Aliens and Zombies and Clowns...OH MY!

Hello Kiddies and sorry I’ve been away for so long. I’ve been trying to get caught up on a few projects and incorporating a new project as well. I’m also contending with a new job with a well known company that requires longer hours. Just like everyone, I too have bills that need paid and I occasionally enjoy eating. This new position offers considerably more than my last position did (no, I am no longer a meat cutter), and allows me to jump full force back into the technical field and utilize my degree. Of course the pay and benefits have something to do with it too. But, that doesn’t mean my writing will cease, only that a new schedule will need to be implemented. And, with knowing that the debts are paid, relaxation and writing should go hand in hand.

Hey…if Tom Clancy, Stephen King, and many other writers did it…so can I.

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Apollo 18 – A Review

The June 20^th, 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing was certainly one of America’s finest historical and technological moments. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the cold desolate lunar surface and spoke that immortal quote; that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, people across the globe cheered and it appeared that this was the beginning of what would eventually lead to a colonization of a moon base.

In the years to follow, there were five more lunar missions, some succeeding and some failing. These abruptly ended in 1972 and we never went back. Why?

The new horror based Apollo 18 film asks this question in a conspiracy theory type premise. Told through supposedly newly found footage of a fictitious 1974 top secret mission headed by the Department of Defense, (not NASA), it does offer creditability.

While the movie may not utilize typical horror monsters, ala Freddy, Jason or Leatherface, nor does it rely on a spiritual floating apparition concept, it does have that invading Alien and we’re all doomed feel, (minus the size and acid dripping teeth). The chilling aspect comes in the form of complete and utter less isolation coupled with a potential horrifying unknown vicious creature or creatures. And, it is the limited showing of the creature or creatures that is psychologically most terrifying. In this case, less was more.

The highly secretive mission was supposed to be (according to the astronauts), only a two day exploration to place sophisticated motion sensor cameras on the lunar surface to enable monitoring from Earth. It turns out that the Department of Defense knew more than the astronauts were led to believe.

By taking on a historically accurate type narration, shown through bits and pieces of the footage, the movie is quite believable. Director Gonzalo Lopez-Goodman effectively maintained suspense and incorporated just the right amount of revelation (quick, startling shots), and Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, and Ryan Robbins each played the roles of intelligent astronaut guinea pigs well. No over-the-top acting here. Each performed as one would expect the members of America’s space program to act; calm, rational, calculating and logical.

Watching this movie, I found myself feeling a bevy of emotions from pride to fright to anger. The latter coming in the film’s last ten minutes or so, which, without giving any spoilers away, seemed typical and maddening. And, although I can fully understand the reasoning, I still found myself somewhat incensed, especially when taking into consideration that if this scenario were actual, the conclusion would probably be accurate.

Therefore, overall, if you are a horror / sci-fi / thriller buff, I highly recommend this film. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 7.9. It is original, engrossing, fast paced and a refreshing change from what Hollywood horror has recently offered. It certainly kept me staying scared.

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As Far As Writing Is Concerned...

I recently finished and submitted a tale entitled “The Christmas Help” to Open Casket Press (an imprint of Living Dead Press) for possible inclusion in their upcoming Dead Christmas – A Zombie Anthology. It is a tale of how the zombie plague affected the North Pole workshop and how it was dealt with. Told through the eyes of Malba, a living elf who experienced the horror, it is a historical representation of the events, as they unfolded, and what it has become today. Fingers are crossed.

I’m also exploring where to submit a couple other tales.

“The Sidewalk Ends” is a story that is rather hard to explain without giving it all away. Let’s just say there are unseen doorways in this world that will take you to a place you probably hope to never go.

“Dreamented” is a tale of an early teen learning and realizing that he has a special ability.

* adding to my novel “Future Past”

* working on a tale for the Evil Jester Press anthology “Attic Toys.”

* still writing on “A Lawnly Existance,” a story about a little old man and his dog, who inadvertently stumbles on a way to make his lawn grow, offering hope to fulfill his deceased wife’s dream of winning the town’s coveted best lawn award. But, it comes with a hefty cost.

* and awaiting my copy of Look What I Found, the anthology from NorGus Press to come in the mail. My tale The Pumpkin Patch is in it.

Here's the line-up

His Blueness by Barry Rosenberg

Moment by Nicholas Conley

Jacob & Larry by Robert Freese

The Maestro Signal by William Wood

Dad's Secret by Brandon Cracraft

Shallow by D. G. Sutter

A Unicorn in the Heart of the City by Joshua Ramey-Renk

The Curious Case of Josiah Mint by Sean T. Page

Within Hidden Places by Kenneth W. Cain

Shimmer by Jutter Cain

Clock Watchers by Lisa Woodard

The Anonymous Portrait by Alex Azar

The Strange Affair of Silas Heap by Sean T. Page

I've Got the Conch by Kelly Hudson

The Pumpkin Patch by Thomas Scopel

Because You Feel It by Ben North

The Lens of the Innocent by Suzanne Robb

Skin Deep by Allen Izen

Isolation Polish by Dale Elster

Money Clip by Jeffrey Angus

Should Have Been There by Matt Nord

VRZ by Patrick D'OrazioI

Coffee Mate by Ken Goldman

The Dep Tank by A.A. Garrison

Montgomery by Jeremy Bush

Sweet Madeline by Steven McGuire

Under Pressure by Marc Sorondo

The Thing Behind the Wall by A.J. French

Under White Sheets by Rick McQuiston

Contents of a Canvas Bag by Robert Essig

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And, Twitch, my novella about retribution told through a deformed carnival sideshow attraction that harbors a special power is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for only 99 cents.

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Did you know that the September issue of Suspense Magazine is now out? Inside is a horde of great reading including interviews with Stephen England, Lisa McMann, Simon Toyne and Faye Kellerman, art by Andreea Cernestean, tales by Marie Force, Stephen Besecker, L.J. Sellers and Jeff Shelby, articles by C.K. Webb and Tiffany Coulter, reviews of both movies and books, and much more. Pick up a copy today and don’t be surprised if you entertain thoughts of subscribing.



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The Webcast Project - Staying Scared with Wee Willie Wicked

And, last but not least, that project I mentioned way back up there in the beginning…it is a webcast starring my scary clown alter ego Wee Willie Wicked (visit his blog). It is a Saturday night (midnight EST) show called Staying Scared with Wee Willie Wicked on Livestream that I’m still perfecting and so far, includes a chat about various horror (movies, books, etc…), as well as the showing of a public domain, classic and usually cheesy film. Currently I am exploring a specific format. More on that later tho…

This week's show highlights include a showing of the Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing classic Horror Express and a giveaway of a Drive-In Horrorshow soundtrack (both vinyl and CD) signed by Greg Ansin.

Get the DVD here


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Oh yeah...I've been catching up on some reading too!

So....until next week kiddies...

Stay Scared,

Thomas

Wee Willie Wicked is alive and well...now back to Thomas Scopel

Last week, I put all the writing on hold and explored the idea of having a weekly webcast called Staying Scared with Wee Willie Wicked. I blogged about the first webcast on Wicked's blog.

Undertaking this effort was no small expenditure and took a full week of testing, exploring and refining. And, although I did enjoy it to an extent, there was still that nag in the back of my head that kept reminding me that I lost writing time.

Well, that week is over and everything is in place. It’s now simply a matter of maintaining (that’s the easy part) and this coming week I will cure that nag.

Right now I’m trying to pin down and organize a schedule to fit working, writing and a general life in. Rather tough, but not entirely impossible. And, considering all the technical and conceptual aspects of the effort is completed, time is now plentiful and a wonderful welcome relief. Of course, I didn’t really have to take on this venture. However, when John Raab, the publisher of Suspense Magazine, interviewed me…he planted a seed and that seed grew.

While I still expect Saturdays to be rather hectic with working, rushing home in the evening, putting on the clown face and webcasting live at midnight, creating a bevy of tired Sundays, the writing time is back.

…no rest for the wicked.

I might add that I did get caught up on a little reading though...

Stay Scared,

Thomas



By the way, like creepy stories? Are carnivals your thing? Pick up a copy of my ebook Twitch. It's only 99 cents and available at these retailers:

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

Staying Scared with Wee Willie Wicked

Saturday night, August 27th at midnight, Wee Willie Wicked will broadcast the very first Staying Scared webcast. Of course, one doesn't need to stay up until the witching hour to watch, each episode will be recorded for later viewing.

So, what will be included in this webcast? Basically, everything horror....that pretty much sums it up…From books to films and everything in between. If it offers a chill effect, then chances are, at one point or another, the thing will find its way to be mentioned the show. Also, I’m very open to ideas too. Tell me what you would like me to chat about. Are you a horror author with a book coming out? Did you happen to see a good horror movie? What scares you? This show is all about finding the fear. Look for the trailer below.

However, that's not all...

Each week there will be a giveaway to one lucky watcher. It might be a book or a dvd. It could be an action figure or a poster. Who knows? As long as it is horror based...anything goes. Later on this week I will tell you more about all this and what this week’s giveaway will be. But, you’ll have to watch the show for how to enter.

And, watchers will be able to chat with me during the live show. This could offer some very interesting discussions. We'll have to wait and see.



As far as writing is concerned, this month I am included in the NorGus Press Anthology Look What I Found with The Pumpkin Patch. I’ll let you know exactly when the book will be released.

And, Twitch is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble dot com and Smashwords. Here’s the links:

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble dot com

Stay Scared,

Thomas

To Find the Wicked...One Must Travel the Scary Roads...

Last week I discussed my newly appointed all-time favorite author, Bentley Little, and the influence he had over me.

Since then, I have put behind most of his book of short stories called The Collection and am looking forward to delving into The Store. However, it isn’t his writing that is the subject of this piece, it is his lifestyle, (lack of social networking, constant promotion, etc…), that really made me think.

And so, I embarked upon a trial run to incorporate some of his philosophies. I avoided social networking and the constant promoting for the last couple of weeks.

Where did it get me?

To start with, I gained a rather substantial amount of time, more than I expected. With this time I wrote and accomplished.

·         Dreamented, a tale about an early teen boy who finds an item and its secrets.

·         I finished a better than average draft of A Lawnly Existence, a tale surrounding an old man, his Pug dog, the town’s coveted best lawn award and an ancient botany book.

·         I’ve almost finished a tale called The Sidewalk Ends, a story that explores what is beyond the sign that says that.

·         And I put down another 6k words on the novel Future Past.

So, I can truly say that the time savings was most productive and enlightening. But, although I enjoyed losing the rigors of the daily social networking grind, I did however, miss chatting with many friends, writers or not.

And then I received a comment from Blaze McRob. He agrees with letting the writing speak for itself, but if the reader doesn’t know the book exists, then the writing means nothing. And you know what, he is completely right.

What was I thinking? I’m not Bentley Little nor am I even close to his caliber in both writing and lifestyle. Although I do appreciate his philosophy and he is still my favorite writer. But, it also occurred to me that I actually enjoy doing a hundred things at one time and just the prospect of slowing down was rather frightening (probably my ultimate fear). Maybe I tried to bite off a little more than I can chew and eat slowly. That’s something I can’t do. I devour quickly. Always have, always will. Every writer has their eccentric ways and each needs to find their own, I’m no different.

Someday I’ll find the middle ground to this all and become fully content. Right now I’m still working out the bugs and those bugs are crawling all through me. I guess I’ll start picking at them one at a time. Eventually, I get them all and have my own little system. Until then, I’m getting back to normal.

And so…

* This month, Norgus Press plans to release an anthology called Look What I Found. It’s a collection of mysterious tales of discovery. My tale The Pumpkin Patch is included. The blurb is:

Little Johnny was an explorer. The Pumpkin Patch was the last thing he ever found.

Here’s a shot of the cover:

Otherwise...

* I am seeking an anthology for Dreamented (any suggestions?)

* Submitted a piece called Fear is in the Eye of the Beholder to Angelic Knight Press for the Demonic Dolls anthology.

* Editing The Daily Death: How I Killed My Co-Workers in 30 Days

* And Twitch has its first ad in August’s Suspense Magazine.

It’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble dot com and Smashwords.

So, until next time…

Stay Scared,

Thomas

It only took one writer to change my life...

Recently I stumbled upon a writer whom I had yet to read. Of course, I had previously heard of him and even went as far as to purchase a few of his books, which I found at various places. One of those places turned out to be a yard sale and I bought every one with intentions of eventually reading them (just as I do many books and for those who are wondering, I do get to reading them…eventually).

Regardless, this writer hit me like a ton of bricks and I am now deep under his writing spell. Immediately this writer has become my favorite and I have every intention of reading everything he has or will write. This is odd to me. I’ve never had an absolute. Oh, there are many that I truly enjoy, just none that I referred to as a most favorite. Well, that was then and this is now and I’m asking myself why?  

The answer (I think) lies with his writing style and diverse subject matter. His horror tales can be just about anything and are nowhere near limited to clichés. He has a wonderful eye for detail and finds horror in any setting, many where one would typically think horror would not be found. And, although I am nowhere near his caliber (but someday hope to be), I like to think I tend to lean toward the same type of writing in both style and content. And so, I now finally have a writer that I would like to model myself after.

Oh yeah, the writer…is Bentley Little. Currently I am devoting every waking free moment to devouring The Collection and have The Store sitting idly by awaiting my next grasp. While I have yet to explore his many works and therefore cannot cite any accurate reviews at the present, I can however, express how much this writer has affected me and can say that he is my favorite by far…lock…stock…& barrel.

And, since I’ve found this writer, I was compelled to explore his bio. It turns out that he is not a fan of either social networking or promoting (other than a latest work) and he doesn’t even have a website (with exception to the many fan sites, a few he endorses). Why? His explanation is that it takes too much time away from the writing and I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree.

Taking my latest piece, the novella TWITCH as an example, I understand what he means when he refers to the time-consuming promotion and social networking aspect, for I have done these exact same things. I have posted links in many places, discussed during a blog tour (which was most enjoyable I might add), and generally promoted very heavily. From what I understood about the book industry, this was how it was all done.

Well, not according to Bentley Little. He prefers to let the writing speak for itself and allow it to promote itself. This was a revelation to me that I may (but not completely) embrace. My philosophy has lately grown very similar and I am planning on following his lead. That doesn’t mean that I am completely giving up on Facebook and the like, it simply means that I am going to decrease the time I commit toward it and apply it to writing instead. Basically, I will always be around promoting, posting and maybe even chatting, but I suspect I will do considerably less in the future.  



So, maybe I’m turning over a new leave. I really don’t know. However, I do understand the concept and intend to at least attempt applying. By the way, I still like the idea of having a weekly webcast as Twitchy (my evil clown persona) and have every intention of still doing this. I just can’t say exactly when. Right now, I have a few short pieces I am trying to finish to submit, a novella that is at 80% and my novel which currently holds 60k words (but is simply a rough draft).

Did I mention that I work full-time? I owe, I owe…gotta pay the bills you know! Something has to give if I want to complete all these projects and that something will be the social networking. Hopefully, this philosophy will pan out and I will become nothing but a full-time writer. In the meantime, hard work, dedication and applying this discipline just might aid in making this dream a reality. I won’t know until I try. The way I see it, what’s the worst thing that could happen? I would write more tales…

The new ad for TWITCH

This is the new ad for TWITCH that will be in August's issue of Suspense Magazine.


"Twitch is a marvelous mix of awful things that include desperation, silence, darkness, fear, revenge and rape." - Gabino Iglesias, Horrorphilia.

“This story is scary, haunting and reads very fast…" - Ben Franz, Monster Librarian



And the ebook is availabe at Amazon, Smashwords, & B & N dot com for only 99 cents. It is a creepy little tale that explores a deformed carnival oddity with a dark secret. Soon it will also be available at Sony, Diesel, Kobo and Scrollmotion. Like horror and suspense? This is your rainy day read. Get it for your Ipaid, Android or Kindle. Of course it is available as a pdf too.

Today I'm finishing up a third rewriting of a tale called Fear is in the Eye of the Beholder. An evil doll tale for Blaze McRob's Satan's Toybox - Demonic Dolls anthology. Of course, my idea of a doll has a clown face. heh heh.

Stay Scared,
Thomas

August's Master Plan

Well folks, I've been away for a bit. Basically, I picked up extra hours last week and ran out of time. Now that the person I covered is back from vacation I suspect things will go back to normal. However, it will take me a few days to get caught up. I also setup a home office in order to lock myself away and be productive.

So, what does the future hold?

First off, the continuous promotion of Twitch will continue and I expect more than a few more reviews to come in. Regardless, it is availabe at Amazon, Smashwords, & B & N dot com. Soon it will be available at Sony, Diesel, Kobo and Scrollmotion.

As far as other items on my plate, there are a number that I expect to finish within the next couple of weeks.

1) Finish an evil doll tale for Blaze McRob's Satan's Toybox - Demonic Dolls anthology. Of course, my idea of a doll has a clown face. heh heh.

2) Finish and submit two other tales.

3) Finish putting together all those Daily Death tales in an ebook called The Daily Death: How I Killed my Co-workers in 30 Days.

4) Decide whether or not I am going to write a celebrity Daily Death series. It's the legal ramifications that concern me the most.



5) Create a weekly webcast featuring Twitchy (my clown getup) to discuss horror in fiction and film.

6) And, get to work on my novel Future Past which I hope to publish by the end of the year.

So, I would say that August will be a busy one and I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to it...providing no one else goes on vacation. LOL. Of course, there are those miscellanous things too. Ha Ha

So, Stay Scared folks,

Thomas



The blog tour continues and a horrific thought...

The blog tour continues and today (Wednesday) I have been featured on Scarlet Black's site and Tyr Kieran's site.

Here's the links

Fear and the Boogeyman...Into the mind of TWITCH author Thomas Scopel

The Horror Blog and Dark Home of Tyr Kieran





And, as far as that thought is concerned, I'm considering taking the clown on to webcasting to talk about Twitch and both fiction and film horror. Would you watch? Does this interest you?

Let me know.

Stay Scared,

Thomas

Read An Excerpt and Enter to Win a Free Copy of TWITCH

“Watch this,” Willie blurted, a wicked grin stretching across his face.

He bent down, searched for a moment, and picked up a nickel-sized gray stone. Squeezing his arm in between the small vertical bars, he cocked his elbow back, took aim and flung it toward Twitch. The stone flew, finding its mark and bouncing off of Twitch’s forehead causing him to cringe. Rolling fast off the straw pile, he continued the quick roll up to the three teenaged boys, coming to rest directly before them inside the enclosure. Startled and perhaps a bit spooked, Willie yanked his arm back through the bars, banging his elbow in the process and jumping backwards.

Darting back and forth, from one boy to the other, Twitch’s milky, murky, haze covered eye suddenly stopped and concentrated its glare on Willie. The other two looked at Willie and teasingly laughed. Willie didn’t.

“My turn,” Johnny replied, his eyes lighting up.

Quickly examining the ground he found a large, pink wad of gum and lobbed it through the cage bars at Twitch. It missed and bounced away.

“You throw like a girl,” Timmy teased.

Twitch shifted his glare.

“Screw you, Timmy,” Johnny replied, looking beyond Willie at him, “you try it!”

He didn’t see the attraction’s stare. Johnny huffed, turned and walked away. Willie followed, chuckling nervously and Timmy joined.

Twitch is available for download at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble dot com for only 99 cents. It will soon be available at Sony, Apple, Kobo, Diesel and Scrollmotion.

For a chance to win a free copy of TWITCH (digital) along with a signed photo? Simply email winacopyoftwitch@yahoo.com and indicate you read this here on Staying Scared

If you are the winner, I will request your mailing address and send you a signed cover.

Creepy Carnivals Are A Good Thing....

Creepy Carnivals Are a Good Thing: My Inspiration for TWITCH

By Thomas Scopel



With performers like the pint-sized midget Tom Thumb, P T Barnum may arguably be the most famous showman in history for having oddities in his world renowned traveling circus. But, he as well as various carnivals and circuses are hardly the only ones; for typically a person need only to seek out the nearest nomadic carnival in order to find similar attractions.

Regardless, these freak type shows are many times over a constant draw and I suspect they always will be. For most people harbor a deep seated interest in the peculiar and this was my curiosity that put me on the road to eventually writing the tale of Twitch.

Some years ago, I found myself at a rinky-dink carnival. This carnival wasn’t anything special by any means and was rather normal. Among other rides, a Ferris wheel, a vast assortment of games offering stuffed prizes to a potential winner, loud bellowing music, cotton candy and a variety of attractions with one advertised as a petrified slug-person. I paid the seventy five cents and thus, allowed to walk beyond the entrance curtain to see it.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement for what I viewed, looked to be a little more than a plastic doll wrapped in medical gauze encased in a clear Plexiglas covered coffin-like box. As I stood meticulously inspecting every inch of detail, many folks would come in, offer a quick glance and leave; usually mentioning something to the effect the attraction wasn’t worth the money they paid to see it. I couldn’t disagree with them. Although, others offered personal theories as to what the slug-like person may be too and it was all the comments as to what got me to thinking about Twitch.

Twitch, in my envisioning, is much like that slug-like creature except he is alive and has feelings. Listening to those mingling folks, I had the sense most of them, had this oddity been alive, would have belittled and injuriously laughed at the attraction’s misfortune. This angered me a bit and really set my mind into deep thought wondering numerous what if’s…

What if this attraction were alive?

Would people abuse?

Would they throw things at it?

Would they laugh and ridicule?

And…

What if this attraction, even without arms and legs, could and would wickedly defend itself against those folks who caused personal harm both physically and mentally?

Well, the story of Twitch was born and created in my head right then and there and this tale lingered in the grey matter ever since. Of course, at the time, I wasn’t a writer nor did I have any intentions of becoming one. I may have been a voracious reader but, after all, I was also a typical teenager and not even faintly concerned with what I wanted to do with my life.

Regardless, the seeds were planted and the inspiration grew. When I finally did entertain writing notions, inevitability was natural and the tale of Twitch made it onto paper.

And so, the tale of Twitch is now a digital novella. It is a tale of deserving retribution and a warning for those who view and treat the unknown with ridicule and pain. For this stubbed limbed, white eye deformed carnival freak attraction is often abused. But, he harbors a dark secret and his retribution is far worse…for people can be so vicious…and so can Twitch…



Twitch is available for download at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble dot com for only 99 cents. For a chance to win a free copy of TWITCH (digital) along with a signed photo? Simply email winacopyoftwitch@yahoo.com and indicate you read this here on Staying Scared.

If you are the winner, I will request your mailing address for sending the signed photo. And, rest assured, I will not use your address for anything else…I promise.