Daniel I. Russell's Blog, page 5

Innsmouth Free Press reviews The Collector Book 1: Mana Leak

The Collector has been reviewed over at Innsmouth Free Press! 
Check it out here.

Out this week: Zippered Flesh 2

 Zippered Flesh 2 (More tales of body enhancement gone bad!) has hit the shelves this week. The original went down well with readers and the sequel looks to continue the success.

The anthology contains my story Prosthetics, a Dr. Sally (Samhane) origin story that was originally published in Malpractice: Tales of Bedside Terror.

But take a look at the TOC!

Bryan Hall
Shaun Meeks
Lisa Mannetti
Carson Buckingham
Christine Morgan
Kate Monroe
Me
M.L. Roos
Rick Hudson
JM Reinhold
E.A. Black
L.L. Soares
Doug Blakeslee
Kealan Patrick Burke
A.P. Sessler
David Benton & W.D. Gagliani
Jonathan Templar
Christian A. Larson
Shaun Jeffrey
Jezzy Wolfe
Charles Colyott
Michael Bailey

Zippered Flesh 2 is available from Amazon. Just click on the cover! ;-)

Review of... The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

An exgirlfriend of mine, while we at university and she was doing a writing degree, quite confidently stated that books are written because authors have to deliver a message of their own agenda. This message may be wrapped in and hidden away in the subtext of a piece of fiction, but it’s there. I disagreed, and still do. Yes, an author can do this, but can’t an author simply want to tell a story or entertain?
***
With The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I got a very clear message that wasn’t quite as subtle as I would have thought.
***
In HTK, Yeine is the leader of the kingdom of Darr, a clan of warrior women in the north. The barbarian is surprised to find herself summoned to the floating palace of Sky, wherein her grandfather, the ruler of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is to choose an heir. The choice is between Yeine, the outsider, or his spoiled, evil niece or indulgent drunk nephew. Yeine, reluctant to enter into such a contest, takes the opportunity to delve into the mystery of her mother’s death. Did her grandfather order the killing, as she’s believed for years, or is there a deeper mystery at play here?
***
I’m sitting on the sofa writing this on my laptop. The early morning sun is coming in through the window, and I can smell the rich espresso from the cup beside me.
***
This was a book I received free at Swancon 2011. I keep a small stash of fantasy to dip into as a change from the horror.
***
Although I call this fantasy, I’ve seen it dubbed as romance. There are romantic elements, certainly, but the drawer of attention appears to be: majestic sex with gods! The sex is very PG here with no mention of anything even slightly rude. If you had sex while out of your tree on LSD, and described the LSD bit over the sex, you get an idea of the scenes here. So just a warning, erotica lovers, this is NOT erotica!
And fantasy lovers…I wouldn’t call this a straight up fantasy novel either. It reads more like a political mystery set in a hovering fairy tale castle. The protagonist Yeine just seems to wander from room to room, talking to people. Yes, twists emerge to make for a more intricate plot, so then Yeine has to go and talk to everyone all over again. Repeat the cycle a few times with Yeine getting more moaning and whining each time and you have the book. Even one of the characters complains to her about her endless whinging towards the end. Good on him.
***
I like circuses. Do you like circuses, Duffy?
***
For a book titled Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, we see very little outside the palace walls and the endless talking. To have such a good premise and not use it is a shame. The very rare moments that something happens elsewhere or simply something happens at all, is like the reader coming up for a well needed gasp of air before going back down into the murk.
Don’t get me wrong, the writing is of a high standard, and this author can certainly do a good job, but is let down by a short-sighted plot and some annoying habits.
***
These scene breaks. Annoying aren’t they? Now picture a four hundred page novel written like this. Seriously. How the hell an editor of a mass market publisher would green light this is beyond me. Some of them don’t even make sense.
***
Mickey, Minnie and Goofy triple fatty bang bang.
***
So in summary, no, I did not like this book much and will not be looking into part two of the trilogy. I would rather read something from this author over some piece of crap from a writer who doesn’t have the tools in his/her author toolbox, but yeah, not for me.
What of this not so subtle message that I mentioned?
I hope other readers picked up that every female character in this book is powerful. They’re gods, or leaders, or have a strong, commanding presence. They’re fighters and world changers.
The men….not so much. Every male character is greedy or weak or basically a shit. Most are patronising to women. I thought about the exceptions. One god, Nahadoth, who the author appears to like and is the source of the LSD sex scenes, turns out isn’t necessarily male (and she even hints that he is more of a female in one scene). So he doesn’t count. With another god, Yeine doesn’t like him much unless he’s in child form. The only other reputable male character is a guy called T’vril. Turns out he’s crap in bed and a bit of a coward to boot.
The book reads like the author was dumped/cheated on and wrote the book in a ‘all men are arseholes, yet I am a warrior woman. Hear me roar!’ kinda mood. It soured what was already a mediocre experience for me. Not because I’m male and felt hard done to; I’d feel the same if the book was having a pop at women (and even Ketchum books where women are being raped/tortured have balance).My third dip into my fantasy pile and my second disappointment (loved The Hobbit, obviously).
***
***

Ghosts in a Desert World review

One of the attractions of a themed anthology is discovering the many faceted takes on a given topic or idea, and how each author, in their own style and voice, approach that idea. Then again, the reader may become stoic should approaches reveal to be similar, plots becoming stagnant when read in close proximity. What of single author collections? While siblings in voice, stories tend to have a more stand alone feel, with perhaps a single story being the titular piece of the collection.
With Ghosts in a Desert World by Matthew Tait, you won’t find a story taking centre stage. Rather, this reads more like a themed anthology but with all the benefits of a single story collection.
The more you read, and indeed in the business of oneself being a writer, you tend to develop an eye for style and composition; to break down the prose , to take the engine to pieces and see what makes it tick. Here, Tait has a basic, but admirably pure, approach: take a simple idea and layer it with the meat of character driven story telling.
For example, in the opener Car Crash Weather, a writer is disturbed from his daily grind by blood dripping from his ceiling, which gets steadily worse. A simple premise, but add to this the inner demons of the protagonist, his haunted past and his current circumstances, the mystery shifts from the cause of the blood to what is going on in the character’s head and what is fuelling his action or lack of.
Broken Highway on first appearances is the most unoriginal pieces in the book. A couple driving through the Australian desert are preyed upon by a rapist/murderer and his dog. Very Wolf Creek/Laymon’s The Glory Bus. But even as the inevitable cat and mouse game becomes a violent battle for survival, the depth is there, the atmosphere is there, making this one of the best examples of this genre I’ve had the pleasure to read.
My personal favourite, Doll Steak, is beautiful in its simplicity, subtle threat and human emotion. I also believe this to be a more intimate piece from the author, as I hear Mr. Tait’s voice  in this story in particular.
Some pieces were enjoyable, but not directly up my street. While Tait can show his talent with words as easily as a bodybuilder can flex his muscles, at times, I felt it was more style over story. Great to see a writer’s range, but I’m more traditional in my tastes. Still, I dip my hat to the skills on show.
In fact, while I enjoy a veritable feast of writers of varying styles and genre, very rarely do I wish I could mimic a style. This happened last year with the uber-talented Autumn Christian, and very early this year, it has happened with a certain Matthew Tait. I have read many collections in my time, and this rates up there as one of my favourites. Top quality writing is on show from start to finish.
My gripe (which I’ve had a few times with this writer!) is that of length. I could have enjoyed a few more stories in this one, even as far as a novella at the end to really end on a high note. In fact some stories, and I’m thinking of the deliciously dark The Chronicles of Trent Randell, are too short for my liking. This story reads like an introduction to a larger work, one that the author hints at towards the end. On the strength of this, I would snatch it up in an instant.
Ghosts in a Desert World has been a book that disappointed me; disappointed me in that Tait is not more established in not just the Australian Horror scene, but the global one. This collection not only shows that the writer has the chops to go places, but that he should be there already. Someone give this man a big fat publishing deal before someone else does.
AND IN OTHER NEWS...
I'm not religious, but I'm religious enough to recognise the most important and meaningful of sacred days. So without further ado...
HAPPY CLEAVAGE DAY!

Next Big Thing

Hey folks!
Due to the madness of real life (getting a new job the week before I would a. Have to prostitute myself, b. Have to sell my body to science, C. have to prostitute myself to scientists or D. Sell my kidneys to a hooker), and THEN getting sick and THEN getting really lazy and sitting around in my pants playing Xbox and shitting said pants by playing Condemned, I finally did it.
I answered my next big thing questions. Although this has been going on for a while, so maybe I’m classed as the something that may happen way, way off in the future, if he’s bloody lucky…erm…thing.
I was hit by many requests to be tagged, but the crafty Lee Battersby got me first. First come, first served. Plus, the man’s LEGO ability scares the crap outta me. I could be killed and replaced with no one noticing, what with the accurate facial rendering via flat one’rs and two’rs.
I went a bit lady’s man with my tags, but that will come at the end.
And without further ado:



1) What is the working title of your next book?
The title of my next novel to be released is Mother’s Boys.



2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
Back when I lived in Ormskirk, UK after university, my gym regime was very short lived, but a chance meeting gave me the seed for the growth of the idea. I had finished work in the late Autumn and was heading over to the gym. To do this I had to cross Ormskirk’s notorious one way system! I was waiting for the lights to change at a crossing (at the car park near McDonald’s if you’re local), and so was another man across the road. He looked a bit vagranty (new word) and had this hideously striped multi-coloured jumper, like something a 70s kids’ show host would wear. As we crossed, he gave me the strangest stare and whistled an odd little tune, so I hurried on. I reached the edge of the park and looked back over my shoulder. There he was, over the road, watching me with this big sinister grin on his face. The weird tune drifted eerily all the way between us. Hmm. So I quickly crossed the dark park and got to the leisure centre. I turned again and he was still there, hadn’t moved an inch, and had that fixed grin remaining on his face.
And I could still hear that whistle.
I had to use him, the way Wes Craven used his homeless man as the image for Freddy Kruger. I have no idea where the rest of the story came from. I think I wanted to write something more like an adventure but with my particular brand of horror.



3) What genre does your book fall under?
Well, adventure horror. Weren't you listening? Honestly…



4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I have absolutely no idea, as my favourite actors tend to be older, and Mother’s Boys has a lot of characters in their early twenties. The only one that springs to mind is a side character, Monique. Her and her husband are Jamaican and run a bar, The Fourth Dimension, that features heavily. That voodoo woman from Pirates of the Caribbean would do a good job, I guess.
And Sir Ian McKellen to play Alcazar. Why? Because he’s SIR Ian FUCKING McKellan!



5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Think you like being different? Think again. (Okay that’s two, but they’re short.)



6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Neither. It will be released in early 2013 from Blood Bound Books.



7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
This is my third – scratch that, I wrote a novella I just remembered. I meant fourth – book written back in 2005-2006. I can’t remember how long it took, but probably round about 8-10 months. I changed jobs in that time, so I expect real life took its toll!



88)[image error] What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I suppose Laymon’s Endless Night rings a bell as it concerns a group of males into certain…activities trying to catch a girl. But then this is a bit more varied. I can compare it to movies easily enough: a mash up of I Spit on your Grave, The Hills Have Eyes and The Goonies. If that won’t make you want to read it, nothing will.



9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Apart from the weirdo at the crossing, I don’t know.  It just…occurred.



10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
This book has had a couple of editors, each with interesting stories to tell. My former boss (head editor of Necrotic Tissue magazine) was the first to have a bash and give a general impression. He said something I never thought ANYONE would say about my work:
MAKE IT NASTIER!
And nastier it became! I don’t think it’s gore for gore’s sake, but things certainly became a bit more visceral.When Blood Bound Books signed for this one, editor/actor/film maker supreme David Hayes read it and wanted the job. David has been one of the best editors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. We worked on the main characters’ motivations and really fleshed out the novel. I’d love to work with David again. The man has done so many awesome things.
Did I mention I Spit on your Grave, The Hills Have Eyes and The Goonies? Eh? Eh?



There. All done. Over to you good buddies, the gentlemen Pete Kempshall and Matthew Tait, and the lovely ladies Rebecca Besser, Jeanna Tendean and Emma Audsley. Sorry, that was a bit sexist.
Pete and Matt are far from gentlemen.
Well, Pete is…a bit. I have doubts about Tait.
Coming soon: more blog posts! (Obviously)

Happy 16th Birthday, Dan!

Dear Dan.
Happy 16th Birthday! This is Dan in 2012. I’m trying to think what I did to celebrate on my 16th, but as I’m drawing a blank, it couldn’t have been anything interesting or sexy.
So how’ve you been? I was thinking what would be a great present to send you, but as it costs a fortune to send a parcel oversees, I can predict that I can’t afford to send something both oversees and back in time. So, you know, I’m emailing. It’s free (for now). I hope you can access this on the one computer at your high school that has the internet.
Yeah, the internet is kind of a big thing nowadays, but I’m sure you’ve already considered the benefit of it in regards to downloading guitar tabs, band pictures and of course, porn. Just a heads up on that last one: the internet does speed up after a few years. Fear not!
You see, already I’m telling you too much about the future, which might upset the space-time continuum. That might sound like a good thing, but the way I see it out here in the future, is that if time runs its natural course, I’ll make it to at least 32 years, which would an incredible achievement. I always thought I’d die early in some cripplingly embarrassing way.
Anyway, I will try and keep it general.
I can remember sixteen being a very awkward age, being not quite here nor there. The same with seventeen, but I think you can get away with more at that age (like the Tudor pub WILL serve you). Some of the things I recall I wanted back then…it’s weird, looking back, because in hindsight it was pretty good.
For example, body. You wanted contact lenses to get rid of your geeky glasses, right? Skip to 2012, and you don’t bother with contacts anymore and prefer the glasses…because seriously, who gives a fuck if you wear glasses? If someone treats you differently because you wear glasses, then…I don’t know. Glass them.
You know when you had your braces off and the arse-cunt dentist left an annoying piece of cement on one of your teeth? Sixteen years later and it’s still there. But at least you still have all your teeth so keep doing what you’re doing.
Body size. Ah, at sixteen you still have the majority of hard work gym hours ahead because you think that’s a belly. Ha! You don’t know what a belly is! I’m currently doing an hour at the gym every day to try and get back the figure you have right now that you don’t want! So think on.
And running the risk of that whole space-time continuum again, I feel the need to point out that you have been healthy up until now. So any pain you feel in the next sixteen years isn’t cancer or a rupture or appendicitis or anything. So don’t stress about it.
What to talk about next. Oh yes, music! Most of the bands you like (hell, no, let’s just come out and say it: obsess over) will ultimately either break up, sell out or release crappier and crappier albums, mainly due to them selling out, which failure will cause them to break up. Are they replaced with new, better bands? No. You have done the thing that you swore you never would. You have become one of those ‘music was better in my day’ people.
That make you feel old?It makes me feel old.
Guess when (for me) was the best period for music? 1995-96. Where you are now. So go out and see more bands before they’re gone. You’ll have more memories to enjoy when something called Gangnam Style comes along.
Never stop gaming. You might at some point think it’s immature and stop…but don’t. You’ll be lying to yourself.
You know how many times I’ve thought about going back in time and influencing the past? And it hasn’t been to make myself rich, or to benefit mankind or anything. It’s always been to advise my past self to avoid certain people: those people who made you miserable. The bullies, the back stabbing friends, the bad girlfriends (that’s right, they do come along!). But you need those people, so endure it. Chris calls it character building, and I recall he used to say that back in your day. He must have the power of foresight.
Oh and as I know that no negative effect can come from this: always do what Chris suggests. I know he recommends that, which makes it all a bit more suspicious, but things are always more fun this way. Trust me. I’m you. In the future.
What other nuggets of wisdom can I offer you? Oh yeah, people die. People do die, and usually not the ones you want or have money on. So enjoy people. Spend more time with them. Even the ones you don’t overly like will create regrets when they’re gone. Woulda coulda shoulda, old buddy.
Don’t play the lottery. It’s like a tax for morons.
You’re better at handling your drink if you stop at a few and feel fine instead of drinking more and becoming a mess.
Don’t grow your hair long. You manage it twice (and I don’t mean that awful Britpop fringe you’re sporting right now. That’s right. I remember) and just…well, just don’t.
Like the music and people, remember that nothing is sacred and that things you think will be around for years  might not be. Enjoy what you have. Things get destroyed, or closed down, or bulldozed. You really don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
Jesus, I hate it when sayings like that are true. Same is time is the best healer, which is true…unless you’re suffering from the symptoms of old age. In which case, time is the best at making things worse.
I digress.
Enjoy your day, the experiences to come and especially the music! I have to sit around and wait for my email from Dan age 48. Screw his time-continuum, I want some horse winners or the name of a company to invest in.
So Happy Birthday, Dan. Take in what I said, but don’t try and read into it too much. If you do, and you change my past, there’s a chance I could drop dead, and no one wants

Guest post: Paula Stiles

I’ve always been an advocate of the camp ‘write what you know’. Usually this applies to locations, details and characters. For example, I’ve had characters with the same jobs as I’ve had, with coworkers and bosses based on people from that time in my life. Hell, if any of my characters have to go abroad, it’s probably to somewhere I’ve been.
Sometimes, you get a reader that pokes at one of your details and tries to call you out on it. Is this REALLY how business would be conducted in a law firm? (office chair Buckaroo? Yes.) Is this REALLY how an employer would react under these circumstances? (Sleep with his secretary? Yes.) Can a teacher REALLY think that about one of his students? (planning murder? Definitely.). Fiction aside, yes that’s REALLY how it can go down. I’ve felt it, seen it…smelled it.
But people vary. How you might react to one thing might be different to what I would do. Just look at my partner and I with spiders. With me, it’s just a spider. With her, it’s THE END OF THE WORLD.
I’m very happy to have over on the blog today new Dark Continents author Paula Stiles, who joins our happy family with the release of her latest novel, The Might Quinn.


Paula, as a writer with a wealth of experience in extreme situations, might have a vastly dissimilar reaction to you during the plights that occur in a horror novel. Is this a realistic approach, or different strokes for different folks? Take it away, Paula…
Like a lot of writers, I write what I know. What I know happens to include things like managing a spooked half-blind mare inside a dark stall, trying not to drown under a motorcycle on a West African dirt road, driving ambulances at night in freezing rain, and dealing with unmedicated psychotics in domestic disputes. Unsurprisingly, then, my protagonists (like Quinn Bolcan, in my urban fantasy novel, “The Mighty Quinn [http://www.amazon.com/The-Mighty-Quin...]”) frequently end up in dangerous situations and find themselves at risk. What they don't do (unlike far too many characters in horror fiction) is act like hysterical idiots when it happens. Unless, of course, they're about to die horribly. Because acting like the kind of bloody moron you normally encounter in slasher flicks is an excellent way to get killed in a risky situation.
Hysterical and overemotional behavior, of course, is quite realistic for certain people in hazardous situations, a classic one being the panicky swimmer that lifeguards in training are always warned about. This is why you never grab a conscious swimmer who is drowning, but give him/her the float and get away. Someone who is actively in the process of drowning will crawl all over you in a panic and drown you first, before sinking after you.
One thing I learned the hard way while still a teenager, courtesy of working on rescue squads, is that civilians (unlike pigs named 'Babe') are definitely stupid. And that it's very easy for a rescuer to become a civilian-slash-victim if you're not paying attention. One of our EMT instructors used to call it “Don't make two patients.” That is to say, you should always scope out the hazards in a situation before rushing in to help a patient. You're not going to help anyone if you fall victim to the same thing the patient did.
This was somewhat of a revelation to me, since my previous experience with panicky creatures had been 1200-pound horses. We were expected to be the calm ones around the crazy, dumb equines (speaking of things that can kill you). It had never occurred to me up to that point that humans could be just as stupid. And dangerous.
The mindset of a horror protag who is going to survive longer than a single kill scene has to be...well..different. Someone who is competent at surviving is not having big, overblown feelings about anything, including conscious fear. That person is simply reacting and a truly accurate portrayal of such a scene will include little or no emotional reaction at the time, just physical and mental action, reaction and (if the POV character has time) planning an escape route or counterattack.
I have been accused of having unemotional POV characters during scenes of high risk, but that's been my personal experience with those situations. The emotional reaction is always delayed—be it by seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or even years or decades. It is not in sync with what is happening. A lot of people die unknowingly, absurdly, killed before they even realize they are at risk. And the biggest problem for someone who is at risk is that your mind tends to wander. It's as if your subconscious wants to put your conscious mind anywhere but right there in front of the monster. You can go off on some really absurd mental tangents, even if you are trained to respond to emergency situations. And that's while you still could do something to save yourself, like run.
This kind of absurdity has some very odd side effects. I've never been able to figure out whether I had had a few too many close calls within a short time, or if it was a proof of reincarnation, when I once found myself about to be run down by an out-of-control logging truck while on my motorcycle in Africa, with nowhere to go. My only thought? A thoroughly exasperated “Oh, no. Not again.”


Bio: Possessing a quixotic fondness for difficult careers, Paula Stiles has driven ambulances, taught fish farming for the Peace Corps in West Africa and earned a Scottish PhD in medieval history, studying Templars and non-Christians in Spain. She is the author of horror novel, "The Mighty Quinn,[http://www.amazon.com/The-Mighty-Quin...]" co-written supernatural mystery novels, "Fraterfamilias [http://www.amazon.com/Fraterfamilias-...]" and the upcoming “Confraternitas,” and non-fiction medieval history book, "Templar Convivencia: Templars and Their Associates in 12th and 13th Century Iberia [http://www.amazon.com/Templar-Convive...]." She is Editor in Chief of the Lovecraft/Mythos 'zine/micropress Innsmouth Free Press [www.innsmouthfreepress.com]. You can find her at: http://thesnowleopard.net.

It's a pleasure to write this.

As some of you know, my day job (what? You aren’t a millionaire writer, Dan?) is that of a high school teacher. My degree is in chemistry and physics, but this year I have found myself teaching creative writing exclusively. While the hours are less, I’m enjoying passing on my accrued knowledge on the business, as well as the writing and editing part of the course. Part of the year is to teach the skills of a good short story submission, and of late, we’ve been doing this with writing competitions, both national and interstate. Two of my female students entered a national writing competition just a few weeks back.
Today, I’m greeted with…how can I put it…excited babbling from one of them. She’d received a letter from the competition organisers. While the winners and finalists haven’t been selected yet, some stories have been chosen for publication into a nice hardback anthology.
She was one of them.
This is the first time the student has been published, and at fifteen and via a national competition, I think that’s a fantastic achievement.
But that’s not all…
While trying to get to the bottom of the excited chatter, I felt bad for the other student. There she was, sat at the same table, having entered into the same competition. I didn’t know quite what to say. I wanted to celebrate the publication of one student, but not to the distress of the other.
I was then handed a piece of paper by the student. “Here’s the letter, sir,” she said. “I got one too.”
They BOTH got into the anthology! YES!
After checking the small print to make sure it was legit and the girls weren’t getting swindled by any fees or dodgy agreement over rights, the celebrations began!
It’s part of the business to share our successes as writers, as hopefully that leads to interest and sales, etc. I’ve even had the pleasure of publishing first time writers before in magazines such as Necrotic Tissue and Midnight Echo. All good stuff.
But this is in a league of its own. The winners are announced on the 31st, and due to the bittersweet and beautifully crafted stories the girls produced in class, I await the result with hope, as they certainly stand a chance. But in my opinion, these two are winners no matter the outcome.
Well done, girls!

Uppers and Downers

While this post is primarily to share exciting news, I’d first like to… I was going to say apologise, but don’t think that’s the right word. My online presence, and I’d go so far as saying my actual presence, has been erratic of late once again. My condition has been pretty balanced over the recent  years but these last few weeks have been a struggle. While I’ve been trying to deal with things a more natural way (burying myself in the latest novel and doing lots of running, cycling, reading and playing music) this week in particular has been a tough one to ride out. I’m aware that things will swing back but until they do I’m just going to have to keep on keeping on.
There. I feel better getting that out.
Now for the good news.
The main development this week is that the proof copy for my novella Critique arrived on Wednesday. This has been out through Dark Continents Publications as a digital book since January and has since garnered some great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and even the almighty Hellnotes. Thank you so so much to readers who have sent me messages about the book. It means a great deal. The print copy had been discussed for a while and it’s great to finally hold a physical copy in my hands. The book looks fantastic and I’m still proud to say that this is one of my deeper books that has a lot to say.




This could not have come at a better time, as due to November rolling around once again, it’s almost time for the very successful Blues at Bridgetown music festival, which happens right here at the end of my street! Thousands come to our humble country town during the second weekend in November (and this year it won’t overshadow my birthday!) and enjoy a heady weekend of music , food and drink.
This year, with Critique just out in print and a stack load of The Collector novels on their way from the printer, I’m busting a gut to organise a book signing for the Saturday afternoon. I’ll be set up somewhere (details to follow hopefully) so come and say hello! That is…if you can make it. Hotels are booked up all year round for this massive event.
If you can’t make it and still want a signed copy of Critique, then this might be of interest:
The good folks at Dark Continents Publications and myself currently have an exclusive supply of special edition versions of Critique. These are limited to fifty numbered copies, and customers will receive a signed and personalised dinner invitation (to keep in theme with the book) inside. Again, we only have fifty of these beauties, which  are a mere $6.99 plus postage. Orders MUST be placed  at the Dark Continents website, although the standard edition will be available through most retailers in the coming weeks. If you can’t wait that long, the ebook is available right now.From the present to the future, and developments are coming along nicely for my third full length novel release, Mother’s Boys, from Blood Bound Books in early 2013.
The line edits have been completed and returned and the next task is to tweak a few story elements and the manuscript will be finalised. Then comes the most exciting – yet anxiety-ridden – part of the publishing process: cover art! Details will be released as they come, and as I can release them!
If you want to sink your teeth into more Blood Bound Books loveliness, might I recommend their forth coming anthology Dead on Arrival 2? This extreme horror book contains tales by such legends as Jack Ketchum, Wrath James White and J. F. Gonzalez…and people who are not legends, like me. The only insight I can give relates to my story Lingers, which follows a lowly telemarketer and his failed relationship with a work colleague. If only he could get some closure and move on…but her damn perfume… The smell won’t leave him alone! For fans of dark humour…and those that like to spot a song lyric!




The October guest spots are still available, so if you have some horror/supernatural article (reprints welcome!) feel free to send it in and have it appear right here. All inquiries to harlequin-writes@hotmail.co.uk.
Now to watch more people limp past the car. When you get two at once, it’s like a race.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dan (currently at Manjimup Hospital car park)

In for a penny...

This is all a bit new. Not only have I rarely pitched a book or synopsis, but this is the first time I’m opting to do it in such a public and open manner. Before I get down to business, I humbly ask a moment of indulgence to state my reasoning behind this – what some may consider foolish – endeavor.
I have been writing dark fiction since 2003 and have been chalking up the short story sales since then. I firmly believe that most writers, once they have a few publications under their belts, have the idea of a collection at the back of their minds, and I’d be lying if I say that hasn't been the case with me over the last few years. However, there’s always been something new to write or some publication to edit that’s been on my desk, and the idea of a collection has always been on the back burner.
But now I’m drawing a line in the sand and saying that enough is enough. I have a list of selected published pieces that I would love to appear in a collection, and if I leave it any longer, I’d be leaving out stories that mean a great deal to me, or looking for a publisher to release a monster of a volume.
Why now and why like this? Well, apart from the above, I just feel that the time is right to start the wheels turning on this rather than placing it back on my ‘things that need to eventually get done but end up either not getting done or done years down the line’ pile. I also have personal reasons that are poking me to give this a spin.
Yes, Dan, but if it means that much to you, why not release it yourself?
I might eventually do that, you nagging little inner voice you, but if there’s one thing I LOVE about writing, it’s working with people. Some of my closest friends are editors and/or publishers that I’ve worked with. I also like the idea of making a little scratch for a hard working press. So I thought this general pitch might be the way to go. (To publishers of my previous works: I obviously would love to work with any of you again, as I have a fine set of published novels on my shelf as a testament to your skill and passion for this. But I felt it would be a little…impolite to drop this in your laps! Know where I’m coming from?)
Anyway, let’s wrap this up. Below is the proposed TOC and publication credits. If any publisher is looking to release a new horror collection, shoot me an email:
harlequin-writes@hotmail.co.uk
ProstheticsMalpractice: Tales of Bedside Terror and Zippered Flesh 24000 words
LingerDead on Arrival 2 (Blood Bound Books)3100 words
Penanggalan! An Aussie Vampire Tale7300 words
Broken BoughThe Zombie Feed (Apex) and Pseudopod2500 words
Tricks, Mischief and MayhemWicked (German translation) and Devils, Dolls and Duplicates6900 words
HeatSick Things (Comet Press)4300 words
The Rainchild and the TricksterDead West3400 words
Living HauntsMidnight Echo2700 words
By the Banks of the NabarraAndromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine14,000 words
The Vending MachineNight to Dawn1000 words
FluffsWeirdly 27000 words
The Bell Jar Heart1000 words
The Blood PitThe Best of Necrotic Tissue4900 words
CreeperSQ Magazine4800 words
For Your EntertainmentWatch: The Voyeur Collection5200 words
RootsDecimate10, 000 words
It Comes But Once a YearFestive Fear 2 (Tasmaniac Publications)4800 words
Night of the A.N.A.L.sTabloid Terrors 3 (KHP Publications)4400 words
Nobody Messes with VenusAndromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine2400 words
And the following stories that are upcoming, are being considered by a publisher, or are due to be published but have not yet been officially announced.
Disproportioned Love4600 words
A Picture Tells5200 words
DevolutionBrett McBean’s Jungle Trilogy (Tasmaniac Publications)6300 words
God May Pity All Weak Hearts7200 words
Seeing the Light2500 words
Following OrdersWeird War3600 words
And at the very least, in these days of the traditional model being shook up, this might be an interesting experiment! Thanks for taking a look.
IN ADDITION…
In the week beginning the 15thof October, for the run up to Halloween, I’m looking to host a guest post every day on horror and/or writing. If you want to take over for a day, it’s a first come first served basis. Just shoot me an email on harlequin-writes@hotmail.co.ukwith a very brief summary of your post (so I don’t have too much repetition!). Feel free to write about your first story sale to the current state of the fiction market, or the origins of Halloween to which Hellraiser sequel sucketh the most. You’re more than welcome to include links to your site or available books, but remember: this is intended to entertain and enlighten my visitors…not sell sell sell!
This is a very tired Dan signing off.