Hunter Shea, my good buddy and fellow Monster Man, has stopped by for a guest post about the awesome live event we held this past weekend to launch his new book, The Montauk Monster. You will love the story behind his thrilling new novel and it's a great primer for the next episode of Monster Men, when we will post the video from the show. Take it away Hunter...
In Search Of The Montauk Monster
By Hunter Shea (Twitter @HunterShea1)
Ah, the first day of summer. Here in New York it was 80
degrees and sunny with just a hint of clouds skimming across an azure sky.
What did the Monster Men do on this wonderful solstice? Were
we at the beach, tanning our pasty flesh, choking on cold salt water as we dog
paddled into the breakers? Did we take in a baseball game, stuffing our gullets
with sausage and peppers, thrilling at the crack of the bat and the smell of a
perfectly manicured outfield? Or maybe we went tandem-paragliding over rolling
meadows.
Not a freakin’ chance.
Nope, we were in a bookstore kicking off The Montauk Monster book tour, talking about, you guessed it, monsters! I’m beginning to feel like the only author who comes to signings with more audio/video equipment than a roving news van. We brought it all this time: computers, large monitor, HD video camera and professional still photography. I don’t think I’ll ever be the guy who just comes with a pen and a bookmarked page in my book to read from. Monster love requires extra gear.
This time around, Jack and I went through how the book came to be, starting with the major influence Leonard Nimoy and In Search Of had on our impressionable little minds in the 70s. That led to a fascination with all things cryptid, ghostly and alien.
Being a beautiful summer day, I was concerned that we would
be talking to each other in an empty bookstore. Thank you to my posse that came
out as well as some new fans of monster madness. Even honorable Monster Man
Tony Ventarola was there to give his support to a great cause – selling enough
books and getting a movie deal so I can leave the 9-5 world behind and take my
peeps with me to the Hunter Shea compound deep in the woods of an unnamed
location. But I digress.To prepare for the event, I threw a couple of dozen pics on a Powerpoint deck and didn’t reveal a thing to Jack. When you look up the definition of ‘winging it’ there’s a picture of Jack and I scribbling 2 lines on a piece of paper before filming an episode of the Monster Men. We’ve got mad skills, like Napoleon Dynamite with a bowstaff.
In the words of the great Borat, it was great success! Books were signed, pictures were taken, hugs and handshakes were doled out. And in the end, everyone there learned a lot about the scary truth behind my fictional book. Because let me tell you, the high strangeness that goes on in certain places of Long Island are far scarier than anything I can concoct.
Keep your eyes peeled when you’re on the beach this summer (hopefully reading The Montauk Monster while you tan). The waters are home to more than fish. Sometimes, things emerge from the salt water that just shouldn’t be. Pray you’re not around when they shake the sea off their fur, hungry for the day’s special – some unfortunate person on the beach!
--------
Follow Hunter Shea at www.huntershea.com and later this week look for the live Monster Men show we recorded at Barnes and Noble at www.themonstermen.net.
Now go get a copy of The Montuak Monster!
No comments:
Post a Comment