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11-07 Local resident resurrects a vampire
(by Elsie Walker - November 07, 2008)
Carlotta Holton and friend at the Castle of Blood
Halloween, many people see that as the night for fright! It is the time when things go bump in the night and ghosts and goblins emerge. Some people take in a scary movie; others mark the night by going trick or treating (or waiting for trick or treaters). But, what about those who create horror all year? How does a horror novelist mark Halloween?
By releasing her latest book….that’s how!
Chester’s mistress of horror, Carlotta Holton, is releasing her latest novel on October 30, just in time for a Halloween fright. The book is aptly titled: “Vampire Resurrection”.
Liked her other work, “Salem Pact”, this book has an historical spin. This time, the story starts in 1587 with America’s “Lost Colonists” in Roanoke. Some believe that they were murdered by Native Americans. Holton took that event and thought, “what if”. That lead her to create a tale with a far different antagonist.
“Count Jean Philippe Roget, a 500-year-old French vampire who is related to the Native American vampire, Jumlin, and was responsible for the deaths of the Lost Colonists in Roanoke during the sixteenth century, is once again on the rampage in modern-day North Carolina. To satisfy his lust for terror, he attacks several villagers and turns them into zombies. Paige and Alex, two journalists with some history of their own, depend on a wise Native American to help them stop the zombies and end the count from wreaking mayhem all over the world. They’ll have to kill him … again….for good,” shared Holton in relating the plot of her book.
Besides “Salem Pact” and “Vampire Resurrection”, Holton is also the author of “Touching the Dead”, a collection of horror short stories based on superstitions. What is it that keeps Holton writing in the horror genre?
“This genre offers me the freedom to explore all kinds of twists and turns from past events to present situations. I am intrigued with how easily the human psyche can be manipulated and pushed to its limits by certain fears. When these terrors are internalized, they often are manifested in acts of horror and violence. It seems in many cases what is believed to be true, becomes true. In this genre, anything is possible giving the writer an infinite amount of ideas with which to work,” she said.
When not writing novels, Holton is writing about writing or talking about it. She writes a weekly column, Literary Spotlight, for www.writersnewsweekly.com. In the column, she interviews New York Times best selling authors. Holton has been interviewed on cable tv and radio and gives presentations on writing and her works. She’ll be talking at Tranquility Church in Panther Valley on November 5. She’s also been discussing doing a program at Morris County libraries: “20 Writing/Publishing Tips from Best Selling Authors – What the Pros Say.”
You might wonder, but how will Holton be marking Halloween? You might say she got a jump on that early this year. As part of the publicity for her books, she went to a famous Halloween site in Pennsylvania. She visited Gravely McCabre at his home and television studio, Castle Blood. There she was interviewed about her work and got to mingle amid the skulls and chills of the castle. What other way would a horror author mark Halloween?
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