Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2: 10 Simple Questions
1) Who are you? Emerian Rich, author, artist, editor, and Horror Addict.
2) What is the thing you want most to tell me about Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2?
This book really has something for every Horror Addict. If you love monsters, you’ll love the beginning of the book where we talk about all kinds of creepy creatures. If you like interviews and articles about how diversity plays a role in today’s Horror, you’ll love our “Perspectives” section. If you love puzzles and coloring, you’ll have tons to do throughout the month-by-month almanac. If you like movies like The Shining or Night of the Living Dead, you’ll get your fan-fix for sure. If you’re a crafter, there are tons of things to make in here. It’s the guide that every Horror Addict needs to invest in and it’s available now at: Amazon.com
3) I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but what is it that draws you to horror?
Horror is romantic to me. I love stories that weave both the horrific and romance together. It’s fighting the monster next to the one you love. It’s searching the haunted castle to find answers to your past—and perhaps your future. It’s proving that love endures, even after death. It’s something that calls from your soul. I believe it’s a need you are born with.
4) Are there any particular themes that stand out with this collection?
The theme of this book is really to have fun. We explore monsters, diversity in horror, and have twelve months of activities in the almanac. It’s a workbook, so you can also draw, do puzzles, and write in the pages. I wanted to give the Addicts a fun read they could relate to absolutely.
5) I know we’re not supposed to play favourites, but do you have any favourites?
There isn’t a speck in this book that I didn’t want in there. I hand-picked every single article, puzzle, recipe, and craft. I think my favorite thing about the book in general is that fits every mood a reader might have. If I’m serious and want to really think, there in depth articles and interviews. If I feel playful, I can do a puzzle or color. If I am feeling crafty, I can grab my gun glue and create.
6) How do you gather your content?
For this particular book, I hand-picked them from blogs we’ve published in the past and pieces I saw online and really enjoyed. I asked for pieces from a few favorite authors and wrote a few on subjects I couldn’t find.
7) What challenges you the most about producing this kind of collection?
Time. With 50+ authors and creators involved, it was a challenge to get all the ducks in a row. Or vampire bats? Ravens? What is the appropriate winged animal? Anyway, all I know is that there were a lot of them and I needed more time in the day to address everything.
8) Who or what inspires you most?
Architecture, art, music, books… Anything creative that has that melancholy, dark mystery that speaks to my soul. I love visiting cemeteries, churches, and old homes—places that pull me into their stories just by entering.
9) What are your plans for the future?
This year, we are branching out into Audible productions and a new magazine called Horror Curated. On a personal front, I’m writing the third book to my vampire series, Night’s Knights.
10) Will there be a Horror Addicts Guide to Life 3?
Number two came seven years after the first. When I feel we have come to a spot where we need to update or bring more subjects into the Horror Addict light, I’m sure I’ll be called to refresh again. I don’t like repetitious things, so it won’t happen until I feel we have more to say. Until then, readers can enjoy our upcoming magazine and our fiction anthologies.
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BIO: Author, artist, voice actress, and editor, Emz is best known for being the Horror Hostess of HorrorAddicts.net, an internationally acclaimed horror podcast, now its 17th season. She is the author of the Night’s Knights vampire series and has been published in over 40 fiction anthologies. Find out more at emzbox.com.
Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2
Do you love the horror genre? Do you look at horror as a lifestyle? Do the “norms” not understand your love of the macabre? Despair no longer, my friend, for within your grasp is a book written by those who look at horror as a way of life, just like you. This is your guide to living a horror addict’s life.
Our month-by-month almanac with important dates, movie lists, puzzles, crafts, articles, and recipes will guarantee your whole year is occupied with delightful horror activities. Don’t miss our monster guide with articles about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and some creatures that just can’t be categorized. Enjoy interviews with creators of horror content and hear perspectives from different cultures and backgrounds. Read stories of real hauntings, nightmares, and vile vacations. Available now at: Amazon.com
Excerpt from 5 Uncommon Monsters That Deserve a Movie
Calling All Horror Fans!
HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:
Free excerpt from Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2
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5 Uncommon Monsters That Deserve a Movie by Daphne Strasert
I love monsters. Demons, vampires, werewolves, giant atom-bomb lizards, scientific monstrosities, supernatural entities…you name it, I love it (except zombies, but we won’t get into that here). I’ll gleefully watch every Hammer Horror movie and sit through a thousand Universal monster marathons. But, given the deep wealth of urban legends and cultural mythologies from around the world, is this really the best we can do? Endless remakes of Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy? It’s time to branch out. I think these five monsters deserve their own blockbuster franchise:
1. Jorogumo
Jorogumo is a Japanese spider creature that can shapeshift into a beautiful woman. Japanese folklore is filled to the brim with fascinating monsters of all shapes and sizes and Japanese filmmakers have made films that scared the pants off us for decades (The Ring and The Grudge, anyone?). I’m imagining a tense thriller about young newlyweds, one with a dark secret…but it’s best to leave this to the professionals.
2. Cuca
The cuca is a Brazilian mythological being taking the form of an old witch with an alligator face and hawk-like claws. She is known to steal children (especially naughty ones). Given the fantastic history of Brazilian cinema, I would love to see a tense, artsy film that brings home another Oscar for Horror fans.
To read more, go to: https:/www.amazon.com/dp/B09YNF5QM3
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Do you love the horror genre? Do you look at horror as a lifestyle? Do the “norms” not understand your love of the macabre? Despair no longer, my friend, for within your grasp is a book written by those who look at horror as a way of life, just like you. This is your guide to living a horror addict’s life.
Our month-by-month almanac with important dates, movie lists, puzzles, crafts, articles, and recipes will guarantee your whole year is occupied with delightful horror activities. Don’t miss our monster guide with articles about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and some creatures that just can’t be categorized. Enjoy interviews with creators of horror content and hear perspectives from different cultures and backgrounds. Read stories of real hauntings, nightmares, and vile vacations.
Allow us to curate your horror lifestyle.
With articles by: A. Craig Newman, A.D. Vick, Alyson Faye, Angela Yuriko Smith, Brian McKinley, CM Lucas, Camellia Rains, Carrie Sessarego, Chantal Boudreau, Courtney Mroch, Crystal Connor, D.J. Pitsiladis, Dan Shaurette, Daphne Strasert, Dee Blake, Emerian Rich, Geneve Flynn, H.E. Roulo, H.R. Boldwood, J. Malcolm Stewart, James Goodridge, Jaq D Hawkins, Jeff Carroll, Jonathan Fortin, Kate Nox, Kay Tracy, Kerry Alan Denney, Kieran Judge, Kristin Battestella, Ksenia Murray, Lee Murray, Lionel Ray Green, Loren Rhoads, M.D. Neu, Mark Orr, Martha J. Allard, Michael Fassbender, Mimielle, Naching T. Kassa, Pamela K. Kinney, Priscilla Bettis, R.J. Joseph, R.L. Merrill, Rena Mason, Renata Pavrey, Rhonda R. Carpenter, Russell Holbrook, Selah Janel, Steven P. Unger, Sumiko Saulson, Tabitha Thompson, Theresa Braun, Trinity Adler, Valjeanne Jeffers.
Available now at: Amazon.com
Calling All Horror Fans!
Calling All Horror Fans!
HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:
Free excerpt from Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2
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Zomedy: Dark Humor of the Undead by Chantal Boudreau
Zombies are funny. They may be gross, frightening and tragic, but there is still something ridiculous about them, something that makes you hold back a laugh when you should be shocked or terrified. You’ll find amusing events in even some of the goriest, angst-ridden zombie stories, usually for the sake of comic relief and to give viewers or readers a moment to catch their breath. In some cases, like Fido and Zombieland, the entire premise of the tale is based upon dark comedy, with a variety of images of zombies doing crazy things, or constant references to silly but effective rules created to address the dangers of the apocalypse. In the more dramatic movies, it may be just the odd moment, like when the people shooting zombies from the roof in Dawn of the Dead identify the zombies as celebrities like Burt Reynolds.
Zombies have always made me laugh and when I started writing zombie stories, I found humor leaching into my writing in one form or another. My first story featured a woman feeding brains to her undead husband with a pool hook, a visual that always makes me smile. Zomedy has become an accepted term to describe a zombie spoof, or comedic zombie film, but I think the humor of zombies goes beyond the obvious laughs and the campy (a la Weekend at Bernie’s II). I thought it might be interesting to look at the more common tools of zomedy, both in written and cinematic comedic forms as well as in those genre pieces intended to offer a more serious approach to the undead. I’ve come up with a dozen that are prevalent and easily identifiable.
Zombie Puns: A good pun is the true essence of humor. Even a bad one will at least elicit a chuckle or a groan. Titles of zombie movies and stories are notorious for using puns. One of the Classic zomedies, Shaun of the Dead, used a pun in its title as a humorous way of paying homage to the legendary George Romero. This tool is even more prominent in the written zombie genre, at least in the aspect of a good play on words. One example of this is Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen, with sequels Flip This Zombie, and Eat, Slay, Love. Not only do the titles capture the domestic element of the zombie stories, it also links the stories to items in current culture.
Zombie Animals: Another tactic used to lighten the mood in genre books and movies is the inclusion of zombie animals. I discovered after writing my novelette, Shear Terror, that there was a movie from…
To read more, go to: https:/www.amazon.com/dp/B09YNF5QM3
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Do you love the horror genre? Do you look at horror as a lifestyle? Do the “norms” not understand your love of the macabre? Despair no longer, my friend, for within your grasp is a book written by those who look at horror as a way of life, just like you. This is your guide to living a horror addict’s life.
Our month-by-month almanac with important dates, movie lists, puzzles, crafts, articles, and recipes will guarantee your whole year is occupied with delightful horror activities. Don’t miss our monster guide with articles about vampires, zombies, ghosts, and some creatures that just can’t be categorized. Enjoy interviews with creators of horror content and hear perspectives from different cultures and backgrounds. Read stories of real hauntings, nightmares, and vile vacations.
Allow us to curate your horror lifestyle.
With articles by: A. Craig Newman, A.D. Vick, Alyson Faye, Angela Yuriko Smith, Brian McKinley, CM Lucas, Camellia Rains, Carrie Sessarego, Chantal Boudreau, Courtney Mroch, Crystal Connor, D.J. Pitsiladis, Dan Shaurette, Daphne Strasert, Dee Blake, Emerian Rich, Geneve Flynn, H.E. Roulo, H.R. Boldwood, J. Malcolm Stewart, James Goodridge, Jaq D Hawkins, Jeff Carroll, Jonathan Fortin, Kate Nox, Kay Tracy, Kerry Alan Denney, Kieran Judge, Kristin Battestella, Ksenia Murray, Lee Murray, Lionel Ray Green, Loren Rhoads, M.D. Neu, Mark Orr, Martha J. Allard, Michael Fassbender, Mimielle, Naching T. Kassa, Pamela K. Kinney, Priscilla Bettis, R.J. Joseph, R.L. Merrill, Rena Mason, Renata Pavrey, Rhonda R. Carpenter, Russell Holbrook, Selah Janel, Steven P. Unger, Sumiko Saulson, Tabitha Thompson, Theresa Braun, Trinity Adler, Valjeanne Jeffers.
Available now at: Amazon.com
Waltzing Matilda…
I’m making my first appearance in an Australian anthology. My horror short story “I Have no Beef with You” appears in Colp Underground, now available on Amazon. This is Colp’s ninth collection and is described as an exploration beneath the surface presented by ts authors. So grab a torch and venture in…
Now Available
Find it on:
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/realms-of-fantasy-4
Amazon . com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0937P9V4Z
Amazon . ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0937P9V4Z
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/…/realms-of…/1139339279
To Binge or not to Binge
It’s tempting while stuck at home, when I’m not working, to sit and binge hours of TV and movies. It feels almost like a way of waiting it out, until things get back to normal. While I do cook, garden and go on walks, I miss swimming, jugger, shopping and my usual routines, so I need things to distract me. Binging shows does that for me
I was chatting with someone the other day about how I like to access the shows I watch and what I enjoy watching most. Like many out there, my household binges Netflix, and Youtube is always a source of entertainment. I’m waiting with great anticipation for the second season of Umbrella Academy and was happy to have a chance to finally see Deadpool 2. But I’ve turned to some newer options this year that have been my go to for something different when I feel like I’ve run through all I’ve wanted to see on my usual sources for shows.
So what am I trying out this year? Well, as a horror fan, I decided to use some of my Christmas money to get myself a subscription to Shudder. When I first scrolled through the available selections, it seemed a little overwhelming. I thought the movies listed would keep me busy for a long time, but I soon realized while there were several I wanted to see, or re-watch, there were many older movies from Italian directors that really did not appeal to me (hate me for it if you like, but I’m not a fan of the original Suspiria). I still can’t believe how many champion “The Beyond” as some sort of great classic. I watched it when I was much younger, under the title of “Seven Doors of Death”, during one of our Bad Movie Nights, and it won as the worst movie that night. It included such notable events as a blind woman running through her house (without running into anything) calling out for her dog, Dick and a man fighting zombies who reloaded his pistol by shoving a bullet up the barrel. We also counted only 3 doors in the movie, not 7.
A large portion of the movies on Shudder are foreign movies with subtitles. I like to do other things while I watch (drawing, folding laundry, chopping veggies, needlework, etc.) so I have to be in the right mood and static mode for subtitles, since you can’t really do anything else while you watch. Granted, most of their foreign films are high quality, but it just doesn’t suit my viewing preferences.
That’s not to say I’m regretting my Shudder subscription, because what they do offer are great series, documentaries and podcasts. I’ve enjoyed Creepshow, NOS4A2, Channel Zero, Wolf Creek and some non-horrors like Lucky Man and A Discovery of Witches. I’d subscribe to Shudder just to watch the Dead Lands, my favourite thing on the streaming service. They aren’t all winners, but it does have a lot of good things to offer.
If I’m looking for movies though, I’ve taken to sludging through the many, many options on Tubi. My car pool drive introduced me to this free streaming service. They have more English language horror movies than you can shake a stick at and the majority of them are terrible. But there are a few hidden gems and classics in the mix. I got a kick out of an indy horror comedy called “Gravy” and a thriller called “Landmine Goes Click”. I also found a great sci-fi/fantasy mini-series called “The Lost Room”. And I was happy to re-watch a horror favourite of mine, “Splinter”.
If you aren’t into horror, they may still have something you’ll enjoy. They have so much variety – if you do decide to check it out be prepared to invest some time digging before you find something worth watching.
Do you have a preferred streaming service I haven’t mentioned? If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments.
What Have I Been Up To?
Content on my blog has been lacking for some time now. Aside from sharing the odd promotion or review, things have been quiet. I have had a couple of short stories published, but my writing had been mostly set aside thanks to other things in my life. Work, family and unexpected events had left me without much creative energy to write, submit, blog or socialize, so I set things aside and promised myself I would come back when things changed and life let up a little.
I have to laugh at that idea. Life not only did not let up, it threw a huge Covid curve ball. Normal is a long way off – but now I feel the need to get back to doing some of the things I used to do just to restore some semblance of normalcy, no matter how little. I may be working from home surrounded by family, and I may not be able to go swimming or play jugger, but there are things I can do. I sent off my taxes last week. We planted our backyard garden today, I will be catching up on overdue e-mails this week and I will be returning to a regular writing, blogging and submission schedule.
I think th
e hardest thing for me in all of this – and I appreciate the fact I have it easy compared to many people – is that as a serious introvert who has spent years trying to counter my nature in order to leave my house and socialize and work with people on a daily basis, the foundation I’ve built for that is failing. Other people are desperate to leave their homes while I’m worried how hard it will be for me to go back to going into work five days a week and not stay home all weekend. I had almost completely conquered my social anxiety but social distancing has sent it roaring back. I’m supposed to avoid people and I’m not sure how exactly I’m going to get back to not avoiding them when this is over, years of effort suddenly reversed. I know most extroverts won’t be able to understand that, but it is a thing.
On a positive note, I’m happy to see that some of the anthologies I have appeared in this year are doing well. Pulp Sci-Fi from the Rock has had positive reviews. No mention of my short story, “A Sticky Situation” yet, but praise for the anthology as a whole is out there: https://www.amazingstories.com/2020/05/clubhouse-review-pulp-science-fiction-from-the-rock-an-anthology-from-newfoundland/
I also have stories in a free ebook offering from Engen Books – From The Rock Stars:
“With COVID-19 in full swing and the world in isolation, we thought of no better time and way to show our thanks than to offer this collection of short fiction for free during the course of the crisis, and at no more than cost for the print book. Please enjoy these stories at no cost, and we hope that the worlds they bring you to is a brighter one.”
Lastly, among my recent acceptances/publications is a short story called “Buzzkill” that will be appearing in the animal-based apocalypse anthology Welcome to the Alpaca-lypse. This is a fun and frightening series of tales that should be widely available soon :
The end is nigh…or is it neigh? Humans might be an apex predator, but plenty of animals have the ability to end the world as we know it. Bunnies, cats, dogs, and alpacas might all seem cute at first glance but just wait until they let loose and cause an apocalypse the likes of which you’ve never seen before.”
That lovely quirky cover art, by the way, is thanks to the efforts of Jason Meents.
So that, in a nutshell, is what I’ve been up to lately. Now it’s time for me to go update my other pages and you’ll hopefully see me here again soon.
Book Review : Knowing When To Die by Mort Castle
Guest Post – H. E. Roulo
Plague Master: Rebel Infection- A Terrible Discovery
By H.E. Roulo
With the release of book two of the PLAGUE MASTER Series, readers get to rediscover teenager Trevor Seth. Trevor is hailed as a hero for returning with a vaccine for the zombie infection. His celebrity also makes him a dangerous threat to the powerful Founders of his homeworld. When revolution breaks out, he must discover the terrible truth about his cure…
Excerpt From Chapter 7 of Plague Master: Rebel Infection
A woman stumbled into the fire-lit driveway and tumbled to her knees. Her short white hair clumped with red and black blood. She wore a simple white pantsuit. Blood coated her forearms and slicked the front of her pant legs.
Elena gasped. “That’s Ambassador Grekov. We spoke at dinner.”
“Even if she’s been bitten, she’ll recover.” Cameron aimed the way she’d come, in case she was being pursued. “Sigrid, give her first aid.”
The ambassador rocked on her knees, head down.
“She has two bites on her forearm.” Sigrid remained in place and peered at the woman’s inner wrist, spying the blue bite-shaped scar. “Good, she’s inoculated. I’ll patch her up.”
“Wait! I would not.” Elena obstructed Sigrid’s path. “Ambassador Grekov?”
The ambassador rocked on her knees, head hanging, and gave no sign she heard them.
“I’ll handle it,” said Sigrid. She pushed past Elena, rifle raised, and stopped a pace from Ambassador Grekov.
The injured woman still didn’t look up. A soft green illumination suffused her skin, though the light of the flames might account for the glow.
Sigrid squared herself and shouted, “Ambassador Grekov!”
Vera Grekov raised her chin. Black drool dribbled between her teeth. She snarled with fury as the disease burned away her mind.
Vera lunged at Sigrid.
Sigrid fired. The bullet struck the base of Vera’s throat, too low to sever her spine. She embraced the space where Sigrid had been, but the mercenary had already stepped to the side. Cool, Sigrid shot again. Her bullet tore into the side of the new zombie’s head and out the back at an angle, casting white shards and blackened blood across the driveway and spattered a bush shaped like a giraffe.
The ambassador’s body toppled to the side, fingers twitching.
Cameron had turned by the second shot, flushed and bright-eyed.
“Not possible.” He wheezed, a long exhalation, and dropped his gun to claw at the bite on his back. Already, black blood oozed from the inflamed wound and dribbled through the last shreds of silk. “This can’t be!”
Sigrid stared at him and turned to Trevor, gun gripped between both hands. She didn’t seem able to put the question into words.
“He’s changing,” Trevor confirmed out loud. “The inoculation didn’t work.”
Read more excerpts and see behind the scenes of the PLAGUE MASTER trilogy.
Twitter: @hroulo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/heroulo
Blog: www.heatherroulo.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/hroulo
Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/heatherroulo
Plague Master: Sanctuary Dome (Book 1): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CKAPXWW
Plague Master: Rebel Infection (Book 2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTQV6M7
Word Blurb 