Christopher C. Payne's Blog, page 31

The Magravandias Chronicles

Sea Dragon's Heir

The Magravandias Chronicles by Storm Constantine: 

Long ago the mighty kingdom of Magravandias envied and conquered the smaller kingdom of Caradore, which possessed magical powers over water and dragons. Generations later a boy named Valraven is born in Caradore. The Magravandians train him, expecting him to be loyal and obedient as his forefathers were. But Valraven's ties to the mystical dragons of his homeland is unusually strong. As he grows into manhood, he must decide where his loyalties lie: with his breeding in Magravandias, or with his soul in Caradore?

Storm Constantine wrote The Magravandias Chronicles in a style I've never seen an author use. Rarely do we see anything from Valraven's point of view; instead, the story flows through the eyes of those around him. First we watch him grow up by following his sister and lover Pharinet. Then when he's an adult, the point of view moves onto Varencienne, his arranged wife. Pharinet continues to appear, but as a side character when Varencienne sees her. And so on. We then see the story through the eyes of Valraven's best friend Khaster, then Khaster's apprentice Shan,  then Khaster's lover Tayven….

Writing that way was a great decision on Constantine's part. Not only does it widen the readers' view of her world (we learn about different forces bubbling around the Magravandian empire as we keep up with Valraven's development), it allows Valraven to be the main character while retaining an air of mystery he wouldn't have if we'd seen his thoughts and insecurities. Seeing him through others' eyes meant he stayed larger-than-life, we got to meet a lot of interesting characters, and we had to guess until the end what choices Valraven would make.

Though there are slow points in books one (The Sea Dragon's Heir) and two (The Crown of Silence), they are brief and important to the plot. The trilogy's only real failure comes in the middle of book three (The Way of Light). Constantine apparently decided that she needed to tell about everything that happened to everyone she'd introduced in books one and two, and the result was a plodding, dull, two-hundred-or-so pages that slowed the plot.

Fortunately, we came back to the main story and Valraven for a conclusion befitting the first two novels.

The Magravandias Chronicles are epic fantasy with all the elements you'd expect from that genre: a quest, magic, true love, war. However, Constantine writes personal stories that focus more on characterization and politics than fight scenes, making her more comparable to Anne Rice and Neil Gaiman than J.R.R. Tolkien. I love her lush descriptions and complicated characters, but be warned if you're looking for straight action.

How to Slay a Dragon

How to Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen

Bell Bridge Books 2011

ISBN 978-1611940060

Available in paperback and e-book

I love daydreaming about being something I thought I would or could never be: a rockstar, a famous actor, an astronaut, a circus performer, and a hero. We all have had that fantasy where we believe we know exactly how we would act if we were placed in a situation where our fantasies became reality. Greg Hart….poor, poor Greg Hart had no idea that he would not have to just fantasize about what he would do, but he would have to face the most challenging of all the popular fantasies.

Greg Hart is a small, well, better say – scrawny – middle school kid who is always being picked last, beat up, and ignored. He spends his free time writing about exciting adventures in which he defeats trolls and rescues fair maidens in distress. Defeating a troll by ramming it between the toes in the pages of his journal cannot prepare little Greg for what is to come. Not only is he not able escape a bully who invades his tree house, but he is also unable to escape a spell that transports Greg into the land of Myrth.

Greg Hart soon learns that the people of Myrth have been waiting in anticipation for his arrival. He is a great hero to these people, everyone knows of Greg and his wonderful deeds and all of the wondrous things Greg has accomplished. The only problem is, Greg has not done any of these things yet. He is given a king's treatment and fanfare befitting a glorious hero, but only because a prophecy stated at Greghart from Earth would be slaying a dragon and saving the princess from a horrible fate.

Accompanied by Lucky, the luckiest person on Myrth, Greg is sent out on this mission that the entire already expects to be a success because the prophecy said so and prophecies are never wrong. Facing trolls, evil witches, 300 foot tall dragons should be a piece of cake right? With the prophecy on his side and the luckiest person alive, how could anything possibly go wrong? Well, add in the fact Greg doesn't believe in this prophecy any more than he can skin a monkeydog and prophecies don't seem quite as obtainable as one would think.

Oh yea, the prophecy was made by a man who appears to have lived longer than the mountains on Myrth and who can only be understood by his wife who is almost completely deaf…..one more thing, the scribe who copied the prophecy is a drunk with atrocious handwriting. I'm all for an adventure with me as the cookable hero…wouldn't you be??

How to Slay a Dragon has a ton of sarcasm in it, something I just happen to be very fond of. You do not go more than a couple of pages without Greg making some sort of remark or humor being thrown in at some point. The humor can be enjoyed by young and old(er) alike. There always seems to be a twist and turn thrown in there as well. The story line seemed to drag for me in several places and I had a hard time keeping from putting the book down and getting a few other things done before returning to the book. Many YA books have a story line that can be engrossing for younger audiences as well as adult readers. This book, I believe, was geared more towards younger readers only. The story is a cute one, but not complex enough to grip an older crowd.

The lessons that are taught in this book I believe are strong ones: never give up hope and only you are in charge of your own fate. Greg had an entire planet pushing him to be one thing and to go down a certain path. Greg knew that life and that path was not for him, and he went against the popular ideas and made his own way. Kudos to Greg for knowing who he was and being the best darn Greg he could be!

Review by Amy Eye

Red Riding Hood

"Why do these trees have thorns?"

Hello to all! I am Elizabeth, here to contribute to JournalStone's rich world, starting with the werewolf fantasy/horror flick Red Riding Hood.

In what appears to be an underdressed, over-hairgelled and waxed (so many shiny, bare chests in the middle of winter!) Puritan colony under siege from a werewolf, young Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) falls in love with young Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Sadly, young Henry (Max Irons) is in love with young Valerie, which makes Valerie's young-looking mother (Virginia Madsen) happy because he's rich. Valerie is not as thrilled, and plans to run away with young Peter. This part of the movie is pretty bad; Valerie and Peter have zero chemistry, making their scenes together almost painful to watch. Thankfully, these scenes are rescued by lovely visuals–the camera sweeps above the mountains surrounding our village, showing snow-capped peaks and white valleys broken only by Valerie's blue dress or Peter's black leathers, leaving my stomach somewhere in my feet more than once–and don't last long.

"The better to creep you out with, my dear."

Soon the werewolf's first victim is found and the town calls Father Gary Oldman–I'm sure his character has a name, but c'mon, it's Gary Oldman–to save them, thus increasing Red Riding Hood's coolness by a factor of 1000. A fanatical, torture-happy lunatic, he uses the village's fear as fuel for paranoia, turning friends and family against each other. To Valerie's dismay, all the men in her life are suspected to be the wolf, which means she's a suspect by association. Here the plot takes off, becoming a mystery dotted with werewolf attacks and occasional shots of the grotesque that horror fans will love.

"I knew you'd come to no good."

For safety, Valerie runs to her grandmother Julie Christie's house, putting the final piece of the film into place. Christie gave an awesome performance and got the best scene in the movie, modeled after the famous, "Better to eat you with my dear," fairy tale line.

"This isn't what it looks like."

Whether you like Catherine Hardwicke's film choices or not, it's hard to deny she knows how to get a shot. A scene of drunken dancing became a passionate, then frightening, bacchanalia through clever shots of fire and strange masks. Potentially dull scenes of people talking inside cabins grew suspenseful with the amplified sound of Valerie squeezing rags saturated with blood; close-ups of her terror wondering if she'd been cornered by the wolf while darting around tables and doors; and threw aside curtains to reveal hidden figures who seemed friendly…until they didn't.

"We're nice guys. Really."

For werewolf/horror fans the first twenty minutes of Red Riding Hood are to be endured. The rest is to be savored. It has atmosphere and is incredible to look at. If you can get past wondering why no one is wearing any clothes in winter, don't ask the plot to make too much sense, and can cringe your way through a few soppy love scenes, there's a lot to enjoy.

*

By Elizabeth Reuter

What Every First-Time Novelist Needs to Know

Very few things are as quintessentially American as apple pie. But one of those concepts is the great American novel. And writing one is often seen as the pinnacle of literary accomplishment.

If you're dreaming every night of your name on a dust jacket, chances are you already know putting pen to paper – or keystroke to screen – isn't simple. So, before you sit down in a marathon writing spree, there are a few things you need to remember. It's not an exhaustive list, but keeping these tips in mind will help you in the long run.

1.  Map out your story: No, we're not recommending you put every little detail in an outline or on index cards. This isn't a research paper. Leave yourself room to bob and weave with your plot, but certainly don't start without a plan. Take the time to flesh out your ideas – make sure everything is realistic. Novels that aren't believable – no matter the genre – won't work.

2.  Refresh your grammar: Okay, we know it's not sexy. In fact, it's not even fun. But mind your Ps and Qs, as well as sentence structure and verb conjugation. We all make grammar mistakes more than we like to admit, but butchering the English language will result in a rejection letter. Don't take any chances – brush up or find a grammar expert who can fix your problems spots. Better yet, take a refresher course.

 3.  Line up proofreaders: Never submit a first draft of your manuscript. Your initial attempt won't be perfect, and misspellings or typos are immediate red flags for publishers. Extra eyes will catch things you will undoubtedly gloss over.

4.  Know your subject: It doesn't matter what kind of novel you're writing. Take the time to do your research beforehand. Writing about medieval England? Make sure you know the right monarch – talking about Queen Elizabeth II isn't a good idea. Working on a psychokiller thriller where the murderer offs his victims with hard-to-detect drugs? Know what those drugs do. These aren't things you can wing.

5.  Avoid lots of pop culture references: We know it's tempting. The latest celebutante indiscretion or escapades of the pop star du jour are easy go-to mentions. But don't do it. You'll date your novel. If it gets published, there's no guarantee that all your readers will recognize the references, and it's entirely possible that 15 years from now that celebutante or pop star will have vanished from society's memory.

Flora Segunda

Your childhood hero is ripped to pieces before your very eyes. Not only is he ripped to pieces, but his heart is ripped out of his chest and there is not a thing you can do about it. If your hero can not stop these dreaded bird creatures, how can you possibly have any hope of defeating them? The next step should be running like mad to escape their talons, correct? For Flora Segunda, her next step always seems to lead her into the very places she wishes to flee.

We meet Flora as a child who is kept at home to help look after her father who has completely lost his mind. Thirteen year old Flora must do this because her mother, also known as Buck, is often away as the Commanding General of the Army of Califa. Flora's family is the Fyrdraaca family, one of the major houses in the city, but you would never guess it if you entered the home. Not only is little Flora left behind to tend to her crazed father, but she is also responsible for cleaning the home and the animals that inhabit it as well. By the way, did I mention yet that this house has eleven thousand rooms?  If not, maybe this would be  a good time to mention it.

One day as Flora rushes through her morning to retrieve a library book she has to return to school, Flora decides to use the elevator her mother has forbidden ANYONE to use unless Buck accompanies them. This elevator does not always go where it is supposed to, but on this day Flora was in a hurry and had no time for the many steps that led back to her bedroom. She steps on the elevator and eventually comes face to face with Valefor.

Valefor is the Fyrdraaca's magical butler. He is the one who should be in charge of taking care of this giant house and making sure meals are prepared and taking care of the grounds of this once fabulous house. But Buck has banished Valefor because she believes that using magic is the easy way out. Flora decides to help her poor forgotten butler to regain some of his strength and with this possibly gain back some of her freedom from the chores and some glamor back to her home.

Her initial adventure gets tangled up in quite a few more adventures. I can't tell you too much more, because that would be cheating for you. I can tell you that while she seeks to help out her butler, she and her best friend Udo tramp across Califa on horseback in disguise to rescue prisoners, fool a War Lord, get held up at gun point by a child, meet people from their past, and have to face Califa's worst enemy, Lord Axacaya. All this while Flora is trying to keep from fading into nothing. I don't know about you, but thinking of all of that wore me out!

Flora Segunda is definitely different from many books that I have read recently. The story line had wonderful elements of fantasy in it, but took twists on many other parts of the fantasy world which gave it a fresh new twist. Flora is a brave young lady with a role model her mother certainly would not approve of, but her tricks seem to save Flora in all the right ways. There are many failures Flora has to endure in the book, but the important thing is that Flora and Udo never gave up. Even when all seemed lost, and nothing could be salvaged from the mess (usually a mess they made), they kept going. Not only did Flora show bravery when it came to facing her enemies, Flora also showed bravery when it came to standing up to the people that she loved, which sometimes is the most difficult kind of courage to have.

The imagery in this book reminded me of Lemony Snicket in several ways. Some of the clothing in this book was way over the top (which I love) and the way the people interact with each other had the exaggerated quality about it. I enjoyed this immensely because it gave me the feeling of truly being in a world all its own. The people were familiar enough that I understood what they were doing, but their mannerisms, traditions, speech, dress and relationships had an original feeling to them. I really was transported to a new world. Flora Segunda is a keeper!!!

SleepyHead

 What woman doesn't want to be known for just her mind?  Most women would bend over backwards to find a man who could appreciate what she was thinking, not what she was wearing or how full her bra was.  Being waited on hand and foot doesn't seem like such a bad idea either does it?  People to feed you when you are hungry, bathe you and adjust your bed when the pillows need fluffing?  Sounds like the life, doesn't it?  You can have all of this and more.

All you need is a night out, in England, with a creepy sorta guy. Surprise!  The next thing you know, you are laying in bed suffering from a stroke which leads to a condition called "locked in syndrome".  Poor, poor Allison.  She was the one who made it.  She was the one who lived.  Allison could have died from the stroke induced on her, but instead she is trapped in her body not able to move, talk, or breathe on her own at first.

Thorne, a local detective comes in thinking he has a serial killer to catch, only to learn early on that he has a serial wacko on his hands.  This guy is not out to kill his victims.  He simply wants to put them into a stasis, where the only thing that is able to be used by the women are their brains.  Everything in their lives are provided for, the criminal thinks he is doing these women a favor. The women have people to wait on them hand and foot, they will never have to lift a finger again, besides, they couldn't even if they wanted to…

Thorne is a typical novel detective.  The funny thing is that, in the novel, he seems to point out how he seems to ooze out the stereotypes of the typical detective.  I find it amusing that the author points out Thorne's un-uniqueness in the story.  Every time our typical detective gets close to honing in on the perpetrator, something seems to slip through the cracks, and Thorne is left standing holding his own…notebook.  The back and forth game goes on and on until finally the stakes are raised.  Thorne has about thrown in the towel.  The games are tearing him apart mentally.  Now is not the time to give up, there are many lives on the line  now and Thorne is the one who needs to finish the ordeal.  Blood will be  spilled, but whose and how much is the final question.

Creepy is all over this book.  The mental processes needed by the antagonist to do to these women what he does is just insane.  Trapping someone in their own mind is horrifying!  We get to hear  a bit from Allison in the book, these passages, to me are the most interesting parts of the book.  For a girl in an almost coma, the girl's got a sense of humor!  It seems that Billingham really enjoyed himself the most when he was writing from her point of view.  These parts seemed too short in my opinion.

There were several parts of the book that seemed to drag on that I couldn't figure out why he had put them in the book.  I know background is always important to have, but sometimes too much background is tedious.  Some of Thorne's information could have been omitted or maybe condensed.  The one thing I was definitely glad to see not drawn out was the gore in the book.  Yes, there are killings.  Yes, there is death.  Yes, there are MULTIPLE deaths.  We understand what happens in messy killings, and we were given plenty of details, but it wasn't anything I was going to be throwing my lunch up over.  For a debut book, it showed a great sense of maturity as a writer.   The imagination can fill in a great deal with the right lead from the author, and Billingham filled that role perfectly.

Get out some fish and chips and go on a serial whacko chasing adventure with Thorne.  Your dentist won't hate you just for imagining you are in England.

Review by Amy Eye

Hall Pass

What kind of guy doesn't want a hall pass?  A week off from marriage, no strings attached.  Does it get any better than that?  Well not for Owen Wilson.  He pushes his wife to the breaking point and she finally suggests he go off and do whatever he needs to do for a week, and then come home.  Kind of like that old saying of set the bird free and if it comes back it was yours to begin with.  If it doesn't then he better pray to God he was shot by some Midwestern duck hunter.

Owen is the typical all American husband.  He is somewhat out of shape, has two kids and his eyes wander a bit when a gorgeous twenty something girl passes through his field of vision.  We can't say the same for Jason Sudeikis.  Now that guy is a pig.  Who masturbates in their minivan on a regular basis, as it sits next to the curb in front of their house?  Isn't that what the bathroom is for?

You are hopefully getting a feel for the movie now.  Do not take the kids to this one people.  I sat in the theatre cringing at a couple in front of me, with their two children, approximately 10 and 11 years old.  They shrunk into their sits for a full thirty seconds as we panned back and forth from an African American man's penis to a Caucasian guy's penis.  Nothing wrong with flashing the boys around, but do you have to bring kids watch?

Once Owen is set free he and Sudeikis find that life in the fast lane isn't all they show in the commercials.  They putter out around 9 PM after inhaling a table full of junk food at one of the local sit down dinner chains and head home.  Is there a better place to pick up women than Chili's?  I think not.  Here is where the movie went south for me.

If we are in the theater to see some raunchy comedy, then show us the raunchy comedy and be done with it.  Ok, maybe a small plot, but don't give me too much to think about.  Hall Pass attempted to sway our thoughts to the loving couple, finding romance in the middle ages.  Maybe we're all a little more in love with our wives than we let on.  Well, not me.  I'm divorced so to hell with it.  The romantic flip was a little too much for me and the movie quickly got very sappy.

Do we really think that Owen Wilson left alone in a bedroom with a naked Nicky Whelan would say no thank you?  The woman is smoking hot.  Damn, now it's been a while since I got to say that.  I need to write more blog posts.

So bottom line, decent movie, a few laughs, not for the kids and you get a glance here and there at some hot women and some shlongs waving through the air.  Fell short for me but you could do worse in a pinch.  I would wait for the DVD and watch it from home.  Then you could pause on the Nicky Whelan scene and fast forward through the three men in a hot tub nightmare.

Biohazzard

Biohazard by Tim Curran
Severed Press 2010
ISBN 978-0980606584
Available New Paperback

It is every person's worst nightmare—nuclear war—and it's happened.  Whole cities have been completely wiped off the map.  Those that are left standing are quickly becoming graveyards.  What's left of the government has instituted Martial Law.  Corpse wagons make regular pick-ups of the dead.  Radiation sickness and diseases like cholera and typhus are running rampant through what's left of the population.  Rick Nash's wife Shelly has just died of cholera.  He wants to bury her properly but that's illegal.  After weeks of eeking out some semblance of survival Nash has reached the depths of his despair and decides to commit suicide.  He is stopped by a presence that he refers to as The Shape that he feels needs him in some way.

In his continued quest for survival in a world destroyed by the bombs Nash is unceremoniously drafted by the Army to help in the disposal of diseased bodies.  He meets a young man called Specs and after multiple disagreements with the group's leader they revolt and head to Cleveland.  There they meet Sean a former hit man for a bike gang out of New Jersey.  Sean has been hunting Trogs, people affected by radiation sickness who live in the bombed out cellars and sewers of the city and have resorted to cannibalism.  It is while in Cleveland that Rick and Specs learn about the Hatchet Clans, the Children, and have a harrowing run-in with mutated rats.  The three spend weeks together and soon pick up another survivor, a young woman named Janie.  She is a beautiful girl who has not lost her moral compass or compassion.  Rick tells the group of The Shape and its need for a sacrifice of some kind.  After attempting to satisfy it unsuccessfully, Specs gets sick and asks to be given over to The Shape.  When it finally makes an appearance they are horrified by what they see.  The Shape is a living nuclear reactor that destroys its living sacrifices on a cellular level.  Rick maintains his contact with it but doesn't understand what The Shape wants from them.

The small group of survivors pick up Carl and Texas Slim.  Rick realizes The Shape is guiding them and on some level protecting them.  The group must make regular sacrifices on the night of the full moon and in some way it's to keep The Shape from turning on them.  While in Indiana they run into mutant mosquitoes that bleed their victims dry, sand storms that pin them down for days, and dust storms that carry enough radioactive material to burn a man to ash in minutes.  Along their travels west, for that is where The Shape is guiding them, they are attacked by the Children.  The Children were created by the same radiation that killed the adults but somehow it turned children under the age of ten into walking nuclear waste.  If they touch you you're dead.  They pick up Gremlin and Mickey who are both told about The Shape and what they know of it so far.  They manage to survive two different attacks by the Hatchet Clans large groups of people believed to be infected by a fungus and who kill everything it their path.  During these months on the road Rick has begun having nightmares of a Medusa-like creature chasing them and bent on the survivors' destruction.  Rick comes to the realization that all of the places they have been to and the friends they have lost have all served a purpose, although he's not completely sure what that purpose is…..until they stop in Des Moines and meet Price.

Price is a microbiologist who worked for the U.S. Army in a biological lab with Level 4 microbes—the deadliest on the planet.  Price explains that not only have people and animals been mutated in some way by the radiological fallout but so have germs.  Price himself witnessed the "birth" of Ebola-X, a deadly super-virus with a 99% infection rate and a 100% mortality rate.  It turns its victims into a liquefying mass of toxic waste.  This terrifies Rick and he thinks this is the connection with his nightmares and possibly The Shape, especially after Price tells him about the bioweapons lab in Nebraska.  Is this what The Shape has been driving them to?  And for what purpose?

Tim Curran has managed to scare the hell out of me with Biohazard and there isn't a zombie in sight.  When I was fourteen years old I watched the TV movie The Day After and that scarred me for life.  I feared nuclear war because it was a real possibility.  Tim Curran has brought all of those fears right back and punched me in the gut with them.    The words he uses to describe all that the survivors encounter along their drive west paint an extremely frightening picture from the collapse of civilization as we know it to its final destruction at the hands of a superbug.  The end is terrifying and explosive and left me reeling.  Biohazard is a very dark look at the aftermath of nuclear war and there is no silver lining.  It's raw and visceral and not for the faint of heart.  It will reach into your gut and squeeze as hard as it can, and even when it's over you will be left feeling queasy.

Highly recommended

Contains violence and gore, adult language, and disturbing sexual images

Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund

7 Souls

7  Souls is an enlightening adventure for Mary Shayne. Unfortunately, it also ends in her death, but that is when the real adventure starts! 

Mary Shayne is a drop dead gorgeous, wanted by all, could have been a supermodel type of gal. The whole world loves her. They help her when she has partied too much; they all bend over backwards to do anything for the marvelous Miss Shayne. Mary doesn't understand it all though. She knows she is just Mary, but she also knows that she can count on her friends no matter what is going on.

Her birthday is today, and they always throw the world's biggest bash for her. It's not everyday someone turns 17. The booze, drugs, and music will be at full speed tonight. The whole day will be filled with doting admirers, lavish gifts, and her friends making this a day to remember. Only, this year, she starts her day by waking up naked in the middle of a Crate & Barrel window display. Her back hurts, and she discovers deep cuts down her lower back – and Mary has no recollection of the previous night at all.

The day only gets stranger from there, if that is even possible! No one in school talks to her, except to gripe at her, Trick, her boyfriend, breaks up with her, and no one has once said, "Happy Birthday!"  Today of all days was not supposed to go on like this. Mary Shayne would have been happy if this was as bad as it gets. She is about to learn her day is going to get MUCH worse.

I truly enjoyed this book. It does a great job of showing how people can keep their true feelings hidden. Many people harbor grudges, carry around dislikes, and even keep love for someone hidden. All of those feelings can turn into wanting revenge on the person at the center of the feelings. This story shows how far someone is willing to go to exact revenge on that person. All it takes is the courage to carry it out, and 6 other people who hate the same person.

The characters in this book are well developed. You feel that you know every one of them by the time the book is over. It helps that we see some of their most desperate or upsetting times through their own eyes. When the book is over, I truly did know the motivations for each and every one of them, and why they were chosen.

Even though the characters were all in their teens, it is easy for anyone to be able to relate to at least one of the characters in the book on some level. Their drives, convictions, and their pains have been experienced by everyone. Pick up this book for a great dose of death in cold blood, hidden homicidal thoughts, plotted revenge, and one girl's trip through 7 Souls.

JournalStone's $2,000 in 2011 Publishing Contest

JournalStone's $2,000 advance in 2011 Publishing Contest

Get your HORROR novel published and earn a $2,000 advance against future royalties.

JournalStone is holding its first HORROR publishing contest. Have you written a horror novel?  Would you like to be published?  Would you like to actually earn money for your efforts?

Submit your 75,000 words or more manuscript/novel to christophercpayne@journalstone.com on or before June 1, 2011, and you will be entered.  The winner will receive a $2,000 advance against future royalties and have his/her novel published by JournalStone.  Grammar counts, people.  Have it edited before you submit your entry.

The #1 winner is also eligible for membership to the HWA (Horror Writers Assocation).  Have you always wanted to join, but haven't met the criteria.  You can now become a member with all of its benefits and prestige!

Scared about not winning?  Second prize gets a $500 advance and a published novel.  Yes, you have to sign a contract first.  Third place gets a $200 advance and for the last time, also gets a published novel.  Not one of the top three?  No worries, you might still be good enough to get your novel published, you will just have to earn your money on the royalties.  We only have so much to give out for free.

Worried about costs?  JournalStone is a full service publishing company that covers any and all expenses for publishing a novel.  All an author is required to do is submit a freakishly scary book and rock our world.

 Genre: Horror only everyone.  Nothing else counts in this contest.  If you have any questions on content, please send an e-mail to christophercpayne@journalstone.com.

Word Count: 75,000 words or more. No exceptions.

Submission Deadline: All submissions must be received no later than 11 p.m. Pacific time June 1, 2011. JournalStone highly recommends you submit your work early.

Editing:  Please have your work edited prior to submission.  Can't afford editing?  If your work is absolutely awesome, we still might read it.  It might even win, but you will be one step behind the others from the start. So you are better off just getting it edited beforehand.

To submit your work, please send in a Microsoft Word document in Times New Roman 11-point font, single line spacing to christophercpayne@journalstone.com.

The tentative publication date resides in the year 2011.  We want to publish novels, not sit around on our arse!

If you have been curious to find out what JournalStone Publications is all about, but didn't know how to go about it, now is your opportunity.

If you want a copy of our basic contract just shoot me an e-mail.  We have nothing to hide and will happily share it to all applicants submitting an entry.

Minimum of 20 entries required to validate contest.