Running From Prison? & Nurses Need Love Too

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!

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

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

OF

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

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

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.