About the
Author
Hal
Pollock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew
up loving Dr. Seuss books, baseball, and the
Beatles. He graduated Cleveland Heights High
School in 1968. Thereafter, he attended Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio, where he obtained
a Bachelor of Arts degree. He graduated in
1972, moving on to Chicago to attend law
school.
Pollock graduated from DePaul
University Law School in Chicago, Illinois in
1975. He returned to Cleveland and began work
with a Cleveland law firm. Pollock
subsequently worked as an attorney for a
Cleveland title company, gaining valuable
experience and expertise in real estate
transactions. In 1986, he opened his own law
practice, specializing in complex litigation,
predominantly related to business and real
estate matters. He has handled many high
profile cases, and has appeared on national TV
shows including the Donahue Show.
In 1999, Hal Pollock decided
to expand the application of his writing
skills beyond the legal arena. He teamed up
with top area musicians and began writing song
lyrics. He also formed a music publishing
company and an independent record label
(Esquire Records). More than 20 songs written
by Hal Pollock have been recorded by local
and national performing artists. Songs created
by Hal Pollock can we heard on his music web
site
including Daughters
and Sons, and anti-gun violence anthem, and
American Spirit, a powerful 9/11 tribute
written on the evening of the World Trade
Center attack. Both songs were recorded by
Sonny Geraci, former lead singer of the
Outsiders (Time Won’t Let Me) and Climax
(Precious and Few).
In 2003, Hal Pollock applied
his imagination and talent for rhyme to his
first effort at writing a book for children,
inspired by late-night noises in his own home
that reminded him of childhood concerns about
monsters lurking in the house. So Many
Monsters was written in three days.
Illustrated by John Beukemann, early draft
copies were circulated among friends and
family. The enthusiastic response prompted
Pollock to write more, always relating to the
age-old fear and fascination with childhood
monsters. Monstermania and Monster at the Bat
quickly followed.
Hal Pollock lives in suburban
Cleveland with his wife, a long time special
education teacher. He has two children, both
of whom have already become very successful.
II. Book
Descriptions.
So Many Monsters.
So Many Monsters is a classic monster
tale. A concerned child sees monsters in every
room of the family house. The goofy rogue’s
gallery of monsters doesn’t seem to be exactly
life threatening, but they certainly are a
nuisance, getting into everything from the
toys in the attic to trains in the basement,
always lurking in the shadows of the house and
our kid’s mind. The monsters have a secret,
something to do with Mom and Dad and
imagination. Uncovering that secret will turn
the tables on the monsters and free our hero
from the familiar childhood fears of the dark
of night.
Monstermania. Monstermania is a
the story of the Brittles, a monstrous parody
of the Beatles story, complete with lovable
monster rock stars, adoring fans, wild antics
and countless parallels to the people, places
and things of Beatle lore that will fascinate
the kids while taking their parents on a
nostalgic magical mystery tour.
As a bonus, the audio CD is
given a warm and authentic Liverpool treatment
by Louise Harrison, Beatle George Harrison's
sister. The CD also includes snippets of 23
authentic Beatle songs performed by 1964,
the top Beatle tribute band in the world.
III.
Inspiration for These Titles.
So Many Monsters
“I was lying awake one night in
my home when I heard strange noises at the
bottom of stairs. It reminded me of all those
times I would hear late-night noises as a
small child, when my imagination would run
wild with thoughts of ghosts or monsters
lurking in the house. I pictured a small boy
in his bed, hearing spooky noises and thinking
out loud: ‘There’s a monster on the staircase,
and he’s coming right for me.’ I got up,
wrote down that line, then completed the first
ten stanzas of the book that night. So Many
Monsters was completed two days later.” I
then decided to create a children’s book line
called “the Monsterbooks.”
John Beukemann is a native of
Cleveland and a graduate of the Cleveland
Institute of Art, where he studied painting.
He is a five-time winner of the Ohio
Excellence in Journalism award and has had a
diverse career as a freelance illustrator,
muralist, teacher, designer, cover artist and
magazine illustrator, although he is
best known as a landscape painter. He lives in
Mayfield Village, Ohio.
Monstermania
“I was working on a
marketing plan for So Many Monsters in
my office. The radio was on in the background.
The Beatles’ song, I Am a Walrus began
playing. I have been a Beatles fan since they
broke on to the music scene in 1964. The
Beatle-walrus concept seemed to fit right in
with the light-hearted monster imagery of
So Many Monsters, enhanced by the highly
imaginative Beatles music. The concepts of
Monsterbooks and Beatles converged.”
Monster at the Bat.
The monster version of Casey at the Bat.
Of course the monsters play baseball, and the
most beloved team hails from Monsterville,
where the fans are wild, the games are
thrilling, and the bizarre lineup includes
some of the most memorable monsters who ever
played the game. The championship game is a
monsterfest of excitement, suspense and
monstrous behavior.
Other Monsterbooks are already written,
with lots more surprises for Monsterbooks fans
waiting in the wings. |
