Is It Really a Wonderful Life ?
How Close is Disney to the Original Legend of Sleepy Hollow ?
Before the time of cable, we would all gather around the TV in anticipation for the Halloween cartoons before trick or treating. Early on, it was mostly Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin, but later Garfield joined the event. Disney even chimed in with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad , created in 1950 and narrated by Basil Rathbone (of Sherlock Holmes fame - who narrates Mr. Toad) and Bing Crosby. For the longest time, my cynical nature drove the thought the story the Legend of Sleepy Hollow had been modified to fit the stylistic whims of Disney and leverage Crosby’s singing ability.
Boy was I wrong.
Remember Me ? (+ New Youtube reading)
I recorded a quick reading of the prologue to Blue Summer for your entertainment on our YouTube channel.
New Video on Youtube
JES is on You Tube…
Announcing Youtube channel for JES Campbell where we read favorites that are copywright-free.
Just take a look at the literature…
I’m not a historian by any stretch of the imagination, and those that have read any of my Pair of Normal Girls stories would be quick to point that out. But his statement got me thinking - what would have been the tell-tale signs of an impending revolution ? I mean, Russia is Hell-bent to get the country back into the fold, there had to been something out there which was just simmering below the surface.
Then it hit me - just take a look at the literature. And not only any literature - look at horror.
Slipping the Gears is Finished!
Dear Readers !
It has been a challenging few months, but we finally got some time to wrap up the adventure Slipping the Gears, which should be available in it’s full glory this week on Amazon Vella (for now).
January 2022
Very grateful to the fans out there reading our stories - keep the reviews coming !
Andy Williams Said It !
There be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases
Long long ago
Never Look Into A Trolloc Cookpot…
MIA ?
Apologies for our absence. Look for new Vella updates !
The Blob - Fighting the Red Menace
What was interesting was this concept of an unstoppable creature…bent on eating the population of the small towns. True to form, the highschoolers were trying to warn the authorities - but it was too late ! The monster noshed on increasing numbers of the PA populace, eventually making its way to a movie theater (which is in Phoenixville, PA), before the heroes can make their way across the street (in reality, 11 miles away) to hide in a diner before the Blob can be defeated (spoilers !). Bottomline, for this Cold War kid, the whole concept was a look at the spread of Communism. As the Blob absorbed more and more people - the redder it got.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year !
As is tradition in the JES Campbell household, we are celebrating our (well, for me and “E”) our favorite holiday, Halloween. This year, we will be giving away free copies of both Blue Summer and Gruff Ending on Kindle during the month of October. The giveaway for Blue Summer will take place from 21 through 25 October, and for Gruff Ending from the 27th through Halloween !
The Bias is in the Missing
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in the United States has also been difficult to gather. Contributing to this difficulty is the fact that many times when Indigenous women and girls go missing, or when Indigenous murder victims are unidentified, forensic evidence has not been accurately collected or preserved by local law enforcement. Cases have been allowed to quickly go "cold", and crucial evidence has been "lost", or never forwarded on from local law enforcement to the appropriate agencies.
Heathers - A Horror Story ?
Okay, Heathers came out in 1989, which was my Senior year in high school, so I missed out on seeing it. I think my taste in movies of that era was alternating between the cool Batman with Michael Keaton, Dead Poet’s Society, and (maybe) Say Anything. I think I was wrapped in to the very subject matter that Heathers seeks to make fun of - High School peer pressure - something I really didn’1 pay attention to. Not that my taste in movies at the time portrayed the burgeoning horror aficionado I would later become, but to me this didn’t rate high on the scale of something I’d spend my Friday night’s going to see. So, I watched it with J&E.
Slipping the Gears - EP 9
Slipping the Gears Episode 9 will be published on Amazon Vella this week. The series follows the exploits of the worldly Gnome Nesrick Welemdiass as an inquiry unfolds into the murder of his landlord, the Widow Ramsey.
Delta Means Difference
The Delta variant isn’t a whole lot different, from my understanding. But the goalposts have changed from the day I wrote the above - now we have a vaccine; and even the low-end of the dosages offers some protection. USA Today reported (8/4 #s) The U.S. has had more than 35.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 614,700 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 200 million cases and 4.25 million deaths. More than 165.3 million Americans – 49.8% of the population – have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Yet, More than 90% of new coronavirus infections across the U.S. are from the delta variant. Hospital beds in Florida and Louisiana are at a premium . According to Reuters, the contagion level for younger children is higher.
Summerween Shameless Promotion
In honor of Summerween - Blue Summer and Gruff Ending are being made available for FREE on Kindle for a limited time.
Why I Write…
Taking a Bite out of Independence Day
I guess one of the earliest memories of a horror movie for me was one Summer when my folks took me to see 101 Dalmatians; it was around July 4th when they did this. Now, you may wonder what 101 Dalmatians really has to do with horror. I mean, aside from the fact that Cruella is running around skinning puppies for her wardrobe…