Author
The Writer’s Voice #48
- by Suzi
This is my submission for The Writer’s Voice. Thank you to these wonderful ladies for their hard work: Krista, Cupid, Monica, Brenda, and Kimberly.
Title: The Proper Way to Say Goodbye
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Word Count: 66,000 words
Query:
Only one person knew Chloe was gay, and his love and support disappeared when he hung a noose around his neck. And jumped.
Eighteen-year-old Chloe attends the college where her brother Brock spent his final days, hoping to uncover the reason behind his death. His whispers often invade her mind, and she can’t bear to tell anyone how he died. Or that she likes girls.
She soon finds Murphy—a boy who totally gets the wrong idea about their friendship because Chloe refuses to tell him the truth, afraid of losing his support when she needs it the most. And Sasha, her gorgeous young teacher, who reveals Brock was sexually abused as a child. Even after Sasha gives her his journals, Chloe still can’t figure out what pushed him over the edge.
Brock’s plan for revenge against his molester consumes Chloe, and her depression deepens. She pushes away the important people in her life and begins to stalk the one girl who might have the answer: Brock’s former girlfriend who is the daughter of his abuser. But Chloe’s obsession comes at a cost, and she might have to give up everything she’s ever wanted—her girlfriend, her best friend, and her sanity, in order to discover Brock’s final secret.
First 250 words:
The biggest thing I had in common with my older brother, Brock, was that we both liked girls. Two months after he killed himself, his whispers still invaded my mind. I didn’t need a therapist to tell me it wasn’t really Brock talking. I wasn’t mental.
Usually his words comforted me, but other times they annoyed me.
Like now.
Each step I took up the stairwell, my nerves grew exponentially. It’s only book club, I repeated.
Cricket’s got a crush, Brock’s voice teased.
I rolled my eyes at his comment and the stupid nickname he used to call me, but he was right. In a few minutes, I’d see her for the first time outside of class.
Sasha.
Beautiful long blonde hair, gorgeous full red lips, and a big chest to match. Perfection in every way. Unfortunately, she was also my Freshman Composition teacher. Teaching assistant technically, so she couldn’t be more than a few years older than me. Not that it mattered.
I could imagine the horror on her face if she found out I liked her. She wouldn’t laugh it off like she did with the guys in class who lusted over her.
A female student—yeah, that’d trip her out.
Nobody knew I was gay. Not here at college. Not at home. Brock took that secret to the grave when the noose snapped his neck.
Cover Reveal – You Are Mine
- by Suzi
I’ve got another cover release to participate in. Janeal Falor’s You Are Mine is coming out soon. I recently won an e-Arc and just started reading. Her first chapter definitely pulled me in. I like dark, edgy stories, and this seems to fit the bill. So here is what you need to know so you can check out You Are Mine and win an ebook copy.
You Are Mine by Janeal Falor
Series: Mine, #1
Publication date: May 6th 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis:
Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life– worth less than the shadow she casts.
Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.
Goodreads
About Janeal
Janeal Falor lives in Utah where she’s finally managed to live in the same house for more than five years without moving. In her spare time she reads books like they’re nuts covered in caramel and chocolate, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and enjoys the outdoors. Her husband and three children try to keep up with her overactive imagination. Usually they settle for having dinner on the table, even if she’s still going on about the voices in her head.
Janeal’s Links: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads
Here is your chance to win an e-book copy of You Are Mine. In the comments, leave your e-mail address and I’ll draw one commentator at random on May 11th.
A to Z – Zombie Strippers
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Zombie Strippers! (2008)
IMDb Summary: In the not too distant future a secret government re-animation chemo-virus gets released into conservative Sartre, Nebraska and lands in an underground strip club. As the virus begins to spread, turning the strippers into “Super Zombie Strippers” the girls struggle with whether or not to conform to the new “fad” even if it means there’s no turning back.
Cheese factor: High
Gore factor: High
Creep factor: Low
Could it happen? No
Last A to Z post. Gotta go out with a bang. I knew what I was getting into renting this one. Technically it’s rated a horror and comedy. But it’s so flipping ridiculous, it’s one of those movies that make you wish you could get that 90 minutes back. But hey, I watched it for A to Z purposes. Would’ve never rented it otherwise.
There were some funny parts. It starts sometime in the future as George W. Bush (and his VP Arnold Schwarzenegger) is in his fourth term. (Yes, fourth.) He dissolves Congress so they can continue fighting wars in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela, France and Alaska.
So there were plenty of jokes about that. And the man who spreads the zombie virus, his name is Byrdflough. Say it aloud if it doesn’t click.
And at the end, the military people sent to kill the zombies find the scientist/doctor from the beginning. They say, “It was you.”
“Yes, and…” And he goes into his Scooby Doo monologue; you know where the villain always admits how he did his bad deeds. That was terrific.
So there were things that made me laugh, but there were more over-the-top gore and ridiculous situations. Especially with the zombies eating people, creating more zombies. But I’m pretty sure this movie wasn’t meant to be much more than a cheesy spoof.
This one gets a big don’t-waste-your-time eye roll from me. Well unless you like stupid cheesy crap like this.
Seen any good ‘Z’ zombie movies?
A to Z is done. I’m outta here.
A to Z – Yoga
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Yoga (2009)
IMDb Summary: None
My little summary: a woman goes to an exclusive yoga studio to put her life on a better track and weird stuff starts to happen. (Great summary huh. You’d never guess I was a writer from that example.)
Cheese factor: Low
Gore factor: Low
Creep factor: Low
Could it happen? No
So did you catch the title of this one? Not very original or exciting, huh? There’s a reason. And I didn’t figure it out until I started watching the movie because I missed a few key words on the case.
This is a Korean file with… subtitles.
Unfortunately you lose some of the creep factor due to translating those subtitles. And I had a hard time keeping track of names and people because I’m not familiar with Korean names. And several of the girls looked the same. A few were varied. One with bangs. One with wavy locks. One with short hair. But the majority of women were all pretty, skinny and with long black hair.
Subtitles are interesting of course. The words they chose. I got a kick out of a few lines. (These are not exact quotes cause I didn’t rewind to get them.)
• I was wearing you out all this time.
This was said by a guy to his girlfriend when she was telling him she needed a break. I’m not quite getting the connection. And he wasn’t talking sex.
• Why is your phone dead?
This was said by the boyfriend to his girl, as she’s talking on said phone. Obviously it’s not dead, he’s talking to her.
• You’re a free loading bum.
Said by one girl to another. Second girl is apparently in a band only cause she’s pretty. And she can’t sing. So the whole band is carrying her weight. That one made me laugh.
All in all, it was okay. Would’ve been better if I didn’t have to rely on subtitles. Oh well.
So you ever see any good Korean films lately?
A to Z – X Rays
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
X Rays (1900)
IMDb Summary: A professor is seen applying the X-ray to a patient. While the instrument is in operation the man’s skeleton leaves his body and his clothes sink to the floor. The professor becomes frightened and hurriedly restores his patient to his normal state, and during a heated argument over the price to be paid, they engage in a scuffle, overturn the table on which the apparatus is placed and the tube exploding affords great excitement and surprises.
Oh, I wish, I wish I could’ve found this video. I so wanted to see it, but alas, it’s nowhere to be found.
And yes, that’s not a misprint. That’s 1900. Do you know how hard it is to find a horror movie that starts with X? (And trying not to cheat with a THE?)
You can presume pretty hard since I posted a silent black and white movie from 1900. But even though I couldn’t find X Rays, I found another in the same time period, it just has THE in the title. It’s only 45 seconds long and is kinda funny, so check it out.
The X-Ray Fiend (1897)
Oh, how far we come in a century of movie making. 
A to Z – Wicked Little Things
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Wicked Little Things (2006)
IMDb Summary: Karen, Sarah, and Emma Tunney are all moving to a small town in Pennsylvania where, unknown to them, in 1913, a horrid mine accident trapped dozens of children alive, underground. But there’s a problem. They’re still alive.
Cheese factor: Low
Gore factor: Medium
Creep factor: High
Could it happen? No
The beginning of this movie was good, giving us the setup. A bunch of poor kids forced to work in a mine in the early part of the century are killed because of the greedy miners. Then it jumps ahead to present day.
One thing that made me go, huh? The mom who moves her 2 daughters up to a lonely mountain house that she’s never seen, and that nobody has lived in for decades. Then she’s surprised the water and electricity don’t just turn on. Hmmm.
And there’s a ‘bad guy,’ who of course wants to kick everybody off the land to develop it into a resort, and he gets his due. (Killed by the kinda dead mine children) I am normally a fan of developers, because you know… they create work for us civil engineers. But this one was an ass.
And the little girl (daughter), who makes friends with one of the dead mine kids. Who were kinda of creepy after being dead for all those years.
The setting was good—the deep dark and spooky woods. Actually it was beautiful. Serene. Well except for the dead mine kids.
I did like this movie, although there were some stupid things about it. Wasn’t great—could’ve been so much better, but wasn’t horrible either.
Other W movies I recommend: Wrong Turn: don’t watch if you don’t like gore or gratuitous violence
A to Z – Virus
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Virus (1999)
IMDb Summary: When the crew of an American tugboat boards an abandoned Russian research vessel, the alien life form aboard regards them as a virus which must be destroyed.
Cheese factor: Low
Gore factor: Medium
Creep factor: Medium
Could it happen? No.
This one is classified as horror/thriller/action and has some big name stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, and Donald Sutherland.
A terrific concept. The alien life takes over robots, anything mechanical, and massacres everybody because the humans are the virus. It takes place on the ocean in the middle of nowhere, so obviously help does not come quickly.
This movie is more of an thriller/horror, so the drama is higher with lots of action. But there’s still lots of blood and death. And I’ve always like Jamie Lee Curtis; she’s terrific in this one too.
I enjoyed this movie. Have you seen it? Do you prefer this type of horror as opposed to serial killer type movies?
A to Z – Urban Legend
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Urban Legend (1998)
IMDb Summary: A college coed suspects that murders around her campus are connected to Urban Legends.
Cheese factor: low
Gore factor: medium
Creep factor: high
Could it happen? yes
Just as the title suggests, this is about urban legends. The scary ones.
The killer hiding in the back of the car.
The girl who wakes up to find her room-mate murdered and a sign on the wall: aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light.
The gang who drives around with their headlights out and then chases after anyone who flashes them.
I’m sure you’ve seen these all in those warning e-mails. So you get them all and more. Lots of people dying around the poor girl who loses all her friends.
I liked this movie. It was a fun horror movie. Creepy too. And the thing I liked about it was the killer. Not whom I expected. And there’s a reason behind the killer offing people too, so it all ties in together.
So definitely check it out. What urban legends scare you the most?
A to Z – Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
IMDb Summary: Five friends visiting their grandpa’s old house are hunted down and terrorized by a chainsaw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals.
Cheese factor: low
Gore factor: low
Creep factor: high
Could it happen? yes
TCM is another horror classic that most people have probably heard of. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this one, but I remember watching the original in high school. There’s been a number of remakes and sequels. And would you believe there is now a TCM 3D? I’m not sure if it’s the original or a sequel cause I haven’t seen it. But it’d be fun to see.
So here are some things about this movie.
It may surprise those who haven’t see TCM, that there isn’t a lot of blood and gore in this movie. It surprised me, especially with its reputation. But there isn’t. Maybe a little splattered, but that’s it.
Even though there isn’t much gore, there are many cringe-worthy scenes. Like when the girl stumbles into the room decorated with human bones and teeth all over the floor. And yet, she kept looking around the room rather than running. Of course, she died.
When the last girl alive is held captive by the cannibal family. She’s forced to sit at the dinner table while they eat and then they let a barely live Grandpa, who looks like a mummy, drink the blood from her cut finger. Ewwwww.
I have to admit, that scene was kinda funny though. They were trying to get Grandpa to kill her with a hammer and he could barely hold the thing without dropping it. You probably have to see it to appreciate the humor.
The one annoying thing about this movie is the screaming, screaming, and more screaming. The only character left alive at the end has to endure several chase scenes. And she won’t shut up during that time, and when she’s at the dinner table being forced to feed Grandpa her blood… she screams. Of course I probably would too.
Despite the endless screaming, I would recommend TCM. It’s totally creepy, and would be okay for those who can’t stand gore. So definitely check it out. Again with sequels, it’s hit or miss. I watched #2. What a flipping waste of time. Stupid, so stupid. But the original is a must see.
Have you seen any of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies? If you’ve seen the 3D version, let me know what it was like, cause I probably won’t pay the money to see it at the theaters.
A to Z – Silent House
- by Suzi
Last October after watching all the movies on TV before Halloween, I got the idea to do an A to Z on horror movies. I also have a story premise in the back of my head involving horror movies, so this fits into my research for that. So I’m going to talk about random horror movies.
First, I am no film critic, just a person who likes horror movies. And second, some of the posts may contain spoilers. So you have been warned.
Silent House (2011)
IMDb Summary: Trapped inside her family’s lakeside retreat, a young woman finds she is unable to contact the outside world as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house.
Cheese factor: low
Gore factor: low
Creep factor: medium
Could it happen? nope
So I got the movie from the video store. Sounded familiar, but you know, I’ve been looking at a lot of video’s lately. Took me about 20 minutes into the show before I remembered I’d seen it. Not a good sign.
The movie has a terrific premise, and it could’ve been really good, but I wanted to tear my hair out. I complained about Quarantine, that I didn’t like watching movies that are so dark you can’t hardly see what’s going on. Hello, Silent House director. Half a movie in the dark does not a good movie make.
Okay, I didn’t go through and time it all, but I figure that about ¼ of the movie was between too dark to see much and the blackness. Not just darkened… total blackness. The girl spends a lot of time running around the creepy house, feeling her way around cause she can’t see. And she’s freaking out cause stuff is happening. Stuff you don’t ever see. That totally annoyed me.
Sorry, Silent House, you get the thumbs down. And I’ll make sure I never get this one again. For a 3rd time.
One other time I rented a movie I’d already seen. Another horror. A totally cheesy bad horror that had an appealing cover—which was why I grabbed it. Have you ever started watching a movie and then realized you’d already seen it?
Other S movies I recommend: Stag Night and Saw: don’t watch if you can’t handle gore, Scream: loved this, Sinister: an interesting psychological horror, the last scene is the best, The Strangers: creepy, creepy, creepy, The Shining: another Stephen King classic
