New Reviews of Scarecrow and The Madness

After running a Google search I discovered a few reviews of Scarecrow and The Madness that I wasn't aware of. 

The first review is from the Sonar4 Landing Dock.  It's not so new as it was published in late December, but I just discovered it, so it's new to me.  The reviewer notes that they had to put my novella down a few times to recover from where the story took them.  I have to say that I don't write specifically to disturb, but disturbing imagery often appears in what I write.  That's kind of funny because my mother (fan of such authors as Danielle Steele and Mary Higgins Clark) read The Madness and loved it.  She said she couldn't stop reading it (yes, I know, it's my mother and she's biased, but she's read a great deal of my published stories and, like my wife, is very blunt if she doesn't like one of them).

The second review is on author Matthew Tait's blog.  I recognized this review when I read it.  I believe he also posted it on amazon, but I thought I would link it for those who haven't read the amazon reviews.

Both are very positive, and both are linked below.

Sonar4 Landing Dock: HERE
Matthew Tait's Review: HERE

Cheers!

Check Out My New Banner

I made this banner for Scarecrow and The Madness with a free on-line generator and I don't think it turned out too bad.  I'm working on one that's a little bigger and I may mess around with the imagery a bit more.  I'm also trying to make one that doesn't cut the bottom off without paying money to hide the add for Banner Snack (though I would urge you to use them if you don't know what you're doing, 'cause I'm clueless and I really like what I made).


What do you think?

Once I have a few different banners I am going to have a contest for a free copy of Scarecrow and The Madness.  Look for details in the next week or so.

Scarecrow and The Madness: The Cover Revealed

Here it is!  The cover for mine and Craig's forthcoming book Scarecrow and The Madness, artwork by none other than Andrej Bartulovic, the Maggot Master!  (Check the post below for his website link and take a look at his work.  He isn't called Maggot Master for nothing.)

I can't say enough good things about this cover.  I'm astonished and truly pleased with it.  They say don't judge a book by its cover, but in this case...shit, this cover is so damn cool it's bound to sell copies, and the novellas within won't disappoint.

I will post details and news as the release draws near.  Look for the book later this year from none other than Blood Bound Books.

I Saw a Preview of my Novella Cover...

...And it's freakin' awesome!  I was ecstatic when I found out that Andrej Bartulovic aka Maggot Master was the man at the helm.  He's done several Blood Bound Books covers, all of which look fantastic, but I guarantee when you see what he came up with for mine and Craig Saunders' book Scarecrow and The Madness you are going to be impressed.  I would post the preview that was sent to me, but I think it's wise to wait until it's finished.  It'll be a hell of a teaser.  The book is slated for a December release.

Check out Andrej's website.  He does art for heavy metal CD covers, t-shirts, books, and his prices are very reasonable, and the artwork...well, it speaks for itself.  Twisted, mad, gruesome -- check him out: http://maggotmaster.com/

Jack's Magic Beans by Brian Keene

I recently finished reading Brian Keene's Jack's Magic Beans, one of the many reissues from Deadite Press. This book contains the title novella as well as four additional short stories, all of which were phenomenal. At about 100 pages I tore through this book in no time at all.

"Jack's Magic Beans" begins like any normal day at the grocery store until people suddenly turn into bloodthirsty psychopaths.  Only four people find themselves unchanged and have to deal with a nightmare of blood and guts and crazies. The only complaint from me is that the story ended too early. I was so engrossed that when I read the last sentence I couldn't help but feel like there was a whole story there to be told and I sort of felt let down. On the other hand, this novella delivers the goods and the characters are so very real that you feel like you're there dealing with the madness they are subjected to.

The four stories that follow are quick little bites of nastiness.  Very poignant and brutal. I particularly liked "Without You," the tale of a man so disgusted with his life that he goes to extreme measures, only he finds that some promises are more powerful than life itself.  "I am an Exit" and "This is Not and Exit" follow, introducing a serial killer Keene promises we will see more of in the future. Serial killer stories are getting bland, but these ones bring the goods. The final story "The King, in: YELLOW" is a crazy tale about a couple who decide their lives are getting dull and that they need to spice things up.  They decide to see a play that some half-cocked bum tells them about which is anything but dull, although perhaps a bit too spicy.

I would suggest this title to any fan of horror.  Nicely written, bloody, bizarre -- good stuff! I am certainly going to buy another Keene title from Deadite press and I suggest you do too. Available HERE

The Road to Hell -- Now in Print!

That's right, The Road to Hell is now available in print at amazon or postmortem press.

Post Mortem Press present four novellas:

Number Six by Joseph Williams Have you ever been to Hell? Zach hadn’t. Not until he lost his job, girlfriend, car, and home over the course of just a few hours. In his quest to find solace in isolation and introspection, Zach finds depravity beyond any fathomable nightmare. Zach has found the true meaning of freedom discovering it’s not as wonderful as he figured. Freedom has consequences, and God isn’t always the only one with a plan for you.

Cemetery Tour by Robert Essig Three college students decide to spend their Spring Break taking a driving tour of cemeteries across the southwest of America. When they discover a dug up grave in one of the cemeteries their trip becomes much more than they had anticipated.

Mistress of a Higher Purpose by Daniel Pearlman In 2035, bad luck tosses beautiful Rose Langley from a prison in New York to a strange environmentalist slave-camp run by scientists in Idaho. A series of abusive men have frustrated her deepest desire--to have a child of her own--but her jailers in Idaho miraculously offer her this, and freedom too. The price is gigantic, however.

Enslavement by Nicholas Conley Addiction is an easy trap to fall into. It starts out small. It turns into a habit. Given enough time, it becomes enslavement. Six individuals, each suffering from their own individual addiction, are kidnapped one night and wake up on an empty, moving train. There are no exit doors, no outside contact, the train is an endless maze of identical compartments and the group is terrorized by monstrous “Grey-Men.” As they struggle to understand the unseen force that’s thrown them together, it becomes clear that there’s only one way off the train; they must either overcome their dark histories and self-doubts, or drown in them.