First printing of The Matriarch books arrive.
Category: Cemetery
The Matriarch – Now in Kindle and Paperback!
Supernatural horror thriller, mature content.
A present-day college student becomes the target of an immortal, a killer linked to a century-old ghost story.
279 print pages. Published April 2013. ISBN: 9780615803449
Availability: Kindle – $3.99 and Paperback – $12.95
Vampires don’t believe in ghosts.
Every October, the freshmen at Glenville State College are told stories about Sis Linn, the local ghost who haunts Clark Hall and the graveyard where she’s buried. Murdered in 1919, she was beaten beyond recognition, the target of a brutal killer who was never caught.
Present-day student Janiss Connelly is about to find out that the stories are wrong – and that there are greater things to fear in life and in death than ghosts.
Read more about The Matriarch…
Why Vampires?
Hasn’t everything been said about vampires already?
Frankly, no.
I love these creatures because they are us and yet they are not us. The most evil forsake their humanity while the noble struggle to retain it, but the idea of becoming the monster – by choice or by fate – and a need to prey on what it once was in order to survive is a very human story: the stuff of legend.
Not to slight any book or movie, but I’ve grown tired of stories about inner city vampire wars against other paranormals that paint the vampire as one among many; they are kings of the night, the ruling class of the darkness. I wanted Dracula-level ubervamps for my own novel, alphas that don’t put up with rivals or need to swear fealty to some Italian governing committee.
A true vampire should be royalty itself and treated as such; I believe this is one of the reasons Bram Stoker’s title character remains so popular today. A modern vampire should be like a Bond super-villain: lairs and minions and secrets and plans. This was the template for my own bloodsuckers, and a castle in the countryside (even if it isn’t recognized as such) is so much cooler than the penthouse of a skyscraper.
About Kevin A. Ranson
Creator, Writer, Critic
Author of The Spooky Chronicles and the vampire thriller The Matriarch, creator/critic for MovieCrypt.com, and “ghost writer” for horror host Grim D. Reaper. Visit his author blog at ThinkingSkull.com.
“I decided early on that the thing in the closet, the critter under the bed, and the grabber beneath the stairs were all hiding in those places because *I* was scarier than all of them combined… and they were right.”
Kevin A. Ranson is the creator of MovieCrypt.com and portrays its host, Grim D. Reaper, both on the site and at fan conventions. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (ofcs.org) with film reviews appearing weekly on RottenTomatoes.com. His young adult paranormal mystery horror book series, The Spooky Chronicles, is carried in all major online bookstores. Kevin has recently released his first book for mature readers, The Matriarch, with the aim of becoming a new series.
Read more about Kevin A Ranson…
VMS, “Victus Mortuus” Syndrome (from The Spooky Chronicles)
From the Desk of Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D.
To Whom It May Concern,
This is to certify that the patient, Spencer Alexander Lawson, is under the care and treatment of Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D., practicing at Waterview Mercy Hospital in River City, AL. As a cancer survivor, the patient endures a condition called VMS, or “Victus Mortuus” Syndrome. This unique condition is limited to the patient and represents no danger to others.
Symptoms are categorized as follows:
It is strongly suggested that the patient be allowed (but not limited to) the following concessions:
The patient carries an emergency medical alert and information device (in the form of a pendant) in the event of an episode (such as sudden loss of consciousness). It is suggested to activate the EMA on behalf of the patient if the patient is unable to do so.
Warning: Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should emergency medical personnel make any attempt to revive the patient without express instruction from the treatment specialist as this may cause further harm to the patient up to and including potentially fatal consequences.
Sincerely,
Dr. Emil Whittaker, M.D.
Senior Staff Oncologist
Waterview Mercy Hospital
River City, AL
Note: this form is intended to provide school personnel with information concerning physician-directed mandates for the continued health of an attending student.
“Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 2: The Wind Tunnel”
Savage Insider asked me to write them a four-part serial, so I did! Savage Insider is a freely available, all-around eZine with loads of Savage Worlds content with adventure seeds in multiple genres and highlights of licensee companies. The price is free, available in PDF download form via DriveThruRPG.
The second issue is out! Get the free Savage Insider #2 by clicking here.
Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 2: The Wind Tunnel” inside!
Get the free first issue of Savage Insider #1 by clicking here.
Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 1: Birds of a Feather” inside!
Read “Crypt of the Crystal Lich” Inside “Savage Insider!”
Savage Insider asked me to write them a four-part serial, so I did! Savage Insider is an all-around eZine with adventure seeds in multiple genres and highlights of licensee companies. The price is free, and it will be available in PDF download form via DriveThruRPG. Check out “Crypt of the Crystal Lich, Part 1: Birds of a Feather” inside! http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=92629
Don’t Move Trick or Treating for Halloween This Year
According to the WOKV Facebook page, “an idea being floated by Jacksonville City Councilman Don Redman” is moving the local trick or treating to Saturday in the Jacksonville, Florida area.
Whatever the reasons given, the biggest reason NOT to is pure confusion; half the kids wouldn’t get the message and may try to trick or treat on either night. The advantage of Halloween on Sunday this year is that adult parties and kid special events ARE on Saturday, freeing Halloween Sunday just for treating and home celebrations.
It’s no secret that I enjoy setting up a cool little graveyard with special effects and such, and I have time set aside on Sunday afternoon to set it up. I have no desire to do it twice, nor can I leave it set up over night for fear of idiots destroying or stealing parts of it. And, yes, I’ll have pictures up here very soon.
Thirty Days ‘Till Halloween
The ramp up to cool decorations and costumes has been slow this year, but now things are getting up and running. The last Spirit Halloween store is set to open today in Jacksonville, Florida (over a month after the all the ones in Houston were already open), while a costume-only Halloween Express opened on Southside last week. Spencer’s gifts is finally transitioning into Halloween mode, about a two weeks after Hot Topic started setting our creepier-than-usual clothing.
I haven’t seen or found any particular cool new thing or must-have decoration this year, but for those of you into fog machines and special effects, Target’s brand of foggers, low lying fog machines, and bubble fog machines are 25%-40% cheaper than everyone else, including $10 remote timer controllers (and many include a bottle of fog liquid or whatever they need to work.)
If you find something new, cool, and Halloween spooky, lemme know!
Kevin A. Ranson 