Still Even More About Widow's Walk Lake

Filmmaker and Bellairs-fan James Strayer passes along the teaser trailer for his film, Widow's Walk Lake.

Something About the Twelve Terrors of Christmas

Sarah Janet at the I Have Good Book blog has a few comments on John Updike's The Twelve Terrors of Christmas:

The Recipe For Disaster

Here’s some fan fiction about Johnny Dixon that really takes the cake this holiday season!  Happy reading!

Always Take the Weather Vane With You

We recently found JT wrote at LiveJournal about a specific weathervane being something of an inspiration.

Review: Mummy "Has A Jaunty Style That Keeps It From Getting Too Dark"

Book review: The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt

A Celebration of John Bellairs

by Schuyler E. Eastin (Nov. 2, 2009)
(originally published at theeastincollection.blogspot.com)

Let's Bellairs: "Weird, wicked, dark black magic against the powers of Catholicism"

by Let's Yes (Nov. 12, 2009)

(Originally published at letsyes.blogspot.com)

Review: Wrath "Extremely Outlandish Plot, Even For This Genre"

Book review: The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost

Sharing The Faith

We were reviewing contents of the archives in the interest of shining some new light on old discussions when we came across this recollection:

I was at the local Barnes and Noble yesterday when I encountered an older man looking for Harry Potter for a grandchild. I pointed them out to him...then I said that if the child liked that series, there was another series he would also like.. It was not quite on such a grand scale as the Rowling books, but it was another very good series, and was even set in nearby Marshall. I showed him the Lewis Barnavelt collection and I think he got both sets. This is not the first time I have told a Potter buyer about John Bellairs.

Time Capsule: 1979

It’s hard to believe but thirty years ago The House with a Clock in its Walls made it to television.

Review: Letter "Focuses On A Personal Issue In Addition To The Main Plot"

Book review: The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring

Review: Figure "Plot...More Cohesive"

Book review: The Figure in the Shadows

Review: House "Everyday Dimension Gives Young Readers A Fallible Hero"

Book review: The House with a Clock in its Walls

In Small Square Letters, Were These Words: ‘Lucky You!’

Honestly - after we had a good chuckle and contemplated doing something similar - we couldn't help but think of ol' Alpheus Winterborn.

Our friends over at the Museum of Hoaxes recently shared the story of a woman who found "a small envelope in a rocking chair she bought at auction. In the envelope [were] a key and a note giving her directions to where $250 in U.S. gold coins was supposedly buried in a lead chest...The note was signed 'Chauncey Wolcott.'"

Review: Face "Chock-full Of Some Of The Most Perfectly Imaginative Ideas Ever"

Book review: The Face in the Frost

2009 Living History Portrayal Walk

Marshall's Oakridge Cemetery, one of the oldest continuously operated cemeteries in Michigan, is home again this year to the 9th Annual "If These Stones Could Talk..."  This Living History Portrayal walking tour will feature actors portraying significant people from Marshall's past at his or her's gravesite.

Portrayals this year include Beatrice H. Babbitt (1870-1959), an eccentric, penny-pinching, heiress and world traveler; Winston Schuler (1908-1993), the second family owner of the 100-year-old Schuler’s Restaurant (dubbed the “Consummate Host”); plus a host of others.

• Saturday, October 10, 7PM

For more information, including associated costs, please contact the Marshall Chamber of Commerce.

Bellairs Cam: Your Eyes On Thy Picture

Is there something strange in your neighborhood, a mysterious house or odd sculpture that either resembles or reminds you of something from John or Brad’s books? Then get your camera ready!

Where My Land And Living Lies

John Bellairs taught for only one school year at Shimer College, back when it was stationed in Mount Carroll, Illinois. The college left the small community in the 1970s for bigger pastures and the grounds became home of the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation (not quite the place to go if you want to find out how to get that century-old tobacco stain out of your Civil War-era floor rug).

Something About the (Other) Cronin House

Some comments on the Cronin House of Marshall...and some bit of history on the Cronin House in Hayward, California. There’s no relation between the two aside from the name but the one out west sounded as if it had an interesting history, too.

Time Capsule: The Face...at 40

We would do all Bellairsdom a great disservice if we did not acknowledge this year is the fortieth anniversary of The Face in the Frost. It is still the first (and the only compleat) story to feature the wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon who live in a strange land known only as the Southern Kingdom. And what a book it is.  Bellairs actually composed a lot of the book in another kingdom – the United Kingdom...England – in his years after teaching at Shimer College. How far along in Prospero's tale Bellairs was before he arrived in England is uncertain but the ambiance there surely inspired him – note the similarities of local flavor found in the Gorgon's head in Bath and Somerset's Five Dials Inn to some of the encounters in Face.

Dan Poblocki: The Stone Child

The Stone Child is the first book of author Dan Poblocki, who confesses to being a fan of Mr. Bellairs:

46th Annual Historic Home Tour

The Marshall, Michigan Home Tour is in its 46th year of offering exquisite private homes and businesses for public viewing and enjoyment. The tour will feature vintage homes and historic museums covering diverse specialties such as unusual architecture, antique home furnishings, and more. The Home Tour was voted the Best Home Tour by the readers of AAA's Michigan Living magazine.

• Saturday, September 12, 9:00 to 5:00
• Sunday, September 13, 10:00 to 5:00

For more information, including associated costs, please contact the Marshall Historical Society or Chamber of Commerce.

Elsewhere:

• Laura Martone shares some comments on the tour and some of the historical residences in Marshall
• Historical Ken discusses some of the other tours around Michigan.
• Some pictures of Marshall courtesy Scott Diussa and David Bowser.

Review: Weatherend "Probably the Worst So Far"

Book review: The Dark Secret of Weatherend

Time Capsule: 1959

August 21, 1959: Fifty years ago today, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation making Hawaii the 50th state. Hawaii had been considered for a state as far back as 1919 but it took another four decades to make it happen (read more about that here).

Bibliofile: Luis Barnavelt List, Pierscien I Czarodziejka

It’s time for another look at the cover art that Polish publisher Amber used when they released the Lewis Barnavelt series last decade. There’s not really a lot to say about these except, that since the scenes on the paperback covers depict scenes from the books in exactly no way at all, we feel the publishers just found some spooky-looking artwork, slapped on their titles and logo, and then sold ‘em like hotcakes. Or babkas. Whatever.

Even More About Widow's Walk Lake

Filmmaker and Bellairs-fan James Strayer got in touch with us late last year about Widow's Walk Lake, a film inspired partly by some of Bellairs’ spooky stories.

Creature (Still) for Sale

We mentioned a year or so ago that the Cronin House was for sale. Hearing nothing since then, we sort of figured the house was again serving as a family’s home. Not so.  Bill Tiller passed word along to us today that the house is still looking for an owner.

We wonder if the Pendleton-Alexander House ever found an owner?

The Gashlycrumb Tinies! In 3-D! On Ice!

A sort-of animated, three-dimensional version of the Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies – although we just tend to hover around Fanny and the leeches.

Hath Alter'd That Good Picture?

Occasionally there are comments about great books of children’s literature being made into the latest Hollywood craze (or perhaps even some sort of cult-appreciated visual piece). Collected here are some thoughts on the adapting of The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) into something for the big screen. It’s something that’s been discussed for ages – even as far back when the CompleatBellairs was new – and while it would be a great way for the book to get exposure, we tend to agree with those that say it needs to be done right.  We all saw Once Upon a Midnight Dreary.

Book Alert: Magic Mirrors

Magic Mirrors, the new John Bellairs omnibus, is now available for purchase from the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA). Want a copy of The Face in the Frost with Marilyn Fitschen’s original artwork? Want to relive the adventures of The Pedant and the Shuffly? Want to finally see St. Fidgeta back in print after all these years?

Film unit picks up rights to 'King of Skull Island'

Spirit Pictures has picked up the rights to the book Kong: King of Skull Island, a prequel to the well-known tale of the big ape.

A Tribute to the Late John Bellairs

by Amy Martin (Jul. 4, 2009)
(Originally published at bookstove)

It seems little recognition is given to the late John Bellairs who died in 1991. Hollywood, with its remakes of Friday the 13th and paranormal vampire romances, seems to have overlooked the young adult classic Gothic thrillers by John Bellairs. However, I do not understand why some of his books have not been made into movies because, to me, many of them are nothing short of genius.

Review: Spell "A Classic...Fun Book With Haunted Clocks, Tiny Skulls...And The Word Phooey!"

Book review: The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull 

Review: Wicked Will

Review: Wicked Will

Review: Face "Recommended For Its Unique Portrayal Of Magic"

Book review: The Face in the Frost

Review: Spellbinder "A Typical Over-the-top Romp"

Book review: The Bell, the Book, and the Spellbinder

Portraying The Real Myra Eells

We caught this bit of news from the Fort Walla Walla Museum World blog about its Living History Company and individuals portraying some of the Seventh Day Advenstist pioneers in the Walla Walla region dating to the latter half of the 19the century.

Among those being portrayed were pioneer missionaries Cushing and Myra Eells (shown here portrayed by Rogers Miles and Barbara Coddington).  No, it’s not the Myra Eells you think we’re talking about, and, yes, there really was a real-life Myra Eells.

Bailey MacDonald and Wicked Will

Bailey MacDonald’s debut book – Wicked Will: A Mystery of Young William Shakespeare – will be published by Aladdin on June 23, 2009:

Time Capsule: 68 AD

July 9, 68 AD: The Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide after he was deposed by the Senate 1,941 years ago today (we think it was a Saturday). Nero is best remembered all these years later for his tyranny and lavishness – that he “fiddled while Rome burned” and later constructed a golden palace.

Goreyana: The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Notes from Goreyana about The Curse of the Blue Figurine:

In this return by Edward Gorey as illustrator, he begins the format he will employ throughout the remainder of the series. There is a big full color dust-jacket painting and (usually) a frontis illustration. Sometimes there are spot illustrations which are dropped into the text, but the books are not fully illustrated. The frontis drawing for this title is a particularly nice.

In November 2010, Goreyana acquired the frontis illustration and provided additional commentary:

The skill of Edward Gorey's crosshatching technique in this piece of art is a master class in line manipulation. In this single image Mr. Gorey uses variations of line to render the cave, figures, rain outside the cave, fire, smoke from the fire, and the enveloping darkness surrounding them. I especially like the two pinpoint glowing eyes of the advancing figure which are added with small dots of white paint. 

Bookmark Him and Write His Speeches

We couldn’t help but scratch our heads recently when we received an interesting email from people soliciting bookmarks for a Chicago-area celebrity bookmark auction. It began innocent enough but the message soon took an odd turn:

Guest: Celebrating John Bellairs

by Brer (May 16, 2009)
(Originally published at Power of Babel)

Review: Trolley "Can’t Rewrite History"

Book review: The Trolley to Yesterday

Goreyana: The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Notes from Goreyana about The House with a Clock in Its Walls:

For this first collaboration, Mr. Gorey has illustrated the story in much the same style as a number of other projects he had worked on. The wrap-around design of the dust jacket has images from the story sprinkled across the front and back covers, and the book is fully illustrated throughout the text with wonderful full page drawings and spot illustrations. Mr. Gorey was not commissioned to do books 2, 3 and 4, but would return on book #5 with a new look/approach to the dust wrapper that would continue through the rest of the series.

At one time, Gotham Book Mart offered me the original pen and ink artwork for the dust wrapper design, but I did not purchase it. At the time, there were a number of original Gorey pieces available, and I felt that this piece was less desirable than some other artwork being offered. It sold before I could "get back to it". Unfortunately, none of the interior illustrations for this title were made available, and I do not know if they had been sold previously or if they are still in the Gorey estate archives.

Celebrating Michigan Week 2009

Michigan Week was created in 1954 to unite members of local communities and promote the good things the state has to offer. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that “Marshall is one of the few cities across the state that puts on a host of activities celebrating Michigan's past, present and future.”

Review: Curse "High Octane Nightmare Fuel For 10-year-olds"

Book review: The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Goreyana Presents John Bellairs

The Goreyana blog is a great source for information about collecting the artwork of Edward Gorey and we’re pleased to see author Irwin Terry will begin a series of posts about the artwork created for the books written by John Bellairs and those completed and continued by Brad Strickland.

Memoriam: Dominic DiMaggio

Dom DiMaggio, the former center fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1940 to 1953, and the younger brother of Yankees center fielder Joe, died Friday, May 8. He was 92.

DiMaggio was special favorite of Johnny Dixon's because both wore glasses and Johnny had been to Fenway Park to hear the kids chant:

He’s better than his brother Joe,
Do-mi-nic Di-Mag-gi-o!

(The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt, 39).

Review: Treasure "Great Mystery With Realistic Characters"

Book review: The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn

Memoriam: Tom Deitz

Author Tom Deitz died April 27 from from heart complications.  He was 57.

His best known work was Windmaster’s Bane (1986), a fantasy novel that chronicled the adventures of a young Georgia man named David Sullivan. Deitz went on to have 18 more novels published, many featuring the Sullivan protagonist, as well as the Soulsmith Trilogy, comprising of the books Soulsmith, Dreambuilder, and Wordwright. 

An assistant professor of English at Gainesville State College, in 2007 Deitz was the recipient of the Phoenix Award, given to one who has done much in the name of Southern Fandom.

The Gainesville Times discusses his memorial service held at GSC on Sunday, May 3:

It was not your typical memorial service, but probably one that Deitz would have wanted.

Brad Strickland, a longtime friend, colleague and fellow fantasy writer, put on a blue flowery shirt that he said he wore a couple years ago at a faculty picnic. "Tom came up to me and said, ‘Professor Strickland, that is a cool shirt. Only you’re not cool enough to wear it,’" Strickland said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

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