Susan Abel Sullivan, author
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Novel: WEREDOG WHISPERER
  • Novel: HAUNTED HOUSEWIVES
  • Collection: CURSED
  • eBook: FRIED ZOMBIE DEE-LIGHT!
  • Blog
  • Events and Appearances
  • Short Stories/poems
  • Follow Me
  • Mystery dog?
  • Odyssey Writing Workshops
  • Contact

But You're Too Cute to Write Horror

9/30/2015

0 Comments

 
 There's a funky misconception that horror writers look weird, creepy and/or sinister.  While it's true that many writers of horror will never make People Magazine's "Sexiest Man/Woman Alive" list, most writers of horror and paranormal look no different than your sweet grandmother or your fun-loving Uncle Joe or your nice-looking co-worker who loves romantic comedies and fluffy kittens.

"But you're too (cute, sweet, normal) to write horror," people will tell me.  

This comment used to make me go hmm, but my standard response now is to make a little joke referencing the Mel Brooks' movie Young Frankenstein, "Hey, normal on the outside, Abby Normal on the inside."

And speaking of normal on the outside, by all appearances I am the All-American Girl Next Door.  In high school, I was a blonde, straight-A Honor Roll student, majorette captain, and member of the Honor Society. In college, I was in a sorority, the marching band, dance team and dance theater.  I'm still blonde, teach Zumba Fitness, and love kittens.  

Two weeks ago, I attended the 2nd Annual Gulf Breeze High School (Florida) Alumni Band reunion where I had the opportunity to twirl my batons again with the current high school band during their Homecoming game.  (The video clip above is from the game.)

Abby Normal, indeed. (Heh!)



0 Comments

She's Got Moxie!

9/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Moxie's Shelter Ad
The Universe has a way of laughing at our carefully laid plans.  

My sister emailed me this animal shelter ad in February of 2007.  "I found you the perfect dog," she wrote.  "Just look at the spirit that dog has."  

"Why did you send this?" I wrote back.  "You know I don't want any more dogs."  My cocker spaniel of 14 years had died of old age the month before and the hubs and I had decided we didn't want any more dogs.  


Dogs were expensive.  They required training, couldn't be left home alone like a cat, and needed more attention than a cat.  They tended to have accidents in the house and chewed things.  Plus we had six cats and a snake.  Why would we need any more pets?

"But just look at that face," my sister fired back.  "She's been in the equivalent of doggy jail and yet look at how happy she looks."

I couldn't argue with that.  The dog really seemed to have a great outlook despite being in a shelter.  But she was an American Pitbull Terrier, a breed I'd said I'd never have due to the bad publicity over them.  Many cities had even banned pitbulls.

But I couldn't get the ad out of my mind.  Just for the hell of it, I decided to drive the 2.5 hours south to Wetumpka, Alabama where the shelter was located one town over from where my sister lived.  

My sister met me there.  I'd like to be able to say it was love at first sight between me and this dog, but that wouldn't be true.  In fact, she wanted to play with her tennis ball more than she wanted to interact with us.  But she did know obedience commands and performed them for us.  That was a plus.  And she wasn't a puppy.  Also a plus.  In fact, she'd been found with a litter of week-old puppies.  All of the puppies had been adopted.

To make a long story short, I did not adopt Lyla that day, but couldn't get her out of my mind.  Two months later she was still at the shelter, her stay of execution extended until we made a decision (the shelter was county-run and could not afford to keep unadopted animals indefinitely.)  The hubs and I brought her home and she has been the BEST dog we've ever had.  We renamed her "Moxie" because she was loaded with it.  

She's an old girl now, but she stays in shape with swimming in your backyard pool during the warm months and walking outdoors and on a treadmill during the cold months.  She gets along fabulously with our other pets and always charms visitors and veterinarian hospital staff.  She even inspired me to write a humorous paranormal mystery titled The Weredog Whisperer about a pitbull terrier bitten by a weredog who becomes a teenaged girl during the full moon.  


And she's still chock full of moxie.







0 Comments

    Archives

    March 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Author

    Speculative Fiction writer

    Categories

    All
    Airline Travel
    Alternate Universes
    Andrea Janes Interview
    Annnalee
    Bathroom Humor
    Blogging Vs Writing
    Brown Nosing
    Buy Books For Bo
    Casting Your Characters
    Cats
    Christmas
    Coffin Hop
    Crazy At Casa Sullivan
    Dark Shadows
    Dearth Of Older Characters
    Dinosaurs And Ships
    Doggy Style
    Dogs
    Dreams
    East Alabama Today Interview
    Fainting
    Family
    Favorite Books
    Favorite Movies
    Ferrets
    Fire Batons
    Freak Snow Storm
    Free Books
    Fruitcake Sanctuary
    Fun Wine
    Glamour By Andrea Janes
    Halloween
    Hawaii
    Hobbies
    Hula Hooping
    Interests
    Jonathon Frid; Dark Shadows; Barnabas Collins
    Lions
    Love At Second Sight
    Made-up Words
    Misadventures
    Monkeys
    Moxie
    New Year's Eve
    Off Color Topics
    Pet Skunks
    Procrastination
    Publication News
    Rats
    Rotting Corpses
    Secret Chickens
    Sick And Puny
    Snakes
    Stability Ball Chair
    Stalking Celebrities
    Steiff
    Stephen King
    Story Ideas
    Storytelling Through The Arts
    Super Heroes
    Thanksgiving
    The Best Dracula Movies
    The Business Of Writing
    The Hubs
    The Weredog Whisperer
    The Weredog Whisperer: Luna
    Thrift Store
    Turkey Hats
    TV Guest Appearance
    Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig
    Were-sharks
    Writer Interviews
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.