Ronald Kelly (1) (1959–)

I was super excited to learn that Ronald Kelly had written an autobiography of sorts......and super excited to read it!

I wasn't disappointed....Rons smooth and comfortable story telling style has you feeling like you're sitting with him for a chat.

I've been reading horror for over 30 yrs....since I discovered King at 12.....and being a born and bred Southern girl myself, stories set in the South are my favorite. Very few are able to do justice to the quaint, sleepy, and sometimes eerie, show more feeling of small Southern towns like Ron. Only those with roots are able to capture the essence of Southern living and all of the language and traditions.

The man was born to write, he excells at character creation and storytelling...not the fancy prose that belongs in classic literature....just great storytelling. He has a God given ability that puts even King to shame.

These are some of the reasons that Ron is one of my top 5 favorites writers. Reading this made me realize he is also one of my favorite people....I love his unapologetic honesty about touchy topics, and himself alike.

This book contains tid bits from his childhood up until the present. It touches on his 10 year hiatus and the troubles and emotions that plagued him. It's a personal look at Ron the writer, and the human being. I truly appreciate his entrusting his readers enough to let us have a glimpse at the real Ronald Kelly.

There's also recommendations and advice for aspiring writers sprinkled throughout. This was perfect for my 2 oldest daughters, who just co-wrote and published a small book of poetry on Amazon. They are currently writing and illustrating a novel and children's book, and found his advice very helpful. They also immensely enjoyed this book, and have been stealing my other RK books to read.

I will stop rambling and just say....READ THIS BOOK...read ALL of his work...he is one of the best in this genre! show less

Let's start with this cover art.......its so adorably macabre! I purchased this book based on the cover alone.

This is an example of Halloween short stories done right! I'm not a huge short story fan and usually find some of the stories lacking......not here.

Every story here was entertaining and spooky. I read.....no, I devoured this book very quickly. The entire book....including the introduction and 2 essays.....is very nostalgic and captures the true essence of Halloween.

Mr. Glow show more bones....the title story.....is amazing and probably my fave. A few are reminiscent of iconic horror shows...Mr. Mack and the monster mobile screams Goosebumps episode......Pins and needles would fit in perfectly on Tales from the crypt.....the Cryptkeeper would simply love the macabre justice served here. The Outhouse, Billy's mask and The Halloween train are timeless tales.....Black Harvest is folk horror at its creepiest......Pelingrads pit intoduces legends from Germany.

I also have the Halloween store and other tales from Ronald Kelly and its just as good....I believe one of the essays and a story or two may be the same.

On the essays.....I love that Kelly isn't afraid to include real thoughts, emotions and memories and doesn't give a hoot about being politically correct.

If you want to be transported back to the October's of your childhood.....if you are looking to recapture the thrill of Halloween.....the search stops here!! show less

A collection of short stories that all take place in the days leading up to Halloween, and the day itself. The title story has four friends who visit a pop-up Halloween store and have the vintage boxed monster costumes put away until they can raise the money, which they do, on Halloween. Now, what kind of costumes need a signed disclaimer? Another story has two boys who order a fearsome monster by mail, and unfortunately, get exactly what they pay for. Another has a young fan who learns that show more her rockabilly idol isn't so cool, and maybe the best story is about a small-town sheriff seeking the monster who is turning townspeople into jack o' lanterns.
Take the old Alfred Hitchcock Hour and add some blood and a little gore and you have something like these stories. They don't rely on the gore, instead being plot and character driven. I've discovered a new favorite author. show less

From out of a shadowy backwoods hollow, echoes a dark threat from the past, nearly a century lost and forgotten. The rural town of Harmony, Tennessee, possessed a disturbing secret; a secret so ancient that most of its residents were completely unaware of it. Even the last survivors of a vigilante raid long ago have filed the tragic events of that autumn night away, totally unaware of the evil that remains, dormant, but forever patient, among the tall pines and thick-leaved kudzu of a place show more known only as Hell Hollow. There it would have remained, unrevealed, if not for a handful of unknowing participants. Four kids, bored for excitement during one of the hottest summers on record. A killer on the run, dodging his latest atrocity. And a rape victim on a deadly mission...scarred in both body and mind. All have a hand in bringing forth an unspeakable evil from the dark woods of Hell Hollow. He is a skeletal figure in top hat and tails, brandishing a handful of magical cards and a patented elixir that was brewed in the very depths of Purgatory.
Its horror set in the small country town of Harmony, Tennessee. Instead of horror with an extraterrestrial clown demon or burned up boogeyman, we get a demonic dark magician as our antagonist.

He comes with his amazing elixir and the promise that it will cure any, and all, ailments. But unless this is your first horror story, you know that it does anything, and probably everything, BUT that. After tricking and killing several of the gullible townsfolk, he is hunted down and killed.

Now...move ahead 90-years to a haunted spot in the woods called "Hell Hollow" by the townsfolk in this little Tennessee town. This it seems is his "not so final" resting place. Wicked laughter can be heard by anyone who ventures too close. The spooky man is back, and he's back with a vengeance. Four 12-year-old friends stumble on the evil villain who is in disguise and are tricked into a world found only in their dreams, which you can imagine, turns into their absolutely worst nightmare.

Will the town be doomed, or will, or can, the evil magician be stopped by these meddling 12-year-olds and the other equally questionable characters they pick up along the way? If you love horror, then I highly recommend "Hell Hollow". It's exciting, comes with an original plot along with a fantastic bunch of crazy characters, all in a quaint little southern town setting. Oh...and it also has a wickedly cool bad guy, that you might find yourself feeling a bit sorry for. show less