane is making landfall. Hope that everyone is safe and well.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Network

Recently, I did a bunch of equipment upgrades that should make life much easier.

This one is our new modem and router that's now in the hallway. We don't have to connect any wires now which is really nice :-)
I could even be in the back yard, bedroom, porch and still have access now.

Of course, there's the little Acer I carry just about everywhere. Here I have the wireless keyboard and mouse connected to it. The Acer has an HDMI output which I can connect to our TV. I wish the screen was as clear as an actual monitor but its not. You Tube looks great on it though. On the TV screen is my Confessions book trailer.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

America's Next Author contest

Recently I also submitted the short version of Witchery Afoot into the America's Next Contest. As of today its ranked at #214 which I'm very happy with. Right now there are 285 submissions in the contest. Though I would love your votes at a minimum I would love for you to read my story.

http://www.ebookmall.com/author/brian-bigelow

If you could share it with your friends I would appreciate it also.

Presently I'm about a third of the way through the first pass on rewriting the story into one that's longer. I'm expecting to work on it a few more weeks.

I hope your day is going well.

Update: Made it #197 out of 285 today, 26 October 2012, Woot! Woot!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Witchery Afoot

I'm presently working on a longer version of Witchery Afoot. I'm not sure how long it will be when I'm finished but it shouldn't take too long since I'm rewriting and adding more than anything. Usually I don't have a set word count predetermined when I start to work on a story. I can only tell you that it will be longer than the contest length piece with much of the same story line. Hopefully, everyone will like it that reads it.

The present story that is in the contest has attracted a lot of readers from all over the world. Over 1,000 have read it in fact. If you would like to see the basis for what I'm rewriting here is where you can find it: http://www.erikamszabo.com/apps/forums/topics/show/8083307-witchery-afoot-by-brian-bigelow

The shorter version is also in The America's Next Author contest as of today. Please stop by and vote for the story. http://www.ebookmall.com/author/brian-bigelow

Monday, October 22, 2012

Liturgy reviews

These reviews are pretty good I think and I'm enjoying reading through. I'm also learning from them so I can write even better stories in the future.


A shortstory that will haunt you! October 21, 2012
By Wanda
Format:Kindle Edition
I received a copy of this short story from the author for review.
Liturgy is a disturbing tale of horror masking it self in the everyday and normal.
That which is seen as normal is corrupted though and build upon,
and it is this entity that builds and feeds that makes mere humans cruel and unstable.
Holding in rage is never a good thing, but when something comes and feeds off of it,
builds it up in you, what are you able to do?
Read the story if you want to know.
This is a horror story so I would recommend you read it as long as you like the genre!
Do not read it if horror is not for you.


gem of a tale that will have you running! October 21, 2012
By HBurrows
Format:Kindle Edition
I received this book from the author for an honest review.

In a few pages the Author unfolds a story of demonic possession that feeds off of anger. Anger that does not show itself through normal action and living, but can come to the surface when fed by powers we can not control from a different realm. Yes this is a paranormal story, one of intrigue and mystery. The characters are average people living how many live today. But with the aide of a crystal can evil be personified? It can through possession. The Author shows us this.

Angel, learning to live after a stormy breakup, gets on with her life and finds a freedom that she doesn't realize she missed. But deep down an anger is lurking within herself that calls to a crystal that possesses a way for her to strike back at the one who hurt her. When Neil comes to demand forgiveness, Angel becomes something of nightmares to get him to leave her alone. With a climatic ending that will have you gasping for air, this tale is one that could continue at any time. I look forward to seeing where it turns up next!


An eery tale of demonic possession October 21, 2012
By Merita King
Format:Kindle Edition
This short story was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
This story takes you deep into the thought processes of the protagonist who finds a mysterious crystal that heralds the takeover of her consciousness from a demonic entity. The entity feeds upon her repressed anger, with horrific consequences for those closest to her. This is a story for horror lovers and you won't be disappointed. It is so plausible, it makes you wonder how easy it would be for this to actually happen.


Interesting, October 22, 2012
By
K. Meador - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liturgy (Kindle Edition)Liturgy is a well written, short story which grabs the interest of the reader from the beginning. The two main characters are defined from the start with exceptional detailing of the plot.

I would have liked to see more development in the couple's past history which would make the intense anger in the present more plausible and bring the reader to a more empathetic state.

In addition, I love the ending of the book and that is all I am going to say about that.

As a vision for the future, it is of my humble opinion, that this author could easily make this the first story in an anthology in regards to the plight of Liturgy.



Sunday, October 21, 2012

Liturgy released!

It is always nice to come to the end of another story and this one is creepy and rather chilling. It's probably not the last horror story either as I already have ideas for more of them to come including some ideas for off shoots of Liturgy.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247013
http://www.amazon.com/Liturgy-ebook/dp/B009TZR48S/

I should soon be completing the longer version of Witchery Afoot. I'm quite pleased with ending up in 2nd in the short version in Erika's short story contest. I was trying to include some romance elements in the longer version but it wasn't working for me. Somehow, chilling stories and romance just don't seem to go together.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Final edits

Coming up very soon I will be releasing Liturgy. I'm presently in the very last rewrites and touching up a few little parts here and there. What I'll be publishing will be a tiny part of the bits I've come up with over the years. I really hope everyone enjoys it. It's probably the creepiest thing that I've ever written.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Bicycles

There are a couple of reasons why I need the portability of net book. One of the main reasons is that a bicycle is a main form of transportation. Basically it helps if you can load your entire computer into a small back pack. Just try to carry a full sized laptop around sometime and you’ll value a net book very quickly. I know a few that take the portability even more extreme and write entire books on their iPad with a wireless keyboard. That is really cool when you think about it.

Because of my reliance on a bicycle for transportation I’m also going to the grocery store and a number of other places also. Sometimes I’m carrying quite a bit of weight. The bicycle trailer helps but sometimes I don’t have it with me. One of the things that will occur with so much weight you’re hauling around is broken wheel spokes. They turn out to not be so easy to find on line. Amazon doesn't carry them and after searching many sites I finally found some. Of course most people wouldn't rebuild a bicycle wheel in their spare time like I’m about to do. It will bring back some memories from long ago and far away.

At one time I used to do a bit of semi-professional bicycle racing. Of course that was a lot of years ago. In the places I lived at back then there were bicycle parts everywhere including hanging from the ceiling. Quite the memories when I think back to that time. I’m not sure my wife would put up with a table full of bicycle parts and tools these days.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

New writing area

Just yesterday we assembled my new desk and chair which was delivered by Fedex. This is a different experience for me to have an actual writing space for a first time. Even have my trusty Roget's and collegiate dictionary readily available. At the same time I replaced the desktop unit also because of getting Brandy a new laptop which it really screams. Now I also have the 17 inch HP LCD and the wireless keyboard and mouse for writing when I'm at home. It's taking a little getting used to but I really like it so far.

"Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it's been." Space Truckin' The Grateful Dead

Now, I'll see if I can get some more of Liturgy written...

Friday, October 12, 2012

New book trailer

A friend of mine made a really cool book trailer for Journey Into Renewal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpEDk4y_0Aw

Changing computers

Some experiences I’ve had during the switching everything over to the Acer has been better than others have been. One of the better things has been for my writing to be more portable than it’s been before. If I want to write on the porch, the backyard or the bedroom it’s easily available now. Going to the park and writing is also a viable option now. This net book only weighs I think two pounds and lasts a very long time on a battery charge. When it is plugged in it uses a total of 40 watts, less than most incandescent light bulbs.

I liked the idea so much that Brandy is getting a new laptop and we will no longer use the tower system as of a little later this month. We won’t get rid of it completely as it will work well for a backup when necessary. Both laptops will use about 80 watts running at the same time. I believe the tower system used about 500 watts. Our electric bill should drop soon. Considering the HP was running about 14 hours per day before that makes a savings of about 5 ½ kw per day. If the calculator is right it’s about 150 kw per month. It figures to about $18 per month or $216 per year. Basically in four years they’ve paid for themselves just in electric savings alone.

Make sure you back your files. Thankfully I had most of them backed up but not all of them. I used to try to make sure every document was backed up on DVD which worked well. That however is not an option any more since I got the Acer that I’m writing this on as it doesn’t have a DVD drive. At least there’s a way to do it on a thumb drive. Preferably it’s on a micro SD card in a card convertor since they hook up to so many different things so easily. I think the one I have now is an 8GB. That’s actually large enough for

Probably the biggest pain of all has been with moving Microsoft Office to this machine. They have not made it very easy at least for the activation to take place. It’s a cake run the first time but not when you change machines. It just won’t activate even after removing Office off of the first machine. What you usually end up having to do is open the activation window and call the number. I think in the little window there are 9 blocks of 6 numbers each. These you will need to give the computer you’re talking to when it finally comes on. After it validates the numbers it then gives you another 9 blocks of 6 numbers which you will type in the little boxes.

I’m probably going to have one last thing that will be a pain as of yet. The anti-virus software will still need to be moved from the tower to Brandy’s new laptop. While it’s probably not a major hassle I’m still expecting some waiting time on the phone. Now for my computer I noticed that little link on the Microsoft Office page for free anti-virus software. They have one called Microsoft Security Essentials that I guess is designed for businesses. It seems to work pretty well but time will tell.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Possible story line for someone?

I get a lot of emails everyday. Sometimes there are scams that I also find, this one has the makings of a thriller story line. There is a lot here actually and could easily be the basis of three chapters I think.


Dear friend, My name is Staff David Lee. I am an American soldier that served in the US military in Iraq with the army's 31st infantry division and I have some amount of funds that I want to move out of the country. I appreciate the fact that we are strangers for now but knowing that all relationship starts from strangers to friendship and family in a moment of trust and sincerity so please note that trust is very essential in all dealings. I got your contact from an email address journal. What I am about to share with you is a top secret which you are not expected to tell anyone for my own sake. Please note that I am in an Iraq country side cave and I have limited time to be on the internet due to my present location. I am presently hiding in a remote village which makes it difficult to have access to the internet but I will always try my best to come on from time to time to communicate with you. You must be quite aware that the entire soldiers that was sent to Iraq have been ordered to leave by President Barrack Obama last year December but I had to stay back due to some unfinished business I had over here which I would suggest that you please keep as strictly confidential. 

 During our service in Iraq, while fighting for the great people of America so many lives were lost, friends e.t.c. May their perfect soul continue to rest in peace. During the period, we managed to move funds found in Saddam Hussein’s farm. Several Millions of Dollars was also discovered about $760 million of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's cash hidden in several cottages. You can visit these sites to have a pure idea of what am talking about: 

 You can go to this web link to read about events that took place there: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-13237.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm 

Six of us managed to take some and hid for ourselves. I was able to take US$25 Million dollars in cash for myself, mostly 100 dollar bills. I want to move this money to you so that you may invest it for me and keep my share for banking. I will take 70%, You take the other 30%. No strings attached, just help me move it out of Iraq as Iraq is a war zone. I do not intend to come back to America for now for security reasons. I am aware that some of my colleagues already surrendered to the authorities and this is the more reason I do not plan to come back home neither do I intend to contact my family until everything is resolved. Presently, no one knows my location. I plan on using diplomatic courier and shipping the money out using diplomatic immunity. All I need from you is your trust to work as partners as that will assist us. Can I trust you? When you receive this letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including your most confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication also your contact details. This business is risk free. The box can be shipped out in 48hrs. 

I’m not greedy. I have package the boxes believing that I will leave Iraq with the Red Cross officials before I changed my mind to remain here for now. I need you to get the consignment and keep in your custody pending my return to America. 

I want you to understand that, this transaction is a gilt-edge transaction so you don’t have anything to be scared of. I have made all the necessary arrangement on how the boxes will be delivered to you at provided delivery address since I am not coming with diplomatic flight again. All I want from you is the maximum cooperation and prayers for me out here. 

I will be redirecting the diplomat to deliver the boxes to you as he will be leaving Iraq very soon and since he has diplomatic Immunity, the consignment will not be subject to rigorous screening. I will provide you with the name of the diplomat in charge of delivery and I will also give to him your contact information that you shall be providing me to enable him contact you immediately on his arrival. 

I will like you to confirm to me your full contact details like your full names, contact address, contact telephone as well as your present occupation. 

This will enable me know how to position myself to make sure this deal is brought to a logical conclusion without any hitch. 

CONFIDENTIALITY. 

Note that the diplomat is not aware of the content of the boxes so please do not tell him that they contain money. The boxes are package in a consignment as mere goods. Just let him know they are personal effects that belongs to a dead soldier is directed to you. I shall send you the pictures of myself and the consignments as soon you get back to me to assist me. 

My confidence and trust in you should not be betrayed because I have put a lot on the line here and God shall see us through. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance. Please e-mail me at sgt.davidlee@rogers.com for more details as this mail was sent to you from a colleague of mine's (DiComo, Anna) email box. My most secured email address is sgt.davidlee@rogers.com for security reasons. I await your response ASAP. 

God bless you and and God bless America. Have a wonderful day. 

Thanks SSG David Lee

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Piracy


There's a subject that's talked about by a lot of authors everywhere. It keeps coming up in just about every author's group I'm a member of. We talk about it with each other and some of the discussion gets quite heated. That subject is piracy. Making unapproved copies of what we've written and giving it out, selling it, etc.

I decided to do a little experiment to find out how its done because of course I have a number of books out. One of the things you need to do is remove the digital rights management or DRM for short. It's actually not all that difficult to do. There are plug-ins that are readily available for popular e-reader software that will strip it out easily. Not a lot of thought is needed for the process and it doesn't take long.

Since I found out how easy it is to get rid of it why would I bother with even enabling it? It doesn't make much sense to me so I won't be including it on any future releases. Also if you legally got a copy having the DRM keeps you from putting the book on multiple devices. What I'm referring to is a book on your Kindle and you want to convert it for your Sony reader.

Now why wouldn't you want to pirate my books since I won't be adding any DRM to future releases? Well, for one, why would I continue to write and put out books if I'm not making anything off of them? It would seem to me that a lot of other authors will feel the same way as I do. Over time you'll actually decrease what you have available to you to read. I don't know about you but that idea doesn't sound good to me at all. So you're not just hurting an author you're hurting yourself. This does apply to music also.

Giving away a copy or two of one of my books isn't a major issue for me as long as its limited. I just don't want you making a million copies and giving them out or selling them. That is something that really would bother me. It would also cause me to never write another word.

Do you really want a free copy of an authors work? Get in touch with the author and offer to review it. Just about any author wants their book reviewed, myself included. I'll be happy to send you a copy of any of mine that you want. Just make sure when you read the book you actually write the review that you agreed to do. Make sure you also find out what goes into a decent review.

Right now, I have a shelf full of books from large publishers. In fact a picture of them is at the top of this post. I reviewed all of them except for one. I also have many books on my Kindle that are review copies. While I've reviewed many of them there are quite a few to review still. Slowly but surely I'm reducing the list over time. Since becoming an author I've had less actual time to review books. Sometimes I actually have to focus on the next book or story that I'm in the process of writing that hopefully you'll enjoy.


Creepy story

I've been working on Liturgy recently as some of you may know and its a really creepy story in places. I actually had to stop writing for a bit last night because it creeped me out. The particular scene had a lot of blood in it and I had a big cringe. This story is one where I'm pulling out all of the stops and I hope it scares the hell out of a lot of people.

Writing a horror story like this in not quite like watching a horror movie like "1408" or "Freddie's Back". You're now inside of it and you can almost touch everything you're writing about.

Now it may be changed a little bit but this is the tentative cover for "Liturgy". Might be doing something with the black space around the crystal more than anything. The crystal is one that I actually own, I get the weirdest vibrations from it at times.


This is the description of the story I worked out already, might be changed a little but it gives some insight in what I'm writing.

This story is centered around what can best be described as a demon possessed crystal (basically one from hell). It makes people do very strange things and causes certain paranormal things to happen. Yes, there will be blood dripping down the walls at times, things will levitate without warning and it's a lot of fun to write ;-)

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Featuring Uvi Poznansky

This is a dear friend of mine that is an extremely artist and author, Uvi Poznansky. She is releasing a new called "Home" and I just love the cover.



One of the reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Moving! September 14, 2012 By Dolores Ayotte

"Home" by Author Uvi Poznansky is a well-written compilation of poetry and prose. She shares some of the works of her father Zeev Kachel as well as her own talent.

This is the second book that I have read and reviewed by this gifted author. It is hard to put into words the emotion one feels after reading her work. There is a great sadness found here...almost sorrowful in its content. Her writing touches my heart to the core as I sense the courage it takes to show such deep feeling and pain. Yes...the release of pain is what I hear in her words. Her artistic gift is the expression of Ms. Poznansky's experiences. Perhaps, she is vicariously living and writing through the eyes of her father and touching our lives with her unmistakeable ability to share her feelings as well as her dearly departed father's innermost self with her readers.

Ms. Poznansky does not shy away from dealing with some darker subjects nor does her father. It is apparent to me that Zeev Kachel, the author of many of the numerous poems included in "Home", suffered a great deal. His poetry shows the depth of his loneliness in his later years and the therapeutic outlet he embraced in his poetry. In doing so, he is able to release some of his pain as well as share his talent. It is obvious to me that father and daughter share a common artistic gift. Ms. Poznansky is showing so much of both their talents in this thought-provoking and touching book.

"Home" is not for the faint of heart. It is meant to reach deep inside the reader's soul and stir those raw emotions that not all can...or want to, identify with. It appears to me that Zeev Kachel suffered a great deal throughout his life as he so poetically states "Now I cry out of a burst of pain and howl in darkness out of loneliness."

Yes indeed...Ms. Poznansky has captured not only the depths of her father's despair and turned it into a masterpiece, she has shared her prose and poetry as well. Once again, she has put her artistic talent out there for all to read and see. There are no "masks" as she shares her gifts with those keen enough to feel the true essence of her efforts. I wholeheartedly agree that, "Now after all these years, "Home" celebrates once again the spirit and the action - of joining forces". Father and daughter have done just that!

Books Description

Home. A simple word; a loaded one. You can say it in a whisper; you can say it in a cry. Expressed in the voices of father and daughter, you can hear a visceral longing for an ideal place, a place never to be found again.

Imagine the shock, imagine the sadness when a daughter discovers her father’s work, the poetry he had never shared with anyone during the last two decades of his life. Six years after that moment of discovery, which happened in her childhood home while mourning for his passing, Uvi Poznansky presents a tender tribute: a collection of poems and prose, half of which is written by her, and half—by her father, the author, poet and artist Zeev Kachel. She has been translating his poems for nearly a year, with careful attention to rhyme and rhythm, in an effort to remain faithful to the spirit of his words.

Zeev’s writing is always autobiographical in nature; you can view it as an ongoing diary of his life. Uvi’s writing is rarely so, especially when it comes to her prose. She is a storyteller who delights in conjuring up various figments of her imagination, and fleshing them out on paper. She sees herself chasing her characters with a pen, in an attempt to see the world from their point of view, and to capture their voices. But in some of her poems, she offers you a rare glimpse into her most guarded, intensely private moments, yearning for Home.


The second book is "Apart From Love"



One of the reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars From MainlyPiano March 28, 2012 By Kathy Parsons 

"Apart From Love" is the debut novel by a true multi-media artist who is a writer, poet, painter, sculptor, architect, software engineer, and teacher. Uvi Poznansky was born in Israel and now makes her home in Southern California.

"Apart From Love" is a fascinating account of a series of events told from two different points of view. Ben is the estranged son of Lenny, an aspiring writer who has recently married a young woman close the same age as Ben. Anita, the new wife, is a diamond in the rough who has had a difficult life and is not particularly well-educated. Ben left the family when his parents divorced ten years before the story begins and receives a letter from his father imploring him to come home. Lenny is ill and in the hospital, and Ben comes home and meets his young step-mother for the first time. The attraction between them is strong and troubling, but they try to hide those feelings from Lenny.

Lenny's story is told from Ben's and Anita's interpretations. Both have been encouraged by Lenny to tape-record their thoughts, and neither of them realizes until later that Lenny is capturing those thoughts for a book he is writing. He has a huge collection of tapes dating back to Ben's childhood, and each chapter of the book is supposed to come from those tapes. Ben and Anita record some of their most intimate thoughts, not realizing until it's too late that Lenny is listening to them and putting them into writing. Is Lenny really writing a novel culled from the lives of his son and new wife or is he manipulating events so that life imitates art? That is never really clear, nor is Lenny's rationale for hiding the fact that his ex-wife, a piano teacher and concert pianist (and Ben's beloved mother), has been institutionalized with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Once you get to know these characters, they become compelling. There is an air of mystery about the book that runs from the beginning to the final pages, but that also draws the reader in and makes the book difficult to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Apart From Love" and recommend it.

Books Description:

Written with passionate conviction, this story is being told by two of its characters: Ben, a twenty-seven years old student, and Anita, a plain-spoken, spunky, uneducated redhead, freshly married to Lenny, his aging father. Behind his back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him.
Meanwhile, Lenny is trying to keep a secret from both of them: his ex-wife, Ben’s mother, a talented pianist, has been stricken with an early-onset alzheimer. Taking care of her gradually weighs him down.
What emerges in these characters is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.

The title Apart From Love comes from a phrase used three times in the story:

After a while I whispered, like, “Just say something to me. Anything.” And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, ‘cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita to Lenny, in Apart From Love

Why, why can’t you say nothing? Say any word—but that one, ‘cause you don’t really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita to Ben, in The Entertainer

For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now—even in her absence—I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded—and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben, in Nothing Surrendered

Liturgy

I needed a little break from another project so it could stew a little more and so I started on this little horror bit. Don't know when I'm coming out with it but it will be called "Liturgy" when I do come out with it. Parts of it have been running around in the back of my mind for a very long time.


The full moon was reflecting on the shimmering water of the lake. An owl hooting in the distance broke the quiet of the evening and startled the girl. Momentarily brought back to awareness she looked around her.

What am I doing out here now?

Once again her vision descended into darkness. Her thin night gown swayed as she walked in the low visible light. Goose bumps raised on her arms as each step carried her closer to the red glow visible in the grass. Something she couldn't understand or break the hold of was drawing her closer.

Kneeling down she reached into the tuft tendrils of red light reached out and wrapped around her hand. Levitating out of the grass it floated to just above her hand. There it hovered for a few moments before dropping into her open palm. Turning around she headed back to her warm bed in the little bungalow.

Entering the house she left the back door open. Unaware of anything around her she headed to the bedroom. Pulling the covers over herself she became still, her breathing becoming deeper. Both hands held the now warm crystal next to her chest.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

My review for "A Job From Hell" by Jade Scott

First of all, the cover just said something to me. It's just eerie and sure caught my eye when I seen it on Amazon.

I couldn't help but find the touch of humor throughout to be very engaging. It was cracking me up at the way Amber is with her brother. As the story moves along Amber is taken far outside of the place she had been comfortable.

I found as I went along that I could easily empathize with her situation. She needs the money so she takes a maid job in the middle of what would be nowhere normally. Oh, its a nice manor and all. It's just a little ways off of the beaten path. Soon after getting there the odd things started happening and they started the first night.

While there are some romance elements to the story I didn't find them overpowering. They were a nice addition actually and added more depth to the story.

The description:
The moment Amber starts her summer job in Scotland and sets eyes upon Aidan, her fate is sealed. Summoned by an ancient bond, she can never love another. Lost in the woods one night Amber enters Aidan's deadly world when she unknowingly participates in a paranormal race and promptly wins the first prize...a prize worth killing for.

In a world of forbidden love, ancient enemies, legends and rituals, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. Life will never be the same again, unless she enters the Otherworld. But to do so, Amber must die...

A Job From Hell is the first book of the Ancient Legends series.

Where you can get it at:

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Things that go bump...

It's a lot of fun to write in and of itself and it can even be more fun to write about scary things. One thing leads to another and all of a sudden... you've got a nice little horror story ;-)

I just entered a rather mild horror piece in another contest. Then again it might not be so mild depending how you look at it, I'll sure peek over fences when I look at houses to buy from now on. What started me in writing it was a little nightmare of which the result is called "Marker". It is the 23rd submission out of the 25. After the contest I will post the story in one of the tabs here on the blog. Comments are greatly appreciated by all of the authors (especially if you loved the story).
Voting on these stories starts October 1st.

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Witchery Afoot was published in this anthology which of course I got my copy :-) 
It is free on Smashwords and you can get it in all formats. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238417

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Of course I do have the one short story competition going on where "Witchery Afoot" is posted. I also brushed up "Whole World in a Raindrop" a little bit and posted it. There are now 33 stories in the contest. http://www.erikamszabo.com/apps/forums/show/7164999-short-story-list

I've already been working on a longer version of Witchery Afoot that I'll be publishing later on though I just don't know quite when. Most of my writing has been focused on Etheusela these days. 




Friday, September 28, 2012

Featuring Broken Angel by Christina Worrell

A lot of us have various things that have happened in the past to create the person that everyone sees today. I've been in the place where these poems are coming from at one time in my life.


5.0 out of 5 stars A Fiercely Honest Poetic Collection! Loved it!, May 22, 2012
By Literary Vixen
This is a touching collection of deeply emotional poems. Ranging from love, heartache and suicide, it is fiercely honest in its vulnerability and rawness of every poem. This is a collection made from years, put together for our pleasure. I enjoyed reading this collection and look forward to seeing more from Christina.


5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful darkness, May 8, 2012
By Jessica Akers
the poetry is mind gripping. beautifully done and well done she lets us see that not everything is happy but in the darkness there is beauty as well.


5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend, April 25, 2012
By JacquieMT
Ms. Worrell has touched on a subject that is very hard for a lot of people to handle. The subject is of depression and how a lot of people feel but are afraid to say anything. These are poems that she is sharing with us and isn't afraid to do it. I have a lot of respect for this author to share some of the feelings she may have felt or that others are feeling. They are well written and I'm glad she shared them with us.


Book Description
Take a literary journey into the mind of the author Christina Worrell. A decade of poetry based on chaotic, and traumatic experiences that she has turned into dark and beautiful words. She has turned her shadowed tale into something all readers, not only can enjoy, but can relate to. Where one person finds tragedy and heartache, she found strength to pursue her passion and share it with others so they can know they are not alone...

Where you can get it at: