@@DESCRIPT="The Death Certificate"                              
                              _______________ 
        /  /| \             /| SoulZ at Zer0 |               /  /| \
        \ /-| /            | | 03-95 SaZ Pak |               \ /-| /
        //  | \            | +---------------+               //  | \
                           |/_______________/

 -----THE-DEATH-CERTIFICATE------VOLUME-1-ISSUE-5---------MARCH--1995------

             Staff:  The Stranger, Jack Flack - Editors, Writers.
                     Black Sunshine - Writer.
                     Deranged - Writer.

     (*) If you are interested in contributing to The Death Certificate
                     please let one of the editors know.


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        Her booth was empty and she was still there, as if she had been
waiting for him to return.  When the panel rose, she was smiling.
        As he walked out of Live Girls afterward, his hair was mused, his
breathing uneven, and his gait a bit unsteady.  He could feel the biting
sting again.  He could feel the moist warmth soaking into his briefs
against his skin.
        He was bleeding.
                "Live Girls" Ray Garton

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                          + Table of Contents +
                          
        Words from the Editors
        Letters to the Editors
        SAZ News
        Horror News
        Reviews
        The Writers Block
        Final Words

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Words from the Editors:

     Jack Flack:

  Well, well, well ... apparently I am the last person on the face of the
Earth to see the viewer, but that's okay, it rox!  Extra special greets to
Mr. Spock for the long hours of coding, and Yaun-Ti for the great artwork.
They rock, we rock, 'nuf said.  Thank you guys, for helping to make our
dream come true (cough, gag). Anyhoooooow ... This pack is kinda late, we
know, I had a hard drive format (thanks to whoever was sending out that
Trojan ansi thing on the net. :/ ) and a virus attack (whisper, Tai Pan)
so it's been a thrilling month already.  So, I'll let the Stranger ramble
through a little ... oh yeah, one last thing.  To any writers who missed
deadline ... ahem.
                  
                                                -Jack Flack/SAZ

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     The Stranger:             

        Would you believe we are a little bit late this month?  We've had
many problems this month including a hard drive being formatted, my board
being crashed (by myself), and the really bad one, writers block.  But 
we are still here and we continue to be here for a while.  This is our 7th
release which somehow makes us like one of the longest running packs 
around.  So many groups out there are starting up one month and then are
gone by the next month.  And to some of those LIT groups out there that
are suddenly being born and that have a SAZ type look to them, instead of
starting your own group that only last a month or two, come join us!
        I was reading an emag recently where an ansi person was talking 
about LIT groups.. Now ofcourse, ansi people have no business talking about
LIT people but lets just humor this person for a second.  Well this person
said that all LIT groups are 13 year old kids writing bad rhyming poetry
about things under their beds, or something like that.  Well SAZ has one 
writer under 18 and six that are 18 or older.  And we rarely write rhyming
poetry.  But hey, if you don't like reading LIT, thats find, don't read it.
But I don't think there is any reason to go around critizing something you
know nothing about. (Step off soapbox)
        I want to remind everyone that we are always looking for members,
distro sites, or just people to talk to.  And you can reach us at my board,
Where Shadows Wait, at (405) 354-9857.  You can either apply to be a
member or you can use SAZ as your name and SAZ as your password.  But thats
only for people who want to get the packs or who want to become a member or
distro site.  If you do call under the SAZ name just to get a pack, please
leave me a message telling me who you are, where your from, and any comments
about the packs.
        Have a great March and I'll talk to you next time.                                     
                                        
                                        The Stranger...

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        "So you wouldn't like it, baby.
         You wouldn't like it here.
         There's not much entertainment
         and the judgements are severe."
                Leonard Cohen "Waiting For the Miracle"

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  Soulz At Zero News

        We have a new viewer!! Yahoo!!  Local guy Mr. Spock who promised
to make us a viewer a long time ago has finally come through with what I
think is one of the best viewers out there.  We want to send our thanks
out to him and to TBH President, Yaun-Ti, who made a couple of Ansi files
and Gifs to make the viewer look great.  Thanks a lot guys.
        We were suppose to get two new writers this month, but due to
communication problems, they weren't able to get into this months pack.  
But they should be in the next one.  Sorry guys.  And also, Black Sunshine
wasn't able to meet the deadline so we had to release without her.  She
sends an apology out to all her fans.  
        We welcome a three new distro sites to the SAZ family.  One of
my favorite boards, Erebus is now a distro site.  This is a great board
in one of my home states, New Jersey, so check it out if you get the 
chance.  And The Dreamscape which is just north of us in Kansas also joins
our family this month.  Also, The Death Star in Conneticut also joins us
this month.  Welcome to all of you and thanks for letting us take a little 
bit of your hard drive room.

                                The Stranger...

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       "Mist-shroudeed love
        Long thought lost forever

        Come back to me
        Even in your grave clothes"
                "Lady of the Mist" by Robert Randollph Medcalf, Jr.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------       


 Horror News by The Stranger:

New in Bookstores:

        Chet Williamson has a new book on the shelf this month called 
"Second Chance" which is about radical teenagers in the late 60's trying
to stop the Vietnam war.  The book is a nostalgic look through that decade
with elements of Dark Fantasy to make this "one of the most unusual and 
moving books in a long time," according to T. Liam McDonald.  Find this one
in your horror bookstores for $25 and $50 for the signed limited edition
version.

        Crossroads press has just released Joe R. Lansdale's "Dead in The
West" which was orginally only available in paperback.  The hottest writer
at this moment, Lansdale writes a western/horror novel about cowboys and
zombies fighting it out in the old west.  This book is thought to be one
of Lansdale's best and the actual book itself is amazing looking, but there
is only a signed/numbered/slipcased version available right now and it 
goes for $55..  If you don't mind spending, get it, if you do, try looking
through used book shops for the old paperback which you should be able to
get for under $6.

        Stoker award winner Melanie Tem has a new book out called "Revenant"
which is about a ghost town.  This book is actually somewhat old but its
worth looking for.

        Poppy Z. Brite has edited an anthology called "Love in Vein" which
was released earlier this year.  This collection of short erotic horror 
stories features many of todays biggest writers and is only going to be
released in a big paperback version that is a little costly.  Some kindof
fights for the rights of the book or something have caused this.  And due
to that fact its not getting distributed very well so it might be a little
hard to find.

        Kathie Koja's book "Strange Angels" has just been released by the
Dell Abyss line in paperback.  This book came out last year in hardback 
but now we can all afford it.  Kathie has a style of writing all her own
and I suggest everyone read atleast one book by her because this is where
writing is headed.

New at the movies:

        "In The Mouth Of Maddness" was released in Mid-Febuary starring
Sam Neil and directed by John Carpenter, the movie did well its first week
at the box office but as most horror movies do, it slowly faded away.  This
one has received mixed reviews but I haven't seen it for myself.

        Dean Koontz's "Hideaway" is being brought to the big screen during
the first half of March.  Starring Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone,
the previews look good, the book was great, and the movie will probably 
suck and fade away quickly.  But go see it if you get the chance.

        Stephen King's short story "The Mangler" is also coming to theatres
in early March starring Robert Englund and directed by Tobe Hooper.  There
selling this as three of the biggest names in horror and isn't that just
the saddest thing when Robert Englund is mentioned in the same breath as
Stephen King, and as a peer nonetheless?  The previews for this one look
awful and thats probably why you won't see King doing any promotion for this
one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The Reviews:


Books:

        "Live Girls" By Ray Garton published by Pocket Fiction, 1987.

        Ray Garton is known for two types of horror books, sex and religion.
A few months ago I reviewed his "Dark Channel" which was a great book 
about religion.  "Live Girls" is ofcourse the other side of Garton, sex.
There are few writers out there that make you feel like your listening to
a story instead of reading a story, Garton is one of those.  His writing
is quick and deadly, rarely mixing words to make a point.  He is considered
one of the "splatterpunks" of horror and whenever you read one of his books
you immediatly know why.  It's because he doesn't pull punches.  He goes
right for the heart and doesn't try to clean up any of the blood afterwards.
Garton is what good horror is all about.
        Ramsey Campbell says "Live Girls is the most nightmarish vampire
story I have ever read."  And thats very true, this is a whole new look on
the vampire idea, these vampires don't have the sexual appeal of Anne Rice's
but yet they do have a very sensual power to them.  They don't mix and 
mingle in the outside world and when they're hungry they don't start 
thinking about morals.  I also found this book to be one of the most erotic
horror novels I've ever read.  Garton is the master at that.  You can be
screaming one moment and then find yourelf in what of the hottest scenes
you've ever read.  
        So what's it about?  To break it down without giving too much away,
the story is about two men who both have a lot in common.  They are down and
out and both are pulled to a X-rated peep show club called "Live Girls."  
It is there that they find out that the girls are willing to do a lot to 
get what they need.  This novel really deals with a lot of stuff, from the
relationship between a man and the women in his life, to a butchered family,
and a man searching for his sisters killer.  
        This novel is not for those who don't like to get a little bloody.
And if you don't want to read scenes with very graphic sex, then don't pick
this one up.  But I loved this book and have become a huge Garton fan 
because of it.  I first read him in a book called "Darklings" which was 
about snails crawling up peoples noses and I was really turned off by him.
But with "Dark Channel" and "Live Girls" he has pulled me in.  This book is
almost impossible to find so good luck finding it.  If you live near some
good used book stores you might be able to find it.  Or if you know of a 
good horror book store they may have it for a high price.  It's worth 
looking for.  It's fast, its bloody, and its sexy.  Check it out.

                        The Stranger...

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        "See How She Runs" by Matthew J. Costello, pub. Berkley 1994.

        Two of the best horror writers around have decided that there is
just not enough room in the horror world for them and so they have tried
their hand with mainstream fiction.  Rick Hautala is one and Costello is
the other.  Both have now put out two books each that move away from the
horror world and move towards the suspense thriller type of fiction.  And
fortunatly for die hard horror fans like me, they have seen their sales go
down because of this move.  
        Matthew Costello is an amazing writer with a style all his own.  
Very short sentences, few paragraphs with more then one or two sentences 
each, he writes terror so well that you can feel the knife at your throat
with each line.  But for some reason or another his horror novels were only
selling to a select few and so he tried his hand with mainstream thrillers.
His first try was called "Homecoming" and it was received well by the 
mainstream critics and sold well too.  It was the story of a man coming
back from Vietnam many years later to find his wife was married and then
he chases her around and so on.  Then came this book, "See How She Runs"
which is about a man chasing after his wife so he can beat her up... Well
okay, not entirely but for the most part thats it.  And the strange thing is
thats exactly what Rick Hautala's two "mainstream" novels are about.  
Abusive men chasing after weak women and then beating them up.  There must
have been a bad buzz going on about this book because most bookstores 
wouldn't even carry it which makes it really hard to find now because there
are so few in print.
        So the story is about a woman who is married to an abusive man and
she doesn't mind until the man hits one of their kids.  Well then she 
decides to leave him and ofcourse he decides to chase her.  And at the same
time, another abusive man who has just killed his wife and children is 
running from the law (and the wife's psychologist, don't ask me why) and
would you believe all the characters would somehow meet as they all run
to the exact same large city and somehow manage to find each other?  
        Really I'm being too harsh on this book but thats because I'm so
disappointed with the writer for moving in this direction.  For those of
you who have read "Darkborn" or "Midsummer" you know what Costello can do
and his power is going to waste.  If you like suspense books this one isn't
too bad, the writing is as always, great, though the story is lacking of 
any sense of reality.  Really, if you want suspense, go to Koontz.  If you
want true horror, check out one of Costello's earlier works.

                The Stranger...

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        Borderlands 3, Edited by Thomas Monteleone, pub. White Wolf, 1994.

        First, you have to know what the Borderlands series is about.  It's
a series of anthologies with the idea of having horror stories that are not
the typical type of horror story.  Your not going to find vampires or 
haunted houses, or if you do you'll find them with a twist.  This series
has become one of the most popular short story collection, filled with some
of the best writers of our time and new writers who know what horror can be.
Borderlands 1 and 2 were both fantastic and this one continues that legacy.
        What more can I say about this book?  The story's will shock you,
I can almost guarantee that.  Every one will leave you with an emotion
and they will be hard to soon forget.  Some of the best short story writers
are here, Elizabeth Massie, Andrew Vachss, Ed Gorman, Poppy Z. Brite,
Thomas Tessier, Kathie Koja, Whitly Strieber.  But the stories that are 
really worth looking at are the ones by some of the less known writers. 
Stories like "Baby Sue, We Love You" by Marthayn Pelegrimas and "Witch Hunt"
by Vachss are two of the most disturbing stories I've ever read.  Really
just about every story is that way.  These stories are filled with a pain
that goes beyond horror.
        I love this series and if you haven't read any of these books, pick
up a copy of number 1 and then go through them.  Even if your like me and
you like your horror stories to be sortof traditional, its hard not to
love these original pieces.  And if your a writer like myself, these stories
will get your creative mind thinking as you try to come up with ideas that
are close to brillance as some of these.  Go out and get a Borderlands book.
You'll thank me later.
                The Stranger...

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        "I'll deck her tomb with flowers,
         The rarest ever seen;
         And with my tears as showers,
         I'll keep them fresh and green."
                        From "Corydon's Doleful Knell"

-----------------------------------------------------------------


 The Writer's Block by The Stranger...

        Okay, last month we went over how to write a rhyming poem.  And I                    
 said that this month we would go over writing a free form poem.  
        Well writing a free form poem (one without rhymes) is different
 from writing a rhyming poem just because there are no rules.  If your 
 poem doesn't depend on rhymes then really you can write it anyway you want,
 short sentences, long sentences, it could have a rhythem to it but it
 doesn't have to.  I have seen 4 page poems with only 1 word for each line
 and I have also seen paragraph poems with say 20 words in one sentence.  
 So really there is very little I can tell you about writing free form poems.
 Your style of writing comes out automatically, you might try copying the
 style of a writer you like at first but after you read many authors you
 will probably find a voice of your own.  And just because you write a few
 poems that are similar doesn't mean you have to stay with that.  Some of
 the best non-rhyming poems are the ones where you've expeiremented with
 new ideas.  
        Personally, I like poems with a beginning and an ending.  I like it
 when the poem makes sense, tells a story, and then leaves me with an 
 emotion.  A lot of poets don't go for that at all, many are just putting 
 down words that sound good in a sentence or maybe words that explain an
 emotion instead of actually telling a narrative story.  And thats fine.  
 Ofcourse if we all wrote the same that would be pretty boring (like this 
 article).  So let me just end here saying that you need to write the way
 you feel like writing.  It's okay to imitate someones style but eventually
 you have to break out of that and come up with your own style.  If your 
 poems deal with subjects that you are interested in then this should help
 the poems you write become a part of you.  Start off your poems with an
 idea, try to feel the emotion around that idea, try to use descriptive
 sentences as you describe that subject and/or that emotion.  And then just
 write.
        I'll be back again next month with who knows what.. We shall see.
                     
                     The Stranger...
   

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 Final Words:

        Well this was a strange month for us.  We are having a few problems
 which we will hopefully get under control by the next pack.  We should
 have atleast one new writer by April and if anyone out there wants to 
 join then give us a call.  We hope you enjoyed the pack, enjoyed reading
 the Death Certificate, we hope you'll send the pack around as much as 
 possible, and we hope you'll be looking for us next month.  Have a great 
 month.


                        
                        Soulz At Zero

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   Your fingers black from ink as your shaking hands glide
down the page, trying to see if your name is on the death
certificate.  The wind screaming against the window, begging to
get in, to get to you.  And at last you find the dotted line,
written in blood the letters that form your name.  A sudden gasp
caught in your throat, a flicker of the lights until they fade
off completely.  The cold touch of fingers as a hand reaches
across the bare skin of your neck.  Goosebumps rise from your
neck just as the lights shine on once more.  And once again you
are alone.  Before you lies the death certificate, your name is
no longer written.  You have escaped death, for now.

                                        The Stranger...

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(C) Copyright SAZ 1995.

