Friday, March 28, 2014

X: A Collection of Horror







1. How did you get started in horror?

I think it must stem from a combination of my grandfather’s ghost stories from when he was a coal miner, and my sister’s heavy metal record collection. Some of those album covers had brilliant artwork. When I started writing, it was just the genre I gravitated towards.

2. What are your favorite kinds of stories to write and read?

I write what I call ‘dark fiction.’ Sometimes it edges toward sci-fi, other times out-and-out horror. A lot of people comment that most of it contains a healthy dose of sardonic humour. I did write a love story once under a pseudonym but that was just an experiment. I read widely. I have my favourites, of course. I love a good old-fashioned haunted house story. But I also read crime, thrillers, and autobiographies. I like reading about people who achieve great things or triumph against the odds.

3. What would you tell someone just getting started in the horror genre?

Find your own voice! And read everything, in every genre. For a long time I restricted myself to horror, then when I was much older and started reading other things it was like discovering a whole new world. Or even a multitude of new worlds. Stephen King once said that you learn just as much from reading terrible books as you do good ones.

4. Plotter or panster?

I had no idea what a panster was until I just Googled it. Thanks for expanding my knowledge! I guess the smart way of doing things is to be a plotter and plan things out in advance. But I’m more spontaneous than that, so I have to say I’m a panster. Its all well and good having a plan, and I can see why some people prefer to work that way, but I think it stifles you a little. You might have a great idea for a plot twist or a new character, but you’d be reluctant to go with it because it wasn’t in your plan. Storytelling should be more organic.

5. Name three things on your desk right now.

An empty coffee cup, my phone, and a Sun newspaper. I’m one of the few people that still buy newspapers religiously every morning. I read news websites too, but there is nothing quite like opening a newspaper.

6. Do you write to music?

Yes, quite often. I lean towards punk and rock. I like Bouncing Souls, Blink 182, the Ramones, the Clash, that kind of thing. And some classic rock like Dire Straits if I’m feeling more mellow. I can’t write to rap or hip-hop, there are just too many voices, too many words all tumbling over each other.

7. Sushi or cheeseburgers?

Cheeseburgers, every time. I don’t think anybody really likes sushi, they just eat it because they think it’s cool or healthy. Personally I’d rather have 70 years of eating what I want than 80 years of eating so-called healthy food. Food is something that should be enjoyed.

8. What author has had a profound influence on your work?

I wish I had a more original answer to this question. I can make one up, if you want. But the truth is I grew up reading Stephen King, so it has to be him. During my late teens I read his entire back catalogue. My favourites are ‘Salem’s Lot, It, Christine and The Tommyknockers. His work went a little stale in the nineties, but he is back with a vengeance now.

9. In horror today what topics do you think are overdone and what would you like to see more of?

Like everything else, horror follows trends. The success of Twilight saw loads of romantic gothic vampire stories, and at the moment you can’t move for zombies, probably because of the success of the Walking Dead. I don’t think anything is truly original, its all been done before, but there is a difference between unoriginal and overdone.

10. What is the next project on your to do list?

My book X: A Collection of Horror, recently came out. It was compiled from the hundreds of manuscripts I had gathering dust on my hard drive. Most have been published before in different magazines and anthologies, but there are a few originals in there. X2 will follow early next year, and X3 not long after. I’ve also just finished re-writing my first published non-fiction title, Into the Dragon’s Lair – A Supernatural History of Wales. That will hopefully be reissued later in the year.

Follow me on Twitter @CMSaunders01

Or visit my website to say hello!

http://cmsaunders.wordpress.com/



Blurb:

This is what happens when you ‘wake up’ inside a dream, when the urban myth you heard turns out to be so much more, and when that hottie you pick up in a bar springs a terrible surprise. But what do you do when your wife gives birth to something not entirely human? When your past discretions come back to haunt you? Or when a serial killer moves in next door?

The first collection of horror and dark fiction from the critically acclaimed writer C.M. Saunders, including three previously unpublished stories, plus an introduction and extensive notes. Also features exclusive artwork by Greg Chapman.

WARNING: Adult Material.

Table of Contents: Introduction: That's Entertainment, A Thin Disguise, A Hell of my Own Creation, Monkey Man, The Awful Truth, Mr. C, Fame / Infamy: A Deconstruction, Another False Dawn, The Night Everything Changed, The Devil & Jim Rosenthal, Club Culture, Afterword


Bio:

Christian Saunders, who writes dark fiction as C.M. Saunders, began writing in 1997, his early fiction appearing in several small-press titles and anthologies. Following the publication of his first book, Into the Dragon's Lair – A Supernatural History of Wales (2003), he worked extensively in the freelance market, contributing both fiction and non-fiction to over 40 international publications. His novellas Dead of Night and Apartment 14F: An Oriental Ghost Story are available on Damnation Books, while Devil's Island, is out on Rainstorm Press. Most recently his work has appeared in Morpheus Tales, Gore magazine,Wicked Industries and Siren's Call. He works as a sports writer and blogs for the Huff Post UK. His most recent work is From the Ashes – The REAL Story of Cardiff City Football Club.

Amazon.com link:

Monday, March 17, 2014

Apocalypticon Super Book Blast



Apocalypticon
by Clayton Smith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Three years have passed since the Jamaicans caused the apocalypse, and things in post-Armageddon Chicago have settled into a new kind of normal. Unfortunately, that "normal" includes collapsing skyscrapers, bands of bloodthirsty maniacs, and a dwindling cache of survival supplies. After watching his family, friends, and most of the non-sadistic elements of society crumble around him, Patrick decides it's time to cross one last item off his bucket list.

He’s going to Disney World.

This hilarious, heartfelt, gut-wrenching odyssey through post-apocalyptic America is a pilgrimage peppered with peril, as fellow survivors Patrick and Ben encounter a slew of odd characters, from zombie politicians and deranged survivalists to a milky-eyed oracle who doesn't have a lot of good news. Plus, it looks like Patrick may be hiding the real reason for their mission to the Magic Kingdom...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Excerpt Three:

They stood on the trestles and waved as the train pulled slowly away. Horace blew the whistle in two short bursts and saluted from the engine. When the train had cleared the highway, Ben turned to Patrick and said, “Please tell me you remembered to pack an elevator.”

“Yeah, I did pack it, originally, but then there wasn’t any room for my Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, so I took it out. But fear not, young traveler, for I have the next best thing. Rope!” He pulled the nylon rope from his bag triumphantly and let it uncoil over the side of the bridge. It dangled just over the edge of the tracks.

"Brilliant. You brought a really useful three-foot rope."

“Well, I’m going to find a use for it somewhere,” Patrick said, hurriedly stuffing it back into the bag. “You just wait.”

“You think we could jump it?”

“Sure. It’s only twenty feet or so.”

“Are you being sarcastic right now, or serious? I can never tell.”

“This time, I’m being serious, mostly. Twenty feet isn’t that many feet. It’ll probably hurt like hell, but we’ll live. Probably.”

“Words every man wants to hear in a world without doctors,” Ben muttered.

“There are doctors somewhere,” Patrick reminded him. “They’re just not you or me.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Clayton Smith is a sometimes-writer, sometimes-napper based in Chicago, where he uses neither his bachelor’s in journalism nor his master’s in arts management. He is often calamitous, and good at bacon. He lives with his impressively tolerant wife.

Clayton’s previous works include Pants on Fire: A Collection of Lies and the comedic play Death and McCootie, which debuted at the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival.

Links:

www.StateOfClayton.com

www.twitter.com/Claytonsaurus

www.facebook.com/Claytonsaurus

www.amazon.com/author/claytonsmith

Clayton will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Comment and follow the tour for more chances to win!


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Bedlam



Blurb – Bedlam (crime/horror)

Joe loves Kit. Everyone thinks she’s dead. Joe knows she’s not.

If you lost the love of your life, how far would you go to get them back?
Detective Joe McNeil would do absolutely anything.
When Joe breathes life into a crime scene victim, he discovers what anything really means.
Nell will use whatever is necessary to ensure she survives, including Joe. Is she really a victim or merely the weapon being wielded by a much more cunning foe?
Against the background of a multiple murder investigation, Joe struggles between his love for missing Kit and his growing obsession with the enigmatic Nell. Plunged headlong into a spiralling nightmare of kidnap, murder and betrayal, his relentless search for the truth jeopardises his career, his sanity and his life.
But for Nell, the risk is even greater..

A haunting tale of obsessive love, ultimate sacrifice and deadly consequences


B A Morton November 2013

Review:

Twists and turns abound in this masterpiece of horror. The first chapter left me wondering and then the playing field opened up to a marvelous tale. The quality of writing was amazing, as was the suspenseful mystery. 

What would you do if your love was dead and you thought she might still be alive? Wouldn't you do everything to reconnect with her? This book is obsession, gut wrenching love that twists and turns like a worm in the gut. How far would you go to prove what you believe is true? What would you be willing to do for love? That is the question at the heart of this dark thriller. I am at loath to give anything away other than if you read nothing else this year, you must read this book.

Fans of Koontz, King, Herbert and other horror masters will delight in every twisted turn. I loved it madly and will be looking for more from this talented author.

5/5







Author bio –

Born in the North East of England, B.A.Morton writes across a number of genres including crime, romance, horror and historical fiction. After a twenty year civil service career, she and her family escaped the rat race and relocated to the remote beauty of the Northumberland National Park. She now works part time in the village GP surgery and lives in a cottage built on the remains of a medieval crypt. Her debut novel “Mrs Jones” a fast paced, romantic, crime thriller set in New York, was runner up in the Yeovil Literary Prize 2011, published by Taylor Street Publishing and closely followed by the sequel “Molly Brown”, and the first in a medieval trilogy “Wildewood Revenge”. Her latest book “Bedlam” is a psychological/horror/thriller.

Giveaway:

This giveaway is international 

For a chance to win one of five mobi copies of Bedlam and one paperback copy of Bedlam


The winner will be announced at the end of the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway