BLOG TOUR for “The Haunted E-Book” by J.L. Bryan + GIVAWAY!
*Giveaway Closed*
BLOG *We interrupt our love fest for this special announcement – All this love might be giving some of you an aversion to sugar and spice and all that’s nice and so, without further ado we would like to share this special guest blog by J.L. Bryan who is our guest today on his Haunted Blog Tour! Sit down, make sure you’re safe inside and read away as J.L Bryan shares everything he knows about evil spell books and the dangers they contain…..Bruahahahhahahhaha ;)*
Dee escapes her dreary librarian job and unfaithful boyfriend by reading romance and fantasy on her Kindle. She tries The Haunted E-book, the story of a 19th century tramp printer whose ghost awakens whenever someone reads a book he created. The ghost stalks his readers and threatens them with death if they stop reading the book. Though she doesn’t usually like ghost stories, Dee can’t stop herself from reading it. Then Dee learns the stories in the books are true, the malevolent ghost is real, and Dee might be the next character to die.
Spell books. For centuries, they’ve held the secrets to the universe, or at least to casting spells on other people, as well as supernatural critters. Sometimes you want someone to love you back, or to stop bugging you about how much they love you. Sometimes you want wealth, power, or revenge. Sometimes you want to raise the dead, or the demonic, or put them back where they belong.
Famous spell books can be found throughout history, in fiction, folklore or on fire in medieval book-burnings. Here are a few major spell books—real, fictional, or in-between—that have helped shape our modern ideas of what spell books are and what they can do.
The Key of Solomon – This grimoire is alleged to date back to King Solomon himself, but more likely dates back to medieval Europe. It features an index of demons and angels, their symbols and properties, and how to summon or banish them. Want to win a war, get a good job, or just look cute on a Friday night? The key has a demon for you.
The Necronomicon – The granddaddy of evil spell books. H.P. Lovecraft made this book famous in his stories. Loosely based on ancient Sumerian mythology, the Necronomicon is most commonly used to summon the Old Ones cast out at the creation of the universe. These guys liked the chaos, disorder and horror that ruled before soft and cuddly human beings came along with their more benevolent deities. There’s always some grouchy anti-social type who wants to open the gate to Hell and bring them back to destroy the universe. Sometimes a do-gooder comes along and stops the gate from opening. Sometimes not. Either way, we never get too much insight into what other spells are contained in the Necronomicon, except that are they are pretty evil and have to do with funerary rites and necromancy. The book was allegedly written by the “Mad Arab,” Abdul Al-hazrad, somewhere around the eight century A.D.
Today, the Necronomicon may be best known for its role in the Evil Dead movies. Reading the Necromonicon’s spells aloud summons the evil dead to your vacation rental cabin deep in the scary woods. They will harass you from various camera angles until you either die or defeat them. Your weekend may turn into a brilliant low-budget horrorfest.
The Agrippa – This is a legendary spellbook bound in human skin, which resists anyone who tries to use its spells, except for its owner. The Agrippa gets very attached to its owner and freaks out, black magic-style, when its owner dies. (Readers of The Haunted E-book might notice similarities). Darkeva actually found a picture of such a book for my guest blog on her page.
Tom Riddle’s Diary – For those of you wondering whether I’d slip a Harry Potter reference into this article, the answer is yes. Tom Riddle—better known as Voldemort—hides a portion of his soul in this book. It turns out that reading it is not such a good idea, especially if you’re a boy whom Voldemort is determined to kill. If you encounter this book, it’s best to just destroy it (and the bit of Voldemort’s soul inside it) and move on.
In the comments below, you might mention some of your favorite spell books, or what kind of spell book you would like to find.
Thanks to Day and all the Dolls for hosting me today!
J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic period literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina and assorted pets. He writes about ghosts, the supernatural, the paranormal, the futuristic, the Southern, and the very strange.
Website: http://www.jlbryanbooks.com/
Stacey Graham said…
Ahh, is there anything more enticing than a rendezvous with evil? Yeah. I know. I need to get out more.
Shop smart – shop S-Mart!
February 11, 2011 10:17 AM
SandyG265 said…
I read H.P. Lovecraft when I was in high school so I have to go with The Necronomicon.
February 11, 2011 10:34 AM
Bamafever said…
Interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever read a spell book lol.
February 11, 2011 8:45 PM
Meredith said…
I don’t have a favorite spell book, but would love to find a spell to lose a pound or two.
meredithfl at gmail dot com
February 11, 2011 10:05 PM
Vivien said…
I haven’t read a spell book, unless you count Harry Potter. But I absolutely adore Harry Potter.
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
February 12, 2011 12:42 AM
Day said…
Big THANKS to J.L. Bryan for stopping at PBD! I am currently reading the Haunted Ebook and enjoying it!
February 12, 2011 6:05 AM
JL_Bryan said…
Stacey – Love the Army of Darkness ref! (and pretty much everything about those movies…)
Sandy – Lovecraft is the best! (well, I’m not wild about his views on race, but that’s the 19th century for you…)
Bamafever – Who has? LOL
Meredith – I think that spellbook would be a mega-bestseller.
Vivien – Yep, I love Harry Potter, too. JK Rowling is such an amazing writer, pulls you right into the story and you basically forget you’re even reading! I hope to be that good one day.
Day – Thank you for hosting! I’m glad you’re enjoying the book. Let me know if you ever want a review copy of Jenny Pox, too!
February 12, 2011 6:55 AM
Katy said…
Ha. I love all of Harry Potter’s spellbooks. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, The monster book of monsters, Tom Riddle’s diary..all good stuff.
hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu
February 12, 2011 9:07 AM
Dovile said…
The first spellbook that springs into my mind is the Book of Shadows from Charmed.
spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com
February 12, 2011 9:19 AM
Gillian Evans said…
The Teen Spell Book: Magick for Young Witches – pity they don’t spell magic PROPERLY!!
February 12, 2011 10:37 AM
Mike said…
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February 12, 2011 12:46 PM
Melanie said…
I would like to find a spell that would allow me to me to prove to my Wiccan sister-in-law that she can’t actually do spells.
February 12, 2011 12:48 PM
Konstantin said…
The only closest spells-book i’ve read was Harry Potter. And I think everyone should read Harry Potter at least once!
idealprizegmailcom
February 12, 2011 2:55 PM
Lady Dragoness said…
Gee, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a spell book. Must have been nearly 40 years ago… what kind would I like to find? Something with housekeeping spells to make my life a bit easier.
February 12, 2011 11:27 PM
Gunn M. said…
I love Fantasy, but I have never thought about the books as spellbooks… being new in that thought, maybe I should mention Magician : Apprentice
by Raymond Feist? Yeah, an apprentice will do. ;)
February 13, 2011 12:41 AM
Jan von Harz said…
I actually bought a spell book several decades ago so I do not remember the name, just that the spells I tried never really worked. Now if could find a way to make a spell work I think it would be one to rival all the botox and diets out there and make me younger looking and thinner.
February 13, 2011 12:49 AM
Shanella said…
No fave spell books here, but I do love the slip in off Tom Riddle’s Diary =D
February 13, 2011 6:52 PM
Cat the Librarian said…
This sounds awesome!
February 13, 2011 7:26 PM
donnas said…
Great post. I have to admit I have never read one, and would honestly probably be too freaked out too.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
February 13, 2011 7:35 PM
JL_Bryan said…
Katie, Konstantin and Shanella- The Harry Potter books are full of great stuff!
Dovile- I used to watch Charmed! Not just because my friend’s sister insisted on watching it religiously. Though that helped.
Gillian- That one sounds educational :)
Melanie- Very creative answer! :)
Lady Dragoness and Jan- If you combine the house-cleaning spellbook with the weight-loss spellbook, I think you’d have the most popular book on Earth.
Gunn- Apprentices will work fine :)
Cat- Thanks! Don’t forget you enter for the Kindle giveaway by commenting at other stops along the blog tour, too (http://jlbryanbooks for more info!)
Donna- Thank you!
February 14, 2011 1:26 PM
Mary Ellen said…
This post has been removed by the author.
February 15, 2011 8:57 AM
Mary Ellen said…
I would like to have a spell book that had a spell to let me fly. I’d also like to have a spell to keep my friends and family safe. Thank you for the giveaway! I can’t wait to read The haunted E-Book!
February 15, 2011 9:00 AM
SilverWolf said…
I can’t say that I’ve read a spell book although I have watched the Evil Dead movies. However, I can’t wait to read “The Haunted E-book” it sounds really exciting. I love ghost stories and I’ve watched several movies where the characters read a book they are in like the kids “Never Ending Story.”
belinda (dot) wolf-whitaker@ va (dot) gov
I live in the USA – Kansas
February 16, 2011 6:54 AM
Asylumgirl said…
I would have to say any spell book that could help me clean the house. I’m so behind on that and can’t seem to talk/enchant/bribe anyone else to do it. lol
Deidre
February 17, 2011 9:27 AM
lauralynnelliott said…
Wow, what we could do with spells….
I’ve read The Haunted Ebook and Jenny Pox and am currently reading Helix. All awesome!
February 17, 2011 9:48 AM
dianeb said…
Three of the four I know about, but The Agrippa is something new. I will have to go looking, many thanks!
February 18, 2011 6:34 AM