How To Scare Children (#IWSG November 2024)

Halloween has passed and Christmas looms on the horizon. My wife insisted we take a break in between; we put a lot of work into our haunted house (this year was the fifth annual!), so we need some down time before rushing headlong into the holidays.

Here's a few pics from the haunted house, to show you what we traumatize our children with:

This year's event led them all over the neighbourhood, from my in-law's shed, to our garage/kill room for the main festivities, out into the woods behind the playground (led by a path of mysterious lights) and finally back to our back yard where one final surprise waited for them in an ominous box.

Now that's out of the way, I've been able to return to writing. Still revising Gale Harbour Book 3, and writing this year's Christmas book. I'm always a busy beaver.

November Question - What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

Plenty. The main ones are creating scary settings to frighten my children and nieces (see above), but I also do a lot of miniature painting and crafting (see here, here and here... and here and here)

I also draw, do arts & crafts with my kids, make costumes for school plays and Halloween, play and make games (both tabletop and an occasional video game). I used to play music but I honestly don't have time to keep up with it on top of everything else. I've never had trouble finding hobbies - the problem has always been finding time to do them all.

How was your Halloween?

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

P.S. I'm number 39 on the IWSG List! Look at me and be awed! Mwahahahaha!

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

November? No way. Lies, I tell you. (#IWSG November 2022)

NaNoWriMo time!

Not for me, though. I don't NaNo. November's always a busy writing month for me already, but it's usually finishing/editing Christmas presents. I don't have time to write 50,000 new words on something. Fortunately I already have a first draft of this year's story, so I only have to finish the many (many) illustrations that need to go along with it.

October was crazy. The whole family came down with Covid, so that really threw us for a loop. Fortunately none of us were hit too hard, but the effects certainly do linger. The fatigue and mind fog are certainly real, and I hope there are no further long-term effects.

Didn't get much writing done in October, but there was lots of other creative stuff. The big thing was the annual haunted house that we did for the kids in the family. It took weeks to plan, involved painting the entire basement black, and then four more days to set everything up - but in the end we locked our kids and nieces in the basement and gave them 90 minutes solve an escape room and get out.

It was a lot of work but the kids had a ton of fun. I set up a camera so the adults could watch them, and I think we had even more fun than the kids! The story of the escape room was that a disgraced toymaker was luring children into his workshop to help him build toys, which were unfortunately murderous and the children rarely survived. They had to solve puzzles, decode riddles, cut open stuffed animals to find keys and clues, objects hidden in the ventilations ducts, plus a few creepy surprises hidden to give them a fright or two. There was also secret messages written on the walls in invisible ink, and a UV flashlight used to find them. It was all INCREDIBLY involved, and my wife and I swore again we won't do it again next year, but who knows...

I also took up painting gaming miniatures again. Tiny little figurines about an inch or so tall that requires a lot of attention to detail and a steady hand. Funny it was much easier when I was 25 years old... and didn't have Covid... But I do really enjoy it and have already spent too much money on paint and models and may have put a lot of research into getting a 3D Printer...

The Stormtrooper on the right was painted while I had Covid, the one of the left was done after I got better. I don't know if you can see the difference in the picture, but it's substantial...

And of course I made the kids' Halloween costumes... and may have already booked myself to make my niece's costume for her next year...

Writing? What's that?

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK 

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/.

The Genre Debate (#IWSG October 2022)

I am the shadow on the moon at night

Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

Happy Halloween month, everyone!

The Fall season is always a busy time for me (when isn't it?) First we have back to school in September, then comes October, which in our household involves more prep work than Christmas. Starting two years ago, we've been hosting highly-involved Haunted Houses for the kids in the family. The first time was due to Halloween being cancelled due to Covid, but the kids have insisted we keep it going. This year I may be painting the entire basement black. This may or may not be a good idea.

Next month is November, which is a crazy writing time as I prepare the family books for Christmas presents, followed by December which is of course always a write-off in terms of being productive.

I'll get back to finishing Gale Harbour Book 3 eventually...

October Question

What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

Oh, this is a rant I've been meaning to go on for awhile, so this is a perfect opportunity to do so.

My gut reaction to "what is your favourite genre" is for me to say "comedy," but comedy isn't really a genre. It's a style of writing that can be added to any other genre (and should be, IMHO). So that means that my favourite genre is probably fantasy or sci-fi. Except...

FANTASY AND SCI-FI AREN'T GENRES.

"Robots" by itself is not a genre. "Robot-erotica," on the other hand...

I will admit, I got this idea from Shawn Coyne's The Story Grid, but I completely agree with it. A "genre" describes the plot of a story - genres are meant to include specific plot points, in order to let their readers know what to expect. A mystery has to have an inciting crime, a villain's MacGuffin and the exposure of the criminal. A romance has triangles, secrets and lovers split-up/reuniting. There is a little more to it than that, and there are always exceptions, but the framework is the key and very specific. That's what makes a genre. 

How do you define "Fantasy" and "Sci-Fi"? Fantasy generally takes place in a secondary world (or our world with different rules), and includes some system of magic. Sci-Fi takes place in a "futuristic" world and includes technology that seems potentially possible (magic based in science). None of these things describe the actual story, they describe the setting where your story takes place.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi aren't genres, they're SETTINGS.

You can have a fantasy action story (Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson), or a fantasy mystery (anything by Jim Butcher or Charlaine Harris). You can have a sci-fi horror story (the original Terminator or Alien) or a sci-fi romance (pretty much any anime or manga from the last 30 years). Fantasy and Sci-Fi says nothing about the plot by themselves. You can't have a fantasy or sci-fi story without a plot (well you can, but it would be terrible). You have to layer a genre on top of it. 

Come at me.

Huge & Kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

FREE BOOKS! (#Trick-or-Treat-Reads 2019)

It's Time! Spooks, Ghouls, Witches and Sexy Nurses are out in force! You know what that means? Free candy, and more importantly, FREE BOOKS!

Below is a list of authors, participating in this year's Trick-or-Treat Book Blog Hop. Each of them will be giving away free books and stories, just like candy. All you have to do is click on the link to visit their sites. Pretty awesome and easy, right?

Trick or Treat reads is organized every year by the talented Patricia Lynne/Josephine, so be sure to drop by her blog to say thank you! (As well as pick up some free books that are probably better than mine)

So what do I have to give away?

AVAILABLE FREE until NOVEMBER 1st!

AMAZON US | AMAZON CANADA | AMAZON UK

They say love hurts and time heals all wounds.

Sometimes the reverse is true.

Isaac was very good at wasting time. Video games, a mindless job, no responsibilities - he had a simple life and few wants. Despite being hopelessly average, unassuming and kind of useless, he had somehow married the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world.

He had no idea how good he had it - until it was all taken away.

Time does not like being wasted. It is mercurial, inexorable and carries a wicked grudge. And sometimes, just sometimes, it enjoys playing games with people's lives. To be perfectly honest, Time is a bit of a jerk.

Isaac had never learned to appreciate what little time he had, and now he must travel to the ends of the universe and face unspeakable evils in a cat-and-mouse game with Time itself for the slim chance to win back a few fleeting seconds of happiness. The price of failure? Only the end of all existence.

Ten Thousand Days is a fairy tale set in the modern day, a fantastic journey of desperate love and horror with a twisted sense of humour. It's a story of exactly how far a young man will go for love...

NOTE: This is the revised and expanded version from 2017, which is significantly different than the original that was published in 2015. This is also the first time TEN THOUSAND DAYS has been available for free on Amazon.

But that's not all!

AVAILABLE FREE until NOVEMBER 1st!

AMAZON US | AMAZON CANADA | AMAZON UK

This is a serious story.

A serious, grimly dark short story of hilarious misery.

SUGGESTED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES: Contains coarse language, violence and candid descriptions of the genitalia of various fantasy races.

In a peaceful land of lush prosperity, an ancient eight-tentacled evil has risen to wreck unfathomable havoc. A simple, unassuming warrior named Huckle gathers together the bravest and most dysfunctional band of heroes in the kingdom to battle the beast, but they are fated only for the direst of suffering and failure.

The only way to defeat a monster of this magnitude is with an even more horrifying monster...

Huckle goes to hell and back and back again in this tragic tale of terrestrial cephalopods, ursine lycanthropes and explosive volcano drake diarrhea.

Dark fantasy will never be the same.

With a forward by R.S. Matheny and Philip Overby, hosts of the Grim Tidings Podcast

TENTACLES UNDER A FULL MOON is the first part in the ongoing WEREBEAR vs LANDOPUS series, which just gets more and more silly as time goes on...

Here's the list of participating authors again. Go give them some love and grab yourself some free books! And authors, hey, it's not too late to sign up, so join in the fun!

Trick-or-Treat Reads (2018)

'Tis the season to be spooky.

Just a heads up that I have once again signed up for Patricia Lynne's Trick-or-Treat for Books Blog Hop! I'm pretty excited this year because I've actually got a new story to share for the hop!

Be sure to check back next week on Halloween (to be honest it will be up and available by Devil's Night - October 30th!). Below is a list of other writers who are participating and SHARING FREE BOOKS next week!


Even if you're not participating yourself, please share the list so that everyone knows where to get some great, spooky freebies for ALL HALLOW'S EVE!

Trick or Treat for FREE BOOKS! (Happy Halloween!)

It's time! Pumpkins are being smashed on lawns by teenagers with hockey sticks, and children are running through traffic! Department stores are putting up their Christmas decorations, and dentists are rubbing their hands greedily thinking about all the expensive cavities they're about to fill. And do you know the best part? Authors are giving out FREE BOOKS like candy!

Big thanks once again to the lovely PATRICIA LYNNE and her amazing hair for organizing Trick or Trick reads again this year. Be sure to check out ALL the authors on the list below to grab whatever books or stories they're passing out today. I've found some real gems this was in years past, so it's well worth your time to stop by them all to see what they're offering. And stop by Patricia's site to thank her for setting this up!

It's Halloween; everyone's entitled to one good scare.

Here's is the list of authors participating today:



Now check out what I'm giving away today!

 

A serious, grimly dark short story of hilarious misery.

SUGGESTED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES: Contains coarse language, violence, alleged dwarf ejaculate and candid descriptions of the genitalia of various fantasy races.

The Werebear vs Landopus series is for folks who love dark fantasy with a goofy, at times obscene sense of humour. It reads a lot like playing Dungeons & Dragons with your friends when you're all punch drunk/feeling silly, and you can't help but laugh when your half-elf wizard is bitten in half by a vampiric hippopotamus. 

Part Three should be coming out soon, so now is the time to catch up!

 ~GET PART 1 (TENTACLES) ON AMAZON KINDLE~

~GET PART 2 (REVENGE) ON AMAZON KINDLE~

They say love hurts and time heals all wounds. 

Sometimes the reverse is true. 

Ten Thousand Days is a fairy tale set in the modern day, a fantastic journey of desperate love and horror with a twisted sense of humour. Inspired by Neil Gaiman with a touch of Terry Pratchett, and based on the ancient tales of Sleeping Beauty and Orpheus & Eurydice. It's a story of exactly how far a young man will go for love...

Ten Thousand Days is my first published novel and it's been around a couple of years, however earlier this year I made a MAJOR revision to it earlier this year, nearly doubling it in length and (in my opinion) making it substantially better. If you still haven't checked it out, now's the time! It's available for free on Smashwords until November 1.

!!GET TEN THOUSAND DAYS ON SMASHWORDS!!

I want you to tell me a story: A man and a woman in a loft a year ago. I'm sure you'll remember. You killed them, on Halloween...

Trick or Treat for Books (2017 Edition)

It's that time again! The weather is changing, the grocery store aisles are crammed with boxes of individually-packaged candy, and kids are spending more time at school discussing their Halloween costumes than their math lessons.

That last one doesn't matter because the education system is gone to crap, anyway.

What the hell kind of sorcery is this?

In what has become a yearly tradition, I will once again be taking part in Patricia Lynne's Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop. You can check out the details on her blog, but the long and the short of it is, authors will be giving away free books on or about October 31, just like candy! 

The list of participants who have signed up so far is below. Fellow writers, please feel free to add your name!

Make sure to come back on Halloween to grab your free books, from myself as well as the other authors on the list!

In a weird bit of serendipitous symmetry, my announcement of joining this blog hop for the first time back in 2015 was my 100th blog post. Today, two years later, is my 200th blog post. It's almost like I regularly once per week, except I absolutely don't (I go through periods where I post like crazy, and then weeks/months with nothing). Still, 200 posts is nothing to sneeze at, so yeah, me!

Any excuse to use this GIF.

I'll Get Back to the Keyboard Eventually (#IWSG October 2017)

Holy shit! I've moved up to 102 on the IWSG list! I've nearly cracked the top 100! That's not really an accomplishment worth noting, but I've got to take what I can get. I'm also well over 6000 followers on Twitter! People like me, right?

I need to celebrate whatever I can. It's not like I got any writing done.

I didn't even do that much.

It's been a rough (rough) year for my family, and writing has fallen very far down the list of my priorities. I get up at 5:00 and rarely got to bed before midnight, and in all of that time I don't have many minutes to myself, let alone take the time to write. I've been forced to start driving to work every day, which is not preferred because as long-time readers know, my bus ride is usually my writing time. Not to mention parking where I work costs a fortune.

I watched about ten minutes of the new Marc Maron comedy special on Netflix. What I saw was pretty funny.

It sucks but it's life, and sometimes you have to deal with these things. There have been small improvements, so hopefully I'll get back to a regular schedule soon.

Oh, I've signed up for Patricia Lynne's "Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop" once again to give away free stories for Halloween. Only a few people have signed up so far, but enrollment tends to increase closer to the big day. Interested writers can sign up below:



For those not in the know, participating authors give away free books and stories on October 31 instead of teeth-destroying candy. Usually the stories are seasonally-themed, with ghost/supernatural/horror-type atmosphere, but I believe this year that particular requirement has been relaxed and everyone is free to give away anything they want. It's like getting Easter Eggs and Candy Canes for Halloween!

At the rate I'm going I probably won't have the new story I'd planned to give away finished in time, but I'm sure I'll find something appropriate to throw in the hat.

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October Question 

Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

All the f***ing time.

Not as blatantly as some writers, though.

If you see a date in one of my books or stories, chances are it's a date important to my life somehow. I've also copied entire conversations I've had almost verbatim and used them in my writing. Even some that disgust reviewers who can't believe anyone would actually say such things.

Of course, in all cases I remove any context and change the details a little to remove any chance of guilt or shame, but I have had people call me out on it. Fortunately it's only people who already know me really well, and since there aren't many of those it's not picked up on very often. :-)

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/.

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Well that didn't go according to plan... (#IWSG)

I just made a donation for $10 to Canadian Blood Services. This was my pledge for the Vampire Books for Blood campaign, in which I said I would donate $1 for every copy of Hell Comes to Hogtown sold in October.

I didn't actually sell ten copies. That was just the minimum donation the website would allow.

Truth be told, I didn't even sell five copies, which is what I had originally intended to donate. I was rounding up from three, which itself was a bit of an inflation as it included two books I sold at the end of September.

That leaves me with one. One book. That's what I sold in October.

And it was on-sale for 99 cents, which you may notice is less than what I pledged to donate.

So yeah, I don't know what I expected to get from Vampire Books for Blood. I certainly didn't expect huge sales or anything, but I thought with 50 authors in a similar genre cross-promoting on their blogs and Facebook and Twitter pages, SOMEONE might see my book and decide to give it a try. Hell, I bought a couple of books myself because they looked interesting. But it was not meant to be.

I just Googled "sad vampire" and got, like, a billion hits. 

I should have known better.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about donating money to a worthwhile charity. I'm just disappointed that I continue to flail about impotently hoping someone will check out my book. I've only sold half as many copies of Hogtown as I did Ten Thousand Days in a similar time frame, and only received 1/5 as many reviews, despite the new book being much better (in my opinion).

I was so bummed about my non-existent success that I gave away copies of Hogtown for free yesterday for Trick-or-Treat for books. At least it's in someone's hands now. I'm not worried that those freebies took away from any potential donations that would have went to Blood Services, since I ended up covering it anyway.

Anyway, I'm bummed, I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed. Awhile ago I said I don't care if my books make money and I meant it, but I really would like someone to read them.

Anyway.

Here's a picture of my kids dressed up as Minions for Halloween.

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November IWSG Question: 

What's your favourite part of being a writer?

This one's easy, and ties well into my anecdote above. The best part is definitely when someone tells me they enjoyed one of my stories. It doesn't have to be much, even a "hey man that was really cool" is great (though a detailed review is always awesome). I ain't in this for the money or your revolution. I'm a ham and a storyteller and a clown - I just want people to read my damn books. ;-P

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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group here.

FREE BOOKS! (Happy Halloween 2016!)

In honour of the joyous festival of Samhain, today I'm joining forces with Patricia Lynne's Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop to give out free stories to everyone who stops by. It's just like Trick or Treating for candy, except with (hopefully) fewer cavities.

A number of authors and small publishers have signed up to give out free books and stories this year, so be sure to check out everyone on the list to get your free stories. Just make sure you come in costume! 

As for my contribution to the list: For today only, you can download my novel HELL COMES TO HOGTOWN from Smashwords absolutely free. It's a perfect for this Halloween season, as it features monsters, ghosts, violent murder, evil cults, fortune tellers and um, drugged-out professional wrestlers. It's creepy, it's gory, it's got a sense of humour, and it's all yours if you visit Smashwords today:

Get your copy at Smashwords

Happy Halloween, everyone. Be careful, be safe, and have fun! Don't forget to visit all the participants to grab your free stories, or you'll regret it!

Poor Marilyn missed his free stories, and he regrets it.

He regrets a lot of things in his life.