WiHM Spotlight: Lori Michelle

For most people February brings to mind the deept chill of winter coupled the warmth of Valentines day. What many people don't know is February is also Women in Horror month (WiHM), an international, grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries. Whether they are on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, it is clear that women love, appreciate, and contribute to the horror genre.

To help celebrate, each day for the remainder of February I will feature a different women working in the horror genre. I hope to make this an annual event so next year the entire month of February will be devoted to those women who work in the horror field, be it behind the scenes, on the screen, or as a creator.

First up allow me to introduce you to Lori Michelle, who is the managing editor for Dark Moon Digest Horror Quarterly and Dark Eclipse: The Dark Moon Digest monthly e-magazine. She also helps edit their special anthologies, including Mistresses of the Macabre, and helps convert most of their publications to e-publications. She is also the co-owner of Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, where she terrorizes her partner with facts and figures. 

A single mother of two children she spends a majority of her time trying to keep her 6 year old from hitting the dog in the face. During what spare time she can scraps together (I really have some?)she dabbles in graphic art, using that knowledge to make business cards. logos and flyers for people who need something more creative than the norm. 

A writer herself she has been published in several anthologies, including the Bram Stoker nominated Slices of Flesh. She maintains a website at www.lorimichelleauthor.com, but  can be found more often hanging out on Facebook. In case you can't tell, her favorite color is purple. :)


She edited the charitable anthology, Bleed, with all proceeds going to help child cancer victims and their families. 

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis: No one should ever have to deal with cancer, especially a child. BLEED is a charity anthology where the profits will go to help children who have cancer. Forty-seven stories, poems and essays by the best in the horror business, including Bentley Little, Rick Hautala, Joe McKinney, Mort Castle, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Tim Waggoner, Gene O'Neill, and William Nolan. This is for all the little girls and boys who fight the good fight everyday. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to The National Children's Cancer Society. thenccs.org

Her erotic thriller:

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Synopsis:Lila's perfect Saturday night means falling asleep on the couch with a glass of wine and a good book. But even the perfect night could go bad when Lila starts longing to know what secrets her brain keeps locked away. Left with only distorted nightmares of her life before the accident, she numbly goes through life, hoping to find out just who she is.

Amber, double-crossed by a lover, would much rather be slipping something in the wine than sipping it. While she gives great pleasure, loving Amber comes with great pain. Her body is a weapon and she knows how to use it.

 

Detective Balducci, now removed from the Harvester Killer case, begins an off-the-record investigation that will not only test his skill as a seasoned yet loose cannon police officer, but stretch his emotions to the breaking point. As their lives crash together, past scandals and shocking truths surface as they find out just how close to the killer they have been all along.

  

Fridays 5 with Embahra Maat

Embahra Maat is Hmt NTR (high priestess) of the Temple of Anu, an Afra-Kemetic spiritual house which focuses on cultural restoration. She serves as co-teacher for First Eye on Kemet, a course that introduces students to the Nile Valley tradition, and as head teacher of KMWT (Kemetic Women's Wisdom Training), preparing women for spiritual initiation using meditation, EFT, goddess altars, and new & full moon rituals. Embahra is a member of the Global Sacred Woman Village, a process she underwent while simultaneously enrolled in courses for fiction writing at the School of Professional Studies at NYU. Prior to the start of her Kemetic journey, she majored in English at Douglass College of Rutgers University, concentrating in Creative Writing. She recently published her first novel, Hidden By Moonlight, a retelling of the legendary Kemetic myth from the perspective of maligned and oft-ignored goddess Nebt-Het (Nephthys).

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?
A.) I really began to buckle down and be disciplined in college, when I enrolled in multiple creative writing courses, enough that it became my major concentration. I really pushed to have one of my short stories published, but to no avail. I also started a novel, but life got away from me and I never completed it. Even though I took a long hiatus, I knew the entire while that I would eventually come back and meet my goal of being a published author one day - and here I am!

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?
A.) Finding time, and then when I find the time, the hardest part becomes pulling away to do other things like sleep, eat, and shower. I know that writing will consume me if I get into it, so I am careful about when I dive in, because I have a tendency to go DEEP.

Click on cover above for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
It is time for the five immortal children of Nut to take their place in the world of men. Born on the days that exist neither in this year nor in the next, they are told to embrace the omen of their birth – except the youngest, who has only to sit back while her siblings earn praise and adoration for establishing civilization. She yearns to be recognized and remembered for a contribution all her own, but as she tries to make that happen, her choices threaten to damage and devastate everyone around her, and especially herself. Hidden By Moonlight explores the beloved epic myth of Ancient Egypt from the overlooked perspective of Nebt-Het, known by some as Nephthys. Reveling in the magnetism, mystery, and magic of the ancient world, Hidden By Moonlight is a reflection into the heart of a goddess to unveil what has long been concealed.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?
A.) I felt relieved, then anxious, then afraid. What if no one bought it? What if no one likes it?? But after a few deep breaths, I realized I was excited. And grateful. I finally made a dream come true. It feels so surreal to see my name on iTunes and Amazon.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?
A.) Character, always. Story is great but if the character is boring then why should I care? I need the character to be someone who I care about, because s/he is amazing or awful, and preferably s/he will be some odd combination of amazing AND awful. THEN I need the story to be compelling, because now that I care about the person, I want to know what s/he is going through, and I want to go through it with him/her.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?
A.)  Oversleeping as a result of staying up way too late... work at the day job, with a bit of Facebook and Twitter mixed in... phone calls on my lunch break with members of my Temple, confirming appointments, giving advice, organizing events, etc... leaving work to head home to teach a class or meet with someone for a counseling session... spiritual work in the twilight hours... squeezing in writing at various points in between.

Author Links:

Book site:  http://hiddenbymoonlight.com/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/embahra
Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/embahra
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/embahramaat

Fridays 5 with Karen Cogan

A native of Houston, TX, Karen spent her early years enjoying life along the Gulf Coast.  After high school, she attended Texas A&M as well as the University of Houston where she obtained a B.S. in early childhood education. She has written numerous articles and stories, books for children and novels for adults.  She particularly enjoys writing contemporary and historical romance.

She now lives in the Southwest with her family and assorted pets.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?
A.) I have had a life-long love of writing. However, I got serious when I quit a teaching job to stay home with the first of my four children. I wouldn’t say I had a lot more time, but the inspiration bloomed and I wrote my first novel. Over the years, I wrote many articles and short stories, and more books.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?
A.)  The hardest part is finding time. It is also hard to juggle the actual writing with the publicity aspect. I am not as literate as I would like to be with aspects of getting my work before the public.

Click on cover above for more info or to order!

Synopsis:
In this sweet Regency romance, life in India is idyllic for Anne Tyler and her younger brother, Jeremy until the deaths of their parents shatter their world. They are sent to England to live with a grandfather that neither remembers. However, as the years pass, the kindly man proves a balm for their wounded hearts. His death, when it comes, is a cruel blow.
Though his will leaves the estate to Jeremy, the boy is not yet of age. His grandfather’s nephew, a man with a mysterious past, is named guardian of the property and soon arrives to take up his duty. Unfortunately, the man has a son who is both evil and cunning. Since he stands to inherit the estate should Jeremy die, he will stop at nothing to get his hands on the property.
Murder and threats of murder soon haunt their every move. Standing between them and disaster is the handsome Lord Westerfield, a man who promises to defend Anne and Jeremy, even at risk to his own life.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?
A.) I was elated when the editor called and offered a contract. I couldn’t wait to get the print copies of my new book, The Secret of Castlegate Manor. When they finally arrived, I stared at the shiny book jackets and felt like I’d just had a new baby.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?
A.)  Though they are both necessary ingredients, I believe character is probably the more important element. I remember many well-done characters from books I’ve read better than I remember the stories.

B.)  ) What is a typical day like in your world?
A.)  I get up and take a walk around the neighborhood. If it is during the school year, I go to work as a teacher. When I get home, I ride horse back and feed our horses. I may get to see the grandkids for a while. I cook supper and clean up. At last, it’s time to sit down and write. I usually spend two to three hours each night on my current book projects.

New Release: Wind Chill by Patrick Rutigliano

Click on cover for more info or to order!

Synopsis: 

What if you were held captive by your own family?

Emma Rawlins has spent the last year a prisoner. The months following her mother's death dragged her father into a paranoid spiral of conspiracy theories and doomsday premonitions. Obsessing him, controlling him, they now whisper the end days are finally at hand.

And he doesn’t intend to face them alone.

Emma finds herself drugged and dragged to a secluded cabin, the last refuge from a society supposedly due to collapse. Their cabin a snowbound fortress, her every move controlled, but even that isn't enough to weather the end of the world.

Everything she knows is out of reach, lost beyond a haze of white. There is no choice but to play her father's game while she plans her escape.

But there is a force far colder than the freezing drifts. Ancient, ravenous, it knows no mercy. And it's already had a taste...

Wind Chill also contains eight original bonus stories:

The Fear Merchant: The local king of Halloween finds himself outdone by a new neighbor and becomes compelled to discover what secrets lie in the haunted house across the street.

Bang!: A rivalry between two creatures of the night takes a black-humored twist. 

Little Red Vest: A break down leaves a woman stranded on the wrong side of town—and witness to a bizarre performance that can warp time as easily as it does flesh.

Shadowplay: Still mourning his little brother’s death, an aging wave slave finds comfort in the local playground. But he can’t help but wonder about the strange child who lingers there after dark.
 

Jump Cuts: Bitter and dejected, a spinster discovers a way to reconnect with the warmer shades of the human experience. And her own regrets. 

The Skin Trade: A one-night stand leaves a businessman with an unthinkable cargo. 

"At turns heart-rending and terrifying, Wind Chill plumbs the costs of love, family, innocence, and the supernatural with a grace rarely seen in horror fiction. Rutigliano understands the human condition, and we're prisoner as he leads us down a dark and claustrophobic hallway all too real, and, more importantly, actually scary. His career will be a long and fruitful one." - Ben Eads, author of Cracked Sky
 
"You are in for a treat. Wind Chill is a story of survival in the most horrific way. When a daughter can no longer trust her father she must find a way to save herself." - Horror Novel Reviews
 
"Patrick Rutigliano's 'Wind Chill' is a nice blend of old world meets new when an ancient myth comes to life for a modern doomsday prepper. Come for the title story and stay for more of Rutigliano's bleak short pieces. This is a good little bundle of terror in one sick package." -Mercedes M. Yardley, author of Little Dead Red
 
"Wind Chill is a genuine page turner that will leave you cold, ravenous and scared as Patrick Rutigliano breathes new life into an old legend.Wind Chill is great horror." - Douglas Draa, editor of Weirdbook Magazine
 
"Patrick Rutigliano writes crisp and lean, with a deft delivery, a vivid imagination and an ability to immerse the reader in the fear his well-developed characters suffer. Wind Chill evokes atmospheres as cold, claustrophobic and as intense as the environment it is set in, and with it, Rutigliano crafts a memorable tale where not one word is superfluous. In addition to the novella itself, this book contains the bonus of several other short works, each one a diverse slice of horror pitching ordinary folks into extraordinary situations where anything can, and usually does, happen. Highly recommended for all those who like a clever mix of both the cerebral and the visceral." - Jim Goforth, author of Plebs

About the Author:

Patrick Rutigliano made his way as a fry cook, cart monkey and feral cat tamer before going into business for himself. Working as an editor and proofreader in addition to writing, his first independent release, "The Untimely Deaths of Daryl Handy," hit Amazon in 2013. His first novel, "Surviving the Crash" was released by Retro Rocket Press in 2014.

During his off time, Patrick can usually be found attempting to recreate foreign cuisine, performing the solemn duty of feline waterbed and having spirited debates with his wife over the failings of Disney villains.

Further information is available at  http://www.patrickrutigliano.wordpress.com