Horror-Fail Friday: A Likely Story!

Horror-FAIL Friday

Every good horror story, film, or game has a story behind it. It doesn’t need to be intricate in order for it to have good atmosphere and be frightening…the premise just needs to be plausible. When a game tells you that the character had heard about a haunted mental hospital and, despite being warned, just HAD to go there… that’s not really the best way to start out. There isn’t even a reason given for why this character felt so compelled to go there. Also, saying that the character blacked out upon arrival and woke up later to find that he was in the exact same place he fainted in…isn’t really jarring information. But, as we delve further into the “mystery” of this game following HarshlyCritical, the story continues to hand us plot points that don’t quite add up.

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Formatting with Microsoft Word: A Guide to Frustration

NOOOO!!!

Yes, the above picture sums up my reaction every year I must format and layout a paperback with Microsoft Word. I am currently undergoing this mission again as I work on the paperback version of my latest novel “Memento Mori”. I am fully aware that there are other programs I can use for this task; but since I’m practically surviving on rice and bread right now, I’m not in the position to make that kind of change. I’m also aware that there is a 2013 version, which doesn’t seem to have cleared up some of the issues that have caused me problems in the predecessor. After having spent a substantial amount of time dealing with page alignment, headers and footers, page numbers, glossary writing, and the always tricky page breaks, I’ve decided to create a guide to how I feel about each one of them. 

Snow-pocalypse: Winter Storm Writing Fun

So, if you live in Maine (or anywhere in New England for that matter), this picture above probably describes how you felt today. On three separate occasions today, I spent time digging out my door from impending snowdrifts, and even futilely attempted to dig out the staircase at ground level before the wind filled it all back in again.

Doing all that work in the bitter cold and cutting wind was, however, a welcome experience for me. Why? Because as I’ve now sat down with a nice hot cup of tea, I’ve returned to an apocalyptic story set during the Maine winter that I’d begun a couple years ago and lost my focus on. The characters have been speaking to me for a while as I’ve been working on other projects and I know I can’t ignore them any longer. I feel as though I’ve found the right mood, the right voice, and the right way to tell this story now and I can’t wait to really buckle down and work on it.

Horror-Fail Friday: Elves…Aren’t Scary

Horror-FAIL Friday

So… Christmas Elves are not scary. Figured I should just come right out and say it. Especially when they are designed to look like a Nerf ball with eyes and Chicklets for teeth. They also make a monotone honk like a clarinet whenever they’re about to attack. The point of the indie game “Nightmare From My Bed” puts the player hiding under their bed from elves that have suddenly developed psychopathic murderous tendencies and want to end your life.

Cooking Adventure: Banff Edition

COOKING ADVENTURE: VIDEO BANFF EDITION

So, we still have about two weeks until the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour comes to the wonderful little town of Camden, Maine. Every year, the Banff Centre in Canada holds a film festival where hundreds of athletes professional and amateur, budding and professional film makers all compete for the chance to be shown in the World Tour. This year, like last year, I was eager to do a Cooking Adventure that was, in a sense, “adventure” themed.

Shout-Out Sunday: A New Blog for 2015

SHOUT-OUT SUNDAY

SHOUT-OUT SUNDAY is a blog post meant to highlight other authors/writers and/or their books. I’m all for getting the word out on fledgling writers, especially those that have written engaging and interesting work. These posts will range from book reviews, to Q&A sessions, to guest posts. I’m even happier to feature you if you specialize in horror/sci-fi/fantasy fiction. I will not feature erotica fiction on this blog. If you have an interest in being shown on Shout-Out Sunday, please send an email to info@voxthebook.com. As this is my blog, I do have the right to decide who gets featured and when they are featured. If you have a requested date to line up with a blog tour or for a book release, I will try to make it work but I won’t guarantee it. I’d like to start posting Shout-Out Sunday blogs as soon as February.

Thanks!

~KSilva

Horror Fail Friday: JUMP SCARES!

JUMP SCARE!

Horror media, whether it is a film, video game, or book loves to employ jump scares. What exactly is a jump scare you may be wondering? Well, let’s put it this way: Say your main character is driving to a party at a friend’s house outside the city. All of a sudden, their car breaks down. They’re on an empty stretch of road and are forced to walk to find help. After trekking through the woods for over an hour, they happen upon a derelict mansion and go inside searching for a phone or something to aid them with fixing the car. The house is old, dark, and creaks with every gust of wind. The character digs out a flashlight and begins exploring. And then…this happens…

2015 and Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Are Happenin’!

2015 is here and the Monstrum Chronicles Blog is undergoing a Re-Vamp!

Well, I’m about fifteen days late for saying “Happy New Year” but I’m going to say it regardless. “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” It’s been a bit of a rough one for me as I’ve been recovering from a nasty kidney infection. I’m finally getting back into the swing of things and am diving right into my plans for 2015. As some of you may remember, I’ve dedicated 2015 to the pursuit of writing, blogging, and enjoying myself versus struggling to try and publish anything new. I’m standing by that assertion about 85% of the way, ha ha.

I have plans to release a paperback copy of “Memento Mori: Book 3 of the Monstrum Chronicles” which released for Amazon Kindle in December of 2014. I don’t have a release date on that at the moment but I’m hoping it should be out within the first quarter of the year (January-April). In addition to the release of a paperback Book 3, I’m currently working on a short story chronicling the adventures of a minor character from “Memento Mori”. This, too, has no release date but it will only be available as an e-book when it’s finished.

And now, for the blog! I will completely admit that I slacked off majorly during the last quarter of 2014. I was so busy trying to get that book published, and once the holidays set in, it left me with little to no time to write blogs. Therefore, since I have more time to have fun with the blog this year, I’m going to return to some blogs that I’m sure have been missed as well as some new ones…