Richard Schiver

Tag: horror

  • Fridays 5 with Tina S Transformation

    Fridays 5 with Tina S Transformation

    1: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

    A: I considered myself a writer the moment I realized my words had the power to connect with others on a deep, emotional level. That was long before publication, I was 12 when storytelling became not just an outlet, but a calling.

    2. What is the hardest part of writing?

    A: The hardest part is balancing vulnerability with strength, digging into the darkest places of the mind and heart while still shaping those emotions into stories that empower readers rather than weigh them down.

    3: How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

    A: It was a mixture of pride, disbelief, and gratitude. Holding my book in my hands for the first time was proof that pain could be transformed into something meaningful, that my words could reach others and perhaps even save them. More than that, I felt a deep sense of legacy, knowing my words would be forever immortalized on pages for my children, grandchildren, and generations to come.

    4: In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?

    A: I am deeply passionate about forensic psychology, victim advocacy, and raising awareness around mental health and trauma. Beyond that, I dedicate time to community causes, especially anti-bullying efforts and supporting survivors through storytelling, my passion is fitness and nutrition and adventures.

    Q: If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?

    A: I would ask: How did you stay true to your authentic voice when the world tried to change your story? Because staying true to who you are as a storyteller is the greatest challenge and the greatest triumph. I love Nicholas Sparks he has been a inspiration of mine since I was a child.

    Tina S. Transformation is a compelling voice in psychological thrillers and suspense, known for crafting dark, haunting stories that explore the fragile line between trauma and resilience. With a background in the criminal justice field and forensic psychology, she brings raw authenticity to her work, using fiction to shine light on the hidden corners of the human mind.

    Tina’s Amazon Authors page is here:

    https://www.amazon.com/author/tinastransformation

    If you’re an author working in the speculative fiction field and would like to participate in my weekly Friday’s 5, answer the five questions above and send them to me at rschiver@gmail.com along with an author photo approximately 200px by 200px.

  • Fridays 5 with William F. Nolan

    When I decided to bring back Fridays 5, I knew for the first few weeks I would share responses I received in the past from those who are no longer with us. First up is William F. Nolan, who we lost in 2021.

    1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

    A.)  When I sold my first story to Playboy. At that point, I knew I was a professional. That was in 1956.

    2.) What is the hardest part of writing?

    A.)  Sitting down in front of a sheet of blank paper (or a blank screen nowadays) and filling it with good words is the hardest part.

    3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

    A.)  Seeing my name in professional print gave me a tremendous lift, and seeing my name in print still gives me much of the same feeling today.

    4.) In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?

    A.)  I love cartooning and sports car racing, and the work of Max Brand.

    5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one question, what would it be?

    A.)  Bradbury said that he wanted to be buried on Mars in a Campbell soup can in the “Bradbury Abyss”. I’d ask Ray Bradbury if he found his way home to Mars.

    Website: https://williamfnolan.com/

    Wlliam F. Nolan (1928-2021) wrote mostly in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Though best known for co-authoring the classic dystopian science fiction novel Logan’s Run with George Clayton Johnson, Nolan authored more than 2000 pieces (fiction, nonfiction, articles and books), and edited 26 anthologies in his 60+ year career.

    An artist, Nolan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc. and in comic books before becoming an author. In the 1950s, Nolan was an integral part of the writing ensemble known as “The Group,” which included many well-known genre writers, such as Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, John Tomerlin, Richard Matheson, Johnson and others, many of whom wrote for Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Nolan is considered a leading expert on Dashiell Hammett, pulps such as Black Mask and Western Story, and was the world authority on the works of prolific scribe Max Brand.

    Among his many awards, he was voted a Living Legend in Dark Fantasy by the International Horror Guild in 2002. During 2006, he was bestowed the honorary title of Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Horror Writers Association.

    On a personal note I knew William only as the person on the other end of the emails he and I exchanged when I was starting to get serious about writing. Sadly I never got the chance to meet him in person. He never hesitated to respond and always had time for my sometimes stupid questions. His book How To Write Horror Fiction will always sit on my desk, within easy reach.

    If you write in the genres of horror, sci-fi, or fantasy, and would like to participate in Fridays 5 drop me a line at rschiver@gmail.com

  • Elder Gods and the case for Ancient Aliens.

    Elder Gods and the case for Ancient Aliens.

    This post originally appeared on my blog in 2015.

    In the thirties a young writer by the name of Howard Phillip Lovecraft created an ethos that is still going strong to this day. Dubbed the Cthulhu Mythos, he wrote of ancient gods who came to this planet long before man emerged, arriving upon astral winds from the fathomless depths of deepest space. Before man’s arrival the great Cthulhu retreated to the briny depths of the ocean’s deepest parts where it is said he lies dreaming to this day. 

    While for most people this seems like a pretty far fetched idea, the concept of  Cthulhu makes an appearance in modern works. Most notably as the visage of Davy Jones in the blockbuster series “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Lovecraft himself drew a picture of Cthulhu that presented the body of a man with the face of a squid whose tentacles formed a beard. In its distilled form every writer of note has put forth their own take on the concept of ancient alien gods.

    When you look to the stars, can you honestly say you believe that among the thousands of spots of light spread across the night sky, representing a very small fraction of what can be seen with the naked eye, that we are alone in the universe?

    Many find it difficult to  wrap their minds around the concept of time beyond the measure of a human life, which is but a brief twinkle, a nanosecond if you will, when compared to the immensity of cosmic time. Current estimates place the age of the Universe at around 13.75 billion years. But there are those within the scientific community who believe we’ve underestimated that number. Keeping with the current estimate the Earth, by comparison has only been around for 4.5 billion of those years. The Universe was 9.21 billion years old when the Earth, and the solar system it inhabits, first formed.

    Allowing sufficient time to cool to support life, let’s say it was 4.6 billion years after the big bang before the first single cell organisms could have conceivably formed on earth like planets. A point in time over 9 billion years ago. Life on Earth has had 4.54 billion years to develop into the intelligent beings of today. What’s to say intelligent alien life wasn’t standing at the point we currently find ourselves, when the Earth first formed? Giving them a 4.5 billion year head start on humans.

    Granted some alien societies would not have survived beyond the nuclear age. We ourselves face the possibility of extinction as a direct result of our nuclear proliferation. I’m sorry, but while others may disagree with me, there are some nations and leaders who should never possess such capabilities. Iran and Korea being the first that comes to mind.

    Yet we face unlimited potential. Given time I’m confident electricity can be generated in a safe, low cost, manner that protects what natural resources we have. Just as I’m confident many alien societies faced the same hurdles we do now, back when the Earth was but a spinning cloud of vaporous rock whipping around a newly formed star.

    Those that didn’t succeed perished. But not all of them would have fallen to extinction. Some would have realized the potential we now face. Some would have overcome their internal bickering to become a single species united in a common goal. Be it a life of leisure, or one of exploration. Some would have chosen to live their lives in eternal comfort, focusing on their concept of beauty and the arts.

    Others would have followed their curiosity to the stars in vehicles capable of reaching across the vast expanses of time and space. Quite possibly visiting our world at a time when man viewed these visitors from the stars as gods.

    Could it be the legends of the past were inspired by these otherworldly visitors?

    Are the creations of H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith, mere imaginings, or did they come to the same conclusions? Would an early predecessor to man view these visiting aliens as Gods? Is it possible these visitors seeded a young earth with Homo sapiens? Or is there a more sinister reason we accompanied them?

    We are left with the question, What if?

    What if we were nothing more than food for this alien visitor? Cattle in the field that left to its own devices managed to evolve into the intelligent human being of today. There are as many possibilities as there are stars in the sky.

    What do you believe?

  • Discover Steel Machines: A Dark Fantasy by Dan Franklin

    I wanted to give a shout out to a writer I have a great deal of respect for, Dan Franklin. I’ve read his previous works, These Things Linger, Down Into The Sea, and Eater of Gods. He’s a writer who is an instant buy when I see a new release from him. His latest is Steel Machines. It’s on pre order until August 19, 2025, and the kindle edition is only $0.99. Check out the details below.

    Prague, 1945

    Eight year old Otto Braum is the sole survivor of the massacre that claimed his parents and left him sustaining himself as best he can in the ruined attic hideout above his childhood home.

    But Otto is not alone.

    His father had a secret—a creation, unfinished, that he left behind. A secret that is pitiless in nature, relentless in design. A secret with the heart of a steel machine.

    From the Amazon best selling author of Down Into the Sea and These Things Linger comes a horrifying reimagining of the story of the golem. Part I Am Legend and part Caging Skies, STEEL MACHINES is an unrelentingly tense tale of haunting, of vengeance… and of survival at any cost.

    “Both Intimate and epic, brutal but beautiful, unapologetic yet restrained… STEEL MACHINES is a perfect novel.”

    – Nick Roberts, bestselling author of The Exorcist’s House, Mean Spirited, and the upcoming Lyla, in the Flesh

    “A heartbreaking tale of survival amidst tragedy and horror, this is a beautifully written dark fantasy that will remain with you long after you’ve read the last word. Highly recommended!”
    – Tim Waggoner, internationally acclaimed author of The World Turns Red

    “This is the best kind of horror.”
    – Leigh Kenny, best selling author of Cursed, and Hush, My Darling

    “If this was made into a movie, it would be an international blockbuster.”

    – MJ Mars, best selling author of The Suffering and The Fovea Experiments

  • Navigating Life’s Paths: From Military to Author

    I grew up during the space race of the sixties. While the war in Vietnam raged my eyes turned to what waited for us beyond the earth’s atmosphere. I was a big fan of Star Trek, catching every new episode when it aired. I followed the moon landing like a religious zealot updating their progress daily as the they traveled to our closest neighbor. My father understood my obsession and on the night the video feed was broadcast live of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon, my father woke me up so we could watch it together.

    My goal in life was to work for NASA, to be involved in some way with the space program. I had the smarts, but for me school was boring. I had been offered a four-year scholarship to the University of Maryland, that I turned down. I wanted to see the world so I joined the military with the intention of learning how to work on missiles, a skill set I believed would put me on a path to NASA.

    Unfortunately, between the moon walk and my graduation from high school, my father became quite ill. He had type 1 diabetes. He always tried taking better care of himself but as was the case with this disease, no matter how hard you tried, it eventually got you. I had spoken to the recruiter about working on missiles, and was scheduled to report to basic in Fort Bliss, Texas for my training. With my dad not working because of his health I chose to go into combat arms, armor to be exact, for the enlistment bonus that would help save our home. Sadly, my dad passed eight months after I joined, and we lost our home a year later.

    While serving I had plenty of time to read, my tastes running to the more macabre as I devoured works by authors like Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, Graham Masterton, William Peter Blatty, to name a few.

    Would I do it differently if I had the chance. I doubt it. I enjoyed my time in the military, the friends I made, the places I saw, the brotherhood I became a part of. It became a big part of who I grew up to become. Who I am now. I know there are many different paths I could have taken to follow my dream, but a new dream emerged for me, one I played around with when I was in high school, and that is to write about the things I love.

    I still dream of going into space. I’ve watched all the movies, good, bad, indifferent. Alien, Start Wars, War of the Worlds, Interstellar, The Right Stuff, Armageddon. You name it, I’ve probably watched it. I also play a game called No Man’s Sky on my xbox. It gives me a chance to pretend, if only for a little while, that I’m exploring space. Here’s a little clip from gameplay.

    I’ve had many false starts with my writing, but now, at 66, I’m fully committed to finishing what I started to do. You may have noticed I’m now sharing a new sentence every day from my WIP I’ve titled Bitter Hollow. I do hope you’ll follow along. Here’s the link.

    https://richardschiver.com/my-journey-with-bitter-hollow-a-work-in-progress/

    Thanks for stopping by and listening to me rambling. I hope I haven’t bored you too much. Drop a comment below if your so inclined, I’d love to hear from you. I’d also appreciate a like, or a follow on social media.

    Thanks,

    Richard Schiver