While digging through some books and magazines yesterday (okay, okay, the truth: a towering pile of unshelved books and unboxed magazines toppled over in our crowded den/writing office, and I was picking them up) I came across the March 2013 issue of Rue Morgue, the one with this review:
It’s my first and only review in a major magazine, and it reminded me that I have to get the revised version of the first Dead Sheriff book off to Airship 27 so it can begin to make its way through their production process.
I have a couple of more days writing on the horror novel until I reach a point where the plot of the book takes a dramatic twist. After I hit that part, I’ll pause work on that project to write the new novella for TDS: Zombie Damnation. I have my fingers crossed that will take about two weeks. After that, I’ll send the whole manuscript off to my first readers and then to Ron at Airship 27.
The second TDS book is done in first draft. It will also include a separate-but-connected novella. What I have planned for that one puts a rather large smile on my face. More on the second TDS later in the year.
Last Christmas, my talented friend Brian Spears
presented me with a custom-made Dead Sheriff action figure. Now, on the
heels of the announcement of a new publisher for the character, Brian
gave me another figure, this one of Sam, the Dead Sheriff's "partner".
Truly amazing work that left me speechless.
I made good progress on the horror novel today. This is the book I have to finish before I can revise The Dead Sheriff and write the Donovan Pike pulp adventure novel.
As I mentioned elsewhere, the weeks between Thanksgiving and the new year were not the best for writing, due to work, family commitments and the other intrusions of day to day life. With the holidays over, I think the writing is back on track.
Also, I dabbled a bit with a horror short story. I’ve had several story ideas jostling around in my head for months, fighting to get out.
Years ago, a writer I greatly admire warned me not to divide my attention among multiple writing projects at the same time. I’ve tried to stick to that bit of wisdom. But this story really wants to be written.
On the other hand, it’s been so long since I’ve completed a piece of short horror fiction that I’m not sure what to do with it when I do finish it.
Also, I’m not certain many people are interested in these little writing updates. So I’ll try to keep them short. I do these from time to time as a form of motivation for me. If you get something out of them, that’s great, too.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.
Several years ago I wrote the first novel in what was going to be a series called The Dead Sheriff.
It was the legend of the Lone Ranger turned inside out and pureed in a blender.
The myth of The Dead Sheriff says that a lawman died trying to protect his family, only to return from his grave to avenge their deaths and avenge all who suffer injustice.
The truth was very different.
What if...
...the faithful Indian sidekick was really the guy in charge?
...the undead lawman was a reanimated corpse controlled like a puppet by an arcane magic stolen by a young man who barely understood the power he controls?
...a writer from the east traveled west to report the story of The Dead Sheriff, only to be caught up in a world of magic, murder and monsters?
The Dead Sheriff: Zombie Damnation, the first volume, was published a few years back. It got several good reviews (including one from my favorite horror magazine Rue Morgue) and I started writing the sequel. For several reasons, some personal, the book was never published.
A few months ago, the original publisher of the book decided to take the company in a different direction, leaving me free to pursue a new home for The Dead Sheriff.
I’m happy to announce that Airship 27, award-winning publisher of New Pulp and the leaders in pulp fiction publishing, will bring The Dead Sheriff back into print.
The new version of The Dead Sheriff: Zombie Damnation will include the full text of the original novel, plus a new novella set in the world of The Dead Sheriff that will ready the stage for the second book The Dead Sheriff: Cannibal Carnage.
Airship 27 produces beautiful books with action-packed covers. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for my reanimated lawman.
Publication dates will be announced as the books are scheduled. I have quite a bit of writing to do before the manuscripts are ready, then we have to fit into Airship 27's very packed schedule.
Thanks to Ron Fortier at Airship 27 for believing in the project. I can’t tell you how excited I am that my dead lawman still lives.
I’ll update you here as the project progresses.
Hey! Long time no update.
Here’s some of the writing things I have going on.
I’m finishing a story this weekend for a charity anthology. Then I have to immediately finish another short story for a secret project I’m involved in with some friends.
After that, it’s on to a horror novel that is about half done. This one’s been sitting for too long. I’m looking forward to visiting with these characters again. I’m trying to finish off some old projects that still excite me.
Speaking of old projects, for a few years, I’ve been toying with an idea called Usher’s Furnace. I expected it to be a graphic novel, and I had some small interest in that. That particular avenue has disappeared. Now I’m rethinking how it might work as a novel. And I’m thinking it will work just fine.
What about The Dead Sheriff? The first draft of the second book is sitting right here. Behind-the-scenes changes have affected the future of the book, though I’m quite confident it will be published. Check back with me after when 2016 gets here.
I won’t have anything out in 2015, expect perhaps a story or two. Next year, though, should be a different story.
As always, I’ll keep you updated here.
I just received the most awesome Christmas gift of my life, as my friend Brian Spears gave me a custom-made action figure of my character The Dead Sheriff. I cannot believe the craftsmanship he put into this, all the way down to the packaging. I am blown away. Thank you, Brian.
Dean Koontz, a writer I’ve enjoyed for nearly 30 years, has a series of books about a young fry cook named Odd Thomas. Odd can see the silent spirits of the dead, who linger on Earth due to unresolved issues. Those issues usually involve murder. Odd is aided in his mission by his girlfriend, Stormy. They have been a couple since childhood, when a card from a gypsy fortune telling machine revealed Odd and Stormy were destined to be together forever.
Koontz, like many writers, has not exactly hit the jackpot when his work has been adapted for movies and TV. Watchers 3, anyone? However, several months ago, Koontz praised the adaptation of Odd Thomas, written and directed by Stephen Sommers, the man behind the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. The movie briefly appeared in theaters and was recently released to DVD and Blu-Ray. We just watched it and here are a few thoughts.
* Anton Yelchin, from Hearts in Atlantis and the guy who plays Chekov in the Star Trek reboot, is perfect as Odd. He manages to embody a mix of optimism, dread and a sense of heavy responsibility. Humor is a big part of Koontz’s Odd Thomas books, and Yelchin and Addison Timlin as Stormy, do a fine job delivering one liners and keeping the mood as light as needed.
* The plot of the novel has been compressed and changed to work as a film. At least there’s a nod to Elvis, who is a character in the book.
* At times, Odd Thomas has the look of a TV movie, due, I’m sure, to budget constraints. On the other hand, the effect are impressive, particularly the bodachs and a scene inside the house of Fungus Bob.
* The story has a lot of heart, and it stayed with me. There aren’t many days when I wake up thinking of the movie I watched the night before. In this case, I did.
All in all, it’s a solid representation of Koontz’s work, and I would recommend it for fans of the book.
We also watched Last Vegas, which has been predictably referred to as The Hangover for seniors. Four old friends go to Vegas for a bachelor party and hijinks ensue. The big takeaway? Michael Douglas looks more like his dad than ever. The performances are good, the script has some solid jokes and Mary Steenburgen can sing. Who knew? It’s was an enjoyable couple of hours. Definitely a rental, not an owner.
While writing this weekend, I realized what the title to the third Dead Sheriff book needed to be. For fans of the first book, I realize this news might be slightly ironic and perhaps even frustrating, since I haven’t finished writing the second book yet.
No one has been more disappointed than me at my lack of productivity. The last couple of years have been tumultuous and that’s all I’m inclined to say. I may be the only person on the Internet who doesn’t feel an obligation to share every personal detail of my life with the world, but I’ve never been one of the cool kids, so why start now?
The good news is that my writing is returning to something resembling a normal schedule.
And it feels good.
In addition to the next Dead Sheriff book (which involves masked vigilantes, cannibals and a vampire bordello, so, you know, booyah), I have several other projects in the works for this year and I’m anxious to see some results. Now it’s a party.
The little zombies 'n' aliens series that keeps on giving is back. Or, will be back soon.
I don't have a release date, but Audible lists the audiobook as being available on March 26.
Here's the description from Amazon:
After stopping a madman who controlled an undead army and barely
surviving the destruction of the aliens responsible for the plague that
decimated humanity, Jubal Slate leads a small band of humans across the
shattered landscape of America, fighting off the forces of the living
and the dead. The group races north pursuing a legend, a
post-apocalyptic fairy tale: a town protected from the walking dead.
Tired of the war and his nomadic life, Slate follows the path to
Sanctuary, even while doubting its existence. Along a journey filled
with hordes of zombies, Slate and his companions face new enemies and
find themselves pursued by the final weapon of the vanquished necros. Is
sanctuary even possible on a dead Earth? And if so, is the cost more
than Jubal Slate is willing to pay?
Even after alien invasion and zombie armies, Slate will discover that the worst horrors are home grown.
Yowzah!
I'll let you know when the book is available for pre-order.
Now back to writing the next Dead Sheriff.
Thanks to all who've downloaded the Kindle book. For those who haven't gone the e-book route or who have a different device, the trade paperback will be out in a few weeks. You can bet I'll keep you informed.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of pieces on the book. First, the story of that gorgeous cover.
Then, my essay on the story's inspiration.
And, as always, if you read the book I would really appreciate it if you posted a review on Amazon.
I write a column every quarter for Horror World, and the new one just went up. It's all about the writing of The Dead Sheriff. Check it out here.
In preparation for the release of Dead Earth: Sanctuary later this year (I hope), the e-book version of the first book in the series, Dead Earth: The Green Dawn is now free. Get the details here.
***
It seems that we finally have an official release date–or dates–for the first volume of The Dead Sheriff. Evileye Books has worked out their production snafus, and now plan to release the e-book in July and the trade paperback in October. It will be good to finally see this one in print.
I’ll be interviewed tonight on The Funky Werepig, the Internet radio show hosted by that wascally wastrel, Greg Hall. We’re likely to talk comics, Marie Osmond and horror. In fact, Marie’s plastic surgery may qualify as horror.
We’ll also talk about my books. There will be an update on The Dead Sheriff.
There’s a chat room, so feel free to join in.
The show is at 9:00 PM EST and can be found here.
Here’s a cool bit of news.
As a holiday gift to you, Permuted Press is offering the e-book of Dead Earth: The Green Dawn for free. You can download it for Kindle, Nook, iPad and iPhone and ePub. Here’s the link. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find our little book.
I had a great time writing this with Dave Wilbanks, and I’m happy it’s now available again to anyone who would like to read it.
By the way, look for the third book in the series, Dead Earth: Sanctuary, sometime in 2012 from Permuted Press. The manuscript has gone through the stringent Mark & Dave revision process and is in the hands of the editor.
Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy of my collection Looking at the World With Broken Glass in My Eye. I appreciate the feedback.
Speaking of feedback, if you would leave a brief review at Amazon, I'd be grateful.
I still don’t have a firm release date for The Dead Sheriff, but Evileye Books assures me it will be sometime in Spring of 2012. Work proceeds on the sequel.
One more brief day of work, then I’m on vacation. It’s the first real vacation in what has been a very long year.
Here’s my vacation plan:
1) Don’t get up at Oh God o’clock every morning.
2) Help Norma with whatever needs to be done to prepare for Thanksgiving (including–but not limited to–being the official taster. Oh, what a burden I bear). This year I have more to be thankful for than at any time in my life and I want to take the time to properly appreciate that.
3) Write. I have to finish two non-fiction pieces, one overdue short story, a final edit on Dead Earth: Sanctuary and continue with the second Dead Sheriff book.
I thought about adding “eat leftovers” but I think that is assumed.
I hope you have a good week.
Here’s what’s been going (or hasn’t been going) on:
Writing
Dead Earth: Sanctuary is being revised. Dave Wilbanks and I want this manuscript to sing before we turn it in to the publisher. When I sent it to him, it probably sounded closer to William Shatner than Tony Bennett. I’m sure when it returns to me the pitch will be closer to perfect.
I have begun the second Dead Sheriff book for Evileye Books. It’s a bit difficult to talk about it, since the first book isn’t out yet (and I don’t know the release date), but I can share the opening of #2:
The Indian youth screamed when Arlo Belcher bit into his shoulder and ripped away a mouthful of flesh and muscle and blood.
“Damn it, Arlo, I ain’t even got the fire built yet,” his brother said.
“Cain’t help it, Billy,” Arlo said, around a mouthful of meat. “I was hungry and this here Injun tastes good.”
I have a couple of short stories in various stages of completion, and another novel I will be writing as soon as The Dead Sheriff #2 is finished. As always, my writing schedule and productivity waxes and wanes with the demands of my full-time job and personal life.
Reading
For my birthday, Norma got me a number of books by Jack Kirby and others featuring the work of Kirby and his partner of many years Joe Simon. I’m working my way through these slowly, a story or two at a time, so I may savor the experience for as long as possible.
I’m also reading Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman. Or, more precisely, Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues: A Jesse Stone novel by Michael Brandman. This is a continuation of the popular series from the late Parker. Brandman is a writer/producer on the CBS Jesse Stone movies. His style is not very close to Parker’s, and the novel reads in places like a first draft, but I’ll stick with it and see where it goes. Parker’s Spenser series is also being continued by mystery writer Ace Atkins.
Next up in the queue: The Affair by Lee Child and Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke.
Pod of Horror
I hope to have another episode up this month. Other than that, I don’t have much to report.
