I am writing this seconds after finishing the short story If God Were a Wound by Eric LaRocca, recently published in the horror anthology Shattered and Splintered.
There aren’t many short story first liners that grab you by the face demanding your attention. They’re few and far between. Sometimes, I feel terrible when I attempt to read a short story and just can’t get past the first few lines because if that’s the case, I am throwing in the towel and moving on. If God Were a Wound didn’t just grab my face, it punched me in the gut and forced me to read on with pleasure. And the first line is, “If God were a wound, I think more people might be inclined to believe in Him.” Whether or not you believe in God is besides the point. This short story doesn’t just have something to say, it needs the world to hear it and makes the world want to hear it. As a writer myself, the crafting of a short story is as difficult to formulate as a full blown novel. I was mesmerized by LaRocca’s poetic prose, story arc (yes, there are arcs in shorts,) twists, build up, and ultimately an end that makes the reader ponder afterward for quite some time. I could feel LaRocca’s vulnerability and when a writer accomplishes that, well I’d say they have accomplished as a writer. This story is the type that should be read in classrooms, analyzed and discussed. So, dear reader, I will leave you with this excerpt from If God Were a Wound: *** “Bad news?” he asks. I don’t know how to answer. It’s not necessarily bad news. At least, not in the way most people might consider bad news, or take it for that matter. Instead, it seems more appropriate to classify it as “strange news.” *** Believe me, you’ll want to find out what this “strange news” is, so help me God.
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Do you love 1970s and 80s horror cinema? Or maybe you enjoy soft porn horror films (yes, it’s totally a thing!) Hear me out for a minute, as a horror fanatic myself, I was shocked that I had never heard of the Final Guys YouTube channel, a podcast dedicated to all things horror (reviewing horror cinema, games, books, etc.) But here’s the thing, this isn’t just any podcast, these guys and gals are our fellow indie horror authors! Your amazing hosts are Hunter Shea, Jack Campisi, and Jason Brant with guests like Chad Lutzke, Laurel Hightower-Wells, and more! If you’re hearing the faint calling of crickets right now, do yourself a favor and go read some of these authors’ books. ASAP. Here’s the good news, Final Guys is LIVE on YT every Tuesday at 8pm ET. I’m going to do you a favor and highlight some of the best moments from last night’s Final Guys YT Live, which was my first, popping my cherry with horror soft porn (we’ll get to that in a bit.) Be prepared for drinking games, horror reviews, they got jokes, and amazing attendee chat! I’m going to break out of this paragraph format and dive into a list of highlights. Enjoy! Best Moments from The Innocents Review - Final Guys Horror Show #272 Watch on-demand here.
Check out all the movie posters below because you know we all judge a movie by its cover!
I want to thank Yawatta Hosby for participating in this interview and offering both her intellect and sentiment on racism in the United States and the impact it's having on our communities, our nation, and on humanity.
Author of over four horror/suspense novellas and novels, Yawatta Hosby focuses on the psychological turmoil of her characters. Three of her short stories have been featured in anthologies. You can find her work here. It's become quiet again. This is to keeping it alive. 1. Black Lives Matter. What is your response to communities that rebuttal this movement with All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter? Why are they not comparable? Everyone knows that all lives matter. No one’s refuting that. However, at this time, black people need help. We’re constantly being killed by the police and by racists. People are filming these tragic events with law enforcement and lawmakers doing nothing. It gets pushed under the rug until they’re exposed on social media, then the cops get fired or the racists get arrested. Justice should be an automatic thing, not something done after there’s a backlash. And, for the people saying “don’t do anything wrong, then cops won’t bother you,” what about Breonna Taylor? She was sleeping in her home and got gunned down by the police. I’ve noticed All Lives Matter people are the same ones who will refuse to wear a mask during COVID-19 because “it’s hard to breathe;” they think it’s okay for immigrants to be locked up in filthy detention conditions because “they deserve it;” they will refuse to vote against guns to save children’s lives in school because “we have a right to carry firearms;” they hated J Lo and Shakira’s halftime performance show because “they sang in Spanish and had the audacity to wave a Puerto Rican flag.” I’m not saying ALL All Lives Matter people are like that, but it’s the majority I’ve come across in real life. And with Blue Lives Matter people, I’ve noticed they won’t even acknowledge that anything is wrong with the system. It’s extremely flawed, but all I see is no one is allowed to say anything negative about any cop, no matter what. Where’s the growth in that? If there’s ten bad cops and no coworker or boss will step up to stop them, then the whole department is bad. I’ve also noticed Blue Lives Matter people will call all protestors violent and rioters without acknowledging they’re separate. If you got offended by my dismissive attitude, then you’ll know how I feel whenever I hear: “What are black people complaining about now? They arrested the cops involved with George Floyd’s murder. Why are they still not satisfied? They get handed everything and they still aren’t happy.” Or whenever I read a negative conspiracy theory surrounding Black Lives Matter. People would rather believe the dumbest stuff instead of acknowledge BLM wants injustice and inequality to stop. It’s a sad world we live in. 2. There are some people, some communities, that do not and will not stop to think about what it would be like if their race were dealt a history of violence, marginalization, and discrimination. What would you say to these people? Those type of people would get my silence. It wouldn’t be worth my time to say anything to them because I would just hear “But, but, but...” as a response. 3. How does the media do harm and good for the Black Lives Matter movement? The media usually does more harm than good. On the news, most footage showed the peaceful protestors as rioters when that wasn’t the case. They showed the cops beating protestors up like they deserved it. They definitely did not deserve that mistreatment. It seems like the media is more keen on trying to cause a racial division than actually stating facts. I hardly saw or read anything about the peaceful protests. Only the rowdy ones got coverage. I had to go on social media to watch the real footage of some of the protests. The ones where everyone was coming together; the ones where protestors diffused situations, like troublemakers trying to start violence; the ones where some cops became bullies; the ones were some cops talked to the protestors and actually listened to what they had to say. Peaceful protests are still going on. In some places, they never stopped. Notice the news doesn’t cover them anymore. Ask yourself why... 4. Although the media does help to amplify the voices of the black community, it also amplifies the “trend” of these movements. How can people continue to support marginalized communities and specifically Black Lives Matter rather than just stepping up when another black brother or sister is murdered? People can help by educating themselves on US History. Real facts. Not just the water down version they show in history books. Also people can show empathy. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, not just ignore things because it doesn’t affect you. I love the support that the Black Lives Matter movement has been getting from all over the world. It really means a lot. To keep supporting throughout the years and not just when it’s trendy to do so, people can continue to support black businesses. If someone encounters a racist, then speak up. Keep filming them and exposing them on social media. Call them out publicly so they see it’s not okay to be a crappy human being. If you have a platform, consider promoting minorities. Word of mouth helps businesses succeed. 5. What are your thoughts on the burning down of buildings during protests? It breaks my heart to hear more sympathy for buildings and statutes than for a human being’s life. Real talk—I overheard a man say, “I saw footage on the news of nasty rioters destroying a cafe. They broke everything and that woman had worked so hard. It broke my heart to see her cupcakes splattered all over the floor. That’s more sad than what that cop did to that man.” He had been referring to George Floyd. Sickening. 6. Do you think we are getting better? Do you have hope for our future as a human race in the face of racist agendas? How do you think these detrimental ideologies can be changed? To be honest, I’ve lost hope a while ago. I’ve been broken since Trump got into office. I’ve seen America turn into something so hateful, and it’s disgusting, but hopefully things will get better. They may get worse before they get better, but maybe one day things will get better. I can say I’m proud of the people who showed support for Black Lives Matter, even with the possible consequence of losing customers and/or friends. It takes courage to stand up for what’s right, especially if you’re not a minority and could have just looked the other way. This isn’t the first time the Black Lives Matter movement happened. Remember Colin Kapernick and other football players who tried to bring awareness in a peaceful manner...they got so much hate and the public dismissed their message because they were offended for being reminded of inequality during football. Now, I’ve noticed during this BLM movement, black people are getting support from everyone. More support than hate. We’re all banding together to fight racism and inequality. I can smile at that. If things change for the better in the future, I think it’ll be the younger generation who will be strong and persistent enough to make that change. Thank you Yawatta Hosby for taking time to answer these questions and for your courage and your voice. -Stephanie Evelyn Imagine this: You meet a new person at work and have many things in common. It could be the beginning of a valuable, healthy friendship. You start to get to know this person, text each other, and even hang out with them outside of work. That’s when the darkness shows up, knocking with full force so loud that you cannot sleep and you have to answer. Your mind spirals into the multitude of terrible scenarios that you “know” will happen if you open your heart to this friendship. You obsess over this each day until you give up and shy away. This is just one example of a normal situation experienced through the eyes and heart of someone with anxiety. If these same spiraling of thoughts occur with very normal life situations, imagine what happens when a serious life event is presented to someone with anxiety. Anxiety disorder is very real and extremely complex. It’s difficult for some to understand, especially those who have been blessed to live their life without it. It’s also a taboo subject, one that has a reputation associated with: weak, negative, get over it, embarrassment, and emotional. This article is not a scientific deep dive into anxiety disorder. It’s a personal letter to you, my reader. It’s a letter to both the people who have anxiety and the people who do not but love someone who does. What does a person look like who has anxiety? There is not a cookie cutter personality type that defines people with anxiety. Most people who know me, will tell you that I am energetic, passionate, happy, positive, confident, and on and on. Am I really these things? The answer is yes but the truth is more complex. I have anxiety. There are many types and forms of anxiety disorder and I’m not going to run through a definition of all of them. I am here to say, dear reader, roughly 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety each year and only one third get treatment. It’s a complicated internal battle that never ceases even if the person is good at hiding it, believing themselves to be a mastermind of their own mind. There is always a breaking point. I am here to say, I am not embarrassed that I suffer from anxiety and even some depression. Why should I be? Why should I be afraid to talk about a chemical imbalance? There are so many people who suffer from this and never tell anyone. We cannot go through it alone and we should not. I only recently went to get help. My pride always got in the way and my ignorance about it stopped me from looking into treatment. I grew up thinking that medications for anxiety and depression were bad, weak minded, and thought it would turn me into a different person. Do medications have side effects? Of course. Do medications change a person’s overall personality? In some cases, most definitely. But - it’s such a detrimental disorder that it’s worth trying it out until a solution is found. You want to hear something else? My anxiety caused me excruciating upper back pain and fatigue. I do yoga almost every day, I meditate, I have hobbies, and I am physically healthy. I also had over thirty blood tests done, x-rays, and a CT scan just to be sure. And all my tests came back 100% fine. After trying medication, my back pain and fatigue are gone. If you love someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, your continued support goes beyond what you’ll ever know, even though it doesn’t seem that way. Encourage your loved ones to seek help and be there every step of the way. And, to my dear readers who suffer with those internal monsters, those demons that try to tear you down: the most troubled souls in the world are those who have the most beautiful things to offer. You are worth it and the world needs those who have been through battles. I finally took the leap and the only regret I have now is wishing I had done it sooner. -Sterp |
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