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.
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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