Another quality post brought to you by Steve!
September has been a truly intense month for me. I released my first ever self-published novel, BROKEN-DOWN HEROES OF THE WESTERN NIGHT, a little over a week ago. If you want to grab a copy, it's available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and Apple.
Now, if you haven't heard me agonizing about this book for the last, oh, two years or so, that means you probably don't follow me very closely or else you have learned to tune me out, in which case, good for you!
But just in case it was an honest oversight and you do want to know the score, just trust me when I say this one has been brutal to midwife. It's a beautifully written book, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn, but I also wrote it as an attempt to expand my writing horizons. Consequently, it's unlike anything I've ever written before.
This book contains no speculative fiction elements. No horror, no sci-fi, no fantasy.
For some of you, my nice older relatives in particular, this will come as quite a relief. But for my reading public, I've been very concerned about how it will be received. This book was actually good enough to be agented for a while, so I assumed that it would be something of a second start for me, and the New York publishers would encourage me to release it under a pseudonym and call it a debut novel, and then it would find a completely different audience than I'm used to in bookstores, and I could just dial my loyalists in to the secret.
So, for a while that matter was settled. Ultimately, my agent and I cordially parted ways and my book was not only orphaned but had probably already been pitched to every publisher in New York and a few film studios in Hollywood. So, my only real option was to self publish it, which meant either being very up front with my existing audience about it being a departure, or else releasing it under a pseudonym and developing an entire second online persona.
It's clear now which path I chose, but it was never a forgone conclusion. I vacillated probably right up until I pushed "publish." But, all I can say is, it's my hope that most of my audience will pick it up because they want to hear what I have to say, and perhaps this one will break down a few barriers for me with readers who don't usually gravitate toward my stuff. So, grab it, check it out, and let me know if this was a winner for you or a whiff!
Hardcharging army lieutenant Bickham Deth's only desire is to lead soldiers in combat. In the bloody winter of 2006, he expects to finally earn his baptism by fire on the streets of Kabul or Baghdad.
Instead, he finds himself trapped in Oklahoma on funeral detail.
Deth is honored to pay tribute to the veterans of Vietnam and World War II, but his patience is pushed to the breaking point by incompetent morticians, squabbling family members, and a mishap with the color of his socks that threatens to derail his entire military career.
As the "needs of the army" turn a three-day task into a never-ending odyssey, Deth finds solace from his grim work in the gallows humor of his partner, Sergeant Bela Packs. In his fifteen years of service Packs has seen it all, and his war stories are a welcome distraction from the painful task of burying the dead.
As the honors team weaves its way through the American heartland, seeing both the sublime and ugly sides of small town life, Packs unravels the spellbinding tale of the worst Soldier who ever lived...
***
The second enormous thing going on right now is at least back in my normal horror wheelhouse. Somehow I managed to blackmail, bribe, and finagle my way into rebooting the hallowed munch-out series CLICKERS, originally developed by Mark S. Williams, J.F. Gonzalez, and Brian Keene.
CLICKERS NEVER DIE is gonzo splatterpunk on a scale, if possible, even wider than THE HEMATOPHAGES or anything else I've ever done before. It's up for pre-order now over at Thunderstorm Books, but only until Friday. Oh, and this version will come with two miniatures, hand sculpted (read: not really) by my writing partner Wile E. Young! So make sure to grab a limited edition copy so you can read it before anybody else has.
Washed-up oceanographer Cameron Custer is hoping a mysterious living fossil discovered in the South Pacific could breathe new life into his career. Instead, Custer’s new specimen points him toward a heavily guarded secret — the truth behind the Guadalcanal Campaign. During World War II the U.S. Marine Corps had more than just the Imperial Japanese Army to contend with. They also had to wage a vicious battle against the amphibious Dark Ones and an onslaught of their deadliest servants.
Now, an ocean heaving with blood and guts, a battlefield teeming with rage and terror, a man’s demented love affair with a fish monster, and a boy’s heartwarming friendship with a prehistoric crab monster will all combine to prove that… CLICKERS NEVER DIE!
Splatterpunk Award nominated author Stephen Kozeniewski (THE HEMATOPHAGES, BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS) and Splatterpunk Award winning author Wile E. Young (THE MAGPIE COFFIN, CATFISH IN THE CRADLE) join forces for one of modern horror’s most anticipated reboots!
No comments:
Post a Comment