Category: The Craft
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The Sky Frightens
As I slowly (and I do mean slowly) eek out an episode here and there of In The Light Of… on Kindle Vella, I watch lots of YouTube videos for inspiration. What’s my story about? A friendly guy in the present day who helps people deal with UFO abductions. I’m trying to make the UFO…
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Story Structure for Horror Stories: Part One
They say that there are two types of writers: those who plot and those who fly by the seat of their pants. Those who “pants” their stories are probably looking at this title and immediately clicking away. Don’t! It’s ok! There is absolutely no pressure to follow this outline, and this is just one option…
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It Goes on All Fours
When I was in high school in Southern California, I made friends with brothers who recently moved to town from Gallup, New Mexico. At one point, they told me a story about driving in the desert at night near Gallup. They saw a coyote-like animal come out of the bush and run alongside the car.…
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Plight of the Indie
Good morning, all. I just thought I’d use “free-for-all Monday” to point out some sobering facts concerning those of us who write without contract or publishing house behind us. A few points for readers to consider about those who toil in our spare time to create something of value as entertainment…
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Scooby Apocalypse
About a week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to meet Scott Innes, who voiced the characters of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers in several of my favorite entries in the long-running Scooby-Doo franchise. During our conversation, I learned that Innes works as a morning show host on the radio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,…
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WORKING IN RETELL
No, that’s not a typo; I learned long ago that retail work was not my cup of chamomile. I’m talking about retelling a familiar story from a fresh perspective, which seems to be an increasingly popular trend. I recently read a new novel titled Julia, which is a retelling of George Orwell’s 1984 from a…
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Do Free Books Garner More Readers?
Readers are the essence, the fundamental piece for any writer. I don’t believe there is a single author who isn’t thinking about pleasing the readers when he/she is writing. My process includes me as a reader. I, the author, need to please myself as a reader before I proceed to write the next chapters. And…
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The Dimming of the Light
Good morning, all, and I hope it finds you well. Those of you who pay attention to our rotation probably expected to see some of Brian’s artwork today, but due to technical difficulties — i.e., real life — he and I have switched dates and you’ll be seeing him on March 7th. Meanwhile, I’m here…
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Attractive and Monstrous Vampires
When people learn I write about vampires, they often ask what kind of vampires I write about. They want to know if I write about monstrous vampires or attractive vampires. Monstrous vampires are the ones closer to the folkloric roots of vampires. These are the frightening wraiths that stalk the night. Examples might include Count…
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The Hungur Chronicles
Last week, I received my contributor copy of the Samhain 2023 issue of The Hungur Chronicles, which proved to be a nice, early Holiday present. This semi-annual, digest-sized magazine edited by Terrie Leigh Relf and Robert Bellam features stories and poems about vampires, with a special emphasis on vampires who have a connection to space.…
Threads that Bind 