Cover Reveal!

The cover reveal for the urban legend anthology I will be in! Stay tuned for the Kickstarter project. You don't want to miss this T.O.C.

Be an Eighth Tower Patron

BE AN EIGHTH TOWER PATRON

 I am very excited to announce that Eighth Tower will begin periodically publishing a magazine of #DarkCulture, alongside music mixes, articles, interviews, books, dedicated CDs, printed artworks, early access and behind the scenes of artists, and many more.
#Patreon makes an important contribution to helping Raffaele Pezzella stay freelancing & curating more dark culture for everyone to enjoy.

If you value the work that Eighth Tower does in dark culture and beyond, Raffaele Pezzella needs your pride pledge now. 

Please support him at the level you can.
https://www.patreon.com/eighthtower

Also feel free to donate directly to www.paypal.com/paypalme/usggroup the amount you like.

Contact me in the comments below, if you are interested in contributing to the magazine.

A Cold and Creative Projects

 

I've been absent with a cold or something and sleeping a lot the past week. I have lots of exciting news, but most of it is top secret, until the projects are revealed. You will be the first to hear about them, as soon as my mouth isn't taped shut! It's so hard not sharing cool news and just jumping around your living room in celebration before shambling off to bed or the kitchen for food.

I do have some news I can share, though. I am now a Getty Images Stock Photographer and they are much easier to work with than Shutterstock for creative types. I've been taking walks when I feel I can muster the energy and editing and submitting snaps. I've been doing small makeshift studio shots at home too. I have a few stories I am working on, which are hush hush. Sorry! I also finished reading 162 submissions for two presses and am glad to be moving onto other projects. Stay tuned ...

In the meantime, you can buy my photography here.

A Walking Meditation: Relax Your Creative Monster

When I need to recharge between projects or am working out a plot point, I walk. Walking is a great way to let my mind wander and play. It never fails to relax me and help improve my storytelling. I normally take a lot of photos, which is great because I am submitting them to Shutterstock for royalties, so my walks serve a dual purpose. I also get a really good workout because I am gone on average about an hour at a time.

Have you tried a walking meditation when your writer's mind needs space? If you take pictures on your walks, please share them below in comments. I'd love to see your art or hear about any other suggestions you have for relaxing your mind.

The Pencil in the Eye Is Mightier Than the Sword

The infamous pencil.

In middle of September, I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I was staying at a friend's house and was unfamiliar with the layout of the place in the dark. I ran into a tray with a lamp and a pencil cup. I tripped and imbedded the pencil shown on the right in my left eye. My head slammed into the tray and I acquired lovely bruises. I was rushed to the emergency room because my injury wouldn't stop bleeding and I was worried I would lose my eyesight.

The pencil to left is the one that broke off in my eyeball. I've included my original injury pics, along with some pics as it is healing. 

It was point down and unsharpened, but it still caused a lot of damage. I honestly don't know how I fell that hard. It looked like someone invisible pushed me. 

At the emergency room.

Getting stabbed in the eye fucking hurts like Satan's poker is spitting your eyeball in hell. No amount of pain killers makes this okay. I had about eight stitches. I was in the ER for 13 hours. I have had many follow-up visits because I have ongoing headaches, double vision, nausea, and an infection that took three antibiotics to heal. A few months later and I still suffer from double vision, headaches, and nausea. I have a cyst underneath my lower eyelid I am having removed right before Christmas. Yes, I can definitely use this horrific experience in my own horror stories. No, I don't recommend stabbing yourself in the eye with a pencil.

More bruised leg pics.

Healing slowly

My bruised leg.

Eye exam chair.

Pretty gnarly healing.

Scary pencil injury facts you didn't know.

Have you injured your eye? Did it hurt like a motherf? Tell me in the comments. Share your pain.

What Have You Been Watching?

In between my writing and editing projects, I need to relax. I've been watching some great cinema with excellent storytelling. Here are my top three from the past month:

1) The gnome to the left agrees with me that (Nisser) Elves (TV Series 2021) is an awesome mix of folklore and holiday fun. It follows the journey of a family Christmas vacation when an ancient creature on the island seeks vengeance. I'm sure a lot of you have seen the previews and thought, "This looks terrible," but I assure you it's wonderful. It follows the ancient advice of respecting the forest and is a grim tale with a really cute puppet. And one of the best holiday films I've seen in years!

The puppetry in here is great fun. It is an homage to Jim Henson. The film has an 80s horror feel. The opening credits and the music suit the storytelling. I would say more, but then I would give away my absolute favorite character, since Gizmo in the 80s.

2) Midnight Mass is the second Netflix series I recommend. It plays on the old trope of a vampire priest, but the writing and the acting are beautiful. I enjoyed this little seaside island turning into monsters. And the last speech about death at the end of the series makes me cry. I don't cry at movies very often. This one is worth bingeing and I promise it's not "just" an old trope. There's a bit of a twist.

3) The last one is a new release on HBO, The Power of the Dog. This film's cinematography, the acting, the writing, the music, and the tasteful ending are trademarks of Jan Campion. She's made another beautiful film and it's a western! Let me know what you think of the ending, if you've watched it. 

Please be sure to share your movie recommendations in the comments. I love a good flick. Also feel free to steer me away from a horrible choice. It would be much appreciated. What have you been watching?

 

Welcome to Shutterstock!

 

I have been accepted to sell my photography on Shutterstock! I finally took the plunge and submitted. Wish me luck. They have very strict guidelines, and I haven't had a photo accepted, yet. I am going to apply to Getty. I think they might be more open to my artsy style.

What have you been doing lately?

Do You Still Play?

 

I do. I find it therapeutic. There are so many stressors since the coronavirus lockdown of 2020. I find it essential as a writer to have other outlets. It lets my mind relax and ideas flow. Sometimes there are no words for the feelings I have at the moment, but they come to me when I use my hands. 

Since early 2021, I have picked up two new art mediums; I am working on guerilla chalk art and also the Kindness Rocks campaign. I've painted over 400 hundred rocks and guerillaed a few parks, used my driveway as a canvas, and drawn outside of places where friends live. It's been a lifesaver. It helps me to have another creative outlet to feel less isolated and keep me sane. 

I hope this post finds you healthy mentally and physically. The pandemic has altered our world forever. We are living in a time of cultural, social, and media whiplash. Sometimes I tune out for my own sanity. I'd like to share some pictures of my artwork with you. I hope it brings you joy. It does for me. You can find more of my chalk work online. Please share your own work in the comments. It brightens my day.

Rejection Isn't Bad

What? You're thinking I'm crazy or had a momentary lapse in judgement. Why would I embrace a failure? Well, it's not a failure, if you put your work out there and one publication rejects it. There could be a number of reasons your work was rejected:

• They got slammed with great submissions and didn't have room to publish them all.
• You might have misjudged the market and have a great story that would fit better with another press.
• Not everyone has the same taste as you.

My Latest Publications and Podcasts

I realized since I've been gone awhile, I better update everyone on what I've been up to during Coronapocalypse. I've been busy writing and also picked up a few new art hobbies. Last month, my short story, The Witch of Fox Point, debuted in The Beyond: Stories Inspired by the Lucio Fulci Death Trilogy: Curated by Raffaele Pezzella. Taken directly from the Amazon description:

Nora B. Peevy’s darkly comedic ‘The Witch of Fox Point’, which features a cast of memorable characters including a plucky teenager who, along with her witch grandmother and the ghost of a young girl, battle against a veritable swarm of the undead (and zombie cows) in order to save the world.

I am in great company in this anthology. If you are interested, you can purchase it, along with the music composed specially for the collection from Amazon or from Eighth Tower Publishing.

If you haven't seen the Lucio Fulci trilogy, check it out first. I love all his work.

In February of this year, I joined a group of talented women for Women in Horror Month on The Wicked Library podcast. I wrote a short story, Dirt and Iron, about the hodag, a cryptid from Rhinelander, Wisconsin. My dad is from Rhinelander, so this story is very close to my heart.

You can read more about the hodag here: What's the Hodag? - Rhinelander, Wisconsin (explorerhinelander.com).

And then on April 22, 2021, I was a guest on Michael Brightside's Podcast where I discussed Dirt and Iron, writing, current events, and other topics. 

I also discussed Hodags, other cryptids, hauntings, the paranormal, and ghosts on Wicked Little Things in November of 2020 with DA Roberts and Catt Dahman. They co-run The Horror Authors Guild. DA Hermann, a talented photographer, and Ashley Dioses, a horror poet, also joined the podcast. We had a really good time and it's worth a listen.

Later this week, I will blog about the new art projects I've been working on, so check back for some pretty pictures.

Thanks for reading, my demon hunters.

Eighth Tower Publishing News

The tragic and unexpected loss of Psymon (Moon) Marshall has rocked the publishing community. I was fortunate enough to work on one project with Psymon. He was an easygoing, friendly person, a lover of  good stories and good music. I know he has many friends and will be missed by everyone in the writing community. While I could never fill Psymon's editorial shoes, I am going to be the editor for the next three writing projects Eighth Tower Publishing curates. I feel honored to have worked with Psymon on Raffaele's last project, The Beyond: Stories Inspired by the Lucio Fulci Death Trilogy. 

Because of his sudden passing, Moon's family has not prepared for his funeral. There is a gofundme page and anyone can contribute.

I hope Raffaele Pezzella and I can help Moon's passion live on through our works and this brings his friends and family love and peace.

The Beyond: Stories Inspired by the Lucio Fulci Death Trilogy can be purchased through Amazon or at Eighth Tower Records.

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

 

If you are a writer, poet, book illustrator or designer, playwright, reader, actor/actress, songwriter, performer, publisher, blogger, or work in publishing, I want to hear from you! I am looking for guest bloggers for The Demon Stole My Pencil. Your guest post must be on the writing industry in one of the subjects listed. I am looking for artists of all genres, but horror/sci-fi/fantasy artists are my main focus, though I am open to other genres.

Comment below, if you are interested. Leave your email like n o r a w i n s t o n at gmail.com, so you are not picked up by filters. I will contact as you soon as I am able. Serious inquiries only. I will provide guidelines in the email I send you.

Thanks, demon hunters!

The Scenic Side of the Spooky Witch's Tower - Dayton, Ohio Hike

 As promised, my demon hunters, here are the pretty nature photos I took on my hike to The Witch's Tower. Enjoy!

Sheldon and Larry Hiked with Us.

Roadside memorial for 21 year old, Tony

Box Elder Bug

Kissing Bug

Kissing Bug

Me at the Witch's Tower.