Horror and Marigolds

I’ve been busy this weekend. Finally got my first round of planting done. (I had to build an extra box, though; and, I happened upon a new dwarf grapefruit tree.) Garden looks nice, doesn’t it? I’ll have plenty to share once it fills in.

Mmm…Strawberries!

My first attempt at canning chili was a success. I canned four pints in the pressure canner (one seal didn’t take, but I have no qualms with chowing down on it sooner rather than later).

And… I wrote! Unfortunately, what I thought would be a short, short story is turning out much longer than I planned. But hey, my characters will tell me when their story is done. I feel good about it, though. It’s a small departure from what I’m used to; not straight horror, but definitely dark-fantasy with scattered humor. I’m supposed to have it done by tomorrow night for critique, so I’m hoping to find time tonight or tomorrow to finish it up.

Are there any cool projects, writing or otherwise, that anyone is working on? I’d love to hear about them.

Cheers,

M. R. C.

Surviving Killercon 4

William F. Nolan, Jack Ketchum, John Skipp, and Brian Keene

Over the weekend, I attended Killercon 4 at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.  Not only did the conference offer an amazing list of honored guests, author and editor panels, and readings from many established authors in the horror genre, it was an opportunity for me to meet a lot of great people and make some new friends.

The amount of talent was never in short supply. Among the guests of honor were Jack Ketchum, William F. Nolan, F. Paul Wilson, Brian Keene, Don D’Auria, Mignon Fogarty, and Kelley Armstrong. Other guests included John Skipp, Edward Lee, and, of course, convention organizer, Wrath James White. I had the chance to speak with most of them, and I’ve got to say, they were some of the friendliest people I have ever met.

I have to thank everyone that was there, though, for making this the best first horror convention. The horror writing community is full of some of the coolest, supportive artists I have ever met.

On Friday night, I participated in my first erotic horror flash fiction contest, in which I read a story written only the night before. Though my story went over the allowed time, and I didn’t place, I received some awesome feedback from many of the other writers. Overall, the experience was fun, and I can’t wait to do it again.

The Shock Totem team was there, too, and it was the first time I had ever met most of them. So, I have to give a special shout out to all of them: Ken, Sarah, Nick, John, and Mercedes. Thanks for making me feel welcome in your group. 🙂

What a great weekend! There are more pictures out there somewhere. When I find out who has them, I’ll post some of the good ones.

Cheers to Fears,

M. R. C.

KillerCon 4 and Other News

(photo credit: KillerCon.com)

Well it’s official: I will be attending KillerCon 4 on September 20-23 at the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas.  I am beyond excited about this event.  While the organizers don’t have a lot of information about the conference posted on the website yet, there is already an impressive list of special guests, including horror legends William F. Nolan and Jack Ketchum. All you horror writers and fans out there that will be in the Las Vegas area during these dates should check out the KillerCon website and sign up early!

In Other News…

I had to take a short break from writing the endings to End of Harvest for the week because of a flash fiction piece I started working on for a contest through horror magazine Shock Totem (If you’re not familiar with this ‘zine, check it out!).  But, I have one of those endings finished and will start working of the other two in the upcoming week, so stay tuned and look for them in the near future.  If you haven’t read the beginning of the story yet, check it out so you can help decide how it will end.

Read This Book:

I recently picked up the book The Girl Next Door, by Jack Ketchum, and spent an entire day reading.   What a book!  It is a horrific story about the torture of a teenage girl by her sadistic aunt, told through the eyes of the boy next door.  As much as I couldn’t stand to bear witness to many of the events, I couldn’t put it down.  If you’ve never read anything by Ketchum, get to the bookstore and pick this one up.  Be prepared to throw it across the room a few times (though you’ll run to pick it right back up again).

I will be working on some full book reviews in the near future, so I’ll be sure to post links to these as they’re finished.

Has anyone stumbled across any horror or dark fantasy lately that is a must read/see?

Cheers to Fears,

M. R. C.

Looking for an Ending

I was laying in bed the other night reading The Writer, and I noticed seven pages worth of fiction and poetry contests with deadlines ranging from now until the end of the summer. This is both good and bad; I have many options when considering where to submit my work, but I could end up spending a lot of money in the process. 😉

But, in the spirit of the contest season, I have prepared a short, short story called “End of Harvest”. Originally set in the post apocalyptic world of The Fall of Galen (the first book in a dark fantasy series written with my co-author BJ Sendelbaugh), it is a story about two teenage brothers tasked with destroying the farm’s zombie slaves.  I changed a few details that took it out of that world, but my intention is to eventually rework it to fit right back in.

I’m sharing this with the caveat that this is not a final draft, but merely the early workings of a story.  I haven’t even shared this one with my critique group yet (sorry gals).  When it is complete, though, you may just find it right back here.  By the way, I welcome and encourage all comments and suggestions.  I’m not quite sure how to end it yet, so I’m looking to you all to help me.

Read End of Harvest by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Cheers to fears,

M. R. C.