Tales Point Horror Book Club -Drivers Dead by Peter Lerangis
#PointHorrorBookClub was created by author Juno Dawson in 2013. Juno announced in 2015 that she was no longer able to carry on so, with her blessing, I took over the reins.
So why not grab a copy and join the discussion with this months #PointHorrorBookClub
Drivers Dead by Peter Lerangis
Are the Point Horror books we loved as a teenager still our favourites on a re-read? Have they not stood the test of time? After a hit of nostalgia? Or are you new to Point Horror and want to see what its all about?
Want to explore previous #PointHorrorBookClub posts? I’ve got you! Head to the main page here
Beware…….Spoilers Ahead
Kirsten’s not a very good driver. And the driver’s ed classes aren’t helping. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t get the hang of being behind the wheel. When Rob offers to give Kirsten a few tips on how to improve her driving, he turns up missing after the first lesson. Now Kirsten’s getting a crash course–in murder.
The Tagline
A crash course…..in murder!
Okay ….so…What’s It All About?
Drivers Dead starts with a flashback on a murky misty night, woods, a stolen car with odour de la Old Spice and wet dog…a “talk”, a little drive….and BOOM!……you know, the whole works! With a little love triangle going on, a steep ravine and a “YO! YOU’RE IN THE WRONG LANE” shout out….. someone ends up dead within the first few pages!
*gulps*
Moving to present day is when we meet poor old Kirsten who is new to the area and moved into the old house of Nguyen Trang, the poor guy that was killed off in the first few pages of the prologue! Although Kirsten is told it was suicide. As the drama unfolds she discovers the truth!
We discover very early on that Kirsten cannot drive! Since moving to the neighbourhood she has crashed her Dad’s car into a tree and gives digging your finger nails into the dashboard of your car a whole new meaning during her drivers-ed lessons!
That is until she meets Rob *swoon*! He teaches her how to use a gear stick properly! That is ….. until he winds up DEAD!
DEAD?! The love interest is killed off!?! What is this Point Horror!
Oh yes indeed! *pumps fist in the air*
(Don’t judge me he was horrible about Nguyen in the prologue!)
This is when Kirsten realises something strange is going down in funky town! She starts hallucinating, hearing noises like “”ooohhhhhh” , seeing things like blood coming out of her wardrobe and smells of dead animals in her house and to top it all off she starts seeing ghostly figures!
Ghostly figures and a whole lot of weird! Woah! What’s that all about!
Well it has a lot to do with a man who looks like roast beef, a dead guy, floppy disks (remember them?), a computer with DOS (so 90’s), haunted lockets, ever changing contest flyers with a fab prize of an Escort and telekinesis (you know like in the book Carrie)……I kid you not!
And it’s AWESOME!
The Girl
Kristen….oh I mean Kirsten Wilkes …suspect number one!
I feel Kirsten is one of our better Point Horror girls! She is feisty and determined and really does give as good as she gets! Rob I’m looking at you Mr Love Interest (more on that later). She kicks Rob’s ass in the park on their “walk”!
I mean she does start seeing and hearing things…a lot! But don’t worry that’s just the ghost who’s haunting her because he wants his locket back and maybe a slight bit of revenge! Yeah!
And we mustn’t forget Kirstens top tips on how to NOT get mugged! Even if the mugger turns out to be a mail box….you can rely on these tips and these tips alone….
- Swing your arms crazily.
- Walk in the street.
- Sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (?) at the top of your lungs.
- Drool
- Pick your nose!
NEVER FORGET!
Although I loved Kirsten…she disappointed me a little when after putting Rob in his place earlier in the book later on she listens and goes along with Virgil’s request when he says “meet me, don’t tell anyone where you are or that I called” …errrrmmm….. NO! KIRSTEN NO! But I suppose we can forgive her…. She never would have suspected Virgil remember!
I also adored her total, hateful, worthless dork of a brother…I loved his tricks on Kirsten….classic little annoying brother and brilliant comedy value even cracking the code on her diary and writing diary entries! He has provided me with the new classic line I am going to try and use on my boss when he is angry at me…
“Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!”
Huge shout out to Kirstens love of Jason Priestly!! 90’s heart throb if I do say so myself!
The Love Interest
Rob! Rob! Rob! Being killed off quite early on in the present day story by a mystery car is possibly the best thing that happened to the boney faced, alligator green-gray eyed (the colour of polished Jade) Kamikaze leather jacket wearing heart throb! I mean he didn’t even wash his finger nails…they were black with axle grease! Yuk!
And I can’t even bring myself to mention his car! Inviting Kirsten into his car and having to move soda cans, magazines and plastic wrappers also billows of shredded foam…what a car! And what a man….he offers, not only to pay for Kirsten to make a phone call but also for Kirsten to sit on a t shirt to save her bottom getting all foamy! After Kirstens initial thought being HE EXPECTS ME TO SIT ON THAT! and then hearing that THE SHIRT WAS CLEAN! (YAY!)…OH WELL IN THAT CASE Kirsten will oblige!
Also I love how after Kirsten gets in Robs car she does not bat an eyelid about the rot and disgusting pig sty Mr Busk’s personal car is later on in the book! What a gal!
And Rob offering to Kirsten to the park…well apparently we are all smart enough to know what that means! Yep that’s right Rob gets his lip bitten by Kirsten for being an idiot and “forhing” himself on her! Go Kirsten! You rock!
Basically Rob = bad love interest!
The Gang
Oh wow where do I start….I will try and do a little description of everyone….
Gwen Mitchell…apparently a hot, red haired, killer smile, chewing fruity smelling gum type of person who wears a purple anorak! But don’t get too close as Gwen will give you a murderous gaze and her lips will draw back from her teeth like a wolf about to pounce! Grrrrr! The poor thing gets compared to Jeffrey Dahmer! And what happened to her towards the end of the book? She disappears! Why did she have to sell all her goods to the pawn shop! Soooo many questions!
Poor old Nguyen Trang, a rare person of colour in Point Horror and a refreshing welcome! Yay! The meek and invisible Vietnamese guy with the plaid shorts and pocket protectors who has been drooling after Gwen since sophomore year and who won her over with magic tricks, levitating ashtrays and making objects disappear from photos! I would so fall for this guy *daydreams about Nguyen*
Then there’s Virgil! Mr I’m to afraid to be alone without my girlfriend, the good guy who seemed trustworthy who gives perplexed looks and is brilliant at singing the twilight zone
“Dwee-dee-dee-doo, dwee-dee-dee-doo”
Virgal also has a Mac computer called Wolfgang and is know for overreacting and saying things like…
“We’re all going to die!”
With a promising life ahead of Virgil…..I love his freak out later on in the book!….
“Kirsten we’re fugitives! Our faces will be hanging in post offices coast to coast. We won’t be able to stop for gas. What are we going to do – drive around till we find a plastic surgeon who can change our looks for free!”
BEST. LINE. EVER!
Little old best friend Maria…..she was a bit classic Point Horror best friendy….a bit…..meh! although she has prompted me to make a not in my diary!
*writes note to self to buy waterproof mascara as I must remember that when I cry and my mascara runs down my face that I will look like I have witches fingers sown in my checks*
Thanks Maria….I knew you would be helpful for something other than being Point Horror best friend!
Errrrrmmmm I really don’t know where to start with Mr Busk the drivers ed teacher with a drinking problem….raspy voiced like he cleaned his vocal cords with a bottle brush, with potbelly and receding hairline although apparently still looked fit enough to storm a beachhead (?) and with a rumour that he lost his voice in the war along with his sanity (explains a lot)…when he returned he kind of snapped. Oh and don’t forget the back of his neck reminded Kirsten of roast beef and his hair like cut grass in a drought!! What a man!
I think this maybe where Lady Gaga got her meat dress idea from! You heard it here first!
I just have to mention Olaf (who I kept imagining as a cute snowman rather than an old man)…the town pawn shop owner, who gave us all a history lesson and who’s car was stolen in the prologue! Poor Olaf! Respect!
Fashion Faux Pas
Hmmmmm….were all the characters in Drivers Dead naked?! I honestly struggled to find any fashion faux pas! Oh the horror!
Did any one pick up on any or do we have a Point Horror first?
Dialogue Disasters
I have to say these are not so much dialogue disasters, but more like lines that made me chuckle! This book was full of cutting one liners!
“But that face looks as if someone has chiselled it out of slate in a hurry with a rough blade”
Not a nice thing to say to your friend Virgil!
“Gwens been glomming all over him”
Ewwwww! (Am I the only one who looked this up?) Further more…
“If Gwen had to Glom, why couldn’t she have picked him!”
*holds hand to mouth*
“Bottle brush, napalm, roast beef, dry grass, scouring pad. Mm what a guy!”
3 guesses who Kirsten is describing here….no it’s not Point Horror Book Club member Billy Goat! You are all so cruel! It’s Mr Busk!
“Mr Busk stood up slowly. His fists clenched. The veins in his temples stood out. The roast beef was becoming raw!”
I’m never eating roast beef again in my life!
*Looks at what I have for tea….B B B B BEEF!!!*
“Zing! The Lightbulb of Obvious Answers switched on”
Another catchphrase I am stealing! I love this!
“Oooohhhhhh” When she heard the moan her eyes popped open. A cat, Kirsten assured herself. They sound so much like people when the wail”
Don’t Cats go meow?
“Kirsten felts as though someone has thrown a warm blanket of mud over her”
*opens mouth to say something*…..Nope I have nothing…..
“Virgil looked at her as if she’d just pulled a bicycle out of her nose”
What the?
“Cram it Virgil! You’re not smelling like a rose yourself”
Maybe a tulip then?
This book had a comedy value that was just brilliant!
Body Count
Good old Peter Lerangis gives us….
*drum roll please*
……2!!! That’s right 2 dead people persons!! And possibly a 3rd, but that is left up to the imagination on a massive cliffhanger to beat all Point Horror cliff hangers! EVER!
*Hi fives Mr Lerangis*
Is it scary?
It’s not so much scary, but it had my heart racing on a few occasions especially the car losing control/car being stuck on a train track! This may sound a little Point Horrorish of me, but the feel of this one kind of reminded me a bit of Final Destination meets Polterguiest meets I know What You Did Last Summer!! You know the whole something unexplainable is out to get me…whos next kind, lets cover up a murder kind of vibe? Just me?
Did the best friend do it?
Well no….but there’s 3 ways of looking at things here….
Nguyen Trang was killed in an accident, but in classic Point Horror style and a little I Know What You Did Last Summerish….it had to be covered up so Rob and Virgil made it look like Nguyen was driving.
The mysterious circumstances of Rob’s death and possibly Mr Busks…..the Escort disappearing off the flyer coming to get them to bump them off….revenge of Nguyen…who’s next? And all with a supernatural twist and a hunted locket!
Then you have the whole Mr Busk story line….he caused the crash, got Rob and Virgil to agree to cover it up and tried to get Kirsten killed in a train/car crash! Then he tried to bump Virgil off! And he gave a whole new meaning to roast beef when he disappears at the end of the book…attack of the Escort on the flyer…Nguyen’s revenge!
So if you look at it Virgil’s best friend did it as Rob started it all off in the first place!
*Brain overload!*
But to summarise…well no…the best friend was not guilty…Maria was too busy looking like Alice Cooper to care! 🙂
Some Mild Peril?
The prologue provides some mild peril in the form of a car losing control and ending up down a ditch!
Also the hallucination of Kirsten and the supernatural side of things got a little bit touch and go!
Is it any good?
I really enjoyed this one! Although the ending all got a bit cray cray with the haunted locket and the oak tree and basically poor Nguyen just wanted his pictures out the locket! All that for pictures!! Wow! That’s one determined ghost!
But in all seriousness I think Lerangis pulls off a great Point Horror in this one!
*thumbs up*
Also did anyone else notice Lerangis’s constant words describing sounds! It was awesome! Like Whirrrr Whirrr and Whack and OHHHHHHH!
Just Brilliant!
Final Thought
Don’t forget ….. next to your overgrown mushroom lamp, your computer screen that looks like a screaming mouth and your shag carpet that looks like a bed of worms, waiting silently to devour your feet….there will be someone waiting in the shadows….waiting for you…probably with two nostrils that look like raisins set at the bottom of a twisted stalk, with swollen puffs for eyes and ripped white, wrinkled skin with gelatinous ooze and with a hand pointing towards it’s throat….please just hand over what it’s asking for….whatever that may be!
Over to you!
As well as your thoughts on the book here are some questions to consider.
- As always thoughts on the book?
- Would Nat (Kirstens younger brother) be a good match for Eli from The Babysitter II?
- Let me hear / see your best word to describe a sound!
- What does Olaf walk around town talking to himself about?
- What do you think happened to Gwen?
- If you were a ghost how would you have haunted Kirsten ?
Feel free to pop me a comment using the reply button at the top of the page.
Or
Use the #PointHorrorBookClub on Twitter on Instagram, follow PHBC on Instagram @talespointhorrorbookclub or even follow me @chelleytoy … lets have a good old Point Horror chat!
Want to explore previous #PointHorrorBookClub posts? I’ve got you! Head to the main page here
Thanks for joining in and drive safely…and you know… may be watch out for magical Escorts and haunted lockets!
First – great PH book this month; I really dug it. Second – WTF is ‘glomming’? Seriously, what is it? Do I want a girl to be doing it to me? Or would she be doing it at me?
I agree with your views on Kirsten and I liked how we used a diary entry as our introduction to her world. Plus, ya gotta love the girl for breaking out YOLO 20 years before it was cool!
One dialogue ‘classic’ you missed was the completely un PC “Without Rob’s magic, was she doomed to slide back to Advanced Spaz?” Ahem…surely ‘automotively disadvantaged’ would be a more appropriate phrase?
I didn’t spot any fashion faux pas’ exactly, but I did notice a turquoise Camaro which sounds pretty fetch!
Overall the story was good fun and moved along at a fast pace. True; there were a lot of convenient coincidences required to keep the tale moving, but that can be forgiven when you’ve got a vengeful, lovesick ghost as a central character!
It’s funny that you bring up Final Destination as a key part of that story has parallels here – does / will Virgil die in the future or has he be redeemed / skipped over for helping Kirsten solve the mystery? Nguyen doesn’t seem overly like the forgiving type these days (damn moody magicians), so I can’t see Virgil getting a mulligan simply because he guided Kirsten to the tree!
If I had to criticise the book, I’d have to say that there wasn’t enough focus on the phantom Escort. The scene in the park had a bit of a Christine vibe and I thought the killer car concept was going to be a key driver (ha!) of the remaining story, but instead it was put into the backseat (ha!).
Odd, too, that we were told up front that Rob and Virgil were in the car. Only Mr Busk’s identity was a secret, so we had a half whodunit. What do you reckon? Would the story have worked better if we discovered Rob and Virgil’s involvement when Kirsten did?
Question time:
– Having been a bratty younger brother, these books do cause me to reflect on my tween years. Surely I couldn’t have been as big of a pain to my sis? Nat is truly a jerk, but Eli’s big league – that mofo be trying to kill people!
– I think I’m more of a fan of the descriptive sentence rather than an straight onomatopoeia, but some of the effects from the old Batman TV show were great! Thwack! Oof!
– Sadly I think Olaf is probably mumbling some nasty racist rubbish – or that delightful song about snowmen in the summer!
– Gwen, Gwen, Gwen…heartbreaker, mean girl, park loiterer, pawn shop regular. What an underdeveloped character! With shades of Shannon (*sigh*) about her, our initial key suspect just drops off the radar. But here’s the scoop – I reckon she’s at least an accessory after the fact. I think Rob and / or Virgil spilt some if not all the beans to her after the accident and that her attempts to purge herself of anything Nguyen gave her is part of her admission of guilt. Think about it: Virgil was desperate to re-direct her glomming efforts – is it too far-fetched to think he might have tried to use his inside knowledge to somehow impress her? Show her that he was a bad boy too? So just like Virgil, I think Gwen may find her time post novel to be very short. Shame, we could’ve been good together.
– Hmm…how to haunt Kirsten? She’s a pretty jumpy kid anyway, so it’s a bit of a fish in a barrel scenario, but surely the most fun would be by randomly pressing her brake and accelerator while she’s trying to get her license!
Random PH trivia – the street Gwen lived on (Padanarum) sounded so odd that I actually bothered to look up the word to see if there was some secret meaning. There wasn’t. There are just streets in the US called that.
Final word: snaps to you Chelle for your gearstick reference. Nothing like classing up the joint 😉
Firstly Mark…*bows for gearstick reference*….although I meant it entirely innocently! What a filthy mind you must have! 😉
I looked up glomming….its actually a real word with a real meaning! I have never heard of this in my life! Waiting to see if Paul or Billy or any point horror lovers can come up with a better meaning lol 🙂
What’s YOLO? Am I old and past it that I don’t know what this is? *embarrassed face*
Also how the devil did I miss that dialogue disaster line! I’m thinking the word Spaz, that has come up in a few point horrors now must have been a 90’s word …although it horrifies me to think that it ever was!
There was definitely a Christine vibe with the disappearing / moving car! And your right…possible under used story line right there! Oh how I wish there was a sequel!!
Hmmmmmm yes it was very brave of Lerangis to start off the book that way when we sort of get the jist of what happened etc….I wonder why he chose to do this?! Ohh how I wish there was a way we could ask him! 😉
I wonder if Gwen did hop over books to the Girlfiend and become Shannon! Fab thinking there! And yes I loved Gwen…so very under used!
Wen reading the sentence about you looking up the street name…I honestly just for a 2nd thought you had discovered some super Point Horror code…I got all excited and everything!! lol
Great comments as always Mark…and I’m so glad you enjoyed this one too…I thought it was really good…I don’t remember reading this first time round to be honest.
Also don’t forget to check out the fab author guest post about point horror from Lou Morgan! She ADORES Point Horror as much as us and she was so excited to write about it 🙂
You both have studied the book far more intently than me do I feel under qualified to comment ha ha!!! I did enjoy it & it was a really quick read. I don’t think I read it back in the 90’s.
I thought Kirsten was a good lead female & not as ‘oh help me’ as other female PH leads.
I thought the car/poster idea was a little underused & I never got the hand of pronouncing nguyen!!! (Have I spelt that right?)
It def had a I know what you did last summer feel & didn’t feel as dated as some other PH although the floppy disk was a clear 90’s reference. Kids nowadays would be like what???
Hi Emma! You are most definitely not under qualified….you are welcomed with open arms to Point Horror Book Club 🙂 thanks so much for joining in!
Your right it didn’t feel dated at all with the exception of the 90,s references 🙂
Hey you all! I’ll be writing my thoughts tomorrow but am just checking in to say that I also have no idea what “glomming” is either! I assumed it was some 90s American word that was cool and hip but got phased out before its era had ended (like “groovy” from the 60s).
YOLO is “you only live once”. Again that was a trend for a while. Though I don’t know if it died out naturally or if all the people who went around saying YOLO actually died.
Hi Billy Goat! Looking forward to your comments 🙂
Ohhhhhh that’s YOLO!!! I’ve never heard that before in my life! I am a shame to myself!! Or are you saying that Mark is past it?
Hey gang!
Sorry for my lateness this month; these mid-week book club shenanigans are playing havoc with my jet-set schedule* (*sitting-down time).
Like you guys, I loved Driver’s Dead, even though the plot went entirely off the boil by the end. I remember being disappointed by it as a demanding tween, possibly because I’d adored The Yearbook so much, but second time around I found loads in it to like, not least the SENSE OF HUMOUR (an alien concept to most of our beloved PH authors *peers over spectacles at CazCoo*). Some of the zingy dialogue, especially between Kirsten and Virgil in the panic-stricken final few chapters was so titter-out-loud brilliant, it made me forget the everything-including-the-kitchen-sink storyline.
I absolutely adored Kirsten. Even though she needed assistance to password-protect a Word document and called a cab to transport her a distance of HALF A MILE, her pawn shop-looting, grabby-boyfriend-lip-biting, carjacking, nightmare-brother-baiting (passive-aggressive salt in the pancakes? Bravo, lady) antics made her our most likeable PH heroine in ages. Kicking off at Rob’s unwanted advances was a highlight, as was her general reaction to the whole ordeal, which was more akin to sheer bloody exasperation than outright terror. Think about it: Dove from The Perfume would have withered away into a wisp of eau-de-toilette at the merest notion of her wardrobe bleeding at her. Kirsten, once she’d stopped passing out, was having none of it.
I also sympathised with her driving woes, having taken four attempts to pass my own test (IT’S HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE), though I did feel that the entire driving element was pretty redundant, seemingly tacked on for the sake of a sub-par pun in the title. Or maybe that was the tongue-in-cheek point; to be honest, I was having too much fun to care.
Yes, I agree that this is one of the least dated PH’s we’ve read (Jason Priestley subplot notwithstanding), possibly because it was a lot less coy about its characters’ sexuality and race than usual. Thumbs up, Mr Lerangis, for once again playing by your own rule-book. I bet the other Point Horror authors loathed him.
It wasn’t all great, natch. I totally agree with Mark that knowing more about the mystery than our heroine made the final reveals a little underwhelming, and the fact that at least 97% of the end-of-chapter cliffhangers turned out to be a prank by Nat started to wear thin after a while. It all got a little TOO ridiculous by the end (“Maybe he’s a revenant; I saw it on tv once…”), and I don’t believe for one cotton-picking second that any school has ever given away a car to one of its students, haunted or otherwise. Jeez, at my school, you were lucky to graduate with all your limbs still attached.
Questions!
1. Eli would chew Nat up and spit him out. Nat was a jerk, but Eli had… issues.
2. Flumpf. Like when you flumpf up a cushion.
3. Poor Olaf. These days he’s probably muttering about the bitch who smashed his shop window and got away with it.
4. Oh, Gwenny Gwen Gwen. You guys have covered it, but her dropping out of the story INFURIATED me. I like Mark’s theory that she was in on it all along very much, so I’m going with that.
5. I would up the ante by extending the bleeding wardrobe theme. Belching fridge? Vomiting bathtub? So many opportunities…
Woo, can’t wait for next month (I’m all about The Dead Game, fyi. Mostly because I don’t remember it at all).
Hi Paul…..fab comments as always! So glad you loved Drivers Dead. I know I have said it before but one of our better Point Horror books for sure! I didn’t read this one as a teen so couldn’t compare but really interesting to see that you preffered it now as an adult and not as a teen…..something we are finding more and more during #pointhorrorbookclub !
lol…I forgot about the password protection help on the a word document….and how could I forget the calling of a cab for going half a mile! What a diva Kirsten was! And the old salt in pancakes…..just brilliant! I’m bagging this also for an pranks / revenge I need to pull on any one throughout the rest of my life!! lol
Fully agree that Mr Lerangis played by his own rule book for his contributions to Point Horror….I wonder if he had more free reign?
And loving your imagination….belching fridge! wow…thats point horror cray cray in the making Paul!
PS – Flumpf is now my workd of the month!
Last time I looked Dead Game was in the lead so you may get your point horror wish Paul 🙂
Well well well. Great comments as always from everybody.
(flicks through marked pages on book) – first thing’s first. Glomming. I highlighted that word with a ‘?’ above it. Seriously, what does it mean? The next thing that struck me was Rob’s “gravelly voice”. Ever since I read that line I just pictured him as Madge from Neighbours. And I am SHOCKED that none of you picked up that during the Jason Priestly sub-plot, there was a mention of BUTTERY POPCORN.
“Did I make it?” Kirsten asked.
Rob grinned. “Butter or plain?”
“LOTS of butter!” Kirsten practically shouted.
For those not akin to my ramblings, this was first mentioned in Collect Call (or was it The Cheerleader?), and I fell in love with a character because she got buttery popcorn even though she didn’t like it because she assumed her date would.
And um… how come it took me until Chapter 10 before I realised Nat was a boy?
And of course, the Christine sub-plot of the phantom car. How did that never get explained and seemed to be mentioned in such a blasé fashion, as if this happens all the ti- (the picture on the book suddenly leaps off the page and mows down Billy Goat)
Anyway, question time:
•Would Nat (Kirstens younger brother) be a good match for Eli from The Babysitter II?
Ha, Eli would make mince meat out of Nat. I’d like to see them pair up though and create havoc for Jenny in The Babysitter 23.
•Let me hear / see your best word to describe a sound!
Glom. It’s the sound your brain makes when it encounters a word it has never experienced before.
•What does Olaf walk around town talking to himself about?
How much he adores his shop window, which he crafted himself from sand given to him by his ancestors, and which formed into his wonderful shop window where it has stood undisturbed ever since. Every morning, at 5am sharp, he’s outside with the Mr. Muscle polishing the bee-jesus out of it, until it sparkles like a diamond. That pane of glass has sentimental value for Olaf and is his pride and joy and, ever since his son started being snarky with him with dismissive hand waves and the rolling of eyes, became the only thing he lived for.
•What do you think happened to Gwen?
My theory is that Gwen was Nguyen reincarnated. HELLO. Electric purple anorak and then Nguyen’s ghost is all shades of purple? NO COINCIDENCE. But in all seriousness I think she was the classic case of a red herring, but I do wonder why she pawned her possessions and hope that if it were due to money troubles (she did live in the bad part of town it would seem), that it helped to alleviate some of the pressure.
•If you were a ghost how would you have haunted Kirsten ?
Glommed her to death.
My vote is for The Waitress next month. I was really into Tori Amos at the time, and she had a song with the same title. I remember playing the song AND reading the book at the same time because I was *THAT* good at multi tasking.
I will most definitely be reading comments properly and replying ASAP but I’ve got some really exciting news and I want you all to join in……
Well Mark ….you will be proud of me….I know it a little late but I’ve bagged a q&a with Peter Lerangis!!!! Oh yes indeedy!!!!
So my question to you is….. Do you have any questions you would like me to ask Peter about Drivers Dead, The Yearbook, point horror or anything at all? I would like some Drivers Dead questions as that’s the basis I got the q&a but I want to ask a mixture!
I have to do a quick turn around on this as he’s only at home this weekend so get your questions over on here quickly! I will also ask James Dawson and Lou Morgan who did the guest post for us!
So what would you like to ask Peter Lerangis?
Eeekkkk very exciting!!!!!!!
Lol – the picture on the book mows down Billy Goat! This has made my morning lol
Oh my days! How did I miss the buttery popcorn reference! I am totally ashamed of myself!! *send self into the naughty corner*
I’m suprised that Kirsten hasn’t become your new Point Horror love interest Billy Goat! lol But could any one really beat Jenny?!! hmmmmmmm
I have to admit I did think Nat was a girl up until propbably the same point as you….it messed with my mind!! lol
Loving your Gwen theory and a day in the life of Olaf!
I’m hoping for The Waitress as this was the first Point Horror book I ever read!! But happy with which ever one #pointhorrorbookclub picks 🙂
PS – Get your questions in for Peter Lerangis!
Eek! Good work! I’d love to know how his Point Horrors were allowed to be so totally off-template. And if he had a favourite non-Lerangis Point Horror. And how important it was to him to try and include ‘real issues’ like racism and sexuality, which are barely ever mentioned in other PH’s. And if he decided on the punny title of Driver’s Dead or if he was assigned it.
Ohhhhh good questions Paul! I’m on it!
Great that Mr Lerangis has agreed to answer some questions. I suppose I’d like to know if he consciously targeted The Yearbook towards young men by having the protagonist as a male, as they were usually girls due to the target demographic.
Also, I’d love to know what he’s up to now and where PH has taken his career – does he still write horror, is a favourite genre of his?
And as Paul said, anything that sheds light onto the process of PH. CazCoo gave the impression that it was somewhat of a factory mentality, churning books out based on titles that would appeal to readers.
Can’t wait to read it!
Don’t you hate doing in after the show has started? Bumping people’s knees and spilling drinks as you try to get to your seat?
If I’m not too late, I’d love to know if Pete had to write one more PH what would he call it? Also were any of his characters based on real people?
Regarding ‘Drivers Dead’, what does he feel the fate of Gwen and Virgil would have been?
Great work on the Q & A Chelle, BTW!
*Hi Fives Mark* – I have sent the Q&A off already, but I will try my best. I didn’t know how to get in touch with you 🙁
Hey Emma! Welcome to PHBC! You picked a great month to drop in! If you get the chance have a gander at some of the previous posts – unless, in true PH fashion, you’ve been lurking in the shadows watching us…waiting for the right time to appear…
I pronounce our ghostly magician’s name as “new -in” – what do you roll with?
Can we all talk about Rob for a second? It’s a tad disturbing that he was stalking Kirsten; like, he was actually stalking her. Not in a rom-com, turn up in the same place, awkward meeting kind of way, but a I-followed-you-from-school-to-your-house kind of way. I agree with the comment about Dove Bar (Yech! Still my least favourite PH); she would have totally lost it by the time things got heated with Rob in ‘The Park’. Most of the PH girls would have! Remember Martha from ‘Trick or Treat’? Rob would of had her pregnant by chapter 4!
Funny how your mind presents images to you when you read – I saw Rob as Kinickie (I know that must be spelt wrong!) from Grease!
Side note: anyone else had the pleasure of listening to the PH audiobooks? There’s about 8 different ones – on double cassette no less!
First off! THERES POINT HORROR AUDIO BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MUST INVESTIGATE!! PLEASE TELL ME THEY ARE THE BEST!!!??
Also – OMG! Yes Mark! Yes! Kinickie from Grease is Rob!! Remember a hickie from Kinickie…..oh I can’t remember the rest…..fill in the blank?
Lol to Martha from Trick or Treat!
You can find the audiobooks posted up on Youtube. I’ve listened to ‘Trick Or Treat’ and ‘The Funhouse’; not a bad way to pass a long drive!
This is amazing! (I’m easily pleased!)….I will be looking these up asap. How did you find them?
PS – I’ve sent your questions to Peter in the hope he may answer those as well ….fingers crossed 🙂
Stumbled across them while looking on eBay. It looks like they we UK releases, but the voices all sound American. I’ve been able to collect about 5 or 6 of them – looks like there were at least 8 done.
If you’re a book collector (and I’m guessing you are!), you can also find some ace PH boxed sets such as ‘Thrills, Chills and Nightmares’, ‘Tales of Terror’ and ‘Chiller Thrillers’. They have 4 books and although they’re just the normal books, they look great in the cardboard boxes!
Can I post a link? http://www.brotherhoodbooks.org.au/books/more-thrills-chills-and-nightmares-boxed-set-0001000011836/
Oh how fab! Thanks for sharing! Guess what I will be listening to on the weekend!
*looks at book shelves and ponders if I am a collector of books….gulps*
A hickey from Kenicki’s like a hallmark!
You complete me Billy! 🙂