Hello Everyone and a warm welcome to you. Today is an exciting day as it is the release of the highly anticipated lesfic compilation of Lady Grim: A Halloween Anthology. 13 authors contributed to this gem and their short stories are all spooktacular.
Come meet each of our authors below.
Hello Everybody:
Let me introduce myself and my colleagues. My name is LL Shelton, and I am one of the authors of Lady Grim: A Halloween Anthology. Sitting on my couch, like I had done for months during COVID, out of the blue, I had a thought. Why not join forces with Lila Bruce and gather eleven more authors and write some scary stories? A few messages back and forth and Ta-Da — Lady Grim was born.
We repeatedly heard from the authors how much fun it was to write a horror/paranormal/thriller story. For some of the authors, this project was well out of their norm, so we asked them to share what it was like to write for Lady Grim with you. We thank Lynn Lawler for the opportunity to let you inside our world.
So, Lila Bruce and I are pleased to introduce the 13 authors of Lady Grim: A Halloween Anthology.
Serena J. Bishop — Sample 27
Hello! While I’ve always considered myself a creative person, I didn’t start writing novels until 2015. Now in 2020, I have three novels to my name (Beards, Dreams, and Leveled). All of my novels are character-driven romances between two women; however, these stories do differ in sub-genre. Even though none are classified as horror, there are a few nightmare scenes in Dreams which were very fun to write and I wanted to do that again. Luckily, I was given the opportunity with this anthology. To write something really original (at least I think is it), I combined a legitimate fear I have with an irrational fear I have and stuck it in a blender with some witty dialogue and scientists. Okay, it wasn’t that easy. To understand the kind of emotions and setting I wanted to convey, I watched several documentaries and horror movies. I’m kind of glad I don’t have to do that anymore. I was getting really paranoid. But I digress. I hope you enjoy Lady Grim’s Sample 27.
Serena J. Bishop – Amazon Page
Lila Bruce — Bad Moon Rising
I’ve always been a huge fan of horror movies. Not the cut ‘em up slasher films, but old school horror movies like Salem’s Lot, The Exorcist, Carrie, and the like. To go along with that, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. So, when LL Shelton first brought up the idea of collaborating on a horror anthology, I jumped at the chance. Since the start of Covid I’ve not had any real desire to put pen to paper, but something about writing for this anthology just seemed to click. And when I randomly heard Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising playing on the radio one afternoon while I was at work, I knew instantly what I wanted to write about. The best part of this anthology, though, has been Elle Hyden’s entry, Cat People. Not because it’s a great story—which it is, by the way—but because it reminded me of my dad, who passed away fourteen years ago from cancer. When I was ten, I had a sleepover party. They were all the rage at the time, and every weekend somebody in my group of friends would host one. When my turn cycled around, my mother suggested that we go see a movie that night to minimize the havoc eight ten year-olds would wreak on her house. The night of the slumber party, though, my mother didn’t feel well so had my dad take us to the movies. If you’re familiar with the Natassja Kinski version of Cat People and thinking to yourself, “Oh no, tell me he didn’t,” well…he did. My dad’s eventual defense was that all he saw was the name of the movie on the marquee and thought it sounded like a kids’ show. And because he thought it was a kids’ film, he sat us all down in the front row with a coke and a box of popcorn and then headed out to the lobby to smoke (you could do that back then) and play video games in the arcade while we watched the movie. It wasn’t until the movie was almost over that he came back in and made the horrifying discovery of exactly what kind of movie he’d taken eight impressionable ten year-old girls to. He immediately herded us all out of the theater and then bribed us with ice cream to stay silent about what we’d seen. The bribe worked at first, but then Rosslyn Garrett went home and ratted us out to her parents, who immediately called my mother. I won’t go into the gory details of what happened when my mortified mother confronted my dad, but I could have probably sold tickets to the show. (Side note: that was the last time I hosted a slumber party at my house.) Over the years, as we’ve all gotten much older, that incident has been something of a running joke in my family, so I got a real kick out of seeing the title of Elle’s story. A blast from the past, you might say. While every story in Lady Grim may not have the personal backstory that Elle’s does, every story is worth your while. What better way to get into the Halloween season?
CD Cain — The Calling of Serafine
What to write? What to write? Played over and over in my head as I sat down to create this short story. Being asked to submit a story for an anthology with so many wonderful writers was honestly quite amazing. Sort of fits with the Halloween theme that it was also incredibly terrifying. So when it actually came down to putting words on a page, I was, to say the least, a wee bit nervous. For me, short stories have always been harder to write. You have to create an engaging story filled with characters you can connect with mixed up in a plot that finds its entirety from beginning to end in ten thousand words or less. I believe that is one major reason I went with a story about creole voodoo. It fascinates me. Always has. For the past seventeen years, I’ve lived in South Georgia with Savannah a heartbeat away from me but I grew up in Louisiana. I wouldn’t say voodoo was a part of my childhood there but something sure was. My grandmother never used conventional medicine when it came time for illness or injury. Also, she kept what I grew up thinking were “trinkets” around the house. Each of them with a different name and purpose. Can anyone say gris gris? When the cursor kept flashing at me on the screen, I thought of Louisiana and started typing. I have very much enjoyed being a part of this anthology and hope the taste of voodoo puts a little suspense in your Halloween this year. Plus, let me tell you, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these characters because there’s a spin-off story in my head that just won’t stop. Here’s hoping the drums don’t call for you in your dreams on these cool October nights.
Lise Gold — The Grand Malum
I’m a romance author, so I was surprised when LL Shelton asked me if I was interested in writing a short story for a Halloween anthology. I’ve never written anything scary or paranormal before, but I love trying new things, so I said I would give it a go.
As it happens, I’m a big fan of Japanese and Korean horror movies, and coming up with ideas wasn’t difficult. The hard part was creating suspense, and I now have so much respect for authors who write in this genre because it’s really, really hard.
Saying that, I enjoyed it so much that I plan to write more scary stuff in future.
I’m super excited to be a part of ‘Lady Grim’ alongside so many amazing authors and truly hope ‘The Grand Malum’ will give you the chills.
Lise Gold
Anne Hagan — Midnight Slain in Georgia
Anne is primarily a mystery author who dabbles in romance from time to time. Her mysteries aren’t too dark, and her romance works are not too light. Somewhere in between those to realms she found a desire to write about the supernatural. Her story is ghost story with a past around the time of the American Civil War, but based in the modern day with all of the social injustice such a story could dredge up.
ELLE HYDEN — Cat People
First off, I’d like to say how very excited I was to have been asked to write a short story for this Anthology and to be included with the other twelve fabulously well-known authors. Then terror struck because I didn’t have a clue what I could write about. Thankfully inspiration struck, and I came up with my idea for ‘Cat People.’ If you’ve never seen that spooky old ‘B’ movie from 1942, by the same name, you are not alone. I hadn’t either until I started looking at the synopsis of horror films, that I might be able to put a lesbian spin on. Let me just give you a little insight into where that idea led me. The story revolves around a woman named Olivia that finds herself living in a strangely parallel version of that old movie. She is swept off her feet by the rich, lovely, and famous designer Irene Мачка. Olivia thinks she is living in a fairytale until things go south after they marry. Are you intrigued yet? For the rest of the story, you’ll just have to buy the Anthology when it comes out. With all these other fantastic authors and their short stories included in it, I’m sure you won’t regret it.
KJ — The Price of Pleasure
Being asked to write for an anthology was beyond exciting, because it felt like I was writing with a team. Despite the fact that we’d be creating our own stories, it was just so collaborative. However, I also felt an overwhelming sense of imposter syndrome and anxiety that my story would let that same team down. What a dilemma! However, after reassurances from a variety of sources, I forged ahead and delved into the darkest recesses of my mind to eventually write a psychological story with distinct metaphorical messages (I can’t help myself) about the ultimate notion of ‘be careful what you wish for’. Apparently, it works well, because I explained the premise to my wife, and she was so unnerved by it that she refused to read the finished product.
KJ’s Amazon Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07V4DM2Y3
Erica Lee — Ex Rated
My name is Erica Lee. I live in Pennsylvania with my wife, chinchilla, bunny, and dog. I spend most of my free time with family and friends and preparing for our bundle of joy arriving this November. I’ve published thirteen lesbian romance stories of various lengths. Writing for this anthology was so much fun. I never thought I would write a scary story, but I’m so happy I had the opportunity to write outside of my comfort zone. I’m thankful for all of the Lifetime Original Movies I’ve watched because they showed me how to create a somewhat scary, definitely cheesy, sweet story.
KC Luck — Anniversary
When I was asked to take part in a horror-themed anthology, I jumped at the idea. Not only because I am honored to be included in this great group of authors, but because I love a good ghost story. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been in love with horror stories. Ghosts, vampires… anything paranormal. This passion translated to adulthood and I still read about things that go bump in the night, but now I have an itch to write one myself. Short stories are a good outlet, such as “Anniversary” in Lady Grim, yet I enjoyed writing the story so much, it only makes me want to do more of it. My pipeline is full of book ideas, but you never know… maybe there is more than a boogie(wo)man hiding under my bed.
– KC Luck, www.kc-luck.com
Annette Mori — Witches and Vampires and Shifters, Oh My
I’m not really known for horror stories or stories that are scary, so this was very difficult for me. I decided that as long as it was a Halloween theme, I could get away with a continuation story based on the characters from my dual series, plus my debut novel. Those who have read Live Forever, Love Forever, the Asset Management series, and The Book Addict series will appreciate a return to those characters. Because there are so many characters in the short story, I had to include a glossary, but hopefully, readers will enjoy this quirky short.
Ocean — Spider Island
When I was approached to participate in the anthology, I was thrilled. Scary is right up my alley. Immediately I was faced with two challenges. One, what to write about? The other, to create a story that grabs the reader and inflicts fear in a short amount of time.
Hmm…I put on my evil-thinking-cap and went to work.
The title, “Spider Island”, had been floating around in my brain for some time, but no plot, characters, or storyline. The obvious would have been to have two women stuck on an island, attacked by spiders. But I’d already done that with dolls. (Insert evil laugh here.) I needed to make this story completely different. Plus, I don’t like doing the obvious.
I can’t say for sure how the story evolved, but the development most likely went something like this:
Evil Brain: What makes spiders scary?
Me: Having them crawl on you.
Evil Brain: How can you make spiders even more scary?
Me: Having them crawl inside of you.
Once I had that, I was off and running.
I hope you like the result.
L.L. Shelton — The Town of Sunflower Fields
When I sat down to write my story for Lady Grim, my imagination went in about a thousand different directions. But there was one thing clear from the beginning; I wanted to keep the reader on edge. So, after watching a hundred of horror/paranormal/ thriller movies, it became evident, my characters needed to be in a sunflower field. Odd right? Trust me, after reading The Town of Sunflower Fields; you will never look at a sunflower in the same way. I know – I don’t. It was a pleasure to work and be included with such talented authors in Lady Grim. I hope you enjoy this outstanding collaboration of amazing stories that promise to keep you on the edge of your seat. Much love, LL
Erin Wade — Haunting Vanity
When LL Shelton asked me to participate in “Lady Grim” I was both excited and terrified. Horror is not my bailiwick. LL is a fair but firm taskmaster. She rejected my first submission but allowed me to submit another story, “Haunting Vanity.” It is difficult to write a rousing story in less than ten thousand words, so I learned how to develop characters in ten words or less – just kidding. I had a few more words than that, but it did make me tighten up a story. It has been delightful to work with LL and be included with such a star-studded cast of authors. I know you will love our Halloween offering. Erin Wade is an international, bestselling author with eighteen number one bestsellers. Learn more about Erin at www.erinwade.us
We hope you enjoy Lady Grim: A Halloween Anthology as much as we enjoyed writing it. From all authors of LG, Happy Reading.
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Purchase Lady Grim: A Halloween Anthology
I want to thank all of you for visiting today. Be sure to check out the authors to see what other works they have. I have interviewed Erin Wade, Annette Mori, LL Shelton, and Elle Hyden this blog. If you are interested in learning more about them, take a look below.
https://lynnlawler.blog/2018/07/28/ff-flashback-friday-meet-author-erin-wade/
https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/lynnlawler.blog/1024
http://lynnlawler.blog/2020/02/23/meet-author-ll-shelton/
http://lynnlawler.blog/2020/04/26/meet-author-elle-hyden/
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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