I’ve been radio silent here during October, but that doesn’t mean it was an uneventful month. Quite the contrary. It was busy during spooky season. I watched horror movies I haven’t previously seen and developed an appreciation for the genre. In all, I watched Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Fright Night, Trick r Treat, Maximum Overdrive, Mr. Crocket, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Doctor Sleep, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Sleepaway Camp, Halloween, It: Chapter One, It: Chapter Two, The Thing, Child’s Play, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dracula (1931), Carved, Lair of the White Worm, Candyman, Hellraiser, Phantasm, They Live, The Amityville Horror, The Fog, Dawn of the Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Conjuring, The Mist, House of 1,000 Corpses, and From Beyond.
That’s a helluva lot of horror.
For the record, I wasn’t into horror when I was younger. I didn’t like being scared. I got nightmares. And anxiety. So horror movies weren’t fun for me as a kid. But as an adut I’ve embraced the genre for the creativity, the rawness,and how horror taps into our primal fears and makes us less afraid. That’s right! Horror can make us braver when we confront our fears in the real world.
The absolute glut of horror films in October gave me ideas for my own writing. There were some true masterpeices of the genre on that list that I wouldn’t mind watching again.
Award for The Ocean Hugs Hard
My novel The Ocean Hugs Hard won second place in two categories in the BookFest Awards: Horror – Psychological and Mystery – Supernatural. Absolutely chuffed at receiving this honor for that weird little book about a secret cult and a decadent sea god in a Jersey Shore town.
Blood Family is with the Publisher
I submitted my next novel, Blood Family, to Shadow Spark Publishing. Lordy, am I exhausted. Writing and editing a book is a lesson in patience, time mangement, and discipline. But she’s done. Now I’m going over details for the cover. I had a great artist, Greg Chapman work on the cover. Preorders for Blood Family will go live Nov. 15 with a Dec. 15 street date.
Blood Family is Book 3 of The Martyr’s Vow series, and continues Armand “Tark” Tarkanian’s adventures. This time, Armand and his girlfriend Vonnie must fight wolfmen, an overzealous monster slayer, and an Armenian vampire. There’s plenty of Armenian folklore, customs, and family trauma as well.
New story planned
The ink hasn’t dried on the contract yet, but I’m writing a short story that will be included in an anthology in 2025. it’s about dreams…and nightmares. But mostly nightmares. Stay tuned.
Philcon is coming
I will be appearing at Philcon in Cherry Hill, NJ from Nov. 22 to Nov. 24. I’ve got a reading planned and will sign autographs and sell books. Yes, you can meet me! In person! The horror! Mark your calendars. More details soon.
Eric Avedissian 