Michael McCarty's Blog, page 3
July 4, 2015
5-Time Bram Stoker Finalist
Michael McCarty 5-Time Bram Stoker Finalist
2005: MORE GIANTS OF THE GENRE (Nonfiction)
2008: MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL - with Mark McLaughlin (First Novel)
2008: ATTACK OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER - with Mark McLaughlin (Poetry Collection)
2012 I KISSED A GHOUL (Young Adult)
2012 LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE - with Joe McKinney
Maybe someday, I will win the Haunted House ....
I Kissed a GhoulLost Girl of the Lake
2005: MORE GIANTS OF THE GENRE (Nonfiction)
2008: MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL - with Mark McLaughlin (First Novel)
2008: ATTACK OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER - with Mark McLaughlin (Poetry Collection)
2012 I KISSED A GHOUL (Young Adult)
2012 LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE - with Joe McKinney
Maybe someday, I will win the Haunted House ....
I Kissed a GhoulLost Girl of the Lake
June 14, 2015
Summer Reading (Top 10 List)
Summer Reading (Top 10 List)
“Summer turns me upside down. Summer summer summer. It’s like a merry go round” – The Cars.
Sweet Summer: BBQs, Bikinis and Books … yes books. And if you are looking for some recommendations of Michael McCarty books to read for your summertime pleasure, here is my Top 10 Books for the summer.
1) I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty (Curiosity Quills Press)
This YA book is about the horny Mayor’s son who tries to score every chance he gets, but fights monsters instead
2) LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty (Bad Moon Books)
Snakes, Lakes and Skinny-Dipping … what more could you ask for during the summer
3) MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS (Crystal Lake Publishing)
35 Interviews with the likes of Ray Bradbury, Elvira, Dean Koontz, The Cast & Crew of Night of the Living Dead, John Saul, John Carpenter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Richard Matheson, Joe McKinney, William F. Nolan, Christopher Moore and many more.
4) NIGHT OF THE SCREAM QUEEN by Michael McCarty & Linnea Quigley (Dark Moon Books)
Swampy summertime fun with scream queens and Gator-Guys
5) BLOODLUST by Jody R. LaGreca and Michael McCarty (Whiskey Creek Press)
Vampire & Marilyn Monroe … need I say more?
6) CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN by The Amazing Kreskin & Michael McCarty (Team Kreskin)
A nonfiction book look at The Amazing Kreskin’s amazing life
Fiends
7) A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS by Michael McCarty (Wildside Press)
A terrific short story collection … you will love it
8) FEAR & DESIRE by S.A. Gambino & Michael McCarty (Wilder Publications)
Adult themed poems to send shivers down the spine and warm the heart
9) MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Medallion Press)
A haunted car novel with zombies… scary, sexy and some dark humor too
10) LIQUID DIET & MIDNIGHT SNACK: 2 VAMPIRE SATIRES by Michael McCarty
If you like vampires or INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, be sure to check it out
RUNNERS-UP:
BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca (Whiskey Creek Press)
DARK DUETS by Michael McCarty (Wildside Press)
LAUGHING IN THE DARK by Michael McCarty (Damnation Books)
A HELL OF A JOB by Michael McCarty (Damnation Books)
REVENGE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Eletrik Milk Bath Press)
BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin & Michael McCarty (Wilder Publications)
The books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble …. etc etc etc. Below are the links for Amazon ebooks, trade paperbacks on their site too
(I Kissed A Ghoul)
http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
(Lost Girl of the Lake)
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girl-Lake-...
(Modern Mythmakers)
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(Night of the Scream Queen)
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Scream-Qu...
(Bloodlust)
http://www.amazon.com/Bloodlust-Blood...
(Conversations with Kreskin)
http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-K...
(Monster Behind The Wheel)
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Behind-...
(Liquid Diet)
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Diet-Mid...
(Fear & Desire)
http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Desire-S-G...
(A Little Help From My Fiends)
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-...
May 23, 2015
Martin Lastrapes Interviews Michael McCarty (podcast)
The tables are turned as Martin Lastrapes interviews Michael McCarty
Thanks again Martin!!!
Here are a few of the topics we covered:
•Where Cary Grant died
•The Amazing Kreskin
•Interviewing horror and sci-fi icons
•Being a journalist
•Gushing over Elvira
•Co-writing novels
Official Website: http://www.martinlastrapesshow.com/ep...
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=38121209
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/martinlastr... (This one you can use on a website or social media and it will embed itself with a PLAY button)
This is what Tanja Jurković of The Gothic Imagination had to say about Modern Mythmakers:
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers"We all grew up eagerly absorbing the works of Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, John Carpenter and the likes, allowing their words and actions to shape our lives, and our character. They all taught us to appreciate literature, film and art in any other form. We witnessed the birth of the dark and the weird, and we realized that our nightmares can come to life and haunt us through novels, short stories, feature films and representations on the big screen. Modern Mythmakers is a thorough account of life’s works of some of the most famous and legendary writers, directors and actors presented in 35 interviews (with 5 additional interviews included in the eBook edition). It raises nostalgia in the minds of science fiction and horror fans and has the ability to create a generation of new fans and followers, in that way continuing to build a long lasting tradition and showing appreciation for some of the classics of science fiction and horror, that helped us form a new way of looking at the world in which we live in."
Thanks again Martin!!!
Here are a few of the topics we covered:
•Where Cary Grant died
•The Amazing Kreskin
•Interviewing horror and sci-fi icons
•Being a journalist
•Gushing over Elvira
•Co-writing novels
Official Website: http://www.martinlastrapesshow.com/ep...
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=38121209
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/martinlastr... (This one you can use on a website or social media and it will embed itself with a PLAY button)
This is what Tanja Jurković of The Gothic Imagination had to say about Modern Mythmakers:
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers"We all grew up eagerly absorbing the works of Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, John Carpenter and the likes, allowing their words and actions to shape our lives, and our character. They all taught us to appreciate literature, film and art in any other form. We witnessed the birth of the dark and the weird, and we realized that our nightmares can come to life and haunt us through novels, short stories, feature films and representations on the big screen. Modern Mythmakers is a thorough account of life’s works of some of the most famous and legendary writers, directors and actors presented in 35 interviews (with 5 additional interviews included in the eBook edition). It raises nostalgia in the minds of science fiction and horror fans and has the ability to create a generation of new fans and followers, in that way continuing to build a long lasting tradition and showing appreciation for some of the classics of science fiction and horror, that helped us form a new way of looking at the world in which we live in."
April 28, 2015
Michael McCarty & Jody R. LaGreca BLOODLESS Interview For Zero Signal Magazine
Here is the link to the Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca Bloodless interview for Zero Signal Magazine
https://monstermikeyaauthor.wordpress...
/[book:Bloodless|17237433
https://monstermikeyaauthor.wordpress...
/[book:Bloodless|17237433
March 31, 2015
Michael McCarty Podcast
This is the link to my first podcast:
I come on the show around 30:00 minutes into the podcast
http://armcastpodcast.libsyn.com/arm-...
I come on the show around 30:00 minutes into the podcast
http://armcastpodcast.libsyn.com/arm-...
February 24, 2015
MODERN MYTHMAKERS Event
Join our FB event for more information, reviews and links: https://www.facebook.com/events/87041...
Modern Mythmakers is a collection of 35 interviews from horror and science fiction's most influential writers and filmmakers, including Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Richard Matheson, John Carpenter, John Saul, Joe McKinney, the Night of the Living Dead crew (including John Russo, Kyra Schon and Russ Streiner), Elvira, Whitley Strieber, Christopher Moore, and many more.
Line-up: Foreword by Alan Dean Foster; Forrest J. Ackerman; C. Dean Andersson; Adrienne Barbeau; Ray Bradbury; Ramsey Campbell; John Carpenter; Dan Curtis; Elvira; Rusty Fischer; Neil Gaiman; Mick Garris; Laurell K. Hamilton; George Clayton Johnson; Jack Ketchum; Dean Koontz; Herschell Gordon Lewis; Thomas Ligotti; Bentley Little; Graham Masterton; Richard Matheson; Joe McKinney; Christopher Moore; Night of the Living Dead Crew: John Russo, Kyra Schon, & Russ Streiner; William F. Nolan; Ingrid Pitt; Linnea Quigley; Fred Olen Ray; John Saul; David Snell; Darce Stoker; Peter Straub; Whitley Strieber; Timothy Zahn; Afterword by The Amazing Kreskin.
“Interesting interviews, masterfully compiled…” – Horror News
“Modern Mythmakers is a horror-fiend's dream – a bubbling cauldron of genre info straight from the mouths of the madmen and women we fans worship.” – Kristopher Triana, author of Growing Dark and head of Tavern of Terror
“I was struck by the skill with which Michael McCarty conducts himself. He should have his own nightly talk show or at least a radio program dedicated to his work.” – Zero Signal Magazine
“… beware the dark, and what lurks in the minds of those you read and watch in the wee hours. Highly recommended.” – Hellnotes
“Modern Mythmakers is a healthy-sized bowl of horror-themed Wheaties coated with inspiration that’ll fuel your writing and filmmaking passion. And for the straight up fan boys and girls, it’s full of spoonfuls of trivia regarding classic horror and science fiction film and literature.” – Horror Novel Reviews
Modern Mythmakers is a collection of 35 interviews from horror and science fiction's most influential writers and filmmakers, including Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Richard Matheson, John Carpenter, John Saul, Joe McKinney, the Night of the Living Dead crew (including John Russo, Kyra Schon and Russ Streiner), Elvira, Whitley Strieber, Christopher Moore, and many more.
Line-up: Foreword by Alan Dean Foster; Forrest J. Ackerman; C. Dean Andersson; Adrienne Barbeau; Ray Bradbury; Ramsey Campbell; John Carpenter; Dan Curtis; Elvira; Rusty Fischer; Neil Gaiman; Mick Garris; Laurell K. Hamilton; George Clayton Johnson; Jack Ketchum; Dean Koontz; Herschell Gordon Lewis; Thomas Ligotti; Bentley Little; Graham Masterton; Richard Matheson; Joe McKinney; Christopher Moore; Night of the Living Dead Crew: John Russo, Kyra Schon, & Russ Streiner; William F. Nolan; Ingrid Pitt; Linnea Quigley; Fred Olen Ray; John Saul; David Snell; Darce Stoker; Peter Straub; Whitley Strieber; Timothy Zahn; Afterword by The Amazing Kreskin.
“Interesting interviews, masterfully compiled…” – Horror News
“Modern Mythmakers is a horror-fiend's dream – a bubbling cauldron of genre info straight from the mouths of the madmen and women we fans worship.” – Kristopher Triana, author of Growing Dark and head of Tavern of Terror
“I was struck by the skill with which Michael McCarty conducts himself. He should have his own nightly talk show or at least a radio program dedicated to his work.” – Zero Signal Magazine
“… beware the dark, and what lurks in the minds of those you read and watch in the wee hours. Highly recommended.” – Hellnotes
“Modern Mythmakers is a healthy-sized bowl of horror-themed Wheaties coated with inspiration that’ll fuel your writing and filmmaking passion. And for the straight up fan boys and girls, it’s full of spoonfuls of trivia regarding classic horror and science fiction film and literature.” – Horror Novel Reviews
February 7, 2015
I Kissed A Ghoul ... And I Liked It: The Story How Tommy Wharton Rises From The Grave
The story about Tommy Wharton and I KISSED A GHOUL actually started with the publication of another book called RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES, a science fiction kid’s book I co-written with Sherry Decker. I had a lot of fun writing RUSTY and decided to write a Young Adult Book.
Shortly after RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES was published, I jumped right into it and wrote I KISSED A GHOUL. I had a lot of fun writing the book, several times I had to stop, because I was laughing so hard. This was going to be my tribute to both horror writer Richard Laymon and my years at West High School in Davenport, Iowa.
I send I KISSED A GHOUL off to my first publisher and they accepted. It was a dream come true. Noble Young Adult accepted the publication and gave me a nice advance as well. I had my friend and collaborator Ken Lillie-Paetz (who co-written a tale with me in A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS) and Monkey Pharmacy Studios do a groovy cover of Tommy going to his prom with a sext vampire gal.
Horror writer Bentley Little even wrote a great introduction for the book and Gerard Houarner wrote the afterword.
Not only do I get my first YA published the ebook ended up on the Bram Stoker Final Ballot for “Superior Achievement for Young Adult Novel Category.”
I was more happy than comedian Fluffy at a buffet.
Then the dream quickly becomes a nightmare. The book doesn’t win a Bram Stoker and the publisher went out of business a week later.
And to top things off … I was laid off from my job at the college, where I worked for 15 years.
Normally such a situation would be discouraging. But I believed in Tommy Wharton and the book.
I end up sending the book out to another publisher Curiosity Quill Press and they ended publishing the book on Groundhog Day, February 2, 2015.
Like YA paranormal with a kick? This book was just plain laugh out loud fun to write. Plus it’s got it all: Werewolves, vampires and a succubus. They ain’t got nothing over wannabe-cool teen Tommy. Forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer, here’s a regular joe hero who falls down, kicks butt & keeps trying to get some.
You would think that being the mayor’s son would automatically make you popular. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for Tommy Wharton. As a matter of fact, he gets picked on for being overweight. However, there are some perks like using his dad’s campaign van and credit card.
Tommy is just like the average teenage boy. His hormones are raging and all he thinks about is having sex. The only problem is that he can never seal the deal. Every time he is about to get lucky, something always ruins it. This is so frustrating to Tommy. It seems that he has no good luck. Not to mention that he constantly finds himself in the presence of monsters – vampires, werewolves, succubus. You name it, he finds them.
People have asked me, why I’d want to write a YA book about an overweight teenage boy who is a nerd and tries to score all the time. I watched “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” and thought: These characters are the 1%: Cheerleaders, Football players, the Class President, Etc. I wasn’t interested in yet another book about a popular skinny teen. I wanted to write a book about the rest of us: .. the weirdos, the geeks, the freaks, the stoners, the loners, the losers and the dreamers. My message, if there is a message to learn from the book is: It is okay to be different, you don’t have to be popular to be cool, just be yourself. I wanted to have a regular joe for a hero – and that is was about time in the genres! I hope the readers find it a great message to send to teens as well.
Check it out yourself. The book is ready to read at:
http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
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◾ I Kissed A Ghoul … And I Liked It: The Story How Tommy Wharton Rises From The Grave
◾ That’ll Be The Day: Interview With Jerry Allison, Drummer
Shortly after RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES was published, I jumped right into it and wrote I KISSED A GHOUL. I had a lot of fun writing the book, several times I had to stop, because I was laughing so hard. This was going to be my tribute to both horror writer Richard Laymon and my years at West High School in Davenport, Iowa.
I send I KISSED A GHOUL off to my first publisher and they accepted. It was a dream come true. Noble Young Adult accepted the publication and gave me a nice advance as well. I had my friend and collaborator Ken Lillie-Paetz (who co-written a tale with me in A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS) and Monkey Pharmacy Studios do a groovy cover of Tommy going to his prom with a sext vampire gal.
Horror writer Bentley Little even wrote a great introduction for the book and Gerard Houarner wrote the afterword.
Not only do I get my first YA published the ebook ended up on the Bram Stoker Final Ballot for “Superior Achievement for Young Adult Novel Category.”
I was more happy than comedian Fluffy at a buffet.
Then the dream quickly becomes a nightmare. The book doesn’t win a Bram Stoker and the publisher went out of business a week later.
And to top things off … I was laid off from my job at the college, where I worked for 15 years.
Normally such a situation would be discouraging. But I believed in Tommy Wharton and the book.
I end up sending the book out to another publisher Curiosity Quill Press and they ended publishing the book on Groundhog Day, February 2, 2015.
Like YA paranormal with a kick? This book was just plain laugh out loud fun to write. Plus it’s got it all: Werewolves, vampires and a succubus. They ain’t got nothing over wannabe-cool teen Tommy. Forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer, here’s a regular joe hero who falls down, kicks butt & keeps trying to get some.
You would think that being the mayor’s son would automatically make you popular. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for Tommy Wharton. As a matter of fact, he gets picked on for being overweight. However, there are some perks like using his dad’s campaign van and credit card.
Tommy is just like the average teenage boy. His hormones are raging and all he thinks about is having sex. The only problem is that he can never seal the deal. Every time he is about to get lucky, something always ruins it. This is so frustrating to Tommy. It seems that he has no good luck. Not to mention that he constantly finds himself in the presence of monsters – vampires, werewolves, succubus. You name it, he finds them.
People have asked me, why I’d want to write a YA book about an overweight teenage boy who is a nerd and tries to score all the time. I watched “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” and thought: These characters are the 1%: Cheerleaders, Football players, the Class President, Etc. I wasn’t interested in yet another book about a popular skinny teen. I wanted to write a book about the rest of us: .. the weirdos, the geeks, the freaks, the stoners, the loners, the losers and the dreamers. My message, if there is a message to learn from the book is: It is okay to be different, you don’t have to be popular to be cool, just be yourself. I wanted to have a regular joe for a hero – and that is was about time in the genres! I hope the readers find it a great message to send to teens as well.
Check it out yourself. The book is ready to read at:
http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
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2014: The Year of Fear
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◾ I Kissed A Ghoul … And I Liked It: The Story How Tommy Wharton Rises From The Grave
◾ That’ll Be The Day: Interview With Jerry Allison, Drummer
January 25, 2015
2014 - That was the year that was....
2014… Arrived like a package in the US Mail. Battered and beaten and ready to take on a whole new year.
2014 … January also saw the release of A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, a short story collection with collaboration with Mark McLaughlin, Sandy DeLuca, Sherry Decker, Cindy McCarty and more. Published from the fine folks of Wildside Press.
2014 …. Buried in snow, we shoved out February
2014 …. Cheers for St. Patrick’s Day
2014 …. March was the release month for my third poetry collection book called BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER, co-written with Mark McLaughlin and published by Wilder Publication. I am extremely proud of this collection, it contains two of my favorites: “Icarus Dreams” and “William Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits.”
2014 … The snow finally melted. Spring arrived and I did a few book signings at the Book Rack in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois
2014 … The green grass started to grow and we blazed into summer, which saw the release of my short story collection LAUGHING IN THE DARK – comedy and terror all in one book
http://www.amazon.com/Bride-Two-Heade...
2014 … The 4th of July at the Mississippi Bluesfest Cindy, Roy (my father in-law) and I witness some blistering blues by George Thorogood and The Destroyers
2014 … Dog Days of summer barked! Besides barking or playing dead, the band Beach Party Zombies was born. The group consist of myself on guitar and vocals, my wife Cindy on vocals and Greg Smith on guitar and vocals watch for us in 2015
2014 … Summer chilled down into September, which of course, is Labor Day … working for a living and all that.
2014 …. September also saw the release of RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES co-written with Sherry Decker as an ebook for only a buck
http://www.amazon.com/Robots-Holiday-... The Robot (2)
2014 … Thanksgiving I ate too much turkey
2014 … And December gave me a cold kiss. I received some great Christmas and birthday gift (my birthday is the end of the year, December 31, 2014).
A special kudos goes to Mark McLaughlin for doing all the book covers in 2014: A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER and LAUGHING IN THE DARK. Besides the great exteriors, he also contributed to the great interiors as well….
I survived the year and look forward to 2015, with more books, jokes and adventures. Thanks for sharing my year with me.
2014… Arrived like a package in the US Mail. Battered and beaten and ready to take on a whole new year.
2014 … January also saw the release of A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, a short story collection with collaboration with Mark McLaughlin, Sandy DeLuca, Sherry Decker, Cindy McCarty and more. Published from the fine folks of Wildside Press.
2014 …. Buried in snow, we shoved out February
2014 …. Cheers for St. Patrick’s Day
2014 …. March was the release month for my third poetry collection book called BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER, co-written with Mark McLaughlin and published by Wilder Publication. I am extremely proud of this collection, it contains two of my favorites: “Icarus Dreams” and “William Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits.”
2014 … The snow finally melted. Spring arrived and I did a few book signings at the Book Rack in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois
2014 … The green grass started to grow and we blazed into summer, which saw the release of my short story collection LAUGHING IN THE DARK – comedy and terror all in one book
http://www.amazon.com/Bride-Two-Heade...
2014 … The 4th of July at the Mississippi Bluesfest Cindy, Roy (my father in-law) and I witness some blistering blues by George Thorogood and The Destroyers
2014 … Dog Days of summer barked! Besides barking or playing dead, the band Beach Party Zombies was born. The group consist of myself on guitar and vocals, my wife Cindy on vocals and Greg Smith on guitar and vocals watch for us in 2015
2014 … Summer chilled down into September, which of course, is Labor Day … working for a living and all that.
2014 …. September also saw the release of RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES co-written with Sherry Decker as an ebook for only a buck
http://www.amazon.com/Robots-Holiday-... The Robot (2)
2014 … Thanksgiving I ate too much turkey
2014 … And December gave me a cold kiss. I received some great Christmas and birthday gift (my birthday is the end of the year, December 31, 2014).
A special kudos goes to Mark McLaughlin for doing all the book covers in 2014: A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER and LAUGHING IN THE DARK. Besides the great exteriors, he also contributed to the great interiors as well….
I survived the year and look forward to 2015, with more books, jokes and adventures. Thanks for sharing my year with me.
2014 … January also saw the release of A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, a short story collection with collaboration with Mark McLaughlin, Sandy DeLuca, Sherry Decker, Cindy McCarty and more. Published from the fine folks of Wildside Press.
2014 …. Buried in snow, we shoved out February
2014 …. Cheers for St. Patrick’s Day
2014 …. March was the release month for my third poetry collection book called BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER, co-written with Mark McLaughlin and published by Wilder Publication. I am extremely proud of this collection, it contains two of my favorites: “Icarus Dreams” and “William Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits.”
2014 … The snow finally melted. Spring arrived and I did a few book signings at the Book Rack in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois
2014 … The green grass started to grow and we blazed into summer, which saw the release of my short story collection LAUGHING IN THE DARK – comedy and terror all in one book
http://www.amazon.com/Bride-Two-Heade...
2014 … The 4th of July at the Mississippi Bluesfest Cindy, Roy (my father in-law) and I witness some blistering blues by George Thorogood and The Destroyers
2014 … Dog Days of summer barked! Besides barking or playing dead, the band Beach Party Zombies was born. The group consist of myself on guitar and vocals, my wife Cindy on vocals and Greg Smith on guitar and vocals watch for us in 2015
2014 … Summer chilled down into September, which of course, is Labor Day … working for a living and all that.
2014 …. September also saw the release of RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES co-written with Sherry Decker as an ebook for only a buck
http://www.amazon.com/Robots-Holiday-... The Robot (2)
2014 … Thanksgiving I ate too much turkey
2014 … And December gave me a cold kiss. I received some great Christmas and birthday gift (my birthday is the end of the year, December 31, 2014).
A special kudos goes to Mark McLaughlin for doing all the book covers in 2014: A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER and LAUGHING IN THE DARK. Besides the great exteriors, he also contributed to the great interiors as well….
I survived the year and look forward to 2015, with more books, jokes and adventures. Thanks for sharing my year with me.
2014… Arrived like a package in the US Mail. Battered and beaten and ready to take on a whole new year.
2014 … January also saw the release of A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, a short story collection with collaboration with Mark McLaughlin, Sandy DeLuca, Sherry Decker, Cindy McCarty and more. Published from the fine folks of Wildside Press.
2014 …. Buried in snow, we shoved out February
2014 …. Cheers for St. Patrick’s Day
2014 …. March was the release month for my third poetry collection book called BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER, co-written with Mark McLaughlin and published by Wilder Publication. I am extremely proud of this collection, it contains two of my favorites: “Icarus Dreams” and “William Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits.”
2014 … The snow finally melted. Spring arrived and I did a few book signings at the Book Rack in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois
2014 … The green grass started to grow and we blazed into summer, which saw the release of my short story collection LAUGHING IN THE DARK – comedy and terror all in one book
http://www.amazon.com/Bride-Two-Heade...
2014 … The 4th of July at the Mississippi Bluesfest Cindy, Roy (my father in-law) and I witness some blistering blues by George Thorogood and The Destroyers
2014 … Dog Days of summer barked! Besides barking or playing dead, the band Beach Party Zombies was born. The group consist of myself on guitar and vocals, my wife Cindy on vocals and Greg Smith on guitar and vocals watch for us in 2015
2014 … Summer chilled down into September, which of course, is Labor Day … working for a living and all that.
2014 …. September also saw the release of RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURES co-written with Sherry Decker as an ebook for only a buck
http://www.amazon.com/Robots-Holiday-... The Robot (2)
2014 … Thanksgiving I ate too much turkey
2014 … And December gave me a cold kiss. I received some great Christmas and birthday gift (my birthday is the end of the year, December 31, 2014).
A special kudos goes to Mark McLaughlin for doing all the book covers in 2014: A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS, BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER and LAUGHING IN THE DARK. Besides the great exteriors, he also contributed to the great interiors as well….
I survived the year and look forward to 2015, with more books, jokes and adventures. Thanks for sharing my year with me.
November 2, 2014
To Wake The Dead (Book Review)
To Wake the Dead (Book Review)
by Richard Laymon, Leisure Books, 384 pgs. (hardcover)
$24 (hardcover), $7.99 (paperback), 2003, ISBN: 0-8439-5104-4
Rating: ****
This first-edition hardcover horror novel concerns a 4,000-year-old mummy wandering around in modern-day California.
Yes, you read that correctly – a mummy.
There haven’t been that many mummy tales hitting book shelves lately. The silver screen has been amply illuminated by the Universal franchise of fear – The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King. But bookshelves have been fairly barren on the subject until now. Both Laymon and Joe R. Lansdale (who released Bubba Ho-Tep) have penned novels offering new slants on mummies.
In To Wake the Dead, Amara, the Princess of Egypt, is collecting dust in the mansion of the rich and elderly Robert Callahan. Then the corpse is freed of its wrappings during a foiled burglary attempt and all hell breaks loose.
This novel is free flowing; taking unexpected twists and turns. Laymon presents many different story lines: a romance between a police officer and an assistant curator of a museum; teenagers held in cages by a sex-crazed maniac; a crazy street person with an obsessive crush; three runaway teens from South Carolina escaping from a horrible past; a blind lady lonely for love; and 38 pages of “The Memoirs of Robert Callahan,” all sewn together better than Frankenstein’s monster – all so perfect and seamless.
To Wake the Dead is a wild ride, a perfect mix of helter-skelter horror and humor. Another macabre masterpiece by Richard Laymon – with an introduction by Dean Koontz! What more could you ask for?
(The book is now available as an ebook too)To Wake the Dead
by Richard Laymon, Leisure Books, 384 pgs. (hardcover)
$24 (hardcover), $7.99 (paperback), 2003, ISBN: 0-8439-5104-4
Rating: ****
This first-edition hardcover horror novel concerns a 4,000-year-old mummy wandering around in modern-day California.
Yes, you read that correctly – a mummy.
There haven’t been that many mummy tales hitting book shelves lately. The silver screen has been amply illuminated by the Universal franchise of fear – The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King. But bookshelves have been fairly barren on the subject until now. Both Laymon and Joe R. Lansdale (who released Bubba Ho-Tep) have penned novels offering new slants on mummies.
In To Wake the Dead, Amara, the Princess of Egypt, is collecting dust in the mansion of the rich and elderly Robert Callahan. Then the corpse is freed of its wrappings during a foiled burglary attempt and all hell breaks loose.
This novel is free flowing; taking unexpected twists and turns. Laymon presents many different story lines: a romance between a police officer and an assistant curator of a museum; teenagers held in cages by a sex-crazed maniac; a crazy street person with an obsessive crush; three runaway teens from South Carolina escaping from a horrible past; a blind lady lonely for love; and 38 pages of “The Memoirs of Robert Callahan,” all sewn together better than Frankenstein’s monster – all so perfect and seamless.
To Wake the Dead is a wild ride, a perfect mix of helter-skelter horror and humor. Another macabre masterpiece by Richard Laymon – with an introduction by Dean Koontz! What more could you ask for?
(The book is now available as an ebook too)To Wake the Dead
The Mark Twain of Horror: Keith Schulz
Keepers of the River
The Mark Twain of Horror: Keith Schulz
by Michael McCarty
Keith Schulz’s debut novel Keepers of the River (Quixote Press) made it to the preliminary Bram Stoker Award ballot in 2002. Ed Gorman compared him to Mark Twain and Garrett Peck called his first book, “the kind of fat, involving read mainstream publishers are fond of.”
The book is now available on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble….
Although the book didn’t win, was it still thrilling to have your first book Keepers of the River appear on the preliminary ballot?
download
KEITH SCHULZ: I was really excited about it. This is a very small publisher who had no marketing budget for my novel.
Keepers of the River has garnered great reviews. Did that help with the sales?
SCHULZ: The book was on the best sellers list at B. Dalton (Booksellers) here in Burlington (Iowa) for seven months.
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get into writing?
SCHULZ: I was born along the Mississippi River in Burlington, Iowa. My parents operated a corner grocery store where I worked while attending public schools. I went to the University of Iowa, attended the Graduate Washington University and was accepted to the University of Iowa Law School, where I graduated cum laude.
I worked for Borg-Warner Corporation in Chicago for twenty years, serving as vice president and general counsel. While at the law firm, I wrote several professional articles, which have been published in a variety of journals including the Harvard Business Review.
At that point, I said to myself, “where do I go from here? I’d like to try something else.”
The “something else” was writing. I started taking courses in fiction writing at the Summer Festival of Iowa Writing Workshop. This experienced fueled my enthusiasm for fiction to the point where I ceased practicing law full-time in order to write.
Writing fiction is a heck of a lot more fun than practicing law.
My wife, Emily Roane, and I then purchased a 150-year-old home overlooking the Mississippi River, in my hometown of Burlington. I then converted a story into a writing room.
Keepers of the River is set in Bruders Landing. What is the inspiration for this fictional town nestled among the towering bluffs of the Upper Mississippi?
SCHULZ: There are so many islands in the Mississippi in Burlington. I don’t think people really think of islands when they think of the Mississippi River. There is this one island twelve miles long just south of Burlington. The bluffs in Burlington are creepy, too – brooding with river mists. I incorporated both those elements into my book – they are great settings for a scary story.
How did you come up with the name “Bruders Landing”?
SCHULZ: I was riding my bike by the river and came across a place called Meekers Landing. There is a coffee shop in Burlington called Bruders.
The book involves a time span of about a hundred years. What kind of research did you have to do?
SCHULZ: I read a lot of books about steamboats, how they handle and how they navigated, and books about the Mississippi River including Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, which is about both.
Is there a sequel in the works?
SCHULZ: In fact, there are two sequels in the works. Now I have to decide which to finish. Unfortunately, participation in community organizations has seriously intruded on my writing time. When I did the first novel, I was new in town and didn’t have these distractions. Seclusion is important to the writing process, and I miss it.
Last question: Any advice for the first-time novelist?
SCHULZ: First-time novelists should stay focused on their writing. Deal with family and not much else. Then lower your expectations about getting published. Unless you have some national profile, your ability to be published by a noted publisher is extremely small. Even if you are so lucky, it’s doubtful that you’ll be the beneficiary of a significant marketing budget. Self-publishing is a legitimate option. Many talented and successful authors started this way, e.g. John Grisham and Samuel Clemens.
The Mark Twain of Horror: Keith Schulz
by Michael McCarty
Keith Schulz’s debut novel Keepers of the River (Quixote Press) made it to the preliminary Bram Stoker Award ballot in 2002. Ed Gorman compared him to Mark Twain and Garrett Peck called his first book, “the kind of fat, involving read mainstream publishers are fond of.”
The book is now available on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble….
Although the book didn’t win, was it still thrilling to have your first book Keepers of the River appear on the preliminary ballot?
download
KEITH SCHULZ: I was really excited about it. This is a very small publisher who had no marketing budget for my novel.
Keepers of the River has garnered great reviews. Did that help with the sales?
SCHULZ: The book was on the best sellers list at B. Dalton (Booksellers) here in Burlington (Iowa) for seven months.
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get into writing?
SCHULZ: I was born along the Mississippi River in Burlington, Iowa. My parents operated a corner grocery store where I worked while attending public schools. I went to the University of Iowa, attended the Graduate Washington University and was accepted to the University of Iowa Law School, where I graduated cum laude.
I worked for Borg-Warner Corporation in Chicago for twenty years, serving as vice president and general counsel. While at the law firm, I wrote several professional articles, which have been published in a variety of journals including the Harvard Business Review.
At that point, I said to myself, “where do I go from here? I’d like to try something else.”
The “something else” was writing. I started taking courses in fiction writing at the Summer Festival of Iowa Writing Workshop. This experienced fueled my enthusiasm for fiction to the point where I ceased practicing law full-time in order to write.
Writing fiction is a heck of a lot more fun than practicing law.
My wife, Emily Roane, and I then purchased a 150-year-old home overlooking the Mississippi River, in my hometown of Burlington. I then converted a story into a writing room.
Keepers of the River is set in Bruders Landing. What is the inspiration for this fictional town nestled among the towering bluffs of the Upper Mississippi?
SCHULZ: There are so many islands in the Mississippi in Burlington. I don’t think people really think of islands when they think of the Mississippi River. There is this one island twelve miles long just south of Burlington. The bluffs in Burlington are creepy, too – brooding with river mists. I incorporated both those elements into my book – they are great settings for a scary story.
How did you come up with the name “Bruders Landing”?
SCHULZ: I was riding my bike by the river and came across a place called Meekers Landing. There is a coffee shop in Burlington called Bruders.
The book involves a time span of about a hundred years. What kind of research did you have to do?
SCHULZ: I read a lot of books about steamboats, how they handle and how they navigated, and books about the Mississippi River including Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, which is about both.
Is there a sequel in the works?
SCHULZ: In fact, there are two sequels in the works. Now I have to decide which to finish. Unfortunately, participation in community organizations has seriously intruded on my writing time. When I did the first novel, I was new in town and didn’t have these distractions. Seclusion is important to the writing process, and I miss it.
Last question: Any advice for the first-time novelist?
SCHULZ: First-time novelists should stay focused on their writing. Deal with family and not much else. Then lower your expectations about getting published. Unless you have some national profile, your ability to be published by a noted publisher is extremely small. Even if you are so lucky, it’s doubtful that you’ll be the beneficiary of a significant marketing budget. Self-publishing is a legitimate option. Many talented and successful authors started this way, e.g. John Grisham and Samuel Clemens.
