Updates n’ Such

It’s been several months since I’ve done a proper update blog, so I wanted to just sit down, listen to my Haddaway, and give you all an idea of everything going on now. Yes… I’m listening to 80’s music. Don’t judge.

BRAND NEW WEBSITE! Yes, if you haven’t been over to the website in a while, go check it out. I’ve changed the domain name back to www.monstrumchronicles.com and have simplified the layout. It looks cleaner, it’s easier to find information, and it looks much more professional. I’m pretty satisfied with it. I’d still like to get a character page up for some of the main characters in The Monstrum Chronicles but that may take a little while.

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Horror-FAIL Friday: My OLD Writing Pt. 2

Last week, I shared with you a horrific piece of writing from my past which entailed a group of cat shape-shifting vampires who died by turning to glitter in the sunlight and were obsessed with drinking rainwater. It’s terrible. It’s worse than terrible. It’s a Greek tragedy. As much as it pains me to continue sharing said story with you, it’s good to have the reminder that this was a long time ago…and I’ve learned a lot since then. A LOT. When I read the old writing, I can’t help but laugh and really, that is all that’s important now. Since this particular story had several chapters, I’ll be sharing sections of this with you over the coming weeks. It’s all for entertainment value now. I’ll be including comments in brackets throughout the piece which are my declarations of “Really? REALLY!?” I’ve left the spelling-errors in so you can have the full experience of awful. Prepare to laugh…and maybe cry…and definitely face-palm.

Agatha Crisp-ie Literary Cooking Adventure

Delicious desserts and death abound in my latest Literary Cooking Adventure. As a tribute to the wonderful Agatha Christie, I wanted to make something sweet and irresistible that wouldn’t have any chocolate. This winter, my chocolate consumption has gotten a little out of hand. Therefore, when I ran across a simple recipe for a triple berry crisp, I knew that would be just the thing to curb my chocolate addiction (I say as I mow down on a piece of chocolate chip banana bread).

Inspiration Through Music: Tomb Raider

This is not the first time I’ve done a dance with Tomb Raider music before on this blog. Earlier, I talked about how much the soundtrack to “Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness” (composed by Peter Connelly and Martin Iveson) had inspired several scenes for my latest book in The Monstrum Chronicles and earlier projects (including an earlier version of Night Time, Dotted Line when it was a thriller and not a comedy.) Admittedly, the Tomb Raider series is one of my favorites from my childhood, especially the first two games. When I discovered I could play the games in the CD player and listen to all of the different musical tracks, I was beyond excited. I was writing a fantasy novel about cats at the time (NOT the vampire/cat book…Ugh) and listened to these songs as inspiration. Losing myself in a song allows me to imagine places that don’t seem to be of earthly creation. It’s easier to create a place that is more sinister, or magical, or mysterious if there is a distraction from my everyday surroundings.  At the time, that was being bullied at school and listening to my brother practice his trumpet. (Sorry, bro.)

Horror-FAIL Friday: My OLD Writing Pt.1

There comes a point in every writer’s career when they go back and look at old material. I’m not speaking of stories put away in drawers to reflect on. No. I’m talking about the early stuff. What some might call “embarrassing” writing. It’s the stories that we wrote when we were in school and had little to no concept of how life really was or would be. It’s the kind of writing you look back on and laugh at and think, “Wow. I’m so glad I’ve learned so much since then.” Well, folks, I’m about to dive into that dark and dangerous filing cabinet and select a story that I haven’t looked at in quite some time…

My Horror-FAIL Friday blog is admittedly a petty and often critical blog. While it’s funny to look at examples of horror that can be written better or has been created for the sole premise of jump-scaring and shocking the reader, I always feel a little ashamed at myself for poking and laughing at them. Everyone deserves a chance to improve upon their work, especially those who are legitimately trying to produce something quality. And so that’s why I’m pulling a masochistic move and sharing some of my early writing…my awful writing with you.

Horror-FAVE SATURDAY – Tormentum: Dark Sorrow

I cannot say enough good things about this game. It’s just…kind of perfect. The artwork is phenomenal, the atmosphere is grim and depressing, the characters multi-faceted and intriguing, the plot easy to follow and engaging, and the music…is absolutely divine!

While Tormentum: Dark Sorrow isn’t strictly in the horror genre, it does have some dark fantasy elements to it and definitely features some horrifying plot-points and imagery. It tells the story of a nameless protagonist who finds himself caged by an empire set on making people suffer for the sins they’ve committed, often through gruesome torture. The protagonist doesn’t remember what he’s done, nor does he remember his life before being captured. In addition to seeking an escape from his captors, he seeks to understand what led him down this dark road, often encountering tests of his morality along the way.

Katherine Silva “Memento Mori” Book Review

Instead of our usual Horror-FAIL/FAVE Friday blog, I’m reblogging this wonderful review that author, Rob Watts, wrote for my latest book, “Memento Mori”! So grateful and thankful that he enjoyed it!

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Book Review: “Memento Mori” by Katherine Silva
Review byRob Watts
@RobWattsOnline

Synopsis- In this prequel to Vox and Aequitas, Whitaker Hayward, an out-of-work architect, is contracted by one of Seraphim City’s affluent magnates, Blumstein, to investigate a room in a long forgotten house on the outskirts of the city; a room that has no doors. Doing this means re-visiting a past he’s tried desperately to forget. But this job could be his salvation. It could be his way of leaving it all behind for good. Unless this job isn’t all its cracked up to be…

Review- Cleverly, Memento Mori, book three in The Monstrum Chronicles serves as a prequel to the previous releases, Vox and Aequitas. For those who may be unfamiliar with this dark and dramatic series, Memento Mori makes a good starting point. However, for Silva’s longstanding fan base, they’re sure to find satisfaction in…

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Frankenswine: Literary Cooking Adventure

IT’S ALIVE!

While stumbling across the internet as I often do in search of new and wonderful recipes, I happened upon one for some delicious sweet potato, bacon turkey burgers. I mean…how have I been existing without such a marvelous concoction as this in my diet? There’s bacon IN the burger! I had to give it a try.

Inspiration Through Music: Johann Johannsson

A couple years ago, I was introduced to a short animated film called Varmints. This 24 minute film covers themes of deforestation and urbanization in a touching and inspiring narrative. While I was impressed with the film, its music, composed by Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson, was what I truly enjoyed about it. The kind of music that is subtle and dark and lovely in its composition because it’s not trying too hard to be noticed. It complimented the imagery on screen and hinted at the darker themes that the film was highlighting. I kept an eye on his other projects and was excited to see that he composed for the film, “Prisoners”, a thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman. Both protagonists in their pursuit for justice and understanding, begin to slide down a blurring path or morality and find themselves doing things they never thought they’d be capable of. As of late, Johannsson has won a Golden Globe Award for his work on the Stephen Hawking biopic, “The Theory of Everything”.

Horror-FAIL Friday: Plot Holes and Jeff the Killer

So…I’m just going to come out and say it: I’m not a fan of any Jeff the Killer-themed stories to begin with. The original creepypasta story tells of a man with “dark” and “ominous” eyes with a “psychotic smile” and the kid that became him. This occurs through a series of ridiculous and overly violent circumstances involving a troupe of twelve year old bullies, a pointless birthday party, and spontaneous combustion. Let’s not forget the immediate and unnatural insanity that overtakes him, causing him to brutally kill almost everyone around him. The language of the story is mediocre at best and the ridiculous ending pretty much ensures that there’s no way I’d be losing any sleep after reading this. “Go to sleep”? Sure thing. See you in the morning.