Annie Walls

Legos + Zombies = Awesome

2012-02-29T13:41:00.001-06:00

We all remember building with LEGOS, leaving them lying around, and getting yelled at for said LEGOS being stepped on.

I, myself, still play with LEGOS. My son and I have a mutual understanding.... I build, and he gets to play with the masterpiece. Little is he aware, that I do the fun part.
I have recently scoured stores in order to find the new Batman LEGO line for his birthday. The Batcave is calling my name from the depths of my closet... build me, build me, build me.

Did anyone know there is a whole circuit of people that take their zombie obsession a step further and build LEGO scenes?

I've been a fan or I should say I've "liked" Lego Zombie Apocalypse on Facebook for a while. The pictures they post are amazing zombie scenes.
I wanted to post a few on my blog. Long story short,
they directed me to this guy:

Meet Dave. Yeah Dave.

Dave is not only sporting washboard abs, but he spends a great amount of time creating his own web comic called Bricks of the Dead (BotD).

The comic is about a group of people banding together to survive a zombie apocalypse. There are four frames in an episode. Dave generally publishes an episode every few days, depending on life. I couldn't imagine reading the comic episode by episode... there are a few I have come across that would be killer cliff hangers. But all I have to do is click "next."

Dave was very kind and answered some questions on his interest in this time consuming hobby.

Yep, he plans, writes, builds, shoots scenes, edits with photoshop, and then publishes. I've been reading his comic, slowly, but I get excited when I see LEGO buildings I recognize. I probably shouldn't admit this, but the one above is the Grand Emporium. It's genius really. Makes for a great zombie scene.

Here is an example of a zombie action sequence:

As you can see it zombie action doesn't start until episode 7. The wait is worth it because Stewart, Cheryl, and Shannon crack and wack with a smile on their little LEGO faces. Sam kinda of cowers in the back.

This is a flashlight effect:

Dave does not like doing the flashlight effects, but I thought it was cool. Yeah, that's a zombie in the last frame.

More zombies:

Believe it or not, the zombies are not the best part of BotD. For each episode Dave points out cliches entitled "Zombie Cliche Lookout."
They are very entertaining and funny. It's almost like Dave wrote down every overused zombie stereotype and made a "what not to do" LEGO zombie apocalypse survival guide.
It is worth reading. The site also does reviews, a place for LEGO zombie creation challenges, and discussions for your own zombie apocalypse survival plan.
Stop by BotD, read the comic, and show Dave some love.

It also turns out there is a whole community of these guys creating web-comics from LEGOS... a whole network of LEGO web comics called The Brick Comic Network. Check them out.

Then, you can find people that make custom LEGO figurines with decals:

When I first saw this I couldn't stop looking at it. This LEGO zombie was custom made by eclipseGrax. You may look through eclipseGrax's photo stream here!

A Few Things...

2012-02-28T13:05:00.003-06:00

Hi all!

Quick post:

I've been very busy. My apologies. I've been, well, I've been writing.

I'm working on something and it's consuming. It also has nothing to do with zombies.

I really hope it works out, and I will blog about it in June. Yeah, I know, that's far away, but in the writing world... that is nothing. Just remember, I'm doing it for you.

I've also been revising the rest of the trilogy. I would like the second installment to be published at the end of this year, and the third next spring. That is what I hope, but I can't promise it.

My son has also started TBall. Man, the coach this time is really intense. Gage happens to be the youngest on the team and not as skilled. Honestly, he's a little athletically challenged... I have no idea where he gets it. *sniggers* He really wanted to play again, but I believe it has more to do with The Sand Lot, and his need to be just like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez, than his actually love of the sport. Anyway, the coach has set practice three days a week for two hours. That is a lot for 6 year olds. We went to the first practice on Saturday, and Gage seems to like it.

I'm also working on a special post... It should be live sometime this week, but I have gotten some insight and I'm real excited to share. I might even edit it before I publish! LOL.

Pimp Your SkullCandy

2012-02-24T17:18:00.000-06:00

I found a really cool pin on Pinterest. Yes, I know it is not an original idea... I'm not stealing it... just sharing. I want to share for those of you who don't do Pinterest or haven't seen the pin, well...and to show off my SkullCandy. The blog with the original idea is Craft & Creativity.

I'm going to show you how to Pimp Your SkullCandy. Really it is just putting beads on your earbuds.

My finished SkullCandy.

What you need:

Earbuds (any kind will work)

If you use iPod earbuds, you might want to consider weight. I use SkullCandy because they stay in my ears when I'm working out. iPod earbuds get sweaty and slip out, so extra weight probably won't do you any good, if you use them to workout in.

Perler Beads

If you don't know Perler beads, well they are those beads you use on the little peg boards to make pictures, then melt them with an iron.

Use an exacto knife. It was easier to maneuver than a regular razor blade because of the pointed edge. You will use A LOT of beads and A LOT of time, but I think the end result is cool.

Put the beads on in your very own pattern with your own colors. You could even do a pair for every holiday.

TA-DA!!!

I am currently pimping my USB ports for my iPhone and Nook. Sweet.

Words of Wisdom

2012-02-18T11:44:00.001-06:00

Rock on the Range 2012

2012-02-16T13:00:00.001-06:00

Rock on the Range 2012

May18th, 19th, and 20th

Columbus, Ohio

Crew Stadium

More Info!

New Gift Page

2012-02-16T12:22:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to post about my new page. I noticed that my zombie gift guide, the one I posted during the holidays, is my "most popular" post.

I get about 25 post views a day, just for that post. That is a lot for a past post.

I decided to make a page of Zombie gifts. It's published at the top or you can click here. I added a few things, and I will keep adding as I find cool stuff.

If you have something you would like me to add, just say so... as the page is high traffic and could possibly get you a few sales.

Be sure to look at the new stuff I added!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-13T20:45:00.001-06:00

So, it's Valentine's Day. It is one of those days you either love it or hate it.

Me? I don't really care either way. I show the people I love, how much I love them everyday... no matter what. It doesn't matter if you are single, dating, or married... someone loves you.

If not, well... there are always cats.

Now for the vampy post. I was going to do a Vampire Zombie post, but I figure Holly from Holly's Horrorland wouldn't want me tainting the Vampire Soiree with zombies. I did leave all of my zombie minions Valentine's greetings to the right. ------->

I've decided to list my most favorite vampires... because they are worth mentioning. I'll give a little bio, and why I absolutely love them. No, it's not Lestat de Lioncourt, Vlad the Impaler, or David from the Lost Boys... that would be original thinking. Not that they aren't fab vamps or anything.

Count von Count

For those of you who need to know, Count von Count is the Muppets interpretation of Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula.

One! Ah, ah... Two! Ah, ah... Yes, he is the muppet that lives in the creepy cob-web infested castle that he shares with many bats and a cat. He counts them. He actually counts everything, and hasn't aged a day since I was three years old...Haha! He also has a car that sort of resembles the Batmobile if memory serves.

Why I love him? Not only did this vamp practically raise me and teach me to count, he turned me on to vampires in the first place. I really can't blame my weirdness on him... that started way before I learned to count.

Jean-Claude

Jean-Claude is a vampire from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. There are a total of 20 books in the series and the 21st is coming out in June. I've been reading these books since I was a teenager (yes, loooong time).

There is really a lot to Jean-Claude, I mean, 20 books worth. Hmmm, let's see... he's French and over 600 hundred years old. He is master of the city of St. Louis. He owns several businesses that includes a strip club (Guilty Pleasures), a comedy club (The Laughing Corpse), a circus (Circus of the Damned), and a Dance Club (Danse Macabre). He is the head of his own vampy line and has his very own vampire hunter human servant (Anita Blake). Oh, a perk and a reason I love this series... Anita is a necromancer and raises the dead for a living.

This is Anita from the graphic novels. Jean-Claude:

Anyway, Jean-Claude has all kinds of cool vampy powers... he can call wolves (he always has werewolves hanging around), he can fly, he can make people "feel" things with his voice, he feeds off lust and sex, of course all the super human abilities, he can "rise" early (before sunset), he can mask his age from other master vampires, and a lot of other stuff that takes 20 books to develop. It would also take a long time to explain.

Why I love him? Well, He is a master of manipulation, and knows how to take the stick out of Anita's ass. He comes across as mysterious to people that don't know him.

Not to mention, he is walking, talking undead sex on legs. Sure, he can bite me anytime.

If you haven't read the series, I'd give it a go... it has everything... from vampires, zombies, all types of wereanimals, ghouls... lot's of action.

Bubba

Bubba comes from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. This is another series I've been reading for years. If you watch True Blood, well, you won't know who Bubba is. Bubba is an "implied" character. The man from Memphis. He is Elvis. Harris does not come out and say it's Elvis as a vamp, but you just know.

The story: Bubba was turned by a big fan that noticed he still had a little spark left. The drugs in his system did funny things to his turn and made him "slow" as a vamp. Bubba needs to be watched and is told what to do... he also loves cat blood. He is sweet and looks out for Sookie, who in turn becomes friends with him. He brings a nice wit to the southern vamp series. I also like to think turning into a vamp caused some of his youth and vibrancy to come back.

For those of you who don't know, I LOVE Elvis! I constantly think about Elvis as a zombie. Okay, not constantly, but it has crossed my mind. I was ecstatic about Bubba's character. I was also majorly pissed off they left him out of the show. (>_<)

I found a picture some fan did, that I love:

Elvis. With FANGS!

Post Edit**** I forgot to put in the reason they call him Bubba!!! My apologies. I wrote this post running on my 25th hour (writer's schedule). They call him Bubba because whatever went wrong in his transformation made him a little kooky. He goes bat-shit crazy if someone calls him Elvis, unless he is in a "mood." Sometimes he will dress up in his sequin suits and sing his heart out. He must be watched at all times because it is not commonly known he was turned into a vampire. Hence all of the tabloid "Elvis sightings."

I thought the whole idea of Bubba's character was genius. I'm also a little envious I didn't think of it first, but I don't write vampire fiction. =/

There you have it, my vampy post. Who is your favorite vampire?

Please visit Holly's Horrorland for a list of vampy participants.

Okay, I can't help it:

You think those are zombie cupids? Cool idea, though.

Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens!

2012-02-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

The English novelist was born on February 7th, 1812. 200 years ago.

Considered the greatest novelist in the Victorian period, he remains popular. His fame knows no bounds as his novels are still in print.

There is much to Charles Dickens, as he lived in London most of his life, the other he had spent a great deal traveling... including two visits to America and Canada for months each time. After his first visit to America he pumped out, A Christmas Carol.

That is where we all get "BAH! HUMBUG!"

He also wrote the ever popular Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Most of us Americans had to read these in high school.

Me? Bah! Humbug! I enjoyed the movies. I've never been a Dickens fan, but I do have a friend named Charles Dickens. He kind of looks like this:

Without the hair!

I'm kidding... they look nothing alike, and have nothing in common besides the name.

Violence to Shock... A MUST for Me in Literature

2012-02-06T00:00:00.032-06:00

I have been speeding through books for my 2012 Reading Challenge. That might be why my blog posts aren't up-to-par. My sincere apologies. I read through my list of blog ideas, and I'm gonna be a bloggin' like a maniac.

I also noticed I have been reading quite a few chick lit books. This is usually not my style, and as soon as I noticed this, I had to revert back to my "go-to" book, which is:

A Clockwork Orange

Not many people share my love for this book, including the author himself. I don't know why I read this over and over. Okay, yes I do. Besides the reckless violence, Alex, who is one of my favorite all-time characters, is highly intelligent. I suppose I relate to him on some weird psychological level. Struggling with the "devil" and "angel" inside of ourselves. He doesn't really begin to suffer or see the error of his ways until he starts running into people he has wronged after his alleged "sentence." It. Is. The. Worst. Feeling. Ever. Any 12 step program would be a nightmare.

Any-hoo, the made-up slang makes this book uh, clearer? I guess what I'm trying to get out is, despite the language, it is understandable. I loved it. Still do. The whole book was well written. All 21 effin' chapters. (Only 20 chapters were published in America originally)

The violence. Ah, we already know I like violence... no matter the type, as long as it is fiction... I mean, come on, to name a few more on my list of fave's: Fight Club, Slaughter House Five, Battle Royale, The Cat's Cradle, A Child Called It, Exquisite Corpse, The Dice Man. Yeah, I guess I kind of go for shock value.

Is there any shocking violence in my books (The Famished Trilogy)? Well, I'm going to say there are quite a few publishers (I know this through their submission guidelines) that probably wouldn't think twice about publishing my books because of the content. No, I didn't bother with a query letter.

A fellow author and co-owner of No Boundaries Press (publisher for Taking on the Dead) actually described my book as "in your face" violence.

This made me very happy and mushy inside.

My sister, who is a chick lit master, adores the "love story" within The Famished Trilogy. She is to Jane Austen as I am to Edgar Allen Poe.

She is to Pride and Prejudice as I am to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (LOL! Inside joke between her and I, couldn't help it).

Anyway, her excitement also made me happy. It was more than I expected.

Me? How do I feel? Well, my excitement with publishing is over. Now I am completely terrified. No going back now. I'm jumping in the deep end. Head first.

Rare Disease Awareness Month

2012-02-05T13:22:00.002-06:00

This month is not only black history month, but also rare disease awareness:

This picture came from an IH FaceBook group

I have suffered the past two years from this. It is also known as Pseudotumor Cerebri. It is very rare. Chances are if you know someone with it, you won't ever know anyone else... unless you are a Neurologist. Only about 12,000 Americans suffer from it. Chances are you have never heard of it at all. The cause is really unknown. What is it? It is a build up of spinal fluid on the brain causing your body to mimic the symptoms of a brain tumor. This includes: migraines, nausea, blindness, weakness, dizziness, back pain, neck pain, joint pain... the list goes on really. Not to mention other conditions one could suffer that stems from IH.

One time I was so sick with migraine... I projectile vomited across my yard like Reagan on the Exorcist, then I proceeded to faint from dizziness. I also went blind for two weeks. During this two weeks, my husband had rented Rob Zombie's Halloween, and I couldn't watch the damn thing. No joke. You better believe it was one of the first things I did when I could see again.

Most of the time it is manageable with medication and an occasional Lumbar Puncture (spinal tap). For those who want to know, I have had four. Yes, I felt like I had a knife hanging out of my back afterward. Also, this is a very individualized disorder. It is different for everyone. Some people have to get shunts in their brains, eyes, backs, etc. Some people will have it, and it will go away forever. For some people, it could come back two weeks to 15 years down the road. For very few, they will suffer long term for years and years.

The medication I took for it had terrible side effects. My body would tingle as if it were asleep, and my skin so sensitive taking a shower hurt. No amount of vitamin water, bananas, coconut water, potassium pills... I tried everything... nothing helped. Also, everything tasted like it had a hint of metal in it. Sometimes, I would have restless leg syndrome. Sometimes, my joints would hurt so bad, it felt as if they were being crushed by a concrete slab. (Yes, I went through this for two years so I could keep my sight)

Now I have been off medication for almost two months. I feel super! Better than I have for two years, in fact. I go back to my Neuro-Opthamologist in a few days. I am pretty sure I am in remission!

When I was first diagnosed, I was grieving. Seriously, I felt like crap... okay, the past two years have gone by, and I never once felt my age. I felt old and weak. I joined forums... the people on them are so depressing, I had to stop. Some people have it so bad (they have to sleep sitting up to relieve symptoms or they have bad reactions to medications) Nothing good was coming of it except feeling sorry for myself.

There was also nothing I could do! I only took it day by day, and tried to see the upside... I could see.

Here I am today, feeling great after interval training at my gym. =) Also, I just want to throw out there, that I believe everything happens for a reason. If it weren't for me feeling weak and dizzy I wouldn't have gotten bored enough to start writing my ideas and imagination on paper. What do you know? I'm gonna be a published Author this Spring!!!! =)

If you would like to know more about this disorder please visit the IH Research Foundation and donate!

Winner of The Shameless Blog Hop!

2012-01-30T11:06:00.000-06:00

The winner was chosen from random.org. The random number was 5.

Congrats Violette from New York! Violette also owns a book review blog! Check her out here!

Grand News!!!

2012-01-26T16:40:00.000-06:00

I'm announcing, just this morning, I signed with a publisher!

I believe I said before, that I have been researching companies that would fit me and my needs as a writer. No Boundaries Press (NBP) is a small publishing company that is just starting out, but they fit me. I wanted a publisher that would accept me for me, not wanting to change anything (God knows I'm not a freakin' professional), and most importantly, keep the rights to my novel.

I have visited some other authors that are with NBP (publishing peers? siblings? coworkers? I don't really know what to call them). Anyway, we're a diverse group of authors. LoL! But they have given me warm welcomes, and I already feel like I belong. I can't wait to read their stories and get to know them better.

I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I've been worrying non-stop about self-publishing and all the leg work that goes along with it. Really, I don't want to do that. I want to write. That is all. Write.

I will keep you posted on any news! You can find the latest HERE. I know there are more than a few who are keeping up with me.

They have already put me to work on thinking about cover art, yep, MY way!!!

Mind in the Gutter? Yes... Yes it is.

2012-01-24T13:14:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to say thanks to all participating in the Shameless Hop!

I really enjoy all the comments and blogs. It has been great fun!

If you are looking to enter in my giveaway... CLICK HERE!

I have been playing around with polymer clay. I haven't done so since a class I took in high school. I want to do some zombie heads for bookmark tassels.

I started with a zombie, but ended up with this:

LOL!

So, now I have my very own Rob Zombie! I had fun dressing him in his frayed tuxedo. Snap! I should have done a top hat! Oh well, at least I know I still got it when it comes to clay.

I just wanted to share. Besides, this still counts as a zombie? Right?

Anyway, did you know that the Earth is currently receiving radiation from a massive solar storm on the sun? You can read about it here!

Shameless Blog Hop Giveaway

2012-01-19T19:13:00.007-06:00

Welcome shameless blog hoppers!
I would like to take a moment to thank the hosts of this blog hop: Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner & Michelle at Michelle's Book Blog

I really couldn't decide what to giveaway. I never can. I have decided on a choice:

A pre-order for a March release. I know, I know. It's not instant gratification, but where is the fun in that? The short wait for this prize is worth it for the winner.

#4 Downside Ghosts Series

I cannot wait for this book to be released on March 27. I will be pre-order it to be shipped to your address!
If you have not read the first three of the Downside series, this could be your chance before the fourth one releases!

Or

The winner may pick any book from the Book Depository under $10. It doesn't have to be shameless.

This giveaway is international as long as the Book Depository delivers in your country. You can find out here!

Now for a very shameless picture... why have one man candy, when you can have five?

"Hi guys! Whatcha got there? Probably nothing, but you're pretty to look at."
I borrowed this picture from Poison Paradise. Seriously, I don't know where the guy comes up with these photos... but it's a must see site.

To enter in my giveaway, please leave a comment with your e-mail. You don't have to follow me, but it is appreciated. If you do, please follow via feedburner(e-mail subscriptions)... as GFC will be retiring in March.
I also have many other ways to follow me.
I will make this simple and use a random number generator on Jan. 28th. Please feel free to tell which man candy is your favorite. You can check out my man candy choices HERE!
Don't forget to check out all the other participants!

I guess I'm IT!

2012-01-17T16:51:00.001-06:00

Ah, the old tag you're it gig. Since I was the slowest chubbiest kid, I was always it. Not to mention, I couldn't run without laughing. Anyway, wicKED tagged me... so now it is my turn! Woot!

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 3 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you have tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 3 people!

Random facts about me?

1. When I paint my fingernails, they are never one color. I'm trying this next:

2. My mommy still knits me hats.

My favorites. She also knits me scarves too.

3. I'm a kitchen whiz. I can cook. I take recipes and make them my own. If you cook it, I will make it better. Maybe not, but I'm pretty good. Just sayin'.

4. I don't like playing sports. I'm uncoordinated, and waddle like a duck. I'm very competitive. Those three things do not go together. I usually end up with a limp and severely pissed off because I'm a sore loser.

I'm not uncoordinated, I just trip on air. Frequently.

5. I make cakes like Cake Boss. Okay, maybe not Cake Boss. It is usually for my son's B-day. This year I made a resolution to make my family a cake for their birthdays, so I will get to branch out.

This was my son's "Batcake." This year I'm doing a Mario 3D Land cake.

6. My answer to everything is green tea and a bubble bath. If that does not work, grab a bottle of wine.

7. I have no sense of organization. I try to, but everything just gets messed up again. Took me a long time to realize, that it's just me. I'm scattered-brained. Although, I can find things when I need to. There is a method to my madness. Example: I read a lot. So I have books everywhere, literally. I usually read more than a few books at a time. If I need a book I know exactly where I left it, and if it's not there, someone else moved it. Hehe.

8. I have a pair of these:

I wear them all the time. Skirts, shorts, pants, PJ's. I wear them with everything. I really should have two pair. I really should stop sleeping in them, and wearing them without clothing.

9. I am currently building sculpey sculptures. =) One project I am doing are original sketch bookmarks, featuring characters and quotes from my books. The tassel of the bookmarks? Sculpey zombie heads! These are my version of "book swag." I will have pictures upon completion.

10. I am currently working on publishing a trilogy. I've written 3 books, 4 novellas, no-telling how many shorts, and am working on starting a new series.

11. I'm slightly eccentric, but that's no secret.

I don't mind... I've learned to embrace it.

Now the three questions wicKED wants answered:

1. Besides Halloween and Christmas, what other holidays do you decorate for?

I don't decorate for holidays besides Halloween and Christmas. I do decorate for season. Just Fall, Spring, and Summer. We have an outdoor living area with a pool, so I enjoy decorating for spring and summer with bright colors and bright flowers. I also plant a red, white, and blue flower bucket arrangement for Memorial Day and 4th of July parties. After Christmas, it seems bleek and boring. I literally count down the days till spring.

I do, however, have a little flag pole with different flags for all holidays. Including Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day.

2. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?

I've experienced blindness. For two weeks I couldn't see a thing. I suffer from a rare disorder called Intracranial Hypertension or Pseudotumor Cerebri. It's a buildup of spinal fluid in the skull. My body produces more than it should. It mimics symptoms of a brain tumor (hence the pseudo name). The worst that can happen is to go blind. Which happened to me without knowing if it was permanent. I've had it for two years under control with medication. Good news? I might be in remission. My Neuro-optho weaned me off the medication and I have been without for over a month with no headaches. This means no spinal taps for me. This disorder is individualized meaning it's different for everyone. I haven't had to have surgeries or shunts like most people do. But I am in the 5 percentage that has went blind.

I am very lucky to wake up and see my son's growing face everyday.

February is rare disease month, and I will be blogging more on it.

3. How do you deal with negative people in your life?

I usually try to turn the negativeness around on them. Make them see a different perspective, or subtly give them a solution to a problem. It works by making them think in a different way. One thing I don't do is say "You are such a downer." That only makes it worse. Most negativity I encounter is in passing, even though it makes me sad, sometimes you just have to ignore it.

I tag 3 blogs that I would like to know more about:

It came from the Man Cave

Holly's Horrorland

Kweeny Todd

Your questions:

1. What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?

2. What song always makes you happy when you hear it?

3. What are three things you cannot live without?

Have fun! Tag! You're it!

Napoleon Dynamite

2012-01-16T08:13:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Hopefully, not many of you are Green Bay Packer fans. If you are, well, there's always next year.

I got diagnosed with a raging ear infection. Yeah, I think I had one when I was a baby. So, you can only imagine... my ear gradually hurting until yesterday, when I couldn't touch it, or hear out of it, or eat. Went to the clinic, on antibiotics, and I'm on the mend, I think. My ear is not any better, and is doing this throbbing thing. Ouch. It is strange for me to be sick twice in less than a month... I'm one of those people who could walk out into rain, in the middle of winter, naked... and not get sick.

Last night was the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite, the series. =D

If you watch The Simpson's and Family Guy this show should be right up your alley, or if you like the cult classic movie. Or like me, all of the above.

I watched both episode premieres, and did not find it lacking.

What is great about this series... the original cast does all of the voicing! Yes, yes! I was excited, and continue to be excited for next weeks episode. =)

There will also be some guest starring like Amy Poehler, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sam Rockwell.

If you missed the premieres, you can always stream them on-line at Sidereel.

Here is the trailer:

Yoga Ass Workout? Or Spoof?

2012-01-13T06:20:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th!

Somehow, someway... I clicked this video to watch it (I think it was Facebook).

Somehow, Someway my 5 year old son saw it too (How can anyone miss the catchy music).

Since then, it has been a constant source of comedy in our house.

I just wanted to share. Try not to laugh. I dare you.

Not only do I always have "These glutes were made for Walking" in my head, I wonder if this is an actual exercise. I thought it was, and actually told someone it was (Yoga is my go-to exercise), but upon further research into the subject... I can't find anything. I don't know what should have tipped me off; the song, the way the butts are synced to the song, or the fact that these ladies actually let someone video record them in all of their butt glory.

I do admit... I can do it. Yep, butt master, that's me. Yes, I added that to my list of multi-talents.

Extras from The Walking Dead Hardbacks!

2012-01-12T17:28:00.006-06:00

For Christmas, between my husband and sister, they both delighted me with all 7 of the hardback Walking Dead graphic novels.

I wanted to share some of the extras in the back because they are way too awesome not to! And because they do not grace the issues of trade print. Now, I took these with my iPhone. Trust me. It does a lot better than my scanner. I do understand that the first 7 issues of the Walking Dead were drawn by Tony Moore and the first 24 issues of the cover. He was replaced by Charlie Adlard, who does a great job drawing all the original characters. I honestly do not know who had drawn the extras... I can't stinking find the information anywhere. Yes, it drives me bonkers... so if anyone knows, LET ME KNOW!!

This one is my favorite... I like it so much it's my new wallpaper. Brilliance.

"Look out behind you!!!" Hehe.

This one is a scene from the novel.

I still have 6 books to get through... you know I will share! No, I don't know if this is legal. Now that I think about it, I'm kinda nervous posting these. =/

You can purchase original artwork by Charlie at SplashPage!
You can buy your own copy of The Walking Dead Book 1!

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins

2012-01-11T10:42:00.003-06:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one excited for Dark Shadows the Movie. Based on a 1966 gothic soap opera.

Of course, I'm not excited because it was a gothic soap opera... I'm excited because it stars Mr. Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. A two hundred year old vampire, that was originally played by Jonathan Frid.

The character was only written in for 13 weeks originally to up ratings, but Barnabas became popular resulting in a permanent part becoming the star of the show.

We all know Depp's above average talent for becoming the unusual.

Anyone know the movies above? I do, I do.

One of my personal favorites.

Anyone know the movies of the three above? I do, I do!

Oh, I must note that during Rango... he trips up onto the windshield of Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. I caught this while watching it with my sister. Of course, she had no idea what Fear and Loathing is. I did some research. I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Cowinky dink? I don't think so.

Anyway, back to Barnabas... So, we all should have great excitement over Mr. Depp's new role... I found a few pictures of him in costume.

Anyone else excited about this? Did I miss an unusual role? And seriously, I could search all day for photo's of Johnny Depp... just take a lookie!

Kicking Off with A Big Bang!

2012-01-03T10:36:00.003-06:00

Back to the old bump and grind. Grr.

I've started off the New Year getting rid of old crap! Cleaning out the closets and junk drawers is quite uplifting, and well, cleansing.

I've also made a BIG reading challenge for 2012 on Goodreads.

200 books. That's right, I will read my heart out. It's honestly not a very big challenge for me (I've already read two, working on the third). A third of the 200 are books I'm anticipating for a 2012 publication. You can keep up with what I am reading, and how my challenge is going through my Bookshelf page or my Goodreads page.

Yeah, Johnny 5. That's me.

I got some cool loot for Christmas. Including books 1-7 of the Walking Dead. Yeah, my family loves me.

As for big news, well, I'm publishing this year. Early. I'm counting down the days of the next two weeks. If you can, send me some luck. Fingers crossed, salt thrown over your shoulder, whatever you can manage... and I will announce it when the time comes. =)

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holidays, however you celebrated... I, as always, enjoyed myself (maybe a little too much).

I am going to keep enjoying myself by trying something new. I'm participating in the Shameless Blog Hop! Hehe...

As you can see this isn't just any blog hop. The participants on this blog hop are seriously shameless, and completely awesome. Some of these blogs are so shameless that they cannot participate in regular blog hops (that is super kick-ass, in my humble opinion). My blog is no where near as shameless as theirs are, but it does not mean I do not enjoy my shameless side. I do, more often than not.

Why should I participate in this? Because I held nothing back when it came to the hero of my upcoming debut. Swoon inducing. Although, it is not the focus of my novels (You know? Zombies and all that, but I made it work).

I'm sure I will come up with something cool and shameless worthy for this giveaway.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-28T19:03:00.000-06:00

I'm on vacation this week! Hope everyone has a safe New Year!

And of course, a funny:

Have a Great Christmas!

2011-12-23T13:59:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

There is this cool site for you to customize a video from Santa! You can do it for Naughty or Nice children and adults. I sent one to my husband for being Naughty.... hehehe.

It's called Portable North Pole. Check it out and send one to all your friends and family.

Here is a message from me to you... =)

A Christmas Secret

2011-12-22T13:51:00.001-06:00

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?"

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Not many people know this.

Back from the Grave and Falling Way Behind

2011-12-21T08:41:00.000-06:00

I want to say thanks to all the people who were concerned about my prolonged internet absence. I have been ill, but am making my way to the land of the living. I am highly flattered with all the messages I received to see if I was okay.

Sadly, I missed on the last days of Creepmas. I do get e-mail updates from my favorite blogs. So, even though I haven't commented I highly enjoyed posts from my phone.

When I finally did pick up my laptop, needless to say, it was dead. Then I looked into my laundry room, okay I'm not gonna go there.

I also realized, I hadn't bought one Christmas present save for a few from on-line. In other words, it took me days to catch up on my day to day life.

I do have a few things to share.

One of the things I love to do during Christmas is ride around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. We all love the effort one will go through to show their Christmas spirit with spectacular decorations synced with music and blah, blah, blah.

I really love the amusing ones. Yeah, the tacky crap. If it makes me think "WTF where they thinking?" I will like it. If it makes me laugh, I will like it. If it makes me say, "Dear God, what is that?" I will love it. I haven't actually been looking around this year, so I got my fill on the world wide web.

I found some redneck pictures... most likely taken in Redneckville.

"Mommy! Where's my Barbie?"

It's really bad when I think someone's sense of humor goes a little far.

Here are some more. Extra tacky.

Yeah, festive.

I'll leave you with my son's Santa cupcakes and a funny.

6th Day of Creepmas; Attack of the Christmas Tree Zombie Bugs!!!

2011-12-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

I have a story to tell.

Let's see. I believe it was my son's second Christmas, and our third year in our house. I was determined to have a great Christmas. We decided to get a real tree. One of those with the root balls, so we could plant it afterward.

The tree my husband picked out was only five feet (he told me over the phone). I was angry, at first. Five feet? I wasn't looking for a midget tree.

When he brought it home, I understood why. A five foot pine tree with a root ball is a big mama jama. I had no qualms laughing as I watched him drag it through the house. Unless you have a tow motor handy, you can't really get any bigger than five feet. (I knew this, since years before my mother decided to do the same, only we couldn't get the spruce tree through her front door. Her tree was more like seven feet. We ended up planting it right beside the front porch. No joke.)

Anyway, my husband and I set up our midget pine tree. I decorated it, watered it, loved it, blah, blah, blah. Everything was good. Except for the fact that I was taller than the tree. It's bad when I'm taller than something.

So, over the course of weeks, I swept up pesky dried pine needles and dirt. How this come to be, I do not know. Mystery of the universe.

About a week before Christmas, I noticed there were dead bugs everywhere. They looked like a hybrid of mosquitoes and gnats. WTF? Alright, so I just swept them up a long with pine needles and dirt. Everyday.

One day, I noticed one was moving weakly. I remember thinking, why do I have to keep sweeping up dying bugs? I do not know why my brain did not process this properly. My only guess would be the holidays are stressful, and I didn't want to think about where they are coming from. My subconscious did not want my son's Christmas ruined.

On Christmas Eve, we did the family thing away from home. When we got home my brain was fuzzied from wine. I put my son down to sleep hoping he is dreaming of candy canes and Santa Clause.

That is when my husband noticed the bugs on the floor. Our conversation is a little fuzzy, but I told him that I had been sweeping up dying bugs all week. Even though, most of them on the floor looked like they were getting ready to take flight.

That is when my alcohol induced brain figured it out. It was the midget tree. Our warm house had been waking up dormant unidentified bugs, and they were getting ready to attack in droves.

What did we do about it? If I hadn't been drunk, I would have panicked, but I didn't. We opened another bottle of wine. That's what we did. I undecorated the tree, not flinching when I found my ornaments were covered in sap.

We laughed as we both had to drag the tree out of the back door.

We stayed cool, calm, and collected as we got out our artificial tree. I fluffed and trimmed it. Swept up left over glitter, pine needles, dirt, and reanimating bugs. We even had some more wine and Santa's cookies whilst we played Santa with our son's gifts.

The next morning I felt good about my son. He didn't even notice the different tree. And me? I was a kick-ass zombie bug exterminator. And the midget tree?

Four years later, it still lives standing at about 9 ft. tall.

I should note that I have nothing against midgets. I am one. Proud member of the Lollipop Guild. That's me.

5th Day of Creepmas; YouTube: A Constant Source Of Entertainment for all Your Horrorday Needs!

2011-12-05T08:14:00.001-06:00

We all know I love YouTube, and for the past week I've been scouring for some awesome videos to share!

I've found some movie trailer spoofs that have turned the Christmas classics into something I would really like to see if they were real. They would make any Creepmas Day complete.

I thought this was awesome. Of course we all know the movies that were spliced into one. If not, I'll tell you. Black Christmas and Mr. Krueger's Christmas.

Okay, so I love this movie and enjoyed watching it being made into a horror perspective. I loved the murderous rampage from being laughed at in the bunny suit. Although, I wish they would have at least showed the Santa Ralphie sees at the mall. He scared the crap outta me when I was a kid.

So what's your favorite Christmas horror movie? If someone says Black Christmas, I swear I'll take my Red Ryder BB Gun and shoot you. J/K!

Mine is the Gremlins!

I love Gizmo and the gremlin he turns into that multiplies. I love the mischief those little bastards get into. I love the fact that they know how to party.

Someone was kind enough to put it all in a video collage. I would have liked better music though. Say perhaps, "Do you hear what I hear?" I can't listen to that song without thinking of the Gremlins.

Here is just a 6 second funny one of Gremlins caroling:

HEHEHE!

This next video I believe is a Spanish Direct TV commercial, but that doesn't make it any less AWESOME!

I don't know if I would let Hannibal Lector handle the Christmas Turkey.

"Uh, hey Hannibal. That doesn't look like a turkey."

"fh-fh-fh-fh-fh-fh-fh."

Anyway, Merry Creepmas and because I like weird crap, I'll leave you with Napoleon Dynamite's 12 Days of Christmas.

HAHAHA! A dang quesadilla! Pronounced how it is spelled. Priceless.

4th Day of Creepmas; Ideas for the Ghouls!

2011-12-04T11:03:00.001-06:00

My post is late this morning. My apologies.

Here are some neat Creepmas decorating ideas:

I like the hand for the tree topper. Perfect.

Bows and skulls, and a dead tree. Love it.

Gothic style.

You can never go wrong with black.

For some reason the dead tree idea is sticking with me. Add some cool ornaments:

All of these are available for purchase at Cafepress. Top your dead tree with a hand and you've got a one of a kind Creepmas Tree!

Do you have a zombie problem invading into your Creepmas traditions? Well, thank goodness for this Instructional Video!

HAHA! I'll never have another problem with zombies infringing on my holiday!

3rd Day of Creepmas; Attack of the Zombie Elves!

2011-12-03T00:00:00.072-06:00

Merry Creepmas! I'm really getting into the spirit now! I blame it on wicKED's 12 days of Creepmas song.

You want zombie elves? You got 'em.

Zombie Elves - The Movie

An actual Zombie Elves dark comedy movie is being produced this winter for a Christmas release next year!

With a slogan of "Ho, Ho, Holy SHIT!"

Yes, you know I love it!

The four pictures above were provided from Zombie Elves! Did you know you can buy all kinds of zombie elf gear? You can also donate and check up on production. Of course, I will keep you up to date!

Check out this cool Zombie Elves 2012 Calendar! Yes, you may buy it for me.

All pictures were hand-painted with watercolor! I had to enlarge this so it could be seen.

June is my personal favorite. Zombie Elves swimming in a pool! Who'd a thunk it?

More Zombie Elf fun for shits and giggles:

Devian Art

Hehe! <---- That's my wicked laugh.
I think this post deserves 5 zombie fingers, with jingly bells.

Don't forget to check out the other Creepers!

2nd Day of Creepmas; Hallmark does Creepmas?

2011-12-02T07:52:00.002-06:00

Creepmas Funnies for your pleasure!

This is a Hallmark Card. No joking.

1st of Creepmas 2011; Angel of Death

2011-12-01T08:31:00.004-06:00

I do not know how everyone is celebrating their Creepmas this year, but I know I have been celebrating with my son. He has been watching The Nightmare Before Christmas over and over.

I do not mind these things as I did the same when I was five. Only it was the Garbage Pail Kids I watched over and over. Somehow my precious VHS tape mysteriously disappeared.

Now, being an adult, I can guess what happened to it. It probably ended up in the trash with its guts tossed about, to make sure no one ever watched it again.

I will not do this to my sweet Gage.

He can pretend to be Jack Skellington as much as he wants.

I've also promised him we would make Jack Skellington Gingerbread cookies.

I suppose I've always had a little Creepmas spirit inside. For Day 1, I want to share an ornament I painted as a kid. I believe it stems from all the Tales from the Darkside, The Twilight Zone, and Friday the Thirteenth the series episodes I watched as a kid.

Yes, I know it's fantastic.

My mother still puts it on her tree every year. That's love. The unconditional kind. I went to my mom's to take a picture of it, and my three younger sisters informed me they refer to it as "The Death Angel." This was news to me.

"Well, where is it?" I asked them, wanting to know where it was on the tree for my picture.

They automatically knew. "In the back, at the bottom."

Sigh. Now, I make a point to move it every time I go. To the front, at eye level. I was offended they tried to hide my angel. I don't think it is that ugly. It shows a true Creepmas spirit. Apparently, my mom thinks so too, because she would not let me have it.

I will leave you with a deeply confused and intrigued Jack Skellington!

Be sure to check out the other participants to see how they keep to the Creepmas Spirit!

A little of this and that....

2011-11-30T12:47:00.002-06:00

Not that I needed another great show to be watching... I am watching Hell on Wheels on AMC. Hell on Wheels is a contemporary Western about a lawless chaotic town that travels with the construction of a railroad in post-Civil War America. It's got everything: former soldiers, tattooed prostitutes, bitter emancipated slaves, money hungry entrepreneurs, Irish immigrants looking for fortune, hostile indians, and everything in between. Maybe I just have a thing for scraggly guys with guns.

Cullen Bohannon, the focus of the show. A former Confederate who has a moral soul with revenge heavy on his heart.

Anyway, it's good and worth checking out. The first four episodes are On Demand right now.

*SPOILER WARNING*

Now, How about the mid-season Walking Dead finale? I just want to know... who are your favorite characters? I want to know because there is a vast difference between every one of them. To satisfy your curiosity mine are Shane and Daryl. Why? Well, some might think Shane is a cold hearted bastard, but he is practical. Every decision he has made, I would make myself. With the exception of telling Lori Rick was dead. Cold hearted? He comes off that way, but you got to remember he still loves Lori and Carl. I believe if he was truly cold-hearted he would have left the group and to each their own.

Daryl is also practical, but carries a bit of hope somewhere...

The finale? I just want to throw out there that I thought about little Sophie being in that barn. (She does not go missing in the comics) I hoped she wasn't, but alas she was.

At least there is some closure there. I liked the dramatic opening of the barn doors. I just think they should have shot Hershel in the process. Haha... just kidding, maybe. Dude has some screwed up views. I just don't agree with feeding precious chickens to zombies. I call that ignorant. Not to mention, how did Hershel not know about the little girl zombie in the barn? You think he might have mentioned it in passing somewhere. Oh, that's right. He was hiding the barn or rather what was in it. His dirty little dumb secret.

The group could go find another farm if they wanted. I don't see why it is a big deal for them to stay. Why not go find more survivors and help them? We will see how it all turns out.

Does anyone agree with Dale? He was going to hide the guns knowing about the barn full of Walkers. He gets in everyone's business he has no right poking his nose into, but I guess it is a show and it needs that small annoyance.

Do not forget about the THIRTEEN DAYS OF CREEPMAS!! Starts tomorrow!

To Noodle or not to Noodle?

2011-11-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

If you would like to see the winner of the Black Friday Book Bonanza, I have posted it here!

This weekend I had a few beers, and learned something new! Somehow I had gotten on the subject of hand fishing. I don't know why... I've never done it. In fact, the only fishing I have ever done was at a catfish farm with a fishing pole.

A friend enlightened me on a hand fishing technique called Noodling. He had called it something else, but I was a few beers in and don't remember. I did remember Noodling. How can anyone forget such a word?

Anyway, when I hear of something interesting I research and learn more about it. So of course, I've googled it. Apparently, hand fishing and noodling are one in the same. You stick your whole hand in a catfish mouth and pull it out of the water by it's gills, from the inside.

I found this amusing article on it here! There are also lots of comical videos on YouTube of Noodling.

My friend, however, says the trick is to be super fast at grabbing the gills. This lessens the bite that feels like tough sandpaper rubbing your skin raw. He even showed me a picture, that he had conveniently on his cell phone, with his arm in a 50 lb. catfish. It was cool.

Upon further research, I found it's very dangerous. In the land of rednecks and hillbillies, this is what we do for fun. Yeah, we're hardcore.

What I found surprising about it? Noodling is only legal in 13 states. Wow. The reason? Noodling requires the catfish to be grabbed from their nests, leaving eggs vulnerable. Possibly putting a hinderance on population. Yes, yes most of these states are in the Southeast.

I suppose this is someone fighting with a ginormous catfish.

This is how you do it.

A trick being, finding their living hole and driving them into it before sticking your hand in there. Easy peasy. Just give me a shot of whiskey first.

Will I ever try my hand at Noodling? Maybe. If the opportunity ever arises, why not? Well, there are plenty of reasons, but the experience would be something. Even if it is just to say, "I noodled a fish!"

I do know this would be me:

Hahaha!

So, anyone want to go noodling?

Black Friday Book Bonanza!

2011-11-24T22:27:00.006-06:00

THE WINNER WAS RANDOMLY CHOSEN WITH A RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR FROM RANDOM.ORG.

THE NUMBER WAS 82!

CONGRATS JENNIFER!

Hello to all Black Friday Book Bonanza Blog Hoppers!

I would like to thank the three hosts of this blogger hop! Heather from Book Savvy Babe, Jenn from The Bawdy Book Blog, and Lisa from Alive on the Shelves!

A little bit about me? Nothing exciting... I love to read and I love to write. My giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository delivers to your country! I do not require you to follow me, only if you decide to. I'm extremely wacky and reader discretion is advised. How to enter: Leave a comment with your e-mail. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner. What are you entering for? The winner has a choice:

This is one of my favorite series. I highly recommend them! They are rereads a billion times over, and I'm going mad for the 4th to come out in February. Unholy Ghosts is the 1st in the Downside series. The setting of these books are a dark world of ghosts and magic. The character's are highly flawed (my favorite kind) and the action doesn't stop keeping the pages turning!

As you know we still have 10 long days before this is available (who's counting? hehe) If the winner chooses this book, I must tell you, you won't receive it until after it's release date of December 6th. I will pre-order it for delivery to your address!

Happy reading and don't forget to hop to the other blogs!

Black Friday! Hoo-rah! Not.

2011-11-23T10:58:00.000-06:00

I've done the Thanksgiving funnies, and I wish everyone a very splendid holiday!

This morning my hubby said something about hitting a sale on Friday. I just laughed at him. He knows how I feel about Black Friday. If you don't, I've recently posted about it here ---> Real Live Zombies!!!

Here are some funnies!

I loved this one, from my own one and only experience.

Don't forget to stop back by and check out my giveaway for the Black Friday Book Bonanza!

Hope No One Expected Anything Less...

2011-11-17T13:27:00.001-06:00

And A Funny For Your Thoughts:

Breaking Yawns!

2011-11-17T11:37:00.003-06:00

Well, Thanksgiving is next Thursday.

Please pass the turkey... and the bourbon. Hehe.

Mini Rant
For those of you who are cool and have no idea, I'm informing you that Breaking Dawn premiere's in theatre's tonight at Midnight. Sigh, sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

This past week, my news feeds have been blowing up with Breaking Dawn this, and Breaking Dawn that. Edward is so cute, blah, blah, blah.

I'm an avid reader, and most of my friends are readers and book bloggers... it shouldn't have come to a surprise to me that most of them are overly excited to finally see Edward and Bella do the nasty. Even I think the "hundred year old virgin" thing is a little much. (Whatever. There is no way you can be 17 for that long and not get some.)

I do not want to say negative things, but I just can't help myself. My apologies Twilighter's!

Breaking Dawn was all in all, too perfect. No one dies, no one fights, the only real conflict is Bella turning into a vampire, and when she finally does... she has amazing self-control. YAWNERS! At the very least, she should have sucked the life from someone regretting her decision a little. No dice on that. Like a fairy princess, Bella gets married to Prince charming, has a kid, and eventually sparkles like one. Happily Ever After.

You should see all these products people make and sell on Etsy.

The 25 Most Disturbing Twilight Products of 2011

Check it out, the writer of this article is hilarious.

What is sad? People actually purchase these things.

I'm clearly in the wrong business.

I can't wait for it all to be over, then maybe Meyer will write a sequel to The Host.

For those of you whose wives and girlfriends are making you sit through the midnight showing, or any showing for that matter... drink a few beers first (you'll have many pee break excuses), keep your opinions to yourself (unless of course it is to announce your undying love for your special lady. After all, what better way to show up Edward?), and may God have mercy on your soul making the two hours fly by. I highly doubt the latter.

There are ways to amuse yourself:
Practice throwing popcorn into various agape mouths. I'm sure it will be easy to find someone who has their mouth open, possibly with drool so the kernel might stick.
Make monkey noises, but save the screeching for when Bella is giving birth.
Try to sell your ticket stub to the obsessed Twilighter scrapbook maker.
Take pictures of people in the theatre, and try to sell them memories of their Breaking Dawn experience.
And these are just a few ideas... you can even make a little extra cash.

Anyway, Who watches Sons of Anarchy? Does anyone else think Opie needs a hug?

I do, and I should be the one to give it to him.

Holiday Gift Guide for the Zombie Lover!

2011-11-11T12:04:00.007-06:00

Zombie Santa is coming to town!

Okay, so I've been finding all these great things... and I just have to share! I've been working on a Holiday gift guide post for Creepmas 2011. I will still do this post, but I've been finding cool zombie stuff. I decided they need a post of their own! =D

I do admit, all of these things are on my own wish list.

Zombie USB Flash Drive

Yes, keep all of your photo's and doc's on your very own zombie! Buy it HERE!

Plush Zombies

Aren't they cute? Buy them for your little zombie lover's here at THINK GEEK!

Dismember me Plush Zombie

Stressed out? Now you can find some relief by tearing this sucker apart. Your own zombie you can dismember and put back together! I found him at Zombie and Toys! Make it more fun by pinning a picture of your boss on the face.

Remote Controlled Zombie

Who does not want a remote controlled zombie? Hide him anywhere to scare anyone! I found him at Zombie and Toys!

Zombie Jim Apocalypse iPhone Skin

I found this at Zazzle! Zazzle also offers other awesome zombie skins!

Zombie Bowling Ball Heads!

These are a must have for any bowler. If you are not a bowler, that's okay because it would be cool just to have zombie heads rolling around. I found these at Dude I Want That.

Zombie Garden Gnomes

These are hand painted and are becoming more and more popular. I first came across the guy that makes them on Facebook, and he sells them on Etsy!

Zara the Zombie Doll!

She is perfect for any zombie dolly collector! These cuties are handcrafted by Emma from Little Gothic Horrors, and are available on Etsy! Don't worry, Zara's mouth is sewn shut so she will not bite! Emma makes other dolls worthy of my Creepmas 2011 gift guide list. She is also a participant in Creepmas 2011.

Zombie Chucks!

These are pricey. Only because they are hand-painted by Punk Your Chucks! If you wear Chuck Taylor's, you know how long they last, and there is nothing better than a worn out pair of Converse. Don't like the zombie painted on them? Submit your own designed zombie or anything. You can even put your own face on them if you want.

Zombie Hair Accessories!

These neat hair decorators are handmade by Creepy Glowbug Concoctions, and are sold on Etsy. This creepy Glowbug makes all kinds of cute, dark, creepy art. She is a participant in Creepmas 2011. Be sure to check her out.

The Urban Bone Machete!

This gift is the ultimate boat floater, Twinkie creamer, camel humper... oh, nice. Hehe, camel humper. I'll have to use that again, but you get my drift... this gift is awe-inspiring. I imagine myself as Mike Myers from Wayne's World. When I look upon this blade it has a golden-blue aura, and the angels are singing from heaven. It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

Anyway, these blades are handmade by blade-smiths at Zombie Tools! They are the real deal, made for slicing through flesh and bones. You can buy this one here! They have an assortment of blades to choose from for your preparation of the apocalypse. They even handcraft hand guards for them. Worth checking out. They also sell awesome T-shirts, stickers, etc... with a Fist Full of Fuck Yeah!

This is their Calendar for 2012. Yeah, I know... they kick ass.

Horror Coffee Mug!

I know this isn't a zombie themed gift, but it couldn't wait! I LOVE this thing! Besides, I already have a zombie coffee mug. This mug features cute little pictures of Michael Myers, Pinhead, Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface. If you would like to buy it for me, oops. I mean, if you would like to buy it or get a better look, go to Zazzle!

Rob Zombie Official Voo-Doo Doll

For those of you who haven't read my blog before, it's obvious, I heart Rob. All I can say about this gift is I want, I want, I want. See, I was so excited that I almost forgot to put up a linky. You can get it at the Halloweentown Store.

Phew! I should get commission.

Breaking News!! Yeah!

2011-11-07T09:16:00.004-06:00

None other than Captain Spaulding joins the casts for Lords of Salem! I know some of you might be choking from shock that Sid Haig is joining the cast of a Rob Zombie film, but it's awesome. Hehe...

I cannot wait to see this movie!

He has been casted as Dean Magnus. The other half of The Brothers of the witchfinding duo.

Creepmas 2011!

2011-11-06T21:01:00.001-06:00

If you stopped by yesterday and my blog looked wacky... my sincere apologies. I have been working on a blog make over. TA-DA!

Please join in the fun!

This is for blogs who like a little spooky with their Holly Jolly! Takes place December 1-13. Click on the badge to sign up or you can click here!

Also, a participant was cool enough to make more badges... get them here!

I already have some cool ideas for posts... I'm super stoked, and with all my other Halloween Blogger friends... I know we can make this cool!

I've been seeing a lot of these lately:

While this is funny and all... I just think it's weird the turkey is complaining. If I were a turkey, I would hope that everyone would forget Thanksgiving. That way, I wouldn't have to lose my feathers and get stuffed with cornbread.

Irritation at it's Worst!

2011-11-05T22:34:00.004-05:00

Usually I'm an optimistic kind of person. Sometimes. Maybe. I think I just go back and forth. Today, I'm in one of those moods... and I've decided to rant about a few things that irritate me. Don't worry, I'm doing it for the humor of it all. Really. Because when I really think about these things they are downright funny.

Extreme Coupon'ers

Notice I said extreme. I don't see the point in spending massive amounts of time(40+ hours a week) figuring out where the best sales (on whatever product they have the coupon for) is located. Not to mention, the coupon'er probably has a stock-load of it already. More of a product they will ever use, and only buy for the sake of a sale. Who needs that much shampoo? Come on, that is just greedy. If they are going to do it, donate it. People are struggling, starving and they have shelves packed full of noodle boxes and spaghetti sauce.

I've seen this episode and this isn't the only room she has like this.

The other day I was at a music program at my son's school, and a mom was doing her couponing during the program. "Great job mom! I have toothpaste to last me for life! Now where can I park my bike?"

Mom replies, "Park it on the street. I need the garage for the toilet paper."

Do not get me wrong, I use coupons. I clip them from the Sunday paper, not dumpster dive for them, or beg the neighbors. I don't make special trips to different stores to save a few cents. You waste more in gasoline doing that. Ultimately, contributing to pollution as well. I'd rather spend that time writing, reading, or watching a flick with my family. I do not buy something just because it is on sale, I buy what I need only. Period.

If you don't think this is irritating, then you have not been stuck behind a coupon'er in the check-out line.

Crossing Guards

Crossing guards endlessly annoy me because of their "rent-a-cop; you do as I say" attitude. The crossing guard at my son's school and I have an equal hate/hate relationship. We have had a few encounters since August. This guy likes to change his mind. At the last minute. Then, blows his whistle flapping his arms in the way crossing guards do as if I were in the wrong.

He blows his whistle for going 16 mph instead of 15 mph. He gets annoyed when I do not go fast enough for him. He tells me to go, but all of a sudden wants me to stop.

Is this guy never happy? It's not like it is a school where kids walk to school because it is not. There shouldn't even be a need for him.

He does kind of look like this. Except his vest says "sheriff" on it. As if no one knew he bought it from eBay.

One day, he will catch me in the wrong mood. I have it all planned out... it involves washing my windows while driving by closely and slowly. I plan to use the whole tank of windshield washer fluid. Hey, I can't help my windshield is buggy.

Blue Hairs who take their Sunday drive everyday.

We all know them. The old people. The old people who drive that shouldn't be driving. I seriously think there should be an age when everyone should be required to retake a driving test. If you go 40 mph on the interstate, you shouldn't be driving. Little old ladies, I have found from experience, are the worst.

Yes, yes I do. Turn off your blinker now. It's been blinking for 50 blocks.

If you are behind a really slow Buick, and you can't see the driver's head, regretfully, you are stuck behind an old lady.

Don't let her fool you. She is sitting on a phone book.

I imagine this dog saying, "Keep it at 10 and 2, Granny, 10 and 2."

This picture is the best!

Note to self: Stay away from the post office, Aka: Old people central.

So, there you have it. I have just reread this post and it seems that anyone getting in my way of where I need to be, annoys me. Go figure.

Okay... in a way earlier post I talk about Woody Harrelson... I finally found a picture I've been looking for... you can view the post here!

Blog Award!

2011-11-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

I've recently received a blog award!

Liebster ("Dearest" in German) Blog Award!

I would love to thank Little Gothic Horrors for this award! For those of you who do not know Emma, she is a rare treat indeedy! She posts interesting things on classic gothic horror. She recently posted about how Australia does not traditionally celebrate Halloween (Ludicrousness!) She does go on to explain how she celebrates, and I give her 5 zombie fingers for celebrating an American holiday. A holiday more important than Christmas, well, to me anyway. Emma also makes these cute little dolls:

This is Zombie Zara, and yes, she is on my holiday wish list. I NEED her for my office. You can check out Emma's other dolls and buy them here!

Congrats to my 5 picks!!!

1. Cherry Neko Saves The World

2. The Haunted Rose

3. Zombies are Magic

4. Something wicKED this way comes....

5. The Screaming Goregasm

The Rules for passing on the award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.

2. Pass the award onto 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers.

Time for the Real Zombies to come out!!!

2011-11-02T08:33:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for the winners of the October blog hops, go here!

As I've said in a previous post, Halloween is the last burst of life before the dreaded holidays. The zombies come out and shop till they drop.

I do not participate in the Black Friday conspiracy. I tried once and it is not worth it. I've been pushed, shoved, maimed, beaten, screeched at, clawed, and bitten. See? Zombies. The only thing about these zombies is, I will go to jail if I shoot them with an arrow.

I am not going anywhere near a mall:

Isn't that a zombie apocalypse rule anyway?

They only have one thing in mind:

While I will be staying out of the zombie shopping horde... I will be participating in the Black Friday Book Bonanza Hop!

I will announce my prize with the post on Nov. 25! If you want to join in the hop with your own giveaway, please just click on the button and leave your link with the Book Savvy Babe!

Winners for the October Blog Hops!!!

2011-11-01T14:14:00.002-05:00

Quick post: I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Thanks to all for participating in the fun events. I have the winners at the top of each blog post.

October Scare-A-Ganza Winner

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Winner

Zompocalypse 2011 Trick or Treat Blog Hop

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T08:11:00.004-05:00

If you are looking for the giveaways, enter here!

I am stunned. Really. I am. What an amazing group of people on my follower list! The following greatly exceeded my expectations! I will do all the random numbers for the giveaways the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 2nd. Everyone has until tonight to enter in all three.

At midnight, the only one still available to enter is the Zompocalypse. You will have until tomorrow at midnight, then all three will be closed.

I'm super excited about Halloween. I'm all ready with my witchy hat and stockings. My pumpkins are ready, front porch decorated, scary music docked, and the chili is simmering! I can't wait to hand out candy to all the spooks, roast some marshmallows, and watch a few horror flicks.

I took a picture of my zombie pumpkin scene. I had not used Vaseline on them b/c I wanted them to dry out for a more zombie-like effect. It was also why I made them so early in the month. Here they are:

They turned out great! If you like them please vote for them on Durango's Facebook wall, so I can win a pair of boots!!

Halloween read: This past week, I have been reading Zombiekins by: Kevin Bolger, to my 5 year old, Gage. Zombiekins has his own website! Check it out!

I actually came across this book from another blogger, who reviewed it as part of a Zombie Blogger Walk. I decided to check it out, for my son, I swear. I wasn't disappointed, and neither was Gage. We both loved it, and enjoyed all the pictures. It's about a boy, Stanley, who finds this weird stuffed animal at a yard sale. Zombiekins starts to wreak havoc at his school. It's really a fun read, even if you do not have children, but it is a children's chapter book. The author really did a good job with all of the creative names for the adult characters in the book. There were some things I laughed at, that my son didn't understand. It was way too cute. I can't wait to read "Sir Fartsalot Hunts The Booger."

Halloween Treat:
Candy Popcorn Balls!

These are a favorite in my house! Every year I use a different candy. All you need are:
3 bags of popcorn, popped. I use buttery kettle corn.
A 10 oz bag of marshmallows.
A candy of your choice. I have here Reece's Pieces. You can also use candy corn, halloween colored M&M's, etc.
-Pick out all kernels, melt marshmallows (Coat spoon, bowl, hands with cooking spray. Trust me)
-Immediately mix together popcorn and melted marshmallow.
- Add Candy. Hint: After mixing, let cool for a few before adding candy (you don't want your candy to melt!)
-Coat hands with cooking spray and shape into balls!
-Let set on wax paper and enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Zompacolypse Trick-or-Treat Giveaway!

2011-10-28T08:53:00.008-05:00

Winner: The Random.org generator chose number 17... Congrats Holly S!!!!

Hello all! I would like to thank Paranormal Wastelands for hosting this hop! Today, they have posted my very own zombie short story! Be sure to check it out. You can also find it on my blog. My giveaway is a 15 dollar Barnes and Noble gift card. To enter, please leave a comment with your e-mail, and on Nov. 2nd, I will use a random number generator. The comment that corresponds with the picked random number is the winner. Please, US only.

I also have two other giveaways. I can't believe I've hit 50 followers already. I'm going to leave the giveaway open until the 31st, for anyone else who would like to enter. Just go to the October giveaway link list, and be sure to enter in all three. Also, take a look around my blog, lots of fun stuff to find! If you like what I have to say, feel free to follow!
I have lots of Zombie things on this blog!

How to make your own zombie pumpkins!
A zombie blogger walk post and my zombie short!
Two great zombie trilogies!
Fun Facts on my own zombie trilogy, The Famished.
A Living Dead book review from an Indie Author!
What do I really have to say about a zombie apocalypse, and playlist for Taking on the Dead, The Famished #1

Please do check out 20 of my favorite fictional characters!

Zompacolypse hoppers: Please check out the other great blogs on this trick or treat hop! And look for the special candy buckets for a chance to win an extra gift card!

I will leave you with this picture of my son, Gage, and his Batman Pumpkin!

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop and Entry!

2011-10-23T10:14:00.006-05:00

The Winner is number 55... Alyce of Oregon! Congrats!

Please note: I omitted doubled entries. If you commented twice, only one of your comments counted in the count!

I would like to take a moment to thank, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting this wonderful hop! I will be using the random number generator. All you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address on this post only. When the random number is chosen on Nov. 1st, I will go by order of comment. Say the number is 5, then the fifth person to comment will be the winner. For this Hop, I will give the winner a choice. I thought about doing a halloween book theme, but you wouldn't get it until after Halloween! On Nov. 1st, a highly anticipated book is releasing in the YA genre. I know I'm picking up my copy.

Crossed

The Matched Series Number 2

If you are a fan of futuristic books these are for you. I loved it. Reminded me of Westerfeld's writing with a deeper love story. If you choose this book, it will come to you in hardcover. Please, US participants only.

Drink Deep

Chicagoland Vampires Number 5

This book releases on Nov. 1st, and is another one I am highly anticipating. This one will be in paperback if this is the book you choose! US participants only!

Please, take the time and read my short story taken right from my book! Looting Isn't the Most Fun You can have During a Zombie Apocalypse!

Please do check out 20 of my favorite fictional characters!

If you go through my blog and like the things I have to say, and write about, please feel free to follow. I am hosting my own giveaway for 50 followers!

Good Luck, and don't forget to hop through the other great giveaways!

October Scare-A-Ganza GIveaway and Entry!!!

2011-10-23T10:10:00.003-05:00

The Winner chosen by Random.org is 18... Congrats LNeely!

Here is the October Scare-A-Ganza prize ONLY! It is the winner's choice!

For my fellow zombie lovers:

The Walking Dead: Season 1

Or:

The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor

This is highly anticipated. Available Oct. 11th!

For my fellow book lovers:

Down These Strange Streets

A Collection of Urban Fantasy Stories

From Fab Authors.

The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern

The winner will have their choice. I had a whole list of things but really couldn't pick just one, so the choice is yours. =) I don't know if this is standard for bloggers, but I don't care. I am not everyone else, and really, I think it is awesome you get to choose. I also do not have people sending me free stuff to giveaway. These things come from my own pocket, happily, or I wouldn't do it!

To enter this giveaway, leave your e-mail in the comments. I will use the random number for the corresponding comment! This contest will be closed when I get to 50 followers. If I do not reach 50 by Midnight October 31 central time. The contest will be void.

Have fun and good luck,

Annie

What have I been doing?

2011-10-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

I wish I could say that I have been using my time to play Arkham City. I have not... just deathly ill, and just today have opened my laptop to find a bottomless list of e-mails and the like. I am still not myself, but am doing this post to remind everyone of my coming up giveaway hops I am participating in.

Starting on the 24th, I will have a link at the top for the Spooktacular Hop. My prize will be announced. All you have to do is leave a comment on that page only with a way for me to get in touch with you. I will have all the other links for the hop as well. On Nov. 1st, I will be using a random number to correspond with the order of your comment. Say the number turns up 11, the 11th comment will win. Just make sure you leave a way for me to get in touch with you.

The 28th, is the Trick or Treat Zombpocalypse Hop. I will do the same thing, the link will be at the top, just make sure you leave a comment on that page only. The host of this hop is featuring my zombie short on their blog on the 29th! So this is really exciting for me. Anyone who is reading this, can in fact, read the short. It features on the Sept. 29 blog post called, Looting isn't the most fun you can have during a Zombie Apocalypse.

You may enter for all three of my giveaways... all the same, just leave comments and a way for me to contact you, if you are the winner. My prizes will be announced when the giveaways start.

My own October Scare-a-Ganza is under way now. I'm over half way to my goal.

I will resume my regular posts this weekend, when I come out of my cave-o-coma. =)

5 Movies to Watch this Halloween!

2011-10-14T10:39:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you have all seen the Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and the modern day zombie films. Not to mention the array of Stephen King film adaptations. I have too. I love them. I have however, put together an interesting list of movies you may have not seen, but are really a MUST! Yes, I've put some black and white classics because without these, horror would not be what it is today!

The Black Cat

1934

Starring the one and only's, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff

If you do not know who Karloff and Lugosi is, well, then you really need to watch the classics. They are the kings of Horror. Lugosi played Dracula, and Karloff was Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Both of these men played in many classic horror films, and I love all 8 movies they play in together. The Black Cat happened to be a box office hit, and the first to pair the two.

They were quite the pair.

Enough of my starstruck fantasies. The Black Cat is about two honeymooners who are going to Hungary on a train. Sharing a compartment with a psychiatrist, Dr. Werdegast (Lugosi). Werdegast explains he left his wife 18 years ago to go to war, and has spent the last 15 in a prison camp. He is on his way home, wanting to visit an old friend, an architect, Poelzig (Karloff). The car they are sharing crashes injuring the young woman honeymooner, Joan. They end up taking her to Poelzig's home, which is built on a fort that he commanded during the war. After Werdegast treat's Joan's injuries, he starts to accuse Poelzig of betraying the fort, causing the deaths of Hungarians. The honeymooners become trapped in his home, where cat-phobic Werdegast learns his wife's fate, grieves for his lost daughter, and has to play a game of chess for Joan's life, who Poelzig plans to sacrifice in a satanic ritual.

They say this movie is based upon Poe's, The Black Cat. I do not see it, as I am a huge fan of Poe. The Black Cat short being one of the darkest (in my opinion). The only connection I see is the insanity of it all... maybe that is the point.

Dawn of the Dead

1978

Written and Directed by Romero, himself.

Ah yes, Dawn of the Dead, the original. This film is the second from Night of the Living Dead, and is the one where survivors barricade themselves into a mall. This one was remade, as most of us know, in 2004, but is in no way, shape, or form the same. They only thing that really is the same is the mall setting. No original characters, and the plot is different as well... making the original Dawn of the Dead a must see... now. In the original we are deemed with cheesy zombie takes, that are really quite eerie, and should be respected because it is the first of it's kind. There is a smaller cast than the remake. Biker's break in to loot, setting in the hordes of zombies, rewarding us with all the zombie death scenes possible. Just please, watch it... you will not be disappointed. This movie is pretty gory, as is the reason it was banned in 17 countries. It was not the only Romero film to be banned.

Bride of Frankenstein

1935

We all know Dr. Frankenstein created a monster out of body parts and brought him to life with electricity. The Bride of Frankenstein, just really breaks my heart. All the monster really wants is someone to love. In the Bride, Frankenstein's monster wants a mate after events of meeting nice people and having them taken away, or the monster being deemed "a monster." Also, in this film the monster learns a few words and is able to speak. If you really want a great marathon... try watching the Frankenstein movies back to back. If you really want to be a cynic, read the book first.

The Haunting

1963

I'm trying to do different sub-genre's in horror. I wrote down "ghost." There are several I wanted to put on my list, one of them being Invisible Ghost with Lugosi... but that really isn't about a ghost, in the end. I also wanted to write about The Shining, but I'm trying to expand people's horizons here. I chose, The Haunting. It is about a paranormal investigation of Hill House, by a Doctor, the person who stands to inherit the house, a psychic, and a clairvoyant. Upon being in the house and over time, the ghostly entity haunts in deadly ways.

Let's see I got the satanic thriller, the monster, the zombie, the ghost, and what about the slasher sub-genre? What was the first, you think? There are many opinions on this matter... but this is mine. Hitchcock's, Psycho can be considered the mother of all slashers. Michael, Freddy, and Jason helped revolutionize the slasher sub-genre. There are people who say say the canadian film, Black Christmas(1974), was the first. Well, they must have not seen my choice for the list and one you should watch for Halloween:

Twitch of the Death Nerve

1971

Some people might know this film as Bay of Blood

The plot? Several people commit several murders while trying to remove people that stand in their way of the inheritance of the bay.

There really isn't much to say about this movie, except that is wasn't made for the faint of heart. There is a lot of killing, with much bloody detail. There is one scene where a machete gets driven into someone's face.

This movie has made a top 50 horror list of all time by Total Film magazine in 2005. If you like slasher movies, this one is for you. =D

Have a movie you think I should see? I take suggestions. Please.

Post edit: I should say the classics are not for everyone. It takes a special kind of person. So, yes do go watch watch the modern horror flicks that have been remade and influenced by the classics, and have no original outlook at all. Yes, go see Paranormal Activity 3. Well, I'm going to see that too. Funny, how I explain the childhood taboo of the Bell Witch, and then I see this preview that involves the little girls saying Bloody Mary in the darkened bathroom. Only, they were luckier than me and have an actual entity in the room with them.

Yes, I know that if I starred in my own horror flick I'd be the first to die. I'd be the stupid one to go into the darkened basement to see what that frightening noise is, in hopes of seeing something cool so I can take a picture for my blog. That's okay, I'd contribute for Horror's sake. =) I say that now, until someone is stabbing me in the face with a machete because I'm next in line to inherit a fortune.

Another Intriguing Show by FX!

2011-10-12T08:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I took the time and watched American Horror Story.

It had premiered last Wednesday night. (For all the peeps in the UK, it premiere's Nov. 7th, I found out from someone on FB). The commercials made me skeptical. I watched it anyway, and was very surprised. I liked it so much, I made my husband watch it last night. Usually, he doesn't like watching stupid horror stuff with me. Not his thing, we found out a long time ago. I'm not saying he doesn't like horror, but if it is cheesy, cheap, and stupid, he'd be like, "What do you have me watching?" Haha, but the American Horror Story, even he liked.

The creep factor is high, and FX does a really good job of walking a fine line of it being made for TV and being rated R. At one point, the young maid is doing herself and then Ben Harmon, played by Dylan McDermott, gets butt naked and does himself too. I really couldn't believe they put it on TV. I don't think FX has ever showed that much of Jax Teller, much to my and every other females dismay.

He is no Jax.

*Sigh*

Anyway, The show starts off with the Harmon family moving to Los Angeles after some rough patches to start anew. Ben, Vivien, and Violet (their daughter, who has some issues herself) Ben is a psychiatrist, who starts seeing patients in their creepy new home.

Vivien

Violet

One of the patients, is a teenage boy, Tate, played by Evan Peters. We know him from assorted TV shows, KiCk-Ass, and An American Crime. Tate quickly becomes friends with Violet and helps her with a bully in the basement of the house. The incident making you think there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Not to mention, he is Looney! With a capitol L. This kid also wear a shirt that says, "Normal people scare me." Loved it.

Another creepy thing, is the neighbor, Constance, played by Jessica Lange. Golden Globe winner, and several nominations. We've seen her leading roles in lots of movies. One thing about this show, it has a great cast. Anyway, Constance has a daughter with down syndrome, that has an unhealthy obsession with the house. She is creepier than anyone in the show, including rubber man. Constance is also creepy, b/c she shows up out of no where, is a clepto, and just all around says the weirdest shit, that even gives me a run for my money.

Alright, the maid. Moira is an old woman played by Frances Conroy. We all know her as Ruth from Six Feet Under, which is still one of my favorite shows today. Anyway, she shows up telling Vivien about all the other house occupants before, and how she cleaned house for them all. Vivien doesn't mind the help, but when Ben comes in and meets her, he sees a completely different person. A young Moira, in a french maid outfit. She is played by Alexandra Breckenridge. We see her in True Blood as Katrina, the spy for Vampire Bill. She uses her wiles to try and seduce Ben, Violet walks in on them and sees her father with the old maid. CREEPY! I thought it was funny though. So, the question is, what is up with the maid? I'm not saying anymore though, you'll have to watch it.

The old Moira.

Moira Junior? Haha.

Another guy shows up and tells Ben his family is in danger if he doesn't get out of the house. Larry Harvey is played by Denis O'Hare. We all know him as Russell Edgington, the crazy vampire King of Mississippi, that killed someone on national TV in True Blood. Anyway, Larry has burns on 70% of his body from burning/killing his family in the house. He is only out of jail because he has brain cancer. The thing is, Ben has been sleep walking and is attracted to fire while doing it.

Last but certainly not least, the rubber man. All I can say is, what the hell?

Intrigued? You should be. Let us hope that this show lasts, because I love it. Just for that reason, it won't make it to season 2. The second episode is on tonight at 9/10 central. If you missed the first, it is On Demand Comcast or you can stream it in through sidereel, or watch it on FX.com. If you have seen the show let me know what you think about it!

Do remember my giveaways this month!!! It'll all start the 24th! My own giveaway will be done with 16 more followers! =) Details under the "October Happenings" tab.

Nashville Zombie Walk 2011

2011-10-11T08:05:00.004-05:00

I'd like to take a post and put a video from the Nashville Zombie Walk 2011. I was not able to attend this year. I do have major plans for next year. It looked like everyone had a great time for a great cause.

This video was made by the Tennessean.

I have removed the video, as it was making my blog slow, and slowing down my traffic.

Cool Halloween Costumes!

2011-10-10T09:55:00.002-05:00

It's getting to be the time when we all think of what we want to be for halloween. I usually don't partake in this because costumes in my house are an all year around thing. My son has a various assortment to choose from whatever tickles his pickle at the time.

What I like about costumes are originality and homemade. I have combed the internet for some of the best. I've even included a few my son has worn in the past years.

This is my son, Gage, as the Joker last year. His grandma made the costume.

I love Elvis, and I thought this was hilarious.

This jigsaw contraption was homemade.

Leggo Men.

My son will be Mario this year. I thought this Mario on Yoshi was pretty cool.

If I had a bundle of kids, this would be a great idea! Love it.

LOL! This kid looks like he wants to be somewhere else.

Smurfette, the best one I've seen so far.

I don't know if these people were trying to be explicit or if the boxed wine actually works. I thought it was cool though. (No, I don't know them.)

Ramen Noodles!

My husband always tells me I could be in the Lollipop Gang, so this picture was right up my alley.

Does anyone else feel sorry for this doggy?

They got the weapons wrong, but it is a very good try. TMNT was my favorite cartoon growing up, and I always wanted to be April O'Neil.

Batman is a favorite in my house, so I liked this one. They were going for the original series from the 1960's (we watch these episodes most mornings during breakfast... BAM! POW!) They did great.

This guy looks very happy to be an iPod.

The complete Justice League. If you don't know the Justice League, shame on you. Although, I see no one would be Aquaman. Don't blame them. Really.

Spiffy, and well done.

My son, Gage, as a vampire two years ago.

Don't forget about my giveaways this month! They are coming up soon! Details, click here!

Zombie Pumpkins!

2011-10-09T18:32:00.003-05:00

So, you want to make some zombie pumpkins?

Here is how:

Find some white pumpkins... this is better for the pale complexion.

I got an assortment for the victims too. I got in the zone, and forgot to take step by step pictures, but there is really nothing to them. Just a little time and patience.

-Scrap out the insides, but save them if you want to get messy and make bloody guts.
-Carve out eye holes, bigger than your eyeballs (you can get eyeballs at any craft store. I found mine at Party City, they even glow in the dark.) I used pushpins to hold in the rubber eyeballs, after sawing them in half.

-Figure out what mouth you want, then draw it with crayon. (crayon wipes off, if you mess up.)
-I shaved the skin off for the teeth, when I carved them out.

I did two different zombies. One is kind of cutesy being all zombified, while the other is eating a smaller pumpkin.
I made the eyes go in different directions too. My victim has a bite mark complete with teeth indentions and red paint for blood.
I did everything free hand, but there are a ton of patterns on the internet if you need them.

You can use the pumpkin scraps for bloody guts. I warn you, it's hell to clean up, and can draw ants. So I opted out. You can do it however you want.
Get creative and have fun setting up your zombie scene on your front porch. x)
These were also easy to make. No great skills needed, and I used a pumpkin carving kit. You master carvers can get down with it and pull out the power tools.

I will be setting up my scene tomorrow with more small victims. I'll post a picture soon!

Cool Pumpkin Carvings!

2011-10-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

I love to pumpkin carve. I found some cool pictures to share.

I loved this one because of Napoleon Dynamite.

Tomorrow I will be doing a post on how to carve a zombie pumpkin. I'm going to make two. They will rock. Also, don't forget about my giveaway! If you do not want to leave your e-mail in a comment, then you may e-mail me directly at Annie.Walls@live.com

The Lords of Salem

2011-10-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

I want to start off in saying that I've been enjoying doing these posts. A lot. I get up, drink my coffee, and write. Horror is a favorite genre of mine, and I find them quite easy to do. For the new reader's of this blog; it is not a horror blog. I've been writing about all things scary and Halloween for the month of October. Check out my October Scare-A-Ganza and giveaways, get in on the action here!

Today, I want to talk about a film that I am greatly anticipating. The Lords of Salem directed by the man himself, Rob Zombie. The film is set to start filming in TWO weeks. Yes, yes.

It is set in modern day Salem, MA. The town gets a visit from a 300 year old coven of witches. YAY! For those who are wondering, of course, Sheri Moon will be in it, as Heidi. I've stalked all the sites and blogs for some cool teaser photos. Here they are... enjoy!

These are all set photos.

Torture device. Can't wait to find out who is going to be sitting in it.

Behind the scenes. Direct quote from Rob:

"What the fuck is Wayne Toth working on now? More nasty business for Lords. And to answer your questions... YES! There will be a lot of tits in the film."

More behind the scenes. Who is this guy going to be?

A few more pictures, just because.

I added this one because of the Black Cat T-shirt. That kind of creme's my Twinkie.

That kid is creepy, add a clown mask and homicidal tendencies, you've got yourself a ten year old Michael Myers.

Also, I got these pictures from Rob's film blog. I had to dig for them, but I found them. If you are a fan of Rob's movies and his potty mouth. Even a Sheri fan will love this site. There is a picture of her with the assless chaps that she wore to the Pussy Liquor store in House of 1000 Corpses. You'll enjoy it. Lot's of photo's from every film. Another thing, become a fan of Rob on Facebook and you'll get news first. I found out, yesterday, about a new casting. Dee Wallace as Sonny, a self help guru. Then, last night, I saw it on Horrorbid. Horrorbid claims Rob updates his status first. I don't know about it myself, but I have to agree... just a wee bit.

Do not forget about my October Scare-A-Ganza giveaway. Tell your friends! Details, click here!

Creature's from Horror Flicks that We have No Idea What They are!!!

2011-10-04T21:35:00.003-05:00

We all watch them. Horror flicks featuring creatures that we are left guessing what the hell they are. I've extended a list for your enjoyment. Please do feel free to add to it! Let's see what everyone can come up with.

Jeeper's Creepers

If you can tell me what this guy is, please do. I guess he ate a variety of things to turn out this way. Did he eat one of these:

This dilophosaurus' features were made up for Jurassic Park, By the way.

The Blob

This blob sucks up everything it touches... so, what is it?

Pumpkinhead

The movie claims he is a demon, but I have my doubts.

The Descent

Right. They live in the dark, eat people, and have no senses but hearing.

Swamp Thing

I suppose the name says it all. He kind of resembles an uncle of mine.

The Host

I wouldn't say this thing got beat with the ugly stick, but he did fall down the ugly tree hitting every branch on the way down. I guess he is some sort of Lochness monster, but even then, we don't know what it is exactly.

The Thing

Hmmm. Got me here. I'm completely confused. The thing is supposed to be an alien, but to me it looks like a giant spider.

Last, but not least, and certainly my favorite:

It might be disguised as a child eating clown named Pennywise, but in the sewers he is all of the creatures above rolled into one. That makes him the best creature, ever.

REAL Haunted Places!!

2011-10-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

Today I'm going to talk about two of my favorite haunted places. If you watch Ghost Hunters or the top Haunted Places in America on the travel channel then you have probably heard of them. Today, I will tell you why they are my favorite.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Louisville, KY

This hospital opened up in 1910, and was the leading hospital to take in Tuberculosis patients during the widespread outbreak.

Why I love it?

Well, because when the hospital first opened it was only a two story wooden building. At the time was only a little TB clinic that could hold 40 - 50 people. Then, when the epidemic hit (this was before antibiotics. I say, GIVE THEM BEER!) Anyway, there were more than 140 patients at the clinic, and had been built upon in 1924 and is now the gothic looking awesomeness that still stands today. The sanatorium reopened in 1926.

The original Waverly Hills.

When the sanatorium reopened it was considered one of the most modern and well-equipped. It stayed open until antibiotics were discovered. The Waverly Hills site says when antibiotics were invented. BULLSHIT! Antibiotics were discovered, from beer. Yes, they were, but that is a different story. Oh, the hospital closed in 1961.

Life at the hospital? At first, they had to rely on natural remedies, hence the big porches for fresh air. Their beds were actually kept on the porches, even in winter. Poor things, they should have just gotten them drunk. They were also given sunlamp treatments, which was to help destroy the bacteria. A few disturbing form of treatments? There was one that involved collapsing a lung called Pneumothorax. This was to close off holes caused by the disease, and give the lung a chance to heal. Thoracoplasty was the removal of several ribs sometimes involving Lobectomy, which is cutting out the diseased part of a lung.

Now for the good stuff, the haunts. A nurse named Mary Hillenburg was found hanging in room 502 in 1928. It is said she committed suicide because she found she was pregnant out of wedlock. Some stories say she was impregnated by a doctor of Waverly who was married. He had tried an abortion which had killed her, only to make it look like a suicide. Another nurse took her own life in 502, by throwing herself out of a window. There are reports of shadows moving across the floors and walls of room 502.

A ghostly photo of room 502.

The body chute was originally used for supplies and deliveries. It is a tunnel that leads from behind Waverly Hills to the train tracks. After so many patients started dying, they would use this tunnel to remove the bodies. This tunnel is now haunted by spirits that had traveled the length. Voices and unidentified noises can be heard in the tunnel.

The estimated deaths that occurred at Waverly? 63,000.

A cool ghost photo, that I liked.

The Stanley Hotel

Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel is located within sight of the Rocky Mountain National Park. It opened in 1909 by Stanley Steamer, Freenlan O. Stanley. The hotel catered to the rich and famous including Roosevelt, the Emperor of Japan, and Titanic survivor, Margaret Brown.

Why I love it? Stephen King also stayed at this hotel inspiring him to write The Shining. Mr. King was one of the only guests at the time and had gotten lost trying to find his room. Today, a channel on the guest room TV's play a continuos loop of The Shining.

The haunts? There are many stories to the Stanley Hotel, but none are violent. There are many reports of a piano being played, rumoring that it is the spirit of the wife of Mr. Stanley.

Room 418 and the full 4th floor have the most paranormal activity. Sounds of children being heard, and reports of a man disappearing from sight.

It seems the entities of the Stanley Hotel are not violent, and many people reserve their spots to stay at the haunted hotel. One person took a ghost tour and had taken this picture:

Oooh, creepy. Seems to be a ghost child to me.

There you have it, my favorite famous haunted places. What are yours? Please do feel free to share or add something I hadn't mentioned.

Do not forget about my October Scare-A-Ganza! 20 more folks, and the giveaway is here! Details!!!!!

5 Best Haunted Attraction Parks in America!

2011-10-03T10:18:00.001-05:00

Haunted Houses have been a long Halloween tradition. Starting out in tents and street festivals to high-tech, hollywood graphics and make-up. I've done my research and I'm going to tell you the best ones! These just aren't haunted houses, but whole parks full of nonstop adrenaline rushes.

Bennett's Curse

Baltimore, Maryland

This haunt was voted one of the top in the nation. Three attractions make up this scream park: House of Vampyres, Sanctuary of Insanity, and Zombie Kingdom 3D. We all now, know why I chose this to be one of the best. I would love to go through an attraction with 3D glasses on! For more information, directions, or tickets click here!

Woods of Terror

Greensboro, NC

Before I tell you about this attraction, the gallery is a must see! You can see photo's here! This scream park has 10 attractions for your enjoyment! The three I am most interested in: The Awakening is taken place in a graveyard. Ghosts, ghouls, and zombies... I am sure. Infestation digs deep into anyones phobia. Scared of bugs? Spiders? Snakes? The Dark? Closed in spaces? If not, I'm sure you'll find something you do not like. Sounds awesome to me. Horrorwood takes us to our favorite horror film slashers. Need more info? Tickets? Click here!

The Nest

Chandler, AZ

The gallery is here! The reason I liked this one is the tour starts out in an actual graveyard before being thrown into a completely darkened maze. Then, you mosey on over to The Nest, a haunted house. Sounds like a great night to me. For more info or tickets, click here!

Indy ScreamPark

Indianapolis, IN

The picture gallery for this one, is almost as good as Woods of Terror! This park has 5 major attractions. The only one I'm really interested in, is the INFECTED! It is a unique take on a cornfield maze. Going in, you better hope you don't run into any infected. Of course, I would search for an explanation before finding my way out. Not everyone is me, so I don't blame you if you take the easy road. Info? Directions? Tickets? Coupons? Click here.

Thrillvania

Terrell, TX

We all know I love the Voodoo stuff. This haunted park has 8 fun filled, unique attractions. A haunted manor surrounded with the Voodoo Lupine. Some things that interest me are Voodoo Bayou. A fog filled maze around the grounds of the haunted manor. You got to fill your way out and hope you don't come in contact with any bayou creatures. Take part in witnessing physical manifestations of spirits in Granny Lupus' Seance Theatre. Thorn Hall is a sensory mind-blowing experience. Let's hope you can see and hear the same as when you entered. This park was voted one of the best hometown haunts on one of my favorite sites, Fangoria.com. This is also MY number attraction to see. I like it because it is unlike any other. Check out the gallery here! Tickets? Info? Click here!

There you have it. America's best haunted attractions, in my book. I will be doing a post on the best haunted houses soon.

Don't forget to check out my October Scare-A-Ganza, and sign up to win! Check out the details here! I'm over half way to fifty followers! Share with your friends!

How to do the Thriller Dance!

2011-10-02T09:29:00.007-05:00

Hello! I attended a bachlorette party last night. If you are a male that was in downtown Nashville last night. Did you get pinched, poked, prodded, groped, tickled, slapped, and possibly maimed by a group of women with bunny ears and grass skirts? Well, that wasn't us. So, I'm a little slow today and needed an easy post.

I have decided to teach you the Thriller Dance. Those of you who do not know what "Thriller" is, well, you should know. Only one of the best songs Michael Jackson had ever recorded. It is a novelty song and the video (14 minutes of awesomeness) was inspired by 1950's horror flicks. I couldn't find a playback for my blog but you can see the full video here.

This is pretty cool too! You more than get the Thriller effects:

This is the best video tutorial I have found:

I love how the music and instructions are all rolled in one. Really cool. Not everyone has mad dancing skills like I do, so it might take you a few watches to get it down. This next one breaks it down slowly.

Sweet... you'll be monster jamming in no time.

Here are the written instructions. It might be confusing, but there are people who like it written out. The instructions were copied from List after List.

○ WALK FORWARD, POINT, WALK BACK, POINT
○ Walk forward R-L-R
○ Point L to left side while extending are arm straight up clenched fist
○ Lower right arm, Walk back L-R-L
○ Touch are to right side while extending L arm straight up clenched fist
○ VINE LEFT, UPPERBODY ROCKS
○ Lower are arm and cross step are over L, Step L to left side
○ Step are behind left
○ Point L to left side
○ while extending left arm straight out to left "fingers pointed out" and hold left arm out to left and keep looking to left for next 4 counts
○ Keep feet on floor, but shifting weight; move upper body sideways L-R-L-R
○ WEAVE RIGHT, 1/4 TURN RIGHT (CW)
○ Lower left arm while cross step L behind right, Step are to right side
○ Cross step L over right, Step are to right side
○ Cross step L behind right
○ Step are while turning 1/4 turn right (CW)
○ Step L beside right
○ Touch are toe beside left (keep right heel raised)1-4
○ SHOULDER SHRUGS, MOONWALK****
○ Keeping right heel raised; raise L shoulder while lowering are shoulder
○ Raise are shoulder while lowering L shoulder
○ Raise L shoulder while lowering are shoulder
○ Raise are shoulder while lowering are shoulder
○ With right heel raised Drag are toe back as you step back
○ (as you step back, are heel lowers pop L heel off floor)
○ With left heel raised; Drag L toe back as you step back
○ (as you step back, L heel lowers pop are heel off floor)
○ Repeat "moonwalk" steps 5-6
○ SHIMMY RIGHT, SHIMMY LEFT, ALA DOWN & DIRTY
○ Step are to right side, Shimmy, Shimmy, Touch L beside right
○ Step L to left side, Shimmy, Shimmy, Touch are beside left

Now take your new dance moves to a Halloween party, and get your Thriller on! Don't forget about my October Scare-A-Ganza! If you need details, click here! I'm pulling the blinds and watching scary movies.

I do leave you with a Walking Dead: Season 2 Trailer. Oct. 16th.

October Scare-A-Ganza Kick-Off and GIveaways!!!

2011-10-01T07:54:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed my Blogger Zombie Walk post. If you missed it, it was yesterday's post, so please feel free to read it! I enjoyed surfing the zombie themed blogs and made many new friends with the same interests as me. I read zombie poems, zombie raps, learned how to make realistic blood, zombie short stories, saw what celebrities would look like as zombies, learned how to make cupcakes shaped like brains with a red filling. If you missed it... well, it was awesome.

My October kick off weekend is finally here. For today, I've decided to do Ghost Stories from my home state, Tennessee.

Tennessee is a vastly haunted geographic area, mainly because of the civil war. There are many ghost stories to keep me plenty busy.

Those of you who live in TN, you might have heard of a few of these, but rest assured, some even I was surprised. Keep in mind, my blog is read from all over the world, and other's will find these interesting. I'm hoping everyone will learn something.

The most famous is the Bell Witch. It is so famous, it has its own website: The Bell Witch Haunting. It actually has several websites due to the fact of numerous theories on how the manifestations came about. I'm not going to go into great detail, but details I find interesting. Also, some of you might know the movie An American Haunting, was based on the Bell Witch. If you haven't seen it, put it in your Netflix cache. It's pretty good and accurate as far as the events that had taken place in the Bell home.

The Trailer.

Even though the Bell Witch is famous, there was another reason I wanted to mention it. Growing up in Tennessee, as a child, it was taboo to even mention the Bell Witch. The Bell Witch was our boogie man. If we are bad, the Bell Witch will get us. To go into the bathroom in the dark and say her name, she will appear in the mirror, and you will wake up with horrid scratches on your face. Through my own experience and curiosity, it never happened to me, to my dismay. My playground mates swear that it had happened to them. Lucky bastards. I believe now, they were lying or were too scared to try it. Probably the latter. It is also said that the cave on the Bell property is haunted, if you throw a rock in it, it would return to hit you. I've never been to the cave, so I don't know if this is true. Like I said, childhood stories.

The legend? John Bell moved his family to the Red River community in the early 1800's. Red River is now known as Adams, Tennessee. It is only a 45 minute drive from where I live, but I hear it really isn't anything special. Not even a goosebump. It may be because the Bell witch has long since stopped making manifestations.

The Bell Home

Working in the field, John had encountered strange animals. Only figuring out they weren't really there when he shot at them. For the next two years strange things started occurring, escalating to the point of madness. The noises went from outside to inside the farmhouse. An invisible entity pulling covers and pillows from the children's beds. Soon they started hearing whispering and singing from a seemingly old woman. The creepiness went on with the youngest daughter, Betsy, who had brutal encounters with the entity. Hair pulling and slapping often leaving welts and bruises on her body.

John Bell decided to share these things with his closest neighbor, James Johnston. James and his wife spent the night, experiencing the same things. Word spread of the Bell home quickly to General Andrew Jackson who had taken an interest. John and his eldest sons had fought in the Battle of New Orleans(1815) with General Jackson.

Small history lesson for those of you who do not know Andrew Jackson here is a brief recap: He is a big part of Tennessee history. He became America's 7th president in 1829. He lived in Tennessee in his early life, known as the Washington District, then the Southwest Territory. It became the State of Tennessee in 1796. He did military crap, legal crap, and political crap. Jackson also adorns our twenty dollar bill. I assume this is because Jackson was many things: Lawyer, Colonel, General, U.S. Senator, Judge, slave owner, planter, merchant, AND a stinking president. Apparently, a very self-accomplished person.

Anyway, It was a big deal, Jackson's interest in the Bell happenings. Sounds like to me, Jackson just wanted to stick his nose in someone else's business and decided to visit the Bell Farm with many men. Including a "witch tamer." Jackson had a serious encounter with the Bell Witch upon entering the farm. His horse and carriage were stopped and unable to be pulled forward until he heard the voice telling him that he may proceed and she will see them later on in the evening. The carriage was then moved forward.

Later, after a quiet evening, the witch tamer said they had not seen the entity because it was scared of his "silver bullet" which he claimed killed evil spirits. The man immediately began experiencing pins and needles, and had been kicked out the front door by an invisible foot. The Bell Witch had then told Jackson there was another fraud in his group, and she would identify this man with torment later. Jackson's entourage was terrified, wanting to leave. Jackson refused. They slept outside in their tents, what happened next remains a mystery. Jackson and his crew left en route back to Nashville.

Several other things had happened to the Bell family. Betsy called off an engagement because of the entity's dislike of it. John Bell died with the entity claiming she had poisoned him. John's funeral was huge with many people attending. The entity laughed and sang joyously during the whole funeral. After the death of John, the happenings decreased. Even though, it is to be said she often visits descendants of the Bell family. Supposedly, there are still unexplained things happening at the Bell Farm today. Such as, children laughing that aren't there. You can see candle light in the fields at night. Photography taken that shows strange things. If you google it many photos come up like these:

This is inside the cave. Could be trick of the light. Photoshop?

Outside the cave. Could be someone smoking a cigarette.

More cave. More tricks of light.