Heath Stallcup's Blog, page 6

Caldera Update

Well, for those of you who were expecting an October release of Caldera and the follow up stories that went with it…I’m obviously a bit late. We had a few editing issues and since I couldn’t hit the Turkey Day timeline either, we switched to the next holiday.

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Please remember, if you’ve already read Caldera, the first two are split versions of the original. Hence the same cover art, but different colors.

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If you click on the pictures, you’ll be taken to Amazon where you’ll see that they’re now available for PRE-ORDER! Delivery date is set for December 26!

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Just the thing for those after holidays blues, or to relax a bit after all of the hoopla is done and you just don’t feel like picking up the house yet. Now you have an excuse to lounge about and READ!

Feel the Heath!

Jeffrey Kosh stepped up again and whipped out the cover for Caldera 4 earlier today. As I was thanking him, he hits me with a promo image for the series with the caption, “Feel the Heath”.

I was totally impressed with the image, but the catch phrase had me laughing.

Still…why not use it! Catchy and funny, maybe it will help folks to remember.

Without further ado, here’s the promo!

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Wee Bit of an Update

Fall is almost upon us and with the change in weather comes a bit of a change in the lineup. Fans have enjoyed Caldera for some time now, but they kept wanting more. I’ve received tons of emails from people asking if there would be a followup to the original story or even the possibility of it becoming a series (Rosa Thomas McBroom is responsible for about 68.3% of those requests). Well, to those of you who wanted a return to the viral zombie story, good news is on the horizon.

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Caldera  was a bit long in the tooth and it was suggested that it be split into two separate stories. Come October, it will be…and volume 3 will be joining it. And if I can stay focused long enough, volume four will be as well.  I have to admit, it’s been a bit exciting jumping back into this world. Some of the characters were sorely missed and some of the new characters you will love to hate.

As usual, Jeffrey Kosh stepped up and delivered exactly what I wanted to wrap these stories in.

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So far, the decided favorite is #3.

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Yeah, I love that blue! It gave me chills the first time I saw it, so I know he knocked that one out of the park.

Stay tuned to find out what else we can expect this Fall!

Interview: Maxwell Zener

Narrator, voice actor, storyteller, whatever you prefer to call them, there is a certain magic that a human voice brings to telling a story and making you want to hear more. That’s how I know I got the right voice for a story. If I can listen to them tell me my own story and I long to hear more, then I’ve definitely chosen correctly.

Today it is my pleasure to interview Maxwell Zener. He’s the voice for the Monster Squad’s second saga and if I play my cards right, he’ll be voicing the Hunter trilogy as well.

Let’s light this candle!

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So let’s start simple. Tell us a little about yourself.  Are you married? Do you have any children?

I’m an actor and live in New York City with my wife and my daughter, who as I write this is 10 years old.

 Enjoy those younger years. Believe me, it won’t be long before she’ll be 16 going on 30 and only approaches ‘dad’ with a hand out. At least…that’s my experience. Anyway…what do you do for relaxation?

Dungeons and Dragons. My daughter got into it through an afterschool club, and this re-awakened my enthusiasm. I hadn’t played since college, but I am so happy to be back into it. Storytelling, getting into a character’s head, imagination, it’s all stuff I love.

That or a glass of whiskey. But D&D is healthier.

 I’m more of a scotch guy. Or…apple pie moonshine. But you’re right. D&D probably is healthier. So, are there any recent works (books) that you admire?

Does a dramatic podcast count? I was just turned on to “Welcome to Night Vale,” which is like an H.P. Lovecraft novel told by way of Garrison Keillor. As for books, I’ll admit that most of my reading is manuscripts that I’m preparing to record – outside of that, I recently read On Killing by Dave Grossman, a nonfiction work about the psychological cost of killing, and how that has impacted soldiers throughout history. It made a lot of behavior make sense to me, and I’m always interested in that – in how people behave and why they do what they do.

Along those lines, I admire any author who not only crafts a compelling plot but who understands their characters so well that they come to life as separate individuals as you read. There’s an indie YA author I discovered (through narrating one of his novels) who is really great at that – Greg Wilkey.

 I’m always looking for good YA authors. I’ll check Greg out. Thanks for the tip.

So, who is your favorite author(s) (and is there a reason why)?

Man, that’s hard to choose. I don’t really have one standout favorite – I like authors who are able to get readers inside the experience of a character, to see the world from his or her eyes. Especially if that character is broken or flawed.

 Agreed. I have a long list of favorite authors. I couldn’t choose just one if I had to.

So tell us, why do you do what you do?

I love inhabiting characters, and telling their stories. So often we can feel all alone – but through hearing other people’s experiences brought to life we can hear echoes of our own souls in theirs. We can realize that we aren’t alone, and we can see more clearly the humanity in those around us too.

 Ooh. That’s deeper than I expected. But you make it sound simple. I might have to steal that.

MS7 Obsessions on Audio

ACX just informed me that Monster Squad 7: Obsessions is now available on Amazon and ACX! Feel free to help spread the word!

 

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Hunter II Coming Soon!

Yes, I know I suck at keeping up this blog. Trust me, every year when I renew it I ask myself if I should. But, like the road to hell, I have tons of good intentions.

Anywho…yes! For those of you who have asked, I am carrying on with the Hunter story line. Hunter II is currently in line waiting for the editor to take a look at it and tell me how horrible I am at putting words to paper. Luckily she enjoyed the story, but she made it painfully obvious that I still have a LOT to learn when it comes to sentence structure and everything else that makes writing important. At least I’m a decent story teller.

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Once again, Jeffrey Kosh stepped up and created an awesome cover for me.

I can’t be like other authors and keep everything a secret until the day before publishing. Or wait and have a big cover release party or whatever it is they do these days. Oh no. As soon as he created it I plastered it all over Facebook.

I think three people saw it.

Anyway, we’re expecting this continuation to release sometime around the end of May. My birthday is mid June so worst case scenario, it could be my birthday present to you, the readers.

It’s funny. I had about seven different projects sitting around half finished. I had pretty much given up on writing. The only reason I finished Hunter was because Tracy wanted me to put something out. It was the only one that I was far enough along in to even remotely be able to finish within her timeline. The few who read it strongly suggested I continue the story. So I did. By the time I finished Hunter II, I was ready to go back and finish some of the other projects that were wasting space on my hard drive.

But lo…Hunter continued to call to me. So, I’m actually in the middle of Hunter III. Hopefully I can wrap this story up and leave it as a trilogy. At least that’s the plan. I know I don’t want to get so tied up in continuing the story that it sucks the joy out of writing again. It’s slowly found its way back to me and I want to ride this wave of momentum as long as it will let me.

So, there you have it. Hunter II should be out soon. Well, relatively soon. A lot can happen in a month, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

‘Til next time!

Happy reading!

Plea For Help!

I hate begging. I really do. I always swore I wouldn’t be that guy who blows up the feed of every group I belonged to with ‘buy my book’ ads. You know the people I’m talking about. You see their name in your notifications and you just know that if you go to whatever group it is, they’ll be pimping their work.

I don’t ever want to be that guy.

But here I am…hat in hand and kicking myself for doing this…but I need your help.

If you follow any of my stuff on social media, you know that Trident Comics has begun a Kickstarter to fund the conversion of the Monster Squad into a graphic novel. And you know that I am overly excited about this because both TWD and Preacher started life as graphic novels and it is my hope that eventually a copy of Monster Squad will end up in the right hands…however slight that chance may be. But, in order for any of that to happen, we have to get it funded first.

Please…if you can’t support the project, spread the word. Copy the link and plaster it anywhere you can think of to bring attention to it. The only way this will happen is with your help.

Thank you in advance to all of you willing to wave this banner!

Merry Christmas

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and a bacon filled New Year!

2016 has been a hell of a year. We’ve seen too many great talents taken from us and an election season like none I could have imagined. We’ve had friends mourn the loss of loved ones and others celebrate the addition of new family members. I watched myself come out of a non-writing funk and release an exciting new series… and we were approached by Trident Comics and are about to start the kickstarter to convert the Monster Squad into a graphic novel.

It’s almost surreal as I look back on the year and what changes came to pass. Its funny how when things can seem at its lowest something else comes along that effectively breathes new life into a dying project.

I pray that your holidays are filled with joy and your 2017 is the biggest and best year yet. 

Merry Christmas!

No Movie…Yet

Okay, so I made a book trailer a while back.  All of my writer friends had trailers made and I was feeling left out. I contacted a couple of different services that make trailers I could afford but none could capture the vision I had. 

I tried contacting a few independent film makers. Holy smokes…you’d think I was asking for a feature film!  I tried calling the local university. Maybe a film or cinema student was  up to the challenge. No takers. 

Anywho, I got to watching some of the stuff on YouTube and the thought occurred to me,  why not make my own?  True,  I used clips from existing footage but I read through the fair use rules and it sounded like I was ok to run with my idea. I grabbed a karaoke version of the perfect song and used it as the background music. 

After I shared it on Facebook I realized that I had forgotten to say anything about the book series it was supposed to be advertising.  That led to numerous congratulatory messages for the upcoming movie…’Doh!

Anyway, here’s the finished trailer.  I know its nowhere near professional but I like it.  Feel free to share it and help me spread the word. 

Thanks yall! 

Busy Weeks Ahead

Yes, I know. I haven’t been keeping up the old blog…but it’s been a bit busy around here.

I’m sure most of you have seen that Mind Trip has recently been released. It’s a collection of short stories that I’ve collected over the years. Hopefully they’ve been well received.

However, tonight I just pressed the button (so to speak) on the audio version of Wayward Son. Max Zener did another knockout job of continuing the Monster Squad series. As soon as Audible gives it the once over and approves it, it will be available for your listening pleasure.

But wait, there’s more!

Expected around Turkey Day, you can enjoy Hunter!

“Born of Viking stock, careered into the Swedish Navy, Sven Ericsson finds himself in the fabled New World. Away from the restraints of society, the young Northman is dragged into long nights of debauchery; nights that lead him into the waiting arms of a dark beauty who will change his very nature forever.

Fighting his new unnatural status, Sven steers clear of humanity, skulking along the fringe of society, and filling his inhuman need with the blood of the outcasts or the easily forgotten. A shadow among the shadows…until extraordinary events, centuries later, force him to emerge from the dark. A mishap of his own making pits Sven Ericsson into a moral quandary that will remind him what it means to be a warrior.

He is a killer.

A fighter.

A Hunter of his own kind.”

Due Thanksgiving.

Now, for those who keep asking…yes. I do plan to continue the MS series. I’ve broken ground on MS9 but didn’t really like the direction it was going. That was why I decided to ‘clean my plate’ a bit and get finished some of the projects that languished by the wayside.

I have a pseudo political thriller called Flags of the Forgotten that I want to wrap up. It stars Bobby Bridger from Whispers.  There’s also Sinful, a King-ish style story where a young man can see the sins of others and decides to take action to try and prevent some of the evil that he sees from happening. I’ve also broke ground on Caldera II. I won’t say much at this point other than it is only in the first few chapters and focuses more on the survivors. Corson II has been abandoned at this point. Maybe some time in the future I’ll return to it, but as for right now, it doesn’t look good.

Anyway, back to the grind stone. I hope that you enjoy Mind Trip and should you decide to test drive Hunter, I hope that you enjoy it as much as the betas and the editor did.