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The Movie That Created Horror IconsHere’s the funny thing about Friday the 13th (1980):It’s not the Friday the 13th movie people think it is.No hockey mask.No machete-wielding undead juggernaut.No sleeping bag kills.No Kane Hodder.No “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” (that doesn’t show up until later, like some kudzu plant).And yet, without this scrappy, awkward,Read More
A Bloody Good Time, even if messy at timesLet’s get this out of the way up front: My Bloody Valentine (1981) is not the crown jewel of the slasher boom. It’s not Halloween. It’s not Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s not even Friday the 13th Part 4, which, if we’re being honest, is when that franchise reached peak. Hell you could argue it isn’t even Children of the Corn level (I said you could, not that I would.)But, and it’s a rather small but, 45 years later My Bloody Valentine is still here, still getting written about, still getting anniversaryRead More
Home, Ten Years Later The hum of David’s truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was familiar, a steady rhythm that had always marked the journey between the city and home. The late spring air was cool, and the sky above Pittsburgh still held a faint blush from the afternoon sun as he glanced at the GPS, watching the miles slip by. Ten years had passed since he’d returned to Ashford Hollow that snowy Christmas, yet the pull of the town — the call of the hills, the scent of pine, the streets that seemed to remember him — had never faded.HeRead More
A New Beginning in Ashford Hollow The air was crisp with that bite only the depth of winter could give, and the snow that had lingered for weeks now glimmered under the soft afternoon sun, hardened into glistening sheets of ice over the hills and the winding streets of Ashford Hollow. David pulled the heavyRead More
New Year’s Eve: The Coal Drop Main Street in Ashford Hollow glowed under strings of multicolored lights, lanterns swinging gently in the brisk winter air. Snow crunched softly beneath boots as families, couples, and children, bundled in scarves and mittens, converged for the town’s largest celebration of the year. The scent of pine mingled with woodsmoke and hot cocoa, and the faint sounds of bells, laughter, and a distant brass band gave the street a hum of life that David hadn’t realized he’d missed so much.He adjusted the scarf around his neck and glanced at Joan, who was helping JadeRead More
The Coal Drop Countdown The week between Christmas and New Year’s in Ashford Hollow moved with the kind of pace that left David in a constant blur of activity, his hands perpetually dusted with glitter, tape, or bits of wire. Snow still lingered on the rooftops, and the streets glistened in the pale sunlight, but the chill didn’t deter the town. Everyone had their part to play, and the Coal Drop, Ashford Hollow’s biggest celebration, was less than a week away.David’s mornings began at his mother’s kitchen table, helping organize last-minute prescriptions, float pieces, or whatever other items his motherRead More
The Spirit of Forgiveness The morning was it’s usual crisp self, the kind of cold that made every breath visible and painful and every step leave a temporary imprint in the snow. David had spent the early hours helping his mother organize Christmas cards, stacking them neatly by street and route. The house was quietRead More
Rumors and Regrets The sun was just climbing over the ridge when David slid the truck into his mother’s driveway. The storm had passed eventually, leaving a crisp, white blanket across the streets of Ashford Hollow. Icicles hung like delicate crystal ornaments from eaves and power lines, and the snowplows had left neat furrows along the roads. Everything looked calm, peaceful, and deceptively quiet.Inside the local diner, David could already hear whispers before he even walked through the door. Small towns had a peculiar way of turning anyone’s good deed into a gossip worthy story. Someone had noticed the truckRead More
Coal Drop Christmas Chapter 5
Snowstorm on Ridge Road The snow had started as a soft dusting that morning, a whisper over the rooftops and hills, the kind that made everything look gentler. By midafternoon, the whisper had become a roar. The wind swept down from the ridge in sharp gusts, and the sky had gone the color of slate. David had spent the day helping the Girl Scouts load baskets of canned food and small gifts into the back of his old truck. What had started as an hour’s errand had turned into half a day of deliveries, first to the senior home, thenRead More
3 Sisters Cover Reveal
A vicious, haunting collection of extreme and psychological horror. From 3 sisters battling the monstrous legacy left by their father, to a man devolving into his own delusions, to teachers, bosses, lovers, and ghosts who carve and claw their way into the bodies and minds of their victims, and the reader, these stories explore theRead More
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The Media That Made Me: Friday the 13th
The Movie That Created Horror IconsHere’s the funny thing about Friday the 13th (1980):It’s not the Friday the 13th movie people think it is.No hockey mask.No machete-wielding undead juggernaut.No sleeping bag kills.No Kane Hodder.No “ki ki ki, ma ma ma” (that doesn’t show up until later, like some kudzu plant).And yet, without this scrappy, awkward,Read More
The Media that Made Me: My Bloody Valentine
A Bloody Good Time, even if messy at timesLet’s get this out of the way up front: My Bloody Valentine (1981) is not the crown jewel of the slasher boom. It’s not Halloween. It’s not Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s not even Friday the 13th Part 4, which, if we’re being honest, is when thatRead More
Coal Drop Christmas Epilogue
Home, Ten Years Later The hum of David’s truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was familiar, a steady rhythm that had always marked the journey between the city and home. The late spring air was cool, and the sky above Pittsburgh still held a faint blush from the afternoon sun as he glanced at the GPS,Read More