A Quiet Place: Defying Monsters and Common Sense (Women & Men in the Movies No. 8)

Posted on November 14, 2018November 28, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed in the horror movie A Quiet Place. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A family struggles to live in a silence in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters hunt and kill based on noise. Spoilers: I’ve done my best not to spoil anything major that wasn’t shown in the previews, but if you want to remain completely spoiler-free you may want to watch the movie first ...

Lawyers, Stress, and Horror

Posted on June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 by admin

What do horror, being a lawyer, and stress have in common? All played a part in my life when I worked full time as a lawyer. Also, all factor into the three short stories in the new paperback edition of The Tower Formerly Known as Sears and Two Other Tales of Urban Horror. I finally released this paperback edition while home recovering from my broken foot--one good thing about the many weeks in the cast. The Man In The Mirror I'm particularly fond of this story, as it's the first one...

Mean Characters Or Reality?

Posted on February 28, 2018March 6, 2018 by admin

Last week I wrote about the fictional women mentors I created for my protagonist in The Awakening Series. Writing about those women was pretty easy because I had a strong picture of each of them as I began the first book. More challenging for me was the part of Book 1 that was more grounded in real life. Specifically, how Tara’s friends, boyfriend, and family would react to her news that she was pregnant, but had never had sex and didn’t know how it had happened. Being true to those...

The Frightening World Of Work

Posted on January 13, 2016 by admin

I've been thinking a lot about work lately. Specifically, how work affects quality of life. Last year was one of change for me. I shifted to writing fiction full time. Before that, I practiced law full time, and before that, I worked in various office jobs and later as a paralegal, always writing on the side.The Willis Tower, one setting for my urban horror.As an attorney, I've never, ever, been bored. I learn new things every day—about my clients’ businesses, changes in the law, new courtroom t...

The Trouble With Karma

Posted on September 23, 2015 by admin

The concept of karma has been around for thousands of years. I confess to having mixed feelings about it. In eastern religions, it refers to the idea that what a person does in past lives and in the present affects the quality of her or his life or perhaps determines certain aspects of it. This concept is summed up in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad statement that whatsoever deed a man does, "that he will reap." A similar sentiment appears in Christian gospels, including in Galatians 6:7: "...whats...

Anatomy of (Rewriting) a Thriller

Posted on September 20, 2013 by admin

A few people have asked me where The Awakening II is. Which makes me very happy, as I hope it means they read The Awakening. The answer makes me less happy: It's on my dining room table. That is, the first draft of it is. A second/third draft (I rewrite in pieces) is in the laptop. I should add that, actually, first I outline, which sometimes takes longer than the first draft. So I basically write from point to point in my outline, in sort of a mad dash to the end. &nbs...

Stranger Danger, Comic Con and Girls Gone Gore

Posted on September 9, 2013 by admin

Last month I presented a panel, Girls Gone Gore, at Comic Con Chicago with author Carrie Green. The first time we met, Carrie and I talked about how both of us have had people suggest that because we write horror/suspense/thrillers, we ought to consider using our initials or male pen names. The idea that readers believe male authors more likely to write good horror is nothing new. As I learned when I researched for the panel, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein originally was p...

GIRLS GONE GORE

Posted on August 6, 2013 by admin

Friends,Just a quick post to say that if you're attending Wizard World Chicago Comic Con Friday 8/9, please stop by the panel GIRLS GONE GORE! at 6.pm. central time. Fellow (or, rather, sister) horror author Carrie Green and I will discuss horror and femininity; the role of women in horror films and fiction; as well as how to write, publish and market horror eBooks, whatever your gender.Our bios are below. And check out our cool logo!Lisa M. Lilly is an author and attorney. &nbs...