Episode Nine: Raising Hell & Brandy Alexanders

Welcome back to this Lit for Christmas vacation party!

In this episode, Marty and his wife, Beth, scare up some frozen Brandy Alexanders to talk about Richard Matheson's novel Hell House and October snowstorms.

BONUS POINTS: Count how many times Beth mentions that she's a middle child! (Hint: It's a LOT.)

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

Brandy Alexander

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 oz. brandy or cognac

1 oz. dark creme de cacao

2 oz. of heavy cream (or 2 cups of vanilla ice cream for frozen Brandy Alexander)

Nutmeg

Directions:

1. Add brandy, cream de cacao, and cream into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

OR

1. Add brandy, creme de cacao, and ice cream into a blender and blend well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

OR

2. Pour blended drink into cocktail glass.

3. Garnish top with ground nutmeg.

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT NONALCOHOLIC ALTERNATIVE:

1 tsp. of brandy extract flavoring for brandy

1 tsp. of chocolate syrup

2 oz. of heavy cream (or 2 cups of vanilla ice cream for frozen Brandy Alexander)

1. Add brandy extract, chocolate syrup, and cream into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

OR

1. Add brandy extract, chocolate syrup, and ice cream into a blender and blend well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

OR

2. Pour blended drink into cocktail glass.

3. Garnish top with ground nutmeg.

Lit for Christmas Party Hosts:

Marty has an Master's in fiction writing, MFA in poetry writing, and teaches in the English Department at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He served two terms at Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula, and has published the poetry collection The Mysteries of the Rosary from Mayapple Press. For more of Marty's thoughts and writing visit his blog Saint Marty (saintmarty-marty.blogspot.com) or listen to his other podcast Confessions of Saint Marty, also on Anchor.fm. Marty is a writer, blogger, wine sipper, easy drunk, and poetry obsessor who puts his Christmas tree up in mid-October and refuses to take it down until the snow starts melting.

Beth has a BS in English Secondary Education. She has worked as a substitute teacher, medical transcriptionist, medical office receptionist, deli counter attendant, and Office Max cashier. Currently, she works in a call center and enjoys discussing/arguing about literature with her loving husband.

Music for this episode:

"Jingle Bells Jazzy Style" by Julius H, used courtesy of Pixabay.

"A Christmas Treat" by Magic-828, used courtesy of Pixabay.

Other music in the episode:

"Ghostbusters." Parker, Ray Jr. Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Arista Records LLC, 6 August 1984.

A Christmas Carol sound clips from:

The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore.

This month's Christmas lit:

Matheson, Richard. Hell House. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC: New York, NY. 1971.