Monday, October 26, 2009

Freaked Right Out

In honor of Halloween and Eileen Carr's romantic suspense Hold Back The Dark - the drunk writers are talking about things that go bump in the night and freak us right out. It's probably smart that I go first - because I am going to take a big stab in the dark and say that I am the biggest chicken. Here's my proof - Three Examples of Me Being Freaked Right Out:

1. I have read about thee pages of Eileen's book. I made it through the late night phone call - which never bodes well. I read it through the vague but freaky description of what had happened that required a late night phone call. However, when our heroine crosses the dark empty parking lot ans she's nervous and we're nervous - I put the book away. Tucked it right next to the pastel covers of her other books on my shelf and wondered "What happened to Eileen?"

Maybe if I didn't read at night...I don't know, but what I do know is I can't sleep with that stuff in my head. The premise alone of that book has stayed with me in spooky ways. Eileen - you did a great job - by page three I was freaked right out.

2. I've had three nightmares in my life that I remember with crystal clear detail. The first of which took place when I was six. That's right. Six. I remember because my room was beside my parents at that time and I dreamt that my brother put me in a bag full of burning hot sand. It was one of the few nights my parent's let me sleep the whole night in their bed because I wouldn't stop crying.

3. Silence of The Lambs. It was 1991 I was a sophomore in high school and it might have been the final nail in my freaked right out coffin. We watched it at a friends house - late at night. I had to ride my bike home - late at night. My bedroom at this point was on the first floor - and far away from my parents. There was a rain storm and I freaked right out. Sixteen years old and I spent the night on the floor beside my parents bed.

So - where are you on the spectrum? Me? or what I am going to guess might be Sinead and Stephanie? And of course Eileen, who came up with the premise of Hold Back The Dark? How did I fall in with you guys?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved, loved Hold back the Dark. Eileen, Wolf was a wonderful cop hero, and the villain was seriosly creepy.
I'm not giving away any spoilers, so I'll stop there.
And what scares us? So excited to post on that... Love scary things..

Maureen McGowan said...

I'm getting better about scary things... I used to be such a wimp.

Ironically, I think I'm better with scary books than with scary movies or scary TV.

I wish I thought I could *write* scary books, like the fabulous Eileen... I think suspense goes well with romance because both fear and love are such strong emotions.

Marcy said...

I just watched Silence of the Lambs yesterday. It still freaks me out, but man, what a good movie!

Stephanie Doyle said...

Molly - I'm a grade "A" wimp!

I do better with suspense and creepy then I do blood and guts.

Silence of the Lambs - that's pretty much at the top of my threshold. The thing that helped me through that movie though was Clarisse. I was so enamored with her as the central protaganist. And for me it was a revalation to have a woman in that role.

I'm going to say she is one of the reason that inspired me to write about strong "heroines".

She was the ultimate Bombshell.

Stephanie Doyle said...

I should also add she's the reason I did not join the FBI.

Under NO circumstances would I go into that garage by myself. Forget the house with the creepy guy.

I never would have even looked at the garage and said... "Yep. Let me check that out."

So thank you SOTL - for helping me see the light and know I could only write about these women. Not be one!

Molly O'Keefe said...

Sinead - I want you to give us the disertation on zombie films. I LOVED that!!!

Maureen - I used to be okay with scary books - a few years ago I would have been fine with Eileen's creepier side. Gabriel's Game? Andrew Pyper's Lost Girls? Loved those books - now I couldn't read them if I had to.

Marcy - I can't watch it again. When Clarise is in the dark and the bad guy has the night vision goggles - I get so scared I actually cry.

Doyle? A wimp? I don't believe it.

Eileen said...

Honestly, if you read Hold Back the Dark, you'll know EXACTLY what freaks me out. When I decided to write a suspense novel, I chose to go with the worst things I could think of. I have to admit, I glossed over the worst of it. I know there are a lot of books and movies that depict that stuff in detail, I couldn't do it. It was hard enough to create a world where it DID happen.

Thank you all for saying I freaked you out! You're the bestest drunk writers ever!

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