LISTEN TO THE WHISPERS... - The Mistress Macabre

WHO IS THE MISTRESS MACABRE?

FOR MY DEVOTED HORROR LEGIONS...YOU ALL HAVE MY (UN)DYING GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Zombie me courtesy of Zombie Diva and may not be used without permission...

For some reason, people are fascinated with me.

To this day, I don’t understand why people find me so fascinating. In my opinion, I am quite boring...normal if you will.
I don’t live this high life of endless parties and never sleeping that people think I do.
I have actually had people say to me that they picture me riding around in a limousine, sipping champagne, with the media chasing me, with flashbulbs going off in my face.

That is hardly the case.

The real Andrea turns into a pumpkin at midnight (I’m an early riser, not a night owl) and a limousine? Please...give me a hearse or give me nothing. As for champagne…I don’t drink anymore and the very thought of alcohol makes me want to hurl.
I do love the camera and can admit it, although I am not very photogenic, and will never pass up an opportunity to be pictured with my fans. After all, without my fans, I am nothing. Oh and just for the record, you will NEVER see me charging a fan for an autograph.

My life has been a whirlwind of exciting and rewarding adventures and I can look back and honestly say that not many people have had the chances and opportunities that I have had. I have really made something of myself in this life and for that, I am humbled, I am awestruck and I am deeply grateful.

I grew up in a small town (which is now a very huge town) outside of Orlando, Florida. Yes, I am a native Floridian, one of few of my generation left I suppose. I get my love of all things “macabre,” as some people will have it, from my mother. I grew up going to cemeteries, spending hours walking amongst the graves of family and strangers alike, and to this day, like my mother always has, I peruse the obituaries.

I have always felt more at home in a cemetery than any place else.

The spotlight has never been a stranger to me and I have always enjoyed being a ham. As a child I was a ballerina, an Olympic hopeful in gymnastics, a champion baton twirler, a cheerleader and went on to be a teacher in each of these sports, as I grew older. I passed up many opportunities to go professional with my ballet, as well as my baton, and damage to my body prevented my dreams of Olympic stardom from materializing, but it never stopped me from passing on my skills to other hopefuls.

I was somewhat of a local celebrity in my hometown, always being in the newspaper for one reason or another. If it wasn’t my sports achievements that got my little mug in the news, it was my endeavors for my town. I was responsible for having a fence erected around my town’s historical cemetery, as it had been left open to vandals. I adopted that cemetery as my own and woe be the person who dared come and vandalize it. I spent many Halloween nights just waiting for people to try and do anything to “my” cemetery. My mother, father and I spent many Saturdays fixing broken stones and cleaning up the historical cemetery before the fence was erected and to this day “the old church cemetery” is still “mine” as far as I am concerned. It will always be mine, and will always hold special and fond memories for me. I also made up a map of the “old church cemetery” which has seen its way around the world from what I understand. For that, I am deeply humbled. To me, it was just something that needed to be done, not something to gain attention for myself. My biggest fear is to be left forgotten in a grave somewhere and me making that map, and taking care of those people buried there, was just my way of saying “you are not forgotten.”

So where does my writing fit into all of this? I have always been creative and lived in my own little world, a world vastly different from those around me. Being called “different,” “weird,” and “strange,” was standard practice, as I was growing up, because I heard it so much. I was also called “creative,” and “unique.”

Many times I was told that I "should be an actress. "

I had many opportunities, one of them that could have (had I pursued such opportunities) opened many doors for me, as an extra for the defunct television show “Super Boy,” but I rejected that path as well.
While I love acting and was an actress briefly in Orlando, many, many years ago and still do cameo appearances now in movies, it just wasn’t the path for me. I wrote my first poem at age 13 and it was quickly accepted, much to my delight. That was all the encouragement I needed and from that day forward, there was no stopping me.

However, years, a hectic and busy schedule filled with teaching all of my athletic abilities to kids, life in general (I was even in a pageant once!) and finally marriage, kept me from envisioning my dream of being an author.

I got serious about my works about eleven years ago and hit many stumbling blocks along the way, including being, in my naiveté, scammed for quite a bit of money. Heartbroken, it wasn’t until about 8 years ago that I began writing again and got very serious about being published.

That dream came true in 2005.

Now look at me, deemed "One of the most unique and talented authors on the market today," sickening and repulsing people the world over with my shockingly unapologetic works of twisted horror. Horror that many people cannot fathom a woman could write...but I assure you, I am a woman.

However, it is my attention to exquisite detail and my transporting you to worlds that you simply cannot get enough of that bring my loyal fans and even new readers, back for more.

I guess when all is said and done, one could say that I have indeed lived my dreams, I have done what others could only imagine doing and it indeed has been one heck of a party…

May the party never end...

Andrea

FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUR MISTRESS MACABRE...

~MISC FACTS:~

Your Mistress is an odd person, that is for sure, but those strange little quirks are also what make me so endearing to so many people. Here are a few facts about your Mistress that I hope you find funny, and entertaining.

Is allergic to everything and has to wear a Medic Alert bracelet
Has a rare neurological hearing disorder called Audio Processing Disorder where she hears everything but understands little. This disorder is so rare that it took five years to be diagnosed...doctors told her she was faking.
Dreams of living in The Cotswolds in England.
Has an extensive collection of David Winter cottages that she dreams of finding a home in the Cotswolds that looks like her favorites amongst those collectibles.
Is extremely superstitious and is so convinced that superstitions are more than coincidence that she compiled a book of them and follows it to the letter.
Collects hand made shawls and has so many that they fill up two closets.
Is a sucker for hats.
Is perpetually stuck in the 1920's and 30's and loves everything about both eras. She is a huge fan of the music of Billie Holiday. However, she has a penchant for the all the eras in American history from 1912 to 1937.
Her favorite ice cream is peanut butter and chocolate, Moose Tracks and vanilla Dippin Dots.
Loves Starbucks Fraps and McDonald's iced coffee, but hates the taste of coffee so much that she has them barely put any coffee in her drinks. Needless to say, both establishments hate to see her walk in the door.
Her favorite artist is the woefully under appreciated (at least in her opinion) John William Waterhouse however her favorite painting is The Lament For Icarus by Herbert J. Draper.
Collects scythes and sickles and considers her treasure, an antique meat cleaver sent to her by a fan a few years ago, for her birthday.
Is a vehement animal rights activist
Is a supporter of the West Memphis Three

~FEARS:~

It's no secret that I have some seriously twisted and irrational fears. Here are the ones that make fans laugh the most...

Has such a fear of sharks (that she blames on seeing the movie JAWS at age 7) that she will not go to the beach and if she does, will only go ankle deep in the water. Yet anytime the movies Jaws or Jaws 2 are on, she will watch them.
Has a fear of going over bridges that span the ocean, gulf, etc due to her fear of sharks and the possibility of the bridge collapsing and dumping her in the water with sharks
Has such a fear of public toilets and how unsanitary they are, she won't use one unless desperate
Carries hand sanitizer with her at all times, which she uses liberally
Fears mannequins to the point that when in the mall, she watches them as she walks past to make sure they don't grab her. She blames this fear on seeing the Chuck Connors movie Tourist Trap at age 10.
Swears that the paintings of Pinkie and Blue Boy follow her everywhere but considers Blue Boy good luck.
Hates ventriloquist dummies on a level she finds difficult to express. They horrify her in a way that she can't describe.
Fears the songs "Wildfire" and "Rocky Mountain High" but anytime she hears them, they bring her good luck.
Used to fear the movie Event Horizon and spent an entire weekend watching it over and over until she was no longer afraid of it. Now she loves it and considers it one of her favorite movies. It is, however, the only movie that, as an adult, has been able to give her nightmares. To this day she fears Sam Neil on an almost clinical level and can't watch anything that he might be in as she still "sees" him as Dr. Weir.
Watching the re-make of the movie Dawn of The Dead brings her bad luck, but seeing it listed on the movie channels (sans clicking it to watch) brings her good luck.
Considers her favorite movie, Matilda, but refuses to watch any longer stating that it brings her bad luck. She also loves the movie Nannie McPhee but has such appalling luck after she watches it that she refuses to do so ever again.
Has a terrible fear of ice cream trucks and the music they play.