Promises To Keep

Deanna Schrayer and Jim Wisneski donned the "Creative Writer" award on me months ago. I promised in April I'd put up my outrageous lies..uh, truths. Technically, I've got 45 minutes left in April. ;-) Thank you to Deanna and Jim. Here you go.

Six lies and One truth? or Six truths and One lie?

You tell me:

#1 I jumped out of trees for the thrill, off the shed for curiosity,

the cliff for the dare, and off the second story balcony because I was
super woman.

#2 Once, I was almost abducted by a man in a pig mask with a knife.

#3 When browsing a book store, I always read the first and last line.
If I can figure out the story, I put the book away.

#4 I was 14 when I received my first marriage proposal.

#5 I’ve skinned many animals.

#6 I have moles that shape the little dipper on my left arm.

#7 I still have the lips of the first boy who kissed me. In a jar. In
the back of the freezer.

The rules for the award are simple:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one
outrageous truth – or – switch it around and tell six outrageous
truths and one outrageous lie.
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with
outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

I nominate:

Mari Blaser

Sean Monaghan

Margo Gremmler

Mark Crittenden His bungee chord snapped... True Or False?

Karen Schindler She was musked inside a tiger's cage! True or False?

Tim Keeton

Anne Tyler Lord She kissed John Hall (Oats & Hall)! True Or False?



Check out these great writers sites.

Book Reviews! Support Small Press!

Some of these I've read recently, others awhile back. I want to take some time this month and spot light these books and encourage my fellow readers to support small press.

**My apologies to Salvatore Buttaci and William Pauley III, I meant to do this for them ages ago.




Wrong Minds And Other Fictions
by Jason Michel

Jason Michel is a dark horse. This compilation of Wrong Minds And Other Stories prove it: Darkness infused with light, morbidity flayed to show philosophy, his words are poetry lulling you into Grimm like nightmares. These stories are very gruesome in the way of old fables, yet they show the reality of life that so many of us have forgotten. If we forget life’s old truths, we aren’t truly human anymore. And being human is what these shorts are all about. If you are inclined toward the old gothic literature like Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson - you will love Mr. Michel’s work. I highly, highly recommend this book.

Purchase Wrong Minds And Other Fictions or visit Jason's personal website.

Green Water Lullaby
by Lori Titus

Green Water Lullaby opens with French Doors, and invites you into its pages. This short story collection smells like vanilla and flows like honey. The grace of Lori’s smooth writing makes a reader vulnerable to her sweet voice of horror. She baptizes you into a world of suspense. But when you’re ready to come up for air, she holds you under, drowning you in the town’s mysteries. Evil secrets of murder, brotherhood, the occult… who could have guessed so much darkness resides in the sleepy little town of Chrysilis, or Lori Titus’s mind for that matter. This is an e-book you don’t want to miss.The E-book format is very user friendly and easy on the eyes.

Purchase Green Water Lullaby Or Visit Lori's personal website.

A Family of Sicilians:Stories & Poems

by Salvatore Buttaci

This is wonderful collection of stories about Sal’s experiences in Italy. Reading the works, one feels swept away to a beautiful country filled with people involved in life, love, and hard work. This book must be read with a hot cup of coffee and a box of tissues. Sal’s magic will work wonders on your heart, as he always does mine.

Purchase A Family Of Sicilians or visit Sal's personal website.

Toe Tags
edited by William Pauley III & Brian Barnett

Toe Tags is a collection of debauchery sewn together by William Pauley III and Brian Barnett. Horror has delivered its grimmest, its grittiest - the ungodly

morbid truth through the minds of Angel Zapata, Lori Titus, Graeme Reynolds, Robert C. Eccles, Nathan Rosen, Joshua Day, Chad Chase, William Pauley III, Brian Barnett and more.

If those names aren’t enough to catch your curiosity, the carnivals, talking tattoos, devils, zombies, magicians, the rage will snatch your eyes and force you to keep reading on. You know you are getting good quality horror, when the stories still pop up in your mind and scare you long after you’ve read them.

Purchase Toe Tags or visit William Pauley III's personal website.

Howl: Tales Of The Feral And Infernal
edited by Mark Anthony Crittenden

This savage collection of morphing creatures and nightmares has already achieved status by hosting three authors of honorable mention merit by Ellen Datlow. Between these pages, stories of werewolves, ravens, demons, owls, lizardmen, The Lady Red, fanged puppies (and more) explore awakenings of the animal within. Give in to the fierce extremes of lust and love. Mark Crittenden leaves a torch on the dark path of horror. Hurry. Read it. Or something will eat you.

Purchase Howl or visit Mark's personal website.

Rotten Little Animals
by Kevin Shamel

I've already plugged this, but I'll do it again. Zombie cats, Stinkin' Rats, Dirty Birds and other filthy scoundrels kidnap a child and create the same evil humanity does. Doesn't get more bizarre than Kevin Shamel's mind. Note: While inclusive of talking animals, this has adult material and is by no means a story for children. Read at your own risk.

Purchase Rotten Little Animals or visit Kevin's personal website







Something’s Not Right
by Trevor McPherson

This ebook collection features a handful of stories by a clever sci fi cook. His unique twilight zone writes are entertaining and intelligent. For under a buck, you are getting one heck of a deal.

Purchase Something's Not Right or Visit Trevor's personal website.

Disenchanted Evening At Flashes In The Dark

Flashes In The Dark is holding a Lycanthropy Contest! It ends on April 21st, so you still have time to enter.

My story

Disenchanted Evening

is up today! Please stop by for a read & thrill.
(Thank you to editor, Lori Titus!)




For those of you who are curious about the musical roots of this story and want to watch some half decent videos. Here you go. (Be sure to mute the music player below)

Original Song this story was inspired by


Between evenings of writing the story, I listened and watched

Sara Brightman and Antonio Banderas sing Phantom of The Opera

(Note: I love Sara Brightman's voice, but she's a terrible actor.)

This video and music inspired the setting

Into The Ocean By October Blue



And well, I don't know. Why the heck not? Just your typical ravenous werewolf music

Some Enchanted Evening (Original South Pacific Song)

Winner Of Tainted Tea's Flash Contest!

My story 'Decisions' won Tainted Tea’s Flash contest – Woohoo! It will be published in the spring 2010 issue.

Congrats to 2nd place winner Rick McQuiston.

A sincere Thank You to editors Shane R Toogood and Kris Fosset. I'm looking forward to the book I won! Go check out Tainted Tea and consider submitting them your finest horror.

Choose Your Own Adventure- The Mendigans (Pickledeath)

Barry Northern's creative mind came up with the first inter-blog Choose Your Own Adventure story. To play along and/or read Barry's beginning piece, The Mendigans, please start here. Have fun!

Pickledeath

(Choice #1 Stand up and scream the earth has been invaded)

Michael stood and pointed his finger at the Mendigan driving the school bus. “EARTH INVADERS!”

The babble of talking teens hushed. Michael’s face burned red, but a boy has to do what a boy has to do. He’d been listening to BadSad for a whole two years. He had this computer program that would let him play the cd backwards. So far he’d been able to interpret three words. Control. Invasion. Pickledeath. Although he wasn’t sure on the last one.

Perhaps the band had been warning the earth? Perhaps BadSad wasn’t really a heavy metal band, but some sort of super hybrid aliens warning earth of certain disaster? Yes! This was it! They’d given him a secret code and it was up to Michael to warn others before utter destruction. Pickledeath, he thought again and cringed.

Every one sat in their seats. Quiet. The Mendigan raised one of its tentacles and adjusted the mirror to watch him.

Michael’s heart beat like a thousand drums. “Earth has been invaded and we will all die a pickledeath!”

A voice from behind him said, “Go tell your mommy about it, jack ass.”

He turned and looked for the owner of the voice, but everyone was laughing already.

“Look at the bus driver!” he said and looked again. And the Mendigan was gone, replaced by Mr. Bernstein. He hit the breaks and Michael fell forward. “Get back to your seat, kid! Invasion is complete.”

There was more laughing and the general chatter picked up once more. Michael stood and sat at his seat. He watched Mr. Bernstein very carefully. He looked up in the huge rear-view mirror and for one second their eyes met. He heard Mr. Berstein’s voice inside his head, invasion is complete. Pickledeath. Pickledeath. Pickledeath. The word echoed inside his mind. He grabbed his head, shook it. Mr. Bernstein’s voice disappeared.

Michael glanced his way again. Mr. Bernstein smirked and Michael knew for sure he was an alien. For some reason the other kids couldn’t see it. Brainwashed.

“Are you saying Mr. Bernstein is an alien?” said a voice to his left. It was Latoya, a shy girl with shiny black hair and chocolate skin. He’d seen her around at school. She was quiet and kept to herself.

“Can you see it?” he asked.

Latoya clutched at her pink backpack, hugged it. She nodded her head. “A Mendigan.”

They both looked up at the bus driver. Mr. Bernstein was watching them instead of the road.

“I’m scared,” she whispered, then, “pickledeath.”

“Control. Invasion. Right?” said Michael.

Latoya nodded and looked away.

So he wasn’t the only one! But how did she know? “Do you listen to BadSad?”

She shook her head. “Beyonce.”

Michael did a double take. “Backwards?”

She nodded her head.

They both remained quiet the rest of the way to school, considering their predicament. The bus passed more green silos and Mendigans on the road. Finally, they turned into the middle school and the bus drew to a stop. The door opened and kids piled out. Michael and Latoya were the last.

They huddled close to each other and avoided Mr. Bernstein as they stepped out.
“Earthlings?” he said as they hurried down the steps. Michael turned at the door, while Latoya rushed past him.

“No one will believe you,” said Mr. Bernstein. And suddenly, he was a Mendigan again…his long tentacles reached for Michael.

Michael turned and ran. He could hear the alien’s laughter in his head as he looked for Latoya, spotted her pink backpack, and shuffled towards her. He grabbed his head and shook it like he did the first time, and the voice disappeared.

“Latoya, what are we going to do?” he asked her.

They huddled by the school door, talking in low voices. “I was thinking.” Layota bit on her lower lip, and Michael noticed the cute freckles that dotted across her nose. “I brought my ipod with me. If we can sneak into the office and play the music backwards on the school intercom, maybe someone will believe us, maybe they will be able to see the Mendigans.”

Michael leaned against the wall thinking. “Or maybe we should go to the music store down the street. There must be more messages on different cds. There has to be instructions on what we should do by the same ones who warned us.”

Latoya looked up at him. “Maybe.”

The school bell rang.

What should Michael and Latoya do?

1) Sneak into the secretary’s office and play Beyonce backwards on the school intercom (Tim Keeton)

2) Sneak off to the music store to find more secret messages.(Tony Noland)




ps.
Erin Cole has written the 2nd choice (Bide his time and go along with it for now from Barry's The Mendigans) called, "Pretend Everything Is Normal". It is brilliant, dark, and takes a completely different spin.

Zombie Cats And Why You Want To Adopt One

Wonder why your pets are acting up today?

What! You didn’t know?

It’s Rotten Little Animals day!

Just look what happened to poor Ugly Edison. He's risen from the watery depths of the toilet!

((((GASP)))

ZOMBIE GOLDFISH

Go buy Kevin Shamel’s Rotten Little Animals or he’ll sic his zombie cats on you, or
maybe his stinkin’ rats, or dirty birds and he’ll make you put on big
dumb sunglasses. ---------->


You’ll love this Bizzaro’s mind and great writing. Curious? Of course you are.

Read my amazon review of Rotten Little Animals.

Eraser Head Press offered Kevin a deal. When he sells XXX amount of books by October, they will publish MORE of his books. Which means we get more of Kevin’s bizarre imagination (and who can’t get enough of that)?

For a taste of what he writes, you can read up on his flashes at EveryDayFiction. Here are links to some of my favorites.

What Name Do I Give Her?

A bedtime Story For Breezy

Haven

Mail

Discover more of Kevin Shamel at his website, Shameless creations. Fan Rotten Little Animals & friend Kevin Shamel at facebook.