BLOG
I have TikTok!
I’ve loved exploring social media and meeting writers, so I decided to jump onto TikTok and give it a try! Hop over to TikTok and follow me @nicobellfiction for the fun!
Here is my most watched video:
Anndddddd….here is my least watched video :)
And now, I present my favorite video I made so far:
June Book Reviews!
June Book Reviews!
Wow...
This book...
Okay, let me start by saying I'd seen this book all over Twitter and Instagram. I didn't really know what to expect other than it was a popular book being read by a lot of reviewers, so it must be engaging. What I got was so much more. Ward is putting on a clinic for writers. The writing, the plot, the characters, the twist...Holy guacamole the twists!! It's a dark book with really intense topics, and every time I assumed I knew what was happening, I was proven wrong. It's a book the explores mental illness.
It sticks with you.
Honestly, it wasn't at all what I was expecting, and that's always a pleasant surprise. If you like unsettling horror, this is for you! all over Twitter and Instagram. I didn't really know what to expect other than it was a popular book being read by a lot of reviewers, so it must be engaging. What I got was so much more. Ward is putting on a clinic for writers. The writing, the plot, the characters, the twist...Holy guacamole the twists!! It's a
CW: Child abuse and child death
After getting caught up in a tragic accident, Stephen Barber is eager to move on with his life. Except, the past won't die. Stephen is the target of a century old curse that is slowing transforming him into something unrecognizable. It's up to his wife Moira to piece together the puzzle and save him before it's too late.
Generous writes a quick paced, high tension horror that will have readers glued to the page. Despite Stephen's poor judgement and inexcusable actions revolving around the accident, he exhibits remorse and guilt, casting him as a sympathetic protagonist. The punishment of his actions is harsh, and centers on a mystery a hundred years in the making. His punishment involves a transformation that is unique and thrilling. There are some vivid scenes of violence* related to the backstory of the curse, but the majority of the horror falls in the "weird" category, which makes it a lot of fun to read.
Readers looking for a fast fulfilling horror read with a sympathetic protagonist will love this book!
*CW: rape, child death
Eric LaRocca weaves a fast paced story of obsession and twisted love in this weird-fiction horror novella. Two women meet through an internet chat room and begin exchanging harmless emails. Things progress rapidly and the women begin talking more frequently, revealing their own secret desires. What started out as a simple friendship quickly spirals into madness leaving the reader wondering, "What the hell did I just read?"
Zoe and Anges are well-developed characters who instantly capture the reader's focus. While their tone is a bit overly formal at times (even in the context as strangers on the internet), they each compliment the other's needs and secret desires. These two were made for each other- until they weren't.
This short novella packs a lot of tension and sorrow, a mix of empathy and despair, all within the confines of emails and Instant Messages (remember those, kids?). LaRocca masters the art of storytelling within the experimental story telling structure. He holds nothing back, which allows the reader to experience a wealth of emotions as the relationship between these two women takes several unexpected twists and turns.
Readers who love Palahniuk will devour LaRocca's story of infatuation.
Make Horror Gay AF!
Sticker by LunaMay: https://www.teepublic.com/sticker/11526257-lgbtq-horror-movie-addict
Happy Pride!!
Raise your hand if you want to make horror more gay!! Me!!
Let’s start with authors!
EV Harms is amazing! Author of Transmuted, which is a book about a trans-woman who will do anything to get her surgery. It will have you glued to the page!
Eric LaRocca just released Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. Wow. It’s received a lot of praise, and it’s all worth it. I gave it 5 stars!
E.E. W. Christman has a story featured on the No Sleep podcast!
How about some merchandise to support indie horror sites?
Check out this shirt from Horror Oasis.
Looking for a new podcast to support?
Check out FriGay the 13th Horror Podcast! They explore the horror genre from a LGBTQIA+ perspective.
Or Jar of Rebuke, which is a thriller/mystery podcast that features many queer characters.
How about a dark horror romance? Try Dos: After You, which is queer character heavy and is produced bilingually!
Maybe you’re looking for some art.
Check out Elizabeth Leggett, who does beautiful yet subtle and dark horror artwork, full of surrealism with a perfect balance of light and dark.
If you’re looking for something with bold colors, try Jason Edward Davis. I want all of his work.
The Haunting of Mile Marker 14, Jason Edwards Davis.
Obviously, this is just a small taste of gay horror, and I encourage everyone to support the LGBTQIA+ community all year long. Also, please keep in mind that some members of the queer community can’t come out. If you’re a queer writer and want to submit to a queer submission, ask to the publisher to keep your anonymity and make sure it’s stipulated in the contract, with some sort of consequence if the publisher reveals it. For those who don’t feel safe to do that, please know you’re still a valued member of the community, and you’re still loved :)
Happy Pride!
The Best and Worst Depictions of Mental Health In Horror
I actually enjoy horror based around mental health, because I have a mental illness and I’m always curious how it will be depicted on the big screen. It’s with an odd morbid curiosity I seek out asylum horror or characters suffering from depression. To me, it’s an opportunity to show the world the dark side of mental illness, but I want this type of horror done right. Think along the lines of Shirley Jackson, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Chuck Palahniuk. They treat mental illness with accuracy and respect. So, here is my list of best and worst movies and books.
BEST
They Look Like People
Movie summary:
Suspecting that people around him are turning into evil creatures, a troubled man questions whether to protect his only friend from an impending war, or from himself.
Why it’s the best:
This is a haunting look at one man’s struggle to stay grounded in reality that will relate to many struggling with the same affliction.
Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror
Back of the cover:
Addiction starts like a sweet lullaby sung by a trusted loved one. It washes away the pains of the day and wraps you in the warmness of the womb where nothing hurts and every dream is possible.
Yet soon enough, this warm state of bliss becomes a cold shiver, the ecstasy and dreams become nightmares, yet we can't stop listening to the lullaby. We crave to hear the siren song as it rips us apart.
A powerful list of talent has woven tales featuring the insidious nature of addiction--damaged humans craving for highs and wholeness but finding something more tragic and horrific on the other side. You're invited to listen to these Lullabies for Suffering.
Why it’s the best:
These stories dive into the horror of addiction while portraying realistic mental health struggles.
A Tale of Two Sisters
Movie summary:
After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Korean teen Su-mi (Yeom Jeong-ah) reunites with her beloved sister, Su-yeon (Im Soo-jung), and they return to live at their country home. The girls' widower father (Mun Geun-yeong) has remarried, and the siblings are immediately resentful of his new wife, Eun-joo (Kap-su Kim). As Su-mi and Su-yeon try to resume their regular lives, strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
Why it’s the best:
This movie is beautifully tragic with intense emotion and heartache. It explores multiple aspects of mental health that center around grief. Extremely well done.
The Babadook
Movie summary:
A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her (2014).
Why it’s the best:
This is one of the scariest depictions of postpartum depression and grief on the big screen. I absolutely loved the ending.
Her Body and Other Parties: Stories
Book summary:
In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.
A wife refuses her husband’s entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store’s prom dresses. One woman’s surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella “Especially Heinous,” Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naïvely assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgängers, ghosts, and girls with bells for eyes.
Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction.
Why it’s the best:
This book tackles many sensitive topics that will grip reader’s by the gut and never let go.
But it here!
WORST
Gothika
Movie Summary:
The life of psychiatrist Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is derailed after she nearly hits a girl with her car one night. Later, Miranda wakes up in her own mental hospital under the care of her peer, Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.). Completely disoriented, Miranda is accused of killing her own husband, but she has no memory of anything after she encountered the girl. Slowly Miranda begins to uncover what happened, but she has to escape the asylum to solve the mystery.
Why it’s the worst:
No, no, no, no, no, noooooooo! This movie gets it wrong from start to finish, using mental health as a way to discredit the female character from abuse. NO!
Distorted
Movie summary:
A couple moves to an isolated, modern, safe apartment building with CCTV after the wife has problems with nightmares. However, something's not quite right with the building (2018).
Why it’s the worst:
While I love Christina Ricci and John Cusack, this movie is the worst. It’s the definition of exploiting bipolar to create an unreliable narrator who isn’t taken seriously.
Perfume
Book Summary:
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 1985 literary historical fantasy novel by German writer Patrick Süskind. The novel explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meanings that scents may have.In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift—an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille’s genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the “ultimate perfume”—the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.
Why it’s the worst:
I feel like out of everything on the list, this one is going me the most push back. This is an acclaimed novel that was given an extra popularity boost when Kurt Cobain mentioned it happened to be his favorite books. And to a degree, I get it. It’s a unique story, well written, very dark, but the mental health aspect seemed one-dimensional (I feel fans of this book cringing). This will have to be one where we “agree to disagree” on whether or not it’s one of the greats. Oh, and it was made into a movie.
The Visit
Movie summary:
A single mother sends her two young children to visit their grandparents on a remote Pennsylvania farm for a week-long trip, but the children discover that the elderly couple is involved in deeply disturbing activity, and the youngsters' chances of getting back home look less and less likely with every minute that passes.
Why it’s the worst:
Not only does this movie make a mockery of mental health, it does so by using the elderly as a vessel. The details of the character’s mental health illness are simply wrong. Did anyone research before putting this movie into production?
The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov Kindle Edition by Preston Fassel #BookReview
Book Description:
His name was Quentin Sergenov - the unexpected hero of the 90s wrestling scene. A middle-aged bruiser called up to the big leagues on the eve of what should’ve been his retirement, his story of late-in-life success and can-do attitude won the hearts of fans all over the world- and the heart of Wave, his in-ring rival. The two shared a forbidden love that was doomed from the start; but the end of their affair would prove to be the beginning of something terrible for Quentin…
His name is Quentin Sergenov - recluse, artist, romantic. Something happened to Quentin after he was cast out of the wrestling world: something that left him less—and more—than human. Now that he’s been given a second chance, Quentin is about to go on a quest—one that will find him crossing paths with Nazi scientists, internet celebrities, sci-fi groupies, and bodybuilding CEOs. It’s a quest to reunite with Wave and finally take back what was stolen from them; and the results will be as gruesome as they are hilarious…
4 Star Book Review
Every once in a while, I come across a diamond in the rough that makes me say, “I didn’t know I needed a book about wrestlers, Nazis, twisted love, and dinosaurs, but thank goodness it exists!”
This book is B-O-N-K-E-R-S in the best possible way! Fassel’s fast-paced sci-fi horror mashup is a perfect escape from reality. Quentin is a trouble protagonist with love and career success on his mind. The poor, um, “guy” can’t catch a break, and he ends up alone, longing for companionship, devising a rather twisted plot to fulfill his need. There’s a dash of gore for the horror fans, some unusual technology for the sci-fi lovers, and enough wresting references to appease the biggest Sasha Banks fan.
But if wrestling isn’t your thing, don’t worry. All readers will quickly sink into this bizarre reality, eagerly soaking up the vivid descriptions and unsavory characters until the final moments. While some may feel this book ended a bit abruptly, that just means the imaginative plot did its job of captivating an audience. Readers who have been sinking into the Rewind or Die series will easily make the transition to Fassel’s novel which has the same campy vibe. This is an author to watch!
Desperado Dino by Dunkie Tang #BookReview
Desperado Dino 4 Star Book Review
This is another Unnerving Rewind or Die book, and once again, it doesn’t disappoint. I know you might be thinking I’m biased, since I am a Rewind or Die author, but I took off my author hat and put on my book reviewer hat to assess this book. It’s wild!
While many other books in this series start off with a jolt, this one is a little slower to get to the B-movie fun. It starts serious and twisted as we’re introduced to the killers. Desperado Dino makes her entrance a little later, and again, the tone is rather stark, reading like a crime drama. That’s not a criticism. It’s extremely well developed and the writing is top notch, but the subject content is a bit hard to swallow at times.
Desperado Dino is the stage name Linda Tompkins, a stripper who is desperate for money. Linda has a stalker, which takes the book down a dark disturbing rabbit hole. I’ll be honest. By the halfway point, I was ready to put it down. Not because of anything the author did. Again, the book is well written. I just preferred not to read the subject content.
Then, everything bonkers. I mean B-O-N-K-E-R-S! And the B-movie love prevalent in the Rewind or Die series came to light.
I can’t say much about the second half without spoiling it other than it took me on a wild adventure, and it was worth reading the first bit to get to the craziness of the last part.
So I recommend giving it a read. The characters are fun, the plot is well developed, the dialogue is great. 4 stars.
Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine: Unnerving Rewind or Die Book Review
Chopping Spree 4 Star Book Review
Chopping Spree is a fun fast thrill fest perfect for the Unnerving Rewind or Die series. I was expected a murderer running rampant through the mall, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a plot involving a cult, a strong and passionate protagonist, and greed.
Penny is a rich teenager who never had to struggle in life for the necessities, but she's not a stereotypical spoiled brat so often found in books or movies. She's sweet and caring, dedicated to helping others. Her family may be one of the most influential in the town, but Penny is down-to-earth.
We're immediately sucked into the tension when a creepy man in a wolf mask is introduced. A warning is issued to Penny. Leave the mall. But while Penny may not be the stereotypical rich girl, she is the predictable naive girl who doesn't heed the warning. The mall closes, Penny and her coworkers decide to stick around for a little party, and the horror unravels.
This is a fun fast paced book for anyone looking for a delightful fright and a quick escape from reality.
A little disclaimer: I was published under the first round of Rewind or Die in 2020.
Five Favorite Horror Couples
The Best Horror Couples
Romance is in the air! This Valentine’s Day, take a peak at some of the most iconic and deliciously devious horror couples in movies:
PETER AND RACHEL
Quick question. What accent was Nic Cage doing in Vampire’s Kiss (1988)? You know what? Don’t tell me. It’s bonkers, and I love every second of it. Love isn’t always roses and walks along the beach. Sometimes, it’s rabies and a plastic set of vampire fangs. Watch. This. Movie.
FRANK AND MICHAEL
Stranger by The Lake (2014) may not be a well known horror movie, but it should be. It’s a slow burn, but worth it. Frank is enjoying his summer cruising for a partner at a popular lake front spot. Enter Michael, a seductive and dangerous man who instantly captures Frank’s attention. What follows is a story of infatuation and murder.
CHUCKY AND TIFFANY
Nothing says “I love you” like resurrecting your serial killer boyfriend into the body of a doll. And, of course, taking a romantic road trip where love (and murder) is in the air. If you haven’t seen the Chunky movies, what are you waiting for?
THE GIRL AND ARASH
The Girl Who Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). This is one of my all time favorite horror movies. The Girl is a lonely vampire wondering the streets of an Iranian city protecting woman from abusive men. She meets Arash, a young man trying to live a good life in the middle of danger and chaos. Together, these two complete one another.
BOL AND RIAL
A refugee couple narrowly escapes from war-torn Sudan, but they’ve brought something deadly with them. This couple brings new meaning to “‘till death do us part.” Their marriage is put to the test by grief and haunting guilt.
Now it’s your turn! Tell me who your favorite horror couple is!
Sweet Home 5 Star Review *No Spoilers*
Sweet Home 5 Star Review *No Spoilers*
Sweet Home on Netflix
When people start transforming into deadly monsters, a ragtag group of neighbors, confined to their apartment complex, must come face-to-face with their own inner demons and answer the question, who are the real monsters? Released on December 18, 2020, Sweet Home became the first South Korean series to hit Netflix’s top ten list, and it’s much deserved. With incredible performances by young and seasoned actors, this show lands every punch.
Despite many characters getting a moment in the spotlight, the main protagonist Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) is where the focus resides. He’s a minor whose family has died, leaving him little money or prospects, and has been forced to move into the apartment complex where he spends lonely days playing video games and dreaming up his death. We are introduced to the other main protagonists including Seo Yi-kyung (Lee Si-young), a firefighter who is grieving the loss of her fiancé, Lee Eun-hyuk, (Lee Do-hyun) an aspiring medical student who quickly becomes the brains of the group, a teenage ballet dancer Eun-yu (Go Min-si) who is Eun-hyuk’s younger sister, Jung Jae-heon (Kim Nam-hee), a devoted Christian who happens to know how to wield a sword, and Pyeon Sang-wook (Lee Jin-wook), a mysteriously man who everyone thinks is a gangster. Together, these and other neighbors must ban together to fight the growing number of monsters infiltrating their building.
Available on Netflix
The monsters are awesome, and it’s no surprise considering the team had $2.4 million dollars an episode to play with. The many different types of creatures jump off the screen, including a giant eyeball looming outside the complex, a half-headed elf-ish creature that can’t see, and a version of the Hulk except much more blood thirsty. The concept behind the monsters is even cooler. They are us. We are them. They spawn from what most desire, and no one is immune from transforming.
The real beauty of this movie is the balance between external and internal struggles. We get glimpses of backstories and discover that each character has something to hide, and each character has a secret desire that could easily cause their inner monster to spawn given the right circumstances. The actors do an impeccable job of displaying this turmoil in their actions and dialogue creating plenty of tension mixed with many empathetic moments and a few shed tears. The ending leaves viewers with plenty of questions and high hopes that another season is on the way.