Short and Sweet #1 or Have a Very Zombie Christmas

Two of the Spellbinder Authors (Carolee Dean and Caroline Starr Rose) dressed up in lights and marched in the Twinkle Light Parade on Saturday, December 1, in downtown Albuquerque to promote our upcoming SCBWI winter party and multi-author book signing. For entertainment at this notorious event, we will be singing Christmas Carol Spoofs based on young adult novels. For the next three weeks we will be sharing the spoofs along with some hints for how you may create your own unique songs.

ROT AND RUIN THE HOLIDAYS by Carolee Dean
Based on the Rot and Ruin series by Jonathan Maberry.
(sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells")

Dashing through the snow
with my brother Tom
I had to get a job,
so I'm out hunting Zoms.

They used to be our friends,
but watch out for their bite.
The eve the zombies rose is what
we normies call First Night.

Oh...
Rot and Ruin,
Flesh and Bone,
Death and Decay,
Fire and Ash,
Lets make a dash,
We need to get away.
Hey!
Rot and Ruin,
Flesh and Bone,
Death and Decay,
You can have fun
on a zombie hunt
in a one horse open sleigh.

Find the missing girl.
Defeat Charlie Pink Eye.
Your brother's not a coward.
He's really a swell guy.

Try not to lose your cool.
Hold on to your head.
Even if they're ruthless Zombies,
please respect the dead.

Oh,
Rot and Ruin,
Flesh and Bone,
Death and Decay,
Fire and Ash,
Let's make a dash,
We need to get away.
Hey!
Rot and Ruin,
Flesh and Bone,
Death and Decay.
You can have fun
on a zombie hunt
in a one horse open sleigh.

If you are in Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, December 11, please stop by Alamosa Books from 6-8 at 8810 Holly Avenue NE where you can hear songs like this performed LIVE by the Spellbinders!

Classroom Teachers - Consider assigning a song spoof for your next book report, or better yet, write a collaborative song with your entire class based on a novel everyone has read. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1) Make a list of characters, locations, key phrases, etc. from the novel.
2) Explore a variety of songs and decide which one might lend itself to a spoof of that particular book.
3) Study the song you have selected, line by line, and see if any of the original lines of the song can be retained in part or whole.
4) Look back at your list of characters, locations, and phrases and see if any of them rhyme.
5) Go through the song, line by line, substituting your own lyrics.
6) Sing and Enjoy!

Watch for the following titles in our Three-Part Holiday Series:
December 10 - HUNGER GAMES HOLIDAY TRADITIONS or RABBITS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE
December 17 - EDWARD THE VAMPIRE or A VERY FROSTY KISS MISS

After that we will be taking a break until January 14, 2013!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS