The Inspiration Behind Geo
Michael Lizarraga
Geo, my short sci-fi/horror tale about creepy killer living rocks that move, breath and bash, is a throwback to the old school 1970‘s ‘Man vs. Nature’ films such as The Bees, Kingdom of the Spiders, and Food of the Gods. As hokey as some of these films were, their messages were always quite clear: Mans’ underestimation of the Earth and its many inhabitants can often prove fatal. H.P. Lovecraft also touched on this universal concept in many of his stories, including Dagon, He, and The Call of Cthulhu. The hallmark of Lovecraft’s work centered around the idea of humans’ lack of understanding of the vast world around them, rendering them weak and vulnerable to its many dark mysteries. Geo thus emphasizes a scientific fact: There are over five million unclassified species on Earth waiting to be discovered.
Other inspirations to my ‘MacGuffin’ was the film Maximum Overdrive, a film written and directed by Stephen King, about a cosmic glow that surrounds the Earth, bringing machines to life, and turning them on their makers.
What makes these stories and films so great is that they deal with elements we see and interact with on a regular basis, and make us think, “What if these insects decide to invade my home, or what if my cell phone all of a sudden spits out wires and chokes me?” In the case of Geo: “Dang, what if that rock can hurl itself at me at 90 miles an hour!?”
One of the more core aspects of the story, where the lead character Edwin suffers emotionally and socially from a neurological “tic” disorder known as Tourette Syndrome (TS), I wanted to touch on a sensitive topic that is often taboo and rarely mentioned in mainstream media. It is estimated that 200,000 Americans have the most severe form of TS, and as many as one in 100 exhibit milder and less complex symptoms such as chronic motor or vocal tics. The protagonist Edwin, a 13-year-old boy bullied in school because of his TS, is loosely based on a personal friend of mine who has had this disorder since he was a child. One of the most embarrassing and humiliating disorders for countless individuals, children especially, TS is also one of the most misunderstood and stereotyped.
Just as my mentor Rod Serling created stories that were often full of commentary and controversial current social issues, it was my desire that Geo could perhaps serve as a platform with which to inform readers of TS. In doing so, it is my hope that the stereotypical views of TS and other like-disorders may lessen, and those with this disorder and others like it may be comforted, knowing they are not alone.
Other inspirations for Geo were recent news articles on school shootings, which commented on how the assassins are often those who are bullied. Geo gets into the mind of one such boy who is picked on and ridiculed for being different, and explores his reason for possible retaliation. What I was stressing here was that, as much as any of us would like to take matters into or own hands and get back at those who have harmed us, perhaps we can be mindful that fate and a higher power have ways of taking vengeance far better than we can.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Immersed in monster books before he could read, Michael Lizarraga is a horror/fantasy author, magazine writer and old school Gothic thriller/comic book/kung fu flicks junkie. His work has been published in numerous horror anthologies, including Reconstructing The Monster (Emby Press), Deep Sea Monster Hunter: Leviathan (Emby Press), Suffer Eternal Vol. III: Tales of the Undead (Horrified Press), Timeless Worlds (Schlock!) The Pulpateers (Schlock!) and magazines Famous Monsters of Filmland, The Literary Hatchet, Blood Moon Rising, Dark Gothic Resurrected, Bete Noire, Schlock! and Drunk Monkeys.
Blame Rod Serling, George Romero and H.P. Lovecraft for his weirdness.
Twitter: @MichaelOpus13
Facebook: Lizarraga’s Lair
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Twisted Yarns is a collection of eleven depraved stories that will warp your mind and spark your curiosity for tales best muttered in hushed tones and dark corners.
Imagine finding a baby in a dumpster; how far would you go to protect it? Picture yourself trapped in a maze with a monstrous creature that wants nothing more than to spill your blood while others bet on the outcome of your life; would you run to survive? Do you think you could – run or survive? Perhaps you’re clinging to a lost love so strongly that your rational mind doesn’t realize how strongly it’s clinging to you; is it bliss or torture? Come to think of it, is it safe to accept that tasty sample the kindly gentleman who works at the grocery story is offering you? It couldn’t be anything but harmless, could it?
If you prefer your horror twisted with a bit of grit sprinkled on top for flavor, this is the perfect anthology for you!
Featuring:
Blood Oranges — R.k. Kombrinck
Polandrio — Trevor Firetog
Kin — Elizabeth Allen
Dumpster Baby Blues — Bob Macumber
Dead World Protocol — Glynn Owen Barrass
The Road Less Taken — J.T. Seate
Countdown — Danielle Allen
A Walk in Moonlight — Sharon L. Higa
David — John Mc Caffrey
Geo — Micheal Lizarraga
The Garden of Love — Kevin Holton
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Twisted Yarns is available on:
Amazon: US | UK | Australia | Canada | Germany | Italy | France | Spain | Japan | Mexico | Brazil | India | The Netherlands
CreateSpace (Print)
The Sirens Song 