While at the I Heart Horror show last month in Sayreville, I had the opportunity to speak with Tony DiGerolamo, author of comic books and novels. I had also purchased from him an autographed copy of the 2019 book "The Pineys: Book 1: My Cousin, The Piney." The cover artwork, pictured above, was done by Vig Starmax. Not being born in New Jersey, I used to hear tales about the Jersey Devil when I would spend my summers down the Jersey Shore working at various hotels in Ocean Grove and the Palace Amusements in Asbury Park.
That's when I was first introduced to stories about the cursed 13th child of a woman from Leeds Point. Tony's work of fiction told a quite different tale about Mother Leeds opening up the portals to Hell, which allowed many devils to find their way into Southern New Jersey. She wasn't just a poor unlucky woman who cursed one child. She was a witch who was able to conjure up many spells.
The story begins with Lewis Cognata getting off the Atlantic City Expressway to avoid paying the tolls and also being in desperate need of gas. A professional gambler without much success, he probably should have stayed on the Expressway because his life was going to change forever. Interfering in what he thought was a bit of racial bullying, Lewis finds himself in a world of shape-shifting devils and crazy cousins. These cousins are self-nominated hunters. Romance does come into play for Lewis but with a strange twist at the end of the book.
The book is a fun read and depending upon your imagination can be very gory! While this read is a novel, I could definitely picture this story as a graphic piece of art as well.