William Cook

News, views and reviews. First of all, apologies for the lack of posts lately. I have been extremely busy with my other projects and have been neglecting poor old poetry a bit! You can see what I've been up to at my main website http://williamcookwriter.com. I will be migrating this site to the main one above shortly but will leave a forwarding address so to speak. I recently received the best critique of my poetry that I have ever received. Please check it out below and make sure to visit Anthony Servante's excellent site about Literary Darkness - always something interesting and well-written to consider there. Enjoy! ************* Click here to purchase. William Cook joins the Modernism School of Poetry. From Wiki: “For the modernists, it was essential to move away from the merely personal towards an intellectual statement that poetry could make about the world.” Thus William combines a writing style of prose and poetry to weave an intelle...

William Cook ‘Blood Related’ Review Posted by Matt Molgaard on June 5, 2013 in Authors A-L   Written by: Drake Morgan William Cook’s Blood Related delves into the mind and dark psychology of a serial killer named Caleb Cunningham. The story centers around Cunningham and his family who have all been connected to a series of brutal murders over a number of years. The story begins with a psychiatric overview and then progresses to Caleb’s version of events. The format of the narrative is interesting in that it makes not two shifts, but several. The first chapter is a first-person perspective from a court appointed psychiatrist. Through her, we get a very rough overview of the Cunninghams. We learn that there are twin brothers, both deeply psychotic and sinister. The psychiatrist examines Charlie during the course of a trial, but then becomes heavily involved with Caleb. We learn that Caleb is the true monster and the bulk of the narrative then...

2013 is shaping up to be my busiest year yet (in terms of writing projects).  The Fresh Fear Anthology is going well and the submissions have been of an exceptional standard. Publishing date of September (possibly earlier) is well on track for an achievable outcome. Money has been raised for the payment of contributors and is set aside until contracts have been received and the submission deadline (May 31st) has been reached.  I have had favorable reviews for my latest Kindle release, 'Creep'. If you're quick enough you can get it for FREE today only.   CREEP , is the first story in an exciting and gritty new psychological thriller series. Cassandra: Hunter of Darkness, is a hero to the victim and a merciless angel of death to the evil ones. A killer of killers, she strikes fear into the hearts of those who get their kicks off hurting others. Join Cassandra on her quest for justice and revenge as she begins her journey into the dark underbelly of seria...

Today marks the release of another exercise in self-publishing. CREEP, is the first story in an exciting and gritty new psychological thriller series. Cassandra: Hunter of Darkness, is a hero to the victim and a merciless angel of death to the evil ones. A killer of killers, she strikes fear into the hearts of those who get their kicks off hurting others. Join Cassandra on her quest for justice and revenge as she begins her journey into the dark underbelly of serial murder and takes care of business as only she knows how.  I plan to release companion stories/volumes at the end of each month so stay tuned for the next installment. Available FREE to Kindle Prime members otherwise for under the price of a coffee you can get this now for $1.99  (includes 8,500 word short story + novel excerpt from Blood Related.) "Be careful who you get into a car with, even if that car is a taxi! A dark story of a young girl's date with death. CREEP is a story that will le...

When I'm not writing and looking after my kids I design scary book covers (and not-so-scary ones too!). Here are a few recent covers I've designed and sold.  If you need a cover please consider my work. I'm affordable and reasonably quick and will provide you with a cover that will look professional and eye-catching. Here are some testimonials from satisfied clients: Client Recommendations: “When it comes to cover art, William Cook ’s got the goods. He’s quick, resourceful, easy to work with, and if you’re smart enough to hire him, you’re gonna fall in love with your next cover.” - Peter Giglio, author of SUNFALL MANOR (cover by William Cook) http://petergiglioauthor.blogspot.com/ “When I saw what William Cook had cooked up with the cover to my novel LIFE RAGE, my jaw hit the floor. Here’s a guy who lives up to his name. A master chef when it comes to illustration, I can’t praise this guy enough. Having the novel co...

Rainstorm Press’s recent release of “I’ll Never Go Away–Vol. II” featur es 22 creepy tales, including a story of my own . Click on the pic for the Amazon link to the Kindle edition. Print to come soon! Some friends of mine are in this anthology, check out the table of contents:        Breaking In Two by Tracy L. Lyall, Dead Memories by William Cook, Danny in the Dark by Tim Reynolds, Julie by Joshua Skye, Her Laugh by Clint Smith, Daughter’s Prey by Dale Eldon , Perpetual Pill by Tom Barlow, She’s The One For Me by Vincenzo Bilof, Second Wife by Rob Bliss, Protector by Rasmenia Massoud, Dance With Me by Rocky Alexander , The Art of Angling by Rebecca Jones-Howe, She Could Be The One by Philip Harris, The Refrigerator by Jonathan Lambert , Stranger Calls by Tyler Miller, Njord’s Daughter by Christina Morgan, Watcher In the City by Derek Muk, She Likes Surprises by Nathan Robinson, Cold Like Dead by William Andre San...

Sonia Fogal: Interview with the Author of "Blood Related" - William Cook William Cook, author of the great "Blood Related" was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about his book, horror, and the writing experience. He had some fascinating answers. Enjoy! 1. Well I guess I have to ask the question at the top of my mind first. I loved "Blood Related", I thought it was a fascinating read. It is very graphic and very violent so I must ask about where all that came from. I'm assuming you aren't a serial killer so you must have done a great deal of research. Wondering about where you went for that research. I don’t know why but I’ve had a fascination with the darker side of humanity ever since I was a teenager. I am a huge Horror fan; movies, books, art, theory. I’d say that this obsession comes from the same source. In fact if I hadn’t channeled my predilection for darkness into the writing of Horror I would hate to think ...

"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 menta...

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 ant...

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 honest...

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.  CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRAILER!!! CLICK HERE FOR A KINDLE COPY CLICK HERE FOR A PAPERBACK COPY 4.5/5 Amazon Stars  The serial killer genre must be one of the most difficult to write about. Considering that so much research ha...