Messages

1

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: July 16, 2019, 04:55:22 pm »

https://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/

Started the process to get A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains published within the next few days. Providing there are no unexpected glitches the book should be available in paperback on amazon later this week, priced £11.99.

"A darkly humorous, satirical look at the tight-knit world of horror writers - and their fans. Contains no scenes of violence against actual books, only their authors”

Johnny Mains has been prominent in the horror genre ever since his 2010 debut anthology, Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2011 for best anthology. Mains has been at the forefront of the UK’s new wave of horror, editing Best British Horror (Salt Publishing and NewCon Press), Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians (edited with Robin Ince), and The Screaming Book of Horror.
 
Mains has also written several collections of his own stories: With Deepest Sympathy (2010), Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types (2012) and A Little Light Screaming (2015).
Mains has also written the introduction to Stephen King’s 30th anniversary edition of Thinner, and has discovered ‘lost’ works of fiction by Algernon Blackwood, Edith Nesbit and Daphne Du Maurier.
 
"Johnny Mains is the Herbert van Thal of our age" - The Independent
"Mains' knowledge of fantastical fiction is enormous" - Robin Ince
"Mains is the Minister For Horror" - Charlie Higson"

2

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: June 16, 2019, 05:21:24 pm »

As well as two great reviews for my novels The Return and Into the Dark, I also have a lengthy interview in the current issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine.

Check out my blog for the interview.  http://davidandrewriley.blogspot.com/2019/06/interview-in-phantasmagoria-10.html

3

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: April 20, 2019, 08:50:46 pm »

Below is my review of The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors which has been published in the current issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine.

THE ALCHEMY PRESS BOOK OF HORRORS
Edited by Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards

Anthologies like this used to be commonplace once, back in the day when they were a regular part of the output by major publishers like Pan, New English Library, Sphere Books and Corgi, etc., often by editors like August Derleth, Peter Haining, Kurt Singer, Michel Parry and others. Today it is virtually only the small independent presses that keep the flag flying, though few come close to The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors for giving us such a bumper crop in nearly 400 pages of 25 outstanding stories. Congratulations must be offered to the editors for achieving this!

It would, I’m afraid, be too lengthy a task to discuss every single story, and some worked for this reader better than others, though I would vouch for there not being a single dud amongst them, so I will just highlight a few that I particularly liked. Ramsey Campbell reliably opens proceedings with Some Kind of a Laugh, which is different to but inevitably brings to mind his brilliant novel The Grin of the Dark, where laughter becomes menacing and the make-believe world of entertainment hides a terrifying horror. Samantha Lee goes visceral with a vengeance with The Worm, which would have been a worthy entry into any of the old Pan Books of Horror (of which she was once a contributor!) Marie O’Regan’s Pretty Things very soon belies its name, where masks play a key, sometimes gut-wrenching part. I’ve always enjoyed Mike Chinn’s stories, and Her Favourite Place, which is SF horror,  is one of his best, set in an undersea farm. Tony Richards’ The Garbage Men has an engrossingly claustrophobic nightmare effect and a great climax. It’s a while since I read anything new from Stephen Laws but Get Worse Soon is a cleverly plotted tale about an overly thrifty pound shop customer who literally gets more than he bargained for! It’s a very cleverly told tale. Scarecrows are often frightening creations, and Adrian Cole’s Broken Billy uses one to great and horrifying effect. John Grant’s Too Late shifts reality and perception of what is going on to great effect – and has a truly grand guignol twist at the end. These are just a few of the stories which for me stood out, though the standard throughout is consistently high. It is definitely one of the best anthologies I have come across for quite some time and I would highly recommend it.

If the stories weren’t enough, the book is also illustrated throughout with finely drawn headers for each of the stories by the talented Jim Pitts, adding that extra touch of quality to this book, which concludes with an informative set of Contributor Notes.

4

Promote Your Projects / Re: Parallel Universe Publications

« on: April 10, 2019, 03:34:24 pm »

The price reduction on the signed, numbered, limited edition of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts has now ended and the price has reverted to its original cost of £35 per copy plus postage and packing.

However, a soft cover version in two volumes will be available shortly through amazon, price £15.00 per copy.





http://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/

5

FantasyCon / Re: FantasyCon 2019

« on: March 02, 2019, 11:15:45 am »

Though it would seem to me, naively perhaps, that the BFS website and its own forum would be places where news on these events should at least be posted first, the others next. The work of only a few seconds from logging on, posting, and logging off.

6

FantasyCon / Re: FantasyCon 2019

« on: February 27, 2019, 03:09:35 pm »

I don't think anyone from the BFS committee ever reads these posts any more. I don't think that's happened since David Howe was Chairman, when things were quite different. You would definitely have had a reply by now in those days.

7

Promote Your Projects / Re: Parallel Universe Publications

« on: February 24, 2019, 04:49:07 pm »

The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is reviewed in the next issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine by its editor Trevor Kennedy.

"The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is a bumper hardback dedicated to the life works so far of the man of the title, one of the great fantasy artists of our time. On top of that, it also serves as a history of sorts of the much esteemed British Fantasy Society (and related publications) and the early days of these guys at the forefront of the movement, highlighting their good times, and quite often difficulties, over the last almost half a century. Jim Pitts and his exquisitely detailed artworks are our guides through this fascinating and hugely important period for the UK fantasy/horror scene. And I loved every single page of it!

Jim’s life, from his working class Northern English beginnings and folk band days with ‘The Jim Pitts Folk Quartet’ to the present day, is chronicled over 212 pages alongside a bonanza of his macabre works and written contributions from BFS stalwarts such as David A. Riley, David A. Sutton, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, Brian Lumley, Adrian Cole, Peter Coleborn and more, fascinating real life stories concerning what really must have been a golden era for these pioneers, especially in the 1970s and ‘80s. Reading about the difficulties they faced back then just made me realise how lucky wannabe publishers/writers like myself get it these days. My first job when I left school was with a printing firm, so I know only too well how expensive lithographic printing was, and probably still is.

On the subject of Jim’s artwork itself, firstly I must state that I am no art expert, especially from a technical viewpoint. But for me, as a layman, I found his numerous pieces included on the pages to be brilliantly atmospheric, haunting and Lovecraftian. I particularly enjoyed his representations of certain M.R. James’ stories, some of his Cthulhu mythos-based creations, his cracking portrait of Vincent Price in Witchfinder General, along with a classic Universal monster or two. On a personal level, Jim’s artwork also brought with it warm feelings of nostalgia for my own childhood when I would have read some of the various publications referenced, including Fantasy Tales and the B.F.S. Bulletins, mailed to me in the 1980s by my then pen-pal cousin Dave Carson, another fantasy artist also mentioned in the book and associate of Jim and the aforementioned contributors. For me to now be just a small part of this scene is the greatest of personal honours.

This is a very special book for many reasons, so if you have even a passing interest in fantasy artwork (especially that of Jim Pitts obviously) or the recent history of the UK weird fiction scene, then you really need to grab a copy for yourself as soon as humanly possible!

A limited number of 250 signed copies of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts have been published by Parallel Universe Publications. If you are interested in acquiring a copy you can contact them through the following:

Parallel Universe Publications

David A. Riley; Linden Riley

http://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/p/forthcoming-books.html

Head Office: 130 Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, BB5 3DR, UK.

Email: paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk or davidariley@gmx.co.uk

A future issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine (number 10, late May 2019) will feature interviews with Jim Pitts, David A. Riley and David A. Sutton.

8

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: December 10, 2018, 09:10:20 am »

There's a brilliant review in Phantasmagoria Magazine by Trevor Kennedy of my collection The Lurkers in the Abyss & Other Tales of Terror.

THE LURKERS IN THE ABYSS AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR by David A. Riley.
A collection of rather dark horror tales from David A. Riley spanning almost fifty years with each tale originally appearing in now considered genre classic publications such as the Pan Book of Horror series, Fantasy Tales, FEAR Magazine, World of Horror and many more.
I absolutely adored this book! The type of old school (trust me, that is a compliment) horror I grew up reading and still crave for to this day, the influences to Lovecraft and perhaps the likes of M. R. James and Poe (and maybe even Tales From The Crypt), are apparent but certainly not overdone. Riley’s own grim style shines throughout always, compelling and descriptive, though once again never over doing the descriptiveness. The haunting images his words created in my mind’s eye were vivid and lasting.
A couple of my favourite stories would have to be ‘Terror on the Moors’, a creepy, tense and atmospheric witchcraft-related yarn, and ‘Winter on Aubarch 6’, at first a mild science fiction tale that gradually evolves into full-blown, deeply disturbing body horror.
I don’t personally know what the sales figures are for this book, but I am certainly of the opinion that it should be read by as many people as possible, especially those with even a passing interest in horror or the short story form - of which Riley is one of the masters!
Hugely entertaining and great fun, I urge you to go out and purchase you own copy to experience for yourself the dark joys that lie within.
The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror is available from Shadow Publishing and Amazon.
Trevor Kennedy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phantasmagoria-Magazine-Issue-Trevor-Kennedy/dp/1790917867/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1544386759&sr=8-8&keywords=phantasmagoria+magazine&fbclid=IwAR19RC_faK0yuJkqJixG1AIT_nR8PxCEvf18SxW3XBE9IjzHlqT9gkjXOGY

9

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: October 26, 2018, 01:10:29 pm »

You can now listen to one of my earliest short stories, After Nightfall, being read on The Gallery of Curiosities by Vic Mullin.

This story first appeared in David A. Sutton's fanzine Weird Window, and was reprinted the following year in Sphere Books' The Year's Best Horror Stories, edited by Richard Davis.

It was last reprinted in Otto Penzler's Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! (Vintage Books) in 2011.

https://gallerycurious.com/2018/10/26/69-after-nightfall-by-david-a-riley/

10

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: October 25, 2018, 11:46:08 am »

I am pleased to reveal that my story, Romero's Children, will be translated and published in the next issue of the Russian webzine, Darker.

Romero's Children will be in their zombie issue - http://darkermagazine.ru/

11

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: August 10, 2018, 03:07:02 pm »

An update on this. Blitz have now paid me 50 euros for the two stories published in this collection and I believe the other writers too, who were not paid via Uwe Luserke when they should have been, will be reimbursed by the publisher. From what Blitz emailed me, I believe, also, I'm being sent a couple of copies of the book too.

12

Promote Your Projects / Re: Jim Pitts signed prints

« on: August 06, 2018, 07:04:20 pm »

Parallel Universe Publications is making available prints of the artwork of Jim Pitts. Each print is on high quality A4 paper, signed by the artist and sealed inside a plastic envelope.

Colour prints are £7.00 each plus p&p
Black & white prints £5.00 each plus p&p

To order please email paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk, listing which prints you would like, plus your address. You will then be emailed a Paypal invoice.

Postage and packing is the total cost whether you order 1, 2, 3 or 4 prints. However, if you order 5 prints or more postage and packing are free.

Postage and packing within the UK: £2.00
Postage and packing to Europe: £3.65
Postage and packing the rest of the world: £4.45


Jim Pitts is an award-winning artist (two-times winner of the prestigious British Fantasy Award, plus Science Fiction's Ken McIntyre Award), whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and books, both professional and small press.

For full details follow this link: http://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/p/our-authors.html

13

Promote Your Projects / Re: The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts

« on: July 24, 2018, 09:50:16 pm »

We have reduced the price of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts from £30.00 to £25.00 per copy plus postage.

Our charges now, including shipping costs, are:
£28.90 for UK orders
£34.75 for European orders
£39.75 for airmail postage to the rest of the world
£34.80 for surface mail postage to the rest of the world (which can take up to 45 days)

This is a numbered, limited edition of 250 copies, each of which is signed by the artist.

http://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/p/forthcoming-books.html

14

Ask the Authors and Artists! / Re: David A. Riley

« on: May 14, 2018, 12:01:35 pm »

Just discovered, while looking at my isfdb, that two of my more Lovecraftian stories have been translated into German and published in the book shown below, totally without my knowledge. H. P. Lovecraft's Gotter des Grauens is the book's title, edited by someone called Roman Sander. The only other author whose name I know in the book is W. H. Pugmire. My stories are Lock-In and Fish-Eye.
It's not, alas, the first time something like this has happened.
I have emailed the publisher, who seems genuine, and asked them to look into this for me, which they are. Hopefully, we'll get to the bottom of this soon.
The cover artwork by Mark Freier is outstanding.

15

Promote Your Projects / Re: Parallel Universe Publications

« on: April 30, 2018, 12:34:22 pm »

Following our reduction in the price of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts from £35.00 to £30.00 per copy, we have also revised our shipping costs and added surface mail as an option to the rest of the world for those who would be happy to wait up to 45 days for delivery.

Our charges now, including shipping costs, are:
£33.90 for UK orders
£39.75 for European orders
£44.75 for airmail postage to the rest of the world
£39.80 for surface mail postage to the rest of the world (which can take up to 45 days)

http://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.co.uk/p/publications.html