I don't mind you hitting me, Frank, but take it easy on the Bacardi.

For me Christmas begins with Black Friday, though the real reason is the day after Thanksgiving. My daughter doesn’t want to think of Christmas until December 1^st arrives, and for many retailers and advertisers, it begins right after Halloween when the jack-o-lanterns are tossed into the garbage, haunted houses close, and black cats become family pets again, not harbingers of evil.  O, Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, how green are your leaves.Traditions kick in. Decorations go up. Carolers sing and revelers revel.  

One of my little things is to deck the halls, er I mean the house, and decorate the tree while playing Scrooge movies on the DVD player. I have a collection and have enjoyed many more when they show up on the cable roundup.  A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott, Jim Carrey, Reginald Owen, and Kelsey Grammar. Scrooge  with Alistair Sim, Albert Finney, Seymor Hicks, H. V. Esmond, Warren Graves, and Bransby Williams. And perhaps one of the more unusual twists is Scrooged with Bill Murray, playing the part of Frank Cross, a modern day Scrooge.

One my favorite scenes is when Frank’s old boss, Lew Hayward, arrives as the equivalent Jacob Marley to tell Frank he will be visited three ghosts. Of course, Frank (Scrooge) doesn’t want to hear it.  Well, here is cut from YouTube, via MovieClips.com.

I got more tree trimming to do so gotta run.  “Bah, humbug!” and “God bless us one and all.”

Ron D. Voigts is the author of dark mysteries and the Penelope Mystery Series.  His novel Strigoi, The Blood Bond is available on Kindle, and for the holidays check out Penelope and The Christmas Spirit.

Here we go again

When my book Penelope and The Movie Star came out, I jumped on the KDP Select bandwagon. Everyone raved how important it was to marketing books on Amazon. The big attraction was free days.  From the stories back then getting the book out there for na-da would boost sales and long after the giveaway was over, sales would continue.  Well, The Movie Star was downloaded by the thousands.  I saw the ratings for it soar and my heart jumped at the thought that this would sky rocket the book.  That never happened. And I vowed never again.

Fast forward a few years.  I decided to give it a shot again. First, KDP Select now offers a "Count Down Deals" offering the book at a discount for a limited time.  Second, downloading free books on Amazon Prime is more accepted and Kindle Unlimited is also available.  So this offers more chances to get Strigoi, The Blood Bond in reader's hands.

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My next book is in the final content edit stage.  I'll send it back to my editor this week and then it's off to the Line Editor, who corrects grammar, spelling and that stuff.  I'm also hoping the cover design is coming along.  That should be coming back soon.  On a personal note, my experience with the new publisher is much better than my last foray. So far we are on target for The Witch's Daughter release in the Spring of  2015.

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I started work on the next book in the series. This one has a working title of The Fortune Teller's Secret.  A murder takes place a a carnival that has come to town.  Cavendish (the town news paper editor), Jane (the psychic) and Alex (Goth girl) pit their wits against a killer who has taken two lives and may take more.  

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A final quote from Edgar Allan Poe.

"Deep int that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."

Happy dreams!  Adieu.

Three Movies to Scare You Silly

One type of horror movie that I enjoy is the classic religion vs. the devil.  The premise is some malevolent force, traceable back to the devil, is out to doom mankind or  single person or somewhere in between.  The classic is of course The Exorcist with the demonic possession of a 12 year old girl and the attempts by two priests to rid her of the evil by exorcism. In 1973 this was a scary film that frightened people with the idea that the devil could be lurking anywhere.  I had a cousin back then, in his twenties, who slept with the lights on for a month after seeing it.

The Exorcist (YouTube)

My all time favorite is Stigmata with Patricia Arquette (of the TV series Medium) as Frankie, a young woman who finds herself possessed with the wounds experienced by Christ while on the cross. Hands bleeding as if pierced, feet bleeding, thorn marks on herhead, lashes to her back and her side pierced are signs of the Stigmata, and Frankie manifests them during the movie, one by one.  Enter into the picture a priest whose faith has faltered, trying to help her.

Stigmata (YouTube)

The most recent movie I've come across is Deliver Us From Evil.  Three soldiers bring back a demonic presence that goes up against a beat detective whose faith has waned and a priest who offers a fresh look at religion.  This movie is dark with chilling effects.  

Deliver Us From Evil (YouTube)

There you have my picks for scary movies with religious overtones. Do you have a favorite?

Ron D. Voigts is the author of paranormal mystery-thriller Strigoi The Blood Bond and coming March 2015, The Witch's Daughter.