Splattered Beauty - Mobile Edition

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Splattered Beauty
By The Editor
December 30, 2008 - 11:50

There are a lot of things Alyssa Peyton once had. She once had a prolific and lucrative career as a leading actress in a slew of low-budget horror films. She once had a loving relationship with her producer/director husband, Peter. She once had fans and a dedicated following. All of this has vanished in the blink of an eye.

Now, Alyssa has acquired a serious problem with both substance and alcohol abuse. She possesses a strong sense of self-loathing that seems to intensify every day. She has also found a new friend in devoted teenage fan, Taryn.

Watching her life crumble and deteriorate, Alyssa knows it is up to her to make things right. With the help of Taryn, she begins a string of brutal and sadistic murders, all in the name of a twisted form of retribution.

It is up to an aging detective to stop them before the body count rises. But will Alyssa stop him first?

His follow-up to Crystal Bay, Brandon Ford, a lover of all things horror, has written Splattered Beauty as a sort of love note to his favourite scream queens. The novel contains a foreword praising genre favourites Linnea Quigley, Debbie Rochon, Tiffany Shepis, and more. Available now in paperback and Amazon Kindle from Arctic Wolf Publishing.

Excerpt

Alyssa watched as he began to inch toward her, his hands out in front of him as he tried to calm her, his voice soft and dripping with nurture.

“I heard what happened to you, Alyssa,” he said. “I’m really very sorry. But there are people that can help you. People who’ll understand. Please, you’ve got to trust me.”

Watching as he took continual glances at her wrists, she relived the moment she slid the razor across them, seeing the moment with crystal clarity.

He thought he was to blame for what she’d done. She knew. She could tell by the manner in which he spoke. She could tell by the words he chose. He still believed he was her everything.

Moisture drew her attention and she looked down to see the blood soak through the fine cloth.

“You’re hurt...” Peter mumbled, gently taking her left hand in his own, watching as the blood trickled.

Still clenching the knife, she tightened her grip on the handle, staring into the eyes of the man she’d once loved so dearly. Her contempt overcame her and she gnashed her teeth. Gripping his hand, she slid the blade across his wrist and watched as the blood began to flow. He dropped to his knees in pain.
“Now you’re hurt, too,” she said, towering over him.

Jessica shrieked, placing both hands over her mouth. She ran to his aid, pulling his arm toward her, studying the deep gash. “Oh, my God,” she wailed, watching the fountain of blood pour from his veins.

“Jessie, call the police,” he begged her, his voice shaking. He knew he’d lose consciousness at any moment.

Jessica turned and rushed toward the door, nearly tripping over her own heels, as she gasped in a panic.

“Stop her!” Alyssa commanded Taryn, who, still in shock, almost didn’t hear her.

A single thought so far away, Taryn leapt forward, tackling Jessica onto the hard marble as she released a masculine grunt. Jessica shrieked again, but her cries silenced the moment the back of her head met the cold, hard ground. In an instant, her neck snapped and her skull split like an egg, blood spilling from the open wound.

With the minimal amount of strength he could muster, Peter yelped her name one last time as he began to crawl towards her. “Oh, Jessie... Oh, please, God, no...” he continued, pulling himself forward on his chest.

About the Author

Brandon Ford made his debut in the Leucrota Press anthology Abaculus 2007. The collection, featuring the year’s best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, includes his short story, “Elmer’s Grue.” Soon after, his first novel, Crystal Bay, was released by Arctic Wolf Publishing. The horror/suspense story has been praised by the likes of Garry Charles, author of Summer of the Massacre, who called the book “a well-crafted story that hails back to the old horror/thrillers of the late ‘70s,” and filmmaker Ryan Nicholson (Live Feed and Gutterballs), who calls Ford, “the new Prince of Horror, soon to be King.”

Ford has also contributed to Twisted Dreams, an independent literary magazine founded by best-selling author Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc, as well as the anthologies Sinister Landscapes (edited by Alan Draven, author of Bitternest), and Raw: Brutality As Art (edited by Adam Huber, co-author of Snuff).

www.myspace.com/writerbrandonford

www.writerbrandonford.blogspot.com