Archive for September 2015

20 Scary Questions with Monster author C.J. Skuse

1. If you were in a horror movie and something big bad and nasty was chasing after you, what would your tactics be?

Stand very still and close my eyes and hope it can’t see me.

2. Was your school anything like the spooky and remote Bathory School in Monster?

Yes, I pretty much based the interiors on my old school which now sadly no longer exists. Hang on, I hated it. Scrub out sadly. I’m glad they tore that sucker down. It was haunted and damp and stank of sadness.

3. What's your favourite scary movie, Sydney?

First of all, don’t call me Sydney. Second of all – I have five favourites. Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder version), Carry On Screaming, Dog Soldiers, The Descent and House of Wax (the remake). I love any movie where Paris Hilton gets a pole through her skull.

4. Who's your favourite fictional villain and why?

The Joker. He’s just so cool. I wanted Heath Ledger’s Joker to beat the crap out of Bale’s Batman, just for the hell of it. Just once, I wanted the Joker to win. I always wanted the coyote to catch that damn roadrunner too but that never happened either. *shrugs* #That’sLife

5. What’s the scariest thing you've ever done?

All three rides on top of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas in 2007. How I came away from any of them with dry pants is unbelievable. My knuckles were properly white. I wasn’t that scared when I did a sky dive.

6. Would you rather lick jam off a panther’s paw or jump into a shark

tank wrapped in raw bacon?

I think I’d stand more chance with the jammy panther. If he’s just kinda lying in the sun, all drowsy, and the jam’s just there on its paw, I could creep over and start licking and then go all still when it opened its eyes. No way a shark’s not going to notice a huge lump of raw meat dropped into its tank.

7. Do you find clowns scary or funny?

I find clowns, I kill them, simple as that. You’ve got to get them before they get you. No good has ever come from something with eyebrows that high up on its face.

8. Who is your favourite Ghostbuster and do you approve of the new all-action female version of Ghostbusters?

I loved Peter Venkman as a child though I didn’t get a lot of his jokes. I admit I was wary of a female Ghostbuster movie when I first heard about it, having been such an early fan of the all-male versions. I just thought why bother? Then I saw the still they released of the women in their uniforms and OMG do they look fantastic. If the script is right, I think it’s going to be brilliant.

9. Would you rather be trapped in a very haunted old mental asylum or an abandoned theme park with a deranged killer on the loose?

I’ll take the mental asylum. Like a good Ghostbusters fan, I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghosts and I don’t believe ghosts can harm you anyway, whereas a deranged killer probably has a very real weapon and I can’t run very fast.

10. What were the best and worst parts about writing Monster?

Best part of writing anything is ALWAYS finishing it (for me anyway). Worst part about writing it was doing three different drafts before I realised who the ‘monster’ of the story actually was. Rewriting the same book from a slightly different angle three times over is a pain in the proverbial.

11. What in life are you most afraid of?

Running out of chocolate.

12. What in horror stories most scares you?

Things that hover just off the ground. Anything that hovers gives me the willies. The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer do this and I find them hands-down terrifying.

13. Where did the ideas come from for Monster?

I saw a newspaper article about The Beast of Bodmin Moor and I started wanting to write an underdog horror story about a group of people who have to defend themselves from it. I’ve had the urge to write a story set in a boarding school since my first novel Pretty Bad Things was released in 2010 and I thought the beast idea could lend itself well to a remote boarding school setting. Et voila.

14. If you could kill off any character from another book, who would you choose and how would they die?

Well he dies anyway but George Harvey from The Lovely Bones needs to die in a more satisfying and prolonged-pain kinda way. I was very disappointed with his quick demise.

15. If you could reanimate any character who dies from any other book, who would you choose and how would you bring them back?

Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games. I’d just give him the kiss of life for a very very long time.

16. Who would win in a fight, Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula or Mr

Hyde?

Well Dracula’s a wuss who has to go sleepy night-nights during the day and has tiny teeth so that rules him out. Mr Hyde could probably give Frankie a good old bruising before he turned back into old scaredy-cat Jekyll so I think Mary Shelley’s boy could take all three to be honest. He’s a lot cleverer than the movie versions of him would suggest.

17. Scariest thing you ever saw on TV as a kid?

Killer Bob from Twin Peaks, hands down. In fact, just Twin Peaks in general. Nothing before or since has burrowed into my psyche and scared the crap out of me as much as that programme.

18. Who would play your six schoolgirls – Nash, Maggie, Dianna, Regan, Clarice and Tabby – in a film version of Monster?

I have absolutely no idea. Nash was loosely based on a younger version of Mia Wasikowska and Charlie was based on the actor Freddie Stroma but as long as all their ages and physical features are right and they can act scared, I don’t really have any other preferences. The beast is based on a jaglion – a hybrid of a jaguar and a lion but I imagine that would be CGI’d to hell anyway so no sense auditioning them.

19. Tell me a secret about Monster that only you know...

The characters’ names are all horror-movie related in some way. Their surnames are all those of dead rock stars. Just for the hell of it.

20. And finally, plug the book...

Monster is available to buy in paperback and eBook the UK on 24^th September 2015.

Hi everybody!

I guess I should start with a quick introduction because I am by no standards a well-known author; instead, I stick to a little corner of the internet otherwise known as my Wattpad profile. My name is Leigh (pronounced “lee”) and online, I go by the incredibly imaginative username leigh_ (as much as I would like to have a cool story behind it, the underscore was merely an addition to get me up to the character limit). I’m currently a 19-year-old student at the University of Birmingham, where I study Medical Science. People often ask me why I’m not doing anything English-related, but I mostly tell them I’d go insane if I didn’t have something other than writing to think about.

In July 2011, I didn’t know it, but I did something that would change my life. I took the plunge and uploaded the first chapter of a novel I’d been working on (a 15-year-old atrocity called Serenity Falls) to Wattpad. Later that year, I completed National Novel Writing Month for the first time, and I found myself with a second book under my belt. It was at this point I realised I had fallen irreversibly in love with writing again, a hobby that had started when I was a kid. I continued writing, uploading each story chapter-by-chapter to my Wattpad profile, on which I was slowly building up a huge fanbase. By July 2015, I had hit 100,000 followers, with seven finished works to my name.

Formal publishing is still a dream of the future, but writing on Wattpad has been a massive experience all the same. I have made friends from all over the world (some of whom I’ve got to meet in person), had my first experience speaking on a Q&A panel and even signed my first autograph(!).

My latest finished book, Trapeze, is the story of talented teenage trapeze artist Corey Ryder, whose life is turned upside down in the space of a single night. While the entire book can be read for free on Wattpad, I have included the summary here:

For seventeen-year-old Corey Ryder, life on the road is all she’s ever known. A trainee trapeze artist in her aunt’s circus, she’s never found herself in one place for more than a few weeks at a time. For her, it’s a way of life.

But when a tragic accident leaves their entire livelihood in tatters, Corey is forced to leave the circus behind and revisit a part of her life she’s been trying to forget: her mom. All of a sudden, what once was just another stop on an endless road trip becomes the very center of Corey’s life.

Unnerved by the stark differences between circus life and that of her new home, Corey’s convinced she’ll never settle in. She can’t wait for the moment she’ll be able to break free from the bubble of Sherwood, California and return to life on the road. But when an unlikely friendship sparks between her and Luke Everett, the school’s Golden Boy, Corey comes to realize it may be the most unexpected bonds that keep you tethered.

As bonus content for my followers, I have decided to include a newspaper article set five years after the story ended, for anybody who is intrigued about what happened to the characters after I stopped writing. Enjoy!

Hello! My name is Julie Dawn and I’m so excited to be part of this Blogfest, bringing along my debut zombie novel Yosemite Rising. The journey of writing it was as painful as my main character’s. I hadn’t planned on that. Life throws a lot at us that we don’t expect. Here’s an added scene, written just for this event.

The Mirror

Night had fallen. My eyes drifted over the small privacy windows at the top of the bathroom walls. Sleep was coming. If I believed in fairytales, I’d wait for the Sandman.

He’d save me from this fucked up world, make me feel whole again, take me to a place where I could see Mom, Dad ….

I pushed my thoughts away and sunk back against the wall. My head leaned right and nodded as my eyes pulled me into darkness, relief from the world. I forced them open one last time to make sure there were no feet beneath the stalls. There was something behind the toilet—a pen or marker. My heart jerked at the sight of it. I felt what those cavemen did centuries ago. The incredible urge to leave my mark, leave some kind of evidence that I ever existed. Tomorrow those things out there—out in the world—outside this bathroom, could tare me to pieces.

I glanced at the dagger that had slid into the shadows. I didn’t want to have to be there, stuck in a bathroom, alone, cold, hungry, staring at the stitches in my wrist, wondering if it’d be easier just to die. Every time I close my eyes, they’re there. I see my parents smiling at me, hugging me goodbye like they were supposed to. My sister had an infectious laugh; anytime she smiled it forced into one. Then I see Dominic, his bare ass pounding between her legs, spread out on my mattress. I hope they ripped him apart.

Where was the sandman when I needed him?

I looked away from the dagger at the toilet and forced myself from the cold cement floor. My reflection followed me past the mirror and disappeared as I entered the stall. I kneeled in front of the porcelain bowel and leaned behind it. The tips of my fingers touched the pen, sliding into a thick, sticky substance. I tired to pull the object closer, but it moved further away.

I sat up. I can’t even get a pen out from behind the goddamn toilet. My head sunk against the toilet’s rim and the tears came. They were warm. Why me? Why am I left? Why can’t I do anything right? Why is everything …?

Something smacked the window.

I sat up. My whole body tightened and the tears trickled to a stop. Time pounded by in quick heartbeats until I gave up listening, for any evidence as to its cause.

I wiped my fingers on my jeans and reached around the other side of the toilet. My middle finger touched the pen’s tip. I pressed down as hard as I could. It flipped and I grabbed it. It was a magic marker.

I sat up, listening, waiting for one of those creatures to pound in the door and tare the one, small accomplishment from my fingers—with no Sandman to save me.

The moon had inched across the night sky by the time I exited the stall. I could graffiti the whole bathroom. Anything I could dream up, anything I wanted to leave for the next person rested in that moment, in my hand.

I stepped in front of the mirror allowing it to capture my worn reflection. The woman, who looked back, looked so tired, beaten. Beaten. I wanted to look away, but if I did, what would be left? The Sandman could take me away and no one would ever know. No one would care. No one was left to mourn me.

The woman’s fingers shook as she reached for mine. My fingers pressed against hers and I felt nothing. You’re nothing. I closed my eyes.

You can give up, die with the rest of them, or you can live. Leave something. Tell them your name, your story. Tell them. Give them something to remember you by.

I opened my eyes and took the cap off the marker. I had never graffiti anything. It had always been wrong. Now I couldn’t understand why. Why we were all expected to leave no evidence behind.

I pressed the tip of the marker to the mirror. If it’s only my name, I’ll leave something. The girl in the mirror inhaled and held her breath as she pressed the tip of the marker to mirror.

I drew down the line for an E and a faint, dried-out marker line left nothing. I let go of the marker. It fell into the sink and landed on the drain.

I wish I could believe in fairytales.

Hi Everyone,

My name is Jennifer. I’m a thirty something mother of three and my escape from my busy life is my love of reading and writing. I’m sure most, if not all of you can relate to this. J

I began writing at a really young age, stopped for a few years and then picked it back up again after my third child and only daughter was born. I’ve been professionally published since 2011, and although I normally write in the romance genre for ages 18+ I’ve recently published my first NA contemporary romance novel through Limitless Publishing, and I’m loving it.

It’s a pleasure to meet you all.

Today I’ve decided to talk about first loves. When I was younger I probably thought I was in love with every boyfriend I had at the time. *Sigh* to be young and naïve again. J

But, truthfully they were mere crushes, and not even a fraction of what I felt for them even compares to how I feel about my husband. Yeah, I know right? So cliché. The first time I fell in love truly was with the man I am now married too.

I was instantly attracted to him, and I know he felt the same, but I was also weary. I’d just gotten out of a bad relationship and I had a lot of personal issues to sort out so I tried to fight it because I was in such a bad place at the time. But, just when your aren’t looking for something it shows up whether you want it too or not, right?

My husband was persistent, and I obviously caved eventually. He was unlike anyone I’d ever met. So sweet, and supportive, good looking, had a good family, which I was lacking at the time, and he stuck by me when so many others didn’t. I’m not sure what it is he saw in me at the time, but I guess underneath all of that messed up he saw the good in me trying to fight for a better life. He helped pave my way.

When we met in 1995 we were both still teenagers. He stopped by the first time on a day I wasn’t feeling well and had just gotten up from a nap. I looked horrible, literally. My hair was tangled, make-up smeared, and I probably had dry drool stuck to my face, and there he was all 5’9 inches of him, dark haired, brown eyed, muscular hotness standing there by the door talking to my foster dad. Naturally I tried to make an escape back into my room but got busted and was called over to be introduced.

Just my luck, why is it when you look good there is nobody around, but the moment you look your worst you see everyone and anyone? LOL

Anyway, from there everyone we mutually knew tried setting us up, but I wasn’t ready and we started out as friends. A few months later, a lot of time spent hanging out, and several romantic gestures on his behalf and I was toast. The love bug had bit me hard and we’ve been together ever since. It’s now been 20 years total, with 10 years of marriage, three beautiful kids later, and still going strong…

How did it happen for all of you?

In my latest novel, Broken Survivor I can relate to my main character Holly and her struggles with love and the hardships in her life because it’s based on true events. Now please note I said it was based on true events, not a true story. There is a difference and I’ll try to explain. The murder actually happened the way it was stated in the book, and I can relate to Holly as I too had an abusive father, had struggles getting over the death of my mother, and going through foster care etc. but not all of the plot is fact, there is fiction in there as well, hence the ‘true events’ wording. This book was very healing for me to write, as I got to say my final goodbye to my own mother through it. But, I also love the happily ever after ending and the amazing romance that develops between Holly and Zander throughout the novel as well, so I hope you all enjoy this little teaser below.

Enjoy!

BLURB:

Holly Hewitt is a survivor…

After witnessing her mother’s murder, Holly was returned to her abusive father. Resorting to drugs and alcohol, she ends up landing herself in foster care, where she is separated from her sister and utterly alone.

Zander Harrison is the light to her darkness…

Zander is young, athletic, and carefree, with the support of a loving family. But when Holly is placed in foster care with his brother’s in-laws, she turns his world upside down.

He’s driven to protect her, and to show her the past has made her strong, life is worth living, and love is worth fighting for. If only he can convince her to trust him and stop resisting their mutual attraction.

But sometimes even love isn’t enough to heal a shattered soul.

And all the hard work in the world can’t save…

A broken survivor.

EXCERPT:

Pink and orange hues filled the sky with a warm beauty while the sun set. Holly wrapped her arms around herself and lifted her face toward the sky to soak in the last few moments of the sun before the chill of the night descended upon them. This was definitely not going to be an easy talk to get through. She just hoped they’d both be okay when it was done. Zander stepped up behind her, and she felt the heat of his body before he wrapped his arms around her from behind. The way she was drawn to him made her wonder if he had a magnetic pull, and it kind of scared her a little bit. Holly tried to enjoy the view as they were silent for a few moments.

“As much as I hate to let go, I think maybe we should sit so we can finally talk,” Zander said.

She hesitated a moment before taking his hand while they walked back to his house and sat beside each other on the patio. This is it.

“First, I want to clear up earlier,” Zander said. “She was just a friend, nothing more. She has only ever been a friend.” He lifted their linked hands and kissed the top of hers.

“This isn’t any of my business, but does she realize that? I got the impression there was much more than a friendship there.” Holly held her breath and didn’t exhale until after he answered her.

“Not for a really long time, and we were never a couple.” His posture slumped. “Before today, I hadn’t heard from her in months. She just showed up out of the blue, but I swear nothing happened.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Holly shifted to face him. “So you and she were friends with benefits a while ago. I have to admit I didn’t like seeing you with her, but I don’t have any right to be mad. We’re taking things slow, remember?”

“That’s just the thing. I want to be with you, Hol. As in, I’d be staking my claim. You’d be my girlfriend, exclusive.”

“I’m actually kind of glad you said that. I’ve recently figured out that I’m not made for casual.” She bit her lip nervously. “I don’t even care about your friend anymore because I sort of have some huge news, which throws going slow out the window anyway. That is, if you don’t freak out and feel like you want nothing to do with me after this.”

“Okay, now you’re making me nervous,” he joked nervously and playfully nudged her with his shoulder. “What’s up?”

“You probably should be.” Holly smiled weakly and then exhaled long and hard. “I didn’t want a relationship when you came into the picture, and I didn’t want to care for someone so much. But then there you were all sweet, caring, and persistent and screwed up my original plans. So let’s get that out there.” She smiled and leaned into him. Her head lay on his shoulder and she looked up at him needing to be close. “That’s the best part by the way because I’m glad I’ve let you in. I care for you a lot. I’ve messed up, though. We both have. Do you remember the night at my sister’s?”

“How could I forget?” His eyes lit up and she snorted.

“It was a good night, huh?” She licked her lips just thinking about it. “Well, I haven’t been feeling like myself lately, so Lauren decided to take me to get a checkup…”

“O-okay, you were sick and…?” Zander’s brows scrunched together in confusion, but as if he sensed her discomfort, he gave her a quick reprieve to pull herself together before she had to spit out the big news. He captured her mouth. His soft, plump lips caressed hers, then he moved to nip and suck on her bottom lip. His tongue coaxed her mouth open farther, and she tasted his mutual arousal as he probed the slit of her mouth with his tongue. One of her hands fisted in his shirt and held him closer, while the other massaged his nape and into his hair. They both moaned in the heat of the moment, and she could feel his chest rise and fall more rapidly before he pulled away.

“God, I’ve missed this,” he said. “You get sick again and I’m coming over with some chicken soup and taking care of you.

“That sounds amazing.” She smirked. “I’ve missed you too.” Holly shifted so that she was facing him now and rested her forehead against his while they caught their breath.

“Don’t go home yet. Call Lauren and let’s recreate that night.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

“You are such a goofball. As tempting as that sounds, I need to finish what I was saying before you distract me too much.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips and leaned back.

“But the distraction is so good. I can’t help myself.” He lifted a sexy, dark eyebrow in question. “Can we fool around a bit while you talk? I’m a great multitasker.”

“I’ll tell you what, if after I tell you everything I need to, you still want to fool around or more, then yes, we’ll go inside your place and I’ll make it worth your while.” She wiggled her brows back at him and smiled as she caressed the side of his face. I just hope I don’t ruin things first.

“Deal.”

“Lauren might not be too happy if she finds out the truth.”

“Really?” He looked at her in shock. “I find that hard to believe after her and Shelby practically pushed us together.” He smiled and kissed the back of her hand. “Remind me to thank them for that one day.”

“I really hope you still feel that way after you hear what I have to say.”

“Quit stalling and just tell me already.”

“So you know I haven’t been feeling well lately, but what you don’t know is why she’s been on my case. She had some concerns that drove her to take me to the doctor in the first place.” She leaned way back in her chair and closed her eyes.

“Is she still hung up about the new apartment?”

“In a way, I guess, but right now what’s bothering her is her assumption that I might be pregnant.” She peeked in his direction to gauge his reaction.

He stiffened a bit on the seat next to her and sat straighter. “Wait, what?”

Buy Links:

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/product/broken-survivor/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Survivor-Jennifer-Labelle/dp/1680581406/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-survivor-jennifer-labelle/1121951903?ean=9781680581409

Author Bio:

Jennifer Labelle resides in Canada with her husband and three beautiful children. After her third child she became a stay at home mom. In her busy household Jennifer likes to spend her down time engrossed in the stories that she creates. She is an active reader of romance, mystery and anything paranormal. With an education in Addictions work she's decided to take a less stressful approach in life and hopes that you enjoy, as she shares some of her imagination with all of you.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.jenniferlabelle.com

Blog: http://labellebooks.blogspot.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Jennifer-Labelle/168414043184292

TSU: http://www.tsu.co/LabelleBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/1JenniferLabell

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4649930.Jennifer_Labelle

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Labelle/e/B0058ALAWY/

WATTPAD: https://www.wattpad.com/user/JenniferLabelle

Best wishes,

Jennifer

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