Iain Rob Wright's Blog, page 7

An interview with author, Mark Scioneaux...

With us today is author, Mark Scioneaux.  Here is what he has to say:


Tell us a bit about yourself...I was born in New Orleans, LA and from a young age I’ve always loved to write. It is my greatest passion, and also my greatest regret because I wish I had the courage to follow it earlier. The need to tell a story or craft a tale was always inside me, but something I repressed throughout my high school and college years. It wasn’t something I took seriously, or maybe I just wasn’t mature enough to see it for what it truly was: an outlet to entertain. You read about the big time writers and think “That’ll be me some day. I’ll write the great American novel on my first shot and be famous and rich.” If you go in with that attitude, you will fail. It’s a slow process, and a craft that must be taken seriously and perfected over time. I’m not perfect, and I’m in no place to tell others what they should or shouldn’t do, but I have a set of goals and achievements I set for myself starting Day 1, and I’m slowly scratching them off the list. 

It was in 2006, a few months after graduating from LSU, that I started my career in writing. The first thing I wrote is actually my current release that I’ll discuss more later. I thought I was so good at the time, and upon looking back at what I’d written, I was so bad. My style was messy and all over the place. I used quirky phrases and dialogue, trying to sound clever but failing miserably. I look at it now and laugh, and cringe. But, I can say I’ve grown as a writer. I wouldn’t be able to recognize that person’s work today, and that’s a good thing.
To say I’m a normal guy is an understatement. I love sports, both watching and playing them. My wife, Jessica, and I have been married for over a year and together for six. Our home in Baton Rouge is occupied by two mutts who take up more space in our bed than I do. I work as an industrial hygienist when I’m not moonlighting as a horror fiction writer. The funniest compliment paid to me was someone saying “you don’t look like someone who writes horror.” I’m still not sure what we should look like.
Could you tell us what work you currently have available?I have a few things out there, some I’m proud of and some not so much. My first novel, HOLLOW POINT, was written under the name Mark Christopher. I also edited an anthology titled BIGFOOT TALES under the same name. My past projects are rough, and show my progression from a novice writer. My novelette, THE GLASS COFFIN, has received high praise on Amazon, and I have a few shorts stories set to release soon with Hazardous Press, Evil Jester Press, and Bloodbound Books.
Tell us about your latest release... My latest release, and reason for this blog tour, is my zombie serial, HOLLOW SHELL. This is the first thing I ever attempted to write. I was 50,000 words into it when I decided to just stop. It’s been collecting dust on my computer ever since. One day, I opened the file and started reading through it. It was so bad, that even I shook my head a few times. But the story, I felt, was solid. It’s about a guy, Chris, who meets up with a younger woman named Dawn during a zombie outbreak. Together, they travel from Louisiana in hopes of reaching West Virginia, where Chris’s wife is visiting her mother. He can’t reach her by phone, so he embarks on a journey to save her. The story is filled with tension between the main characters, zombie attacks, and a variety of horrific and interesting people they encounter on the journey. I plan on releasing a new installment every quarter, with each part being approximately 10,000 words. The story is outlined to the very end, but I’ve changed so much since I wrote that outline, that I’m positive some news ideas will pop up as they go about their journey.
For someone unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your writing?

I don’t think I have a particular style of writing. When I write, I try to envision the story as if it were a movie. Then, I’d have to describe the scene to someone who couldn’t see what I saw. When I write dialogue, I put myself in the situation as my characters, and respond how I’d respond. I’ve been praised for my character development, and I pay close attention to making them very human and full of various emotions. I have characters I hate, love, despise, or frighten me; and I want my readers to feel the same way. To sum it up best, I write to tell a good story, and if the readers comes away entertained, then I feel I did my job.
What else do you have in the pipeline? There are a few projects I’m working on and I hope that 2013 will be a big year for me. My novelization of Dante’s Inferno, THE CITY OF WOE, is currently being considered by a literary agent. I co-wrote a novel, INSURGENT Z, with my friend and talented writer Dane T. Hatchell. It is an intense zombie thriller with a military twist, and it is currently being considered by a publishing house. I also have a novella entitled FAMILY DINNER up for consideration as well. My current is work in progress is a fictional account of the Salem Witch Trials, currently titled THE DEVIL CAME TO PLAY. I hope to jump on it soon and finish it by the end of November 2012.
Which writers have had the most influence on your own writing?There are many writers who influence me, all very different in terms of career accomplishments. For those who inspire me to shoot for the stars, Stephen King and Clive Barker would be tops. Two who have inspired my writing style when it comes to zombies are award-winning authors Joe McKinney and Jonathan Maberry. I consider both to be at the top of the zombie genre, and the reason is because they pay attention to character development and style over gratuitous amounts of gore and violence. Their works are what the zombie novel should be. I’m also inspired by up-and-coming authors like Dane T. Hatchell, Robert S. Wilson, and C.W. Lasart. These are people I speak with daily about all matters of writing. They drive me with impeccable work ethics and a hunger to constantly improve. There are many more that I could name, but the list would go for another page. Big or small, everyone can learn from someone.
What was the last thing you read? The last book I read was THE SINNER by K. Trapp Jones. It is a unique novel in that a farmer is sent to a cave where he encounters a different demon each day, representing the Seven Deadly Sins. It is written in a poetic style, and being a huge fan of The Inferno, I had to check it out. It is published by Bloodbound Books and they did a fine job with it. For my next read, I’ll be diving into submissions for my publishing company, Nightscape Press. I have a lot to catch up on.
Anything else you'd like to tell u about?I would like to take this section to draw attention my publishing company, Nightscape Press. I co-own the press with Robert Shane Wilson and his wife, Jennifer Wilson. Together we make a great team, and I am so happy to be a part of this venture. Our current line-up of books have been well received, both publically and critically, and I encourage everyone to check us out and read the works from our talented authors. Our current line-up consists of works by Peter N. Dudar, Trent Zelazny, Richard Salter, and L.L. Soares. We also have future releases scheduled for Peter Giglio, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Jonathan Templar, Stephen Graham Jones, and Rena Mason. We are growing, and span genres of dark fiction, including noir, horror, and science fiction.     
You can buy Mark's latest release here.  

What am I up to?

Hi Everyone:

It's been a while since I blogged so I guess I should check in with the world and explain what I'm up to.  I know I don't post very often and to be honest it's because I never know what to talk about.  I love to create stories and write novels, but I find blog writing a real pain in the keester!  I will endevour to blog more in the future and may even do a video blog where I just chat about whatever - maybe that would be more my style?

Anyway, at the moment I am up to all sorts of things, but feeling a bit lost as I try to remain productive.  One of the hardest things about what I do is having to motivate oneself, especially - such as in my case - when you have a propensity towards bone-idleness.  I struggle, I won't lie.  But here is what I am currently up to followed by what I will be doing later on.

1. I am currently helping establish the SalGad publishing group.  It is my opportunity to help other author's establish themselves and it's really exciting to start a new business with the other people involved (one of which is my wife to be).  In the new year I will step back and become more of a 'consultant' to the company, but right now I am working fulltime with them.

2. I will finish the third entry in The Peeling novella series soon, but I'm finding it hard to find time to write it.  When it's out that will be the last thing I release until after Christmas.

After Christmas I will be:

1. Getting married.

2. Moving house.

3. Writing again.

Before I state what projects I will be working on, I will tell you about the ones that I have cancelled.  I have decided not to write The Final Winter 2.  This may upset some people, but the reason being is that I just couldn't make myself completely happy with the plot I had in mind.  It felt forced.  The Final Winter ended pretty well so I don't think it really needs a sequel.  That's not to say I won't one day write it, but for the time being it has been shelved.  FYI the plot would have tied all of my novels together, and the main tie in would have been with my novel, Sam (all grown up now).  Still, it would not have been perfect so I will revisit the idea when I feel I have all the pieces in place.

The Animal Kingdom comic book series has also been shelved by me as I just cannot commit time to it.  It was an ego project and an opportunity to diversify, but that is no longer one of my main priorities, so it will remain cancelled until my goals change.

So what will I be writing next?  Well, my next novel will be called 'The Housemates' and is best described as 'SAW meets Big Brother'.  After that I intend to write a zombie novel.  I have been holding off on a zombie apocalypse tale as I didn't want to write something that would just get lost in the crowd of all the other Z-novels.  All I will say is that when I write it, it will be different yet traditionally.  I will make sure it stands out and is worth reading.  A zombie novel is not something I am willing to do wrong so I will take as long as I need to make it a fun and worthwhile read.

And that's as far ahead as I am thinking, right now.  There will be other stuff over the next twelve months but nothing set in stone.  I hope this little update keeps people informed and I hope you all have a great Festive period.

Iain

A Quick Word with Pat Douglas...

With us today is Patrick Douglas, acclaimed author and the man beyond the brilliant website: indie-inside.com.  Below is just a quick check in with the man about what he is currently up to.  Thanks for reading, folks.
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PATRICK DOUGLAS -- Right now, my new novella, THE DARK MAN, just came out! But before we get into that, I want to thank Iain Rob Wright for being so awesome as to let me commandeer his blog for a day. Thanks dude, you are freaking awesome.
In case you haven’t actually heard of the book, the following is the books short synopsis:
The human mind holds within its infinite reaches many of the greatest mysteries in the universe. Some are vast and wondrous, while others are chilling and nightmarish. Some mysteries are better left hidden in the dark corners of our minds, never breaking free of our subconscious.
Six high school students set out to explore these depths by sharing a mind altering substance on a night meant to be filled with both wild hallucinations and crazy antics. But the fun and games come to a shuddering halt when a strange man appears. This isn’t just any stranger. He is the Dark Man. Haunter of dreams and purveyor of nightmares. Dressed in a black suit and top hat, his pale skin and twisted grin promise a very deranged night of entertainment.
LINK: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Man-ebook/dp/B009DKCGAK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348089055&sr=8-2&keywords=the+dark+man+p.+a.+douglas
I originally came up with the Dark Man when I was a stupid little teenager. Bet you couldn’t ever guys how. Either way, I know of a lot of people who have actually come into contact with this person while on such substances. Needless to say it had to be written about. The fact that more than a handful of people have seen the Dark Man in real life is creepy enough for me. Whether or not the content of the Dark Man stands true in this book is another thing entirely. So, to answer that age old question: what inspired the book; well there it is. I’ve been there and done that and don’t recommend ever going back.
If splatterpunk, grindhouse action is what you crave in a good horror read, then I would definitely recommend picking this one up. It’s a fast paced death to the finish. And with that, I think that covers it for me.
Thanks again to Iain for letting me hop in and say hello.
-pat http://indie-inside.com 

An Interview With Bryan W. Alaspa...

With us today is multi-talented author,  Bryan W. Alaspa.  His latest novel, Vicious, will be out next week.


Tell us a bit about yourself, Bryan.
My name is Bryan W. Alaspa.  I was born in Chicago, IL and have lived here most of my life.  I became fascinated with writing when I was a child, sitting down and pounding out my first short story at my mom’s electric typewriter in the third grader.  I spent a lot of time doing other things, but I was always writing.  I wrote my first novel in high school.  I wrote another after college and then began my adventure in self-publishing.  I have self-published a number of novels and then teamed up with two publishers to write several non-fiction works that explored true crime, history (Chicago and Illinois) and haunted houses.  I am also a journalist, critic and freelancer.I have always been fascinated by horror.  Stephen King is a major influence, but so are Dean Koontz, Robert R. McCammon, JA Konrath and Blake Crouch, as well.  I love writing thrillers and horror.  One of the greatest compliments I ever got was when someone told me that something I had written gave them nightmares.
Could you tell us what work you currently have available?
I have nearly 20 books/novels available.  I have works of fiction including: The Ballad of the Blue Denim Gang, The Vanished Child, Dust, RIG: A Novel of Terror, Gone, After the Snowfall, Sin-Eater: Book One, Sin-Eater: Book Two - Destiny, MYTHOS: A Thriller, The Dead Phone and Deklan Falls: One Against Many.My non-fiction includes: Ghosts of St. Louis: The Lemp Mansion and Other Eerie Tales, Chicago Crime Stories: Rich Gone Wrong, Chicago Disasters, Forgotten Tales of Illinois, Silas Jayne: Chicago’s Suburban Gangster and Sabotage: A Chronicle of the Chesterton Crash.
Tell us about your latest release.
My latest is Vicious and it is my take on the whole cabin in the woods storyline that has become a staple of horror.  I had this idea for years about a story featuring several people trapped inside a cabin, unable to get out.  The problem was finding what was keeping them inside the cabin.  I tossed the idea around for a long time before coming across the solution: vicious dogs.  When I saw a book about Presa Canarios dogs and how some who had been trained to fight attacked a woman in San Francisco.  I knew that these dogs would be tough to fight and virtually unstoppable.So, the story if about two dogs who have been abused and trained to fight who get out and stake out a cabin as their new territory.  Four people come to the cabin for a quiet weekend and terror ensues.  I hope it is visceral and terrifying, but also a good adventure and edge-of-your seat.
For someone unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your writing?
I strive to tell compelling and exciting stories.  I try to create very realistic and real main characters that people can relate to.  I then try to put them into very bizarre and terrifying situations.  I also like to throw in a bit of humor when I can.  I have been told my action scenes and scene descriptions are very vivid.  I try for that.  I really want people to be compelled to hit the page button on their Kindle or turn the page in the book.  I love it if a reader tells me that they stayed up all night to read one of my books.  I also always like to throw a bit of mystery into my books.  There’s almost always someone trying to find out the solution behind a mystery.
What else do you have in the pipeline?
I have so many ideas for novels!  At this rate, if I cannot start writing books full time I will have to live until the age of 198 to complete them all.  I am busy working on a supernatural horror story that will be my first foray into the Young Adult genre.  After that, I have an outline and concept for a mystery/thriller set in the neighborhood where I grew up in Chicago.  I also have an idea for a young adult series.  I want to write a second in my series featuring my detective character Deklan Falls.  I have another series where I have written two installments and I have most of a third installment written.  And, really, that is just the start.  I get ideas all the time - for non-fiction too.
What writers have had the most influence on your own writing?
The first writer who inspired me was Peter Benchley.  I was always reading at a very advanced level and I read Jaws while quite young.  In about 6th grade I picked up Cujo by Stephen King and that was the hook that got me.  I have read everything that King has written since then and he is probably the single biggest influence on my writing.  I have also been inspired by writers like Robbert McCammon and John Sanford.  I love thrillers, horror and mysteries.
What was the last thing you read?
I am currently reading a novel called Resurrection Express by Stephen Romano.  It is a tense, exciting and intense crime novel in a very traditional noir style.  I just finished PINES by Blake Crouch who I think is one of the finest horror/thriller novelists around right now.  His novels RUN and now PINES are just some of the best books I have read in recent memory.  So intense, such great characters, and a story that never lets up. 
Anything else you’d like to tell us about?
I love connecting to fans.  It’s tough to do when you publish most of your work via Kindle, so I have  a strong online and social media presence.  So, I hope people check out my website and find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter or wherever.  I love to chat with readers and other writers, too.
Bryan's official website can be found at: www.bryanwalaspa.com

Crazy Sales in July...

£5000!!!

Last month my two self published books (The Final Winter and ASBO) earned me £5300 ($8500)!  To put that in perspective, my job as a phones salesman (which I quit in June 2011 after being close to a nervous breakdown - that's how much I hated it after 5-odd years) used to make me around £1500 a month ($2400).  So just one year on from becoming a full time author (my dream job) I made, last month, more than three times as much as I would have if I'd stayed in the same dead end job that I hated.

Now the reason I am discussing this is because I know there are other authors considering whether or not to self-publish rather than submit to agents etc.  Well, I'm just being totally upfront and honest.  People can look at my results and think what they want of them.

Which is why I have to admit right now that what I earned last month is not typical.  In fact the month before I made £2000 (still more than my sales job) and this month things have gone quieter and I will probably earn about that amount again.  One thing is clear, £5000 paycheques from just 2 self-pubished books is not something to expect on a regular basis (but it's possible). 

Now there are certain things that I believe helped me gain this result.  Mainly it was the perfomance of ASBO in the UK.  Usually The Final Winter makes about £1200 a month and ASBO has been making around £800 or so.  Last month ASBO earned £3500 pounds in the UK alone.  One thing I did differently in July is that I put ASBO on a free giveaway for the first 3 days of the month.  It was downloaded over 6,000 times and reached number 2 in the entire Kindle Free Charts.  It then reverted to the paid sales chart and entered the top 100 for all paid titles in the UK (top 10 for thrillers).  For the next week it proceeded to sell about 150 copies per day (at £2.99 - making me £2 per sale.)  That along with the slightly boosted sales of The Final Winter was bringing me sales-days of over £400.  The final two weeks of the month were much slower and made me about £100 a day.  The entire month's earnings crept in at just over £5000 (not including royalties from my other works such as Animal Kingdom).

The other thing that could have helped with sales of ASBO was that one of my fans/friends got her online reading group to choose the book for their monthly read.  She told me the group consisted of 26 people.  Whether or not this helped I don't know for sure, but someone certainly lit a fire under ASBO's ass!

One other bonus of giving the book away free for 3 days (via KDP Select) was that having 6,000 people download the book meant that I had a lot more reviews popping up for the following few weeks (the UK review count for ASBO went from 12 to it's current number of 40-odd).  Having all those reviews has the added bonus of making my paying customers feel more inclined to take a chance on the book - so sales obviously increased.

For anyone considering whether KDP Select is worth it, then you have my experience to consider in making your decision.  While it doesn't always boost sales this much (I have used the promotion several times before), I feel that sometimes one might strike it lucky and lead to my profits more than doubling like they did in July.

So, blindingly good month aside, what is my typical sales performance?  Well as I said, at the moment I usually make about £2000 per month (more than I used to earn working 9-5 in a job I hated).  I get up at 10AM and work about 6 hours a day Monday to Friday.  I take days off whenever I please.  So all in all I am leading a pretty charmed life.

The current split between my books is about £1200 The Final Winter and £800 ASBO (But ASBO was released 6 months later and is still slowly rising each month).  I think on average (for me at least) a book will tend to hit around the £1000 per month mark when it's been out about 7/8 months or so.  They then seem to stay at this amount fairly consistently.  The thing that excites me is that I have two more self-published titles due out very shortly, and I fully expect that they will eventually hit at least the £1000 per month mark as well.  This will make my earnings by this time next year a pretty stable £4000+ ($6500) by my calculations, which means that if I get the odd freak-month like I did last month I will be looking at a paycheque of over £12,000.  Not bad for doing a job I love.

So my message to fellow authors would be to at least try self-publishing - even if its for just one book.  I too have books published traditionally so I am not adverse to working with publishers (I actually think it gives you the credibility that Indie authors lack by nature), but I have no doubt that, so long as you pay for or design a decent cover, and make sure your work is well-formatted and well-edited, then you can make a living from your self-published titles.  At the very least you will earn pocket money that will maybe get you a new TV for Christmas.

Publishing has changed and there is no on that can tell you that you're not a writer or that you're not good enough.  Everything is there for you to give it your best shot, so do it.  That's what I did when I told my bosses to shove their sales job up their arses, and now I'm earning more, working less, and loving life.  I want you to join me!

As always, I give my heartfelt thanks to anyone that has ever brought one of my books.  Everything I have said above would have been impossible without you.  XXX

Sam and Sea Sick

For those of you aware that I haven't released a full length novel since January, the reason is that a deal for one of my books fell through which delayed it's initial release in June.  Next month, however, that book and another will both (hopefully) be released.

Both Sam and Sea Sick will be ready very soon and depending on the length taken by editors and cover artists, they will be out within the next few weeks.

Sea Sick is a zombie novel of sorts, although the main plot line is a Groundhog Day style tale set aboard a doomed cruise liner.

Sam is about a boy; a very sick little boy.  A very sick little boy with a secret...

Both novels are my typical length of about 70,000 words and should be quick and fun reads.  As always, they contain related themes and characters carried over from my other books.  The sequel to The Final Winter should eventually tie them all together with a neat little bow.

Other news: my next full length commitment will be the Animal Kingdom comic which I will be creating in conjunction with my official cover artist, Stephen Bryant of WWW.SRBPRODUCTIONS.NET.  I also have a scriptwriter that is writing a film treatment for The Final Winter and will hopefully manage to sell it someday.  Finally, for anyone that speaks German, there is an outside chance that I may have a translated edition in the works.  Oh, yeah, and I have signed a contract for 100 limited edition copies of The Final Winter to be made, so stay tuned for that.

When Sam and Sea Sick are released, I will be making them both free of charge (on Kindle) for the first 2 days.  Business sense would dictate that these days would be high earning days as my followers and fans would snap up my new works at whatever cost, but that is actually the reason I am making them free.  I know that it will be my supporters that get my new books first and I wouldn't feel right taking their money as they are the ones who have helped me get where I am (I have shifted more than 10,000 books this month which is incredible).  So, to all my fans, I love you and stay tuned for their release so that you can get your free copies.  My only self-serving request would be for you to please leave a review if you enjoy them.  You have no idea how much positive Amazon reviews lead to more sales.

I hope everyone is having a great Summer.  I'm currently sweating from places I didn't even know I had.

Concept art...Sam

Thought you folks would enjoy seeing the concept sketch for the upcoming cover for my latest novel, now entitled, Sam.

I imagine a lot of people have already seen this humorous...

I imagine a lot of people have already seen this humorous exchange of emails, but it still makes me chuckle.  To see more from this infamous prankster, visit his website at:  27b/6

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane, I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.
Regards, David.


From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
Yes please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached <spider.gif>


From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane,
Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,
Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95.
Please make this payment as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response

Thankyou for contacting me.
I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.
Regards, David.

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.
Regards, David.


From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David,
As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

I understand and will definitely make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.
Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Attached <spider2.gif>

The newest release from my good friend Craig. He's...

The newest release from my good friend Craig.  He's a writer beyond my talents so please take the time to check out his work.  You can buy it here in the UK or US


The dead rise, and only the dead can rock them back to sleep...but sometimes it falls to the living to do what the dead cannot.

Elton Burlock's done his time. Twenty-six years for a terrible murder. Some of those years were hard, some easy. On the outside, he takes the only job he can find - the custodian of a local cemetery. A simple job, keeping the grass tidy...giving the dead a haircut.

But there are three black angels in the cemetery: a little girl's ghost that roams the night...and two women, one a vision in white, one a nightmare in black.

When the killing starts, who can rock the restless dead back to sleep? Who but Elton? Elton, custodian of the dead, but the gatekeeper, too. The keeper of this world and the next.

The dead are awake. The little girl is free of the earth. But there are no lullabies for the dead and if he's going to live, Elton's going to have to give her what she wants.

Then, maybe, he can find peace for them both - in the grave or out.

"With A Stranger’s Grave, Saunders has written a truly dark, atmospheric and character driven tale, packed with page-turning mystery, sorrow, and a jaw-dropping reveal that will leave readers haunted long after they’ve gone to bed." —David Bernstein, author of Machines of the Dead and Amongst the Dead

A Look at The Final Winter

The Final Winter is still my strongest selling book as as a result it is currently getting a German translation and a limited edition leather-bound hardback edition.  I thought now would be a good time to discuss a few fun facts about it.

A picture of the Winyates pub in Redditch, on which The Trumpet is based, can be seen here.  It's a grotty, unfriendly little pub where I used to drink with my Dad growing up.  On the right you can see the steps where Jess slipped and fell down.

I included a lot of 'Easter eggs' in the book which it seems most people didn't get.  So here are a list of a few little tidbits of info about the book.  SPOILERS TO FOLLOW.

The pub is called 'The Trumpet' as a reference to the trumpets that will be play upon the beginning of Armageddon (check you Revelations)LUCAS FERGUS is obviously an allusion to LUCIFER (Most people got that)Harry ran a furniture business and was a carpenter like Jesus.  He also offered to absolve the world's sins by sacrificing himself.Damien is named after the antichrist in The Omen (although this is just to create irony when he switches to a good guy later on)   The snow storm is a new take on Noah's Ark and the biblical floodsThere are a gazillion horror film references courtesy of JerryBen turning to a pillar of salt after looking back behind him is a reference to Job's wife fleeing Sodom and GomorrahHarry's surname is Jobson (Job's son)Lucas "coming from the South after originally being from the North" "and having a falling out with his Father" is a sly reference to him falling from HeavenHe also asks the others if they can "bear some light" (Lucifer is a light bearer made from fire.There are many more that even I forget now, but if you ever read the book again, play close attention.  If you haven't already got a copy, you can get one here.