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#1 2011-02-25 04:45:36

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

I've been afraid of werewolves ever since I was 4 years old and cowered as Popeye's easygoing, hamburger-munching pal Wimpy turned into a wolfman. Not a funny one, a bloodthirsty big-bad-wolf type, who chased the sailor and Oilve Oyl, trying to kill them until a can of spinach came to the rescue.

A few years later, I was horrified to see lovable Lou Costello -- who I knew only from his lighthearted TV show -- roaming around Lawrence Talbot's hotel room as the Wolf Man lunges for him again and again, in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

So I suppose its not surprising that when I landed my dream gig at Weekly World News in 1995, I returned to the werewolf theme again and again.

From an account of real-life 16h century werewolf Peter Stubbe, to "Moon Rays Turned Apollo Astronauts into Werewolves," I wrote at least 20 stories about the rampaging monsters that haunt our nightmares, over the course of my decade-long stint at the infamous tabloid. And, since I started this forum, I published my first novel, Hour of the Beast http://freedomshammer.com, about a werewolf running amok on college campus, which has been racking up some nice reviews on Amazon.

So here I'd like to share my thoughts a bout lycanthropes and discuss them with others obsessed with the creatures.

Last edited by werewolfwriter (2011-09-06 08:18:53)

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#2 2011-03-01 05:24:54

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Well, I just finished proofing the galleys of my first horror novel. And the cover is finished. It looks great. The book is due out in April and I couldn't be more psyched. Planning to take it to the World Horror Convention in Austin.

Only glitch is that right now the vendor's booths are filled up and it looks like I'll have to be on a waiting list. I wanna sell some books there!

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#3 2011-03-09 05:11:23

Kormiak
Return of the Bard
From: Warrior's Hold
Registered: 2011-03-01
Posts: 5996

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Good luck, WerewolfWriter!  And, welcome to the Café!


Ná coiléar ná Corónach!

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#4 2011-03-09 06:09:25

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Can't wait to see Red Riding Hood when it opens in theaters this Friday. Kinda reminds me of The Company of Wolves, that very atmospheric and artistic werewolf movie (featuring Angela Landsbury as Grandma with a little secret). I've long been intrigued with the possiblities of giving familiar fairytales a horror spin. Many of them, at least in their original, not yet bowlderdized form, have dark and gory elements.
Imagine Goldilocks and the Three Bears with vicious, hungry grizzlies. Or Hansel and Gretal held prisoner by a cannibal witch who is truly terrifying. Has anyone seen The Brother's Grimm? That movie, which just arrived in my mailbox from Netflix, takes the premise that the brothers who collected the fairytales really had the adventures on which the stories were based. Anyhow, I'll review Red Riding Hood on my blog (http://freedomshammer.wordpress.com) as soon as I see it. Stay tuned!

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#5 2011-03-10 01:08:57

Vindicator
Seer of the West [Moderator]
From: The Desert West of the Rockies
Registered: 2009-04-30
Posts: 17922
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Hey werewolfwriter! 

      I do not believe I formally welcomed you to the Cafe'. So Welcome to the Cafe! If you have any questions or problems just drop a line and I'll sort them out for ya.

     Also that is fantastic that your a published author.  I hope your book selling endeavors go well! I'm actually currently working on some literary works myself and am hoping to get them completed and polished enough for publication someday.


"What makes a monster and what makes a man?" ~Bells of Notre Dame.

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#6 2011-03-14 05:08:07

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Checked out Red Riding Hood over the weekend. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it just
11 percent, but I loved it. I posted a review of it on my blog. It starts like this:

"Red Riding Hood is exactly what it should be: a grownup retelling of one of our most memorable fairytales, with a horror spin. It has interpersonal conflict, a complex storyline, romance -- but it also stays true to the elements that made the tale so compelling to us as children. There is the underlying theme of sexual awakening, the symbolism of the red cape, the opposition of good and evil. Even the talking wolf, the walk through the woods to grandmother’s house and the line, “What big eyes you have,†are worked in.

The high production values -- sumptuous period costumes and sets -- completely immerse us in a medieval world, and yet the swooping, swerving camera lends the film modern-day immediacy -- as well as a perpetual feeling of unease.
In its creation of an olden-days town surrounded by menace, the atmospheric film is reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village.†But here, the story is NOT torpedoed by awful plot turns.

Rest of review at http://freedomshammer.worpress.com

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#7 2011-03-15 07:41:12

Slayer
Member
From: On an adventure!
Registered: 2009-09-24
Posts: 1106

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Hello! I'm Slayer! It's a pleasure to meet you!! *offers choco-chip delight brownies*


Your friendly neighborhood slayer!

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#8 2011-03-21 04:19:49

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

This supermoon phenomenon, which I'd never heard about before, offers a great premise for a horror story, doesn't it?
You know, every 300 years the supermoon arises and bombards Earth with superpowerful "lunar rays."
What happens next? I dunno, superwerewolves bigger, stronger, faster and more indestructible than the usual critters. Or maybe the rays are so strong they turn nearly EVERYONE into a werewolf, whether they've ever been bitten or not.
And, oh yeah, crime rates rise.

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#9 2011-03-21 19:45:52

White Wolf
Dreamer of the East [Moderator]
From: "Southern" Florida
Registered: 2009-04-21
Posts: 18155
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

I went and saw Red Riding Hood after reading your review and I enjoyed it a lot, thanks!


Nos totus take diversus semita ut a similis fortuna per sapientia, vires, quod fides in divinus nostrum maioribus socius.

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#10 2011-03-21 20:36:50

Kormiak
Return of the Bard
From: Warrior's Hold
Registered: 2011-03-01
Posts: 5996

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

I will admit that I thought the supermoon thing was pretty cool, but I didn't really think of anything like that.........Of course, I was hampered by the fact that I have never looked at the moon as having anyhting to do with werewolves.  To my mind, they should be able to change anytime they want.


Ná coiléar ná Corónach!

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#11 2011-03-27 06:51:50

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Kormiak, you might be right about the power of the moon thing. When I wrote my weekly world news story about lunar rays turning Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts into werewolves, a reader quite rightly pointed out there are no such thing as moon rays. After all, the moon doesn't produce light, it's just reflected light from the sun. On the other hand, there are those studies that show a spike in crime rates when the moon is full, so something weird is going on with Earth's satellite. I guess the change-at-will werewolf is more logical, or perhaps the change-under-stress (like the Hulk) werewolf. But for movies like the Wolfman, where the lycanthrope is a tragic victim, you obviously needed a transformation device out of the protagonist's control.

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#12 2011-04-09 04:36:55

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
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Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Well, my werewolf novel Hour of the Beast will be published in a couple of weeks and it's already out on Kindle. Was kind of neat to see it up on the Amazon site right now to The Turn of the Screw, one of the great classics of horror literature. What an incredible honor!

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#13 2011-04-14 16:03:35

Kailito Ysdrasil
Member
From: somewhere you dont want to be
Registered: 2011-01-15
Posts: 1971

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

i write things too, but i havent gotten anything published. i have one thing i wanna TRY and get published, i just have to type it up. ^^

and, on the moon thing, i think its because of how the moon affects tides, you know? considering we're about 75% water, its bound to have SOME sort of effect on us, and its a little different for everyone. for some it raises bloodlust, otehrs it raises, well....OTHER lust, XD, and for some, it raises both. but thats just an example. XD


Why is it so hard to find someone who cares about you?~
When it's easy enough to find someone who looks down on you?~
I'll believe all your lies, just pretend you love me~
Make believe, close your eyes, I'll be anything for you~

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#14 2011-04-22 00:03:05

wrtierwerewolf
New member
Registered: 2011-02-19
Posts: 6

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Regarding the moon: I read that technically the moon is only really full for a few seconds, though people refer to it as full for the several days it appears to be. I'd like to write a story sometime about how EVERYONE turns into a werewolf during the full moon for a few seconds, but it mostly happens when we're asleep and we don't notice it.

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#15 2011-05-03 01:31:47

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Well, my werewolf novel Hour of the Beast has finally been published! My book launch party at a local  bookstore is this Saturday and I'm so psyched. It's available in eBook format and on Kindle, and you can order it at any bookstore, but the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to get it is at the website http://freedomshammer.com. You gotta check this site out. Among the fun features: the 15 best Weekly World News werewolf stories ever! And the book cover by the great British artist Martin McKenna is one of the coolest pieces of werewolf art in years!

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#16 2011-05-03 02:57:04

werewolfwriter
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From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Just sold my first book today! What a rush!

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#17 2011-05-09 23:06:43

werewolfwriter
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

I shot a video promoting my new werewolf novel Hour of the Beast and have posted it on YouTube. I think it's pretty darned good. You can check it out and hear about the roller-coaster ride I went through to make it at http://freedomshammer.wordpress.com Or go straight to the video at http://youtu.be/sT6lJnd5Drw. And don't forget to share it if you like it!

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#18 2011-05-11 10:25:04

Dira
Nightwalker werewolf illustrator
From: SA
Registered: 2007-10-22
Posts: 846

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Hello werewolfwriter! Who is your publisher?

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#19 2011-05-13 06:38:06

werewolfwriter
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Dira, my publisher is Freedom's Hammer Books. I had my book launch party Fiction Addiction in Greenville last Saturday. It went well. I was amazed at who showed up at the book store. Pretty much everyone I've met since I moved to town, from the kid's sewing teacher to the contractor remodeling our kitchen. The posters mounted on a sandwich board really helped draw in curious readers.

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#20 2011-05-13 07:03:31

Dira
Nightwalker werewolf illustrator
From: SA
Registered: 2007-10-22
Posts: 846

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Freedom's Hammer Books < Do they have a link?

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#21 2011-05-16 04:38:58

werewolfwriter
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Dira, my wife handles the business/publicity side and was the one who tracked down this small press outfit. I'll get the info from her.

Meanwhile, I posted a pretty cool news story on my blog: "Werewolf Obedience Schools all the Rage in Switzerland." http://freedomshammer.wordpress.com

Last edited by werewolfwriter (2011-05-16 04:39:37)

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#22 2011-05-17 04:37:01

Dira
Nightwalker werewolf illustrator
From: SA
Registered: 2007-10-22
Posts: 846

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Awesome Werewolf writer! smile

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#23 2011-05-17 04:46:17

werewolfwriter
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Went to the SC book festival to publicize my book and sell signed copies at a booth. Cool experience. Met some very interesting folks, including the writer in the booth next to me. He was selling a book called Pirates of the Savannah -- and was dressed as a pirate! The gimmick helped draw readers to his booth, he explained. (Plus, what a great excuse to dress up). He also had a neat prop, called a "boarding ax." Basically it looks like a short musket, but on the end, kind of like a bayonnette, it has this wicked-loooking ax. The idea is that when you're boarding a captured vessel, you squeeze off one good shot to terrorize your enemy, then do him in with a quick swiipe of the hatchet.  We agreed that I need a good prop for my booth next time. Any suggestions?

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#24 2011-05-17 06:57:54

Dira
Nightwalker werewolf illustrator
From: SA
Registered: 2007-10-22
Posts: 846

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Oooh! Wolf's head! Also, you can always ask me to make you  prop I'm a make-up artist special effects artist. big_smile Aslong as I can get a book. wink

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#25 2011-05-17 20:33:26

werewolfwriter
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2010-10-18
Posts: 247
Website

Re: Weekly World News Writer's Werewolf Forum

Verrrry tempting, Dira. Actually, what I was thinking of was a werewolf hand, kind of a mummified-looking thing that I could stick in a pseudo-formaldehyde filled old jar. When asked, I tell folks I got it from an old curiosity shop that got if from a carnival way back when. I'm not saying I know for sure it's the genuine article. Then again, I'm not saying I know for sure it's not. Just for fun, it'll have a sign in front of it that says "Price $35,000." "Warning: Do not open jar. Do NOT let paw come in contact with open wound." Does that sound like something you could pull off?

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