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Allure of the Ancients: The Collected Edition!

If you’re like me, you prefer your vampires to be blood-drenched rather than sparkly.

Well, after quite a few years and much formatting and reformatting, the collected edition of the vampire comic I co-created with Mark Farrugia – Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom – has finally been unearthed over at Comixology!

Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom was first published in the pages of Midnight Echo magazine. It’s a very unique take on the vampire myth and I had an absolute blast bringing it to life for Mark.

Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom

It’s really worth your time and better still, you get all 50 pages of blood-drenched madness for just 99 cents.

CHECK IT OUT NOW

Read and Review Vaudeville promotion

Want the chance to read my short story collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares for FREE?

The people at ChoosyBookworm are running a promotion for my book, where I’m giving away 25 ebook copies, in exchange for an honest review.

For more info, head over to the book’s listing on their website: http://choosybookworm.com/product/vaudeville-and-other-nightmares/#sthash.5BgACFzz.dpuf

Thanks for your interest!

Year in Review

2014 has been a year of ups and downs, quite literally like a year at sea, as far as my art and writing is concerned.

Around December/January 2013, I had my short story Mother’s House, and a bunch of art published in Midnight Echo Magazine Issue 10, which was had been one of my goals for some time.

Later in January I was selected as the Featured Artist on the very popular website, The Horror Zine, by editor Jean Rector, which was real nice. You can check that out HERE.

In February/March, my art graced a whole bunch of covers for fellow authors, including Kit Power’s tale, The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife, which was released by Black Beacon Books. In February, C. M. Saunders also released his collection X, and Daniel I. Russell’s God May Pity All Weak Hearts. Rissa Cortez also released her poetry collection, Voices of the Fallen.

I also created a whole bunch of cat cartoons for Anne Carmichael’s Magoo Who series, which you can buy HERE. Covers for Kit Power’s tale Lifeline, Black Beacon Books’ Subtropical Suspense and Daniel I. Russell’s On Writing Horror, were also made by yours truly.

In April, Issue 30 of Lovecraft E-Zine was released and I provided some art for the King in Yellow themed issue.

My short story, The Fear Centre was published in Dark Eclipse Magazine #33

May was the big highlight for me. Not only did I get to take my first overseas trip to the United States, I also attended my first World Horror Convention. I ushered the late, great Rocky Wood, President of the Horror Writers Association, everywhere, meeting many of my awesome Facebook friends face-to-face, including my coven comrade, Lisa Morton. You can read my breakdown of the con HERE.

Throughout the year I also created a line of flyers and posters for the Horror Writers Association, to promote the 25th anniversary of the World Horror Convention, which will be held in 2015. Overall, I had a busy year creating art.

The biggest highlight as far as writing goes, was the publication of my collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares, by Black Beacon Books. The book aims to capture some of the best stories I’ve written since 2009. You can read a review HERE.

I also signed a contract with SST Publications to illustrate a one-shot comic written by Tom Piccirilli. The official announcement is HERE. I’ve also been locked in as a regular illustrator for Dark Discoveries Magazine, which is great and I’ll also be laying out Issue 11 of Midnight Echo Magazine, edited by Kaaron Warren in early 2015, so it’s all good, as far as art is concerned.

Next year I’m hoping to write more and see more of those tales published. Publication has been elusive this year, and in some ways so has my desire to write. But it only wants me to work harder. Perhaps some good news is on the horizon. I have words out there being read by editors and that’s always a good thing and ultimately what keeps me going.

As a great man once told me, “Keep Kicking Those Goals.”

I wish everyone the best in 2015! 🙂

Witch Hunts art fundraiser

In honour of my late friend Rocky Wood, I’ve created some new original art inspired by the graphic novel Rocky, Lisa Morton and I created together, Witch Hunts.

I’m auctioning the art off to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease Australia. Lisa Morton has sweetened the deal by adding a copy of Witch Hunts, with a bookplate signed by all three of us.

Currently the highest bid stands at an amazing $350! Let’s raise some funds for research into this disease, which claims far too many lives each year.

For more information and to make a bid, follow this link to the original post on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205443156948747&set=a.1613624430900.86417.1544988008&type=1

If you can’t bid, please do the next best thing and share it far and wide 😉 Thank you!

Rocky Wood: A Tribute

There will be a lot of posts and and comments like this about Rocky Wood today.

Sadly, this great man of horror and great man all round, has passed away after a four year battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

Rocky was not only regarded as the world’s expert on Stephen King, having published several tomes on the author’s work, and the president of the Horror Writers Association, but he was also a father and grandfather, who had a lot of compassion for people. He was also an advocate for animals and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind on important issues. His Facebook feed was always full of insight and I admired his tenacity – oh, and he loved his All Blacks!

I feel extremely privileged to have known Rocky. Not only did I have the chance to work with him on our graphic novel Witch Hunts, with Lisa Morton, but I also benefitted directly from his wisdom and guidance, through the HWA. He was always supportive of my work, both writing and art and always encouraged me to “keep kicking goals”. He did this for everyone in the HWA horror community and really he has been the glue that has kept everyone together. Despite his illness, Rocky’s mind was always the driving force behind the HWA’s success.

Earlier this year, Rocky invited me to travel with him to the World Horror Convention in the United States as his helper. I helped push him in his wheelchair and with his feeding machine, among other things and I was proud to do so. Not having cared for someone in that condition I didn’t always get it right, but I’ll always remember how he told me I’d done a good job looking after him. Rocky I thank you for believing in me.

I wish I’d known you longer Rocky, and spent more time working with you, but I’m grateful for the times we had and the work we created together.

Thank you my friend, may you Rest In Peace.

http://www.rockywoodauthor.com/

A grunt, a ballerina … and Tom Piccirilli!

Gangsters, guns, a grunt and a feisty girl, all together in a graphic novel one-shot, written by multi-award-winning author Tom Piccirilli.

Sounds pretty good, don’t it?

Yesterday Short, Scary Tales (SST) Publications announced a new graphic novel project that I will be illustrating – BULLET BALLERINA.

download

Written by the legendary Tom Piccirilli, this is a modern crime noir tale of revenge and retribution and two unlikely characters joining forces to reap mayhem on some bad guys!

I’ve already started roughing it out, but naturally I can’t reveal any artwork just yet. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun drawing this!

Check out SST Publications’ official announcement on their Facebook page.

Find out more about Tom Piccirilli HERE

Halloweek!

It’s “Halloweek”!

Halloween Week will be a busy one for me, with my family and I hosting a graveyard display and a series of events to promote the release of my collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares.

If you’re reading this, and you’re from Rockhampton, then you can come along on October 29 to meet me at the Rockhampton Regional Library, where I’ll host a bit an informal open mike session on writing. More details HERE.

On Thursday October 30 – Halloween Eve – I’ll be having a signing event for my collection at the CQUniversity Bookshop from 12 noon. Visit the Bookshop’s website for more information.

Then on Halloween, after Trick or Treating around the neighbourhood with my kids, I’ll be heading to the Southside Cemetery for a Halloween Walk with Rockhampton Ghost Tours. I might even read a spooky tale while I’m there.

I hope to meet you at one of these events!

So all in all, it’s going to be an amazing week and one I’ll never forget! Happy Halloween to you!

Tell the best damn story you can

I’m not going to pretend that I know everything about writing and publishing, but since my first publication in 2009, I’ve learned many lessons about the craft.

This past week I’ve seen a few authors worrying about the mechanics of publishing, specifically copy-editing and proofreading. This is important, but not as important as STORY. For me, plot, characters, and theme are what makes a good story. The blow-by-blow editing comes after, as a necessary evil to ensure that the plot, characters and theme come together seamlessly. But without a good story as the foundation, the editing is going to become torture.

So, if I’m able to impart anything about editing, it’s this: first and foremost, sit down and write the best possible STORY you can and worry about the editing when it’s time to edit. Get the first draft down. Leave it. Let it breathe, like a bottle of wine. Then maybe send it on to some trusted beta readers for feedback. Take that feedback as constructive criticism and nothing more, and if need be, rewrite. Don’t be afraid to rewrite. Don’t be afraid to hack and slash. I like to edit as I go, re-reading the previous passage or chapter before starting a new one. It keeps me focused on the plot, characters and theme. But this is how I do it. In the end, you should write for yourself, tell the story you want to tell, or would like to read. Then it will be honest. You’re a storyteller, not an editor and that’s why publishers have editors.

Write your story. Live it. Love it. I wish you all the best with it.

Halloween Haunts and Horror Selfies!

It’s October and you know what that means – all the horror writers come out to play.

Right now the Horror Writers Association is getting into the swing of things by launching its annual Halloween Haunts blog series and now Horror Selfies.

Horror authors from around the world are pushing the literacy bandwagon by encouraging people to pick up a horror book to enjoy.

I contributed my Horror Selfie HERE. I’m a bit scary-looking, but hey, I’m a horror writer 🙂

I’ll also be participating in Halloween Haunts later in the month with a blog post about how I am celebrating Halloween in Australia – a country which is only just catching on to the fun.

Head over to the Halloween Haunts blogsite to read some very inspiring articles to get you in the mood for Halloween!

Another initiative, started by Neil Gaiman, is All Hallow’s Read, which encourages people to give someone a horror book as a gift on Halloween.