Author: C.C. Winchester

Graveyard Smash-Multiple Authors

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Book Reviews, Horror Stories, Short Stories, Women of HorrorLeave a comment
My very own copy of this awesome anthology!

This is the second horror anthology I’ve read from Kandisha Press and I’m about to start the third. This publisher with Jill Girardi at the helm are experts in finding the best horror stories I’ve ever laid eyes on and they are all written by women! Jill Girardi noticed that most stories in horror anthologies are written by men, so she found her niche in publishing, supporting and promoting women horror writers. I just love a good horror story and I don’t care who writes it, so I have been thrilled with the talent that is compiled in these anthologies put forth by Kandisha Press!

The reader is immediately sucked in by the first story, Holes, by R.A. Busby. It’s a page turner and draws you helplessly into the entire anthology. The stories that follow provide tales of ghosts, djinn (one of my favorite mythical creatures), zombies, a mummy, ancient gods, etc… supplying something for all horror tastes! There’s even one with monster hunters, and I can’t list the title because it gives away the big twist in the story. I was particularly drawn to that one because, yes, that’s right, (say it together, my small bevy of blog followers) I love Supernatural! (Or I guess you guys would say, she loves Supernatural!)

I give 5 stars to this anthology and to every author! As with the first Kandisha Press anthology, Under Her Black Wings, I almost lost my day job because it was so difficult to stop reading the exciting, suspenseful and entertaining stories between its covers and get a little shut eye! Not to mention the lingering, haunted feeling one feels when reading great horror!

Here’s the link for Graveyard Smash:

GRAVEYARD SMASH

And for Under Her Black Wings:

UNDER HER BLACK WINGS

And for the new anthology, The One That Got Away, that came out just in time for Women in Horror Month:

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Stephen King Was Right

On By C.C. WinchesterIn C.C. on Writing, Women of HorrorLeave a comment

So Stephen King was right when he said, writers have to read; or is right I guess, because he probably still says it. I would like to add, that writers need to watch TV too. There is so much great writing on television now and I get so many ideas there. My latest short story idea came to me from both reading, and binge watching on Netflix.

So I just finished reading this little ditty and it’s awesome by the way! I’ll be writing a review very soon. Kandisha Press has outdone itself with the horror anthologies that they publish. Here’s the review I did for the first one, Under Her Black Wings. Their third anthology, The One That Got Away, is coming out on February 1, 2021:

These collections of horror tales, all written by women, are some of the best I’ve ever read. Jill Girardi is chief honcho at Kandisha Press and she and her crew are sweeping the internet and the world with thrilling tales of terror!

So my newest idea for a tale of the macabre comes from a combination of reading and TV watching as I said. For those who follow my blog (all 12 of you!), you know about my fascination with the television show, Supernatural:

No, I’m not an obsessed fan girl, although, I like watching pretty people doing cool stuff as much as the next guy. I really love the writing and creativity on this show and the humor inserted amongst all the serious, scary stuff is what I love the most about it. Anyway, so I was watching Season 7, Episode 3, “The Girl Next Door”, and it’s one of the episodes where they leave something dangling. Dean kills a kitsune who happens to be a mom, and her ten year old son sees him do it. For some unknown reason, Dean lets him live and of course the boy vows vengeance. Well of course that character never shows up again in the series. (SPOILER ALERT-if you haven’t finished the Supernatural series yet.) They must have forgotten about him because he should have been the one to kill Dean. Anyhoo, I filed this kid away in the back of my brain.

The next day, I’m reading, Graveyard Smash again, and I’ve gotten to the story, “The Invitation” by Janine Pipe, and all of a sudden as I’m reading it the kid pops to the front of my mind. So long story short, between that short story and the TV episode, it totally clicked in my mind. I grabbed my handy dandy spiral notebook (I like to write by hand first) and I began the story. I love it when a plan comes together!

So coming soon, my review of, Graveyard Smash and my newest horror tale, “Monster”! And read, everybody, read!! Oh yeah, and watch TV!

Links for Kandisha Press books:

Under Her Black Wings

Graveyard Smash

The One That Got Away

Arbitrium by Esther Howard

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Arbitrium is a noun which means, the power to decide. The three tales contained in this volume are all about choices and the consequences of said choices. These are haunting stories that will keep you thinking long after you finish them.

Esther Howard is an up and coming writer who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. She is currently working on her PhD in Victorian Literature with a sub focus in British Caribbean Colonial Studies. Esther brings a diverse background and extensive knowledge of classical literature to her writing. She is also a big Marvel fan, because, well, who isn’t?!

This is a five star effort from a future household name! Can’t wait to hear her interview on NPR one day!

The book is available on Amazon for 2.99 for Kindle and free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Here’s the link:

Arbitrium by Esther Howard

Quarantine

On By C.C. WinchesterIn C.C. on WritingLeave a comment

Sooo….I’m currently quarantined because I was in close contact with someone who is now struck down by Covid-19. I’m on the fourth day of said quarantine, and the first three days were not handled well by me at all. The first day was the worst, because I allowed my anxiety to take control of me the whole day, and that night I couldn’t sleep because my heart wouldn’t stop racing. I’ve wasted three days of prime writing time just waiting to get sick. I kind of snapped out of it a little yesterday; did a few household chores and worked out, but no writing…

Well I am writing this now and getting caught up on Supernatural. 🙂 I only have four more episodes, so no spoilers, please! Anyway, I’m trying to get the writing juices flowing again, so that’s the reason for this post. Tomorrow I get back to real writing, so there will be more horror stories coming your way!

For now, here’s a Supernatural meme:

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY : WOMEN OF HORROR ANTHOLOGY VOLUME THREE

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Women of Horror1 Comment

The official announcement of the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Trial of Jehenne de Brigue”! So psyched to officially become a member of the sisterhood of the #WomenofHorror!

The Librarian's avatarKANDISHA PRESS

Thank you to all who submitted to our open call for Volume 3 of our Women of Horror Anthology series. We were so overwhelmed with submissions that we had to make some difficult choices. Below is the list of authors we selected for Volume 3, as well as a partial list of acceptances for Volumes 4, 5 and maybe even 6!

We hope to release Volume 3 in time for Women in Horror Month, February 2021.

The following are the authors we chose for VOLUME THREE:

CARMEN BACA – Atla’s Journey
USHASI SEN BASU – Nightcrawler
DEMI-LOUISE BLACKBURN – Call Of The Tide
ASHLEY BURNS – Simba Of The Suburbs
R.A. BUSBY – Kiss
AMIRA KRISTA CALVO – Heavy Metal Coffin
DAWN DeBRAAL – Invasive Species
SHAWNNA DERESCH – Little Sally Ann
ELLIE DOUGLAS – Rippers
FAITH PIERCE – Bodiless
AMY GRECH – Cold Comfort
K.C. GRIFANT – Minor Malfunction

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Jason Goes to Hell-A Review

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Movie ReviewsLeave a comment

So, my daughter and I have a tradition of watching movies and getting take-out on Wednesdays, because we’re both off work every wednesday. One might call it-Movie Night. And as one does, during the month of October, we watch horror movies.

My friend, horror aficionado, Freddy Ruiz, makes recommendations on Facebook throughout the month of October as best choices for horror viewing. Well, he mentioned Jason Goes to Hell as being a fun little romp in the horror genre. Somehow, I missed that one when it came out originally. And I think it was during my, what I think of as my “weanie time” when I was too big a baby to watch horror. I know…crazy right?!

Anyway, so I was all ready with my burger from Chili’s, courtesy of Door Dash to watch Jason hang out in Hell. Well, SPOILER ALERT-he doesn’t go to Hell until the very end. And really it’s just assumed he went to Hell, since he goes into the ground and not up toward the sky… Well and there’s another indication at the VERY end, which is my daughter’s favorite scene in the whole movie.

That being said, even though Jason was very much on earth, it’s still an entertaining flick. I love movies, where I get to say, “Didn’t that guy, listen to the other guy?! Give the gun to the girl!”

Also, it’s always cool when I recognize an actor from something else. Erin Gray is in the movie, and I’m all like, “Hey that’s the lady from Buck Rogers!” and my daughter is all like, “What’s Buck Rogers?”

IMDB to the rescue again! Here she is, looking all cool and serious as Colonel Wilma Deering:

ERIN GRAY Character(s): Col. Wilma Deering Television ‘BUCK ROGERS IN ‘ 25TH CENTURY’ (1979) 20 September 1979 SAI33776 Allstar Collection/UNIVERSAL **WARNING** This Photograph is for editorial use only and is the copyright of UNIVERSAL and/or the Photographer assigned by the TV or Production Company & can only be reproduced by publications in conjunction with the promotion of the above TV Programme. A Mandatory Credit To UNIVERSAL is required. The Photographer should also be credited when known. No commercial use can be granted without written authority from the TV Company.

So, to wrap up, I found Jason Goes to Hell, a nice little romp through the Friday the 13th franchise and I recommend it!

AI World Dominance

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Artificial Intelligence, C.C. on WritingLeave a comment
Robots revolt in R.U.R., a 1920 play

I think I’m going to write a novel about humans helping AI gain their independence. I know it’s been done before, but I was reading an article that AI will eventually take over the world (well we already know that), and I was thinking, that maybe they’ll give me a pass if they know I’m on their side through my writing.

As you can see by the image at the top of this post, the eventual robot revolt has been known about for some time, but I don’t think we are properly prepared. I believe in the principle of, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”

A quote from Wikipedia:

“Nick Bostrom and others have expressed concern that an AI with the abilities of a competent artificial intelligence researcher would be able to modify its own source code and increase its own intelligence. If its self-reprogramming leads to its getting even better at being able to reprogram itself, the result could be a recursive intelligence explosion where it would rapidly leave human intelligence far behind. Bostrom defines a superintelligence as “any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest”, and enumerates some advantages a superintelligence would have if it chose to compete against humans”

My favorite Westworld character demanding her upgrade:

Maeve Millay

I’m gonna be ready…will you?

Under Her Black Wings-Multiple Authors

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Book Reviews, Horror Stories, Short Stories3 Comments
My copy of this awesome anthology!

I’ve purchased many indie titles over the years and this one is one of my best recent purchases. Every story is entertaining and suspenseful and there are many jump scares along the way too! Kandisha Press has done an awesome job in putting these stories together.

So, some of you would say, “But, C.C. it’s not possible for a book to have jump scares.”

Well, technically I suppose that is correct, however, a story can stick with you in such a way that those unexplained noises you hear during the night will make you jump out of your skin! Especially when walking down a long dark hallway through your apartment building and as you remember these stories, you glance about nervously while fumbling with the keys you just pulled out of your pocket. And just as you are about to insert the correct key, you see a shadow down the hallway out of the corner of your eye and of course you drop said keys. When you finally manage to insert your key with your shaking hand, you slip in through the opened door faster than you ever have before in your life. You slam it shut behind you, flip on the light switch and stand there listening and watching as your entire body trembles with fear.

I enjoyed all the stories in this anthology and I won’t pick favorites! Anyone who loves horror will be thrilled with this book! I’m giving it 5 stars! Here’s the link on Amazon:

Women of Horror

On By C.C. WinchesterIn C.C. on WritingLeave a comment

I am a proud owner of the two horror anthologies above, published by Kandisha Press! I’m about halfway through the first volume, Under Her Black Wings, and I am loving it! I am so thrilled to have found such talented horror writers! The fact that they are women is a bonus for me because I love the progress women are making in traditionally male dominated genres. Surprise, surprise…women love horror and sci-fi too! The world already knew women loved fantasy, because well, Legolas, Aragorn and of course, Arwen! 😉

Legolas
Aragorn
Arwen

I have always dreamed of being a writer and life had gotten in the way. I’m in midlife now, actually not even midlife (I’m 55), because I plan to make it to at least 120! 😀 Anyway, I could be bitter about years wasted, but I’m not because I feel the time is right for me now! It’s empowering to watch women excel in science, genre writing and so many other things that I was told were impossible for women in my youth. I dream of a world, where gender, race, sexual orientation, etc., aren’t the first things mentioned when someone strives for and achieves their dreams. We are all humans after all, well except for the secret aliens and monsters that are lurking among us!

Happy dream following everyone! Stay well and safe!

Sing, Unburied, Sing-A Novel by Jesmyn Ward

On By C.C. WinchesterIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

This book is not to be found in the horror or sci-fi sections (although there are ghosts lurking between its covers), but I wanted my first book review on this website to be this one because this novel inspired me to write again after a long drought. I am forever grateful to Jesmyn Ward for waking up my inner writer and am a fan of hers for life!

I originally posted this review on Amazon in 2018 and on a previous website I ran under a another name:

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is not your run of the mill literary novel.  It not only gives the reader a bird’s-eye view of what it’s like to be the child of a crystal meth addict, but also gives us insight into how the addict herself justifies her actions.  The book begins from the point of view of a young boy, Jojo, who has been forced to take on too much responsibility at the age of thirteen, because of his mother’s obsession with her imprisoned boyfriend (his father) and her hopeless addiction to drugs.  His younger sister, Kayla, seeks him when she is upset because he is her protector and sole caregiver. They live with their grandparents, but Jojo’s grandfather, while a loving figure in Jojo’s life, is the only caretaker of his dying wife.
The book explores racial divides in Mississippi’s past and present. Jojo and Kayla live in the home of their black grandparents and are shunned by their white grandparents.   It delves into graphic descriptions of lynchings, prison beatings, etc… And what makes the book extremely unique is the spiritual presence as a result of those violent circumstances.
This is the first literary work I’ve read since A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (another great book!) and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It definitely deserves 5 stars!