The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 11,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 18 years to get that many views.
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I’m working on the sequel to That Which Should Not Be now . . .
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Hope you enjoy this interview with J.L. Petty, the author of the paranormal thriller, Death and the Journalist. I haven’t read it yet so I can’t vouch for its awesomeness, but it is next on my Kindle. At .99 cents, this short story is the perfect price for a little post-Christmas thrill. Support a new author and pick it up!
BJT: Tell us about yourself, and tell us what your book is about.
Thank you for having me. I am an author of several short stories. I published my first book “Death and the Journalist” with Solstice Publishing, February 14, 2011. My stories range in contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy fiction. Over the years, I’ve written for various magazines and have been featured as an author in several anthologies. I discovered my love of writing at an early age and started working as a contributor for The Virginian Pilot Newspaper. After working with the local newspaper in my hometown, I embarked upon a career in entertainment journalism and also worked for United States Congress.I am currently working towards a Masters degree and I reside in Virginia.
Death and the Journalist is set in the fall of 2001 and purportedly based on actual events. Michael Devoe, journalist for the New York Times, is the victim of the most compelling evidences of disappearances ever documented in United States history. After a plane crash, Michael disappears one night during an encounter with an unexplained supernatural force. Authorities report that his body was never found.
BJT: What kind of books do you collect?
Horror novels and comic books.
BJT: Are we living in a time that is truly rich in stories, or are we only swimming in books?
I think we are living in a time that is truly rich in stories. I loved Twilight, Harry Potter,and The Hunger Games. I think that its great that studios have turned these classics into movies. Because of that, people read more or have an interest in buying books.
BJT: Of the things you have written, what is your favorite?
Death and the journalist because it was the first time I was ever professionally published for my fiction. I’ve written articles in magazines but I never had a book. The feeling that I felt seeing it for the first time was unforgettable.
BJT: What is the key to a good horror story?
I think a good horror story has to have a really great villain. If the villain isn’t scary the story is awful.
BJT: Where in your work would readers find pages that sprang directly from your own personal fears?
I think in this book,I write about my fear of flying. My ultimate fear is flying. I am always afraid that the plane will crash… so writing about a plane crash was scary for me because it is one of my own personal fears.
BJT: One hundred years ago, Horror books worked in our minds in the same way shadow puppets express themselves—dreamlike and vaguely. Now, thanks to Hollywood, if a writer can imagine it, someone can film it. Are we desensitizing ourselves to frightening things? Does the visual accuracy of movies make the Horror writer’s job more difficult?
Yes, most definitely. I think the market has shifted where you have to be super creative. It’s very hard now a days to scare people because people are so use to blood,guts, and gore. The last movie to truly scare me was The sixth sense; only because it was different and something I had never seen before. I try to create that for my readers.
BJT: How much of your writing time is devoted to planning the next scene? Do your characters drive your story?
Not really. I think when I get a spark of creativity, I just write. There is no method behind my madness.lol. I wish there were, it would help alot when I am having writer’s block.
BJT: Tell us how you published your first book.
It took me 2 years to write this story and edit it. I sent it to maybe 10 publishers and out of the 10 only 2 wanted to publish it. I was excited to get my acceptance letters. I went with Solstice Publishing because I am a huge fan of their books.
BJT: What is the greatest strength of Death and the Journalist?
I think the use of imagery in the book is the strongest asset in this story. Writers often struggle with Showing vs. telling and I think I did a great job painting a morbid picture for readers in every setting.
BJT: We all daydream of being read by one of our favorite authors, and hearing their opinions of our work. To whom, on your own list of influences, would you be most frightened to hand over a copy of your book?
Michael Crichton. He has long passed away but he is by far one of my favorite writers and I would probably die if he gave me an awful review.lol
BJT: What’s next for you?
I just published a short story called ” The Glass Eye.” It is featured in Fear: A Modern Anthology for Horror and Terror. It was a charity anthology that was written in two volumes. International Best Selling authors Peter James and Sherri Browning Erwin wrote the forewords.
BJT: Do you have any advice for unpublished writers out there?
Never give up and always follow your dreams no matter what.
BJT: Do you have a question, which you always wanted someone to ask, but it never pops up in interviews?
Who encourages you to write? The answer to that question is my mother. She is very positive and always keeps me going.
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Time to add to your Goodreads profiles…
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In life, there are times when one comes upon a work of art that is so stunning, so brilliant, and so fantastic that the mind struggles to accept that it is real. So is Ronald Malfi’s “Mourning House.” For years, I have searched for a piece of storytelling, a novel, a short-story, a movie, a television show, that could chill me. That could reach down in my soul and twist it. That could make me shudder and break out in goosebumps. Something I could savor every moment of and enjoy at some deep, transcendent level. It’s a rare thing, a piece of fiction like that. But “Mourning House” accomplished it. I loved this story. I loved every word, every syllable. I found myself reading it line-by-line, both afraid and excited to scroll down and see what was next. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you read this story and don’t like it, I’ll give you an e-copy of That Which Should Not Be or The Void. Hell, I’ll give you both. It’s that good.
Without a doubt, 5 Stars
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I’ll write more about Ron later when I finish his latest story that I am engrossed in. Here’s my review of an earlier work of his, “After the Fade” (damn good title.)
I thought this was a tremendously well-written horror novella, one that reminded me of some of Stephen King’s best short fiction. Like King’s work, the best part of Malfi’s After the Fade (other than the fantastic title) is the human interaction. And though I won’t give it away, I loved the ending.
5 Stars
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Wanted to share the first shot of the cover of my new collaborative novel, Limbus, Inc. The book tells the story of a shadowy organization that has its hands in much of what goes on in the world. It was a real honor to work on the book with horror superstars Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Jonathan Maberry, Joseph Nassise, and Anne Petty. With names like that, I’m just lucky to be along for the ride! I’ll keep everyone informed as the book nears publication. Can’t wait till you read it.
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I’ve been circling around Bryan Hall’s Southern Hauntings Saga for a while now. I’m southern, I like hauntings, so really it only made sense. I read The Vagrant and liked it quite a bit, but it is with The Girl that the series really takes flight.
The Southern Hauntings Saga–sort of a combination of Sixth Sense and The Ghost Whisperer, follows Crate Northgate, a paranormal investigator of sorts that travels the country, trying to help people afflicted by restless spirits. Sometimes they are real; sometimes they aren’t. And sometimes the people he is trying to help harbor a dark secret.
From the description of the book:
In the second installment of The Southern Hauntings Saga, Crate Northgate arrives at a rural Appalachian home to help a family uncover the truth about what happened to their missing daughter and why her father is haunted by visions of her wandering their property. But the secret may be too much to bear; it’s weight too much to carry. More of Crate’s past is revealed, drawing you deeper into the mystery of his personal ghosts.
All in all, a terrific and chilling short story from Bryan Hall. I’m becoming a big fan of the Southern Hauntings Saga. Crate Northgate just gets better and better. Highly recommended.
5 Stars
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Watched a neat little horror movie on Netflix recently called Pontypool. The movie tells the story of the eponymous town of Pontypool and a bizarre virus that is spreading through the community, causing widespread chaos and rioting. But this is not your typical zombie (infected) flick. The vast majority of the story is told from a small, isolated radio station where the station’s manager, production assistant, and star D.J. are hold up, describing to the listeners what they are hearing from reporters in the field. Adding to the interesting take (spoilers ahead), the virus is transmitted by words rather than microbes, a nice twist on the notion that words can induce action in the people who hear them. Good movie. I recommend it.
4 Stars
Bonus: The first lines may be the best part of the movie. I reproduce them here.
Grant Mazzy: Mrs. French’s cat is missing. The signs are posted all over town. “Have you seen Honey?” We’ve all seen the posters, but nobody has seen Honey the cat. Nobody. Until last Thursday morning, when Miss Colette Piscine swerved her car to miss Honey the cat as she drove across a bridge. Well this bridge, now slightly damaged, is a bit of a local treasure and even has its own fancy name; Pont de Flaque. Now Collette, that sounds like Culotte. That’s Panty in French. And Piscine means Pool. Panty pool. Flaque also means pool in French, so Colete Piscine, in French Panty Pool, drives over the Pont de Flaque, the Pont de Pool if you will, to avoid hitting Mrs. French’s cat that has been missing in Pontypool. Pontypool. Pontypool. Panty pool. Pont de Flaque. What does it mean? Well, Norman Mailer, he had an interesting theory that he used to explain the strange coincidences in the aftermath of the JFK assasination. In the wake of huge events, after them and before them, physical details they spasm for a moment; they sort of unlock and when they come back into focus they suddenly coincide in a weird way. Street names and birthdates and middle names, all kind of superfluous things appear related to each other. It’s a ripple effect. So, what does it mean? Well… it means something’s going to happen. Something big. But then, something’s always about to happen.
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I hope you found what you were looking for.
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One hundred ratings of The Void on Goodreads seems like something to celebrate, so here we are! Even better, the average rating is 4.08 stars, which is pretty dern good if I do say so myself. So you know the drill, go check it out!
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Came upon this recently on teachingdegree.org (so, you know, if you want to be a teacher check it out). Anyway, I found this interesting. Could be pro-real book propaganda but it seems to indicate that print books can survive the e-pub revolution. What do you think? Are print books a dinosaur just waiting to go extinct? Or will they always have a place? (I’m hoping for the latter).
Filed under Literary Musings
So part of my duties lately as a member of the Horror Writers Association has been as a member of the long fiction jury for the Bram Stoker Awards. I’ve read tons of great submissions this year, but I’ve noticed a trend. The ones that I have judged most highly, the ones that have seemed the most literary and the most deserving of the award, have also tended to be incredibly depressing. Rip your heart out, make you wonder about the world, depressing. I just finished one of the best I’ve read–When We Join Jesus in Hell. When I opened it up, I expected some cliched trope about religion. I was wrong. Very wrong.
How would I describe the story? Dark. Chilling. Disturbing. Heartbreaking. A trip through grief and torment and vengeance. And I would call it great. And like all great works, it left me thinking.
Does good horror have to be depressing? It’s an important question for me. I am a horror writer. Like everyone else who ever put pen to paper, I want to produce great stuff. But I am also a believer in the idea that good triumphs over evil. Doesn’t mean everything I write has a happy ending (see my contribution to 90 Minutes to Live), but most of it does. And so I return to that basic question.
I don’t have an answer. Common sense tells me that it can’t be the case. And yet…
So what do you think? Can horror have a happy ending? Or if something is to be truly horrifying, if it is going to take us into the abyss, can there be any light that shines through? Or does hope destroy horror?
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Beware The Shadows 