Sunday, December 24, 2017

Action, evolution, and myth merge in 'Caitlin Star and the Hand of God'



Now available in Kindle and on Paperback.

Caitlin Star was once a beaten down but fiery thirteen year-old orphan trained by Gunner Star in the ways of the Bull Mongoni—a mythic species of ancient hominids. Caitlin fought in the Stadium Games and became the leader of a revolution that defeated fascism in the culture civil wars of North America in the days before the apocalypse.

But those days of training, Stadium Games with fights to the death, and revolutions, were a long time ago. Now the Bull Mongoni are not mythic. They are real and living in the Congo rain forest with Caitlin and her human, chimpanzee and gorilla friends. And for the past several years, Caitlin has been less of a warrior and more of a stateswoman as she and her friends have worked hard to build a new world—one of peace where both they and the Earth itself could finally heal from all of the trauma of the past decade.

But across the Atlantic a new evil has been brewing in the tattered remnants of America. An evil that has other plans. An evil being stoked and inspired by an orange-faced ex-TV reality star conman named Mack and his cult leader sidekick Frank Aries, a sadistic religious psychopath who is known as the Hand of God.

“Caitlin Star and the Hand of God” is a smashing, stand-alone sequel to “Caitlin Star: The Trilogy” from neo-pulp master storyteller James J. Caterino.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

She: a novel of obsession, time travel, and film noir




First published in 2005 and recently re-released with new cover art, "She" is a haunting, suspenseful tale about an unsolved murder mystery from the past, an a mysterious woman who appears in the present, and is dead ringer for the long dead victim.

From the back cover:

"We are driving on Street Runs Road now. This is the road—the place where it happened, the birthplace of my journey, the crossroads, the crux of time where the line between life and death merged. It is the place where I was forever changed." 

In July of 1983, JC Pezzini and his parents were involved in a deadly hit-and-run car accident. A mysterious Good Samaritan referred to as “She” was the only reason JC survived—and finding She has become his all-consuming passion in life. More than twenty years later, JC is a filmmaker, a voyeur, and a man haunted by his past. 

With the help of his psychiatrist, his friends, and old acquaintances of the unknown woman, JC will attempt to get closer to She than he could ever hope to—even in his most lucid daydreams. Whether through regression hypnotherapy, time travel by means of an anti-reality chamber, or sheer determination, JC won’t stop until he recovers the answers he has been searching for all these years. 

After coming across a stunning She look-alike named Angela, JC is convinced he’s almost completed his life quest. Only then are the real answers—and the shocking secrets that have hidden the truth—revealed.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

'Caitlin Star and the Hand of God'


Now available in Kindle and on Paperback.

Caitlin Star was once a beaten down but fiery thirteen year-old orphan trained by Gunner Star in the ways of the Bull Mongoni—a mythic species of ancient hominids. Caitlin fought in the Stadium Games and became the leader of a revolution that defeated fascism in the culture civil wars of North America in the days before the apocalypse.

But those days of training, Stadium Games with fights to the death, and revolutions, were a long time ago. Now the Bull Mongoni are not mythic. They are real and living in the Congo rain forest with Caitlin and her human, chimpanzee and gorilla friends. And for the past several years, Caitlin has been less of a warrior and more of a stateswoman as she and her friends have worked hard to build a new world—one of peace where both they and the Earth itself could finally heal from all of the trauma of the past decade.

But across the Atlantic a new evil has been brewing in the tattered remnants of America. An evil that has other plans. An evil being stoked and inspired by an orange-faced ex-TV reality star conman named Mack and his cult leader sidekick Frank Aries, a sadistic religious psychopath who is known as the Hand of God.

“Caitlin Star and the Hand of God” is a smashing, stand-alone sequel to “Caitlin Star: The Trilogy” from neo-pulp master storyteller James J. Caterino.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Video introduction to 'Caitlin Star and the Hand of God'





Now available in Kindle and on Paperback.

Caitlin Star was once a beaten down but fiery thirteen year-old orphan trained by Gunner Star in the ways of the Bull Mongoni—a mythic species of ancient hominids. Caitlin fought in the Stadium Games and became the leader of a revolution that defeated fascism in the culture civil wars of North America in the days before the apocalypse.

But those days of training, Stadium Games with fights to the death, and revolutions, were a long time ago. Now the Bull Mongoni are not mythic. They are real and living in the Congo rain forest with Caitlin and her human, chimpanzee and gorilla friends. And for the past several years, Caitlin has been less of a warrior and more of a stateswoman as she and her friends have worked hard to build a new world—one of peace where both they and the Earth itself could finally heal from all of the trauma of the past decade.

But across the Atlantic a new evil has been brewing in the tattered remnants of America. An evil that has other plans. An evil being stoked and inspired by an orange-faced ex-TV reality star conman named Mack and his cult leader sidekick Frank Aries, a sadistic religious psychopath who is known as the Hand of God.

“Caitlin Star and the Hand of God” is a smashing, stand-alone sequel to “Caitlin Star: The Trilogy” from neo-pulp master storyteller James J. Caterino.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

'Caitlin Star and the Hand of God', now available


Now available in Kindle and on Paperback.

Caitlin Star was once a beaten down but fiery thirteen year-old orphan trained by Gunner Star in the ways of the Bull Mongoni—a mythic species of ancient hominids. Caitlin fought in the Stadium Games and became the leader of a revolution that defeated fascism in the culture civil wars of North America in the days before the apocalypse.

But those days of training, Stadium Games with fights to the death, and revolutions, were a long time ago. Now the Bull Mongoni are not mythic. They are real and living in the Congo rain forest with Caitlin and her human, chimpanzee and gorilla friends. And for the past several years, Caitlin has been less of a warrior and more of a stateswoman as she and her friends have worked hard to build a new world—one of peace where both they and the Earth itself could finally heal from all of the trauma of the past decade.

But across the Atlantic a new evil has been brewing in the tattered remnants of America. An evil that has other plans. An evil being stoked and inspired by an orange-faced ex-TV reality star conman named Mack and his cult leader sidekick Frank Aries, a sadistic religious psychopath who is known as the Hand of God.

“Caitlin Star and the Hand of God” is a smashing, stand-alone sequel to “Caitlin Star: The Trilogy” from neo-pulp master storyteller James J. Caterino.

Friday, October 13, 2017

The story behind ‘Among the Stars’



“Among the Stars”, the brand new, just published, exciting sexy space opera adventure, is written for the same target audience as all of my work—my thirteen year-old self. In other words, me as I am right now, forever trapped in a perpetual state of exuberant adolescence. 

I write books that I want to read, but nobody else has written. So I am compelled, obsessed, and destined to write them because I desperately need to experience these stories.

The initial creative spark for “Among the Stars” literally comes straight out of my adolescence, because it is based (loosely) on a short story I wrote in circa 1977-78 at the age of thirteen. At the time I was placed into something called the GATE program (that later became the ACE program). It was a “special needs” program according to the state, and in this case the special need was having an I.Q. above 135. Yeah, yeah, well bleep you, because that was a long time ago and whatever capacity I once possessed for higher intelligence has long since vanished.

At any rate, “Among the Stars” was my homage to the science fiction TV shows I had grown up on, mainly classic “Star Trek”, “Space 1999”, and “Lost in Space” (the first season when it was serious, before descending into buffoonery).

“Among the Stars” was my first official work of fiction, (typed out in proper manuscript form by my poor Aunt who had the thankless task of deciphering my handwritten chicken scratch), so I have always wanted to revisit it in some fashion. So in 2015 I was watching film critic Peter Travers interviewing Quentin Tarantino about his then upcoming film “The Hateful Eight”, and Quentin talked about how the inspirations for the film were the endless series of mysterious stranger guest stars who came to town each week on shows like “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanza”, and “The Big Valley”.

That was the spark. Why couldn’t I write my own movie inspired by the TV shows that I grew up on? And I could write the movie as pilot film for a new series (be it film or television). Plus I now had an additional four decades of genre material and forty years of life experience to draw from. Thus, “Among the Stars” version 2017 was born—a wickedly exciting, wildly imaginative new published screenplay that draws inspiration from my love of space opera, pulp fiction, and film noir.


From the back cover:

The year is 2042. The return of fascism, war, and raging climate change have left the Earth on a path toward inevitable destruction. But there is one industry that thrives as people look for an escape—space tourism—lead by Brenda Bakke, the CEO and designer of the Aphrodite, a cruise ship to the stars.

Brenda offers a scholarship ticket to Stanford astrophysicist student Ariana Green, hires Captain Rochelle Blair to helm the Aphrodite’s maiden voyage, and invites former space fighter turned rogue gambler Von Sky to join the ship’s elite stunt team, the Space Angels.

They sail off for Saturn, and the celebrated space cruise is all Brenda could have hoped for, until, sabotage strikes, sending the Aphrodite and its eleven-hundred passengers and crew straight into an anomaly of dark energy where they become—lost "Among the Stars".

Written in the screenplay format, "Among theStars" is the original pilot script for an exciting new science fiction series from the lurid imagination of James J. Caterino, author of "Caitlin Star: The Trilogy" and "Steel Phantom".


This exclusive special edition contains a bonus section of "Among the Stars" concept art from the author’s personal sketchbook.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Caitlin Star: The Trilogy



Part animal. Part legend. All woman. 

Caitlin Star: The Trilogy, is a collection of the first three action-packed books in the controversial Caitlin Star series, collected in one volume for the first time ever. All three books are newly edited and contain brand new, never before read scenes. Also included is a ten page sketchbook of illustrations by the author, all exclusive to this special-edition collection.



Caitlin Star (book 1) 

Gunner Star takes on Caitlin as his protégé and trains her in the ways of the Bull Mongoni, a mythic species of hominids that lived long ago. An exciting, brave new world opens up for Caitlin as she discovers a new philosophy, and begins to see the world around her from a new perspective. This is the origin story you have been waiting for.

Caitlin Star and the Guardian of Forever (book 2)

Caitlin is called into action by Azrael—a.k.a. the Black Knight—a fellow Bull Mongoni warrior with roots in the Congo. Now she must defeat the White Hand, battle the militia of a ruthless Uganda dictator, and face down a mysterious figure who is manipulating everything behind the scenes for a devious purpose that will threaten every living thing on earth.

Caitlin Star and the Rise of the Barbarians (book 3)

Caitlin now lives a life of peace and tranquility deep in the rain forests of the Congo among her ape friends, free from the evil and destructive species known as Homo sapiens. All is well until one day a massive cruise ship shows up on the shore carrying hostile invaders commanded by an old arch enemy of Caitlin’s who will stop at nothing to destroy her and the last remaining paradise on earth.

Caitlin Star: The Trilogy is an addictive, riveting, hard-edged, YA dystopian action adventure that will blow you away and leave you begging for more.

Friday, September 29, 2017

'The Last Neanderthal", the Special Edition




James J. Caterino’s “The Last Neanderthal” has been reformatted and republished with new cover art in a brand new exclusive special edition that includes a bonus short story, the romantic science fiction thriller “The Selfie”.

Often described as “King Kong” meets “Harry and the Hendersons”, “The Last Neanderthal” is a contemporary, emotionally resonant, “Beauty and the Beast” style coming of age adventure story that has been praised for its memorable characters, suspense, action, and heartfelt emotion.


This spectacular new special edition of “The Last Neanderthal” is now available in a glorious 6 x 9 beautifully packaged trade paperback and exclusively on Amazon Kindle Ebooks.





Friday, June 16, 2017

The best of James J. Caterino

The essential James J. Caterino

“I was thinking of reading one of your books,” she said. “So which one do you recommend the most?”

This was a question someone asked me on Instagram. It is one I often hesitate to answer unless I know the person’s tastes, passions, likes, and dislikes. But in this particular case I did know from the potential reader’s profile and posts that she loved animals and nature and lived in the Pacific Northwest. So this was a lay-up. I steered her toward “The Last Neanderthal” and she absolutely loved it. Happy reader. Happy author. A win win.

But it occurred to me that I had no such “which one of your books do you recommend most?” strategy in place—in the broader, more general sense. And since I often do top ten and top five lists here on all sorts of things, I thought it was time to turn my critical eye onto myself and choose my top five published works.

Of course, all self-evaluations are extremely subjective.But I like to think I am pretty self-aware and astute at self-analysis. I know when something is good regardless of who wrote it. But just to balance this list out, I also heavily relied upon reader feedback, especially from a few trusted souls whose opinions I respect.

So here it is:





This contemporary, dystopian action adventure is probably the signature James J. Caterino work, and certainly the most ambitious and epic. In an elevator pitch I describe Caitlin Star as “Tomb Raider” meets “Tarzan”. But be warned, it can be a very intense read. If these were made into films, they would be rated R.





This recent short story is clever and creative and a lot of fun. Seriously, this story is a blast. You will like it. If you are a “Supergirl” fan or any kind of athlete you will really, REALLY like it.






“Steel Phantom” is a supernatural horror script I wrote in 2002 and pitched around Hollywood. The screenplay did receive some good coverage, and garnered some interest from several producers and production companies.

Now, this scary, sexy, suspenseful, supernatural story is available for the first time ever as a published book in the screenplay format.








I love this book. Perhaps my personal favorite James J. Caterino book.

This modern day Bigfoot story can be described as "King Kong" meets "Harry and the Hendersons".  A suspenseful and moving coming of age adventure story that you will really enjoy.





Back to the Future meets Somewhere in Time in time travel thriller Technicolor Dreams


Brimming with suspense, heart, and humor, “Technicolor Dreams” is a delightful, entertaining, time travel romantic thriller.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

'The Last Neanderthal' a thrilling adventure with heart




"King Kong" meets "Harry and the Hendersons" in James J Caterino's moving coming of age adventure story, "The Last Neanderthal".

From the back cover:

Kronos is one of the last of his kind. A descendant of the Neanderthal who once thrived throughout Eurasia, his people crossed the same ancient land bridge as the original Native Americans. They have roamed Pacific Northwest forests for thousands of years, and their occasional sightings by humans have become the mythic stuff of the Bigfoot legend.

One day Kronos spots a helicopter with hunters, swarming down upon a family of wolves, including his friend Lucca. Kronos runs to the scene, trying to stop the slaughter. But then, the guns of the humans turn upon him. He is wounded, cut off from the rest of his family, and pursued by the hunters.

All seems lost, until he comes upon a human teenage girl Ella Marshall. Ella and her family want to help Kronos, and a deep, emotional bond forms between them. But soon, the danger becomes even more deadly as trigger happy hunters, weekend warriors, and even the government itself, begin to move in from all sides.

The Last Neanderthal is a harrowing and heartfelt adventure from the vivid imagination of James J. Caterino, author of Steel Phantom, The B Girl, and the Caitlin Star series."


Monday, June 5, 2017

'Back to the Future' meets 'Somewhere in Time' in time travel thriller 'Technicolor Dreams"


The Scoop:

Brimming with suspense, heart, and humor, “Technicolor Dreams” is a delightful, entertaining, time travel romantic thriller from the acclaimed and wildly controversial author James J. Caterino, the visionary imagination behind the “Caitlin Star” series, “Steel Phantom”, "The Last Neanderthal”, and “Among the Stars”.

The Synopsis:

On June 7th 1969, four year-old James Bava was saved from death and pulled from the river by actress Kara Stone. Four days later, Kara was the first victim of the Oakland Butcher, a notorious Pittsburgh serial killer who was never caught.

James went on to have a career in Hollywood as a stuntman. But he never forgot his angelic savior, and decides to make a movie about Kara Stone. While doing research for the film, James accidentally discovers a way to travel back in time to 1969. This time he will be the one saving Kara. At least that is the plan. 

But James soon discovers that stopping a serial killer and changing the past is far more difficult, and dangerous, than he could have ever imagined.


Now available in paperback and on Kindle.

Friday, June 2, 2017

'Technicolor Dreams', a time-travel story



My 20th published book, "Technicolor Dreams" is now available in Kindle and paperback.

Written in the screenplay format, "Technicolor Dreams" is a rousing, time-travel romantic thriller, jam-packed with every imaginable delight you would want in a great time-travel story. Below is the back cover copy and a new review posted by a reader at Goodreads.

From the back cover:

On June 7th 1969, four year-old James Bava was saved from death and pulled from the river by actress Kara Stone. Four days later, Kara was the first victim of the Oakland Butcher, a notorious Pittsburgh serial killer who was never caught.

James went on to have a career in Hollywood as a stuntman. But he never forgot his angelic savior, and decides to make a movie about Kara Stone. While doing research for the film, James accidentally discovers a way to travel back in time to 1969. This time he will be the one saving Kara. At least that is the plan. 

But James soon discovers that stopping a serial killer and changing the past is far more difficult, and dangerous, than he could have ever imagined.

Brimming with suspense, heart, and humor, “Technicolor Dreams” is a delightful, entertaining, time travel romantic thriller from the acclaimed and wildly controversial author James J. Caterino, the visionary imagination behind the “Caitlin Star” series, “Steel Phantom”, The Last Neanderthal”, and “Among the Stars”. 


Customer review from Richie at Goodreads (posted with his permission).

"A wildly imaginative (and very well thought out) time travel story written in the screenplay format that plays as both a serial killer thriller and a very engaging romance. One of the main characters (recently retired stuntman James Bava who travels back to 1969 to save the woman who once saved him as a small child) states that "Back to the Future" is his favorite film and one can definitely see that influence, as well as the 1980 movie "Somewhere in Time" and the Richard Matheson novel it is based on. As a matter of fact, the character in this story that invents time travel is named Troy Matheson, not a coincidence I imagine. 

This story has a clean time loop based on solid (if speculative) science, very strong characters, great dialogue, suspense, romance, and even wonderful humor. Mr. Caterino's "Technicolor Dreams" would make for a sensational movie and this book is very entertaining."


Tuesday, May 9, 2017

James J. Caterino: About the author



James J. Caterino is a freelance writer based in South Florida. The wildly controversial scribe is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the Action/Cut school of directing. He is the author of "Battle of the Network Superheroes", "The B Girl", the "Caitlin Star" series, "Steel Phantom", "The Selfie", "The Last Neanderthal", "She", "Action Figure", "All About Amy", "Video Noir", "Among the Stars", hundreds of essays, movie, television, and music reviews, screenplays, short stories, and much more. Please visit Jamescaterino.com for more 




Published works

Battle of the Network Superheroes 
Just Imagine: The Sketchbook of James J. Caterino
Among the Stars
She
The Last Neanderthal
Steel Phantom
The Selfie
Caitlin Star: The Trilogy
The B Girl
Caitlin Star and the Rise of the Barbarians
Caitlin Star and the Guardian of Forever
Caitlin Star
Sword of the Bull Mongoni
Rise of the Bull Mongoni
Action Figure
Video Noir
All About Amy
Gunner Star


Non-profits


Fight back against evil humans by supporting these wonderful causes

Favorite stuff

Films

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 
E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
Videodrome (1983)
Falling Down (1993)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
JFK (1991)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Enchanted (2007)
Robocop (1987)
The Age of Adeline (2015)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Exotica (1994)
Love Actually (2003)
The Abyss (1989)
The Fury (1978)

TV

24 – FOX (2001-2010, 2014)
The X-Files – FOX (1993-2002)
Unsolved Mysteries – NBC (1987-1997)
Mad Men – AMC (2008-2015)
Star Trek – NBC (1966-1969)
Homeland – Showtime (2011-present)
The Simpsons – FOX (1989-present)
The Walking Dead – AMC (2010-present)
Fringe – FOX (2008-2013)
Bewitched – ABC (1964-1972)




Writers

Robert E. Howard
John Jakes
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Joan Ellis
D.C Fontana
Harlan Ellison
Kristin Hannah
Sloan Brittain
Richard Matheson
James Wong & Glen Morgan


Music

John Williams
Jerry Goldsmith
James Horner
Michael Giacchino
Hans Zimmer
Garbage
Charli XCX
Lana Del Rey
Chvrches
Ellie Goulding
Giorgio Moroder


Songs

So Close - Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz performed by Jon McLaughlin (2007)
Gods and Monsters – Lana Del Rey (2013)
Viva La Vida - Coldplay (2008)
Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)
Push it – Garbage (1998)
Edge of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks (1981)
Kokomo – The Beach Boys (1988)
American – Lana Del Rey (2013)
Make That Move – Shalimar (1981)
I See You (Theme from Avatar) – James Horner and Kuk Harrell performed by Leona Lewis (2009)
Take On Me – ah-a (1985)
What's Going On – Marvin Gaye (1970)
Temptation Waits – Garbage (1998)
Love Lives On –   Bruce Broughton, Cynthia Weil and Will Jennings, performed by Joe Cocker (1987)
Summertime Sadness – Lana Del Rey (2012)
Let the rivers Run – Carly Simon (1988)
Summer Days - Tony Romeo, David Cassidy, performed by David Cassidy (1971)
Break the Rules – Charli XCX (2014)


Film Scores

Total Recall (1990) - Jerry Goldsmith
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - John Williams
Poltergeist (1982) - Jerry Goldsmith
Deep End of the Ocean (1999) - Elmer Bernstein
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - John Williams
Obsession (1976) Bernard Hermann
Legends of the Fall (1994) - James Horner
King Kong (1976) John Barry
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Michael Giacchino
Batteries Not Included (1987) James Horner
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) Bruce Broughton 
Body Double (1984) Pino Donaggio