Jeff Strand's Blog, page 84

Fun, Fun, Work, Work, Work

Tonight: An advance screening of You’re Next!

Tomorrow: A triple feature of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, preceded by a visit to a British pub to get in the proper mindset. (I don’t drink, but I pretty much HAVE to get a pint, right?)

And then: writing, writing, writing, writing, writing, writing, and writing. 

 

Update On Writing Stuff (August 21st Edition)

Not much variety to report this week, either. The only project I worked on was my novel Kumquat, which is far enough along that I really need to seriously consider a new title besides Kumquat. (That was originally just a joke placeholder title, then I decided that I really liked it, and though it IS relevant, I think a title like that could create an immediate marketing hurdle.)

I’m still planning to have the book done by the end of August, though I might be a sweetie and give myself until September 1st.

Meanwhile, I got an e-mail from a filmmaker expressing interest in doing a short film based on one of my stories, featuring a character that many of you know and love. More updates as I’ve got ‘em…

KUTTER: Solo Edition!

So I wrote this novella called Kutter. It’s one of my favorites of my books, and the closest I’ve ever come to the story in my head matching the story on the page. It’s about a ghastly serial killer whose perspective on life changes when he finds a lost Boston terrier, and if you’re into heartwarming tales about sociopaths, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Kutter was originally published as a hardcover limited edition. Even by the standards of the collector’s edition market, it was one expensive book, and the print run was looooow. It was an ultra-snazzy looking book, with several interior illustrations by Tom Moran that are forever exclusive to that edition, but obviously there was always going to be a version of the book aimed at readers.

When it came time to get a new edition of the book out to the masses, Michael McBride and I discussed the idea of combining Kutter with his novella Remains in a single book. The books themselves aren’t connected, but there’s a lot of crossover in our respective fan bases. The advantages were clear:

1. More value for the reader. This turned it into a novel-length book. 

2. Cross-marketing. A reader might buy the book specifically for my story or Mike’s, read the other one, and then become a devoted, passionate, lifelong, stalkerish fan.

But there was also a possible stumbling block. Readers might say “Gosh, I sure do enjoy the masterful tales of author Michael McBride, but that Jeff Strand loser can suck it. As much as I’d like to read Remains, I’m not going to pay for half a book. That would be the actions of a crazy person, and I’m not crazy, damn you! Damn all of you who say that I am!!!“

Would we be doubling our audience…or halving it?

Ultimately we decided to go with the double-novella idea. And thus The Mad And The Macabre was unleashed upon the world. 

And……………I won’t say that the book tanked, but sales were significantly lower than our solo projects.

In the end, we realized that readers probably weren’t saying “Ooh! Ooh! I was going to buy Kutter anyway, so Remains is just an extra bonus!” For the most part, if people weren’t interested in BOTH novellas, they didn’t buy the collection. 

Therefore, we now present, Kutter and Remains, the solo editions!

A scant $1.99 each. Buy one or buy them both. We’ll love you either way.

Click HERE for Kutter.

Click HERE for Remains.

 

Update On Writing Stuff (August 14th Edition)

Not a lot of variety to report this week. I’ve crossed the 250-page mark on Kumquat, and it’s still on track to be finished by the end of the month. Which means that I’m getting pretty close to the point where I have to decide if I’m really going to call the novel Kumquat. 

Did some research for the project I mentioned last time that I can’t talk about. But now you know that it involves research! Whoa! Spoiler!

Sunday night, I came up with a cool idea for the opening of a story, so I wrote 2 1/2 pages of that. And now it’s being put aside, because I can’t get distracted with other stuff right now. But this may end up being my next novella for DarkFuse. 

 

Horror World Reviews DEAD CLOWN BARBECUE!

The digital edition of Kutter was supposed to be up today, but it’s gotten stuck in the Amazon review process, and probably won’t be available before my bedtime tonight. Watch for it tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, though, Horror World has posted a review of Dead Clown Barbecue. What did they say? Were they nice? Did they praise it…or eviscerate it? Would I actually share a link to a horrible review here? I might, if it were entertaining enough. Is this an entertainingly horrible review, or does it say sweet, lovey-dovey things? Click the link below and find out for yourself…

http://horrorworld.org/hw/2013/08/dead-clown-barbecue/

Update On Writing Stuff (August 7th Edition)

Okay, time for my latest sort-of weekly update on writing-related stuff. I did finish the introduction for the New England Horror Writers anthology Wicked Seasons, and editor Stacey Longo Harris said that she loved it, which is much better than her saying “WTF is this crap?!? You’ve ruined us! Ruined us!”

I reviewed the proofreader’s comments on I Have a Bad Feeling About This. We’re now at the point where I can only change things that are actual errors (as opposed to “This joke would be funnier if he said ‘whack-job’ instead of ‘whack-nut’”), which is usually when every flaw in the book screams “Look at me! Look at me!“, but the process of going through this book yet again wasn’t too painful. The book has Wilderness Survival Facts sprinkled throughout, none of them useful, and though I had written them as separate pages between chapters, they’re going to be sidebars–an awesome idea.

I got my feedback on the Pressure screenplay. It’s not like “Okay, change this one name and you’re DONE!!!” but the second draft won’t be nearly as brutal as I might have expected.

This week I’ll be getting a contract for a short but very cool new project. A form of writing I’ve never done before. Rampant speculation is welcome, though I’m not gonna confirm or deny a damn thing.

A new digital edition of Kutter will be out on Monday. It’s the same novella that appeared in The Mad & The Macabre, but Michael McBride and I have decided to try selling our individual books separately. I’ll be posting an essay here about the reasoning for that and “perceived value” when it comes out.

And I’m back into Kumquat. I’ve passed the 200-page mark, and if this were one of my usual really short novels, I’d be shouting “I can almost see the finish line!” But this one will be longer, so I’m closer to the middle than the end, but I’m hoping to finish it up before the end of August. Stay tuned here for updates on whether I succeed or shamefully fail.

Coming Next Monday…

 

Cover by Lynne Hansen. 

DEAD CLOWN BARBECUE: The Digital Edition!

Okay, the hardcover edition of Dead Clown Barbecue is now appearing in mailboxes across the planet, so I’m pleased to announce that the digital edition is now available!

Twenty-nine stories! Including a brand-new one about a spooky ventriloquist dummy! Those things freak you out, don’t they? THERE’S ONE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!! If that were the truth, you’d be dead by now, so it’s important to read “Dummy” in my collection Dead Clown Barbecue to acquaint yourself with the danger. Or maybe it’s a NICE spooky ventriloquist dummy. You’ll have to read the book to find out. Also, the dummy story has sex in it.

90,000 words’ worth of stuff for a mere $2.99! That’s insanity! It’s madness! Get it HERE, before it sells out*!

Digital edition cover by Lynne Hansen. 

*E-books don’t sell out. You’ll be fine. 

 

Welcome to Gleefully Macabre!

Welcome to my website! Whether you were brought here by interest in my work or a Google search gone terribly wrong, I encourage you to hang around and start clicking away!

My second short story collection, Dead Clown Barbecue, is now available! Twenty-nine stories! 90,000 words of material! Get the Kindle edition for $2.99 or the paperback/deluxe hardcover editions from Dark Regions Press.

My new novella, Stalking You Now, is now available for your Kindle or Kindle app (other digital editions forthcoming) from DarkFuse. Grab yourself a copy from Amazon.

My young adult comedy, A Bad Day For Voodoo, is now available at a bookstore near you from Sourcebooks, or online in e-book and paperback editions!

And my novels Pressure and Dweller have both returned in shiny new digital editions, for a scant $2.99 each!

Finally, all four novels in the Andrew Mayhem series are available in a $7.99 digital box set, with a brand-new foreword by James A. Moore!

(P.S.: People who leave reviews on Amazon deserve great big hugs!)

Friend me on Facebook ! Follow me on Twitter ! Like my Facebook Fan Page! Friend me on Goodreads!

Interview With Filmmaker Chris Woods

I first met Chris Woods in 2002 at the Saints & Sinners Film Festival, where his pseudo-documentary BLEED was screening. Since then, his smiling face has popped up at almost every horror-themed event I’ve attended, including Spooky Empire, The Halloween Horror Picture Show, and the Cult Movie Mania Screaming Cinema Series…and almost every time I see the guy, he’s got a new movie! It’s insane! He also edited THE UH-OH SHOW, in which I have a 15-second screen appearance, and BRAINJACKED, from which I was cut. Every time I see a BRAINJACKED DVD I take a shotgun to it, but this interview is not about petty vengeance.

Chris Woods’ new feature film, AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST makes it world premiere this Friday, August 2nd, at the Tampa Pitcher Show.

JS: As is evident from the above poster, AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST looks like it fits right in with your oeuvre of family-friendly entertainment. Why not make a NICE movie?

CW: Nice movies are boring and not fun to make. In my opinion movies that are shocking and that are outrageous are the best to make and are fun to watch. Who knows if I’ll ever make a nice movie. Maybe in my old age, but by then I’ll probably be making even crazier movies.

JS: You’re a writer, producer, editor, and director. Which of those roles is your favorite?

CW: I’ll have to say directing and editing. I love directing actors and making my stories come to life. Editing also is fun and at times very underrated. Editing can make or break a film. If you have a bad editor your film will suck even if you have a big budget and a talented cast and crew. Editing makes everything come together.

JS: Almost every time I go to a horror film festival, there’s a new Chris Woods project! What’s your secret to being so prolific?
 

CW: Filmmaking is like a drug to me. I can never get enough and it is an addiction. I’m always thinking of new movie ideas all the time and never get tired of making films. Also the more films I make the better I get.

JS: You put your love of exploitation films to productive use with your web series THE SLEAZE BOX. If somebody were reading an interview with you, and the interviewer mentioned THE SLEAZE BOX in one of the questions, and the reader of that interview wanted to know what THE SLEAZE BOX was, what would you tell them?

CW: The Sleaze Box is a show with two hardcore fans of horror and exploitation films and we give our insight on rare films from that genre. We talk about top 5 lists from a number of topics ranging from top 5 underrated zombie films to top 5 grindhouse actresses of the 1970s. And if you want to check out our show go to our channel on YouTube, thesleazebox and subscribe. Join The Sleaze Box revolution!

JS: People who want to know your favorite horror films can watch THE SLEAZE BOX. What are some of your favorite NON-horror films?

CW: My favorite non-horror films are Star Wars, Goodfellas, Memento, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Taxi Driver, 12 Angry Men, Scarface, Boogie Nights, just to name a few. I like all types of films with horror being my favorite but I’m also a fan of many other genres. A film just has to be good and have all the right elements for myself to like it.

JS:  I see you at horror-themed events several times a year, and yet not once have I seen you dressed like Vic Van Viper. Why the hell not?

CW: Wow! Vic Van Viper, that’s going way back from my Creeping Death/Bleed days. Never thought of dressing up like him again. It has been so long. I use to dress up as that character when he was called the Red Freak back in the 90s when I had my horror series Creeping Death on closed circuit TV in Tampa. Maybe I’ll bring that character back one of these days.

JS: I will definitely be at the world premiere of AMERIKAN HOLOKAUST at the Tampa Pitcher Show at 10:30 PM on Friday, August 2nd, with you and screenwriter John Miller in attendance.  Others may be on the fence. How would you convince them that they NEED to go!

CW: Come out and see Amerikan Holokaust on August 2nd. This is a film that the world didn’t want you to see. So, to see what all the fuss is all about go see this movie. It’s a roller coaster ride that you will never forget and will never leave your head once you laid eyes on it. Come and see the demented masterpiece that myself and John Miller created. You won’t regret it. And thank you for your support.

For more information on the Cult Movie Mania Screaming Cinema Series, click HERE! And to learn more about Chris Woods, visit his Icon Studios website right HERE!