Interview with Horror Writer V. Castro #Interview

Interview with V. Castro

V. Castro is a Mexican American horror author originally from San Antonio, Texas. She is a book and movie reviewer for Scifiandscary.com.

V, thank you for agreeing to talk to me today!! I love the review that you recently did for Sci/Fi and Scary!

Thank you! I absolutely love writing film reviews. I am that annoying person screaming at the TV when someone does something stupid. Have people in horror films never seen a horror film?!

 When did you first start writing Horror?

 I was just a girl. Once I picked up Scary Stories To Tell in The Dark, I was hooked. I’ve always wanted to write but never felt encouraged enough, so I stopped. It was during a very difficult time emotionally that I decided to just go for it. I needed to stop hiding.

 You currently live in England do you see a difference in British horror to American horror?

 I don’t feel there is a huge difference because the core of horror transcends borders. As humans we all fear the same things to a certain degree. Hate, pain, death, anxiety, The Other all live within our minds and take shape as different things across cultures. Fear is fear.

 What writing advice would you give your younger self?

 Don’t compare and just go for it! Don’t let fear and self-doubt determine your life choices. Although, I still tell this to myself every day.

 There is a trend for authors to provide a playlist for their latest books. If you had a play list for Maria the Wanted what would it be?

 My book references music throughout! Music is part of the tale! I’ve included music to give the reader a feel for the scene and the character’s personalities. Here are a few.

 Opening terror scene: Devil Inside by Inxs

Como La Flor- Selena

Behind Blue Eyes- The Who

White Wedding- Billie Idol

When Doves Cry- Prince

Freebird -Lynyrd Skynyrd

Muevete- DLG

Black Gold of The Sun-Rotary Connection

Blue In Green- Miles Davis

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood- Nina Simone 

Bound To The Floor- Local H

Hold On We’re Going Home- Drake

Bring My Family Back- Faithless

I Put A Spell On You- Nina Simone

Head Like A Hole- Nine Inch Nails

You Do Something To Me- Paul Weller

Just The Way You Are- Billy Joel

 Do you find being a reviewer more difficult than being an author?

 Yes. I don’t want to not like something someone has created, especially if they are indie.  It takes guts to put yourself out there. If you are a person of color, it’s even more difficult.

Obviously, I would like people to enjoy my writing, however, I do it for myself. I feel compelled to create characters and stories that reflect where I come from and who I am. Even if only one Latina reads my books and feels empowered in some way, I know I’ve done my job.

 What is a trope that you read that makes your cringe? If so, how would you change the trope?

I’m really open minded unless it lacks any sort of diversity. Then I’m just, “What the fuck is this?”

As a latinx writer do you feel that this is a demographic that hasn’t been tapped as of yet?

YES! There are nearly 60 MILLION LATINX folks in the US. We are almost 18% percent of the population. As a Mexican American I grew up with all kinds of stories of the supernatural. Nothing seemed out of the realm of possibility, I guess that is why I was always so fascinated with horror.

I’ve written short stories based on legends from Texas. My current book, Maria The Wanted, uses many aspects of my culture to address social injustice, current events, identity and hope- with vampires. I also have an erotic vampire novella based on a very controversial figure in Mexican history, La Malinche.

Writing isn’t an issue, it’s getting the word out there that there are Latinx authors kicking ass in the industry. I will be starting my own book review website later in the year to focus on marginalized writers.

What are your top five horror books?

 Salem’s Lot- Stephen King

 The Hellbound Heart- Clive Barker

 Carrion Comfort- Dan Simmons

 Dracula- Bram Stoker

The Between- Tananarive Due (this just knocked another out of my top 5)

 What books are currently on your night stand?

 Loteria – Cina Pelayo

Becoming- Michelle Obama

 Are there any up and coming women of horror that we need to keep an eye out for?

 I will say ALL OF THEM. I think any woman that is willing to put herself out there deserves a chance for her voice to be heard. The din of this male dominated genre is loud, ingrained and needs a bit of upset. I don’t dislike the men that are writing horror, but I do feel we need to do more to support women.  This is my passion.

 Thank you so much for joining me!

If you’re interested to learn more about V Castro, please check out her social media and wesbite:

Twitter

Instagram

Website

You can also find more information about here books on Goodreads.

VelociPastor (2018) 5 Star #MovieReview

VelociPastor (2018) Movie Review

With a name like VelociPastor, how can you resist watching?

Let’s start with the synopsis: After losing his parents, a priest travels to China, where he inherits a mysterious ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first horrified by this new power, a hooker convinces him to use it to fight crime. And ninjas.

I know. It’s amazing. Frankly, I’m jealous that I didn’t think of this premise. The movie starts with an introduction of Doug Jones, a priest and our soon-to-be dino crime fighter. His parents are killed in a car crash, but if you’re expecting to see stunning CGI effects with this movie’s $35,000 budget, you’re mistaken. Instead, director/writer/editor Brendan Steere sets the comedic tone of this crazy and wild ride with an, um, fill in effect. (Watch it to see his brilliance!)

After his parent’s death, Doug Jones decides to take some time off and travel to China. He’s exploring the woods when a he stumbles upon a ninja, freshly shot with an arrow and clutching a large dino tooth. He takes the tooth, stumbles backwards, cuts his hand and bam! Blood mixed with the tooth and now he is the Dragon Warrior, or as I will refer to him from now on VelociPastor.

At first, he doesn’t know his own strength, but thankfully, he soon meets and teams up with the lovely Carol, a prostitute with a heart of gold who is a hooker in order to pay her way through pre-med/ pre-law school. She is his northern star, and helps him control the beast within himself while giving him a focus. Kill criminals.

Oh, and then there’s the ninjas. They want to kill him, since he’s the last Dragon Warrior. The last fight scene in the movie between VelociPastor and the head ninja had me cracking up.

But what makes this movie stand out among cheesy low budget horrors?

Sure, the premise helps, but the editing and actual presentation of events kept me intrigued. For example, there’s a love scene. Okay, that wasn’t really a surprise and I was just expecting a typical depiction of them consummating their relationship, but the screen gets cut into several blocks, each with a different camera POV, each with a different coloring and suddenly, the “cheesy” factor raises high and I’m glued to the screen.

The actors also help make this a stand out. Greg Cohen (Doug Jones) and Alyssa Kempinski (Carol) fully commit to the ridiculous plot and fun dialogue. They clearly loved their roles and it showed, making me love them as well. But let’s talk makeup and effects. No, there’s no big CGI, but there are some pretty cool physical effects. And we do get to see the transformation from man to dino, including the entire VelociPastor in daylight. It truly is a thing of beauty.

This movie has rocketed to one of my favorites within the genre. Please, give it a try! 5 stars

Halloween Merch for the Horror Lover in Your Life

It’s almost Halloween! Okay, it’s still a month and a half away, but I love Hallween so much I start online window shopping for merch in the summer. I discovered three awesome stores with all sorts of goodies for the horror lover, so check them out:

Creepy Co.

Creepy Co. sells apparel, accessories, home and office decor and collectables. They’ve got awesome shirts from different collections including Goosebumps, Halloween (the movie), Tarman and Garbage Pail Kids. Check out their creepy pin selection or Michael Myer plush cushion. I’d love anything from this store, but I’ve been eyeing their awesome comedy horror shirts. Sizes range from XS - 4XL, unisex.

Image from the Creepy Co. website

Wicked Clothes

PLEASE buy me one of their sweaters! This is a clothing online shop that sells t-shirts, ringers, sweatshirts and hoodies. The only negative for this site is sizing. They only sell XS - 2XL. Boo! But if those sizes work for you, they’ve got some really haunting selections ranging in themes from ghosts to witches. While the site looks like it’s marketed more towards women, men could totally rock their soft cotton clothing.

Image from Wicked Clothing website

Jubly-Umph

Wear your weird. That’s their slogan and I’m loving it. Just for visiting their site and signing up for their newsletter, you get a free digital print. Mine is hanging in my work area to remind me to always embrace my beautiful weird self. Jubly-Umph as tons of items including clothing, pins, totes and bags, art and books with themes of weird, crafty, feminism, books, and compassionate/vegan. Honestly, I could spend an entire afternoon browsing their website and I love that their unisex sizes range from S - 5XL. So a bit more inclusive than other shops.

Image from Jubly-Umph website

Image from Jubly-Umph website

Hurry up and do your shopping! Halloween is right around the corner !

How to Write Flash Fiction #WritingCommunity

How to Write Flash Fiction

So you have a story idea, you’re super pumped to get started, and you scour the web for possible publication sites only to notice that the magazine of your dreams wants flash fiction. But you’ve never written flash fiction? What do you do?

Okay, maybe that’s not exactly how your desire to write flash ignited, but if you want to master the short short story, I’m here to help. First, let’s start with definitions. Flash fiction is typically a story around 1000 words. Each publication may have a little different guidelines on word count, but if you’re looking for a ball park number, aim for 1000. You may also see submission calls for drabbles. These are super fun and challenging, because you can only use 100 words to tell a story. No more, no less. But let’s get into more specifics:

1. Short doesn’t mean less. Every story, whether flash fiction or a drabble or a manuscript, must have the fundamental core points of storytelling. At the bare minimum, you need a protagonist, an antagonist, some sort of choice that needs to be made, a climax and a resolution.

2. Cut the fluff. This is a good lesson in all writing and why I love flash. It forces you to cut all the fluffy bits of text. If it doesn’t move the story forward, cut it. If it’s excessive, cut it. If it’s redundant, cut it. Keep it crisp and tight.

3. Be smart when it comes to adjectives. I like giving some sort of physical descriptor for my protagonist, even in a drabble. But words are limited, so be smart with placement. While a manuscript allows you to paint a large picture, flash forces you to focus on the most important aspects. For example, if it’s important that you’re protagonist wears a red rain coat, focus solely on that. Skip the larger description you might include in a manuscript - her clothing, her hair color, her eye color, her height.

4. Learn how to “Show” not “Tell”. This will help more than you know. For example, if your protagonist is a child and it’s important that we, the readers, know this, everything she does has to mimic her childlike state. Don’t spend words telling the reader that she’s five years old. Show us in the way her dialogue invokes a childlike innocence. Then, use that dialog to move the story forward, that way you’ve not only added to the plot, but you’ve “shown” your protagonist’s characteristics.

5. Write an actual ending. Since flash is nothing more than a very short manuscript, don’t flake out on the ending just because words are limited. If you’re not into cliffhanger endings in manuscripts, don’t do it in a flash piece. If you wouldn’t want to read a manuscript that turned out to be a giant metaphor, don’t do it in a flash piece. If you get annoyed reading a book only to discover the protagonist is in a mental hospital at the final paragraph, don’t do it in a flash piece. Don’t sacrifice any part of the story just to hit a word count.

If you want to see some flash I’ve written, head over to my publication section. There you can find anthologies I’ve been published in, alongside other awesome horror/scifi writers. Or just do a google search. Either way, give flash fiction a try.

Slasher Crasher by David Nora #BookReview

RATING: 5 STARS

SUMMARY:

It was the night HE tried to go home...but got caught in THEIR drama...

It’s Halloween. Nick Roesch, a towering figure of evil and stupidity, escapes from the upstate New York mental hospital he’s been committed to for the past five years. Planning to return to his childhood home, where he brutally murdered his babysitter’s boyfriend, his plans are halted when he crosses paths with an even more terrifying beast—two high school friends with some serious beef. Caught in a battle of loyalty that has been brewing for ten years of their friendship, the two girls, Kathleen Strife and Betsy Coleman, force the feud into a savage showdown, pitting the escaped monster against each other. Who will survive this epic deathmatch, and is it totally wrong to fall in love with the murderous lunatic who just tried to kill your ex-best friend with a machete?

Book Review

I’ve been craving a comedic horror read and Slasher Crasher didn’t disappoint. An escaped lunatic? Teenage drama? Epic deathmatch? Sign me up! From the first page to the last sentence, this book is a juicy festival of gore, perfect for slasher fans.  It playfully embraces classic horror tropes, tips its hat to iconic horror movies and references the soundtrack of my youth. What’s not to love?

Sure, this book revolves around a psychopath murdering everyone in site, but at the heart of Slasher Crasher are three teenagers coming of age, dealing with boy drama, bullying and absente parents. They must face Nick, the monster, as well as their own inner demons in order to become the ‘Final Girl’, a trope horror fans know and love. Each character arc undergoes a transformation fitting and realistic to their characters. In addition to the main cast, there’s an array of supporting characters, including Nick’s doctor (who could have walked straight out of The Exorcist and into this book), Betsy dad who is a recovered alcoholic, and a cast of homophobic bullies who make poor David’s life a living hell.

While the main theme of the book lies around the final girl trope, religion plays an interesting role in the plot. One of the police officers insists on ending every conversation with “praise be to God”, an interesting little quirk for an arguably insignificant character. But it adds to the character developments, especially Betsy and her father, who struggle with their faith. And, of course, Nick’s doctor is certain that Nick is no mere mortal, but the Devil arriving in their town to raise hell.

But don’t worry. There’s nothing preaching about this book. It’s a horror novel to it’s core complete with tales of Nick’s sadism that will make your stomach churn. But what makes it powerful is that it doesn’t stop with external horrors, but explores the things that scare us all. Loneliness, jealousy, abandonment, the fear we aren’t good enough and never will be. So while on the surface, this is a teenage slasher with a final girl theme, underneath it’s a brilliant tale of courage and self discovery, even if those realizations lead us down a dangerous path.

This is easily one of my favorite books of 2019, and an absolute must read. Buy it here!

Paperback: 358 pages

Publisher: Black Rose Writing; First Printing ed. edition (August 22, 2019)

ISBN-10: 1684333288

ISBN-13: 978-1684333288

Married to a Writer : An Interview With My Husband

We sit at our kitchen table, the left over turkey burgers and cucumbers not yet sealed in foil and put in the fridge. Mr. Bell wears a red and white “ugly Christmas” shirt with a science theme. I’m rocking my rainbow skirt.

How many times have you wished I would stop talking about disemboweled bodies during a meal?

At least thrice. Wait, don’t say thrice. You can say at least three times that I can remember. I’m sure there were others.

We are pretty different, wouldn’t you agree? Are there any advantages to having a creative as a spouse, especially as a more analytical person?

You’re more imaginative, and when it comes to making decisions, you can see possibilities that I am not able to consider. For me, things are typically one way or the other. For you, there’s a thousand different options. So I feel like, between the two of us, we’re checking all the boxes.

Also, you’re way better at words. It takes me hours to write an email. Literally, hours.

Do I have any writer quirks? Is there anything I do, or a certain way I act, when I'm writing? Any signs that say "go away, I'm busy"?
You get really focused and I can tell when your brain is somewhere else. You’re in the zone, especially if your brainstorming a new story. Sometimes I’ll ask you a question and you’ll give me a short quiet answer. That means I should leave you alone.

Will you allow me to buy another dog?
Nooooooo…. I won’t. You won’t trick me this time.

What's the biggest frustration of being married to a writer?
Seeing you get frustrated, because I want to help and I know I can’t. I want to get you unstuck, but obviously, I don’t want to influence your ideas. Plus, I can’t always relate to your thought process.

Let's play a game. I'm going to use some publishing terms and we're going to see if you can define them:
Query : Is that the cover letter you send when you’re trying to get a publication noticed?
WIP : I think that’s work-in-progress
Proposal : Before you write something, like an outline of where you want the story to go, to try to get someone to pay you to write it.
Slush pile : That’s where the literary agent people put the stories that they don’t accept.
Comps : Like, compositions?
ARCs : A character’s flow, journey throughout the story. How they change and grow.
Blurp : When another author gives you a quote to put on your book cover

Well, thank you so much for sitting down with me. I know you’re not a huge fan of being in the spotlight so I appreciate it.

No problem.

Thanks to Mr. Bell for his time and insight!

Spotlight: LGBTQIA+ Horror Writers and Characters

It’s June which means it’s Pride Month! What better way to celebrate than to showcase amazing members of the LGBTQIA+ horror writing showcase. Take a look and meet the authors:

Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi: What can’t the talented Lady Dane do? She’s a performing artist, writer, advocate, educator, political commentator, and choreographer. In 2013, she became the first trans woman of color author in DC to publish a work of fiction with a trans woman as the main protagonist that centered around indigenous cultures. In addition, her novel Brew is about a trans teenage witch who quickly discovers things in her daily life aren’t what they appear to be.

Clive Barker - What would this list be without the talented Clive Barker? He’s a writer, director and visual artist. His six book series Books of Blood give life to many fascinating characters including members of the LGBTQIA community.

Sarah Waters - She’s an award winning, best selling author and your fix for Victorian lit. Her books such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith feature strong lesbian protagonists.

Poppy Z. Brite - Known for gothic and southern horror as well as dark fiction, Poppy Z. Brite writes incredible and sometimes gruesome stories. Her trademarks are most often gay men characters, graphic sex scenes and intense horror.

Tal Bauer - If you’re into romantic thrillers, this is the writer for you. Tal is an award winning best selling author. His books usually feature M/M romance in a political setting.

KC Luck - KC writes a little of everything, including horror, apocalypse horror, action and adventure, plus contemporary romance. Truly, something for everyone.

Between Worlds staring Nicolas Cage #MovieReview

Between Worlds

2018 * Thriller * 1h 30 min

IMDb - 4.9/10 Rotten Tomatoes - 32%

Nicolas Cage might be the most eccentric actor of his generation. He brings an unpredictable and wild charisma to each of his projects, whether he’s a convicted criminal just trying to catch a ride home in Con Air, or a revenge stricken crazy man in Mandy. He delivers entertainment. The good, the bad and the utterly ridiculous.

His latest film Between Worlds falls in the last category.

It’s not a bad premise. Julie, played by Franka Potene, wants to save her comatose daughter. Enter Joe, Nic Cage’s character, a truck driver drinking away life, mourning the loss of his family. Julie enlists his help to jump between worlds in order to coax her daughter back to the living. Except, Joe’s wife jumps into the body of Julie’s daughter.

I expected Joe to play an essential role in the souls passing from the living to the dead. Really, he doesn’t. His only purpose…Actually, I have no idea what his purpose within this movie is. Horrible sex scenes? Cringe worthy dialogue? Now that I’m reflecting on the movie, I honestly can’t come up with a reason why his character decided to stick around with Julie after their first encounter.

And what a crazy amazing first encounter it was. They meet at a gas station bathroom where Julie is being chocked to death. We later find out that in order for Julie to jump between worlds, she needs to have a near death experience. But Joe doesn’t know this, and he saves her. From there, they team up to go visit Julie’s daughter in the hospital. Why? I don’t know. Maybe Julie couldn’t withstand the animal magnetism Joe is radiating. But they go to the hospital and that’s when Julie convinces Joe to strangler her. The goal is to get Julie to help her daughter’s spirit get back into her body.

But I’d argue Julie has no real power. Not then, not ever within this movie. She can enter the spirit world, but does absolutely nothing once there. Literally, she just stands there. And there is no real spirit world, not like I was expecting. It’s just the exact same setting as the real world. No floating spirits. No angels, no devils, no fire and brimstone, no special effects.

And from there, things just continue to slide downhill. You have exorcist style sex scenes, Nic Cage dancing while Julie’s daughter sprays him with a hose, a hand job under a blanket scene, a predictable twist, and an ending that had me groaning in bewilderment.

With all that said, I can’t help but be entertained. It’s a bad movie worth watching with a friend, someone who can laugh along with you at the absurd dialogue and acting. I actually reviewed this movie along with my podcast co-host Ward on our bad movie review podcast Box Office Refund. Ward goes on the record saying this is one of Nic Cage’s best performances. I wouldn’t go that far, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

My score: 2 Stars

Should Books Have Ratings?

It’s a discussion that keeps coming up. With movies, TV shows, music and video games already under the umbrella of a ratings system, why not books? Would it be beneficial for readers, especially tweens? Or is it one step away from censorship and book burning parties?

First, it’s important to realize that there is a difference between ratings and censorship. Censorship involves altering or eliminating content while ratings involve classifying content based on some sort of standard. When we’re talking about rating media, we’re referring to the process of an independent group such as Common Sense Media which scores books based on several elements including violence, sex and nudity, educational value, and profanity.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages to applying a rating system to literature? Let’s take a look at the issue from both sides.

Pro Ratings

In 2012, a professor at Brigham Young University's department of family life, named Sarah Coyne, conducted a study suggesting adding a rating to book covers, specifically of young adult books. She claims that this would “empower” parents to make thoughtful and wise decisions in regards to what their young children (ages 9 - 12) should be reading.

That doesn’t sounds so bad. Many parents already monitor their children’s media content, using pre-existing ratings to determine if a movie or TV show is appropriate. I know plenty of parents who have guided their children toward more child-friendly content based on the small rating box in the corner of a video game.

But I can understand how supporting a rating system could spiral out of control. Remember book burning? But maybe if society learns to separate ratings and censorship, there could be a way to please those who benefit from ratings while avoiding censorship.

Editor and writer Rachel Manwill’s article WARNING: On YA, Ratings, and Censorship doesn’t support censorship, but does challenge people to consider a rating system claiming, “The ratings themselves are not a form of censorship; the stores and booksellers that would use those ratings to restrict purchases – they are the ones guilty of censorship. The ratings are NOT. “

Valid point. We know To Kill A Mockingbird was banned from schools based on content. It was the adults and school systems that decided to ban it, along with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and even Harry Potter got backlash thanks to some Christian parents who felt the witchcraft premise might not be appropriate for their children.

The ratings aren’t the problem. It’s how we handle the ratings that is the concern. So why should people who want the ratings suffer because some people take it too far?

Against Ratings

Well, some people will suffer because people take it too far. At least, that’s one of the anti-ratings arguments. If we were to rate To Kill A Mockingbird “R” based on theme and content, what would happen?

Scenario One - Parents would be allowed to decide if their child can handle the content. Some teenagers might be more mature and advanced than others, and their parents may decide to allow their children to read this book. Others, may decline. And that would be the end of the story.

Scenario Two - Parents would rally together, citing an “R” rating as completely inappropriate for their teenager’s English class. The book would get banned.

See the concern?

The National Coalition Against Censorship argues this exact point, that public education would suffer and what starts out as an innocent request for ratings would end in censorship.

Writer Lauren Davis examines the issue in her article The Thriving Industry That Helps Encourage Book Censorship. She states “rating services tend to boil content down into overly simplified categories, with bullet points that can at times read less as thoughtful dissection of the texts than as a warning to parents.”

Also a valid point. The violence and racism in To Kill A Mockingbird wasn’t frivolous, but if a parent who never read the book were to look at a bulleted list of “questionable” content found within the book, they might be quick to write it off before giving it a chance. And where would we be without books like the ones on the banned list?

My Opinion

I wish there were a way to have ratings without censorship. As a book reviewer, I can’t tell you how many times I wished I knew what trigger warnings were in a book before I started reading. But yes, that means I would have cut those books off my to-be read list. And to be completely honest, I refuse to read certain books with specific triggers. Some books just aren’t for me, and if possible, I appreciate the heads up.

But as a writer, I want to be able to write whatever I want without fear that someone will rally against my work and deem it unfit for the masses. I care deeply about my stories and my characters. They have purpose and meaning, and it would be discouraging to have my work boiled down to bullet points from Common Sense Media.

So I’m somewhere in the middle.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.