Tag Archives: monsters

September 17, 2026 · 12:15 pm

The Arachnas of Arachnall – The Cult of the Spider People )O(

Greetings Darklings:

Mabon is almost here. The leaves are turning and a chill wafts in the air. The Cult of the Spider People is scheduled to be released on October 5th!  That’s three weeks away. Today’s post will focus on creature horror, the creatures from the book The Cult of the Spider People. It has already been published, but Baynam Books Press closed. (Sigh….). Now, Dreamweaver Press is taking on the authors’ books. It won’t be much longer before Cult of the Spider People weaves new thrilling webs on Amazon. 

I am stil not sure what inspired me to create such horrifying creatures. Well, I have a few theories. I distinguished each creature from the other. I wanted to really bring them to life. I even wanted to give them their own distinct language to speak, but I am not Tolkien. He was a master at linguistics and etymology, I am not. I gave each creature individual wants and needs and personality – and distinct markings. 

Roth, the Spider King, is the master of Arachnall, the alternate dimension or underground, where the Arachnas dwell. They crave blood and lure their human victims there to feast on their blood. They trap their hapless victims in these horrifying slimy cocoons that an adult human can fit into. If the moldy dampness of the cocoons is not enough to gross you out, then when they feast on human blood, it brings a whole new level of horror. They weave and repair webs. 

Arachnall is ruled by an overlord, the Spider King, greedy, beyond evil and possesed with a bloodthirst who makes Shelob from Lord of the Rings look like a pansy. Here is an excerpt from the book: 

“She didn’t want to look at him, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away. He was more awful than any she had previously seen. A face carved from death, painted with fresh blood, a body so terrible. Piper hoped to wake from this nightmare and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, he was still there and he laughed. Piper’s blouse was damp with sweat and mildew from the slimy cocoon. She cringed from the odor and the clamminess. Roth, the Spider King, bowed his head in greeting to the other creatures. His gaze penetrated through the grisly cavern. He sniffed the air. The creature’s eyes were twin orbs of true pitch-darkness. He wore a black crown of spiders. His cheekbones were sunken, and his hide was charcoal black. Dried blood matted his lower jaw. Eight bristly angular legs protruded from his cephalothorax. His sardonic laughter permeated the cavern.” 

Roth, the Spider King, covets Piper and he plans to make her his new queen. He has chained the Spider Queen, trapping her in her own lair which is even more deadly than the cavern. Aranya, the Spider Queen, refuses to share her pure blood/ venom with Roth and the other Arachnas. Piper has other plans. 

The Spider Queen Aranya is described as a black widow Arachnas. She has the colourings, markings and bloodthirst of a black widow. Her lair and her darkly beautiful but deadly appearance is described here: 

“If the corridor was not evil enough, the lair of the Spider Queen was a hundred times worse. An enormous black web spanned twenty meters swaying like a spectral ghost. The lair was replete with decrepit skeletons. Dead insects, humans and animals hung from the web like baubles. Spiderling Arachnas wove silk cocoons, eager for an unwary victim. The stench of blood permeated the lair. 

Something menacing rested above the web. The cocoons bearing dead and alive prey made her want to scream. Bones of every shape and size riddled the ground beneath the massive web. Blood coated everything. More of the strange Arachnall symbols were etched onto the cave walls. Lifeless eyes stared at her as she passed them. A spiderling crept out from the hollow mouth of a skeleton. Revulsed, Piper turned away and her gut clenched hard. /

The Spider Queen’s gaze pierced through Piper’s soul. Her body was stunning. Her lower body was of an Arachnas. Her black wavy hair hung down her front and her back. Horns curved down her head. Her alabaster skin was flawless.  She wore the symbol of the Arachnas on her forehead, and she bore no clothing. Her cephalothorax was black but bore a single large red spot shaped like an hourglass. Her razor-sharp ebony fingernails were blood-stained. Eight sinewy black legs arched high on either side of her body. The Spider Queen rose to her full height.”

Is that enough to make you scream and run for your life? I would think so. She is beautiful and deadly all at once. Quite fitting for a black widow Spider Queen. 

The creature that dwells in the Pit is not as merciful as the Spider Queen. “The Arachnas prowled to where they climbed the hill,, caught them and threw them to the ground. They yelled and tried to escape from its formidable grasp. A battle -scarred Arachnas loomed over them. She stared at the Arachnas’s scarred hide in disbelief and wonder. His thick horns curved like a ram’s. The beast gazed at them coldly, and his jaws dripped saliva. An iridescent blue streaked across his body. The eight legs were less sinewy than the others. The cephalothorax was bloated, and his face bore a jagged scar. He sniffed them both. Cory drew back in fear.” / “The monster leered, exposing several razor-sharp fangs. His pointed ears twitched, and the black bristles on his legs quivered with anticipation. “Oh, you look tasty, boy,” the Arachnas said as it leered and grabbed Cory by his shoulder. He turned away, unable to look. ” / “The aged Arachnas’s pedipalps twitched. He bent his spidery legs back, crouched low to lunge, and reared, exposing his deadly stinger. He hissed menacingly. Cory dodged the stinger in time and cowered behind the dead Arachnas.” Nightmare inducing, n’est pas?

The Cult of the Spider People was much effort to write, but I knew in my heart it was worth everything. I am glad I made each Arachnas distinct from each other. It made the bloodthirsty and horrifying beasts much more interesting and intriguing. They are terrifying and unstoppable. That makes them scarier. My friend, Nora Peevy, believed that the “Human Centipede would feel right at home”, in her review of my book The Cult of the Spider People. I believe she is quite correct. 

It may mean investing more effort into your own imaginative writings, but I hope you do choose to go that route. That is the difference between a boring, banal story or something brimming with imagination. It is worth it, trust me. I encourage you all to try and create your own underworld of dark creatures or werewolves or a zombie. Write the book only  you can write. Discover your own voice. Believe me, that is what all overworked, weary editors want to see. Something fresh and unique that sets you apart from a million other writers. Your. Story.In.Your. Voice. Only. That is the magical formula! 

Upcoming Releases:
The Cult of the Spider People – 2nd edition October 5, 2026
The Mourning Tide – October 2026.

Where to Find The Cult of the Spider People

The Cult of the Spider People is being republished by Dreamweaver Press, an imprint of Twisted Dreams Press, in October 2026. The new edition will be available through Amazon and other booksellers as it is released.

Follow my blog, The Paranormal Quill, for publication news, updates, and more dark and gothic delights. https://theparanormalquill.blog/

Until then, keep your eyes on the shadows—and whatever you do, don’t look up. 

Heddy Johannesen

Conjuror of Gothic Horrors

Gothic horror and cosmic dread from the ghostly shores of Halifax.

Bio: 

Heddy Johannesen is a paranormal enthusiast and long time student of the writing craft. As the Conjuror of Gothic Horror, she writes about ghosts, monsters, witches, and outsiders, exploring the shadows where fear, mystery, and the supernatural collide.
Heddy has been writing seriously since 2006 and has studied the craft through courses, workshops, and mentorships. Her published work includes horror fiction, short stories, poetry, and paranormal nonfiction.
She has always been drawn to the shadows, where the monsters live and their stories hunger to be told. For Heddy, horror is more than a way to frighten readers. It is a way to explore fear, grief, courage, hope, and the mysteries that exist just beyond what we can see.

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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July 24, 2026 · 1:04 pm

Conjuring Gothic Horrors

Why I Conjure Gothic Horrors

Greetings, Darklings:

Today’s post will focus on why I write, or conjure, gothic horrors. I have always loved the shadows, the dark places that maybe others want to overlook or pretend aren’t there. I call those shadows home.

I have always felt like I never fit in. I have always been treated like an outsider. It used to bug me, but I guess I was never meant to fit in. Now I embrace my weirdness. I am glad I didn’t fit in. What does that mean, anyway? In today’s chaotic world, we need more nonconformity than ever. I love horror and the macabre, the dark, shadowy places few would dare to tread.

Being a Witch was a big part of me embracing my weirdness. That may not work for other Witches, but it does for me. It is personal to me. I’ve taken that outsider feeling and created characters in my stories that are outsiders, too, in their own way. Normal is relative, anyway. It is also boring.

Monsters can be, well, monstrous. I created vicious and deadly spider people in my published novella, The Cult of the Spider People. They are terrifying because they act like spiders even though they appear part human. They never think like humans. They crave blood, they are a monstrous size, far more powerful, and it is impossible to reason with them. They exist in darkness, hunt in darkness, and rip you from the light into their darkness, into smelly, moldy cocoons.

Their cave has a massive web where people are trapped in cocoons, praying to be saved, trapped in a world that does not care. That is so Lovecraftian. They speak a different language, they never consider the consequences of their ungodly actions, and they follow the Spider King. They live for the blood. Bones and skulls litter the ground. Sticky spiderwebs snare an unwary human. There is no hope of escape.

Monsters can embody our darkest fears. They can reflect fears back to a person. A monster can be anything, from the tiniest, most harmless spider to a giant squid crushing a submarine in the deep, dark ocean depths. Okay, for me, being trapped in a submarine at the mercy of a giant squid would give me nightmares. How the hell do you escape? How do you escape Arachnall?

By contrast, I wrote a novel that has a monster with a very different story, The Mourning Tide. The novel features a monstrous ghost. The townspeople shun him and act like he doesn’t exist. He is forced to exist with an unbearable loneliness until Rosemary arrives in the town.

She moves into his house. She is grieving the loss of her husband, Henry. She is heartbroken and yearns to be alone to dwell in her own grief. The neighbors are not helpful at all when she asks questions about the ghost Jonathan. Jonathan knows the truth: he was murdered. Rosemary is put to the task of finding the murderer, bringing him to justice, and setting Jonathan free into the light.

He is very human under all that seaweed he bears. He is cursed to carry his grief with him.

So what truly makes a monster? It could depend on what you perceive a monster to be. That can be a strange alien with tentacles or King Kong. If you had never seen a whale before, would you consider it to be a monster? Is an alien like the Greys a monster? Is a monster an embodiment of your fears, like in The Babadook? The Thing? A rattlesnake?

It could be anything that is alien or unfamiliar to you, something so odd and strange you do not know what to think of it. But is there sometimes something more to them, something tragic and human under all those scales or tentacles? Maybe the best monsters are the most sympathetic, such as Frankenstein’s creature. I like to think so.

A monster in your stories should not be just a monster. It can represent something, be symbolic. Show us our deepest, darkest fears when we most want to look away. Some monsters embody a sinister darkness, terrifying and omnipotent, and some are monstrous and yet there is something intrinsically human about them.

Piper is human in the novella The Cult of the Spider People, but at the end of the book, she is a monster—and yet a sympathetic monster.

A thread of hope runs throughout the whole novella, even when Piper is transformed. She is a sympathetic monster because she yearns to be human again, but that is now impossible. She made a huge sacrifice.

To find out more, you can buy the book on Amazon when it is released again in October, at the beginning of the month. I also have signed copies available. I can help pay for shipping if anyone wants a signed copy! The new edition will be released in October. That’s only a few months away!

A thread of hope runs through The Mourning Tide, my other horror story that will be released on October 5, 2026. Yes, I have the wonderful fortune of having two of my horror novels released in October. One more reason to love Samhain!

The publisher is home from the hospital, but she has to rest. The publishing schedules were shifted. Nothing could happen until the publisher was home from the hospital. She has to rest. I wish her the best, and I hope you can all wish her the very best, too!

The thread of hope in The Mourning Tide is that we root for Rosemary and hope she succeeds in her quest to help Jonathan cross over into the light, finally finding peace.

Here we have two stories, with hope and monsters and heart.

I am now working on a new horror novel. I will enjoy discovering the voices of the characters, the theme, the plot, the setting, and, of course, the monsters, be they human or horned!

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

#monsters #humanity #ghosts #gothic #horror #hope #shadows #fear #light #darkness

 

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June 3, 2025 · 10:14 am

Flesh Eating Turtles by Nora Peevy )O(

Merry meet all,

My friend’s book is published! I am so happy for her. I am so excited to tell you about her new book. Grab a coffee and let’s dive into the weird and wonderful world of flesh eating turtles!

Flesh Eating Turtles was published by Evil Cookie Publishing.  Here is the synopsis of the book: 

“The latest in lab research has wreaked havoc with the food chain and left box turtles as the apex predator. Follow Agne Labs as they fight to put things right, if they can. #splatterpunk #horror #writertok #writersofinstagram #writersoftiktok #authorsoftiktok #authorofinstagram #authorsofbooktok #turtle Nora B. Peevy’s novel has just the right amount of blood and laughter to keep a reader interested. Available today on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Books, Kobo, Apple Read Apps, and Smashwords. Pick up your copy today and let me know what you think!” (Nora Peevy). 

Here is the link to her fabulous book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F99PNZLJ?fbclid=IwY2xjawKql01leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFNUHZXVXNwUDRNZ3ZyaFoyAR6VD24c2EI6p8-LpNt2eO6pN–O94YdSYywNOLXItT9zFpxV9IooQqXA44TmQ_aem_0de-suuimcrs5SYEBq2FqQ

Nora is my best friend and a amazing author and editor. She does both with passion and enthusiasm. I am proud of her. I am sure we all can’t wait to see more of her future endeavours. 

Blessings Spiderwitch 

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July 20, 2024 · 2:53 pm

Interview with horror author Ashley Fox

Merry meet all,

Today we meet to chat with Ashley. Let’s settle in with our rich dark coffees and clear a few cobwebs here. Read on if you dare! 

 

Why horror? Do you have a favorite subgenre in horror?

 

I love the feeling it gives me. The heart pounding in your chest feeling when you don’t know what is going to happen or what is going to jump out and scare you. Anything could happen and you never know which way things are going to go. I love horror of all kinds. Slashers are my favorite and have been since I was a kid. I love the extreme horror side. The gorier the better!

 

Which other horror authors influenced you the most and why?

 

When I started out in the horror community it was as an editor. A few people had trusted me with their projects and I thought it was so cool that they got to do this and put their work out there for everyone to read. Stuart Bray was the one who gave me the shove to publish my first book. He helped me through the process, plus he writes one hell of a book! He is always an automatic buy for me. He inspires me to dig deeper and work harder on the things I love. Chuck Nasty is another inspiration to me. He encourages me to write, has shown me new ways to look at what I am writing, and has made me a better writer.

 

Tell me about your writing/editing process.

 

I hand write a lot of things before I get them on my computer. I have a full notebook from when I wrote Little Glass Jars. Some pages are writing, others have lists of potential names for characters, and some have drawings of things like floor plans of the homes I am using as settings so that I can get it all just right. The hand writing process helps me to be able to re read what I have as I type it out, and to be able to flip through the pages and see what I have without scrolling up and down my document. I then print everything and edit with pen on paper. With self publishing I order an author copy so that I can go over it again and put tabs in pages for any fixes I need to make before telling everyone it is available to order. It sounds like a lot of work but I feel like it’s worth it to me to make what I am putting out there as close to perfect as I can be. There will always still be mistakes but this process helps me cut down on a lot of them. 

 

What inspires you to write horror?

 

I have always been a horror fan. I am also the person who guesses the endings to shows and movies way before the twist happens. I started writing because I wanted to put something out there that not many people would see coming. Not all books have that big twist and I have since started going back to the things that drew me to horror in the first place, the old slashers, the gore, and all things campy. 

 

What do you love about indie publishing?

 

The support in the indie publishing circle is phenomenal. Everyone encourages one another and shares the work of other people. We have all been through the same process and know that it is something worth cheering for. 

 

What is your favorite horror movie or book? Which movie or book impressed and inspired you the most?

 

Scream is my all time favorite horror movie. It combines so many of my favorite elements into one film. There are creative kills, blood and gore, and the twist at the end. I have seen it a million times, but the look on Billy’s face as he turns for the big reveal is just the perfect scene. I am a sucker for old horror. I love everything by Edgar Allan Poe, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, that kind of thing. I also love zombie books, Stephen King, and mysteries like the ones Kathy Reichs writes. I feel like I mash them all together for inspiration. It’s not just one thing, it’s a combination of so many. 

 

Is there any music that helps you to write?

 

I can’t listen to music when I write. I love music too much and I would be distracted by the songs and not get anything written. I will often put on a show that I have seen multiple times so that I don’t feel like I have to pay attention, it’s just on in the background. Something like Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Dexter, or Nip/Tuck.

 

Do you have any special projects you want readers to know about?

 

I have a few things going right now. I bounce around from one to the other so it could be a while before any are ready to go. I have been working on a slasher book, a revenge type extreme horror story, and I will be in an anthology in the fall so keep your eyes open for that one. I have also started work on a follow up to my debut Little Glass Jars. 

 

Where can readers find you on social media?

 

I post everything about upcoming projects on Instagram under Ashley Fox Author. I don’t have a website yet, but maybe one day! For now you can pick up my books on Amazon, and my short story collection Heebie Jeebies is also on Godless.


Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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May 8, 2024 · 12:54 pm

Publication of my novella!!!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I am over the moon with the good news! Unveiling Nightmares is publishing my YA horror novella! I am so excited and happy about this. I never thought it would happen to me. It took a few days for the shock to wear off. I am stunned. I am so happy because the novella was so much work to edit. 

I am luckier than most! I had help with edits on the novella. Stephanie Ellis helped me edit it and she breathed new life into the manuscript. She totally understood that I am neurodivergent and while I am not an amateur, I did have to seriously improve my writing in order for it to become publishable quality. I had to overcome bad writing habits but now I am more confident in my writing skills. 

Also, another friend of mine Fred Raworth helped me with a few line edits. The initial draft of the manuscript looks nothing like the manuscript now. The manuscript and my other writing has received so many rejections and now it has been accepted! This is a dream come true and opens so many doors for me. They are already drafting up a book cover for me. That seems a bit fast but I can’t wait to see the book cover. I have been published before in anthologies, magazines and Ezines but this is my first book. 

I don’t know if they will keep my title. I have a strong feeling they will. I am not a pro by any means at choosing a marketable title. I must say Cult of the Spider People is the best I have created this far. 

Unveiling Nightmares is a new indie publisher! Here is the acceptance email I received from them. 

Copied and pasted:

“Dear Heddy,

I hope you’re doing well. It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that we have decided to accept your manuscript, “Cult of the Spider People,” for publication. Congratulations! 

Your work impressed us with its compelling narrative, well-developed characters, and overall literary merit. We believe that your manuscript will captivate readers and make a valuable addition to our publishing list. 

We are excited about the prospect of collaborating with you on the publication of your book. Our team is committed to supporting you every step of the way, from the editorial process to marketing and promotion. 

Once again, congratulations on this significant achievement. We look forward to working together and bringing your manuscript to life. Thank you for choosing us as your publishing partner. 

Crystal Baynam

Publisher
Unveiling Nightmares Ltd
Wow right? I read the email on the bus going home and I could hardly sit still! I was stunned! I was elated! All my hard work has finally paid off and all my suffering was not for nothing. I can’t wait to see the final book cover. They are going to make sure I fall in love with it! I could get used to this nice treatment! 
I believe that the originality of my manuscript made it stand out from the thousands of other books out there. The underworld realm of Arachnall with its ferocious and horrifying race of human spider creatures sprang from my imagination. I am sure there are other similar stories out there but I did my very best to break out of the standard tropes in horror fiction. I am sure it also helped that I have a good track record as well. 
I have joined the Facebook chat group for Unveiling Nightmares. The people there – the team of writers and staff all seem happy. That is a good sign. I have had success but I can honestly tell you, dear readers, that is was never handed to me on a silver platter- or silver pen! Ha! I earned it every step of the way. I will be happy to create a hopefully creepy and engaging horror story, a work of art, not just for publication but for readers to enjoy! 
If this inspires you to pen your own work of horror or dark fantasy, and I sure hope that that is the case, then here is some advice!

Never give up! I was so discouraged before I received the acceptance email, I wanted to quit. I am so glad now that I ignored that nagging voice in my head. Quitters never win. You will never know if you can get ahead if you quit. You never get anywhere and the thousands of other hopefuls are quick to take your spot. 

Keep improving at your craft. Even my writing needed improvement. So yes, learn about how to use adverbs and adjectives. Practice, practice, practice. 

Be nice to everyone in the writing field. It is a small world. Word gets around and you want to be known as professional and nice. 

Keep sending your writing out. Send your writing out to agents and editors but also the editors who want flash fiction and short stories. 

Track where you send your writing. You can use spreadsheets or Google Docs or a word document. That way you won’t send the same story to an editor twice. 

Learn everything you can about the publishing field. Get professional advice before signing a contract. Don’t rush into it. Don’t worry they won’t forget you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Publishing is a business. Don’t ignore your gut feelings or intuition. Avoid publishing scams and editor scams like the plague. They pay YOU not the other way around. 

Be original. I used to believe that editors didn’t want an original horror story. I have happily discovered that they DO! There are so many worn out horror tropes that desperately need new life breathed into them. It’s alive, alive! Yes do write a gut clenching, original horror story that is sure to keep readers up at night- all night cursing you because they can’t put your book down. Write the book that only YOU can write. 

Support your fellow writers. I have not had a book published for many years. I still showed up to rally for my fellow authors. Besides, I get great books that way. Grab a coffee and attend local book launches. You can’t go it alone and  a community of fellow authors is invaluable. They know the publishing business, they know contacts and they will appreciate you. 

If you follow all that advice, I am sure you will finally see that acceptance email or phone call! I wish you all the best, dear readers. I will keep blogging and keep you all posted on the process – editing, marketing of my novella! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

 

 

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October 12, 2020 · 12:43 pm

Writing Modern Horror

Merry meet all,

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Here is my blog post that I wrote for the Horror Writers Association annual Halloween Haunts blog post event. 

Enjoy.

Horror has a seductive hold on us. Horror is like a tentacle crawling from the crypts of our darkest dreams to suck us into horrific nightmares. If done properly, it casts a dark magic, sending chills down readers’ spines.

Now is the time, now is the hour. In my opinion, horror movies such as Insidious 1-2, The Possession of Hannah Grace, and Sinister aren’t scary to me. I am an avid writer of horror fiction and I am well read. In order to give readers or viewers the fright royale, readers should be too afraid to not leave the lights on all night and hide under the covers. And curse the writer because they can’t put the book down.

The writer must make extra effort to horrify jaded readers. There is a difference between horrifying and terrifying. One of the two you experience more deeply. Terror is more potent. I won’t watch The Exorcist which deals with similar themes as the movies mentioned above. The Exorcist doesn’t turn away from the revolting horror, it stares it in the eye. It makes you look too, when you don’t want to. -and doesn’t let go. The same is true for Silence of the Lambs. But it doesn’t need to gross readers necessarily just to be scary.

Novels such as Dracula and Frankenstein reflected the time or era in which they were written. In Victorian times, darkly romantic fanged noblemen were scary because the society had different fears and beliefs about death than now. Those fears wouldn’t faze us today. Anne Rice made vampires intimidating and sexy. That is why the novels were successful. Today, writers like Suzanne Collins draw from what they view in the world today. We are more sophisticated now yet desensitized at the same time.

If you are interested in penning a horror story, I suggest the following tips: Get out of your own comfort zone. Change the environment where you write. Bring your writing pad, coffee, and lurk in a cemetery, visit a haunted location or a morgue, or research the folklore of your hometown. You might create something original, which can be helpful. Go on a trip to a quiet seaside town that has a paranormal history. Be safe as you explore new eerie cemeteries or towns. Getting out of your comfort zone breathes new life into your writing. Buy a tarot deck to inspire you, read dark poetry of a poet you never heard of.

Trust in yourself. If you’re fearful while writing the story, there’s a good chance your reader will be too. Pay attention to your dreams. Often dreams reflect our daily lives and what is hidden in our subconscious. Heed your insights and flashes of inspiration. I penned a dark novel based on a flash of inspiration that I would never have dreamed up otherwise. Learn all you can and be open minded. Then when you have created your villainous monster, you can make him or her or it the main character. Be true to your creation, your own monster. Your readers will recognize the true effort you put in.

We have global communication today. We can see the world events on the Internet. The Internet opened a window into the savage truth that we could be in the grip of an almost impending apocalyptic doom. Now that is scary.

The following books are helpful such as On Writing by Stephen King, On Writing Horror- the collection of essays by the Horror Writers Association, The Horror Writer by HellBound Books, Writing Monsters by Phillip Athans, and writing the Paranormal Novel- Techniques and Exercises by Steven Harper. These books go into real detail about writing about the paranormal. Within this genre, there is more freedom to create what you want whether that be a sparkly vampire, toothy werewolf, or chain rattling ghost.

After you read these books, highlight the advice, and incorporate the advice into your writing. For a good story about a ghoul of choice to be believed, it must be believable and written well. All stories benefit from good writing. Be consistent about the traits, superpowers, or awesome abilities your monster has. We all know vampires hate garlic and sleep in coffins, but maybe a coffin-shaped bookcase could be their nesting spot during the daytime.

Clean your writing/ office space. Light some sage and clean the energy to allow for the creative energies to flow unimpeded. Light a candle or incense. Play music that inspires you as you create your ghoul or axe-wielding maniac. Create a special playlist and soundtrack. Buy a new set of highlighters, pens, white out, a binder, paper, and a fresh bag of coffee. Do what it takes to make you commit to the writing for the long haul.

Keep a routine when you sit down to work on your story. Reach into the deepest darkest part of your imagination. Free write a scene of confrontation between your protagonist and your monster. Or the monster is the protagonist? These days your demon or ghoul needs to be ORIGINAL. Everything in the paranormal novel realm has been done … or has it? That part is up to you. Know your monster! Make it consistent and believable. It must be original. If you are seeking more inspiration, clip and keep newspaper articles. Read widely in your chosen genre. That will let you know what has already been written by other authors.

Allow yourself to imagine, you may invent something that no one has done before. That is a huge advantage in the field of writing and publishing. Being original and true to your monster is extremely important. The world wants to read a story that has never been written before. They do not want thirty knockoffs of It or The Babaduk. For example, I published a short story about pumpkins that can eat people. The vines can extend themselves and the pumpkins were toothy and bloodthirsty. Talk about a real twist on our favorite squashes!

The Horror Writers Association has helped me as a writer. There are many others out in this crazy world who crave a good horror story as much as I do and I don’t feel so alone. They prove readers still want to be scared.

Audiences and readers today have seen everything. A novel can be successful still, but writers must be unabashedly original to truly terrify their readers. Look at what is happening in society. The monsters of yesterday are not the monsters of today. It worked for Stephen King and Thomas Harris and with luck, it can work for you too. I hope you have enjoyed reading this. It might spark an idea or two and you would then be on your way to writing a Gothic novel like Northanger Abbey or something like the Pit and the Pendulum by Poe.

My writing has appeared in Ghosts, Spirits and Specters Volume 2, Samhain Secrets, Wax and Wane: A Gathering of Witchy Tales, One Night in Salem, Untimely Frost; Poetry Unthawed, One Hellacious Halloween Volume 1 by Horror Novel Reviews, The Dark Ones: Tales and Poems of the Shadow Gods, The Queen of the Sky who Rules over All the Gods: A Devotional Anthology in honor of Bast, Crone Newsletter Ezine, Eternal Haunted Summer Ezine, Witches and Pagans Magazine, Essential Herbal magazine, Circle Magazine, Naming the Goddess and Paganism 101. 

My blog can be found at: https://theparanormalquill.wordpress.com.

My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ghosts.spiritsandapparitions

BB Spiderwitch

Links of interest: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1482843348577084

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-vampire-movies-all-time/

 

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