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Tim McGregor’s ‘Hearts Strange and Dreadful’ Delivers Paranoia-Fueled Fear

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Tim McGregor takes readers back in time to 1820s New England in his new novel, Hearts Strange and Dreadful, due out next month from Off Limits Press.

The novel focuses on Hester Stokely, orphaned at the age of 12, who now resides with her Uncle Pardon and Aunt Katherine Stokely and their six children–Prudence, Faith, Samuel, John, Polly, and Hiram–in the village of Wickstead. Piety and superstition go hand in hand in their insular world, so when a strange man rides into town half-dead it naturally causes a stir.

Even more terrifying is the strange disease which seems to have followed the man. As villagers begin to waste away, Hester and her family find themselves at the center of rising paranoia over a seemingly supernatural contagion.

I appreciate an author who does their homework, and McGregor obviously spent a lot of time researching some of the stranger periods of our country’s history while writing Hearts Strange and Dreadful. That work behind-the-scenes shines through in the narrative, especially when it comes to the the village’s view of disease and their methods of treating it.

This worldbuilding is essential when asking contemporary readers to take on a period piece that can often seem foreign and unrelatable, and McGregor does a fine job of exposing us to the sounds, smells, textures, and taste of his landscape.

Hester, herself, is a brilliant character. Smart with a healthy dose of sarcasm and wit, her worldview colors the reader’s experience as we settle into Wickstead. We are outsiders, just as she is an outsider, and her invitation to experience the events of the book comes with no few caveats, some of which are not revealed until the final chapters.

Hester’s world is one of uncertainty. Her life is lived in service of others, her livelihood dependent on obedience. As a young woman and an orphan in 1821, there are only so many prospects she has within society, and so of course, we’re introduced to not one, but two possible suitors.

Will is the steadfast farmhand with whom she can be herself, speak her mind, and confide her secrets. Henry is the dashing son of the local innkeeper with a penchant for carousing, drinking, and occasional gambling, but his heart is usually–sometimes–in the right place.

Normally I would groan at the sheer romantic tropes of it all, but again, this keeps the novel in line tonally with the stories and books that would have been told and written during the time period.

What is most effective in Hearts Strange and Dreadful is McGregor’s sense of pacing. The novel is a more athletic read than some contemporary readers may like. The language is more dense which gives each turn of phrase more weight. The words feel as though they were carefully chosen to deliver an even, gradual escalation in tension and dread.

It’s rather like walking up a gently slanting slope. You don’t realize just how frightening this book really is until you turn and look behind you. Certainly there are moments when McGregor flexes his grip on the reader, but he releases them quickly, again, only hinting at what is to come.

A note about the ending: Some readers will no doubt find fault in the book’s resolution. I cannot tell you why without spoiling the plot, so I will only say this:

Was I totally satisfied with the ending? No. Did it end the way that I thought it should? No! Was I absolutely invested in the book enough that I felt some kind of way about the ending? You’re damn right I was, and that means Tim McGregor did his job as a an author. What more could you ask for?

It takes a careful hand to present a story that echoes so many modern sentiments without marring the veneer of a period piece. Hearts Strange and Dreadful does it beautifully.

Hearts Strange and Dreadful is available for digital pre-order on Amazon. Paperbacks can be pre-ordered directly from Off Limits Press. Look for it on February 15, 2021!

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‘Alien’ is Being Made Into a Children’s ABC Book

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Alien Book

That Disney buyout of Fox is making for strange crossovers. Just look at this new children’s book that teaches children the alphabet via the 1979 Alien movie.

From the library of Penguin House’s classic Little Golden Books comes A is for Alien: An ABC Book.

Pre-Order Here

The next few years are going to be big for the space monster. First, just in time for the film’s 45th anniversary, we are getting a new franchise film called Alien: Romulus. Then Hulu, also owned by Disney is creating a television series, although they say that might not be ready until 2025.

The book is currently available for pre-order here, and is set to release on July 9, 2024. It might be fun to guess which letter will represent which part of the movie. Such as “J is for Jonesy” or “M is for Mother.”

Romulus will be released in theaters on August 16, 2024. Not since 2017 have we revisited the Alien cinematic universe in Covenant. Apparently, this next entry follows, “Young people from a distant world facing the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Until then “A is for Anticipation” and “F is for Facehugger.”

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Holland House Ent. Announces New Book “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

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Screenwriter and Director Tom Holland is delighting fans with books containing scripts, visual memoirs, continuation of stories, and now behind-the-scenes books on his iconic films. These books offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative process, script revisions, continued stories and the challenges faced during production. Holland’s accounts and personal anecdotes provide a treasure trove of insights for movie enthusiasts, shedding new light on the magic of filmmaking! Check out the press release below on Hollan’s newest fascinating story of the making of his critically acclaimed horror sequel Psycho II in a brand new book!

Horror icon and filmmaker Tom Holland returns to the world he envisioned in 1983’s critically acclaimed feature film Psycho II in the all-new 176-page book Oh Mother, What Have You Done? now available from Holland House Entertainment.

‘Psycho II’ House. “Oh Mother, What Have You Done?”

Authored by Tom Holland and containing unpublished memoirs by late Psycho II director Richard Franklin and conversations with the film’s editor Andrew London, Oh Mother, What Have You Done? offers fans a unique glimpse into the continuation of the beloved Psycho film franchise, which created nightmares for millions of people showering worldwide.

Created using never-before-seen production materials and photos – many from Holland’s own personal archive – Oh Mother, What Have You Done? abounds with rare hand-written development and production notes, early budgets, personal Polaroids and more, all set against fascinating conversations with the film’s writer, director and editor which document the development, filming, and reception of the much-celebrated Psycho II.  

‘Oh Mother, What Have you Done? – The Making of Psycho II

Says author Holland of writing Oh Mother, What Have You Done? (which contains an afterward by Bates Motel producer Anthony Cipriano), I wrote Psycho II, the first sequel that began the Psycho legacy, forty years ago this past summer, and the film was a huge success in the year 1983, but who remembers? To my surprise, apparently, they do, because on the film’s fortieth anniversary love from fans began to pour in, much to my amazement and pleasure. And then (Psycho II director) Richard Franklin’s unpublished memoirs arrived unexpectedly. I’d had no idea he’d written them before he passed in 2007.”

“Reading them,” continues Holland, “was like being transported back in time, and I had to share them, along with my memories and personal archives with the fans of Psycho, the sequels, and the excellent Bates Motel. I hope they enjoy reading the book as much as I did in putting it together. My thanks to Andrew London, who edited, and to Mr. Hitchcock, without whom none of this would have existed.”

“So, step back with me forty years and let’s see how it happened.”

Anthony Perkins – Norman Bates

Oh Mother, What Have You Done? is available now in both hardback and paperback through Amazon and at Terror Time (for copies autographed by Tom Holland)

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Sequel to ‘Cujo’ Just One Offering in New Stephen King Anthology

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It’s been a minute since Stephen King put out a short story anthology. But in 2024 a new one containing some original works is getting published just in time for summer. Even the book title “You Like It Darker,” suggests the author is giving readers something more.

The anthology will also contain a sequel to King’s 1981 novel “Cujo,” about a rabid Saint Bernard that wreaks havoc on a young mother and her child trapped inside a Ford Pinto. Called “Rattlesnakes,” you can read an excerpt from that story on Ew.com.

The website also gives a synopsis of some of the other shorts in the book: “The other tales include ‘Two Talented Bastids,’ which explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills, and ‘Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,’ about a brief and unprecedented psychic flash that upends dozens of lives. In ‘The Dreamers,’ a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored while ‘The Answer Man’ asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.”

Here’s the table of contents from “You Like It Darker,”:

  • “Two Talented Bastids”
  • “The Fifth Step”
  • “Willie the Weirdo”
  • “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”
  • “Finn”
  • “On Slide Inn Road”
  • “Red Screen”
  • “The Turbulence Expert”
  • “Laurie”
  • “Rattlesnakes”
  • “The Dreamers”
  • “The Answer Man”

Except for “The Outsider” (2018) King has been releasing crime novels and adventure books instead of true horror in the past few years. Known mostly for his terrifying early supernatural novels such as “Pet Sematary,” “It,” “The Shining” and “Christine,” the 76-year-old author has diversified from what made him famous starting with “Carrie” in 1974.

A 1986 article from Time Magazine explained that King planned on quitting horror after he wrote “It.” At the time he said there was too much competition, citing Clive Barker as “better than I am now” and “a lot more energetic.” But that was almost four decades ago. Since then he’s written some horror classics such as “The Dark Half, “Needful Things,” “Gerald’s Game,” and “Bag of Bones.”

Maybe the King of Horror is waxing nostalgic with this latest anthology by revisiting the “Cujo” universe in this latest book. We will have to find out when “You Like It Darker” hits bookshelves and digital platforms starting May 21, 2024.

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