Tales From the Crypt: A Look Back

            I watched plenty of shows growing up.  One show that to this day that has and always be one of my favorites is Tales From the Crypt. Even at a young age, I gravitated toward the Horror genre.  And with that show, I was able to watch several scary stories.  My parents didn't let my brother, Aaron, and I watch it.  We would still find a way to sneak out of our rooms and watch this awesome show.

           

            The intro itself was damn cool to watch.  No matter how times I watched the show, I was awestruck at the tour of that spooky house.  And even though I knew it was coming, I would jump when the CryptKeeper would pop out of his coffin.  When I first saw the CryptKeper, I cringed in fright.  But when he made his first corny joke, I smiled.  Any creepy looking guy who cracked jokes couldn't be that bad.

           

            There were so many episodes of this show I'll never forget.  'And All Through the House' gave us a reason to be scared of Santa.  'The Ventriloquist's Dummy' showed exactly why ventriloquist dummies are scary.  'Mournin Mess' gave us a terrifying look into a secret society.  'Death of Some Salemen' showed the audience that Tim Curry can pull of multiple roles and still be creepy.  Finally, 'The Third Pig' was able to give us a retelling of The Three Little Pigs that Horror fans can enjoy. 

            Tales From the Crypt was a rare show that had some stories that scared you and some that made you laugh.  The show is still fun watching on DVD, but nothing beats the memories of watching it for the first time on TV.  If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?

Uncertain Future

The future is here.  I've spent years planning what I would do after I graduated college.  College is over, and I'm now an official college graduate.  I still have to attend the ceremony of course.  To be honest, I'm a little scared.

 I went to school to get my degree in Journalism.  I love to write and I love to meet new people.  I spent about six months writing for my school paper.  I had a lot of fun doing it, so I know I'm on the right track on what I want to do for a living.

But lately I've been worried.  What if I don't get a job in my field?  What if all that time and money I spent in college turns out to be a total waste?  I know there are a lot of people out there who have their degrees but haven't found a job in their desired field.

I have to be patient.  I have to keep trying.  The important thing is that I went to college and got an education.  Yes, my prospects are pretty slim right now.  But the future would be a lot darker if I didn't go to college.  No matter what I have to keep trying.  I've come way too far to just give up.

The Next Big Thing

I'd like to thank John LLeViness III for taking the time to interview me about my first e-book, 'In Due Time.'  You can purchase it at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009QTK8NK
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/253684

If you'd like to know more about John, you can find him here-
http://www.facebook.com/johnlevinessIII

What is the title of your latest book?
'In Due Time.'

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I got the idea from watching the 'Hostel' and 'Saw' movies.

What genre does your book fall under?
I'd have to say horror and suspense.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Wow, I really haven't considered that.

What is the one sentence sypnosis of your book?
Four criminals find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious vigilante, Mr, X.

Is your book self published or reprensented by an agency?
It's self published through Amazon, Lulu and Smashwords.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I'd say about two months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I honestly don't know.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to explore the premise of people exacting revenge on the criminals that hurt them.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
The readers might want to find out what if the criminals get their punishment, or do they escape.

'Dexter Morgan: The Great Anti-Hero'

            Serial killers are always the villain.  They're sadistic monsters who make it their mission to stalk and kill innocent victims.  Normally, we the audience cheers when the serial killers are caught or killed.  It's hard to imagine people cheering for a serial killer.  But what if a serial killer was a hero?  What if there was a serial killer out there we could actually root for?

            Jeff Lindsay created a series of novels that gave the world a serial killer that the world can cheer for.  His hero, or anti-hero if you will, is Dexter Morgan.  Dexter works for the Miami police department as a crime scene technician by day and is a serial killer by night.  However, Dexter only kills criminals.  He's a serial killer and a vigilante all in one.  He's made it his mission to take out the criminals that the law can't or won't touch.

            What makes Dexter such an interesting character is that he's conflicted.  He likes what he does.  He feels he's making the world a safer place by killing vicious criminals.  But at the same time, he wonders if he's helping the world.  He was asked himself: 'Am I good guy doing bad things, or a bad guy doing good things?'

            Showtime has taken the novels and made a great TV series.  Every Sunday, all of us fans tune in to see who will Dexter kill this week.  The show is currently on its seventh season.  Don't worry, I won't give away any spoilers.  But trust me, this is a show you need to watch.  I'm not going to lie.  The show does contain language, violence and sexual scenes.  Consider 'Dexter' your guilty pleasure.

Please Welcome....Mimi Barbour

MIMI BARBOUR

Author of The Vicarage Bench Series, Angels with Attitude Series, and a hot, new romantic suspense series called Vegas. Mimi Barbour lives on the east coast of Vancouver Island and writes her romances with tongue in cheek and a mad glint in her eye. “If I can steal a booklover’s attention away from their every-day grind, absorb them into a love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”

Title: What do you like to read in a Christmas story?

I know what I like to read.

It’s all about families. I’m a sucker for romance, and old folks and an even bigger sucker for kids. When you join those features into one story and add in a heroine you can’t help but love, then the book is my idea of perfect entertainment.

Some of my friends tell me I’m a softie and tend to write naive tales about people who just aren’t that way anymore… kind and thoughtful, loving and giving. I beg to differ!! There is a world full of ‘nice’ people out there. Folks who live every day being helpful to others and generous with their families.

There’s one story in particular I’d like to share. My mother-in-law, a tiny, cranky, eighty-eight-year-old woman who has insisted on staying in her little house because she ….well she can. And the reason this is possible is because of her neighbour. A young man, maybe in his forties, has taken her under his wing (no pun intended) and goes there every day, looks after all her yard work, takes her grocery shopping and even to church. When she forces money on him, he’s terribly uncomfortable and has tried to tell her he doesn’t expect payment. See what I mean by angels in our midst???

My angel in this Christmas story is an old man called Pi. I created him as close to a real person as possible because I truly believe that we are surrounded by angels in our everyday lives. Ordinary people who behave in extraordinary and loving ways. In many cases, both men and women who come to ones aid without needing to be asked. I have friends like that and I’m sure most of you do also. In fact, you’ve probably acted like that yourself at one time or another. We all have stories to tell of the time that we…!

So this Christmas tale is my present to those of you who are suckers for romance and prickly little boys and loveable seniors. For your holiday pleasure, I’ve wrapped up all these elements up in an entertaining parcel called “Lovable Christmas Angel”.

Hint: This would make a perfect gift for someone special on your list who you know is sweet on those special uplifting stories that make the season just that little bit brighter.

Amazon special price 99cents

If you'd like to know more about the author:

Twitter: @MimiBarbour

Blog: http://mimibarbour.blogspot.com

Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/ppw6av

Halloween

          I have many favorite holidays.  Christmas, 4th of July, Easter, and of course Halloween.  When I was a kid, I had so much fun.  Even though I didn't always dress up, I still had fun.  I would help out my brother, Aaron, and my sister, Sam, help pick out their costumes.  My brother and I would act as bodyguards for our sister that night as we escorted her out trick or treating.  I was a picky eater, so instead of eating my candy, I'd give my haul to them earning lots of bonus points with them.

            Horror movies were also a mandatory Halloween staple.  .  Back when I was a kid, my parents were really strict on what movies I could watch.  Watching PG-13 horror movies seemed to ruin my Horror movie experience.  I remember watching Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' on MTV.  The scene where he turned into a werewolf scared me, but being scared by that scene became a tradition. 

            As I got older, my choices in Halloween movies increased.  After finally being able to watch R-rated movies, I would watch as many scary movies as I could.  I would surf the cable channels looking for the goriest, scary movies I could find.  Of course as soon as I found one, the doorbell would ring signaling trick or treaters.

            As an adult, I can still have fun on this holiday.  Of course with work and school, I don't have as much free time as I did when I was a kid.  A lot of people my age go out to the clubs and bars.  I'm not much of a drinker so I prefer to either stay home or go to a friend's house.  Adult or a kid, there's just something about Halloween that's intoxicating.  It's hard to describe.  

Behind The Keyboard: 'In Due Time'

I love to write.  Of course I want to become filthy, stinking rich by doing so.  But I have to be patient.  No one becomes famous overnight.  And if they do, it doesn't seem to last very long.  That being said, I figured I'd give you, my reader and hopefully someday my fan, and look behind my first e-book 'In Due Time.'
I'll do my best not to give away any spoilers.  What's the point of reading a book if you already know how it ends?

I came up with the idea by watching 'Hostel' and 'Saw.'  Those movies were disturbing in which we saw innocent people being tortured to death.  I started to wonder if it would be equally disturbing if criminals were tortured to death.  I mean brutal criminals.  Rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, cop killers.  The kind  people often fantasize about killing.

The four criminals, Kevin, Dawson, Matt and Mitchell are scum.  Three of them have no remorse for their actions.  Matt seems to have some remorse.  But is he truly sorry?  Or is he sorry he got caught?  I wanted to create some truly horrible people.  The kind you want to die by the end of the story.  I tried to give each criminal a personality, a bit of background into them.  I figured the more you knew about them, the more you would hate them.

These four men find themselves in a strange environment.  A mysterious vigilante, Mr. X, has brought them together so they can be punished for the crimes they committed.  Only he knows what fate awaits these men.  He obviously put a lot of planning into this event.  But is he alone?  What does he have planned for his captives?

The story is violent.  If you're going to do a story about criminals being punished, you need to go all out.  You can't hold back.  This story could be considered 'Horror,' or 'Horror\Suspense.'  Horror stories need to have some degree of violence in them.  I'm not saying you have to make it bloody and twisted.  But if you do a Horror story without violence, people won't take it seriously.

The hero (or possibly villain of the story, depending on how you view him) is Mr. X.  Mr. X is the ultimate man of mystery.  I don't even give him an actual name.  I just call him Mr. X.  He's the mastermind of this revenge scenario.  I consider him to be James Bond's evil twin brother.  Both are men or mystery.  Both are capable of violence.  But James Bond commits acts of violence to protect himself and others.  Mr. X planned this nightmare because he could.

I hope by reading this blog you've become interested in my story.  It's only $0.99.  Hopefully this cheap price will entice you to give it a shot.  I am planning on doing a sequel.  I'm just not sure what it'll be about.  I want to do a story worth reading, not some story I slap together at the last minute.  Thank you for reading this blog.  Now go buy my story.  Here are the following links where it can be purchased:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Guardian27
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009QTK8NK