Getting Ideas From Real Life

My husband recently spent a week in the hospital with an infection in his right leg. It was an ugly abscess below the skin. The doctors have no idea where it came from although the nurses suspected a brown recluse bite. He had cellulitis and the wound was slightly necrotic. It was a stressful week but I got something good out of it – a story idea.

I've gotten story ideas from many experiences. I stayed in a haunted bed and breakfast decades ago that influenced my novel "An Unexpected Guest". It was a lovely little place on Maryland's Eastern Shore right on the Sassafras River. I stayed on a Friday night which also was ½ off dinner night. I'd heard the stories about the ghost of the proprietress wandering the halls, checking on the guests to make sure they were comfortable. The original owner was rumored to be a madam, and the house was a Revolutionary-War-era brothel. British soldiers came up the river and tossed torches at the house. The proprietress swept the torches off her porch. When the soldiers arrived at the house, she made a deal with them. They wouldn't burn down her house if she let them use it and the services of the women inside, for a fee of course. This house was one of the only homes remaining standing in town by the end of the battle. The story influenced my novel.

In a similar fashion, my husband's hospital ordeal influenced a brand new story I'm about to begin working on. I can only imagine what kinds of critters could come bursting out of that wound in his leg and wrecking havoc in the hospital. I remember the sights, the smell of disinfectant, the sight of that gaping hole in his leg. The nurses were competent and very friendly. I might even create a character based on one of those nurses – and kill her. LOL That's one thing that's fun about being a writer – putting real people in your stories and doing horrible things to them.

Now that my husband is finally home and things are beginning to wind down around here, I can begin working on my story. I have no idea where it's going to go, but it's going to be one hell of a ride.

Here's where to find me on the web:

Elizabeth Black - Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Elizabeth Black - Twitter

http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Elizabeth Black - Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the people who celebrate it! This is a wonderful time of year to buy books for those you love. It's almost summer reading time, so it's time to stock up on books. There are a few I'd like to get for my days loafing on the local beaches:

1. "The Girl Next Door" by Jack Ketchum

2. Some of the Rizzoli and Isles books. I have one of the short stories.

3. "Dinner With The Cannibal Sisters" by Douglas Clegg

4. Play catch-up on the Preston/Child novels I've missed.

5. "Monstrosity" by Edward Lee

What about you? What's on your summer reading list?

Here's where to find me on the web:

Elizabeth Black - Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Elizabeth Black - Twitter

http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Elizabeth Black - Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/author/elizabethblack

Writers Groups

E. A. Black writer dark fiction and horror. Elizabeth Black writes erotica and erotic romance. You may find E. A. on her Amazon Author Page, and you may find Elizabeth at her Amazon Author Page. She is available on Facebook and Twitter as well.

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I rejoined my writers group after a six month absence yesterday. I think the warm weather inspired everyone to come out of their hovels after a long, cold, snowy winter. I was joined by six women including one I had never met before. This group is women-only.

I joined a writers group for several reasons. Here are a few:

I wanted to be with other writers.

I wanted to hone my craft with the assignments I'm given.

 I wanted to get out of the house at least once per week. I tend to hole up in my apartment because I'm a hermit.

I like that this group is in the morning so my day isn't completely gone when I get out at 11 am.

I reward myself with a drive by the beaches on my way home.

I get tips and critiques from the other writers in my group when I bring in my WIPs.

The next time I go, I'm bringing a container of my homemade shortbread cookies to go with my coffee. Everyone in the group brings coffee along since I suspect we're caffeine addicts. This group is part of a larger Writers Center that offers readings and such, including an Open Mic night. I missed the last Open Mic but since it's warming up I'll make a point of going to the next one. I'll admit it feels great getting away and recharging with a writers group. It's the main reason I go, along with the social networking.

Ten Books That Stayed With Me

E. A. Black writes horror, dark fiction, and fantasy. She writes erotica and erotic romance under the pen name Elizabeth Black. Ms. Black lives on the Massachusetts coast with her husband and four cats. You may find her on Facebook or on her web site.

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There's a meme going around Facebook - Ten books that stayed with you. I love writing horror above all else so it's only natural that horror books have stayed with me since childhood, but some of the books I classify as horror may surprise you. Here's my list, in no particular order.

1. "The Screaming Skulls and Other Ghosts" by Elliott O'Donnell. Obvious choice. This book is chock full of ghost legends from the U. K. that scared the piss out of me when I was a child. I still have it and read it on occasion and it continues to spook me.

2. The Bible - Total horror, without a doubt. I actually read the thing, too, which is one reason I am not religious at all today.

3. Everything by Edgar Allan Poe. More horror. I grew up in Baltimore so Poe was very special to me. I visited his grave and his home. I even dated the curator of the Poe museum for awhile there. I was surprised that Poe had such a wicked sense of humor. My favorite story of his is not a horror story. It's "Never Bet The Devil Your Head", a dark comedy.

4. "Claudia" by Barbara Brooks Wallace. Horror in the sense that it's about a child who doesn't fit in with her classmates. That was me in elementary school. This book taught me how to cope with being a nerdy, clutzy reject.

5. My first Home Owner's Association manual. Most people posted fiction books but I had to include a few non-fiction. This manual was pure horror. I lived in one of the first planned communities in the United States. They're as surreal as you've heard. That "X Files" episode "Arcadia" got it right. No window air conditioners. No visible children's toys on front lawns. Doors and trim could be painted only in HOA-approved colors. No trash cans visible from the street. Lawns and gardens must meet HOA specifications down to the length of the grass. Neighbors tattling to the HOA board if they think you violated any codes.

6. "The Art Of War" by Sun Tzu. This book has been invaluable to me. It taught me not only the proper way to pick my battles, but also how to inspire my enemies to bring themselves down with little effort from myself.

7. "The Complete Works Of Calvin and Hobbes". This book was my baby raising manual, along with the Coen brothers movie "Raising Arizona". The main child-rearing lesson I learned from that movie - do not sit the car seat with child inside on top of the car before driving away.

8. "The Catcher In The Rye" by J. D. Salinger. Another book about a misfit kid. I could relate.

9. Ikea instructional manual on how to put together my bed. Pure, unadulterated horror. No further explanation necessary. Ikea instructional manuals are probably responsible for the rising tide of insanity in America.

10. "Mothers On Trial" by Dr. Phyllis Chesler. True-life horror. It's about all the grief mothers go through in divorce and custody cases to protect themselves and their children. At the time I read it I was going through a very ugly divorce, and it kept me sane.

So there's my list with explanations. What about you? What are your ten books that stayed with you?

Preparing For A Reading - The Nightmare Scenario

This past weekend I went to Anthocon, a horror convention in New Hampshire. I was scheduled for a reading at 1:30 pm on Sunday for half an hour. I haven't done very many readings so here is how I prepared for it.

1. Had nightmares the week of the reading that I stood in front of everyone naked.

2. Had nightmares the week of the reading that I went to read from my Kindle when it was out of power.

3. Had nightmares the week of the reading that I left my printed copies at home so I had nothing to read.

So, I was off to a great start.

To alleviate these feelings of sheer terror, I stood in front of a mirror and read the first page of one of my stories. I was fine as long as I didn't trip over my tongue. I also made sure I had a glass of water handy for the inevitable dry mouth. Note to self: bring bottled water to the reading for when I inevitably became parched.

Another lesson: I read the first page of another story and enunciated as I read. The exercise gave me one hell of a mouth cramp but it worked.

Still another lesson: S L O W   D O W N! When nervous, I read at machine gun speed. If I put my mind to it, I can sound like a carnival barker or an auctioneer, which may be entertaining but isn't conducive to people enjoying what I'm reading.

Yet another lesson: BREATHE! I noticed I could go for several sentences without taking a single breath. By the time I needed to breathe, I felt like I was suffocating. My chest tightened and I felt as if someone rubbed the insides of my lungs with a scouring pad. So after each comma and period, I made a point of remembering to breathe.

By the time I mastered reading, I had slowed my pace, breathed at regular intervals, and became familiar enough with my stories to look up as if making eye contact with my audience. My speech was clear and easy to understand.

By the time Friday rolled around I was ready for my precious half hour. I even hoped to sell a few books. The best part was those awful nightmares stopped. A little confidence goes a long way.

Where to find me on the web:

Blog and Web Site

http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Twitter

http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Amazon Author Page

http://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00BBWHMFM

Blurbs of Horror: Alicia by E.A. Black

Welcome, fear fiends, to a very special day here at the Mocha Memoirs Press blog...today, I'm going to be bringing you blood-curdling blurbs from MMP's horror titles...there may even be an eerie excerpt or two.

To start our foray in to the frightening, we'll start with a title that starts out nice enough: a man goes to help the woman he loves. Nothing wrong with that, is there my little fiends? Ah, but as things go along, we learn that things are not always what they seem...

Blurb:

When the love of his life, Alicia, calls him in the middle of the night to report she had been raped, Eric drops everything to come to her rescue. She takes him on an eerie ride through turbulent hours he can't quite comprehend. Alicia may need his help, but her situation is not what it seems.

Excerpt #1:

Eric ran into the emergency room waiting room. He paced in circles around a chair, worried about Alicia. Alicia still hadn’t appeared several minutes later. Worriedly, he walked to the nurse's station.

"I'm looking for a patient named ‘Alicia’. She just arrived," Eric said. "She'd been raped."

"Who are you, sir?" A middle-aged nurse looked over the top of her horn rims with a hard expression. Eric understood why. There was no telling who he was. He could have been Alicia's abusive husband for all she knew. Would Pete have the gall to follow her to the hospital? 

"I'm a friend. Alicia called me and asked me to meet her here." He gripped the desk so hard with worry his knuckles turned white.

"She's being looked at now."

"How is she?"

"She's shaken up. It's good you're here. She needs a friend now."

"Does she need to stay?"

"No. She will be out shortly. Just have a seat over there, and she'll find you."

After what seemed like hours, Alicia walked into the waiting room as she’d said she would. Her face brightened at the sight of him, and she ran into his arms.

"Eric! I'm so glad you're here."

He caressed her pretty face. No bruises. No cuts. She smiled, revealing a perfect set of teeth. He held her close, not wanting to let her go. He never wanted to let her go. She was his Morning Star, the woman of his dreams. He rubbed his fingers against her scalp and hair as she cried quietly on his shoulder.

She lifted her head and searched his face. The tears in her eyes refracted light, but her eyes were reflecting calm beneath the churning surface. An ugly, red welt snaked around her neck. Her bastard husband had choked her.

"Are you alright?" Her voice sounded rough, like sandpiper on wood. Rage bubbled from his core, threatening to erupt in the waiting room. He stared at her, amazed at her compassion in light of her own injuries.

Here she was asking him if he was all right, and she was the one who had been raped. "Alicia, are you alright? You always think of everyone else but not yourself."

"I don’t want you to worry about me."

"I can guess what happened." Eric balled his hands into fists so tightly his fingernails cut into his skin. Rage overwhelmed the worry. He wanted to draw blood from the man who drew blood from Alicia. "Let me take him to the back of a shed and beat the shit out of him. He deserves much worse."

***

Not enough for you? Well, it just so happens that  I have another excerpt to  entertain you with...

Excerpt #2: 

Eric stepped out of the shower and a foul stench—mingled with the crisp peppermint of his shampoo—smacked him in the face and left a coppery taste in the back of his throat. His stomach heaved. Confused, he looked around the room to figure out where the smell came from, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Dread clung to him, dark and sticky, ruining his relaxed mood. The light bulbs over the sink hummed, casting harsh yellow light about the room. He shaded his eyes against the glare, trying to see.

Why were those lights so bright? Something was terribly wrong in his peaceful world, and not knowing what it was frightened him.

His wife Alicia brushed her teeth as if nothing was unusual, while the stink of rot lurked beneath the cool mint of his shampoo. Why didn't she notice the smell?

He leaned towards her to place his hand on her shoulder, and she turned her face towards his for a kiss on the cheek. Ugly, purple bruises darkened her eyes. He pulled away, repulsed and alarmed, not quite sure what he was seeing. One side of her face had swelled to a dark mask, not unlike a pumpkin that had been left outside in the damp earth to rot. An angry red welt encircled her throat like a bloody ribbon wrapped around her neck. Frightened, he reached out one hand but he couldn't bring himself to touch her swollen face. Touching her would make the vision real and it couldn't be real.

Alicia spat in the sink. Two of her teeth bounced against the porcelain. Blood tainted the paste.

"The girls are running late again." Alicia's bloodied mouth leaked crimson and white toothpaste. Why did she act as if nothing strange was going on? He gaped at her, not understanding what was happening. The safety of his home evaporated as she spoke with her raw, torn mouth. "Make them wolf down their cereal, and toss them out of the house before they miss the bus."

***

Have to have this title in your trembling little hands? You can pick it up for yourself, here...

Nook/B&N: http://tinyurl.com/nook-alicia

Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/kindle-alicia

Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/kindle-uk-alicia

Mocha Memoirs Press: http://mochamemoirspress.com/alicia/

Elizabeth Black writes erotica, erotic romance, speculative fiction, fantasy, and horror. She also enjoys writing retellings of classic fairy tales. Born and bred in Baltimore, she grew up under the influence of Edgar Allan Poe. Her erotic fiction has been published by Xcite Books (U. K.), House Of Erotica (U. K.), Circlet Press, Ravenous Romance, Scarlet Magazine (U. K.), and other publishers. Her horror fiction has appeared in "Kizuna: Fiction For Japan", "Stupefying Stories", "Zippered Flesh 2: More Tales Of Body Enhancements Gone Bad", "Midnight Movie Creature Feature 2", and "Mirages: Tales From Authors Of The Macabre". An accomplished essayist, she was the sex columnist for the pop culture e-zine nuts4chic (also U. K.) until it folded in 2008. Her articles about sex, erotica, and relationships have appeared in Good Vibrations Magazine, Alternet, CarnalNation, the Ms. Magazine Blog, Sexis Magazine, On The Issues, Sexy Mama Magazine, and Circlet blog. She also writes sex toys reviews for several sex toys companies.

In addition to writing, she has also worked as a gaffer (lighting), scenic artist, and make-up artist (including prosthetics) for movies, television, stage, and concerts. She worked as a gaffer for "Die Hard With A Vengeance" and "12 Monkeys". She did make-up, including prosthetics, for "Homicide: Life On The Street". She is especially proud of the gunshot wound to the head she had created with makeup for that particular episode. She also worked as a prosthetic makeup artist specializing in cyanotic blue, bruises, and buckets of blood for a test of Maryland's fire departments at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport plane crash simulation test. Yes, her jobs are fun.  ;)

She lives in Lovecraft country on the Massachusetts coast with her husband, son, and four cats. The ocean calls her every day, and she always listens. She has yet to run into Cthulhu.

Visit her web site at http://elizabethablack.blogspot.com/

Her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/elizabethablack

Follow her at Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElizabethABlack

Want more shivers and screams? Hold on to your jack-o-lanterns, my little creepies, because there's more where this came from...