Revell; 367 pages; $14.99; Amazon

Yeah, my plans of posting all my needs-to-be-reviewed books by November 1st changed, as here I a writing another Review Catch Up Marathon! post on November 8th! Why the delay? Well, all my Halloween-themed posts last month was the main reason why I delayed writing the reviews.

Anyhow, today I'm reviewing Where She Belongs by Johnnie Alexander, and if I recall correctly, the book was released in January 2016. Sadly, this showcases how backed up I am with needs-to-be-reviewed books.

Where She Belongs centers on a widowed mother named Shelby Kincaid, who plans on moving forward with her life (and her daughters' lives) by buying her family's old homestead, which is called Misty Willow. Her plan is to remodel the abandoned house, so she can raise daughters there. However, there's one small problem - a man named AJ Sullivan owns the property.

AJ Sullivan is stuck owning Misty Willow due to the little fact that it was his late grandfather's dying wish for him to live there. Since his grandfather's death, he has let the property fall into ruin. He's more than glad to hand over the reigns to Misty Willow to Shelby, but she sort of hates the Sullivan family. Years ago, the Sullivans stole Misty Willow from the Kincaids, causing problems between the two families.

Of course this is a romance story, so you can imagine that the impossible happens and sparks fly between AJ and Shelby.

Earlier in the year, I had received five Fox Cinema Archives DVDs, which consisted of Woman's World (read my review here), Zane Grey's Western Union (read my review here), Coney Island, Sentimental Journey, and Sitting Pretty. I had watched the all the films back in May, but for some reason or another I never wrote the reviews for three of the titles. So instead of posting three separate reviews, I'm featuring my thoughts on all three DVDs in one post.

Buy Link: Amazon

Up first is the 1943 'Gay Nineties' Musical "Coney Island." Directed by Walter Lang, the film stars Betty Grable, George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, Charles Winninger, and Phil Silvers!

The film centers on Eddie Johnson (played by George Montgomery) arriving on Coney Island to find a way to make some quick cash. This is when he runs into his old friend (and rival) Joe Rocco (played by Cesar Romero), who is running a popular saloon. Throughout the film, Eddie and Joe fight and scheme for the affection of Kate Farley (played by Betty Grable), a saloon entertainer.

While I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, I enjoyed watching Coney Island. The plot reminds of Holiday Inn, where two friends are scheming to get the attention of a beautiful entertainer. While there are plenty of silly moments, the best thing about the film is the comedic chemistry between Cesar Romero and George Montgomery.

Buy Link: Amazon

Based on the short story The Little Horse by Nelia Gardener White that appeared in an issue of Good Housekeeping in 1944, Sentimental Journey (1946; directed by Walter Lang) tells the story of a dying actress, Julie Beck Weatherly (played by Maureen O'Harha), who takes in an orphaned girl named Hitty (played Connie Marshall), so her husband (played by John Payne) will have someone to take care of him after her death.

Today, Val Muller, the author of the young adult novels The Man with the Crystal Ankh and The Girl Who Flew Away, has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his writings.

Buy Link: Amazon

Free Preview & Discount Code; Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was very young, my dad read “The Night Before Christmas” to me several times each night. As the days and weeks went on, he left out one word here, then two words, then a phrase, until I had basically memorized the whole poem (with a little prompting). They were “big words,” and I wasn’t sure what all of them meant, but one day the meaning became crystal clear.

We were up in Connecticut, where I grew up, and it had snowed that day. It was evening, and I was in my pajamas. My dad called me to the dining room window and told me to look into the back yard. There, the pristine snow was sparkling as it reflected the full moon. He recited the line to me: “moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of midday to objects below.” We talked about what that meant, and it was at that moment that I realized how powerful words were. I realized I could be on the beach in the heat of summer, and that line would evoke this particular image in my head, one of a nighttime snowfall. It was then that I knew—subconsciously, at least—that I wanted to be a writer.

What was your first book/story published?

I always jokingly say that my first “book” was written in third grade. It was made of several pieces of notebook paper cut down into quarters and stapled together. I wrote an illustrated a mystery tale in which the neighbors engage in vigilante justice after their friend’s murder.

2008 is when I started taking my writing seriously. Although I always wanted to be a writer, it was something I assumed just “happened.” After college, I realized I had to make it happen. My first published story was written for kids and was published by New Moon Girls magazine. It was a spooky tale about camping inspired by my experiences in Girl Scouts.

What inspired you to write The Man with the Crystal Ankh?

I have played the violin since third grade, and I was always fascinated with the power of composers (like writers and artists) to reach beyond their lifetimes and inspire those who were born after their deaths. In Crystal Ankh, one of the characters takes that literally and prolongs his life using supernatural methods.

What character in The Man with the Crystal Ankh is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I see parts of myself in the protagonist, Sarah Durante. In some ways, she’s like me: a little bit of a misfit, a little dorky, and loves the violin. But because of the nature of the tale, she gets into spooky situations that terrify me even thinking about them. So in that sense, I’m glad she’s not me.

I have had several spooky dreams and premonitions, and those was scary enough for me.

What is your favorite part in The Man with the Crystal Ankh?

I really enjoy the musical scenes. During these scenes, Sarah enters a trance-like state and is able to physically leave her body, wandering close by. In these scenes, she’s able to sneak upstairs or down into the basement to discover various pieces of the puzzle. There’s something chilling about leaving the body.

What was the hardest part to write?

In one scene, the antagonist possesses his dog so that he attacks the protagonists. The would-be kind canine thus becomes the enemy. My characters are literally up a tree and have to decide what to do. Their only option is to attack the dogs. With two corgis of my own and always having loved dogs, this scene was difficult for me to write because it contradicts the way I feel about dogs—both how they act and how people should treat them.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

Well, I’m a high school English teacher, and I love being able to talk about writing and literature all day. But if I could choose from absolutely anything, I would choose to be a photographer specializing in outdoor shots. I love being outdoors, and finding unique angles with a camera invigorates me.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Lamplighter Mysteries; 302 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available from Lamplighter Mysteries is the mystery thriller Murder in Disguise: A Preston Barclay Mystery by Donn Taylor.

The novel centers on Preston Barclay, a visiting professor who's working at a state university for the summer. Out of nowhere, he finds himself investigating the strange death of a department chairman. While the local authorities have ruled the man's death as a suicide, Dr. Barclay believes foul play is at hand.

With the help from Mara Thorn, Dr. Barclay seeks out to find the truth behind the mystery, while at the same time trying to dodge a sexy assistant, campus radicals, and criminals.

Lionsgate; PG-13; 127 minutes; Amazon

Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the emotional drama The Glass Castle. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film stars Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, and Max Greenfield.

Based on the memoir of the same name by Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle tells the story of Walls' real-life troubled childhood. Her father, Rex (played by Woody Harrelson), is an alcoholic who can't keep a job and her mother, Rose Mary (played by Naomi Watts), is an eccentric artist. Jeannette and her siblings (Lori, Josh, and Maureen) never had a normal life. They lived in poverty and were dragged from place to place, as their parents squatted in abandoned homes.

The film flips back and forth from the '80s where an adult Jeannette is trying to have a normal life in New York and then it flashes back to show what life was like during her childhood.

While the cast received great reviews for their performances, the same cannot be said for the film itself, as it was heavily criticized for the mishandling of the source material.

Special Features include:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Glass Castle: Memoir to Movie
• A Conversation with Jeannette Walls
• Making of "Summer Storm" by Joel P West
• Scoring The Glass Castle

RLJ Entertainment; Not Rated; 109 minutes; Amazon

Available today on DVD from RLJ Entertainment is the British horror-mystery The Limehouse Golem. Based on the book Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroy and directed by Juan Carlos Medina, the film stars Bill Nighy, Olivia Cooke, Douglas Booth, Daniel Mays, Sam Reid, María Valverde, Henry Goodman, Morgan Watkins, and Eddie Marsan.

Set in Victorian London, the film centers around Elizabeth Cree (played by Olivia Cooke), who is accused of poisoning her husband John (played by Sam Reid). At the time of John's death a coincidence occurs - the Limehouse Golem murders stop.

Someone has been brutally killing random people all over Limehouse and has been leaving behind cryptic messages written in the victim's blood. Scotland Yard has no clue to who is behind the killings. Due to pressure from the public, Scotland Yard assigns Inspector Kildare (played Bill Nighy) to solve the case.

After finding a diary at a library that is believed to have been written by the Golem, Inspector Kildare narrows the Golem down to four suspects - Dan Leno (played by Douglas Booth), Karl Marx (played by Henry Goodman), George Gissing (played by Morgan Watkins), and John Cree. Now it's a race against time to prove which suspect is the murderer, before Elizabeth Cree is hanged.


Special Features include:

• Behind the Scenes Featurettes about the Cast, Locations, Look, and Making of The Limehouse Golem
• Photo Gallery

Now available on Amazon and Smashwords from Devildog Press is science fiction horror novel Prey by Tim Majka.

The Other Side Has Broken Through

Following the mysterious death of his parents, Detective Eric Archer goes home to the idyllic Western New York town of Chadwick Bay. There, he joins old colleagues and makes new acquaintances in Jessica Benitez, Eliseo Gomez, and the enigmatic Dr. William Dirk.

They uncover decades-old family secrets that shakes the foundation of their reality.

Alliances are formed, friends become foes.

An ancient entity’s plan to enslave the people of Earth is about to be unleashed. With the fate of humanity at risk, Eric Archer and his friends must race to unravel the mystery of how to defeat a God-king.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

My seventh grade English Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Lynn Clarke got me hooked on storytelling. We had a unit of study in creative writing during which I wrote an episode of STAR TREK (the original series), she gave me an A on it and many positive accolades about pacing and characterization. I didn’t write much creatively for many more years, but as a history teacher I need to be able to tell a story to hook the students, as veteran teacher once said to me, “You have to perform five shows daily and you need to have as much energy in the last as you do in the first.”

What was your first book/story published?

Prey from Devil Dog Press in June of 2017 was my first published work.

What inspired you to write Prey?

I was having a conversation online with an old high school friend, who happened to be writing some horror short stories. I had recently hung up my whistle after 13 years of coaching high school football and didn’t know what to do with myself (it is all consuming if you want to do it the right way). I had always wanted to write, as we talked I got more excited at the prospect of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys, as it were). Searching through my desk, I found an CD-ROM with no label, I popped it in my desktop tower and it contained one Microsoft Word document titled PREY. It was three lines of a story I had started to write back at the beginning of my teaching career, how and why that disc was in the drawer at that time, I have no idea. I started writing from there.

What character in Prey is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

The main character of Prey, Eric Archer, loves his family and always wants to do right by them. He is intelligent, tough, sarcastic, and funny, but when there is work to be done, it’ll get done. In many respects he’s the most like me.😀

I am least like Sheriff Pontillo, that bastard. 😀

What is your favorite part in Prey?