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Cover art by Nicemonkey at
Dreamstime.com.
Cover design by Aubrie Dionne. Bookworm logo for
Surrounded by
Books Publishing created
by Cherie Reich.
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Once
Upon a December Nightmare – Loosely Based on a True Story
Thank you so much for having me on
your blog today, Golden!
You hear all the time about horror
stories being based off a true story, such as The Exorcist and The
Amityville Horror. Thinking the story might be true greatly increases the
fear factor. But I am here today to tell you that Once Upon a December Nightmare in The Nightmare Collection is loosely based off a true story.
On December 28, 2002, three friends
(my best friend, her sister, and her sister’s husband) and I were going to go
to a movie and out to eat. Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers was sold out, and we couldn’t decide on another movie
to go see, so we ended up at Subway to eat dinner. We chatted for a while, and
none of us wanted to go back home so early, so we piled into my friend’s husband’s
old truck and rode around. We ended up on one of those one-lane mountain trails
in the Jefferson National Forest.
We were having fun, joking around
and the like. Then, we saw the tree blocking our path. No worries. The “James”
of the ground said he knew a spot we could turn around and go the other way.
All good, right?
In the clearing, some hunter, or
hunters, had deposited deer remains. They were very creepy and sent a chill up
my spine. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled about them, since I’m a vegetarian and feel
bad for the poor creatures. We didn’t know why the deer were there, but the
mood in the truck changed as we headed back the way we’d come.
When the headlights flickered out
and plunged us into the dark, I knew our fun night had changed to one of horror.
The cell phones didn’t work and we had no way of starting the truck, so we set
out to walk to the main road.
In situations like this, I have to
admit I become a great talker, even though I’m typically the more shy, quiet
type. I talked about aliens, The X-Files,
serial killers, and monsters. I kept saying we had to stick together and keep
walking. I could’ve walked home that night, even though it was so cold and we
all grew numb.
Eventually, we came out to the main
road and found a house. The people in it wouldn’t let us inside, but they did
let us use the phone to call my dad. We stood around there for a while before I
said we should keep walking. Dad found us, and we climbed into the car with the
heat blasting and went home.
Although our adventure ended much
better, I don’t think I ever would’ve written Once Upon a December Nightmare without having lived the tale ... to
some extent.
As a writer, do you or have you used
real life events to inspire your stories?
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About The Nightmare Collection:
A legend is hungry tonight.
A child monster will get its first taste of blood in Nightmare at the Freak Show. Four friends will enter the forest on December night, but only one can survive in Once Upon a December Nightmare. Almost ten years after Cassie's December nightmare, the monster awakens to hunt again in Nightmare Ever After.
Add to Goodreads.
Purchase links:
E-book format:
Print format:
About Cherie Reich:
A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a writer, freelance editor, book blogger, and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. Her e-books include the horror series Nightmare, a short story collection with authors Aubrie Dionne and Lisa Rusczyk titled The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk, the futuristic space fantasy novelette trilogy Gravity, and The Foxwick Chronicles, a series of fantasy stories. She is a member of Valley Writers and the Virginia Writers Club.
Website: http://cheriereich.webs.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookworm0753
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I am giving away prizes to two lucky
people. The prize packages are open internationally and include: a signed copy of
The Nightmare Collection, a signed
copy of Gravity: The Complete Trilogy,
and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
-----The Golden Eagle
25 comments:
So the beginning was for real? Creepy night for you, but now we get an even creepier story. Good stuff, Cherie!
Bah creepy indeed, but it just helps make things come due.
Yep, the beginning was real. It's one of those things that you think at the time this would make a good movie or book. Hehe! Thanks for stopping by, Alex!
Thanks, Pat!
Thank you so much, Golden, for hosting me today during my blog tour!
Out of weirdness births weirdness. A rather neat real adventure when you think about it years later. :)
Cherie is such a prolific writer. Congrats to her on her publishing success.
I'm glad everyone came out okay in the true life event which inspired your fictional story.
Your experience reminds me a lot of how the movie "Human Centipede" starts out.
Hi Cherie!
Fancy meeting you here! Your book sounds so creepy, yet awesome!
Congratulations to the release!
Hi, Golden! *waves*
It definitely was a neat adventure, Charles!
Aww, thank you, Brinda!
I'm really glad we all made it to the end, even if the fictional story didn't end the same, Anthony!
Hehe! Now is that a good thing or not, Michael? ;)
Thank you so much, Nas!
Creepy! I'd probably end up talking about the same stuff as you and everyone else would be telling me to shut up! *LOL*
Oh my gosh, what a creepy night!! My imagination runs wild in situations like that. It's no wonder it inspired you!
Oooo...sounds like a night all right. Scary. The imagination works over time in times like that.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Oh goodness... *shivers*
And I've loved seeing Cherie's lovely face everywhere! She's so awesome.
Seriously creepy. And you tale ended better? That doesn't bode well for the story you wrote, does it?
*shivers*
Sounds creepy. After reading about that tree The Folks Of The Faraway Tree will never seem the same again.
I'm seeing you everywhere today!
There is usually at least one event in my stores and novels that is either a direct personal experience or based on one.
I wouldn't have wanted to experience yours :)
Hi, Golden Eagle!
This book seems to be going about the blogging world. Sometimes creepy things are fun to read, but not when one is home alone and the wind is howling...(Which is kind of when I always end up reading or watchign creepy things.)
Hehe! We would've had a fun conversation, if you'd been there with me, Christine!
Definitely a creepy but inspiring night, Lynda!
It really does, Shelly.
Aww, thank you, Morgan!
Yes, the real story ended much better than the fictional one, Donna. :)
Thanks, Petty!
I love adding some real life experiences in with my fictional story, Carol!
LOL! I know what you mean, Jack! It's kinda like eating dinner while watching a show like BONES or CSI.
My goodness, Cherie! I was freaking when you said the headlights went out. I'd have been thinking about x-files too but I never would have talked about it out loud!
My writing in my books is linked to my own life through certain emotions or through my meeting people who I base characters on. I don't usually relate to the experiences themselves except once in a while when something incredible happens.
Jai
Good luck with the blog tour. I enjoyed the post, very suspenseful.
Creepy stuff! *shudders*
It gives me the heebie-jeebies! Horror? Not for me. (I'm a scaredy-cat)
Congrats to Cherie!
Yikes! Thankfully you were not alone and managed to call your Dad. It always adds to the creep factor when scary stories are based on real events.
good stuff, thx ladies :)
Our incident did remind me a lot of the X-Files, Jai! I guess I'm a tad weird to mention it at the time of the ordeal.
Thank you, Paul!
Aww, thanks, Michelle!
There is definitely an additional creep factor when the story is loosely based off a real event, Elise.
Thanks, laughingwolf!
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