THE WALKING WORM Kickstarter Last Call, Horror Book Recommendation, CONJuration Panels
Time is running out to back the Kickstarter for my next book. Also, another horror novel you might enjoy and panels at ConjurationCon
Five more days until the Kickstarter for my next book The Walking Worm ends. At this point I’ve got forty backers pledging $1,421, a good bit over the $1,200 minimum to fund the project. At this point the goal is to build margin against unforeseen costs or backers dropping out and get the initial run of TWW into the hands of as many people as possible. :)
If you want to see the rest of the book months before anybody else and get other rewards like having a character named after/based on you, pledge here. It is my intention to deliver the digital rewards in November, with the physical rewards (signed books) in later November or December, with general release in February 2025. Digital rewards can be anywhere in the world, but due to shipping expenses, physical rewards are limited to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom except by special arrangement. Remember, signed books make great holiday gifts. :)
For those of you who’ve already backed it, thank you so much. Over the last couple weeks, I’ve added new add-on rewards for you — signed copies of all three of my steampunk military fantasy books and now nine signed copies of my horror-comedy novella “Little People, Big Guns.” Every little bit helps, and people who are interested in fantasy, historical fiction (I certainly had to read a lot of history for the Wastelands series to work), comedy, and other genres might like these.
And even if none of the above interest you, you can still give any amount without reward.
Another Horror Novel You Might Enjoy
Wil Forbis, a fellow member of the Books of Horror Facebook group, has been so kind as to help promote my Kickstarter on his newsletter. I’m returning the favor with his book What Waits In the Shadows. No, this one’s not a vampire soap opera. :) Here’s his blurb:
How long can horrifying secrets stay buried?
Twenty years after watching her father’s violent murder, Lisa Kallman is on the verge of a dream life. Her father’s killer is in prison, she has a job helping children who’ve suffered like her, and she’s about to be married. But Lisa can’t escape a sense of dread that tells her danger lurks everywhere. When she hears strange voices and people around her are brutally killed, she wonders if she can trust her memories. Is Lisa going mad, or is something evil and inhuman stalking her?
Below are reviews of his advanced reader copies, straight from NetGalley:
★★★★★ “Wow! What a wild ride! From start to finish, this story had me hooked.”
★★★★★ “Downright jaw-dropping, and I loved every bit of it!”
★★★★★ “This was a great concept in the horror genre.”
★★★★★ “It has the spooks and the shivers and the things that go bump in the night with an enduring creeping dread that is palpable.”
I haven’t had a chance to read it myself, but it sounds pretty cool. Who doesn’t like a good “monster in the closet” story? :)
Paneling and Vending at CONJuration November 15-17
Here’s a reminder that I will be both paneling and selling at CONJuration November 15-17. Below is the list of panels I will be on, along with other authors:
The Hobbit Movies: Not As Bad As You Think-Although many people derided the Peter Jackson Hobbit films, I actually enjoyed them. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as the dragon Smaug, and actually seeing the Battle of the Five Armies onscreen was fun. It was like the fantasy equivalent of the movie Gettysburg. Yes, Jackson went beyond the lore in places, but I had no problem with those. Saturday, 8 PM.
Adding Personality To Your Worlds-I’m on this panel with fellow author Lynette Bacon-Nguyen, whom I met at CONJuration in 2023 and with whom I’ve split tables at Days of the Dead and at one of Charlie’s Collectible Shows. This panel will discuss how to create engaging side characters in one’s stories. Friday, 8 PM.
Artist and Author: Collaborating On Book Cover Art-I’m on this one with fellow members of the Horror Writers Association Atlanta Chapter Marlena Frank, Kelley Frank, and Jessi Ann York. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments for the book covers done by artist Matt Cowdery, whom I met at DragonCon back in 2018. Here’s my chance to share what I’ve learned with everybody. Saturday, 6 PM.
Snape and Lupin In Canon: Character Deep Dives-This is a panel I’m qualified for due to my experience with fan-fiction centered on this two characters and how that required me to get into their personalities. Back in my twenties I wrote (or in one case co-wrote) two alternate-universe Harry Potter fanfics featuring them as protagonists. In “The Wrath of the Half-Blood Prince,” Snape breaks with the wannabe Death Eaters as a teenager when Mulciber attacks Lily rather than her friend Mary Macdonald, setting up a completely different trajectory for his life and a very different First Wizarding War. In “Lord of the Werewolves,” various tragic circumstances (no details for spoiler reasons) force Lupin to swear allegiance to the werewolf terrorist Fenrir Greyback. It quickly turns into Valkyrie — the movie about the military plot to overthrow Hitler and the Nazi regime — only with werewolves. And it features an absolutely gloriously terrible (or terribly glorious) Duran Duran sex pun. Saturday, 1 PM.