Horror Short Stories - The Ape & Whispers from the Past

Hi everyone!

Happy October!

To celebrate my favorite month, my blogs for October will be devoted (in some way) to the horror and paranormal genres.

As most everyone knows, I write in several genres, including romance and horror. For some, that might seem an odd combination, but it works for me. One half of my brain writes the horror, and the half writes the romance.

Although I write hot and spicy romances for Amber Quill Press, I actually started out writing short horror stories. Since I grew up reading horror fiction and watching horror movies (the whole horror movie thing is a blog for another day) it only seemed natural. (After all, Halloween is my favorite holiday!) Later, I branched out into science fiction and published 40 or so pulp fiction-style sci-fi stories for the Sun.

In horror fiction, I get to explore different settings, plots, and characters that I couldn’t develop in romance. Sometimes after working on several romances, I’ll switch moods and write a horror story to give my brain and writing muscles a change of pace.

My horror short stories are more psychological/spooky/creepy than gory, and I like to explore the darker aspects of a story and not always give the characters a happy ending, as I do in my romances. It’s fun to take a seemingly normal situation (a Halloween party, a man living in an apartment, a boy with a grudge) and add a supernatural/horror element.

Recently, two of my short stories appeared in horror anthologies published by Pill Hill Press. (Both books are available on www.Amazon.com)

Haunted: An Anthology of the Supernatural - contains 42 short stories about haunted places. Set in a haunted house, “Whispers from the Past” blends the paranormal with a startling bit of reality.

Here’s a short excerpt:

Paul rolled over in the narrow twin bed and tried to ignore the faint whispers. No matter what he did, they invaded his mind like silvery moonbeams.

He closed his eyes and counted to fifty, hoping to focus on anything but those quiet sounds on the edge of his sanity. Ghosts did not exist, yet he was hearing eerie noises in the dead of night.

The whispers grew louder, more insistent. Now and then, he could make out a word or two in the hushed voice he recognized from long ago.

It can’t really be him. It’s just my over-stimulated imagination, or maybe the contest people are playing tricks on me.

“Stop it!”

He snapped back the bedclothes and stood up. The whispery voice fell silent.

To order the paperback, click here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617060216/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0Z66HE40JJ7NBMK2CXXB&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

To order an electronic copy, click here:

http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-An-Anthology-ebook/dp/B003VWCJ4Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1279655717&sr=1-2

The Four Horsemen – An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine & Death – This anthology of twenty-five short stories is based on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In “The Ape” a young boy in South Carolina uses an unusual “toy” as a tool for revenge. Here’s a snippet:

South Carolina, 1961

Billy wrinkled his nose as he entered the dimly lit shop. The air smelled funny, like a mix of spices and smoke. He closed the door behind him, cutting himself off from the outside world.

His mind fired a jumble of warnings. Nobody knew where he was… he wasn’t supposed to be here… who knew what might happen to him?

He fought the urge to yank open the door and run, but he couldn’t. He had work to do. It had taken every bit of courage he had to get this far, and he wasn’t going to give up now. Everyone in town knew where the voodoo-lady practiced her magic—but no kid in fourth grade had ever been brave enough to come inside before.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/Four-Horsemen-Anthology-Conquest-Famine/dp/0984261036/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273504039&sr=1-5

In my next blog, I’ll share an inside look at my paranormal romance, Beauty & the Bigfoot.

Links and excerpts from my other horror tales are on my website www.KelliWilkins.com

Until next time,

Kelli

Anthologies: Collecting the Best of the Best – Part 1

Hi everyone,

This month, I’m writing about anthologies. Several of my short stories have recently appeared in anthologies, so I thought I’d make this the subject of my December blogs.

When I was in grade school, I used to read anthologies of horror stories. (Yes, sixth grade to be exact.) Looking back I wonder why these Alfred Hitchcock Presents-type stories were in the school because most of them had black and white illustrations that could scare the pants off you.

The best (and most disturbing) short story was “Wendigo’s Child” by Thomas F. Monteleone that appeared in Monster Tales: Vampires, Werewolves, and Things. If anyone’s ever read it (and seen the line art drawing) you know exactly what I’m talking about. The last line still sticks with me decades later. “It was looking up at him.”

You can’t get much better than that. (And if anyone out there has a copy of the story, please let me know!! I don’t have one!)

In high school, I was hooked on horror anthologies. It seemed that every week another collection of spine-tingling tales would be released, and I would devour each book. The collections usually had titles like Horrors, Terrors, Fears, Nightmares, and featured a dozen or more stories. Every so often the anthology included a story by a famous author (Clive Barker, Robert Bloch, Stephen King) and the rest of the stories were written by… I don’t even remember.

But what I do remember was delving into the world of horror fiction and becoming addicted to the art of storytelling. Some of the stories came across as dull, others were okay, none of them kept me awake at night, but a few were memorable. Each story showed me how different writers handled the same genre, wrote in a specific voice, and created characters and plots in their own unique way. In reading these stories I learned what worked and what didn’t, I developed a sense for great openings and even greater endings, and I kept telling myself “one day, one of my stories will be in a book.” I was right!

In 2010 two of my horror stories were published in anthologies. “The Ape” was featured in The Four Horsemen: An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine & Death. Published by Pill Hill Press, this collection of twenty-five short stories is based on The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

“Whispers from the Past” appeared in the Pill Hill Press anthology, Haunted. This book is a collection of forty-two tales about haunted places.

How did I get my stories published? I answered the call for submissions and sent in my highly polished manuscripts. I was pleased to discover that the editors liked what they read and chose the stories for publication.

Anthologies are a great way for writers to get their stories published and read by the masses. If you’re just starting out, it’s an impressive writing credit, and if you’ve already been published, it’s always nice to have your story included in a collection with other talented writers.

To read excerpts and learn more about “The Ape” and “Whispers from the Past” visit the Anthologies section (or Horror section) of my website: www.KelliWilkins.com

Next week, we’ll chat about my romance anthology, Naughty Nobles!

Happy reading,

Kelli