Saturday, July 19, 2014

Haunted Author by Anita Jo Intenzo


Today’s guest writer is a paranormal author who has had plenty of personal encounters with ghosts. Here she talks about how her own haunted home inspired her book Estate of Horror: A True Story of a Haunting.


Haunted Author

On January 29, 2009 - I stood in front of a group of mourners in a church honoring my deceased friend, who is the subject of my book, giving his eulogy. I never could have imagined I would now be an author telling my true story of an incredible horror―haunting/poltergeist experience―I and my son survived.

When I first entertained the idea of writing a book, urged by my friends and family members after hearing of the unusual events and happenings at the estate of my deceased friend, I had no intention of writing it myself. I felt if I provided the story and the materials, even possibly be interviewed, then someone else could do a better job. Having no formal experience other than creative writing classes in high school and a one-act play―I wrote for a college assignment, ironically about a revengeful ghost―I was on the learning curve.

 My pen & ink sketch of my deceased friend’s house

But, after experiencing the horrific ordeal with the paranormal I knew I had to record these extraordinary haunted experiences other than a daily diary.  My son and I, along with other witnesses, saw and heard (on our captured audio and visual equipment) extreme poltergeist activity, cold spots, black and gold orbs, an apparition, objects appearing and disappearing, non-human voices and endured physical attacks. I knew if I didn't write my book I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

Artistic illustration of apparition on clothes dryer


Also, we were able to capture poltergeist evidence on camera and have some of them re-mastered for our youtube channel. Here are 3 of those videos.
 
Video 1 - June 24, 2009 "Caught on Tape"
    



Video 2 - August 1, 2009 "Seeing Red"       




Video 3 - August 5, 2009 "Creeped Out Cousins"   




Even now, with my debut book published, Estate of Horror, I don’t think of myself as an author. As my background is of a professional artist for the last 47 years, my artwork has always been my visual method of telling a story.
My original pastel on paper: “Spirit Warrior"

Not thinking myself as an author? This may seem strange coming from someone who is has scored a literary agent, Laurie Hawkins of Collage Literary, who has been a real rock of support and always held an unwavering belief in me. Laurie signed me to a contract in summer of 2011. This was a brave act for her, as she has since been the recipient of some very strange paranormal activity after taking on my project. (Nothing like having your client's manuscript being printed out and the machine spits out a metal clamp over your head and across the room!)

Even with the crazy background of the recent haunting I had experienced, I never expected to be haunted the whole time writing my manuscript. My anthropologist friend left me many items in his will, which I stored in my basement. This turned out to be a very bad decision. Someone or something transferred to my house and was now acting up with major poltergeist activity. My once safe haven―where I spent years as a single parent raising my son, where I worked in my home art studio, enduring economic and personal hardship, caring for two critically ill parents, and proudly handling it all―was now a battle ground for spirits.

This is actual image of a Shadow Man (with brimmed hat) 
on our front door captured on video 
while filming our book trailer on July 6, 2012



The psychological and physical toll on me and my family have been enormous. We have gotten used to living a paranormal life every day, but it's not easy. You never get used to looking over your shoulder, or being scratched while taking a bath, or seeing a Shadow Man walking in your front hallway while watching TV, or hearing a horrible growl, or the door rattle to your basement. Even when sudden bouts of nausea and stabbing pains (psychic) in the stomach, while moving boxes in the basement, did not deter me. I felt that the best defensive was an offense! I decided that others needed to know what happened to me, and the ghosts needed to be put in their place. This was MY home and they were not going to frighten me away!


My agent told me before we started that today’s authors have to be very pro-active in marketing themselves, and her advice and my efforts have paid off. I have been on over a dozen radio shows in the last 6 months. One of the most recent shows I did to promote my book was an interview via SKYPE with Norene Balovitch for her show "Do You Believe" on May 18, 2014.

Shortly after the show aired, Norene contacted me and told me that listeners of the show were hearing many EVPs  talking over me when I was being interviewed. The chat room went crazy and was filled with posts written in the German language! She sent a draft of some of the EVPs and what they said were horrific! There was direct spectral interaction with our whole conversation during the show. Norene said her computer acted crazy and her microphone was being tapped without explanation. Her producer said they never had such an experience of ghostly interference with a guest on her show! This video from that Sunday night's show went viral!                                       
                


My son, Chris, spent an hour the next day listening and transcribing the show. He put his cell phone up to his ear and listened to the archived show in order to make out the words. He wrote down 70 EVPs!!! He was physically and mentally drained after doing this.

He did not know what the other person had copied down and had been sent to Norene. She sent me some of the translations of the German posted in her chat room feed and it related to what listeners heard. There was a man and woman with German accents who were talking over me, saying horrific things about the Holocaust and so much of the foul language were threats directed at me. As it turned out my son’s EVPs matched many of hers! I guess the ghosts are angry that I published this book! Guess what ghosts? Heads up! I'm writing the sequel!
My story isn't over as my haunted journey continues. Now you know why I'm called the haunted author!


 Available in paperback at Amazon and CreateSpace
Also available for Kindle

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author

Classically trained as a fine artist, Anita Jo Intenzo graduated with honors from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, earning a B.S. Degree in Art Education. She taught art classes at day and evening schools for 25 years. Her paintings currently hang in collections throughout the United States, and she has had several gallery shows. She started restoring old photos over 35 years ago and created her business, Past Images by Anita in 2000 where she preserves and restores family treasures: photos, paintings and antique dolls, so that their history will endure for future generations. Genealogical and historical societies seek her out for her expert consultations, lectures and appraisals.

In January of 2009, her life took a dramatic turn when, as executrix of a dear friend’s estate, she became involved with the paranormal. As executrix, she was responsible for clearing his house and selling it. It did not take long after she began that task that Anita experienced real and often-frightening poltergeist activity there and soon began confronting true evil. She wrote this book as she was moved and profoundly changed by the experiences. She is now working on its terrifying sequel, DARK TRANSFERENCE.  Anita lives with her family and several resident ghosts, in the Philadelphia suburbs, on a property dating back to the early 1800’s.

Published in January 2014, Estate of Horror: A True Story of Haunting, Hatred and a Horrific Family Secret has received many 5 STAR REVIEWS!

Read this book and find out why people can't put it down or won't read it before going to bed! Currently up on Amazon and Kindle, online B&N.com and special order in all 700 Barnes and Noble stores, and Cape Atlantic Book Stores.

Please stop by her website:  www.estateofhorror.com
 



Monday, June 16, 2014

Montauk Monster: Guest Post from Author Hunter Shea


Today’s guest post is by Hunter Shea, one of the rising stars in the field of horror fiction. He’s written several great novels and novellas that every horror fan must read. If you like fun stories with scary monsters and creepy ghosts, I highly recommend you check out the books of Hunter Shea. Here, he’s talking about his latest thriller, The Montauk Monster, which just released in time for the summer.

  
Have you heard the one about the Everglades skunk apes who got a writer a two-book thriller deal?


Sounds insane, right? Even more so because it’s true.


My debut thriller, The Montauk Monster, came about as strangely as the cryptids that descend on a Long Island town in the book. It’s funny how one set of creatures led to a breakneck tale of another.


Here’s how it went down and how you just never know where life will take you. A couple of years ago, I was watching a marathon of the show Bar Rescue. My editor at Samhain, the legendary Don D’Auria, emailed me around midnight to ask if I had any novellas I’d like to publish. Of course, I didn’t, but in a flash I had this idea about a Bigfoot novel set in the Everglades. Yeah, Bar Rescue marathons and lack of sleep make for great creative inspiration. Don said to go for it, and I set to writing.


A month later, I turned in my manuscript, Swamp Monster Massacre, a love note to the B monster movies I loved and still adore. SMM is filled with a family of angry skunk apes intent on murdering a band of hapless humans who crashed their airboat in the deep of the Everglades. The book is a hell of a lot of twisted fun and has been my most popular to date.


Flash forward to the following year. I get an email from a guy who says he’s an editor. Apparently, he was trolling for ‘new talent’ and had loaded up his kindle with hundreds of ebooks. When all was said and done, he said SMM was the one that stood out and he wanted to know if I’d be interested in working with him.


Now, at first, I thought this was some kind of scam. So, I checked him and his company out. Oh, he was legit all right. I replied that I was interested, and we got to talking. The man made me laugh and we found out we shared the same love for Roger Corman, Irwin Allen and loads of other stuff. Again, I was asked if I had any ideas for a thriller.


I had recently been looking at pictures of supposed Montauk Monsters, strange animal carcasses that have been washing up on the shores of Long Island, NY. I quickly hashed a story concept together. To my amazement, he loved it and we were off to the races. To convince the senior editors in the project, he even printed pictures of the corpses and articles! And sure enough, I not only got the deal, but a two-book deal.


Right away, I started working on the book, powering through it, creating non-stop action with plausible backstories. It was a challenge and a thrill. Best of all, the whole thing was an unexpected gift from above.


Now here it is, already listed as Publisher Weekly’s top reads for summer and in a second printing before the first copy hit the shelves.


And it’s all because of those lovable, murderous skunk apes. Who knew? As R.L. Stine told me (along with the crowd of other writers who paid to hear him), never say no. That proposal you take on could be the one that changes your life.


Hunter Shea is the author of the pulse-pounding new thriller, The Montauk Monster, named as one of the Best Reads of Summer by Publishers Weekly.


His horror novels to date are: The Waiting, Sinister Entity, Swamp Monster Massacre, Evil Eternal and Forest of Shadows. His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on. Hunter is also the proud and slightly demented co-host of the Monster Men video podcast. A native New Yorker all his life, he waits with Biblical patience for the Mets to win a World Series. You can read about his latest travails, preview and purchase his books, watch Monster Men episodes and communicate with him without the need for a Ouija board at www.huntershea.com.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Danger, Wrong Way, Turn Back


Today’s guest post is from author Latashia Figueroa, who recently released a wonderful horror short story collection THIS WAY DARKNESS, that includes three tales of terror. I’ll let Latashia take it from here.


I was told not to go down that road many times, and the warning only heightened my curiosity.  The darkness that lurked behind the trees even at high noon seemed to beckon.  Today, I went just a little bit further than yesterday, beyond the trees. The hairs on my neck erected, my heart didn’t just beat, it pounded. And then I turned my car around and drove away. 

There is always a thrill when we do those things we know we’re not supposed to; a jolt of satisfaction.  Ignoring the voice that whispers “No” gives most of us a strange pleasure.

Do we act on those impulses or do we leave them where they stand?
You say you really don’t want to go out alone with the stranger you met on the Internet and yet deep down you do. 

“If I kill her, all my problems will go away,” you chuckle at the thought.  After all, you are not capable of such a violent act. Then, who planted the thought in your head?

I don’t really believe there are psycho cannibals living beyond the trees in the woods. Yet there’s a part of me that’s hoping there’s something out there.

These are the stories that intrigue me, that hold me captive. And they are the stories I like to write; leaving the reader to ponder on the consequences of making that wrong turn. 


I plan on driving past that TURN BACK sign tomorrow. I plan on seeing what’s behind the thick of the trees. Perhaps a monster lies in the obscurity. I will let you know what I find. And if I don’t, you’ll know that I did find danger, that it was indeed the wrong way. You’ll know that I am unable to turn back.

Latashia Figueroa, 
author of THIS WAY DARNESS.

Links:









Thursday, May 22, 2014

Book Signing at Dallas Comic Con 2014


Thousands of fans came out to see celebrities like Stan Lee, 
William Shatner, Nathan Fillion and the cast of Firefly/Serenity, 
Alice Cooper, Robert England, the cast of The Walking Dead,
Star Trek: Next Generation and many more. 


 Here I am selling my books and meeting sci-fi horror fans.

 Tomb Raider: her costume says it all.



I shared a booth with award winning sci-fi author Paul Black. 


 Walked past this Nazi creature with a gas mask
and thought he looked quite familiar.

Below are some cool masks.




 Thought this guy was pretty wicked looking.

 I so wanted to go for a ride in the landspeeder.


Partying with friends and Yoda
Saturday night After Party at Gilley's.

Ran into an old friend, Kristen. 
I see her every year at Texas Frightmare Weekend.

Who doesn't love the Ninja Turtles?