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Multiversioned Stories (Or, Get Snow White a Chainsaw!)
I was just reminded of the existence of Inkitt, a “story-farm” company similar to Wattpadd. Writers on Inkitt post stories, some of which earn mass readership. But Inkitt has a twist that I’ll let this TechCrunch article explain. Everyone has a story in them, as someone famous once said. A startup called Inkitt believes that…
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Creepy Donald Sutherland Movies
Though I seldom comment on a celebrity’s death unless I have some personal story about them, I did feel an extra kick in the gut when Donald Sutherland died. He was a face so present for the entirety of my life (his career was in full swing in the seventies when I was born) that…
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Weekend Friday the 13th Binge
I’m going to make a minor confession that may seriously impact my standing as a horror aficionado: I have never liked the “Friday the 13th” film series. Can’t say why exactly, I just always found the plodding serial killer archetype represented by “…13th’s” Jason (and “Halloween’s” Micheal Meyers) kind of dumb. I much preferred the…
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Roger Corman, RIP
Reading through this NY TImes obit of exploitation director Roger Corman, I was struck by how many of the films mentioned I have seen: “The Wild Angels,” “The Trip” (a cautionary tale about LSD starring Jack Nicholson), “The Intruder” (a cautionary tale about racist demagogues starring Bill Shatner), “The Little Shop of Horrors”, “A Bucket…
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Appearance on “Do You Like Scary Movies” Podcast
A few weeks back, I taped an appeared on the “Do You Like Scary Movies” podcast. (In fact, I do like scary movies.) The podcast is produced by the same folks who did the Arithmophobia anthology I had a short story in early this year. It was a fun talk about horror films, horror writing,…
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New Review for “Terrors from the Toybox” Anthology
I had a short story in a toy themed horror anthology last year. The reviews are still coming in, such as this one from Mathew Fryer’s blog, that comments on several of the stories, including my own. In “A Decent Guy” by Wil Forbis, we meet Bennett: a successful family man whose son has a…
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Double Trouble in film noir flick “The Dark Mirror”
One of my ongoing writing projects is a novel that riffs on the premise of a pair of female twins, one good, one evil. I’m aware this is well-worn territory in thrillers, and was happy to recently discover the 1947 film “The Dark Mirror”, which operates in the same space. (It’s free on youtube.) As…
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Horrorrevolution reviews “What Waits in the Shadows”
Just got word of a new review for my novel at the web site horrorrevolution. I’ll give a teaser here, but click here to read it in full. A story about myths, monsters, and the unescapable monstrosity of man, What Waits in the Shadows is an excellent book that plays off of common childhood fears…
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Nights of Horror
I’m in between edits on book number two and am trying to wash my brain out by writing a new short story which is tied to the subject of comics books from the 50s-60s. During some research (yes, I occasionally do research) I stumbled across mention of a strange comic from the 50s called “Nights…
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Thoughts on AI #1 – Is AI Training theft?
WARNING: THIS IS LONG AND BORING AND FULL OF TECH STUFF (Well, not that much actually.) There’s been a lot of discussion lately on the topic of what’s called generative AI, which is the term de jour for artificial intelligence software creating “art”, e.g. fiction, visual arts, animation and video and whatnot. (Technically, it would…
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Great review for “Arithmophobia”
I’ve mentioned in a few places that the short story “Solve for X” I wrote for the recently released anthology “Arithmophobia: An Anthology of Mathematical Horror” has a special place in my heart. I was really heartened that a reviewer for the web site The Horror Revolution picked up on what I was trying to…
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Bibliophilia Templum reviews “What Waits in the Shadows”
The website, run by a fellow John Saul fan, has kind words for my new novel. I cannot say enough good things about this incredible novel. It has elements of psychological horror, supernatural horror, and suspense—so much suspense and tension. What Waits in the Shadows is a shelf-worthy, 5-star, highly recommended chilling horror read that…
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The Fear of Strangers (in “Fear” and “Greta”)
If you’re a highly successful horror author loved by millions, it’s good to be aware of the different fears that percolate through the human psyche. Or, if you’re me, an author who’s royalties from today paid for about a third of my cup of coffee (and this is a good day), well, it’s still a…
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World Premier of my Animation “Creepwalking”
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Where is the Line for Plagiarism?
I ask this question because plagiarism is in the news lately. Harvard’s President recently lost her job after being accused of plagiarism in her academic work. I’ve been thinking more about plagiarism as it relates to AI tools like ChatGPT that have been trained on existing human writing. Several authors like Sarah Silverman have sued…