Guest Article: Indie Horror Fundraiser and Scholarship for Women in Horror by Andrew Fowlow, The Book Dad #HookonWiHM #WiHM

I have some exciting news and a really cool announcement for my fellow women in horror! There is an exciting project, headed by horror reviewer and freelance writer Andrew Fowlow, in which you can buy some super cool women in horror merchandise all for a great cause, in order to offer a scholarship and in-kind editing and marketing gifts to help a woman in horror pursue her writing and publication efforts, and beyond that, to help spread the word about the mighty power that is indie horror!

Andrew is here at Hook of a Book to introduce himself to us and explain the fundraiser and scholarship. Those of you who know me know that after my ten years in the genre as an editor, author, PR professional, and more in the horror genre that I wouldn’t be partnering with Andrew if I didn’t believe in his energy, enthusiasm, and heart for the community as well as his skills, drive, and desire to help others. As well, of course, I believe in his professional skills he’s honing not only as a freelance writer, but someone who is learning and excelling in the ropes of marketing. Andrew writes for various publications such as Lit Reactor and HorrorDNA, among others. The horror newsletter he’s recently started for the genre is amazing and sign-up MUST for anyone (you’ll find that link below).

And finally, I am really happy to see in the last few years the amount of men who are stepping up in horror to support women in horror. When we all support and respect one another, the community flourishes.

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Now that I’ve introduced Andrew, I’ll let him have the floor…..

Indie Horror Fundraiser and Scholarship for Women in Horror
by Andrew Fowlow, The Book Dad

If you don’t know me, my name is Andrew, otherwise known as ‘The Book Dad,’ and I am a reviewer of horror fiction. It is my intent to support those in the #HorrorCommunity anyway I can while on my literary journey to reading all things terrifying and suspenseful!

As you know, it’s #WiHM (Women in Horror Month) and I wanted to do something special for our ladies of the macabre! I created a RedBubble store with a few designs for folks to show off their love for HORROR FICTION! There are stickers, to be read (tbr) cart magnets, mugs, t-shirts, you name it.

Find it all at:

thebookdad.redbubble.com

Cool, right?

So, where does the money go?

Scholarship for a Woman in Horror!!

ALL MONEY EARNED IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH WILL GO TOWARDS A FEMALE HORROR WRITER TO HELP FUND THEIR NEXT PROJECT!!

I want to help a woman in horror get their book in readers’ hands. That could mean splurging on a fancy cover, getting a Horror Writer’s Association (HWA) membership, funding an audiobook, WHATEVER THEY WANT!

In addition, FREE EDITING PACKAGE:

The lovely Erin Al-Mehairi from Hook of a Book Media has graciously offered a free developmental and copy editing of a book 100k words or less (over is negotiable) for the chosen writer (with minor guidelines such as when the editing is negotiated for would be based on her current client schedule). This is a huge savings and you will receive an edit from a known and established editor in the genre.

In addition, also, FREE MARKETING PACKAGE:

I, The Book Dad, will also offer up my time to assist with the following:

✅ Marketing Strategies

✅ Full Media Kit

✅ Press Releases

✅ Newsletter

✅ Website/Landing Page

✅ Social Media Campaigns

I invite any female horror writer to email me: Andrewfowlow@gmail.com with their details and a brief pitch telling me what they are working on. Please, don’t be shy. I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Throughout the next two months, I will run a social media campaign to decide on a winner so keep watch. This will be a fun opportunity and I’m excited to connect with you all!

Again, if you don’t know me, that’s ok, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads or sign-up for my horror fiction newsletter for more content from those in the #HorrorCommunity.

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Thank you so much to Andrew for running with this idea to help a woman a horror. I’m happy to be a part of it and good luck! Get those pitches in to Andrew for consideration and watch social media for more about the giveaway.

Remember to showcase those women in horror you love each and every day!

#HookedOnPoetry: Shane Douglas Keene Shares His Original, Powerful Poetry #poetry @shanedkeene

Today I’m very pleased to introduce some original poetry from my longtime friend Shane Douglas Keene. Shane is a book reviewer, columnist, co-creator and editor of the site Ink Heist as well as a host of the podcast of same name. Not only has he given so much back to the horror and writing communities, but he’s a fiction writer and poet too.

Most recently Shane was part of Josh Malerman’s Carpenter’s Farm serial book, a project in which Shane wrote companion poems inspired by the book to each chapter. They were very good and such a special thing to read along with it!

He writes some heartfelt poetry here that tugs at the heart of loss and love and the storms that are people’s emotions. I can’t wait for you to read them, furthermore, for us all to be able to read even more of Shane’s work.

Thank you for following our features this week for the #HookedOnPoetry project and please join us back next week for three or four more features as we continue on.

Enjoy,

Erin

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Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash

 

Forces
by Shane Douglas Keene 

 

you can never resist a tsunami

or a determined woman, both will

forge their paths, hindered as you

will, but if you cross in front of them,

hope the earth will take you, plow you

under like so much compost;

you won’t have changed a thing,

but woman and wave

are, and will have changed, everything;

a man will storm and rage and

demand his right to draw first

blood, an ineffective quaking of

empty hubris;

she will abide, biding her time,

a quiet demon, no victim, seething,

straining against bonds not properly

designed to constrain her;

she the maelstrom, a proper storm,

barely slowed before,

like cheap rubber bands, restraints

snap and she surges forth, earning

brand new scars;

creating them

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Photo by Joshua Newton on Unsplash

 

Effigy
by Shane Douglas Keene 

 

I think of you a lot,

the way you threw me down the well,

the way you dragged me back, threw

me down again and again and still the

damage insufficient to your

needs, you burned

me down to ash, scoured me from

the universe as if I’d never

been

never will and if I rise it

will in effigy be,

petrified in Vesuvian flames,

standing in worship in a

trophy cabinet somewhere,

stuck in rigor and

holding my ruined heart

in frozen fingers,

and what I’m really

trying to get across is,

I think about you night and

day

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Shane Douglas Keene, Biography –

Shane is a poet, columnist, podcaster, and professional curser living in Portland, Oregon, where he was born and periodically raised. He is the co-founder and editor of Ink Heist and one of three hosts on the Ink Heist podcast. He hates long walks on the beach, playing with puppies, and romantic candlelit dinners, but he does love a good glass of scotch, a good book, and good music playing in the background.

When he’s not bumbling his way along pretending like he knows where he is, he plays a pretty decent guitar and sings with the dulcet tones of a sick bullfrog.

You can find his various meanderings, podcasts, and poems at Ink Heist, and you can find and follow him on Twitter @shanedkeene. You can find links to his companion poetry penned to Josh Malerman’s serial novel Carpenter’s Farm at this link.

NOTE: Content is sometimes, okay pretty much always, quite explicit, NSFW but good for teaching your kids new words.

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If you missed yesterday post at Kendall Reviews, it was a lovely poem by Christina Sng. You can read it HERE. Stay tuned for more poetry next week! Thanks for sharing and supporting the #HookedOnPoetry project.

#HookedOnPoetry: Thought-Provoking Poems by Madison McSweeney #poetry @MMcSw13 @gjkendall

Today as part of the #HookedOnPoetry project, I want to introduce you to Canadian poet Madison McSweeney. Madison submitted her work to me in an open call for this project and I’m delighted she did so because it allowed me to get to know her and her work. Her poems are ethereal and rhythmical. She’s very talented and I hope you all will appreciate her work as much as I do.

Below is an original poem first published here with Hook of a Book as well as two reprints, all which will give you an idea of her wonderful style. Of course, I’m not only excited as my great-grandparent’s name last name was Sweeney (haha), but because I really enjoy featuring new-to-me poets (and therefore maybe new to you as well). Madison, however, has been published in some cool magazines and anthologies so you can check out more of her work there.

If you’re new to the project as a whole, you can read all about it here in this introductory essay or here on this page. It was started to celebrate National Poetry Month in April, but will carry throughout May too.

Enjoy!

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Holy War

He did not have the heart        to burn down his favourite building

but he was curious to see        how the alcohol

would mix with the flame       this

tempting isolation, with a lighter and a bottle

and the stench

of burning plastic panic          in the distance

burning dreams

why should this castle stand

when a thousand fantasies of wonder and lust

turned to dust              on a parking lot pyre

why should his persecutor

have a place to call home

and why must this distant smoke        be permitted

to drive me mad?

no sense to blame the bricks   for the man

nor the windows                        for the fog

nor the turrets                            for the bullets

let it stand.

may this place be a prison for you.

A companion piece to The Forest Dreams With Teeth, a sword-and-sorcery/folk horror story set during the heavy metal panic of the 1980s.

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Photo by Kevin Maillefer on Unsplash

 Cemetery Way

 Walk with me

along cemetery way

where one day we may rest

securely locked away and topped

with white marble

(white like orchids, white like bone) lest

we stir in our sleep and seek

to claw our way towards the

sun   is so lovely today

as we walk along cemetery way

where we may rest

for a moment, on the wrought-iron

bench erected in honour

of a fine local citizen

long lost

what bliss is this

your hand

so warm in mine

your eyes shine

like marble

(like funeral orchids, like bone)

“darling,” you say

“your hand”

(in yours)

“it’s so cold”

(like marble)

like bone

 Originally published in Truly U Review, Halloween 2019

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The Last Poem

 Keep the books from the children –

They may want to read them

the Librarian said, with the world-fearing concern

she had learned

in her years on the job

watching far too many minds

erupting with horrible thoughts, borrowed

from those tomes;

Shut the windows –

There’s darkness outside.

 

Lock the cabinets

Hide the folk tales with the poisons and the fetal pigs

our dears will know a world

with no fear.

they will know flowers

and fairies – the good kind;

and boyish adventures controlled and quickly resolved

with a minimum of risk.

Lock the doors –

A stranger may knock.

 

We will do all we can

To restrain the world from them

they will not know pain,

or death,

until it comes for them

in the flower garden

and they will blink, for they do not recognize a skull and scythe

and try to hand the Reaper a rose.

Disperse, darkness!

Until such time as you are too deep to see through.

Originally published in Truly U Review, Halloween 2019

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Madison McSweeney –

Madison McSweeney is a Canadian author and poet interested in the macabre and fantastic. Her poems have appeared in Rhythm & Bones, Pussy Magic, Cockroach Conservatory and the Twin Peaks themed anthology These Poems Are Not What They Seem. She has also published horror and fantasy stories in outlets such as American Gothic, Cabinet of Curiosities, Unnerving Magazine, and Zombie Punks F*ck Off. 

She lives in Ottawa, Ontario and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Political Science and Communications. She was an arts and culture contributor to The Fulcrum campus newspaper, and has written music-related articles for Bravewords, Music Vice, Hellbound and Ginger Nuts of Horror.

 She blogs about genre fiction and the local music scene at www.madisonmcsweeney.com and tweets from @MMcSw13.

Instagram: madisonmcsweeney.13

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Check out yesterday’s poem from the amazing Ashley Dioses over at Kendall Reviews and join us back next week on both sites for some more poetry celebration!

National Poetry Month: Read Kim Wolkens Poem “For You, My Tether” #nationalpoetrymonth #poetry

Today, I welcome Kim Wolkens to Oh, for the Hook of a Book! We are publishing an original poem by Kim below and I am so excited! Kim has been a great support to my own writing and I am so happy she’s trying her hand at writing poetry, and I believe she’s hiding some other writing away, so I hope we can see her submitting and writing more each day. She does so much for indie authors reading and writing reviews on her own site Down in a Book or on Ginger Nuts of Horror, and it’s time we give back and support her too. Since meeting Kim online I’m very happy to call her a friend.

Happy Friday. Enjoy!

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For You, My Tether

It hurts too much to breathe,

but I do it anyway.

For you…for you.

I want so much to slip away into nothingness,

but I hold onto the rope.

For you…for you.

 

It’s hard to get out of bed sometimes,

but I do it anyway.

For you…for you.

The abstract is much kinder,

but I face concrete facts every day.

For you…for you.

 

I put one foot in front of the other,

but I know not why I do.

For you…for you.

Food has no taste and I’m bored to death with life,

but I try to hope for something new.

For you…for you.

 

Without you, I’d be gone.

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Getting to Know Kimberly – 

Kimberly love for writing began at a very young age, around five or six. Her first short story was dictated to her parents, who wrote the words on lined paper, and she did all the illustrations. It was called, “The Girl Who First Saw Snow,” and was about a five-year-old girl who saw snow for the first time.

Kimberly kept writing through elementary school and early middle school. She wrote a few chapter books that involved herself and some best friends. Two other books centered around a girl who found a necklace with a unicorn pendant which housed an evil witch. She dabbled in writing a small bit in high school, but her creative writing pretty much took a hiatus in high school and college.

About a year ago, she rekindled her love for writing. She wrote short stories and poems published by Lonesome October and Rhythm & Bones, and these first acceptances encouraged her to keep writing. She has the first draft of a novel completed and hopes to revisit it soon for re-writing and editing. Short stories are the main result of her writing, but she also writes poetry. Her poems have been published most recently by Nightingale & Sparrow and Marias at Sampaguitas.

A short story was recently published in Blood from a Tombstone anthology, and another story will be published in an upcoming Don’t Open the Door anthology. She has recently started writing what she hopes will become a poetry chapbook with a dark theme, possibly centered around abandonment and loss.

Most of her inspiration comes from fear (what is the scariest thing that could happen to someone?) and also from abandoned buildings which carry a special kind of beauty for her.

Kim Wolkens, Biography –

Kim Wolkens is a marketing coordintor by day and an American author of short stories and poems by night, who is a huge 90s Grunge music fan and loves reading and writing suspense, horror, and sci-fi.

She’s a team reviewer at Ginger Nuts of Horror and also serves as the Social Media Manager for Nightingale & Sparrow. She is a devoted wife, sister, and aunt, enjoys playing around on the piano, rustic camping, and lives with her husband in beautiful rural Michigan.

You can find her on Twitter: @up_north_h1ke.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As an adult, Thanksgiving sometimes has put me in a conundrum technically, with both British and American citizenship, as you can imagine why. I am proud of both! For me, I don’t have to be divisive, I’ve always been about the “coming together” of people. And what is thanksgiving if not the joining of others.

That said, I grew up celebrating Thanksgiving here in America as a tradition and time to join with my family for food and rest together and to reflect for all I’m thankful for! I like that we can cook and eat together, play games, watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving and Mayflower Voyagers, and revel in one of my favorite subjects, the Colonial Era! I remember fondly the time my son and I made “Plymouth Rock cookies” or when all three of my kids and I made turkey “thankful for” books out of paper bags. Laugh all you want, but the memories flood back, especially when my son won’t make it home from college in Washington D.C. this year for the weekend. It’s the first time since before his birth we haven’t celebrated a holiday together. Due to spending time with family, it’s one of my favorite holidays. That and I love pumpkin pie!

I’m very grateful, as always, for all the support of Hook of a Book, and this year, as well, for my own writing and publishing journey. Thank you to all who’ve been a part.

And above all else, I am thankful for my family, friends, love, food, laughter, and books! I’m even thankful for warmth and running water, as so many don’t have these things.

What are you grateful for this year? What will you commit to in order to help others?

In Thanksgiving,

Erin

#HookonWiHM: Theresa Braun interviews J.H. Moncrieff about Atwood, a Haunted Island, and Gender Roles

Today, for the #HookonWiHM project, author Theresa Braun has interviewed the Canadian author J.H. Moncrieff! I’m super excited to have both of these women on the site today in promotion of Women in Horror Month. J.H. Moncrieff writes paranormal suspense, thrillers, and horror. I enjoy following her travels especially to all the haunted places. Happily, I’ve recently met Theresa this year as we shared the TOC in the anthology Hardened Hearts together, which published by Unnerving in December 2017.

I’m taking interviews by men and women with women in horror, as well as guest articles, throughout the month of February. You can see information on this at the bottom of the post. For now, take it away Theresa. Thanks for a great interview with J.H. Moncrieff!

Do you feel the feminist conversation surrounding Margaret Atwood is relevant to the issues relating to female writers and female characters? Does Atwood carry any weight for you personally, since you both happen to be Canadian? 

I have read Atwood’s defence of her stance on the firing of the UBC professor, which fanned the flames and turned even more women against her (which, as a publicist, I could have told her it would. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing), and she raises some valid points. Movements like #MeToo do have the potential to become public witch hunts. And they are the result of a legal system failure: if women’s reports of sexual assault and harassment had been taken seriously, there would be no need for scores of women to go public about the issue on social media (or, at least, less need). However, as women, we need to be extremely careful not to re-victimize the survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

Almost every woman on the planet has experienced one or the other or both, but most of us don’t report it because we still fear the repercussions or assume we won’t be believed or taken seriously. We’re still living in an age where a man who was seen raping a woman spent only three months in jail. Where a police officer said to me that one of the strongest indications a woman was lying about sexual assault was she’d reported it, as most “true victims” don’t. And this was coming from a man most would consider sensitive and enlightened. Where people still get frustrated about the women pointing fingers at their favorite celebrities, but never once get angry at the men for the sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

Atwood argues the pendulum is at risk of swinging too far in the other direction. But perhaps it needs to. Just as many find the “zero tolerance” policy of dealing with domestic violence unfair, and it’s certainly flawed, it’s like that for a reason. Only when we’ve seen genuine progress on these issues, when women are no longer viewed as either sexual objects or prey, can people like Atwood safely call for balance. The problem is that our society has been far too unbalanced for far too long. Publicly critiquing a movement that amplifies survivor’s voices and raises awareness of just how prevalent sexual abuse and harassment are, is certainly going to be seen as anti-feminist, to put it lightly. To respond with guns blazing and a “Screw you, I’ve been called worse!” editorial hasn’t helped matters. The fact we’re both Canadian doesn’t bond us or give her opinion more weight to me, but I am more likely to see her editorials, as Canadian media have always given her a platform and will continue to do so.

Do you consciously include gender issues in your fiction? If so, what are some that you have explored? And are there any that you plan to explore in future storylines?

Monsters in Our Wake features a character who is the only female working on a drillship, and it explores some of the sexism and ostracism she suffered as a result, but on the flip side, the sea creatures in that novel live in a matriarchal society where the females are larger, more powerful, and make the majority of the decisions. Some readers have had a huge problem with this. A man accused me of being “anti-male” because of this novel, and some female readers hated Flora because she came across as weak or timid, while they’d always thrived in male-dominated environments. In City of Ghosts, I explored how women can be their own harshest critics and what can happen when they turn against each other. Again, some women really didn’t like that, and they disparaged how “girl-on-girl crime” has been overdone in fiction.

But the truth is, I don’t set out to write with a feminist agenda, or any agenda. I write people (and creatures), and people are flawed. Sometimes they’re misunderstood or obnoxious or misguided, and sometimes they’re just plain ugly. While I’ve never been ostracized like Flora was, I have been one of the only women in extremely male-dominated professions and sports, so it was easy for me to feel for the struggles someone less assertive might have. And I’ve experienced a ton of “girl-on-girl crime” in my lifetime–in elementary school, in high school, and in the workplace, both from colleagues and from supervisors. Women are capable of being awful to other women, and refusing to be honest about that would do everyone a disservice.

You have written a lot about characters facing supernatural situations. And you have based several of these novels on real places that you have visited. Which of these has scared you the most? Why?

The scariest place I’ve ever visited was Poveglia, an island off the coast of Venice that is considered to be the world’s most haunted. I don’t spook easily, but I was terrified the entire time I was there. Not only was I completely alone on the island, I was there during a violent thunderstorm. Poveglia has a truly chilling history, which I explored in The Girl Who Talks to Ghosts. Although nothing overt happened to me–I didn’t see a ghost–there were definitely a lot of strange, unexplained sounds and a very strong sensation that something was wrong in that place. It’s very creepy.

From enca.com / Photo: Flickr.com / tedlum

What future project are you most excited about? Tell us about that.

While I have a lot to be excited about this year–the release of the first book in my new Egyptian series, which was previewed in Temple of Ghosts; the fourth book in my GhostWriters series; a Christmas GhostWriters novella; and a few other projects–I’m probably most anticipating the release of Dead of Winter, which Severed Press will publish this spring. It’s about a famous podcaster who ventures into Russia’s Ural Mountains to investigate what happened on the Dyatlov Pass back in the ’50s. Since The Dyatlov Pass Incident is one of the scariest unsolved mysteries of all time, it was a fun topic to explore and I was really happy with how the book turned out. Best-selling author Hunter Shea gave it a great blurb: “Dead of Winter will freeze your blood! A mystery dripping with terror, the sense of isolation and impending doom kept my heart racing right until the very last line. An instant classic.”

Has there been something that a reader has surprised you with? Something that a reader has come away with that has left you inspired? 

My readers are amazing. I’m still so grateful I get to do this that every positive review makes me teary. One reader emailed me to say Temple of Ghosts helped her get through a difficult time after her daughter’s house caught fire. Another left a review for City of Ghosts that ended with, “City of Ghosts stirs the reader’s childhood fears and mixes them with compassion for all of China’s unwanted little girls.” That really got to me, because I wrote that book for those little girls, but I didn’t think anyone had understood that. When a reader gets you, it’s the best feeling in the world. I bawled. During a recent visit to a book club, the members surprised me with a gigantic gift basket full of goodies like gourmet tea, bubble bath, candles, a hardcover book, a bookmark, pens, etc. It went on and on. It was almost bottomless. I was extremely touched. Book clubs are the best, with or without the gifts.

Check out books from Moncrieff such as:

The Girl Who Talks to Ghosts and Temple of Ghosts 

Find Moncrieff online:

Website

Books

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Thanks again to Theresa Braun for conducing the interview!

Theresa Braun, Bio –

Theresa Braun was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and has carried some of that hardiness with her to South Florida where she currently resides. Traveling, ghost hunting, and all things dark are her passions. Her work appears in The Horror Zine, Sirens Call, Schlock! Webzine, Hardened Hearts, and Strange Behaviors, among others.

Watch for more to come in the #HookonWiHM series….

February is Women in Horror Month! Though I agree women should be celebrated on the same level as men every day of the year, I like to partake in Women in Horror projects as a catalyst for spreading the good news and works of women in the genre in hopes that it will carry on throughout the year. It’s time to celebrate and show off what we got! For those of you reading, men AND women both, make an effort to read and watch more horror produced by women this year.

For the #HookonWiHM, or Women in Horror Month at Hook of a Book, we’ll be hosting interviews conducted by men and women with other women in horror. Watch for those spread throughout the month, and if you want in, contact me! Find more info HERE.

Women in History: Lauren Bacall…She Dared!

The Celebrating Women Series for 2017 continues with article #3 today. March is Women in History month and so I’m featuring writers and authors who sent in guest articles surrouding women and topics about women.  In fact, it will extend way past March. You can find a main page for this with explanation and link to all articles here. I’ll add the article as I schedule or post them.

Today, we have a post by a young women named Somer Canon, who’s published so far as a horror author, but has plans to spread out into various other genres. She’s got a great sense of humor and an obsession with old Hollywood and biographies! Without further ado, she gives us a wonderful look at the fiesty spirit of actress Lauren Bacall.

A Youthful Lauren Bacall – Photo from NYTimes

Lauren Bacall: A Woman Who Dared

By Somer Canon, author of Vicki Beautiful

“I wanted it all— all the time.”

Lauren Bacall was a woman who dared. She dared to be a wife and mother and she dared to have a career.  As the quote above states, she wanted it all.  While that concept is not so alien to us all now, in the 1940s and 1950s, that was a hell of a tall order for a woman to dare to fill.

Born Betty Perske in 1924 in the Bronx, New York, the future Lauren Bacall attended private schools paid for by wealthy relatives.  In her late teens, she began modeling and one of her cover pictures for Harper’s Bazaar was spotted by Nancy “Slim” Hawks, wife of famed director Howard Hawks.  At his wife’s urging, Hawks arranged for a screen test and the striking 5’8” beauty inspired Hawks to hire young Betty upon meeting her.  The movie she was testing for was “To Have and Have Not,” the very film where she met Humphrey Bogart.

I’d like to gloss over the love life of Lauren Bacall.  Many works have been written about Bogie and Bacall, even the song Key Largo by Bertie Higgins makes mention of their famous love.  I’d like to also gloss over the relationship with Frank Sinatra, the unfortunate second marriage to Jason Robards, and the short lived relationships after.  Lauren Bacall, as a woman and career driven individual, deserves more from me than the constant goo-goo type of attention paid to her marriage to Bogart.  “Having it all” meant that there was more than just the woman who avoided working on movies that shot on location because Bogart didn’t want her working away from him.  It meant more than the woman who threw fabulous parties and always looked resplendent when on her man’s arm.  Even by Hollywood standards, she was more than a party decoration.

Jack Warner used the word “insolent” to describe Lauren Bacall.  When Hollywood was still operating under the studio system (actors were hired by studios and received weekly salaries for working, working on several movies a year), Bacall was a Warner Bros. actress, but she was frequently suspended from the studio for refusing the accept parts that she considered mediocre.  Her first role in the Hawks film had catapulted her to instant stardom, and she knew her worth.  Insolent was the word used, but what she was really doing was looking out for her career.

Lauren enjoyed varying degrees of success with a movie career during the 1940s and 1950s.  There was a period of waning in the 1960s, her personal life taking a nosedive with the death of Bogart.  At the urging of her mentor and Hollywood maker, Slim Hawks (now Hayward thanks to marriage to Leland Hayward), Lauren took a part in the Broadway play “Goodbye Charlie.”  Although it wasn’t a hit, Lauren relocated herself and her children to a large apartment at the famed Dakota in Manhattan.  Eventually, a role of a lifetime landed at her feet.  A play based on the Bette Davis movie, “All About Eve” came along.  It was called Applause.  At age 45, Bacall got to showcase what happened to aging actresses.  It was a big deal for Bacall to be playing Davis’ part on stage as Bette was Bacall’s idol.

The play was a huge triumph and Bacall not only won a Tony in 1970 for her part, but Bette Davis also once visited her backstage after one of the performances and told her, “You’re the only one who could have played the part.”  I’m just guessing, but I bet that felt amazing to hear from her idol.

Bacall won another Tony in 1981 for her role in Woman of the Year.  She enjoyed a great amount of success on Broadway before Hollywood remembered her and she experienced a resurgence of movie interest.  She got an Oscar nomination for her part in the Barbra Streisand movie “The Mirror Has Two Faces” and she eventually won an honorary Academy Award in 2009.

In a business where aging diamonds of the silver screen struggle to find a place for themselves when ageism was and still is a huge obstacle for actresses, Lauren Bacall found her niche and it fit her perfectly.  She didn’t suffer last days of isolation and poverty like so many who went before her.

Lauren Bacall, Later Years – Photo from CNN

In one of her memoirs, she noted that she had been alone for decades and that it suited her.  Perhaps it was for the best.  When Lauren came to Hollywood, she was 19 years-old.  She lived to see all of the people who were there to give her guidance and advice die, the biggest names of Hollywood become specters on celluloid in place of warm, living people.  That she could live a life alone “imaginatively” as she put it, makes her all the more interesting.

She did the wife thing, the motherhood thing, and the career thing, sometimes all at once and she remained an outspoken, brassy heroine.  A wealth of life experience made her the woman that she was. It made her the tower of personality who the world lost in 2014, and although she will be missed, her mark is deep and brightly colored.  That deep voice and carelessly elegant hair will always be part of a picture of a woman who dared to have it all, went for it, and got it.  Well done, Lauren.  Well done.

Somer Canon, Biography

Somer Canon is a minivan revving suburban mother who avoids her neighbors for fear of
being found out as a weirdo.  When she’s not peering out of her windows, she’s consuming books, movies, and video games that sate her need for blood, gore, and things that disturb her mother.

Her debut novella was Vicki Beautiful, published by Samhain in 2016. n October of 2016, she published a Halloween short story, Mischief, and she currently has other works in the submission process. As well, she continues to use her imagination and has several exciting stories she’s actively working on.

Find out more about Somer and her upcoming works at her website http://www.somercanon.com. You can also connect with Somer on Twitter.

Praise for Vicki Beautiful

“ I read this at one gripping session and I shall read more by this author. Excellent, original and worth every one of my five stars.” –Catherine Cavendish, Author of The Devil’s Serenade

“At times it reminded me of the cult classic “Eating Raoul” and others “The Big Chill”. Suffice to say, Canon has created an intriguing tale that will not only have you caring about characters put into an awkward, unsettling situation but also wondering how they’ll react to it every step of the way. I highly recommend this unique and entertaining story.”
–Matthew Franks, Author The Monster Underneath

“This is not the normal type of book that I would read, but the cover sold it to me, and I like reading new authors and genres. This book is beautifully written, the writing flows and you feel you really understand what the character’s are feeling…” Rebecca, GoodReads Reviewer

“A simple story, but all the more powerful for its simplicity. Four stars. The author has guts and skill.” –Outlaw Poet

Vicki Beautiful, Synopsis

One last taste of perfection…

Sasha and Brynn descend upon the showplace home of their girlhood friend, Vicki, planning to celebrate her surviving cancer to reach her fortieth birthday. As they gather around Vicki’s perfectly set dinner table, though, her husband shares devastating news. The cancer is back, and she doesn’t have long to live.

Her life is cut even shorter than Sasha and Brynn expect—the next morning, their friend is found dead, her flawless skin slit at the wrists. But a tub full of blood is only the beginning. Before the weekend is through, they are forced to question how far they’re willing to go to fulfill Vicki’s last wish.

A very specific, very detailed recipe that only the truest of friends could stomach…

Thanks for following along this series with us!

 

 

Celebrating W.D. Gagliani and Wolf’s Cut: Talk with “the Werewolf guy!”

You’re most likely strolling through Facebook in the evening if you’re spending the night at home and are 30 and over, right? Not to generalize, but c’mon, we all know most of us live inside Facebook. You might be posting your favorite book, cartoon, and chatting with friends in between watching a cool show or settling down for the evening?

We’ve got a fun VIRTUAL party you can drop by for as well to help congratulate and celebrate horror/suspense/crime noir author W. D. Gagliani and his release of Wolf’s Cut! Gagliani is a Bram Stoker Award finalist for Wolf’s Trap, the first book in the werewolf detective series of which Wolf’s Cut is number five.

Date/Time~

Virtual Party on March 28, 9 to 11 p.m. EST
Place:  http://www.facebook.com/hookofabook
See details of party below, plus book and author information!

Giveaways~

We’ll also have some books to giveaway that you can enter to win, courtesy of W. D. Gagliani himself! It will be a howling great time!!!

GIVEAWAYS~ 1) one print copy and one digital of Wolf’s Cut up for grabs to newsletter signer uppers (send Erin at hookofabook@hotmail.com your email you’d like to receive it at for a newsletter a few times a year).
2) two print copies of Wolf’s Cut, and one e-book version, available to attendees just to asking a question.
3) one digital copy of Wolf’s Cut (or choice in series) for the announced contest during the party.
4) one complete print and signed series to grand prize winner!!!

You must ask a question to enter into any of them. You can choose just one to enter (for instance if you have already purchased a copy of one of them) or you can choose to have your name thrown in for all 1-4.

DETAILS ABOUT PARTY:

The virtual party sponsored by Hook of a Book (www.facebook.com/HookofaBook) page takes place on the actual wall of the Facebook page (not on the invite wall if you have a FB invite) from 9-11 EST on Friday, March 28, 2014.

Attendees are able to ask W.D. any questions they want by PRE-ASKING (or asking during the party via an email submission) to hookofabook(at)hotmail(dot)com, which will then be posted by the moderator (Erin) to the Hook of a Book wall. Attendees can see questions answered and be able to comment.

HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS:

Again, please pre-ask questions using email listed below or Erin will also take limited questions during the party which will go in a queue to be asked in order received. Email Erin at to hookofabook@hotmail.com (subject: Gagliani question). The night of the event you can also inbox message Erin Al-Mehairi on the Hook of a Book Facebook page (below) if you can’t email and it will go into the queue.

Please, NO attendees should post questions to the wall of the party just because it gets too confusing. If questions appear on the wall, Erin will put in to the queue and then re-post the question as a status. The author won’t answer those, but will wait for them to be re-posted and then answer. However, you can post to the wall to say congratulations and authors can comment on that too.

We’re giving away some books too!  Emailing a questions, and following any other terms noted, will secure you a giveaway entry. All that ask questions will have a chance to win! For the grand prize, you may need to also sign-up for his newsletter.

Questions are encouraged, but you don’t have to ask one.  You can just hang out and have conversation in the comments and enjoy your time!

REFRESH YOUR BROWSER!

Please remember that refreshing your browser is very important to see all questions and answers ongoing during the event. Also remember to be patient. The moderator, Erin, is constantly working in the background and will be taking your emails, inbox messages, posting questions, and monitoring the party all at once.

You can RSVP or see more about the event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/231251147067149/

You also have to “like” the Hook of a Book page here: www.facebook.com/HookofaBook

Wolf’s Cut (Samhain Publishing), Synopsis~

The Nick Lupo Series Book Five.

Nick Lupo: A cop, a werewolf…and a target!

Homicide detective–and werewolf–Nick Lupo is hoping to finally have a chance to focus his attentions on the woman he loves, instead of the Wolfpaw mercenary werewolves who tried so hard to kill him. Lupo survived that battle–barely–and brought down Wolfpaw. But Wolfpaw was backed by a super secret group within the Pentagon whose sinister plan is already in motion. And a new enemy has set its sights on the local casino. Nick Lupo thought he was home free, but whenever he tries to get out, they drag him back in…

Wolf’s Cut is fourth novel following the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novel Wolf’s Trap, so it is the fifth in the savage series of horror/thrillers about the werewolf/cop. These “North Woods Noirs” are set mostly in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin, where werewolf legends abound and the moon paints the treetops silver. Warning: adult content. The next book in the series will arrive in 2015.

See more, including the other books in the series on his site:  http://www.wdgagliani.com/

Available now, purchase Wolf’s Cut here:

Amazon–

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfs-Cut-W-D-Gagliani/dp/161921816X

Barnes and Noble–

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-cut-w-d-gagliani/1115811728?ean=9781619218161

Samhain Horror–

http://store.samhainpublishing.com/wolfrsquos-cut-p-73333.html?osCsid=5cc83bd048a97d58f2412198f46a6ff1

Author W.D. Gagliani, Biography~

W.D. Gagliani is the author of the horror/crime thriller WOLF’S TRAP (Samhain Publishing), a past Bram Stoker Award nominee, as well as WOLF’S GAMBIT (47North), WOLF’S BLUFF (47North), WOLF’S EDGE (Samhain), and the upcoming WOLF’S CUT (Samhain). WOLF’S TRAP was reissued by Samhain Publishing in 2012. Gagliani is also the author of the hard-noir thriller SAVAGE NIGHTS (Tarkus Press), the collection SHADOWPLAYS, the novella THE GREAT BELZONI AND THE GAIT OF ANUBIS, and the holiday-themed short stories “The Christmas Wolf” and “The Christmas Zombie,” all available for the Kindle and other formats.

A collection of collaborations between David Benton and W.D. Gagliani, MYSTERIES & MAYHEM (Tarkus Press), is available for Kindle and all other formats. Five collaborative short stories are included, as well as one solo short story from each author, and several bonuses along with a guest short story.

Gagliani is also the author of various short stories published in anthologies such as ROBERT BLOCH’S PSYCHOS, UNDEAD TALES, MORE MONSTERS FROM MEMPHIS, WICKED KARNIVAL HALLOWEEN HORROR, THE BLACK SPIRAL, THE MIDNIGHTERS CLUB, THE ASYLUM 2, ZIPPERED FLESH 2, MASTERS OF UNREALITY, DARK PASSIONS: HOT BLOOD 13, MALPRACTICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF BEDSIDE TERROR, and ZIPPERED FLESH 2 (the last four with David Benton), and more.

He has also written book reviews, articles, and interviews that have been published in places such as THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, CHIZINE, CEMETERY DANCE, HORRORWORLD, PAPERBACK PARADE, CINEMA RETRO, HELLNOTES, FLESH & BLOOD, BOOKPAGE, BOOKLOVERS, THE SCREAM FACTORY, HORROR MAGAZINE, SF CHRONICLE, BARE BONES, and others. Also published in the Writers Digest book ON WRITING HORROR (edited by Mort Castle), THEY BITE! (edited by Jonathan Maberry and David Kramer), and in the Edgar Award-nominated THRILLERS: THE 100 MUST READS (edited by Morrell & Wagner), published by Oceanside for the International Thriller Writers. In October 2011, THE WRITER magazine published his article on writing werewolf epics.

His interests include old and new progressive rock, synthesizers, weapons, history (and alternate history, secret history, and steampunk), military history, movies, book reviewing, and plain old reading and writing. He is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW). He lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

W.D. Gagliani and Jack Ketchum

About Hook of Book Facebook Page~

Like the Hook of a Book Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HookofaBook! We post reviews and interviews from this site there, but it also gives us the opportunity to talk books with you more, feature upcoming covers and releases, post free or discounted books, discuss literature, and showcase books we have on list to review. We’ll talk about the book, publishing and writing industry. We’ll probably also talk grammar tips and ask lots of questions, as well as post interesting historical articles, art, photos, and other things we find intriguing.

Oh, for the Hook of a Book! Blog is an extension of Hook of a Book Services of Addison’s Compass Public Relations. We do book publicity, editing, proofreading, newsletter and blog articles, draft consulting, media relations, press releases and more.

Your Chance to Ask Jonathan Janz ANYTHING…Oh, and Support His Release of Savage Species!

Hook of a Book is coordinating another GREAT book party over on our Facebook page for Jonathan Janz, horror author of Savage Species, a five-part serial series in which installment one was just released (Night Terrors).  Come celebrate with Janz and support his release of Savage Species!

 

It’s your chance to ask him any questions you like by emailing them following the directions provided below, then get your answers live at the party! As the moderator, Hook of a Book (Erin Al-Mehairi) will post questions to the Facebook page, and then Janz will comment. Feel free to comment yourself under the posts in conversation with him and others!

 

Let’s have some fun! Plus, you can enter to win some cool print books of Janz’s previous titles and awesome swag from Samhain Horror by emailing your desire to enter to hookofabook@hotmail.com.

 

PLEASE email any questions PRE-party (the sooner the better) to hookofabook@hotmail.com or by using the message option on Hook of a Book Fan Page (www.facebook.com/HookofaBook). Leave your question, your first and last name, and your email address for any giveaways. Be sure to “like” the Facebook page Hook of a Book and check out the NOTES section for info about Savage Species and Janz AND updates about the party.

 

What is Savage Species About?

 

Samhain Publishing’s Horror line  is blazing new trails for themselves by releasing Savage Species, by Janz, as their first serial horror novel. In five installments, with new installments coming every two weeks, you’ll get a terrifying read that will propel you to the next.The first installment of Savage Species is amazingly awaiting you NOW as Night Terrors is being offered absolutely FREE FREE FREE right now (over 100 pages of awesome reading), no strings attached….just nightmares! Go ahead and download now!

 

Savage Species Synopsis~

 Peaceful Valley is about to become a slaughterhouse!

Jesse thinks he’s caught a break when he, the girl of his dreams, and her friend are assigned by their newspaper to cover the opening weekend of the Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve, a sprawling, isolated state park. But the construction of the park has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a century, and the three young people—as well as every man, woman, and child unlucky enough to be attending the grand opening—are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth. A species so ferocious that Peaceful Valley is about to be plunged into a nightmare of bloodshed and damnation.

SEE ALL FIVE COVERS AND READ A GUEST POST BY JANZ FROM EARLIER THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THIS!!

The first installment of Jonathan Janz’s new—and Samhain Horror’s first-ever—serial novel will be released for FREE! You can download the first installment of my new serial novel (Savage Species: Night Terrors) FOR FREE right here….

 Night Terrors FREE on Amazon here (also available other places too…B&N for Nook, etc):

 http://www.amazon.com/Night-Terrors-Savage-Species-ebook/dp/B00BETA0MO/ref=la_B008IIP7J0_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1370199103&sr=1-5

 OR at Samhain Store:

http://store.samhainpublishing.com/night-terrors-p-7384.html?osCsid=6c987d6db91f9cd63b246344b9755910

Author Jonathan Janz, Biography~

Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, and in a way, that explains everything. Brian Keene, one of the most famous award winning authors in the genre of horror, named his debut novel The Sorrows “the best horror novel of 2012.”

 The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, “reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story” and it was nominated for the Darrell Award this year, which recognizes the best published Midsouth regional science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and won first runner-up.

 Samhain Horror published his third novel, The Darkest Lullaby, in March 2013. His fourth novel, the serialized, action-packed survival horror thriller called Savage Species, releases June 4, 2013. His fifth novel, a vampire western called Dust Devils, will be released in February 2014. He has also written three novellas (The Clearing of Travis Coble, Old Order, and Witching Hour Theatre) and several short stories. He’s currently writing his sequel to The Sorrows.

 His primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children, and though he realizes that every author’s wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Jonathan at http://www.jonathanjanz.com. You can also find him on Facebook, via @jonathanjanz on Twitter, or on his Goodreads and Amazon author pages.