Horror Aficionados discussion

I say "gone," but not in mixed company.

How to make sweet tea:

Take a pot and fill it up halfway. Drop in two large Luzianne tea bags and slowly boil for 10 mins. Toss the tea bags into the sink. Fill a gallon pitcher almost halfway with cold water. Measure two cups of sugar and stir into the pot of hot tea. Carefully pour the sweet brew into the pitcher of water. Stir well and serve over ice. Lemons are nice but limes are divine.

Elizabeth wrote: "Bandit wrote: "what's "gones"?"

Southern dialect McDowell uses for the word "going". Example: "She's gone to be the death of me yet.""

thanks, Elizabeth

I had a feeling this conversation was gone to be educating :)

I'm gone git you if you start makin' fun of the south.

To get our goat, Lucas has recently started saying "I ain't gonna tell you and I ain't never will" when we ask him a question. Hope this fad fizzles out before school starts in August. *cringe*

My favorite dialogue in the book was between India and Big Barbara.

(paraphrased)
BB: You're too young to drink!
I: No, I'm not
BB: Well, you ain't gone drink in front of me!
I: Then turn around.

I LOLed when I read that!

no, no, I think South is very interesting, would love to visit some day
maybe drive down to Birmingham and demand my cookies LOL

Just kidding, Bandit. Had to stick "gone" in a sentence and that's the first one that popped into my head.

Gone be sending out those cookies on my lunch hour. Grab yer umbreller and head on out to visit your good ol' friend the mailbox. (And post that funny pic of you peering into your mailbox. That's a riot.)

Elizabeth, that sounds like something a smartass southern girl would say.

I'll have my buddy wait for me

LOL. Funny. But I miss that persnickety lady.

she's not available, she waited to long and snapped...went after the sender with a tomahawk last I heard

Tressa wrote: Elizabeth, that sounds like something a smartass southern girl would say.

India is 15. :) My son talks like that sometimes. Got a smart mouth on him. Gone git his ass whooped one of these days. LOL

My son's 7 and has a smart mouth sometimes. Wonder where he learned that from? Next time he does it, I'm gone march him outside and make him pick out the switch I'm gone whip him with.

Bandit wrote: "she's not available, she waited to long and snapped...went after the sender with a tomahawk last I heard"

Must have gotten my neighbor instead. Ms. Persnickety didn't seem too bright, what with staring into an empty mailbox waiting for a package of cookies that ain't ever gone arrive.

since when does trusting humans became synonymous with not being particularly bright? she's a lovely bright lady, actually, I'm sure she's headed to the right house just as we speak, practicing her "assault with deadly weapons" skills

She looks like one of the south's birdbrained old ladies. She's really not too bright if she couldn't Google my address and tomahawk me instead of my neighbor.

Tell her to postpone her visit until Tuesday when Dumber & Dumber officially move in.

oh, well, she doesn't have a cell phone, you know how old ladies are, we're just gonna have to wait and see what happens...she might just go shopping to kill some time, she's been wanting a machete

All well and good. Just as long as she visits on TUESDAY, JUNE 21. Hack away, old biddy!

Tell Ms. Tube Socks the guest room awaits her at 864 Mountain Branch Drive on TUESDAY, JUNE 21.

haha, oh she'll find it

OK. Don't care what happens to Dumb & Dumber after they buy and move into my old house. Just tell her not to harm the kids.

Hello:
I read "The Elementals" several years ago and really liked it. There were many creepy moments in that book. I'll have to check out some more of his stuff.
Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"

Hi,

Perhaps asked before, but as someone who has never read Mr. McDowell.. where should I begin ? "The Amulet" ? "The Elementals" Any others I've neglected ?
(Lately, I've also been considering Graham Masterton.
But I guess there's no comparison between these two authors.)
Thanks,
Bob

The Amulet is one of his earliest books, so start there. The Blackwater series (6 books) is excellent reading, and like Amulet and Elementals takes place in Alabama.

His book Katie is not supernatural but very chilling and a fantastic read. Gilded Needs takes place in New York and is more similar to Katie.

No matter what you start with, McDowells is always worth reading.

I am a big fan of MMM and I would recommend Cold Moon Over Babylon. It was the first one that I found and read in the 80s. It is not to be missed!

Look what I found!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Amulet-eboo...

Holy moly! Never thought I'd see McDowell on a Kindle.

Wow! I knew that the Jack and Susan books and the Nathan Aldyne books are getting the ebook treatment, but I had no idea that the horror novels were coming to kindle as well.

Hopefully, everything will get a reissue so that I can finally pass along my extra horded paperback copies...

And, of course we will need to have a group read of one of MMM's stories.

Centipede is working on a Blackwater release for 2014.

All 3 Jack and Susan titles are available in paperback again! Ebooks will be available in the fall.

The books MMM wrote as Nathan Aldyne will be available as ebooks in the fall as well.

I've been told by the publisher of the new paperback/ebook of The Amulet that if it sells well they plan to publish The Elementals and Guilded Needles.

So it is a great time to give Michael a try if you are new to his work.

All 3 Jack and Susan books by MMM are finally available in the Kindle store!

Got my hands on a paperback of the Elementals. Might start off with Blackwater though...

Im surprised nobody has really mentioned Cold Moon Over Babylon that much! My favorite one. I tried to read Toplin but could not get into it. It seemed very different form his other books. Its the only one I do not own. I do plan on reading Katie and the Amulet again this year.

I have Moon Over Babylon and Toplin. Looking forward to getting to know this author.

McDowell is an '80s horror master! MOON OVER BABYLON is very good, so are THE AMULET and THE ELEMENTALS. I've been buying his non-horror novels but haven't read them yet. TOPLIN, while vastly different than his other works, was kinda cool but I wouldn't recommend it to a reader new to McDowell. Glad to see his books coming back into print!

I thought I'd mention that Amazon has just put up new ebook versions of Blackwater and are selling print editions of both The Elementals and a special $315 dollar edition of all the Blackwater books combined.

I know I'm late to the party here and I should have read his books years ago but I've got to say I'm in awe.

I'm reading The Elementals at the moment and it is superb!

I've enjoyed lots of books this year but it's not until you come across something incredible that you realise what great, truly great, writing and story-telling is.

I'm going to read as much this man's books as I can. My next will be Katie

David wrote: "I know I'm late to the party here and I should have read his books years ago but I've got to say I'm in awe.

I'm reading The Elementals at the m..."

Glad you enjoyed The Elementals, David. I read it last year, and it made me a fan of Michael McDowell.

David wrote: "David wrote: "I know I'm late to the party here and I should have read his books years ago but I've got to say I'm in awe.

I'm reading [book:The Elementals|2246..."

I'm still reading it but it's the kind of book you don't want to end.

David wrote: "David wrote: "David wrote: "I'm still reading it ..."


I envy you for what's ahead! ;)

I do too!

I'm excited because The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two arrived at my house and there's a new (to me), Michael McDowell story as well as new Stephen Gregory. Whohoo!

David, what I remember most about The Elementals was the sticky heat. Whenever I think of it, I think of Beldame and that humidity.

Char wrote: "I do too!

I'm excited because The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Two arrived at my house and there's a new (to me), Michael McDowell story as well as new Stephen Gregory..."

That sounds a good read, Char!

Oh the setting is as big a character as Big Barbara!

All of those characters are so vivid to me.

You're just in time for the Valancourt editon of Blackwater which is due out next month. Talk about an interesting southern family! Eleanor would give Big Barbara a run for her money.
You gone love it. :)

I have the Elementals but I haven't started it yet.

How come Blackwater is so hard to find? I really want to read it.

Char wrote: "All of those characters are so vivid to me.

You're just in time for the Valancourt editon of Blackwater which is due out next month. Talk about an interesting southern family! Eleanor would give ..."

I'll look out for that. Thanks, Char.

Rachel wrote: "I have the Elementals but I haven't started it yet.

How come Blackwater is so hard to find? I really want to read it."

Rachel, it will be out in a week or two from Valancourt Books! (The review copy just landed on my Kindle!!) It will be coming out in audiobook as well, narrated by Matt Godfrey. He's a native of Alabama, where the story is set, so I imagine he's going to knock that narration right out of the park.)

Char wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I have the Elementals but I haven't started it yet.

How come Blackwater is so hard to find? I really want to read it."

Rachel, it will be out in a week or two from Valancourt Books..."

I agree, Char. I'm really looking forward to hearing Matt's narration of this one. I'm planning on reading and listening once they're both out, and this will be my first time on Blackwater.

Char, are they publishing the whole Blackwater series?

David wrote: "Char, are they publishing the whole Blackwater series?"

Yes, in one volume with a new intro from Nathan Ballingrud.

It's gorgeous. I already have the two book edition of the six stories my HA Secret Santa got me last year, but damn that's pretty. October's Nocturnal Readers Box will included two Valancourt Books - excited!

It's so pretty! :)

Char wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I have the Elementals but I haven't started it yet.

How come Blackwater is so hard to find? I really want to read it."

Rachel, it will be out in a week or two from Valancourt Books..."

wow, awesome!!!!!!!!