Böcker av Bill Thompson

There's nothing especially unusual in the enterprise of taking stock of one's life. As the late Barry Lopez wrote in Horizons, his exquisite 2019 memoir, "We, all of us, look back over our lives, trying to make sense of what happened, to see what enduring threads might be there." For my part, I am not sure how many coherent threads I have found, or if things make any more sense to me than they did when I began the writing.For all my 32 years as a book review editor, I grumbled about how unseemly and presumptuous it was for callow pop stars and otherentertainers to be penning "memoirs" while they were still wet behind the ears. My only excuse for writing one now is that I am, astonishingly, 75, with a tenuous grasp of detail, and just egotistical enough to think four or five people other than me might want to read a book about my life so far.Full disclosure: My life is based on a true story.- excerpted from the Preface

It's a Friday in New Orleans, ten days before Mardi Gras. As Carnival season begins, eerie events unfold, coinciding with the first downtown parades. These inexplicable occurrences, termed "Harbingers," mystify locals. In a Bourbon Street strip club, a mysterious figure in a cloak adorned with ancient symbols disappears in a puff of smoke. Simultaneously, during the parade on St. Charles Avenue, an unannounced float labeled "Krewe of Moros" appears. High atop the float rides Harbinger of Doom, an enigmatic figure with a golden wand, surrounded by ghostly riders who terrify onlookers. The float vanishes into the night, leaving the city bewildered. As Mardi Gras week continues, so do the Harbingers, each becoming more ominous and deadly than the last. Paranormal investigator Landry Drake and his friends return to battle an ancient being named Bezaliel, who inhabits a haunted mansion in the French Quarter and may be the force behind the Harbingers. As the Carnival chaos becomes terrifying and deadly, secrets and malevolence intertwine, shrouding New Orleans in fear. Days before Mardi Gras, the most ominous and catastrophic event of all takes place. The people have had enough. As they flee the city, Mardi Gras is all but forgotten. Landry Drake and his crew make one last effort to save Carnival and the city itself, but is it too late? In this ninth Bayou Hauntings installment, Landry and Cate rescue a dog they name Simba. As he becomes part of their lives, they learn that he's more than just a companion. He can lend a helpful paw when they need one. Dread Reckoning is a gripping supernatural thriller, exploring the sinister forces lurking within the city's vibrant traditions. This tale delves into the hart of terror, weaving mystery and the unknown into the fabric of New Orleans history.

"Lightwaves: A Film Critic's Odyssey" is a hand-picked collection of the best interviews, reviews, movie histories, and weekly columns written by Bill Thompson during his 19 years as film critic for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier, accompanied and amplified by new thematic essays.

2019 INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS WINNER FOR HORROR!2019 SILVER IPPY AWARD FOR HORROR!2018 FIRST PLACE EVVY AWARD WINNER FOR HORROR!Deep in the Louisiana bayou, an ancient mansion sits empty and abandoned.Callie Pilantro inherits the house and finds a mysterious child there who appears and disappears at will.Even the walls of the mansion hold long-forgotten secrets.Get your copy today!Follow Callie as she struggles to find the secrets of her house even as someone or something tries to stop her. It all ends one eerie night. Will it be too late for Callie?Buy it now!

COULD FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD NOAH PROCTOR HAVE SLAUGHTERED HIS FAMILY IN THEIR BEDS, ARRANGED THEIR BODIES ON A COUCH AND PUT THEIR HEADS ON THE MANTEL?EVERYONE IN TOWN THINKS SO, BUT NOAH''S NOT TALKING.Proctor Hall is one of Lafourche Parish''s oldest sugarcane plantations. After Noah supposedly murdered his parents and little sister in 1963, he went off to an institution while caretakers maintained the place. Twenty-six years later, the man who never spoke returned home. A girl disappears and people believe Noah''s up to his old tricks.Four college students visit the now-abandoned farmhouse as part of a class project, and they fall victim to whoever -- or whatever -- still resides within its walls. Famous paranormal investigator Landry drake conducts a seance there, uncovers long-hidden secrets and learns that the horror of Proctor Hall is still at work.

Bill Thompson knows the South as well as the creases in his old white bucks. Told through the lenses of family, friends, a couple of celebrities, and even a few Presidents, this first memoir from best-selling author and self-proclaimed Southern Gentleman, Bill Thompson, is an homage to Southern living.