Are You Obsessed?

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Brothers in Blood on Sale and an August Contest

My latest novella BROTHERS IN BLOOD is on sale for .99 cents for a short period of time. If you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, it is available to you for FREE. Grab a copy HERE.

The contest is simple. Whether you purchase the book now, purchased it already, borrow it for free on Kindle Unlimited, or got an ebook file from me for free, if you leave a review on Amazon by the end of August you can enter to win paperback copies of the first two volumes of the San Diego Horror Professionals anthology series (US only due to shipping costs). You are not required to leave a five-star review or even a positive review. Leave an honest review. That's what it's all about. One you leave a review, tag me on social media or leave a comment here on my blog and your name will be put into the hat. I don't expect to get a lot of participants (contests are always hit or miss), so your chances to win two paperback books is pretty good.

In short, read BROTHERS IN BLOOD, leave a review on Amazon by the end of August, enter for a chance to win paperback copies of SAN DIEGO HORROR PROFESSIONALS VOL. 1 and VOL. 2.

Happy reading!

Monthy Newsletter #5 July 2017

Welcome back to my monthly newsletter. Maybe I should call it a newsblog, yes? Before getting to the usual news, reviews, and writerly goodness, I would like to thank everyone who has purchased, borrowed on Kindle Unlimited, or otherwise supported my latest horror novella Brothers in Blood over the past month and a half. This novella has had a better opening than anything I have published. I'm not saying I can quit my day job and write full time or anything, but I can maybe buy a better bottle of whiskey and a lobster dinner. Maybe. At any rate, thanks to everyone who shared a social media post or bought the book. Page reads on Kindle Unlimited have been fantastic. Unfortunately, as of this writing, there are NO Amazon reviews. I'm not going to lose sleep over this, but if you read the novella I would greatly appreciate an honest review. Thanks!

News

The latest San Diego Horror Professionals anthology has been released, this time with even more SD authors than before. My offering, "Brain-Case Soiree," is a Laymon-esqu story that follows a young couple in a strained relationship who decide to explore a long abandoned asylum and find something truly unexpected. You can purchase the anthology HERE in the US and HERE in the UK.

I'm fine tuning two novels that I am sending to two particular publishers for consideration. I have also started a story that I like to call a cross between THEM! and The Descent. The idea came from a recent experience at work and a conversation with my father during a recent visit to Arizona. I've put down another novel I was working on, figuring this one is more marketable. I'll probably end up writing them both simultaneously.




 Cool Read

I'm suggesting two books this month.

The Lucky Ones Died First is the debut novella from my pal Jack Bantry. I'm not only spotlighting his book because he's a friend, but also because it's a damn fun read. It's pulp cryptid horror fiction at its best. I think of this novella as Friday the 13th but with Bigfoot rather than Jason. I was lucky enough to beta read this one and was thrilled when I heard Deadite Press picked it up. It's getting good reviews, and rightly so. Purchase it HERE.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight James Newman's Odd Man Out. I bought the paperback a few weeks ago (a different sized trade PB than what I'm used to, but fitting for a novella), and read it in two or three sittings, which is quick for me. Not only am I a slow reader, but I have a young child. 'Nuff said. Yes, Odd Man Out is socially relevant, yes I'm a fan of Newman's work (and I consider him a friend), but more importantly, this was an all encompassing read. The kind of story that truly pulls the reader in and blocks out everything, creating a visceral movie in my mind. This story made me forget that I'm a writer, and that's hard to do, as any writer will tell you. That's the kind of thing that elevates a story. Animosity still holds its place as my favorite Newman read, but this one comes in a close second. You can purchase Odd Man Out HERE.

Featured Fiction

This week I'm going to tell you a little about a story published a while back called "The Nostalgiac." This one appeared in the Post Mortem Press anthology Fear the Abyss, which featured science fiction stories with a horror bend. It was great to be published with so many talented authors such as Jack Ketchum, Harlan Ellison, Mike Arnzen, and Tim Waggoner, just to name a few. "The Nostalgiac" was an idea I dreamed up long before I was invited to this anthology. I saw a pair of intergalactic grave robbers risking radiation to claim entire graveyards on a dying Earth. I wrote half of the story and left it there, not really knowing where to go. When I was invited to submit, I knew this was my only chance. All of the other sci-fi horror stories that I'd written at that point had been published. I thought through my issues with the plot,  developed the Nostalgiac angle, and treated it very much like an episode of the Twilight Zone (the story was actually compared to TZ in a review). I think it's my best sci-fi/horror mash-up to date. You can purchase a copy of Fear the Abyss HERE.

Book and Record Acquisitions

I bought quite a few books over the last month. The Ten Little Indians paperback was a nice find at two bucks in a book store I had walked by several times but never stepped inside. I think that and The Seed were pretty much two of the only horror titles they had in the entire store outside of some Stephen King and Dean Koontz. No lie. I looked through the entire store--literature, sci-fi, and fantasy sections--no labelled horror section!--with no luck. There were a few F. Paul Wilson titles, but I already had them. I was also pleased to find a hardcover first edition of The Kill Riff on Ebay (and very affordable to boot!). Here are a few of my finds:

Closing Words

In closing, I have some reflections about life and the genre. First off, the Fourth of July came and passed. I went to the fair with my wife, mother-in-law, and son. We had a great time despite insane numbers of fair-goers. Everyone was so nice. I think that was due to the Fourth being a more family friendly day, whereas an average night at the fair consists of wading through packs of asshole teens and drunk twenty-somethings who wish they were still asshole teens.

So I was looking over my files and wondering if other writers have so much unpublished material. I'm not talking trunked stuff, but novels and novellas that are good enough for publication (or at least I think they are). I have six novels (most teetering on novella status), two novellas, and five unfinished projects. I've been reflecting on how difficult it is to break through in the biz, even on a small level. I'm convinced that networking at conventions and writing conferences is better than blindly submitting to the very few respectable publishers who actually accept submissions. Of course, talent and good stories play a part, but I keep running that quote through my head that I've heard so many masters of the genre say: "It's twenty percent talent; eighty percent luck." The numbers vary depending on who's making that particular quote, but it can be attributed to any number of bestselling authors. I've developed a few fans. They contact me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and it's surreal. I've earned compliments (mostly for my short fiction), and some harsh criticism (don't we all). I believe in my work and I know I get better with each piece of fiction I pen, whether I trunk it or attempt publication. It's a tough business, but I'm relieved when I read some of the fiction being published and find that there are some amazing authors out there. At least, for the most part, I can see why my stories get rejected, considering the competition. I've been short-listed enough to know I'm on the right path, and I've had some of the best editors in the biz say nice things about my fiction. I have to remember this when self doubt rears its ugly head. Onward and forward and all that jazz.

That last part was long winded. Thanks for reading. See you next month!

Monthly Newsletter #4 June 2017

Thanks for taking a gander at my little newsletter. I will briefly discuss my latest ventures into horror fiction, a book I would like to suggest, some pictures of my recent book and record acquisitions, and more. It will only take you a few minutes, so take the ticket (it's free!) and enjoy the ride.

News

The big news is that my latest Grand Mal Press release, Brothers in Blood, has been released. This is a short novella e-book exclusive. FREE for kindle unlimited subscribers and only $1.99 to buy. I think that's a very fair price for a 26K word story, and I hope you check it out. If you have read it or plan to do so, I would love to hear what you think. Reviews on Amazon can make or break the visibility and success of a book, so do all authors a favor and review their books. It really does help.

Brothers in Blood is a story about a pair of demented twins who murder people for very different reasons. One of them has a caregiver who is finally getting her life together, but it looks like her ex is back, and he wants something from her that she cannot give him.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre with twins!" -- Jack Bantry, author of The Lucky Ones Died First

You can get Brothers in Blood in the US, and in the UK. It is available from Amazon worldwide, so you should have no trouble finding it.

Also in news, I will have a short story in the forthcoming San Diego Horror Professionals Vol. 3. The story was originally published years ago in a little known anthology. I cut a lot of the fat, rewrote some parts, and changed the title to "Brain-Case Soiree." Should be out later this month.

Cool Read

I'm going to highlight a book that was originally published in 1968 called The Captors by John Farris. The copy I have was published in 1987 by Tor and is labeled as a horror novel, but this is really a mystery about a young woman who is kidnapped for ransom and then escapes, only something about
her is a little off when she returns home to her heartbroken mother and step father. As the book rolls along and the search for her kidnappers deepens, the reader begins to suspect just about everyone, and as the plot unfolds and you learn who the kidnappers are and what their motives are, things get very interesting. The book is a bit dated. Some of the themes were more poignant in the sixties than they are today, but I find that kind of charming. The mystery is fantastic, regardless.

Featured Fiction

I am putting the spotlight on my short story "Inflatable War" that was originally published in DarkFuse Magazine and then reprinted in a gorgeous little hardback called DarkFuse #4. I sold the foreign rights after being contacted by DreamPress.com. The French translation is now available in their annual anthology Tenebres 2017. This marks my very first foreign translation. How cool is that?

Book and Record Acquisitions

I haven't had luck with records lately, but I have bought a HUGE amount of used mass market paperbacks since the last newsletter. I'm particularly happy about the Fritz Leiber first editions. Here are a few pics:

Closing Words

For those of you who took the ride, here we are at the end. It was a short ride, as I assured you it would be. I would like to thank everyone for their support, particularly those of you who downloaded a copy of Brothers in Blood. I know who some of you are, and you kick ass! I hate to sound like a broken record, but reviews are greatly appreciated. If you happen to be reading this and you review books on a website, blog, etc., email me HERE and I will provide you with a copy for your preferred e-reader.

That's all for now. Summer is here. If that's your sort of digs, then have fun in the sun. As for me, this is the beginning of the worst part of the year. I hate the sun and heat. I'm already looked forward to Fall.

Until next time...

Brothers in Blood is OUT NOW!

That's right! My extreme psychological horror novella Brothers in Blood is now live, available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited or $1.99 to purchase.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre with twins!" -- Jack Bantry, editor of SplatterpunkZine and author of The Lucky Ones Died First

Twin brothers Kyle and Lyle Morris depend on one another to live and to kill, only Kyle’s strange desires are becoming more twisted with each new body. Lyle, a grown man with the mind of a toddler, doesn’t understand the perversity of his relationship with dead things. Lyle’s caregiver, Desiree, is worried about the big ol’ lug, and she’s terrified of his brother, but she’s been getting those strange letters again, the ones that her stalker ex used to send her, only now it seems as if he wants something she can’t give him.

A necromaniac using his deformed brother for fresh meat; a young woman in the clutches of her ex’s twisted fantasies—blood will flow . . . but who will bleed out first and what will be left of them?

 Think Rex Miller's Slob meets HG Lewis's Gruesome Twosome.

The response for this novella has been good. Big thanks to all who have bought a copy. If you have read it, please leave a review. This day in age independent releases live and die by the Amazon reviews. It's sad but true. And remember, you don't have to love a book to review it.
 

Here are a links to purchase in the US and UK.


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SDHP Vol. 2 HOLIDAY EDITION!

After the success of San Diego Horror Professionals Vol. 1, we've decided to hit the ground running and wrote six more horror tales that revolve around the holidays in San Diego Horror Professionals Vol. 2. Ryan C. Thomas, David Agranoff, Anthony Trevino, Bryan Killian, Chad Stroup, and myself return with all new stories. This time we're decking the halls . . . in blood!

To gear you up for Vol. 2, I invite you to check out this review we just received for Vol. 1 by Marvin Vernon at The Novel Pursuit. This guy is the real deal. Here's what he says about my story "Starving Artist": "I am wary of picking a favorite out of these six works but this is a doozy. It has a delicious Twilight Zone feel . The basic plot is of a woman who falls in love with a painting by a somewhat sleazy looking sidewalk artist and buys more than she realizes. It is a little clever and a lot wicked."

With volume two I was challenged to write a holiday story with a clown. I accepted. I asked a simple question: what do clowns do on Christmas? Sounds like a joke, right? Sounds like something with a funny punchline. Nope. It's a serious story and I believe it delivers a wallop. A Twilight Zone feel for sure. I hope you all check out the book and enjoy our twisted holiday offerings.

New Local Horror Anthology

There's a brand spanking new anthology from Grand Mal Press featuring some of San Diego's horror writers including myself, as well as David Agranoff, Ryan C. Thomas, Chad Stroup, Anthony Trevino, and Brian Killian.

My story "Starving Artist" examines with the horror of dealing with an uninvited house guest who will NOT go away.

This book is available in paperback right now, with the kindle version to follow soon.