I spent the past weekend at Borderlands Press Writers Boot Camp. My cohort of writer grunts faced brutally honest horror and science fiction writers and an editor, and they pushed us to self-edit and craft our best stories. Writers (especially speculative fiction writers) who want to take their craft to the next level will be transformed by Borderlands Press Writers Boot Camp. It took two years for me to believe my writing was ready after JG Faherty recommended it to me. Application to Borderlands Boot Camp included a writing sample, after all. Once accepted, I[...]
Monthly Archives
January 2019
0 Once upon a time, there was a girl who didn't like listening to podcasts. That is until her friends suggested some to her. So after being completely done with the current pop songs on the radio, this girl tried her first one. Now, she has found a new podcast to love...and it just so happens to be about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, that should be all the introduction this podcast needs, but just in case your interest isn't sparked quite yet, let me explain. Two really cool and smart chics, named Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo, review an entire episode o[...]
Dead Space is my favorite horror game series of all time, and over the past few years, I've revisited each of the three main games with a let's play on my Co-Op Critics YouTube channel. I've recently started the series for Dead Space 3, so I thought some of our horror gaming fans might enjoy it, especially if you haven't experienced the series before. What's interesting about Dead Space 3 is that it's a prime example of a publisher ruining something great. Dead Space 1,2 and Extraction (the Wii on-rails shooter) were all fantastic, horror-driven games. But by the[...]
Tell Me What You See: Visual Writing Prompts For The Wandering Writer by Caroline Topperman is an inspiring take on travel writing. I’ve been following Caroline for a while on Instagram and have always loved her posts. They aren’t simply snapshots of her life both here and abroad. She always couples each photo with a tidbit or story that goes beyond the surface. So, it was pretty cool to see Caroline translate that artistry into book form with the release of Tell Me What You See this month. ABOUT THE BOOK More than just writing prompts, Tell Me What Y[...]
I had a work trip coming up recently and wanted to bring a good horror novel along with me. A lot of my reading as of late had been nonfiction, and I was really looking for some good, Lovecraftian horror to immerse myself in. I did a little research, and one book in particular popped up in a few different places--The Fisherman by John Langan. So, I took a chance, and picked up what turned out to be the best Lovecraftian horror (and one of the best horror novels, period) that I have read in years. Langan perfectly captures the mounting dread of a good Lovecraft st[...]
When you find a great horror book, you share the news. So, I'd like to draw your attention to The Harpy by Julie Hutchings. The blurb from Amazon: Charity Blake survived a nightmare. Now she is one. Punk-rock runaway Charity Blake becomes a Harpy at night—a treacherous mythical monster who preys upon men just like the ones who abused her. Struggling through an endless stream of crappy coffee shop jobs, revolted stares, and self-isolation during the day, Charity longs to turn into the beast at night. Doing the right thing in all the wrong way[...]
After many, many years of being a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, I got the opportunity to hear her speak at Doylestown Bookshop last night. Her first novel, SPEAK, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To commemorate this, Laurie is gearing up to release a new novel in verse which is NOT a sequel to SPEAK. Rather, it is an extension--essays and poems--about the need for more girls to SHOUT their truths. I cannot wait for this. Normally at these events I fan girl, get an autograph and a picture, then leave. This time, I learned something. SPEAK has been a[...]
I love books about writing. I could read them all day. I'm fascinated with writing practices from any perspective, but most recently I've shifted and have started to read books on the subjects by agents or editors, in addition to writers. I always take away at least one good nugget of information when I'm reading books about writing. This insight, along with the practice of writing and reading the genre you want to write, is a great way to learn more about writing, publishing, and how to make your books better. What am I reading? Last week I started The Mars[...]
Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get a sequel to 2008's The Happening, but here we are. And whether or not Josh Malerman, Susanne Bier, Netflix or M. Night Shyamalan confirm that Bird Box is officially The Happening 2, in my mind it's canon. This is definitely a case of the sequel being a better movie than the original. But is that actually a good thing? https://youtu.be/o2AsIXSh2xo In The Happening 2: Bird Box, Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie Hayes, a woman trying to survive the apocalypse with her son and a young girl she has taken responsibilit[...]
It's time for the Midnight Society Movie Night announcement! Let's watch Truth or Dare. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been watching a lot of very happy, very cute Christmas movies, so I think it's time for some screaming and fear. What's better than watching people try to escape gruesome deaths? Not a lot. Are you ready? I didn't see this one in the theater. Why? Well, I was confused every time I saw the trailer, BECAUSE I JUST WATCHED A MOVIE CALLED TRUTH OR DARE I WAS CERTAIN. Complete the dare or die...tell the truth or die... Dire[...]