THE FORLORNED® BOOK TWO--THE FORSAKENED

My novel, The Forsakened is now available in print and Kindle edition on Amazon. The book will also be released in audiobook format in a few weeks. 

I love the cover by Grady Earls. It encompasses so much about this Victorian Gothic thriller!

 Get your copy of the Forsakened here

visit my website for some fun free downloads! Click here

OLD CRYPTS AND CEMETERY MARKERS

In my last post, I promised to show you a few old crypts and cemetery markers from one of my trips to the East Coast. I spent several hours walking through old cemeteries gathering research for my writing projects.

One of my favorite cemeteries was Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christ Church cemetery spans two acres and contains the remains of many Colonial and Revolution-era people  (over 1,400 of them) including Benjamin Franklin and a few signers of the Declaration of Independence.

While the city bustled around this peaceful two-acre patch, I toured the church and then stood outside the historical building. A sense of quiet calm washed over me, easing the tension from my long journey from Kalispell, Montana. As I peered into the graveyard I could feel the spirits of those who rest beneath its peaty soil rise to greet me. The problem was--we had to do our greeting through a fence because the cemetery was undergoing maintenance.

     Christ's Church Cemetery

The grave of Francis Hopkinson-One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.













The Liberty Bell located on Market Street. It was one of the first things I saw when I came to Philly. It is brightly lit at night.

 My next stop was the Betsy Ross House. Betsy (Elizabeth Griscom Claypoole) is buried in a private cemetery behind the house with her husband John Claypoole.

THE FORLORNED SERIES--NEW BOOK RELEASE!

I have some exciting news for fans of The Forlorned series. The second book, The Forsakened, will be released in just a few weeks. If you like Victorian Era haunts and bloodcurdling tales of the sea, you will enjoy reading this chilling gothic novel. 

A lot of research went into the making of The Forsakened. The process of learning about Victorian mourning attire, mourning jewelry, and burial customs was such a fascinating, yet sad journey for me.  I spent months researching records in the National Archives and pouring over hordes of out of print books on the subject. Although not all of the material went into the manuscript itself, it allowed me to become well acquainted with these long-ago customs. 

When I first began writing The Forsakened, I had no idea that antique mourning art, photographs, and jewelry had been rising in popularity among collectors in modern times. Memorial art is highly valued for its sentimental attributes as well as its historical worth. As far as the medieval times, death art was created as a way to remember the dead. In the Victorian Era (named after Queen Victoria), death art reached an all-time high in popularity which had never occurred before or since. There were many types of ornamentations created in the name of the deceased. These ghastly decorations included, jewelry, hair, and sometimes teeth woven into wreaths, pictures of the dearly departed in death, paintings and more. 

In the next blog post, I will take you on a photographic journey to some of the mausoleums and crypts I have visited along the way. 

The Forsakened is scheduled for release in just a few short weeks. Please sign up for my newsletter for giveaways and exciting updates. 

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Happy Halloween everyone!

To celebrate the one year release of the movie, The Forlorned, we decorated for Halloween in a nautical theme. One of my film partners, Sanford Horowitz let us use his antique ships figurehead from New York. Its a beautiful piece. I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!   

MY OWN COCKYGATE NIGHTMARE--STANDING UNITED WITH AUTHORS

This is the notice and summary of my own #Cockygate nightmare. I have been posting this on social media sites--hoping for positive change. 

No one should be sued, stalked and harassed over a WORD in their book title.  Please help support authors who are victims of malicious and frivolous lawsuits like me. Also, please support the Authors Guild. I am a proud member of the Authors Guild. They fight very hard for the rights of fellow artists/authors.  

Please share my message (feel free to click and copy the jpeg above) with everyone you can. United we stand against vexatious litigants--serial lawsuit filers. The felon who sued had over 300 defendants! Including his own MOTHER! 

He even claimed to have collaborated on my novel and movie--total lies. He had ZERO to do with my projects. He was a critique partner in a group I belonged to and nothing more. He was kicked out of that group for rude behavior--go figure. Believe me--I don't need a convicted pedophile being associated with any of my middle grade or YA projects. He crazily believes that the title, The Forlorned, belongs to him and sued for trademark infringement--even though I already OWNED the trademark because it was the name of my corporation. 

How crazy is that? 

Even crazier is that because this felon is on welfare--he gets to file his phony lawsuits for free--paid by hard earned tax dollars--while the rest of us have to pay dearly--just to defend ourselves. 

Please join my fight for justice! 


Thank you--Angela

THE FORLORNED-THE NIGHTMARE IS REAL

Hello Everyone,

I am so excited to have a re-release of my novel, The Forlorned--a project that is very close to my heart. The manuscript was first published very early on in my career, many years ago. 

After a rights revision last year, I spent all winter huddled by the fire drinking Barry's Irish tea and totally rewrote the entire novel and it was re-released this past April. 

It was hard to keep my focus on writing because I had so many things going on in my life--not all of it good. For example, the movie based roughly on my novel had been released which was wonderful to see. But, at the same time my business partner had passed away in July. Because of his death, I had to deal with a convicted pedophile alone. A felon that was suing The Forlorned, LLC for phony claims to the book and movie title. Yes, you read that right--This ex-convict was suing me over my own book title claiming he created it and owned the trademark. How crazy is this when The Forlorned, LLC owns both the federal and state trademark because of our goods and services, the movie, the book and everything attached. After a long, miserable battle, the U.S. Supreme Court quickly put a stop to his nonsense-but not after he wasted hard earned tax dollars (he sues for free or in forma pauperis claiming he cannot afford filing fees.) 

It is completely insane how this ex-convict thinks that a book was made into a movie because of a snazzy title? Seriously? In fact, It’s laughable! Many talented and very famous authors have unique book titles. But that doesn't mean they will get a movie deal because of it. To think this way is a clear indication that someone might need a serious mental evaluation. In my opinion--it’s a narcissistic trait of someone with a possible anti-social personality disorder. It’s like saying. “Gee, I created a title so wonderful that a movie company is spending millions to make a movie. How glorious I am!” 

Want to know the real truth?

The truth is that it takes damn hard work and sheer dedication to write a book and make a motion picture. I poured blood, sweat and tears into this project.  We did not have outside investors like this felon loves to spew all over the internet.... We did however, have a great cast and crew and the best attorney in the entertainment industry (The former vice president of Paramount Pictures) who sold our movie to our distributor. We did it with our own resources and the help of a great cast and crew.

And as for the title—we could have called it dog vomit and it still would have been made into a movie because it took courage. It took courage to pour all our own resources into an idea. It took courage to ignore all the hate that was posted online and the courage to stand up against his frivolous lawsuits.

The Forlorned turned out to really be a true horror story. Not only was it filled with rats, a spooky lighthouse island, antiquated ghosts, and escalating horrors—but it was also haunted by a convicted felon who filed a lawsuit against us for daring to use our own trademarked title--which was as scary and chilling as his mullet sporting mugshot.

So please support the Forlorned by leaving reviews if you can and grab your copy while it is still on sale. Hope you enjoy it! 

Angela Townsend Speaks Out Against Bullies

My name is Angela Townsend. Today I am speaking out about being stalked, sued, harassed and bullied as an author, artist and a filmmaker.  I am by nature a very strong willed person. I come from strong people. And this is a good thing because being bullied isn't  easy to endure. It's like being the last standing tree in a burning forest. It is a frightening and lonely place to be. Everything around you is destroyed right down to your roots--and yet you are excepted to remain standing while someone takes an ax to your soul. For those of you who do not know me, I am a traditionally published, best-selling and award-winning author. I am represented by some of the greatest people in the book and film industry. And I am also a member of the prestigious Authors Guild of America, and have been a member of the Bram Stoker Horror Association and many others. I was recognized by the governor of my state for my published novels. I have books, audiobooks, interactive games in the works and even a motion picture based on my novel, The Forlorned®. But my biggest achievement is donating books to the Ronald McDonald Houses of America for sick children and to other children in impoverished areas around the globe--as well as donating books to those serving our military overseas.  

As wonderful as this all sounds--there is nothing glamorous about my life because as I said before--I am the subject of ongoing and unrelenting bullying, stalking, cyberstalking and character assassination through social media and other means with the intent to cause emotional, physical, financial and grievous harm. 

The bullies in my life come from very different walks of life--from civil servants to the lowest dregs of our prison system-- but  what they all have in common is a belief they can take advantage of my intellectual abilities by making false claims of ownership over my novel and or my motion picture, The Forlorned®. 

Thankfully every single court of law--including the U.S. Supreme Court--has sided in my favor. 

Every. Single. Time.  

The Forlorned® really is a horror story in every aspect. I first wrote the novel in the late 1990's--before any of my bullies existed in my life. The book was published three times and then finally I had the rights back into my hands. I totally re-wrote the novel and then re-published on April 2, 2018.  I was thrilled to have the novel back into my sole possession where I could change the characters and add themes that had not been there before.  I absolutely love the new version--vicious rats and all. I am currently working the sequel which will be released very soon.

I am speaking out today to help other artists create their work without fear. I walk in a positive light and I create with courage. I hope that other artists who are the victims of harassment will do the same. Being an artist is hard. We give our gifts, our precious time and talent to the world, and we are not always supported or rewarded.  Reviews and art critiques can be brutal. Please try to remember--your art is important. Without artists there is no extension of nature, there are no other worlds for readers to escape, there is less joy in a world without song.

When someone is constantly speaking negatively about you, blogging about you, and making wild accusations---they are only harming themselves. Good people can see right through their lies. Keep on creating with courage.  Take pity on those that bully you  instead of hating them. Anyone who practices hate only causes harm to themselves. 

There is an old saying I live by and it goes something like this:

"You don't make your light shine any brighter by snuffing someone else's out."

In my most recent case of bullying--I have often felt like Matilda fighting off the ponderous Miss. Trunchbull.  For those of you not familiar with the film, Matilda--Miss. Trunchbull is the tyrannical head of a rundown middle school. She is a large, overbearing woman filled with jealousy, greed and hate for Matilda. It seems no matter what Matilda does, Trunchbull only hates her all the more.  Fortunately, the Trunchbull who has inserted herself in my life will never win, because as I said before--at my very core, I am a fighter.  

Credit ---TriStar Pictures / Via avengetheangels.tumblr.com

So my word of advice to Trunchbull is this: go write your own novel. Try producing your own film. You have no right to mine. Support other women instead of tearing them down. Take a break from hate and practice love and kindness in a productive way.  See the beauty in the world instead of looking for darkness. 

So my final advice to others who are in my situation--live a happy life. It is the best revenge. Be kind to everyone you can. Shut out gossip and hate. Compassion, kindness, and love are the biggest weapons we have against those who seek to destroy us. Also keep in mind that bullies are like a pathogenic disease. If they do not have a host to inhabit they will wither on the vine. 

And most important of all--do not ever let anyone take credit for your work. You are the creator. It is yours and yours alone. Keep it close to your heart. Fight with everything you have. You have a right to interpret the world as you see it and to reflect the society in which we live in through your artwork, your words, music or whatever art-form you do without being haraassed. 

Create with courage.  

Love Angie. 


--The Forlorned is on sale now for just .99Cents! Grab a copy while it's still on sale. Read the book and then watch the movie. https://amzn.to/2Hyb6Gf