In any writing genre it is important to have a distinct, clear voice. This is especially true in horror, where the desired effect the writer wishes to produce in the reader is greatly dependent upon setting a specific mood. Both Poe and Lovecraft had exceptionally distinct voices and their works are remembered 79 years after the death of Lovecraft and 167 after the death of Poe.
Category: The Art of Writing
Information on the art of writing in general
The Four Horsemen of Horror
Today I am just toying with posting from my iPhone.
As you know, I like to delve into the history and development of the horror genre. I believe the greatest and most influential writers of horror since its origins as gothic literature are Poe, Lovecraft, King, and Barker. I think of these as the four horsemen of horror. I think the reasons for my selections are obvious (if you are familiar with the works of each) and today I have little time to expound on the reasons behind each, so I will leave it at that. I hope to write more on this topic at a later date
No, I haven’t read many of current horror writers. I am woefully behind in that. I definitely want to read Ramsey Campbell and Neil Gaiman at the first opportunity, but my reading list is quite extensive and, with my current schedule, I find it hard to sit down for very long.
Ghostly Chambers for Christmas
Another great blast from the past from Paula Cappa!
A Strange Christmas Game by J.H. Riddell (1863)
Tuesday’s Tale of Terror December 20, 2016
There’s nothing more satisfying than reading ghost stories at Christmastime. Even when we read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol over and over again, we are still delighted. A Strange Christmas Game by J.H. Riddell is a mysterious little ghost story that you’ve probably not read at all, since Charlotte Riddell is one of those forgotten authors, but a popular one in her day.
John Lester and his sister Clare inherit a gloomy old estate in Bedfordshire. Family history here is not a long one, except for the fact that former owners of the estate Jeremy Lester went missing on Christmas Eve and was never found for 41 years. Until John and Clare stay at the dark castle on Christmas Eve. Do you like to visit haunted chambers? Try this 30-minute read for an…
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Demon Tongue (2016)
Interesting.
‘Don’t trust what they say’
Demon Tongue is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Gavin Rapp (The Misgiving) from a screenplay by Vicky L. Neal (shorts: The Vampire Within; Money, Vampires & Weed; Blood Money).
Four paranormal research students are sent to an abandoned complex to conduct an investigation into strange occurrences that the locals feel are the results of demonic possessions.
The amateur ghost hunters get much more than they bargained for when the power goes out, they hear unearthly noises and discover demons lurking in a hidden basement deep beneath the cold, stone structure that now becomes their prison…
The film stars Jack Davis (Slaughter Drive; The Other Side; Bray Road), Debbie College, Seth Gontkovic (Slaughter Drive; Meltdown; Red Christmas), Jessica Long, Carrie Shoberg, Jeff Monahan and John W. Iwanonkiw.
Weblog Update
How does everyone like the new look for the weblog? I have shortened the name and made it a more accurate reflection of the content, though I may be changing that even more soon. I have reorganized the tabs, so that readers can find the new magazine and information on the Farmington Writers Circle more easily. Most of the old pages still exist, but they are now under “The Chamber Magazine” page. I have also reorganized the sidebar, keeping most of what was there previously, and maybe adding one or two new items and omitting one or two old ones. I will also be adding a page for each of my works published on Amazon under the “Published Works” heading. That might be a day or two more before those are up.
If you have suggestions to make the site more user friendly or to facilitate finding information, please let me know via e-mail, comment, or through one of my social media (which I will also be increasing).
Kidnapped! Behind “The Shattered Rose” by Loren Rhodes
Behind “The Shattered Rose”
by Loren Rhoads
When I first moved to San Francisco, I lived in between the Castro neighborhood and Haight-Ashbury. The house, an old Victorian that survived the 1906 earthquake, became a focal point for a large group of friends.
Quite often we’d go wandering on weekend nights. Sometimes we’d hike over to Corona Heights, a former quarry turned into a park that had a spectacular view of the city. Other times we’d go to Buena Vista Park, where the rain gutters are lined with broken tombstones. When we were up for a longer hike, we’d walk to Golden Gate Park.
In the late 1980s, the Haight was no safer than it is now. Men would stroll the street, chanting, “Doses, doses” or “Kind bud” or “What do you need?” When the Dead were in town, kids slept in doorways, on the neighbors’ porches or under any…
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Scent (2016)
Scent is a 2016 American science fiction horror film directed by The Existentialist from a screenplay by Maria Adler. The film stars Di Billick, George Ginakakis, Stephanie Grote, Jeremy Pereira, M…
Source: Scent (2016)
The Month in Horror Releases: December
This is it, folks, the end of 2016 is near with December marking the final month of horror for 2016—that’s crazy. What’s even crazier, perhaps, is horror’s ridiculous line-up of f…
D.J. Doyle, The Celtic Curse: Banshee review
Written by Paula Limbaugh I find myths or folktales an interesting study. Like the urban legend, there is always some obscure basis for how the tale began. You know like a so-called witch curses so…
Dusk’s Warriors Cover Reveal
I am excited to announce that the long-awaited sequel to Night’s Knights is coming in 2017. For a sneak peek, check out this awesome new cover.
Heaven has opened up and welcomed the vampires of Night’s Knights into a new reality. As they struggle to find their place in their new world, trouble brews on Earth.
Demon servant, Ridge, is causing havoc by gathering up all the souls on Earth that have been touched by immortality. When he injures one of the Night’s Knights crew, he launches a war between the vampires of Heaven, the Big Bad in Hell, and a mortal street gang of vigilante misfits.
Will Julien, Markham, and Reidar be able to defeat the evil that’s returned, or will they once again need Jespa’s help?
Cover art by: Carmen Masloski
For those of you unfamiliar with the book, you can listen to the audio version here: Dusk’s…
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2016 Slag Glass City Call for Submissions
This may be worth looking into. Sounds intriguing and very contemporary.
From Slag Glass City:
CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK: What Fractures Our Cities?
Slag Glass City, a digital journal of the urban essay arts edited by Barrie Jean Borich, seeks inventive and beautifully made nonfiction work from across artistic discipline that circles, questions, contradicts, aggravates, decries, implores, or offers remedy to the experience of URBAN FRACTURE—including: election protests, police violence, gentrification, racism, classicism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, religious intolerance, immigration tensions, guns, domestic abuse, protest, development, neglect, loneliness—or anything from micro aggression to cataclysm that creates fissure, disconnection, and brokenness.
We are accepting submissions November 20, 2016 – February 20, 2017. You may submit nonfiction prose, graphic memoir, video, sound, image + text, photography, mixed media, or any other form of the nonfiction essay arts. The work our 2016 editorial board selects will be published in the online journal AND considered for our miniature print editions.
To SUBMIT TO THE CITY…
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The SeArChInG DEAD – Ramsey Campbell
Interesting.
My previous reviews of PS PUBLISHING (2016)
When I real-time review this novel (without spoilers), my comments will appear in the thought stream below…
10 Must Read Short Stories
Written by: Paula Limbaugh Okay, so if you read my reviews you have probably figured out that I am a huge fan of short stories. I love the fact that a good story can be told in so few words and sti…
Source: 10 Must Read Short Stories
Hydration
Interesting bit of subtle, everyday horror. Probably a frequent nightmare for many
By Ajay Patri
You wake up with your throat parched drier than the skin of a desert beast. Blinking under the fluorescent lights, you spot a man in white and make little gurgling noises to attract his attention. The words in your head do not reach your lips so you beseech him with your eyes instead. He smiles knowingly and, getting up, sweeps the sheets away to show a tube going into your stomach. A clear liquid trickles into your body, a drop at a time.
That will keep you hydrated.
Bio: Ajay Patri’s work has appeared in Muse India, Spark, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal, and Every Day Fiction, among other places.
The Lovecraftian themes in “Arrival”: a review (very mild spoilers)
Both as a regular filmgoer and as an admirer these past forty-five years of H. P. Lovecraft, I suddenly knew that I was seeing something special.
Source: The Lovecraftian themes in “Arrival”: a review (very mild spoilers)
Phil Slattery, Writer, Publisher 