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.
Andy Williams Said It !
There be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases
Long long ago
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 !
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.
And The Reviews Are Rolling In…
In preparation for Halloween, JES Campbell commissioned 100 copies of Gruff Ending (on Kindle) to be given (for free) to random GOODREADS subscribers. We had over 371 readers apply for the giveaway (very overwhelming). Simultaneously, we did the same for Blue Summer through Amazon. While not as overwhelming (13) , we did do this for a shorter period of time (3 days) and I think that was a driver in overall responses for Kindle copies.
The results are in.
GOODREADS Free Giveaway Ends at Midnight 14 Oct
Conscription (Ch4) : A Short Story
Eric Joseph Stratton was pronounced dead on arrival at the Eastern County Medical Facility that morning. Toxicology reports found nothing within the system, nor were there any abnormalities found in the brain or any past psychological reporting that would account for his sudden end or the unprecedented amount of blood belonging to the two other citizens found upon his person.
GOODREADS Free Giveaway ! (Continued)
GOODREADS Free Giveaway !
Conscription (Ch3) : A Short Story
Eric Joseph Stratton was pronounced dead on arrival at the Eastern County Medical Facility that morning. Toxicology reports found nothing within the system, nor were there any abnormalities found in the brain or any past psychological reporting that would account for his sudden end or the unprecedented amount of blood belonging to the two other citizens found upon his person.
