Twilight and Jane Eyre--closer than you think!

Take two handsome Edwards! Add to that forbidden love and sexual tension and you have two block busters: Jane Eyre and Twilight.

I am making the case that there is a kinship between Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

For your consideration, I present first: Jane Eyre.
Edward Rocherster, darkly brooding tortured man has a mad wife locked away in a tower.
She is his nemesis: the sad, pathetic creature who is holding him back from the wedded bliss he could have with the young governess he has fallen in love with.

"I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you--especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame..."
--Edward Rochester

That got me where I lived as a teen! Still does, and besides--what more heart-wrenching scene can there be than the wedding scene?

It's a lovely wedding and we're happy for these two, but then the lunatic wife's brother storms into the church to declare an imediment to the marriage!

Rochester takes the wedding party to the tower to introduce his mad wife at last. It is an unforgettable moment.

We understand his dilema. Her family never told him that their daughter was mad, he was used in the worst way.

Jane flees--frightened and confused, which only adds to Edward's misery.
But alas she can find no peace for her longing is great.

So what do we have? We have enough sexual tension and unfulfilled desire to make us chew ice cubes!

Okay?!

Twilight: Edward Cullen, dark and handsome, brooding and tortured too—loving Bella despite himself.

He too has a dark secret. But it is not locked away in a tower, it’s in his veins!
For it is his sad destiny that he is one of the undead--a vampire!

Bella, awkward and clumsy, is newly arrived in town. When she sees Edward she is smitten by him. But he appears to hate her, avoiding her at every opportunity.

We feel for her!

But then we find out that he didn't want to hurt her, he was fearful of his vampiric hunger!

The two get to know one another, he saves her life--they fall more deeply in love.

 "Besides…the more time I spend with you, the more human emotions seem comprehensible to me. I’m discovering that I can sympathize with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t think possible before."

— Edward Cullen

See?! Heathcliff, from Wuthering Heights, penned 150 years ago by Emily Bronte!

She is needed, she fills up his life, her feelings for him are so great that she is willing to become a vampire!

Stephanie Meyers on Jane Eyre:

''I read it when I was nine,'' says Meyer, ''and I've reread it literally hundreds of times. I do think that there are elements of Edward (Cullen) in Edward Rochester and elements of Bella in Jane. Jane was someone I was close to as a child — we were good friends! I think in some ways she was more real to me than any other fictional character…”

And you know what? I can see it too. Not only in the brooding Edwards but in Bella and Jane.

Each is shy and retiring—each has arrived in a strange place. Each knows lonelieness and isolation and each wants desperately that brooding intense man they have fallen in love with.

Jane does not understand Edward Rochester’s unhappiness and at first she thinks him uncaring.

Bella too doesn’t understand Edward Cullen’s behavior and thinks he hates her at first when in fact it has nothing to do with that!

Jane Eyre is a romance in the gothic tradition.

Twilight is a romance in the new gothic tradition.

Each has captured the imagination of a wide audience.

Both are great romances and romance is romance.

A quesetion: why do we love our heroes to be tortured?
Answer: because it makes the story that much more involving, that much more gripping.

We care about Jane and Edward as we care about Bella and Edward.

And why is that? It is because we have well-drawn characters facing tremendous conflicts.

Added to that, we have a great love story! No! Make that two great love stories!

Carrie (1976)

This is a masterpiece of horror and pathos written by none other than Stephen King.

It tells the story of Carrie White, a shy friendless girl who suffers brutally at the hands of bullies.

Carrie is played by Cissy Spacek who is superb. Her mother is played brilliantly by Piper Laurie.

Carrie and her mother, an overly religious nutcase, live alone--cut off from the world it seems. This is a deliberate choice on the part of the mother as she is able to exert more control over Carrie.

There is a complication though. When Carrie gets upset she finds she has the ability to move things with her mind (telekinesis).

Her mother considers it to be a gift of the devil and calls Carrie a witch.

The bullying at school is relentless. Her teacher finally has had enough and is determined to see that Carrie's persecutors are punished and punished severely.

When their leader is banned from the prom, she cooks up a pretty horrific plot to get back at Carrie.

The scene at the prom is probably the most famous or infamous segments in the film.

Here you go: the prom and the aftermath!


I think this is one of the most effective scenes in a horror film (or any film) ever.





And I couldn't leave you without this scene toward the end, when Carrie's mother decides what Carrie's fate should be:





The film was directed by Brian de Palma and is an absolute classic, pass the popcorn!

The Exorcist!

Number three in date order and not scare order: the Exorcist!



Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty it tells the story of a young girl and her actress mother. The mother begins to notice some peculiar behavoral changes in her daughter.

When things turn really nasty and there is no avoiding her little girl is possessed, as incredible as it seems, the mother contacts a priest to ask about an exorcism.

However, she soon finds the Church is not that quick to respond. First, they will carefully weigh the need for such a thing.

What follows is the heart of the film which is far more horrific than the bits leading up to it.

We see Regan change horrifically as the possession becomes total. There is no going back. She is possessed by demons.

At last Father Karras and Father Merrin, an experienced exorcist arrive to perform the ritual.

The depiction of evil is horrifying as Father Karras finds his own personal life is used by the forces of evil to try to weaken his resolve. But he is undeterred.

Then, as the two priests are performing the exorcism, with the eldery priest leading it, I found myself saying with them: "the power of Christ compels you...!"

Talk about getting swept into a film! I was there, in it with them!

You have to relax after this film, it is that powerful.


Sitting in a theater and not your own home, is how the film should really be viewed--with no distractions whatsoever.

This film is as powerful as the novel was. This is serious stuff.

Church attendance by the way zoomed as a result of this film, so pollsters say and I believe it.

Author James Garcia, Jr., author of the horror novel, Dance on Fire,  recently reminded me of the power of the film. I did indeed think back to it and remembered how I felt when I first viewed it. It was heavy going for me! 

I viewed it again and found it still was! Hence, its inclusion in my list, thanks James!


It is a film you will never, ever forget. The utter evil that the film addresses is frightening, hair-raising stuff.

If there is such a thing as possession, who among us is safe? What do we do? How do we ensure that we will not be affected?

I am not a fundamentalist, however, I feel and am greatly affected by the power of this film whenever I see it because I experience something that affects and disturbs me.

The film is a classic and deservedly so.

Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair are great as the mother and daughter. There are also powerful performances by Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller and Lee J. Cobb that make this film the masterpiece that it is.

The direction is superb with William Friedkin directing.

next week: Carrie (1976)

The Talented Mr. Porter!

Before I begin I want everyone to feast their eyes on Brian's books! Fantastic!

Firstly I want to say how delighted I am to interview Brian L Porter!

Brian not only is a talented author, he is a devoted husband and father and committed animal lover. He was recently voted The Preditors & Editors ‘Best Author, 2009’ in their annual Readers Poll. Under a pseudonym he also won the ‘Best Children’s book’ and ‘Best Artwork’ Awards, and his thriller Legacy of the Ripper achieved 5th place in the Thriller category, surely an incredible performance by anyone’s standards.

How many dogs have you rescued?

Well, Carole, we currently share our home with 12 rescued dogs. In the past we’ve had others and two or three didn’t work out as we’d hoped and we had to sadly re-home them Usually, those instances are rare and caused simply by a particular dog finding it hard to adjust to and live with a fairly large pack of dogs.

Your book, or should I say, Tilly’s book, Tilly's Tale published by
4RV publishing company is so poignant and moving. Please tell us for those who don’t know what the book is about and what it means to you.

Tilly’s Tale is probably the most special book I’ve written because it tells the true story of Tilly, the little dog who shares my office and even has her own blog at http://tillyrescuedog.blogspot.com/

The book is told in Tilly’s own words, as though she herself is speaking to the reader. Tilly is a very special little dog.

She was unwanted, unkempt and barely recognizable as a dog when we first found her. Her story is a canine tale of a triumph against the odds. From being a 'scruffy mutt' in a rescue sanctuary she has become a star at agility and search and rescue work and is 'pack leader' to our family of rescued dogs.

I hope her story will go some way towards raising awareness of the plight of abandoned, abused and neglected dogs around the world and also the wonderful work performed by those who staff the various rescue centers and dog sanctuaries who care for them and help to find them loving caring homes.

I was very proud when Tilly’s Tale won the ‘Best Children’s Book’ and the ‘Best Artwork’ Awards in the recent Preditors & Editors readers Awards for books published in 2009. I have to thank the hugely talented Mandy Hedrick for her wonderful illustrations in Tilly’s Tale. She has captured the ‘essence’ of Tilly perfectly.

And there are others to follow, beginning with Dylan’s Tale I believe. Please tell us about that!

Dylan is our Bedlington Terrier who also had a very hard start to his life. He’d been abused, beaten, hit, and generally mistreated throughout his puppyhood and was just 11 months old when he came to live with us, almost five years ago. The change in him has been tremendous and he is now a happy and contented dog.

Like Tilly’s Tale, Dylan’s Tale will be related to the reader in Dylan’s own words and I hope that it will achieve something like the success of Tilly’s book.

Now for the writing side, Mr. Porter: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

To be honest, Carole, I don’t know. I’ve always written poetry and had quite a lot published and then my wife saw an advert in our library for a short story contest and she encouraged me to enter it even though I’d never written a story in my life. I didn’t win , but I so enjoyed writing the story that I began writing short stories regularly and I was so lucky because every one I wrote and sent off was published in one form or another by a number of different publishers.

It then became a matter of logical progression I suppose, to move on to full length novel writing and the first of those books, A Study in Red – The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper did so well, that I sort of never looked back.

Speaking of A Study in Red, I understand the book won an award recently?

Yes, Carole. It won The Preditors & Editors ‘Best Thriller Novel Award’ in 2008, and I’m very proud of that. The reviewers at CK2S Kwips & Kritiques also gave it ‘Recommended Read’ status, which they also awarded to the sequel, Legacy of the Ripper.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Er, this could be embarrassing, but I get a lot of my best ideas while I’m shaving, honestly. I can be standing staring at myself in the mirror and all of a sudden an idea hits me, and it’s not just a vague idea, but the full storyline for a book. Oh yes, I also often get ideas while out walking the dogs!

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to be out walking with the dogs, and of course, I spend a lot of time researching for my books as I always try and make the novels as ‘factual’ as possible in terms of events and procedures. Apart from that there doesn’t seem to be much time left over for anything else.

What does your family think of your writing?

The children love Tilly’s Tale of course and the whole Dog Tales series. They have of course read all of the manuscripts I’ve completed so far which are currently with the publisher, 4RV Publishing.

They also love Alistair the Alligator my latest children’s release, also from 4RV, and aimed at much younger children. This book is in full colour and is illustrated by the talented Amanda Sorensen.

My wife, although she doesn’t usually read dark psychological thrillers, reads all my books as they are written chapter by chapter and is my fiercest critic. She is always honest with me about my work and the fact that she manages to read my books from start to finish and actually enjoy them says a lot to me.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Without a doubt the most surprising aspect is that people actually like reading my books. I still find it hard to believe that people enjoy sitting down to read a novel I’ve written, perhaps with their feet upon the sofa, or in bed last thing at night. That makes me feel very humble and very proud at the same time.

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I think the total, including my children’s books is around 17 books now, of which it would be hard to pick a favourite. If you pinned me down I would have to say that of my children’s books, Tilly’s Tale is without doubt the one that means the most to me on a personal level and the emotions contained within the book are as genuine as it is possible to imagine.

Of my thrillers, I think I’d have confess to a soft spot for A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper as it was the book that started the whole process of successful publication for me.

For plot alone however it would be hard for me to separate my two latest releases, Purple Death and Pestilence, both of which are packed full of twists and turns and surprises for the reader. By the way, my dear wife has a preference for Glastonbury, due to appear in the near future from 4RV Publishing, and I have to admit, it also ranks high on my list too.

Do you have any suggestions to help writers become better writers? If so, what are they?

Oh, Carole, that’s a question and a half, and I’m sure one I’m not really qualified to answer. Perhaps the best advice I can give is to believe in yourself and your work, be prepared to accept rejection as an everyday ‘occupational hazard’ and not to lose faith in your abilities.

Having said that, there are a lot of people out there who have been trying for years to have a book published, without success, and I think there is a time when all of us have to realise that perhaps a particular book or story is not quite as good as we, the authors, believe them to be.

It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that as the author, we simply ‘know’ a piece of work is great, but we can be wrong. Finally I have to mention research. I can’t stress how important it is to research the background to any story as thoroughly as possible.

Most of my novels for example have a connection to ‘real’ events in the past, and every one of those events has to be researched in detail so that I don’t get caught out by someone saying, “Ah, but it didn’t happen like that in real life.” I know my books are novels, but as I nearly always mingle fact and fiction together to weave my storylines together, I need to try and make the reader believe in all of it, not just the ‘factual’ so by researching the subject first I’m then able to create a plausible fiction to sit side by side with the facts, if you see what I mean.

What do you think makes a good story?

For me, it has to have a believable plot, one that can draw the reader into the story so that they feel as though they are taking part in the action themselves. The characters should be strong and very ‘human’ and not cardboard cut-outs.

I always try to produce characters that readers can identify with in some way. Also, and this is of course a personal thing because of the type of books I write, I love to ‘misdirect’ the reader so that they fully believe they have ‘solved’ the mystery only for the truth to be revealed at the end as something completely different. I think my readers love the element of surprise that comes from that ‘twist in the tale’.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I always wanted to grow up to be in the Royal Air Force. Luckily, I achieved that ambition!

And now for your books!

The Ripper Trilogy:
A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of the Ripper Double Dragon Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Study-Red-Secret-Journal-Ripper/dp/1554045274/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239355927&sr=1-2
Legacy of the Ripper Double Dragon Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Ripper-Brian-L-Porter/dp/1554046904/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Requiem for the Ripper (Coming Summer 2010 from Double Dragon Publishing)

Pestilence Double Dragon Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554047234
Purple Death Moongypsy Press
http://moongypsypress.com/porter.php
Kiss of Life (Vampire Thriller) Mythica Publishing
Coming in Feb/March 2010. Please see http://www.mythicapublishing.com/
The Voice of Anton Bouchard Mythica Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Anton-Bouchard-Other-Stories/dp/190710805X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266429417&sr=8-1
Murder, Mayhem and Mexico Eternal Press
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mayhem-Mexico-Brian-Porter/dp/1926640500/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239224086&sr=1-11

Dracula Doesn’t Live Here Anymore Eternal Press
http://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Doesnt-Live-Here-Anymore/dp/192664025X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238678599&sr=1-7
The Nemesis Cell (Currently in e-book from Stonehedge Publishing but coming soon in paperback from Mythica Publishing)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Nemesis-Cell-ebook/dp/B000SCHAFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266429584&sr=8-1
Avenue of the Dead (Also in e-book from Stonehedge Publishing and coming soon in paperback from 4RV Publishing)
http://www.amazon.com/Avenue-of-the-Dead-ebook/dp/B000SCHAFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1266429650&sr=8-2
Glastonbury 4RV Publishing
(Coming in paperback in Feb/March 2010)
A Binary Convergence (With Graeme S Houston) A sci-fi short story e-book collection from Stonehedge Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/A-Binary-Convergence/dp/B00140IU1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212698726&sr=8-1">
Tilly’s Tale 4RV Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Tillys-Tale-Harry-Porter/dp/0981868592/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257702764&sr=1-3
Alistair the Alligator 4RV Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/Alistair-Alligator-Harry-Porter/dp/0982588615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266687584&sr=1-1-spell
Arcadia 22 Heavy – Mayday Mythica Publishing
http://www.mythicapublishing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=62

And there are films in the works! Please tell us about those.

Just before Christmas, 2009, I received an email from a movie company, (I thought it was a joke at first, truly), asking about the Movie/TV rights to my novel A Study in Red – The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper.

After they’d convinced me they were genuine, and after I’d done some research on them myself, we entered into negotiations and on Christmas Day we signed the agreement that would see Thunderball Films (L.A.) produce the movie version of the book.

They have since signed a collaborative deal with Masterplan Films (UK), and the joint venture is now progressing with the screenplay almost completed. Soon afterwards the CEO of Thunderball Films asked to see some of my other work and he loved my books so much that he offered me a deal that would see Thunderball Films turn a number of my novels into either TV or Movie adaptations.

So, at some time in the future you may just see TV or movie adaptations of Pestilence, Purple Death, Legacy of the Ripper, Avenue of the Dead, Glastonbury, Kiss of Life, The Nemesis Cell, and The Voice of Anton Bouchard.
Thanks so much for coming along and talking to me Brian.

You’re welcome, Carole, any time!

The Very Talented Robert Elrod, Artist Extraordinaire!

This is the cover Robert has done for Triskaideka Books’ Masters of Horror Anthology.
It is classic, evocative of the best horror art of the past. Each of Robert’s portraits is unique.
In Robert’s own words: I'm a graphic designer and illustrator, specializing in interactive and print communications with over 22 years of graphic design industry experience. I've been married for over 22 years and have two adult-aged sons. I work from my home in Parker, Colorado as an independent creative mercenary. I recently won the Frontier Award for “Best Non-Anime Depiction” at Nan Desu Kan 2008 and also launched at www.monsterportraits.com Art prints are available at www.monsterportraits.com/artprints.htm and skateboards at www.boardpusher.com/robertelrodThat from his page at Master of Horror Ning: http://horrorwriters.ning.com/profiles/profile/show?id=RobertElrodMonsterPortraits&
Robert's website: http://robertelrodllc.com/