Ian D.G. Sandusky's Blog
May 27, 2012
CRIMSON LETTERS - FREE!
I don't update this as often as I should, but I have an exciting announcement:
CRIMSON LETTERS FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE is available FOR FREE for a limited time! My publisher's lost their mind or something, but either way - snag yours ASAP before they go back to the paid side!
http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Letters...
CRIMSON LETTERS FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE is available FOR FREE for a limited time! My publisher's lost their mind or something, but either way - snag yours ASAP before they go back to the paid side!
http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Letters...
February 14, 2011
New Releases
Well, the first two months of 2011 have proven to be anything but blaise thus far.
In recent news, I've managed to sell not one, but TWO novels so far this year.
WAITING JACKALS, the follow-up to my debut zombie novel GREY DOGS: ZOMBIE SURVIVAL has officially been signed for publication by my alma matter, The Severed Press. This is great news - I had a lot of loose ends in GREY DOGS to tie up, and WAITING JACKALS speaks to many of these, both plots and subplots. It's going to be interesting to see what the public response is, to say the least. "New" characters make an appearance (some you may have thought you'd never meet) and some old favourites fall by the wayside. The narrative voice is very similar to GREY DOGS, touching on many of the same emotions - at least in design. Anybody who was a fan of the first should definitely keep their ear to the ground about this one.
Secondly, CRIMSON LETTERS FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE, my second-ever-written (does that make sense?) novel has been signed for publication by Wild Wolf Publishing. They're another great international publisher, working out of the UK, with a ton of dynamite horror / sci-fi / speculative fiction titles to their name. This is where Remy Porter's DEAD BEAT came from - if you haven't heard of it, you just ain't lived. This novel getting the pub treatment comes as a bit of a surprise, but one that's extremely pleasant to say the least. CRIMSON LETTERS deals with some extremely dark subject matter, capitalizing on isolation and the more subversive aspects of the human condition. For a while, I almost considered it 'too dark,' but I guess it made the cut. Right now, it's aimed to have a hardcover, paperback and ebook release, so no matter your favourite format - it sould be available.
Currently in the works are a fiction and non-fiction project, with more of my attention focused on the latter than the former. Only time will tell which will reign supreme for a finish date.
That's all for now - you stay classy, San Francisco.
IDGS
In recent news, I've managed to sell not one, but TWO novels so far this year.
WAITING JACKALS, the follow-up to my debut zombie novel GREY DOGS: ZOMBIE SURVIVAL has officially been signed for publication by my alma matter, The Severed Press. This is great news - I had a lot of loose ends in GREY DOGS to tie up, and WAITING JACKALS speaks to many of these, both plots and subplots. It's going to be interesting to see what the public response is, to say the least. "New" characters make an appearance (some you may have thought you'd never meet) and some old favourites fall by the wayside. The narrative voice is very similar to GREY DOGS, touching on many of the same emotions - at least in design. Anybody who was a fan of the first should definitely keep their ear to the ground about this one.
Secondly, CRIMSON LETTERS FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE, my second-ever-written (does that make sense?) novel has been signed for publication by Wild Wolf Publishing. They're another great international publisher, working out of the UK, with a ton of dynamite horror / sci-fi / speculative fiction titles to their name. This is where Remy Porter's DEAD BEAT came from - if you haven't heard of it, you just ain't lived. This novel getting the pub treatment comes as a bit of a surprise, but one that's extremely pleasant to say the least. CRIMSON LETTERS deals with some extremely dark subject matter, capitalizing on isolation and the more subversive aspects of the human condition. For a while, I almost considered it 'too dark,' but I guess it made the cut. Right now, it's aimed to have a hardcover, paperback and ebook release, so no matter your favourite format - it sould be available.
Currently in the works are a fiction and non-fiction project, with more of my attention focused on the latter than the former. Only time will tell which will reign supreme for a finish date.
That's all for now - you stay classy, San Francisco.
IDGS
December 24, 2010
WAITING JACKALS
Yup, you heard correctly.
WAITING JACKALS, book two of the GREY DOGS: ZOMBIE SURVIVAL Series.
Oh yeah, I think I just finished it – did I forget to mention that?
I say think, only because I’m a little foggy on where it leaves off, and whether its an adequate / enticing ending for the next book. It may be, it may not be – only beta readers will tell.
Regardless, it feels like an enormous weight has been taken off my shoulders. It’s going to be quite a while before its back and up for edits – but for now, it’s all good.
Some interesting news has broke on the agent front – more to come if anything indeed transpires.
That’s all for now.
You stay classy, San Diego.
IDGS
WAITING JACKALS, book two of the GREY DOGS: ZOMBIE SURVIVAL Series.
Oh yeah, I think I just finished it – did I forget to mention that?
I say think, only because I’m a little foggy on where it leaves off, and whether its an adequate / enticing ending for the next book. It may be, it may not be – only beta readers will tell.
Regardless, it feels like an enormous weight has been taken off my shoulders. It’s going to be quite a while before its back and up for edits – but for now, it’s all good.
Some interesting news has broke on the agent front – more to come if anything indeed transpires.
That’s all for now.
You stay classy, San Diego.
IDGS
December 9, 2010
NEW RADIO INTERVIEW!
A few days ago, I had the immense pleasure of appearing on Lydia Aswolf's (@LydiaAswolf for Twitches) radio show, Lydia's Literary Lowdown.
It was a real pleasure to discuss GREY DOGS, the in's and out's of the publishing industry, and everything in between!
If you're interested, head on over to http://bit.ly/gqmN6v to check it out!
For more info on the book, swing on over to http://bit.ly/908wds !
Cheers,
IDGS
It was a real pleasure to discuss GREY DOGS, the in's and out's of the publishing industry, and everything in between!
If you're interested, head on over to http://bit.ly/gqmN6v to check it out!
For more info on the book, swing on over to http://bit.ly/908wds !
Cheers,
IDGS
November 25, 2010
New Praise for GREY DOGS
New 5-star review up on Amazon.com:
"This is the perfect zombie novel. An average guy is forced to deal with a world rapidly infested with zombies, but in a way that reflects actual human emotions and thoughts. It's not over the top, nor is it too predictable. It's a page turner that keeps pushing you forward, but you can still sleep at night once it's all done. Fantastic writing, can't wait for a sequel. " - Amazon Reviewer, "TheQuietOne"
Thank you all for your continued support - and if you've read it, please post your reviews! Good or bad, I want to hear from you!
GREY DOGS is available at http://bit.ly/908wds on Amazon.com, and also available on Barnes & Noble, Chapters.ca, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk!
"This is the perfect zombie novel. An average guy is forced to deal with a world rapidly infested with zombies, but in a way that reflects actual human emotions and thoughts. It's not over the top, nor is it too predictable. It's a page turner that keeps pushing you forward, but you can still sleep at night once it's all done. Fantastic writing, can't wait for a sequel. " - Amazon Reviewer, "TheQuietOne"
Thank you all for your continued support - and if you've read it, please post your reviews! Good or bad, I want to hear from you!
GREY DOGS is available at http://bit.ly/908wds on Amazon.com, and also available on Barnes & Noble, Chapters.ca, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk!
November 17, 2010
RADIO THINGS!
If you're in Ontario, be sure to tune into AM610 Talk Radio on Thursday, November 18th between 12 PM - 1 PM to hear me talk with Stephanie Sabourin about GREY DOGS!
Should be a great time - I'll be posting it on my website as soon as I get it if you miss it!
Should be a great time - I'll be posting it on my website as soon as I get it if you miss it!
November 3, 2010
The Zombie Genre Isn't Dead
I've had a few interesting conversations with various groups and individuals over the last few days, and the blissful realization has finally hit me - the zombie genre isn't dead. Undead, and crawling over the corpse of paranormal romance maybe, but far from cooling on the slab.
An interesting point was brought up in a discussion yesterday - why is zombie literature becoming so popular at present?
It's an interesting question, but I think the explanation is a little more complex than a simple three-word answer - 'because it is!'
Over the decades, it seems that readers connect with literature - particularly horror - that strikes a chord with the reality in which they dwell. No, I don't mean that intergalactic space-dwellers from Dimension X are a big fan of cookbooks - I mean that people like to read and explore some of their deepest fears in literature to come to a better understanding of the situations that make them afraid.
Looking back, it's easy to see why post-apocalyptic fiction used to be so incredibly popular. With the advent of nuclear power, came the advent of nuclear weapons - and not necessarily in that order. People had seen the devestating effects of the blasts in Japan, and the subsequent problems arising from localized fallout.
It's no great stretch to see why then when theories arose about the outcome of a global nuclear war why there were so many 'cozy catastrophies' written about a world-wide nuclear apocalypse. The stories were usually far from dealing with a true end of the world, but more referring to 'the end of the world as we know it.' The survivors would be thrust into a horrific scenario - the worst fear of the reading public - but would somehow find a away to adapt and change to better reside and continue life in the wasteland.
When oil scarcity was a real threat, there was a section of literature dedicated to dealing with the end of fossil fuels. At the time, living without carbon-based oil was unthinkable - how could people get around? How would materials be shipped? It makes sense that people were afraid before any green-alternatives had become more fully realized.
When the environment became the hot issue, we saw global warming taking hold, nuclear winters and second ice-ages playing second fiddle. With terrorist attacks, we saw a huge rise in military fiction and movies.
So how do zombies play into this?
Well, for me the answer is simple. Zombies represent, to some in any case, the ultimate doomsday scenario where the planet is left intact. People know what it feels like after Hurricane Katrina and SARS to be afraid of society really falling apart in earnest, with nothing else to hold on to but their own wits and survival means.
Think of the military buffs - what is more terrifying than a foe that gets stronger in a direct relationship with casualities inflicted on your troops? Every one you lose becomes one of their number, without question. The opponents are self-contained one-man armies, never needing to sleep, eat, rest or relent. They have no communication networks to sabatoge and no supply caravans to interrupt. You cut off a zombies arm, and it will come at you just the same as it had before. You break its back, and it will crawl towards you without batting a glazed eye.
For me, it's easy to see - we all want to have some kind of reassurance that even after such a horrific event like the zombie apocalypse that life has a possiblity of continuing, if even only for a few select individuals. If someone can make it through the zom-pocalypse, then everything else should be easy. Pandemics may come, but they don't turn your wife into a slavering attack machine. Nuclear war may become a reality, but it isn't going to scratch and your doors and windows until the nails fall from its fingers before hammering on the walls with the stubs.
Zombie horror is only just beginning to become popular, but I don't see the trend decreasing anytime soon.
Get out there, and read yourself a zombie novel. Who knows? Will the dead rise tomorrow?
Cheers,
IDGS
Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival
An interesting point was brought up in a discussion yesterday - why is zombie literature becoming so popular at present?
It's an interesting question, but I think the explanation is a little more complex than a simple three-word answer - 'because it is!'
Over the decades, it seems that readers connect with literature - particularly horror - that strikes a chord with the reality in which they dwell. No, I don't mean that intergalactic space-dwellers from Dimension X are a big fan of cookbooks - I mean that people like to read and explore some of their deepest fears in literature to come to a better understanding of the situations that make them afraid.
Looking back, it's easy to see why post-apocalyptic fiction used to be so incredibly popular. With the advent of nuclear power, came the advent of nuclear weapons - and not necessarily in that order. People had seen the devestating effects of the blasts in Japan, and the subsequent problems arising from localized fallout.
It's no great stretch to see why then when theories arose about the outcome of a global nuclear war why there were so many 'cozy catastrophies' written about a world-wide nuclear apocalypse. The stories were usually far from dealing with a true end of the world, but more referring to 'the end of the world as we know it.' The survivors would be thrust into a horrific scenario - the worst fear of the reading public - but would somehow find a away to adapt and change to better reside and continue life in the wasteland.
When oil scarcity was a real threat, there was a section of literature dedicated to dealing with the end of fossil fuels. At the time, living without carbon-based oil was unthinkable - how could people get around? How would materials be shipped? It makes sense that people were afraid before any green-alternatives had become more fully realized.
When the environment became the hot issue, we saw global warming taking hold, nuclear winters and second ice-ages playing second fiddle. With terrorist attacks, we saw a huge rise in military fiction and movies.
So how do zombies play into this?
Well, for me the answer is simple. Zombies represent, to some in any case, the ultimate doomsday scenario where the planet is left intact. People know what it feels like after Hurricane Katrina and SARS to be afraid of society really falling apart in earnest, with nothing else to hold on to but their own wits and survival means.
Think of the military buffs - what is more terrifying than a foe that gets stronger in a direct relationship with casualities inflicted on your troops? Every one you lose becomes one of their number, without question. The opponents are self-contained one-man armies, never needing to sleep, eat, rest or relent. They have no communication networks to sabatoge and no supply caravans to interrupt. You cut off a zombies arm, and it will come at you just the same as it had before. You break its back, and it will crawl towards you without batting a glazed eye.
For me, it's easy to see - we all want to have some kind of reassurance that even after such a horrific event like the zombie apocalypse that life has a possiblity of continuing, if even only for a few select individuals. If someone can make it through the zom-pocalypse, then everything else should be easy. Pandemics may come, but they don't turn your wife into a slavering attack machine. Nuclear war may become a reality, but it isn't going to scratch and your doors and windows until the nails fall from its fingers before hammering on the walls with the stubs.
Zombie horror is only just beginning to become popular, but I don't see the trend decreasing anytime soon.
Get out there, and read yourself a zombie novel. Who knows? Will the dead rise tomorrow?
Cheers,
IDGS
Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival
November 1, 2010
The GREY DOGS Series Book I - 'GREY DOGS'
Although few would know it from viewing the title, my debut novel Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival is actually part of a series.
The GREY DOGS Series is set in many fictional parts of Ontario, Canada, usually based on real life places I have either lived in or visted frequently.
The series essentially details my take on the end of the world if a zombie apocaylpse did indeed come to fruition, as seen through the eyes of Carey Cardinal. As described in Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, Carey is a young, brash, down-on-life failing university student wasting his days in an alcohol-fueled daze until the beginnings of the infection rise up around him.
Unfortunately, by the time he fully comes to grips with what is truly transipring, it's too late to run.
With this series, I have sought to bring something else to the table in the burgeoning selection of zombie / post-apocalyptic literature. I have been an avid reader of such works by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Max Brooks, J.L. Bourne, and Stephen King, and find they all influence my work in some way - as I'm sure anyone writing in the genre can't help but be touched by these literary wonders.
In any case, while I have found much more than splatterpunk and gore in these novels, I've always found something missing from the zombie genre. While it is easy to relate to the triumphant hero, riding across the wastes in his modified SUV, blowing heads off ghouls with a sawn-off shotgun, it doesn't always provide what I deem to be an accurate portrayal of the 'average guy.' Everyone longs to be that Rambo-esque survivor, fully equipped with the skills and resources to turn any situation into one in which they prevail.
However, though I've seen many shoot around it, I hadn't found any one character that I could truly relate to. So, one night after browsing titles I decided to give it a shot myself, and Carey Cardinal, Keila & Roman Tindall, and Morgan Lee were born.
I seek with GREY DOGS to take a deeper, more human look at what it would mean to experience the end of days brought forth by a viral infection that converted mothers, fathers and sons alike into shambling attack-machines. Whether I hit it or not is something out of my hands, but that was my original goal.
That being said, I had also noticed that in many cases zombie literature moves from having the ghouls themselves as the focus of the narrative, only to have the twisted walking corpses thrust more into the background - turned into a 'circumstance' if you will. With Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, I tried to keep it all about the zeds.
Either way, I hope this offers a little insight into the novel, and I certainly hope you enjoy the read.
Please post your reviews, comments, criticisms and concerns as I'm eager to hear what zombie fanatics and horror buffs think alike!
Cheers,
IDGS
The GREY DOGS Series is set in many fictional parts of Ontario, Canada, usually based on real life places I have either lived in or visted frequently.
The series essentially details my take on the end of the world if a zombie apocaylpse did indeed come to fruition, as seen through the eyes of Carey Cardinal. As described in Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, Carey is a young, brash, down-on-life failing university student wasting his days in an alcohol-fueled daze until the beginnings of the infection rise up around him.
Unfortunately, by the time he fully comes to grips with what is truly transipring, it's too late to run.
With this series, I have sought to bring something else to the table in the burgeoning selection of zombie / post-apocalyptic literature. I have been an avid reader of such works by the likes of Margaret Atwood, Max Brooks, J.L. Bourne, and Stephen King, and find they all influence my work in some way - as I'm sure anyone writing in the genre can't help but be touched by these literary wonders.
In any case, while I have found much more than splatterpunk and gore in these novels, I've always found something missing from the zombie genre. While it is easy to relate to the triumphant hero, riding across the wastes in his modified SUV, blowing heads off ghouls with a sawn-off shotgun, it doesn't always provide what I deem to be an accurate portrayal of the 'average guy.' Everyone longs to be that Rambo-esque survivor, fully equipped with the skills and resources to turn any situation into one in which they prevail.
However, though I've seen many shoot around it, I hadn't found any one character that I could truly relate to. So, one night after browsing titles I decided to give it a shot myself, and Carey Cardinal, Keila & Roman Tindall, and Morgan Lee were born.
I seek with GREY DOGS to take a deeper, more human look at what it would mean to experience the end of days brought forth by a viral infection that converted mothers, fathers and sons alike into shambling attack-machines. Whether I hit it or not is something out of my hands, but that was my original goal.
That being said, I had also noticed that in many cases zombie literature moves from having the ghouls themselves as the focus of the narrative, only to have the twisted walking corpses thrust more into the background - turned into a 'circumstance' if you will. With Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, I tried to keep it all about the zeds.
Either way, I hope this offers a little insight into the novel, and I certainly hope you enjoy the read.
Please post your reviews, comments, criticisms and concerns as I'm eager to hear what zombie fanatics and horror buffs think alike!
Cheers,
IDGS
GREY DOGS Officially Released!
Well! After a long, hard, arduous journey, the day is finally here!
My debut horror novel, Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, officially released yesterday!
As of right now, it's still available through Amazon.com, but will hopefully be in select bookstores soon! If you would like to see Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival in your local bookstore, don't be afraid to ask - it can be ordered through their advance catalogues!
Thanks again for all the support and I sincerely hope to hear what you all think.
For more info, feel free to head on over to http://www.iandgsandusky.com
Cheers,
IDGS
My debut horror novel, Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival, officially released yesterday!
As of right now, it's still available through Amazon.com, but will hopefully be in select bookstores soon! If you would like to see Grey Dogs: Zombie Survival in your local bookstore, don't be afraid to ask - it can be ordered through their advance catalogues!
Thanks again for all the support and I sincerely hope to hear what you all think.
For more info, feel free to head on over to http://www.iandgsandusky.com
Cheers,
IDGS
October 26, 2010
GREY DOGS Makes the Front Cover!
Recently did a photoshoot / interview for Brock University's local rag, The Brock Press. It's a dynamite set of pictures with a great article written by the illustrious Chris Illich!
Thanks to all the great cats at The Brock Press for the continued support!
Check out the article & pics here! http://bit.ly/a429So
Thanks to all the great cats at The Brock Press for the continued support!
Check out the article & pics here! http://bit.ly/a429So
