PAYING DUES…

Posted by Chuck Rios on May 18, 2013
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Where have I been these past few months? Well, paying my dues, of course! Between family, a 9 to 5 at the Library and finishing up prior deadlines, and the start of a new novel (Spoiler? Ok, ok, I’ll give you a title, ‘Everyone You Have Ever Loved Is Mine’. Cool, right? I know!), I have been very busy. But the one thing I never forget to do is pay those dues. Who am I paying them to? Do I owe someone? Will someone break my legs if I don’t pony up?  Here is a quote that I hope helps some of you out there. It’s from the master of paying dues, Stephen King, from his magnum opus DIY book aptly entitled ’On Writing’ (If you haven’t read this, what are you waiting for?):

“There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer. He lives in the ground. He’s a basement kind of guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think it’s fair? I think it’s fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse-guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist, but he’s got inspiration. It’s right that you should do all the work and burn all the mid-night oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There’s stuff in there that can change your life. Believe me, I know.”

Thanks, Stephen. Great quote. And just in case you are worried, my legs will be fine. It’s complicated, I know, so I will sum it up with a personal reflection: Every word I get down, every page I finish, every rejection letter I receive, brings me closer and closer to my yearly goals. Luckily, it’s starting to become a way of life. This is a good thing. I WANT to pay my dues, I CRAVE it, because when I finish something (don’t matter what it is), I feel validated.

Validation is good.

So, I leave you with some advice… How do you pay dues? (Like the King quote wasn’t enough, pfft). Easy, just write (or do whatever you do in your chosen field). Get it down, put in the time, sit the ass down and write. No other way around it. Oh, and coffee. That helps. Maybe tea, if you must. I take mine with two sugars, thanks.

One more thing before I go. I hate long winded speeches, so I’ll cut out short tonight but not before leaving you all with some links to check out (You should know me by now, I wouldn’t leave you hanging).

40oz-of-horror-podcast-logo

4o oz. of Horror Pod Cast

Here is one of my favorite Horror podcast. It’s not about the written word (Well somtimes it is); it’s all about the movies… HORROR MOVIES!  So download it and dig in becuase it’s FREE!  www.40ozofhorror.com

hh_logoHorrorhound Magazine
…and here is my favorite horror magazine,  hands down! They also rep Don D’Auria and Samhain Publishing! Go, Horrorhound, go!  www.horrorhound.com

Alright, see you when I see you. Time to pay the piper and get my ass back in that seat!

- Chuck

A Wrath James White Primer

Posted by Chuck Rios on March 4, 2013
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Hi everyone, this month I got three excellent books for you all to seek out and devour. This is the Wrath James White tri-fecta! This post, I review three of Wrath’s newest releases and as always, you can click on the covers to buy.

voraciousVORACIOUS by Wrath James White

When the brilliant, but ethically challenged Dr. Trevor Adams is hired to make a new weight lose treatment for the Aphrodite Aesthetic Reconstruction Clinic, all hell soon breaks loose. Using the DNA from the mighty and dangerous Pygmy shrew (a ravishingly hungry, 2 inch furry terror), Adams concocts a synthetic retro-virus and injects clients, who then, thanks to the shrews powerful, calorie burning DNA, can eat anything they want or desire and never gain weight! Things look promising until the clients find that they cannot sate their unquenchable hunger that grows worse and worse by the day. And in time, the clients become Voracious!

This book was a short, fun, gore-fest to read and hell, I’ll say it… I loved it! Wrath’s style is sick and dirty to the bone which is why I dig his work and, as always, the character development is great and all too believable. If you love cannibalism, carnage and tiny, terrifying mammals, you’ll find no finer prose than in Voracious.

Voracious is available from Sinister Grin Press for $45 and from Bad Moon Books in the middle of March for $36 in singed limited hardcover. Click here to order and don’t read on a full stomach.

 TO THE DEATH by Wrath James Whiteto the death

TO THE DEATH was a fast paced, no hold bar, corps fighting, fungus wearing good time.  Wrath James White not only knows what scares us, he knows MMA fighting and that is what this novella combines. The story starts in Uganda, where a crazed general warlord discovers a purple fungus that can reanimate the dead. He uses this to his advantage and raises an army to take over the country. Back in America, a street fighter named Tyler Payne fights zombies in the Terror Combat League (cool, right? Well it is), and all the while San Francisco detective ElginWashington starts to put the pieces together one dead MMA legend at a time.

My only complaint is that I wish TO THE DEATH was longer. Strong characters permeate the pages and the story is good (I thought I was burned out on zombies by now, but I wasn’t). Also, it’s interesting to note that I learned a lot about the MMA fighting scene, because before this novella, I knew very little. I recommend you pick up TO THE DEATH a.s.a.p. It’s available right now from Amazon.com in electronic format for fewer than four bucks, and at that price, you cannot beat it. Click here to pick it up.

 The KillingsTHE KILLINGS by Wrath James White & J. F. Gonzalez

THE KILLINGS is a supernatural, extreme horror story set in both the past and the future. It starts out in Atlanta, GA in 1911, where a string of serial killings terrorizes the city. The killer was never found. Flash forward to the future, a hundred years later where Reporter Carmen Mendoza investigates in a new series of grisly murders and finds a connection to all the homicides that dates back to the turn of the century! It seems that the killer is back, but how?

This novella is intense and one would expect it so coming from WJW and JFG. The two writers are masters of the written word and I can never tell where one ends and the other begins.  The Killings has strong racial themes that play thorough the novella, but these themes of racism are handled expertly (so if you are sensitive to such topics, why are you reading a hard core book anyways?) I’m a gore hound, so I love this kind of stuff, and I enjoyed the entire book except the ending, which I will not blow for you (sorry folks, no spoilers here.) The Killings is still worth the price of admission because it is so riveting; I read it in one night. You can get it by clicking here and for a bargain, no less! Grab it now, before it’s gone.

And that’s all for this week. Hope you can pick up one or all of these titles because you won’t regret it! Next post, I have new scream factory dvd releases, new books from Deadite Press and a couple of novellas from Darkfuse.com. Till next time!

New Darkfuse Publication Reviews

Posted by Chuck Rios on February 12, 2013
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NightsidersNightsiders by Gary McMahon

Nightsiders is a macabre novella drenched with a creepy atmosphere and a situation that is mysterious, thrilling and horrifying all at the same time. It tells the story of Robert Mitchell and his family. After a brutal assault on Roberts’s wife, the family purchases a new home in a village called Battle, far from the traumatic incident. Shorty after moving into their new home, the family takes a vacation to forget their troubles but when they return, they find it occupied and trashed. The strange occupant’s make every attempt to stop the Mitchells from entering what they though was their newly bought home. The mysterious family even has the support of the local sheriff along with legal papers to back up their claim!  Now I know what you’re thinking… how is this situation scary? Well, Gary McMahon puts us in the Mitchell family’s shoe, that’s why. These people just lived though a harrowing ordeal and are soon placed into another one. We see and feel the struggle of the Mitchells and the agony of their plight thanks to some excellent character development and a solid back story. Also, the ending is climactic and I bet you won’t see it coming. There is also a surprise cameo from Gary McMahon (or at least I hope he intended it that way). Nightsiders will be released this April and you can pick it up from Darkfuse.com.

darkofsunDark of the Sun by L.H. Maynard & M.P.N Sims

Dark of the Sun is a dark thriller set in the form of a novella by the writing duo Maynard & Sims. The story follows a Bahamian ship captain named Harry Beck. As children, he and a man named Alan Lancaster were the best of friends, but now as adults, Harry Beck finds that he knew little to nothing about his childhood friend. Soon, the people Beck cared for the most are murdered. Beck is forced to re-examine his life as he searches for answers, the killer and his sanity. While Dark of the Sun was a solid, quality story, it took a while to develop and was a bit slow for my taste. On a plus note, the characters are superbly built and believable. The book picks up speed about halfway through, and the ending is a fast paced shocker. Dark of the Sun will be available from darkfuse.com in March 2013.

A PERSONAL NOTE ON THE NEW YEAR

Posted by Chuck Rios on January 11, 2013
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So begins a New Year and boy am I glad 2012 is over! It was a good year for me in terms of honing my craft, paying dues and really just working at being a better writer, a better human being. I was fortunate enough to come away with a fresh prospective and I feel more optimistic about the future than I previously did, so that’s a plus.

My personal motto for 2012 was: Preserver.

What’s my motto for 2013?

Expand forward, work harder and never give up.

A fine motto, if I may say so.

Anyways, I have many more dues to pay still and this time around I am actually looking forward to it! It is a validation thing, and each rejection slip I accumulate is a badge of god damn honor because when I look back at what I had accomplished this past year in terms of work (Paid or not), it is more than I ever did in 3 years combined! So I know I’m on the right track. I already have several projects slated for the rest of the year (short stories submissions, a new novel and a couple of novellas, yes!). I am also going to utilize YouTube more and more as the year progresses, reading free stories and the like so stay tuned for that.  I will continue to review for Deadite Press and Darkfuse.com because with these two presses pumping out the best the horror genre has to offer, what have I got to lose?

As always, you can reach me here on my website and also through twitter @chuckrios and face book. Don’t forget the slaughterhouse forums and shock lines! Thank you all for the emails, comments and keep’em coming. I like making new friends.

Alright, that’s all for today. Short and to the point. Just the way I like my post.

Hello 2013, let’s dance.

THE NEXT BIG THING: A CROSS-POSTING (of sorts)

Posted by Chuck Rios on November 29, 2012
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My apologizes to Benjamin Kane Ethridge, an excellent writer and author of several books including Black & Orange and Bottled Abyss, but Ben invited me to participate in this cross-posting event, and with him being a fellow Southern Californian, how could I resist?

Unfortunately, I ran into some problems along the way. In a cross posting event, one answers the questions about his or her newest project and what’s down the pipeline in the future, usually giving some acknowledgment to the person who invited them (in my case, it’s Ben. You can read his answers by clicking here), then said writer would ask five other writers or artist to participate. Well, answering the questions (which you will find down below) was the easy part. The hard part was finding willing participants! My friend Jeffery Thomas had similar hiccups in finding people, too! You can check out his answers here, at this link –>
http://punktalk.punktowner.com/?p=1607

So, with that out of the way, I think the cross posting event was still successful and  I hope I can be part of more great literary endeavors such as this one in the future.

Now, on with The Next Big Thing!

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Dread Ride. It was called ‘Fearmaster’, but I thought that title was too over used and trite.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have had the concept down since I was a teen, back in the days when I had a thrash metal band. There is Rum, the god of fear, and he rises every so often from the void of reality by a cult of adrenaline sucking, blood quaffing lunatics bent of the destruction and subjugation of mankind. The Cult is called the Amygdala and I named them after the glad in our brains that produces the fear response. The cultist instill this fear into victims and their blood saturates with adrenaline. It’s their drug, they get off on it, and when the victim dies, their souls power Rums return. The victim is then known to be taking a  ’Dread Ride’. Crazy stuff, man.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Horror all the way. I write for myself first, and all my stuff usually is horror but sometimes I get that primal itch that only true, hard core horror can satisfy. It’s real, in your face and the characters in this book, I can really relate and feel for them. While the story does have hard core horror mixed throughout, it is foremost a tale about survival and the opposition of evil, malevolent forces. I would say The Dread Ride falls under occult horror, if I had to pin it to a type. But with my work, I like to think anyone can read it. Now, if everyone will enjoy it….

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Ha! Well, I never thought of this before but here it goes: I would have Andrea Bogart (Dark Ride, Nite Tales) be Shanna Cole, one of the main characters. She is feisty but home town enough to grow with the crisis of Rum coming after her vessel (body). Why is the god of fear after her… shh, it’s a secret, gotta buy the book to find out!

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Hmm, try this: No one is safe…there is nowhere to run…there is no place to hide… Rum creeps closer, the great blood ritual draws near and before the night is out, someone will be taking THE DREAD RIDE!

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self agented, defiantly. Sent it out myself. Deadite press has shown an interest in The Dead Ride but as of now, I have no confirmed press. But if I could pick anyone to have it, it would have to be Jeff at Deadite. I feel the book fits in there well and everything that has come out of Deadite has knocked my socks off! Also, it would be great to be among so many talented and awesome writers there; Edward Lee, Brian Keene, Wrath ect.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Six months, give or take a week. Had a lot of short story subs going out, so I wrote the first draft in between them. Right now I am working on an eBook novella that I will sub to Cemetery Dance for their digital line but since I am not under contract, I am taking my time with it. Please check my web page here in the near future for more information on that project.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Oh boy! I have not come across anything similar to The Dread Ride, literary wise, but I am sure it is out there somewhere. I would compare it to the 80′s splatterpunk movement. I am a product of the 80′s and my life as an adult pretty much revolves around horror. What can I say? I love the horror genre, in general; the people, the movies, the books, the comics, music, ect. It’s more of a life view than a genre to me, so long as I’m not mixed in with the Romance crowd, that is.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Myself. I write for myself. I have to like the story first before anyone else does. It’s a good lesson I learned from Richard Laymon (Not personally, but through his work.) Some would call it trash, I call it having fun. In the end, I will have written some poignant stuff, but for now, I am doing what I love to do and that’s saying a lot.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you aren’t already piqued by this interview, nothing I say now will ever pique you up.

Another thank you goes out to Benjamin Kane Ethridge  for the invite and the linkage and everyone should check out and buy his stuff, seriously. That’s all for now. Next time, I start reviews on more horror fiction, bad ass horror movie releases from synapse films and scream factory, and I will take a moment to talk about two of my favorite pod cast.

Stay tuned.

HORROR FICTION REVIEWS

Posted by Chuck Rios on October 8, 2012
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Hi everyone! I’m back from Killercon 2012 and it seriously kicked ass. Made a lot of new friends and really pushed my career forward (when you get back from a writing convention, all you really want to do is work harder and write) and now I am back on the balls… um, er, I mean ball. So well I get these partials in shape to submit, here are some really great books I’ve read recently and my thoughts on’em. Click on the book covers to purchase them.

Enjoy.

CHOURS OF DUST by Justin Paul Walters

Chorus of Dust Justin Paul Walters writes a jarring story. Chorus of Dust was ethereal and the theme was one of longing and belief and confronting your fears.
The story follows a man named Adem Comeauxa. When his grandfather dies, he returns to the family farm after a mysterious absence to recollect his past and mend his relationship with his sister Sam (Of course with much trepidation). As Adem does this, he uncovers an evil on his grandfather’s cotton farm… an evil that will force Adem to test his beliefs and eventually come to a horrible truth.
Do yourself a favor and read this one. Chorus of Dust is really a great, solid story and I cannot recommend it enough.
Buy it at www.darkfuse.com in the eBook format of your choice for $4.99.

THE RAIN DANCERS by Greg F. Gifune

The Rain DancersGreg F. Gifune is in fine form with The Rain Dancers. Greg’s work is dark, psychological, emotional and moody. It makes you think and reflect and if that isn’t enough, in The Rain Dancers, we have creeps, spooks and surprises abound.
A couple, Will and Betty Colby, return to Betty’s old hometown to settle some business about her father’s passing. But then, one rainy night, a mysterious man named Bob Laurent shows up on the couple’s doorstep.
He claims to be a family friend yet he seems unfamiliar to Betty, and he knows things… things about Betty, her father, and even personal things about Will and as the night goes on and the storm rages, an ultimate secret is revealed, one that drives Will and Betty to the edge of darkness.
If you have never read Gifune before, you should start with this one. I really think it might be his best yet.
The Rain Dancers is available from darkfuse.com for $4.99 and comes in the eBook format of your choice.

THE DARK ONES by Brian Smith

The Dark Ones is a great read. It has all the elements that make an exciting horror tale: demons, sex, gore, blood by the buckets and most important of all, a great story.
A group of teenagers called the dark ones accidently release a demon upon a small town. The demon unleashes a foul and unholy wrath and only the dark ones know how to stop it.
It’s as simple as that.
Simple, yet you can’t stop thinking about it once you are done reading it.
I am an absolute fan of Bryan Smith and he didn’t let me down with this one. The thing I like best about Smith’s writing is that he knows how to set up a page turner and I’m always a sucker for stories like those.
The one I read was the Deadite Press edition, a much cooler cover by far, and Deadite Press pays their authors so why not go down to Amazon.com or Deaditepress.com tonight and nab it for $12.95.
Worth every penny and you’ll have a fun time to boot!

THE DROPPER by Ron McLarty

The DropperRon McLarty has written an  awesome book here. The dropper is a rich and deep read and every chapter reads like a short story all its own. While the story itself keeps a slow pace all throughout the book, you should stick with it till the end because The Dropper is satisfying.
It fills you up and you think about it even when you’re done turning the last page.
I know I did.
I was having trouble describing this fantastic book so I’ll just paste from the Cemetery Dance Website:
“Gutsy 17-year-old Albert “Shoe” Horn is an apprentice plumber and part-time boxer in England in 1922, but when his mother dies, he finds himself responsible for an abusive, alcoholic father and a younger brother with special needs.
This marvelous novel follows the indomitable Shoe’s day-to-day survival with poetic grit, cynical genius, respect, and deep affection as he navigates a world full of very real characters: the gentle giant McAvy, his slave-driving boss, the Irish louts that resurrect his temper, the tempting ladies who seek him out, his hilarious plumbing clients, and the formidable “Dropper,” who Shoe fears will take away the most true thing in his life, his brother.”
I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. Reminds me of Hemmingway’s or Fitzgerald Style. It has big, bold paragraphs that dance with each other creating a close and personal atmosphere and I think in time that this one will be a classic. Grab it from Cemetery Dance Publications when you can. $25 for the trade hardcover.

Tom Piccirilli Needs Our Help!

Posted by Chuck Rios on October 2, 2012
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Hey everyone! Our friend and most excellent writer Tom Piccirilli needs our help! He went in for major brain surgery on Monday to remove a tumor. I haven’t heard any news but I like to believe Tom pulled through and is resting now. If anyone knows anything please let me know. I have never met Tom in person but I have read damn near everything the man has ever released. His small chapbook of writing advice “Welcome to Hell” was seminal in my development as a writer and I put it right up there with Richard Laymon’s “A Writers Tale” in terms of no bullshit advice.

If you would like to help out the Pic man, please see the below links.

Crossroads Press has agreed to wave their portion of sales on all of Tom Piccirilli’s eBooks till the end of the year! If you have never read Tom before, please do yourselves a favor and buy an eBook or five. I recommend NIGHTJACK and THE FEVER KILL. 100% of the sale goes straight to Tom to help out with the inevitable medical bills that will surly follow. Click here to buy the eBooks.

The other way to help is to donate money straight to his charity set up by his niece, Shannon Piccirilli Wells. Click here to do that.

That’s all for now. Get better soon Pic! Killercon 4 write up coming soon.