Blogging about horror, writing, and more. My new novel, Darkness Calls, is represented by Patty Carothers and Amy Brewer of Metamorphosis Literary Agency.
My award-winning horror trilogy, Rabbit in Red, is complete and available from your favorite bookseller.
Who doesn’t love
killer clowns, especially if they are chasing you?
This Saturday, July
25, come experience the Evil Circus Horror Vortex presented by Insane Women Productions! The clowns are waiting for you in the trails, and they are hungry for human flesh. Are you brave enough to experience Halloween in July? For only a small fee-- $3 per person or $5 for two-- you can join the Evil Circus Horror Vortex! And moreover, all of the money goes to support the Peoria State Hospital Museum!
The haunt entrance is located off of Enterprise Drive in Bartonville, and the vortex opens at dusk.
On the opposite side of the trail, you can also catch the cult horror classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space to benefit the Limestone JFL. Experience the horror of the evil circus, and IF you survive, then you can relax and watch as alien clowns invade Earth to feast on human blood.
The movie entrance
is on South Becker Drive and also starts at dusk. Bring your own lawn chair or blankets. Concessions will be
provided by the Limestone JFL.
This is a one-night only
event. Don’t miss out!
Haven’t seen Killer
Klowns from Outer Space? RottenTomatoes.com critic’s score gives it a 71% fresh
rating, saying “Killer Klowns from Outer Space's title promises darkly goofy
fun -- and more often than not, the movie delivers.” The movie lives up
to its title, as alien clowns come to Earth to eat humans. It’s an absolutely
delightful treat for horror fans, and there would be no better way to enjoy it then by first experiencing the Evil Circus Horror Vortex!
If you missed my
previous blog post on Insane Women Productions and the Haunted Infirmary-
Bartonville Asylum, check out this article!
Cat Moon, the first book in The
Were Children series by Jennifer Gadd, releases this Friday, July 24
through Distinguished Press. I was fortunate to have read an advanced copy, and
I cannot recommend this book enough! Get it here, now!
Gadd builds her
characters so that they become a part of the reader’s life. The children in the
story could be one’s own (or one's best friends), and although the book is written for a middle school
to young adult audience, this thirty-six year old man absolutely fell in love
with the story. I cheered along with the characters’ victories, and I cursed at
the villains. There are multiple mysteries, and you’ll find
yourself thinking of dozens of possibilities. In the end, Gadd gives readers an incredibly rewarding conclusion while simultaneously building a ravenous hunger for
the next book in the series.
More than a thrilling story, Gadd tackles themes of acceptance and chasing one's dreams in uniquely powerful ways. It's a great read for all audiences.
Emma has big
problems. She has no family and no home. She wanders the streets of The Warren,
scavenging for her next meal and trying to keep warm. Haunted by the memory of
a mother she barely recalls, Emma dreams of being a part of a real family. She
is helped in her search for belonging by an assortment of eccentric characters:
a friendly shopkeeper and his cranky uncle, the nice woman who runs the local
mission, a ditzy cat lady, and a good-natured prostitute with a drinking
problem.
Her biggest obstacle, however, is that every full moon, she turns into
a feral cat! Emma is one of the Were. She and those like her are ruthlessly
hunted by the captain of the Were-Guard, whose religious zealotry makes him
especially dangerous. When the sinister Bram Fitzwilliam enters the picture to
assist the Guard, Emma is in more danger than ever. Before she finds what she’s
looking for, Emma must find a strength and courage she never knew she had. Her
journey will teach her that dreams don’t always come true the way you want them
to, that people aren’t always what they seem, and that real families can be
chosen.
At the time of this post, you can get it for just $0.99 on Amazon!
Give Jennifer's Facebook page a like! She has some exciting giveaways and news related to the release of Cat Moon. Be sure to check it out!
Gadd made a terrific book trailer for Cat Moon. Check it out below!
Excerpt from the beginning of Cat Moon:
She’d had no idea what was happening to her when the first shift came.
She remembered screaming, and she remembered watching in terror as the bones in
her arms and legs began to change shape under her stretched skin, as
chocolate-brown fur itched its way out of her very pores. She remembered the
burning in her eyes as her pupils opened and became vertical slits. She remembered
how her vision had sharpened in the moonlight. She even remembered the
prickling on her face as the sensitive whiskers sprouted and the intense pain
in her lower back where the tailbones had started growing. She had never in her
whole life experienced such excruciating pain before, but she certainly would
again — again and again and again.
She remembered something else, too. As she’d started screaming,
someone had grabbed her, covered her mouth with a rough, hairy hand, and
dragged her down into an alley and deep into the Warren. A voice had growled in
her ear, “Shut up, you stupid girl, or they’ll find you!” The growling
intensified, then there was an injured whimper, and Emma had been thrown aside.
She’d landed on soft paws with a hiss that was a shock to her new fur-lined
ears. Then the animal mind took over. The next thing she knew, it was morning,
she hurt all over, and she had a suspicious taste coating her tongue that she
desperately hoped wasn’t rat.
Join Jennifer, me, the Distinguished Press team, and several guest authors this Saturday, July 25 for an online celebration here of Cat Moon. We'll be playing games and giving away prizes!
Quotes from Cat Moon:
There was nothing between her and the pavement, and if the banister
were to collapse, she would surely plummet to her death. It would be the
simplest way to solve a lot of problems.
________
She stopped abruptly as she surveyed the scene. “Mother, is there a
problem?” she asked.
“Yes, Margaret. There is indeed a very grave problem. These . . .
these—”
“Children, Mother?”
________
If her mind later blurred many of the images unrecognizable, what
Margaret remembered most clearly were the sounds: bones cracking like kindling,
sinews snapping like whips and wrapping themselves around the new structure
with a hiss, skin tearing and raw, and Emma’s hideous and helpless screams.”
________
The old man sat up, challenging. “Tell her what, Giles?” he said
flatly. “Tell her that I killed her mother?”
________
As she walked out of the sitting room, she turned back to see if he
was still watching her. The fire reflecting in his hard eyes glowed red and
demonic. He never even blinked.
Author Bio:
Jennifer L. Gadd is a life-long reader and writer who holds a
deep interest in writing quality literature for children and young adults.
She writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, as well as hi-lo books for
struggling readers. Her favorite authors are Charles Dickens, George Eliot,
Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Agatha Christie, Candace M. Robb, Ellis
Peters, and Anne Perry. She has lived in Texas, Illinois, and Alaska, and currently
resides in Kansas City, Kansas, where she is a reading interventionist at an
urban middle school.
1. I got the idea for the book when all the vampire books
exploded onto YA fiction, and I wanted to do something different.
2. I finished the rough draft at a Borders in Overland Park, Kansas. I
hope that’s not the reason they went bankrupt.
3. The story was initially vetted by my younger daughter and her best
friend, and after they read it, they created a role play game based on it.
4. All of the herbal medicine lore in the first book is researched and
accurate (but not intended to take the place of advice from your medical
practitioner.)
5. My own daughters’ names are Rachel and Margaret.
Five Things About Emma
1. She isn’t sure, but she thinks she’s about twelve years old.
2. She learned to read a very early age. She can’t really
remember not ever knowing how to read.
3. The shift back and forth from human to animal mind causes sporadic
memory losses, so she doesn’t know if her memories are real or
imagined.
4. She has a deep moral conscience, but homelessness has
made her do things of which she is ashamed.
5. For all her street smarts, she is essentially naïve and
innocent.
Five Things About Margaret Spencer
1. She misses her sister terribly.
2. She has always felt she was second-best in her mother’s heart.
3. She deeply and truly loves Stephen Devlin and tries to see only the
best in him and his actions.
4. She chafes against the religious faith in which she
was brought up.
5. She is a terrible cook.
Five Things About Stephen
Devlin
1. He has a terrible temper and has a compulsive need to be in
control.
2. His actions are the result of deeply-held religious beliefs.
3. He is an expert archer.
4. He feels as if he had always been a failure in the eyes of his
deceased father.
5. He deeply and genuinely loves his sister and brother.
Meet three women who
are changing the horror industry and putting Bartonville, IL on a national map.
Christina Morris,
Jackie McDowell, and Salina Porter run Insane Women Productions, an
organization that promotes the true history of the old Peoria State Hospital,
commonly known as the Bartonville Insane Asylum. They also work for the Haunted Infirmary at Bartonville Insane Asylum, where they host scary movie nights and
spooky attractions year-round to preserve the historical integrity of the old
hospital.
Jackie McDowell, Salina Porter, & Christina Morris at the Firehouse.
And they have a
great mission: to not only save and teach the authentic history of the hospital
but also to change horror and haunted attractions for fright enthusiasts. “History
will not save the Hilltop. Haunt money will save it,” says Christina Morris,
owner at Insane Women Productions. The true history of the old asylum is mostly
innocuous—there was no torture of patients, for example. Of course, there were
bad people hospitalized there, such as a rapists and all sorts of convicts.
Although Insane Women Productions provides historical tours of the old
hospital, it’s the haunted attractions that bring in the money to save it.
“We
give the people what they always thought the hospital was. We create something
spooky to save what is really good,” Morris says.
Morris, McDowell,
and Porter are part of a team that is changing haunted attractions, and they
have a contagious passion that will spread—like a zombie plague, perhaps—and inspire
fright-lovers nationwide. People have driven from hours away to see their haunts,
and some travelers come from all parts of the country. Insane Women hopes to
have monthly haunts throughout the year, not just during the month of October, and
they’ve got some incredibly unique ideas. They host movie nights at dusk
outside of the Pollock Hospital. On a giant blow-up screen, anyone can watch
a horror film in an exceptionally eerie atmosphere, but there’s more to it than
a movie! They create a special haunted attraction, unique to each film, for the
audience to experience. This month, the movie is The Army of Darkness, and then the crowd can enjoy their Horror
Vortex, a haunt inspired by Ash and The
Evil Dead!
Insane Women
Productions rents a building near the hospital for their work. They
operate out of the old Firehouse, which is actually the oldest building on the
grounds. The Firehouse is one of the 13 original structures out of 63. The
first floor of their home is a museum, the second floor is pure insanity, and
you don’t want to go in the attic! They use the second floor to create and
store all of their horror props, which are all original. They don’t want to
purchase products from Wal-Mart that anyone would recognize, and they frown
upon universal animatronic props used by chain haunts that take over other
horror-themed attractions. Everything they create is original, and each haunt
is a story. It’s about an experience, as if the guest were the lead character
in a movie living out his or her ultimate fears. (Note: the author got a private
tour of the attic, and . . . so many bodies! That’s all he’ll say about that.)
IWP hosts more than haunts. They also have great historical events!
Each has a terrific story about her love of horror. McDowell, partner at Insane
Women Productions, has fond memories of watching scary movies with her dad and
attending haunted attractions ever since she was a young girl. Porter, Insane
Women Productions’ marketing director, grew up watching every horror film one
can imagine and devouring Stephen King books. Ironically, Porter never was a
fan of haunted attractions as a child because of a frightening experience at
Six Flags where an axe got a little too close for comfort, but she got involved
here for the movie nights. Now you can find her clutching a baby still attached
by his umbilical cord with bite marks on his face as Porter walks the haunted
attractions. It’s great fun.
Most people who grew
up in central Illinois know of the Bartonville Insane Asylum. As kids, many would
explore the dilapidated halls and spine-chilling rooms late at night, even if
it was illegal. Morris always had a desire to preserve the building. She’s been
studying the hospital’s history for twenty-five years. When she was a little
girl, she used to visit it with her grandfather because they had family there.
Her grandfather called them “special people,” and Morris thought he must have
meant giants because the place is so big. She’s always felt a special energy from the place and a desire to protect it. As a teen, she’d hide in the empty
building to scare away other people who were only there to vandalize or harm
the facility. And now as an adult, she’s still scaring people who visit!
The three also team up with others, too, for their haunted attractions, including some men and other women, about 30 other staff, and over
200 volunteers! It’s obvious that the other staff and volunteers become a part
of a family and, for many volunteers, it can be a place in which they fit and
are welcomed. McDowell, Porter, and Morris also like to think of original
haunts, not just slashers chasing after someone, but mind games to really mess
with participants. If there’s an energy to the Bartonville Asylum, there’s also
a terrific passion at the Firehouse where these three ambitious and creative
minds spend their days working on everything from historical documentation to
painting the most gruesome blood and guts on new dolls. Their ideas are
limitless, and it’s exciting for any fan of haunted attractions or macabre
tales to follow along. Down the road, central Illinois residents will recognize
Insane Women not only for original and terrifying haunts but for helping save
one of the most iconic and interesting parts of our community. And the world of haunted attractions and horror is paying attention, too.
For everything they
do, you can follow them on their Facebook page, and for just the horror and
haunting information, you can also follow them here.
This Saturday, come
check out their movie night and haunted vortex! Keep following along on this
blog, as there are plenty more tales to tell and people to interview! They also
told me of an upcoming adventure that absolutely NO ONE has. That will be a
great story, so be sure to follow along.
Author’s Note: “The horror fan wants to be his or her favorite
characters,” Morris said when I talked to her today. I smiled wide at this comment and told all
three that I couldn’t agree more. It’s that concept that inspired my own horror
novel, Rabbit in Red, which releases this fall. I’ll be interviewing the men
who work at the attractions, too, for other unique perspectives, as well as covering
some special events and other news from Insane Women and the Haunted Infirmary.
To get all the latest updates, please like my author Facebook page here! You
can also subscribe to the blog and visit me at my official author webpage.
If you want to know
what the secret of success is—a prediction of great things to come—then look at
a person’s enthusiasm and ambition. There’s something absolutely infectious
about one’s desire to succeed and make a difference. I found that contagious
energy in the unique talents of three young guys who make up the band Terribly Happy.
But success isn’t
solely based on enthusiasm and talent. It’s also a result of relentless support
for other arts and artists. One look at the Facebook page of Terribly Happy
reveals both of these characteristics—an unparalleled drive for success and an immeasurable
amount of support for other local bands and artists. Terribly Happy is constantly
working, creating, and performing, and throughout all of this, they find time
to connect with other bands, support their work, and even take on unique
endeavors—like working with a local author. Collaboration is one key to
success, and the distinct talents of each band member coalesce to form vigorously
creative music and performances. But they don’t limit themselves to just one
another. Their vocal support of all music and artists is what truly pushes the
boundaries of collaboration. They are, in fact, a terribly passionate trio
destined for great things.
Their dreams of performing
and making a band date back to their middle school days. All three band members—James,
Kyle, and Logan—attended different schools and didn’t
meet until college. Like fate, their passion for the same genre of music,
pop-punk, eventually steered these three talented individuals together. More
than a similar interest, each has unique musical talents, the combination of
which has sparked electrifying and exciting original music.
The name Terribly
Happy came from a brainstorming session between Kyle and James. They tossed
around all sorts of clever names from Buffalo Flow to Roshambo. On a Google search
for unique movie titles, James came across a Danish Noir film titled Terribly Happy, and the name has stuck
ever since.
** Band Member Spotlight **
KYLE HAMON
Position: guitarist/vocalist
How he learned music: Kyle started playing bass and then switched to guitar. He taught himself how to play, and the first song he ever learned was “Blackbird” by the Beatles.
Favorite Terribly Happy Lyric: "If I could buy anything, it'd be the memories. We could watch them together,” from a song titled “You and I aren’t Heroes”
Five unique things about Kyle: He has an extensive retro video game collection and games to boot, he started off as a folk musician, he’s a cinephile, he originally went to culinary school when he started college, and he likes to switch between rhythm and lead guitar in the band!
JAMES WYLIE
Position:
bassist/vocalist
How he learned
music: James taught himself how to play bass by looking up song tabs online and
practicing them over and over again.
Favorite Terribly
Happy lyric: His favorite comes from two different lyrics sang by Kyle and James at the same time from a song called,
"Sinking Sand." Kyle sings, "Man down ooooh, everyone flees. Oh
yeah they fled from it all. They felt the ocean breeze. It felt too good, like
we shouldn't feel as we could." And James sings, "The cold is setting
in, it's time for winter to come again. And I'm here to remind you that I'll
always be near."
Five unique things about Logan:
Logan is a graphic design and film-making major, he’s obsessed with
science-fiction and fantasy stories, he’s learning how to do horror airbrush
make-up, he loves comic books, and he’s named one of Terribly Happy’s songs.
****
Terribly Happy
started as a two-person acoustic duo with James and Kyle, and they met Logan a
few years later. The three were a perfect fit and are currently a trio. They released
one EP titledSprinkles With That
earlier this year in March. Currently, they are working on their next album and
first official music video for their song, “Shut Up, Let’s Go.”
Although they are
exploring all sorts of different sounds, such as emo, straight-punk, and
folk-punk, pop-punk music is their primary genre. Bare bones pop-punk is a
style with energetic music and catchy melodies. They love this style because—for
all three—it influenced them when they were younger, and now they want to contribute
to the same field of music that has been so meaningful for them.
Catch a live performance
of Terribly Happy! Updated performances are available on their Facebook page,
but some you can catch soon include: 1) the Marquette Heights Men's Club'sFreedom Fest on June 27th, which will be their longest performance
to date as they will play a two hour set. You can catch them from 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. at the pavilion, and 2) the Warp Zone Show on July 16 (performances begin at 5:00 p.m.).
Click the links to learn more about those individual performances. Their favorite
places to play vary with each member, but they all love house shows, which
produce energetic crowds in intimate settings.
Terribly Happy also
has a very unique creative process. Generally, they will start with an acoustic
competition and then turn it electric and the song evolves from there. Other
times, they like to jam electrically first and then form the song. They’ve been
known to pump out a couple new songs a week as the creative juices flow high,
or they’ll take a few weeks or longer to really perfect a favorite song.
When you see them
play, you’ll recognize that their greatest strength is the chemistry between
the band members. They are very close when they perform, and they feed off of
one another’s energy as well as the crowd’s. Their chemistry also enhances the
creative process as they bounce a variety of ideas off of one another.
I asked what advice
they’d give to those looking to start their own band. What they told me: “Be
friendly and grateful for any love and support given to you in your local
scene. Don't personally have a big ego among your band mates and, as a band,
don't have a big ego out in the scene among other bands.” This is great advice for
all artists, and one reason I personally admire Terribly Happy. Once again,
success comes from supporting others, and Terribly Happy models that. In any
artistic scene, the success of another is a win for all.
After interviewing
the band, I asked one final question—anything else you’d like readers to know?
Terribly Happy said, “We love you and please support the local music scene.”
You can show your
support by liking the Terribly Happy Facebook page here, and even more so by
attending an upcoming performance. Subscribe to their YouTube channel to receive all of their new music!
Check out some of the music in the videos posted below!
About the author:
Joe Chianakas is the author of the upcoming horror adventure series RABBIT IN RED. You can like his author page and learn more about the book on Facebook,
Twitter, or his author website at www.joechianakas.com.
Why did a horror author write this article about a local band, you may be
wondering? Well, just wait and see! Terribly Happy and I, as you can tell,
understand that collaboration enhances success. We’ve got some fun projects up
our sleeves, and I’ll tell you more about Terribly Happy and those projects in
a future article! Stay tuned!
As of today, I am officially in the double digit (finally!) count down till my book Rabbit in Red is published!
To celebrate, I wanted to create a short blog post where I would post all of the Rabbit in Red media to share with you, in case you've missed any of these awesome things. There are a lot more side projects in the works-- a couple of big collaborations I've very excited to share with you in time.
I also want to thank anyone who is reading this. I've always written, but a lot has changed since this time last year. In fact, it was about this exact day last year (I remember it being the first week of my summer classes) when I sat down in the backyard to read a book. A few pages in, I got this incredible idea. Art inspires art! In one afternoon, I outlined Rabbit in Red and spent every day writing. Thirty days later, I had 70,000 words. I was that passionate about this project.
It's a very different story from that last summer after too many rounds of revisions to count. As they say, first drafts are pretty much always complete shit :) But you have to start somewhere.
One book that's been over a year in the making-- that's how writing and publication work.
It releases September 18, 2015. I hope you'll be as excited to read it as I am to share it with you.
Please follow my author pages here on Facebook and Twitter if you haven't already!
And now, to celebrate: here's a collection of Rabbit in Red media so far.
A possible Rabbit in Red logo
Rabbit in Red is the name of a movie production studio that turns out to be oh so much more in my story! This is the art one of my best friends, Brandy Kennington, drew for me.
Unofficial Trailer #1
The above is the first trailer I created-- watch for a preview and I hope you catch all the horror references!
Bill's Nightmare
This great drawing was created by Tracie Verkuilen. You can read more about it and her here.
Unofficial Trailer #2
Once I had some art work, I had to make a second trailer-- check out the above. I love the scary music (credit for that goes to iMovie, of course).
Jaime and Tara Stein
This is a cool drawing made by Toni Ritchie. Jaime Stein is a major character, and her little sister will play an important role as the story progresses. You can read more about that and Toni here.
Rose Dawn
Meet Rose Dawn, another important character. This sweet sketch was designed by Kim Loan. Read more about the character Rose and the artist Kim here.
Once again, thanks for following and reading! Please consider sharing this post and liking my author Facebook and Twitter pages to support. 99 days and counting, friends! You can also check out my official website-- www.joechianakas.com-- for more content and a cool countdown!
I had the pleasure
of interviewing another fantastic artist who contributed some art for my upcoming
novel Rabbit in Red. Today, I’d like
to take some time to introduce you to Kim Loan.
Kim creates mostly
anime, cartoons, and any kind of creature or imaginative thing living deep
inside her head. She remembers drawing shapes all the way back in kindergarten
and being absolutely mesmerized by art. She moved from simple shapes to more
challenging concepts very quickly. By the time she was in second grade, she
would draw Pokémon characters. In the summertime, she would often draw from the
moment she woke up until bedtime. Art is clearly her biggest passion.
-- Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Rabbit in
Red updates!--
When she’s not
drawing, Kim loves hiking, biking, and playing badminton. She also loves playing
video games and watching anime. Her current goals are to improve with charcoal
and with drawing more realistic looking people. Kim plans on being a hair
stylist, but will never give up her love of drawing.
For Rabbit in Red,
she drew the character of Rose Dawn. Here is part of the excerpt from my novel that Kim read
before drawing Rose:
When asked why she entered the contest, Rose looked shy on camera and
said, “I enjoy being behind the camera. Not on it.” A seventeen year old New
Orleans resident, Rose’s name matched her face: soft, short red hair, a petite
body. Her eyes were hard and dark, as if guarding a secret, but her face was
cute in a little-sister kind of way. She may not stand out in a crowd, except
for her hair and a little black purse she held tightly against her side, but
she possessed a deeper beauty, something harder to see for most people.
She spoke quietly into the camera but never looked directly at it. “So
you want to be a filmmaker too?” a reporter asked.
“Yes.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I like it.”
“And you want to make horror
films? Why horror?”
“Horror needs art, and I like art. I think JB would agree,” Rose answered
simply.
For multiple reasons, I thought Rose Dawn was a perfect character for Kim to draw!
Kim also shared with
me her favorite drawing, pictured on the right. You'll see a butterfly with torn fabric wings
and a ribbon-like tail. Next to the butterfly, Kim drew a hummingbird with a
mermaid-like tail and butterfly wings. They are surrounded by flowers and a
stream of water. She had a very unique inspiration when drawing this. This art
represents the idea that everyone belongs in this world, no matter how
different they look or act.
Finally, I talked
with Kim about other interests such as books and movies, since she drew some
art for my book. Her favorite horror film is Thirteen Ghosts, and her favorite
book series is Gregor the Overlander,
which she says is action packed with adventure and creativity from the
beginning until the end. Plus, there’s a bat that can fly you around and the
roaches in the book can talk!
Thank you, Kim, for
your beautiful portrayal of Rabbit in Red’s
Rose Dawn. If you would like to message Kim, just leave on comment here on this blog article.
Rabbit in Red is
scheduled to release in September of 2015. Be sure to follow along on Facebook
and Twitter for more updates.
Who doesn’t love
killer clowns, especially if they are chasing you? 
