Review: ‘Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers’ by Michael McCarty

 

mythmakersModern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and FIlmmakers by Michael McCarty
Crystal Lake Publishing (February 2015)
424 pages; $15.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by David Simms

Books of interviews tend to be fascinating reads for hardcore movie fans, writers, and super fans, but they serve a small niche audience. Reaching out to a larger audience is often a tougher task. Mike McCarty nails it with a fun, insightful, and educational read that should entertain all of the demographics it targets.

McCarty has a great voice and style that elicits deep answers from those interviewed, going beyond the expected as readers will find great anecdotes about these celebrities which is pure gold. Continue Reading

In Sunlight or In Shadow edited by Lawrence Block: Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, and more!

We’re pleased to report we’ll be publishing a special Limited Edition of IN SUNLIGHT OR IN SHADOW edited by Lawrence Block, a brand new anthology featuring ORIGINAL STORIES by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, and more!

A truly unprecedented literary achievement by author and editor Lawrence Block, a newly-commissioned anthology of seventeen superbly-crafted stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper.

Contributors include Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Nicholas Christopher, Jill D. Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Justin Scott, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Warren Moore, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, and Lawrence Block himself.

In a beautifully produced anthology as befits such a collection of acclaimed authors, each story is illustrated with a high-quality reproduction of the painting that inspired it!

In Sunlight or In Shadow

Read more or place your order while our supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Odd Man Out’ by James Newman

oddOdd Man Out by James Newman
Bloodshot Books (November 2016)
150 pages; $8.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Odd Man Out was originally released as a signed limited edition from Thunderstorm Books, but this truly is a book everyone should get to read, so now it’s deservedly getting the wide release treatment from Bloodshot Books.Continue Reading

“Fury’s Child” and “The Rich Are Different”

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*Humblebrag… I own all 75 issues. Took me 8 years to track ‘em all down. Just look at that collection! (Photo Copyright 2016 K. Edwin Fritz)
*Humblebrag… I own all 75 issues. Took me 8 years to track ‘em all down. Just look at that collection!
(Photo Copyright 2016 K. Edwin Fritz)

Hello again, folks. This is the 2nd installment of “Exhumed”—monthly double reviews studying the structure of great horror fiction published in our beloved Cemetery Dance.

Last time I reviewed Steve Rasnic Tem’s “The Double” from CD #1 (1988) and Michael Wehunt’s “The Inconsolable” from CD #73 (2016). If you didn’t catch that one, do check it out. Both stories are well worth your consideration.

Let’s see what we’ve got on the docket for this month… Continue Reading

Review: ‘Haven, Kansas’ by Alethea Kontis

havenkansascoverHaven, Kansas by Alethea Kontis
CreateSpace (October 2016)
308 pages; $19.99 hardcover; $11.28 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Alethea Kontis is already a very successful writer, but one I’ve never had a chance to read, until now. Haven, Kansas may be a YA novel, but it is certainly not without its scares.Continue Reading

Review: ‘Slipping’ by Lauren Beukes

slippingSlipping: Stories, Essays & Other Writing by Lauren Beukes
Tachyon Publications (November 2016)
264 pages; $9.75 paperback; $9.26 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

 

Lauren Beukes’s work as a journalist in South Africa, where she covered topics ranging from slums to shark diving, gave her a sharp eye for detail and a sharp ear for dialogue. These tools are employed to great effect in in Slipping: Stories, Essays and Other Writing.

Continue Reading

Scares That Care (Part 2)

End of the Road

You ever heard of a crowd being described as “an ocean of people”? That’s what the third annual Scares That Care Weekend Charity Event was like—an ocean of horror movie and television celebrities and their fans, filmmakers and their fans, authors and their fans, publishers and their customers, haunt professionals and enthusiasts, comic book creators and their fans, paranormal investigators and their fans, make-up and special effects artists and their fans, cosplayers, and everyone else—all descending upon the convention hotel in Williamsburg, Virginia, to raise money for burn victims and children and women with cancer.

I was exhausted, but I had no choice but to cast myself into that ocean, to dive into that sea of humanity and hope I wouldn’t drown. Continue Reading

Interview: Greg Nicotero on Classic Horror and ‘The Walking Dead’

Cemetery Dance Interviews

Greg Nicotero chats with Nicole Cushing at the 2015 WonderFest Hobby Expo. (Photo Copyright Robert Cushing)
Greg Nicotero chats with Nicole Cushing at the 2015 WonderFest Hobby Expo.
(Photo Copyright Robert Cushing)

Greg Nicotero is perhaps best known as executive producer, occasional director, and special effects makeup artist for AMC’s The Walking Dead. But this is just the most recent accomplishment in a career that is now in its fourth decade. Nicotero cut his professional teeth in 1985 as an assistant to Tom Savini on George Romero’s classic Day of the Dead and went on to work on a number of late ‘80s horror franchises that have come to define the era. Since that auspicious beginning, he’s gone on to become a legend in the field of special effects makeup (both in the horror genre and in more mainstream fare). Yes, he’s worked with George Romero, Clive Barker, John Carpenter, Don Coscarelli, and Sam Raimi. But (as he discusses in this interview) he’s also worked with Quentin Tarantino and Steven Spielberg. On top of all that, he also co-founded the prestigious KNB EFX Group in 1988, and has won four Emmy awards.Continue Reading

New Rave Reviews For Haven by Tom Deady!

We’re pleased to report that reviewers are loving Haven by Tom Deady, including a STARRED REVIEW in Booklist, which means our very limited print run will be selling out in no time as libraries and retailers place orders for copies! Preorder directly from our online store now, so you don’t miss out!

Here are a few of those rave reviews:
PW StarWith compelling characters (both good and evil), a shifting narration that keeps the story moving, a building sense of dread, and breathless action sequences, this is a well-crafted example of what is best about horror today. While the novel is obviously for fans of Stranger Things and the classic small-town horror by those like King or Straub, don’t let its setting keep you looking in the past. There is a modern perspective behind this tale, similar to Maberry’s Pine Deep trilogy or Janz’ Children of the Dark (2016). Hand out freely to anyone looking for a solid scare.”
Booklist (starred review)

“Debut novelist Deady closely examines his setting, showing how the difficulties of facing down mob hysteria and starting over after a lifetime of failure can be as deadly as an escaped military bioweapon.”
Publishers Weekly

Haven

Read more or place your order while our supplies last!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Wrathbone and Other Stories’ by Jason Parent

wrathboneWrathbone and Other Stories by Jason Parent
Comet Press (October 2016)
160 pages; $12.95 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Jason Parent’s new collection, Wrathbone and Other Stories, includes some wonderfully original tales of horror.  There may be only 5 stories in this collection, totaling 160 pages, but each tale is deserving of your attention. If you have yet to discover Jason’s work, this book will serve as a worthy introduction.Continue Reading

Scares That Care (Part 1)

End of the Road

Scares That Care is an IRS approved 501 (c)(3) horror-themed charity that I donate my time and name to. We fight real monsters of childhood illness, cancer, and more by financially helping families experiencing these overwhelming hardships. Each case is unique. We provide money, toys, utilities, and other items to help sick children and their families. We do the same for women fighting breast cancer. And we also partner with actor Kane Hodder (the Friday the 13th series) to aid children who have suffered serious, life-altering burn injuries.Continue Reading

Review: ‘Vyrmin’ by Gene Lazuta

vyrminVyrmin by Gene Lazuta
Bloodshot Books (October 2016)
360 pages; $13.99 paperback; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Before I get to the review, just a quick comment about the publisher, Bloodshot Books. I really admire the effort being made to find books that either had a limited print run or have gone out of print over the years and giving them new life in the digital age by releasing them in paperback and e-book formats. Earlier this year, they gave this treatment to The Awakening by Brett McBride, a wonderful coming of age story and one of the best books I’ve read in 2016.Continue Reading

Introducing ‘Revelations’

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thegraveOver the span of my thus far short writing career, I’ve been fortunate to experience several moments of clarity; moments which have changed me as a writer and a person. One of them came in the form of my first actual critique from an editor, regarding the first short story I ever submitted. The critique stung with its stark, unflinching truthfulness, but it forced me to face my writing weaknesses head on, and showed me the immeasurable value of honest feedback. It set the tone for how I approach editorial critique, to this day.Continue Reading