This week: Fear the simple things in life Edited by: Gaby  
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Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.
~ Salvador Dali
There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment.
~ Hunter S. Thompson
True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful.
~ Paul Sweeney
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We all have our own fears and phobias, don't we? I'm afraid of spiders and anything that's tiny and crawls. However, not everyone is scared of the same things. There are more common fears that I'd never consider to be as such. When I started to do a little bit of research on this, I did an all around search on it and the following list popped up which is considered as the seven deadly fears:
 The Fear of Being Alone.
The Fear of Connecting.
The Fear of Being Abandoned.
The Fear of Self-Assertion.
The Fear of Lack of Recognition.
The Fear of Failure and Success.
The Fear of Being Fully Alive.
Why are these considered deadly in the first place? What exactly makes them deadly? And why are we afraid of the most simplest things in life? Do they really belong in a newsletter such as this?
Let's dig, shall we?
All the fears mentioned above, just like the rest of them that aren't, are part of your mind and your heart. The fear of being alone sounds almost ridiculous until you delve deeper and think about it. Is it really just about being alone in a room? Or is there more?
Here's an example. Something I don't share freely but it's what comes to mind so here it is. Years ago, when my mom passed away, my dad was so heartbroken, so depressed and lonely, that I thought he might do something drastic. He stated it a couple of times and I didn't take it as a joke either. At that time I was a flight attendant and not home that often. Every time I came home and opened that front door, I'd look up at our loft and the stairs to make sure that everything looked okay, if you get my meaning. For two years, I had my fear of losing him as well as my mom. His fear was of being alone. While he had me, I didn't count at that time. I was not his soulmate, his better half. I was only a child who couldn't possibly understand of such a loss. And perhaps I didn't. His fear never left entirely. He filled the void with someone else and I'm okay with that.
The fear of connection had me thinking a bit, because why fear having something in common with another human being? Then again, this same fear walks hand in hand with abandonment. We put up many walls in our lifetime for many different reasons to protect our heart, mind, and soul. For our own well being. Then I thought about a friend of mine who's dealt with this for so long, I don't think she even knows it. She craves a connection with someone, but she won't let herself fall. She'll fall in love without a problem, but she won't open herself up. The wall she'd built long time ago because of one man, had never come down. Yet the more she fears making a connection, the abandonment follows because of that.
Self-assertion shouldn't even be a problem let alone a fear but here it is! Do you know people like that? Seems like I'm surrounded with people who have issues, because I know many.  However, those exact people don't fear it, they annoy me with it. It's a confidence thing. I would say it's a false sense of confidence. Unlike them, I'm unsure of myself, my actions at times, my abilities. In that regard, I'd be the likely candidate for this. I'm not very assertive with my feelings, desires, expectation, but I'm very demanding in other ways and learned to maneuver my way around to get what I want. Why? Because I don't like conflict, or hurting someone else's feelings.
Lack of recognition is something most of us are familiar with. Main one being, going to work, going above and beyond, yet someone else gets a pat on the back for doing their job finally. I wouldn't fear this, I'd be irritated at best before leaving such a workplace. But it's not always that easy.  I fall into this category as well apparently. I've worked with my in law for years. I did get recognition, no doubt about that. My paycheck didn't always reflect that. My recognition was extra added work, more responsibility, keeping quiet. Then I left. And it didn't go so well. I was brought back to work - somewhat unwillingly but circumstance, those darn circumstances! - made me not only work, but run the business completely. Yep, self-assertion went right out the window as well.
As for the fear of failure and success... We're all writers here! Need I say more?!
Being fully alive is a great feeling! Why fear it? Because everything else that we might put at risk in order to reach that stage. We'd be looked at as inconsiderate, self-absorbed. Other things, emotions, people suffer in order for us to be so free and alive.
In retrospect, some of these could be considered insecurities rather than fears. You might not have wanted to know this much about my personal life either, but they were good examples. And why are such things part of a horror newsletter? Ask yourself. Every single fear mentioned could lead to so many different yet catastrophic and scary outcomes.
Until next time, my scary friends!
~ Gaby 
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Comments/feedback for my previous newsletter, "Horror/Scary Newsletter (April 19, 2023)" :
(All appreciated and welcome! I always look forward to meeting new people and fresh interactions.)
Santeven Quokklaus commented:
Female villains are still a tough sell. I had a short story rejected because the villain was a female (in fact, they asked me to gender swap the story and they'd publish it; I didn't). However, I have managed to sell a few, and it's getting to be more and more as time goes on. So things are changing out there!
A great book focusing on them is Predators In Petticoats (https://www.amazon.com/Predators-Petticoats-Seanan-McGuire/dp/B0863TG1K4), where the villains are all female. So it is changing.
Yes, it does look that way. I can even see and understand the request to swap the villain gender. I am also convinced that a female villain is necessary. We're no angels by any means. And don't they always say to come up with something new?! 
W.P. Gerace commented:
Hi Ms. Gaby,
I just want to say thank you for sharing my story, "What Do With Frozen Salsa Sauce". That means a lot to me. Thanks again. Have a great day.
Yours Truly,
Bill
You are most welcome, Mr. Bill!
oldgreywolf on wheels commented:
Don't forget Angelina in Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat" (1961).
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an untrained opportunist.
North Korea used to maintain a company of female assassins. With that psycho running things, could be a battalion, by now.
I haven't heard of any of them, but I do like the idea of female assassins! Quite interesting.
dragonwoman commented:
Evil and or villianous women are some of my favorite characters. Sometimes I root for the witch.
Mine, too, and by the way, I always root for the witch! 
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry
I like making female villains to be more Evil than male ones. Mental and emotional manipulation tend to be among their tools of the trade, maybe seemingly helpless, until the reveal.
I fully agree! I've always thought that deep down women were capable of much more than men.
I appreciate the time you took commenting and I'm looking forward to hearing from you as well as other readers again! 
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Horror/Scary: May 03, 2023 Issue [#11925]
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