Brett Williams's Blog

Legend of Kill Creek Woods 

Now available from Comet Press.

Somewhere out in the woods an otherworldly creature born of fire and hate lurks. When the beast emerges, lusting for blood, all that stands between it and the nearby town is a grief-stricken farmer. Supernatural ferocity meets backwoods ingenuity in a horror fable of good versus evil. 

“From start to conclusion, LEGEND OF KILL CREEK WOODS by Brett Williams is a pulse pounding, intense reading experience. Well written and at times insightful, this is some hellish fun fiction to stand up and howl for!” —Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Bram Stoker Award winning author of BLACK & ORANGE and NOMADS 

A Comet Press Novella, approx. 75 printed pages.

Amazon link

Third Eye High

Summer, along with the other flower children in the Stoker commune, want to spread peace and love across Mother Earth. Now, with the discovery of special magic mushrooms and the help of an eons-distant god, they have the ability to bring their goal to fruition. First they must pay homage to the god with chaos, blood, and murder, while protecting their karma by wearing the skin of the dead.

From the warped mind of Brett Williams comes THIRD EYE HIGH, an erotic Lovecraftian tale of helter fucking skelter, man. Pry open your third eye April 7th. A Comet Press SeXfile of monstrous proportions. What a trip!

Available April 7th from Comet Press SeXFiles.

Genres: Dark crime, weird, horror, monstrous, erotica

[Introduction] Finding the Truth After 20 Years of Madness by Victor Paul Alvarez


The Killers by Eli Wilde


Heavenly Cure for a Dripping Cock by T. Fox Dunham


A Scarecrow, Unlabeled by William Barker


Shackjob by Brett Williams­


Something from a Bad Night in a Bad Month in Philly ‘06 by Jonathan Balog


The Market-Frankford Line by Jonathan Balog


Drowning Butterfly by Gabino Iglesias


Desires Are Nourished by Delays by Craig Wallwork


Zero by S. MacLeod


Without Face by Michael Bailey


Behind the Bar by Will Viharo


The Other Kind of Workshop by Jacob Haddon


Misanthropy by Teri Louise Kelly


Sensitive Boys by Joe Clifford


Turk and Taylor by Tom Pitts


A Corndog for the Almighty God by John Mitchel


4 Ditties Involving Skiff by Kyle Hemmings


Every Few Months in the Obituaries by Justin Hyde


The Ten Month Drunk by Jay Wilburn


The Meat Man by Vincenzo Bilof


Herniated Roots by Richard Thomas


Bukowski by Justin Hyde

High Octane Damnation

James McGuire is drowning his sorrows at the bar when a stranger offers him the unimaginable. The keys to his dream car and the opportunity to redirect his anger at the man who killed his family. But revenge is only the first stop on the highway to hell.

“If you liked Stephen King’s ‘Christine’ then you’ll love the way this sexy Devil’s ride burns up the road. Brett Williams is hell on wheels.” –Randy Chandler, author of HELLz BELLz and BAD JUJU

“Offensive, preposterous, blood-soaked and sex-fueled, HIGH OCTANE DAMNATION is over-the-top, full-throttle, no-apologies grindhouse crammed with more action than this sentence has adjectives.” –Alan Ryker, author of THE HOARD

Now available from Comet Press

Genres: Dark crime, horror, pulp

Lately I’ve been thinking about the books that most influenced my life. Some changed what I read, others impacted my writing, and a couple helped mold the way I look at things. So I decided to compile the list, along with details. Enjoy.

1. The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton During my freshman year of high school our English teacher assigned The Outsiders as a reading assignment. There would be a test. Up until that point all I had read were kids books: Choose Your Own Adventure, Encyclopedia Brown, and dare I admit a string of Flintstone books. I won’t claim that The Outsiders is one of the best books I’ve ever read (in fact, I don’t believe I completed the assignment before the test) but after reading it I thought wow, that wasn’t half bad. Imagine what it would be like if I chose an actual book I’m interested in. Our little town of Dexter, Missouri didn’t have a bookstore; it had Wal-Mart and a small book section in the local Hallmark store. I selected a forgettable sci-fi novel from Hallmark. Once I finished it, I was hooked. I was so thrilled at my discovery of books that I shared that information with my grandmother and my uncle Richie, who immediately said, “Have I got a book for you.”

2. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien Uncle Richie lent me his copy (which I never returned). Holy crap, that book blew me away. Of course I had to read Lord of the Rings next, followed by the emerging Dragonlance series (only the first two books of Chronicles were out at that time). After that, I read Conan the Barbarian and other fantasy books. After a while, those trilogies (why must most fantasy books be trilogies?) started to seem formulaic to me. I began to dread the second books. But then I discovered a stand-alone novel that I almost didn’t read. I was afraid to pick it up.

3. Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King When people tell me they can’t read my books (or any horror novel) because it’s too scary, I know what they mean. How the hell could I dare read a Stephen King novel? Good heavens, I’d have nightmares! Of course, I’d loved his films. Carrie, Christine, and several others. Dammit, I wanted to give a dragon novel by Stephen King a shot. What’s the worst that could happen? I stop reading and lose $3.50, or whatever a book cost in those days. I bought the book and could not put it down. With its quick pace, short chapters, and exciting subject matter, I was reading between and during class. After that, I had to read more Stephen King books. Eyes of the Dragon was my crossover drug to horror. I read The Stand next and keep reading King’s work (along with Clive Barker’s, due to the infamous blurb from Stephen King), for the next several years — through high school and into college. I was about to graduate college when my friend told me about an awesome book that was being made into a movie. He said I had to read it.

4. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton Yes, Jurassic Park is a great book, a lot of fun to read, but it’s much, much more. Jurassic Park (the novel, not the movie) is a lesson in chaos theory thinly disguised as a tale about dinosaurs. You can quote me on that. Since reading that book I’ve been on the lookout for patterns within chaos. They are all around us. Another thing Michael Crichton did was teach me the importance of writing thrillers. All of his books make the reader want to keep churning through the pages. Nobody does it better than Crichton (Laymon comes close, but we’ll get to him later). Years later, Crichton’s influence would influence my writing, or so I believe. Crichton also broke me out of my horror-only mode. In addition to Crichton I started reading John Grisham and other assorted authors. I even started reading non-fiction books.

5. The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage - Clifford Stoll But hey, The Cuckoo’s Egg doesn’t read like a non-fiction book. No, it reads like an early version of cyber-punk or something — and it’s all true! By this time I was working in IT and so this first-hand account by Clifford Stoll about a clandestine security breech in the days before people took computer security seriously, albeit in such a clear and fun way that any layman could enjoy the book. Cuckoo’s Egg is one of the few books I’ve read more than once. I went on to read Clifford Stoll’s non-fiction book Silicon Snake Oil, which makes a very fine case against technology in the classroom. I also read the controversial essay The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray, along with various titles about Generation X. Unfortunately, work life (all the OT and on-call hours working in IT) took its toll on my time, and my reading suffered. For the most part, my reading slowed and eventually I stopped reading entirely (except for magazines) for around five years.

6. Storm Front - Jim Butcher By this time, I had quit my IT job to start my own pet supply business. I kept the store open long hours and I found free time during the day. I had started watching The Dresden Files TV series on Sci-Fi and I enjoyed the series so much that I decided to read one of the books. That started me reading again. I only read four books in the series but doing so re-ignited my love of reading. I haven’t stopped since.

7. The Traveling Vampire Show - Richard Laymon Nobody writes like Laymon. Nobody. And although influences #7-#9 happened to me in rapid-fire succession and I cannot recall the exact chronological order, all influenced me in some distinct way. So, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files stopped doing it for me (I’m not a big fan of urban fantasy) and I needed something else to read. Now that I think about it, #8 probably happened first, but I digress… Basically, I discovered Leisure Horror, which meant I discovered Richard Laymon, Edward Lee, and Jack Ketchum. Although I read Laymon’s Island first (and all of his books rock) it was The Traveling Vampire Show that really struck a chord with me. It offers most of Laymon’s best tricks. I could probably write a blog post dedicated just to this title, so suffice to say, Laymon’s work really sparked in me the urge to write. Actually, I had tried to write years ago, before college but just couldn’t. I had though about writing several times as a kid. I actually wrote flash fiction for the college newsletter for an easy $10 per submission, and none got rejected. Hey, I attended a technical school with no English majors to compete against. Besides, they were hurting for content.

8. Flesh Gothic – Edward Lee What can I say? I’d never read anything as demented and sick and, face it, as sexy like Flesh Gothic before. I still believe it’s one of Lee’s best. If you’ve ever read any of my stuff you’ll know that most of it is sexed up. Gee, wonder who might have influence me.

9. The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum What self-respecting horror writer doesn’t list The Girl Next Door as an influence? Very few, because there is a very good reason. There is also a very good reason Stephen King blurbed Ketchum as probably being the scariest guy in America. The reason? Because people are way more terrifying than any fictional monster can hope to be. Ketchum lends a mean streak to his villains that most horror writers don’t. But I love it. My novella Buddy is cut from the same vein as Ketchum’s Red. Yes, definitely an influence.

10. Money Shot – Christa Faust This great novel paved the way for me to read many other books in the HardCase Crime series. The follow-up novel, Choke Hold, is equally enjoyable. Again, Money Shot merits mention as a gateway drug to crime novels.

11. Random Acts of Senseless Violence - Jack Womack The metal band Anthrax should receive an honorable mention just for influencing me to read various books, as many of their songs are so inspired. With a song such as “Random Acts of Senseless Violence” influenced by a coming-of-age sci-fi novel written as a 12-year old girl’s diary, man, I just had to read it. Simply one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read. It has it’s own slang, and I swear if a reader flipped to the back of the book, he or she wouldn’t understand a single word written. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But not by much. The book is a dystopian New York (I believe) about a girl documenting her affluent family’s fall during massive economic collapse of the U.S. government. I swear, this book reads like it takes place tomorrow. If I could write slang like that, or similarly powerful novel… well, only time will tell as this novel continues to haunt me.

11. Post Office – Charles Bukowski I had read Bukowski’s poetry collection Love is a Dog from Hell and his short story anthology Tales of Ordinary Madness, but his short novel Post Office truly clinched my love of Bukowski. For an example of Bukowski’s influence on me, you’ll want to pick up a copy of Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski, available Spring 2014 from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing. Bukowski fans should enjoy my long fiction piece “Shackjob.”

12. Little Boy Blue - Edward Bunker If you think you know crime fiction because you’ve read other books are seen movies, think again. Ex-con turned writer, Edward Bunker writes crime fiction like sci-fi authors write about other words. I enjoyed Little Boy Blue so much I named by Jack Russell terrier Eddie Blue when I broke him out of jail (the dog pound). One thing reviews seem to agree on regarding my writing: many times I make unlikeable characters likeable. That’s exactly what crime writers do. And Edward Bunker is one of the best.

13. Dracula - Bram Stoker One of the best (erotic) horror novels ever written, Dracula, much like the antagonist, refuses to die. Its greatest influence on me is the way it is written. The first chapter especially helped influence the way I wrote my yet unpublished manuscript Guardians, which I call a horror fable. Hopefully this novella will see the light of day soon.

14. Give Us a Kiss - Daniel Woodrell Last but not least I must mention the work of Daniel Woodrell. I grew up in the southeast Missouri Bootheel and much of my fiction is set nearby. I was googling for similar fiction because I had not come across any and really wanted to read more than I could write. Not that I write like Daniel Woodrell, but some of the themes persist. He writes what he calls country noir. I stumbled across his name and recognized the title Winter’s Bone, which had been made into a movie that I had watched a couple of years before. Well, I immediately ordered several of this books and now I can say that he has become my favorite living author. My writing will grow from the influence of his amazing work.

If you haven’t read any of these books, I recommend you do. If you have read them, I’d love to hear what you think about them, or how they too may have influenced you.

“If you liked Stephen King’s ‘Christine’ then you’ll love the way this sexy Devil’s ride burns up the road. Brett Williams is hell on wheels.” — Randy Chandler, author of HELLz BELLz and BAD JUJU

As a kid I grew up watching car movies, Vanishing Point, everything starring Burt Reynolds, Stephen King’s Christine. Then television  began offering up a variety of series, such as ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’, ‘The A-Team’ with their cool van, ‘Knight Rider’. I loved the jacked-up pickup truck on ‘The Fall Guy’ and even the Power Wagon on ‘Simon and Simon’. Kudos to ‘Riptide’ for featuring boats, a helicopter, cars AND computers. Wow! But I digress…

In my teen years I started reading. Although there are a lot of great books of many genres that I’ve read since then, books featuring cars hold a special place in my heart, even those that aren’t centered on the automobile. For example, Richard Laymon’s BITE.

The influence of all these stories and cars can definitely be seen in my fiction. HIGH OCTANE DAMNATION features a ’69 Charger akin to Christine, piloted by James McGuire, a struggling alcoholic mourning the recent loss of his family. The upcoming release of my novel A GOOD TIME offers a wild weekend ride in a souped-up Camaro and an old rusty tow truck called Old Betsy.

Although very different “vehicles,” both tales offer readers a magnitude of fun, suspense, and flat-out action that readers are sure to enjoy.

HIGH OCTANE DAMNATION is available now as an ebook from Comet Press. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

Kindle

Kindle.co.uk

Kindle.ca

Nook

Kobo

I’m proud to announce that my novella, High Octane Damnation, is scheduled for release December 6th by Comet Press.

Comet Press publishes horror, suspense, and dark crime, so I was thrilled when they wanted to publish High Octane Damnation, especially since they appear to be gunning for the growing niche of hardcore horror/dark crime. High Octane Damnation certainly fits the bill, with its intense chase scenes, gut-wrenching violence, and diabolical revenge sequences. Of course no work of fiction that pays tribute to the grindhouse car flicks I grew up watching as a kid would be complete without the prerequisite sexy women thrown in for good measure. All of which adds up to a fun novella I’m sure readers will enjoy.

If the gritty cover art revs your engine (great job, Comet Press!), them I’m sure you’ll want to uncap a cold beer and climb into the passenger seat with me, ’cause all hell is about to break loose on the road to High Octane Damnation.

I love independent film. Many independent films cross genres or explore storylines that big-budget films do not. But most importantly, at least to me, these films offer great characterization.

A while back I watched a blockbuster movie in which the hero saves the world (again). I can’t recall the name, plot, or who starred in the movie — it was quite forgettable. But I do recall watching the independent film Clockwatchers on IFC shortly thereafter. Clockwatchers featured Toni Collette, Parker Posey, and Lisa Kudrow as temp office workers who are under suspicion of stealing office supplies. The movie enthralled me with its characters, their relationships, and the seemingly mundane mystery of paperclip theft. Although I wasn’t writing at that time, I have always daydreamed story ideas, originally as movies I’d like to see (or in an alternate world, direct/produce/whatever). Clockwatchers, and other movies like it, have always spurred my creative side.

I always liked the idea of cult classic movies, too. I’d much rather create a story that a half-dozen people thought of as their favorite than one hordes of people experienced and then forgot.

A couple of my favorite independent films include: Buffalo ’66 and Henry Fool. Good stuff.

Basically, some of the stuff that I write is very similar to independent film, in that it deals more with characterization and quirky situations than adhering to genre conventions. For example, my latest short novel, Club Nadir.

Club Nadir, a story partially inspired by an independent movie I saw many years ago, features the protagonist, Aubrey Adams. Aubrey is a thirty-something, average-looking woman who has given up on meeting Mr. Right. The reader will find her in the beginning stages of becoming a cat lady. Enter Mr. Right Now. When a young, handsome business executive invites Aubrey to an exclusive club, how can she say no?

Thus begins her downward spiral.

The most consistent comment I’ve received about my writing is that I create great characters. I write villains readers can root for, obnoxious women readers cry with, and unlikely anti-heros readers believe in and empathize with. Isn’t that what a good book is all about? It is for me. And I hope it is for you too.

Club Nadir, like some independent films, crosses genres. On one hand, it is truly a psychological horror story, with much of the horror culminating in the latter portion of the book. On the other hand, it is very erotic. It’s also very suspenseful, as readers won’t necessarily realize what is actually going on behind the scenes right away, if at all.

I hope readers give Club Nadir a chance. I believe many will enjoy it. I know I did when I reread it after having let it sit for over a year. I thought, This is the kind of story I want to read that nobody else is writing. Well, I wrote it, and I certainly hope you enjoy it.

Enjoy it for $1 off with coupon code at Smashwords with coupon code TU47M, valid through April 30.

And if you believe you know the movie that helped inspire Club Nadir, please drop me a line. Sometimes I believe I am the only person who saw it.

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

“Raving Diseased,” a short story of mine, is included in the zombie erotica anthology Fifty Shades of Decay. I’m anxious for this anthology to be released in paperback so that I can check out what all these great writers have done with their stories.

As for my tale, well, some of you may have read my short story, “The Rot,” in Delirium Books’ anthology Horrorwired Vol. 1 a few years ago. I’ve wanted to write a prequel to “The Rot” for a while. In fact, I started a prequel as a collaborative effort; however, that project never got completed. “Raving Diseased,” though, accomplishes in a very small space what I set out to accomplish with the collaborative effort. Namely, a brief prequel to “The Rot.”

Everyone who enjoyed “The Rot” will hopefully enjoy “Raving Diseased” equally well. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy these stories (as well as my longer work) in the future.

Happy reading!

Brett> Today it is my pleasure to interview the up-and-coming author of THE SUMMER OF WINTERS, Mark Allan Gunnells. I’ve known Mark for several years and have not only become an avid reader of his work but also enjoyed watching his writing talent grow.

Mark’s fiction always entertains me. Although the vast majority of his work seems geared toward fun and entertainment, with THE SUMMER OF WINTERS, Gunnells tackles subject matter that is a bit more serious. Mark, you pulled off this coming of age tale flawlessly. What was your inspiration for THE SUMMER OF WINTERS?

Mark> Well, I’ve always been a huge fan of coming of age tales.  Lansdale, McCammon, King, Bradbury, Newman…they’ve all done tales in this genre that have moved and inspired me.  A really well done coming of age tale can be set in any time period and be instantly relatable to anyone.  I don’t even pretend to be in the same league as the above mentioned authors, but I wanted to at least play in their sandbox.  I set the story in my own hometown during the days of my childhood, so I could draw on my own memories to add some realism to the piece.

Brett> Mark is a big Richard Laymon and Stephen King fan. I have to admit it brought a smile to my face when King’s DIFFERENT SEASONS paperback made an appearance in SUMMER OF WINTERS. Having a paperback appear in a novel, such as TOM SAWYER appear in SAVAGE or DRACULA appear in THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW, is a slick trick Laymon pulled several times, just to tip readers off about his inspiration. Did King’s “The Body” add a little additional inspiration for SUMMER OF WINTERS?

Mark> Honestly, I never even thought of that until you mentioned it.  Funny, but maybe there was a subconscious thing going on.  I was just trying to throw in some of the things I loved as a child, and King was definitely one of them.

Brett> Mark, I hope you don’t mind my mentioning THE QUARRY. I believe that is the longest piece of fiction of yours that I have read, and it, like SUMMER OF WINTERS, blew me away. What can we expect to see from you in novel length in the future?

Mark> I am working on revisions for a novel that will come out through Etopia Press later in the year called THE EXCHANGE STUDENT.  A bit of a departure for me; it is a time traveling gay romance.  Also working on a sequel to THE QUARRY though that’s moving along a little slower than I would like.

Brett> Recently you ran a free download promotion for THE SUMMER OF WINTERS, I believe, with an incredible number of downloads. How does it feel to know you are breaking out into the masses? Are they ready for Mark Allan Gunnells fiction? I mean, let’s face it, some of your fiction offers a unique perspective. Personally, I believe you have little to risk and much to gain. Care to elaborate?

Mark> I don’t know if I’d say I’m breaking into the masses, but these free download promotions my publisher Evil Jester does are incredibly helpful.  They gain the book greater visibility on Amazon, which ultimately results in greater sales once the book is no longer free.  And it does feel great getting my books into more hands.  One of my favorite things is getting feedback from readers, and the an increased readership means increased feedback.  Not everyone will like my work, but I appreciate each and every person out there who gives me a try.

Brett> Thank you, Mark, for taking the time to discuss your fiction with me today. If there is anything you would like to say, that your readership would enjoy knowing, we are all ears.

Mark> Just thank you to everyone who has taken a chance on one of my books, and I hope above all else they entertain.

Amazon link to books by Mark Allan Gunnells