Best for:
- veterans
- police officers
- first responders
Volume I
Volume II
Volume III
Showing posts with label At Hell's Gates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label At Hell's Gates. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Monday, December 12, 2016
Holiday Gift-Giving Guides #1 and #2: BRAINEATER JONES and AT HELL'S GATES
Hey, everybody! Last year I made a couple of totally self-serving last-minute gift-giving guides for the holidays season. Still, if you're stuck on what to buy for somebody, they could actually help. I have (at least) two more to make this year, but first I'm going to run through the six I've already made, and since it's already December 12 (!) we're going to double them up for the next week. Enjoy!
Best for:
- mystery fans
- humor fans
- horror fans
- Humphrey Bogart fans
Available now at Amazon!
Best for:
- veterans
- police officers
- first responders
Volume I
Volume II
Volume III
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
NaNo Update
Hey kids!
Sorry I've been out of pocket for almost the last two weeks. I'm not really sure what happened. I guess I used to compose blogposts at work and things have been getting hectic.
So it probably seems a little late now, but here's a little check-in on my NaNoWriMo this year. I did, indeed, win, as I have every year since I started in 2009. For those of you interested in my statistics, here they are:
And in graphic form:
Now for a brief analysis as I do every year as well. As you can see, I started the month just barely squeaking by. I normally like to get a solid buffer in the first few days, ideally after midnight Halloween night when possible. That didn't happen this year. Around November 5 I did finally begin logging a little extra each day. The biggest spike came on November 18, the first Friday for some reason that I really managed to sit down and pound out a couple of writing sessions. I had intended to do that every day of every weekend before that, but as you can see I couldn't get it to really click until the 18th. I stayed way over expectation up until I hit 48,500 words on the 24th. That was the weekend I was at Chessiecon in Baltimore, and then went home to Philadelphia the Monday and Tuesday after. So Friday the 25th I did just a few hundred words before heading to the con, then it's a flat line for the con, where I wrote nothing. I pounded out a few hundred words when I got home Tuesday, then finished the project Tuesday evening, with one day to spare. So, not exactly a banner NaNo, but a win's a win.
Since NaNo loosened up their strictures and allowed that 50,000 words of writing counts as a win even if it's on multiple projects, I've been enjoying the process a little more. Do you ever get sick of working on that one project and start another? There used to be no room for that in NaNo. Now that there is, it's a bit freeing.
So this year I was working on SLASHVIVOR! which is a contracted manuscript I owe to Sinister Grin Press in February. I somehow suckered our good friend Stevie Kopas into collaborating with me. But I knew that since we were batting it back and forth, there was no way I was going to get 50,000 words done on it in a month. I did get a solid 15-20,000 done on it, and we are so close to the finish line I can taste it.
My backup manuscript this year was the sequel to THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO, tentatively titled NOTES FROM THE UNDEAD. I've now worked on NFtU for three solid NaNos: 2012, 2014, and 2016. I've already winnowed out two short stories from this, "The Man With Four Scars" which appeared in AT HELL'S GATES II, and "The New Dark Ages" which appeared in FAT ZOMBIE. I also did something this year I've never done before: edited out large chunks of the text as I went. More than once I wrote a solid thousand words, chucked it into my tally document, and started over. You're not supposed to edit during NaNo, but, surprisingly, I found that having that word count as a goal meant that major editing, as in, cutting out a huge chunk and starting over as I described, was actually beneficial.
Since I've worked on NFtU for three solid NaNos, you'd think it would be a monster of a document, and even bearing in mind how much I've sliced out, it still is. And it's still not quite complete yet. I'm thinking it'll take at least another thousand words to finish up one chapter I left hanging. And then there's the question of whether there's enough ligament holding the story together, or whether I'll have to flesh (ha!) some of that out as well.
I have a lot of work ahead of me. First my author edit, which I should put off for at least a month or six weeks, assuming I even do it then, then I'll probably pass it to my good friend Mike Lerman, who beta read TGA and who I've always intended to tap for this project as well, belated though it may be.
I don't know if the story is going to be published at its current length (over 125,000 words even before the beefing up I just described.) TGA was a solid 119,000 words, which is on the longish end of novels. I'd like to cut at least ten thousand words out of NFtU, but I'm not sure there's enough fat to trim that much out organically in the editing process. It may just turn out to be a doorstop of a book. Time shall tell.
How about you? How did your NaNo go this year?
Sorry I've been out of pocket for almost the last two weeks. I'm not really sure what happened. I guess I used to compose blogposts at work and things have been getting hectic.
So it probably seems a little late now, but here's a little check-in on my NaNoWriMo this year. I did, indeed, win, as I have every year since I started in 2009. For those of you interested in my statistics, here they are:
And in graphic form:
Now for a brief analysis as I do every year as well. As you can see, I started the month just barely squeaking by. I normally like to get a solid buffer in the first few days, ideally after midnight Halloween night when possible. That didn't happen this year. Around November 5 I did finally begin logging a little extra each day. The biggest spike came on November 18, the first Friday for some reason that I really managed to sit down and pound out a couple of writing sessions. I had intended to do that every day of every weekend before that, but as you can see I couldn't get it to really click until the 18th. I stayed way over expectation up until I hit 48,500 words on the 24th. That was the weekend I was at Chessiecon in Baltimore, and then went home to Philadelphia the Monday and Tuesday after. So Friday the 25th I did just a few hundred words before heading to the con, then it's a flat line for the con, where I wrote nothing. I pounded out a few hundred words when I got home Tuesday, then finished the project Tuesday evening, with one day to spare. So, not exactly a banner NaNo, but a win's a win.
Since NaNo loosened up their strictures and allowed that 50,000 words of writing counts as a win even if it's on multiple projects, I've been enjoying the process a little more. Do you ever get sick of working on that one project and start another? There used to be no room for that in NaNo. Now that there is, it's a bit freeing.
So this year I was working on SLASHVIVOR! which is a contracted manuscript I owe to Sinister Grin Press in February. I somehow suckered our good friend Stevie Kopas into collaborating with me. But I knew that since we were batting it back and forth, there was no way I was going to get 50,000 words done on it in a month. I did get a solid 15-20,000 done on it, and we are so close to the finish line I can taste it.
My backup manuscript this year was the sequel to THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO, tentatively titled NOTES FROM THE UNDEAD. I've now worked on NFtU for three solid NaNos: 2012, 2014, and 2016. I've already winnowed out two short stories from this, "The Man With Four Scars" which appeared in AT HELL'S GATES II, and "The New Dark Ages" which appeared in FAT ZOMBIE. I also did something this year I've never done before: edited out large chunks of the text as I went. More than once I wrote a solid thousand words, chucked it into my tally document, and started over. You're not supposed to edit during NaNo, but, surprisingly, I found that having that word count as a goal meant that major editing, as in, cutting out a huge chunk and starting over as I described, was actually beneficial.
Since I've worked on NFtU for three solid NaNos, you'd think it would be a monster of a document, and even bearing in mind how much I've sliced out, it still is. And it's still not quite complete yet. I'm thinking it'll take at least another thousand words to finish up one chapter I left hanging. And then there's the question of whether there's enough ligament holding the story together, or whether I'll have to flesh (ha!) some of that out as well.
I have a lot of work ahead of me. First my author edit, which I should put off for at least a month or six weeks, assuming I even do it then, then I'll probably pass it to my good friend Mike Lerman, who beta read TGA and who I've always intended to tap for this project as well, belated though it may be.
I don't know if the story is going to be published at its current length (over 125,000 words even before the beefing up I just described.) TGA was a solid 119,000 words, which is on the longish end of novels. I'd like to cut at least ten thousand words out of NFtU, but I'm not sure there's enough fat to trim that much out organically in the editing process. It may just turn out to be a doorstop of a book. Time shall tell.
How about you? How did your NaNo go this year?
Friday, April 1, 2016
Three Links
There's a lot going on right now, but rather than rehash it, it might be best if I just redirect you to where the action actually is. Plus, it couldn't hurt to have you follow me on other social media platforms, right? That's what they call "synergy," kids.
1.) I Need Your Vote
No, this isn't an election year come-on. I am up against two heavyweight opponents in the Long and Short Reviews Book of the Month Contest. But I have an advantage they don't have: the best fans in the world. You! Oh, all right, I know you don't exist and I'm just typing this into an existential void. You don't need to make me feel bad about it. But, if by some Schrรถdinger's cat-like quantum miracle you do exist, feel free to vote for me.
2.) New AT HELL'S GATES Cover Art!
AT HELL'S GATES IV has been a bit delayed. Everybody who works on it is human, and some of us are more human than most. But! It has not been forgotten and we are making incremental steps towards completion. Today the new cover art came out, sans lettering because the table of contents isn't completed yet. Check it out here.
3.) On a More Personal Note...
Remember how I said on Wednesday that I have a lot of personal issues going on? Well, for the first time in a long time I can be open and forthright with you, my beloved fans and friends. There's a reason I've been so out to lunch lately, and it's a she.
1.) I Need Your Vote
No, this isn't an election year come-on. I am up against two heavyweight opponents in the Long and Short Reviews Book of the Month Contest. But I have an advantage they don't have: the best fans in the world. You! Oh, all right, I know you don't exist and I'm just typing this into an existential void. You don't need to make me feel bad about it. But, if by some Schrรถdinger's cat-like quantum miracle you do exist, feel free to vote for me.
2.) New AT HELL'S GATES Cover Art!
AT HELL'S GATES IV has been a bit delayed. Everybody who works on it is human, and some of us are more human than most. But! It has not been forgotten and we are making incremental steps towards completion. Today the new cover art came out, sans lettering because the table of contents isn't completed yet. Check it out here.
3.) On a More Personal Note...
Remember how I said on Wednesday that I have a lot of personal issues going on? Well, for the first time in a long time I can be open and forthright with you, my beloved fans and friends. There's a reason I've been so out to lunch lately, and it's a she.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Women in Horror Month #18: Stevie Kopas, Managing Editor of "Horror Metal Sounds" and Author of the BREADWINNER Trilogy
Hey, everybody! I am just pleased as punch to continue the Women in Horror Month interview series with one of my very favorite women in horror and my good friend, Stevie Kopas! I've actually interviewed Stevie before on the blog here and even reviewed her debut novel, THE BREADWINNER, here.
Stevie never fails to amuse and, despite rooting for The Seahawks, is actually fairly intelligent, so I was really looking forward to this interview. And she did not disappoint! So let's jump right into the introduction and interview.
Stevie Kopas was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. She is a gamer, a writer and an apocalypse enthusiast. Stevie will never turn down a good cup of coffee and might even be a bit of a caffeine addict.
Stevie is the author of THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY. Books 1 and 2, THE BREADWINNER and HAVEN were originally self-published in 2013 and 2014. THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY was picked up by Permuted Press in May of 2014 and the second editions of both the first books were released in March and April of 2015. The third and final installment in THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY, ALL GOOD THINGS, debuted in May of 2015.
Kopas also participates in the AT HELL'S GATES horror anthologies and all profits are donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Her short stories, "Nefarious" and "Patient 63" can be found in the first two volumes of AT HELL'S GATES.
She currently resides in Panama City Beach, Florida and tries to spend as much time as she can in the sun.
Stevie is also the Managing Editor of the website Horror Metal Sounds and a writer for the site. She is an avid reader of horror and post-apocalyptic fiction (especially zom-poc) and reviews for The Bookie Monster. Offline, Stevie is a telecommunications professional.
You can connect with her on her official website, Facebook, and Twitter.
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
SK: I wrote these zombie books once, THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY. Then I wrote some scary stories for a charity anthology, AT HELL'S GATES. People might have heard of them. ;)
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
SK: Pustules... and answering interview questions with inside jokes.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
SK: I guess a unique challenge would be that women still get asked questions like this.
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
SK: Ellen Ripley. So she's not real, but she's one of the single most important characters in horror, imo.
SK: What are you working on currently? Why should folks check it out?
SK: I was working on a science fiction novel, but I got bored. So now I'm back in horror. I'm working on a short story about a killer video game, a collection of zombie fiction, and hopefully my next novel about abduction and isolation will be complete by end of year. People should check them out because I think they'll be quite pleased.
The end of the world is not glamorous.
In a matter of days the human race was reduced to nothing more than vicious, flesh hungry creatures.
Criminal defense attorney, Samson, struggles to keep his family safe and his sanity intact when the world comes apart at the seams. Veronica, the high school track star, races to get her brother out of their doomed city. Ben, a military veteran, is forced to come to grips with the end of the world as he fights the undead. Andrew, a police officer, struggles to maintain some sort of humanity in a world overrun by death and destruction.
There are no heroes here, just survivors, and they all have one thing in common: who you once were can no longer determine who you will be in the face of catastrophe.
THE BREADWINNER, book 1 in THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY, thrusts you head first into post-apocalyptic Northwest Florida and will leave you craving more.
It's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and can be discussed on Goodreads.
Stevie never fails to amuse and, despite rooting for The Seahawks, is actually fairly intelligent, so I was really looking forward to this interview. And she did not disappoint! So let's jump right into the introduction and interview.
About Stevie Kopas:
Stevie Kopas was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. She is a gamer, a writer and an apocalypse enthusiast. Stevie will never turn down a good cup of coffee and might even be a bit of a caffeine addict.
Stevie is the author of THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY. Books 1 and 2, THE BREADWINNER and HAVEN were originally self-published in 2013 and 2014. THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY was picked up by Permuted Press in May of 2014 and the second editions of both the first books were released in March and April of 2015. The third and final installment in THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY, ALL GOOD THINGS, debuted in May of 2015.
Kopas also participates in the AT HELL'S GATES horror anthologies and all profits are donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Her short stories, "Nefarious" and "Patient 63" can be found in the first two volumes of AT HELL'S GATES.
She currently resides in Panama City Beach, Florida and tries to spend as much time as she can in the sun.
Stevie is also the Managing Editor of the website Horror Metal Sounds and a writer for the site. She is an avid reader of horror and post-apocalyptic fiction (especially zom-poc) and reviews for The Bookie Monster. Offline, Stevie is a telecommunications professional.
You can connect with her on her official website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Interview:
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
SK: I wrote these zombie books once, THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY. Then I wrote some scary stories for a charity anthology, AT HELL'S GATES. People might have heard of them. ;)
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
SK: Pustules... and answering interview questions with inside jokes.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
SK: I guess a unique challenge would be that women still get asked questions like this.
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
SK: Ellen Ripley. So she's not real, but she's one of the single most important characters in horror, imo.
SK: What are you working on currently? Why should folks check it out?
SK: I was working on a science fiction novel, but I got bored. So now I'm back in horror. I'm working on a short story about a killer video game, a collection of zombie fiction, and hopefully my next novel about abduction and isolation will be complete by end of year. People should check them out because I think they'll be quite pleased.
About THE BREADWINNER:
The end of the world is not glamorous.
In a matter of days the human race was reduced to nothing more than vicious, flesh hungry creatures.
Criminal defense attorney, Samson, struggles to keep his family safe and his sanity intact when the world comes apart at the seams. Veronica, the high school track star, races to get her brother out of their doomed city. Ben, a military veteran, is forced to come to grips with the end of the world as he fights the undead. Andrew, a police officer, struggles to maintain some sort of humanity in a world overrun by death and destruction.
There are no heroes here, just survivors, and they all have one thing in common: who you once were can no longer determine who you will be in the face of catastrophe.
THE BREADWINNER, book 1 in THE BREADWINNER TRILOGY, thrusts you head first into post-apocalyptic Northwest Florida and will leave you craving more.
It's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and can be discussed on Goodreads.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Women in Horror Month #8: Rachel Aukes, Author of THE DEADLAND SAGA
Welcome back, boils and ghouls, to Women in Horror Month!
The conclusion of the critically acclaimed DEADLAND SAGA
Winter has arrived.
I was just pleased as punch when today's guest agreed to come on the blog. Rachel Aukes (pronounced "oaks" if, like me, you were wondering) is, first of all, a genuine big name and one of the most popular horror writers I've ever interviewed, so I am hyperventilating just a bit. But I'm also a big fan because we've been in two anthologies together: FAT ZOMBIE and AT HELL'S GATES.
But rather than force you to listen to me glurge any further, let's just meet the author and jump right in to the interview!
Rachel Aukes is the author of 100 DAYS IN DEADLAND, which made "Suspense Magazine’s" Best of 2013 list. Rachel lives near Des Moines with her husband and an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes and preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
RA: Good horror will always be character-driven, delving into the deepest, darkest parts within us. That’s why I love writing it—that exposure of the human element. Regardless of fads and socio-economic impacts on the genre, horror will always remain focused on the darkness within, and good stories are timeless. There are so many amazing stories out there that I'll just touch on the ones that drew me into the dark... As a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with comic books (okay, I still am). Through comics such as "Weird Tales," I was introduced to fantastical, terrifying stories of horror. After those early comics, I ventured into Poe’s tales, and many of them remain my favorites. It wasn’t long before I read I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson, the story that story shaped me most as a writer. In that story, with a slight shift in perception, the monsters aren’t perhaps the worst thing to fear; sometimes the worst thing to fear is ourselves.
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
About Rachel Aukes:
Rachel Aukes is the author of 100 DAYS IN DEADLAND, which made "Suspense Magazine’s" Best of 2013 list. Rachel lives near Des Moines with her husband and an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes and preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
She can be reached on social media: 
And you can join her free newsletter!
Interview:
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
RA: Good horror will always be character-driven, delving into the deepest, darkest parts within us. That’s why I love writing it—that exposure of the human element. Regardless of fads and socio-economic impacts on the genre, horror will always remain focused on the darkness within, and good stories are timeless. There are so many amazing stories out there that I'll just touch on the ones that drew me into the dark... As a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with comic books (okay, I still am). Through comics such as "Weird Tales," I was introduced to fantastical, terrifying stories of horror. After those early comics, I ventured into Poe’s tales, and many of them remain my favorites. It wasn’t long before I read I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson, the story that story shaped me most as a writer. In that story, with a slight shift in perception, the monsters aren’t perhaps the worst thing to fear; sometimes the worst thing to fear is ourselves.
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
RA: My fears tend to run along the "this could really happen" path. EMPs (electromagnetic pulses) top my list of what could screw up our modern, comfortable lives in the blink of the eye, especially with the risk of EMPs increase every year. Oh, and big spiders... they really freak me out.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
RA: I've found horror to be the most progressive genre in which I've written. From the writer side, I've found gender to be irrelevant. I've never experienced editors, agents, or other writers discriminate against gender... or any other demographic, for that matter. Maybe I've been lucky, but I tend to think the horror industry is full of some pretty damn good folks.
Gender is a bit more noticeable from the reader side. I've received several email from readers saying they gave one of my books a shot based on someone's recommendation and that they were surprised they enjoyed it. This sounds like a normal fan mail except that in these email they explicitly pointed out that they rarely or wouldn't read anything written by a woman. Too fluffy, too romance-y, that sort of thing. So, there's a stereotype still hanging out there, but I'm glad to see women horror writers winning over male readers, one reader at a time.
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
RA: My favorites have the gift for writing main characters that blur the lines between good and evil. My favorites cover a broad range, from the superstars--Mary Shelley and Anne Rice--to some fresh newcomers--Rhiannon Frater, Shana Festa, and Sarah Lyons Fleming.
SK: What are you working on/promoting currently? Why should folks check it out?
SK: What are you working on/promoting currently? Why should folks check it out?
RA: I've recently wrapped up the three-part DEADLAND SAGA with the final book, DEADLAND RISING. It was an absolute blast writing zombies, and I suspect I'll get the zomb-itch to write more down the road.
About DEADLAND RISING:
Winter has arrived.
It has been nearly one year since the zombie hordes claimed the world. As the plague eats away at its victims’ bodies, the Fox survivors search for a safe place to rebuild what they have lost. But a dangerous new threat has risen, hunting them from every direction. To survive, Cash, Clutch, and their small band of refugees must put their faith in a group of strangers and a new government with radical plans. It will take all of the Fox survivors’ strength and courage to endure in this barren, hostile world. Even that might not be enough.
(DEADLAND RISING is a journey through Dante Alighieri's PARADISO, the classic tale on the seven virtues… zombie apocalypse style!)
Book 1: 100 DAYS IN DEADLAND
Book 2: DEADLAND'S HARVEST
Book 3: DEADLAND RISING
(DEADLAND RISING is a journey through Dante Alighieri's PARADISO, the classic tale on the seven virtues… zombie apocalypse style!)
Book 1: 100 DAYS IN DEADLAND
Book 2: DEADLAND'S HARVEST
Book 3: DEADLAND RISING
The entire trilogy is also now available.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Women in Horror Month #7: J. Rudolph, Author of THE REANIMATES Series
Welcome back to Women in Horror Month on Manuscripts Burn!
Today I'm pleased to introduce a real-life hero: nurse of fifteen years J. Rudolph! She is also a prolific author of such horror titles as THE REANIMATES series and contributed to the AT HELL'S GATES charity anthologies. Rather than chew your ear off with more introduction, let's jump right into her bio and then check out her interview.
J. Rudolph is the author of the zombie series THE REANIMATES, and the young adult paranormal mystery, HADLEY'S HAUNTING. Born in 1977, she resides in Southern California with her husband, son, two turtles (who she claims own all rights to her house and allow the people to live there, since only they can open the food jars) and her maniacal bird (who seems to have developed a taste for flesh in its lifetime). As a nurse with over fifteen years of experience, she often incorporates an element of medical training in her stories, offering authenticity to her medically-minded characters. She also offers authenticity to her zombie series--she calls herself a living dead girl ever since her spinal reconstruction in 2014.
You can find her on her website, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter.
You should pick up copies of Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 of her REANIMATES series.
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
JR: I started off in the nursing field in 2000 where there were many horror and several supernatural stories all around. THE COMPLEX, my first full length novel was published in 2012 as self pubbed and over the next two years, I released two more books in the zombie series, completing THE REANIMATES and added a YA paranormal mystery, HADLEY'S HAUNTING to the group. In 2014 I signed with Winlock Press, an imprint of Permuted Press. In 2015 the zombie series was rereleased under the Winlock label and in 2016 HADLEY will be available.
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
JR: It's a running joke in the medical field that we can handle blood and germs and death, but lice and bed bugs send us screaming for the hills. This is true for me too. Little parasitic creepy crawly things takes that fear level to a 10. Oh, and moths. Moths make me look like a crazy person freaking out.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
JR: In 2012, which interestingly enough was only 4 years ago, there were more challenges than now. When I started working on the first book? It was assumed that I was writing a love story. This idea didn't go away when I explained that it was a zombie story because 98% of the time it was still going to be a romance; something like WARM BODIES was; or at least two young lovers that were separated by cruel fates. Nowadays I say horror and they don't ask if it's just a dark romance; well, not right away, anyways!
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
JR: There are several female artists that I admire. In the writing circuit Mira Grant, Jacqueline Druga, and Crystal Connor are beyond awesome.
SK: What are you working on/promoting currently? Why should folks check it out?
JR: Recently I started working on a new zombie trilogy, am in the process of rewrites with a medical apocalypse story, and there a few other plot bunnies that been going at it.
As for the why? I write the stories about the everyday people. There may be an ultra elite fix-it squad running around my character's world, but my characters never met them and life had to continue. While rescue would be nice and they would rather have something normal, they aren't going to sit around and wait for it.
Nothing stays the way we want it to. A virus that went awry and a plague of zombies made sure of that.
Cali Anglin learned the hard way. Before, her life was simple. She was a mom, a wife, and a nurse. Now she is in a fight of her life to save her family, her neighbors, and herself.
How do you survive the zombie apocalypse with your humanity intact?
Today I'm pleased to introduce a real-life hero: nurse of fifteen years J. Rudolph! She is also a prolific author of such horror titles as THE REANIMATES series and contributed to the AT HELL'S GATES charity anthologies. Rather than chew your ear off with more introduction, let's jump right into her bio and then check out her interview.
About J. Rudolph:
J. Rudolph is the author of the zombie series THE REANIMATES, and the young adult paranormal mystery, HADLEY'S HAUNTING. Born in 1977, she resides in Southern California with her husband, son, two turtles (who she claims own all rights to her house and allow the people to live there, since only they can open the food jars) and her maniacal bird (who seems to have developed a taste for flesh in its lifetime). As a nurse with over fifteen years of experience, she often incorporates an element of medical training in her stories, offering authenticity to her medically-minded characters. She also offers authenticity to her zombie series--she calls herself a living dead girl ever since her spinal reconstruction in 2014.
You can find her on her website, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter.
You should pick up copies of Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3 of her REANIMATES series.
Interview:
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
JR: I started off in the nursing field in 2000 where there were many horror and several supernatural stories all around. THE COMPLEX, my first full length novel was published in 2012 as self pubbed and over the next two years, I released two more books in the zombie series, completing THE REANIMATES and added a YA paranormal mystery, HADLEY'S HAUNTING to the group. In 2014 I signed with Winlock Press, an imprint of Permuted Press. In 2015 the zombie series was rereleased under the Winlock label and in 2016 HADLEY will be available.
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
JR: It's a running joke in the medical field that we can handle blood and germs and death, but lice and bed bugs send us screaming for the hills. This is true for me too. Little parasitic creepy crawly things takes that fear level to a 10. Oh, and moths. Moths make me look like a crazy person freaking out.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
JR: In 2012, which interestingly enough was only 4 years ago, there were more challenges than now. When I started working on the first book? It was assumed that I was writing a love story. This idea didn't go away when I explained that it was a zombie story because 98% of the time it was still going to be a romance; something like WARM BODIES was; or at least two young lovers that were separated by cruel fates. Nowadays I say horror and they don't ask if it's just a dark romance; well, not right away, anyways!
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
JR: There are several female artists that I admire. In the writing circuit Mira Grant, Jacqueline Druga, and Crystal Connor are beyond awesome.
SK: What are you working on/promoting currently? Why should folks check it out?
JR: Recently I started working on a new zombie trilogy, am in the process of rewrites with a medical apocalypse story, and there a few other plot bunnies that been going at it.
As for the why? I write the stories about the everyday people. There may be an ultra elite fix-it squad running around my character's world, but my characters never met them and life had to continue. While rescue would be nice and they would rather have something normal, they aren't going to sit around and wait for it.
About THE COMPLEX:
Nothing stays the way we want it to. A virus that went awry and a plague of zombies made sure of that.
Cali Anglin learned the hard way. Before, her life was simple. She was a mom, a wife, and a nurse. Now she is in a fight of her life to save her family, her neighbors, and herself.
How do you survive the zombie apocalypse with your humanity intact?
Monday, February 8, 2016
Women in Horror Month #4: Sharon Stevenson, Reviewer and Author of the GALLOWS Series
Welcome back to our ongoing Women in Horror Month interview series! I'm delighted to finally have today's guest on the blog as a proper (or, as they would say in the UK, "proper") guest, although of course you've seen her around before.
Sharon Stevenson is a voracious reader and reviewer of horror literature, and has reviewed all of my work, so I guess she must like it, which is good, because I like her work, too. Devan Sagliani has called her "his secret weapon" and I have to concur, so I'm glad she's on our side.
Sharon's own contributions to the genre are mind-bogglingly good and include the GALLOWS vampire hunter novels, the AFTER DEATH zombie series, and shorts in the AT HELL'S GATES anthology series. But you're not here to listen to me yammer, you're here to meet the guest and read her interview, so let's jump right in.
About Sharon Stevenson:
Sharon Stevenson is the twisted mind behind the GALLOWS novels and the AFTER DEATH series. If you want to know a bit about her, here it is: she spends too much time indoors and probably watches too many horror films. Some of her favourite things are: alone time, people who know when to shut up, having a drink, eating pizza (usually after having too much drink the night before), reading books, adult swim cartoons, bad horror and sci-fi movies, proper good TV shows like "Dexter" & "The Walking Dead," and last but not least having a laugh with her hilarious other half – this would usually include some of the above.
You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and her blog.
INTERVIEW
SK: What are your horror bona fides?
SS: My love of horror really grew from a mix of watching horror movies and reading Stephen King books. I always loved Halloween and spooky books and stories when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I was about eleven that I really got into it. I was fascinated by ghosts and the supernatural, and that's something that hasn't changed. I watched the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Hellraiser" movies over and over again when I was a teenager. I wore out the tapes (and then bought them on DVD.) Going to a Fangoria convention in New York about 12 years ago and meeting Jeffrey Combs and David Cronenberg was amazing. I was gutted that Bruce Campbell cancelled after I booked my tickets though!
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
SS: Basically I'm terrified of death and having zero control over when it might happen. Having an overactive imagination doesn't really help. When my husband's away I get paranoid about someone getting into the house. I wake up in the middle of the night convinced some creep is going to be standing at the foot of the bed with a knife in his hand. And I hate rollercoasters. Every time I'm convinced to ride one of those damn things the goriest, most messed up imagery floods my brain. It's like "Final Destination." I'm convinced the thing is going to derail and kill everyone in a really gruesome way. Death is unpredictable and freaks me the hell out. You never know when you're gonna go.
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
SS: I feel like gender is irrelevant in general, but not everyone feels the same way and that's what sucks. A lot of the big names in horror are male. I'd like to add more female names to that list and I wouldn't mind if I was one of them! Watch out Stephen King...
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
SS: There are a ton of horror movie heroines I could list here so I'm going to keep it short. Got to say Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. And I love Sarah Paulson - she's been amazing in every season of "American Horror Story", particularly in "Asylum" which was the best season overall.
SK: What are you working on currently? Why should folks check it out?
SS: I'm working on a couple of standalone horror novels; one supernatural horror with a strong female lead, and one weird dystopian slasher with alien stuff going on. I have no idea when I'll be releasing them as they're only half-done right now. I have two existing urban fantasy series with horror elements and strong female characters, and I have entertaining horror shorts in the AT HELL'S GATES anthologies, which I urge readers to check out right now as the proceeds benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and every story in the existing volumes is pretty damn brilliant.
About RAISED:
In a world where magic crashed to earth in a rusty spaceship full of starving blood suckers, it’s not easy being a reanimated dead guy. Take Pete’s undead word for it…
Pete has been murdered by a mentally unhinged and suicidal one night stand. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s been reanimated for reasons unknown by… persons unknown. This makes him an Animate without an owner, the human equivalent of a stray dog.
Afraid of who his owner may be and what they have planned for his undead ass, Pete does the only thing he can; he goes on the run. The King’s Guard are Scotland’s primary recruiters for Animates so Pete knows he has to leave Edinburgh to escape a fate that terrifies him.
The portal to Las Vegas could be his only hope or his biggest mistake...
Can Pete escape enslavement when it’s what he’s been raised for?
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
The Quintessential AT HELL'S GATES III: BOUND BY BLOOD Post
AT HELL'S GATES III: BOUND IN BLOOD, featuring my no-shit BRAINEATER JONES sequel story, "The Old Man and the Seesaw," is now available in paperback and Kindle:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Here are some other places around the net you can learn more about it:
Goodreads
A spotlight on The Sity
A spotlight on Patrick D'Orazio's blog
A spotlight on Sean T. Smith's blog
A pre-order announcement on Christoph Fischer's blog
A pre-order announcement on The Sity
A pre-order announcement on Patrick D'Orazio's blog
A spotlight on Risingshadow
An interview with contributor Kerry Alan Denny on Dab of Darkness
A spotlight on Weirdletter Postcards
A release day announcement on Claire C. Riley's blog
A release day announcement on The Couples Spot
A review is shared on Patrick D'Orazio's blog
A review is shared on The Sity
A review on AstraDaemon's Lair
#1 on AstraDaemon's Top 5 Anthologies of 2015
Videos
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
"O" is for "Origins"
Here's something that might be interesting. I don't know. It might and it mightn't. But AT HELL'S GATES is a collaborative, all-volunteer enterprise, and so sometimes I find myself doing weird random chores for the good of the series. I actually wrote the back cover copy for the second volume, ORIGINS OF EVIL, which is probably something that you don't normally wonder about. ("Gee, I wonder who wrote this...")
Back cover copy is sometimes called a "blurb" (which it's not) and sometimes a "synopsis" (which it's also not) so for simplicity's sake I always just call it "back cover copy" or "jacket copy." (In case you're wondering, in the literary world a "blurb" is the attaboy quote from another author usually stamped on the front of a book, and a "synopsis" is a minimum of one page complete summary of the book, including all spoilers and the ending, used for editorial and purchasing purposes.)
So I thought it might be interesting to look at my thoughts about writing the jacket copy for AHGII. The text is in green and annotated with my thoughts in white. Enjoy! Or don't. I don't really give a shit.
Welcome back to Hell’s Gates! I originally wrote "Welcome back to AT HELL'S GATES" which Shana, the curator, rightly changed. I meant welcome back to the series, but in the final version it's less of a grammatical nightmare. The palpable sense of dread may seem familiar, but this time things are a bit…different. Fresher. Newer. As though just recently born… This was my attempt to be tantalizing.
See that squealing baby over there? He could grow up to be a lifesaving doctor (or perhaps the antichrist.) What about that scientist burning the midnight oil? He could be working on a bug zapper (or a doomsday device.) Did you catch that comet out of the corner of your eye? It might bring good luck (or an apocalyptic plague.) I decided with this paragraph to establish a pattern and repeat it three times, three supposedly being the perfect number for examples. The first one was just a generic idea that I had, and the other two were specific examples from the book. The comet was my story (hey, self-promotion is one of the few benefits of being assigned to write the jacket copy) and the bug zapper was from our big fish, Mark Tufo. Actually, this entire volume's theme, which I also created, was reverse engineered so that we could include Tufo's piece. All the other authors were then invited to follow the theme.
Yes, every darkness has a source, every monster has a birthplace, and every evil has an origin. Threes again. In the second volume of the #1 Bestselling AT HELL’S GATES series, twenty-three of the finest dark fiction authors working today will force you to witness the ORIGINS OF EVIL. I was very excited when the first volume got a #1 button from Amazon UK because I knew we'd be able to promote ourselves as "#1 Bestselling" forever. Each unique tale of terror traces an unspeakable horror back to its very beginning.
All proceeds from this horror anthology series go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a charity benefiting military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. The authors and editors of this series are pleased to donate their time and effort to a truly worthy cause. I either lifted this paragraph wholesale or altered it slightly from the jacket copy of the first volume, which was written by the inimitable S.G. Lee. It was important to me in the jacket copy to balance the horror content with the charitable intent, because I assume those attract two slightly different audiences, although obviously there's an overlap or we wouldn't be doing this.
So sit back, relax, support a fine charity, and enjoy twenty-three tales of dawning calamity from some of horror fiction’s leading lights. This is sometimes called an "elevator pitch" - in other words, if you only had an elevator ride to sell your product to someone, what would you say? In one sentence, I tried to capture all the beats that went before: charity, horror, origins, great authors. Bam.
Well hopefully this was a little bit illuminating about how an author (or, me, anyway) goes about writing jacket copy. And make sure to check out this volume and the whole series. If I haven't sold you on it by now, I've failed at my appointed task. :)
Friday, April 3, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Six Must-Own Books
Hey, everybody! I didn't really have a plan for today's post, but I have noticed that sales have really kind of taken a nosedive so I thought it might not hurt to just flat-out do an advertising post. If you enjoy my blog and you like the idea of me being able to live off my writing someday, the two best things you can do to help are to buy my books and to leave reviews on Amazon after you're done. So here's a quick rundown on all six of my extant titles. If you want to buy one, just click on the cover. And if you own all six, you have my eternal gratitude and I hope you will, indeed, leave a review for each, whether you loved it or hated it.
Thanks everybody!
FAT ZOMBIE is an anthology about the weirdos, freaks, geeks, losers, and unusual survivors of the zombie apocalypse. My entry, "The New Dark Ages," is by a wide margin my most transgressive work, even trampling the few taboos I hadn't shattered with my sophomore novel, THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO.
AT HELL'S GATES, like its sequel, is a charity anthology with all proceeds going to the IFHF. This features my story "Exploding Shit Zombies," of which I am very proud and I think is equal parts hilarious and gruesome.
BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is my shortest novel to date, and my least gory. It's closer to dystopian sci-fi than horror, so it's probably a good jumping-in point for folks that aren't such big fans of horror. It does have its darker elements, though, and is quite nihilistic.
THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO is my masterpiece, a grand guignol epic of extreme hardcore horror as well as my most literary and philosophical work to date. Not for the weak of stomach, but my proudest achievement.
Thanks everybody!
AT HELL'S GATES II is a charity anthology featuring my short story "The Man With Four Scars." 100% of proceeds go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, servicing veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI. Just picking up a copy is a good deed, even if you don't enjoy horror.
FAT ZOMBIE is an anthology about the weirdos, freaks, geeks, losers, and unusual survivors of the zombie apocalypse. My entry, "The New Dark Ages," is by a wide margin my most transgressive work, even trampling the few taboos I hadn't shattered with my sophomore novel, THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO.AT HELL'S GATES, like its sequel, is a charity anthology with all proceeds going to the IFHF. This features my story "Exploding Shit Zombies," of which I am very proud and I think is equal parts hilarious and gruesome.
BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is my shortest novel to date, and my least gory. It's closer to dystopian sci-fi than horror, so it's probably a good jumping-in point for folks that aren't such big fans of horror. It does have its darker elements, though, and is quite nihilistic.THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO is my masterpiece, a grand guignol epic of extreme hardcore horror as well as my most literary and philosophical work to date. Not for the weak of stomach, but my proudest achievement.
Ah, BRAINEATER JONES. The novel that started it all. Everybody loves BRAINEATER JONES, I can tell you that. It's goofy, gory fun, not exactly horror in the traditional sense, but still a blast for gorehounds and non-gorehounds alike. And if you're not really into the whole "reading" thing, it's also available as an audiobook.
Monday, February 2, 2015
The Quintessential AT HELL'S GATES VOLUME II: ORIGINS OF EVIL Post
AT HELL'S GATES VOLUME II: ORIGINS OF EVIL, featuring my short set in THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO universe, "The Man With Four Scars," is now available in paperback and all major e-book format through the following venues:
Amazon
A release announcement on Claire C. Riley's blog
A release announcement on Sean T. Smith's blog
A release announcement on The Sity
A post on the United Federation of Charles
A review on Apocalypse Yarns
A spotlight on Lesa Anders's blog
A spotlight on Author Aoife Marie Sheridan's blog
A spotlight on All Things Fantasy
A review on Booklikes
A review on Christoph Fischer's blog
A review on Patrick S. D'Orazio's blog
A post on Patrick D'Orazio's blog
An interview with Devan Sagliani on authorsinterviews
An article on Freebooksy
A spotlight on Risingshadow
A review on AstraDaemon's Lair
Videos
Monday, December 15, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
Chessiecon 2014!
Hey, everybody! If you live in the Baltimore, MD, area you should definitely swing by Chessiecon at the North Baltimore Plaza Hotel (2004 Greenspring Dr., Lutherville-Timonium, MD, 21093) sometime this weekend (28-30 November, 2014.)
If you show up, you'll get to see me...guaranteed. Fellow Red Adept Publishing authors Mary Fan, Elizabeth Corrigan, and myself will be at a table in the vendor's area all weekend. I'll be available signing and selling all of my books. In addition, I've committed to the following panels:
4PM-5PM Dark Fantasy - GS2
Dark fantasy has become wildly popular in both romance and erotica. What does it take for a fantasy to qualify as “dark?” It has to be more than just the use of beings such as vampires and werewolves. What is the appeal? Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Carter, Crist, Kozeniewski, McLaughlin
5PM-6PM The Evolving Landscape of Publishing - GS1
With the rise of small presses, e-books, self-publishing, and online platforms, publishing has changed a lot in the 21st century. Both seasoned authors and aspiring writers have more options than ever before. This panel will discuss how to navigate the evolving landscape of publishing - and avoid the pitfalls. Corrigan, Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski
**7PM-8PM Zombies and Vampires and Ghouls, Oh My. Why is Being Undead so Popular? - GS2
Is this a modern expression of the ages-old human desire for immortality? Or is the current trend towards fantasy/horror literature a fad? Is this trend crowding out other forms of horror literature? Just why is there so much current interest in this particular sub-genre anyway? Alexander, Carter, Kozeniewski, MacMillan, Woodling
Sat
10AM-11PM How Not to Get Published - GS3-5
A discussion of the mistakes and pitfalls common in publishing SF/F. Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski, McLaughlin
11AM-Noon Turkey Awards Panel - GS2
Writers were asked to write the best terrible paragraph they could write, as the beginning of the best terrible science fiction novel you (n)ever read. Finalist entries will be presented, and judged with humor and harshness . A good time is sure to be had by all. Demchick, Kozeniewski, Liebe, Sakers (M)
2PM-3PM The Psychology of Horror - GS2
As The Doctor recently said, “fear is a superpower.” Yet for most of society, being afraid is viewed as a weakness, a response for children. So why do some people seek to be scared by boarding rollercoasters, watching scary movies, or reading horror novels? This panel will delve into the complex paradox of what makes the horror genre simultaneously so repellent and so appealing to creators and consumers alike. Cipra (M), Demchick, C.Jones, Kozeniewski, Sonnier
Sun
10AM-11AM Reaching Readers
"Whether a writer is self-publishing ebooks, serializing fiction online, or promoting traditionally published books, modern technology is rife with opportunities (and pitfalls) for connecting with readers. The old advice about writers remaining aloof is outdated--especially in marginalized communities. Aloofness is a privilege that writers can't afford, but should writers participate in ""readers only"" spaces like Goodreads? What are the do's and don'ts of serializing as part of a web presence? What do readers want from authors online and how can authors benefit from that relationship?" Corrigan, Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski
11AM-Noon Military SF - GS1
While we dream of peace, it seems war is an ongoing state for too much of humanity. What is believable about the future worlds propounded by authors such as Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, Eric Flint, and William H. Keith? What do you like in their stories? What do you dislike? Aire, Cipra (M), Kozeniewski, Liebe
Hope to see you there!
Friday
|
||
Time
|
Title
|
Location
|
4-5pm
|
Dark
Fantasy
|
GS2
|
5-6pm
|
The
Evolving Landscape of Publishing
|
GS1
|
7-8pm
|
Zombies
and Vampires and Ghouls, Oh My
|
GS2
|
Saturday
|
||
Time
|
Title
|
Location
|
10-11am
|
How Not
to Get Published
|
GS3-5
|
11am-12
noon
|
Turkey
Awards Panel
|
GS2
|
2-3pm
|
The
Psychology of Horror
|
GS2
|
Sunday
|
||
Time
|
Title
|
Location
|
10-11am
|
Reaching
Readers
|
?
|
11am-12
noon
|
Military
SF
|
GS1
|
Fri
4PM-5PM Dark Fantasy - GS2
Dark fantasy has become wildly popular in both romance and erotica. What does it take for a fantasy to qualify as “dark?” It has to be more than just the use of beings such as vampires and werewolves. What is the appeal? Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Carter, Crist, Kozeniewski, McLaughlin
5PM-6PM The Evolving Landscape of Publishing - GS1
With the rise of small presses, e-books, self-publishing, and online platforms, publishing has changed a lot in the 21st century. Both seasoned authors and aspiring writers have more options than ever before. This panel will discuss how to navigate the evolving landscape of publishing - and avoid the pitfalls. Corrigan, Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski
**7PM-8PM Zombies and Vampires and Ghouls, Oh My. Why is Being Undead so Popular? - GS2
Is this a modern expression of the ages-old human desire for immortality? Or is the current trend towards fantasy/horror literature a fad? Is this trend crowding out other forms of horror literature? Just why is there so much current interest in this particular sub-genre anyway? Alexander, Carter, Kozeniewski, MacMillan, Woodling
Sat
10AM-11PM How Not to Get Published - GS3-5
A discussion of the mistakes and pitfalls common in publishing SF/F. Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski, McLaughlin
11AM-Noon Turkey Awards Panel - GS2
Writers were asked to write the best terrible paragraph they could write, as the beginning of the best terrible science fiction novel you (n)ever read. Finalist entries will be presented, and judged with humor and harshness . A good time is sure to be had by all. Demchick, Kozeniewski, Liebe, Sakers (M)
2PM-3PM The Psychology of Horror - GS2
As The Doctor recently said, “fear is a superpower.” Yet for most of society, being afraid is viewed as a weakness, a response for children. So why do some people seek to be scared by boarding rollercoasters, watching scary movies, or reading horror novels? This panel will delve into the complex paradox of what makes the horror genre simultaneously so repellent and so appealing to creators and consumers alike. Cipra (M), Demchick, C.Jones, Kozeniewski, Sonnier
Sun
10AM-11AM Reaching Readers
"Whether a writer is self-publishing ebooks, serializing fiction online, or promoting traditionally published books, modern technology is rife with opportunities (and pitfalls) for connecting with readers. The old advice about writers remaining aloof is outdated--especially in marginalized communities. Aloofness is a privilege that writers can't afford, but should writers participate in ""readers only"" spaces like Goodreads? What are the do's and don'ts of serializing as part of a web presence? What do readers want from authors online and how can authors benefit from that relationship?" Corrigan, Demchick, Fan, Kozeniewski
11AM-Noon Military SF - GS1
While we dream of peace, it seems war is an ongoing state for too much of humanity. What is believable about the future worlds propounded by authors such as Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, Eric Flint, and William H. Keith? What do you like in their stories? What do you dislike? Aire, Cipra (M), Kozeniewski, Liebe
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Awards Season Redux!
Hey, everybody! In case you missed my original post on awards season, there are still a couple of things over there that you can do. I've come up with a few more. But rather than update that old thing, I thought I'd post new (semi-) original content. Everybody loves original content, right, Cracked Magazine?
So here are two more quick things you can do to help me out this year. Thanks, everybody!
- Send a link to BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS to Jimmy Fallon's Do Not Read List.
(Yeah, I know, this isn't exactly an "award" but it's still stupendous exposure. Maybe even life-changing exposure.) Basically this is just a quick e-mail. I'd love it if you'd personalize the message so he doesn't think I'm spamming him with multiple sock puppet accounts.
To: DoNotRead@TonightShow.com
Subject: Do Not Read List suggestion
Body:
Dear Jimmy,
I found a perfect new title for your Do Not Read List: BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS. Check out the link: http://www.amzn.com/B00L7RXG6U/!
All you need to do is send an e-mail using the template below by November 28. You can nominate 2 items in every category as long as it's not your own work and it was created between Nov '13 and Nov '14, so feel free to flesh out this skeleton with all your favorite works of horror.
To: awards@thisishorror.co.uk
Subject: This Is Horror Award Nominations 2014
Body:
Novel of the Year - BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS by Stephen Kozeniewski
Film of the Year -
TV Series of the Year -
Short Story Collection of the Year - AT HELL'S GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Anthology of the Year - AT HELL'S GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Publisher of the Year - Severed Press
Magazine of the Year -
UK Event of the Year -
Book Cover of the Year - BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS by Stephen Kozeniewski and AT HELLS GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Tattoo Artist of the Year -
Podcast of the Year -
So here are two more quick things you can do to help me out this year. Thanks, everybody!
- Send a link to BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS to Jimmy Fallon's Do Not Read List.
(Yeah, I know, this isn't exactly an "award" but it's still stupendous exposure. Maybe even life-changing exposure.) Basically this is just a quick e-mail. I'd love it if you'd personalize the message so he doesn't think I'm spamming him with multiple sock puppet accounts.
To: DoNotRead@TonightShow.com
Subject: Do Not Read List suggestion
Body:
Dear Jimmy,
I found a perfect new title for your Do Not Read List: BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS. Check out the link: http://www.amzn.com/B00L7RXG6U/!
- Nominate me for the 2014 This is Horror Awards.
All you need to do is send an e-mail using the template below by November 28. You can nominate 2 items in every category as long as it's not your own work and it was created between Nov '13 and Nov '14, so feel free to flesh out this skeleton with all your favorite works of horror.
To: awards@thisishorror.co.uk
Subject: This Is Horror Award Nominations 2014
Body:
Novel of the Year - BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS by Stephen Kozeniewski
Film of the Year -
TV Series of the Year -
Short Story Collection of the Year - AT HELL'S GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Anthology of the Year - AT HELL'S GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Publisher of the Year - Severed Press
Magazine of the Year -
UK Event of the Year -
Book Cover of the Year - BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS by Stephen Kozeniewski and AT HELLS GATES by Devan Sagliani, et al.
Tattoo Artist of the Year -
Podcast of the Year -
Thursday, November 6, 2014
It's That Time of Year Again...
It's that time of year again...awards season! I've never actually won an award for my writing. The closest I ever came was having BRAINEATER JONES be named the twelfth best book of 2013 by Brian Keene. And that's fine. Awards are generally not to be taken too seriously.
However, I know a lot of my fans are always wondering how they can help my fledgling career. Obviously, buying my books is the best way, reading my books is the second best way, and reviewing my books is the third best way. But if you want to help with marketing by spreading the word about my books, that's always much appreciated as well.
Again, to reiterate: I appreciate all my fans just for being there for me, and you don't have to do anything. But if you want to, here are a couple of things you can do for awards season:
- Read Free.ly's 50 Best Indie Books is taking submissions through December 6. Every form has three entries. So you can submit BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS as well as AT HELL'S GATES, which were both published this year. And if you're an author, you can submit your own story as well, or if you're a reader and you have a third fave, hey, the slot's open.
- If you're a member of the HWA you can recommend AT HELL'S GATES for this year's Stoker Awards. I believe you can send one mass e-mail to the jury and post one Facebook post about it.
- The Goodreads Choice Awards are going on through November 8 (see my blogpost about it here.) You can vote for
BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS (June, 2014) in the Science Fiction category
AT HELL'S GATES (September, 2014) in the Horror category
And EITHER in the general Fiction category.
So that's what you can do if you feel like it. Thanks, everybody!
However, I know a lot of my fans are always wondering how they can help my fledgling career. Obviously, buying my books is the best way, reading my books is the second best way, and reviewing my books is the third best way. But if you want to help with marketing by spreading the word about my books, that's always much appreciated as well.
Again, to reiterate: I appreciate all my fans just for being there for me, and you don't have to do anything. But if you want to, here are a couple of things you can do for awards season:
- Read Free.ly's 50 Best Indie Books is taking submissions through December 6. Every form has three entries. So you can submit BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS as well as AT HELL'S GATES, which were both published this year. And if you're an author, you can submit your own story as well, or if you're a reader and you have a third fave, hey, the slot's open.
- If you're a member of the HWA you can recommend AT HELL'S GATES for this year's Stoker Awards. I believe you can send one mass e-mail to the jury and post one Facebook post about it.
- The Goodreads Choice Awards are going on through November 8 (see my blogpost about it here.) You can vote for
BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS (June, 2014) in the Science Fiction category
AT HELL'S GATES (September, 2014) in the Horror category
And EITHER in the general Fiction category.
So that's what you can do if you feel like it. Thanks, everybody!
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