Brain Matter

So, a little more than a week ago I decided to take the plunge and enter a book into the Kindle Scout program. For those who don't know, this is part of Amazon's publishing arm, where you submit a completed book, along with a professional cover, synopsis, and some other info, and then Kindle readers get to view an excerpt and vote on whether or not they'd be interested in reading the book. Each month, a few books are chosen by the Amazon editors and the writer gets a publishing contract for the ebook, plus a $1500 advance. If the book sells well, there are opportunities for extending the initial contract and also negotiating a separate paperback book deal. I'd been skeptical, but two writers I know and trust ( Michael McBride , Norman Prentiss ) ran promotions to great success. Michael's led to his getting a book deal with Kensington. Not too shabby! In my case, I decided to go with a YA science fiction-thriller (The Changeling) I had polished up earlier in th...

Know a Nominee – Thoughts on Writing and The Cure An Interview with JG Faherty A few weeks ago, the HWA interviewed all Stoker nominees regarding their works. Here is the one done about me. HWA - Please describe the genesis for the idea that eventually became the work(s) for which you’ve been nominated. What attracted you most to the project? If nominated in multiple categories, please touch briefly on each. JGF - The idea for The Cure came to me when my dog got sick and we were at the vet. I thought how terrible it is that animals get ill or injured and then have to go weeks recovering without understanding why they don’t feel well. And then I thought, there have been several books about people who can heal by laying hands, but they only treat other humans. Why not animals? So that gave me the main character for the book, a veterinarian who can heal with a touch. HWA - What was the most challenging part of bringing the concept(s) to fruition? The most r...

Well, it’s been a week now since the first StokerCon, and I’m finally caught up with work enough to get my own thoughts and reminiscences down for posterity. I have to begin by saying that this was one of the best—if not THE best—horror conventions I’ve been to. Kudos to the con team—Lisa Morton, John Palisano, Rena Mason, Brad Hodson, Kate Jonez, Erinn Kemper, and all the volunteers—for making it so special. My adventure in Sin City began when I arrived on Wed. evening and found some good friends (Rena Mason, Erin Kemper, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner) gathered by the firepit at the Garden Bar, which became the unofficial gathering place throughout the con. After a full day of work and a long flight, I retired early (midnight, which is early at a con!). Thursday found me, in the words of Billy Martin, tanned and rested and ready to go as I started my first stint at the registration desk. Working with James Chambers, Patrick Freivald. Kate Jonez, Brian Matthews, Erin Kemp...

Haunted houses are a dime a dozen, but Catherine Cavendish is here today to tell us about one that doesn't just hold ghosts, but perhaps traces of the Devil himself! The story of Loftus Hall also forms the basis for her latest book, THE DEVIL'S SERENADE. =================================================================== Bloody and Violent Loftus Hall by Catherine Cavendish Can pure evil be absorbed by bricks and mortar? Did the devil play cards with the owner of Loftus Hall, back in the late 1700s? Whatever the truth of it, the claims made for Loftus Hall in Ireland, are certainly many, varied and well documented. Originally built during the Black Death, in 1350, its 666 years of history – much of it troubled, violent and bloody- certainly seem to have left an indelible and Yeti-sized footprint on this substantial and once grand mansion situated on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford. The house is open to the public who, it is claimed, can expect to...