Books and Banter: Brian Halsey ~ guest post and his novel ~ Snake Oil Salesman of the Week

TITLE: Snake Oil Salesman of the Week

RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2017

AUTHOR: Brian Halsey

CATEGORIES: Dark Comedy / Modern Folklore / Horror

PAGE COUNT: 106

ISBN: 978-1544111216

IMPRINT: Dark Serpent

BOOK PAGE: http://ravenswoodpublishing.com/bookpages/snakeoilsalesmanoftheweek.html

KEYWORDS: entertaining, bizarre, enthralling, dark, comical, violent, redemptive, heroic, legendary, mystical

ONE LINER:

Andy James is a pompous jerk on a quest for artistic greatness. Only the Devil stands in his way, and he could care less.

SYNOPSIS:

Andy James is an artist, a fighter, and a big time a-hole from the small town of Tuckerton, New Jersey. While in pursuit of artistic greatness, James comes across a shapeshifting (Jersey) Devil during a chance encounter in the isolated Pine Barrens. Confident to a fault, Andy James believes he can get the best of the Devil, but unfortunately loses his soul in the process. Suffering from a carnivorous rage that is a product of the Devil’s sourcery, James goes on a mission to find his evil nemesis. The grueling hunt leaves Andy beaten and taunted by the supernatural and human beings that surround him. With time running out, Andy’s fortune begins to turn when he discovers a loophole in his soulless existence. Armed with sacred knowledge and endless bravado, Andy James returns to the wilderness for a showdown against the most ancient evil known to mankind.

GUEST POST:
I have always been fascinated with my brother’s passion for creating art. I myself, enjoy many things very much, but there is no activity I truly love (I’m not counting loving family & friends, all those things are very natural to me and in a separate category from entertainment). As a writer (aka a dude who has one pretty damn solid Ebook under his belt) I pride myself on trying to put a twist of originality on familiar subject matter that people enjoy.

On a quest for self enlightenment, I set out to document the actions and activities of Peter Halsey in his relentless pursuit to further validate his immensely remarkable portfolio. Unbeknownst to my motives, I was able to easily obtain (steal) the information I needed from him to manifest an accurate character sketch. The character of Andy James (Andrew and James being the first names of both my grandfathers) was born out of the admiration I have for people bold enough to chase down what they love regardless of the wake of destruction it can often leave behind. Growing up in New Jersey, not far from the birthplace of Jersey Devil folklore, I have always been fascinated with the culture behind the stories. Using the Devil as a foil was really the only thing I had planned at the inception of the story. A prominent and diverse figure throughout the history of American literature, I find the Devil most engaging as more of a trickster character with bad intentions. Full blown Hellfire in every exchange is too mundane. I like a Devil that you don’t feel bad about routing for from time to time, but in the end you are always let down by his actions.

In the process of highly complex pre-writing activities, like getting drunk with my brother and fooling him into question/answer sessions or swiping very personal papers he had written for his Master’s degree (only things a loving older sibling could gracefully pull off), I have concluded 2 things:

1) Pete is a lot more passionate about art than I had originally measured.

2) I found something that I am genuinely passionate about.

Although this novel is clearly a work of fiction, and there many instances that are entirely fabricated for the sake of entertainment, large character traits shine through without any alteration necessary. If people enjoy reading it half as much as I enjoyed writing it, then I’ll consider it a massive success.

AUTHOR BIO:

Brian Halsey is an American Literature teacher from New Jersey. He enjoys reading, writing, art and leg dropping people from the top ropes. You can find Halsey climbing mountains, swimming in oceans, and teaching his children to launch perfectly crafted snowballs. He believes in crisp high fives and the power of positivity. He is the type of dude who yells ‘KOBE’ every time he shoots a basketball. The release of his 2016 Ebook (Of Gods & Gators) earned him several million dollars, which he quickly squandered on a high risk ‘Time Machine’ investment. Brian Halsey is set to return in 2017 with Snake Oil Salesman of the Week, a unique blend of horror and comedy. You can find him on the internets for updates and (un)professional tips on how to powerbomb your enemies into oblivion.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Instagram > http://www.instagram.com/halseyfromthetopropes