Monthly Archives

July 2015

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Street Teams for Horror Writers + Contest Alert!

Before I dive in, this is just a reminder that TONIGHT is our our monthly book chat on Twitter at 7 PM CST, using hashtag #MidnightBooks. Tonight we’re talking Amy Guiffrida’s The Bleeding Heart! See you there! I've been thinking a lot lately about street teams. Mainly because I have a book coming out soon. I feel like in the young adult realm, street teams are super common. What is a street team? A street team in the publishing world is a group of people who "hit the streets" to promote an author or a book. They may not ACTUALLY hit the streets, but they[...]

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Mary Unleashed Review

(If you're unfamiliar with my book reviews, then check out my review of Mary the Summoning here you've been warned.) (Disclaimer: the success of a writer is wholly dependent on the internet critic prognosticating about said writer, and has remotely nothing to do with the talent, work ethic, long hours, determination, years spent honing their craft, or intelligence of the writer. Obviously.) I supported Hillary Monahan from the moment Mary the Summoning hit shelves. While all other YA horror kept walking itself off a cliff from either outright stupidity, heavy-h[...]

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Let’s Talk About Ideas

You think writing a unique story is tough? Try writing a different and plot twisty horror. But if this is truly your love, let's talk about ideas. I mean it...let's talk. I'm opening up the first Tuesday of the month to horror writing related questions and answers. We are a community and we'd love to have more interaction with lovers of horror stories. How will this work? 1.  I'll post new writing questions on the first Tuesday of the month. That means, you can either ask us questions in the comment section, on Facebook, or on Twitter at anytime, but I'll post[...]

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July #MidnightBooks: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

On July 7th, Danielle Vega releases Survive the Night. Subway horror? Yes, please. Synopsis We're all gonna die down here. . . . Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music. In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Al[...]

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40 Years Later, JAWS is Still a Masterpiece

When people ask me about the first horror movie I’ve ever watched, it’s usually Poltergeist that jumps to mind, mainly because I saw it when I was too young and that stupid clown scarred me for life. In reality though, Jaws was my first horror movie. I saw it when I was about six or seven years old, when my family was vacationing in Wells Beach, Maine. The TV was right next to the sliding glass doors of the cottage, through which I could see directly into the ocean. Yes, I watched Jaws less than a football field away from the water. To say that it profoundly[...]

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Emotion Brings Horror to Life

So, I had a blog idea all set, then I took myself to see... And I tossed my original idea out the window. I am a fan of the Insidious films. I've seen the first two oh so many times and I love them. The Lamberts fight to survive against an evil threatening to tear their family apart. The ideas in this movie fascinate me. The images send shudders of delight through my horror-loving brain. The character who interested me the most was Elise, the psychic, the one with the power to see what haunted them, to guide them into the Further to do what had to be done[...]

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Frankenstein Crash Course

Hello there, Midnighters! Currently, I am working 5-7 hours a day on revisions on my Girl Band vs Zombies (hey, I named the band! Deadly Divas, here we come!) series. My heart still has room for Frankenlove, but my brain got sidetracked by zombies and forgot to write something wise and insightful. So hey, here's a wise and insightful (and funny) crash course on all that is the Frankenstein novel with John Green. Watch this, and you'll probably know more about Frankenstein than people who read the book 5+ years ago. If you enjoy it, don't miss Part 2. And wh[...]