Happy Birthday Robert Englund!

Thanks for the memories...

For all who don't know me well, my true introduction to the wonderful world of horror was watching A Nightmare on Elm Street. That's right folks, back when we still watched movies from little plastic boxes with spinning tape inside of them, I watched a movie starring Robert Englund as the one and only Freddy Krueger. Hell, I remember the fact that we had to rent VCR's back then because they were too expensive to own for most families.

So there I was, I think eight years old at the time, watching this movie about a man killing people inside their dreams! Oh my what a concept, especially for an eight-year-old. Even though (SPOILER ALERT: And if by chance you're one of those who have never seen the original A Nightmare on Elm Street...What are you thinking reading this! Get out there, find a copy and watch it! NO! Stop reading, close the browser and go find the freaking movie now! For the ladies...do remember it's one of the first Johnny Depp films, and it was before he started rolling with Tim Burton, muhahahahahaha) they defeated Freddy at the end of the movie (shhhhhhhh! Those who've seen it know why I'm shushing them), the idea was forever burned into my mind.

Oh and did that beautiful idea haunt me! It took what seemed like forever to me to finally be able to sleep at night without freaking out.

I remember one particular night with vivid clarity. It was time for bed and as was with other nights, fear gripped my mind and wouldn't allow me the ability to fall asleep. My mother called to me from across our home that it was time for bed and I very reluctantly turned the light off and climbed into my bed. Cowering under my blanket, I remember the events as if they happened just moments ago. Here I am, trying to convince myself it's safe to go to bed, when the heating system kicks on. Now anyone who's ever slept in a mobile home will tell you, the sound of the heater kicking on is not quiet...it revs for lack of better terms. The moment the heater started to “rev up,” this car full of kids drives down my road, all of them screaming with glee. To me, it sounded like the boiler room with souls being tortured!

To this day, I don't know who was more freaked out: Me from hearing the car full of kids or my mom who had to hear her son scream at the top of his lungs. Welcome to the world of horror Trent Kinsey!

I don't remember how long my life of fear continued after that, but I remember my mom bringing to me an article from either a newspaper or magazine, showcasing the day Robert Englund got married. I remember seeing a picture of a cake with skeletons and other horror figures decorating it. And on another page, a picture of the man I was scared would kill me in my sleep. Without any of the makeup. No scars, no burnt flesh or torn, ratty sweater. And most importantly, no glove with razor sharp knives attached to the fingers.

This man, this horrific figure, looked like a common comedian! How could I have ever let this man haunt my dreams? Why was I letting him keep me from falling asleep? And the spell of Freddy Krueger broke and I was freed from his nightmarish clutches.

Since that day, all the sequels that followed I found to be entertaining. Hell I even laughed at most of them. I stared watching them just to see what new ways he would torture some youth in their nightmares. I became a fan of horror.

So, happy birthday Robert Englund, the man who first scarred the living shit out of me. May you have many, many more. You started me on my path of writing horror and trying to scare my readers as much as you scared me as a child.

Your fan,

In the Mood...

During the past couple of years, I've met many authors and made a lot more friends who all love to write. One of the most common things we share is each of us have a particular thing to help get us in the mood to write. Some listen to music while others prefer absolute quiet. Though I fall in the former category more than not, I still find myself at times bouncing to the world of quiet as well. 

Recently, I've found that television helps me to leave this reality for one of my own making. 

It does sound strange, I cannot argue with that, but, I've become fond of watching Lost while putting words on paper. During the past couple of weeks I've been watching episode after episode on one screen of my computer as I write on the other. I don't know exactly why it works that way for me at the time, but it does.

Maybe it's from being pulled into the world of the characters of the show that allows me to slip into my own world (or better yet into the alternate reality where my characters exist), or maybe it's nothing more than a simple distraction, but it's what is working for me so I don't really try questioning it anymore. 

It all boils down to one thing: I'm creating horror again and I won't complain about that.

So, friends, fans and family...what do you do to get you into the mood of your craft?

It's Never Easy...

Here we are, yet again. Last night as I read more of Clive Barker's Abarat, Book Three, my muse came to me with another idea...but will she stay long enough to get at least one book done? I sure hope so.

It seems as of late, my muse loves the idea to make me think of codes...Ooo, Trent, if you do this, it would look awesome! And I go running off to make new and neat things for my day job.

But it's not what I originally dreamed of doing. True, I enjoy my day job and true we don't always do what we dreamed we would set out for, but I still wish to have a hardcover with my name on it. I'm plagued with so many ideas, interesting characters and of course plot twists, but lately I've had problems getting them down on paper in more than just a hundred words at a time.  It's all a state of mind, I know, but it doesn't change the fact that for some reason, writing hasn't been coming as easy as it used to.

I must overcome, I must be more! I will do more.

So on that note, I will depart early today and let the muse drag me through my weird imagination for whatever wild rides she chooses. Let's roll Muse!

Organizing My Mind

The urge to write is returning! But, as usual, it seems to be accompanied by the need to get current tasks out of the way. And those current tasks take a level of imagination and time. Neither of which can be spared easily.

It’s never simple to organize time. Regardless of if you sit and take a break or you rush until you are completely burnt out, time steadily ticks. It seems that each day I end up being asked by my wife if I’m ready to watch the latest episode of whichever show we are currently watching (more on our list of favorite TV later) and I have to pause and reflect. Where did the day go! I know I spent some time being productive, especially working for the Marine Corps, but honestly…I feel I’m sitting at a raging river trying to hold on to a handful of the water. Just when I think I have a handle on it, time—just like water—slips through my fingers and is gone with the rapids. I then am left with the thought, why didn’t I write anything today? Why am I having troubles getting my mind to sweep out the dust and cobwebs and get things moving? Then I think of time I spent developing this script or creating that page because I could or wanted to try and make something work.

Time and imagination. I need to allot both equally across my tasks, because so far, I’ve focused on primarily web and not having any stories written is getting to be depressing. So I organize in an attempt to sway myself to actually write.

The term “herding cats” comes to mind each time I try to think of prioritizing my list of things to do. It seems just when I think I have an idea of how to put time to each, my brain goes haywire and starts thinking of other things that I can try too! “Oooo…try making a page that does this, because it’s so much easier to do!” And I grab hold of the hand of insanity for a wild ride. Because, hey, it is easier for me to create some strange piece of code that automates this or makes a banner do this or that on someone’s website.

In an attempt to counter this problem of mine, I’m now relying a little more on technology to kick myself in the ass constantly. I am using this program (remains nameless because I’m not endorsing it, just seeing if it helps) that will help me put all my happy little things to do in categories and folder and whatnot so I can open it and go “hmmm, I should try and do this next.” This happy little program will also follow me on my phone, which up until now has been used mainly to play Angry Birds Space, or 3D Bowling. Now if I get some crazed idea while I’m out smoking, I can open the program and type it into a note to remind myself to work on it later.

Here’s hoping it works, because a writer who isn’t writing…well it’s never happy. If I’m not sharing my insanity with you, my readers, then I’m the only one insane. And what kind of world would that be? No fun at all if you ask me.

Hoping you all have a great weekend,

More than I can chew?

Busy, busy, busy, busy!

I left my mom’s house the other day, and wanted to laugh at myself…again? I go to my mom’s about twice a week to see how all is going and share what’s been going on with my life during the days away. But, it seems over the last weeks (yes, I’ve lost count) when my mom asks what’s been going on, my reply has become a standard: Work, work and more work.

To catch everyone up and to share with any new readers, I have many jobs…all I love. From nine to five (hours vary depending on the day) I work for the headqurters of the Marine Corps reserve forces as their main webmaster, design and developer, and now taking on roles that fall under the section’s information management. From around six at night until—well let’s say twelve in the morning, I spend time with my wife watching TV as well as working as a web designer/developer for clients of our company, Otherworlds Publicity. This does not include the favors my wife and I do for friends regularly.

Now, as many of you know, I do play on Facebook and other platforms, but what isn’t well known, is that if I don’t take five minutes here or there, I’d lose my mind (I am laughing here). There is only so much code one mind can take in a twenty-four-hour period before it crashes. I know this now because of some nights, coming home from work, I’ve done nothing but crash until about six or six-thirty when I wake and go back to work…some nights I don’t get back up until nine then crash again at mid-night.

The good news? I’m actually getting caught up again! I will be able to have a day job until at least next summer when we play the game of continued contracting for another fiscal year and I start to stress out about if the command knows my worth or not. This translates into all my imagination being put into various scripts and page designs. I’ve started to build my day-to-day rhythm back up after last year’s events, and have actually been able to sit and think of story ideas and developments once a gain.

So my friends, family and fans…stick with me as things are about to start running at full speed again!

Welcome BackREVIEW: American Horror (TV Show )

I’d first like to welcome everyone back to my blog, I know it’s been a while since last I wrote anything that didn’t have an HTML tag starting it. Most of all, I’d like to thank my wife for the new decorations in my play area where I can talk with all of you about things I’ve seen or things that are happening. And what better way to start playing in my new sand box, then to talk about a new horror TV show!

It was by a random series of events that I fell upon the commercial for the new horror series, American Horror Story, from FX. The ad happened to air just before one of the music videos I watch on YouTube when trying to convince my muse to come back and help me write again. Unfortunately, I only caught enough to know it was a new and airing this last week and only “American” and “Horror” from the name. I finally got to watch the first episode (thank God I could find it on the TV guide list on my computer and set the series to record) and it is so much more than just a catchy title.

American Horror Story centers on a family of three, trying to make a second start at their lives. They end up in this old house in California where not only a myriad of bizarre murders occurred, but, unbeknownst to the family, the house seems to be haunted by the souls of the ones who died in it. And I’m not talking your average, cheesy ghosts in white sheets haunting. This is Thirteen-Ghosts-sent-to-hell-for-a-royal-make-over kind of haunting!

First, the family actually seems like a normal-day family! No stupid teenager, running from monsters, tripping on air, bullshit. The daughter has strengths and extreme weaknesses that I can see being exploited to the fullest as the series progresses. She’s not the popular girl at school and has to fight just to be allowed to be herself. As with most teens, she doesn’t understand her parents or what has happened to them in the past and thus is very rebellious of them to the point she befriends one of her father’s patients.

And don’t romanticize her father being a doctor with shows like ER. No, he is a psychiatrist who has worked with deranged patients in the past. Not only that, he’s trying to keep his family together after making the mistake of screwing one of his students—an act his wife caught him in during the beginning of the episode. And of course, the mother has her own personal battles she is facing as she too tries to keep the family and marriage together…but I won’t tell too much more because so much happens in the first episode, I fear I’d give too much away!

I have to admit, I’m highly impressed with what FX has put together here. You don’t know what is real and what is haunting! You can actually connect with the characters and feel as they would in the show and when the creepy stuff starts happening, you actually feel CREEPY watching it!
For a pilot episode, all I have to say is, WOW and I fear seeing what they can come up with to follow!

Bald Face Liar, I mean “Creative Writer” Blogger Award

My friend, Hales, asked me to participate in this harmless liar’s game. I think it sounds like fun! I’ll post seven items about me, only TWO of which are true. The others are “little white lies”.

1. I used to work in Military Intelligence

2. I have never broken a bone in my body
3. I used to work in the adult film industry

4. I used to be one of the best recruiters in the Marine Corps

5. In real life, I am one of the most blandest people you will ever meet

6. I have four tattoos, one of a wolf howling at the moon, one of a wearwolf, one of an eagle globe and anchor, one of a set of staff sergeant chevrons with my dates of service underneath.
7. When I write, I usually don't know what I've written until I get to the end and wake up to see what's on the page.

I now hereby pass on the Liar’s Torch to these writers ( in no particular order!). Keep the liar’s game going. Visit their sites and see if you can guess which of their statements are little white lies:

Kayden McLeod

Brigit Aine

Imari Jade

D.M. Slate