Tag: horror

Fiction: The Haunting of Pridewater

Blizzard quietly announced the winners of their 2010 Fiction Contest mid-October. I wasn’t among them. So now, I can give you fine folks my entry, The Haunting of Pridewater. It wasn’t good enough for Blizzard, but maybe someone who passes this way will enjoy it. You must awaken. Time is running out. One of the… Continue reading Fiction: The Haunting of Pridewater

Ghoulish Games III: X-Com UFO Defense

The first game I discussed for this holiday dealt with the experience on a personal level, free of monsters. The second focused on a particular monster. Now, let’s talk about an overall game that actually captures an atmosphere of dread. The situation in X-Com: UFO Defense is as follows: Aliens are attacking human cities. They… Continue reading Ghoulish Games III: X-Com UFO Defense

Ghoulish Games II: System Shock 2

I mentioned in my previous post on games that’ve unnerved me that the level in question had no monsters. It’s a great example that the setting and design of a well-crafted atmosphere doesn’t necessarily require direct antagonists to be effective. That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with monsters, and in this second game I’d… Continue reading Ghoulish Games II: System Shock 2

Ghoulish Games I: Bloodlines

Halloween is right around the corner, despite the tendency of retail outlets to forget the holiday as quickly as possible. You can’t milk consumers for as much cash with costumes as you can with guilt-induced gifts for family and co-workers they don’t like. Anyway, since horror is interesting from a variety of standpoints and I… Continue reading Ghoulish Games I: Bloodlines

Three Stars

As part of VACATION HELL over at Terribleminds, I submitted a little horror story called “Three Stars”. Now that it’s posted there, I can post it here as well. Enjoy! She walked through the halls with his picture in her hand. She stopped the hotel’s staff and other guests alike. She struggled to keep her… Continue reading Three Stars

IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Pandorum

[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/pandorum.mp3] I am loathe to admit this, but I’ve made it a point in my writing and especially this series not to be disingenuous in my assertions. That’s a good way to get punched in the face. So here it is: I don’t like spook houses. Those standalone buildings in carnivals, fairs and amusement parts… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! Pandorum

Horrific Thoughts

Now that I’ve finally completed the last round of edits for Citizen in the Wilds short of anything that comes from test reads, I can turn my attention to other projects. I have a few on my plate but first and foremost is a deadline approaching with all of the inevitablity of a steam locomotive… Continue reading Horrific Thoughts

MMORPG Redux

It’s been some time since I’ve discussed upcoming MMOs other than World of Warcraft. Since then, Star Trek Online revealed itself to be rather dull, other bloggers have gotten into the FFXIV beta, and there hasn’t been anything more said about the Twilight thing. Thank the Maker. So let’s see what developments have come along… Continue reading MMORPG Redux

On Speculative Fiction

At this past weekend’s Philadelphia Writer’s Conference, I described myself as primarily a writer of ‘speculative fiction’. A few people asked me what I meant. There are some stereotypes that I think are assigned to areas of speculative fiction I’d like to dispel, and more depth in those stories when they’re done well than some… Continue reading On Speculative Fiction