David Moody's Blog, page 104
February 10, 2011
A couple of new releases
Just a quick update to tell you about two new releases.
Gollancz in the UK have today released a mass market paperback edition of DOG BLOOD, whilst in Spain, Minotauro have released a mass market edition of SEPTIEMBRE ZOMBIE – the Spanish translation of AUTUMN. Click either of the book covers above to learn more.
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A couple of new releases
Scream Magazine Issue #3 – out now
If it seems as if I'm plugging SCREAM every issue, that's because I am! It's a great magazine, and worthy of the support. If you're after flashy graphics, bog-standard news and reviews, and endless glossy pages full of photographs of vapid celebrities, then you're probably better off looking elsewhere. But if you're a real fan of the genre – past, present and future – then you'll love SCREAM.
This month – an in-depth EVIL DEAD retrospective, a wealth of A SERBIAN FILM coverage (including a fascinating list of all 49 BBFC cuts), and much more.
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Scream Magazine Issue #3 – out now
February 7, 2011
SFX Weekender and Leicester signing report
Well that was an excellent weekend, if a little hectic. I wanted to thank everyone who made both the SFX Weekender and yesterday's signing at Waterstone's Leicester Highcross such successful events.
The Weekender was much improved from last year's inaugural event, and congratulations to the SFX team for putting it together. The highlight for me was the panel I took part in with (from right to left below) Al Ewing (of 2000 AD fame), Sarah Pinborough, moderator Rob from SFX, Kevin J Anderson (author of countless Star Wars, X-Files and Dune books amongst others) and Wayne Simmons. We talked about 'what scares us in the 21st Century' in front of a very receptive audience.
Special thanks are also due to Ben Aaronovitch (currently riding high in the UK bestsellers chart with his new book, Rivers of London) for drawing the short straw and sharing a chalet with Wayne and I.
After a six hour drive home (stopping en route to hassle staff in various branches of Waterstone's and sign their copies of our respective books), an evening spent watching zombie shorts (have you seen the excellent I Love Sarah Jane?), a few hours sleep, and a ten mile cross country running race (told you it was a hectic weekend), Wayne and I arrived in Leicester for our joint signing at the Waterstone's Highcross branch.
What a great event. It was extremely cool to meet so many folks (many of whom are members of Moody's Survivors), and I wanted to thank everyone who came. Particular thanks are due to the ever awesome Steven Caunt for hosting the signing, and to Adele from Un:Bound for covering the event and taking pictures. You can read what she had to say here.
A final few thank you's: to Wayne for being great company throughout the weekend (congratulations also on surviving a day with my kids!), to Jami Stroka for the T-shirt I wore for the signing, and finally, thanks to Aaron Rayner for the gift shown in the photo opposite. If you read my guest post on Wayne's site last week, you'll know how pleased I was to get that!
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SFX Weekender and Leicester signing report
February 3, 2011
Guest blog – Wayne Simmons – author of Drop Dead Gorgeous
Many of you will already know Wayne. And you'll know that I know Wayne too. He's a good friend of mine and I've written before about his books FLU and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. With DDG currently getting a long-overdue re-release through Snowbooks, Wayne's in the middle of a blog-swap tour and today it's his turn to visit here. You can find a post from me over at www.waynesimmons.org, but for now, here's Wayne…
SUPERFAN
I'm a lifelong fan of horror, sci-fi and fantasy (or what we affectionately refer to as The Genre). For me, writing is just an extension of that fandom. Ever since my dad handed me a bunch of comics to read – mostly DC and Marvel titles, alongside Brit reads such as 2000AD and The Eagle – I've been hooked, a dedicated genre fan devouring books, movies, action figures, the lot.
As a fan, I try to write a story that I and other fans want to read. So, when planning my zombie horror novel, FLU, I thought first about what I myself enjoy within a good Romeroesque zombie story, whether it be a film, comic or book. I then tried to inject a little of those qualities into my own story. Of course, these are things that perhaps you too enjoy – the desolated cityscape, the zombie hordes, the gore and horror, the suspense. But I also really enjoy how Romero would use the zombie threat to examine human nature ie. the plight of our survivors; trust breaking down as the tension mounts; people backstabbing others to save their own skins etc.
With my latest release, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, the survivors are the man focal point of the story. As the world suddenly ends, it's their plight I focus on, their hopes and fears, the complexity of their relationships with each other. This is a story about people, about the living and how death (on such a mass scale) will affect them. How the masses of bodies decaying on the streets, in the bars and restaurants, offices and hotels, freak out those left behind. And how when some bodies refuse to decay, the survivors become even more unnerved…
I was reading a lot of Japanese horror writer, Koji Suzuki, while writing DDG. I was also reading mountains of zombie horror, such as my host today, David Moody, as well as other genre favs like Brian Keene and Bowie Ibarra. I was watching zombie horror movies by the dozen, flicks such as Zach Snyder's 2004 remake of Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD, and I was also devouring much of the Asian Horror cinema around at the time – THE RING films, TALE OF TWO SISTERS, THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER etc. In a sense, then, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS is a blend of all the things I enjoy most within horror – the gore of zombie stories as well as the suspense and sheer creepiness prevalent within Asian horror cinema.
As a fan of The Genre, DDG was a dream project. To put my own unique spin on what I like best within contemporary horror is a wonderful thing. My only hope is that you too, fellow horror fan, will get a chance to pick up a copy of DROP DEAD GORGEOUS – that you'll enjoy reading this spooky, brutal and emotionally charged story of mine even a fraction as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
Wayne's bio:
Belfast born, Wayne Simmons, has been loitering with intent around the horror genre for some years. Having scribbled reviews and interviews for various zines, Wayne released his debut horror novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS in 2008. The book was received well by both fans of the genre and reviewers alike.
An extended version of DDG has just been released through Snowbooks.
Wayne released his bestselling zombie apocalyptic horror novel, FLU, through Snowbooks in April 2010. In what little spare time he has left, Wayne enjoys running, getting tattooed and listening to all manner of unseemly screeches on his BOOM-BOOM Box… Meet Wayne online at www.waynesimmons.org.
Don't forget: Wayne and I will both be at the SFX WEEKENDER tomorrow and Saturday. We also have a joint signing at WATERSTONE'S LEICESTER HIGHCROSS on Sunday 3pm – 5pm. Hope to see some of you there!
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Guest blog – Wayne Simmons – author of Drop Dead Gorgeous
February 2, 2011
Waterstone's, Colchester Culver Square
It's always disappointing to hear of any bookstore closing, but this is particularly sad. Those of you in the UK will probably know that the Waterstone's chain is struggling with reducing sales and a debt issue, and that it's closing 60 stores – roughly 10% of its total UK high street presence. I've just heard that the Colchester Culver Square branch – where I've had a couple of signing events – is closing this Sunday.
Of course, Waterstone's situation is, unfortunately, not that unusual in an industry which is changing almost by the day and which is struggling on many levels. Corporate decisions like this are easy to gloss over when they're just another announcement amongst many on the TV news, and it's easy to forget the impact they have on people's lives.
So I just wanted to say thank you and good luck to the staff of the Culver Square branch. In particular, thanks to Mark Goddard (Mark's also an author and runs the www.snakebitehorror.co.uk site), and Adam Hart, the store's horror buyer. Back in 2006, Adam came across the AUTUMN books and got in touch. He was instrumental in helping me get my Infected Books editions into a decent number of Waterstone's branches across the country (and as anyone who's tried to get self-published books stocked in bricks and mortar bookstores will tell you, that's no mean feat). He ended up appearing in HATER as a thank you!
So thanks again to all at Waterstone's Culver Square. I wish you the very best for the future.
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Waterstone's, Colchester Culver Square
February 1, 2011
AUTUMN: THE CITY – out now!
THE CITY – the second book in the AUTUMN series – is out now!
A disease of unimaginable ferocity has torn across the face of the planet leaving billions dead. A small group of survivors shelter in the remains of a devastated city, hiding in terror as the full effects of the horrific infection start to become clear. The sudden appearance of a company of soldiers again threatens the survivors' fragile existence. Do they bring with them hope, help and answers, or more pain, fear and suffering?
St Martin's Griffin (US) ISBN 9780312570002
Available from:
AMAZON.COM
BARNES & NOBLE
AMAZON.CA
BOOK DEPOSITORY (free worldwide shipping)
Gollancz (UK) ISBN 9780575091320
AMAZON.CO.UK
WATERSTONES
BOOK DEPOSITORY
Signed copies available from INFECTED BOOKS
Otherworldverlag (Germany) ISBN 9783902607102
Signed copies available from INFECTED BOOKS
Discuss the books over at the official forum or the new Facebook group – Moody's Survivors.
New AUTUMN website – Last of the Living – launching within the week! More details to follow shortly…
This is a post from David Moody's RSS feed. For regular updates about the HATER and AUTUMN books and films, subscribe to the feed today!
AUTUMN: THE CITY – out now!
January 26, 2011
When the Wind Blows
I've not been able to post here much lately, but I'll be back next week with plenty of Autumn: The City related stuff. In the meantime, here's another entry in the Post-Apocalyptic Movie Club.
In May 1980 the British government distributed a leaflet called 'Protect and Survive' to all homes in the UK. It (along with a series of public information films like the one embedded below) was designed to provide homeowners with practical advice on how to protect themselves in the event of a nuclear attack. The original intention was to have them distributed only in time of a national emergency, but the media interest and ensuing public debate was such that they were given a general release. Fat lot of good they'd have done if the shit really had hit the fan! Shoving a few doors against a wall and covering them in mattresses and cushions might have offered some protection from the initial blast, but such a shelter, like the government publications themselves, would have done little to help the post-attack population cope with fallout, hunger, fear, desperation, cold, devastating injuries, lawlessness, etc. etc. etc.
[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]
Of course, back in the 1980's, generations had survived two previous world wars and regularly regaled youngsters like me with countless stories about how 'we all got on with each other in the war', and how 'it was lots of fun in the bomb shelters actually.' Did people really think surviving the nuclear holocaust would be just like the Blitz all over again? It's easy to understand why they might.
When the Wind Blows is a post-apocalyptic movie like no other. It dramatizes the effects of a nuclear attack from a unique perspective – that of a couple of naïve pensioners living in the British countryside. Based on the Raymond Briggs book first published in 1982, it's a heart-breaking, animated story.
Jim and Hilda Bloggs (characters based on Briggs' own parents) live a quiet and simple, post-retirement life. Jim's days are filled with trips to the library to read the papers, tending his garden, and taking regular naps. House-proud Hilda busies herself with endless cleaning and chores. The most important decision she has to make each day is what to cook Jim for his tea.
War is on the horizon. Jim dutifully does all he can to keep abreast of the rapidly deteriorating international situation by listening to the radio, and when it transpires that an enemy missile attack might be launched at any moment, he reaches for his copy of 'Protect and Survive'. Much to Hilda's disgust, he sets about building a fallout shelter in the middle of the house. It's his public duty, he tells her as she covers her best cushions with plastic bags and scolds him for scuffing the wallpaper.
These two survived the last two World Wars so, they decide, there's no reason why they shouldn't survive the next. They fondly remember their bomb shelters, rationing, the enemy, and many other aspects of life in wartime with genuine affection and nostalgia. Jim, a stubborn, mildly chauvinistic but well-meaning man, tells Hilda how it'll all be different now, boring her senseless with constant facts and figures: a combination of misunderstood details he's picked up from the newspapers and radio, and his own wildly inaccurate, baseless suppositions. Between them, they totally fail to grasp the implications of the coming attack and reveal themselves to be completely out of touch with reality. In one scene Jim phones his son, Ron, to ask for advice and to check that he too is following the governmental procedures to provide for his own family's safety. 'What did he say, dear?' asks Hilda. 'Nothing,' Jim replies. 'He was just laughing. He started singing… we'll all go together when we go…'
A scant couple of days later and the unthinkable happens, a missile attack is launched against the UK, and the couple barely make it into their shelter in time. They survive the initial blast, then set about making the most of life after the bomb as the world dies around them. They emerge and start to clean up their badly damaged house, all the time looking up at the clouds for any sign of fallout ('I think it's supposed to look a bit like snow,' Jim says). They collect rainwater to drink in melted milk bottles, and talk about what they need to buy when they next get down to the shops. Unsurprisingly, they both quickly become ill with radiation sickness, but Jim casually explains away their symptoms as quickly as they appear… Hilda's diarrhoea and vomiting is probably just due to nerves, he tells her, and her bleeding gums, varicose veins and sudden hair loss? Well, he decides, that's all common in middle aged people like us. It's a medical fact, he tells her, woman can't go bald! Inevitably the couple are forced to accept that they're gravely ill and that, perhaps, no-one's going to come to help them after all…
When the Wind Blows is a haunting story, lovingly told. Whilst it's clear from the outset that Jim and Hilda are doomed by a). the bomb, and b). their painful naivety, the characters are well-developed and it's easy to identify with them. Jim's constant assumptions and misquotes are both humorous and infuriating, Hilda's pride in her blast-devastated home equally so. They're voiced by two late, great stalwarts of British theatre, John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft, and the familiarity of their voices only helps give the characters a genuine, grandparent-like appeal.
Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami (the Oscar-nominated animator who directed Raymond Briggs' UK Christmas perennial 'The Snowman' and also, bizarrely, the Roger Corman-produced 'Battle Beyond the Stars'), the film was technically ambitious for the time. Produced by traditionally animating the main characters over footage of filmed, three dimensional model sets, it hasn't fared well in comparison to today's standards of film-making. That said, this is a character-, not effects-driven piece, and it remains both moving and powerful. The steady physical deterioration of Jim and Hilda and their surroundings is never gratuitous, but it's effective and works well.
It's easy to dismiss When the Wind Blows because it's a thirty-year old cartoon, but to my mind it makes some really important points and it makes them well. Back in the day, of course, it was a superb response to the inadequacies of the UK government's preparations for nuclear attack, whilst also commenting successfully on the futility of such a war. Times may have changed and the old 'East versus West' rivalry of the Cold War may no longer exist as it did, but even though the direction of the threat may have altered, it's still there and this film serves as a reminder of its grim implications.
I've got a lot of emotional attachment to this film. As I've said previously, I grew up fascinated and terrified in equal measure by the Cold War. I'm British and can identify completely with these characters (I see my parents turning into Jim and Hilda day by day), and even the soundtrack of the film (which includes David Bowie, Roger Waters and others) was the music which got me through my A Level exams. But is it just me, or has it affected other people too? I'd love to hear your thoughts…
Next time – an Oscar winning documentary made in 1965 for the BBC and banned for twenty years – I'll be re-watching 'The War Game'.
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When the Wind Blows
January 17, 2011
The Monster's Corner
It's a way off, but I'm really pleased to announce that BIG MAN – a brand new short story – will appear in this fascinating anthology of stories told from the monster's perspective, coming in October from St Martin's Press and editor Christopher Golden. Other authors include Jonathan Maberry, Tom Piccirilli, Jeff Strand and many more. More details to follow.
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The Monster's Corner
January 16, 2011
Interview with 'Moody's Survivors'
Click here to join the new Facebook group – MOODY'S SURVIVORS – SPREAD THE INFECTION – which has become a hive of zombie- and book-related activity over the last couple of weeks.
The admins have just posted the results of a question and answer session I did with group members, so please head over and join up! (Thanks to Lee Hartnup, by the way, for the flattering photo!).
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Interview with 'Moody's Survivors'
January 15, 2011
Autumn: The City
Just a few days now before the second book in the AUTUMN series – THE CITY – is released in the UK (the US release follows on 1st February). You can now order signed copies of the UK hardcover edition from www.infectedbooks.co.uk. Click here to find out more.
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Autumn: The City
