Angels and ghosts set the plots moving in two original novels, "The Angel’s Messenger" and "Night of the Witch," newly published by Shelton resident Fred Musante Jr.
"Under the old rules of the publishing industry, an author would be nuts to release two new novels simultaneously, but the new ebook technology, which has made publishing industry stars out of self-published newcomers like Amanda Hocking, has made the old rulebook obsolete," Musante said.
"The Angel’s Messenger," published in paperback and as an ebook, asks the question: If you see an angel, does it mean you’re crazy? It takes place in Bridgeport, with key scenes unfolding in and around the state courthouse on Main Street.
"Paul Tinelli thinks he’s going crazy, and everybody else thinks so, too. He says an angel told him to deliver a simple message. But when his mission turns him into a key defense witness who can save an innocent man from a death sentence, the prosecutor decides to put angels on trial to discredit his testimony. So if you think you saw an angel, does that mean you’re crazy?"
Musante originally wrote the story in 2004 aiming at the Christian fiction market. Last summer, after reading about Hocking in the New York Times, he spent a month polishing the manuscript and submitted it for publication.
By coincidence, "The Angel’s Messenger" hit the market just prior to the release of "Night of the Witch," the first volume in a planned book series about twin brothers Mike and Ethan Realy who open the Realy Paranormal Investigation Agency.
"It’s a Realy Paranormal mix of humor and horror when rookie paranormal investigators Mike and Ethan Realy hold a séance in a haunted house. Their client is nuts. Their medium is a porn star. Their séance guests hate each other. And the ghosts are a lot more complicated than it seemed. Now all they have to do is escape the ancient horror their séance has unleashed during the ‘Night of the Witch.’"
The ghost story, set in Shelton and Oxford, contains plenty of action, comedy and horror as the brothers and Mike’s pretty girlfriend tangle with a colorful cast of characters, living and dead.
"The paranormal is as popular as ever," said Musante. "The originality of my story comes from its character-driven humor that takes aim at familiar horror genre clichés. It’s like a sitcom in a haunted house."
Musante published "Night of the Witch" solely as an ebook, although he doesn’t rule out releasing a paperback edition in the future.
For links online to buy the local author’s novels, go to theangelsmessenger.com and to realyparanormal.com.
