Author and Lady About Town
Nightmares and Fairy Tales:
1140 Rue Royale
Signed by Serena
(can be personalized upon request)
In Antebellum New Orleans, Delphine Lalaurie inflicted unspeakable
acts upon her slaves in the house at 1140 Rue Royale. Now their
tortured souls are seeking revenge on the house's new occupants, an
elderly woman named Victoria and her young niece Rebecca. Rebecca
must fight for their lives as she learns of the house's horrifying
past, encounters monstrous nuns with a deadly secret in the attic of
their convent, and becomes possessed by one of the spirits in her new
home. With the knowledge this spirit gives her, Rebecca realizes she
must help the victims of Madame Lalaurie find peace. Serena Valentino
weaves a tale of horror and intrigue and Crab Scrambly illustrates
with keen attention to detail and mood in Nightmares and Fairy Tales:
1140 Rue Royale.
Peter Normanton, with the UK print magazine From the Tomb has this to say about Nightmares & Fairy Tales:
"A few issues ago I mentioned Nightmares and Fairy Tales in my editorial. This title, published by Slave Labour Graphics and written by Serena Valentino, is a remarkable piece of work. When I read the first issue a couple of years ago I was cleverly seduced into thinking this was just a cute title aimed at a teenage readership, until the finale, and I was in for a gut wrenching shock!
Since then Serena has conjured with the dark side of myth and legend, weaving it with guile into the world we like to think we know. The current offering 1140 Rue Royale illustrated by the impressive Crab Scrambly is a tale of sinister purpose; inspired by "debatable historical events". This isn't the pre-Code material we have courted for so long although its premise does rest in the past, its approach is very contemporary. I cannot recommend this title highly enough!"
Lemony Snicket
author of A Series of Unfortunate Events
[on GloomCookie and Nightmares & Fairy Tales]
"Just the sort of thing I like - elegant, melodramatic and dire. Thank you for darkening my door and darkening my day."
Neil Gaiman
author of Coraline and American Gods
[on GloomCookie]
"Funny, sweet and human. Lovely and a nice surprise."
Darick Roberston
co-creator/illustrator, The Boys and Transmetropolitan
[on GloomCookie]
"It smacks of experience and heartfelt feelings. A smashing debut..."