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Coming soon from Audible, the audiobook version of "The Monster of Deep Water Lake"! With Kenneth Rahilly narrating, you'll be able to take this with you anywhere: in your car, on your morning jog, while you're cleaning house - it's the perfect story for anyone who loves monsters, gangsters, shoot-outs, and a touch of romance. And if you haven't already, get the audiobook version of Tale Half Told here! 
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Book vs Movie: Captain Blood (Rafael Sabatini's 1922 book vs Errol Flynn's 1935 classic movie)10/23/2023 “A man must sometimes laugh at himself or go mad--Few realize it. That is why there are so many madmen in the world.” - Captain Peter Blood  This series attempts to answer the age-old question: read the book? Or wait for the movie? (This was previously published, but worth repeating. This has been edited and lightly rewritten.) The Book: Captain Blood, (1922) by Rafael Sabatini. The Movie: Captain Blood, (1935)starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Basil Rathbone and directed by Michael Curtiz. Plot: Doctor Peter Blood is an Irish adventurer who has retired to the peaceful English countryside to live out his days. Unfortunately for his plans, rebellion is in the air and he is drawn into the fray. Falsely accused of traitorous activities and condemned to slavery, he is sent to Port Royal, Jamaica. In Port Royal, Blood's swift temper nearly condemns him to a slow death in the mines, but the lovely Arabella Bishop intervenes. Purchased by the cruel Colonel Bishop, Peter earns a reputation as a healer and is given privileges - but his longing for freedom only intensifies, despite falling for Arabella, the Colonel's lovely, kind, and strong-minded niece. When a chance Spanish raid on Port Royal offers Peter a chance to escape, he takes it and goes on to become one of the best known (and most principled) pirates of the Caribbean. His daring exploits and clever campaigns become the stuff of legends, but Peter has left his heart behind in Port Royal. Can the man whose boldness and ingenuity is world-renown ever find a way to clear himself and win the heart of the girl he loves?  The Comparison: Unlike Sabatini's other pirate novel, Sea Hawk, the Captain Blood movie follows the book's plot very closely. Energetic acting by the charming leads, Curtiz's fast-paced direction and action-packed script doesn't attempt to hide the brutality of war, slavery, and piracy, yet still manages to make Blood a sympathetic character that you root for. In short, it's a great movie.
Naturally, time constraints caused some of the book's events to be edited out, including most of great pirate exploits in the book. Also, Arabella Bishop suffers in the movie. Sabatini wrote likable, strong women and Arabella is no exception: she is fair-minded and not afraid to stand up to either Peter or her peers, whether it's tending to sick Spanish soldiers or telling off some of the most powerful men in the room. She is as strong a character as Peter, though secondary. De Havilland's role is reduced to a somewhat petulant, one-note character, who is too proud to admit when she is in the wrong. A shame, really, when the real Arabella was a truly refreshing, smart character. Conclusion: Toss-Up - You should Read and Watch it! The book is epic and fun, and though it suffers a little in prose, the characters are engaging, the action exciting, and the plot is entertaining. The fact that I've read it three time might just show you how much I like it. The movie is a classic - big ships, big action scenes, good fencing scenes, grand drama, star-crossed lovers, top-notch directing, a solid soundtrack by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and it made stars out of then-unknowns Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Both the movie and the book were enormously successful when they debuted and with good reason - solid entertainment like this doesn't come too often.  Today, I am interviewing friend and fellow author, Steve Van Samson. Steve is, among many other things, a podcaster who combines horror and nostalgia to great effect in his fun and funny show, Retro Ridoctopus. He writes gritty and memorable horror and his latest book, published through Weird House Press, is the horror western Year of the Rattlesnake. As anyone who knows me for longer than three minutes will tell you, I heart westerns muchly and, having read Steve’s Predator World vampire series (highly recommended, but do not read while you’re eating!), I can not WAIT for this one to hit the shelves! 1. You write horror, but usually with a twist that I haven’t seen before. For instance, Predator World is set in a futuristic Africa and features a vampire hellscape. Where do you get your ideas from? Most of my book ideas are born of me trying to figure out a new angle to something. In the case of the first Predator World book “The Bone Eater King”, my initial thought was there was nothing more to say about vampires. But, I started thinking about it. Was there really no way to make this tired monster feel fresh or, more importantly, memorable? I reasoned that the first thing to go was the typical settings and character tropes. No castles or cities. No sex-starved alabaster-skinned goth models. I wanted monsters, and I wanted them to face off against characters that were very different from the sort we usually get in these kinds of stories. The darkened plains of Africa quickly emerged in my mind as the natural choice. One that accommodated everything I was looking for, but also came equipped with a wealth of dangerous natural predators (like lions, leopards and hyenas) that could add to the menace our characters were going to face. 2. I love westerns and cannot wait to get your next book. Can you tell us a little bit about Year of the Rattlesnake?  Sure! The idea was initially born from reading “The Dying Earth” by Jack Vance. For those who don’t know, that book is a collection of short stories that all occur in the same general area, around the same general time. What makes the book so special to me is the way that characters will appear in more than one story. Sometimes what feels like a small chance encounter with someone on the road, will actually serve as an introduction to the protagonist of a different story. You just never know who’s going to show up where. At some point, it occurred that a western full of notorious wanted men, might be the perfect vehicle for trying out that linked-short story format I loved in “The Dying Earth”. I needed stories that would really stand out on their own, but with the knowledge that certain characters were going to show up again. I don’t expect every reader to catch all of the connections on their first read, but my sincere hope is that the stories are good enough to keep them coming back. Maybe discovering new things every time. 3. Horror can be tough to write – there are a lot of opinions about what does and does not make a good horror story and the challenge is always, apart from telling a great story with awesome characters, to scare or unsettle your audience. What drew you to this genre?  I was drawn to horror because it’s been in my blood since before I was allowed to consume it. I was that kid who was always always sneaking off to the horror section of the video store, ogling all the tapes I knew my parents would never rent in a million years. 4. Whenever I write a book, I create a playlist of music or I borrow a soundtrack from a movie that fits the feel of the book I’m writing (1980s The Changeling provided the background for Tale Half Told.) Do you have any writing rituals or rules?  For me, I have to have silence to write. My best writing rhythm is when I start first thing in the morning. I’ll get up an hour early and go make a cup of tea. Then I’ll sit down and force myself (whether I want to or not) to start typing. Even if I only type 100 words, this AM session forces my brain to start thinking about the story. Then it’s with me on my morning commute and by lunch, I’m ready to get back in and get back to the story. If possible, I’ll finish up with another two or so hours before bed to finish the day out. My daily word counts are never much compared to most professional writers, but on a day like that I can never feel like I didn’t give it my all. 5. The Year of the Rattlesnake is about to come upon us. What is next for you? Is there another book in the works? I’m currently working on a novella for Weird House Press. After that, my plan is to get back into my original series and write the third Predator World book. BONUS QUESTIONS! Okay, now the big question: Star Trek or Star Wars and why? Who are your favorite authors and what are you reading right now?  I honestly am a fan of both Trek and Wars, but Star Wars will always be my favorite. Favorite modern writers are Joe R. Lansdale, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, and of course, Stephen King. For classics, I love me some Robert E. Howard and Phillip K. Dick. And for authors you may not have heard of, Jonathan Janz, Ed Kurtz and Rob Smales are all incredible and should be household names. Currently I’m reading “Fright Night Origins'' written by the writer/director of the movie, Tom Holland. It’s like a director’s Cut of Fright Night and I’m loving every apple-chomping second of it.
 The Story: Therapist and best-seller self-help writer Sarah Slade and her handsome husband have just done the unthinkable. They've bought and intend the ill-fortuned Renovate Black Wood House. Abandoned after bloody murder-suicide forty years ago, Black Wood House is more than just a neglected Victorian mansion - it lives. And it does not want to be changed or saved.
Soon it becomes apparent that there is more going on with the house and the neighborhood than Sarah previous thought. The neighbors are suspicious and hostile. There are threats and warnings everywhere. And Sarah's own life, perfect on the outside and built almost entirely on lies, is falling to pieces as she watches. Can she hold on long enough to discover the true secret of Black Wood House? Or will the truth kill her? My Review: Truth be told, I almost gave up about a third of the way into this book. But I dearly, dearly love haunted houses, so I pushed on and I am so glad I did. Black Wood House is a terrifically creepy, gothic nightmare, set in Australia (for a change of flavor) and the house is almost a character in it's own right. But the true fascination is watching Sarah Slade go from annoying media star who has it all to the girl who might just make it out alive. Sarah is not at all what she seems to be and, although unreliable narrators are very much a done thing now, Matlin paces her reveals very well and the trip is twisted, dark, and very entertaining. Warning for sensitive readers - there are plenty of triggers in this book. But for those of you who are looking for a creepy read this October, The Stranger Upstairs will do the trick. (Note about my reviews: As much as I love a well-written, witty critique or movie take-down (and I ADORE them!), I know all too well how badly it feels to be on the receiving end of a bad review. I will only post books here that I can speak well of - if I can't recommend it, I won't post a review of it!) If you're anything like me, you love to read - but things like housework, work-work, and life get in the way. Which is why I LOVE audiobooks, especially free audiobooks (my wallet appreciates the break!). And with Halloween right around the corner, I thought I'd share my latest YouTube obsession: Classic Ghost Stories Podcast is just that - a podcast devoted to classic ghost and spooky stories, from Shirley Jackson to Bram Stoker and a whole host of short stories and spooky tales that I never would have found on my own. Tony Walker has a terrific British accent (gotta love that!) and a great reading voice - you'll be lulled into a false sense of security listening to him. And stay tuned after the stories are finished; often, he gives a little analysis or his own perspective on the story just read. So if you're in the mood for spooky stories and you've got a bit of a drive or a long day of tasks in front of you, check this podcast out. It'll put you in the Halloween mood. Thus far, my top two videos are "The Haunting of Hill House" (above) and "The Birds" (below). Note of caution - do NOT listen to "The Birds" when you're driving alone through deserted countryside at night! (I tried it - it's a trip.) Enjoy!  Synopsis: Journalist Cecily Wong has a bad track record when it comes to mountaineering. But when charismatic and internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh invites her to join his record-breaking final climb of the year on Manaslu, she knows its a potentially career-making opportunity. The only catch? No interview until she summits. Putting her past failures behind her, Cecily joins the team. But when a climber dies under mysterious circumstances, she becomes suspicious. By the time the second climber dies, it's too late to back out now. Stuck in a mountain death zone , she has to battle her own self doubt, the elements... and a killer who is determined to leave no witness to tell the tale. Breathless is both a survival story and a murder mystery and it literally gave me the chills. Cecily is an every woman, suddenly thrust, relatively unprepared, into the privileged, pricey, and competitive world of mountaineering, a world were death is not unusual and the biggest obstacle is not necessarily the climb. As Cecily prepares to tackle Manaslu, she also begins to learn about the people on her team and the various reasons why they climb. It's an insider's look into a club that I, frankly, had never thought to even try to join.
McCulloch's descriptions of the climb, the cold, the dangers, and the heights were bone-chillingly realistic. When one of the characters nearly falls through a crevasse, I found myself shouting aloud a warn. Honestly, I didn't know that my fear of heights could be triggered by a book. Turns out, it can. While the mystery itself is solved fairly easily (someday I'm going to write a book of rules for the amateur sleuth!), the book is still intense because of the duel nature of the threat - the human and the mountain. This book was gripping and terrifying. I highly, highly recommend it. Unless you're planning on tackling Everest. In which case, maybe wait until after the climb lest you psych yourself out.  Synopsis:
Robert Neville is the last human on earth. Or might be. He doesn't really know. What he does know is that a devastating virus has swept through the world, turning the inhabitants into vampires. Now Robert is alone, held up in a bunker that once was his home, king of all he surveys by day, trapped and surrounded by rapacious vampires by night. Can one man survive in a world of vampires? Legend flips the traditional vampire story on it's head by putting vampires in the majority, with an outclassed humanity on the run. Neville is a man who has lost everything: his work, his wife, his child, his whole world. By day, he can sally forth outside of his house, looking for food and supplies, but every night, he is besieged by vampires literally starving for his blood, perhaps the last truly human blood on the planet. It's dark, it's claustrophobic, and, in a post-Covid pandemic world, this story strikes a little too close to home (but in the best way). Oddly, this story didn't hit me as hard as Matheson's other fiendishly frightening book, Hell House. Perhaps, having lived through multiple lockdowns, I've become accustomed to the terror of it. And although Matheson does occasionally fall prey to certain story-telling tropes of the time (it AMAZING how many horny, well-endowed, under-clothed women survive the various holocausts, plagues, invasions, and disasters in the sci-fi worlds of the 1950s and 1960s - and how often they need the love of a good(read: available) man in the midst of said crisis #eyeroll), it actually works with the story here. The story is succinct, bloody, and well-reasoned, as well as a fascinating look at a man, struggling with loneliness, loss, and a world without meaning. It is not for the faint of heart. I Am Legend is well worth the read for lovers of horror and sci-fi. (However, I would caution against reading it while in quarantine. ;) )  Synopsis:
In a sleepy English village in the 1950s, a housekeeper dies. But was her death an accident? Or murder? Atticus Pund, a holocaust survivor and famous private detective, has nothing to go on and his own problems to deal with: a terminal illness is threatening to take him before he can finish writing his book. But then housekeeper's employer, Sir Magnus Pie, is beheaded in his own mansion. Can Atticus solve one last murder before his own clock runs out? Meanwhile, in present day London, editor Susan Ryland receives the first draft of Alan Conway's latest Atticus Pund novel, she has no idea that her life is about to be flipped up-side-down. Not only is Alan about to kill off the most popular character in her publishing house's library, but the last chapter is missing - and Alan Conway is dead. Now she has to find the last chapter... and possibly solve a real live murder on her own. At long last, the Time Travelers have arrived! You can watch it on Rumble and on YouTube - when you do, be sure to leave a comment about what time period YOU would want to visit! Many thanks to everyone who worked on this film, including the fabulous cast and crew - visit the Time Travelers page for more information about all of them. We have more little films and books in the works, so stay on the look out for those! I am so excited to announce that my new short film, The Time Travelers, is on its way into post production! This past Sunday, a small group of enthusiastic filmmakers, actors, extras, and behind the scenes geniuses gathered together to shoot a short film set in 9 time periods. It was a packed day, but a fun one and I can't wait to share the film with you. This film is the first of my solo production (with Book Sisters Productions able assistance)! Stay tuned! More fun is on the way! During the Covid 19 Pandemic, I've been lucky enough to have been able to work with Abbynormal Productions in a series of Facebook plays. As part of that, I got to work with the awesome Leila Toba on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula (I got to respectively play two cool original characters, the indominable Sr. Agatha and quirky, flirty Bridget Stone, aka The Curator). Abbynormal is creating a new monsterverse, so if you're a horror fan and you haven't checked out their Facebook page, do yourself a favor and check it out here. Leila and I were interviewed by Andrew Morris on his What the Niche podcast about being women in horror, why the horror genre is ultimately hopeful, and why Morticia Addams is Boss. (I also learned, on relistening, that I giggle a LOT!) Many thanks to Andrew and Leila for such a fun and informative chat! Check it out here - our interview starts at the 40 minute mark!  Being the organized mess that I normally am, I totally spaced (see what I did there?) that Universal Threat is free on Amazon this week! Be sure to check it out here! Also, check out the trailer below! Looking for a haunted read for Halloween? Look no further!Many thanks to Diane Donovan of Midwest Book Review for this awesome write-up! (Check out the review on their website here. You'll have to scroll a bit!)  Jenny Goodnight Killarney Traynor Original Thirteen Publications www.killarneytraynor.com Review by Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Review. Jenny Goodnight tells of a tired missionary woman who becomes drawn into a town conflict between fiery newspaper reporter Uncle Matthew and the powerful founding family of the town of Legacy. It doesn't help her case, when murder results, that she's an assertive woman known for packing a pistol and confronting violence, herself. When she becomes a suspect in the murder, Jenny is drawn into the investigation to save herself from hanging. Like her investigative uncle, she discovers even more layers to the town's politics and underlying connections, the more she pulls at the strings of possibilities and strange associations. Killarney Traynor creates an involving, clever, assertive protagonist in the character of Jenny Goodnight. The plot follows her special form of frontier justice and confrontation beyond the confines of the usual Western female protagonist. Jenny's uncle wants to reject her inclination to rescue him even as she uncovers truths about his relationship with Underwood and the secret that is being held over his head. More importantly, Jenny herself finds that her own future and capacity to survive and live in this town depends on her ability to unravel a very strange and deadly truth indeed. From a missing letter to another act of violence that hits too close to home, Jenny perseveres against all odds, drawing readers into a Western scenario in which her strengths spill over into other lives to create new possibilities not just for Jenny, but those around her. Another big plus to the story is the atmospheric descriptions that create strong images of countryside and purposes: "I followed him down the narrow path. The sun was descending, shafts of light gilding the rugged dark pines and bringing out the burnt orange of the landscape. We rode maybe half a mile under the arbor, then the trees gave way and the valley opened up before us. A low, squat building, weather-beaten and in need of work, was situated on the open plain, a barn just behind it. Beyond these, a creek wended its way through a corridor of earth-clutching trees. There were more trees staked out in an irregular pattern on the far side of the house. Cattle lowed from somewhere, and Danaher's nag whinnied in the paddock. It was a sweet piece of land, capable of supporting a small family, and I wondered if that would have suited the lovely Helen, had she not caught the eye of an Evans." Readers who like blends of Western and mystery themes, powered by an exceptionally astute female protagonist, will relish the intrigue, atmosphere, and confrontational changes in Jenny Goodnight, which is highly recommended reading for Western novel fans looking for more than the usual male-centric focus. Order Jennry Goodnight on Amazon.com or here on my website!
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