My Whole Expanse I Cannot See…

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Archive for September 11th, 2014

Goings on…

September 11th, 2014 | Category: Life,Opinions

So, though it appears that I’m badly missing my five hundred words per day, I’m not. I’ve written a few things that I haven’t published here. I’m trying for print publication, so I’ve written a few things, submitted them here and there. I’ve already had one rejection, it won’t be my first, or my last. I expect rejection and hope for otherwise. That’s how it goes.

In other news… I’m so enjoying Maplecroft by Cherie Priest, it’s one of those “just one more page,” promised sixty times books. I just can’t put it down, it’s nothing I expected. I won’t say much more, I should be posting a review in a day or two. Still, if you like historical fiction that’s married to horror, Maplecroft is the book for you. Don’t wait for me, just buy it! I barely use exclamation points, that should say something about my veracity.

What else? I’m marathon-watching American Horror Story: Coven, again… I love the show, I just keep getting distracted. I want to experience the entire story, not a few episodes here and there over too much time apart. No, this time I will see the end, thirteen episodes by Saturday’s end. Personally, I’ve enjoyed every season. A tv show has never so deftly blended all the popular horror tropes, always keeping the blend unique. Though, what really sets the show apart from the general trash heap that is horror is the acting, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, award-winning actresses with top-notch supporting casts. American Horror Story is where horror should be, shows us how high the bar should rest.

I mean, let’s face it, we expect nothing from horror, literature, tv, movies, we expect waste. We expect shitty writing, or shitty acting, or shitty writing AND shitty acting. Oh, or we settle for, “That book/movie/tv series is so bad it’s good,” which is such cop-out. Little annoys me so much as low expectations. Horror can be brilliant. Writers like Michael Cisco, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Cherie Priest, Jeff VanderMeer, brilliant writers telling brilliant stories, horror stories that transcend genre and become macabre works of literary art. Films like Bug, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Interview With the VampireMaySevenThe Signal, they’re the transcendent brilliance that can and should be expected from movies. American Horror Story is the standard for tv series, but not the lone standard. We also have Hannibal, In the Flesh, Sleepy HollowThe Walking Dead, each standing tall beside American Horror Story. I expect a lot from horror, with good cause, it does deliver, if you stop and look.

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