David A. Riley's Blog, page 69

British Fantasy Society reviews of Their Cramped Dark World and His Own Mad Demons

There are two great reviews of my two short story collections, Their Cramped Dark World and His Own Mad Demons ,  from Parallel Universe on the British Fantasy Society website.

"Riley’s work is classic horror – he doesn’t resort to swearing or unnecessary depictions of torture to attract his readers.  His tales are all set in environments that will be very familiar to many Brits – the pub plays a big part in some of his stories.   If you’ve not tried Riley’s work before, this is a perfect introduction to his own brand of horror.  I can’t recommend it highly enough."

"Riley’s work will appeal to all fans of horror – it feels like “classic horror”, with tales of witchcraft, demons and zombies.  All complete page turners, Riley is one to read and return to, again and again."

Parallel Universe Publications to publish Andrew Darlington's A Saucerful of Secrets in 2016

I can now reveal that Parallel Universe will be publishing a 200-page collection of stories by Andrew Darlington in 2016. A Saucerful of Secrets: Fourteen Stories of Fantasy, Warped Sci-Fi & Perverse Horror will include stories previously published in Tigershark, Worlds of the Unknown, Hellfire Crossroads, Premonitions: Cause for Alarm, and Tears in the Fence.

Andrew has had three previous books published: I Was Elvis Presley's Bastard Love-Child, Eighteen interviews drawn from twenty years of music journalism (Headpress/Critical Vision - 2001); Euroshima Mon Amour, Thirty-two science fiction poems 'From the Inner Mind to the Outer Limits' (Hilltop Press - 2001); and Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey: Sly Stallone and Black Power, music biography (Leaky Book Press - 2014) http://leakyboot.com/

More details later.

A Little Light Screaming on kindle

Johnny Mains' collection A Little Light Screaming is now available on kindle for a mere £1.99!!!!


amazon.co.uk   £1.99
amazon.com     $3.05

A Little Light Screaming by Johnny Mains

The latest trade paperback from Parallel Universe Publications is now available: A Little Light Screaming by Johnny Mains.

Johnny Mains is the award winning editor of Back From the Dead. He is also the editor of Best British Horror and, along with Robin Ince, of Dead Funny, both from Salt Publishing. This is his third collection of short stories, which includes Resuscitation Andy, The Case of the Revenant, Blossom, The Girl on the Suicide Bridge, The Foul Mass at Tongue House, Paintings, A Forest of Lonely Deaths, Sticking Your Head Out is Dangerous, The Curse of the Monster, and The Gamekeeper.

Amazon.co.uk £8.00
Amazon.com   $10.00

A second 5-star review for Kitchen Sink Gothic

Kitchen Sink Gothic got a second 5-star review on Amazon.com.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful it is that good., October 17, 2015 By Michael Hanson This review is from: Kitchen Sink Gothic (Paperback) I just read the anthology "Kitchen Sink Gothic" and yes, I was blown away. As a title interpretation, I can respectfully call this Working Class Gothic, as it is a strange and Gothic journey into the lives of the ordinary folk of our world, and not the social elite that populate much of literature's history. And it is here that Kitchen Sink Gothic's charms lie. As a grab-bag of different tales, some surprise with their deviousness, and others shock with their arrogance, but all of them, each and every story in this clever and tasty collection, is sure to entertain. Heck, I think I'll pick it up and read it a second time now. Yes, it is that good.

The Pan Book of Horror Stories Scrapbook - Johnny MainsA

Artwork: Les EdwardsNot the finished version, but this gives a good idea of what Johnny Mains' The Pan Book of Horror Stories Scrapbook will look like. The Cover is the work of talented artist Les Edwards.

England 'B': 90 Minutes of Hell by Richard Staines

Parallel Universe Publications is proud to announce that it has yet another collection scheduled for publication this year: England 'B': 90 Minutes of Hell by the infamous Richard Staines.

The collection includes six interrelated stories:
No Such Thing as a Friendly
A Game of Two Halves
The Ref's Decision is Final
Get Your Fritz Out for the Lads
Football's Dark Arts
They Think it's all Over


  What they are saying about Richard Staines:
 “Please get in all the Richard Staines horror books and chuck out all that other rubbish you have on the shelves.” The T.L.S. (Tooting Library Service), message left on their public noticeboard, 1975.

“Richard Staines is one of the most valued contributors to our magazine and we are glad to have him, despite the avalanche of protests. No animals were actually harmed in the photo-spread referred to.” Readers Wives editorial, 1977.

“Unfortunately, the jury have not been able to reach a verdict due to food poisoning, hit and run incidents, and the disappearance of close family members, but the great British public outside this courtroom will doubtless make up its own mind about your filthy, depraved, sickening and contemptible books. Case dismissed. You may leave the dock.” Lord Justice Haigh (deceased), summing up in the case of Regina vs Richard Staines, 1978.

“Many horror authors insult the intelligence of the people. Staines not only does this but is a bloody good read, too. He is the future of horror in the 1980s.” Anonymous letter to Colour Climax, 1979.

“We do not feel under any obligation to have to respond on a point by point basis to your repeated claims that the Nobel Prize committee for Literature have deliberately overlooked your horror fiction and cannot undertake to reply to any further letters on this matter.” Official letter from Lars Svenson (deceased), Nobel Prize Award Committee, Secretary, 1979.

“That snob and has-been Dennis Wheatley has never lived in a council flat on a Peckham estate with only cheap cans of lager, a black and white telly, and Yes and Genesis records to keep his muse lubricated. Dennis Wheatley's simply not as socially relevant in today's world as a “man-of-the-people” like Richard Staines. The truth is that Wheatley recognises all this and was just being a dick when he refused to write the introduction to Staines' book Psycho Flasher.” Anonymous letter to The International British Black Magic and Horror Club Newsletter # 8, 1975.

Johnny Mains Story Short-listed for British Fantasy Award

Fantasycon is being held next weekend (24th and 25th October) and one of the most exciting things for me is to see how one of the stories in Johnny Mains' upcoming collection, A Little Light Screaming will do as The Girl on the Suicide Bridge is one of the four short-listed nominees for Best Short Story for the British fantasy Awards.



This is a brilliant achievement and I'll be having my fingers crossed till the winners are announced.

Mind you, whether this story wins or not it is still a nominee and that in itself is important.

The full list is:

A Change of Heart, Gaie Sebold (Wicked Women)
The Girl on the Suicide Bridge, J.A. Mains (Beside the Seaside)
Ptichka, Laura Mauro (Horror Uncut: Tales of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease)
A Woman’s Place, Emma Newman (Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets)

BEST OF LUCK, JOHNNY!

A Little Light Screaming by Johnny Mains

Cover art: David Whitlam
It's all go at Parallel Universe Publications. Our next book, which will be published in November, will be a brand new collection of tales by Johnny Mains: A Little Light Screaming. 
These include many of his most recent writings, including a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes and his highly acclaimed The Girl on the Suicide Bridge.
The stories are:

Resuscitation Andy
The Case of the Revenant
Blossom
The Girl on the Suicide Bridge
The Foul Mass at Tongue House
Paintings (with Simon Bestwick)
A Forest of Lonely Deaths
Sticking Your Head Out Is Dangerous
The Curse of the Monster (with Bryn Fortey)
The Gamekeeper

The book is 204 pages long and has a front cover by David Whitlam.

And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After by Kate Farrell

Cover Art: Vincent ChongBusily proofreading the text for the forthcoming collection of short stories by Kate Farrell, And Nobody Lived Happily Ever After, which will be published by Parallel Universe Publications in December.
The cover is by the massively talented Vincent Chong.
The book will be published as a trade paperback and an ebook and will include seventeen highly disturbing stories.