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Double Trouble in film noir flick “The Dark Mirror”
One of my ongoing writing projects is a novel that riffs on the premise of a pair of female twins, one good, one evil. I’m aware this is well-worn territory in thrillers, and was happy to recently discover the 1947 film “The Dark Mirror”, which operates in the same space. (It’s free on youtube.) As…
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Horrorrevolution reviews “What Waits in the Shadows”
Just got word of a new review for my novel at the web site horrorrevolution. I’ll give a teaser here, but click here to read it in full. A story about myths, monsters, and the unescapable monstrosity of man, What Waits in the Shadows is an excellent book that plays off of common childhood fears…
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Nights of Horror
I’m in between edits on book number two and am trying to wash my brain out by writing a new short story which is tied to the subject of comics books from the 50s-60s. During some research (yes, I occasionally do research) I stumbled across mention of a strange comic from the 50s called “Nights…
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Thoughts on AI #1 – Is AI Training theft?
WARNING: THIS IS LONG AND BORING AND FULL OF TECH STUFF (Well, not that much actually.) There’s been a lot of discussion lately on the topic of what’s called generative AI, which is the term de jour for artificial intelligence software creating “art”, e.g. fiction, visual arts, animation and video and whatnot. (Technically, it would…
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Great review for “Arithmophobia”
I’ve mentioned in a few places that the short story “Solve for X” I wrote for the recently released anthology “Arithmophobia: An Anthology of Mathematical Horror” has a special place in my heart. I was really heartened that a reviewer for the web site The Horror Revolution picked up on what I was trying to…
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Bibliophilia Templum reviews “What Waits in the Shadows”
The website, run by a fellow John Saul fan, has kind words for my new novel. I cannot say enough good things about this incredible novel. It has elements of psychological horror, supernatural horror, and suspense—so much suspense and tension. What Waits in the Shadows is a shelf-worthy, 5-star, highly recommended chilling horror read that…
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The Fear of Strangers (in “Fear” and “Greta”)
If you’re a highly successful horror author loved by millions, it’s good to be aware of the different fears that percolate through the human psyche. Or, if you’re me, an author who’s royalties from today paid for about a third of my cup of coffee (and this is a good day), well, it’s still a…
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World Premier of my Animation “Creepwalking”
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Where is the Line for Plagiarism?
I ask this question because plagiarism is in the news lately. Harvard’s President recently lost her job after being accused of plagiarism in her academic work. I’ve been thinking more about plagiarism as it relates to AI tools like ChatGPT that have been trained on existing human writing. Several authors like Sarah Silverman have sued…
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Writing Tip of the Prose (Ha Ha) # 2459 – Google Ngram Viewer
I recently posted a couple of paragraphs of an in-progress short story for online critique and received some interesting comments back. One reader found it weird that my early thirties POV character used the word “philandering” and the phrase “grassy knoll.” I’m still not sure what to make of that. One thought: is “grassy knoll”…
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Black Mass: Film Noir Classic “Storm Warning” and the Grim Fate of Steve Cochran
Years ago, I developed an interest in film noir movies and viewed many classics of the genre like “Double Indemnity”, “Touch of Evil”, “Notorious” and even neo-noirs like “Chinatown” and Brian De Palma’s “Sisters” (fun and kooky with gorgeous Margo Kidder!) More recently, I’ve been seeking some lesser known noirs and so, a few months…
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Review of 1988 TV remake of “I Saw What You Did”
Some of my first viewings of classic horror movies of the 50s and 60s (I’m talking about flicks like “Them” and “The Blob”) occurred because of a TV show that played on Sunday evenings in Honolulu where I grew up. I can’t remember the program’s name, but it was hosted by a talking skull (that…
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No Humans Required: Exploring the Possibility of Computer Generated Fiction
I hope to soon do a deep dive into my contrarian thoughts on the topic using AI to write novels. (Short version: the tech isn’t there yet but I’m not opposed to the idea in principle.) For now, I’m presenting a (lightly edited) reprint of an article I did several years ago at the blog…
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My horror novel “What Waits in the Shadows” is now at Amazon
Just in case it’s not clear from the numerous other places on this site that I’ve announced it, my horror novel “What Waits in the Shadows” is now available at Amazon.com. (Kindle eBook format only right now; paper coming soon.) I plan to blog a bit about the writing process etc. later but for now,…
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The Three Investigators, Forgotten Heroes of Horror?
Lately I’ve been questioning what got me interested in the horror genre. Was it the numerous Alfred Hitchcock suspense films like Rebecca, Rear Window and Vertigo my mother took me to when I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s? Was it reading collections of ghost stories like The Dynamite Book of Ghosts and…