Like, do you know how many books and comics are published each year, sister? I mean, it’s like dozens, and reviewing is so last year, that’s what Becky says, and she’s totally rad, and goes out with Marlon and stuff, and they are sooo cool. She’s so rad she says ‘rad’ is out, and I’m all “Whaaat, girlfriend?” Anyhoo, there’s like loads of new stuff to mention, so let’s party…
Dear little greydogtales is buried under review copies and interview ideas, but today we’re simply going to highlight a few fun things to read. Otherwise we will not only stop wagging, but our tail will drop off. Today we have news of the forthcoming Turn to Ash Issue 3 from Benjamin Holesapple, African comics from Kugali, horror by Brian Barr, a creepy anthology campaign Test Patterns, and new urban/Gothic dark fantasy from Ian McKinney (apparently on special offer on Sunday 23rd July).
ATTACK OF THE SCOUSE GOTH ANGELS
Where to start? We had a contact from author Ian McKinney, who wanted to mention a series of book which might have escaped us. Which it had, so we’ll summarise here – they sound quite cool, and seem to have had a lot of five star reviews.
“I write and publish a trilogy of Gothic thrillers set in Liverpool past and present under the title: ‘Scouse Gothic’. They combine: Vampires; Gangsters; Homicidal old ladies and an Angel disguised as a pigeon. All wrapped up with pitch black humour, maps, illustrations and cocktail recipes.”
“Melville wakes with a pounding headache – there had been too many hangovers recently, but this one felt different. What had he been drinking last night? Then he remembered – it was blood.
Enter the bizarre world of Scouse Gothic where a reluctant vampire mourns a lost love and his past lives, where a retired ‘hit man’ plans one more killing and dreams of food, and a mother sets out to avenge her son’s murder, and, meanwhile, a grieving husband is visited by an angry angel.
Set in present day Liverpool, vampires and mortals co-exist, unaware of each others’ secrets and that their past and present are inextricably linked. But as their lives converge, who will be expected to atone for past sins?”
Book 1: The Pool of Life… and Death
Book 2: Blood Brothers… and Sisters
Book 3: All You Need is… Blood?
The books Scouse Gothic 1, 2 and 3 will also be subject to free promotion on Kindle this coming Sunday July 23rd. Start at the link below:
A TASTE OF ASH
The next issue of Benjamin Holesapple’s Turn to Ash is now on preorder, and has a great range of creepy fiction in it.
“Turn to Ash, Vol. 3 is now up for Pre-order at the Turn to Ash Store. Orders will ship around the first week of September, shortly after the hangover from NecronomiCon has faded. Be sure to order soon as I’ve only got the rights for Matt Tisdale’s glorious cover for a limited amount of time. There will be at least 100, but probably not many more. Once those rights expire, the issue will either go out of print or we’ll release a second edition with a different cover, depending on demand and the number of copies sold.”
We talked to Mr Holesapple at length here:
http://greydogtales.com/blog/names-ash-benjamin-turn-ash/
And you can explore Turn to Ash through this link:
AFRIKA IN ART
This week we downloaded Ziki Nelson’s Kugali Mag Issue 0, with b/w art by Salim Busuru, Bill Masuku and Gbenle Maverik (plus writers and others, full credits in the comic).
It’s a great taster for African comic-book work. Being fans of African Mythic, we particularly like Oro – “Aberration or God?”.
“The story of a prince who was born deformed, abandoned in the forest and raised by spirits. He is mentored by the spirit of a scarmarker (ancient weapon makers). He builds a powerful weapon called a Leech and protects the kingdom that rejected him.”
This is a new comics anthology that features the best stories from across Africa. The pilot issue comprises of three comics from Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, each bringing a unique take on the African art, culture and aesthetic. The long-term plan is to produce 60+ pages of comics, artwork, interviews and more exclusive content, on a monthly basis.
http://store.kugali.com/magazine-issue-zero/
BRIAN BARR DAEMONIC
Writer Brian Barr has been on greydogtales before, mostly to do with his comic Empress, and we hope to say more later about his other work, including Carolina Daemonic, but as a newsflash, we’ll mention that his 3 H’s Trilogy: The Head, The House, and The Hell is now available in a complete collection that is a weird mix of cosmic horror, weird fiction, comedic bizarro, and dark romance!
We’ve already read The Head, which was certainly odd, so we’ll be checking out the other two as well.
“The 3 H’s Trilogy begins with the story of a woman who falls in love with a decapitated head. From there, the story only gets weirder and darker, and is unlike any other tale ever written…”
You can find out more about Brian’s imaginative work from our longer piece here:
lurchers in the wind and an empress
I THINK YOUR TV’S DEAD, SIR
That fine chap Michael Adams, with others, is putting together his planned Test Patterns anthology, and had started an Indiegogo campaign to help the process along. It looks mighty interesting.
“Test Patterns will be a collection of short speculative fictions written with classic television shows such as The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, and The Night Gallery in mind. Richly varied stories which might impart a moral, inspire thought, offer meaning, inspire hope, or instil dread. Tales told in unique ways, employing provocative twists and surprises, and exploring the universal themes of humanity and self-discovery through the lenses of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.”
You can find out lots more, including a list of great authors planning to participate, and look at supporting the campaign, here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/test-patterns-a-weird-fiction-anthology-fantasy-horror#/
That’s it, but we’re going to have to run another medley post soon, just to keep up at all. Join us regularly for news of exciting weird stuff!