Please let me introduce the latest additions to the Goths and Goggles universe!

Thanks to everyone who has commented on the” Hector and Gerald” doodles I’ve added to the site so far. The comic will detail the trials and tribulations of Gerald, my little knife loving, odd pet collecting goth guy, and Hector, his neurotic and long suffering little buddy. My plan is to add a new Hector and Gerald comic doodle every week (ish) to the site so you can follow the pairs strange antics and meet their weird friends. 

Talking of which, please let me introduce the newest member of Hector and Gerald’s quirky little gang,
Brains.

You may have noticed that unlike the other comic doodles I’ve posted this one is an animation. Much as I would love to make all the Hector and Gerald’s antics like this, at the moment it’s just too time consuming a process
to produce on a weekly basis so where as the odd adventure may be animated, sadly they will be the exception, at this point, rather than the rule… but don’t worry, I have other big adventures in store for Hector, Gerald and their motely band of friends and pets, but more on that later.    
 
Toodles!

So many of us out there feel that we have a book inside us somewhere, yet for most of us there's always a good excuse to not sit down and write it, let alone publish it. In 2002 Joseph Epstein published an article in the New York times that sited that 81% of Americans say they would like to write a book. However book writing is a difficult, often soul destroying and lonely profession where you empty your heart and soul on to a page, often over the course of months or years and send it out to a largely unresponsive and unappreciative group of agents, publishers and, if you're very lucky, the larger reading world. It takes a special kind of person to put aside quality  time with family, friends or the latest season of True Blood to produce something which statistically is unlikely to ever be read by anyone other then a handful of disparaging agents, a couple of friends and maybe your mum.

Even if you do think you are one of the chosen with the courage, talent and determination to do battle with the written word you still have the biggest hurdle to over come –the first draft. Actually mustering your thoughts and getting started is the hardest part. Especially when you are on your own, with no support or guidance, and no deadline to motivate you. Which is why so many writers join the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). NaNoWriMo not only gives you the chance to purge this parasitical work of fiction from your brain in just a month, but to do it on the company of other writers around the world. Writing a little every day through the month of November you can share your progress, problems and procrastinations with other budding authors who are all in the same boat. Started in 1999 by, as their website would have it,“freelance writer Chris Baty and 20 other overcaffeinated yahoos” with the simple brief to get writers to create a 50,000 word novel of any genre over the month of November. Since its conception NaNoWriMo has become gained increasing popularity, becoming a  non-profit organisation, and has been participated in by authors including, Canadian paranormal fantasy author, Kelley Armstrong and Sara Gruen, whose Award winning 2006 book “Water For Elephants” was drafts as part of NaNoWriMo and has since been adapted for the screen and stars Reese Witherspoon and 'Twilights' Robert Patterson. 

So why not use NaNoWriMo as a sort of creative Exlax for your writers block, free your muse and join me, and thousands of other writers around the world, in birthing that book you've been meaning to write. Like all births it can be painful, inconvenient, embarrassing and emotionally fraught but, like all babies you'll look at your book and think it was all worth it... well that's the plan anyway! You may of course look at your creation and  think, with all the campy melodrama of a Hammer Horror, “I've created a monster!” but, what can I say, you win some you loose some!

To find out more and sign up visit the NaNoWriMo website

Ah, the end of October draws near and as Halloween approaches both TV and cinema screens alike fill with a cornucopia of horror movies. From the seriously scary, 'Ringu' and 'Dark Water', to the classic slashers, like 'Psycho' and 'Halloween', to the frankly disturbed, 'Human Centipede', there's more variety then a trick-or-treater's goody bag! But if you're tired of terror, and grossed out by gore why not turn to that selection of pseudo scary films that, intentionally or otherwise, can make you howl... with laughter that is!

1. Sharktopus (2010)
Half shark, half octopus, Sharktopus has been cooked up by scientists as the ultimate weapon, which is just fine until the slippery little beasty escapes and in true 'Jaws' fashion heads for the beach! To say this movie is terrible would be kind! However its combination of appalling visual effects, glaring continuity errors, wooden acting and lumpy dialogue makes it hilarious! So cheesy it gives made-for-TV B-movies a bad name!

2. Scream (1996)
What do you get when you team up the director of 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and the writer of 'Dawson's Creek'? You get the 1996 self-referential, genre busting, slasher flick, 'Scream'. Easily combining comedy with genuinely scary moments, it leaves it's audience alternating between laughing and hiding behind their popcorn. Which leaves only one question...  “Do you like scary movies?” 

3. Fright Night (1985)
No, not the remake! We're talking about the original 1986 movie here, the one complete with eighties style comedy, awesome latex effects and interesting fashion choices! Creepy and funny this film was a surprise hit at the box office, spawning a novel, comic, video game and  equally funny sequel.

4. The Killer Shrews (1959)
Who thinks up this stuff? An experiment to make half-sized humans to help end world hunger has somehow created labrador sized, venomous shrews... obviously! Now the scientists must escape their remote island labto save themselves from the terrible creatures!! If you think the premise is funny, just wait till you see the Shrews themselves. It's hard to imagine that this creature feature was scary even when it was released, but from storyline to shrew puppet you can't help but be amused!

5. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
The story is suprisingly involved for a low-budget RKO horror. After coming to the West Indies, a nurse seeks to cure her patient by any means possible in the hope of winning the heart of the woman's husband. But the islands natives believes that the woman is a zombie. But is this voodoo magic real or just myth? 

By modern day horror standards this film rates high on the old cheese-o-meter but its actually quite atmospheric. Don't expect 'Living Dead' brain munching zombies though. This is all about creepy uncertainty rather then gory violence.

She may have started out trying to write romance novels as a teen but author Elizabeth Richards soon realised that her darker side was calling! 

Now having just signed a book deal with Putnam, Elizabeth Richards talks to Goths and Goggles about 'Twilight', 'Within Temptation' and her upcoming debut novel,  'Black City'.

Firstly we here at Goths and Goggles would like to congratulate you on your
book  deal.

Thanks!

This must be a really exciting time for you, how long have you been dreaming of  this?

I've wanted to be a writer ever since I was a child.  I remember being in middle school and being asked to write a short story about a  trip to a desert island. It was only meant to be 250 words long, but needless to say my story ran over 800 words (that was practically a novel for a nine-year old). I just couldn't stop writing, I completely loved it and I knew then that writing was something I wanted to do.

In high school, I decided to take it more seriously,  so rather than doing my homework during study period, I
would write novels and  scripts instead. One of my earliest attempts was a terrible Romance novel called
'Love on a Ranch' (I was a horny teenager,don't judge me), and a film script  which eventually secured me a place at university.

After graduating I went into journalism, which I enjoyed and it kept me distracted, but I always felt something was missing. It was about 3-4 years ago I made the conscious decision to write a young adult book and try to
get it published. It's been a tough few years, but also some of the best of my life.

So, tell us about “Black City”?
 
Black City is the first in a trilogy called the Black City Chronicles, published by Putnam, Penguin and is due out in North America in August 2012. It's a dystopian fantasy with a steampunk edge, and is aimed at young adults.
Here's some blurb:

Deep in the heartland of the United Sentry States are the burning ruins of the Black City, a melting pot
simmering with hostility as humans and Darklings struggle to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a
brutal and bloody war. A wall now divides the city separating the two races. Trapped on the wrong side of the wall is sixteen-year-old hustler Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling who’ll do whatever it takes to survive, including
selling his addictive venom ‘Haze’ to help support his dying mother.
 
Then there’s Natalie Buchanan, the daughter of the Sentry Emissary, who feels imprisoned by her life of privilege and fame. When their paths cross, they instantly detest each other but Ash is shocked when his once still heart starts to beat. Bonded by a mysterious connection, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed. Then Haze users start
dying all over the city and Ash discovers the terrible truth behind his and Natalie’s mystical connection. Suddenly, city walls and the threat of execution become the least of their problems.

What made you go for a dystopian vibe?

I've always been drawn to dystopian books, so it made sense to me that I'd write a dystopian fantasy one day, but funnily enough Black City didn't start out as a dystopian fantasy. The very first draft of the book (originally titled CRAVING) was an urban fantasy set in England. But as I redrafted the book, I found I was adding more and more dystopian elements to it. Then based on agent feedback, I decided to completely take it back to the 
drawing board and make it full-on dystopian, as I wanted it to stand out from other YA vampire novels on the market, like Twilight.

I'm so glad I did, as the book suddenly came to life. There was more peril, more drama, more conflict. I just loved the world, and it really deepened Ash and Natalie's charactisation.

The whole Dark Fantasy/Paranormal Romance genre seems to have exploded in recent years, why do you think its become so popular?

One word: Twilight. I think Stephenie Meyer just captured the imagination of a generation, and the success of the Twilight Saga made publishers more willing to buy these types of books, and authors more willing to write them.

What gets you in the mood and inspires you to write?

As someone who is drawn to the paranormal and strange, my most creative time of year is autumn. I simply love autumn nights, which are spooky and magical, especially in the build-up to Halloween. It's my favourite time of year and it just awakens me creatively. I always start my new books at this time of year, and it's no
coinscidence.  

I also get inspired by songs, especially by bands like Within Temptation. The lyrics and emotion of their music sends me to a different world!

And last but by no means least...
What's the weirdest song you've ever listened too?

Hocus Pocus by Focus.
Thanks for turning me on to that one!

British Library exhibition for the studious steampunk or sci-fi junkie!

The British Library, in association with the Discovery Channel, have put
together an exhibition of the history of science fiction: From its bizarre
originss in Greek literature through George Orwell, HP Lovecraft and J G Ballard
to TheHitchhiker'ss Guide To The Galaxy, BryanTalbot'ss “Grandville” and Doctor
Who.

The exhibition shows the progression and rising popularity of science fiction
as a literary genre and human preoccupation, including the rise of Steampunk,
and the real world events that influenced it as well as when science fiction
became plain science! The exhibit is, of course, book based but that doesn't
mean it's just a series of dry, dusty tomes in glass cases! Aside from the giant
War of the Worlds style Tripod, crashed spaceship and Tardis, there are also
lots of things to do, like the chance to design your own alien, chat with
Elizabeth the chat-bot to help her be the first to pass the Turin test and test
your own knowledge with virtual quiz. 

The exhibition is running until the 25th September 2011 at the British
Library, admission is FREE.

Find out more here