First and foremost, I want to apologize. James Newman, the author of this book, sent me a digital copy because he is awesome. What he probably doesn’t know is that I am the world’s worst fan. He is always asking me for feedback on his work and I greatly enjoy reading his work. I want him to know that I literally received this book and stayed up reading it until it I had finished it. I love it and I’ve re-read it a few times. I received this book the day I returned home from visiting family for Christmas. Yep, Christmas. I swore I wasn’t going to let it get to be April before I wrote the damn review. However, due to a severe case of seasonal depression and grad school, it is now March 27th so her goes.

I’ve read a lot of Mr. Newman’s work. Like all but one book that I am still trying to track down. I am a sucker for horror novels. I grew up reading Poe (no shit, no lie, I had picture book verison of the Pit and the Pendulium...doesn’t that explain a lot?) and while a lot of nights I stayed awake under the covers, protecting my stuffed animals from the monster’s in my head, I couldn’t get enough. Luckily, unlike Poe, James is still writing and feeding my imagination new material.

Olden is the best kind of story. Scattered, terrifying, mutlideminsional. It truly captures the human emotion in nearly impossible situations. No matter how hard you try, you can’t help but panic and be terrified with the characters. One of Mr. Newman’s true talents as a writer is his ability to portray fear and pass it along to the reader. He is also a master of the multideminsional story. He is able to weave together individual stories from all of the characters to create one story which places the reader directly in the middle of the action. He allows you to both observe from the outside to understand the impending disaster while stand in the middle of the room, terrified and unable to move.

The Zombie thing has been done. Frankly, it has been done to death. Even the most hardcore zombie fans are finding much of the trendy hype old at best. This is the zombie apocolype done right because it hasn’t been done before. The great thing about this story is that it not only apeals to the zombie enthusist but to those who are sick of it. Mr. Newman is able to create his own vision which is not only terrifying but new, creative, and different. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself.

You can purchase Mr. Newman’s latest novella Olden here:
E-book: http://www.amazon.com/Olden-ebook/dp/B0065QHBEQ
E-book or Hardback: http://www.james-newman.com/

It is that time of year again! The air is cold and crisp, the temperature is dropping, and I'm dusting off Halloween decorations. We (Psycho, Phanwolf, and I) decided it was time to start watching our favorite Halloween movies for the season. There is a serious stack, and those are just the DVDs and Blu Rays we own. I'm sure more will be added to the list as we plug through Netflix. These movies don't have specific qualifications except they are in the Halloween spirit. Most of them are Halloween themed or horror movies. They are putting us in the Halloween spirit.

Not necessarily the best, the top of the list, or anyone's favorite, we opted to start with Beetlejuice. Both Phanwolf and I grew up watching Beetlejuice the Cartoon series which has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. Psycho probably did too but poor guy can't get a word in edgewise.

I'm never sure if I like this movie so much because of the nostalgia associated with it or because Michael Keeton is the man. There is a great balance of comedy and thrills which I feel like a lot of movies can't strike. I also love the affects. In a day when everything is CGI and over-the-top stunts, it is nice to see a much more grounded time. Also, there is nothing like seeing a dinner party interupted by calypso music and face-hugging shrimp cocktails. Not necessarily a Halloween movie but a great place to start our month long marathon.

Up Next: Halloween (I think but don't hold me to this).

We've all felt it. Maybe towards a family member, a coworker, a friend, or a neighbor. But how far do you take it? A snide comment, an uncomfortable gaze. Would it lead you to kill?

James Newman's newest, and in my opinion best, novel shows us just how far people will go when motivated by their animosity. Set in a quite neighborhood, Andy Holland makes his living writing horror novels. One morning, he finds the body of a nine year old girl who has been raped and murdered. His neighbors, who were once his friends, turn on him. Being a horror writer capable of writing the deepest horrors of human nature, his neighbors assume is capable of acting on these fears. Letting their animosity get the better of them, his entire neighborhood sets out for vigilante justice. As Andy becomes a prisoner in his own house, his very own horror story comes to life.

I won't give away the whole story, your going to have to read it for yourself, but any real horror fan is going to love this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I spent a morning at my lab bench reading as fast as I could. After finishing the book, I was completely terrified. This story leaves you with a chill in your bones and a certain paranoia for those around you. Mr. Newman' s characters and neighborhood chillingly remind us of every small town in the United States. Andy Holland could easily be one of your neighbors or he could be you. Trust me when I say, if you are looking to be transported into a nightmare, you will find it here.

James Newman is a veteran author in the horror genre including other novels such as Midnight Rain, The Wicked, and The Forum. I cannot overstate the originality in his writing which allows him to craft unique stories unlike most horror novels you may have read. One of the scariest parts of his books is the lack of predictability with the turn of every page and Animosity was no exception. His fluid but down-to-earth use of language makes his novels come to life in a way few authors can. I am especially fond of his use of dialog which can often be lacking. Animosity is a true all-American horror story that anyone can enjoy. It is a story that speaks to every day American life and how quickly a quite life can turn into a living Hell. Original, relateable, and a quick read make Newman's Animosity a great choice for any horror fan, reader and non-reader alike.

Like what you read? Check out Necessary Evil Press (http://www.necessaryevilpress.com/Bo...book=ANIMOSITY) for availability and Pre-order information.

Like what I'm doing? If you are interested in seeing more book reviews by your's truly, drop me a comment or a PM.

So it has been forever since I posted a blog. Mostly forever since I've spent any real time here and I don't even want to think about all the podcasts I have missed. I have lame excuses like classes and teaching and candidacy exams and work. So here is my current to do list to explain why I've been mostly missing.

1. Get PhD to become mad scientist
2. Take over the world
3. Kidnap J.N. and make him write more books.
4. Hitchhike to Canada and tie Breeanimal to a chair until she hits 1000 posts so I'm not the only thing with boobs in Hell.
5. Prevent my gecko from destroying Tokyo godzilla-style
6. Go on a homicidal rampage at work
7. Convince PsychobillyJekyll to let me take over the world

So now you know.

So I know haven't posted in a while. I've been scarce around the message board. I guess it is time for an update.

1. I'm not turning into Lord Dio or Sleepingbag in a mirror. I'm not going anywhere. I'm a grad student in my second year. That means candidacy which might be the root of all evil. Basically, I have to take an exam every month until a accumulate a certain number of points. If I fail, they kick me out. If I pass, I get to be a PhD Candidate. I've been scarce because went I'm not doing research, teaching, or sleeping, I'm studying for my exams.

2. I've taken to brewing and baking. I'm not a very domestic individual but I am a biochemist. Brewing and baking are a way for me to flex my inner scientist without having to be at work. At work, my chemistry usually doesn't work. At home, shit works. We've created some awesome beer and some awesome pizza on homemade dough. We also have a lot of big brewing plans for the next few months. Maybe I have high expectations but we are starting to experiment a lot with our beer and I'm hoping for great things!! If we ever open a brew pub it will feature pizza and my secret family recipe for chicken wings

Side Note: According to Psycho, there may be some laws changing that will allow us to mail beer if anyone is interested in giving it a try. Also, we are thinking about having Psycho Dragon Brewing Co. tshirts and mugs made on cafe press. We wouldn't make money off of them but we thought it would be a lot of fun.

3. Some of you may have seen 11 things you may not have known about KR which said I am a guy. I will admit that I've often been accused of being a guy. Not physically because I've got long hair and a huge rack. I also paint my nails and I really don't have a masculine build. BUT let's face it, I can't stand girlie girls either. I'm a punk rock/psychobilly chick, I shoot guns, I brew beer. I like to reenact, hike, and camp. I'm a chemist and I would rather spend an evening at home watching movies with my husband than getting a manicure (which I've never had) or going out with my "girlfriends" (which I don't really have). I love football and hockey and I'm a diehard Pittsburgh fan. I used to shoot competitive and I promise you that I went shooting in a dress and my holsters have flowers on them. I also have a leather beer mug with with a purple rose on it. So there you have it GregMo, I promise I'm a girl but I am basically a dude.

4. Psycho and I have been watching NCIS and Boardwalk Empire. We don't watch a lot of tv shows regularly because we don't really have time. The excepts are Deadlist Catch and NCIS. Both awesome shows and I we own them on DVD. Boardwalk Empire just premiered last week. I first heard about it on the board and I new I had to watch it. We saw the premiere (a few days late) and I highly recommend it. Just so cool.

I guess that is about it for now. See you around the boards!!

Psycho and I successfully survived the epic wedding weekend. Here is sort of a mathematical breakdown of the weekend:

Amount of Beer Consumed: 4 cases (22 oz bottles) and 1 full keg
Amount of Wine Consumed: 7 cases
Amount of liquor Consumed: 1 bottle of single malt whiskey
Number of guests: 96
Number of guests to actually show: 90
Number of trips to State College: 2
Number of Nights at a B&B: 3
Lbs of Potatoes Shot from the Potato gun: 10
Number of People Injured During Potato Gun Firing: 2
Number of Illegal Fireworks I Fired Drunk: 1
Number of Friends from High School: 2
Number of Friends from College: 20(ish)
Number of Relatives from Out of Town: 14
Number of Times We Saw A Groomsman's ass: Too many too count
Number of Times Psycho had to Chase Me Down to Shove Cake in My Face: 1

I could go on and on but I think it is safe to say we had a great time. It is a weekend we will remember for the rest of our lives. Pictures soon to follow.

I've been thinking about this blog post for a long time. In the grand scheme of things, I haven't been on KR all that long but I'm often shocked at what an integral part of my life it has become. I think that is due to the fact that Psycho is also lurking around the boards and it gives us stuff to talk about at home besides work.

I thought about joining KR after Psycho got home from Iraq because he talked about it all the time. He really seemed to enjoy it so I thought I should probably give it a go. I put off joining the site for 2 to 3 months because I couldn't think of a username that I liked. I don't know if anyone else had this problem but when you are on the internet the first impression that people get is your name. In the case of a board like this where people don't use their real names, your username says a lot about who you are. So I thought about it for a number of months and then one night it hit me. And thus my alter ego Nekrochick was created.

If I had a draw a picture of her, I know exactly what it would look like. Her hair would be fire engine red and always done up perfectly, 1940's style. Bright red lipstick and dark eyes. Black corset backed tshirts and pencil skirts. Fishnet stockings and chunky high heals. Covered head to toe in bright colorful tattoos. She is smart and sassy and very, very classy. A true Psychobilly chick.

If you would meet me in real life, that isn't what you would see. My hair is naturally brown and always in a ponytail. I don't even own make up (and if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with it). My entire wardrobe consists of black band tshirts, nerdy science tshirts, and blue jeans. I can't even walk in heals and the most exciting pair of shoes I own is a pair of purple Chuck Taylors. I would be covered in tattoos if I had the money and I didn't have to worry about finding employment after grad school. I'm also painfully shy.

I've been described as many things in my life. I'm a huge nerd and basically a dude with girl parts. As a side note, I've decided that Psycho is gay but likes boobs which is why he is marrying me. It isn't that I'm not Nekrochick but I'm not exactly her either. She is more like the feminine, out going side of me that most people never see. She is my awesome alter ego.

So as some of you may or may not know, Psycho and I are getting married. I've been watching the countdown on my facebook page for some time now. It tells me I have 19 days left. After 8 years together, 3.5 of which we have been engaged, I guess it is about time. I think we would both be lying if we said we were looking forward to the wedding. It is sort of an unpleasant event that is just an excuse to have a party. But lets be realistic for a second here. We have friends coming from college and friends from Delaware. My divorced parents are sort of getting along, my dad is wearing a skirt to the wedding, my sister got knocked up a month ago, and half of Psycho's family isn't even invited due to family drama. My dress is purple, I'm basically a dude with girl parts, my Jewish relatives are going to get along awesome with my new redneck, hillbilly in-laws. This is going to end poorly. I'm plan is to say "I do" and then sit back, get drunk, and people watch. It should be a good time.

In other news, we've been visiting the pet store a lot. A while back we talked about getting some new additions but kept putting it off. After our leopard gecko died, we decided it was too soon but time to get serious about it. Since we are going to be gone for two weeks for wedding/honeymoon, we decided to wait until after we come back. We are getting a new leopard gecko (currently unnamed as we haven't met the critter yet) and some additions we have never had before. Enter stage left: Coomassie the Blue Tongue Skink and Hellvis the Red Corn snake. We will post pictures as soon as we have some. It should be an adventurous couple of months.

The title says it all. When I grow up, I want to be a mad scientist. I want to create the zombie apocalypse or blow up the world or use quantum mechanics to unleash hell on earth. Ah, delusions of science. The fact of the mater is, I'm not a virologist (hell, I'm not even a biologist) so no viruses for zombies, I don't work in explosives any more so no blowing up the world, and I hated pchem and physics so no hell on earth. What is a poor scientist supposed to do.

I want to know where this idea of "Mad Scientist" came from. I don't think they actually exist. I mean, yea, you've got people who are working on nuclear weapons, blah, blah, blah but the scientists themselves are usually not developing that stuff for evil. The example of nuclear weapons: nuclear technology was developed for energy reasons. I don't want to say that scientists can't be evil but I don't think their intentions are all that based in reality. They just want someone to pay for them to fiddle around in the lab with stuff they are interested in.

So back to my evil plans to become a mad scientist. I guess drug development for breast cancer isn't exactly getting me to that goal. On the upside, being in grad school for my Ph.D will get me that title of "Dr." required for the mad scientist title. I mean once I'm Dr. Nekrochick, I'm half way there, right? Dr. Nekrochick isn't going to work. I'm going to need a better name too.

I've finally managed to kick Psycho off the tv long enough to watch a movie. He has been totally wrapped up in Red Dead Redemption (which has been a lot like watching a movie for me) but I can only handle watching him hogtie people for so many straight hours. I'm writing this in preparation to watch my favorite movie of all time: Casablanca. It is really sad actually, Psycho bought me the super BR edition for Valentines Day and I still haven't watched it. So here we go, why I love this movie so much...

Casablanca is first and for most a classic which does not lie in one particular genre which I love. There is action, romance, war, drama, etc. It is a little bit of everything (except horror, there isn't really any horror).
It is black and white which is waaaay classier than color.
Humphery Bogart is gorgeous.
The movie is timeless. Even though it is set during WWII, it could be any time or place.
There are a million other reasons why I love this movie but I'm done writing and ready to go watch the movie.