Dark Worlds #2 Cover Preview

As an author I always look forward to seeing the cover art for one of my novels or short stories with great anticipation or dread--since one never knows the quality of the cover that the publisher is going to come up with. So when I heard that I would be receiving the cover slot for Dark Worlds #2 I was quite eager to see what artist M.D. Jackson would create.

I've got to say that M.D. Jackson delivered in spades and that his painting marvelously depicts one of the scenes from Lords of the Bitter Darkness--a story drawn from my upcoming dark fantasy novel, Through the Groaning Earth. In Lords of the Bitter Darkness, a ship-wrecked sailor goes hunting for some of the survivors of that ship-wreck and finds that they have been enslaved by a cult of monks working a silver mine outside the wretched city of Bathos.

Dark Worlds #2 is not yet available, but I will--of course--let you know when it hits the shelves. In the meantime, pick up a print or electronic copy of Dark Worlds #1 at Lulu.com.
Or if you're not yet familiar with the devious ways of the City of Bathos pick up a print copy of my novel Escape from Devil's Head at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or an electronic version at Fictionwise. Buy it where you like, but if you're interested in a print copy I'd recommend picking it up on Amazon where it's currently about $7.00 cheaper for the same exact book!

Into the Weird West

Pulp Work Press has announced its forthcoming anthology of Weird West style of tales, which will be entitled Fistful of Devils. Editor, Russ Anderson, has hand-picked a number of authors to write stories for the anthology, and I'm fortunate enough to be invited to participate.

For those not familiar with the genre of Weird West it is an obscure sub-genre of the Western, but it must have some strange or supernatural element within the story. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday encountering the Clanton brothers in the OK Corral qualifies as a Western, but Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday encountering undead/zombie versions of the Clanton Brothers qualifies as a Weird Western.

Though I've dipped into the western general several times with my Porter Rockwell tale and the pair of Temple Houston tales I've written, Guns Against Temple and Six Feet of Cold Earth, this will be the first time I've gone exploring the Weird West. I'm looking forward to it, and more details will be forthcoming as the project proceeds. Fistful of Devils isn't slated for publishing until mid or late 2009.

Dire Planet Virtual Book Tour Wraps

Over the last week the Dire Planet Virtual book tour has been posted from all over the world (The United States, France, and Japan) and today Josh Reynolds wraps it up by posting the G.W. Thomas introduction to the first Dire Planet novel.

Check it out and then check out the special Pulpwork Press package deal on all three of the Dire Planet novels (Dire Planet, Exiles of the Dire Planet, and Into the Dire Planet). This offer is for a limited time only, so be sure to place your order before the end of this month, because that's when the offer disappears.

Dire Planet World Tour Continues

The Dire Planet virtual book tour has now circumnavigated the globe-- from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern edges of the United States, and to France then Japan. Now it has come full circle with a posting from a good friend in my own neck of the woods, artist and creator extraordinaire, Damon Orrell.

His posting includes a picture from a few years back when I had a lot more hair, and was publicizing Electronic Tales during an Oregon road trip.

Check it out--some people have mistaken this photo as proof that sasquatch does indeed exist!

And just a reminder, Dire Planet and its sequels Exiles of the Dire Planet and Into the Dire Planet (from which the above image is taken) are available at PulpWork Press, Amazon, and in various digital formats at Fictionwise.

Percival Constantine Interviews Me

Percival Constantine, author of Fallen and Chasing the Dragon has taken the time to conduct a long distance interview (Japan to the United States) with me about the Dire Planet series and asks some very insightful questions.

Take a few moments to check it out!

The History of Mars

The Dire Planet virtual book tour continues with stop number four--the virtual home of author Joshua Reynolds musings and mutterings.

In what is an utterly awesome posting, Josh treats us to a history of fiction on Mars--with a cornucopia of links for anyone who wants to explore further. Ever hear of the 1898 book Inhabitants of Mars about mummies on Mars? Me neither. But Josh has not only heard of it, he's got a link to a website where you can buy the English version, which has been translated from the original French.

Ever hear of the 1908 The Vampires of Mars by Gustave LaRouge? Neither had I--until I read Josh Reynold's blog. And once again, Josh includes a link to a publisher and a cover illustration of a host of hungry vampiresses.

This is the tip of the iceberg. If you have any interest in Martian fiction, planetary fiction, or sword and science fiction check out Josh Reynolds latest blog.

Pirates of Xonira, Chapter 7

The traitor aboard the submarine, Morgan Adams, tips his hand just as Dillon and his crew reach Point Szardos of the rogue nation of Xonira. Check out this latest installment of the action-packed adventure serial by Derrick Ferguson.

Dire Planet Virtual Book Tour

The Dire Planet Virtual Book Tour continues with Russ Anderson's musings about Dire Planet and Conan the Musical.

Then cruise on over to Derrick Ferguson's Brooklyn back porch and eavesdrop on a conversation between Derrick and yours truly.

Dreams of Kubla Kahn and the Dire Planet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge reported that he awoke from a dream with two or three hundred lines of his famous poem, Kubla Kahn, composed in his head. He feverishly began to scribble them down, when he was interrupted by a person from Porlock on business. When business was finished the lines of the poem left unwritten had faded away, never to be recovered.

The novel Dire Planet, too, had its origins in dream. One night I dreamed of a stranded astronaut encountering a vision of a beautiful alien while his oxygen ran low, and when I awoke I feverishly scrawled notations on a handy scrap of paper I keep by my bedside in case of such nocturnal inspirations.

However, the duties of the day intruded and the haunting dream faded, evaporating like dew before the morning rays of sun, and I was left with a handful of notes to help me recall the images.

These notes languished for years in the bottom of a drawer before the opportunity to write a serial tale for Frontier Press inspired me to dig it out and write a first chapter based on that strange dream.

As I wrote, characters and situations presented themselves in my head, sometimes carrying the story into theaters of the imagination where I had not yet dared to tread, and taking the tale in directions I could not expect.

Unlike Coleridge and the lost lines of Kubla Kahn, I have, fortunately, been able to continue the tale of the Dire Planet. Over the years the story of Garvey Dire grew into three volumes, and I still hear his voice in my head offering to dictate yet another of his adventures on the ancient red planet.

Dire Planet, Exiles of the Dire Planet, and Into the Dire Planet are available at PulpWork Press, Amazon, and in a variety of electronic formats at Fictionwise.

This is the first stop of the Dire Planet digital book tour. Please be sure to check out Russ Anderson's Blog tomorrow for further thoughts on the Dire Planet.