Fantastic Halloween Adventure: Alvin & The Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman

Today’s Fantastic Adventure in Family Entertainment brings us to an old children’s favorite: Alvin and the Chipmunks.

In this full length feature, Alvin becomes obsessed with monsters and pranks, especially when a creepy neighbor moves in.
At the same time, Theodore is looking to be in the school play production of Jekyll and Hyde, along with the Chipettes.
Why doesn’t anyone believe Alvin when he sees a wolfman running around the city? And why has Theodore begun acting so strange? Find out when Alvin and the Chipmunks meet the Wolfman!

Why it is a Fantastic Adventure: Any Halloween themed movies immediately catch my attention. This one is above average, but not the greatest. Like any entry in this series, there is always a lesson to be learned. As usual, Alvin goes overboard and scares too many people which gets him grounded. A good teachable moment and reminder that sometimes play can get out of hand.
But, it is not all lessons and mischief! There are some great Chipmunk songs for your kids to dance and sing and burn a few calories. They will love the comic interactions between the Chipmunks.

The animation style is hand drawn animation, which I always prefer over CG. It gives the entire cartoon a familiar, friendly feel. A few Fall elements appear, such as orange leaves, dark skies, a yellow moon and a creepy werewolf imagery! Start this one early in September and get your kids in the mood for the Fall.

Fantastic Halloween Adventure: Costume Quest 2

Last year, I wrote about the first Costume Quest game. A rare gem that perfectly encapsulates the experience of Halloween. This year, Costume Quest 2 has been released and looks to continue the amazing Halloween spirit.

Why it is a fantastic adventure: Differing from the first game, Costume Quest 2 takes place in various eras of time. Not only will you and your kids get to virtually trick or treat in a familiar neighborhood setting, but you’ll get to visit Ancient Egypt, the Louisiana Bayou, a future where Halloween is illegal, and more!
There are multiple costumes to try on, lots of creepy cards to collect, and tons and tons of candy to collect and spend.

It is a fun adventure for the entire family. So gather round the computer or TV and spend some quality family Halloween time together.

Costume Quest 2 is available on PC, PlayStation or Xbox.

Have you been to a pumpkin patch yet?

From last year’s 31 Days of Halloween, don’t miss out on the chance to take the family to your local pumpkin patch!
See Last year’s post to find a pumpkin patch near you!

Weird pumpkins, as your kids will undoubtedly call them.

Ponies

Photo Opportunities

Train

Rides!

Roller coaster

This is what it is all about.

Pumpkins galore!

Dead Skin Dave one year Anniversary!

Ahoy, mateys! In a few short weeks, it shall be one year since the release of Dead Skin Dave, the Pirate! To commemorate, the paperback copy of the book will be on sale for a limited time starting pretty much as soon as you read this!

As always, you get the e-book FREE when ordering the paperback through Amazon.com!

Be sure to check out all of my Junior Pirate activities by clicking the Dead Skin Dave tab on the menu!

Now is a great time to buy or order a few extra copies for your friends, family, co workers, church, neighbors, homeless guy down the street, your post man….

Once upon a time , there was a short, skin-peeling mess of a pirate known to the world as Dead Skin Dave. Dave wanted nothing more than to impress his fellow pirates, but he rarely succeeded. Then one day, the feared Hairy Hazelroth sank his ship and left him stranded on an island full of wanna-be pirates!
Join Dead Skin Dave, the Pirate, his dim-witted first mate, Tom Swiftfellow, and the evil Hairy Hazelroth, as they face off across the high seas for the legendary lost cutlass o’ Captain Bo Ben in an adventure full of laughs and swashbuckling action!

Fantastic Adventure: Eerie, Indiana

My next item on my list of Fantastic Adventures in Family Entertainment brings us to a rather strange and unusual place. It’s a small town in Indiana that you won’t find on any map. Together let us journey to Eerie, Indiana.

Marshall Teller’s family moves to the small country town of Eerie, Indiana (Pop. 16,661). There, Marshall discovers that Eerie, as he puts it, “is the center of weirdness for the universe”. Elvis lives there, so do a pair of twins who stay young by sleeping in Tupperware, and many other strange things. Each episode, Marshall and his friend Simon collect evidence about the creepy things that happen there.

Why it is a fantastic adventure: Filled with paranormal shenanigans, clueless parents and two boys with an unending thirst for adventure, this television show delivers hours of amazing adventures for the entire family.
First, we have the classic best friends solving crime combo that encourages your kids to get out of the house and go looking for their own mysteries in their neighborhood and, hopefully, make friends along the way!
This is a great introduction to Twilight Zone / X-FIles – esque storytelling. Lots of great mysteries, paranormal, treasure hunting, etc. Just a few example of some of the more memorable episodes: A family that is hundreds of years old but stay eternally young by sleeping in Tupperware, a talking ATM that tries to be nice to you while getting you to steal other people’s money, a retainer that allows you to hear the thoughts of dogs (turns out, dogs are plotting to take over the world!), a VCR that brings the characters in the movie to life,  a school eye exam that leads to all of the kids becoming complacent drones, and more!
This show sparks the imagination of young kids more than any other I have ever seen. Your kids will love Marshal and Simon, want to go on adventures just like them, and begin to question their own reality. Are things truly as they seem, or is there some creepy paranormal force at work?  Either way, it will begin to open your kids’ minds to thinking outside the box and, hopefully, inspire them to create their own  mysteries and adventures with their friends.

Eerie, Indiana is available to own on DVD on Amazon.com

Happy New Year

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful 2013, and I hope 2014 will be even better. I had mostly ups and a few downs  in 2013 in regards to my writing.

2014 is shaping up to be a great year. I have resolved to read and write more often, and I hope to have two books done by the end of this year. Perhaps there will be a new release by the end of this year, if the books gods are smiling down on me.

As always, you can purchase Dead Skin Dave, the Pirate and Jeremy, the Jack-o’-Lantern all year long on my Books page.

Stay tuned for more Fantastic Adventures in Family Entertainment, great blog posts, and a few surprises here and there.

Lastly, what would you like to see? Let me know in the comments. Happy new year!

Fantastic Christmas Adventure: Lights!

Whew, it has been a whirlwind of a month, which is why I usually go light on the blog in December. Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone, but here is a new fantastic adventure for the entire family that’s worth the wait.

Whatever your religious beliefs (even lack thereof), there are not too many things better than gathering with family and taking a stroll on a cool December night and looking at Christmas lights. Here in Long Beach, we have a row of homes along a canal in Naples who go all out every year. It is a great way to take a little time off from all the shopping, rushing around and bad drivers! Spend some quality time with your kids (even your teenagers), parents, aunts, uncles, whoever you can drag with you, and experience the wonder of humans both young and old when they gaze at Christmas lights.

Enjoy the photos and the holidays! See you all soon!

Christmas Adventures

First off, I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. December is in full swing, my daughter’s birthday party is coming up this weekend, and then Christmas celebrations begin! It is always a whirlwind this time of year, but it is fun and such a great few months to spend with friends and family that it is all worth it. How do you feel about this time of year?

Seeing as how my viewership is nearly double that of last year, I thought I would point you all in the direction of my Fantastic Christmas Adventures posts from last year. So today you get not one, but multiple Fantastic Adventures. Best of all, I’ll only charge you for one! Oh wait, I don’t have a tip jar on this blog. Well, lucky you, you get them all for free! Happy Holidays!

The Polar Express

Rankin / Bass TV Specials

All I Want for Christmas

Jack Frost

 

 

 

 

Fantastic Adventure: Theatre camps!

While most of my entries in the Fantastic Adventures in Family Entertainment series have been book, movie and TV show based, I have decided to broaden my approach and open it up to all forms of family entertainment. Today I’d like to talk about theatre camps! What are they? Well, I assume most people are familiar with summer camp. This is similar in that you drop your kid off at a camp for a few weeks in the summer or Winter, but instead of sports and scavenger hunts, your kids will learn how to prepare for and put on a play. This includes all aspects including set design and building, costumes, makeup, acting and directing.

Why it is a fantastic adventure. There are few things in the world that foster creativity in the same way that live theatre does. It s truly  a collaborative process where everyone belongs to a community and everyone is involved. Whether your kids are acting, directing, doing backstage work or making costumes, everyone will feel part of the process.
This is also a great opportunity to get your kids who are not as outgoing into a supporting community. Maybe your child is shy and doesn’t want to act. That’s OK. She can work backstage and help the play get up and running. Every one is an essential piece of the puzzle in theatre. And I can almost guarantee that by the end of the camp, your child will want to leave the backstage and audition for the lead role in the play. That’s just how it works. It is such an empowering place where everyone can feel safe and welcome.
Imagination and creativity are things we often squander when we’re older because we’re taught they don’t pay the bills! Let your child build their sense of imagination and creativity so they have something to tap into when they become adults. There’s nothing wrong with a career in the performing arts. Money be damned!

Kindle Countdown Deal: Dead Skin Dave, the Pirate!

Woo, another promotion for Dead Skin Dave, the Pirate! It never has been easier to get my latest book for cheap!

For the next four days, you can purchase the eBook for only $0.99! That is in addition to the buy the paperback, get the eBook free promotion.

What’s yer excuse mateys? Get on board with Dead Skin Dave as he searches for the Legendary Lost Cutlass of Captain Bo Ben!