Happy 25 Anniversary to my best friend!

For those who have given up on the idea that one man and one woman can love each other for a lifetime, that marriage is merely an antiquated notion of a bygone era, or that people can't be expected to learn how to compromise and be a team rather than be led by the "what's in it for me?" mentality, I submit to you my best friend, Lisa Taylor.

If this otherwise sane woman can put up with my quirks, failures, selfishness, temper, general childishness, emotional/psychological need to live as a writer, fandoms, fascination with flirting, apparent inability to keep food on the table, and ego (in spite of all that), then I believe there is hope for ANY couple.

If I could have a New Year's wish for all those reading it would be simply this: I wish for you the same kind of self-sacrificing, enduring, patient, determined love with your loved one that I have found with this absolutely astounding woman.

But, that said, you can't have this one. She's mine.

I'm coming to Knoxville!

This just in!



I'll be a guest at the Knoxville Comic and Anime Convention on April 27-28, 2014.

For more info, visit http://www.knoxvillecomicanimecon.com/

The Book Devil Speaketh...

Two new reviews of my work:

"The Fairest of Them All: Symphony of Revenge" from Classics Mutilated (and Required Reading Remixed)
http://bookdevil.tumblr.com/post/68352402106/fairy-tale-catfight-snow-white-vs-alice

" It has ways of touching deep, ugly things with utmost grace and feigned innocence. It’s a parable of ego."

"To Gnaw the Bones of the Wolf-Mother" from The Old Weird South
http://bookdevil.tumblr.com/post/71290925352/wendigo-stand-off

"Lucky us (again), he has the yarn-spinning knack, backed by brains, to keep us locked in fear, at least until the final punctuation, the last period, the ultimate dot, the metaphoric fat lady belting it out. But I bet you’ll keep thinking about it after you’re finished reading."

It's a good thing I learned not to believe my own press. *grins*

Thanks so much for the reviews, Book Devil.

Chuck Dixon's BAD TIMES now in paperback!

Now you can own Bad Times Book One: Cannibal Gold in a brand new paperback edition!

 

Follow the link to the frist in a sensational new series readers are calling "lean, mean, bloody fun!"

 

 

 

https://www.createspace.com/4498386

'THE BONE QUEEN' BY ANDREA JUDY NOW AVAILABLE FROM PRO SE PRODUCTIONS

In 2011, Pro Se Productions, now a leading publisher of New Pulp and Genre Fiction, debuted a new character initially as a live spokesmodel to promote both the company and New Pulp in general-The Pulptress. Proving popular in the New Pulp Community, the Pulptress appeared in her own volume of adventures by various writers in 2012. One story and one character besides The Pulptress within that volume in particular captured the minds, tongues, and hearts of fans so completely that she now comes to life in her own digest novel.

Pro Se Productions proudly announces the upcoming release of THE BONE QUEEN, a digest novel by Andrea Judy. Judy, a contributor to the original THE ADVENTURES OF THE PULPTRESS collection, titled that short story ‘The Bone Queen’, but the new book is something more. It is that most hallowed of stories-The Bone Queen’s origin.

"Readers," Tommy Hancock, Partner in Pro Se Productions and Editor in Chief, states," love villains. We cheer for the hero, but when the villain is engaging and stands out, we want more. We need to see not only how bad they can be, but why they're the all kinds of evil they are. THE BONE QUEEN is Andrea Judy's answer to all the questions and requests about the character she first spun for a fight against The Pulptress. This digest novel not only gives the origin of one of the most interesting antagonists in New Pulp, but it shows how someone who fully believes they are right can so easily become what is wrong."

From the Pages of THE PULPTRESS 
Comes A Villain Like No Other.

All of humanity shares one inescapable experience, one inevitable fate.

They all die.

And in death, one woman finds her destiny. To be a Villain, to stand toe to toe with the ultimate heroine, The Pulptress.

But first, evil had to rise from somewhere dark.

Renata, a devotee of Mene, Goddess of Death, is on a singular mission during the era of the Black Death: to kill the Necromancer who is bringing the dead back as chiffoniers, rag and bone men. With a small band of men who have survived the Plague, Renata must find who is attempting to steal away the power of death and destroy them once and for all. Chiffoniers dog them every step of the way.

And when death itself finally comes for Renata, everything changes. Once hunted, she becomes the hunter, tracking down the necromancer at any cost to herself and those around her.

May The Gods Help Us All.

I’ve always loved the villains in a story,” says Judy, “so I was thrilled to have the chance to tell a story from a darker point of view, showing the reader where a villain came from. It was a struggle at times to write, to remember that this wasn't a story about light overcoming the dark, but about embracing that darkness. I’ve had an amazing time working with Pro Se getting this book together, and I’m thrilled to share it with the world!”

THE BONE QUEEN, featuring an absolutely gorgeous cover by Ariane Soares, an artist with Fitztown, and format and design by Sean Ali and Tommy Hancock as well as Digital Formatting by Russ Anderson, is now available in print on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The digest novel is also available for the Kindle, the Nook, and for most formats through www.smashwords.com.

For review copies or to interview the Author, please contact Pro Se Productions’ Director of Corporate Operations, Morgan Minor, at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com

For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com and like Pro Se On Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Welcome to the Imaginarium!

Bobby Nash, Sean Taylor

Announcement time!

The Ruby Files' very own Sean Taylor and Bobby Nash will be guests at the Imaginarium Convention to be held September 19 - 21, 2014 in Louisville, KY.

Bobby and Sean will be on hand with several other authors for panels, conversation, book signings, and more. It looks to be a great time. We hope to see you there.

Learn more about the guests lined up so far here.

GEORGIA LITERARY FESTIVAL 2013 PANEL SCHEDULE

Just a reminder that The Ruby Files writers and creators Bobby Nash and Sean Taylor join Van Allen Plexico, Andrea Judy, Barry Reese, and more at the 2013 Georgia Literary Festival, which is being held on November 9 - 10, 2013 in Milledgeville, GA. Panels take place on Saturday, November 9th. Click on the panel schedule grid above for a larger view.

You can learn more about this amazing event here and here.

We hope to see you there.

Famed Comic Book Artist Nick Cardy Hospitalized

Nick Cardy, one of the most influential comic book artists of the 1950s and ’60s, is in a Florida hospital, friends and family say.

Yesterday, Perhapanauts artist Craig Rousseau told fans via Facebook that Cardy had been admitted to the Intensive Care Ward, and asked for thoughts and prayers.

Shortly thereafter, Perhapanauts writer Todd Dezago, who had spent all of Thursday sharing spooky Cardy covers for Halloween, shared a status from his niece, who said that Cardy’s heart and lungs had fluid in them and that Dezago had flown down to see him at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Later, Dezago updated with some additional details:

After all those great Halloween covers he scared us with the other day, the biggest scare my pal Nick (Cardy) gave me was calling me from the hospital. 94 years old, his health took a turn a few weeks ago when he got a cold that, despite assuring me was going away, only got worse. He lost his appetite, several pounds, and is in congestive heart failure, where he’s having difficulty breathing and talking.

I am here with him at the hospital now and updating him with everyone’s prayers and well-wishes, which brings a smile every time. Thanks for your warm thoughts.

See original post at: http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/11/02/famed-comic-book-artist-nick-cardy-hospitalized/

Writers for Relief Vol. 3

The Writers for Relief anthology series feature collections of short fiction by top talents in the realms of fantasy and science fiction writing. The first and second volumes have brought help to Hurricane Katrina survivors through the Red Cross and Bay Area Food Bank, respectively. This third volume turns the focus to those who suffered in Oklahoma and features some of today's best known speculative fiction authors: Kevin J. Anderson, Ben Bova, Stephen Euin Cobb, Jason Sandford, Bobby Nash, Todd McCaffrey, A.H. Sturgis, John Hartness, Edmund Schubert, Mike Resnick, Danny Birt, Jaym Gates, Gray Reinhart, Janinie Spendlove, and Eugie Foster.

For more information: 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492391344/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_duLCsb0FD3EC77XW

HEROIC PUBLISHING'S 'LIBERTY GIRL' FLIES INTO PROSE FROM PRO SE PRODUCTIONS!

The Bronze Goddess of Freedom Flies Again thanks to two Companies known for independent creations and innovative storytelling. LIBERTY GIRL by Barry Reese, adapted from and based on works by Dennis Mallonee, is now available from Pro Se Productions via a license with Heroic Publishing.

Pro Se, a leader in New Pulp and Action/Adventure Fiction, and Heroic Publishing, a force in independent comics since the mid-1980s, proudly announce the debut of the first volume of adventures featuring one of Heroic’s best known characters- Liberty Girl.

The Liberty Girl is a World War II heroine ripped from her glory days and rocketed forward in time to today, where she’s needed more than ever! Noted Pulp and Genre Fiction Author Barry Reese adapts Comic Creator and Publisher Dennis Mallonee’s debut Liberty Girl Mini Series into a prose novella. Also included in this volume is an original Liberty Girl short story penned by Reese. The book also opens with an introduction provided by Comic Book Legend Roy Thomas, the creator behind All Star Squadron, Infinity Inc., and more. 

“It’s a really big deal,” Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of and Partner in Pro Se Productions, says, “when two companies from different aspects of the publishing arena, especially two independents known for their own unique stories and styles, bring the best they have together to produce landmark work. LIBERTY GIRL is just that. Arguably one of Heroic’s most recognized characters has now been interpreted and realized in prose by one of Pro Se’s- and to be honest, one of Genre Fiction’s- most talented authors. Barry embraces the groundwork that Dennis built in the Liberty Girl comic series and builds a wonderful tapestry of heroism, power, and hope in what is truly one of the best works Pro Se has ever produced.” 

“Sometimes,” Hancock continues, “everything just falls in place for a book. The right concept, the right writer to not only handle transition from comics to prose, but to create a brand new story for the book as well, and the right voice to weigh in on such a character with an introduction. Roy Thomas, the man who is responsible at least in part for me –and quite a few others, I know- pursuing my dreams to write, kicks off Pro Se’s LIBERTY GIRL with just the right words to set the mood for the stories to follow. And then wrap that in an absolutely stunning cover by the ever-talented Jeff Hayes, and this book- there is no other word. LIBERTY GIRL is the perfect storm of books.” 

Edited by Thomas Fortenberry and Morgan Minor, LIBERTY GIRL is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in print and in Ebook at Amazon for the Kindle, at Barnes & Noble for the Nook, and in most formats at www.smashwords.com. 

In coming weeks, Pro Se will announce more Heroic projects, including another Liberty Girl centered book as well as an anthology featuring another one of Heroic’s best known super heroines, Flare. 

For review copies or interviews with the parties involved or further information, please contact Morgan Minor, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com. To enjoy Heroic Publishing’s fantastic comics, go to www.heroicmultiverse.com. For more information on Pro Se Productions, visit www.prose-press.com and like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Pro Se Productions Looking for Editors

EDITORS WANTED- Pro Se Productions is currently seeking to expand its editorial staff. Pro Se maintains two teams of Editors. These positions are outlined as follows:

CONTENT EDITORS- Content Editors are assigned to any work Pro Se produces except for the Pro Se Presents Magazine (which has its own editing staff). Content Editors are required to understand the subject matter/genre/story being told in works assigned to them and to help authors follow parameters for stories, either established by a Bible, if the work is part of a certain imprint, or simply to make sure it meets the qualifications of Genre Fiction. Content Editors review works assigned to them for continuity issues, plot holes, implausible beginnings, events, and conclusions, as well as any other content problems. The Content Editor will be the first editor assigned and will work closely with the Author as well as the Director of Corporate Operations in completing the task assigned. Although deadlines are flexible, Pro Se encourages that 30,000 word books be content edited within 30 days of being assigned to a Content Editor and 60,000 word manuscripts be content edited within 60 days of being assigned.

COPY EDITORS- Copy Editors are assigned to any work Pro Se produces except for the Pro Se Presents Magazine (which has its own editing staff). Copy Editors are required to review manuscripts after Content Editing is completed. Copy Editors review manuscripts checking spelling, grammar, sentence construction, and other issues related to presentation and clarity. The Copy Editor will be the second editor assigned and will work closely with the Author as well as the Director of Corporate Operations in completing the task assigned. Although deadlines are flexible, Pro Se encourages that 30,000 word books be content edited within 30 days of being assigned to a Content Editor and 30,000 word manuscripts be content edited within 60 days of being assigned.

COMPENSATION- These positions are currently unpaid, although each Editor will receive free digital copies of Pro Se's entire catalog upon request. Also, Pro Se will provide positive references in the form of letters and/or other form of contact for anyone who serves in either of these positions and performs well.
If interested in either position, email Morgan Minor at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com to receive a short piece as a test edit. Although experience is not required, it is preferred. Please list any editing experience you have had in your inquiry. Refer any questions to the same address.

The Comic Book Man speaks...

This week on BK on the Radio, we covered four of the best scary and horrific graphic novels that you need to read. 

And here they are...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harpe
by Chad Crawford Kinkle and Adam Shaw
Published by Cave in Rock

Based on the story of the USA's first serial killers, this historical graphic novel is as long on the story as it is on action and violence.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Children of the Grave
by Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney
Published by IDW Publishing

I almost took this off the list because I'm a good friend of Tom Waltz, but in the end I just couldn't. It's that good, a fantastically creepy ghost story about military incursions, terrorism, and parental issues. And Maloney's art sets the mood perfectly.

Waltz's time as a soldier really lends a realistic tone to what would otherwise be a merely supernatural tale. Not only that, he has a way of pegging both the protagonists and antagonists (I dare not say good guys and bad guys for this one) with believable stories and motives and drives.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson, adapted by Steven Niles and Elman Brown
Published by IDW Publishing

At the risk of being self-indulgent, Steve Niles adaptation of I Am Legend is the stuff of legend. It's a near perfect pairing of prose and illustration. And yes, I did say "prose" not "script."

More akin to Prince Valiant than to modern comics, this version runs the text of the sci-tinged vampire tale around Brown's amazing artwork, using one to bring the other to life and back again. Even with so many words on a page, the book never becomes "heavy." Easily one of my favorite horror graphic novels ever.

However, this one is not a light, fast read, so be warned. You'll  need to carve out some quality time for this one.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Sandman: A Doll's House
by Neil Gaiman and various artists
Published by Vertigo Comics

Ah. I've been waiting to get to this one. This is the quintessential Neil Gaiman volume for me. Coming of age tale, a girl on the run, serial killers, misnomers, dry and dark wit, humorous violence, serious violence, all wrapped up in the mystery-enigma two-sided paper from the nice wrapping paper store, not the cheap stuff you'd find at the local dollar store.

This is Gaiman hitting on all the cylinders he really nails perfectly. It's the literary equivalent of a Gypsy Rose Lee dance number -- mesmerizing, embarrassing, titillating, vulgar, and undeniably compelling.

A Doll's House is Gaiman at his best, at his most at ease with himself as a storyteller.

To say more would be to spoil it, so I'll add just this: So many of the favorite Sandman characters to come appear in this volume, so it should not be missed -- yet it stands by itself beautifully even if you've never read any other Sandman volume.

Permuted Press Looking for Horror and Sci-Fi Novels

Permuted Press is currently looking for sci-fi and horror titles, whether they've been published before, currently being written or unpublished, or even in the idea stage. If you have friends whose work you really believe in that might like to have their books published by Permuted, send them my way (michael@permutedpress.com) to skip the public slush pile. 

We also continue to be especially interested in PA novels, and have even recently picked up more zombie books, some vampire books, werewolves and even some very selective YA titles. There are still authors telling us that they are under the impression that we don't do sci-fi and horror, so I thought it was worth mentioning that we are interested in these genres.

Georgia Literary Festival Schedule

Hey, kiddos, here's my schedule for the Georgia Literary Festival on November 9:

12:00pm:
Thriller Track: Rise of the New Pulp- Sean Taylor, Van Plexico, Andrea Judy & Barry Reese in Georgia College Library Information Technology Center

1:00pm:
Thriller Track: Blending Genres- The Hardboiled P.I. in Different Eras- Alex Hughes, Sean Taylor & Bobby Nash in Georgia College Museum Education Room

3:00pm:
Thriller Track: The Graphic World of Comic Books- Bobby Nash & Sean Taylor in Mary Vinson Memorial Library Children’s Theater

Don't miss it if you find yourself in the area. It's gonna be a blast.

My Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention 2013 schedule

Hey, guys and gals, here's my schedule for next month's Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention 2013:

Friday – 8pm: BAD TO THE BONE- Villainy in Pulp and Genre Fiction (DR1F8P)

Friday – 9pm: PULP, PULP EVERYWHERE-The influence of Pulp Fiction on All Entertainment (DR1F9P)

Saturday – 1pm: FASTER THAN A SPEEDING AUTHOR- Super Hero Prose Fiction!

Saturday – 2pm: LEGENDARY AUTHORS OF PULP:  The Writers of Classic Pulp That Everyone Knows..and a Few No One Remembers (DR1S2P)

Sunday – 12pm: PULP'S FOR KIDS, TOO!-How Genre Fiction and Pulp appeal to Young Readers-(DR1SUN12P)

Nugget #1 -- Who am I?

There is no greater mystery for a writer to 

pursue than to have his or her characters ask, 

"Who am I, and who am I going to be?"

[Link] E-book sales are leveling off. Here’s why.

By Neil Irwin

Nicholas Carr parses some new data to show a fascinating trend: Sales of e-books are no longer rising at extraordinary, double-digit rates. In the first quarter of 2013, sales were up only 5 percent from a year earlier, compared with 28 percent in the same period of 2012 and a whopping 252 percent in 2010.

It’s evidence that e-books (whether for Kindle, Nook, tablet computing devices or any other device you might wish to use to read many thousands of words) are starting to become a more mature technology. They seem to be through their explosive growth phase.

It was inevitable, of course. The question was always “at what share of the book market will e-books settle,” not “when will print books cease to exist.” Old technologies never die, they just fade into a smaller, niche offering; television supplanted radio as the dominant mass medium in the middle of the last century, for example, but radio is still a big business.

But the fact that that leveling off is already happening with e-books suggests that the ratio of printed books sold to electronic books is going to stabilize at a higher level than it had seemed likely a year or two ago in the era of extraordinary e-book growth. Carr has a number of good ideas for why; I find his first most compelling.

Continue reading: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/08/e-book-sales-are-leveling-off-heres-why/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads&clsrd

Jones, Taucher and Vance reveal THE EQUATION!

The Equation is a novel. The equation is not.

Written by Frank Taucher, Michael Vance, and R. A. Jones, the premise of this new suspense-thriller is simple but deadly: if you knew the secret of the equation and had the will, you could bring the United States to its knees!

Savy stock broker, Dianne Jassinsky, is certain that is exactly what someone is planning to do, but to save the nation she first has to convince someone, anyone that the danger is real and imminent.

Her only ally, the only one who will believe her, is discredited journalist Frank Palm, whose checkered past threatens to come back to haunt them both.

The clock is fast ticking down toward America's downfall -- and Dianne now finds herself in the murderous crosshairs of a faceless stalker!!

Taucher unleashes his expertise and imagination in this tense, gripping novel of economic and political intrigue. Majoring in Agricultural Economics and statistics, he became a very successful stock and commodity broker with several different brokerage firms. In his work, Taucher studied weather patterns, Fibonacci numbers, and different natural cycles that he was convinced guided the markets, and this research was the catalyst for writing his wildly successful, annual stock and commodity trading manual called The Supertrader's Almanac. Taucher's relentless desire for trying to figure out cycles and patterns in the commodity, bond and stock markets inspired The Equation.

Co-authors Michael Vance and R. A. Jones have written novels and short stories, for television and motion pictures, for national and international magazines, as syndicated newspaper columnists, and for comic books and strips. They are both listed in the Who's Who of American Comic Books and Comic Book Superstars.

The Equation is now available as an e-book as well as in paperback. It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Equation-Frank-Taucher/dp/1490948767/

ADVANCE DIGITAL REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE OF 'A WEEK IN HELL' BY J. WALT LAYNE!

Continuing its tradition of action packed two fisted books featuring the best in New Pulp and Genre Fiction, Pro Se Productions announces the first in a Crime/Noir Series from Author J. Walt Layne! A WEEK IN HELL will hit the hard bitten streets on or before August 15th and Pro Se wants established reviewers interested in an advance digital copy to get there first!

Welcome to Champion City. A megatropolis it isn’t. But you couldn’t arrive at that conclusion by looking at the police blotter. Most everyone in the city would tell you that a day in Champion is like… A WEEK IN HELL!

Pro Se Productions introduces the first volume of the Champion City Series of Novels by author J. Walt Layne! A WEEK IN HELL

It all starts with a girl and a bag of cash. Candi was the kind of gal who could give a guy indigestion. She was poison, with looks to kill, a reluctant moll looking for a way out. Thurman was a young flatfoot, not necessarily the knight in shining armor. He went to shake out a brawl and nearly fed her his gun, was it any wonder he got a date? They spend an evening on the run, but where does it lead? Just when it looks like its over, BOOM! Is it a dead girl, a bag of somebody else’s dough, or both?

Written in the style of slang ridden, bullet riddled classic crime Pulp and mystery fiction, Layne’s A WEEK IN HELL drops the reader square into all the corruption and corrosion of human spirit that is Champion City. Dames, gats, gumshoes, and brass cupcakes die, shoot, run and glitter from every page. Edited by David White and David Brzeski, this book features a beautiful cover by Terry Pavlet with design, logo, and print formatting by Sean Ali and Ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. A WEEK IN HELL by J. Walt Layne courtesy of Pro Se Productions!

If you are an established reviewer of books either through a site or other venue or you have established yourself as a reviewer with a site of your own, contact Morgan Minor, Director of Corporate Operations at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com to request a digital copy for review. Also anyone interested in interviews with the author or other information concerning the book or Pro Se Productions may contact Morgan at the above address as well as going to the Pro Se website - www.prose-press.com.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #281 -- Recent New Favorites

Who's your favorite golden age pulp character that you discovered relatively recently? -- Jim Beard

For me, these new "faves" came from accepting gigs to write them for anthologies. I knew nothing of them prior to the research required to begin the writing, but felt instantly drawn to the characters as if they were old friends I'd been writing and reading for years.

For prose, they were Armless O'Neil and a certain beauty I can't discuss at the moment. But I really, really (can I add another really and get away with it?) loved writing and reading Armless O'Neil. He was a character I was immediately hooked on and felt like I "got" right off the bat.

To boil him down to his key character is simply this: Take Humphrey Bogart's Charlie Allnut out of The African Queen and give him a hook for a hand, then saddle him with adventures more typical of Allan Quatermain, then shake and pour, voila!

For comics, it would have to be The Blue Lady (whom I wrote in All Star Pulp Comics #1). She grabbed me the same way Armless did. She's a typical old-school pulp supporting lady rather than a heroine at first, but when she receives a ring that gives her the power to beat back guys to a pulp, she does what any other lady of the era would in a comic book and puts on a mask and costume to fight crime.

Even though she was only in three back-up features in Amazing Man Comics in the early 1940s (October '41 - January '42, to be precise) , I felt she needs and deserves more stories --which is something Jim Ritchey and I are currently working on. We'll keep you posted.