I turned 40 on Tuesday.
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I Was Interviewed on The Horror Mosaic
I was interviewed on Isaiah Swanson/The Bitter Wolf’s show, The Horror Mosaic, about what I do here on LittleZotz.com and – of course – my work over on my horror-focused website, HorrorFam.com!
Here’s the summary Isaiah wrote of for episode:
“As the founder and co-owner of HorrorFam.com, Lauren wears many hats. She edits every article, hosts the HorrorFam.com Podcast, manages social media (@LoveHorrorFam on Instagram, X, and YouTube), applies her many artistic and creative talents to the website’s design and upkeep, and handles countless behind-the-scenes tasks to keep the site thriving. In addition to her work with HorrorFam.com, Lauren manages LittleZotz.com, a place where she writes about “everything else”, as she puts it. In the profile, Lauren discusses growing up in the horror industry, talks about her work with HorrorFam and LittleZotz, and reflects on the power of horror and art in general to help us through the darkest times in our lives. I think Lauren is an inspiration, but I might be biased because I write for her in my human form at HorrorFam!”
Check it out! I’m not interviewed often (I’m usually the one interviewing other people) and, on the rare occasions when I am, I usually find the end result barely watchable… But I thought this one was really nice! Isaiah interviewed me for over two hours and edited my nervous rambling down to a concise 15 minutes while still maintaining the context.
If you’ve ever been curious about me or what I do or how/why I do what I do: This is the interview for you to watch! 😀
Frankenstein Friday
My dad (retired FX artist Robert Tharp) wrote a massive article for my horror website, HororFam.com, for Frankenstein Friday! You can read it here: https://horrorfam.com/frankenstein
For the featured image, I made mash-ups of some of the movie monster portrayals he mentioned…
…but I really wanted to do a cartoon-y version of the monster’s I’D “Frankenstein’d” together… so here it is! 😀
Can you recognize the pieces of Frankenstein’s monsters each of mine are made from? Guess in the comments! HAPPY FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY!!
We Each Get 52 Weeks Per Year
Your life is precious. Please make every week/day/minute count. ❤️
Rest In Peace, Flex
August 1st, we got the devastating news that Flex’s cancer was back, inoperable, and extremely aggressive. We made every second with her count and she had such a wonderful time she lasted 2 weeks longer than we were told to expect. It’s been extremely hard. She passed this morning at home. Frank, my parents, and Tina (Flex’s mother) appreciate your love/prayers during this difficult time. Thank you.
–Lauren*
I’m 10 Years Free from Self-Harm!
On August 3, 2014 – after over a decade of cutting (self-harm) – I made one very final cut… God, the EMTs, the ER docs, and a few others said, “Not yet.” August 4, 2014 was the start of what became the life I have now. A life free from self-injury.
I’m one decade clean from self-harm as of yesterday (August 4, 2024)!
To celebrate, I drew self-portraits of myself at each age from nine until now.
She Demons 1958 Mona Unmasked Fan Art
I drew this to accompany an article my dad wrote about…
The Horror Scenes I Look Away From
Lauren Spear shares which horror movie scenes she looks away from and how gore FX can be healing… or harmful.
Illustrating the Bride of Karsaz (VIDEO)
One of the many things I love about the horror genre is how it helps to highlight that we, as humans, tend to be more alike than we are different. And urban legends, in particular, are very cozy in that regard. Every city has at least one haunted road. Every culture has their own version of a ghost bride. To quote John Carpenter: “Horror is a universal language; we’re all afraid.”
I loved learning about the Bride of Karsaz! And I really enjoyed looking at photos of traditional Pakistani wedding dresses (which are red and typically covered in beautifully ornate designs). I’m celebrating half a decade of marriage with my wonderful husband, Frank, this week (we were wed April 27, 2019) and Rohail’s guest post submission really touched me. I hope the Bride of Karsaz finds peace someday. ♥
Read about this awesome urban legend at https://horrorfam.com/bride-of-karsaz
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Once again, thank you to D. Deb for sending me paintbrushes via my Throne Wishlist! I might STILL be trying to color the pavement of Karsaz Road if not for you! lol. Much appreciated. 🙂 https://throne.com/littlezotz
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Music used in this video: Blockbuster Atmosphere 3 (Resolution) by Sascha Ende Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/130-blockbu… License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
I Got New Glasses! (Hyperlapse Illustration Video)
This drawing about my new glasses isn’t sponsored but I *am* a GlassesShop.com affiliate (and a customer since 2012!). If YOU need new glasses too, please consider using my affiliate link: https://bit.ly/ZotzGlasses (capitalization matters). Thank you for watching!! ♥
Don’t need eyeglasses or sunglasses but still want to support my content? Buy me a coffee! 😀 https://ko-fi.com/littlezotz Thank you!!! ♥
Music featured in this video, in order of appearance:
- “Friendly Day” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- “Split In Synapse” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- “Bright Morning” by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Rising Dawn by Ethereal 88 | https://ethereal88.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/