In the movie Crimson Peak, Lucille Sharpe (the dark sister who holds the keys to the family manse) tells the gothic heroine, "It is a monstrous love. And it makes monsters of us all." Her version of love is menacing and possibly mad, as the best monsters are. My favorite monsters pursue their victims with a … Continue reading A Monstrous Love – 4 Days Until Halloween
Doll Of Found Objects by Victoria Nations Doll of found objects Fabric from her dress, a tooth The last stitch pulled tight (visit Wolf's Museum of Mystery to see this lovely doll in person)
NaNoWriMo begins at midnight on November 1. I’m often up then, closing down the house after the last trick-or-treaters and eating Halloween snacks in front of a late night horror movie. I’ve usually gotten most of the makeup wiped off, and I’ve transitioned to ghost socks. I’ll be dreaming of starting my NaNoWriMo story. I’ve … Continue reading Hallow-WriMo – 11 Days Until Halloween
I grew up reading Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, and I still adore them. Some day their language is overblown, but I love how their lavish descriptions overwhelm me. Their stories are more horrifying for how they make me feel crushed beneath moldering walls and surrounded by alien angles. Something monstrous is usually threatening to overtake … Continue reading Quiet Horror – 12 Days Until Halloween
It is an amazing feeling to write a scene, even a sentence, that gives you a little thrill. I enjoy writing spooky stuff, and those thrills come when I feel like I've written a scene that is particularly gruesome or I've managed to capture a character's reaction to the horrific thing that is happening. It makes me pull away from the … Continue reading October Is For Writing Conferences – 15 Days Until Halloween
We have cats. We also have animals skulls, mink skins, a preserved alligator head and piranha, and vials of insects. I have a coin purse made out of a Bufo marinus, complete with head, front legs and googly eyes, but she's at work. Now that it's Halloween time, there are all sorts of additional creatures … Continue reading Creatures In The House – 21 Days Until Halloween
I was raised to love graveyards. I was raised on classic horror movies and their eerie graveyards, filled with rolling mist. My parents bought me horror comics and introduced me to Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King in elementary school. We had the full encyclopedia of Man, Myth, and Magic, and I would lean against the bookshelf for hours, reading and marveling … Continue reading Writing In Graveyards – 22 Days Until Halloween
I’m very glad I went to the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writing Conference this year. I gained insight into my writing and new ideas for telling stories. Thursday was a writing critique session. Participants submitted their first 10 pages of a work in early September, and we brought written comments for each other to … Continue reading The Power Of Writing Conferences – Recap Of #FHBF2015
Horse by Victoria Nations Smooth planes of muscle and bone grown over with layers of detritus, lichen and grime caught in the corners spreading until they touch one another crusting the surface beneath which lies smooth planes of muscle and bone and skin shiny with sweat wetting the living things who drink and cover the … Continue reading Horse – A Poem Poised To Run
Summer is ending, and Autumn dates and deadlines are suddenly upon me. It’s also: 14 days until the first 10 pages of my short story are due for the critique session at the Florida Heritage Book Festival Critique Session. 37 days until the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference. This will be my first time attending … Continue reading 74 Days Until Halloween – 75 Days Until NaNoWriMo
Victoria Nations 