Cigar and a beer? Must be a new Release!

The smoke has cleared on the ocean and the great ship swiftly sinks into the waters, an apparent victim of a German U-Boat.  But was it the Germans and why did the Lusitania get torpedoed during World War I?  The answers are not what they taught you in school…

They are much, much worse…

From Hazardous Press and Robert Helmbrecht comes a collection of tales that sheds some light on various points in history and tells you the horrifying truth.  This great book includes tales by such talented authors as Pete Aldin, Jason Andrew, Monette Bebow-Reinhard, Rose Blackthorn, Rebecca L. Brown, Deborah Drake, T. Fox Dunham, Gwendolyn Edward, Aaron J. French, Tara Fox Hall, Christian A. Larsen, Ken MacGregor, Lynne MacLean, Adam Millard, Douglas J. Moore, Doug Murano, Christopher S. Nelson, Brent Nichols, Emerian Rich, Stephen D. Rogers, Julianne Snow, Cameron Suey, Jenny Twist, D. Alexander Ward, Jay Wilburn, David Williamson and Lee Clark Zumpe.

I had a ton of fun writing “Winds of War”.  I hope you have a good time reading it and the other stellar stories in this collection.  It is available now on Amazon in paperback for you old school book lovers and on Kindle for you tech-savy folks.

Paperback copies can be purchased here (buy now).

Kindle version can be sent to your hands directly here (buy now).

The book is a hell of a good time and I hope you enjoy the stories!

Goodnight…

“Coming Soon to a Blog Hop Near You!”

“Coming to a drive-in near you this summer, three college students on the last night of spring break, will find out the road to Hell is paved with good intentions…and blood.”

Ah, the good old days of the movie trailer.  Believe me, there was really a time when the preview didn’t tell you the whole movie in a two-and-a-half-minute bit.  The preview teased and made you want to see the movie.  Alas, I’m afraid those days are long gone.

But fear not, thanks to D. Alexander Ward (go and check him out, this I command!) I’m here to give you a preview.  Think of it as the opening to a date with that special person.  You both snuggle together while the sun dips out of sight and the darkness creeps along the theater grounds until the projector fires up and brightens the night with its magic.  Writing really can be that dramatic and I’m here now to give you a peek into my mind and my work.  I’ll try not to lead you astray or to give away too much because to be completely honest, I want you to have questions and buy the book to see if your thirst for answers can be quenched.

So, sit back and dim the lights.  Relax and let me take your hand and give you a tour through my work, a Neverland of blood and betrayal.  Eat your popcorn and enjoy the show…

What are you working on right now?   At the moment I’m finishing up the last few chapters of my second novella, Southern Devils.  I also have three top-secret projects going on with other authors and my first full length novel set in the fictional town of White Creek has been started on.  There are also a few odd and end short stories, but I’m focusing on the big things right now.  Southern Devils is the opening of a trilogy and there are three other novellas or novels that I have written out very detailed notes on.

How does it differ from other works in its genre?  Southern Devils is my take on zombies and how the Civil War’s closing days was a battle between a resurrected group of Rebel soldiers and the Union soldier ordered to eliminate them and eradicate all trace of their existence.  The approach I took with the zombies was that they are driven by their mission.  They retain some of their humanity, but also must deal with the ramifications of what they’ve become.

What experiences have influenced you?  Since I was a child, I loved to write and make up really outlandish shit.  Once I hit about the age of 12, I was introduced to Stephen King and television shows like Tales From the Darkside, Monsters, and Tales From the Crypt.  From there the die was cast and horror became my game.  I did some writing in high school, but between everything else in my life at the time, it got away from me.  Now fast-forward almost 20 years and I’m finally taking my dream back and making a go at the writing gig.  So far, it has been a magical ride.

Why do you write what you do?  I like to explore the dark side of things.  That noise outside?  It’s a long-lost love come to give you a final goodbye kiss.  The voice in your head?  It’s the darkness in your soul begging for blood to spill so it can be released.  Horror isn’t just a genre for ghosts and vampires.  It is a genre that defines who we are deep down in the human condition.  What causes someone to go on a brutal killing spree?  We don’t really know what went on in that person’s mind, but it’s my job to be the voice of his conscious and once we start to listen to the little voice in the back of our heads…that is when the fun begins.

How does your writing process work?  Before I begin a new story, I jot some quick ideas down in one of my notebooks and I let the idea stew for a few days.  When I pick it back up again, I like to know the opening line and where I want the story to end up at.  I do admit, there have been some stories where the story took on a life of its own and became what it wanted to be.  I love those kind of stories.  There is nothing like hitting a point while writing and thinking, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming”.  As far as how I work, I sit behind my cluttered desk and I get some words in while I play on the internet

What is the hardest part about writing?   Finishing.  The hardest thing for me is finishing something once I start it.  I get involved with another project and I start to push things off and I tend to fall behind on the stuff I’m not committed to write.  I’ve been finishing Southern Devils for far too long and I get irritated with myself.  Some of my foot-dragging, I believe, also stems from the doubt issues that still creep into my head about a piece.  For example, no matter how much people have told me they loved In Memoriam, I will always think I could have done better and will mess with something until I want to rip it up because I don’t think it’s good enough.  I’m getting better about it and I’m gaining more confidence in my work with every new acceptance and every new review.  The thing that has gone the farthest in settling my mind is the other day a stranger stopped me and told me how much they loved my book.  When they followed about how they couldn’t wait to read my next one, my eyes damn near teared up.  It really put my mind to rest about my work and has really invigorated me since it happened.

What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?  That one is easy, I want to write a screenplay for one of my works or have a story of mine adapted into comic form.

Who are the authors you most admire?  The ones I admire the most are the ones who have been there with a piece of timely advice, a story about when they were starting, or those who take the time to help and encourage a new author.  In no order I admire for their words and deeds:  Brian Keene, Robert Ford, Kelli Owen, Tim Lebbon, James A. Moore, Christopher Golden, and John Everson.  Each has given me a new insight or a new way to see the field and I thank them all.

Who are new authors to watch out for?  There are three that I’m working with now that come to mind.  Each one has some work out there and everything I’ve read by them has been a fantastic read.  Go and check out Julianne Snow, Jason Darrick, and Dale Eldon.  You can’t go wrong with any of them and each one brings a distinct voice and subject matter to the horror field.

What scares you?  Failure.  I don’t want to fail in this and it drives me to keep improving and challenging myself to write better and have my work show how much I’ve grown and improved.  I also fear for the world I’m leaving my kids.  No, I fear for the world and what my kids will do to it if they have the chance…

Now, I was to give you three places to go and check out.  I’ve been tied up with work and other stuff that I can only offer you two authors to continue on this Blog Hop.  Next Wednesday, Jason Darrick and Armand Rosamilia will take the reigns over at there blogs and give you the answers to the burning questions above.

Stop back by Friday night when I give my thoughts on, The Compound,  the debut novel from Robert Ford and he stops by to enter the Arena and answers “The 10 Questions”!

Goodnight…

At Horrorfind 2011 at the signing table after my reading. Only one book and if I did it today it would be over twenty.

The Journey II: Stages and White Chocolate M&M’s

 

In the last few weeks, the focus on everything has been shifting.  I spent the last two years getting my name out, writing for anthologies, and releasing that first solo work on the general public.  The time has  come for a new part of my journey into the writing world.  Last year I chronicled my experience concerning getting In Memoriam published in a series of posts called The Journey.  The next few months and years are about my new journey, the first complete novel.

In the past I’ve written some short stories and threw in some information about a place called White Creek, my fictional town where most of my work will take place for some time.  My goal is to write a series of shorts that will introduce the citizens, the town, and the things hidden in the town’s dark past.  Some tales have already been told.  In Memoriam is set in White Creek and introduces the Vineyard Church and the disgraced ex-priest who is their leader, a member of the sheriff’s department who will never be the same after the events in In Memoriam, and the bar owner who seems to be involved in most of the strange happenings in the town.  But wait, there is more to come…

That is only part of the journey however.  Southern Devils is getting ready to be sent out to pre-readers in the next few weeks.  The little white board in the picture?  It is about to be replaced with one twice that size to help me organize all the stuff I’m working on.  I have found it rather nice to have things other publishers want to read as well as the readers out there.  I am going about changing my writing regimen so I can keep all my WIP projects straight and keep myself going.

Random musing of the day:  Horror and writing are two things I enjoy and when they are put together they form an amazing thing.  When the magical bonding of the two form an idea in my mind, I love to get to work.  I also love M&M’s and white chocolate.  Unfortunately, they do not mix well and I’m heartbroken I do not enjoy the new M&M offering as I thought I would.  Thumbs down…

Do you know what I enjoy more than M&M’s?  Seeing the fruits of my labor out in the world and this past week my story “Tears of Heaven” was released in Grinning Skull Press’s From Beyond the Grave anthology.  It contains 19 tales of what happens to us when we die and what the afterlife holds for us in the end.  At the moment is available as an eBook at Amazon, but will soon be out in print.  So pick up a copy today here.

My writing life?  The first journey is complete and now I want to invite you to continue on down the trail with me.  The clouds are hiding the moon and the trail is dark tonight, but take my hand and we’ll find our way together.  The next few weeks I’m going to try to explain my self and what makes me tick, what I’ve learned, and what I still need to figure out.  This journey is about growth and here we go.

Goodnight…

 

The Next Big Thing? I Sure Hope So…

Evening there folks!  Tonight is the night I dazzle you with answers to questions I know have been burning in your skulls.  I too, have now been tagged in “The Next Big Thing” bit of author pimping and I am here to show you around the dark recesses of my filthy and blood soaked mind.    So without further delay, I give you…my answers!

What is the working title of your book?

I have a couple of projects going on right now, so I am going to go with “Southern Devils”

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have a degree in history and I really wanted to make myself feel better about it and put it to good use.  What good use?  Well, I decided to write about how a voodoo resurrected Stonewall Jackson was sent to fight General Sherman in the South during the Civil War.  I wanted zombies that were a little different and these are purely revenge driven and either once they are killed by a head injury or once the mission they were brought back for is completed, they return to the dust where they came from.  Once I got into it, the problem gets out of hand.  The story arc did the same thing and went from the plots for a single novella to a novella trilogy and then a full novel to deal with the trilogy’s aftermath.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical fiction that leans heavy on the horror side of things.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The main cast would be:

General Sherman- Brian Cranston

General Jackson- Sam Worthington

Lt. Mark Duvall- Matt Damon

Dunn- Jason Statham

Hettie- Naomi Harris

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Seeking the ultimate revenge, the resurrected General Stonewall Jackson is sent by Robert E. Lee to hunt down General William Tecumseh Sherman as he embarks on a mission to bring the rebellion in the south to its knees.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I want it to be released from a press and not self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It has taken quite some time.  Between the research involved and the constant shifting of the tale’s scope, its been hard to finish.  I would say it has taken a year to get to the end of the first book.  The short story “Stonewall”, where the whole saga kicks off, should be out before too much longer from KnightWatch Press in their The Blue, the Grey, and the Scarlet anthology of Civil War horror stories.  The rest of the trilogy should go quickly, but then I’m finishing my first White Creek novel before beginning the ending novel Reconstruction of the Dead.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

As far as something that is a history/zombie mash-up I would say Stant Litore’s The Zombie Biblebooks.  They are a great mash-up of the bible and the zombies we all know and love.  For a look at his work I direct you to go to this little linky here.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired by the muse that has taken over my life the last two years, Wesley Southard who pulled me back in, and for the words from Brian Keene when I needed them the most at my first public reading (having him pull a lighter out and wave it back and forth during the end is still one of the best feelings I’ve had since I began writing seriously).

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Funny you should ask that!  Why if you turn to the sidebar and find the Biblio page link, it will take you the complete list of all my work out there.  I’ve been in or have stuff coming out in over 15 books (some are unannounced and not on the list yet) as well as my first novella In Memoriam.

Well, that does it for me! 

There have been some issues with rounding up the next victims.  I’ll get some links up in the next few days so you can go learn about some more great authors.

Goodnight…

Updates, the Counter of Responsibility, and the Next Big Thing

Good evening my friends and readers, it has been a while since we could sit back and talk a bit.  Things are beginning to get rolling again over at Wicked East Press.  It’s a good thing to see and is a very good press to work to work with.  The delays have been settled and the anthologies Chained in the Attic (with my story “Amos’s Song”) and Fresh Ground: Coffee House Flash Fiction Vol. 3 (with “Safety First”) should be getting the last touches and off to the printers soon.  I am waiting to iron out the details, but it looks like the month of December will see me debut in a magazine.  It is an e-zine, but I’ll take it.  A print mag is still a goal however.  October 2013 will also see another story published and there will be more on it once we get closer to the release.  So the wheels of progress are moving into the 2013 year.

Now that In Memoriam (and if you haven’t picked it up yet go here to get it)  has been released, I’ve been slowly getting back to the grind.  The plate has been filled with many short story projects and I’m loading up on longer works as well.  Tonight, I’m going to start a weekly counter to show what the progress for the novellas and novels looks like.  As you may know, Southern Devilshas been a project that has continually kicked me in the balls.  It started out as a novella, turned into a possible novel length idea, and now after reworking and cutting the crap out of it… it has turned into a novella trilogy with a follow-up novel.  If you like the Civil War and zombies, this is for you!

Southern Devils Bk.1- 17,000 out of 30-35,000 words.

Next on the list is a novella that has the potential to turn into something longer.  The world could be bigger, but if I feel the tale is told enough in the novella, I’m calling it a day on the subject for some time.  I would tell you some things about it, but it might give too much away.  There is a man who has blocked out his memory of everything before the car crash that killed his wife and daughter.  When he starts to experience weird visions and notices he is being followed, he embarks on a journey to expose the mysteries of the Red Veil and try to remember a life forgotten.

The Red Veil- 3,000 out of 30,000 words

I have two tales set in White Creek in the works including my first novel.  The novel builds on the themes touched on during In Memoriam and makes the history of White Creek come calling during the bicentennial celebration.  The other is a novella about two key characters appearing in the novel and will be nice lead-in to the White Creek mythos.  For years, evil has seeped out of the soil and it has possessed many of White Creek’s residents.  A state policeman stationed in his hometown of White Creek must come to grips with his past and how it relates to a copycat killer who seems to be the reincarnation of the killer he escaped from twenty years earlier.  And what about the dragonflies?  Both will really lay the ground work for the next few years worth of projects including a short story collection based on the town’s residents and legends (this is separate from the other non-themed collection I’m working on now).

Sins of the Fathers (working title)- 4,500 out of 80,000 (goal-might go shorter)

Wings of the Dead- 2,500 out of 25,000

There you have it, what I have going on for the time being.  Every week I’ll update the progress and you can yell at me if you see me getting behind.  If you ever want to know more, please feel free to ask.

I will have a post on Wednesday as I have been tagged in the Next Big Thing blog hop (thanks to Wesley Southard for the tag!).

So for now, good night…

And the Coffin Hop 2012 Winner is…

The names have been brought together and the entries given to the spirits who live in the random drawing thing on-line.  Each name flutters around and all of them cry out to be the lucky one, the chosen name.  After a moment, a winner is revealed…

But first, this short break.

I want to thank everyone who stopped by on the Coffin Hop 2012!  I had a lot of fun and I hope everyone did too.  The Hop is a great way to meet new authors and win some cool prizes.  Go and buy some of the great work from the Hoppers and stay scared all year until we meet again on this path next year.  Remember, Halloween is a way of life and not a holiday.  Live it and love the whole year (and go buy In Memoriam, help a brother out with his first solo work).

So until next time,

Oh yeah, the winner…

Jason Darrick!  He wins the signed paperback of In Memoriam and the Coffin Hop EP, but since Jason is in the full Coffin Hop anthology, there is another winner for the EP and that person is bn100!  I will contact both of you so we can get the prizes out!

Goodnight…

Coffin Hop 2012: Scream Time

Happy Halloween Coffin Hoppers!  This is the final day for the Hop and the last day to get your comments in to be registered for the signed copy of my novella In Memoriam and the Coffin Hop: Death by Drive-In EP sampler.  Go to any Coffin Hop post on the blog to be registered!  To check out the other Coffin Hop locations go to http://coffinhop.wordpress.com and take a trip around the graveyard for more prizes and authors who want to scare the crap out of you.

Earlier, I listed my favorite horror-themed songs and tonight I’m going to do a quick run down of my top 5 scary movies and books that make my skin crawl.

Silver Screen Scares List-

1.  A Nightmare on Elm Street- The original, the non-remake, and the one that made me sleep with the lights on when I was a kid.  Freddy and his burnt visage, slashing through the nightmares of teens.  Of course, he was justified, their parents did light him up like a torch and left him to die.  I love this one more because, while Freddy’s humor is fun in later installments, he is more serious and wicked in this first time out.  Always in my top lists.

2.  Event Horizon-  An experimental space ship disappears while on a test to travel to another galaxy by bending reality.  The ship vanishes and reappears years later.  A group is sent to investigate where the Event Horizon went and what happened to the crew.  The movie is darkly disturbing and has the ability to get under your skin.  An often overlooked gem that everyone needs to see.

3.  In the Mouth of Madness-  John Carpenter’s ode to H.P. Lovecraft is the story of an investigator sent to find missing author Sutter Cane who has gone missing before a big book release.  He finds himself on a downward spiral in a very Lovecraftian way.  This is one film that sticks in your head and makes you wonder what would happen if someone asked you, “Do you read Sutter Cane?”

4. Halloween- Carpenter again lands on the list with the best slasher flick ever made.  Michael Meyers is a killing machine with no remorse who returns home to wreak havoc on Halloween night and to finish some family business.  I do also like the Rob Zombie versions of Halloween.

5.  Night of the Living Dead- While I enjoy the original, the remake from the early ’90′s is my film of choice here.  When the dead rise and all looks lost just remember, “They’re coming to get you Barbara.”

The Bloody Book Shelf-

1.  IT (Stephen King)-  I read this book in 6th grade and it forever forged my destiny… and it freaked my reading teacher out.  Really, what kind of 11-year-old throws a 1k page book down on his desk for ‘free reading’?  This guy…

2.  Ghoul (Brian Keene)- Following the themes of childhood, this is by far the book from Keene that sticks in my heart the most.  I know people who mirror characters in the book and it makes it more personal.  If you haven’t read Keene or think he is just a zombie guy, give this book a read and be drawn into a world of monsters outside and those within.

3.  Vampyrrhic (Simon Clark)- A tightly woven vampire tale that returns the vamps to their natural state…ugly and blood thirsty.  The opening sequences of the book are Clark’s creepy descriptions and will leave you wanting to leave the light on.

4.  Salem’s Lot (Stephen King)- Another King book I read as a kid and about 3 times since.  I can’t say enough about how good the depictions of small town life and gossip get turned on its ear when the old ‘haunted’ house is bought.  Author Ben Mears returns home to the ‘Lot and is drawn in to the battle against the undead and his own ghosts.

5.  Night Chills (Dean Koontz)- Some have hounded me for liking Koontz, but the man can tell one hell of a story.  This novel isn’t straight-up horror, but when subliminal messaging is used to control a town, things turn ugly.  The scary part of the book has to do with losing control of yourself and being forced to do something against your will, even if you don’t know you’re doing it.

Well, this was short I admit.  However, I am bust preparing some other things and I hope everyone had a terrifying Coffin Hop 2012!  See you next year (although I’d rather you stay around and follow my adventures and misadventures in my quest to continue my writing career).

Goodnight…

Coffin Hop 2012: Ghost Hunting

Welcome back to the Coffin Hop.  If you new to the game or if you need to check out the other blogs on the bloody trail head over to the Official Home of the Coffin Hop and get to hopping!

I took a day off and partied a bit.  Downed some Absinth, met some new friends, and found someone who is going to make sure all the things I have planned for my NaNoWriMo attempt are accurate.  The town of White Creek will have its past explored and the ramifications from its founding are going to come to the light.

The moon hangs silent in the night sky as we arrive at Willard Library.

Friday night, it was decided to take part in a ghost walk at Evansville, Indiana’s Willard Library.  During the Hoosier Horror Hop I took place in during the first week of October, I did a short piece about the library and its famous ghost, the Grey Lady.  To read more about the library or to check out the Ghost Cam, you can visit the library’s site and the Ghost Cam site. The first stop on the tour after a brief history of the ghost, we descended down the large beautifully carved wooden stairs to the basement.  The basement is where the ghost was first glimpsed and is also the home of the children’s room.  The large group sat in the room and heard tales of ghostly deeds.  The ghost likes to take every fourth book and pull it out from the shelf and has been known to toss a book on the floor from time to time.

The second stop was the second floor which is the next place the ghost frequents often.  Once the stories were told and the group filed out to the stairs, three of us stayed behind.  I noticed two girls taking some pictures and then quickly looking at the pics they took.  We began discussing the two large mirrors on top of the book shelves to help the librarian watch the room.  One sat totally still and the second was waving back and forth.  The mirror is held by two thick metal poles and there was not any air flow around the mirror.  We backed up and snapped some more pictures.  The new pictures around the mirror showed two orbs floating in the air around the mirror that could not be seen with the naked eye.  Dust on the lens?  We don’t know, but the orbs being around the shaking mirror is suspect.

After the tour, five of us returned to the basement to investigate further.  My son and I went to the children’s room and the others went to check out the hallway where the bathrooms are located.  Going into the children’s room , we felt the air change.  It became heavy and dense.  The hair on the back of neck rose and I felt her.  When something of that nature is around, I can feel its presence.  I asked my son if he smelled something and he told me he did.  The sweet-smelling aroma tickled my nose and I thought about the lilac scent that is present when she is near.  I snapped some pics in the dark, but without a flash, nothing showed up.  We bid her good night and left to go back upstairs.

I want to spend more time there to check things out further.  Since I need to do some research about the old TB hospital and the state hospital for some novel work, I plan on doing a little poking around the library in hopes of seeing the Grey Lady.

Goodnight…

Sitting on the second floor in the chair the Grey Lady has been known to manifest in or around. This about five minutes before the mirror incident.

Some people have pointed out the strange looking thing above my head in the picture. It is circled for you to see. I think it is from the window, but who knows…

Halloween is Near, So Let Us Coffin Hop!

Here we are again kiddies, the baddest of bad, the scariest of scary, the Coffin Hop 2012.  Last year I wrote several posts about authors I dig that you should be digging too.  In my “10 Questions” feature I have from time to time, John Everson , Nate Southard, and Jeff Strand entered the arena and survived their battles.  This year I want to take it back a bit.  There is one guest lined up to step in the arena and as soon as the interview comes back, you’ll be in for a treat.  The other days, I want to focus on what music, movies, books, and such influence me and my work.

Before I begin however, there are some housekeeping things to tend to.  First, to see what other amazing authors are on the Coffin Hop go here and hit the Linky Link 2012 button, to check out the Scavenger Hunt at Melissa Smith’s website visit here, and to support the upcoming Coffin Hop anthology to benefit literacy programs by picking up some sweet Coffin Hop swag drag your mouse this way and click here.

For those who have found me here for the first time, hello.  I want you to step inside and get comfortable.  Fire up a cigar and pop open a beer.  Kick your feet up on the table, hell I don’t care.

But once you settle in and feel like everything is going to be ok, I’ll plunge you down into the dark depths of humanity and the evil lurking in the shadows of our very minds.

No, really…I’m glad your here and please feel free to roam around the site (nothing will bite…much).  This year is new to me because before I only had anthologies to promote, but this year I have my controversial novella In Memoriam.  A signed copy is part of this year’s prize package as well as an electronic copy of the Coffin Hop Anthology E.P. ( a short preview of next year’s full anthology), and a few nice paperbacks from some of my favorite horror authors.  To be entered in the drawing, you must make a comment on any blog post this week during the Coffin Hop or sign up to follow the blog (comment once-comment often).  You can earn extra entries by following me on Twitter or “liking” my fan page on Facebook (links are over on the side).  Already signed up for all the social media places to find me?  That’s fine, just comment and you’ll be entered!

Well, that does it for today.  Tune in Wednsday for the top 10 albums that haunt my dreams and me scream when I write and on Friday night, author Tim Lebbon stops by to answer the “10 Questions”!

Goodnight…

The Journey: Novella Thoughts- The End

Here we are friends.  We have arrived at the end of the journey for my first novella, In Memoriam.  The writing and re-writing have been completed.  The edits are finished and the formatting is done.  Now, ready for the world to read is my tale of love, revenge, and hate.

Being done is really bittersweet.  Getting this story finished and out there has consumed two years of my life and countless hours behind my keyboard pounding away on Andi’s story.  Looking back, it was worth every moment.  I have prepared myself for some negative comments and the such from the book however.  One does not simply write a book about abortion and vengeance minded fetus spirits without expecting some outrage.  It was how the story came out and for that I make no apologies.  If you get offended by the book, please stick around.  I’ve gotten the controversial book out of my system for now and I promise the stuff in the pipeline is more appealing to the masses.  It is now out for your Kindles here and in paperback here for your reading pleasure.

Since I’ve been working on this project and Southern Devils so hard, I’ve been lax in sending shorts out to other places.  There is some news on that front.  This past week, I had four drabbles (stories of exactly 100 words) released in KnightWatch Press’s Little Tales for the Smallest Room.  Right now it is here on Kindle, but will be in paperback soon.  To check out the eBook go here and read 197 of the smallest tales ever.

Next October, I will have my story “The Midnight Rider” published in an anthology to benefit reading programs.  I have seen the art that will go with my story and I like it.  First time I’ll have art with a short story.  This will be released next year for Halloween and I’ll remind you readers when the date approaches.  The book is packed with over 20 authors in the indy horror scene and an electronic “EP” preview of the book will one of the prizes in the Coffin Hop next week.  That is correct, I will once again be a stop on the Hop to Hell! 

So things are ramping up and I’ll hang out with you later, there are some people to kill on the page…