Scary Books, Scary Movies, Scary True History

 

by Kristin Holt

I freely admit I'm not a huge fan of horror, though I Am Legend (2007) rates in my top [out-of-my-typical-favorite-genres] movies of all time. Scared the living daylights out of me. I saw it at least eight years ago, yet I still find myself thinking about powerful scenes, nuances, and the premise.

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Another movie that scared me--and I loved it!--was The Sixth Sense (1999). I don't know that I've ever been so spooked. What a thrill! Remember how YOU reacted upon discovering the shocking twist?

The Sixth Sense, Theatrical Release Poster [Source]

  

Don't we read to experience everything?...all from the safety of an armchair (or commuter train seat or hammock)? Powerful fiction transports the reader to another place, another life, another set of circumstances. I think people read scary stories and watch scary movies to safely experience the thrill-ride of spine-tingling fear.

I can't say I read horror (or scary stories) on a regular basis, though I have read some. Far more often, I come across horrific (and probably true) incidents in my constant research of Victorian-American history.

 

True (at least as far as the viewpoint of the then-current news reporter) history can be every bit as scary, disturbing, nightmare-inducing...and heartbreaking.

The following newspaper clipping, published in Shelby County Herald of Shelbyville, Missouri on October 1, 1890. Yes, some newspaper 'articles' in the late nineteenth century were fictionalized, but this one doesn't seem to be anything but the sad truth--mental illness likely brought on by grief and heartache.

Horrible and sad all at the same time. I think every parent everywhere can imagine the agony experienced by this mother, can identify with her loss...and realize the slip into insanity could happen to any one of us. Isn't that what makes some stories (whether factual or fictional) so scary?

Why do you read scary stories?

Hi! I'm Kristin Holt.

I write frequent articles (or view recent posts easily on my Home Page, scroll down) about the nineteenth century American west–every subject of possible interest to readers, amateur historians, authors…as all of these tidbits surfaced while researching for my books. I also blog monthly at Sweet Americana Sweethearts (first Friday of each month) and Romancing the Genres (third Tuesday of each Month).

I love to hear from readers! Please drop me a note. Or find me on Facebook.

Sweet Romance Appropriate for All Audiences

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Copyright © 2016 Kristin Holt LC

I Don't Do Scary Then Why Do I Scare Myself?

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

Genre-istas have been invited to talk about reading scary stories or watching scary movies. I must confess I do neither. A few decades ago I did read romantic Suspense but no more. I’ve never been a fan of scary movies. I remember going to see Psycho with my mom when it first came out and having nightmares for weeks as well as startling at virtually nothing in broad daylight.

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I will admit that one of the scariest things I’ve ever done is learn about indie publishing so I can publish and promote my Sacred Women’s Circle series. Most recently I’ve committed to learn how to build a website so I can manage updates on my own. I’ve also committed to learn about creating a Newsletter to let my readers know what I’m up to. And on my ‘to learn list’ is Photoshop Elements so I can create simple book covers.

I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about my ability to learn how to do these things (not writing the books, that’s the easy part) but the technical stuff? Rigid muscles, tense hands, stressed out brain, headache from the iron bar across my shoulders and my self-talk? One would think I had the intelligence of a — well, I’m not sure what to put in here.

Why do I do this to myself?

The answer is in a concept I came up with over my decades of watching people including myself.

Public and Private learners.

Public learners just get out there and do it. They expect a learning curve. They expect to make mistakes. They expect to fall or fail. It doesn’t bother them if they stumble, fall or make a mistake because they are learning. They get back up, dust themselves off and start over again. Most babies are public learners. When they are learning to walk, they keep trying until they get it right.

Private learners are just the opposite. They may expect the learning curve and to make mistakes but they become very creative not to do any of that in public. They want to have mastered at the very least, the basics, before they do anything other people can see. I’ve seen some babies who are more private learners. They don’t talk until they can say phrases if not complete simple sentences! And they don’t walk independently until they know they won’t fall.

With those two concepts, which type of learner do you think I am?

If you guessed private learner, you are correct. And because I am a private learner, it’s even more difficult for me to try something out in front of other people. Funny, it isn’t that I’m afraid of people reading my books – nope it’s learning the techie stuff to make them available.

Sneak Preview of website

My new website, one I’ve created myself with the help of iPower’s (my hosting company) Concierge service will be available the end of October. I want to coordinate its launch with my new blog header, and Newsletter. All of these details take time!

I'm working at the 2016 Fall Home and Garden Show this week. Checkout my Judith Ashley blog on Monday for my take on the Show. I participated in the Spring Show earlier this year and had a fantastic time.

Hope you’ll check back for the Big Reveal Announcement about my website. I'm curious to know what you think of my efforts! And while you’re there, sign up for my newsletter. I’m hoping to get my first newsletter out in late October or early November. I’ve another techie learning curve coming up in order to send it out.

In the meantime, consider your own take on the world. Are you a public learner or are you a private learner?

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

I Don't Read Scary by Paty Jager

October is the month lots of people love to see come around. They enjoy the making of scary costumes and staging scary scenes for Halloween.  I've always enjoyed the dressing up, but I don't do scary.

As a child the abominable snowman from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer scared me. I couldn't watch the show when he came on. I can't watch any scary movies or read scary books. These days the commercials for the scary movies I close my eyes. I can't watch them without being scared senseless and having bad dreams.

I'm reading a mystery book right now that I had to put down because it was getting too scary for me. And it wasn't bad, but there is someone creepy living in a house and the main character is about to run into them and I couldn't keep reading. My heart was racing and my brain shut down. This isn't the first mystery book I've had to stop reading. There have been several over the years., The first one was by Ruth Rendell. I'd enjoyed several of her books until that particular one where she went into the mind of the serial killer and I couldn't be there. Even though I'd only read a little bit of it, I had nightmares for a couple of weeks. And this from a person who seldom even dreams.

I had a friend question how I could write a scene in one of my books given there were so many things in others books that scared me. (I'd critiqued her thriller for her and had to stop a couple of times and remind myself of the theme she was portraying and then I could go on.) I guess when I'm writing it, my mind knows it isn't real, but when I read scary, I'm tossed right in the middle of it.

Being scared is mind-numbing, heart-racing, and makes me feel out of control. I HATE being scared. My son loved to hide and jump out at me at all times of the day and from all kinds of places because I would screech and take what felt like forever to get my breathing back to normal. The only time I ever cussed out a child was when the two teen-aged neighbor boys put snappers in the cab of the tractor we used to feed the cattle. They were trying to play a trick on my husband and didn't realize I was the one who would open the door and what sounded like firecrackers go off. It scared me so bad, when I could breathe, I started shouting how I was going to catch those little so-and-so's and they were going to be sorry. I said this to my husband not knowing the boys were hiding behind some bales. Hubby started laughing and pointing and all I saw were the backsides of two boys running like their feet were on fire!

I've never read a Stephen King. I've never watched the Exorcist or any of the scary shows that are on T.V. My mind can't take it and I know this about myself. Before I started writing, my mind would put my family and loved ones in such scary situations that I'd have to call to make sure they were okay. Now that I write and my imagination has a constructive playground, I worry much less.

You would think with this aversion to scary I wouldn't read paranormal. But I love to read about what most call fantasy, witches, spirits, shapeshifters, but I can't read the dark paranormal of vampires and werewolves.

How about you? Do you like the scary books? Do you read dark books or light ones?

If you'd like to see me in person and try to scare me, ;) I'll be at the InD'Scribe Reader Con October 7th through the 9th. They have panels and I'll be set up signing books from 2:30-5:30 Friday and Saturday. Come by and say "Hi!"

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 25+ novels and over a dozen novellas and short stories of western historical romance, action adventure, and murder mystery. She has garnered a RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for Contemporary Western Romance, and an EPPIE Award for Best ContemporaryRomance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters.



blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest


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Planes, trains and SCARY STUFF...

I've got nothing.

Frankly, I'm racking my brains for a connection between paranormal and vehicles. So here we go with some haunted automobiles, wacky modes of travel, and transport-y stuff that frightened the bejesus out of me one time. Shut up, okay? It's the best I've got. Let's begin:

1. Haunted automobiles.

Oyy. The Spielberg movie Duel, where the unseen driver of an enormous truck -- or could the truck be ALIVE, people?!? -- totally monsters an innocent motorist. Brrr.

An honorable mention to Stephen King's Christine, every petrolhead's nightmare.

2. Crazy stuff that happens in automobiles. The Hitcher, folks. Rutger Hauer randomly kills people who pick him up on a lonely highway. At one point, there's a finger in the French fries. The scariest damn thing I'd ever seen when I was twelve. The Sean Bean remake comes pretty close, too - but Rutger got me young.

3. Trains full of psychos. The Midnight Meat Train by Clive Barker. A story about a train, where... well, I'm not sure what the hell happened, to be honest. But it involved gore and meathooks, and me sleeping with the light on.

4. Trains full of coffins. The London Necropolis Railway. This was a real thing in the 1850s. London cemeteries were overcrowded, so they built a new one on the outskirts, and you jumped on this train with your coffin to get there. Not that sinister, really. I just think Necropolis Railway sounds cool and creepy :)

5. Zombies on a plane. No, not snakes. World War Z has this nerve-popping scene where zombies (no, not snakes) attack on an airborne plane. No, not snakes. Hungry, disgusting zombies. They want to bite you. YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN. {die}

6. Okay, fine. SNAKES ON A PLANE. I rest my case:

Those are some of my faves. So what creepy vehicular shenanigans sticks in your mind?