Feb 24 2012

Epitaphs is Now Available as an E-book

by Jason Harris

The New England Horror Writers’ organization’s first anthology is now available as an e-book.

Epitaphs became available in the Kindle store on Amazon today. This is the first time the collection has been available in e-book form.

The paperback edition of Epitaphs became a Stoker nominated collection this past Saturday. It’s on the final ballot of the Horror Writers Association’s Bram Stoker Awards for works published in 2011. The Awards will be presented at a gala banquet on Saturday, March 31, at the World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It’s a great achievement for the NEHW to have its first anthology get this far,” said Tracy L. Carbone, who is the editor of the collection, on her Facebook page. ”We all put in a tremendous amount of work in a short time to get this off the ground and I want to again thank the board and all the contributors.”

The book was released last October by Shroud Publishing then debuted at Anthocon with a book release party in November. At Anthocon, most of the writers in this collection were on hand to sign it.

The table of contents in this anthology is as follows:

Jeffrey C. Pettengill “To Sleep, Perchance to Die”

Paul McMahon “The Christopher Chair”

Kurt Newton “A Case of the Quiets”

Scott T. Goudsward “Build-a-Zombie”

John Goodrich “Not an Ulcer”

B. Adrian White “The Possesor Worm”

John M. McIlveen “Make a Choice”

Michael Allen Todd “The Death Room”

Rick Hautala “Perfect Witness”

Holly Newstein and Glenn Chadbourne “Stoney’s Boneyard”

Trisha J. Wooldridge “Kali’s Promise”

David Bernard “The Sequel”

David North-Martino “Malfeasance”

Stacey Longo “Private Beach”

Christopher Golden “All Aboard”

L.L. Soares “Holiday House”

Steven Withrow “Lines at a Wake”

K. Allen Wood “A Deeper kind of Cold”

P. Gardner Goldsmith “Alone”

Roxanne Dent “Pandora’s Box”

Michael Arruda “Chuck the Magic Man Says I Can”

T.T. Zuma “Burial Board”

John Grover “Windblown Shutter”

Stephen Dorato “Cheryl Takes a Trip”

Philip Roberts “The Legend of Wormley Farm”

Peter N. Dudar “Church of Thunder and Lightning”

To purchase a copy of Epitaphs in paperback for $12.99, click here.

To purchase in the e-book format for $4.99, click here.

Feb 5 2012

New E-books from NEHW Members

In the last few weeks, members of the New England Horror Writers’ organization have published new stories in e-book form.

Author Tracy L. Carbone, editor of Epitaphs, recently released The Folks, her first venture into the e-book market place.

In The Folks, Valerie and her young daughter are relieved to stumble upon Hardscrabble Farm after their car gets a flat tire late at night. “The farm is surrounded by an army of scarecrows, but the warm safe house beckons to them.” Once arriving, “they discover that the horrible secrets kept by the farm’s owner Clara Rantoul are far more sinister than they could have imagined.”

Her second offering, One Minute, is a Twilight Zone-esque tale about three people in a love triangle discovering “the cruel irony that all life can change in just one minute.”

Her current offering is Pretty Pig Let Me In, which tells the story of Paula, whose “gluttony has always served her well, has driven her hunger for success and wealth. But when she sets her sights on winning over a rich man, ‘be careful what you wish for’ takes on a gruesome new meaning.”

Paula’s gluttony has always served her well, has driven her hunger for success and wealth. But when she sets her sites on winning over a rich man, “be careful what you wish” for takes on a gruesome new meaning.

Carbone hopes to have a large collection of stories and a couple of novels available on Amazon in the coming months.

According to the description on Amazon, Mark Edward Hall’s Apocalypse Island is about young women being stalked and slaughtered in Portland and how Danny Wolf is witnessing these crimes in his dreams. “Wolf, a gifted musician and newly released from prison, has no memory of his early childhood, but discovers that he spent his first eight years in a Catholic orphanage on a mysterious island off the coast of Maine. Soon the killings become more bold and gruesome, as members of the church begin to die. Enter Police Lieutenant Rick Jennings and his young assistant Laura Higgins. They discover a government conspiracy involving the Catholic Church, and a cold war mind control program known as MK-Ultra. Danny Wolf becomes the number one suspect in the murders, but no one, not even Wolf, is prepared for what they discover on Apocalypse Island, a mind blowing secret that was supposed to stay hidden forever.”

Hall also released Feast of Fear, which contains four horrifying tales and the first four chapters of his upcoming novel, Soul Thief.

John Grover’s Echo Lake-A Short Story is a sample of his work. Amazon’s description said, “Ryan didn’t know why he’d come back. He just had to see it one more time. Echo Lake waited for him, looking exactly the same after all these years. The tragedy that happened there was still alive and well in Ryan’s mind. His little sister drowned in that damned lake. She was not the first, probably wouldn’t be the last. He’d come back because of her, because of that day. See, there was something else there. Something in the lake. Something in the water. He couldn’t see it. He couldn’t hear it but Ryan knew. The drowning was no accident. Something took her.”

Jan 29 2012

Author’s Third Zombie Novel in Series Available Now

Author and New England Horror Writer member Robert J. Duperre’s book, Death Springs Eternal: The Rift Book III is available as an e-book and the fourth book in the series comes out in June. All the books in the series are illustrated by fellow NEHW member, Jesse David Young.

Here is the description of the book from Amazon, “the sun rises from its slumber, melting away the winter’s snow and bathing the barren land with light. The survivors once more begin their journey, braving the hordes of wandering undead, heading south for what they hope will be safer shores. But an old threat has risen from the bowels of humanity, standing in the way of any hope for salvation. As those who remain soon learn, in a world of chaos, zombies are the least of their worries.”

For more information about the series, check out The Rift Online website.

Along with writing novels, Duperre writes a blog, Journal of Always, which is “first and foremost a review blog,” where the reviews written by himself (and occasionally others). “It is also an attempt to highlight inexpensive Kindle books in the genres I enjoy reading, such as Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, and Thrillers,” Duperre said on his blog.

To purchase Death Springs Eternal, click here. To purchase other paperback or e-book versions of his books, click here.

Jan 28 2012

Author’s New Book Released in Paperback and E-book

New England Horror Writer member and author Daniel G. Keohane’s newest offering, Destroyer of Worlds, has been released in paperbook and e-book editions. The novel is published by Other Road Press.

According to Keohane, “Corey Union’s world is about to end. Around every corner lurk the inevitable signs of a coming doomsday. Corey moves his wife and daughter to a new home nestled in the woods … but nothing is what it seems in this man’s world. Elderly sociopath Hank Cowles and his little dog take a deadly interest in the Union family. Beautiful recluse Vanessa believes she is Corey’s only chance for survival, even if saving the man means destroying his family, and his sanity, forever.”

Keohane’s first novel, Solomon’s Grave (2009), was a finalist for the international Bram Stoker Award and his last book, Margaret’s Ark, was released last year.

To purchase the paperback or e-book: click here.

Jan 27 2012

Author’s ‘Aftershocks’ Available in New Anthology

by Jason Harris

Author and New England Horror Writer member, Craig D.B. Patton’s story, “Aftershocks,” appears in the new anthology, Future Imperfect: The Best of Wiley Writers 2. The collection is edited by Angel McCoy.

According to Patton’s website, the anthology “contains the best science fiction, horror, and fantasy work published by Wily Writers in 2010.”

Find out about the Wiley Writers on its website.

Future Imperfect can be ordered from Amazon. The e-book version of the book can be purchased through Smashwords.

Jan 19 2012

‘Ghoul’ Arises Back in Print and on Film

Two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author Brian Keene’s Ghoul has recently been released with a new edition by Deadite Press. It tells the story of Timmy Graco and his two friends who risk their lives to stop a rash of disappearances in town, happening in the town in the summer of 1984. It’s a great novel that is hard to put down. It will make you nostalgic for the songs and toys Keene mentions that were popular during that time.

Ghoul cover (courtesy of Brian Keene's website)

The movie based on the novel premieres at the Slamdance Film Festival on Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. and Keene will be in attendance. It will also be shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie is directed by Greg Wilson (The Girl Next Door) and the screenplay was written by William M. Miller (Headspace).

The movie comes to the Chiller channel in April.

Find out more about Keene on his website.

Jan 12 2012

Online Journal Publishes Author’s Flash Fiction Story

This Flash Fiction story by NEHW member, David L. Tamarin, originally appeared on the Three Minute Plastic website.

Gravity by David L. Tamarin

Does gravity always work? Surely, once in awhile, it just stops working. After all, nothing is perfect. Dr. Shingles decided to perform a test. He was sick of being considered a failure.

He held the newborn baby above his head on the roof of the hospital. It had been a rough day. Seven of his patients had died, and two nurses. When he raided the pharmacy and shot opiates he would slip (oops!) with the knife during surgery or nod off with his hands deep inside someone’s stomach. He’d wake up in blood to the sounds of the nurses screaming (and that one crazy nurse with the cross eyes and death breath giggling).

Sometimes he would doubt his medical skills, like when he would put organs back in the wrong place (like a nurse’s mouth) or, as had been happening quite frequently, he would forgot he was delivering a baby and would think he was there to perform an abortion and things got crazy.

At a lecture, he heard a scientist on acid explaining how physics is about perfection, and that gravity is a perfect and consistent force in the universe.

“Perfect and consistent,” brooded the Doctor. “No one has ever said that about me”. He was upset because he made another transplant mix-up and both the donor and the beneficiary died screaming, blood spraying everywhere. The Boss wanted to have a talk with him.

The Doctor was lost in thoughts about perfection and angels and awards for Doctor of the Year. He obsessed on memories of being called a failure, by the families and attorneys of his surgical victims, and the medical community at large.

But if there were a way for to him to see gravity fail just one little bit he would feel so much better. I’m not a perfect doctor, but even good old mighty “Mr. Perfect” gravity fucks up sometimes, he tried to reassure himself.

He tossed the baby into the concrete parking lot, waiting for gravity to dysfunction and make him feel better about the universe and his place in it.

He felt a splattering and thought to himself, I guess gravity worked that time.

An alien who was observing this from deep in space climaxed at the moment the concrete rushed up and broke open the baby.

Jan 6 2012

Author Talks ‘Suicide’ with the NEHW

Interview with Author J.P. Freeman

by Doug Rinaldi

J.P. Freeman (photo courtesy of Freeman)

Q: First off, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about who this J.P. Freeman guy is, where he’s been, and what he’s done.

A: Well, first off let me say I really appreciate this opportunity to say hello to the New England Horror Writers. I’ve never been too good at these types of things but I’ll give it my best shot. A little bit about me … I was born in Maine and I have lived here my whole life. I have always been interested in arts and entertainment. In high school I started to play around with music, joining multiple underground heavy metal bands. I continued down that path for a few years after high school until, I finally realized that it wasn’t something I wanted to do, or could do for that matter, for the rest of my life. I also knew that a regular nine to five [job] wouldn’t work for me. I needed a way to express my creative side. There were too many ideas locked in my head looking for a way to escape. So I picked up a pen and started to let them out. At that point I started to look into horror anthologies, hoping to get a few of my shorts published. I managed to get a few of them published, one of them being Suicide Man, which ended up being the seed that Things Better Left Unsaid sprouted from.

Things Better Left Unsaid cover (photo courtesy of J.P. Freeman)

**Q: What is the story and concept behind “Things Better Left Unsaid”? Why the name change from Suicide Man to Things Better Left Unsaid?**

A: Things Better Left Unsaid is the story of a man named, Dale Hicks. Dale is a man at the end of his rope. With nothing left to live for, he decides to end his miserable life. Only, things don’t go exactly as planned for Dale. He wakes finding himself in a strange place surrounded by strange people. Unable to find a way out Dale hits rock bottom. Just when things seem like they couldn’t get any worse, a chance encounter with a little girl turns Dale’s existence upside down.

Suicide Man is the name of the short story in which Things Better Left Unsaid is based, but the two stories are very different. I think when you pick up the first issue and see the first page you will see why Suicide Man was an easy first choice. In the end I just thought the comic should have a name of its own so I went with Things Better Left Unsaid.

**Q: Most obvious question, why did you choose the comic book medium for this tale? Did Things Better Left Unsaid exist in any other more traditional formats prior to this decision?**

A: As I mentioned earlier, this was originally a short story I did called Suicide Man. I set out working on a collection of short stories and Suicide Man was the first or second story that I came up with. As I tried to move forward I kept thinking about how I could link these new stories to Suicide Man, or how I could have used these new ideas to make that story even stronger. So my collection of random short stories started to become a book of stories about the same group of characters and they all tied in at the end. There was just something about these people that kept calling to me to tell their tale. It started to seem like Dale didn’t want to die after all, like maybe he had a bigger purpose. To me it seemed like a television show on paper more than a collection of short stories. Then I thought “man, this would be cool as a comic book.” I didn’t really think a comic book would be possible because I can’t draw all that well. So I put out an ad to see if I could find anyone that would be interested in illustrating for me. I got over a hundred applicants! I was pretty amazed by the response. I sat and looked through all the drawings people sent in and narrowed it down to a handful. After that I contacted the few that I was interested in working with and Kelsey Ranallo stood out among the applicants and I quickly signed her on as the artist for the comics.

**Q: Tell us a little something about the artist you have turning Things Better Left Unsaid into a work of visual art.**

A: Her name is Kelsey Ranallo. She’s the best. I came into this project not knowing and proper terminology or specifications, nothing. She had to take the time to explain things as we went along (which I’m sure wasn’t fun for her) and keep me from losing my mind in the process. She had me script out my story into comic book pages and panels and describe in detail my character concepts. The next thing I knew the people in my head were coming to life on paper! That has been the coolest part for me, actually seeing my characters in action.

Q: How many issues are you aiming for with this story? What are the plans for it once it reaches its conclusion?

A: There are going to be 8 issues. Once they are all finished the series will be released as one graphic novel.

Q: What’s the release schedule look like for this series? What are your plans for getting your story out to the masses? Any publishers or comic book imprints looking to scoop this up?

A: As of right now it looks to be quarterly. I hope to get them out faster but for right now that is the plan. The first issue will be out January 13^th. Each issue will be twelve pages and the graphic novel will be 96 pages when completed. I plan to self release the comics via www.comixpress.com and I will be offering signed copies on my website at www.jpfreemanpresents.com. I am also looking into making it available in digital format but that will be down the road a little bit. So far I haven’t submitted it to any publishers, but if you know of anyone interested send them my way!

Q: What’s next for J.P. Freeman? Tell us about your plans after Things Better Left Unsaid? If it’s successful, do you see yourself sticking with this medium or going back to a more traditional form of storytelling?

A: There are a few things in the works for me. I plan to continue writing short stories and to put out a collection of them in the near future. I would also love to sit down and write my first novel this year. If Things Better Left Unsaid catches on I would definitely like to continue writing comic books as well (as long as people want to read them). I am really enjoying working on a project with a continuing story arc.

Q: Any advice for aspiring writers who want to challenge themselves and the status quo of genre fiction writing?

A: Even though it feels like everything has been done before, it’s important to come up with something original. Make sure to put your own little twist on anything you try to create. Don’t follow the rules of writing. Make your own rules and push the envelope. Be sure to write everything down. All your ideas, as small as they may seem at the time, may come in handy in the future. A lot of Things Better Left Unsaid came from bits and pieces of multiple stories and ideas fused together. Don’t ever completely scrap anything. That idea that seems terrible today might not seem so bad after all in the future. I can’t count the times I woke up in the night with a bit of a story stuck in my head. I sleep with a notebook next to me so I can jot down any ideas that come to me in slumber land. Also don’t show anyone what you’re working on until it’s finished. If you let someone close to you read a work in progress they may steer you in a direction you didn’t intend to go. Don’t let others corrupt your baby.

Q: Anything else you want to tell us? Advice? Comments? Shameless plugs? Go for it!

A: I just hope everyone stops by and says hello on one of my sites or pages. I would really appreciate it if people would like my author page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/jpfreemanpresents and stop by my website at www.jpfreemanpresents.com. There will be links there for Things Better Left Unsaid as well as my other available projects. I enjoy interacting with other writers and fans so don’t be shy.

~

Doug Rinaldi is a member of the NEHW and a part of the publicity committee.

Jan 1 2012

Author’s First Novel Being Rereleased by Evil Jester Press

Author’s First Novel Being Rereleased by Evil Jester Press
by Jason Harris

NEHW member Rick Hautula’s classic horror novel, Moondeath, is being rereleased by Evil Jester Press on Jan. 2. Publisher Charles Day said the novel has a new cover by “renown artist” Glen Chadbourne and the introduction was written by Christopher Golden.

Evil Jester Press’s Executive Editor Peter Giglio said on the Goodreads’ website that this was Hautala’s first book and was originally published in 1980. Moondeath is a werewolf and witchcraft tale set in Cooper Falls, New Hampshire, a small New England town, he said.

Stephen King said in 1980 that Hautala’s novel was “One of the best horror novels I’ve read in the last two years!,” Giglio said on Goodreads.

Click on Amazon to order the book.

Click on Evil Jester Press for more information about them and their books.

Dec 27 2011

NEHW Authors in Charity Anthology to Benefit HWA President

by Jason Harris

Daniel Keohane and Nate Kenyon, both NEHW members, have stories in the new collection, Rage Against the Night.

Keohane’s zombie story, “Two Fish to Feed the Masses” is appearing in “an amazing charity anthology,” he said.

Kenyon’s story is called “Keeping Watch.”

All the proceeds from Rage Against the Night will go to the Rocky Wood, an author and current President of the Horror Writers Association, who is battling motor neurone disease.

According to the Wikipedia website, “motor neurone diseases (or motor neuron diseases) (MND) are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause progressive disability and death.”

Amazon states the stories in this anthology detail the brave men and women who stand up to “the darkness, stare it right in the eye, and give it the finger.” These people are under the onslaught of supernatural evil and their good acts can seem insignificant.

The anthology was edited by Shane Jiyaiya Cummings and also features stories by Stephen King, Peter Straub, Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell, F. Paul Wilson, Nancy Holder and Scott Nicholson to name only a few of the authors in this charity collection.

Vincent’s story, “The View from the Top” is reprinted in this anthology, he said on his website. As of right now, it is only available in e-book format, but there will be a print copy in January, Vincent said.

The e-book is $3.99 through Amazon.

Jason Harris Promotions

Category Publishing/Book news

Epitaphs is Now Available as an E-book