2012 was a great year, releasing two novelettes as eBooks, which are selling well and the praise has been great. So thank you all for taking the time to look at my work.
Now for 2013, which will be a very challenging and busy year for me, as I have many projects in store. And I plan to build my readership.
Here they are:
THE PIANIST
A romantic ghost story, which I'm currently writing and I promise you that it will be a marriage of both horror and romance. This is a project that I have never done before, so I am really committing myself to this story. Hopefully, it will be a novella, the way the first draft is going.
WITCH-HUNT
This novella has been an on and off project since releasing STRANDED and REFUGE. But, I am dying to finish this book off, and I had a peek of what I've written and it looks great. This is also my first foray into the metal music genre, merged with folk horror. Just think of THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL two-timing with HOSTEL and BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. So excited about this project. It was originally a screenplay, which no one wanted to touch because of its graphic scenes and it made them feel unsettled, despite loving the story. I agree with them, it will work better in prose.
COMMON GRAVE
My debut short story collection, featuring all of my 59 and counting published short stories, during the past five years. They will be re-edited and the cover will shock people.
THE BURNING
A novelette about an ambitious journalist, who moves to a sleepy town with her boyfriend, while working on a book about a witch and soon unearths satanism and human sacrifice amongst the townfolks.
THE DEVIL'S CREED
Another novelette about a student who wins a beauty contest and the prize is a photo shoot in a gothic mansion, in the middle of the desolate countryside where the real prize is her life.
That's about it for now. But will keep you posted in the coming months.
So long.
J xxx
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
2012 REVIEW
The previous year was my most productive period of my writing career, publishing tons of short stories, poems and a few film reviews for a forthcoming book on Eighties British horror films. But, I needed to direct my career to the next level, and therefore my main aspiration for 2012 was to have my first ever book released.
This is what happened.
Novelettes, REFUGE and STRANDED were completed and submitted to a few publishers. One of them did like REFUGE and it made the shortlist, but failed to make the final cut.
After a long discussion with fellow horror/fantasy author, GR Yeates I made the bold decision of self-releasing them as kindle eBooks. The result was exciting and successful, launching two eBooks just in time for Halloween.
Horror readers flocked to download them and read them with pleasure. To me, writing and having people purchase your work and enjoying them is the greatest reward for any writer or artist. It shows their appreciation, and it's proof that there's always a reward for hard work and dedication.
So far my sales figures are building steadily in the UK, America and have just sold a unit in Germany this week. My other half always says, "mighty oaks from small acorns grow". And she is damn right!
To add to this, I have appeared in many interviews/blogspots and have had four short stories and a poem accepted for five different anthologies.
I would like to thank the following people who have made this happen:
Dolores Harrington
GR Yeates
Paul Mudie
Teri (Edit Fairy)
Tim Marquitz
Jim Mcleod (Ginger Nuts of Horror)
Simon Marshall-Jones
Arcevia Services
Dean M. Drinkel
Adrian Chamberlin
Mark West
Mandi Lockley
David Bernstein
Anna Taborska
Dave Jeffrey
Emma Ennis
Dark Gothic Resurrection Magazine
Dorothy Davies
Static Movement
George Wilhite
Patricia Anabel
Dale Eldon
Jaidis Shaw
Mallory Anne-Marie Haws
Ironhorseformatting.com
David Fingerman
Sheri A. Wilkinson
Christopher A. Ridge
Steve Blackwell
Please accept my apology if I've forgotten anyone.
Fast forward 2013. I plan to release a few more books, which will explode the scene as both traditionally published and self-published. So you have all been warned.
This is what happened.
Novelettes, REFUGE and STRANDED were completed and submitted to a few publishers. One of them did like REFUGE and it made the shortlist, but failed to make the final cut.
After a long discussion with fellow horror/fantasy author, GR Yeates I made the bold decision of self-releasing them as kindle eBooks. The result was exciting and successful, launching two eBooks just in time for Halloween.
Horror readers flocked to download them and read them with pleasure. To me, writing and having people purchase your work and enjoying them is the greatest reward for any writer or artist. It shows their appreciation, and it's proof that there's always a reward for hard work and dedication.
So far my sales figures are building steadily in the UK, America and have just sold a unit in Germany this week. My other half always says, "mighty oaks from small acorns grow". And she is damn right!
To add to this, I have appeared in many interviews/blogspots and have had four short stories and a poem accepted for five different anthologies.
I would like to thank the following people who have made this happen:
Dolores Harrington
GR Yeates
Paul Mudie
Teri (Edit Fairy)
Tim Marquitz
Jim Mcleod (Ginger Nuts of Horror)
Simon Marshall-Jones
Arcevia Services
Dean M. Drinkel
Adrian Chamberlin
Mark West
Mandi Lockley
David Bernstein
Anna Taborska
Dave Jeffrey
Emma Ennis
Dark Gothic Resurrection Magazine
Dorothy Davies
Static Movement
George Wilhite
Patricia Anabel
Dale Eldon
Jaidis Shaw
Mallory Anne-Marie Haws
Ironhorseformatting.com
David Fingerman
Sheri A. Wilkinson
Christopher A. Ridge
Steve Blackwell
Please accept my apology if I've forgotten anyone.
Fast forward 2013. I plan to release a few more books, which will explode the scene as both traditionally published and self-published. So you have all been warned.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
THE NEXT BIG THING 2
My friend and fellow author, Emma Ennis, tagged me last week to take part in her blog tour of ‘The Next Big Thing’. I know this is the second time, but I’m more than happy to take part and talk about another project I’m working on.
What is the working title of your book?
Common Grave
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The book will be a collection of my published short fiction, now re-edited to my standard. It will feature stories of ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, serial killers, monsters, ghouls and other children of the night. So you have all been warned.
What genre does your book fall under?
Horror and dark fiction. Although there are a few science fiction tales.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I feel that the book would make a great homage to classic anthology films, like Creepshow and From Beyond the Grave, or The Dead of Night. As for the actors, I am not entirely fussed, as long as they can pull it off.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A book of a thousand tales for anyone who wants to be scared or enthralled, that refuses to hold back.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book will be self-published on kindle.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The stories have been written during a three year period, when I was writing and submitting shorts to many publications. All of them have either been accepted, with most of them already published.
But my first short story, The Interview, was written in 2006 and accepted in 2008 for BHF Book of Horrors 3. Today, the book still hasn’t been published, which is a shame.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I try not to compare my book to others, but this is my very own Books of Blood.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote short stories to prepare myself for attempting my first novel. Originally, I intended to only write five short stories. Now I have written over seventy shorts and still writing them. I guess I have the short fiction bug.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There are many flash fiction tales and also featured are a few that resonate the classic Amicus tales, The Twilight Zone episodes, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, an Edgar Allan Poesque story and Hammer House of Horror.
That’s me done!
Thanks for reading this post.
What is the working title of your book?
Common Grave
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The book will be a collection of my published short fiction, now re-edited to my standard. It will feature stories of ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, serial killers, monsters, ghouls and other children of the night. So you have all been warned.
What genre does your book fall under?
Horror and dark fiction. Although there are a few science fiction tales.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I feel that the book would make a great homage to classic anthology films, like Creepshow and From Beyond the Grave, or The Dead of Night. As for the actors, I am not entirely fussed, as long as they can pull it off.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A book of a thousand tales for anyone who wants to be scared or enthralled, that refuses to hold back.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book will be self-published on kindle.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The stories have been written during a three year period, when I was writing and submitting shorts to many publications. All of them have either been accepted, with most of them already published.
But my first short story, The Interview, was written in 2006 and accepted in 2008 for BHF Book of Horrors 3. Today, the book still hasn’t been published, which is a shame.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I try not to compare my book to others, but this is my very own Books of Blood.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote short stories to prepare myself for attempting my first novel. Originally, I intended to only write five short stories. Now I have written over seventy shorts and still writing them. I guess I have the short fiction bug.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There are many flash fiction tales and also featured are a few that resonate the classic Amicus tales, The Twilight Zone episodes, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, an Edgar Allan Poesque story and Hammer House of Horror.
That’s me done!
Thanks for reading this post.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
THE NEXT BIG THING - EMMA ENNIS!
Fellow author, Emma Ennis who's a big talent has just done her piece on the 'next big thing'.
Emma and I have often had stories appearing in the same anthologies, and I'm so pleased to mention her on this blog post.
To view, please click here.
Emma and I have often had stories appearing in the same anthologies, and I'm so pleased to mention her on this blog post.
To view, please click here.
Monday, 10 December 2012
THE NEXT BIG THING - TIM MARQUITZ
My good friend and fantastic editor/author, Tim Marquitz, was tagged by me for the next big thing. Here's the link to his blog.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
EXCITING NEWS!
Just learned that I have been named as one of the best new discoveries of 2012, by Ginger Nuts of Horror, a well-respected blogger/reviewer.
Here it is.
Here it is.
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