LOTERIA [Kindle Edition]

Cynthia (cina) Pelayo (Author)

Book Description

Macabre Latin American fairy tales come to life in LOTERIA – a collection of 54 short stories, poems, and experimental fictional pieces.

The Mexican board game of Lotería is a game of chance. It is similar to our American bingo. However, in Loteria instead of matching up numbers on a game board, players match up images.

There are 54 cards in the Lotería game, and for this collection you will find one unique story or poem per card based on a Latin American myth, folklore, superstition, or belief – with a slant towards the paranormal and horrific. In this deck of cards you will find murderers, ghosts, goblins and ghouls. This collection features creatures and monsters, vampires and werewolves and many of these legends existed in the Americas long before their European counterparts.

Many of these stories have been passed over time throughout the Americas, and many have been passed via word of mouth, just like the tales the Brothers Grimm collected. These are indeed fairy tales, but with a much more terrible little slant. Published by Burial Day Books.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CYNTHIA (cina) PELAYO grew up in a haunted house with very superstitious parents. So, a lifelong fascination with Gothic literature, romantic horror and the macabre seemed fitting. Pelayo holds a genuine curiosity for superstition, folklore and myth. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College, a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a member of the Horror Writer's Association and is also the Publisher/Gravedigger at Burial Day Books. She wears black - most of the time and she stays out of the sun as much as (un)humanly possible. www.burialday.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 410 KB
• Print Length: 225 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1477695621
• Publisher: Burial Day Books (July 26, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008Q1NXQI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,483 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read the whole thing before you judge! November 4, 2012

By Paula Maxwell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I noticed that one of the reviewers here gave Ms. Pelayo's book only 1 star, but that after saying s/he had only read the first two stories. I don't think that's a very fair assessment of the book at all.

This book was obviously meticulously researched, and every story thoughtfully written. Yes, the first two stories aren't as scary as they could be, but later stories like Los Jaras and El Scorpion (sp?) completely make up for that. Not to mention the one about the dolls--I can't recall the name of it, but that one gave me the chills.

The writer's unique voice and style, coupled with the careful research, and the haunting darkness of the whole collection really make this a fun and exciting read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant collection of fantasy and horror with a historical slant September 10, 2012

By Mel Hanson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Beautiful, haunting, titillating, tantalizing - all perfect descriptors for 'Loteria.' Using her knowledge of Latin American history, as well as modern curiosities and phenomena, Pelayo brings classic fairie tales and folklore into present day in a way that is satisfying while leaving the reader desiring more. Most of the pieces (54 of them, each written to correspond to a card in the Loteria deck) can be classified as short fiction of the horror and fantasy type, but many of them defy categorization. One story will make readers gasp, while the other will leave them chuckling darkly. As a curator and propagator of Hispanic and Latin American folklore, Pelayo is unmatched.
Personally, I love this collection and am thankful for the approach of Halloween, when I will sit around a campfire with friends and family and read a few of the scarier works - though it will be difficult to choose between them, with subjects ranging from child-eating monsters, murderous socialites, demon-possessed bookworms, guardians of the supernatural, and entire towns living in an alternate reality where the most frightening creature in existence is the kid next door.
This collection is so chock-full of creepy goodness, I can't wait for Pelayo's next literary offering. She was even thoughtful enough to add an appendix explaining where she got her inspiration, so if you want to read more about La Llorona, El Panteon de Belen, or the fascinating tlahuelpuchi (a vampiric creature that seems to be unique to Mexico), you can look it up on google and spend even more nights hiding under your covers from El Sombrerón, the bogeyman of Guatemala.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic read. March 14, 2013

By Linzi

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I honestly so not have one complaint about this book. It is well thought out and very interesting. It is obvious the author took time to research and find out about the many myths that are a part of each and every story. Some of them even scared me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The last thing you'll say is... Oh my God! September 17, 2012

By P. Millan

Format:Paperback

Straight to the point: Blood soaked and phantasmagorical short tales about classic and contemporary Hispanic folklore and legends, with a serious gore and sarcastic twist!
Delightfully written to scare the Sh#t out of you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghosts and ghouls and werewolves - oh my! August 28, 2012

By Dead Kennedys

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm normally not a reader of horror. My tastes tend to run more towards historical fiction or family sagas. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised by Loteria. This collection of short stories (named after the Mexican board game of chance) is a smorgasbord of spooky tales dealing with a variety of subjects from old lore to psychological horror to magicians and all the way to werewolves. There's something in there for everybody, but I would caution not to only read only the stories you think you'd like. There are things that can actually be gleaned from each story, whether it be a bit of mythology or history. It's a good read, a rather quick read, and that cover is just gorgeous. Just...where quite a few of the stories are concerned...you'll probably want to put on some cheesy 80's cartoons so you can sleep at night. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC BRAVO MS PELAYO June 2, 2013

By sjbronski

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I knew this was going to be a good book book. I purchased it because of #42 La Calavera/The Skull, boy was I surprised when I got #23 La Luna/The Moon, and #48 La Chalpa/The Canoe.

You may be wondering about the odd way I am referring to the stories. Loteia is a game, I grew up playing with my nanny, that comes from Mexico. Similar to bingo,but unlike bingo each card has a little verse on it which tells a tale.

She really scared the pants off me with some of these. With others she just wanted to make you think. Then there are those that just made your skin crawl. There were a couple I would have moved to a different loteria symbol but that is just a matter of opinion because of what it says on the card. The title did not change the validity of the story.

As I said I had a Hispanic Nanny, I grew up with her repelling me about over half of these legends. I think it is wonderful to see them in print and so accurate!!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read March 29, 2013

By Alexandra M

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a great read. I wasn't familiar with any lore of Latin American and Ms. Pelayo does an exquisite job of telling these stories to a contemporary audience. I am looking into more of her writing, and now on a Latin America folklore spree thanks to LOTERIA! I read this in a day, and very much enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gave me the goosies. March 9, 2013

By Hope E. Trueblood

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Although I had not read previous material from this author it was such an awesome, chilling collection of stories I had to make myself put it down for a minute. Will definitely be looking for more of her brilliant writing in the future.

More About the Author

CYNTHIA (cina) PELAYO grew up in a haunted house with very superstitious parents. So, a lifelong fascination with Gothic literature, romantic horror and the macabre seemed fitting. Pelayo holds a genuine curiosity for superstition, folklore and myth. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Columbia College, a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a member of the Horror Writer's Association and is also the Publisher/Gravedigger at Burial Day Books. She wears black - most of the time and she stays out of the sun as much as (un)humanly possible. www.burialday.com.