76 May 12 2005 at 12:11:04 Fullname: Krissy W. Email: kwenn@optonline.net Comments: Bobby, respectfully, I did read a great portion of Dark Silence despite the tedium. Of course I shouldn't judge the whole of an author's work based solely on one book - after all anyone can have a 'bad day.' It was Wordsworth, I believe, that said it was only a small portion of work that was worthwhile in an entire life of work. As a trained and experienced editor (major publishers, story departments in the film industry, and a consultant for a major literary agency) I found that this ONE book was just awful. It amazed me that it was even published - and I was outraged because I see so many talented works get pushed aside in favor of the mediocre. I will pick up a selection of his other works, and hope that they get better. In fact, even Dean Koontz has a few stinkers! So does King. But even as bad as Koontz and King gets sometimes, it is always well written and never descends into tedium or cliche. I should suggest that you either have little taste and/or need to improve your education. No offense. 77 May 04 2005 at 21:01:49 Fullname: Bobby Davis Email: Comments: KRISSY, Maybe you should read more than a few pages of his books!! I think he is an awesome author. If he wasnt a good author he obviosly wouldnt be able to sell all of the books that he has. How many novell's have you written?? RICK, ur a great author 78 May 03 2005 at 19:02:11 Fullname: Krissy Wenn Email: kwenn@optonline.net Comments: Just finished - by skimming pages and then whole chapters - Rick Hautala's Dark Silence. I couldn't believe how bad this guy's writing was. Bad writing gives me a headache! And it ruins my inner voice (my own writing voice). Just as good writing remains and echoes in prose, I HATE bad writing because I am fearful that it pollutes! Anyway, this guy is BORING to boot, UNORIGINAL, full of cliches. He's only marginally better than that guy Ron Dee I told you about. This book was so bad, such a waste of time - even the few pages I read - and as I sadi, I skimmed and lost NOTHING in the translation I just had to do a Google. Guy has written lots of other books. Now, in all fairness, maybe he has improved. But I just read an exerpt from the Mountain King and it's the same boring prose. How do people without any talent have the stamina to finish and to be prolific!???? It amazes me but I think he actually makes a living. Of course he lives in Maine which is probably pretty cheap. Hautala's Dark Silence can be condensed tremendously and still leave one lacking for entertainment. Dark Silence starts with a witch getting hanged and her laying on a curse. A couple centuries later two of her descendents - a couple boys - get caught up in a mishap at the Old Mill (site of her hanging) and one of their friends breaks his neck. The 'odd' brother who hears 'voices' and is a schizo gets blamed (unfairly) and sent away. Twenty or so years later the other brother remarried and his wife falls and breaks her face on their honeymoon. Why she is recuperating and has to go through plactic surgery the brother brings his son who is a kid out to stay in Maine. The kid is there only a short time when the Grandmother (who local boys call a witch) dies of a heartattck. The kid is scared of the woods and hates Maine and his step mother. He discovers the Old Mill and hears voices. Turns out the other brother escaped from the insane asylum. Later this insane brother captures his family and intends to kill them all and himself in a fire in the Old Mill. He still hears voices telling him what to do. Some of these voices are from a family who burned to death in the old mill a genaration or two ago - a Swedish family the Grandmother cared for. The sane brother and his son and wife escape while the insane brother dies in the fire he set and the old mill burns down. That's all she wrote. OUCH! I had a fellowship to one of the best graduate writing programs in the country - and one thing I learned was how to be a good editor. I'm doubly amazed and dismayed that Dark Silence made it past the editorial process. Bad writers take up space better devoted to good writers. But as I said, perhaps I'm being too harsh with my criticism based on one book. Somerset Maughn, btw, was considered by some to have no talent, yet he worked hard, improved, and became a great writer. But there is just so much wrong with Dark Silence. Perhaps some people here on this board can tell me how it stacks up to his other works. 79 April 27 2005 at 18:23:07 Fullname: susan anderson Email: mairi187@yahoo.co.uk Comments: hey, i'm hoping you wrote the hidden saint- a poltergeist the legacy book. i LOVED IT. I wanted to know how you got mgm to let you do that. you see, i want to write a legacy book too if i can. hope you can help, thanks 80 April 12 2005 at 08:47:06 Fullname: Steven Beltzer Email: StevenBeltzer@AOL.com Comments: Hey Rick, I notice nobody has posted on here in a while and being that, I've been having problems getting your message board to come up is probably the problem. I am hoping you get this post. If you do could you email me and let me know? Your message board does come up for me but it takes a few minutes longer for some reason and that time length to have it come up might be making people impatient. Anyway, I sent ya an idea thing on here. I hope maybe you like it. Your books really are very good and I've got the A.J.Mathewws titles but was wondering if you are going to write under the Hautala name anymore? I miss seeing your titles on the bookstore shelves. I really like the way you still write stories with monsters/creatures in them. I like the horror/fantasy/scifi feel of your books. As much as I like Stephen King and still read his work, he has changed from the days of Silver Bullet and Salem's Lot to the days of Misery and The Green Mile. Also, I think it was you that told me you write westerns as well under another name but I couldn't remember that name you gave me. I love westerns as much as everything else so I would like to put a few of yours in my library. By the way have you seen the new box set DVDs for Silverado. I love that movie and put it on layaway as soon as I saw it. I think the Little Brothers should visit an old west town and have it out with some badass cowboys like Johnny Ringo or Billy The Kid...Just another fun idea to mess with. Keep up the awesome work and hope all is well with you. 81 April 04 2005 at 21:18:23 Fullname: Steven Beltzer Email: StevenBeltzer@aol.com Comments: Hey Rick I Just finished reading your book Mountain King for a second time, and thought how awesome this would be if made into a movie somehow. I don't know if the story would work in a movie but your creatures the Mountain King or the Little Brothers might. I am not a movie maker just a fan of your books but I was watching this special on TV about Big Foot and how he (if real) could have gotten here from that section where Alaska and Russia are connected. See I read somewhere that the wilderness of Siberria had not been permitted to enter by the people of Russia until just sometime back. If this is uncharted territory who knows what could have lived in those forests right? Anyway, this is just an idea for you. I read about this area of Russia in a Smithsonian magazine I believe. If you ever give this some serious thought maybe you should team up with Michael Crichton and Steven Speilberg. 82 March 21 2005 at 02:15:49 Fullname: A. D. Calvo Email: adcalvo@gmail.com Comments: Rick, I came across your site (http://www.rickhautala.com/) on the New England Horror Writer's Association website. I am an independent filmmaker from Wallingford, CT. We are in the process of starting a high-definition HD film company. You can see our website at: http://www.goodnightfilm.com You can also view some of our short films online (i.e., Sitter, Hypnogothic Trailer). I was wondering if you've done any screenplay work or have any works that you might allow an adaptation to be developed from? We are looking to produce high-quality low-budget HD films (between 500K and 1M) that have a genuine creep factor (scare without the gore). Your work seems to lean in that direction, correct? If so, are there some writing samples you can send us? Perfect stories/screenplays for us would be something that lends itself well to low budget (i.e., minimal special effects, not too many actors, few locations). You get the idea. Stories like "What Lies Beneath", "The Sixth Sense", and "The Ring". Perhaps your story "The Looking Glass" fits this category? Anyway...if you're interested in discussing some possible collaboration please write me back. Sincerely, -- ...Alex (a.k.a., A. D. Calvo) 83 March 18 2005 at 22:25:38 Fullname: Rick Hautala Email: rick_hautala@yahoo.com Comments: Hey Dena ... Sorry. I'm kinda low on copies of DEAD VOICES, so I'd say get whatever copy you can find. I only have two copies in my collection. Bobby-I tried to email you and the email bounced back. Send me your mailing address, and I'll send you a copy of COLD RIVER ... 84 March 10 2005 at 15:09:31 Fullname: http://www.demalaga.net/ Email: Comments: Greetings from Malaga (Spain), Antonio Curso Windows XP Office 85 March 03 2005 at 21:26:41 Fullname: Dena Email: Comments: Hello, Rick -- Just wanted to know if you had copies of Dead Voices for sale. I was going to buy it at Scamazon's marketplace, but figured I'd rather support you directly. I read Dead Voices when I was 13. My dad brought it home from a drugstore after I'd run out of reading material one summer -- it is still one of the most memorable horror novels I've ever read. Definitely impactful, especially for a young girl of 13. Creepy :)) 86 March 03 2005 at 02:56:28 Fullname: Bobby Davis Email: bobby_davis90@yahoo.com Comments: Hey Rick I was looking at my yearbook and saw the thing that u signed and figured i should catch up with you.. Well i moved out of Westbrook, Since July i have lived in Redbank in South Portland. Bo also lives in South Portland. I dont know if i told u or not that i was raised by my grandparents cause my mother died in 1991. But anyways my grandfather who i consider my father Had Laung Cancer surgury about a year ago and it has come back and the doctors said all they can do is give him a little more time to live with radiation and chemotherapy. But they arent sure how he will react to the treatments. It could help or make him sicker. I am in a very stressful time right now. When he dies i will be moving to windham. Well Keep in touch.... AND UPDATE THAT BLOG lol put me in ur blog 2 that would make me a little happier. Bobby Davis -See You On The Bench_ 87 March 03 2005 at 00:07:33 Fullname: Bobby Davis Email: bobby_davis90@yahoo.com Comments: Hey Rick, I wanted to tell you that I moved out of westbrook back in july and now i a going to be living in windham!!! I was also wondering if Cold River was out yet and where can I get it?? Bobby D. -See You On The Bench- 88 February 11 2005 at 17:45:49 Fullname: Nanci Email: Comments: Rick - sounds like you have a full plate - just need the contract however -- the other isn't due for a while. College applications? Yikes - they do grow up fast, don't they. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >>
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