David Moody's Blog, page 91

Recommended Reading – FEVER

My good friend Wayne Simmons is back with the sequel to his hugely successful book FLU – FEVER. Here's the blurb:

"A deadly strain of flu has mysteriously mutated, causing the deaths of millions throughout Ireland and beyond. But the infected don't stay dead for long, rising up to become flesh-eating monsters.

In a quarantined lab just outside Belfast, lab worker Ellis and security guard Abe fight their way through corridors of the living dead, determined to expose a gruesome truth.

Ageing conspiracy theorist Tom wracks his brain to figure out what went wrong.

Meanwhile, a young child and her two unlikely wards find themselves in the middle of a cat and mouse game involving the remains of the military, a covert government department and the ever increasing throng of dead.  The fate of humanity lies in their hands."

I enjoyed FEVER a huge amount, perhaps even more than I did FLU. It takes a fresh approach to some tried and tested zombie horror themes and it dovetails beautifully into the first book, acting both as a sequel and prequel and terrifically broadening the overall story. As always, the book is populated by a disparate cast of survivors (and victims!) and the book rattles along at a frantic pace, never outstaying its welcome.

I took the opportunity to ask Wayne about FEVER, and how things have changed for him following the huge success of FLU.

He's very honest about how the sales of FLU and subsequent translation deals (the book's already been sold to Germany, Spain and Turkey) took him by surprise. "I didn't expect even a fraction of the success that the book enjoyed, so a lot of time was spent simply staring into space, open-mouthed, thinking, WHAT THE FUCK?! With FEVER, I guess there's pressure to maintain that high, and with it, the fear that I won't. I try not to focus on it all too much, but I would be lying to say it doesn't matter to me: I'm not some literary dude, writing for art's sake. I want to write books that people want to read, and sales figures are an indication, I guess, as to how many people want to read my stuff."

"It's incredible to think that people in Germany, Austria, Spain and Turkey are either reading or soon to be reading my Belfast-based apoc horror novels. It's still early days, but both DROP DEAD GORGEOUS and FLU were received very well in Germany and Austria at pre-order stage, meaning further copies needed to be printed prior to each book's release."

Up next for Wayne (as well as a third book in the FLU series) is DOLL PARTS – the sequel to DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, his 2008 debut: a Belfast-bound apocalyptic novel in which the survivors of a cataclysmic event are besieged by the reanimated female dead. "With DDG, the focus was mostly on the human survivors, and the book could be described as very character-driven in that sense. With DOLL PARTS, the characters are still front and centre, but the tempo has been cranked up, the book firing along at a much more intense pace, with lots more focus on the reanimated dead. It's a very different take on the zombie story to FLU. I often describe this series as my contribution to the bizarro sub-genre."

Wayne and his partner Rebecca recently decamped to Cardiff, and the change in lifestyle is clearly paying dividends on a number of levels. As well as setting up a pet sitting business (quick plug here for Walk n' Roll!), he's now able to devote much more time to his writing and to promoting his work at every available opportunity. "Location-wise, I'm able to get out and about more to conventions and events, which has been great. I've met some cool new people, had a laugh, and couldn't be more excited about the future."

Great bloke, great books. Thanks Wayne! FLU, FEVER and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS are available now from Snowbooks, with DOLL PARTS to follow in April.

Recommended Reading – FEVER is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Starburst Magazine

If you've read a lot of the interviews I've done over the years, you'll no doubt have heard me moaning about what a pain in the backside it was to be a horror fan growing up in the UK in the 1980′s. Pressure applied by certain areas of the media resulted in legislation being passed which saw most horror movies being labelled Video Nasties and banned. Hammer, Amicus and Universal horrors managed to scrape through, but if you were hoping to watch anything by Romero or Cronenberg, for example, you were out of luck.

In the early 1980′s, however, I discovered something which helped ease the frustration – Starburst magazine. I found it by chance in a newsagents and begged my mom for 60p (I think) to buy issue 3, and I bought pretty much every edition thereafter for many years. The magazine lasted until issue 365, then folded. Along the way Starburst managed to open my eyes to some magnificent movies which I'd otherwise have heard nothing about back in those pre-Internet, pre-home video, only three channels on TV days. One edition in particular always stuck with me: issue 48. I've posted the cover here, and I can still clearly remember my parents mumbling to each other, arguing whether or not this was the kind of thing they wanted their eleven year-old lad to be reading… Thankfully they let me have it, and I got my first real introduction (albeit just via text and black and white pictures) to zombies and the films of Romero, Fulci and the like.

Starburst reappeared online last year, and has now made the transition back to print with issue 374. I've just received a copy of the latest edition, and I'm really pleased to report that it's bloody brilliant.

It's another zombie special, and the editorial even mentions the last zombie-themed edition – good old number 48 from August 1982!

To find out more and pick up a copy for yourself, visit the official website here. While you're there, you can download pdf copies of some of the original issues. If you're as old as me you'll have a lot of fun reading through the old digitised editions. The memories will come flooding back…

I wish the people behind the mag every success. Congratulations on the relaunch, and long may Starburst continue!

Starburst Magazine is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH – Jackson

Let me briefly introduce you to Alan Jackson. Jackson made his first appearance in the original HUMAN CONDITION anthology (long-time readers will probably remember him more clearly when they read next week's free short). He also plays a key role in the final AUTUMN book – AUTUMN: AFTERMATH – out next month.

Click here to visit www.lastoftheliving.net and read a quick introduction to Jackson in his own words, then come back again next week to find out how this very focused and insular man deals with the discovery of another lone survivor and a school gym full of dead people!

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH – Jackson is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The Many Moods of David Moody

You know sometimes when it gets close to your birthday and you start to get the feeling someone's planning something for you? I felt like that last November. As my birthday approached, my wife seemed to be more and more on edge, checking with me every day to see if a particular parcel had arrived from America while she was out at work. It eventually did arrive – the day before my birthday – and was immediately snatched from my hands by one of my daughters.

I didn't think a lot of it until the next day, when I received the most amazing birthday present I've ever been given.

I was presented with a book. Not just any book, you understand – this was a true one-off. Until now there was only one copy in existence, and for good reason. The book (with the snappy title The Many Moods of David Moody) contained more than twenty short stories about me on my birthday, written by various members of 'Moody's Survivors'. Me going insane in space as a result of my love of Apple products (thanks to Joe McKinney), me inadvertently triggering the Day of the Triffids (courtesy of Paul Huggins), and several stories involving strippers, chocolate, 80′s pop music, rugby and Twilight – some including all of the above. Needless to say, you won't be able to buy this book in the shops anytime soon!

The purpose of this long delayed post is two-fold. Firstly, and most importantly, it's another very public thank you to everyone involved with the production of the book, in particular Shawn Riddle who coordinated the project and who managed to extract a huge amount of personal information (very easily, I might add) from my wife, Lisa. Secondly – and this is the reason for the delay – I wanted to let all the contributors know that copies of the book are finally on their way out to you. They were shipped from America, held up over Christmas, and held up again in customs, but they're finally about to be posted out.

Thanks again to everyone involved: Shawn Riddle, Steven Caunt, Dave Lightfoot, Charlie Morgan, Rebecca Besser, Joe McKinney, Emma Bunn, Jeremy L Mahan, Timothy W Long, Chip Fehd, Suzanne Robb, Theresa Derwin, J Rodimus Fowler, Jami Sroka, Clare Allington, Paul S Huggins, David Naughton-Shires, Ryan J Fleming, Matt Nord, Rich Hawkins, Jimi Belshaw, Shaun T Page, Lyle Perez-Tinics, and Lisa and Becca Moody.

Best birthday present ever.

The Many Moods of David Moody is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The Mammoth Book of Body Horror

I'm very pleased to announce my involvement in this new anthology, out March 1st in the UK from Constable & Robinson and June in the US through Running Press. The book's been put together by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan, and it looks like being an absolute cracker. Just check out the stunning table of contents at the end of this post. I feel wholly inadequate being listed alongside King, Herbert, Matheson and Poe, as well as the original short stories that inspired two of my favourite films of all time (THE FLY and THE THING).

You can order it now from AMAZON.CO.UK, WATERSTONES, the BOOK DEPOSITORY and all the other usual sites.

I'll also be taking part in a couple of events to mark the release of the book. On Saturday 10th March I'll be at Chesterfield Library for a reading followed by a Q&A with Simon Clark and the editors. On 14th and 15th April I'll be at alt.fiction at Phoenix in Leicester. More details about that event shortly.

MAMMOTH BOOK OF BODY HORROR table of contents:

TRANSFORMATION by Mary Shelley; THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe; HERBERT WEST: RE-ANIMATOR by H.P. Lovecraft; WHO GOES THERE?  John W. Campbell; THE FLY by George Langelaan; TIS THE SEASON TO BE JELLY by Richard Matheson; SURVIVOR TYPE by Stephen King; THE BODY POLITIC by Clive Barker; THE CHANEY LEGACY by Robert Bloch; THE OTHER SIDE by Ramsey Campbell; FRUITING BODIES by Brian Lumley; FREAKTENT by Nancy A. Collins; REGION OF THE FLESH by Richard Christian Matheson; WALKING WOUNDED by Michael Marshall Smith; CHANGES by Neil Gaiman; OTHERS by James Herbert; THE LOOK by Christopher Fowler; RESIDUE by Alice Henderson; DOG DAYS by Graham Masterton; BLACK BOX by Gemma Files; THE SOARING DEAD by Simon Clark; POLYP by Barbie Wilde; ALMOST FOREVER by David Moody; BUTTERFLY by Axelle Carolyn; STICKY EYE by Conrad Williams.

The Mammoth Book of Body Horror is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH

With the US release of AUTUMN: AFTERMATH now just over a month away (UK and German releases to follow later in 2012) I thought it was about time I told you a little more about the book. I've deliberately not said too much, because this is a direct sequel to both PURIFICATION and DISINTEGRATION and it was important for everyone to have had chance to read the preceding books first.

So, to whet your appetites, here's the blurb…

"It's been almost one hundred days since a killer disease wiped out 99% of the population. Three months since the dead reanimated. Survivors are few and far between now, and those who remain stick together to give themselves the best possible chance of continuing to stay alive. They are the last of the living.

A band of refugees has taken shelter in a medieval castle – a fortress that has stood strong for hundreds of years. Besieged by the dead, they only emerge when it's absolutely necessary. As autumn turns to winter, however, the balance of power slowly begins to shift.

The unexpected appearance of survivors from another group changes everything. They bring choice, and an alternative way of life which is a far cry from the world everyone has been forced to leave behind. Society as we know it has crumbled beyond repair and things will never be the same again. Some people are ready to embrace this change, others can't let go of the past. The choice is divisive.

Are we entering mankind's final days? In the aftermath of the disease, will the last survivors destroy each other, or will the dead destroy them all?"

Just to clear up any confusion, this is very definitely the final book in the AUTUMN timeline. There are a few more short stories to share, but is the last chapter in the series. And yes, in case you're wondering, the 'survivors from another group' mentioned in the blurb are from the island of Cormansey…

Next week I'll introduce you to one of the key characters from the book, and those of you who read THE HUMAN CONDITION first time around might remember him!

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The AUTUMN artists – Dan Boucher

Continuing my series of articles featuring the fine folks who've contributed artwork to www.lastoftheliving.net, here's a long overdue piece on the great Dan Boucher – excellent artist, Flash guru, and founder of www.thenovelblog.com. I recently talked to Dan about his techniques, philosophies and inspirations. But first, a quick reminder of his work. Dan's the man behind the animated artwork for Duck and Cover which you might remember from last year. If not, click on the image below.

Dan recently gave the Hater website (www.thehatertrilogy.com) a lick of paint, turning an image of a Lowestoft housing estate (home to Danny McCoyne in THEM OR US) into a post-apocalyptic ruin. He has a talent for manipulating images, as can be seen from the before/after pictures below.

I first 'met' Dan when he featured HATER and a subsequent interview with myself on his site www.thenovelblog.com. He produced a striking animation for the top of the page, which impressed me so much he was the first person I thought of to ask to work on the idea I had for Duck and Cover. I knew what I wanted to illustrate the story, but it was way beyond my very limited technical and artistic skills. He turned this photograph of Birmingham City Centre into the image at the top of this post.

I asked Dan how he approaches his work – does he consider the technical or the artistic side of things first? He explained that he has no formal training in either, and that he's completely self-taught on all counts. "I've always enjoyed being creative and the creative, be it another artist's work, taking time to draw with a pencil and paper or creating a functional software that's aesthetically pleasing—an art form I might add, all its own. It's not easy to design interfaces for end users, they're picky and usually have a tech-level that hovers just above dangerous. There's a fine line between looking good and being functional, and the real art for me anyway, lies in finding that balance."

Dan's now branched out with a new company, Wicked Concept Creations. For him it marks the first step in moving from building data-driven applications to creative content. It's something he's been looking to do for a while, and already he has some impressive clients including a major Hollywood FX company and a film score producer. "I'm really looking to step into the creative side of entertainment in a big way and being able to feature work like I've done for you goes a long way. I've no delusions about this though, I know it's a lot of time and effort and can be a significant source of stress, but I'm passionate about books and movies, so it never really comes across as work."

I asked Dan about www.thenovelblog.com. Launched in December 2008, it aims to provide independent, unbiased book reviews. "I've often struggled with the spending of $25 – $30 on a hardback that reviewers had raved on and on about how awesome it was, only to find out that, well, it sucked. I'm also extremely aggravated by all those "reviewers" out there who give a book a one-star review on Amazon with nothing more to say than they hated it. No reason as to why or where it fell short, they simply hated it. To me, that's not a review, that's another author who's jealous over someone else's success. My point is if it sucked, say so, just back it up with facts—which is what I hope we do."

As an aspiring author himself, he's well aware of the 'reviews game'  played by some publishers and writers. "If you read one of our reviews, you can rest assured that there's no outside influence, it's simply our opinion."

Dan cites Stephen King as his foremost literary inspiration. With CUJO, King opened the floodgates for him to devour any books he could find by a wide range of authors including Peter Straub, Richard Matheson, Peter Benchly and William Blatty. "I would love to be a full-time writer," he says, "and that is my ultimate goal." And after a number of false-starts, he feels that 2012 will be the year he makes it happen.

I want to wish Dan the very best, both with his writing and with Wicked Concept Creations, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him again for the AUTUMN and HATER-related artwork he's provided. Cheers Dan!

The AUTUMN artists – Dan Boucher is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

THEM OR US – audiobook out today

I'm thrilled to announce that the audiobook version of THEM OR US is out today. Released by Blackstone Audio, and available in a variety of formats, it's again narrated by Gerard Doyle who did such a great job with his readings of HATER and DOG BLOOD.

I'll update this post as soon as the usual Audible and iTunes download links appear.

Special thanks to Shawn who campaigned for this release. I don't know if they bowed to your pressure or whether the book was in the pipeline anyway, but thanks all the same!

THEM OR US – audiobook out today is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Scream Magazine issue 9

I always like to mention new issues of SCREAM magazine when they're released, because I think it's a genuinely great publication – a mag for real fans of the horror genre.

In this issue, as well as the usual reviews and interviews, there's an excellent article on the history of the zombie from the Voodoo movies of the early 1930′s, right through to The Walking Dead and the sudden surge of mainstream popularity the living dead currently enjoys. Great stuff. You can get hold of copies from all branches of Forbidden Planet in the UK, or by clicking here.

Scream Magazine issue 9 is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

So what exactly is ISOLATION going to be?

A new post over at the ISOLATION website sheds a little light on what we're intending to do with this project. Please read the piece and, if you're interested, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. More updates coming very soon.

So what exactly is ISOLATION going to be? is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series