Here's lookin at you kid...

Here's lookin at you kid...
The eyes are the windows to the soul...

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Deadlier Than The male Excerpt which was not allowed on Hub Pages

This is the piece that I deleted from my Hub Page because it constantly failed to get through the manual submission part. Apparently it's not 'Original' because it is part of a piece on Writer's Muse website, I was asked to submit a piece of my novel to the site and was most pleased to do so.

This is the part that caused so much trouble on my Hub. I hope you enjoy it.


She moved on again, through the deserted car park. She noticed a lone car - perhaps left by its conscientious driver who had had a drink and left it until the morning. The cynic in her thought otherwise, in a perfect world maybe he had, but more likely, he was too drunk to remember where he had left it. 
The open space of the car park gave her a sense of security that she knew would desert her as she approached the alley. There was nowhere to hide in the area surrounding the pub and so she knew he was not so close behind her.
As the distance to the walled passageway was eaten up by her self-assured strides, she started to slow down as though she was trying to delay getting there. Again she hesitated. At the mouth of the alley, she leaned forward just a little as if trying to see around the bend in the middle. Her bag was grasped in one hand and as she leaned forward, it swung against her leg. She looked down as if she had only just noticed it was there. Then, as though deciding that she should make a move before she could scare the living daylights out of herself, she entered the mouth of the narrow and enclosed walkway.

The stalker forced himself to be patient as he waited until she had entered the alley, then he moved - fast and silent - around the perimeter wall. He scaled yet higher walls with ease, running across the tops of them, moving with the agility of a cat to get ahead of her. He had the advantages of surprise and shock and he intended to use them both to maximum effect. His hands flexed as he waited in his chosen position just ahead of his victim, listening for her footfalls.

She tried not to think of the violent and bloody attacks that had happened in the neighbourhood - one a few weeks earlier and another just the previous night. She managed to keep a poker-face as her colleagues delighted in telling her the gory details - exaggerated no doubt, she hoped.  
When she told them that she was parked in the same secluded car park as the two victims had been, their humour had turned to concern. Her dismissals of offers to drive her to her car or to accompany her were accepted with reluctance. She thought that acceptance of escort would be seen as weakness. She was probably right.
Reports in the local paper after the first incident had described a woman being attacked and brutalised. One had described the attacked woman as being mauled. A hospital porter had gone to the paper and told of the victim’s hysterical and not-quite-coherent deathbed ramblings about her attacker who slashed and bit with tooth and claw. Last night’s attack was, as yet, unconfirmed by official sources but that didn’t stop gory details circulating along the rumour mills.
Her pace was no longer as brisk as it had been. She was by now, dawdling along the pathway, hesitating more and more as she approached the sharp bend in the path, stopping to look behind time and again.

He heard the sigh of relief when at last she rounded that bend and could see the rear bumper and one light and she knew her car was within reach. Her pace picked up a little and she straightened up, regaining her self-assured stance of before.

She was just two metres from the exit of the alley and no more than four metres from her car. Her keys were already in her hand - as they had been since The Swan. Her guard dropped for a split-second as she made sure it was the right key for the lock. 
A split-second was all that was needed to pick off a victim.

He landed in front of her, from the top of the wall. 
She was surprised into an exclamation of “Shit!” and she staggered back a few steps to lean against the high sandstone wall. 
His grin was full of cruel humour but she tried to return the smile with one of her own. What looked like an attempt at a confident smile did not seem to make her feel any better.
He knew adrenalin would have begun to course through her veins, she looked to have it under control for now, but who knew how long she would manage that? At the very next shock, her whole system would be flooded with it and that would convert her brain into a useless lump of offal. Powerless to think clearly, it would in turn, make her limbs incapable of response – this is the result of the ‘fright’ instinct. Or, she could start punching and kicking and screaming like a banshee – the instinct to ‘fight’. The last alternative would be the ‘flight’ instinct, but she had nowhere to run, he blocked her path to the safety of her car. 
He had been the cause and seen the effects of all possibilities and used them many times as tools of his trade. 
He studied her for a moment, then he lifted his chin and sniffed, catching her scent – she smelled clean but wore no perfume - a bonus - he preferred that. He half closed his eyes and savoured her scent.

The alley was not very broad, just wide enough to pass another adult in, and he seemed to make the spaces on either side of him appear too small to allow her to get past him.
He spoke first as though this situation was normal: "Hello" he said with a smile, very aware of how attractive he was. “You’re quite fit, aren’t you?”
"What?" She stammered, perplexed at his opening statement. She was still leaning against the wall as though her legs were having difficulty in supporting her. Then, seeming to realise that she already looked like a victim, she pushed herself upright. 
She brushed aside his attempt at conversation and said "Excuse me please; I need to go to my car." She raised her hand in indication to the direction she wanted to go.
"Sure" he replied, his smile not wavering as he moved closer to one wall, he knew that the broad smile he flashed, his silk shirt which clung to his muscled torso in all the right places, combined with his slightly exotic features helped to distract females in this situation, it was just one more tool for him to use as he indulged in his favourite nocturnal activity.
There was still not enough room in which to pass without invading what she considered 'his space' and she did not move. 
He tipped his head in the direction of the exit, as if to indicate that she was keeping him from his journey. 
She appeared wary, but took the hint and started to go forward, not wishing to appear foolish by being scared of this amenable and striking man.
She tensed as she passed him because she knew that he would grab her, yet when he did she was rendered rigid. 
With her tucked under his arm like a bundle of laundry - he was deceptively strong, even taking his height into account – he carried her back down the alley with little effort. 

He didn't need to cover her mouth; the woman was in shock already and could not even make a murmur, let alone scream. Not like that one bitch last month, she screamed the place down! Still, screaming didn't do her any good, and this one's silence won't save her either.

Saturday 19 March 2011

Hub Pages...

So, I started a Hub thingie - all well and good... it gets me out there and noticed.

Thing is... I have to make absolutely certain that I don't duplicate my work anywhere else on the net. Not usually a problem unless I'm sharing a piece of my books Deadlier... Than The Male or Cruel... and Unusual with my followers on Goodreads, Facebook or this Blog. Then I get Duplicate at the side of my Hub titles. I may be the only one that sees this, but I'm not sure I like it. It's MY writing, MY work and if I want to put it on my Facebook Notes, my Goodreads Profile and my Blog as well as my Hub then I should be able to. I understand that Hub want original work out there, but my work IS original. It's also MINE!

Book Review Ozzy Osbourne


What an amazing book! I may as well tell you right from the off that I give the book one of the best ratings I could. I laughed in all the right places (and some of the wrong ones). I was amazed, amused and astounded at some (all) of the antics that Ozzy has gotten up to in his (relatively) short life. All I can say is that if my son came home with tales of similar antics to what Ozzy has done, I'd have marched him off to the police station myself!
What an amazing life story this man has. He has swung like a pendulum between Good Fortune and Terrible Luck. He has made many friends along the way and lost a fair few too. He has almost lost his life on a number of occasions and he has lost his liberty (jail).
He has made massive amounts of money and blown it! He's been a Factory worker, Cow Killer, burglar, Rock Star, Rock God, Husband, Father and Grandfather. He has dabbled in drugs, alcohol, has contracted STDs and has survived a direct hit by a plane. He says himself "People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say."
On the back of his book, it says:
My father always said I would do something big one day.
"I've got a feeling about you, John Michael Osbourne," he'd tell me, after he'd had a few beers. "You're either going to do something very special, or you're going to go to prison."
And he was right, my old man.
I was in prison before my eighteenth birthday.
And from there, it gets better.
I don't like writing synopses - I didn't like writing them for my own books Deadlier... Than The Male and Cruel... and Unusual - so I will not re-write a book that I review so that the reader doesn't have to bother reading the book that I've reviewed. I read I AM OZZY and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It portrays Ozzy as a man that seemed to have nothing going for him and no prospects other than Jail or death who made it despite the odds stacked against him. It also shows that fame is fickle and people are untrustworthy sometimes but it always shows Ozzy as a real, flawed, human being. He doesn't appear to be someone with a Rock-God image of himself, he'd be the kind of person you'd meet in a pub, have a chat with for a while and think "He was a bit weird, but an ok guy." I share the same day for my birthday as Ozzy does and I've always liked his music so it was only natural that I should read his book and I am glad that I did. I can't wait for the film... they've already done the TV series of his life... I don't think Ozzy would be up for playing himself in a film... I think, from what he writes as his experience of TV, that he's had enough.
Buy the book, read it, it's great!

Friday 18 March 2011

Mindscape Magazine


Mindscape Magazine


Mindscape Magazine Out June 2011

This week has been hectic to say the very least. My novel Cruel... and Unusual has been submitted to the Printers and it will be out and available at the beginning of April - exactly on schedule (which is an achievement for me).
The second exciting thing is that I have been asked to write for Mindscape Magazine - a brand new phenomena which is set to hit the Magazine stands of the World in June 2011. I cannot believe just how lucky I am. Yes it's going to be a busy year but OH BOY! Is it going to be FUN!
www.mindscapemagazine.com
The by-line I like is "Always on the lookout for the unusual!" The Magazine Editor's ethos is also new and fresh: "Mindscape Magazine is an eclectic mix of sub-culture and underground thoughts, ideas, discoveries, mysteries, musicians, films, books, gadgets and anything else that rocks the boat."
Everything from Agnostic to Zion and Abominable Snowman to Zeus Lycaeus will be covered in the magazine and the very best part? The Magazine Editor is looking for people that will be able to give their own input.
The Scream Queen Editor of the new magazine, Mindscape (mindscapemagazine.com), is looking for you. We're gonna run a monthly competition of girls who wanna be Mindscape's Scream Queen of the Month...
Have you got an interesting tattoo? Does it have symbolic meaning to you? Is it based on an ancient design? I want to run a feature on why and what we tattoo on ourselves in the July issue of www.mindscapemagazine.com so get in touch via editor@mindscapemagazine.com
They are looking for articles, features, book, music and film reviews, strange and unusual pics. If you've done a film, doc, album, book, go to the website and contact the specific editor! Opportunity here

Saturday 5 March 2011

Cruel... And Unusual Update


The release of Cruel... is looming. The cover has been done and approved and things are starting to become exciting again!


Thursday 3 March 2011

Paranormal Haunting, The Curse Of The Blue Moon Inn

Back on set again for another Phil Gardiner Movie and though the drive was an hour long, I think it will be worth the travel time.

Again, I'm not certain what the movie will be about but I am certain that the Cast and Crew that have gathered together for the movie will put in 100% for the Director Phil Gardiner.

First then, for the oddities - happenings, feelings, occurrences and Accidents!

On the very first scene, first 'Take', Suzy Deakin was badly concussed and cut her head open in a freak accident.
Suzy fell backwards during shooting - it was a tense scene from the outset but when Suzy fell, the tension escalated. The cameras were rolling - two different cameras, controlled by two different people - and nothing was recorded of the accident, it was as though the cameras had not been set rolling, yet the "Rolling" check had been performed.
Filming had to be delayed whilst Suzy recovered. She wanted to continue but it was obvious to both the Director and Producer that she should not attempt to.

Thankfully, after a dizzy spell and blurred vision, Suzy had a good night's sleep and was recovered enough to continue the next day. She said she had a very tender lump on the back of her head and a small cut but things could have been a lot worse!

There have been explosive occurrences off-set as light bulbs blow out in spectacular fashion. According to the Landlady, if there is activity in the lower bar - named JD Bar - then bulbs blow with unnerving frequency. JD Bar is where the Cast and Crew go to chill-out between their scenes. It seems that their presence is enough to upset the other 'residents' and more than one of the crew have felt uncomfortable down there.

There are also frequent 'Cold Spots' reported in different areas of the Pub that's being used for filming.
Just in front of the large bay window in the main room where most of the filming is to take place, a cold area has been witnessed by visitors and crew (myself included) and even though there is a large radiator throwing out heat, the area is cold sometimes but freezing another. The cold could be dismissed as draughts from the old fittings but the cold areas are not always in the same place - differences in wind direction, or something else entirely?

Kerrie's room is 'abruptly cold' as you move from the hall into her room. The cold is almost like a tangible presence even when the room heater is left on.

Amy gets 'bad feelings' in the Function Room, where she is always cold. She does not like the cellar beneath JD Bar due to a previous experience. She describes the cellar as 'Spine-tinglingly eerie'.

Danielle freaked Elle on their first evening as she seemed to develop Succubus Tendencies. In the bedroom that they share with Suzy, Elle was woken by Danielle reaching through the darkness towards her.
Danielle also remembers waking up and wondering why her own arm was reaching over to her colleague...

Suzy tells me that she looked down into the cellar beneath JD Bar and swears that she saw a shadow - no shadow should have been cast down there because the only light source was clearly visible to Suzy but the shadow was cast towards the opening, as though it was lit from inside the cellar itself behind the only light bulb.

Batteries drain unusually fast on occasions and during the filming of one supernatural scene, the smoke machine switched itself on when no-one was near it.

As filming ended, I had a few more tales to tell, such as the one of Tolkein's writing room (yes, that Tolkein). When he wrote of The Green Dragon Inn he told of the place where he did his writing... the same place where filming of Paranormal Haunting is happening.

The father of the Pub's Landlord has done extensive research and has found that the building is many centuries old. There are a number of Ghost Experience groups wanting to investigate and there was also a buzz of excitement as someone from Sky TV was supposed to be contacting them to come and take a look around.

I wish them all the best, I'm not sure that I'd like to live in such an active place after hours... I prefer Spirits that are served in a glass thanks.

For the full credits please visit my Hub:


Links

Production Companies

www.reality-entertainment.com

www.red-sky-productions.webs.com

www.gardinersworld.com

www.chemicalburn.org

www.magimultimedia.com

Actors

Andrew Gough www.andrewgough.com

Suzy Deakin www.facebook.com/suzyCJsexy

Amy Hall www.amylouisehall.webs.com

Kerrie Denning www.kerriejames.co.uk

Melanie Denholme www.facebook.com/manicmel

Elle Wood www.elle-louise-wood.co.uk

Mark Churchill www.markchurchill.com

Robert Feather www.robert-feather.com

Corjan www.corjan.net

Christine Moloney www.myartisyours.co.uk

Steve Mitchell www.facebook.com/SteveMitchellUK

General

www.claireatherton.webs.com

www.martinfaulks.com

www.deadlier-than-the-male.blogspot.com

www.eliteonlinemagazine.com

www.ufomatrix.com

www.mindscapemagazine.com

www.hauntedmagazine.co.uk

Sponsors

www.healingsofatlantis.com

Musicians

www.noredemptionuk.com

www.corjan.net

www.wesdolan.com

www.myspace.com/theradioactivegrandma

www.myspace.com/blutigerfluss

www.oomeflippinhead.com

www.druidicca.com

Other Films

www.thestonefilm.com

www.houseofsin.webs.com

www.camgirlthemovie.webs.com

www.theexperimentmovie.webs.com

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Cruel... And Unusual - release date

We're looking at the 1st or 2nd of April for the release date of my second novel (I may make it the 3rd for my daughter's birthday).

Here's an excerpt from Cruel... I think it captures the dismal conditions the people of Whitechapel lived in. I enjoyed doing research on this particular subject, even though sometimes it was truly horrific reading autopsies on the women that Jack The Ripper slaughtered.

The year was 1888. Summer was just beginning to go into decline to autumn in the English countryside – not that many could tell in this particular corner of England. Here the weather was usually cloaked with smog and the only way to differentiate between summer and winter was by how you shivered, or didn’t. As is the English quirk, the weather was of the utmost importance – even through the stinking, cloying pollution.

On most evenings, visibility was but a few yards in some places. The smell was much, much worse. Coal soot hung in the air, mixing with the dampness in this particularly wet summer. The product of the soot and damp made for a clinging, cloying smog hanging like a pall over the streets and alleys that made up this chosen city of residence.

The additional stench helped to make this part of the city a miserable place to exist for the majority. Sewage and rotting slaughter waste were regular aromas. Little wonder at the population of rats, they thrived. The air just a few feet above their level was almost too thick to breathe.

Fog enveloped shapes and absorbed the little illumination given off by the gas street lamps. Figures loomed into view suddenly or were just as swift to disappear. To be certain of recognition, a person would have to be almost on top of another – unless there was another means of identifying them.


http://hubpages.com/_q25q6vnifnnh/hub/Cruel-and-Unusual-Release-Date