Monsters on my mind Back to Blog
What a great Month of Monsters! Thanks, Cynthia, for letting me post about my favorite creatures. I can’t wait for your Night Watch to get here in December! (And not just because I want that chest on my bookshelf 
)
Speaking of books finally landing… It’s almost here! My debut urban fantasy romance, SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, Book 1 of The Marked Souls, officially appears in book stores tomorrow, October 6! (Although rumor has it, Archer’s rippling abs have graced a few shelves already.)
It’s a dream come true. And to think it all started with a nightmare….
Well, not an actual awake-sweating-in-the-middle-of-the-night nightmare, but the story did arise — ghoul-like — from the marshy mists of my imagination where more than one nightmare has been known to walk.
I think the one of the reasons I love science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance is that the bad guys can be soooo bad… and they don’t even have to be human. Human monsters are wonderful too — think Hannibal Lecter, for example — but he just didn’t drool enough, ya know?
I like long, jaggedy teeth in my monsters. I also like drool. And stench. I’m no artist, and I don’t have scratch’n’sniff on this computer, but here are some of the unkind critters that have invaded the world of the Marked Souls. I penned them out because I wanted to get a feel for them. Not that you’d want to feel them — eew — since I like weird pebbly skin on my monsters, and scales, and more ooze.
Of course, these little sketches don’t do justice to what’s squirming in my head. I’m a particular fan of the monsters produced by Weta Workshop — who created creatures for Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings — the Nazgul steeds rule! — and Guillermo Del Toro’s freakish beasts from Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy 2. But until I can get them to do my movie (weren’t we speaking of dreams coming true?) I’ll weave words to share the mayhem in my mind.
Here’s an excerpt from “Boys’ Night Out,” the free online short story I use to introduce the world of the Marked Souls, where the talyan — immortal warriors possessed by repentant teshuva demons — fight the resident nasties, including the ferales:
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Waiting for the other talyan to make their way to the end of the block and back along the alley, Jonah crept closer to the building. He kept to the darkness beside the lighted windows. The feralis might be animated by demonic forces, but it still used physical matter from this realm to build itself, so the bright light of the Laundromat should blind it to the destruction creeping upon it.
Or so he hoped. Where demonic forces were concerned, should didn’t always matter.
He peered around the corner. Dear God in heaven. He whispered the words as a prayer, though he knew he no longer had the right. The thing was huge. It stood half again as tall as the industrial-sized washing machines that could easily hold all the talyan’s dirty trench coats. It lurched upright, vaguely humanoid. But no one—even under the influence of more beers than they’d planned to consume, even with the disguises of Halloween—no one would mistake it for human.
Especially since it was missing a head. The hulking shoulders sloped inward, and where the neck should have been was only a moist, gaping hole ringed with finger-long teeth. Where it had scavenged the organic residue for teeth like that, Jonah didn’t want to guess, although the etheric mutations a feralis wreaked on its physical husk could grow even more bizarrely dangerous if left unchecked.
He was the check and balance, he reminded himself. His demon twisted within him, yearning to match itself against the feralis, to drain its malevolent power. He tamped the teshuva down, wouldn’t let it rise past his control. If only Liam and Archer would make an appearance, they’d make sure at least one demon didn’t celebrate tonight.
The feralis huddled—if a thing almost the size of a Volkswagen Bug could huddle—behind the tables where a single sock had been abandoned after someone’s last folded load. Strangely, it had draped itself with a tattered housecoat. Jonah frowned. For all their animalistic nature, ferales lacked the common sense God had given even the lowliest of its constituent parts when alive. A feralis might eat the frau who had worn the coat, but it wouldn’t save the wrapper. Why would one have covered itself?
He moved closer to the window. At least its headlessness ensured it wouldn’t see him. Or so he hoped.
It had snagged a pigeon, recently, judging by the fact that he could still identify the remaining wing, feathers bedraggled but recognizable. The wing stuck up from one stooped shoulder like half a pet bird perched on an eccentric—and headless—housewife.
An abomination. His gorge rose, along with his demon. Every impulse screamed that the thing was a blight and must be banished. The demon was more than willing to oblige. Its fires crowned in him, shifting his vision to the hunter’s black light phosphorescence.
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You can read the rest online at the Borders short story page. How about you? When it comes to inhuman monsters, what do you find most terrifying? Sheer size, like Godzilla? Or maybe tiny, like the out-of-control ants from Them? Speed and animal cunning, like the velociraptors from Jurassic Park? The gross factor, like Alien?
In celebration of tomorrow’s release, I’m giving away two signed copies of SEDUCED BY SHADOWS. Share your favorite icky monster factor for a chance to win!
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October 5th, 2009 at 2:18 am
First thing: Congrats for your release tomorrow!
This question is real tough. I think it depends on the situation. Sometimes the small and the inconsiderable monsters are the worst. They seem to be more canny and you have to think about how to get rid of them.
And the really bug and ugly ones have their advantages too. They’re imposing and intimidating. But I think my favorite ones are the creeps and freaks cuz the most terrifying ones are the ordinary looking who are so crazy that you can’t predict what they will do.
Hope both of you have a nice week.
Susi
October 5th, 2009 at 3:21 am
I think the creepy Unseelie Fae from Karen Moning’s Fever series are very nasty, they come in all shapes and sizes with oozing globs of stinkiness and multi-armed, legged and what not of stomach turning ickiness.
October 5th, 2009 at 4:49 am
A fast and smart monster is much scarier than a big, dumb monster who may cause a lot of damage but it’s easy to get rid of or control. Seemingly harmless, cute monsters who turn out to be anything than are creepy, too. One that doesn’t kill you right away because it has “better” uses for your body (eg. Alien)… the worst.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Oh, Alien is definitely one of the grossest monsters.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:06 am
For me it is the speed and animal cunning type of monsters.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Love terrifing like Alien and Predater movies. Also love the Jurrasric Park ones too. I just love all of them! LOL.
October 5th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Ok,I’ll admit I hate snakes and spiders; so it goes without saying that movies like Arachnaphobia and Snakes on a plane are not on my favorite movies to watch list. Other monsters or aliens I can deal with.
Congratulations on your new book, it’s on my wish list but haven’t found it yet at the bookstore.
October 5th, 2009 at 8:14 am
You know I have to with when Angel went bad. He scared me. Lol
October 5th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Hi Cynthia & Jessa
Thank you for the great post Jessa & the excellent excerpt.
I’m looking forward to getting SEDUCED BY SHADOWS.
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
October 5th, 2009 at 8:18 am
speed is scary, those monsters that can be terrifyingly fast are the scariest to me
October 5th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Congrats on the new book!
Let’s see…monsters for sheer freakout factor. I think I really hate beings who are small, but move with jerky motions like the dog on Unborn. Anything that looks somewhat normal, but moves like it’s being moved around by a puppeteer gives me the creeps. Then, those little slimey things on Night of the Creeps. Ugh. Slithering all around, faster than you could run and then getting in your ear! Meh.
October 5th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I think it would be the small stuff that you can’t get away from…like being covered in spiders or snake. EEK!
October 5th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Definitely a Congrats on the newly released book Jessa!
I absolutely love horror and if its got Sci Fi in it even better - my favorite monster not including the real life kinda - Hitler, the ex psychopath boyfriend…
is probably the monster from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth - he eats little children and his eyeballs are on his hands…very cool.
This books is now on my tbr on goodreads. Thanks.
PS - I was sent here via SusiSunshine on twitter
October 5th, 2009 at 8:41 am
It has to be the drool. Slimy, oceans of drool, coming at you from the monster’s mouth (and there is no telling where that mouth was before it headed your way!). Yuck.
By the way, when I glanced at the title of the book, at first I thought it said SEDUCED BY SHADOWS, Book 1 of The Marked Snobs
October 5th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hi Jessa,
Your book sounds like a great read!!! Really there are just so many variables that can make a monster terrific…for instance, the bad guyz’ minions in Hellboy were darn freaky!!! In Wolverine, Ryan Reynold’s character when he had been mutated by Striker was incredibly SCARY and CREEPY!!! I guess a great monster to me is not really determined by its size or even sliminess but rather the sense of ominousness that it exudes!!!
Happy Reading!!!
Anna
October 5th, 2009 at 9:17 am
OMG, the cockroach in MIB. Ewwwwww…when he takes over the farmers body, and it’s just kinda hanging on it. And that oozey stuff…….that just grosses me out, lol.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Congratulations on your new release!
The rogue demon monsters from Jacquelyn Frank’s Jacob sounded very creepy! Ick! Also, spiders.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Congrats on your new release!!
Alien is very icky!! Movies like the Blob was extremely icky!! I can’t stand the slimy monsters. I get the shivers watching them:)
October 5th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Congrats on the release! Slime, drool and open sores are my major ick factors that’s way monsters like zombies really gross me out.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Okay, am I the only one getting a little creeped out here? I’m jotting down some great ideas for monsters.
I thought it was clever how the creators of the Cloverfield monster had the big lumbering monster knocking over buildings (hey, put that CG to work!) and tiny biting monsters for that, you know, personal, human scale
October 5th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I hate snakes and rats so if there are any of these in movies I usually cringe!
October 5th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I have to agree with the assessment the smaller and faster ones normally being the smarter and more clever, crafter than the bigger ones.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:30 am
The velociraptors! It’s the speed, you can’t outrun them. Sure spiders and stuff are icky but dinosaurs are just so scary
October 5th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Congrats on your release!
I don’t like the Alien movies, maybe it’s the drool…
October 5th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Happy early book birthday! I like your little monster sketches!
The worst is anything cunning, insect-like and body fluid-y…oh and bristly hairy! Ewewewewew!!!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I agree with Alien and the gross factor there.
another one is the predator in the movie Predator when he takes the helmet off and you get to see his face without the metal. Gross. 
October 5th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Body fluid. Check. Bristles. Check. All this, just in time for Halloween!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Hmm, I think I’d be the most scared of anything that would kill me slowly. Like.. the big monsters (say.. Godzilla) could step on you, and that’d be it, the end. But something small, or something that ate at you from inside.. yes, that would be the worst. I keep thinking of the scarabs from The Mummy, where they crawled under your skin.
This is why I keep a supersized can of RAID by my bed.. just in case!
I can’t wait to read your book! It looks amazing. And congratulations!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Agree with several others that fast and intelligent monsters are much more terrifying than strong and stupid ones.
Congrats on your book release!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
BUGS! Those bugs on mummy almost did me in. It’s the small factor, it can get under any crack in the door. Oh and that clicking noise they give bugs in movies, Ewww, makes me want to jump up on a chair and squeel.
Oh ya and congrats!!!!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Congrats on your release. Yeah, the Nazgul are really creepy and I think those Uruk’hai from Lord of the Rings are pretty yucky too!!!!
Valerie
in Germany
October 5th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Oh yeah! The clicking noise! Love it. Squishing and clicking are both awesome. Also, that terrifying indrawn breath roar-scream thing. Love that too.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I think humans can be the worst kind of monsters. They can mess with every part of you and that scares me.
PS. I love those sketches to pieces!!
October 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Out of all the monsters I’ve come across, I think it’s the cunning and speedy ones that terrify me most. When they have superhuman abilities and have the intelligence to employ them effectively and in a sneaky manner, it’s truly terrifying. My favorite monster has to be Frankenstein’s monster from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. One of the creepiest and most terrifying things about Frankenstein’s monster is that he is made from pieces of various dead humans. So, though he’s not human, he has the appearance of a malformed human. On top of all that, he has superhuman speed and strength, he’s bigger than most humans, and he has the intelligence to use his abilities in a way to cause the most terror and emotional pain to her creator.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Eeek. That should be ‘his creator’ not ‘her creator’ at the end of my previous post. *sigh*
October 5th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I don’t like slimy creatures or ones that ooze things. I don’t want to be attacked by a snot monster.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
the fast and smart ones are the ones that get me. Those velociraptors is Jurrassic Park were fantastic. Man when the figured out how to open doors that was what got me. Trex might kill ya. But he wouldn’t do it on purpose lol. The smart one are harder to get away from and that is what I like.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Pinhead from Hellraiser is the creepiest. All those pins give me the shivers.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I usually avoid monster movies but have seen some of the original Alien and that was nasty. I think smaller monsters are scary as they can hide all over the place. I always get concerned when my cat stares at the floor or the wall and I have to wonder what creepy crawly thin has been spotted.
October 5th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I think cunningly smart will scare me everytime!
October 5th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I have to agree with Jody F. about not liking slimy creatures or ones that ooze things. That is such disgusting and yucky!
October 5th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
You know what I find most scary? When the killer in a horror movie walks very slow-even if his victom is running-behind them. I swear, it sounds silly, but it freaks me out! Its like they KNOW they don’t have to run to be able to catch them, there going to be able to do that anyway, so they just take their time walking to that scary music playing in the background lol.
Congrats on your book! I know you must be excited!:)
October 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I really hate snakes also, so any with slithering snakes!
Congrats on your book release.
Love what you’ve been coming up with for these contests.
October 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I love the Alien and Predator movies, my scare factor is spiders. Crawling on people and going inside ears, just freaks me the heck out.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I think the monster from Alien had it all - it was icky, ugly, big, and fast too. That monster is for me, my all time scariest.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Freaky eyes, they never fail to creep me out. lol
Deidre
October 5th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Congratulations on ‘Seduced by Shadows’!!!
My creepiest monster would be anything with large eyes, lots of long sharp teeth and slimy scales covering its large body.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Awesome excerpt, Jessa. Looking forward to reading “Seduced by Shadows”. I’m totally an urban fantasy junky.
As far as monsters go … anything with more than two legs creeps me out. Insect creatures … ick.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I like my monsters sneaky and intelligent. Dumb monsters should not be able o scare anyone. I mean, ifthey are stupid, it would be easy to beat them, then there would be no story, right?
October 5th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
[...] Monsters on my mind – Cynthia Eden [...]
October 5th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Hi Jessica! My ick factor is bats and movie zombies. I’ve been afraid of bats since I ran into one in a tree when I was little. The whole zombie visual thing really freaks me out ( eating limbs, brains, Night of the Living Dead etc ). Congrats on the new release. I can’t wait to read it!
October 5th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Okay, let’s see, amalgamating from what we have here… A dead creepy-eyed spider thing with a long snake-like body and pins coming out of it that spits a venom around long needle teeth that turns into slime. It’ll walk slow and clicky at first, but the clicks get faster and faster as it races at its victims.
Who’s sleeping tonight?
October 5th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Congrats on your book.I think Fast and Cunning is a Scary Monsters I don’t like fast thing coming at me.
sasluvbooks@yahoo.com
October 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Congrats on the release.
And umm, all of the above. I love to read about them but I think anything real would really freak me out.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I think the scariest would be something you can hear but can’t see. To me there’s nothing scarier than waking up and hearing something and not being able to see what it is.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Congrats on the release!
For me, it is oozy, goozy (yes, not really a word) stuff that puts me over the edge. It just so grosses me out.
October 6th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Sometimes monsters aren’t what you see but hear! About 10 yrs ago I was hospitalized and moved to intensive care for two weeks for cysts on FIVE major organs. They had me on morphine for the pain in the begining, with tubing pumping the poison out of my body. I went through a series of hallucinations for days. I was being embalmed ALIVE and once I was found between the beds, once under them and the last time I disconnected my self stole my chart and made it to the stairwell trying to escape. Now I know why morphine was shunned during the Civil War the hallucinations are so real they flashback and it is hard to separate from reality.
October 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Congrats on the release!!!
I have to agree - the Unseelie Faes by KMM are really icky *ihh* (and Mack ate them…)
have a nice day!
Ina
October 7th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Congrats on the release of your new series I have to say that I hate snakes and spiders. And I’m not talking about little spiders and snakes I’m talking about the big deadly kinds yuck just imaginging things crawling on my skin gives me the creeps
October 9th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Congratulations on the release!
My favourite monster of all are dragons, they’re just so cute.
October 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
well older zombies, icky, but nowadays, zombies aint like used to be.
the blob, scared me to death as a kid
snake movies, like sssssssssss and snakes on plane, (REFUSEd to watch snake on plane)
October 10th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Shawna L
weloveourdogs@juno.com
My favorite icky monster factor~ It’s that alien in the movie “Signs”. You know the recording of the Birthday Party where all the kids run inside & someone has a video camera. Then the kids start screaming and you see this Tall,Long legged SCARY Alien waking…yep that’s the one…..THAT’S what I call an ICKY MONSTER!!!!! It just scares the living daylight’s out of me everytime I watch it!!!
Thanks for this chance to win!!!
Have a wonderful weekend!!!! SMILES ;o.) Shawna
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:31 am
Size, upper-body strength, claws and fangs are pretty darn scary! Speed is also scary. When you can’t outrun them and every time you turn around, they’re already behing you or moving just out of your range of vision!
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Congrats on your new release. I think small critters are the most to scare me. I hate spiders ever since my hubby almost died from a spider bite and so i have to say crawling things such as spiders.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:33 am
I am always looking for a new Series to get curled up with! Just lounge in my recliner and forget the rest of the world. This looks like a wonderful world to get involved in and it’s in Chicago!! I am from Illinois and can’t wait to get this book.
February 7th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Have you ever went to comment on something, only to completely forget what you wanted to say after you entered your name and e-mail? LOL…