Jackie's Top 5 Horror Movies

Artist Jackie Sheats had done illustrations for my Vampire King Series. . .

and she's done some covers for me.

She also sells pre-made covers for $30. Here's a few that she's selling now:

When we're just chatting, she's talking about some scary movie she just saw. So I thought it would be fun to have her give me a list of her Top 5 Horror Movies!

Jackie Sheats
Her Website       Her Blog

I was asked to do a Top Five list of Scary/Horror movies, and how could I refuse? Maybe once upon a time I was a romance period movie addict, but NOW I am all about the action and horror. 

This list is no way official. It is just my opinion and based on my own rating system. Basically how long it takes me to get a good nights rest after watching it and if I go back for seconds.

Alright, hold your breath Ladies, Gentlemen, and Sexy screamers!

#5. Feardotcom, I was scared of the internet for a week after seeing this movie. Despite the fear of the internet I still had a sick curiosity to visit the site. After which my level of terror increased. Its not just that this revenge seeking ghost wants to kill you. She freaking terrifies the crap out of you first with your worst fear, leading you to kill yourself in the end. Clever dead girl!

#4. Stay Alive, killer video games! For a gamer this movie is scary. The thought of losing not only your character that took hours to create, but also your own life? Scary, scary, scary. I avoided my Playstation for a day. 

I soon came to my senses and lost myself in hours of game play. The other thing that makes this so scary, is the fact it is based off of a true person. That crazy woman did this stuff for years! Her body count is said to exceed 100 young women, that is just insane! Not enough to keep me away though, this movie has a special place in my nightmares.

#3. Amityville Horror, 
the 1979 movie with the Lutz family. Not the remake with Ryan Reynolds, because there is nothing scary about that sexy body. However; the 1979 movie is another story. 

I saw it when I was a kid and it scared the crap out of me. I had nightmares about that house for days afterwards. You know with the windows that light up and are looking at you. Houses that can stare you down are scary!!!

#2. The Ring, yeah yeah everyone is kind of over the Ring now, but it still scare the crap out of me, mainly because I can't stand the jerky creepy dead walk thing. It is like nails on the chalk board for me. 

Also the fact I lived in a house with a well when I saw this movie, SCARY!! My friends didn't help any, telling me she would come out of the toilet. Who says stuff like that? I lived in the middle of nowhere people! You don't say scary crap to a person that lives in the middle of nowhere!!!

#1. Nightmare on Elm Street, stop laughing!! 

I know this movie has cheesy effects, and most people get a good laugh from the movies. Let me just say this, Freddy scares the hell out of me. Even to this day I can't watch any movie with Freddy's character in it. Not even the Simpson's Halloween Special. Why, you ask? 

Because the thought of something killing you in your dreams while you sleep, that is not right! Dreams and sleeping is suppose to be a restful and relaxing. The one place your mind can run wild in delightful fantasy. 

Not terrifying DEATH!!! For that reason this movie gets placed at the top, even though I refuse to watch it again. I did try though now that I am older and not eight. Still had the same effect. I didn't sleep for over a week! That is no way to live.

There you have it, movies that give me nightmares. Some of which I don't mind as much as others (see #1). 
Cheers!

Creating a Book Cover: Flirting with Chaos

I love Book Covers. I have an awesome New Adult Contemporary Romance with coming out Fall 2013. 

Currently, Omnific and I are in the first stages of the publishing process to make sure everything is perfect, which means editing, revising, and more editing. 

But, I LOVE COVERS! So I asked my good friend and talented artist

Jackie Sheats

to make me a Mock Cover for my book Flirting with Chaos and explain her process to us. 

First let me tell you what I asked for....

Flirting with Chaos deals with two mentally unstable rich kids, Rain and Jude. Rain is an artist. Jude is a rising rock star. 

In this book, I played with the idea of how insanity influences artists' creation process as well as how it could impact love. Rorschach signs

come up a lot in the book, as art, theme, and within the plot-line. FYI, the Rorschach test is several inkblots used by psychologists to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. 

So I asked Jackie to incorporate the Rorschach symbol in the cover. Let's check out her work!

Jackie Explaining Her Process

1. The first thing I do is put my lovely source images onto one canvas. Generally when working on a book cover I use these settings for a new file. 1500x2400px 200dpi.

What do those settings mean? It means about 4 hours in my computer starts freaking out because it's over worked. Unlike myself, I am a well oiled machine!

Those settings for your file are about as big as a cover will ever be requested for upload. I choose to do it the biggest as possible. I do this because bigger is always better.

Also it is easier to go smaller then bigger when it comes to working with photos. The 200 dpi is the resolution which I have found to be perfect to not over work my computer, and it is the perfect medium.

2. With both my images on the same canvas I flick this magic switch that turns the top layer (the man and woman) into a clipping mask. Translated, it will only show where the ink blot is. 

Neat huh? Well it gets better.



3. To make it more believable I use a soft brush to erase the areas in the ink blot that are meant to be white. Also I start to fade the image of the man and woman so you can see the ink blot, and also draws your attention to the center. So basically making your eye do what I want it to, because I have that kind of power.

4. I add the check, play around with some settings. Work even more magic because I am a wizard. Use a soft brush with adjusted settings to fade some black in. Make that white not so white.

5. Finally, I use some layer effects to doll up the text. Throw a stroke in there, a drop shadow, and a little stain. What comes out is brilliant cover, a day spent at my computer, and a very sore back end. 

Don't even think this is easy. This was just one of about 12 different designs I went through. I just make it all look that easy.

Thanks Jackie!
JNSheats.com

She also went through this process a whole lot because I am a crazy author that didn't know what I wanted. We went through several covers before I finally picked one. 

Check out the others!

If you're interested in the release of Flirting with Chaos, go to my website Kenya Wright and sign up to follow by email!!

Fate's Kiss Episode #2 by J.N. Sheats

We're back for another episode of Fate's Kiss. If you didn't see the first episode click HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



J.N. Sheats Facebook

Blog: Inside the Insanity

 

"I may not know how to do it, but I sure can learn..."

A motto that has earned Jacqulene Sheats the title Jack of all Trades. Sticking her paws into animation, illustration, game development, and writing there is nothing she won't try at least twice.

The creative drive starting with Disney classics early in life, and fanning the flames with a deep seeded love for anime. She has been chasing a dream to release wild storms of fantasy upon the world one pencil and key stroke at a time.

Sunday Comics: Fate's Kiss Episode #1

Starting today, the Fantasy Floozies are providing a free web comic series that moves the story along each Sunday.  Make sure you follow our blog to be updated on new comics.  Enjoy! 

Alania is a slave, and has been since she was four years old. 

She has no memory of her family before then. As a child she would do house work for her master, and take care of the man guests her influential master takes in. 

When she turned 13 her Master started the sexual assaults  and even though she has known no other life she still dreamed of being free. 

At the age of 20 she escapes into the city. While hiding from the men set out to bring her back Alania runs into a vampire who defends her. 

Although everything in his mind tells him to leave her there, Julian takes in the frightened girl and after finding she does not even have a name he offers her the name Alania. He continues to protect her hoping his vampire coven does not find out about him socializing with a human. Or that he has started to have feelings for her.

 

 

 

Such a tease Jackie! lol! 

Make sure you tune in next Sunday for Alania and Julian's journey.

Check out the artist.   Jacqulene Sheats

J.N. Sheats  Facebook  

Blog: Inside the Insanity

"I may not know how to do it, but I sure can learn..." 

A motto that has earned Jacqulene Sheats the title Jack of all Trades. Sticking her paws into animation, illustration, game development, and writing there is nothing she won't try at least twice.

The creative drive starting with Disney classics early in life, and fanning the flames with a deep seeded love for anime. She has been chasing a dream to release wild storms of fantasy upon the world one pencil and key stroke at a time.