The Dark Carnival reopens!!!
Dark Carnival has been rereleased! Read it tonight! You can download a Kindle ebook, or if you prefer KINDLE UNLIMITED, that’s available too. For those who enjoy the feel of holding a good book, the print version is for you. Enjoy!
You can find links to Dark Carnival on the Dark Carnival - Books page.
The return of Georgie!!!
After all these years, it’s finally happened! Deadly Friend has been rereleased. And for the first time, Deadly Friend is available as an Ebook. Read it tonight! You can get a copy via KINDLE UNLIMITED! Or if you prefer Kindle download or print versions, they’re available too.
You can find links to Deadly Friend on the Deadly Friend - Books page.
The Monster is back!!!
It’s official! Monster has been rereleased. Read it tonight! For the first time Monster is available for KINDLE UNLIMITED! Or if you prefer Kindle download or print versions, they’re available too.
You can find links to Monster on the Monster - Books page.
Bram Stoker Awards - Preliminary Ballot for 2015
I’m pleased to share the news that my novel Monster made it on the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel. I feel honored to be among so many excellent horror writers, including several fellow authors from Samhain Publishing: John Everson, JG Faherty, Brian Kirk, John Palisano, and Damien Angelica Walters. Of course, this is not the Final Bram Stoker Awards ballot, but i’m very happy to have made it this far. There is a tremendous amount of talent on this ballot. It is one giant what-to-read-in-horror list. If horror is your thing—check it out: http://horror.org/9296-2.
Review of The Deep by Michaelbrent Collings
Publication Date: July 20, 2015
Description:
There are places we were never meant to go...
A woman searching for a sister lost at sea. A man bent on finding lost treasure. A mother who has lost all hope. A maniac who believes all life exists for his pleasure. The man who would keep them all safe.
Together, they will all seek below the waves for treasures long buried, and riches beyond belief. But those treasures hide something. Something ancient, something dark. A creature that exists only to feed on those that would enter into its realm. A creature... of The Deep.
Review:
The crew of three aboard the small boat, the Celeste, are joined by five strangers on a diving excursion—each with their own reasons for taking the trip. It was a normal outing, with a little fishing before the dive—normal, until they pull a strangely mutilated body out of the ocean. And like a silent signal, it is the start of their troubles. A sudden strange tremor causes the entire seafloor to shift from 800 feet below the boat to the unbelievable level of only 150 feet. This tremor causes damage to the Celeste and they are forced to call for help. While waiting for the Navy to arrive, the boat's equipment detects a sunken ship. Treasure! Or is it? The divers are strangely compelled to explore the wreck—something is calling to them from The Deep.
The Deep by Michaelbrent Collings is a wonderful adventure. One of the things that drew me into this story was that some of the characters were as scary as the evil pursuing them. It kept me turning pages to see how this good vs evil vs evil would play out. What made this novel exciting was that the danger came on multiple fronts and I can honestly say I wasn’t sure which danger was more disturbing. The action happens above and below the water. Mr. Collings does a beautiful job making the diving technics interesting. They are so well blended that they become an intriguing part of the story, not just boring facts and procedures that some authors have to force feed you to work them in. Both divers and non-divers would enjoy this story and of course all fans of horror.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars.
Interviewed by Horror Hive at Horror Hound - Indy 2015.
An interview of myself and, fellow Samhain author, Glenn Rolfe at Horror Hound* - Indy 2015 conducted by Horror Hive. ‘Nuff said.
* Horror Hive is in no way affiliated with the Horror Hound convention.
Review of Dust of the Dead by John Palisano
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Description:
Reboot the apocalypse!
For a while, it looked like the living had won. The war against the walking dead lasted almost a decade, but it’s mostly over. There are only a few straggling zombies left to take care of. Los Angeles has returned to its lattes and long commutes. It’s up to a small Reclamation Crew to clean up the Zoms left behind. But when the undead dry up, their skin turns to dust. Now the hot Santa Ana winds deliver a new threat...because the Zoms were only the beginning of something far worse.
Review:
If asked, I would admit that I’m not really a fan of the onslaught of zombie novels out there now, but Dust of the Dead isn’t the typical, rehashed story of an apocalyptic world with humans running, hiding, or killing zombies simply to survive. John Palisano’s fresh approach starts out in Los Angeles AFTER the zombie plague where life has returned to normal. Mike Lane and other members of the Reclamation Crew, deal with the few remaining zombies that hide in the shadows or reawaken in their graves. However, unknown to this small band of government employees, as well as the rest of the populace, the decaying bodies of the living dead and the re-dead (those reclaimed) have a dramatic and terrifying effect on the living.
I was very happy to find that this isn’t really a zombie story—it’s more of a creature feature. Sure, there are zombies poking up here and there, but the altered humans instead become ugly, vicious, strength enhanced monsters. Dust of the Dead is skillfully written, filled with twists and turns, as well as believable characters that grow and change to meet the challenges thrust upon them by this new terror. In this world created by John Palisano, are these monsters a new type of zombie or a new type of human. I look forward to the next book. The adventure continues.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars.
Review of The Pendle Curse by Catherine Cavendish
Publication Date: February 3, 2015
Description:
Four hundred years ago, ten convicted witches were hanged on Gallows Hill. Now they are back…for vengeance.
Laura Phillips’s grief at her husband’s sudden death shows no sign of passing. Even sleep brings her no peace. She experiences vivid, disturbing dreams of a dark, brooding hill, and a man—somehow out of time—who seems to know her. She discovers that the place she has dreamed about exists. Pendle Hill. And she knows she must go there.
But as soon as she arrives, the dream becomes a nightmare. She is caught up in a web of witchcraft and evil…and a curse that will not die.
Review:
Laura Phillips seeks an escape from her grief-stricken life and goes looking to explore a mystery in the village of Pendle Hill, a mystery right out of her dreams. She’s fascinated by the local history of the Pendle witches, but when the lines between the past and present begin to blur, she finds herself caught up in terror and revenge.
The Pendle Curse by Catherine Cavendish is a great example of really fine, well crafted story telling. This novel is suspenseful, clever and gripping. The mystery constantly builds throughout the telling of this tale—it will have you asking: Who are these people? What do they want? I like stories that send you back in time and The Pendle Curse did just that. The descriptions and details of the past were perfect—they put you right in the thick of things. And the characters, throughout the novel, were strong and believable. What they did, how they acted, the things they said—not once did I doubt the characters or lose faith in the world Catherine created. It felt real and propelled me forward through the story. I truly enjoyed this book.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars.
Audio Realms release of Monster is July 2015
The above image is for the Audio Realms ad to be placed in the June 2015 issue of Publisher's Weekly (inside front). I never thought I would see one of my books advertised in such a prestigious magazine as Publisher’s Weekly. Another tip of the hat to my publisher: Samhain Publishing. Of course, this isn’t the first magazine I’ve seen Monster displayed—others include: HorrorHound and Famous Monsters Magazine—both top publications in the horror genre.
But the point of this post is not to show off the great ad for Audio Realms. It is to announce that Monster will be released as an audiobook in July 2015. I have expanded my little corner of the ad to help highlight the month. When the audiobook becomes available for purchase I will add links to the Monster Books page. I haven’t heard it yet myself and I don’t know who was used for the voice over (too bad Boris Karloff is dead), so that’s something we will have to find out together.
Review of Gray Shadows Under a Harvest Moon: Six Trick-or-Treat Thrillers by Roma Gray
Publication Date: March 8, 2015
Description:
The path into darkness begins here...
How often have you read a short story and wished you could see what happened after the big ending? In this book, the ending is just the beginning as each short story represents a chapter in an upcoming Roma Gray novel or novel series.
SECTION 1: A collection of six Halloween-flavored short stories. The stories are a mixed assortment of spooky, action adventure, and horror tales.
SECTION 2: Interviews with the fictional characters giving the reader the inside scoop on their upcoming novels.
Never let the adventure end...
Stories:
1. FEAST ON FAT TUESDAY: At Mardi Gras, a vampire realizes he has become the prey.
2. AND THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED: The discovery of Atlantis changes the world in ways no one could have ever anticipated...or wanted.
3. SUMMER VACATION: A teenager discovers that not only is black magic real, it’s also very unpredictable.
4. THE INVISIBLE CARRIER: A deadly plague is spreading through the Pacific Northwest, but no one can figure out how. It might just be the truth is too strange to believe.
5. UNNATURAL DISASTERS: Governments are isolating disaster sites from the rest of the world. What are they trying to hide?
6. WILL THE REAL MONSTER PLEASE STAND UP? A rampaging mummy, two insane cats, and a secret government agency. For archeologist Alistair Black, it’s turning into a very strange night.
Review:
Do you remember the TV shows: Tales from the Darkside or Creepshow; the Night Gallery or even the Twilight Zone? Then this is the book for you! I have always loved horror anthologies and reading the stories written by Roma Gray in Gray Shadows Under a Harvest Moon: Six Trick-or-Treat Thrillers was a blast. Six very unique and compelling stories, some had a classic theme with a modern twist, and others, well, you’ll have to read them for yourself (no spoilers here, sorry). Is it right to compare horror tales I loved watching as a kid to stories I’ve read as an adult—well, I can’t help it. Roma Gray’s writing was so vivid that I could see them play out in my mind as if I was watching them. They were a real treat. (See what I did there?) And it gets better! Each of the stories, which can definitely stand on their own, are really the first chapter of their own upcoming books. I look forward to reading the complete books to find out where the characters of these stories go from here. It should be very interesting and fun.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars.