By Michael Karol & Craig HamrickJust published: I've reworked and combined my two vampire novels -- Kiss Me Kill Me and its prequel, Sleeps Well With Others -- into one longer two-part novel: KISS KILL: A Vampire's Tale. See details below.
Craig Hamrick (far left, with me in 2005) and I created our TV Tidbits line of books in 2004. Craig passed away in September 2006 after a long and courageous battle with cancer, but he wanted me to keep this line of books going. Four of my books have been about my favorite obsession, Lucille Ball: Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia; Lucy in Print; The Lucille Ball Quiz Book; and the latest, The Comic DNA of Lucille Ball: Interpreting the Icon. The fifth was a departure, a horror/vampire/mystery novel called Kiss Me, Kill Me (featuring Craig's fabulous, atmospheric photos), followed by a prequel, Sleeps Well With Others, in late 2006. Those have been rewritten and combined into one novel, just published as KISS KILL: A Vampire's Tale (for details, see below). Then, I returned to my TV trivia roots for The ABC Movie of the Week Companion (republished in 2009 in an expanded eidition, with pictures) and The TV Tidbits Classic Television Book of Lists.
Craig similary concentrated on one of his great loves, the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, for two of his books, Barnabas & Co., a complete review of the cast of that cult show (a new, expanded version that Craig had almost completed is being edited, but I have no information at this time -- mid-Nov. 2009 -- as to when it might be available); and Big Lou, a rare inside look into the life of one of soap's great actors — and Craig's friend — Louis Edmonds (Dark Shadows and All My Children). His last book was strictly Tidbits, and all fun: The TV Tidbits Classic Television Quiz Book.
Book News I revised Lucy A to Z (for the fourth time!) and the book was reissued in late Janaury 2008 as an oversized, expanded encyclopedia...with pictures (see below)! ... Craig's final manuscript, a TV trivia party-game-in-a-book called Reruns (pictured below), was complete but in need of an edit at the time of his death. I still hope to work with his estate to see that it gets published. ... Keep checking back for the latest book updates, and remember: Reading is GOOD for you. —MAK
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Books, starting top row, left to right; click on the titles to purchase.
1. Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia
Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia has been a best-seller since it was first published in 2001. It's a unique, A to Z look at the life and career of America's most popular comedian -- featuring exclusive synopses of the stage careers of the four I Love Lucy principals. This new, expanded Fourth Edition features many other exclusive interviews (including Jane Connell, Wanda Clark, Doris Singleton, Dann Cahn and William Asher), and, for the first time, pictures! Lucy A to Z has been called "godsend" by Lucie Arnaz; a compendium of "insight, fact, and trivia" by Ball of Fire author Stefan Kanfer; and "the most enjoyable book available on Lucille Ball — a must-have!" by Classic Images magazine. The new Lucy A to Z is now available on Amazon.com and all other online retailers, as well as in-store via special order.2. The ABC Movie of the Week Companion
THE BESTSELLING MOVIE GUIDE! A new second edition of this loving tribute to the classic series of TV films includes more history, more reviews of 243 films in the series, more star interviews from newspapers of the era, and a lot of trivia, plus more than 20 exclusive pictures, and a new cover shot and inside pics courtesy of Dan Curtis Productions, which made of the best-known movie in the series, Trilogy of Terror. The ABC Movie of the Week was a cultural touchstone for a generation of Americans. The weekly films introduced cultural icons like The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and a certain Zuni fetish doll that terrorized Karen Black (see cover pic, left). Other movies reviewed include That Certain Summer, Bad Ronald, Go Ask Alice, Brian's Song, and hundreds of others. So sit back, relax, and return to a time when the counter-culture was in full swing, and you could tune in every week for one or more original films, made just for you. You're gonna love it.3. KISS KILL: A Vampire's Tale
Kiss Me, Kill Me was first published in June 2003. A departure for me, this fiction novel was the story of Ray Abreu — a gay New Yorker who's looking for Mr. Right. Unfortunately, he's just found Mr. Wrong — Mr. Dead Wrong. With atmospheric, gothic photos by Craig Hamrick, the novel was reviewed as "a sexy, well-made page-turner" and "a fun and easy read, with a touch of history" plus "plenty of vampiric punch and erotic imagery." It was a finalist in the 2003 Queer Horror Awards. In 2006, I published its prequel, Sleeps Well With Others, in which we saw Ray grow up, a gay youth in a repressed small town, feeling the emotional pain...that is, until he gets sent by his parents to an all-male sleepaway camp in the Adirondack Mountains in upper New York State. There, Ray experiences a gradual flowering and realization of his homoerotic feelings, and grows from a shy, retiring boy into a person who can stand up for himself. But he's unaware of the deadly presence "standing up" for him behind the scenes. The prequel was spiked with sex, thrills, and chills -- but then, whose adolsecence isn't?!
With our culture's renewed and fervent interest in all things vampiric, I went back to these novels, rewrote and combined them. The result is KISS KILL: A Vampire's Tale, just published (Nov. 2009) and available online.4. The Comic DNA of Lucille Ball
It's been said that Lucille Ball's face has been seen more times, by more people, than the face of any other person who ever lived.
Fifty-five years ago, a sitcom called I Love Lucy transformed the television landscape and made its leading lady, Lucille Ball, a superstar. No one could have known that Ball, formerly a showgirl, B-movie queen, and radio actress, would become one of the world's most beloved performers, and take her place in a rare pantheon reserved for the likes of Elvis, Marilyn, and Chaplin. This book, by acclaimed Lucy author Michael Karol-Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia, The Lucille Ball Quiz Book, Lucy in Print-examines Ball's impact and dissects what it was, and is, that makes Lucy not only an icon of laughter, but a powerful tonic in a troubled world.5. The Lucille Ball Quiz Book
In 1953, Desi Arnaz surprised Lucy with a 13th Anniversary party at this Hollywood club. Name the club.
a. Ciro’s
b. The Mocambo
c. The Palladium
d. The Trocadero
The answer to this question, and hundreds of others, is in this little bottle....er, book! The Lucille Ball Quiz Book is the first Lucy quiz book in more than 20 years, and the only one to concentrate on her entire life and career, not just I Love Lucy. More has been written about Lucille Ball, and her landmark sitcom I Love Lucy, than just about any other entertainer in history. But how much do you really know? The Lucille Ball Quiz Book offers hundreds of chances for you to prove (and improve!) your Lucy IQ. Six main quizzes focus on Lucy, while others tackle her TV co-stars (Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Frank Nelson, Mary Jane Croft, Gale Gordon, Lucie Arnaz, and Desi Arnaz Jr.), her five TV series, Lucy’s specials and guest-star appearances, Desilu series and stars, and Lucy collectibles, round out the book. Bonus: Blocks of TV Tidbits, fresh trivia about your favorite redhead, are sprinkled throughout the quizzes. As a Lucy fan — and who isn’t one? — you can’t afford to miss this chance to test your mettle.6. Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen
Maybe it's Eve Arden. For some it's Bea Arthur. Or perhaps Beaver's mom, Barbara Billingsley. Did sultry Ann Sothern slay ya? What do these ladies all have in common? They starred in some of the best-loved sitcoms ever aired. And they were funny, funny, Funny Ladies. Sitcom Queens ism in fact, the revamped and updated version of the original best-seller, Funny Ladies: Sitcom Queens, with mostly new material, including a Foreword by one of my Top 10, the fabulous Gale Storm, an introduction by Doris "Carolyn Appleby" Singleton, and original essays with tons of trivia boxes spotlighting your sitcom femme faves, everyone from Gracie Allen to Zasu Pitts (and a special Lucy tidbit from sitcom king Larry Storch!). Literally hundreds of stars are given the TV Tidbit treatment in Sitcom Queens; includes the Top Ten and a sitcom timeline.7.The TV Tidbits Classic Television Book of Lists
We have a fondness for lists, and while we knew that there would ultimately be a TV Tidbits Book of Lists, we wanted to wait and make it as special, and unique, as we possibly could. Thus, you'll find lists here that have never appeared anywhere else, such as those classic TV characters who've had statues erected honoring them, Replacements, the Television's Top Moments, Stars Who've Played Superman & Lois on TV, Shows That Jumped from Live Action to Animation, and vice-versa, and much more! Named one of the best new books of the year (2007) by Classic Images magazine!8. Lucy In Print
Lucy in Print is a unique look at the career of Lucille Ball, her seminal sitcom I Love Lucy and her co-stars -- Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley -- from the perspective of the press coverage they received over the past 70 years. Why was Lucy branded a Red? Did Desi really love Lucy loosely? Could Viv's New Mexican hideaway have cost her her life? The answers to those questions and many more are found in this unique compilation. With author commentary, a trip to Lucy's birthplace, Jamestown, N.Y., and special chapters on two "lost" plays about I Love Lucy!9. Barnabas & Co.: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows
Barnabas & Co.: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows tells the tale of the (mostly) marvelous actors and actresses who came together in a tiny studio in Manhattan to make magic--both on screen and off. Dark Shadows innovatively broke all the daytime rules and blazed a trail other soaps are still following. Featuring sympathetic vampires and werewolves, decades before Buffy the Vampire Killer made slaying cool all over again, the show captured the nation's attention. In the actors' own words read about how it happened, and relive your own special memories of those Dark Shadows in the afternoon. Plus, a special trivia section includes information on the actors' other roles--on TV, stage and in movies.10. Big Lou
Big Lou Louis Edmonds was well known for his TV soap opera roles as Dark Shadows' Roger Collins and All My Children's Langley Wallingford, but his career spanned much more than that. Working with such performers as Charlton Heston, Kaye Ballard, Joan Bennett, and Carol Burnett, he was a pioneer performer on live television in the 1950s and played numerous critically acclaimed roles on and off Broadway and on TV for five decades. Throughout his life, the gay actor battled -- and conquered -- depression, alcoholism, and cancer. In a revealing biography, author (and close friend of Edmonds) Craig Hamrick chronicles the life and career of this remarkable man.11. The TV Tidbits Classic Television Trivia Quiz Book
How much do you know about your favorite TV shows? On Dallas, who shot JR? What town do The Simpsons live in? What did Donna's husband do for a living on The Donna Reed Show? If you can rattle off answers to questions like these -- then The TV Tidbits Classic Television Trivia Quiz Book is the book for you. Just sit right back and begin; with more than one thousand questions on every one of your favorite classic television shows, characters, and actors and actresses, you might not get up for months!12. Miltown, Meet Xanax
A frank, funny look at how my mother and I dealt with anxiety and depression. Coming in 2010!
Text and books Copyright 2004-2009 by Michael Karol and The Estate of Craig Hamrick; all rights reserved. No one may reproduce
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