tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17432205547477357062024-03-12T17:17:12.733-07:00David Gatwardwww.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-19013745442684959662014-03-10T14:24:00.000-07:002014-03-10T15:23:46.123-07:00Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's me - and I'm a PATRON OF READING!Yep, it's true. I'm a patron of reading. (For more info on this check out: www.patronofreading.co.uk)<a href="http://davidjgatward.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patronofreading.co.uk" rel="tag" style="background-color: black; color: #aadd99; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;"></a><br />
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How awesome is THAT?<br />
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In fact, let's meditate on that notion a while...<br />
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I. Am. A. Patron. Of. Reading.<br />
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Of Norton Hill School, in Somerset (http://www.nortonhillschool.com) And if you want to know what they had to say on the matter, follow them on twitter and check out their msgs: https://twitter.com/nortonhill<br />
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Frankly, this is a massive deal. And I feel hugely privileged. To be given the chance to work alongside students and staff to promote reading? What's not to love?<br />
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Er ... Nothing.<br />
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On the day it was all made official, I spent my time with students just talking about books. And it was brilliant. I learned from them. I was inspired by them. And I wanted to help them read more, read wider, just READ.<br />
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I'm still reeling from it. Still stunned. Still humbled.<br />
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But a thought occurs to me. If we are readers, then surely we are all by default patrons of reading? It's up to us to show folk out there how important books are, stories are, words are. Because they are.<br />
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So here's a few ideas to help you promote reading:<br />
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1. Read. I'm serious: READ. Have a book on you. Carry it around with you. Let people see you with a book, holding it, reading it, loving it, wrestling with it.<br />
2. Tweet about your books. Repeatedly. Tell people if it's good or bad. Ask what they think of it.<br />
3. Read dangerously. You like crime? Why not read some horror? Like horror? Try a romance. Heard about a book that people think you shouldn't be allowed near? Get it, grab it, read it, devour it.<br />
4. When you finish a book, don't put it on a shelf, leave it somewhere for someone to find. Like a pub table. Put a little note inside it from you to them. Tell them you hope they enjoy it. Include your twitter. Connect.<br />
5. Visit the library. Not just to get another book out, but to meet other readers, chat with librarians.<br />
6. Get involved with local schools. You could read with children, go talk about books, collect books for the library.<br />
7. Invent the perfect sandwich to eat while reading. Go on! Then tell me what it is.<br />
8. Take photos of your books in weird places: down a cave, up a chimney, inside the stomach of a dragon. Share these photos on Facebook, twitter. Ask other folk - where do you read yours?<br />
9. Buy a dog and call it the name of your favourite book.<br />
10. You know your fave independent bookshop? Buy them a cake.<br />
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Any more ideas, let me know.<br />
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Which reminds me of another idea...<br />
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Ebooks. No, they are not the devil. And no, they will not have us burning books in favour of only electronic ink. Buy them. Download free samples. Hell, why not publish your own book and get it up there? Like me, you could soon find yourself with readers all round the world. I know this because my Dead Trilogy is out in the US now. And you can even buy it well cheap for a limited time (if you're in the US that is). Don't believe me? Then click a link at the bottom of this and seeeeeeeeee...<br />
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So there you go. Patron of Reading. Me. WOW. Think of the fun I'm gonna have!<br />
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BOOM! YEAH! WOOHOO!<br />
<br />
Dave 'Patron of Reading' Gatward<br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Dead: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEO8DE" style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEO8DE</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Dark: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEP9PA" style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEP9PA</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Damned:</span> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBFINS4" style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBFINS4</a></span></div>
www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-60924615972386884812014-02-25T13:05:00.001-08:002014-02-25T13:05:42.944-08:00Wot no zombies?OK, I'll admit it: i'm not watching The Walking Dead. I caught a few of the first ones then dropped out. I've no doubt it's brilliant. I just couldn't be bothered with all the zombies.<div>
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When I was writing my Dead Trilogy, I wanted to make sure it wasn't zombies. I wanted my Dead to have an emotional drive, a need beyond that of "brains... BRAINS..."</div>
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So I kinda used the idea of purgatory, but twisted it. I wanted the Dead to be trapped between heaven and hell by their own thirst to live again. Then I found a quote by Mark Twain (a total genius):</div>
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"Pity is for the living, envy is for the dead."</div>
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And there I had it: ENVY!</div>
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Wow - what a nut kicker of an emotional drive! There's so much weight behind that word! It's got lust wrapped up in it. A single-minded-twisted-ness too.</div>
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Envy...</div>
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And there they were, my Dead. No brainless brain-munching morons. But driven creatures who wanted to live, and would do anything to experience life again, even if for only a few moments.</div>
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I loved writing The Dead Trilogy. I'm really proud of it. And having it out now in the US is a proper honour.</div>
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And you know what? Something ace is happening right now...</div>
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We got ourselves a special promotion folks! The three books, starting with The Dead, are on Kindle Countdown. So you want to grab a copy for 99cents? Then click on the link below before the price goes back to normal again on March 1!</div>
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After that, The Dark comes in, ending on March 7, and then The Damned.</div>
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So get 'em while you can at a bargain basement price! Just click below and you're in!</div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Dead: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEO8DE" style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEO8DE</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Dark: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEP9PA" style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBEP9PA</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Damned:</span> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBFINS4" style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBFINS4</a></span></div>
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-8183396719841256662014-02-23T09:19:00.004-08:002014-02-23T09:19:48.614-08:00The Killer InsideEveryone gets angry. And I'm not just talking about cross enough to say a few naughty words and stomp up the stairs.<br />
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I'm taking rage. Full on, ripping doors off fury. The kind of anger that makes your stare powerful enough to melt through steel.<br />
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Know what I mean? Of course you do.<br />
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This anger can boil up from anything. Usually though, when it really lets fly, there's a build up. A gradual drip-drip-drip to something that you hold back, keep at bay, until suddenly - BOOM...<br />
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The repercussions can be terrifying, not just for you, but those around you. And if you're on your own? The doors get it. The chairs. Things get thrown. You yell and scream and ...<br />
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I've always found the horror genre utterly unafraid of dealing with anger. You get an action movie or a thriller, quite often the anger leads to something good happening, where the hero's loss of control causes the downfall of the bad guy and in the end, all things are good. And we're left thinking, hey that anger? That was worth it. That was necessary. And it felt gooooood. We find ourselves justifying the anger because of the good outcome, the hero saving the day.<br />
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It ain't always like that.<br />
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Anger and fury do not generally lead to good things happening. We get hurt, mentally and physically. Bad things happen. Really bad things. And if a story doesn't shy away from that, then I reckon it's all the more powerful.<br />
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Good things happen to bad people. Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, evil wins, because that's just the way things turn out.<br />
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So next time you're watching or reading something where the hero gets angry and it all turns out right in the end, look back to the moment anger turned into something righteous. And flip it. Take it in another direction.<br />
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Explore the darker side of who and what we are.<br />
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That way we can learn from it.www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-18266191651037007422013-11-25T05:26:00.000-08:002013-11-25T05:26:16.672-08:00The Book That Changed My LifeThis is something I invariably talk about during my school visits, but it's something I've never bunged here. So now I am.<br />
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One book changed my life: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner.<br />
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I was on a family holiday. It was in a caravan. I've no doubt that it was raining. After all, we were in a caravan, and those blasted creations seem to have a knack of attracting bad weather (as well as not entirely in shape pensioners in pink flannelette jogging outfits, dog owners who think EVERYONE wants their dog to lick them, gangs of topless kids on bikes, and the acrid smell of sausages burned on a disposable bbq).<br />
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So, I was bored. There wasn't exactly much to do, bar eating a biscuit, playing scrabble, or listening to my parents drink EVEN MORE TEA THAN YESTERDAY (and very loudly, too), while shuffling through yet another leaflet about either a castle (a few bricks and an overpriced guidebook), an old house (rich people allow the poor people to gaze at their life of wealth and opulence), a zoo (donkey and a bird bath), or a poor attempt at family entertainment (a few farm fields filled with a couple of goats, a roundabout, a display of 'olde worlde farminge implents, and a coffee shop).<br />
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At last, the day's entertainment was decided. We would go and... (wait for it...) VISIT A VILLAGE! Yes! A VILLAGE! I was confused. We lived in a village. So why the hell had we come on holiday to go and visit one? In the rain? Back home, I could just open my bedroom window and behold! A VILLAGE! Anyway, kagools pulled on, off we were swept into the rain to look at old buildings, cobbled streets, and to then gaze in wonder at the displays in bakery windows.<br />
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We happened to pass a gift shop. The kind that sells everything from swords to hankies to taxidermy, toilet rolls, tins of beans and snow globes. It also had a few book carousels outside. The kind filled with books limp and pathetic courtesy of the elements. Books that look sad and depressed and close to just jumping off into the puddles below to end it all.<br />
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Anyway, one book grabbed my attention. Not just because the cover ROCKED (see below), but because the title was utterly mesmerising. What's not to love about "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen"? It's magnificent! So I grabbed it, bought it, and devoured it.<br />
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It's a brilliant read. Short, beautiful, dark, menacing, magical. But one section nailed it for me. The heroes are being chased through a cave. The cave gets pretty tight. And finally they end up not at a dead end, but a sump. This is where the cave is submerged. They've no idea how much of the cave is underwater. Could be a few metres. Could be a few miles. But they've no choice - they have to risk drowning to avoid capture.<br />
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ABSOLUTELY BLOODY TERRIFYING!<br />
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Even more so for me, because I had actually drowned a few years before, and was completely terrified of water. (True story. I didn't learn to swim till I was 28.)<br />
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It was that scene (which is little more than a couple of sides of a page) that did it. Those words haunted me. That book chased me through every moment of my life, pestering me, tapping its spindly fingers against my head. It knew I wanted to do the same, use words to haunt people, tell stories, scare, encourage, frighten, excite...<br />
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So now that's what I try to do. I'm no way saying I'm Alan Garner (who's a veritable genius). But I am a writer. With books and everything. And it was his words in that book all those years ago that set me on this path. And to me, that's just astonishing.<br />
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Thanks Alan - I owe you a lot.www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-50201251320905821552013-11-19T11:17:00.003-08:002013-11-19T11:17:23.237-08:00Why I Want Rob Zombie To Buy My Film Rights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;">Rob Zombie... Isn't he?</span></div>
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Mr Zombie is pretty damned polarising. People love him. People hate him. People are confused by him. People wonder just why the hell he puts Sheri Moon (his wife) in everything he does...<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Sheri Moon. Wowzers...</span></div>
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Me? I think he rocks.<br />
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I started with House of 1000 Corpses many years ago. It confused me. I didn't like it. I forgot all about it.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">House of 1000 Corpses. You know you want to...</span></div>
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Then I watched The Devil's Rejects and I was gobsmacked. This was rock n roll awesome. It was twisted and brilliant and the sound track was superb and there were guns and insanity and crazy dialogue and...<br />
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<span style="color: red;">The Devil's Rejects. Not the most tactful of posters...</span></div>
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Then came his Halloween duo. Liked the first a lot. The second confused me. Then I watched The Lords of Salem. Which confused me.</div>
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<span style="color: red;">The Lords. Absolutely bonkers...</span></div>
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So I was confused. And I don't like being confused because I like to know why I'm confused or it just gets too confusing.<br />
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So I went back to House of 1000 and this time watched it on my projector. The difference was immeasurable. Man, that film is crazy fun! Yeah, it's basically Tourist Trap with balls, but that's a good thing. Visually it's splendid. The sets, the way each shot is filled to bursting point with all manner of stuff, just the way Zombie seems to completely get how a scene should look. By the end I was converted - no more confused, lots of WOOHOO!<br />
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So I decided this week to rewatch Lords. Last time I saw it, myself and my good horror buddy sat in silence after somewhat befuddled. What had we just watched? What in tarnation was Zombie doing now? And just WHAT the HELL was that weird mutant dwarf thing with tentacles? And the sasquatch? and just who are the lords anyway? And... well, there were a lot of questions.<br />
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The rewatching didn't necessarily answer any of these questions. But it did draw me in. I loved the atmosphere and the general gentleness the film seemed to have (ignoring the completely bonkers witches scenes). Yeah, it did have a feel as though it had at points been made up on the spot, that it was a few good ideas stitched together by some nonsense, but I didn't care. Again, it was beautifully shot. That tiny corridor - how did Zombie make that such a part of what was going on? And Sheri - my god, this part was the moment she actually became something other than Zombie's Fit Wife. She was great in it, better than actually. And the supporting cast, too. The soundtrack - great. The dialogue - cracking. The everything about it - a mixed up, potion of crazy weird darkness to pour into your head and giggle and rock to.<br />
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So why do I want the man to bag my film rights? Well, I think Zombie has a certain magic to him. he gets horror. He gets metal. He gets theatre. He loves what he does. He doesn't care what folk think. he's unique. Original. Clever. Arty. Bonkers. Violent. Gifted. And I can't help wonder what he'd do with a horror for a younger audience. Think of the fun he could have...<br />
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Zombie, for all the flaws people seem keen to point out, for all the crazy, for all the confusion, is to me a seriously exciting dude behind the camera as well as on stage. Now all I've gotta do is work out a way to get him to notice my stuff...<br />
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... Goat sacrifice perhaps...www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-54965619444073976662013-11-09T04:33:00.001-08:002013-11-09T04:33:30.356-08:0020 Word Short Horror Story CompetitionEarlier this week I tweeted a very short horror story indeed written by someone I can't remember the name of right this minute. Anyway, it went something like this: "The last man on earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door." Simple, clever, chilling. And stuff.<br />
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So I had an idea...<br />
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And that idea was to find two different types of cheese, place them in a box in the garage for three years, and see if they created an entirely NEW kind of cheese when reopened!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5LdukPLPpCE/Un4ri6j0J7I/AAAAAAAAANA/5JUAFQ0r040/s1600/Evil_Cheese_is_Evil_by_Quickman012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5LdukPLPpCE/Un4ri6j0J7I/AAAAAAAAANA/5JUAFQ0r040/s320/Evil_Cheese_is_Evil_by_Quickman012.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Then I had another, slightly more relevant, idea...<br />
<br />
So I'm going to run a 20 Word Short Horror Story Competition. Yes! It's true! For more info, just watch the movie below, then send your submission to me at: daveandthedead@live.com. WOOHOO! Grrr... argh... etc.<br />
<br />
Dave "I 'heart' Suspiria" Gatward<br />
<br />
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<br />www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-37609926349963571542013-11-01T08:29:00.003-07:002013-11-01T08:29:29.614-07:00Watch out America, the Dead are coming!ok folks, it's happened at last - Gatward is hitting the US! woohoo! this is a huge deal for me and I'm massively excited.<br />
<br />
So here's the info...<br />
<br />
1 For the next 5 days you can download FOR FREE book 1, The Dead, here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GBEO8DE/ref=redir_mdp_mobile<br />
<br />
2. If you RT and FOLLOW me on twitter @davidgatward with <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">#ShredtheDead</span> you have a chance at winning one of 3 limited edition skateboards!<br />
<br />
3 The other two books in the trilogy are available here:<br />
<br />
The <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dark</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Dead-ebook/dp/B00GBEP9PA/">http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Dead-ebook/dp/B00GBEP9PA/</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Damned<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Damned-Dead-ebook/dp/B00GBFINS4/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">http://www.amazon.com/The-Damned-Dead-ebook/dp/B00GBFINS4/</a></span></div>
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AWESOMENESS!</div>
www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-27283550195841713612013-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:002013-09-09T16:36:01.195-07:00So Here's The Thing...It's taken me a while to write this, to even come to it with words, but here goes... and if it makes no sense, I apologise in advance.<br />
<br />
So, I went to the psychic evening. I did my research and I had an open mind. Clearly that phrase 'open mind' is always a pause for thought. No one's mind is truly open. We see everything through our own version of rose-tinted spectacles. The ones we put on that we hope no one else notices.<br />
<br />
So that was the evening. And fun it was, too. Nothing happened to me. Nothing. I observed other people affected, altered, taken up with what was going on. It was fascinating, intriguing, confusing, wonderful. And as I said, I'd go again for sure.<br />
<br />
Next day? Well, the evening was a run in to the following day, a psychic day. And I wasn't going to let that pass me by. So with writer's head and satchel, off I went.<br />
<br />
It was, more than the evening really, what I expected: cloth-covered tables, crystals, cards, and a fair spattering of fairy-type stuff. I at that point could've giggled and left. But that's not me, really. I wanted to just soak it up, so I did. And I got the chance to sit with a seriously well known palm reader (he's the one the celeb's go to) (and now me!) and see what happened.<br />
<br />
So, here's the thing. Most of what he said I could, easily, say that it was generalisations, clever motivational speak, excellent reading of body language. The man is a life coach born and bred. He could change lives simply by talking, because he's clearly got a skill and talent for saying stuff not necessarily that you want to hear, but stuff that might make you think and change what you do.<br />
<br />
But one word stood out: Troubadour.<br />
<br />
Just a word, right? Nothing special.<br />
<br />
Well, the trouble with this word is that it has cropped up before. My dad was sitting with an old friend. A friend in a coma. been out for weeks. It was a regular visit. Dad was doing his job as a friend and as a minister. Then this friend in a coma wakes up. Has a message he tells my dad, about his sons. Tells him. Falls back to a coma. What he said about my brother is irrelevant (accurate, as it turns out, but irrelevant). Anyway, for me, he used that one word: troubadour.<br />
<br />
And so did the palm reader. The man stared at me and used that word. 'You're a troubadour. You can't help it. You can't do anything about it. That's what you are.'<br />
<br />
I honestly don't know what that means. I'm not some bloke who runs around singing poetry. But I do write. And I can't help but write. It's not just something I do. It's what I am. Not for money (hahaha...) Not for fame (more of the hahaha...) It's simply something I do because if I don't I actually stop.<br />
<br />
Utterly.<br />
<br />
Troubadour though. That's a random word. It's like meeting a stranger and saying 'Castanet' and the stranger saying 'holy cow - it's the one instrument I've always wanted to play'. Or something.<br />
<br />
I am not suggesting anything here. At all. But what I am saying is that a man who has no idea who I am, has never met me, doesn't know me, spoke to me, and used a really rather specific word, and one that's haunted me for a long, long time, to describe who I am, and what I cannot escape being.<br />
<br />
Read in to that what you will. Something or nothing.<br />
<br />
Intriguing though, isn't it? And that undeniable part of it all is what fascinates me. And also - as I've already said - keeps my mind open.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-22406693850989785782013-08-23T10:04:00.000-07:002013-08-23T10:04:01.419-07:00Keeping An Open Mind
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A big part of the joy of writing is
research. Frankly, while I was at college, doing either A-Levels or my degree,
I thought the opposite. It was a drag, reading through books, finding quotes,
doing some kind of apparently relevant experiential work to base an essay or
dissertation on. I really couldn’t be bothered, but that might have more to do
with my lack of interest in what I was studying, than the actual process of
research.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m a firm believer in the phrase ‘write
what you know’. Like I say to many of the students at the creative writing
sessions I run at schools across the country, this doesn’t mean write about
your day at school, or what you had for lunch, what you saw on TV. What it
means (to me at any rate) is this: DO YOUR RESEARCH.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For me, the whole process can be addictive.
It’s an excuse to buy books, to scour through bizarre texts, buy random stuff
off ebay. It is also a great reason to get off your arse and do something a bit
different. Research has, for me, included skydiving, endless hours reading
about weaponry, taking up Krav Maga so I would have a better idea of what an
actual fight was like (I wrote a scene a few years back that a friend, who had
a better understanding of violence than I, told me would have the main
character dead within the first two sentences!) I’ve trawled my own background,
drawing upon my own hobbies of archery, shooting, mountaineering. I’ve
interviewed all manner of interesting folk. And, last weekend, I did something
I’ve never done in my life: I went to a Psychic Night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It would be easy to have ended that last
sentence with an exclamation mark, as though to say, ‘what fun’ and ‘it’s a bit
silly’ and ‘don’t worry, I didn’t take it seriously’. The fact is, if I went
along thinking any of that, I’d have tainted my research. I needed an open
mind, wanted to take everything in, and record it accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was fascinating. The evening began with
some relaxing music, played wonderfully on a wooden flute affair. You know that
relaxing CD music you find in shops selling crystals? It was that, but
considerably better. Following this, we went straight into astrology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I, like everyone else I’m sure, has checked
out their star sign. I’m not sure I’ve ever got anything for it, but I’ve
always been interested in the idea that for 1000s of years the human race has
pondered the stars and considered their influence on our tiny lives. The
conviction of the astrologer I honestly couldn’t doubt. He was down to earth,
wasn’t wearing feathers or tie-dye, and didn’t make me want to immediately
punch him in the face. And his delivery was a lot of fun, too. Believe in it?
That wasn’t the point – I was interested in finding out why people did, not
whether I did or not. Next, we had palmistry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If I was expecting Gypsy Rose Lee, I was
way off the mark. The man in front was, it turns out, an ex-school’s inspector.
He was funny, he had an address book that was a who’s-who of celebrities, and
he knew his subject inside and out. There was no mysticism to what he was
saying, if anything it was very matter of fact. And hearing how a person’s hand
could tell a story… what’s not to love about that? Because surely our hands do,
to a degree, carry scars of the lives we lead. Next came Tarot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In much the same way, we were presented
with a man who wasn’t in any way hippy-fied. He just did tarot. People in the
audience picked cards, he explained them, job done. Were they looking for
meaning in what he was saying? Was it generalisations? Again, I didn’t care –
this was research. And it was fascinating! Then, after a break, came the moment
everyone had been waiting for: mediumship!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There is something intrinsically
fascinating about the notion of being able to see or contact or commune with
the dead. Where would Horror be without it? What I noticed immediately the
moment the medium took the stage, alongside a psychic artist she works with,
was the upping of anticipation in the room. Cynic or not, everyone there wanted
the medium to speak to them. Yes, even me. Why wouldn’t I? I was utterly
fascinated about what she was saying to others, how she was doing it, the
impact it had. Again, she was compelling and clearly believed with her whole
spirit that what she did was real. As did the man on the same row as me when
she handed him a painting by the psychic artist and he recognized it straight
away as his own father. As did the girl who’s grandfather came through when the
medium mentioned a paratrooper who liberated Belsen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I left the evening no more convinced or
otherwise in what went on, but as I said, that wasn’t the point. I had
experienced something I’d never done before. I’d met people and spoken about
things that were out of my comfort zone. And I’d come away with such a
wonderful stack of ideas and thoughts and pictures and notes that I’m now
almost at a loss as to what to do with them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As writers, we must surely maintain an open
mind. We need to see the world through the eyes of others if we are to ever
actually present a true picture of a character and how the interact with it.
Our role is the storyteller. We present ideas and thoughts and experiences and
events and it is up to the reader to then draw their own conclusions. If we
attempt to write from the perspective of a closed mind, I’m not sure we can
ever do our job as truly as we want to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I love writing. I love the research. I love
finding out about stuff I would never usually consider in a normal, everyday
kind of job. And I love forcing myself to keep my mind open enough to absorb
something that might, some day, help me produce a book I’m proud of. Oh and
yes, you bet I’d go again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-90070447476064355712013-08-10T09:33:00.004-07:002013-08-10T09:43:06.805-07:00Top Five Horror Movie Snack/Drink Combinations For Troll 2!<div style="text-align: center;">
OK, so perhaps it's not a Top Five as such, more a 'Five', but what the hey. I advise you try them all out on Troll 2 (I've bunged a link to the trailer of at the bottom). It's a challenge worthy of us all, trust me.</div>
<br />
<b>5. Evian and low fat flavoured crackers with low fat dips</b><br />
The kind of thing you never want to eat during a horror movie. Possibly more horrifying than the actual movie itself. Unless you're watching Troll 2. However, it will impress anyone who thinks movie snacks are nothing more than heart attack building blocks.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Non-alcoholic wine/beer and crudités with humus</b><br />
Non-alcoholic wine is horrible. Non-alcoholic beer can be passable. Crudités are wrong. And humus is little more than garlic-flavoured semolina. None of this works. At all. But consume while wearing a black polar neck, and people will take you for a famous film critic and actually listen to what you say. So annoy them with pithy comments throughout the movie - yes, even if it is Troll 2 - and enjoy them agreeing with you, even if you don't actually agree with yourself.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Coke and crisps, with dips a plenty</b><br />
There is no such thing as Too Many Crisps. Trust me on this. I have a horror mate who can consume - possibly through osmosis - at least three bags of Kettle Chips per movie. So never feel that you've turned up with too many. Crisps are a joy. A little addictive. And there's something about stopping with a huge handful only millimetres from your mouth as something truly shocking happens on screen. Like the opening credits to Troll 2. As for the coke, that'll keep you awake for that inevitable 11pm moment when you find yourself saying, yes, of course we've got time to watch another...<br />
<br />
<b>2. Wine and french bread, with brie/camembert</b><br />
This is only at number 2 because it involves wine. And wine makes lots of things good. Even Troll 2. Apparently. Anyway, wine and bread and cheese. Sounds a bit 70s, doesn't it? What's not to love? Get out your VHS, pull out the tapes of Suspiria and Black Christmas, and get to it. Flares would add to the whole joyous event I'm sure.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Beer and pizza, with doughnuts</b><br />
I have, as yet, found nothing to beat this combination. Beer is brilliant. Pizza is ace. Doughnuts are the greatest invention known to mankind. Pile a table high with such treats, slap on a disc of your favourite terror, and you're onto a winner. Troll 2 will even be a thing to love with this combo, I assure you.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9KCct4RwLNM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-80088029475897256312013-07-03T23:28:00.000-07:002013-07-03T23:28:05.178-07:00"You're an expert..."
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A mate of mine said the funniest thing a
while back. He does consultation stuff. You know, fly around the world, speak
to auditoriums filled with faces, come home again. We were in a pub and he
said, ‘So, how do you do what you do?’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had no way of answering that. Literally.
So I hid behind my beer. Changed the subject. Hoped I wouldn’t have to answer.
But my mate is frustratingly stubborn and asked again, but this time said,
“Your problem, is that you’re an expert, but you don’t know how or why.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve been bothered by that statement ever
since. An expert? What an idiotic notion. I am most certainly not an expert.
But the point he was trying to make was this: I’m sufficiently competent at
what I do that I have an agent, publishers, and a number of books. I have
people who’ve read my stuff and liked it. I have been nominated for – and even
won - awards. But an expert?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m always shy of knowing what to do when
folk ask me to have a look at their writing, to provide advice, give them some
pointers. I don’t feel qualified enough, I really don’t. I can read something
and like it or not, but to go further almost seems insane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve been writing for years. I’m lucky
enough now to not just be writing but to have stuff out there. That is an
astonishing thing. Something that never ceases to amaze me. I guess I could’ve
self-published, but the thought of doing that horrifies me – the help and
guidance and support I’ve received from professionals, from folk who know words
and make it their living to help people like me sound better? Well, that’s
invaluable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I read lots of posts online about how to write, how to do horror, how to scare, how to sort characterisation, how to pretty much do anything and everything. I really wouldn't know where to begin. Breaking down what I do and how I do it is, it seems, in an impossible task.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">An expert… I just don’t think that I am. I
love to write. I honestly, truly do. I have done various exciting things in my
life, such as skydive and climb. Hell, I even drowned once (not on purpose).
But all this I would put below the buzz of that moment when, despite the pain
and the headaches and the panic and the running-away-now and the I-need-a-drink
and the giving up, you’re alone and the writing is just rockin’ and rollin’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My name is David Gatward. I write because I
love it because I have to because I have no choice. I’m no expert. I honestly
don’t really understand the process that well. But I do it. And I love it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Expert? No.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Writer? Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And that's enough, for now.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<!--EndFragment-->www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-59771956980732388642013-06-30T10:39:00.001-07:002013-06-30T10:39:17.082-07:00I died once...It's a weird thing, knowing that you once died. Like properly. No messing. Gone. But now back again.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was way back when I was around seven or eight years old I think. I was at a swimming pool. I think it was a party or something. Anyway, that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I was there. If I hadn't been, IT wouldn't have happened. And by IT, I mean THIS:</div>
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I DROWNED.</div>
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This is not something I did on purpose. I did not actively seek out the experience of drowning. And I would advise anyone against doing so. But I did it. Drowned. Properly.</div>
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<div>
Somehow (pushed, slipped, not sure) I ended up in the pool out of my depth. I was, by all accounts, dragged out by a life guard, pumped of water, and given the kiss of life. Brought back to the land of the living I guess.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have no recollection of this event. I know what happened because of witnesses, a notable one being my aunt, who's lovely and also crazy. I asked her a few months ago what it was like, what actually happened. I'm never asking again: it was clearly terrifying. Oh, my mother was there, too. But she can't remember it at all. I guess seeing your child dragged out of a pool and given mouth-to-mouth is something most folk would want to blank from their memory.</div>
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<div>
Suffice to say, from that moment onwards, I hated water. I had a serious phobia. I would panic entering leisure centres. Not the pool itself - just the place in which it was contained. At school I would do anything to get out of swimming lessons, more often than not spending an hour in the observer deck watching everyone else have a great time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't learn to swim properly until I was 29. Yeah, you read that right: 29. I was married. I would be a dad sooner rather than later. And I wasn't going to be the weirdo father who couldn't go swimming with his kids. So, by way of motivation, I gave myself a target: join the Royal Marine Reserves. And it worked. I learnt to swim. Within a couple of months, I went from abject terror to swimming a mile, fully clothed. I didn't get into the RMR, but I did learn to swim.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I look back on this and wonder if my love of horror is linked to this event in my life. I come from a church background. I struggle with what I do and don't believe. And I have, it seems, done something few people ever have - died and come back again.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wish I had a tale to tell of that moment of death. One that contained within it tales of tunnels and spirits and entities and messages from the long dead to the living. But I don't. I have nothing. Just what I've been told and a crazy water phobia. I have wondered about investigating it further, doing some kind of regression therapy to find out what happened, but I might just leave it well alone.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Horror changes us. Through events that can be anything from mildly troubling to truly, abnormally horrific, we as people change. By engaging with what horror fiction and film has to offer, we explore all the possibilities available. We put humanity to the test, push it to the limit and beyond. We see what happens when things don't go to plan, when bad things happen to good people, when evil wins. Not because we're sick and twisted, but because we are fascinated by human nature, and amazed by its endless courage and strength in the face of impossible odds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
I died once, and that in itself is an astonishing thing. My whole life from that point on changed because I survived. I touched the void, went to the darkness and returned. Occasionally though, just occasionally, I do wonder if I brought something back with me...</div>
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-56725123896455444962013-06-25T13:27:00.002-07:002013-06-25T13:27:17.368-07:00The Video ShopHaving just posted on FB/Twitter the cover for 80s horror flick, 'House', I've found myself going all nostalgic. Why? Simple: getting into horror is, for me, tied up with going to The Video Shop.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfZf09AbBAI/Ucn2yMZxiAI/AAAAAAAAALU/YipNKS0YFlw/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfZf09AbBAI/Ucn2yMZxiAI/AAAAAAAAALU/YipNKS0YFlw/s1600/images-8.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">A movie that has a very special place in my horror-loving heart...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Remember them? Little dust-covered shelves of huge plastic boxes, all fitted with gloriously lurid and idiotically fabulous covers? Dark corners at the backs of garages, sweet shops, newsagents, the local 7/11? We didn't have a Block Busters. We had the Texaco down the road, run by a bloke in his 30s with a pony tail, who looked like he wanted to sell you something illegal, and his dad, who looked like he was always monumentally surprised to be alive at all.</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">Hallowed ground...</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I remember vividly, going in there with my dad to pay for petrol, and gazing longingly at those shelves. I knew the names of some of the classics, the ones spoken of in hushed tones round the playground ('Have you seen The Exterminator? It's AMAZING! This bloke goes through a MINCER!' 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre is BRILLIANT!') We knew we shouldn't watch them. How could we not? They were 'X-RATED'. And we all knew that X meant BAD. Which to us meant good.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Looking back, and having checked up on a lot of those movies that I dove into back then, most of them don't hold a match to what's on the screen now, certainly not in terms of gore and effects. I'm not talking about the classics, like DOTD, Chainsaw or whatever, but that vast sea of other movies that filled the shelves. But without them, the stuff we have now probably wouldn't exist.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The video format was made for horror. It allowed the film makers to go crazy with their covers. And there's something still so wondrously - dangerously - exciting, about opening up an old video cover. Then there were the trailers you HAD to watch, unless you wanted to risk actually using the fast-forward lever (levers, remember, not buttons!) and chewing up the tape, while at the same time breaking a finger.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I miss going to the video shop. I lament that Block Buster has gone from my local high street. I buy DVDs. I use Netflix (woeful selection though. Is it EVER updated?), Love Film, and all the rest. But nothing compares to the whole event of doing a video night. Because, from start to finish, it was an event.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAC6FPDByUs/Ucn9DlVMkzI/AAAAAAAAAMY/alRkvciQhT8/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAC6FPDByUs/Ucn9DlVMkzI/AAAAAAAAAMY/alRkvciQhT8/s1600/images-5.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Renting a video involved a trip out, to begin with. Not a download. You had to get out of the house, and walk or bike to the local shop. There you'd be for at least half an hour finding the most insane cover you could. Video rented (noting the due back date and the possible fine), you'd then have to sort snacks, supplies, the readies necessary to survive The Horror. Anything from crisps, to more crisps, perhaps some pop corn, more crisps, and definitely some Coke. Oh, and when we got a microwave, how our video evenings changed! Chips and burgers in an instant! It was like we were actually living inside a movie about american teenagers with everything right there whenever you wanted! The luxury! Then back home to black out the lounge and sit down to whatever hellish monstrousness was about to fall out of the TV and into your face...</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I love DVD. I love being able to download. I love the quality and the convenience and the fact it doesn't mess too much with my day because it's all so instant and easy and ace. But you know what? A little part of me, that odd corner of my psyche that is still a teenager looking for the next best thing in horror, would swap all that quality and convenience for a walk to that Texaco garage all those years ago.</div>
www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-12897940226724643082013-06-21T03:40:00.001-07:002013-06-21T03:47:29.338-07:00'It wasn't scary enough'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUg2vl_K3i4/UcQtbV0jWEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/-J2vjHXvszQ/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cUg2vl_K3i4/UcQtbV0jWEI/AAAAAAAAAK8/-J2vjHXvszQ/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I, like anyone who grew up in the 70s/80s, and who was in to horror, knows Evil Dead. and by knows, I mean this film, and at least the first of the two sequels, has a very special place in our hearts. It's essential viewing for anyone who wants to be a horror hound. When I bought a projector a couple of years back, this was the first film I watched on it. Quickly followed (in no particular order) by Suspiria, Mad Max, The Crow, Andromeda Strain, House on Haunted Hill, and so on (I was there for quite some time...) Of course, I then had to watch at least Evil Dead 2, but I still love that first film.<br />
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Evil Dead is something to love for its brilliance as well as its creakiness. It was made on a tiny budget. Essentially, by a bunch of kids. And it was made with no rules, no restrictions. They just did everything they could with the little they had to make the best damned film they could. And they did.<br />
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Evil Dead shocked. Evil Dead disgusted. Evil Dead was banned. Looking at it now, perhaps it was that infamous scene where the girl gets strung up by the very woods themselves. But that in itself is such a moment of brilliant horror that without it the film would be missing a few teeth. As for the rest of the film, there are points, and many, where the make-up looks like little more than dyed, mashed up cornflakes, felt tip pen and paint. The acting isn't brilliant, but neither is it terrible, something which to my mind adds to it all. It's not in the vein of Blair Witch, where they (apparently) had no idea what was going on. But the actors themselves do feel as though they really are a little unsure about what to expect next. Another thing - it's pretty much a period piece. The style, the fashion, the way it's shot, the vehicle, the cabin, the colours. It takes me back to those early 80s days and I love that.<br />
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So anyway, I was chatting to someone who told me they'd seen the new Evil Dead and hated it. I asked why. Their response was 'It wasn't scary'. I asked what they meant. Their response was simply to state, again, that it wasn't scary, with a few additions like, 'it was silly', 'it wasn't realistic', and 'it made me laugh'.<br />
<br />
I wonder now what folk want from a horror movie. For me, the Evil Dead remake was nothing short of utterly superb. I loved it. It was a Hollywood horror, and I had a blast! No way? Yes way! Woohoo! It was one of the best 80 minutes I've ever spent in a theatre. Yes, I was nervous about seeing a remake, but I had to give it a go, just had to. And for me, it didn't disappoint. It really didn't. Drag Me To Hell - now that REALLY disappointed. But this was a joy. I could be picky, I could give you things I didn't like, but then that's the same with all movies. No point though. This was a blast of a horror movie. Possibly one of the best to come out of Hollywood, period. And each and every scene bled pretty much literally with such a love for the source material and horror itself that the grin on my face didn't budge once.<br />
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Horror isn't just a one trick pony. It's not simply 101 Ways To Die Horribly. It is also suspense, weirdness, pushing boundaries, taking risks, having fun, going a bit too far, making you wince, belly laughs, screams, dread, disgust...<br />
<br />
So was Evil Dead scary or not? I'm not sure that's the point. I don't find - and neither do I seek to - all horror films or books scary. Suspiria doesn't scare me, but I love each and every frame of that movie. House on Haunted Hill is genuinely creepy, but that it's black and white would probably rule it out for those who only see horror as an experience in getting sliced and diced. Hit List is still one I struggle with because on the one hand it was brilliant, and on the other I just didn't enjoy it. Martyrs is one of the best horrors I've ever seen. It is equally one of the most violent, disturbing and bleak films I've ever witnessed. Then there's books. The scariest book I've ever read is probably Susan Hill's The Woman In Black, a wondrous piece of creepy, haunted prose that I adore. Then there's The Hell Bound Heart by Clive Barker, a violent trip to hell written with such an annoying command of the English language that ever time I read it I learn something new. There's a chapter in Neil Shusterman's Unwind, a teen book, that to this day is the most disturbing, upsetting pieces of work I've ever survived. Let The Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist was so beautiful I read it in two days. Stephen King's Full Dark No Stars contained some absolute gems. And pretty much anything by Jack Ketchum is enough to keep me interested.<br />
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Horror is not just about being scared. It is not just about blood. It is not just about vampires or werewolves or chainsaws or ghosts or murderers or psychos or insane children or cults or cannibals or any other of a thousand things. It is all of these and none of them. It is, above all, a genre that at its heart can speak to all people, wherever they are, show them what real darkness is, take them down paths they never thought even existed, hold their hand through the strange and the weird, make them think, make them question, and ultimately change them, even if only in a small way, and also allow them to survive.www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-18980939559014941782013-06-18T14:23:00.000-07:002013-06-18T14:23:01.652-07:00It's not just about the words<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Read, read, read…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That's what I’ve been told all my life (i</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">t’s also what I tell anyone who asks me how they can write better)</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> if I want to improve my writing: read, read, read, and </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I take this advice so seriously that I used </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grammarly to</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i><a href="http://www.grammarly.com/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">grammar check</a><i> </i>this post, because frankly I'd rather be reading than proofing</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Don't get me wrong, proofing is vital, but that comes later. First, love what you do, love the words, then later spare a little time to get the mechanics right. Odds are, if you've read enough (and written enough), you've probably got it nailed anyway. But it's always nice to be able to sound like you know what you're talking about, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, the whole 'read, read, read' thing. It makes sense. Take musical instruments. If you want to learn to play the guitar, it’s not just about practicing every day, learning to read tab or music or both. It’s about listening to other guitarists, exploring different styles, getting to know everything from jazz to blues to metal to folk. It’s about falling in love with the way certain people play, trying to emulate a Peter Green lick, or something by Joe Satriani.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing’s like this. You get better at it by reading how other people do it. You learn new turns of phrase, unique styles, descriptions. And by trying different genres you find out more about what you can do with words, how to use them. But there’s something else I’m going to start saying now, too…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Watch… watch… watch…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of the best (and some of the worst) writing around is on the screen, big or small. It’s a world where words become visual. Where they stand up, shout out, and beg to be seen. Which is what we want our writing to do too, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I love horror (no surprise there). But it’s not just from the books I read that I learn and develop. It’s from the films I love, too. Horror is a genre I just can’t escape from. Most other types of film don’t really do it for me. I’ve never enjoyed gangster movies. Thrillers are okay, but only if they tread a dark path. Comedies are rarely that funny. I could go on, but I don’t need to. Horror is my go-to choice, book or film. Hell, even music (check out ‘Doomed’ on Somafm.com!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The stuff that slips into my subconscious can be anything from the haunting simplicity of House on Haunted Hill (Vincent Price!), through the surreal technicolour fairytale brilliance of Suspiria, on past the devastatingly bleak ending of The Beyond, and into the ferocious visceral assault of Frontiers and Martyrs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So that’s my advice I guess. Yes, read. Read like books are dying, and the more you read, the more you save. But watch also. Dive headfirst into film, in to TV, and immerse yourself in dialogue, in how writers’ visions have been made real. Then use that to fuel your own writing, to turn it into something so dangerously volatile that it explodes in the mind of your reader and never lets them forget the journey they had down the path your words led them.</span><br />
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-6276558690047659522012-08-17T03:02:00.002-07:002012-08-17T03:07:12.458-07:00Chainsaw Love AffairTea and biscuits, strawberries and cream, horror and chainsaws. See the connection? It seems that the two go hand-in-hand. And why not? Chainsaws are heavy, loud violent pieces of equipment. They're designed to chew their way through stuff effortlessly. And they're seriously dangerous.<br />
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I own a chainsaw. And I admit, here and now, that there's a certain sense of power from grabbing a hold of it and pulling that power cord. And it's not even a very big chainsaw. I can only imagine what it must be like to handle one of the monsters professional loggers use.</div>
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The thing is, though, I think there's a problem here. Take, for example, the poster for Rec 3 (below).</div>
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Look what we have here, folks! Not just a woman, but a bride, blood-stained, and... CARRYING A CHAINSAW! Well, why not?</div>
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I'll tell you why not. A chainsaw is scary. It's brutal. And it's pretty useful when it comes to either felling trees, causing horrific accidents, or slicing someone up who's probably tied down. However, as a weapon? As something you'd choose to grab and run around with, chopping and hacking and ripping and tearing your way to freedom? Er... no.</div>
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A chainsaw is heavy and unwieldy. You go swinging one around and you're as likely to slice you're own head off as mash into the chest of your attacker. You might get a lucky hit, sure, but that's the thing here: luck is too much a part of using a chainsaw as a weapon.</div>
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There are other problems, too. Chainsaws run out of fuel. And if you happen to stumble upon one, how can you be sure it's got enough to get you through? The blades clog up and stick, which would be rather irritating mid-fight. And, despite the safety features now common to all makes of chainsaw, they're still lethal. Why else do you think the professionals wear helmets, face protection and kevlar? Running around with a chainsaw while wearing a wedding dress might not be your best plan.</div>
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A chainsaw looks good on camera. It's a horror icon. It's in too many films to mention (Evil Dead 2, Last House on the Left, and Scarface for example). And I'd like to suggest that we've probably seen enough now. You want to kill zombies? Grab yourself a baseball bat, a spade, something that you can just swing and swing and swing. But leave that chainsaw where it is because you're probably better off without it.</div>
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-51328757725387362512012-08-15T16:29:00.000-07:002012-08-15T16:29:40.408-07:00Why I Love Last House On The LeftSo, everyone's talking about Shards of Grey. And they are. And why not? It's rocked not just the publishing world, but the world in general. And you know what? Good. It's a book. It's got people reading. It's got people doing ebooks. It's got people buying whips...<div>
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Thankfully, Last House On The Left (LHOTL) hasn't got people buying chainsaws (goodness, that's a scene from the original, isn't it?) or microwaves (worst way to end a remake ever). But this film does make me sit up and think, "So, Dave, why DO you love this film so much?"</div>
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LHOTL is a relentless movie. It's heartbreaking, violent, terrifying, and (IMO) brilliant. I like the original. But I love the remake. For me, the parents in the remake push me to that point where (i think) horror really does rock: they force me to think, "What would you do, Dave? WHAT?"</div>
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I love that.</div>
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No spoilers here, but when "that moment" happens, and you know it's going to kick off, you're thinking, "yeah, now what would I do? And what chance would I stand?" Not least because the people they're up against, most notably the "Dad" in the other family, is a hard ass.</div>
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We all think we could, at a push, save our families. Take anyone on. Really hammer them. We all have a deep, dark side of us that knows we would take what is ever at hand, sharpen it, and use it to rip the face off anyone who came even CLOSE to getting at our nearest and dearest.</div>
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It isn't like that in real life. It can't be. And I know.</div>
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How?</div>
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Well, our tent was robbed. Sounds rubbish, right? Ooh, a tent! Yeah. But imagine...</div>
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You're in a tent, fast asleep. With your family. You wake up and realise someone - ANYONE - has been into your tent, rummaged around, and stolen money. AND NOT ONE OF YOU WOKE UP.</div>
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NOT ONE.</div>
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Think what they could've done. Think what they could've taken.</div>
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That's scary. I mean, you want to go full on LHOTL on them, right? You want to wake up and really go for it. And by go for it I mean grab them and smash them and rip them to pieces for having the gall to creep into your space and threaten your family. IMAGINE what you would do...</div>
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Imagine...</div>
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Which is why I LOVE LHOTL. Because it gives me a moment to think, you know what? If someone did that to my family, the people I loved? And in that situation? And if everything was in my favour? Yeah, I would. I'd do that.</div>
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And worse.</div>
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And that's what the film does. It suggests what you'd do. It suggests what you might consider. And it allows the heroes to get away with it.</div>
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That's not what real life does. But, perhaps, by exploring the darker side of what we'd do if the poop really smashed itself into the fan, we all get a better understanding of what really drives us.</div>
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And we all know we'd do what they do in that film, don't we? Don't we...</div>
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Dave</div>
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-86510605366480043392012-08-13T11:30:00.001-07:002012-08-13T11:30:51.526-07:00Horror Haiku<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Found this today, and had to share it. Why? Because it's completely brilliant.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“Blood is really warm,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">it's like drinking hot chocolate</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">but with more screaming.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1098162.Ryan_Mecum" style="text-decoration: none;">Ryan Mecum</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2477840" style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your...Brains</a>)</span></div>
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www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-87452747372636975652012-08-10T14:53:00.001-07:002012-08-10T14:53:55.901-07:00Bava BrillianceSometimes, with the way modern horror can excel in the blood 'n' guts theatrics that those new to horror love, I wonder sometimes if many of them are missing out on joy of exploring the routes of the genre, the little lanes and byways and odd paths that all lead to where we are now.<br />
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I'm no expert. To be honest, I'm in many ways as new to it as anyone else. I've always loved horror, but growing up in a church-based house (that's not a criticism by the way, just a fact) there wasn't much scope for me bagging a stack of classic darkness and hiding up in my room for most of my teen years. And anyway, I didn't have/wasn't allowed a TV in my room, so there we go.<br />
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One thing I've come to love about horror more than anything is atmosphere. It's not so about the severed heads or the machines of torture or the blood-letting or the number of victims. For me, it's that almost comforting sense of being in the room with the creative genius of someone who's clever enough to have me so wrapped up with what's going on, that the world seems to just drift away, and all that's left is me, in a dark room, grinning like a fool, as the the movie sucks me in.<br />
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A horror movie doesn't need to have an 18 certificate. Why should it? Fear isn't simply about worrying if you're going to get your head bitten off or find yourself inside a brazen bull. It's about other things, too. Like seeing normality twisted, a shadow where a shadow just shouldn't be, asking questions no one else dare ponder, dealing with darker issues, thinking about forces we either do not believe in or do not understand, and - why not? - a castle on a windswept hill as a horse drawn carriage races towards it. Without a driver.<br />
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I did a school visit a few months ago and a lad, probably no older than fourteen, sat down to have me sign his book. Once that was out of the way, all he wanted to do was talk about horror. And his starting gambit wasn't, "I've seen all the SAW movies", it was, "I'm in to all the classics. Old stuff. 70s. I love Psycho and Friday 13th." I nearly jumped out of my seat in joy. For the next ten minutes, I nattered along with someone who didn't "love horror" because he was into all the gory stuff, but someone who understood it, was learning all about it, digging deeper, searching between the lines to find out where horror was from.<br />
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And so to Bava. It's a Friday night and I've put on Black Sabbath (also known as I Tre Volti Della Paura - The Three Faces of Fear). It's three movies in one. It's only a 15 certificate. It's dark and twisted. It's clever. It's shocking. It's subtitled. It's beautifully filmed. It leeks atmosphere into the room so thick you have to wade through it to go to bed.<br />
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And so wish I'd seen this when I was 15...<br />
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Davewww.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-85405012567701695302012-08-05T16:58:00.000-07:002012-08-05T16:58:35.200-07:00Film Reviewer Announced!Woohoo!<br />
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I have an announcement!<br />
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Well, many actually, but I'll stick with TWO.<br />
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1. I have Mr Paul Edwards (<a href="http://www.pauledwards76.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.pauledwards76.blogspot.co.uk/</a>) down as film reviewer. The man is a God! I mean, what he knows about horror haunts me. What he doesn't know scares me so much I actually - once, in a moment of weakness - watched an entire episode of Family Fortunes. His DVD collection is terrifying. His knowledge of blood-letting unnecessary. And his ability to giggle like a child in front of what the French are doing with horror (and it's all good) is worthy of a big fat bag of gizzards. I love him. And you will, too...<br />
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2. Barry Hutchinson <b>(<a href="http://www.barryhutchison.com/" target="_blank">http://www.barryhutchison.com/</a>) </b>is (a) being interviewed in issue 1, (b) writing a short and creepy story for issue 1, (c) walking 1000 miles just to punch a stupid zombie/vampire/TV host in its face, and (d) wrestling with a mightily dark entity from the hideous abode I discovered inside my shoes.<br />
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More announcements to follow. stay tuned...<br />
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WOOHOO!<br />
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Dave "I ate an entire shelf of biologically impossible - and embalmed - beings" Gatwardwww.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-9363995999676197992012-08-03T11:48:00.000-07:002012-08-03T11:52:39.019-07:00"JOIN US..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you know your horror (and I'm hoping some of you do at least a little) then you'll know that quote is from Evil Dead. A movie I love, nay adore. Indeed, I have been known to argue with myself about which is best, Evil Dead I or II (III doesn't quite count, it's such a different monster). But so what, right? Well, here's the so what:<br />
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MY BLOG SUCKS.<br />
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Yep, it's true. I've never really got the hang of it. I'm not a diarist. I'm not one of those "oooh, read all about what I did today between pints of Red Bull and pens running out" folk. Nope, that's just not me.<br />
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So, after much thinking, I've decided to change things a bit. And this is where I need your help. Because without you folk joining in, I can't do what I'm about to tell you that I'm about to do (what a terrible sentence that is).<br />
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On Halloween, 2012, I will be . . .<br />
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. . . wait for it . . .<br />
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LAUNCHING MY OWN HORROR MAGAZINE!</div>
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Yep, it's true.<br />
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All the school visits I do, folks have been saying they'd love to have somewhere they could get published. I know how difficult this is. You know how difficult this is. Everyone and their neighbour's dog knows how difficult this is.<br />
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But I want to change that.<br />
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I want to produce a horror magazine (online first, PDF download, looking towards limited run printed editions, collections, and anything else I can think of) where up-and-coming terror freaks can rub shoulders with pro scaremongers, bump into young horror hounds, and scream at teen gore hunters. I want new fiction, scary fiction, blood-and-guts and edge-of-your seat fiction. I want interviews and film reviews and book reviews and music. I want ... well, to hear what you want, actually.<br />
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On my Facebook page (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/davidgatward.author" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/davidgatward.author</a>) I've put this blog in as a note under: DAVE'S HORROR MAG. All I want you to do is to go in there and add your comments, bunging down any and every idea you have that you'd like to see in the kind of horror/horror fiction mag you'd like to read.<br />
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Doesn't matter who you are, where your from, how many shoggoths you've got in the cellar feasting on terrible, screaming things: this is a worldwide thing. So what say you? Are you in? Are you going to join us?<br />
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Are you?<br />
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Go on, I dare you.<br />
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Double dare...<br />
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Dave "evil minds that plot destruction" Gatward<br />
<br />www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-88765201659003535152012-07-30T14:05:00.000-07:002012-07-30T14:06:23.146-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"hits the ground running in breathless fashion"</b></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stuart Barr (twitter: @MaxRenn) reviews for Frightfest. A review from him scares me because he seriously knows his stuff. Here's what he has to say about Doom Rider:</span></div>
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"Following the conclusion of his Lazarus Stone trilogy of young adult horror novels, David Gatward has broadly stayed within the genre with his new offering DOOM RIDER but where the previous trilogy was gruesome grand guignol, this new book is a more of a streamlined thriller. In fact to begin with it appears to be more in the science fiction than horror genre. However Gatward’s preoccupation with apocalyptic imagery soon brings a healthy dose of supernatural horror into the plot.</div>
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The book opens at the Glastonbury Festival, however it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t quite the festival of felt jester hats, scrumpy, wellies and music we know it as. This is an alternate Britain ruled by a totalitarian religious elite and the festival is now a celebration of fringe religious cults. The hero Seth Crow is an unwilling participant in one such cult sideshow run by his parents. Crow lives a rootless existence as the star attraction in a travelling end-of-days cult roadshow as ‘Apocalypse Boy’. Seth has a gift for cold reading an audience and delivering uncannily accurate predictions of their ultimate fates. On the verge of his thirteenth birthday he plans to run away from this life which he despises, but his plans go quickly south. First he meets a mysterious young girl, Lily, who is instrumental in saving his life from an assassination attempt by a group of religious killers, The Chosen. Seth discovers that he has lived many lives, and all have ended before his thirteenth year. Ended at the hands of a society of assassins who believe he has a crucial role to play in the Apocalypse.</div>
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DOOM RIDER has a fast-paced chase narrative, and owes a little to THE HUNGER GAMES, not only in its dystopian setting but also in the theme of children being persecuted to maintain the status quo of an adult society. Plus bows are really in at the moment for some reason. However it also has strong comic book elements and when Crow discovers the reason that he is being hunted he becomes something similar to the antiheroes of the comic books GHOST RIDER or THE DARKNESS. If I have a major criticism of the book, it is that Seth Crow is not quite as deftly characterised as Gatward’s previous adolescent hero, Lazarus Stone. The Stone trilogy gave over much of its first book to building his character, whereas DOOM RIDER, as you can probably tell from the synopsis I’ve given (which is really only the books opening chapters), hits the ground running in breathless fashion.</div>
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Young readers will be pleased by the many exciting action scenes and generous helpings of mayhem (in terms of reading age and content this would carry a BBFC 12A cert). They will also be presented with some quite weighty concepts to chew on, in particular the nature of free will vs. predestination. There is a very strong subtext to the book about not taking religious dogma at face value and finding one’s own path. Very potent ideas for a teenage audience."</div>www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-89463468438205829772012-07-22T13:04:00.003-07:002012-07-22T13:08:54.662-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>"A brilliant take on the coming of </strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>the Apocalypse..."</strong></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif;">Am amazed by the reviews Doom Rider is getting. Seems that people are really liking it. So here's another that's just gone live, and it's fab! Read it, and make sure you follow the reviewer: she's awesome.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif;">Dave</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #651528; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold;">He has the POWER to destroy THE WORLD...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><em>Seth Crow has lived a thousand lives, and in each one he's been murdered before he turns thirteen. And now he's being hunted again. But this time it's different...The Apocalypse is coming. And he only ones who can save the world, hold the power to destroy it.</em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Where to begin? David Gatward has a knack for gruesome detail. It's true. To be perfectly honest with you<strong> I don't do horror but this I loved. </strong>I had expected more graphic corpses and bodies torn apart and was, to begin with, a little disappointed. But when you meet the last Rider...OH! Creepy as hell! But I am getting ahead of myself! The main character is a lad called Seth, once part of a travelling family show delivering prophecies to people <img alt="" src="http://files.carrierpigeonreviews.webnode.com/200000030-5eb9a60adf/Doom%20Rider%20Front%20Cover.jpg" style="float: right; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; height: 460px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 300px;" />desperate to be 'englightened'. He finds himself almost attacked by a girl who throws images into his mind of his many, many past deaths. This is the beginning for him. Lily has come to save his life before a religious order called The Way slay him for the thousandth time. And off they go on a romp to save the riders of the Apolaypse. Will they destroy the world? Won't they? It's completely up to Seth.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Lily becomes Seths conscience. While he is busy being overrun by his immense power, Lily is there to bring him back to himself. To guide him, to try and stop him from detroying civilisation. A feisty and clever girl, <strong>Lily is one ass kicking addition to the book - literally</strong>! She doesn't have magical powers but she gives as good as she gets - look out for the scene where she takes out three grown men before being overpowered! Although she doubts whether she has done the right thing in saving the First Rider, she never doubts that it is possible to save the world.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We meet the other riders of the apocalypse who have been given unique powers by Gatward. Kelly is Strife. She has an incredible sword and voice that creates <strong>sonic waves and booms</strong> that crush and disintegrate things! I couldn't help but be impressed when she gave off that first wave of power. No girlie weapon for her! We also meet Dem, who is Famine, an odd little likable character who is <strong>obsessed with bugs</strong> and, naturally, controls swarms of locusts. The final Rider is Death - I will leave a little mystery around this one so as not to spoil the surprise. It is creepy though, when you picture it talking in your head you can't help but feel a little shudder. Not to mention the fact that it is followed round by <strong>tattered, ragged and skeletal damned souls</strong>, crawling around on the floor after the horse.</span></div>
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The story is, if not completely original, a<strong> brilliant take on the coming of the apocalypse</strong> and it's potential. The religious sect that is almost running the country, the way people cling to it for some form of hope and enlightenment, the iconography - pictures of 'The Protector' wherever you go. All these ideas aren't that far fetched, which lends an <strong>extra layer of chills</strong> to this book! There wasn't one bit where I was growing bored or skim reading. It is well written, fast paced and full of action! Definitely deserves this grade! <sub><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">My Grade: A</span></span></sub></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></span></span><a href="http://carrierpigeonreviews.webnode.com/news/doom-rider-by-david-gatward-hodder-childrens-books-2012/" target="_blank">http://carrierpigeonreviews.webnode.com/news/doom-rider-by-david-gatward-hodder-childrens-books-2012/</a></div>www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-35358026676376257392012-07-11T05:37:00.005-07:002012-07-11T05:37:50.603-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">but only what I WANT you to read</span></h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I'm going to have a bash at my own response to the whole age-rating system for kids' books, but for now, I'm going to post this, because it's brilliant:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.chrisandphilpresent.co.uk/blogs/spectacularoptical/the-kids-are-allright-graham-honest-they-really-are/" rel="bookmark" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="Permanent Link to The kid’s are allright Graham, honest, they really are">The kid’s are allright Graham, honest, they really are</a></span></h1>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, this is a bit off-topic for a movie blog, but it’s my blog and I’m annoyed about something so buckle up.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">G P Taylor appeared on BBC Breakfast on Monday morning, if you haven’t heard of him then you are probably (like me) too old. G P (Graham to his friends) is a retired C of E minister who is a bestselling author of novels for children (or Young Adult fiction as the publisher’s category would have it). In the course of a brief interview Taylor revealed that he had decided to forgo the direction of his latest series of books <em>The Vampyre Labyrinth </em>series for the rather hyperbolic reason that he has been told they are “the most frightening thing that has ever been written for kids”. G P may be a former vicar, but he does not appear to believe that modesty is a virtue. Clearly that statement is pretty astoundingly big headed, but whatever gets you through the next book, right? No, G P’s alarmingly inflated ego is not my issue; it’s where he went next.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Astoundingly for an author, Taylor argued in favour of the introduction of a restrictive age rating system for children’s books. This is baffling; to my knowledge even the Daily Mail has so far failed to notice the threat to society posed by encouraging children to read. But G P is diving right in there. This idea has been mooted before, a few years ago it was pushed by some publishers of children’s fiction to little success as it was met with an orchestrated campaign of protest from authors (including big guns such as Philip Pullman, J K Rowling and Terry Pratchett) and the idea was quietly dropped. So why is G P Taylor resurrecting it? Well the cynical among is (yes, that means me) might say this is an author seeking to grasp the opportunity to plug his own work. For any horror loving kids watching being told that a book is the scariest thing ever is likely to send them scurrying to the nearest bookseller (I know it would have worked on my 12-year-old Hammer obsessed self). It may also be a reflection of the clearly difficulty the BBC is having tempting A-list guests to Salford, sorry G P but you ain’t Phillip Pullman or JK, that’s just a demonstrable fact.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea of an age rating body a-la the BBFC for children’s books is absolute, complete and utter bullshit for a number of reasons. Firstly as was pointed out by comedian, actor, musician and children’s author (he writes grown ups’ books too) Charlie Higson, Taylor is muddying the water by conflagrating the Young Adult category with the Children’s category. There is a huge difference between <em>The Tiger That Came to Dinner </em>and the <em>Alex Ryder</em>books. For years it has been a goal to get teenagers interested in reading fiction, as Higson is very keen to point out, in order to do that you need to present the teen audience with subject matter that appeals and attracts them. Thus the growth in exciting and engaging genre fiction (and <em>Twilight </em>but everything has its place).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing that isn’t really taken into account here is that the young adult audience has vastly different reading ages in relation to their actual age. In fact this is something that some authors arguably use as a kind of in-built system that turns away readers of less developed sophistication in their vocabulary and maturity. Phillip Pullman’s fabulous<em> His Dark Material’s </em>trilogy which is written in a vocabulary and style more sophisticated than most genre fiction aimed at adults. I can remember seeing a theatre production of these and hearing a very small girl of around 10 explaining to a confused adult the books themes of experimental theology, physics, and the guilt of an absent god in a chaotic universe.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How would such a system deal with the fact that many children read adult fiction (and are encouraged to do so by the National Curriculum), and there is a category of fiction that is designed to appeal to both children and adults alike (for example <em>A Christmas Carol, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies,</em> and <em>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time</em>). How would G P Taylor propose such a system dealt with this? Would he slap a rating on 1984? And if he would, is he prepared for the maelstrom of protest that would inevitably result?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In very little time at all, other writers of Children’s and Young Adult fiction such as Higson, Darren Shan and David Gatward took to Twitter to vent. Higson called Taylor a “prat”, Taylor retorted that Higson was a hypocrite (that’s what “pot” and “kettle” means right?) Gatward accused Taylor of proposing censorship, Taylor responded “lol”. Taylor would say his suggestion is to protect children, but there is no better censor of children’s fiction than children. If his book was really too scary, a juvenile reader would put it down. Children like being scared, if all they wanted was blood and gore, they would be ignoring the books of Shan, Higson, Gatward and Taylor and reading Shaun Hutson instead.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ultimately the idea that the kids we need to be worried about are the ones reading books is just bloody hilarious. Yep, I agree with Higson, prat (only I might use one of the many stronger terms popular in playgrounds when I was ten some thirty two years ago, I’ll be polite and settle on “numpty”).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more on this, read this Guardian article on the furore <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/09/childrens-books-age-certifications-gp-taylor" style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/09/childrens-books-age-certifications-gp-taylor</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Higson’s excellent response on The Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/jul/10/charlie-higson-reading-ages-debate?CMP=twt_gu" style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/jul/10/charlie-higson-reading-ages-debate?CMP=twt_gu</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also I suggest following some of the participants on Twitter</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">G P Taylor (be nice!) @GPTAYLORAUTHOR<br />Charlie Higson @monstroso<br />David Gatward @davidgatward</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.chrisandphilpresent.co.uk/blogs/spectacularoptical/the-kids-are-allright-graham-honest-they-really-are/</span>www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743220554747735706.post-74913803038641722182012-07-11T01:56:00.004-07:002012-07-11T01:57:35.713-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Doom Rider Hits Auz!</b></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yep, it's true. On July 10th 2012, Doom Rider was launched over in Auz. And, as proof of this, I flew my brother over to make absolutely sure it had happened. And behold, the pictures speak for themselves...</span><br />
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<br />www.davidgatward.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14629149982603785289noreply@blogger.com0