Zonderkidz; 32 pages; $14.99; Barnes & Noble

I don't pay too much attention to new children book titles with a princess theme, but I have a little cousin who I thought would enjoy the picture book "A Royal Christmas to Remember," which is the only reason why I had signed up to review the title.

Published by Zonderkidz, A Royal Christmas to Remember is the 7th book in the "Princess Parables" series written by Jenna Young & Jacqueline Johnson. This entry is illustrated by Omar Aranda.

On Christmas Eve, Princesses Joy, Grace, Faith, Charity, and Hope are more excited about Christmas than anyone else in the kingdom

The princesses have decorated the grand castle with Christmas decorations, which they have so many that they will have to build a large storehouse to store all them next year. Inside the caste is a magnificent tree surrounded by dozens of gifts, all for the princesses.

Awaken from their sleep that night, the princesses learn there is an evil band of marauders who are raiding their village. As their father, the king, heads out to defend the village, the princesses are put in danger. In the end, the princesses will learn that Christmas is more about giving than receiving.

PG-13; 117 mins (Theatrical) /134 mins (Extended); Walmart

Being released this week on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray & Digital, and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the supernatural-comedy Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, the reboot of the 1984 classic Ghostbusters. Directed by Paul Feig, the film stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. There are cameos by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver.

The film centers on Physicists Abby Yates and Erin Gilbert, and engineer Jillian Holtzmann witnessing a ghost sighting in a New York library. Afterward the trio decide to start their own ghost hunting business called "Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination" above a Chinese restaurant.

Hotzmann builds ghost trapping equipment, while the Yates and Gilbert hire a dumb receptionist, Kevin Beckman. Eventually, they recruit Patty Tolan, a MTA worker, to join their team.

After learning that electronic devices have been placed throughout the city to summon ghosts, the Ghostbusters sets out to find out who is responsible. This all leads leads them to a mad scientist, Rowan North, who plans on releasing hundreds of ghosts upon the city.

Special Features on the Blu-ray are:

Rated R; 88 minutes; $24.99; Amazon

Available today on Blu-ray + Digital HD, and DVD Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the action-thriller Blood Father. Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, the film stars Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy.

Based on the novel of the same name by Peter Craig (who also co-wrote the screenplay), Blood Father centers on an ex-convict John Link (played by Mel Gibson) who is out on parole. He spends most days as a tattoo artist; tattooing people in his trailer/home. The rest of the time he is trying to stay sober and out of trouble.

Out of the blue, John receives a phone call from his estranged, runaway teenage daughter, Lydia (played by Erin Moriarty), who is in hiding after accidentally shooting her drug-dealer boyfriend Jonah (played by Diego Luna). While he is well aware that she is probably just wanting money from him, John picks up his daughter and brings her to his trailer, hoping he can try to figure out where she has been and what kind of trouble she has gotten herself into.

Unfortunately, John has to risk his newfound morals when Jonah's gang comes looking for Lydia, who now has a ransom on her head. And John will do anything to protect his daughter.

The only special feature on the Blu-ray is "Lost Souls: On the Road with Blood Father" Featurette.

Now available from Southern Girl Press is the historical paranormal romance "Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth” (Book II, The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire) by Colette L. Saucier.





When did you become interested in storytelling?

I would say in third grade. We were given a writing assignment to describe our favorite place. I wrote that my favorite place was warm, soft, and comforting because it was being snuggled up against my dog.

What was your first book/story published?

Aside from several poems published when I was in junior high, my first novel—Pulse and Prejudice: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire (Book 1) was released by my then-publisher in the summer of 2012, followed shortly by my ABNA semifinalist All My Tomorrows, later expanded and republished as The Proud and the Prejudiced.

What inspired you to write Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth?

My daughter. She had originally convinced me to write Book 1: Pulse and Prejudice, because I could not find a vampire adaptation of Jane Austen’s original novel that I liked. She said if it didn’t exist, I should write it myself. Then she didn’t like one specific thing about how I ended it! So she said I had to write a sequel to satisfy her desire for the story. After she approved a detailed outline of Book II of The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire, I wrote the novel for her.

What character in Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I would never dare compare myself to a character created by Jane Austen! Of my original characters, I would say that I am most like Mina Calmet—about the same age, dark hair and eyes, pale complexion, compassionate, and has knowledge of birth control! This was most important as I raised three daughters to adulthood.

Least like me? Well, the dwarf! I am not that short, and I can’t imagine ever blackmailing anyone. Also, I am not Lutheran, although I do love his quotations.

What is your favorite part in Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth?

Remember floppy discs?

Well, I remember them. Actually, I have several blank floppies in a closet somewhere, even though I don't have a floppy disk drive anymore.

Back when I was into genealogy, I used floppies all the time to save family photos, documents, etc.. Depending on the picture size, I could get only one or two on one floppy, which only held 1.44 mb.

Technology has changed a lot since then. Floppy disks are now a thing of the past as well as writable CDs; mostly thanks to USB flash drives.

A few weeks ago, I was sent a Thumb Drive 2.0 from DigioClean, which holds 32GB. The #flashdrive retails for $29.98, but it's currently on sale on Amazon for $13.45.

ZonderKidz; 24 pages; $3.99; Amazon

Arriving in bookstores tomorrow from ZonderKidz is The Berenstain Bears and the Christmas Angel by Mike Berenstain, the son of the original authors, Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Set a week before Christmas, the 24-page story centers on Brother, Sister, and Honey waking up to find that it had snowed during the night. After breakfast, they excitedly head out side where they plan on building a snowman.

However, there is one problem, they don't exactly know what kind of snowman they want to build. After some thought, they decided to build a snow angel.

Hi all, my name is Melvin Rivers. I’m the author of a horror book on amazon.com called “Haven of Evil.” Well, I’m not here to pitch my book, but rather discuss movies that influenced my writing. As a huge fan of horror movies, books and of course Halloween. I took the liberty to list my all-time favorite horror films centered around Halloween.

• 10. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982)

When I first saw this movie, I was a bit disappointment. I expected the crazed masked killer, Michael Myers to be in it. But after watching this movie many years later, I found a new level of respect for it. The movie is during the Halloween season, and a doctor must find a way to stop evil Halloween masks from causing deadly circumstances.

• 9. Night of the Demons (1988)

Teenagers decide to party at an abandoned funeral parlor on Halloween night. Demonic spirits awakens, and turn the party into Hell on earth.

• 8. All Hallows’ Eve (2013)

VHS tape is found which features various sinister murders performed by an evil clown.

Now available is the paranormal romance “Life as a Teenage Vampire” by Amanda Meuwissen.

You can Buy "Life as a Teenage Vampire" on Amazon.

The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her newest novel.
 

When did you become interested in storytelling?

For as long as I can remember I was inventing stories, playing dress up, going on adventures in my mind, so as soon as I was able to write ideas down, I started coming up with tales. It wasn’t until I started writing fanfiction as a teenager, though, that I really learned how powerful storytelling can be.

What was your first book/story published?

The Collector, a little novelette that was an idea from me and my husband. We originally intended for it to be a comic book, but when we couldn’t find an artist, we went the traditional route. I still get messages about continuing that story.

What inspired you to write Life as a Teenage Vampire?

The MTV version of Teen Wolf definitely gave me some initial inspiration, and then that combined with my love of 80s movie My Best Friend is a Vampire and the Rainbow Boys series by Alex Sánchez. I wanted to tell a vampire paranormal romance story that was as far from cliché as possible, while also delving into ideas of coming of age, sexuality, and the simple joys of being a teenager growing up in a small town.

What character in Life as a Teenage Vampire is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I’d say I’m probably least like Connor, who both embodies the damsel (person) in distress, comic relief, and romantic interest. While I can relate to falling for your best friend, I don’t have the same knack for humor or ability to bounce back when life gets tough. I wish I could be as strong as Connor, though I am as much of a geek as he is. I think I’m more like Wendy. Practical but tough, certainly not perfect but not easily pushed around. And while I enjoy being on my own, the right company can really brighten my day.

What is your favorite part in Life as a Teenage Vampire?

Sector 5 Films; 109 minutes; Amazon

The last thing the horror genre needs is another exorcist flick, but here I am reviewing the horror-thriller Accidental Exorcist from Sector 5 Films.

The film is directed by Daniel Falicki, who also stars in the main role as Richard Vanuk. Other actors in the movie are Sherryl Despres, Patrick Hendren, Chris Kotcher and Jason Roth.

Accidental Exorcist centers on Richard Vanuk, a wannabe novelist living in a small filthy apartment who spends most his days helping to rid of demons who have possessed people. No, he's not a priest or a religious man. He's just an exorcist with the ability to drive the demons out, but with a high price.

With every person Richard helps, the more emotional and physical trauma he endures. He tries his best to quit being an Exorcist, by trying to live a normal life (aka getting a job and dating), but in the end he cannot deny his true destiny.

Rated R; 85 minutes; Amazon

If you grew up watching horror movies in the 1980s then you probably recall watching 1979's weird science-fiction horror flick Phantasm.

For me, my introduction into the franchise was with Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead back in early 1995. I was fourteen-year-old at the time and I stayed up late to watch the movie on Showtime after midnight on a Saturday. I later watched the first two films when they aired on TNT's Monstervision hosted by Joe Bob Briggs.

I had forgotten about the franchise until I had found Phantasm II on a 4 Movie Marathon DVD in 2011. Afterward, I had purchased the other films on DVD, which is where I first learned there was a fourth film - Phantasm: Oblivion (1998). Let's just say I didn't care much for the fourth installment, mostly due to the weak script.

Just like most Phantasm fans, I was surprised when a fifth film, Phantasm RaVager, was announced in 2014. Now over two years later, the movie has finally been released to limited screens and via digital HD.

Directed by David Hartman, Phantasm RaVager centers on an aging Reggie (played by Reggie Bannister) who is still on the hunt for The Tall Man (played Angus Scrimm in his final performance). As soon as Reggie retrieves his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, The Tall Man sends out the spheres to kill him.

Similar to the original film, Phantasm RaVager jumps around to different realities. Reggie finds himself in a nursing home, where he is told by Mike (played by A. Michael Baldwin) that he has been diagnosed with early stage of dementia. In another reality, the world has been destroyed by The Tall Man's army, and Reggie must team up with Mike and a few lone survivors.