Day 31: Joshua Skye

     Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, autumn my favorite season. Most of my stories take place in the fall. My novel, "The Angels of Autumn" (Pink Pepper Press) certainly does. The intrinsic eeriness in this time of year meshes well with my fascination of the paranormal, all those things that go bump in the night. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my mother telling me scary stories, true stories. Ghosts, ghouls, aliens, and other creepy creatures, her tales crawled with them and I was endlessly enthralled.
     It is perhaps no surprise then that I love to tell scary stories as well. I've been writing ever since I can remember and loving it. There's nothing quite like watching someone read one of your stories, their reactions eliciting perhaps a morbid joy. One of my most provocative tales, "Matriz de Madre" (KMS Books LLC) never ceases to freak people out. I've been told I have the kind of sense of humor that grew up in a dark basement. It's an astute observation.
Some of those early tales have been the basis for more mature stories I've written as an adult. My story "Timothy" was first born a long time ago and has haunted me through the years, rewritten many times until the demonic little imp was fully realized in all of his gruesome glory. He has a home now, nestled snugly among other great yarns in "Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed" from Sirens Call Publications. I've written many stories of childhood terrors but "Timothy" will always have a special place at the proverbial campfire. He really like to scare people, you see.
     Adults have fears too, and it is equally fun to invite those to the party. Knowing that yes there really are such things as monsters, and understanding them from an adult's perspective, the things that lurk in the shadows are often times more disturbing from a grown-up's point of view. Its one thing to know that monsters are out there, its quite another to realize what their true intentions are. My stories "Trick" and "Cathy's Treat" in "31 More Nights of Halloween" from Rainstorm Press, explores monsters from both perspectives. The ghoul in "Trick" could very well be Timothy's mischievous brother, while the monsters in "Cathy's Treat" are a parent's worst nightmares. As a parent myself, nothing could be more terrifying.
     Do I believe in the paranormal? Absolutely. I've seen ghosts, unidentified flying objects, and I've had strange otherworldly experiences. Many of these things I've experienced make appearances in my stories. A being of light walking across a field is an image that haunts me and my work because I actually saw it as a child. A character in my novel "The Singing Wind" (JMS Books LLC) speaks of just such an experience. Was it a demon? An angel? An Alien? I explore such concepts often in my work perhaps in an attempt to explain what I had seen. That in itself is a frightening idea. What if all authors of the paranormal are trying, through the medium, to explain things they'd actually experienced? Stories take on a more disturbing depth with that in mind.
     I think its time to revisit one of my favorite collections of scary stories. "Night Shift" by Stephen King. I love to snuggle down in my bed, pull the covers up to keep the chill at bay, and read a great scary story. Maybe if I read out loud I'll have a few ghostly visitors, it is that time of year after all. Happy Halloween!

**Note: There is a HUGE giveaway at the end of the month after Halloween!!! To enter for the giveaway, comment on the blogs. The more you comment, the bigger chance you have at winning!!! There will only be 1 winner, and the winner will be announced 1st week of November!!! Good Luck!!!