So, little on the quiet side around here. Which is weird because life’s been pretty noisy. I just haven’t been telling you about it, which is rather bold of me. So let’s give you a quick update on where things are:
NOVELS
I’ve a few balls in the air, novel-wise.
First of all there’s a sci-fi, entitled PLASTIC JESUS, at contract stage. Been dying to tell you more about this one and hopefully will soon be able to. Stay tuned…
There’s my current WIP (that’s ‘Work In Progress’ for those who don’t speak Geek). It’s vamp horror/ thriller/ revenge thing. Real nasty piece of work, not a sparkle or emo in sight. Not even gonna tell you the name of this one. It’s all very top secret. Sitting around 2nd draft stage and weighing in at a still-lean 60K. More news to follow…
Also, I’ve a slasher horror thing, set in New Orleans, which I’m co-writing with Bizarro author Andre Duza. It’s an 80s/ drive-in/ gorefest/ homage piece. We’ve been batting it back and forth to each other for about a year now, having a whale of a time. Name of this bad girl is VOODOO CHILE (Hendrix pronunciation of ‘child’). Should be wrapping on the first draft very soon.
Finally, with the novels, I’ve got a hard-boiled crime thing called EX. I talked about it for that whole ‘Next Big Thing’ round robin: you can read more here. It’s sitting at 2nd draft stage around 50K. It’s next on the list after I wrap on the other two.
Then I’ll put the FLU series to bed.
EVENTS
I’ve got a few balls in the air, event-wise, and should be able to confirm some more signings very soon. The main event this year will be the SCARDIFF 2013 horror con, which I’m coproducing with Fantasy Events (in association with Shock Horror Magazine). More details, including a website coming soon.
REVIEWS/ PODCASTING
Fellow Irishman and all round horror mover & shaker, Colin McCracken, has foolishly welcomed me over to his ZOMBIEHAMSTER site, where I co-host the podcast and write reviews/ features. It’s all horror and genre stuff, mostly independent with some vintage.
Click the links at your leisure to check out some of my reviews/ podcasts to date:
ZOMBIEHAMSTER PODCASTS EPISODES 1-5
WEBSITE REVIEW of SLAVE GIRLS FROM BEYOND INFINITY
WEBSITE REVIEW of SUBSPECIES 1 & 2
So, lots coming up.
That’s it for now. Hope y’all have a great weekend and stay safe.
(Anyone going to see the new EVIL DEAD?)
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THE BLURB:
The vampires’ grip on London and the rest of Britain strengthens. Their human allies force themselves into positions of power. Even Downing Street is occupied by the Nebuchadnezzars, the undead’s mortal watchmen. But a small band of Britons continues the fight. And with Jake Lawton leading them, there is always a glimmer of hope for humanity…
THE REVIEW:
KRIMSON is the second part of Thomas Emson’s VAMPIRE TRINITY series and the sequel to 2009’s SKARLET. Ex-squaddie Jake Lawton returns, now something of a Robin-Hood-like character, loved by the poor and marginalised, hated by the ruling classes – or Nebuchadnezzars, as they’re known as.
The supporting cast is international: joining our survivors from the first book are a motley crew of Eastern European pit fighters and Chinese immigrants, pushed to make a stand against the ever growing vampire hordes as the English scurry in fear. And just about everyone stands out. Emson has a keen eye for detail and uses it to quickly set one character apart from another, even with minor players.
Style-wise, this is a thriller. Emson doesn’t hold back. The story blasts off the first page and never stops for breath. The proses is as stripped back as ever, so sharp that you might very well cut your fingers while reading. There’s even more of a cinematic quality than before; you can practically hear the swelling strings as you read, tension building to crescendo in true Hollywood blockbuster style.
Like its predecessor, KRIMSON is a cracking read. If you like your vamps dirty and sparkle-free, and your writing pulpy, Emson will see you right.
KRIMSON is available now through Snowbooks.
Visit Thomas online at his official website or facebook fan page.
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Welcome Rich Hawkins to the blog for another horror review, this time a movie: 2007′s FRONTIERS.
Blood and more blood. Guts and more guts. And a lesbian kiss.
This is ‘Frontier(s)’. I liked it.
An extremist right-wing candidate is elected as French President. Riots break out in Paris. Amidst the chaos, a gang of malcontents commit a robbery and intend to flee the city as it falls into chaos. One of them is shot and taken to hospital. The group splits, but they decide to regroup at an inn in the countryside.
A decent plan. Shame the inn is run by a family of Neo-Nazi cannibals.
They really should have stayed at a Travelodge…
What follows is a French variation on ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘The Hills Have Eyes’. Similar, but not entirely derivative, the film has some great moments and some excellent gore, and even some humour. But it is, at its core, a very bleak film, and you won’t be surprised to learn that the majority of the cast meet very painful, very bloody demises. It’s fairly easy to spot who’ll be the last surviving character, and there’s nothing terribly original, but there’s enough substance in ‘Frontier(s) to make it stand out above a lot of the similar films in the sub-genre and deserve repeat viewings. The lead actress is very good, and carries the last twenty minutes of the film with her performance, while the actor who plays ‘Farid’ also does a great job.
Oh, and some mutant, cannibal children are thrown into the mix as well.
So, the next time you spend a night at some bland outpost of one of the many well-known hotel chains, spare a thought for those who find themselves the guests of a family of insane fascists.
Where’s Lenny Henry when you need him?
7/10 spleens
Rich Hawkins (writing under the name R.W. Hawkins) is a horror writer who has been obsessed with the genre since childhood, when he first watched John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’.
He has several short stories published in various anthologies, and is currently working on a novel.
He lives in Salisbury, England, with his wife Sara and their pet dog Molly. His favourite hobby is daydreaming about the apocalypse and the horrors that lurk in the dark corners of the world. And, yes, he knows that’s a weird pastime.
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Annd it’s a wrap for 2011′s MIDNIGHT SON.
Basic premise has twenty-something Jacob hiding away in his low-rent basement apartment, painting the sunrise by day and working security by night. He’s allergic to sunlight. Suffers malnourishment, despite an insatiable appetite. And every time he tries to get it on with new girlfriend Mary, a damaged young nightclub worker, something goes horribly askew…
(Can you guess what it is yet?)
Yep, we have a vamp movie on our hands, ladies and germs. But don’t let that put you off because Midnight Son is not just a good vamp flick, it’s a fucking awesome movie, period.
Everything about it works for me.
The characters are brilliant. Zak Kilberg makes a wonderful vamp, not what you’d expect at all. He’s socially dyslexic for one thing. Malcontent for another. Always hungry, a constant look of bemusement across his gaunt face. Mary, his love interest, plays the fucked-up neurotic really well. The two of them work brilliantly together, falling in and out of each other’s lives, unable to connect or disconnect or do anything apart from damage each other.
It’s all a bit SID AND NANCY on it.
And let’s get the T-word out of the way while we’re at it: writer/ director Scott Leberecht has spun a wonderfully simple tale here that recaptures the vamp mythos, blending it effortlessly with a contemporary love story, and not an emo in sight. In fact, MIDNIGHT SON bares more in common with David Cronenberg’s RABID than TWILIGHT or TRUE BLOOD or any of that stuff. It’s dark and gritty and badly lit and wonderful and I loved it.
Sick of sparkly vampires?
MIDNIGHT SON’s the movie for you.
Find out more at the movie’s official website or IMDB page.
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- HORRORHOO: 'When Stephen King thinks your novel is “genuinely scary” you must be doing something right... Burnt Island...... http://t.co/O2Q7EYYDMj
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- HORRORHOO: @chris606 Hey Ani, I hope so. But can't say for sure :)
- HORRORHOO: PLASTIC JESUS pre-order page is up on Amazon. Go awwwn, throw us a 'like', would ye? Ah ye will ye will ye will... http://t.co/cXob7lY88o
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- HORRORHOO: @herostrange Thank you, sir. I'm very well. And yourself?
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