Top 10 Horrific Moments

As we prepare for the tenth anniversary of Bellairsia, we’re using our gradually enjoyable Twitter feed to share some memorable moments and commentary in the form of Top Ten lists.

Yet Even More About Widow's Walk Lake

Filmmaker and Bellairs-fan James Strayer got in touch with us again recently about Widow's Walk Lake, a film inspired partly by some of Bellairs’ spooky stories. Strayer gave us an update this week of how the project is progressing:

A Mad Dash (or, N or M?)

Blogger Michael Dennis recently shared some thoughts about The Face in the Frost, both of the book itself and the way it was published.

Goreyana: The Ghost in the Mirror

Notes from Goreyana about The Ghost in the Mirror:

• This piece...is a masterpiece of suspense and terror. If you did not know that it was a piece of dust jacket artwork, you would view it as a wonderfully creepy painting by Mr. Gorey. Barely visible on the printed dust jacket are two faces which appear on the front cover inside the "O" of Ghost and Mirror. They can be seen a bit more clearly floating in the sky on the original art.
• The dust jacket painting was included in the 2001 Bromer Booksellers catalog of Gorey items. The hand-lettered type for the cover/spine was included as a separate piece of art. I am not aware of the frontis drawing being available from Bromer or Gotham Book Mart.

What Robert Bloch owes to H. P. Lovecraft

In a 1983 interview with Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier, author Robert Bloch described how much as a teenager he enjoyed the magazine Weird Tales and how frustrated he was at not being able to find stories by his favorite writer, H. P. Lovecraft, from past issues. So he wrote to Lovecraft, as told by the Reader's Almanac blog:

Bailey MacDonald and The Secret of the Sealed Room

Bailey is back!  The second book by Bailey MacDonald is published next month.

Bellairs: John vs. George

Thispost reminds us of something we did once many years ago: in a fit to find more JohnBellairs, we grabbed a few George Bellairs titles from the library in a misguided attempt to convince ourselves the two were related. George’s stuff wasn’t bad, as we recall, but, alas, nothing to do with John.

2010 Living History Portrayal Walk

The 10th Annual "If These Stones Could Talk..." Tour takes place this October in Marshall's Oakridge Cemetery, one of the oldest continuously operated cemeteries in Michigan. The walking tour features actors portraying significant people from Marshall's past at his or her's grave site; this year's "participants" will be named soon.

Where: Oakridge Cemetery, 900 S. Marshall Avenue
When: Saturday, October 16, 2010; 7:00 PM

For more information, including associated costs, please contact the Marshall Chamber of Commerce or visit the events page of our forum.

Goreyana: The Mansion in the Mist

Notes from Goreyana about The Mansion in the Mist:

• Edward Gorey created a dust jacket design for this title that has a definite front and back which does not blend seamlessly. Because of this, the art from this title was cut in half and the two sections were sold separately by Gotham Book Mart in the mid 1990's. The rear portion of this art (the mansion) sold on eBay in July 2000 along with two other pieces of original artwork. 

Top 10 Humorous Moments

As we prepare for the tenth anniversary of Bellairsia, we’re using our developmentally playful Twitter feed to share some memorable moments and commentary in the form of Top Ten lists.

Time-out for Pocket Watches!

Brer's PowerOfBabel blog has a few words on the fantastic pocket watch:

Pocket watches have been around, surprisingly, almost as long as printing itself; it is not surprising, then, that they keep popping up in works of fiction, and perhaps especially fantasy fiction. Read or view a work of Fantasy (and I include under that unfortunate rubric Horror and Science Fiction as well as works dealing with Magic) and sooner or later characters of a certain port or gravitas will haul out a chronometer to consult. I would like to consider several examples and and explore the uses to which the fantastic pocket watch has been put.

Faces in the Mirror

by Matthew D. Surridge (Aug. 8, 2010)

(Originally published at BlackGate.com)

Stamping Lovecraft Birthday Wishes

Mark Koltko-Rivera notes the United States Postal Service has a program, the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), taking suggestions from the public regarding new postage stamps. And he has a rather eldritch idea:

Review: House "[Has] Some Surprisingly Mature Themes"

Book review: The House with a Clock in its Walls

47th Annual Historic Home Tour

For 47 years the Historic Marshall Home Tour has been called the Granddaddy of Midwest Home Tours and is famous all over the country for its traditions and heritage. Marshall's Home Tour was voted the Best Home Tour by the readers of AAA's Michigan Living magazine.

This year's tour will feature seven homes and will include seven historic museums covering diverse specialties such as unusual architecture, antique home furnishings, Civil War memorabilia, a restored antique post office, Michigan's largest collection of magic memorabilia as well as two art centers. To close out the tour's twenty structures will be one business from Marshall's well-maintained historic business district.