David Ruggerio's Blog
October 28, 2019
A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men & Monsters Compared with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
With only three days left till the release of my horror novel, A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, & Monsters, it just received another great review from Author’s Reading. Check it out–
A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters by David Ruggerio is a gothic tale that unfolds in the hamlet of Brunswick, New York that abounds with scary local tales, nightmare settings, and haunted spots. The story creeps open as young William Willowsby, and his friend Lilly enters into the town’s neglected cemetery at night. The place of rest for the dead is virtually pulsating with its residence spirits creating an ambiance of gloom shrouded in a sinister mist. Ruggerio paints a very authentic spooky opening scene that sets the tempo for his tale of darkness and evil that reminds me of Washington Irving’s classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Mystery, suspense, legend, horror, and humor can all be found in Ruggerio’s excellent tale, where he combines reality and imagination with simple, eloquent sentences designed to make you fear ghoulish nightmares if you succumb to sleep.
William, the tale’s protagonist is cursed with an evil but beautiful dominating stepmother, Anne, who relishes treating him cruelly. She also dominates his father who is transfixed by her beauty and sexual prowess. William is an aficionado of the macabre, collects relics of horror, and believes in the grizzly tales that abound in his small community. He has also started to hear something that sounds like, “come out and play” as he squirrels himself away in his bedroom.
William is obsessed with learning more about the legend of the Sky Woman, a shape-changing monster that drinks blood and enjoys its most power during a certain period of the year that coincidently falls on Halloween. He feels he must learn who she really is when she is in human form. It is only when the Sky Woman is in human form that she is most vulnerable to being destroyed.
Williams’s dad, James, is a cuckolded husband and has no idea of the power and true desires his beautiful wife possesses. She has many secrets that she would not want anyone to know. She is just one of Ruggerio’s characters that are much more than they first appear. Brunswick is the home of many monsters who surreptitiously live next door to unsuspecting neighbors. The caretaker of the Pinewoods Cemetery, Banger Doyle, is probably not someone you’d really want to ride around with. Bobby and Joey did, and they felt evil emanating from him.
Tom Landtmann, the new hamlet’s Sheriff plays a big part in the tale. He has to sort out the murders that start piling up in and around Brunswick. Who or what is responsible for these deaths? He discovers that Brunswick has a lot of unsolved murders, and they all seem to share similarities. What kind of demonic hamlet is he employed by? Is it a town that is the home of monsters that live off of the blood of others? Something is ghoulish about the hamlet, and Sheriff Tom is determined to put an end to the reign of terror.
David Ruggerio’s tale is the perfect Halloween read to enjoy in front of a flickering fireplace with a couple glasses of hard cider. A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters is an unsettling, spooky, flat-out scary read that transports you into a nightmare of a shadowy underworld replete with evil monsters and blood-drinking ghouls. –Author’s Reading
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October 9, 2019
Thank You To The San Francisco Book Review for a Great Article…Check it Out!
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A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters by David Ruggerio is set in the tiny New York village of Brunswick. It’s a postcard-perfect autumnal setting, with lovely cider-worthy orchards, fields of giant orange pumpkins, golden rows of corn and wheat, and that close-knit feel that only rural hamlets can offer. Brunswick is also a place full of sinister darkness, where an ancient legend walks the nights.
I found this to be quite an interesting read! My favorite location is the funeral home. Giant stained glass of purgatory? Check. Bizarre door handle shaped like a bony arm? Check. Massive entryway painting of Cronos eating his children? Check. And it was run by a person named Hades, of all things!
The novel follows many points of view. The main ones are William, and the brothers Joey and Bobby. Later, Sheriff Tom takes a bigger role. Between them are what I came to think of as snapshot POVs that provide the history of the town, and little vignettes that show us how players both major and minor found themselves a part of the current tale. I enjoyed these tidbits of history and legend of the local region and the glimpses into the characters’ pasts. My favorite of these had to be the radio DJ Johnny B, and Sheriff Tom. Hades’ was interesting too, and rather sad. These snapshots flowed together with ease, enriching the story at hand.
This was a wonderful ode to the mysteries, fears, and delights of the things that haunt the night. It is a horror novel that blends elements of X-Files, Supernatural, and Stranger Things, that harkens back to old school horror. It made me think of what you might get if directors Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro collaborated on a book. Recommended if you enjoy horror novels of the slow-build kind, with little of the slash and gore action.
Reviewed by J. Aislynn d’Merricksson, SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW
Ghost & Goblins come to play on October’s final day!
The post Thank You To The San Francisco Book Review for a Great Article…Check it Out! appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
October 3, 2019
A Few Word From US Review of Books!
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A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men & Monsters
by David Ruggerio
Black Rose Writing
book review by Michael Radon
“He could sense that there was someone or worse, something, evil, seemingly crouching in the recesses of the cellar. It fed on his fear.”
The sleepy town of Brunswick, New York, has its share of characters and history that give the town its identity. Unlike most small towns, however, the identity of Brunswick seems to be colored in unspeakable evil. From the abandoned funeral parlor and mansion suspected to be involved in corpse mutilation and unholy sacrifice to a string of cold cases involving murdered and mutilated young girls that the town seems oddly unconcerned with, Brunswick’s past is checkered, to say the least. With a new sheriff in from Philadelphia, some overeager ghost hunters from New Jersey, a local boy enamored by all things dark and spooky, and a rare “All Hallow’s Tide” blood moon all intersecting, the distinction between local legend and supernatural truth is called into question. If there truly is evil in this town, the community must face its past before it can move on.
Calling to mind the idyllic yet horrific New England of Stephen King’s books, the setting of this book is just as pivotal to its suspense and grip as any of its scariest monsters. The duality of what we think of as a simpler, happier lifestyle and the presence of evil lurking in anyone’s heart creates an environment of not knowing who to trust when everyone appears to be what they say at face value. This tension comes to an absolute head near the end of the story, as the author brilliantly sets up each chapter as a vignette about one of the town’s characters or current visitors before throwing alliances and allegiances up in the air on either side of a deadly but resigned cult. The pressure builds slowly but releases in an instant, always hinting at something sinister lurking but not in a hurry to reveal its secrets. The result is unsettling… yet satisfying.
The post A Few Word From US Review of Books! appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
September 28, 2019
September 24, 2019
Another Great Review for My Upcoming Novel by Kirkus!
The much anticipated Kirkus review of my upcoming novel; A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters.
A small town with a gothic history falls prey to evil forces in former TV cooking-show host and restaurateur Ruggerio’s (Ruggerio’s Italian Kitchen, 2000, etc.) debut novel.
Children have been disappearing in the tiny, rustic hamlet of Brunswick, New York, for centuries. As Halloween draws near, young, stuttering, motherless William Willowsby witnesses frightening apparitions while playing with his friend Lilly Mueller in the reportedly haunted Forest Park cemetery. Even though he’s fascinated by the idea of monsters, he encounters creeping fog and the sound of a guttural moan that forces William to flee. But he soon becomes obsessed with investigating the mysteries surrounding the graveyard. Meanwhile, brothers Joey and Bobby Martorano visit Brunswick to debunk supernatural rumors. But horrific events befall the siblings as they explore the deep corners of a morgue, just as local longtime bookshop owner Jessup Homel feared would happen. Soon, local law enforcement becomes inspired to reopen a cold case and solves a mystery in the process. Throughout the novel, the author builds out Brunswick’s origins and legacy with ominous historical anecdotes. Ancient lore meets contemporary horror as monsters materialize in the present day, and William, Tom, and Bobby, cry werewolf—to the townspeople’s collective dismay. Bloodshed ensues before the serpentine nightmare comes to a close, leaving room for a potential sequel. In a succession of crisp, clipped chapters, Ruggerio moves his story along using classic horror and suspense tropes, blended with a unique descriptive flair, particularly when setting scenes or detailing the grim particulars of a monster. The author also conjures a fantastically eerie sense of place, showing Brunswick to be a close-knit, Halloween-loving, evil-fearing township, complete with a haunted mansion and schoolhouse, and a creepy mortuary with a grim past. The author brings in numerous characters along the way, although some wander in and out a bit too hastily. Overall, though, the story is alluring and devilishly entertaining, with a tone and subject matter reminiscent of spooky (but PG-rated) horror movies.
A sinister but not-too-scary slice of Halloween horror fiction featuring a hearty bunch of heroes.–KIRKUS
The post Another Great Review for My Upcoming Novel by Kirkus! appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
Another Great Review for My Upcoming Novel!
A small town with a gothic history falls prey to evil forces
in former TV cooking-show host and restaurateur Ruggerio’s (Ruggerio’s Italian
Kitchen, 2000, etc.) debut novel.
Children have been disappearing in the tiny, rustic hamlet
of Brunswick, New York, for centuries. As Halloween draws near, young,
stuttering, motherless William Willowsby witnesses frightening apparitions
while playing with his friend Lilly Mueller in the reportedly haunted Forest
Park cemetery. Even though he’s fascinated by the idea of monsters, he
encounters creeping fog and the sound of a guttural moan that forces William to
flee. But he soon becomes obsessed with investigating the mysteries surrounding
the graveyard. Meanwhile, brothers Joey and Bobby Martorano visit Brunswick to
debunk supernatural rumors. But horrific events befall the siblings as they
explore the deep corners of a morgue, just as local longtime bookshop owner
Jessup Homel feared would happen. Soon, local law enforcement becomes inspired
to reopen a cold case and solves a mystery in the process. Throughout the
novel, the author builds out Brunswick’s origins and legacy with ominous
historical anecdotes. Ancient lore meets contemporary horror as monsters
materialize in the present day, and William, Tom, and Bobby, cry werewolf—to
the townspeople’s collective dismay. Bloodshed ensues before the serpentine
nightmare comes to a close, leaving room for a potential sequel. In a
succession of crisp, clipped chapters, Ruggerio moves his story along using
classic horror and suspense tropes, blended with a unique descriptive flair,
particularly when setting scenes or detailing the grim particulars of a
monster. The author also conjures a fantastically eerie sense of place, showing
Brunswick to be a close-knit, Halloween-loving, evil-fearing township, complete
with a haunted mansion and schoolhouse, and a creepy mortuary with a grim past.
The author brings in numerous characters along the way, although some wander in
and out a bit too hastily. Overall, though, the story is alluring and
devilishly entertaining, with a tone and subject matter reminiscent of spooky
(but PG-rated) horror movies.
A sinister but not-too-scary slice of Halloween horror fiction
featuring a hearty bunch of heroes.–KIRKUS
The post Another Great Review for My Upcoming Novel! appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
September 17, 2019
A Chef Who Serves Up Fiction
I’m having great fun promoting my new novel, A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters. I had a gas doing a radio show with Celeste Duckworth, just click on the link above and take a listen!
Stay tuned for more interviews to come!
The post A Chef Who Serves Up Fiction appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
August 18, 2019
Long Island Book Fest
Come join me on Saturday, October 19, 2019, at the Book Fair in Carle Place on Long Island from 12-5 PM and discover my new novel; “A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters.”
Meet many other local authors and pick up a signed copy of their books. There will be fun-filled kids activities, a raffle to win prizes, and of course lots of books for sale! Our organization, Authors Against Domestic Abuse, will also be using some of the proceeds from book sales to help domestic violence victims. So bring your family, your friends and your love of books to the Long Island Book Fair! Best of all it’s free for the public!
The post Long Island Book Fest appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
July 26, 2019
Voila! Take a look at this!
I’ so proud to show you all the cover of my upcoming new book. A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters will hit the shelves on this coming Halloween Eve. It’s the perfect book to read during the spooky Halloween! I’ll be giving you all a calendar of appearances, giveaways and book signings. Stay tuned!
The post Voila! Take a look at this! appeared first on Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood.
May 4, 2019
Best Horror Novel of 2019!
My upcoming horror novel, A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men and Monsters has just been awarded the best horror noel of 2019 by the Maxy Awards. The book will be hitting the stores on Halloween! I will be giving you the dates of my appearances.
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