News: Brimstone Press horror film special offer

Brimstone Press is running an amazing deal for lovers of horror. The next 15 Australian customers who order a Brimstone Press book through the publisher's website will receive FREE double passes to see two of the hottest horror films of the year: Paranormal Activity and Zombieland (value $64).

Now is the perfect chance to purchase a horror book as a Christmas gift for a loved one while enjoying two free nights at the movies. This special offer even applies to pre-orders of Brimstone's upcoming releases The Last Days of Kali Yuga and Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 4.

The offer ends on December 1 or if filled earlier. Full details are on the Brimstone Press website.

About the films:

Zombieland

Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss – but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin’, zombie-slayin’ badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

Website: www.zombieland.com.au

Paranormal Activity

Without a doubt, the scariest film in years ... Paranormal Activity is the real deal - this movie will have you shaking in your cinema seat. A young couple suspects that their house is haunted by a malevolent entity. They set up video surveillance to capture evidence of what happens at night as they sleep and the results are terrifying.

Website: www.paranormalactivity-movie.com.au

Both films will be in cinemas from December 3

Source: Brimstone Press

News: Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 4 available for pre-order

Angela Challis, editor of the Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror series of 'year's best' anthologies, has announced the line-up for Volume 4.

Stories selected are:

• "The Last Great House of Isla Tortuga" by Peter M. Ball
• "The Claws of Native Ghosts" by Lee Battersby
• "Pale Dark Soldier" by Deborah Biancotti
• "Heere Be Monsters" by John Birmingham
• "Teeth" by Stephen Dedman
• "Her Collection of Intimacy" by Paul Haines
• "A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead" by Richard Harland
• "Moments of Dying" by Robert Hood
• "Just Us" by Pete Kempshall
• "Painlessness" by Kirstyn McDermott
• "Smoking, Waiting For the Dawn" by Jason Nahrung
• "The Casting Out" by Miranda Siemienowicz

As with the previous books in the series, Volume 4 will feature a detailed summary of dark fiction in Australia and appendices of horror resources and award listings, making it an invaluable compendium for fans of the genre and authors alike.

ADFH Vol 4 will go on sale nationally in March 2010 but can be pre-ordered immediately from the Brimstone Press website.

Source: Brimstone Press

News: Australian Shadows Award reminder

The deadline for entering work into the Australian Shadows Award is drawing near (December 31). The Australian Shadows Award is coordinated by the Australian Horror Writers Association and is the peak award for horror fiction in Australia. Entry is open to Australians (and New Zealanders) who have had a work of dark fiction (horror, paranormal, or dark fantasy) published in 2009. Entry is free.

This year, the Australian Shadows Award has expanded into three categories: Short Fiction (for short stories), Long Fiction (for novels, novellas, and single-author collections), and Edited Publication (for anthologies). Full details on the award can be found here.

If you are eligible and have had a short story, collection, novella, or novel published this year, or you edited a horror-themed anthology or magazine issue, and you haven't yet entered your work into the Australian Shadows Award, please contact the Award Director Shane Jiraiya Cummings (australianshadows@australianhorror.com) before December 31 to arrange entry.

Source: AHWA

Bok Review: Zombie Blondes

Brian James, Macmillan, 2009

From the moment that Hannah Sanders - once again skipping from one town to the next with her deadbeat father - arrives in Maplecrest, she can sense there's something...off. Everything's just a litle too quiet, too well-ordered; the townsfolk just a litle too old-fashioned; the high school cheerleading team just a little too perfect. But Hannah desperately wants to fit in, regardless of what her new friend Lukas is trying to tell her. And if she doesn't watch her back, she's going to end up like the rest of the cheerleading squad: blonde and popular.

And dead.

Zombie Blondes is the latest in a growing list of zombie-related novels hitting the Young Adult market. Here, the zombies of the piece - sentient, life-sucking ghouls rather than shambling flesheaters - represent the dangers of conformity and insular lifestyle, and while there's very little originality in the plot - the book reading essentially like a 'junior' version of The Stepford Wives or Invasion of the Body Sntchers - the author nonetheless generates an unsettling atmosphere of growing unease, punctuated by moments of genuine fear. The novel is written in a style that most adults, as well as the intended teen audience, will find accessible, and is overall a worthwhile read, with a surprisingly mature and downbeat conclusion.

News: Andrew J. McKiernan's Black Friday giveaway

Illustrator and author Andrew J. McKiernan is running a Black Friday competition (announced yesterday), offering one of his readers a copy of Shards, the collection he illustrated.

To enter the competition, visit Andrew's LiveJournal, and in 100 words or less, explain your greatest fear.

The competitions ends on Monday (November 16).

News: Friday 13th performance of Theatre of Blood!

The first two performances were sold out and tickets are selling fast for the very special show tonight... Friday the 13th!

Here's a few things the critics are saying:

“If you’re looking for an excuse to dress up and indulge your more mischievous inclinations, like a laugh, a cheap thrill and a glass or two of good cheer, Friday nights in Newtown Theatre’s foyer promise to be something of a Sydney institution.” Brad Syke, Australian Stage

“It was an especially bloody and horrific evening, beginning just before the witching hour. A properly ghoulish night out... just be sure that whomever you go with, it’s someone you know… and trust.” Joan Beal, ArtsHub

THEATRE OF BLOOD
@ The Newtown Theatre
Cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown
Bookings: www.newtowntheatre.com.au or 8507 3034

Theatre of Blood is rated R18+. Nobody under 18 will be admitted.
A doctor will be present at all performances.

Source: Steven Hopley, Director, Theatre of Blood

Review: Midnight Echo Issue 2

Midnight Echo is the official magazine of the Australian Horror Writer’s Association (AHWA). Issue number two was edited by Angela Challis and Shane Jiraiya Cummings.

In this issue, the editors aimed to include stories with an Australian feel. There is a mixture of both flash fiction and short stories, all of which flow together into a coherent whole. Three stories which were winners of the AHWA flash and short story competitions in 2007 and 2008 are also included.

There are several clear standout stories in this issue, the first of which is Shadow of Drought by Joanne Anderton. Firmly grounded in the Australian landscape, the reality of drought gives this story a particular impact and makes the creepy events occurring feel even more vivid. This one will stay with you, and haunt you the next time you leave the city.

The Message by Andrew J. McKiernan is the absolute standout in this issue. Again, a grounding in real life events gives this story real impact. There’s a real emotional hit to this one that will linger long after you’ve closed the magazine.

The Emancipated Dance is Felicity Dowker’s second appearance in Midnight Echo. Here, Dowker shows us a peek into a slipstream world, an undercurrent of feminism flowing beneath it. Her imagery has a great impact – even as some of it turns your stomach, you’ll find yourself compelled to read on.

In Tangled Roots Where Hearts Entwine by Kurt Newton veers more towards the surreal, twisting the world into something new and completely original. Haunting, and like the other best stories in this issue, will linger with the reader.

Challis and Cummings aimed for an Australian feel to this issue, and in that, they have succeeded. Midnight Echo continues to be a great showcase of dark fiction writers that is maintaining an extremely high standard.

Midnight Echo can be purchased from the AHWA in either electronic format or hard copy.

News: Midnight Echo #3

Midnight Echo 3 is about to be unleashed ...

Assembled by guest editor Stephen Studach and his talented crew, therein you will find:

• A slew of stories by an array of gifted wordsmiths.
• A devil's clawful of poetical works.
• A clutch of standalone dark and macabre art.
• A featured artist's gallery.
• An exclusive interview by Lucy Sussex with Barbara Baynton - her first since her death in 1929.
• The first Midnight Echo illustrated story.

Obtain your copy from November 17 at the Midnight Echo website (AHWA members receive a PDF version of the magazine free!).

Source: AHWA

Review: Assassin by Tom Cain

Sam Carver is an ex-assassin who did jobs for MI6. He's retired from the game now and advises others who are potential targets. However, an old enemy is setting Carver up by duplicating his modus operandi, first offing a people trafficker in Dubai and then arranging a 'car accident' for a shady financier in the U.S. The race is on as Carver tries to clear his name while on the run, get the woman he loves and stop the American president (an Obama-alike character) from being assassinated.


It's times like this when a reviewer is tempted to dig out all the old cliches - a thrill ride, non-stop action, a real page-turner. In this case, they're true. This book won't change your life or make you see the world in a different light. It will keep you entertained for the couple of hours it takes to rip through the story. Especially towards the end the chapters get quite short and it has a similar effect to a breathless friend trying to blurt out an exciting anecdote.

This is the third book in the Sam Carver series (though no prior knowledge is required to enjoy the story) and the actions scenes are handled slickly. There is a passing nod to the serious issue of people-trafficking, but the thrill of the chase is the thing here. Characterisation is adequate for this style of book and not allowed to get in the way of the plot. In short, Assassin does everything it says on the label. More Clive Cussler than John LeCarre. And sometimes that's enough.

Assassin is published in Australia by Bantam Press.

News: Vincent Lyce's Final Curtain

Vincent Lyce’s Final Curtain is horror-themed performance that features a mix of comedy, music, and murder served with a delicious dinner. Recently described as “Rocky Horror meets Carry-On”. Ex wives, illegitimate sons, and fans alike will gather to celebrate the illustrious career of Vincent Lyce.

Venue: Queen's Loft, Southbank (Melbourne).

Date: Saturday November 14.

Time 7.30pm (duration ~3 hours).

Bookings $80 (includes a three course dinner designed specifically for the evening).
Call Queens Loft on 9698 8011 (Advance bookings essential)

Full details at http://vincentlyce.com.

Source: Bare Elements Productions

News: Richard Harland's Advanced SF workshop

Award-winning horror and fantasy author Richard Harland (Worldshaker, The Black Crusade) is running a two-day Advanced Fantasy and Science Fiction workshop at the NSW Writers Centre in December.

The course develops the skills of speculative fiction writing to an advanced level and covers character arcs and creating characters in groups; point of view; first-person narrators; sequencing (the right events in the right order); twists and emotional reversals; pacing; using chapter and section breaks; interactive dialogue; ‘free indirect discourse’; naming; and effective style (especially for action scenes). Also, submitting short stories; presenting a novel-length MS; and gaining access to agents and publishers.

Date: Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, 10am – 4pm
Cost: NSW Writers Centre Members $195, Members’ Concession $165, Non-Members $250

Bookings: NSW Writers Centre.


Source: NSW Writers Centre

News: Ticonderoga Publications book sale

Western Australian independent SF press Ticonderoga Publications is having an online book sale. The sale runs until 8 November or until stock runs out.

Ticonderoga titles are on sale at 20-25% off the regular price, and free postage is offered (within Australia) for purchases totalling more than $100.

Titles on sale include the second edition of Stephen Dedman's dark collection The Lady of Situations, Magic Dirt, the best of Sean Williams, and the anthologies Fantastic Wonder Stories and The Workers' Paradise.

For details, visit www.indiebooksonline.com and click the 'Specials' link on the right.


Source: Ticonderoga Publications

News: Writers Boot Camp seeking horror scripts

Writers Boot Camp, a US company that trains screenwriters and television writers, has established monthly $5000 script development fellowships (one each for film and TV scripts), which are "monthly competitions designed to scout and support new writers." This month, Writers Boot Camp is accepting horror film and supernatural TV series projects.

Writers Boot Camp alumni have written or created 30 major movies and at least 100 television series, including Rounders, Blades of Glory, Freaky Friday, Wonderland, Mad Men, Entourage, The Office, Sex and the City, and Burn Notice.

Candidates need the following to apply for a fellowship:

• An original idea for a feature film or television series pilot.
• One scene (no more than three pages) conveying the entertaining potential of your idea.
• A short paragraph on your goals and completed online application with fee.
• A commitment of at least 10 hours per week for your creative and writing process through Online Professional Membership.

Fees to submit projects proposals are:

• US$54 Evaluation for Film or TV Project
• US$75 Evaluation for both Film and TV
• US$99 Evaluation for both Film and TV plus all three diversity/inspired categories.

The deadline is November 5 (tomorrow - US Western time zone), so if you have a horror script in development and wish to apply, visit www.writersbootcamp.com/Fellowship, or email Dana@writersbootcamp.com.

Source: Writers Boot Camp