James A. Moore's Blog, page 2

BLOODLINES is available for pre-order

So here's the cover for BLOODLINES by the ever amazing Edward Miller. This is the third and final book in the BLOOD RED series. If all goes according to plan BLOOD HARVEST will be available as a trade paperback and e-book within the next couple of months. 


 


Click cover for larger image Bloodlines (Halloween 2019) A novel by James A. Moore
Cover & signature page artwork by Edward Miller


SYNOPSIS:Black Stone Bay has seen more than its fair share of violence and bloodshed, death and disease, and still it perseveres.
All that has happened to the town could be placed on the vampire known as Jason Soulis. He has made the 'Bay his petri dish upon which to create new, stronger versions of the undead. He has watched as first a plague of vampires attacked the town and then a plague created by vampires spread an unholy infection through the area, killing young and old, weak and strong, without bias. Soulis has spent over a hundred years attempting to make the perfect predator.
One of his nightmares left wandering Black Stone Bay has a new target and this time that victim takes matters into her own hands. She calls on a man who saved her once before, Jonathan Crowley, the man called the Hunter. That would hardly concern Soulis, safe and thousands of miles away, but something from his past has come to haunt him. One of his experiments he'd long forgotten has come back from the dead and intent on only one thing: destroying Soulis and all that he has ever cared for.
The bloodlines that Jason Soulis has created are gathering now for one final conflict, and Black Stone Bay is the battlefield where all will be decided. Blood will flow and the town will again be reminded that the night has very sharp teeth.


500 numbered hardcovers, offset printed, Smyth sewn, bound in cloth, with special endpapers, and signed by Moore$4515 lettered, traycased hardcovers, book and traycase completely hand made using the finest materials, and signed by Moore and Miller, $TBDInquire about a
Lettered Copy
Click here to order a copy

PRAISE FOR JAMES A. MOORE:"A vampire tour de force. James Moore outdoes himself with BLOOD HARVEST, the sequel to his absolutely fantastic novel BLOOD RED. As I come to expect from Paul at Earthling, the book itself is first rate and the cover art is fantastic. If you haven’t had a chance to see the quality books that Earthling puts out, then now is your chance."
—Famous Monsters of Filmland"The sequel to BLOOD RED by Bram Stoker nominee Moore combines strong storytelling and solid characters to produce a sometimes violent, sometimes eerily moody horror novel filled with vampire lore. The author’s fans and lovers of vampire fiction will grab this tale of a town under siege.."
—Library Journal"In BLOOD HARVEST, Moore reminds us why he is one of horror’s most reliable novelists. I can think of no writer, other than King, who gives us such strong characters. That makes the horror that follows all the more heinous. BLOOD HARVEST is terror at its finest, and James A. Moore comfortably sits at the top of horror’s pantheon of greats. Highly recommended."
—Mark Justice, POD OF HORROR"BLOOD HARVEST is spectacular. It rivals the original book (BLOOD RED) in terms of quality, intensity, and gruesomeness. One of the best books of Moore's career… helps establish him as the most talented horror fiction writer in America today."
— Horror World"For those of us who like our vampires evil, Moore provides the real stuff."
— CHRONICLE on BLOOD RED"This novel does what all the best vampire novels do; it shitcans the stereotype and digs for blood beneath the skin."
— Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column on BLOOD RED"Moore has woven together the best threads of vampire lore with lust, power, and brutality to create a stunning work of bloodthirsty horror that's not to be missed."
— MONSTERS AND CRITICS on BLOOD RED"His work stands toe-to-toe with the best of King, Koontz, and McCammon. He's simply one of the ten best authors working in the field today."
— Garrett Peck, CEMETERY DANCE WEEKLY
 

the Fifth Annual Merrimack Valley halloween Book Festival's list of attending authors

The lineup for The 5th Annual Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival, which will take place October 12th, 2019 at the Haverhill Public Library in Haverhill, MA, from 10am to 4:30pm. (*indicates first appearance at MVHBF)
There are several other authors I'm waiting to hear from, but without further ado, the preliminary lineup...Kelley Armstrong*
Michael Koryta*
Catherynne Valente*
Amy Lukavics*
Grady Hendrix
Jennifer McMahon
Gregory Bastianelli
Matt Bechtel
Doungjai Gam Bepko
Stephen R. Bissette
J. Edwin Buja
P.D. Cacek*
Glenn Chadbourne
Joseph A. Citro
Kristin Dearborn
Tom Deady
Jeff Deck*
M.M. DeVoe*
Duncan Eagleson*
Craig Shaw Gardner
Larissa Glasser
Christopher Golden
John Goodrich
Scott Goudsward
Lynne Hansen
John D. Harvey*
Kat Howard
Brian Keene
Toni L.P. Kelner
Ed Kurtz
John Langan
Izzy Lee
Bracken MacLeod
John M. McIlveen
Hillary Monahan
James A. Moore
George Edwards Murray*
Errick Nunnally
Kelli Owen
The Peculiarity Shop
KL Pereira
Leigh Perry
Armand Rosamilia*
Mary SanGiovanni
Cat Scully
Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel
Rob Smales
Sarah Smith
Thomas Sniegoski
Wesley Southard*
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Jeff Strand
David Surface*
Morgan Sylvia
Paul Tremblay
Tony Tremblay
Gabriela Vargas
Trisha J. Wooldridge
Douglas Wynne

The SEVEN FORGES SERIES is about to get bigger,

So I am celebrating Memorial Day by starting Book Five in the SEVEN FORGES series. 
I will also be gathering quite a few short stories, old and new alike, set in the world of the SEVEN FORGES and will likely have that ready for print in July or so.



And a little praise for what has come before: 

Praise for the Seven Forges series
“Moore has created a brilliantly realised world here; his characters continue to get better with each book. It’s still exciting, it’s still fresh, and brilliantly vivid. Fantasy does not get much better than this.”– Morpheus Tales
“Seven Forges is an excellent, enjoyable, and thoroughly entertaining fantasy debut into a new world of swords and sorcery, complete with romance, intrigue, and danger.”– Attack of the Books
“James A. Moore dedicates Seven Forges in part ‘to the memory of Fritz Leiber and Robert E. Howard for the inspiration.’ That dedication sets the bar high, and caused me a bit of readerly apprehension, because so many writers have imitated badly those two greats of the sword and sorcery tradition. Moore is far more than an imitator, though. He does some fresh, counterintuitive things with the genre conventions. More than once, he startled me into saying out loud, ‘I didn’t see that coming.’”– Black Gate
“Wow, that twist. In some ways I think I should have seen it coming, and I kind of did, but Seven Forges just lulled me into security and BAM! Craziness!”– Anya, On Starships and Dragonwings
“I thoroughly enjoyed Seven Forges although I was left speechless by the ending and left wondering for days whether there was to be another book in the series. There were so many threads of stories left open that I need to know what happens next.”– The Bookish Outsider
“Moore does a fantastic job of building worlds and characters in Seven Forges as we hop on board the train that is about to meet its doom.”– Troubled Scribe
“The Blasted Lands is the example of how I want to see a sequel. Slowing the pace down somewhat, focusing on exposing the envisioned world more and more but without loosing momentum and the thread that carries the story. James A. Moore gave rise to many questions in Seven Forges and now starts answering them, he continues to develop his characters and mainly Merros and Andover’s stories were the most interesting for me, they showed so much of the world and the story, I have the same feeling of when I finished Seven Forges, it’s been a few days but the story is still racing through my mind and when I think about one scene, many follow-ups pop up. Few authors achieve to get me so addicted to their works. And well the ending. yes I am going to say it again WOW. There will be war and it wont be pretty.”– The Book Plank
“Where Seven Forges teased a reader with the Sa’ba Taalor and their strange land, The Blasted Lands goes a long way toward fulfilling their promise, revealing much more about their culture and history as well as hinting at the origin of the waste lands themselves. And while the Sa’ba Taalor are still the stars of this show, Mr. Moore has also deftly turned the Fellein characters into more than cardboard scenery for his master race, as Drash Krohan, General Dulver and Andover Lashk shine in their own special ways. All in all, this novel was a great read, and this series is definitely one to watch for any true fantasy aficionado.”– Bookwraiths
“From living mountains to the secret behind the veils of a nation, Moore pushes and pulls the story through questions and answers, keeping the reader on their toes. For me, The Blasted Lands is more immersive and thrilling than some of the fantasy masterpieces. Moore shapes a story which appeals to fans of all types, showing how fantasy can be a grand equalizer. The Blasted Lands does this and more, making it not just a sophomore book in a series but a genuinely good story.”– Literary Escapism
“The Seven Forges series is epic fantasy the way it should be done, and City of Wonders is no exception. It’s character driven without sacrificing the action, intrigue, and wonder that’s at the heart of all good fantasy. That Moore throws in a dash of horror only makes his recipe better.”– Adventures Fantastic
“City of Wonders is a deeply immersive book, one that will hook you from start to finish.”– ZireV
“Moore’s writing completely transports, his characters are fantastically fantastic, and the tension he weaves through it all is expertly done. Oh, and the twists? You’ll love those too. There are few authors I read where I wish I could write as well as them, but James A Moore is one them.”– Amanda J Spedding
“The Seven Forges series is epic fantasy the way it should be done, and City of Wonders is no exception. It’s character driven without sacrificing the action, intrigue, and wonder that’s at the heart of all good fantasy. That Moore throws in a dash of horror only makes his recipe better.”– Adventures Fantastic
“The Silent Army delivers an avalanche of action and a bleak world full of strong characters. This is a worthy conclusion to the Seven Forges series.”– Cowering King
“The prose is sharp, the pace wonderfully timed with great action tempered with some wonderful lulls to allow you to get your breath back. Back this up with some great characters alongside a world that is delightfully designed all round makes this a series that continues to go from strength to strength. Finally, and this is the clincher for me, Moore gives the characters a depth with their dialogue that not only shows their devotions but also gives them a roundedness that allows you to become fully immersed. Cracking.”– Falcata Times
“The Silent Army is a book that improves on every facet that made its predecessors great. This feels like a satisfying conclusion to the first arc of a much bigger story, because this book ends a bunch of plot threads that began right back at the start of the first book, but it leaves some big threads wide open begging for more. I need more stories set in this world. Please indulge me, Mr Moore.”– Fantasy Book Review
“I love this series, I will not lie about it. It has ALL the things that make a great fantasy read. Mr. Moore steadily ups his game with each new instalment. I call this ‘dark’ fantasy, it does have epic leanings, great characters, great action and an awesome world, that pretty much wins me every time. I won’t gush much more, but if you like the fantasies and you like sword swinging and heads flying through the air like so much dust in the wind, give James A. Moore all your money!”– Shelf Inflicted

A free excerpt of AVENGERS INFINITY courtesy of SyFy!

Here's the spot. There's also a small interview with yours truly.

Boomtown Praise

"A good weird western is a rare find, and Boomtown is very weird and very, very good. James Moore's effortless prose puts you in the company of fascinating characters as he subjects them to enough bizarre mayhem for three novels by any other writer.  You won't be able to put this one down, folks."  F. Paul Wilson--Author of the Adversary Cycle series

"Boomtown... F@*k. It's amazing. The way Moore captures the snowy landscape, the beauty and the absolute horror of what's happening within it. I loved the moral complexity, loathing humanity but knowing life is so precious, the way Moore writes so honestly about most of these guys being racist ... It's a really powerful book and I'd be very happy to say that anywhere."
                                                                              --Anna Smith Spark, Author of the EMPIRE OF DUST trilogy


"Just finished reading BOOMTOWN by James A. Moore. Holy moly! This is the kind of weird west that defines the genre. Read this now." -- Jonathan Maberry -- Author of the Rot & Ruin series

"I can't recall another author who can write of walking dead men, blasphemous sorceries, Native American legends come to life, immortal hunters, and neverending horror--and still elicit chuckles in the reader with subtly unannounced humor. Then, too, is Mr. Moore's complete obviation of the need for suspension of disbelief. As in others of his books, the reader is immediately absorbed and immediately believing.

BOOMTOWN is a "Weird Western". There's a lot of violence and grabby greediness and political incorrectness which we might expect from the culture of the day (the era of the American Civil War) but there's so much more. Skinwalkers and animated dead men; monsters which might even make Lovecraft quail; and an immortal Hunter, Jonathan Crowley, who is neutral in character, neither good nor bad nor in-between. In this era he is in effect a 19th century scientist like Darwin or Alfred North Whitehead, traveling the globe seeking out flora and fauna to study.

I can't imagine any reader not adoring BOOMTOWN, but I especially recommend it to aficionados of horror, grimdark fantasy, and Weird fiction." --The Haunted Reading Room.


"On the Weird Western front…well, Moore certainly doesn’t skimp there either. Carson’s Point is positively littered with all kinds of supernatural hijinks, although the primary nuisance here is the skinwalker and his creations. The skinwalker is able to reanimate the dead and he calls forth a band of Native Americans slaughtered by former soldiers now resting easy in the settlement. Although there are zombies aplenty in Boomtown, in the case of the Native American undead Moore puts a nifty little spin on this trope that really helps separate them from your usual pack of shambling brain-eaters, which I appreciated greatly.

Boomtown is a dark and very effective work of wild west horror, and Carson’s Point is densely populated with monsters, both human and otherwise. American expansion and settlement into the west was certainly a perilous and tumultuous period of US history, to put it lightly, and Moore doesn’t shy away from the violent and inhumane aspects of the era. While several women fall victim to rape and children are counted among the murdered, Moore never writes such scenes in a salacious, leering, or gratuitous manner. Even spared the grisly details, one depiction of a helpless child’s murder managed to hit hard. Sensitive readers may still wish to prepare themselves, although, thankfully, such mentions of sexual assault and child death are kept very brief and directly to the point. Boomtown does not offer a romanticized view of the American west, but a gritty horror story of predators and prey, and, in keeping true to the period being written of, the violence that ensues." --HighFeverBooks.com

Religion as a Dark Force in Fantasy

It’s an interesting thing, religion. In the right hands and mindset it can make amazing things happen. Communities can get together and build villages in short order. Homes and farms ruined by natural forces can be restored in short order because neighbors and friends can gather together and work as a unit. Often times those units are started by the religious leader in an area. The Amish raise barns in a day that no single person could manage in a month.
But then we have to look at the other side of that coin. Atrocities have been committed in the name of God or gods. The witch hunts in Europe devastated tends of thousands. Wars were fought in the name of God, not because it was a different god, but merely because the way of worshipping said god did not match up. Well, okay, and because there was land and gold to consider, but it was all done in the name of the one god.
The Crusades. The Holy Inquisition. Do you follow the right god? Do you know Jesus? Have you taken Him as your savior? Will a few days of torture show you the error of your ways? As the old song “One Tin Solider” said, do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end. The concentration camps and Holocaust happened because the Nazi’s found a way to blame their woes on the Jewish and a few others. Something similar seems to want to happen right now in the US of A and the notion unsettles me deeply.  Religion makes scapegoating easy.
And so we have this very article. Darker Gods in fantasy.
Most times, not always, of course, the gods of fantasy settings are either benevolent or they can be negotiated with. Sometimes they have vast powers and sometimes they are very stingy with the miracles, but they’re still there and they usually have good motives. The Christian overtones in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA are evident to anyone even vaguely familiar with the Christian faith, as one example.
On the flip side of that coin there are the Gods of Order and Chaos in the worlds of Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion books. Arioch, a lord of Chaos, offers his favorite follower, Elric, help at a moment’s notice if only Elric will remember to be an obedient follower. Sometimes even when Elric forgets, which is often. Still, however reluctantly, he will help his follower.
Let’s take a moment to define what a god is, shall we? For the sake of argument I’ll say that a god in a fantasy setting is a being of extreme power who, for the price of worship or the occasional sacrifice, can be coerced into aiding the heroes of a tale. Okay, or the villains. Mostly, however, it seems to be the heroes. In Greek myths the gods are often arbitrary in who they will help. In the Norse mythology they’re a bit more nihilistic, having already stated that they know when and how they will die and how they will be reborn when the time is right. Follow them properly and you’re not guaranteed eternal life, so much as the chance to fight by the side of the gods when the final days arrive.
The rules are often different in fantasy settings. The gods of Lankhmar, who are so horrific that mentioning them by name is punishable by death. They do not follow the typical rules of gods in Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series of books. The Creator and the Elohim play their own semi-benevolent parts in the CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER, courtesy of Stephen R. Donaldson.
But let’s stretch this notion. Let’s look at Sauron from THE LORD OF THE RINGS (J.R.R. Tolkien, of course.). Sauron is powerful enough as to be very nearly undefeatable. Even when he is severely wounded, he is not killed and merely retreats to lick his wounds. Is he a god? Hard to say. He is certainly worshipped as one by the orcs and the goblins, who fear him and serve him. He is powerful enough to corrupt kinds, advisors and sorcerers alike. When he gives a command, he is obeyed. What he wants he can take by force or by the use of his pawns. His power, the greatest part of it, is locked into a ring that, merely by being worn, corrupts the bearer. Surely if he got that power back, he would effectively be a god. So we can call him a malignant deity and the exception to the rule.
H.P. Lovecraft’s gods were not gods at all but rather aliens so vast in the scope of their power that mortals confused them for gods. Really, at that point what is the difference? In the end the Lovecraftian pantheon is indifferent to human beings or any form of worship. They might respond to a summons, but there is no particular desire on their part to be worshipped.
And then we have the darker gods.
In my own works the gods are not always benevolent. They can be, but it’s more the exception than the rule. In the Seven forges series I have a new pantheon of seven gods, the Daxar Taalor, who are very active in the lies of their followers, and actively aggressive toward the older and more established Fellein Empire. They have shaped their people as weapons against a long-standing enemy. The older gods, from several pantheons that have mostly faded away, are weaker, and have little energy left to them that they use to the benefit of anyone.
In THE LAST SACRIFICE the gods are, well, not very nice. In the mythology presented, they have punished the world every time they have been disobeyed and this time around, they’ve decided to end the world, or at least destroy all life on the planet.   There’s an out, but it won’t be one beneficial to the hero of the story.
The gods of old are angry gods, demanding gods and the sort of deities that insist on sacrifice and punishment. It’s in modern mythologies (forgive me, but for the sake of this article no religion is truly safe) that we see the notion of a benevolent deity. Depending on the interpretation The Lord and his son Jesus have set up the notion of a kinder, gentler world, where merely following the rules of good conduct are enough to ensure a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the old school religions, from Babylon on down the line, the gods are, at best capricious, and at worst demanding of sacrifice and unswerving fealty. They can be harsh masters, or just plain indifferent.
Ultimately that’s the point of THE LAST SACRIFICE. In a world where nature is cruel and gods are merciless, how much should one endure before deciding enough is enough? Even if you decide it’s time to fight back, how does one go about taking on and besting a god or a pantheon? And if the gods decide the world will end because of your actions, how do you justify all that you do?
Sometimes the gods are indifferent and sometimes they are angry. When and how do you fight back?

Number One in Western Horror.

I'll just leave this here:

Ain't those pretty?

BOOMTOWN hardcovers. 

Hardcover BOOMTOWN

I'm off to a meeting with my publisher at Twisted Publications in just a short while.

I will be getting Hardcover copies of BOOMTOWN from him at that time.

I am pleased.

Warning Shots

Warning Shots
I don’t normally give a warning on my books. I write horror and dark fantasy. I usually assume that is enough of a warning. I mean, seriously, if you come to a horror novel with the notion that you aren’t going to be made uneasy at some point, you’re maybe reading the wrong horror.
There are exceptions to every rule. There are scenes in BOOMTOWN that involve violence against children and sexual assault. In the case of the latter, it is mentioned but none of the scenes are “on screen” as it were. That’s deliberate. I don’t believe that sexual assault should ever be taken lightly and I certainly have no desire to stimulate any fantasies. The point in the story is simply that, sadly, in both the past and the present these sorts of assaults happen. They are not, I believe, truly sexual in nature. They’re a dominance play, a power trip and a way to make someone suffer.  I find them loathsome.
That said, it’s best to remember, even when you write horror, that some horrors hit too close to home. As this is a western, you can expect shoot-em-ups. As this is a book with monsters, you can expect fangs. As this is a novel that, as I feel all books do, investigates the human condition in one form or another, there are human monsters, too. I mostly avoid sex in my novels. I make mention of it, but there’s no reason for gratuity in these cases. Not for me, at least.

That said I want readers to be warned: there is mention of rape in these pages, and mention of children being hurt. I step into taboo areas, because I write about dark things, many of which make me uncomfortable, too. So, no surprises here, not when they might cause genuine pain rather than a chance to tell a tale.