me & my SHADOWS

About the Book

Writers have many ideas swirling in their minds. Some are inspired, and some are dull. If luck is on their side and they persevere, the inspired ideas can take shape on the page as stories or essays that inspire others. The short story is a unique form of inspired writing. The stories included here have been bouncing around in my mind for a long time. Some are longer, some are shorter; a few might be better called memoirs, though they are also “stories” (i.e., fiction). They are connected by the theme of the supernatural, or the special, as I sometimes call it.

About the Author

Award-winning journalist Michael Karol has specialized in books on classic television and its stars, including his best-selling titles Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia and The ABC Movie of the Week Companion. But he has occasionally delved into fiction, like the vampire tale Kiss Me, Kill Me, the inspiration for which appears in this collection. Michael landed his dream publishing job in 2003 — one in which his job description mandated watching TV all day — as Copy Chief at Soap Opera Weekly. He continued in a similar capacity as Senior Copy Editor on its sister magazine, Soap Opera Digest. Michael has interviewed many performers over the years, an eclectic list that includes soap diva Susan Lucci, Broadway and Dark Shadows actress Marie Wallace; actor Jason-Shane Scott; blues legend Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson; Lucille Ball’s Gooch in Mame, Jane Connell; songbird Phyllis Hyman; disco godfather Peter Brown; original “Willy Wonka” child star Denise Nickerson; sitcom star, recording artist and movie star Gale Storm; David “The Fly” Hedison; and Lucy’s Carolyn Appleby, Doris Singleton. He has also interviewed behind-the-scenes movers and shakers like “Wonderfalls” creator Bryan Fuller, “House MD” executive producer David Shore, and “I Love Lucy” film editor Dann Cahn and director William Asher. He has worked on many magazines, including Computer Shopper, Martha Stewart Living, Fortune, Soap Opera Weekly, Graphic Arts Monthly, Woman’s World, Prevention, and Ladies Home Journal, and companies including Gateway, The New York Botanical Garden, The College Board, and Johnson & Johnson. He’s been quoted, reviewed, and referenced in various national magazines, from niche-market publications like Classic Images to mass-market magazines like The Star and Closer. He’s also been quoted and referenced in other books about Lucy (Stefan Kanfer’s 2003 Ball of Fire, Sarah Royal’s 2023 A.K.A. Lucy), and comedy (Lawrence Epstein’s 2004 Mixed Nuts: America’s Love Affair with Comedy Teams). He was featured on two episodes of Reelz’s series “Autopsy: The Last Hours of…” about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. He was interviewed for the podcast “Based On a True Story” by Dan LeFebvre about how realistic the facts were in the cable TV movie “Being the Ricardos” (short answer: not very!). Michael keeps a bottle of Vitameatavegamin and a garlic ring near his computer for good health and inspiration.