Two of my friends have books coming out soon. I’ve read them both, and they’re both highly recommended. They’ve each put together trailers for their books that I’ve been meaning to post for awhile. And now I’m doing so.

First up is Mike Segretto’s Curse of the Tarantula. I love all of Mike’s work, and this could possibly be my favorite of his four books. The story of an aging monster-movie star who slowly starts to turn into his character is a great mix of campy comedy, over-the-top gore, and mod history. It frequently made me laugh out loud. It’s going to be released soon … I’ll let you know when it’s for sale.

Next is Tony O’ Neil’s Down and Out on the Murder Mile, coming in November from Harper Perennial. I breezed through this book in two days, which is very rare for me. It’s a highly engrossing read about Tony’s days as a heroin addict in Los Angeles. It’s also the sequel to Digging the Vein, Tony’s excellent memoir that he wrote for Contemporary Press. Don’t let the spooky videos fool you … it’s actually quite hilarious. Harrowing, but hilarious.

Buy both of these books, and then you can tell your friends, “I know this guy who’s friends with these other guys.” And they’ll look at you and say, “man, you must be famous.”