Every now and then I stumble across an indie author who writes such an incredible (and underrated) book, I have to shout their name from the rooftops. I present Sumiko Saulson and her bizarre horror anthology, “Things That Go Bump In My Head.” I took a chance on this anthology after reading positive reviews on Goodreads, and after reading the first short story, I knew this was one of those rare books that deserved the hype.
“Things That Go Bump In My Head” is an unusual horror anthology–it’s not quite literary fiction, not quite science-fiction, not quite fantasy, not quite horror…it’s a mishmash of all these genres. The author steered clear from conventional slashers, and created a new kind of horror story. In that way, the anthology’s undefinable “weirdness” lends itself well to speculative fiction. I don’t like the term, quiet horror, since there was nothing at all “quiet”…
I will be there, too! Come meet me, and Emz, and Rain, and Laurel, and a bunch of other talented local writers who I’m not name dropping because I don’t know them personally.. 😛
I will be at the San Mateo County Fair this Saturday as part of their Literary Arts Stage activities!
Listen to me and a handful of other authors read live and come by the tables to chat or pick up free goodies!
I will have with me mini books of all my different genres and (first come, first serve) CHOCOLATE books.
Also, if you haven’t had a chance to read Night’s Knights or Sweet Dreams yet, ask me for special San Mateo County Fair codes to get each full novel at just 99 cents from Smashwords!
With Dragon Age: Inquisition coming out in October, I have to admit that I have been spending more time playing Dragon Age: Origins, DA O: Awakening and DA 2 than I have spent doing things I should, like say, update my blog, which is about horror fiction. Today I decided I could kill two birds with one stone by writing about one of the most interesting and completely infuriating characters in Awakening and DA 2, Anders, who suffers from a sudden personality change after voluntarily hosting the Fade spirit Justice. You will recall, if you’ve played Awakenings, that Anders and Justice were two separate characters.
Between the end of Awakening and the start of Dragon Age II the two merged together, sort of like in Marvel’s New Mutants comic when the alien Warlock died, and was reanimated with the memories of the human mutant Doug Ramsey, becoming Douglock.
Only much Justice-Anders…. hey, let’s just call him “Janky” because he is… is considerably douchier.
Janky is sort of like a Bizzaro-world version of Ghost Rider. Instead of consorting with demons and taking in a spirit of vengeance, he consorts with a spirit of justice and somehow warps it into a spirit of vengeance with his human emotions – or, so he says. It’s hard to tell if he is being honest, as he has been known to be dishonest and manipulative, especially when it comes to fulfilling his manifesto. Unlike Ghost Rider, who knows he is possessed by a demon and therefore seeks to take measures to avoid going over completely to the dark side, Anders believes that the spirit he is possessed by is good, and he doesn’t question its motivations or his own. He believes he is right.
That makes him an excellent example of the Fallen Hero. We are all familiar with Fallen Heroes – good guys like Harvey Dent or Anakin Skywalker who are destined to become Two Face and Darth Vader. Anders is one of those, but he believes his own bullshit. He thinks he’s the Paul Muad’dib of the mages, come to save everyone. Unfortunately, his methodology includes the mass murder of hundreds, possibly thousands of innocents, and that makes him a monster.
Anders as a Villian
It may be difficult to fathom interpreting Anders as a hero, in light of the events at the end of Dragon Age II and the description of the world left behind in Dragon Age: Inquisition, which will be released October 7, 2014. The latest installment in the Dragon Age franchise features a world where mages and Templars are at open war and a magical explosion has created a Breach into the fade, into which dragons and various other monstrosities are pouring in from the skies.
Based upon the accusations of the Seeker, Cassandra Pentaghast, and the cinematics at the end of DA2 and in the trailers for Inquisition, it is easy to conclude that this Breach may have been caused directly or indirectly by Anders actions in destroying Kirkwall’s Chantry with a magical explosion. The breach was caused by a magical explosion. If it was not caused by that specific one, then it was likely caused by one inspired by this very action since as of Inquistion, the war between the Mages and Templars he predicted has come to pass.
In many ways, he is a villain, just as corrupted by outside influence as Orsino, Meredith, and Bartrand. Like these three, he suffers from a bad case of the Dark Side trope, named after well-known Star Wars fallen hero Anakin Skywalker, who becomes Darth Vader after he goes to the Dark Side of the Force.
Hero Type: Tragic (Fallen)
What marks him tragic hero are his initially good intentions: he wants to free mages from the servitude of the Circle of Mages and the Templars. He starts out as a kitten-loving, wisecracking smartass rebel in Awakening, but becomes hopelessly messy after (at some point between Awakening and DA2) possessed by the Fade spirit Justice. From the point of this action, his course is set: he is doomed to fall from grace, and his fall is marked by increasing signs of insanity. In the end, Anders is paranoid, lying and keeping secrets from his closest associates, and justifying these lies with a megalomaniacal sense of himself as a hero who will live on in legend as soon as he is martyred. He actually wants to die so his imagined destiny will be fulfilled. He has no remorse for those who have died or will die in the name of his cause, although like Meredith, he gives some rather unconvincing lip service to his regrets.
A tragic hero is one on a downward trajectory necessitated by his fatal flaw. In Anders, his flaw seems to be pride. It was vain of him to think that he could contain Justice in the first place. Although he was generally good-natured in Awakenings, in DA 2 he has also become critical. He is often blind to his own flaws while fault-finding with others. This is especially obvious in his interactions with Merrill, who has similar issues. In conversations with
Not all tragic heroes are fallen: the difference between a fallen hero and a standard tragic hero is that the fallen hero becomes a villain. Regular tragic heroes usually lose everything because of their tragic flaw (often, something of the seven deadly sins variety, like greed or pride), and often die. Examples of classic tragic heroes are King Lear, Midas, and Oedipus. They are otherwise good men for whom a single character flaw spells their doom.
Fallen heroes, by contrast, hit rock bottom and then rise up again as villains. They are big in comic books. Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock is another infamous fallen hero. In Norse Mythology, Loki is a fallen hero. Perhaps the best known fallen hero of all is Satan himself, particularly as portrayed by Milton in Paradise Lost.
Jungian Archetype: The Rebel
Even before he becomes combined with Justice, Anders fits the Jungian archetype of the rebel. It is his identification with the role of revolutionary leader or liberator that allows him to believe right until the very end that he is a hero. That the mages need liberation is without question, but his methodologies are at best questionable. At worse a form of megalomaniacal delusion not dissimilar to the one suffered by Meredith.
Real life history is filled with revolutionaries who straddled the line between the heroic and the villainous, and several who crossed right over. The victor writes the history and so, revolutionaries who were later portrayed as villains may be heroes to some. Napoleon Bonaparte for his greed, Vlad Tepish for his brutality, and Vladimir Lenin for his draconian crushing of any and all dissent are examples of revolutionaries who were considered heroes to some, villains to others.
Anders also fits the Jungian archetype for “magician” in being a manipulator who is willing to do just about anything as a means to his end.
In flirtations, Hawke perceives and relates to Anders as a Byronic type, with that “sexy, tortured look.” Byronic heroes are brooding outcast with dark secrets and traumatic pasts. They are emotionally sensitive, although that sensitivity is often primarily t their own needs, and they tend to be self-centered as well as introspective. Anders is less introspective because he doesn’t spend much time contemplating his own thoughts or feelings, but he in many ways fits the bad boy mold associated with the Byronic romantic lead. Good examples of Byronic romantic heroes are Rochester in Jane Eyre, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, and pretty much every sexy male vampire ever. Byronic heroes are almost always male.
Anders repeatedly warns Hawke that any romance will turn out badly, because he has a great deal of difficulty controlling Justice. Although Anders claims that Justice has become a part of him, Justice resents the relationship and views Hawke as a distraction. The presence of Justice and his interference with the relationship are also a device in Byronic romances: in this story’s unfolding, he plays the same role as Bertha Mason does in Jane Eyre, as a dangerous secret that is a part of the Byronic hero’s troubled past and serves as a continual foil to any attempts to forward the romance.
Another Byronic trait Anders possesses in love is that he is not redeemed by it: Rochester is a rarity in being a Byronic hero who is eventually redeemed by love and tragedy. Most Byronic heroes remain essentially unchanged by love, although they are often sought out as romantic partners due to their mystery and bad boy appeal. Typical examples are Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Lestat in Interview with the Vampire, and the desperately lonely (and continually unattached) creature in Frankenstein. Typically, Byronic heroes do not change, but force their loved ones to change to accommodate them. They are very self-reflecting, but essentially self-centered.
Anders may love Hawke, but he remains untransformed by that love. In order for the romance to work out in the end, Hawke will have to give up everything and become a rebel, in hiding with Anders after he blows up the Chantry. Hawke will also have to accept wholesale the glorious manifesto and revolution Anders is selling, because Anders becomes very belligerent, pouty and guilt-trippy when questioned or doubted in any way. As Anders earlier expresses a bit of envy and competitiveness towards Hawke’s glorious role as champion, Hawke also has to accept the subservient role Anders demands. Frankly, I couldn’t take it – I just killed him. But it is entirely possible to play out a happily ever after scenario in the game romantically, provided that Hawke buckles under.
Anders does not compromise with his partner at all, but expects total compromise, total devotion, and blind devotion at that, since he lies to Hawke repeatedly about his intentions when gathering ingredients and otherwise plotting to blow up the Revered Mother.
This is the Outlaw Couple romance trajectory. Bonnie and Clyde seem to be the most famous outlaw couple. Outlaw couples aren’t always bad: Robin Hood and Maid Marian can be considered an outlaw couple as well. In an outlaw couple, there is usually one dominant partner whose goals and agenda sublimate whatever desires the other previously had. This is the case in a completed romance between Anders and Hawke.
Is Anders Really Dead?
Seeing as how he already died in Awakening, I’m not sure that killing off Anders will really get rid of him. I suspect he just keeps coming back from the dead, like Flemeth or something. I don’t know about you, but I had to play it through three times and kill him every single time, just to be sure, but I’m still expecting him to resurrect like Jason at the beginning of a Halloween movie.
I am proud to announce that The Green Arcade in San Francisco is now on the long list of Bay Area bookstores that carry my paperbacks. Koham Press in Vallejo and Sundiata Bookstore in Oakland are two other recent additions. The entire list of Bay Area bookstores that carry my titles can be found here:
Brick and mortar bookstores are important to the reader, and local bookstores are important to neighborhoods. They enrich our culture. For many, there is nothing that can replace the experience of the physical book in hardcover or paperback, the discovery of new authors and titles in the aisles of well-lit, tidy spaces with their comforting aroma of wood, leather and paper as well as dimly-lit corners of undiscovered literature in crowded stacks smelling vaguely of mustiness and dusty respite.
They are more than just book repositories, they are also the primary venues at which authors interact on a personal level with our readers. Writers, whether internationally famous or local and unknown, tour bookstores the way musicians hit nightclubs and concert halls, and painters present their works in cafes and galleries. Book readings and signings occur within these hallowed halls, but over the past decade, bookstores are increasingly losing traction to electronic books.
L.C. Cruell is the writer of numerous multiple-award/festival-winning feature screenplays, pilots, and shorts and the writer/director of award/festival-winning short films, critically-acclaimed web series, with a feature in-progress. An Honors graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School, Cruell is also a published author of 25 short stories, film critic at multiple publications, freelance writer/editor, entrepreneur, and member of WIFTA, SFWA, Mensa, OBS, and a NATPE Fellow. She has shorts currently in production with an international list of directors, is in development on features “Mistresses of Horror” and “Crimson” and pilots “31” and “Neph,” is in pre-production as the director on projects “Flesh” and “Pallas,” and is in post on “I Need You.” L. C. is represented by Bob Myman of LA entertainment firm Myman Greenspan.
“31”
Writer/Director – L. C. Cruell
She awakens, trapped, alone, imprisoned in darkness with no memory of how she got there. She will have to risk everything to escape. But, if she does, will she find the world beyond her prison even more terrifying?
Critically-acclaimed, popular, groundbreaking web series “31” is a supernatural thriller told in 31, 31-second-long, cliffhanger episodes. As perhaps the first true daily Internet Horror Serial it has amassed hundreds of thousands of views and fans throughout the world and branded the concept of the micro-series. With dozens of rave reviews 31’s success has lead to YT partnership and 6 non-exclusive distribution deals. 31 has since been selected to and won festivals leading to its big screen premieres in both the US and Europe and soon in Mexico.
A pilot version is in development/talks that takes the questions touched on in the series to the next level.
Q. Were you a fan of sci-fi and horror as a child?
A. I have always loved movies and books, especially sci-fi and horror. In those genres, anything is possible; any what if can be explored and explored in ways that come at the question from odd, view-challenging angles. My favorites were always the stories that would leave you unable to sleep pondering the questions of – what if we, the universe, the world, etc. worked that way? So, of course, I had to start writing my own.
Q. How did you start writing?
A. I grew up in a small, close-knit Southern town in the country, quite literally the granddaughter of a sharecropper. I graduated as the first African-American Valedictorian from my high school and went to Duke University on a full academic scholarship. There I studied everything from history to film to engineering and studied abroad in Europe, graduated with a double major and minor on the Dean’s List, and then tried to figure out what to do with my life.
So, there I was that summer writing and publishing short stories (all of my short stories are sci-fi, hopefully I’ll get around to putting them in a “Cruell World” collection someday), doing local theater, while applying to grad schools. Much as I love short stories, I realized I saw everything as movie scenes anyway, and, though I do want to write a novel someday, film was my draw now. I was accepted into USC’s screenwriting program and into Harvard Law School. As it happens, it’s hard to say no to the fat envelope from Harvard when it comes down to it, so there I went. I focused on Entertainment and Corporate law, graduated with honors, and eventually wrote Crimson (Vampires in the Ivy League) a screenplay based on my time there.
Q. When did you first consider yourself screenwriter?
A. I was going to do law until I paid off my student loans then take the screenwriting world by storm, but life has its own time line and a fatal illness in my family changed everything. I practiced law on a per contract/case basis to have time to be with my family and put everything I went through into my writing. It’s about here I honestly feel like I can say that I became a screenwriter.
I won contests, festivals, grew as a writer, got things optioned, sold, shot. But there is a wall to getting into Hollywood from the outside higher than I would’ve believed. Talent and tenacity is apparently not enough to open the doors sealed, bolted, and welded shut from the inside. It’s a hard climb and if you are African-American or a female, especially in these genres, you don’t have a whole lot of believers or supporters. If you are both, yeah, you can imagine the looks of shock when you do get in the door. But persist, keep writing, and, at some point, get things on film. It’s the need to do the latter so people could actually see my work that got me into directing.
Q. When did you decide to direct?
A. I never wanted to direct. I’m probably the only person I know who directs to be a writer and not the other way around. But I started with a super short “Why I’m a Dogperson” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwezMubJHZU) (first of a series, even though I’m a catperson), realized I could do it and went from there. Then came my web series “31” which led to critical-acclaim, actual fans, 6 distribution deals, and international festival selections and wins. Do not ever let anyone tell you something is impossible because you don’t have money. I made 31 for $390 because I worked hard to make a strong script and concept that would make people want to be a part of the project and shot it outside of LA. Never let money, the doubts of others stop you if you believe what you are doing is something you must do. Next came “I Need You,” first feature currently in post, and now “Flesh” and “Mistresses of Horror” in pre-production, along with several other feature scripts and a constant stream of shorts I’m working to find homes for. So now I’m that rarely spotted creature (we’re out there just rarely highlighted) the African-American Female Writer/Director of the supernatural, horror, and sci-fi. Chose an easy path in life didn’t I?
Q. What other projects are you involved with?
A. We are now in development on a television pilot for “31” that takes on all the questions and possibilities hinted at in the web series. Fingers crossed that you will soon see the full story of “31” on a small screen near you soon. Feel free to voice that desire by liking us at https://www.facebook.com/31theseries.
Other current projects include “Tales From Morningview Cemetery” a feature anthology from 4 southern writer/directors (myself included of course) currently in post. “Seekers,” “In Nomine,” “The World’s Worst Horror Movies,” and “Through a Glass House Darkly” optioned and in pre-production. “Flesh,” in pre-production with Morning Star Productions and producer Najma Cade, with myself on to direct.
“Mistresses of Horror” is an all-female written and directed horror anthology feature I created (and wrote a part or two of) underway with a great horror producer.
Other features, “Crimson,” “Last Call for Angels,” “The Guardians,” “Lizzie,” etc., dozens of shorts (I write a lot) and pilots “The Four” (4 losers discover they may be destined to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) and “Neph” (the last 6 Nephilim (human/fallen angel hybrids) struggle to survive in a world where both good and evil see them as abominations) are all being marketed and can be found on my website.
Current scripts underway include features “Samarra,” “The Sitters,” “The Loft,” and “The Certainty,” pilots “Salvation” and “Country Girls” and about a dozen more shorts.
And I am always looking for new producers, directors, and actors to work with in this incredibly exciting world of genre filmmaking.
Q. What’s next?
A. Let’s see. I want to take the world by storm. I want to write and direct and make a living doing it. I want to be the first high profile, genre, writer/director who just happens to be an African-American female. I want to write and direct either Wonder Woman or the first African-American female superhero film, or both. I want to show-run the next American Horror Story. I want all of my pilots to become series and all of my films to be made by others or myself. I want the Cruell brand to mean something you can’t wait to watch. I want all the fun and crazy hard work that comes with it. And I want the fact that I made it hopefully to inspire anyone who wants to do it to try to the point that I’m just one of many, high profile horror Mavens of all colors bringing fresh, different perspectives from different lives and backgrounds to the screen, giving the world all new what ifs to keep them awake at night. That last one, I want most of all. We’ll see if that’s the journey. I’ll certainly try. 😉
Where to Find Lucy Online:
www.cruellworld.com – for updates on current projects and contact info; if you are producer also lists scripts (features, shorts, pilots) available for production
A few minutes ago, I walked outside and take a look at the blood moon. It’s not the first one I’ve seen… I remember seeing the blood moon hanging over the desert skyline just outside of Los Angeles when I was a child, and I remember seeing it again during a lunar eclipse when I lived near Cheremoya Elementary School – the real school that is the basis for the fictional location of Leticia Gordon’s Junior High School. The two schools are not much alike, but they do share a common layout and proximity to apartment buildings. My apartment building in the third grade was the same distance from my school as Leticia’s seventh grade school was to Bridget Gordon’s condominium.
Tonight’s moon is not red, but it is visibly blurry, and there is a dark spot in the corner. I want to stand and watch it, but I am overcome by a feeling of anxiety and I come inside. I have to get my fiance to accompany me when I got out to take a second look, because I am anxious, and superstitiously alarmed by the bite size chunk missing from the apple of the moon.
Greg is disappointed that the moon is not red. We resolve to wait another half an hour, before going out to see it again.
This Saturday night at Expressions Gallery a special fundraiser to assist homeless artists by raising funds for materials, to buy frames and to help artists get their art exhibit-ready.
Please come and join us, we will have live music and Sumiko Saulson will read a passage from the homeless hero Gerald K. Sampson from her novel “Solitude”. Serena Toxicat will be reading from “Evangeline and the Drama Wheel.”
Today, another Women’s History Month comes to a close. It’s been a fun month of spotlighting many fine women who also happen to be talented writers. Prepare to meet the last of the seven soul-deep, inspiring women writers who I chose to feature this month. These women writers pooled their talents to make “Voices from the Block: A Legacy of African-American Literature” a five-star anthology; a must read!
Meet
Ingrid Lawton & Breggett Rideau
Both Ingrid and Breggett have rock’em, sock’em poems in “Voices,” and Ingrid also has a short story that will leave you gasping in surprise.
Ingrid Lawton Ingrid is a native Texan, who writes poetry and short stories. She has also completed a screenplay for young adults. The short story “Cornbread and Buttermilk” and the poem “Schizophrenia” which appear in “Voices from the Block” are her first published works. She enjoys reading and spending time with friends and…
Beauty & the Beast Wicked Women Writers Challenge 2014
2014 Theme: Beauty & the Beast
Premise: There is something both fearsome and attractive in a wild thing, be it man or beast. From creature legends told around ancient campfires, to modern tales of King Kong and crypto zoology, critters have always captured our darkest imagination. Get your Beast on.
Challenge: Create a 10 minute horror podcast that contains four story elements, plus your written story. Registration closes 4-13-14. Audio and text are due on 5-13-14.
Story Elements: Each of our Wicked Belles will be assigned a location, a blessing, a curse … and a Beast. Your story must include a lady in peril and these four elements:
Location: Anywhere in the world is fair game. A private zoo? A Japanese Nightclub? Kindergarten Show ‘N’ Tell? You are the game. We’ll give you the board.
[ONLINE] ConTinual: True Blood, Twilight, & the Vampire Diaries June 23, 2026 at 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Poet Laureate at BayCon42 / Westercon 78: The Answer! July 3, 2026 – July 6, 2026
BayCon 42 is proud and privileged to welcome Sumiko Saulson as this year’s Poet-in-Residence. Sumiko brings a distinct voice to speculative literature and poetry. Their presence at BayCon 42 reminds us that meaning can be found in metaphor, memory, and the magic of language. Every year, BayCon welcomes creators, thinkers, and trailblazers whose work reshapes the way…
[IN-PERSON] OakTown Thursdays July 16, 2026 at 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
I will be vending at OakTown Thursdays, which will take over Telegraph Avenue from Broadway to 17th St as well as 16th St from Broadway to San Pablo Ave.
Sumiko Saulson 