Falling like a stone...

So, this month up until the 1 star review (hiss, boo) The Haunting Sold 350 copies, and then after that, nothing. Dead in the water. I weep. I cry, but what can I do but write a better story?

So I am.

But that isn't why I wanted to blog tonight. I was discussing how our house would be quite good against a zombie apocalypse. It is part of a courtyard. At the top end there is a door onto the main street that you wouldn't know was there from the other side. Good. Zombies are unobservant and stupid. The other side there is a gateway for cars which is locked with iron gates and a car. My daughter said we could park the car against it and we'd keep them out for ages. We also have a secret room. Nuff said about that.

But then she said, "and we're close to the river and zombies can't swim...."

Bingo!  Of course they can't. Stupid, slow things that move with a total lack of coordination. How are they going to cross a river? How come no zombie series has thought of this before? How come the Walking Dead heroes didn't just blow the bridges???

The relief I am feeling now, is enormous. Just need to figure out how to keep the werewolves out and I will sleep easily for the first time in years.

1 Star Review

Just got my first one star review for The Haunting. Ouch. I even dreamed I was before a committee of wise old men who agreed to write me some positive reviews to balance it. Let's see if they keep their dream word.

What's worse is that it's the first review it's had. It starts off: "The story was well written, but..."  I don't agree with what she says (naturally), but what do you do about this? I guess you just have to move on. Maybe she's right? I should say that on Goodreads the same story got 4 stars. So there.

Ghost stories are tropes - the ones that do well such as the Blair Witch and Amityville get their buzz from claiming to be true, which they aren't.

The classics use the same themes over and over.  I watched the Tractate Middoth at Christmas which was really beautifully done, but still full of tropes - ancient manuscript, wicked necromancer, etc. I also read 3 Winter Ghosts by Gary Sargent recently and that was very well written but again, supernatural murderer etc.

(can't resist a plug)

But that isn't the issue here, it's my insecurity and wondering whether they are really shit...

Now when I write something truly original such as Zventibold! no one buys it!

Here's that link again.... 

:)

God loves a trier they say.