FOUR QUESTIONS FRIDAY

Four Questions Friday asks if the Economy has affected your library and future programs.

1. Has the Economy affected your local library and its programs?

2. How do you feel about it?

3. Do you think there will be less books ordered then before?

4. Why is the library important to you?

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

A weird house on then back of a truck here.

My Signing in Halifax, Virginia April 24th-Photos, Too

Here are some photos I did manage to take with my camera of the signing I shared with other authors yesterday in Halifax, Virginia. First one is of the Art Convergence building, where the writers' signing was held by Writer's Studio. The next is first looking north on S. Main Street and then, south of S. Main Street. What must be the main government building is the one after that. It was across the street saying, "Town of Halifax." Check out my half of the signing table, shared by romance author Mary Montague Sikes. You can see poetry author Patsy Anne Bickerell doing a reading, and the last picture is of her and a friend at her table. Plus some of the writers and artists (after all this is a place for artists, too).

The day began early for me, getting up to the alarm screaming at 5:30am. Yes, that early on a Saturday! After all, they would be opening up at 10am for us authors, and tables were first come, first serve. And I wanted a good spot. Besides the fact, I had to drive by myself (hubby was on call for his job for the weekend). GPS or not, I had never been beyond Amelia on Route 360 and wanted to make sure I found it.

I dressed, took my sinus medication (I woke up to a scratchy throat--not a good sign as so far me the allergic person had avoided getting the nasty reactions others had due to all the pollen for last few weeks), and downed a quick breakfast. Books loaded in the car and a few other things, I drove off to the GPS telling me where to go. I found myself on 288 heading for Hull Street Road (known as Route 360 for those not living in Richmond). After a quick stop at WaWa's for a cup of hot chai tea and a pit stop at their restroom, I roared up a relatively quiet Route 360. Relatively quiet for this part of Chesterfield, that is. I crossed the county line into Amelia County and suddenly, there were only a few vehicles that shared the road with me. Mainly trees and country, though pockets of city life of gas stations and mini marts, plus other kinds of businesses, lined both sides of the road.

When I left the area that was part downtown Amelia, those pockets grew scarce. More so, when I crossed over the line into the next county. Country with farms and woods made the drive peaceful and beautiful. A Norman Rockwell wonder. I saw the occasional road kill, too. One I suspected had been a deer, few scraps of lesh and its bone showing. I assumed that crows, buzzards and hawks had been feasting on it. It showed that the Norman Rockwell setting had a dark side to it like anyplace else.

I had left around 7am at the WaWa and arrived in downtown Halifax on S. main Street about 8:45am. I passed two policemen directing traffic at a traffic light and I saw people running down the sidewalks, heading north. I found the Farmer's Market, asked where exactly the Art Convergence building was, and drove up to the scatter of buildings it was in. I parked almost in front of it.

Still too early as most places closed (one diner that said it served breakfast was only open Monday through Friday), I walked back to the Farmer's Market to find a restroom. They directed me to a Hardee's down the street. I thought of grabbing something there, but the smell that hit me when I stepped inside the fast food restaurant had my arteries hardening and I thought, No. I left the place and went back to my car, stopping along the way to check out the Farmer's Market. Nothing much there yet, I went back to my car and grabbed couple flyers for the library by there to give them about my ghost books. They didn't have either one.

After a hour wait, someone came and unlocked the building and I walked in. I saw a sign on the glas door, talking about Earth Day and a 5-K run. I understood the people running then, though none wore nunbers or running clothing. I snapped up a table by the front doors on south of the place and went to get the stuff from my car to decorate the table and set up my books. With a sigh, I at down and talked to the few authors who came early too.

It was a day of reading ( I read too), I signed, and had a great lunch before noon, with the best barbecue I ever ate and a oatmeat cookie for dessert to die for. Things quiet down around 3pm and I left early, at 4pm. So if you came after that time, looking for me, I am sorry. I was about one of the last couple of authors still there at that time.

Lucky for me, it was party cloudy with no rain as I drove. I arrived home close to 6pm. Tired and my throat hurting at that point, I unloaded with Bill's help and relax to a bowl of chili, watching Dr. Who.

FOUR QUESTIONS FRIDAY

Today's Four Questions Friday asks if you believe in monsters and are interested in cryptozoology.

1. Do you know what cryptozoology means?

2. What are your favorite monster or creature?

3. Do you think creatures like Sasquatch and the Mothman exist?

4. If you could figure out what the Mothman is (http://www.qsl.net/w5www/mothman.html ), what do you think it is?

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

In honor of Eath Day, which is tomorrow, a weird looking tree. To me it looks cool-looking.

FOUR QUESTIONS FRIDAY

Today it is all about humor and horror.

1. Do you think humor and horror can be mixed well?

2. Name a funny horror movie or book you last saw or read.

3. What kind of humorous paranormal storyline would you like to see?

4. Should there be humor in horror?

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

This could be photo-shopped in, but could be true. Anyway, a very big kitty is the Weird Wednesday picture today. Is it real or not? What is your take on this?

Darrin Wilson Interview

Today, I interviewed author Darrin Wilson about his YA book, Dark Matter.

1.) Please tell us about your latest book.

It’s a paranormal thriller for teens called The Dark Matter Directive. It’s about two brothers who discover they can control ghosts. Only the first one they run into gives them a run for their money.

2.) What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m dabbling in other supernatural thrillers like my second book called Wraiths & Worlds. But I want to complete the next volumes of the Dark Matter books very soon.

3.) How do we find out about you and your books?

You can visit my website at http://www.wraithsandworlds.com

4.) How would you describe the genre in which you do most of your writing?

Paranormal thrillers and urban fantasy. Mostly for the YA segment.

5.) What motivated you to start writing?

A desire to write a story I really wanted to read myself.

6.) What kind of research do you do?

Lots of time spent in the library going over old texts and magazine articles, and of course Internet research. Asking people who are knowledgeable in the area I am researching is fun as well.

7.) Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

Definitely go with the flow. Usually at night and on weekends.

7.) Where do your ideas come from?

A very dark place that has no name.

8.) Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?

Algernon Blackwood’s amazing dedication to the supernatural has influenced my desire to explore the dark.

9.) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Not at all. I have always been fascinated with the graphic arts, and from a young age wanted to be a painter. Hasn’t always worked out but writing stories keeps me creative and I love it.

11.) What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

Knowing that somewhere out there, someone is reading my story.

12.) Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?

I like The Dark Matter Directive for its potential to really get scary. But my favorite heroine has to be Abigail Moon from Wraiths & Worlds. She’s 80-years-old, blind, uses a wheelchair and kicks butt in Wraiths.

13.) Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)

I came to Canada from England when I was five with my family. My hobby has to be writing, and an unnatural desire to hike where I shouldn’t. I went to Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario to study visual merchandising then left to go work for a fashion designer in Toronto’s fashion district in the late eighties.

14.) Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

You’ve heard the standard “Don’t give up” and “Keep writing” many times. I never paid any attention until I actually started writing. Those clichés are clichés for a reason: they apply. What publishers pay attention to are great stories, and great stories come from trial and error. Put something out, if it doesn’t work, dust yourself off and get back to the keyboard. It’s hard work with lots of rejection but above all, believe in what you’re writing. Build an audience. Hand your stuff out. If you do that, you will get noticed.

15.) Tell us your website, MySpace, Blog, any urls so the readers can find out more about you.

My website is http://www.wraithsandworlds.com. I don’t Twitter or do Facebook. I’ll never say never on those but right now my writing takes up most of my time.

16.) Now for something fun:

Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla.

Erotic or inspirational? Inspirational erotica.

Favorite color? Black.

Favorite paranormal being? The creepy bad guy in Poltergeist (the movie).

Favorite mythological being? The Hydra.

Do you like science fiction, fantasy or horror? All of the above. Best served in one bowl.

All time favorite actor? Jeff Goldblum

Actress? Ashley Judd

All time favorite book? The Shining

Favorite TV show? In Search Of (With Leonard Nimoy)

Favorite Movie? Wizard of Oz (Lion cracks me up)

What makes you laugh out loud? Robot Chicken cuts the oxygen off from my brain.

If you could go anywhere in the universe where would that be? Alpha Centuri for the view.

A secret fetish? If I revealed it, it wouldn’t be a secret.

BUY LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Directive-Charles-Wilson/dp/0981360106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270426287&sr=1-1

THE DARK MATTER DIRECTIVE
A Young Adult Novel by D. Charles Wilson
LightKey (December 2009)
ISBN: 978-0-9813601-0-2
Hardcover. 239 pp, $18.99

AUTHOR CREATES A BRIDGE BETWEEN ADULT HORROR AND TEEN ADVENTURE

D.Charles Wilson picks up where R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps left off. In most young-adult fiction, bad guys can be anything from mean-spirited ghosts, vampires or werewolves to the school bully. Rarely does a book, aimed at teens, venture into Stephen King territory by pitting kids against serious, realistic forces of darkness. So, can a “bridge” book between adult horror and teen adventure cater to young teens craving scarier books without having to incorporate blood and gore?

Author, D. Charles Wilson, has accomplished this in his debut novel, The Dark Matter Directive (LightKey, 2009), in which two teens discover that they are pitted against a very nasty, demonic enemy. The story is narrated by fourteen-year-old Eric Jessing who finds out that he and his thirteen-year-old brother can control ghosts like a pair of paranormal lightning rods. It’s an adventure that is equal parts of Huckleberry Finn, Stephen King, and Goosebumps spun in a way that is teen-friendly.

Over the course of the book, a dad has to let go of the insecure feelings he has for his kids, and trust them to embark on their own to resolve their frightening dilemma. By setting two teens loose to accomplish the tasks ahead, the story shows that teens can be depended upon by adults where adults are sometimes powerless. They can aspire to and work toward responsibility.

Then, of course, there’s the other side to this wholesome father and son story: confrontation with not just some bad guys, but a force of darkness that puts most demonic presences to shame. Wilson explains: “By making their foe the root of omnipotent evil, I would run into the ultimate crisis when it came time to understand the kids themselves have more in common with evil than they do with their own dad.” That made for a story that, Wilson says, was a challenge to envision. “Was it possible to shine light into the face of darkness and still have the evil shine through to scare everyone?” he says. “All I know is that it was an incredible thrill to write.” As a note to parents: despite the harrowing ride, the book finds a happy ending.

This is how this teen, “bridge,” horror book came into being: In November 2008, author D. Charles Wilson, had just put the finishing touches on his yet untitled work of adult horror. It was based on a story idea I had in 2003. “In this new book,” he says, “I wanted to create an evil so horrifying, I would have trouble sleeping." As far as he was concerned, he accomplished the goal. The resulting story contained graphic violence, end-of-the-world prophecies, demonic possessions, out-of-control psychics, and reanimated corpses. Then he had an idea: what if it could be turned into a kid’s book? That way, kids looking for a great scare without turning to Stephen King could find it here. “It was a challenge,” Wilson says. “I took my complete, unpublished adult horror manuscript, complete with graphic violence and end-of-the-world prophecies, stripped out all the violence, and inserted some particle physics along with kids having fun.” The result was a breezy 240-page adventure yarn.

Today, in the world of young adult fiction, themes have moved past critical mass for vampire lit and are now on bloodsucker overload. But it wasn’t always like this. There were actually other types of stories for fear-loving kids. In 1992, Scholastic published Welcome to Dead House by R. L. Stine. It was a new series dubbed “Goosebumps,” and over 60 books later created a worldwide phenomenon to the tune of 300 million copies sold. Never before had children loved to be scared. When Goosebumps hit its stride in the mid nineties, Wilson was already in his twenties and too old to appreciate the scares Goosebumps held for kids. But he still held a soft spot for terror tales.
As a 14 year old, he read any books he could get a hold of about monsters or the paranormal but was skittish of opening a Stephen King. "Stephen King just scared me as a teenager," he recalls. "Reading the back cover was enough to keep me awake at night. I really wanted to experience Stephen King. I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

It wasn't until twenty years later that he found he could release into the world his childhood dream: an adult horror novel made for kids.

About the Author:
D. Charles Wilson was born in Guildford, England, and his family immigrated to Canada in 1975 settling in Hamilton, Ontario. He graduated high school in 1987 in Hamilton, Ontario, and attended Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.

Four Questions Friday

Since I will be at a science fiction/fantasy/horror convention, Ravencon this weekend, I will be asking about these genres.

1. Which of these three genres--science fiction, fantasy and horror--do you read the most?

2. Which of the three do you watch the most in movies or television?

3. If you don't like any of the three, what genre do you read or watch?

4. Name a favorite book from one of these three genres. Name a favorite film. A favorite TV show.

WEIRD WEDNESDAY

Today, I think we have a barrel house. Wonder who would live in there?

FOUR QUESTIONS FRIDAY

It's Four Questions Friday. Time to answer what you will do this upcoming Easter weekend.

1. Do you have any plans for this weekend?

2. If just staying home, what do you plan to do?

3. If traveling out of town, or to a relative's or friend's, what kind of Easter things will you be doing?

4. Would this be a good time to do some planting and yard work?

Spectre Nightmares and Visitations Is Now Available as an eBook

My dark fantasy short story collection, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations, just came out as an eBook, published by Under the Moon. Later this spring it will be available in print, too. You can find it at Genre Connections.com/Spectre Nightmares and Visitations

Book Blurb:

Many things scare us. But the most fearful things are those that infect our nightmares and visitations. Monsters from the closet or from another planet. Ghost that haunt more than houses. Werewolves are not the only shapeshifters to beware of. Children can be taken from more than the human kind of monster. Even normal things can be the start of heart-pounding terror. prepare to step beyond the pages into Spectee \Nightmares and Visitations.