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The Last House Blurb!
That’s right! The Last House is now less than three weeks from release. Check out the blurb for it below! You can’t move away from your nightmares. After decades of living in a haunted house, Steve and Mara Spain have had enough. Steve’s anxiety-fueled nightmares have increased with each passing year. To find peace, he takes a leave of absence from his law firm to build a home on ten acres of forest near the quaint town of Maquoketa, Iowa. A place to retire—their last house. But these woods are not empty… When the mother of a missing girl begs Steve to investigate her daughter’s cold case, he’s initially happy…
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5 French Extreme Films to See…if You Dare!
Recently, on Cinescare Horror Podcast, we reviewed the horror genre known as French Extreme. If you are interested in these films, check out our episode at the Cinescare website. New French Extreme, New French Extremity, French Extreme–whatever you want to call it–is one of the most vibrant and controversial subgenres in all of horror. Its name alone promises revolutionary art house narrative, combined with visceral violence, and something unsettling, maybe disturbing, that feels at once exhilarating and dangerous. These are films that stick with you like bad memories, conjured up every-so-often when we talk to fellow horror-philes who, like you, have walked a little too close to the precipice of…
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Cinescare is Growing!
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Cinescare is Growing!
Hey all! First, sorry once again for the weird spam emails. I’ve been working on my website this past weekend, and I have had a devil of a time straightening out a new template. Unfortunately, I activated the template too soon (twice), which released all the fake posts in the templates as if they were new posts. So, those of you who subscribe to my newsletter/website were inundated with several bizarrely written emails. Hopefully, it wasn’t too frustrating for you and you could get a chuckle or two out of it. I believe I’ve gotten most of this stuff sorted, so we should be good for now. CINESCARE! If you…
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5 French Extreme Films to See…if You Dare!
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So sorry!!!
PLEASE DISREGARD SPAM EMAILS! I am updating my website and I accidentally activated a template, which sent out a ton of weird emails to my subscribers. Please forgive me! I’m working to fix the situation. My site may be down for a while.
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Your Shocktober Challenge Guide 2020!
Finally! We’re back in the fall spirit and ready for October. The pumpkin spice Scentsy aroma is strong in the Speak house, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. OK, maybe Reznor could do with a little less of it, but he’s a good sport. It seems like forever since I’ve written anything, either on my blog or on my books. I’ve been dealing with severe tendinitis in both of my hands the past few months, which has made typing rather difficult. I had intended to have book three of the Bettendorf Tales ready for publication by now, but I’m afraid that timetable will be pushed back into 2021.…
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Your Quarantine Entertainment Guide
Welcome to the Covid-19 apocalypse. What a bizarre time we’re living in—everyone is understandably feeling uneasy about their health and financial situations. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do about these things until we have a better grip on just what the heck is happening out there. So, in the meantime, we can all use a way to pass the time as we sit in our homes, waiting. Being as productive as possible isn’t a terrible idea, but we also need some entertainment to fill out the endless hours. If you’re like me, nothing keeps out the bad thoughts better than streaming TV shows and movies. So, I thought I’d…
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A Decade of Horror
The 2010s—the decade horror became elevated. I’m not sure what that means, but I agree this was a golden age of horror. We saw wonderful performances and storytelling by some of the most talented up-and-coming directors in the business. Setting out to create a top ten list from such a substantial sample size is a fool’s errand, but I’m a sucker for these things, so what the heck. I’ll push mine out there and see what you think. I doubt most of my list will be a great shock, especially to horror nuts, but there may be one or two you’ve not seen before. What was my method for choosing…
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Horror 2019
Merry Christmas! First off, I just want to say this has been one crazy year for the Speak-Reeves family, after moving across the damned country to settle back in my hometown of Bettendorf. I can’t say it’s all gone according to plan—in fact, almost nothing has happened like we planned it—but we’re settling in OK and figuring things out. Reznor is doing very well academically, though moving to a new town/school is the LAST thing a fourteen-year-old wants to do. We’re all more than a little homesick, even now. Michelle’s been hard at work—like, fingers-to-the-bone style—and Speak Art Studio is growing because of it. I think 2020 will be a…
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Ten Haunted House Movies For Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, this month has been all about watching scary movies. My personal favorites are the ones with ghosts. For me, there’s nothing like a good old fashioned haunted house tale. And if you haven’t subscribed to Shudder, AMC’s horror movie streaming service, I highly recommend you do so for at least a month. For the cost of what you’d spend on a typical rental, you get a month’s access to a huge catalog of horror movies, including many you’ve probably never seen. So, here’s a list of some of my favorites, in no particular order. I tried to slip in…
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Tools of Writing
Just as a painter requires a brush, canvas, palette, and easel, a writer needs specific tools to create a story. These days, authors use a wide variety of programs to improve almost everything about their work—from editing and plotting, to formatting and publishing. Below, I’ve listed several basic programs useful for any kind of writing.
