The Landmark Trust Properties: For writers, the perfect quiet places
The Kipling Carriage House. It was originally (obviously), where the carriages were kept, and we think that the kitchen was probably an add-on, although it was well integrated. According to the Landmark Properties, it was converted from a Carriage House to living quarters at some point. It is nicely modernized now, and the flow of the place feels organic.
Quiet time. It’s probably what’s most sought after by writers in terms of creation, next to, of course, inspiration. Sometimes, being at home in the middle of life—even if you’ve got an office or favorite spot to which you can retreat—isn’t going to give you either thing. Read the rest of this entry
My story “Crawl” now available in TRICKS AND TREATS, signings slated, check out the trailer!
Sometimes babysitting on Halloween in a centuries-old house isn’t a good idea.
My short story, “Crawl,” is now available in Tricks & Treats: A Collection of Spooky Tales by Connecticut Authors. Published by Books & Boos Press, it’s available at several bookstores in the state, but the easiest place to pick it up is probably on Amazon. You can get it in print or for Kindle here: https://amzn.com/0997932902
With a Foreword by writer Rob Watts, also in the collection are stories by Connecticut writers Stacey Longo (Amston), Melissa Crandall (Hebron), G. Elmer Munson (Vernon), Dan Foley (Manchester), John Valeri (Portland), and Ryanne Strong (Norwich), but what makes this collection really stand out is the appearance of a couple of lesser-heralded creepy stories by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Twain’s rarely-discussed “The Californian’s Tale” is a ghost story (of sorts) that’s really about the nature of grief, while Stowe’s framed narrative (very typical of the ghost stories of the time) is one with a moral bent.
Gilman’s “The Giant Wistaria” (a personal fave of mine) is only one of three ghost stories she wrote; the other two, I believe, are “The Rocking Chair” and “The Yellow Wall-Paper.” “The Giant Wistaria” pre-dates her infamous “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” for which she’s most known, and it, too, has early feminist themes. It’s atmospheric and disturbing.
A giant wistaria vine.
Finishing out the book is John G.C. Brainard’s poem “Maniac’s Song.” Brainard was a poet and lawyer who was born and lived in Connecticut in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Come and meet the (still living, ha!) writers and hear some samples to whet your appetite for the spooky at a couple of pre-Halloween readings/signings! We’ll be at the Whiton branch of the Manchester library (N. Main Street) in Manchester, CT (http://library.townofmanchester.org/) on Monday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. We’ll also be at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT, on Wednesday, October 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Here’s hoping I see you there!
Read more about this exciting seasonal collection in the Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/community/hebron/hc-ugc-article-new-halloween-anthology-comprised-of-all-conn-2016-09-05-story.html, and watch the official trailer here: https://youtu.be/GkaGyqts8oE
Who remembers Chicken Rock? 7 Creepy Tales of Candlewood Lake…
This map marks the tales’ (approximate) locations.
Many writers pull their inspiration from childhood; fortunately, I had plenty of urban legends in mine–many surrounding Candlewood Lake.
New England Horror Writers recently posted a collection of these tales I put together: “Seven Creepy Tales of Candlewood Lake.” You can read them here: http://nehw.blogspot.com/2016/08/legends-of-candlewood-lake-guest-blog.html
If you grew up on or near the lake, do you remember any of these? I asked a few people when I was working on this and found out that yes, many do (everyone, especially, seems to recall the one about “The Kids in the Pipe” up at Lynn Deming)…and almost no one didn’t know Chicken Rock!
Anyway, enjoy! If you remember any of this, feel free to share in the comments below.
My sister prepares to jump off a concrete wall into (very shallow) water at the CTTA Beach in New Milford, CT, in the summer of 1982. Ah, unsupervised children. It was a thing.
Short Story Sunday: Team Effort
Team Effort, Ed Gorman
According to IMDB, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves—which turns 25 this year—was the tenth most popular film in 1991, but that didn’t stop every publisher from jumping on the tie-in bandwagon. Signet put its entry in the capable hands of speculative anthologist Martin H. Greenberg, who compiled a collection I mostly forget except for Ed Gorman’s “Team Effort”—a succinct little piece that gets Read the rest of this entry
We cleaned out a filing cabinet at work and found this…
When I looked at this it instantly took me back to my teens.
I actually remember buying these when I was a teen! We were astonished (and also terrified…clearly, we need to be cleaning out cabinets more often!). The copyright on the box says “1985,” Read the rest of this entry
Starts this week!
Dark Discussions takes the plunge and dives deep into six films of aquatic terror in our Killer Fish Fest!
We are not going to tell you which films we’re going to cover; you’ll have to find out as we go, but all of our episodes released in August will have to do with some kind of scary aquatic horror movie.
New episodes of Dark Discussions are released every Thursday on I-Tunes, Stitcher, and at http://www.darkdiscussions.com/. To get release announcements and to talk all things horror film with other DD fans (quite a knowledgeable, busy, and fun bunch), join the Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/DarkDiscussionsPodcast/
Get out those bathing suits and take a dip with us!
5 Ways to Follow Generation Space — Lofty Ambitions Blog
I’m so excited to read this! I took a workshop with Douglas up at the Norman Mailer Writers Colony six years ago, and I’m a big fan of his blog (even though I don’t always have time to read it all).
Generation Space: A Love Story is in production and will be out from Stillhouse Press in February 2017. We’re excited! 5 ways to follow the book and the two of us: Twitter @GenerationSpace @GenerationSpaceToo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GenerationSpaceToo Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Leahy/e/B001JP2FR6 http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-R.-Dechow/e/B00UO6JY2A Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/15274667.Anna_Leahy http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/14254395.Douglas_R_Dechow Our Websites (the book website is coming soon!) http://amleahy.com http://douglasdechow.com BONUS: The Blog (right […]
via 5 Ways to Follow Generation Space — Lofty Ambitions Blog
Volcano, by Yvonne Weekes
I couldn’t put this down. Beautifully written and wrought with an overwhelming sadness, Weekes’ memoir about Soufriere Hills, a dormant volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat which roared to life in 1995, packs much into few pages.
If you’re looking for Read the rest of this entry
A FRANKENSTEIN of a weekend: Ro-Con 2, Scares that Care
Cons! They are so much fun, but there are so many of them. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to have a choice on the same weekend—like this year; fortunately, it wasn’t hard (and it would have been), because circumstances beyond my control made the choice for me. I’ll be at Ro-Con 2 in Mystic, CT; my Dark Discussions co-hosts will be at Scares that Care in Williamsburg, VA…but at both, we’ll be discussing Frankenstein.
Ro-Con 2 “showcases all that the geeky and creative communities of Southeastern Connecticut have to offer.” The weekend is packed with panels on everything from self-defense and research to costuming and geek dating. The con also includes a writing track.
My schedule (subject to change – this is according to what’s available now) is as follows:
Saturday, Noon: Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading: I’ll be reading something from (probably) my most recently completed soon-to-be-published-in-Dark Passages 2 story “Mujina.” I’m not sure how many of us will be reading, but I know I’m joining the very awesome D.L. Carter!
Saturday, 3 p.m.: Submissions Workshop: Everything you need to know about the right way to submit your short stories to magazines or anthologies. Plenty of hand-outs! (Solo)
Saturday, 5 p.m.: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Television in the ‘70s and ‘80s: Everything from the Bionic Man’s Bigfoot Episode to Wizards and Warriors and the original Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark! (with Mario DiGiacomo and Ari Alpert)
Sunday, Noon: Stuff Your Stories: Metaphor, simile, theme, motif…all the basics to enrich your story. (Solo)
Sunday, 3 p.m.: Bad Endings: What makes a good ending for a story? That depends. (With Keith R.A. DeCandido and Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert)
The weekend will kick off for me when I’m on the “Lake Geneva, 200 Years Later” panel—a discussion of Frankenstein and that summer night during “The Year Without a Summer”—with Mario DiGiacomo and Keith R.A. DeCandido at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 22.
For more information on Ro-Con 2 and to get tickets, visit here: http://ro-con-2.blogspot.com/
Meanwhile, approximately eight hours south at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Williamsburg, VA, the Dark Discussions Team will be paneling “Discussing Frankenstein” at Scares That Care. This third annual 501(c)(3) event is completely for the benefit of families with ill children or women with breast cancer; according to their website, to date they’ve donated over $100,000 to various organizations.
The Scares That Care Weekend has something for everyone: a 5K race, celebrity appearances, writer readings, film showings, zombie hunts, panels, seminars…you name it, they’ve got it. The Dark Discussions crew will have a table and raffle off items to help raise money for the cause, and co-hosts Eric, Mike, Phil, and Patrick Lacey’s “Discussing Frankenstein” panel will take place from 11 a.m. – Noon on Saturday, July 23. Philip and Patrick will also be reading from their work at some point during the weekend.
Find out more about Scares That Care—and get the weekend’s complete schedule of offerings—here: http://scaresthatcareweekend.com/
If you’re in or near either of these events, stop in and say hello. And if not? I hope you have one happy Frankenstein of a weekend!
Short Story Sunday: A Perfect Day for Bananafish
A Perfect Day for Bananafish, J.D. Salinger
This story of a man just returned from the Army on a vacation with his wife is probably the first I’d ever read in which I didn’t see
