A to Z Challenge. D...

We're halfway through our first week and I'm enjoying myself! I thought I might feel a bit overwhelmed but I think I did a lot of preparation and that is helping me get better organized. I've visited a few of the other participating blogs and I've found great ideas and interesting postings that I will follow throughout the whole moth. I hope you are feeling as good as me!


For D-day I have more recommendations for you, but also some great news for the fans of the Hellraiser series.


Just a day ago I was taking about the Books of Blood by Clive Barker and the amount of movies these stories have spawn. Among them I mentioned the Rawhead Rex movie. Well, since then it has been brought to my attention that Clive Barker was not content with the treatment his story received on that movie and has, for a long time now, tried to distance himself from the production. However, that same novella will be now reprinted as part of the latest Post Mortem Press anthology, "Torn Realities". If any of you are recurrent followers, you know that's the same house that published my novel "Perpetual Night". How cool is that? My book and one of the groundbreaking fathers of horror will be under the same roof. Man, I can't wait for a Post Mortem Press party!!


Now, for the Hellraiser news. That same author, Clive Barker, on that same very special collection, Books of Blood, included a story where the Cenobites were introduced for the first time, hence giving birth to the Hellraiser movies we all know and love. Well, Sonar Entertainment is giving Pinhead the television treatment and as off now, a TV show is in the works. This is sure to make the earth rumble with all the die-hard fans who will rush to their TV sets. For more info, follow this link.


Now, lets go on with the show. The pics for D-day are:


Movie.


Dead End (2003)

Directed by Jean-Bamptist Andrea


Plot: For the past 20 years, Frank Harrington has grudgingly driven his family to celebrate Christmas with his mother-in-law. This year, he takes a shortcut that turns to be the biggest mistake of his life. The nightmare begins. A mysterious woman in white wanders through the forest, leaving death in her wake. A terrifying black car - its driver invisible - carries the victims into the heart of the night. Every road sign points to a destination they never reach. The survivors succumb to panic, to madness; deeply buried secrets burst to the surface, and Christmas turns into a living hell.


Review: Dead End is creepy as hell. Another often dismissed small movie that packs a big punch; it is atmospheric, strange, and will capture you from scene one. Its dry humor a la Evil Dead but without over the top antics brings a good balance to the otherwise very tense setting and its clever final twist adds a new dimension to the story. It will make you weary of dark, lonely roads for sure!


For some reason the embedded code isn't working but you can watch the trailer here.


Book.


Drood by Dan Simmons.
Published by Little, Brown and Company in 2009.


Blurb: On June 9, 1865 while traveling by train to London with his secret mistress, 53-year-old Charles Dickens--at the height of his powers and popularity--is hurtled into a disaster that changed his life forever. 
Did Dickens begin living a dark double life after the accident? Were his nightly forays into the worst slums of London and his deepening obsession with corpses, crypts, murder, opium dens, the use of lime pits to dissolve bodies, and a hidden subterranean London mere research . . . or something more terrifying? 

Just as he did in "The Terror", Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens's friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), DROOD explores the still unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: "The Mystery of Edwin Drood".

Review: Drood is written as narrated by Wilkie Collins in the form of a Victorian memoir to be read 125 years after his death. Collins is addicted to drugs and finds himself slipping further and further into his addiction as the novel proceeds, thus becoming the perfect unreliable narrator and giving the novel a great twist. Are the events real or are they the twisted imaginings of an opium addict? Heavily on the side of a mystery, Drood is a historical fiction novel that combines great elements of mystery, suspense, and horror.   This is a fantastic read for those who don't enjoy ghosts stories or truly terrifying books but appreciate atmospheric, intelligent ones.


I love reading your opinions, so don't forget to comment and leave your own suggestions for me! Have a great D-day and keep alphablogging.

About My Good Luck

Today I won't write about me or my latest projects or ideas. Today I want to tell you all about the great place that gave me my first chance. Post Mortem Press.

PMP is a small press under the great direction of Eric Beebe who took a leap of faith in himself, left behind corporate America, and invested in his own dream. Barely in its infancy with only two years under its belt, it has achieved huge success in its short life. First, there were the anthologies, SHADOWPLAY, UNCANNY ALLEGORIES, ISOLATION (with my first short story ever, FRANCIS). The beginning was promising and the next step was obvious, novels. I'm somewhat proud to say that the first novel on PMP's catalogue was my own PERPETUAL NIGHT (also my first novel. How karmic!), soon followed by incredibly talented authors like Jessica McHugh, Kenneth Cain, Brad Carter, Chris Curry... the list has now grown so much, it is impossible for me to name all of them, but rest assured, their time to shine will come when I tell you about PMP's Featured Author.

Like every independent small press a heck of a lot of effort has gone into putting PMP in the winning path it is on. A lot of touring and visiting conventions, mingling with the best, and having more than a little faith. I'm also sure Eric has signed some kind of a pact with a horned creature... if only for PR at a convention. You can follow the detail soap opera of learning the ropes of editor and head of a small press in Eric's blog, here. But lets just say it wasn't easy.

Now, we've came to present day where this amazing company is now fully in black numbers and growing. A new tour around the best conventions and even more exciting news with a few of the most prominent names in the industry like Jack Ketchum (Dark Doorways), Jonathan Maberry (Dead Souls), and Clive Barker (Torn Realities) now being part of the family. There's another big name that has me particularly excited, but I can't still give you the details...

As you can see, I've been very fortunate to have landed in the mist of such talent. I'm also very fortunate because Post Mortem Press is genuinely interested in helping us, the less than famous names, grow. One of the ways to do so is this new 'Featured Author' thing. Let me explain. Through the course of two or three weeks PMP's web page has a whole page dedicated to one of its authors, his/hers works (even if published by someone else) and a few interesting details about him/her. Then , of course, enters Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and every other social media where the rest of the family tries to turn the lime light to shine on the Featured Author in turn.

Now you know. I have this incredible group of friends and colleagues that I very much wish to see being successful and it is because of that that I ask for your help. Take a few minutes to check PMP's page, check the feature author in turn, and if you feel like it, share it with your friends. You'll make someone happy and good karma is a great thing to have with you.

Without further ado, the featured Author:

Jessica McHugh

"Writing doesn't make me who I am.

It just makes me have to drone on and on about myself at parties."

"I am not a voice of my generation.

I am the twisted mental whisper that precedes the 'right' thing to say."

Jessica McHugh is an author of speculative fiction that spans the genre from horror and alternate history to epic fantasy. A prolific writer, she has devoted herself to novels, short stories, novellas, and even playwriting. She has had ten books published in three years, including "Song of Eidolons", "The Sky: The World", "Rabbits in the Garden", and the first three installments in her "Tales of Dominhydor" series. http://www.jessicamchughbooks.com/

 For a short time get this great book for only .99 cents!! Click Here