Michael Bray's Blog, page 4

14/10/13 – New novel in the works / Small presses done well

I finally cleared up my work schedule over this last couple of days, which leaves me in prime position to finally start my next novel, which will be a fictional biopic of Jack The Ripper, the vicious serial killer who terrorised London in 1888 and was never caught.

I have always been fascinated with the Ripper murders, and the idea of writing a fictional story weaved around the historical facts has been in the back of my mind for a while now.  Of course, because of the subject matter, it has meant that I have had to indulge in a ton of research. The amount of reading materials on the subject is huge, which makes the task daunting enough in itself, however when you add that everyone has their own opinion of who was responsible for the murders into the mix, it becomes tough to separate fact from fiction.

I have, however enjoyed spending the last few months researching and reading up on the history, and trying to put myself in the mean streets of East end London in the 1800’s.

 

In more current news, I have recently queried a few selected literary agencies about the possibility of representation for my newly finished novel, FROM THE DEEP. I genuinely feel that the work is my best to date, and I’m curious to see if any agents feel the same. That particular process can take a long time however, so the plan for now is to submit the work and then try to forget about it until the email inbox springs to life with either rejection or, with luck, a request to see more of the work.

As for the more immediate future, the release date for FUNHOUSE is rapidly approaching, and as October 25th draws ever close, I’m starting to get those writers nerves that always happen ahead of any new release.

Oddly, that period between finishing a book and waiting for release day to roll around are always the most stressful for me. I think it’s because there is nothing else I can do to change the work before it goes out for public scrutiny. I suppose as an author, all we can do when that day rolls around is take a deep breath and hope that people go out and buy the book, and that they like it. I like to hope that they will.

Lastly, I was reading something a couple of days ago about what makes for a good small press, and thought it would be an interesting subject to tackle. My own experiences of presses which I have published with, and avoided like the plague might be of interest to some, and although I won’t be naming names of some of the less reputable ones, I think it might be of interest for some people to know what to look out for in presses that do things the right way. Small press is often erroneously assumed to be lesser quality somehow, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are a lot of smaller presses out there who do an amazing job of not only producing top quality, superbly edited books for their readers, but also going above and beyond when it comes to promotion etc. All of this will be covered in my next blog, which I intend to get to you in the next couple of days. For now, work beckons and I should really get back to researching Victorian London for the new book. For anyone who might be interested on learning a bit more about the Jack The Ripper murders, I have found WWW.CASEBOOOK.ORG to be the absolute best source of information online to date. It really is a gruesome story.

 

UPDATE: 10/10/13

Just wanted to give a little update on how things are going, and get into the habit of using this blog more than i have in the past!

first up, my short story collection FUNHOUSE is rapidly nearing release. From october 25th, you will be able to pick it up in both paperback and kindle editions from all the usual places. I will, of course update with links as they go live.

In other news, my novel FROM THE DEEP is now finished, and edited, and so now begins the search for a suitable literary agent for the project. although it sounds biased, FTD is by far my best work, and i am really, really excited to see what public opinion of it is when it is released ( Sometime in 2014)

also coming up, my short story titled ‘LAST CHRISTMAS EVE’ will feature in DIABOLIC TALES III alongside some other superb authors. That one comes o ut on October 31st.

Finally for now, i wanted to thank everyone who has joined me on my social media pages recently. my Facebook author page in particular has gone from strength to strength, and i really enjoy interacting and chatting to everyone on there whenever i can. for those who havent yet liked the page, you can find it HERE.

Facebook users can also take part in the FUNHOUSE ONLINE LAUNCH on the 25th. There will be giveaways galore including free copies of the book and some other swag. click the cover art below to get to the event and join it.

That’s all for now, i have more manuscripts to work on, edits to do and agents/publishers to badger. Thanks for reading.

Welcome

Welcome to my brand new blog. I hope to keep you all up to date on things as they happen re my life as a struggling author. The website at www.michaelbrayauthor.com has just relaunched, so if you get a chance, check it out. You can also connect with me via my Facebook or Twitter accounts, linked at the top of the blog.  Feel free to get in touch for anything at all that you might need.  We are gearing up now for the paperback re-release of WHISPER, and also the pending release of my new short story collection, FUNHOUSE. Check out the cover art for both below and let me know what you think.

  

The paperback copies of my novella MEAT are now available...

The paperback copies of my novella MEAT are now available on Amazon! get it here!

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meat-Michael-Bray/dp/1480290157/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357497356&sr=1-2

US: http://www.amazon.com/Meat-Michael-Bray/dp/1480290157/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357498024&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+bray+meat

 

Christmas Freebie short story!

Hello all! what a great few weeks it has been, with the first draft of WHISPER finished and the amazing sucess of my Novella MEAT ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meat-ebook/dp/B00A5SHYSI/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1354365969&sr=1-5 i would like to post this short holiday themed story for you as a thanks for the immense support you have shown for my writing. i really really do appreciate it. enjoy and remember to let me know what you think either here or over on my facebook author page at: www.facebook.com/michaelbrayauthor

enjoy!

 

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LAST CHRISTMAS EVE

By

Michael Bray

 

 

You know me.

You might not think so, but you do. You might be all grown up now with a wife or a husband who may or may not be faithful to you, or maybe you have kids of your own who for all I know you don’t even like, but that doesn’t matter. Not anymore.

As it happens, I can understand why you might hate them, those kids. Back in the day it was different. Kids appreciated stuff. Their parents, their elders. They had respect. But now all they care about is having the latest gadgets.  It’s all about who said what on Facebook, or who has the latest mobile phone and who got themselves voted out on X- Factor. Somewhere down the line, the wonder of the world was lost, and people stopped believing in magic. Stopped believing in me.

But make no mistake, I’m still here. Always have been.

You will always have me.

You won’t know I’m there. Not unless I want you to, because I’m good.  In fact I’m the best in the business. You might be tempted to confuse that statement for arrogance, but it’s really not. It’s just that I have been doing this gig for a long, long time and as with anything the more you do something the better you get.

As for who am I, or more importantly what I am, well I couldn’t explain really, not fully. But I think I can give you enough of an idea just to move things along. After all, I know you have seen me before. Everyone has at least once. Not full on you understand, as you wouldn’t be able to take it. But I guarantee you have sensed me. Let me tell you what I mean.

I’m that thing.

You know what I’m talking about, the shadow that moves in the corner of the room that you catch a quick glimpse of, the stealthy noise that wakes you at night, or that horrible skin crawling feeling that comes over you completely out of the blue for no reason.

Yep. All me.

You will never see me of course. Not unless I want you to. Like I said, I’m good. After all, I have been visiting you since you were just a kid. I have watched you grow up. I watched you take your first steps, and everything in between all the way up to your first fumble with that girl you had been chasing since you started secondary school, right up to the day you flew the nest and started a family of your own. Ah, they were good times alright, although I prefer the younger years personally.

See it was easier back then. Easier to fuck with your susceptible little mind. That part is always fun— when you are at that ripe age where kids still believe in monsters and boogeymen and things that go bump in the night.

Oh incidentally, you know that feeling when you are just about to fall asleep and you jerk awake for no reason?

Guess who.

Don’t sweat it though, it’s just jest. A way for me to get my kicks and whittle away the boredom whilst I wait. Believe me, one thing you need for this job is patience. Sometimes you don’t have to wait for too long, and in a way those gigs are the best. You can be clinical, efficient. A-Grade professional. But other times it can take a while. Years. And let me tell you there are no breaks, no clocking off at five to go home and put your feet up then repeat the whole process the following day. No sir-ee. When we get assigned to someone, we are there 24/7 until the time is right. Some of the others, they don’t like the long jobs. No patience for it. But me?

I have always liked them. I get a kick out of watching you grow up, watching as the innocence is driven out of you and the cruelty of the world rears its ugly head just before it proceeds to kick you right in the balls. Man, I couldn’t tell you the things I have seen. I have seen good kids go off the rails and become vicious, murderous scum, and I have seen bad kids turn their life around and go on to do great things. Oh that’s another thing you should know. There are no secrets from me. I know everything. Every dirty little private moment that you think is yours alone, I know it. I see it.

Like I said, I’m always with you. From beginning to end, right there by your side. Sometimes I would make myself into a physical form and watch you sleep. I would stand there over your bed, a towering, shapeless, black thing, and I would watch you dream. Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly mischievous, I would touch your cheek and watch as you shuddered and pulled the blankets closer around you. Still dreaming.

Still oblivious.

Want to know just how good I am?

I’m watching you right now, just waiting patiently for you to drift off to sleep. You of course have no idea, as I’m not a physical thing, not yet at least. But you might feel a chill if you walk past the place where I’m waiting. It’s no sweat though. Time doesn’t mean anything to me anyway. Some might say it’s all I have.

Tonight is Christmas Eve. And although I work every day of the year, this is my favourite. The job isn’t always fun, especially as I have a lot of responsibility now. But there is something about Christmas Eve that just… I don’t know. Just makes the entire thing more magical. That reminds me, I should really tell you what I do. All I ask is that you don’t judge me. Like everyone else I have to make a living, and even though it wasn’t my chosen profession, it turned out that it was all I was ever good at.

I take souls.

I know, scary right? Let me give you a second to get over that little snippet whilst I tell you a little bit more. We have time yet…just. I can see you well enough from the shadowy place here in the corner, and even though you are all grown up now I still know when you are getting tired.

Soon then.

I used to be like you. Human I mean. Now of course I’m nothing, a formless thing, an entity. An incorporeal presence. But a long, long time ago I too was made of flesh and bone. I had a family and friends. But the price of immortality is that you have to watch everyone you ever knew die. I’m not bitter about it though, it’s just how it is. For the first few hundred years it plagued me, but I learned to live with it.  Don’t let it bother you. I long ago stopped having such things as feelings anyway, and without the ties of family, I can devote myself fully to what I need to do, which is good news for me and not so good for you.

See, tonight is your night.

Twenty six years I have waited, and I won’t deny that there is a little bit of apprehension, but when it’s time to go it’s time to go. Nothing that anyone can do about that. It’s just how the cookie crumbles. If only you could know. If only you understood that the presents which are arranged neatly under the tree, and the huge turkey on the kitchen counter that is already stuffed and ready to cook are all meaningless, for you at least.

At least it’s a nice night for it. The air is fresh and sharp, and although it’s raining now, I think there is a chance that overnight it could quite easily turn to snow. A white Christmas is always the best kind to get people in the mood I find. It’s a pity that you won’t see it, because soon you will be coming with me.

Don’t be afraid. I’m told it doesn’t hurt.

You won’t even know about it until it’s already done anyway— but I’m getting ahead of myself.

So, whilst we wait on this fine Christmas Eve, let me tell you about death. The ever after. The new life. Whatever you choose to call it. First, some harsh facts.

Heaven and hell? Not as you might expect. The entire notion of a titanic battle between good and evil is nothing more than a pretty decent creative story. You can forget about reincarnation too. It ain’t happening buddy. Same goes for white lights and rose filled gardens where the spirits of the departed loved ones come to meet you and take you into the next life.

Please.

Don’t tell me you ever believed that shit?

If you did you are in for a rude awakening when it’s my ugly ass that greets you and takes you to the other place. Incidentally, you are lucky. You got what we call in the trade an ‘easy’ death. You, my friend are going in your sleep. A nice, peaceful, natural causes removal. That’s what they call it by the way over where I come from. A removal, and let me tell you, going in your sleep is a damn sight better than those waking, painful deaths. The car crashes, and drowning’s, the domestic disputes gone too far. You won’t have to suffer any of that.

So, this is how it will go;

You will go to sleep as you do every night, fully expecting that tomorrow will be a day of joy spent with the family and friends and looking forward to a new year of making resolutions that you know you won’t stick to. Only you won’t see tomorrow. That my friend is a stone cold fact.

I’ll wait until you are sleeping.

I’m not talking about the light, toss and turn crap, I mean the deep, do not disturb type sleep. That’s when ill appear. The room will grow cold, but you will be too far under to notice. Then I’ll take form. I’ll stand over you, the deepest darkest opaque that you could ever imagine, and for a while ill just watch until its time.  Then I’ll reach out my hand, and my fingers, like long tendrils of mist will reach down to your face, and I might whisper in your ear with my dead breath that it will be ok, and then ill open your mouth, and in I go.

You won’t feel it. That I promise.

I’ll go in there and I’ll find the soul. Troublesome things you know are souls. They never quite stay in one place, and tend to get spread out a bit. Some of it will be in the brain, that much is a given. And there is always a big old chunk in the heart. The rest…ah that’s anyone’s guess. Each of us has our own system. Me, I’m methodical. I search every organ, every muscle, and every cell. I’m thorough. I always get all of it.

Incidentally, you know ghosts?

That’s what happens when a less careful of my kind don’t get all of the soul. The parts that are left over roam the earth in a kind of never ending limbo. It’s a horrible, horrible way to go.

Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked.

So I will gather all of the soul. During this time you are still alive by the way. Still breathing. But not for long. I come back out the way I came—through the mouth—and reform by your bed, and bring you with me. Its then that the body dies. See the body is just a machine— and a flawed one at that—. And without the soul to pull the strings, it’s useless.

I always watch the last breath.

Partly to make sure my job is done, and secondly because there is something poetic and beautiful about it. That’s when I know it’s over, and my work is done. Remember the story about how you will go to either heaven or hell depending on how well you lived your life?

Well, that part is kind of true.

In the trade, we call that part the drop off.

Let me try to describe it in a way that your mortal little mind would understand. I’ll be quick though, because I can see you getting ready for bed, not knowing that it will be for the last time.

So, about the drop-off.

Imagine a room. No. scratch that. Imagine a huge chamber stretching as far as the eye can see. A hall if you like with ceilings so high that you can’t see where they end. A room that’s bigger than anything you have ever seen before. Inside are others like you, fresh souls, confused and aware but helpless until we release you. So we wait our turn, and together we go to meet with your purgatory advisor to find out where your final destination will be. These guys can be sour and short with you, but try to remember that they are just trying to do their jobs, and with millions of people to see daily you can forgive then if they are a little abrupt. They will discuss your life with you and more importantly if you made the most of it. See that’s the kicker. If you have done well, and lived a full good life then you will get to go upstairs and enjoy peaceful oblivion, or whatever kind of fuzzy goodness goes on up there.

But.

If you haven’t, then you better be prepared for the other place. The place where I come from. It’s not all fire and brimstone as you might have been led to believe, in fact there is nothing but a cold, black emptiness. It’s lonely, and you will wait there in that void until you are called upon. It could be days, or weeks. More likely months. Sometimes, it’s years. Let me tell you, just floating around in that void is… well for want of a better word, hell. But eventually you will be called in front of him.

Now a word of advice. You don’t want to look him in the eye. In fact don’t say or do anything. You will be assigned a duty, a role to play. You might get one of the shitty jobs. Fucking poltergeists are the lowest of the low, and you don’t wanna get stuck doing that forever. Another one to avoid is becoming a demon. A guy I know got stuck doing that back in the early 1900’s and has been called up by stupid fucking kids playing on their Ouija boards more times than he can remember.

If you are lucky, you might get a gig like mine and become a reaper. It’s a good deal. You get to see the world; you get to watch as human life goes on and spend a lot of time away from that dark pit. I have my fingers crossed for you, but the decision is not mine to make. If you did become a reaper though, I’d like to be the one to train you, show you the ropes. After all I have been so invested in your life it only seems right.

Ahh, there you go now. You have just climbed into bed, and I can see how tired you are. Say goodnight to the world buddy, it’s almost time.

Anyway, I digress.

I really do hope you become a reaper. Of course I’m sure you would prefer to go up there and live in with the good people but…

Man this bit is always hard to say.

You haven’t led a perfect life. Not bad by any means, just not perfect. Truth is you are borderline. I have watched you and willed you to do something worthwhile, but like it is with so many of you humans, it’s always tomorrow. Always soon. Never today. You have had a life of indifference and I have to be honest its borderline as to which way it’s going to go for you. Like it is with so many humans, you waited too long, spent too many wasted hours out drinking or sitting in front of the TV and wasting the time you have. And now, I’m worried that it’s too late.

Ahh, there you go.

Deep sleep.

Its time, but don’t worry ill look after you.

Just like I promised, I’m beside your bed. You look so innocent in sleep. So unaware of what’s about to happen.

Ah, would you look at that!

It’s snowing outside. It looks like it might be a white Christmas after all. Not for you though. For you it’s time to go. I open your mouth and hesitate. It really is a beautiful night. Like I said I’m pretty sure this won’t hurt, but I have been wrong before. I wonder which way it will go for you? Either way, ill whisper it in your ear anyway. It only seems fitting for such a beautiful night.

Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

‘MEAT’ Released!

 

 

My new novella MEAT is out NOW.

Get the kindle edition FREE until DECEMBER 5th from Amazon here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meat-ebook/dp/B00A5SHYSI/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1354365969&sr=1-5

If you don’t have a kindle, you can

 get the kindle app for IPhone & Android from the relevant web store, or for PC here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311

The paperback and hardback editions can be purchased through my website.

See http://www.michael-bray.com/Shops.aspx for details!

 

MEAT Released December 1st! kindle edition FREE for first 5 days

 

My new Novella, MEAT will be released on December 1st. it will be released on Kindle and completely free for the first 5 days of sale. there will also be a paperback edition, and a super limited edition hardback version too. check below for pricing and synopsis and enjoy the book!

pricing will be as follows: 

Kindle £ 1.30 ( FREE for first 5 days of release)

Paperback: £7.00

Limited edition Hardback: £14.40

 

DARK CORNERS ( U.S)

DARK CORNERS ( U.S)

Get Dark Corners in time for Halloween! read what the critics say!

Review from Horrornews.net

With DARK CORNERS – Twelve Tales of Terror, British author Michael Bray has crafted a world of myriad horrors. The stories, varied and unique as they are, recall the tone of King’s early works and apply the old-school Rod Serling “extraordinary-in-the-ordinary” formula with great effect.

Experimental, but with clear respect for traditional horror conventions, Bray’s style is fresh and accessible to cross-genre readers. The man has clearly tapped the central nerve of the horror wellspring, delivering tale after tale of gut-wrenching, hair tearing, palm sweating anxiety—but in an artful manner.

The violence, though undoubtedly present, rarely rises to what I would consider gratuitous levels—by today’s standards anyway… It’s not used as a crutch; it simply is what it needs to be… The real beauty of these stories lies in the psychological buildup. The foreshadowing is skillfully handled through intermittent flashbacks and flash-forwards, glimpses around corners, character promotions, subtle shifts in narrative tone; but more often than not this is clever misdirection on the author’s part.

 

With subtle crisscrossing storylines, Bray lures the reader into a reality that is no more than a shadowy reflection of our own; where the supernatural always lurks just below the surface, and occasionally comes up for air. Here the demons mingle with the mortals, outcomes resound with a sense of maniacal predestination, and evil is often presented as an inherent aspect of the human condition.

The stories are well developed, each having their individual charms, but several stand out as a cut above the rest:

In “No Rest For the Wicked” a death-row inmate relates his horrific exploits as a serial killer to a surprise visitor on the day of his execution; a visitor who offers deliverance in the form of a job offer.

“The Prank” recalls a horrific childhood accident in which the narrator and two friends contributed to the death of an awkward classmate, with horrific results.

“Tina” is an artfully rendered take on the Daemon Lover theme – quite stirring.

In “No.5 Sycamore Street” a reformed mob enforcer who’s found religion finds himself soliciting at the wrong door—the wrong door indeed.

“A Strange Affair” depicts the terrifying breakdown of relations between an expatriate couple in Rio, Brazil.

“Victor,” perhaps my favorite story of the lot, relates the story of a fat-cat mob boss who, through his arrogance, is lured into a hostile situation by a long-time rival. But nothing is as it seems.

DARK CORNERS is the sort of book you’ll find yourself continually revisiting—still managing to catch you off guard even through multiple reads.
Bray is most definitely an exciting new voice in the field of horror fiction, and one I look forward to hearing more from in the future.

FREE Novella details / FROM THE DEEP/ WHISPER News/ Perils of the writing process.

In the post directly below this one, you will see the cover-art for a new novella titled MEAT, which is to be released in December in E-Book format. the book will be absolutely, 100% FREE for the first FIVE DAYS of its release, then will be available at a very low price of £1, or the non-U.K equivalent in other territories. in addition, the book will contain an exclusive sneak peek at the first two chapters of my next feature novel titled WHISPER, which is provisionally planned for release in the spring/summer of 2013.

In other news, i recently started work on a new story which i am incredibly excited about called FROM THE DEEP. I cant really give too much information away yet, but i have already drawn up some cover art which you can see over on my Facebook author page here: www.facebook.com/MichaelBrayAuthor so please drop by and check it out if you can ( and maybe give the page a like too!) 

Finally for this entry, The first draft of WHISPER is coming along really well, and has just past the 45,000 word mark. based on that i would guess that the final first draft will probably come in at around 120-130,000 words, and knowing my usual style of editing involves adding rather than taking away it could yet end up even larger. either way i’m excited to be nearing completion, and hope to have the first draft done before the end of the year. with editing to take place from January.

Lastly, i have noticed that the secont part of my ‘ Not as easy as you think’ blog on the perils of the writing process has still not been posted. apologies for that, i have been a little snowed under with DARK CORNERS and it fell by the wayside. ill be posting it up over the next few days for anyone who wanted to see the next bit

until then thanks for reading, and dont forget to follow my FACEBOOK as well as TWITTER social media sites for more news, info and ramblings.

Take care!

Michael.

 

 

Cover art for MEAT

Cover art for the upcoming Novella titled MEAT.