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Soundtrack To The End Of The World

by Vidya Sury October 24, 2012 18 comments
That’s the title of a book. A book by Anthony J Rapino, who, I think, writes very well. He writes horror fiction and as a fan of the horror genre (among others) I enjoyed the subtle humor in his writing.I love Stephen King’s books (and have them all). I am crazy about psychological thrillers and police procedurals.

Take a look at the synopsis of this book:

Who knew the end could sound so good.
A suicidal nudist strolls into traffic.Β  An eccentric Buddhist claims he can occupy other people’s bodies.Β  All the while, whispers of a new form of entertainment blow through town.Β  Prompted by these strange occurrences, Marty Raft, a not-so-gentle giant, investigates and discovers underground clubs peddling music that induces an out-of-body experience.Β Β  Marty and a wannabe comedian, Corey, set out to prove these special frequencies are nothing more than a hoax, or at worst, a mass-drugging.Β  Instead, they uncover a secret with world-ending possibilities.
If you can hear the music, it’s already too late.

I read β€œSoundtrack to the end of the world” a couple of months ago and planned to do a book review. I’ve been stalking the author around Facebook and his website ever since, tracking his blog tour – and I liked what I saw. I didn’t get around to writing the review – what with so much happening at home….

…..and right on cue, he tagged me on Facebook yesterday and walked right into it. This is what he said:

In between classes today I shall enter grades, write a guest post for Vidya Sury (sorry if this is last minute), and hopefully still have time to eat. Huzzah!

Huzzah, I silently seconded! Pretending I never mentioned doing the book review, I sternly toldΒ  him that we’re supposed to go live tomorrow.Β  Anthony graciously said he would send me his post. I waited. I received the post. And like a meanie, asked him if he could write something else. I told him my readers have a funny bone and enjoy a good laugh. As soon as I messaged him, I felt a little remorseful, but only a little – because I knew he had a hectic day. I am nice like that. I happily went off to bed and slept soundly.

This morning, when I checkedΒ  mail I was pleasantly surprised to see a message from him, with a second post. Guilt fleetingly tugged at my heart…and I shoved it aside – and read his post. I loved it. I hope you love it too.

Presenting, (Drumroll!)Β 
Anthony J Rapino, author of β€œSoundtrack To The End Of The World”
Killer is as Killer Does
Anthony J. Rapino

I’ve never murdered anyone; I swear.Β  No, seriously.Β  I may joke around about it a lot,
and I may write about it a lot, and I may watch movies that overflow with the blood
of innocents, but I’m telling you:Β  I’m not a killer.

You don’t believe me.Β  I can tell.Β  You’re giving me the ol’ stink eye, thinking, β€œThis
horror writer is off his nut.”  If you are thinking that, you’re not too far off.Β  I mean,
yeah, I’m on the far side of sane.Β  For sure.Β  But that does not make me a serial killer.

The thing is, when I tell people I’m a horror writer, I often get that suspicious squint.Β 
The one that says, β€œYou stay away from my pet iguana!”  The one that says, β€œI have
pepper spray!”  And maybe I’m more to blame than my profession.Β  Maybe the long
hair and beard don’t inspire confidence in the wary traveler.Β  Or perhaps I should
stop screaming at people when they walk by…

Yeah, definitely that last one.

But still, there’s a stigma that comes along with writing horror.Β  The idea that we like
the stuff we write about.Β  I mean really like.Β  As in break out the hand lotion and
tissues.Β  Now, while I can’t speak for every horror writer in the world, I can say that
the majority of us are not hunched over a rotting corpse with a fistful of crotch.Β 
Over a pile of dead rats, yes.Β  But never a human corpse!

Right there!Β  Did you laugh, or are you on the verge of writing hate mail to poor
Vidya for allowing such filth to grace the pages of her lovely blog?Β  If you laughed,
you β€œget it.”  You understand the draw of horror, and that yes, it can be funny too.Β 

Disgusting, but funny.

See, we’re not sickos.Β  We’re simply fascinated with the mystery of the unknown,
and love a good scare.Β  So next time you see an unsuspecting horror writer at a
convention or book signing–even if he or she is staring at the sky and laughing–
don’t be afraid.Β  We don’t bite.

But again, I can’t speak for everyone.

Happy Halloween!

Author Bio:
Anthony J. Rapino resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania, somewhere between the concrete of the city and the trees of the forest.Β  On occasion, you’ll find him moderating the feverish battles between the creatures of these two arenas.Β  Whose side he’s on is anyone’s guess.
His newest fiction can be found in Black Ink Horror, On Spec, Arcane Anthology, Electric Spec, A cappella Zoo, Space Squid, TQR Stories, and carved inside a variety of autumn gourds.Β  His short story collection, Welcome to Moon Hill, is currently available, as is his first novel Soundtrack to the End of the World.Β  Proof of his psychosis can be found on his website: http://www.anthonyjrapino.com

Β 
Enter the big Halloween costume contest!Β  It’s free to enter, and you can win a $25 gift card or horror ebook pack.

Stop by the blog tour page for all upcoming dates and more contest info.

Thank you, Anthony!
Β 
Β Happy Halloween, friends!
Thank you for subscribing to my blog! Do consider leaving a comment – or just reply to this email! I’d love to know what you think.

Cheers!

Vidya

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18 comments

Harleena Singh October 24, 2012 at 4:41 am

Welcome Anthony to Vidya’s blog!Oh yes…writing about horror doesn’t make you a killer or a person who does what he writes :)But yes, some of us might have that in our mind when we read horror books, which is because we like to imagine how and what the person who write his piece would say or feel like while doing so. I for one used to love horror books and movies, though haven’t got down to my love for reading due to heavy work hours and balancing a family as well. But yes, whenever I get a chance, I do manage a glimpse of some horror movies that my kids love watching too.Happy Halloween everyone. πŸ™‚

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 3:36 pm

Thank you, Harleena πŸ˜€ Who are your favorite authors? Happy Halloween to you!

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Anthony Rapino October 24, 2012 at 11:11 am

Thank you so much for the great intro, Vidya! You made me feel right at home. And thank you, Harleena. That is true; I also often wonder about the writers behind the words. Happy Halloween!

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 3:37 pm

πŸ™‚ Anthony, entirely my pleasure!

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Anthony Rapino October 24, 2012 at 11:12 am

Thank you for the wonderful intro, Vidya! You made me feel right at home. And thank you, Harleena. I also often wonder about the writers behind the words. Happy Halloween!

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Silver Pen October 24, 2012 at 5:43 pm

Apparently I don’t believe in stereotypes. πŸ˜‰ You might recall, Tony, my asking you if you thought Sci-Fi was a ‘man’s’ genre. As a Sci-Fi fan, I’d never even heard of the idea until they mentioned it on the Space channel about a year or so ago.

I remember many, many years ago, as I was reading a Stephen King book, a friend of mine said a friend of hers stopped reading King because he killed a dog. I told her, “I don’t believe he would ever really do anything like that just because he writes about it.” Something to that effect, anyway. I wasn’t even a serious writer back then, but in my mind a writer writes to entertain, no matter what his or her fans may think. πŸ˜‰

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Anthony Rapino October 27, 2012 at 5:09 pm

Absolutely, Kellee! I’ll bet most people deep down know that as well…*most.* πŸ˜‰

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 3:39 pm

Welcome, Silver Pen! You are absolutely right about writers writing to entertain – and that’s something Anthony successfully does! πŸ™‚ Happy Halloween.

P.S.: I don’t think King killed the dog. Just sayin’!

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Silver Pen October 27, 2012 at 10:41 pm

Thanks, Vidya. Yeah, Anthony is very entertaining. πŸ˜‰ Oh, King did kill a dog. . . in one of his stories, which is something I guess I forgot to add. A silly reason, if you ask me, to stop reading a perfectly good book. And it makes me wonder why this person was reading King in the first place. BTW, even though he calls himself a horror writer, I’ve never thought his stories were scary, just really weird. πŸ˜‰ Guess that’s why I like them. ha ha

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Hiten October 25, 2012 at 9:59 pm

Hi Vidya,

I loved your opening. It was like reading a novel!

And thank you for introducing us to Anthony. He sounds like a real talent.

Anthony, it is people like you who give us so much reading pleasure, through your imagination and creativity. Thank you.

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Anthony Rapino October 27, 2012 at 5:10 pm

Thanks so much, Hiten. I really do appreciate it. Have a great Halloween!

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 3:39 pm

Thank you, Hiten! Yes, Anthony is cool. I loved his book! πŸ˜€

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Pamela Fagan Hutchins October 27, 2012 at 3:31 pm

OMG, I hate reading horror, but Anthony cracked me up! Of course, I like reading Stephen King, so…maybe I am wrong. Anthony went a long way in convincing me today that I am. And the bio? I Loved It. Vidya, thanks for sharing him!

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Anthony Rapino October 27, 2012 at 5:11 pm

I’m glad that I could help to change your mind a little. There are so many subcategories of horror, I’ll bet you would love *some.*

I’ve always felt humor is an incredibly important counterpoint to fear. Hope to see you around, cheers!

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Hey Pamela! I used to be a glutton for horror, but toned down when I discovered psychological thrillers. I went through a phase when I couldn’t get enough of Stephen King’s books. I loved that they were huge! I really enjoyed Anthony’s book!

And you, my dear, are one of my very favorites, you know! Hugs!

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Vidya Sury October 27, 2012 at 5:45 pm

Anthony, Pamela is a kickass writer. Right now her book, “Saving Grace” is No.3 on the Kindle bestseller list. I love her sense of humor and her style.

So glad you’re both here today! Thrilled to know y’all!

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Damyanti October 28, 2012 at 4:35 am

I’m not a horror fan, but I enjoyed this post.

This made me laugh:

“Now, while I can’t speak for every horror writer in the world, I can say that the majority of us are not hunched over a rotting corpse with a fistful of crotch.
Over a pile of dead rats, yes. But never a human corpse!”

Reply
Anthony Rapino November 3, 2012 at 4:27 am

Glad you could get a laugh from that. πŸ™‚ I was afraid I’d offend more than anything. Happy Halloween!

Reply

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