Valhollywood Kindle edition is on sale today for only 99 cents! Here's a review link from Free BookTips on their Twitter account:

"Valhollywood is a gripping tale that brings together the glamour of Hollywood with fantastical elements, ensuring an enthralling read for those seeking their next captivating eBook journey."

Full review is here: https://rebrand.ly/valhollywoodcac6c3

#bookreview #newbook #hollywood #fantasybooks #noir #valhollywood #classicfilm #mystery

Valhollywood

An angry mob boss, a cult determined to end the world, and the murder of a long-dead actress; things were simpler for Jake Neumann when he was still breathing.

When Jake Neumann, gets pulled into the plot of Valhollywood, he's investigating a shooting which ties together silent stars Alla Nazimova, John Barrymore and Tom Mix. As he pursues his leads, he discovers links to a strange séance which took place at Moorcrest, involving Barrymore, Nazimova, Rudolph Valentino and others. These events interweave into a supernatural mystery that drives much of the action of Valhollywood.

#silentstars #supernaturalmystery #fantasybooks #valhollywood #classicfilm

H. P. Lovecraft does not appear in my novel Valhollywood, but much of the supernatural element of the book--apart from taking place in an afterlife--stems from an event in 1925 which prompts a Theosophist scholar to hold a ritual to make contact with...something. This is an homage to The Call of Cthulhu. While the tone of the novel in more noir mystery and fantasy than cosmic horror, Lovecraft looms over parts of the story.

#lovecraftian #valhollywood #fantasybooks #cthulhumythos #indieauthor

Many things in my novel Valhollywood are lost to time, but Zaca is still with us--despite falling into disrepair and sinking at one point. Flynn's Schooner was used by the navy and featured in a few films. It features in my story as well.
#sailingadventure #classicmoviestars #newbooks #valhollywood

https://classicsailboats.org/garland-rotch-zaca/

Garland Rotch ZACA - Classic Sailboats

Wartime designation: (IX-73) Type: Two-Masted Gaff Schooner ZACA Specifications: LOA: 118’0″ / 35.96m – LWL: 95’11″ / 29.23m – Beam: 23’9″ / 7.23m – Draft: 14’0” / 4.26m – Hull Number: – Designer: Garland Rotch – Original Owner: Templeton Crocker – Contract Cost: $200,000.00 – Current Owner: Roberto Memmo, Monaco – Year Launched: 1929 – … Read more "Garland Rotch ZACA"

Classic Sailboats
Flynn's yacht Sirocco is also still sailing, but under it's original name Karenita. Flynn renamed the ketch after a boat he had owned in his youth. One of the sailors I talked to online while researching Valhollywood had actually crewed this boat. Sirocco plays a pivotal role in my #newbook
#classicmoviestars #newbook #valhollywood #sailingadventure
https://classicyachtinfo.com/yachts/karenita/
Karenita - Classic Yacht Info

Launched as Karenita she is often better known as the actor Errol Flynn’s ‘Sirocco’ (the name he gave here following his previous Sirocco when he bought her in 1938). She hosted many famous personalities in the heyday of Hollywood, and more recently has been the flagship of the fashion clothing company ‘Blanc Bleu’. “I first […]

Classic Yacht Info
Bogart's boat, Santana, is still sailing--back in her original schooner configuration. Previous owner George Brent had converted the boat to a yawl prior to selling to Bogart. She was undermasted in this configuration, but Bogie still raced her successfully. Santana plays an important role in my new novel, Valhollywood. https://classicyachtinfo.com/yachts/santana/
#sailing #classicmoviestars #newbook #valhollywood

When I researching Valhollywood, Google maps wasn't a thing. I bought a Thomas Guide to LA in 1998 and pinned pages up on a cork board. By the time I finished the novel, I could virtually drive the streets of LA. Small spoilers, but here's the working map with book location marked on Google.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=19SereX2TZenqrPBvoGw-f8mKjTB8d1M&usp=sharing

#indieauthor #fantasybooks #valhollywood #mysterybooks

Valhollywood – Google My Maps

Locations from the novel Valhollywood

Google My Maps

The Garden of Allah is a lost landmarks of Los Angeles which still exists in Valhollywood. I knew I wanted to use it as a location after reading Sheilah Graham's book about it. It filled a spot in early Hollywood lore similar to the role later played by the Chateau Marmont across the street--a discrete playground for movie stars.

In the time I it took me to write my book, Martin Turnbull set a whole series of novels here.

#oldlosangeles #indieauthor #fantasybooks #valhollywood #nazimova

The Daisy (not to be confused with the Lazy Daisy) was a private club and discotheque in Beverly Hills where locals could hang out without tabloids or fans bothering them. It was previously the original location of Romanoffs, located near the Frank Lloyd Wright spire on Rodeo Drive.

The club was owned by Jack Hanson, whose Jax boutique made slacks for Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. Regulars at the Daisy got menu items named after them.
#oldlosangeles #fantasybooks #indieauthor #valhollywood