Chilling Chat: Episode #205 – Kevin Ground

Third age author and spoken word performer, Kevin Ground specialises in Victorian, Gothic, contemporary horror, and ghost short stories. He actually doesn’t know where his preference for the revolting comes from, other than to say he is always, always turning normal on its head and seeing where his imagination takes him. He rarely knows where a short story is going till it’s finished.

His story, “Maudaleen,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology. 

NTK: Kevin, a graveyard figures prominently in your story, “Maudaleen.” Have you had any interesting or strange experiences in cemeteries?

KG: I am a fan of cemeteries in as much as I enjoy the contemplative atmosphere of commemorative buildings, headstones, and artwork. Amongst the hustle and bustle of modern life, cemeteries put you in your place. Once you’ve taken up residence your earthly worries are over. Unless, like the unfortunate Maudaleen, you are not at peace with yourself.

In the cemetery where Maudaleen is set, there are sections of very old, neglected graves. The headstones lean this way and that. Unreadable, lichen-covered, some broken. When I walk in that area I feel a sense of great sadness and anger. The resentment the departed feel about being forgotten is palpable in the very air. I do not linger in that area over much. I can offer no comfort to placate the resentful dead.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

KG: A chance encounter in a secondhand book shop with a battered hardback entitled Titus Groan by author Mervyn Peake. I loved the style, content, and fantastic array of characters. Delving further into the works of Poe. M R James. Sheridan Le Fanu. Algernon Blackwood and other such worthies hooked me in for life.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

KG: A double-edged sword of emotion that cuts through the chaff of life to reveal the love of your life. If your love is denied by its intended, or worse still, accepted then betrayed. The reverse edge of the blade will cut you and wound you in a way that never fully heals. Lucky are those who do not know the sting of this blade and find true love at the first attempt.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

KG: The Woman in Black by author Susan Hill

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

KG: Yes, I do. The 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara. Fantastic black and white film that brings the characters and events to life with great emotion. Charles Laughton’s portrayal of Quasimodo embodies a love that cannot be yet refuses to be denied. Marvelous stuff.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

KG: Not whole people, rather certain characteristics of a person. Their dress, hairstyle, mannerism’s that catch the eye when they go about their daily lives. Catching a train, shopping at the supermarket. Negotiating steps in a wheelchair. I am no peeping tom, but I do take my time to look at what’s about me. Some marvelous material to be had people watching.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

KG: I never use an outline. Normally, the story develops as it unfolds in my imagination. I do however keep an eye on names, dates, and ages of my characters as it isn’t unusual for me to mix up a grandad with a daughter and turn the two into a third person altogether. I imagine quicker than I type being the issue here. I rarely have any idea of where a story is going before it’s finished.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

KG: A bit of both really. Some of my characters take flight and run free and easy whilst others progress with a more sedate step. The story decides who does what. As the author, I sometimes subject my characters to some pretty distasteful events that play hell with who they are. The hero doesn’t always survive unscathed if at all. I have no firm rule on this. Preferring to keep my options open.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

KG: As a man who has just celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday, I am becoming increasingly aware of my own mortality. Being old, weak, and helpless. That frightens me.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

KG: 1984’s Winston and Julia. Doomed to failure but a love that defied Big Brother. An example of many real romances that fail because of outside influences. Winston and Julia never stood a chance, but emotion and the need for love could not, and would not be denied.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

KG: This is a difficult one. So many excellent authors to choose from, but I would have to go for Graham Masterton. Closely followed by Darren Shan, and Algernon Blackwood

NTK: What do you like most about Darren Shan’s work?

I find Darren Shan’s character creation and scene-setting, to be right up there with the best of the genre’s acknowledged masters. Although aimed at the young adult market, the subject matter of his work is pretty adult. His characters get right in there when it comes to tearing each other apart emotionally and physically. The stories get on with it at a brisk pace and every word matters. I think Darren Shan has found his niche and the horror enjoying public are the better for it.

Safe to say I never want to play chess with Lord Loss. Or get on the wrong side of Mr. Tiny.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

KG: Where to start. I have three projects on the go at present.

The first is an anthology of contemporary flash fiction pieces aptly named a book of shorts. These little bites of unpleasantness are stand-alone short stories but in microfiction format. I hope to have this anthology finished and published via Amazon by the autumn of this year.

The second is a project that features an anthology of contemporary short stories where women are the main characters.  Either victim or villain, the supposedly weaker sex gets to sharpen their razors and raise hell. Provisionally entitled Women Trouble. This is a project scheduled for publication on Amazon towards the autumn of this year.

The third project is an entirely different kettle of fish as it comprises four novella-length pieces of Victorian Gothic horror. This work is actually almost complete, and work is about to commence on final reads and proofing by my sharp-eyed proofreader, Sarah. All four of the novellas have a strong faith-based element underpinning the stories, but the characters are far too busy squaring up to each other to let a little thing like doing right get in the way.

If you like Victorian Gothic I believe, biased though I am, you’re in for a treat. Again, this anthology yet to be titled will be published via Amazon probably in time for Christmas this year.

Addicts, you can find Kevin on Amazon and Facebook. His back catalogue can be found on his website.

Kbatz Krafts: Another Halloween Dress!

 

Yes, it’s November, Thanksgiving, Christmas! 🎃🦃🎄 However after my Halloween Mystery Project turned out to be such a delicious costume, I decided to repeat the process and make a more streamlined seasonal dress. Using leftover black materials from my stash and a thrifted $4 Halloween panel, materials that were once curtains and slipcovers can become an ensemble with sophistication and whimsy! Despite a few late hiccups, adjustments, and design changes on the fly – I won’t call them mistakes! – this unique ensemble came together quickly, is basically free, and feels good!

 

 

For more in progress project photos, visit Kbatz Krafts on Instagram or Facebook

 

Revisit More Kbatz Krafts:

Halloween Mystery Sewing

Halloween Scene Setters Every Day

Memento Mori Sewing

Carving and Baking with Real Pumpkin

 

 

 

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “Maudaleen.”

The Inspiration Behind “Maudaleen.”

By Kevin Ground

“Maudaleen” was inspired by news reports of frustrated brides cancelling their weddings, and undertakers struggling to cope with the overwhelming challenges of multiple bereavements and social distancing regulations. All due to the British government’s Covid 19 epidemic lockdown restrictions on large gatherings.

The fusion of both issues led me to think of the scenario of a bride denied happiness, by the untimely death of her groom. Distraught and broken-hearted by circumstances beyond her control. It is entirely likely she would rage at the injustice of it all. Turning her face away from the world while she grieved for a love unfulfilled.

Take this set of circumstances back into the Victorian age. When mourning the death of a loved one followed clearly defined social protocols, and the story of Maudaleen became a reality.

My own experience of regular visits to a wooded Victorian cemetery provided the backdrop against which the story is set. I completed the initial draft of the story with a cold northeast wind driving rain showers against the windows while I worked. The near darkness of a dreary late autumn afternoon setting the mood.

Third age author and spoken word performer, Kevin Ground specialises in Victorian, Gothic, contemporary horror, and ghost short stories. He actually doesn’t know where his preference for the revolting comes from, other than to say he is always, always turning normal on its head and seeing where his imagination takes him. He rarely knows where a short story is going till it’s finished.         

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “The House Must Fall.”

The Inspiration Behind “The House Must Fall.”

By R.L. Merrill

“The House Must Fall” was inspired by my love of all things Edgar Allan Poe, specifically the “House of Usher.” I absolutely loved the story and the Vincent Price film. I thought a gay retelling of the tale would be delightful. I strayed a bit from the original, but I’d like to think Eddie would approve. I love local Bay Area history, so when I was looking for a location, I came across the magnificently macabre-looking Millbrae Mansion, which sadly burned down in the mid-1950s. The opening to the story has our hero Sterling Mackey, heir to the Mackey family out of Virginia City, Nevada, traveling across the fog-covered San Francisco Bay and up a steep slope toward a menacing manor cut into the peninsula hillside. Once I had that picture in my mind, the words poured out.

The romance between the doomed Montgomery and the determined Sterling tugged at my heartstrings, and I don’t think I’m done writing about them. I pictured these two university men with more money than they could spend in a lifetime, enjoying the lavish lifestyle provided by California’s Gold Rush…how much mischief—and trouble—they could get into, and yet their love is strong despite the fact society would not approve.

I’m grateful to HorrorAddicts.net Press for giving me the chance to share this tale of longing and dread with you and I can’t wait to dive back into my incredible state’s history to write more horror stories. If you like “The House Must Fall,” be sure to check out the Gone With The Dead anthology for my story “A Piece Of Him,” the Dark Divinations anthology for “Breaking Bread,” as well as my shared-world story “The Fourth Man” in The Banes of Lake’s Crossing collection.

R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing contemporary, paranormal, or supernatural, she loves to give readers a shiver with compelling stories that will stay with you long after. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, writing horror-infused music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.          

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Emmy Z. Madrigal

Emmy Z. Madrigal is the author of the Regency novella, Lord Harrington’s Lost Doe.  Her previous works include the Sweet

Dreams Musical Romance Series and the novelettes Anime Girl and Anime Girl 2.  Emmy has been praised for her realistic

portrayal of modern female characters and their will to survive in a world of adversity, prejudice, and economic hardship.

Her story, “Hungry Masses,” appears in Haunts and Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

EZM: I read gothic romance as a kid, but when I started reading gothic literature as a young adult, I found the works of Bronte, Dickens, and the awesome book Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen that inspired me to write. The whisper of mystery in a romance story has always called to me.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

EZM: Any story that involves two people connecting on a deep, intimate level.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

EZM: I know it’s not a traditional Gothic horror, but Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is delightful. It’s not exactly scary for her…there is presumed fear, it’s all planted in her head because of rumors. But the reason I like it so much is because it is about a gal who enjoys reading Gothic horror and her quest to find a love that understands that. I think Mr. Tilney is the perfect picture of a mate who will support her Gothic horror habit.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

EZM: I’ve most recently enjoyed Rebecca. It’s an old story that was first a book, then a Hitchcock film, and now we have the 2020 version. I love the style of the movie. The sets and costumes were fabulous. The story is similar to Jane Eyre. If you knew your husband was a killer (or torturer) of his first wife, could you stay with him? Could you cover for him? It’s a tale that can resonate even today. What would you do if you found he killed his wife? Even if he had a good reason?

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

EZM: Kinda. The ship is based on a true vanished ship from history and I chose names based on the passenger list.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

EZM: Generally, no. I do chart out or write certain plot points I want to cover, but the story flows the way it wants, even if I don’t want it to go that way.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

EZM: Generally, they are just playing out a scene in my head. Is that me? Or them?

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

EZM: I think recently, it’s been the insecurity of life. I would never want to lose any of my family or friends.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

EZM: I like romances where both people are completely devoted to the other. I am not a fan of cheaters. So, I am drawn to the classic stories like Romeo and Juliet, or a lot of Jane Austen storylines where the love stays true despite adversity. They may not speak their love for months, years… but it is still alive and never wavers.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

EZM: I don’t have just one. It’s all those paperback Gothic romance writers I read as a kid.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

EZM: I am really looking forward to my novel coming this year with HorrorAddicts.net Press, Northanger, a modern rewrite of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. I also have a few romances coming out from Meant to Be Press.

If you like vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings, you can check out my octo-gal short on Audible, Ink Dreams.

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “With Red Eyes Gleaming.”

The Inspiration Behind “With Red Eyes Gleaming.“

By Daniel R. Robichaud

When I got a real person job, engineering for one of the big oil and gas companies here in Texas, my wife and I took two big trips to Japan. We went to Okinawa and a couple of the smaller islands far from the mainland first, and then traveled to the mainland after that. My wife speaks Japanese, as do a few of our friends who were living there as part of the JET program, teaching English to young students. I can excuse myself, be polite while requesting help, and say thank you. Our friends gave us crash space and took us around, showed us the sites. Those trips changed my life.

Visiting an old castle in the middle of a rainstorm, participating in a proper tea ceremony, taking dinner at Arucard’s (a restaurant with a Dracula theme), and soaking in the culture and the scene made quite the impression on me. Prior to that, I was an enthusiast of the media from that nation, particularly the fiction of Suzuki Koji and Edogawa Rampo as well as a wide range of films. Those trips intensified my interests.

Flash forward a few years, and when I encountered the idea for this anthology, I realized I very much wanted to blend gothic romance with a Japanese flavor. I got the image of a claustrophobic woman descending a narrow set of stairs into a rocky subterranean world, and the rest came out of that image.

Daniel R. Robichaud lives and writes in east Texas. His work can be found in Hookman and Friends, The Other Side, and Sick Cruising anthologies. His short fiction has been collected in Hauntings & Happenstances, They Shot Zombies, Didn’t They? and Gathered Flowers, Stones, and Bones.

#HauntsandHellions Facebook Watch Party – Tomorrow

Harkening back to the glory days of gothic romance that had us up reading all night, HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:

Haunts & Hellions

edited by Emerian Rich

13 stories of horror, romance, and that perfect moment when the two worlds collide. Vengeful spirits attacking the living, undead lovers revealing their true nature, and supernatural monsters seeking love, await you. Pull the blinds closed, light your candle, and cuddle up in your reading nook for some chilling—and romantic—tales.

You are cordially invited to attend a Facebook Watch Party in the honor of

Haunts and Hellions

Where: Facebook

When: Tomorrow at 6:00 PM PST

Please, join us!

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Naching T. Kassa

Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and horror writer. She’s created short stories, novellas, poems, and co-created three children. She lives in Eastern Washington State with Dan Kassa, her husband and biggest supporter.
Naching is a member of the Horror Writers Association, Head of Publishing and Interviewer for HorrorAddicts.net, and an assistant and staff writer for Still Water Bay at Crystal Lake Publishing.

Her story, “She Woke at Midnight,” appears in Haunts and Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

NTK: My interest in Gothic Literature began The Hound of the Baskervilles, but my interest in Gothic Romance began with the movie, Jane Eyre, starring George C. Scott and Susannah York. I loved the ambiance of the film: the candlelight, the moan of the wind outside a frosted window, a fireplace whose light keeps back the gloom. It inspired me to read the book by Charlotte Bronte. I love how Jane is torn between doing what is right and her love for Rochester. I also love the supernatural aspects of the story. From the Red Room to the moment when Jane hears the voice of Rochester calling her from miles away.

How do you define “romance”?

NTK: To me, romance is abandoning selfishness and giving your all for another person. It’s riding your bike twelve miles to your loved one’s house just to see them for an hour. It’s giving something to a person and expecting nothing in return. It’s being there for them when they’re at their best AND their worst. My favorite films are about people who fall in love and through that love, become better people. I think true romance is love that brings out the best in us.

What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

NTK: Dracula. It’s the best Gothic horror story ever written.

Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

NTK: Bram Stoker’s Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It’s so dark, and lush, and beautiful. I love the settings, the beautiful costumes, and the plays on light and shadow. It’s the best adaptation of the novel ever made.

Are your characters based on real people?

NTK: When I first started writing, they were. But now, they’ve taken on a life of their own. The best characters do.

Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

NTK: Definitely by the seat of my pants. I love surprises and an outline is far too rigid and inorganic for me to adhere to.

Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

NTK: My characters have absolute free will. I gave up trying to decide their fate a long time ago. Their behavior and their path are decided by their actions.

What are you most afraid of?

NTK: Flying sandwiches with vampire teeth.  I was terrified of them as a child.

What is your favorite romance?

NTK: It’s a tie between Groundhog Day and The Family Man.

Who is your favorite horror author?

NTK: Dean Koontz. He has a beautiful style, he scares the heck out of me, and his stories are filled with hope. I like my darkness tempered with light.

What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

NTK: I’ve written several Sherlock Holmes stories and they’ll be published in the next year. I’m reading my story, “The Darker Side of Grief,” at Stokercon. (The anthology it appears in, Arterial Bloom, has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award ®.) I also write for the fiction series, Still Water Bay, on the Crystal Lake Publishing Patreon page. You’ll find some exciting stories there. Finally, I’m editing a mystery/romance anthology for Meant to Be Press. Look for it in November.

Addicts, you can find Naching on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#HauntsandHellions Facebook Watch Party

Harkening back to the glory days of gothic romance that had us up reading all night, HorrorAddicts.net Press Presents:

Haunts & Hellions

edited by Emerian Rich

13 stories of horror, romance, and that perfect moment when the two worlds collide. Vengeful spirits attacking the living, undead lovers revealing their true nature, and supernatural monsters seeking love, await you. Pull the blinds closed, light your candle, and cuddle up in your reading nook for some chilling—and romantic—tales.

You are cordially invited to attend a Facebook Watch Party in the honor of

Haunts and Hellions

Where: Facebook

When: Tuesday, June 8th at 6:00 PM PST

Please, join us!

 

 

 

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “Companions.”

The Inspiration Behind “Companions.”

By Daphne Strasert

For Haunts and Hellions, I wanted to write a story that featured a doomed romance. Of course, nothing is more doomed than a romance between the living and the dead. From that was born the idea of a man in love with the idea of a woman without really knowing everything about her. In order to hide the twist, I needed to include other obstacles to their romance and a paranormal element—thus Thomas’s ability to see ghosts of the soldiers. The story is reminiscent in some ways of “The Yellow Ribbon,” in which a man’s desire to know his love leads to his horror in the end. I’m a sucker for romance however, and couldn’t resist giving my characters a happy ending of some sort.

Daphne Strasert is a horror, fantasy, and speculative fiction writer from Houston, Texas. She has published many short stories through HorrorAddicts.net, Dark Water Syndicate, and Crimson Streets. When not writing, she plays board games and knits. Her interests include monsters, murder mysteries, and things that go bump in the night.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Daphne Strasert

Daphne Strasert is a horror, fantasy, and speculative fiction writer from Houston, Texas. She has published many short stories through HorrorAddicts.net, Dark Water Syndicate, and Crimson Streets. When not writing, she plays board games and knits. Her interests include monsters, murder mysteries, and things that go bump in the night. 

Her story, “Companions,” appears in the Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.                                                                                                         

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

DS: I was originally drawn to the aesthetic that was often used in gothic movies: big haunted houses, frail heroines in long skirts, dark corners, and misty moors. From there, I found the works of Poe, the Bronte sisters, Stoker, and Shelley. I liked the slow burn of the horror and the doomed romance that was often featured.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

DS: Romance is the longing to be with another person, to know everything about them and share yourself in turn. Romance means wanting what is best for the other person. The desire to protect your love, whether from physical harm or emotional torment is strong. I believe that true romance can only exist between equals.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

DS: I will always love Dracula. It was the first true gothic horror story I read and remains the only book that ever truly scared me. I appreciate how many variations have come from the original work and the many interpretations that it inspired. But the original still remains as impressive as when it was first published.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

DS: I love Crimson Peak (that may be a common answer to this question). I think it’s an underrated film from Guillermo del Toro. The costumes and set created a fantastic atmosphere. The film mixed horror (both jump scares and situational horror) with romance and tragedy. Most importantly, the story was motivated by a strong female lead.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

DS: No.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

DS: I always write using an outline. During the initial inspiration phase, I will write scenes as they come to me and keep them in a “sandbox” for later use. Once the story starts to come together, I outline the scenes I need to pace the action and emotional arcs, then fill in the scenes I haven’t written yet.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

DS: My characters are completely at my mercy. I create them to fit the plot and tone of the piece. If I find that the actions they need to do are out of character for them, then I spend time rethinking their character. I build them so that they will work within the world I want, so I’m rarely surprised.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

DS: I really, really hate zombies. I’ve never liked zombie movies (it doesn’t matter if they’re slow zombies or fast). The idea of society collapsing, leaving nothing that we recognize is terrifying. I don’t want to be part of rebuilding the world from scratch while also running from cannibalistic corpses.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

DS: Jane Eyre stands out as my favorite. Jane is a strong woman who refused to compromise herself for her love (even when that was painful to her). She did not allow herself to be beholden to a man who was more powerful than her. When she found out about Mr. Rochester’s secrets and failings, she did not overlook them, but held him accountable. The romance was only fulfilled when they could truly have an equal partnership.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

DS: Meg Hafdahl. She wrote the Willoughby Chronicles (including Her Dark Inheritance, which I reviewed for HorrorAddicts.net) as well as a number of non-fiction books about the horror industry. She’s a true horror fan herself.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

DS: I am always working on new short stories. My story “Blood and Ivory” will be published in the Sonorous Silence anthology by Pavor Press. I am also drafting a new novel that features a haunted house.

Addicts, you can find Daphne on Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram.

     

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Emily Blue

Emily Blue is a ghostwriter and top-rated freelancer on Upwork.com. She pens sickly-sweet romance novels so she can afford to buy food for her pet parrot (and overlord.) When not writing, she collects craft materials and occasionally uses them.

She has stories published in A Room is Locked: An Anthology, Volume 1 of The Monsters We Forgot anthology, and Clockwork Dragons.

Her story, “Lady of Graywing Manor,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology. 

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

EB: Fantasy was, and always will be, my first love as a writer, but gothic stories hold a special place in my heart. I’ve always liked horror, darkness, mysteries, moody atmospheres, basically everything that defines the feeling of the genre. But it’s the human element that interests me most. What drives people? What motivates them? How do they react in a situation and why? Can they adapt? Or not? How far can a person be pushed? I always want the answers to those questions and gothic literature creates perfect opportunities to ask them.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

EB: Romance is a feeling that runs deeper than the purely physical. It’s more than lusting, though it is a desire. It’s an action, a reaction, a mood, a situation. But that could mean anything to anyone. To me, if you strip romance of all its meat and tendon and gristle, down to the skeleton, it is a willingness to do something that doesn’t have to be done.

You don’t have to stop and watch the sunset. You don’t have to kiss and look into the eyes of someone else. But you want to. For you, and for them, you want that. So, you do it. And that’s romance.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

EB: It’s a little stereotypical, but I’ve always enjoyed Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. My favorite story from Poe is “The Masque of the Red Death.” I’m really into plague stories and apocalyptic fiction and “The Masque of the Red Death” hits all the right notes for me, as well as being beautifully descriptive.

And my favorite story from Lovecraft is “The Outsider” because I am also a wretched creature who occasionally leaves my dwelling to seek out human contact.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

EB: I’d have to say The Woman in Black really made an impression on me when I saw it in theaters. My mom and I like to go see horror movies together. The movie theater setting really, really enhances a good horror film. The Woman in Black just hits you and keeps hitting you, and the scenes in the marsh… You should go watch it if you haven’t. Watch it on the biggest screen you can get. Turn the lights off, too.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

EB: Not for this story, no.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants? 

EB: For short stories, I often write out the series of events before I go to write the story. Not always, but pretty often. I had to, and wanted to, do research for this story. A lot of that didn’t make it into the story, but that wasn’t what it was for. Knowing the technology of the time and how life went for the average person helps to create a framework for the story, potentially influencing the decisions the characters make. You probably can’t just flip a switch to turn on the lights if electricity wasn’t a common household commodity, and you can’t use matches to light a lantern if matches weren’t on the market yet. Small things, small details, which really are important.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

EB: Sometimes they have free will. But Clara and Freesia did exactly what I expected them to.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

EB: The ocean. Whales. Being alone. Being alone in the ocean with a whale.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

EB: Does my own relationship qualify?

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

EB: Some of Stephen King’s work resonates with me no matter how often I read it. I also like H. P. Lovecraft, Harlan Ellison, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert McCammon, among others. I could never pick just one when I like so many different aspects of each.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to? 

EB: I don’t know what the future has in store for me. My current project is a titled Reeds Don’t Break, a novel about loss, love, antique stores, and lake spirits. I’m in the process of editing. No idea when it will be done. I’m not rushing it. It’s too special to me for that.

Addicts, you can find Emily on Amazon and Twitter.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Rowan Hill

Rowan Hill is an author currently living on a volcano in Italy who loves to write across horror and science fiction. She has an affinity for writing flawed female protagonists who occasionally murder. Her writing credits include Cemetery Gates, Kandisha Press, and Curious Blue Press among others.

Her story, “Love Never Dies,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

RH: I mean it started in my Bachelors with the Greats, isn’t that how everyone gets the fever? Bronte, Shelley, Stoker. Ones on the forefront of the genre and delivered so much tension with simple looks and little to no blood.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

RH: Honestly, I love a good dose of the physical in a guilty romance novel. But we all know romance can be as much as a look and a gasp of breath. The intricacies of ‘showing’ not telling can give a flush to the cheeks more importance than a simple “I love you.” 

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

RH: Is it any surprise if I say Jane Eyre? I mean, it’s my go-to when I need a reset on what makes a good story and how to make more with less. But if I want something to really give me the shivers, I turn to Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. For more modern gothic, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia hit it out of the park and is the first I would recommend.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

RH: Will I sound trite and predictable if I say Coppola’s Bram Stroker’s Dracula with Gary Oldman and Keanu Reeves? Besides having all the classic characters in their intended setting, I adored the side story of Lucy becoming ensnared by Dracula right under everyone’s noises, seeing the lure of the monster while romancing Mina Harker is always masterful.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

RH: I always know where I want to end up, but yes, absolutely the seat of my pants.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

RH: As a writer? Failure, obscurity, missing an obvious typo. Many of the things I think all writers can agree on. As a normal person living in our current era where people can randomly shoot you? Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is legit my nightmare. If the apocalypse happens, I’m screwed.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

RH: This is taking it old school, but Johanna Lindsey is my OG of romance. Some of her older novels are problematic, but there is no denying that she makes you feel. The Callahan-Warren series, one of her last before her passing in 2019, was so fun and definitely my favorite.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

RH: Oh man, there are so many. Besides the Greats previously mentioned, I am a fan of Riley Sager’s four novels so far and anyone who can do quiet horror well. The indie scene had lots of great talent emerging in the last ten years, and it is impossible to name just one.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

RH: I have several short stories in other anthologies coming out in the next few months and hope to have my first novella creature feature published sometime in the next year. 

Addicts, you can find Rowan on Twitter.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – R.L. Merrill

R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing contemporary, paranormal, or supernatural, she loves to give readers a shiver with compelling stories that will stay with you long after. You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, writing horror-infused music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Romance.

Her story, “The House Must Fall,” appears in Haunts and Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.        

 NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

RLM: The moment I learned a woman named Mary Shelley created Frankenstein’s Monster. Or when I watched Vincent Price in the House of Usher. Or when I read a YA mystery (still trying to find this book as I forgot the title) about a young woman determined to learn the dark secrets about the Bronte sisters on the misty moors. Edgar Allan Poe is my literary hero, vampires are real, and someday I will live in a house with a secret passage.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

RLM: Romance has two distinct meanings for me. I write romance novels, which are about the journey between lovers and must have a Happily Ever After (HEA) or a Happily For Now (HFN) ending. But romance, generally, is about channeling wants and desires and yearning for another. Romance is how we express our love of another, and there are many flavors of romance. I love it all, from the sticky sweet to the creepy dark. It’s what makes the world go round, am I right?

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

RLM: I’d have to say Frankenstein, followed closely by Dracula, but I’m also a huge fan of Poe’s stories such as “Ligeia” and “House of Usher,” not to mention “The Raven,” which is my favorite.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

RLM: The Legacy, 1978. It stars Katherine Ross and Sam Elliot as Americans drawn into the bloody family history of a mysterious man in England. It’s gorgeous—of course I’m talking about the house and the cinematography and not the young real-life couple and Sam Elliot shirtless—and it’s creepy and it will suck you in until the end.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

RLM: Not the human characters, but I modeled Mercer Manor on the real-life Millbrae Mansion, which sadly burned down in the mid-1900s. It was an incredible home, elaborate and mysterious in 1800s California history. Someday, I will at least go to visit the site where it was located. I also did research on the founding of the University of California, Berkeley, and I can’t wait to go back and walk the paths that Montgomery and Sterling would have passed as some of the first students of the new school.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

RLM: I’m a plotser. I tend to write a synopsis now, but much of the story is organic and comes to me as I write.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

RLM: It’s interesting you ask this, because I’d say fate plays a huge role in both my contemporary and paranormal romances as well as my horror tales. I’ll let readers be the judge.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

RLM: Kids. My own children in peril, but also elementary-aged kids.

I also have this recurring nightmare. I’m in a dark club and I’m watching a comedian, and for some reason he targets me. And then he’s coming down off the stage and he’s saying horrible, awful things about me, to me, and he keeps getting closer and closer, and the rest of the crowd joins in laughing at me until they’re all crowded around me, sucking all of the oxygen out of the room, and they’re pressing in on me and laughing while I scream and tuck into a ball and then they’ve devoured me.

And zombies.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

RLM: The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, which I’d describe as a gothic romance. Rowan and Michael have a love for the ages. Also, in contemporary, Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt is incredibly beautiful. I’d also have to include the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I recently watched the show and remembered how much I loved their romance.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

RLM: I cut my teeth on Stephen King and then discovered Anne Rice. Their stories changed my life and when I decided to start writing, I kept their stories and the feelings I got from them in the back of my mind and I tell myself someday I want to write books that leave readers with similar feelings.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

RLM: June will bring a contemporary LGBTQ romance as part of the Love Is All charity anthology. August will see the release of my M/F contemporary romance, More Than a Spanish Tour, which is based on my 2018 trip to Spain. In September, I will release the follow-up to last year’s supernatural suspense Healer, called Connection. Horror Addicts just might dig this series because while there’s romance, there’s also a boarding school full of child victims of trauma who have been gifted with unimaginable powers and an evil megalomaniac hell-bent on revenge. I’ve got a revenge tale as part of the Wicked Intentions anthology in October as well as a new funny paranormal romance tale in the Magic and Mayhem Universe. So yeah, the rest of this year will be super busy, but I can’t wait to get these stories into the hands of readers!

Addicts, you can find R.L. on Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Kevin Ground

Third age author and spoken word performer, Kevin Ground specialises in Victorian, Gothic, contemporary horror, and ghost short stories. He actually doesn’t know where his preference for the revolting comes from, other than to say he is always, always turning normal on its head and seeing where his imagination takes him. He rarely knows where a short story is going till it’s finished.

His story, “Maudaleen,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology. 

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

KG: A chance encounter in a secondhand book shop with a battered hardback entitled Titus Groan by author Mervyn Peake. I loved the style, content, and fantastic array of characters. Delving further into the works of Poe. M R James. Sheridan Le Fanu. Algernon Blackwood and other such worthies hooked me in for life.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

KG: A double-edged sword of emotion that cuts through the chaff of life to reveal the love of your life. If your love is denied by its intended, or worse still, accepted then betrayed. The reverse edge of the blade will cut you and wound you in a way that never fully heals. Lucky are those who do not know the sting of this blade and find true love at the first attempt.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

KG: The Woman in Black by author Susan Hill

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

KG: Yes, I do. The 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara. Fantastic black and white film that brings the characters and events to life with great emotion. Charles Laughton’s portrayal of Quasimodo embodies a love that cannot be yet refuses to be denied. Marvelous stuff.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

KG: Not whole people, rather certain characteristics of a person. Their dress, hairstyle, mannerism’s that catch the eye when they go about their daily lives. Catching a train, shopping at the supermarket. Negotiating steps in a wheelchair. I am no peeping tom, but I do take my time to look at what’s about me. Some marvelous material to be had people watching.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

KG: I never use an outline. Normally, the story develops as it unfolds in my imagination. I do however keep an eye on names, dates, and ages of my characters as it isn’t unusual for me to mix up a grandad with a daughter and turn the two into a third person altogether. I imagine quicker than I type being the issue here. I rarely have any idea of where a story is going before it’s finished.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

KG: A bit of both really. Some of my characters take flight and run free and easy whilst others progress with a more sedate step. The story decides who does what. As the author, I sometimes subject my characters to some pretty distasteful events that play hell with who they are. The hero doesn’t always survive unscathed if at all. I have no firm rule on this. Preferring to keep my options open.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

KG: As a man who has just celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday, I am becoming increasingly aware of my own mortality. Being old, weak, and helpless. That frightens me.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

KG: 1984’s Winston and Julia. Doomed to failure but a love that defied Big Brother. An example of many real romances that fail because of outside influences. Winston and Julia never stood a chance, but emotion and the need for love could not, and would not be denied.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

KG: This is a difficult one. So many excellent authors to choose from, but I would have to go for Graham Masterton. Closely followed by Darren Shan, and Algernon Blackwood

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

KG: My love of short stories is developing and expanding to encompass the world of novellas. Four of which will be published in an anthology in the run-up to Christmas 2021. Set during the cold winter months leading up to Christmas in Victorian England. The anthology is entitled Cold Shadows. I invite you and your guests to draw closer to the fire as winter closes in about you.

I have also completed a novella that I will publish ready for Christmas 2021 entitled Bonecreake (The strange tale of Maudy Jiller) A very challenging piece single mothers struggling to raise their children will identify with.  Victim or villain? This mother’s struggles encompass every woman’s worst nightmares. No matter the age they live in.

Addicts, you can find Kevin on Amazon and Facebook. His back catalogue can be found on his website.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – N.C. Northcott

Author N.C. Northcott was born in London and now resides on a plateau near a river with two cats and Yorkshire Terrier. They love writing urban and historical fantasy but also dabble in horror, steampunk, science fiction, mystery/thriller and romantic comedy. An avid photographer who also dabbles in painting and procrastination, their next project is an urban fantasy about a transgender sorceress set in modern-day America, near Boston. As they just invested in a magical electric bread maker, there will be somewhat less writing and considerably more sandwiches in their future.

Their story, “The Siren and Bowery Jack” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

NCN: I read Dracula when I was younger.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

NCN: Where love is a primary motivator of the story, not just some side gig for the heroine.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

NCN: Dracula.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

NCN: The Others with Nicole Kidman. It has a cool (though obvious) twist and isn’t too shock-and-guts in terms of its horror.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

NCN: The protagonists… no. But some of the other characters were real people, historically.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

NCN: Yes. I have used an outline with great success but now tend to write a list of scenic/plot needs and then write from the seat of my pants. An excellent book for people like me is Take Your Pants Off by Libby Hawker. Reading it changed how I write, for the better.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

NCN: In this story they have free will in the moments, but because the story had to go somewhere specific, I was the puppet master all the way. That’s not always the case with my novels. A key villain in my current WIP suddenly became a heroine and I had to change her name and back story.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

NCN: Losing my animals (two cats and a dog) and my home.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

NCN:  Movie: You’ve Got Mail. Novel: Replay by Ken Grimwood.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

NCN: Stephen King or Dean Koontz.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

NCN: So so much! I just finished draft two of an urban fantasy set in Boston, am editing my rom-com set in Toronto, am researching a scifi ecothriller set on another planet, my agent is trying to find homes for one scifi novel, one literary thriller, and one mystery series. Oh, and I applied to go to the moon on SpaceX’s Starship in 2023 with Yusaka Maezawa. Dream big or stay home!

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – B.F. Vega

B.F. Vega is a writer, poet, and theatrical artist living and working in California’s Bay Area.  Her poetry has been published in The Literary Nest, Sage Cigarettes, Walled Women, and Blood & Bourbon among others. Her first book of poetry, A Saga for the Unrequited, will be published in August of 2021 by Fae Corp Publishing. She is still amazed when people refer to her as a writer, every time.

Her story, “Californio Fog,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

B.F.V: That is quite the rabbit hole. It probably started with “The Egypt Game” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder which I read in the third grade. It sparked my love of Egyptology, which led eventually to Conan Doyle and H. Rider Haggard, and that of course led to Victorian and Edwardian literature as a whole which got me to Poe, Stoker, Gilman and Shelley.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

B.F.V: I read this question to my ex and he laughed for a good five minutes. I like stories of two equally strong-willed people finding each other. Romance as a literary term gets a bad rap, because everyone automatically thinks Harlequins (which if that’s your thing cool), but as a historian, I actually have to remind myself that it doesn’t refer to a specific period of art history. When I hear romance I immediately want to find a building with flying buttresses so I can read a Rossetti poem while drinking an aperitif and listening to Chopin.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

B.F.V: The Last Man by Mary Shelley hands down.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

B.F.V: Bram Stokers Dracula was foundational for me when it came to how you can reinterpret classic horror and make it relevant to the present time. Plus the costuming, my god, the costuming is gorgeous.

However, I think Guermillo De Toro’s early works are often overlooked as either magical realism or supernatural horror, but all of them have strong gothic and romantic era elements to them. He really has an eye for the beauty of the strange and macabre. If you enjoyed Pans Labyrinth I highly recommend The Devils Backbone.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

B.F.V: I’m pretty sure that I’m not allowed to answer this. They are not based on any singular historical figure no, although the historical figures named in the story are real people.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

B.F.V: It really depends. Sometimes I know how a story will end before I know anything else about it. When that happens then I generally do an outline to make sure it gets there. Also, if I am working on longer pieces like novellas or full books I will outline to remind myself of the plot. For short stories, I tend to start with a general idea of characters and setting, when that happens I free-write.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

B.F.V: Again it really depends. Some characters absolutely do whatever the hell they want regardless of what I think they should be doing. Other characters I have to poke with a sharp stick to get them to move at all. Oddly, I usually have one of each type of character in my longer works.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

B.F.V: Considering I have both a Canadian and an American Arch-nemesis, I probably shouldn’t answer this.   In terms of horror though, isolation is the thing that gets to me more so than jump scares or slashers or anything else. It’s the fog in The Others or the ocean in Jaws and Ghost Ship. It’s the lack of contact with the outside world in Night of the Living Dead. What is terrifying to me, and I think a lot of people, is that place where you are utterly reliant on yourself and nobody can save you.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

B.F.V: Thornyhold by Mary Stewart followed closely by Jane Eyre.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

B.F.V: Ugh, I have to pick?! Well, I choose Bram Stoker because he and I share a birthday so I feel an affinity to him.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

B.F.V: My story, “Jezebels and Harlots,” about cousins fighting a Bokor in Kentucky, was just released as part of the Good Southern Witches anthology by Clear Blue Press. I have numerous shorts and drabbles in both the Drabbles of Dread series and the Dark Holidays series by Macabre Ladies Publishing including my favorite drabble I have written which is “Mallard Lake.” It’s about a ghost in San Francisco that haunts that other lake in Golden Gate Park. Not horror, but my chapbook, A Saga for the Unrequited, is being released by Fae Corp Press at the end of August 2021 and, as you can guess, is heavily influenced by my early love of Poe and Christina Rossetti.

Addicts, to keep up with her lunacy, follow her author page on Facebook or on Instagram.

Chilling Chat: Episode #194 – Haunts & Hellions – Emerian Rich

Emerian Rich is the author of the vampire book series, Night’s Knights. She’s been published in a handful of anthologies by publishers such as Dragon Moon Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Hazardous Press, and White Wolf Press. Emerian is a podcast horror hostess with an international audience and a vehicle with which to promote, HorrorAddicts.net.

She is the editor of Haunts and Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology and author of the story, “Left Behind.”

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

ER: As a child, I found gothic romance in the thrift store I was allowed to borrow from. I fell in love with the lighthouses and ghosts!

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

ER: A love story at its most basic level. I can’t really enjoy a story, even a horror story, without a little romance involved.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

ER: Funnily enough, my favorite Gothic horror does not truly have a love story involved. It is The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell. It is the story of a woman married to a despicable man, only unlike Jane Eyre, he does not have any redeemable qualities. In this story, it is more about a true friendship between a wife and a servant who protect each other under horrible circumstances. Sometimes the bond of friendship can be a truer love than a romantic relationship.

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

ER: I really love Crimson Peak. Even though she loses her love in the end, I like the fact that despite his sister, the guy ultimately chooses true love over a twisted relationship. I also love all the gothic settings and costumes.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

ER: Not in this story. It all came from my imagination. I did study the polio epidemic quite extensively, though.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

ER: Seat of my pants, always. (Laughs.)

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

ER: My characters usually choose their own way. I don’t really have any say about it.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

ER: You’ll laugh… Monkeys.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

ER: Something with an edge of danger or excitement to it. 

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

ER: Anne Rice. I love how she threads love through her stories. Even when they are blood-thirsty vampires, her characters are always seeking and sometimes discovering love.

NTK: Which do you like better, editing or writing?

ER: Most definitely writing. However, it was loads of fun reading all the submissions and picking which ones fit my ideal.

NTK: What inspired Haunts and Hellions? Why did you want to edit such a book?

ER: Gothic romances were the first sort of fantastical fiction I read as a child. When I saw a cover with a windswept gal by a haunted lighthouse, I fell in love with the genre. I wanted to collect a group of stories, written by authors of today, that have that spooky, gothic feel.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

ER: I’m working on my third novel in the Night’s Knights series, Day’s Children. I really want to get this puppy done. It’s been a long time coming.

Addicts, for news on Day’s Children and other works, visit Emerian’s website. You can find her on Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram.      

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “The Siren and Bowery Jack.”

The The Inspiration Behind “The Siren and Bowery Jack.”

By N.C. Northcott

“The Siren and Bowery Jack” was inspired by the long history of misogyny and male violence against women and my desire to speak out against it. I wanted to write a steampunk love story about a literal monster/creature who wasn’t in fact the true monster of the story. I also wanted a VERY strong woman whose powers were underestimated by the men around her, a woman (like all women back then) who was seen as nothing more than a disposable tool by the users and violators who ran the world in New York in the late 19^th century.

I don’t believe fiction should have happy endings for the villains. No trials, no sneaky lawyers, no redemption. Their ending should be as dark and violent as their lives and their actions. Eye-for-an-eye stuff. I want the reader to fist pump when they read the end of my story, to be terrified for the protagonist all along, but then to cheer when the antagonist meets their end. Of course, the reader should also feel guilty for feeling that way, because we’re not supposed to be happy when a person is punished without due process and proper legal representation. Maybe sometimes evil should be eradicated. In fiction we can do that.

With regards to the romance, I wanted a love so strong that it transcended species, with a mythological creature/monster loved so much by a human who didn’t care about their differences. Of course, my heroine is humanoid, so the relationship breaks fewer taboos. I’m not ready to write a minotaur/human love story, yet.

Writing and researching this story has now inspired me to plan and plot an entire novel about 19^th century human trafficking in the tenements of New York City.

Author N.C. Northcott (they/them) was born in London and now resides on a plateau near a river with two cats and Yorkshire Terrier. They love writing urban and historical fantasy but also dabble in horror, steampunk, science fiction, mystery/thriller and romantic comedy. An avid photographer who also dabbles in painting and procrastination, their next project is an urban fantasy about a transgender sorceress set in modern-day America, near Boston. As they just invested in a magical electric bread maker, there will be somewhat less writing and considerably more sandwiches in their future.

FRIGHTENING FLIX BY KBATZ: Kindred the Embraced

What Could Have Been with Kindred: The Embraced

by Kristin Battestella

Based partly on the Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game, Fox’s 1996 Kindred: The Embraced is an eight episode miniseries cut short despite enticing vampires and gothic atmosphere. Ventrue vampire Julian Luna (Mark Frankel) is prince of San Francisco and ruler of the Kindred clans – a precarious alliance between Lillie Langtry (Stacy Haiduk) a Toreador nightclub patron, underground Nosferatu Daedalus (Jeff Kober), and Brujah mobster Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson). Their masquerade to live among humans is threatened by detective Frank Kohanek (C.Thomas Howell) and reporter Caitlin Byrne (Kelly Rutherford) – who falls for Julian, further complicating the interconnected love triangles and vampire peace.

Rooftop chases at dawn open the hour-plus premiere “The Original Saga” alongside quick detective exposition and gunshots intercut with ledge leaping culprits, stakings, and victims set on fire in the sunlight. It’s a very nineties, busy start crowded with back and forth cop and vampire perspectives. The charred body is enough to start the investigation without the cheap action, and you need a flow chart to figure out who everyone is thanks to the world building and clan intrigue dropped in the dialogue – who belongs to the Gangrel gangs or Brujah mobsters, who are moving in on another Kindred’s territory, which ones abide by the masquerade rules to hide from humans, which clans are loyal to whom. Fortunately, the steamy vampire dinner date with steak very, very rare leads to one drop of blood on the white dress, sneaky scalpels, morgue drawers, and chilling kills. One-on-one conversations and hypnosis add to the tasty and sensuous, invoking the gothic atmosphere amid graveside vigils, moody mirrors, and shaving mishap temptations. In its early hours, however, Kindred: The Embraced is dominated by guests of the week and newly embraced vampires when the main Phantom of the Opera forbidden romance in the third episode “Nightstalker” is a much nicer bittersweet. Uneven A/B plotting and sagging police arguments hamper the superior Kindred stories as vampire killers are held for psychiatric evaluation. There’s a fine line between schizophrenia, blood lust, enchantments, and predators. Saucy shadows reveal our Kindred ills and charms as precarious clan war talk escalates to action halfway through the series – finally turning Kindred: The Embraced where it needs to go with guns drawn, vampire standoffs, and mob strong arming that should have come much sooner than the sixth episode, “The Rise and Fall of Eddie Fiori.” The Kindred front at the Dock Workers Union seems pedestrian and this arc was made to wait as if it were less important than the police plots, but clan peace is bringing down the business for Brian Thompson’s (Cobra) Brujah leader Eddie Fiori. The Brujah clan prefers carnage to reason, and Eddie sets up crimes only to act like the Kindred would be safer if he were in charge. Shapeshifting killers, head choppings, decoys, stabbings, and assassination attempts caught on camera provide enough gothic horror without resorting to more of that intrusive cop drama. A vampire using a private investigator is unnecessary in a blood feud, but it’s superb when the rival ladies get to sit face to face as the Kindred point fingers over who has blackmail photos or is sleeping with a journalist. Council meetings and swords resolve any broken vampire rules – damage the peace and you will pay.

Ironically, the wire tapes, moles, and crazy cops in the second episode of Kindred: The Embraced “Prince of the City” contradicts the pilot movie. You wouldn’t know this show was about vampires as enemies suddenly become friends over a cup of coffee and traitors are discovered or forgotten from one scene to the next. It’s a terrible entry and probably deterred a lot of viewers from continuing with the series week to week. “Live Hard, Die Young, and Leave a Good Looking Corpse” is also a great title, but an anonymous, obnoxious Kindred is embracing groupies and leaving them in the streets, again wasting time when the regular players have so little. Kindred: The Embraced could have opened with a newly turned against her will vampire learning the ropes point of view, but debates that could delve further into such assault parallels somehow end up boring and repetitive here. Police dismissing the monster stole my baby claims in the second to last hour “Bad Moon Rising” are unnecessary, too, as evil and ugly Nosferatu vampires abducting babies for blood sacrifices and Druid rituals are terrifying enough. Our vampires fear this banished Kindred wishing to return the clans to a more primitive sewer dwelling state no masquerade needed. Why demand vampires wear suits and drink blood in wine glasses when they can take it all? Kindred explaining their own rules to a sneering cop every single hour gets old fast compared to female Nosferatu, Carmilla references, chains, and ceremonial blades. “I only drink red” quips and garlic braids in the kitchen winks add to the Kindred: The Embraced mythos – some vampires can feed and go out in the sun while others gain more powers under the full moon. Direct questions about who’s making love or poisoning whom lead to tender moments among humans and vampires waxing on whether it’s them or us who are the real monsters. Suave Kindred fang out for both moonlit showdowns and juicy fireside passion as rivals try to exploit the clan war opportunities while the prince is away at the vineyard in “Cabin in the Woods.” Angry Brujah are determined to put bodies in the empty family cemetery plots while hooting owls, creepy forests, and eerie fog accent fiery flashbacks, attacks in the woods, white wolves, and Kindred truths too fantastic to believe. Past betrayals coming to light and vendettas are revealed, but only the precious healing blood can save the sacrifices and sad choices. Here at its end is where Kindred: The Embraced finds how it should have always been.

Of course, the series should have never strayed from it’s true and unfortunately gone too soon star Mark Frankel (Leon the Pig Farmer) and his Kindred prince Julian Luna. He keeps a tenuous peace between the clans, but Julian’s conflicted about being their judge, jury, and executioner. Despite his slick widow’s peak and cool control, it’s easy to see what gets to him, as Julian continually protects humans and associates with the descendants of his family from before he was embraced. He makes others toe the line about the masquerade yet Julian is sentimental himself, often going with banishment or failed punishments that force more finite, deadly resolutions. Although everyone tells him otherwise, Julian thinks we all can coexist, and he actually might not be that great a leader if his rivals can push his buttons with personal vendettas in hopes of inciting a full out clan war. Fortunately, Julian is nothing if not shrewd. He commands loyalty and respect, orchestrating ploys against his enemies that leave them out in the sunlight and begging to get into his trunk. No matter the pain or peril to himself, Julian does what he has to do to keep the peace above all else. He admits he was a violent henchman in the past, but his loves and human attachments make Julian want to be a better man. Journalist Kelly Rutherford (Melrose Place, but with whom I always confuse Ally Walker from Profiler, and also with Amanda Wyss briefly on Highlander: The Series. Nineties genre blondes, man!) is writing an article about Julian being a mysterious and powerful businessman, but he never gives interviews. He buys the newspaper and makes Caitlin editor, but she doesn’t sit behind the desk, seeking out the hot cases herself and dismissing the spooky connections that lead back to Julian. Caitlin struggles to listen to her conscience when he’s around, foolishly more curious despite how little she knows. The relationship is stagnant at times, never really advancing until the finale, but the chemistry forgives the blinded by love stupidity as truths and tearful revelations make for well done human versus vampire emotions. Stacy Haiduk (SeaQuest DSV) as Toreador leader and Haven club owner Lillie makes loose alliances as needed, using her allure for power, jealousy, and to support the arts. Her club is a sanctuary and Lillie saves a young musician with her embrace, but rock stars aren’t super discreet. She protects the wrong vampires and Julian insists they are no longer lovers but she makes her presence known by spying on Caitlin when not biting, flirting, and having her dalliances, too. Ultimately, Lillie still loves Julian and dislikes when he lies, expecting the truth after what they’ve been through together. This is a complex character – Lillie will stab a person in the back and do it with a smile and we don’t blame her. She deserved more time and Haiduk’s eyes are fittingly enchanting I must say.

Detective C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders) is top billed on Kindred: The Embraced, but Frank Kohanek is a terribly over the top eighties does forties cum nineties, generic copper. The edgy delivery and angry scene chewing jars with everything else, and point blank the series would have been better without him. Frank starts so full of hate and thinks all vampires are monsters even as he is helped and protected by Kindred, but turns a vampire killer over to Julian because his law can’t handle them. His entire police element is unnecessary since the Ventrue already has Erik King (Dexter) as their inside cop Sonny, but he isn’t featured half as much. Sonny’s reveals happen way too soon, leaving him to ride shotgun with Frank as the stereotypical Black cop partner, and Kate Vernon’s (Falcon Crest) seductive Alexandra also has her melodrama cut short when Kindred: The Embraced sets up her supposedly great romance with Frank but then tears it apart in one episode. Channon Roe (Bio-Dome) as perpetually scowling Gangrel biker Cash doesn’t think being embraced is all it’s cracked up to be, and he’s actually not that good of a bodyguard because he’s always making moon eyes with leather jacket bad girl Brigid Walsh (Army Wives) as Sasha. Although the motorcycle double entendres are cliché, Julian doesn’t want his last human descendant to be embraced, forbidding the romance between Sasha and Cash. She doesn’t believe the hear tell monstrous, but Sasha is quickly caught between the love of one clan and the hate of another. We know what to expect from an episode named “Romeo and Juliet,” but the secret rendezvous, gang killings, and family payback does what it says on the tin in fitting vampire style and shows what Kindred: The Embraced can do. Jeff Kober (China Beach) is immediately excellent as the Nosferatu leader Daedalus, decrepit and living underground but suave in a smoking jacket as he does Julian’s dirty work. Daedalus loyally does the series’ scary with a calm and quiet chill but falls in love with a beautiful singer. The “Nightstalker” hour should have been devoted to him, and we notice his absence in weaker episodes. Kober isn’t made up to be that much of an ogre, but Daedalus is ashamed of his own clan and dabbles in alchemy to enchant and change his appearance, for who would love him? He disposes of a nasty vampire doctor for hurting children and befriends an ill boy who asks if he is a monster. Daedalus wants to embrace him, but it is of course against the rules. It’s another fascinating dilemma that deserved more time on Kindred: The Embraced but c’est la vie.

Although there are no subtitles on the two-disc DVD edition of Kindred: The Embrace and the full-screen picture is flat; unlike today’s overly saturated digital grading, the nighttime scenes aren’t uber dark thanks to practical lighting and ambiance. Some shaky cam zooms and herky-jerky handheld aren’t so smooth now, but contrived police action is brief and choice dolly zoom horrors and great vampire eyes forgive poor fire effects. Picturesque Golden Gate Bridge scenery and San Francisco skylines at dusk contrast charred bodies, morgue toe tags, lunar motifs, and wolf overlays. Lavish wallpapers, draperies, artwork, water fountains, and grand staircases make up for that then luxurious nineties pink marble while creepy underground lairs, candelabras, and scary paintings create an edgy industrial. Red silk, purple satin, crushed velvet, and suave men’s suits provide allure; women’s fashions are both nineties runway sheer and flowing old fashioned with tantalizing slips and camisoles rather than then taboo nudity. Beheadings, skulls in the incinerator, heartbeats, and flexing jugulars provide chills while brooding nineties music invokes a sexy, classy simmer. Stained glass ruins, graves, greenery, and roses create a sensuous, romantic melancholy as Kindred: The Embraced remains a fine mix of modern debonair and gothic mood. That beeper though, with the fake giant screen and super easy to read analog text…lol. With eight different writers and six different directors, obviously, no one thought of having one cohesive narrative back then. Maybe twenty-five years ago cross-medium interactive content was unfathomable, but today such a franchise with books, games, official social media, and RPGs would be massive. Kindred: The Embraced was caught in the middle – a series that didn’t stand on its own but nor did it satisfy the built-in audience of Vampire: The Masquerade. Having gaming source material may have even contributed to viewer confusion as Fox shuffled the airings around and potentially out-of-order episodes seemed lacking in information. Of course, had Kindred: The Embraced stuck to its roots instead of wasting time with nineties cop show intrusions, the vampire love triangles, and intriguing clan wars wouldn’t have been so crowded. Revelations that could take several seasons happen in the first hour, and it’s tough not to shout at the what-ifs and ponder what Kindred: The Embraced could have been. Fortunately, Kindred: The Embrace is easy to marathon, remaining entertaining as a fun introductory piece for younger horror lite audiences as well as vampire fans and nostalgic viewers looking for gothic panache.

Want More Vampires and Gothic Romance?

Dracula (2020)

Gothic Romance Video Review

Mexican and Spanish Vampires

Dark Shadows Video Review

 

#HauntsandHellions: The Inspiration Behind “Left Behind.”

The Inspiration Behind “Left Behind.”

By Emerian Rich

My story “Left Behind” is set during the polio epidemic in New York City, 1916. A girl who is supposed to be dancing at cotillions and being courted by handsome young bucks, has been struck by this illness. Her mother keeps the house dark and ancient as the vibrant city around her installs electricity and revels in the happiness of progress.

While researching for this story, I learned a lot about polio. Over the course of a year, more than two-thousand cases ended in death in New York City. Although mostly in Brooklyn and in children under the age of five, there were rare outliers. Glorianna’s story is such a tale. She is older than most. She is from a prosperous family. She is ill much longer than others.

Studying this epidemic during a pandemic was quite an experience. Like COVID-19, polio caused widespread panic and thousands fled the city to nearby mountain resorts; movie theaters were closed, meetings were canceled, public gatherings were almost nonexistent, and children were warned not to drink from water fountains, and told to avoid amusement parks, swimming pools, and beaches. Sound familiar?

In the absence of proven treatments, a number of odd and potentially dangerous polio treatments were suggested. Internal use of caffeine, dry muriate of quinine, elixir of cinchone, radium water, chloride of gold, liquor calcis, and wine of pepsin were used.

In “Left Behind,” Glorianna’s mother uses a “tonic” to help cure her. It is described as acidic and acrid and we do not know what is in it. I left it up to the reader to decide what horrible concoction her mother might try to save her child’s life. Did she mix up metallic ingredients, herbals, or both?

We can look back and awe at the stupidity of using such cures, but in reality, what would you do to cure your child? We live in an age of information. Mother’s back then did not have such information at their fingertips, and yet… even today, if we heard that taking a spoonful of cinchona a day would stop COVID and was proven to work, who of us wouldn’t start feeding our family chicken cinchona cacciatore?

I hope you enjoy Glorianna’s story and the creature it inspires.

Emerian Rich is the author of the vampire book series, Night’s Knights. She’s been published in a handful of anthologies by publishers such as Dragon Moon Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Hazardous Press, and White Wolf Press. Emerian is a podcast horror hostess at HorrorAddicts.net.

Chilling Chat: Haunts & Hellions – Lucy Blue

Lucy Blue lives in a decrepit old house in a small town in South Carolina with her husband, artist and game designer Justin Glanville, and her dog, preternaturally brilliant and adorable Jack Russell terrier, Luke. Formerly a historical and paranormal romance writer for Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, she is now a writer and managing editor for Falstaff Crush, the romance line from Falstaff Books.

Her story, “My Ain True Love,” appears in Haunts & Hellions: A Gothic Romance Anthology.

NTK: How did you become interested in Gothic Literature?

LB: My grandmother had a set of leatherbound “classics” in her bookcase when I was a kid, and one was the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe. She read me “The Raven,” and I liked it, so I went back and read the whole book – I think I was about eight. Scared the living shit out of me, but I adored it. And I’ve been an addict ever since.

NTK: How do you define “romance”?

LB: As a literary genre or a concept? For me, romance values feeling over facts, a willingness on the part of the characters, the creator, and the audience to let themselves go to the point of being ridiculous to feel, for real or vicariously, a connection that goes beyond empathy or sex.

NTK: What is your favorite Gothic horror story?

LB: It changes, but I’ve always loved Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” – talk about a creepy romance!

NTK: Do you have a favorite Gothic horror movie? What attracted you to this film?

LB: I love Ken Russell’s “Gothic,” with Gabriel Byrne and Julian Sands as Byron and Shelley and Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley. It’s completely over-the-top and extremely grotesque, but the actors are all amazing, and it captures that over the top ecstasy of a gothic romance.

NTK: Are your characters based on real people?

LB: Very much not.

NTK: Do you use an outline to write? Or do you write by the seat of your pants?

LB: I use an outline but deviate from it a lot in the actual writing.

NTK: Do your characters have free will? Or do you decide their fate?

LB: Since they’re imaginary, no, I’m deciding their fate for them. I don’t subscribe to that “oh, my characters went their own way and told me what they wanted” approach to writing—I tend to think of that as a first draft that probably needs a lot of work. I don’t trust my subconscious quite that much.

NTK: What are you most afraid of?

LB: Being buried alive.

NTK: What is your favorite romance?

LB: Either Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, or Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour, depending on the day. I also really like Possession by A.S. Byatt.

NTK: Who is your favorite horror author?

LB: Stephen King or Anne Rice.

NTK: What does the future hold for you? What books, short stories, or works do Horror Addicts have to look forward to?

LB: My next publication after this will probably be a horror novel called The Devil Makes Three, coming out later this year from Falstaff Books. And I have a collection of horror/romance short stories featuring witch heroines called Eat the Peach out now.

Addicts, you can find Lucy on her website.

31 Days of Gothic Romance ~ Join Us!

In celebration of our upcoming

Gothic Romance Anthology,

Haunts and Hellions,

join HorrorAddicts.net for

31 Days of Gothic Romance

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FRIGHTENING FLIX BY KBATZ: Period Piece / Horror Ladies

Period Piece Horror Ladies by Kristin Battestella

What’s more wonderful than a gothic woman in fancy clothes and delicious settings experiencing crimes and ghosts with a dash of scandal, saucy, and the supernatural?

Angelica – A Victorian couple spirals into paranormal horrors thanks to puritanical repression in this brooding 2017 tale starring Jena Malone (The Neon Demon), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), and Ed Stoppard (The Frankenstein Chronicles). Ghostly photography, flashbulbs, and empty chairs contrast the bustles, parasols, and formalities before lanterns, carriages, fine townhouses, and storms. Bedridden confessions lead to earlier courtings with circus sideshows and talk of Darwinism versus the stiff upper lip British tapering their animal appetites. The microscope revealing disease causing organisms is almost as fantastic as the camera capturing spirits, and while it’s okay for a young lady to work in a stationery store selling nibs and ink, she can’t see her future husband’s laboratory. Our humble orphan now in elaborate red dresses is called a counter jumper by the aristocratic ladies, and she’s fearful of the bridal bed before enjoying it in a scandalously active montage. Bells toll amid talk of losing a mother nor wanting to be one, and this birth is graphic, not maternal bliss thanks to scalpels, screams, and both lives at stake. Unfortunately, the doctor says another pregnancy is not worth the risk, and the couple should “desist entirely” and close her garden. Our husband doesn’t want to seek pleasure elsewhere, but she can’t get into other..options…and favors their toddler over him. Soon, she’s completely revolted by her husband and obsessively attached to the child, and the wife is made to feel guilty about her health and desires by everyone in tense Victorian melodrama. Men in suits have no trouble warping her mind, but they are shocked to see a woman enter the medical theater amid animals in cages, exposed brains, and disturbing experiments that put the creepy back into the complex characterizations. Strange noises, visions of germs in the air, bugs in the woodwork, and wardrobes that open by themselves lead to more anger as the husband dislikes the chaos his overprotective wife is causing in their home. She won’t let these apparitions prey on her daughter – who also sees this floating ectoplasm man in her room. Is she putting more notions in the imaginative child’s head? Is this mental illness or is the repressed sexual energy seeping into the house itself? The maid calls in a scam artist spiritualist to ring bells, burn sage, and banish the banshees. Rather than a charlatan taking advantage, however, there’s a woman to woman understanding and courage – a protection spell is more like peace of mind somewhere between being a modest mother and the shame of enjoying sex. There are also unspoken lesbian veils, entertaining women while your husband’s away, putting their feet on the table, showing their legs, and drinking his best port. Drunken undressings provide laughter instead of rattling doors, swarming entities, prayers, and fires against evil. If he is not at home, who is festering this supernatural activity? The drama before the horrors may be slow to viewers expecting in your face scares a minute, but the intriguing characters are intertwined with the fear. Our mother needs to destroy the snake manifestations and demon man coming for her daughter before her husband sends her to Bedlam, and the once beautiful interiors become stifling as ghostly sexual encounters escalate to mind and bodies becoming one with blood and penetrations of a different kind. Although the bookends are unnecessary and this seems caught between two audiences – too much drama for horror fans and intrusive paranormal activity for period piece viewers – such Victorian horror drama with a touch of LGBT is perfect for fans of gothic mood and psycho-sexual dreadfuls.

Lizzie – Maid Kristen Stewart (Twilight) gets steamy with the titular turn of the century murderess Chloe Sevingy (American Horror Story) in this 2018 biopic accented with fine costumes, rustic lighting, and vintage Victorian interiors. Six months before the screams and blood, the buttoned-up, repressed daughter is already defiant against the patriarchal oppression by going to theatre parties unaccompanied where low cut, colorful frocks contrast the tight collars and immediate sexual tension at home. The Bordens can’t have anything too extravagant despite being able to afford it, and Lizzie prefers the barn and animals to people, reading aloud in an innocent but antisocial loneliness. While some dialogue is a little too modern, our eponymous lady has a progressive, forceful, even masculine energy that can’t be contained with fainting spells. Our old maid is called a lesbian abomination but in turn rightfully calls her perverse, abusive father a lying coward before creaking floorboards, broken mirrors slid under the door, revenge injuries, and burned documents reveal the truth. The up-close camera often peers through the window, catching the glances as each lady looks at each other – the audience is in on the intimate possibilities but when your employer suggests his servant leave the door to her hot attic room open, she can’t exactly say no. The strict orders and behind closed doors implications are uncomfortable enough without the often seen exploitative, degrading visuals, and the women bond during intimate undressings and corset tightenings. Theft and rebellious acts increase amid suspicious business deals, threatening letters, and whispering relatives. The women have to eavesdrop to learn what the men are planning for them before violent punishments and one and all sitting at the dinner table like nothing has happened. Is murder the only way out of the hypocrisy? Were the violent tendencies always there or could you be crazy in love enough to kill? The ax is shown throughout the potboiler, and although the stifling camerawork may be disorienting to some viewers, it mirrors the closeness when it is both welcomed by the women or invaded by nasty men. Regardless of height, the unprotected ladies must look up to the creepy uncles, diminished and fearful of physical violence. Retro photo pops accent the bludgeoning editing before jail and witnesses on the stand provide the fallout from this infamous hatcheting. Premeditated accomplices, church bells, deliberate nudity, and out of control horror are worth the wait once the finale reveals the symbolically sexual posturing, vomit, and splatter. Some people just don’t have the stomach for this sort of thing while others so smooth have thought of everything. There is some unevenness with the characters – probably from when the project was envisioned as a television piece with bigger roles – and the killer romance meets Victorian women’s lib messages are mixed. However despite liberties suggesting what went on in this congested house and a decidedly quiet, not mainstream style that won’t be for everyone, this interesting perspective will have viewers studying this disturbing murder case with a sympathetic, personal anew.

Rebecca – Artistic ingenue Emilia Fox (Merlin) – companion to wealthy gossip Faye Dunaway (Don Juan DeMarco) – is smitten by the suave yet mysterious Charles Dance (Bleak House) in this 1997 three hour Masterpiece adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier novel. Sublime style, flapper headbands, candlelight, and long stem cigarettes add to the whirlwind 1927 Riviera’s scenic drives, classic convertibles, and charming hats. Unlike the immediately gothic grayscale of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 version, vivid color and visual depth layer this initially idyllic romance. Our unusual couple have each been shy, lonely, and sad, but Maxim de Winter admires this young lady’s innocence and honesty compared to the gilded aristocracy. Picnics, boat rides, a silly girl, a foolish old man – can they make a go of their differences? The dangerous curves and perilous drives suggest something slightly sinister brewing amid glimpses of the unforgettable and beloved by all Rebecca. It’s been a year since her death, yet everyone must remind Maxim of his late wife upon this surprising second marriage. The newlyweds return to the lovely English gardens and proper decorum at Manderley, the estate where the Emmy winning Diana Rigg’s (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) icy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers won’t let go of the first Mrs. DeWinter’s memory. The household reception is awkward and chilly – the coastal brightness turns darker thanks to shadow schemes, lighting changes, and the looming silhouettes of both Mrs. Danvers and Rebecca. Despite being a large estate with a west wing facing the sea, the hefty staircases, huge windows, and great fireplace feel congested, closing in on the new, nervous Mrs. as she gets lost wandering the shuttered parts of the house, breaks priceless statues, and hangs her head like an admonished little girl. She doesn’t fit into the upper-class routine, but the brooding, often misunderstood Maxim doesn’t want her to become like those other cruel, aristocratic dames. Everyone is so heavy handed, formal, and not just unhelpful but resentful of how unlike Rebecca she is, and the couple regrets returning home to the rocky cliffs, beachside cottages, and distrustful staff. Crazy hermits, past gossip, vogue cousins too close for comfort, recreating previous fancy dress balls, and one big costuming faux pas strain the relationship further, but she can’t exactly ask her new husband about why the pieces on how Rebecca drowned aren’t coming together. Her room is still kept as is, almost in worship where our devoted housekeeper can express her creepy vicarious and pathetic intimacy, re-enacting brushing her madam’s hair and laying out her perfumed nightgown. Was Rebecca really so perfect? If she wasn’t would anybody actually say so? Her presence is overwhelming – not because of any actually supernatural mood or ghost, but because the obsessed Mrs. Danvers won’t let anyone forget, placing the fanatical pressures of her devotion on the second Mrs. de Winter. Foreboding strings add more ominous, however, the suspense is certainly helped by Maxim’s not coming clean on his life with Rebecca at the start. While some scenes are very similar to Hitchcock’s vision, this is also closer to the novel, and even if you’ve seen other adaptations, viewers are swept up in wondering how the secrets will play out in the finale. Fog, vintage boats, watery evidence, mistaken identities, inquests – the circumstances surrounding Rebecca’s life and death come to light, but our servant oversteps her bounds with cruelty, jealousy, and bullying suicidal whispers just to assure Rebecca everyone thought they knew and loved won’t die. Though more romantic than true crime, the fresh love, and warped liaisons are told swift and honestly as the scandalous true colors are revealed with fainting spells, medical discoveries, fiery rescues, and kisses in the rain. Indeed all the gothic staples are here with period mood and performances to match.

The Turn of the Screw – Downton Abbey alum Michelle Dockery joins Dan Stevens (again) and Nicola Walker (MI-5) in this ninety-minute 2009 BBC adaptation of the Henry James askew moving the repressed ambiguity to 1921 institutions with post-war doctors analyzing our governess’ infatuation with her employer, the topsy turvy male shortage, and of kilter Bly Manor. Fashions, hats, sweet automobiles, fine woodwork, and hefty antiques sell the refreshing setting, however, the nonsensical strobe flashes look amateur on top of the time-wasting, disjointed doctoring add-ons, and unnecessary narration. Visions of dalliances that initially upgrade the Victorian scandalous soon hit the viewer over the head one too many times as the governess imagines her master and his saucy approval. She insists she’s not the nervous type, but the dark interiors, maze-like staircases, and distorted camera angles add to the strange noises and creepy country manor unease. She’s in charge, above housekeepers and maids, but there are too many flighty women doing all the work in this house. Parasols and summer white contrast eerie fog and trains as her boy charge is expelled from school without explanation. The cheeky children whisper about their previous, pretty governess – unbothered by screams, accidents, or dying maids. Melancholy piano music, graveyard echoes, dark figures amid the trees, and faces in the window build on the female isolation, yet all insist there are no ghosts – surely she’s just hysterical, overwrought, and obsessed with men. Rumors of suicide and a woman ruined by her lover seem proved by hidden pictures of the master’s up to no good valet, and tales of his violence among the unprotected women are better than seeing suspect flashbacks. The prim style degrades to loose hair and nightgowns as our governess jumps to dire conclusions and possessive delirium, but the shouting about it afterward with her doctor interruptions break the tainted picnics and frantic tension. We don’t need his sounding board to deduce her fears, just let us see the abusive violence and water perils. Crazy laughter and disembodied voices escalate as the phantoms, repression, and projection possibilities culminate in a one on one battle for the truth. The deviations here are flawed, and while the horror lite is fine for gothic period piece fans, some viewers will expect more than to have it both ways attempt at the ghosts and crazy ambiguity. This isn’t the best version but thanks to the cast and unique setting, it can be a good introduction for audiences who haven’t seen The Innocents.

 

For More Gothic Horrors visit:

Crimson Peak

Penny Dreadful 1 2 3

The Frankenstein Chronicles 1 2

FRIGHTENING FLIX: Gothic Romance Video Review

Yours Truly Kristin Battestella aka Kbatz discusses Category Romance versus Gothic Literature, Slashers versus Hammer, Penny Dreadful, Mario Bava, Crimson Peak, Tom Hiddleson, and Only Lovers Left Alive as well as Victorian and Gothic Romance Themes and the upcoming HorrorAddicts.net anthology Dark Divinations.

 

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To Read Detailed Reviews on Our Subjects Re-visit:

Penny Dreadful  1  2  3

Mario Bava Super Special

Crimson Peak

Only Lovers Left Alive

Revisiting Poe Video Review

Classic Horror Reading Video

Dark Shadows Video Review

Guest Blog Post: Gothic Collaboration

Gothic Collaboration: The Making of Ravencrest by Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross 

We love Gothics. Tamara teethed on Dark Shadows, rushing home every day to watch vampire Barnabas, witchy Angelique, and ghostly Quentin. Alistair devoured Rebecca and Turn of the Screw at a young age. The tales we both grew up loving are centered on an innocent young woman (be it governess, servant, or bride) caught up in the dark mysteries and romances of a spooky old mansion.

The Gothic has attracted readers for centuries and with good reason. Gothics generally include a naive heroine, a sprawling mystery-laden house with closed off rooms or wings, a handsome brooding master of the manor to warm the cheeks – and the panties – of the heroine, and several mysterious servants who may or may not be the heroine’s ally. And there is always someone who obviously has it out for the sweet young woman – generally the head housekeeper. What’s not to love?

In our younger years, both of us scoured libraries and used bookstores for Gothics written in the 1970s and 80s, strumming through anything with a cover featuring a spooky mansion or castle, and a windswept girl fleeing in the night. Both of us were after Gothics with a supernatural flair. The bigger the flair, the more we loved – and still love – it.

“Write what you love,” they say, and our novel, The Ghosts of Ravencrest, is pure Gothic. It follows governess Belinda Moorland as she settles into Ravencrest Manor’s routine. From the moment she arrives, the self-styled “house administrator,” Mrs. Heller, has it in for her, but the elegant butler, Grant Phister, is warm and friendly even though he is obviously keeping secrets of his own. On her very first night, a handsome ghost tries to seduce her. As the story moves along, Belinda encounters more and more mysteries and the reader even gets to visit Ravencrest in 1788 to find out why some of the ghosts in contemporary times are so tormented.

But The Ghosts of Ravencrest is modern. While it has plenty of romance, horror, and sex that sizzles, it still retains the feel of the old-time Gothic mysteries. So far, we’ve met witches, a trio of evil nuns, and a disfigured harlequin, as well as a slew of other spectres including the White Violet – a beautiful actress who went mad in the 1930s – and Amelia Manning, aka, The Bride of Ravencrest, who – after the death of her beloved husband – proclaimed herself the manor’s eternal companion.

We learn about the history of Ravencrest, how it served as a madhouse and hospice during in the Civil War era and housed an orphanage in the east wing around the time of the great witch hunts in the early years of the nineteenth century. Many were burned, but the real witch escaped to live on to torment the inhabitants of Ravencrest another day…

The Ghosts of Ravencrest is the first book in The Ravencrest Saga. We will begin releasing episodes of the second novel-in-progress, The Witches of Ravencrest, later this fall. You will meet more supernatural beings, not just ghosts and witches, but creatures of every ilk. Perhaps we’ll uncover what Old Peckerhead, the scarecrow, has up his tattered sleeve. Or what makes Riley, the groundskeeper, have such a voracious appetite. Or maybe we’ll delve into the story behind the gliding, gibbering nuns, Sisters Faith, Hope, and Charity. The sky’s the limit, but certainly, we will see more Belinda’s special talents, and her budding romance with Eric Manning. And of course, some Ravencrest mysteries will be resolved even as new ones surface.  But that’s only the beginning. At Ravencrest, it’s wise to dig into the earth before something digs its way out and finds you first.

http://www.tamarathorne.com/

http://www.alistaircross.com/

 

 

Press Release: Darker Edge Of Desire: Gothic Tales OF Romance—the new anthology from Mitzi Szereto

Love, passion and sex…it’s all here in Darker Edge of Desire. Gothic literature has always possessed a dark attraction ripe with the promise of the forbidden and the sensual. In Darker Edge of Desire, Mitzi Szereto takes the sexualized Gothic and ratchets it up a few notches into the danger zone, opening a door into the darker side of lust and love that only the courageous dare to venture through. Venturing even farther into the world of mystery and romance than she did in the critically acclaimed Red Velvet and Absinthe, Szereto creates an atmosphere with a distinct Gothic flavor where we explore our more forbidden desires. In these tales, love and lust (and kink!) know no boundaries, and all nature of beings—vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, automata, ghosts, and succubae—abound. Tread carefully, danger and desire lie ahead!

(Includes a foreword from Kate Douglas and an afterward from Rachel Caine)

Visit the book’s website at: http://mitziszereto.com/darkeredgeofdesire/

Advance reviews:

“When your midnight cravings come calling, Darker Edge of Desire is the book you want on your nightstand. Wedged between these covers are fourteen tales of seduction and submission, from lust most carnal to virginal awakenings—even (despite the title) moments of achingly tender sweetness. Darker Edge of Desire is a chocolate box assortment of stories that depict passion in all its varieties, most—but not all—of them with a supernatural twist, no two of them the same. Bon appetit.”—Alma Katsu, author of The Taker Trilogy

 

“In this collection’s great dark tales of sex and murder, fear and love, pain and pleasure, we see not only ourselves, but we also shine a candle on our collective past, and that is a powerful and exciting journey.”—Rachel Caine, author of Glass Houses

“Desire can be so intricately, beautifully twisted, so perfect in its dark and dangerous attraction that no other choice exists but to follow that compelling lure without regard to safety or personal danger, often down paths better not traveled. Yet following that twisted, dark and dangerous way is rife with promise even when tainted with despair. Is the lure truly the darkness, or is it hope? Hope for something more, for something sublime. There’s only one way to find out—all you need do is put fear aside and step into the dark, cross into theDarker Edge of Desire.”—Kate Douglas, author of Wolf Tales

 

 

About the editor:

Mitzi Szereto (http://mitziszereto.com) is a bestselling multi-genre fiction author and anthology editor, has her own blog Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto’s Weblog (http://mitziszereto.com/blog), and is the creator/presenter of the Web channel Mitzi TV (http://mitziszereto.com/tv), which covers “quirky” London. Her books include The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray; Thrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire; Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts; Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles); Red Velvet and Absinthe: Paranormal Erotic Romance; Getting Even: Revenge Stories; and In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales. Her anthology Erotic Travel Tales 2 is the first anthology of erotic fiction to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She divides her time between the UK and USA.