Monsters on my mind Back to Blog
What a great Month of Monsters! Thanks, Cynthia, for letting me post about my favorite creatures. I can’t wait for your Night Watch to get here in December! (And not just because I want that chest on my bookshelf 😉 )
Speaking of books finally landing… It’s almost here! My debut urban fantasy romance, SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, Book 1 of The Marked Souls, officially appears in book stores tomorrow, October 6! (Although rumor has it, Archer’s rippling abs have graced a few shelves already.)
It’s a dream come true. And to think it all started with a nightmare….
Well, not an actual awake-sweating-in-the-middle-of-the-night nightmare, but the story did arise — ghoul-like — from the marshy mists of my imagination where more than one nightmare has been known to walk.
I think the one of the reasons I love science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance is that the bad guys can be soooo bad… and they don’t even have to be human. Human monsters are wonderful too — think Hannibal Lecter, for example — but he just didn’t drool enough, ya know?
I like long, jaggedy teeth in my monsters. I also like drool. And stench. I’m no artist, and I don’t have scratch’n’sniff on this computer, but here are some of the unkind critters that have invaded the world of the Marked Souls. I penned them out because I wanted to get a feel for them. Not that you’d want to feel them — eew — since I like weird pebbly skin on my monsters, and scales, and more ooze.
Of course, these little sketches don’t do justice to what’s squirming in my head. I’m a particular fan of the monsters produced by Weta Workshop — who created creatures for Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings — the Nazgul steeds rule! — and Guillermo Del Toro’s freakish beasts from Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy 2. But until I can get them to do my movie (weren’t we speaking of dreams coming true?) I’ll weave words to share the mayhem in my mind.
Here’s an excerpt from “Boys’ Night Out,” the free online short story I use to introduce the world of the Marked Souls, where the talyan — immortal warriors possessed by repentant teshuva demons — fight the resident nasties, including the ferales:
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Waiting for the other talyan to make their way to the end of the block and back along the alley, Jonah crept closer to the building. He kept to the darkness beside the lighted windows. The feralis might be animated by demonic forces, but it still used physical matter from this realm to build itself, so the bright light of the Laundromat should blind it to the destruction creeping upon it.
Or so he hoped. Where demonic forces were concerned, should didn’t always matter.
He peered around the corner. Dear God in heaven. He whispered the words as a prayer, though he knew he no longer had the right. The thing was huge. It stood half again as tall as the industrial-sized washing machines that could easily hold all the talyan’s dirty trench coats. It lurched upright, vaguely humanoid. But no one—even under the influence of more beers than they’d planned to consume, even with the disguises of Halloween—no one would mistake it for human.
Especially since it was missing a head. The hulking shoulders sloped inward, and where the neck should have been was only a moist, gaping hole ringed with finger-long teeth. Where it had scavenged the organic residue for teeth like that, Jonah didn’t want to guess, although the etheric mutations a feralis wreaked on its physical husk could grow even more bizarrely dangerous if left unchecked.
He was the check and balance, he reminded himself. His demon twisted within him, yearning to match itself against the feralis, to drain its malevolent power. He tamped the teshuva down, wouldn’t let it rise past his control. If only Liam and Archer would make an appearance, they’d make sure at least one demon didn’t celebrate tonight.
The feralis huddled—if a thing almost the size of a Volkswagen Bug could huddle—behind the tables where a single sock had been abandoned after someone’s last folded load. Strangely, it had draped itself with a tattered housecoat. Jonah frowned. For all their animalistic nature, ferales lacked the common sense God had given even the lowliest of its constituent parts when alive. A feralis might eat the frau who had worn the coat, but it wouldn’t save the wrapper. Why would one have covered itself?
He moved closer to the window. At least its headlessness ensured it wouldn’t see him. Or so he hoped.
It had snagged a pigeon, recently, judging by the fact that he could still identify the remaining wing, feathers bedraggled but recognizable. The wing stuck up from one stooped shoulder like half a pet bird perched on an eccentric—and headless—housewife.
An abomination. His gorge rose, along with his demon. Every impulse screamed that the thing was a blight and must be banished. The demon was more than willing to oblige. Its fires crowned in him, shifting his vision to the hunter’s black light phosphorescence.
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You can read the rest online at the Borders short story page. How about you? When it comes to inhuman monsters, what do you find most terrifying? Sheer size, like Godzilla? Or maybe tiny, like the out-of-control ants from Them? Speed and animal cunning, like the velociraptors from Jurassic Park? The gross factor, like Alien?
In celebration of tomorrow’s release, I’m giving away two signed copies of SEDUCED BY SHADOWS. Share your favorite icky monster factor for a chance to win!
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First thing: Congrats for your release tomorrow!
This question is real tough. I think it depends on the situation. Sometimes the small and the inconsiderable monsters are the worst. They seem to be more canny and you have to think about how to get rid of them.
And the really bug and ugly ones have their advantages too. They’re imposing and intimidating. But I think my favorite ones are the creeps and freaks cuz the most terrifying ones are the ordinary looking who are so crazy that you can’t predict what they will do.
Hope both of you have a nice week.
Susi
I think the creepy Unseelie Fae from Karen Moning’s Fever series are very nasty, they come in all shapes and sizes with oozing globs of stinkiness and multi-armed, legged and what not of stomach turning ickiness.
A fast and smart monster is much scarier than a big, dumb monster who may cause a lot of damage but it’s easy to get rid of or control. Seemingly harmless, cute monsters who turn out to be anything than are creepy, too. One that doesn’t kill you right away because it has “better” uses for your body (eg. Alien)… the worst.
Oh, Alien is definitely one of the grossest monsters.
For me it is the speed and animal cunning type of monsters.
Love terrifing like Alien and Predater movies. Also love the Jurrasric Park ones too. I just love all of them! LOL.
Ok,I’ll admit I hate snakes and spiders; so it goes without saying that movies like Arachnaphobia and Snakes on a plane are not on my favorite movies to watch list. Other monsters or aliens I can deal with.
Congratulations on your new book, it’s on my wish list but haven’t found it yet at the bookstore.
You know I have to with when Angel went bad. He scared me. Lol
Hi Cynthia & Jessa 🙂
Thank you for the great post Jessa & the excellent excerpt.
I’m looking forward to getting SEDUCED BY SHADOWS.
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
speed is scary, those monsters that can be terrifyingly fast are the scariest to me
Congrats on the new book!
Let’s see…monsters for sheer freakout factor. I think I really hate beings who are small, but move with jerky motions like the dog on Unborn. Anything that looks somewhat normal, but moves like it’s being moved around by a puppeteer gives me the creeps. Then, those little slimey things on Night of the Creeps. Ugh. Slithering all around, faster than you could run and then getting in your ear! Meh.
I think it would be the small stuff that you can’t get away from…like being covered in spiders or snake. EEK!
Definitely a Congrats on the newly released book Jessa!
I absolutely love horror and if its got Sci Fi in it even better – my favorite monster not including the real life kinda – Hitler, the ex psychopath boyfriend…
is probably the monster from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth – he eats little children and his eyeballs are on his hands…very cool.
This books is now on my tbr on goodreads. Thanks.
PS – I was sent here via SusiSunshine on twitter 🙂
It has to be the drool. Slimy, oceans of drool, coming at you from the monster’s mouth (and there is no telling where that mouth was before it headed your way!). Yuck.
By the way, when I glanced at the title of the book, at first I thought it said SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, Book 1 of The Marked Snobs 🙂
Hi Jessa,
Your book sounds like a great read!!! Really there are just so many variables that can make a monster terrific…for instance, the bad guyz’ minions in Hellboy were darn freaky!!! In Wolverine, Ryan Reynold’s character when he had been mutated by Striker was incredibly SCARY and CREEPY!!! I guess a great monster to me is not really determined by its size or even sliminess but rather the sense of ominousness that it exudes!!!
Happy Reading!!!
Anna
OMG, the cockroach in MIB. Ewwwwww…when he takes over the farmers body, and it’s just kinda hanging on it. And that oozey stuff…….that just grosses me out, lol.
Congratulations on your new release!
The rogue demon monsters from Jacquelyn Frank’s Jacob sounded very creepy! Ick! Also, spiders. 😉
Congrats on your new release!!
Alien is very icky!! Movies like the Blob was extremely icky!! I can’t stand the slimy monsters. I get the shivers watching them:)
Congrats on the release! Slime, drool and open sores are my major ick factors that’s way monsters like zombies really gross me out.
Okay, am I the only one getting a little creeped out here? I’m jotting down some great ideas for monsters.
I thought it was clever how the creators of the Cloverfield monster had the big lumbering monster knocking over buildings (hey, put that CG to work!) and tiny biting monsters for that, you know, personal, human scale 🙂
I hate snakes and rats so if there are any of these in movies I usually cringe!
I have to agree with the assessment the smaller and faster ones normally being the smarter and more clever, crafter than the bigger ones.
The velociraptors! It’s the speed, you can’t outrun them. Sure spiders and stuff are icky but dinosaurs are just so scary
Congrats on your release!
I don’t like the Alien movies, maybe it’s the drool…
Happy early book birthday! I like your little monster sketches! 😀
The worst is anything cunning, insect-like and body fluid-y…oh and bristly hairy! Ewewewewew!!!
I agree with Alien and the gross factor there. 🙂 another one is the predator in the movie Predator when he takes the helmet off and you get to see his face without the metal. Gross. 🙂
Body fluid. Check. Bristles. Check. All this, just in time for Halloween!
Hmm, I think I’d be the most scared of anything that would kill me slowly. Like.. the big monsters (say.. Godzilla) could step on you, and that’d be it, the end. But something small, or something that ate at you from inside.. yes, that would be the worst. I keep thinking of the scarabs from The Mummy, where they crawled under your skin.
This is why I keep a supersized can of RAID by my bed.. just in case!
I can’t wait to read your book! It looks amazing. And congratulations!
Agree with several others that fast and intelligent monsters are much more terrifying than strong and stupid ones.
Congrats on your book release!
BUGS! Those bugs on mummy almost did me in. It’s the small factor, it can get under any crack in the door. Oh and that clicking noise they give bugs in movies, Ewww, makes me want to jump up on a chair and squeel.
Oh ya and congrats!!!!
Congrats on your release. Yeah, the Nazgul are really creepy and I think those Uruk’hai from Lord of the Rings are pretty yucky too!!!!
Valerie
in Germany
Oh yeah! The clicking noise! Love it. Squishing and clicking are both awesome. Also, that terrifying indrawn breath roar-scream thing. Love that too.
I think humans can be the worst kind of monsters. They can mess with every part of you and that scares me.
PS. I love those sketches to pieces!!
Out of all the monsters I’ve come across, I think it’s the cunning and speedy ones that terrify me most. When they have superhuman abilities and have the intelligence to employ them effectively and in a sneaky manner, it’s truly terrifying. My favorite monster has to be Frankenstein’s monster from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. One of the creepiest and most terrifying things about Frankenstein’s monster is that he is made from pieces of various dead humans. So, though he’s not human, he has the appearance of a malformed human. On top of all that, he has superhuman speed and strength, he’s bigger than most humans, and he has the intelligence to use his abilities in a way to cause the most terror and emotional pain to her creator.
Eeek. That should be ‘his creator’ not ‘her creator’ at the end of my previous post. *sigh*
I don’t like slimy creatures or ones that ooze things. I don’t want to be attacked by a snot monster.
the fast and smart ones are the ones that get me. Those velociraptors is Jurrassic Park were fantastic. Man when the figured out how to open doors that was what got me. Trex might kill ya. But he wouldn’t do it on purpose lol. The smart one are harder to get away from and that is what I like.
Pinhead from Hellraiser is the creepiest. All those pins give me the shivers.
I usually avoid monster movies but have seen some of the original Alien and that was nasty. I think smaller monsters are scary as they can hide all over the place. I always get concerned when my cat stares at the floor or the wall and I have to wonder what creepy crawly thin has been spotted.
I think cunningly smart will scare me everytime!
I have to agree with Jody F. about not liking slimy creatures or ones that ooze things. That is such disgusting and yucky!
You know what I find most scary? When the killer in a horror movie walks very slow-even if his victom is running-behind them. I swear, it sounds silly, but it freaks me out! Its like they KNOW they don’t have to run to be able to catch them, there going to be able to do that anyway, so they just take their time walking to that scary music playing in the background lol.
Congrats on your book! I know you must be excited!:)
I really hate snakes also, so any with slithering snakes!
Congrats on your book release.
Love what you’ve been coming up with for these contests.
I love the Alien and Predator movies, my scare factor is spiders. Crawling on people and going inside ears, just freaks me the heck out.
I think the monster from Alien had it all – it was icky, ugly, big, and fast too. That monster is for me, my all time scariest.
Freaky eyes, they never fail to creep me out. lol
Deidre
Congratulations on ‘Seduced by Shadows’!!!
My creepiest monster would be anything with large eyes, lots of long sharp teeth and slimy scales covering its large body.
Awesome excerpt, Jessa. Looking forward to reading “Seduced by Shadows”. I’m totally an urban fantasy junky.
As far as monsters go … anything with more than two legs creeps me out. Insect creatures … ick.
I like my monsters sneaky and intelligent. Dumb monsters should not be able o scare anyone. I mean, ifthey are stupid, it would be easy to beat them, then there would be no story, right?
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