I planned on self-publishing my 2nd horror novel; hell, I spent almost $400 on making the Kindle book and a version I could sell on Smashwords. But Amazon has changed their guidelines so that they don’ t want a novel with graphic sex or inappropriate subject matter. As far as my first 2 novels, that leaves me out. Plus, they changed their book cover guidelines. You cover picture must be at least 1,000 pixels (mine’s 600 x 900).

I’ve decided to scrap the first novel, Book of Shadows, because it’s a newbie mess and not worth the rewrite. Rewriting this chestnut wouldn’t save it. All the pro authors know that writers should put the 1st book under the bed and pen a new one. Therefore, I’ve got the 2nd novel entered in the Journal Stone Horror Novel Contest, $2,000 in 2012. I also entered BOS in that last year and didn’t place, but, again, it’s a newbie novel and probably didn’t deserve to. The plus side here is that JS was looking for professionally edited manuscripts, and I had a freelance edit job done on this one, unlike BOS. Woop, woop!

If I don’t place in the Journal Stone Contest, then I’ll go the agent route. My synopsis will come into the queue in my critique group in May, and the query’s already done being worked over in an agent board. I’ve got high hopes for this 2nd one. It’s not a newbie novel, and I didn’t make any of those beginner’s mistakes.

Fingers crossed in 2012.

Even though there’s a lot of work published under the horror genre, let’s face it, few of the tales elicit actual horror in the reader. A long short story called 7Brains by Michael Louis Calvillo definitely does the job and a half. I haven’t been this frightened since I read Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, Coffin County, or In Silent Graves. Burning Effigy Press has done a great job with the packaging, and kudos to the cover artist Frank Walls for the nasty visual.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the story deals with Malcom, a man who may have gone insane or may be on the cusp of saving the world from its greedy bling desires. He must eat seven people’s brains for a new beginning, however.

I read this tale open-mouthed and gasping until the very end. The tension mounted and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story, and I was afraid to look as the end neared, peeking through my fingers like an ambulance chaser. I definitely want to check out more of Michael’s work. This piece is proof that a story doesn’t have to be novel-length to pack a heavy wallop, like a nail-spiked bat to the head.

Rock on, Michael!

I never realized all the work that goes into self-publishing on the Kindle, as well as Smashwords and wherever else one intends to put their book up for purchase. I’m not going to say when my novel will be out anymore because every time I do, there’s another delay, but I’ve learned a lot.

It sounds easier than it really is. Of course, a serious author should proofread with a careful eye, be in a critique group, and revise diligently–that’s a given. And it’s pretty obvious that paying the cover artist will be costly if it’s to be done right. But what most probably don’t realize is that a self-pubber still needs a freelance editing job, as well as formatting work, which I don’t recommend one does themselves (as many do, saying it’s easy to turn a Word document into a .pdf; it’s a bit more complicated than that). Then it’s time to hire a separate person to do the paper book; the same cover that looks great on an eBook may not dazzle the eye on paper.

The basic idea is that if it’s not done professionally, it’ll be a bad reflection on the author, as well as ripping off the buying public. And the biggest point is making sure the author is as talented as he thinks he is, which should’ve been proven in a large number of short story publications before moving on to writing novels. When anyone can self-publish, a large number of bogus novels will come out, not that there aren’t traditionally-published books that aren’t up to snuff, but I don’t think as many.

With talent should come the responsibility to not hurry and to make sure one has honed his gift.

I don’t get excited about horror movies very often anymore, as most just don’t blow me away. Especially Americans films of late, although there are a few great movies coming out of the United States (the film versions of Jack Ketchum’s novels and Eli Roth’s work comes to mind). Foriegn flicks continue to amaze me though, and I saw one recently that floored me.

Lake Mungo, an Australian film written and directed by Joel Anderson, seems like a documentary the first time you watch it. I thank God that I don’t read the descriptions that come with Netflix features, because I don’t think I would’ve liked it as much if I’d known it was fiction. It takes the standard ghost story and grabs you by the throat. I was in a trance-like state throughout the whole film.

The film deals with a family coping with the disappearance of their daughter at a lake and later reveals she died. More plot twists unfold as you’re watching the feature. The ghost pictures and camera shots are genuinely creepy, unlike most glimpses of specters in films. The more you watch the movie the more revolted you are. I don’t want to give away too much, but what this girl had to live with before she died is more than a mind can handle. I couldn’t even think about the movie when I went to bed that night, because I felt I’d go crazy if I did.

I will certainly keep adding foreign films to my Nexflix queue.

I’m always against the defiling of Christmas–I think the holiday season is bad timing for a horror film release and I dislike Christmas horror even more–but I had a unique experience this year. I hope somebody out there can relate to this.

I was all set to be festive this holiday season, then, like usual, many people didn’t have the Christmas spirit they claimed to have. They never do. I don’t know why I fall for it every year. I got verbally kicked in the teeth so many times that I decided to “Bah humbug” the season. Getting glitter all over me after hanging Christmas decorations and buying cards didn’t help. Death metal people hate glitter (I didn’t know the shit would be all over the Xmas cards I was sending; I just grabbed a box).

Just like in the seasonal movies though, I learned the true meaning of Christmas. I got blessed with cash I wasn’t supposed to have and some other gifts I wasn’t supposed to get, but the real kicker came when my dad announced he’d be coming over for lunch tomorrow and I couldn’t sleep that night. I’d given out all the cards from the box I bought and figured I’d go to the store and buy more in the morning–plus a gift–since he was coming around noon. Since I couldn’t sleep, I didn’t get that chance (if I can’t rest the night before, I sleep in vs. driving myself crazy).

I ended up buying lunch. It was expensive, more than a simple gift would’ve been, but I’m glad I did it even though I couldn’t afford it. It made me feel good to do something kind for someone else, and that’s the true meaning of Christmas, not getting some stuff I wasn’t supposed to get.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Here’s a podcast I read of my flash-fiction story, “When Computers Attack.” Enjoy.

When Computers Attack Pressed Podcast

The quality of horror films has significantly dropped, in my opinion.

Horror shot itself in the head with slasher films, most of them absent a plot beyond a guy wearing a mask and carrying a knife, chasing a girl who chooses a flashlight instead of a weapon to defend herself with. Then there are the tons of remakes, more than usual lately, as if filmmakers of today don’t have their own ideas. Many horror authors have new, original ideas—like myself—that get ignored by most agents in favor of overdone vampires, zombies, and books by celebrities instead of real writers in the trenches who’ve gotten many short stories published. Of course, these novels could be made into movies, but this is rare. I’ve read a lot of great horror novels lately, but only about 5% become movies, it seems.

Then there’s CGI.

You can’t beat Rick Baker and realistic-looking Special FX. An American Werewolf in London is a great example. An American Werewolf in Paris didn’t even come close to the quality of the first movie. Some of the flicks on Syfy are so ridiculous they make me laugh out loud, though I have to admit the channel does have some fresh horror films and is a better place for an up-and-coming screenplay author to send his final draft than the big-deal film studios. But Sharktopus? Are you freaking kidding me?

This makes many turn to independent filmmakers. Though Roger Corman doesn’t think he could make a living as an indie filmmaker today, many do, and kudos to them for using realistic FX. Perhaps in the future, films will go the way of the Kindle, which offers self-published authors a chance to get their work out there that most agents ignore in favor of bandwagon trends. One shouldn’t hold one’s breath, however.

We get just under one great horror film a year. Some of the amazing movies that come to mind are The Ruins, The Descent (not the sequel), The Ring, The Grudge, 2001 Maniacs, Let the Right One In, Inside, and Orphan. Actually, I think the quantity of great films has spiraled downward fast. One used to be able to turn on HBO in the early 80s (the golden age of horror was from the 60’s through the late 80s, if you ask me) and get a plethora of great horror choices, like Mother’s Day, Without Warning, Evilspeak, The Funhouse, The Shining, and many more, too numerous to mention. Now you just get True Blood, filmmakers without a work ethic, the CGI crap, and camera angles moving so quickly you can’t tell what’s going on.

I’m afraid technology isn’t going away, so true fans of the horror genre will have to dig deep for great movies.

Happy hunting!

I believe the quality of horror has diminished lately, and there are books that get published just because they’re trendy. I’m not much for the slasher genre–though there are exceptions: I Spit on Your Grave & The Last House on the Left–because it’s usually low on plot and high on a guy with a mask coming after a bimbo who picks a flashlight instead of a weapon. But what I really hate are vampires and zombies done to death, as well as books that succeed just because the author is a celebrity.

I’m going to stick with books by real writers in the trenches who’ve had several short stories published. Being a famous artist in another field is not a qualification for writing, in my opinion. Most of the time, I tend to help authors who have talent but aren’t earning much money. They should be, but I guess that’s reserved for TV stars and musicians. Oh, and people who write about vampires and zombies, though they were overdone years ago.

When someone contacts me on Goodreads, asking me to read their book and offer a review, if they say it’s a vampire book or a zombie book, I always say no. (We all know them, the people who geek out and scream “Zombies!”). I’m not saying all those kinds of books suck, but some writers put a new spin on it and/or don’t reveal it’s about nosferatus or the undead till near the end, and that’s why they’re so great. That and talent. You have to have that, I’m afraid, or all your hard work is for nothing. I’m not saying I’ve never written those types of stories, but I feel it’s important to call a zombie “undead,” “creature,” or a “walker.” That lets me know you’re not a trend whore riding the bandwagon. It’s easy to tell the difference between them and true fans of the genre. Yet lately, they’re the ones who sell most of the books.

This is not a popular viewpoint, but I believe it’s the right one.

I’ve just finished paying the freelance editor for the editing job he did for the novel I’m going to self-publish, as well as submitting short stories to Undead Tales 2, Writer’s Digest’s Horror Contest and Short-Short Contest, and Your Story 38. I’m proofreading the next novel I’m going to put out, and decided to skip NaNo this year because I’ve already written ten novels, six of them non-newbie books worth putting out to the public.

Next month, I’m going to pay to have the story formatted and put it out on Amazon, Smashwords, and all the outlets. I’ll also copyright the next novel that’ll be appearing in my critique group starting in December, so my money’s tied up for quite a while. I just recently paid for the cover of the self-pubbed book. There’s also the usual work of revising more short stories for more anthologies and such.

Hope you’re having a productive early winter as well. I barely have time to shit!

Here’s a fun vlog about some of the questions I wish interviewers would ask, plus a peek at my books & ‘zines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8reucpKd_7Y