Words and Whispers

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright – Jan Wayne Fields

He rarely left that desk.

For years, he ensorcelled the public with haunting stories spawned from his imagination yet refused to bask in the brilliance of his fame.

Some dismissed it as cheap tactic, speculating that there was no single mysterious author but a group of ghost writers.

Fans camped outside his fortress. The media met only with agents of glib tongues and swollen pockets.

They said he answered to disembodied whispers.

His last words were jumbled letters carved into the ancient desk, engraved into emaciated flesh…

Indecipherable, except for the words: “Free us” penned shakily in sick, diluted blood.

Advertisement

Visitors

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright-Björn Rudberg

Beneath the aching moon, she sighs
as I read the poetry of her thighs…
Fingernail tracing syllables,
I tap on her fragile spot
and the veins beneath her skin become visible
like cracks on glass.
Once severed, they’re like moist lips, gaping, sputtering…
as if dying to say something.

I peel her body from the floor.
Her head adorns the door
like a grotesque knocker,
mouth agape in a perpetual roar,
as if to ward off visitors.

Still, they come pouring in,
intrigued by my chalk-white skin
and the euphoric sting…
Lonely, desperate souls
gutting the night with their screams.

Thank you, Padmini!

Thank you, Padmini, for finding time to share 100 Nightmares on your blog. Thank you for the kind words as well. 🙂

See her post here (join blog blast here)

Padmini writes poetry, short fiction, haiku and haibun.
Occasionally, she also writes 100-word stories for Friday Fictioneers.
You can find some of her works in online haibun and haiku journals.

I was really touched because even though we rarely have time to visit each other’s blogs these days, she’s here to lend me a hand when I need it. Awww. I really did meet a lot of wonderful people through this blog. ❤

Visit her at http://call2read.com/

Thank you, Hala!

Thank you, Hala, for volunteering to join the Blog Blast for 100 Nightmares. 🙂

Read her post here (join blog blast here)

Hala J Subaiti is a recent follower of my blog… a lady with a snarky sense of humor and a penchant for impressive libraries (we definitely have that in common) 🙂

I met Hala through Friday Fictioneers. Her blog http://thecrookedtrident.wordpress.com/ is where she writes flash fiction, drabbles and six word stories.

Hala also has another blog dedicated to sharing and discussing identity as well as travel stories. She shares random tidbits of Lebanese life and wisdom gained from life experiences in growing up outside her own culture. Visit her at http://tricultured.wordpress.com/ Thanks again! 🙂 🙂

***
a brief message:
Guys, thank you, for all the support that I’m getting for my Blog Blast. Don’t forget to like my FB page https://www.facebook.com/100Nightmares
And to answer a question, your blog doesn’t have to be on WordPress to join. other places are fine 🙂 tumblr is ok too. Thanks again! 🙂 xoxo K.Z.

Thank you, Dawn!

Thank you, Dawn for sharing 100 Nightmares on your blog. 🙂

Read her post here (join the blog blast here)

Dawn Miller is a wonderful writer. I like the honesty in her storytelling. Her writing really speaks to the reader and you’ll find that there are just some of her stories that you can oddly relate with. She’s very good at that.

But more than that, Dawn is also a brilliant photographer. Look around her blog http://lingeringvisions.wordpress.com/ and feast your eyes on gorgeous photographs of nature, architecture and so much more.

Dawn has a wonderful way of combining images with words. But there are some of her photographs that manage to tell a story by themselves. She’s a very prolific blogger and joins a lot of photo challenges. She even hosts her own monthly photo challenge A Lingering Look at Architecture and a weekly photo challenge A Lingering Look at Windows.

Thank you, Patricia!

Thank you, Patricia, for generously sharing 100 Nightmares on your blog.

Read her post here

Patricia writes for the simple pleasure of doing it… truly the best reason to write. 🙂

I really like Patricia. She’s one of the first bloggers here at WordPress who had left an impression on me. I think she’s a truly beautiful and brave woman.

Check out her blog http://highfiveandraspberries.wordpress.com/ where she posts haiku, haibun and short fiction.

Her haiku has always been one of my favorites back in my Carpe Diem days and I hope to be writing haiku again one of these days. 🙂 but oh, you ABSOLUTELY have to check out her weekly 100-word stories for Friday Fictioneers. Her contributions to FF are consistently amazing, no matter what genre. For me, she’s certainly one of the best in the group.

Turn Around

Copyright-John Nixon

Every day, the sky is a cauldron churning with hell’s wrath.

Every night, the stars watch my back like a constellation of vengeful eyes.

A voice hisses through the trees. “Turn around.”

I don’t.

The ligneous limbs reach for me.

“Turn around.” The voice mimics my wife’s.

I gaze ahead, not knowing who or what’s behind me…

“Turn around, daddy.”

I stop.

I’ve forgotten what she looked like… why we were so ashamed of her… why we felt the need to bury her ugliness in these woods.

I’ve been walking for a long time.

Maybe it’s time to turn around…

Thank you, Isadora!

Isadora has generously offered to share my upcoming book, 100 Nightmares, in her blog sites.

Read her posts here and here

Thank you, Isadora, for supporting the blog blast. 🙂

Isadora De La Vega is an artist and an award winning jeweler exhibited in over 200 galleries all over the United States including Puerto Rico. She is also a writer and a photographer—a truly inspiring, multi-talented woman.

Every week, Isadora wows me with her contributions to various weekly photo challenges.

Visit Isadora’s art and photography blog at http://isadoraartandphotography.com/ and her other blog at http://insidethemindofisadora.com/ where she posts her musings and other beautiful and motivating things.

Blog Tour Interview: My Writing Process

My friend, Adam Ickes, invited me to join the Blog Tour Interview!! (read his post here)

Adam’s twitter & Adam’s FB Page

Of course I said yes. 🙂

Actually, I’m supposed to be doing this next Monday but there’s been some sort of misunderstanding I chose to misunderstand the whole thing because today, my blog stats are like way up. I do believe someone’s been stalking me. (Hi, mom! Please tell me it’s not you.) 🙂

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you guys that Adam’s book, 100 tiny tales of terror is currently free on Amazon. Get it while it’s free! But please write a review when you can. Reviews are very important to writers. 🙂

Anyway, thank you again, Adam, for giving me this opportunity to create a random post and to talk about myself. I miss connecting with my readers and I know for the past several months I’ve been posting only twice a week (for Friday Fictioneers and for the Photo Challenge) and that I’ve fallen into this pattern… Still, I’m really thankful for everyone’s support.Thank you to those who visit my blog regularly to read my fiction and view my photos. I appreciate your presence. 🙂

Question #1: What am I working on?

I should be working on a beach ready body. It’s almost summertime here and the sea is calling me. I should be packing my bags and booking a flight… My family wants me to go with them to Japan this April. But for a while, I’m going to have to put all that aside for the love of writing. I’m not complaining. 🙂

You all know I’ve been promoting my new book, 100 Nightmares, like crazy. And though I suck at selling myself, I have to at least try…

Because the book doesn’t suck. I believe in it. I worked hard. The artists worked hard.

I want it to be out there BADLY… bad enough to even pass on the chance to be a part of some really awesome anthologies…

My own book. This is my DREAM. I’ve dreamt of this since I was a kid. The only difference is that I thought I’d be writing romance novels instead of horror stories. I actually thought I’d start writing fiction when I retire… when I’m old enough to have people take me seriously.

But I’m doing this right now. In my 20’s. On my own. Self-published. 🙂 I want this.

That’s why I’m really grateful to everyone who joined my Blog Blast for 100 Nightmares, to those who liked my FB Page, and to you, because you’re reading this right now. 🙂

About the book

100 Nightmares is a book that consists of 100 stories, each written in exactly 100 words. Less than 20% of the stories have been posted on this blog. And 16% have been previously published in anthologies, magazines and online venues. The rest are all new.

I’d like to describe it as a wicked concoction of classic horror, bizarre stories, fractured fairy tales, murderers and monsters– both imagined and real. It’s an illustrated ebook with drawings from four different artists, including a couple of my brother’s artworks.

Initially, I wanted it to be “100 stories, 100 words, 100 illustrations” but as I’m being pretty selective with the illustrations (and some stories simply work better without visuals) I’ll probably end up with just a few. (I’ll update you on the number of illustrations). The release will be this April.

The brilliant cover art, by the way, was created by Dan Verkys.

Question #2: How does my work differ from others of its genre?

All writers have a unique voice. But unlike others, I didn’t grow up loving all things horror. In fact, when I was a kid, I AVOIDED all things horror.
Horror is something that I’ve started exploring just recently and falling in love with it was the last thing that I expected. What makes me different is the fact that I’m not heavily influenced by mainstream horror. Whatever nightmares I write on page was conceived in my own mind, from my deepest darkest imaginings.

Neil Gaiman, H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker and Edgar Allan Poe are some of the writers that I admire the most. They have huge influences on my writing, for sure. But I think, in order for horror to be effective, being honest is enough. Horror is after all, merely a reflection of real life. Everyone can relate to it. And no matter how you say that you dislike the genre or that it’s not your thing, it still keeps pulling you in, piquing your curiosity, turning into your guilty pleasure.

Question #3: Why do I write what I do?

Writing helps keep me sane. Simple as that. 🙂

But why do I write horror? Because it’s easy for me to write horror. I like that I don’t have to force it. Ideas just keep hemorrhaging inside my head. That’s why I came up with the idea for 100 Nightmares. It’s my way of relieving the increased intracranial pressure. 😉

Question #4: How does your writing process work?

Tough question.

I really don’t force myself to write. I write when I feel like it. And when I find the time… Like everything, it all starts with a silly idea. Wouldn’t it be cool/ sad/ horrible if… And then I start writing and then the story just reveals itself. When I reach a certain amount of words, that’s when I know I’ve come too far to turn back. Like if I don’t finish it, the half-formed monstrosities are gonna murder me in my sleep. ^^ So I finish the story even if it sucks. And then it sucks until it doesn’t.

I’ve also found writing prompts to be extremely helpful. I’m lazy, that’s why. I need the push. That’s why I love Friday Fictioneers so much. The word limit also helps in honing the participants’ editing skills.

I started writing fiction on this blog. Like, a year ago, if I’m not mistaken… and I have my friend, the Pirate, to thank for that. He saw something in me and kept encouraging me to write. I’ll always remember him for that.

I mentioned before that this was supposed to be fashion blog! haha 🙂 🙂 I was going to post photos of myself in various designer outfits. LOL 🙂 🙂 🙂
But I like this. I like that I have you as an audience. I like that you’re here. And I like how this blog has helped me grow. 🙂

Okay, now it’s time to pass the blog baton to this lovely lady…

Armed with a useless liberal arts degree, Riya Anne Polcastro is a student of human behavior and a conduit for raw words. A long-time resident of the Pacific Northwest, Polcastro aims to join the ranks of great Oregon writers. http://www.riyaannepolcastro.com

Riya’s Facebook & Riya’s Twitter

Be sure to check out her post next Monday. Better yet, visit her blog today 🙂

xoxo

K.Z. ❤

Thank you, David!

Thank you, David, for volunteering to join the Blog Blast for 100 Nightmares. I really appreciate it.

Read his post here

If you like good fiction, go to David Stewart’s page. David’s writing is stellar! What I admire about him is that his stories are always so imaginative and he’s never afraid to experiment with new styles.

David’s short story, “Giselle” is available on Smashwords and other places. I’ve read it. I loved it. The plot was very engaging. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, time travel, sprinkled with just the right amount of romance, you’ll love it too!

Visit David’s blog at http://greenwalledtower.wordpress.com/ where he posts stories, photos, and more