Wednesday 6 June 2012

The sample is ready.



Here's the missing article, plus one new one. It's Ebook-only because it's too small to print but I'll include this in the next full-size book. This Ebook is free and will remain free, because its purpose is to advertise the main book.

So far it's only on Smashwords but it'll spread. Demons do that.

It's a good feeling, having the whole set.

Friday 1 June 2012

The Articles of Dume.




Finally, I have finished procrastinating about this and taken action. Not very much action since most of the book was already written but action nonetheless.

I had 46 articles on horror writing published in AlienSkin, and I found 45 of them. That last, missing one, was the perfect excuse to procrastinate about the book but I have come to the conclusion it is probably lost forever.

Rather than risk losing the other 45 while searching for the one, they are now collected together in print on Lulu, on Amazon in a few days, and will start to spread in Ebook formats as soon as I get the formats right.

That's not as easy as it sounds.

Monday 28 May 2012

Samuel's Girl - the cover.




The cover art is now in its final form. Thanks are due to the Eternal Press cover artist, Dawné Dominique, for another wonderful job.

Next - the editing. With luck it will prove to be as painless as for Jessica's Trap.

There are advantages to being fussy.

Saturday 26 May 2012

Busy times.

A great deal has been happening here at Dume Towers.

First of all, there is a very nice review of Dark Thoughts and Demons at the Horror Zine. While you're there, the latest issue is now available.

Then there was the cover art for Samuel's Girl. I've seen it but can't put it here until it's been finalised by the publisher. It's very, very demonic.

Amazon have decided to place all those CreateSpace books, previously only available in print in the US, onto the European Amazon sites. It's not automatic. You have to go in and select the new channel for each book yourself, but within 24 hours they appear on all the other Amazon sites. Excellent timing, just to coincide with the Horror Zine review.

Meanwhile I have a review to finish and I have also sorted out, at long last, all those Alienskin articles. There are 46, I have found 45. Even if I can't find the last one that's still around 40 - 45,000 words which is enough for a small print book and more than enough for an Ebook. They'll need to be edited and grouped into sections. Some might be combined if they cover very similar subjects.

That shouldn't take too long.

So, all good news so far. Wait, I hear the sound of something breaking in the laboratory...

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Not quite dead.

I expect both readers of this blog will have assumed, by now, that little Caligula has succeeded in his patricidal ambition to take control of Dume Towers.

Not so. Not yet, anyway. He did manage to lock me in one of the dungeons for a few days and he let the toys run wild for about a week. Scabby Ted left needle marks all over poor Click's face, and Jugular the Clown nearly succeeded in draining all the blood out of Senga. If it hadn't been for her somewhat violent version of sleepwalking, he might have succeeded.

Senga has now taken Caligula to visit her parents. I have put Jugular back together but confiscated his knives, Scabby Ted is back in his cell and the other toys are in their strong-box. All that's missing is the stretchy doll and the pot of slime. With luck, Caligula has taken them with him.

Click's face is encased in plastic to contain the bleeding. I did remember to put breathing holes in the plastic, once I worked out why he had turned purple.

In my absence I have not been entirely idle. I have reviewed an excellent book entitled 'Rain' for the Horror Zine, and am in the process of reviewing a wonderful collection of short stories called The Night Library. Oh, and I still have to post a review of What Fears Become which is long overdue - so overdue in fact that the Horror Zine have another anthology out!

Then there is Samuel's Girl, which has now been accepted by Eternal Press and will be available from November 1st. I've just seen the cover art and it's perfect. Once it's finalised I'll put it here to tease you, because you can't have the book for nearly six months yet.

Now it's time to get some writing done, and to revive this silent blog. Click should be along at any moment with the electrodes.

Thursday 1 March 2012

Best review ever.

It's always a good feeling to get a complimentary review, but it's an even better feeling to have a reader scared before they even open the first page. 

This one on the currently-free tale 'A Christmas Contract' made me smile...

Never mind..... should i get this??? a friend dared me to read it ;)

Aah, I love the smell of fearful readers. I am inspired.

Thursday 16 February 2012

The bad news and the good news.

I forgot Valentine's Day. Fortunately the Dume constitution allows for rapid healing and these are only flesh-wounds.

There was no disguising my error because I had nothing suitable in reserve to use as an emergency present. There wasn't a heart in the house and the butcher was closed. I did learn something though. If you offer a woman a brain as a gift, she doesn't take it as a compliment. I won't do that again.

This last month I have been hiding from a visit by Big Fist McVicious who has been employed as the local tax collector. I am not sure that stabbing people as an opening gambit is in the taxman's handbook, but it does seem to be effective. So far he has not had to ask a single person in the village for their tax and from what I hear, they've paid him next year's tax too.

I simply cannot be the first Dume to pay tax. My ancestors would be enraged enough to return and Father would get Beryl to move in permanently. Having a banshee around the place would not improve my writing output at all.

In the end there was only one thing to do. I let Caligula answer the door. He's faster with a knife than Big Fist will ever be. I doubt he'll be back but I'll make sure Caligula keeps up his throwing-knife practice just in case.

There was one bit of good news. I found some reviews on the short stories I'd been giving away for free. On the advice of the good Sergeant, I didn't leave them free forever. Once they reach a thousand downloads I put a price on them - 99 cents - because giving away too many freebies means nobody ever buys the actual books.

There were some odd ones on Barnes and Noble where the reviewer had written complimentary text but given a three star rating, which I think translates as 'meh'. I intend to ignore them and instead bask in the glory of this one.

Well, better get back to the writing, as soon as I can stop bleeding on the keyboard.

Monday 9 January 2012

The Silver Wind

Once in a while you get to read a remarkably constructed story. The Silver Wind is one such book.

I was lucky enough to review it for the Horror Zine.

If you like something more than the simple telling of a tale, this books is well worth your time.

Sunday 1 January 2012

New Year Scares.

Happy New Year.

I suggest you start as you mean to go on with a good scare over at the Horror Zine.

January issue now available.