Tuesday, November 6, 2018

What Do You Find Scary in a Story?

Posted by: Maureen
While growing up I never watched scary movies, but I devoured books by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and other authors that I never thought might be considered horror. They were just…stories.

Sure, some might keep me up at night, and make me illuminate dark corners before I entered a room, but they weren’t scary, right? 

Then my avoidance of all scary movies ended when I met my future hubby, who loved everything scary and slasher movies. Suddenly I was plunged into watching way more scary movies than I ever wanted, and found I grew to kind of like some of them. 

Usually I prefer the ones that were more paranormal, thriller, or psychological suspense. It seems I’m one of many who like the suspense and a little bit of scare—in the movies, or stories, because in person I’m a wimp. 

Fiction vs Reality


Fiction allows us to do things we might be afraid to do in real life and experience the world through a character. The same can be achieved with writing. Things that would normally be frightening are more like a thrill or exciting in a book, not necessarily terrifying. Most of us can be a little braver when we can live vicariously through a character, whether it’s in a book, or a movie.  

Although I did find some movies such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Amityville Horror and The Shining and books such as Darkfall and Pet Cemetery, to be scarier than I anticipated, left to fester in my imagination for years after.

Scary or Not?


So naturally some of this seeps into my stories. But I’ve always
thought of my stories as having a little suspense, a dash of sarcasm and some supernatural stuff. Until I released my first novel in The Enchantlings series, Destiny Calling. 

To my surprise a couple websites listed my book under horror. I thought, perhaps it’s the cover, or the blurb? Then a friend, and avid reader, told me some parts of the book frightened her so much that she couldn’t read it at night. Others didn’t find it scary. Some said it was more thrilling, or suspenseful. It seems we each have our own impression of what’s scary. 

Not a Chance


Last week my second book in The Enchantlings series, Not a Chance, was released. Some might think I made it a little scarier
than the first. Perhaps it’s because of the darker turn the story took when I came across this old abandoned building on one of my bike trails.


Others might feel Not a Chance is no more frightening than most paranormal. You’ll have to be the judge.

The last thing Hope Hallows wants is to become the latest headline. Living in a town that likes secrets, she prefers to keep hers hidden. Avoiding a nosy reporter’s questions about her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with a single touch, and those who crave this bliss, is nothing new. But having her brother’s annoying girlfriend, Berta, go missing is—especially when it makes Hope suspect number one. 

As a triplet, her resemblance to her beloved dead sister causes her family to grieve even more, and her escalating supernatural skills makes Griffith, her half-human-half-Oppressor boyfriend, wary. He wants to put his unsavory past behind him—this could include Hope—since her abilities remind him of the Underworld. 

In her desperate search to find Berta, she stumbles across a tunnel. Phantom voices within whisper that evil has been waiting for a new leader—and isn't she lucky, they've chosen Hope.

Do You Like to Be Scared?


Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her website, Facebook& Twitter

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon& get a free story when you sign up for her newsletter

Monday, November 5, 2018

HERE BE NEWS for November 5, 2018

Posted by: Dani Harper, Author
All the latest 
from the authors at 
Here Be Magic
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In Case You Missed It:

Monday, October 29 - 

"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the authors at Here Be Magic.

Tuesday, October 30 - 

"THE 12 DAYS OF SAMHAIN" - Looking for a Halloween carol to sing? Author Linda Mooney has written one for you! 

Wednesday, October 31 - 
"FEAR AND HOPE ON ALL HALLOW'S EVE" - Author Jenny Schwartz talks about how Halloween may bring BOTH emotions to the surface.

Thursday, November 1 - 
"MY FAVORITE CREEPY STORIES" - Author Angela Korra'ti lists five of her favorite books, and five of her favorite movies!

Friday, November 2 - 
"MY FAVORITE MONSTER" - WE HAVE WINNERS in our Halloween Giveaway at Here Be Magic! We received a lot of great comments about YOUR favorite monsters too!

Saturday, November 3 - 
This week's Bring It Back(list) feature is "IN THE DARK" by PG Forte. See all the details below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Bring It Back(list) Feature:


When you live forever, you're bound to make a few mistakes.

IN THE DARK


San Francisco, 1969. Vampire Conrad Quintano has been around for centuries—long enough to know that falling for a human is a terrible idea. Much less falling for adventure-seeking hippie Desert Rose. An even more terrible idea? Agreeing to raise her babies and protect them with his life.

Present day. Marc and Julie Fischer have always known they’re vampires. Raised in virtual isolation, they’ve never known their parentage or their unique status in the world. But once their uncle comes to take them home, the family reunion is nothing like they anticipated and they’re thrust into a world they’re completely unprepared for.

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Sales, Contests and Events:





MY FAVORITE MONSTER + MULTI-AUTHOR GIVEAWAY 
We have WINNERS!

We had a lot of fun and hope that you did too! Not only did we receive a lot of entries, but we were delighted to read all the great comments about YOUR favorite monsters! 

THANK YOU to everyone who entered!

  1. Brenda Rezk wins an EBOOK of "Old Sins, Long Shadows" by PG FORTE
  2. Amber Terry wins an EBOOK of "A Hunt by Moonlight" by SHAWNA REPPERT
  3. Debbie Plesha wins her choice of an EBOOK by DANI HARPER
  4. Tammie King wins a "Boxed Set" (ebooks) of the Ravensblood Series by SHAWNA REPPERT
  5. Mandy Baker wins her choice of an EBOOK by CINDY SPENCER PAPE
  6. Melannie Savell wins an EBOOK: "Between a Rock and a Hard Dragon" by CINDY SPENCER PAPE plus a Halloween short story
  7. Gayle Oreluk wins a signed PRINT copy of "Queen Takes Knights" by JOELY SUE BURKHART
  8. Beverly Laude wins her choice of an EBOOK by LINDA MOONEY
and our GRAND PRIZE WINNER is: 
9. Reyna Herrera wins a $60 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at Here Be Magic


All winners are contacted directly by email. Be sure to check your spam filter!

Check out the post at https://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2018/11/my-favorite-monster-multi-author.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Bring it Back(list): Vampires do "it In the Dark"

Posted by: PG Forte

There are still a few days left to grab In the Dark (Children of Night, book 1) for the sale price of only .99!

When you live forever, you're bound to make a few mistakes....

San Francisco, 1969. Vampire Conrad Quintano has been around for centuries—long enough to know that falling for a human is a terrible idea. Much less falling for adventure-seeking hippie Desert Rose. An even more terrible idea? Agreeing to raise her babies and protect them with his life.

Present day. Marc and Julie Fischer have always known they’re vampires. Raised in virtual isolation, they’ve never known their parentage or their unique status in the world. But once their uncle comes to take them home, the family reunion is nothing like they anticipated and they’re thrust into a world they’re completely unprepared for.




P.S. As an added bonus, I’m offering Going Back to Find You as a freebie for the next few days. Get your copy here:  https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/mbW0yYYD




Friday, November 2, 2018

MY FAVORITE MONSTER + MULTI-AUTHOR GIVEAWAY - We have winners!!!

Posted by: Dani Harper, Author

With a blog name like Here Be Magic, it's certain that our gang loves fantasy -- and all the creatures that go with it. This month is the perfect opportunity to talk about our favorite monsters and magical characters, whether villainous, friendly, or downright romantic. 

And we asked for YOUR favorite creature or character too! Check out all the great comments, and also the LIST OF WINNERS in our Halloween Giveaway at the end of this post!

~~~~~~~~~

MAUREEN - "Anything paranormal and supernatural holds my imagination, but magic and witches fascinate me the most. Unlike other monsters and fantasy creatures, witches don't have a known weakness or limitation. Reading and writing about magic and spells is a fun way to expand my imagination." ~ Maureen Bonatch

PG - "Ooh, hard question. I think I'll have to go with the Fae—the Tylwyth Teg, the Seelie Sidhe, or whichever group you favor. Will I incur their wrath if I call them monsters? Hopefully not!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE vampires to death, but there are A LOT of vamps out there and I'm picky. Currently, I'm getting my fae-fix via Dani Harper's awesome Grim series." ~ PG Forte 


LINDA - "My favorite monster is the classic Frankenstein. Here is a creature who terrifies people, but has no idea why. He is an innocent who never had a chance at a real life because of his appearance. You can’t help but feel for it." ~ Linda Mooney

RUTH - "My favorite monster is Godzilla. My son and I watched Godzilla movies every Saturday morning when he was in grammar school." ~ Ruth A. Casie

CINDY - "My favorite monster is definitely the dragon. My only tattoo is dragons twined around my ankle in a Celtic knot. I have dragon statuettes and other dragon artwork all over my writing space. I think the appeal is the mix of strength, magic, and knowledge. Also, in most artwork, they're simply gorgeous." ~ Cindy Spencer Pape

DANI - "I LOVE MONSTERS!!! When I was a kid, our local station ran a double-feature every Saturday afternoon: a horror movie and a sci-fi movie. I never missed it, and even today, my family knows that if there's any sort of monster involved — movie, tv show, book, museum or event — I'm all in! My favorites are creatures from folklore and legend, from werewolves to ghosts to faeries and beyond. If it has a history attached to it, I want to know everything about it. And it's even more fun when I get to write about monsters in my novels!" ~ Dani Harper

ANGELA – "It's nearly impossible for me to choose only ONE monster I love — Loch Ness Monster, Frankenstein, werewolves! — but for the sake of this post, I'll go with vampires. I am a huge fan of the Universal Horror Movies of the 20s-40s, and Bela Lugosi's "Dracula" is iconic for a reason. He creates a layered character you're not sure if you want to root for or against. One of my top five favorite movies of all time is also "The Lost Boys." So is 1985's "Fright Night." Maggie Shayne's "Wings in the Night" series are some of my favorite books. Vampires can be sexy, scary, or tragic, depending on which trope you care for most. Shoot, sometimes, they even sparkle!" ~ Angela Campbell

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WINNERS OF OUR HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY


  1. Brenda Rezk wins an EBOOK of "Old Sins, Long Shadows" by PG FORTE
  2. Amber Terry wins an EBOOK of "A Hunt by Moonlight" by SHAWNA REPPERT
  3. Debbie Plesha wins her choice of an EBOOK by DANI HARPER
  4. Tammie King wins a "Boxed Set" (ebooks) of the Ravensblood Series by SHAWNA REPPERT
  5. Mandy Baker wins her choice of an EBOOK by CINDY SPENCER PAPE
  6. Melannie Savell wins an EBOOK: "Between a Rock and a Hard Dragon" by CINDY SPENCER PAPE plus a Halloween short story
  7. Gayle Oreluk wins a signed PRINT copy of "Queen Takes Knights" by JOELY SUE BURKHART
  8. Beverly Laude wins her choice of an EBOOK by LINDA MOONEY
and our GRAND PRIZE WINNER is: 

Reyna Herrera wins a $60 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at Here Be Magic
...
All winners will be contacted by email shortly. 
THANK YOU to everyone who entered! We had a lot of fun and hope that you did too!


Thursday, November 1, 2018

My favorite creepy stories, in book and movie form

Posted by: Angela Korra'ti
Technically it's the day after Halloween, but I don't care. Here's a Halloween-themed post anyway! Specifically, about my favorite examples of creepy storytelling. I like horror--but my horror preferences are weighted towards suspense-type horror and creepiness, rather than gore. Which has, over the years, informed what books and movies have become my favorites in the genre.

In no particular order, here are five of my favorite creepy books, and five of my favorite creepy movies!

Books:

1) Rolling in the Deep, by Mira Grant. Mira Grant, a.k.a. Seanan McGuire, is definitely one of my favorite authors. But I tend to prefer her Grant titles, in no small part because she's really good at creepiness. And it comes in a nicely condensed novella-length form in Rolling in the Deep. Complete with scary mermaids.

2) The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell, also by Mira Grant. I adore Grant's Newsflesh trilogy, but in some ways I find the novellas set in the same universe almost more satisfying. In particular, The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell is deeply nerve-wracking, in no small part because of it being a zombie story set in a school.

3) The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. "Lyrical" is not a word I would normally think to apply to a zombie novel, but I sure did to this one. Like Grant's Newsflesh books, this story is less about the zombie apocalypse per se and more about the society that has evolved since, a trope I like a lot.

4) Four and Twenty Blackbirds, by Cherie Priest (and books 2 and 3 as well). Priest is another author who's great at creepy atmosphere. Her Eden Moore books, the ones by which I initially discovered her, had this in spades.

5) The Mist, by Stephen King. It is probably inevitable to have King on this list--though I've read only a small fraction of his titles! This one, though, stood out for me in being a tight little story with very spare, clean prose. (And I liked it way better than the movie version. If you want to engage with this story, I definitely recommend the book rather than the film.)

Movies:

1) The Ring (American version). When this movie came out, my household found it deliciously creepy--in no small part because it was set in Seattle. Moreover, they got the rainy, cloudy atmosphere of a Seattle winter right, as well as the sorts of busses we use in our mass transit system. The best part? Coming out of the theater into the exact same rainy, cloudy atmosphere, which had us all going AAAAH WE'RE STILL IN THE MOVIE.

2) Paranormal Activity. This thing had me creeped out for weeks after, particularly the part about the possessed heroine lurking next to her sleeping husband and just STARING at him in the dark. (Which my wife TOTALLY pulled on me one night, since I go to bed earlier than she does. I wasn't quite asleep yet when I rolled over and found her lurking there and went AAAAAAAH!)

3) The Pit and the Pendulum. Let's go classic old school horror here, with one of the Edgar Allan Poe flicks starring Vincent Price. This was delicious. It's an excellent example of why, if you ever find yourself in a horror movie with Vincent Price, it is a sound survival strategy to avoid pissing him off.

4) The Shining. Again, probably inevitable to have Stephen King here. But the man's considered a master of horror for a reason, and this film is an excellent example of why.

5) Alien. Sci-fi horror is still horror! I've heard this movie described as a haunted house movie in space, which it is. And while I really rather like Aliens better, still, the original is a splendid example of that suspenseful creepiness I love. Plus it has Ripley, and Ripley is utterly badass.

So there you go! I hope all of you had a suitably creepy and/or candy-filled Halloween! What are your favorite scary reads or watches? Tell me about them in the comments!

--
Angela likes creepy stories and good chocolate, and a holiday that celebrates both of these things is splendid in her book. The one ghost story she's written so far, "The Blood of the Land", has no chocolate in it, alas. She promises to rectify this problem if she writes another creepy story! Still, c'mon over to angelahighland.com, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to tell her more about your own favorite creepy tales. Or your favorite chocolate.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Fear and Hope on All Hallows' Eve

Posted by: Jenny Schwartz


I've been thinking about how Halloween brings our fears and hopes to the surface. We literally wear them as costumes. Costumes, or masks, allow us to play with our fears. We can name them and address them because if it all becomes too challenging, we can take the mask off.

Halloween is about death, which is pretty much our biggest fear and our greatest hope. Our lives are haunted by the unanswerable question of whether there is life after death.

Is a ghost something to fear or a reason to hope? It's an important question because it captures the tension of Halloween: how fear and hope intertwine and sometimes conceal each other.

Take zombies. In popular culture, zombies are shambling things without self-control, a self-chosen purpose, or any enjoyment of life. You can see how they embody modern fears. We fear that our lives are on a treadmill of meaninglessness. Are we alive or merely existing?

Yet, is that mindlessness so threatening? There's a reason zombies are imagined in hordes. Obviously, the horde increases the threat and horror for effect in a book or movie, but it also serves to raise a subtle, fascinating point. If zombies operate as mindless individuals but having meaning and impact as a horde, then maybe our own intermittent anxieties as to the pointlessness of our lives can be soothed by the fact that as part of a community, our lives have purpose even when we don't see it.

Halloween lets us explore our fears and discover the hope that resides, sometimes curled up and hidden away, inside them.

I hadn't considered the tension of fear and hope before, and now that I have, I can see that it will influence my writing. It's a different means of viewing how conflict plays out in a novel. The dance between fear and tension drives the protagonist through the story. Without hope, why move forward? Without fear, why struggle? Only apathy kills a story. While there is fear and hope, we have a reason to act.

***
For a story about the power of second chances and never surrendering hope, read Phoenix Blood, my paranormal romance in Kindle Unlimited. You can discover more about me and my books at my website, http://authorjennyschwartz.com/



Tuesday, October 30, 2018

The 12 Days of Samhain

Posted by: Linda Mooney

The 12 Days of Samhain
(Words by me!)

On the 1st day of Samhain, my true love gave to me
A zombie that’s shuffling after me!

On the 2nd day of Samhain, my true love gave to me
2 rolling skulls
And a zombie that’s shuffling after me!


On the 3rd day of Samhain, my true love gave to me
3 tombstones
2 rolling skulls
And a zombie that’s shuffling after me!

On the 4th day of Samhain, my true love gave to me
4 vampire bats
3 tombstones
2 rolling skulls
And a zombie that’s shuffling after me!

On the 5th day of Samhain, my true love gave to me
5 pints of blood!
4 vampire bats
3 tombstones
2 rolling skulls
And a zombie that’s shuffling after me!

Here’s the rest of it:

12 wailing banshees
11 haunted houses
10 snarling werewolves
9 corpses rotting
8 monsters moaning
7 stalking psychos
6 ghosts a-shrieking
5 pints of blood!
4 vampire bats
3 tombstones
2 rolling skulls
And a zombie that’s shuffling after me!

* * *
GISELLE
Contemporary Fantasy Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 18.5K
$2.99 e / $6.99 p
#futuristic #apocalyptic #postapocalyptic


Sick of the same day in, day out, soul-sucking job, Giles Noft decides it's time for a change. Starting a new career as a voice actor with Voce Audio, he realizes it’s also the perfect opportunity to narrate his own published book after hours.

Renting studio space in the evenings, Giles plans to have his book finished in a couple weeks. What he didn’t expect was to find a companion while in the recording studio, or for that companion to completely turn his world and his future upside down.

A chance and seemingly impossible encounter with Giselle Renard changes his entire life. Armed with new information, Giles starts planning for a tomorrow no one knows is coming. Their fast friendship leads to more, but “The End” is closing in. And although neither want their time in the studio to be over, they know there is no way they can avoid the cold, hard reality of what has been, and what is to be.

Warning! Contains an old footlocker, a friend in trouble, a remote location, and a loving promise that's kept fifty-four years later.


Excerpt and Buy Links
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