Lucky 13 Questions!

Welcome to a new feature here on my blog called Lucky 13 Questions, in which I interview a few very special folks that I admire! We kick this inaugural event off with one of my absolute favorite persons, the one and only, Rebecca Besser! Hope you enjoy...

13 LUCKY QUESTIONS
Starring: Rebecca Besser




1. If there was only one movie you could watch for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

That's a hard one... It would have to be something funny, scifi, or fantasy. I'm tempted to say LotR, but that's three movies. I'm gonna go with “Sex Drive” because I didn't stop laughing through that entire movie!


2. Who is your favorite literary character and why?


I don't know that I have one. I love characters who are strong and not whiners. Each story also demands a different character and personality. I enjoy when any author can bring their characters to life whether I love them or hate them.


3. Favorite book and author?

I LOVE the Earth's Children Series by Jean M. Auel and The Reluctant Demon Diaries by Linda Rios Brook.


4. What is the one implement you could not part with in the event of a zombie apocalypse?

Shotgun. I can either use it to shoot or as a club! So, it's two weapons in one. ;)


5. If you had to eat your big toe or your pinkie finger, which one would go? Take this seriously; your life depends on it.

My pinkie! They say it's hard to walk if you lose your big toe, and I think I could get over the pinkie easier.


6. Favorite album and artist?

Another hard question... I'm going to go with Live – Secret Samadhi.


7. Who could clip their toenails in your presence and you not be offended?

Anyone. That stuff doesn't bother me at all. LOL


8. Female fiction writers tend to have their work ghettoized as being for fellow females only while fiction written by men does not. This applies to other forms of entertainment as well. For instance, I went to see the movie Bridesmaids and was lambasted by male friends for it being a “Chick Flick.” And actually, it was universally damned funny. When they saw it, they ate their words. Why, besides sexism, do you think this happens?

I think a lot of female artists want to emphasize their female voice or femininity to prove something, which causes this stigma. Most also don't 'push it', specifically in the horror genre. They hold back and it shows. I don't think there's anything wrong with strong female characters and it's shown quite clearly in my Nurse Blood serial. I believe in pushing things though. I've had MANY men say they loved my work because I was able to 'go there', and a lot of writers, not just women, can't. They hold back with the gore, and don't show the darker side of life because they themselves either can't face it, or won't let themselves experience it through their characters because it makes them feel uncomfortable.

When I first started writing horror I was told I should use my initials and last name so people wouldn't know I was a female. I refused. I can be a woman and still write good horror. I've also heard other female writers who have complained of being rejected from anthologies just for being a woman. I've never had that issue to my knowledge.

I know that at times I've written some more female driven or angled stories (mostly because I have insight into how women think so I can make the characters stronger). But I don't do it very often and don't know that I've ever been rejected for it.

It all comes down to your ability to write and deliver what's expected. If you can't do that, then you need to reevaluate your style and see how you need to evolve. We all do as we grow as writers, so there's nothing wrong with it.

As far as chick flicks go, I'm not really big on them. I'll watch the ones that look really funny and if I think my hub will like them, I tell him and he watches too. But I only suggest the ones I know he'll enjoy. I think the directors are starting to realize that men are 'forced' to watch these particular movies with their wives and girlfriends and are starting to make them more 'guy' friendly, which is nice.


9. What is your favorite sport?

Um...it's not actually considered a sport. ;)

Okay, a real sport that I like: volley ball.


10. Is there a story of yours that has been published that you’ve looked back on and said, “Oh, God, I wish it wasn’t?”

Not so much that, but I have cringed at some of the editing. I wished a couple of time I would have taken a little more time before sending some stuff out. Overall though, I think we all look back on our early stuff and flinch because we see all the stupid mistakes we made because we've learned and now know better.


11. What story are you most proud of that you’ve written and why?

Oh, now that's an easy one! Hall of Twelve (both versions – I have a flash and short story version). I LOVE this story because it's out there and I got to make up my own monsters. I love all monster horror and tend to like the new, interesting, and extreme, and that's what Hall of Twelve is.

Hall of Twelve is a story of a man who comes home to find his daughter slaughtered and his wife missing. All hell breaks loose in the world around him and he's not even able to get a hold of emergency help. He ends up joining a group of people who stumble upon him as they flee the chaos of shattered civilization to hide where they think they'll be safe from the 'Beings'. But there's nowhere that's safe from the crazy creatures from an alternate dimension who have pets that love to feast on human flesh!

When the humans are captured, they're taken to the Hall of Twelve where the roll of the dice chooses their fate. Most will be fed to ravenous monsters hidden behind the doors with the number they've rolled...but a lucky few will roll the magic number and be set free to be hunted again and face their fate another day.

The short story version is published in Strange Tales of Horror from NorGus Press.


12. Eggs. Love them or hate them?

I don't think it's love or hate – I like them. Most of the time I like scrambled eggs, but once in awhile I like over easy ones. :) Deviled eggs are good too!


13. Promote the shit out of yourself. What do you have coming up and what have you finished?

First off you don't know anything about me and would like to know more, you can visit my website for a list of my publication credits and for links to books I have stories in.

My site: http://www.rebeccabesser.com

Also, you can visit my blog (which is mostly interviews of authors and presses, and sometimes contests): http://blog.rebeccabesser.com

You can find me on Facebook under: Rebecca Besser or Author/Editor Rebecca Besser

I'm also on Twitter under: @BeccaBesser


Earth's End edited by me, is being released by Wicked East Press in Jan 2012! The book contains an array of Scifi Apocalyptic fiction.



I have a story in the book called, “The Olden Gears,” and it's about cyborg elderly people who go crazy and attack humanity with bloody violence.

Here's an excerpt from my story:

"He drove faster, but everywhere he looked there was more destruction.
With numb fingers, he reached over and turned on the radio to see if there was any news about what was going on; it took him a couple of minutes before he could find a radio station that was still on the air.
“...Overnight the world has been bombarded with attacks by the elderly. On every continent, in almost every country, they’ve taken lives at will, showing no mercy...”
Looking out around him, he tried to decide how he was going to make it home. Almost every street was blocked off by accidents, and everywhere he looked, someone was being slaughtered; his attention focused back on the radio as they continued.
“...Medical experts are saying the cause of the outbreak and behavior in their elderly patients is linked to the chemical compound used in the ‘lubrication’ of the ReGen ‘parts’ surgically implanted; the chemical was supposed to act as synthetic blood. Once it leaks into the real blood system, it targets certain parts of the brain and triggers uncontrollable, aggressive behavior...”" ~ The Olden Gears by Rebecca Besser - Earth's End



I also have my Nurse Blood serial still going. You can read what's posted so far at: http://nurseblood.wordpress.com I post one chapter a week on Fri/Sat. Warning: The serial contains swearing, sexual content, and bloody violence.



Also, if you haven't yet, and would like to read it, my zombie novella, “Undead Drive-Thru,” is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (There are 14 reviews on Amazon if you would like to get a feel for the book and see if it might be something you're interested in.)


Thanks so much for answering these and I hope they were a little bit of fun.

Thanks you VERY much for having me; it was a lot of fun! :)


And there it is! I want to personally say that Rebecca is a great author and if you haven't read any of her stuff, you're really missing out. Undead Drive-Thru is a terrific, fast read full of interesting characters and some nice action. If you like zombie stories, this one is for you.

Stay tuned for more Lucky 13 Question installments in the near future!

There Be Trolls!

It's been too long since I posted a blog, mostly because I've been busy writing other stuff and, in the down time, been too damned lazy. But every now and then I can rouse myself from the lethargy and get something done. Yes, I'm still very busy, working a full-time job, writing a novel, and also writing a novella, but sometimes, Goddammit,you have to take the time and watch some Troll violence!

TROLL HUNTER (2010)

Yes, it's silly, and yes, it's funny as hell in some parts, but it also delivers the goods.

A college documentary crew goes out into the wilds of the Norwegian forests to do a story on government-sanctioned bear hunters and stumbles upon a poacher who is going out and killing bears on his own. Following a lead, they track this man down and try to get an interview, are promptly rebuffed, and decide to follow him around, anyway. Late one night, deep in the mountains, they pursue him into the woods, only to become chased themselves by...yes, a troll. And not just a cuddly little creature who lives under a bridge, but a giant, three-headed monster intent on killing them.

What follows, in this found-footage style film is a series of interviews with the troll-hunter himself (brilliantly played by Otto Jespersen as a world-weary, tired of his job, blue-collar kind of guy who matter-of-factly goes about his business of hunting and killing trolls) and a few of the government employees behind his actions. It turns out, the Norwegian government is sponsoring these hunts and keeping them secret from the general public. Along the way, we learn the different kinds of trolls and the ways the Hunter employs to kill them. We are also treated to many funny and scary sequences, as this film simultaneously takes itself seriously and has fun with itself.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. It's fun, it's scary, and it's funny scary. It's available right now on Video On Demand and is supposed to get a limited theatrical run in June. It is subtitled, and it is filmed in shaky-cam, but don't let those things put you off.

Besides, don't you want to learn what a Jotnar is, and how to kill it?

Happy New Year!

A SERBIAN FILM

(2010)

This is without a doubt the most disturbing film I've ever seen. The movie has made its way through the festival circuits and stirred-up outrage and debate wherever the film has been shown, and for good reason. This is combative cinema.

Milos, a retired porn star in Serbia, is lured into one last job. The money he saved is running out just when he needs it to help support schooling for his young son and the daily costs of living with his wife. The job offer comes from a former associate of his who has gone on to star in animal porn and if this isn't a tip-off that things are going to get strange, then I guess nothing else could be. The man Milos goes to work for has an idea of mixing art with porn but he wants to keep his star in the dark as to the plot. Milos gets offered a bundle of money, too much to turn down despite his misgivings, and finds himself drawn into an increasingly tightening circle of hell itself. After some uncomfortable encounters that flirt with child porn and indulges in masochism, Milos decides to back out. But it's too late now as things rapidly fly out of control.

And then there's the "Newborn Porn" scene, and you're either vomiting or running for the exit.

From there, its a descent into madness and depravity and the movie becomes an endurance test. Can you make it through to the end, to discover, along with Milos, just what evil he's participated in? You see, Milos gets dosed continuously with a mixture of animal "Viagra" and speed, so he's out of his mind with lust and violence. It's a white-knuckle ride to the end and after it's over, Milos and his family will never be the same.

Neither will you.

I know it really disturbed me, and I think I got the point. Here's this country, scarred by war and ethnic cleansing, where life has been reduced to the ridiculous. Normal people, working class folks like Milos (even though he works with his dick, he's an artist, no more different than a master electrician or a plumber) have their lives ripped from them and forced to participate in things so terrible there is no coming back from them. No, there is no war mentioned in the film and it doesn't involve any soldiers. Instead, I believe, this film shows the effects of dehumanizing war and what it does to the common people. They, like Milos, get dragged into involvement with things they'd never conceive as possible and when they find out what they've done, they have to deal with the consequences.

Watch this only if you have a strong stomach and can put your moral objections aside. Whether you do or don't, you will still be left sick, dizzy, and furious. This film is no joke; it's the real deal. It forces each viewer to confront things they most probably never wished to deal with.

You've been warned.