Here's where two really cool ideas converge. Frankensteinia--The Frankenstein Blog has declared October to be Book Month. Neil Gaiman has proposed, "on Hallowe'en or during the week of Hallowe'en, we give each other scary books. Give children scary books they'll like and can handle. Give adults scary books they'll enjoy."
"I propose that stories by authors like John Bellairs and Stephen King and Arthur Machen and Ramsey Campbell and M R James and Lisa Tuttle and Peter Straub and Daphne Du Maurier and Clive Barker and a hundred hundred others change hands -- new books or old or second-hand, beloved books or unknown. Give someone a scary book for Hallowe'en. Make their flesh creep..."
"Give a scary book."
I love these ideas!
So here's the deal--I'm offering a FREE BOOK, postage paid, to... well... someone. The only problem is I'm not sure how to select that someone, so I asked my friend/horror writer Wayne to help out:
GW: Wanna be the judge in my Halloween giveaway?
WAS: The judge or A judge? I was an auctioneer once, in New Orleans at a Sci-Fi con. Along with...Lance Henriksen. Who wore sneakers and was shorter than me.
Tell me more, but yea, I'll do it. Buddy (his late dog) would want me to say yes
GW: THE judge! What I'm doing is giving away a copy of The Men Who Made the Monsters (I have two) for the Countdown To Halloween. I'm not sure what hoops to make any participants jump through yet. "Tell me why you deserve to win this" is the current contender, but I'm open to suggestions. You'd pick a winner from the best of the mini-essays based on originality, creativity, and general sluttiness.
WAS: Tell me what YOU'D WEAR, WHAT YOU WOULD DO WITH A MANGO, A BUTTERFLY, AND ROBERT DOWNEY JR to even BE CONSIDERED to deserve this book!!!! The Aristocrats of Hallowe'en, baby! Those are the mini-essays we need, though you can fine-tune it as you see fit. Perhaps we could put Nipsey Russell in there somewhere. And seltzer. Written as a sestina.
Oh dear. All that may be a bit... much. Let's make it simple: tell us why YOU would be the best choice to give this book a new home. I'm easily swayed by humor and creativity; I have NO idea what would appeal to Wayne. Naked pictures of Elvira and Christina Ricci together, probably. I'll announce the winner on Halloween.
The Men Who Made the Monsters by Paul M. Jensen
Have at it!
Warning/Disclaimer: I smoke, which means this book has been in a smoky apartment for a couple of years. I also have a long-haired kitty-cat who sheds like crazy and I really, really suck at housekeeping, so these may well be deal breakers for you. If you're sensitive and you win, well, I'm not responsible for anaphylactic shock, allergic reactions, cancer, heart or lung disease, high blood pressure, stroke, aneurysm, seizures, catarrh, abnormal blood chemistry, major affective disorders, erectile dysfunction, decreased dexterity, loss of libido, loss of motor skills, loss of hearing, loss of social standing, loss of math skills, inability to get a date, sociopathy, schizophrenia, tone deafness, astigmatism, unbalanced humours, inauspicious feng shui, howling fantods, screaming-meemies, heebie-jeebies, herky-jerkys, or any other horrible thing that might result from contact with this volume.
3 comments:
Christina Ricci is one of my favs, owl eyes and hooters.
Give a scary book is a wonderful idea. Hopefully it'll catch on.
Me? The only thing I'd promise is that WOULD NOT be the book I'd throw at someone wearing a Jersey Shore costume.
I've actually been giving out scary books for almost two decades now during the Halloween season. It's a great way to turn people on to some authors they might not be familiar with.
The book you are offering is a great read. I already own a copy, and your cat's dander would probably do me in, but I commend you for the giveaway.
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