Dark Art: Evil Spirit by Danielle Tunstall

Evil Spirit

Evil Spirit: image by Danielle Tunstall – All Rights Reserved – Click full size

Part of a series of images from the shadowy fringes of the Internet.  Visuals that stir my sense for the eerie and macabre.

Blessed are the damned for they walk in wake of the divine light, robbed of forgiveness and healing they remain to roam the mortal lands until the end of all things.  Danielle Tunstall delivers another visual impact.  This is a particularly haunting blend of photography and digital manipulation.  Is this the fresh host of a demonic possession?  Or is it something more outre, a direct attack by some cosmic horror that exists within the pantheon of psychological and physical nightmares known collectively as the Cthulhu Mythos.  Or is it a new hybrid of Infected and Changed (Orc) spinning out a new vector from the cocktail of organic and military-designed compounds that came together in the apocalyptic event known as Yellow Dawn?

Danielle Tunstall has a vast repository of images she’s created and showcasing on her website, definitely worth a look if you’re into the darker side of Cyberpunk, verging on horror, smeared in blood and corrupted tissue.

• Danielle Tunstall website.

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Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

THE BLACK LAKE: The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of harsh reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a novel that tears open a rent in the boundary of reality, providing a nerve-jarring glimpse of the Outer Chaos and the horrors that lurk just beyond the threshold of our fragile, human existence.

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Back of Book Blurb – Bane of a Writer’s Life

One Upon a Time…

It’s the thing I really dislike. You’ve sweated for weeks and months over something that’s 70,000 or more words in length.  Punchy start that launches well-crafted characters out across story arcs that see them rising, falling, crashing, burning, surviving or dying, and ultimately succeeding or failing as all the threads come together.  And then you have to take all that work and condense it down into a few lines that don’t just read like the contents of a tin of dog food. You’ve got to couch it in terms so compelling that a person might even consider eating that tin of dog food because you’ve made it sound so good.

I’m about to go through an overhaul of all my novel cover designs (bloody 7 of them!), either going for a much muted, graphic template approach or just some typographical first-aid to what I’ve currently got (create a more consistent feeling to show they’re all unique, independent stories, but all part of the same universe).  Working with a freelance designer on this.

But it’s made me review the back of book blurb’s I’m currently using and there is much nose wrinkling on my part. Don’t like what I’ve got. So, I’m in the process of re-writing them. Cue pained expression and a face like a dog chewing on a thistle.

Here’s five of them:

God Seed

God Seed { novel } For acclaimed documentary film-maker, Adam Kyle, this was going to be another feather in his cap. Embedded within a team of highly trained corporate mercenaries, he was covering the start of an operation in England. But when the operation goes terribly wrong, Kyle finds himself battling for his life, his sanity, and maybe even his very soul as a new and dramatic story unfolds, dragging him across the globe…and beyond. It isn’t just his documentary that is at stake, but the fate of every living thing in the Universe. David J Rodger delivers a gut-wrenching and epic journey in a novel that plunges deep into the crawling chaos and takes you to the edge of the membrane of human existence.

BUY > paperback : from LULU
BUY > kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

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Dante’s Fool

Dante’s Fool { novel } Detective Sergeant Louis Cloud is a hard-boiled cop hungry for power and promotion, and he’ll do anything to get it. When a courier descends from orbit and is murdered by an armed gang who rob him of precious gemstones, DS Cloud sets eagerly upon their trail, but he quickly learns there are other forces out there – and things from other realms of reality – that will also stop at nothing to get what they want. DS Cloud’s life is literally torn apart as he plunges headlong towards a terrifying confrontation with one of the sub-princes of Hell. Thrown into this violent mix of corporate corruption and demonism is Natalya Dorganskya; previously the adorable daughter of a now deceased movie-megastar, she has turned to crime to give her the kicks she once got from a borrowed fame and fortune. Once a world-class pilot, her neural network ravaged by custom drugs, can she overcome the torments of her past to defeat the horrors of her immediate future? Non-human things that have come stalking through time and space to take back what she and her compatriots stole from the courier. David J Rodger delivers a dark and edgy vision of the near-future in a novel that reveals the boundaries between the Satanism and the Cthulhu Mythos.

BUY > paperback : from LULU

BUY > kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

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Iron Man Project

Iron Man Project { novel } Former special-forces operative, Vincent Brent, is tough, ruthless and highly trained; he’s now using his skills for whoever will pay him without cashing in the bounty on his head. In this world of the near future, the UN has failed. Wars are fought in boardrooms through attorneys and politics, and on our streets with private armies of military or criminal assets. In Sicily, Jean-Luc Korda, the Chief of Security for one such corporate alliance struggles to survive as hidden forces attempt to manipulate him for their own ends. Both these men find their fates intertwined. In the cross-hairs of powerful adversaries, they must both make decisions of life and death in a choice between command and conscience. David J Rodger delivers a palm-sweating ride in a complex novel that will keep you turning pages until the end.

BUY > paperback : from LULU
BUY > kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

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EDGE

EDGE { novel } Ethan Carmichael, technical wizard and prolific inventor is close to burn out. Taking time out at a luxury snowboarding resort in New Zealand seems like the perfect opportunity to refresh his mind and spirit. But the mountain is a gateway to something much older than humankind, a malign and alien force that even now is oozing back into our reality, hungry for flesh and fear. On the other side of the world, Halo Santana, an unscrupulous concept scout scrambles onto the trail of a new technology that has vanished from a corporate R&D lab. Quickly out of his depth, he enters a frantic race to track down the missing components to save his life. Both men find their fates tangled in a deadly web of lies, treachery and a cosmic horror that comes from beyond the stars. David J Rodger delivers relentless narrative pace in a tense action-packed novel.

BUY > paperback : from LULU

BUY > kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

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Dog Eat Dog

Dog Eat Dog { novel } Ten years after the Earth has been devastated by a viral pathogen seventy per cent of the population is dead and only a handful of cities survive intact. The majority of urban spaces have been abandoned to the Infected, creatures that were once human.  Whilst above, the orbital colonies spin within their artificial gravity wells, helpless observers to the shocking events below.  Mikhail Drobná and Carlos Revira.  Two survivors, both hungry for money and power, and fuelled by a desire to carve their names onto this new world.  One provides services of violence and protection for powerful corporate criminals in New York; the other is a renegade intelligence agent forever running from the demons of his past. Strangers, until events conspire to bring them together. There’s a complex and deadly political power play in progress. Private armies. Corruption and murder on a massive scale.  Both men seek to seize their opportunity at whatever personal cost.  But a cosmic Evil has infiltrated the remote corners of these brutalised lands and it has its own plans. Will these men work as one to defeat it or will their bitter rivalry bring about their destruction. In the end, who will devour who?  David J Rodger delivers a novel of epic vision, character depth and nerve-popping tension.

BUY > paperback : from LULU
BUY > kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

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YOU CAN SEE MORE OF MY SCI-FI DARK FANTASY WORK ON MY OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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Video: Dancing with the Devil

Underground Bristol

Somewhere in the undergrounds of Bristol (England) lurk corridors and chambers filled with music and characters of strange breed.

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LIVING IN FLAMES

Available in paperback or kindle

Paperback: from LULU

Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

Living in Flames { novel } Bristol, UK, the near future, the lives of three people collide in a gruesome twist of fate. A former marine turned to crime, and two enigmatic figures concealing their true identities, skimming the city’s underworld of drug-cartels and shadowy tendrils of old merchant families. A carved African idol is discovered clutched in the hands of a dead man who is barely human. Greed unlocks a centuries-tarnished mystery about the origins of the idol, and brings back to Bristol a banished bloodline hell-bent on vengeance and diabolical glory. A carrion God lying dormant for three hundred years risks being returned to the world of Man.

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20% discount on sci-fi dark fantasy paperbacks from David J Rodger until 2nd May

Special Offer

David J Rodger is a British science-fiction and dark fantasy author with seven novels under his belt. LULU have all of them available to purchase in paperback via their online store.

- The Guardian called his work “Atmospheric and Creepy”

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LULU are offering a tasty 20% discount

on paperbacks purchased through their online portal

For any order

Just use coupon code SILEO at checkout

(code is case sensitive)

Offer Ends 2nd May 2013

This is a great opportunity to grab any of my 7 novels, anthology of short stories, RPG work and any other authors who publish through LULU – in one awesome literary grab.

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If you’re a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos then why not try my latest novel: The Black Lake.

A novel

“The Black Lake: where only death survives.”

Order a bookstore quality paperback from LULU with 20% discount.

Full description & customer reviews on official website

The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror.

BUY THE BLACK LAKE TODAY

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Go back to the start

Alternatively, if you’re interested in my first novel you could try God Seed.

View on Lulu

“Mankind will be judged, and smitten and cleansed”

Order a bookstore quality paperback from LULUwith 20% discount.

Full description & customer reviews on official website

I wrote God Seed in 1996: it is a tense, tightly packed thriller following a documentary film-maker as he tries to complete a new project: filming corporate mercenaries operating in western Europe. What starts as an action-packed campaign quickly descends into horror and madness as the film-maker is drawn into a conspiracy that goes far beyond the political, religious and ideological boundaries of neo-Nazis and Islamic fundamentalists, propelling him out beyond Earth, into the very heart of darkness.

BUY GOD SEED TODAY

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An entire universe to discover:

In between God Seed and The Black Lake are a number of novels that share and create a common universe for your imagination to roam, enjoy and find new thrills and terrors within. You can find a complete list of my work, including précis and customer reviews, on my official website.

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Click to browse paperbacks on LULU storefront

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Got Kindle?

If you’re keen to try these novels in digital format then you can buy all these titles at Amazon with a choice of currencies, $ US Dollars; or £ GB Pounds, or the Euro.

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Free Audio Book (short story): Masters of Chaos

MASTERS OF CHAOS

A Short Slab of Speculative Fiction written by British Sci-Fi Dark Fantasy Author David J Rodger
Audio Book narration by American Voice Talent Cody J Johnson

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-BLURB-
MASTERS OF CHAOS: {Speculative fiction} A man contemplates the world around him, taking seemingly meticulous notes of certain random but repeating events. Can he influence the world through such observations? And to what end? When unseen things are scratching at the doors of perception.

- BACKGROUND -
It’s 3,800 words, fairly meaty for a short story and uses an unusual style that, in my head at least, is based on the awesome narrative monologue method used in the film Pi by Darren Aronofsky. It charts the terrible fate hanging over the Earth during the esoteric experimentation by somebody who has stumbled onto (or been led into) the loathsome, diabolical and reality shattering concepts practiced by adepts of the Cthulhu Mythos (H.P.Lovecraft).

-COPY-
I’m in my apartment. It’s morning. I’m standing by the window looking down; dressed in a crumpled shirt, tie and suit trousers. In one hand is a bottle of expensive mineral water. In the other hand is an old-fashioned Dictaphone with a cable running up to an ear-piece and throat microphone.
My point of view: I’m looking out of the window down on a busy city street.
Picture it, a montage of ordinary people on their way to work.
Some years ago, in Argentina, an old woman decided to withdraw a little more money from her bank than usual. There was a small delay as she got her pesos. A minor cash flow problem for the bank. No harm done. Except, word of this problem got around, it echoed, and caused a run on the banks that led to the economic collapse of an entire country.
One little old lady.
One grain of sand bringing down a mountain.
It was the day I discovered I had a talent. But as with all of nature’s gifts there is need for a mentor, to nurture and guide.
I lift the Dictaphone a little even though there is no need:
8.10 – Look out apartment window.
I see a smartly dressed business woman stopping to cross a busy intersection. Her face shows she is a burns victim. She’s wearing red gloves and is holding a Starbucks.
I lick my lips and thumb record again:
8.12 – Girl A arrives on street corner, gloves, Starbucks coffee in her hand. She waits 43 seconds to cross road.
A few moments elapse and then I focus on a male student in a scuffed leather jacket, carrying a paperback novel.
8.13 – Man B appears on street corner. He is carrying a book in his hand.
I turn from the window, pull on a jacket, pocket the Dictaphone, and head outside.
Picture it. My journey to work. A sequence of images: waiting at bus stop, sitting on bus, walking through downtown city streets, walking into modern office building. A finance company.
Through all of this I appear detached and deep in thought.
8.15 – Left for work. It takes 45 minutes to get to there.

-MAKE A SMALL CONTRIBUTION-
Like the story? Share some wonga.  Make a small financial contribution (link takes you to my website, then PayPal).

-GET THE STORY AS A PDF-
Click this link for a free PDF copy of the short story Masters of Chaos.

Click to grab the PDF. Personal use only.

- LINKS -

WRITER
David J Rodger official website: http://www.davidjrodger.com
David J Rodger Twitter: @davidjrodger
David J Rodger Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-J-Rodger/10090348898

VOICE TALENT
Cody J Johnson on Voices (Talent Website): http://www.voices.com/people/codyjohnsonaudio
Cody J Johnson on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cody-Johnson/44537397887

SONGS OF SPHERES
Anthology of short sci-fi dark fantasy stories: Cyberpunk and Cthulhu Mythos.
The short story Masters of Chaos comes from an anthology of 15 shorts, available in paperback from LULU and from Amazon for Kindle.
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Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

SONGS OF SPHERES: {short story collection} 15 short stories hand-picked by the author as his personal favourites and presented with a brief introduction to each story. There are monsters that squirm and slither through the dark spaces beneath our feet, our dead are like carrion to them; and us, the living, are often victims of their hunger for violence and their taste in blood and terror. There are men and women who prey on the predators – a rough justice or karma in action. Technology carries information beyond the wires but what else can ride the electromagnetic waves? Demonic forces that infiltrate the mind through the new technology implants of the cyberpunk era. In dream-like realms, brave souls adventure deep into the strange worlds conjured by far flung minds. What mysteries do they discover and what secrets do they bring back with them into physical flesh and the reality of Humankind? The King in Yellow regards Earth from behind a pallid mask of silk; reposed on a throne of madness, corruption and decay within the black tower that stands beyond Carcosa. Hastur – the Great Old One that must not be named – the bearer of the Yellow Sign, has been brought forth. In tales of Yellow Dawn the consequences are here for those who dare to see. WARNING: some of these stories contain scenes of a disturbing and sexual nature.

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See more posts like this – click

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Getting back into a creative groove

¦ dialling in from the Sky Bunker ¦

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March. Means I’m back into writing after taking February “off” from the insane creative drive of the last 3 years – and following on from the three months I took off between September and December when everything in my world seemed so… dark.

David J Rodger working on new novel set in post-apocalyptic London

Taking February off wasn’t easy to do by the way; almost had fights with myself first weekend of Feb when I headed down to the harbour to relax — whilst some other part of my brain was scowling, “what are you doing? Get back home. You should be writing!”  This is the voice that’s been whip-lashing me all these years.  It’s been highly productive.  Four novels, one RPG (plus a complete re-write for version 2.5) and a major campaign book (Shadows of the Quantinex) since 2007.  But there comes a point when you look at the things you’re not doing with your life whilst focussing so much energy in just one area…

Anyhow, I really enjoyed Feb. Managed to do a lot of social things and other bits and pieces that would normally be considered “getting in the way” of the creative process. Have I found balance? Who knows. I’ve now got to cold-start the engine and see if the words will flow — or if I splutter and cough dank fetid fumes from lack of use. Whatever, I’m now back into The Social Club – novel #8 – picking up where I left off: Senior Verifier Jadon Purgo in trouble with the Power of Eight Group in a post-apocalyptic version of London, ten years after the event known as Yellow Dawn struck the Earth.

You can eyeball my previous novels here: Science Fiction Dark Fantasy by David J Rodger.

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Work in progress: Audio Book of Short Story: Masters of Chaos

MASTERS OF CHAOS

A Short Slab of Speculative Fiction written by British Sci-Fi Dark Fantasy Author David J Rodger
Audio Book narration by American Voice Talent Cody J Johnson

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This is work in progress of an audio book of the short story Masters of Chaos.

-BLURB-
MASTERS OF CHAOS: {Speculative fiction} A man contemplates the world around him, taking seemingly meticulous notes of certain random but repeating events. Can he influence the world through such observations? And to what end? When unseen things are scratching at the doors of perception.

- BACKGROUND -
It’s 3,800 words, fairly meaty for a short story and uses an unusual style that, in my head at least, is based on  the awesome narrative monologue method used in the film Pi by Darren Aronofsky. It charts the terrible fate hanging over the Earth during the esoteric experimentation by somebody who has stumbled onto (or been led into) the loathsome, diabolical and reality shattering concepts practiced by adepts of the Cthulhu Mythos (H.P.Lovecraft).

David J Rodger and Cody J Johnson are collaborating to produce a complete audio book version of the short story.  Rodger is intending to seek submissions from illustrators and graphic artists who want to win a commission to provide visuals (static or otherwise) to accompany the finished product on YouTube.  Follow David J Rodger’s blog or Twitter – links below – to keep informed of this when the invitation goes out.

-COPY-
I’m in my apartment.  It’s morning.  I’m standing by the window looking down; dressed in a crumpled shirt, tie and suit trousers. In one hand is a bottle of expensive mineral water. In the other hand is an old-fashioned Dictaphone with a cable running up to an ear-piece and throat microphone.
My point of view: I’m looking out of the window down on a busy city street.
Picture it, a montage of ordinary people on their way to work.
Some years ago, in Argentina, an old woman decided to withdraw a little more money from her bank than usual. There was a small delay as she got her pesos. A minor cash flow problem for the bank. No harm done. Except, word of this problem got around, it echoed, and caused a run on the banks that led to the economic collapse of an entire country.
One little old lady.
One grain of sand bringing down a mountain.
It was the day I discovered I had a talent.  But as with all of nature’s gifts there is need for a mentor, to nurture and guide.
I lift the Dictaphone a little even though there is no need:
8.10 – Look out apartment window.
I see a smartly dressed business woman stopping to cross a busy intersection.  Her face shows she is a burns victim. She’s wearing red gloves and is holding a Starbucks.
I lick my lips and thumb record again:
8.12 – Girl A arrives on street corner, gloves, Starbucks coffee in her hand.  She waits 43 seconds to cross road.
A few moments elapse and then I focus on a male student in a scuffed leather jacket, carrying a paperback novel.
8.13 – Man B appears on street corner.  He is carrying a book in his hand.
I turn from the window, pull on a jacket, pocket the Dictaphone, and head outside.
Picture it.  My journey to work. A sequence of images: waiting at bus stop, sitting on bus, walking through downtown city streets, walking into modern office building. A finance company.
Through all of this I appear detached and deep in thought.
8.15 – Left for work.  It takes 45 minutes to get to there.

-GET THE WHOLE STORY-
A PDF version is available free.
http://davidjrodger.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/free-short-story-sci-fi-dark-fantasy-tale-masters-of-chaos-retweet-or-share-and-its-yours/

Click here and share the link to get a free copy of the complete short story (PDF)

- LINKS -

WRITER
David J Rodger official website: http://www.davidjrodger.com
David J Rodger Twitter: @davidjrodger
David J Rodger Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-J-Rodger/10090348898

VOICE TALENT
Cody J Johnson on Voices (Talent Website): http://www.voices.com/people/codyjohnsonaudio
Cody J Johnson on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cody-Johnson/44537397887

SONGS OF SPHERES
Anthology of short sci-fi dark fantasy stories: Cyberpunk and Cthulhu Mythos.
The short story Masters of Chaos comes from an anthology of 15 shorts, available in paperback from LULU and from Amazon for Kindle.
.

Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

SONGS OF SPHERES: {short story collection} 15 short stories hand-picked by the author as his personal favourites and presented with a brief introduction to each story. There are monsters that squirm and slither through the dark spaces beneath our feet, our dead are like carrion to them; and us, the living, are often victims of their hunger for violence and their taste in blood and terror. There are men and women who prey on the predators – a rough justice or karma in action. Technology carries information beyond the wires but what else can ride the electromagnetic waves? Demonic forces that infiltrate the mind through the new technology implants of the cyberpunk era. In dream-like realms, brave souls adventure deep into the strange worlds conjured by far flung minds. What mysteries do they discover and what secrets do they bring back with them into physical flesh and the reality of Humankind? The King in Yellow regards Earth from behind a pallid mask of silk; reposed on a throne of madness, corruption and decay within the black tower that stands beyond Carcosa. Hastur – the Great Old One that must not be named – the bearer of the Yellow Sign, has been brought forth. In tales of Yellow Dawn the consequences are here for those who dare to see. WARNING: some of these stories contain scenes of a disturbing and sexual nature.

.

See more posts like this – click

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Photography: Ethereal Being – angel, demon or the mythos in disguise – Kristian Schuller

Ethereal Being

Photography Ethereal Being: Image by Kristian Schuller – All Rights Reserved – Click Full Size

Ghostly light and shimmering golden skin, this apparition of a human male form could be mistaken for an Angel or the seductive beauty of the creature, Lucifer.

Romanian born fashion photographer Kristian Schuller has crafted this shot with a more sombre hand, angling away from his usual flare for vibrant colours and dramatic form.  It’s a stunningly simple effect. A male face, in thoughtful repose or slumbering.  But the concept leaps towards the super-human… or non-human in a bipedal, mammalian guise.

The Cthulhu Mythos is riddled with non-human species that have adopted the human form. British science fiction and dark fantasy author, David J Rodger has added to this pantheon with several of his own creations.  Things that walk shoulder to shoulder alongside the creaking, arthritic, nefarious and polymorphic creations of H.P.Lovecraft.

Most hideous of these new additions are the Grom crabs.  Parasites, a little smaller than a human fist, they resemble a translucent grey crab, with horribly long spider-like legs, a segmented carapace with hard black chitinous pincers.  They wield a Nerve Sting attack, effected by a set of “semi-visible” tendrils that can lash out up to 6 metres; made of an alien matter that can slice through flesh, bone, clothing and armour to reach into the nervous system of any living thing and deliver a crippling, paralysing attack. Any living organism can be affected. And the effects are instant; the target becomes paralysed, all muscles cease to function. The primary use of this attack is to allow the Grom crab to crawl into any cavity near the brain (usually the mouth), and burrow into a suitable resting place, from which to occupy and control the host. Highly intelligent, the Grom roam different worlds, taking control of hosts – including human victims – and building empires.

Upon arriving in a suitable location, they construct hive-like temples, dedicated to their god, Murg, incorporating the flakes of crystal they excrete through their appendage from time to time (Resonators). Grom themselves are
rarely encountered outside of a larger “host” creature; they are often accompanied and served by mutated-beings known as Groth.

In the post-apocalyptic “Mythos fiction” novel, Dog Eat Dog, the Grom are encountered by the main protagonists.  The encounter, sinister, brutal, and shocking in its climax reveals the silent incursion of alien horrors into the abandoned spaces of an Earth left ravaged by the event known as Yellow Dawn.

The photo by Kristian Schuller is more akin to the sublime and mysterious creatures known by erudite scholars as the “The Great Magi”. Formidable sorcerers from a time on Earth predating the evolution of Modern Man.  They are anthropomorphic, walking upright, with a humanoid head that resembles a cross between a chimpanzee and a cheetah.  However, they are renowned for their use of potent illusionary magick to walk amongst humans as if one of them. Often mesmerizing with the physical beauty and charm.

Skeletons of The Greta Magi have occasionally been discovered by scientists and mistaken as the “missing link”, these people are normally silenced and the evidence removed (by the Order of the Amber Eye) before the truth ever comes close to the surface. The Great Magi came to Earth after the Elder Things had retreated beneath the oceans and for a while came to dominate the proto-human savages that had evolved from the Elder Thing experiments. In their ancient culture they wore ceremonial robes and carried weapons (typically daggers). The Great Magi warred heavily with the far older race of Serpent People. Because of this war, only a few remain in existence at this time on Earth. The Order of the Amber Eye is based in a sandstone city on a remote planet, a temple held up by vast ape-like statues, surrounded by alien jungle; any Great Magi will have access to this place via a magical gateway.

Kristian Schuller has an incredible portfolio of imagery from his career in photography and fashion. You should certainly take a peek at his work on his website:

• Kristian Schuller website

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

• More creations for the RPG Yellow Dawn in a free download called Monsters of the Mythos
• The Ninth Gate: occult and tarot-like symbolism in the engravings by Aristide Torchia and Lucifer, plus wider meanings of the movie

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Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

“Atmospheric and creepy” – The Guardian

THE BLACK LAKE: The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of harsh reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a novel that tears open a rent in the boundary of reality, providing a nerve-jarring glimpse of the Outer Chaos and the horrors that lurk just beyond the threshold of our fragile, human existence.

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David J Rodger – DATA

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Horror Animation: UK TV Show – Countdown – reveals the gruesome, flesh shredding face of H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythos with a quivering nod to Carpenter’s The Thing

Mythos Horror Meets Countdown

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Short and delightfully “on the money” in regards to Carpenter’s The Thing – a concept that blends seamlessly like thrashing tentacles into the nightmare polymorphic forms of H.P.Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

Movie poster for John Carpenter The Thing (1982) – click full size wallpaper

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When the Cthulhu Mythos meets Cyberpunk:

Available in paperback or kindle

Paperback : LULU & Amazon Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)
BUY > iBook : from iTunes Store

Recently given 5 star review: Brilliant piece of Sci-Fi literature

EDGE { novel } In the near future, a prolific inventor is close to burn out. Desperate for a break he grabs an opportunity to go snowboarding in New Zealand, thinking it will refresh his mind and spirit. But a malign and alien force is oozing back into our reality, older than humankind and growing strong as it emerges after centuries of absence. Zen Dow snowboarding and ski resort, perched in the foothills of the volcanic mountain Ruapehu, is about to experience mind-shredding consequences as one of the Great Old Ones returns. On the other side of the world, an unscrupulous concept scout scrambles onto the trail of a new technology that has vanished from the corporate R&D labs. Quickly out of his depth, it becomes a race to track down the missing components before competing corporate agents kill him. David J Rodger’s trademark relentless narrative pace is here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a tense action-packed novel that blends corporate espionage, with a creeping, spine-chilling horror.

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

• Tracking down the Fog, John Carpenter movie (1980)

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#Free short story: Sci-Fi Dark Fantasy tale Masters of Chaos- retweet or share and it’s yours

RETWEET & ENJOY A FREE SHORT STORY

A Science Fiction Dark Fantasy Short

Science Fiction Dark Fantasy author David J Rodger is giving away a copy of his short story “Masters of Chaos” to anybody who retweets or shares this post on a social network. No reason other than the search for more publicity and exposure of his work to a wider audience.

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MASTERS OF CHAOS: {Speculative fiction} A man contemplates the world around him, taking seemingly meticulous notes of certain random but repeating events. Can he influence the world through such observations? And to what end? When unseen things are scratching at the doors of perception.

It’s 3,800 words, fairly meaty for a short story and uses an unusual style that, in my head at least, is based on  the awesome narrative monologue method used in the film Pi by Darren Aronofsky. It charts the terrible fate hanging over the Earth during the esoteric experimentation by somebody who has stumbled onto (or been led into) the loathsome, diabolical and reality shattering concepts practiced by adepts of the Cthulhu Mythos (H.P.Lovecraft).

Retweet me

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Retweet this today and it’s yours to enjoy

You may also like to:

•     Join my Facebook Fan Page: (Click here) >> say hello on my wall and I’ll ping you a private message with a copy of the story
•     Subscribe to this blog: (details are top left of this page) >> leave a comment using your email address and I’ll send you the story via email.

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Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

SONGS OF SPHERES: {short story collection}  15 short stories hand-picked by the author as his personal favourites and presented with a brief introduction to each story. There are monsters that squirm and slither through the dark spaces beneath our feet, our dead are like carrion to them; and us, the living, are often victims of their hunger for violence and their taste in blood and terror. There are men and women who prey on the predators – a rough justice or karma in action. Technology carries information beyond the wires but what else can ride the electromagnetic waves? Demonic forces that infiltrate the mind through the new technology implants of the cyberpunk era. In dream-like realms, brave souls adventure deep into the strange worlds conjured by far flung minds. What mysteries do they discover and what secrets do they bring back with them into physical flesh and the reality of Humankind? The King in Yellow regards Earth from behind a pallid mask of silk; reposed on a throne of madness, corruption and decay within the black tower that stands beyond Carcosa. Hastur – the Great Old One that must not be named – the bearer of the Yellow Sign, has been brought forth. In tales of Yellow Dawn the consequences are here for those who dare to see. WARNING: some of these stories contain scenes of a disturbing and sexual nature.

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Free Friday Giveaway: illustrator Jez Long, aka SpookyJelly, wins an anthology of short #cyberpunk and #horror stories by David J Rodger

And the Winner Is…

Congratulations to Jez Long (@SpookyJelly) who is the winner of the latest Free Friday Giveaway (more giveaways coming soon). He decided to select the anthology of short stories Songs of Spheres – from amongst the choice of 7 novels on offer.

Songs of Spheres

Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

SONGS OF SPHERES: 15 short stories hand-picked by the author as his personal favourites and presented with a brief introduction to each story. There are monsters that squirm and slither through the dark spaces beneath our feet, our dead are like carrion to them; and us, the living, are often victims of their hunger for violence and their taste in blood and terror. There are men and women who prey on the predators – a rough justice or karma in action. Technology carries information beyond the wires but what else can ride the electromagnetic waves? Demonic forces that infiltrate the mind through the new technology implants of the cyberpunk era. In dream-like realms, brave souls adventure deep into the strange worlds conjured by far flung minds. What mysteries do they discover and what secrets do they bring back with them into physical flesh and the reality of Humankind? The King in Yellow regards Earth from behind a pallid mask of silk; reposed on a throne of madness, corruption and decay within the black tower that stands beyond Carcosa. Hastur – the Great Old One that must not be named – the bearer of the Yellow Sign, has been brought forth. In tales of Yellow Dawn the consequences are here for those who dare to see. WARNING: some of these stories contain scenes of a disturbing and sexual nature.

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Previous Winners – Happy People:

• 2012 – October: Free Friday Giveaway. Lena Machina (@leanmachine69). She chose The Black Lake as  her prize.
• 2011 – May: Mayday Mayday. Mr Matt M McElroy. He chose Dog Eat Dog as his prize.
• 2011 – March: Enjoy the Ides of March. Andrew Corrieri . He chose Dante’s Fool as his prize.
• 2010 – December: Free Sci-Fi giveaway.  Peteofrepublic. He chose Dog Eat Dog as his prize.
• 2010- November: Free Sci-Fi giveaway. Alexandre Siegelin (Germany). He chose EDGE as his prize.
• 2009- July:  Free Sci-Fi giveaway. Christopher Clark Plambeck. He chose God Seed as his prize.

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Got Kindle?

If you’re keen to try David J Rodger in digital format then you can buy all his titles at Amazon with a choice of currencies, $ US Dollars; or £ GB Pounds, or the Euro.

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Horror News: trailer released for the H.P.Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos inspired short film – Beyond the Basement Door

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Beyond the Basement Door

A short film by Jason Huls and Ten Wing Films

H.P.Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos gets a fresh lease of undeath

Written and directed by Jason Huls the short film is inspired by the psychological, sci-fi horror of H.P.Lovecraft, and features Steve Christopher, Daniel Roebuck (LOST, The Fugitive, Halloween 2), Brenna Lee Roth (The Road), and Richard Pryor Jr.

The full film will be released shortly but right now their drumming up interest and publicity; so here’s the trailer.

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PLOT OUTLINE:

Alistair, a genetic researcher, saves his own life from cancer by making a pact with some dark and dangerous people. The secret lies with whatever is making the odd sounds in Alistair’s basement. The deal he made forbids him to go down there for three days…no matter what he sees or hears. His sanity, his life, depends on it.

As the line between reality and delusion fades, Alistair struggles with nosy neighbors (Richard Pryor Jr.), a rival ex-boss (Daniel Roebuck, LOST) and haunting images of a lady in blue. Getting out of the house only makes his anxiety worse. With each passing hour, an urge to open the door slowly chips away at him…

Will he be able to resist? What’s making all that noise beneath the floorboards? How is Alistair connected to the lady in blue and what is beyond the basement door?

RELEVANT LINKS:

• Official Facebook Page for Beyond the Basement Door
• Link to END CREDITS for Beyond the Basement Door

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Cast and crew on set of the H P Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos short film Beyond the Basement Door

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Available in Paperback or Kindle

Paperback : from LULU & Kindle: US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro)

GOD SEED { novel } In the near future, a documentary film-maker is covering mercenaries engaged in corporate espionage. A nervous executive wants to smuggle stolen data to Cairo. Yet events rapidly and frighteningly escalate out of control. The film-maker finds himself battling for his life and his sanity as a new and dramatic story unfolds, dragging him across the globe…and beyond. Fascist extremists, Islamic terrorists, corrupt government officials and a religious sect that worships a nefarious avatar of a many-faced God of the Outer Void, become fused into a gruesome knot of lies, treachery and mass-murder. David J Rodger’s trademark gut-wrenching rendering of a dark and edgy reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a tense action-packed novel that plunges you uncomfortably deep into crawling chaos festering and feeding on the membrane of human existence.

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Holiday bonanza – 13 days of discounts from LULU – 20th Dec is 30% off any hardback Yellow Dawn – Age of #Hastur – #RPG

Looking for something new or coming back for more…

LULU are offering 30% off any hardback today

 purchased through their online portal

For any order

Just use coupon code 20DEC at checkout

(code is case-sensitive)

Offer Ends Today

This is a great opportunity to grab the special hardback edition of my RPG, Yellow Dawn – The Age of Hastur.

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If you’re a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, Cyberpunk, Infection apocalypses, zombies and survival horror, then why not try this much praised role-playing game. It works either as a standalone system or as a setting for your own RPG system.

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Available exclusively from LULU

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Product Link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/david-j-rodger/yellow-dawn-25-special-edition-hardcover/hardcover/product-20012076.html  (Don’t forget Discount Coupon Code 20DEC)

YELLOW DAWN – THE AGE OF HASTUR

The Earth has been ravaged by viral pathogens, the death of billions observed by the orbital colonies and deep-space habitats that were largely unaffected by the Outbreak. Terrified of infection, nobody came to help. Less than 30 percent survived the first few weeks. Then came the 2nd Wave of infection, spreading steadily outwards from the impact points, and that was when the horror really began… YELLOW DAWN: This book is crammed with everything you will need to create characters, run scenarios and experience horror and adventure in the fictional world of David J Rodger. FEATURES: The Influence of Hastur; Medical theories on the Infection; Zombie surges; Comprehensive scavenging system; Computer hacking and drug abuse; Non-human characters; Enhancements through cyberware and bioware; Weaponry, equipment and armour; Complex political, corporate and quasi-religious tensions; Schools of Elemental Magick, occultism, demonology, and the alien horrors of the Outer Chaos — the Cthulhu Mythos.

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An entire universe to discover:

YELLOW DAWN  fits into a raft of novels that are set before and after the apocalyptic event.  In between God Seed and The Black Lake are a number of novels that share and create a common universe for your imagination to roam, enjoy and find new thrills and terrors within. You can find a complete list of my work, including précis and customer reviews, on my official website.

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Got Kindle?

If you’re keen to try these novels in digital format then you can buy all these titles at Amazon with a choice of currencies, $ US Dollars; or £ GB Pounds, or the Euro.

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“Atmospheric and creepy” – The Guardian. Critical but positive review of my latest novel, The Black Lake, by one of the UK’s leading news sites.

Review: The Black Lake

I got pinged an email alert by Google the other day. I’d been mentioned on The Guardian website. My scalp contracted and I clicked on the link, feeling a mixture of delight, excitement and utter terror.  The Guardian is a big deal.  Then I read the journo’s strapline:  “Better editing could have upped the shock voltage of this tale of horror on an isolated Scottish island.”  And I thought, eek, I’m in for a bruising here.

But actually, I found the article enlightening and rewarding.

But those quibbles aside, The Black Lake was good fun: short, atmospheric and creepy. Having read tons of zombie novels, and horror novels, I’m surprised a publisher hasn’t snapped this one up, as it could definitely hold its own alongside more traditionally published genre material. If I had the time, I wouldn’t mind returning to check out some of Rodger’s other novels, set in the Yellow Dawn world.

- Alison Flood, The Guardian

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Alison Flood’s critique highlights the fundamental issue at the heart of my LULU / Amazon publishing model; and the same issues for the majority of other authors who have a direct route to market.

Lack of editorial resource.

I don’t have a big publishing house carousing on my behalf; I don’t have  professional editorial expertise behind me, knocking off the rough edges of my work into a glossy  market-focussed product. Some people would argue that’s a good thing, and I can understand that point of view, but in my case I’m now swinging around to the idea of buying-in a layer of industry experience: hiring a professional editor on a freelance basis.

What’s the point of me spending 7 weeks of my life writing a novel to then not maximise its potential?

Regardless of a mainstream publisher being interested in snapping me up – if I can improve the product for the slice of the market already prepared to buy my work as it stands, then I’m improving my chances of referrals and punters coming back for more helpings.

Mind you.  Freelance editors are not cheap and I now have 7 novels in the stable.

So I’m going to have to think very hard about next steps – choices and timescales, and budget.

I do strive for quality in my work.  At the end of the day I’m crafting a product that has a lot of people paying money to enjoy.  This article has flashed up a like mirror, reflecting back a view that shows where I can improve.

So yeah, rewarding and positive.

Click to read full article on The Guardian website

You can read the full article by Alison Flood here (or click on the image above)

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PREVIEW / BUY “THE BLACK LAKE”

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Available in paperback or Amazon Kindle

Paperback: LULU & Amazon Kindle US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

THE BLACK LAKE: The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of harsh reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a novel that tears open a rent in the boundary of reality, providing a nerve-jarring glimpse of the Outer Chaos and the horrors that lurk just beyond the threshold of our fragile, human existence.

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Note from a fan: Word of advice, don’t read this in the woods by yourself as I did last night…

The Black Lake

I was doing my usual scan of Google for reviews and comments about my work and found this one from last month, posted by a guy who is living in upstate New York, in the Catskill Mountains (Lovecraft country).  He didn’t say much, just posted this photo of him holding a paperback copy of the book and a few words; but those words did make me smile.  Kind of the effect I wanted to achieve when I wrote the thing earlier this year.  So, thanks!  :o)

READING IDEA:

Got my hands on David J Rodger’s latest novel , “The Black Lake.” I’m half way thorough and it’s turning out to be his weirdest, most chilling yarn yet.

Word of advice: don’t read this in the woods by yourself as I did last night…

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008VRFCT8/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/188-5532941-3450116

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Click image to go to official webpage for the novel

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About the book

THE BLACK LAKE: The Earth has been ravaged by an event known as Yellow Dawn. Ten years later, survivors are putting lives back together and probing the frontiers of a new Wilderness; whilst overhead the orbital colonies slide across the sky, removed and unaffected. Five men leave the fortress island of Malta on an expedition to the sub-Arctic waters above Scotland. They intend to undertake scientific observations of an alien meteorological phenomenon that has followed the apocalyptic event. What they find is a cosmic horror that seethes amongst the shadows of a shattered Earth. It is a story of escape and wonder, of madness and terror. David J Rodger’s trademark unforgiving rendering of harsh reality, and relentless narrative pace, are here in palm-sweating abundance, delivered in a novel that tears open a rent in the boundary of reality, providing a nerve-jarring glimpse of the Outer Chaos and the horrors that lurk just beyond the threshold of our fragile, human existence.

Paperback:  LULU & Amazon Kindle US ($), UK (£), DE (Euro), FR (Euro)

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Latest novel – The Black Lake – gets a plug in the best science fiction magazine on the planet – SFX

Publicity

Pick up the December 2012 issue of SFX now  and apart from the plethora of highly entertaining and informative editorial content, you’ll find a juicy little plug for The Black Lake tucked in there.

SFX plugs The Black Lake – click for more info on the novel

Thank you SFX!

Djr

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WiP: Kalinka (new novel idea) and back into The Social Club

Work in Progress

I’ve been away for a few days. An interesting break in Krakow, Poland, that allowed me to indulge in late night bars and cyberpunk-vibe cafes; daytime spent drifting through corridors of medieval history and across the cobblestone indentations of ancient warfare and intellectual innovation. I also paid a visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau, something that’s left an indelible impression of horror on my mind. You can see pics and a write-up of the trip here.

Now I’m back I’m looking to settle back into The Social Club: currently on chapter 4. Being in Krakow also gave me inspiration for a new novel; mainly based in London, pre-Yellow Dawn (just)

I’ve got the working title of:  Kalinka

I’ll be posting some early samples of The Social Club in the next few days.

EDIT @ 1st September

Got the weekend on my own. I’m wrapped in Starsky and already through the first mug of tea of the day (always like to ease in gently) and now necking last dregs of the first coffee. Spent this morning sat with Santiago notebook madly scribbling plot notes for Kalinka, another novel idea, which I guess I’ll probably start writing around 2015? I was out with my editor last night and talked her through the plot. I got to the end and she looked stunned, “What, no darkness? No horror?”

Erm, no. I thought I’d try writing a human drama set within my pre-YD universe. She smiled and says I’m getting soft in my old age. Maybe I’ll have to throw in an encounter with an Outer God for good measure. Ahem.

Right, two days with nothing in front of me. Chapter 4 of the Social Club. Let’s see how far we get, eh? :o)

EDIT @ 10.33

First da Vinci break coming up. Just finished chapter four. 17,800 words in. So a word count of only 800 words so far. Good words though, eh? ;o>

EDIT @ 14:33

18,900 words in. Nearly 2,000 today. Creative bliss. Although the walls of my reality are starting to blur a little now. Ever get that when you’re so focussed on something. Time melts.

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5 Star review for The Black Lake – a post-apocalyptic tale of haunting and Cthulhoid terror

The Black Lake: 5 Star Review

I launched The Black Lake at the start of this month.  It starts off as a ghost story that descends into revelations and machinations of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.  It’s doing really well considering there’s just me and one bod in the States pushing the word “out there”.  It’s scored a great review on Amazon so I’m sharing it with you here:

Review from Amazon UK – click to view source

The review was placed on Amazon UK but it is also available from Amazon US ($), DE (Euro), and  FR (Euro).

You can review and purchase The Black Lake in paperback from LULU.

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WiP: Productive weekend

Work in Progress

I managed to find some “me time” and distance from the recent distractions of social shenanigans and DIY duties. The new novel, The Social Club now has 10,000 words to its name. Deep into chapter three and loving it. Senior Verifier Jadon Purgo, great character to work with; a detective style story in the remains of London following the apocalyptic event known as Yellow Dawn. I’ll post up some sample chapters soon.

Meanwhile, check out the “Yellow Dawn” novel I launched earlier this month: The Black Lake.

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WiP ¦ parking ROTI and getting back into The Social Club

Work in Progress

Couple days ago I decided to put Rise of the Iconoclast onto the back burner. A tough book to write. *glaring eyes* Switching focus I’m returning to The Social Club – the novel I started writing in May (before The Black Lake took over my life for 7 weeks).

So glad I did.  Now dancing in the fires of The Social Club. Past couple of days I’ve been working up a super thriller of a plot for this Yellow Dawn novel, set in London after the apocalyptic event – now a mega survival settlement controlled by the pseudo-religious business cult “The Power of Eight Group” (first defined in the pre-Yellow Dawn novel Iron Man Project).

Murder wrapped in political intrigue and the corruption that comes from the arrogance of authority. I love writing detective stories. :o)

I’ll keep you posted and will sprinkle some samples out there in a few days.

Also getting some bloody fantastic feedback on the novel I launched last week: The Black Lake. Makes it all worth it.

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