Saturday is Horror Day #22 - The Return of the Living Dead 2

 Happy Saturday! Welcome to another edition of Saturday is Horror Day! 

Return of the Living Dead II - 

Jesse (Michael Kenworthy) is bullied by two other boys into joining their club. Billy (Thorn Van Lingen) forces him to go to their clubhouse, which turns out to be a crypt in the cemetery. There they find some old army cannisters, and Billy claims them. Jesse wants nothing to do with them and makes his escape, but the other boys aren't as luck as they accidentally break the seal and are overcome by an obnoxious gas.

Ed  (James Karen) and Joey (Thom Mathews) work together, their job being to rob graves for body parts which they sell. supposedly in the name of research. They come across Jesse, who is hiding in a crypt.  He eludes them and runs off, but quickly discovers that things are not what they should. Dead people are rising, and they're hungry. 

Jesse races home and wants to call the number he found on the cannister, because surely the army can

help them, but his sister Lucy (Marsha Dietlein), who is babysitting him, has other ideas. When a young, good-looking cable installer, Tom (Dana Ashbrook) shows up, she is really determined to keep her brother under control.

But the dead have other ideas...

The sequel to The Return of the Living Dead  has some of the wit and charm of the first movie, but no Dan O'Bannion, alas. But the good news is that we have the return of James Karen and Thom Matthews, who did much to make the first film memorable. They're working together again but they're playing different characters, yet they're very similar to the first ones. If you've seen the first film, you'll remember this line: "Watch your tongue, boy, if you like this job!"

While still interesting and comedic, it lacks a bit of what made the first one so good. Even so, it's a good watch and well worth the effort. You might remember Dana Ashbrook, who will later go on to play in Twin Peaks as Bobby Briggs.  Also, keep an eye out for the Michael Jackson zombie toward sthe end. All in all, I give this a solid 3.75 Stars.

Book Review: Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 14: A Boy and a Dream by Naoki Urasawa

 

Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 14: A Boy and a Dream     

Author: Naoki Urasawa

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: April 19, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/232 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

The mourners of Friend are many. Griefstricken people wait in line for hours to sign the register and file past his masked body. It seems as if all Friend’s predictions are coming to pass. Manjome is dispirited himself, and confused, and decides to take a trip into Friend Land to find answers to his questions, such as why is this happening.

At the same time, Kanna wants to send Koizumi with Yoshitsune  into Friend Land to find their own answers. Kanna would rather go herself, but he tells her she is too emotionally involved, since Friend is her father and all.  On their arrival, Yoshitsune shows Koizumi around to all the familiar places he remembers from 1971. But when they come to the location that was once their secret headquarters, they find a bowling alley there… one which Koizumi insists wasn’t there when she visited. What’s going on? She’s sure she’s right, but Yoshitsune remembers the place that destroyed their secret clubhouse. How can that be? Yoshitsune is having a difficult time remembering what he was doing that summer. While they are in the bowling alley, he comes face to face with the owner, the man he refers to as the King of Evil. Koizumi is shocked to discover that the man is actually Kamisama!

As they monitor Yoshitsune and Koizumi in the game, Kanna realizes they have been joined by another player, who is quickly headed toward them. They are unaware that it is Manjome, and he wonders if he is going to learn the real truth about 1971. As Manjome “sleeps”, his lover takes control, and she is ruthless.

Yoshitsune thinks the key to what happened lies in what happened at the science lab one particular night, and hinges on what Donkey saw, so he and Koizumi head there. And a fourth player has entered the game, and this person is swiftly descending upon Yoshitsune and Koizumi! Kanna asks to be placed into the game in the spot where they are, but winds up in Kenji’s room instead. She gives him some words of wisdom and heads to the school. And now they are all there…

The more I learn, the less I know. Nothing is what it appears to be, including 1971. Why the deception? Why hide the fact that a bowling alley was built where the boys had their secret headquarters? What is real and what isn’t? As for what Donkey saw that night… how does that even work? And why?

And the fourth player… could it be….

So many questions. Can’t wait to keep going on this crazy rollercoaster ride. Love it!      

Book Review: Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 13: Beginning of the End by Naoki Urasawa

 

Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 13: Beginning of the End     

Author: Naoki Urasawa

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: February 15, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/232 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Yoshitsune thinks back to that fateful New Year’s Eve, and the man who snapped the picture of them as they faced down the Friend’s menace, none other than Fukube. Why doesn’t he have any childhood memories of Fukube as a boy? Where did he come from and when exactly did he become part of their group? As Yoshitsune and the others try to fathom this, all hell has broken out at the elementary school where rumor has it that Friend has been shot! Kanna recognizes Maruo at the scene, and he tells her he knows a secret way to get into the school, so they can find out what has happened. Meanwhile, Manjome is wakened from a fitful sleep with the news.

Kanna is amazed to find that so many people she believed to be dead are very much alive, working to rid the world of Friend. But not only is Friend dead, his identity has been revealed. Who would have thought it?

Friend’s group assemble, but they are one short – Yamane, who betrayed them. What are they going to do now? Will a successor to Friend be appointed? If so, who? Everyone accuses Manjome of wishing to take over, but he assures them he has no such aspirations. A new member arrives, whom they refer to as Number 13, claiming there is now room for him at the table, and counseling that they continue with Friend’s plans to end the world. Not everyone agrees with this course of action… and suddenly some of the high ranking members wind up dead!

While the others seem content to rest on their laurels now that Friend is dead, Otcho is far from convinced that the threat he represented is over. Kanna says she wants to go with him, since what is happening is her mother’s fault. But Otcho has a story to tell her, one that Yamane told him, about what happened in 2003.

Meanwhile, in 2015, people are starting to die…

Wow, now we know who Friend is… or was. Not at all what I expected. Him? Seriously? How the heck did he become Kanna’s father? What could Kenji’s sister ever see in him? There must be more to this story than we know.

Friend’s followers are divided on whether to continue with his plan or not, but there are fanatics among them, determined to set a dangerous course. I loved finding out the truth about Kanna’s mother, who has been a shadowy figure up until now but who has finally stepped into the spotlight. And in the far-off United States, a player long since forgotten has taken the stage once more.

So much going on, and so many threads to follow. I keep hoping at the end of one of them that Kenji will emerge. Guess we just have to wait and see. Great volume, looking forward to the next one!

                                                              

Wednesday Briefs: An Unholy Alliance #9 (3.2)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts. 

Having bid a less than fond farewell to Tyrone, Charlemagne has more important business to take care of. Something that involves a local library and its librarian. See what's going on in this week's chapter of An Unholy Alliance. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

As an added bonus, if you are enjoying this tale, and getting to know Charlemagne, I have a surprise! He's been interviewed by a friend of mine, and the first part of that interview is on her blog now!  Check it out here!

An Unholy Alliance #9 (3.2)

Having spent time in rural Missouri, I couldn’t help but notice that some of the residents collected vehicles the way other people collected guns… and some of them did both. And these people had a propensity to park their various forms of transportation right in their yards. You know—that chic car lot look.

But the upside of that was that I sometimes got lucky and I found the keys to my chosen vehicle either dangling from the ignition or chilling inside the sun visor. Made stealing a ride a lot easier. Sure, I could have hotwired one if I really wanted to—one advantage to being born before cars were even a thing. But why go to so much trouble when these nice people made it so easy not to?

So I spotted this dark blue 1980-something LeBaron, sitting among its mismatched brethren, in a field just outside an old, ramshackle farmhouse, and I thought why not. A quick listen of the interior revealed no one currently in residence, not a single heartbeat could I hear, so I went for it. Gliding closer, I scanned the car for obvious flaws, such as flat tires or hanging wires. I didn’t care if the damn thing ran forever, just long enough to get me where I wanted to go. I’d ditch it after that and find another when the time came. Same thing I’d been doing for years. Well, since the invention of the automobile. Before that, it was horses.

Two minutes later, I was on my way, windows down and music turned up, having found an inoffensive rock station whose DJ remained blessedly silent between songs other than occasional witticisms, which I handily ignored. Twenty minutes after that, I pulled into the library parking lot and left my ride beneath one of the huge shade trees.

Despite the fact I’d been coming to this town—and more specifically the library—for a while, I still received occasional dirty looks from some of the residents. How could I mistake those glares for anything other than what they were—racism rearing its ugly head? These were mostly older people who seemed to have forgotten the Civil War was over and which side won, but also the occasional wannabe skinhead who, if he had an actual clue, would be more terrified of what I really was than by his own misconceptions of me based solely on the color of my skin. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at receiving such a reception. Not everyone was raised in a multicultural household such as I was.

Of course, most people weren’t brought up by a narcissistic female vampire who, when given the opportunity to add to her Family, with the sanction and blessing of the Council, chose to do so by stealing young children and raising them to her specifications before completing the final step of turning them into vampires. But I digress.

 I ignored lowlifes such as these the best I could, part of maintaining a low-key profile. But there have been a few (not so much here as in other places) who found out, to their detriment, what many years of practice in an assortment of self-defense arts, combined with a blood-induced physical high, can lead to.

The Mason Springs library was, without a doubt, the most comfortable library I’d ever seen, and that’s saying a lot, since I tended to haunt libraries wherever I went, even before I embarked upon my current research project. What can I say? I love books. Without a doubt, the state of this library was entirely due to Casey. Apparently, as she explained it to me, when she was hired, the powers-that-be gave her carte blanche to do as she liked. And I’m here to tell you the result was pretty amazing.

Casey once told me they’d scoured garage sales and Goodwills  throughout Greene County, searching for the perfect furniture to decorate the library. Comfy chairs with soft cushions, large, supportive pillows for those who preferred the floor, and even a couple of futons, all for the benefit of the patrons. They’d set up a cozy corner for the children, where the young ones could read, work puzzles, or listen to stories as they chose.

One section of the library was dedicated to journalism in the form of magazines and newspapers of potential interest to the community. Some of these were of the sensational tabloid variety, true, but there were also more serious publications, such as Science and Smithsonian. The Mason Springs Book Club held monthly meetings there, as did a local group who played Dungeons & Dragons, dressed to the nines. A very eclectic range of interests indeed. Especially for a small town in the middle of the Ozarks.

Casey also knew a great deal about genealogy, and had studied local history extensively. Which was how I happened upon her, and how we began to work together a couple of years ago. My having recently been, shall we say, ousted from the family, had also given me more time to pursue my particular line of inquiries, far from prying eyes. So, a win-win situation all the way around.

Casey had a knack for finding out things, an ability which I truly admired and respected. Articles, books, and people… she found them all. Granted, outside of myself, I knew Casey would never locate anyone who’d actually been alive at the time of the Civil War (and of course she knew nothing about my having been there), but there were people still living who could trace their roots to that time period and either knew stories or possessed family records. All very invaluable to me in my search for my own roots. The people I’d actually come from, as opposed to the ones I grew up with.

I was hoping that was the kind of information she would give me today. I shivered slightly with anticipation as I entered the library.

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

 

 

Virtual Book Tour: Oranges for Miranda by Annette Bower

 Good morning! Please welcome author Annette Bower to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here today to tell us about her new release, Oranges for Miranda. Annette will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Oranges for Miranda

by Annette Bower

 

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GENRE: Romance Contemporary Sweet

 

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BLURB:

 

Miranda Porter, a newly retired award-winning businesswoman, leaves home to transition into her new life stage. Always in control, this is her time to have fun without plans and responsibilities. Enter Renato Monteiro, a considerate tour guide with secrets. Miranda isn’t looking for long-term. She wants a purpose in her retirement. Could her purpose in retirement be finding love in this unlikely place? Could her aim be domesticity and caring for and be cared for by a newly found friend? Will a vacation romance end because of miles?

 

Renato Monteiro has decisions to make. Stay in his birth country where his female relatives want him to marry a woman young enough to give him children. Or does he return to his second home, where he has a purpose and has built a life without children? The day Miranda and he bumped heads changed his life and his pursuit. Now he must decide which is most important the family he was born into or the family he chooses.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

Tucking her oranges into the pocket of her billowy trousers, she toed off her shoes, removed her socks, and padded down the stairs and onto the beach. A rock, eroded and pocked from the wind and seas, was the perfect place to stop. With her toes in the sand and her eyes closed, the scent of salt and the sound of seabirds engulfed her. A wave lapped cold over her feet. Miranda lifted an orange to her cheek.

 

As a shadow blocked the warm sun, her body momentarily chilled. A deep voice whispered close to her ear, “Por favor, Senhora.”

 

Her eyes flew open, and she jumped away from the sound. Her shoes slipped from her hand, and she reached to catch them at the same time the man did. They bumped heads, but his hands were quicker and larger and rescued her shoes seconds before the ocean foam of a retreating wave could swallow them whole.

 

Miranda didn’t know whether to rub her head, reach for her shoes, apologize, or sink into the sand in mortification. “I’m sorry,” she stammered.

 

“I must apologize to you. My head is so much bigger and harder. Are you okay? You aren’t dizzy. Come, let’s sit over here on the rocks.” Long, thick fingers curled around her elbow as she allowed him to guide her.

 

When he let go of her arm, he swiped sand away from the surface of a rock and then motioned her to sit. Her orange. Miranda turned and saw her orange lying in the sand at the base of the rock she had been leaning against. She ran back and scooped it up before the next wave would have taken it out to sea. She tucked it in her pocket along with the other one.

 

Walking back, she surveyed the man who had scared her, bumped her head and then shepherded her to safety. Tall, with a large frame and short-cropped, thick hair graying at the temples. He wore a golf shirt, shorts, and sandals. He appeared to be a visitor, too. But why had he spoken to her at all?

 

“Miranda.” She stretched out her hand.

 

His hands were hard. “Renato.” The lines around his brown eyes were crinkled. “Renato Monteiro.”

 

“Was I in danger?”

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Annette believes home is where her stories percolate. And her home is a condo where she watches the urban life below, airplanes arrive and depart at the international airport, and the seasons change on farmland near the horizon. Annette travels extensively but always returns home to Regina, Saskatchewan. Whether at home or away, and even though directions are always a challenge, she wanders the streets, parks, and lanes observing how people live, love, and care for one another. Your way of sitting, holding hands, the way you tilt your head, or a t-shirt you wear may end up in one of her stories.

 

On her first trip to Olhos de Água, a fishing village in Portugal, she stopped at a café where the proprietors were a mother and daughter. Annette sat at the outdoor blue and white tiled table and ordered an espresso and brandy. While the sun warmed her back, she opened her new notebook. The older woman walked by carrying a basket, tipped her head toward Annette’s blank page, and shrugged. When black-laced heeled shoes struck the tile, and the scent of just-picked clementine oranges interrupted Annette’s writing, the woman plunked three oranges at the edge of her page. Annette cherishes this gift from one woman to another. Recently, Annette travels with an accompanying Orange and shares pictures on Social media as her way of honoring those Portugues women. A version of this event appears in her new novel, Oranges for Miranda.

 

During another trip, while searching for an address in Malaga, Spain, she asked a well-dressed man carrying a floral paper-wrapped bouquet if he spoke English? Would he direct her to the address? With impeccable English, he suggested she walk with him. They chatted, and she discovered he was a lawyer in his final days of retiring. Finally, she asked to whom he was giving the flowers. He lifted the cover to reveal a large crucifix. This detail has not appeared in a story yet.

 

In a coffee shop, looking south between glass tower office buildings, she could be anywhere in the world. However, she is home watching people on Eleventh Avenue run for buses, bring tea to a panhandler, and holding mittened hands while bending into the wind.

 

Annette uses experiences she gathered as a nurse, town administrator, elected official, traveller, and member of a large extended family to inform her stories because writing is her joy.

Annette Bower is a Soul Mate Publishing author of five contemporary romance novels. Her novel Fearless Destiny was first runner-up in the 2017 Sweet Contemporary RONE awards and winner of the Raven Award. Her novel Ponytails and Promises was a finalist in the 2020 RONE Awards and is the 2020 winner of the Raven Award. 

 

Webpage: https://annettebower.com/  (Also a sign up for my monthly newsletter)

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnetteBowerauthor/

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Oranges-Miranda-Annette-Bower-ebook/dp/B095Z4DF2F

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BowerAnnette

 

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 Thank you, Julie, for hosting my Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour.

 

 

1.    You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice-who is that person and what item do you have?

When stranded on a small island with one person, I hope a survival expert such as Bear Grylls or Rocky the Park Ranger is with me and a flat of duct tape. According to the YouTube Myth Busters video, we can make anything we need from duct tape, hats, water carry bags, and foot protective coverings etc. This scenario is my life, and I want to be alive when the rescue boat or plane arrives. I have many more books I want to write. Julie, thank you for this prompt to research survival.

 

2.    Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life—and which character in the musical are you?

The musical Yentl is my life choice. I am Ashkenazi, the Jewish girl who dresses and lives like a boy to obtain an education. During her deception, she falls in love but chooses adventure over becoming a wife at that time. After she arrives in America, I imagine she finds love with a man who accepts her as the strong, intelligent, independent woman she has become.

 

 

3.    When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

I am a pantser. I begin with a character and something I want to learn.

I always know the end because I write romance, and the ending is happy. B.U.T. (behold the underlying truth) how the characters arrive there is the most challenging. I enjoy the beginning when the characters get to know each other. The middle is hard because I want them to fall in love and be happy. Of course, there are challenges with past emotional baggage and the expectations of love in their future together.

 

 

4.    If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

I would want Sandra Annette Bullock to play me. She is the woman with the “girl next door” appeal, but she is so much more than that. Sandra is not mainstream beautiful. Instead, she appears normal and seems to enjoy herself and loves what she does. Sandra adopted children to realize her desire to be a mother. She clarifies that they are her children, not her adopted children. She is precise.

 

 

5.    Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

I am Canadian, and I enjoy reading about Anne of Green Gables, who lived on Prince Edward Island. Therefore, my historical crush is Lucy Maude Montgomery. Lucy wrote stories about an orphan girl who needed love and found it in a spinster and a bachelor. Anne brought love and wonder to their world while they gave her a home, stability that she hadn’t experienced, and love she could not have imagined. L. M. Montgomery continues to bring joy to many readers, both young and old. I want my writing to bring joy to my readers.

 

 

 

 

 

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Saturday is Horror Day #21 - The Return of the Living Dead, The City of the Dead

 The Return of the Living Dead

Freddy (Thom Matthews) has just begun a new job at a medical supply company, joining the ranks of the gainfully employed. His boss, Burt (Clu Gulager) seems like a good guy, and leaves Freddy in the hands of his co-worker, Frank (James Karen). Frank proceeds to show Freddy the ropes. The company has all sort of odd items, such as skeletons for medical schools, and half dogs, for veterinarian schools, and even fresh cadavers in the walk-in. While swapping strange stories, Frank tells Freddy about the weird cannisters that are stored there, something to do with the army. Of course Freddy wants to see them, who wouldn't? But things go horribly wrong when Frank accidental strikes one of the tanks, releasing some kind of noxious gas.

Freddy's girlfriend Tina (Beverly Randolph) is riding around with some of her friends, trying to figure out what to do. A rather eclectic group, running the gamut from Goth to glam, they're bored, and the driver refuses to go anywhere without receiving gas money. Tina suggests they pick up Freddy from work, which idea is enthusiastically received as he always knows where there's a part. But he won't get off for two hours, so they head to Resurrection Cemetery to hang out, right across the street from the medical supply house.

There, Trash (Linnea Quigley) reveals to Spider (Miguel A. Nunez Jr) her fantasies about death, and her fears of dying surrounded by old men who eat her. This leads to her getting naked on top of a crypt.  In the meantime, Frank and Freddy become freaked out, not just by what they did, but by strange sounds inside the warehouse. Imagine their surprise to find one of the half dogs barking! And the cadavers are trying to break out of the walk-in cooler, just like in the story Frank had told Freedy.

The two men try to handle the situation, but finally give up and call Burt to come back to work. When

he finds out what happened, he is appalled, having warned Frank many times to stay away from those tanks! Be that as it may, they have to deal with what's going on, so Burt calls on his good friend Ernie (Don Calfa), who has the mortuary across the street. They try to pawn off a story about rabid weasels on Ernie, but that doesn't fly, and they are forced to not only tell him but truth, but show him. The only thing he can think to do is to burn the evidence in the crematorium, which of course sends the smoke up into the air, and then the toxic chemicals end up being rained back down and seeping into the ground... reanimating the corpses in the cemetery!

This movie is both a horror film and a comedy, and I have to say I think it's better than most of George Romero's films (except for the original Night of the Living Dead). These zombies are not shambling brainless hulks, they are cleverer than some of the teens, and are smart enough to realize how to get people to send more fresh meat.

Frank and Freddy are hilarious as the duo who start this entire zombie apocalypse, and Clu Gulager does a great job as Burt and ditto for Don Calfa as Ernie. And c'mon, it's Burt and Ernie. You don't think that's a coincidence, right? That reminds me of a Burt and Ernie in the classic film It's a Wonderful Life, which obviously predates Sesame Street, and I believe the Sesame Street writers got the names of their characters from there.

The music is fitting, some kind of punk, I think, and helps drive this film along. The writing is most excellent, and how surprising is that since this is a Dan O'Bannion film!  You remember Dan from Alien, right? The movie ends with the protagonists appealing to the army to help them, as per the phone number on the tanks. But you can only imagine the sort of help the military is willing to give when it comes to covering up a mistake. The ending leaves no doubt there is more to the story.... and there is.

I give this film a solid 4.5 Stars.

Before I go to the next review, I just want to mention that I tried to watch George Romero's Day of the Dead, but I turned it off because it bored me. So I can't really give it a review, since I didn't finish it, but maybe that says enough.

The City of the Dead

When a woman accused of witchcraft is burned at the stake in 1692, she curses the village that condemned her even as she makes a pact with Lucifer.

Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) is a young college coed with a bright future ahead of her. Determined to attain her history degree, she intends to work on her paper as much as she can, even if she has to miss spending time with her boyfriend, Bill (Tom Naylor) in order to do so. Professor Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee) suggests Nan go to the very small town he had just lectured about where a witch was burned years ago, and suggests she stay at the Whitewood Inn - just mention his name. Nan bids her boyfriend and her brother Dick (Dennis Lotis) a fond farewell and heads out to Whitewood.

Stopping for directions, she learns just how seldom this eerie road is traveled, and doesn't heed his warning not to go on. She picks up a strange man who is hitchhiking, and is also headed to Whitewood. He has an odd way about him, and a deep, resonant voice. But on her arrival, the man has disappeared! Nan goes to the inn, and the proprietress, Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel) insists there is no room at the inn until Nan invokes Professor Driscoll's name, and suddenly there is a room available, so Nan takes it. A young girl named Lottie works at the inn. Lottie is mute, but she seems as though she is trying to tell Nan something but Mrs Newless always finds a way to stop her.

Nan hears things in her room, and when she asks about the strange trap door in the floor, she is told that there is nothing beneath it but dirt. In exploring the town, she goes to the church, but the blind pastor, Reverend Russell, (Norman MacOwan) shoos her away. Borrowing a book about witchcraft from the pastor's granddaughter, Patricia (Betta St. John), Nan finds out the truth, but it's too late.

When Nan fails to return after two weeks, and no one has heard from her, her boyfriend and brother

decide enough is enough and trace her footsteps to Whitewood.  The question is will they make it out alive?

This movie is clearly a product of its times, no doubt about that. Having said that, though I wanted to like this film because... well, Christopher Lee... but things made that hard to do. My first question was why does no one in this town notice the perpetual rolling fog that covers the ground at all times (probably to disguise the fact that they're on a set). But nothing is ever said, as if no one notices. Seriously?

None of this is scary stuff, but in all fairness, perhaps modern moviegoers have come to expect more and have seen this sort of thing a million times. Having said this, what happens comes as no surprise if you look for the signs that are about as bright and easy to see as Rudolf the Reindeer's red nose! Lottie trying to warn Nan, the mysterious book, even the church, where I saw the name Driscoll on the sign outside but scratched through. The eerie innkeeper who bears a close resemblance to.... no spoilers, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Some of the acting is better than others. Much as I love Christopher Lee, I can't say this is his best performance, but he has others beat hands down. What's worse than the scenery and the acting, though, is the writing. Just not good. The soundtrack is a strange sort of 50s jazz-like sound which seems at odds with what is going on. Predictable and poorly executed. I'll give this a shaky 2 Stars, and mostly because I love Christopher Lee.

Virtual Book Tour: Dragon(e) Baby Gone by Robert Gainey

 Good morning!  Please welcome author Robert Gainey to Full Moon Dreaming! He is here today to talk about his new release, Dragon(e) Baby Gone.  Robert will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on his tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Dragon(e) Baby Gone

(Reports from the Department of Intangible Assets Book 1)

 

by Robert Gainey

 

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GENRE: Mystery Fantasy

 

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BLURB:

 

Diane Morris is part of the thin line separating a happy, mundane world from all of the horrors of the anomalous. Her federal agency is underfunded, understaffed, and misunderstood, and she’d rather transfer to the boring safety of Logistics than remain a field agent. When a troupe of international thieves make off with a pair of dragon eggs, Diane has no choice but to ally with a demon against the forces looking to leave her city a smoldering crater. Facing down rogue wizards, fiery elementals, and crazed gunmen, it’s a race against time to get the precious cargo back before the dragon wakes up and unleashes hell.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

“I have arrived!” Rubin intoned, loud and solemn as he strode into my office. He was every inch a wizard, so long as those inches were from the neck up. A long white beard met with long white hair, both flowing down over his chest and shoulders. White eyebrows heavy enough to act as speed bumps shaded his gray eyes, and the entire magnificently magical appearance was thrown off by the fact that he wore a tweed jacket, khakis, and loafers. He looked like a homeless man applying for a job in a suit donated by another homeless man.

 

“Rubin, thanks for coming so quickly,” I said, rising and offering a hand. He walked right past me and stood to look out the window.

 

“Why, woman, have you summoned me to your presence? Do you wish to consult with the power of earth and sky? Do I, and I alone, have the knowledge you require?” I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be this close to him. He smelled very strongly of horseradish and cloves. There was a large patch of fresh char on the elbow of his jacket.

 

“I certainly hope so,” I said, sitting back down and glaring at his back. This was why he wasn’t on my Christmas card list. That, and I didn’t know where he actually lived. Maybe he slept in the basement, where his little magical laboratory was housed.

 

INTERVIEW 8

What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

When my wife and I first started dating, I was working at a hospital in Tallahassee as an ER technician. It’s the typical low man on the totem pole sort of work. Twelve hour days spent cleaning and restocking and all the unpleasant little duties which fall to the bottom of the pile. Well, with thirty minute lunches sometimes it was a little tough to get something decent to eat, especially if you’re like me and forget to pack a lunch ahead of time. My wife, then girlfriend, offered to bring me something so I gratefully accepted. When asked what I’d like, I said something along the lines of, “I’m kind of in the mood for a cheesesteak.” Well, that’s when I found out if I ask my wife for something, there’s no kind of middle ground. She proceeds to arrive with one of those ridiculously sized cheesesteaks from a local sandwich place. The kind that’s meant for three people with both cheese and steak to spare. Damn thing must have weighed five pounds. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, this being the first time anybody had ever brought me lunch like this. What else could I do except sit with her and eat the whole thing as she had a normal-sized sandwich? It wasn’t until years later when it came up again that I told her the terrible effect it had on me for the rest of that shift. By then it was hilarious, and I look back on it as one of those moments that really sealed how I felt about this woman.

How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

Putting aside the responsible thing to do (mortgage, driveway, new truck), ten thousand dollars is enough to buy a secondhand fire engine and get it back to running condition. As long as you don’t turn the lights or sirens on, it’s perfectly legal to cruise around in your own fire engine. Parking’s a hassle though, and it won’t fit through a drive-thru.

Where do you get your best ideas?

I like absurd ideas and nothing’s better for absurdity than real life. I see some odd things through my work, both harrowing and uplifting, and while everything I write is fiction and not meant to represent real events, there are roots in reality in many of the things I put down. Things people have said, either to me or where I could hear them, stories I’ve heard over the years passed down like some ancient oral tradition.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

For me, characters are the first concept to really take shape for any story. The plot can ebb or flow around characters, responding to their actions or forcing their hands, but it always comes down to the characters in the end. A cool concept can fall flat without somebody to relate to.

What does your main character do that makes him/her special.

Diane Morris is special precisely because there’s nothing anomalous about her. She doesn’t have magic powers, doesn’t have some secret curse, and doesn’t have some kind of bloodline to drive her to great deeds. She’s just a strong woman looking to do her job the best she can, hoping to live long enough to retire. What she does have is an unquenchable drive to do the right thing, no matter the personal cost, and to protect the citizens she serves until the bitter end. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RNGainey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertngainey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.gainey

Blog: https://robertgainey.blogspot.com/

Website: robertgainey.com

 

 

BUY LINKS:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Reports-Department-Intangible-Assets-ebook/dp/B095GNZJCN

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-robert-gainey/1139526445

 

 

https://books.google.com/books/about/Dragon_e_Baby_Gone.html?id=vY17zgEACAAJ

 

 

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Virtual Book Tour: The Lady Who Knew Too Much by Alyson Chase

 Good morning! Please welcome author Alyson Chase to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here to tell us about her new release, The Lady Who Knew Too Much. Alyson will be awarding a $40 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more often you comment the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post.

 

The Lady Who Knew Too Much

by Alyson Chase

 

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GENRE:   steamy historical romance

 

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BLURB:

 

He’s an ex-boxer. She sips tea at philosophical salons. And when these two opposites meet, their lives will never be the same.

Lady Juliana knows someone is trying to kill her father. The problem is getting anyone to believe her. Her father thinks she’s imagining things. Her brother that she’s seeking attention. And the man her brother hired to bring her back home…well, he thinks nothing much of her at all.

Brogan Duffy has clawed his way up from the streets to become the lead investigator on his very first inquiry case. The fact that it is to retrieve a spoiled aristocrat playing at intrigue is of no consequence. Nor is the fact that she beguiles him like no other woman. He has a job to do, and he won’t let anything stand in his way, not even this illogical attraction.

But Juliana might not be imagining the threat. And when it’s her life that’s on the line, Brogan has to decide to what lengths he’ll go to keep her safe. Because in order to resolve this make-or-break case in his career, Brogan might have to hazard more than his heart. And with some gambles, there’s no going back…

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

 

His driver stretched from his spot underneath a willow tree and lumbered over. “Off to London, sir?”

 

“Yes.” Brogan looked back at Bluff Hall. The sun glinted off the front windows. Ivy climbed up the white walls. All in all, a cheerful picture.

 

A sliver of dread wedged in his gut.

 

He sniffed. It was Lady Juliana’s doing, filling his mind with unfounded suspicions. Yanking open the carriage door, he climbed inside, slamming it behind him.

 

He pounded on the ceiling, eager to be away. He’d done his job, and kept his promise to the lady. He had nothing to feel badly for.

 

He stretched his legs out, kicking the blanket-wrapped bundle underneath the seat opposite.

 

“Ouch!” The bundle shifted.

 

Brogan’s stomach twisted. He bent over and yanked the edge of the blanket toward him.

 

Dark hair spilled across the floor. Juliana pushed a hank off her face and peered up at him, blinking.

 

“Good afternoon,” she said, with the dignity of a princess instead of the stowaway she was. “I don’t suppose I could have a ride back to London?”

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Alyson Chase lives in Colorado. A former attorney, she happily ditched those suits and now works in her pajamas writing about men’s briefs instead of legal briefs. When she’s not writing, she’s probably engaged in one of her favorite hobbies: napping, eating, or martial arts. (That last one almost makes up for the first two, right?)  She also writes humorous, small-town, contemporary romance novels under the name Allyson Charles, and paranormal romances as A. Caprice. 

You can catch up with her at https://www.allysoncharles.com/alyson-chase-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlysonChaseAuthor/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/1alysonchase

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBDDk6MbGufWiwi9cydVbZg

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alysonchaseauthor/boards/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alyson-chase

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Who-Knew-Too-Much-ebook/dp/B094TH9B8R

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