October 16, 2011

VMS, “Victus Mortuus” Syndrome (from The Spooky Chronicles)

From the Desk of Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D.

To Whom It May Concern,

This is to certify that the patient, Spencer Alexander Lawson, is under the care and treatment of Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D., practicing at Waterview Mercy Hospital in River City, AL. As a cancer survivor, the patient endures a condition called VMS, or “Victus Mortuus” Syndrome. This unique condition is limited to the patient and represents no danger to others.

Symptoms are categorized as follows:

  • Faint or seemingly nonexistent heartbeat
  • Shallow or seemingly nonexistent breath
  • Little or no bleeding from accidental lacerations
  • Cloudy eyes
  • Skin pallor
  • Severe lack of appetite
  • Dehydration

    • It is strongly suggested that the patient be allowed (but not limited to) the following concessions:

  • Water or fluids whenever requested
  • Excused from any and all meals
  • Excused to go to the restroom at any time
  • Excused from strenuous activity at any time

    • The patient carries an emergency medical alert and information device (in the form of a pendant) in the event of an episode (such as sudden loss of consciousness). It is suggested to activate the EMA on behalf of the patient if the patient is unable to do so.

    Warning: Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should emergency medical personnel make any attempt to revive the patient without express instruction from the treatment specialist as this may cause further harm to the patient up to and including potentially fatal consequences.

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D.
    Senior Staff Oncologist
    Waterview Mercy Hospital
    River City, AL

    Note: this form is intended to provide school personnel with information concerning physician-directed mandates for the continued health of an attending student.

    Posted by on October 16, 2011 in Cemetery, Creativity and tagged .

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    October 2, 2011

    Author Interview Up Rai29 Book Read N Review

    If you’re into books, spend time online, and are not familiar with Goodreads.com, I suggest checking it out (my author profile is here).
    One of the people I’ve met on the site is Rachel, a young adult who is not only ravenous for reading but also reviews young adult (YA) books and interviews YA authors. Check out my interview on her site at Rai29 Book Read N Review.
    Here’s a few of the questions:

    3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
    It’s called The Spooky Chronicles: The Terminal People, about a dead boy dealing with still growing up.
    4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
    This is the second book in The Spooky Chronicles series. The first arc is planned for six books, although I’m doing a one-shot crossover story between the first couple books for a charity anthology. I’m currently working on the third book in the series, Schoolhouse Number Five.
    5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
    I’ve been writing film reviews for almost fifteen years (honing my written “voice”), plus my girlfriend got into self-publishing herself and encouraged me to do it. I’ve seen a lot of scary movies, and the ones featuring young adults rarely seem to show much of the their point of view. One exception is Harry Potter, which I’ve always felt is a lot more YA horror than people want to admit.
    7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
    I’m pretty handy with the graphic arts and am self-taught, so I created it myself based on a key location in the story from photographs I’ve taken. Most of the current cover was from a picture taken in Savannah, Georgia’s Bonaventure Cemetery. Beautiful statuary there.
    10. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
    The series trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjXRVIHdR… I love book trailers, but I think many are too much like movie trailers. In a movie trailer, you expect to see scenes in the movie exactly as they appear in the trailer (and are disappointed when they aren’t). So much of what happens in a book is in the imagination, so the less you show, the better. A book trailer, like a book cover, should *feel* like what the book is about, more like those teaser movie trailers that appear before any footage is actually shot.
    11. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
    I like them all. I intend to translate each of my stories into all of these mediums as I am able to. If you don’t give consumers what they want in the form they want it, someone else will.

    Posted by on October 2, 2011 in Acquaintances, Creativity, Internet and tagged , , .

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    October 1, 2011

    “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 2: The Wind Tunnel”

    Savage Insider asked me to write them a four-part serial, so I did! Savage Insider is a freely available, all-around eZine with loads of Savage Worlds content with adventure seeds in multiple genres and highlights of licensee companies. The price is free, available in PDF download form via DriveThruRPG.

    The second issue is out! Get the free Savage Insider #2 by clicking here.
    Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 2: The Wind Tunnel” inside!

    Get the free first issue of Savage Insider #1 by clicking here.
    Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 1: Birds of a Feather” inside!

    Posted by on October 1, 2011 in Cemetery, Creativity, Paranormal and tagged , .

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    September 27, 2011

    YA Horror: Not the Type of Books That You Would Read?

    “Young Adult Horror” is the topic of discussion I would like to raise today. For example:

    “After an orphan child endures his formative years being neglected by his foster parents and made to feel powerless, a mysterious stranger arrives with a revelation: the child was born with the blood of sorcerers in his veins.

    “Taken to a hidden fortress under the cover of darkness, the child encounters disembodied spirits, nightmarish creatures, and enemies at every turn. Yet it is only when he discovers that his birth parents were murdered by the dark arts that his true path becomes clear.”

    I wrote that three-sentence description for the express purpose of illustrating a point about YA Horror, but how many of readers would correctly identify this as the synopsis for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone?

    In offering to allow reviewers the chance to sample my book series, The Spooky Chronicles, I have repeatedly seen replies such as “(these) aren’t the type of books that I would read” or “(YA horror is) not my thing.” My question, of course, is “Why didn’t you give the Harry Potter books a chance?” To be perfectly honest, I submit that the entire series run of all seven JK Rowling books in the Potter series are not only YA horror but become more horrific with each installment (and, frankly, I loved every bit of it).

    My point is this: I’m attempting to be fair in the description of what my books are about. Horror is not the only thing that happens in these stories; there is a fair amount of fantasy as well as drama, humor, adventure, and more, but the main character IS a zombie kid. What is creating this reaction to YA horror? Look at children’s nursery rhymes and Grimm fairy tales; the very essence of these stories is unmistakably horror. Hansel and Gretel (and the witch)? Ring Around the Rosie? My guess is that someone at some time has written a truly horrible book where something unspeakable must happen to all the young adult characters; if you happen to know what that book is, please send me the title because I’d like to give it a shot.

    In the meantime, what do YOU think? Is a wizard who learns the value of destroying your enemies with sorcery more palpable than a zombie boy who is genuinely fearful he might accidentally start the Apocalypse?

    Posted by on September 27, 2011 in Conspiracies, Creativity, Paranormal and tagged , , , , , , .

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    September 24, 2011

    The Terminal People Now Available!

    The Terminal People
    Still growing up as a dead boy, “Spooky” Spencer Lawson is learning about the strange world he never asked to be a part of (which is a lot more interesting than math). When a mysterious stranger he meets in an alley appears to die after touching Spooky’s hand, Spooky begins to wonder how dangerous he really is, especially to the people he cares about.

    Get the new eBook now!

    This is the follow up to the critically acclaimed introductory book, The Spooky Chronicles: The Crooked Man.

    For anyone not on Facebook, I have officially announced the name of the third book: “Schoolhouse Number Five.” For a peek at the cover, check out my Thinking Skull page on FB.

    Posted by on September 24, 2011 in Creativity and tagged , .

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    September 13, 2011

    Happy Birthday, Spooky!

    The original idea of this character and the world he inhabits was born in 1999, as in “party like it’s.” I also kicked around the idea that Spencer was born on Friday the 13th, which seems a little cliche, but I thought it would be fun that occasionally his birthday would fall on a Friday. Today he turns twelve years old.

    In any case, it just kind of happened that the series got going in such a way that the main character’s timeline is very close to real time, and rather than try to force things into being timeless (which is virtually impossible in a modern setting unless you dislocate your characters to an alien landscape), I decided to just run with it.

    If you haven’t already, click the image or click here to order or download the book. If you haven’t seen it yet, click and watch the series ebook trailer.

    And for anyone not on Facebook, I have officially announced the name of the third book: “Schoolhouse Number Five.” For a peek at the cover, check out my Thinking Skull page on FB.

    Posted by on September 13, 2011 in Creativity, Existentialism and tagged , , , , .

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