Christian Speculative Fiction Panel--Part One
Along with the Christian Science-Fiction & Fantasy blog tour’s Rebecca Miller and Marcher Lord Press’ Jeff Gerke, I was invited to be part of a speculative fiction panel at the Novel Journey blog. Please drop by for a state of the Christian genre discussion, part one of two.
http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/
Faith,
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Monday, February 23, 2009
As reviews start coming in . . .
As reviews start coming in on Forever Richard, I'd like to remind potential readers that my work, intended for the general market reader, has also been widely accepted by readers from the specific Christian market CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) and ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) serve. A very nice surprise to me since I was told later that this market wouldn't read general market horror.
With such a varied audience reading, there are bound to be some very interesting reviews. I can't wait to see what everyone has to say. :D
I'm keeping my fingers crossed on two forthcoming reviews, one from the The British Fantasy Society (if they can squeeze me in) and a resounding one from Mr. Nicholas Grabowsky, author of Halloween IV and founder of Black Bed Sheet Productions!
Click here to read Mr. Grabowsky's review of Never Ceese.
Thanks Nick!
With such a varied audience reading, there are bound to be some very interesting reviews. I can't wait to see what everyone has to say. :D
I'm keeping my fingers crossed on two forthcoming reviews, one from the The British Fantasy Society (if they can squeeze me in) and a resounding one from Mr. Nicholas Grabowsky, author of Halloween IV and founder of Black Bed Sheet Productions!
Click here to read Mr. Grabowsky's review of Never Ceese.
Thanks Nick!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Christian Manifesto review of Forever Richard
Nutshell Version:
While Sue Dent’s writing was never intended to fit perfectly into the Christian Fiction mold, you can’t help but notice the powerful messages of hope, love, and sacrifice that are so evident. My only complaint about Forever Richard is that I wanted more. In the end we are left with a nice little cliffhanger and a little taste of what’s to come. My interest is piqued and I’m on my knees begging. Next time can we have just a little more please?
Jake Chism reviews Forever Richard at the Christian Manifesto.
While Sue Dent’s writing was never intended to fit perfectly into the Christian Fiction mold, you can’t help but notice the powerful messages of hope, love, and sacrifice that are so evident. My only complaint about Forever Richard is that I wanted more. In the end we are left with a nice little cliffhanger and a little taste of what’s to come. My interest is piqued and I’m on my knees begging. Next time can we have just a little more please?
Jake Chism reviews Forever Richard at the Christian Manifesto.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Leaps of Faith: New Review
New Review of Leaps of Faith from Yellow30 Sci-Fi!
"Leaps of Faith will undoubtedly go down as one of the best collections of Christian science fiction in this new century."
WooHoo!
"Leaps of Faith will undoubtedly go down as one of the best collections of Christian science fiction in this new century."
WooHoo!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Why I love workshops
By far the most popular part of the Catholic Writers Conference Online has been the chats. We have experts from all areas of publishing come and chat for an hour, giving mini-lessons and taking questions. I usually end up transcribing them for our e-book. (BTW--If you couldn't make the conference and want to purchase the e-book, it's available for a $20 donation to the CWCO. CWCO is part of CWG, a non-profit, so you can count it as a charity or as a business expense!)
For me, however, the week-long workshops are far more useful. I love being able to put the learning into practice, and I always come away with great stuff. Monday, I shared a scene I came up with in Devon Ellington's Dialog class. Today, I want to show you the difference a few tips from Kim Richards made to a scene in Discovery that I truly hated:
I hope some of you will be able to make it to an writers conference, on- or off-line. They really are worth the time. Incidentally, I hear there's an LGG con, LostCon, being planned for the Fall in SecondLife. Maybe I'll see you there?
For me, however, the week-long workshops are far more useful. I love being able to put the learning into practice, and I always come away with great stuff. Monday, I shared a scene I came up with in Devon Ellington's Dialog class. Today, I want to show you the difference a few tips from Kim Richards made to a scene in Discovery that I truly hated:
OLD: James managed to make it to the auditorium as the last of the stragglers were coming in. About half of the researchers had decided to come to the briefing. Some wanted to see the images of the alien ship again. Some were curious to see the miner's reactions. He noticed that they all took spots opposite the Rocky Flat's team, who had taken position in a lopsided semi-circle around Hayden and his senior staff, forming their own island of humanity among the dark, empty seats.
Hayden sat in the front row, Captain Addiman to his left and Andy to his right; then Sister Ann, Sister Thomas, and Rita. After Rita, the row sat empty, as did the seats behind her. He watched as she gave the empty seats a seemingly incurious look. He knew she recognized the barrier.
She knows all about barriers, he thought, surprised at the bitterness of his inner voice. Then again, she'd put a barrier between them half the size of the solar system. Why couldn't she just tell me?
NEW: James managed to make it to the auditorium as the last of the stragglers were coming in. The fifteen or so researchers that crowded together at one side. Some leaned forward, hungry eyes on the blank viewscreen. More were nudging each other and looking at the Rocky Flats mining team. The miners had created their own island of humanity on the opposite side of the auditorium, chattering amongst themselves, ignoring the researchers. Hayden, his senior staff and the Rescue Sisters stretched between the groups like an incomplete bridge.
Rita formed the last bit of that bridge. She gave the empty seats around her an incurious look, but James knew she recognized the invisible barrier they formed.
She knows all about barriers, he thought, surprised at the bitterness of his inner voice. Then again, she'd put a barrier between them half the size of the solar system. Why couldn't she just tell me?
I hope some of you will be able to make it to an writers conference, on- or off-line. They really are worth the time. Incidentally, I hear there's an LGG con, LostCon, being planned for the Fall in SecondLife. Maybe I'll see you there?
Celebrating Anne Rice!
She certainly deserves to be celebrated. What a wonderful author and person. If you don't believe me, you can go read her new book: Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.
Also, you may check out this video.
As an author who is a Christian and writes in the horror genre (at least for now), I'm even more inspired by Anne's journey from atheism and back to her Catholic roots. I understand that in this novel she talks about how her previous novels were written from an atheistic worldview. I so admire her coming out and saying this as it helps point to the fact that writing about vampires or werewolves or zombies isn't inherently evil but rather an expression of self as is the case with all fiction.
I also appreciate Mrs. Rice's decision to stay away from the type fiction that obviously pushes her to remember a very dark and sad time in her life. Perhaps one day she'll be able to forge ahead and revisit writing horror fiction from her new worldview. Until then, do check out her recent books. After all, these were written by literary genius Anne Rice and horror or not, she's well worth reading. I can only hope to ever be as talented.
Other books by post-atheist Anne Rice:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Book Signing Anyone?
Oh but who wouldn't want me to come to their town for a book signing. :) I might even be able to coerce *ahem* Richard to come along if the "stakes" were high enough (or if the price of "steaks" were low enough. HA!
But yes, now would be the time to speak up. I'm currently setting up signings in bookstores where there "seems" to be an interest. Book Signings are a waste of time finacially but not so much so when an author is certain a few might show up to buy books to have signed.
Doesn't matter if you've already bought the book, just let me know you'd like it signed and if I get enough request, I'll arrange a booksigning in the area. You can bring your book in if you already have it so I can sign it.
Again these would be booksignings at general market stores such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million etc . . . but no Christian Bookstores. While most of my readers are from the market bigger Christian booksellers sell to, the CBA/ECPA industry itself does not support me. I've not paid the money to be affiliated and therefore can't even step foot inside an affiliated store to sell my goods. I might actually pay the money to be affiliated but neither CBA or ECPA would publish what I write. And I'm not speculating about that. All of the bigger Christian houses have told me this, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Waterbrook . . . it's the code of the land so it seems.
No big deal. Just don't want to burst your bubble if you think I might be at your local Lifeway or Family Christian. I'm not avoiding these stores. They won't let me in. Heck, 75% of my audience shops at these stores. Why wouldn't I want in? :)
But let me know, and I'll work to come visit and sign.
Thanks again for all your support.
But yes, now would be the time to speak up. I'm currently setting up signings in bookstores where there "seems" to be an interest. Book Signings are a waste of time finacially but not so much so when an author is certain a few might show up to buy books to have signed.
Doesn't matter if you've already bought the book, just let me know you'd like it signed and if I get enough request, I'll arrange a booksigning in the area. You can bring your book in if you already have it so I can sign it.
Again these would be booksignings at general market stores such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million etc . . . but no Christian Bookstores. While most of my readers are from the market bigger Christian booksellers sell to, the CBA/ECPA industry itself does not support me. I've not paid the money to be affiliated and therefore can't even step foot inside an affiliated store to sell my goods. I might actually pay the money to be affiliated but neither CBA or ECPA would publish what I write. And I'm not speculating about that. All of the bigger Christian houses have told me this, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Waterbrook . . . it's the code of the land so it seems.
No big deal. Just don't want to burst your bubble if you think I might be at your local Lifeway or Family Christian. I'm not avoiding these stores. They won't let me in. Heck, 75% of my audience shops at these stores. Why wouldn't I want in? :)
But let me know, and I'll work to come visit and sign.
Thanks again for all your support.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hard Sci-Fi & Time Travel in Leaps of Faith
In this, the final installment of our feature on Leaps of Faith, we focus on two more types of science fiction: time travel and hard SF.
Click on the links to take you to excerpts from some great science fiction stories that are respectful of Christian beliefs.
Hard Science Fiction:
An astrophysicist finds the face of God in the stars of the universe in “The Smile.” (Greg Beatty)
God is a proven fact in “The Faith Equation,” leaving the question of the role of belief. (Peter Bell)
“The Relics of Venice” combines genetic engineering and love to create a miracle. (Leslie Brown)
Time travel:
In “Tampering with God’s Time,” time travelers find they cannot change the timeline, but are themselves changed as they encounter Christ personally. (Karina Fabian)
In “Moses Disposes,” King Solomon deliberately uses time travelers to bring the Bible to future generations in an idiom they can understand. (Frank C. Gunderloy)
Click on the links to take you to excerpts from some great science fiction stories that are respectful of Christian beliefs.
Hard Science Fiction:
An astrophysicist finds the face of God in the stars of the universe in “The Smile.” (Greg Beatty)
God is a proven fact in “The Faith Equation,” leaving the question of the role of belief. (Peter Bell)
“The Relics of Venice” combines genetic engineering and love to create a miracle. (Leslie Brown)
Time travel:
In “Tampering with God’s Time,” time travelers find they cannot change the timeline, but are themselves changed as they encounter Christ personally. (Karina Fabian)
In “Moses Disposes,” King Solomon deliberately uses time travelers to bring the Bible to future generations in an idiom they can understand. (Frank C. Gunderloy)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Encountering Alien Life: Leaps of Faith
Part II of our focus on Leaps of Faith looks at another aspect of science fiction: encountering alien life.Of course, the whole concept of Christian novelists including aliens or sentient non-humans (that/ who aren't later discovered to be demons) in their fiction is controversial.
Just last week the topic was discussed at Speculative Faith: E. Stephen Burnett summarizes the arguments around the existence of extra-terrestrial life, as related to Christian belief, and concludes: Thus, any speculation outside of Scripture needs to be clearly disclaimed for what it is. But I would argue that even Christians speculating — even in fiction — must conform to God’s Word.
Given that many Christians agree that scripture based- and Biblical based-logic argues against the existence of aliens or Christian non-sentient beings, the concepts explored in several of the stories in Leaps of Faith appear controversial.
In “Lost Rythar,” evangelists seek to bring the Word of God to long-forgotten human colonies. (Colleen Drippé)
In “Sometimes We Lie,” evangelism takes a bizarre turn when a native-born being tries to spread an ancient human faith. (Barton Paul Levenson)
Fr. Wren wonders if a sentient tree-creature can marry into the Catholic Faith in “The Convert.” (Susanne Marie Knight)
Fr. Travener faces persecution by ministering to sentient androids in “Comprehending It Not.” (Cherith Baldry)
Why not read these stories for yourself before dismissing the possibility that Christian fiction can speculate about sentient non-human life and conform to God's word?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Space Exploration: Leaps of Faith
In both Christian and mainstream science fiction, either religion or science always seems to take a back seat.In mainstream SF, religion may be portrayed as something mankind has outgrown or that has become as alien as the worlds visited; or only one faith is represented, as if the great tapestry of Judeo-Christian faiths has been bleached into a colorless whole. By the same token, in Christian fiction, accurate, plausible science may be downplayed to the point of device rather than vital story element.
Yet, in reality, faith and science have always nurtured each other.
Mendel, the father of genetics, was a monk, and some physicists have said the more they delve into quantum mechanics, the more they are convinced in a higher power as Creator.
Where is the SF to reflect the truer relationship between faith and science?
Here, in Leaps of Faith.
The stories in Leaps of Faith cover the entire spectrum of the SF genre, showing the positive relationship between science and religion.
Beginning this week, TWCP Authors site will be featuring excerpts from the anthology Leaps of Faith.
Today we start with the space exploration stories.
In "High Hopes for The Dead" we see Christian evangelism though the faithful example of Luke "High Hopes" Kittery, a member of a band of space explorers for whom every trip is potential suicide. (author: Alex Lobdell)
"Quantum Express" examines the status of one's soul when the body is destroyed and reassembled through teleportation. (author: Vincent Malzahn)
"God's Gift:" faith is the key to preventing insanity brought on by a new method of interstellar travel. (author: Greg Beatty)
"Leap of Faith" highlights the new industry of space search and rescue though the intrepid nuns of Our Lady of the Rescue. (Karina & Robert Fabian)
In "Confirmation" harvesters of an exotic space fuel suspect they're harvesting intelligent life—or perhaps the angels themselves. (author: Michael S. Poteet)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Second chance to win Forever Richard!
Okay, here's the second, and one of the few chances, you'll have to win Forever Richard. Lena Nelson Dooley has posted her interview with me on her blog. If you post a comment, you go into the hat to win a copy of Forever Richard (that is your name goes into a hat. I know, takes all the fun out of it. But trust me, getting into a hat yourself is some trick.)
Please drop by and say hello. You'll definitely have to say hello if you're an ACFW member as I know longer am one and I can't access the boards to say hello myself. Like everyone else, I have to watch my money and could only afford to belong to very few organizations. I had to stick with the Horror Writers Association because they support horror writing. Perhaps someone will feel sorry for me and let me into the ACFW anyway. :)
But do go check out Lena's blog!
Please drop by and say hello. You'll definitely have to say hello if you're an ACFW member as I know longer am one and I can't access the boards to say hello myself. Like everyone else, I have to watch my money and could only afford to belong to very few organizations. I had to stick with the Horror Writers Association because they support horror writing. Perhaps someone will feel sorry for me and let me into the ACFW anyway. :)
But do go check out Lena's blog!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
2008 Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot is out!
The Horror Writers Association, of which I am a member, has released the preliminary ballot for the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards (to be announced this May!)
Some grand writers of horror, who happen to be Christians ;) are on this list. Legitimate horror stories written by Christians! How cool is that! I've put in bold those authors I know for a fact profess to be Christians. Actually, most authors on this list are Christians but I'm just pointing out the ones I know for a fact are.
Please note, while what these authors write as Christians can legitimately be called Christian Horror it isn't. Most books labeled Christian Horror describe work put out by the larger Christian houses who don't write horror. According to these publishers, the specific audience of Christians they serve doesn't want to read this type of story. They must be right because none of those authors are on this ballot.
2008 Preliminary Stoker Ballot
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Coffin County by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure)comment added by Sue - Someone else wrote "The mythology contains a Christian basis, but no sermons."
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow)
Ghost Walk by Brian Keene (Leisure)
The Reach by Nate Kenyon (Leisure)
Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon/Medallion)
Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc (Dorchester/Leisure)
Bad Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry (Pinnacle)
Dead and Gone by Harry Shannon (Delirium Books)
The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff (St. Martins)
The Man on the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem (Wizards of the Coast)
Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl (Permuted Press)
Apricot Brandy by Lynn César (Juno Books)
Midnight On Mourn Street by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)
Eternal Vigilance by Gabrielle S. Faust (Immanion Press)
The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Monster Behind the Wheel by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)
Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams (Borderlands Press)
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
"The Lagerstatte" by Laird Barron (The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
The Shallow End of the Pool by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock)
Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Redemption Roadshow by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy)
The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)
Orpheus and the Pearl by Kim Paffenroth comment added by Sue: Kim is a theologian and teaches theology at a Christian University. (Magus Press)
"Behold the Child" by Harry Shannon (Brimstone Turnpike)
Just Like Hell by Nate Southard (Thunderstorm Books)
Population Zero by Wrath James White (Cargo Cult Press)
Orgy of Souls by Wrath James White, and Maurice Broaddus (Apex Book Company)comment added by Sue: Maurice is a pastor.
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
"The Last Word" by Maria Alexander (Sins of the Sirens)
"Mama Strangelove's Remedies for Afterlife Disorders, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mother Death" by C. Dean Andersson (Brutarian)
"Consumed" by Michael Louis Calvillo (Horror Library Volume 3)
"Petrified" by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
"Mechanix" by Christopher Fulbright (Bound for Evil)
The Lost by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
"The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" by Nick Mamatas, and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
"The Haven" by John Palisano (Horror Library Vol. 3)
"Turtle" by Lee Thomas (Doorways)
"The Blog at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay (Chizine)
"Those Eyes" by Mark W. Worthen (Thinner Than Mist)
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
The Undead: Headshot Quartet edited by Christina Bivins and Lane Adamson (Permuted Press)
Like a Chinese Tattoo edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
Horror Library, Vol. 3 edited by R. J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
Abominations edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Beneath the Surface edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Unspeakable Horrors edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)
Superior Achievement in a Collection
The Number 121 to Pennsylvania by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
Little Creatures by Michael McCarty (Sam's Dot Publishing)
Other Gods by Stephen Mark Rainey (Dark Regions Press)
The Autopsy and Other Tales by Michael Shea (Centipede)
Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Fourtold by Michael Stone (Baysgarth Publications)
Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (Delirium)
Ennui and Other States of Madness by David Niall Wilson (Dark Regions Press)
Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
Shadows Over New England by David Goudsward, and Scott T. Goudsward (BearManor Media)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula by Robert Eighteen-Bisang and Elizabeth Miller (McFarland)
Spirits and Death in Niagara by Marcy Italiano (Schiffer Publishing)
The New Annotated Dracula by Leslie S. Klinger (W. W. Norton)
Beauty and Dynamite by Alethea Kontis (Apex Publications)
Cheap Scares by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel)
Modern Mythmakers by Michael McCarty (McFarland)
A Hallowe'en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
The Book of Lists: Horror by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley (Harper)
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
The Phantom World by Gary William Crawford (Sam's Dot)
Virgin of the Apocalypse by Corrine De Winter (Sam's Dot Publishing)
The Flayed Man and Other Poems by Phillip A. Ellis (Gothic Press)
Attack Of The Two-Headed Poetry Monster by Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)
Ghosts of Past and Future by Darrell Schweitzer (Borgo)
CONGRATS ALL!
Some grand writers of horror, who happen to be Christians ;) are on this list. Legitimate horror stories written by Christians! How cool is that! I've put in bold those authors I know for a fact profess to be Christians. Actually, most authors on this list are Christians but I'm just pointing out the ones I know for a fact are.
Please note, while what these authors write as Christians can legitimately be called Christian Horror it isn't. Most books labeled Christian Horror describe work put out by the larger Christian houses who don't write horror. According to these publishers, the specific audience of Christians they serve doesn't want to read this type of story. They must be right because none of those authors are on this ballot.
2008 Preliminary Stoker Ballot
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Coffin County by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure)comment added by Sue - Someone else wrote "The mythology contains a Christian basis, but no sermons."
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow)
Ghost Walk by Brian Keene (Leisure)
The Reach by Nate Kenyon (Leisure)
Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon/Medallion)
Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc (Dorchester/Leisure)
Bad Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry (Pinnacle)
Dead and Gone by Harry Shannon (Delirium Books)
The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff (St. Martins)
The Man on the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem (Wizards of the Coast)
Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl (Permuted Press)
Apricot Brandy by Lynn César (Juno Books)
Midnight On Mourn Street by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)
Eternal Vigilance by Gabrielle S. Faust (Immanion Press)
The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Monster Behind the Wheel by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)
Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams (Borderlands Press)
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
"The Lagerstatte" by Laird Barron (The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
The Shallow End of the Pool by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock)
Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Redemption Roadshow by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy)
The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)
Orpheus and the Pearl by Kim Paffenroth comment added by Sue: Kim is a theologian and teaches theology at a Christian University. (Magus Press)
"Behold the Child" by Harry Shannon (Brimstone Turnpike)
Just Like Hell by Nate Southard (Thunderstorm Books)
Population Zero by Wrath James White (Cargo Cult Press)
Orgy of Souls by Wrath James White, and Maurice Broaddus (Apex Book Company)comment added by Sue: Maurice is a pastor.
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
"The Last Word" by Maria Alexander (Sins of the Sirens)
"Mama Strangelove's Remedies for Afterlife Disorders, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mother Death" by C. Dean Andersson (Brutarian)
"Consumed" by Michael Louis Calvillo (Horror Library Volume 3)
"Petrified" by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
"Mechanix" by Christopher Fulbright (Bound for Evil)
The Lost by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
"The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" by Nick Mamatas, and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
"The Haven" by John Palisano (Horror Library Vol. 3)
"Turtle" by Lee Thomas (Doorways)
"The Blog at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay (Chizine)
"Those Eyes" by Mark W. Worthen (Thinner Than Mist)
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
The Undead: Headshot Quartet edited by Christina Bivins and Lane Adamson (Permuted Press)
Like a Chinese Tattoo edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
Horror Library, Vol. 3 edited by R. J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
Abominations edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Beneath the Surface edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Unspeakable Horrors edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)
Superior Achievement in a Collection
The Number 121 to Pennsylvania by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
Little Creatures by Michael McCarty (Sam's Dot Publishing)
Other Gods by Stephen Mark Rainey (Dark Regions Press)
The Autopsy and Other Tales by Michael Shea (Centipede)
Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Fourtold by Michael Stone (Baysgarth Publications)
Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (Delirium)
Ennui and Other States of Madness by David Niall Wilson (Dark Regions Press)
Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
Shadows Over New England by David Goudsward, and Scott T. Goudsward (BearManor Media)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula by Robert Eighteen-Bisang and Elizabeth Miller (McFarland)
Spirits and Death in Niagara by Marcy Italiano (Schiffer Publishing)
The New Annotated Dracula by Leslie S. Klinger (W. W. Norton)
Beauty and Dynamite by Alethea Kontis (Apex Publications)
Cheap Scares by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel)
Modern Mythmakers by Michael McCarty (McFarland)
A Hallowe'en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
The Book of Lists: Horror by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley (Harper)
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
The Phantom World by Gary William Crawford (Sam's Dot)
Virgin of the Apocalypse by Corrine De Winter (Sam's Dot Publishing)
The Flayed Man and Other Poems by Phillip A. Ellis (Gothic Press)
Attack Of The Two-Headed Poetry Monster by Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)
Ghosts of Past and Future by Darrell Schweitzer (Borgo)
CONGRATS ALL!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
HALF!
Since it' about selling books, I thought I'd share.
Half!
That's what part of the retail price Amazon gets when a book sells from their site EVEN if that book is sold by someone other than Amazon. That's right, HALF!
That's why I'm suspicious about Amazon-USA changing the status of Forever Richard, released 01/05/09, from "out of print" to "available from these sellers" instead of also showing that the book is available through amazon-USA as well.
Forever Richard is available EVERYWHERE on the planet (and maybe even on some other planets.) Why would Amazon-USA not show that they can get the book when they can? Hmmmm . . . maybe they can make just as much money letting others simply sell it for them. That would be might guess anyway.
Please don't forget you can get an autographed copy from the publisher at www.thewriterscafe.com for retail all day long. *gasp*
Perish the thought!
Oh yes, I'm ecstatic Amazon-USA no longer shows Forever Richard as "out of print" a status they randomly selected out of the air. Now they can finally get the money they don't deserve for not selling a book they supposedly don't carry (even though they do carry it. :)
Impressive.
Half!
That's what part of the retail price Amazon gets when a book sells from their site EVEN if that book is sold by someone other than Amazon. That's right, HALF!
That's why I'm suspicious about Amazon-USA changing the status of Forever Richard, released 01/05/09, from "out of print" to "available from these sellers" instead of also showing that the book is available through amazon-USA as well.
Forever Richard is available EVERYWHERE on the planet (and maybe even on some other planets.) Why would Amazon-USA not show that they can get the book when they can? Hmmmm . . . maybe they can make just as much money letting others simply sell it for them. That would be might guess anyway.
Please don't forget you can get an autographed copy from the publisher at www.thewriterscafe.com for retail all day long. *gasp*
Perish the thought!
Oh yes, I'm ecstatic Amazon-USA no longer shows Forever Richard as "out of print" a status they randomly selected out of the air. Now they can finally get the money they don't deserve for not selling a book they supposedly don't carry (even though they do carry it. :)
Impressive.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Frank Review of Forever Richard, by Sue Dent
By Frank Creed
Horror newcomer Sue Dent’s 2006 vampire and werewolf novel, Never Ceese, nailed down a few accolades of which you may have heard: short listed for the coveted Bram Stoker award, and named American Christian Fiction Writers book club choice of the month in May of 2007. How does a novelist top that?
By writing a superior sequel. Everyone knows that sequels have a bad reputation for falling short of an original concept. Especially for a new novelist, proving you’re not a fluke, that you can do it again, is a load on one’s back. Truly talented authors start strong and get even better, of which J.K. Rowling is a case study. Sue Dent is one of those writers. Never Ceese showcased her natural gifts for fun characters and suspenseful plot. Forever Richard is all that and more.
Synopsis without spoilers . . .
The saga of redemption and spiritual triumph that readers enjoyed in Never Ceese continues in Forever Richard. Cassie Felts, graduate student and reluctant believer of such things as vampires and werewolves, couldn't be happier for Richard and Ceese Porter. Their curses lifted and after hundreds of years apart, they can now celebrate being brother and sister once more. Even Rodney, Cassie's college roommate and former nemesis, shares Cassie’s relief. But will the faith that saved Richard and Ceese be enough to defeat the new evil that threatens them all?
Cassie learns that Dr. Clayton Henderson, the corrupt stem-cell researcher, has acquired the vampire's curse and has managed to transfer it to Rodney's troubled, drug-addicted buddy Josh. Addict or vampire, Cassie can see Josh isn't handling his new cravings for blood any better than he did his old habit. Their best hope seems to be taking Josh to Richard's isolated country estate in England. There, Josh can learn to temper his desire to curse another while they try to figure out how to deal with the impossible-to-kill Dr. Henderson.
Plans twist when they find a new vampire inhabiting Richard's castle, and a malevolent werewolf stalking Ceese. A long-lost relative shows up packing a sawed-off shotgun and an ancient knife which he claims has supernatural powers. Will the faith that redeemed two lost souls before be enough to overcome the wicked forces that now threaten to destroy them all?
Sue Dent’s creativity and sense of humor sparkle in Forever Richard. The plot twists and turns, surprises popping at readers from around corners. Items and people are usually not as they appear. Sue should be proud of having crafted a fun and entertaining read for all levels of readers that is still fully a horror novel.
Forever Richard’s bio-ethics theme is strong. What humankind can do always runs in advance of what we ought to do, and stem-cell researcher Dr. Clayton Henderson leaps moral bounds quick as a buck clearing a picket fence. His breaches of ethics aren’t about curing sick people at the expense of others’ lives, but the black-and-white mad scientist type of villainy. Henderson is an antagonist without depth, but is a common enemy whom many can unite to oppose—the kind of bad-guy a reader hopes to see destroyed as quickly as Parkinson’s disease.
Like Dracula, Forever Richard is respectful of the Christian worldview, and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t drive stakes through the hearts of even more literary awards than did Never Ceese.
Horror newcomer Sue Dent’s 2006 vampire and werewolf novel, Never Ceese, nailed down a few accolades of which you may have heard: short listed for the coveted Bram Stoker award, and named American Christian Fiction Writers book club choice of the month in May of 2007. How does a novelist top that?
By writing a superior sequel. Everyone knows that sequels have a bad reputation for falling short of an original concept. Especially for a new novelist, proving you’re not a fluke, that you can do it again, is a load on one’s back. Truly talented authors start strong and get even better, of which J.K. Rowling is a case study. Sue Dent is one of those writers. Never Ceese showcased her natural gifts for fun characters and suspenseful plot. Forever Richard is all that and more.
Synopsis without spoilers . . .
The saga of redemption and spiritual triumph that readers enjoyed in Never Ceese continues in Forever Richard. Cassie Felts, graduate student and reluctant believer of such things as vampires and werewolves, couldn't be happier for Richard and Ceese Porter. Their curses lifted and after hundreds of years apart, they can now celebrate being brother and sister once more. Even Rodney, Cassie's college roommate and former nemesis, shares Cassie’s relief. But will the faith that saved Richard and Ceese be enough to defeat the new evil that threatens them all?
Cassie learns that Dr. Clayton Henderson, the corrupt stem-cell researcher, has acquired the vampire's curse and has managed to transfer it to Rodney's troubled, drug-addicted buddy Josh. Addict or vampire, Cassie can see Josh isn't handling his new cravings for blood any better than he did his old habit. Their best hope seems to be taking Josh to Richard's isolated country estate in England. There, Josh can learn to temper his desire to curse another while they try to figure out how to deal with the impossible-to-kill Dr. Henderson.
Plans twist when they find a new vampire inhabiting Richard's castle, and a malevolent werewolf stalking Ceese. A long-lost relative shows up packing a sawed-off shotgun and an ancient knife which he claims has supernatural powers. Will the faith that redeemed two lost souls before be enough to overcome the wicked forces that now threaten to destroy them all?
Sue Dent’s creativity and sense of humor sparkle in Forever Richard. The plot twists and turns, surprises popping at readers from around corners. Items and people are usually not as they appear. Sue should be proud of having crafted a fun and entertaining read for all levels of readers that is still fully a horror novel.
Forever Richard’s bio-ethics theme is strong. What humankind can do always runs in advance of what we ought to do, and stem-cell researcher Dr. Clayton Henderson leaps moral bounds quick as a buck clearing a picket fence. His breaches of ethics aren’t about curing sick people at the expense of others’ lives, but the black-and-white mad scientist type of villainy. Henderson is an antagonist without depth, but is a common enemy whom many can unite to oppose—the kind of bad-guy a reader hopes to see destroyed as quickly as Parkinson’s disease.
Like Dracula, Forever Richard is respectful of the Christian worldview, and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t drive stakes through the hearts of even more literary awards than did Never Ceese.
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