Want to Reduce Stress? Read!

A recent scientific study confirmed what I have long suspected -- reading can help reduce stress and lower blood pressure. As an author, I can't tell you how much that thrills me. It's nice to know every time somebody picks up a Chloe Files book Chloe is not only protecting the town of New Salem from ghosts and demons, but the reader from future heart problems!

Reading, according to the survey, forces you to focus and shut out worry and outside stresses. As I have said in this blog in the past, reading helps you escape everyday life concerns for a few hours, eases tension. The study reported that reading did indeed reduce muscle tension and slowed the heart rate.

Listening to music came in second, incidentally, so if you are one of those folks who likes to read with music playing in the background, you may no longer need those life insurance premiums.

So I wonder, does that make us authors fitness gurus? It would be nice to be a guru of some kind. It sounds cool being a guru. Yep, a new term -- Ocular Cognitive Guru. Or something.

Of course I recommend you pick up a Chloe Files or Nightmare Club book to start feeling better right this moment, but lots of wonderful authors out there need your support and you actually get a very positive health benefit back. Reading may not be quite as good as sex, but on the other hand you won't have to worry about BTDs...Book Transmitted Diseases. It's win-win, right?

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Dark December price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Introducing: Nerd from The Nightmare Club

Name: Preston Winslow Wainwright "Nerd"

Born: February 22. Aged 10 1/2

Hometown: New Salem, Maine

Closest relatives: Father and mother, various aunts and uncles, cousins.

Nerd Facts: Nerd is the science brain of the group and likes bugs. He's always trying to make the perfect ant cup. He's a bit accident prone and has trouble relating to others. He is also the youngest member because he skipped two grades. He is allergic to nearly everything.

Occupation: Ghost chaser. Student. Budding scientist.

Starring Role:

The Nightmare Club #1: The Headless Paperboy
The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon
The Nightmare Club #3: The Willow Witch

Author Comments: Nerd is an outcast from the start, and essentially a lonely child. His father is a doctor who gives him whatever he wants in terms of material possessions but seldom has time to interact with him personally. He does tend to get easily distracted and sometimes this causes "accidents" with his experiments.

Where everyday is Halloween!
The Nightmare Club series on Kindle
#1 The Headless Paperboy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ
#2 The Deadly Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
#3 The Willow Witch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CK4RVQ
(Also available in Nook and paperback formats)

What Do You Fear Losing Most?

That's a question that has plagued Chloe Everson, the heroine of my horror paranormal series The Chloe Files for most of her life.

At age seven she lost both her parents, then watched as her twin sister was taken away to a separate foster home. She never saw her again, and still relentlessly searches for her.

Chloe has also nearly lost her fiance on numerous occasions, as well as her own life. So, for her, it comes down to losing everything she has loved.

And that's a fear that most of us can empathize with. I know I can. Material things don't mean a lot; if they are lost they can usually be replaced. But we can't replace our loved ones when they are taken, and that fear resides in all of us at one time or another.

It's an unfair fear, because eventually we will lose our loved ones or they will lose us. It's a fact of life, though a sad one. Whether it be a spouse, relative, child or pet, losing someone you love is never easy, no matter how many people tell you they've gone to a better place. I believe that fear can often be paralyzing, and in a way I'm lucky that I can, in my stories, write about it and explore it through my characters.

Not that it is an easy thing to do, but in the quest for understanding life's often brutal turns, it's the best outlet I have.

Perhaps the best thing to do is couched the lyrics to an old song that goes, "Live every day every possible way/spend your time with your family and friends." Sometimes the best cure for the fear of losing someone is to keep them close and make the most of the time you do have with them.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Dark December price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Dark December Prelude Continues with Cyber Monday Paranormal Deals...

Dark December Prelude continues for Cyber Monday with a brand new sale price of $2.99 on book #2 in The Nightmare Club series, The Deadly Dragon. Meet Orville Turner as he moves into the spooky cursed town of New Salem, Maine, and meets up with the strange bunch of misfits calling themselves The Nightmare Club. What is going on in the old deserted house on Tuttle Street? What's up with the mysterious ghost of the Dragon Boy anyway? And the town's resident bully, The Gibb, is up to his old tricks, but will they backfire on him again?
Find out in The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Nightmare-Club-2/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012860934

And be sure to grab your copy of Dark Harbors, 29 tales of horror, the paranormal and macabre, on Kindle and Nook for the special Dark December price of .99 cents! This price won't last long, so act quickly.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BYWAP8
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-harbors-howard-hopkins/1008499925

Also for Dark December, The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes is now just $2.99 on both Kindle and Nook. Join demon ass-kicker Chloe Everson as she fights the Evil invading the haunted streets of New Salem and searches for her lost sister.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Chloe-Files-1/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012513571

Secrets of The Chloe Files: Episode 14

It's a chilly evening here in New Salem, Maine. The moon is the color of an old skull and the sea is lazy. Waves loll in, a masquerade...

It's on nights like this I miss my sister the most. We were separated at seven, sent to different foster homes. Or so I was told. I have doubts, now.

I've searched for her for too many years. Those doubts became solid when I encountered her ghost. Or what I am led to believe was her ghost.

I try to convince myself she's not gone...that she hasn't come back from the beyond the veil. It's not an easy lie to swallow. But in New Salem things...well, things aren't always black and white.

I won't stop searching until I find her...or whatever came to me as her spirit finds me first. I won't stop searching for the truth--the dark truth. Because she and I are more than we were told. Different, somehow. Our destinies entwined, our fates...fluid.

God help me, I just want her back alive...but I'll settle for a body...
--Chloe Everson

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Dark December price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Dark December Prelude

December -- the coming of winter and the chilled breath of the Dark Ones...What better month for ghosts and things that go bump in the night?

Dark December begins in a few days and through out the month I'll be offering special deals, spooky posts and giveaways of my horror and paranormal books through this blog, Twitter and Facebook. The ghosts of the past, present and future will come alive (so to speak) to haunt us all.

To start it off, a prelude: I have dropped the price on Dark Harbors for a very limited time only deal of .99 cents on Kindle and Nook, but you have to act fast. Dark Harbors is my short story and novella anthology of tales of horror, dark romance, and the macabre. Here you'll find sea entities, vengeful ghosts, haunting love, and even an animated wooden Indian with a mad-on. Journey through the haunted streets of Dark Harbor, Maine, but watch your step--there's danger and angry spirits lurking around every corner.

Buy Dark Harbors for 99c here:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BYWAP8
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-harbors-howard-hopkins/1008499925

Also available in Kindle at AmazonUK, AmazonDE and AmazonFR.

The Spider Returns!

I'm proud to announce my graphic novel The Spider: The Iron Man War is now available from Moonstone Books and through your friendly neighborhood comic book shop. The graphic novel is based on Norvell Page's original pulp novel, Satan's Murder Machines, and is a rollicking, slam-bang adventure of the mysterious Iron Man, who sends giant iron robots rampaging through the streets of New York City. Those familiar with The Spider, The Master of Men, will know plenty of carnage, hair-raising escapes and breathtaking action ensures.

The artwork is painted in glorious noir double page spreads by award-winning artist J. Anthony Kosar and is just gorgeous. Moonstone outdoes itself in a glossy, beautifully produced book for only $7.99. This is the follow up graphic novel to my last month's release, Satan's Seven Samurai, done with artist Gary Carbon.

If you are a Spider fan, a pulp fan, or just a fan of exquisitely produced graphic novel collectibles, you'll want to check out this book. Available directly from Moonstone at http://moonstonebooks.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=920 (along with Satan's Seven Samurai). Check out Moonstone's sales while you are there!

Secrets from The Chloe Files: Episode 13

A single whisper can start a chain of evil on the Ghost Coast of New Salem, Maine. Even on a bright fall day when the sun blazes amber across the receding tide.

A skeletal hand claws its way from a crack in the hardpacked sand. The hand once belonged to a young woman, a prisoner on a slave galleon. A woman named Hannah Bainbridge.

The galleon sank in a storm cast by the ignored pleas of the woman, whom the captain thought evil but did not hesitate to use at his wanton discretion. A supernatural storm conjured by the agony and grief of one whom the crew had raped until there was nothing more than an empty heart left.

And with that maiden's death, the man, if he could be called that, cursed himself and his lineage...throughout eternity.

To the man descended from that captain, who whispers the lost word, it is a game. A spell from an old book he discovers in a sea cave that he utters in mockery. He will soon learn different. His laughter will turn to screams.

Hannah Bainbridge has come back for him...
--Chloe Everson

Welcome to New Salem...Where Hell comes home...
The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes
$2.99 on Kindle & Nook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

Black Friday Nook Paranormal Special

If you read and enjoy this blog, please consider showing your support by buying THE CHLOE FILES, the first Chloe Everson paranormal horror novel, currently $2.99 on Amazon and now in honor of Black Friday reduced to the same price on Barnes and Noble. Avoid the crowded stores and mad crowds. Please click now and click often!

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Chloe-Files-1/Howard-Hopkins/e/2940012513571

Giving Thanks to Readers

It's Thanksgiving morning here in the US as I write this, and to be quite honest with the last couple of years I've lived through there hasn't been a whole lot to give thanks for. I've seen friends and relatives pass from cancer, fought through personal disasters and overwhelming expenses, health issues with family and seemingly endless drama.

But that's life, right? We all go through it and we all do our best to push on and persevere.

Writing is a refuge for me, as difficult as it is at times, as discouraging as it is sometimes. Authors not only sweat blood and pull hair over their stories, then subsequent struggle to reach their audience, but also take comfort in the escape of writing them.

More important, however, is the escape they bring to others, and THAT, believe it or not loyal readers, uplifts us the most.

So on this day of thanks, special appreciation must go out to you readers out there who make what we do so worth the while. Your patronage and loyalty means everything to us and the chance to give something back, to entertain and draw you away from your worries for even a few moments means more than any ego boo ever could.

So a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Miss Chloe Everson in her paranormal adventures in The Chloe Files, and who run with the kids in The Nightmare Club as they chase ghosts through the haunted streets of New Salem, Maine. Thank you for reading the other horror, western & comic books coming out of my addled brain and beaten on keyboard. I wish you the most pleasant and warmest of holidays today if you celebrate, and if you don't just a gracious thanks for coming along with the ride I offer through my writing. It may be bumpy, but the destination, I hope, is worth it.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle and Nook today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in paperback)

Introducing: October from The Nightmare Club

Name: October Williams

Born: June 4. Aged 12

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now: New Salem, Maine.

Closest relatives: His mother and father. His mother is a single mom. He never sees his father, who rarely came to visit even when they lived in Philly.

October Facts: October hates New Salem when he and his mother first move there. He is the one who is first chased by The Heedless Paperboy and recruited by The Nightmare Club to help stop the ghost from kidnapping kids. He loves the Phillies and argues with Allie, who loves the Yankees, a lot about baseball. But Moose is not the only member of the Club to have crush on Allie, though October keeps his a secret.

Occupation: Ghost chaser. Student.

Starring Role:

The Nightmare Club #1: The Headless Paperboy
The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon
The Nightmare Club #3: The Willow Witch

Author Comments: October is a somewhat lonely kid who wishes his dad would visit, but knows that is unlikely to happen. His dad pretty much abandoned him and his mom. He has some trouble adjusting since he is the only black kid in school and bully "The Gibb" has it in for him from Day One after Allie sits with October on the bus. He is loyal to his friends and sticks up those considered "different." He's brave and not afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right.

Where everyday is Halloween!
The Nightmare Club series on Kindle
#1 The Headless Paperboy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ
#2 The Deadly Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
#3 The Willow Witch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CK4RVQ
(Also available in Nook and paperback formats)

More Bang for your Paranormal Buck

More horror, more paranormal, more escape? Let's see...

Ever noticed how the packages in the supermarket are getting smaller and the ounces are shrinking? Tuna cans have shrunk and cereal boxes contain less product. Yet the price has remained the same or risen--and technically remaining the same is relative, because less product for the same price means you're paying more anyway. This applies to everything from orange juice to cookies. While at the market today I even noticed the rutabagas were half the size for the a slightly higher price. And water injected into meats makes the price a bit more.

Case in point, Hersey's new aerated chocolate bar technically is...full of air. Less product with a nice marketing angle for the same price as the solid chocolate bar. (But in fairness it does taste pretty good!)

Of course this goes beyond food. DVD cases use thinner plastic and things use cheaper parts. On and on.

I don't know about you but it drives me a bit nuts. I'm not fond of the little tricks manufacturers use to make us think we are getting the same thing for the same price.

But one area actually gives you more value for your dollar lately, thanks to Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Book--books. While prices soar on most items, the cost of reading has plummeted--and that's a good thing, for both readers and authors.

As an author, I try to give as much value as possible to my readers for a reasonable, even rock bottom, price. No shaving off words while raising the cost ten cents. You get entire novels from anywhere from 99 cents to a few dollars. And depending on how fast you read, you get a few hours or a few days entertainment. Most authors are striving to provide maximum enjoyment for a small price. And I think that's refreshing in these poor economic times.

Of course, eating may be more essential to living...bit escaping worry and stress for a spell doesn't fall far behind. Readers are supporting the new renaissance in reading, and we, as authors owe them a huge thanks too. Who knows, perhaps the economy can be saved by reading!

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Secrets of The Chloe Files: Episode 12

The autumn afternoon is pregnant with the spirits of the craving in New Salem, Maine. They reach from behind the veil into the October sunlight...reach for a living vessel to fill with the essence of who they were. Even when what they were was a murderer named Galen Hawkins.

He was hanged close to the Ghost Coast shore 100 years ago. His lover watched his neck snap, heard the curse he uttered with his dying breath. He threatened to find his way back, make the descendants of those who accused him pay.

It did not matter he was wholly guilty of his crimes. What mattered was his living hate, the spirit of rage and bitterness of which he was composed.

That hate has waited, impatiently, these many years. Today it will escape its spiritual shackles and posses a man who grieves for a lost love.

It will destroy an innocent life and take others. A pity...
--Chloe Everson

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Orie's Log 2

Orville "Ace T" Turner's Nightmare Club Status Report...

October is finally off being grounded by his mom because he kept sneaking out to fight the Headless Paperboy. I bet she won't much like him going after a werewolf with us! He'll probably get grounded again. My mom would ground me too. So it's better she doesn't really know too much about we do in the Nightmare Club! But somebody's gotta keep New Salem safe, right? Even if it does always smells like clams.

We didn't hear the howling last night, though. Maybe because it wasn't a full moon. But there's another one coming up and we better figure out something fast. I overheard some kid at school say something about a blue creature being seen on the beach one night too. And about a house on the hill that use to be a funeral home having a ghost.

Oh-oh, Moose just discovered we painted his bike pink. I heard him yell. I gotta go!

See ya!

Where everyday is Halloween!
The Nightmare Club series on Kindle
#1 The Headless Paperboy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ
#2 The Deadly Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
#3 The Willow Witch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CK4RVQ
(Also available in Nook and paperback formats)

Fat? So What!

As a child of the '60s I come from a time when woman had curves--and men loved them for it.

The other day at the gym, I overheard a bit of conversation between a couple of young women standing at a weight machine...standing, not really working out much of anything other than their mouths. They were looking at another woman on a treadmill.

"Wow, she's fat," one of the women said.

"I know, right!" the other chimed in response. Their tones accentuated just how awful they thought that was. Never mind the fact that the woman in question was actually there exercising and trying to better herself while these two, pardon the expression, chewed the fat.

The woman on the treadmill was probably 5'5" and maybe 140 pounds. Fat? Really? And so what?

I get pretty tried of those who like to pick others apart for one thing or another. I'm sure it's some sort of insecurity on their own part, and or course some are just plain mean.

You are who you are and if you are taking care of your health, you should be proud of it, whether you weigh 100 pounds or 200. Curves are gooooooood.

And the same goes for whatever body type or style you may have. What others think doesn't matter. It is much more a reflection of their own insecurity than your attributes, and you should never give them the power to define your self-esteem. If they judge, they judge. We can't control what others are thinking or saying, no matter how stupid it is.

I'm sure the ass-kicking, demon-hunting heroine of my paranormal horror series The Chloe Files would be considered fat, too. Exotic dancer Chloe Everson's got T. She's got A. But she's also got C. C is confidence in her body and in not being afraid to use it. She doesn't care what others think. She is a strong woman, and though she is fictional, there's no reason this attitude can't apply to real life.

Does it hurt being judged? Hell, yeah. Should it? No. Because what others think is not your reality. Your reality is what YOU choose it to be.

So rock those curves and let the haters know they can't get you down.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Last Night I Dreamt I was Naked with an Ax...

Well, not really, but the dreams of a writer can sometimes get a bit, er, unusual.

There's no disputing the power dreams can have over our lives. Many great works of literature, art and music came from the stuff of dreams. Dreams can inspire--or make you perspire. Some leaders have acted on dreams, beleiving in them so powerfully. It is said President Linocln even dreamed his own assasination before it happened.

Scientists have theories about dreams, that they are the mind sloughing off useless information, or emotional baggage we are unable to deal with. But in the end they still know precious little about dreams and the frontiers of the human mind.

As a writer dreams have occasionally inspired my works. I once dreamt a story called Hunger Pains (which appears in my short story anthology Dark Harbors, now available in Kindle, Nook & paperback), which was actually a nightmare, not a pleasant reve. At times I have dreamt solutions to plot problems in my writing, and at other times come up with ideas for new tales.

I tend to use dreams in my novels and short stories quite a bit, either in westerns or horror. Dreams can be interesting literary devices for building suspense and getting across subtle or not-so-subtle themes and attributes of a character. Demon-hunter Chloe Everson in my paranormal mystery/horror series The Chloe Files has some dream trouble, mainly in the form of a dark witch invading them and images of a ghost girl trying to tell her things she may not really want to know. She's also been naked in a street full of plague-infested rats and burning bodies in her dreams, but that story is told in Ashes to Ashes.

Paul Stanford, the protagonist from my horror novel Night Demons lives far too much of his life trapped in a recurring nightmare. His dreams lead him back to his home town and the dark secrets awaiting him there.

Dreams are powerful stuff. They have an almost supernatural feel to them to begin with. Sometimes you have to wonder, what if they are real? What if they are merely some alternate reality where the laws of physics are totally different? What if all fiction is real and has happened in the dimension of dreams and it is realtiy that's just made up?

And what stops us from plunging into that dream world and never returning?

Hmm, perhaps another tale to be written...or lived...

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Secrets from The Chloe Files: Episode 11

There are nights in New Salem, Maine, when the moon bleeds. It rises bloated and crimson above the breakers tumbling in like liquid rubies. And stains the night with scarlet.

It is on these nights the old legends become real.

Listen...can you hear her? Catch of glimpse of her flying across the bloody face of the moon? Two-hundred years ago, in the dark days of October, she rode the night skies.

The New Salem Witch, newspapers called her. Children disappeared then, before her evil reign came to an end. But like I've said, things buried in New Salem don't stay buried. This Witching Season, with the veil thinning, she rides again. And parents will grieve...
--Chloe Everson


Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Teaser Train Thursday: Wyndano's Cloak by A.R. Silverberry

It’s time to get aboard the Teaser Train. Today, Dark Bits welcomes author A.R. Silverberry. A.R. holds a BA in music and a PhD in psychology. Before he was old enough to write, he stole away with his mother to dictate a story. Early influences included fairy tales, the Oz books, all things Tolkien, and the spine-tingling tales of Robert E. Howard. Wyndano's Cloak, his first novel, has won a dozen awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Medal Winner for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction, Books-and-Authors.Net Book of the Year Award for Fantasy/Fairy Tale genre, and the Readers Favorite Award Gold Medal for Preteen Fiction.

Here’s an excerpt from Wyndano's Cloak:

Alert, Jen backed away from the tree and studied it at a crouch. The air was still. The grass motionless. But the leaves stirred and fluttered. Words floated down. At first they were indistinct, as if someone called through a distant snowstorm. One word emerged clearly, and an icy finger traced down her spine.

She heard her name.

She backed away until she squatted on some rocks that extended into the pool. Every muscle—sun-hammered and wind-hardened like metal in a forge—was poised to spring. Phrases whispered down. The only sense she could make was that something was coming. Something dangerous.

She thought of her family. Fear tightened around her heart. She was a hair's-breadth away from running to them. Her feet stayed rooted to the spot. Maybe she'd hear more.

A small splash made her look at the pond. Two more followed, as if someone had thrown pebbles. Nothing had fallen into the water. But ripples spread out and ran into each other. More splashes erupted like tiny volcanoes, until the whole pool was agitated with colliding rings. A circle of calm emerged below Jen's feet, pushing the waves back. Pale and ghostly, a face rose from the muddy bottom of the pool until it floated just below the surface. Little hills and valleys lined the features of an old woman, as if olives lay under the skin.

"Medlara." Jen spoke under her breath, unwilling to believe her friend could hear her.

Medlara smiled, but her expression hardened. Words whispered from the pool. Jen leaned forward, straining to hear. She got little more than fragments, as if a storyteller jumbled the pieces of a tale. One phrase repeated, like a riddle. "If you meet . . . a harp, you must . . . If the worst happens, seek the answers—"

Jen dropped to her knees, hoping to catch more. Medlara's hands appeared just below her chin. She clasped them, and lifted her eyes as if she were imploring Jen. She mouthed two words. They might have been, "Forgive me."

Streaks of blue snaked and flowered in the water, as if someone had dropped in dye. Tendrils of mist rose from the surface and licked the ring of rocks. Soon the whole pool was covered. Spilling over the edge, the cloudy vapor surrounded Jen. She backed onto the shore, but the stuff sprouted up on all sides, walling her in, and formed a ceiling above. It crept along the ground until it met her feet. There it paused like an undulating sea.

Jen studied the mist. "She's trying to show me something. But what?"

There was no time to wonder. Fog rose before her like a giant shadow. Black. Forbidding…

She stepped back. Looked behind for an escape route. The fog surged forward and pulled her into the inky darkness. She could no longer feel the ground, as if everything solid and beautiful that she cared about was being ripped away. She tried to scream but terror rose from the pit of her stomach and froze in her throat.

The rest was a dizzy kaleidoscope of tilting and falling, of wandering lost, with no way out, no way home, no way back to a world of light and love, until the mist melted away and she collapsed, shaking in a pool of sweat.

Be sure to check out A.R.’s Amazon author page and pick up a copy of his novel:
http://www.amazon.com/A.R.-Silverberry/e/B005D5I9LE/ref=sr_tc_2_rm?qid=1321418376&sr=1-2-ent

Secrets from The Chloe Files: Episode 10

An ill wind blows in from the sea in New Salem, Maine. Rain beats steadily down with a sound like skeletons dancing.

Nothing is calm on the Ghost Coast this haunting season. The chilled autumn night is pregnant with the moans of the dead and the screams of the living.

Livia Hendricks dropped her cell phone while trying to record a video of her and her boyfriend trying various positions. She'd planned to upload it to a video site and send the link to his ex-girlfriend, whom she'd caught sending him secret texts. Nothing said, "Hands off, Bitch," like a sex vid. Right?

Except she'd ruined her phone and needed a new one.

That's why she was working late, to earn the money for a new Blackberry. Little did she know her boyfriend's ex would soon be able to move back in...

Because Livia Hendricks would not make it back to her car this dark rain-laced night. Though eventually, no longer living, she would get her revenge on her boyfriend's ex...
--Chloe Everson


Welcome to New Salem...Where Hell comes home...
The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes
On Kindle, Nook and paperback
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

The Other 99% -- Indie Authors (or The Occupy Bestseller Movement)

It's no secret that with the advent of Kindle and Nook, publishing is in a period of revolutionary change. The old models are in flux and the ebook revolution has opened up a whole new playing field for authors and readers of independent literature.

And rightfully so. Within Indie lit you can find stories that are creative, innovative and tell their tales out of the box, or out of the book, as the case may be.

As you may guess, there's some resistance to this from mainstream publishers, many of whom who have been a little late to the ebook table and run on outdated business models. That's understandable, because it's their business and they have had the cake for many years.

You'll also see a lot of pot shots taken at self-published and Indie books and authors. Some of it is well deserved, some of it is not. Perhaps one of the bigger complaints I have seen is poorly edited books. Unfortunately some of that is true, but here's something to consider. I am reading a book that has been on the top of the NY Times bestseller list. I won't give the title or author because I love the book and writer and tearing down a hardworking author isn't my point (and for the record, I don't subscribe to the Us vs Them mentality prevalent with too many authors and publishers on both sides. Authors are authors and publishers are publishers, as far as I am concerned). On one page of this book I picked out four grammatical errors. On the next page I discovered a paragraph formatting error that ran two characters' dialog together, making it a bit difficult to figure out who said what on first reading. This from a major publisher. And the same complaint most prevalent with Indie books. It happens. Point is, it can happen in any book, regardless of whether it is Indie or Legacy, despite our best efforts.

I have seen some calls for Amazon to vet books. I disagree. I think that would take the self out of self-publishing and make a seller the arbiter of quality. In my opinion, the arbiter of quality is the person reading the book, and Amazon already has See Inside the ebook and downloadable samples in place so the prospective buyer can make that decision for his/herself.

In the end I feel it comes down to: stop bickering and start enjoying. The playing field will never be totally level as long as big publishers can throw money behind book launches and advertising for their clients, and pay for top editors and typesetters, etc. Which is fine and as it should be--as long as they are above board about it and not arranging behind the scenes deals to squeeze out little publishers and self-publishers. As a western writer, I'm pretty familiar with that happening in the Wild West cattle industry. And right now the publishing field is a bit of Wild West.

On the other hand, Indie publishers and writers must be responsible for producing the best book of which they are capable. You want to be a pro? Put out pro work. That does not mean spending thousands on production, but it doesn't mean throwing up a work without any editing or formatting, either. Matter of pride, anyway.

It also comes down to the most important factor: Readers. Authors/publishers, never disrespect your readers. They are smarter than you are and they know what they like. It's up to you to give it to them and present them with your best. They deserve that, because they are the ones plunking down their hard-earned cash and spare time. It's up to us, as authors, to give them their money's worth and take them away from their problems for a little while.

This is the crux of the Occupy Bestseller Movement (or OBM), I believe. Give readers the entertainment your talent allows, and give them your time when they talk or write to you. The relationship with your readers does not stop at the end of the book. They are the reason you are writing. I saw one author recently say he "had no time to talk to people and form any kind of relationship with them." Uh, really? Pardon me, but that's bullshit. If you can't take time to form a relationship with your readers, then why should they bother taking time to read your crap?

And readers, please give your support to Indie authors who work exceptionally hard to bring you their best. Trying to sell books, for authors, is often like trying to make a hole in a car door with a water pistol. Authors need your help, your word of mouth and reviews on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You are the torch carriers, the ones who set up the tents on the bestseller list grounds.

So let's work to get Indie authors you enjoy to the bestsellers lists. Occupy and entertain!

If you are a reader or writer of Indie lit, please join the Occupy Bestseller Movement group page on Facebook and discuss your favorite Indie works: http://www.facebook.com/groups/316396698376237/#!/groups/316396698376237/

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Introducing: Moose from The Nightmare Club

Name: Moose Turcot

Born: May 11. Aged 12.

Hometown: New Salem, Maine

Closest relatives: His father was a marine killed in action and his mother's whereabouts are unknown. He was adopted by an older couple after being sent to a foster home after his father died.

Moose Facts: Moose is big for his age and tends to be clumsy. He is usually thinking about food, especially Chips Ahoy cookies. One of his ears looks chewed on. He loves Captain America comic books and frequently gets into good-natured arguments with Sparks, one of the other group members. He has a crush on Allie and owns a pet potbellied pig named Barnabas, whom he teaches to do naughty things, like throw up in the other group members' shoes.

Occupation: Ghost chaser. Student.

Starring Role:

The Nightmare Club #1: The Headless Paperboy
The Nightmare Club #2: The Deadly Dragon
The Nightmare Club #3: The Willow Witch

Author Comments: Moose is the brawn of the group and even the school bully The Gibb pretty much stays out of his way. Moose misses his dad quite a bit, though he loves the older couple who adopted him. He usually has a flattop haircut he thinks is hereditary, but is trying to let it grow out now.

Where everyday is Halloween!
The Nightmare Club series on Kindle
#1 The Headless Paperboy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ
#2 The Deadly Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
#3 The Willow Witch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CK4RVQ
(Also available in Nook and paperback formats)

This and That: Author Updates

Item: Hell on Hoofs, the latest hardcover Black Horse Western under my penname Lance Howard, is now scheduled for a January release. The cover is up and I think it's pretty darn cool this time around. See what you think. Y'all will get a chance to read what the editor called one of the "bleakest" Westerns ever. I corrected the galleys a few weeks back and it seemed fairly tame to me, but of course I am a horror writer, too. It is a very emotional and suspensful page-turner.

The blurb:

John Laramie rode into Lancerville, looking to escape his old life as a man-hunter, and settle down. But a life of serenity may not be on the cards. When a young woman seeks his help to get rid of a vicious outlaw, he's torn between the dark demons of his past and hope for a brighter future. Fate, however, makes the choice for him when the murderous Cross Gang attacks him and just misses the target - putting the life of the young woman in dire jeopardy. With Laramie forced into a deadly showdown, will it cost him more to win than it would to lose?

Available from AmazonUK, The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping) and http://www.halebooks.com/

Item: It has been my privelge to edit and write a tale for a brand new Sherlock Holmes short story anthology for Moonstone Books called Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook. The Casebook teams the Great Detective with some of fiction and history's most interesting characters to help solve a mystery. Lawrence of Arabia, the Great and Powerful OZ, Arsene Lupin, and Calamity Jane, to name a few. We also have a sequel to The Sign of The Four and a brilliant cover painting. The book has just gone to prepress for a Dec/Jan release and in my humble opinion contains some truly excellent writers and stories. If you're a Holmes fan, you won't want to miss this one. You can preorder it now from Amazon.

Item: In October I put a bow around two new short stories involving two of media's most enduring and cherished characters, The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. My Lone Ranger tale is called Denial and involves the masked man and his faithful companion with a the fate of a young Comanche woman held prisoner by a brutal husband. My Hornet tale pits the Emerald Crime Fighter against my very own creation Laura Cavendish, The Yellowjacket, for possibly the very last time in a tale called Revenge of The Yellowjacket. This will complete the Yellowjacket trilogy. Both anthologies will be forthcoming from Moonstone books in 2012.

Item: Speaking of The Masked Rider of the Plains, most now know I have written a new Lone Ranger novel called Vendetta. Vendetta pits the Ranger against someone who appears to be an enemy from his past, one who will have repercussions for not only his future but for his great nephew's...you'll have to read the book to figure out why. This is the true Lone Ranger set in an adult gritty tale of the Wild West and will be out in February in paperback for only $4.99. You can preorder it now from Amazon. The cover was specially designed and rendered by the amazing Doug Klauba, whose brilliant work has appeared on many paperback books.

Item: And while I'm on the subject of brilliant artwork, my widescreen graphic novel The Spider: Satan's Seven Samurai hits comic shops tomorrow or can be directly ordered from http://www.moonstonebooks.com/ The artwork is exquisitely painted double page spreads by Gary Carbon, truly a genius in his work. The tale was originally penned by Norvell Page, The Spider's primarily writer, and adapted by yours truly. It's one of the '40s tales where The Spider races against time to prevent the Japanese from destroying New York City and invading the US--months before Pearl Harbor!

Item: Also at press now from Moonstone, another Spider widescreen graphic novel The Iron Man Wars, written by me and painted by J. Anthony Kosar. Anthony's paintings blew me away and I'm sure they will you, too.

Item: My upcoming special edition comic book Threesome, written with New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Nancy Holder reaches comic shops soon. Lettering is nearly finished. This includes the first appearnace of my pulp heroine, The Veil, and my revamped Golden Amazon.

The blurb:

When young women vanish at a sleazy burlesque club, three beautiful heroines slip undercover and out of their clothes to investigate--and wind up confronting a kidnapper who just might be out of this world! Featuring the delicious Domino Lady, the first appearance of the deadly Golden Amazon in 70 years and introducing the voluptuous new pulp crime-fighter, The Veil.

Item: Work begins this week on a novella for the upcoming Nightbeat anthology from Radio Archives, edited by Tommy Hancock. Nightbeat was an acclaimed 1950s noir radio drama about a newspaper reporter working the Nightbeat and running across violent crime. More on this as it progresses.

Item: Work has also begun on the Honey West short story anthology for Moonstone, as well as The Avenger #3: Tales from Bleek Street.

Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins on Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Ghost Stories -- Got Ghosts?

I love ghost stories.

In my paranormal series The Chloe Files, though it is primarily urban horror, I always try to include a ghost story for that reason. The second book in the series, Sliver of Darkness, is essentially a chilling and emotional ghost story. The same goes for my children's spooky series The Nightmare Club. The second book, The Deadly Dragon, revolves around a ghost.

Ghost stories have been around for as long as humankind has been able to tell tales. Under the stars around a blazing campfire, cowboys related tales of strange and mysterious occurrences in the West and the Victorian era was certainly resplendent with spooky stories.

I think most of us at one time have had some sort of brush with the ghostly. I have, and that translates to my characters. Who hasn't glimpsed something out of the corner of their eye in a dark hallway or heard a whispered voice in the dead of night?

I think we want to believe in ghosts because if they exist--while giving us a scare--it gives us a sense that death is not the end. That something of us lives on. I'm not sure about the part about being stuck here, since it would be nice to move up the ladder, but ghosts carry a sense of wonder and awe, along with the spooky aspect.

And they make great fiction. Some of the best stories include ghosts, from Dickens' A Christmas Carol to Peter Straub's Ghost Story.

Growing up, I have fond memories of ghost stories on TV, even from very early childhood. Two of the most frightening ghosts I recall seeing as a child came from the gothic soap Dark Shadows. One was the first appearance of Quentin Collins in a rocking chair in a young woman's room in the dead of night and another was the ghost of Gerard Stiles haunting a deserted Collins mansion. Then there was the short-lived NBC show Ghost Story, which had, for its time, some very chilling episodes about the ghost of a twin and a woman getting even with her husband for killing her via appearances on a haunted TV set. And of course Night Gallery, The Sixth Sense TV show and a host of others.

Do you believe in ghosts? Like ghost stories? Have a tale to tell?

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Orie's Log

Orville "Ace T" Turner's Nightmare Club Status Report...

Things are getting even creepier in New Salem since that Willow Witch thing. We've heard a strange howling every night since. I think we have another ghostly mystery--Woo ha! If it's a werewolf, I'm feedin' that Gibb bully to him. Just sayin'! He tried to stuff Sparks into a locker again at school Friday. Lucky I came along in time. Sparks is a small kid but it was a half locker. What's with that doofus, anyway? I mean, a kid who thinks he's Elvis or something?

Oh, Nerd almost set the entire clubhouse on fire. Again. You'd think a kid that smart would be more careful. But he's kinda absent-minded. Those smart kids. He can do all these equations in his head but he can't remember to turn a Bunsen Burner off. Sigh.

Oh, no. Barnabas Just ate all Moose's Chips Ahoys. You know Barnabas is a pig, right? No, I mean a real pig. A potbellied one. He's usually just sleeping but Moose was dumb enough to leave his cookies sitting on the table next to a chair. Who knew pigs could climb? And he didn't leave me any! He's a pig, all right.

I have to go to school so I better stop writing. We're going looking for the werewolf tonight. I don't think it's a good idea but I was outvoted.

See ya!

Where everyday is Halloween!
The Nightmare Club series on Kindle
#1 The Headless Paperboy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052O5AIQ
#2 The Deadly Dragon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CFEIWY
#3 The Willow Witch http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CK4RVQ
(Also available in Nook and paperback formats)

The Chloe Files and The Nightmare Club Official Facebook Fanpage Pages Announcement

My paranormal horror series The Chloe Files and my children's spooky series The Nightmare Club now have their very own official Facebook Fan Pages. Keep abreast of the latest news and exclusive series contests, giveaways, interviews and more. Simply go to the page and click "Like" to become a a Chloephile and/or Nightmare member. Don't miss a single series update. Here are the links:

The Nightmare Club Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nightmare-Club/136419519798362?sk=wall

The Chloe Files Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chloe-Everson-The-Chloe-Files/154482531316709

Secrets from The Chloe Files: Episode 9

The sun is shining again in New Salem, Maine. It's chased away the chilled mist...but cannot banish the Evil pervading this town.

The woman jogging along the beach is mercifully oblivious to the forces sizzling in the sea air. Her name is Melissa Enright. She's young, impetuous, corrupted with the invincibility of youth.

Until a cloud passes across the face of the sun...and a bony hand thrusts through the damp sand and snatches her ankle.

Shock prevents her from screaming, as the thing beneath the surface pulls her under. She leaves behind an iPhone, a grieving boyfriend and a terrier, whose tail she dyed pink just last night.

Her boyfriend will not grieve for long. She'll return for him. A bit worse for wear. The happy ending they'd dreamed to their romance will be somewhat darker than they expected.

Things like that happen all too often on the Ghost Coast...
--Chloe Everson


Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

Appreciating Readers

More than likely at one time or another you have stumbled across somebody you were a fan of, whether singer, artist, writer or athlete, who turned out to be a dick. Perhaps you approached the cherished one for an autograph and either he/she wanted to charge you some exorbitant sum or blew you off completely (and I'm not talking about those radical fans who slither under a bathroom stall for an autograph.) Perhaps you wrote the cherished one an email and he/she couldn't be bothered to respond. Or have the staff respond. Perhaps you said a cheerful hi to this person and he/she gave you the Christian Bale treatment.

Whatever the incident, it's a pretty awful feeling to have someone you admire and look up to give you the brush off. I've had it happen with a writer or two myself.

And I'm here to tell you...those people do not deserve your patronage and support. It's as simply as that. If they can't find a moment for a reader, they have no business being authors, in my opinion.

Of course I am talking about those who do this intentionally because they think they are too good to get down with us little folk. Not the ones who may be too shy or who are crushed under horrendous schedules or threatened by obsessive fans. But seriously, if they aren't Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer, that excuse becomes a bit more problematic.

As a writer I LOVE my awesome readers. THEY are my extended family. And in many cases I would rather have them at Thanksgiving dinner with me than a lot of my relatives. I appreciate ALL my readers. Authors are nothing without them. It's not a difficult concept to grasp, though those boneheaded writers who mistreat their fans/readers seem to have a problem understanding it.

And, really, in the end people are more important than any sense of inflated self-importance some of these "stars" might have.

Readers are who we writers are writing for. There is no greater feeling than to have a reader tell you they loved your work and want to read more. To want actually to discuss the work with you and treat your characters as if they are real people (which is really cool, because we writers don't really enjoy being alone in our delusions!)

I think anyone with fans should do their best to remain accessible to them. Not obsessed stalker fans, but REAL fans, folks who take the time to write genuine heartfelt letters or walk up and tell you they enjoyed your story.

I guess it might boil down to two types of writers--those who write for their ego and those who write to make another's life a bit better through entertainment.

An example: There's a particular singer I like, a guy from Holland. For a number of years I ran a fan page dedicated to him and the group he fronted. One day, he stumbled across that page and wrote me a friendly email thanking me and told me anytime I felt like writing him I could. I can't tell you how that thrilled me at the time. And set an example for me in my own career. I'm sure he had better things to do than drop a note to some nerd fanboy he didn't know, but the fact that he did impressed the hell out of me.

So, I guess what I would like to end with, awesome readers, is a huge THANK YOU for all the support you've given my books, The Chloe Files, The Nightmare Club and the rest. Without you I'd have no reason to write them. I may not be Stephen King, but as long as I have a few people who enjoy what I do, I'm as rich as he is. You guys rock.

"I know how it feels to lose someone you love...My parents died when I was seven, and I watched people I didn't know take away my twin sister. The last thing I remember was her face and hand pressed to the back window as the car drove off. That was almost thirty years ago. I never saw her again. Until today.
Today...I saw her ghost."
--Chloe Everson

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(also in Nook and paperback)

Thanks to the Heroes

I talk a lot about Chloe Everson from my paranormal series The Chloe Files being a hero. And she is. She faces the Big Bad like nobody's business.

But she is, alas, a fictional hero, a paper tigeress.

However, there are fine men and women in this nation who are real heroes. Those who have fought, often at the cost of their very lives or limbs, to keep us safe from threat and dictatorship. Our men and women of the armed forces who sacrifice every single day, whether at home or on foreign soil, to protect us and make this nation a shining example of freedom.

Today, we celebrate those who have given so much so selflessly. We give thanks. Please take a moment from your busy schedule and remember their contributions to the life you are lucky enough to lead in freedom, the rights you have to speak your minds and privileges that come with living in a free nation.

And thank them. Visit a veterans home and give them a bit of your precious time. Or visit a local cemetery and just say a few words in remembrance.

To all those who have served and serve still--I thank you. I fight battles on paper, in my books, through my characters. You fight the real battles. You are the real heroes.

Salute.


Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Shame on You, Joe Paterno

It's a sad fact of life sometimes the folks we hold up as heroes and worship in the end turn out to be only human. Perhaps we simply gild the person too much with their accomplishments and the heroic things we feel they do. Perhaps we are just merely so hungry for true heroism nowadays we put gold crowns on rotted teeth.

Best to remember the men and women we hold up as heroes, whom we or our children chose to look up to, are just that, men and women. With all the faults that come with being a human being.

Most are forgivable. Human weakness exists in all of us. We all make mistakes and unfortunately we live in a society where too many are too quick to judge the moment some smear comes out on the news, especially if we don't like that person or his/her viewpoints in the first place.

But there is a place I personally draw the line. And that is with abuse, either of a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend, or with children or animals.

Which makes Penn State Coach Joe Paterno's transgression all the more distressing, in my opinion. This is a man long held as a hero amongst college football fans, and is even exemplified as such by non-fans and writers. His accomplishments within his arena and outspokenness have been refreshing and shining examples of a hero.

Which makes his part in the case of a molestation of boys by a close friend/colleague all the more egregious. He's not the only one at fault, certainly, but he bears some responsibility, perhaps more than is fair, because of his history and position.

Yes, he said something to the college. Once. But he said nothing to the police. And no matter how much I like or respect the man...that's just wrong.

Often we are afraid to do the right thing, whether from fear of losing a job, or angering or losing a friend or relative. Or perhaps fear we will be punished or hurt by the perpetrator of the crime. And these things certainly happen.

Paterno does not really have that excuse. He was in a position to report this to the police and did not. The trail of victims...did he give thought to them and what trauma they were put through by a man who was entrusted to guide and lead them? He was Paterno's friend, ok. I get that. But sometimes you just have to do what's right, no matter how much grief it brings down upon yourself.

That's the definition of courage, of being a hero. It's plain this man so many looked up to no longer fills that bill. And, rightfully, if hypocritically, he was fired. To the protesters with their heads jammed up denial's ass, tipping over vans, stop a moment and really think about it. What if it were you or a loved one who was molested and the guy you worshiped didn't go all the way for you? I understand your position. Really, I do. I can't stand to see my heroes fall, or be proved all too human. Part of that is unfair expectations on my part, and I realize that. I forgive them a lot. But his behavior, and your behavior--this is the reason so many victims bear their suffering in silence. Please, at least think about it and put yourself in the molested person's place.

In the end football is only a game. And that game, or the money and school pride involved, should never become more important than a human life and doing what is right, what is courageous. Shame on you, Joe, for letting down those of us who looked up to you as a hero. We trusted you. Those boys trusted you.

Who do we look up to now?

Secrets of The Chloe Files: Episode 8

Gray mist shrouds the old streets of New Salem, Maine. It carries the chill touch of death, the searing embrace of damnation.

A young woman hurries along the back streets near the waterfront. She smells the perfume of the sea in the air, spiced with the decay of autumn leaves. At one time she enjoyed days like this, took comfort in the gray. It reminded her of her home in England, and walks with a man for whom she'd cared.

But this day she feels no comfort. Because she knows that man is here now, calling to her in the mist.

Two years ago she would have been overjoyed at that prospect. But not this day. Because she buried that man six months after they moved to this god-forsaken town.

In New Salem, the grave is but an inconvenience...
--Chloe Everson


Welcome to New Salem...The dead are waiting...
The Chloe Files by Howard Hopkins
Kindle, Nook and paperback
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

The Shadow Knows...

As I mentioned in a blog the other day, old time horror radio shows had quite an influence on my writing career. They forced you to use your imagination, conceive in your mind the things lurking in the dark. Trust me, your mind can conjure far more terror than any particular event or scene from a movie. What we can't see is often much more terrifying than what we can, and what we can imagine is often far more horrible than what sits in front of us. Radio was the perfect medium for that.

The piece led to a conversation on Twitter with horror author Carrie Green, who cited the same influence with her own writing. I also learned we had the same favorite radio show.

Remember those special moments in your life, mostly occurring as a child, when some book of TV show or song createed a warm nostalgic impression that has lasted a lifetime? Those moments can color your tastes for the rest of your days. We've all experienced them. I've been lucky enough to have a number of them.

One particular radio show was one of those moments for me.

The year was 1968 and I was a seven-year-old kid complaining about how early I had to go to bed. In those days we actually did go to bed when our parents told us to...or else.

But on a Thursday night (why I recall the night when I can't recall what happened last week is beyond me), a little past nine, my father came into my bedroom with his old radio. I always thought this radio was cool because it had a shortwave setting, and many a times I sat listening to peoples of other languages chatter away. Yes, I was a strange kid. Nevermind that.

My dad knew of course I wouldn't be asleep and after he came in with that radio I probably didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

A local station was airing some of the reruns of an old radio show, and he thought I might like it. He was right. But I didn't just like it, I loved it. The menacing laugh, the creepy situations and a character who "clouds men's minds so they cannot see him."

I'm talking about The Shadow, of course, the mysterious star of 325 pulp novels from 1931 to 1949, and lead character of a radio show that aired over a thousand episodes from 1937 to 1954. Not only did the show garner me an invitation to stay up past my bedtime every Thursday night, it influenced me for a lifetime in writing and reading. My favorite Shadow actors were Bill Johnston and Brett Morrison, but probably the most notable was a young Orson Welles, who played the role, for all intents, first, along with Agnes Moorehead of Bewitched fame, who stepped in as Margot Lane, The Shadow's lovely friend and companion.

Not only did The Shadow influence my horror writing, but also the love of a number of such characters, many of whom I have been lucky enough to write over the past couple years, such as The Avenger, The Spider, The Green Hornet and The Lone ranger. But more than that, The Shadow worked on suspense and genuine creepiness, and telling a story through dialog. Modern writers can learn a lot from the show, and from all old radio shows.

The Shadow novels are all being reprinted in double volumes monthly by Sanctum Books. The books include a lost show radio script as well. I had the thrill of reading Vampires Prowl by Night last night. And if you are interested in the old shows, Radio Spirits (http://www.radiospirits.com/) is issuing them in fine CD sets. Radio Archives (http://www.radioarchives.com/) sells the books, as do local comic book stores and many other retailers.

If you haven't heard these shows, give them a try. I suggest The Terrible Legend of Crownsheild Castle, a great Shadow ghost story. It inspires the horror writer in me, and thrills the awed seven-year-old with a love of ghost stories.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Introducing: Bob from The Chloe Files

Name: Bob the Capuchin

Born: Date unknown. Aged: 600

Hometown: Chi Chi, South America

Closest relatives: None. They all died centuries ago.

Bob Facts: Bob is rumored to have belonged to Joan of Arc. He is 600 years old and as his "owner" Genie Lansing says, he "gets over dying." He is addicted to Kent cigarettes and Hills Bros coffee and is often at odds with Ms. Lansing when it comes to providing clues to Chloe about ongoing paranormal investigations. He is not fond of cats in general, Puddin' Head in particular..

Occupation: Monkey. Pain in the ass.

Starring Role:

The Chloe Files #1: Ashes to Ashes
The Chloe Files #2: Sliver of Darkness

Author Comments: Bob may or may not be an actual monkey. Only time will tell. He does seem to posses some kind of supernatural power, much like the witch's familiar, the black cat.


Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99

Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Would You Like Some Cheese?

I'm starting to hate the word cheesy. About as much as I dislike the term "bubblegum" when applied to a certain music style.

Not that the word cheesy is bad in and of itself. After all, one person's Cheese Whiz is another's Brie.

It's more the implied insult that comes with the word when applied by some folks who think only the books, movies, music they enjoy has merit. It's a snobbery, and I dislike snobbery in any form. Just what makes them the arbiter of cheese is a mystery. Just what makes the crap they like caviar (which FISH EGGS, so, really, how cool can that be, anyway?) is also a question.

There are plenty of things I don't particularly like reading. Twilight is one of them. But millions of Twi fans do like it so who am I to judge? I have my opinions but so what? If you enjoy it, read it, watch it, listen to it and make no apologies.

I s'pose for me it's mostly just a pet peeve that stems from back to my school days. I was never particularly mainstream. I liked different things, sometimes older things, atypical music, books, shows. And got criticized constantly. The other week I overheard a friend of my niece's criticizing just about every little detail about a particular older show I liked. It shouldn't have annoyed me but it reminded me just why I disliked school and narrow-minded people who love to build their self-esteem by tearing down others or things others like. You don't like them, don't read, watch, listen. I don't and never did see the sense of wasting time putting down other's taste (and I'm not talking about a simple teasing/joking, goofing on something. I am talking about the mean-spirited stuff and anything with a snobbish implication.)

So readers, enjoy what you enjoy and pay the haters no mind. It's your cheese, savor it.

Come to think of it, this post is a bit cheesy, so I'll stop now and go pull the pink flamingoes off my lawn...

Reviewers have compared The Chloe Files with The Dresden Files & Odd Thomas -- read what you've been missing. Become a Chloephile now. Kindle, Nook & paperback...

Do you believe?
The Chloe Files by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK

Politics This, Politics That, Down on your Knees and Open Your Trap...

Man, I don't know about y'all, but I am fed up with politicians, political bickering, campaign ads and false promises, referendums up the ass and everything else that goes with the now seemingly endless political season.

Remember when it only lasted a couple months before voting? No, I don't, either. The same old bang 'em with a constant message interviews, avoidance of answering the actual questions and reporters on one side or the other in the bag for their political philosophy.

The common answer is usually "well, if you don't like it, vote them out." Tried that. They keep coming back, like herpes. And even the ones you do vote in get to Washington and flip flop or end up ground up by the machine.

I've become entirely frustrated at the barrage of politics on ALL news channels everyday (and the alternative isn't much better because it's either some kind of disaster or the latest stupidity about Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian or Justin Bieber's clone baby). Anyone with a fresh message, or, God forbid, actual integrity, doesn't stand much of a chance.

And if one more idiot calls me at 10pm looking for a vote I am going to jam the phone up their ballot box.

Good God, if aliens tuned into the network and cable news stations, they would think the entire earth is composed of squabbling politicians, terrorists and Snooki. And the sad part is, Snooki might be the least offensive...well, ok, that's a stretch, but you get the idea.

Ah, well, it's still the best we've got when it comes to governments and freedom of speech. It just gets exhausting sometimes. Cable and the Internet have just made it more accessible 24/7, because political rhetoric and mudslinging have always existed (sometimes pretty viciously if you check out what some of the early congress was saying about their opponents). I've reached saturation point personally.

And my answer to that is to go read a book and escape for a few hours. Surely Sookie's up to something a lot more interesting than baby-kissing...


Today is Election Day. Are you tired of the same old political claptrap and referendums?
Then fugitaboutit! Vote Chloe and get some bang for your buck. Her platform is simple: Dispose of all demons--now! (And if that happens to include a politician or two, well, meh). She promises to help you escape the endless political commercials and door bangers. So exercise your right to read and pull the Chloe lever at Amazon or Barnes and Noble before you are stuck with unwanted supernatural Big Bads.

Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Secrets of The Chloe Files: Episode 7

Autumn has come to the shores of the Ghost Coast, New Salem, Maine. Leaves are touched with blood and gold. The scent of decay claws at the salt air, but that's nothing new. Something's always in a state of decomposition in this cursed town.

With the autumn, the veil between the living and the dead thins even more. On chilled nights when the moon turns the color of bone...those longing to be free roam the empty beach. Pity the unwary soul foolish enough to walk the sands on nights like that.

They won't be seen again...alive...
--Chloe Everson

Tomorrow is Election Day. Are you tired of the same old political claptrap and referendums? Then fugitaboutit! Vote Chloe and get some bang for your buck. Her platform is simple: Dispose of all demons--now! (And if that happens to include a politician or two, well, meh). She promises to help you escape the endless political commercials and door bangers. So exercise your right to read and pull the Chloe lever at Amazon or Barnes and Noble now.


Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Fear on the Radio

One of the biggest influences on me as a paranormal/horror writer was old time radio horror shows. They taught me a lot about building suspense and how what you can’t see is often more terrifying than what you can.

In my paranormal mystery series The Chloe Files and many of my horror novels, I work hard to generate terror based on characters reaction to the unknown, the unseen, the thing that lurks in the darkness.

And few mediums did that better than horror and suspense radio.

From the 1930s through the early ‘50s, radio drama was king. There was no television, though there were serials and movies—Universal producing some of the best classic horror movies ever—and, of course, pulps as forms of inexpensive entertainment. But radio was free, and simply required you to use your imagination. Radio horror harkened back to spooky tales told ‘round the campfire, and added sound effects and eerie music to the mix. And a powerful mix it was. Who can forget how Orson Welles terrified a nation through the medium with the October 30, 1938 Halloween broadcast of The War of the Worlds?

Perhaps the granddaddy of them all was The Inner Sanctum. Preceded by the eerie sound of creaking door, each episode delved into horror that ran the gamut from monsters to psychological terror. Many of the shows are as bone-chilling today as there were when first broadcast (And the show was certainly a huge inspiration to the 1970s CBS Radio Mystery Theater hosted by E.G. Marshall, which also began with the ominous creaking door and ran along the same storylines). Radio Spirits (www.radiospirits.com) carries Inner Sanctum episodes on CD along with most of the other shows I will mention.

A number of other shows shivered across the airwaves, scaring the hell out of a nation of listeners in those days before the coming of television. Weird Circle, The Sealed Book, Horror in the Air, The Hermit’s Cave, The Witch’s Tale with Alonzo Dean Cole and Suspense (which numbered among its stars President Ronald Reagan). But perhaps the scariest and most gruesome of them all was Lights Out.

Lights Out was unabashedly horror. It ran from 1934 to 1947 (and made the transition eventually to television), delivering grisly stories mixed with dark, tongue-in-cheek humor. Unfortunates on the show were buried or skinned alive, eaten, absorbed by a giant amoebas, had various limbs ripped off by robots, tortured and decapitated--always with a heaping helping of blood-curdling sound effects. It was surprisingly—sometimes sickeningly—graphic for its time. Though the show is most closely associated with Arch Oboler it was begun by Wyllis Cooper, who wrote many of the scripts, and originally ran at midnight. The show was nothing to listen to with the kiddies.

I can only imagine how frightening it must have been, sitting around the radio in a dark room at the Witching Hour, listening to these macabre radio dramas. I doubt anything in today’s jaded blood-and-guts movie world can match the genuine scares these shows dredged up.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today.
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

What Started You Reading?

I've always disliked November.

I love October, with its vibrant leaves and autumn scents, apple picking, and, as a paranormal horror writer, especially Halloween.

I like December for all the colorful things that go along with Christmas.

But November. November is often dreary, cold and bleak here in Maine. Leaves are gone and lifeless looking trees signal the advent of winter. Thanksgiving does little for me.

But November has one special thing that makes me pine nostalgic. It was the month I discovered my love of reading, which eventually led to writing.

It was 1973. We had a couple local department stores--Mammoth Mart (loved this because of Marty the big light-up elephant on the roof), Grants with its soda fountain that was pretty cool--and that's about it. So you might imagine it was a big deal when the first mall was built.

It was on a November day the weekend before Thanksgiving. Snow was sputtering from a bullet-colored sky. But my parents took us--my sister and I--to the mall on a late Saturday afternoon. And to a Waldens bookstore within the mall.

I think it was the first time I'd been in a real bookstore. I'd been getting comic books from the turn rack at a small supermarket and a newspaper store in the area, but never paid much attention to books. I think the books my father had read to me when I was younger came from some mail order club.

I recall being a bit overwhelmed. Then completely blown away when I stumbled over an entire section, covers facing out, of Doc Savage books in the sci fi section. I stared at those books with their fantastic James Bama covers, mesmerized. I wasn't quite sure what this big bronze guy with the stabbing widow's peak was, hero or villain, but I thought he was pretty cool.

My eyes locked on a cover to number five in the series, Brand of The Werewolf. It showed the Man of Bronze--as Doc Savage is known--struggling in the grips of a wolfman. Being a huge Dark Shadows fan, I was instantly drawn to the cover. I picked the book up two or three times, reading the small blurb on the back. Put it back. Did I really want to read a whole book? I mean, c'mon, comics had pictures! Reading a book was suspiciously like school work. Ugh.

My father had come up behind me, seen me fretting over the book, and offered to buy it for me. Paperbacks were only 75 cents at the time. I couldn't decide. So I left it there.

The entire week of Thanksgiving that cover haunted me. Enough so that on the Saturday after Turkey Day, I bugged my father to take me back and get it for me.

And there began a life long love of reading and Doc Savage. I devoured the book that weekend. I recall an uncle coming over and giving me a peculiar look because I was curled up in a recliner with my nose stuck in that book.

I finished it quickly, amazing my parents, who had a hard enough time getting me to read stuff required for school. I think I might have taken a few years off their lives when I asked for more. After all, there were something like 70 of the series books at Waldens. I didn't realize at the time these were pulp novels from the 1930s being reprinted and the total of them was 181 (182, counting an unpublished "lost" novel found many years later). I've now read them all at least three times over, some more than that.

It would be a couple weeks, my birthday, until I got a couple more. But I never looked back. From that point on I loved reading and that book is directly responsible for my being a writer.

Such a magic moment. One we seldom if ever experience as adults. I wish I could go back in time to that day, see my young self discovering that magic. Alas...

So what magic book brought you into reading? I'd love to know.

Will you believe?
Order your copy of the paranormal horror series The Chloe Files on Kindle today!
Limited time Chloefest price $2.99
Welcome to New Salem...The Dead are waiting...
THE CHLOE FILES #1: Ashes to Ashes by Howard Hopkins
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also in Nook and paperback)

Secrets of The Chloe Files: Episode 6

An eerie calm pervades the Ghost Cost of New Salem, Maine, this day. The calm before the Hellstorm. You can feel the electric sing of tortured spirits in the air.

The dark force that founded this town is gathering strength, luring minions. It won't be long, now. A three-century curse is set to bear bitter fruit.

A wave rolls in, glittering with sunlight, a million sparkling jewels tumbling over the hardpacked sand, then back out again.

Serenity.

But serenity is an illusion, cast by Evil. And peace a house of cards.

Soon...the screams will begin, and the illusion will shatter...
--Chloe Everson


Welcome to New Salem...Where Hell comes home...
The Chloe Files by Howard Hopkins
$2.99 limited time Chloefest price on Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WLCRYK
(Also available on Nook and in paperback)

Watching Grimm

Ok, so since this NBC show has the same title and somewhat the same concept as my horror novel GRIMM, I watched the second episode with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Excitement died pretty quickly. Trepidation went next and boredom settled in its place. Then annoyance. I am partial to the title and I was hoping at least the show would represent--and draw some attention to my book. Now I am wondering if that's a good thing.

I am losing faith that the networks and even many movie companies nowadays have any idea what makes a decent horror show. Granted this NBC Grimm is a mix of horror and urban fantasy, but there were absolutely no surprises. I knew what was coming the moment the "kids" broke into the house. Which is fine if you have some suspense but it was more ho hum.

I'm not sure what to think, now. I doubt the show will last very long, and that may be a good thing. A waste of potential, unless things turn around fast, but I just didn't care about any of the characters and the CGI was dreadful. It's probably better than Once Upon a Time, but not sure that is saying much.

Here's what I can promise you. My GRIMM novel won't bore you. I firmly believe that. My novel has no bad CGI or PC characters you don't care about. It does have a frightening zombie. It has demon sex. It has witches who are sexually unparticular about gender. It is intended to be a classic monster movie read and not a literary snoozefest. It is scary fun escapism with a splash of blood. Oh, and did I mention the demon sex?

Seriously, I would sure like to see somebody make a decent horror/superantural series again--without CGI and with atmosphere. This show was not it.

Angelique Ficatier escaped hanging 300 years ago in Salem, Mass. Fleeing with her closest consorts, she settled in and cursed the town of New Salem, Maine...and has now returned to unleash the dread demon Czcarabus upon the world. Can Detective Sergeant Arlo Grimm and wayward exotic dancer Chloe Everson stop her before all Hell is unleashed?

Scream Goodbye...
GRIMM by Howard Hopkins $2.99 in Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051BUXFU
(Also in Nook and paperback)