Happy Birthday to the late, great Forrest J Ackerman, the single most influential person in my life.
I'll always be thankful we got to meet, so I could tell him how much his unrivaled enthusiasm for imaginative film and literature including, of course, his legendary Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, inspired me.
Miss you so much, Uncle Forry, wherever you are...or are not.
The Great Detective and I have once again crossed paths.
I'll be contributing a mystery/adventure tale to Moonstone's upcoming anthology, SHERLOCK HOLMES: The Crossovers Casebook.
Other authors include: Matthew Baugh,Win Scott Eckert, Larry Engle, Martin Gately, Joe Gentile, Barbara Hambly, Kevin Van Hook, Howard Hopkins, Will Murray, Don Roff, and Chris Sequeira.
I hear BELA LUGOSI's TALES FROM THE GRAVE # 1 is selling out everywhere. Amazing news.
It was such a Halloween treat to have been a part of this cool comic book horror anthology from the folks at Monsterverse, and getting to work with my friend Terry Beatty.
The first issue has been getting great reviews, too, and I truly appreciate all the kind comments and compliments. This was some of the most fun this Bela Lugosi fan ever had at the keyboard.
If you're also a Lugosi fan and haven't yet seen the comic book, you might want to check out this links:
The beagle and I toured the neighborhood last night, soaking in the Halloween moment.
Every year, since I was a kid, it's been very important for me to go in search of that feeling, that certain tinge of mystery in the crisp autumn atmosphere that marks this night like no other. Whatever is going on in my life, for worse or better, the magic always manages to find me. It's weird and wondrous.
As we strolled along, Trudaloo meticulously studied new scents while I admired many imaginatively decorated houses. Last year was wet and windy, leaving a lot to be desired, but last night more than made up for it. There was lots of extra special effort on almost every block, including one magnificently monstrous house with a prowling Grim Reaper--all of ten feet tall (on stilts...I hope!) patiently waiting with a giant pouch of treats for the little goblins to dare its frightful front sidewalk.
A cawing, cantankerous flock of over-sized crows seemed to follow us from street to street as the dusk turned to darkness. And, finally, we saw Trick 'R Treaters! Real Trick 'R Treaters! Swarms of them haunted under the streetlamps. Many more than last year. A healthy sign for my favorite holiday, I think. By far, the most popular costume I saw were Witches. Lots of tall, peaked hats and broomsticks. Just about perfect.
I've got to keep extra busy now and try not to let the post-Halloween depression set in, as it usually does. Maybe I'll manage to dodge it this year, but I know the odds are against me.
