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Christopher Scotton's ambitious debut novel The Secret Wisdom of the Earth generated such a torrent of in-house support from the publisher that the novel's first printing was bumped up to 100,000 copies. Scotton, CEO of a software company, took 15 years to write this story of a 14-year-old boy who spends a fateful summer with his grandfather in Kentucky coal country. Widely appealing and whispering of second chances, the coming-of-age tale mines the burden of loss for those living in a poor rural landscape that will never look the same. Recently, Scotton answered questions for Between the Covers.
Between the Covers: You capture so eloquently your characters' voices. What was the process for making them come alive for your readers? Was there anyone from your background who was the inspiration for your protagonist, Kevin? Christopher Scotton: I create a deep written study for each main character, detailing everything about them and getting to know who they are — their hopes, fears, histories and dreams. Then I just let them combust in the plot. The old English 101 chestnut, show don't tell, is probably the best single piece of advice about creating great characters. If one describes a character through their actions it's just a more fulfilling experience for the reader — it allows the reader to better build out the wireframe of the characters in their mind. Kevin is very similar to the kind of kid I was at 14 — insecure, unsure, a bit nerdy. Fortunately, I had none of the grief and guilt that life has layered on him.
BTC: You have multiple stories and themes coursing through the small town of Medgar. How did you prepare yourself for telling the story of this unique local culture since you are not from Appalachia? CS: I visited the region often in my teens and 20s and again when I was writing the novel. I let the feel of the place seep into my marrow so that, when back in London, I could transport myself there. On my trips I would just listen to the stories folks would tell, listen to the rhythm of their dialect. What I found was that small town Kentucky is not that different from small town Maryland where I grew up.
BTC: The setting for your novel is 1985 Kentucky coal country, where the earth seems to languish as much as your characters. Were you looking to make a statement about the devastation of mountaintop removal? CS: I was not trying to make a statement so much as present the truth of mountaintop removal — the argument is not as simple as big bad coal vs. the people. The issues are much more nuanced than that. There really are few economic options for the hard working folks in the region so they are left with some very hard choices to make about their future. I'm personally against mountaintop removal, but I hope the novel presents a more balanced approach to the problem.
BTC: Your readers may be encountering a "madstone" for the first time. Why was introducing this folklore important to the story and your characters? CS: A madstone is an old folk remedy to cure snake bites and fevers. It's a calcified hairball-like thing from the intestine of a cud-chewing animal. You're probably thinking, "Cool, where can I get one!" If someone is bitten by a copperhead or a rabid dog, the madstone would be applied to the bite, and the poisons would be drawn out of the bite. Madstones vary in strength and effectiveness — a madstone from a cow is only mildly effective, a madstone from a deer is considered quite powerful. However, the madstone from a white deer is the most powerful of all and unicorn-like in their scarcity. Interestingly, madstones can't be bought or sold or they'll lose their power; they must be found or given.
In the novel, the earth becomes a madstone for several of the characters, drawing out the pain and poison from the losses they suffer. The healing properties of the earth — both to heal us, her caretakers, and to heal herself — are a major theme in the novel, and the madstone is an example of that theme.
BTC: You grew up outside of D.C. in an area not too different from your protagonist, Kevin. Can you talk about how your experiences impacted the writing of the novel? CS: I was born in Washington, D.C., but moved out to the country 30 miles north when I was 9 or 10 — back then it was undeveloped land and a truly magical place to be a kid. Those summers of secret swimming holes, tree forts, mud pits and dammed-up creeks provided a rich influence for Kevin and Buzzy's back-country adventures. In my early teens, developers bought up much of the land and the endless woods of my youth became tract housing. I tried to bring that same "loss of place" experience to the novel. Being an outsider, as is Kevin, allowed me a bit more freedom to write as an outsider — but ultimately the narrative needed to be authentic, and I hope it is.
BTC: These are exciting times for you. Hachette ordered a 100,000 first printing. Reviews have been favorable. Some have compared your book to To Kill a Mockingbird. Taking a breath now, how has this whole process of publishing felt to you as a new author? CS: It's been fascinating, fun and more than just a little surreal. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be in this place. Hachette is taking a huge gamble on me as a complete unknown, with zero writing credentials and no platform. It really does demonstrate their commitment to bringing new voices to the market. The support I've gotten within the company, especially from the sales team, has been overwhelming…I'll start breathing again come summer.
BTC: What's next for you? CS: I'm working on my second novel. It's a completely different time period and a different setting from Secret Wisdom. It takes place in 1875; two 14-year-old Irish twin sisters emigrate to New York to live with their aunt and work as domestics. After a few weeks in America, they disappear without a trace. Their 19-year-old sister comes over to try and find them and she follows their trail from New York, across the country and ultimately out west in an attempt to rescue them and bring them home. It's a great story and based on an actual series of events that happened in my family in the 1800s.
Wendy McClure's newest book, On Track for Treasure, is the second installment in the Wanderville series. She has written several books for adults and children including The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie, which in 2011 won the Midwest Bookseller's Choice Award for adult nonfiction. She is also a senior editor at the children's book publisher Albert Whitman and Company, producing picture books, young adult novels and the popular Boxcar Children Mysteries. She grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, and now lives in Chicago with her husband. Between the Covers recently caught up with her over the holiday season.
Between the Covers: Wanderville ended on a very tense note! Where will we find Jack, Frances, Harold and Alexander as On Track for Treasure, the next book in the Wanderville series, begins?
Wendy McClure: They'll be in the middle of an escape! And it won't be just the four of them — the other kids they rescued at the end of the first book will be with them: 10 kids in all! And when trouble hits, they find it's hard to find places where they can all hide, so they realize their best option is to hop on a freight train out of town. Then it really gets interesting!
BTC: One of the most compelling relationships in Wanderville is the connection between Frances and her little brother Harold. In researching the real orphan trains for writing the Wanderville series, did you find that siblings often stuck together? What was your inspiration for Frances' determination to keep her brother close?
WM: When I was researching kids in the tenements of New York City, I came across a photograph showing two or three girls out on the sidewalk holding their baby siblings on their hips. The caption read "Little Mothers," a term that described girls who had to take care of their younger brothers or sisters all day because their mothers had to work. When I saw that I knew I wanted that to be the backstory of Frances and Harold before they were in the orphanage. Frances would have pretty much raised Harold. As for the orphan trains, I imagine the circumstances of the train journeys would have compelled siblings to stick together as much as they could. But the sad reality is that they were usually encouraged to forget their old lives, including family ties. And then when the placement process began, siblings were often separated, since it was hard to find a home that could take in more than one child. Some siblings were lucky enough to be placed out together, or to at least wind up in homes in the same town, but many more were forced to be apart. In Wanderville, Frances soon realizes the danger that she and Harold are in, and that helps motivate her to escape.
BTC: In your book The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prarie, you connect deeply to the books you loved as a child and demonstrated how that love of reading can influence one's future. What do you hope the children who read Wanderville take away from this series?
WM: I hope that for kids I can capture the exhilaration of being independent — of having adventures without adults around, of creating and building things on their own. That's a very basic but important thing. I also hope the books can nurture a curiosity about the past — not just history, but a richer sense of this different world that came before ours. That was certainly one of the things that I loved most about the Little House books.
BTC: What challenges do you find writing a series rather than just a stand-alone novel? What about writing children's books versus books for adults?
WM: Writing a series is sort of an odd way to write a long story. It's like painting a huge mural by starting at one end and then having to paint in only one direction without going back to change or adjust anything. Book one was already published by the time I wrote the third book. It's fun trying to make everything work, though. As for writing for kids versus adults—it's hard to say, because the Wanderville books are the first long-form fiction I've ever written, whereas my adult stuff is all nonfiction. I remember when I first started working on the books I felt this giddy sense of freedom because I got to make things up. But at the same time, having that freedom can be terrifying.
BTC: What are you working on next?
WM: I'm just finishing up the third Wanderville book, Escape to the World's Fair, which comes out later this year. And now I've been going through old family photos from the early 1900s. They might help me with another Wanderville book if I get an idea for a fourth book, or I might use them in a new story. Or else I could write an essay about them. I know I'm going to write about them, but I just don't know how yet!
Sonali Dev's debut novel A Bollywood Affair is getting a lot of attention from romance readers and authors alike. Mili was married to a boy named Virat when she was only 4 years old, and she never saw him again. Twenty years later, Virat sends his brother Samir to find Mili and to obtain a divorce for him. Samir hides his identity, and as their friendship deepens, a romance develops. But Samir knows that his secret could destroy their blossoming relationship. A Bollywood Affair contains familiar romantic comedy elements that will make it appeal to a wide audience, but it feels like something new and special. Elements of Indian culture permeate the novel, forming a rich backdrop for this sweet love story.
Read on to learn more about Dev's favorite Bollywood films and her experience as a debut novelist.
Between the Covers: This is your debut novel, which brings with it a lot of firsts. What has been the most exciting thing about the publishing process? Has anything surprised you? Sonali Dev: The short answer is everything. Everything about this process has been exciting and it has absolutely taken me by surprise. A Bollywood Affair is the book of my heart and, at my most optimistic best, I had hoped to get a traditional publishing deal. Then I had pictured myself working slowly and steadily toward drawing in readers to build an audience. But the reaction I have received has completely blown me away. First, all these huge names in the romance genre got behind my book, including Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nalini Singh and Kristan Higgins. Then the reviewers embraced it with a passion. Booklist, Library Journal, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Dear Author, RT Book Reviews and a myriad bloggers and reviewers raved about it. It even made Library Journal's list of Best Books of 2014. Even though I had experienced firsthand how incredibly generous writers and readers in the romance genre are, as a newbie unpublished writer, I had never expected to see this level of love and acceptance for a book that was so different from the norm.
BTC: A Bollywood Affair, then titled The Bollywood Bad Boy, was a finalist for the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart award for best unpublished manuscript in 2013. What did that honor mean to you and your career? SD: Again, it meant everything and it set everything in motion. To have five anonymous strangers pick this book when they had to have nothing in common (at least on the surface) with my characters or my world gave me an immense amount of confidence in the power of the story. Thanks to that confidence, I was able to send it to authors I admire for endorsements. And to have authors whose word is respected in the industry not only endorse the book but like it enough to advocate for it set it on the path to a dream debut for me in terms of buzz.
BTC: Indian culture and Bollywood elements are infused throughout the novel, building a rich backdrop for the story, but at its heart, this is a novel built around the characters' relationships. As a writer, how do you develop those deep connections between your characters? SD: Thank you so much for saying that. This is a really hard question. Because I don't really set out to develop those connections per say. I just set out to develop characters who are struggling with something. Something big and binding that is seemingly impossible to heal from yet familiar enough that we've all struggled with some shade of it, like fear of abandonment or feelings of unworthiness. And then I work on making these struggles tangible and rooted in trauma and childhood events, so they are almost cemented in the fabric of the character's being. I think the deep connections come when these seemingly insurmountable flaws draw one character to another because their flaws and their strengths somehow interlock to create those deep connections.
BTC: Do you have any recommendations for readers who are interested in trying Bollywood films after reading your book? SD: There are several Indian films made in English for international audiences like Monsoon Wedding, Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. These are wonderful, authentic films that I recommend for anyone whether or not you're familiar with Indian culture.
If you're interested in 'full-on' Bollywood films in Hindi (with subtitles), Dil Chahta Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge, Kal Ho Naa Ho, and Life in A Metro are some of my favorite films and they're a great place to start.
[Several of these films are in BCPL's collection. A list is available here.]
BTC: What are you working on next? SD: I'm working on the next few books in the Bollywood series. Which isn't technically a series but more a set of stories in which one of the protagonists works in Bollywood.
BTC: What's the best book you've read recently? SD: I love Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series, and Shield of Winter, which came out earlier this year, I think is the most romantic and magical book in the series yet (which, by the way, is saying something because that series is full of great books).
Shelley Coriell continues her Apostles series with The Buried, a thriller built around a deadly game of cat and mouse. "It's cold. And dark. I can't breathe." That's what prosecutor Grace Courtemanche hears when she answers a call from a young woman who claims to be buried alive. Grace finds help in the form of Theodore "Hatch" Hatcher, her ex-husband and a member of an elite team of FBI agents. As Grace and Hatch try to find the woman at the other end of the call, they soon realize that they are caught at the center of a deadly game, and this is only Round One. Coriell's Apostles series will appeal to both thriller and romance readers. It's a perfect read for fans of Catherine Coulter, Tami Hoag and Elizabeth Lowell.
Coriell recently answered some questions for Between the Covers readers. Learn more about the maverick FBI agents who make up the Apostles and get her secret recipe for a kale salad that will wow your family this fall.
Between the Covers: This series revolves around an elite team of FBI agents nicknamed the Apostles. Tell us a little bit about them. Shelley Coriell: Led by Parker Lord, a legendary FBI agent now wheelchair bound, the Apostles are an elite group of FBI agents who aren't afraid to work outside the box and at times outside the law. They take on America's vilest criminals, using the most powerful weapons known to mankind, the human mind…and heart. They aren't good at following rules, and every Apostle I've met so far has either quit or been fired from the FBI before being personally recruited by Parker for his Special Criminal Investigative Unit. Parker Lord on his team: "Apostles? There's nothing holy about us. We're a little maverick and a lot broken, but in the end, we get justice right."
BTC: Each member of the team has a unique area of expertise. How do the characters' specialties impact your approach to the story? Do you do additional research to get into the right mindset? SC: Each Apostle's specialty is at the heart of each story. In The Buried, Agent Hatch Hatcher is a crisis negotiator and master communicator, so his book is very much about connecting with others. The Broken, book one in the Apostles series, features a criminal profiler or "head guy", so that book is more of a puzzling who-done-it. As an author, I love the variety and scope of story possibilities with such a team.
As for research, I enrolled in a thirteen-week citizens' police academy before writing a single word in the Apostles series and have a retired FBI agent I turn to with agency questions. I read law enforcement textbooks and do online research. After researching online how to make and disarm bombs for book three in the Apostles series, I'm sure I'm on some kind of government watch list.
BTC: The Buried opens with a young woman who has been buried alive. You've admitted that this is also one of your own fears. What is it about the idea of being buried alive that makes so terrifying? Did writing The Buried help you get over your fear or did it make it worse? SC: Some people have anxiety dreams about forgetting their locker combinations or showing up for work without any pants. Growing up, I took anxiety dreams to the extreme and had reoccurring nightmares about being buried alive. I was terrified of not being able to breathe, perhaps because when it comes to human needs, air is primal and universal, even more so than food and water when looking at the amount of time we can live while being deprived of each.
While I no longer have dreams of being buried alive, this book certainly made me more cognizant of and grateful for the mundane task of breathing. While writing The Buried I woke up one night and was acutely aware of my husband breathing next to me. I remember placing my hand on his chest and feeling his chest rise. It was a surprisingly powerful but peaceful moment for me.
BTC: One of my favorite characters in this novel is Allegheny Blue, a very determined elderly hound who Grace frequently claims is "not her dog." Was he inspired by any real canines in your life? SC: Both Allegheny Blue and Ida Red were snatched straight from my childhood. My dad, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, raised hounds, and Blue, his 120-pound blue tick hound with paws the size of salad plates was a family favorite. Blue had a beautiful bellow, low and melodic, and I used to sneak him inside the house on cold nights and let him sleep by the fireplace. The bear-grease concoction Grace uses to doctor the pads of Blue's torn paws is the same ointment my dad made for his dogs.
BTC: What's next for the Apostles? SC: Evie's story, The Blind, which comes out in the summer of 2015. Evie Jimenez is the Apostles' bombs and weapons specialist. She's fiery, passionate and not afraid of things that go boom. In The Blind Evie travels to the gritty, eclectic Arts District of downtown Los Angeles where she teams up with a buttoned-up billionaire/art philanthropist to track down a serial bomber who uses bombs and live models to create masterful art that lives...and dies.
BTC: What is the best book you've read recently? What authors are on your personal must-read list? SC: Jandy Nelson's young adult novel, I'll Give You the Sun. It's the only book I read this year where I ceased being an author studying the craft of writing and simply lost myself in a good story. These days I read a good deal of narrative nonfiction, but in the fiction world, I like most authors named Sarah. Strange but true. I'm a huge fan of Sarah Dunant, Sarah Addison Allen and Sarah Dessen. Beyond the Sarahs, my go-to authors are Alice Hoffman, Lisa Gardner, Elizabeth Wein, Mary Pearson, Jeffery Deaver and Harlan Coben.
BTC: You're a self-proclaimed foodie and a kale aficionado. Do you have a go-to kale dish to convert disbelievers? SC: Even those with hardened hearts have fallen for my Fall Kale Salad. The secret is massaging raw kale with olive oil before adding the vinaigrette. It mellows the kale, which allows the other flavors to shine. I love serving this dish for the holidays. It's so colorful and bursting with fall flavors.
Shelley Coriell's Fall Kale Salad
3-4 side servings
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. honey or agave nectar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas
1/4 cup goat cheese
Heat two tablespoons olive oil and sauté shallots until soft. Add garlic, cranberries, red wine vinegar, honey and lemon juice and heat through.
Put kale into large bowl and massage with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add shallot mixture to kale along with pepitas. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
This fall, Maryland author Gary Krist will take readers into a little-known chapter of New Orleans history with his new book Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans. Krist brings to light the social and political struggles that New Orleans faced at the turn of the 20th century. Focusing on events from 1890 through 1920, Krist tells a tale of vice, politics, economic development, crime, jazz, racism and murder. The most shocking thing about this story is that it's all true! This engrossing book is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.
Krist recently answered some questions about Empire of Sin for Between the Covers. Read on to learn more about the city's politics, its remarkable residents and the Axman, a serial murderer who terrorized New Orleans for 18 months.
Between the Covers: Why New Orleans? Was it the story or the city that first captured your interest?
Gary Krist: It's hard to separate story from city, but I'd say it was a desire to write about New Orleans that first attracted me. For an urban historian, New Orleans is a particularly attractive subject, primarily because of its unique history. As a place with French and Catholic roots, it has a culture very different from that of other American cities. (My favorite observation about New Orleans is that it was the first major American metropolis to build an opera house but the last to install a sewer system.) So it was fascinating for me to see how this unique place weathered the great transition to modernity in this era.
BTC: I suspect that many of our readers don't know a lot about this chapter in New Orleans history. Will you describe the social and political climate of the city at the turn of the 20th century?
GK: The last decades of the 19th century were difficult for New Orleans. The city's prosperous antebellum days were long past; years of civil war and reconstruction had been hard on the local economy, and the city had become hopelessly backward in terms of urban development (hence that much-delayed sewer system). Northern capital investment was desperately needed to modernize the city's infrastructure, but Northern capitalists were reluctant to invest in a place with such a bad reputation for vice and crime. So the city's "better half" decided that it was time to clean up New Orleans, which meant doing battle with the city's long-entrenched underworlds of vice and crime. Basically, they wanted to make New Orleans "respectable"—and that was going to be quite a job.
BTC: During this time, a red-light district called Storyville was created in New Orleans. Tell us a little bit about its development.
GK: Interestingly, Storyville began as part of this clean-up campaign. Reformers knew that abolishing prostitution entirely would not be feasible in a city like New Orleans, so they tried instead to isolate and regulate the trade. An alderman named Sidney Story identified a particular 18-block neighborhood and wrote an ordinance making prostitution illegal everywhere EXCEPT in this one, out-of-the-way area. Reformers figured that this would be a good way of lowering the profile of vice in the city. But the plan backfired, and Storyville (as the district came to be called, much to Alderman Story's annoyance) soon was making New Orleans world-famous as a virtual supermarket of sin. And when reformers decided that they needed to close the district after all, it turned out that Storyville was a lot harder to kill than it had been to create.
BTC: Another notable thread of the story is the Axman murders, a series of grisly murders that took place from 1918-1919 and remain unsolved. What impact did these events have on the city?
GK: The Axman appeared at a critical time, just when the champions of respectability thought they had won their battle for New Orleans. Storyville had finally been closed in 1917, and the city's crime problem seemed to be under control at last. But then an anonymous murderer dramatically upended this sense of victory with a series of bloody nighttime ax attacks that terrorized the city for 18 months. With each succeeding murder, panicked New Orleanians became increasingly paranoid and irrational. Then an open letter—purportedly from the Axman himself—appeared in The Times-Picayune, claiming that the murderer was a devil from hell with a liking for the new jazz music. He threatened to kill again on St. Joseph's Night, promising only to spare any household in which jazz was being played. And, well, I don't want to reveal too much, but you can just imagine what a night of music and dancing took place in New Orleans that night.
BTC: Empire of Sin is filled with unbelievable characters, and the most amazing thing is that they were all real people. Do you have a favorite? Which person in this book will stick with the reader the longest?
GK: Oh, I could probably name a dozen—like Josie Arlington, the wealthy brothel madam who for decades kept her sinful life a secret from her beloved niece; or Buddy Bolden, the almost-legendary cornetist who is credited with being the inventor of jazz music; or Tom Anderson, the poor kid from the rough Irish Channel neighborhood who rose to become one of the most powerful (and strangely likeable) vice lords in the country. But my favorite character is probably Louis Armstrong, who grew up in the hardest and most degrading circumstances imaginable, but whose unfailing good-heartedness and matchless musical gift allowed him to rise above his harsh childhood to become one of the great artists of the century.
BTC: What is the most shocking thing that you learned in your research?
GK: Some of the beliefs of the so-called reformers shocked me. For instance, one of the leaders of the anti-Storyville campaign was a woman named Jean Gordon. She was firmly convinced that she was on the side of virtue, but as with many self-styled moral champions, her idea of "virtue" was often distorted by class and racial prejudice. So while she fought hard for female suffrage and child labor regulation, she also lent her support to the rise of Jim Crow discrimination and the disenfranchisement of African-Americans. Even worse, she held some astounding beliefs about eugenics, advocating for the forced sterilization of children who showed signs of a future in crime, prostitution or alcoholism. "Took Lucille Decoux to the Women's Dispensary July 17 [for an appendectomy]," Jean once wrote in her diary. "This was an excellent opportunity to have her sterilized…and thus end any feeble-minded progeny coming from Lucille."
GK: My fascination with cities in the early 20th century hasn't gone away, so I'm working on a book about Los Angeles in roughly this same time period. The book will center on the Hollywood of the silent-film era and weave in a few other elements. But the idea is still taking shape in my mind, so it's probably too early to talk about it.
Fabio Viviani, chef, restauranter and charismatic entertainer is a familiar face from Top Chef where he was voted Fan Favorite. He is also becoming a major player in the world of American restaurants, owning spots in California, Chicago and, soon, Miami. In his newest cookbook Fabio's American Home Kitchen, Fabio offers over 100 recipes for American classic dishes, from Chicago-style deep dish pizza to spaghetti carbonara all with his own Italian flair. The recipes include basic ingredients that can be found in any well-stocked supermarket and are accompanied by stunning photographs and a taste of Fabio's charm. Between the Covers was lucky enough to ask Fabio a few questions in the midst of his hectic schedule which includes opening a new restaurant and embarking on a book tour. Buon Appetito!
Between the Covers: Readers will relish your newest cookbook, Fabio's American Home Kitchen, which is a feast for the eyes. What prompted you to put your Italian spin on American recipes? Fabio Viviani: I've been in America for many years now, and I love it and wanted to put my Italian spin on American food. In my new cookbook, I try to keep my Italian heritage by keeping dishes lighter but also incorporating the deliciousness of American food with approachable recipes.
BTC: Your suggested menus are so helpful, as are your ideas for entertaining and make-ahead dishes. What are the five ingredients you think a home pantry should never be without? What is your best tip for saving time in the kitchen? FV: Five ingredients a home pantry should never be without: olive oil, cold cuts, fresh pasta, eggs, herbs/spices. You can make anything with these ingredients in your pantry! My motto for saving time in the kitchen is always, 'Keep it simple stupid, keep it stupid simple.' If a recipe feels very complicated then it's a problem! Simple recipes will always come out the best.
BTC: Thank you so much for making your recipes incredibly accessible to the home cook and your style so easy and encouraging. Who gave you your love for food and cooking? When did you realize you wanted to be a chef? Did you have any tough teachers or bad experiences that made you want to throw in the apron? FV: For me it always comes back to my family. When I was eleven, my mom developed a problem with her hands and had to quit her job, so I decided to find a job since there was no money. I ended up working a night job unloading 50-pound bags of flour and baking pies from one in the morning until seven and did that job for two and a half years, which was how I was introduced to the kitchen for the first time. From a very young age I was surrounded by cooking with my family so I knew I loved it, but it wasn't until I had my first kitchen job that I realized I wanted to be a chef. My grandma was my toughest teacher, probably because I wasn't always the best student!
BTC: You grew up in Italy - was there much culture shock when you moved to the United States? What do you miss most about living in Italy? Do you get a chance to go return often? FV: I go back to Italy about twice a year. What I miss most about Italy is the smell. Italy smells different; it smells of fresh cut grass. There are no traffic noises or people screaming, and very little trash around. If you ever find the smell of paradise, you will know you're in Italy.
BTC: We know all about your hatred of cilantro and your love of Nutella. Any other food favorites or dislikes? What is your number one comfort food? What is your go-to dish for a romantic dinner? FV: My number one comfort food is pasta, and, of course, a jar of Nutella if it's available. My go-to dish for a romantic dinner is wine. If you have lots of good wine, the rest will take care of itself.
BTC: As a former contestant on Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars, what's your take on reality television? Would you do it again? FV: Reality TV is great exposure and it's good for your business. However, there are many situations where reality TV does not make you look good and that can be bad for your business. Reality TV should be taken with caution, but I would definitely do it again if the opportunity came up.
BTC: Sienna Tavern Miami is about to open. As you build your restaurant empire, can those of us living in Baltimore hope to see a Fabio restaurant close by in the near future? FV: Baltimore is a beautiful city and I would love to have a restaurant there one day!
Throughout her career, author Mary Jo Putney has received multiple RITA nominations and awards, two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards and the Romance Writers of America's Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. She also has something in common with many of our readers — she's a BCPL customer! In Putney's new book Not Quite a Wife, which recently hit The New York Times Best Sellers list, fate brings a couple back together for a second chance at love.
Putney recently took some time to answer questions for our Between the Covers readers. Read on to learn more about her new book, her advice for aspiring writers and her favorite things about Baltimore.
Between the Covers: Describe Not Quite a Wife in one sentence. Mary Jo Putney: A long-estranged couple who never stopped loving each other must come together again to see if they can rebuild their marriage.
BTC: You've written in several genres throughout your career, but you're probably best known for your rich historical romances. What about the Regency era inspires you most? Do you find yourself researching less now or does each book and its characters demand its own research? MJP: The Regency was a time of change, a transition from the old regime world into what has become our modern world. The industrial age was shattering the old feudal/agricultural structure, the ideas of the enlightenment were leading to better education, more equality and individualism and reform moves like abolition and eventually women's rights. There was also the creative Romantic revolution in writing, painting, music and other areas of life. Plus, a great war against a continental tyrant: Napoleon. It gives writers so much to work with!
The amount of research varies. By now, I've developed a fairly broad foundation of Regency knowledge, but every book will have some new topics to research. For example, in Not Quite a Wife I was looking at things like Bristol's historic role in the slave trade and the development of steamship service on the Thames as well as studying maps of London's dockyards. That's part of what makes writing historical novels so interesting.
BTC: What's a typical work day like for you? Is there such a thing as a typical work day? MJP: Days can vary enormously! I'm more owl than lark. After breakfast, I sip coffee and check email. Three mornings a week, I go to Curves to exercise, since sitting at a computer too long is hard on the body and I need to stretch. I spend time on blogging — I'm part of a long running blog, the Word Wenches, and we all contribute regularly. (They're a great group, both as writers and as friends.)
I also spend a fair amount of time working at re-publishing my older books. I love that it's now possible to make all those backlist stories available as e-books. But the closer a deadline is, the more time I spend actually writing new work. Everything else gets pushed out!
BTC: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? MJP: Read, read, read! You need to thoroughly understand the genre you want to write in, and what you love to read and to write. You also need to work on the craft of writing. No matter how good a natural storyteller you are, you must also have enough writing skill to tell that story well. For romance writers, I recommend joining the Romance Writers of America. It's a large group with a lot of classes and opportunities to find critique. The local chapter is Maryland Romance Writers, and I've been a member since two months after I started my first book.
BTC: What are your favorite things about living in Baltimore? MJP: I love the variety and history of Baltimore and Maryland. The people are nice, the weather provides four distinct and generally pleasant seasons, and there's lots of social and historical texture. Since I didn't grow up here, there are still things I'm learning despite having lived in Baltimore for many years.
BTC: What can readers look forward to from you next? MJP: I've been writing a Regency historical series called the Lost Lords. All the heroes attended a school for boys of "good birth and bad behavior." Basically, as kids they were square pegs in round holes, and the school not only taught them how to adapt to society without losing their souls, but how to build deep friendships as well.
The sixth book in the series, Not Quite a Wife, has just been released, and I'm working on the book for next year, Not Always a Saint. Though the different characters show up in different stories, basically each book stands alone by focusing on the romance of just one couple.
Thanks for having me here! Since BCPL is my local library, this is a particular pleasure.
Maryland author Laura Kaye's new novella Hard to Hold On To recently hit both The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. The novella gives readers a time-out from the pulse-pounding action and suspense found in the rest of her Hard Ink series. This story really delves into the heart of this band of brothers and focuses on the emotional trauma caused on the horrific day when their special forces team was ambushed, leaving only five survivors. Edward "Easy" Cantrell is silently dealing with the life-threatening emotional fallout of their experiences. He bonds with Jenna Dean, a young woman who has recently faced a trauma herself, and they begin to help each other heal, finding that each is stronger when they are together.
Kaye recently took the time to answer some questions for our Between the Covers readers. Learn more about the important issue that she wants to raise awareness about and where you can see her at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend.
Between the Covers: Tell us about your Hard Ink series in one sentence.
Laura Kaye: Hard Ink is a sexy, suspenseful series about the surviving members of an Army Special Forces unit fighting to regain their stolen honor after being kicked out of the military under suspicious circumstances.
BTC: Edward "Easy" Cantrell, the hero of your new novella Hard to Hold On To, is dealing with some very serious issues, including PTSD and survivors' guilt. Why did you feel that this story needed to be told? What kind of feedback have you gotten from readers so far?
LK: Easy's story needed to be told because it reflects the very real experiences with which so many veterans are grappling. Twenty-two veterans die of suicide every day. That's a mind-boggling statistic. Here's another: Forty-five percent of veterans say they know another vet who has attempted or died from suicide. The feedback to the book has been amazing and overwhelming—I have been honored to have been contacted by so many people who have had an Edward "Easy" Cantrell in their real lives. The fact that they've shared those very personal and often heart-breaking stories with me and said how much it meant to them to have awareness brought to the issue is one of the most meaningful things I've experienced as a writer.
BTC: You chose to donate the proceeds from the first two weeks' sales of this novella to the Wounded Warrior Project. Why is this issue so important to you?
LK: It's important to me because I just felt like I needed to do more than raise awareness. Suicide is a little-discussed epidemic among veterans, and that absolutely breaks my heart. I worked for the military for eight years as associate professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, so I hold a real fondness for the men and women who serve our country.
BTC: Hard to Come By will be published in November. What can readers expect for the Hard Ink guys?
LK: In Hard to Come By, the Hard Ink men face their greatest challenges and losses yet! Things will really come to a head in the suspense storyline, alone with a super sexy romance between Derek "Marz" DiMarzio and his heroine, Emilie Garza.
BTC: As a reader, what book can't you wait to get your hands on?
LK: The answer to that question is almost always the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book by J.R. Ward. Also, almost anything by Tessa Bailey.
BTC: You'll be at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend. What are you looking forward to the most either as an author or a reader?
LK: Yes! I will appear on multiple discussion panels at the Maryland Romance Writers stage at this year's BBF! I absolutely love getting to meet readers, answer their questions and spend time with my writer friends. A whole weekend devoted to books—what could be better?
Lauren Oliver, bestselling author of popular teen novels Before I Fall and the Delirium Trilogy, makes her leap into the adult literary scene with Rooms, a haunting story narrated by two ghosts. After Richard Walker dies, his embittered ex-wife and two children arrive at his mansion to claim their inheritance. But the house also comes with two ghosts, Alice and Sandra, who are deeply rooted to the house. As their connection unfolds, so too does the Walker family's woes in this gripping novel about secrets, lies and family. Oliver recently spoke with Between the Covers on Rooms, shopping and more.
Between the Covers: Rooms is an imaginative and gripping tale of the living and the dead, and you tell the stories from both worlds seamlessly and realistically. What was your inspiration? Do you believe in ghosts?
Lauren Oliver: Thank you! I don't think I believe in ghosts in the traditional sense. Then again, I'm not actively a disbeliever, and several of my novels for younger readers deal with visions of the afterlife. So I'd certainly say it's an area of deep curiosity. Mortality in general, and the meaning we make of life, really interests me, maybe because I wasn't raised in any particular religion and had to kind of untangle that stuff for myself.
BTC: Alice and Sandra, the resident ghosts, are the narrators of this spellbinding story. What drove this creative decision? Was it challenging to create ghostly characters with such distinct voices?
LO: It was immensely challenging, not because I knew they had to have distinct voices and characteristics but because of their physical limitations. They're really spectators. They're almost incapable of interacting with or influencing the central action. So in that way there's something theatrical about the novel–it's as if Alice and Sandra are watching a play. Initially, I was inspired by the idea not of ghosts per se but of a house that absorbs and can reflect back memories–I wanted to render a literal depiction of a "memory palace," which is a pneumonic device for storing information.
BTC: The remaining Walkers – Caroline, Minna and Trenton – are the epitome of dysfunctional. Why put these three troubled characters in the same house as the ghosts? What was it about Trenton that made him the only human who senses the ghosts?
LO: Well, truly highly functional people with no issues to explore probably don't belong as protagonists in a novel, since novels are really about character development and character collisions and crises. To be honest, although the Walkers are certainly a troubled family, they don't seem hugely more troubled than other families I know. So maybe I just know a lot of dysfunctional families! And in Trenton's case, I think that his interaction with and attraction to death makes him able to perceive the ghosts where the other family members can't.
BTC: The structure of this novel is so unique in that each section takes place in a different room of the house. What was the intent behind this? How difficult was this to craft and execute?
LO: The book was really inspired by the concept of memory palaces. I wanted to explore the idea that we are not just shaped by the things we own but that in some ways the shaping is reciprocal; our homes become mirrors of our emotional states just as we buy and keep objects that we hope will transform us, on some level, emotionally. The structure was very difficult from a practical standpoint because all of the drama of a particular section had to be extremely contained, which of course limits what you can depict in terms of action. But it was a welcomed challenge.
BTC: Do you look forward to the possibility of movie/TV adaptations of your work or dread the loss of control of your work? Imagine you're in charge of the world – or at least Hollywood. Who would you cast in the movie version of Rooms?
LO: I think it's a little bit of both. I would welcome and embrace the possibility to do a good film or TV adaptation with the right people on board. Rooms would definitely be a challenge for Hollywood, because of its narrative structure. But if it ever does go, I hope Meryl Streep plays Alice!
BTC: You've had such great success as a teen and middle grade author. What prompted you to tackle writing for an adult audience? Did your writing process change with the different readership?
LO: For me, it's all about character and story. Certain stories demand to be told in a certain way, for a certain audience. Rooms is in some ways a deeply domestic drama–it's contained, it's set in one place, and it's about families and marriages and parents and children and the way all of these can fail us. So it was patently adult, from the time I began to write it. That said, I didn't deliberately set down to write an adult book. My ultimate goal as a writer, however, would be to build a flexible enough career that I can work in all three genres, for all three audiences.
BTC: I totally support your disapproval of bananas and practical shoes. What was the last great pair of shoes you purchased?
LO: Oh my goodness. You know what? I just realized it's been months since I bought any great shoes. I really need to go shopping! In late spring I bought a pair of Yves Saint Laurent studded ballet flats, which are actually quite practical despite my averred preference for high heels. I need to go buy a pair of Giuseppe Zanottis, stat!
BTC: What can readers expect next?
LO: In the spring of 2015, I have a new young adult release called Vanishing Girls, and in the fall I launch the first in a new middle grade series. And right now I'm working on a new adult book. So…lots to come!
High school author, Amy Zhang's first book Falling into Place is filled with twists and turns, taking readers inside the head of high school student Liz Emerson and some of her closest friends. Liz is an unlikable character, a mean girl who has decided that she is going to take her own life, making it look like an accident by driving off a cliff. The book goes back and forth between before and after the crash, unravelling the mystery of what led Liz to such a drastic choice. Before starting Zhang's book, read what she had to tell Between the Covers about her first novel.
Between the Covers: The book shifts back and forth between before and after Liz's crash, how did you handle writing a book that shifted in time so frequently? Amy Zhang: Lots and lots of outlines. I drew diagrams and color-coded and made charts before I started writing, I did it again while I was writing, I did it before I revised, I did it after I revised and revised again. The last chart had something like seven colors on it for all of the different "time zones" of the book, and it reached from ceiling to floor when I hung it up.
BTC: Liz is such a complex character, where did you draw your inspiration for her struggles? AZ: I guess when I thought of Liz, the characteristic that stood out was her loneliness. One of the first things I saw when I first began outlining the book was the image of her sitting in her closet on the night before her suicide attempt, and that isolation is what made me understand her. You're always isolated as a teenager. You feel alone in your thoughts, as though you're the only one to ever think, really think—you're afraid to have the opinions you're developing and you're afraid to share them. You also feel sort of isolated in time, because you're not thinking about consequences. You only exist in the moment. I think high school can be one of the loneliest places in the world. For me, being alone was sort of at the heart of Liz's character, and her other struggles all stemmed off of that in some way. Liz, Kennie and Julia were all hiding some really serious issues, but it was pretty easy for me to relate because it was my reality. I think a lot of parents would be shocked if they knew what their kids were really going through every day, and what they feel the need to hide.
BTC: Were you able to draw on your experiences in high school to write about Liz's high school experience? AZ: Definitely. The scenes that stand out are Liam's, which were especially hard for me to write. My school has this horrible tradition of voting people on to dance courts as jokes, and I remember sitting in class and hearing courts announced and just kind of wincing every time. And how do you stop something like that? I was pretty average in high school—I was never really bullied, and I hope I never bullied anyone like Liz did. I had great friends and great teachers, but up until junior year or so, I never really thought about the fact that I sat around a lot. I watched a lot of crap happen and I didn't do much to stop it, except push a pencil around, and Falling into Place is an apology for that.
BTC: What is your writing process like, as a younger writer who's still in school? AZ: Late nights, early mornings, and enough coffee to drown out desire for sleep until the book is done. I write a lot during summer, and, um, during school. At least half of my notes for Falling into Place were scribbled in the margins of my physics notebook. I guess it really just comes down to making a schedule and sticking to it. I have a jar of chocolates on my desk to bribe myself when I need to — one piece per thousand words!
BTC: Who are some of your influences as a writer? AZ: Music is a pretty heavy influence on my writing—before I start a project, I put a lot of effort into tailoring a playlist. For Falling into Place, it was a lot of Bon Iver, Imagine Dragons and Keane. For my current project, I actually have two: one of classical music, and one of mostly Birdy, Regina Spektor, Iron & Wine and Vincent James McMorrow.
For Falling, though, I think my biggest influence was the death of a classmate during my junior year. For my grade in particular, I think that was the moment we started realizing that we weren't invincible, and all of the emotions from that were very influential while I wrote the book.
BTC: This is your first book; do you have anything else planned? AZ: I'm currently working on a project tentatively titled This Is Where the World Ends, which is about a boy who's obsessed with apocalypses and a girl who's trying to make the entire world fall in love with her.


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Man arrested following NH store robbery, threats
Friday, April 4, 2014
OSSIPEE, N.H. (AP) � A man has been accused of robbing a store in West Ossipee, N.H., and threatening the owner with a gun. Police tell WMWV-FM that the state police commanding officer in Tamworth was able to make an arrest quickly Thursday. Forty-two-year-old Richard Schoonmaker of Effingham was arrested not far from O'Keefe's discount store. Police said a man allegedly told the store's owner, who was not hurt, that he would kill him. The owner stepped outside the store and the suspect got away. ___ Information from: WMWV-FM, http://www.wmwv.com/index.html |

subset: commoncrawl


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New groomer highlights snowmobile ride
A $160,000, brand new, bright orange groomer will soon be the prized possession of the Otter Trail Riders snowmobile club.
After fundraising and saving up nearly $100,000 over the years, with some of the money received through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; the club added that hefty sum to an additional $59,000 received through a federal recreation grant.
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Van Eck® Global And Merrill Lynch Enter Agreement Regarding Oil Services HOLDRS Trust (OIH) And Five Other HOLDRS®
Van Eck Global and Merrill Lynch & Co., a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("Merrill Lynch"), have entered into an agreement relating to Merrill Lynch-sponsored HOLding Depository ReceiptS ("HOLDRS"). Van Eck's Market Vectors ETF Trust plans to offer investors in six HOLDRS -- Oil Services (OIH), Semiconductor (SMH), Pharmaceutical (PPH), Biotech (BBH), Retail (RTH), and Regional Bank (RKH) -- the opportunity to exchange their shares in these funds for shares of new Market Vectors exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These HOLDRS had approximately $3.65 billion in aggregate assets and a combined 30-day average daily trading volume of approximately 20.07 million shares as of the close of trading on August 11, 2011. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Van Eck's proposed exchange offer is expected to allow participating investors the opportunity for uninterrupted exposure to target industries. The new ETFs are expected to retain the corresponding HOLDRS' ticker symbols. Van Eck expects the exchange offer to be launched early in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the transaction to be consummated later in the fourth quarter of 2011. The exchange offer documents, which are expected to be filed with the Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") in September 2011, will contain information about the transaction including its mechanics and potential tax implications.
"As a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, Van Eck Global is an excellent partner for us on this transaction," said Liam O'Neil, Head of Market Linked Solutions at Merrill Lynch.
The table below presents the six HOLDRS as well as ticker symbols, names and underlying indices of the soon-to-be-launched Market Vectors ETFs. (The table includes links to information about the underlying indices, including methodology and constituents.) The six new ETFs will be part of Van Eck's family of Market Vectors ETFs. Upon the completion of Van Eck's expected exchange offer, Merrill Lynch intends to delist the six HOLDRS included in the transaction and liquidate them thereafter.
Ticker | HOLDRS | Market Vectors ETFs | Market Vectors Indices | |||||||||||||||
HOLDRS/ETFs INCLUDED IN EXCHANGE OFFER: |
OIH | Oil Services | Market Vectors Oil Services ETF |
SMH | Semiconductor | Market VectorsSemiconductor ETF | ||||||||||||||||
PPH | Pharmaceutical | Market VectorsPharmaceutical ETF | ||||||||||||||||
BBH | Biotech | Market Vectors Biotech ETF |
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RKH | Regional Bank | Market VectorsMoney-Center Bank ETF | Market Vectors US Listed Money-Centre Bank 25 Index (MVRKHTR) |
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Guide to Scottish Newspaper Indexes
Title: | Leven Advertiser and Wemyss Gazette |
Area: | Fife |
Scope: | 1904-1939 |
Description: | Name index. Indexed on basis of in-house rules |
Format: | Typescript index. Issued as: Andrew J Campbell, Fife Shopkeepers and Traders (1820-1870). Not available for sale |
Compiler: | A J Campbell |
Location: | Central Library War Memorial Grounds Kirkcaldy KY1 1YG (tel.01592 260707) |
Opening Hours: | Monday to Thursday, 10am to 7pm; Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm |
Contact: | Miss Sheila Campbell, Assistant Reference Librarian |
Also at: | National Library of Scotland George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EW (tel.0131 623 3700) |
Opening Hours: | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9.30am to 8.30pm; Wednesday, 10am to 8.30pm; Saturday, 9.30am to 1pm. |
Contact: | National Library of Scotland: Ask at Enquiry Desk for assistance (George IV Bridge) |


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Professor Rob Natelson of the University of Montana School of Law is an expert on the framing and adoption of the United States Constitution. He was recently interviewed by Dori Monson on NewsTalk 97.3 FM in Seattle – it's definitely worth the listen.
The interview runs just under 18 minutes, and you can load the audio by clicking the play button below:
Here's a few recent articles that Professor Natelson has contributed to the Tenth Amendment Center:
Rob Natelson is Professor of Law and David Mason scholar at the University of Montana, where he teaches constitutional law and constitutional history. He is currently seeking a publisher for his latest book, The Original Constitution.
Michael Boldin
Latest posts by Michael Boldin (see all)
- Nullification News: 15 Bills Moved Forward This Week - February 21, 2015
- Know Your Enemy: How Federal Programs are Carried Out - January 27, 2015
- Utah Bill Would Turn Off Water to NSA Data Center - January 23, 2015


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Monster Madness 80′s-A-Thon! James reviews Nightbeast (1982). If you have guts…HE WANTS THEM!
Nightbeast (1982)
James / October 5th, 2012
October 5, 2012 at 2:05 am
majikman19October 5, 2012 at 2:06 am
floridaboyOctober 5, 2012 at 2:09 am
Dude, is that Jerry Seinfeld getting his intestines ripped out?
Chris Cronin
February 9, 2014 at 2:14 am
it's Jerry in the puffy shirt!
MordeirOctober 5, 2012 at 2:12 am
HAHA. WAWA FTW!!!! Hey and for everyone who actually got the Wawa reference, THE GOBBLER IS BACK, BITCHES!!!!
majikman19October 5, 2012 at 2:13 am
if i were to die, i'd wanna go out like a disco ball
mondogekkoOctober 5, 2012 at 2:18 am
caffeineadvocateOctober 5, 2012 at 2:22 am
Wawa.. Yeah, I lived in Philly once. Anyhoo, I've never heard of this flick–and can't really tell from the review if it's worth a watch or not. The monster reminds me of the creature from the Black Lagoon—only without lips or mutton chops.
StefanoragnopazzoOctober 5, 2012 at 2:31 am
Oh man, this movie seems really full of…BADASSNESS!
October 5, 2012 at 2:47 am
Aww him loves to kill. Never heard of it. However it is still not as scary as E.T. One question James what was the random J.J. Abrams musical fact all about??? I mean what brought that on. You are a quirky nerd nooo doubt. Hey just like me. Keepem coming ya shitty mummy. Peace out from the Dr.
floridaboyOctober 5, 2012 at 2:48 am
HOLY SHIT !!! I looked up the director, Don Dohler…He has a movie called Alien Factor…The monster is doing the same shit in this movie…Just shooting everyone with a laser gun…Just watch this youtube video.
PuredistortionOctober 5, 2012 at 2:49 am
Logged in just to say I'm watching this at work/wawa lol
charminghkOctober 5, 2012 at 2:58 am
lol.. i almost died when he said wawa…. I haven't seen one since I lived in the eastcoast.. ..xD
marc_lawsonOctober 5, 2012 at 3:28 am
i remember the wawas from when i lived in philly. that town had wawas and dunkin donuts on every corner. I loved watching nightbeast with my brother. that piranha chimp face in the electric space suit should have had his own italo disco theme.
Metal NES SolidOctober 5, 2012 at 3:42 am
Maybe he shouldn't take out his frustration from crashing his ship on humans what a jerk alien lol
October 5, 2012 at 4:12 am
Off on a tangent here, but I'd be curious to know what's your favorite fight scene from any movie or series (it just has to be a moving picture and real life performance, not cartoon). Mine is probably the epic fight from Deadwood between Dan and The Captain. It was almost too real.
CilliandrewOctober 5, 2012 at 4:54 am
HEY! The fight scene from 'THEY LIVE' *IS* a Masterpiece!
Kriztoffer SwankOctober 5, 2012 at 5:23 am
I haven't seen Nightbeast or any other Don Dohler flicks, and quite honestly I'm not sure I want to, but there's a good documentary on him called Blood, Boobs and Beast and it's free to watch.
asnaes1981October 5, 2012 at 7:07 am
The Night Beast looks like a shaved gorilla with a space suit and a laser gun!
Krim420October 5, 2012 at 7:07 am
DUUUUDE! The fight scene from "They Live" WAS a masterpiece!
knoxmickeyOctober 5, 2012 at 7:12 am
Another vote here for the fight scene from "They Live"!
UrsoerTheSquidOctober 5, 2012 at 7:14 am
Am I the only one who knows of wawa being a small town from Northern Ontatio? It actually has 28ft goose as a tourist attraction.
imma_rockerOctober 5, 2012 at 7:29 am
HAHAHAHA I run third shift at WAWA and i just got home from work. great reference!
AussieDragoonOctober 5, 2012 at 8:06 am
Wawa is awesome. Well played James.
October 5, 2012 at 8:25 am
Ha I need to check this out. When I see the alien all I can think of is that it is a horrific mutated Martin Lawrence… Big ol stupid grin and all…
Good stuff James. A little of the editing on thiswas slow, seeing paused clips start up as you talk and stuff. But overall, such fun!
AbsoluteDeicideOctober 5, 2012 at 8:45 am
I fell in love with Don Dohler movies after watching the documentary Blood, Boobs, & Beast. He really was one of the great backyard horror filmmakers that did what he could to make shitty movies on a shoestring budget. Cinematic Titanic did a great riff on The Alien Factor as well.
LordJason1986October 5, 2012 at 9:25 am
awesome. a fun shitty alien film. I'm in. I bet the reason why the alien is so happy killing people because to him it's just feels too good. I bet he just wakes up one morning and says "oh what a wonderful day to annihilation human beings. dismembering body parts always brings a smile to my face. what a joy it is to crack their bones and shot my laser." and then he's crying with joy and someone asks him "why are you crying?". and he says "i'm just so happy". and then he dies. it's a wonderful life. XD awesome video james. cant wait to see more. to be continued…
AceOctober 5, 2012 at 9:32 am
Also gotta offer love to "They Live" as the best fight scene of all time. 2nd best is the shot-for-shot remake in the Cripple Fight from South Park.
sirlancelotOctober 5, 2012 at 10:14 am
The fight scene from They Live IS a masterpiece.
vitekrOctober 5, 2012 at 10:59 am
Have you ever killed a man with a ray gun? Its just so awesome to do, you should try it. I recommend something phased plasma based, in at least the 40 watt range if you can find it.
It will make you so happy you won't want to stop! Such glee, you cannot really imagine it. It will literally make you so happy you will want to rip someones guts out, and then rip a mans head off.
Try it, you'll like it!
Crypt KeeperOctober 5, 2012 at 11:13 am
The alien looks somewhat like a Goomba from the Super Mario Bros movie.
frostareOctober 5, 2012 at 11:18 am
This kinda reminds me of Laserblast, only the asshole is an alien.
marc_lawsonOctober 5, 2012 at 12:07 pm
you're dead right.
AutosuggestionOctober 5, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Night Beast is the best name for a metal band ever. I want to start a band just so I can name it Night Beast.
Also, fuck yeah, Wawa! Hoagies for life.
Squall85October 5, 2012 at 12:54 pm
What a shitty meteor effect! You can see the pole that holds the ball on the left at 0:42, lol
TheChrisGlassOctober 5, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Someone needs to fix the Flash Debug error I get on EVERY video posted on this site.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb225/M3wThr33/flash_zps1c39902c.pngI can't use this site at all at my work, because I use the Debug Player, and there's something terribly wrong in how it's implemented.
capnmorgan5150October 5, 2012 at 1:28 pm
"Not as classy, but it gets the job done."
EinsamOctober 5, 2012 at 1:31 pm
can you do killer klowns from outer space its a 80′s movie 1988
October 5, 2012 at 2:23 pm
of course i know what a wawa is, i'm mikemonmouth…wawa's are in monmouth county
StickOctober 5, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Agreed, They Live is a masterful fight scene, one of the best.
Senna4everOctober 5, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I know what a Wawa is and I'f from England. Now we don't have them, just that I go to the US a lot.
And the fight scene in They Live IS a masterpiece. Two big bastards just kicking the shit out of each other. No flying around on wires, no special effects.
Just pure 100% fistycuffs action. A "real" fight.Slacker ChiefOctober 5, 2012 at 4:11 pm
The alien seems sane enough he's just trying to work out his anger on humans because he won't get his insurance money on his ship.
Sardaukar PrimeOctober 5, 2012 at 6:06 pm
Wow.if this was from 1972 I'd excuse it. But this must've looked awful even 30 years ago. Really,the Space Monkey has a pusating laser gun that looked like it was made by Larami and bought off the rack of some drug store.
October 5, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Or also you can check night of the creeps.
Paul DowerOctober 5, 2012 at 6:29 pm
They Live, best 80′s alien film PERIOD
GriffOctober 5, 2012 at 6:54 pm
HAHAHAHA. I love how it makes no sense as why this alien, instead of trying to just fix his ship and get the hell out of there, decides to go around killing a bunch of people instead
larkhillvOctober 5, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Haha, I know what a Wawa is. I live a block away from one. I am from PA, too, so I know it's pretty much impossible to live without them!
drunken_step_dadOctober 5, 2012 at 7:27 pm
Is that a Bloodhound Gang reference? "Do you even know what a Wawa is?"
sweetamber1985October 5, 2012 at 11:05 pm
What a cool classic movie. Me and my brother use to watch alot of hoor movies growing up i was born in 1985 my brother was born 1982. we grew up on old horr movies that randomly played on tv my brother fell in love with godzilla me i was more of a freddy and jason and halloween person. And ol blood and guts movie me and my brother could find at the movie store on VHS we would pop it in the ol vcr and watch it and set after watching it and were would talk about the likes and dis liek of the movie making jokes and stuff. and we to also watch Monstervishion use to tape it on vhs but we dont have the tape no more all got taped over but Keep up the awsome work James and Mike. Me and my brother watch this alot when we get on the computer. If i may request somehting if you dont mind i love this movie that maybe you can talk about it is a 80′s movie request. I love this old movie from 1987 its called Hello Mary Lou Prom Night 2
sweetamber1985October 5, 2012 at 11:06 pm
horror* movies i mean durn typos
culwinOctober 5, 2012 at 11:54 pm
3:59 dat ass
TehJedicakeOctober 6, 2012 at 12:06 am
diddymuckOctober 6, 2012 at 12:23 am
more 80′s horror messterpieces…
Blood Beach
The Boogens
Deadly Spawn
Spasms (noteworthy for concept and wild casting!)
The Toxic Avenger
Monster Dog (Alice Cooper becomes a Werewolf!)
The Bride
Rawhead Rex (including the immortal "anointing" scene)
Monster In the Closet
and the sweetest monster film ever made…
The Elephant ManDerelictusOctober 6, 2012 at 12:33 am
Monster kind of looks like Earl from the show "Dinosaurs".
Dr4Cu741931October 6, 2012 at 1:00 am
I fucking love wawa!
PompkininiOctober 6, 2012 at 12:19 pm
The main reason I like halloween is because of all the cinemaassacre content that comes out this time of year.
Ben_from_G-townOctober 6, 2012 at 6:32 pm
No I don't know what a Wawa is. I'll have to Google it.
Wow, that movie is… not much to say other than you did, eh? The monster just kills because he can! Sure he was attacked first, but I think he was just looking for an excuse!
And I agree the alien looks hilarious. And it would be even more funny if he was brought back for the next Star Trek!
October 6, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Great review
DougOctober 6, 2012 at 9:34 pm
i like to imagine that the monster is an escaped convict who's just trying to take as many aliens with him as possible.
Haseo55October 6, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Well the movie seems interesting, well i hope you do Predator(both of them)
jerseymattOctober 6, 2012 at 9:42 pm
WaWa is the shit in NJ and PA, nice James.
cedarusOctober 6, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Do you even know what a wawa is girl?
Do you even know what a wawa is?FirxOctober 6, 2012 at 10:23 pm
I have never heard of a Wawa in my life! Of course, we don't even have a Wal-Mart in the county I'm in, so no surprise there.
Hey, y'know, about that alien . . . maybe he's like some kind of messed-up sociopath who's playing out his sicko fantasies on earth because he knows he couldn't get away with it back on planet Pubarr, or wherever.
Gotta say Monster Madness kicks ass this year . . . some really obscure stuff!
Wildside50October 7, 2012 at 12:14 am
Am I crazy or was it hard to find this year's monster madness videos? Why is not part of the front page blog? Only the reruns are on the front page. I had to navigate to Movie Reviews-Monster Madness-2012 to find these videos. Am I the only one who found that akward?
MickaelOctober 7, 2012 at 4:32 am
Now I want to hear the score just because J.J. Abrams did it. He's the 2nd generation Spielberg. Love'em.
darkmech11October 7, 2012 at 2:33 pm
i live maryland i know what a wawa is , there a chain of convenience stores along the East Coast. interesting this movie is set in maryland, marylands only movie monster as far as i know.
MattBrownOctober 7, 2012 at 7:05 pm
i love wawa!!!!!!!!
JohnthegamerOctober 8, 2012 at 12:43 am
Wawa it's like a 7-11 but a million times better, one of the things I miss since I moved from the east coast.
October 8, 2012 at 9:44 am
steamtrainstudiosOctober 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I live right near a wawa. I actually only recently found out they aren't nationwide.
Iron65October 8, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Another interesting movie I never heard
TagaZokOctober 9, 2012 at 12:07 am
Didn't know that one too but maybe it's a movie to watch just for the monster alien !
PresidentJenkinsOctober 9, 2012 at 4:41 am
Wow, that's one cruel alien.
Schloss RitterOctober 9, 2012 at 11:10 am
lol, you can totally see the rod holding the "crashing ship" in The Curse.
October 10, 2012 at 9:44 am
Anyone else notice the Night-Beast is the same monster as the Chinese Wild-Man from Big Trouble in Little China? they just changed it up very little
LanceGreenleafOctober 11, 2012 at 12:00 am
Bring Wawa to the Island!
Zain9866October 13, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Hey James …i was just wondering if u know or have ever played the game Slender-Man……if u like scary stuff play this and post a video of your experience .
HuranshisukoOctober 17, 2012 at 2:14 am
Holy shit I just remembered to watch Monster Madness today lol. Well plenty to keep my busy for the night now.
RandyPanOctober 19, 2012 at 3:49 pm
JJ Abrams? Guy must have been about 16.
tylersOctober 19, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Have you seen "the Galaxy Invaders?" Same director as "Nightbeast" but with more melodramatic overacting and one of the best, and most obvious, falling dummy scenes of all time.
AlbylionNovember 18, 2012 at 1:31 am
FYI for those of you who're WTF? Wawa = a chain of convenience stores along the East Coast, primarily New England.
d0ct0rscarecr0wNovember 20, 2012 at 5:51 am
This movie is making me wonder why there haven't been any alien movies were it turns out the alien species really isn't hostile but the alien that happen to come to Earth was just an escaped serial killer.
October 29, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Awesome, one of our posters made it into your review! Very enjoyable, by the way. I also like that the alien wears clothing.
November 10, 2013 at 9:50 pm
So this movie and Pikmin 1 have the same beginning. I'm hooked even more because I love that game series.
November 10, 2013 at 9:55 pm
I think that maybe it was a prisoner pod and it crashed leaving only one survivor, the murderous Nightbeast.
rato barajMay 22, 2014 at 11:21 pm
I think that guy who got his guts ripped out was the actor who played Ug in the Critters movies, but it's not listed in IMDB
fcabanskiNovember 1, 2014 at 11:57 pm
JJ Abrams is the jack of all trades and ruiner of all. His monster movie stunk, his Star Trek stinks and it isn't imaginative. I hope his Star Wars is better than his usual stuff. Maybe he'll just switch Luke's and Han Solo's scenes the way he switched Kirk's and Spock's scenes from Space Seed and Wrath of Khan. That's what passes for creativity in JJ's world.
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He faces these questions with seasoned sensitivity, skillful insight, and a heart of compassion. He dodges none of the difficulties, and never lapses into platitudes, hand-wringing, or oversimplification.
On this troubling but inescapable topic, you'll find frank acknowledgment of the inherent limitations that set humanity apart from the God who has none. There's also generous, real encouragement that brings God nearer in our understanding when we need His comfort the most. And amid our heavy doubts and swirling confusion on this topic, Randy Alcorn points us ultimately toward Jesus as "the only answer bigger than the questions."
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Art career VS Parents is actually a very very common issue in many different countries.
First of all, you are not alone in this struggle, many many people are on the same boat sharing the same problem, including your parents.
A lot of parents tend to think doing art makes you starve, and you will be poor all your life if you want to become an artist. They are dead set on "a certain career means more money therefore means more steady life"
Truth is... whatever that popular career is... it may become less popular later because of so many people going into the field, thus lowering the demand. The supply and demand principle applies to all fields, jobs market changes.
OK. To start with the conversation... Lets make sure we know what they think that an "art career" is~~~
Research and Communicate:
Usually they don't know ANYTHING about that career you want to go into, usually the best way to go about it is research how much "salary" you will get paid with doing a certain job you are interested in. Money is usually your parent's first concern, secondly, you have to research into the "steadiness" of the job. That's their second concern.
I would post about union rates in US but i know every country have different rates in different fields.
For those in the US, I will share some links for you to use as reference:
Animators/film productions:
Animator's wages in a decade
2007 Wage survey part 1
Visual arts resources:
Reports of salary on bls.gov
Web Developer Forum
Graphic Artist's Guild
Graphic novel:
rec.arts.comics report - scroll down to 3-18: HOW MUCH DO COMIC CREATORS GET PAID?
Toykopop rates and contract
Game productions:
Rates on Video game productions
Fine art gallery: (probably the most unsteady niche area, you can get nothing or alot, most fine art artists end up being teachers for job security.)
Reports of salary on bls.gov
My advice for the young people who needs to make a decision:
1. Choose what's more important to you- take your time to decide.
"It's your own life after you leave your parents- " This sounds mighty- american, it is easier said than done. But I have seen people live with this and they have no regret, they are very very happy and content with their lives, and some of them earn 6 figures....
You might be struggling with the acceptance from your parents VS your own happiness.... If you value your parent's opinion a lot more than your dream career choice, then go with your parents, you have made the sacrifice to please them.
However, if you feel that 20 years later you will regret this choice, don't do it.
Many students who ended up in a college with a major they don't want already struggle with moodiness, depression, unhappiness when they try to go their parent's way.
There's high hopes that the parents will eventually understand if you are serious enough:
I know people who tough it through, gone through hide and seek, got their work thrown out by parents, etc... but they chose to continue, and eventually, their parents almost always, turn around and support them in the end, when they actually start making money from art.
I say 9 out of 10, because every case I have seen with the same problem came out with the same happy ending. When the kid chose the harder road and tough it through. I haven't seen one parent that didn't come to term with it.
However, fighting with your parents DOES cost you energy, and valuable time to use for study, so it's best to learn to communicate however you can instead of fighting. If it really really doesn't work out, there's very few options left but to grow up and go to live on your own.
2. You can also choose to find a compromise area you think you can deal with, and do freelance work on the side to continue your art business until you can live on it completely. If you think you can handle a teaching job while doing some art freelancing, go ahead and do that, slowly prove it to them that you can become a full time artist.
Working full time as an artist is not for everyone, work is work, it has its pressure. So make sure you know you can do it until you are sick of it, and still you can do it the next day... before you decide this is your path.
2a. Art career can be your second career.
Also, I was told by a full time professional that on average "A person changes his career job 5-7 times in their life time." If your parents said your first career job must be "an accountant" or "doctor" or "businessman" it doesn't mean your secondary career job couldn't be a film director or artist. If you have no choice but to agree to your parents, it doesn't mean you have to completely give up on it. Do your studies to prepare yourself for your second career!
3. Work hard - Art industry is mostly entertainment industry, it is also a culture making industry, it's a specialty.
You don't just get in because you got a degree, in fact going to art institute and colleges has nothing to do with getting an art related job. Going to school for it only means they will give you the basics to prepare you for the job, better schools will get you better connections, better student bodies to motivate you, let you practice with industry standard tools, with more complete programming, all of that add together will eventually help you earn back the money you spent. But in the end, its what you put in counts.
You really need to have the skills and make connections. There's no other way to gain it but by working hard and go to social with other artists. If you only want to go into art but never work for it, you might as well not waste your time and do something else.
No one will hire you because "its your dream job."
If you want to get into art biz full time, be prepared to suddenly draw 8-12 hours a day, 40+ hours a week, or do 3D for that much time... whatever skills you wish to have, you have to grind for it.
4. Find a way to break in - "Break in" is our common term, technically if you get commissioned on DA or your site with REAL money you are already "freelancing." There is a ladder of difference between commercial clients and private clients, when they mention "break in" it means going in to work at a reliable company with steady income, and have your work be distributed through a commercial distribution channel.
To break in you might need to relocate to areas where there is publishers, companies, studios... usually it's the big cities.
Get yourself internships, (anyone who tells you internship is not important are liars) and get to know pros in the area.
Make yourself a reliable talent, and eventually you will get a chance and get work.
In the beginning years of an artist trying to find work, it's like the first year of survival in the wilderness, you need to be strong to survive, and work will keep coming to you. You don't have to be the best artist to survive, but you need to make sure your clients keep coming back to you, and search for new opportunities, you also need to start paying attentions to credits, the way the industry is moving, expanding or contracting.... There's a lot of homework to do.
(more resource will be added later)
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How Children Succeed
Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
By Paul Tough
(Mariner Books, Paperback, 9780544104402, 256pp.)
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
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A foremost New Yorker and New York Times journalist reverses three decades of thinking about what creates successful children, solving the mysteries of why some succeed and others fail – and of how to move individual children toward their full potential for success.
Paul Tough is an editor at the New York Times Magazine and one of America's foremost writers on poverty, education, and the achievement gap. His reporting on Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children's Zone originally appeared as a Times Magazine cover story. He lives with his wife in New York City.


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By Sarah Ditum
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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Henriques shines in Australia A win
Moises Henriques lead his team, Australia A, to a 93 run victory against Ireland in their 4 day game at Stormont, Belfast between 14th and 17th June.
In their first innings, Ireland had declared on 186/4, helped by Paul Stirling's 115 after restricting Australia to 312/9d. Steve Smith (133), James Pattinson (66), Henriques (47) and Alex Doolan (40) were the only batsmen who could get into double figures for the Aussies while Max Sorensen (5/50) and Trent Johnson (4/68) did the damage for the Irish.
Australia bounced back sensationally in the second innings with Nic Maddinson slamming 115* (63b 13x4 6x6) and Doolan chipping in with 56* as the antipodeans declared on 174/0 after just 20.2 overs.
Henriques claimed the top order wickets of John Anderson and Alex Cusack and debilitated the middle order with the wickets of Kevin O'Brien and John Mooney, giving Australia desired breakthroughs in Ireland's chase of 301. He took 4/22 in the second innings with an economy of just 2.20 to give Australia A a well-deserved victory.
The game in Belfast could have had a much larger victory margin in favor of the Australian A team, had it not been for 22 year old Stuart Poynter. Ireland were 112 for 7 as they chased 301 but Poynter's 63 at no 9 helped them reach 207.
Henriques also contributed with the bat scoring 47 in the first innings. The Irish line-up tumbled in the second innings in quick succession. Poynter, in stellar form after his 172 against MCC Young Cricketers earlier this month, along with his U-19 World Cup colleague Stuart Thompson, wreaked havoc for a bit, delaying the victory for the Aussies. In the end, the Irish team were short of 93 runs and Australia A had a smooth ride to victory.


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98 wrangler help??
My wifes 98 wrangler running 35's
Has allot of lift and rides like a iron wheel wagon I think someone installed the wrong springs or something. Any help??? |
My 98 rides about the same with a lot of sway side to side. I've changed lifts from a 4" lift short arm to a 6" long arm and its about the same on the hiway but better off. I have a rough country lift with the new bfg mud tires and run them with about 27 psi and its still a rough ride. the more weight I add with armor its gotten a little better.
If its really that stiff try going to softer shocks, outside of that maybe different coils, got the skyjacker long arm here and it rides awesome, little stiff on the bumps but rides smooth down hwy. Better then stock ill say that much.
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If a gothic girl in her late teens / early twenties wanted to make a horror movie about how difficult it is to survive on her own because she doesn't want to work and that she prefers to go to clubs every night and work on drawings and sleep all day and that her landlord is a bitch because she's not getting the rent money owed her – "Nina" would be that movie.
Nina, who can barely be older than eighteen, lives in kind of an old, rundown (but chock full of gothic charm) apartment with an old hag of a landlord who gives Nina shit at every chance she can get. She's shown to be a horrible woman, someone you would cross the planet to avoid, but then you realize that all she really wants is the rent money that Nina owes her and that she wants to keep her food to herself, so she labels it all with her name. That sounds fair. I certainly don't want anyone moochin' off me, especially if they're a lazy layabout who gets fucked up at clubs every night and refuses to hold a job. Yeah, Nina has some talent – she happens to be a very gifted illustrator, so it's nice to see that she has something going for her, a little ambition, so you feel for her a bit. But then she winds up screwing a blind guy she meets on the street and then rips him off. Okay, so she's a total bitch. And she really doesn't even do anything with these drawings other than let them fuel her murderous hate towards her landlord.
All in all, the movie feels like a cry for help that life isn't fair. To bring this point across, it has the look and feel of a dark and dreary horror movie, kinda like "The Ring." You expect something unpleasant to pop out from around a corner at all times, but nothing happens. All unpleasantness is seated with Nina. She's a total waste of space and it's a shame that a movie has been based around a character so awful.
Posted on June 25, 2004 in Reviews by Eric Campos
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