Lori Perkins's Blog, page 16

Gary Reed of Deadworld has Passed Away; Deadline Extended for Deadworld Tribute

It is with great sadness that we have to report that Gary Reed passed away suddenly early this month from a heart attack.

Riverdale Avenue Books was working closely with Gary on the creation and publication of an original Deadworld anthology of short stories based on the Deadworld universe, which was to be published this Halloween. In light of his death, the project was postponed and has been expanded to be a tribute to Gary’s life and work, as well as an anthology of Deadworld stories.

With this new direction, we have been working with Gary’s estate to reach out to the many artists, authors and colleagues who have worked with Gary to see if they would like to contribute an essay (or short story) to be included in this collection. We are hoping to publish the tribute book in early 2017.

One of Gary’s colleagues also suggested that Gary could appear as a character in a Deadworld story in the tribute book, and we are looking for an author (or authors) to try their hand at that. Some of the artists brought Gary zombie art to the memorial service and that could also make its way into the tribute book.

If there are authors or people you know who might be interested in being included in this book, please pass this notice on to them.

We believe that Gary would be proud of the direction this book is now taking and that it will reflect his contribution to the horror field appropriately, as well as his legacy.

Below is the link to the original call for stories. The deadline for this anthology is now December 15th, 2016.
http://riverdaleavebooks.blogspot.com...

Horror/Paranormal Titles on Sale for 2 Weeks at RAB

Riverdale Avenue Books Celebrates Halloween with 14 Days of 50% Off on AllRomanceEbooks and RAB Website

A-Book-a-Day-Deals
Starting Monday October 17th – October 31st,

New York (October 17, 2016) ¬– To get into the Halloween spirit, Riverdale Avenue Books is offering 14 of their best-selling horror and paranormal romance titles on sale at half price for the final two weeks of October featuring such classic themes as zombies in love, gay vampires and prognosticating witches. Reader will also be able to enter a Goodreads.com give-away for the same 14 titles.

Beginning on Monday, October 17th, one book a day will be featured for 50% off on both the Riverdaleavenuebooks.com website, as well as AllRomanceEbooks.com.

17 An Outcast State OSHALLOW2016
18 How to Throw a True Blood Party TBHALLOW2016
19 Capricorn: Cursed - Book One of the Witch Upon a Star Series CAPHALLOW2016
20 Aquarius: Haunted Heart - Book Two of the Witch Upon a Star Series AQHALLOW2016
21 Pisces: Teacher’s Pet – Book Three of The Witch Upon a Star Series PIHALLOW2016
22 Aries: Swinging into Spring – Part Four of the Witch Upon a Star Series ARHALLOW2016
23 Dead Sexy: The Unofficial WALKING DEAD Fan Guide to Zombie Style, Beauty, Parties DSHALLOW2016
24 The Ripper Letter: Book One of the Hearts of Darkness Series RLHALLOW2016
25 Still Hungry for Your Love: Further Adventures in Zombie Romance SHHALLOW2016
26 Blood and Lust in NYC: A Lesbian Vampire Tryst BLHALLOW2016
27 Venomoid: Book One of the Night Code Saga VEHALLOW2016
28 Clan of The Jersey Boys, Book One of the Fangsters Series FAHALLOW2016
29 Avalon Revisited: A Novel of Vampires, Murder, and Sex in Victorian England AVHALLOW2016
30 Wedding Bells Times Four: Book One of The Virgin Witch and The Vampire King WBHALLOW2016
31 Blood Burn BBHALLOW2016

Said Publisher Lori Perkins, “Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year and I love to curl up with a scary book that keeps me turning the pages. I wanted to share some of our best scary tales at a special price.”

Launch Party for Morris Jumel Mansion Anthology of Paranormal and Fantasy Fiction

Morris Jumel Mansion and Riverdale Avenue Books Host Book Launch Party with Readings for New Paranormal Anthology on October 15th

Saturday, October 15th, 4pm-6pm
Morris-Jumel Mansion
65 Jumel Terrace, New York, NY 10032

“George Washington used the Morris-Jumel Mansion as a base while fleeing New York. I’ve had writing sessions and meetings for ‘Hamilton’ there. Some writers go to the Berkshires — I go to 162nd Street.”
—Lin Manuel Miranda, author of Hamilton
New York (October 11 29, 2016) – To celebrate the release of the just published Morris-Jumel Mansion Anthology of Paranormal and Fantasy Fiction, Riverdale Avenue Books and the Morris Jumel Mansion will hold a free book launch party at the historic mansion on Saturday, October 15th from 4:00 until 6 p.m. featuring readings by some of the book’s authors.
The Saturday afternoon event will feature six of the books’ authors reading from their short stories that take place in the historic mansion or feature some of the mansion’s legendary residents or events such as President George Washington’s first cabinet meeting, the alleged haunting by Madam and Stephen Jumel, as well as a servant girl and a Hessian soldier, and the story behind the assassination of Alexander Hamilton by Vice President Aaron Burr. Pulitzer and Tony-Award winning author Lin Manuel Miranda wrote his ground-breaking musical, Hamilton, in Aaron Burr’s bedroom. This will be followed by a Q&A panel discussion with the books’ editors.
The book, published simultaneously as an ebook and a trade paperback, features 14 tales spanning the genres from romance to time travel, and historic fantasy from New York Times best selling writers as well as first time authors.
Camilla Saly-Monzingo, editor of the anthology, and a neighborhood resident who was married at the mansion in 2015, commented on the stories in this collection, “What is particularly gratifying about this collection of stories is its diversity. The contributing writers to the Anthology are Latino, African-American, white, gay, straight, bisexual. They are parents, they are childfree, they are single and partnered. They are young and hungry; they are settling into mid-life; they are older and wiser. What’s more, these tales are ghost stories, science fiction, mystery, romance, erotica, time travel, visions of the afterlife, and paranormal fantasy.”

Carol S. Ward, the Executive Director of the Mansion, added, “It is with great pride and excitement that the Morris-Jumel Mansion sees this anthology being published, turning history on its head a bit and creating more stories about the house. Although when you visit it, the Mansion may seem silent, it speaks through these authors’ words and characters. The Mansion itself is a character in all the stories you are about to read. “

Said Riverdale Avenue Books Publisher Lori Perkins, “I believe that this is the first time that a book like this has been published, creating fiction around the legends that have ground up around an historic location. I hope it is the first of many, tying the past with the present.”
The free event is part of the Mansion’s day long Culture and Arts Festival, 65 Jumel Terrace, located between 160th and 163rd streets in Manhattan, one block east of St. Nicholas Avenue. For more information, visit: http://www.morrisjumel.org/culture-ar....

The Morris Jumel Mansion Anthology of Paranormal and Fantasy Fiction, Edited by Camilla Saly-Monzingo, is available at Riverdale Avenue Books, and on Amazon and on iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.

RAB Publishes Club Trega, a Bisexual BDSM First Novel

Riverdale Avenue Books is pleased to publish Club Trega by Nicole Wood, one of the winning manuscripts of the 2015 BDSM Writer’s Con Competition., a bisexual BDSM first novel.

Club Trega tells the story of the romance of a BDSM threesome between two men and a woman set in contemporary Philadelphia.

Said Riverdale Avenue Books publisher Lori Perkins, “I was genuinely thrilled to award a book contract to this novel, as I have read and edited many BDSM novels and erotic romance tales, but this is the first bisexual BDSM novel I have yet to read.”

The author added, “I enjoy reading books with poly relationships in them but not many of them have the power exchange dynamic and most are all about the female characters.”

This is Nicole Wood’s first published novel, although she has numerous years experience in the BDSM community volunteering in staff positions at Floating World and Lather Leadership.

Call for Stories for Licensed Deadworld Anthology to be Published by RAB THIS Halloween

Deadworld, one of the oldest zombie graphic novels in existence, has teamed up with Riverdale Avenue Books to publish a prose anthology of short stories for Halloween 2016.

The editors are looking for stories that firmly take place in the existing Deadworld universe (see links), but expand the characters and situations in new and creative ways.

A little bit about the Deadworld universe:

Deadworld was launched by Arrow Comics in 1986 and published by various entities through today.

This shortened synopsis covers about 2000 pages of art and story. But it should give an idea.
The initial storyline was essentially a group of teens traveling around on a school bus, being chased by zombies. After the first few issues, a militant group was brought in. The story centered on the military group fighting the zombies and the original teens\ soon became either separated or dead. Another cast of characters was introduced and this group was in Michigan and they made for the Upper Peninsula to escape the zombies. The second volume relaunched Deadworld and continued the storyline from the first volume. Many of the story plots were wrapped up and the Voodoo Queen was introduced who competed with King Zombie for control of the zombies. The Dead Killer, introduced in a back up series of the first volume, spun off into his own miniseries that took place between volumes one and two and became a regular in volume two. At the end of the second volume, the Tattoo mini-series was released.

Deadworld was relaunched in 2006 via Image Comics. This new series (volume 3) was a complete reboot. Deadworld had been around for nearly 20 years and it was nearly impossible to expect fans to pickup on all the storylines. So, the teens were reintroduced and the story soon departed from the original although many of the major characters remain. The mini-series, Requiem for the World, was followed by Frozen Over, which took place in New York and then Slaughterhouse brought the focus back to the primary characters.

War of the Dead DID come out in 2012 and it was followed by Restoration in 2014. Both were nominated for a few industry awards and both won the Ghastly Award for Best in Horror mini-series. IDW has also reprinted much of the older Deadworld in addition to releasing an original graphic novel, The Last Siesta

This will be a Riverdale Avenue Book in the new horror line, Afraid!. We pay quarterly 33% royalties on digital and 8% on print. Royalties will be split on a pro rata share amongst the authors. There is foreign interest in this topic.

We will publish this book by the end of October ONLINE AND IN PRINT as a paperback, so the deadline is October 8. Stories should be between 1200 and 5000 words. If you have something longer, please email us directly at submissions@riverdaleavebooks.com.

Below are links to the series guidelines, character descriptions and back issues.

Deadworld Reference Guide
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bna5yrjt5hr...

Voices from the Deadworld- a chronicle of the story from different perspectives in one-page narrations.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h0csys9b6fw...

Deadworld: Requiem for the World- the graphic novel that "rebooted" Deadworld and the first in the current storyline.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hcdgxu24e5c...

Deadworld: Slaughterhouse- The second volume of current series.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wco5u1g5l0f...

Deadworld: War of the Dead- The third of four of the current series
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d0in06th7oi...

Deadworld: Restoration: The fourth of four of the current series.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n99mhoon8vb...

Deadworld Chronicles: Short Stories set in Deadworld.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6hpvonsk41z...

Deadworld Archives 1: The original series and including the first 4 issues of the very first DW series.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4q6f0kfu3vj...

Deadworld Archives 2: The second volume of Deadworld from the late 1980s.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dhi2pz2z14z...

Deadworld Archives 3: The third (of six) collecting the original series.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3gwt4ot3rod...

Deadworld Archives 4: The fourth (of six) collecting the original series.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hv5wvfrt0l3...

Deadworld Archives 5: The fifth (of six) the original series in the 1990s.
collectinghttps://www.dropbox.com/s/yzinya2lne3...

Deadword Archives 6: Final volume collecting the original series of Deadworld from the 1990s.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hdvrbwsku0d...

RAB Resurrects Samhain Horror Line

As the innovative digital publisher Samhain rebrands to focus its efforts on its Romance division, award-winning hybrid publisher Riverdale Avenue Books will publish some of the authors and titles from the Samhain Horror line.

Samhain publisher Christina Brashear and Riverdale Avenue Books Publisher Lori Perkins have been friends and colleagues in the evolving digital publishing landscape for the past decade. Perkins has also been an active participant in the horror community for more than 30 years and wanted to launch a new horror initiative in what she sees as a burgeoning horror renaissance as evidenced by the audience for The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Stranger Things.

“I have great admiration for Samhain’s horror line,” said Perkins. “I am hoping that with inventive marketing and traditional support, we can bring these cutting edge titles to a larger audience.”

Brashear added, “Lori’s heart has always belonged to horror and she will bring all of her expertise in fresh and creative marketing concepts she learned in the romance industry to the horror market.”

Perkins was one of the founding members of the Horror Writers of America and acted as a liaison between the East and West coast between Dean Koontz and Charlie Grant. As a literary agent, she represented the early careers of Chris Golden, ghostbusters Ed and Lorraine Warren, Katherine Ramsland, Ray Garton and Jim V. Smith, Jr. She has sold more than 200 horror novels and created the anthology HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE (St. Martins’ Press), the first zombie romance title published by mainstream publishing.

To that end, Riverdale Avenue Books is launching its new horror line, Afraid!, in October with the publication of two exciting licensed anthologies: Deadworld, the oldest zombie graphic novel, and a supernatural anthology with the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest historic house in New York City.

Riverdale's Philosophy and Goals

We believe that horror is just as consumable a market as romance, with the potential to reach three generations and all genders. We feel that today’s horror reader is a middle-aged woman, her teen-aged children and her parents who grew up on horror films. Since 80% of all readers of e-books in America today are women, Riverdale’s horror line will be targeted towards those readers. Riverdale hopes to develop that kind of audience for today’s horror novel.

Where the horror novel was once targeted to suburban white young men, Riverdale’s line will be aimed at three generations of female readers, especially the goth audience. It will be ethnically, generationally and geographically diverse and will explore the fears of being female/gender queer, young or old in our society. We also expect the line to feature novels about women and children who kill and those that should fear them.

Riverdale’s titles are regularly submitted for awards in genre competitions, as well as industry-wide awards, such as the Independent Publishers Association, and The Lambda Literary Awards.

Book Cover Contest for Artists for Morris-Jumel Mansion Anthology

ARTISTS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BOOK COVER
MORRIS-JUMEL MANSION ANTHOLOGY OF FANTASY AND PARANORMAL FICTION

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, in connection with Riverdale Avenue Books, is publishing an anthology of fantasy and paranormal fiction based on the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest house. The working title for our anthology is “The Morris-Jumel Mansion Anthology of Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction.” The by-line is “edited by Camilla Saly-Monzingo.”

We are looking for a cover design that reflects the paranormal and/or fantasy aspect of the anthology, and features an image of the Morris-Jumel Mansion as part of the design. The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 9th, 2016.

Finalists in the book cover design competition will display their work at the Morris-Jumel Mansion as part of a gallery show. If your book cover design is selected as the cover of the published book, you will receive a $100 honorarium from Riverdale Avenue Books, and your name will appear in the book as a byline for your cover artwork. Your submission will also be the featured as the first place winner in a gallery exhibit of book cover submissions that will be held at the Morris-Jumel Mansion.

Submissions must include an image of the Morris-Jumel Mansion as part of the book cover design. You may visit the Mansion and take a picture, or create artwork by painting, sketching or designing work on your computer yourself, or you may utilize any public domain photograph or artwork depicting the mansion. Non-public domain images may not be used. The Mansion’s website, http://www.morrisjumel.org, may be used as a reference, but the non-public domain photographs on that website are the property of the Mansion and associated photographers, and may not be used.

Please be inspired by the content of the anthology: Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction.

You may choose to include a font and display the title and editor’s name, but text is not a requirement of this call for submissions. If you do choose to include text in your book cover image, you must retain the ability to change the text and font on your book cover submission, so that the title and editor’s name will appear correctly.

Each image should be sent as a jpeg (300 dpi, 2500 pixels on height x 1667 on width is best ratio). Please attach all submissions in an email to mjmanthology@gmail.com, with your legal name and any pseudonym, should you wish to use one. You must also include contact information, including your address and a phone number through which you can be reached.

A Brief Overview of the History of the Morris-Jumel Mansion:

Built in 1765, The Morris-Jumel Mansion was designed and built by Roger Morris, for himself and his wife, Mary Philipse. As loyal subjects of the British Crown, when the rumblings of the Revolutionary War began to be felt in New York, Morris and his wife fled to England. The house then served as headquarters for George Washington during the Battle of Harlem Heights, and after the war it had a brief stint as a tavern, and President George Washington’s Cabinet held a formal dinner there. Among the guests were Martha Washington, Alexander and Eliza Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, John Adams and others. Hessian soldiers in the employ of the British Crown were housed there after George Washington’s army lost New York, and history records that a Hessian soldier fell on his bayonet, probably on the staircase of the house, and died as a result of his wounds. There is also a record of a housemaid hanging herself, although the reasons for that are unknown.

Several decades after the Revolution, the Mansion was purchased by Stephen and Eliza Jumel, originally serving as their country home, but becoming Eliza Jumel’s full-time residence for the greater portion of her long life. Eliza Jumel lived to the age of 90, dying in 1865. Her rags-to-riches story is one of the most compelling in American History. Eliza was born in a brothel in 1775, and rose up through society, eventually marrying a successful French wine merchant. Remaining in France for lengthy stays, her husband’s business faltered, while Eliza, armed with her husband’s “power of attorney” in New York, made investments and, through her business acumen, tripled his fortune. Upon the death of Stephen Jumel, Eliza married Aaron Burr, probably because of his social stature. Burr most likely married Eliza for her money, but when he played fast and loose with her fortune, she divorced him. Interestingly, he died the day the divorce was granted, but hours before it became official, thus granting Eliza the benefit of calling herself “Eliza Jumel Burr” as it suited her, for the remainder of her life. It is Eliza Jumel who many believe still haunts the Mansion, as many paranormal investigators, visitors and employees of the Mansion attest – to this very day. For further fascinating stories about the Morris-Jumel Mansion and its inhabitants, or for answers to any questions, please email the editor, Camilla Saly-Monzingo, at mjmanthology@gmail.com.

We look forward to your submissions!

Sincerely,
Camilla Saly-Monzingo
Editor
Morris-Jumel Mansion Anthology of Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction

Just Pubbed: OUTSIDE THE XY: Queer, Black and Brown Masculinity

Outside the XY: Queer, Black and Brown Masculinity is an anthology of more than 50 stories, memories, poems, ideas, essays and letters--all examining what it looks like, feels like, and is like to inhabit masculinity outside of cis-gendered manhood as people of color in the world. Read these passionate, complex autobiographical glimpses into the many layers of identity as the authors offer olive branches to old and new lovers.

The ground-breaking anthology was the brainchild of the bkyln boihood collective who brought together the unique voices of a movement to share an often neglected experiences across queer and trans masculinity.

Morgan Mann Willis, the lead editor on the anthology, explained how the book came about. “Images have always been our primary vehicle of storytelling for bklyn boihood. We produce an annual calendar, manage visually-driven social media platforms and build archives of visual art from our community. But the way we connected and grew was born out of words and stories. This anthology is a web spun of words that explore love, sadness, regret, sex, support, hard questions, ideas and dreams for black and brown bois of color all over the world.”

bklyn boihood, now in it's sixth year, is a collective that champions the healthy, engaging and transformative identities of black and brown queer bois, transmen, AGs, studs, butches, doms, masculine of center lesbians, third gender and gender non-conforming people. "We are a collective and a family who works really hard to make room for the fullness of who we each are and how we identify. Masculinity and the way we've had to navigate it is a huge part of our lives. Most of us found each other pre-tumblr, pre-twitter, pre-instagram. Pre-androgyny as fashion. We connected with one another through words and stories. They weren't always eloquent or pretty," says Morgan Mann Willis, the anthology's lead editor, "but they were ours to tell."

The commitment to the collective's roots ensures that the anthology does not read like a textbook; more like a confessional. It reads like a bunch of bois got together and started sharing the experiences of their lives. "This collection is the resource we wish we had access to growing up. It just continues the tradition of building real connections through vulnerability and honesty--and makes us accessible to one another and we need that desperately. This book is a part of ensuring we are never erased from the consciousness of this earth," says Ryann Holmes, co-founder of bklyn boihood and an anthology contributor.

The goal of the anthology was to be uplifting, to consider and explore the authors’ various masculine identities as non cis-gendered males, or those traditionally born with the "XY" chromosome, which the collective considers “a radical act of self-love and affirmation.”

Said the editors, “Outside the XY has been a labor of love, honesty, writing and representation in ways that as a collective, we never dreamed possible. We are excited to share this book with the world and grateful that the contributors shared their world with us.”

About Bklyn Boihood

bklyn boihood is Brooklyn-based, national collective that organizes events, collaborations, workshops, media projects dedicated to embracing the diaspora of masculinity in queer and trans bois of color. Our mission is to support ourselves and our communities as we collectively redefine queer masculinity through storytelling, community-building and adventure crafting. Core members (2016): Chino Hardin, Van Bailey, Morgan Mann Willis, Ryann Holmes and Zahyr Lauren .Learn more about our work: www.bklynboihood.com

RAB Publishes M/M Valley of the Dudes

Riverdale Avenue Books has just released Valley of the Dudes by Ryan Field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking classic, Valley of the Dolls.
Lambda-award-winning author Ryan Field, who has been known for parodying heteronormative romance classics, explained his approach to writing his novel, “I'd always considered Valley of the Dolls a game-changer in publishing, pop culture, and in film. I've always believed it was part of the forefront of the sexual revolution, and it broke those proverbial grounds that lead the way for other books like it to enter the mainstream.”
Field added, “I also think it’s a little ironic, if not symbolic, that the 50 year anniversary of Valley of the Dolls coincides so closely with the 50 year anniversary of the Gay Liberation movement. Valley of the Dolls and Gay Liberation were both part of an era that helped define sexuality and equality today.”
Said Riverdale Avenue Books Publisher, Lori Perkins,” It’s amazing how relevant Susann’s classic remains today as we wade through the flood of celebrity worship and scandal that Susann predicted. Ryan’s re-imaging shows just how universal her vision was when it is brought forward 50 years and genders are changed, and it is still a powerful tale of the cost of fame and fortune.”

French Men HALF PRICE to Celebrate Bastille Day At Riverdale Avenue Books and AllRomanceEbooks

To celebrate Bastille Day, Riverdale Ave Books has put its popular M/M novel French Men by Adam Carpenter on sale through the weekend of July 21th, as well as the other four titles in Carpenter’s Passport to a Fling series.
The entire Passport to a Fling series, which features the search for love in Europe’s greatest cities by three gay friends, is half price at AllRomanceEbooks.com and on the Riverdale Avenue Books website, riverdaleavebooks.com.

The Passport to a Fling series features the adventures of three gay men as they look for love in their Favorite European cities. The series begins with the short story, Passport to a Fling, and continues with Freddy’s adventures in Paris in French Men; Matt’s adventure in Italy with Italian Guys and Jake’s search for love in London with English Lads. The fourth volume in the series, American Hunks, takes the reader from Paris to Los Angeles, New York to Tuscany, London to Nice, American Hunks, the fourth novel as the adventures of Matt, Freddie, and Jake culminate in a surprise wedding
To get the discount at Rveraleavebooks.com, please use the following codes:

FrenchBastille2016
EnglishBastille2016
ItalianBastille2016
AmericanBastille2016
PassportBastille2016