Saturday, March 16, 2024

Citywide Bytes-Nick Roberts sinks his teeth into “Mean Spirited”

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but in the case of Nick Roberts’ new release, “Mean Spirited,” it’s that wonderfully terrifying art that captures the feel of this new horror story. The book is released through Crystal Lake Entertainment.

Released just a day before this recording, the story centers on how an alcoholic teacher and father’s world spirals out of control when a former student is killed and he is left with her dog and the dark presence that follows it.

Nick and Max talk about the creation of Matt Matheny and why Nick went this type of character, as well as how he handles the challenges that await. His ex-wife, Lucy, also plays a role and we look at how the two work together to unravel what is going on. 

We discuss the dog, Conehead, and get a glimpse into the darkness that follows him. Nick also talks about the amazing cover art and the different aspects of the book that it captures.


The Pastor of Horror returns with a found footage nightmare

Ezekiel Kincaid, known as “The Pastor of Horror” and “The Paranormal Pastor” returns to the show to talk about his new book. “The Tetromet Tapes,” a part of his ongoing Tetromet Universe.

Set in 1990 in a small town in Louisiana, the book adapts the found footage movie style as a literary device. Five 12-year-old boys find some VHS tapes in the trash can of their neighbor, Edgar Craddock. The sickening footage leads the five friends down a rabbit hole of shadows and darkness, seeking to discover the truth around an ancient cult, a haunted road, and Edgar Craddock.

Ezekiel and Max dive into just what is on the tapes and where the footage leads the boys. He talks about Edgar Craddock, a character which plays a wider role in the Tetromet Universe. We also learn about the five boys, who reflect Ezekiel’s childhood friends, and how their different personas drive the story.

The book is currently out on Amazon and Godless, an e-book publisher launched three years ago and Ezekiel shares how he came to work with them. And of course, no horror conversation is complete without talking about the book’s epic cover.


Saturday, March 9, 2024

Citywide Bytes—Jack Flint of The Sea Gods talks debut singles and band meetings

The Sea Gods have gotten off to a great start with their debut singles, “Are You Here Now” and “Tell Me,” and they’ve got a lot more in the works. 

In this recording of our March 9 Citywide Bytes episode, band founder Jack Flint tells us how he, Marty Taylor and Carl Donoghue met and what led to the band’s founding. Each band member brings a lot of experience with other projects, and we go into how the past work may influence the current.

Jack and I talk about the stories behind the two singles. “Are You Here Now” has a message of living in the moment, not regretting the past or fretting the future. 

“Tell Me” came from a very challenging part of Jack’s life and we talk about how the hard times inspire the best music.

Closing out this episode is “Are You Here Now.”



It’s an unlikely love story with Maria Guglielmo’s new book

Author Maria Guglielmo was last on the show some years back for her debut book, “Summoned,” and since then, she’s been up to quite a bit, including debuting her new “Riftworld” series with “Witch City Rift” and “Rifted Hearts,” which drops on March 19.

Curtis and I talk with Maria about this new series and what went into building the world behind it. We do a deep dive into her main character, Remi Gatti, a con man who seems to find himself in over his head in both stories. 

We look at his power to manipulate sexual desire and the role this plays in the story, as well as the mystical realm that extends into Boston and Salem.

There’s a mysterious figure called The Matchmaker in both books and we talk about just who this person is and how they’re influencing the tale.


Tuesday, March 5, 2024

New SAT strategy books centers on the test’s switch to digital

By Max Bowen


Looking back on my own experience with the SAT, I recall a grueling several hours with a paper-and-pencil exam. These days, things are finally changing with the launch of a Digital SAT and Dr. Shaan Patel’s new book, “Prep Expert Digital SAT Playbook: Winning Strategies to Achieve Your Dream Score” (Scribe Media, March 9).

In this interview, Patel talks about his own experience with the SAT (it was much better than mine) and how he views the transition to a digital format. He goes into how his book can help and his goal to assist students in getting $1 billion in merit-based scholarships.


What do you see as the impacts of the SAT going digital?
I see it as an amazing leap forward in the world of standardized testing. The SAT has been a paper-based exam for almost 100 years. However, almost all work in the real world is now done digitally. The SAT is finally catching up. I also think it will be advantageous for students who struggled with the standardized tests in the past. The Digital SAT is a shorter exam (two hours instead of three hours), you have more time per question, you can use a calculator on all math questions (unlike previously), and the reading passages are about 70% shorter. A major win for students!

What was your own SAT experience and how did you raise your score from average to perfect?
I was a good student in high school who got As and Bs. However, I was not a good standardized test-taker. I had a lot of test anxiety, I didn’t know the first thing about how to prepare, and on my first SAT I only scored slightly above average. I then spent hundreds of hours self-studying for the SAT in 10th and 11th grade. I unlocked many strategies that simplified the test and increased my accuracy on questions. Eventually, I achieved a perfect score on the SAT — a feat only achieved by 0.02% of all students. My perfect SAT score opened the doors to top universities, full scholarships, and prestigious awards. It completely changed the trajectory of my life!

I read about your $1 billion mission. How will you see this through?
My favorite part about Prep Expert is helping students win merit-based scholarships through their test scores. Over the past decades, we have helped students win over $100 million in scholarships! Over the next decade, I want to help students win over $1 billion in college scholarships. This will be tracked through our website where we ask students to enter any merit-based scholarships they received after improving their test scores using our books and courses. Although $1 billion sounds like a lot, when the average full-tuition college scholarship is worth $150,000, I think we can get there pretty quickly!

Tell me about your book and what it can offer that sets it apart from other SAT-related books?
I am so excited about the release of my new book: Prep Expert Digital SAT Playbook. I have spent over 1,000 hours putting together this new book for students to ace the new Digital SAT. It specifically offers perfect-score strategies to ace the test for every section of the Digital SAT including Math, Reading, and Writing. Students will learn elite methods such as how to solve the toughest questions, read passages faster, and solve algebra questions without doing any algebra.

What, in your opinion, is the role of the SAT in helping prospective college students?
I do not think the SAT in and of itself is a good measure of intelligence or future success in college or career. However, I think there are two major benefits that students can gain from studying for the SAT in high school. First, students gain direct access to top universities, networks and scholarships that they would not have had access to without a high SAT score. Second, the larger benefit students get from studying for the SAT in high school is developing the attributes of self-control, hard work, and grit in their teenage years. If students can tune out the distractions of high school and social media, and buckle down to study for the SAT, they will develop habits that will lead to more success in college, graduate school, and their future careers.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Citywide Bytes-Chris Lengyel gives this episode the magic touch

For our newest Citywide Bytes, Max is talking with Chris Lengyel, as he puts it “a dude who does magic tricks.” And he’s been doing them for almost 20 years, for the likes of Las Vegas duo Penn and Teller, TruTV's "Impractical Jokers" and the cast of NBC's "The Voice.”

Now, Chris is hitting the road, embarking on his Illusions Plus Alcohol (I.P.A.) tour. On this live interview, we talk about where he’s going and what people can expect at his shows. 

CHris shares some backstory on how he got into magic in the first place, and growing what began as a hobby into his career. Chris talks about meeting Penn and Teller and the impromptu performance he did, and we discuss his favorite tricks and some that even he steers clear of.


Father-son comics duo creates a beautiful apocalypse in “By A Thread”

Well, if the world has to end, at least it looks amazing.

Comics great Scott Snyder has teamed up with his son Jack to pen the ComiXology series “By A Thread,” now three issues in, with issue four to be released on March 26.

Set amidst a desolated Earth, The Shroud has consumed nearly the entire surface of the planet, with just a handful of outposts remaining. Jo and his friends live on five “Needles,” spikes of diamonds, the only substance that The Shroud cannot devour. It’s a hard life, but the appearance of a strange traveller gives hope to a legend of an untouched island where life can thrive once more.

Scott, Jack and I talk about how this series grew from a writing exercise to published comic. This was Jack’s first foray into comics, and we go into how he viewed the experience and the lessons learned, both for he and his father. The series was drawn by Valeria Favoccia (Beatrix Rose), colored by Whitney Cogar (Giant Days), and lettered by Tom Napolitono (letters), and we talk about how this team collaborated and produced some of the best art I’ve ever seen.

Jack helped create the diverse cast, and we look at each person’s role and how the characters were created—both the heroes and villains. Though the story is nearing its end, more is planned for “By A Thread,” and Scott shares a few details on what we can expect.