Women Running from Houses

I'm Thankful for Bi-Sexual Cowboys

2011-11-24T00:19:00.003-05:00

I figure most people fall on one of two sides in the sexuality debate. They are either fine with homo-sexuality and bi-sexuality or they are fine with it as long as everyone involved is hot.

Well, The Lady Makes Three has got everyone covered.

I discovered this little gem while browsing the plethora of available eBooks on my Nook.

Now, admittedly my heart belongs to the late Steve Jobs but I have to say that I love my Nook Color. It kicks ass in more ways than I can even count. Hell, if it had a setting for vibrate it might just be the perfect piece of technology.

But I digress.

Since my Shirtless Cop with a Child post for Valentines day, I've decided to start a non-WRFH book holiday tradition. So I decided to share this fantastic little piece of naughtiness.

Yes, the cover really does seem to say it all but why lessen the hotness of this title by judging this one solely by its cover. Especially when the book description was so very kickass.

In The Lady Makes Three we meet Maddy Dalton. A Colorado ranch owner with expensive panties. She also likes being in charge. She really does. And though she longs for the love of a special someone as much as the next chic, the fear of losing control of her life (and her ranch) has keep her from any real relationship.

Enter Lucas Calhoun, foreman of the Rocking D. He has a soft spot for Maddy but fears pursuing such a relationship because of a secret. He finds sexy, rugged men a turn on too. (Don't we all!)

Then there is the best character of all. He is so great I'll go ahead and let the publishing company tell you all about him.

Comfortable with his bi-sexuality, cowboy Chase Reynolds wants a home, but there's a catch. His ideal scenario features a wife...and a husband. Recognizing the suppressed longing in both Maddy and Lucas, Chase decides that bold action is needed. But it's not without risk. Having loved and lost badly in the past, Chase is leery of losing his heart. Can these three people learn to find themselves, trust their hearts, and make a family? And can they survive the danger that threatens them all?

Admittedly the danger that threatens them all is kind of our of nowhere but who am I to judge. I know nothing about the dangers of ranch ownership and cowboying stuff. I will say this though, I don't really buy the sleeping pair on the cover. How uncomfortable would that be. I sleep in a king size bed because, franking, I like the feeling of sleeping alone.

Anyway, if you have ever read this book, I beg you, please, please, please give us your review. You can be my best friend.

Hope everyone has as Happy a Thanksgiving as Maddy Dalton!

The Ghostly Screams of Stormhaven - You had me at Ghostly Screams.

2011-10-13T13:10:00.003-04:00

The Ghostly Screams of Stormhaven
by Clarawimberly
published by Zebra Gothic
Copyright 1992

"Don't go up there alone!"

Elizabeth Stevens knew she had been lucky to obtain a position with the wealthy Earl of Chesham at Stormhaven. She was awed by the magnificence of the manor house, and even more so by the master himself - the dark and brooking Derek Vanderworth.

But it was his golden haired daughter, Amy, who attracted Elizabeth's attention with her sad, sorrowful eyes. The little girl had not spoken since he mother's death a year ago, and Elizabeth was determined to befriend her and discover more about the tragic past ... even if it meant braving the fierce resistance of the arrogant Earl.

Yet, it was not until she saved Amy's life that Derek began to provide answers and admit to his love for Elizabeth. But by then it was too late. Mysterious crying in the night and strange noises from the fourth floor had aroused Elizabeth's suspicions... and her fear. There was a madness lurking in the shadows of Stormhaven, and Elizabeth wondered if the ghostly screams she heard might soon be her own.

Wow! This books sounds pretty damn good!

Firstly, it looks like we probably have a whole lot of Jane Eyre going on.

Secondly, we have the brooding and arrogant Earl. For brooding and arrogant I'm more than willing to throw aside by love of blondes. For some assuredly unhealthy reason I've always been drawn to men who are arrogant assholes. (That must be why I get along so well with my husband!)

And lastly, and most importantly, we have GHOSTLY SCREAMS! Awesome. I currently sleep with an alarm clock that makes it sound like a thunder storm is in progress all the time and I can't help but wonder if there is a ghostly screams version. And, if there is, would it help me sleep. I'd like to think it would.

Now it's true that I don't actually believe in ghosts (though I really, really want to) but I also don't believe that a human female's neck could hold up that much hair, but I'm certainly not going to let that ruin the story for me.

As so often is the case, I have tried to find an artist credit for this cover but have had no luck. I really find it strange that even as late as 1992 there are rarely ever artist credits inside the book and that signatures are rarely seen whether they are cropped or didn't exist on the piece to begin with. If I had enough artistic talent to have my art of the cover of a Gothic romance (and we all know that sometimes is just doesn't take that much talent to find yourself in that position) I'd freakin' have my heroine sporting a t- shirt with my picture on it.

The Lost Lady of Hathaway Manor, a little bit of Sexy WTF & the best author picture ever! - The return of Women Running from Houses

2011-10-03T15:58:00.002-04:00

The Lost Lady of Hathaway Manor

by Anne Knoll
published by Zebra Gothic
Copyright 1992

"You'd best trust me, Katherine.
You may need my help."

Forced to flee America or land in debtors' prison, India
Chantelle found herself on a ship bound for London where
her actor father could put gambling behind him and make a
fresh start. India enjoyed her shipboard friendship with
orphaned heiress Katherine Hathaway, on her way home to
Cornwall to await her eighteenth birthday and her
inheritance. Then Katherine made an impulsive proposal:
that the two young women, who looked much alike,
exchange identities for six months. Katherine craved the
excitement of the London theatre, and wouldn't India just
love a long vaction at a stately British mansion, especially
since Katherine insisted on paying off her father's debts ...

But Katherine had another reason for not wanting to await
her inheritance within the walls of Hathaway Manor. Upon
arriving at the gloomy, fogbound house, India was
immediately aware of a scarely concealed hostility toward
"dear Cousin Katherine" who would soon be chatelaine of the
vast estate. And though handsome, brilliant Jordan Hathaway
always appeared just in time to rescue her from the small
accidents that kept occurring, it wasn't long before India
realized that something shocking had happened to Katherine
as a small child - something they all feared she might
remember and reveal - and that someone was trying to
frighten her away ... or silence her forever.

The
Lost Lady of
Hathaway
Manor

As many of you already know a rather complicated pregnancy has kept me from blogging regularly for sometime but with that four months behind me and finally feeling like myself again, I wanted to kick off the return of WRFH right.

Truth be told The Lost Lady of Hathaway Manor holds no real charm for me. Perhaps it is the insipid look on India's face that awakens the conflicting desires to both not care as well as smack her. Of course it might yet again be the idea of fleeing over impossible terrain in a floor length gown. Does no one ever learn? (Though I must give her credit for getting as far as she has.)

But what really attracted me to this book was the killer book club offer sandwiched between page 128 and 129. Zebra Books really looks to have it all going on in this bizarre illustration where it seems that an amorous couple is well on their way to nakedness in front of one of those church pamphlets given out door-to-door.

And there's a riverboat!

Oh, and they also really, really, really want to give you four free books. At least they really want to give you something.

He has quite the round bottom!

But still the best of all is the awesomeness that is the author photo on the back of "The Love Pirate" by Barbara Cartland. Yes, yes, the title is fantastic, seeming to offer an untold number of inappropriate images, but before you head off to Abebook or Amazon just check out the very posh Barbara herself. This pictures looks to have been taken in one of the bedrooms from 1973's Legend of Hell House. Nice!

If I ever write a romance novel, and I totally should being an expert in the field of all things steamy, I want a picture just like this. Except it would have my dachshund Vincent (Price) and I'd be wearing far more fur!

Hey, want to received updates on Spectergirl's entire family of blogs right to Facebook? Check out my new Facebook page. It's like friending me on Facebook without having to see baby pictures!

Just click on the link above!

Not on Facebook? Well ... aren't you an island.

Running From Prison? & Nurses Need Love Too

2011-02-16T11:40:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I am willing to admit that this cover has absolutely nothing what-so-ever to do with Gothic romance. But, the way I see it, there is no better way to say "Sorry for missing Valentine's Day." than with a shirtless cop in a compromising position with young a child.

Yep, "A Place To Call Home" is quite honestly the most wonderfully frightening cover I have seen in a good while, and at the same time it is also the best argument for garage sales EVER.

What makes this piece of garage sale GOLD even better that it is apparently just one book in a "Men In Blue" series. (Makes you want to go out and find the rest doesn't it?!)

Now, I personally have no issue with our men in blue, not even the shirtless variety, but this cover makes we want to call, well, the cops, or at the very least Chris Hansen. I'm not exactly certain who this cover was supposed to appeal to. Perhaps my grandmother as it seems to have taken place in her house circa 1988.

It makes me think of a Curves gym I had been a member of few years back. The manager was in her mid-twenties and had an obsession with firemen. She started taping up pictures from some kind of shirtless firemen calendar all over the gym. It was like a middle school girl's locker room.

The taped up pictures eventually devolved to include magazine images of any man she found remotely attractive. I assure you, there is nothing that makes you want to hurry through your workout more than having to stare at a picture of Will Ferrell taped to the ceiling. Of course I WAS working out 4 and 5 days a week so perhaps I was subconsciously drawn to Will Ferrell and just didn't know it.

Okay, so I want to clue you into a great blog. I have recently spoken Susannah who runs a blog called Vintage Nurse Romance Novels. The site is awesome and features some great cover art. (And hey, what man doesn't like a nurse's uniform?) She is actually dedicated enough to read the book and post her reviews which are great.

Susannah has been kind enough to share a fabulous Nurse Running from a Castle cover, here. And what I like to think is a Nurse Running from a Trailer Park, here.

Make sure to check her out!

The Winds of Night Original Art - Identify that Artist!

2010-11-09T15:27:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone. I just received a email from Tom who is the proud owner of the original artwork for The Winds of Night by Anne Buxton, writing as Anne Maybury.

Firstly, I should say that I am quite jealous. Secondly I should say that I don't know the artist. Tom doesn't either. Anyone out there recognize this one?

Tom has been kind enough to have posted a scan of this image, along with some other great stuff on his Flickr page. Click the link to take a look. I really like the fantastic Secrets of Haunted House cover. Sadly, an issue NOT in my collection.

Thanks Tom!

Snow Shadow

2010-10-19T20:45:00.005-04:00

Snow Shadow by Andre Norton
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1979

Being able to step back into the past

seemed a wonderful stroke of luck for Erica

Jansen. Northanger Abbey was like another

world. And her introduction to the family

there had come from a charming man,

Preston Donner. She felt very fortunate indeed.

PRISONER

SHADOWS

But from the moment she became a guest

at the Abbey, she felt like a prisoner. First

there were the arguments she couldn't

avoid ... then the murders she could not

ignore ... and then the man who stepped out

of her own buried past to entwine her in a

terror from which she saw no escape ...

We have all met them. You know, those girl who, in a desperate attempt to feel better about themselves, cut down on those around them. Well, Andre Norton is one of those women. But don't worry, if I have learned nothing else in my very eventful life thus far, I have learned that what you send out comes back three fold. (Well, technically, I just learned that from 1996's The Craft but you get the picture.)

Snow Shadow is one of those rare Gothic romance books in which I picked up and read a few pages before posting it. And boy and I glad I did.

There is no doubt that Ms. Norton felt a good deal of shame about lowering herself to Gothic romance. It becomes quite obvious by the many comments of her heroine such as, and this isn't technically an EXACT quote, "If I had been a lame Gothic novelist I would have called the house brooding."

Now, that is unfair in a couple of ways. Firstly, it subtly insults the genre in which she is writing, thus giving the illusion of somehow being superior to it. And secondly, it gets away with using the adjective just belittled without even offering up a better one.

You've got to admit, it's pretty ballsy. Especially for someone who has taken the ultimate shortcut of writing about someone who is a writer and who also breaks the cardinal rule of never mentioning a better book (or author) in your book. Of course, we see that all the time. If we all had a dime for every haunted house story that quotes Shirley Jackson, we'd all be eating a chalupa right now. Her author of choice, Jane Austen. Again, pretty ballsy.

I also discovered that the male charactor who I suspect will turn out to be the romantic interests is the first Blackfoot Indiana to graduate from West Point. WOW! Louis L'Amour's got nothing on Andre Norton.

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, I have a signature here but I am having a bit of a problem reading it. Any guesses?

UPDATE: If my research is to be believed, Andre Norton's three fold karma payback included being the first woman to win the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society in 1977, and the winning of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award in 1983. Huh, karma doesn't seem to function as I have been lead to believe.

The Lock

2010-09-07T21:53:00.005-04:00

The Lock by Janet Lovesmith (Paul W. Fairman)
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1972

SOMETHING
FROM THE WORLD BEYOND
WAS STALKING
YOUNG LYN COURTNEY -

The lock was huge, rusted, ungainly. It guarded the
tomb that lay behind the old house - the tomb of the
ill-fated Gantry clan. Lyn Courtney, who had come to
work at Gantry Hill, became fascinated, haunted by
that lock. Her fears, her hopes, her fantasies cnetered
around it.

Could it explain the puzzling behavior of good-looking
Christopher Gantry? The mystery of beautiful, volatile
Lila? The invisible creature that even now was stalking
young Lyn? She must find out - if it wasn't already
too late ,,,

QUEEN-SIZE GOTHICS are a new idea. They offer the
very best in novels of romantic suspense, by the top
writers, greater in length and drama, richer in reading
pleasure. Each book is guaranteed to be:

"READING FIT FOR A QUEEN"

So, is that supposed to be our heroine on the cover? If it is, isn't Lyn Courtney supposed to be obsessed with a rusted lock? Wouldn't it make more sense to have a big old lock floating above her head? Or, if you really want to sell books, why not depict one of those "fantasies" involving that lock she's been going on and on about floating up there instead? I'm sure that would have all the ladies cat fighting for a copy at Barnes and Nobel.

It really looks like this cover is actually less an illustration of Lyn as it is an illustration of the author thinking about "her" book. As if part of the writing method required Paul W. Fairman to don a long wig and pale lip stain, then to stare off into space and let the story unfold in his mind. Really Mr. Fairman doesn't make a half-bad woman.

If fact, this cover inspires me to write a Gothic novel of my very own. But, being that I see no real point in being subtle, my story would involve the Amityville Horror house, a virginal math tutor and a shirtless land owner with a love of horses and giving presents. Cha-Ching!

Night Shade

2010-08-09T21:22:00.001-04:00

Night Shade by Dorothy Daniels
cover art by Hector Garrido
published by Pocket Books
Copyright 1976

Alsion, a lovely, young clinical psychologies, was
called to investigate the possible suicide of a cor-
porate giant, Clifford Dalton. She knew of the
dead man's harsh reputation, his last bitter words,
and his recorded threat to return and ruin all his
enemies. At the request of Dalton's relatives, a
medium was brought to a seance, and contact with
Dalton's spirit was made. From then on, his shade
haunted the household, and his maniacal laugh
resounded in the halls. Suddenly, two people asso-
ciated with the investigation were murdered.

As Alsion zeroed in on the truth, she realized that
she was marked as the next victim!

Sounds to me like Clifford Dalton is someone I could really relate to. I'm not talking about the whole corporate giant thing, or even the harsh reputation bit but, while I can't say I've ever partaken of a "sumptuous banquet", eating at Hometown Buffet ALWAYS makes me want to commit suicide.

Now if I was Alison, the lovely (and young) clinical psychologist, sent in to investigate this mysterious dinner time death, I'd say that with Hometown Buffet it is probably better to rule out food poisoning before bothering with the suicide thing.

We have a Hector Garrido cover here. Sadly I was unable to find much information regarding this artists himself but I did manage to find several additional samples of his work. The art sampling includes an absolutely fantastic cover for the Gothic romance novel Lodge Sinister and a cover for a GI Joe - Choose Your Own Adventure book. (When I was in 3rd grade I thought Choose Your Own Adventure books totally rocked!)

You can see more of Hector Garrido's cover work Nancy Drew Mysteries and The Hardy Boys series of books.

This Strange Adventure

2010-07-20T14:10:00.003-04:00

This Strange Adventure
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1971

Wedded to Terror

Young and beautiful Missie Colfax was

willing to keep her bargain with Wesley

Dexter when she married this worldly

older man and came to live in his magnifi-

cent mansion. She would do anything to

escape the poverty and want of her youth -

even be a wife to a man she barely knew.

Missie could not suspect the twisted

torment behind the icy arrogance of her

bridegroom ... nor realize until too late the

horror that awaited her in the hands of a

man bent on making her the victim of

a strange and terrible vengeance ...

MARY ROBERTS

RINEHART

whose bestseller novels have thrilled

millions the world over, has in This Strange

Adventure created a truly haunting story

of romance and danger.

Hate to break it to you Missie, but I'm not hearing anything all that out of the norm here. I mean aren't Wedded and Terror synonymous with one another?

Every wife must play her part in her husband's strange and terrible vengeance, it's in the job description. Sure, you marry yourself an older man he's bound to have more baggage, but that is the price you pay for that sweet situation. Remember, a lot of ladies would put up with a lot of shit to have themselves digs like that.

And if your husband isn't caressing you with the hands of a man bent on vengeance, you're just not doing your job right.

The Haunted

2010-07-02T23:12:00.001-04:00

The Haunted
published by Prestige Books
Copyright 1972

HOUSE
OF
LIES

Something was terribly wrong. Jennifer Stone's
brother, in Vietnam, hadn't heard from his wife
Marcy for six months, and Jennifer had to find out
why. But she had hardly arrived at the
Barnsted farm, where Marcy was staying, when
Uncle Horace Barnsted tried to drive her away.
Even Aunt Elna Barnsted, who welcomed Jennifer's
presence, hardly seemed trustworthy, and handsome
young Lyman Parks, friendly enough at first
suddenly turned hostile. As for Marcy, she had
changed shockingly - a mental breakdown had
turned the once - beautiful girl into a frightened
child, incapable of speaking her secret.
There were explanations, of course - Elna had
explanations for everything - but somehow they
just didn't ring true. Jennifer had never before
known such an atmosphere of falsehood and deceit,
of lives with secrets desperately concealed. And
slowly in dawned on her that the Barnsteds no
longer wanted her to leave the farm. In fact, if they
had their way, she would never leave.
Not alive, that is ...

Looks to me like Jennifer Stone is just trying to get Lyme disease. We can only hope that Lyman Parks, as well as being both young and handsome also has an ample supply of matches.

I think maybe Jennifer is just being a little too suspicious. I'm two generations removed from hill-folks and farmers and I'd like to know one person who has ever visited the family farm who DIDN'T feel that being asked to string beans wasn't just an attempt to run them off.

And their is ALWAYS a simpleton. Always. Marcy is just theirs. Doug is ours. Or, as my Grandmother has called him for all the years I can remember, Poor Dumb Doug.

Barnabas, Quentin and the Scorpio Curse - Book 23

2010-06-18T23:24:00.003-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin and the Scorpio Curse by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

IS THE SIGN OF SCORPIO
THE MARK OF DEATH!

Terror reigns at Collinwood when several
patients at a nearby psychiatric clinic at
which Barnabas Collins is a patient are
stabbed to death. Each victim's forehead is
marked with a scorpion, the zodiacal symbol
of death.

Then Diana Collins, another relative of the
Collins family who is undergoing psychiatric
treatment at the hospital, finds a bloody knife
in her room. Diana, whose astrological sign
is Scorpio, is afraid that she may have com-
mitted the murders during one of her black-
outs. The fear that she is losing her mind is
compounded when no one will believe she has
seen a strange, wolf-like creature prowling
the grounds.

The only person who will listen to her story
is Barnabas. But how can he help her when
he too has become a suspect?

If I were to wager on the reason behind the vast number of Collins' seeking hospitalization for some unnamed psychiatric aliment, I would go with inbreeding.

Okay, so we know that Barnabas has a weird cousin fetish but, as it was recently pointed out to me, the sexual tension in Collinwood, a house that always seems to be dripping with various vagabonds from some branch of the family or other, could be cut with a knife.

You, of course, have Caroline who is a bit of a tramp but that isn't at all uncommon when a girl's daddy disappears on her. Then there's Barnabas who, after a tragic rejection by Josette, is sporting a Harvey Fierstein longing for love. But the real culprit, I think, is Quentin Collins.

Everything about that man oozes riding-crop to the ass while you're not looking. Just take a look at that cover. You totally get the feeling that David Selby and the camera man had just been up to something naughty in the props room.

What a great show!

And before you come complaining about yet another Dark Shadows paperback on WRFH, you can blame Mykal Banta's artfully crafted Gold Key Comics! blog for posting Dark Shadows issue number 28 from 1974. If you are not familiar with the thirty-five Gold Key Dark Shadows comics that were published between 1969 and 1976, incidentally running longer than the soap opera itself, now is your chance to take a peek. Just click HERE!

Also, if you are interested in viewing the 1968 set of View-Master reels of Dark Shadows click here!

Carol, the Pursued & NIghts with Sasquatch

2010-06-08T12:12:00.003-04:00

Carol, the Pursued by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1979

KATHERYN KIMBROUGH'S
Saga of the Phenwich Women
CAROL
THE PURSUED

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of Gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

A captive of a nightmare religious cult - that was the
fate that beautiful young Carol Ingraham fled, as she
fought to achieve her destiny as a Phenwick woman. It
was her parents who first put her in the power of the
Shilohite cult, led by a man who turned his followers
into puppetlike slaves, made every woman an instru-
ment of men's lusts, and forbade all contact with out-
siders. It was a savage attack on her person that woke
her to danger, and a freakish accident that let her make
a break for freedom. It was a Phenwick heir who fell in
love with her, yet could not understand the inner
demons tormenting her or the evil closing in on her.
And it was only her own courage and strength that
could save her when she could fee no more ...

The idea of a crazy religious cult is not new. The idea that a crazy religious cult leader would make all the females in his cult there for his pleasure is also not new. But there are two things that stand out to me. Firstly, a religious cult survivor as the heroine of a Gothic romance book. I have never seen that and I have seen a ton of these. And secondly, that these Phenwick men really know how to pick'em.

So, the question is this , is THAT how a sex slaves dressed in ... um ... covered wagon times? I guess it is a well known fact that school marms are naturally attracted devil cults, so it would have been a logical jump for the artist to take.

Still, there is something wanting in this cover. Perhaps it is the lack of robes.

Now I would like to share another paperback I picked up a few weeks ago for the cover.

Apparently the true life tale of a woman assaulted by a bigfoot, I wouldn't want to belittle the tragedy or her pain BUT I feel the cover artist already did that SO it's now fair game.

If I was ever raped by bigfoot and then wrote a book about it I don't think I would give it such a sexy title. I would go for something more along the lines of "I was raped by a Bigfoot. I swear." And, if I WAS going to give it a sexy title, I would also give it a sexy cover. Or at least have the cover artist make me look hotter than THAT!

Okay, I give you that her make-up isn't smeared at all, which seems unlikely in the circumstances, but that hair is terrible.

Also it looks like the Sasquatch is having trouble holding her. He is a freaking Sasquatch! Aren't they supposed to be as strong as shit? I would want to have glamorous make-up, perfectly wild hair tumbling past my shoulders, and the look of near weightlessness.

Also Bigfoot should be hotter.

Modern Gothic Romance Art

2010-06-08T11:23:00.008-04:00

The other day we were lamenting the lack of modern Woman Running from Houses cover art. Well Rob Kelly, Aquaman enthusiast, artist and all around renaissance man has come to our rescue.

Please take the time to check our his newest piece Mistress of the Moor and make sure to leave much praise.

The Last Member of the Family

2010-05-31T18:05:00.007-04:00

The Last Member of the Family by Lois A. Sunagel
published by Manor Books
Copyright 1979

FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK

SHE SEARCHES FOR
THE AWFUL TRUTH!

HOLLY BRADEN WALKS IN TERROR AS SHE
ENDEAVORS TO LEARN THE AWFUL TRUTH ABOUT
THE DEATH OF HER UNCLE WALTER, FROM WHO SHE
HAS INHERITED A SUBSTANTIAL FORTUNE AND THE
FAMOUS BRADEN SAILING MUSEUM. WOULD SHE BE
NEXT ON THE LIST OF THE KILLER WHO MURDERED
HER UNCLE? SHE ALMOST GOES INSANE BEFORE SHE
DISCOVERS THE IDENTITY OF THE MURDERERS AND
OF HER ONE TRUE LOVE.

Okay, the way I see it Holly Braden is living my dream! When am I going to inherit a museum. And my museum wouldn't even have to already be famous, I would be willing to settle for a lesser known museum. Preferably a wax museum.

Of course that isn't to say, that I wouldn't be happy with some posh "Sailing Museum" and all the snottiness that implies. I'd just try my damnedest to make the whole think a little less intimidating to the everyday salt of the earth clientele. Maybe by adding a few wax sculptures or one of those amusement park pearl diving gift shops, like from Cedar Point back in the 80's, were you paid someone a few buck for a oyster, some dude in scuba gear would jump in to a tank, and you would close your eyes and wish a black pearl, or a freakishly large pearl or something to make that measly investment really pay off.

Or, if not that, at least one of those claw machines and a wing dedicated to things found in a shark.

Gay for Lois Lane

2010-05-25T21:49:00.000-04:00

Need yet another blog in your life? Well I do! Please stop by and check out my new tribute to Lois Lane.

Gay for Lois Lane

Here I'll be sharing some of my favorite stories featuring the First Lady of Comics.

Smut, Smut, Everywhere

2010-05-12T21:20:00.001-04:00

I am kind of out of the new book loop these days.

I love to read. In fact, some of my best college memories involved skipping class and spending all day reading. Why can't I do that now?! Oh, that's right, too many responsibilities. Anyway, that means that when I do have an opportunity to read I feel like the book should be, well, worth while.

Not to say that I'm into self-help, I mean, how can you improve on perfection? Just something well written. It doesn't have to be Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Alexandre Dumas or anything (Though that revenge stuff is total catnip) just something that's good. Please note: I still have spent my fair share of time reading rubbish but then I feel guilty about it.

Anyway, a friend of mine is what you might call an "author stalker-ho". If you've had a book published it is only a matter of time before she is picking through your garbage. At her invitation I joined her for an RT Booklovers Convention a couple of weeks ago. (I'm not sure, but I think the T stands for Trash.) Wow, a chance to wander through tables and tables of less then "worth while" books. I perused the wares of more than 300 authors looking for any modern WRFH covers to no avail.

Could it be that Gothic romance covers, as we know them, have changed? Could it be that Gothic romances will soon be no more?

I have not idea. And, quite frankly, I'm don't feel like guessing.

But, from what I did see, I suspect that at the moment the implied supernatural of the Gothic romance "niche" has been replaced by actual monsters. And I'm not talking about Vampires and Werewolves. That is SO old school. No, I'm talking about lots of Zombie romance books. Or, if not romance, at least smut-trash. COULD ANYTHING BE GREATER? Nothing that I could thing of.

So here are a few of the books I purchased:

After a very entertaining conversation with Mark Henry I purchased his Happy Hour of the Damned, Road Trip of the Living Dead and Battle of the Network Zombies. He promised his books were "now with extra zombie smut" so who could say no?

I also purchased My Zombie Valentine a collection of short stories by Katie MacAlister, Angie Fox, Marianne Mancusi and Lisa Cach.

And last, but certainly not least, after a rather, for lack of a better word, filthy conversation with Mario Acevedo I picked up his The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Bloodsuckers, Jailbait Zombie, The Undead Kama Sutra and Werewolf Smackdown: A Novel.

Will I read these? Absolutely! When? That I can't say.

The Spectral Bride

2010-05-06T15:15:00.003-04:00

The Spectral Bride by Margaret Campbell
published by Signet Books
Copyright 1975

Terror or Romance,
Legend or Love?

Was lovely Adelaide Fenton a simple country girl, or was
she the pale shadow of another maiden who had met
violent death many years before? Was handsome James
Daintry, the last Earl of the Seagroves, a fanciful
young man, or the final victim of a legendary specter
which had taken its toll in madness and sorrow?
Was it the power of love which drew them together, or
were they caught in a darker pattern - cursed for a crime
they did not commit, reliving a tale they scarcely knew?

Adelaide's family warned her not to look beyond her
station. James's advisors tried to keep him from their
secret trysts. But fate beckoned them on, down a
pathway from which no once could turn them, on a journey
which must lead them to happiness or death ...

Okay, so is this cover supposed to lead us to believe that these "trysts" between Adelaide and James take place in a cemetery? And not just any normal run-of-the-mill cemetery either but a long forgotten, tall-grass, crumbling tombstone, condemned "where's the roof" abandoned church, kind of cemetery?

I mean, stealing a few hours with a forbidden lover could be great, but not if you spend those few hours checking each other's hair for ticks. I feel certain if they don't have ticks they are at least assaulted by chiggers.

I just don't think that shaw is going to give Adelaide the protection she needs in that environment but I'm not sure what would. Maybe one of those suits that people who keep bees have. Or at the very least she needs to be carrying a fly-swatter. Maybe it could be hanging elegantly from her wrist tied with a little satin ribbon.

The House of Ravenbourne

2010-04-30T16:06:00.001-04:00

The House of Ravensbourne by Mary Ann Gibbs
Cover Art by Mort Engel
published by Pyramid Books
Copyright 1964

A SUDDEN TWIST OF FATE

left Catherine Wittingham penniless and alone,
Disregarding the advice of others and her own
premonitions, she took the position of governess
in the foreboding Ravensbourne mansion.

But the chilling memory of Mary Ravensbourne
lurked in every shadow of the ill-fated house.
And Catherine found herself the terrified target
of unspeakable evil.

A Gothic novel of romance and terror in the tradition of Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt

Ah ... the penniless and alone. You've got to love them. They've got nothin' to lose and no one to protect them. I've got to get me one. Kind of like a canary in a coal mine, they seem to be able to detect unspeakable evil. And THAT always comes in handy.

I like the cover but I LOVE the close up on the back cover. I think our amateur governess would be one of those people who just photograph better in black and white. This cover is the work of the very talented Mort Engel. Below you'll find samples of some of his other work.

Gorgeous!

The way he seems to not be paying any attention to what he is doing with that ax, makes me glad she's a nurse.

Ow .. I want that one. That is an official "Weird Dude on the Cover"!

Well this can't be good.
Even if no one plans to shoot anyone he's still drinking out of puddle. Ick!

Thunder Heights & Baton Sinister

2010-04-20T20:55:00.005-04:00

Thunder Heightsl by Phyllis A. Whitney
published by Ace Books
Copyright 1960

"THUNDER HEIGHTS IS A SUSPENSE
AND LOVE STORY APPEALING TO THOSE
WHO LOVE BRONTE, DU MAURIER
AND MARY STEWART" - Library Journal

Years ago Camilla King's mother died under
mysterious circumstances at Thunder Heights,
a gloomy, menacing old Gothic mansion
along the banks of the Hudson River.

Camilla's father, now dead, had always
forbidden her to set foot within Thunder
Heights' forbidding walls, but when her ailing
grandfather now summoned her, Camilla
went eagerly, hoping to find a home and a
family again.

What she found in this nest of bitter rivalries,
enduring hates and constant
dangers was that the same fate
that had befallen her mother
was being readied for her!

Its dark mood, brooking
atmosphere and realistic
backgrounds make
THUNDER HEIGHTS
"A romantic tale in
the turn Gothic
tradition." - Booklist.

I was already pretty impressed with this novel when I realized that the Ft. Wayne News - Sentinel compared it to "Rebecca" but when the back also promised "bitter rivalries" and "enduring hates" I was SOLD! Any one who has read this blog for any amount of time should know that the only thing better would be to boast "evil" and "the occult". This book is well deserving of my "Empty Promise" award. I promise I will read this one and get back to you regarding all of its splendor.

Okay, I love cover illustrations from the 50's, 60's and 70's. for any genre, but especially Gothic romance and the more racy men's novels. So when I ran into this graphic little cover, I had to scoop it up.

This back cover promises that Baton Sinister is going to duel and wench his way through "the glittering pomp of Renaissance Genoa". With this cover I believe it!

Some how it seems dirtier in red.

This Ancient Evil

2010-04-13T15:45:00.003-04:00

This Ancient Evil by Dorothy Daniels
published by Lancer Books
Copyright 1966

THE BROODING GHOSTS

Verna Ward was worried. Worried ... and determined
in spite of her fear.

A strange, apparently supernatural menace had taken
hold of her best friend, Lucia. Elusive and silent by
day - she walked by night and performed rituals to
the Aztec gods whose pyramid temple loomed men-
acingly over the Mendoz ranch.

Verna had to find the explanation - no matter what the
cost of her own life and wonderful new love ...

Unless Verna Ward plans to handle some highly toxic liquid I don't know why she is wearing those awful gloves.

Several years back I worked for the kind of research and development company where there were almost as many men in military uniforms as there were people in lab coats, and I can tell you that her gloves are pretty heavy duty for a chick wearing a bow that's wider than her waist.

But maybe the bow is so large to help minimise her waist and the gigantic "Umbrella Corporation" gloves are to distract from the crazy-ass giant bow. Maybe her whole fashion statement is a variation on the "Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" thing and if we were able to see her feet it would just get WAY uglier.

I'd sure like to think so!

The Most Dangerous Game - Mill Reef Hall

2010-04-05T21:30:00.005-04:00

Mill Reef Hall by Ariadne Pritchett
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1968

From the moment she stepped out
of the coach into the blinding
snowstorm, Lilia Franklin felt a strange chill
that was from something more than the
icy blasts that whipped at her.

Another might have turned back. But the
raven-haired young girl who had been
hired as nurse-companion to old Lord Reef
had curiosity as well as courage. Besides,
there was no alternative. She was a
penniless orphan.

Then she met Lord Reef's brother Seaton
and nephew Edgar and was more certain
than ever that she was in danger. Never had
she been made to feel so unwelcome. She
could not know then that she was in their way.

For they did not want to wait for old
Lord Reef to die. And now they had to plan
for Lilia, too. But Lilia was more than
they bargained for - much
more. And she had a few
plans of her own ...

If someday in the far future I need to hire a nurse-companion I will definitely hire myself a penniless orphan. It appears they will take all kinds of shit from you. I bet you could even hunt them. You know, give them something like an hour head start on the extensive grounds of your evil mansion and then just hunt them. My weapon of choice would be a bow but it is really a hell of a lot of fun to shoot a gun.

But anyway, back to my possible far future employee needs. I will hire a nurse-companion BUT will not hire a nurse-companion with such a long neck. I would have problems not staring and staring would just be rude. Still, a neck like that would really look great mounted on the wall of my game room.

Here we have a signed cover by the prolific Harry Bennett.

Born in Lewisboro, New York in 1925, Bennett was raised in Connecticut and studied painting and illustration at the American Academy of Art in Chicago after returning from his service in the South Pacific during World War II.

He began is commercial illustration career working in advertising with companies such as Pepsi and Keds in the late 40's and early 50's before moving on to illustrating book covers for publishers such as Fawcett, Crest and many others.

Below are several examples of other cover illustration you may or may not have seen.

Cry Shame, 1950 Illustrated Cover

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

2010-04-04T23:44:00.001-04:00

Life not horrific enough? Stop by...

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

We've dusted off a mouldering short-box of penny-dreadfuls from the Bronze Age of FEAR!

It's TERROR only the Comics Code Authority would DARE approve!

They said it couldn't be done! - Dark Interval

2010-03-31T23:45:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's right. They said it couldn't be done but with today's offering I will have judged exactly 100 books by their covers!

On our journey we have seen beautiful illustrations and childlike scrawls. We have seen lovely ladies and frightening drag queens. We have seen looming castles, Greek ruins, crypts, swamps and turbulent seas. And we were even lucky enough to see a wheelchair.

So I wanted to thank you for stopping by as Women Running from Houses celebrates its 100th book and vows to bring you 100 more!

Dark Interval by Joan Aiken
published by Pocket Books
Copyright 1974

She Woke to Terror

When Caroline awakened, she didn't know where
she was. Then a name pricked at her memory.
Beaumont - a word from her childhood at the
manor. Beaumont - where the hopelessly mad
were committed. Beaumont - great, gloomy
home of the living dead.

And now she was there, watched over by hard-
eyed nurses, visited by a doctor whose smile could
not hide the icy indifference of his gaze. Why was
she there? How could she escape? And above all,
where was the man who had claimed her body
and destroyed her mind - and who she so des-
perately loved?

This cover brings many questions to mind the least of which concerns that woman's creepy man-hands. Yikes! Questions like how much does it cost to check into a mental health facility located in a castle? Does that floor length pink gown come in a straight jacket? And is it really a good idea to have crumbling archway structures dotting the landscape outside of a madhouse?

All sensible questions.

But my real question is if there is really anything unhealthy about "desperately" loving someone who wants to destroy your mind? Isn't that the whole bad-boy thing taken to a super extreme? And EVERYBODY knows that if a little of something is good for you a whole lot more is even better,

If loving a man who wants to destroy my mind is wrong I don't want to be right!

Whistle for the Crows

2010-03-25T15:00:00.006-04:00

Whistle for the Crows by Dorothy Eden
published by Ace Books
Copyright 1962

The job had seemed a godsend to Cath-
leen Lamb, alone, friendless, and in need of
a home. It has been fascinating at first,
tracing the O'Riordan family tree. But the
past, she soon discovered, was intricately
and diabolically woven into the present, and
its strong, slender threads were even now
involving her with

The tyrannical spinster who controlled lives and purse-strings
The younger heir who might - but did he? - kill to get what he wanted
The girl who married the wrong man
The baby who was born to the wrong woman
The brother who weren't bothers
The two drownings - and the accidents that weren't accidents

In the gloomy castle on the edge of a moor,
a spirited girl pokes among the moldering
bones of a family skeleton and stirs up the
dust of malice and murder.

You know that is exactly the kind of Craigslist job ad that inevitably turns out to be too good to be true. It will assuredly end with something like "Please send topless photo and measurements to help selection process." Damn! Burned again.

Okay, so this is driving me crazy. We have a signature but I just can't make it out. I would also swear on the Necronomicon that I have another book with a cover illustrated by this same artist but I can not locate it. I have scanned the books I have already posted and I even sorted through the books waiting in the wings but no luck. If you know who it is, put me out of my misery, please let me know.

Dark Shadows - Barnabas, Quentin and the Haunted Cave - Book 21

2010-03-16T12:25:00.001-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin and the Haunted Cave by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 1970

Harriet Turnbridge asks Barnabas Collins
for help after her husband, her brother-in-
law, and father-in-law are found dead, their
throats savagely ripped open.

The police insist the killer is a mad beast.
Harriet thinks that the phantom recently
seen at Collinwood is responsible. Barnabas
suspects that Quentin Collins, disguised a
wealthy hippie, is guilty.

Where will they find the murderer? In the
nightmare world of Harriet's dreams? In the
haunted cave beneath the Collins' family
cemetery? Or in another century - when
witchcraft and demonology threatened Col-
linwood?

I was very excited to pick up 3 more of the Dark Shadows paperbacks this weekend, and while their covers do not hold the iconic image this site is dedicated to seeking out, Dark Shadows is just awesome!

Why, if not a woman running from a house, couldn't this cover hold an image of David Selby disguised as a "wealthy hippie"? I wonder exactly what a wealthy hippie would look like. I only know that they would smoke the very best of weed.

Much like the television show there doesn't ever seem to be much attention paid to the details with these books. If you take a closer look you'll notice that the image on the front isn't even in the correct proportion for the oval inset and they just added a sad little block of gray at the top. But that is all made up for by Quentin Collins sporting one of those sport jacket and tight dress pant ensembles all the woman love.

Kate, the Curious ... this is just TOO easy

2010-03-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

Kate, the Curious by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1976

Sage of the Phenwick Women
KATE,
THE CURIOUS
is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romance ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

The world knew Kate Phenwick as a ravishingly beauti-
ful young woman. (we must assume that is NOT her
on the over) But secretly Kate suspected there
was more to herself than anyone around her imagined,
or than she dared confess even to those she loved.

Within her Kate felt the spirits of the dead stirring and
struggling for her soul. In her dreams she moved be-
yond the grave to envision scenes and dramas that both
filled her with fear and lured her to press ever deeper
into the dark unknown. From one great Phenwick man-
sion to another she moved on the trail of the mystery
that bewildered her, and the shadowy fate that beck-
oned to her. Then, in the arms of a handsome stranger
from a distant place, she found herself at last on the
threshold of the truth in all its terror - a truth to be dis-
covered only by her surrender to the ultimate posses-
sion ....

God lord, what can't you say about this book. First it cleverly sucks you in thinking that it may be a little risqué. But then, like a bucket of cold water, you are smacked with what has to be the ugliest dress ever conceived being modeled by a most frightening woman. The dress with its horrid colors, terrifying pattern, and gorilla suit fit. The woman with her Crayola eyebrows and Star Trek make-up. I suspect that the house would run from her.

But, I don't what to leave everyone heartbroken with disappointment, so I will share with you another little gem I picked up in a dusty little bookstore out of state this weekend.

NOW THAT'S SOME COVER ART BABY! You go Gray Morrow!

My next blog? We'll see.

A Shadow on the House

2010-03-08T14:10:00.012-05:00

A Shadow on the House by Florence Stevenson
published by Signet Books
Copyright 1975

FAME, FORTUNE, ROMANCE -
OR TERROR IN A MANSION OF DOOM ...?

The concert at the magnificent Fowler mansion was to be
the beginning of a long and success-filled career for
lovely, young opera singer Leila MacKenzie. But when her
chaperone fell ill, Leila was forced to remain with her as
an unwilling guest of the Fowlers, mournfully watching
the opera company move on without her.

Yet almost before she knew it, Leila found herself caught
up in a new life - a life and love centered around
George Fowler, the handsome master of the mansion.
Even when she learned his dread family secret and the
tragic destiny of the other women in his life, Leila was not
afraid. It was not until the ancient curse began to work
that Leila understood the true meaning of fear and
the horror of the fate from which even George might not
be able to save her ...

Ah, once again we have another dumb girl with more time to kill than common sense.

I am willing to admit that we ALL have secrets. I, for one, would never want any of my business clients to know that I spend my spare time blogging about bad romance novels, comic books and View-Masters under the name Spectergirl. But it is always a good rule of thumb to NEVER pursue a romance with anyone who has a "family secret". It almost assuredly will have something to do with some sort of Wilbur Whately recessive gene, Hitler or cross-dressing (and not in a good Tim Currey kind of way).

Terror? A mansion of doom? Even the advertisers weren't going to pull out their A game for this sad little collection of clichés.

But what a great cover! The mansion is fantastic and the execution of the dress is wonderful.

Seed of Evil

2010-03-02T09:45:00.001-05:00

Seed of Evil by Petrina Crawford
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1967

The

Evil That Men Do

"The evil that men do lives after them ..."
Joanna Bruce had heard those words, of course,
but she had no idea how true they were -
or how that truth could change the course of her
life. She had no idea of the depths of evil
to which man could sink, nor of the dangerous
heritages one can leave behind him ...

But she was to learn. Hired abruptly as companion
to warped, bitter old Martin Crask, Joanna
was thrust into a new and alien environment.
The old Cornish mansion was a veritable lair of
evil ... and Joanna gradually became aware
of its nefarious secrets. But could she learn
the ultimate secret in time to escape with her
sanity ... and her life?

Wow, Martin Crask sounds fantastic! I think all books should contain at least one warped and bitter character. I hope someday to inspire the warped and bitter character within a novel written by one of my children, or if I don't perfect it right away, a novel written by my children's children. Either way, it will be kind of like having my own "evil" living after me. And with out all the effort of holding the world hostage like a James Bond villain.

Oh, and by the way Joanna, what's up with your sleeves?

The Towers of Fear

2010-02-25T20:04:00.011-05:00

The Towers of Fear by Caroline Farr
Cover Art by Allen Kass
published by: Signet Books
Copyright 1972

THE TOWERS

OF FEAR

TERROR, LIKE A COLD
FOR, ENVELOPED THE HOUSE ...

To Storm Towers, the brooking mansion of the
wealthy and influential Hailsworth family, came
lovely black-haired Ali Cavanagh on a visit to her
former college friend, Joan, young daughter of
the house.

Almost at once Ali was drawn into the web of
mystery that encircled the Hailsworth family:
Joan, strangely remote, was locked in her private
nightmare world; Ursula, whose relationship with
Joan held sinister undertones; Monty, the
handsome playboy, who attracted Ali yet frightened
her by his strange behavior; Donald, whom Ali
longed to trust but didn't dare. And then there was
Greg, Ali's former colleague - what was the real
reason for his unexpected presence in the mansion?

All were captive to the fear that filled the vast halls
of the old house where an unknown intruder
prowled the hidden corridors. The silent menace
grew until one fearful night when Ali found herself
struggling against a faceless evil that threatened
her sanity-and her life-and Storm Towers
revealing its shocking secret ....

This whole Hailsworth family seems just a little too familiar. FLASH BACK 18 YEARS: Joan? Easily me. Strangely remote and also lock in a private nightmare world. Ursula? Totally my younger sister, our relationship has ALWAYS held sinister undertones. Monty? No doubt my older brother, if strange behavior can include playing role playing games. As for Donald and Greg? They could be any number of the people who paraded in and out of my childhood home. I can say with all confidence that I don't think I'd like this book.

Now this cover is an Allan Kass whom we have see here on "WRFH" before. In fact there is a blogger site here dedicated to to his work.

Allan Kass was born in New York City in 1917. He received his BFA in Painting from Syracuse University after which he received an apprenticeship in the fashion art department of a Manhattan newspaper.

He joined the Air Force during WW2 flying 44 combat missions over Burma and Thailand. He was awarded 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses and promoted to Captain.

After the end of the war he continued to fly for the Air Force, art becoming only a hobby. After not being called for duty for the Korean War, Allan Kass retired from the military and began again to work as an artist. This time for an auto catalogue located in Detroit.

In the last part of the 1960's, after years in advertising, Kass painted sample book cover illustrations and traveled to New York City to solicit freelance work from book publishers. Here began what Kass himself said was a more artistically satisfying career. (Though I personally am rather fond of his advertising work.)

With approximately 1000 book cover illustrations from 1969-1998 for publishers such as Signet and Fawcett covering Romance, Western, Young Adult, and Historical Fiction, Allan Kass retired. Eventually moving to Big Sky, Montana.

Allan Kass died September 2, 2005.

Below are just a few additional examples of his work.

The Silent Place

2010-02-24T16:30:00.002-05:00

The Silent Place by Rachel Cosgrove Payes
Cover Art by George Gross
published by: Ace Books
Copyright 1969

There was just one more year to wait
before Rome Barclay would be officially a
widower and free to remarry. Though
his wife Suzanne had drowned six years
before, her body had never been recovered.
His secretary, Paulette, was waiting out
the time with eagerness. But then so
was lovely Fiona, his little girl's governess.

But then Suzanne came back to Cliffhouse,
not remembering her past, her identity a
mystery to herself but to no one else. Everyone
in the isolated coastal estate had a reason
for wishing her gone again - permanently.

But whose reason was the most desperate?

And how many women would have to die
in the Silent Place before Cliffhouse could
be at peace again?

Hooray! We have a signed cover here. George Gross was born in 1909 Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents from Szeged, Hungary. Art ran in the family. His father attended Pratt and became a successful artist in the fashion industry, running his own art studio - Fashion Paper.

After graduating high school, George also attended Pratt, graduating in 1931 even while working within his father's studio. Later he moved on to Fiction House where he soon became a top illustrator, painting hundreds of pulp covers for Action Stories, Detective Book Magazine, North West Romances and many more.

After barely missing serving WW2 due to a life long vision impairment in his right eye. he began to sell freelance illustration to paperback books for publishers such as Dell, Bantam and Ace Books.

His work can be seen on hundreds of fiction book covers and men's magazines. If you are interested in learning more about George Gross take a look at the "Guide to the Wild American Pulp Artist" listed in my Artist Resource Links.

Below are just a few examples of his other illustrations.

Chateau Chaumand

2010-02-21T20:36:00.011-05:00

Chateau Chaumand by Andrea Delmonico
published by: Ace Books
Copyright 1968

Chateau Chaumand

An ominous storm was brewing the night Geraldine (Really? Geraldine?)
arrived at Chateau Chaumand as bride of Charles Chau-
mand. After a whirlwind courtship Charles had swept
her away with him to his gracious but intimidating home,
a vast resort on a lake in Wisconsin.

Vaguely apprehensive before meeting his family,
Geraldine too soon became aware of real, definite fear.
Someone at the chateau resented her sudden marriage
to Charles. Was it the Indian girl, Fawn, who had loved
Charles? Or her husband's handsome cousin, Matt, who
rivaled Charles for mastery over the estate ... and cov-
eted Charles' new bride?

Whoever it was, Geraldine was certain the "acci-
dents" pursuing her was the intentional acts of a
murderer ...

You might be asking yourself why I would shell out cash for a book with such a large tear in the cover. Well there are, in fact, three reasons:

Firstly, it is a "EASY TO READ - LARGE TYPE" and one never knows when a dreadful tragedy might strike that would leave you with a Vincent Price "Fall of the House of Usher" sensitivity to light. A sensitivity that would force me to read only by the barest amount of candle light, therefore making large type books quite useful.

Secondly, my husband and I once drove 10 hours to attend a Halloween Party in Wisconsin were we happened upon a very cheap haunted house that had actually stolen nearly all of dialogue from Disney World's Haunted Mansion and used it in ways that made no sense.

And thirdly, and most importantly, the publisher actually thought this book was so packed with sexual tension that it was wagering we readers would need a smoke somewhere between pages 64 and 65.

Newport, your "Alive with pleasure" ad is dated and oh so cheesy but Kent, as always you are a class act.

Rebecca, the Mysterious

2010-02-18T21:44:00.006-05:00

Rebecca, the Mysterious by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by: Popular Library
Copyright 1975

The Saga of the Phenwick Women

REBECCA,
THE MYSTERIOUS

in one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Bewitching Rebecca Phenwick's young life had
been scarred by a brutal abduction by a runaway
slave, and her loving father and strangely hostile
mother agreed on one thing: Rebecca should go t
the old family mansion of the Phenwick House to
escape the memories of the harm done to her.

It was at Phenwick House that Rebecca first saw
the portrait of her ancestress Augusta Phenwick,
and began to delve into the eerie books of the occult
in the Phenwick archives. It was in this house that
had witnessed so many horrors that Rebecca
learned of her legacy as a Phenwick - the evil that
was waiting to be awakened within her, and her
weakness in the arms of a man who sought to
possesses her body and soul ...

For the life of me I can't figure out WHY I don't read these books! Rebecca, the Mysterious has just about anything anyone could ever want. Abduction, the Occult, and old house, even a cover whose "Bob Ross" style tree completely destroys the perspective. (Is she behind it? Or is it behind her?) And that woman's hand seem really large to me.

If anyone has read any of the Phenwick Women Books I would love to know if they are really as great as they always sound.

The Devil's Dreamer

2010-02-16T21:23:00.004-05:00

The Devil's Dreamer by Alice Brennan
published by: Magnum Books
Copyright 1971

Can You
Die In A Dream?

This was impossible - this room, this place. Where
was she, and how had she come to be here?
Carsa caught her breath on a sob of relief, for it
was morning, and daylight was filtering through
the drawn shades.

Then she saw that the light, which was very bright
and had a strange bluish cast, came from only
one spot. It seemed to come for a woman who
stood in a large circle. Long hair, pale and silky,
flowed over her sholders and blue eyes burned
bright with golden light. There was something
horrifyingly familiar about the face, and Carsa
struggled with a memory that was just out of reach.
Then the woman spoke.

"This is a dream. Everything that happens to you,
everyone you meet, is part of the dream. When
you awaken, it will be an awakening to death..."

Seeing that the last book I cover was also a Devil book I really should have tried and put together a "Devil" week, but it is too late for that. This cover has its problems but I must say that it really like the quality of illustration of our woman. It is really quite nice. The Devil child? Not so much.

Sadly we have no illustration credit here but as I have begun this blog, even these uncredited artists are starting to become familiar to me. Who know, eventually I may become confident enough to start making guesses as to their identities.

Who doesn't like View-Masters?

2010-02-16T13:27:00.001-05:00

Because I am apparently not happy unless I have too much to do, I have FINALLY launched ...

View-Master 3-D Spectacular

Click on the image to take a look.

The Devil and Mrs. Devine

2010-02-08T21:56:00.001-05:00

The Devil and Mrs. Devine by Josephine Leslie
Cover Art by Lou Marchetti
published by: Pocket Books
Copyright 1974

THE
DEVIL
AND
MRS.
DEVINE

ETERNAL YOUTH ... ETERNAL TORMENTS

Barely out of her teens, winsome Danielle
Davine was already an orphan and a widow.
No man on earth, it seemed, could be to her
what her loving father and handsome young
husband had been. Was she doomed, then, to
wither into joyless old age? "No!" whispered
a strange, uncanny voice, a voice that seemed
to come from nowhere, promising Danielle
perpetual beauty - in exchange for her im-
mortal soul ...

In this tale of romance that spans two centu-
ries, the author of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
tells of one woman's quest for the peace and
salvation that only the greatest love, human
and divine, can bring.

Danielle Devine is not the first twenty year old to dread the thought of withering into "joyless old age". In fact I remember crying about turning 23. But did I listen to a strange uncanny voice offering me perpetual beauty in exchange for my soul? No, of course not. But I can thing of nothing more romantic.

Josephine Leslie seems to have a real obsession with the whole ghost thing. A ghost helping you write a novel is a little less evil than trying to buy your soul but to each their own. This cover is signed by the initials RES but I have had no luck in tracking down any information the possible artist.

The Spectral Mist

2010-01-27T20:06:00.011-05:00

The Spectral Mist by Dan Ross writing under Clarissa Ross
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1972

ASK NO QUESTIONS ...

The huge old house on the California
coast seemed to be constantly
shrouded in fog, which added to the
gloom that permeated the atmosphere
and affected the senses of the people
who lived there. The master of the
house was the famed poet, Ford Hunt -
who had not been seen by anyone
but his nephew and his manservant
since the death of his wife, five years
ago. The old man kept to his attic
apartment, communicating with
no one below ... but did he really live
there? What was he hiding from ...
if indeed he was still alive? Enid Blair
could not help asking herself that
and many other questions when she
came to Cliffcrest after a whirlwind
courtship and marriage. Now she was
Geoffrey's bride, and should have
been happy in the household of such
famous a man - but Geoffrey seemed
married to the service of her
mysterious uncle ... and to a secret
so shocking that it was to
threaten Enid's sanity ... and life!

Okay, so the way I see it, Enid Blair just married a guy without a job. Oh yeah, he can say that he is some sort of personal secretary to his uncle, who may or may not exist, but from experience I can tell you that is most certainly code for "family mooch". Ford Hunt maybe a famous poet, but lets me honest, even the most well paid poet would have a hard time supporting himself, his manservant, his family and the families of his siblings and still pay the mortgage on his fog shrouded home.

Yes this cover is pretty damaged but I had to jump on picking up a Women Running From Houses book with a photo cover. This is the first time I personally have ever seen that done. Add to this fact that it is a Dan Ross and that it also features a young Grayson Hall lookalike (or is it just the open mouth stare), how could anyone say no.

Reception at High Tower

2010-01-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

Reception at High Tower by Dewey Ward
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1969
Cover Illustration: Robert McGinnis

THE MONSTROUS TRUTH OF HIGH TOWER

When Maurie Thomas returned against her will to
High Tower, it was as if she were setting foot in her
ancestral manor for the first time. The lovely young
girl had but recently emerged from the darkness of
insanity, and her memory had been destroyed.

But if she did not know the strange secret of High
Tower, there were those who did. Her imperious
grandmother, with her bitter hate for Maurie ... her
father, seeking solace in drink ... the silent, hand-
some groom ... the whispering servants.

Here, where the very walls and corridors seemed
rank with evil, Maurie felt rising from the icy depths
of her mind the horror that would not let her go.

Hooray, we have a McGinnis illustration. And what a fabulous job. I love this cover. The house is awesome and the chick truly look like she is insane. I totally buy it. I'm not sure if it is the nightgown falling from her shoulders, the bizarre way her left arm hangs dead at her side or even the weird way her long finger touch she face but she seems absolutely mad.

Born in Ohio in 1926, Robert McGinnis studied art at the Ohio State University and at the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. With more than 11,000 book cover along with magazine illustrations and movie posters it would be hard not to have seen his work at some time or other.

The Jackal's Head

2010-01-25T14:27:00.008-05:00

The Jackal's Head by Elizabeth Peters
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1970

The Curse of the Dead and
the Treachery of the Living ...

Young and lovely Althea Tomlinson had
hoped never to return to the Valley of the
Kings. Here her father was disgraced and de-
stroyed amid the ancient tombs and treasures
that had been his life's work. From here Al-
thea fled to New York, to start life anew.

But now a strange message from a dying fam-
ily servant and a bizarrely marked newspaper
on her doorstep had brought her back ...
back to face the brilliant, ruthless man who
had brought her father to ruin ... back to un-
earth a secret from beyond the grave ... back
to find herself trapped in a labyrinth of sus-
picion and fear, with a corpse at every turn
and the jackal-like laughter of a murderer
echoing everywhere ...

I would like to say that I have had more than my share of experience with the "Treachery of the Living" but you don't see me running from place to place. Althea flees to New York and now seems to be fleeing the Valley of the Kings. It wouldn't surprise me if she fled to Egypt originally to begin with. Althea's father looks to have been an archaeologist and if he wasn't able to "unearth a secret from beyond the grave" I don't see how how our little Miss nomad plans to do it.

I was excited when I got to pick this one up a few weekends back. The cover is a great twist on our theme but just a deserving of swift escape.

Finally ...

2010-01-20T21:39:00.003-05:00

After many false starts, I have finally launched my blog dedicated to Romance Comics.

As Told To Stan Lee

Click on the image to take a look.

Bellwood

2010-01-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Bellwood by Elisabeth Ogilvie
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1968

AT FIRST CAROLINE ASKED NO QUESTIONS...

Bellwood seemed too good to be
true when lovely Caroline Brew-
ster took up her post as governess
at the isolated mansion on the
great cliff overlooking the sea.

Her young charge, Tim, though
crippled, was delightfully alive.
The landscape was dreamlike. And
above all, there was the darkly
handsome master, Rees Morgan.

Caroline was sure she could help
this proud and lonely man forget
the horrible death of his wife, ease
the torture in his eyes, stop his
strange, savage outbursts of rage.
Too late Caroline realized that
Bellwood held a secret that
cursed all who dwelled (sic) ther, and
there was no escape...

We have a three choices here. Caroline is either wearing her schoolmarm get-up, a sexy nightgown in hopes of seducing Rees Morgan, or a cheap wedding dress with a elastic waistband.

While white is great for helping to camouflage chalk dust and on a governess's salary an economical wedding dress maybe the only option, I am voting for seduction-wear.

What woman wouldn't go to any length to secure herself the darkly handsome master of a mansion. Especially if he has tortured eyes and has savage outbursts of rage. The later of which was nothing what-so-ever to do with the horrible death of his wife. Nothing.

Remember there isn't a character defect in the world that really loving a man can't fix.

Letitia, the Dreamer

2010-01-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

Letitia, the Dreamer by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Books
Copyright 1981

KATHERYN KIMBROUGH'S
Saga of the Phenwick Women
LETITIA,
THE DREAMER

DANCING WAS HER LIKE

Her parents had died when she was young, and Letty lived
with her grandfather (OH, that explains the clothes!) in a
decaying Southern mansion, doing chores, attending ballet
class, and dancing with her friend, Jeremiah.

Though Letty was blind (and again) to the color of Jeremiah's skin,
others were not. Wrongly suspected of an illicit relationship,
Letty and Jeremiah were forced to flee to New York City,
where they were befriended by Letty's cousins. Then they
continued on to Europe, where they would be free to pursue
their careers in the ballet.

For Jeremiah, success seems assured. But for Letty, the
struggle to the top of the dance world promises to be long
and arduous. And now there is a young man competing with
her career, forcing Letty to choose between her one great
love, dancing, and her destiny as a Phenwich woman.

I think Letitia really is a dreamer if she thinks that is a good looking dress. And that open flame! Is she crazy, that lace is apt to go up like tissue paper.

That weird hair style isn't doing anything for her either, except maybe making her head look a little too round.

My vote is for NOT being a wedding dress. No woman, no matter how preoccupied with dance, would care so little about her big day. That is unless it was only a shame marriage for whatever reason, say only marrying to help cover up the sexual orientation of best friend and dance enthusiast.

Joanne, the Unpredictable

2010-01-13T16:47:00.009-05:00

Joanne, the Unpredictable by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Books
Copyright 1976

The Saga of the Phenwick Women
JOANNE,
THE UNPREDICTABLE

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Joanne was the most stunningly beautiful and danger-
ously wilful of all the Phenwick women. (WOW, that is
really saying something) Even before she reached
the age of twenty, she knew how to be all
things to all men in order to turn them into puppets of
her desire. And from the moment she arrived at Merrihew
Manor, the ancestral Phenwick family estate in England,
she began to cast her spell over everyone from her
elegant, aristocratic cousin, to the handsome, virile
master of the neighboring property, to the worldly,
irresistibly charming man of the theater who was visiting
from London.

Life at Merrihew Manor was a whirling, intoxicating
masked ball of romance for Joanne - until she realized
the occult horror that ruled this ancient place, and felt
the tightening embraced of a satanic force that neither
her beauty nor her guile could disarm or deceive ...

Joanne really is unpredictable if only for the conservative cut of her gown. I would think that in order to wield such incredible power over men, a little more skin would be involved. But what would I know, I mean, If I could turn men into puppets of my desire, I would have the cleanest house EVER!

The Family at Tammerton

2010-01-12T07:30:00.001-05:00

The Family at Tammerton by Margaret Erskine
published by Ace Books
Copyright 1965

THE FAMILY AT
TAMMERTON

"MRS. CRANE IS DEAD. DO NOT SEND NURSE."

At best the telegram was a cruel joke; at
worst a cryptic message warning Louise
Morton to stay away from her new job at
Tammerton Hall.

When Inspector Finch was called to the
sinister old mansion to investigate a
murder, he was not surprised, for he re-
membered the telegram Louise had shown
him on the train to Tammerton, Finch had
an instinct for spotting the first trail shoots of
an evil growth. Now instinct plus
experience were telling him that LOUISE
MORTON WAS NEXT ON THE KILLER'S LIST!

I have no doubt this is a wedding dress. Which tells me that somewhere between the best and the worst cases scenario of that telegram is that the family at Tammerton got wind that their new nurse was off her nut.

Now I'm no stranger to confrontation but even I hate having to fire an employee. So, if it were me, and I found out that my new hire was some sort of Miss Havisham crazy, I might also try and "head her off at the pass" as they say.

Harriet, the Haunted

2010-01-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

Harriet, the Haunted by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1976

Saga of the Phenwick Women
HARRIET,
THE HAUNTED

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Lovely young Harriet was the picture of innocence - yet
within her seethed a secret that filled her with shame, and
threatened her with madness and death. (you know,
I am beginning to think these Phenwick men are simply
attracted to the wrong kind of girl)

Growing up on a lush Southern Plantation, Harriet had
been victim of a violent act that ripped her innocence from
her, and left her with a mind clouded by the unspeakable
event. Now years later Harriet hoped that time had healed
her ghastly emotional wound, and that she was free to give
herself to the handsome suitor who offered her his love and
the Phenwick name. Then Harriet discovered that terrifying
truth. The satanic spirit of the man who had caused her so
much misery was reaching out from beyond the grave to
claim her once again with his passion, and torture her with
his eternal vengeance. And not even love seemed able to
protect the most horror-haunted of all the Phenwick
women from this diabolical possession and the hellish abyss
that opened up to claim her ...

It is "So, is that a wedding dress or what?" week but when looking at this book, the question of whether our leading lady is wearing a wedding dress is actually secondary to the question of whether Katheryn Kimbrough had simply run out of good names. No offence to any Harriets out there but it doesn't seem to be a real romance novel kind of name. There is nothing inherently sexy about it, but I guess not all of us can have a name like Sugar Hill.

But, back to our question at hand. I would have to say that yes, that must be a wedding dress. Look how carefully she holds up the length to help protect it as she ... walk around in a swamp. Look at the hair she had curled so carefully and the subtle yet beautiful emerald earrings. And the neck line, cut to flatter her neck and narrow her shoulders. This absolutely has to be a wedding dress or she is really, really trying to over compensate for that name.

2010-01-11T06:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to ...

SO, IS THAT A WEDDING DRESS OR WHAT?

week!

With the vast number of Women Running From Houses books you get an whole range of fashion. This week we will focus on the Women whose choices are bad enough that it actually become apparent of day one.

At least it would only require an annulment.

Rachel, the Possessed

2010-01-08T07:30:00.005-05:00

Rachel, the Possessed by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1975

Saga of the Phenwick Women
PATRICIA,
THE BEAUTIFUL

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Startlingly lovely Rachel Phenwich knew that somehow
she was not like other girls. (um ... where exactly is this going?)
It was not only that she was a Phenwich, heiress to
the Phenwick wealth, and to the Phenwick
curse. But as she passed the borderline between
childhood and young womanhood, she felt a
strange and sinister force stirring within her - and then
she learned the nightmare truth.

Hesitantly, those close to her told her that she was sub-
just to strange fits that transformed her from an innocent
girl into an abandoned creature of unspeakable desires.
And desperately, fearfully, Rachel searched for the man
who might save her - the man who could resist and over-
come the horrifying spirit that possessed her, and not be
seduced and destroyed by the deadly weapon of Satan
that Rachel's beauty had become ...

FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK

At first I thought the weird dude on the cover was the double jointed Ringmaster flasher from Patricia, the Beautiful but reading the back cover, he is probably just one of a dozen men wandering the Phenwick property trying to score with one of these genetically predisposed Rick James style Super Freaks.

Clearly Rachel is looking for the wrong kind of guy anyway. If that is what she is into, why is she looking for someone who can resist it. She should really just lose those mourning clothes and hook up with Creepy over there.

Obviously, this was way before e-Harmony.

Patricia, the Beautiful

2010-01-07T11:12:00.010-05:00

Patricia, the Beautiful by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1975

Saga of the Phenwick Women
PATRICIA,
THE BEAUTIFUL

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived -
THE SAGO OF THE PHENWICK WOMEN.
You won't want to miss the others,
exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Stunningly beautiful and aristocratic Patricia Kel-
burn was transported worlds away from the lush
Southern plantation where she had been raised. For
reason unclear to her, she was sent to the very
private girls' finishing school of La Chenilla in far-
away Boston to be prepared for her future.

Soon Patricia began to realized she was not a pupil
but a prisoner in this strange establishment ruled
by a lady with a dubious past, and filled with shock-
ing intrigue and chilling danger. But worse was yet
to come. For it was in a yet more distant and lonely
place - the great and fearful mansion of the Phen-
wicks - that Patricia came face to face with the
diabolical destiny designed for her, and with the
powerful and perverse man who would not let her
escape ...

Firstly, I would guess that the weird dude on the cover must be the powerful and perverse man we hear so little about on the back. Secondly, the strange cloak he is wearing makes me think he is either a flasher or has a permanent "Mr. Sardonicus" smile which he needs to cover. Of course the mention of him being "perverse" makes me think we are on the right track with the whole "flasher" thing. Thirdly, the fact that he is able to point his feet in two completely different directions leads me to believe he has hip damage or is a circus performer. Being that he is also described as powerful, would lead me to believe his is perhaps the Ringmaster of the circus. The hat merely lets us know he has bad taste in hats, again pointing to the whole Ringmaster thing.

So, being the prisoner of a double jointed Ringmaster flasher is the diabolical destiny of a poor heroine? Who would have guessed.

Unfinished Portrait

2010-01-06T08:30:00.002-05:00

Unfinished Portrait by Agatha Christie (writing under the name Mary Westmacott)
published by Dell Books
Copyright 1962

Haunted by Fear

As long as she could remember, Celia had
been haunted by a spectre of evil - a
spectre in the form of an unknown man
whose face was graven in her mind's eye
like a permanent nightmare of terror. Now
Celia found herself alone, beautiful and
vulnerable, in an isolated Spanish town,
staring in horrified recognition at the
stranger who had entered her room and
smilingly closed the door behind him.

It was he - the man of her terrible dreams,
come to brutally rip away the veils of mem-
ory and claim her as his own...

AGATHA
CHRISTIE
wrinting under the name
MARY
WESTMACOTT
displays a dazzling new facet of her
spellbinding genius in this unforgettable
novel of breathless romance,
intrigue and danger.

Here we have an experiment in art therapy. Notice how the weird dude on the cover appears to be emerging from our female character. Also notice that the copy from the back cover clearly tells us that this "mysterious spectre" had only existed in Celia's mind "for as long as she could remember".

Take these two facts, along with statement that his "face was graven in her mind's eye like a permanent nightmare of terror" and we obviously have a case of multiple personalities. From my understanding this condition is not uncommon with those of use who are alone AND both beautiful and vulnerable. Really, it like a beautiful and vulnerable text book case.

I also think Celia needs to get laid.

2010-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to ...

WHAT IS UP WITH THE DUDE ON THE COVER? WEEK

where we will try and determine, using Holmes like deduction, what is up the the dude on the cover.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

2009-12-16T10:41:00.005-05:00

Sadly David Selby had come to expect this at most casting calls.

Sorry, I have had distractions, both worldly and other-worldly, that have kept me from my sworn mission of spreading the word about the art of Women Running From Houses.

Using Quentin's "Staircase Through Time" I plan to remedy the situation over the next few days. Make sure to check out my future-past posts.

Thanks to all of you who have voiced concern and sent their sympathies.

Olivia, the Tormented

2009-12-16T07:30:00.003-05:00

Olivia the Tormented by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1976

Sage of the Phenwick Women
OLIVIA,
THE TORMENTED

is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived -
THE SAGO OF THE PHENWICK WOMEN.
You won't want to miss the others,
exclusively in Popular Library editions.

The ghostly spirit of Augusta Phenwick predicted that
the future bride of handsome, virile Joshua Phenwick
would be named Olivia - but now Joshua was forced to
choose between three incredibly tempting women who
bore that name. One was lovely, aristocratic Olivia
Loring. One was the captivating actress, Olivia Prit-
chard. And one was the breathtaking Italian noble-
woman, Olivia di Luca.

One of these women would make marriage a paradise.
One would make it a hell. One could well turn it into
a grave. But until the terrifying night in an ancient Eng-
lish manor when their true natures were unmasked, each
was a creature of menacing mystery, as against a glit-
tering background of high society and satanic intrigue,
the eeriest and most spellbinding chapter of the Phen-
wick saga mounted to its shattering climax ...

If it were me, I would rule out the chic that would make marriage hell. And the one who would, more than likely, turn it into a grave would definitely be out of the running. So, once again, where is the dilemma? Do men never use logic when picking a woman? Does nothing matter but looks? I mean really, I don't care how good looking a man is, if he is threatening me with a bottle of acid, I'm not going to find him hot.

The Dark Shore

2009-12-03T07:30:00.002-05:00

The Dark Shore by Susan Howatch
published by Fawcett Books
Copyright 1965

The Dark
Shore

The anonymous voice from the past
whispered into the receiver, "Welcome
home, Mr. Towers. Does your financée
know how you killed your first wife ten
years ago?"

Soon after Sarah moved into her new home
as the bride of charming, enigmatic Jon
Towers, some instinct warned her to run
for her life. Too many "accidents" were
beginning to plague her.

Sarah knew only that her husband's first
wife had plunged to her death from a
nearby cliff, under mysterious and ques-
tionable circumstances. Now someone was
trying to kill Sarah.

So, newlywed Sarah has an inside voice telling her to run. Could it be that some part of her knows that her "charming" new husband had something to do with his first wife's death? Could it be that Jon's home titters on the edge of a cliff. Could it be that she couldn't possible get cell service out there?

The fact is you can't put a biker-chick in white heels and a maxi skirt and expect her to be happy.

Dark Carnival

2009-12-02T07:30:00.004-05:00

Dark Carnival by Maysie Greig
Cover Art by Lou Marchetti
published by Pyramid Books
Copyright 1950

CHATEAU OF DEATH

The imposing form of Chateau Trione rose ominously
above a cold, lifeless cliff from which, too recently, a
young girl had plunged mysteriously to her death.

Shirley had come to the medieval chateau at the invita-
tion of her good friend Robert, Count de Revenau. She
had come to recuperate from a broken engagement, to
loll on the sun-drenched sands of the Riveriera and to lose
herself in the gaiety of Carnival time in Nice.

What had she to do with a terrible tragedy that belonged
to the past? Now - with new love so near - why did she
find herself inextricable drawn to the cliffs ... to mystery
... to death? (all very good questions)

Wow, Lou Marchetti did a great job on this cover. It just screams Italian film dubbed in English. How appropriate. Awesome.

Born in Italy in the 1920's, Lou Marchetti grew up in United States, becoming a freelance illustrator and portrait painter. His illustrations graced the covers of numerous romance and pulp novels and magazines. His art was risqué, beautiful and truly memorable. There are many links to information on his art, including this one where there are posted image of his oil painting by his granddaughter

.

I want this book!

When he had run through the men in the boat, he had to look elsewhere.

Another fabulous piece!

Um ... I've interrupted you.

The Stranger at the Gate

2009-12-01T07:30:00.002-05:00

The Stranger at the Gate by Jospehine Edgar
published by Pocket Books
Copyright 1973

Forbidden Legacy

As she drew nearer the great hall, Sarah
fought back the fear and dark memories that
had made her a stranger at its gates. Six years
ago she had been a baronet's daughter, and this
had been her home. Now, sixteen and father-
less, she was an actress begging her aunt, Lady
Sefton, to take her back.

But her aunt drove her away with the bitter
words that Sarah was not a Sefton, and worse,
that her true father was unknown.

Cruelly hurt, Sarah vowed there would come
a day of reckoning - when Lady Sefton would
be humbled and Sarah would again rule her
ancestral mansion.

It seems to me that Lady Sefton was justified is not really liking Sarah. Firstly, she is sixteen. No one can get along with a sixteen year old. Secondly, she is an actress and teenage actresses tend to be a bit self-centered. Add that to the fact that she is a power hunger bastard and I would have driven here away too.

Now publishing is an expensive business and so is marketing. There is a story that goes around in the industry of a man who says he wastes half of the money he spends on market but he just doesn't know which half. Well Pocket Books was too smart for that. If they were going to press anyway, they were going to sell a little ad space. And if they were going to sell ad space, they wanted to make sure it worked for their target audience.

Who was their target audience? Well, let just say they covered all their bases.

The young.

The middle aged.

The old.

True marketing genius.

The Pretty Ones

2009-11-30T07:30:00.006-05:00

The Pretty Ones by Dorothy Eden
published by Ace Books
Copyright 1957

The
Pretty Ones

SHADOWS BEHIND SHADOWS; WHEELS
WITHIN WHEELS. THIS WAS
COURTLANDS, EMMA'S NEW HOME... (what
on earth are they talking about?)

It seemed that nothing would ever
upset the joys of marriage for Emma and
her husband Barnaby, even though she
knew little about the man she had met
and married in a matter of weeks. (so what
exactly are you basing this eternal optimism on?)

Then the unpleasant rumors started
-that Barnaby's first wife disappeared
under sinister circumstances; that no one
really knew what happened to the two
pretty young governesses who simply
ran off without cause or explanation.

Emma trusted Barnaby; there were
no questions she could or would ask him.
But when a pathetic, lonely grave turned
up in the field, her loyalty to her brood-
ing, secretive husband gave way to cold,
hard fear ...

Okay, I knew my husband (Aaron Bias - See Silver Age Gold) pretty well when we got married. In fact, I could, with all confidence say I trusted him completely. (Oh to be 21 and naive again) but I would have to say, I would not have had any hesitation is suspecting that he was responsible for a mass grave in my backyard even without all the suspicious circumstances surrounding this guy.

I mean really. Mysterious disappearances, brooding, secretiveness? Emma, that ugly shirt isn't going to save you from having your neck broken.

The Darkest Room

2009-11-23T07:30:00.004-05:00

The Darkest Room by Grace Corren
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1969

Touch of The Dead

Toby had been Anne Gunther's first and
only love - but Toby was three years dead,
killed in a tragic car crash (as opposed to a comic one?)
for which Anne still felt responsible. But was Toby
dead? Or was he still with her, unwilling to
let her know peace as long as she still
lived the life of which he had been
deprived? (sounds kind of like a jerk)
Anne tried to escape to Edith
Allen's country house, but no matter where
she went, how far she traveled, she could
not escape from herself. She saw Toby in
every stranger, in every darkened room,
until she thought that she must be losing
her mind. The old house that was to have
been a refuge soon became a prison -
and then fantasy turned to reality as some-
one in the Allen house tried to kill her! (okay, so was
she even invited) Was that someone motivated by living
hatred for this girl who was a stranger in
their midst - or was it the ghost of Toby,
who could not rest until Anne joined
him in eternity?

We finally have a woman smart enough to run from a house wearing a sensible matching pant and top active wear set and she doesn't think to wear shoes, or a bra for that matter! Did she leave these items in the darkest room and was unable to find them? Is Toby really such a jerk as to resent her being alive? And, if so, what was Toby's appeal to begin with? I think Anne must just go for the bad boys.

A Fear In Borzano

2009-11-20T07:30:00.008-05:00

A Fear in Borzano by Willa Jay
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1966

THE TOWER OF TERROR

From the moment she arrived in
Borzano, Sally Grant Knew that
something was wrong. (it's a
wonder she stayed then) The
servants were strangely aloof,
the workmen were sullen, the
natives unfriendly. Everywhere
there was resentment against
the small party of Americans who
were transporting the Mazzini
castle to America - and who might
find the gold that was rumored
to be hidden in the castle walls.

but the greatest danger was not
from the people of Borzano -
it was from the something unseen,
something evil, that lurked within
the castle itself. Sally was the
first to sense it - it stalked her
like a soul-hungry demon. And
the time came when her only
protection was a scream!
in the night! (and how exactly would that help?)

Who would have thought that anyone would have a problem with Americans taking one of their country's landmarks and shipping it back home. Those damn foreigners with their "but that is part of my country's history", and their "that is part our heritage". If it really belongs to them, then why did God give Americans enough money to buy it? You don't have an answer to that do you?

This cover is awesome. I would swear I've seen that fountain outside of Collinwood. And exactly how long does a wine need to age in order to taste like terror and death?

Louise, the Restless

2009-11-19T07:30:00.006-05:00

Louise, the Restless by Katheryn Kimbrough
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1978

LOUISE, THE RESTLESS
is one of the spellbinding novels in the greatest
series of gothic romances ever conceived.
You won't want to miss the others,
all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

On the surface, Louise seemed the most perfect of Vic-
torian young ladies - a beautiful, talented, charming
creature, the apple of her physician father's eye, and a
seemingly untouchable ideal to the young suitors who
flocked around her.

Only Louise knew of the fever that burned in her blood,
turning her life into an inferno of forbidden desire ... for
a handsome, worldly aristocrat with too much sensual
experience and seductive skill to be trusted ... for a
dazzling concert pianist with a wife who refused to give
him up ... for any man who promised to quench the rag-
ging fires that threatened to consume all of Louise's
hopes and dreams. There had been many Phenwick
women before Louise - but none so blessed with every
grace, and so damned by a curse that turned passion to
peril and made love another word for fear ...

Wow, who would have suspected the inferno of lust that could not be doused even by a center part and hood. Looks like the boys in town have really beaten a path to Louise's door by the looks of those ... wagon tracks?

Oh those wacky Victorians! Clearly, Louise just needs to get laid.

Moon Garden

2009-11-18T07:30:00.004-05:00

Moon Garden by Jan Alexander
published by Popular Library
Copyright 1972

A STRANGE SATANIC POWER WAS STALKING HER ...

Fleeing from the tragedy of a loved-one's death, beau-
tiful Ellen Miles come to her aunt's Southern mansion to
regain her strength. Although she had only recently suf-
fered a nervous breakdown, Ellen found herself gradually
rediscovering life and romance - drawn to two handsome,
charming men and finding love with one of them.

Suddenly strange, terrifying events began to haunt her.
Were the mansion and its garden really possessed by
some diabolic force from the distance past? Or was Ellen's
illness slowly, subtly returning to poison her thoughts?

No one - not even the man she loved - believed her tales
of terror in the night. Was his affection genuine or merely
a means to keep her silent? Struggling against the dark
powers that engulfed her, Ellen began to doubt her own
sanity ...

QUEEN-SIZE GOTHICS are a new idea. They offer the very best in novels of romantic suspense, by the top writers, greater in length and drama, richer in reading pleasure. Each book is guaranteed to be: "READING FIT FOR A QUEEN"

FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK

There is something wrong in the logic that would ever bring someone recovering from a nervous breakdown to a dilapidated old plantation house that looks to be sinking into the swamp. The ambience just wouldn't be good for a fragile mind. Neither would a helmet of hair that looks totally too heavy and out of proportion to your head.

And what is up with all these women falling for jerks? Rule number one, if a guy doesn't believe you when you tell him something, he is probably not the guy for you. Rule number two, if you suspect a guy is dating you to "merely keep you silent" , he is probably not the guy for you. Rule number three, if a guy likes hanging out in a dilapidated old plantation house that looks to be sinking into a swamp, once again, he is probably not the guy for you.

Two Faces of Fear

2009-11-12T07:30:00.006-05:00

Two Faces of Fear by Julie Wellsley
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1971

Blood in the night ...

Seacliff House was ancient, a crumbling ruin
threatened to fall into the sea. The locals avoided it,
claiming that at best it was a house of evil and
at worst - they shuddered, and quickly changed the
subject. But Mary James could not change her
mind so readily. She had accepted the job as nurse to
Gerald Winchley in a desperate attempt to
escape from London and she could not let the fears
of superstitious natives drive her back to the city.
Then the first murder was committed, and the
blood ran free in the night. Was it a harbinger of
things to come - or was it intended as a special
warning to Mary? For the murderer - or murderers -
would not be content to stop now ... and Mary
seemed marked to be their next victim!

London must really suck for someone to prefer possible death to being there. I've never been to London but obviously I should avoid it in the future. AAA should start handing this one out as a travel brochure. Sure it wouldn't be good for their tourist industry but maybe London will think twice before being worse then being murdered.

This cover totally reminds me of a Nancy Drew cover. It could be the the upturned eyes, the clean cut look of Mary James or the face that looks to be piecing together clues but it's probably just Nancy Drew's rampant hatred of London.

Drifthaven

2009-11-11T07:30:00.006-05:00

Drifthaven by Dan Ross writing as Clarissa Ross
published by Avon Books
Copyright 1974

A Chilling
Performance
By An Actor's
Ghost

When Jean finally regained consciousness in the
hospital, her brother-in-law Ian was at her bedside.
He explained that she'd been lying there unconscious
for five years as a result of the car crash that had
taken her husband Darrel's life.

Darrel had been a successful actor, but a
temperamental one and a hard drinker. Their
marriage had always been a stormy one. Right after
she left the hospital, Jean realized that her problems
with Darrel were far from over. Her husband's
ghost began to make frequent appearances. Jean was
soon aware that Darrel intended to kill her. But a
spirit surely couldn't do her real physical harm ...
or could it?

How many of you are guessing that it is actually going to be her brother-in-law Ian. He wants all the money her dead husband left to her. He probably had control of it while she was in a comma and, after five years, doesn't want to loose it.

But it seems to me that after five years in a comma you are bound to wake up with some sort of supernatural powers. I don't see any way around it. Maybe she can read your thoughts. Maybe she knows what is going to happen minutes before it does. Maybe she can send you flying across the room with only an evil stare. It's hard to say, but one thing for sure is nobody better mess with Jean. And not just because she has a tough-girl, Camel smokin', steal your boyfriend and then beat you up kind of name either.

The Inheritance

2009-11-09T07:30:00.007-05:00

The Inheritance by Daoma Winston
published by Avon Books
Copyright 1972

She was the heiress to
a chilling legacy -
a time of terror,
torment, and death

When Mary Ellen and her six relatives chose to live
in the bleak New England mansion they inherited,
a series of bizarre and baffling events occurred.
Soon, one by one, her relatives were mysteriously
killed. And slowly, Mary Ellen began to feel that
she had inherited something she never guessed -
something creeping up on her out of a maelstrom
of fear and trembling!

I'm going to go out on a limb and say stress. I think stress is killing her relatives. I can't imagine the expense of maintaining a house of that size, not to mention the amount of property taxes involved. Good lord. I'm stressed out about my own house expenses and my place is only about ... um ... well it's just a little smaller than her place, so I should know.

What a great cover. If I was ever to run from a house I would definitely wear a cape. And, if at all possible, a dress that matched the place. In fact I think I may take this book into my next hair appointment and ask Whitney to give me "the trembling heiress". I think this is a beautiful cover. Awesome!

The Tuscany Madonna

2009-11-06T07:30:00.006-05:00

The Tuscany Madonna by Miriam Canfield
published by Magnum Books
Copyright 1965

a strange proposal

Strangely impelled by her
father, lovely, spirited
Denise de Bonneville accepts
the wealthy stranger
Brian Cowle's unorthodox
proposal of a 'Marriage
Blanc' - a union in name
only - to save the family's
ancestral chateau Les
Cedres, which houses the
priceless painting of
the Madonna by Raphael.
By authority of the family
will, the rare painting
can not be removed from
the estate.

Reluctantly, Denise returns
to the sullen and isolated
chateau which she feared
in her childhood. Now as
a bride - surrounded by
strangers and without the
protection of her beloved
parents - Denise senses
that Les Cedres is more
ominous and filled with
unexplicable (this is not my typo) danger.

When her withdrawn
husband locks himself
and the painting in his
private chambers, Denise
knows she must fight the
enigmatic forces which
engulf her ... She knows
she must unbolt to door
to survive.

Okay, this one just sounds good. It maybe because it has a little bit of "Night of Dark Shadows" going on with it.

The cover art has an odd finish to is but I like it. It also looks to be signed "Avalon".

Cat's Prey

2009-11-05T07:30:00.007-05:00

Cat's Prey by Dorothy Eden
published by Coronet Books
Copyright 1952

'No-one can suggest an eerie
atmosphere and the sinister trifle
better than Miss Dorothy Eden'
THE GUARDIAN

When Antonia arrived in Auckland, the voice that
warned her of danger over the telephone sounded
heavy and menacing. It decoyed her away from the
hotel - and while she was away someone searched her
room.

When she eventually reached her cousin Simon's
house, were the noises she heard in the night those of
an imprisoned and terrified woman, or just echoes in a
mind stretched to exhaustion? Surely she wasn't
imagining the light in the deserted wing ... ?

That is two book in a row with someone being menaced via telephone. Do you think Dorothy Eden had some issues to work through?

Our cover artist appeared to have signed their work "GD" but I have had no luck tracking down any information on them. You've got to love the matching eye shadows and dress though and anytime you can have a font color match someone's hair it is truly marketing genius! But, quite frankly, I am disappointment that there isn't actually a cat.

An Afternoon Walk

2009-11-04T07:30:00.005-05:00

An Afternoon Walk by Dorothy Eden
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1971

THE SHRILL RINGING
OF THE PHONE ...

shattered the peaceful sun-drenched afternoon.

The voice was the voice of a stranger. "Am I
speaking to Mrs. Simpson?"

"Yes," said Ella tensely, "I am Mrs. Simpson."

"The very lady I want. Just a word of advice,
love. Drive carefully."

The caller hung up abruptly.

Not that Ella would have wanted to talk to him.
She hated the sound of his voice. Very vulgar. But
why was he calling her all the time? Warning her?
About lots of things. Even about her small
daughter, Kitty.

"Do you know where Kitty is?" the voice
threatened.

Her husband didn't believe a word of it. Told her
she was imagining things. That she was loony.

He also didn't believe about the old, empty house
she and Kitty had stumbled upon a few afternoons
ago.

But she had seen the house. And so had Kitty. And
now that she thought about it she realized that all
her troubles had begun with the visit to that house.

There was something dark and evil about the
place. Something terrible. But what? And who
would believe her even if she did find out?

Now I don't want to take sides here, but really, I'm sure her husband has some reason to not believe her. A person just doesn't up and decide to call their spouse a loon without some precedent. The poor man has probably been through all this before. He has probably struggle with it only to finally break down and accept that fact that his poor wife was crazy and very likely had passed the "crazy gene" town to their child.

How horrible for him. How utterly hopeless a place to find yourself, with no one to talk to but the loon herself.

Poor, poor Mr. Simpson.

The Lute and the Glove

2009-11-03T07:30:00.003-05:00

The Lute and the Glove by Katherine Wigmore Eyre
published by Ace Books
Copyright 1955

"Fine psychological
thriller ...
one of the best."
-SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

"THE LUTE AND THE GLOVE is an
entertaining novel which holds the reader
in bone-thrilling suspense to the end as it
probes the strange affinity of a red-haired
American heroine for the Tudor mansion
of her ancestors.

"The past is not dead for Anne Carey
at the centuries-old estate she visits after
her father's death. Although summer
blooms outside, she alone sees a winter's
rain on non-existent window panes and
a clandestine meeting of lovers, one of
them her double.

"How Anne learns the identity of these
two, and how she escapes from them, pro-
vide unusual suspense."
- WASHINGTON POST TIMES-HERALD

Wow, this book cover holds a total of 4 reviews. The San Francisco Examiner with its "one of the best" and with The San Francisco Chronicle says it belongs on the "bone-chiller shelf". So what is this "provides unusual suspense" crap from the Washington Post? Did the reviewer even bother to read it? It sounds like a book report you write when you didn't even manage to rent the movie.

"George Orwell's Animal Farm provides an important lesson through barnyard antics."

Just seems like the reviewer is just not committed to the project. If you've got the ego to feel you can judge for others you really need to own it. Go for "You call that a suspense?" or "She actually being a man was obvious from the first." If you're not going to read it, be bold! Have some balls.

Darkwater

2009-11-02T09:30:00.005-05:00

Darkwater by Dorothy Eden
published by Fawcett Crest Books
Copyright 1963

My Dear Family -

If ever you have doubts
as to what is happening, if
every you are uneasy, will
you tell me, or send a
message to me or my aunt?
If this injunction seems
like nonsense to you now,
it may not always be nonsense...

Adam

Fanny knew then that Adam felt as she did
about the strange events at Darkwater. Even
before the sudden death of the old Chinese
amah, she had sensed a chill of menace in the
atmosphere. Now there was real peril in the
mists and fogs that beshrouded the ancient
English estate. There was danger ... especially
for Fanny - ravishing, lovely young Fanny -
who was too curious and headstrong for her
own good ...

"A gem of its species." - Boston Globe

"Dorothy Eden ... knows how to build
Gothic romance as solidly as a Gothic
tower." - Chicago Tribune

Nature plays a delicate balancing act. The spiders is to a mosquito what wolves are to deer. Everything needs to be kept in check. In this case Fanny is not just lovely, she is ravishing, so it is only fair to the rest of us that she also be "too curious and headstrong for her own good".

In my case, to make up for my own breathtaking cuteness, I am a poor proofreader and grocery stores make me cry.

I had a lot of fun with Dark Shadows October but to be completely honest, I am thrilled to be back to my cover theme. Though I am on a hunt for some weird Thanksgiving or Christmas themed "woman running" cover. We'll see.

Halloween

2009-10-31T00:01:00.003-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Dark Shadows the Salem Branch

2009-10-28T09:30:00.001-04:00

Dark Shadows the Salem Branch by Lara Parker
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 2006

As the original Dark Shadows story line
ended, Barnabas Collins had escaped
the curse of the witch Angelique and found
his way back to humanity after two hundred
years as a ravenous vampire. Now actress
Lara Parker, Angelique herself, reveals the
next dark twist in the sage of love and cruelty.

The roots of the Collins family's power and wealth go deep ...

Barnabas Collins is ready to embark on a new life and marriage
with his savior, the virtuous Dr. Julia Hoffman. But when
Antoinette, a beautiful sixties flower child with a shocking resem-
blance to the immortal witch Angelique, rebuilds the Old House,
his past returns to haunt him. Discovering a grisly corpse in the
basement - where his own casket once lay - Barnabas realizes
another vampire has invaded his domain.

Did Antoinette summon the vampire, or is she as innocent as she
is beautiful? And what of her daughter, Jacqueline, confined for
delusions of witchcraft to the local sanitarium?

Back to the corrupt witch trials of old Salem itself ...

Barnabas's fight to protect his family from this new threat will
take him back through time to an evil moment in America's his-
tory. Two hundred years ago, Jacqueline's previous incarnation
was tried and condemned to hang as a witch in Salem.
Desperate, she spilled the blood of her newborn babe to cure her
greedy and corrupt judges - including a Collins. How powerful is
her malevolent curse, and how much of her fate and her witch-
craft does present-day Jacqueline remember?

After a wait of thirty years, the next chapter in the Dark Shadows saga finally unfolds with the full measure of eroticism, spellbind- ing suspense, and gripping storytelling that made the original television series a timeless hit.

This cover is really cool. I think we have a men running from houses cover here. The witch, looming over a sinister house and our poor tormented hero in the foreground. Ah, Photoshop is SO fun.

Best thing about this book ? Lara Parker signed it. Go me!

Barnabas Colins and the Mysterious Ghost - Book 13

2009-10-27T08:30:00.001-04:00

Barnabas Collins and the Mysterious Ghost Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 1970

Collinwood is plagued with a series of men
acing events when a ballet troupe arrives
there to perform for the summer tourists.
One girl in particular, the beautiful Diana
Samson, who Barnabas has come to love, (of course he has)
is repeatedly attached by a mysterious, in
visible presence.

When the star of the ballet is murdered,
everyone is suspect - including Diana and
Barnabas. (of course he is) And when several graves are
found opened, the old legend of the invisible
ghost of Collinwood is revived.

As the attaches on Diana continue, Barna-
bas must find a way to stop them before she
is murdered. But will he have to fight a hu-
man enemy - or a supernatural force with
powers greater than his own?

BARNABAS COLLINS AND THE MYS-
TERIOUS GHOST is the thirteenth in a
series of thrilling novels based on ABC-TV's
popular suspense drama, DARK SHADOWS.

Apparently Collinwood is like the Motel 6 of Collinsport. Everyone comes to stay. Despite all the mysterious attacks by wolves , deaths by misadventure and flat- out, poor hospitality, they all flock to visit.

That must be one hell of a brochure.

The Demon of Barnabas Collins - Book 8

2009-10-26T09:30:00.006-04:00

The Demon of Barnabas Collins (Dan) Ross
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 1969

The arrival of a movie company at Collin-
wood gives Barnabas a chance to escape
Angelique's awful curse - the curse which has
made him one of the living dead.

Barnabas meets and falls in love with beau-
tiful film star Rita Gleen. In order to save
him, she introduces him to the mysterious Dr.
Moreno who has a cure for Barnabas.

Barnabas is jubilant over his recover - but
not for long. Suddenly he is in a life and death
battle with another vampire - with Rita's life
at stake. The only way to save her is to return
to the curse once again.

THE DEMON OF BARNABAS COLLINS
is the eighth in a series of thrilling novels
based on ABC-TV's popular suspense drama,
DARK SHADOWS. For a complete list, see
page two of this book.

Wow, Barnabas is like a teenage boy with how easily he falls in love. Just be remotely attractive and in the same general vicinity and he's head-over-heels. He's ready to confess to you about his poorly concealed "condition", switch to your health care provider and even be willing to get re-cursed all for someone he's known for a week.

They don't mention it but I am just sure the before page forty he's broached the subject of a joint checking account.

I just got access to a couple more of the Dark Shadows earlier books. Even though this will make them a bit out of order, I wanted to included them.

One last thing, don't you think it odd that on this cover Barnabas Collins is staring at his stake and mallet like he doesn't know quite what to do with them? I mean, he's been a vampire for 200 years, it's pretty straight forward.

Anniversary Message

2009-10-26T08:30:00.003-04:00

Being our thirteenth it only seems appropriate that all our plans have taken the turn that they have.

I love you Aaron.

Dark Shadows Dreams of the Dark

2009-10-23T09:30:00.005-04:00

Dark Shadows Dreams of the Dark by Stephen Mark Rainey and Elizabeth Massie
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 1999

BLOOD REVENGE

Angelique and Barnabas. Lovers once upon
a time, through treachery and deceit they have
now become immortal enemies. To pay for her
evil jealously that left Barnabas damned to
feast on the blood of humans, Angelique has
been banished to the netherworld. Meanwhile,
Barnabas lives a lie, carefully guarding his
hellish secret from the unsuspecting mortals
with whom he lives - including Victoria
Winters, the ethereally beautiful governess to
the Collins family.

Determined to escape her dark
imprisonment, Angelique conjures a diabolical
plan that will make her flesh again. Using her
psychic powers, she will send another vampire
to destroy Barnabas completely. But as she will
soon discover, the powers of darkness may
have found their match in the burning light of
innocence .... and love.

Vividly imagined, grippingly written,
each Dark Shadows novel is filled with the
eroticism, supernatural suspense, and
spellbinding story telling that has made this
classic daytime serial a timeless hit.

Okay, well our covers are getting a little closer to the theme. We have a beautiful house which, for our purposes, we will call scary. We have a bat and we have a man wearing too much make-up posing with a cane in a less than menacing way, but for our purposes we will say that we are being threatened by a cane.

I like to think that in this cover WE are the woman running from the house. Pretty exciting really.

Note to self: Must read gothic romance novels when walking on the treadmill for increased speed inspiration.

Dark Shadows Angelique's Descent

2009-10-22T09:30:00.003-04:00

Dark Shadows Angelique's Descent by Lara Parker
published by Harper Collins Publishing
Copyright 1998

Two of the most popular Dark Shadows characters,
Barnabas Collins and Angelique, were eternally
bound by love and hate. Now, actress Lara Parker,
Angelique herself, tells you how it all began.

A PASSION BORN IN ECSTASY ...

The dashing heir of a New England shipping magnate,
Barnabas Collins captured the heart of the exquisite, young
Angelique amidst the sensual beauty of Martinique, her
island home. But Angelique's brief happiness is doomed
when Barnabas cruelly deserts her and becomes engaged to
another. Little, though, does Barnabas know of the evil his
betrayal will unleash ...

AND DESTROYED BY JEALOUSY AND BETRAYAL

For Angelique is no ordinary woman. Raised in the
mysterious black art of voodoo witchcraft, she had long ago
pledged her soul to darkness and become immortal. Vowing
to torment and destroy Barnabas, a vengeful Angelique
damns him to eternal life as a vampire - a companion to
accompany her forever. Little, though, does Angelique
understand the depth of Barnabas's fury...

Vividly imagined, grippingly written, each Dark Shadows
novel is filled with the eroticism, supernatural suspense, and
spellbinding storytelling that has made this classic daytime
serial a timeless hit.

Now I promised all Dark Shadows this month but I have run out of the 60's and 70's novels.

I am a huge fan of Dark Shadows, and of the books written by Dan Ross. And, while this one is actually written far better, it just loses the innocence of the old show and book series. It is still fun and Angelique, of course, is a total badass.

Barnabas, Quentin, And the Magic Potion - Book 25

2009-10-21T09:30:00.002-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin, and the Magic Potion by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1971

Barnabas predicts trouble for Collin-
wood when Nicholas Freeze, in whose
antique shop Carolyn Stoddard works, dis-
covers a centuries-old potion that promises
eternal youth. Soon after, Mr. Freeze's
daughter Hazel, tricked into taking the
serum, dies. Carolyn is grief-stricken over
her friend's death. Barnabas insists she stay
on at the shop to watch Nicholas Freeze and
his associates, one of who Carolyn suspects
is Quentin Collins, back at Collinwood in a
disguise.

Then Carolyn sees Hazel's ghost.

She interprets this as a warning that Mr.
Freeze has marked her for his next victim.
Barnabas still refuses to let her quit.

Has Barnabas made a fatal mistake by
deliberately endangering Carolyn's life? Or
will his plan avenge Hazel's murder and put
her spirit to rest?

Why does Carolyn need a job? If she does need a job, why doesn't she work for the family? Don't they own a shipyard or something?

Not to mention the fact that the Collins family abandoned a house because it became dusty. It's hard to believe any of them really have an appreciation for antiques.

Plus, I really don't think that Barnabas needs to worry so much about Mr. Freeze. I do believe that the Dynamic Duo are already on the case.

Barnabas, Quentin and the Frightened Bride - Book 22

2009-10-20T09:30:00.002-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin and the Frightened Bride by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

Ann and John Hayward's honeymoon at
Collinwood slowly turns into a series of
nightmares.

Soon after their arrival, John, who is re-
covering from a war injury, falls victim to
strange, violent spells. In a fit of irrational
jealousy, he accuses his wife of falling in love
with Barnabas Collins.

Meanwhile, a series of attacks on her life
frighten Ann into believing John is trying to
kill her. Though tormented by doubts of
John's sanity, she believes his warning that
Barnabas is a vampire. Ann nevertheless
accepts help from Barnabas - and unknow-
ingly becomes the prey to the evil forces at
Collinwood!

Lets break this down, shall we.

Firstly, John Hayward is too cheap to take his wife anywhere good for their honeymoon. I see nothing romantic at all about spending ones first few weeks of marriage around a bunch of angry people you don't know. (that's for Thanksgiving)

Secondly, the only irrational thing about John's jealousy is that it is about Barnabas Collins. How can you suspect your woman of falling for Barnabas when Quentin "Man of Action" is staying in the same house. I have seen that man violently tear a decorator sword from the wall to defend himself and back HARD into a doorknob with barely a flinch. What woman wouldn't fall for that?!

Thirdly, and most importantly, Barnabas Collins is the worst vampire of all time. Why does everyone always "suspect" him of being a vampires? Because he is so painfully obvious with his "I won't be back until after sunset.", "I'll be out of town during the daylight." and "Oh, by the way, I'm not a vampire." stuff. That man really needs to learn a little about playing it close to the vest.

Email for a Reader

2009-10-19T12:17:00.007-04:00

I just received my first email from a reader. I was so exited I wanted to share ...

I’m a 53yr old married biker dude who just so happens to love the old Gothic Romances. My wife loves books generally reserved as “guy books” so we really have our roles turned around but hey, it works for us. I really enjoyed going through your web site and blowing up every book cover to take a closer look. I appreciated your comments on the books. I sure hope you keep adding book covers! Are there many people interested in Gothic Romance? I feel like I’m out there all alone until I see a website like yours. Usually they have long since become inactive but you are going on strong. That is refreshing for me. Keep it up!

Thanks!

Tecumseh, Kansas

Thanks Clark. Glad you enjoy the site.

Barnabas, Quentin and the Nightmare Assassin - Book 18

2009-10-19T09:30:00.001-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin and the NIghtmare Assassin by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

Carolyn Stoddard is knocked unconscious
when the sports car she and Barnbas are rid-
ing in skids on a patch of ice. She regains con-
sciousness in Collinwood with Barnabas and
Quentin Collins at her side - but the year is
1870! And Collinwood is being terrorized by a
savage Killer. Carolyn likes Quentin and re-
fuses to believe that even in werewolf form he
could be the murderer. But even Quentin is
convinced of his own guilt. The old family
lawyer hires someone to kill him. Several days
later, before he can reveal the assassin's name,
the lawyer dies. Quentin has signed his own
death sentence, marked for death by an un-
known killer.

BARNABAS, QUENTIN AND THE
NIGHTMARE ASSASSIN in the eighteenth
in a series of thrilling novels based on ABC-
TV's popular suspense drama, DARK
SHADOWS. For a complete list, see page 2
of this book.

I believe I have actually read this one. But even with the moment by moment back over synopsis, I can't remember it every well. The one thing I do remember is that the "sports car" the back cover refers to is a station wagon, Barnabas, it seems, is constantly being referred to as "handsome" and Caroline seems to want to shag her own cousins. Distant or know, ick.

Best thing about this one? Take a look at the mustache on Roger! Isn't it fabulous. Now there's a real man for you!

Barnabas, Quentin and the Mummy's Curse - Book 16

2009-10-16T09:30:00.004-04:00

Barnabas, Quentin and the Mummy's Curse by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

When Professor Anthony Collins decides
to catalog his Egyptian relics at Collinwood,
he brings with him the mummy of King Re-
hotip, who "died" over 2000 years ago.
Only the professor knows (and everyone who
just saw the quotes around the word dead)
that Rehotip is really in a state of suspended
animation. One night, the professor brings the
mummy to life. (of course he does) Suddenly a
young girl is killed. The police suspect Quentin
Collins. Maggie Evans, certain the killer is the
mummy wants to warn the police. Professor Collins
threatens to accuse Barnabas if she does.
Frightened into silence, Maggie lives in ter-
ror, wondering if she will be the next victim.

Okay, this is the Collins family. They live in Collinwood. They live in a town called Collinsport. Can't they just hush this stuff up like a Kennedy would? Surely there is benefit to being super rich, living in a house everyone in town is too spooked to go near and, most importantly of all, being the biggest employer around. I mean, what's a little bit of "the walking dead" to sixty thousand a year at the Collins family shipyard.

Barnabas Collins and the Gypsy Witch - Book 15

2009-10-15T09:30:00.004-04:00

Barnabas Collins and the Gypsy Witch by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

Warned by a gypsy witch that violent
death will surround her, Roxanna Collins
turns to her distant cousin, Barnabas, for
help.

But Barnabas is also in trouble. For when
Roxanna's father and brother are murdered
suspicion centers on Barnabas. Even Rox-
anna, who feels she is under some strange
spell, soon begins to doubt the man she has
come to love.

To save his life, Barnabas must prove to
the police - and to Roxanna - that he is inno-
cent. And he must find the key to the mad-
ness and mystery surrounding Collinwood
before Roxanne becomes the next victim in
a nightmare of evil.

BARNABAS COLLINS AND THE GYPSY WITCH is the fif-
teenth in a series of thrilling novels based on ABC-TV's
suspense drama, DARK SHADOWS.

Okay, Barnabas Collins is a vampire. Why does he care if the police as suspicious of him for a crime? Shouldn't he just kill them? I mean, if I were ever a vampire, I would just kill them. All of them. Roxanna, her father, her brother, the police. Everybody really. Then I'd kill the Gypsy Witch for revealing my agenda.

Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon - Book 14

2009-10-14T09:30:00.008-04:00

Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1970

IS THERE
A WEREWOLF
LOOSE AT COLLINWOOD?
WILL LARA BALFOUR
HAVE TO DIE TO FIND OUT?

When Quentin Collins invited Lara Balfour to
Collinwood, they knew each other only from the
correspondence that had grown out of Quentin's
admiration for the haunting waltz her father had
composed.

Soon Quentin professed to love Lara - but is his
love really a threat? His first wife's throat was torn
out by a wolflike creature who escaped capture.
Since then, other young women had died in the
same grisly fashion ... in the full of the moon, when
Quentin's mysterious "attacks" occur.

Lara faces the terrifying possibility that her
brooding, sensitive host is a werewolf. She won't
leave Collinwood, for that would mean leaving
Barnabas, who she has come to love. But will Bar-
nabas be able to save her, if she strays?

In 1968, when the the Dark Shadows producers began to feel that their immortal vampire wasn't as young as he used to be, the show decided they needed some fresh "eye candy". Well, since nothing gets ladies a-swooning like tall, snide and paste-on mutton chops, (Actually, replace snide with smart-ass and you have my now husband when I first met him. I made him get rid of the mutton chops though.) Quentin Collins was born. Leaving Barnabas to battle him for the ladies attention and forcing him to share the spotlight in all but two of the books that followed Quentin's introduction. Poor, poor Barnabas.

Barnabas Collins In A Funny Vein - Un-numbered

2009-10-13T09:30:00.003-04:00

Barnabas Collins In A Funny Vein by No Author Listed
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1969

Dig the groovy new humor craze
that's sweeping the country
-inspired by TV's cool
ghoul, Barnabas Collins - America's
favorite pain in the neck!

Why did Barnabas accept the part in DARK SHADOWS?
Because they said he could drink on the job.

Why did Barnabas become a vampire?
He failed his blood test.

How does Barnabas open the door to his house?
He uses a skeleton key.

Why does Barnabas like to bite airplane pilots?
He says they make him high.

Why does Barnabas use make-up when he goes on TV?
Otherwise he'd have DARK SHADOWS.

Vampires are well known as they are for their sense of humor this seems like an easy leap to make...

I am actually embarrassed 40 years later for Barnabas Collins.

Barnabas Collins Versus The Warlock - Book 11

2009-10-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

Barnabas Collins Versus The Warlock by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1969

David Collins and Amy Jennings, two charming,
innocent children are suddenly turned into demons.
At first their pranks only anny Maggie Evans, their
governess. But soon she realizes they have become
malicious, bent on destroying all at Collinwood.

Convinced the children are possessed by a mys-
terious, supernatural power, and frightened for her
life, Maggie turns for help to Barnabas Collins.

Will his power be strong enough to overcome the
evil forces that captured the minds of the children
before they - and Barnabas - are completely at the
mercy of the Devil himself?

BARNABAS COLLINS VERSUS THE WAR
LOCK is the eleventh in a series of thrilling novels
based on ABC-TV's popular suspense drama, DARK
SHADOWS.

The Foe of Barnabas Collins - Book 9

2009-10-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

The Foe of Barnabas Collins by Marilyn (Dan) Ross
published by Paperback Library
Copyright 1969

Barnabas befriends lovely Paula Jennings
right after her marriage to strange, mysteri-
ous Christopher Jennings. He feels protective
towards the lovely heiress because he sus-
pects Christopher is the werewolf who has
been ravaging the countryside. When Chris-
topher is joined by Melissa Henry (the rein-
carnation of the evil Angelique), Barnabas is
certain Paula is in terrible danger.

Barnabas knows he can defeat the evil
werewolf. (well, that kind of takes some of the
suspense away) But will his powers be stronger
than those of the beautiful - and deadly -
Angelique?

THE FOE OF BARNABAS COLLINS is
the ninth in a series of thrilling novels based
on ABC-TV's popular suspense drama,
DARK SHADOWS. For a complete list, see
page two of this book.