HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A big shout-out to my readers and viewers of this website (hopefully you are one and the same *wink*), wishing you all the best for 2015 and beyond. This year is going to be a big one for me - for the first time in my short writing career, I have put together a publishing schedule. I know - Shock! Horror! 

2015 publishing schedule is as follows:

March - 3 x eBooks, 1 x print + eBook

June - 3 x eBooks, 1 x print + eBook

September - 3 x eBooks, 1 x print + eBook

December - 3 x eBooks, 1 x print + eBook

I've looked at my progress as an author and feel that this schedule is completely achievable (knock on wood) unless I happen to lose a limb et cetera. At least two of the print titles will be full novel-length works, one of which will be the sequel to my first horror/thriller novel 'Blood Related.' There will be a fresh collection of short fiction (horror-based, similar to 'Dreams of Thanatos'), a collection of non-fiction essays (related to art & literature), a collection of short 'literary fiction' and a new series of short horror fiction, plus some short thriller fiction also. So, lots to do, lots to write - very excited, I think this year will hopefully see my back-catalog grow and (hopefully) my readership, as a direct result.

As you may have noticed, the website has a new more minimalist look and feel. I hope you like it and that it makes your visits easier on the eye. As always, any suggestions you may have regarding the look of this website and the content are always welcome (use comments link beneath posts). 

I have a relatively new title that is available #FREE for all new subscribers - so, if this is your first time visiting, please take a second to subscribe now so you can grab a free copy of 'One Way Ticket' and stay tuned for exclusive news and info regarding new releases and posts and subscriber give-aways in the near future.

Fast Train To Hell . . .
From the belly of the swamp issues forth a visit in the middle of the night from a force as dark and unimaginable as hell itself. Poor pig-farmer Abel Laroux, must battle the demons of his past as well as the nightmarish reality of the present, as he confronts a devilish visitor who has come to collect on an outstanding debt, inherited by Abel from his forefathers.

Bonus Features: Includes an excerpt from the author's novel, 'Blood Related' + the long poem 'The Temper of The Tide', in its entirety.

Warning: contains adult content + themes of supernatural & psychological horror.


'One Way Ticket' is a gothic supernatural horror story set in the bayous of Louisiana/New Orleans. It was originally published in the anthology 'Terror Train' by James Ward Kirk Fiction (see link at foot of this page for link) and is also available as an audio podcast. (If you want to skip the preamble and go straight to the story it begins at 5:40.)

One of my New Year resolutions is to post a lot more content here so please make sure you're subscribed to stay in touch. I'd love to hear from any readers out there too - especially in regards to any future works you might like to see from me or just to say 'hi.' Anyway, all the best for 2015 to you - may it be a year filled with prosperity, laughter and good health. Thanks for reading.

Will.

SUBSCRIBER GIVE-AWAY - LIMITED TIME OFFER

Hi everyone. As it is fast approaching Christmas and the end of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to have a book giveaway for my readers (new and old alike). 2015 is going to be a busy year for me and I hope to be able to produce many more quality books that my readers will enjoy. I will also be branching out into new genre territory with a collection of scary stories for Young Adult readers, a collection of spooky stories for children and my first literary fiction novel. For those of you who like my adult horror, don't worry, there will be plenty more in the new year ahead. I also have a thriller novel and short-fiction series on the boil which, all going well, should be ready to release in the second half of 2015. In order for me to tell you when new releases, giveaways and other cool stuff is happening, please subscribe now to stay in touch. In the meantime - here is how to grab your freebie!

The deal is:

1. Be one of the first ten NEW subscribers to this website and you will receive (by email) a code which will enable you to download for free, my popular collection of short horror stories - 'Dreams of Thanatos: Collected Macabre Tales.'

2. If you are already a subscriber, please indicate so below in the comments that you have already subscribed to this website and I'll email you a copy as a thank-you for your support.

All you need to do to subscribe is click the picture below.

Ready! Steady! . . . GO!

CLICK PICTURE TO SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe, Freebie, Giveaway, Dreams of Thanatos, Smashwords, #FREE

Merry (early) Christmas! Three #FREE Kindle downloads for you. (PROMOTION NOW FINISHED)

Promotion now finished - thanks for downloading. If you did grab one or more of these freebies and enjoyed it - hopefully you'll return the Christmas cheer and drop a brief (but fair) review on Amazon or Goodreads. If there are any other stories you'd like to see me write I'm more than open for suggestions etc. Just leave a comment below. Hope you all have a great week.

Will.


Hi everyone, hope you've all had a great week and are on-track for a good holiday ahead. I have decided to list three free titles on Amazon for you this weekend to add to your TBR kindle queue. The first is a small poetry collection called Moment of Freedom: Selected Poetry - it has received very good reviews since publication and is currently sitting at #1 in the Amazon Kindle store category for 'Good & Evil.' To whet your appetite, here is one of the reviews:

"5.0 out of 5 stars The New Modernism 

April 1, 2013 By Anthony Servante

Format:Kindle Edition

Reviewed in the Servante of Darkness Blog

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 intellectual tapestry, slipping his words in and out of subjective and objective observations, pulling and pushing the reader to envision the completed tapestry while savoring the in's and out's of the words themselves, much as we watch a movie without thinking about the camera work or actor interpretations of the screenplay. As Peter Gabriel points out in The Cinema Show regarding the use of cosmetics: "Concealing to reveal."

Let's consider the "The edge of the night" from MOMENT OF FREEDOM: Selected Poetry. First off, two notes: the title Moment of Freedom is ironic in that the title indirectly states, a lifetime of slavery to the "moment of freedom", much as the term "a cloudless clim" from Lord Byron, must incorporate "cloud" to denote an empty sky: an image to convey emptiness rather than simply using the unpoetic "empty" to state such. Second, the poem's title capitalizes the article but not the noun or prepositional phrase, combining poetic license with standard grammatical rule (namely "The", the first word in the line, must be capitalized). The intellectualizing has begun; William flaunts the world's rules by obeying them as he pleases, this, a moment of freedom.

To discuss William's deliberate misuse of grammar would be folly as it is part of the pursuit to reach the reader. Note also his use of metaphor and litotes. To say simply: "a corpse" is not in his vocabulary; he metaphorically says "dinner" and the diner, death ("the dead!"). Knowledge is life, and life is accepting death: "The darkness comes from knowing nothing is ours, except death...." The first slip into litotes comes from a shift into prose from the metaphor: "...to wake with a sore splitting back from the cold floor in borrowed clothes and eyes..." and with the "borrowed...eyes" shifts back to poetry and metaphor. These are very aesthetic acrobatics.

Furthermore, in the line "To wake up and see the sun if not the glare from beyond" we see additional shifts with the sun at once literal and figurative (as that solar body we find upon waking and as a metaphor for the afterlife). William maintains the balance between shifts throughout the work and ultimately "time" becomes a "cannibal" eating us as we sleep and wake, with varying degrees of metaphoric intents. Thus, the final line of Part II captures this fatality of cannibalism of the self as William becomes the "I" of the poem and states the thesis with the "if", bringing together the personal and the intellectual in Part III: "The science of the mind corroded the body, blinded every mile I ever burnt in this life and the next if there ever were such a thing."

A work in three parts, "The edge of the night" is representative of the poetry throughout MOMENT OF FREEDOM. Think of the book as a complete poem with each individual poem making up the whole. I do not recommend jumping around reading individual works, but rather beginning to end, as one would read James Joyce's Ulysses or William Burroughs' Naked Lunch. It is a work worthy to be mentioned with these modernist authors."

 

The next free title is a horror short called 'CREEP' - here is another review that appropriately sums up this collection:

"5.0 out of 5 stars A New Horror Mythos Begins  

May 18, 2013 By Vincenzo Bilof

Format:Kindle Edition

An origin story drenched in blood, "Creep" is an excellent precursor to an intriguing premise. By reading the title and the story synopsis, readers will know what to expect from this tale, but Cook's method of introducing his new brand of madness is where the intrigue lies.

Cassandra's development is the result of the detailed writing that Cook uses to capture the sensory deprivation and overload; emotions broil over in stomach-churning revelation. The story is a moment of self-discovery for Cassandra; with so many torture movies and stories on the market, the audience is quite familiar with this scenario. However, this story is the chrysalis; Cassandra's physical and emotional transformation is revealed through the amount of detail Cook pours into the environment around her. On the literal level, "Creep" offers visceral scares and bestial symbolism to explain Cassandra's moment.

Read by itself without any further context, "Creep" stands by itself well enough. It's a quick read if you allow yourself a quiet, dark place to read with low light. Cook continues to improve as a writer; there are still some moments / actions that are characterized through "telling" rather than showing, but this remains a personal preference of mine. Personally, I don't think Cook necessarily has to include this origin story in the upcoming novel; it can be referred to in scattered flashback moments, because this is rather a complete episode in Cassandra's life.

Considering what the story is designed to achieve/explain, Cook delivers upon his promise: the terror is personal and life-changing for Cassandra, and he explains why with well-crafted imagery and moments of revulsion.

Side note: Cook included one of my favorite scenes from his highly recommended novel, "Blood Related." There's enough entertainment value in this package to turn lovers of serial killer horror into William Cook fans."

And finally, the last free title is a Young Adult supernatural thriller called 'Dead and Buried.' Here is another customer review to give you an idea of what it's all about:

"5.0 out of 5 stars A Novella Packed with Punch  

March 30, 2014 By Diane J

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

I just finished reading this book and was not disappointed! I know it is a young adult thriller, but it is a great read for anyone fond of horror, the underdog finally getting his chance at retribution, and a good ghost story. I read the whole thing in one sitting because it was so good. It is not for younger readers, the youngest I would recommend is probably 13 or 14, because it is quite graphic in places but the theme of the story allows for that factor. Donny is a very tortured young man and he does the best he can to cope with a cruel world not of his making. This will grab you and keep you enthralled until the end."

  
Merry (early) Christmas - go for it! Please share this post and if you like the work please take a moment to say thanks and drop a quick review when done. 

Cheers


Will


AMAZON U.S. - http://www.amazon.com/William-Cook/e/B003PA513I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_11?qid=1417813810&sr=8-11

AMAZON U.K. - http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Cook/e/B003PA513I/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_4

#FREE, #MerryChristmas, #MerryXmas, Amazon, CREEP, Giveaway, Horror, Kindle, Moment of Freedom, Poetry, William Cook, YA, #YA, Young Adult, Dead and Buried

Call for nominations for the SFFANZ Sir Julius Vogel Awards.

Nominations are now being accepted for the SFFANZ 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Awards (see below for link/details) and I have two books that are eligible for the ballot this year: Dreams of Thanatos: Collected Macabre Tales and Corpus Delicti: Selected Poetry.

The nomination period will close at 8.00pm on 31st January 2015. The awards recognize excellence in science fiction, fantasy, or horror works created by New Zealanders and New Zealand residents, and first published or released in the 2014 calendar year.

Anyone can make a nomination and it is free! To make a nomination please email sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz. 

Just copy and paste the following info (for one or both) into the body of your email:

WHAT to Put On the Nomination

For Dreams of Thanatos: Collected Macabre Tales

ESSENTIAL Information
This is to enable SFFANZ to verify and process the nomination.

1. Name / Title of work - Dreams of Thanatos: Collected Macabre Tales
2. Name of Producer / Author / Creator - William Cook
3. What the work is i.e. - Collection (Short Fiction)
4. Year of First Release - 2014
5. What category you think the nomination belongs to - Professional Awards - Best Collected Work
6. GENRE - Horror
7. Contact details of the person making the nomination e.g. email or/and phone number

NOTE : If the only contact details you have are the publisher's contact information on the book you are nominating, that should be sufficient.

HELPFUL Information But NOT Essential

1. Publisher / Production company name - King Billy Publications
2. How to contact the producer / author - williamcookauthor@gmail.com, 64 4 385 2456
3. Other details about the work, that might be relevant - Print, Mobi, Epub
4. Where to get a copy of the work - Amazon, Kobo, Author
5. Any other comments you wish to add

 ****************************************************************

For Corpus Delicti: Selected Poetry

ESSENTIAL Information
This is to enable SFFANZ to verify and process the nomination.

1. Name / Title of work - Corpus Delicti: Selected Poetry
2. Name of Producer / Author / Creator - William Cook
3. What the work is i.e. - Collection (Poetry)
4. Year of First Release - 2014
5. What category you think the nomination belongs to - Professional Awards - Best Collected Work
6. GENRE - Horror
7. Contact details of the person making the nomination e.g. email or/and phone number

NOTE : If the only contact details you have are the publisher's contact information on the book you are nominating, that should be sufficient.

HELPFUL Information But NOT Essential

1. Publisher / Production company name - James Ward Kirk Fiction (U.S.)
2. How to contact the producer / author - williamcookauthor@gmail.com, 64 4 385 2456
3. Other details about the work, that might be relevant - Print, Mobi, Epub
4. Where to get a copy of the work - Amazon, Kobo, Author
5. Any other comments you wish to add

 ********************************************************************************

HOW Many Times May You Nominate?

1. You may nominate as many works as you feel is appropriate.
2. You may nominate more than one eligible work in the same category. This would suit people who are major fans of one media in particular e.g. people who read a lot of books or short stories.
3. You may nominate the same work in multiple categories if it fits the criteria of those categories.
4. You MAY NOT nominate a work more than once in any given category.

The rules, criteria and categories for the awards can be found by clicking this link. Guidelines for nominations can be found by clicking this link.

*Remember - You don’t need to be a member of any group or organization to vote/nominate, so if you've read my eligible work, why not show your appreciation and support by taking a moment to cast a nomination? I'd really appreciate a nomination as it would be a massive boost to my career as a writer if I won an award like this, or even if my work reached the final ballot.

The categories are (my *books are eligible in the underlined categories):

Professional Categories:
Best Novel
Best Youth Novel
Best Novella or Novelette
Best Short Story  
*Best Collected Work
Best Artwork
Dramatic Presentation
Best Production/Publication
*Best New Talent 
Fan Categories:
Best Fan Writing
Best Fan Artwork
Best Fan Production/Publication 
Special Awards:
Services to Fandom
Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror
 
Once again, the two books I have that are eligible this year are:
Dreams of Thanatos: Collected Macabre Tales and Corpus Delicti: Selected Poetry. 

Of course, these two titles are just a few of the works eligible for nominations, so have a read, take a look and cast away, me hearties.

Thanks for reading and voting (hopefully).

Reviews make the world go round . . .

I try to read and review as many books as possible, especially from those authors who I have read previously and enjoyed. Many of the authors I have read have come by way of recommendation and in my opinion, there is nothing better for a writer than receiving fair, honest and appreciative (of course) reviews. Anyway, I really want to share this one with you guys as Vix makes some delightfully insightful glimpses into each of the stories in my recent collection, 'Dreams of Thanatos.' After reading the review, maybe check out the collection but also, please, leave a comment below and recommend some of your favorite books. Would love to hear what other authors you guys are reading . . .

Amazon Review: 

***** a great collection! 

By Vix Kirkpatrick on July 21, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition

Firstly I noticed the beautiful cover art and then noted at the back in the blurb that WC designs his own, and others, covers – what talent.* [*I have to interject here as the fantastic cover art was done by the talented Steve Upham from Screaming Dreams] 
I was only going to read one story in this book to see if I would be interested or not, hahaha yeah right! I came out of my Kindle many hours later a little staggered and wide eyed.
How have I overlooked this fabulous author for so long? I have read a few of his books but this collection of shorts is intense and shows off his erudite flow and use of words perfectly.
So, on with the stories in this book.
The Reader: my first thought when finishing the final sentence was WTF! This was so brilliant and intense, I was not sure whether to “shut” the book or carry on!
A man gets hooked on reading after the birth of his daughter, what a wonderful thing you may imagine, until it absorbs him in the most hideous way.
Delightfully gore laden WC captures that feeling that US avid readers get when we find a new story or author to indulge ourselves with, only he ratchets up the “forgot to eat dinner” scenario and then bangs you over the head with it!

Kaleidoscope Kid: I have always wondered if human monsters are nurture or nature? This poor chap seems to be part of that question, with such a sad start, middle and end to his life.
I almost wanted visions of my own for the wonderful little critters that visit and chat with him, almost.
I was so glad that Pa got his justice but eeeew what a way to go! Intrigued? You should be! The stories seem to only be getting better in this collection.

What a Man wants: This little show stopping story is much more the clipped, yet deep style I expect from WC (having read his other novels).
A harsh life is described and just as I started to feel sorry for the poor sap he twists his tail (no miss spell!).
Fantastic ending to an icky story.

Blinded by the Light: Quite possible the most sickening first line I think I have ever read, made my stomach knot and retch.
It does not get any better or it becomes more brilliant depending on how you like your grotesque!
Amazing in all its disgusting glory, yet still so full of story.

The Night Terror: Much more flowery and esthetic in its prose this story begins to soothe the thus far shocked and tattered mind that is mine, but I cannot stop reading.
Don’t be fooled though, the initial calm relaxes you into a stupor of rhythm before WC tosses you into the pit of hell fire once more.

Legacy; The Eternal Now and Hereafter: It is kind of scary that these two loons thinking up a declaration of independence and freedom for all using pipe bombs and destruction actually made sense, such is the power of the authors writing skill.
This story lurches from weird to horrific and then onto freaky. By far the longest story in this collection I think “enjoy” would be the wrong word but I was totally engrossed.

Til Death Do Us Part: Hugo does not take his wife’s request for a divorce too well.
This has to be my favourite story for all the mental visuals of gore, even had some smell and touch in there too I think.
Almost tongue in cheek complete with fumbling surgeon, shotguns and clueless cops. This story alone is worth the cost of the collection.

Dead Memories: WC manages to write about love lost in such a beautiful way that you almost don’t notice the dull edge of pain as he then rips your heart out.
As the nightmare hauntings intensify I was not sure of the history but was too wrapped in the destination to care.

The Devil Inside: Poor young Jacob what an awful life he has, but is seems he has an avenger, and they live under his bed.
The Beast has finally matured and is hungry…..
A tale of revenge that left me smiling.

Creeper: The poor crow or creeper bird gets blamed for all the bad things that befall this stuck up idiot! Short and with no obvious outcome this was a snippet of a moment, but wonderfully written.

Conceived by Death: If you want well placed gore and stomach churning horror, this is the read for you; from drug use, murdering of mums and babies to the birth of something unknown WC wraps all of that horror into a great story with a purpose and not just for the sake of more gore of puke factor.

Burnt Offerings: WC does tales of abusive revenge like no other. He is able to portray the pain so that any wrong doings done to the perpetrators don’t feel at all excessive and possibly deserve one ounce more.
Short but not sweet a strong female lead this time.

Pretty Boy: Another bucket load of eeeeew!
Jasper is on the prowl for more fresh flesh to rape and kill when the local police stop him and give out their own brand of unique justice.
I would really like to read the extended version of this! (hint hint)

Aspects of Infinity: Really disliked this story as it was far too abstract in writing style for me to connect with and I was getting bored with my own struggle to keep up.
Am glad this was near the end as not sure I would have continued with the book had it been first.
Just not MY thing, but probably somebodies.

Dead and Buried: Poor Donny and Max. This felt like a really “nice” ending to the whole book, full of possible hope as well as the spine chilling horror, not the usual WC gore and rub your face in it, this was much more subtle and ultimately more intrusive.

Really enjoyed this book of revenge with some strong drinking, smoking, drug and abuse themes going on. I’m sure a shrink would have a field day with WC brain – maybe he should visit Hannibal! That would be a certain match.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Any reviewers out there who would like an e-copy, please contact me via the email address at the foot of the posts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I haven't done any fresh book covers (aside from the Serial Killer Quarterly Magazine monthly covers) and the following titles needed sprucing up, hence the following images (linked for your convenience to the appropriate Amazon page - J):

William Cook (C) 2014.

Free Book download - Update

UPDATE * Thanks everyone for downloading a free copy of 'Devil Inside.' The campaign is now over and many free books were downloaded. As an independent author it is nice to be able to give away something to encourage readers to take a chance on a newbie writer such as myself. I hope that those of you who did take a chance on my work and enjoyed it, will sample some of my other titles available on Amazon and/or leave a fair review.

Reviews go a long way to help authors without the large bank accounts of the big publishing houses, so it is something small that you, the reader, can do to support and encourage writers like myself. Despite not making any money (so far) I love being able to share my stories with the world and feel very privileged to do so. Please leave a comment if you follow this site/blog - I would love to hear from any readers out there (if any) and any suggestions for this website and for the type of stories you'd like to read from me in the future.

Anyway, thanks again and until next time, take care.


William

*******************************************************************************

Hey guys and ghouls my creepy short story, 'Devil Inside,' is officially now ‪#‎FREE‬ (and over the weekend) via Amazon.com just in time for ‪#‎Halloween‬ - grab a copy and share please.

From a customer review:

"Devil Inside is the tale of a young, underachieving boy who suffers abuse at the hands of his drunken father and a lack of attention from his mother, who is also a heavy drinker. Taunts from his teacher compound the issue, and on top of all this, he is having nightmares about a terrible, dark creature as black as night, with red piercing eyes. Is this creature only a dream, or is it a demonic protector sent to watch over the boy and punish those who do him harm? A wonderful tale, told with William Cook's usual attention to gory detail. There are 4 bonus poems and an excerpt from his novel, "Blood Related" too, so I urge any potential reader to take a look into the dark world of William Cook's imagination. You won't be disappointed in what you read!"

AMAZON U.S. http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Inside-William-Cook-ebook/dp/B00B3OCVMC/ref=la_B003PA513I_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414703357&sr=1-8

AMAZON U.K. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devil-Inside-William-Cook-ebook/dp/B00B3OCVMC/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414703661&sr=1-8&keywords=devil+inside

Horrorselfies.com

Taking a stupid 'selfie' is harder than it looks. After three shots, I settled for the top one and posted it at HorrorSelfies.Com - the new initiative from the Horror Writers Association of which I've been a member now for nearly two years. Come and visit the website - lots of cool prizes to win. Playing the game . . .
‪
http://horrorselfies.com/william-cook/

#‎horrorselfies‬
#HWA