Insidious Publications nominated for two British Fantasy Society Awards!
Current mood: blessed
Category: Writing and Poetry

Friggin'-A right, peoples! Insidious Publications has been nominated for two British Fantasy Society Awards: Best Novella (For Strawberry Man by Eric Shapiro) and Best Small Press. That's right. We're killin' it.

Best Novella
Deadbeat: The Dogs of Waugh, Guy Adams, Humdrumming
Starship Summer, Eric Brown, PS Publishing
The Mermaids, Robert Edric, PS Publishing
The Lees of Laughter's End, Steven Erickson, PS Publishing
The City Beyond Play, Philip Jose Farmer and Danny Adams, PS Publishing
The Helper and his Hero, Matthew Hughes, ) F&SF, Feb-March 2007
The Crystal Cosmos, Rhys Hughes, PS Publishing
Dead Earth: The Green Dawn, Mark Justice and David T Wilbanks, PS Publishing
The Lazarus Condition, Paul Kane, The Lazarus Condition, Tasmaniac Publications
Dalton Quayle Rides Out, Paul Kane, Dalton Quayle Rides Out, Pendragon Press
After The War (Double Novella), Tim Lebbon, Subterranean Press
The Master Miller's Tale, Ian MacLeod, F&SF, May 2007
Under My Roof, Nick Mamatas, Soft Skull Press
Time Hunter 11: Child Of Time, George Mann and David J Howe, Telos Publishing
All Your Gods Are Dead, Gary McMahon, Humdrumming
Hereafter and After, Richard Parks, PS Publishing
The Palace, Barbara Roden, At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tress Press
Strawberry Man, Eric Shapiro, Insidious Publications
Stars Seen Through Stone, Lucius Shepard, F&SF, July 2007 & Dagger Key & Other Stories
Dead Money, Lucius Shepard, Asimov's, April 2007 & Dagger Key & Other Stories
Black Tide, Del Stone Jr, Telos Publishing
Rain, Conrad Williams, Gray Friar Press
The Scalding Rooms, Conrad Williams, PS Publishing
Twelve Collections and the Teashop, Zoran Zivkovic, PS Publishing

Best Small Press
Immanion Press, [Ed] Storm Constantine
Black Static, [Ed] Andy Cox
TTA Press, [Ed] Andy Cox
Postscripts, [Ed] Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers.
PS Publishing, [Ed] Peter Crowther
Whispers of Wickedness, [Ed] D.
Midnight Street, [Ed] Trevor Denyer
Rainfall Books, [Ed] John Ford & Steve Lines
Gray Friar Press, [Ed] Gary Fry
Jupiter, [Eds] Jim Hall, Mitch Foust & Zachary Dean
Insidious Publications, [Eds] Chris Hedges & Paul Danda
Elastic Press, [Ed] Andrew Hook
Telos Publishing, [Ed] David J Howe & Stephen James
Sein und Werden, [Ed] R.P Kendall
Nemonymous, [Ed] D.F Lewis
Supernatural Tales, [Ed] David Longhorn
The Paperback Fanatic, [Ed] Justin Marriot
Earthling Publications, [Ed] Paul Miller
Tartarus Press, [Ed] Ray Russell
Pendragon Press, [Ed] Chris Teague
Humdrumming, [Eds] Guy Adams, Ian Alexander Martin and Stephen Newman
Screaming Dreams, [Ed] Steve Upham
NewCon Press, [Ed] Ian Whates
Subterranean Press, [Ed] William K Schafer

http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/awards.html

A big special congratulations to all involved - Eric Shapiro for the story, Mike Massie for the cover art, Danny Roberts for the interior illustrations, and the whole team of Insidious Publications. We all deserve the congrats for the project.

We're going to keep on truckin'. Our future projects are mind-blowing so we're only going to top ourselves again and again.

And another congratulations to all others nominated. We're in damned good company and it's an honor to be on the list with all of them.

-The Team
Insidious Publications

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UPDATE! Brian Knight and more!!
Category: Writing and Poetry

Hello Insidious customers,

 The time has come once again for release…a bookrelease, that is! 1200 AM Live by Brian Knight is ready to ship andright on time too! In case you missed the preorder stage of this novella,here's the basic rundown—

1200 AM Live

Deviance,criminal behavior, and sex with turkeys; it's all in a night's work forshock jock Andy Crow and his sidekick Charles Greene. You never know whatyou're going to hear when you tune to 1200 AM Live.

Explorethe darker side of human nature with the inhuman Crow. Everyone has their kinks.

1200 AMLive! With Crow & Greene

A DirtyCrow Radio Production

"Dirtylaundry is our specialty

...careto share?"

Specialguest, Miss Black Howard Stern, Charlie Superfly!

The 500 copy, limited softcoveredition is shipping now. The 26 copy, Lettered hardcover edition is in processand will hopefully be ready to go within then next few weeks and the 5 unit,Ultra traycased edition will follow after that. (The traycases are beingdesigned as I type this.)

There are still copies available ofeach edition, but they are very limited, so don't miss them while they'rehere. Once they're gone, they're gone forever!

For pricing information,availability and updates, you can visit the website:

http://insidiouspublications.com/index.htm

Don't forget to sign up for the InsidiousPublications Newsletter while you're there. We promise not to spam you too oftenand there may just be a few little perks coming to subscribers. "Whatperks?" you ask….sign up and see! I'd hate for you to miss out. (Pluswe'll probably announce something about it soon.)

EXTRA! EXTRA!

We have some interviews and videosavailable at various locations concerning 1200 AM Live. If youhaven't seen them yet and would like to, follow the links below:

An interview with Brian Knight onFearZone.com http://fearzone.com/blog/brian-knight

An interview with Chris Hedges onFearZone.com http://fearzone.com/blog/chris-hedges

A video update and samples http://youtube.com/watch?v=OSY5pS9fnbo

An excerpt of 1200 AM Live http://fearzone.com/blog/live-excerpt

A review from FearZone.com http://fearzone.com/blog/1200-am

Another excerpt on Horror World http://www.horrorworld.org/1200amlive.htm

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Marquee by John Paul Allen

Times Square Apocalypse byNick Louras

Keep an eye on our website for moreinformation.

Still Available from Insidious Publications

http://insidiouspublications.com/Store.htm

3:02 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Big Insidious Publications Announcement:

Hello, friends! That announcement we've teased is here.

Due out this January is the new novella from Insidious Publications by Brian Knight, "1200 AM Live".





This is book 4 in IP's softcover novella series and as always, is completely produced and hand bound here in the IP office. It features full color interior illustrations rendered from the paintings of up and coming artist Hannah Walthers, who also provided the cover. This softcover is limited to 500 signed and numbered copies and sports French parchment endsheets and heavy linen signature sheets. It's a handsome book, if I do say so myself. Below, is a brief synopsis:

4:55 AM - 4 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Get your Christmas shopping in gear!

It is not to early to start shopping for Christmas gifts!

Visit Insidious Publications and purchase TheProblem With Mickeyby Tom Moran and while you are at it you can also purchase StrawberryMan byEric Shapiro!

Sign up for the newsletter while you are there and get a code for 5% off your order!

Another great Christmas gift would be YOUR OWN BOOK!

Would you like to have your book designed and printed in a limited run for cheaper than you could anywhere else, and with a full color interior? One question for you, will it be less than 10,000 words? If so, we can design/layout, print, and bind your book for you using standard saddle-stitching (stapled). Because we make these ourselves, we'll have to keep the limitation to no more than 500 copies for quality assurance. Go here for details.

D'Ann Hedges
Insidious Publications

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A Reading of Strawberry Man!
Category: Writing and Poetry

Hey, all!

Stop by our site and check out a reading author Eric Shapiro did for our latest title Strawberry Man.

Enjoy!

-Paul
Senior Editor
Insidious Publications

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Strawberry Man is Now Available!
Category: Writing and Poetry

Strawberry Man by Eric Shapiro is here!

Ben Klein used to sell his own brand of strawberries, but he's been out of that racket for quite some time. He much prefers to travel the globe, giving speeches on farming and winning corporate awards. When he ventures into an unnamed metropolis to claim his latest prize, he finds himself stranded on the top floor of one of the world's tallest buildings.

An epic storm has smashed across the planet, wiping out every creature that wasn't thousands of feet off the ground. As of now, there is no ground. Through the windows of the famous Peak Restaurant, Klein and three young servers watch the water grow higher. And the higher it gets, the more they panic... and the more truth Klein shares about his violent past.

Strawberry Man is a surrealistic vision of a drowning skyscraper, a view of bald nature at war with corporate ambition, and a look at a man who finally faces the raging nature within himself.

"[Strawberry Man] is a little masterpiece…though I was stunned and in awe of it the first time, I am here to tell you that it's EVEN BETTER the second time around."
-John Skipp (author of The Long Last Call, The Cleanup [with Craig Spector], The Scream [with Craig Spector].

Strawberry Man is book Three in Insidious Publications' Softcover Novella Series; perfect bound, and limited to 300 signed and numbered copies. Each book is entirely hand crafted sporting French parchment endpapers with linen signature sheets and beautiful, full color interior illustrations by artist Danny Roberts. The talented author and screenwriter John Skipp has written the foreword and will be autographing the book along with Eric Shapiro.

Order today to secure your copy! Thank you for looking.

-Mistress Insidious

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Insidious Reflections - Issue 7 - Now Available!

It's not the fist pounding upon your thick locked door, nor the shadow clawing beneath your bed.  And it isn't hiding in the closet either.  When nightmares come true, even at the hand of somebody else's doom, it's not the dreadful echoes of a blood moon's whisper that brings you comfort in the night.

In the most deliciously wicked places, Insidious Reflections is the whisper on the lips of those that scream of agony and demons yet unleashed.  We are your portal to cherish as we lead your darkling inclinations to help you better unveil the truths of a universe far more real and unforgiving than the tragedies around you.  Let us entertain you this horror month not with death and all that wretched conclusion has to offer, but with a deeper vision and understanding of the local monsters that beat a steady rhythm in each of our heads with every jagged breath we take.

Put on your horns and may your dark cape billow far and wild as the breeze of Samhain's carnival of lost souls takes control.  Kiss your sanity goodnight as we haunt you through such fears that nestle beyond your peripheral instincts and darkest imagination.  See you on the other side, and may your bag of tricks be far sweeter than you bargained for.


FICTION

The McCrath Model SS40-C, Series S
Edward Lee
How to Smoke on an Airplane (and not get caught)
Jason Heim
The Boxer
Raine Sellers
The End
Serenity J. Banks
Dakota
Brian Knight

NON-FICTION

A Chat with Ray Garton
Tracy West
Where Have All the Horrors Gone?
Jenny Orosel
A Chat with James Newman
Richard Hipson
Swimming in the Sea of the Undead
Sam W. Anderson
Seriously Whacked POV
Jeff Strand
The Lost - The Story Behind a Future Classic
Richard Hipson
Literary Reflections  

And much, much more!

BUY YOURS NOW AT.....

Insidious Publications


We will be at Shocklines.com soon.

Important Insidious Reflections Announcement

Insidious Reflections Magazine
Exit Stage Left...
Fade to Black

This seems to be happening all too often in recent months and seems to be a trend in the niche market that we dwell in. There's no easy way to announce this, so we're not going to beat around the bush. Insidious Reflections Magazine is going on hiatus. We refuse to say that the magazine is closing down, because that isn't our intent. Rather, we're going to put it to sleep for a time; it could be six months, it could be a year, it could be five years, but rest assured Insidious Reflections WILL return.

There are many reasons that contributed to us making this decision. The first and most powerful reason is money. We've sunk thousands of dollars into this little rag and after two years, have not seen enough of a return on our investment to justify pouring thousands more into it. That hurts to say, but that's really the truth of the matter. I believe that we have managed to put together one hell of a magazine with great content. Everybody that gets his or her hands on it seems to love it. But, even though we've become what I hope to be thought of as a respectable market for new and classic fiction, we still have not attracted the advertisers, subscribers and storefronts that we need to bring in the cash needed to survive. Sad. Very sad.

Unlike a lot of the small market magazines out there, when we started out with IR, we did have a business plan. We didn't leap blindly into the market. But, unfortunately, our plan was too weak to sustain us. A hard lesson learned, but we'll be prepared for the next time.

While conducting business, we always strived to act with integrity and though you can never make everyone happy, we think we did a good job at keeping the majority of our readers, business partners, contributors and affiliates happy. We want to take our leave with that same integrity. Below are a few steps we're taking to help us with that:



*If you are one of our subscribers, you will be receiving a refund for the portion of the subscription that will not be issued.

*Issue #07 will be printed and distributed - We have advertisers and authors that expect to see their material in print, so that will happen and checks will be issued to the authors for their work.

*If you submitted a short story to us for consideration, we are releasing that story back to the author effective immediately. (We can't apologize enough for those of you that have been waiting for an answer on your story and I wish you luck in placing it elsewhere. Again, I'm sorry for holding up your work.)

*Though IR is going away, Insidious Publications will continue forward. If you have a book deal with us, we're still in business. IP will continue business as usual.



If there are any more details to add or if we failed to list them here, we'll be sure to announce them ASAP.

Well, that about sums it up, folks. It's been a hell of a ride these past two years and we've grown a lot since starting the magazine - on both a personal and a professional level. We met some wonderful people along the way and formed some friendships that will last far beyond the pages of IR.

Here's where we blubber a little. We want to thank:

Matt Schwartz for his unwavering support of IR. You're one hell of a guy and we'll never forget you and hope to continue doing business with you for years to come. Tom Moran for being one of the hardest working artists around and giving us some of the most beautiful art. You've always been there for us, bud. My hat's off to you. Richard Hipson, who we believe is the most dedicated Canuck that ever lived. Your loyalty and friendship means a lot to us, partner. Thanks for pouring your guts into this magazine. And thanks goes to Erin Crane for whipping Richard's ass into gear when he needed it. Casie Sambo, for being one of the best assistants anyone could ask for. Tracy "Cat" West, if there was ever a person that truly loved this genre, you're that person. You were a huge help, lady, and there's no way we could thank you enough. Robert Lewis, you were a big part of IR gaining recognition, stick to your guns, bud, you could really go places in this business. A huge thanks goes to A.P. Fuchs and Coscom Entertainment. You helped us make the leap from online to print and we'll never forget that. Thanks for having faith in us. April Miller, copy editor extraordinaire, your help with editing and advertising has been invaluable. My wife D'Ann, who stuck by us through thick and thin. She put up with the long nights and days I put into this project and only threatened divorce a few times…I love you. Jeff Strand, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Brian Knight, James Newman, J.F. Gonzalez... these are only a few of the authors that helped to put us on the map.

There's a host of others that deserve a thank you, and not listing them here is not for a lack of appreciation, but merely because we're sure folks are tired of reading this by now. So at this point, we'll take our leave. Thank you, Constant Reader, for sticking by us. We hope we were able to touch your lives as much as you've touched ours. And with that...

Insidious Reflections will return. Until then, may your days be inspired with blood and your nights be... Insidious!

Exit stage left…

Chris Hedges
Editor in Chief
Insidious Reflections Magazine

Paul David Danda
Senior Editor
Insidious Reflections Magazine

Fade to black...

5:11 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The Newborn

Preface: This one might offend some of you. If so, I honestly don't care. 

This is the first story I ever wrote. It's some seriously basic writing so don't hate on me for that.


THE NEWBORN

Screeching wails, like an ensnared wild dog. Ears screaming for mercy. Hand embraced; the transference of suffering. Any moment this will be over, the noise ceased, rest for the weary.
   
I look upon my lover with trepidation; our newborn is expelled. Rejoice.
    Freeing the midwife for our preparations, I clean our child thoroughly, carefully wrapping him in cloth, and set him on the table. Removing the towels from under my wife, I clean the area. She rests.
    It has been two years since our last child, and it will be two more until another.
We are not the usual parents who coddle and nurture their children, or take them to picnics and family events. We don't impart religion. We don't even buy them a first pair of shoes.
    You may wonder what kind of thoughtless parents could possibly be so neglectful. Well truthfully, we're not neglectful. We love our children, so much so it hurts to see them go. But the consummation keeps them with us forever.
    With my child in arms I walk him to my workroom. The wails have returned once again but from a higher register. Ah, I love the sound of newborn discomfort. So soothing. But now is not the time to revel in pleasantries. More important things are at hand.
    I tap my newborn's skull with hammer and chisel at the anterior fontanelle as well as the posterior. The wailing ceases immediately. Removing the section of skull and scalp in between, I grab either side and wrench it open. It crackles like cellophane.
My newborn's brain is soupy, as always, undeveloped. I remove the gray matter and set it in a stainless steel bowl. After slicing open the skin of my son's chest with my finely honed chef's knife, I crack the sternum with kitchen shears and remove the innards, tossing them into the bowl. I clean them well and chop into bite-sized one-inch pieces.
    Seasoning with salt and pepper, a little chili flake for some heat, I sauté, browning the meat a deep dark golden. I place this into my stockpot full of stock, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, parsley and the like.
One magnificent stew coming up.
    Next I remove the meat from my son's bones, peel and discard the skin, and freeze the bones for stock to be used another time. I chop, double-bread, and fry the baby meat making sure to season when removed from the hot oil.
    After my stew has simmered for two hours I prep the dinner table and call my wife, "Honey. Dinner's ready."

We sit together and feast; our appetites crazed. My wife looks at me through a sheet of full-belly bliss and says, "You certainly have outdone yourself honey."
    "Oh, thank you. I think it's missing something though… Oh I know. I forgot the garlic."
    "Oh darling, it's fantastic."
    "I think next time I'll gut the little-one but leave it whole. Braise it in baby stock and tomatoes," I said pensively.
    "Oh I can't wait."

Copyright © 2004 Paul David Danda

8:25 PM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

Pressure - My Review

Pressure
By Jeff Strand
Earthling Publications
0-9766339-4-9
Limited Edition Hardcover/$50
Trade Hardcover/$25
Lettered Edition/$250

A few words to describe Jeff Strand's Pressure: Disturbing. Vile. Intense. Suspenseful. Terrifying. Real. Brilliant.

Jeff Strand has made a bit of a name for himself by writing horror comedies, tales that tend to make you laugh and think, "That there Strand guy is kinda funny, a'yuh." In fact, he is. But did I have any idea that Jeff could write something as serious as a stab wound to the gut? Never even crossed my mind. When I received Pressure for review from Earthling Publications, I didn't really know what to expect. I heard good things about it, but I didn't realize I was about to get kicked in the nuts. Pressure is no-holds-barred tension littered with shocking violence and cruelty. Jack Ketchum, eat your heart out. We've got ourselves a new champion.

The story starts simple enough. A group of boys meet in your typical boarding school. Alex befriends Darren, a boy that tends to keep his nose in his journal writing god knows what, and another group of boys that all share a room together. All seems well until they find Darren playing with the entrails of another of their friends' dog. This begins a series of events that gets a couple of their friends in a lot of trouble, trouble that is undue and completely fabricated by Darren who is now showing his cunning ability to lie and manipulate. The friendship ends.

Skip ahead to college age, Darren returns and just so happens to be attending the same university as Alex. Oddly, they put the past behind them and become good friends. But shit slowly starts to hit the fan as Darren begins to show his old self to Alex. Unnervingly, the tale escalates to the disturbing so fast you'll wonder where you missed the shift in tone.

Torture and brutality take over and a whirlwind of pages will pass without the ability to stop and take a break. Oh hey, my kid is drowning in the pool, but I cant stop reading... Damn you Strand! Use your arms honey, Daddy's reading.

Pressure is an outstanding novel of nail-biting tension that should, and most likely will, make it to mass market. In fact, it'd make for a hell of a feature film. For a departure from his usual comedic style, this debut in the genre of suspense is about as top notch as it gets. Jeff should write more of this stuff. He's damn gifted at creating tension. Kudos to you Jeff. My boxers have pee-stains in them now. You owe me some underwear.

5 stars out of 5.

-Paul

5:33 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment