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Finding Faeries

Tag Archives: Jolene Haley

Tale of a Story: UNTIL…

12 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by Kathleen Palm in writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Jolene Haley, October, Snow White and Rose Red, Spooky Showcase, Twisted fairy tales

Once again, it’s time for the Spooky Showcase on the wonderful Jolene Haley’s blog. Every fall she sets a theme and invites authors and artists to write and draw anything they like and, throughout the month of October, Jolene posts them. And we all read and enjoy and celebrate all the art. This is the eighth year for the showcase and my seventh year participating. Links to my stories are on my blog’s SHORT STORY ACHIEVEMENT page.

This year’s theme was twisted fairy tales.

Through October, a new story or work of art will be posted to make the month more fabulous.

Today is my turn!

With the theme announced last summer, I immediately thought of a story I wrote years ago. One that received a place in an anthology, now out-of-print, and one that never became what it could be.

That story was “Together”. Based on the tale “Snow White and Rose Red”, the story explored someone with a voice in their head, one that certainly wasn’t real. As the story unfolded, Rosalie learns to accept Red’s voice and becomes stronger. It was fine, but there was always parts of it I didn’t like. So, here was my chance to rewrite it!

The original “Snow White and Rose Red” told the tale of sisters, who were always nice and, in the end, were rewarded for their continued kindness even in the face of evil.

So to twist it, I added in a little darkness. Because being nice is fine, but what about those moments when you can’t…or won’t be kind.

Rosalie’s mom always says to be nice, be kind, be good. If you aren’t you’ll be punished. So Rosalie tries because she’s scared by something in her mother’s voice, some terrible secret that lurks in her mom’s past. But there’s that voice in Rosalie’s mind. One she knows is real. One that takes over…because her fingernails are painted red and she didn’t do it, because her car radio is tuned to loud music and Rosalie didn’t do that either.

As the voice grows stronger, telling Rosalie to stand up for herself, to fight, Rosalie resists, insisting to be good. That she has to be nice.

Until…

And there is a deep dark secret in Mom’s past. But you’ll have to read it to find out.

Being kind matters. But fighting for yourself and others does too.

Go read “Until…” on Jolene’s blog, then go read the others. Follow on Twitter at #SpookyShowcase.

Jolene is one of the best people I know. She’s always supportive and always ready to fight for you. Participating in her showcase each year has been a pleasure and honor. Joining the spooky showcase means being a part of the writing community at its best, sharing words and ideas, spreading the joy. Everyone is welcome.

Maybe next year, you can add something.

Now go, make the world a better place.

Party Time: For the Midnight Society Queen Jolene

19 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Just for fun

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birthday, horror, Jolene Haley, party, The Midnight Society

Do you know that I contribute twice a month on The Midnight Society blog?

Do you know that the person who brought the bestest, creepiest group together to become The Midnight Society is Jolene Haley?

DO YOU KNOW THAT TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY?

IT IS!

Go find her on Twitter.

Go find her at the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency because she is an agent! *throws confetti* Send her queries…if you have what she wants.

Go read her blog. Her author/illustrator showcase is coming up soon! This fall we are twisting some fairy tales. A fantastic time to cheer other writers and support each other.

She co-wrote a great book with Brian LeTendre honoring all the things we love about serial killer stories. Go read Harrowed…if you dare.

You will never meet a nicer, more supportive, harder working, talented individual than Jolene. When she invited me to become part of The Midnight Society, I never imagined being a part of such a great group, and we owe it all to her. THANK YOU, JOLENE!

So, let’s have a party. In true Midnight Society fashion.

Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society…

A party. A celebration. A dark and magical kinda night.

In a great location.

With cake.

And lots of fun guests.

 

 

He remembered the pizza! YES!

Jolene, you do so much for so many. We appreciate you more than you know. Go have a creeptastic day that is all about you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love, Kathy

Tale of a Story: Exposed

14 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Thoughts, writing

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Exposed, horror, horror story, Jolene Haley, Spooky Showcase, The Lights of Bruick Road, thoughts, urban legends, writing

The wonderful Jolene Haley has delighted horror fans with her fall author/illustrator showcase for years. It began six years ago with the dark carnival, then each year she has hosted hosted stories and art for themes of haunted house, harvest festival, haunted hotel, summer of screams (summer camp stories), dark seas, and this year urban legends! I found and started participating in the second year with the haunted house theme and had so much fun that I join in each year.

So today, my story is up on her blog for the…

Go read EXPOSED here!

I’ll wait, then we can talk about the fight that was writing this story.

Okay…so…when you sign up to participate in the #SpookyShowcase, there is no fear of rejection. Everyone gets to have their story posted. All the authors and illustrators are super nice and supportive. It is truly a wonderful time. Which is why I continue to add my words. No pressure, right?

Except there is.

I can’t just write a story and send it. I have to let it sit, revise it, let people read it, revise it…let more people read it! Because only after I am truly happy with it, will I send it.

The theme of urban legends made my choice pretty easy, I knew immediately what legend to pull inspiration from. Just miles from me, sits Bruick Road, and there are lights that appear, strange lights with no explanation. I’ve never seen them, but my creative brain began to ask questions. WHAT ARE THEY?

But…my stories need a theme. I need a main character, one who is struggling with something, who wants something…something that will link to these odd lights.

After a lot of pondering, I had a thread to hold onto, one that I could take and knit and weave and grow into a story, one about a past that won’t be forgotten, about how a victim can become a monster.

About how light will expose the truth.

And I had a title. Exposed.

Some stories write themselves. Some take a minute. This story haunted me forever.

The hints had to be subtle, but present. The reveal had to be easy, not dumped on one’s head like a ton of bricks. I wanted everything there, enough information so the reader could figure it out, so it could all come together in the end without a huge awful explanation.

Since finishing and beginning the query process for my MG earlier this year, I hadn’t written anything. Not a thing. My brain refused. Doing the showcase would certainly nudge my brain back into writing! It was tough. I struggled. It was too long. It didn’t make sense. Too many characters. Characters who weren’t all the way realized. Characters who needed to connect to the story.

After very helpful feedback (and a lot of me questioning whether I could untangle this complicated knot), I got the story to a place where I was happy.

And I sent it.

Today, Exposed is out for all to read.

If you read…THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy it. Please leave me a comment if you wish.

Happy Birthday, Jolene!!!

19 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Just for fun

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Happy birthday, Jolene Haley, thanks, thoughts

If you don’t know the marvelous Jolene Haley, you should. She is a rainbow of goodness, a force of light, but wrapped in a bit of shadow. She loves to shine bright, spreading happiness and making the world a better place. Jolene writes a little kissing and a little killing, I personally love the killing.

Lots of death in the book she co-wrote with Brian! You should read it. It was a fun ride!

 

A few years ago, Jolene invited me to join The Midnight Society, a blog she created to celebrate everything scary, and I said YES! Boy, am I glad I did. Because this gal has been a bright spot in my life, always there with a smile and support to anyone who needs it.

And today is her birthday! In honor of the clownthology she will publish…

 

 

 

Let’s have cake!

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll bring presents. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And food.

 

 

 

And maybe go spend a relaxing day in a peaceful cabin in the woods..

 

Dear Jolene,

Have a wonderful day. You deserve all the good things for being such an inspiration. Thank you for being you. Thank you for always being there with a smile and words of encouragement. Thank you for showing the world you can spread happiness while loving all the creepiness.

LOVE YOU!

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal…HAUNTED

28 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by Kathleen Palm in cover reveal

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book, Brian LeTendre, cover reveal, Harrowed, Haunted, horror, Jolene Haley, YA

I am very excited to help spread the word about the upcoming second book in The Woodsview Murders series! Because the first one was super creepy and slasher-y!

Let me introduce the cover of…

HAUNTED (The Woodsview Murders, #2)

By Brian LeTendre and Jolene Haley

haunted-for-web

Doesn’t that look wonderfully ominous. I know you want to know more…

Book Name: Haunted

Book Genre: YA Horror

Book release date: 10/11/16 by Horror Twins Press

Haunted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26010171

Haunted blurb:

Last October, corpses piled up in Woodsview, Massachusetts faster than autumn leaves in the dead of fall. The small town changed forever when Jeremy Kane, known as the Harvester, slaughtered Avery Blair’s classmates, her friends, and Jason, the love of her life. Avery was supposed to die too, but she narrowly escaped, killing the Harvester in the process.

Avery and her best friend are trying to move on and leave their horrible past behind. They’ve enrolled in college, and taken on new challenges. Avery has a campus radio show, and Quinn has found a release—and a new relationship—on the roller derby track.

The Harvester nightmare was laid to rest, along with the bodies of her friends and the remains of the killer. But what’s dead doesn’t always stay buried. With the anniversary of the slayings, comes a suspicious death on campus. When two of their dorm mates disappear, Avery suspects that the Harvester is back to finish what he started.

Avery Blair is haunted by the ghosts of her past—memories of the slayings that torment her days and curse her sleepless nights. She can dismiss the visions of Jason she sees everywhere, but she can’t ignore the signs that scream the Harvester is back…for blood.

One thing is certain—people are dying, and the killer is determined to add Avery and Quinn to the carnage. Can Avery separate fiction from reality and find the killer, or will the ghosts of the past finally consume her? Jeremy Kane is dead. He can’t possibly be back from the grave, can he?

Read the first half of HARROWED (book #1 in the series) for free on Wattpad or buy the entire thing on Amazon for only 99 cents!

Harrowed-Cover-Reveal 

 

The authors are simply fabulous people! You should definitely find them and get to know them. Seriously they will make your life better.

About Brian LeTendre:

Brian LeTendre is the writer of the Parted Veil horror series, which includes Intrusive Thoughts, Courting the King in Yellow, Lovecraft’s Curse, and Lovecraft’s Pupil.

A gaming, comics and horror lover, Brian has co-hosted and produced a podcast about geek culture called Secret Identity since 2006, producing well over 1700 hours of programming. He also hosts and produces podcasts about writing (See Brian Write), music (Thrash It Out) and gaming (Co-Op Critics).

Brian lives and works in Massachusetts.

Brian on Twitter

Brian’s Blog

Brian on Amazon

Brian’s Podcasts

 

About Jolene Haley:

Jolene Haley is the author of the Woodsview Murders series (Harrowed and Haunted) and the Orchard Pointe series. She’s also the curator of the best-selling horror anthologies The Dark Carnival, Halloween Night: Trick or Treat, and the upcoming first of its kind, a YA pizzathology titled A Pizza My Heart.

She runs a YA horror blog The Midnight Society, self-love blog and magazine Shine Bright Gang, and Hocus Pocus & Co., a small horror press. She writes every genre under the sun, but prefers horror.

When she’s not writing she can be found cuddling her two dogs and enjoying the beach, where she lives.

Jolene on Twitter

Jolene’s Blog

Jolene on Goodreads

Jolene on Facebook

Join the book buzz using hashtag #WoodsviewMurders

 

Cover Reveal… Harrowed

08 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by Kathleen Palm in cover reveal

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

book, Brian LeTendre, cover reveal, giveaway, Harrowed, horror, Jolene Haley, Woodsview murders, YA

So… I like horror.

I am excited, people… EXCITED about this book!

Woodsview Teaser _8

Intrigued?

supernaturaldeanyes

 

Harrowed (The Woodsview Murders #1)

By Brian LeTendre and Jolene Haley

And the cover…

Harrowed-Cover-Reveal

OOOOHHHH!!!

Book Name: Harrowed (The Woodsview Murders #1)

Book Genre: YA Horror

Book release date: 09/22/15 by Horror Twins Press

Harrowed on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25728924-harrowed

Harrowed blurb:

Journalism Rule #1: Always report the story. Never become the story.

Avery Blair has accepted the fact that nothing exciting ever happens in her small town of Woodsview, Massachusetts. As the editor of the high school blog, she prays for something—anything—to come along that would make for a great headline.

When Beatrice Thompson’s body is found in the girls’ bathroom, Avery has her biggest story ever. The rumors circulating the school say that Beatrice took her own life, but Avery doesn’t believe it for a second. Her instincts prove true when the next day brings another body bag.

The tiny community of Woodsview has become the hunting ground for a killer known as the Harvester. The killer targets Avery and her classmates, stalking their every move and terrorizing them with morbid messages.

With the help of her boyfriend Jason, her best friend Quinn, and an aging detective who can’t keep her off the case, Avery dives head-first into her own investigation. She discovers that the secret of the Woodsview Harvester is buried in the town’s history and its annual Harvest Festival celebration. With every clue she uncovers, Avery grows closer to unmasking the killer—and becoming the next victim.

Avery Blair has finally found a story to die for…if she can stay alive long enough to write it.

littleshopofhorrorsseymourgasp

Written by a couple of my favorite people, my friends at The Midnight Society… follow them, get to know them, you won’t regret it.

Brian LeTendre Author Pic

Brian LeTendre is the writer of the Parted Veil horror series, which includes Courting the King in Yellow, Lovecraft’s Curse, and Lovecraft’s Pupil.

A gaming, comics and horror lover, Brian has co-hosted and produced a podcast about geek culture called Secret Identity since 2006, producing well over 1000 hours of programming. He also hosts and produces three other podcasts about writing (See Brian Write), design and small business (Kitbash Radio) and gaming (Co-Op Critics). In addition to podcasting, Brian has worked as a freelance games journalist, and currently writes a webcomic called Mo Stache, which can be read for free online and will be collected in print in 2016.  Brian lives and works in Massachusetts.

Brian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeeBrianWrite

Brian’s Blog: http://www.seebrianwrite.com/

Brian on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brian-LeTendre/e/B00AGFTZFA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Brian’s Podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite

 

Jolene Haley Author Pic

Jolene Haley is the author of the Woodsview Murders series, Harrowed (out 9/22/15) and Haunted, coming fall 2016. She’s also the curator of the best-selling horror anthology The Dark Carnival through Pen & Muse Press.

She runs a YA horror blog The Midnight Society, the author resource site Pen & Muse, and Hocus Pocus & Co., a small horror press. She writes every genre under the sun, but prefers horror.

When she’s not writing she can be found cuddling her two dogs and enjoying the beach, where she lives.

Jolene on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoleneHaley

Jolene’s Blog: http://jolenehaley.com/

Jolene on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7753660.Jolene_Haley

Jolene on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jolenelouisehaley

One last teaser…

Woodsview Teaser _1

Join the book buzz using hashtag #WoodsviewMurders

And before you go… there’s a giveaway!

 

 

 

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Kathleen Palm, Author

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