August 2014 Vol 1.3

Medic ine , law, bus iness, engineer ing , these a re a l l noble pursui t s and necessary t o susta in l i fe . But poet ry , beauty, romance , love, these a re what we stay a l ive f o r .

- Robin Wi l l iams

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IN THIS ISSUE

Love Bites LF. GOODFELLOW

Part of Your World IMOGEN ISLES

Para-Not-Normal MIRA TORIA

The Monster in the Mirror LANA SKY

My Husband is a Serial Killer: What you should have included on your dating profile

SIMONE COLEMAN

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JULY 2014

VOL. 1 ISSUE. 1

AUGUST 2014

VOL. 1 ISSUE 3

Recently, I have decided that in order to complete this book series, which is one of my main goals, I have

firstly re-write the first book. At the moment, the first draft is a far cry from being perfectand that brings

me to the amazing freedom that a writer has when it comes to paranormal stories.

While the first draft of the Wolf Cave was heavy on the romance aspect, my ultimate goal is to fuse more

of the dark themes found in the horror realm of the werewolf genre.

The paranormal creature that sparked my fire for writing was none

other than the mysterious and mythical werewolf.

Werewolves in the writing world can be interpreted in many different

ways, and when I wrote my story the Wolf Cave, I attempted a

modern approach. Rather than a dingy cave or a haunted forest, my

story takes place in a thriving nightclub owned by someone more like

the Wolf Mans college-educated cousin. They still share fangs and

fur, but I tried to explore a different realm of the monster myth and

incorporated newer themes such as mates, strained relationships,

betrayal and revenge.

Seventeen year old Layla makes the biggest mistake of her life

when she attends the opening of a brand new nightclubonly

this venue isnt exactly an ordinary, and she quickly discovers that

The Wolf Cave more than lives up to its name. Its owned by a

man unlike anyone shes ever met, though Colton Dawson is a

man only in the loosest definition of the word

What if the Wolf Cave wasnt just a nightclub but a front for something more

sinister?

What if my werewolves werent so polished behind closed doors?

These questions and more are helping to shape the new draft and for

research Ive drawn upon stories and movies that showcase my ideal

concepts, such as: Van Helsing, Teen Wolf, True Blood and Underworld.

Writing is a magnificent thing. Opening up your imagination is like stepping

into another world. Ive always had a wild imagination, always going off in

strange directions. It is a good way of leaving reality for a little while and

exploring the darkest depths of your imagination and I cant wait to go even

farther in my rewrite of The Wolf Cave, pushing boundaries that I hope to

shock people.

I told you, he whispered, and it was in that time I

realized that he had once

against closed the distance

between us. Youre all

mine because Ive claimed

you first.

I definitely wanted to flip around the damsel-in-distress-type mermaid.

So, yes, there are a thousand different avenues you could travel down to create more than a pretty creature.

Take a look at the genre youre writing in. What have they done with mermaids that stood out to you? What

are some common themes you see? Some think that mermaids are evil, meant as a curse bestowed upon

unfaithful sailors, while others believe that they simply want what most humans wantto love and be loved in

return. What do you believe?

Mermaids have long been subject of folklore, a favorite among ocean

dwellers who would swear tooth and nail that theyve crossed such a

glorious creatures path.

There are many twists that you could incorporate into a story about

mermaids, but what matters most is how the details of the species

My personal favorite mermaid tale is none other than The Little Mermaid by Hans

Christian Andersen. For those of you who havent read it, it is about a young Mer-Princess

who desperately seeks to be human. On her fifteen birthday, she is allowed to swim to

the surface, where she sees and rescues a handsome human Prince. She waits, love-

struck, for another maiden to find him, and upon entering the sea again, she rushes to

the Sea Witch to make a wish. The mermaid trades in her tongue (yes, tongue!) for a pair

of legs, the stipulation being that each time she used the legs, it would feel as if she were

walking on a thousand knives. But, she endured this pain so she could be with her Prince.

He ends up marrying the maiden, as he believes she is the one who saved him. This

breaks the young mermaids heart. Pitying the princess, the Sea Witch tells her she may

become a mermaid again if she can kill her beloved Prince by stabbing him in the heart

with a dagger, but the girl cannot do it. Instead, she dies come sunrise, but because of her

heart and her will, her soul has become immortal and she will live on as a spirit.

correlates with the world you want to build. Think about Earth. Think about the thousands of species that

litter this planet. They all unknowingly make up an ecosystem of life, linking together to sustain. In your world,

what part does the mermaid play? Are they carnivorous, feeding on any type of flesh like a shark? Or are they

Vegetarians? For example, my mermaid Caspia (from Sea Salt) is technically a Pescetarian. She eats raw

seafood and tends to snack on shrimp like popcorn.

What matters is what your species does for your story telling. Are there more than one species of mermaid?

Are artic mermaids visually different than the Caribbean mermaids? Can they survive in cold water?

And, keep asking yourself questions. Narrow down the

rules on your species, even if you dont plan on divulging

this information to your readers. With Caspia, I created her

species in two parts: what a human sees versus what they

truly are. To a human, a mermaid is an illusion of a beautiful,

majestic creature. Their voices are lyrical and enchanting.

But, beneath the ocean, their true characters are selfish,

volatile creatures that are relatively blood-thirsty. They

would kill their own kind before giving up whats theirs.

One of the hardest things about writing in the paranormal genre is if you usually write in a different genre. That is not a bad thing at all though you can always apply what you are good at in a different

genre and still make it work!

No, stop shaking your head! I really do think its possible to flip flop

to other genres as long as you have a solid foundation. Everyone

can write in different genres, its just about knowing what you have

and then making it work in your favour!

First thing is first paranormal is not a new genre. You have read a paranormal story before whether you even

thought about it. But thats not even the easiest part the easiest part is, you know how to write a story.

What makes up a good story? Good characters, a plot that delivers, a climax and then a resolution.

You already know how to create a good character you do so no matter the genre anyhow! All thats left is

creating a plot thats paranormal worthy! Dont feel hindered by having to add every paranormal creature

known to man in your story use the ones youre most comfortable with.

Paranormal, shockingly, allows authors more room to write obscure plots that wouldnt be possible in the real

world. It allows you to put your character through more hell, let them use their talents in ways that arent

possible in the human world. Remember, the paranormal world is a wee bit more complicated because of the

extra goodies they have that means your regular plot with a jealous ex-girlfriend isnt going to cut it. This ex-

girlfriend may very well have some fangs and a few friends that a thirsty for something more than a soda.

Just remember that you dont have to give up what you like about writing if you move genres! I love writing

mini banter scenes with my characters and I definitely started out my story like that because its a good way to

ease yourself into unfamiliar territory.

One series I love in the paranormal genre is the Unearthly Series because Cynthia Hand was amazing at fusing what we knew about angels while adding in her own spin on it.

The blurb seems simple but after you start reading, it turns into something so much more complex, and it was really cool to see the plot unfold as Hand took the concept of angels and made it into something original and her own.

And because old habits die hard, I will absolutely admit that I was in love with how Clara and Tuckers friendship was developed because good bye insta-love! It honestly felt so organic how the romance was developed by the characters instead of inserted by the author. If that wasnt enough for me to love, the romance was complimentary to the plot instead of being dominant to it.

A series that wasnt preachy despite it being about angels with a heroine that has her head on straight and plot thats as interesting as the covers are pretty. What more could you want?

"'When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?'" --Mary Shelly, Frankenstein What comes to mind when you hear the term Gothic? Sprawling cathedrals, brimming with gargoyles and stained glass? Decrepit manors draped in shadow? Horror stories that blend reality and paranormal in an effortless web of suspense? Weve all heard of classic novels such as Frankenstein and Dracula, but what exactly is Gothic literature? Tons of stuffy articles will tell you one thing, but in my opinion one of the main themes that seems consistent throughout most Gothic novels is the resounding question of, who is the real monster?

They go insane. Insanity is actually a pretty fun concept to work with because it can be so subjective. Was Dr. Frankenstein a genius or a mad man? What about the heroes in Dracula? Blending insanity and perception is the greatest hallmark of a Gothic novel and when crafted correctly can create one incredible story.

In Dracula is the vampire himself the fiend, or the people who hunt him? Is Frankenstein the villain or the victim?

You could argue both questions either wayand thats the whole point. The ambiguity of good and evil is what fascinates me most about the realm of Gothic literature and its a style that I try to infuse into my own writing. Think of it this way; in a Gothic novel, the real monsters tend to be hidden in plain sight. In fact, more often than notthe narrator themselves discover that they are in fact the monster of their own dark fairytale.

When reading, or in my case writing, a Gothic novel, one of the most important things to keep in mind is: things arent always what they seem. Illusion seems to be at the heart of every Gothic tale. The readers point of view is often distorted or biased by the narrator and facts and events may be interpreted entirely different from reality. A LITTLE BIT OF INSANITY NEVER HURT ANYBODY The most powerful tool of a Gothic novelist is the fragility of the human psyche. People hallucinate. They over-think. They get afraid.

Have you read a Gothic novel that you

truly cherish?

Mine would have to be A Great and

Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray. Not only is

this novel packed with haunting

Cathedrals, ghostly woods and a Victorian

atmosphere, but it beautifully showcases

all of the best traits of a Gothic novel as

the main character, Gemma, slowly comes

to discover the great and terrible beauty of

power.

Have you ever fantasized about a young Tom Riddle? Maybe you

thought the ending of Gone Girl was romantic? Did you sigh

dreamily whenever Derek Hale's crazy uncle appeared on season

2 of Teen Wolf (admit it, you were shipping Peter & Lydia for a

few episodes there)? Maybe you thought the creepy tension

between Sebastian and Clary in The Mortal Instruments was hot?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then good news: dark, demented fiction is making a comeback.

Nobody wants to end up married to a serial killer (Really, think about the messnot to mention all the

money spent on legal fees, and the possibility of relatives going missing. A girl's got to be practical when it

comes to spouse shopping), so we lose ourselves in fictionin the possibility of dark, seductive villains and

evil masterminds just waiting to devote all that crazy, demented attention on us. *cough* I mean their

fellow characters *cough*.

Let's face it: sometimes, those 'taming the bad boy' books just don't scratch the itch. Sometimes, the thrill

comes from knowing they can't be tamed: that no amount of love (on either end) can quell the psychopath

within. We're living in an age where almost everything is romanticised in fictionvampires are falling in

love, werewolves are finding mates, and angels are tumbling right out of heaven for mortalsand it's

becoming increasingly difficult to walk that fine line of villain and romantic hero.

Drinking someone's blood for kicks doesn't even sound half as disgusting as it did twenty years go. At this

point, it's just foreplay (for the characters, not you).

Here are some particularly demented stories to get you startedbon appetite!

Bad Romance, by uchihas.s | Harry Potter fanfiction

AU; Hermione goes back in time to defeat Lord Voldemort back when he was

a wee, budding villain. The main reason I love this ficapart from the fact

that Tom is so deliciously evilis because Hermione is mostly in character,

and it's so easy to imagine her being lured in by someone whose intelligence

is equalif not greaterthan hers. That, and the chemistry is off the charts.

Playing Dead, by LittleCinnamon | Original Fiction

Vampire/Paranormal. Megan has a one night stand with a stranger and all

hell breaks loose. All I'm saying is #TeamMegan. The men (YES. PLURAL) in

this story are completely and utterly demented, and half the time I don't

even know who to root for, but damn, Lindsey knows how to do dark!

Indebted Inheritance, by Pepper Winters | Original Fiction

Contemp. I've only just started this one, but I've been told it's got a very bad

hero.

PASSWORD IN ALL CAPS THE FIRST NAME OF THE AUTHOR WHO CALLED HER CHARACTER CASPIA IN HER SHORT STORY

HOW TO CONTACT US

We love talking to you guys so dont ever feel timid or

afraid to let us know what you think of the newsletter

or the stories in the vault!

For September the theme will be closely related to

paranormal but of course, it will have a MALICE spin

to it FANTASY!

What do you expect in the vault for the fantasy topic?

Do you think you will be seeing old stories? New

stories? Are there stories that you have only seen one

part of that you want to see more of? While we wish

we were mind readers, we arent so your input is very

important for us!

WHATS NEXT FOR MALICE!

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MALICE

Lana Sky

Mira Toria

Imogen Isles

Simone Coleman

L.F Goodfellow

WHOS WHO!

MIRA TORIA

Editor in Chief and

Production Director

LANA SKY

Managing Editor

and Public

Relations Director

IMOGEN ISLES

Graphic Director

SIMONE COLEMAN

Music Director and

Graphic Assistant

L.F GOODFELLOW

Photography

Director

MARIELLE PERIKLY

KOKOSIDOU

Ornamental

Designer

You are only given a

Little Spark of madness.

You must Not lose it.

-ROBIN WILLIAMS