BOO!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Man, this has always been my favorite time of year, and my favorite holiday. I'm sorry Christmas, your intentions are noble and your nostalgia is appreciated, but you don't give me goosebumps or make me wonder if there actually is something under my bed.

I hope your Halloween is spooky and safe.

All the best,
B

HORRORWOOD AT THE HEIGHTS

There are few theaters in the country that know how to show a film like The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights. Last year, for their Halloween extravaganza, they showed a wonderful print of the classic William Castle film, House on Haunted Hill, starring Vincent Price. They screened the film in something called 'Emergo', a gimmick that had us guessing until, at the pivotal climactic moment in the film, a dangling, illuminated skeleton swung over the crowd from the balcony. Awesome, I know.

Well, this year, the spooktacular film screening is Whatever Happened to Baby Jane with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. That alone should entice you to come out to see the movie, and to celebrate the greatest of months with the greatest of holidays. In addition to the film, though, Horrorwood artist and compatriot Brent Schoonover and I will be in attendance. We are offering free copies of a single issue of Horrorwood (something to read while munching on pre-film popcorn), and will have copies of the trade, and complete sets of the floppies, for sale before and after.

The show starts at 7:30PM. Tickets are &$8.00.

Hope to see you there!

B

'INTO TEMPTATION' ON DVD

Hey all! Posts are few and far between right now, and for that, I apologize. Things around here have been running pretty smoothly. Alex has officially cut his first tooth (there were a few long days mixed in there, but it comes with the territory). I excitedly signed a contract to write another book with Stone Arch Books, something I will share more about as I can. And we're planning a trip to Colorado soon to celebrate my mother's birthday by visiting my sister!

But this post is about the Into Temptation DVD, which is set to be released TOMORROW! That's right, as of October 27th, the Minnesota-made flick that had an insanely good run at the Lagoon Theater, along with theaters in Omaha, New York, and beyond, can be yours to own.

If you're an Amazon kinda person, CLICK HERE.

It's also available online at Best Buy and at Target.

Oh, and you can also add it to your Netflix queue.

So fire up the popcorn, and enjoy!

B

FALLCON THIS WEEKEND!

This weekend is the 21st annual MCBA FallCon Comic Book Celebration! Running from 10am-5pm both Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 10 & 11), the show features a slew of fantastic artists, writers (yeah, myself included), publishers, and retailers. For the second year, the convention will take place in the enormous Grandstand on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. The new space is wonderful, allowing ample space for comic book fanatics (those dressed as Iron Man, and those not) to converse about comics, art, and the history of Green Lantern.

As always, I will be seated by Horrorwood artist Brent Schoonover, as well as Getchu Books publisher (and Monster Ninjas writer) Ryan Jacobson.

There will be copies of Horrorwood available. As an added incentive, Brent's wonderful wife Nicole is baking up delicious cookies to be given away with the purchase of the graphic novels of either Horrorwood or Brent's other book, the fantastic Astronaut Dad.

But wait! There's more! You guessed it. I will also be selling and signing copies of my new chapter book Drake Bacula: MonSTAR! Lies, Camera, Action!. This will be the first time I have the books available at a convention! I'm looking forward to sharing Drake, the perfect kid's book for my favorite month of the year: October!

In addition to the usual hullabaloo of FallCon, I have been asked for the first time to participate in a writer's panel. The panel, titled 'Writing is Turning One's Worst Moments into Money' will take place on Sunday, from 12-1pm, and is free for anyone visiting the convention. So come see me talk about the craft of writing (and try to keep the heckling down).

Okay, since that's a lot of information thrown at you, I'm going to sum it up for you. Here are the details:

What: MCBA FallCon '09
When: Saturday, October 10 and Sunday October 11
Time: 10AM - 5PM both days
Where: Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul - Grandstand Building
Admission: Adults are $11.00. Good for both days. $1.00 off with canned food donation. Children 9 & under are FREE


For more info, visit the MCBA's updated website HERE.

Hope to see you all this weekend!
All the best,
B

DRAKE BACULA: MONSTAR!

Hey everyone!

Say, you know those annoying 'check back soon!' and 'exciting news coming soon!' comments I've posted on this blog? Well, the exciting news has finally arrived, and I can share the reason for those cryptic words.

I have written another children's book! The book, titled Drake Bacula: MonSTAR!, is now available! Published by Getchu Books, the book is illustrated by the talented Elizabeth Hurley.

Wanna know what it's about? Thought so. Here you are:

As Sam Russell knows, it's not easy being Drake Bacula's best friend. Sure, Drake is a movie star, and that'...s cool. But he also has a secret. Drake is a vampire. The problem is that Hawk Hooperstein, the school bully, is going to share that secret with the entire world just as soon as he gets proof. Can Sam stop him? And will he keep Drake's friend Gretchen from learning the truth, too? Or might Sam's lies lead all of them into a dangerous trap? Find out in...'Lies, Camera, Action!'

Drake is a chapter book written for grades K-3.

Cost is: $10.00.

It is available through the publisher, through Amazon, or through the distributor, BCH.

However, the best way to get a copy of the book is to get it straight from the source: yours truly! I will be setting up a way to order books online, and I will gladly sign each copy (personalized, if you'd like!) before sending them out. I will have more information about this when it's available. It's the easiest way to get a hold of your own, personal copy of the book.

Thanks for all of the support, guys. I am so very excited for this book!

Happy reading,
B

WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER SIGNINGS

Howdy! Been a while since the last post, and this is kind of last minute, so for that I apologize. The author of the fantastic series of Cork O'Connor mysteries, William Kent Krueger, will be signing the latest book in the series, Heaven's Keep, tonight at the best little mystery shop in the world, Once Upon a Crime!

If you're unfamiliar with the books, Krueger's series follows former police chief Cork O'Connor of Aurora, Minnesota. The books perfectly blend the beauty of Northern Minnesota's landscape, the history and culture of the Native Americans living there, and the love of one man for his heritage and family. Keep is the ninth book in the series, and I must say, simply reading the synopsis on Krueger's site broke my heart a little.

So check it out. I've met the author a couple of times, and he is a genuinely nice man. I cannot make it to the signing tonight (which bums me out), but thankfully, tomorrow night, Mr. Krueger is signing at the Barnes and Noble in Roseville. I will, of course, be bringing the copy of Keep that I plan to purchase at Once Upon a Crime this afternoon.

More excitement coming soon, I swear!
B

INTO TEMPTATION IN THEATERS!? *UPDATE!!*

Great news to share! The Lagoon Theater in Uptown Minneapolis will host the local, theatrical release for Patrick Coyle's 'Catholic noir' flick Into Temptation. This will be the first time the general public will be able to view the film (which, if you don't know, was shot entirely in the Twin Cities with a group of hard-working, dedicated local cast and crew - including yours truly. The flick stars the uber-talented Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, and Brian Baumgartner).

The film will be screening from AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 3. Check the Lagoon's website for show times.

The DVD will be released nationally on October 26th.

So come out and enjoy a strong, locally-made film. Bring friends. Buy popcorn. It's a great flick that I'm proud to have worked on.

All the best,
B

*UPDATE!!! Due to its popularity, Into Temptation's run at the Lagoon Theater has been EXTENDED! The film will now run until SEPTEMBER 11. So if you haven't checked it out yet, you still have a chance. Screenings have been selling out, so get there early!

**UPDATE UPDATE!! Temptation has been selling extremely well at the Lagoon, and they've extended it through the beginning of October! How crazy cool is that?! So crazy that I'm using my daily allotment of exclamation points!