John McCuaig

Oliver Spencer- our newest addition

2012-01-03T14:52:00.003Z

Here's a couple of pictures of the newest addition to our family, our grandson Oliver. Pictured alongside him is my missus Pam, the very proud granny and our wonderful granddaughter Kaitlin.

Children of the Plague

2011-12-15T22:01:00.002Z

Just released on the Kindle my short story collection, it'll be interesting to see how it goes. This is of course my first attempt at self publishing an E-book.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

http://www.amazon.com/Children-of-the-Plague-ebook/dp/B006MG22UW/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323981741&sr=1-4

Twisted Library- Anthologies cancelled.

2011-11-03T08:05:00.002Z

Due to the poor financial conditions the Twisted Library (Library of the Living Dead and Library of Horror)have cancelled all of their unpublished anthologies. I'm a huge fan of its owner, Doctor Pus, and this is a very sad turn of events but hopefully this action will in the long run save the Library from fully closing. It does however give me lots of stories back, these include-
4 x zombie short stories
2 x zombie flash
1 x zombie poem!
1 x zombie v vampire mash up
1 x vampire short story
1 x werewolf short story
A couple of these stories are actually some of my best work ever so its pretty sad. It all comes to about 25,000 words now without a home, not sure what to do with them yet, might even hold onto them for a while, add to them and maybe even one day put them out as an e-book collection. I might even self published them for a pound or so a go.
What do you think?

Holiday of the Dead book signing

2011-10-31T12:04:00.003Z

Here's some photos of the book signing which took place on Saturday in my home town of Glasgow, Scotland. Also attending were Iain McKinnon, Ian Paton, Matt Hilton, Tony Wright and Rod Glenn. I had a great time and a few of my family also popped along to give me some much appreciated support. As this was my first time I was shaking like a leaf beforehand but once I got started I was fine, or at least I think I was. And also I'd like to say a big thank you to the guys at Wild Wolf Publishing for firstly accepting my story and then organising this event.

Attempting a trilogy!

2011-10-22T12:28:00.004+01:00

I must be mad, I'm attempting to write a trilogy- all three books at roughly the same time. They involve Maggie and Lucas as they fight evil around the world, Lucas is a priest belonging to a secret order and Maggie is a cop who he encounters in the first book.

The status and working title of each book is-

Fallen Angel- set in London and first draft complete. An evil angel returns to earth to seek her vengeance.

Rise of the Valkyrie- set in Edinburgh and outline done along with the first few chapters. Demons who feed on the dead are travelling backwards and forwards in time, increasing their powers as they await the final battle.

Flesh Hunters- set in Venice, outline done only. Investigating a series of bloody murders Maggie and Lucas discover that werewolves are real and their numbers are growing.

Book signing

2011-09-29T11:30:00.003+01:00

Back off to my home town of Glasgow in a few weeks to do a book signing for the anthology Holiday of the Dead. Really looking forward to it but also very nervous as it'll be my first reading in public! There should also be a few of my family, my mother, father and sisters there so that's a wee bit of extra pressure as well :-(

I've started doing a few practice runs, and it looks like I'll be about twenty minutes, hopefully not everyone will be asleep by the time I'm finished.

My partner Pam will be there as well so should have a few pictures to show in a month or so. If anyone lives in Glasgow it's on the 29th October, Waterstone's on Sauchiehall Street from six o'clock.

Some updates

2011-08-30T14:25:00.008+01:00

Its been a while so here are some updates on my ongoing projects

Fallen Angel- First draft is at last complete and I'm now going through it again and doing the usual adding some bits and chopping some others. Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be ready for some beta readers.
The first two chapters (unedited) are up on my website, please go and have a look- http://www.johnmccuaig.com

Meta Horde- This collab novel with Sean Page is now away at one of Sean's friends having a bit of an edit and a tidy up. Once that's done we'll decide what to do with it next. Really looking forward to seeing the finished product- I've got high hopes for this one.

Pyramid of the Dead- My Inca/Zombie novel, still waiting to hear from the editor at my publishers, Library of the Living Dead Press, hopefully it wont be too much longer but it does seem to be dragging on a bit.

Last Train to Dover- My zombie novel set in real time- I've had some great feedback from beta readers (and not all good thankfully) but I've put this on the back burner for a few weeks. I want to go back to it with fresh eyes as it may help with some of the issues.

Short stories- only got one in the works at the moment. A disaster anthology where I was asked to fill one of the slots. That reminds me- I need to get that finished!!

Fallen Angel- update

2011-06-30T12:54:00.004+01:00

Just a little update on my new project. I've changed the title slightly, dropping Daemon and just calling it Fallen Angel. Also I've basically chucked away the first outline and at least a few thousand words! Its now taken a different approach apart from the two main characters who I've kept. It's about a fallen angel, Lilith, and her plans to take over the world to get her long awaited revenge. A cop, Maggie McGuire and a priest, Father Michael Bowers fight to stop her. The full outline is done and most of the chapters have been started in a least a small way, but as usual I'm sure it will change quite a bit as things go on. I'll post some more updates but I'm hopeful that the first draft will be done by the end of July.

New Voices in Horror

2011-06-26T10:11:00.004+01:00

Jonathan Wood has kindly added me onto his blog section "New Voices in Horror" Please pop over to his site and have a look around. Many thanks to Jonathan for including me.

http://jonathanwoodhorrorauthor.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-voices-in-horrorintroducing-john.html

Another nice review for the Church

2011-05-03T09:28:00.003+01:00

Steve at Zombie Zone News has posted a nice review up on his site. He liked the story but also raised a few areas for improvement, hopefully I will learn from these mistakes! Please pop over to his site and have a look.

http://www.zombiezonenews.com/archives/the-church-offers-no-sanctuary-in-this-review/

Meta-Horde Update

2011-04-13T18:13:00.004+01:00

Just a little update on the collab novel I'm doing with Sean Page. We've knocked around a few ideas and I've done a very rough 1st draft of the novel. Its only 51k as it still needs a few things added/taken away/changed but it feels like its a pretty good start. Its off with Sean now to have a look at so it'll be interesting to see what he says. Really enjoying the experience so far so fingers crossed that one day it will see the light of day.
More updates to come.

Alienology- Tales from the Void cover

2011-04-06T15:17:00.003+01:00

This is the cover for another anthology I've been lucky enough to get in. I don't usually do much sci-fi so looking forward to this one coming out. It's from The Library of Horror, part of the LotLD family.

Holiday of the Dead Cover

2011-04-06T15:07:00.003+01:00

Here's the amazing cover for Holiday of the Dead (formerly Wish you were Undead). I'm really happy to be in this anthology, its going to be huge! See the earlier post for the amazing list of authors involved.

My new project

2011-03-17T14:31:00.005Z

I've started doing a collaboration novel with Sean T Page, author of The Official Zombie Handbook and founder of The Ministry of Zombies.

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Zombie-Handbook-Ministry-Zombies/dp/0980799619/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2
http://www.ministryofzombies.com/

Don't want to go into too many details at the moment but the book will be set in the already established "Ministry of Zombies" universe. The title of the book is Meta-horde and its coming along very nicely at the moment. The outline has been done, and changed a few times. The word count is about 20k so far and ticking along pretty well. Its been a pleasure working with Sean and we both have high hopes for this project.

I'll post a few more updates as things progress.

Wish you were Undead

2011-03-05T20:00:00.004Z

Here's the line up for Wild Wolf's forthcoming zombie anthology. Some really big names in there and its a huge honour to be alongside them. Twin teenagers (named Jack and Katie after my nephew and neice) are on one last holiday with their father before they start to do their own thing. When the dead start to rise it might be their last in more ways than one.

Dark Inside By Shaun Jeffrey

Squawk By Remy Porter

Jennifer By Iain McKinnon

Cherry By Tony Wright

A Side of Cranberry Sauce By Clyde Wolfe

Dig By Lee Kelly

Apocalypse Noo By Vallon Jackson (aka Matt Hilton)

Thanksgiving Feast By A.M. Boyle

Oatmeal Cookies By Eric Dimbleby

In The End By R. M. Cochran

Naked Fear By Tonia Brown

Undead Side of the Moon By Lyle Perez-Tinics

Storm Coming Down By Iain S Paton

Rockets’ Red Glare By Bowie V Ibarra

Zombie World Death Perception By Calvin A. L. Miller II

School’s Out By Derek Gunn

Guises By S. Michael Nash

Ladykiller By Ricki Thomas

Daddy Dearest By Dave Jeffery

Sleep Comes Does Never By A. P. Fuchs

Roman Holiday By David Dunwoody

Larry and Hank’s Big Dead Fishing Adventure By Eric S Brown

Home Is The Sailor, Home From The Sea By William Meikle

Burj By Nigel Hall

A Dark Moon Honeymoon By Rob Smith

The Last Trip Together By John McCuaig

The Day The Music Died By Joe McKinney

Wabigoon By James Cheetham

The Four Of July By Shawn M Riddle

The Zombie Whisperer By Bob Lock

The Day I Discovered The Truth About The Man In The Red Suit By R. Phillip Roberts

December In Florida By Asher Wismer

One Dead Whore By Wayne Simmons

Seahouses Slaughterhouse By Rod Glenn

And a special bonus short story by Night of the Living Dead co-writer, John Russo ‘The Walk-In’

Another great review for The Church

2011-03-01T23:27:00.005Z

Sonar4 Landing Dock Reviews just posted a wonderful review for The Church.

Please pop over to their site to have a look.

I'm really pleased with what they had to say.

http://sonar4landingdockreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/church-by-john-mccuaig-review.html?zx=ff8a4775a4dd3ece

Here is a part of what they said-
McCuaig adds a special way of dealing with survival at the end of the world. He shows people in the most human condition ever told in a story. Faith, hope and what people long for in a crisis is shown here with eloquence.

The Church is an eye opener for people to look at certain others in a position of authority where faith takes priority, where fear of dying will make you do almost anything, listen to anyone, follow anyone.

The Church is a page-turner. It is not only entertaining, but mind-blowing. It is one that I know I will read over and over again.

A little update

2011-02-14T21:56:00.004Z

I suppose to help myself as well I've knocked up this little update as to what I'm upto at the moment.

Novels-

Pyramid of the Dead- accepted by the LotLD- just waiting for the editor to get in touch.

The Last Train to Dover- now completed, I've been lucky enough to get 3 beta readers to give it the once over before it goes into the next editing stage. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they think.

I've also started my next novel-
Daemon:Fallen Angel
Which is nothing to do with zombies! This is a supernatural thriller/horror and the outline is just about done. More details to come.

Some possible big news coming up- I can't say much yet but having discussions with a British writer/publisher about doing a collab novel set in an already well established zombie "world". I'm really excited about this but don't want to jinx it until its all been agreed- hopefully watch this space.
If this goes ahead it will no doubt go ahead of Daemon:Fallen Angel

Shorts-

Still doing a few and waiting to hear from about half a dozen. The great news is an acceptance from Wild Wolf Publishing for a little story called The Last Trip. This is about two teenagers away on the last holiday with their father before they get too old. But when the zombies attack it might be their last in more ways than one. There are some great authors in this one already, I'll update a bit more when the list comes out.

Speak to you soon.

The Church- Chapter One

2011-02-09T08:55:00.003Z

As a little taster I've now added Chapter One of my debut novel to my blog and website- please have a look.

1- How it Started

I slowly awake to the sounds of the birds singing in the apple garden. My eyes open to the view of a cloudless sky with its sun shining down upon me. I feel so content until my mind forces me back to reality.

During these warm summer months I, Sam Miller, always sleep up on the roof of my new home, Saint Luke’s Church. The cool nights under the stars are my only escape from my memories. For the plague has ascended from Hell to wipe out everything I ever cared for.

It started about six months ago. Time, days, calendars don’t mean much any more, so I may be a little out. The dawn, the dusk, and the changing seasons- that’s all that matters now.

Standing up I walk stiffly over to the edge of the roof. In the distance I can see my house. Where we used to live, when it all started.
***

“Come on everyone. Let’s get moving!” Standing at the front door of my house all I see is chaos. Our kids Jack and Katie are immigrating to Australia today and with my wife Pamela in tow they’re racing around getting their last minute bits and pieces together. “Okay, ready” they shout as they bundle past me and head down the drive to the car. As I leave I gently pat my two Dalmatians- Molly and Tyler- who are standing faithfully by the door. “I know you’ll miss them. We all will.”

Laughter fills the car on the trip to the airport but I also see the sadness in my wife’s eyes. Our children are all grown up now and flying the nest.

“Bye Mum. Bye Dad. We’ll ring when we arrive.” They run away down the security lines and are off on a new adventure.

A couple of days later the warnings start on the television and radio. A severe strain of the flu is what they’re saying. At first we aren’t that bothered. There is always something they put on to scare you. Our attitudes change when the newscasts from around the world show hospitals overflowing, filled with masses of sick people. I will always remember the words of that broadcast.

"This virus is highly contagious. If you develop any symptoms, please stay at home. Don’t risk the chance of infecting others. Don’t go to the doctors or to the hospital. Call the emergency number below. They’ll come to you.”

There is lots of conjecture about what this virus actually is. News channels, chat shows, even documentaries come up with their own ideas and conspiracy theories: secret military experiments gone horribly wrong, the ultimate act of global terrorism, perhaps an act of vengeance from God for all we’d done. Seems to me that we’ll never get the answer.

Pam and I start to worry. Sure we are both pretty healthy but still it’s only natural. We’ll be okay, so will the kids, or so we thought.

After calling Jack and Katie in Australia we hear the terrible news.

“It’s getting real bad here, Dad” Jack’s voice shakes with fear. “We’re helping out in the hospital but there are just not enough beds.”

That is our last contact with them. The phone lines go down. Pam and I just hold each other and cry. We worry far more about them than we do for ourselves.

I keep telling my Pamela that everything will be alright. They’ll sort out a cure soon enough. It’s only a matter of time. She smiles back at me, but I can tell she is no where near as confident as I am.

Things deteriorate quickly. By the end of the first week, all streets are full of army patrols. Walking down the road we can see them decked out in anti-viral white suits that I’d only seen before in movies. Their faces are masked, served oxygen from tanks strapped to their backs. For the first time in my life, we have armed soldiers in our city. Driving around in armoured vehicles, they blast out a chilling message from loudspeakers:

"The city is now in full lockdown. Martial Law has been declared. Under no circumstances is anyone allowed out in the streets. If you disobey this order you will be shot on sight. You have been warned.”

***

Within a month, I estimate, about eighty percent of the world’s population die. Going by the reports from the last ham radio broadcasts, and from the accounts of passing travellers who manage to dodge the patrols, it seems accurate. Horrific as those numbers are, it gets a hell of a lot worse.

Once the Berlin Virus runs out of viable hosts it viciously mutates. It starts to search out and infect recently dead human flesh. It raises them up and turns them into mad raging beasts with an unstoppable urge to kill. Packs of monsters attack immune people so the new virus will have more hosts. Its way of killing is to eat its victims.

The virus turns itself into near perfection. No matter how much it has destroyed the host’s body it keeps on going, relentlessly searching out fresh victims to kill and then infect.
***

My beloved Pamela falls victim to both strains of the virus. Crying out in agony as pounding headaches run through her head, her temperature soars higher and higher by the hour. I feel so helpless. My fingers go numb from dialling the emergency number they gave us. All I get is a fucking recording. I leave my name and address just in case someone is checking, but they never come.

Three days after the first symptoms, my dear love breathes her last sweet breath and dies as I hold her in my arms. With tears rolling down my face I carefully wrap her lifeless body in a crisp white bed sheet. Before covering her beautiful face, I give her one last kiss.

Night comes but I am unable to get any sleep. Sitting in my kitchen, with only a flickering candle light for company, I wish the damn virus would come and take me to join her.

The dogs start to growl and run about daft. Barking like mad they look up the staircase.

“Shut up!” I scream. “Sit yourselves down!” Their barking only gets worse. I know they want to go up but something stops them. Tyler, the older one, finds bravery from somewhere deep inside. He runs full speed up the long staircase.

It goes quiet.

“Tyler,” I call out. “Come on boy. Get down here now.” But he doesn’t return. I grudgingly grab the candle and start to go up. With each step I take the boards creak. My shaking hand causes the candlelight to bounce off the walls, changing the shapes of the shadows.

Reaching the top of landing, I make out a vague outline at the far end of the hallway. The candle light is so damn poor I can barely see a couple of feet ahead of me. I walk slowly onwards to investigate.

As I edge myself closer to the shadowy figure I hold the candle way out in front of me. Its light catches the face of the silhouette. My darling Pamela stares at me.

"You're alive!"

I start moving towards her. I stop. What I can see is no longer my love. This thing standing in front of me is an abomination. While it looks like her, its sunken grey eyes just stare back at me lifelessly.

Her skin is a horrible shade of grey, yet her teeth and lips are a bright red. When I look down I see the reason why. Grasped in her hand is the head of our dog. His blood drips down her nightdress.

She drops the chewed meat to the floor, groans deeply and moves towards me. My muscles refuse to move. The shock has paralyzed me.

As she reaches for my neck I instinctively move, twisting away from her deadly grasp. Stiffly she shambles forwards. On missing me, she loses her footing and stumbles down the stairs.

During the fall she smashes her head repeatedly on the bare wooden steps. Thick, black blood oozes from both her ears.

Sitting beside her, I shudder to think what would’ve happened if she survived the fall. Deep down I know that I could never have delivered the fatal blow. There is no way I could have ended her undead life. It doesn’t matter to me what she had become. She is my wife, and my love for her is undying. I couldn’t have killed my Pam.
***

For another two weeks I stay in the house with Molly, my last dog, as my only company. She is definitely this man’s best friend. By now all the food has run out, along with the supplies I have took from my neighbours’ house.

Ron and Mary Gavin were away in Spain on holiday when the outbreak started. Soon after, they were stranded when the authorities banned all non military air travel out of the country. It was a futile attempt to contain the threat.

I know I have no choice but to go outside. I can’t just starve to death. Danger from the army patrols no longer existed, but the numbers of the undead roaming have grown rapidly. They are passing by my house every hour.

I’m not sure anywhere would be safe. Even so I decide to head for the local police station at South Norwood. After all, they are supposed to protect us- not that they have been doing a good job of it recently. My reasoning for heading there is faulty, I know that, but logic has long since disappeared from my life.

One morning I decide it is time. Molly and I have to set out while we still have some energy left. We wait until the road outside the house looks clear. Not a mile away, things start to go terribly wrong.

We are attacked by three of the undead. The bastards stumble out of a hidden doorway, just as we are passing a small row of shops.

I drop the leash in shock. Molly runs straight for them. She doesn’t stand a chance. She attacks but the zombie doesn’t even flinch as she bites deep into its rotted leg. Within seconds all three descend on my dog. At least her howls don’t last long.

In a state of despair I run. As I pass houses and gardens several more zombies spot me. They are soon in pursuit. About twenty of them are now right behind me.

Around the next corner I find my salvation. The church stands before me in all its glory, and there are people- real live people- standing on top of the walls.

“Help!” I scream. “Please let me in!”

Thankfully the doors open just enough to let me inside. I arrive at my new home.

Great review for The Church

2011-01-03T12:29:00.002Z

Horrornews.net have posted a great review for The Church, the guy seamed to really enjoy it!

When I first got The Church (written by the very talented John McCuaig) I honestly wasn’t expecting much. I thought that is was just going to be another unoriginal zombie novel that wasn’t going to be anything I hadn’t already encountered countless times before. I am happy to admit that I was wrong and it is actually a pretty damn good book. It is well-written, has an interesting plot, great characters, and a ton of action. I really dug The Church and had a great time reading it.

One of the things that I liked most about the novel is the fact that the zombies take a back seat to other issues for most of the book. Yes, there are zombies running around eating everyone in sight, but they really aren’t the main antagonists here. They show up every once in a while and kill some of the characters, but overall they are pretty much just one of the many obstacles that our heroes must contend with in order to survive.

The real evil in the book isn’t the zombies, but Reverend McKay and his cult-like followers. McKay is an insane, power-hungry, manipulative guy who will stop at nothing to be in charge of others. Anyone who opposes (or even disagrees with him) is swiftly thrown out of the church where they are usually devoured by the hungry sea of zombies waiting outside the church’s gates. He is one of those scary religious nutcases who does whatever he wants and claims to do it in the name of God. People like him give me the creeps as they are usually able to manipulate others into doing their bidding. The reverend is a scary dude and I think I would personally have to deal with a handful of zombies than cross paths with him.

The other characters are also very well done as well. Sam is just your basic everyday guy mourning the death of his wife (and wondering about the fate of his adult children) who is forced into the role of the reluctant hero. He is just an average guy and is by no means an action hero, so it is interesting watching him do whatever it takes to save lives and stay alive himself. Matt is a good character as well, and after the death of his father he goes from an easy-going guy to a hardcore badass who the other survivors are more than eager to follow since he is such a natural leader. I liked Dawn as well (even though she starts out as an unlikable bitch before she falls for Matt and comes to her senses about McKay), and her brother Wayne is pretty intimidating as the Reverend’s main enforcer and bodyguard (though I think he is killed off way too soon and there could have been a lot more that could have been done with him). Overall, I think that the characters from this book are realistic and fleshed-out, and if most readers are like me they will find themselves really caring about what happens to all of them.

I also appreciated the fact that there is almost a nonstop flow of action going on as well. There is very little lag time as there is usually something going on at all times so it helped hold my interest. We have zombie attacks, brutal murders (the fate of Matt’s father is pretty cruel), gun battles, and a ton of other stuff going on though out the book that kept me highly entertained. I can’t think of a single time that I was reading it where I felt bored or tempted to skip ahead a few paragraphs or pages.

Other than a few grammar and spelling issues (sorry, I’m an English teacher and I notice these things) there is nothing negative that I can say about this book. It reminded me a little of Simon Clark’s novel Blood Crazy as well as “28 Days Later.” I thought that it was an excellent read and McCuaig is no doubt a great writer. I look forward to checking out his future writings and think that he will have a fan base fairly soon (I know I am a fan of his work so far). Check out this book if you get a chance, I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

Horrorology- first look at the cover

2010-12-09T09:29:00.005Z

Here's the first look at the cover for the upcoming release of Horrorology from the Library of Horror Press. This was open to any type of horror story so there should be a great variety of styles lurking inside.

My story is called Ruby and tells of how a father fights to save his daughter from an evil curse which killed her mother many years before.

The Scroll of Annubis is now released!

2010-12-09T09:24:00.002Z

The 'mummy' anthology from the Library of Horror is now available through Amazon and all good retailers.

My story is The Rise of Terefini and is a very traditional story set in the 1920s and is sort of a hommage to the great Hammer House of Horror films.

I'm so looking forward to reading this and seeing what everyone else has come up with, I hear very few are traditional.

I've got some reviews lined up.

2010-11-12T09:36:00.003Z

Now that my novel is out I've been looking for some sites to do some reviews and I have to say the response has been fantastic! All the sites replied quickly and all have been so nice and helpful. It shows just how great the zombie/horror community are.

In no particular order the sites are-

Pissedoffgeek
Bitten by books
Horrornews.net
Buy Zombie
Undeadinthehead
ZombieZoneNews (a maybe)

As they come out I'll let you know.

The Church is available on Amazon!

2010-11-07T18:27:00.003Z

Wow! My debut novel is now up on both the the US and Uk Amazon sites, the pages are not quite ready- they still need the descriptions etc added but at least they're there :-)It's been a long road but I'm so happy that we are finally here.

http://www.amazon.com/Church-John-McCuaig/dp/1453808213/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289082940&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Church-John-Mccuaig/dp/1453808213/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289082876&sr=1-3

So if your looking for a cool Christmas present then look no further.

I must take the time to thank the publisher- the one and only Doctor Pus, the cover artist Deedee Davies and the formatter Scott A Johnston.

I just need to get this silly grin off my face.

Great review for Eye Witness:Zombie

2010-10-28T09:33:00.004+01:00

Below is a great review on Amazon for the book including a run down on every story. Its probably the most detailed review for an anthology I've seen, and thankfully she seems to like my story:-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Stories, October 16, 2010
By
Ursula K. Raphael "Eclectic Homeschool Mom" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Eye Witness: Zombie (Paperback)
First of all, I am always wary of anthologies; for example, I am concerned with the number of great stories vs. lame stories. I've also been such a big fan of Permuted Press that I have ridiculously high standards for my zombie horror, and May December Publications is one of those newbies, only recently gaining some recognition as a literary contender in the horror genre. Despite my reservations, this anthology rocked! Out of fifteen short stories, only one was not-so-good, but even the one I disliked was worth reading once.

Here's a brief run-down of each story:

Doomsday Ramblings by Tonia Brown
A redneck's wife crawls out of the grave, and does something much worse than bite him; not much action or gore, until the ending.

A Soldier's Lament by Patrick D'Orazio
Some National Guardsmen on a rescue mission into a hot zone full of DICs (Disease Infected Civilian or Deteriorating Infected Corpse); packed with bloody action, complete with wicked ending.

Childish Things by William Wood
Hilarious story about a guy stuck in an orca costume during a zombie outbreak.

Dead of Old by Lyle Perez-Tinics
Takes place one year after outbreak; leftover zombies escape research facility. In just a few pages, Lyle has managed to expand zombie lore with some new tidbits.

Mere Symptoms of Living by Kris Ashton
A guy is trapped in his bathroom, writes his story on the walls; surprising amount of survival struggle in such a confined space.

Hunt Thru the Night by Brad Zipprich
Radio show host takes calls about reports of walking dead after space anomaly takes place; not unlike World War Z, with numerous callers sharing different perspectives.

All in Your Head by Stephanie Kincaid
A patient who hallucinates is instructed by her therapist/doctor to keep a journal, so she writes about seeing a zombie. Her doctor has her convinced the encounter was just another hallucination. Loved the ending!

The Nightmare by William Lederman
Very brief, very sad. It was like reading about a mere moment in an outbreak.

Run Through the Jungle by Tony Monchinski
A small group of survivors trying to flee city limits; just one more fantastic story for Tony to add to his list.

Dredge by Nikki Sedlock
A guy hiding out in a Wal-Mart basement reminisces on his time there; one of my favorites in the anthology.

One Nation Undead by Brian Harrison
Soldiers attack a man's family; with help from another survivor, he tries to rescue his wife & daughter. It was a good story about revenge, and I'm not one to focus on typos, but there appeared to be a deliberate use of italics which actually disrupted the flow of the story for me.

Eye in the Sky by John McCuaig
Takes place six years after initial outbreak; a zombie-traffic reporter (his reports help survivors know when it's safe to scavenge) gets stranded in the middle of a huge horde after his helicopter crashes. One of the best of the anthology! It also takes place in the UK.

Embedded by Andrew Black
A journalist trapped in a flipped over armored transport writes about his experience with the religious zealots at the "Rapture Centers."

Dead Man's Hand or Reviva Las Vegas by Sean Hoade
A man travelling throughout the post-apocalypse, plays poker for his survival and the entertainment of others; too much dialogue (just kidding - private joke). This was a refreshing change of pace for the zombie genre, instead of the usual survival trek to safety. It is definitely one of the top stories in the anthology.

Baby Killer by Ron Harris
A guy specializes in killing baby and child zombies. It is one of the most tragic stories that I've ever read in any genre.

Another nice touch in the anthology was the fragmented news ticker that runs across the first page of each short story.

If May December Publications can keep producing quality books like this one, they should be able to make a name for themselves as one of the big horror publishers.

First look at the cover for The Church

2010-10-05T22:33:00.003+01:00

Here is the first peek at the cover for my debut novel- The Church. I may be a bit biased here but I think it looks fantastic! It still needs the blurbs ect putting on but I'm really happy with how its turned out. Almost there now!

The Pyramid of the Dead to be published!

2010-10-04T23:22:00.003+01:00

I've just got the wonderful news that the Library of the Living Dead have accepted this novel for publication. It's been sent off to the editor who hopefully will be contacting me very soon. This is just fantastic and I'll keep you all posted of how things are progressing. I also need to start thinking about cover design and again this will be done by Deedee Davies.

Eye Witness: Zombie- NOW OUT!

2010-09-23T22:59:00.006+01:00

Eye Witness Zombie is now available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Witness-Zombie-T-Brown/dp/0984537228/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285269978&sr=1-1
This looks like being a cracking book with tales all about people reporting on the zombie outbreak. My story is Eye in the Sky which follows a helicopter team that instead of doing traffic reports they tell their listeners about any zombie hot spots so scavengers can be at least a little bit safer. But then things start to go wrong.

The Last Train to Dover- Update #2

2010-09-01T22:49:00.003+01:00

Got to the 40,000 mark tonight and still going strong I think or at the very least hope. Going a bit back and forth doing a few edits as I go along and I have introduced a couple of new characters towards the end. I'm also thinking a lot about a follow up to this book which got me thinking that I haven't done a short story for about five months! That was my first love so once this is completed that will be two novels in a row so I'll be giving them a break until next year. So short stories only for the next few months, I think the rest will do me good.

The Last Train to Dover- Update #1

2010-08-21T21:15:00.002+01:00

Just hit the 30,000 mark this evening, very pleased with how things are turning out. So far we've had the outbreak hit the hospital, our 4 heroes racing through London keeping away from both the army and the undead, boarding the train and meeting a mysterious professor before getting onto the deserted boat. All of the chapters have been started to some extent with a couple completed apart from final edits. I'm hopeful of getting it finished by the middle of next month. I'll do another update in a week or so.

New project- The Last Train to Dover

2010-08-02T11:40:00.005+01:00

I've just started another novel!
This is called The Last Train to Dover, its a zombie tale about the start of the outbreak. When it all kicks off in London one final train is set off to Dover to meet up with a ship to take them over the sea to France. This train is full of VIPs but the main characters of the story manage to smuggle themselves on board.
Its basically a real time story of the first day of the outbreak and the race to get away before its too late. Its the first time that I've tried to do a novel around one day, it'll sure be interesting to see how it goes :-)
The outline and character backgrounds are done and the first few words are down on paper.
I'll keep you updated on how things are going.

Pyramid of the Dead- 50,000 mark

2010-07-12T23:28:00.004+01:00

After a good few days break from writing doing some D.I.Y I've at last managed to reach the 50,000 point in my second novel- Pyramid of the Dead. The story itself is now basically complete but there's still a fair bit of fleshing out to be done. The only problem is that its going to be a fairly short book, I suspect that it will barely reach the 60,000 mark by the time its finished. I'm a bit disappointed in that figure but feel its the natural size for the story.

Overall I'm happy with the story, it feels like the characters are good and interact with each other well. However I may be slightly biased in my views! I'm really looking forward to hearing what some other people think of it.

Still not decided on the final title yet but I'm sure that will come.

Poor little kitty

2010-07-08T16:56:00.003+01:00

I work on the railway and got a call that someone could hear a cat on the train! We found it stuck tight under a seat, we had to dismantle the stuff around it to get it out. It wasn't chipped so one of our guys has adopted it and it's new name is diesel.

Haunted- Pill Hill Press now released!

2010-07-04T18:23:00.002+01:00

The Pill Hill Press anthology, Haunted has now been released on Amazon. My story is called "The Newlyweds" and tells of a couple separated by death but still able to keep in touch. This looks like a great collection for any ghost story fans.

http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Anthology-Supernatural-David-Tallerman/dp/1617060216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277305283&sr=1-1

Pyramid of the Dead- Yet another update

2010-06-21T15:10:00.004+01:00

Hit the 40,000 mark this morning. A little bit behind on my target but I'm still very happy at the way things are going. I went back and done a lot of edits of early chapters as when I was trying to write some new stuff it was playing on my mind. This is not the text book way of doing things but I suppose whatever works best for the individual should be the right thing to do.

So the story so far- first quarter of the book seems about right apart from a full edit by someone else, second quarter still needs a little work but is pretty close and the last half has some chapters done in first draft and a couple that are only a paragraph long.

I'm still hoping to get it finished by mid July but it's probably going to be closer to the end of the month.

I'll update again when I hit the 50,000 and who knows I may even have decided on a title by then.

Eye Witness: Zombie

2010-06-16T08:52:00.004+01:00

Just got news that I've had a story accepted for Eye Witness: Zombie for May December Publications. This is a quite new publisher and they seem to have a huge hunger and desire to succeed so best wishes to them. All of these story are first person from people reporting on the Apocalypse for TV or radio etc. My story is called "Eye in the Sky" and follows a helicopter reporter who instead of doing traffic jams he tells people of any hot spots full of zombies.

Here is the TOC-

1 Tonia Brown Doomsday Ramblings
2 Patrick D’Orazio A Soldiers Lament
3 William Wood Childish Things
4 Lyle Perez Dead of Old
5 Kris Ashton Mere Symptoms of Living
6 Brad Zipprich Hunt Through the Night
7 Stephanie Kincaid All In Your Head
8 Billy Lederman The Nightmare
9 Tony Monchinski Run Through the Jungle
10 Nikki Sedlock Dredge
11 Mike Harrison One Nation Undead
12 John McCuaig Eye in the Sky
13 Michael A. Shaffer Embedded
14 Sean Hoade Dead Man’s Hand; Or, Reviva Las Vegas!
15 Ron Harris Baby Killer

The publisher has a few "surprises" lined up and I'll update you as they happen.

Scrolls of Anubis- Cover

2010-06-03T09:43:00.002+01:00

Here's a first look at the completed cover for the upcoming Library of Horror release- The Scrolls of Anubis.
This anthology is packed with Mummy tales and sounds like a lot of fun.
My story is called The Rise Of Terefini and is a traditional tale set in Victorian times about an archeological dig which finds a secret chamber with a nasty surprise inside.
I'll update when we get the release information.

Pyramid of the Dead- Another update

2010-05-31T23:26:00.006+01:00

Just hit the 30,000 mark tonight. It should really be a bit more by now but I've been going back over some of the previous chapters as I've been moving along.

It also looks like the final total as it stands may be as low as 45-50,000 which I believe is a little too short. As I go over the story board/plan I don't want to just pad out what I've wrote so far so I'm looking at adding another story arc to the proceedings. This will add another chapter or two plus give me some more meat to add to the already written or planned work. I would like it to be about 60-70,000 when complete.

I just need to be careful that it doesn't come across as just tacked on to build up the count and that it does something for the story. I'll keep on updating as I go along and let you know how this works out.

p.s I still haven't decided on a title!

Through the Eyes of the Undead- now available

2010-05-29T15:59:00.005+01:00

I'm really looking forward to getting this beauty in my hands as I must say this has one of the best covers I've ever seen. It was done by the wonderfully talented Deedee Davies. This anthology has been compiled by Robert Essig for the Library of the Living Dead Press and features all stories told from the zombies own perspective.

My story is called "The Hunt" and is about a siege on a small town as the zombies try to find a way inside.

Here is the link to Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/Through-Eyes-Undead-Zombie-Anthology/dp/1452855897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275140915&sr=1-1-spell

Letters From The Dead now available on Amazon

2010-05-23T19:48:00.001+01:00

Letters from the Dead is now up at Amazon

Here's the page if you fancy buying a copy

http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Dead-Mark-M-Johnson/dp/1451583079/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274640418&sr=1-6

Pyramid of the Dead- Update

2010-05-13T10:45:00.003+01:00

Managed to hit the 20,000 word mark. Should be a little further on but I've changed a couple of things. This is the first time I've used a full outline chapter by chapter and I must admit I've found it a little restricting. Its better now that I've realised that its not a problem to change it as I go along. I'm still hoping to have it finished by mid July.

I've posted the first chapter/prologue on my website if you want to have a look. Please be aware its only the first draft and is very rough but hopefully you'll get a good idea what it'll be like.

www.johnmccuaig.com

Letters From The Dead Cover

2010-05-06T12:38:00.003+01:00

Here's the fantastic cover for the forthcoming anthology from Library of the Living Dead Press- Letters from the Dead. Have a good look at all the detail on the cover- Dan has outdone himself this time. This book contains a collection of the last letters written by people trapped during the zombie uprising. My story is called "The Last Tin" which tells a mans tale of how he and his companions fought over the last tin of food.

Starting on my second novel

2010-04-15T11:19:00.002+01:00

Now that The Church is pretty much completed apart from the covers I've started on my second novel.

Set in the 16th century Inca Empire its another view of how only a couple of hundred Conquistadors could defeat the most powerful empire on the planet.

It's a tale of greed, witchcraft, fear, and armies risen from hell.

The outline has been done and I'm up to about 7,000 words so far. I'll post some updates as this number rises.

The working title at the moment is Pyramid of the Dead but this will definitely change by the time its finished.

The Church- some blurbs for the cover

2010-04-09T20:44:00.001+01:00

"The Church is a dark and chilling take on the zombie apocalypse that will surely leave you both disturbed and deeply moved!" - Eric S Brown, author of How the West Went to Hell and Bigfoot War.

John McCuaig's 'The Church' is more than just another zombie novel. It's tells us in lurid detail that come the apocalypse there's no such thing as sanctuary - that come the apocalypse the power-crazed go crazy. Paul A. Freeman - author of 'Rumours of Ophir' and 'Robin Hood and Friar Tuck - Zombie Killers'

The Church- cover synopsis

2010-04-09T19:56:00.002+01:00

Just a little update- here's the synopsis for The Church that'll be on the cover-

They thought it was a sanctuary, a safe haven free from the clutches of the walking dead. Little did they know it was ruled with an iron fist by a crazed reverend and his disciples. Disobedience to his word meant banishment from its walls. And only death waited outside.

Sam Miller finds himself in the middle of its troubles. But he’s no hero, he’s just an ordinary man struggling to stay alive. As events both inside and outside the Church spiral out of control he fights to keep his promises, not only to himself but also to his friend.

The Church is a story of the undead, faith and mans need for power and control.

I've started a website

2010-04-07T16:59:00.004+01:00

With my novel soon to be released I've took the plunge and started a website

http://www.johnmccuaig.com/

I couldn't think of a cool title for it so just called it by my name. Please go over and have a look. I'm still building it up but please feel free to comment on how its looking.

I bought the domain name for $21 for 2 years and the site itself is done by Yola which is free. It seems not a bad deal :-)

On this site I hope to push my book, all my other anthologies that are now available or when they finally do. I also have a page for links so if anyone wants me to put something on there for them please just let me know.

As I said please comment on how it looks so far and how I can improve it.

The Church is finished

2010-03-30T10:54:00.003+01:00

Phew! Just finished the last of the edits for my debut novel and its winging its way over to Doctor Pus at Library of the Living Dead Press.

I need to offer my huge thanks to Louise for all the hard work she has done with the edits- she deserves a bloody medal!

Really looking forward now to seeing what the cover will look like and to eventually hold the finished product in my hands. It's been really hard work but I believe it's been worth it and hopefully I'll even sell a copy or two. I still can't take the silly grin of my face :-)

I'll give some more updates as things move along.

Some submissions

2010-03-21T08:48:00.003Z

I've recently sent out three short stories so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them will get picked!

The Comet Chasers- Zero Gravity- Adventures in Deep Space- Pill Hill Press

Eye in the Sky- Eye Witness:Zombie- Maydecember Publications

Ellie- Issue 7- Black Ink Horror

The Zombist cover

2010-03-20T14:58:00.002Z

Here's the cracking cover for The Zombist which is soon to be released by LotLD Press. This is done by the very talented Dan Galli. My story is called "Singer of Spirits"

Letters From The Dead Banner

2010-03-18T17:28:00.003Z

Defying all logic and reason, the dead returned from death. All over the world, dead human bodies rose and walked the Earth in search of living human flesh to consume. Despite the valiant efforts of the living’s vast armies and superior weapons, the dead won the Zombie War.

Defeated, the surviving governments of the world fled to the safety of their underground bases, leaving the last living survivors to their fate. All alone, trapped, for them there was no last second rescue, no escape. The Dead surrounded them, pounding on their barricaded doors, smashing in their boarded windows. It was their last chance to say goodbye, their last chance to shout out in defiance. It was time to write their final words.

For decades, the dead ruled the Earth unchallenged, but their reign was finite. In time, they returned to the dust from which they came.

When the living survivors emerged from their underground shelters, they would discover hundreds of thousands of tattered decaying messages, the letters left behind by the last to perish in the Zombie Apocalypse.

Defying all logic and reason, the dead returned from death. All over the world, dead human bodies rose and walked the Earth in search of living human flesh to consume. Despite the valiant efforts of the living’s vast armies and superior weapons, the dead won the Zombie War.

Defeated, the surviving governments of the world fled to the safety of their underground bases, leaving the last living survivors to their fate. All alone, trapped, for them there was no last second rescue, no escape. The Dead surrounded them, pounding on their barricaded doors, smashing in their boarded windows. It was their last chance to say goodbye, their last chance to shout out in defiance. It was time to write their final words.

For decades, the dead ruled the Earth unchallenged, but their reign was finite. In time, they returned to the dust from which they came.

When the living survivors emerged from their underground shelters, they would discover hundreds of thousands of tattered decaying messages, the letters left behind by the last to perish in the Zombie Apocalypse.

Above is the cool banner and blurb from the forthcoming Letters from the Dead which I've been lucky enough to get in. I'm really looking forward to getting my mitts on this.

More wedding pics

2010-03-04T14:23:00.003Z

Here's some more photos from the wedding. By the way I'm the weird looking 6 foot 7 bloke in the kilt.

Interactive Zombie Movie

2010-02-28T21:58:00.003Z

If you have never had a go at this before please do so now- its great fun. Each scene last a couple of minutes then you get a choice of what to do next e.g. run or hide.

http://www.survivetheoutbreak.com/

First pics from the wedding

2010-02-28T08:23:00.002Z

Here's some photo's from my beautiful step daughters wedding. I will post more later, these are just some that I took. Everything went really well and a fantastic day was had by all. I just need to recover now!

Another good review for Wolves of War

2010-02-17T22:32:00.004Z

Please have a look at the review below for Wolves of War- another goodie!

Every review that I've seen so far has been great- go buy yourselves a copy.

http://www.sonar4landingdock.com/book17.html

The wedding is getting closer

2010-02-17T11:48:00.003Z

Just over a week now to my step daughters wedding. Everything seems to be working out fine at the moment but still plenty of time for a few disasters! My speech is just about done- I keep tweaking it but its probably time to leave it now and get myself down to memorizing it.
Pam, my better half, has finally got a hat she is happy with and her dress is being adjusted a bit.
I pick up my kilt on Wednesday, we go to the hotel on Thursday to check everything is fine and then the wedding itself on Friday.
We're really looking forward to it, we can't wait.
I'll post a few pictures of the day when I can.

New "Open for submissions" from Lotld + Loh Press

2010-01-30T21:05:00.003Z

The Library of the Living Dead,Library of Horror Press, Library of Sci-Fi/Fantasy have three new anthologies that are open for submissions.
They look great fun- will try and do something for at least two of them.

Zombology: A Queer Bent On The Undead
http://libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com/2010/01/21/zombology-a-queer-bent-on-the-undead-submissions-o/page4/#post77

Fearology- A Phobia Anthology
http://libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com/2010/01/26/fearology-a-phobia-anthology-submissions-open/page3/#post54

Probing Uranus- A Sci-Fi Comedy Anthology
http://libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com/2010/01/25/probing-uranus-a-sci-fi-comedy-anthology/page3/#post43

Wolves of War review

2010-01-23T21:10:00.001Z

Here's a link to a nice little review from LycanthorpeLibrary blog

http://lycanthropelibrary.blogspot.com/2009/12/wolves-of-war.html

This is coming from werewolf fans so high praise indeed

Triple Tree closed down- Dead on Demand III cancelled

2010-01-19T17:29:00.002Z

I just got an e-mail that Triple Tree Publishing has closed down. Their sad letter blames the current economic climate as the reason.
One of my favorite stories- Ellie- was submitted to the Dead on Demand III anthology but has now been sent back to me.
It's such a shame to see any company go bust.

I've got to do a speech!!

2010-01-03T21:59:00.003Z

My stepdaughter has asked me to do a speech at her wedding on the 26th of February. It's a great honour to be asked but to be honest I'm more than a bit nervous! I am not good at any sort of public speaking.
I've had a quick look at some examples on-line and just ordered a book to help but it hasn't really made me any more confident.
It seems practice makes perfect (and some alcohol!)
I'll update how I get on and of course post some pics of the wedding. Apologies in advance for my knees- I'll be wearing a kilt on the day.

Review of The Bitter End by Sonar4

2010-01-02T17:00:00.004Z

Book Reviews

Edited By Jessy Marie Roberts
Pill Hill Press
ISBN: 978-0984261024
Review Posted: 01/02/2010
Review done by Rob Walter

The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror is the newest anthology from Pill Hill Press edited by Jessy Marie Roberts and the cover design is by Alva J. Roberts. The collection contains 27 short stories by the following authors: Patrick Rutigliano, Jameson T. Caine, Lucas Pederson, Laura Eno, Sam Battrick, Stephen D. Rogers, John McCuaig, Jessica A. Weiss, Jacob Henry Orloff, Christopher Jacobsmeyer, Kelly M. Hudson, Michelle Bredeson, Miles Boothe, Allen Wise, Alva J. Roberts, Anthony Giangregorio, Anne Maclachlan, C.A. Verstraete, Joel Arnold, Mike Chinn, Kassi Shimek, D. Nathan Hilliard, Scott Harper, Bill Ward, Rachelle Reese and Flora Winters.

It is a very unique and intriguing idea bringing the sea together with horror for a series of short stories. I have always loved the sea so this collection really caught my attention. The first story of the collection, The Revel, gets this great read underway with a monster race and what they are doing with abducted sailors. Other ideas that really pop out at you involve people, sharks, people-sharks, alien invasion and cruise ships of horror. One of my favorite stories of the collection is a very short story about a German Airman shot down in the English Channel during WWII called Wellenkrieg. He is tortured by the waves.

I really enjoyed this collection. I strongly recommend you go out and buy a copy today. It is horror at its best mixed with the sea.

Available Now

TOC for Letters From The Dead

2010-01-02T15:22:00.003Z

This book will contain letters written by people during the zombie uprising and just before they are killed or maybe even kill themselves. My story is called "The Last Tin." It's about a man fighting two fellow survivors over a last tin of food.

United Earth Federation Historical Society contributing members

Introductory Letter

Document #000001 Eric S. Brown

Order of appearance #1
Document #026752 Mark M. Johnson

Order of appearance #2
Document #076943 Dan Nickerson

Order of appearance #3
Document #548972 Sims

Order of appearance #4
Document #679321 Robert R Best

Order of appearance #5
Document #327904 Brian M. Sammons

Order of appearance #6
Document #037582 David Bernstein

Order of appearance #7
Document #078362 Crysa Leflar

Order of appearance #8
Document #021846 Sarah Paige Berling

Order of appearance #9
Document #289375 William Wood

Order of appearance #10
Document #095375 Jameson T. Caine

Order of appearance #11
Document #365109 Benjamin Kotz

Order of appearance #12
Document #008654 Mark Wolf

Order of appearance #13
Document #000591 Ruth Imeson

Order of appearance #14
Document #008364 Patrick D’Orazio

Order of appearance #15
Document #427109 J.R. Rodriguez

Order of appearance #16
Document #009725 Jason Colavito

Order of appearance #17
Document #009361 Matt Nord

Order of appearance #18
Document #030455 Thomas Aiello

Order of appearance #19
Document #007621 Amy LaZerte

Order of appearance #20
Document #004504 Bill Ward

Order of appearance #21
Document #424123 Sheri Gambino

Order of appearance #22
Document #207309 David Perlmutter

Order of appearance #23
Document #141650 Sharon M. White

Order of appearance #24
Document #961948 Shane McKenzie

Order of appearance #25
Document #294014 Stephanie Kincaid

Order of appearance #26
Document #211011 Bill Tucker

Order of appearance #27
Document #606126 Mike West

Order of appearance #28
Documents #073014 & #073015
David Dumas

Order of appearance #29
Document #341863
Christopher J. Jacobsmeyer

Order of appearance #30
Document #167550 Jamie Eyberg

Order of appearance #31
Document #134059 Kent Alyn

Order of appearance #32
Document #091256 John McCuaig

Order of appearance #33
Document #100630 Wayne Goodchild

Order of appearance #34
Document #103088 Violet Hilton

Order of appearance #35
Document #106426 William Todd Rose

Order of appearance #36
Document #254501 Ann Marie McDowell

Order of appearance #37
Document #953628 Chris Deal

Order of appearance #38
Document #167116 Jessica Brown

Order of appearance #39
Document #388655 Kristin Aune

Order of appearance #40
Document #230275 Lane Adamson

Order of appearance #41
Document #516750 Pamela Jessica Wilcox

Order of appearance #42
Document #140553 Derek Goodman

Order of appearance #43
Document #350736 Kamsika

Order of appearance #44
Document #312617 Jay Franklin

Order of appearance #45
Document #140453 Keith Gouveia

Order of appearance #46
Document #972656 Kevin M. White

Order of appearance #47
Document #501023 Lee Pletzers

Order of appearance #48
Document #461514 Shawn Cook

Order of appearance #49
Document #009712 Paul A. Freeman

Order of appearance #50
Document #112118 Timothy W. Long

Order of appearance #51
Document #102881 Carey Burns

Document #114545
Order of appearance #52 David Nordahl

Order of appearance #53
Document #922901 Lee Hartnup

Order of appearance #54
Document #037037 Kim Andre Sandum

Order of appearance #55
Document #848268 Cynthia J. Johnson

Order of appearance #56
Document #907121 Pascal van den Beemd

Order of appearance #57
Document #200113 Mike Mitchell

Order of appearance #58
Document #021355 Deborah Walker

Order of appearance #59
Document #123372 Joe Filippone

Order of appearance #60
Document #107167 Brad Zipprich

Order of appearance #61
Document #564443 Shannon D Jones

Order of appearance #62
Document #130928 Tonia Brown

Order of appearance #63
Document #250125 Zombie Zak

TOC for The Zombist- Volume 1

2009-12-28T14:40:00.002Z

Below is the TOC for The Zombist- Volume 1-

Eric S. Brown - "Autie's Last Stand"
Carey Burns - "Goldfield Has Gone To Hell"
James Roy Daley - "The Hanging Tree"
Jennifer R. Povey - "Ellis Ridge"
Jonathan Moon - "Notches On A Tomahawk"
Keith Gouveia - "Dead Tracks"
Pete Mesling - "Slipknot"
Shawn Cook - "Death At Finneman's Hollow"
William Wood - "Hands"
Bryan Hall - "The Bloody Ballad Of Buck & Larry"
Harper Hull - "The Undead Cattle Company"
Jeff Parish - "That Ain't A Mosey"
Jimmy Grist - "Moonville Elementary School"
John McCuaig - "Singer Of Spirits"
Michael C. Lea - "The Hot Springs Zombie Incident of 1875"
Robert Essig - "The Faint Ringing Of Bells"
T. Patrick Rooney - "The Scorched Hell"
Dan Omega - "Road To Hel"

My story- Singer of Spirits- is about a Witch Doctor who raises an undead army to get revenge on a gang who killed his family.

TOC for Through the Eyes of the Undead

2009-12-23T16:49:00.003Z

Here's the TOC for the next book I've been lucky enough to be accepted for. Once again its from the great Library of the Living Dead Press. Its a pretty impressive list I'm sure you'll agree.

I'll update when I get the cover, release date and the like.

John Malone -- Raising the Dead (poem)
Tim Long -- Your Rotted End
Harper Hull -- To Kill A Dead Girl Walking
Carey Burns -- Knock Once for Yes
Jason Shayer -- Fitful Rest
Westley Grey -- Slave in the Flesh
Rob Rosen -- Zombies Anonymous
Edward Morris -- I am Stretched on Your Grave
Brad Parton -- Never Grow Old
Paul A. Freeman -- A Z-mas Tale
Wayne Goodchild -- Home is Where the Heart is
Quinn Hernandez -- Luta's Last War
John McCuaig -- The Hunt
Ruth Imeson -- Professor Gorgon's Amazing Zoimbie Influence Machine
Chris Bartholomew -- Brain Waves
Stephanie Kincaid -- Carpachio and Coconut
Michael Penncavage -- Psycho-Analysis
Ciaran and Coal Corby -- Zombie has Chills
Dylan J. Morgan -- The Death of Red Anderson
Carl Hose -- Born Again
Jesus Morales -- The Last Fan
Deborah Walker -- The World is their Altar
Martin Rose -- Dead Man's Kiss
Bruce Barber -- The Last Last Call or Plan 8.5 from Outer Space
Linda Donehue -- In Extremus Venitas
William Todd Rose -- Black Market Funeral
Michael C. Lea -- Strand
J. Troy Seate -- The Return of Slade McCall
Sasha Pearl -- It's Okay, He's Already Dead
Vince Daemon -- A Final Death for the Dead?

Updates, releases and rejections

2009-12-01T22:15:00.006Z

Just a little update of where things are for this year-

Acceptances
Library of the Living Dead Press
Zombology II- Hunger RELEASED
Zombology III- Children of the Plague
Zombonauts- The Dead Planet RELEASED
Undead v Living Dead- Coming of Age
Letters from the Dead- The Last Tin
Flash- Family
Feary Tales- Peter and the Zombie
Through the eyes of the undead- The Hunt
Morons Guide- How to remain British
Zombist- The Singer Of Spirits
Night of the Giving Dead- Second Battle of Hastings

Library of Horror Press
Horrorology- Ruby
War Wolves- The World has Talent to Kill RELEASED
Scrolls of Anubis- Rise of Terefini
Vampology- Demons of Glencoe
Into the Void- Swarm

Pill Hill Press
The Bitter End- The Beastie of Loch Dhu RELEASED

Rejections
For the Children- The 4 Horsemen
The Last Kiss- Dead Bells
Who were they- The Beast Unleashed

Waiting
Hush Little Baby- Wolfology
A cry for help- Dark Moon Anthology
Ellie- Dead on Demand
The Zombie Games- Risen Cadaver

Zombonauts- also now available!!

2009-12-01T22:10:00.004Z

31 creepy tales of zombies in space is now ready to buy. This is going to be a fantastic book! Link below-

https://www.createspace.com/3412493

The Wolves of War- now available!

2009-12-01T22:03:00.006Z

This great book is now available, here's the link-

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_3_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wolves+of+war+an+anthology+of+werewolves&sprefix=wolves+of+war

Here is also a great review from Sonar4- Please check it out- it's superb!!!!!

http://www.sonar4landingdock.com/book17.html

The Bitter End- now available to buy

2009-11-28T16:31:00.006Z

The Bitter End is now available to buy- link below. This should be a cracking read so order your copy today!

http://www.amazon.com/Bitter-End-Tales-Nautical-Terror/dp/0984261028/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259422311&sr=8-1

My story is "The Beastie of Loch Dhu"

The Church- an update

2009-11-24T10:11:00.006Z

Just got to the halfway point with the edits for The Church. Louise is doing a great job with it but I must admit it's also been a little embarrassing seeing all the mistakes I've made! I knew that I probably put in too many extra words but I didn't realize how many! I'd guess I'll lose about 3-4,000 words off the final count. Ouch!

The story is now a lot tighter, sharper and moves at a far quicker pace.

This also shows me how much I need an independent editor. And more practice!!

I'll update again when the edits are done and Louise gives me her opinions on the story as a whole.

The Zombist: Tales from the Undead West

2009-11-18T20:06:00.008Z

Just got the good news that my story "The Singer of Spirits" has been accepted into this new anthology from Library of the Living Dead Press.

This book will contain stories set in the Wild West which also have a few zombies thrown in! My story is from the Indians point of view after a massacre.

I'll update when I get some more details.

The Bitter End TOC

2009-11-17T08:08:00.003Z

Here's an update from Pill Hill Press about The Bitter End

Working Table of Contents - The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror (Subject To Change)
1. The Revel by Allen Wise
2. Driftwood by Michelle Bredeson
3. Deadliest Cachalot by Jameson T. Caine
4. Wellenkrieg by Stephen D. Rogers
5. My Dear Mrs. Jones by C.A. Verstraete
6. Lifeboat by Joel Arnold
7. Hanover's Gold by Kelly M. Hudson
8. With Open Arms by Patrick Rutigliano
9. Drift by Lucas Pederson
10. Food Chain by Laura Eno
11. Between the Devil and the Deep by Sam Battrick
12. Those Left Behind by Flora Winters
13. The World in Strips by D. Nathan Hilliard
14. Last Vacation by Kassi Shimek
15. Black Gold by Christopher Jacobsmeyer
16. The Occurrence Out At Sea by Jacob Henry Orloff
17. Blackbeard's Ragnarok by Alva J. Roberts
18. The Thing in the Crosstrees by Anne Maclachlan
19. Flotsam by Scott Harper
20. The Beastie of Loch Dhu by John McCuaig
21. Sirens' Folly by Jessica A. Weiss
22. The Devil Hunger by Bill Ward
23. Rescue by Rachelle Reese
24. Blood for Passage by Miles Boothe
25. Last One Standing by Anthony Giangregorio
26. Welcome to the Hotel Marianas by Mike Chinn
Working Annotation (Subject To Change):
Have you ever been afraid something is lurking beneath the murky surface of the water? In this horrifying anthology, something is!
Behold twenty-six short tales of nautical terror and prepare yourself to come face-to-face with The Bitter End. From ghosts to sea creatures, talking fish to shark attacks, cannibalism to man-eating bacteria, this horror anthology has something for anyone who has ever been nervous to get their feet wet.

Authors in this anthology include: Patrick Rutigliano, Jameson T. Caine, Lucas Pederson, Laura Eno, Sam Battrick, Stephen D. Rogers, John McCuaig, Jessica A. Weiss, Jacob Henry Orloff, Christopher Jacobsmeyer, Kelly M. Hudson, Michelle Bredeson, Miles Boothe, Allen Wise, Alva J. Roberts, Anthony Giangregorio, Anne Maclachlan, C.A. Verstraete, Joel Arnold, Mike Chinn, Kassi Shimek, D. Nathan Hilliard, Scott Harper, Bill Ward, Rachelle Reese & Flora Winters.

Ladies of Horror

2009-11-10T17:20:00.006Z

Library of Horror Press is releasing a horror anthology for just female authors. Below is the TOC (its missing a couple but I'll update it shortly).

Well done to Doc Pus for putting together this book which will showcase these great ladies work. It's a must-buy.

Marian Halcombe - "The Lucia Rose Collection"
Jodi Lee - "Black & White"
Catherine J. Gardner - "Shiny Black Hearts"
Janett L. Grady - "Dead and Damned"
Elyse Salpeter - "Mr. and Mrs. Odd"
Lindsey Beth Goddard - "Hot Blooded"
Cinsearare S. - "Wrong"
nickie Rivers - "The Child Murderer"
Rhiannon Frater - "Vengeance"
Seanan McGuire - "Let's Pretend"
Victorya - "To Love a Monster
Holly Price-Jancart - "Beautiful Death"
Carey Ann Burns - "The Snipe Hunt"
Ellie Keen - "Loup Loup Garou"
Michelle McCrary - "River Runs True"
Natalie L. Sin - "Butterscotch"
Sasha Pearl - "August"
Tonia Brown - "Nearly Departed"
Sheri Gambino - "Venom"

I'll also update when I get the cover and release info.

Horrorology TOC

2009-11-09T16:50:00.004Z

Here is the Table of Contents for Horrorology, coming soon from The Library of Horror Press.
This is in the process of being edited and I'll update with the cover and release date when I know. It looks like being a cracker, some superb authors in there.

Tom Hamilton - The Adversary
Mark M. Johnson - Mouser
T. Patrick Rooney - Alister Somerby
Derek Goodman - A Dance by Way of the Razor
Myrrym Davies - A Severe Disadvantage
John McCuaig - Ruby
Joel A. Sutherland - The Man Within the Beast
Jamie Eyberg - Undertow
Eric S. Brown - The Underneath
Doug Murano - Imitation of Life
Carey Burns - The Dark Ride
Patrick Rutigliano - The Grove
David Dunwoody - The New Curse
Brad Zipprich - Tattooed Sweets
Natalie L. Sin - Trouble by the Yard
Barry Napier - Notes on How it all Ended
John Grover - Projecting Evil
Jodi Lee - Thirsty
Dylan J. Morgan - The Passenger
Christopher Fulbright - Encounter on Old Temple Road
Sheri Gambino - Relik the Clown
David Chrison - The Woods, Dark and Deep
Keith Gouveia - Dealing with Death

My story, Ruby, follows a father trying to save his daughter from a curse that destroyed her mother.

Wolves of War Cover

2009-11-06T07:59:00.011Z

Here is the cracking cover for Wolves of War.

This should be a fantastic collection- go buy one today!

My story, The World has Talent...to Kill, is about a gameshow in the future where companies produce genetically created monsters to fight each other. We have the Vampire Nation, Zombie Horde, Frankenstiens Monsters and the reigning champions- The Werewolf Pack.

The book is out now on createspace- see link below. It should be available on Amazon in about a week and I'll add that link when it comes out.

www.createspace.com/3407345

##UPDATE##- Its now on amazon-

www.amazon.com/Wolves-War-Werewolves-Eric-Brown/dp/1449573665/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257747713&sr=1-8

Night of the Giving Dead

2009-11-04T13:14:00.005Z

I've had a story "The Second Battle of Hastings" selected for the "Night of the Giving Dead" anthology by The Library of the Living Dead Press.

100% of the proceeds of this book go to charity- First Book. This is a great cause which supplies new books to needy and neglected children. Please have a look at their site.

http://www.firstbook.org/

I'll update with more news as it comes out.

Wolves of War TOC

2009-11-04T08:18:00.003Z

Here is the TOC for Wolves of War- some great writers in there (and me!)

A.P Fuchs- World Were II
David Dunwoody- The Devil's Teardrop
Derek J Goodman- And the streets will run red with the blood of bunnies
Anthony Giangregorio- Adrift- A Werewolf Tale
Grayson Moran- Once we were
Casey Quinn- The Battle after the Apocalypse
Rhianon Frater- Fleeing
Franklin E Wales- Homecoming
John Grover- Under a Civil Moon
Timothy Long- Let loose the wolves of war
Alan Mendoza- FUNBAR
T. Patrick Rooney- Simon Midean
Dylan J Morgan- Overlord
John McCuaig- The world has talent...to kill
Thom Brannan + Victoria- Blood and belief
Tim Curran- Der Wulf
Lee Pletzers- Genetic Coding

This should be one hell of a book.

The Bitter End

2009-11-03T10:58:00.006Z

Here is the working cover art for "The Bitter End" from Pill Hill Press.

My story in this is called "The Beastie of Loch Dhu". This is set in 18th century Scotland where a monster preys on the local villagers who fish the loch. The chieftan puts together a group who set out to try and destroy the beastie once and for all.

I'll update when its released.

Zombonauts Cover

2009-11-02T09:26:00.005Z

This is the cool cover for "Zombonauts", from The Library of the Living Dead, which I've been lucky enough to get a story in.

My tale is called "The Dead Planet" where a rescue mission goes to Mars to find out what happened to the now silent and seemingly deserted first manned base.

My daft doggies

2009-10-09T17:44:00.003+01:00

Here's some pics of my two dogs, you'll also notice Pam in there with her dalmation pyjamas on!

Waiting for news

2009-10-09T16:33:00.003+01:00

I've got four short stories submitted where I'm waiting for news-

The Last Kiss for Dead Bells- Library of Horror Press

Ellie for Dead on Demand- Triple Tree Press

Hush Little Baby for Wolfology- Library of the Living Dead Press

The Zombie Games for Risen Cadaver- Library of the Living Dead Press- this is a collaboration with Paul Freeman (Desertwomble) who to be honest did most of the work. Cheers to Paul!

I'll update as I hear yah or nay.

Kaitlin- my grandaughter

2009-10-09T14:24:00.002+01:00

Here's a few pics of "boo", our wee angel of a grandaughter

Upcoming releases

2009-10-08T16:29:00.005+01:00

Just a little update of some of the acceptances I've had over the last few months-

Library of the Living Dead Press
Zombology II- Hunger
Zombology III- Children of the Plague
Zombonauts- The Dead Planet
Undead v Living Dead- Coming of Age
Letters from the Dead- I had to
Flash- Family
Through the eyes of the undead- The Hunt
Morons Guide- How to remain British

Library of Horror Press
Horrorology- Ruby
War Wolves- The World has Talent to Kill
Scrolls of Anubis- Rise of Terefini
Vampology- Demons of Glencoe
Into the Void- Swarm

Pill Hill Press
The Bitter End- The Beastie of Loch Dhu

I will update as they come out, giving a brief description of each story then.

The Church- an update

2009-10-08T14:53:00.005+01:00

My first novel, a zombie tale called The Church, is being edited by the wonderful Louise Bohmer for The Library of the Living Dead Press.

It's the tale of a man stuck inside a fortified church after the zombie uprising. The church is controlled with an iron fist by a mad reverend and his "disciples". Are the real monsters inside or outside The Church?

I'll use the blog to give some updates of how we are getting on.

Louise has just sent back the edits for chapter 7. I cant begin to explain how good these edits are, taking my story to a much higher level. I was silly enough to think it was fairly well edited before but its more than a little embarrassing now seeing how many mistakes there are!

Zombology II

2009-10-08T13:59:00.002+01:00

My very first published story has now appeared in Zombology II. Hunger is the story of a thief trapped in a jewellers surrounded by the undead. With no food the growing hunger drives him crazy with a deli in plain view just across the road. I'm so proud to be in this great book. Hopefully everyone who reads this anthology will enjoy it.

All new to this

2009-10-08T13:53:00.001+01:00

This is my first attempt at a blog so apologies in advance! I have a few stories coming out in the next year including my first novel and hopefully this site will provide updates and news.