Dylan J. Morgan's Blog: Comments From the Crypt, page 3
March 31, 2011
OCTOBER RAIN -- Get Your Free Copy!!
If anybody wants a free .pdf copy of October Rain, now's your chance!!
This offer of Free Stuff is only available for a little over 2 weeks, until midday on April 15th -- just message me here at Goodreads with your email address and I will send you a copy of the novella.
What's the catch?
Well, just a small one. You read it, and whether you like it or not, write a review about it. Big, medium, or small, the size of review doesn't matter, only the content. It would be nice to know if you place the review somewhere other than here, so a quick nudge with a link would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Get a free copy . . . Read it . . . Live it . . . Review it!
To leave a review here on Goodreads, visit the book page -> http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
This offer of Free Stuff is only available for a little over 2 weeks, until midday on April 15th -- just message me here at Goodreads with your email address and I will send you a copy of the novella.
What's the catch?
Well, just a small one. You read it, and whether you like it or not, write a review about it. Big, medium, or small, the size of review doesn't matter, only the content. It would be nice to know if you place the review somewhere other than here, so a quick nudge with a link would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Get a free copy . . . Read it . . . Live it . . . Review it!
To leave a review here on Goodreads, visit the book page -> http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
March 9, 2011
OCTOBER RAIN -- Available Now!
After being dropped by its publisher,
OCTOBER RAIN
has now been re-released by me on Smashwords. The novella, at 21,216 words a quick and thrilling read, is available to download in .pdf or Kindle format (among others) or simply to read online. There is also a free sample to whet your appetite.
It's cheap. ONLY $0.99!!
Buy OCTOBER RAIN Here
The reviews have been nothing but positive:
"October Rain starts with a very vivid scene of blood and destruction and ends in such a twist of events that leaves the reader wanting more."
Nanci Arvizu – Page Readers Webcast.
". . . wastes no time getting to the excitement, pulling us through scenes with a sense of danger and excitement."
John “JAM” Arthur Miller – Liquid Imagination.
Mankind teeters on the brink of extinction in a solar system choking under the glare of a dying sun. An assassin for the Martian Interstellar Correction Agency, Steele has one more assignment to complete before a big payoff and the chance of a new life: a job that will reveal the true horrors of mankind’s futile existence and threaten the very people who make his life worth living.
Buy it . . . Read it . . . Live it . . . Write a review!
It's cheap. ONLY $0.99!!
Buy OCTOBER RAIN Here
The reviews have been nothing but positive:
"October Rain starts with a very vivid scene of blood and destruction and ends in such a twist of events that leaves the reader wanting more."
Nanci Arvizu – Page Readers Webcast.
". . . wastes no time getting to the excitement, pulling us through scenes with a sense of danger and excitement."
John “JAM” Arthur Miller – Liquid Imagination.
Mankind teeters on the brink of extinction in a solar system choking under the glare of a dying sun. An assassin for the Martian Interstellar Correction Agency, Steele has one more assignment to complete before a big payoff and the chance of a new life: a job that will reveal the true horrors of mankind’s futile existence and threaten the very people who make his life worth living.
Buy it . . . Read it . . . Live it . . . Write a review!
March 8, 2011
Finding the Time
It's one of those things us writers always have to battle against: time. It applies more to those authors who, like me, haven't yet made the big time and still need an "everyday job" in order to pay the bills and put food on the table.
It's hard enough to work a full day, then come home and help with the household chores, and then spend the quality time one must spend with their children (and this last "chore" is certainly not a chore at all but a blessing). Still, time has to be found for such activities.
But writing is in my blood, it's what I love doing and for 5 days out of the week it's what I have to do. But it's not easy fitting everything in.
I'm writing a new novel. I've been re-editing and re-formatting a previously published novella getting it ready for re-release in a different medium. I'm going through proof reads on the final galley for my new novel due out in just over a month. I'll have to start rewrites on a novel that has been rejected for perhaps the 5th time (and I won't give up on it -- I like the story too damn much). Oh yeah, and there's a few short story markets I wouldn't mind attaching my name to, markets that will require new, original material.
My biggest problem, as is always the case, is not writing the stories or editing the prose, but it's finding the time.
Anybody else have this problem?
It's hard enough to work a full day, then come home and help with the household chores, and then spend the quality time one must spend with their children (and this last "chore" is certainly not a chore at all but a blessing). Still, time has to be found for such activities.
But writing is in my blood, it's what I love doing and for 5 days out of the week it's what I have to do. But it's not easy fitting everything in.
I'm writing a new novel. I've been re-editing and re-formatting a previously published novella getting it ready for re-release in a different medium. I'm going through proof reads on the final galley for my new novel due out in just over a month. I'll have to start rewrites on a novel that has been rejected for perhaps the 5th time (and I won't give up on it -- I like the story too damn much). Oh yeah, and there's a few short story markets I wouldn't mind attaching my name to, markets that will require new, original material.
My biggest problem, as is always the case, is not writing the stories or editing the prose, but it's finding the time.
Anybody else have this problem?
February 24, 2011
Christchurch Earthquake
I'm sure everybody has heard. It's left me upset and numb with shock. I was born in Christchurch, and still think of the city as my home even though I've not lived there for 30 years. It is a part of me, and it always will be. Thankfully I have no family there, and the friends I had in school are no longer in touch with me so I'm not as anxious or worried as what I otherwise should be.
But it's still upsetting.
Most of the city still has no water or electricity. It'll be months before Christchurch can get to its kness again, let alone think of standing tall once more. 102 people have lost their lives and that number will rise. There are natural disasters all over the world, but when it touches you this close (if not in distance then definitely emotionally) things just seem magnified.
Us Cantabrians are a proud, stoic bunch, but the city needs help. Any sort of donation, however small, will surely be appreciated.
If anyone is interested in helping, then I guess the first place to start is the New Zealand Red Cross. www.redcross.org.nz
Thank you.
But it's still upsetting.
Most of the city still has no water or electricity. It'll be months before Christchurch can get to its kness again, let alone think of standing tall once more. 102 people have lost their lives and that number will rise. There are natural disasters all over the world, but when it touches you this close (if not in distance then definitely emotionally) things just seem magnified.
Us Cantabrians are a proud, stoic bunch, but the city needs help. Any sort of donation, however small, will surely be appreciated.
If anyone is interested in helping, then I guess the first place to start is the New Zealand Red Cross. www.redcross.org.nz
Thank you.
February 12, 2011
The Troll Hunter
Finally, a decent monster movie from Norway.
The Troll Hunter, Trolljegeren in native Norwegian, is a thriller/fantasy feature film directed by Andre Øvredal and staring Otto Jespersen in the lead role. Filmed entirely on location in the western region of Norway, the movie combines Norsk mythology with spectacular scenery to deliver an entertaining and exciting movie. It is filmed in a documentary style, similar to that used in The Blair Witch Project, and thankfully this only adds to the experience rather than detracting from it.
The plot/synopsis (warning, this contains spoilers):
Three students from Volda University are given a school assignment to make a documentary film about a local personality. Thomas, Johanna, and Kalle decide to focus their efforts on a mysterious and private man named Hans, whom they suspect is illegally poaching bears in the surrounding countryside. At first he is impolite and tells them to leave him alone, but the trio persists and follows him one night as he heads out into the forest. They eventually find his jeep parked off track but there is no sign of him. They make the decision to venture into the dark woods to try and find him and discover if indeed he is killing bears.
They have no idea where he is but soon they hear strange noises emanating from the forest’s depths, animalistic sounds that could not possibly come from a bear. They observe flashing lights in the woods. Hans appears before them and shouts “Troll!” and they all run for the safety of Hans’ vehicle. They hitch a lift back to their own car with Hans but find it wrecked, turned over with the tires eaten away. After this Hans takes them on board, allowing them to film him the following night as he returns to the forest to hunt down the troll. It becomes apparent that the Norwegian government is aware of trolls, and they have set up special sanctuaries for the animals to keep them away from the human populace. But somehow the creatures are getting out, and it is Hans’ job to exterminate those that do.
The following night, back in the forest, they encounter the troll face to face — or face to three-face, as this troll has three heads. This scene, with the three students running for their lives from a monster troll in the woods, is one of the movies’ most exciting moments. Finally, Hans manages to kill the troll with a large lamp that produces ultra-violet light, and along with a government officer they destroy the troll evidence. Hans’ bosses wish him to collect a blood sample from a troll and to do this he must entice one of the creatures to him. As Thomas, Johanna and Kalle sit and wait Hans baits a troll by tying three goats to a bridge, reminiscent of the Three Billy Goats Gruff tale; a snippet of humor that is laced throughout this enjoyable film. After a struggle with the troll Hans manages to get some blood and delivers it to a veterinarian.
More strange occurrences happen at a local farm and the team turns up at night to track down the troll responsible. They find a troll lair in the woods but Hans quickly realizes it isn’t a lone troll doing the damage but a pack of them. Before they can get out of the cave the trolls return and the group are forced to hide in a nook within the cave as the trolls rest just outside. One of the students begins to panic and he reveals to the others that he is Christian and believes in God — Hans specifically warned them that they must be honest about not being Christian as trolls can smell Christian blood. The team makes a break for it, fighting through the trolls with the help of Hans’ hand-held ultra-violet light gun but one of the students doesn’t make it, and gets killed by the trolls.
Determined to finish the documentary in their colleagues’ memory, the remaining two students and Hans press on and head further north where a large troll has escaped its sanctuary and is plaguing the locality. It becomes apparent from a phone call from the veterinarian that the trolls have rabies and it is more important that the loose ones are dispatched. Hans is forced into a standoff with the final giant troll and after the confrontation is over the remaining two students see the lights of approaching cars. They realize it’s the government coming to confiscate the film they’ve been shooting and they set off, running across the frozen landscape trying to escape. The screen suddenly goes blank, and a brief message states that although the film was retrieved, the bodies of the students have never been found.
Review:
First off, it’s worth watching. The special effects, unseen on this scale in a Norwegian film before, really make this movie as enjoyable as it is. The acting is perhaps a little stunted, but as it’s done in the style of a documentary this is understandable. A lot more could have been made of the film, and the end battle with the largest of the trolls ends a bit too abruptly than perhaps it could have, but all in all the movie is very enjoyable. The film gives decent explanations as to why the ultra-violet light, similar to the sun’s rays, is able to turn the trolls to stone, and in some cases even blow them up, and there’s even a believable explanation as to why some trolls have three heads while others do not.
If this film takes off internationally, and it should have a chance to do so, it could very well be the biggest thing to come out of Norway in a very long time.
The Troll Hunter, Trolljegeren in native Norwegian, is a thriller/fantasy feature film directed by Andre Øvredal and staring Otto Jespersen in the lead role. Filmed entirely on location in the western region of Norway, the movie combines Norsk mythology with spectacular scenery to deliver an entertaining and exciting movie. It is filmed in a documentary style, similar to that used in The Blair Witch Project, and thankfully this only adds to the experience rather than detracting from it.
The plot/synopsis (warning, this contains spoilers):
Three students from Volda University are given a school assignment to make a documentary film about a local personality. Thomas, Johanna, and Kalle decide to focus their efforts on a mysterious and private man named Hans, whom they suspect is illegally poaching bears in the surrounding countryside. At first he is impolite and tells them to leave him alone, but the trio persists and follows him one night as he heads out into the forest. They eventually find his jeep parked off track but there is no sign of him. They make the decision to venture into the dark woods to try and find him and discover if indeed he is killing bears.
They have no idea where he is but soon they hear strange noises emanating from the forest’s depths, animalistic sounds that could not possibly come from a bear. They observe flashing lights in the woods. Hans appears before them and shouts “Troll!” and they all run for the safety of Hans’ vehicle. They hitch a lift back to their own car with Hans but find it wrecked, turned over with the tires eaten away. After this Hans takes them on board, allowing them to film him the following night as he returns to the forest to hunt down the troll. It becomes apparent that the Norwegian government is aware of trolls, and they have set up special sanctuaries for the animals to keep them away from the human populace. But somehow the creatures are getting out, and it is Hans’ job to exterminate those that do.
The following night, back in the forest, they encounter the troll face to face — or face to three-face, as this troll has three heads. This scene, with the three students running for their lives from a monster troll in the woods, is one of the movies’ most exciting moments. Finally, Hans manages to kill the troll with a large lamp that produces ultra-violet light, and along with a government officer they destroy the troll evidence. Hans’ bosses wish him to collect a blood sample from a troll and to do this he must entice one of the creatures to him. As Thomas, Johanna and Kalle sit and wait Hans baits a troll by tying three goats to a bridge, reminiscent of the Three Billy Goats Gruff tale; a snippet of humor that is laced throughout this enjoyable film. After a struggle with the troll Hans manages to get some blood and delivers it to a veterinarian.
More strange occurrences happen at a local farm and the team turns up at night to track down the troll responsible. They find a troll lair in the woods but Hans quickly realizes it isn’t a lone troll doing the damage but a pack of them. Before they can get out of the cave the trolls return and the group are forced to hide in a nook within the cave as the trolls rest just outside. One of the students begins to panic and he reveals to the others that he is Christian and believes in God — Hans specifically warned them that they must be honest about not being Christian as trolls can smell Christian blood. The team makes a break for it, fighting through the trolls with the help of Hans’ hand-held ultra-violet light gun but one of the students doesn’t make it, and gets killed by the trolls.
Determined to finish the documentary in their colleagues’ memory, the remaining two students and Hans press on and head further north where a large troll has escaped its sanctuary and is plaguing the locality. It becomes apparent from a phone call from the veterinarian that the trolls have rabies and it is more important that the loose ones are dispatched. Hans is forced into a standoff with the final giant troll and after the confrontation is over the remaining two students see the lights of approaching cars. They realize it’s the government coming to confiscate the film they’ve been shooting and they set off, running across the frozen landscape trying to escape. The screen suddenly goes blank, and a brief message states that although the film was retrieved, the bodies of the students have never been found.
Review:
First off, it’s worth watching. The special effects, unseen on this scale in a Norwegian film before, really make this movie as enjoyable as it is. The acting is perhaps a little stunted, but as it’s done in the style of a documentary this is understandable. A lot more could have been made of the film, and the end battle with the largest of the trolls ends a bit too abruptly than perhaps it could have, but all in all the movie is very enjoyable. The film gives decent explanations as to why the ultra-violet light, similar to the sun’s rays, is able to turn the trolls to stone, and in some cases even blow them up, and there’s even a believable explanation as to why some trolls have three heads while others do not.
If this film takes off internationally, and it should have a chance to do so, it could very well be the biggest thing to come out of Norway in a very long time.
February 7, 2011
When Life (i.e. Work, Infection, and the Super Bowl) Gets in the Way
My ideal situation would be to wake up at around 8ish fully refreshed from a comfortable nights sleep, to have a leisurely breakfast with my loving family, before packing the kids off to school and the wife off to work, before I settle down for 6 hours of constructive writing, after which I'd have a loving family evening meal followed by quality family time before retiring for the night.
Sound familiar? You've thought it too, huh?
Unfortunately, I haven't got that kind of life. I drag my tired soul from bed at around 7ish, have a rushed and often too-light breakfast before a quick freshen up in the bathroom then it's a boring drive to work, where I put in an 8 hour day doing something that doesn't give much satisfaction and pays less than I'd want, before driving home and eating a meal and feeling too exhausted to participate in fun family activities. Finding the time to write is another issue.
Of course, I do find the time to write, but sometimes I'm sacrificing things that maybe, in hindsight, I shouldn't.
Things then get tougher when a flu bug strikes shortly after Christmas and hangs around plaguing my waking day for a month and a half. Yes, I still have the flu bug today, and nothing I seem to do will shift it. It clogs my mind, submerges my muse under a sludge of heavy, dribbling mucus, and places bags under my eyes big enough to accomodate the purchased items from a weekend-long Paris Hilton spending spree.
Sometimes, though, I don't help myself. Sometimes I stay awake on a Sunday night until 4:15 am watching Super Bowl XLV from Arlington Texas (living in Norway can be a bitch when the sport you love is governed by American time zones) when I should be sleeping in an effort to drive this infection from my body. The fact it was a great game and that the NFC won is scant consolation to the tired numbness I feel today.
So instead of hoping for that leisurely life of easy breakfasts and 6 hours quiet time to write my books, I'm now hoping for this bloody flu to dribble itself out of my exhausted body and for my sleep tonight to be empty, peaceful, and very, very revitalizing.
Sound familiar? You've thought it too, huh?
Unfortunately, I haven't got that kind of life. I drag my tired soul from bed at around 7ish, have a rushed and often too-light breakfast before a quick freshen up in the bathroom then it's a boring drive to work, where I put in an 8 hour day doing something that doesn't give much satisfaction and pays less than I'd want, before driving home and eating a meal and feeling too exhausted to participate in fun family activities. Finding the time to write is another issue.
Of course, I do find the time to write, but sometimes I'm sacrificing things that maybe, in hindsight, I shouldn't.
Things then get tougher when a flu bug strikes shortly after Christmas and hangs around plaguing my waking day for a month and a half. Yes, I still have the flu bug today, and nothing I seem to do will shift it. It clogs my mind, submerges my muse under a sludge of heavy, dribbling mucus, and places bags under my eyes big enough to accomodate the purchased items from a weekend-long Paris Hilton spending spree.
Sometimes, though, I don't help myself. Sometimes I stay awake on a Sunday night until 4:15 am watching Super Bowl XLV from Arlington Texas (living in Norway can be a bitch when the sport you love is governed by American time zones) when I should be sleeping in an effort to drive this infection from my body. The fact it was a great game and that the NFC won is scant consolation to the tired numbness I feel today.
So instead of hoping for that leisurely life of easy breakfasts and 6 hours quiet time to write my books, I'm now hoping for this bloody flu to dribble itself out of my exhausted body and for my sleep tonight to be empty, peaceful, and very, very revitalizing.
January 30, 2011
Recent News and Updates.
It’s been a long time since I’ve made a blog post, I think almost a year. There are a number of reasons for this. The main one, I guess, is that I’ve been busy: busy in work and busy writing. I wrote a novel, but it got bogged down with plot ideas and rewrites—it took a lot longer to write than most of my novels do. Another viable reason for a prolonged absence on here is that I have not had much published since the beginning of last year; some short stories, but nothing of exceptional note. My absence has, in all probability, hurt me more than it has hurt any of my “friends” here on Goodreads.
This year, I plan to be here more often.
The main reason for that will be the release of my second full-length novel. It is due to come out in May 2011, although that date could be moved forward. The book is titled Blood War and it tells the horrific story of a centuries-old war between werewolves, vampires, and a new breed created by an unholy union of supernatural bloodlines. It promises to be my best work yet, and I hope that anybody who has read me before, and reads this new book, will agree. I’m currently going through the ARC making final edits.
There will be regular updates from now on about me the author and about me my books.
Those regular updates start now. My debut novel, Hosts, is now only available in print from amazon.com after I terminated my contract renewal with the book’s e-book publisher, Wild Child Publishing. This was done mutually, and I continue to support WCP in all their endeavors.
My futuristic novella, October Rain, is also unavailable in its current incarnation. As of January 31st 2011 the publisher, Sonar 4 Publishing, has terminated my contract with them. This is fine; I have no problems with it, as I plan to have it re-released sometime in the not-too-distant future, hopefully through another publisher.
In the meantime, keep reading, and I’ll keep writing.
This year, I plan to be here more often.
The main reason for that will be the release of my second full-length novel. It is due to come out in May 2011, although that date could be moved forward. The book is titled Blood War and it tells the horrific story of a centuries-old war between werewolves, vampires, and a new breed created by an unholy union of supernatural bloodlines. It promises to be my best work yet, and I hope that anybody who has read me before, and reads this new book, will agree. I’m currently going through the ARC making final edits.
There will be regular updates from now on about me the author and about me my books.
Those regular updates start now. My debut novel, Hosts, is now only available in print from amazon.com after I terminated my contract renewal with the book’s e-book publisher, Wild Child Publishing. This was done mutually, and I continue to support WCP in all their endeavors.
My futuristic novella, October Rain, is also unavailable in its current incarnation. As of January 31st 2011 the publisher, Sonar 4 Publishing, has terminated my contract with them. This is fine; I have no problems with it, as I plan to have it re-released sometime in the not-too-distant future, hopefully through another publisher.
In the meantime, keep reading, and I’ll keep writing.
Comments From the Crypt
The current Official blog of horror/speculative fiction author, Dylan J Morgan.
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