David Moody's Blog, page 73

David Moody – Magazine Pin-up

Okay, so the title of this post is deliberately misleading, but after being beaten in the popularity stakes by one of my cats yesterday (see this link – I got a handful of likes, the cat got hundreds), my ego needs massaging. Of course I’m not a magazine pin-up (who’d pay to look at my face?), but I do appear in a new publication which I wanted to tell you about.

In issue 18 of Diabolique Magazine, Chris Hallock has put together an excellent six page piece about me, my books, and my fascination with the end of the world. Please do check it out. You can find more details and order the magazine at the Diabolique website, and the digital version is available for ios and Android devices.

Recommended Reading – MEAT and GARBAGE MAN by Joseph D’Lacey

In early 2009, around about the time HATER was released, I spent a lot of time mooching around various dark corners of the Internet wondering what people were saying about my book. On many genre sites I visited I remember seeing the distinctive covers for Joseph D’Lacey’s books, MEAT and GARBAGE MAN. Who is this D’Lacey character, I wondered, and how come he’s got a quote from Stephen King on his books (D’Lacey Rocks!)? I thought we were destined to become adversaries, competing against each other to try and conquer the UK horror market.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Over the years I’ve got to know Joseph and we’ve appeared at several events together. He’s a lovely guy; very knowledgeable (check out his recent Guardian top ten horror novels piece), and a damn fine writer. He’s even a TV presenter now (more about that later…).

But it’s not all been plain sailing. Publishing is a fickle and sometimes cruel business, and through no fault of his own, MEAT and GARBAGE MAN failed to have the impact they should have. He told me “Going out of print is something I think a writer can quietly live with, difficult though it is to accept that a book’s life is over. However, having your books withdrawn from sale because your publisher goes bust is a situation most writers probably never even anticipate. It certainly came as a shock to me! I’d always believed that of my two Beautiful Books titles, MEAT was the one with the potential to grow a long tail. When the administrators stepped in at the end of 2011, though, I had to face the fact that any tail it was growing had been severed.”

Fast forward to today, and with a new agent, a new publisher and an expanding back catalogue behind him, both MEAT and GARBAGE MAN have been reborn. Not just reborn – revitalized. “The reissue was a perfect opportunity to improve the novels, so we edited them again and had them re-proofed. Garbage Man was originally published with all sorts of typos and problems with scene breaks. All that has been fixed. I’ve rewritten the acknowledgments section in each book, to make sure everyone who’s helped since their first publication gets a mention, and there’s a section of extra content in both novels. MEAT gets a new preface and Garbage Man a new afterword. The covers have been redesigned too, of course, and the eBooks are enhanced with extra content. I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Click the link to find out more about the books.

I’ll talk about GARBAGE MAN in a moment, but for me the main course is MEAT.

Abyrne, the last enclave in a wasteland. All food is produced by Magnus Meat Processing and controlled by the Parsons of the Welfare. Richard Shanti, the ‘Ice Pick’, is Abyrne’s legendary bolt-gunner, dispatching hundreds of animals every hour to supply the townsfolk with all the meat they could want. But Shanti is having doubts about his line of work. When war breaks out between the corporate and religious factions, Shanti must sacrifice everything he loves in order to reveal the truth behind Abyrne’s power structures and fight for what he knows is right. In a world where eating meat has become not only a human right but a sacred duty, what happens to those who question the nature of the food source? The townsfolk are hungry. The townsfolk must be fed…

This is an exceptional book. Beautifully written and horrifically detailed, D’Lacey has created a starkly original dystopia here, one where fresh meat is the currency and where organized religion has the people of Abyrne in a seemingly unbreakable stranglehold. With MEAT, D’Lacey does something which only the cream of dystopian literature manages to achieve: whilst writing so vividly about a world which, on first glance, seems several universes away from our own, he draws uncomfortable parallels and manages to speak volumes about our society; about some of the paradoxes we take for granted and accept without argument on a daily basis. As is the way with my book recommendations here, I don’t want to review MEAT or go into much more detail because I want you to enjoy it (if enjoy is the right word) as much as I did. Highly recommended.

Now GARBAGE MAN:

Shreve, a dead-end town next to the UK’s largest landfill. There’s nothing the bored residents won’t stoop to in an attempt to spice up their pedestrian lives. All wannabe model Aggie Smithfield wants is to escape before Shreve swallows her ambition along with a million tons of rubbish and dirty little secrets. Desperate, Aggie asks renowned but reclusive ex-photographer, Mason Brand, for help. The deal they make might be the only thing that can save her when the town’s fate catches up with it. Beneath everyone’s feet, something born of the things we throw away is awakening. And when the past is reborn, there will be no escape.

D’Lacey is again tackling a number of issues which are increasingly relevant today here, but he develops them in a nightmarish, almost surreal way. Although not as immediately satisfying as MEAT, GARBAGE MAN is another very good read which I highly recommend. The cast is more disparate and the numerous characters hard to keep track of at times, but there’s a palpable sense of unease and impending doom throughout which keeps the story moving at a pace. There’s some incredible imagery here too, not least the extraordinary descriptions of the creatures which emerge from the Shreve landfill.  Gruesome, grubby eco-horror, GARBAGE MAN is another novel that’s fully deserving of your time and attention.

So there you go. MEAT and GARBAGE MAN are available now from Oak Tree Press – get them via Amazon, the Book Depository and all usual stockists. I’m thrilled that these books are back in print again, and I hope they find the audience they deserve.

Oh, and about that TV job Joseph has landed? He’s presenting a regular horror slot on The Book Show which launches in the UK on the Showcase 2 channel at 6pm on 24 November – more information can be found here. Here he is talking about MEAT.

To keep up with Joseph and find out more about his work, visit his website.

Spread some Doom and Gloom this Holiday Season

A quick post to advise that INFECTED BOOKS has been fully re-stocked and, between now and the end of the year, there’s FREE SHIPPING on all UK orders.

Want to spoil a friend or loved one’s Christmas with a little end of the world misery? Looking for something apocalyptic to usher in the new year? Or maybe you’re not a festive person yourself…  are you happier in the company of Haters, aliens and the living dead than snowmen, reindeers and Santa Claus? If so, www.infectedbooks.co.uk is the place for you.

All the AUTUMN and HATER books are available, as well as the limited editions of AUTUMN: THE HUMAN CONDITION and TRUST at specially reduced prices. Signed books are also available from ebay and AMAZON.CO.UK.

Finally, a quick word about the long delayed AUTUMN: AFTERMATH hardcover. It IS happening, but I’m still waiting on contract finalities. As soon as everything’s signed and sealed, pre-orders will open. Thanks for your patience, apologies for the long wait. (Information can be found here if this is news to you…)

SCARdiff and Horror in the East

A belated thank you to everyone involved in putting together the magnificent SCARdiff festival in Cardiff a couple of weeks back. It was an excellent event – very well attended and supported. This was a horror expo created by fans of the genre for fans of the genre, and as such it was a huge success. Congratulations to Wayne and the team. I got to hang out with some great folks, and I’ve posted a few photographs below (one stolen from Rich Hawkins, the other from Zoe Millard – hope you don’t mind, Zoe and Rich!). You’ll also find a clip from S4C (in Welsh) about the Expo which, even though you probably won’t understand it, will give you a better indication of how great a day it was than I could if I wrote for another couple of pages…

David Moody and Dominic Brunt (Before Dawn)

Photo by Zoe Millard

Adam Millard, me, Wayne Simmons and Rich Hawkins (photo: Sara Hawkins)

This coming weekend sees the second AUTUMN: HORROR IN THE EAST convention in Lowestoft. It’s a FREE event, so if you’re in the area please come down and say hello. This year sees a rare showing of the BBC’s notorious GHOSTWATCH with special guests in attendance. Can’t wait. All the details you need are here.

HERBST: AUSKLANG

HERBST: AUSKLANG – the German-language edition of AUTUMN: AFTERMATH is now available from MKrug Verlag. Ebook versions will follow shortly. The Herbst books were my first foreign language deal, agreed way back in the early days of Infected Books, and they’ve been a real success. The first release of DISINTEGRATION (HERBST: ZERFALL) anywhere in the world was in German but, for various reasons, this final release was delayed. It’s great to see the series coming to a conclusion at last, and I hope folks enjoy the book.

Available from Amazon.de.

Giving TRUST some love

I finished writing the new version of STRAIGHT TO YOU yesterday. Just edits, beta-reads and (I hope) a little subsequent re-work to be done now, and then my project to get all my older books re-released will be almost complete. I’ll tell you more about the updated version of the book and my plans for it in the coming months.

All this looking back got me thinking about TRUST again. I’m very proud of the book, but I don’t think I’ve shown it enough love in the year and a half since it was re-released, so here’s a little blatant self-promotion to boost its profile.

Starburst magazine rated it 10/10 and said “TRUST is a slow-burner and all the richer for it. The layers of characters and details of the story play out perfectly when matched with an ending you’re not likely to forget. It’s also an outstanding novel, delivers in more ways than one, and is worthy of a place on the discerning fan’s bookshelf.”

Booklist Online said “The writing is not as visceral as Moody’s popular post-apocalyptic novels, but that isn’t a bad thing: this story, with its slowly building sense of unease and multiple thematic undercurrents, needs a more delicate touch. Moody’s many fans will absolutely want to read this one.”

You can read two-thirds of the novel online at www.trustdavidmoody.com, and I’ve decided to leave the entire book available at Wattpad (where it’s had an amazing reception so far). If you haven’t read it, please do check it out as I think you’ll enjoy it.

TRUST is available as a low price ebook, and as a paperback and limited edition hardcover from all the usual outlets. Signed copies are available exclusively from the Infected Bookstore.

STALLED

If you read my post earlier this week from Grimmfest, you’ll know how much I enjoyed STALLED, a great new British zombie movie. I couldn’t find any release dates (other than VOD in the US from 20 October), but I wanted to give you a heads up so if you see the film showing anywhere, you can make sure you catch it.

Zombie movies are, as we all know by now, easy to get wrong. There’s a tendacy to veer towards clichés and gore at the expense of the story (though I accept there are a huge number of folks who just want clichés and gore…). To my mind, the same is true of both straight-laced zombie movies and comedies (I refuse to call them zomedies, though lots of people apparently do). Okay, so you can have a laugh finding endless gruesome, slapstick ways to get rid of the undead (I’m looking at you here, Zombieland), but I think all zombie stories, whether being played for laughs or not, need a solid plot and characters you give a damn about to succeed.

I’ll be honest, I went into STALLED thinking I was going to hate it, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Watch the trailer then hit the link to read more.

Written by Dan Palmer (who also stars), and directed by Christian James, STALLED is the tale of WC, a building janitor who becomes trapped in the ladies toilet… at Christmas… during the office party… just when the zombie apocalypse kicks off. I know what you’re thinking, but hold on… STALLED actually works!

Reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s early movies, the film moves along at a cracking pace as WC tries to escape from the bathroom (which is rapidly filling up with ravenous corpses). On the face of it, it sounds like a five minute gag that’s been stretched out to feature length, but it’s far, far more than that. Sure, there’s an abundance of zombie pratfalls and plenty of toilet humour (pun completely intended), but it’s all carried off with great style and self-awareness. When WC discovers another survivor hiding in the third cubicle along, a beautifully played out story unfolds of two outsiders coming together under desperate circumstances.

If you haven’t guessed already, I heartily recommend you keep an eye out for STALLED and watch it at your earliest opportunity. Here’s a five minute clip from the beginning of the movie to keep you going until then…

Wayne and I had the opportunity to host a Q&A at Grimm with, amongst others, the producer and director of the movie. I asked where the bizarre idea for the film came from. Christian James explained the genesis was a conversation about trying to survive a zombie attack in an increasingly tight and restricted space. Smaller and smaller scenarios were considered until they ended up with a toilet cubicle. And it struck me while I was watching the film, there’s very little difference between being trapped in an isolated farmhouse or your barricaded home, and an office toilet. Your options are limited, your supplies (if any) will soon become exhausted, and as hard as you’re trying to get out, the living dead will be fighting to get in. So don’t write off the setting for STALLED before you’ve seen the movie… the toilet isn’t somewhere I’d want to be stuck when the dead rise!

The film’s official website can be found here: www.stalledmovie.com, and there are also Facebook and Twitter pages. Keep an eye on these for release details which I’m sure won’t be long coming as the film just won the prestigious Melies D’argent Award at the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival. It’ll be showing as part of the annual Day of the Undead festival in Leicester on 16th November. I’m looking forward to catching it again and hopefully I’ll see some of you there.

Two new UK AUTUMN releases out today

Today sees the launch in the UK of two new AUTUMN releases from Gollancz. First up is THE COMPLETE AUTUMN – an ebook only collection of the five AUTUMN novels (Autumn, The City, Purification, Disintegration and Aftermath) available in all major formats: Kindle / iBook / Nook / Kobo / ePub (Waterstones) / ePub (Hive). A great way to get into the series if you haven’t yet read the books. And don’t forget, for full completeness you can also pick up THE HUMAN CONDITION for the bargain price of £1.99!

Also available from today is the mass market paperback edition of AUTUMN: AFTERMATH (Amazon / Book Depository / Waterstones / Hive / Indiebound). There are a few copies available at www.infectedbooks.co.uk – the Infected Bookstore.

I know many of you are waiting for news about the limited edition AFTERMATH hardcover… it’s coming. I’m sorry it’s taking so long. I’ve been in conversation about it this week and hope to open pre-orders (with a cool little addition for those folks pre-ordering) before the end of October. For those who’ve yet to hear about this project, click this link for more information.

Grimmfest

A quick report back and a word of thanks to the organisers of Grimmfest for having Wayne and I along again this year. Although time restrictions meant we were only there on Sunday, we got to catch up with many fine folk and take in a couple of good movies: WITHER – a passable Swedish Evil Dead-esque tale and STALLED – one of the most original zombie movies I’ve seen in a long time (and yes, people are still making original zombie movies). I’ll get a full write-up of STALLED put together in the coming days. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Highlight of the day, though, was Wayne and I hosting a Q&A with Christian James and Richard Kerrigan (director and producer of STALLED), Paul Davis (director of THE BODY – a great little short) and Dominic Brunt (director of the magnificent BEFORE DAWN and a new short, SHELLSHOCKED). A lot of fun and an appreciative audience.

It’s always great to be at Grimm, and I heartily recommend you try and make next year’s festival if you can. There’s a very cool and relaxed atmosphere, a load of excellent films, and Sim, Steve, and the rest of the guys behind the event are passionate fans of (and contributors to) the horror genre. Watch for Sim’s second feature, WHITE SETTLERS coming soon. Keep an eye on www.grimmfest.com for details of next year’s festival and other screenings and events throughout the year.

Next up for me is SCARDIFF on 27 October at the Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff. I’ll be there all day, alongside a load of great guests including the mighty Bobby Rhodes – Tony the pimp in Lamberto Bava’s classic DEMONS. Ticket prices are held at £6.66 until 13 October, but get in quick because they’re selling fast. More details here at www.scardiff.co.uk.

A few new releases

Don’t get too excited – I don’t have any new titles to announce yet, just a few new editions of older books.

On 10th October, Gollancz will release the mass market UK edition of AUTUMN: AFTERMATH, details of which are here. And on the same day, they’ll also be releasing THE COMPLETE AUTUMN – a collection of the five AUTUMN novels in a single ebook package, great value if you’ve not yet picked up the series.

By the way, I’m still working on the limited edition AFTERMATH hardcover due from Infected Books in collaboration with Gollancz and I should have some news for you shortly. Apologies for the ongoing delay. More information about that project can be found here.

On 15 October, a little later than originally planned, MKrug Verlag will release HERBST: AUSKLANG – the German translation of AFTERMATH. It’s been a long wait for German readers, so I’m really pleased the book will soon be out.

  

And then in December, I’m very excited to announce that Delos will publish AUTUMN in Italian as AUTUMN, L’ATTACO DEI MORTE VIVENTI (which translates to Autumn, Attack of the Living Dead). More details and cover art etc. as I get them.