“But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee…”
– from “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
I realized that I have new followers. Hello!!! And if you’ve been following my blog for a while now, thank you ❤ ❤ I know I have an About Me page and you’ve probably already read that. But I’d love to be reacquainted. So, here goes…
My name is K.Z. Morano.
All I want for Christmas is a pet dragon and a time machine.
Will Work For chocolate.
A real woman is strong and wears her battle scars with style.
My strangeness is the sexiest thing about me.
I have a passion for life, and for all things weird and wonderful.
My art is about telling stories that would make most people uncomfortable but at the same time encourage them to appreciate the beauty in dark fiction… to allow them to recognize that horror is an inevitable part of life and that it’s not something to run away from. Horror fiction is beautiful in such a way that it captures people’s capacity for love and hope and courage. It shows people’s will to survive under seemingly impossible circumstances. In the end, horror shows you how precious life is and it leaves you with the question of how hard are you willing to fight just to cling to life.
I take inspiration from life.
My heroes are my favorite writers: H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Neil Gaiman, and Clive Barker because they showed me the beauty in horror.
In my free time, I write dark and disturbing things, curl up with a book, spend time in the kitchen cooking, hang out with my grandma to bake cupcakes or to get our manis and pedis done, oh… and I shop… a lot. 😉
My life is crazy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
The thought of a good breakfast inspires me to get up in the morning. lol What can I say… I have a healthy appetite. 🙂
The most important thing to me right now is reconnecting with myself.
My number one nemesis is procrastination. It’s a disease and it’s contagious. That’s why I love surrounding myself with people who are productive and passionate about their craft. I love hearing about other people’s success stories. I’m not the kind of girl who gets envious of other people’s achievements (and if I sense that someone is that type, I try to stay away from them). I look at it this way: Their dreams came true; therefore, mine can too.
When I’m feeling lonely, I watch old black and white Hollywood movies to cheer myself up.
The combination of cruelty and ignorance scares the shit out of me.
The most challenging experience I’ve ever had was working with impoverished patients at the pediatric intensive care unit during my days as a volunteer. I worked with children that had very slim chances of survival. It was difficult not to get emotionally involved. In the hospital, you witness everything… the beginning of life, the end of life. It can be beautiful. It can be terrifying. And it’s most certainly challenging.
Having a well-nourished imagination is my secret to happiness.
My most awesome health tip: be meticulous about the food that you eat. Do your research, check food labels, and personally examine the source of your meat and vegetables. I enjoy preparing my own food from scratch. 🙂
I have an unhealthy obsession with pink.
The greatest thing I’ve ever learned is to love and be loved in return. Okay, I totally stole that one from Moulin Rouge, my favorite film. 🙂
I believe in fairy tales. Sure, sometimes I have to slay my own ogres… and sometimes, in the absence of a fairy godmother, I have to rely on my own magic… Still, I believe that I have the power to write my happy ever after.
I feel really sexy when I’m in water.
My ideal wedding is an elopement.
The most daring thing I’ve ever done was to run after a thief. I was a student then and I was wearing my gym class uniform and running shoes and for some reason it made me feel like I was a total bad-ass.lol
Now that I think about it, it was quite a stupid thing to do and it could’ve cost me my life. 😀 Anyway, a couple of guys tried to help and ran after him too but we didn’t catch him…
I really wish I had more time to blog and to visit other people’s blogs. I miss a lot of my blogger friends. Still, I’m very grateful to those who continue to support me despite my frequent absence.
I feel beautiful when I’m happy.
My favorite body part/s are my hands and my feet. They’re small and dainty and blemish-free but that doesn’t mean that I’m weak and idle. On the contrary, these feet have been to places and these hands have created a lot of things and have done a lot of hard work.
My style icons are Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel.
My fashion style is bohemian chic. I love tunics, chunky jewelry, denim vests, dresses with bold and eye-catching prints, tunics, hats, cardis, and one-of-a-kind purses. But I refuse to be categorized into a particular fashion personality. Sometimes, I enjoy rocking an edgy look—leather and studs– or an eccentric vibe—I adore Betsey Johnson… and sometimes, I prefer classics– I also love Kate Spade. Chloe, Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Burberry.
I think shoes are important because with the right shoes, a woman can be anywhere that she wants to be.
My favorite scent is Romance by Ralph Lauren/ Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue/ Lanvin Eclat D’ Arpege / Thierry Mugler Innocent / Marc Jacobs Daisy/ Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush/ Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede/ Jo Malone Basil and Neroli/ Burberry Sheer
I’m attracted to people who are passionate about the things that they do.
I write about strange things and anything that catches my fancy. I write about love, about fear, about people’s capacity for good and evil. I write about monsters—both imagined and real. My first story collection, 100 Nightmares, covered everything from ghosts and psychos to dark fairy tales and bizarre creatures in Japanese folklore.
A short message from me to you:
You’re only as beautiful as you believe yourself to be. ❤ Never forget your worth. ❤ It’s okay to ask for more. ❤ Dream. ❤ It’s never too late to write your own fairy tale. ❤ Strive to be original. ❤ Value your friendships. ❤ Speak up. ❤ Listen. ❤ Find your style and own it. ❤
xo K.Z.
Happy Halloween!!! ❤ Allow me to celebrate this special day by sharing with you ten of my favorite horror/dark fantasy short stories. My tastes range from quiet horror to splatter. Well, they don’t call me the Eclectic Eccentric for nothing. 😉 It’s just a random list, really, and I can list down at least 90 more. I initially wanted to do a Top 100. Unfortunately, I’ve been super busy with this whole moving in thing. How are you planning on celebrating Halloween? Tonight, I’ll probably be at a family reunion, eating finger foods and feeling generally uncomfortable. The venue? The family’s mausoleum, of course. Not kidding. Anyway, here’s my “recommended reading” list. Enjoy! 🙂
“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe (1842)
read from the Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
Prince Prospero shuts himself in his abbey to avoid a fatal plague. In his masquerade ball, he receives an unwelcome guest. Read it online here
“The Yellow Sign” by Robert W. Chambers
read from The King in Yellow (1895)
In this story, the protagonist grows more and more disturbed by the presence of a churchyard watchman who resembles a worm. Read it online here
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)
This is a first-person tale about a woman’s descent to madness and her unsettling obsession with the yellow wallpaper. Read it online here
“The Vampyre” by John William Polidori (1819)
A young Englishman discovers the true nature of his friend.
Despite the fact that there are limitless variations of “the vampire”, not to mention a proliferation of modern bloodsucker stories out there, I really don’t read a lot of vampire tales. I think this kind of old-fashioned romantic yet remorseless portrayal of the bloodsucking fiend is the best.
“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” by M.R. James
read from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904)
The protagonist finds a whistle in a Templar ruin. He is later haunted by a strange figure coming towards him in the distance. Read it online here
“The Jar” by Ray Bradbury
read from The October Country (1955)
A poor farmer purchases a jar with something icky floating in it. The townsfolk come together to speculate about the nature of the thing inside the jar.
“The Midnight Meat Train” by Clive Barker
read from Books of Blood Volume One (1984)
The protagonist falls asleep on a New York City Subway train and discovers what’s at the end of the line.
“The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down” by Joe R. Lansdale
read from Steampunk edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer (2008)
The Traveler from H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine turns into a bloodthirsty monster.
Sure it’s classified as steampunk but you’ll encounter a great deal of horrors (and gore and dark humor) in this tale. Not for the easily offended/ grossed out.
“And Love shall Have no Dominion” by Livia Llewellyn. A demon falls on love with a human. Haunting, beautiful, heartbreaking… Reading this gave me chills and fever dreams. 😳 I read it in an anthology called Demons edited by John Skipp.*
“The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by H.P. Lovecraft
Classic Lovecraftian… slow, creeping horror, the exquisite torture done to a human’s fragile mind, and that agonizing descent ascent to madness…
Liked it so much that I wrote a gross and gritty, somewhat comedic horror tale inspired by it when I was invited to write for an erotic Lovecraftian anthology. Read Lovecraft’s novella here
“I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison (1967)
A super-computer designed for war kills off everyone except for four men and a woman.
This is actually a post-apocalyptic sci-fi short but I find it to be more terrifying than some horror stories out there.
Your turn! What are your favorite horror/dark fantasy short stories?
Hello! 🙂 I’m very proud to announce that my Gothic horror tale, “Hysteria” will make its debut in Gothic Tales of Terror by Verto Publishing. The antho will be released this October! Just in time for your pre-Halloween reading.
Love, tragedy, and the supernatural…
Gothic Tales of Terror is a collection of stories in the Victorian Gothic vein of Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelley. I’m glad I had the opportunity to channel my inner M.R. James in writing this story. 🙂
Meanwhile, check out the trailer on YouTube
xo
K.Z. ❤
The Eclectic Eccentric 