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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Being Scared by Alicia Dean

My friend, author Alicia Dean, is here to talk about my least favorite topic. Fright. Halloween is NOT my favorite time of year. Except for kids in costumes. And candy. Oh, yeah. Candy. But scary movies is not my idea of fun. It is Alicia's, so here she is.

Do you like to be scared?


I know it’s strange, but I do. I love the adrenaline rush that a good scare can give, although, admittedly, I don’t enjoy true scares, like being afraid for my children, being involved in car wrecks, or literally getting murdered.

 I loved scary movies as a child and my three children all grew up watching scary movies. They love them to this day. As a matter of fact, the three of them and I are planning to get together this Halloween season for a night of horror movie watching.




 As a child, I loved ‘Psycho,’ ‘The Birds,’ ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Remember those movies? Some of my favorite movies as an adult are the Halloween franchise (minus Halloween 3, which shouldn’t have even been part of the franchise), ‘IT,’ ‘The Shining,’ and a movie that not that many people are familiar with. It’s from the early 80’s and it’s called ‘Visiting Hours.’ Very scary! Loved it. 


I don’t like gratuitous gore. To me, gory doesn’t equate with scary. And, I usually don’t care for movies with unrealistic creatures. I never understood the ‘Alien’ craze. For me to really be frightened, I have to know that it’s at least remotely possible that the horror could happen in real life.


What about you? Do you like scary movies? Which ones are your favorites?


A Halloween Anthology – Six Stories by Six Authors

MYSTERIES OF THE MACABRE  

Authors Alicia Dean, Leah St. James, Alexa Day, Renci Denham, Rohn Federbush, and Elvy Howard share Halloween mayhem in 6 short stories:

A masked stranger ~ Teen angst ~ Ghostly appearances

Hot Halloween sex ~ A tropical nightmare ~ Visions from the past



My story is Scarred:
Gothic romance 
Blurb:
Sometimes, the most haunting scars are the ones beneath the skin. 
When Natalie Jayne moved away from her home town ten years earlier, she left behind painful memories, along with Simon, the man she loved. Now, she's back on Halloween night to attend a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic passing of her childhood friend, Jessica. Rumors that Simon was responsible for Jessica's death unnerve her. Even more disturbing is her unsettling attraction to a masked stranger she meets at the event. Her gift may be the key to unlocking the truth, but will it also lead to heartbreak? 

Excerpt:
 In spite of her intent to go inside, Natalie remained rooted in place. There was something intriguing about this man, something that made her want to know more about him. Not badly enough to remove her gloves and use her gift, however. She’d sworn off that, other than for emergencies. But she had to admit she was tempted to get the answers to the questions spinning through her mind. Who was he? What did he look like beneath the mask? What would it feel like to touch him…?
She shook her head. What an insanely inappropriate direction her mind had taken. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of touching others. Not if she wanted to keep her secret…and not if she wanted to keep from learning the secrets of others. Besides, this man was a stranger…a masked stranger. She should be afraid…or at least wary. But she found she was neither.

BIO
Award-winning, multi-published author Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 11, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who happened to share the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. She is a freelance editor in addition to being an editor for The Wild Rose Press.

Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.

Find Alicia here:



28 comments:

  1. Ooh! Sounds intriguing.

    I loved a good scare when I was 12, but these days, I just don't scare. Not really. You get to a certain point and learn the scariest thing is losing your loved ones. Then all the horror tales just pale in comparison. ;)

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    1. So agree with you. My son is facing an early death. He's 51.

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    2. That is so true, Crystal. Although, I still enjoy a good false scare. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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    3. Oh my gosh, Rohn. So sad. I'm very sorry.

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  2. The scary movies from my childhood, like the Birds weren't that scary compared to today's films. I loved The Birds but to this day cannot watch The Shining! My son has told me it's not that bad though. He thinks I can handle it! I'm looking forward to reading Scarred!

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    1. LOL. No, not bad by today's standards. My kids would laugh hysterically if they watched it, I'm sure. Although, Psycho and Night of the Living Dead hold up pretty well, I think. Hmmm...The Shining is pretty scary, but I bet you could handle it. :) Thanks so much...hope you enjoy!

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  3. Love scary movies . . . as long as they aren't slasher flix (even though my son forces me to watch some of them). Monsters, ghosts, extraterrestrials, voodoo, hoodoo whatever they do is on my list!

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    1. Yes, I adore a good ghost story. But, I'll have to say, I love the slasher films too. Good for your son! LOL. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I have to vote with Diane B. here. Scary isn't really my thing. But Scarred sounds intriguing!

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    1. Haha, oh well, to each his or her own. :) Thank you. It's not scary at all, so perhaps you'll enjoy.

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  5. I STILL plug my ears and close my eyes at the scary parts of movies! Scary, for me, though, is anything supernatural. I love action flicks, I love books and movies with magic, and I love the rush of suspense or a good whodunit, but only when the bad guy can get his comeuppance. Anything with too much horror or paranormal (or gore, I'm with you, Alicia, on that one), and I get all squinchy. I've been known to stand in the hallway out of sight of the TV until the scary parts are over! Scarred looks great, though. Her "gift" sounds interesting!

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    1. Haha, I turn my head at the gross parts, but scary, I can watch. Yes, I adore supernatural and action flicks, love it when the bad guy gets his comeuppance too. So satisfying. Thank you for stopping by!

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    2. I'm like Alyssa--closed eyes & ears. LOL

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  6. As a kid I watched all the Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula movies. They were played on Shock Theater on Saturday night, and I loved them. One of the scariest movies I've ever seen remains The Haunting (the original), Shirley Jackson's tale of a haunted house. Black and white. Still gives me the chills.

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    1. I loved those too. Wolfman was my favorite. The 1931 Dracula is showing Oct 25 at a theater in town. I would love to go see it. :) Hmmm. I've never seen The Haunting, but I bet it's good. I'll have to see if I can find it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. What an awesome post! I love scary movies with a twist... for example House 2:The Second Story... it's more humorous than scary. Best of luck with your book. Sounds wonderful!

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    1. Hi Melissa,

      I've never seen House 2. I love twists too, though, so I'll have to check it out. Thank you!

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  8. I went through a phase where horror movies were the in thing to watch...but not anymore and not for a long, long time. I don't even watch TV series with murders, etc... just too hard on my soul.

    Good luck and God's blessings!
    PamT

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    1. I understand, Pamela. It's not for everyone. :) Thank you!

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  9. You're right that gore doesn't equate to scary. Some of the most frightening movies have no gore -- like "Psycho" and "The Birds," or so many of Hitchcock's classics. Speaking of "The Birds," I saw it when I was a little kid and was TERRORIZED. To this day I get creeped out when I see a large number of birds hanging out, for example, on a telephone line!

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    1. Yes, I was terrified as a child too. I would love to watch it again, just to see how it makes me feel. I watched a recent clip. It looks pretty fake now.. LOL. Yeah, that can be pretty scary!

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  10. I avoid scary movies as much as I can. My dreams are too vivid! I admire people who can watch them, though. I wish I didn't get scared. It would have made those slumber parties so much easier! Good luck to you!

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    1. Haha, yes, I imagine it would have. I do get scared, but I like being scared and it's not a 'true' fright, so I can handle it. :) Thank you!

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  11. Growing up I was terrified of scary movies, then I met my husband- who adores all things gory and scary. Starting me off with Nightmare on Elm Street (when I lived...on Elm Street ;)....but now I do love a good psychological thriller, anything paranormal and watch the scary ones with the hubs...just closing my eyes when I need to. ;)

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    1. Yay for your husband! Ha! Love that you lived on Elm Street. :) Yes, psychological thrillers are probably my favorites. Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. Not just scary movies freak me out--so do scary books. After reading THE EXORCIST, no way could I watch the movie. Same with JAWS (I love the ocean too much). Now, that doesn't keep me from writing Gothics. Go figure!

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  13. I love scary stories, but I can't take the graphic stuff. I prefer the kind of horror story where everything is left to the imagination, rather than the violent, gory stuff.

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