Christopher E Appel

A new edit of Valhollywood is currently on Amazon. A large print edition is also available, in case you needed to bludgeon someone to death with a phone book and realized those are hard to come by these days.

Andrew C. Greenberg, co-creator of the influential Wizardry series of RPGs, has died Wizardry was huge in the 1980s, and helped define both Western and Japanese RPGs as we know them.

I anever worked for Andrew C. Greenberg, but he and Robert Woodhead created a series which not only inspired me, but during its D.W. Bradley incarnation, gave me a career in game development. RIP Werdna. www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/an...

I'm assuming this is some personal line in the sand, not a draconian mandate. In the 80s bra-less women at bars were considered a selling point.

Can't post a video, but there are so many cicadas getting busy outside my widow it sounds like a phaser on overload.

Saddened to learn of the passing of James A. Moore, a stand up guy, and an inspiration to me. He made an indelible contribution to my novel and was kind enough to to write a cover blurb when it was published. My thoughts are with his family and other friends.

As I unpacked from my move, I realized that Valhollywood is now a year old. Here's looking at you, kid! #FantasyLit, #Indie, #BookBirthday

It's been a hectic few months. I've got several stories out for consideration, I've relocated to a new city, and I'm still searching for a new career position, and, but Valhollywood is getting good reviews and is still on sale and free to read on Kindle Unlimited. www.amazon.com/Valhollywood...

Horror Companion (SWADE) - Preorder | Pinnacle Entertainment Group Please note that this item is for Preorder only. Any items combined with this product in your order will not ship until it arrives from the manufacturer.

Not doing cover illustrations these days (except for my own book) but here's one of the last I did for PEG, the Horror Companion, now available for preorder.
peginc.com/product/horr...

Here's a link to the editorial reviews I received on eBookFairs during the case study: create.dibbly.com/d/jfndLmhfG1...

I was most intrigued by recasting God on a personal level, however. If the God of your understanding isn't working for you, perhaps the understanding is more at fault. Recasting God, might be a metaphor for checking our assumptions. i.e., "What if God was one of us?" I think it’s a marvelous phrase.

We've recast God over the centuries, from a teacher fed up with the corruption of the Pharisees, to a Platonic figure as reimagined by Augustine, to the standard bearer and justification for Western colonialism. In the Bible Belt, Jesus has recently morphed into gun-toting anti-socialist...

I was actually thinking of recasting in a much less literal way. In my novel, Valhollywood, I blur the lines of celebrity worship and traditional mythology, so the idea of recasting a god is something fun to play with, but I was imagining a more historical or personal turn of that phrase...

I love Frances' work, but was drawn to this thread by the phrase, "If I recast God," which--removed from this specific context--seems like such a fascinating philosophical concept.

Blue Eye Samurai Wins Big, Takes Home 6 Different Annie Awards Netflix's animated series 'Blue Eye Samurai' wins six different Annie Awards after getting nominated in seven categories.

Congratulations to the Blue Eye Samurai team for some well deserved Annie Awards! fandomwire.com/blue-eye-sam...

There are restaurants you just don't cross. In Valhollywood, Jake Neumann learns the Melody Lane on Wilshire is one of them.

This shot is from Martin Turnbull's blog. Turnbull has written about a dozen novels set in Hollywood's history. If that aspect of Valhollywood is of interest, check them out.

The version of Ciro's presented in Valhollywood is the old 1940 decor. The mob was rumored to be behind the club. Mickey Cohen received payouts for 'costumes' in exchange for empty hat boxes. Cohen--and events in the swanky bar at Ciro's during a private party--are key to the action in Valhollywood.

Cover to Valhollywood. A fox sits on a rainy street in from of Ciro's nightclub.

I'm working on the follow up to Valhollywood, my noir urban fantasy set against the backdrop of classic film history. It's a mystery, but it is more hard boiled than cozy. I'm also working on #writing some unrelated stories that I hope to have news on soon!

Are Paid Reviews Worth It? Editorial reviews provide third-party credibility to your book, but are they worth all the hassle or costs? I worked with five authors in a case study using ...

I took part in a case study organized by eBookFairs and Dale L Roberts. Four authors and I talked briefly with Dale about our experiences here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDJQ...

Time has flown the last few months as I've dealt with a job search, a bout of covid, sold a home, and relocated to a new city. Valhollywood has been earning solid reviews in the meantime. It's on Amazon and free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

If you are unaware of Helena Blavatsky and her Theosophical Society's impact on Victorian culture and early fantasy fiction, look her up. Her teachings filtered into H. P. Lovecraft's great old ones, Robert E. Howard's Hyborean age, and J. R. R. Tolkien's first, second and third ages.

Early in LA history, the Theosophists founded Krotona in the Hollywood hills. The colony later moved to Ojai, but many of their old university buildings are still there, and other landmarks--the Hollywood Bowl and a number of significant homes were built by society members.

Ciro's nightclub is on the cover of Valhollywood and is probably the most important location I researched for the book. My description of the Ciro's in the book is its original 40s décor. It went through many incarnations and expansions over the years. Now the building is the Comedy Store.

Another book Valholywood fans might enjoy is By Any Other Fame--Mike Resnick and Martin H Greenberg, ed.
It's an anthology of 'what if?' stories, featuring tales by science fiction and fantasy authors about Hollywood stars, and other celebrities, in alternate situations which bring them fame.

In the 90s, when I was playing with the idea for Valhollywood, I was inspired by the Toby Peters mysteries by Stuart Kaminsky.

Peters is a PI who would gets hired by the studio fixers to help famous movie stars out of jams. Kaminsky wrote two dozen of these stories.

Across from Jake's is the Hollywood and Highland Center. When I started the book, this was fairly new, based on D. W. Griffith's Intolerance. Before I finished, this mall was redesigned. In Valhollywood, old landmarks exist and can be visited, but I hadn't expected Chapter 1 to be a nostalgia piece.

When Jake Neumann arrives in Valhollywood early in 2016, he is living in an apartment building on Highland Avenue. It is one of the few locations where I have chosen to take literary license, but the exterior description closely matches the actual location in Los Angeles on the left.

Saddened to hear of the passing of Jennell Jaquays. It was nearly 35 years ago when I was given my first illustration assignment on Citybook IV. Jennell was a pioneer in the tabletop and electronic game industries. I always enjoyed catching up at conventions. My thought go out to her loved ones.

Holiday greetings! Welcome to Valhollywood, a sprawling urban fantasy world set against the backdrop of LA noir and Hollywood history. Follow Jake Neumann on a race against time through murder, magic, and movie history. Free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

www.amazon.com/Valhollywood...

Selling, moving, and buying a house has turned into a full-time job, without pay or benefits. I hope I'll have something more fun to share soon.

MarKay and I are ready for our next chapter, starting with the sale of my childhood home. A great house and neighborhood for raising kids. We've loved it here, but it needs a family who wants a big yard, a giant pool and lots of levels! In Marietta GA
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...