Guest Post and Giveaway: Author Armand Rosamilia

***GIVEWAY CLOSED***


Please join me today in welcoming Armand Rosamilia, author of Skulls, a horror short story collection.

Story Behind The Story: "Memorial Site"

As part of my Skulls World Blog Tour 2011 I'll be delving deeply into the stories behind the stories included in the Skulls horror short story collection I have out in eBook format. 

The collection includes six short stories: "Memorial Site", "Beastie", "Vacation's End", "Stairs To The Ocean", "Crow Mill Bridge" and "1920 Gallery Card #4". It also includes a preview of my urban horror novella Death Metal. 

Today's story is "Memorial Site", which is actually the lead story and the newest written for the collection. It's from an idea that started formulating in my head a few months ago, one of those 'hmm…' ideas that you can't actually form into a solid story just yet, but you know it will eventually do something. 

Like the TV show Law & Order, sometimes the news offers some great storylines, 'scenes ripped from the headlines' kind of things. As a writer I am constantly watching news channels, reading online news sites, and listening to people tell their strange stories. Just the other day in Florida a woman shot her husband and buried him near the hog pen in the yard. I don't know why that one stayed with me, but it was odd enough that I know I'll be filing it in my head somewhere for later use. 

Case in point: Casey Anthony. Living here in Florida - but still being a proud New Jersey boy, even after ten years being down South - you can't help but be inundated with the case. Every news channel, every talk radio show, every person you run into in stores and on the street, all talking about this case. 

Once the trial began you got most local stations carrying every mind-numbing testimony and rebuttal for hours on end. Every 'key' piece of evidence, every time Casey yawned or cried or got sick, every time the ninety lawyers looked at one another. They were breaking into baseball game coverage to 'catch us up' on the finer points of what we couldn't have missed during the day.

But the one thing that caught my writer's eye was the memorial set up for her poor daughter in the woods. To me, every time they showed it, it had gotten bigger and bigger. I wondered when it would stop growing. I found myself actually watching coverage, but only to watch the flowers, cards, stuffed animals and crosses marching on into the woods.

Of course, I'm a horror writer, so the ideas came fast and furious. 

No spoilers here, but when you read "Memorial Site" (and you just have to now, right?) I want you to keep that in mind, what I was fixated on when I wrote the piece. The story centers around a child dying, the memorial site that grows in the accident's wake and the people caught up in it. I hope that's enough of a teaser for you!

Armand Rosamilia

Look for Skulls on Amazon Kindle HERE 

GIVEAWAY:

Armand is giving away the Rymfire eBook release Vermin.

15 Horror Stories that will make your skin crawl... or is it tiny critters on your arms and legs?

rats... bed bugs... squirrels... ants... spiders... moths... cockroaches... leeches... and so much more...

Features

Mondo Millipede by Murray Leeder
The Death’s Head Effect by Eben David November
The Hole by Frank Roger
Camouflage by Kristi Petersen Schoonover
The Unwanted Visitors by A. R. Braun
Deer Season by Adam Dunsby
Scratchings by Walt Jarvis
Squirrelly Skin by Chuck Wendig
Gimmie Shelter by Daniel R. Robichaud
Legs by Michael D. Griffiths
The Rat Farm by James Reilly
Final Solution by Keith Gouveia
Hecatomb by Trent Roman
Sweet Suffering by John Grover
Humanix by Alex Davis

TO ENTER:

Leave a meaningful comment for Armand and include your email address for winner notification.  A winner will be selected randomly.  Giveaway is open WORLDWIDE and will end on Monday, October 10 is extended until Monday, October 31 at 11:59pm CST.

Good luck!