The Cerebral  Writer
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Links

Love the Atmosphere!

10/23/2013

11 Comments

 
Picture
One of the aspects I love so much about Halloween is the ambiance that comes with it.  I adore the cotton spider webs, the glow of Jack-o-lanterns, the witches, the goblins, and everything else that makes my favorite holiday so dark and spooky.  It goes without saying that this is the time of year when horror authors shine their brightest.

I remember going all out one year in my outdoor decorations, making gravestones out of floral foam, buying dry ice to put in a cauldron on the porch, covering the entire front of the house with spider webs and plastic spiders, carving terrifying faces on the pumpkins, and compiling a track of midi horror songs.  The display was so scary I answered the door to more than one parent who had to come to the porch in place of his or her child, who watched from a safer distance with friends or other family members.

When it comes to my choice in Halloween movies, I want just as much atmosphere.  Give me Gothic castles, full moons, rolling fog obscuring dark nights, creepy music, and supernatural monsters.  There’s something about watching Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein, or a good, old-fashioned Hammer film that really sets the mood.  I also enjoy the themed episodes of my favorite television shows and the spirit of the horror authors’ community coming together to supply the unsuspecting reader with thrilling new stories to read.


This year, I’m happy to help Coffin Hop Press promote its Halloween benefit anthology, Death by Drive-In, the proceeds of which will be donated to the literacy program Lit World.

Picture
While I’m not a contributing author, I support the cause and am happy to be a part of this year’s Coffin Hop.  Nearly a hundred horror authors are banning together to support Death by Drive-In and make your Halloween especially creepy, giving away books and other goodies—and giving you all sorts of chances to win.  Go to www.coffinhop.com for a list of other participating authors.

For my part, I’m offering one reader a signed copy of my Gothic horror novel, Finding Poe, and another an electronic copy of Death by Drive-In, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.  I chose Finding Poe because I feel it's the embodiment of all I love about Halloween: it’s atmospheric, dark, creepy, and twisted.  Inspired by the best works of Edgar Allan Poe, the story speculates how his own writing—most notably, his unfinished, untitled short story most of us know as "The Lighthouse"—may have contributed to his untimely death.
Picture
More about Finding Poe:

When reality and fiction collide, there's no telling what horrors might ensue. 

In the wake of her husband's haunted death, Karina must sift through the cryptic clues left behind in order to solve the mystery behind his suicide—all of which point back to the elusive author, Edgar Allan Poe.  

Karina soon finds that reality, dream, and nightmare have become fused into one as she journeys from a haunted lighthouse in New England to Baltimore, where the only man who might know the answers to her many questions resides.

But will she find her answers before insanity rips her grip on reality for good?  Might a man she's never met hold the only key to a truth more shocking than even she could have imagined?

Finding Poe was a 2013 EPIC Awards finalist in Horror.

What do you enjoy most about Halloween?  What are your favorite movies to watch and books to read during the spookiest month of the year?


11 Comments
A. F. Stewart link
10/24/2013 06:17:57 am

Your book looks great.

Reply
Joanna link
10/24/2013 07:16:07 am

Love the cover of your book. Would love to read it! I agree with you wholeheartedly on the atmosphere of Halloween: that's exactly why it's the perfect holiday. I can never make it through October without watching Trick 'r Treat, Nightmare Before Christmas, or one of the many Halloween movies. As for reading, it's hard to go wrong with a good festive story by Bradbury! Truly a man who appreciated Halloween.

Reply
Lori Parker link
10/24/2013 08:34:31 am

I love the sounds and scents of fall. It is a season to finish projects and plan for the holidays. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I can have my favorite book characters and themes come by for a visit. This year, I'm celebrating by reading zombie novels. They're smelly, dumb, and hungry, but they're still dangerous. Reminds me a bit of... Never mind. Must be politically correct.

Reply
Nina D'Arcangela link
10/24/2013 09:46:33 am

Fantastic book cover. Happy Hopping!

Reply
Jeanette Jackson
10/24/2013 01:15:27 pm

I go back to the classics this time of year. I watch horror all year and it's nice to go back to the roots of horror once a year. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman are the ones I always dig out plus others from the '30's, '40's and some scifi '50's. I also turn out the lights around 9pm and listen to War of the Worlds radio broadcast in the dark.

Reply
Julianne Snow link
10/24/2013 02:10:32 pm

Great post Lisa!!

Reply
Paul Stansfield link
10/25/2013 03:51:52 am

I appreciate this season because it's the one time of year that everybody's morbid. As for books--"The Exorcist", "Silence of the Lambs", "Dracula", anything by Stephen King. For movies, those made from those books (well, not all the King ones--lots of disappointments there), as well as "The Thing ('82)", Romero's early "Dead" movies, and the "Evil Dead' series.

Reply
Michelle link
10/26/2013 01:40:11 am

I love everything about the season: the chill in the air, the color of autumn, the sound of the leaves underfoot, the change in wardrobe, eating chili & drinking hot chocolate or spiced warm cider, and of course, everything creepy - movies or books.

Reply
james garcia jr link
10/27/2013 11:04:40 pm

Wow! Finding Poe sounds really good. No wonder it was a finalist. I'd love to win a copy of that. I'll add it to my goodreads shelf in case I don't - that way I won't forget it in that sea of books that are out there. *sigh*

-Jimmy

Reply
Cait
10/28/2013 02:51:35 am

I have Finding Poe and can't wait to read it, thanks so very much!! Looks fabulous!

Reply
Teresa Henson
10/28/2013 12:29:08 pm

I like watching the costumes the kids come up with that isn't a super hero or cartoon or the like. I like having the chance to use your imagination and be something completely different.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Privacy Policy:

    No names or e-mail addresses listed in blog post replies will result in mailing list additions or sharing/sales to other sites via the Cerebral Writer.

    All email addresses, unless added intentionally to the body text of a post or response, will remain hidden from public view.

    Archives

    April 2021
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008


    Categories

    All
    Aftermath
    Animals
    Anthologies
    Awards
    Bestseller List
    Bizarro
    Blogging
    Classics
    Contests
    Critical Analysis
    Dystopia
    Edgar Allan Poe
    Editors
    Excerpts
    Film
    Finding Poe
    Flash Fiction
    God
    Grammar
    Guest Blogs
    Horror
    Humanitarians
    Interviews
    Jane The Hippie Vampire
    Language
    Leigh M. Lane
    Literary Fiction
    Lupus
    Marketing
    Movies
    Muses
    Musicians
    My Books
    Myths Of Gods
    My Writing
    My Writing
    Nook
    Novellas
    On Writing
    On Writing
    Opinion
    Other Great Authors
    Paying It Forward
    Pirates
    Poetry
    Racism
    Redrafting
    Revelations
    Reviews
    Rod Serling
    Screenplays
    Self Publishing
    Short Stories
    Speculative Fiction
    Television
    The Hidden Valley
    The Private Sector
    The Twilight Zone
    This Site
    Trailers
    Urban Fantasy
    Vampires
    Weird Western
    Words
    World Mart
    Zombies

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.