Daniel Pyle's Blog

[image error] Stuff I'd Like to Write

I've been looking around for anthologies to submit to in recent weeks. I've got subs out to some of the usual suspects—anthos dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft's Mythos.

But it got me thinking about what other anthos I'd like to write for—and read, in other writers' universes. So, with tongue only slightly in cheek, this is a call for editors/publishers to get their fingers out and announce submission calls for the following:

Black Mass—A Dennis Wheatley tribute. Wheatley wasn't the world's greatest writer, but his books filled store shelves before Stephen King came along and did a lot to mould my liking for supernatural fiction. I'd love to have a go at an old school Satanic romp with his characters.

She Who Must Be Obeyed—An H Rider Haggard tribute. I've always wanted to do an Allan Quatermain/lost civilisation story.

Tarzan Returns—How cool would it be to do a Tarzan story? Well, for a lad who grew up on the ERB books, it would be geek heaven.

Challenger—Why not a Professor Challenger antho as opposed to a Holmes one? And Challenger was an Ayrshire man, like me. I've got many ideas just waiting for the right antho. :-)

Quatermass—And thinking of Challenger brings me straight to Quatermass, one of my earliest heroes. It's surely time for an antho of British science gone wrong?

Fu-Manchu—I so want to write an old school criminal mastermind story.

And those are just off the top of my head. I'd also love to write in Moorcock's Eternal Champion universe, or using Gemmell's Jerusalem Man. There are also many TV show characters I'd love to write stories for, from The X-Files to Dr. Who, from Adam Adamant to Supernatural.

Not a single one of these is likely to happen anytime soon, and I'm not holding my breath waiting for invitations to submit.

But a boy can dream can't he?






William Meikle is a Scottish writer with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries. He is the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others, and his work appears in a number of professional anthologies. His ebook The Invasion has been as high as #2 in the Kindle SF charts. He lives in a remote corner of Newfoundland with icebergs, whales and bald eagles for company. In the winters he gets warm vicariously through the lives of others in cyberspace, so please check him out at www.williammeikle.com.



Comment on this post between now and the end of February and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free Kindle loaded with all the books William Meikle has published with Generation Next Publications.

[image error] Stuff I'd Like to Write

I've been looking around for anthologies to submit to in recent weeks. I've got subs out to some of the usual suspects—anthos dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft's Mythos.

But it got me thinking about what other anthos I'd like to write for—and read, in other writers' universes. So, with tongue only slightly in cheek, this is a call for editors/publishers to get their fingers out and announce submission calls for the following:

Black Mass—A Dennis Wheatley tribute. Wheatley wasn't the world's greatest writer, but his books filled store shelves before Stephen King came along and did a lot to mould my liking for supernatural fiction. I'd love to have a go at an old school Satanic romp with his characters.

She Who Must Be Obeyed—An H Rider Haggard tribute. I've always wanted to do an Allan Quatermain/lost civilisation story.

Tarzan Returns—How cool would it be to do a Tarzan story? Well, for a lad who grew up on the ERB books, it would be geek heaven.

Challenger—Why not a Professor Challenger antho as opposed to a Holmes one? And Challenger was an Ayrshire man, like me. I've got many ideas just waiting for the right antho. :-)

Quatermass—And thinking of Challenger brings me straight to Quatermass, one of my earliest heroes. It's surely time for an antho of British science gone wrong?

Fu-Manchu—I so want to write an old school criminal mastermind story.

And those are just off the top of my head. I'd also love to write in Moorcock's Eternal Champion universe, or using Gemmell's Jerusalem Man. There are also many TV show characters I'd love to write stories for, from The X-Files to Dr. Who, from Adam Adamant to Supernatural.

Not a single one of these is likely to happen anytime soon, and I'm not holding my breath waiting for invitations to submit.

But a boy can dream can't he?






William Meikle is a Scottish writer with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries. He is the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others, and his work appears in a number of professional anthologies. His ebook The Invasion has been as high as #2 in the Kindle SF charts. He lives in a remote corner of Newfoundland with icebergs, whales and bald eagles for company. In the winters he gets warm vicariously through the lives of others in cyberspace, so please check him out at www.williammeikle.com.



Comment on this post between now and the end of February and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free Kindle loaded with all the books William Meikle has published with Generation Next Publications.

[image error] I've been on a short story kick this week, trying to take in as much Halloweeny goodness as I can before the big day. The following are three new finds I recommend you all go pick up.



A Pound Of Flash

Here is another twisted collection of short horror stories from the author of The Lake and 17 Other Stories, Saying Goodbye to the Sun, GRUBS, and 33 A.D.

"Exhibit B"—Witness our talkative serial killer friend as he torments the detective assigned to his case.

"One of Four"—Deep in the bowels of an old Catholic Church, a seemingly frail old man lies chained to a bed. But this old man is anything but frail.

"Surviving the Zombie Invasion"—Some people will do anything to survive in a town overrun by zombies.

"Alone on the Mountain"—A man who has lived alone in the Appalachian Mountains for 15 years falls victim to the eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera.

Plus 12 mini horror "bites."

BONUS MATERIAL:

"Apology," by Michael Crane
"Return to Ravenworld," by Daniel Arenson
"Locked and Locked Again," by David Dalglish


My take: You can definitely call me a McAfee fan. David writes the kind of horror that got me into the genre in the first place. Gritty, fun, and sometimes shocking tales that'll keep you up with the lights on.





Darkness Under the Sun

The chilling account of a pivotal encounter between innocence and ultimate malice, Darkness Under the Sun is the perfect read for Halloween—or for any haunted night—and reveals a secret, fateful turning point in the career of Alton Turner Blackwood, the killer at the dark heart of What the Night Knows, the forthcoming novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.
 
There once was a killer who knew the night, its secrets and rhythms. How to hide within its shadows. When to hunt.

He roamed from town to town, city to city, choosing his prey for their beauty and innocence. His cruelties were infinite, his humanity long since forfeit. But still…he had not yet discovered how to make his special mark among monsters, how to come fully alive as Death.

This is the story of how he learned those things, and of what we might do to ensure that he does not visit us.


My take: Darkness Under the Sun is a novella that introduces us to some of the characters in Dean's new thriller, What the Night Knows. I've been a Koontz fan for a long time and have read most of what he's written. Whether or not you plan to buy What the Night Knows, you shouldn't miss this story. It works excellently as a standalone tale.





Lessons (and other morbid drabbles)

A man learns a painful and valuable lesson…one finger at a time.
An old couple bickers over disgusting leftovers.
Kids go ignored when they tell their parents about the horrors that lurk in their bedrooms, until it's too late…

Lessons (and other morbid drabbles) is a collection of 25 100-word shorts that range from darkly comic to downright terrifying and wrong. Some shorts feature ghouls and monsters while others are simply about people behaving very, very badly. Which is scarier? Find out in this sick and twisted collection.

They may only be a few words long, but that doesn't lessen the bloodshed any…


My take: It's hard to write a story in exactly 100 words. It's even harder to do it twenty-five times in a row. I'm very impressed with this little collection, and I think you will be, too.



You can get all three of these for a grand total of $3.57. At that price, if you don't buy them all, you deserve a razor blade in your Halloween candy. That's right, I went there.

Seriously, these are great Halloween reads. Treat yourself.

[image error] About the book:

Seventeen short horror stories from the author of 33 A.D. and Saying Goodbye to the Sun.

"The Lake"—Five college boys answer an ad to spend Spring Break by a remote lake in northern Maine, only to find out they should have gone to Panama city like everyone else.

"The Spider and the Fly"—A deranged old man leads a young boy into a trap, but who is really hunting who?

"Exhibit A"—Listen to a budding serial killer as he explains himself to his first victim.

Plus 14 mini horror "bites....

[image error] Daniel Pyle: Scott, thanks for taking some time out for me today. I know you have a big blog tour in the works. Can you tell us about that?

Scott Nicholson: I think book bloggers will be the most important literary gatekeepers of the next decade, as agents and publishing houses decline in influence (related to the loss of bookstores). The Internet is changing the way we all share experiences, and a blog tour for e-books is a natural fit. I am also giving away a Kindle because e-books are th...

[image error] Since about the age of three, when I found my first decapitated head, I've been zealously interested in horror and have, with only a few exceptions, read exclusively from that genre. Until recently, noted exceptions included books by Michael Crichton, John Grisham, Ray Bradbury and, of course, J. K. Rowling, but now I'd like to add another author to my list of non-horror greats. Lee Child, whose Jack Reacher page turners are not only well written and fun, but intelligent to boot, has become...

[image error] While I've been waiting for my wife to finish her bachelor's degree, I've been working on a new novel, tentatively titled Blood Relations. No school for me means lots of extra time, and although whether or not any of you will ever find this book in your local Barnes and Noble is yet to be seen, the writing is going pretty smoothly so far.
The iBook, by the way, is also relatively new. And does it put any PC I ever worked on to shame? Boy howdy.

Currently reading: Survivor by J. F. Gonza...