Musings of Two Creative Minds

Book review time again.  Today I wanted to share with you my review on what I consider one of THE best  collections of vampire stories ever compiled.  It covers some of the earliest vampire tales known and finishes with more modern ones from the 1980's.  With the many takes on vampires we see these days from Anne Rice to Stephanie Meyer, I thought it might be interesting for you all to check out some other takes on the vampire genre done by other authors over the decades.  So without further ado, allow me to introduce you all to... THE PENGUIN BOOK OF VAMPIRE STORIES is one of the best anthologies I've ever found. Part of the reason is that it covers authors who've touched on this subject as far back as 1816 and goes up to 1984. There are a number of familiar names in this book like Clark Ashton Smith, Sheridan Le Fanu, Tanith Lee, and August Derleth to name just a few. But what fascinates me the most is seeing how the vampire legend is explored. ...

*UPDATE:  THE NEXT BOOKS IN MY PARA-EARTH SERIES WILL BE...* After giving it a lot of thought and listening to feedback from readers both here and on my blogs I've come to a final decision on what order the next few books will be coming in... Late November 2014 "THE VAMPYRE BLOGS" will be released first.  This will be the first of at least 2 books.  The story line I've been creating has grown to such an extent that it cannot be told in just one novel   So I will do what I've been doing with the other books.  A complete story will be told with a few dangling plot lines that will be addressed and wrapped up in the 2nd book which will come in time for Christmas 2015.   In May 2015 "THE DOOR" will be released and will take up where both "THE BRIDGE" and "THE SHIP" left off.  It will reunite Alex, Veronica, Cassie and Julie.  I won't give any spoilers away except to say that not only with the looming confrontation w...

My life has grown more complicated and I need you my readers to help me decide a course of action to take. Yesterday, I attended  an Orientation for the California State University of Monterey Bay, which I will be entering this Fall.  I will be pursuing my Bachelor’s  Degree  in Collaborative Health and Human Services .  The plan is for me to attend for 3 full years instead of just 2.  This will allow us to continue  residing on campus in very comfortable housing, provided I take 12 units a semester. However, a wrinkle occurred yesterday when I signed up for classes.  I wound up with 15 units because there were certain classes I HAVE to take before the Spring semester, so I had to bite the bullet on this semester. Future semesters will be kept to 12 or so units. This greater workload now presents me with a dilemma.  Originally, I was planning to get the first installment of “THE VAMPYRE BLOGS” out this December.  Unfort...

What is a Proof Copy? On the surface it seems to simply be a regular printed copy of your book.  Nothing more, nothing less.  But when you look at the final page... Okay?  So it has "PROOF" printed on the very last page, so what? That one word let's you know that you are holding an uncorrected, unedited version of a book. These are what come before even a 1st Edition of a book is created.  Before electronic books, Proof Copies (also known as Galley Copies) were what publishers would create and send out to the editing staff for corrections and proofreading.   These copies were also referred to as "Advanced Copies" and would be sent out to critics and advertisers in advance to get them fired up about the upcoming final version of a book.  The critics and company would build hype for the novel before it was released thus getting the readers anxious for the release date. However, with Indie Publishers like Smashwords, Createspace and...

WELCOME TO THE PARA-EARTH SERIES... When I started writing, I wanted to create something new and different.  Something that could become an ongoing seriese, with recurring and new characters that would take the reader's imagination to new places and introduce new concepts.  The result was the Para-Earth Series:  a unique blend of horror, paranormal mystery, with a sci-fi twist that would make the Twilight Zone proud. Through these tales, I introduce both my characters and the audience to a whole new vision of Parallel Earths unlike anything you've seen before.  I hope you'll join me on this journey as together we discover beings and realities found only in dreams.  The door is open and you are always welcome... ****UNTIL MIDNIGHT MONDAY JUNE 9TH YOU CAN GET EITHER OF THESE TITLE FOR JUST $1.49, half off the usual asking price of $2.99.  Or you can get both for $2.98**** BOOK 1 "THE BRIDGE" Something waits... Alex Hill buried ...

****OKAY, TIME FOR A SPECIAL DEAL THIS WEEKEND**** With looming medical bills ion the horizon it's time for me to raise some funds.  So I decided to run a half-off special over on Smashwords and Amazon for e-versions of my two paranormal/mystery books "THE BRIDGE" and its sequel "THE SHIP".  These are the first two books of Para-Earth Series. That's right 1/2 off the $2.99 price.  Now you can get one book for $1.49 or both books for $2.98.  The price change has already occurred at Smashwords and should be available at Amazon starting tomorrow. So  if you're looking for an e-copy for your Nook, Kindle, Sony, Apple or even a PDF file for your laptop or desktop computer, click on the link below and start downloading the version you need. And please share this with everyone you know.  The more the merrier and thanks for all your support. https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/1383

I first encountered Mr. King's works back in the late 1970's and quickly became a huge fan.  I even got to meet the man himself when I was attending Nassau Community College, when he came to campaign for a politician who had been running for the Democratic Presidential ticket. I was in awe of him back then and I still am today.  I will admit some of his books are not always my cup of tea these days, but he is still a brilliant writer whom I look up to and respect.  Salem's Lot is one of the reasons for my admiration.  Check out the review I created for Goodreads.com below and perhaps you'll get a better picture as to why I love this particular book so much. 5-STARS Possibly one of the best modern-day vampire stories I've ever read. 'Salem's Lot is a nice little town up in Maine. A charming community where everyone knows their neighbors, but not all their dirty little secrets. Even the most picturesque towns has it's share of dark tales. Take t...

Well, well, well... Another review for my 1st book "THE BRIDGE" has appeared and it's a 5-STAR one. Woo-hoo! Let's hope this is the start of something really good folks... 5.0 out of 5 stars delightful, May 29, 2014 By Stacey Lettich -  See all my reviews This review is from: The Bridge: Something waits (Para-Earth Series) (Paperback) A great book and relatively easy read. It took me 2 or 3 chapters to get into the story but once I was hooked I never looked back. The characters are dynamic and I found myself fully invested in the story line. Looking forward to reading Allan Krummenacker's next book. http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Para-Earth-Allan-Krummenacker-ebook/dp/B00B86DR9G/ref=la_B00B1W8TEU_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401895821&sr=1-1 *Also available for Nook at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/allan-krummenacker?store=allproducts&keyword=allan+krummenacker

All right fellow writers, here's some food for thought.... I was told in the past that as you got more books out, your earlier titles people might develop an interest in your earlier titles. This seems to be the case as I've been seeing some new activity on "THE BRIDGE". Not a lot of purchases, but more than I've seen in a while. There are also new reviews being posted on Amazon. Here's one of them... 4.0 out of 5 stars First indie book I read, The Bridge., May 30, 2014 By Kees Bijker - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (Kindle Edition) This was my first book I read by an indie author. I met Allan a year ago on LinkedIn and, both being budding writers, we shared ideas and situations to do with writing. I was given the opportunity to read his book and took it. It is my opinion that the story line is strong and very convincing. The book has a great deal ...

Sometimes its good to check out the classics from way back when.  HP Lovecraft was an author who lived in the early 1900's and is considered by many to be one of the greatest horror writers in history.  His creations ranged from magical (such as warlocks,  and demonic beings) to creatures from outer space who are so 'alien' most do not even conform to any life forms we've seen on this world. But his greatest talent was inspiring terror in the readers by letting them meet these nightmarish things through the eyes of ordinary people like you and me.  We see and feel their terror at meeting things that are so different and (mostly malevolent) that seem to defy the laws of God and man. Here is my review of one of his collected works.  I may do reviews on some individual stories of his down the road because they are so long that they border on novellas. So without further ado... Here is my review of "At The Mountains Of Madness".... 5-STAR RATIN...