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Heading Up the Skelton Crew: An Interview with Israel Skelton

Blu GilliandMay 25, 2017May 23, 2017InterviewsBlu Gilliand, Hellboy, Interviews, Israel Skelton, Joe Hill, Locke & Key, Mike Mignola, Skelton CrewLeave a comment

Locke & Key replica keys by Skelton Crew Studio. — A selection of Locke & Key replica keys created by Skelton Crew Studio.

Skelton Crew Studio, a comic book replica studio based in the wilds of Maine, was founded by Israel Skelton in 2008. A sculptor and creator for more than 30 years, Skelton first made a name for his studio with a replica key based on the critically-acclaimed comic series Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Collaborations with a wide variety of creators soon followed, and Skelton Crew Studio’s work is now highly sought after among collectors and creators alike. Skelton Crew has a busy year ahead of them—more on that in a minute—so we appreciate Israel Skelton taking a few moments to discuss his work with us.

(Interview conducted by Blu Gilliand)Continue Reading

Review: ‘The Halloween Children’ by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

Blu GilliandMay 24, 2017May 21, 2017ReviewsBrian James Freeman, Dave Simms, Norman Prentiss, Reviews, The Halloween ChildrenLeave a comment

The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss
Hydra/Random House (June 2017)
300 pages; $2.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms

A Halloween story is something no reader of horror fiction should ever miss. A broad statement, true, but The Hallowen Children is another Hallowen tale which has knocked it out of the park. This is a disturbing, claustrophobic, beyond enjoyable read which encompasses everything Halloween should be. Of course, parallels will be drawn to The Shining, but that would be extremely unfair to Brian Freeman and Norman Prentiss. The Halloween Children is utterly original and deserves to be given applause on its own merits. This is an everyman’s horror story—the best, most relatable kind—and holds family close to its dark heart.Continue Reading

Reading Stephen King edited by Brian James Freeman Now 80% Sold Out!

Brian James FreemanMay 22, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

READING STEPHEN KING edited by Brian James Freeman, a brand new signed Limited Edition hardcover featuring essays about Stephen King and his work, is now more than 80% sold out!

Featuring insightful essays from Clive Barker, Stewart O’Nan, Frank Darabont, Stephen Spignesi, Richard Chizmar, Justin Brooks, Tony Magistrale, Michael R. Collings, Rocky Wood, Robin Furth, Kevin Quigley, Hans-Ake Lilja, Billy Chizmar, Jack Ketchum, Bev Vincent, Mick Garris, and Jay Franco, this special edition is sure to be a “must read” for fans of the Master of Horror!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Crow Shine’ by Alan Baxter

Blu GilliandMay 22, 2017May 21, 2017Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Alan Baxter, Crow Shine, ReviewsLeave a comment

Crow Shine by Alan Baxter
Ticonderoga Publications (November 2016)
$29.99 hardcover; $22.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

The first short story I ever read by Alan Baxter was “In Vaulted Halls Entombed,” which featured a group of soldiers chasing terrorists into a cave in Afghanistan only to see them trapped by something their training never prepared them for. Since then, I always get excited when I see his name attached to an anthology.Continue Reading

“The Officer’s Club” and “The Phone Call”

Blu GilliandMay 19, 2017May 18, 2017Exhumed" "The Phone Call", "The Officer's Club, Columns, Exhumed, K. Edwin Fritz, Roman A. Ranieri5 Comments

Hello again, fans of the Dance. This is the seventh installment of monthly double reviews studying the structure of great horror fiction published in our beloved Cemetery Dance.

Last time I reviewed two Barry Hoffman stories: “An Island Unto Herself” from Cemetery Dance #1 (1988) and “Vicious Cycle” from Cemetery Dance #26 (1997). If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do so and let me know what you think.

In keeping with the popular notion of reviewing two stories by the same author separated by time, this month I’m going to dive into a pair of Roman A. Ranieri stories. The first, once again from Cemetery Dance #1, was published in 1988. The second, from Cemetery Dance #23, was published in 1996.

Let’s see what eight years of separation did for ole’ Roman’s skill set… Continue Reading

Review: ‘Life in a Haunted House’ by Norman Prentiss

Blu GilliandMay 17, 2017May 16, 2017ReviewsKevin Lucia, Life in a Haunted House, Norman Prentiss, ReviewsLeave a comment

Life in a Haunted House by Norman Prentiss
Amazon Digital Services (May 2017)
175 pages; $0.99 e-book
Reviewed by Kevin Lucia

I absolutely love coming of age stories. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’m an overgrown kid myself. Maybe there’s something inside me which looks back on those years fondly, but also remembers how hard it was to be a kid. Everyone expects you to “grow up” and figure out what it is you want to do with your life, all before your sixteenth birthday. I remember those years well, and as a high school teacher, I see it enacted before me, in living color, every single day. So I’m always a sucker for a well-told, engrossing coming of age tale. Continue Reading

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar — Publication Day Has Arrived!

Brian James FreemanMay 16, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

The big day is here! Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar has officially been published and we’re down to our very last copies of the First Edition, First Printing! From here on out, retailers and distributors will be getting the SECOND PRINTING, so don’t miss your chance to own a piece of publishing history by snagging a copy of the very first edition of this exciting new title!

In celebration of the publication, Entertainment Weekly has published a great new article: Stephen King made a frightening proposal with Gwendy’s Button Box: Write a story with him.

If you haven’t ordered Gwendy’s Button Box already, here are those links again:

Trade Hardcover Edition: Cemetery Dance Publications

eBook: Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes

Audio: Amazon * Audible on Amazon * Audible.com

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: ‘Savage Jungle’ by Hunter Shea

Blu GilliandMay 16, 2017May 14, 2017Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Hunter Shea, Reviews, Savage Jungle, Severed PressLeave a comment

Savage Jungle by Hunter Shea
Severed Press (April 2017)
198 pages; $11.95 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Fresh from their adventure in Scotland, Natalie McQueen and her brother Austin are called upon to aid Henrik Kooper in his quest to find the lost city Gadang Ur and the elusive Orang Pendek. Go ahead and Google it. You’ll find it’s every bit as much of a thing as Bigfoot, Yeti, The Jersey Devil, and The Loch Ness Monster—all cryptids Hunter Shea has written about in previous books. As a matter of fact, Savage Jungle is a sequel to his book Loch Ness Revenge.Continue Reading

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King Slipcased Gift Edition Now 75% Sold Out!

Brian James FreemanMay 15, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

Stephen King and Owen King collectors please take note, 75% of our Oversized Slipcased Hardcover Gift Editions of Sleeping Beauties are now reserved, just two weeks after the special edition was officially announced!

This is a ONE-TIME printing of 1,750 illustrated copies, which will be printed in two colors with two-color hot foil stamping, a fine binding, epic wrap-around cover artwork, nearly a dozen interior color paintings by Jana Heidersdorf, and this huge volume will be housed in a custom-made slipcase. There will be NO SECOND PRINTINGS for this special edition, so once they are gone, they are gone!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

‘Life in a Haunted House’ – The Story Behind the Cover(s)

Blu GilliandMay 15, 2017May 14, 2017InterviewsArt, Covers, Interviews, Life in a Haunted House, Lynne Hansen, Norman PrentissLeave a comment

Norman Prentiss’ new novel, Life in a Haunted House, debuts May 15 at Amazon as an eBook (with a trade paperback soon to follow). To celebrate the book’s launch, he decided to do an interview with the book’s cover artist, Lynne Hansen. In addition to having Lynne create covers for some of his own books, Norman is also the editor of Cemetery Dance’s eBook line, and he frequently hires Lynne to create covers for Cemetery Dance ebooks.Continue Reading

Cutting Class for a Higher Education

Blu GilliandMay 12, 2017Video VisionsColumns, Hunter Shea, Video Visions6 Comments

Here’s a little public service announcement that you’ll never get on TV.

Nothing helped foster my career as a horror writer more than cutting entire days of class when I was in college. Not only that, it also provided the foundation of my marriage.

Now there’s a one-two punch I never would have gotten from another psych or communications class. Continue Reading

Hap and Leonard: Savage Season Joe R. Lansdale Signed Limited Edition Hardcover!

Brian James FreemanMay 12, 2017May 10, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

We’re very pleased to report we will be receiving copies of the signed Limited Edition hardcover of Hap and Leonard: Savage Season from SST Publications in the UK! Only 270 copies will be produced, so we’re expecting this to be a hot collectible among Joe R. Lansdale fans!

THE FIRST HAP AND LEONARD GRAPHIC NOVEL!

A rip-roaring, high-octane, Texas-sized thriller, featuring two friends, one vixen, a crew of washed-up radicals, loads of money, and bloody mayhem.

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best friends, yet they couldn’t be more different. Hap is an east Texas white-boy with a weakness for Texas women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. Together, they steer up more commotion than a fire storm. But that’s just the way they like it. So when an ex-flame of Hap’s returns promising a huge score. Hap lets Leonard in on the scam, and that’s when things get interesting. Chockfull of action and laughs, Savage Season is the masterpiece of dark suspense that introduced Hap and Leonard to the thriller scene. It hasn’t been the same since.

Here are the details of this limited hardcover edition:
– Signed by Joe R. Lansdale & Jussi Piironen on a specially designed signature page
– Limited to only 270 copies worldwide
– Each copy is numbered by hand
– Premium quality archival ink
– Printed on acid-free paper

Hap and Leonard is now a SundanceTV original series.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King: Sneak Peek At A New Piece of Artwork!

Brian James FreemanMay 11, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

Jana Heidersdorf is making great progress on the artwork for our special edition of Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King, and we wanted to take a moment to show you another painting she has delivered for this project:

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Signed Limited Edition Hardcover!

Brian James FreemanMay 9, 2017Breaking NewsLeave a comment

We’re pleased to report we’ll be receiving copies of the signed Limited Edition hardcover of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel from Subterranean Press!

Emily St. John Mandel’s New York Times bestselling Station Eleven is at once a gripping post-apocalyptic page turner and a hopeful, elegiac masterpiece that explores the connections that bind humanity. Shortlisted for the National Book Award and winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, among many other honors and accolades, Station Eleven has joined the classic pantheon of imagined futures.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

‘Creepshow’ Makes a Comeback

Blu GilliandMay 9, 2017May 8, 2017The Comic VaultBernie Wrightson, Column, Creepshow, EC Comics, George Romero, Horror Comics, Horror Movies, Stephen King News, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

Creepshow Cover It’s unusual for a Stephen King book to be out of print, but that’s been the case with Creepshow, the 1982 adaptation of the George Romero-directed, King-scripted move of the same name. The original edition published by Plume has only been available on the collector’s market—usually at a cost well above its original $6.95 price tag.

If you’ve been holding out, your luck’s about to change. In honor of the 35th (!) anniversary of the book and movie, Gallery 13 is releasing a brand new edition of Creepshow. It arrives May 9 full intact and nearly identical to the original edition, albeit with a slightly higher cover price ($18) and some minor cosmetic differences.Continue Reading

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