GUEST POST and EXCERPT
The Witches of Wildwood:
Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore
Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore
by Mark W. Curran
The Witches of Wildwood by Mark W. Curran is currently on tour with Bewitching Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author and an excerpt. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Werewolves ... vampires ... swamp beasts ... zombies ... even a Jersey Devil ... all of these chilling creatures and more await you in this haunting collection of 11 contemporary horror fiction stories by Mark Wesley Curran.
Uniquely set 'down the shore' in South Jersey's Cape May County, these scary tales are sure to terrify and entertain both adult readers as well as young adults.
Book Video
Excerpt
There was no doubt among the sisters that the murders were increasing their power. Each felt the surge of energy that coursed through them with each kill.
“I feel so alive!” Zoey exclaimed on the morning after they’d tied Harlan Clemmons to a chair and stabbed him multiple times through the heart, “like I’m plugged into some bitchin’ electrical source!” she marveled.
The other girls felt it too. Both Jaz and Ali would lay awake at night and feel it running through them - bringing them even more vitality and strength than even their young ages provided.
Praise for the Book
"Zombies, vampires, ghosts and even tales of murder. Mark Wesley Curran serves up a frightful cauldron of short stories with no shortage of excitement. Pulsing with imagery and plot twists, these contemporary horror stories are all set in the Jersey Shore. There is no doubt that Mark W. Curran will be a household name of horror along with the likes of R. L. Stine and Steven King." ~ Dustin Hannah, Facebook Horror Fan
"This captivating and commendable work had me immersed from the beginning. The stories flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a spellbinding journey! It's difficult to pick a favorite from this collection of spooky 'tales of the unexpected'. Even if I was forced to, I couldn't. They were all very well written." ~ Emerald Book Reviews
"The stories include all manner of terrifying topics – werewolves, vampires, zombies - and despite this being the initial offering of Mark Wesley Curran, it is obvious he has explored the terrors of man’s creation well. Skillfully written with some rather dazzling technique, it appears Mark has opened a friendly door! New Jersey takes on an entirely new mystique." ~ Grady Harp
"If you enjoy short stories, horror, folklore, and wondered about New Jersey, this collection of tales by Mark W. Curran will fit the bill." ~ Pamela K Kinney
Guest Post by the Author
The Power of Found Footage Horror
Thank you for having me as a guest blogger!
Although I am here as horror fiction author, I really must admit I spend a lot more time studying and watching horror films than I do reading horror fiction. That's probably because my interest lies more in filmmaking than writing fiction, but I contend the two are branches of the same tree.
There is something about the craft of making scary movies that fascinates me. I enjoy the 'Making of' and 'Behind the Scenes' featurettes often included on a DVD release more than watching the actual film! These 'behind the scenes looks' at how they made the film are like going to your own personal film school class, but with the distinction that you can really see how they applied the actual techniques.
Lately I've been studying 'Found Footage' sub-genre of horror films. A good examples of Found Footage horror are The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. In this style of film the audience is led to believe the story is being shot as actual true events, and they are experiencing the terror from the point of view of a character immersed in the film.
I've thought often how this is very much like horror fiction – the ability to get inside of the head of the characters or, at the very least, give the reader some semblance of the experience of being in the shoes of the narrator or lead character.
Though the technique has its detractors, Found Footage has the ability to put us inside the horror by using the narrative device of hand held cameras supposedly capturing the events as they happened. In some cases, it can be so effective as to have a very unsettling effect on the audience.
As a filmmaker, I had been led to believe this kind of film making is a lot cheaper and easier to do than shooting a straight narrative film, since all one has to do, theoretically, is grab some cheap cameras, throw together a scary story about some kids lost in the woods or in an old house, slap some scary sounds on it, and you have a lucrative franchise.
What I learned from watching the Blu-Ray release of Blair Witch 3 really surprised me. I didn't watch the 'making of' features until after I'd seen the movie but, as I was watching the movie, I was amazed at how simple the shots seemed.
But once I got into the behind the scenes details, I realized I had been completely blindsided by the illusion of simplicity. For every shot in one of these movies, there must be a coordinated effort between all of the cameras, not just the ones you see onscreen. Every turn of a character's head, everything those character's 'see', every slight body move, must match with what the other cameras are seeing. It also has to look and sound authentic.
If it's done right, it can scare quite effectively and hide the true complexity of how the trick is done in such a careful and clever manner as to make the observer believe the magic trick is real.
About the Author
Mark Wesley Curran is a writer of contemporary fiction, specializing in the horror and suspense genre. Born and raised in Suburban Philadelphia, he spent many summers living and working in Wildwood, New Jersey during its heyday. He now resides in Los Angeles where he enjoys creative pursuits as a writer, filmmaker, and musician.
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