Jonathan Janz's Blog, page 18

2014 Appearances: Part One

Hey, friends! Can’t you tell how happy I am to see you? Didn’t the exclamation point at the end of the salutation fill you with a sense of warmth and adoration? If not…what do you want from me? A hash tag? An umlaut? A SCHWA? Well I don’t just hand out schwas to anyone who shows up at my blog, darn it, you have to EARN a schwa from me!

Anywho.

One of my unstated (until now) goals is to attend more and more conventions each year. In 2012 (my first year as a published novelist), I attended two. Last year I attended…well, two. But I meant to attend three, and that counts for something doesn’t it? Or are you still mad about the schwa thing?

So this year, to both accomplish my goal and to compensate for last year’s plateau, I’m planning on going to at least FOUR conventions. *puffs out chest and struts like Borat…”King in the castle, King in the castle, I have a chair”…*

I can’t talk about two of them yet because they’re not confirmed. The first, however, will be on Thursday, March 13th at the Public Library Association Conference in Indianapolis. I’ll be signing books from 2:00 until whenever they forcibly eject me from my chair.

The second will be eight days later at HorrorHound Cincinnati. I’ll be signing books and hanging out with fans from 7-to-10 on Friday night and from 10-until-1 on Saturday morning/early afternoon. There’ll also be some no-names there like Bruce Campbell and the cast of The Walking Dead, so once you’ve met me, you can grab some of their autographs.

I’ll post more updates as I get them, including something fun that’ll happen this summer. But for now, I better go. My next deadline is the end of April, and I’ve got some big scenes to write. This one’s gonna be fun…

Jonathan Janz Is Now a Fan of Jonathan Janz

Here’s an embarrassing recurring accident:

I pull out my iPhone, choose the Goodreads ap, and wait to see what pops up. I belong to several groups there, my favorite of which is called Horror Aficionados, and I sometimes like to check out what’s happening with my fellow twisted horror fans. But then, somehow, inexplicably, I click the button on my profile that says “You are now a fan of Jonathan Janz.”

My Favorite Author. For Twelve Minutes.

After staring at my phone for a split second in utter horror, I scramble to find a way to stop being a fan of myself, but really, the damage is already done. The way it works is that my Goodreads friends receive updates about me (my reviews, my hopes and dreams), and they’ve already seen that I’ve become a fan of myself. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with authors being fans of their own work, but I go with my gut on stuff like this, and my gut tells me I look like a self-aggrandizing, socially unaware, attention-seeking dipwad at whom people are laughing incredulously and rolling their eyes: “My, my, my. Someone is full of himself today, isn’t he?” *pompous sniff*

Now, folks might not be thinking any of the above, but I’m thinking they’re thinking it, and that’s enough for me. Oh, sure, eventually I’m able to get on my laptop and de-fan myself, but what message am I sending then? That I don’t like my own work? That for twelve minutes I thought that Janz guy was cool but then decided he’s a no-talent hack?

And this, my friends, has happened three times now. The insane part of it is when I go back to my Goodreads iPhone ap, I can’t even find what button to click to become a fan of myself. Which leads me to believe it’s invisible and has actually been placed there by the NSA to strike back at a horror author whose July release (CASTLE OF SORROWS)  includes the deaths of several fictional FBI employees. And that means the NSA has somehow gotten hold of my manuscript, which means they’ve hacked either my computer, the PC of Don D’Auria (my editor at Samhain), or the home of my agent Louise Fury. And if they can get to Louise, who on earth is safe?! I WANT MY RIGHTS!!!

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How People Imagine Me after I “Fan” Myself

Okay. Rant over. If you need me, I’ll be huddling in the corner of my underground bunker with my survivalist friends. And if you decide to drop in, we’ll be the ones in the tinfoil hats.

The password is dipwad.

FEARnet Loves DUST DEVILS

I meant to post about this fabulous review the other day but didn’t because I was so busy. I’ve either been with my family, at my day job (teacher), or working my other job (writer), and when I’ve had a spare moment, it’s been devoted to letting the puppy outside, or waiting for him to do his business, or chasing him into the snowy backyard after he’s escaped through the fence slats, or cleaning up after him when he’s left a surprise for me on the floor, or trying not to think about where his paws have been as he climbs onto my face.

The Culprit

Which brings up another point—I’d forgotten just how horrible dog excrement smells. I mean, I love the little guy, and I know fecal matter isn’t pleasant in any form. But dude. It’s almost as if Mother Nature designed dog feces to have the worst smell, the hardest-to-clean texture, the most staying power of any type of feces. In fact, it’s my contention that dog crap is the George Strait of the fecal world. Delivering number one hit (or number two, if you prefer) after number one hit, decade after decade, it’s the excrement that lingers in the air long after other odors are gone. It’s—

Let’s move on, shall we?

On a more pleasant note, the awesome Blu Gilliand (FEARnet) reviewed my vampire western DUST DEVILS last week. Here are just a couple of the glowing highlights:

“Dust Devils is a healthy size, but it reads like a book half its page count. It would be easy for the scenes of Price and his crew cutting their way through townspeople to become repetitious, but Janz has a real knack for writing action. Blood spills and sprays in a variety of crazy ways, bodies are torn asunder, and none of it bogs down. At various times I was reminded of movies like Near Dark, From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill to give you an idea of the grit and scope Janz achieves. In other words, this would make a great horror flick, so somebody get on that, okay?”

And this:

“Dust Devils is the most pure fun I’ve had reading a book so far this year. Granted, we’ve got a ways to go in 2014, but the bar has been set. For out-and-out unflinching horror with a strong western feel, you can’t go wrong with this one.”

Dust Devils is a healthy size, but it reads like a book half its page count. It would be easy for the scenes of Price and his crew cutting their way through townspeople to become repetitious, but Janz has a real knack for writing action. Blood spills and sprays in a variety of crazy ways, bodies are torn asunder, and none of it bogs down. At various times I was reminded of movies like Near Dark, From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill to give you an idea of the grit and scope Janz achieves. In other words, this would make a great horror flick, so somebody get on that, okay? – See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/book-review-dust-devils-jonathan-janz#sthash.m7eTxHkV.dpuf
Dust Devils is a healthy size, but it reads like a book half its page count. It would be easy for the scenes of Price and his crew cutting their way through townspeople to become repetitious, but Janz has a real knack for writing action. Blood spills and sprays in a variety of crazy ways, bodies are torn asunder, and none of it bogs down. At various times I was reminded of movies like Near Dark, From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill to give you an idea of the grit and scope Janz achieves. In other words, this would make a great horror flick, so somebody get on that, okay? – See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/book-review-dust-devils-jonathan-janz#sthash.m7eTxHkV.dpuf

And here’s the entire review.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of DUST DEVILS to see what everybody’s talking about, you can do that here or wherever else ebooks and paperbacks are sold. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to read the review one more time before attending to the dog. Hopefully, that will edify me against the withering stench of puppy dung.

*dons gas mask*

Introducing the Sixth Member of Our Family: Weasley the Puppy

If you’ve had your cuteness ration for the week, you might want to escape now. I’m not saying that if you don’t find our new puppy extremely sweet and loveable, you’re a heartless Grinch, but, well, you are.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and Heartless Grinches), I present to you…

Weasley

I don’t know much about dogs, but I do know that in only two short weeks Weasley has had an impact on our lives. And by the way, I’ve been dealing with some guilt over the fact that we got him from a breeder (please don’t douse me with a bucket of pig blood) because every single pet I’ve owned up until now has been a stray. But enough about me and my callousness…

Weasley’s breed, my wife tells me, is often used as a therapy dog. I can see why. One of my biggest challenges as a human being is to relax. I have to continually remind myself to relax because it’s not at all a natural state of existence for me. But when I’m holding Weasley on my chest or in my lap, I feel a great deal more at ease. He seems to like me too, for whatever obscure canine reason.

More importantly, my wife loves him and has essentially accessorized him over the past fortnight. Wherever she goes, he goes. When she teaches piano or voice lessons, there he is, chin on paws, reposing in her lap. When she cooks dinner, he sits faithfully at her heels, blissfully unaware of the boiling water percolating on the stove (notice how my safety monitor OCD has already extended to our dog?). When she climbs into the shower…actually, Weasley hates baths, so he doesn’t follow her in there. But I’m sure he waits anxiously for her to finish up so he can resume his curly-headed vigil.

Just as important as his relationship with my wife is the manner in which he interacts with my kids. My youngest—we’ll call her Peach—is constantly trying to snatch him up and tote him around. This concerns me, as she clearly hasn’t learned the meaning of finesse yet (at three, I suspect this trait will take some time to cultivate). But Peach loves him and clamors for equality in the Weasley Holding Wars of 2014.

Speaking of the WHW, my middle child (I call her, among other things, Scoopy, a nickname I suspect my wife detests…I mean, another nickname for her is Sparkle, but the Cloying Quotient of this post has already reached terminal mass, and I fear a repeated utterance of Sparkle will move the needle all the way into nauseating territory—What? We’re there already? FINE! Grinch). Anywho, Scoopy is absolutely addicted to the puppy and will protest violently when one of us dares hold the puppy in her presence. Weasley is her dog, and I do have to say, she has been extremely faithful and cheerful about taking care of him. I don’t think many six-year-olds would eagerly take the puppy outside to use the restroom in zero-degree weather, do you?

So yeah, I’m pretty proud of Scoopy. And proud of Peach for not dropping Weasley on his head yet.

As for my third child, my oldest, my son…well, my wife calls him my Mini-Me, and though I hear that term used a lot for kids and parents, in this case it really is true. While there are of course differences between me and my son—at age eight his legs are already more muscular than mine are now, he’s better at math, and he can draw without it looking like he’s afflicted with a caffeine-induced palsy—we are eerily alike in many ways. So Bubba (one of his many nicknames) has as much trouble relaxing as I do. But from the moment he first held Weasley, I could see a softness pervade Bubba’s features, a subtle euphoria that would only be apparent to someone who knows him really well. Bubba loves to play with Weasley; he sees it as his personal duty to tire the puppy out so Weasley will sleep well enough to give my wife and me some rest too.

Bubba also enjoys the feel of the puppy, which is a good reminder to me that he’s a very tactile young boy. I love to hug Bubba and kiss his head, and watching him do the same to Weasley reminds me that this probably isn’t just a stage in Bubba’s development—he truly craves and enjoys giving that physical affection. And no, don’t worry. I’m not going to kiss Bubba’s forehead in front of his high school friends someday. Unless Bubba wants me to, in which case I’ll kiss that forehead so much it’ll prune, his friends’ opinions be damned.

I better wrap this up now. In case you’re wondering, Weasley is named after the ginger-haired family in Harry Potter. My wife chose the name and now wants to change it to Louie Lambykins. I’m against the name change on principle, not only due to my love of the Harry Potter books but because I can’t imagine opening up our backdoor and bellowing “LAMBYKINS!!!!” I mean, I’m secure in my manly macho toughness and all, but something tells me I’d be biologically incapable of shouting that word without feeling in some way diminished. Is that silly? Yes. Am I absurd for feeling that way? Absolutely. But at least I can admit it, right? At least I’m unafraid to overshare with complete strangers about irrational aversions. Doesn’t that count for something?

So have a great Saturday, friends, and remember to support Harry Potter Canine Naming. It’s easy, it promotes great literature.

It’s the right thing to do.

PIERCING THE DARKNESS: A Charity Anthology for the Children’s Literacy Initiative

Hey, friends. The blog has been dormant for several days.

Notice how I attribute the inactivity to the blog itself? As though it’s a force of nature, a virtual Vesuvius lying in wait and preparing to explode at any moment? As though there isn’t a person behind it responsible for updating it? Not only does this capture the raw power of my blog, it absolves me of all responsibility. In other words, win-win (both wins for me).

So on a less self-indulgent note, I got to participate in an incredible project featuring writers like Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Brian Keene. The extremely cool and talented Craig Cook was the mastermind behind Piercing the Darkness, which is a charity project to promote children’s literacy. In other words, it’s a fabulous cause. There are several more savage horror beast-monsters from the writing community (Jonathan Maberry, F. Paul Wilson, and Christopher Golden, to name three more), and I could keep on dropping shockingly impressive names, but I’d rather let the official listing tell you the story:

“An All-Star Anthology Benefitting the Children’s Literacy Initiative. Featuring N.Y. Times bestsellers Jonathan Maberry, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, and Christopher Golden. Plus new, never-before-published stories from James A. Moore, Jeff Strand, Ronald Malfi, and others. Twenty-eight of the biggest and brightest names in horror have gathered to shine their light upon an ever-increasing darkness—children’s illiteracy. Join them as they take you down into the depths, and hope you make it to the light on the other side.”

Jack Ketchum. He’s in this book.

And the TOC:

KING OF SHADOWS by Joe R. Lansdale
QUIET BULLETS by Christopher Golden
HAVEN by Kealan Patrick Burke
BRAVE GIRL by Jack Ketchum
DEALING WITH MAMA LILA by Sandy DeLuca
HUSBAND OF KELLIE by T.T. Zuma
OBEDIENT FLIES by Greg F. Gifune
EXIT STRATEGY by Tim Waggoner
ABATTOIR BLUES by James A. Moore
CANNONBALL LYCANTHROPE by Janet Joyce Holden
THROWING MONSTERS by Jonathan Janz
THE FIERCE STABBING AND SUBSEQUENT POST-DEATH VENGEANCE OF SCOOTER BROWN by Jeff Strand
THE HOUSE IN CYRUS HOLLER by David Bain
COOKED by Jonathan Maberry
MIZ RUTHIE PAYS HER RESPECTS by Lucy Snyder
LETTING GO by Mary SanGiovanni
THE VIKING PLAYS PATTY CAKE by Brian Keene
SHADOW CHASER by Simon Wood
THE FOLLY by Robert Dunbar
SPIDER GOES TO MARKET by Gerard Houarner
PEST CONTROL by C. Dennis Moore
I’M SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS by Ronald Malfi
TIMOTHY MEEK by Gord Rollo
TRAPS by F. Paul Wilson
SEARCHING by Monica O’Rourke
FIRE by Elizabeth Massie
DANCE OF THE BLUE LADY by Gene O’Neill
DINOSAUR DAY by Gary A. Braunbeck

Joe R. Lansdale. He’s in this book too.

So I could talk about what an amazing honor it is to have been asked to contribute a tale to this wonderful project (my story, by the way, is a never-before-in-print yarn called “Throwing Monsters”), but that part would be incredibly obvious, wouldn’t it? I mean, you’ve heard me geek out about Lansdale, Ketchum, and Keene right here on this blog, so to be published in the same anthology with them? Fuggedaboudit. Permanent geek-outage.

So buy the book. The stories are top-notch, and the cause is amazing.

That’s all for the night. Stay warm, friends.

Dust Devils by Jonathan Janz (Brand-new Review!)

Jonathan Janz:

Here’s the newest review of DUST DEVILS, this one courtesy of Mika Reads Horror Fiction, a blog that consistently provides insightful reviews.

I’m very happy with it and humbled by it, but here are two of my favorite parts:

“The action is very well paced – the 250-page novel goes past in a breeze – and there’s a sparkle to the language already familiar from writer Jonathan Janz‘s previous novels; in horror, perhaps only Robert R. McCammon manages to keep a story going with such constant energy.”

And this:

“The fifth novel by Janz, Dust Devils is plotwise concise and psychologically streamlined; it’s all muscle and heart. The small cast and the straightforward, nearly real-time storyline also help, giving the novel a wonderful immediacy and a fierce, kinetic energy that drives the narrative compulsively forward; for sheer speed, Dust Devils, pardon the pun, truly leaves many others in its dust.”

I hope you read the rest of the review, and I hope you pick up DUST DEVILS soon to see what all the buzz is about.

UNLEASHED!

Oh, and one more piece of news: We got a puppy today. More on that later…

Originally posted on Mika Reads Horror Fiction:

It’s on from page one, and it doesn’t stop until it’s done. On a desert in 1880s New Mexico, a man called Cody and a boy named Willet spy a group of vampires feasting on some nice human barbecue. The vampires, travelling from town to town as a theatre troupe, have taken Cody’s wife; from Willet, they’ve taken his whole family.

We get the backstory bit by bit, but otherwise it’s nonstop action, told on the go; after a fight with the vampires, Cody and Willet try to head off the creatures at a nearby town. Soon enough the troupe shows up again, this time for a show at the local saloon. It’s not exactly Shakespeare these vampires perform, but the crowd does go wild. The final standoff at a ranch caps things off in a gory whirlwind of headshots, decapitations and torn arteries.

It’s not subtle, but hell if it isn’t effective. The action is very well paced – the 250-page novel goes past in a breeze – and there’s a sparkle to the language already familiar from writer Jonathan Janz‘s previous novels; in horror, perhaps only Robert R. McCammon manages to keep a story going with such constant energy. Only at the very end does the action begin to lag, as the aftermath goes on perhaps a few pages too long. But then again the reader might need a breather before returning to the real world, a gentle easing back from the adrenaline-fuelled heights.

View original

Dust Devils by Jonathan Janz

Reblogged from Mika Reads Horror Fiction:

It's on from page one, and it doesn't stop until it's done. On a desert in 1880s New Mexico, a man called Cody and a boy named Willet spy a group of vampires feasting on some nice human barbecue. The vampires, travelling from town to town as a theatre troupe, have taken Cody's wife; from Willet, they've taken his whole family.

Read more… 438 more words

Here's the newest review of DUST DEVILS, this one courtesy of Mika Reads Horror Fiction, a blog that consistently provides insightful reviews.
I'm very happy with it and humbled by it, but here are two of my favorite parts:

"The action is very well paced – the 250-page novel goes past in a breeze – and there’s a sparkle to the language already familiar from writer Jonathan Janz‘s previous novels; in horror, perhaps only Robert R. McCammon manages to keep a story going with such constant energy."

And this:

"The fifth novel by Janz, Dust Devils is plotwise concise and psychologically streamlined; it’s all muscle and heart. The small cast and the straightforward, nearly real-time storyline also help, giving the novel a wonderful immediacy and a fierce, kinetic energy that drives the narrative compulsively forward; for sheer speed, Dust Devils, pardon the pun, truly leaves many others in its dust."

I hope you read the rest of the review, and I hope you pick up DUST DEVILS soon to see what all the buzz is about.

[caption id="attachment_1158" align="aligncenter" width="432"] UNLEASHED![/caption]

Oh, and one more piece of news: We got a puppy today. More on that later...

The DUST DEVILS Are UNLEASHED!

The wait is over. My new novel (my fifth Samhain Horror novel, my sixth novel overall) is here. DUST DEVILS is a vampire western that combines the lawless wildness of the Old West with the terrifying bloodlust of the bestial undead. But DUST DEVILS is much more than that. It’s a story of a betrayed husband trying to earn back his self-respect, a twelve-year-old boy bent on revenge, a strong woman who deserves a better life than the one she has, a caring father who craves to reconnect with his son, and, of course, the vampires.

Oh, the vampires.

The vampires in DUST DEVILS are the kind you’re going to hate. The kind you’re going to fear. The kind you’re going to want to see destroyed. If my heroes are strong enough to do it.

You can purchase the ebook or the paperback wherever books are sold, but for a limited time, the Samhain Horror website is offering the DUST DEVILS ebook for only $3.85 and the paperback for just $11.20.

Here’s the cover art:

UNLEASHED!

And here’s the synopsis:

Beware when the vampires come to town.

When traveling actors recruited his wife for a plum role, Cody Wilson had no idea they would murder her. Twelve-year-old Willet Black was just as devastated the night the fiends slaughtered everyone he loved. Now Cody and Willet are bent on revenge, but neither of them suspects what they’re really up against.

For the actors are vampires. Their thirst for human blood is insatiable. Even if word of their atrocities were to spread, it would take an army to oppose them. But it is 1885 in the wilds of New Mexico, and there is no help for Cody and Willet. The two must battle the vampires—alone—or die trying.  

That’s all for now. There have been four official reviews of the novel, and each one has been a rave. I really hope you pick up a copy to find out why.

Oh, and I haven’t even told you yet about the western books and movies that inspired DUST DEVILS. Here’s one for now…

Jonathan Janz Offers Top-Notch Literary Western Filled with Terrifying Old West Vampires!

Reblogged from Oh, for the HOOK of a BOOK!:

One of my author buddies, the one I think I like because I make him laugh, or maybe I try to make him laugh and he just smiles not really laughing....or maybe he is really laughing at me and not with me.....ah, I digress, no matter the case I actually like Jonathan Janz  AND his writing. Telling you he is a friend of mine doesn't make my review, evaluation, or recommendation any less REAL.

Read more… 1,115 more words

This article/review by Erin Al-Mehairi at the excellent Oh, for the HOOK of a BOOK blog certainly made me happy!

The DUST DEVILS Arrive at Midnight!

Vampire Terror

Okay, friends. It has been a long wait—for me, at least—but my new vampire western (DUST DEVILS) is about ready to release. You can order the paperback now and have it by the weekend, or at midnight tonight you can download the digital version for your Kindle, Nook, iPad, or other reading device.

Man, that was a dry opening paragraph. What say we spice things up a bit? Did you know…

…that I read a book about New Mexican flora and fauna in preparation for DUST DEVILS?

…that I studied a great deal about ranching, horses, guns, hats, and late nineteenth century history for the book?

…that a major action set piece in the book was partially influenced by From Dusk Till Dawn?

Vicious Vampire

…that my chief vampire (Adam Price) has existed in my mind since I saw Fright Night as a child?

…that emasculation, redemption, revenge, desire, estrangement, courage, and regret are just a few of the major themes of the novel?

…that the western novels of Elmore Leonard, Cormac McCarthy, and Larry McMurtry had a profound influence on this tale?

Jerry Dandridge, Partial Inspiration for Adam Price

I’ll be expanding on the above concepts in later posts (and going much deeper into the heart of the novel in other ways), but for now, I’ll just tell you how thrilled I am with the way the book turned out, how amazed I am at Angela Waters’s cover art, and how excited I am for people to read this novel.

So check it out. At midnight. Or later this week. Or later this year. Whenever you read DUST DEVILS, I think you’ll be very happy you did.