@@DESCRIPTThe Death Certificate
/ / / SoulZ at Zer0 / /
/- / 03-95 SaZ Pak /- /
-----THE-DEATH-CERTIFICATE------VOLUME-1-ISSUE-5---------MARCH--1995------
Staff: The Stranger, Jack Flack - Editors, Writers.
Black Sunshine - Writer.
Deranged - Writer.
* If you are interested in contributing to The Death Certificate
please let one of the editors know.
Her booth was empty and she was still there, as if she had been
waiting for him to return. When the panel rose, she was smiling.
As he walked out of Live Girls afterward, his hair was mused, his
breathing uneven, and his gait a bit unsteady. He could feel the biting
sting again. He could feel the moist warmth soaking into his briefs
against his skin.
He was bleeding.
Live Girls Ray Garton
+ Table of Contents +
Words from the Editors
Letters to the Editors
SAZ News
Horror News
Reviews
The Writers Block
Final Words
1. Words from the Editors:
Jack Flack:
Well, well, well ... apparently I am the last person on the face of the
Earth to see the viewer, but thats okay, it rox! Extra special greets to
Mr. Spock for the long hours of coding, and Yaun-Ti for the great artwork.
They rock, we rock, nuf said. Thank you guys, for helping to make our
dream come true cough, gag. Anyhoooooow ... This pack is kinda late, we
know, I had a hard drive format thanks to whoever was sending out that
Trojan ansi thing on the net. :/ and a virus attack whisper, Tai Pan
so its been a thrilling month already. So, Ill let the Stranger ramble
through a little ... oh yeah, one last thing. To any writers who missed
deadline ... ahem.
-Jack Flack/SAZ
The Stranger:
Would you believe we are a little bit late this month? Weve had
many problems this month including a hard drive being formatted, my board
being crashed by myself, and the really bad one, writers block. But
we are still here and we continue to be here for a while. This is our 7th
release which somehow makes us like one of the longest running packs
around. So many groups out there are starting up one month and then are
gone by the next month. And to some of those LIT groups out there that
are suddenly being born and that have a SAZ type look to them, instead of
starting your own group that only last a month or two, come join us!
I was reading an emag recently where an ansi person was talking
about LIT groups.. Now ofcourse, ansi people have no business talking about
LIT people but lets just humor this person for a second. Well this person
said that all LIT groups are 13 year old kids writing bad rhyming poetry
about things under their beds, or something like that. Well SAZ has one
writer under 18 and six that are 18 or older. And we rarely write rhyming
poetry. But hey, if you dont like reading LIT, thats find, dont read it.
But I dont think there is any reason to go around critizing something you
know nothing about. Step off soapbox
I want to remind everyone that we are always looking for members,
distro sites, or just people to talk to. And you can reach us at my board,
Where Shadows Wait, at 405 354-9857. You can either apply to be a
member or you can use SAZ as your name and SAZ as your password. But thats
only for people who want to get the packs or who want to become a member or
distro site. If you do call under the SAZ name just to get a pack, please
leave me a message telling me who you are, where your from, and any comments
about the packs.
Have a great March and Ill talk to you next time.
The Stranger...
So you wouldnt like it, baby.
You wouldnt like it here.
Theres not much entertainment
and the judgements are severe.
Leonard Cohen Waiting For the Miracle
Soulz At Zero News
We have a new viewer!! Yahoo!! Local guy Mr. Spock who promised
to make us a viewer a long time ago has finally come through with what I
think is one of the best viewers out there. We want to send our thanks
out to him and to TBH President, Yaun-Ti, who made a couple of Ansi files
and Gifs to make the viewer look great. Thanks a lot guys.
We were suppose to get two new writers this month, but due to
communication problems, they werent able to get into this months pack.
But they should be in the next one. Sorry guys. And also, Black Sunshine
wasnt able to meet the deadline so we had to release without her. She
sends an apology out to all her fans.
We welcome a three new distro sites to the SAZ family. One of
my favorite boards, Erebus is now a distro site. This is a great board
in one of my home states, New Jersey, so check it out if you get the
chance. And The Dreamscape which is just north of us in Kansas also joins
our family this month. Also, The Death Star in Conneticut also joins us
this month. Welcome to all of you and thanks for letting us take a little
bit of your hard drive room.
The Stranger...
Mist-shroudeed love
Long thought lost forever
Come back to me
Even in your grave clothes
Lady of the Mist by Robert Randollph Medcalf, Jr.
Horror News by The Stranger:
New in Bookstores:
Chet Williamson has a new book on the shelf this month called
Second Chance which is about radical teenagers in the late 60s trying
to stop the Vietnam war. The book is a nostalgic look through that decade
with elements of Dark Fantasy to make this one of the most unusual and
moving books in a long time, according to T. Liam McDonald. Find this one
in your horror bookstores for 25 and 50 for the signed limited edition
version.
Crossroads press has just released Joe R. Lansdales Dead in The
West which was orginally only available in paperback. The hottest writer
at this moment, Lansdale writes a western/horror novel about cowboys and
zombies fighting it out in the old west. This book is thought to be one
of Lansdales best and the actual book itself is amazing looking, but there
is only a signed/numbered/slipcased version available right now and it
goes for 55.. If you dont mind spending, get it, if you do, try looking
through used book shops for the old paperback which you should be able to
get for under 6.
Stoker award winner Melanie Tem has a new book out called Revenant
which is about a ghost town. This book is actually somewhat old but its
worth looking for.
Poppy Z. Brite has edited an anthology called Love in Vein which
was released earlier this year. This collection of short erotic horror
stories features many of todays biggest writers and is only going to be
released in a big paperback version that is a little costly. Some kindof
fights for the rights of the book or something have caused this. And due
to that fact its not getting distributed very well so it might be a little
hard to find.
Kathie Kojas book Strange Angels has just been released by the
Dell Abyss line in paperback. This book came out last year in hardback
but now we can all afford it. Kathie has a style of writing all her own
and I suggest everyone read atleast one book by her because this is where
writing is headed.
New at the movies:
In The Mouth Of Maddness was released in Mid-Febuary starring
Sam Neil and directed by John Carpenter, the movie did well its first week
at the box office but as most horror movies do, it slowly faded away. This
one has received mixed reviews but I havent seen it for myself.
Dean Koontzs Hideaway is being brought to the big screen during
the first half of March. Starring Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone,
the previews look good, the book was great, and the movie will probably
suck and fade away quickly. But go see it if you get the chance.
Stephen Kings short story The Mangler is also coming to theatres
in early March starring Robert Englund and directed by Tobe Hooper. There
selling this as three of the biggest names in horror and isnt that just
the saddest thing when Robert Englund is mentioned in the same breath as
Stephen King, and as a peer nonetheless? The previews for this one look
awful and thats probably why you wont see King doing any promotion for this
one.
The Reviews:
Books:
Live Girls By Ray Garton published by Pocket Fiction, 1987.
Ray Garton is known for two types of horror books, sex and religion.
A few months ago I reviewed his Dark Channel which was a great book
about religion. Live Girls is ofcourse the other side of Garton, sex.
There are few writers out there that make you feel like your listening to
a story instead of reading a story, Garton is one of those. His writing
is quick and deadly, rarely mixing words to make a point. He is considered
one of the splatterpunks of horror and whenever you read one of his books
you immediatly know why. Its because he doesnt pull punches. He goes
right for the heart and doesnt try to clean up any of the blood afterwards.
Garton is what good horror is all about.
Ramsey Campbell says Live Girls is the most nightmarish vampire
story I have ever read. And thats very true, this is a whole new look on
the vampire idea, these vampires dont have the sexual appeal of Anne Rices
but yet they do have a very sensual power to them. They dont mix and
mingle in the outside world and when theyre hungry they dont start
thinking about morals. I also found this book to be one of the most erotic
horror novels Ive ever read. Garton is the master at that. You can be
screaming one moment and then find yourelf in what of the hottest scenes
youve ever read.
So whats it about? To break it down without giving too much away,
the story is about two men who both have a lot in common. They are down and
out and both are pulled to a X-rated peep show club called Live Girls.
It is there that they find out that the girls are willing to do a lot to
get what they need. This novel really deals with a lot of stuff, from the
relationship between a man and the women in his life, to a butchered family,
and a man searching for his sisters killer.
This novel is not for those who dont like to get a little bloody.
And if you dont want to read scenes with very graphic sex, then dont pick
this one up. But I loved this book and have become a huge Garton fan
because of it. I first read him in a book called Darklings which was
about snails crawling up peoples noses and I was really turned off by him.
But with Dark Channel and Live Girls he has pulled me in. This book is
almost impossible to find so good luck finding it. If you live near some
good used book stores you might be able to find it. Or if you know of a
good horror book store they may have it for a high price. Its worth
looking for. Its fast, its bloody, and its sexy. Check it out.
The Stranger...
See How She Runs by Matthew J. Costello, pub. Berkley 1994.
Two of the best horror writers around have decided that there is
just not enough room in the horror world for them and so they have tried
their hand with mainstream fiction. Rick Hautala is one and Costello is
the other. Both have now put out two books each that move away from the
horror world and move towards the suspense thriller type of fiction. And
fortunatly for die hard horror fans like me, they have seen their sales go
down because of this move.
Matthew Costello is an amazing writer with a style all his own.
Very short sentences, few paragraphs with more then one or two sentences
each, he writes terror so well that you can feel the knife at your throat
with each line. But for some reason or another his horror novels were only
selling to a select few and so he tried his hand with mainstream thrillers.
His first try was called Homecoming and it was received well by the
mainstream critics and sold well too. It was the story of a man coming
back from Vietnam many years later to find his wife was married and then
he chases her around and so on. Then came this book, See How She Runs
which is about a man chasing after his wife so he can beat her up... Well
okay, not entirely but for the most part thats it. And the strange thing is
thats exactly what Rick Hautalas two mainstream novels are about.
Abusive men chasing after weak women and then beating them up. There must
have been a bad buzz going on about this book because most bookstores
wouldnt even carry it which makes it really hard to find now because there
are so few in print.
So the story is about a woman who is married to an abusive man and
she doesnt mind until the man hits one of their kids. Well then she
decides to leave him and ofcourse he decides to chase her. And at the same
time, another abusive man who has just killed his wife and children is
running from the law and the wifes psychologist, dont ask me why and
would you believe all the characters would somehow meet as they all run
to the exact same large city and somehow manage to find each other?
Really Im being too harsh on this book but thats because Im so
disappointed with the writer for moving in this direction. For those of
you who have read Darkborn or Midsummer you know what Costello can do
and his power is going to waste. If you like suspense books this one isnt
too bad, the writing is as always, great, though the story is lacking of
any sense of reality. Really, if you want suspense, go to Koontz. If you
want true horror, check out one of Costellos earlier works.
The Stranger...
Borderlands 3, Edited by Thomas Monteleone, pub. White Wolf, 1994.
First, you have to know what the Borderlands series is about. Its
a series of anthologies with the idea of having horror stories that are not
the typical type of horror story. Your not going to find vampires or
haunted houses, or if you do youll find them with a twist. This series
has become one of the most popular short story collection, filled with some
of the best writers of our time and new writers who know what horror can be.
Borderlands 1 and 2 were both fantastic and this one continues that legacy.
What more can I say about this book? The storys will shock you,
I can almost guarantee that. Every one will leave you with an emotion
and they will be hard to soon forget. Some of the best short story writers
are here, Elizabeth Massie, Andrew Vachss, Ed Gorman, Poppy Z. Brite,
Thomas Tessier, Kathie Koja, Whitly Strieber. But the stories that are
really worth looking at are the ones by some of the less known writers.
Stories like Baby Sue, We Love You by Marthayn Pelegrimas and Witch Hunt
by Vachss are two of the most disturbing stories Ive ever read. Really
just about every story is that way. These stories are filled with a pain
that goes beyond horror.
I love this series and if you havent read any of these books, pick
up a copy of number 1 and then go through them. Even if your like me and
you like your horror stories to be sortof traditional, its hard not to
love these original pieces. And if your a writer like myself, these stories
will get your creative mind thinking as you try to come up with ideas that
are close to brillance as some of these. Go out and get a Borderlands book.
Youll thank me later.
The Stranger...
Ill deck her tomb with flowers,
The rarest ever seen
And with my tears as showers,
Ill keep them fresh and green.
From Corydons Doleful Knell
The Writers Block by The Stranger...
Okay, last month we went over how to write a rhyming poem. And I
said that this month we would go over writing a free form poem.
Well writing a free form poem one without rhymes is different
from writing a rhyming poem just because there are no rules. If your
poem doesnt depend on rhymes then really you can write it anyway you want,
short sentences, long sentences, it could have a rhythem to it but it
doesnt have to. I have seen 4 page poems with only 1 word for each line
and I have also seen paragraph poems with say 20 words in one sentence.
So really there is very little I can tell you about writing free form poems.
Your style of writing comes out automatically, you might try copying the
style of a writer you like at first but after you read many authors you
will probably find a voice of your own. And just because you write a few
poems that are similar doesnt mean you have to stay with that. Some of
the best non-rhyming poems are the ones where youve expeiremented with
new ideas.
Personally, I like poems with a beginning and an ending. I like it
when the poem makes sense, tells a story, and then leaves me with an
emotion. A lot of poets dont go for that at all, many are just putting
down words that sound good in a sentence or maybe words that explain an
emotion instead of actually telling a narrative story. And thats fine.
Ofcourse if we all wrote the same that would be pretty boring like this
article. So let me just end here saying that you need to write the way
you feel like writing. Its okay to imitate someones style but eventually
you have to break out of that and come up with your own style. If your
poems deal with subjects that you are interested in then this should help
the poems you write become a part of you. Start off your poems with an
idea, try to feel the emotion around that idea, try to use descriptive
sentences as you describe that subject and/or that emotion. And then just
write.
Ill be back again next month with who knows what.. We shall see.
The Stranger...
Final Words:
Well this was a strange month for us. We are having a few problems
which we will hopefully get under control by the next pack. We should
have atleast one new writer by April and if anyone out there wants to
join then give us a call. We hope you enjoyed the pack, enjoyed reading
the Death Certificate, we hope youll send the pack around as much as
possible, and we hope youll be looking for us next month. Have a great
month.
Soulz At Zero
Your fingers black from ink as your shaking hands glide
down the page, trying to see if your name is on the death
certificate. The wind screaming against the window, begging to
get in, to get to you. And at last you find the dotted line,
written in blood the letters that form your name. A sudden gasp
caught in your throat, a flicker of the lights until they fade
off completely. The cold touch of fingers as a hand reaches
across the bare skin of your neck. Goosebumps rise from your
neck just as the lights shine on once more. And once again you
are alone. Before you lies the death certificate, your name is
no longer written. You have escaped death, for now.
The Stranger...
C Copyright SAZ 1995.
/ / / SoulZ at Zer0 / /
/- / 03-95 SaZ Pak /- /
-----THE-DEATH-CERTIFICATE------VOLUME-1-ISSUE-5---------MARCH--1995------
Staff: The Stranger, Jack Flack - Editors, Writers.
Black Sunshine - Writer.
Deranged - Writer.
* If you are interested in contributing to The Death Certificate
please let one of the editors know.
Her booth was empty and she was still there, as if she had been
waiting for him to return. When the panel rose, she was smiling.
As he walked out of Live Girls afterward, his hair was mused, his
breathing uneven, and his gait a bit unsteady. He could feel the biting
sting again. He could feel the moist warmth soaking into his briefs
against his skin.
He was bleeding.
Live Girls Ray Garton
+ Table of Contents +
Words from the Editors
Letters to the Editors
SAZ News
Horror News
Reviews
The Writers Block
Final Words
1. Words from the Editors:
Jack Flack:
Well, well, well ... apparently I am the last person on the face of the
Earth to see the viewer, but thats okay, it rox! Extra special greets to
Mr. Spock for the long hours of coding, and Yaun-Ti for the great artwork.
They rock, we rock, nuf said. Thank you guys, for helping to make our
dream come true cough, gag. Anyhoooooow ... This pack is kinda late, we
know, I had a hard drive format thanks to whoever was sending out that
Trojan ansi thing on the net. :/ and a virus attack whisper, Tai Pan
so its been a thrilling month already. So, Ill let the Stranger ramble
through a little ... oh yeah, one last thing. To any writers who missed
deadline ... ahem.
-Jack Flack/SAZ
The Stranger:
Would you believe we are a little bit late this month? Weve had
many problems this month including a hard drive being formatted, my board
being crashed by myself, and the really bad one, writers block. But
we are still here and we continue to be here for a while. This is our 7th
release which somehow makes us like one of the longest running packs
around. So many groups out there are starting up one month and then are
gone by the next month. And to some of those LIT groups out there that
are suddenly being born and that have a SAZ type look to them, instead of
starting your own group that only last a month or two, come join us!
I was reading an emag recently where an ansi person was talking
about LIT groups.. Now ofcourse, ansi people have no business talking about
LIT people but lets just humor this person for a second. Well this person
said that all LIT groups are 13 year old kids writing bad rhyming poetry
about things under their beds, or something like that. Well SAZ has one
writer under 18 and six that are 18 or older. And we rarely write rhyming
poetry. But hey, if you dont like reading LIT, thats find, dont read it.
But I dont think there is any reason to go around critizing something you
know nothing about. Step off soapbox
I want to remind everyone that we are always looking for members,
distro sites, or just people to talk to. And you can reach us at my board,
Where Shadows Wait, at 405 354-9857. You can either apply to be a
member or you can use SAZ as your name and SAZ as your password. But thats
only for people who want to get the packs or who want to become a member or
distro site. If you do call under the SAZ name just to get a pack, please
leave me a message telling me who you are, where your from, and any comments
about the packs.
Have a great March and Ill talk to you next time.
The Stranger...
So you wouldnt like it, baby.
You wouldnt like it here.
Theres not much entertainment
and the judgements are severe.
Leonard Cohen Waiting For the Miracle
Soulz At Zero News
We have a new viewer!! Yahoo!! Local guy Mr. Spock who promised
to make us a viewer a long time ago has finally come through with what I
think is one of the best viewers out there. We want to send our thanks
out to him and to TBH President, Yaun-Ti, who made a couple of Ansi files
and Gifs to make the viewer look great. Thanks a lot guys.
We were suppose to get two new writers this month, but due to
communication problems, they werent able to get into this months pack.
But they should be in the next one. Sorry guys. And also, Black Sunshine
wasnt able to meet the deadline so we had to release without her. She
sends an apology out to all her fans.
We welcome a three new distro sites to the SAZ family. One of
my favorite boards, Erebus is now a distro site. This is a great board
in one of my home states, New Jersey, so check it out if you get the
chance. And The Dreamscape which is just north of us in Kansas also joins
our family this month. Also, The Death Star in Conneticut also joins us
this month. Welcome to all of you and thanks for letting us take a little
bit of your hard drive room.
The Stranger...
Mist-shroudeed love
Long thought lost forever
Come back to me
Even in your grave clothes
Lady of the Mist by Robert Randollph Medcalf, Jr.
Horror News by The Stranger:
New in Bookstores:
Chet Williamson has a new book on the shelf this month called
Second Chance which is about radical teenagers in the late 60s trying
to stop the Vietnam war. The book is a nostalgic look through that decade
with elements of Dark Fantasy to make this one of the most unusual and
moving books in a long time, according to T. Liam McDonald. Find this one
in your horror bookstores for 25 and 50 for the signed limited edition
version.
Crossroads press has just released Joe R. Lansdales Dead in The
West which was orginally only available in paperback. The hottest writer
at this moment, Lansdale writes a western/horror novel about cowboys and
zombies fighting it out in the old west. This book is thought to be one
of Lansdales best and the actual book itself is amazing looking, but there
is only a signed/numbered/slipcased version available right now and it
goes for 55.. If you dont mind spending, get it, if you do, try looking
through used book shops for the old paperback which you should be able to
get for under 6.
Stoker award winner Melanie Tem has a new book out called Revenant
which is about a ghost town. This book is actually somewhat old but its
worth looking for.
Poppy Z. Brite has edited an anthology called Love in Vein which
was released earlier this year. This collection of short erotic horror
stories features many of todays biggest writers and is only going to be
released in a big paperback version that is a little costly. Some kindof
fights for the rights of the book or something have caused this. And due
to that fact its not getting distributed very well so it might be a little
hard to find.
Kathie Kojas book Strange Angels has just been released by the
Dell Abyss line in paperback. This book came out last year in hardback
but now we can all afford it. Kathie has a style of writing all her own
and I suggest everyone read atleast one book by her because this is where
writing is headed.
New at the movies:
In The Mouth Of Maddness was released in Mid-Febuary starring
Sam Neil and directed by John Carpenter, the movie did well its first week
at the box office but as most horror movies do, it slowly faded away. This
one has received mixed reviews but I havent seen it for myself.
Dean Koontzs Hideaway is being brought to the big screen during
the first half of March. Starring Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone,
the previews look good, the book was great, and the movie will probably
suck and fade away quickly. But go see it if you get the chance.
Stephen Kings short story The Mangler is also coming to theatres
in early March starring Robert Englund and directed by Tobe Hooper. There
selling this as three of the biggest names in horror and isnt that just
the saddest thing when Robert Englund is mentioned in the same breath as
Stephen King, and as a peer nonetheless? The previews for this one look
awful and thats probably why you wont see King doing any promotion for this
one.
The Reviews:
Books:
Live Girls By Ray Garton published by Pocket Fiction, 1987.
Ray Garton is known for two types of horror books, sex and religion.
A few months ago I reviewed his Dark Channel which was a great book
about religion. Live Girls is ofcourse the other side of Garton, sex.
There are few writers out there that make you feel like your listening to
a story instead of reading a story, Garton is one of those. His writing
is quick and deadly, rarely mixing words to make a point. He is considered
one of the splatterpunks of horror and whenever you read one of his books
you immediatly know why. Its because he doesnt pull punches. He goes
right for the heart and doesnt try to clean up any of the blood afterwards.
Garton is what good horror is all about.
Ramsey Campbell says Live Girls is the most nightmarish vampire
story I have ever read. And thats very true, this is a whole new look on
the vampire idea, these vampires dont have the sexual appeal of Anne Rices
but yet they do have a very sensual power to them. They dont mix and
mingle in the outside world and when theyre hungry they dont start
thinking about morals. I also found this book to be one of the most erotic
horror novels Ive ever read. Garton is the master at that. You can be
screaming one moment and then find yourelf in what of the hottest scenes
youve ever read.
So whats it about? To break it down without giving too much away,
the story is about two men who both have a lot in common. They are down and
out and both are pulled to a X-rated peep show club called Live Girls.
It is there that they find out that the girls are willing to do a lot to
get what they need. This novel really deals with a lot of stuff, from the
relationship between a man and the women in his life, to a butchered family,
and a man searching for his sisters killer.
This novel is not for those who dont like to get a little bloody.
And if you dont want to read scenes with very graphic sex, then dont pick
this one up. But I loved this book and have become a huge Garton fan
because of it. I first read him in a book called Darklings which was
about snails crawling up peoples noses and I was really turned off by him.
But with Dark Channel and Live Girls he has pulled me in. This book is
almost impossible to find so good luck finding it. If you live near some
good used book stores you might be able to find it. Or if you know of a
good horror book store they may have it for a high price. Its worth
looking for. Its fast, its bloody, and its sexy. Check it out.
The Stranger...
See How She Runs by Matthew J. Costello, pub. Berkley 1994.
Two of the best horror writers around have decided that there is
just not enough room in the horror world for them and so they have tried
their hand with mainstream fiction. Rick Hautala is one and Costello is
the other. Both have now put out two books each that move away from the
horror world and move towards the suspense thriller type of fiction. And
fortunatly for die hard horror fans like me, they have seen their sales go
down because of this move.
Matthew Costello is an amazing writer with a style all his own.
Very short sentences, few paragraphs with more then one or two sentences
each, he writes terror so well that you can feel the knife at your throat
with each line. But for some reason or another his horror novels were only
selling to a select few and so he tried his hand with mainstream thrillers.
His first try was called Homecoming and it was received well by the
mainstream critics and sold well too. It was the story of a man coming
back from Vietnam many years later to find his wife was married and then
he chases her around and so on. Then came this book, See How She Runs
which is about a man chasing after his wife so he can beat her up... Well
okay, not entirely but for the most part thats it. And the strange thing is
thats exactly what Rick Hautalas two mainstream novels are about.
Abusive men chasing after weak women and then beating them up. There must
have been a bad buzz going on about this book because most bookstores
wouldnt even carry it which makes it really hard to find now because there
are so few in print.
So the story is about a woman who is married to an abusive man and
she doesnt mind until the man hits one of their kids. Well then she
decides to leave him and ofcourse he decides to chase her. And at the same
time, another abusive man who has just killed his wife and children is
running from the law and the wifes psychologist, dont ask me why and
would you believe all the characters would somehow meet as they all run
to the exact same large city and somehow manage to find each other?
Really Im being too harsh on this book but thats because Im so
disappointed with the writer for moving in this direction. For those of
you who have read Darkborn or Midsummer you know what Costello can do
and his power is going to waste. If you like suspense books this one isnt
too bad, the writing is as always, great, though the story is lacking of
any sense of reality. Really, if you want suspense, go to Koontz. If you
want true horror, check out one of Costellos earlier works.
The Stranger...
Borderlands 3, Edited by Thomas Monteleone, pub. White Wolf, 1994.
First, you have to know what the Borderlands series is about. Its
a series of anthologies with the idea of having horror stories that are not
the typical type of horror story. Your not going to find vampires or
haunted houses, or if you do youll find them with a twist. This series
has become one of the most popular short story collection, filled with some
of the best writers of our time and new writers who know what horror can be.
Borderlands 1 and 2 were both fantastic and this one continues that legacy.
What more can I say about this book? The storys will shock you,
I can almost guarantee that. Every one will leave you with an emotion
and they will be hard to soon forget. Some of the best short story writers
are here, Elizabeth Massie, Andrew Vachss, Ed Gorman, Poppy Z. Brite,
Thomas Tessier, Kathie Koja, Whitly Strieber. But the stories that are
really worth looking at are the ones by some of the less known writers.
Stories like Baby Sue, We Love You by Marthayn Pelegrimas and Witch Hunt
by Vachss are two of the most disturbing stories Ive ever read. Really
just about every story is that way. These stories are filled with a pain
that goes beyond horror.
I love this series and if you havent read any of these books, pick
up a copy of number 1 and then go through them. Even if your like me and
you like your horror stories to be sortof traditional, its hard not to
love these original pieces. And if your a writer like myself, these stories
will get your creative mind thinking as you try to come up with ideas that
are close to brillance as some of these. Go out and get a Borderlands book.
Youll thank me later.
The Stranger...
Ill deck her tomb with flowers,
The rarest ever seen
And with my tears as showers,
Ill keep them fresh and green.
From Corydons Doleful Knell
The Writers Block by The Stranger...
Okay, last month we went over how to write a rhyming poem. And I
said that this month we would go over writing a free form poem.
Well writing a free form poem one without rhymes is different
from writing a rhyming poem just because there are no rules. If your
poem doesnt depend on rhymes then really you can write it anyway you want,
short sentences, long sentences, it could have a rhythem to it but it
doesnt have to. I have seen 4 page poems with only 1 word for each line
and I have also seen paragraph poems with say 20 words in one sentence.
So really there is very little I can tell you about writing free form poems.
Your style of writing comes out automatically, you might try copying the
style of a writer you like at first but after you read many authors you
will probably find a voice of your own. And just because you write a few
poems that are similar doesnt mean you have to stay with that. Some of
the best non-rhyming poems are the ones where youve expeiremented with
new ideas.
Personally, I like poems with a beginning and an ending. I like it
when the poem makes sense, tells a story, and then leaves me with an
emotion. A lot of poets dont go for that at all, many are just putting
down words that sound good in a sentence or maybe words that explain an
emotion instead of actually telling a narrative story. And thats fine.
Ofcourse if we all wrote the same that would be pretty boring like this
article. So let me just end here saying that you need to write the way
you feel like writing. Its okay to imitate someones style but eventually
you have to break out of that and come up with your own style. If your
poems deal with subjects that you are interested in then this should help
the poems you write become a part of you. Start off your poems with an
idea, try to feel the emotion around that idea, try to use descriptive
sentences as you describe that subject and/or that emotion. And then just
write.
Ill be back again next month with who knows what.. We shall see.
The Stranger...
Final Words:
Well this was a strange month for us. We are having a few problems
which we will hopefully get under control by the next pack. We should
have atleast one new writer by April and if anyone out there wants to
join then give us a call. We hope you enjoyed the pack, enjoyed reading
the Death Certificate, we hope youll send the pack around as much as
possible, and we hope youll be looking for us next month. Have a great
month.
Soulz At Zero
Your fingers black from ink as your shaking hands glide
down the page, trying to see if your name is on the death
certificate. The wind screaming against the window, begging to
get in, to get to you. And at last you find the dotted line,
written in blood the letters that form your name. A sudden gasp
caught in your throat, a flicker of the lights until they fade
off completely. The cold touch of fingers as a hand reaches
across the bare skin of your neck. Goosebumps rise from your
neck just as the lights shine on once more. And once again you
are alone. Before you lies the death certificate, your name is
no longer written. You have escaped death, for now.
The Stranger...
C Copyright SAZ 1995.
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