M.D. Massey's Blog, page 9

Irish Legends, Folklore, and Ireland’s Dracula

Irish folklore obviously has had a strong influence on the Junkyard Druid series. And while Irish mythology is an incredibly rich source of ideas and material for a series of urban fantasy novels, the fact that most non-Irish readers are unfamiliar with the characters and legends can be problematic.

For example, many readers don’t realize that “McCool” is the anglicized version of “mac Cumhaill,” which is the traditional surname of the great Irish folk hero, Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill)....

Explicit Sex, F-Bombs, and Urban Fantasy

A reader recently asked my opinion about why Junkyard Druid has been so much more successful than my previous novels. I decided to share my response here on my blog, because my it addresses a few issues regarding genre and content that seem to come up a lot among critics of the Junkyard Druid books.

Honestly, I could give a shit about my critics. However, I think it’s a shame when a small vocal minority attempts to define an entire genre based on their own personal preferences. Anyway, here’s...

The Best Urban Fantasy Novels That You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

If you’re like me and you enjoy stumbling across good, solid urban fantasy novels, then it’s likely nothing can get your heart pumping like another avid reader sharing their best obscure finds. Here’s a short list of my favorite unsung heroes in the urban fantasy genre (and a couple of books that aren’t UF, but are worthy reads).

Child of Fire
by Harry Connolly

If you ever want an example of what kinds of tragedy can be visited on great fantasy fiction when it falls into the hands of the wron...

New Book Trailer for Graveyard Druid!

Check it out… I just uploaded the book trailer for my latest new adult urban fantasy novel, Graveyard Druid. This is book 2 in the Colin McCool paranormal suspense series.

Slides From My “Themes in Dystopian Fiction” Presentation

A few weeks back Vice Principal Marc Hernandez invited me to deliver an in-service presentation on the topic of dystopian fiction for the fine teachers and staff at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy in Austin, Texas.

LASA is unique in that students of the academy are required to study both STEM subjects and the liberal arts. Entrance is highly competitive, and the school receives roughly twice as many applicants each year as they are able to admit. It is really an amazing example of inno...

Yup, I’m Still Writing Colin McCool Book Two…

Hey folks, just wanted to post a quick update. Despite rumors of my demise (“Damn you 2016!”) I am still very much alive and working on the second Colin McCool novel.

Normally I crank out books at lightning speed, and I can typically write a 70k novel in under a month. However, I’ve slowed down quite a bit on this second Colin McCool book, partly because the day job beckons, and partly to make sure it’s a fun read and a worthy follow-up to the first book.

I’ll post more news on the book as it...

My Favorite Halloween Novels

I love Halloween, always have and always will. When I was a kid I dressed as Dracula every year, in a white shirt, dark slacks, andablack cape with a red silk lining and a stiff, high collar that my mom had sewn for me. White make-up, plastic vampire teeth, and fake blood topped off the ensemble.

I donned that same costume,year after year, until I decided that I was ready to move on to more “mature” costumes, those that involved latex masks and gloves, fake tufts of hair, and plenty of eye-po...

Junkyard Druid Hits Top 1,000 Books On Amazon

Just a quick post to say “thanks” to everyone who helped push Junkyard Druid into the top 1,000 books on Amazon, and #1 in the Ghost Suspense genre. I think at one point it got up to 942 or 943, and now it’s hanging out at around 1,000 in the overall rankings in the Kindle store:

Thanks again to everyone who purchased a copy, reviewed it, or shared it with someone else. I sincerely appreciate your support. Also, I’m working hard on the next book in the series, Graveyard Druid. I just got the...

Junkyard Druid On Sale For Just .99 Cents

Junkyard Druid officially released on Amazon yesterday, and the book waswell-received. We hit several best-seller and hot new release lists, including the top 20 in Ghost Suspense and Vampire Suspense, and the top 50 in New Adult and College Fantasy.

Also, initial reader reviews have been quite positive. So far the book is averaging 4.5 stars, with over 60% of readers giving it five stars.

Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed the book while it was on pre-order, and to those of you...

THEM Invasion Receives Honorable Mention In 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

Well, this is good news… it seems that THEM Invasion received an honorable mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards in the “Fiction – Dystopia” category.

I had entered it a while back and forgot about the contest, so when I received the notification of the award it was a nice surprise.

With Junkyard Druid going on sale on Tuesday October 4th, this is perfect timing. Hopefully a few new readers will find my work after the winners are announced.