Kickass Trailer: "Frozen"

As seen in Tainted Tea, Winter 2010 issue.

Like any Hitchcockian film, the horror is in the unordinary. Three friends are trapped on a ski-life for three days, slowly dying. For more information, visit the film's Web site.

Scott Snyder and Stephen King to write a new horror comic book series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE

Celebrated short story writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael  Albuquerque will launch a new monthly comic book series from Vertigo in March 2010 with a unique contribution from New York Times bestselling novelist Stephen King. The new ongoing series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, will introduce readers to a new breed of vampire-a more muscular and vicious species of vampire with distinctly American characteristics. The series' first story arc, to be told over the course of five issues, will feature two different stories, one written by Snyder, the other by King.

Snyder's storyline is one of decadence and deception and Jazz Age glamour. Pearl is an ambitious modern woman with starlet dreams. She frequents Hollywood's speakeasies and dance-halls searching for her first big break, only to find something far more sinister waiting for her.

King's story provides the origin of the very first American vampire:Skinner Sweet, a bank robbing, murdering cowboy of the 1880s. Skinner is stronger and faster than previous vampires; he has rattlesnake fangs and is powered by.... the sun?

Following the conclusion of the first story arc, Snyder and Albuquerque will trace Skinner's bloodline through various decades of American history.

"Getting the chance to re-imagine a classic monster-to invent a whole new mythology and secret history-nothing could be more exciting for me  . . . except getting the chance to do it with Stephen King at Vertigo.I honestly can't think of any influences more crucial or enduring for me than Vertigo and Stephen King. To have them both involved in AMERICAN VAMPIRE, along with the amazing RafaelAlbuquerque-this all a dream come true for me!" -Scott Snyder

"I love vampire stories, and the idea of following the dark exploits of a uniquely American vampire really lit up my imagination.  The chance to do the origin story-to be "present at the creation" -was a thrill.  I owe big thanks to Scott Snyder for letting me share his vision, and sip from his bucket of blood." -Stephen King

"In a time where vampires are everywhere, Scott and Stephen seem to have done the impossible: An original, inventive and detailed new series. It's a challenging and exciting project I'm proud to be  working on." -Rafael Albuquerque

"Publishing a series with a fresh take on the vampire mythos would be incredible enough, but adding the talents of Scott Snyder, an exciting new voice in fiction, and Stephen King, the master of horror himself, is beyond awesome. We are thrilled that Vertigo is the home for this special new work, which we're certain will be a major addition to the timeless and popular appeal of vampire lore everywhere." -Karen Berger

About the creators:

Scott Snyder is best known for his first collection of stories, Voodoo Heart (Dial Press). Stephen King picked two of the included stories-"Wreck" and "Dumpster Tuesday"-for the 2007 Best American Short Stories anthology shortlist. Snyder teaches writing at Columbia University, NYU and Sarah Lawrence College and is working on a novel called The Goodbye Suit, to be published by Dial in 2011. He lives in New York City. This is his first comic book series.

Stephen King is the bestselling author of The Stand, The Shining, The Dark Tower books and multitudes of other works, most recently Under the Dome. AMERICAN VAMPIRE marks Stephen King's debut with Vertigo/DC Comics; it is the first comic book writing he's done, based on original material, as opposed to existing characters.

Rafael Albuquerque is best known for his work on  Superman/Batman and Crimeland.

Press Release courtesy of  Stephen King's Web site.

If pet peeves were really pets, would you neglect them?

It's snowing again. Write about a pet peeve plague. Everyone in the world (but you, of course) have been infected with a virus that makes them wander earth doing all of your pet peeves. Oh, no! Everything is written in bad grammar! Run!

Makeover: Tainted Tea Edition

Kris and I have been hard at work to make our Web site easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing. After hours of tweaking, we found the outcome quite nice. We still have some work to do, but for the most part it is up and running. Thanks for your patience. 

Click the banner to see for yourself, you skeptic, you.

To celebrate, here is a writing prompt:

This year is not a leap year, but I like Topsy Turvy Day anyway. Festivals are fun and have been portrayed as sinister and macabre in pop culture. You have two options for this prompt:

1. Write about your day in opposites. Make things, well, topsy turvy. Did you gargle with Pepsi and sing to the woman in the McDonald's drive-thru when ordering your food?

2. Tell me about that dog-faced man that escaped from the traveling circus. You didn't hear about it?

 

"Stupid Cupid, you're a real mean guy."

This awesome, pencil drawing was taken from the MoMA Web site for Tim Burton's exhibit running now until April 26.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Kickass Trailer: "The Crazies

"Inhabitants of a small Pennsylvania town are beset by death and insanity after a plane crash lets loose a secret biological weapon into the water supply."

For more info, visit The Crazies' Web site.

A writing career becomes harder to scale - latimes.com

A writing career becomes harder to scale - latimes.com

Update

The Web site is taking a little longer to put back up, so make sure that you come to the blog for all your Tainted Tea needs.

In the mean time, don't forget to get your copy of the Winter 2010 issue:

What's in it:

• Short stories
• Poetry
• Art
• Exclusive look at EC Comics

And if you're a new fan, don't forget to get the first issue of Tainted Tea.

Recommended Reading: "The Lucid Dreaming"

Read the Bram Stoker Award nominated short story by Lisa Morton.
The Lucid Dreaming: A Short Story by Lisa Morton

HWA Announces 2009 Bram Stoker Award Nominees

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has announced the 2009 Bram Stoker Nominees. The Bram Stoker Award is an award given to a horror writer for his or her work of short and long fiction, novels and debut novel, non-fiction, poetry and achievement in anthologies and collections.

Here is the list of nominees. Among the nominees are Mort Castle for "Dreaming Robot Monster" and "The Lucid Dreaming" by Lisa Morton.

Also, there is Poe edited by Ellen Datlow which sounds pretty kickass.

Good luck to all of our peers and idols!

In the mean time, read this and buy it here.























Update: I kind of want a Bram Stoker Award just because they look awesome!

HISHE: The Blair Witch Project

Winter 2010

Readers of the Tainted Tea blog, don't forget to download the second issue of Tainted Tea.

We're sorry about the price increase, but Lulu.com has raised their distribution prices.



This issue is features lots of artwork and an exclusive look at EC Comics, the creators of Tales from the Crypt and many other great horror classics.

Tainted Tea Update: Winter 2010

Look what Kris Fossett did! The Winter 2010 issue of Tainted Tea is almost here.

Kickass Trailer: "My Bloody Valentine" (circa 1981)

Aside from Halloween, I think that Valentine's Day is one of the scariest holidays. After all, it has a certain naive charm and reeks of a pseudo-happiness. And, of course, it carries all of the elements to a good slasher flick. Hearts, Joker-grins, crimson red, pollination, fornication, obsession...love.

Call me the Scrooge of V-Day, but I never understood the fascination with one day devoted to loving someone. Perhaps it's because I'm more spontaneous and stubborn and don't want to have to dote on someone just because everyone else is. The ironic thing is that I am romantic. And as a writer I think we should write a love poem. Not just any love poem, but a horror love poem. Think about the things that I mentioned above (the thumping hearts, the splashes of red, sex) and write your poem about the scary things about being in love. Upset stomach, sometimes attempting to please someone and not being the real you...think of it as an erotic poem by infusing metaphors without the Eros language (or maybe you want to get sensual).

Here is mine:

life began to spin out of control, a whirlwind

of what felt somewhat familiar.

Emotions?

heart beating at hummingbird speed

stomach growing teeth, chomping

at my insides.

bowels sprouting talons and giant wings,

digging into my abdomen,

tearing the skin and

flapping away

failed attempts at regaining balance

refraining from slipping through the Hell Mouth

opening beneath Pike Place Market.

sweat blinding

shadows morphing

serpents snapping long noses, teeth like

shards of glass.

breathing through my nose

into the hole that was once my stomach

proving useless

and collapsing onto the cold cement.

Now that we have written, here is a trailer to the 1981 horror film My Bloody Valentine.

Snowed-In; or Cabin Fever 2010

I thought of all the possible horror stories and films that revolve around snow: The Shining, 30 Days of Night, Dead Snow, Yeti and you can't forget about the awesomely bad Jack Frost. Sure there are plenty more, but I felt like an idiot when I forgot about one of my favorite narrative poems: The Cremation of Sam McGee.

So, if you're from the northeast, you're probably snowed-in, too. Well, this is the ideal opportunity to get grease up the engine that is your creative geniusness. Whatever your medium--writing, painting, photographing, music...ing--do something. Here is a prompt for my writing friends:

You're snowed-in due to a blizzard that has dumped 26" of precipitation at your doorstep. After three days of cabin fever you begin to go insane. Literally. What happens? Do you tear the house apart in search of a buried treasure you swear is hidden beneath your washer? Are you alone? Do you try to crawl through the window, your clothes getting caught on the shards of ice dangling from the gutter? Does some crazy, "1408" shit happen?

Here is a picture by J. Toogood to get the snowball rolling! (I love puns.)

TaintedTea.com

TaintedTea.com is undergoing a redesign. It will be up and running soon.

Afternoon Shorts; "Madame Tutli-Putli"

Help Write On! win a $5,000 Grant

Write On! is one of seven national finalists for a Glamour Magazine/Sally Hansen $5,000 grant!

Vote for founder Dallas Woodburn by clicking on the picture.

Click here to read Dallas' interview with the Tainted Tea editors.

Don't forget about Tainted Tea's flash fiction and bookmark contest. Click here. There are prizes!

Peter Callesen

"White-Hand"

"Half Way Through"

"Looking Back"


For more info on Peter Callesen, visit his Web site.

Afternoon Shorts: "Dead All Along"

Dead All Along || Ceri Frost from Giles Timms on Vimeo.

For more info on this awesome-ass video, click here.

Excerpt from "A Gun Without Bullets" by Nick Medina

Todd wrapped his fingers around the gun and lifted it from the trunk. It only came out on days like this one, when Todd thought about ending it all. He put the barrel to his temple and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked. He pulled the trigger again and again. He knew he wouldn’t die because as far as he knew, the gun had never been loaded; he’d never bought any ammunition, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be any happier with a bullet in his brain. If he had bought bullets for the gun he probably would have used them, or at least one of them, long ago.

He couldn’t though. Suicide’s the coward’s way out according to his father. It’s for those who don’t have the courage to face reality. Todd always hated when his father said that. How could he face reality when he didn’t know what reality was?

His reality, as much as he could tell, was much like the gun’s: useless and empty. He was as useful, powerful and respected as a gun without bullets.

Nick Medina is a young author from Chicago, Illinois. He has recently been published by Screams of Terror Magazine, The New Flesh, Black Petals Magazine, Deadman's Tome, Dark and Dreary Magazine and The Monsters Next Door. To read more of his work, or to contact him with questions or comments, visit his Web site.

Read the rest of Nick Medina's story in Tainted Tea's Winter 2010 issue, available for download later this month.

Editor's Note

I am sorry for spelling "February" wrong on the cover.

"Horns" by Joe Hill

Taken from HarperCollins' Web site:

Joe Hill’s critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning debut chiller, Heart-Shaped Box, heralded the arrival of new royalty onto the dark fantasy scene. With Horns, he polishes his well-deserved crown. A twisted, terrifying new novel of psychological and supernatural suspense, Horns is a devilishly original triumph for the Ray Bradbury Fellowship recipient whose story collection, 20^th Century Ghosts, was also honored with a Bram Stoker Award—and whose emotionally powerful and macabre work has been praised by the New York Times as, “wild, mesmerizing, perversely witty…a Valentine from hell.”

Pre-order your copy here.

Winter 2010 Cover

Check the blog later today for an excerpt from Nick Medina's short story, "A Gun Without Bullets."