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The Mausoleum: Discussions on All Things Horror... |
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Greetings, Friend- and welcome to The Mausoleum! Please watch your step, the stairs into the tombs are narrow, and it will take your eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness. Take my hand, if you wish. I wouldn't let you fall... Halloween is nearly upon us, and I hope you'll take a few minutes to read my upcoming short story "The People Upstairs." It seems grandma has a poltergeist- and who doesn't love a ghost-story to go with their tricks and their treats? According to the Facebook page of the master of modern horror (Stephen King, in case you were born on Mars) his son Joe Hill's new short novel is being published in Cemetery Dance Magazine this month. Again, just in time for Halloween! Well, thanks for visiting, Friend, and I hope you return to the Mausoleum very soon! No..no, not like that! I meant alive and well, and ready to talk horror! Hope you enjoy "The People Upstairs," which I will post in the next few days! All the Best- to the living, and the undead, J. Robert Kane |
| Welcome back friends! Often times, as I descend the stairs and walk the empty halls of the mausoleum, I think of the MEGADETH lyric "Hello me, it's me again..." Sometimes blogging feels a lot like talking to myself. It also feels somehow self-indulgent in a way that I'm not used to. I'm lucky that anyone takes the time to read my stories, let alone my ramblings. I thank you, for indulging me. To people who have left comments I am so very grateful. 2016, by general consensus, sort of blew. We lost a lot of great talent, from David Bowie to Carrie Fisher and George Michael. In the U.S. we endured one of the most depressing election cycles in the history of election cycles. I have to admit, those who hate on 2016 do so with good reason. My writing year, though- thanks in no small part to WDC- has been great. I wrote three new stories for Halloween, and two new stories for Christmas, all of which have been well reviewed. I have also had the pleasure of reading a great many wonderful stories on this site in the past year. This has been a very productive year for me, and particularly the past few months. I would like to thank once again all of you who have taken the time to read and review my stories. So many of your critiques and suggestions have been so very valuable to me. I'm going to begin 2017 by finishing the first draft of my first novel. It is a Science Fiction story, of all things. My first horror novel is half complete. I took a quick break from my horror novel in order to A) get a little distance, for perspective's sake, and B) write a short-story. Well, the short-story had other ideas and became a rough outline, and then a novel. I will go back to my horror novel when the first draft of the Science Fiction one is complete. I'm kind of excited to go back and see what I left myself to work with, exactly. Well, enough from me, for now. I wish you all a productive and growth filled 2017! Remember what science has taught us, that we are all a part of the same field. The boundaries that separate you and I exist only within the limits of our own perception, and within the realm of our imaginations. Today, I'll end with another line from Dave Mustaine: Well me, it's nice talking to myself... All the Best, J |
| Wishing everyone a happy, safe, and productive 2017! I'd like to thank everyone in the WDC community for helping to make my experience here such a pleasant and educational one. Thanks in particular to those who had the time to read and review one or more of my stories- it is much appreciated! All the very best to you in the new year, John |
| Welcome, once again, to the mausoleum! I hope that your holiday season has been full of joy and fun thus far! And so here we find ourselves (well, those of us fortunate enough to be off for the week) in the middle of the twilight week- that grey area between the holidays and the new year. This is the sort of week that makes you stop and think about what day it is...indeed at times what time it is (is that four in the morning, or the afternoon?.) I'm trying to strike a balance, this twilight week, between getting things done and relaxing. So far, I'm happy to report, I think I've been pretty successful. I've also been enjoying the time to do some extra reading. Santa brought me the complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway and Flannery O'Connor. I haven't read these stories in quite some time, and am thoroughly enjoying rereading them! My two Christmas horror stories, "A Fresh Set of Eyes" and "The Christmas Village" have been well received so far, I'm happy to say. If you haven't checked them out, please do. So how are you spending your twilight week? I'd love to hear what you're reading, writing, and watching! As always, all the very best to you, my friends! J. Robert Kane |
| To all my fellow lovers of horror- and indeed to the entire WDC community- my wishes for a joyous holiday season! No matter how you celebrate the season, may peace and joy be with you all. Merry Christmas! J. Robert Kane |
| Hello, friends, and welcome back into the cold embrace of the mausoleum. My new short-story, "The Christmas Village" is now posted. I hope you enjoy it- please let me know what you think! It is cold on Long Island tonight, and holiday traffic is in full swing. A good night, I think, to stay in and give Krampus a try. I started watching BBC's The Hollow Crown, which is fantastic. Even if you aren't normally a fan of Shakespeare, I would suggest you give it a try. It is very well acted and well staged, so that even if you don't follow every bit of the dialogue I don't think it would matter. If you enjoyed GOT, give this a watch, now. As always, all the very best to you all. I hope you have the time to give my new story a read. Are you done with your Christmas/Holiday shopping? I'm not... J.Robert Kane |
| Welcome, dear friends, back into the mausoleum. Take a moment and enjoy the clammy, dank air on your skin. Breath in the horror... In the next few days, I'll be posting three new short stories for Christmas. I hope very much that you have the time to read one, or two, or all of them. As always I hope that you enjoy them, and I look forward to hearing any and all of your comments, critiques, and suggestions for improvement. Thank you all in advance! I just bought a copy of the first volume of Joe Hill's graphic novel, "Locke and Key." I can't wait to start reading it, and will offer a review as soon as I do. This week, as Christmas approaches, I plan to watch Krampus. Again, when I do, I will be sure and share my thoughts! I'm also looking forward to watching "The Hollow Crown," a serial adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth Parts One and Two, and Henry the Fifth. From what I've seen, it looks fantastic. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends..." So, what are you reading/watching as the Holidays approach? We, in the mausoleum would love to know! In the meantime, All the Very Best, J. Robert Kane |
| Welcome back, friends. I'd like to take a moment and thank all the folks who left comments on my previous two blog entries! I know that there is a promotion running on WDC that involves leaving comments on blog entries, but I am nonetheless thrilled that you chose mine. I am particularly pleased that many of the comments were left by folks who don't identify horror as their genre of choice. While I always relish reviews and comments from fellow horror writers, I find that some of the most useful reviews and comments come from writers of other genres. Please know that- whether you are a writer/reader of horror or not- you are always a welcome guest, here in the mausoleum! We'll keep a candle burning for you... In the meantime, my new short story- a short horror story with a Christmas theme- is coming in the next three or four days. Please be sure and give it a read! Oh, and it is freezing outside tonight in New York. Please join me in keeping those without a warm place to be in our thoughts and prayers. All the Very Best, J Robert Kane |
| We gather once again, friends, among the silent, shrouded occupants of the mausoleum. Today, we discuss the exuberant joys of writing and enjoying good horror... What is it, that draws us time and again to the darkness? Why, as readers, are we enthralled by the trials and tribulations that must be endured by every protagonist of any such story? Why, as writers, do we birth and nurse characters, only to place them in near impossible and often-times soul-rending situations? Are we sadists? Do we enjoy the suffering of others? Have we become so powerless over our own lives that we mush create new lives over which to wield power? And if this is the case, why do we feel the need to demonstrate our self-created power in so devastating a manner over our creations? There may be a nugget of truth in the aforementioned analysis. Doubtless, horror as a genre appeals to some of the more base aspects of our nature as human beings. The inability to slow down to check out that car wreck, for example. Jealousy and the "need" for revenge. The schadenfreude we all experience at seeing another struggle. And running throughout the entire genre, a decided undercurrent of voyeurism. In my opinion ,though, there are far nobler, and more powerful motivations for enjoying horror. It has been suggested that horror, as a genre, is by nature conservative. While I don't agree with this analysis one-hundred percent, I do see the merit of the argument. In an overall, sweeping sort of sense, the description applies. By and large, horror stories involve a status-quo that is interrupted. By the end of the story, the status-quo (or something approaching it) has been restored. The price of that restoration- in suffering and in many cases human life- may vary, but by and large that is the formula. By definition this is, indeed, conservative. And so perhaps the genre is, at its core, conservative, literally speaking. But that isn't why I enjoy horror, and I'll bet it isn't why you do either. Horror is hope. It is the crystal-clarity of desperation. In no other genre, it seems to me, is the protagonist offered more opportunity for growth, than in horror. We, as writers of horror, are charged with providing the catalyst for that growth. If we do not, we have failed. A horror story that does not affect the protagonist enough to cause real change in his or her character, is not likely to affect a reader either. Characters in horror stories are forced to dig deep, if they wish to survive. Those characters who are unwilling or unable to do so will be eaten alive. Horror is about the triumph of the human spirit. It is about the will to live and about how very precious life is. It is about belief, about faith...faith in oneself and in the future. Faith in humankind, even. What do you think? Until next time, friends, All the Very Best, J Robert Kane |
| Welcome back, friend! May I assume, as you are willing to endure the chill of the crypts, that you are a fellow horror fanatic? Well, I wonder, what are you reading when you aren't reading horror? When I step out on my first love- and I wonder, sometimes, what terrific vengeance she may take, should she ever find out...) it is usually in the company of a good mystery, or science-fiction novel. A lifelong fan of Star Wars, I admit to having read far too many of the books inspired by the franchise. Many are fun, and a few are very good. The works of Timothy Zahn- in and out of the Star Wars universe- are nuanced and far-reaching. When I'm in the mood for more psychological Sci-FY I turn to the classics. Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick are my go-to's. When it comes to mystery, as far as I'm concerned, you simply cannot do better than THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES. There's no better way to spend a rainy afternoon off than by reading some Holmes! Of course Agatha Christie isn't history's best-selling author by accident. I haven't read as much of her work as I should. The few that I have read I enjoyed very much. The thing about mystery stories is that they have to be very good. If they are even slightly less than so they fail miserably. In spite of the popular and critical success of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, I disliked the book and didn't bother reading the sequel. It wasn't a terribly story, and it was certainly charged emotionally and sexually- but it wasn't at all a good mystery, which it purported to be. What do you think? And more to the point, what are you reading, other than horror? As always, all the very best to you! Until we gather once more, J. Robert Kane |
| Welcome again, friends, to the Mausoleum. Today I'd like to talk about some of our favorite Christmas-themed horror stories/movies/television shows. Christmas time has been fodder for the writer of ghost-stories since Charles Dickens, at least. When you consider, the Holiday Season provides an almost irresistible setting for the horror scribe. The joy and cheer of the season, the child-like innocence it rekindles in us all, makes it the ideal backdrop for some really bad s*** to go down. Because who's suspecting, right? When I think horror and Christmas, I always think back to the 1989 episode of Tales from the Crypt with the killer Santa. "And All Through the House" was the title, and I remember it making an impression on me. My favorite Holiday Horror novel (and I plan on beginning it again in the next few days) is Joe Hill's NOS482. While lengthy, this novel is fun and creepy. Its antagonist, an old man (vampire? something worse?) who "rescues" children and brings them to "Christmas Land" refuses still to die, having become a comic-book icon. I'd love to hear some of your favorite Holiday Horror! What stories set during the season scare and even terrify you? Inspire you to write your next story? Until next time, friends, remember the unspoken lesson of the dead that surround us here in the mausoleum: Live your life now! Go after your dreams, because tomorrow is never a guarantee! All the Very Best, As Always, J Robert Kane |
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