Christopher Ruz's Blog, page 5
July 31, 2014
Rust, Century of Sand, funding and free junk
So many updates, not enough time. ONE: The complete RUST: SEASON TWO is now available on Amazon! No need for episodes – just grab the novel and dive into some seriously messed up horror. TWO: Century of Sand 2 is almost done. The final draft has been transcribed from all my redline notes, and all that’s left are a few quick additions and a proof read. I’ll be self-pubbing through all major ebook retailers for $5.99, but you can preorder it for a fiver via my GoFundMe campaign! I’m super excited to get this novel out the door, and I hope you’ll give it as much love as you gave Century of Sand 1. THREE: I was lucky enough to do a quick interview with Kurtis Wiebe, author of runaway success Rat Queens! It’s up now on The 42nd Parallel, so check it out! FOUR: Because I like giving things away, I’m uploading some of my work to Wattpad for free reading! Right now you can check out my complete short story collection Nothing Too Dangerous, or the first couple chapters of Rust: Season One which I’m uploading piece by piece. So if you like reading FREE STUFF, check it out! That’s all, ladies and gentlemen. Take care, and keep an eye out for more new releases!
June 13, 2014
Rust: Season Two is hitting Amazon!
What sort of butthead finishes a novel but forgets to post about it on his own blog? This butthead, obviously. Rust: Season Two is finished and, as with Season One, being released as a weekly serial via Amazon, iBooks, Barnes&Noble and Kobo. The Amazon releases are landing every Friday, and the rest of the retailers… well, they’re taking a little longer to process, but they’ll catch up eventually. Rust: Season Two starts where Season One left off – with Kimberly and Fitch united in their mission to destroy the town and find a way back to New York. After escaping the horrors of Bo Tuscon’s basement and killing the monster stalking her, Kimberly and Fitch are on the run. Kimberly wants to get home and Fitch wants to burn the town to the ground. With the help of the mysterious Mrs Rosenfeld, they might just be able to do both. But Rustwood won’t give up its secrets so easily. The forces controlling Rustwood have many servants, and they’re hungry for blood. If Fitch and Kimberly keep running, they’ll set their sights on easier targets… like Kimberly’s child… Want body horror? It’s here. Want thrills and chills? Rust has it in spades. Gore, mystery, nightmares, insanity? Bring a straw and drink deep. And what if you don’t like buying a short episode of Rust each Friday? I’ve got you covered. Donate a fiver (the equivalent of those five 99c episodes) via my GoFundMe campaign and you’ll get Rust: Season Two as […]
May 24, 2014
Breakaway (novel opening)
We burned the evidence in a gravel pit two miles outside town. I shivered in my bra and underwear as my clothes turned to ash and nylon sludge. The paper masks we’d worn as disguises flared as flames lapped across their curves. The orange hi-vis vests and BB guns became plastic puddles. Dad shovelled pebbles and dirt across the whole mess before we left. The sun was setting above the ridges to the west as we dressed in fresh clothes. Thin dusk light kissed Dad’s shoulders, and my stomach rose into my throat as I saw the buckshot wounds peppered across his skin. He caught me staring, and turned away as he buttoned up his shirt. “Not a word to your mother,” he said. “You know what it’d do to her if she found out.” I mimed zipping my lips. Dad nodded. “You’re a good girl, Caecey. Best a father could ask for.” Two patrol cars passed us on the drive home, but their sirens were off and we’d already swapped the plates. Whenever I stretched my heels bumped the duffel bag of crinkling, bank-fresh hundreds tucked beneath my seat. It felt like I was sitting on something huge, something ticking. A nuke about to erupt and swallow our little sedan whole in a blaze of pure white light. We didn’t speak until we’d gotten home, pulling smoothly into the driveway like we hadn’t just robbed a bank, hadn’t just been shot at by security, hadn’t just incinerated our disguises […]
May 18, 2014
On Aussie Privilege, and Self-Made Men
You are not a self-made man. Yes, I know you started that business solo. Yes, I know you worked your way up from the bottom of the ladder. Yes, I know you put a lot of hard hours into getting your business degree. You’re still not a self-made man. I know this because I know you. You’re not a self-made man because you were born on the top rung. You’re white and male, which are both automatic bonus points. You live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world, where opportunities for success are available. That’s another bonus. You were raised by middle-to-upper class parents in a good household. I’ve met your parents. They’re quite nice. That’s a huge bonus. They sent you to one of the best schools in the country, where you received an excellent education and got to build a network of contacts with many of the most intelligent and talented men of your generation. I know this, because I studied alongside you. You’re not a self-made man. You built much of yourself, no doubt. You worked hard for your success, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for it. You earned it! Well done! But your success was contingent upon being born in the right place at the right time to the right parents with the right education and the right money. You built your success upon the back of your winning genetic lottery ticket. I know your story. You bought run-down houses and renovated them […]
May 6, 2014
Update! Rust: Season Two is prepping for launch.
Both my blog and my newsletter have been quiet recently because I’ve been really, really busy. Like, busy. Italicised busy. When I’m not doing my teaching placement (6am-6pm, five days a week – the mother of unpaid internships), I’m studying and writing essays. When I’m not writing essays, I’m repairing the house. When I’m not repairing the house, I’m cleaning it, or cooking bulk-loads of bolognaise sauce. And when I’m not doing that, I’m writing for you. Eighteen months to go, guys. Eighteen months of almost full-time, unpaid, emotionally eviscerating work, before I get to do it for real. If anyone ever told you teaching high-school is a simple gig… if anyone ever said, “Those who can’t, teach”… If anyone ever acted like teachers have it easy because they leave work at 3 (ha! Ha! HAHAHA!) or get extended holidays (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA) or don’t have to deal with bureaucracy (Stop it, you’re killing me!) then punch them. Punch them right in their faces, with both fists. Simultaneously. And yet, I teach. Because I love it. Because getting a troublesome class to pay attention and care about their futures is the second most rewarding feeling in my professional career. The first? Finishing a novel, duh. Which is why you’re reading this post. Because you want my books. And I’m glad to say that, despite my time being limited, the incredible contributions of friends and fans through my GoFundMe campaign have allowed me to spend my few free hours writing instead of retail-slaving. […]
March 23, 2014
One year, three novels. Help me do it!
Making a living as a writer is a tough gig. Sometimes it turns out to be impossible. For me, now having returned to full-time study so I can become a high-school teacher, it’s the latter. Essentially, after almost two years of living off the proceeds of my book sales, things have kinda… collapsed. That’s the market, man. I could blame any number of factors but the simple truth is that not everyone gets to have a mega-hit, or even a sorta-hit. What most people would do in this situation is to throw up their hands and say, “Oh, well. Guess I’ll give up this book stuff and start a new-wave punk band called The Mother England Baby Cannon” or something along those lines. Not me. The way I see it, I’ve got two options. One: I tell my readers and fans to cool their jets and put all my projects on hold for the next two years, until I have a full-time job and enough security to resume writing, and flip burgers at McDonalds to pay the bills. Two: I ask you for help. I really, really don’t like disappointing people. With your support, I’d like to write and publish three novels in 2014: Century of Sand 2, Rust: Season 2, and Olesia Anderson 7. One fantasy novel, one horror novel, and one espionage thriller. To do that, I need enough cash to keep a roof over my head and Mi-Goreng in my belly to pump out just under 400,000 […]
February 27, 2014
RUST: Episode One, now free on iBooks!
As the second season of RUST ticks ever closer to release (the first two episodes are with test readers, and the rest soon to follow), I’ve finally pushed the first season of RUST on the iBooks and Barnes & Noble Nook stores. Which is awesome for people who don’t use a Kindle e-reader, but what’s even more awesome is that it means I can give more stuff away. You see, while Amazon doesn’t allow you to publish a book for free, iBooks does. So if you have an iPad or iPhone and need some dark horror to keep you up at night, you can now grab the first episode of Rust 100% free. But what if you DO have a Kindle, and you want some of that tasty free horror? I’ve got you covered. The first episode of RUST can be downloaded 100% free from this very website. Save it to your e-reader of choice and enjoy. Thank you for being so patient while I get Season Two perfect for you, and remember – if you enjoy RUST for free, the best thing you can do for me as an author is to tell people about it. Tweet, leave a Facebook post, or send your friends the download link. It’s as good as a purchase to me. Take care!
February 12, 2014
SciFi and Horror: Genre BFFs?
Recently, I’ve been writing an extended piece on the close relationship between Science Fiction and Horror in both prose and film. It’s being published in sections on the new SFF site 42nd Parallel, so if you have even a passing interest in scifi or horror, check it out!
February 3, 2014
The 5 Best Albums of 2013
I like music! I talk about it so much you’d think I was getting paid for it (I’m not). I write about video-game music and I recently discussed my personal ten best albums of the decade. Now, one month into 2014, I’m going to lay down the albums that had me grooving all through 2013. First, let’s do fifth through second place in no real order: Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady Janelle Monae’s first full-length release, The Archandroid, was a revelation. Soul, pop, funk, classic R&B… it never stopped long enough to let the listener draw breath. The Electric Lady is no different. It’s perhaps a little poppier, a little hookier, but just as nuanced and endearing. It sweeps from eclectic highs to slow-jam lows, and apart from the radio-station interludes, I don’t think there’s a bum track on the entire album. Beautiful stuff. Stromae: Racine Carrée Yes, the album is entirely in French. It doesn’t matter. Stromae is a marvel of music, a songwriter and performer who can meld with pop with traditional Latin-American dance and electro and have it all feel cohesive. His lyrics (if you can understand French) are poetic and heartbreaking, but you don’t need to understand a word of French to feel the energy and passion in every track. I’ve been dancing to Racine Carrée for weeks, and I’m still falling in love with the album day after day. Check it out. Kill Paris – To A New Earth EP It’s glitch-hop. It’s French […]
