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.





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.

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.

 

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 CafĆ©, 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.

The moon speaks to me of you (a love poem)

Apologies for the lack of recent posts. I have been writing and have also been quite active on Medium.com lately. For those of you who are o...