My Childhood Monster Blogfest

 

From August 7th - 9th, bloggers are talking about their childhood monsters in Christine Rains' blogfest. Click here for the other entries.

I was four years old when the monsters came for me.

Some children have monsters under the bed. Others have a monster in the closet, but I didn't have something quite so normal. After all, you can close the closet door or shove things under the bed to stop those monsters. No, my monsters couldn't be stopped and had me sleeping with the light on until just a year or two ago.

My monsters emerged from the very walls.

They appeared as large, misshapen humans. A green luminescence glowed around them. They would surround the bed and reach out for me as they warped the space under the bed into Hell. Their icy hands would snag an ankle or an arm, so I shrank into the middle of the bed with the covers well over my head.

If I peered into the depths of Hell under my bed, a hot sulfuric belch would bubble up from the bottomless pit. I would fall to my death, if these monsters grabbed me. I always knew when they had entered the room too. So many times they'd almost snatched me because I fell asleep without being covered in blankets.

I cried out at first, but my parents thought they were just bad dreams, but how can you have bad dreams when you're awake and too scared to sleep?

I started flinging myself from my bed and racing into the hall. The monsters couldn't pass through the bedroom door. Sometimes I slept on the cold wooden floors. Other times, I crept into my parents' room and slept under their bed.

Finally after weeks of begging and lack of sleep, I persuaded my parents to leave the light on. With the light, the monsters vanished.

I was safe. Finally.

I believe the wall monsters have left me alone. Perhaps they've found some other child with an overactive imagination to bother. But I still keep light close and the bedsheets ready, just in case.

Book Chat: Guest Post with Christine Rains, author of FEARLESS

 

Tomorrow is the official release date of Christine Rains' Fearless, but we have a special guest post with author Christine Rains. Christine has been one of my dearest friends and critique partners, so I'm thrilled she has her first paranormal romance novella out! Congrats, Christine, and take it away!

 

Fear and the Fearless

Thank you very much for having me here today, Cherie. I'm here to share some tips that every writer can use.

At the heart of every story, there's something the protagonist fears. She might be afraid of losing someone she loves or she's terrified of the monster in the cellar, but fear is what propels our characters into action.

In my new paranormal romance novella, FEARLESS, Abby White fights the creatures spawned by children's fears. She's not frightened of the monsters themselves, but what drives her is her fear for the children's safety. Abby might be from a long line of warriors called the Fearless, but it's not because she's without fear. It's because she's brave enough to face them.

Fear can be a difficult thing to portray in your writing. It's not always about supernatural beings or serial killers. It can the fear a teenager feels starting a new school or giving a speech in front of a gymnasium full of people. It's irrational and can be all-consuming.

When writing fear, make sure it's plain what's at stake. It's more effective when your readers know what can be gained and what can be lost. There's hope, but there's also evil. We're often afraid of the unknown, but it's far more terrifying to know what lurks in the dark.

Include what the protagonist is feeling on three levels: mind, heart, and gut. We're rational beings. We're going to try to analyze our fears, but that rationality is thwarted by questions which cannot be answered. All our emotions are whipped up in a horrific cocktail. We feel and think the most inappropriate things when frightened. The baser instincts in us boil down to fight or flee. Whatever your protagonist feels in their gut will direct your story.

Tension and suspense are key elements. When heightening the tension, use shorter sentences and powerful verbs. Keep your descriptions clear and to the point. Show, never tell. A few key details will be enough. Never underestimate your readers' imaginations. They will help add to the suspense.

One of the tricks to writing fear is to include something you fear yourself. If you're afraid of clowns or porcupines, it doesn't matter. Look deep into yourself and drag out those most primal of emotions. It doesn't need to be gory, but it needs to be honest and bare.

Abby White was born from my fear for my son. What would happen if there was something he was frightened of and I wasn't there to help him? What if it was real and I didn't believe him? Who would protect him? The Fearless will save him.

Abby White was seven years old when she killed the monster under her bed. Now she slays creatures spawned by the fertile imaginations of children, and the number of these nightmares are on the rise. Neither she nor her guide - a stuffed hippo named Tawa - know why.

When she rescues Demetrius from an iron prison, he pledges his life to protect hers until he can return the favor. She doesn't want the help. And how can she concentrate on her job when the gorgeous wild fae throws himself in front of her during every fight? No matter how tempting, she can't take the time to lose herself to him.

To save the children and all she loves, Abby must be truly Fearless.

To get your free copy on Smashwords, click here. To get your free copy on Kobo, click here.

To purchase on Amazon, click here. On Barnes and Noble here. And from CreateSpace in print here.

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. She lives in southern Indiana with her husband and son in a cozy little house stuffed full of books and games. She has sixteen short stories and one novella published, and three short stories forthcoming.

Please visit her website at http://christinerains.net/.

Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/