Book Review: ‘The Monster’s Corner’, different delight to read, not what I expected

Remember when I did a review of the Christian Fiction book ‘Night of the Living Dead Christian?‘ Well, I have went ahead and began reading another monster book(non-Christian) of famous monsters told from their point of view. For the sake of not doing a really long post, I will give my opinion of a few of my favorite stories from said anothology.

Christopher Golden has put together 19 stories written by amazing award winning and popular writers to date  including Tananarive Due and Heather Graham. Before reading this book, forget everything you ever knew about gory stories and monsters because reading through the eyes of a monster is a trippy ride and some stories had skervy versimillitude especially the story “And You Wonder Why Our First Impulse is to Kill You”-that story was written in quick strokes but jumped scenes occassionally but you’ll get the point.

My favorite story includes the first one Awkward Age by David Liss, about an older man trying to fit into a younger ghoul’s life. That one was quite interesting. The next one I liked was Big Man by David Moody who writes from the point of view of a soldier sent to capture a man growing every second. A moving story indeed.  Breeding the Demons by Nate Kenyon was a trip, truly because the protagonist captures souls with his camera, but at what price of his own soul?

Siren Song by Dana Stabenow didn’t involve the “normal” monsters we know, but instead, three attractive women accused of murdering a pimp.  The Screaming Room by Sarah Pinborough revisits the mythological Medusa and her enduring pain at seducing men whom she turns to stone-a chilling read.

Wicked Be by Heather Graham is told from a woman whom we can safely assume is a witch during the time of the hangings and those accused of being a witch. She’s a nice gal, until the town picks on the wrong family—hers.

Specimen 313  by Jeff Strand will remind you of Little Shop of Horrors. Need I say more?

I reviewed The Lake by Tananarive Due;  go here.

The last story by Gary A. Braunbeck, And You Wonder Why Our First Impulse is to Kill You, carried themes of abuse, small town horrors,and  why monsters love Joyce Carol Oates and more disturbing trails of words.

All in all I give this book 4.5 stars for simply being wonderfully different. I would give it 5 if there was more…spook to it? Not sure how else to put it. Don’t get me wrong, there is gore and a few stories certainly had me spooked, especially the one called “Less of a Girl”(Now I know how eyeballs should taste- yuck!)

Book Details

The Monsters Corner, edited by Christopher Golden

Published by St. Martins(2011)

ISBN: 978-0-312-64613-4

Price: $10.19 on Amazon-price could change

ebook price: $9.99 on Kindle

Tracking An Author: Pressing onward with shorts and longs…

The problem with the human mind is that sometimes it doesn’t give the heart time to process things one by one and in slow motion…

This week I am almost done with my novel which will be about 180 pages. This is the partial good news though. The other news is that so far, at least 5 other short stories and a novel made themselves known in my dreams and while writing out my current novel. I couldn’t write them down quick enough in my marble journal.

Why is this happening?

It is my fault I guess. While reading other books, I have been watching sicence fiction/horror films on the Syfy channel and although not exaclty inspired I see that my mind works double time, even when listening to music there is a story there hidden like a small jewel amongst the heap of trash in an industrial site.

It is there and I am to pluck it up.

So, this particular novel I am finishing up will more than likely be an e-book. I  aim to get it out there faster perhaps after a little editing and such. The genre will be a soft romance/inspirational. However I such an eclectic person so the other stories following will not be as delicate. Its only a reflection of who I am: Delicate yet Edgy.

Stay tuned for more and remember you can grab up The Prayer Monologues for 99 cents on Smashwords or order at CreateSpace.

How was everyone’s Christmas? You can tell me here. Mine was lovely and laid back. Played lots of Monopoly with my husband

Words penned by gods of imagination…..

Microsoft Images

A trip is taken on a  insane bus ride and that trip hit many potholes, rocks, and nails along the way, but there are smooth spots which are pillows to rest upon. More so than the cotton beneath my scalp. I rarely gaze out the window because I want the revving of the engine, the smoothness of the ride to lull me to new worlds.

And in those new worlds things aren’t always what they seem. Black isn’t really black. The taste of the air has sweet flavor. The weather fits like a second skin. Up is not up anymore. Animals talk. Insects become upright villains or heroes, equipped for battle. Earth is not the pale white and ocean blue- it is red as iron and Hope becomes a wielding weapon similar to a Samurai’s sword.

Boys are no longer boys but men; girls are women. Babies talk and they are no longer born but ARE. Stories are no longer read or heard but felt.

There is no beginning or end, just always was.

There is no longer YOU and I, but we- EXIST.

This is what stories are made of.

Words penned by gods of imagination.

Writing is such a special part of me. Through writing I can become the protagonist, antagonist, or just a passerby. As the reader, you would never know which I identify with. It could be none, all or some. Everyday, writing becomes a balm for the scars inside of me and they heal me because I can be that princess, or that warrior, or that massive ant with a black battle shell and feelers sharp as knives.

You can be anything when you write.

Have you read or written anything that made you soar today?

‘Harlequin Holiday Collection’, e-book review, warm romance under the x-mas tree

Harlequin

For a review about the last story in this collection please head over to http://www.examiner.com/christian-fiction-in-norfolk/the-perfect-holiday-e-book-doesn-t-cost-a-dime-review.

Now, there were four great stories in the book, written by talented, intelligent authors who wanted to warm our hearts this holiday with intrique and unique characters and I must say I was not disappointed. However when it comes to short story collections there is always at least one or two that leaves more of an imprint than others.

In A Dead Guy in a Pear Tree by Leslie Kelly , Holly Cavanaugh finds a body wrapped in a christmas tree she just purchased and with the sudden discovery, her ex boyfriend, and reporter Zach suddenly shows up and old feelings springs up. Very steamy very hot and became one of my favorites.

Seduced by the Season by Merline Lovelace was about a waitress in Dublin, Ireland and an investigator teaming up to catch a thief with a taste for artifacts. This story had to be short and was evident by the scant histories of Stonehenge and other historical places thrown in for good measure and the quick atttraction between the protagonists and then a sweet conclusion. Not one of my ABSOLUTE favs but was a promising story nonetheless.

Now, we get to Evidence of Desire by Debra Web, a woman is hired to be a forensic scientist to a company but someone is out to kill her. Six days before christmas at that! Meanwhile her coworker(the one who looks hot) seems to be ignoring her but remaining a gentlemen when she needs his help, but this time she really need him. I enjoyed this one a lot. Suspense!

The last story was Season of Wonder by Marta Perry, seems obviosuly to be a Christian Fiction piece or at least inspirational and was very endearing. For more about my thoughts on this see link at the beginning of this post.

Alright…on to more reading. My husband fed my reading addiction by purchasing another e-book and it will remain a secret until I review it.

Stay tuned!

Winner of NLDC and other reading venture…

Monica. Monica. You’ve won the NLDC book certificate!!!!

Coming up, a review of Harlequin’s! Seasonal Short Story Collection which is available for free download now at http://www.eharlequin.com.

Hurry and get it. Make your holiday bright this season!

‘The Lake’, free e-book from the monster’s pov

I made the pledge months ago to read print books. You can  spot this on the right side of my blog. However, I do have a Pandigital novel which is a simple, cost effective ebook/multimedia tablet in which I can download over a 1 million books from B&N.com and books from other sources in acceptable formats.

Trust me, I still own WAY more print books than e-books.

Last week I had the interesting pleasure in downloading and reading a short story called  ‘The Lake’ by Tanarive Due author of the African Immortal Series and The Between. I’ve already read almost all of her Immortals series and she is an excellent writer and storyteller.

The Lake |Tananarive Due

In ’The Lake’, a teacher transfers schools and I got the distinct feeling the story was being told in the preset tense, third person omniscient- which mean the horrific deed has already happened. You see, ’The Lake’ is just one of 20 stories from the new anthology called The Monster’s Corner: Stories told from the monster’s point of view…

So in the story, the teacher finds this nice home with a mysterious lake out back and she has this weird urge to only be around young men and come to find out she needs the young boys from her new summer school class to help with her floorboards and other new home fixtures.

She unwittingly continue to swim in the lake against her best friend’s warning…

The story was unputdownable. I want to learn about the monsters from The Monster’s Corner and can’t wait until I can download it.

*Side Note:  The story seems to be a metaphor to what happens when those in position don’t take caution against their own desires and cause a ruckus in society. I am sure(or not?) that Due wanted this female figure to become a symbol of those who prey on the young, but the way she wrote this story was profound and delicious n so few pages….

Get the book free: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lake-tananarive-due/1104226702?ean=9781429962438&itm=1&usri=the+lake

For a limited time only…The Prayer Monologues is available as a free download!

E.J. Smith | CreateSpace

As mentioned on me and my hubby’s website Brass Hands Books, we are going to deliver more of our books for free, more often. We can identify with everyone else these days that purchasing books at any amount of cost can be a risk(but that is why we have sampling so people don’t waste their time and money on books they’d rather pass over).

My  book The Prayer Monologues will be available for free download to your Sony, Kobo, ePub readers, B&N, and Kindles.

Why not print books?

Well, I do have the book available in print for those trying to keep the classic book in hands-I totally get it! However, giving away ebooks seem quicker and easier to distribute rather than order more print books for a giveaway(which I will do next year anyway, stay tuned).

Head over to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20106, to download your FREE copy of my book The Prayer Monologues.

I thank you in advance for your Tweets, Likes, Diggs, and honest reviews!!

Here’s your chance to win a free copy of ‘Night of the Living Dead Christian’, you’re welcome

*My very personal thoughts about Night of the Living Dead is that this book was devourable(is that a word?). Anyway, another fun thing I did with reading this book, was reflect on what kind of monster am I? Mikalatos was gracious enough to include a monster glossary to glean over. before reading more below, check out my review on examiner.com then come back for more.

Now, for the  monster list:

Gargantuan

Invisible People

Mad Scientist

Mummies

Robots(Androids, Cyborgs)

Sasquatches

Trolls

Vampires

Werewolves

Zombies

Some people can be a mixture of things, but me? It appears I fall on the spectrum of Sasquatch and Werewolf. Let me tell you why. Sasquatches, according to Mikalatos’ dictionary are “poorly suited for city life, sometimes we forget how to interact with others and have bitterness towards organizations including churches.

Werewolves are animalistic and have instinctive urges. So not only am I forgetful of how to communicate and am bitter(for good reason) towards organizations, I have animalistic urges(will not try to explain that one), so perhaps I need just a bit more Jesus.

Great book. Check out the video and other goodies below!

*Book received for my ubbiased review from Tyndale Publishers.

Matt Discusses NLDC here

Visit Matt at www.mattmikalatos.com for more scary good stuff!

Now on to what you’ve been waiting for….

A free book!

Please post your comment to this post only if you’d like to receive a gift certificate to take to the bookstore and grab your own free copy of ‘Night of the Living Dead Christian’ Winner will be announced after December 15, 2011.

Good luck!