SUNRISE (Book II in the Stefan Szekely Trilogy)

For Stefan Székely it is a fate worse than death: To be dead yet stuck with his dead parents. After 13 years Stefan can endure it no longer. He wants a castle of his own.

First he must visit his family’s bank in Budapest. But with endless strife across Europe, Stefan hardly recognizes Budapest, capital of the new Hungarian Federation. Nevertheless, he embarks on his reign as a vampire playboy – until he gets a stern warning from the local vampire gang.

Will Stefan fight for his right to party like it’s 2027? Or will an encounter with a stranger change everything? As clashes between vampire gangs and State Security escalate, Stefan discovers he might be the key to changing the fate of Europe forever. If he can survive three bloody nights in Budapest.

The sequel to A DRY PATCH of SKIN (2014) continues the trials and tribulations of Stefan Székely, Vampire.

Sunrise, sequel to A Dry Patch of Skin, launches!

SUNRISE …the end of the workday for vampires…

For Stefan Székely it is a fate worse than death: To be a vampire yet stuck with his vampire parents. After 13 years Stefan can endure it no more. He wants a castle of his own. But first he must visit his family’s bank in Budapest.
With endless strife rumbling across Europe, Stefan hardly recognizes Budapest, now capital of the Hungarian Federation. The world has changed.  Nevertheless, he embarks on the reign of terror he always denied himself, living the vampire playboy lifestyle.  Until he gets a stern warning from the local vampire gang. He is not welcome – unless he plays by their rules.
Should Stefan fight for his right to party like it’s 2027? Or will an unexpected encounter with a stranger change everything? As clashes between vampire gangs and State Security escalate, Stefan realizes he just might be the key to changing the fate of Europe forever!  . . . If he can survive three bloody nights in Budapest.
Budapest at sunrise

In 2014 my medically accurate vampire novel A DRY PATCH OF SKIN came out to a couple rave reviews. My main purpose then was to counter the hysteria of the Twilight experience with some medical research crossed with an understanding of established legends. I wanted to tell a realistic vampire tale. I even set the story in my own city and the action in the story followed the actual days and months I was writing the story. The story and my writing of the story ended the same week. Of course, I revised and edited after that.

Then I thought . . . what might possibly happen next? So I chose a gap of, say, 13 years (the number seems significant in horror stories). Now, where did I leave my protagonist? How is he doing? What could have happened since the end of the first book? What has changed in the world during these 13 years? How would what’s different in the world affect his own corner of the world? How would he cope with these changes?

As I started on another vampire story I quickly realized that I had to also write essentially a science-fiction story. A futuristic story. If I were setting the story 13 years after the end of the previous novel, then this sequel would be set in 2027. And it would be somewhere in Europe, which is where our hero was at the end of the first book.

What do I know of 2027? Not much. Like many science fictioneers writing about the future, I took the present circumstances, the way things are now (good and bad), and extrapolated how they might progress. Remember that novel by George Orwell1984? It was published in 1948 just as fears of a Communist takeover gripped Europe. It was supposed to be a warning. Orwell imagined how the concerns of his present might play out in the future.

With the current strife in Europe, mass immigration, refugees coming to Europe from the Middle East and Africa, the increase in crime, warfare between left and right political groups, I could see all these happenings extending, continuing and growing through the following decade. The moral question that arises is whether an author should follow his/her own beliefs; that is, how the world should be, a Utopian view – or choose a path of development which would be the best setting for the story, however the society might become – or try to take an honest look at current events and let things fall where they might, for good or ill.

I chose both. If I have to make a choice, I will lean toward what makes a good story over what my own beliefs might be. For the sake of this story and for the way I think society will continue to progress/digress or develop or evolve over the next 10 years, I’m letting the European conflicts play out in the sequel: my now less-medically accurate vampire novel, titled SUNRISE.

In this sequel, the new Hungarian Federation is a strictly run Euro-centrist society. The State Security apparatus runs a tidy ship and getting in is very problematic. Staying in if you are a “diseased” resident such as a vampire is dangerous. However, our hero, Stefan Székely, is already within the boundaries of the Hungarian Federation at his family’s estate in the former Croatia; therefore, I, the author, must deal with the vagaries of that location. It was not an unpleasant effort. I love to travel vicariously.

Needless to say, our hero has difficulties – or there wouldn’t be a story. Yet as I charged through the final chapters and then undertook the revision stage, the look and feel, the horrors, and the dystopian ambiance seemed right. Will Stefan escape from the repressive Hungarian Federation? Or will powers greater than himself and the vampire gangs of Budapest have the final say? 
In SUNRISE the world gets darker before the light shines again. Book 3, to be titled SUNSET, picks up the story even further into the future. By then, we are in full-fledged Dystopia territory. But, hey! I’m sure everything will work out just fine…if you transform into a vampire in time.

FantasyCon 2015 by Carlie M A Cullen

As a member of the British Fantasy Society, I always try and go to FantasyCon every year. It’s a place where publishers, agents, authors, and fans come together and celebrate the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror.

The one great thing about this event is how friendly everyone is – even top publishers and authors will take the time to stop and have a chat. You do have to approach them yourself, especially when you’re new to it, but once you’ve been going three or four years they will recognise you and stop for a chat regardless.

This year’s convention was in Nottingham. The hotel was opposite the East Midlands Conference Centre which was very handy unless it was raining. Unfortunately, there were no covered walkways between the two. Was I expecting too much?

On arrival at the convention, you sign in and are given a lanyard, which you wear all the time, and a tote bag sponsored by one of the publishers attending the event. Next you join the queue to several tables groaning under the weight of free books which you can pick up and take home. No exaggeration, I picked up forty-two books and I didn’t take one of everything available, I only chose the ones that interested me.

After the opening ceremony, the event started. There were book launches, readings, and various panels you could go to, which mainly discussed various topics to do with fantasy, editing, and publishing, plus workshops. As there are several of these going on at the same time, it’s very much a case of carefully choosing which ones to attend. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially when you have two panels you want to go to which clash.

I attended really interesting panels, some of which made me realise that I occasionally need to do a little more research before writing certain scenes in my books.

Entertainment was laid on for the evenings, and you had a choice of what to attend. Alternatively, you could hang out in one of the bars and start making new friends, catch up with those made in previous years and broaden your number of contacts. This is particularly important if you’re a new author. The contacts you make can be invaluable. Personally, I really enjoy the social aspect.

The highlight of the event for me was meeting Brandon Sanderson, who was the special guest. He is down-to-earth and generous with his time. There was a signing session and as I have most of his Mistborn series, I took them along with me. He not only signed them, he agreed to have his photo taken with me, and gave me the opportunity to ask him questions and generally chat. He didn’t try to rush me away as some authors do; Brandon’s ethos is to give as much of his time to each person who came to see him as was needed and would stay until every person who had queued was seen, even if it meant over-running. It’s a shame not all authors do the same.

Brandon Sanderson & Me 2015 FCon

The last day of FantasyCon, a mass signing took place in the Dealer Room. This room was where publishers and self-published authors could take a table (or more) and sell their books. Before that was the British Fantasy Society AGM. All members are encouraged to attend as they can help shape the society by putting forward their opinions and suggestions.

After that, the Awards Banquet and the BFS Awards ceremony took place. I didn’t stay for that. The banquet is always priced quite high, usually more than I can afford, plus I had the four-hour return journey to consider.

I always gain so much from this convention which is why I go every year. I would certainly recommend it, even to seasoned writers. After all, there is always something more we can learn.

Suffer the Little Children by Shaun Allan

Suffer the Little Children CoverSimon, Fey and Rebecca. An ordinary family trying to cope after the death of the girls’ mother. One day, Rebecca ‘gives’ her imaginary friend, Nathaniel, to her Simon, telling her father he can keep Nathaniel ‘forever’…

Then the phone appears. Then the lies begin. And the pain. And the faces in the photographs…

Simon asks Rebecca who Nathaniel really is. She tells him he prefers to be known by his nickname, ‘Mr. Boogie’…

Specially commissioned by Universal for the release of the movie sequel ‘Sinister 2‘, Suffer the Little Children is “genuinely terrifying!

Read it on Amazon!

Mr. Composure by Shaun Allan

Mr. Composure“Once upon a time…”

All the best stories begin that way. Once upon a time, Jack climbed a beanstalk. Cinderella did go to the ball.

Once upon a time, his parents died.

When your parents are killed in front of you on the one day of the year when all crime is legal, what do you do?

You prepare for next year. You prepare for payback…

Specially commissioned by NBC Universal for the release of the film The Purge: Anarchy, Mr. Composure is “simply superb” with the best plot twist ever!”

Meet Mr. Composure on Amazon and Smashwords.

Darker Places by Shaun Allan

Darker Places CoverWhat if you could steal the final moments from the dying? What if you had the darkest secret, but couldn’t think what it might be? What if you entered the forest in the deep of the night. Who is the melting man? And are your neighbours really whom they appear to be?

So many questions.

To find the answers, you must enter a darker place. Thirteen stories. Thirteen poems. Thirteen more doorways.

Darker Places is the follow up to the acclaimed Dark Places and can be found on Amazon and Smashwords.

Sin by Shaun Allan

Sin CoverDead, dead, dead. Say it enough times and it becomes just another word.

What would you do? Could you kill a killer? Does the death of one appease the deaths of a hundred? What about that hundred against a thousand?

What if you had no choice?

Meet Sin. No, not that sort of sin, but Sin, crazy as a loon (you ask Sister Moon), and proud of it. Sin locks himself away in an asylum and, every so often, gets violent. That’s only so they’ll give him those nice drugs, though. The ones that help him forget.

It’s a pity they don’t work.

Sin, you see, has a serious problem. Well, it’s not so much his problem, as ours – yours, mine and everyone else’s. People die around Sin. He doesn’t like it and there’s nothing he can do about it. But someone else knows, and Sin has to stop them… and himself…

Flip and catch…

Find the ‘dark, disturbing and amazing’ #1 Psychological Horror Sin on Amazon and in audiobook form, narrated by Grammy nominated R.D. Watson on Audible or iTunes.

Read more from Shaun at his website, on Facebook or at his blog. Sin also has his own blog, his ‘Diary of a Madman‘.

Dystopia, Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalypse: What’s the Difference?

Dystopia, Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalypse: What’s the Difference?
For many readers, of fiction such as The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, the distinction between dystopia, apocalypse and post-apocalyptic fiction can be confusing. And, to be honest, the lines can be blurred between the three genres as well as sometimes having them able to exist together within the same novel! So what are the distinct differences? Let’s break it down:

Dystopia

This is the opposite to the term utopia which means a perfect place, or the assumption of a perfect existence. It is usually also assumed to be an imagined or idealistic state and not a physical place. The term was first used in the novel called Uptopia, written by Sir Thomas Moore and published in 1516.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsIf utopia is quite literally paradise, then dystopia can be thought to be a place that is hell on earth. While this definition can be true, dystopia as a genre is quite often used to describe a place that appears perfect on the surface but is bad underneath. Sometimes this corrupt existence is known but suppressed (The Capitol in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a perfect example of this). In other instances, the world appears to all intents to be perfect, but it is discovered as otherwise, quite often by the main character in the story.

As of late I have heard a lot of people referring to AMC’s The Walking Dead as dystopia for adults. This TV series is set in a post-apocalyptic world that is indeed filled with horrors that, by nature, are the very opposite of a Utopian world, however, I would not consider it true dystopian. Without the appearance of an organised ruling body that seems perfect on the outside, this TV series falls neatly into the post-apocalyptic genre. While there are small factions of seemingly Uptopian communities (Woodbury, Terminus, etc), the ruling body needs to be more global than that to classify as true dystopia. If the TV series were set entirely within one of those communities, then, yes, the show would be considered dystopia, but these communities act as catalysts for story lines and plot development rather than the complete direction of the series.

Apocalyptic/Apocalypse

The Stand by Stephen KingMany novels you see in the genre of post-apocalyptic are actually apocalypse novels. The Stand by Stephen King is an example of this, his more recent novel, Under the Dome, also falls into the apocalyptic genre. For this category, you need a world that is in the midst of crumbling. There can be many reasons for this: famine, disease, medical mayhem, earthquakes & other natural disasters  the Mayan calendar, religion & the end times, zombies, aliens, and so the list goes on. The main thing to be aware of is the fact that life as we currently know it is disappearing and the survivors have to cope with this as well as plan for the future ahead.

Post Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalypse

The Passage by Justin CroninThis genre is similar to the apocalyptic one, and sometimes it can even overlap. The Passage by Justin Cronin does this. His book starts as a post-apocalyptic adventure, but in parts we are taken back to the time of the apocalypse.

In the post-apocalyptic world, the life-changing event has occurred and human existence as we currently know it has drastically changed. This genre, however, is not interested in how people react to the cataclysmic events as they occur, but how people change and evolve as time goes on.

The Walking Dead comic series by  Robert KirkmanSometimes the post-apocalyptic world will be many years and generations into the future and this is quite often where the line between post-apocalyptic and dystopia blur. When this is the case, the world that we currently live in is quite often (but not always) seen by the post-apocalyptic characters as an utopian world. In other instances, the post-apocalyptic world will be newer and many of the characters in the story remember what life was like before the big change. They have memories of lost loved ones and things that they once had but no longer can have (ie. TV, McDonalds, the internet, etc). The Walking Dead comic series by Robert Kirkman is an excellent example of a newly post-apocalyptic world.

Are They All Considered Horror?

The Giver by Lois Lowry (Genre: Dystopia)The short answer is: No. However, many of these books do indeed fall into the broader genre of horror. The Stand by Stephen King would certainly be considered a horror novel, where as a lot of the YA (young adult) dystopia would not be considered horror. The Giver by Lois Lowry is an example where it certainly isn’t horror. And it is probably thanks to the massive amounts of YA dystopia literature available at the moment that this genre has really come into its own. Twenty years ago, you would just go to the horror shelves and look there for these types of books.

So, there you have it, the difference between the genres dystopia, apocalypse and post-apocalypse! Let me know if you think I got them right (or wrong) 😉

Sections of this post originally featured on Racheltsoumbakos.wordpress.com

Dark Places | Horror and Darkness

I am Death.  I know who you are…

Dark Places Front Large

There is darkness and madness in each of us. We must do battle with our own demons.
What if those demons opened the door in the back of your mind and stepped out.  What if they became real?  If the night, the shadows, the reflections and Death himself walked among us?  And what if they were watching you?  Waiting?  Thirsting…?But…

Dark Places.  Thirteen stories.  Thirteen poems.

Thirteen doorways.

Praise for Dark Places:

“He paints a surreal picture that sucks you into the terror.”

“Wow.  Brilliantly written!”

Find Dark Places on Amazon, Smashwords and Lulu.

Emeline and the Mutants | Zombies and dystopia

Emeline and the Mutants by Rachel TsoumbakosWhat would you do if your whole family mutated?

Would you have the courage to do what had to be done?

Emeline Hart is faced with this horrifying decision when the miraculous Haum vaccine changes into something hideous. When the mutations start, there is no way to hide the fact that the world is now filled with people who are no longer dying of cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Instead, they become werewolves, vampires and trolls.

In the midst of this, Emeline must search for her missing brother and unravel the conspiracy of events surrounding his disappearance.

The heart pounding action intensifies as medical science goes wrong in EMELINE AND THE MUTANTS.