ACTOR • PRODUCER • AUTHOR • FILMMAKER • CARTOONIST
ROB FOSTER
Books by Rob Foster
The FOSTERICAL LIBRARY O' MODERN CLASSICS has something for everybody, in nearly any category of eclectic reading – novels, short stories, plays and biographical non-fiction. My tastes vary, and so does my writing: COMEDY, HORROR, SCI FI, NOSTALGIA... All of my titles are available in both paperback and digital e-reader format for Kindle®, Nook® or Android Book app. Quickjump to my Amazon® Author Page for my complete list of titles, or browse the partial selection below – it's all good.
To see which particular title(s) I'm promoting currently, visit my Book Blog, My Mind Creates Danger.
Mr. Bruce, Do You Swear?
BIOGRAPHICAL STAGEPLAY ISBN-13-9781480157873
Lenny Bruce, the most important stand-up comedian of the 20th century, gets one more chance to defend his life on the witness stand. And you are the jury. Bruce's struggle for his right to speak his mind on stage brought about an evolution in stand-up comedy and transformed the way we interpret our freedoms under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Every American should know his story. "Mr. Bruce, Do You Swear?" is a play written and produced in 2004, by Rob Foster, that brings Bruce and the legal battle he waged back to life, recreating some of his legendary, status-quo threatening comedy along the way! Sit back and prepare to have your eyes opened and your mind blown, by the tumultuous life of one of American culture's true originals... ya shmuck! The book includes the entire text of the play, plus original review notices, author's commentary and a photo-strewn biographical chapter on the man himself, Lenny Bruce!
Ambrose Bierce, The Last Stand Of
BIOGRAPHICAL STAGEPLAY ISBN-13-9781478386148
Legendary writer, warrior, poet and cynic, Ambrose Bierce, in the last days of 1913, rode off to Mexico to join forces with the last remaining maverick rebel he respected, Pancho Villa. He never returned. This original play imagines "Bitter Bierce's" final night on Earth, holed up in a Mexican brothel, awaiting his own demise at the hands of a federalé lynching party he assumes is due. His minister cousin arrives instead, with one of Bierce's old journalistic rivals in tow, to convince him to return with them across the border. Bierce refuses to be "rescued," prefering a defiant fate in a foreign land to an lingering old age at home. The result is a feiry confrontation between a determined man of the Cloth and the author of The Devil's Dictionary. Which of the Bierces will relent before death comes knocking? Not long after its premiere in 2001, AMBROSE BIERCE, THE LAST STAND OF (originally titled simply "Ambrose Bierce") was accepted into the Official Bierce Bibliography by the Ambrose Bierce Appreciation Society.
Ernie's Journeys
A Sometimes Waxing, Sometimes Critical, Musing Appreciation of Ernie Kovacs
BIOGRAPHICAL ISBN-68-3459876038524
"Ernie's Journeys" is a bold collection of essays focused on early television's original comic genius, Ernie Kovacs, whose experimental, uninhibited visual comedy influenced generations of future comedians and comedy programming years after his untimely death in 1962. Intriguing chapters include a comparative look at Ernie and Buster Keaton, who incidentally co-starred with Ernie in an ill-fated pilot for a comedy western sitcom; speculations as to what Kovacs would have made of modern technology, like the Internet; and a rare look at Kovacs compared to fellow rebel icon, Lenny Bruce. "The Legendary Laughter Series" highlights classic comedy from the silent era to the television age, engagingly written, revealing the stories behind the laughs - by a lifelong student of the great laughmakers and a fellow practitioner of comedy. Relax, pull up a whoopie-cushion and enjoy!
Plan 10 From Outer Space: The Final Solution
FICTION – HORROR/SCI-FI/HUMOR ISBN-1983583863
9 TIMES they have traversed the dark cosmos to our world on missions of conquest and destruction – once even attempting to vanquish us with an army of our own dead! 9 TIMES they have have been turned back by courageous humans hanging on by luck and wits alone! AND NOW... From out of the deepest, murkiest bowels of space, they return for one last gasp at total dominance and annihilation! Can yet another brave band of Earthlings thwart the ultimate deadly challenge from the stars? Can your heart stand the shocking, once hidden account of the rest of the nightmarish story, based on sworn testimony...? Your stupid minds! It's the unspeakable sequel exploding out of the void, with cosmic terror... Yes, it's the dreaded sequel to the official Worst Movie of All Time, Plan 9 From Outer Space! All your favorite annoying characters are back, plus a few surprises – all written in the epic prose style of the master himself, Edward D. Wood Jr. You just CAN'T miss this – or forget it no matter how hard you try!
Just Wrong: A Novel About Hollywood
FICTION – HUMOR ISBN-9781480297203
Ethan West just wants what everybody wants who struggles to succeed in Hollywood: a breakthrough, a hit – even a small one – that might change the trajectory of his years of frustration and heartbreak in the entertainment rat-race. To be in the loop! Like most, one too many bad breaks has him on the verge of throwing in the towel for good, but a chance encounter with a cult showbiz icon turns his world upside-down. Suddenly Ethan and his tiny, loyal cadre of fellow hopefuls are shanghaied as crew on a movie-making "project" they'll never forget – if they can survive it – trapped in a jungle nightmare; armed only with video cameras and their theater brat wits; led by a fading, deranged, megalomaniac Hollywood director without a script or a grip on reality; in the path of lethal animals, rogue mercenaries and rampaging cannibals; and ordered to get it all in high-def! As the production drifts further into surreal chaos, bloodlust and contrived 'reality,' Ethan realizes he must choose, either to follow an insane celebrity to certain doom, or possibly sacrifice his own friends to make it back to civilization – with or without a finished product in the can! Of course, it's a comedy!
Rob Foster's insanely funny novel 'JUST WRONG' will have you cringing on the floor with laughter, at a bizarre breed who will throw away friendships, morals, sense and dignity for an allusive, fleeting prize called fame.
Murder She Laughed:
Outrageous Tales of Terrifying Mystery and Bloodcurdling Revenge
SHORT FICTION ANTHOLOGY – HORROR/SUSPENSE ISBN-1724148486
This book will keep you up at night… unwilling to stop reading, desperately in need to find out who survives, who gets away with the vilest of acts, and who walks away without a whisper of suspicion. Or you’ll simply lie in bed, staring into the darkness… wondering, dreading, unable to find relief even in the privacy of your own thoughts. The terrors, manmade or otherwise, are relentless in a world where blood, and alliances no matter how loyal or grudging, are cheap. Whom can you trust when surrounded by strangers with unknown intentions? Or completely alone in a landscape of peril? How confident are you of your own resourcefulness amid a maze of killers? Long lost tales of the famous and infamous dubiously light the way to your escape, in this nerve-rattling anthology. Sherlock Holmes faces his own unending nightmare in 'The Sleeper Rises,' and the forever elusive Zodiac Killer resurfaces to solve, and keep hidden, his own identity in 'Mr. A, Alias Mr. Z'… plus other spine shivering tales of horrible revelation and mind-bending visions of mysteries past and future. Stay awake!
You Can Run: A Horror Novella
FICTION – HORROR/SUSPENSE ISBN-9781545145654
"They are beyond anything you can do... except run." – 'Henry' (last known words) Who are they? What are they? The world of supernatural lore knows them only as "marchers." Ancient ethereal predators from beyond the veil. For centuries they have hunted humans, silently, relentlessly. With no concept of mercy, they cannot be pleaded with, and pursue their victims to the death – those whom by unholy mischief or betrayal, become marked. Once a marcher has latched on, the hunted have only one option – to run, for as long as possible, with a desperation to pass the mark onto some other unwitting soul, and hope the new victim can as well, lest the mark fall back to them after that person is caught and devoured. Troy Terrill, a young upstart in the game of paranormal investigation, finds himself the only hope of not one, but two cursed people with marchers on their trail. Can he rid them of their pursuing abominations? Can anyone? Don't dwell upon the answer too deeply, the act of pondering a marcher gives it your scent.
Outsupered:
or, I Saved The World And All I Got Was This Cape
FICTION – SUPERHERO GENRE ISBN-1494369974
A WORLD GONE MAD! A World Imploding With War! The future’s only hope is a group of super-powered “heroes,” all outlawed as a threat to security long ago by a paranoid government. When the new President calls them back to action, can they shake the dust off of their costumes and get their game back on in time to turn the tide? Especially with a new breed of superheroes emerging whose loyalties are in question... the enemy forces having possibly enlisted the aid of malevolent extraterrestrials... and the most powerful super-being on the planet turned rogue? Can the very notion of a free world survive the evil brought against it by a mysterious elite cabal bent on enslaving the world through a “forced peace?” The answer awaits you in "OUTSUPERED." A superhero novel for grown-up kids. Meet Solsior, an alien being of immeasurable power, stranded on Earth as a boy... Mother Superior, a tall, muscular redhead who is the reincarnation of Samson... Eagle X, a patriotic super-soldier with plenty of pent-up anger and frustration... The Red Wraith, a mysterious costumed crime fighter with a storehouse of super-scientific gadgets and a closet full of secrets... Mechatrix, a young untested hero sporting a suit of sophisticated battle armor and a head full of self-doubt. Tommy Dobson, a man on the run from his past, battling an aggressive illness, one step ahead of government agents on his tail – because he may be the one last super-being capable of saving humanity, despite himself. Part action-adventure, part satirical parody and caustic political commentary; in "Outsupered" Rob Foster taps into his lifelong love of superheroes and comics, to create an alternate universe of heroes, villains and out-of-this-world scenarios, with a plot that will have you looking sideways in skepticism about our own real world. At times gripping with edge-of-your-seat action, laced with Foster's twisted brand of hilarious satire, it's the oddball entry into the genre of superhero fiction that you've been waiting for – skewering clichés and action fantasy stereotypes, a new spin on the whole idea of superheroes and their surreal connection to the actual world we live in.
Plus, check out its over-the-top, stunning sequel:
"OUTSUPERED II: ARRIVAL OF THE OMNITERRESTRIALS"
WHEN SILENCE WAS GOLDEN:
Pre-talkie Comedy Beyond Charlie Chaplin
NONFICTION – CINEMA HISTORY ISBN-1478281375
Most people think only of Charlie Chaplin when someone mentions "silent movies." We've forgotten that there were many other funny people in the silent days, and even superstar comedians before Chaplin! "When Silence Was Golden " is a bold collection of essays focused on the lives of the great silent comedians who populated Hollywood, but have sometimes been overlooked in film history from having to thrive in the shadow of Charlie Chaplin's fame. Intriguing chapters include comprehensive looks at Mabel Normand, Harry Langdon, and Larry Semon, among others. Also included is a fresh take on the infamous Fatty Arbuckle scandal that rocked the nation early in the 20th century – our first major "media-circus!" "When Silence Was Golden" is a splendid addition to other silent film star biographies in the libraries of fans, and anyone who loves to laugh.
The Legendary Laughter Series highlights classic comedy from the silent era to the television age, engagingly written, revealing the stories behind the laughs – by a lifelong student of the great laughmakers and a fellow practitioner of comedy. Relax, pull up a whoopie-cushion, and enjoy!
N THEIR FACES:
Comedy Beyond The Box, Up To Lenny Bruce
NONFICTION – COMEDY HISTORY ISBN-9781480004702
Which comedians do other comedians laugh at? Inside this third volume of The Legendry Laughter Series, "In Their Faces: Comedy Beyond The Box, Up To Lenny Bruce," essayist Rob Foster offers up a few candidates for your consideration. It's about some of the classic comedy masters who spent their careers pushing the envelope of their profession - turning heads, raising eyebrows, and reinventing the craft of laughmaking - up to the era when one particuar comic turned it on its ear! The Legendary Laughter Series highlights classic comedy and the stars who populated it, from the silents to the television age, engagingly written, revealing the stories behind the laughs - by a lifelong student of the great laugh-getters, and a fellow practitioner of comedy. Need a laugh-break? Relax, pull up a whoopie-cushion and enjoy!