Posts

Showing posts from May, 2017

The Rings (Movie Review)

The Rings  written by David Loucka and Jacob estes, Directed by F. Javier Gutierrez, staring Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alex Roe and Johnny Galecki, is the revision of the horror story from 2002 about a video tape that, once viewed, kills the victim in 7 days. It was original, it was cool (at least for those who weren't familiar with the Japanese film.) And the story was completed, more or less, in that movie.  I went into this movie skeptically. The first Ring movie was pretty awesome, because you didn't know any of the background--everything was new. And the eerie video clips that are watched before the girl calls were haunting. But once you found out what happened, you couldn't use certain aspects any longer. If you were to make a sequel, you'd need to go further into the background of the girl--if that was possible.  The cannon is there, and the story still seems solid without much additions bringing about an oh please moment. But do people want to know the bac

Deanman's Tome Show Recap 5/26/2016

WCM: On Friday's show, we dug in deep with ghost hunter Gerard Simonelli. He taught us about different types of apparitions and gave an insight to his world.  JD: Gerard Simonelli is a paranormal investigator that doesn't care for bullshit. I like that, and I think he made for a great guest. I learned so much about ghosts that I've begun to question the strange feelings I experience in my own home. WCM: A surprising visit by a new character, Cat Man, caused Jessie to find a fetish he never knew he had...or did he? Let's just say, Cat Man was purring by the end of the show.  JD: What kind of world do we live in where a man dresses up like a Cat? The best of worlds. Oh, kitty allowed me to get close, really close. WCM: We also touched on a new path being tested to get the show out further, Real Vision Radio, and how we're feeling the crunch of creative oppression from the various rules and regulations. Lets just say, I enjoyed my four bottles of apple juice. 

Friday Musings (5/26/2017)

Another Friday. This one is the start to a three-day weekend, though.  I sit here in the cafe area outside of Starbucks and see less people. It's great. And the commute is wonderful on days like this. I was even able to get some time yesterday morning, as well.  This bleeds into the job, where most of the people have already started their holiday weekend with traveling, or just staying home. So, needless to say, a lot of reading and writing will be getting done today.  I've finished my story for the Monster's anthology, it's shaping up to be a monstrous tome, indeed. Roughly 14 stories will be included.  The story I have in there is a horror story with a splash of sci-fi thrown in. I haven't read many of the others, but if they are as good as the prior stories of the authors on here, then watch out.  This should be releasing sometime in July, and you will be seeing a lot of advertising for it in the coming days and weeks. Well, if you're looking in the

Deadman's Tome Show (Recap)

William The Dynamite Marchese (WCM): The Deadman's Tome show happened a day late, but we still had an action-packed episode. Jesse Dedman (JD): This was the episode I’ve been wanting to do for some time now. We were able to take J Nathan Couch from his cryptid investigation to share with us some major truth bombs. I started the show very doubtful of a thing called Goat Man, but now, honestly, I’m wondering if there’s not some horny goat man stalking lover’s lane. WCM: We drank, we cursed (though, not as much as usual,) and we learned about criptids and the paranormal. JD: Drinking is mandatory. Did I really not cuss that much? Did not notice. Dude, we learned so much: Haunted assholes, paranormal lovemaking, and even Goatman sex. Nathan Couch said it himself that a woman reported that she was kidnapped by witches and was forced to have sex with the Goatman... WCM: Next week we will have another awesome episode with a ghost hunter, who will talk about his adventures and what l

Friday Musings (5/19/2017)

And another Friday and here I am writing again at a Starbucks in lower Manhattan.  I read a tweet about getting published through a traditional publisher vs going your own. The writer who posted the tweet explained how she was from the older days when it was a norm, when snail mail was the only way to submit.  Someone replied their disagreement. I notice that when someone is agaist traditional, it's always with a bit of irritation and self defense.  There is an answer to everything, but the traditional vs self feud has some grey area.  Personally, I think it's still best to build an audience and grow your name through established publications (or even ones that are up and coming about to be established publications) to build a record. A resume, if you will.   When you go to an agent or publishing house, you show them what you've accomplished.  Reputable places may chose your story because of quality and ability, how many potential readers you're bringing to t

Did I fail? I don't think so.

So if you've been reading my posts you'll know that I've been trying to keep up with a daily regimin of content. Even though I've technically kept to that challenge, I feel, especially with last night's post, that I fell off a bit.  This is getting a reality TV vibe here.  The challenge, I see now, has done what it should have. It let me see how it feels to keep up with a sort of deadline.  I feel I have come to the point where I understand why I was challenging myself and can miss a day or two here and there if it means time to create more thoughtful posts, a higher standard or quality.  I have been inundated with writing tasks this week. Whether reading for a book review, or finishing up a short story for an anthology which will soon start with its advertising campaign. Or another project I'm working on with a bud. It was just too much with a day job and family.  So, I sat back just now and said, damn, I fell off. And it was then when I thought of al

Monday Reflection

A lot is going on. I have yet to see how busy work will be this week, but I'm trying to finish a big project for this Saturday. It is taking just about all my spare energy and attention.  Not much of a post today. I have been busy at trying to finish this Monster Story, which is looking to be a lot longer than I anticipated.  Well, talk soon.  WCM

Get Out (movie review)

What was the big deal with Get Out ? A movie written and directed by Jordan Peele, staring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams and Bradley Whitfod.  The story is about an African American man going to meet his white girlfriend's family and the horror that ensues makes you think twice about having trust for just about anyone.  This was a hard review, and I questioned if I was even going to try and tackle it. But I did, and it wasn't as hard--once I started writing it--as I thought.  It starts out good, though there were the cliched parts with the "white" "black" bits .  This ambiguous dialogue goes into another direction towards the middle-ending of the movie, so sit tight.  See. I get what's going on in the world. Tensions are high between races, and the rich and poor, etc. However, it is important to keep in mind there are many different people out there, many different points of view. Different backgrounds, different ways of thinking from how p

Deadman's Tome Podcast Recap 5/12/2017

WCM: Last night's show was insane! We discussed how rappers have to give up their behind to gain notoriety. And had a special guest on, Tha Pessimist, who helped us graze the crazy world of the music industry. Also, how the government is turning us into demons. Dedman, what do you think?  JD: Last night's show was a barrage of truth bombs. We learned that 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and ALL other famous rappers had to give up their ass. I thought the Pessimist said he gave up his ass, but we cleared that up. He chose not to, which is why he isn't platinum, yet. We learned about Michelle Obama having a penis, government engaging in satanic rituals, and more. Insane show. WCM: I also found out that my secret government name is Pumpernickel and Tha Pessimist loves Holiday, by Madonna.  JD: we learned that Marchese real name is Pumpernickel and he used to be Tha Pessimist’s bottom bitch. Though, it seems that Tha Pessimist still has ownership of his ass.  JD: Tha Pessimist c

Friday Musings 5/12/2017

The writers of today, i'm challenging you. You don't have to just be horror. No. This goes out to all of you. A story so real, so vivid that you draw the reader in. What makes that happen? What small part of the story has to be tweaked to make it great. It's a formula that has an answer.  Can you? I want to strive to write like this. I want my story to be so real you are sucked in, hopelessly. I don't want you to say, damn this is good, great, no. I want you to not be able to let go of the paper/device (however you read these days.) Can you make the reader feel emotion--no, really feel emotion? Constructing a concise string of words so as to evoke that feeling from the reader? Earn a blurb that says "You'll be under the covers, biting your nails. Peeking from beneath your blanket." HAHA!  Do people really do that when they read horror? Not sure, but some stories might illicit a glance at the bedroom door, maybe a noise was heard af

Amazon Selling Buy Buttons for Books to Third Parties

News:  Amazon is back in the headlines with a new program where third-party book re-sellers can "win" buy buttons. Those little buttons you click on when you buy a book on the site.  This can spell bad news for authors and publishers. The re-sellers wouldn't be buying copies from publishers, so money derived from those sales will not go to publishers or authors.  Authors Guild and other organizations are alerting its members about the payment downfall from this whole ordeal.  Amazon says the whole thing is going to work like the rest of their site, where third party sellers are allowed to compete with Amazon on the sale of new items. Can this drive the price down, as well?  Some say that Amazon is trying to up its sales, forcing publishers to use the print-on-demand services it owns. According to the guild's scenario, if you or I purchase a hard cover, Amazon would print their own copy and ship it--cutting costs on storing inventory.  Would this drive peop

Checking In 5/10/2017

Doing a quick checking in. Nothing to post today, and that's okay. Sometimes just an update is fine.  I'm reading some news about Amazon and a Buy Now button. I'll see if I write about that tomorrow. Moving the news up a bit.  It was an extremely busy day at work today, and I had no chance to write. Change of weather, allergies, fun times.  Its also hard when you have people constantly walking behind you with curious eyes. I'm the type of person that doesn't want anyone to have anything on me. So I pull down my documents.  Now, you're probably thinking, "Well, you aren't supposed to be doing that on your job, anyway."  Okay, but lets put things into perspective. I work during my lunch break. Okay. There's that. Then here and there i'll make notes, or write a few paragraphs, etc. When I look over at others, they are looking at videos, or looking at the latest celebrity showing off their poses and selfies.  So I think i'm doin

First 100

The first 100 or so times you write a story, supposedly, it is said that it will suck.  There are some instances, I assume, where a writer has studied the intricacies and read many books and crammed all the writing info he/she could find into their mind to have a better chance at writing something well the first time--but that's mostly not the case.  The truth is, even if you have that many stories out, you can still put out bad material. That goes deeper into if you are cut out for creativity in the first place, or if you are having a bad period. Some call this Writer's Block--which, to me, is like fibro myalgia; it can be anything that you don't have a name for.  I've tried to look for this Tweet, but can't find it anywhere. I believe Joe Hill said something about it, as well.  Basically, a certain amount of your first short stories are going to suck.  The thing is to get them out of your system. Now, I know it’s not ground in stone, that whole thing, b

Ghost In the Tweet. (Fiction)

The cursor blinked consistently. Kneading his hands, Marcus read the Twitter feed over again. "Can't be..." Silently hunched over the keyboard, a hand propped his head, fingertips to temple. He typed with one hand: Why won’t you talk? A knock at the front door made him jump. How did you get my account access? (Marcus) The open window displayed the fire escape. "Marcus Brennon! Open this door--now!" ~ (HinderedMag) So you write? Yeah, have a few stories. (Marcus) (HinderedMag) If you do all the edits in this last story you sent, I'll consider publishing it. Ok. I'll get right on it! :-D (Marcus) ~ The crack in the mirror split Marcus' face in half. The center was distorted, merging the two sides in a Frankenstein way. "Just wanted to be a writer..." Marcus turned his head slightly. "You are a writer. You just needed some ... inspiration." The crack had a sligh

It Follows (Movie Review)

It Follows, Director and writer: David Robert Mitchell, starting Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist and Olivia Luccardi, is about a young woman who is followed by an evil entity after having a sexual moment with a love interest who passes on something ominous.  The tension is turned up with what has to be done to remove this evil from following you.  The movie gets into the action quickly, with some Easter Eggs that you may miss if you aren't paying attention.  You can go back and find the hidden meanings afterwards, or look up with the YouTube videos about specific scenes--if you can't find them on your own.  I like the direction the underground horror scene is taking, original content with just enough familiarity to keep you interested.  Classic horror with a new twist. It can be done, and this movie proves that. It had me looking at people differently--you'll see why.  Watch this movie If you enjoy my posts, please subscribe and/or comment below.

Deadman's Tome Podcast Recap

WCM: This week on the show, we didn't really do anything in particular--but that's the great thing about the whole thing. It's just two guys talking. The Cinco De Mayo episode. JD: We talked about some real horror. That's right, real stuff that's happening around us. Just two dudes and a zombie shooting the shit. WCM: Among some of the things discussed, we talked about getting drunk off of alcohol mist--a real thing. JD: Apparently, drinking shots is so yesterday. The kids these days are getting drunk from 140 proof alcohol mist. It's college kids, man. College kids are always finding new ways to get fucked up. They are the same kids that invented butt chugging. Take a guess as to what that is. WCM: And then there was Undead Greg. I am loath to have had this despicable piece of $h ** on the show. As you may have already heard, my mother was insulted. This is unacceptable. I am calling for a public apology, or else he is never to come on the show again. J

Weekly Musing 5/5/2017

Once again, I sit in this cafe and write--or try to. Sometimes you can make the time, get everything ready, and nothing comes. There's a tip for this sort of writers block--or any writers block. Just start writing. Later you can go and cut all the bull you started with, and pick out the gold nuggets.  Just write anything. Mundane, outrageous. Anything will do. Write a blog. (haha) But get out the words. And before you realize, you'll be writing something, your brain remembering something from the words you write.  So I've been at this personal challenge to post at least one post a day. I was ready to go in the beginning, but became skeptical as I went. I want to keep the content to some degree of quality. I've even put up quick flash I created. Movie reviews--of independent or non-mainstream flicks. There could even be the occasional main stream thrown in there for good measure.  But I may cut back a day here and there. Or maybe i'll just put up a thought, or

Wholeheartedly (Fiction)

The fork penetrated the crisp skin, sinking into the softer meat below. Juices oozed out the side and pooled around the morsel.  The man lifted the mouthful and bit down on the fork, sliding the food off between his teeth. Mastication transformed the meat into a mush that, when swallowed, lit up taste sensors as it moved down the old throat.  He had to do this. It was how he stayed alive.  No one knew his true age. Some said he was 146, others said longer. He knew his age, but wasn't revealing.  An old, wrinkly hand cupped the glass to the left of the plate, swirling the dark red liquid within before placing the rim to dry lips. He drank long and swallowed.  The old man saw six children pass, three wives. Brothers, sisters and cousins. So many deaths. But he had to keep going. As they died, he lived on. Through them. From them. Sacrifice for his perseverance.  As he set the glass down, drained except for maybe an ounce at the bottom, a less wrinkly hand gripped the fork

Weird News Wednesday 5/3/2017

This Wednesday we look into an Indonesian man who claimed to be 146 years old. Longest living human ever. He d ied in his village in Central Java.  They can't tell for sure, because Indonesia only started recording births in the 1900s, but even then, that's a pretty long time. There were mistakes, though documents and interviews prove he is not telling a lie.  April 12th he was taken to the hospital due to deteriorating health. Six days later he insisted on returning home to family before dying with them.  It was reported after coming home he ate and drank very little up until his final day.  Mbah Ghoto told the BBC that patience was the key, and people who loved and looked after him.  "Life is only a matter of accepting your destiny wholeheartedly. I have wanted to die for a long time," he told the Jakarta Post.  This man outlived four wives, ten siblings and all his children, according to the BBC report. The Guardian reports he left behind four children.

The Other White Meat

Her eyes shifted around the restaurant. The man sitting across from her pulled at his blazer, hiding himself.  A sip of water abated dry lips. Two hands lowered the glass to the table. "Such a lovely meal. One thing that perplexes me: why a beautiful woman as yourself is using a site like... Well, you know-" The man looked down, barely able to button his blazer.  "Oh. Not to worry. I like them big." Her red lips pulled into a smile, tongue darting out to moisten. "Taste better."   Her eyes lowered to an iPhone which had been open the whole night.  The man loosened his tie.  "Well, I'm glad we found each other then. It really was a lovely meal."  "This place is one of the best in the city."  "Next time I'm buying, though." The man blushed. "And I will not take no for an answer."  "Not to worry. I know the chef. He's totally giving me a deep discount."  &q