Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf: Day 1

Don’t Look Behind 

the Bookshelf

Welcome to Day 1 of Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf, you poor unfortunate soul. Today is the first of thirteen days of authors, books, and all things Halloween. (Tricks and treats included!) Even though you really shouldn't be here (bad things happen behind bookshelves), I'm still going to give you a little treat (or is it a trick?). Grab a blanket to hide under as Halloween is discussed with...

Elisa Nader

Elisa is the author of Escape from Eden, a book with a CULT. And since cults can be kind of freaky, I thought that her and her book would be perfect for Halloween. And you know what else is a cult? Horror movies, the monsters they contain, and the people who love them. So today Elisa will be discussing her:

Top Ten halloween icons you’d want to escape from

I remember Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and was freaked out by that Headless Horseman. Now, with the Sleepy Hollow TV series on FOX, the Horseman is even creepier. But I have to say, unlike the Disney version, there’s a nice counterbalance of the Horseman’s creepiness with Ichabod’s hotness.

I watched the first Halloween movie at some slumber party in middle school. It was horrific. I don’t think I slept that night at all. I listened to the other girls snore while I stayed frozen in place, tightly clutching the edges of my sleeping bag and waiting for Michael Myers to walk by the basement window with a knife. It was hell.

Let’s be honest. What kid hasn’t this crazy-ass witch not scared?

I read Heart of Darkness, but didn’t find Kurtz nearly as creepy as he is depicted in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. First, there is the anticipation of meeting Kurtz—it feels like it takes forever in the film—but once he appears, he’s hard to forget. Brando’s shaved head, his stilted speech, his sweatiness, the stark dark and light of his initial appearance, so incredibly creepers.

I know you’re laughing at this picture. You’re thinking, “Why is she scared of a freaking doll?” Well, dear reader, this little guy starred in many of my nightmares after seeing Trilogy of Terror. This dude COMES ALIVE and attacks Karen Black in her own home with a knife. He’s the original Chuckie.

[Beauty and the Bookshelf: I don't know what this thing is but it is CREEPY AS HELL.]

Do I really need to explain myself here? *Shivers*

The aliens from the Alien movies are the scariest aliens ever in the history of aliens. That’s right, I said it! Scariest. Aliens. Ever.

Did you read Pet Sematary? Yeah? Did you see the movie? Yeah? Remember Gage? Yeah? Yeah.

If you listen close, you can hear my lambs screaming.

Damien from the first Omen movie was the perfect age to be scary. Too young to understand what he was doing to everyone around him, but still looking like he meant every single screwed up thing he did. Come on, the nanny scene at the birthday party alone was whack-a-doodle.  

The Exorcist is… I mean… You have to… Watch it and… Um, AAAAHHH!

The Cult Manual

Title: Escape from Eden

Author: Elisa Nader
Publisher: Merit Press

Publishing Date: August 18, 2013

Pages: 271
Goodreads | Amazon
| Barnes & Noble

Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape. 

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?

The Worshipers

“The chemistry between Mia and Gabriel is palpable in their teasing dialogue and sizzling moments of physical connection. Its rewards … are many: fast-moving action, a capable heroine and a resolution that leaves plenty of room for a sequel.” — Kirkus Reviews [STARRED REVIEW]

“Debut author Elisa Nader hits a strong note with her ESCAPE FROM EDEN… At-times swoony, at-times extremely dangerous, and at-other times completely shocking.” — Examiner.com

“Nader has done something amazing: written a really original novel, one full of characters you’ll care about; smart, witty dialog; and plenty of shocks and thrills. A wonderful balance of light and dark.” — Michael Grant, NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author of the Gone Series 

The Cult Leader

Elisa Nader is a writer and UX designer living near Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter. When she's not writing or designing, she's avoiding putting away laundry. Escape from Eden is her first novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Beware...

Thanks for stopping by (even though you probably got some ghoulish cooties now), and I hope you enjoyed hearing from Elisa! Be sure to follow her and check out her book! And now I have a question for you: which Halloween icons would YOU want to escape from?

Tune in to Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf tomorrow (and through Halloween) for another post, another author, and more books--tomorrow's may be a little...illusive. In the meantime, don't let the book bugs bite. And come back soon...if you dare.