Sonia Fogal - A Journey Through Words: "Blood Related" by William Cook

"Blood Related" by William Cook - Review and Giveaway

BLOOD RELATED
BY WILLIAM COOK
 

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS EXCERPTS FROM "BLOOD RELATED" THAT INCLUDE PROFANITY AS WELL AS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL REFERENCES THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE OR DISTURBING
"I remember looking at Charlie and noticing he was visibly erect as he stood there staring, trembling with excitement and fear.
The sick fuck.
I would never stoop to be so obvious.

How tactless!
 
My curiosity got the better of me and I made the mistake of asking Pa why they had to die and, just before he knocked me unconscious, he said that they were a ‘present for a pig.’ Later on, I would find out for myself exactly who Ray Truman was and what he was capable of."

 My Review


“Blood Related” is a fascinating journey through the mind and life of a third-generation serial killer. He is both a victim and a victimizer. He is deeply damaged and mentally ill. He embraces and is turned on by his murderous lifestyle.  He finds fulfillment in it and sees it as an expression of who he is. But he also knows it’s wrong and dreams of “one day becoming a better person”.

 Graphic, tortuous, nauseating violence. Definitely not for the weak of stomach. If you can handle this though, you must read this book.
This book goes way beyond slash-em-up horror. We are witnesses to the life of a serial killer, Errol Cunningham, through his child’s eyes, those of Caleb Cunningham. We learn of the unimaginable horrors that Caleb saw and learned from as a child. He was a witness to, and object of brutal abuse and it contributed to his evolution into the monster he became.  He shows some capacity and desire to love at one point, but the pursuit of what he views as his art will not allow that bond.

  
He is pursued by a policeman who inherited a passion for apprehending a Cunningham murderer from his father, who pursued earlier generations of this murderous family. Caleb is highly intelligent and clever.  He learned how to get away with his crimes from his father and fellow inmates and used those skills to formulate his own methods. 

 We see Caleb transform.  We see it through his own eyes as well as through the eyes of outsiders.  Cook includes viewpoints of policeman Ray Truman, the media and psychologists. This variety of perspectives provides new insights and information on Caleb Cunningham’s psychoses and torturous acts. It is cruel and black and heartbreaking all at once.  He is a deranged, twisted killer, but he is also a victim of a brutal childhood, and he has a desire to love and be loved and to live a normal life buried inside himself.


There were times when a change in perspective occurred and I became confused about who was speaking. There were also spots with grammatical issues or incorrect word choice.  From a plot perspective,  the editing was outstanding. The plot was tight. Grammar and word choice edits could have been better on occasion.

The weaknesses are easily and greatly outweighed by the strengths of this book. If you can't tell, I love “Blood Related”.  It is complex, fascinating and entertaining. You 
know the writing is good when part of you feels sorry for the serial killer. I can’t wait to see what happens next.  I will watch eagerly for the release of the sequel.

I really want you to read this book! And the author has graciously provided an ebook for me to giveaway! Enter to win it below! 
AND
Come back tomorrow for a fascinating interview with Mr William Cook himself!
  
Source: Posted by

April, the month of mayhem!

Recently, a lot of things have been happening. I have joined the team at James Ward Kirk Publishing as Art Director and will be working with Mr Kirk who is publishing an anthology I'm putting together called Fresh Fear: Contemporary Horror, due for release around Halloween this year.

It is the first time I have edited an anthology and the process is quite challenging. Not so much in the proofreading and editing side of things but in the rigorous selection process that is the reading of all the wonderful stories that are still being submitted. The response has been better than I thought and the quality of the submissions is high. Writers who I have looked up to for years have been kind enough to reply to the submission call and lots of exciting up-and-coming indie authors have responded in kind.

In between these events I am putting the finishing touches on a new novel that follows on where Blood Related left off - yes, a sequel. Currently working on a novella for another anthology and a collection of poetry due for release sometime in the months ahead. So all in all, a busy but productive start to the year and I'm glad you readers are coming along for the ride.

If anyone would like a free kindle/pdf copy of any of my books to date, please leave a comment below or contact me via my Facebook page. Have a great April.

*****

If you write good quality scary horror, you may want to consider submitting to Fresh Fear - check it out.

Fresh Fear Anthology: Call for Submissions
 
I am putting together an anthology of quality Horror fiction due for publication Nov/Dec 2013 (print + Ebook). ‘Fresh Fear’ will profile international authors of Horror. There will be some established players and also representatives from the thriving indie scene.

Prerequisite: the stories must be original, previously unpublished and scary as hell!

It’s going to be published by James Ward Kirk Publishing and edited by myself (William Cook). The stories I’m looking for have to induce a sense of Horror/Terror in the reader – the kind of fear that makes someone keep reading but prevents them from sleeping! That is the main thematic criteria. Zombie stories are ok but only something special will be selected from subs. Psychological Horror is preferred. No explicit sexual abuse allowed.

 Looking for short fiction between 3,000-8,000 words (neg.)
(No flash-fiction or Poetry)

The anthology will be available for Christmas so plenty of time to send us your best Horror stories.

Deadline: Submissions open (unless otherwise filled) until August 14, 2013
Standard terms and conditions apply. 

Please send submissions to freshfearantho@gmail.com

 Put FRESH FEAR SUB in the subject line.
Double space, 2 spaces after a period, indent paragraphs, show scene break by a centered ***
don’t double dash — use the dash you want…
No headers, footers, or page numbers.
don’t underline for italics, use italics
Submit work as a Word Doc or RTF.
TIMES NEW ROMAN SIZE 12
put your BIO at the end of the story.

Contributor payment: US $10 per story + contributors copy (Ebook + Print) + discounted wholesale copies for cons etc.

Rights: First World English, Digital, Print, and Anthology.

Rejections/Acceptances will be announced electronically by the end of August, 2013 (if not before). Please include email address on bio.

Kind regards

William Cook + James Ward Kirk Publishing

News and reviews.

Been having a few small successes recently with the publication of a few short stories in some quality Horror anthologies. The first is James Ward Kirk Publishing's Serial Killers Iterum of which I have a few poems and a short story titled Return of the Creep which has received some good feedback.


Here is a review from D.L. Russell:

Serial Killers Iterum March 13, 2013
By D. L. Russell
Format:Paperback
 
Serial Killers Iterum is a collection of poetry, flash fiction pieces and short stories, all edited by James Ward Kirk, under the umbrella of his publishing company of the same name. Kirk has brought together some of the darkest works I have encountered in a very long time and many of the pieces, can only be described as sinister and taboo.

Poetry

From the first poem, which is The Rebel, by Brian Rosenberg, the reader fully understands what is at the heart of this anthology. Rosenberg brings us the facts, fast and honestly; a serial killer, a successful one that is, will hide in plain sight. He will be in the cubicle next to ours, and be the model employee until he goes home and removes the mask of John Q. Public, to become a killer with multiple victims.

Of the twenty-six poems in the anthology, my favorites were Rosenberg's The Rebel, William Cook's Killer, A. B. Stephen's Serial Killer's Ditty, and Three in Me by David Frazier. All the poetry ranged from good to great and all are worth your time.

Flash Fiction Pieces

Like the poetry, the Flash Fiction is dark and menacing in its tones and variety. Being the father of an 8 year old daughter, I could identify with the main character and his motives, right up until the end in Stephen Alexander's Grey. But the ending does leave the door of uncertainty open, just a crack.
There are 9 pieces here and Grey is one of the best. Brian Barnett's Business is Murder and Allen Griffin's Pretend Pain were excellent reads that weigh on the mind long after consumption.

Short Stories

As for the short stories, William Cook's Return of the Creep, a tale of a sadistic cabby and his slow torture of a beautiful young girl, was by far the fullest, most well rounded story. Many of the other pieces read like flash fiction, but here, Cook offers the reader one of the best stories I have read in to this point in 2013. Zach Black's His Father Before Him,is another fine tale about a second generation serial killer who wants to be just like his dad, in every way but one. Also good is Mark Fewell's Amy's Last Dance.
 
After reading the material here, I felt as if I'd been given a different view of the psycho serial killer than can be found anywhere else. This isn't true crime fiction, and it isn't Investigation Discovery, this is a group of writers taking on one of the most difficult sub-genres of speculative fiction, and doing an excellent job at it!

Summary

Overall, I'd call Serial Killers Iterum a winner! After reading the material here, I felt as if I'd been given a different view of the psycho serial killer than can be found anywhere else. This isn't True Crime Fiction, and it isn't Investigation Discovery, this is a group of writers taking on one of the most difficult sub-genres of speculative fiction, and doing an excellent job at it!
 
It's one of those anthologies you should not read in one setting, but over a long period of time. Theme fiction can sometimes be overwhelming when read straight through and, each Poem, Flash Fiction Piece, and Short Story deserves its own moment in the dark!

David L. Russell
Editor
Strange, Weird, and Wonderful Publishing
 
The next anthology to have another story included in is Rainstorm Press' I'll Never Go Away II with my story Dead Memories. 
 

 
More news to come soon.
 
Will

Vincenzo's Zombie Horror Blog: REVIEW: Blood Related by William Cook

Vincenzo's Zombie Horror Blog: REVIEW: Blood Related by William Cook:
REVIEW: Blood Related by William Cook 
Meet the Cunninghams… A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled.


Meet Caleb Samael Cunningham, a diabolical serial-killer with an inherited psychopathology, passed down via a blood-soaked genealogy. Caleb is a disturbed young man whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, and insane alcoholic. After his father's suicide, Cunningham's disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality, as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is to be released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose, when the brothers combine their deviant talents. 
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4.5/5 Amazon Stars 

The serial killer genre must be one of the most difficult to write about. Considering that so much research has been devoted to our understanding of these monstrous people who live among us, the killer is not mysterious. We're fascinated by the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes; the killers are granted immortality by the media and our own innate desire to peer into the darkness of the human heart and mind. How can such monsters exist?

William Cook's presentation of a family of murderers, most notably the twin brothers Caleb and Charlie, is a chronicle that charts the evolution (or de-evolution) of a killer's psyche. There is a plot in this novel, or rather, a series of events that result in the book's conclusion (no spoilers here). A revolutionary plot on the manic scale of Charles Manson, a damaged family unit that has been depicted in classic horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of 1000 Corpses, and the downward spiral of the novel's "good guy" all illustrate the environmental conditions which create such monstrosities. Cook did very thorough research; no stone was left unturned, no cause unexplored.

There are several scenes that may have been more effective if the reader was given a chance to "see" rather than be "told," however, within the greater framework of the novel, which is rather extensive, one can argue that Cook's method only underscore the madness within: there are buckets of gore amid several grotesque mutilations, but all of them are very casually described. Whether from the perspective of a killer who wallows in bloodlust or from files and reports that summarize the grisly murder scenes, the detachment of the prose from the massacre mirrors the mental state of the characters. Descriptions are hardly tense, but rather matter-of-fact.

Grievances with this novel are based on personal preference. As with many serial killer stories, there is a severe lack of an endearing female character. From the perspective of Caleb and Charlie, this is acceptable because it appropriately conveys their worldview; however, I would have liked to see a character contrast with their dark, grimy world. One might argue that a doctor that appears within the pages is this contrast, and the argument is acceptable. In addition, I found some of the information near the end of the novel to be a bit anti-climactic.

Cook knows his material. The contemporary standard for a serial killer novel is, in my opinion, American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis. The fact that I can measure Blood Related against this standard suggests that Cook has accomplished what few writers can with the serial killer story. I've seen Blood Related appear on a few "Best of" lists; I expect Cook to receive accolades for this novel, and future endeavors."
Well 2013 has kicked off with a hiss and a roar. Long may it continue, the hissing and the roaring that is. First of all I'd like to thank all of you who take the time to visit. It really means a lot and supports independent artists and craftspeople like myself. Anyway, this is my site so I guess I better tell you about what's happening in my world at the moment (myopic as it may be). I have started a new novel titled 'Blood Trail' and have finished the first quarter and mapped out the balance with an expected finish of July/August approx. I have nearly completed formatting a rather large dark-poetry collection (title to be decided). 'Songs for the Raven' is an anthology I've been working with and is in the process of taking submissions (I did this book cover for them recently). If you're interested, click on the pic and submit your best literary Horror short:


A few interviews will go live shortly and three separate anthology selections - please stay updated if interested in any of these things via my facebook page.

On other fronts, I have had limited success with my first ventures into self-publishing with the following poetry books. They are all $0.99 titles so if you like poetry, take a punt ;)






My first Kindle short has met with an enthusiastic response and I received my first 1-star review from an indignant reviewer. Sometimes I think people confuse the sample with the whole story! (spoiler alert: stereotypical representations of minor characters) It was supposed to be like an episode from a TV Horror series or Tales From the Crypt. I love and collect vintage EC, Eerie, Creepy and Psycho comics, hence the influence.  Anyway, another $0.99 cent title and recently topping a Goodreads poll


http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/10438.Best_Horror_Short_Stories

Meanwhile, Blood Related is ticking along steadily, not losing or gaining much pace via Amazon but hoping I'm selling a few copies through my publisher, Black Bed Sheet Books (cheaper too)

Anyway, that's about all from me this month but I will be back in a few days with some more posts. One of my many resolutions for 2013 was to be more communicative (and no that doesn't mean spamming!). I'd also like to share a friend's website. He is an excellent writer and all-round good guy, Mr Todd Card. Please take a moment to check out his cool site and his nightmarish creations (esp 'Hell Cometh').


Oh, and one more thing I'm still doing book cover, audio/music/dvd, graphics through my design site  www.bloodsoakedgraphics.tumblr.com if you need anything.

Until next time, see you later. Will.



A busy year ahead


Well, the mandatory salutation - 'Happy New Year', from me to you, is now presented literally. Hope you are kicking into this new year with gusto? Rather than make too many resolutions this year, I have just decided to sacrifice certain aspects of my laziness instead. There is only one way to really attain a peak-production of sorts when it comes to writing (personally speaking) and health must balance with writing/artistic pursuits.

2012:
was a good year for me with the re-release of 'Blood Related' by Black Bed Sheet Books and Nicholas Grabowsky. I received my copy in the mail and I'm very pleased with what Nicholas has done with the book. The editing is tight and the formatting and font-choice are perfect.  Nick has been in the business for years and knows what's what and I'm proud to be party of the BBSB team, alongside the likes of the following great authors, most of who scare the hell out of me in a good way:

 |_ Alan Draven (11)
  |_ Amity Green
  |_ Adam Aresty (5)
  |_ Alexander Beresford (12)
  |_ B.L. Morgan (8)
  |_ Bart Brevik (14)
  |_ Brandon Ford (19)
  |_ Cinsearae Santiago (7)
  |_ Dustin LaValley (5)
  |_ Franchisca Weatherman (9)
  |_ Fred Wiehe (8)
  |_ Gene Tipton
  |_ Joel Eisner
  |_ Horns (9)
  |_ Jake Istre (8)
  |_ Jason Gehlert (26)
  |_ Jason M. Tucker (10)
  |_ Jennifer Caress (10)
  |_ Jessica Lynne Gardner (14)
  |_ Joe L. Blevins (6)
  |_ K.K. (3)
  |_ Lane Morris (9)
  |_ Lincoln Crisler (7)
  |_ Matthew Ewald (19)
  |_ Nicholas Grabowsky (28)
  |_ Nick Kisella (19)
  |_ Nicole Vlachos (15)
  |_ Rey Otis (10)
  |_ Robert Milby (8)
  |_ Roger Sills (1)
  |_ Ruschelle Dillon (5)
  |_ Shannon Lee (7)
  |_ S.C. Hayden (9)
  |_ Sean Davis
  |_ Sharon Day & Julie Ferguson (4)
  |_ Shawnalee McCutcheon-Bell (8)
  |_ Sue Dent (2
  |_ Tom Sawyer
  |_ Vin Doctor
  |_ Wade Garret
  |_ William Cook

Anyway, Blood Related is looking good and ready to enter phase two with the imminent completion and (hopefully) publication of the sequel - 'Blood Trail.' I am a quarter of the way there but can give you a small sample of what's to come as Ray Truman fights his way back from the brink of death and resumes his bloodhunt for Caleb Cunningham. You can read it here. And if you haven't read Blood Related you can get it here on Amazon or (preferably), you can get it at a good price in any format, here direct from the publisher.

Current available titles from William Cook:





There are a couple of Anthologies I will be part of in early 2013, one (?) of which is edited by James Ward Kirk. Who, not only being a bloody nice chap as well as being a Horror stalwart at the helm of some cool anthologies coming out soon, he has chosen a story of mine for inclusion in 'Serial Killers 2,' published by Static Movement Press. Another story has been accepted for publication in a Rainstorm Press anthology due out soon, "I'll Never Go Away II.' I'm also pleased to be part of a covert anthology with another story included (to be announced). I'm sure there's more I haven't mentioned but I'll let you know in another post if anything interesting eventuates in 2013 (that is one of my New Year's resolutions - to be more communicative) :)

Peace, Love, and Horror - 2013, bring it on.

Will

P.s. If you need a book cover I have now done a few other genre-types than Horror, including True Crime, Fantasy, and Poetry. Click on the banner below for more deets.



THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW: NOVEMBER, 2012 Blood Related - Review

Absolutely chuffed to have a great review for Blood Related up alongside the likes of some literary heroes of mine like Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, James A Moore, and Wrath James White.  

THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW: NOVEMBER, 2012 Reviews: NOVEMBER, 2012 REVIEWS


BLOOD RELATED by William Cook (2012 Black Bed Sheet Books / 323 pp / tp and eBook)

Caleb and Charlie Cunningham are twin brothers who each inherited a serial killer pathology.  Their father was a suspected serial killer and their mother was insane, a drunk, and possibly an accomplice.  After Charlie goes to prison and their father commits suicide, the full truth of the Cunningham’s legacy begins to present itself and Caleb’s turns his bloody fantasies into reality.

BLOOD RELATED is told primarily from the point of view of Caleb in the form of journal entries given to a forensic psychiatrist who handled Charlie’s case.  There are also news stories and police reports to support Caleb’s claims about his family.  The story is graphic and the brothers are violent and relentless, although at times I found myself wanting to like Caleb.  The characters are well-developed and tremendously disturbed.  William Cook has written a frightening story that poses the question “is it nature or nurture that determines the birth of a serial killer?”  The only issue I had with the book was that at times I was confused as to the time line of events.  Other than that, I highly recommend BLOOD RELATED, unless you are a bit on the squeamish side.  I would definitely categorize the book as extreme horror.

-Colleen Wanglund

Hi everyone. Well it's been a while but many things have been underway - hence the MIA status. Recently, I was featured on the talented Jerry McKinney's website as one of his 'Featured Friends' and rated a mention on a recent radio talk-back show with host Jeff Mudgett.

I have a new ebook due out by the end of September titled 'Macabre: A Collection of Short Fiction'. As the name suggests, it is a short-story collection of twelve macabre stories that readers will hopefully enjoy. I will make sure to post a link as soon as it goes live. And, finally, Black Bed Sheet Books are re-releasing 'Blood Related' on Halloween and I have also signed a deal with them for the sequel - tentatively titled 'Blood Trail' and halfway to completion. I would expect this to be finished just before or after Christmas and ready for release sometime before midyear 2013. So, a busy second-half for 2012 - if the calendar ticks over into 2013 I suspect next year will be even busier. Hope everyone is well and healthy out there in NetWorld - take care and keep doing what you love.
Will.



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Well, things are happening with Blood Related. My contract is nearly finished with Angelic Knight Press, consequently I have been thinking a lot about where this novel is going and where it has been. For it is not a stand-alone novel in a sense, as I have always planned it to be the central story in a trilogy that would span 3 generations of the characters therein. After accepting the initial publishing offer from AKP a year ago, I also received a couple of other offers a few days after I had signed with them. I stuck with AKP because they gave me my big break as a first-time novelist and for that I am eternally greatful. We haven’t always had the same vision for the book but that hasn’t been a problem as the suggestions offered by AKP were such that they only served to enhance the work. I feel a little bit sad about leaving AKP after a year but I have had another offer from the good folks at Black Bed Sheet Books – one of the inital publishers who wanted to publish BR a year ago.

Sooooo, I have decided to make the leap and relaunch Blood Related with BBSB, who have also offered to publish the sequel when it’s finished. It was a difficult decision to make and I thought long and hard about it. I didn’t expect to make a lot of money from my book in the short term and feel that is a pretty unrealistic expectation for any debut Indie author, but I have big plans for the complete saga and feel that positioning the work with BBSB will best serve this purpose. That is, not to make money but to grow as a series with an increased focus on the Horror of it all (and hopefully make a few dollars on the way).

Nicholas Grabowsky has been an unflinching ally since I approached him over a year ago about Blood Related – the timing wasn’t right then, but the stars have aligned so to speak and i’m very happy to be on board (post August 1) with Captain Grabowsky at the helm. Amongst many other things, Nicholas is the author of Halloween IV and The Everborn, and has a long pedigree of involvement in the Indie and Pro Horror markets. As a result of his tireless work within the Horror industry he has attracted an impressive stable of authors to BBSB. Black Hamster TV is another wing of BBSB’s diverse media presence online and real world: you may have heard of ‘Francy & Friends Radio‘, Hacker’s Source, or Shot in the Dark Comics, all affiliates of BBSB.

This is taken from the BBSB where Mr Grabowsky talks about his publishing/production company and values:

“In October 2008, I set into motion what it takes to establish a bona-fide publishing company out of my garage and two other offices inside my home.  If this venture proves to be an extremely successful one, I’ll still be operating out of my garage and home, but perhaps in larger ones.  Even if it doesn’t go that far, I’ve submerged a great many years of my life into not only the art of writing as a profession, fiction as well as non, but into the entire process of taking something creative from typed manuscripts to computer documents to something scribbled on grocery store paper bags or napkins, packaging them into a bookstore-quality products and presenting them to the world…..my own works, as well as works of others, since 2002 under the name of Diverse Media.  I decided that the time had come to take my publishing pursuits to the next level and to establish Black Bed Sheet Books as a credible, reputable, and successful publishing venture.  Since my reputation and focus is built upon the genre of horror literature, that is what BBS specializes in.  I will not limit myself nor BBS to this genre, and all avenues are open, hence the byline “fine publishers of exemplary literature, fiction and non.”

In the past, I’ve invested my writing career into publishers and agents that fell short of even minimal expectations.  As a result, I’ve become fiercely independent.  I’ve been working for myself and as a result brought myself farther into my career, and I have the will and means to do the same for you.
My objective is to be the ideal publisher I as a writer always wanted to have, and I intend to carry out that mission to the fullest.  I will work with each one of my authors to meet the highest quality publishing standards, and release each title to the broadest marketing and selling potential utilizing all the tools and resources available to me.”


As you can see, the appeal of having someone like Nicholas in your corner, is quite an advantage and a privilege. So it is with a touch of sadness that I bid farewell to AKP and thank them for taking a chance on me and my work and wish them continued growth and success, but it is with a glad heart that I cross the threshold and enter the DownWarden world of Black Bed Sheet Books and all it has to offer.

It is hard for an indie writer to get ahead and unfortunately one must make difficult decisions to do so; life is short but the road is long – the journey twists and turns, climbs and falls, and as long as the way is forward, the horizon looks a bit brighter with every mile forged ahead.  Thankyou to everyone for your past and continued support. More treasures in store for you shortly, I promise.


Check out the original post here.

Carole Gill Official Author Blog: Horror Author and Artist, William Cook Guest Posts...

Carole Gill Official Author Blog: Horror Author and Artist, William Cook Guest Posts...: I live in Wellington – the small wind-blown capital city of New Zealand. I have been writing weird stories ever since I was a kid. My firs...

Introducing Katie Dirge - Owner/Publisher of 'Black Sunday Zine'

Hi everyone, recently I had the pleasure of meeting and working with the fabulous Katie Dirge. Ms Dirge produces the publication, 'Black Sunday Zine. Katie was kind enough to publish some of my work and in turn I would like to introduce you to her and what she does. She is a very interesting lady with a penchant for the dark macabre and I recommend you check out all the links at the bottom of the page. 

 
Katie Dirge – from ‘The House of Dirge’ website introduction:

“Katie is my real name, Dirge isn’t. My love of the Victorian era and its death customs inspired me to take a name that reflects my love and interest. A dirge is commonly known as a song that is played at a funeral or a mournful poem or other literary work. The latter is the true reflection of both myself and my writing. This is not to say I do not like my birth name, I just like to keep my family life and my work separate.

I began writing at an early age, I begun as a poet and then moved into writing fiction. As the years went on I was published in a national magazine on a regular basis and then I started up my own publication in the form of a zine. Black Sunday Zine gives me the chance to write some interesting pieces and interview artists and writers. In the past it has featured pieces on cemeteries, satanists, hearses, horror films, zombies… the list goes on.

I am heavily tattooed and I only dress in black. I have been called “eccentric” and “different” which I can only take as a compliment. I have a fake stuffed crow called One Eyed Eric, I collect candles, I dry roses, enjoy draping everything in red velvet, I buy weird art, I love drinking copious amounts of tea, I love self-published works, I like taking photographs, I collect notebooks and I love religious imagery.”


Black Sunday Zine is Katie’s baby (slightly macabre baby at that!).


Black Sunday was born out of a lack of dark zines that covered the morbid, the macabre and heavy metal - all in one publication. So I wrote some pieces and then decided to get some really interesting and talented people involved like Loren Rhoads; writer and editor of the magazine Morbid Curiosity, artist Chuck Hodi, writer and artist William Cook and various others. No subject goes untouched. I have featured pieces on graveyards, satanists, zombies, hearses, horror films and lots more. As much as I enjoy writing the content I am always open to suggestions in the form of weird tales (both fiction and non-fiction), macabre features and poetry.

Heavy metal is my kind of music and is pretty much my soundtrack for life so it only felt right to include this. I openly invite unsigned bands to feature and I review new and old CD’s as a way of promotion and hopefully introducing readers to an album they have yet to discover! The House of Dirge is my emporium that quite literally houses Black Sunday Zine and soon there will be other items available that will include dark prints and chapbooks. You can get yourself a copy at http://thehouseofdirge.com and follow the links to the shop and the blog.

 
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Latest Amazon Review for Blood Related


5.0 out of 5 stars The Family That Slays Together Becomes a Legend, January 25, 2012
By 
Bruce J. Blanchard "Darkenwulf" (Des Moines, IA) -  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This review is from: Blood Related (Kindle Edition)
It started off so simple. Dr. Mary Brunswick was the court appointed psychologist to define the state of mind of one Charlie Cunningham. During the course of her talks with Charlie, she meets his twin, Caleb. Caleb consults her later on and tells her a story she will not forget, a story of violence, murder, abuse, mutilation, insanity, abduction, and conspiracy. A story that covers a family background beginning with Grandfather Samael, father Errol, and his two sons Charlie and Caleb. What begins as a subplot and gains an increasing importance is a family feud between the Cunninghams and the Trumans, a family of cops and those who don't mind flying over the dictates of the law. What becomes more disturbing is this: as you read through the book, who are you rooting for - the long length of crimes commited by those in the death house on Artaud Avenue or the less than legal obsession by Ray Truman who will use any means to wipe out the family and their crimes.

The main character is Caleb. He and brother Charlie have been abused by both father Errol and mother Vera. They've been raised in an environment of murder, death, and torture. Throughout the story we identify with Caleb: his actions (mostly despicable), his feelings about his family relations, and a seemingly growing insanity fueled by drugs and alcohol. What remains is a story you can follow with Caleb's entries and excerpts from newspapers and crime books. Blood Related is an awesome and ambitious project in the ways and means of the psychopathic mind. A lot of us are looking for answers as why people kill the others around them and do the inhumane. Blood Related may help you in your quest, though the answers aren't easy ones.
This book is one that should Never be overlooked.

Read more great reviews here and try a free sample.

Meet Cindy Keen Reynders - Writer


Cindy Keen Reynders

For Cindy KeenReynders, writing has been, and always will be, her one true passion. Growing up, she discovered a love of words and found that she had an aptitude for turning those words into sentences. Cindy’s latest novel to add to her ‘Saucy Lucy’ series, ‘A Killer Slice’, has recently been released on Amazon.

Over the years Cindy has won various writing contests and has also written for and edited numerous newsletters. She has also sold several non-fiction magazine articles to “True West” and “Wild West,” as well as writing two earlier novels in the ‘Saucy Lucy’ series.  

Cindy lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming with her husband, Rich, and her little dog, Ewok. Her first two books in the Saucy Lucy series are "The Saucy Lucy Murders," and "Paws-itively Guilty," are available through Amazon. She is looking forward to the release of her next novel, ‘The Seven Year Witch’, to be published early 2012 by Angelic Knight Press.

Cindy’s future goals include being able to travel more as time allows and to write, write, write. She constantly challenges herself to develop more entertaining plots, characters and settings. Nothing pleases her more than to be able to tell a good story.  If it touches someone’s heartstrings and makes them laugh or cry, then she knows she’s done her job.



A KILLER SLICE by Cindy Keen Reynders

Lexie Lightfoot’s move home to Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming, with her daughter, Eva, has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s good to be near her family, even though Lucy, her opinionated, churchgoing sister, makes life interesting in a hair-pulling sort of way.

In the recent past, the sisters have called upon their amateur sleuthing abilities to investigate murders in the small community. If matters had been left to Sheriff Otis Parnell, Moose Creek Junction’s incompetent sheriff, who just happens to be Lucy’s husband, the cases would have gone cold.

When it finally seems the snoopy sisters can settle down to a normal routine, some spicy intrigue is tossed their way. During a shower baby shower the sisters are holding for nine-months-pregnant Eva at their small restaurant, the Saucy Lucy Café, a knock sounds at the front door. The young man waiting on the doorstep claims to be Lucy’s long lost son.

Lucy is mortified, swears he’s mistaken and quickly sends him on his way, but he refuses to leave her alone. When he winds up dead, the local police department considers Lucy a suspect in his murder. The sisters embark on yet another crime-solving adventure to clear her good name.

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Order 'A Killer Slice' from Amazon

Check out Cindy’s blog or her website

Find Cindy on Facebook and on Twitter

Make sure to hook up with Cindy here to get all the latest news and info about her next novel, 'The Seven-Year Witch.'

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You can also read an interview that Cindy did with yours truly on her blog here.

#Tumblr #Blood #Related by #William #Cook

Macabre Art by William Cook - Serial Killer Fiction - Blood Related by William...

BR Bytes
This was my original title for 'Blood Related' and my original idea for a cover.

A Banner if you feel like pimping ;) Please link to http://bloodrelated.wordpress.com 

This was my original cover concept for BR before I handed it over to AKP

Final cover and title

Serial Killer Fiction - Blood Related by William Cook
Available now from Amazon:
$3.99 Ebook edition: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Related-ebook/dp/B006QG1WA4/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=133140011&s=digital-text



“Dark and deeply disturbing.”
- Jonathan Nasaw, author of Fear Itself and The Girls He Adored.

“Blood Related is a nasty but nuanced take on the serial killer genre. Cook’s bruising tale of twin psychopaths who are as cold as mortuary slabs is not for the weak-kneed.”
- Laird Barron, author of Occultation and The Imago Sequence.

“A thought-provoking thriller.”
- Guy N Smith, author of Night of The Crabs and Deadbeat.

“Great - Riveting - Amazing - take your pick. I just read William Cook’s Blood Related for the second time. Both readings were followed with one thought, Wow. A horrific crime-filled tale of terror that makes us understand why we lock our doors at night, Blood Related is by far the best read I’ve experienced in years.”
- John Paul Allen, author of Monkey Love and Gifted Trust

“Blood Related is a terrifying psychological thriller. William Cook is an author to watch.”
- Mark Edward Hall, author of The Lost Village and The Holocaust Opera.

“William Cook makes serial killer fiction exciting again! Expert narrative, bursting with flare, originality, and enough passion and brutality that even a real-life serial killer will love this book … and it’s twisted and complex enough to make you question your own sanity after the first intense read.”
- Nicholas Grabowsky, best-selling author of Halloween IV and Everborn.

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For over two decades, Detective Ray Truman has been searching for the killer, or killers, who have terrorized Portvale. Headless corpses, their bodies mutilated and posed, have been turning up all over the industrial district near the docks. Young female prostitutes had been the killer’s victims of choice, but now other districts are reporting the gruesome discovery of decapitated bodies. It seems the killer has expanded his territory as more ‘nice girls’ feel the wrath of his terrible rage.

Meet the Cunninghams …
A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death, and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.

Ray Truman’s search for a killer leads him to the Cunningham’s house of horrors. What he finds there will ultimately lead him to regret ever meeting Caleb Cunningham and the deviant family that spawned him. The hunter becomes the hunted, as Truman digs deeper into the abyss that is the horrifying mind of the most dangerous psychopath he has ever met.

More info here on the Official 'Blood Related' site: http://bloodrelated.wordpress.com/

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