Updates Archives - Page 2 of 3

What’s Your Favorite Scary Song?

Thanks again for sharing your favorite scary movies with me. Apparently, a lot of you enjoyed the playlist of movie trailers I compiled. So, let’s have some more fun. I’d love to know what your favorite scary songs are. Perhaps you’re a traditionalist and enjoy the novelty of, “Monster Mash” at your Halloween parties. Or maybe you prefer something heavier like “Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne. Either way, let me know. I’ll build a playlist and share it next week.

Updates

Your Favorite Scary Movie Results

Thank you so much for sharing your favorite scary movies with me. It was a ton of fun reading your stories. So many of the responses began with, “I was kid when I first watched this movie and it scared the bejesus out of me.”

The Exorcist and The Original Halloween were by far the most popular films submitted. Like many people my age, I grew up watching those two movies and it was a no brainer to include The Exorcist in the sleepover scene in Acapulco. I mean, who didn’t watch The Exorcist at a sleepover party?

As promised, here is the list of movies you submitted.

The Exorcist
The Original Halloween
Maximum Overdrive
Gremlins
Halloween H2O
The Babadook
Nightmare on Elm Street
Hellraiser
Jacob’s Ladder
Night Breed
Phantasm
The Blair Witch Project
Poltergeist
Scream
The Original Saw
Paranormal Activity
Shaun of the Dead
Beetlejuice
The Sixth Sense
Midnight Mass
IT
The Original Pet Sematary
Bela Lugosi Dracula

I created a playlist of all the trailers. Enjoy!

Updates

What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?

I mentioned last week that I was obsessed with the Crestwood House Monster Series when I was a kid and shared a link to a list of scary horror novels. We’re officially in the 31 Nights of Halloween now. That means a month of animated specials, campy B movies, found footage films, slasher flicks, and creepy thrillers.

I’d love to know what your favorite scary movies are. Drop me a line and let me know. I’ll compile a list of the responses and share it next week!

Speaking of creepy thrillers, have you seen the movie Swallow? If not, check it out. It’s not your traditional scary movie, but holy moly is it creepy.

Updates

Tis the Season for Scary Stories

It’s officially fall. That means sweater weather, leaf peeping, pumpkin spice…everything, and of course, Halloween.

Acapulco isn’t a traditional horror story, but it does have its chilling moments. I had goosebumps writing the scene where the smoke attacks Simon and Chris under the weathered dock floating in the middle of the quarry lake.

I’ve always loved scary stories. And growing up in New England, you couldn’t escape the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King. By the way, I was obsessed with these books when I was kid. Let me know if you remember them!

If you’re a fan of horror novels and looking for something scary to read this season, check out this list from Book Riot.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoy your pumpkin spice latte and Southern Tier Pumpking Imperial IPA.

Updates

I’d Love to Follow You

There’s no shortage of online platforms these days. Although I have to say, email is one of my favorites. It’s pretty cool to touch base with friends across the country on a weekly basis. However, I know that email isn’t super sexy and let’s be honest, spam sucks. If you’re on any of these platforms, give me a follow and I’d love to follow you back:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
GoodReads
Amazon

Updates

Who’s Your Favorite Character?

A lot of people have asked if I’m one of the characters in Acapulco. I feel like there’s a little bit in me in all of the characters. However, If I’m being completely honest, I have a soft spot for Simon Banks.

Simon and I are both a bit nerdy and share a passion for homemade book covers and paper football. We were both paperboys for the Pawtucket Times. When I was a kid, my newspaper route included a funeral parlor, a group home, and an upscale men’s club. I saw some pretty wild stuff. Some of those experiences inspired the prologue.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by journalist, Jon Baker, from the Pawtucket Times before my book signing event at The Galway. I have to say, having been a paperboy, writing a story about a paperboy, then being interviewed by the Times about the book was pretty surreal. I felt like I had come full circle.

So, who was your favorite character in Acapulco? Was it Simon? His awesome sister, Hannah? Perhaps it was Sister Mary Francis? Drop me a line and let me know!

Updates

A Surprise For Sure

Something unexpected happened after I released Acapulco. A whole new audience discovered my first book, The Potato Puff Surprise. To be honest, I didn’t see that coming and it was a cool surprise.

If you’re not familiar with The Potato Puff Surprise, the book is a tribute to my friend’s dad, Joe Kelly, who died of cancer on September 3rd, 2017. Joe was a rebel, a bluesman, and a connoisseur of Battleship Gray. Here’s one of my favorite photos of him.

I had the honor of delivering his eulogy. Afterwards, I set out to write a short story that captured a few of his more entertaining antics. Little did I know that it would turn into a book that would transport me back in time. Back to the old neighborhood and back to junior high school.

I always think of Joe on Labor Day weekend and I know that he would absolutely love that fact that so many people enjoyed his story. Until we meet again, Blue Man.

Haven’t read The Potato Puff Surprise? The Kindle Edition is only $0.99. Check it out and more importantly, be sure to hug your loved ones this weekend.

Updates

Acapulco Easter Egg

I always like to include an easter egg or two in my books. One of my favorites can be found at the end of Acapulco in the afterward. It’s a direct link to my website showcasing some of the points of interest found in the book. It’s a great way to visualize the story, especially if you have never been to Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

As I mentioned before, it takes a tribe to write and market a book. The neat thing about this easter egg is that my dad, Joe Flanagan, took all of the photographs. The photos look fantastic and really capture the essence of the city. If you missed it in the book, you can check out the page here.

Updates

Growing Up in Pawtucket

I recently had the opportunity to be a guest on The Bartholomewtown Podcast hosted by Bill Bartholomew. Bill and I had a great conversation about Acapulco, growing up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and how the city has changed over the years. Despite my dogs having a short meltdown in the background, it was a lot of fun. You can listen to the episode here:

Updates

Fort Collins Book Event Photos

The whirlwind continues. I want to thank everyone who came out to my book event at the Wolverine in Fort Collins. The Wolverine is a non-profit literary and arts organization located in Old Town. It’s such a cool place. Seriously, you have to check it out.

The event was a super fun night filled with art, music, and decadent charcuterie. These events take a tribe to organize and I want to take a moment to acknowledge my people. A BIG thank you to:

Kathy and Marley for the continued love and support.
Dave Jensen and Riley Ann for the killer tunes. These two have the energy of a six-piece band.
Amy Hoback for planning and MC’ing the event. She did an amazing job.
Jessie Ferguson who delivered a charcuterie master class.
Patrick Caldwell for the amazing artwork and prints.
Colin Glover (my partner in crime) for lining up the music, guest list, and always providing good vibes.
Brian Martinez for the amazing photography.

Brian is a super talented photographer and video producer that I have the pleasure of working with every day. Check out the slideshow!