Happy Halloween

The first movie I ever remember seeing was "The Wolfman" with Lon Chaney Jr. I embarrass the hell out of my guys when I recite the entire "Even a man who is pure at heart" speech. They like to call me a geek and I proudly say, why, yes, I am.

I have my mom to thank for my horror-movie fixation. Some of my earliest memories include sitting in front of the TV watching Dr. Schock on a Saturday afternoon. Roger Corman films were a staple of my childhood. As I got older, Mom and I graduated to George Romero, Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter and Wes Craven.

Almost every weekend, we were at the theater watching "Toxic Avenger," "Reanimator," "Poltergeist," "Friday the 13th" and countless other low-budget blood baths. I remember being on vacation in Florida and going to see "Alien" because we'd seen the absolutely coolest billboard for the film in New York City.

When I could drive, I got a job at a movie theater and I actually enjoyed working the midnight shift, where I'd watch "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Dawn of the Dead," "Day of the Dead" and "Eraserhead" every week. I had the hugest crush on Tom Savini, who not only created some of the most amazing special effects for George Romero films but also had a role in one of my all-time favorite cult films, "Knightriders."

I devoured Fangoria Magazine every month, looking for new movies for my mom and I to see.

I never lost my interest in horror films, though I don't get to the movies much anymore. And honestly, they just don't make B-horror movies like they used to and J-horror doesn't do it for me

That's why Halloween is always welcome in my house. TCM shows old Poe films with Vincent Price and one of the PBS stations will show the original "Nosferatu" or Bela Lugosi's "Dracula." And somewhere, on some cable station, Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder will fall in doomed love in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula."

So here's a shout out to my mom, horror film fan and still my favorite movie buddy.

So, It's been a while...

And yes, I can claim busy as an excuse. Family, work blah blah blah...

But I have to admit the real reason I've been MIA... Complete and utter procrastination.

Why? Well, that's a little harder to pin down though I can say most of it is due to being in limbo.

For writers, limbo is hell. It's that time between finishing the book and selling (or not selling). When you're waiting for that one editor (or two or three, hey, I can dream) to say "I love this, here's a contract. Write me ten more."

Limbo is hitting your email button every five minutes, even though new email alerts pop up on the screen automatically. Limbo is hoping the weekends pass quickly because no one does business on the weekends. Limbo is pouncing on the phone then swearing at it because you have Caller ID and that isn't your agent's phone number.

Limbo sucks because while I'm waiting for news, I'm should be writing. And I do. I force myself to write but my heart's not in it. I even have a new story to work on and I can't quite get motivated. So what do I do?

Well, today, I'm starting a new project, something completely different, allowing myself to have fun. Even though I have revisions for a completed manuscript to work on and a new EC story halfway complete, I need to give myself that breathing room. Even if it's just for the day or the week, just let myself go and see what happens. Hopefully that will free my mind to go back to my other projects. And maybe I'll end up with something totally new and fresh and great.

Hey, we can all dream.