WiHM Part Three

Hi, I’m Rebecca Besser, author of “Undead Drive-Thru, NurseBlood,” and, “Hall of Twelve.” Dale asked me to write about what it was like (for me) to be a horror writer. I guess, first off, I should make it clear that I don’t only write horror; it’s just what I’m best known for. I also write poetry, nonfiction, and other fiction for various age groups and genres. I kind of fell into horror – I say “fell” because once I tried writing horror I loved it. I literally fell in love with horror writing. The other genres close to my heart are Scifi and fantasy.

Honestly, being a female in the horror genre has never been an issue for me. The only instance I can remember anyone saying anything to me that was negative was when someone (a man) told me I should abbreviate my first name down to an initial so no one would know I was female. I instantly got pissed and told him that I would write whatever I wanted. If people didn’t like it, they didn’t have to read anything by me. I refuse to pander to people’s close-mindedness.

I write some very twisted stuff (I’ve been told so by friends/fans), and have the respect of many male writers in the horror genre. I’ve even had many want to collaborate on projects with me. I’ve never in any way felt like an outcast. The sad thing is though, other women have, and that needs to stop.

I’m not a person who likes to fit in with everyone else by being the same. I like to be me, unrestrained. This is why I think my favorite genres appeal to me the most. I love the freedom of no limits – they actually encourage you to go beyond what you know, and think: What if? Horror in particular blows limits out of the water in ways that can disturb you into thinking, not only of what drives the dark in us all, but what makes each of us human and binds us together despite our differences – fear. We all fear something, and we all know there are sick people in the world that would do things to others for reasons we don’t understand…

Sometimes that monster of twisted sickness lives inside a seemingly sane person, and it’s released when the prison the monster is kept in, in their head, cracks. Stress, trauma, and/or grief can do just enough damage to people to turn them into what we fear – uncontrolled, unleashed beasts of carnage and destruction. Those are the stories horror writers tell, among others. Anyone who writers horror has to be able to turn a mirror on themselves that can see the darkness of humanity as truth; it’s not for the weak. You have to be able to push beyond what is comfortable and expose the shocking in a way the reader can relate to, and this is no easy feat. Not everyone can write horror. Not everyone can go where they need to inside and still stay sane enough to come back to themselves. Horror doesn’t care if you’re male or female, because that doesn’t matter. You just have to be strong to write it, otherwise it will break you.

As a matter of fact, the bias idea that someone of a certain gender can’t write in any genre they want makes no sense at all whatsoever. (Men who write romance or erotica have the same stigma as women in horror.) What could possibly hinder creativity because of gender? Do people think that if the writer is a certain gender they don’t know anything about fear or love? The reality is that everyone knows about love and fear – and a great many other things – they just have different experiences and views of it than others.

To fight against the close-minded taboo of genre/gender bias, I challenge everyone to read something by an author you’ve never read before, and if you’ve never read something in a genre from a member of a certain gender, do so. Everyone has their own writing voice, style, and insight into people and situations – regardless of being male or female.

Lose your mind in stories, and loose the possibilities of discovery.

ON BEING A WEIRDO – CONFESSIONS OF A WOMAN HORROR WRITER

By Sara Jayne Townsend

 In my early 20s, I was taken along to a writing group meeting by a member of my amateur dramatic group.  She was an older lady, and indeed most of the group were older than me.  By about 30 years.  However, they were all friendly enough, at least until someone asked me what kind of writer I was.  “Horror, mostly”, I said cheerfully.  Everyone in the room fell silent, and turned to stare at me.  From the looks on their faces, I may as well have said I was a serial killer.  Eventually someone said, “Well.  We’ve never had one of those before.”  Needless to say, I did not go back to that group.

I’ve never really been into the ‘happy ever after’.  By age 12 I was reading Agatha Christie mysteries and by 14 I had discovered Stephen King and was a fully-fledged horror fan.  The teen romances that my classmates seemed to enjoy so much I found exceedingly dull.  They all seemed to be so formulaic – boy meets girl; boy eventually wins girl; everyone lives happily ever after.  “But life isn’t like that!” I’d shout at the page.  Of course, I was coming at this from the perspective of a girl that didn’t go out on dates.  As a teenager I was a somewhat overweight, intense swot who took life very seriously.  From my perspective, the boys went for the blonde bubbly cheerleader types who were full of fun.  They all thought I was a bit of a weirdo.

Since the age of 14, I’ve been a horror writer.  I loved writing stories with the shock twist ending.  I was particularly fond of decapitations.  Two of my earliest stories appear in my short story collection SOUL SCREAMS – they can be identified easily because they are the ones featuring decapitations!

 For me, there’s been something thrilling about the dark side of life, be it the darkness inside the human psyche, or the things that go bump in the night.  I relish throwing all sorts of horrible things at my characters.  As an angsty teenager, writing was a way of dealing with my own insecurities.  I wrote about loneliness; death; betrayal; isolation.  These were all things I feared and writing about them was a way of dealing with them.  It was a form of exorcism.  I did not want to write about ‘happy ever after’ and girls finding Mr Right.  Mostly this was because I wanted to hold onto the happy feelings, it was the bad stuff I wanted to exorcise.

I still prefer violence to romance.  I want to read – and write – about terrible things happening to ordinary people.  To me, horror is a safe way of exploring the darkness.  When you read about terrible things happening to characters in a horror novel, it can draw you in, make you feel genuinely scared.  But when you put the book down and return to your own life, it seems pretty good in comparison.  The population of the world has not been destroyed in the zombie apocalypse, and chances are there’s no unstoppable supernatural beastie out to eat you.  So maybe the washing machine is broken, you’re skint and it’s two weeks till payday, but these problems suddenly don’t seem insurmountable.

I am, by nature, not a very violent person.  I’m not about to crack and stab my colleagues from the day job with the paper knife for talking too loud on the phone when I’m trying to type my committee meeting minutes.  But I might write about someone who does that.  Yes, maybe that’s why they all think I’m weird, but they should be glad to know I keep my violent tendencies to my fiction.

As a horror writer, I aim to give you nightmares.  If I succeed, then remember that you will wake up from the nightmare, and in the warm light of day, perhaps your life will look brighter than it did in the dead of night.  I am a woman.  I am a horror writer.  And I am proud to be both.

BIO:

Sara Jayne Townsend is a UK-based writer and founder and Chair of the T Party Writers’ Group.  Her short story collection SOUL SCREAMS can be bought in paperback or e-book format from Amazon
UK link

US link 

Learn more about her writing from her website (http://sarajaynetownsend.weebly.com) or follow her blog (http://sayssara.wordpress.com). 

Marianne Halbert

“Are you sure? Because you really don’t look like a horror writer.”

That’s the response I get, verbally, or at minimum by the skeptical glance tossed my way when I tell people, “I’m a horror writer.” I’ve had dozens of short stories traditionally published by various magazines and in small press anthologies. Necrotic Tissue. Midnight Screaming. ThugLit. Evil Jester. Wicked East. The Four Horseman. Grinning Skull. Shall I go on? Because I could, and it would make me happy. Am I striking you as a horror writer yet? Is it my lack of tattoos? Piercings? Black lipstick? (I have been known to wear black nail polish on occasion, and I wear it well.) I just came out with my first collection, “Wake Up and Smell the Creepy”. New York Times best-selling author Rick Hautala said the stories in it “hit you like a punch you didn’t see coming,” and that I have “writing chops to spare”. But still, I get the doubtful shake of the head. I persist, “I’m working on my first horror novel. The Lady’s Pocket. It’s a ghost story.” And yet they repeat, ever so politely, “You just don’t look like a horror writer.” And that is one of the reasons we need a month to recognize “Women in Horror.”

Do women write differently than men? Perhaps. We think differently, we behave differently in some ways. I could claim we’ve got dibs on sexy, or vulnerable, but male authors convey those things quite well. Truth be told, when I’m reading a story, I’d just as soon not know who wrote it. Man, woman. Straight, gay. Race, age, hometown, sweet or dill. What does it matter? It doesn’t. What matters is the story, and getting lost in it. If the author is at the forefront of your mind as you’re reading a story, that’s a fail. Now, when I love it, and want more by the same pen, then I want to know who wrote it. Then I want to know all about them. Him. Her. Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir. Savory or sweet. Tell me more.

I write horror because that’s what draws me. I shy away from gore, but feel the pull of sorrow. Of loss. Of fear. Give me a bent-eared copy of “Rebecca” or “Wuthering Heights”, or anything by Shirley Jackson over gore any day. I’ll see your gothic horror and I’ll raise you a spine-tingle. Anyone can bring a blade into a scene. It takes talent to bring a sense of dread. I like to think I’ve got my finger on the pulse of what makes people tick, what scares them, what rips their heart out, and the different ways they react. How that reaction, and inter-reaction between characters propels the plot. And when those images keep me awake, when they haunt me in the middle of the night, don’t I have just as much right to put them to paper, (or keyboard) and exorcise them from my thoughts and share them with you as any male writer would?

So yes, I’m a blue-eyed, Midwestern, strawberry-blonde. I don’t have a raven perpetually perched on my shoulder, or tentacles embracing my midriff (although a girl can dream). But I love heart-pounding, bump-in-the-night thrills. I love that even though men have cornered the market on horror writing for eons, and I’ve devoured their stories, we’ve come to a point of giving women an equal voice. Because I have a voice. My name is Marianne Halbert. I’m a horror writer. I have something to say. And I hope it creeps the hell out of you.

Dale Eldon on Patricia Cornwell, and ladies in horror

One of the first authors to really get me into reading (more specifically, horror) is Patricia Cornwell. My mother turned me onto her since at that point I was into crimnology, but the more I read, the more I fell in love with her ability to not only bring the characters alive, but the way she wrote the gruesome scenes. When I worked a steakhouse, I had one of her books with me, and as I was reading another told me that women can't write. I wanted to punch him in the throat. Cornwell is just a good of an author as any other professional author. Better than the crap that makes millions of dollars in the box office.

When I got into horror, it was horror authors, Rebecca Besser, and Rhiannon Mills that got me going. I remember that Rhiannon had mentioned something about women horror authors being frowned on, which surprised me. People get some strange bias opinions, especially towards genre and authors. Sure we like what we like, but sometimes it goes a bit too far.

Just my two-cents, I'm a fan of horror, period. And women write some of the best horror out there!

Helloooo Nurse!

My favorite vixen-scribe! So Rebecca, I hear you have a new book out, tell us what inspired you to write, NURSE BLOOD?

The initial inspiration for Nurse Blood came from an amazing piece of horror art by Justin T. Coons. I used that piece of art for the online serial novel. He was gracious enough to do an entirely new work of art based on the book though, for the ebook and (eventually) paperback release.

 

Any tricks of the trade you would like to share with other writers?

I’m really not that kind of woman… Oh, WAIT! Never mind. You meant something else. LOL

Write, read, and pay attention. Learn from every mistake you make and correct yourself with your next work. Overall, have fun with each story and use your voice and style to make it your own!

This is your first novel, plan on writing more in the near future?

YES! Did you think I was gonna write one and walk away? PFFT!

I have more in the works, at different stages.

Will there be anymore Nurse Bloodbooks?

Blood Trail will be the sequel to Nurse Blood.

What's your favorite kind of murder weapon?

Just one? How do I pick just one?!

Hmm… Knives are fun, because you can either go for the quick kill or torture someone for a while. There’s a lot of cutting in Nurse Blood. ;)

 

So happy to have you again, thank you for joining me! Can't wait to have you back again!

Thanks for letting me return to spread my insanity to your followers. It’s always a pleasure. I hope you’ll stop by my corner of horror (my blog) sometime!

 

Nurse Blood

Sonya Garret is a nurse at the local hospital, but she has a side job trafficking in human ‘parts’ – what she makes in blood pays more than any salary. Hearts and livers, bone marrow and brains; they all sell great on the black market.

Drunk men at bars, prowling for any willing woman, are easy pickings when she goes looking for victims to chop up and sell.

One lucky night she picks up a man with a rare blood type, and after her team cashes in on him, they decide to go for the big money and ‘harvest’ his entire family.

Will the F.B.I. – who is hot on the trail of Sonya and her team as they cross the U.S., leaving a trail in blood and death – be able to catch up with them in time to stop the ongoing slaughter? Or will Nurse Blood get her money…again?

BUY A COPY!!!

~ * ~

"There is no pretentiousness with Rebecca Besser's writing; she's got a story to tell and doesn't mess around. Nurse Blood is a hard-driving, dark, and demented book that'll make you squirm. It made me think back to all the fun I had reading Richard Laymon novels for the first time--it's got that spirit, but Besser is her own writer." ~Brady Allen, Author of Back Roads and Frontal Lobes

~ * ~

“Sonya is cold, hard, calculating, and a killer. The team have a job to do, and they’ll do what they have to, to get it done. Rebecca Besser’s ‘Nurse Blood’ is a dark exploration of twisted morals, greed and brutal violence that encapsulates society’s fears and gives us a new kind of bogeyman to be afraid of.” ~Mark Taylor, Author of The Human Condition

~ * ~

"Rebecca Besser cuts a bloody swath in her macabre story, Nurse Blood, a grisly tale filled with blood, lust, deceit, and death!" ~Kim Curley, Author of the novella, Faith

BUY A COPY!!!

Rebecca's Bio:

 

I'm the author of the zombie novella, "Undead Drive-Thru," and, "Nurse Blood." I'm also a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports and Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Press Presents Magazine (Iss. 1 and 2), FrightFest eMagazine, An Xmas Charity Ebook, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas (Vol. 1 and 2) and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies.

I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Knight Watch Press, Coscom Entertainment, Crowded Quarantine Publications, and Collaboration of the Dead (projects), and one (each) in an anthology by Post Mortem Press, NorGus Press, Rainstorm Press, and Evil Jester Press. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.
I'm also an editor and have edited: Dark Dreams: Tales of Terror, Dead Worlds 7: Undead Stories, and Book of Cannibals 2: The Hunger from Living Dead Press; Earth's End from Wicked East Press; End of Days: An Apocalyptic Anthology (Vol. 4 and 5/co-edited) from Living Dead Press; and I'm currently editing It's Weighing On You Mind from Hidden Thoughts Press, and co-editing Beneath The Pretty Lies from Wicked East Press.

When I'm not busy writing and/or editing, I'm formatting book covers, building/maintaining websites, and writing book reviews.

For more information, visit my website: www.rebeccabesser.com

Earth's End Edited by Rebecca Besser

Dale Eldon here with spooky, twisted, and yet endearing, Rebecca Besser. Yes she is a permanent resident here on the Eldon blog, but can you blame me? It's authors like Rebecca who make this blog thrive.

Today we focus on the anthology, Earth's End. Not only is this collection Edited by Rebecca, but she has a story in the anthology as well. I am currently reading this wonderful tome, and I have to say that it oozes with quality, and is a must have for Sci-Fi/horror readers. Okay, more on the review later on. Now give you *cue spooky music and sound effects*, REBECCA BESSER...

Rebecca Besser

Earth's End, a Scifi Apocalyptic anthology, is being released by Wicked East Press in Jan 2012!

My story, “The Olden Gears,” is included in Earth's End. Here's an excerpt from my story:

"He drove faster, but everywhere he looked there was more destruction.

With numb fingers, he reached over and turned on the radio to see if there was any news about what was going on; it took him a couple of minutes before he could find a radio station that was still on the air.

“...Overnight the world has been bombarded with attacks by the elderly. On every continent, in almost every country, they’ve taken lives at will, showing no mercy...”

Looking out around him, he tried to decide how he was going to make it home. Almost every street was blocked off by accidents, and everywhere he looked, someone was being slaughtered; his attention focused back on the radio as they continued.

“...Medical experts are saying the cause of the outbreak and behavior in their elderly patients is linked to the chemical compound used in the ‘lubrication’ of the ReGen ‘parts’ surgically implanted; the chemical was supposed to act as synthetic blood. Once it leaks into the real blood system, it targets certain parts of the brain and triggers uncontrollable, aggressive behavior...”" ~ The Olden Gears by Rebecca Besser - Earth's End

Would you like to win a free copy of Earth's End???

On March 1st I'll be having a drawing to give away a copy of Earth's End signed by me (I'm also the editor). Everyone who comments on my Earth's End post at one of the stops on my tour will be enter into the drawing (one entry per person, per blog), so you have a chance to win at every stop along the way. The very last post of the tour will be on my blog and will announce the winner (on March 1st). So, stop by as many blogs as you possibly can to increase your chances to win a copy of the book!

I will announce each posting on Facebook and Twitter. So, if you aren't my friend or following me...you better start if you want to win. ;)

If you would like to purchase your own copy look for Earth's End on Amazonor Barnes and Nobel!

Interview


What do you do for fun?

Bec: Relax, watch movies, do crafts, shoot guns, and hang out with my family!

What was the most challenging part of writing this story?

Bec: Finding time to do it. I edited the anthology...and wrote my story last, after everything else was done. If worst had come to worst, I wouldn't have had a story in the antho, but I found time.

I'd had the idea from the beginning, when I originally came up with the idea for the collection.

What did you learn from writing your story?

Bec: That I want it to be longer! I plan to expand it to novella length.


Do have any current projects that you are working on?
Bec: I'm wrapping up my online serial, Nurse Blood, and then I'll be writing the first book in my zombie novel series: The Hunger Plague.

Out of all the death scenes that you have written, which is your favorite, and why?

Bec: That would be in Hall of Twelve, where a girl literally chokes/lacerates herself to death on barbed wire. Panic can be your worst enemy sometimes.

Rebecca's Bio

Hi, I'm Rebecca Besser, a wife, mother, editor, and full time writer, and the author of "Undead Drive-Thru" a zombie novella. I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for various age groups and genres. I've been published over 140 times in various publication.

I'm a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports and Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Presents Magazine (Issues 1 and 2), The Broke One, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I'm also a contributor to multiple Collaboration of the Dead projects. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, NorGus Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Coscom Entertainment, Knight Watch Press, and one in an anthology by Post Mortem Press. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

To learn more about me feel free to visit my website: http://www.rebeccabesser.com/ or my blog: http://blog.rebeccabesser.com/

You can also find me on Facebook: MY PAGE or MY PROFILE

I'm also on Twitter under: @BeccaBesser

Undead Drive-Thru, by Rebecca Besser

Art by Justin T. Coons

When Kyndra, Colleen, and Jose apply for jobs at a diner that has seen better days and is undergoing renovations, they have no idea what they’re in for.

Aunt-B and John have a horrible secret, and when it’s unleashed on the unsuspecting employees of the diner, things get . . . complicated.

Bloodthirsty and dangerous, a zombie awaits the opportunity to feast on them all. Who will be served first?

Can any of them make it out of the Undead Drive-Thru alive?

BUY HERE!!!


Dale Eldon

Recently I read Rebecca's book, Undead Drive-Thru, and I have to say I was drawn in from the very first line.

For the first time since Return of the Living Dead remade zombie lore, a story with it's own edge in the genre has found life in the pages of Undead Drive-Thru. Rebecca has an original take on the zombie experience that stands on its own.

Rebecca Besser doesn't waste time getting to the point, and she still gives you a full mental image of the horror. As a fast food employee, I totally enjoyed the idea of a zombie attack in a diner. Kinda makes you wonder what horrors Rebecca herself has seen in restaurants.

At the end of this tale you still feel an overwhelming need for a Big Mac, remember that you just might be a Happy Meal with legs.

I give this sweet novella a five out of five stars! And it is a story I plan reading again and again.

What this book left me with, what else does this crazy woman have in store for her readers?

In case you haven't this creepy tale, and you are just dying to get a copy, here is the link to the Kindle version below.


BUY HERE!!!


No Kindle? No problem. You can download the FREE Kindle app and read, Undead Drive-Thru on your computer. Or if you prefer print, click on the Paperback option.

Rebecca's Bio

 Hi, I'm Rebecca Besser, a wife, mother, editor, and full time writer, and the author of "Undead Drive-Thru" a zombie novella. I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for various age groups and genres.

I'm a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports and Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Presents Magazine (Issues 1 and 2), The Broke One, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I'm also a contributor to multiple Collaboration of the Dead projects. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, NorGus Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Coscom Entertainment, Knight Watch Press, and one in an anthology by Post Mortem Press. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

Faith, a short story by Kim Curly

Kim Curly is one the sweetest people I have ever met online. She has a kind heart, and a smile that you would expect to see in a priceless portrait. Kim also is a wonderful scribe with a new shorty from the nthology, "Earth's End". I give you Faith, by Kim Curly.

~Dale Eldon


By Kim Curly

Excerpt from Faith:

"Throwing the door open and entering, she found herself in a makeshift lab; test tubes, microscopes, and petri dishes sat on a granite counter top. Further into the elongated room, an autoclave rested in a corner. She came to a set of swinging doors and pushed through them, entering another room, which was much smaller than the first.

The tabletops here were cluttered with Bunsen burners, beakers, flasks, and microscopes. She stared at the mess, not sure of what she was looking for.

Curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she leaned over a microscope, searching for a clue. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight: blood samples showing human and lion compounds stared her in the face–an intermingling of the species. She turned away from the eyepiece, as she’d just witnessed proof that the Atlanteans had, in fact, been trying to make an animal/human hybrid.

She swore under her breath, casting glances around the room, when her eyes lit upon what she’d been hunting for. Clutching the thin piece of metal she’d taken from the man, she took three giant steps to the door, inserted the key, and turned the lock. After she heard a dull click, she pushed the door handle down, and was met with an awful stench as she opened it: a mixture of urine, fecal matter, and iron.

There were oil lamps in this dungeon area, casting odd shadows on the walls. Steel bars separated her from whatever, or whomever, lay in wait in the darkness.

A moan escaped from something, or someone, in the cage closest to her, adding to her anxiety."

The Interview:


What do you do for fun?

Fun....hmm. Nope, don't see any fun around here. *snickers* Okay-lets see: when I have time, I love going to Seattle. It's such a diverse atmosphere, I wish I could go there everyday. My favorite spots are Pike Place Market (love taste testing all the food and soaking up local color!), Seattle Aquarium, Space Needle, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe.

I myself have gained more friends from the writer community than any other, how has being a writer impacted your relationships with other writers? I totally agree with you, Dale! I've felt welcomed right from the start in the writing community. Although most of us have "lives" outside our writing world, only writers can understand other writers. LOL I find that other writers are nurturing, helpful, enthusiastic, encouraging. Yeah, I like it here. *sits down in the Writers World and gets cozy*


What was the most challenging part of writing this story?

Resisting the urge to include every bit of research information I'd gathered. I just kept wanting to add more and more, even though there isn't room. I lost count of how many books and maps I used on this one.


Who is your favorite author and why?

I guess I'd have to say Stephen King. I began reading his books when I was about nine years old. As a young reader, I was reading Mr. King's books to be scared. Now, I can appreciate the whole concept of the story. He's very good at capturing the reader right from the beginning and keeping them in suspense all the way to the end. Mr. King includes all kinds of details, and you're never sure where they might (or might not) pop back up in the story. I don't want an author to give me the answers right from the get-go. I want to go on the journey with the characters and feel what they're feeling. I get that feeling when I read a Stephen King book.


Who is the amazing artist for the cover?

You can thank Jessica A. Weiss for the cover art- I love it! The clawed hand, grasping the earth in its clutches is very ominous, isn't it? Check out more of her work at WICKED EAST PRESS


What did you learn from writing your story?

I learned that it is perfectly fine to throw out sections/characters from your story! I felt vindicated and liberated when I cut a huge section out, and got rid of a character. Think of it as a "spring cleaning" for your story. Why keep the clutter that bogs you down, when you're able to move more freely without the obstacles in the way?


What spurred your interest in writing?

This is a tough one, as there's so many influences that steered me towards writing. I guess what spurred me on to writing most was when my kids started getting busy with activities and I had to shuttle them around. There was lots of "free" time for me to sit, and I just didn't know what to do. Around 2002, my daughter told me to write a story down that I'd made up for her when she was little. So, I did!


Do have any current projects that you are working on?

The aforementioned children's story! My daughter has been after me for nearly 20 years to get this done. So, I better make it a good one, right? This is a kids fiction novel, kind of dark and bleak. The main theme is an old one: everyone should look past their differences and get along with one another. But, this story has mythological creatures and ties to the human world!

What made you decide on horror/Sci-Fi?

I had to think really hard on this one, and I know the answer: my parents. I can remember watching movies with them, like "Forbidden Planet," "War of the Worlds," "When World's Collide," "Frankenstein," "Dracula," etc. Most of my weekends were spent watching these movies, plus "Godzilla" and "Gamera" (how could you not love a flying turtle?). I guess I'm going with the concept of writing what you know. I'm just a sci-fi/horror geek girl at heart.


What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

I've got binders filled with story ideas, but I'd really like to focus on my kids novel for now. However, as long as I've got story ideas and people who want to read them, I'll keep at it, as long as I'm able!

Thank you so much for having me here, Dale! I really appreciate all your support. And thanks to all the readers who took the time to check up on me! *waves*


Kim Curley began her writing journey in 2008, taking an online course titled, ‘How to Sell Your Fiction Novel.’ With the encouragement of a friend from work, she enrolled in a correspondence course and became a 2010 graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature of West Redding, Connecticut. In 2009, she became a member of SCBWI-Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Although she enjoys writing children’s lit, her goal is to branch out and write for adults as well. She prefers writing fiction/fantasy, to provide escapism for readers everywhere. “I write what I would want to read, when I get the chance to read.” A housewife and mother, she resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her story for Wicked East Press Sci-Fi/Apocalypse Anthology, “Earth’s End,” titled, “Faith: An Apocalypse Story,” is her first published piece for a book.

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Evil Little Jester and his sidekick Charles Day

Dale Eldon

Today I have the honor of interviewing an author whom I look up to. Charles Day has been working hard at the keyboard while juggling a day job as the Evil Little Jester jabs him with a hot-poker. I mean it when I say that he is my kind of crazy! Charles is the founder of a small press called, Evil Jester Press (EJP), where I have met several other great authors. Also it is his site that inspired my current novella. I give you Evil Little Jester and his muse Charles Day...


Charles Day, and Evil Little Jester

The anthology, TALES OF TERROR AND MAYHEM, includes “The Gift,” the premiere story of the origin of Charlie in the Box, the evil little jester. Now you get to read how he became the evil dude in the jester’s box. As told by his alter ego, and muse Charles Day.

In another awesome anthology, HANNIBAL'S MANOR, my new Novella is now available in Hannibal's Manor by Wicked East Press. Come meet Tobias, a young man full of relentless rage who continues to hear a voice in his head. Is he mentally ill, or is this voice real? His mother knows the truth, and she's been keeping it a secret from him since he was a child. Nonetheless, she is afraid and can no longer control her behemoth son from his violent outbursts.

Unwillingly and not with out a fight, he is sent by police escort to a locked Psych Unit at Calvary Hospital to be evaluated. While secured in restraints, Tobias manages to break free.

Hell in the flesh is about to show its face to the staff and other patients now locked on this unit, and there is no way out. Tobias controls it all, and he's about to reign down a fury upon the staff and other patients, never seen before. Also included are 13 short stories of insanity and mayhem, sure to delight.

Lisa Morton, Multiple Bram Stoker Winner and author of “The Castle of Los Angeles writes, "LOCKDOWN was very entertaining, with a wonderful character in Tobias, fantastic and compelling realism in the hospital descriptions, and a lot of solid set pieces."

"Charles Day spins twisted webs in your mind with his dark and unstable characters. His stories never fail to keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what horrors will be unleashed next." ~ Rebecca Besser, author of Undead Drive-Thru.

"Lockdown is the tale of a man, Tobias, who is disturbed. His mother believes it’s mental illness, but secretly knows better. Nonetheless, she calls for help. The police take her son to a mental hospital to get him treatment, but they don’t know what they’re dealing with.

The staff in the wing Tobias is admitted to, finds out they’re dealing with someone, or something, far beyond what they can handle. Will any of them make it off the floor alive? Or will the ‘Lockdown’ take its toll on them all?"

DEEP WITHIN (Coming late 2011/Early 2012)
By Charles Day


Awakened before the birds start to chirp, Dr. Steve Evans, Child Psychiatrist, is alerted by phone that his college buddy, Marty, also a Doctor, is in dire need of his professional services. He informs him that a patient he’s been seeing, Carlitto, is not well and needs some professional help with his unexplainable psychosis. However, Marty intentionally leaves out something even more important.


An unsettling and horrible event has occurred while his patient remained locked up, the true reason why he reaches out for his friends help in the first place. So begins a roller coaster of a ride for Dr. Evans, who immediately heads out to assist his friend, unaware that he is about to embark on a perilous journey. This path of uncertainty will only lead him far beyond the realm of psychology.


Located in the heart of the Northern Adirondack Mountains of NYS, the historic Moose Hill Psychiatric Hospital holds some of the most severe and precarious mentally ill patients. Marty’s patient, Carlitto, has recently become another statistic at the hospital after being located by police in a psychotic state, gazing out into the NYC Harbor. He takes on this patient’s care the moment he’s admitted to Moose Hill.
While Carlitto remains secure at the facility, his family and a friend become unintentionally involved, ultimately surrendering to deaths grip along the way. These unexpected events compel Marty to reach out to someone he can trust, someone who is willing to help him in his own investigation surrounding these mysterious deaths.


As the story unfolds, Steve is also forced to face his childhood fears when some old friends of his, “The Boulder Street Boys,” resurface in his life, creating havoc at the worst time. When all of this catches up with him, he’ll need to make some choices, ones he never thought he’d have to make. Even more troubling is what occurs midway, when something unnatural enters his mind and settles deep within. Thus begins the battle between good and evil, as the two young doctors try and comprehend what’s happening in their struggle to prevent a supernatural entity that has been born, and now unleashed at Moose Hill. Can they stop it before it kills again?
*Coming Soon*


Evil Little Jester and his muse Charles Day


Charles's Links


The Interview:


When did you first want to write for a living?


I wrote a story when I was around 14, it was a fantasy that mimicked The Lord of The Rings book I read, since I loved that book. From there I didn't start writing again until I was an adult, back around 2003. I wrote two novels but never did anything with them until about 2007. I started penning chapters of “Deep Within,” while working on a secured in-patient psych unit on the overnight shift back in 2007. When I tried to get them published the traditional route, with query's to agents, I had no success so I put them aside. Then, in 2010, I started going on line and began looking at the Small Press Websites around May, 2010.


I found many open call for short stories in anthologies and started writing for these. My first sold in July of 2010, and from that point I had my share of rejections, but I also received 14 acceptances, which resulted in 14 published or soon to be published short stories with various small presses. This clarifies my mistake on my interview earlier this week, since I was caught by surprise with a barrage of questions. I meant to say that I started writing a short stories about a year ago, and the agent queries a few years back were for two novel/novella length pieces of work!!




What made you decide on horror?


Oh easy. I always enjoyed watching scary movies. My own father took me to see the Exorcist, and hell, I was only a kid. It scared the daylights out of me. As I grew up, we visited haunted houses, The Amityville House, and other crazy things. My friends and I just loved to scare each other. Horror is in my blood.




What kind of inspirations do you have?


They come from great books and movies, and the voices that speak to me in my head. A few get assertive and demand I write their story. And so the writing begins.





Favorite authors/or books?


Stephen King, Scott Smith, Jeff Strand, Brian Keene, Dennis Lehane, Joe Hill, Dean Koontz and so, so much more!





What can we expect to see from you in the near future?


My YA Novel “Legend of The Pumpkin Thief,” is currently under consideration. My Novelette “Reflection,” was sent out for consideration, and I have a two novellas near completion, “Redemption” and “APT for Rent, Small Pet’s OK.” Redemption is already promised to a small press publisher for re-consideration.


I also have two novels in progress, “Summer Camp” and “Kyle McGertt, Monster Hunter and Destroyer of the Indian Curses”, both hopefully to completed before December 2011. I’m taking a two week vacation from my day job, so I’m hoping to get further with these. They are both currently around 10,000 words. I’m also in discussions with a few artists, producers and screenwriters, developing a “Graphic Novel.” Top Secret, with the evil little guy in the Box!!!


After that, I’m taking a three month break and preparing myself for the WHC/HWA conference!!



A Little More About Charles 
Charles Day Aka, The evil little Jester, is an HWA supporting Member who has published 14 short stories with various small press publishers, including his novella Lockdown (Wicked East Press, 2011). His biggest success to date is the sale of his first thriller/ suspense novel, Deep Within (Twisted Library Press, late 2011/early 2012). He is also the founder/owner of Hidden Thoughts Press- Non fiction works where the primary focus is mental wellness collections- and Evil Jester Press a fiction imprint.

He is proud to mention that he sold his first story one short year ago and owes much of his success to the little guy in the Jester’s box. He also believes that after walking the dingy halls of a Psychiatric Ward as an employee for 12 years, many of the characters that speak to him are those he watched over, anxious to share their stories through the written word.

You can find out more at charlesdayfictionwriter.blogspot.com. Welcome to his twisted world.

Author Spotlight: Rebecca Besser

Dale Eldon

On today's Author Spotlight, I have the privilege of horror writer, Rebecca Besser as my guest. She has written several short stories, a free blog serial novel, and currently has a novella out on Amazon. She is a doll, she is scary, and she is one heck of writer. I give you my friend, Rebecca Besser...

Rebecca Besser

When did you first want to write for a living?

I had a couple tragic years, and when the Institute of Children's Literature kept sending me offers of enrollment, after taking and passing their writing test a couple years before, I decided it was the right thing to do for me. Using my writing talent has helped me through a lot of hard things in my life.


What made you decide on horror?

Horror isn't the only genre I write -- I like to explore different types of writing. But, I tend to like writing horror because it's fun and limitless.


How long have you been writing?

Pretty much my entire life. I won my first writing award in the 1st grade.

What kind of inspiration do you have?

That's a tricky question, because inspiration comes from everywhere, you just have to be open enough to see it.


Favorite authors/or books?

My fav authors are: Jean M. Auel and Linda Rios Brook
Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children Series and Linda Rios Brook's Reluctant Demon Diaries Series.


A Little More About Rebecca

Rebecca Besser is the author of the zombie novella, "Undead Drive-Thru," and a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. Her work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports & Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Presents Magazine (Iss. 1 and 2), and The Undead That Saved Christmas and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. She has multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, NorGus Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Knight Watch Press, and Coscom Entertainment, and one in an anthology by Post Mortem Press. She also a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

She has edited multiple anthologies, including: Dead Worlds 7: Undead Stories; Book of Cannibals 2: The Hunger; Dark Dreams: Tales of Terror; and has co-edited End of Days 4 and 5, with Living Dead Press. She's currently working on two editing projects with Wicked East Press and on with Hidden Thoughts Press.

Her serial novel, "Nurse Blood," has started and can be read on her blog for free!
When Rebecca's not writing and editing, she's formatting book covers and writing book reviews for her website.

You can find out more about her through the below links:

You can buy her books here!!!
Rebecca's Blog-Here you can read the free book "Nurse Blood"
FaceBook Fan Page
Rebecca's Website
Rebecca's Review Page