My book, “Claws of Midgard”, has released today! It’s got a twist on Norse Mythology and is in an urban setting. The book is not a ‘hidden world’, so magic is out in the open. Vampires & Werewolves are also twisted, and there’s LGBTQ+ romantic subplots with spice at the end! Bear in mind toContinue reading “HAPPY HALLOWEEN – AND BOOK RELEASE DAY!”
Tag Archives: self published
Horror: Dolls & Clowns? No Biggie for me. Wide Mouths? Gah!
We all have something we’re afraid of, and if someone denies that, they’re probably lying unless they have a complete lack of emotion in general. Sometimes things we’re frightened of are straightforward, like heights, spiders, the dark. I find spiders adorable, though, but that’s something for another time. There’s some common fears I don’t have,Continue reading “Horror: Dolls & Clowns? No Biggie for me. Wide Mouths? Gah!”
Darkness versus “The Light” – We need to twist things up more.
One of the most overdone tropes in fantasy, ever, is the concept of ‘dark bad’ and ‘light good’. I’m so utterly tired of it, and I bet much of the world is as well. Yes, humans are a diurnal species and trust the sun to be ‘good’ for us. It makes sense, biologically, we’d likeContinue reading “Darkness versus “The Light” – We need to twist things up more.”
Why I Twist Myth & Monsters in my Stories
Hey everyone! My favorite thing about writing is how we, as authors, can twist and craft things into our own world. Some people keep the traditional lore of a monster, which can be fun, but I like to rip that to shreds and build my own stuff. That is especially the case with common paranormalContinue reading “Why I Twist Myth & Monsters in my Stories”
The Appeal of Analog Horror to Me
Analog horror is one of my favorite genres that has spawned over the past few years. Well, not really ‘born’, as ‘found footage’ stuff has been around since before the Blaire Witch Project, but ‘analog’ is something on the internet in particular, creepy short videos to tell a story in a format I’ll go intoContinue reading “The Appeal of Analog Horror to Me”
Why are Vampires so sexy?!
Love or hate sexy vampires, they exist, and they have a huge impact on the paranormal genre. We all know the answer to the question above. It’s due to the haunting allure of vampires, and there’s a huge amount of ‘sexual fixations’ (Like my euphemism for ‘fetish’?) surrounding them. They are the monsters that lookContinue reading “Why are Vampires so sexy?!”
Something Scary: Horror Elements that Frighten Me
Being scared for fun is a blast, if you know you’re in a safe spot and not actually in danger. That’s the appeal of horror, after all! In this article, I’ll explore what tickles my fancy and puts a shiver down my spine. Remember, horror is subjective, so what scares me may not move youContinue reading “Something Scary: Horror Elements that Frighten Me”
Why Liminal Spaces have a soft spot in horror for me & in Defense of adding Monsters to the Backrooms
Gods, I love liminal spaces. I tend to talk about them a lot, and may have an article similar to this somewhere… wait… let me search… nope, nothing comes up when I look up ‘liminal’. I’ve written so many articles that sometimes I need to check. I get passionate about topics a lot and wantContinue reading “Why Liminal Spaces have a soft spot in horror for me & in Defense of adding Monsters to the Backrooms”
Build a Vampire for nearly ALL magical settings – including MMORPG roleplay (Yes, this means World of Warcraft & FFXIV); How I take Vampires with me everywhere (Games & Writing)
It’s no secret that I absolutely love vampires, and if there’s a magical universe I either write or play a video game in, I will find some way to create them if there isn’t already established lore. Heck, I can pull this even if there is established lore and I simply don’t like it. It’sContinue reading “Build a Vampire for nearly ALL magical settings – including MMORPG roleplay (Yes, this means World of Warcraft & FFXIV); How I take Vampires with me everywhere (Games & Writing)”
When Inspiration hits, write that down!
It can be terrible having an awesome idea only to lose it later because you may think you’ll either remember the details then, or it just isn’t interesting enough to preserve. Even if you think you are unlikely to return to the idea, you should try and write it down, or find some way ofContinue reading “When Inspiration hits, write that down!”
Des M. Astor 