Christopher Pinto's Blog, page 2
October 3, 2013
My Ghost Story: Chronicle of October, 2013
On October 31, 2003, my father, Charlie Pinto, passed away. Yes, on Halloween day. That morning, he told the nurse that his wife came to visit (she died in 1996) and that she was coming back later so they could go out dancing.
My father was a strong willed man, and up until a month before his death he was completely independent. But as heart disease began to take hold, he became very weak in a short time. This came to a head one early October day when his overhead lamp's bulb burned out, and he couldn't reach up to change it. He was angry and practically in tears; as I was leaving for work he very emotionally asked me to change it for him (he lived in our house's front bedroom) because he didn't want to left in the dark before I got home. I of course changed the bulb; he apologized a dozen times for making me late for work. I told him I didn't care about work. He felt better.
My father, Charlie Pinto on left, with my mother, Sabina.
Hawaiian Cottage, NJ, 1963
Every years since his death, at least three or four light bulbs burn out, blow out or down-right explode, starting at the end of September, with the last going out just before Halloween. It doesn't matter if they are new bulbs, 7-year bulbs, or whatever. We almost never have bulbs blow out during the rest of the year (even in the summer with the tropical squalls and brown-outs), but we can count on several blowing out in October.
Other strange things happen during this time of year too. Things that don't normally happen. Things my wife and I see that we don't normally see. The cats and the dog act strange. Odd noises come from the attic. The light - the atmosphere - in my father's old room, now a library, changes...gets darker, eerier.
This year I am going to chronicle the events that take place each day. If nothing happens for a day or two, I'll skip them. But I want a written record of these blowing bulbs, strange sights and odd feelings. It won't prove anything, of course...but I'll know, and you'll know, that they are actually the result of something supernatural.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
stardustmysteries.com
My father was a strong willed man, and up until a month before his death he was completely independent. But as heart disease began to take hold, he became very weak in a short time. This came to a head one early October day when his overhead lamp's bulb burned out, and he couldn't reach up to change it. He was angry and practically in tears; as I was leaving for work he very emotionally asked me to change it for him (he lived in our house's front bedroom) because he didn't want to left in the dark before I got home. I of course changed the bulb; he apologized a dozen times for making me late for work. I told him I didn't care about work. He felt better.
My father, Charlie Pinto on left, with my mother, Sabina.Hawaiian Cottage, NJ, 1963
Every years since his death, at least three or four light bulbs burn out, blow out or down-right explode, starting at the end of September, with the last going out just before Halloween. It doesn't matter if they are new bulbs, 7-year bulbs, or whatever. We almost never have bulbs blow out during the rest of the year (even in the summer with the tropical squalls and brown-outs), but we can count on several blowing out in October.
Other strange things happen during this time of year too. Things that don't normally happen. Things my wife and I see that we don't normally see. The cats and the dog act strange. Odd noises come from the attic. The light - the atmosphere - in my father's old room, now a library, changes...gets darker, eerier.
This year I am going to chronicle the events that take place each day. If nothing happens for a day or two, I'll skip them. But I want a written record of these blowing bulbs, strange sights and odd feelings. It won't prove anything, of course...but I'll know, and you'll know, that they are actually the result of something supernatural.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
stardustmysteries.com
September 22, 2013
Review of the Book "Love Stories are too Violent for Me" by Will Viharo
Review of the Book "Love Stories are too Violent for Me" by Will Viharo
(No Spoilers)
It's been almost 20 years since neo-Noir fiction writer Will Viharo began tapping away at the keys on his old typewriter, each stroke a meager step towards his first Vic Valentine novel, "Love Stories are too Violent for Me". It was that novel, born of Viharo's creative gears and his life's encounters, which started off a string of increasingly gritty, lowdown, dirty, irrevocably human stories featuring his greatly flawed yet greatly admired modernized gumshoe shamus, in incomparable Vic Valentine.
And what a start it was, full of piss and vinegar, thunder and blood, wracked with pain and drizzled with cheap booze under a foggy San Francisco backdrop. There is was, for all to see and read and recover from. A modern masterpiece in the old-fashioned vein or Chandler, Spillane or Hammett with an uncompromising sting of old-school punk and 1990s grunge.
Neo-Noir, he calls it. A combination of vintage mystery styles and modern-day pop pulp, never straying from that time-honored truth: NOIR, the darkest of the dark side of the human condition.
This is where Viharo excels. Not with cliché shots from behind a curtain, not with a rehashing of the quintessential dame in black stockings seductively smoking a cigarette under a neon sign. No, he excels in his own brand of truth, in modern realism with just a hint of fantasy. In laying it all out there, palms up, naked in front of the world for the masses to see. It takes guts to expose your most private inner thoughts on sheets of bleached paper (or a digital page). Viharo does this, in an unforgiving and unapologetic way. Take it or leave it.
At least one person of note glanced at this book years ago and decided to take it - literally, as he bought the movie rights almost immediately after reading it. That was actor/producer Christian Slater, who found Valentine's voice so overwhelming real, so close to his own, that he had to turn the character into a movie roll. At the time of this review, the project is in the works, in advanced early stages of production.
Who is Vic Valentine?
A regular guy, a young guy who is just old enough to have had his heart stomped on, his life turned upside down. He's a transplant from New York City who takes a path, on a longshot, that leads him across the country to San Francisco, a town that he's not in love with but will tolerate as long as it tolerates him. His father was a cop, and with the help of a cop friend he gets set up as a private dick, the kind who clicks snapshots of cheating spouses and finds missing persons who generally don't want to be found.
He's a regular guy with some unusual tastes, with music ranging from The Ramones to Sinatra, a love of cheesy (and classic) old movies, and a tendency to dress a few decades out of style, by choice. He's the kind of cat who complains that he's not a hit with the ladies, while always going after the wrong ones…and doesn't recognize when a chick is actually interested in him. He's got a fairly screwed up past, with family problems and of course the one chick who screwed him royally, and even though it's been six years, he's still not really recovered from this particular chick's departure.
The Book
Valentine a regular Joe, hanging out at a somewhat irregular bar that shows old movies instead of sports, when a drunken pro baseball player stumbles in and asks him to find his missing wife. This is where the reader starts to realize that this is no PG-rated book about a 50's gumshoe. It becomes very real, very raw, very brutal. There are beatings and blood and graphic sex and gritty, dirty language, because that's the way these people roll. At times it becomes nearly disgusting, which is an incredible feat for an author to pull off in these jaded times. And as the story moves forward, we are drawn deeper into Valentine's mind, into his most intimate thoughts, until we either surrender ourselves and become one mind with his, or can't stand to go on. Impressive.
The story is unique, and I won't dare give any of it away here. The interactions among characters, the way Valentine attempts to solve this missing persons riddle, and the mistakes he makes (which you see coming a mile away but know there is no way he could make any other choice) all add up to an intense, graphically head-pounding experience. And yet, through it all, Valentine remains real, credible, likable.
As with most of Viharo's books, this is not for the timid or the meak. It's not a book for kids and it's not a book for innocent spinsters looking for a light read. Think of it as a punk rock version of a Mike Hammer novel. With more violence.
Viharo's writing style shines through in this book, a style that is not dated or difficult to adjust to (like some Noir style detective fiction). It's easy and cool, like listening to a guy in a bar who's just had his second cocktail. No wonder Christian Slater connected with Valentine's voice. It's a strong one, a weak one, a tough one, a whiny one, but most of all, a real one.
As a writer and reader of pulp and noir mystery novels, I highly recommend this book to anyone who digs the genre. Get ready for something truly original and truly enjoyable, kats and kittens.
-Christopher Pinto, author of the noir paranormal mysteries
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Murder Under The Boards
featuring detective Bill Riggins
(No Spoilers)
It's been almost 20 years since neo-Noir fiction writer Will Viharo began tapping away at the keys on his old typewriter, each stroke a meager step towards his first Vic Valentine novel, "Love Stories are too Violent for Me". It was that novel, born of Viharo's creative gears and his life's encounters, which started off a string of increasingly gritty, lowdown, dirty, irrevocably human stories featuring his greatly flawed yet greatly admired modernized gumshoe shamus, in incomparable Vic Valentine.
And what a start it was, full of piss and vinegar, thunder and blood, wracked with pain and drizzled with cheap booze under a foggy San Francisco backdrop. There is was, for all to see and read and recover from. A modern masterpiece in the old-fashioned vein or Chandler, Spillane or Hammett with an uncompromising sting of old-school punk and 1990s grunge.Neo-Noir, he calls it. A combination of vintage mystery styles and modern-day pop pulp, never straying from that time-honored truth: NOIR, the darkest of the dark side of the human condition.
This is where Viharo excels. Not with cliché shots from behind a curtain, not with a rehashing of the quintessential dame in black stockings seductively smoking a cigarette under a neon sign. No, he excels in his own brand of truth, in modern realism with just a hint of fantasy. In laying it all out there, palms up, naked in front of the world for the masses to see. It takes guts to expose your most private inner thoughts on sheets of bleached paper (or a digital page). Viharo does this, in an unforgiving and unapologetic way. Take it or leave it.
At least one person of note glanced at this book years ago and decided to take it - literally, as he bought the movie rights almost immediately after reading it. That was actor/producer Christian Slater, who found Valentine's voice so overwhelming real, so close to his own, that he had to turn the character into a movie roll. At the time of this review, the project is in the works, in advanced early stages of production.
Who is Vic Valentine?
A regular guy, a young guy who is just old enough to have had his heart stomped on, his life turned upside down. He's a transplant from New York City who takes a path, on a longshot, that leads him across the country to San Francisco, a town that he's not in love with but will tolerate as long as it tolerates him. His father was a cop, and with the help of a cop friend he gets set up as a private dick, the kind who clicks snapshots of cheating spouses and finds missing persons who generally don't want to be found.
He's a regular guy with some unusual tastes, with music ranging from The Ramones to Sinatra, a love of cheesy (and classic) old movies, and a tendency to dress a few decades out of style, by choice. He's the kind of cat who complains that he's not a hit with the ladies, while always going after the wrong ones…and doesn't recognize when a chick is actually interested in him. He's got a fairly screwed up past, with family problems and of course the one chick who screwed him royally, and even though it's been six years, he's still not really recovered from this particular chick's departure.
The Book
Valentine a regular Joe, hanging out at a somewhat irregular bar that shows old movies instead of sports, when a drunken pro baseball player stumbles in and asks him to find his missing wife. This is where the reader starts to realize that this is no PG-rated book about a 50's gumshoe. It becomes very real, very raw, very brutal. There are beatings and blood and graphic sex and gritty, dirty language, because that's the way these people roll. At times it becomes nearly disgusting, which is an incredible feat for an author to pull off in these jaded times. And as the story moves forward, we are drawn deeper into Valentine's mind, into his most intimate thoughts, until we either surrender ourselves and become one mind with his, or can't stand to go on. Impressive.
The story is unique, and I won't dare give any of it away here. The interactions among characters, the way Valentine attempts to solve this missing persons riddle, and the mistakes he makes (which you see coming a mile away but know there is no way he could make any other choice) all add up to an intense, graphically head-pounding experience. And yet, through it all, Valentine remains real, credible, likable.
As with most of Viharo's books, this is not for the timid or the meak. It's not a book for kids and it's not a book for innocent spinsters looking for a light read. Think of it as a punk rock version of a Mike Hammer novel. With more violence.
Viharo's writing style shines through in this book, a style that is not dated or difficult to adjust to (like some Noir style detective fiction). It's easy and cool, like listening to a guy in a bar who's just had his second cocktail. No wonder Christian Slater connected with Valentine's voice. It's a strong one, a weak one, a tough one, a whiny one, but most of all, a real one.
As a writer and reader of pulp and noir mystery novels, I highly recommend this book to anyone who digs the genre. Get ready for something truly original and truly enjoyable, kats and kittens.
-Christopher Pinto, author of the noir paranormal mysteries
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Murder Under The Boards
featuring detective Bill Riggins
September 11, 2013
New Vampire Killing Kit Website Launched!
New Vampire Killing Kit Website Launched!CRYSTOBAL, maker of the world's finest vampire killing kits, has launched a new website showcasing his work. From cross-stakes to full original vampire killing kits for sale, this site has everything that has made CRYSTOBAL the go-to guy for authentic, primitive style vampire killing kits.
Of particular interest on this site is the True Blood inspired "Stackhouse" Vampire Killing Kit. This kit has been built to specs, as if it were created for the Stackhouse family in the late 19th century.
The site also has info on CRYSTOBAL himself, his history, and how he got into building vampire killing kits. It also features a blog with current trends on new kits and accessories. The photo galleries showcase several of his completed works. They will be adding more photos as the the site progresses.
The site also has a page for Vampire Killing Kits for Sale, including the Stackhouse kit. There are links to the Etsy Page where the artist's works are featured.
Visit the site at http://vampirekillingkits.stardustmysteries.com.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Murder Under the Boards
A Flash of Noir
May 18, 2013
Just Released! "Murder Under the Boards: The Atlantic City Paranormal Mystery by Christopher Pinto"
The third book in the Bill Riggins mystery series is out, and it's chock-full of ghosts, secret plots and murder.Bill Riggins is back in this spooky, sometimes funny supernatural mystery thriller. The New York City detective hasn't had a vacation in over a year. His last vacation on Tiki Island turned out to be a disaster, and when his Captain tells him to take a long weekend after an accidental run-in with a switchblade, Riggins decides to spend it home alone, drinking and listening to jazz. His quiet weekend is turned upside down when he gets a last-minute invite to spend a few days in The World's Playground, Atlantic City. Things start out great, but...
An angelic phantom. A vicious seriel killer. A deranged woman with a thing for Jazz and guns. A secret network of paranormal "protectors" and more ghosts than Hackney's has lobsters. Fill in the holes with a few fifths of Bourbon, a hot-rodded 57 Chevy and a vice cop who's on a mission of revenge, and you've got the right ingredients boiling in the pot for a wham-bang thriller.
Set in 1958 with flashbacks to the Roaring Twenties and flashes ahead to 1982, this murder mystery ghost story will have you wondering just who the bad guys are...and keep you guessing till the last sentence!
Do the murdered stay dead? Is showbiz in the glitzy Jersey shore town all it's cracked up to be? Is Atlantic City really just a magnet for crooked politicians, loose dames and crazies? Murder Under the Boards may not answer all the questions, but it sure is a fun ride trying.
"Murder Under The Boards" is available in 300-page softcover or Kindle eBook through Amazon.com. Click here for more info and to purchase.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Murder Under the Boards
Tiki Lounge Talk
April 6, 2013
Murder Behind the Closet Door, Book One FREE Kindle Promo now through April 10
Murder Behind the Closet Door, Book One FREE Kindle Promo now through April 10
Book one of three of the abridged version of the Amazon Best Selling book "Murder Behind the Closet Door" is being offered FREE for Kindle and Kindle app users, through April 10. Click the link below to download this one-time offer.
Murder Behind the Closet Door, Book One at Amazon.com
Set in the Jersey shore towns or Wildwood, Ocean City and Cape May, Murder Behind the Closet Door is a paranormal murder mystery which combines modern, Stephen King-esque occult with a noir-style detective mystery. This book was on the top 10 on Amazon.com three times in the last two years.
The story centers around a strong female character who finds herself victimized by an unknown force. With the help of friends and her vice squad step father, Detective Bill Riggins (Murder on Tiki Island, Murder Under The Boards) she embarks on a journey of discovery, ultimately endangering the lives of herself and those she loves.
Retailed at $4.99 for book one, and $2.99 for books two and three, Murder Behind the Close Door, Book One Abridged is being offered for FREE through Amazon's promotion until Wednesday, April 10.
Here's what people are saying about Murder Behind the Closet Door:
"Christopher Pinto's bestselling book, "Murder Behind the Closet Door" has been abridged for those who enjoy a faster read without as many "side stories". Over 150 pages of interesting but "not necessary to the plot" stories have been removed to streamline this incredible book to appeal to today's faster readers."
- C.L. Stevens, Cardiff, NJ
“Retro-culture impresario and swingin' scribe Chris Pinto has created a vibrant, entertaining, compelling and imaginative portrait of a very specific time and place - South Jersey in the late 1970s - with a grisly ghost story at its center. The reader delves into a richly depicted world where one keenly tastes, feels, smells and lives the sensations of the Wildwood boardwalk area and its residents throughout a series of mysteriously macabre events. The characters are so well drawn, the dialogue so true, and the incidental and environmental descriptions so vivid that the internal horrors and fantastical elements around which the complex outer narrative swirls seem that much more realistic and credible in context. Pinto achieves a Stephen King-like mixture of mundane, suburban angst spiked and punctuated with sudden, terrifying intrusions from beyond the grave. As someone who grew up in the area, during that era, I could relate to every person and scene in this sprawling epic. The many pop culture references only add to its overall appeal as a literary time capsule. I very much look forward to Chris's next hardboiled but heartfelt endeavor.” "You can taste, feel, smell, hear and see everything in this book and there's a LOT. It's a feast for the senses." - Will “The Thrill’ Viharo, CA
"Murder Behind the Closet Door (full version) is an interesting combination of the paranormal and mystery genres with the added twist that the story takes place over thirty years ago. That last aspect greatly enhanced my enjoyment. So many changes to society and technology have occurred in the past three decades, reading this book was like traveling through a time capsule to a far earlier age. This novel is a throwback in several respects and, in fact, resembles 1970s fiction, thus matching the era of the story. The book is thick, around 600 pages, and doesn't have a lot of white on its pages. The narration isn't quite omniscient, but there is quite a lot of head hopping from one character's point of view to another. I was a bit put off by that initially, mainly because I'm no longer used to reading that style. The dialogue also threw me at first. All of it sounds realistic, but perhaps a bit too much so. Many of today's novels limit dialogue to only that which advances the plot. The characters in this story sometimes talk for the sake of talking, just as we all do. While many readers will enjoy author Chris Pinto's story, what I like most is his literary-quality descriptiveness. I was pulled into each scene, forgetting my own surroundings as I wandered from one of his haunted locales to the next.” - Joseph M. Fraser, Brookfield, WI
“GREAT BOOK!! Started reading it Friday night, barely could put it down, till I finished it Sunday!!!! Highly recommend!!!!! :)” - Susanne Faust- McDevitt, Philadelphia, PA
“If Stephen King and Mickey Spillane had a son (in a bookish kind of way, that is), Christopher Pinto would be that son. He effortlessly blends the paranormal thriller with the hard-boiled detective in "Murder Behind the Closet Door." Add to that, healthy doses of mystery and romance, and you've got the literary equivalent of a ride through an amusement pier haunted house. And what a fun ride! I loved being scared silly as I stayed up late (much too late) to finish reading another chapter of this book. Let's just say I'll never look at my closet the same way again. ;) Can't wait to see what Mr. Pinto offers up next!” - Miss Cherrybubbles, Meshoppen, PA
November 26, 2012
Mod Movie Monday: Murder By Death, 1976
Mod Movie Monday: Murder By Death, 1976Here's your weekly old movie suggestion! A great comedy by Niel Simon, done in the tradition of Noir mysteries.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Tiki Lounge Talk
November 22, 2012
A World Without Wonder (Bread)
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style>--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FdO3U_8Z90..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2FdO3U_8Z90..." width="226" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">With the recent headlines of Hostess going out of business, many people are wondering how a company so old, so ingrained in American pop culture could close up shop overnight. Well, it’s a sad tail of greed, mismanagement and indifference, but that’s not what this article is about.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This article is about losing things you love.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So many of us who have a soft spot for mid-20<sup>th</sup>century pop have had to endure icon after icon fall from grace, only to be replaced by plastic-y, cookie cutter crap and chain-restaurant-ish dullsville blobs of made-in-China neveau detritus. From the demolition of almost all of America’s grand Tiki restaurants, to the destruction of the great movie palaces; from the downfall of America’s greatest music to its bubblegum-pop hip hop noise; we’ve seen way too many of the things that helped make America the great country it is get plowed down and swept away to make room for cardboard casinos and mislabeled “healthy” vitamin waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hostess pies, Devil Dogs, and yes, Twinkies – although, let’s face it, they are crap too, have stood the test of time, and have been with us our entire lives. Personally, I’m not a big Twinkie fan. But I do enjoy a Devil Dog now and then (our wedding cake was made from them...long story, for another post) and like to splurge on a Hostess apple pie when I want my sugar count to soar to give my doctor a premature heart attack. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But there is one thing that I cannot live without.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wonder Bread.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I know, I know, many of you will say it’s the nutritional equivalent of eating Elmer’s glue and White Out. I don’t care. It’s the only bread I can eat a PB&J on. And it’s because that’s what I’ve always had my PB&J on, from when I was a little kid in the 1970s...you know, back when bread was bread, and Moms bought Wonder Bread because it tasted good and had the fun polka dots on the bag.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">With Hostess making headlines last week as they close the company, apparently shutting their doors forever and denying future generations of Twinkies and Devil Dogs, something occured to me:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can’t imagine a world without <b>Wonder Bread.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The good news is, I probably won’t have to. In today’s society, there is a BIG difference between a successful <i>BRAND</i> and successful company. The company, run by a flock of who-the-hell-cares-as-long-as-our-bottom-line-stays-high investment firms, is worthless. The brand, however, is worth billions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What I’m getting at is that just because Hostess the <i>company</i> goes out of business, it doesn’t mean Hostess the <i>brand</i> will go away.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Think about Monopoly, the game that’s been around since the 1930s. It was originally made by Parker Brothers games. Do you think Parker Bros. is still making Monopoly? Nope. Parker Brothers became part of General Mills, which merged it with Kenner, which was bought out by Tonka, which was in turn bought out by Hasbro. Still the same Monopoly, just a different company building it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Same thing goes with a candy bar I really dig. I think it’s a Philly/Jersey area thing, or at least used to be, because few people I talk to in Florida ever heard of Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews. They disappeared about 10 years ago when a new company (Just Born) bought them out. They dropped the Goldenberg’s name, and sales fell. But they wised up...the brought the name back, and now I can buy Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews again, just like I did 30 years ago.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So will it be a world without Wonder Bread? I don’t think so. I have a feeling that great polka dot packaging and paste-like bread will be around for a long time. I’m pretty sure Devil Dogs and Twinkies will, too, possibly even with the name “Hostess” blazoned in red lettering across the top of the package. In a few years, will anyone remember there was a time when that “name” stood for a company that went out of business, and caused a blip on the news headlines of 2012? Probably not. </div><br /><br />-Christopher Pinto, author of<br /><a href="http://wildwoodmurdermystery.com/" target="_blank">Murder Behind The Closet Door</a><br /><a href="http://keywestmurdermystery.com/" target="_blank">Murder on Tiki Island</a><br /><a href="http://tikiloungetalk.com/" target="_blank">Tiki Lounge Talk </a>
May 27, 2012
Free Kindle ebook: A Flash of Noir by Christopher Pinto
FREE FREE FREE FREE KINDLE BOOKWhat's better than a free ebook?
A really good free ebook.
"A FLASH OF NOIR" by Christopher Pinto is available today, Sunday, May 27 & tomorrow, Monday, May 28 for FREE at Amazon.com. Here's the link:
A Flash of Noir free ebook at Amazon.com
A Flash of Noir is a 5-star rated collection of flash fiction and short, short stories, laid down old-school style by Amazon bestselling master mystery writer Christopher Pinto. Writing in the genre of gumshoe detectives and sultry dames, creepy horror and hep cat jive, Pinto has put together a series of mostly one-page, 60-second reads that will transport you to another time...a darker, more sinister time.
From smokey bars in New York City to the tropical islands of the Florida keys, A Flash of Noir takes you for a spin through the seediest gin joints and darkest alleys. One minute you're speeding down I-95 in a hot rod, the next you're tasting cheap whiskey in a basement tap room where the women are heartless and the men are unforgiving. Gangsters, cops, private eyes, strippers, murderers, phantoms...plus a few comedy pieces to keep you from wanting to slit your wrists.
Over 40 stories of crime fiction, ghost stories, retro fiction and short beatnik poetry plus noir-esque original photographs by the author make this a fast, fun read. There's even a flash written entirely of song titles...see if you can list every one!
Pinto is author of the new, up-and-coming Detective Bill Riggins paranormal mystery series, of which Murder Behind the Closet Door and Murder on Tiki Island have already been met with rave reviews. Murder Under the Boards, The Atlantic City Murder Mystery is due out next...soon. For more information on the series and the author, visit Stardust Mysteries Publishing at http://stardustmysteries.com.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
A Flash of Noir
Murder Under the Boards (coming Soon)
March 27, 2012
Review of Chumpy Walnut by Will Viharo
Chumpy WalnutChumpy Walnutwritten by Will Viharo 202 Pages (paperback)
$15.00 Paperback, $3.99 Kindle
ISBN-10: 0557600375
ISBN-13: 978-0557600373
http://amzn.to/GUUS9Q
Master Neo-Noir writer Will Viharo is known for his extreme, iconic, sci-fi-blood-bath-sex-party-mystery-insanity books with a retro cocktail kick, but he has a dirty little secret: When he was young, he wrote a very different kind of story, one that’s both heartwarming and highly original. This is the story of Chumpy Walnut, a little guy trying to make it in a big, cruel world.
The first thing I noticed about this story was that from the first paragraph Viharo creates a very distinct mood, something you can’t quite put your finger on but you know is there. The best way I can describe it is as a mix between Guys and Dolls and Little Red Riding Hood, giving the reader a sense of another, ambiguous time, and of a place that is strange yet oddly familiar all at once.
The story seems mostly lighthearted, but once you get to know the characters and see the trials they endure, it quickly turns into a journey for Chumpy and the people he meets along the way. There are some heavy moments, offset by some very funny, vaudeville-ish humor. And unlike most of Viharo’s other books (which will probably get an X rating when they hit the big screen) this book is appropriate for teens and adults (I don’t think there was a single four-letter word, and no explicit sex or gore scenes in this one.)
The writing flows very nicely, coercing you to keep reading, egging you on to find out what will happen next to the poor little guy who just doesn’t seem to ever get a break in life. Yet with all his hardships, he realizes just how lucky he is to have the family and friends that he comes to rely on. I feel this story parallels that of many people, in one way or another, which makes it easy to identify with Chumpy no matter how different he seems to be.
Viharo wrote this story many years ago, then dusted it off and re-edited it more recently, no doubt incorporating some of the writing techniques he learned over the years; however the story still rings of a young, ambitious writer, full of excitement and expression. It’s a real treat to read such an early work from an established writer.
Chumpy Walnut will appeal to many people on many levels, but I believe people who enjoy the works of authors like Damon Runyon and Raymond Chandler will find this book to their liking most of all. The style is characteristic of a by-gone era, and the reader must keep in mind that “voice” to fully enjoy this book.
-Christopher Pinto, author ofMurder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Tiki Lounge Talk
February 5, 2012
The Woman in Black, Starring Daniel Radcliffe: Retro Movie Review
Hammer Productions is back, and spookier than ever, baby!
"One of the posters for "The Woman in Black". If this doesn't look like a 1950's Hammer movie know what does."
Some of the best
horror
and sci-fi movies of the 1950s, 60s and 70s came out of a movie studio in England that went under the name of Hammer Films. Started in 1934, Hammer Films went on to bring us the series of Dracula films that starred Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and thrillers such as The Vampire Lovers and One Million Years B.C. But by the 1980's Hammer Films had lost its spark, and basically went into hiatus, making a few TV projects and straight-to-video releases. Well, in 2007 they dusted off the moniker and have been quietly making films...until now. There's nothing quiet about The Woman in Black, or its star, Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame.
The Story (no spoilers): Radcliffe plays a man who is constantly tormented by the loss of his wife (in childbirth), yet hangs on to take care of his son (who seems to be around six). Working for a law firm in London around 1910 or so, he is sent to a secluded village to take care of the estate and mansion of a woman recently deceased. He soon finds that the villagers do not like strangers (of course), warn him against going to the secluded mansion (of course), and blame him for some misfortunes that occur while he is in town (of course). He ignores them all, goes to the mansion, and the ghost story begins.
The Atmosphere (tiny little spoilers, nothing to worry about): Honestly, I don't know if the director did this intentionally or if it is just a happy coincidence, but this movie has the look, feel and overall creepiness of the OLD Hammer films of the 1950s and 60s, while being well-filmed with modern techniques. In other words it looks great, has a great retro feel but doesn't look "dated". The lighting effects are perfect in every scene, being just dark enough to be spooky while you can actually see what's going on. The phantoms are realistically scary, the special effects aren't overdone.
Why does it have that old-time Hammer feel? Well, for one thing, the film includes some of the same stylistic elements that the old classics embraced: A very convincing "haunted mansion", set far off from the rest of the world, at the end of a long winding road that cuts through the marsh and gets flooded out at every high tide. There are long shots of the road, both dry and flooded. There village is sublimely gray and gloomy, and every building is made of stone, adding to the Gothic feel. Horse-drawn wagons appear out of the fog. A spooky, dilapidated graveyard sits next to the house. Creepy antique toys and dolls fill the nursery, and seem to "come to life". And there are plenty of shots of lavish 19th century homes, furnishings, trains and people to set the mood.
Daniel Radcliffe: Does a bang-up job in his first starring role outside of the Harry Potter series. There's really not a lot of dialog for most of the movie, and Radcliffe pulls off his emotions with facial expressions and body language that is not overdone. I, like most people, went into this movie fearing he would just act like an older Harry Potter. Not so. The only connection is that his character had the same kind of dread for life, except played to the extreme.
Harry Potter References? (Spoiler Alert!): There were three references that I noticed in the flick that seemed to be inside jokes for Harry Potter fans. Now, I don't know if these were intentional...I may be stretching it...but, A) He falls asleep on a train, in a booth facing the booth across from him. When he awakens there's someone sitting across from him; the shot looks just like one of the Hogwarts Express scenes (I'll let you decide which one). B) When he gets a room in the attic at the Inn, there's a Myna bird in a cage. The cage is nearly identical in style to Harry's owl's cage. And C) when he first goes to the mansion, he is seen coming out of a closet with papers...the closet is built in under the staircase. Now, it seems to me they didn't have to put that scene in...but they did.
Audience Reaction: We went to a 7:45 show on a Saturday Night at The Sawgrass Mall in South Florida. So of course, there were about a million teenage girls that came just to see Harry Potter. Well, they got a hell of a surprise when things started jumping out at them. Screaming, laughing, screaming again, the audience was eating it up.
Why you should see it: This movie is pure fun, and isn't above some musical stabs and sudden flashes of scary faces to make you jump out of your seat. It's not a particularly deep story, so if you miss a few lines of dialog because someone was screaming, it won't matter much. The shots of the mansion, causeway, and village are classic horror film Noir and the movie is definitely worth watching on a big screen. For those of you who dig retro-style horror films , you'll really enjoy all the little nuances that make this film as fun as the old Hammer films of the mid-20th century.
BTW: As of February 5, the film took in $8.3 million and is expected to bring in over $20M for the weekend, surpassing its $17M budget.
One last note: There is almost no blood in this movie. This is a film that relies on screwing with you mind, with your sense of perception, and your ability to try not to jump when a big black crow comes flying out at you. I think a lot of people will say that this movie isn't so great, because of that. But let me assure you, there's a decent body count, the overall mood of the movie is spooky as hell, and it will have you in suspense until the final minute of the flick. Watch the trailer, and you'll see some of the "long shots" that I was talking about, along with some fast clips of the mansion and the people who make this a very spooky, old-fashioned horror movie.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Tiki Lounge Talk
"One of the posters for "The Woman in Black". If this doesn't look like a 1950's Hammer movie know what does."
Some of the best
horror
and sci-fi movies of the 1950s, 60s and 70s came out of a movie studio in England that went under the name of Hammer Films. Started in 1934, Hammer Films went on to bring us the series of Dracula films that starred Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and thrillers such as The Vampire Lovers and One Million Years B.C. But by the 1980's Hammer Films had lost its spark, and basically went into hiatus, making a few TV projects and straight-to-video releases. Well, in 2007 they dusted off the moniker and have been quietly making films...until now. There's nothing quiet about The Woman in Black, or its star, Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. The Story (no spoilers): Radcliffe plays a man who is constantly tormented by the loss of his wife (in childbirth), yet hangs on to take care of his son (who seems to be around six). Working for a law firm in London around 1910 or so, he is sent to a secluded village to take care of the estate and mansion of a woman recently deceased. He soon finds that the villagers do not like strangers (of course), warn him against going to the secluded mansion (of course), and blame him for some misfortunes that occur while he is in town (of course). He ignores them all, goes to the mansion, and the ghost story begins.
The Atmosphere (tiny little spoilers, nothing to worry about): Honestly, I don't know if the director did this intentionally or if it is just a happy coincidence, but this movie has the look, feel and overall creepiness of the OLD Hammer films of the 1950s and 60s, while being well-filmed with modern techniques. In other words it looks great, has a great retro feel but doesn't look "dated". The lighting effects are perfect in every scene, being just dark enough to be spooky while you can actually see what's going on. The phantoms are realistically scary, the special effects aren't overdone.
Why does it have that old-time Hammer feel? Well, for one thing, the film includes some of the same stylistic elements that the old classics embraced: A very convincing "haunted mansion", set far off from the rest of the world, at the end of a long winding road that cuts through the marsh and gets flooded out at every high tide. There are long shots of the road, both dry and flooded. There village is sublimely gray and gloomy, and every building is made of stone, adding to the Gothic feel. Horse-drawn wagons appear out of the fog. A spooky, dilapidated graveyard sits next to the house. Creepy antique toys and dolls fill the nursery, and seem to "come to life". And there are plenty of shots of lavish 19th century homes, furnishings, trains and people to set the mood.
Daniel Radcliffe: Does a bang-up job in his first starring role outside of the Harry Potter series. There's really not a lot of dialog for most of the movie, and Radcliffe pulls off his emotions with facial expressions and body language that is not overdone. I, like most people, went into this movie fearing he would just act like an older Harry Potter. Not so. The only connection is that his character had the same kind of dread for life, except played to the extreme.
Harry Potter References? (Spoiler Alert!): There were three references that I noticed in the flick that seemed to be inside jokes for Harry Potter fans. Now, I don't know if these were intentional...I may be stretching it...but, A) He falls asleep on a train, in a booth facing the booth across from him. When he awakens there's someone sitting across from him; the shot looks just like one of the Hogwarts Express scenes (I'll let you decide which one). B) When he gets a room in the attic at the Inn, there's a Myna bird in a cage. The cage is nearly identical in style to Harry's owl's cage. And C) when he first goes to the mansion, he is seen coming out of a closet with papers...the closet is built in under the staircase. Now, it seems to me they didn't have to put that scene in...but they did.
Audience Reaction: We went to a 7:45 show on a Saturday Night at The Sawgrass Mall in South Florida. So of course, there were about a million teenage girls that came just to see Harry Potter. Well, they got a hell of a surprise when things started jumping out at them. Screaming, laughing, screaming again, the audience was eating it up.
Why you should see it: This movie is pure fun, and isn't above some musical stabs and sudden flashes of scary faces to make you jump out of your seat. It's not a particularly deep story, so if you miss a few lines of dialog because someone was screaming, it won't matter much. The shots of the mansion, causeway, and village are classic horror film Noir and the movie is definitely worth watching on a big screen. For those of you who dig retro-style horror films , you'll really enjoy all the little nuances that make this film as fun as the old Hammer films of the mid-20th century.
BTW: As of February 5, the film took in $8.3 million and is expected to bring in over $20M for the weekend, surpassing its $17M budget. One last note: There is almost no blood in this movie. This is a film that relies on screwing with you mind, with your sense of perception, and your ability to try not to jump when a big black crow comes flying out at you. I think a lot of people will say that this movie isn't so great, because of that. But let me assure you, there's a decent body count, the overall mood of the movie is spooky as hell, and it will have you in suspense until the final minute of the flick. Watch the trailer, and you'll see some of the "long shots" that I was talking about, along with some fast clips of the mansion and the people who make this a very spooky, old-fashioned horror movie.
-Christopher Pinto, author of
Murder Behind The Closet Door
Murder on Tiki Island
Tiki Lounge Talk
