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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Movies for Halloween: Favorite Creepy Movies



Happy Halloween! On my favorite holiday of the year, I thought I would share a list of some of my favorite creepy movies. Enjoy!


BOOKS YOU SHOULDN'T MESS WITH




The Ninth Gate:
A rare book dealer, while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy with supernatural overtones.

In the Mouth of Madness:
An insurance investigator begins discovering that the impact a horror writer's books have on his fans is more than inspirational.

Evil Dead 2:
The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holds up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.



VAMPIRES




Dracula:
The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiancée and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

30 Days of Night:
After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

The Night Flier:
A reporter is on the trial of a vampiric murderer who travels by plane.


WEREWOLVES




The Wolfman:
Upon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man is bitten, and subsequently cursed by, a werewolf.

Dog Soldiers:
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness.

Cursed:
A werewolf loose in Los Angeles changes the lives of three young adults, who, after being mauled by the beast, learn they must kill their attacker if they hope to change their fate to avoid becoming werewolves too.


GHOSTS




The Ring:
A young journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it.

House on Haunted Hill:
A millionaire offers a group of diverse people $1,000,000 to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past.

Dead Silence:
A widower returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist.


MONSTERS/CREATURES




Frankenstein:
When Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man he just created, the monster escapes and later swears revenge.

Boogeyman:
A young man tries to deal with the childhood terror that has affected his life.

Jeepers Creepers:
A brother and sister driving home for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature in the isolated countryside that is on the last day of its ritualistic eating spree.


POSSESSION/DEMONS




The Exorcist:
When a girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose:
A lawyer takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young girl.

Insidious:
A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.


SLASHERS




Halloween:
A psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood for the murder of his sister, escapes and stalks a bookish teenage girl and her friends while his doctor chases him through the streets.

Friday the 13th:
Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

Scream:
A killer known as "ghost face" begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.


CANNIBALS




Silence of the Lambs:
A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre:
A group of friends passing through are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill.

Ravenous:
Captain John Boyd's promotion stations him at a fort where a rescued man tells a disturbing tale of cannibalism.


PSYCHOS




Psycho:
A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Misery:
A famous novelist is "rescued" from a car crash by an obsessed fan.

Play Misty for Me:
A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.


ZOMBIES




Night of the Living Dead:
The unburied dead return to life and seek human victims.

Dawn of the Dead:
A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman, and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.

28 Weeks Later:
Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan.


MOVIES BASED ON BOOKS




I Am Legend:
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.

The Relic:
A homicide detective and an anthropologist try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who's on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.

Rosemary's Baby:
A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.


STEPHEN KING




Salem's Lot:
Writer Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot and discovers that it is being terrorized by vampires.

Storm of the Century:
A strange and powerful creature with the appearance of a man (Colm Feore) has come to the small town of Little Tall Island, Maine during the heaviest snow storm in the last 100 years. He brings with him the darkest secrets of all the townspeople and uses his knowledge to control and drive some of them to suicide and murder. But with every event, he leaves the clear message "Give me what I want and I'll go away." But first, he has to convince everyone that he has the power to destroy the village, if they don't comply. Description written by John Sacksteder.

Secret Window:
A writer is accused for plagiarism by a strange man, who then starts haunting him for "justice."


Photos and summaries from IMDB.com


What are some of your favorite creepy movies?

Hope you have a Happy Halloween!


Waiting on Wednesday #4: Joyland by Stephen King




Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. It is a weekly meme that allows bloggers to talk about what upcoming books they are most looking forward to reading.



My pick of the week is:



Title: Joyland
Author: Stephen King
Publication Date: June 4, 2013 

Synopsis:

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

Why am I looking forward to it?

The cover and description just scream cult classic to me.  I'm already in love with the look and feel of it!

I am a huge fan of Stephen King so I am very excited every time a new book of his is released. What's more exciting is this book looks like a Richard Bachman (Stephen King pen name) book.  Some say Richard Bachman is "Stephen King without a conscience" making those stories darker, bloodier and more gruesome. Sounds like a horror fan's dream right? That's why I can't wait to see if he has created yet another amazing dark horror story.

What are you looking forward to?


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Review: Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris




Title: Deadlocked
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #12
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Ace Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 327
ISBN: 1937007448
ISBN13: 978-1937007447
Copy provided by: Personal Purchase
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | B&N

Synopsis:

Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands.


A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed.

But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistable, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out ... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires ...

My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Review:

First off, I want to say to anyone reading this review:  Some of what I say in this review is negative but the book wasn’t horrible.  If you’ve liked or stuck with this series, don’t give up. Read this one.

Although the Sookie Stackhouse Series has always been one of my favorites, the last few books have not been the same caliber of the previous ones.  While Deadlocked was better than Dead Reckoning, it still did not meet the same level of past books.  Unlike the earlier books, this book barely had any action, humorous dialogue, or Eric.

A part of me feels like I should have waited to read this until I had the last one ready to read right after it.  This book felt like the beginning of a story to me and there will be no conclusion until the next one.  All of the loose ends are beginning to be tied up leaving the last book in the series to conclude the main characters futures.  Based on the ending, I’m pretty sure I have an idea of how the story will end and I’m fine with it.  I sort of thought that’s how it would end up anyway.  I’ll still be a little disappointed but I hope she does a good job with it.

Of course all true Sookie fans should read it and some will enjoy it more than others.  I still enjoyed reading it even though I’m left a little disappointed with the author’s change of heart in writing her story and worry that the last book will not be as grand as it should be.

But overall, I’m still a Sookie fan and will be going crazy with anticipation until I read the very last book.



Monday, October 29, 2012

Book Tour + Giveaway: Enlightened by Devyn Dawson





Welcome, I'm happy to be part of a book tour for a series I highly recommend. 
It's my pleasure to introduce you to Enlightened by Devyn Dawson. I also invite you to enter a giveaway for a lot of cool stuff. Make sure to check out the giveaway at the bottom of the post after you read about the book and it's amazingly talented author.



Title: Enlightened
Series: The Light Tamer, #2
Author: Devyn Dawson
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publication Date: April 14, 2012
Cover Design: Emma Michaels
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Smashwords
Synopsis:

Jessie Lucente, a Light Tamer, has started her junior year at Parca Academy in New Bern, NC. She has a new boyfriend, Caleb Baldwin. He is beyond good looking, he is her mate for life. They've been bound by the light and will rule and heal with it too. Her new classes aren't what she expected. Finding out the school is filled with 'gifted' kids is almost too much to comprehend. She finds out what it really means to be a Light Tamer. Some of the assumptions she had are debunked and now everything is crystal clear...well, clear as mud. Now that she is enlightened with the facts, she struggles with the truth.

Thorne Woodson has all of the girls swooning. His Doc Martens and hoodie stand out against his school uniform. He might be the guy to heal Amber's broken, grieving heart. What's his story, and why does he appear everywhere Jessie is? He has a secret that will change the game for everyone. Who is he in cahoots with?

Amber starts her junior year with a bang and a huge crush. She has a point to prove on the first day of school. She refuses to let everyone believe she went soft over summer break. Her shenanigans end with detention on the first day. The anniversary of her brother's death has her making dumb decisions but her friends have her back. Jessie will struggle to help Amber deal with the grief.

The secrets that have been revealed by Fate will leave Jessie in a new role. It will all come down to bloodline versus logic. She must step up and embrace her new title, and life on the other side of the shimmer. With her small army together, they promise to vanquish Nyx back to the Underworld and seal the portal she came through.

The second book in The Light Tamer trilogy will answer the questions that are burning in your head. A beautiful tale of first love and friendship. Be prepared to be amazed at the twist in this story. You didn't see it coming, but you'll be glad it did!




 Author Bio:
Devyn is a full time writer, wife and pet owner. She's been writing since she was a small child. Her first office job was working for a publisher and data entry of manuscripts. She literally typed them and saved them on real 'floppy discs'. When she was in high school back in the 80's, she would read Stephen King one day and Sweet Valley High the next day. She said one day she'd find a way to merge the two books.

Currently Devyn and her husband of 19 years live in New Bern, North Carolina. Devyn is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and still refers to it as home. She has two adult children, Paris and Hunter. When she realized she would be facing an empty nest and family so far away, she decided to write about characters to entertain her. Her new series The Light Tamer, is about friendship, relationships and falling in love. The Light Tamer series is a younger young adult book, the one that takes you back to the beginning before being jaded. It offers characters that are both good and flawed. Throw in some mythology and you're in for a quick trip that will leave you breathless and enlightened.

Devyn Dawson | Blog Facebook | Twitter




Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Trailer + Giveaway: Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista



Hi, I'm sharing a trailer and giveaway for a soon to be published novel called Reaping Me Softly. For starters I must say I love this cover!



Synopsis:
Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.

At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?
 

Expected Publication: October 30, 2012
Amazon | B&N






So what do you think of the trailer?



Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Promo Event:
Excerpt + Giveaway for Corktown by Ty Hutchinson




Book Description:

The Doctor Is Back.

In the quiet Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, a mutilated body has the residents nervous and for good reason. Detroit Metro Police recognize the handiwork of the serial killer known as the Doctor. But there’s a problem with that. They locked him up seven years ago.


Because of her expertise with serial killers, former hotshot detective and now FBI agent, Abby Kane, is tasked with figuring out how this madman is able to kill again. When she visits The Doctor behind bars, he swears he’s innocent and not the psychopath everyone thinks he is. Oddly enough, Abby believes him.


Corktown dives headfirst into the grit of Detroit, exposing the government corruption and deadly violence that has haunted the city for decades.

Title: Corktown (Abby Kane Novel)
Genre and Age Group: Mystery/Thriller/Adult
Author: Ty Hutchinson
Release date: October 20, 2012
Author Links: Blog | Facebook
Purchase: Amazon



Corktown Excerpt 1

To be honest, I never had many girlfriends growing up. They seemed to come and go. As a teen, I was a bit of a tomboy. I preferred hunting trips with my father to hair braiding sleepovers with girls from school. I liked boys, but second dates were hard to come by after my suitors met my father; the tall, broad-shouldered Irishman that hovered behind me. In lieu of dating, my father taught me to bare-knuckle fight, a favorite pastime in Ireland, he would say. When I graduated from Hong Kong’s Police College at age nineteen, unheard of for a woman, he told me, “I’m proud of you, son.”
I like to think he was joking.
From that point on, my career in law enforcement became my focus; it took over my life. It left little time for what few friends I had and completely ruined any chance of a romance with someone other than myself. My relationships were pathetic at best and upsetting for my mother. All she had ever wanted were grandchildren. What about me, the child you birthed?
“Why Abby?” She would start over Sunday dinner. “Why are you not married? What is wrong? Are you a lazi?”
“What?”
“I knew it; you’re a lazi.”
“I’m not a lazi!”
I finally proved my mother wrong eight years later when I married a man.
Peng Choi was my first true love. He also showed me there was more to life than the job. We enjoyed six months of marital bliss. I say six months because that’s how long we had been married before my old partner, a good friend, sat me down and told me my husband had just been found brutally murdered.
We had no motive and no knowledge of enemies Peng might have had. I wasn’t prepared for that—life shoving its hand into my chest and ripping out all that mattered.
He left me with two young children, Ryan and Lucy, and a mother-in-law, Po Po. Peng was a widower when we fell in love; now I was a widow, and a stepmother to boot.
I dealt with his death by throwing myself into my work. I had all but abandoned the family during that time. My stepchildren were strangers to me and Po Po was fast becoming their mother, a job I slowly started to realize I wanted. So I did what I thought was best. I quit the force and moved the family to San Francisco for a new start on life. Mine, mostly.



Corktown Excerpt 2

The first recognizable sign was an overbearing, metallic smell. The second sign was unavoidable. The crimson substance was everywhere: pooled on the patio tiles, dripping from the tables and chairs, soaked into the lawn, and smeared inside the bounce house. In some of the areas where multiple bodies congregated, the puddles were still splash-worthy.
Preston sat quietly on the patio chair, admiring his handiwork. A total of twenty-two bodies lay strewn about the backyard. Blood dotted Preston’s face and clothing. The grin on his face still stretched from one side to the other.
He had finished them all off, starting with the parents. From there, he moved on to the fourteen children. They were easy—surprisingly, even his own. The last to go was his wife. He still held onto the scalpel he used. In his other hand, he gripped his wife’s hair, holding her head up. Her neck had been opened from one end clear across to the other side. Blood still dripped onto the cement. It was the only sound, except for the buzzing of flies.



Corktown Excerpt 3

The small white house on Campbell Road had two cars in its front yard. Neither of them had tires or windows. The house had a tiny, screened-in front porch, overtaken by dead, potted plants and old electronics. I could hear the television before we made it to the porch steps. It sounded like a court case show.
Wilkinson had to knock twice before someone came to the door.
A white lady shoehorned into denim shorts and wearing layered tank tops opened the door. A cigarette hung from her mouth. “Yeah?” she said, adjusting her shirt.
“I’m Agent Kane. This is Agent Wilkinson. We’re with the FBI. May we ask you a few questions?”
She looked at us as if she had a choice, like there were options to consider. Eventually, she turned around and walked away, leaving the door open.
I entered the house first. I wished I hadn’t. The smell of cat urine nearly destroyed my nose. I didn’t bother to hide my reaction either. Wilkinson had a bit more self-control. By my count, there were eight furry felines either walking or lying on the furniture. Our host had already taken her seat in front of the television.
“Are you Lisa Bass?” I asked. She didn’t respond, so I picked up the remote and shut the television off.
“Hey, I was watching that.”
The strong stench of urine had fouled my mood and left me with little patience. I tried once again, with a little bitch sprinkled in the tone. “Are you Lisa Bass?”
“Hell, no,” she said, yanking her head back. I could count the chins.


Giveaway: The author is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card and (5) eBook copies of CORKTOWN open International. Open to US is (3) signed paperback copies of CORKTOWN.


International Giveaway:



US Giveaway: