Horror-Related Happenings

Full moon rising over Austin, TX - May 3, 2015, photo by Carie Juettner — Full moon rising over Austin, TX – May 3, 2015, photo by Carie Juettner

More than once in my life, I’ve been told, This isn’t the right time for a horror story. Apparently some people think you can’t read a ghost story unless it’s midnight on Friday the 13^th and you’re in the middle of an abandoned farmhouse with only a half-burned candle for light. And wolves howling outside. While I agree that’s probably the ideal setting for a spooky tale, I also believe that sunny days at the beach, front yard hammocks, and picnics are also excellent settings for horror stories. If a story is truly going to give you the creeps, it’s going to do it no matter what the time or temperature.

Having said that, it’s SPRING TIME! The skies are blue, the birds are chirping, the wildflowers are blooming, and… it’s time for some horror updates. 🙂

Something New, Something Old,
Something Published, Something Bold

Something New:

The hubby and I have started watching a new (to us) show—Bates Motel—and I’m really getting into it. I decided to give it a try based on Annie Neugebauer’s recommendation. (<– It’s really hard to read her enthusiastic rant and NOT feel compelled to watch it.) The show is currently in its fourth season and we’re only halfway through the first, but already it’s become a favorite. Of course, we had to start by re-watching the original Psycho. Anthony Perkins is unbeatable as Norman Bates, but I think the casting of young Norman in Bates Motel is excellent.

[Fun fact: While we were watching Psycho, a huge daddy long legs crawled over my husband’s head. Hee hee. That spider had perfect timing.]

Something Old:

I recently re-discovered this cool book I got when I was a kid. GHOSTS: A Classic Collection, Illustrated by Walt Sturrock, was published by Unicorn Publishing House in 1989. I don’t actually remember when or where I got it, but chances are it was a gift for my thirteenth birthday. (It certainly looks like the perfect Halloween-birthday gift.) The collection includes nine classic ghost stories, such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes” and “The Monkey’s Paw” (an all time favorite). In addition to the stories, there are thirty illustrations by Walt Sturrock, and they are beautiful and disturbing. You can see most of them on Sturrock’s w ebsite. This is the cover and one of my favorite pictures:

Ghosts: A Classic Collection cover and “Was it a Dream” illustration by Walt Sturrock

As a kid, I admit, it was the illustrations that I cared about. I wasn’t actually a big reader when I was young and the stories were too long and too old fashioned for me to get into. But I loved the pictures and the book itself—a heavy black hardback with the headless horseman on the front and a silver skull on the back. Eventually, I did start reading the stories, but I’m honestly not sure I ever got through the whole thing. So I’m reading them now. Even the ones I already know, like “The German Student,” I’m reading again because I want to read them in this unique volume.

If you can find a copy of GHOSTS: A Classic Collection, grab it. If you’re a fan of horror, the stories may not be new to you, but the experience will. Also, it makes a great gift for the young horror-enthusiasts in your life, even if they just want to look at the pictures for now.

Something Published:

I’m excited to announce that my short story, “The Girl in the Attic,” has been accepted for Growing Pains, a new anthology coming soon from Sinister Saints, an imprint of Horrified Press.

From the Horrified Press website:

Growing up is never easy. But what if the growing pains experienced are unusual, fantastical … or the stuff of nightmares? How will your main character react to these changes? What about their friends, family and society at large? What are the consequences for all those involved?

For this anthology, explore the challenges and mental trauma experienced by those struggling to deal with their unexpected life changes. Delve deep into your imagination to deliver twisted tales from all avenues of horror.

Here’s the catch—these stories must incorporate a YA as a main character, and must be appropriate for the YA audience. They can be told from any vantage point, and can be first or third person. Dark fairy tales, bizarre fiction, horror, surrealism, and dark science-fiction are all cool here.

They’re still accepting submissions through the end of the month, so if you have a YA horror story you think they might like, check out the guidelines on their website.

Something Bold:

This Thursday, I’ll be heading to Atlanta for WORLD HORROR CON! This will be my first horror-themed conference, and I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. In addition to meeting amazing authors like Jonathan Maberry, Kami Garcia, and Lisa Tuttle (just to name a few) I will also be rooming with two fellow horror-writing friends who I normally only get to hang out with in the online universe. (Annie Neugebauer and Ashley B. Davis, I can’t wait to see you!) Look for lots of tweets this week about my conference experience. #WHC2015

[And yes, I do realize that three women who barely know each other sharing a hotel room at a horror conference actually IS the perfect setting for a horror story. I’m willing to take my chances.]

One Last Thing…

Sometimes people are surprised to learn that I write creepy stuff. Just last week someone said to me, “You’re too sweet to write horror!” HA! I have three things to say about that. First, you’ve obviously never seen me when I haven’t eaten in a while. I’m not sweet then. I’m like a Snickers commercial on steroids.* Secondly, you don’t have to be a horrible person to write horror. My fellow horror writers are some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. Their stories might scare the poop out of you, but they’re a friendly bunch. And third, I think it’s kind of fun to surprise people. Maybe if I were an old hag with long gray hair and a hunchback and warts on my nose and thin, gnarly fingers and a raspy voice**, people would expect me to write horror, but then I’d miss out on the fun of showing up to critique groups looking like my normal “sweet” self and handing out stories full of ghosts and demons and murder and mayhem. I enjoy this.

* Ashley and Annie, don’t worry. I promise to eat during World Horror Con.

** I fully intend to fit this description some day. I say if you have to get old, do it in style.

My Horror Selfie - http://horrorselfies.com/carie-juettner/ — My Horror Selfie – http://horrorselfies.com/carie-juettner/

5 Reasons to Follow Me on Facebook

1. My Facebook page is very popular with cats.

2. I have a different profile picture on Facebook, so it’s kind of like following a whole different person.

3. Find out about upcoming publications before they’re announced here, and learn where you can hear me read or join me for a literary event.

4. When I get 200 followers on Facebook, I’ll start hosting some contests and giveaways.

5. By only following my blog, where (believe it or not) I actually take time to think about what I post, you’re missing out on off-the-cuff gems like these:

And just in case you need one more reason…

BONUS REASON #6. More pet pics.

I hope to see you on Facebook!

AIPF 2015: A Recap in Snippets

Last weekend, poetry invaded the city of Austin in the form of the Austin International Poetry Festival. Austin’s a pretty poetic city on any day of the year, but during the four days of AIPF it’s hard to avoid poets in any bookstore, coffee shop, or meeting place in town. And why would you want to? We are a lovely species.

As usual, the festival was a whirlwind of readings, workshops, meet & greets, performances, traffic obstacles, minor mishaps, sleeplessness, and poetic inspiration. (And yes, it IS possible to find poetic inspiration even in traffic obstacles. Just don’t try to write the poems while driving, as that would surely create more obstacles.)

People have been asking me how the festival went, and I have answered each of them the same way: with incoherent babble. Unfortunately, it’s hard to put into words everything that happens during this unique four-day fest. I’ll start off talking about the impressive level of poetry in di-verse-city, the festival anthology. Then I’ll meander into an anecdote about what it was like listening to Anna Yin talk about how she tried to quit poetry but couldn’t do it. Next I’ll launch into an excited rant about meeting Nikki Giovanni (because– wow!) before explaining that I’m still really quite tired from staying up all night for the Midnight-to-Dawn poetry reading at Full English. See? Babble.

I think the reason why AIPF can’t be summed up is because it shouldn’t be summed up. It’s not a cohesive flow of information from one presentation to the next. It’s a scatter of happenings. It is a dandelion puff of poetry seeds breathed across the city. AIPF is not an “outline” or an “agenda,” it is a poem itself. There are so many events and opportunities in the program that I truly believe no two people experience the festival in the same way.

So, instead of a summary, here are a few snippets from my own AIPF 2015 experience. To find out what your AIPF experience would be, save the dates for next year’s festival—April 7-10, 2016.

I'm proud that my poem "Poetry Tumbles" made it into this year's anthology. — I’m proud that my poem “Poetry Tumbles” made it into this year’s anthology.

AIPF3 — I was so excited to meet Nikki Giovanni. It was a real treat listening her speak and hearing the stories behind poems like “Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day” and “Ego-Tripping.”

The best thing about the festival is the people you meet. I had such a good time talking to Anne McCrady (www.inspiritry.com/) pictured here with Nikki Giovanni. — The best thing about the festival is the people you meet. I had such a good time talking to Anne McCrady (www.inspiritry.com) pictured here saying something very interesting to Nikki Giovanni.

Even the breaks at AIPF are inspirational. I read some of Nikki's poetry over lunch and coffee at Austin Java. — Even the breaks at AIPF are inspirational. I read some of Nikki’s poetry over lunch and coffee at Austin Java.

Photos from the Midnight-to-Dawn poetry reading at Full English.

Me at the Midnight-to-Dawn Poetry Reading before I needed toothpicks to hold my eyelids open. This photo was taken by fellow poet Rie Sheridan Rose - www.riewriter.com — Me at the Midnight-to-Dawn event before I needed toothpicks to hold my eyelids open. This photo was taken by fellow poet Rie Sheridan Rose – http://www.riewriter.com

At the Nerd Read at Austin Books & Comics with the lovely and talented Rie Sheridan Rose, Joe Brundidge, Mike Whalen, and a poet whose name I did not catch. — The Nerd Read at Austin Books & Comics with the lovely and talented Rie Sheridan Rose, Joe Brundidge, Mike Whalen, and a poet whose name I did not catch. (That photo of me in the bottom right corner is another of Rie’s.)

A few more events that are not pictured but deserve to be mentioned:

* I didn’t take any pictures this year, but the youth anthology reading is another festival favorite for me. AIPF produces a second anthology composed of poems by kids ages four to eighteen. Listening to these amazing poets read their work always makes me smile.

* Also, all three workshops I attended were excellent.
– Anna Yin’s Poetry Alive presentation was wonderful. She posted a group photo of our class on her website.
– Carolyn Adams’ Postcard Poems session combined two of the things I love most– snail mail and poetry. Thanks to her, I plan on participating in this year’s August Postcard Poetry Fest.
– When is the last time you found yourself wishing a workshop could be longer? That’s how I felt in “The New Face of Fairy Tales” with Pamela Laskin. I left her hour-long class with one complete poem draft and a lot of ideas for more.

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