Subscribe in a reader | Follow Todd @ Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook| The Official Website of Horror Author Todd Russell Subscribe in a reader | Follow Todd @ Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook |
Welcome to the official blog of horror, thriller and suspense author Todd Russell. He's written under various
pen names including the name of this website, taken from AOL in the mid 1990s where he posted numerous
twist ending short stories, six of which can be found in the horror short story collection Mental Shrillness.
For Halloween 2011, he shared 13+ new stories in a collection called 
.
His debut novel 
is now available in paperback and eBook.
| GUEST POST: What scares author Gayle Carline Date Published: 2011-05-12 15:02:59 Summary: Author Gayle Carline stops by on day 10 of the blog tour for the first ever blog guest post swap. Todd is over at Gayle's blog with the guest post "Save the women and children - Todd Russell's in the house" about while Gayle is here sharing what scares her. Please welcome author Gayle Carline to ToddRWrite.com. She is the first author to guest post here as well as the first to tell us her fears. Let's see what scares her... I'm so glad to be invited over to Todd's place today, even if it is kinda creepy around here, with all the cobwebs and torture chambers and weird carnival barkers. He's even set out some tea and cakes for me, and if the tea didn't smell so strongly of almonds, I'd be tempted to drink it. The cakes come in handy for giving the rats something else to chew on besides my ankles. Anyway, Todd asked me to talk about fear, since that's what his minions love to read about. Either my fears in general, or my fears as a writer. I find that fear is an evolutionary thing for me. As a child, I had quite the imagination - so much so that my mother constantly sat me down to give me the "I'm worried about you" spiel. I didn't just have one imaginary friend, I had a whole posse. And animals, lots of imaginary pets, from mice to horses. I think at one time I had a pet dragon. So, of course, there were monsters. Most of them lurked in dark corners and had low, growling voices. They frightened me so much that my mother wouldn't let me watch or read anything of the horror genre. She thought I had enough imaginary monsters on my hands. Certainly I didn't need to be introduced to any more. As I grew up, the monsters left (except for the one with the big, slimy hand that someday is going to grab my shoulder as I put out the trash), and new fears came around. In my teens, the fear was that I'd never leave my parents' house and be stuck in Childhood Purgatory forever. Once I left my parents' house, I believe I contracted every independent woman's fear: Bag Lady Syndrome. One day you will lose your job, get kicked out of your home and your good clothes will all go up in flames for no reason. You'll be on the street in your pajamas and overcoat, with no chance for redemption. Hope you like drinking rot gut and digging through the trash for your next meal, Missy. I find that I've gotten over that fear, although I don't know why. Perhaps the Traveling Company of Writer Fears have visited so often, the Bag Lady can't compete anymore. Writer fears go like this: 1. My writing sucks. 2. My writing is great but my story telling sucks. 3. My writing is fine but after investing over a year into this particular book, it's just not working and I've pissed away a big chunk of my life. 4. I like my book, but is it ready? Is it good enough? What if it isn't? What if I make the wrong decision and this book ends up in evil hands that bury it under the mid-list and it never gets the chance it deserves? 5. My writing and story telling skills are great, but I can't get an agent to give me a sniff. 6. My book is great but I can't get anyone to pay attention to it on Amazon or Smashwords. 7. No one is buying my book. No one is ever going to buy my book. 8. Joe Konrath was wrong. I can't make any money being an author. 9. My writing sucks. Repeat as necessary. I joke around a lot, but those fears are real for most authors today. Doubling those fears along the way are the combination of watching other people sell while you are not, plus watching the publishing revolution and second-guessing every step you take. It's a wonder we don't all sit down every morning and weep. But instead, we sit down and write. The funny thing about writing is, if it is your passion, you'll answer each one of those fears with, "Maybe, but I'm doing it anyway." (I still don't know what to say to the thing with the slimy hand by the trash.) So thank you, Todd, for allowing me to talk about my fears today. I feel better already, just getting them off my chest. You can release the shackles now. Todd? Todd? Thanks Gayle, chilly stuff. Here's some links where you can read and buy Gayle's work: Gayle Carline Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Carline/e/B002C7FHZW  Bonus: check out this trailer for Gayle Carline's book Freezer Burn. The volume max issues aside, my kind of twisted humor! |
Amazon US | UK | DE Germany Barnes & Noble | Apple iBookstore Kobo | Sony | Diesel | OmniLit Also available through Smashwords Paperback Todd Russell's books on Goodreads WIP (Works In Progress)
Novella #1 (1st draft)
11,127/30,000 (37%) NOVEL: Pain Plane (final)
(20%) NOVEL: Fresh Fetus (1st draft)
(56%) |
