Tuesday, 12 March 2024

Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special

 

Very pleased to have a review in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine, which is a Hellraiser Special. Ironically, my piece is on what is almost certainly the worst Hellraiser movie ever made: Hellraiser: Revelations. 

To order it from amazon follow this link: Phantasmagoria Magazine Hellraiser Special

 

Day Thirty-Four of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5

 


Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
 
  
The contents are: 
The Rotted Land by Charles Gramlich
Skulls for Silver by Harry Elliott
For the Light by Gustavo Bondoni
People of the Lake by Lorenzo D. Lopez
Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs by Tais Teng
The Black Well by Darin Hlavaz
Degg and the Undead by Susan Murrie Macdonald
The Mistress of the Marsh by David Dubrow
Silver and Gold by Earl W. Parrish
Bridge of Sorrows by Dev Agarwal 
Prisoners of Devil Dog City by Adrian Cole

Monday, 11 March 2024

Floating Free to be published in September

I just received notification that a longish story of mine called Floating Free has been accepted for publication in September this year.

More details later.


Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4

 

Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4, published in June 2022.
 

amazon.com

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 contains eleven tales:

In the Iron Woods by Dev Agarwal
My People Were Fair and Wore Stars in Their Hair by Andrew Darlington
At Sea by Geoff Hart
The Flesh of Man by Frank Sawielijew
City at the Mouth of Chaos by Adrian Cole
In the Belly of the Beast by Edward Ahern
The Tracks of the Pi Nereske by Wendy Nikel
Slaves of the Monolith by Paul D. Batteiger
The Green Wood by David Dubrow
Demonic by Phil Emery
The Whips of Malmac by H. R. Laurence

Sunday, 10 March 2024

Day Thirty-Two of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3

 


Day thirty-two of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3, published in November 2021.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

Contents are:
Sorcerous Vengeance by Lorenzo D. Lopez 
Seal Snatchers of Jorsaleem by Tais Teng
When the Gods Send You Rats by Chadwick Ginther 
Mother's Bones by Carson Ray 
In the Lair of the Snake-Witch by Darin Hlavaz
The Rains of Barofonn by Mike Chinn
Wardark by Craig Herbertson
The Foliage by Rab Foster 
In the Lair of the Moonmen by Jon Hansen 
Sailing on the Thieves' Tide by Adrian Cole
 
The covers and interior artwork are again by Jim Pitts.
The book is 270 pages and will cost £11.99 (£2.99 kindle).

Saturday, 9 March 2024

Day Thirty-One of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror

 


Day thirty-one of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror by David A. Riley, published in 2021.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

A Grim God's Revenge by David A. Riley includes fourteen dark tales of fantasy and horror ranging from 1971 to 2020.

Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020

Friday, 8 March 2024

Day Thirty of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2

 


Hot on the heels of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1, our book being showcased today is Volume 2.

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2 is available as a paperback and ebook.
The paperback is £11.99; the kindle version is £2.99
 
The contents of Volume 2 are:
Introduction by David A. Riley
The Essence of Dust by Mike Chinn
Highjacking the Lord of Light by Tais Teng
Out in the Wildlands by Martin Owton
Zale and Zedril by Susan Murrie Macdonald
The Amulet and the Shadow by Steve Dilks
Antediluvia: Seasons of the World by Andrew Darlington
A Thousand Words for Death by Pedro Iniguez
Stone Snake by Dev Agarwal
Seven Thrones by Phil Emery
The Eater of Gods by Adrian Cole 

Illustrations by Jim Pitts. 

Amazon.co.uk £11.99 paperback/£2.99 kindle

Amazon.com $16.97 paperback/$4.23 kindle

Parallel Universe Publications

Thursday, 7 March 2024

Day Twenty-Nine of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1

 

Day twenty-nine of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of our most popular book so far: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1.
 
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy is intended to be the first in a series of swords and sorcery anthologies.

The contents of Volume One are:

INTRODUCTION - David A. Riley

THE MIRROR OF TORJAN SUL - Steve Lines

THE HORROR FROM THE STARS - Steve Dilks

TROLLS ARE DIFFERENT - Susan Murrie Macdonald

CHAIN OF COMMAND - Geoff Hart

DISRUPTION OF DESTINY - Gerri Leen

THE CITY OF SILENCE - Eric Ian Steele

RED - Chadwick Ginther

THE RECONSTRUCTED GOD - Adrian Cole

The cover and all the interior artwork is by Jim Pitts. 
 
amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

Parallel Universe Publications

Wednesday, 6 March 2024

Day Twenty-Eight of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales by David A. Riley

 

Day twenty-eight of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales by David A. Riley, illustrated by Jim Pitts.

After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales by David A. Riley, illustrated by Jim Pitts contains the following stories:
Three Eyed Jack
The Fragile Mask on his Face
Terror on the Moors
The Shade of Apollyon
Writer's Cramp
Fish Eye
Boat Trip
Prickly
After Nightfall

Here are just a couple of the over 20 illustrations, most of which are full page.


The paperback version and kindle are available through amazon, the paperback can be ordered direct from us:
 The hardcover version of this book is now out of print.

Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Day Twenty-Seven of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts

 


For day twenty-seven of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications it's the second volume of art by Jim Pitts, appropriately titled The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts, which is available to order either direct from us or via various online outlets like amazon as a hardcover or large-sized paperback. 

Since we brought out The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts in 2017 Jim has been constantly busy, including interior artwork for Elak: King of Atlantis and After Nightfall & Other Weird Tales, covers for Phantasmagoria magazine, and a host of other projects, with new techniques and fresh designs. 

The Ever More Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is a fitting sequel to the first volume, published in hardcover and packed with black and white and full-colour illustrations.

These are just a few of the pages from this book:





All copies ordered direct from PUP will be signed by Jim Pitts and include some great extras.
To order direct from PUP click on this link

 Amazon.co.uk £25.00

Monday, 4 March 2024

Day Twenty-Six of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts

 

 
Day twenty-six of showcasing books by Parallel Universe Publications brings us to our most ambitious project yet: The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts.
 
Celebrating over 40 years of work in the fantasy/horror genres, The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is a large-size 212-page hardcover book containing hundreds of black and white and colour illustrations created by one of the finest fantasy artists in the UK. Included are articles by people who have worked with and known Jim for many years: Brian Lumley, David A. Sutton, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, Jon M. Harvey, Peter Coleborn, Nick Caffrey, and David A. Riley. 
The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is a numbered, limited edition of 250 copies, each of which is signed by Jim Pitts. As such it is only available direct from us. It cannot be ordered from Amazon or anywhere else.

To order the hardcover version of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts click onto this link.
To order the softcover versions direct from us click onto this link.

Also available in soft cover in two volumes:



Sunday, 3 March 2024

Day Twenty-Five of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Christmas in the Workhouse & Other Gruesome Tales by Craig Herbertson

 


For day twenty-five of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications it's Craig Herbertson's Christmas in the Workshouse & Other Gruesome Tales.
 
This is the second collection of stories written by Craig Herbertson to be published by Parallel Universe Publications. A musician and songwriter, Craig lives in Edinburgh with his partner and children. Craig is one of the original authors included in the infamous Pan Book of Horror Stories series. Two of his stories received honourable mentions in Ellen Datlow's renowned lists - The Best Horror of the Year. When not writing Craig is playing folk music, mostly Scottish, or watching football.Some of the stories in this collection show the influence of some of his favourite writers, including Philip K. Dick and J. G. Ballard.
 
An ideal present for Christmas for anyone who loves well-written, dark, sardonically macabre stories, complete with several spot illustrations by Chrissie Demant and one illustration by Craig himself.  Published in hardcover (now OOP) with an illustrated dustjacket, this is one of the best collections we have ever published. It is still available as a paperback and kindle eBook.

To order the softcover direct from us click on this link. 

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Saturday, 2 March 2024

Day Twenty-Four of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: The Crabian Heart by Erik Hofstatter

 


Day twenty-four of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's The Crabian Heart by Erik Hofstatter. 
 
The Crabian Heart: A Synopsis

Irena and her thirteen-year-old son AleÅ¡ are refugees living in a lonely seaside town of Dover, England. AleÅ¡ has never seen an ocean, let alone one that glows purple when he’s nearby. On a local beach, he befriends the ostensible Mother of Crabs, an amputee with rigid demeanour and unequivocal warnings. Soon, purple crustaceans crawl behind his every step and women with pincers threaten to recondition his sensitive heart.

Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer and a member of the Horror Writers Association. Born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic, he roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. He now dwells in Kent, where he can be encountered consuming copious amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as Morpheus Tales, Crystal Lake Publishing, The Literary Hatchet, Sanitarium Magazine, Wicked Library, Tales to Terrify and Manor House Show. Other works include The Pariahs, Amaranthine and Other Stories, Katerina, Moribund Tales and Rare Breeds.

Starburst magazine by Jon Towlson.

"...the emotional tug that The Crabian Heart exerts on the reader is palpable. The Crabian Heart is also a coming-of-age tale, one that resonates with the pangs of unrequited love. And as such, it concludes, like all great coming-of-age stories, with a very difficult and painful realisation for the love-struck main character. By the end of its 100 pages you will find yourself both haunted and moved by Hofstatter’s evocative writing."


"I like this little collection a lot. Definitely a case of bigger not always being better. Hofstatter could have watered this down with more words, but that would have taken the impact out of the stories. I also like how he slips a lot of important messages into his work. For example “people are scared of what they don’t know…or understand,” says Enola, as she and Ales walk along the beach. Zsofia tells him that life is a gamble and his mother points out that the powers that be make the rules that govern us and we have to go where they tell us to. Ultimately, the decisions of what we do are ours, but I’d like to suggest that you try a copy of The Crabian Heart.   That forward is going to be the icing on the cake!"

Hardback, paperback & kindle:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com

You can order the hardcover version direct from us on this link, post free.
You can order the softcover version direct from us on this link, post free.

Friday, 1 March 2024

Day Twenty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Parlour Tricks by Carl Barker

 


For the start of a new month and day twenty-three of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications we have Carl Barker's collection of short stories: Parlour Tricks. 
 
The cover illustration is the work of talented artist Luke Spooner.
 
Devil worshippers stalk the ageing boards of Blackpool Pier, a scrap-yard automaton devours the souls of lost children, and a murderous priest hunts an ancient she-demon through the streets of New York.
A selection of horror stories to chill the blood, featuring revenant felines, garbage-eating clairvoyants, flesh-eating magpies and a severed head with murder in mind.
 
Unexploded Girlfriends (c) 2010 was first published in Dark Horizons, Issue 57, BFS Journal, Winter 2010.
From Chatterton Hill (c) 2011 was first published in Estronomicon, October 2011.
Old Loves Die Hard (c) 2012 was first published in Title Goes Here, Issue 12, July 2012.
Eater of Lost Causes (c) 2011 was first published in Full Fathom Forty, BFS, October 2011.
With The Band (c) 2013 was first published in Niteblade, Issue #25, September 2013.
Fish Out of Water (c) 2011 was first published in Midnight Movie Creature Feature, May December Publications, October 2011.
Kicks (c) 2013 was first published in Miseria's Chorale, Forgotten Tomb Press, November 2013.
Why the Wild Things Are (c) 2010 was first published in Zombie Zoology, Severed Press, May 2010.
The Man Who Came to Dinner (c) 2009 was first published in Midnight Street, Issue #12, April 2009.
Things Lost in Fire (c) 2011 was first published in Dark Gothic Resurrected, October 2011.
Junkyard Dog, The Certainty of Chance, The Cabinet of Ed Monroe, and Lemming Revolution (c) 2016 are all original to this collection.

Paperback & kindle: