Category

Horror Writing

/

Middle Grade Horror: What Makes It…It

About a week ago, I finished the first draft of my middle grade horror manuscript Nightmare Garden. I know. I like the title too. The beginning of my middle grade horror manuscript Nightmare Garden So what makes my words middle grade horror? Do I even know what I'm doing? Yes. Mostly. And these are all my opinions, for I'm no expert. I love reading middle grade, so why not write it? I wrote Nightmare Garden because my first adventure into the land of MG was so much fun. Well, fun...and painful...and frustrating...and fun. Middle grade, my happy[...]

/

The Haunted Summer of 1816 and the Origin of Frankenstein

There's not much I love more than haunted things and horror origin stories...well, other than puppies and iced coffee. Being that it is Women in Horror month, I started looking into the origin story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The history is more interesting than you think. The Year Without a Summer The year of 1816 was known as the year without a summer. In April 1815, there was a volcanic eruption.  The eruption of Mount Tambora (located in present-day Indonesia) was the most powerful volcanic eruption in human recorded history. It is reported that the[...]

/

The Feel of Little Legs Crawling on the Back of Your Neck

“What’s the matter, Mr. Pratt? Bugs got your tongue?” And with that, the horror of Creepshow overtakes us. We’re already on edge watching the cockroaches skitter through Mr. Pratt’s immaculate home. They pop out and dart into the light. It's unnerving. Moments before Mr. Pratt is overcome with cockroaches, before they pour from his mouth and burst out of his split skin, we are already imagining it. Bugs. On his tongue. In his mouth. Imagine them crawling around in there, their spiky little legs scraping against your teeth. If you are shuddering b[...]

/

Spooky Empire Creators Track

Wednesday Addams, the Headless Horseman, and Velma from Scooby Doo walked into a horror convention. They walked with me from the parking garage to Spooky Empire, along with gender-swapped Beetlejuice and more than one Pennywise. Sam from Trick r Treat greeted me when I walked in. I love Sam, and Halloween was only a few days away, but I had a writing panel to catch. Spooky Empire started in 2003, and it’s grown to be one of the largest horror conventions in the nation. The self-proclaimed ‘dark side of Comic Con’ is held in Orlando, Florida nowadays[...]

/

I

Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the lame title but I can't think of any other way to express my fondness for middle grade horror. I LOVE it, and not just because I write it. There's something so magical about scaring kids. I remember hiding in the back shelves of the library, pouring over SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK. I was hooked on the shivers and the adrenaline I felt coursing through my veins when that girl's sore split open and spiders went ALL OVER HER FACE. When I read IN A DARK, DARK ROOM (and other scary stories), I became obsessed with the story, "Th[...]

/

Long Story Short

Three nights ago I was looking at my to-finish-reading pile and I had a revelation. There's a reason these awesome, best-selling, indie, award-winning books have been collecting dust for the past seven years. I don't want to finish reading them. And it hurts my heart. It has nothing to do with the quality of writing. These are amazing stories from debut and established authors, alike. I even tried tricking my brain into thinking they were gifts (hence the wrapping paper) so I'd stop buying MOAR books that I won't even get to for another year. Instead, two[...]

/

Freebie: Midnight Society Letterhead (free download!)

I'm quite the ephemerist. I love old papers and documents. I collect them. It's a kind of sickness really, because every single paper good I find and love, I buy. If you've ever looked inside my writing desk that's filled to the brim, you know it's true. So I thought it would be fun to make my own stationary today and share it with all of you! Below is Midnight Society letterhead (US 8.5 X 11 inches) that you can print out and use for all of your otherworldly, nefarious, and undead business letters. You can download this for free below in two different colors, p[...]

/

Seeing Double

Good Morning, Kittens!     It's the most wonderful time of the year!! If you live somewhere like me (Ohhhh Canada), you're probably already feeling that fall chill even though it's technically only the second day of the best motherfluffing season of the year. I don't know about you, but I'm already a PSL-toting basic babe decked out in flannel. There are some exciting things happening in my world at the moment - aside from 3D printing a foot inside my uterus - but there's not much I can share at the moment. What I can be openly stoked about is the[...]

/

Interview: Jolene Haley and Brian LeTendre

Hello, Darlings!!   I am SO thrilled to have our very own Horror Twins, Brian LeTendre and Jolene Haley, on the blog today! They graciously let me feast on their brains about their books, both past and upcoming. So I'll stop boring you and just hop right in!   How did you two start writing together in the first place? Brian: I was lucky enough to participate in a few of the Pen & Muse writing showcases (Dark Carnival and Haunt), and I was a big fan of Jolene's because she's such a positive force in the writing community. I asked her to be a gu[...]

/

Write for me….

Hello Kittens,   I want to play a game.     I've auditioned for a few IP projects lately. While none of them have panned out, writing something that was spawned in someone else's brain has resulted in a huge boost in my creativity. So much so, that I want to try it out with you. Yes, you, sitting there, idly reading this post, perhaps on the train on your way to work. I want you to create your own twisted, demented little story off the following prompt. I will think of something fantastic to send my favorite contributor. **Spoiler alert - i[...]