Month: May 2012

Fuck Basements.

Stefanie Snider

I don’t think there’s a scarier place in any home than a basement. (Except possibly a dark hallway. Or the back porch when the motion light comes on and you fully expect there to be a serial killer, knife upraised, on the other side of the glass…waiting for you.)

One of the scariest experiences I had as a kid was the time I went into the basement laundry room. I don’t remember what I was going in there for, but when I got inside I saw what I was certain was a dead body hanging from the rafters. It was life-sized, it swayed a little, and it was right in front of me. I remember my lungs froze and I couldn’t move, and my eyes slowwwwwwly worked their way up the corpse to realize…

…it was my Dad’s coverall, drying from him having worn it to shovel the driveway.

Even once I knew what it was, the terror took a few moments to subside; and while I tried to remember how to breathe, I kept watch, expecting it to reach out and touch my shoulder.

I think now, as a horror writer, that if I can scare one person the way that suit scared me, I’ll have told a story the right way.

creator unknown

Death Upon Death: Johnny Dombrowski

Stefanie Snider

©Johnny Dombrowski
Death Upon Death, ©Johnny Dombrowski

“Throughout art history, the skull has had such a strong symbolism attached to change, fear and of course, death. As a mark of everything from mortality to just basic evil, it was an iconic image not to be trifled with. Lately, on the other hand, it’s become increasingly trendy. The skull has become one of the most common images in artwork today. Is the strength behind those 22 bones dying? Is it becoming just another cliché? With it’s recent repetition, are we shattering everything that the skull stood for?”

I love this artist’s style; it reminds me of the old fifties’ horror comics I grew up on.

See more at johnnydombrowski.com

Office Peepshow

Stefanie Snider

This is my first spring with my new office. I’m still tweaking things (a trip to IKEA should help with the organization), but I’m getting to the point where things have their places. My favourite part of the day is when the sun comes in like this.

Featured above: the dresser that my older cousin had in her bedroom, then her dining room, then it was in my teenage bedroom, and now here. I don’t remember at what point it turned blue. Also, my knitting basket, sewing box, files, and a few books. The dinette chair was red vinyl, at some point, and is now half pink, half leopard-print Duct tape. I like things that have been loved and well used.

Tag, you’re it! Share a picture of your office or creative space. What do you make there? What does the space say about you?

FEED for Free! Round 2

Stefanie Snider

Blood is thicker than water, and it’s my job to protect my little brother.
No matter what monstrous things he does.

What would you do for family?

If you haven’t read my short horror story, FEED, this is your chance! For the next three days FEED is free on Amazon. Click the pic to score the deal.

Tell your friends. Tell your neighbours. Tell your families (the ones that aren’t squeamish, anyway).

Turn the lights down and get ready. The pigs are hungry…

MLP: Friendship is Witchcraft

Stefanie Snider

I’ve seen bits and pieces of the new incarnation of My Little Pony. The cartoon series is called Friendship is Magic.

Cute rainbow ponies, sure, whatever.
Then the spoof, Friendship is Witchcraft happened, and suddenly this darling little series isn’t so innocent.

Leave it to the internet to take something that’s way off my radar and retool it into something fantastic.

What do you think?

Short Sips is Here!

Stefanie Snider

My copies of Short Sips: Coffee House Flash Fiction Collection 2 came in! This one has my short story, If It’s An If. It’s a lot less gross and a lot more…eerie…than my other stuff.

What if you couldn’t have a baby? What if you were desperate?

What if your husband suggested the unthinkable…

Real Life Horror: Devil’s Breath

Stefanie Snider

Scopolamine comes from Columbia. Known on the street as Devil’s Breath, this drug literally grows on trees. According to this Vice documentary, the merest whiff of this stuff causes you to become a living zombie, seemingly coherent but highly suggestible. It can be slipped in your drink, blown in your face, or spread by skin contact. Victims empty their own bank accounts and hand over the cash without the criminals having to do a thing.

Vice went to Columbia with the intention of experimenting with the drug themselves. In the end they were handling the stuff with rubber gloves and face masks, and were glad to be getting the hell out of there. Truly frightening stuff.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Stefanie Snider


Love your Mom, no matter what.

My Mom is an amazing woman. She’s caring, and beautiful, and would do anything for anyone. She volunteers. She’s the person people go to when they need to talk, and my trusted source of advice in life. She always, always has my back, and she supports me in everything I do. She’s a fantastic parent and an incredible person. I’m so, so lucky to have her as my Mom.

Love you, Mom.

Saturday-Afternoon Occult Haul

Stefanie Snider

I spent the afternoon at Chapters with a good friend and came away a very happy little weird girl.

The Vampire Tarot looks fantastic! I used to collect a lot of Tarot decks, but had kind of fallen out of doing readings. This is the first deck in a long while that caught my attention, and it was in the discount section for seven bucks. I’ll be doing a more in-depth post of this one later. In the meantime know that I kept squealing at the genius of various cards and forcing C to admire them, wherein he said “mmhphfh” a lot, which probably means he loves them.

The books are about strange and secret things: alchemy, magic, and the weird shit that authors get up to. I find I tend to go in phases when it comes to the arcane, and I’m in a big one right now. These books ought to slake my hunger a little.

And the skull? He’s just a little poufy sticker I came across at Michael’s, and he’ll be keeping me company on the cork-board in my office. He sparkles.