Review: The Exorcist: 40th Anniversary Edition by William Peter Blatty

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Jenn

As we approach the end of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem, I thought it would be appropriate to feature the book (and subsequent movie) that continues to terrify me: The Exorcist.  I don’t see myself as a person that is easily frightened which makes this book ever the more frightening!

  • Hardcover:400 pages
  • Publisher:Harper; 40 Anv edition (October 4, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0062094351
  • Source: Publisher

We’re all familiar with the story, right? Actress and single mother, Chris MacNeil, is about to start a new film, creating a bit of chaos in her normal schedule. Her young daughter, Regan, begins to complain about sounds at night, her bed shaking.  MacNeil assumes it’s her daughter’s way of dealing with her parent’s divorce. When her behavior continues to deteriorate, including using foul language, having accidents in her bed (and in the middle of an important dinner party), MacNeil becomes worried and contacts Regan’s doctor.

Despite dozens of medical tests, including screening for mental issues, Regan’s doctor is unable to find anything. Regan’s behavior worsens; they have to tie her down to her bed after her body is found levitating and thrashing above it. With nowhere else to turn, MacNeil reaches out to a Jesuit priest who attended her recent dinner party. He recommends Father Karras who just happens to be a psychologist as well. Father Karras is dealing with his own demons; he feels guilty for the death of his elderly mother, his faith is in question. Aided by Father Merrin, a priest with experience in exorcisms, the two attempt to rid the young girl’s body of the demon that is possessing it.

At the same time, DC Police Lieutenant William Kinderman is investigating a ritualistic serial killer that has been desecrating nearby churches. He pays another visit to the MacNeil home after a good friend of the family is found dead in the stairwell under Regan’s bedroom window, his neck broke so severely his head was found facing backward.

It’s been forty years since this classic horror novel was published and it continues to stand the test of time. The Exorcist is a multi-faceted novel; not only does it deal with the possession of a young girl, but also faith (or the lack thereof). It’s a classic for several reasons, it became a literary phenomenon, the first novel published in the horror genre (and others!) that took the risks of dealing with the Catholic religion, the priesthood, and ultimately, demonic possession. It is a truly rich character driven novel as well, the reader is left wondering if young Regan is actually possessed or just mentally insane.

I’d be remiss not to mention the movie production of this book, one of the most shocking films ever. Viewers quite literally fled the theaters out of fear, some so affected that they became physically ill.  As Scott Poole mentioned in his book Monsters in America, the number of people seeking religious advise increased dramatically; people began to believe that they, too, were possessed and requested exorcism.

Back to the book…I read the original novel when I was a young teen, shortly after watching the movie. Reading it again, decades later, my experience is the same: I was terrified. Silly me read this book at night, during a particularly windy evening. Every sound sent chills down my spine. Yet, I loved this book. I can’t help it.  It made history! Horror authors today still mention this book and the author as a source of inspiration for their writings.

As a citizen of the DC metro area, I have actually visited the infamous stairwell in Georgetown, pictured below:

 

They are pretty creepy stairs; I was unable to force myself to walk them, chills going down my spine simply by being in their presense.

I read the 40th Anniversary edition of this book. Blatty states (source):

“The 40th Anniversary Edition of The Exorcist will have a touch of new material in it as part of an all-around polish of the dialogue and prose. First time around I never had the time (meaning the funds) to do a second draft, and this, finally, is it. With forty years to think about it, a few little changes were inevitable — plus one new character in a totally new very spooky scene. This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”

Other than the new character & scene, I really didn’t sense any real changes. I don’t mean that as a stab at the author, but the writing just flows so well, anything added is completely undetectable.  Bottom line: highly recommended…if you dare….

 

Posted in Harper Books, Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Review | 12 Comments

Mx3 Review: Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Jenn

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback:224 pages
  • Publisher:First Second (June 7, 2011)
  • Source: Library copy

Anya is a student at a private school. She’s not proud of her Russian heritage; her family moved to the United States when she was five and Anya’s worked quite hard to get rid of her accent.  When introducing herself to others, she often Americanizes her last name, another attempt to escape her heritage. Her mother, on the other hand, wants her to embrace it; she arranged for Anya to attend this specific private school because a Russian boy of the same age was enrolled there.

One day, as Anya is walking through the park, Anya falls into a hole. She meets the ghost of a young girl who died in 1918. The girl, Emily, claims to have been murdered. She’s been hovering over her remains, unable to separate herself from the bones that remain. When Anya is rescued, Emily is able to “escape” due to one of her bones finding it’s way into Anya’s backpack.

At first, Emily is a welcome relief in a sort to Anya. She offers her the companionship she lacks, even assisting her in her school work, social life, and wardrobe.  Soon, however, Emily becomes a bit obsessed with Emily’s life, living it as her own in a sense. When Anya get suspicious she does a bit of research into Emily’s past, discovering that she isn’t the person she stated she was. Anya must find a way to detach Emily from her life before things get out of hand.

Anya’s Ghost is more than just your average ghost story, it is also a coming of age tale, in a sense.  Anya is a teen, insecure in her appearance and her identity. She has a curvy body and she’s desperate to fit in with the “in-crowd.” specifically one of the popular boys who seems to show an interest in her. Through Emily, and the experience she has with her, she learns to embrace her heritage, her identity, her being.

As this is a graphic novel, the illustrations are important.  Brosgol does a tremendous job detailing the emotion, the “feel” of the book by using gray-scale, not just black and white, to illustrate the story.

 

 All in all, Anya’s Ghost is a graphic novel that would appeal to fans of several genres, including mystery, horror, young adult, etc. How can you resist a book that Neil Gaiman refers to as “A Masterpiece?” Highly recommended.

 

Posted in graphic novel, Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Mystery/Suspense, Review, YA | 4 Comments

Mx3 Guest Post: Alan Orloff and The Idea That Wouldn’t Die

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Jenn

 

I met Alan Orloff, mystery-gone-horror writer at his event at One More Page Books, my local independent bookstore.  He’s quite the humorous guy; it was here that I learned Alan’s interest in horror fiction.  It was just a few months ago that I learned he was publishing a horror ebook. I contacted Alan, interested in learning how writing a horror novel was different than writing a thriller/mystery. Viola, a blog post was created! Without further ado…

The Idea That Wouldn’t Die

So far, in my writing career, I’ve traditionally published three novels (counting the one coming out in January). All are mysteries. Which, I’m sure, makes my agent and editor happy as I build a following among mystery readers (a good thing). From all appearances, it seems I’m becoming known as a mystery author.

But a strange thing happened not too long ago. Somewhere between writing one manuscript and revising another and promoting a third, I was attacked by an idea for a novel that sank its teeth into me and wouldn’t let go. The idea was based on a premise that fit into the horror genre, not a mystery (definitely NOT a mystery).

So I did what any self-respecting mystery author would have done. I tried to ignore the idea.

I really did try to ignore it, but it was a persistent bugger. It would wake me up at night, and distract me while I watched cartoons. It would whisper to me in the shower and it would sit on my shoulder while I ran and it would make faces at me as I ate. It stalked me on a daily basis.

To preserve my sanity, I had no choice but to capitulate. I sat down at my computer and banged this story out. Very little was required on my part; the words came spilling out like ground beef from an industrial-grade meat grinder. Then revisions, then beta readers, then more revisions. When it finally gleamed, I e-pubbed it. (Using a pen name, Zak Allen, to distinguish it from my mysteries.)

I can honestly say THE TASTE is one of the best literary dishes I’ve ever cooked up (of course, I could be a tad biased).

How did writing a horror novel compare to writing a mystery? Let me start with the similarities. In both genres, you need strong characters with purpose—sympathetic protagonists who are seeking something vital in their lives. Personal transformation as the story progresses. A twisty plot. Tight, evocative prose. Sparkling dialogue. A well-drawn setting. Conflict, suspense, emotional involvement. All essential story elements for any genre.

But I found one big difference writing horror. Freedom. When writing a mystery, there are certain reader expectations, and as an author, you need to “play fair.” Drop in clues. Introduce suspects. Sprinkle a few red herrings along the way. There’s not exactly a formula you need to follow, but if you stray too far afield, many readers (and editors) will balk (and squawk).

In the horror realm, those limitations don’t seem to exist; it feels more like an “anything goes” environment. Stuff doesn’t have to make sense in the same way it does in a real-world mystery. Because reality is a lot more ambiguous (fluid? malleable?) in a horror novel, dreaming up a pretty cool what-if scenario seems easier (and almost mandatory). Imagination is really the only limiting factor.

The upshot: I was able to incorporate some delicious ideas that wouldn’t sit well in a mystery. This helped make writing THE TASTE a ton of fun.

One other thing I discovered—Zak Allen is a lot more uninhibited than Alan Orloff.

THE TASTE is available as an ebook, for Kindle or Nook.

 

Alan Orloff is the author of the Agatha Award-nominated DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD. He also wrote KILLER ROUTINE and the upcoming DEADLY CAMPAIGN, both part of the Last Laff Mystery series (all from Midnight Ink).  For more info, visit www.alanorloff.com

 

Thank you, Alan!  Today’s a special day, readers! It just happens to be Alan’s birthday!  To celebrate, Alan has offered to give away three ebook copies of THE TASTE. Winners chose whether they would like a Kindle ebook or epub format (compatible with a whole host of eReaders).  To enter, please fill out the form below. The winners will be contacted via email on Friday, November 4th. Good luck to all who enter!  


 

 

Posted in Author Guest Post, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 5 Comments

Mx3 Review: The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Jenn

  • Hardcover:384 pages
  • Publisher:William Morrow (October 25, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 0061558265
  • Source: Publisher

Short review: Shut the front door this book is awesome! Just buy it!

 

Ok, for those of you who want a little more substance, read on…

Two years after the vampiric virus was unleashed, the planet is now covered in darkness due to a nuclear winter. The Master determines who will survive, based on how valuable they are to his vampire army. Human beings are harvested for their blood, literally locked up in internment camps, separated by “status.” Humans used for their blood are treated much like cows hooked up to milking machines. Women able to have children are fed well; their children are the future, a guaranteed food source.

The Master also controlled the number of vampires created, for too many vampires would decrease the “food” available:

“The Master had apparently calculated the right number, the exact balance, of vampires needed to establish dominance without overburdening the blood supply; its approach was methodological and indeed mathematical.  The elderly and inform were also collected and exterminated. It was a purge and a putsch.  Roughly one-third of the human population was exterminated over that seventy-two-hour period, which has been since known as, collectively, ‘Night Zero.'”

The gang of “rebels” from the previous two books continue their fight against the ancient and powerful vampire: Dr. Eph Goodweather, former CDC head; Dr. Nora Martinez, another doctor familiar with the inner workings of the vampires; Vasiliy Fet, the Russian exterminator; and  Mr. Quinlan, spawn of the Master, a half-human, have vampire. Their current mission: to save Eph’s son, Zack, from the Master’s grip.  Unfortunately, Zach has succumbed to the Master, for it is the Master’s blood that cures him of his respiratory illnesses. He feels alive in the presence of the master, the bond they share almost stronger than the bond with his father. His mother, a vampire, stays close to Zack; the love bond they share continues despite of her “status.”

The Master is still desperate to get his hands on the Occido Lumen,  the book that holds the history of the strigoi, this unique strain of vampires infected by worm-like creatures.  They do not not infect their victims in the means of the traditional vampires, instead a projectile shoots from their mouth, full of the worm-like creatures, to be injected into their victim. Once they change, they lose all resemblance to a human being; their bodies devoid of hair and sexual organs. This history also provides a glimpse of their weaknesses as well as insight into their demise.

Eph and the others must literally sacrifice themselves  in order to save the world for only they know how to put an end to the Master’s wave of destruction.

The Night Eternal is a stunning conclusion to an incredibly unique trilogy. When I read the first book in this series, The Strain,  I had an inkling as to how tremendous this trilogy would be. In reading The Night Eternal, however, my initial feelings were dwarfed by how tremendous this conclusion turned out to be.  Del Toro and Hogan provide a stunning history of the Master and of the existence of vampires in our country tracing back to Plymouth Rock. They trace back to the beginning of the trilogy, filling in blanks and answering questions I’ve had from the beginning. It’s obvious that they plotted out this series well; the pieces seemed to fall together magically; I often found myself saying “Ah yes, I get it!” The Night Eternal completely makes up for any doubts I felt after reading The Fall.

This is a trilogy that must be read in order. While each book provides a bit of back story, to get the true impact of the story you must start at the beginning. Highly recommended!

Posted in Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Review, William Morrow | 7 Comments

Mx3 Guest Interview: Five Minutes with John Connolly

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Jenn

 

Today I’d like to welcome Rachel, a recovering Borders employee and blogger for Booksellers Without Borders, to the blog today! For her post, she interviews author John Connolly!

 

Five Minutes with John Connolly: Murder, Monsters, and Mayhem edition

 
I always tell people that I don’t read a lot of horror, but that’s not really true.  I don’t seek out books with murder, monsters, and mayhem on purpose, but they always seem to find their way into my TBR.  It’s like the literary universe is trying to send me a message.  (You do like literary violence, you really do!)  Case in point: one of my all-time favorite authors is John Connolly (http://johnconnollybooks.com), who primarily writes a dark mystery series with a supernatural bent, along with stand-alones that take place in distorted fairy tale lands and Hell itself.  He has two new books on the shelves – THE BURNING SOUL for mystery/thriller fans and THE INFERNALS, a sequel to his young adult title, THE GATES – both of which I can recommend unreservedly.  He was kind enough to spend a few minutes answering yet another set of my questions, this time focusing on the dark side of his writing.

[Booksellers Without Borders]:  In person, you are laid back, charming, funny, and just one of the genuinely nicest people one could hope to meet.  Yet your books have all of the 3 featured Ms: Murder, Monsters, and Mayhem.  How do you reconcile your calm demeanor with the dark and disturbing aspects of your writing?

[John Connolly]:  Ah, but I only SEEM laid back, charming and funny, and I’m not even sure about that.  On the other hand, I suppose that writing the books that I do allows me to explore different facets of my own personality, and I get to examine the things that do disturb or anger me through the characters in the novels.  It’s not cathartic, exactly, but there is a kind of release that comes with it, nonetheless.  On a more practical level, though, I’ve always felt that, if I’m going to go out and meet people and talk about my books, I may as well enjoy it, and try to make sure that they enjoy it too.  I’m fortunate to be doing what I do, and make a living from it, and I tend to try not to forget that.

[BwoB]:  Has anything you’ve written about ever kept you up at night?  (Because some of us have nightmares after reading parts of your books… 

[JC]:  No, not at all.  I sleep like a baby.  There are recurring motifs in the books, though, that represent subjects that particularly unsettle me generally.  Cancer is one.  That recurs in the books, and I think it’s because my father died from it, and I’ve watched other people close to me succumb to it, and it probably does frighten me.

[BwoB]: There is a strongly prevalent supernatural theme in your writing.  Do you believe in ghosts and the like?

[JC]:  I tend to think of myself as a healthy skeptic when it comes to these things.  I’ve never seen a ghost, or had any remotely supernatural experience.  I think I’m more interested in the literary and metaphysical possibilities that they offer me as a writer than I am in them as potentialities.

[BwoB]:  What do you think it is that draws people to dark tales?

[JC]:  We just like being frightened, to some degree or another, but we like being frightened in a secure environment over which we have some element of control.  And, of course, ghost stories and the like are never really about werewolves or specters or vampires: those are just the forms that writers pick to explore more generalized fears, or the concept of fear itself. 

[BwoB]:  What scares John Connolly?

[JC]:  Women, a bit.  And dentistry.

[BwoB]:  Thanks again for taking some time to talk with us!

 

Rachel is a recovering Borders bookseller who, with the help of some friends, continues to share her reading recommendations via blog at Booksellers Without Borders .  She lives in Chicago, where she buys too many books for her niece and nephew.  You can catch her tweets at @BksellerExpats (blog) and @allshiny (personal).

 

Posted in Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 2 Comments

Mx3 Review: Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Jenn

  • Paperback:368 pages
  • Publisher:St. Martin’s Griffin; Original edition (October 25, 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 031255219X
  • Source: Publisher

Serial killer Homer Gibbon is sentenced to death. Except, it’s not quite the death he expected.  Rather than truly being executed, the prison doctor, hell-bent on revenge and desperate for someone to pay for heir actions, injects him with a serum that keeps his conscious alive while his physical body decomposes. The doctor’s intent was for Gibbon’s body to be buried, essentially for Gibbon to be buried alive, feeling his own body eaten away by the normal process of decay.  Instead, however, his body is shipped to his aunt in Stebbins, a small town in Pennsylvania.  His body reanimates just as the town’s mortician opens the body bag.  His “rebirth” causes havoc and devastation to the small Pennsylvania town.

Desmonda Fox is a police officer in Stebbins. She has her share of issues: her father was killed in battle when she was young, her mother died shortly thereafter of cancer. She trusts no one, how could she after everyone important to her has abandoned her. She’s reeling reeling after a break-up with Billy Trout, her ex-boyfriend who also happens to be a news reporter. He didn’t abandon her; he actually wanted commitment, to marry her.  Still, Des passes each day by sleeping with strangers and drinking.

Des and her partner, JT, are called to the funeral home for a reported break-in. What they discover instead terrifies them; the body of the “celebrity” serial killer is missing, as is the body of the town’s mortician.  The cleaning woman’s body is found, horribly mutilated. That’s just the beginning…the small town is soon flooded by the walking dead.  It’s up to Des, JT, and surprisingly Trout, to save the town from complete and utter destruction.  The devastation isn’t solely at the hands of the zombies, but powers higher than Des can ever imagine.

Jonathan Maberry continues to impress me with each and every zombie novel he publishes. Dead of Night truly exceeded my expectations. I admit, I didn’t think it would be much different than Maberry’s Rot & Ruin or Joe Ledger series.  Fans of these series will be happy to learn that Maberry puts a completely new spin on how zombies are “created.”

The characters are another  feature of this book worth mentioning. Des, while full of her own issues, is a genuinely likeable character.  The reader will root for her success, cheer her accomplishments. The same can be said for JT and Trout; two men who truly care for Des and will stop at nothing to protect her and the citizens of their small town.

Another unique spin is that, in Dead of Night, the reader will actually feel sympathy for the zombies.  They are intelligent, their conscious is still alive, unable to control their actions. 

“The consciousness becomes separated, much as it does with certain hallucinogenic drugs, or during the spiritual exercise of astral projection. There is a disconect between higher mind and physical body. The consciousness has no control at all over the body, and yet the subcounscious mind can be manipulated by suggestion.”

They don’t want to “live,” to continue to be first-hand witness of the crimes their virus-infected bodies are performing. The beg for the torture to end, but unfortunately no one can understand their garbled language.

One of the lesser-developed characters is a radio broadcaster whose broadcasts break up the novel’s chapters.  The initial broadcast contains warnings of the impending storm hitting the area, moving to shunning of those individuals calling the station to report zombies, to ultimate radio silence. This added feature really drove home the devastation that was hitting this small Pennsylvania town.

I read Dead of Night during the read-a-thon this past weekend and boy, was it a perfect fit! The pacing is fast, the action heavy, the perfect book to keep my attention.  I do forgive Maberry for the dig he made on Stephen King…I’m sure it was done all out of fun (right, Jonathan!?)If you haven’t guessed yet, I highly recommend this novel.  Jonathan Maberry is the king of zombie fiction, further proven by yet another stunning book! Highly recommended for fans of Maberry’s other books, those new to his writing, as well as fans of thrillers (who don’t mind the walking dead).

 

Posted in Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Review, St. Martin's Griffin, Thriller | 4 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Jenn

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

Thanks to the read-a-thon I finished quite a few books this week:

Darkness All Around by Doug Magee
Pumpkin Man by John Everson
Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry
The Night Eternal: Book Three of the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
The Exorcist 40th Anniversary Edition by William Peter Blatty
You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News: Shocking But Utterly True Facts by Crackedcom
Patient Zero (audio) by Jonathan Maberry

Currently Reading

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Joe Ledger: The Missing Files (audio) by Jonathan Maberry
Cemetery Girl by David Bell
Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi

Books to Complete This Week

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s Deadliest Female Serial Killer by M. William Phelps
Midnight Movie by Tobe Hooper

What are you reading this week?

Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 10 Comments

TSS: Wrapping up the 24 Hour Read-a-thon!

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Jenn

This post shall serve as both my weekly wrap up as well as my #read-a-thon wrap up! Following are my final stats;

Books finished: Dead of Night, The Night Eternal, Anya’s Ghost, The Exorcist, You Might Be a Zombie, started Dust and Decay
Running total of pages read: 1992
Total time spent reading: Well, I went to bed around midnight. I wanted to be functional today.  I’d say I spent a total of 14 hours read.

I think this was by far my favorite read-a-thon. Mainly, because I didn’t push myself, didn’t get exhausted, etc.  So, there really wasn’t a difficult span of time for me. If I got tired, I took a break.  Pretty simple.

It also helped that the books I picked weren’t excessively “heavy.”  I highly recommend including a graphic novel or two, that certainly helped with me. The different format really broke things up a bit.

I really enjoyed each and every one of the books I read, but my favorite was probably The Night Eternal. I’ve been waiting for this one for so long. It was worth the wait, it lived up to my expectations 🙂

Following is the my weekly wrap up, week three of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem.  I really hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I am!   Here’s what took place on the blog this week:

As you can see, quite a few giveaways going on!  Speaking of giveaways, it’s time to announce the winner of the Murder, Monsters & Mayhem weekly giveaway.  Remember, it’s easy to enter.  All you have to do is link up your review in the #Mx3 link wrap up. 

Without further ado, the winner of this week’s giveaway is…..The Guilded Earlobe with his review of Vacation by Matthew Costello!  Congratulations!  This is what you won:

Congratulations again! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Posted in The Sunday Salon | 8 Comments

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon! October 2011

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Jenn

*Read-a-thon updates will appear as links on the bottom of this post*

I’m excited to be participating in Dewey’s 24-hr read-a-thon this weekend, starting tomorrow morning.  This is probably the fourth read-a-thon I’ve participated in, and I’m really excited to be doing it again. I won’t be reading for 24 hours straight; with two young, active boys, that won’t be possible.  I do plan on reading as much as I can though, hopefully my boys will join me as well.

Unlike in years past, I will not be making frequent updates on my progress here on the blog. Instead, I will make the updates via my Tumblr page. That said, I will post the links to those updates below so you only need to check one spot for those updates.

Here’s my ambitious and uber-creepy stack of books I plan on reading:

Kick off (8:00 AM)
Update 1, Hour 4 (12:00 PM)
Update 2, Hour 8 (4:00 PM) 
Update 3, Hour 12 (8:00 PM)
Update 4, Hour 16 (12:00 AM)

Good luck to all those others who are participating!! Do you have your books picked out yet?

Posted in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon | 9 Comments

Mx3 Guest Post & Giveaway: Doug Magee, Author of Darkness All Around

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Jenn

Earlier today, I reviewed Doug Magee’s Darkness All Around.  Now I’m pleased to welcome Doug for a guest post. The topic is a recently new thing in book promotions: book trailers. 

 

The actor said I was brave and at first I didn’t understand what he was talking about. I had just handed him an advance copy of my new novel Darkness All Around.  I wanted him to read it  because he was going to play the part of one of the characters in the book trailer I was about to shoot.

This book trailer stuff is a relatively new part of publishing but it seems most books these days have some sort of video presence as well as print promotion. I’m not sure how much they do to interest readers but publishers seem to think a book without a trailer is somehow incomplete.

In my unofficial survey of the genre I’ve found two basic varieties. There is the interview with the author trailer and there is the hodgepodge of quotes and animated still photos variety. So when it came to my current novel I decided to take a different tack. I had worked as a screenwriter for many years and had directed a couple of short films. I decided to tackle something a little more ambitious. My idea was to film an actor partly addressing the camera as a character from the book would, detailing that character’s dilemma.

In the case of Darkness All Around that meant first and foremost I would film the character Sean Collins. Sean is a man who spiraled into alcoholism, left his hometown in Pennsylvania and spent eleven years drunk on the streets of New York. An accident gave him a traumatic brain injury and in the aftermath of his recovery he began to have horrible visions of a murder he committed before he left his hometown. As the book opens he is trying to convince people he committed the murder, even though another man has confessed and is jail.

I found a fine actor named Chris Henry Coffey to play the part of Sean. It was at our first meeting that he called me brave. When I asked him what he meant he said that readers who saw the trailer would have a very specific image of the character unlike someone who hadn’t seen the trailer and could create their own image. I had heard the author Robert Crais say that he hadn’t sold rights to his series because he didn’t want to spoil readers’ images of his hero.

But I didn’t think there would be any problem. We shot the video and Chris did a terrific job portraying Sean’s anguish. The trailer is, I think, unique. But after having seen it over and over again in the editing, I think Chris has become Sean for me. And I’m starting to wonder if it was a good idea to bring the character to life in that way. Was I brave or stupid?  Did I sacrifice something at the heart of the book for the sake of promotion? Maybe you can give the videos a look and let me know. Or maybe you might want to read the book first.

 

Without further ado…the book trailers for Darkness All Around.  


Thanks to the author, I have a copy of Darkness All Around for giveaway.  To enter, please fill out the form below.  The winner will be contacted via email on Friday, October 28th.  Open to US & Canada only.  Good luck!


 

Posted in Author Guest Post, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 3 Comments