Future Releases

Coming in 2014 from my personal imprint, Abiss Books.

Nine Dark Tales

This collection of nine short stories will contain three that are currently available on Kindle with six never before published shorts.

Ebook=January, 2014 Print = February 2014

Table of Contents:

• Bobo: A kidnapped woman receives help from an unlikely source that proves death is not the barrier many believe it to be.
• In The Shadows: Waking up from a coma Charlie can now see that the shadows of those around him reveal the true intent of their owners.
• Origin: After a seismic event in Antarctica a group of scientists discover ancient secrets of man’s distant past.
• A Family tradition: Would you give up your unborn child to save yourself? Michaels father did, and now the time has come to repay that debt.
• Till Death Do We Part: The economy took his pride, now the zombie apocalypse has taken his happiness.
• Perchance to Dream: Do the dead dream of being alive?
• Don’t F*@# With The Pizza Guy: First in an upcoming series of stories about a deadly little place called Bordertwon. In Bordertown life has no value and everything belongs to the one with the most gold.
• Where The Dead Things Go: A young boy learns the truth of the Barrens after his brother’s death and is given a second chance to make amends for a bout of youthful stubbornness.
• Music of the Gods: So often we don't realize what we have until we've lost it. During a weekend trip to save his failing marriage Donald learns this simple truth after he and his wife are involved in an accident.

The Power of Self Doubt

Anyone who is seriously perusing a career as a writer is familiar with the ups and downs that is the writer’s life. Some days you’re riding the top of that emotional wave as the words just flow from your fingers. Hanging ten from that proverbial surfboard of creation as the ocean of ideas washing through your mind batters itself against white beach of the blank page leaving in its wake the basis of what will become a powerful story.

For every peak in the creative process, where it seems nothing can stand in your way, behind or beyond lies a shadowy valley of self doubt. When that creative wave dashes you against the unyielding stone of cold reality, you tumble from that peak to land in the valley of the shadow of death for the creative process. 

Suddenly the words that had flowed so freely dry up and one is left staring at the blank page as blood begins to form upon their forehead. Who wants to read anything I write? Why do I waste my time doing this? Who really cares anymore?

Self doubt has silenced the muse. It has thrown a monkey wrench into the machinery of creation, clogging the gears, and stopping them dead in their tracks. Everyone who dares to believe they can create something another person wants to read faces these moments from time to time.

The greats have carried on their own personal battles with self doubt. Struggling in the years of anonymity before they became an overnight success. Stephen King threw away the original manuscript for Carrie believing no one would want to read it. His wife rescued it from the trash and convinced him to carry on. Great writers from the past were known to agonize over the placement of every word, never really believing themselves that what they were doing would ever be widely accepted. 

How many unknown greats have given up entirely, trashing their greatest works, and turning their backs on their dreams to accept second best? How many Lovecraft’s, Shelly’s, or Stokers have given up even before they started?



Here are a few inspiring quotes from some greats in the business to help inspire you.

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
- E. L. Doctorow

If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.
- Somerset Maugham

Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer.
- Ray Bradbury

Creating a character.

I'd like to take a moment to briefly outline how I go about creating my characters in my work. Sort of a behind the scenes look at a work in progress. In fact I'll take an example from my current work in progress, a novella titled White Walker, that I expect to release February 15, 2014.

There, I've locked myself down to a date with this one. No more kidding around, time to finish this sucker.

Anyways back to my original post. For me my characters are an extension of the story itself. Like all of us they have their faults. Those little secrets that some of them keep even from themselves, that go into the bubbling stew that is their personality.

I do not physically describe my characters for the reader. Instead I paint a picture of that person's personality with the hope that the reader knows someone with similar traits.  This allows the reader to create a mental image of the person they know that meshes with the character I have created bringing more intimacy into the story. Emotionally investing the reader in the story.

If the reader knows someone with say Allan's personality they will see that person's face when they read those sections Allan appears in. If I described the character, using any one of the old standbys such, as checking their appearance in a mirror,  this takes the creation of the character from the readers hands, leaving in its wake a cardboard cutout  no one would really care about.

In White Walker a group of ten people are isolated in a call center by a blizzard that has shut down the entire east coast. Things are further complicated by the arrival of the White Walker, an old legend brought to these shores by Russian immigrants who emigrated to the U.S in the early parts of the nineteenth century. The White Walker feeds on the souls of all who become lost in winter storms.  He first appears to those in the call center in the guise of a man walking through the storm. Only as the snow swirls around him he fades in and out of view as if he's passing behind unseen curtains.

The character I want to focus on is Cody. He's young, in his mid-twenties, no schooling beyond high school, in fact he's lucky he even graduated. He's a hard worker but he has a problem with organization and punctuality. He also has a bit of a drinking problem. A little hand me down from his father who would lay around the house getting drunk while Cody's mother worked three jobs to keep a roof over her family's head and food on the table. For the purposes of the story he will serve as the voice of reason believe it or not because he also does not hesitate to let anyone know what he's thinking.

He's a hardworking kid struggling to do the right thing yet hindered by his upbringing and a lack of maturity. He has yet to learn that hard drinking the night before work tends to leave one in the throes of a hangover. Of course he blames this on his friends who always seem to show up at the wrong moment. But in the end he will learn what true responsibility entails.

Have you formed a mental image of Cody?

Does he sound familiar?

He does to me because he is a near match of someone I know personally. While my creation of this character may sound like stereotyping, everything about him was drawn from real life. If you know someone like him I'm sure right about now you see that person's face with your mind's eye and you've associated the character of Cody with that image.

You've become emotionally attached to a fictional character.

Caveat emptor

Many of us are familiar with the meaning of the title of this post. Let the buyer beware. Those two simple words couched in an ancient language have always been a part of our lexicon. For today’s writer who has already, or is considering following the self publishing route, they are words of wisdom.

Let the buyer beware.

What was once the final option for those unable to secure the interest of an editor, or agent, has now become a first choice. Every day the stigma associated with self publishing diminishes as more of the mainstream learns to accept the existence of self published material as a viable route.

Of course any industry that experiences the growth self publishing has seen over the past few years is bound to attract its share of those unscrupulous enough to prey on the dreams of others.

Their ads are everywhere.

If you have ever performed a search for self publishing you may have noticed that practically anywhere you go online there are an increasing number of ads calling for you to self publish today. While writing this post I checked and counted 11 sponsored ads all directed at those thinking about self publishing.

Most of the ads you see will take you to a form to fill out so the company can get more information to you. Personally I've always felt that if they can't be upfront about their pricing structure, they're hiding something.

Some companies will charge the aspiring author thousands of dollars for an end product that has little chance of selling. These companies are in business for one reason, and one reason only, to sell a dream. You too can be a bestselling author, they shout out while presenting examples of bestselling authors you have probably never even heard of.

Other companies are small start ups that were born with the dream of creating opportunity for writers, usually opened on a shoe string budget that leave little room for mistakes. While most end up failing, there are some that make it through their first trials to emerge with a better grasp of the business.

These are the companies you want to search out. Sadly I don't have a list as I'm a do it yourselfer, the only outsourcing I do is editing to an English teacher I've known for over twenty years who is herself a well regarded writer of speculative fiction. She understands my particular style of writing and works to help me improve those areas that need the most help.

If you know of any of these companies let me know in the comments and I'd be glad to feature their services in a future post.

Buyer beware. If you're new to self publishing take your time and research each company you approach. Find their recently published titles on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles websites.

Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do the covers look professional?
1A. Do they look like the end result of cookie cutter templates?

2. Is the pricing in line with similar books of the same page count?

3. Open several samples and read a portion of the book.

Are there editorial problems such as misspelled words, clunky grammar, bad punctuation?

Any mistakes should be minimal. I'm a perfectionist but even I understand no one is absolutely perfect

Are they any layout problems such as indents changing from paragraph to paragraph?

And remember. Take your time. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Get it done right the first time so you can move on to other projects without the last one hanging over your head.

Don't be afraid the cut your losses and run.

And when you do find that perfect match. Take care of them and they will take care of you in return.

And the winner is....

A. F. Stewart has been selected by random drawing to be the recipient of this years 2013 Halloween Horror Author Countdown Horror Library.She will receive a copy of the Coffin Hop Anthology Death by Drive In.

As well as the following nineteen titles.

Countdown to Halloween: Coffin Hop 2013

All good things must come to an end, and so it does with this year's Halloween Horror Author Countdown, and the Coffin Hop. The countdown was a spur of the moment thing for me, but I do plan to have the countdown again, next October, but this time I have a whole year to plan the festivities and work out the prize package. You never know, if things come together I might be able to add a Kindle Fire, or Amazon gift cards next year.

Countdown to Halloween: Gord Rollo

The final day of the countdown has arrived. Thirty days have passed. Thirty writers have been featured. Thirty new releases have been promoted. For the last day of the 2013 Halloween Countdown, I give you Gord Rollo and his latest, Jigsaw Man.

A BROKEN MAN DOWN ON HIS LUCK...

Michael Fox is a homeless man living in a garbage dumpster beneath the Carver Street Bridge in Buffalo, NY. He's bitterly depressed and ready to commit suicide; anything to put an end to his miserable existence.

Countdown to Halloween: Jeffrey Kosh

We're closing in on our target. Today's guest makes it 29, with but one more to follow. Permit me to introduce, illustrator, and author Jeffrey Kosh, and his latest release, Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Countdown to Halloween: Graeme Reynolds

We awaken to day 28, with but 2 more days to go before the countdown reaches its climax. Today we are joined by Graeme Reynold and his latest release, High Moor 2: Moonstruck.

The people of High Moor are united in horror at the latest tragedy to befall their small town. As dawn breaks, the town is left to count the cost and mourn its dead, while breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Countdown to Halloween: Dan Dillard

Day 27 dawns frosty and clear with a wee bit of a chill in the air. Only 3 days left before the countdown is but the bad memory of an adolescent on an extreme sugar rush from bags of candy doled out on All Hallows Eve. Who is that in the corner, his arms covering his head, I guess he knows what happens to the expired guests in these parts. Why it's none other than Dan Dillard and his latest release Giving up the Ghost, which is currently free.

Countdown to Halloween: Tim McWhorter

You know that moment in a horror movie when everything starts coming together and the climax looms? Well we're quickly approaching that point in the countdown.  Imagine that, it's now day 26, with but 4 more to go before that fateful night. And who do I find lurking in the shadowy corners? None other than Tim McWhorter and his latest release Shadows Remain.

1987. Broken Tree, MN. On a warm autumn night, a scream erupts from the old cemetery, shattering the innocence of three young boys and sending a family fleeing from a once-quiet small town. Now, twenty-five years later and with his wife and young son in tow, Adam Bishop has returned to the town his parents swept him away from after that fateful night. He is confident that what happened in the past will stay there. But, sometimes the years do little to diminish the shadows cast by tragedies we think we’ve left behind. And the old shadows are simply waiting for our return. So when his son comes home from school talking about the ghost of a boy who resides in the very cemetery where the unspeakable tragedy took place, Adam finds that he can’t leave well enough alone. Soon Adam discovers that, although you can indeed go home again, it’s not always a good idea...

 

Click on the cover for more info.

There is very little to be found online about our latest guest. But I did manage to locate a very brief bio at his blog Never is a Myth.

I'm a struggling writer who sometimes does more struggling than writing. I started late in the game, but I am now determined to be who I was supposed to be until the clock hits 0:00. I enjoy reading, sports, spending time with my family and dreaming about sunshine.

Don't forget, the 2013 Coffin Hop is still very much alive and kicking.

As part of the Coffin Hop I will be giving away one copy of the Coffin Hop anthology:
Death by Drive In  

In addition to the above prize, over half of the authors who have been featured during my Halloween countdown, have agreed to help me create a very special prize package for one lucky winner.  A library filled with the following ebooks.

Lori R Lopez:                    Heartbeat and An Ill Wind Blows
Leigh M Lane:                   Finding Poe Kindle gift only. 
Matthew Tait:                   Dark Meridian
W. H. Pugmire:                 TBD
Robert S Wilson:               Fading In Darkness
Greg F Gifune:                  The Living and The Dead     
T. W. Brown:                      Dead: The Ugly Beginning
Billie Sue Mosiman:           Sinister
Sara Brooke:                     The Bed
Anthony Seravante:           Keepsake
Kat Yares:                         The XIII
Max Booth III:                   Black
S.D. Hintz:                        Tales From An Undertaker
Robert Dunbar:                 Vortex
Armand Rosamila:             Winners choice.

That's Fourteen titles and counting. I have not heard back from all 23 authors I've  featured to date so the list will be updated as they get back with me. To enter simply comment on this or any of the other posts about the coffin hop. And please share the holiday joy by visiting the other participants of the hop whose links are located at the bottom of the page.

Countdown to Halloween: Coffin Hop 2013

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for an important announcement. The 2013 Coffin Hop has officially begun. What is the Coffin Hop? You might be wondering. Well I'm glad you asked.

COFFIN HOP is the annual online Horror creator event, geared towards gaining exposure for indie horror and genre authors and artists, while increasing interaction with fans and readers.

COFFIN HOP runs October 24-31 at WWW.COFFINHOP.COM and regularly features more than 200 artists and authors, partying it up, bringing the treats and the tricks to an online audience of thousands. Practically every participant will be hosting a giveaway so take the time to visit each site and enter for your chance to win some great prizes.

2013 also sees the release of DEATH BY DRIVE-IN, a collection of stories from some of the best authors out there, as well as art from the legendary Nik Seizure, a special collectors edition of Robot Lincoln & Zombie Jackson, and an introduction by author, B-movie expert and cult filmmaker Scott S. Phillips. All profits to benefit LitWorld and their excellent children's literacy programs.

Okay, I cheated. I copy and pasted the info above.

As part of the Coffin Hop I will be giving away one copy of the Coffin Hop anthology:
Death by Drive In  

In addition to the above prize, over half of the authors who have been featured during my Halloween countdown, have agreed to help me create a very special prize package for one lucky winner.  A library filled with the following ebooks.

Lori R Lopez:                    Heartbeat and An Ill Wind Blows
Leigh M Lane:                   Finding Poe Kindle gift only. 
Matthew Tait:                   Dark Meridian
W. H. Pugmire:                 TBD
Robert S Wilson:               Fading In Darkness
Greg F Gifune:                  The Living and The Dead     
T. W. Brown:                      Dead: The Ugly Beginning
Billie Sue Mosiman:           Sinister
Sara Brooke:                     The Bed
Anthony Seravante:           Keepsake
Kat Yares:                         The XIII
Max Booth III:                   Black
S.D. Hintz:                        Tales From An Undertaker
Robert Dunbar:                 Vortex
Armand Rosamila:             Winners choice.

That's Fourteen titles and counting. I have not heard back from all 23 authors I've  featured to date so the list will be updated as they get back with me.

Unless otherwise noted copies are available in Kindle or Nook formats. Winner must choose one or the other.

Each author, or publisher, will forward the appropriate file to the winners email address.

HOW DO I WIN?

I'm so glad you asked.

Winning is easy. Leave a comment on this post listing your Facebook and Twitter handles. Post on Facebook about the coffin hop linking to this blog, or the Coffin hop site and use the hash tag #coffinhopRS. Tweet about the Coffin Hop using the same hash tag. For every FB post and tweet your name will be added to the drawing. So if you post five times and tweet five times using the hash tags #coffinhopRS your name will be entered into the drawing ten times, increasing your odds of winning.

I will keep track of the tweets and posts, assigning each one a number related to the order in which they appear. At the end of the hop I will generate a random number and the person whose name is next to that number will be the winner.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I will be updating this post as needed.

Don't forget to visit the other participating sites to enter their contests as well. The links for each is at the bottom of this page.

Countdown to Halloween: Max Booth III

The clock is winding down on our little countdown. We find ourselves at day 23, with but 7 more days before the witching hour comes to pass. Today we feature Max Booth III and his latest release, just in time for Halloween, Black.

Black: A Novella. A horrific zombie western tale of a gunfighter cursed with unwanted immortality. It's one thing to make a deal with the Devil; it's another when the deal is made for you.

Featuring an interview with Joe McKinney, "Talking Zombies".

Cover art by Matthew Revert.

 

Click on the cover for more info.

 

Max Booth III is the author of four books: Toxicity (Post Mortem Press, 2014), a black comedy crime novel; The Mind is a Razorblade (Kraken Press, 2014), a neo-noir horror novel; and two story collections, True Stories Told By a Liar (Numen Books, 2012) and They Might Be Demons (Dark Moon Books, 2013). He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing.

Since 2011 he has been the Assistant Editor of Dark Moon Digest and has edited four anthologies: Zombie Jesus and Other True Stories (Dark Moon Books, 2012), Zombies Need Love, Too (Dark Moon Books, 2013), So it Goes: a Tribute to Kurt Vonnegut (Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, 2013), and Long Distance Drunks: a Tribute to Charles Bukowski (Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, 2014).

He studied under award winning editor, Jennifer Brozek, for the Beast Within 4: Gears & Growls anthology.

He will be one of five authors to attend the Dark and Bookish Summer 2014 Tour, including Jay Wilburn, Jessica McHugh, Adam Millard, and Derek Deremer. The tour will cover approximately 26 days from the mid June through the beginning of July of 2014, targeting 8-10 cities and 4-5 conventions. The documentary, Dark and Bookish, will focus on struggling/rising authors in the horror and speculative fiction genre, the work and struggles of small presses within these genre, and the experiences and struggles of independent bookstores within the current age of publishing.

Max was born in Lake Station, Indiana. He has worked as a cashier, merchandise manager, inventory control specialist, copy editor, and hotel night manager. He currently lives in San Antonio, Texas with his life partner and dachshund. Follow him on Twitter @GiveMeYourTeeth and visit him at www.TalesFromTheBooth.com.

Countdown to Halloween: Lori R lopez

As day 22 dawns we are one day closer to the night evil will be unleashed upon the world. Where ghosts and goblins, and fairy princess' will wander the streets at will in their search for tasty treats. Lori R Lopez joins the countdown with her latest release,  a short titled, Fruit of Thy Womb.

Another unique zombie tale from Lori R. Lopez, the author of "Heartbeat" and "The Lycaning", this time with Fruit Flies and two jaded strangers who learn that they are not as alone as they think.

One of the themes of this story is to not wait for the world to be ending to start living. It's hot, and it's going to get a lot hotter when humans mutate into cannibalistic corpses. But that's not all; bugs are everywhere. In fact, bugs could be to blame in this worst-case scenario that may seem a bit close for comfort! Strap on your gas-mask while the pesticide flows. They're coming. Watch your back . . . and your front. Watch everything!

 

Click on cover for more info.

Lori R. Lopez wears many hats, literally and otherwise. She is an artist who designs her book covers and illustrates some of her tomes. As an author she writes poems, short stories, novels, songs, children's books and nonfiction as well as a quirky humorous-slash-serious column called "Poetic Reflections" at
http://fairyflyentertainment.com/category/category/poetic-reflections

She is a musician, actress and filmmaker. She has been an animal-lover since small. A vegetarian, her work often contains themes of conservation and animal rights. Also, messages regarding the rights of children.

Her books include CHOCOLATE-COVERED EYES, AN ILL WIND BLOWS, THE FAIRY FLY for ages twelve through adult; THE MUDPUPPY and THE FOX TROT for children (and all ages); DANCE OF THE CHUPACABRAS, THE MACABRE MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ, OUT-OF-MIND EXPERIENCES, and POETIC REFLECTIONS: KEEP THE HEART OF A CHILD. Her stories and verse appear in anthologies such as MIRAGES: TALES FROM AUTHORS OF THE MACABRE, MASTERS OF HORROR: DAMNED IF YOU DON'T, SPLATTERPUNK SAINTS, DARLINGS OF DECAY, I BELIEVE IN WEREWOLVES, SOUP OF SOULS, THIRSTY ARE THE DAMNED, and SCARE PACKAGE: 14 TALES OF TERROR. Fifteen of Lori's poems were published for an anthology titled IN DARKNESS WE PLAY (Triskaideka Books).

Countdwon to Halloween: Robert S Wilson

We've reached day 21 with only 9 more to go before the streets are filled with all manner of nocturnal beings as they search for their latest treat. Next in line is Rober S Wilson, and his latest release, Fading in Darkness: Empire of Blood Book II.

In this second installment in the Empire of Blood series, Hank Evans is headed back to Necropolis, but this time he won't be running for his life... or will he?

Tensions between the American Empire and the vampires of Necropolis have risen to an all time high. With the Emperor threatening Toby's life, Hank's new position as the mediator has just been unofficially upgraded to Imperial spy. But his internal hunger for revenge and newfound sense of purpose can't stay hidden forever.

Hank must now find a way to release the hold the Emperor has over him in order to fight back. But an unexpected struggle will put him at odds with who he really is and who he has yet to truly become. Especially when his dreams begin to reveal a terrifying future.

And when the city of the dead goes up in flames, and the vampires of Necropolis are forced to flee to the Queen's hive, there is no turning back from civil war.

"First-rate storytelling!"

-Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of FLESH EATERS and APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD

"Robert S. Wilson proves himself a master of the dark fantastic."

-Tim Waggoner, author of LIKE DEATH and THE HARMONY SOCIETY

"A writer on the rise, Robert S. Wilson's fiction is highly original, deftly written, and shows a refreshing commitment to (and respect for) craft and depth."

-Greg F. Gifune, author, THE BLEEDING SEASON

"Wilson is a dark force to be reckoned with."

-Trent Zelazny, author of DESTINATION UNKNOWN and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY

 

 

Click on the cover for more info.

 

Robert S. Wilson is the author of SHINING IN CRIMSON and FADING IN DARKNESS, books one and two of his dystopian vampire series: EMPIRE OF BLOOD. He is a Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of HORROR FOR GOOD: A CHARITABLE ANTHOLOGY and lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife and two kids. His short stories have appeared in/will appear in [NAMELESS] MAGAZINE from Cycatrix Press, HORROR D'OEUVRES from DarkFuse, A QUICK BITE OF FLESH: AN ANTHOLOGY OF ZOMBIE FLASH FICTION from Hazardous Press, EVIL JESTER PRESENTS COMICS, FEAR THE REAPER from Crystal Lake Publishing, THE BEST OF THE HORROR SOCIETY 2013, BLEED from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, and his cyberpunk/horror novella EXIT REALITY published by Blood Bound Books was chosen as one of e-thriller.com's Thrillers of the Month in July 2013.
Samples of his work as well as the free audio serial for Shining in Crimson can be found on his website at http://www.shiningincrimson.com You can also find him and Shining in Crimson on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/robertswilsonauthor and http://www.facebook.com/shiningincrimson

 

Countdown to Halloween: Billie Sue Mosiman

Here we find ourselves at day 20 with 10 more to go. The last double digit day in the countdown. We find ourselves in the presence of Edgar and Stoker nominated word smith Billie sue Mosiman, and her latest release, Sinister: Tales of Dread.

Fourteen brand new 2013 tales of dread ranging from horror to dark science fiction and noir, SINISTER will keep you awake at night. 244 pages of aliens who come from the sky, a detective working his last case, a skull flenser who loves his job, and various evils and dark chills creep through this new collection from the Edgar and Stoker nominated author, Billie Sue Mosiman. The included stories are:
Sinister
Transformed: The Kindness of Strangers
Saving the System
Skins of Our Fathers
Cursed
Dying in L.A.
The Impossible
Hell & Brimstone
Out of the Sky
Shadowed Things
White Skulls
Unreliable
Verboten
Tru-Blood

"Billie Sue Mosiman will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way!" Ed Gorman, bestselling author

 

Click on the cover for more info.

Author of more than 50 books, I am a thriller, suspense, and horror novelist, a short fiction writer, and a lover of words. In a diary when I was thirteen years old I wrote, "I want to grow up to be a writer." It seems that was always my course. My books have been published since 1984 and two of them received an Edgar Award Nomination for best novel and a Bram Stoker Award Nomination for most superior novel. I have been a regular contributor to a myriad of anthologies and magazines, with more than 150 short stories published. My work has been in such diverse publications as Horror Show Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. I taught writing for Writer's Digest and for AOL online, and gave writing workshops locally in Texas. I was an assistant editor at a Houston literary magazine and co-edited several trade paperback anthologies with Martin Greenberg.
Recently I've sold short stories to the anthologies BETTER WEIRD edited by Paul F. Olson from Cemetery Dance, ALLEGORIES OF THE TAROT edited by Annetta Ribken, FRESH FEAR edited by William Cook, and SOMEONE WICKED edited by Weldon Burge. My latest suspense novel, THE GREY MATTER, will be published by Post Mortem Press by May 2014.
I was born in Alabama and live now in Texas on a small ranch.
My work has been predominately suspense thrillers, with my short fiction being more speculative. My latest novel is BANISHED, a dark fantasy horror novel involving fallen angels.
I love to read (especially on my Kindle), watch old movies, take photographs, and travel.
Because of my love of storytelling, I've been fortunate enough to make a lifelong investment in writing stories and novels.
News of my e-book publications can be found at: http://peculiarwriter.blogspot.com
My Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/billie.s.mosiman
Find me on Twitter @billiemosiman

Countdown to Halloween: William Cook

As the days past pile higher than those yet to be realized we come to day number 19 in the countdown.  Eleven to go, two single digits representing a number in excess of ten, yet they could also be viewed as snake eyes. The two single marks on a pair of dice. Today we find ourselves in the company of William Cook and his latest release, Death Quartet.

DEATH QUARTET (A Selection of Short Horror Fiction & Verse) is an eclectic miscellany of stories, poems, and ephemera), wherein the subject matter relates to the study of homicide and the aesthetic portrayal of such an act. In other words, themes of death and murder abound in this horrific collection brought to you by William Cook, an up-and-coming indie author of macabre fiction and the novel ‘Blood Related.’

Amongst the selection of four short stories you will find the never-before-seen ‘origin story’ that generated the novel ‘Blood Related’. A stand alone story in its own right, ‘Legacy: The Eternal Now and Thereafter’ rounds off DEATH QUARTET and gives fans of Cook’s novel Blood Related a chance to see where it all began. Make sure you read it with the doors locked.

From Blinded by the Light:

“The tip of the sharp blade pressed hard on Patrick’s lower eyelid. A tear bubbled and fell from his twelve-year-old eyelashes, gathering in the indent caused by the presence of the knife, before running the full length of his young face and falling onto his white t-shirt. His dad’s breath smelt bad, real bad – like something had died inside him and was stinking him up big-time. Patrick stood on his toes, his father’s muscled forearm pressing hard against his chest, pinning his scrawny back against the kitchen wall. Patrick stood as still as possible, cross-eyed with fear, his gaze never left the glint of the knife’s blade in his face. His father gave the tip a slight twist and Patrick felt a stab of pain as warm blood traced the path of his tears to drop on his t-shirt. Patrick’s breath hitched and all he could think to himself was - “this is it! Dad is gonna kill me. He’s gonna kill me. He’s gonna . . .”

Click on the cover for more info.

I live in Wellington - the small wind-blown capital city of New Zealand. I have been writing weird stories ever since I was a kid. My first published works were poems in various literary journals in NZ and a few in the States. Back in 1996 I published a collection of verse titled 'Journey: The Search for Something' and had the occasional poem and short story published online, but nothing really of note until 2010 when Lee Pletzers from Triskaideka Books accepted my story 'The Devil Inside' for the 2010 Masters of Horror Anthology. I have always loved the Horror genre and dark literature, so this really inspired me to write what I loved rather than what I thought other people wanted to read and it has finally started to pay off. The thing I love about the Horror/Thriller genres is that a good story will get your pulse racing and your heart thumping. I feel it is the best medium to create a world where the reader feels alive because they are experiencing fear of some sort. Sounds sadistic I know, but I personally find that no other genre gives me the thrills I seek when I immerse myself in a fictional world. I have since had quite a few Horror shorts published in various anthologies.
My novel 'Blood Related,' was re-released by Black Bed Sheet Books Halloween 2012. Writing it was a labor of love and took me roughly six years to write and it wasn't until I changed day-jobs that I had the time to bring it all together as my debut novel. The novel is about a disturbed young man called Caleb Cunningham, whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his father's suicide, Cunningham's disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality, as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose, when the brothers combine their deviant talents. Blood Related is a serial-killer/crime novel told in a first-person narrative style from the killer's (Caleb's) point-of-view.
I have been privileged to have authors I look up to, give me feedback on Blood Related. People like Jonathan Nasaw, Guy N Smith, Laird Barron, Mark Edward Hall, John Paul Allen, and Nicholas Grabowsky, have all been kind enough to read and review my work - something I would never have believed possible until now. If readers would like more information on 'Blood Related', including bibliographical and background information on the extensive research and reading done while creating the novel, please visit: http://bloodrelated.wordpress.com/
My current WIP is a sequel to 'Blood Related,' tentatively titled 'Blood Trail' and should be available by the end of 2013 or early 2014. This work deals more with the character of Detective Ray Truman, as he struggles with his own demons and his obsessive pursuit of Caleb Cunningham, the main character in 'Blood Related'. I am also working on my (untitled) serialized novel, the first book titled 'Creep' is available now on Amazon.
You can check out William Cook's writing here: http://williamcookwriter.com/ and his Macabre Art and design here: http://bloodsoakedgraphics.tumblr.com/.
William Cook bids you well and hopes you enjoy his macabre offerings and that they may whet your appetite for more in the future.
**********
Debut novel: 'Blood Related,' published by Angelic Knight Press December 2011.
'Blood Related' re-release by Black Bed Sheet Books, Halloween 2012, sequel 'Blood Trail' - Mid 2013 release.
http://www.bloodrelated.wordpress.com
Short Fiction:
Devil Inside: 2012, King Billy Publications
Creep: 2013, King Billy Publications
The Last Stand of the Laughing Man: King Billy Publications
Poetry Collections:
Moment of Freedom: 2012, King Billy Publications
Temper of the Tide: 2012, King Billy Publications
Short fiction published in the following anthologies:
Masters of Horror Anthology, 2010 - Triskaideka Books
Putrid Poetry & Sickening Sketches 2011 - Collaboration of the Dead
Sketchbook of the Dead: 2012, Deaf Mute Comics
Dark Light Anthology: 2012, MARLvision Publications
Writings on the Wall Anthology: 2012, Seven Archons
I'll Never Go Away VII: 2013, Rainstorm Press
Songs For the Raven: 2013, James Ward Kirk Publishing
Serial Killers Iterum: 2013, James Ward Kirk Publishing
Serial Killers Tres Tria: 2013, James Ward Kirk Publishing
Read Us Or Die: 2013, Black Bed Sheet Books
Member of the Horror Writers Association, Australian Horror Writers Association & the Horror Blogger Alliance
http://www.amazon.com/William-Cook/e/B003PA513I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Website: http://williamcookwriter.com
Follow William on Twitter - @williamcook666

Countdown to Halloween: S.D. Hintz

We have reached day 18 with 12 more to go. If you like you prose raw and vivid, then take a peek at our next special guest S.D. Hintz and his latest release, Tales From an Undertaker.

In the vein of Tales from the Crypt, undertaker Hayden Alcuin guides us through his funeral home of nightmares.

A publishing house hires a zombie temp service. A boy fights over his dead dog with a graveyard ghost. An unholy grail brews youth in exchange for death. A ghost town haunts a man with the Old West. An evil undertaker kills townspeople for his personal cosmetic use. A pirate returns to a harbor for his demonic treasure. A mailman leaves death threats that he carries out. And many other nightmarish tales.

“Vivid, kick-ass horror - just plain recommended.”
-- John Shirley, author of A Song Called Youth

“S.D. Hintz delivers a gruesome bumper crop.”
-- Scott Nicholson, author of After: The Shock

“S.D. Hintz…creates a nightmare any child (young and old) dreads.”
-- Simon Wood, author of Terminated

“Don’t expect pretty phrases from S. D. Hintz. No. The prose – raw and vivid – spits at you like a carbine. What you can expect is to be shocked and horrified … and desperately intrigued.”
-- Robert Dunbar, author of The Wood

 

Click on the cover for more info.

S.D. Hintz is a published author and CEO/Editor-in-Chief of KHP Publishers, Inc. He currently resides in Minnesota with his wife and two children.

 

Countdown to Halloween: Leigh M Lane

It's day 17, with only 13 more days, 13 more authors, and 13 more new releases until all hallows eve ends this years countdown. Today's special guest is none other than Leigh M Lane, and her book Finding Poe. I reviewed this hauntingly beautiful book last year and was so impressed with the story it made it to my top five for 2012

"Atmospheric, lush, and lyrical, Leigh M. Lane's Finding Poe is a haunting Gothic novel which will delight anyone familiar with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, as well as anyone who enjoys an evocative and classic tale of terror." -horror/mystery author Dana Fredsti.

When reality and fiction collide, there's no telling what horrors might ensue. 

In the wake of her husband's haunted death, Karina must sift through the cryptic clues left behind in order to solve the mystery behind his suicide--all of which point back to the elusive man and author, Edgar Allan Poe.  

Karina soon finds that reality, dream, and nightmare have become fused into one as she journeys from a haunted lighthouse in New England to Baltimore, where the only man who might know the answers to her many questions resides. 

But will she find her answers before insanity rips her grip on reality for good? Might a man she's never met hold the only key to a truth more shocking than even she could have imagined?

Finding Poe was a 2013 EPIC Awards finalist in Horror.

 

 

Click on the image for more info.

 

"Words are like shards of stained glass. By themselves they're worthless; however, when placed together in just the right way, they can become brilliant works of art."
Leigh M. Lane has been writing for over twenty years. She has ten published novels and twelve published short stories divided among different genre-specific pseudonyms. She is married to editor Thomas B. Lane, Jr. and currently resides in the beautiful mountains of western Montana. Her traditional Gothic horror novel, FINDING POE, was a finalist in the 2013 EPIC Awards in horror.
Her other novels include THE HIDDEN VALLEY HORROR, inspired by Barker, Bradbury, and King; WORLD-MART, a tribute to Orwell, Serling, and Vonnegut; and the allegorical tale, MYTHS OF GODS.
For more information about Leigh M. Lane and her writing, visit her website at http://www.cerebralwriter.com.
 

Countdown to Halloween: W. H. Pugmire

Here we are at day sixteen and what Halloween countdown would be complete without a visit from an author who has devoted his life to reinterpreting the writings of one of the most brilliant weird fiction authors of all time, Howard Philip Lovecraft. That's right, Willum Hopfrog Pugmire has entered the countdown, and his latest release from Dark Regions Press, Gathered Dust and Others.

With his first collection from Dark Regions Press, W. H. Pugmire continues his radical and obsessive reinterpretations of H. P. Lovecraft's brilliant fiction. Among the book's original pieces is the title story, "Gathered Dust," a sequel to J. Vernon Shea's "The Haunter of the Graveyard." Set in Arkham, this tale of utter strangeness concerns the legacy of Randolph Carter and a monstrous burying ground where the phantoms of the past linger so as to feed upon the living. In "Depths of Dreams and Madness" we journey to Pugmire's Sesqua Valley, wherein we find Lovecraft's artist, Richard Upton Pickman and Robert E. Howard's mad poet, Justin Geoffrey, tainted by the valley's supernatural lunacy. With "These Deities of Rarest Air," Pugmire continues his exploration of the prose-poem/vignette sequence, in a work that deliciously evokes the mystic aura of not only Lovecraft but Clark Ashton Smith as we ll. With artful decadence and a pen dipped into the dark fin-de-siècle poetry of Oscar Wilde and Charles Baudelaire, Pugmire celebrates his beloved genre of fantastic fiction with works that only his cracked skull could conceive. Jeffrey Thomas has provided a provocative Introduction.

Dark Regions Press presents Gathered Dust and Others by W.H. Pugmire as part of Dark Regions Digital. Browse all of our digital titles by searching for "dark regions digital" or "dark regions press."

"Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire is the prose-poet of the horror/fantasy field; he may be the best prose-poet we have." - S. T. Joshi

"In my opinion, he's the best living writer of Lovecraftiana." - Toren Atkinson, of the band Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

"Sometimes subtle, sometimes as blunt as a rosewood coffin, Pugmire's stories are always emotional. Drawing from his own rather bizarre life, it's often difficult to separate the facts from the fiction, even for those who presume to know him." - Ken Abner, editor of Terminal Frights

 

Click on the cover for more info.

Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, Esq., is the author of many books of weird fiction in the Poe/Lovecraft tradition. He is seen in the current author's photo with S. T. Joshi at the Lovecraft plaque at Brown University--both Pugmire and Joshi contributed to the fund that helped to pay for the placement of this memorial to the genius of H. P. Lovecraft. Joshi has served as editor for many of Pugmire's collections of weird fiction, including the hardcover omnibus from Centipede Press, THE TANGLED MUSE, and the new collection from Hippocampus Press, UNCOMMON PLACES.
Wilum Pugmire is an obsess'd H. P. Lovecraft fan-boy, and his obsession has resulted in his writing book after book of weird fiction in the Lovecraft tradition. The finest of his books is SOME UNKNOWN GULF OF NIGHT, a collection of prose-poems and vignettes each of which was inspired by Lovecraft's sonnet sequence, Fungi from Yuggoth. His second-best book is UNCOMMON PLACES, recently publish'd by Hippocampus Press, containing mostly prose-poems, the literary form that best expresses Pugmire's decadent poetic soul.
Miskatonic River Press will be releasing Pugmire's collection of tales of Nyarlathotep, THE STRANGE DARK ONE, at the end of 2012. In 2013, Dark Regions Press will published as limited trade hardcover the book of Lovecraftian tales that he composed with Jeffrey Thomas, ENCOUNTERS WITH ENOCH COFFIN, a book of all-new works (no reprints) for which Pugmire has penned a number of new novelettes set in Lovecraft's mythical towns of Arkham, Innsmouth, Dunwich and Kingsport.
Pugmire is nearly completed with the writing of his next book for Arcane Wisdom Press, BOHEMIANS OF SESQUA VALLEY, a collection of novelettes in the Cthulhu Mythos tradition. He has just agreed to write a third book for Dark Regions Press, and plans to make it a book-length collection of weird fiction inspir'd by the Life and Works of Oscar Wilde. Plans are to release the yet untitled book in 2014.
Wilum is the Queen of Eldritch Horror.

 

Halloween Countdown: Matthew Tait

We've reached the halfway point, we've as many days to go as have passed.  The nights are growing longer as the day surrenders to the seasons change. Today's special guest is Australian Matthew Tait, and his latest release, Dar Meridian.

Peru, 1835, and the Order of Sant’Antonio have just witnessed something that goes against all belief: a ball of light has penetrated their sanctuary. Nobody has seen anything like it before and Brother Chabuca Cristal knows that one of his own flock is responsible for its presence. When Brother Meridian is abducted by the flying object and taken away, all except Brother Cristal breathe a sigh of relief that the ordeal is over...

Two centuries later and half a world away, Adam Lavas has returned home. After gaining momentum in the arena of rock ‘n’ roll in a way nobody else predicted, his band Solid State became a global sensation known throughout every continent. But there is a price – a price that not even commercial or critical success can hope to balm. For in the corridors of the creative heart, dark things have always lurked – taking the forms of depression, addiction, and some things even worse. So when he finds a certain mansion named Meridian hidden within the hills of Adelaide, it seems like the perfect home where he can deal with terminating his celebrity status and perhaps even himself.

Step into Meridian’s halls, and discover a doorway into another world.

 

Click on the cover for more info.

From 2005 until its closure in 2011, Australian Matthew Tait was an assistant editor for the award-winning Australian news and literary criticism zine, HORRORSCOPE. He is now a writer/critic for HELLNOTES.
The first story in his collection GHOSTS IN A DESERT WORLD was awarded a commendation from the Australian Horror Writers Association.
June 2013 saw the publication of DARK MERIDIAN, the first novel in an epic trilogy of dark fantasy.

Halloween Countdown: Anthony Servante

We have come to day 14, with 16 more to go, we're almost over the hump and look what the cat has drug in. Let's take a closer look shall we. It's none other than Anthony Servante and his latest release, Keepsakes.

Our young narrator is a chronic smoker. His mother brings home a keepsakes for her teen-aged son. It is a thick glass ashtray with a huge dead black scorpion embedded in its center. At first he begins to notice that the creature moves, or is it his imagination? But when the ashtray breaks, and the scorpion is nowhere to be found, he realizes he is in for the fight of his life.

 

Click on the cover for more information.

A word about Anthony:

In literature these are the eras agreed upon by academics: Medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic, Victorian, Naturalism/Realism, Existentialism, Beat, Modern and Post Modern. Did you know that the genre of Horror has no eras because academia does not consider it a legitimate field of study. I consider horror to begin with the Romantic (Frankenstein), Victorian (Dracula), Golden (Cthulhu), Silver (Manitou, The Keep, The Rats), and Cyber (which is today's use of the internet by both e-authors and paper authors). 

Although academia has only begun to listen to me and my categorization of the cybernocturnal as a new form of literature, I storm ahead with my chronology of horror and hope that the academics will catch up. This is our field, what we read, what we write, what we discuss. We can't wait for some anthropologist to decide what "horror" is 100 years from now. It's our responsibility today. That's what the Servante of Darkness is all about. I write reviews. I discuss literary trends. I interview people of note. 

Anthony maintains a blog Servante of Darkness at

http://servanteofdarkness.blogspot.com/

Countdown to Halloween: Bryan Hall

Nearly half way through the countdown to Halloween finds us in the company of Bryan Hall, and his latest release, Southern Haunting Saga. (It appears I made a mistake with the original post for Bryan, attributing a book to him that was not his, I apologize for any confusion this has caused and will try better in the future. )


Creighton Northgate is a man shrouded in mystery and on the run from a past he doesn't even fully understand. Blurring the lines between vagabond, enigma, drunkard, and savior, he spends his days staring into the southern legends and paranormal events that most only speak of in hushed, half-believing whispers. This book compiles the first three installments of the Southern Hauntings Saga: The Vagrant, The Girl, and The Lurker. Also included is a brand new, bonus short story from Crate’s early years, The Answer, currently unavailable anywhere else. Praise for the Southern Hauntings Saga— "Bryan Hall delivers the goods: Southern-fried suspense, chills, and thrills." -- Scott Nicholson, author of The Red Church "Bryan Hall is an exciting new author who pens nail-biting tales that captivate from start to finish. The Southern Hauntings Saga is an outstanding collection of novellas. Highly recommended!" -- Benjamin Kane Ethridge, author of BOTTLED ABYSS and DUNGEON BRAIN.

Click on the cover for more info.

Bryan Hall is a fiction writer living in a one hundred year old farmhouse deep in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife and three children.
He spent the first nineteen years of his life writing and reading voraciously, until pausing for some befuddling reason to spend a decade drinking whiskey and beer, playing in various garage bands, and rock climbing, eventually conquering practically every worthwhile cliff in western North Carolina.
Although a bad back has greatly hindered his rock climbing, he still considers himself an aficionado of good beer and great whiskey, which seem to add fuel to his demented imagination.
Growing up in the Appalachias, he's soaked up decades of fact and fiction from the area, bits and pieces of which usually weave their way into his writing whether he realizes it at the time or not.
Several of his stories can be found in print magazines, online e-zines, and in upcoming anthologies. The short story collection "WHISPERS FROM THE DARK" gathers together 14 of the best shorts he's published to date. His first novel, CONTAINMENT ROOM SEVEN, is now available from Permuted Press. In August 2012 the first novella in his "SOUTHERN HAUNTINGS SAGA" was released by Angelic Knight Press. You can visit him online at www.bryanhallfiction.com

Countdwon to Halloween: Greg F Gifune

What Halloween countdown, or for that matter any countdown related to horror, would be complete without Greg F Gifune?

His latest release: The Living and the Dead.

The rains came, and with it, the beginning of the end…and a night unlike any other… Dempsey, an old man and a hopeless alcoholic, lost in his world of night stories and a past riddled with horrors and regrets too damning to face…

Christopher, a clinical psychologist trapped in a dying marriage, the victim of childhood violence and abuse so horrific even he cannot fully remember the truths behind them…

Anita, a secretary and mistress to her boss, separated from her husband and searching for the happiness that has always eluded her…

Lana , a woman on the run, a thief drowning in guilt and pursued by demons she can never hope to escape...

Lennox and Perry, a young and hedonistic couple drifting aimlessly through life and looking for thrills to make their empty existences worth living...

Duck, a lonely and troubled Vietnam vet who finds solace in caring for stray cats and doing his best to forget the horrors of his past…

As the storm hits, seven lost souls are forced together in the small isolated town of Tall Tree Junction. But the storm has brought with it more than torrential rains…it has awakened a terrifying and enigmatic creature that preys on Man’s darkest fears, and brings with it, the ghosts of the past.

Night falls, and that which separates the living from the dead is no more…

 

Click on the cover for more info. 

He has been called "One of the best writers of his generation" by both the Roswell Literary Review and author Brian Keene, GREG F. GIFUNE is the author of numerous short stories, several novels, screenplays and two short story collections (HERETICS and DOWN TO SLEEP).

His work has been published all over the world, consistently praised by readers and critics alike, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and The Midwest Book Review (among others) and has recently garnered interest from Hollywood.

His novels include CHILDREN OF CHAOS, DOMINION, THE BLEEDING SEASON, DEEP NIGHT, BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE, SAYING UNCLE, A VIEW FROM THE LAKE, NIGHT WORK, DRAGO DESCENDING, CATCHING HELL, JUDAS GOAT and LONG AFTER DARK.

Greg resides in Massachusetts with his wife Carol and a bevy of cats. He can be reached online at: gfgauthor@verzion.net or through his official web site at: www.gregfgifune.com

Countdown to Halloween: Craig Saunders

Day eleven finds us nineteen days away from all Hallows eve when witches cruise the midnight sky in search of innocent prey. Allow me to introduce Craig Saunders. His work has recently appeared in  Great British Horror Volume 1. And his hardcover novel The Estate is scheduled for an October 31st release. His latest release is The Dead Boy (Dead Days)


This is England, and these are the Dead Days...

England, now. A man with a dark soul is playing with people like pieces in a game. He is the man with fire in his eyes.

A young child with a remarkable mind, a cold-hearted woman, and a policeman ruled by fear are all that stand in the dark man's way.

In the Dead Days there are no winners, just unlikely heroes, the lucky, the unlucky...and the dead.

This is England, and these are the Dead Days.

The Dead Boy - Book One of The Dead Days, a new serial of the apocalypse.

'Craig Saunders' bold and distinctive voice will haunt your dreams.' - Bill Hussey, author of Through a Glass Darkly and The Absence.

'A talent to keep an eye on.' - Eric S Brown, author of Bigfoot War

'Anyone who has read Craig Saunders knows that his words flow like blood from a severed jugular.' - Robert Essig, Author of Through the In Between, Hell Awaits

Click on the cover for more info.

Craig Saunders lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and three children. He pretends to listen to them while making up stories in his head.

A horror writer with a side order of fantasy (as Craig R. Saunders), he likes cemeteries and wizards, so it was a natural progression to drift between fantasy and horror like a drunk man weaving in and out of traffic.

He doesn't leave the shed since his wife, his number one fan, hobbled him. She does, however, let him blog at www.craigrsaunders.blogspot.com, where updates and samples of published work can be found. Also, try following his author page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/craigrsaundersauthor).

Praise for Craig Saunders:

[A Home by the Sea] 'Brutal and poetic, like good horror fiction should be...' - Bill Hussey, author of Through a Glass, Darkly

[Spiggot] 'Incredibly tasteless, shamelessly lowbrow, and very, very funny!' - Jeff Strand, author of Lost Homicidal Maniac (Answers to "Shirley")

[Rain] 'I'd say it's the best book I've read in a year.' - The Horror Zine

'Stephen King with a touch of Cardiff dirt and a lot of London grime.' - Richard Rhys Jones, author of 'The Division of the Damned'.

'A talent to keep an eye on.' - Eric S Brown, author of Bigfoot War

"A top-notch, thrilling read. Craig Saunders is a master of the genre." Iain Rob Wright author of Animal Kingdom and Final Winter

"With A Stranger's Grave, Saunders has written a truly dark, atmospheric and character driven tale, packed with page-turning mystery, sorrow, and a jaw-dropping reveal that will leave readers haunted long after they've gone to bed." --David Bernstein, author of Machines of the Dead and Amongst the Dead

Countdown to Halloween: Gary McMahon

T-minus twenty days and counting. Let's have a big round of applause for our next guest. I give you Gary McMahon and his latest available release, Nightsiders. I say available as his not yet released novel, The Bones of You, is currently only available for pre-order.

Keep repeating, it’s only a story, it’s only a story, it’s only a story…

Welcome to Number One Oval Lane, the last house at the top of the hill. Robert Mitchell thought he lived there with his wife and children, but he doesn’t. Not anymore. A new family—the Corbeaus—has taken up residence, and they are on a deadly mission for mischief.

Soon Robert will understand the true nature of ownership, and he will discover that real life is nothing more than a story…a horror story.

We're playing games now. We're just beginning.

"A thrilling, chilling and totally unique twist on this most chilling of sub genres…This is intelligent and thought provoking horror at it's best."

—Jim McLeod, Ginger Nuts of Horror

Click on the cover for more info.

More info about Gary can be found at his  website: http://www.garymcmahon.com/

Countdown to Halloween: Armand Rosamillia

Day nine of our countdown finds us with Armand Rosamillia, a Jersey boy who now lives in sunny Florida.  Best known for his Dying Days Zombie series, and a number of works devoted to heavy metal music, he has recently turned his talents to Contemporary fiction with his latest release.

J & J Fitness, Part Four (Flagler Beach Fiction Series)

Flagler Beach Florida is quite the small town, eclectic and quirky... and filled with many unique characters.

And JandJ Fitness has more than its share of locals who are enjoying a perfect Sunday in town with exercise and so much more!

The fourth book in the Flagler Beach Fiction series.

Contemporary Fiction and a fun beach read!

Includes the seventh and eighth tales in the 10-story JandJ Fitness arc, "Thief" as well as "I Don't Know"

2 stories plus Author Notes. 5,400 words in all!

 

Click on the cover for more info

Armand Rosamilia is a New Jersey boy currently living in sunny Florida, where he writes when he's not watching zombie movies, the Boston Red Sox and listening to Heavy Metal music...

Besides the "Miami Spy Games" zombie spy thriller series, he has the "Keyport Cthulhu" horror series, several horror novellas and shorts to date, as well as the "Dying Days" series:

Highway To Hell... Darlene Bobich: Zombie Killer... Dying Days... Dying Days 2... Still Dying: Select Scenes From Dying Days... Dying Days: The Siege of European Village... and many more coming in 2013.

He is also an editor for Rymfire Books, helping with several horror anthologies, including "Vermin" and the "State of Horror" series, as well as the creator and energy behind Carnifex Metal Books, putting out the "Metal Queens Monthly" series of non-fiction books about females into Metal...

You can find him at http://armandrosamilia.com
and e-mail him to talk about zombies, baseball and Metal: armandrosamilia@gmail.com

Countdown to Halloween: Kat Yares

Eight days down, 22 to go on our march to All Hallows Eve. I was first introduced to our next guest through her novella Vengeance is Mine, while her latest release leans more towards Fantasy than horror, she has still earned a place in my countdown. Without further delay permit me to introduce you to writer and filmmaker Kat Yares.

For over two thousand years, the patriarchal heads of thirteen families have ruled the world from the shadows. When adopted Maria Sanchez marries the wealthy, good looking Joshua Christenson III, she has no idea of who he really is or the ancestry of their child she carries. As the new generation of the thirteen take their places at the table - they have no idea that one in their own midst will seek to destroy them all.

As Maria attempts to understand what is happening in the world and why; the weaker link of the thirteen attempts to gain the power that he so desperately desires.

Although a standalone thriller, The XIII picks up 2000 years after the story told in Kat Yares' Beneath the Tor. A page turner that fits the description of The Da Vinci Code meets The Illuminati. Although first penned several years ago, the themes in this story are front page news today.

 

Click on the image for more imformation

Kat Yares has been writing fiction her entire adult life. She is an author, screenwriter, indie movie maker and amateur photographer. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous print publications and online. She was first accepted into the Horror Writers Association in 2001 and remains a member today.
Her fiction is primarily in the horror/thriller genres. Unlike many, she writes horror not to gross out or startle her readers, but to make them think. Most of her stories are mind games and deal with mans (or woman's) inhumanity to man (or woman).
Her novella, Vengeance Is Mine, while horror, still strikes a cord for many readers as they can see correlations between the story and what is happening in today's political climate.
Her two novels, Beneath the Tor and The XIII, are both fantasy and thriller and as several readers have written to her, are bound to send her to Hades after she passes.
Visit her blog (www.katyares.com) to find out more about her and the various Internet retail outlets where her books can be found.

Countdown to Halloween: Kealan Patrick Burke

T-Minus 23 days and counting. Shake off those Monday blues and help me welcome Kealan Patrick Burke to the Halloween Countdown. Kealan first caught my eye with The Turtle Boy(The Timmy Quinn Series Book One) and I was hooked. His latest release is Nemesis: The Death of Timmy Quinn (The Timmy Quinn Series) (Volume 5)

"We no longer need the sun to cast our shadows, for we have become them." For over twenty years Tim Quinn has lived in the shadow of death. Now, the Curtain has come down and the dead no longer need him to facilitate their vengeance. As the air turns amber, the shadows deepen, and murderous revenants begin to stalk the streets, Tim and the woman he loves must race to find Peregrine, the man they believe responsible for the sundering of the veil between the living and the dead. While the sins of the past intertwine with the present and vicious entities old and new arise to claim dominion, Tim must learn the secrets of The Stage and uncover the genesis of those who created it before The Stage becomes all there is. But just as there are enemies in Tim's dark new world, so too are there allies: The Conduits, people possessed of similar gifts who share a common goal: to find and destroy Peregrine before Peregrine destroys them all. In the final battle, Tim will fight not only for the woman he loves and the life she carries within her, but for the very fate of mankind. It is a battle that will transcend realms, cost lives, and at last bring Tim Quinn face to face with his nemesis.  

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Born and raised in Dungarvan, Ireland, Kealan Patrick Burke is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of five novels (Master of the Moors, Currency of Souls, Kin, The Living, and Nemesis: The Death of Timmy Quinn), over a hundred short stories, three collections (Ravenous Ghosts, The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others, and Theater Macabre), and editor of four acclaimed anthologies (Taverns of the Dead, Quietly Now: A Tribute to Charles L. Grant, Brimstone Turnpike, and Tales from the Gorezone, proceeds from which were donated to children's charity PROTECT.)
Kealan has worked as a waiter, a drama teacher, a mapmaker, a security guard, an assembly-line worker at Apple Computers, a salesman (for a day), a bartender, landscape gardener, vocalist in a grunge band, and, most recently, a fraud investigator. He also played the male lead in Slime City Massacre, director Gregory Lamberson's sequel to his cult B-movie classic Slime City, alongside scream queens Debbie Rochon and Brooke Lewis.
When not writing, Kealan designs covers for print and digital books through his company Elderlemon Design. To date he has designed covers for books by Richard Laymon, Brian Keene, Scott Nicholson, Bentley Little, William Schoell, and Hugh Howey, to name a few.
In what little free time remains, Kealan is a voracious reader, movie buff, videogamer (Xbox), and road-trip enthusiast.

Countdown to Halloween: Iain Rob Wright

It's day six with twenty four to go before the full moon is drenched in blood as fall harvests its latest victims.  Today's spotlight is on Iain Rob Wright and his latest release, Housemates. You gotta read this one.

TEN DAYS, TWELVE COMPETITORS, TWO MILLION POUNDS IN CASH.

What at first appears to be a wonderful opportunity for Damien Banks turns out to be the worst nightmare he can imagine.

Trapped inside a house with eleven strangers, and a booming voice known only as ‘The Landlord’ controlling his every move, Damien will be forced to compete not only for the money, but for his life.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN…

 

Click on the cover to get your copy.

A little about Iain: 

Published author and active member of the Horror Writers Association, Iain Rob Wright was born in 1984 and lives in the United Kingdom, with his loopy cocker spaniel, Oscar, his fat old cat, Jess, and his beautiful wife, Sally. Writing is the passion that fills his life during the small periods of time when he isn't cleaning up after his pets.
He is currently one of the UK's most successful horror writers and his current novels include the critically acclaimed, THE FINAL WINTER, the deeply disturbing bestseller, ASBO, and the satirical screamfest, THE HOUSEMATES.
He will soon be releasing the first book in an exciting action-thriller series; featuring acerbic protagonist, Sarah Stone, and her ongoing mission to stop a terrorist threat.
Check out Iain's official website for freebies, news, and updates at: http://www.iainrobwright.com or add him on facebook where he would be glad to meet you.