What is your book about? 
Heart of Stone is about teenager Samantha Abraham, a picked on outcast at school who falls in love  with a strange new foreign exchange student named Joshua. He’s great at hockey, gorgeous, and might just be a golem. Together with her equally unpopular best friend Duckie, they navigate the social  hierarchy, dodge the mean girls, and try to uncover the truth about Joshua’s origins. The book is a little bit Sixteen Candles and a dash of Young Frankenstein with some paranormal/horror elements. 

What inspired this story?
I wanted to write an 80’s inspired teenage horror story that was both current and offbeat. Initially I was trying to write the most out there version of the Twilight style YA trend, taking the logical  progression of Dracula -> Werewolf -> Frankenstein. I thought, those kind of stories usually have fairly shell-like characters designed for the reader to imagine themselves in the role, so what’s more shell-like than a golem? I wanted this to be a parody, but loose enough that it can still work in a serious way.  The series builds as it progresses into more comedic areas, easing in more appearances from the crazy cop Frank Malone, who appeared in my movie The Killing Death, which Heart of Stone is set in the same  universe. 

Tell us a little about you, who is I. D. Russell?
I’m a bit of a jack of all trades kind of guy. Film buff, martial artist, Dad, indie filmmaker, author, gamer, retro pro-wrestling enthusiast, reader, collector, and YouTuber. I can’t sit still and I’m always either working on another book (I’ve got 25 more written in various stages of editing), writing a screenplay (lots on the go that will hopefully be up on screen in the future), reading five or more books at once, training in BJJ or Hapkido… you get the idea. I’m an 80’s child and that’s where my sensibilities come in terms of action movies, horror movies, comedies, etc. Everything I make blends a bit of what I came up with, like The Monster Squad, Police Academy, The Naked Gun, Bruce Lee movies, video games, and schlocky pulp books. Eventually I hope someone notices. 

How can we read Heart of Stone?
Heart of Stone is Book 1 of the “High School Hell” series. You can find the whole series on Amazon: 

• High School Hell Book 1: Heart of Stone
• High School Hell Book 2: Heart of Clay
• High School Hell Book 3: Heart of Flesh

The series is also available on the Ringo Jones website and in select stores in Winnipeg.

Coming soon we will be spotlighting a variety of Indie Books and we could not be more excited! Check out our recent Twitter Post for more details and for you to share your books/links with us.

We are super excited that MHD friend, author, and wrestling expert David Creighton has a an all-new anthology book and will be hosting a virtual book launch tomorrow on Halloween!

Here are the official details about the event:
This Halloween, Trent Radio host a virtual book launch with local author, and mental health advocate, David Creighton. Hear excerpts from his new book “Tales from Other Realms” and learn more about his struggle with Bipolar Disorder. 

I’ve known about this book being in the works for a while, and even was able to read preview/early versions of the time travel centric “The Grassy Knoll”, the space based “Logic Problems”, and the DND inspired “11”. The shorts are well written and engaging. I highly recommend the book for fans of fantasy, magic, and general wonder.

Here is a rundown of the seven stories that are part of this anthology collection:

METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING
Being an Avatar of a trickster god isn’t always easy, or even fun.

ZORRO
A new take on the classic legend.

THE GRASSY KNOLL
A time traveler is the last hope of a dying future. Can he save the world, before it is annihilated?

TO KILL THE DEAD
A Paladin follows his sworn answer, a powerful necromancer, into a deadly swamp. But, the swamp’s residents are just as dangerous, and not very friendly.

JESUS CHRIST: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Fanciful, modern horror starring the bad-ass messiah himself.

LOGIC PROBLEMS
A man. A machine. A battle against time to solve an unsolvable problem. A lone astronaut, and a damaged AI, must fight not only to save their mission, but their lives. A tense. cerebral, space thriller for those who value the mind over the body.

11
A gaming session hangs on one roll of the die.

The event will begin at 3:00pm pst (6pm est and edt) on Trent Radio, which streams live online at TrentRadio.ca. I can’t wait to hear what David has to say about these new stories!

We’ve already covered 5 books that should Hollywood should bring to the big screen. However, it’s not enough because the literary world has published some of the most compelling stories ever told. There are always rumors of a popular book’s copyright being bought by Hollywood. Instead of letting the news sit in the rumor mill for too long, I say they carry out the idea and let the actors bring to life our much loved literary characters.

Below are more books that should definitely be turned into movies:

The Dark Tower (series) by Stephen King
There’s a reason why King makes this list twice, and that reason is because he’s the king of horror. No one can weave a more terrifying story than Kig does. With The Dark Tower, he takes it a whole different level with 8 books comprising this series. It’s about a gun slinger and his physical and metaphysical journey towards a tower. There are talks about a movie but nothing is made concrete.

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Curious how there’s very few movies based on Vonnegut’s works. He’s one of the best writers who ever lived, and his stories are always interesting and witty. Cat’s Cradle has the elements of apocalyptic suspense and dry humor that will be reminiscent of the classic Shaun of the Dead. Leonardo di Caprio apparently wants to make this movie, but that was 2005 and there were no news since.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
The movie Simon Birch is loosely based on Irving’s classic, but there’s still a need for this movie to reach the big screen. The rich story of friendship, love, and self-acceptance gives heart and character to this book. Hollywood is in desperate need of more movies with heart, and they can start with this book if they want one.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Probably one of the greatest tragedy, we may never get to see Salinger’s timeless piece be adapted into a movie. When he was alive, he refused every movie deal and made sure that it won’t be made into a movie even after his death. Holden Caulfield is one of the most iconic characters in fiction, and it’s a shame that we will never see him in the big screen.

In recent years, the highest grossing films are often adaptations of best-selling books. When there’s a lack of good story to tell in Hollywood, they resort to literature for ideas. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is currently raking in the big dough by the minute. And who can forget two of the biggest film franchises ever: Harry Potter and Twilight? For the delight of science fiction junkies, Ender’s Game finally takes on the big screen this year, after decades of movie adaptation rumors.

If Hollywood needs more ideas on which books or series to bring to the theaters, they can take note of the following:

Vampire Academy (series) by Rachelle Mead
Please don’t relate it to Twilight, because Mead’s take on the vampire phenomenon is fresh, exciting and full of interesting characters. Teen vampires and half-humans take center stage in this series, and to make it even more interesting, an academy is the setting of this harrowing series.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
This is a Tim Burton film waiting to happen. Gaiman has always crafted rich worlds for his characters, and American Gods probably has the most diverse number of engaging characters. Where are the gods in this modern times? What are their roles in society? It’s an interesting look at mythology, and it will definitely make for an engaging and visually-stunning movie.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
There’s no more creative book than House of Leaves. A horror story that will make you turn your book upside-down and tilt your head every which way, Danielewski’s novel tells the plight of a family who moved into a house that’s bigger on the inside than the outside. Through the jumble of differently formatted pages, House of Leaves creates an eerie tale that can echo screams of terrors in cinemas worldwide.

The Stand by Stephen King
Regarded as King’s best novel, it’s surprising that a movie adaptation of The Stand hasn’t materialized yet. The unapologetically thick novel covers a wide array of genre from post-apocalyptic to horror to fantasy. For years, there are reports of movie deals but nothing came after. Producers should make up their minds because they have the best sci-fi movie in their hands.

Looking For Alaska by John Green
It’s surprising how Green’s other novel Fault in Our Stars got to be adapted into a movie first. Looking For Alaska is another of Green’s famous works. Miles enters a preparatory school for his junior year and meets Alaska, the beautiful mess. No other character in young adult fiction has characterized the beautiful mess as well as Alaska, and I demand that we see it on the big screen soon.

Sure, Zach Braff and Veronica Mars have an easy time raising the funds that they need through crowd-sourcing, but not everyone has it so easy. My Hollywood Dream’s very own columnist Lucian has put together a crowd-sourcing page to bring his eBooks to life via printed anthology. Help bring Supernatural Tales to life!

Lucian’s goal is a very modest $5,000 that he would use towards printing costs, hiring an artist to create an original cover , and publicity. He is offering five perks, including a copy of one of the stories as an eBook for 5 dollar contributions, the complete collection in eBook for 15 dollars, a signed paperback for 50 dollars, and a thank you in the actual paperback book for 100 dollars. Sure, the perks do not include hanging out with celebrities or getting a T-Shirt that you’d never wear, but I can say for sure that 5 dollars is a Bargain to read Lucian’s original stories- which ironically enough is the short story you’d get for donating 5 dollars. Lets take a closer look at all of the stories that make up Supernatural Tales…

Bargain
On their tenth anniversary a husband explains the strange bargain he made to win his wife’s love.

I Dream Analyze Genie
The story of the genie in the magic lamp is an old one, told many times. And, more often than not, things do not end well for the poor unfortunate who stumbles across the lamp. Which of course raises one important question: After all these years hasn’t anyone figured out rubbing an old lamp is a BAD idea? On the other hand, though, we are a more educated, intelligent and introspective species than we ever have been before. Certainly modern man could find a way to benefit from the powers of the genie. Surely by now we can benefit from making wise choices in what we wish for. Well, that is the subject of this wry tale.

Zombie Zoo
A food critic and a young Goth discover a terrible secret behind The Zombie Zoo nightclub. Together they must do battle with a terrible monster. Inspired by the Tom Petty song “Zombie Zoo”(Note: no actual zombies).

Devil’s in the Details
An occult professor accidentally sells his soul to a demoness. Can he find a way to avoid an eternity in Hell?

Closing Argument
Lawyer Jim Prentice faces his greatest challenge, defending his right to live in a trial with Death himself as judge.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading earlier drafts of “Closing Argument” and “Devils in the Details” and I can not wait to eventually get Supernatural Tales as a paperback and see what changes Lucian has made to the stories! Please head on over to the book’s IndieGoGo page and donate anything you can (every dollar helps).

1. Kindle Fire
Amazon’s awesome tablet/e-reader is on sale from $159 to $129 bucks. It normally is the best priced tabley on the market for what you get and this sale makes it that much better! To get the Cyber Monday deal you need to use the code FIREDEAL at checkout. After you get the Kindle Fire you might want to purchase a new e-book or two. You can try our very own wrestling expert/movie reviewer Lucian’s Tales of Modern Horror, where you get three short stories for the price of one. Other ideas for your favorite geek include Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead novel “The Road to Woodbury” or one of my personal favorites Pulp, from Charles Bukowski.

2. Marvel Studios Movies
For at least today you can get some of the best superhero movies ever made on Blu-Ray for under 10 bucks, including Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Iron Man 2. Sure, you can get both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings Blu-Rays for under 4 bucks, but they are old news compared to Marvel’s amazing cinematic universe.

3. Various Video Games
Today Amazon is featuring a ton of awesome video game lighting deals. Including in the mix are; Need for Speed: The Run, Kinect Star Wars, NHL 13, Dance Central 3, Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013, Soul Calibur V, SSX, and The Secret World to name a few. Normally nothing can beat the price of a Lighting Deal, but that goes double on Cyber Monday. You are sure to find a game for whatever kind of geek you are shopping for.