"Cider Mill Vampires" E-Book FREE for Amazon Prime Members!

  That's right, my e-book "Cider Mill Vampires" is free for Amazon Prime Members.  Please go to the link below to get yours free! 

http://www.amazon.com/Cider-Mill-Vampires-ebook/dp/B0059MQAOY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314366982&sr=1-1

"Ashes In Her Eyes: Uncut" will be released early 2012.  Here's the cover for it.  Prepare yourself for horror, carnage, and learning about the place where cremated remains go in the afterlife.  I promise you horror upon horror, readers, so keep your eyes glued, because this will be out before you know it. 

DVD-R MANIA!!!

Lately, I've noticed an influx of horror movies being re-released "on demand" by MGM and Warner Bros.  A lot of people lambast the companies for not putting out a full-out release with extensive extras, but to a degree, I'm happy to see these companies trying to find a way of releasing older horror movies that are obscure or not guaranteed to sell tons of copies. 
So why be happy to receive a DVD-R?  Well, I'm not dissing those who want to hold out for a full-out release, but then again, concerning some of these movies, will they ever receive a full-out release?  Now I'm refering only to MGM and Warner Bros., not other companies.  MGM and WB seem to be doing okay, as far as the horror movies they're releasing goes. 

So again, why be happy for a DVD-R?  First of all, the two companies have put out decent tranfers of these films.  And a few of them are un-cut or on DVD for the first time.  Have you seen "Razorback"?   What a transfer!  This movie is a beautiful work of art, and the DVD-R captures it in all its glory.  This movie is a forgotten gem, and it's a superior film. 


"Sugar Hill" is another example of a wonderful film transfer.  It's a fun old school zombie movie that's hokey as hell but also a delight to watch.  There's a lot of great DVD companies releasing films these days, including Severin, Mondo Macabro, Dark Sky Films, Blue Underground, just to name a few, but some of these obscure titles like the above, a fan wonders if there's any other way for a company to make money on releasing these films other than by on the "on-demand" model.  So I say go for it.  Sure, these movies deserve good extras and better packaging, but as far as the movie themselves go, MGM and Warner Bros. aren't doing a terrible job. 

Why I need to write about this, who knows, but I love horror movies, and there you go.  I want to see every old horror title find its way into my DVD player at some point in my life.  So hurry up movie companies.  Keep 'em coming!

Hellraiser: Revelations SUCKS

This is not "Pinhead." 


This is the real "Pinhead" with his fellow Cenobites.  And the picture below, that's a sorry looking Cenobite.  The lesson, the movie "Hellraiser: Revelations" sucks. 

"DON'T OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS" MONDO MACABRO DVD REVIEW

It's Christmas again.  Should we see the "Advenutres of Tin Tin" or "Don't Open Until Christmas?" Well, you know my answer to that question.

Mondo Macarbo has finally given this obscure 80's slasher film a solid release with its better tranfer (this isn't pristine, but I think the film negative itself was probably on the crummy side to begin with) and uncut presentation.  I love this DVD company because they'll find just about any obscure movie and give it the good treatment.  "Lady Terminator" is probably one of my favorites they've put out.  Great film.
But anyway, "Don't Open Until Christmas" is a very disjointed movie in regards to plot and character continuity.  Sometimes it's funny because of this, sometimes it's head scratching.  For example, a woman sees her father (who is dressed as Santa at the time) stabbed through the head with a long spear.  A day or so later, the boyfriend of this grieving woman tries to get her to pose in a nude photo shoot.  How sensitive, right?  I think  another issue is there are too many characters and the movie fails to really hone in on any of them.  You've got random santa killings (the killer is targeting people dressed as santa as Christmas is closing in), a reporter, a boyfriend and girlfriend, and a set of detectives, including the incomporable Edmund Purdom, who isn't in this movie enough.  He's the best actor of the film, easily.  You should check out "Pieces" and "Horrible," both with Mr. Purdom.   "Pieces" is on my top five favorite slasher films list ever.  EVER. 
So does it sound like I'm dogging on this holiday movie.  Well, I'm not.  Despite some stretches of being boring, I actually liked this film.  On the DVD box it boasts 14 kills, but most of these are tame, being off-screen, though there are three or four inspired kills, so that makes me happy enough.  The last kill, for some reason, at the very climax of the movie when the killers motives are explained, I really enjoyed.  The movie ends on a strong note when you find out what's in the box that shouldn't be opened until Christmas. 
Final verdict, I give the movie a "B" and the release gets a "B+."  Now don't me wrong, this movie isn't up there with "My Bloody Valentine" or "The Burning."  Keep in mind, I'm scraping the barrel of old 80's slasher movies.  I'd say this is one of the better scraping of the barrel in the pack.  It's not great, but it's not a complete waste of time.  "Like" not "Love."  But I'm proud to have it in my collection. 

"Embodiment of Evil" review, or FLOOD OF GUTS AND ASS!

An avalance of TNA and GORE!  A barrel of CHEESE and LONG INTESTINES!  A black top hat full of BLOOD!  If a person who didn't understand the zest and fun of b-horror movies, they would "embody" it after watching, er, "Embodiment of Evil." 
The rundown is simple.  Coffin Joe wants to find a nubile woman to have his child.  Suffice it say, he meets dozens of nubile women and still, he just can't find the right lady to have his son.  Man, I can feel for the guy.  Naked hot women are throwing themselves at this old b-movie icon, and it just doens't work out, so what do you do?  You keep looking for hot nubile women, damn it.  Sure, the plot is kinda stupid.  But who cares?  I haven't seen a movie that's made torture, gore, sex, and weird dreamy psycho stuff come off as such a cheesy good time.  People get seriously harmed in this movie, but damn it, it's fun.  There's either something wrong with me, or the filmmakers have got their hearts in the right place.  I give this movie an "A."  I'm shocked to see this low budget film come off as so ambitious.  Great gore, crazy set pieces, and the acting, well, don't worry about that.  You get your bang for your buck in this one.  And this is coming from a reviewer who hadn't seen any of the Coffin Joe movies from the black and white glory days of film. 

"The Silent House" Movie Review

Now I can say I've watched a horror flick from Uruguay.  Anyway, there isn't a whole lot to review in this film called "The Silent House."  I respect the filmmakers attempt to shake off the POV camera/shaky camera effect for something more original.  The camera is basically following the girl throughout the whole movie, either from behind her or beside her, so it feels like you're actually her.  From that standpoint, very interesting idea.  What this film seriously lacks is substance.  I don't want to give the plot away (what little there is of it), but you're in a house with the girl hearing things and seeing things and generally wondering what the hell is going on.  The movie is JUST that, really, a girl walking about a house.  This movie fails to keep the movie watcher engaged once the truth behind what's going on is revealed.  The real problem is it could've been an interesting short film, but as a feature length film, it gets boring.  Now don't get me wrong, this movie had seriously potential.  It's not shot poorly, and the filmmakers seemed to know what they were doing.  The problem, there isn't much that actually happens.  To say anymore gives away the entire store and the point of this film.  I give it a "C" grade.  Could've been good, though. 

"Video Nasties" That Don't Suck Part One

I realized the other day that a few of my recent movie reviews on this blog happened to be "Video Nasties," which is a classification of movies banned in the UK back when home video was in its infancy.  I've been hard on the list of films so far, so I'd like to give a few examples of a few diamonds in the rough in this collection of "nasty" movies. 

I'll start with "Bloody Moon."  I've never been a huge fan of Jess Franco's films, but this one actually stands out from his fount of euro-horror/sleaze.  I won't give too much away, but this slasher movie actually works.  It's got a lot of nudity, some really good kill scenes (especially one involving a logging saw--delicious), and it's overall seedy nature lends it that special quality missing in a lot of similar slasher knock-offs of its time.  The soundtrack is absolutely atrocious.  In an interview with Jess Franco, he said the soundtrack was supposed to be Pink Floyd, but it didn't work out in the end--big fucking surprise considering this is a low budget movie.  I give it a solid 3.4 out of 5 stars.  Pretty darn good, and Severin's release of the DVD is a top-notch transfer with all the gory goods and nudiness intact.  Thank you Severin!

"Pieces" has got to be in my top five favorite slasher movies of all time.  The premise of a killer wanting to put together a jigsaw puzzle with a nude chick on it together for real is sick and twisted enough, but throw in some really over-the-top kill scenes, a college campus "Casanova" who's really good with the ladies, enough cheesy red herrings to occupy twenty slasher movies, and Christopher George's performance, and you've got b-grade bliss.  This movie delivers, no matter if the plot or the characters can't be taken too seriously.  I do take it seriously because it's that awesome.  It works on an impish level, and I love that kind of humor dervied from a movie where people tried to take a ridiculous idea seriously.  I'm not knocking it, keep in mind.  And I cherish the "Grindhouse Releasing's" uncut DVD with a beautiful transfer.  If you haven't seen this one make it a priority, especially if you're a slasher movie fan.

I'll finish part one of my "Nasties" list by mentioning "The Burning."  I think this should've been "Friday the 13th Part Two."  It's got Tom Savini special effects and that distinctive 80's slasher feel with enough sleaze and gutter humanity greasiness to it to win its way into my heart.  The premise is simple, a summer camp caretaker gets burned in a prank gone wrong, and later, the campers who go to the same camp in the future get stalked and killed.  What's different here is that the campers who end up being knocked off don't deserve to be killed, really.  They had nothing to do with the accident where the killer got burned.  We've got some good kill scenes, but what really makes me like this is how I feel after watching it.  Innocent people die, and that's the horror of it.  It's got enough darkness and real grime to it to stick to my ribs, and I've watched it multiple times.  Good stuff.   Good nasty.

"Hard Candy" Movie Review

     For starters, I can't say this is a straight horror film, but its characters, motives, and the way the movie's intentions unfold are extremely horrifying.  "Hardy Candy" is the very definition of uncomfortable tension.  Back when I was taking creative writing classes, teachers would always emphasize putting likeable characters in your story, a person the audience can cheer for.  In "Hard Candy," the narration tricks you along every step of the way.  You're not sure who to like or cheer for, since the story is literally only between Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson for the entire film.  They are both very questionable characters facing obviously immorally wrong things.

This film strings you out on mystery, but ultimately, the movie has a satisfying conclusion.  I really respect the writers and filmmakers who take on such risky  material as pedophilia.  Most people in general don't want to think about these people in our society, yet they're out there.  What would you do if put in this situation?  This movie, like many thrillers or horror movies, puts you in the line of fire and makes you consider the terrible underbelly of our society.  And if you were worried, this movie is far from pro-pedophilia.  I don't want to give too much away, because the story relies on cunning twists and turns, but if you're in the mood for a slow burn with lots of suspense, and you like your morals to be challenged, give this one a shot. 

Why It's Good to be a Horror Fan Now More Than Ever

A lot of people say they don't make horror movies like they used to, and I'd mostly agree with them.  Horror movies aren't the same these days, but that's not a bad thing.  It's easy to look back at the past and feel a sense of nostalgia and think simple things were way better than they actually were.  Nostalgia is potent.  Nostalgia is childhood.  Nostalgia is good times.  But for horror movies, then as opposed to now is a different experience.  We can talk about going to the prom or when you lost your virginity, or the first time you drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes, but horror movies are something different.  Nostalgia has been thrown out the window with this particular subject.  Here's why it's good to be a horror fan in this day and age.

It'll start off by a story about how I first obtained a shitty VHS print of "Cannibal Holocaust."  I was in high school, and I was out in a bad part of town after school one day.  One of our friends had a car, so we had access to these seedy places.  Here, bums would ask you for change and people would piss in alleyways at four o'clock in the afternoon.  A rough place, right?  So this guy with the car was big into skateboarding.  Underneath the skateboard shop he liked was a strange sub-store.  They sold bong and marijuana-related paraphernalia, and of course, they sold a ton of porno.  But what's really important was what was in that corner of that porno part of the store. 

A small wall of horror movies awaited me, ranging from Troma films, to "Faces of Death," to the lesser "Traces of Death."  This was real death. The real intense shit.  But there was also a movie that really stuck out from all of those, what ended up claiming the twenty dollars in my pocket.  It was a movie called "Cannibal Holocaust."  I didn't know anything about it, except the cover showed a tribal person impaled from the anus and out the mouth on a wooden pike.  Oh my God, it looked so real.  My friends chided me to buy it because I wouldn't put it back on the shelf.  I lied to the store clerk and said I was eighteen, when I was really sixteen.  But I got my VHS copy of "Cannibal Holocaust" and that's all that mattered. 

I watched it and was deeply disturbed by the realism of this mockumentary of a group of filmmakers studying a cannibalistic tribe and their exploits.  It really crossed morality and shocked me.  It also shocked my high school friends who I challenged to watch it.  "Cannibal Holocaust" became a small phenomenon at my high school.  I let anyone who said they'd accept the challenge of watching this film to borrow it.  The movie really was a challenge.  Watch me and see what you haven't seen before, the movie said.  It's almost like the porno part of the store.  Horror movies are a challenge for the viewer to watch the forbidden.  Dare yourself to expand your life experience.  Once you cross that path, you won't be the same.  This movie is morally wrong, don't you want to see why?  It's damn exciting. 

This feeling is missing from current horror movies for the most part.  There's isn't much of a challenge in movies these days.  The movies are safe and digestible by the general public.  PG-13 horror flicks attack the movie screen and real horror fans are left standing around with their dicks in the dirt.  But not any longer, damn it. 

Why is it better now than years before to be a horror fan?  One answer to that would be the popularity of the DVD format.  Tons of old horror movies have been released uncut and restored.  They look better than ever, and those morally wrong scenes can finally be watched.  But here's the kicker.  I don't have to enter a bad part of town and buy a film as if it were illegal contraband.  I don't have to go to a theatre with sticky floors and dirty seats to see these films.  It's all in the comfort in my own home, or for some, what they've pirated from the Internet. 

My point is a person watching horror films these days has access to banned horror movies, including "The Video Nasties Era" and ones that were known for being cut for certain gruesome scenes that were deemed too strong for the general public.  These films won't reach any mainstream theatres, but instead, our own home theatres. 

Why is it better to be a horror fan now that back in the day?  Think about the past.  Most movies would either hit the video shelves as VHS then disappear, or they'd have a brief cable run and then, alas, again, disappear.  But with DVD and Blu-ray, these films are being restored and re-released better than ever constantly.  Movies like "Frankenhooker," "Bloody Moon," "Pieces," "I Spit On Your Grave," "The Burning," "The Human Centipede," "Martyrs," and hundreds and hundreds more are constantly being put out on the market, including a fully restored version of, yes, "Cannibal Holocaust."  Sure, some of these films are great and not so great, but the viewer isn't put out too much to find these and watch them.  It's relatively easy with Netflix, Internet retailers, and companies that have the technology to restore these films.  This wouldn't happen in the 80's or the 70's.  

Why is it better to be a horror fan now?  Think about the movies that are being release these days, like the sequel to "The Human Centipede."  It was banned by the UK outright, but I guarantee you it'll be released uncut on DVD, and maybe even Blu-ray.  Hi-def nastiness easily accessible, right?  Sure, it might be morally questionable, but let the viewer decide, the viewer who buys the film or watches it on the Internet.  Fuck mainstream theatres.  If horror fans don't show up to the theatres, they'll show up on the retail market.  And for the most part, horror fans have showed up to view these morally questionable films. 

My point is if I was an adult twenty or thirty years ago, I never would've seen Lucio Fulci's "Zombie" re-mastered and in its uncut glory.  "Friday the 13th Uncut" would only be a pipe dream.  And let's not forget when Paramount said the original "My Blood Valentine" uncut didn't exist, and yet, it was finally released uncut only a year or so ago.  This wouldn't have happened back in the day.  Nostalgia's got nothing on accessibility when it comes to horror movies. 

This is a great time to be a horror movie fan simply because I can watch many movies that either became obscure, banned, or wouldn't see the light of day because there wasn't a way to get the word or the movie out to a widespread audience.  Now there is, so keep an eye out.  There's always a forgotten or cut horror movie coming out to buy in its complete and uncut glory.  Damn, it's good to be a horror fan. 

DVD Review of "Atrocious"

Tapping the vein of such films as "Quarantine," "The Blair Witch Project," and "Paranormal Activity" comes the movie "Atrocious."  Unfortunately, the vein in this body is tapped dry.  That's not to say a "found" footage movie can't be interesting or scary.  If you want to see something more worthwhile in this category of scare film, check out "Lake Mungo."  Great flick. 
Okay, back to "Atrocious."  This movie barely clocks in at an hour and ten minutes, and most of those precious few minutes are wasted.  Two kids check out the legend of a ghost woman who walks "the laybrinth," what's actually an elaborate courtyard in the woods type place near the big house they're staying at for the weekend.  These kids walk around, waste time, a dog is found dead, and did I mention a wishing well is involved in this story? (Remind you of another movie called "The Ring").  Towards the end, there's a scene where the two main characters, the two teenagers, are running through the woods at night, fleeing from something or someone, and I expected to see something lunge out at them or anything scary, but it doesn't happen.  It only pads the running time.  I'd say the last ten minutes would be the only minutes you'd actually want to watch.  There's a few seconds of disturbing imagery, but nothing to waste your time with, to be honest.  I don't want to spoil what actually happens, but the horror part of this movie is contained in the last five to ten minutes of the film, and the reasons for the scariness are glossed over to the point where what potential this movie had is squandered.  A family friend of the teenagers talks about the legend of this ghost woman at the beginning of the movie, but the explanation is very broad and unspecific.  So frustrating.  I feel like I've wasted my time with this movie.  Rent it and watch the last ten minutes if you really want to experience this movie and not waste your time.  All build up.  No pay off.  As a special note, rip-off films riding the success of other flicks can be very entertaining.  I love cheesy rip-offs or sequels, but this doesn't bring anything half-way interesting to the plate. 

Grade: C-

Scorpion Releasing's "Final Exam" DVD Review

Fan of slasher movies from the 80's?  Fan of slasher movies from the 80's without any gore?  Wait, wait, don't give up on this movie just yet!  Sure, "Final Exam" falls into the "average" slasher movie category, and there's no real mystery to who the killer is because it's just some random guy who justs shows up on campus and starts picking off people.  But the one thing that does work for "Final Exam" is its mood.  Mid-terms are over, and the campus is nearly abandoned.  Nobody is around to help the characters in distress.  And there are two really funny characters named "Radish" and a guy that reminds me of "Ogre" from Revenge of the Nerds that I really enjoyed.  So if you can appreciate mood and characters without gore or mystery, then give this one a try.  I enjoyed it much more watching it the second time around on Scorpion Releasing's DVD with delectable horror host "Katarina."  Unlike "Maria" from Code Red's line of "Maria's B Movie Mayhem" line, Katarina appears to have actually watched the movie and has formed her own opinion of the film.  Her speil was brief, though, but enjoyable.  Also, the film transfer is beautiful!  So overall, a good buy for big time horror fans and a rental for those curious about an old school slasher film without blood. 

DVD Release: A
Grade for Big Time Horror Fans: B-
Grade for Everybody Else: C

Night of the Demon Code Red DVD Review

Having viewed "Mardis Gras Massacre" from Code Red's line of "Maria's "B' Movie Mayhem flicks and being seriously dissapointed in quality and content, I forced myself to have an open mind with "Night of the Demon."  From the hype of being a "Video Nasty" and often regarded as ultra gory, including an infamous penis ripping scene, I still had some reasons to be excited about viewing the film. So I'll get this out of the way, the tranfer isn't restored, as per the disclaimer at the beginning credits.  On the DVD disk itself it says "UNCUT..." as if Code Red isn't sure what version they really do have.  Maria as host again is underwhelming.  You get about two minutes of her trying to be cute, but she doesn't have any real movie knowledge of "Night of the Demon" or shows any honest interest in these kinds of films.  She's a body for hire.  Where's Elvira when you need her?  So back to the film itself.  A professor leads a group of college students to the woods to investigate random disapperences of people in the woods and the suspicion of Bigfoot being the culprit.  You get a lot of meandering around the woods, talking to towns folk, and flashbacks of Bigfoot killing random people.  The group even runs into an attempted rape during a sacrifice to their Bigfoot God.  All of this is done by poor acting, some of it funny, most of it headache inducing.  Okay, so let's cut the shit.  Is the gore good?  Are their lots of boobies?  Does Bigfoot kick some serious ass?  Yes and no.  The gore isn't done with a whole lot of flair, though Bigfoot throwing a guy in a sleeping bag in a heap of sharp sticks was pretty funny.  The rest is pretty amateurish; even the penis-ripping scene fails to live up to the hype.  It's backyard DIY gore, so don't expect Tom Savini caliber effects, or even effects from a Hinzman film.  So is this film so bad it's good?  It'd say fifteen minutes of this film is worth watching, the rest is terribly boring.  It's an overhyped video nasty movie, at best.  It's more enjoyable than "Mardis Gras Massacre" by a severed penis, but it's no "Troll 2."  Am I pissed I purchased the movie?  Not at all.  It's a great addition to the collection for the rabid horror movie collecter, but if you're a casual fan of B-movies, then stay away; paying for this would piss you off. 

DVD release quality: C

Enjoyability for the true b-movie fan: C+

Enjoyability for the rest of the world: D-

"Mardis Gras Massacre" DVD REVIEW

Okay, I'm going to start doing movie reviews on my blog, and I'll start with a really weird obscure film.  I just bought the Code Red DVD release of "Mardis Gras Massacre."  The film has the hype of being a "Video Nasty," one of the films banned in the UK for its extreme violence and nudity.  Meh.  The movie is underwhelming, really, once you actually see it.
A lot of people have said this is a take on "Blood Feast" by Hershell Gordon Lewis.  Sorry, but "Mardis Gras Massacre" falls extremely short of that comparison.  I love Hershell's film, despite its shortcomings, but this piece of crap takes the cake!  The film takes forever for a kill to actually happen, and when it does, it's just a close-up of a fake body cast being sliced open and the killer digs around and pulls out an enormous heart that's probably a real pig heart.  It's the same killing scene over and over again with a different prostitute.  Self-righteous man kills "evil women" (who are prostitutes, as I mentioned) over an alter to sacrifice to the gods, and it happens over and over again.  There's no real attempt at spicing it up or doing cool camera angles.  The side story with the detective is boring and tedious.  No hammy fun at all.  Cheap can be fun, but man, cheap isn't fun in this case.  It's depressing.  I can only imagine what the people did to pass the time in the theatres during this film (if it ever made it to any theatres). 
Okay, so I've sat through a lot of crap in my time.  I really have suffered in the process of being a horror fan.  And maybe I'm asking for it taking risks with movies like this.  But this movie was BORING.  It's inept in every way possible.  I love movies like "Microwave Massacre" and "Shatter Dead" and other low budget fare, and it doesn't bother me if certain aspects of the production are lacking, but in the case of "Mardis Gras Massacre," the movie is just shit.  It's not so bad it's good.  It's bad.
In the end, I add it to my growing collection of movies with trepidation.  It'll probably end up next to an equally crappy movie called "Boarding House," which, what do you know, is another "Video Nasty."  Go figure. 

Grade: F
DVD release: C
Extras: C (Didn't exactly care for the Maria Kanellis host spot, but maybe on the next DVD release, she'll do better. And the interview with William Metzo wasn't the best either. I guess it's hard to care about a movie that sucks so bad.)
Final Words: BIG let down. 

Ashes In Her Eyes: UNCUT in the works.

I released "Ashes in Her Eyes" uncut at the beginning of 2011 with Panic Press.  Due to unfortunate circumstances, the publisher has disbanded, but the book will live on!  I'm re-editing, adding new scenes, and I'm in the works to release "Ashes in Her Eyes: UNCUT" as soon as I can. 

Those of you who've read the novel, please leave any comments, good or bad.  I love what you people think. 

Be ready for my next novel coming out in early 2012, published by Samhain Publishing.  "B-Movie Reels" will be a testament to why horror movies/b-grade movies kick ass.  Lots of fun, lots of action, lots of cheese--so save your pennies.  Thanks to everyone who's stayed with me this long, and thanks to those who might give this book a chance.  Take care and keep buying books!

It's official!  "Cider Mill Vampires" has been released by Blood Red Press.  Buy it for 2.99 on amazon.com.  This is my fifth novel, and I'm especially proud of this one.  You've got monstrous/sexy vampires and a tabloid reporter chasing them with the help of yokels from Kansas.  I hope this finds an audience--if not now, at least sometime in my lifetime.  And don't forget, "Zombies and Power Tools" is out there and dying to be read.  Imagine a gory zombie mystery (emphasize the gore; it comes at you by the truck load).  The first ten people who enquire about "Cider Mill Vampires" will get a free e-copy!  Take care everyone and do the world a favor and keep buying books.  Period.

Retrospective: Four Novels Later

Hello everyone.  I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my "writing career" as it is since I've just put out my fourth book, "Zombies and Power Tools."  Most people would ask me how are the books selling?  And I'd say a few here and there, but I haven't caught on.  And that's to be expected, considering there's so many authors out there.  Anybody can publish themselves, even without money or talent.  You, the reader, could go to amazon digital services and create yourself a nifty e-book in no time.  I've considered self-publishing myself, but I stop myself and say it's nice to have friends at your back, even on the small press level, so I'm not quite ready to go independent.  So sure, I haven't received tons of money and attention over adoring fans over my books, but this is what I have earned...

Fall of 2009, I put out my first novel "The Body Cartel" (Damnation Books). From my dealings with DB, I had great writing direction from a fellow author named Tim Marquitz.  I learned so much from this man with his pointers, and since then,  things seemed to have picked up after that.  I have appreciations for Damnation Books simply because they were taking the time and effort to put out my first novel, and they didn't restrain the graphic or sexual content of my book.  It's easily NC-17 content.  They gave me my start.  Enough said.

In Spring of 2010 I put out "Inside the Perimeter: Scavengers of the Dead" through Living Dead Press, which is to this day my best-seller, so to speak.  I've been fortune to have dealings with LDP because I've had short fiction in fifteen of their horror anthologies, and the people running the show have told me stories of their experiences in writing, and I've also gained knowledge of what I was still doing wrong in my writing and making adjustments from there.  I also have constant contact with LDP, and it's what keeps me going in my term of being an obscure writer.  Having a friend in the business, allies who are in the same boat as you, is VITAL.  We're not all Stephen King, but to hell with it, we're writers and we're going to write. 

In late/early 2011, a new publisher called "Panic Press" came onto the scene.  I got hooked up with "Panic Press" through their e-zine "House of Horror."  I'd have a few stories published through them and they reviewed two of my novels.  Being associated with them, I was able to pitch "Ashes in Her Eyes," my third book, and get it accepted.  I'm very proud of this one because I've shopped this around for many years.  I had a few publishers interested, but because of its seedy nature and graphic content, it got shoved aside.  It's not "Twilight," sorry.  "Ashes" is a mix of thriller/horror/intensity, and it's got a pulpy flavor to it.  I hope the novel finds its audience.  I also enjoyed my experience at "Panic Press" because it's a true labor of love.  They're writers publishing writers.  It's a good place for a writer to be.  Again, if I did it independently, I would've missed out on a lot of good experiences. 

And recently, I put out "Zombies and Power Tools" from Living Dead Press.  I think if anybody wanted to read something by me to see if they'd enjoy my flavor of writing, it'd be this book.  This is MORE than a zombie novel.  It's got blackmail, secrets hidden between friends, zombies who are proactive during the whole book, and the zombies are mysterious.  They're not dumb vessels.  They have motives, ideas, and ambitions.  And they use power tools to kill people--and the use of power tools has a reason that's intricate to the plot; I'm being serious.  Check it out if you don't believe me.  And once again with LDP, the publishing process is straight forward and streamlined.  It's also one of the few places I've actually talked over the phone with the people working there.  I like LDP too because they put ads in Fangoria, which costs a lot of money, but it shows how serious they are about marketing and getting the word out. 

So there it is, folks.  My "writing career" so far.  Sure, I'm not rich.  I'm obscure, but compared to before Fall of 2009, I'm in a better place.  If it takes twenty novels to finally be noticed, then so be it.  But my real movitation day-to-day is the interactions I've had with Damnation Books, Living Dead Press, and Panic Press.  Actually working on a project and seeing it to the end.  Getting experience.  I think that's payment as well, because no college could give that to me.  I think all new writers should be focused on getting experience more than the money payout, because more than likely, it won't be there. 

Thank you to everyone who'd read my books, thrown kinds words my way, reviewed me on amazon, and thanks especially to my wife, who's had to read my early drafts of stories and has stepped up to the plate with encouragement when things work out and dusts me off when things go to shit. 

Four novels!  Here's to four more!

New Novel: ZOMBIES AND POWER TOOLS

Here it is, "Zombies and Power Tools" in all its glory.  But what is that you're thinking, dear readers?  'Ugh, another zombie novel. Why?'  Well wait, here's why you should give this one a shot over the slew of others that are coming out every other day.

1.  Zombies use power tools on people to kill them.

2.  This is not a post-apocalypse novel.  This is set in present day. 

3.  These zombies have motives.  They don't talk, though they write messages in blood.

4.  What allows the dead to come back to life in this book hasn't been done before.  It's not a virus or a plague or voodoo.  The reason the dead are alive is gruesome, shocking, and above all else, integral to the plot.

5.  This book has a conclusion.  No open-ended last chapters.  The conflict is resolved, wrapped up in a bloody package.

6.  And did I mention zombies use power tools to kill their victims?

You can buy this novel on amazon.com, or check it out at livingdeadpress.com

AND END PLUG

Special Message from your favorite cannibal, Hayden Grubaugh!

Happy New Year everyone!  I'm Hayden Grubaugh, your favorite cannibal villain from "Inside the Perimeter: Scavengers of the Dead."  2010 was a wild year, but 2011 appears to have even more surprises in store for us.  First, I wanted to tell everyone I've recovered from my gastric bypass surgery.  Thanks for the cards and words of concern.  I'm back to carving it up!

I also wanted to say I've been reading my buddy Alan Spencer's newest novel, "Ashes in Her Eyes," and I have to say, I'm scared shitless.  It's hard to read a book with your eyes closed, it's that creeptastic.  I give my bloody stamp of approval on this piece of bloody fiction. 

Speaking of bloody approval, I'm happy to tease you with another surprise in 2011.  Keep checking this blog.  Alan Spencer has another announcement very soon.  Get ready to line your carpet with plastic, it's going to get nasty!

Yours truly,

Hayden