Friday 28 June 2013

Filthy Creations No 7

The latest issue is out now, with stories by Franklin Marsh (The Wicket Man), Penni McLaren Walker (The Architect's Table), D. F. Lewis (The Only Climax and All Endings Are Happy), Charles H. Galloway (Shapeshifter), Robert Mammone (Mycelium), plus the second part of two serials: The Death Tableaux by Craig Herbertson and Sendings by David A. Riley.

92 pages including the covers.

Editor is Rog Pile. Consultative editor is Craig Herbertson.

For copies, contact Rog Pile on rogpile@hotmail.co.uk

The Workshop of Filthy Creation.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Parallel Universe Publications

A few projects are in hand for Parallel Universe Publications next year, including single author collections and a novel. The last publication was Craig Herbertson's short story collection The Heaven Maker & Other Gruesome Tales in October 2012. There's been a bit of a gap because I have had a few projects of my own due from other publishers, plus I needed to acquire some better software for preparing the books' covers for the printer.

There'll be more information later.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

The Return

Latest news on my Lovecraftian horror novel, The Return, is that it is scheduled for publication in August by Blood Bound Books.

I have been told that I'll shortly be getting the galley proofs and that the cover artwork will be ready within the next week or so.

The Return is set in Edgebottom, which contains the district of Grudge End, both of which have featured in a number of my stories over the past few years, including Lock-In, The Fragile Mask on His Face, The Worst of all Possible Places, The True Spirit, Old Grudge Ender, and Scrap (out soon in Dark Visions 1 from Grey Matter Press). In his review of my collection, His Own Mad Demons, Jim Mcleod (Gingernuts of Horror) wrote: "Robert Rankin has his Brighton, Terry Pratchett has his Discworld, and so David A. Riley has his Edgebottom, and I for one know which of these worlds I would like to take a return trip to."

Monday 24 June 2013

Richard Matheson RIP

Saddened to hear tonight that Richard Matheson has died.

He was one of the greats of science fiction and horror, with such memorable books as I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, A Stir of Echoes and Hell House amongst others. He was a memorable screenwriter, responsible for one of Hammer's greatest productions, The Devil Rides Out.


Friday 21 June 2013

Hellnotes review for His Own Mad Demons



A brilliant review on Hellnotes for His Own Mad Demons:

"For many, His Own Mad Demons, may be a bit different than the horror you are used to reading.  David A. Riley has a writing style very similar to early Peter Straub and very British to boot.  That said, the five novelettes in this collection are wonderfully eerie, spooky and unsettling.  Which to me, makes for a great read.
That’s not to say there isn’t quite a bit of extreme guts and gore in these stories – there is – more than enough to make my nose crinkle up and my stomach turn more than once.  It’s all just well balanced, and that is hard to find in shorter works like these novelettes." More

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Goblin Mire - a quote



This is a section from near the beginning of my novel where we are first introduced to its unlikely hero, Mickle Gorsestab:


Muddy brown eyes watched the Elves as they rode into the mire, muddy brown eyes that blinked with an unnatural slowness as the old but cunning brain behind them took in what they saw.
     Elves meant danger. And Mickle Gorsestab, ancient even for a Goblin, had not survived for as long as he had in this cold, hard world without learning this. His maternal grandfather, Ogbad Scarbladder, a shield-bearer for the Goblin-king, Ludblat the Second, was killed by Elves; his head hacked off and rammed on the end of a pole as a trophy of war, to be carried in triumph to their capital, Cyramon. Mickle lowered his head amongst the reeds, his warty skin so dark he had no fear of being seen by the distant Elves, though the sunlight flashing from their silvered armour hurt his eyes.
     For a moment more the old Hobgoblin watched the Elves as their horses splashed through the reeds, then turned his head away from them. Elves could be crossing the mire for many reasons. They could be heading for the Jagged Mountains to the north. Or west towards the Misty Sea. Or east to the Grasslands. Or, Mickle thought, his thick lips drooped in a ferocious scowl, they could be hunting Goblins. His snag teeth ground like old millstones as he thought of this; without hesitation he reached for the snakeskin hilt of his sword. If Elves were here to kill his kin they would find their sport more dangerous than they expected. Many years had passed since they defeated his race at the Battle of Sundered Hill, when the last Goblin king was killed. Since those dark days the Goblin folk had grown numerous again - and all but lost their fear for the proud, all-conquering Elves. One thing they had never lost - nor ever would, he knew - was their hatred. Oh, no! Mickle ground his teeth harder till they threatened to break. They had never lost their hatred.
     Lurching, with an oath growling like a threat between his lips, the Goblin forced his way through the reeds as fast as his bowlegged gait would allow.

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Goblin Mire - cover update

Artist Joe Young sent me an update on the artwork he's done for the cover of this fantasy novel:


This was the original:


Monday 17 June 2013

New review of His Own Mad Demons




Brilliant new review of my collection, His Own Mad Demons, by Ginger Nuts of Horror

My favourite bit of the review is: "In an era where so many authors are trying to find a unique twist on the horror the story, at the expense of a well written story, it is a refreshing to come across an author who understands how to write a scary, gripping and down right entertaining story.  His Own Mad Demons  is what I like to call good old fashioned horror, and this is a shining example of that."

Friday 14 June 2013

Change of stories in Lurkers in the Abyss & Other Tales of Terror

I have made an alteration to the stories included in my collection from Shadow Publishing. I have removed  two of the shorter (and in my view) weaker stories and replaced them with a longer one that is previously unpublished. It's a story I wrote a short while ago on the urging of Johnny Mains who wanted me to do a sequel to The Lurkers in the Abyss. Called Lurkers, it concerns the activities of an on the run bank robber who chances across the same creatures that figure in the original story - and faces a horrifyingly Lovecraftian future when "the stars are right".

Paul Mudie, who is doing the cover for this collection, recently emailed a rough copy to Dave Sutton and myself for our approval. Based on my story Fish-Eye, it exceeds what I hoped for from him and I can't wait now to see his final version!

The new line up of stories is:

Introduction by David A. Sutton
The Lurkers in the Abyss
After Nightfall
Terror on the Moors
The Shade of Apollyon
Prickly
Writer's Cramp
Winter on Aubarch 6
The Shadow by the Altar
Out of Corruption
A New Lease
Help-Plants
Inside the Labyrinth
A Sense of Movement
Soft Little Fingers
His Pale Blue Eyes
Fish-Eye
Lurkers

Friday 7 June 2013

The Screaming Book of Horror - to be reprinted as a paperback and an ebook


It looks as if The Screaming Book of Horror will have a further lease of life. After having completely sold out as a limited edition hardback, Steve Upham of Screaming Dreams now plans to reprint it as a POD paperback and an ebook.

That's great news, as I think this is one of the best anthologies I've been in over recent years, especially with the likes of the late John Brunner in it (his story Larva was originally planned to be in the never-to-be-published 4th issue of Beyond). I'm also pleased, of course, that my story Old Grudge Ender will get another airing, as it's a particular favourite of mine.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Goblin Mire


This fantasy novel was first published a few years ago by Renaissance E Books with a different cover - a pretty terrible one actually!

I ended my contract with them a while ago, but for some reason the link to buy it through Amazon remained active. Anyway, with the assistance of Jean Marie Stine, that link has finally been ended and I am completely free to have it republished elsewhere.

Although I think the book has a lot of good points, it is overwritten and needs a complete overall with something like 10,000 words taking out of it. Which is what I'll be doing over the course of the rest of this year, making it available again in 2014, probably as both a paperback and an ebook.

Joe Young has kindly provided the above cover.

Sunday 2 June 2013

Eastercon 1971

This is a picture of the fancy dress prize winners at British Science Fiction Easteron 22, held in Worcester in April 1971. It was the first and last time I ever took part in the fancy dress competition.Fancy dress  was something which the BFS frowned upon and wouldn't accept at Fantasycon. I sometimes wonder whether this lack of fun for fun's sake was at their own loss. Science Fiction conventions tend to take themselves a little less seriously yet still get the business done.


Blast from the past


Just came across this old photograph taken in London in 1976 of, in order, Jim Pitts, Jon Harvey, Steve Jones and me.