Evilution

Although it was done a couple of months ago, I didn't update on here that my novel Evilution has a new cover by Karri Klawiter and it's been re-edited by Stacey Turner. Both of these people are a pleasure to work with.

It seems a lifetime ago when this was originally published back in 2003! I've learned a lot since then with regards writing, but you never stop learning.

http://www.amazon.com/Evilution-Shaun-Jeffrey-ebook/dp/B004S81HW0/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Evilution-Shaun-Jeffrey-ebook/dp/B004S81HW0/

Humankind is about to change ...

Shrouded by fog for nearly two years, the picturesque village of Paradise harbours more than its share of secrets. Having won a cottage in a competition she can't remember entering, Chase Black moves to Paradise, only to discover that its beauty is skin deep - murder and madness fester in its shadows. When her travelling companion, Jane mysteriously disappears, she starts asking questions. Why are the villagers behaving so oddly? Who are the strange figures she sees lurking in the fog? As Chase becomes afraid that something terrible has happened, events escalate dangerously out of control. A virtual prisoner; too late she discovers the real reason she's there ... 

Dark Seduction

Forced into accepting a bet by a group of mysterious card players, Zen Barker soon discovers that there is a world beyond ours. A place of nightmare where the monsters are real: The Shadowland.

The rules of the wager? Kill or be killed. The target? A woman named Melantha who wields a sinister power called the Glamour that allows her to bewitch anyone she meets. She intends using it to take vengeance against the descendents of those who have persecuted her gypsy clan through the ages. But in doing so she risks creating a disturbance in the infrastructure, and if that happens, then the monsters that reside in the Shadowland will be released.

Now the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a disgruntled anarchist. God help us.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UILHAW

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007UILHAW

Monsters, Winter's Bone and book discounts

Watched two films over the weekend, both of which were quite cheaply shot, but both of which showed that you don't need giant budgets to make decent films, especially if there's a good script and actors that can do their job well. First up was Monsters:
“Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.”

Now reading that you’d think this would be an action packed, monster laden movie, much like District 9, but in fact the action is in short supply and the ‘monsters’ hardly feature at all. The film is more a character study and revolves around Samantha Wynden, played by Whitney Able and Andrew Kaulder played by Scoot McNairy and their interaction together as they try to get across the Mexican border back to the US. Both actors play their parts pretty well, but Whitney was the better of the two. Essentially it was about the human side of the story, but I felt that a few action scenes would have helped raise the bar for what is otherwise not a bad film, but one that could have been far better. 7/10

The second film was Winter’s Bone:
This was another film that forsakes action for character, but in this case it worked really well: “An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.”

Lead character, Ree Dolly played by Jennifer Lawrence was superb in her role as the 17 year old responsible for raising her younger brother and sister and coping with her withdrawn mother. When a local Sheriff tells her that her father, who manufactures crystal meth, has put up their house as collateral for his bail and unless he shows up for his trial in a week's time, they will lose it all, she sets out to find him, but the community of mountain people are staying tight lipped, forcing Ree to delve deeper if she’s to get to the truth and save her family home. Jennifer Lawrence’s performance was strong enough to carry this film on her own, but the other characters, many who had never acted before, gave a real sense of place and added to the feeling of mistrust that bubbled beneath the surface. 8.5/10

Finally, if you haven’t heard, Dark Regions Press, publisher of my collection Voyeurs of Death and the upcoming Fangtooth have been awarded the Horror Writer Association’s Speciality Award, and to celebrate they are offering 25% of everything for a very limited time using the coupon code: HWA2010. So what are you waiting for?
http://www.darkregions.com/

Fangtooth

Okay, I hinted yesterday that there might be word about my next book that would be up for pre-order, well here it is (I feel like a proper writer me what with all this book news!) Cover art by Frank Walls www.frankwalls.net:


First there was the Creature From The Black Lagoon
Then there was Jaws
Prepare yourself for Fangtooth: http://www.darkregions.com/products/Fangtooth-by-Shaun-Jeffrey.html

After the death of his wife, Bruce Holden moves to the quaint coastal fishing village of Mulberry with his son, Jack. He is hoping for a fresh start, but the locals greet their arrival with mixed reactions, from friendliness to open hostility. Bruce puts it down to them being outsiders, but when a tourist is killed while swimming, the real horror is unleashed. There's something ravenous in the sea. Something that's coming ashore in search of prey. Now Bruce and Jack find themselves embroiled in a nightmare where humankind is no longer at the top of the food chain.

Book signing, readers and an invite out of the blue

Firstly, I’d like to thank those who came to my book signing yesterday at Waterstone’s in Hanley. Thanks me ducks.

Although I write because I obviously enjoy it (why else shut yourself in solitary confinement and conjure monsters and killers), there's a difference between writing for pleasure and selling work to be published. When you write for pleasure, you're writing for yourself, but when you write for publication, readers are the most important thing. If they don’t like what you write, then they won’t read anything else by you and that’s the end of the line where publishing is concerned. So I hope people, on the whole, continue to like what I write, and that they stick with me on what I hope will be an entertaining journey. Everyone who buys my work is taking a chance and spending their hard earned money, and I respect and appreciate that more than you will ever know. Each and every one of you is the greatest.

Now for anyone who would like to see where I write, I have a guest post up at Book Chick City. It would be great if you could stop by and leave a comment (it’s a great site to visit anyway as there are lots of things to read and some great book reviews): http://www.bookchickcity.com/2010/10/all-hallows-eve-where-stories-are-made_30.html

On the writing front, I was invited to submit to an invitation only press, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they like what I (sent) send, but it has inspired a new novel idea that I’ve made a start on. So far I’ve not kept to a theme with my novels (one’s about a strange village, one’s a serial killer story, then there’s zombies and mutated creatures), and this one is unrelated to anything else too. I don’t know whether people like themes, but I like variety. I think that if I kept to one subject, such as zombies or suchlike then it could grow a little stale and as an author, I’d only be catering to a niche group. And of course, writing about different subjects also means that if a reader doesn’t like one book, then they might like another, and like I said at the beginning, when you write for publication, readers are the most important thing.

And last but not least, Happy Halloween. Hope everyone has a great night and stays safe.