Author Archives: dtgriffith

30 Songs for November: Day 2 – Your Spirit’s Alive

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This #30SongsForNovember project has reinvigorated my love for music. I’m digging through playlists of my favorite bands to pull out songs that have resonated with me over the years. Since I have been writing so heavily as my primary source of business, I tend not to listen to any music while working; I save it for car rides and housework.

Today’s pick comes from one of my all-time favorite bands, the Dropkick Murphys. The song “Your Spirit’s Alive” was written in 2004 in memoriam of a friend the band lost to a motorcycle accident that year. I think I partially identify with the song’s message because I lost my brother the same year. There is more to it, though. The song has this rapid pace, an incredible energy that makes you feel great to be alive. You cherish every moment. Invigoration is the essence of the song. What more appropriate song for today, Los Dias de los Muertos, Day of the Dead?

30 Songs for November: Day 1 – Welcome to My Nightmare

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I thought I would try something new for the blog to see where it would lead. Possibly some new inspirations for myself and others. November has always been a special month for me. It starts immediately following the fun of Halloween and segues into the holiday season while autumn peaks here in Connecticut. A time of transition and reflection of the past year, and celebration of my birth, though I’m thinking it’s time to pass on that as I get older.

welcome to my nightmare coverMy first pick is “Welcome to My Nightmare” by Alice Cooper, released in 1975, a staple in his live shows today. The album by the same name marks his debut as a solo performer. The band Alice Cooper were together 1968 until 1974 producing four unforgettable albums Love It To Death, Killer, School’s Out, and Billion Dollar Babies.

I remember watching Alice on TV when I was really young not knowing who he was, but the songs and stage theatrics stuck with me, definitely an early inspiration leading to my foray into dark fiction and horror. He had some crazy evening TV special for Welcome to My Nightmare I happened to catch and I loved his Muppet Show appearance at that time. I rediscovered him in my early teens and have been a fan since.

Here’s a live concert performance of the song circa 1990, during the Trash era.

Masks out now featuring “Blood & Gingerbread”

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Masks - final coverWhat a great way to start off autumn. My latest story “Blood & Gingerbread” has just released as part of the anthology Masks from Black Shuck Books, an imprint of Great British Horror. It seems I am becoming a British author by proxy as this is my second in a series of at least four sequential books lined up with British presses.

This story was fun to write. Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and real-world accounts of militant separatist compounds, “Blood & Gingerbread” is set in a secluded community where bizarre annual rituals keep death at bay. It explores the raw human need to control, holding domain over violence, nature, families, behavior, life, and death. What happens when that power is disrupted?

Check out the table of contents below featuring some of the great writers you’ll find in the independent horror field right now. Masks is edited by Dean M Drinkel and the cover art is by the late and great illustrator James Powell, may he rest in peace.

  • PORCELAIN  by James Everington
  • BLOOD & GINGERBREAD  by D T Griffith
  • THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND FACES  by Chris Stokes
  • VARIETY NIGHT  by Russell Proctor
  • AFTER THE END, THE BEGINNING  by Christine Morgan and Lucas Williams
  • THE MAN WHO FED THE FOXES  by Phil Sloman
  • MANY HAPPY RETURNS  by Kyle Rader
  • TRIXIE  by Christopher Beck
  • THE FACE COLLECTOR  by Stephanie Ellis
  • AN ABSENT HOST  by F A Nosić
  • THE SILENCING MACHINE  by Clockhouse London Writers
  • HIS LAST PORTRAIT  by Adrian Cole
  • THE JAR BY THE DOOR  by Icy Sedgwick

Purchasing info and other details are available on Black Shuck Book’s site: blackshuck.greatbritishhorror.com/masks.

HarvestingCreativity.com Announcement

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My new blog site HarvestingCreativity.com has launched in support of my current book project Harvesting Creativity. If you enjoy reading posts here on creativity, such as creative fear and professionalism, please check out the site and engage in discussion. Your support is always appreciated. Thanks!

In the July 2015 issue of The Connector, the monthly e-magazine produced by PR for People, you will find a short piece I wrote about beauty on page 11.