Howard Odentz
Howard Odentz is the author of ‘Dead A Lot' and creator of the original musical comedies ‘In Good Spirits' and ‘Piecemeal'. Mr. Odentz is a life-long resident of Western Massachusetts. He often incorporates the foothills of the Berkshires and the small towns of the Bay State into his work.
Born and raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Mr. Odentz and his family now call the small town of Wilbraham their home.
Howard divides his time between writing and tending a small farm, which presently includes two llamas, 10 chickens, a herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, his attack cat, Severus, and a wildly intellectual West Highland Terrier named Einstein. His love of animals, along with the lore of the region, often finds their way into his stories.
Mr. Odentz is no stranger to the written word. After receiving both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he co-founded Writer's Ink, a wholesale gift company specializing in framed inspirations. He also enjoyed a successful career as a director of communications at MassMutual Financial Group in Springfield, Massachusetts. In addition, he combined his love of musical theater, comedy, and music into two full-length musicals that have enjoyed community, regional and professional runs across the United States.
The supernatural has always played a major role in Mr. Odentz's writing. He is endlessly fascinated by the psychological aspects of those who are thrown into otherworldly circumstances. In "Dead A Lot”, Mr. Odentz plays with the notion of how a group of teenagers would respond if they were forced to confront the Zombie Apocalypse without parental supervision.
"My zombies are slow and stupid,” says Mr. Odentz. "While horrifying, they are truly just a back-drop to a deeper conversation about how young adults might respond to a world where the dead don't stay that way.”
‘In Good Spirits' also delves into the paranormal. Mr. Odentz's full-length musical was inspired by the real-life ghostly experiences of the Opera House Players at the vintage Broad Brook Opera House in East Windsor, Connecticut. ‘Piecemeal', played homage to Mary Shelley's ‘Frankenstein', exploring the backstory Victor Frankenstein's Hollywood created protégé, Igor.
"I like writing about the supernatural world,” says Mr. Odentz. "I'm from Western Massachusetts. There's more than enough paranormal activity in these parts to keep me inspired for years to come.”
"Dead (A Lot)” is Mr. Odentz's first full-length novel.
His Books from BelleBooks/Bell Bridge Books:
Bottle Toss
Dead End
What We Kill
Wicked Dead
Little Killers A-Z
Bloody, Bloody Apple
Dead (A Lot)