Chloe's Journal

Not exactly a ghost this time, but it is a cool story involving a dead body, so close enough!

In the seventies, there was a TV show called The Six Million Dollar Man. They filmed one episode at an amusement park in California. In the funhouse there was a body hanging from a gallows. One of the set guys tried to move it, and the arm broke off. Inside was a real bone.

The corpse turned out to be the mummified remains of a Wild West train robber named Elmer McCurdy. Some train robbers were famous. Some were smart. Some were rich. Then there was Elmer. In 1911, he tried blowing up a safe filled with silver. But he used too much nitro, and melted most of the silver. He tried again and still used too much, only this time the explosion didn’t open the safe. It did, however, wake up the whole town and the robbers narrowly escaped. Later that year, he tried a third time—without the nitro. Unfortunately, he held up the wrong train and barely got a few dollars. Still, McCurdy vowed he’d never be caught. And he was right. Later that same year he was gunned down in another robbery, without ever seeing the inside of a jail cell.

McCurdy may have been bad at his job, but the undertaker who embalmed his corpse was good at his. He’d done such a good job with McCurdy that he decided to keep the body and charge people a nickel to see it. Then two men showed up claiming to be McCurdy’s brothers and the undertaker had to hand over the dead train robber.

Only the guys weren’t his brothers. They were just two men who saw that the undertaker was making money with the corpse and decided to do the same. They displayed McCurdy in carnivals and traveling shows as a famous outlaw or an ancient mummy, depending on the crowd. After many years on the road, McCurdy ended up in an amusement park haunted house, then was bought by the Hollywood wax museum. By this time, everyone who knew it was a real body was long gone, and it was presumed to be a waxen dummy (though one guy buying dummies from the museum wouldn’t take McCurdy because ‘he didn’t look real enough.’)

Somehow McCurdy made it out of the wax museum and started a new career as a prop on low budget horror movies before ending up in the California amusement park fun house. After forensic experts confirmed it was indeed the mummified remains of Elmer McCurdy, he was buried in Oklahoma, where cement was poured over his grave to ensure he would, finally, rest in peace.

****

We’re heading into the holidays, so I’m taking a break and will return on January 15 with the next free chapter of The Reckoning. But I’m going to leave you with a few seasonal gifts. I have one advance copy of The Reckoning to give away, as well as a bunch of Darkest Powers mouse-pads (you can see them here on CafePress: http://www.cafepress.ca/kelleyarmstrong.413748854

How do you win them? Send an e-mail to contest@kelleyarmstrong.com subject line: Blog Contest and answer this question from The Awakening: what are the names of the two werewolves Chloe & Derek encounter in the playground? (first names are fine) I’m going to make this a really quick contest, so you might get the stuff before Christmas. It’ll end at noon EST Thursday, Dec 3, when I’ll draw one name to win the book and five more to win mouse-pads.

DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS ( unless you really want everyone else to get it right, too LOL ) EMAIL IT TO THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE.

Best monster movie ever.

Jaws (1982) Rated PG with warning “May Be Too Intense for Younger Children” (um, yeah…unless you really don’t want them to ever swim at a beach again)

Synopsis

Man-eating great white shark terrorizes a seaside town.

Review

This one is usually called a “thriller” rather than a “horror” movie. That just means it was good enough to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, so Hollywood wants to make sure—God forbid—you don’t mistake it for a lowly horror movie. Pfft. It’s horror.
Most kids I know have never seen this one because, well, it’s about a shark. Not a sadistic killer. Not a supernatural monster. Not even a genetically modified shark. Just a really, really big shark. It doesn’t sound very scary or very interesting, but it is. That’s what made this movie great. It took a simple idea and made an amazing movie out of it.

The reason it’s so good is that everyone on it does their best work. This was one of Steven Spielberg’s first movies, and of course he did great, but he had a lot to work with. The script is based on a good novel with good characters. The author (Peter Benchley) was one of the screenwriters, but he had help, too, and this is one of the rare cases where the movie is better than the book (IMO) The characters come alive and the dialogue snaps and sings. The actors are great. The cinematography is good. And the movie won the Oscar for best score for a reason—excellent soundtrack.

If I have one negative comment, it’s the same one I had for Poltergeist. It’s old. I don’t mind it with the out-of-date clothing and hairstyles and all that—it’s like seeing a period picture. But it’s kind of distracting with the special effects. You can tell the shark is mechanical. It’s not a problem, though, because you don’t see the shark until the end. That actually wasn’t intentional—the special effects guys were late building the shark, so they couldn’t use it in the movie. To me, that makes it even better—building up the suspense. And (bonus for modern viewers) you don’t spend the whole movie going “that shark looks so lame” LOL

Chloe’s Rating: A

Spook-meter: Chance you’ll jump out of your seat at least once: 80%

Gross-out-meter: Chance your stomach won’t feel like finishing your popcorn: 20% (only if you’re really squeamish…in which case you probably aren’t going to watch a movie about a man-eating shark anyway)

Contest time!
This week… This movie is known for keeping people out of the water, at least temporarily. If you’ve seen it, how eager were you for your next swim in the ocean? If you haven’t, has a horror movie ever made you afraid to do something? On November 30, I’ll randomly pick one comment from either the MySpace or LiveJournal blogs. The prize will be the same as usual: either a signed copy of The Summoning /The Awakening or a $20 (10£) gift certificate for Amazon.com/Amazon.ca/Amazon.co.uk.

I’m taking this one directly from a source.  It’s copyrighted 1937 so it should be free to use now (and if not, it qualifies under fair use)  It’s from “Basic Writing” by Harold Y. Moffett and Willoughby H. Johnson, but is supposedly based on an article from the New York Times.

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<b>The Screaming Tea Kettle</b>

Back in the 1890’s when trains of the Santa Fe Railroad first began to run in the vicinity of Ardmore, Oklahoma, one was held up by bandits seven miles from town where the tracks crossed Caddo Creek. Afterwards the robbers retired to an old house, where they divided and quarreled over the spoils. One robber was shot and killed. It is a tradition that part or all of the booty was hidden for a time in or about the house. People soon began to say that the ghost of the murdered bandit walked about the place trying to find where the money was hidden and for many years nobody was willing to live there.

However, about seven years ago, a family named Lynch moved into the deserted building. One afternoon, in the summer, Mrs. Lynch left her two oldest children at home and crossed the fields to visit some neighbors. An hour later, she heard her children screaming and ran out with her friends to learn the cause. Almost in hysterics, the youngsters came flying along shouting that someone was tearing the kitchen to pieces and that the tea-kettle was laughing and singing. Mrs. Lynch and others went to investigate. They found the tea-kettle steaming in the middle of the kitchen floor. A fire was burning in the cook stove, though none had been burning in it when Mrs. Lynch left home. The mystification of the onlookers was changed to horror when they observed that drops of blood were sprinkled about. The next day, the Lynches moved out and no family has lived in the building since . . . .

Ellis Perkins, who lives in the vicinity, had the latest known experience in the old dwelling. One afternoon, about four years ago, he was caught in a heavy rain storm while hunting. The only shelter . . . was offered by the old house, so he and his bull dog ran into it to get out of the rain. He walked upstairs and looked around the second floor, but there was no sign of recent occupancy. He shut the door at the top of the stairway and descended. As his foot left the lowest step, his dog sprang around and looked toward the top, his hair bristling; then began to bark as though he scented the presence of a stranger. Mr. Perkins said that he also looked back toward the top of the stairs. Under his gaze the door knob turned. The door opened, as though to permit someone to pass on to the stairway, and closed noiselessly. The hunter waited for nothing more. Followed by his yelping dog, he sprang to the front door and rushed out into the downpour. The wind must have blown the door open, friends tell him, but his invariable retort is, “How could the wind have turned the door knob?”

****

Contest time!  Is there a “haunted house” in your neighborhood?  In your town?  Tell me a bit about it in the comments!

All comments posted before November 14 will be entered into a draw and I’ll pick a random winner.  The prize will be the same as usual: either a signed copy of either book or a $20 (10£) gift certificate for Amazon.com/Amazon.ca/Amazon.co.uk.

Okay, we're back on track, having totally missed the October 1st blog. For those who are new to my "between novella" blogs, this is my (Chloe) review of a PG rated horror movie. I do these on the 15th of every month, and tell a ghost story on the 1st.

Cloverfield (1982) Rated PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images.

An intense movie-going experience, though more likely to cause barfing than screaming.

Synopsis

A huge monster terrorizes New York city.

Review

Cloverfield is Godzilla for the twenty-first century. And, naturally, because the old stuff just won’t do anymore, to sell it, you need a gimmick. Call this one “Godzilla meets the Blair Witch.”

It’s told from the point of view of a small group of people fleeing the monster. One of the group is filming their escape with a camcorder and we see the story through its lens. Of course, it isn’t being filmed by someone who actually knows how to operate it, but by the poor guy who got handed the camera at a party and told to record it. So you get lots of bad shots and times when the camera is pointing the wrong way, leaving you wondering what’s going on. That works well in a monster movie—bumping up the suspense—but my stomach kept hoping the guy would hand the camera to someone who knew how to use it.

What about the rest of the movie? It starts slow. Killer slow. We’re at a party, people are talking, and talking, and talking… I knew what the screenwriters were trying to do. In a good horror movie, you need to get to know the characters first, so you‘ll care who lives and  dies. But there had to be a more active way to accomplish this. After a few minutes, I tuned out and started thinking of how you could make a better opening. Educational, but probably not what the writers wanted me to be doing.

After that it gets good. There’s nothing very original here. The city is under siege and our group of intrepid partygoers are just trying to survive. Most won’t, but in a horror movie, that’s hardly a spoiler. The camcorder gimmick works well though, and you get right into the action.

I’m not running out to rent the DVD for a rewatch (and I’m not sure it would work as well off the big screen), but it was entertaining enough at the time.

Chloe’s Rating: B-

Spook-meter: Chance you’ll jump out of your seat at least once: 40%

Gross-out-meter: Chance your stomach won’t feel like finishing your popcorn: 80% (due to the camera-handling, though, not the special effects)

Contest time!

This week… Happy Halloween! I want to know what’s the best costume you ever wore. Post it here
as a comment. On Oct 31, I’ll randomly pick one comment from either the MySpace or LiveJournal blogs. The prize will be the same as usual: either a signed copy of The Summoning /The Awakening or a $20 (10£) gift certificate for Amazon.com/Amazon.ca/Amazon.co.uk.

And that’s it.  If you’ve like to read or print the whole thing, you’ll now find it at http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/pdf_files/Dangerous.pdf

Those who’ve been with me from the beginning will know that I always said Dangerous would end when the guys arrived at Lyle House.  A novella is intended to tell one simple story and, in this case, that story was “How Derek and Simon got to Lyle House.”

Readers have asked if I’d write about Lyle House before Chloe arrived.  It’s a possibility—if I had one clear story to tell, not simply a string of events spanning the gap.  I’ve also been asked if I’d redo The Darkest Powers from another point of view (usually Derek’s)  As a writer, though, I want to tell new stories.  What I would consider is dramatizing something that happened “off-stage” during the books, like what the guys did after they lost Chloe or what happened to Rae after Chloe left.

If you have an idea for a short story or another novella, you can send it (in 30 words or less) to mail@kelleyarmstrong.com.  In January, I’ll post up to five choices for readers to pick from, and the winning entry will become the 2010 Darkest Powers novella  (or a set of short stories.)  Your suggestion can involve a character we’ve met or one we didn’t.  It can take place during the novels or before them.  As long as it’s somehow related to the Edison Group, I’ll consider it.  And if it’s chosen for the poll, you’ll get a signed copy of one of the books (your choice.)

The 2010 novella won’t start until after The Reckoning comes out, though, because starting in January, you’ll be getting something else on the 1^st and 15^th.  You’ll find details in the Chloe Saunders newsletter, coming out later today.  If you aren’t signed up for that, you can get on the list here: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/mMailList.htm.

For the rest of the year, I'll revert (er, Chloe will revert) to the ghost stories and movie reviews.

Ms. Morris asked us to tell our story again.( Read more... )

Simon was annoyed with me.  ( Read more... )

I busted open the door and got hit by a blast of ice-cold air.

 

( Read more... )

We found the building, complete with fountain, still broken, now turned into a raised garden . . . or what would be a garden, in spring. Right now, the only thing blooming in it was broken beer bottles.

 

( Read more... )

We escaped the same way we had before. 

( Read more... )

“Now what?” Simon murmured as we reached the sidewalk.

 

( Read more... )

I'll be posting the next chapter later today, but just wanted to pop on and say that we've created a Facebook group for the series.  You'll find it here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/The-Darkest-Powers-Series-by-Kelley-Armstrong/120408451927?ref=s

LiveJournal is great for posting the e-story, but I hate interrupting it with announcements, and there's no place (that I can see anyway) to post discussions etc.  Now that Facebook has groups, it works better for stuff like that.

You'll find a couple of new contests posted there already.  The mod is a member of my team, so everything comes from me.  There will be contests and announcements.  There's a place for reader discussion and a place to ask me questions.  I'm sure we'll find more to do with it as we go on!

Kelley

I didn’t sleep. 

( Read more... )

It was almost ten when the phone rang. 

( Read more... )

When we rounded the corner to our street, we saw Dad’s van parked in the drive.
( Read more... )

I spent the rest of the day playing juvenile delinquent on display.

( Read more... )

(if you're looking for the latest Dangerous chapter, it's the post below this one)

The Awakening comes out April 28, but my US publisher has just posted a huge excerpt--the first 10 chapters. So that kinda makes up for the cliff-hanger ending to The Summoning, right? No? Okay, well, I'll apologize (again) and add a contest.

You'll find the excerpt here: browseinside.harperteen.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061662768

And if you read it, then click here: www.kelleyarmstrong.com/cAwaken.htm to enter the contest.

There are 14 prizes--CafePress stuff and backpacks. Half go to the first 7 correct entries and half to a random draw of correct entries received before April 28.

I followed the principal, and Simon followed me, until we were walking past the secretary’s desk and she jumped up.

( Read more... )

 

I don’t know if I slept that night. It didn’t feel like it. ( Read more... )

Last blog I promised no more interruptions. I lied. I also said that one was for my last ARC. Lied about that, too. I have one left--my copy, which has some pencil marks in it where I edited a section for a podcast reading. It's not used; it's special. Okay, yeah, I'm desperate here and I need a bribe, so I'm running one last contest, where you can choose from that last "special" ARC or a new copy in May.

Have you ever played the casting game? Choosing actors you'd like to see play the roles in books? Well, I'm getting a book trailer made for The Awakening and they're asking who I'd see in the parts, so they can use pictures of people who look similar. Problem is, when it comes to this game, I suck. The characters exist in my head and aren't based on actors. If you show me a few pictures, I can say which looks closest to my mental image, but I can't actually name actors who do.

Take Chloe, for example. The picture on the cover is gorgeous, but too glamorous and polished. The one on the blog here is closer--the hair colour is right and the "cute & friendly" look isn't too far off. The hair style is totally wrong though. Chloe's hair is more "first season Veronica Mars." See? I can do this, but I need help. So I'm coming to you.

Tell me who you see playing one or more of the kids--Chloe, Liz, Tori, Rae Simon or Derek. Put it in the comment section. If I choose one of yours in my note to the trailer-making-folks, I'll enter you into the draw.

Contest closes Wednesday at noon. Yep, it's short. I'm on a deadline if I want this trailer done before the book comes out!

DONE! Thanks to everyone who entered. As promised, I drew the winner from everyone who suggested one of the picks I sent to the video folks. If you're interested in the choices, I've put them below. I ran the contest here, on Chloe's MySpace and on my discussion board.

Chloe - AnnaSophia Robb http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1633589248/tt0398808

Derek - Steven Strait http://www.lahiguera.net/cinemania/actores/steven_strait/fotos/4117/steven_strait.jpg (yeah, he's too pretty--and a bit old for the part--but he was a very popular choice, so we'll consider this the Hollywood version of Derek LOL)

Simon - Kim Sang Bum (with blond hair) http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/white_socola/new/?action=view¤t=20061102090911.jpg

Tori - a younger Selma Blair http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1999_Cruel_Intentions/sarah_michelle_gellar_selma_blair_cruel_intentions_001.jpg

Rae - a younger Christina Vidal http://www.variety.com/graphics/photos/_mugv/vidal_christina.jpg

Liz - Jennette McCurdy http://www.aolcdn.com/ch_kids/jennette-mccurdy-300.jpg