I'd bet that everyone has, at some point or another in their lives, heard various urban legends. Maybe you heard it in a nursery school rhyme while playing hopscotch on the playground. Maybe it was something whispered to you at a sleepover when you were a pre-teen. Maybe it was something that made the rounds in the hall at school that you heard from your best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend who heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with some girl. LOCAL LORE When I was a kid living in the suburbs of Toronto, we moved down the s[...]
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MidnightSocietyMary
6 My entire adult writing life has been about writing adult horror. Creepy, atmospheric locations to set the tone. Plenty of blood and gore, as the story allows. Strange and unusual twists to set the reader off-kilter. it's what I like to read, and what I love to write. But it hasn't always been that way. I had to start somewhere, and that somewhere was in a high school English class. Okay, so I wrote short stories before then (though I'm not sure my story about a talent show for aliens back in 7th grade would make the cut), but it was an assignment in one of my h[...]
Fellow Midnight Society member Jenna's post on Security Coffins had me pawing through my bookshelf to find a book I'd bought a few years ago for story research (if that makes you think my library is questionable, you should see my browser history...). Buried Alive by Jan Bonderson The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear Funny thing is, on the jacket flap, it's also touted as "an engrossing and witty history" that "deserves a place on every bedside table in America". Sounds good to me...but I have a feeling not every one would agree with that suggestion[...]
As a writer, many of my stories start from a tiny little seed of an idea planted in my brain. Imagine these little tidbits, coming from various places, fermenting and growing in the depths of my brain until they start to germinate and sprout into something creepy. That's how my story, Flowers for the Dead, came to be. HOW IT STARTED One of my favorite things to include in my stories? Superstitions. Folk Lore. Strange and arcane beliefs that inspire people to do some curious things. Some of these ideas seem not so strange. But others? They make you wonder ho[...]
Ah, February. Love & romance are in the air. But don't fret, my horror loving friends. It isn't all hearts and flowers this month. We have nothing against getting all warm and fuzzy. But it wouldn't be The Midnight Society way without a little blood, guts & gore to go along with it. As it turns out, even on my vacation, I was able to find something frightfully delightful. Yearly trips have become an awesome new tradition for myself and my fiance, Chris. It's always cool to go somewhere new, to discover those things that are different from the place y[...]
Are you a horror writer looking for the next big thing to thrill your readers? Sometimes all you have to do is look to the deep. I love vampires, ghosts and ghouls as much as the next gal, but I'm always trying to come up inventive ways to give my readers the creeps. When I read about the Cystisoma, a type of crustacean, I felt a tingling in the part of my brain that looks for oddities that could possibly terrify. Okay, so upon first glance, a sea creature that doesn't look much different when compared to a lobster or roach-type thing might not seem scary to[...]
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ready to pummel, beat down, bury and salt the earth around the year that was. via GIPHY 2016 has been particularly tumultuous on many fronts, but that doesn't mean you can't start the New Year off on the right foot. Not sure where to start? This handy-dandy list of resolutions is exactly what you need to create a strategic plan of attack that will help you slay 2017. via GIPHY 1. START WITH A CLEAN SLATE The easiest way to forget the year that was? Purge your inner demons. Nothing will hinder your progress more[...]