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Posts Tagged ‘murder’

Valentines Day – Romantic or Horrific?

Posted in Other Stuff, tagged Al Capone, author, David Boreanaz, Donna Newton, February 14th, fiction, Jensen Ackles, Joan Lindsay, killing, Moran Gang, murder, My Bloody Valentine, paranormal, Picnic at Hanging Rock, romance, roses, thriller, Valentine Day Massacre, valentines day, writer, wwbc on February 10, 2012| 13 Comments »

Please note: Contains pictures and videos of a bloody nature. If you are easily offended, please do not read further.

What was you expecting? Hearts and flowers? I’m a paranormal/thriller writer. My day job is to scare the crap out of people and then kill them.

Oh, okay. Just for you lovey-dovey romantics out there……

Right, now back to business.

Valentines Day, or February 14th to those of us who don’t receive cards, is a time for secret admirers, romance, love, weekend getaways, roses, chocolates…..and murder. So I thought it would be fun to look at the horror side to valentines day.

First, let’s hit my DVD collection. And in no way do these two films reflect on me as a person…I’m just very easily pleased – even though my hubby would argue that point . 🙂

My Bloody Valentine

With a mad miner running around killing everybody in sight – what this film has to do with Valentines Day other than the title is anyone’s guess. But it has my man Jensen Ackles in it and that’s good enough for me 🙂

There’s also an ‘okay’ twist at the end…. Although, no to my liking.

What else do I have on my shelf? Ah, yes. The devilishly handsome, Mr Boreanaz in

Valentine

Now, I’m not declaring these films to be the beez-kneez of horror movies, but at least this one incorporates the Valentine theme.

It gives a couple of good scares and is totally predictable. Good news is you can probably pick up a copy for next to nothing. Happy Days!

St Valentine’s Day Massacre

Everybody knows this story. Al Capone had seven of the Moran Gang shot and executed on the morning of February 14th, 1929.

I can find no reason Capone orchestrated the killings to take place on this date, which is a shame.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Even novelists are using the date to hook readers into their stories. The most famous being, Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. At the request of the publisher, Lindsay left out the final chapter, leaving the mystery unresolved.

This decision was a canny move and led to movie adaptions and unrelenting discussions that the ‘disappearances’ were in fact based on true events.

So, there is my romantic outlook on Valentines Day.

Just remember, the next time you receive an unsigned card, a dozen red roses, or prepare for your romantic blind-date, it may mean you will never see February 15th.

Happy Valentines Day 🙂

Now it’s your turn. What do you have planned for Valentines Day? Have you ever received anything weird on February 14th? More to the point, have you ever sent anything weird? What is the most amount of cards you’ve received? Do you know of any other movies or stories depicted around Valentine’s day? In fact, if you have anything to say and it’s related to Valentines Day, add it in the comments.

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Book Review: Behind You! by Linda Regan

Posted in Book Reviews, tagged acting, actress, antagonists, author, books, characters, crime, Donna Newton, donnanewton, fiction, hardback, linda regan, murder, mystery, novel, paperback, protagonists, psychopath, reading, review, romance, suspense, theatre, thriller, writer, writing, wwbc on July 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

When I walk into a bookstore, the first place I go is to the crime aisle. I love crime. I love the pace of it, I love the urgency of it, and I love the mystery of it.

So, as an avid crime reader, I thought I’d review ‘Behind You!’ by Linda Regan.

Behind You! was Linda’s 2006 debut novel. She has since written three more novels; her fourth book, Brotherhood of Blades, has just been released by Severn House.

So, what’s this book about?

Well, it revolves around a murder at a local theatre and D.I. Paul Banham is called in to solve it. Simple. What? You want more? No way! If I tell you anymore, I may as well tell you who done it.

I read this book with great interest. Not only was it a good story with an engaging plot but, because the author herself is an established actress, I got an insightful ‘behind the scenes’ look at what goes on in the world of acting.

I am a slow reader and, combine this with the fact that I only manage to read an hour or so a day (if I’m lucky), there are not many books I can confess to finishing in under two weeks. However, because Linda’s writing is so neat and effortless, Behind You! kept me hooked from the start and I finished it within six days. Not a record for me, but well below my average reading time.

So, what kept me interested?

Well , for one, it’s a good little story. It’s completely set inside a theatre and I found the further in I read, the more I began to know my own way around the back stage corridors and dressing rooms. Secondly, I loved the characters. D.I. Banham is a great protagonist with lots of baggage. And, fellow officer, Alison Grainger makes for the perfect love interest.

This book is sharp, sassy and humorous. A very good read from a very talented writer.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Would you like to read it?

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Finding The Right Kill Can Be Murder

Posted in Writing, tagged anne archer, antagonists, author, Basic Instinct, characters, Die Hard, Donna Newton, donnanewton, executing, facebook, Fata Attraction, fiction, Guns, hero, HITMAN, imagination, inspiration, Kathleen Turner, killing, methods, Michael Douglas, murder, novel, plotting, professional killer, psychopath, richard kuklinski, sharon stone, shooting, social media, stabbing, thriller, Timothy Olyphant, tweet, twitter, villain, writer, writing, wwbc on January 7, 2011| 17 Comments »

How would you kill someone?

For the last month or so I have been plotting my second novel and I have struggled a little in one particular area. Let me explain. My antagonist is a professional killer hired to kill an amnesic victim. I reached his first kill and suddenly it hit me. Just how would he kill? Now, I unashamedly admit to having an over zealous imagination in the killing department. Because of this, I needed to strip bare my ideas, go back to the beginning, and list the basic ways one could kill a person.

So my list began.

Shooting
Stabbing
Strangulation
Poisoning
Torture
Asphyxiation
Explosives/Bombing
Snapping Necks
Bludgeon to the head
A Wand – well it worked for Harry Potter.

All of these are killing techniques we have seen a thousand times in various movies such as Die Hard, Scream, Basic Instinct, Friday the 13^th ……I could go on and on. However, each of the above, when applied to a certain character, would be executed in a different way. For example, Die Hard’s John McClain would perform a magnificent display of acrobatics while catapulting his vest top covered torso through the air to shoot his enemies. Whereas in Fatal Attraction it takes Anne Archer just one determined shot to kill Glenn Close. Another example is stabbings. In Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone seduced her victim before unleashing a frenzied attack by way of an ice pick. However, Romancing the Stone (can you see a Michael Douglas pattern forming here?), sees Kathleen Turner merely flicking the knife at her antagonist who, unfortunately, blocks it with a plank of wood.

So, which would my professional killer use? And how would he carry it out?

Well, firstly, what kind of professional killer was he? I did not want a character like Richard Kuklinski, who froze his victims to disguise their time of death and even filmed victims being eaten alive. So, after watching timothy Olyphant in HITMAN once or twice (oh alright, maybe it was a lot more), I decided my hitman would be military trained and disciplined in planning his attacks. Explosives, sniper shootings and the odd hand to hand combat would suffice nicely. The places he choose to kill, however, are another blog.

Now it’s your turn. Can you think of a similar outcome where two characters use the same tools but apply different methods?