Hypnotic Wanderings

Hello, my friends! Today we're going to have the very first guest post on the NeverEndingWonder Blog. Our guest will be horror author Anthony Rapino. His debut novel "Soundtrack to the End of the World" has just been released, and he's hosting a very cool virtual event to celebrate! YOU can win actual real prizes! Keep reading to learn all the details.The next voice you will read will be that of Anthony Rapino, our guest.

Hypnotic Wanderings

Thank you to today’s host, the Dark King of Weirdsville, Lee Widener. I have to also thank Lee for oodles of ooey gooey, bloody and chewy inspiration. Come autumn, Lee’s (now, unfortunately defunct) NeverEndingWonder Radio became the soundtrack to my writing, and has more than once carried my wandering mental vibrations to that plain writers often seek out. That place where nothing exists for us but our words. It’s a good place to be.

It’s like hypnosis. And if you’ve ever spoken to a hypnotist, you know that all hypnosis is self hypnosis. If you believe this, then it follows that we may hypnotize ourselves on a regular basis, without even knowing it.

This explains the “movie in your head” phenomenon. You may have noticed that when reading a book, sometimes it plays out like a movie in your head. I propose that only when you’ve reached deep involvement with the story, when you’ve really “gotten into it,” when you’ve reached a moment of self hypnosis, do you experience the novel as a movie your head.

This makes even more sense if you’ve ever reached the end of a reading session only to realize, I can’t believe I’ve been reading for three hours! It felt like only minutes! You were outside your body. You were floating free in the comforting waters of self-hypnosis. You were experiencing the novel rather than reading it.

Not convinced? I understand; it sounds like so much mumbo jumbo, not unlike the hippy dippy aura reading Naomi Santrel conducts in my novel Soundtrack to the End of the World. But like Naomi would say, there’s more to it than you can see.

Try this: Think back to a novel you read two or three years ago. Stop reading this, and really think back. Got it? Okay, now recall a favorite scene from that novel. Think about the scene for a minute, take your time.

When you’ve finished thinking about the novel in question, answer me this: In what way did you remember the novel? Did you remember the words on the page, the place you were sitting or reclining, the time of day, the weather? Or did you remember the novel as images? Did you see the characters or did you see the words?

Chances are good you remembered the novel as images. In fact, taking it one step further, I’ve often completely forgotten if a story I was thinking about was a novel at all. The images and characters so vivid in my mind, it could have been a movie.

Of course there will be times you remember the words themselves. Sometimes you love a turn of phrase so much that you commit the quote to memory. But I’m willing to bet many more times, you weren’t reading, you were experiencing.

 These are the times I live for. These are the experiences I hope to create for my readers. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and hypnotize thy self.

Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Collect all twelve game pieces (available from each blog stop during my tour), put the pieces together, and decipher the code. It will lead you to a secret website. If you’re the first person to comment on the site, you win!


Join us in the Insanity Rocket to discuss the contest.

 Stop by the blog tour page  for all upcoming dates and more contest info.

I am very proud to announce the launch of my debut novel, Soundtrack to the End of the World 

currently available in signed limited hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook editions.

Who knew the end could sound so good.

A suicidal nudist strolls into traffic.  An eccentric Buddhist claims he can occupy other people’s bodies.  All the while, whispers of a new form of entertainment blow through town.  Prompted by these strange occurrences, Marty Raft, a not-so-gentle giant, investigates and discovers underground clubs peddling music that induces an out-of-body experience.   Marty and a wannabe comedian, Corey, set out to prove these special frequencies are nothing more than a hoax, or at worst, a mass-drugging.  Instead, they uncover a secret with world-ending possibilities. If you can hear the music, it’s already too late.

Author bio

Anthony J. Rapino resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania, somewhere between the concrete of the city and the trees of the forest.  On occasion, you’ll find him moderating the feverish battles between the creatures of these two arenas.  Whose side he’s on is anyone’s guess.




His newest fiction can be found in Black Ink Horror, On Spec, Arcane Anthology, Electric Spec, A cappella Zoo, Space Squid, TQR Stories, and carved inside a variety of autumn gourds.  His short story collection, Welcome to Moon Hill  is currently available, as is his first novel Soundtrack to the End of the World .   Proof of his psychosis can be found on his website:  AnthonyRapino.com

Two Writers Who Influenced Me

Many, many years ago, when I was a teenager and was starting to take the idea of becoming a writer seriously, there were a couple of writers who I admired more than others. I tried to read everything I could get by these two, and they came to have an influence on what and how I wrote.

H.P. Lovecraft

It's become a cliche' today to be influenced by Lovecraft, but back in the 70s he was not nearly so well known as he is now. The only editions of his writings were the Arkham House paperbacks, which I read as soon as each one came out.

What appealed to me was the atmosphere Lovecraft created, and the overwhelming sense of dread of the world around you. His imagination created the most unusual creatures, alien beings from galaxies far away, creatures that sounded absurd and just a bit comical if you took the descriptions out of context, but by the sheer power of his writing, made them terrifying- so terrifying they could drive you mad, which often happened in his stories.

What was also so unique about his writing was his concept of a cosmically indifferent universe. These bizarre creatures weren't evil, they just were. They didn't care about humankind one way or another, but if humanity happened to get in their way- oh well! They weren't gods who demanded obedience, but in humankind's limited perception, that's how they were seen.

These concepts boggled my mind. Today, Lovecraft is more popular than he's ever been. There are websites, publications, even conventions celebrating his work. I'm glad he's getting the recognition he's due, but I'm also jealous that he's not my secret discovery any more.

I'm working on a Lovecraftian story of my own, one set in my adopted city of Portland, Oregon, in the present day. I hope one day I'll be able to give you notice of it's publication!


Ray Bradbury

I related to Bradbury not only as a writer, but as a person. He grew up in the Midwest United States in a time he considered simpler, easier, more magical, more honest, and so did I. In "Something Wicked This Way Comes," a young boy, who looks at his father as a failed man, wants to run away and join the circus. How I related to that scenario! In his short story "The Murderer" he writes of a man who rebels against the control that increasing mechanization has on his life by murdering his house. Again, how I related!

In much of Bradbury's writing there's a dread of what the future brings- a loss of freedom, a loss of choice. This speaks to me on a personal level. Bradbury also created vivid characters with a strong sense of themselves, strong feelings, passions. All this spoke to me.

I recently had my writing described as similar to Bradbury's, and that couldn't please me more. Personally, I know I'll never reach his level of storytelling, but to have his influence recognized, is gratifying.

If you're not familiar with these writers, or only know a few of their works, I highly recommend seeking out more. It'll be a journey well worth taking.

Positive Reinforcement

Just a few days ago I had a poem rejected by a magazine. That's not an unusual occurrence- in fact I pretty much expect everything I submit to be rejected. I'm not getting down on myself- it's just the reality of the situation. However, this rejection had an interesting personal observation. This wasn't the standard "we enjoyed reading your work and hope you will consider us in the future." She actually said something about the poem itself. She called it "a ferocious pop-culture collage." I was sincerely touched. That was a very kind thing to say about my poem, and it was an accurate observation. I wrote back and asked her if I could use that description when the poem was eventually published. She gave me permission!

This simple comment, which is more than most editors will give, was enough to keep me going.  Thank you, poetry editor! I guess I'll keep on with this writing stuff.

BOOK REVIEW: Murderland I - H8

I'm going a little off topic this post to review an excellent new book. The book is good enough to warrant it, and it's my blog so I'll do what I want!

Murderland I - H8 by Garrett Cook

from Evil Nerd Empire Publishers

Murderland I - H8 is a novel about a time in the not so distant future where serial killers are celebrity athletes. Their exploits are discussed on television as spectator sport. Just as people today rehash the previous evening's game ad naseum, so do people discuss the latest grizzly murder. It's not too far off the mark today with cable channels and websites galore dedicated to detailing true life crime.

The protagonist of this novel is Jeremy - a rather mild mannered pharmacist whose live in girlfriend is obsessed with these celebrity killers - as is most of the rest of society. Jeremy, however, has a secret. He's actually the greatest serial killer ever, and nobody knows it. He's also one of the very few people aware there are Lovecraftian type alien Dark Ones all around us looking for potential hosts for their seed so they can spread their kind across the Earth.

Murderland I - H8 is told mostly through Jeremy's inner dialogue and he is one sick puppy. Author Cook took a great risk choosing to show us events only filtered through such a twisted perspective but he's got the skill to pull it off. Jeremy's inner world is what makes the book so compelling. Jeremy perceives the world around him as a personal Hell - a world gone mad. This simple fact is what pulls us in and makes us accept Jeremy as a sympathetic character even though he's a psychopathic killer. This is what makes the book work.

Cook also has a great ear for language. I found myself reading a great part of this book aloud to myself - it cries out for a voice. The prose flies, never falters. It's an exciting read, a delicate balance between plot development, character details and tidbits about the future society woven together with great care. Its depiction of "Reap society" seems similar to Clockwork Orange, but not overly so. As we learn more about this world, where murdered victim's families are ridiculed for mourning their slain family members we can relate to Jeremy's hatred of much of what he sees around him. This, to me is the great strength of the book - it managed to make me relate to a twisted serial killer who sees evil alien beings all around him and LIKE him.

All in all, the book works on many levels - it's an exciting plot driven read. It's a captivating character study. It has a unique voice. Like all good science fiction it makes a statement about the world today. It's not going to be for everyone- if you're easily offended or if you have no appreciation for the weird- it's not for you. If, however, you enjoy discovering new territory, discovering new voices, enjoy fiction that pushes the envelope, challenges you, then this is right up your alley.

I have a few quibbles. Evil Nerd Empire really needs a proofreader. There were enough mistakes in the text to catch my attention, and that always bugs me. Also, this book is the first volume in a trilogy, and it reads like it. It's mostly exposition. I would have liked just a little more plotwise. Lastly, there's a development right at the end that, to me, seemed unmotivated. These points, I must emphasize, are really minor. None of them detracted from my enjoyment of an excellent first novel. I am eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series.

Publisher's Website:
Evil Nerd Empire

Link to buy on Amazon:
Murderland I H8