Eyewire

In Praise of the Anti-Hero: Dan Christensen's 'Paranormal' Comes to Evileye Books

2012-01-16T10:57:00.000-06:00

DAN CHRISTENSEN. IMAGE BY JULIEN CHAUVET

If you don't recognize this photo of illustrator, writer, and comics creator, Dan Christensen, it's because this is perhaps one of the first public images of the man in recent memory. A reclusive, French-speaking American, Mr. Christensen has lived for more than a decade in a picturesque seaport town on the west coast of France whose storied and mysterious past includes Gallic tribes, Roman occupation, and the Knights Templar. It's a fitting backdrop that has fueled the creative fires of a secretive creator, and what may be the most unlikely and coolest supernatural noir graphic novel series American comic book fans have never heard of—until now. That's because Evileye Books and Mr. Christensen have come together to bring his supernatural noir series, "Paranormal," to American audiences.

Meet The Ogre
In an alternate universe, Henry Wade Johnson, the kind of criminal you love to hate, is a paranormal being known as "The Ogre." He has just been released from prison and has one goal: to leave his violent past behind. But when "Rat Face," one of his former partners in crime, brutally murders several police officers and disappears with a shipment of stolen cocaine belonging to the deadliest crime boss in Los Angeles, Henry Wade Johnson finds himself drawn back into the life he had so desperately tried to escape.

These are the events that are set into motion in the "Paranormal" graphic novel trilogy originally published in France (Carabas) between 2004-2009. It is a story that manages to blend the best of crime noir, the supernatural and superpowers with a who-done-it thriller sensibility. But don't call it a superhero book.

"I first came up with the idea for "Paranormal" back in 2001, after finishing my first full-color graphic novel, "UnGoût de Cendres," said Mr. Christensen.

"At the time, I was itching to do a classic superherostory, with costumes, capes and diabolical super-villains, but for some reason,it just wasn’t working for me. Now don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy readingSilver Age "X-Men" comics, Jack Kirby’s "Avengers"stories, and superhero comics in general…it’s just that telling those kinds ofstories doesn’t come easy for me.

"I found this out while attempting to write the first draft of "Paranormal." It was too contrived, too stale. The story was pretty much dead in the water untillate one night, I was filling up some pages in my sketchbook when it dawned onme: what I really wanted to draw was a crime story withsuperheroes as the main protagonists…but superheroes portrayed in a morerealistic fashion. From the very beginning of superhero comics, the two genresof crime fiction and superheroes have always gone hand in hand (see the early issuesof Detective Comics and Batman), but I’ve always found the wholecapes-and-tights thing kind of silly. I don’t care how tough Batman is, I justdon’t see how he could intimidate anyone wearing leotards and a cape).

I wanted to tell stories in a universe where the characters, although theymight possess super powers, didn’t wear extravagant costumes with flashyletters on their chests. To me,the whole super powers thing had to be low-key. The powers had to be suggestedinstead of shown, and as a result, the characters’ abilities and physicaldescriptions would tend to be exaggerated—even blown out of proportion—through theconflicting accounts of eyewitnesses and urban legends. I intended to focusmore on the super villains than on the superheroes, but my "super villains" wouldn’t be cackling, evilmasterminds bent on destroying the world; merely street-level criminals whopossess strange, uncommon abilities that make them all the more dangerousand terrifying. The "Paranormal" trilogy was told from the point ofview of one of these criminals, and has more in common with crime novelslike Edward Bunker's "No Beast So Fierce" than mainstream comicbooks (although there is a definite supernatural undercurrent running throughthe stories)."

'Paranormal' in the U.S.A.
The original "Paranormal" trilogy will be remastered in English and released in both digital and print formats. The final release schedule will be announced this summer.

In addition, Mr. Christensen will extend the "Paranormal" universe by writing and illustrating an additional three graphic novels to be released annually.

"Genre-bending high concepts are the way to our wicked little heart," said A.N. Ommus, Editorial Director of Evileye Books. "Dan knows how to spin a riveting tale. He's so talented that the ideas of superpowers and the supernatural are both in your face and blend into the background simultaneously. A writer can only accomplish such a feat when the characters and plot are the drivers of his storytelling gifts. Mr. Christensen has in 'Paranormal' an exciting, unique take on the genres American comics fans love."

Helpful Links

Dan Christensen's Website

Behind the Curtain: The Making of the DarkWalker Cover

2011-12-14T11:13:00.001-06:00

Early sketch for the cover of 'DarkWalker'
from Italian illustrator, Daniele Serra

John Urbancik's forthcoming novel, "DarkWalker," which Evileye Books will publish in spring 2012, is an intricate and mesmerizing mash-up of the supernatural and noir genres, laced with a literary sensibility. Such a challenge would seem oxymoronic; yet, in the hands of Mr. Urbancik's imagination and skill, book one of this ongoing series manages to lead you, raising you up, up, along with the music of his sentences to sublime heights, like the pied piper of words that he is—then, when you least expect it, smacks you with his sledgehammer of plot twists and pacing, throwing you off that cloud, sending you plunging down at a dizzying speed toward the inevitable end you wish would not come. Then, when you think you are about to go splat, a rabbit hole opens and you keep falling.

To pull off such a feat is hard. Ask any writer. To convey that complexity visually on a cover is even harder. While the writer has thousands of words and hundreds of pages to play with his imagination, the poor cover artist that agrees to tackle the project has mere inches to capture the compelling essence of the story. The wonder is not that artists pull it off, but rather that more artists don't take off running in fear when they see a publisher coming. In our case, we were lucky to find a team of visual creatives that not only stayed put, but managed to bring a level of visual sophistication and nuance that equals Mr. Urbancik's skills as a wordsmith.

The illustration we announced earlier this week was painted by Italian artist, Daniele Serra. Some of you may know his work as a cover artist and comic book illustrator. In his style, he aims to capture emotional and psychological subtexts using an impressionistic style—a perfect visual fit for what we hoped to capture with the cover.

We began the process with notes and ideas from Mr. Urbancik himself. If you follow his blog at all, you know that he more than dabbles in photography, and not just the vacation postcard kind. He has a discriminating eye for the interplay between composition and context. So when he shared his ideas about what the cover should convey, we humbly kept our mouth shut and took notes.

Mr. Serra tackled these ideas in a series of sketches, filtering it through his equally discerning aesthetic.

After a surprisingly rapid and fruitful exchange, we came to a final cover concept we felt captured the essence of the book. Back in Italy, Mr. Serra began to paint. Here we have an early look at the illustration. At this point, the illustration is little more than an underlay layer, helping to block out the main shapes and color scheme to be used; yet, already, we sense the gist of the story.

Here we have the painting further along—not quite the final, but we begin to feel the sense of perspective, dimension and mood that must be the foundation of the cover.

The final piece here adds more textures to the foreground and the spectral head formed from the storm clouds above the urban setting, an important clue in itself.

We then employed the design skills of Viktor Farro, whom you might know from his work on the cover of our upcoming supernatural western, "The Dead Sheriff" by mark Justice, and his collaborative efforts with writer and artist, Bernie Gonzalez, on the cover of Orrin Grey's upcoming collection of stories, "Never Bet the Devil." The main task, of course, was to add the title block, author byline and publisher's bug to make it a cover.

Most cover designers would have turned in something like what we present below, made during the early stages of the painting to get a sense of blocking for the text.

But as we considered the title blocking possibilities, we realized that two problems were being created: first, we were obscuring the art, which already conveyed so much of the book; second, the traditional horizontal overlay of the text was deadening the planes and depth created by the illustration—clues that we needed to be front and center, as they are a visual reference to a major plot point in the story.Although these roughs were done simply to get a sense of blocking, we could see that neither the standard font treatment nor the original series logo was a fit for the final cover.

So, like his slightly askew personality, Mr. Farro suggested we integrate the text elements within the painting itself, making them serve their purpose, but also enhance the sense of perspective and planes by "painting" them on the brick walls themselves in a gritty style, hinting at graffiti you might find in an inner city alley.

What is particularly satisfying about the inspired effect of the text layout and font selections is not just that it gives a more profound sense of perspective and three-dimensionality to the painting, but also how it also manages to convey the noir aspects of the story, with a subtle nod to the great pulp covers of the seventies. The net effect: the team was able to capture an effective visual blend of the supernatural and noir genres, that plants all the important seeds of the story in a way that avoids pastiche.

John Urbancik's "Darkwalker" will be released in spring 2012. To get our news and updates, visit our site, or you can send us your email to TheLoop@evileyebooks.com, so we can send you periodic reminders and scoops.

—Ommus

Helpful Links

To visit John Urbancik's website, go here.

To visit Daniele Serra's online portfolio, go here.

Final Cover to John Urbancik's Upcoming DarkWalker

2011-12-12T09:20:00.000-06:00

Here is a sneak peek at the final cover for book one of John Urbancik's supernatural noir series, "DarkWalker," which will debut from Evileye Books in spring 2012. We'll have a behind-the-scenes post for your later this week. Meanwhile, enjoy the fantastic art by Italian über cover artist, Daniele Serra, with cover art direction and design by Viktor Färro.

—Ommus

Helpful Links

John Urbancik's Website

Daniele Serra's Webiste

Open Call for Submissions: The Burning Maiden Annual, Vol. 2

2011-12-09T09:18:00.001-06:00

We are in the final stages of production for the debut volume of our first house anthology, The Burning Maiden. Anyone following its development knows the writing stars that have come together for volume one:

Joe R. Lansdale

Sarah Langan
Tim Lebbon

Bruce Boston

Matthew Pearl

Louis Bayard

Lyndsay Faye

The list goes on...

For those that missed it, go to the anthology's website, TheBurningMaiden.com, for more information.

Meanwhile, it's time to make our call for entries official for the second installment. Here are the guidelines. We can't wait to read your entries.

WRITER'S GUIDELINES

Title

The Burning Maiden Annual, Volume 2

Content Theme

The Burning Maiden Annual will publish short fiction and verse written in the following genre:

- Supernatural

Target Publication Date

March 2013

Submission Deadline

March 31, 2012

Accepted Material

Stories between 2,000-3,000 words, more or less.

Submission format

Microsoft Word format (.doc)

Submission Email Address

BurningMaiden02@evileyebooks.com

Note: Subject line: “Burning Maiden 02”

Pay

Stories: one-time payment of ten cents per word; Verse: one-time, flat fee payment of $50. All payments are made at publication and according to the terms of our agreement.

Rights

First serial rights for electronic and print. Non-exclusive for same in perpetuity thereafter.

Submission Acknowledgement

By submitting your work to the email specified above, you acknowledge and affirm that Evileye Books receives many story submissions and that we are not responsible for any similarities, no matter how remote, between the works submitted to us for consideration. Therefore, you submit your work at your discretion and affirm that Evileye Books makes no assurances of publication to any writer.

The Lost Tales of The Dead Sheriff

2011-07-27T07:00:00.125-05:00

COVER TO BOOK ONE OF
MARK JUSTICE'S SUPERNATURAL
WESTERN SERIES

Designing covers for our books is one of the more meaningful ways through which we collaborate with our writers, diving into the worlds they've created to bring a visual identity to their stories.

And, boy, did we geek out making the cover for the first book in "The Dead Sheriff" series by Mark Justice.

If you read our previous post about the making of the cover for Orrin Grey's upcoming book, "Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings," you know that, when it comes to covers, we like to swim in meta fiction and metaphors. In that book, a deck of cards plays an important role in one of the short stories. And so for the cover, we visualized a way for the book itself to represent the stack of cards, with the front and back covers representing the top and bottom cards. It was a neat way to transform the bits of a product into part of the reading experience.

In the case of "The Dead Sheriff: Zombie Damnation," we wanted to play with a founding concept of the series: a celebration of the dime novel tradition. A cursory jump through Google will tell you that Beadle's Dime Novels, and so many others, served as the entertainment of their day in the late nineteenth century, making legends of heroes like Wild Bill Hickok and Annie Oakley. The Western tales gave way to pulps like The Shadow, and can even be said to have served as the precursors to the modern magazine and comic book. Mark Justice writes "The Dead Sheriff" as a kind of love letter to the dime novel era—albeit, mixed with magic, zombies, demons, and the most heinous of creatures: the clapboard town preacher. Because the dime novel is now a lost tradition, we though it would be fun to design the book so that the block itself represents a discovered treasure—one of those books that chronicled the many unlikely tales of the Old West. We very much like the notion of the reader reaching back in time to the pioneering days to witness, through this lost tale, the dark justice of The Dead Sheriff. And so the cover, brilliantly art directed and executed by Viktor Färro, portrays a weathered, ancient text with the image of a skull & badge and title burned into the cover with a branding iron, serving not only as a marker describing the contents, but also as an ominous warning of the tale to be told.

"The Dead Sheriff: Zombie Damnation" will be released in early 2012 in digital and print editions. But we will be releasing Advance Promotional Copies this fall. If you would like to be notified when the book is available for sale, please send us your name by email to DeadSheriff@EvileyeBooks.com.

Meanwhile, if you frequent the Tweeterverse, we encourage you to tweet with us at Twitter.com/EvileyeBooks, where we often break our news first.

A. Nathaniel Ommus
Editor

Deconstructing the Devil

2011-07-14T09:32:00.005-05:00

UNDERLAY DRAWING FOR THE COVER
OF NEVER BET THE DEVIL

One of the geeky joys of being the editor of Evileye Books is seeing creativity at work. We've been lucky to attract some incredibly talented writers and artists, and it's amazing how the end products may be the same (covers, book blocks, etc.), but the road from nothingness to birth is always different, and a bit humbling.

In working with author, Orrin Grey, on his upcoming collection of stories, "Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings," we begged another Evileye Books creator, Bernie Gonzalez, to help execute some ideas we had about the cover. What appears below is his behind-the-scenes account of his creative process in designing and illustrating the cover to "Never Bet the Devil," which we recently announced.

The account is excerpted here. If you'd like to read the full story, along with pretty pictures, head on over to Bernie's Blog.

Deconstructing the Devil

By Bernie Gonzalez

Almost exactly a year ago, I was working on a project and was in need of a collaborator. I needed another creative soul to add a little magic to the mix. That’s when the enigmatic A.N. Ommus put me in contact with Orrin Grey.

After some search engine stalking, I discovered Orrin’s website. More importantly, I discovered his short story for Innsmouth Free Press,“Nature vs. Nurture”.

I read it twice. In one sitting, back to back.

Orrin had me at Lovecraftian fiction. His writing was creepy clean and honest. I knew I had to work with him. So I drafted an introductory email, letting Orrin know why he was getting random email from a stranger. Orrin was kind enough to respond.

We talked about my project. We talked about other projects. We did a lot of talking. Lovecraft. Hellboy. Hammer films. Pulp era heroes. Frog men. Apocalyptic future landscapes. We share a great deal of inspirations and, one year later, we’re still talking. When everything shakes out, don’t say you weren’t warned.

Speaking of warnings…

Somewhere along the way, Orrin mentioned he was working on a collection of his stories, titled Never Bet the Devil and Other Warnings. While we planned our inevitable world domination, I had to get in on the collection in some way or another. I volunteered my artistic services and began illustrating spot illustrations to accompany each of the stories in the collection.

Being a fan of Orrin’s writing, I devoured each tale. It’s easy to get lost in his narrative. Orrin leads you down a road, using human emotion and conviction for breadcrumbs. But then you find yourself in a dark corner of the forest shivering for dear life. Informed by the primal nuances and grisly details of each story, I went on a tear and put brush to paper. When the smoke finally cleared, I created a handful of drawings to compliment Orrin’s prose.

The devil had guts. Now he needed a face . . .

Read the full story here.

"Creeping Stones" Collection Coming from Cullen Bunn

2011-07-12T11:06:00.001-05:00

So, Mr. Cullen Bunn is at it again, and we're glad to be his accomplices . . .

PRESS RELEASE

Evileye Books to Publish Two-Volume Set of Short Stories by Acclaimed Horror Writer, Cullen Bunn

First collection, “Creeping Stones and Other Stories,” to debut in February 2012

Individual stories to appear digitally leading up to book’s release

(CRYSTAL LAKE, IL) — Cullen Bunn’s mind is the restless sort, with a seemingly unbound curiosity and speculative imagination. He has written about Prohibition-era demons; weird Western tales of supernatural six-shooters; an Ozarks town haunted by a child-eating witch; and even a killer tooth!

Beginning this fall, Mr. Bunn turns his attention to the short story form. “Creeping Stones and Other Stories” is the first volume of a two-collection deal between Mr. Bunn and Evileye Books. Featuring fourteen stories, “Creeping Stones” presents horror yarns that explore themes of loss and the cost of redemption.

“Zombies and vampires are great,” said Mr. Bunn, “but with these stories, I wanted to explore different facets of horror and the supernatural—the emotional and psychological damage speculative fiction rarely explores these days.”

“Creeping Stones” marks Mr. Bunn’s first formal collection of stories, and will be made available in various editions including digital formats for the Kindle, Nook and iBooks ebook platforms; trade paperback; and in the future, a limited hardcover edition.

The second volume in the set will be titled, “A Passage in Black and other Stories,” and will feature eight stories and two novellas. The collection will debut in 2013.

Beginning in August, as a lead-in to the launch of “Creeping Stones,” Evileye Books will release 1-2 stories per month in digital format for the Kindle, Nook and iBooks platforms, and will include bonus materials that will not be made available in the collected edition.

“From the first planning discussions,” said A. Nathaniel Ommus, Editor of Evileye Books, “the idea has always been to reward Cullen’s fans by making his literary work available more often than once a year or bi-annually, as happens with most novels and longer works of fiction. By introducing key stories from the collection as standalone publications, we satisfy his readers’s thirst for his storytelling, but also reward them with added material not found elsewhere.”

The standalone stories debuting digitally will feature custom covers, excerpts from future works, interviews, profiles and behind-the-scenes peeks. Standalone short story editions will retail ninety-nine cents.

Pricing for the formal collected editions will be made available in late fall.

About the Author

Cullen Bunn is the critically-acclaimed writer and co-creator of the supernatural noir Graphic Novel, “The Damned”, and the Harvey Awards-nominated ongoing supernatural Western comic books series, “The Sixth Gun”. He is also the author of the upcoming all-ages fiction series, “Crooked Hills” (Earwig Press).

About Evileye Books

Evileye Books publishes speculative fiction. This fall, it will launch a series of debut books, including Mark Justice’s “The Dead Sheriff,” John Urbancik’s “DarkWalker,” Orrin Grey’s “Never Bet the Devil,” Mike Oliveri’s “Lie with the Dead.”

It will also debut volume one of “The Burning Maiden” anthology, a collection of short fiction prose and verse from bestselling and award-winning authors T.C. Boyle, Joe R. Lansdale, Louis Bayard, Sara Langan, Matthew Pearl, Lyndsay Faye, Bruce Boston, Mort Castle, Tim Lebbon and more.

Web Resources

Cover for Orrin Grey's "Never Bet the Devil"

2011-07-11T10:01:00.002-05:00

COVER TO ORRIN GREY'S UPCOMING BOOK

Here is the pre-production front cover for Orrin Grey's upcoming collection of short stories, "Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings".

The story, from which the collection takes its name, features a deck of cards. Being the playful sort, we thought it would be neat to make the front and back covers of the book the two faces of a card, with the interior pages symbolizing the remaining cards in the deck.

This eye candy goodness was art directed by Viktor Farro and ingeniously designed and illustrated by Bernie Gonzalez. If you have strolled through our blog neighborhood in the past, you'll know that BG is an Evileye author himself that is working on the noir fiction novel, "The Hard Easy" and a graphic novel, "Downcast". Bernie is an incredibly talented guy, and he deserved all the accolades you care to shower upon him, should you care to.

Incidentally, each story in Mr. Grey's book will open with a line drawing illustrated by BG. Judging by the what we've seen so far, let's just say the collaboration between writer and illustrator is truly enhancing the reading experience.

"Never Bet the Devil" is Mr. Grey's first collection. If you are a reader of fine supernatural fiction or a reviewer, and wish to be kept in the loop on when the book becomes available, please send us a quick note saying hi to NeverBetheDevil@evileyebooks.com. We'll be happy to send you more details as we get closer to publication.

Why Are We Publishing The Burning Maiden Anthology?

2011-06-30T11:18:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, we officially went live with our web site dedicated to our upcoming anthology, The Burning Maiden. As you can tell by the list of authors, we have a remarkable line-up of award-winning and bestselling writers. But beyond the coolness factor of the celebrity names we have managed to recruit for our debut issue, the more intriguing proposition The Burning Maiden offers is why it exists.

To understand how our brains work, anthology editor, Greg Kishbaugh, has penned the book's introduction, and crystallizes our motivations—and dare we say, vision—for what we hope to accomplish. We reproduce his essay here, "The Blurred Line". We also encourage you, if you have a moment, to visit the site to peruse the complete table of contents, and even sign up for news of the book's upcoming release this fall.

The Blurred Line
By Greg Kishbaugh, Editor

Indulge me a moment.

If I were to ask you the question, “What is horror?”, how would you respond?

The truth of the matter is this: Everyone’s idea of what constitutes “horror” is different. And this is the reality one must immediately confront when editing a horror/suspense anthology. As an emotional facet of a story, horror is startlingly subjective. No two people look at it from exactly the same vantage point, and no two people fear the same thing in exactly the same way. We can all agree that clowns are terrifying, but the specific reasons why we find them horrifying are individual to each of us.

Perhaps even more importantly, if I were to ask you to name your favorite “horror” writers, what names would be included on the list? Let me stop you before you give it too much thought because, in truth, there is no such thing.

A writer is simply . . . a writer. No modifier needed.

Publishers love categories, as do book stores. They want a writer’s work to fit neatly into a specific genre. The motivation for this, of course, lies in commerce, as well as questionable (and outdated) notions about the consumer mind.

But this can be an unfair burden, as writers are far less compartmentalized in their thinking. They strive to tell a story. To enlighten. To entertain. The genre in which the story falls is not nearly as important is the story itself.

After all, how would one categorize A Clockwork Orange? Is it horror? Yes. Science Fiction? Yes. Literature? Yes. And yet, I’ve never heard Anthony Burgess referred to as a “horror” writer or a “science fiction” writer.

How about Cormac McCarthy? No one would ever deem him a “horror” writer, but then how does one categorize The Road? Is Robert Louis Stevenson a “horror” writer because he wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde? Is George Orwell either a “horror” or “science fiction” writer in light of his two most famous works, 1984 and Animal Farm?

Let’s face it, many of the novels we consider classics today simply transcend genre, in no small part due to the fact that they manage to mash more than one together, producing works that resonate in our imaginations. Slaughterhouse Five. Lord of the Flies. Fahrenheit 451. Deliverance. These stories all contain skin-prickling elements of horror; yet none are categorized as “horror” novels. If such works can fit into the horror mold, then it begs the question: What is literature?

And to analyze the other side of the coin, what do we make of works that are unquestionably horror but clearly transcend the boundaries of genre? Is Something Wicked This Way Comes any less a piece of fine literature because it also happens to be a work of dread-inducing horror? How about The Haunting Of Hill House, I Am Legend or The Shining. What of some of the masterfully macabre short stories of Harlan Ellison? Or the works of Poe and Lovecraft? Certainly anyone would categorize them as glorious works of literature, all of which happen to squarely fall into the genre of horror.

The Burning Maiden was born of this conundrum. When is horror simply “horror” and when does it cross over into “literature”? What happens when writers of unparalleled talents put their minds (and writing chops) to telling stories of the supernatural, of the darkness in the human soul, of the sadness and longing that sometimes supersedes the grave — all the while telling stories with the hearts and souls of poets?

In putting together my original list of authors I hoped would accept our invitation to participate in The Burning Maiden, it should perhaps come as no surprise that none of them were known primarily for writing horror or suspense. My criteria for asking them to participate was simple: I believed them to be spectacular writers. The genres they are most associated with meant nothing to me. Because when writers of extraordinary skill ply their craft, the line between genre and literature are quickly blurred.

To demonstrate the scope and breadth of their talent, contributors to this anthology have been nominated for or awarded (to name a few) with the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Horror Critics Award, The Edgar Award, The Dagger Award, the Crime Writers’ Association Award, the British Fantasy Society Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Asimov’s Readers’ Award, the Rhysling Award, the International Horror Guild Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award .

Like I said . . . spectacular writers.

The Burning Maiden was created as a showcase for horror and suspense with a strong literary bent. Stories that focus on the glorious interplay of poetry and words, set against the dark wonder that truly great speculative fiction can raise in us.

I am very proud of our first anthology, just as I am terribly excited for future editions. While this collection focuses on fiction and poetry (all new and written exclusively for The Burning Maiden, with the exception of one classic), future volumes will feature essays, graphic stories, and more. This is the beginning of a journey. One we are happy you have decided to embark upon with us.

And so . . .

. . . welcome to The Burning Maiden.

Crooked Hills Update

2011-05-25T09:35:00.003-05:00

We just want to share the final cover spread for Cullen Bunn's Crooked Hills novel, which will debut this fall from our young readers imprint, Earwig Press.

This is the final cover for all initial editions: digital, trade paperback and limited edition hardcover.

If you are interested in grabbing the keepsake hardcover edition, please sign up for our new book club. Only members will get the the opportunity to purchase our special editions. Of course, it comes with perks, like member-only discounts, products and surprise goodies.

To sign up, simply send us your full contact information, including full mailing address, to BookClub@earwigpress.com.

There is no commitment to buy, but if you're not on the list, you won't have the opportunity to reserve your copies of our collector's edition books.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our writers and their stories.

FINAL COVER SPREAD FOR BOOK ONE OF CULLEN BUNN'S CROOKED HILLS

—Ommus

Book Club

2011-05-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

One of the paradoxical effects of the digital age is that printed books are becoming both a low-margin commodity for the masses, and a rarity for those readers looking to find books that are well-designed and enhance the reading experience.

Digital technologies and the Internet allow publishers and authors alike to push more printed books through distribution channels—established and alternative alike. The result is a handful of some decently made books, but mostly a glut of badly made, half-baked ones, all stuffed into the same sardine can. Inevitably, the focus becomes the price rather than the content. For a publisher that cares about bookmaking and the quality of stories, this market is challenging, to say the least. Frankly, we would prefer not to be in it.

With that proverbial rock and hard place as our backdrop, we have decided to launch our own book club. The idea is to offer all our limited edition hardcovers and special offers exclusively to readers that opt in to the club. Members will receive exclusive discounts and access to products not offered to the general public, with products delivered directly from our workshop.

The first books in the line up are Cullen Bunn's Crooked Hills (from our young readers imprint, Earwig Press), Mike Oliveri's The Pack: Winter Kill, and volume one of our new annual anthology, The Burning Maiden, which features New York Times bestsellers and fan favorites T.C. Boyle, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Matthew Pearl, Bruce Boston, Louis Bayard, and more. These will all be limited edition hardcovers, certified and limited to less than 250 units each. Information and offer details will be sent out in June to the membership only.

To sign up, simply send your name, mailing address and twitter handle to:

BookClub@evileyebooks.com

—Ommus

Get Bit

2011-05-20T19:29:00.001-05:00

COVER TO THE DIGITAL EDITIONS OF THE PACK: WINTER KILL

Book One in Bram Stoker Award Winner Mike Oliveri's supernatural thriller series, The Pack: Winter Kill is now available on the Kindle, Nook and Apple's iBooks digital book platforms at special promotional price for a limited time.

The US$2.99 price point is 63 percent off the regular digital edition retail price, and is meant to serve as the perfect jumping-on point for new readers ahead of the Book Two release late this year.

"Every one who has read the first book in the series has become a rabid fan," said Evileye Books editor, A.N. Ommus. "For a taste, just look up the Amazon reviews for the Kindle and trade paperback editions of Winter Kill. Absolutely everyone gets hooked on The Pack."

Legendary horror writer, Brian Keene (The Conqueror Worms), calls it "A masterful blend of crime, suspense and the supernatural."

Crime noir writer, Tom Piccirilli (Shadow Season) calls Mike's writing "audacious and unflinching . . . guaranteed to punch you in the guts and get you coughing blood."

The second book in the series, The Pack: Lie with the Dead, picks up the events that unraveled in Winter Kill, as special agent Angela Wallace continues her investigation into the past of the Tyler family, unearthing dark secrets she didn't bargain for, risking her career and life.

About Mike Oliveri

Mike Oliveri is the winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel for his 2001 debut, Deadliest of the Species. He has published short stories, novellas and other works in various collections and anthologies.

About Evileye Books

Evileye Books publishes quality horror, crime, dark fantasy and other speculative fiction. An imprint of Pulp+Pixel Entertainment Company.

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Disclaimer
Prices are subject to change. Kindle, Nook, Apple and iBooks are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

For Orrin Grey, New Book Deal Reveals Skeleton in His Closet

2011-05-19T07:30:00.036-05:00

THE AUTHOR, ORRIN GREY

Orrin Grey, author of literary horror fiction, has signed with Evileye Books to publish his first collection of supernatural stories—a curious, if not disturbing, feat, considering Grey is a skeleton.

The collection, Never Bet the Devil and Other Warnings, is a curated compilation of nine stories and a novella, most of which have been previously published in various anthologies. The tales are clearly grounded in the world of horror and the supernatural, but it's their eclectic mix of influences—starting with Lovecraft—that will hook readers of quality speculative fiction.

"When I was alive," said Grey, "I loved the work of H.P Lovecraft. The work he did was breathtaking (when I had lungs, of course). It wasn't until I was released from the shackles of mortality that I truly came to appreciate his mastery of atmosphere and suggestion. This collection is influenced by his work, but also by writers like Mike Mignola, Richard Matheson, Manly Wade Wellman, Basil Copper, and others."

Never Bet the Devil is expected to debut this fall, in time for Halloween. At launch, Digital editions for the Kindle, Nook and iBooks platforms will be available.

Of more intrigue to treasure hunters and conspiracy theorists will be the initial printed edition.

A trade paperback edition will be also available that will qualify its buyers to request a copy of the limited edition hardcover that will be made available by invitation only in 2012. A secret code will be inserted within the volume, and buyers will have the opportunity to register for the invitation list using the code and a secret email address. Full details will be revealed in the trade paperback and on the Evileye Books website in October.

"It's hard to look Orrin Grey in the eyes—mainly because he doesn't have any," said A.N. Ommus, editor of Evileye Books. "You'd think that would be disturbing, but, surprisingly, it's a relief. What isn't hard is to fall in love with his literary voice. Grey's writing seems to come from another time, when the Internet and movies didn't exist—when readers truly relied on storytellers to transport them to other worlds. Grey has the remarkable ability to put you in the middle of the story and make you experience the tale with all your senses."

Rest assured, this is not a hoax.

About Orrin Grey
Orrin Grey was born on the night before Halloween, and he's been in love with monsters and the macabre ever since. His stories of cursed books, mad monks, and unlikely hauntings have appeared in Bound for Evil, Pseudopod, Innsmouth Free Press, Historical Lovecraft, and Delicate Toxins, among others. He lives near Kansas City with his wife and two cats. You can visit him online at http://www.orringrey.com.

About Evileye Books

Evileye Books publishes quality speculative fiction, and is an imprint of Pulp+Pixel Entertainment Company.

Media Contact

Aaron Ommus

Editor

Evileye Books

editor@evileyebooks.com

312.445.0943

Tweet with us at Twitter.com/EvileyeBooks

Submitted for Your Approval, A New Imprint for Young Readers

2011-01-25T07:30:00.020-06:00

Some say the urban legend dates back more than a thousand years, that the insidious insect we know today as the earwig got its name because it has an insatiable appetite for dark, damp places, especially that greatly underutilized void between the human ears, the brain.

As the story goes, the earwig likes to crawl into your ear, burrowing deep into your chunk of gray matter and lay its eggs. Compared to earwigs, bedbugs are slackers.

The thought of an insect eating its way to the center of your brain is disturbing, to say the least. Still, being the twisted literary sort, we have grown rather fond of the earwig legend. Where others see a creepy-disgusting-spine-tingling-hair-raising-butt-clench-inducing bug, we see a metaphor.

The most haunting of stories lingers in our mind, eliciting emotional and physical reactions long after we have whispered its last line under our breath. Stories burrow into our brains, as it were, and plant the seeds that sometimes—or eventually—consume our imaginations. And so we've warmed up to the earwig. Like children, its ability to both disgust and captivate is a dichotomy only a parent could appreciate. That is where the kiddies come into the picture.

We have decided to publish our upcoming line of supernatural fiction for young readers under a dedicated imprint, Earwig Press. We are doing this because our expansion plans have developed far more quickly than we expected, offering us the opportunity to dedicate a standalone line of books to young, impressionable minds, the same that squeal in delight over popular series like Goosebumps and others. When it came time to name the imprint, our fascination with the earwig, as metaphor, seemed delightfully fitting.

In line with our imprint for grown-ups (Evileye Books), Earwig Press will focus on supernatural tales that deliver the haunting, creepy—yet age-appropriate—thrills young readers (dare we say, young adults?) clamor for. But we happen to believe that supernatural tales for young readers can offer far more than sweaty palms and skipped heartbeats. They can provide inspiration, instruction, as well as entertainment.

Earwig Press will debut this spring with the publication of Cullen Bunn's Crooked Hills, the first book in the new series from the co-creator of the bestselling comic book series, The Sixth Gun and The Damned, and of course, Raze, an upcoming series for adults from Evileye Books.

In addition, we have begun development of a separate website, earwigpress.com, that should be complete in time for the launch of Crooked Hills. We also have a Twitter account: @EarwigPress.

Announcements about other books and authors joining the Earwig library are forthcoming.
In the meantime, we're seriously considering adopting an earwig as a pet.

What do you feed it, anyway?

Downcast: Crown of Ashes

2010-11-08T09:43:00.002-06:00

Downcast: Crown of Ashes will debut in late 2011

It took a while, but we can finally pull back the curtain on a project that, in many ways, sparked the creation of Evileye Books.

Downcast is an original graphic novel series created, written and art directed by the multi-talented, Bernie Gonzalez. If Bernie's name rings a bell, it's because he's already hard at work on a crime noir series for Evileye Books, The Hard Easy. The sequential art is by Andrew Huerta, which some of you may know from his work on the Underworld comic last year.

Downcast: Crown of Ashes is book one of a four-part series, and will debut in late 2011.

Here's the official synopsis:

Taking place in a post-apocalyptic netherworld, Downcast’s sweeping narrative focuses on Sinner—a battle-weary immortal bent on living out his unending existence on the outskirts of civilization.

That is until he is offered a deal by a devil known only as Vermillion—a deal promising Sinner the closest thing to heaven he can possibly attain: the soldier’s paradise of Elysian.

In return, Sinner must find and kill Persephone, Vermillion’s former lover and queen.

If he can survive a horde of hellish creatures and withstand Persephone’s unearthly powers, Sinner can end his eternal torment and secure his only chance at salvation.

Featuring fast-paced action, gothic horror, and apocalyptic folklore, Sinner’s epic journey begins in Downcast: Crown of Ashes, an original graphic novel in the vein of Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

Patience Has Its Benefits

We've been sitting on this announcement since late 2004.

That's not a typo.

Bernie is one of those rare talents whose vision is so complete, there are backstories to backstories and every panel and dialogue is carefully choreographed and replete with meaning. And like every artist's artist, Andrew has breathed life into every line he has set down in this 140-plus page epic. In our hurried society, with nearly non-existant attention spans, it's a miracle creators like Bernie and Andrew can exist at all, let alone comics. As you'll see by the teaser pages below, the wait has been worth it.

Burn, Baby Burn!

2010-11-02T11:12:00.004-05:00

COVER TO THE BURNING MAIDEN 01

Here's the official line. We'll post more notes about it in the coming days.

The Burning Maiden Journal Aims for “Lingering Dread and Dark Wonder”

Evileye Books today announced the launch of The Burning Maiden, a journal of speculative fiction, essays and poetry. Set to publish in spring 2011, the inaugural issue will feature an eclectic—sometimes surprising—mix of bestselling authors, including T.C. Boyle, Matthew Pearl, Louis Bayard, Lyndsay Faye, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and Bruce Boston, as well as other talented writers quickly gaining prominence in the speculative field.

“With The Burning Maiden,” said Greg Kishbaugh, a twenty-year publishing veteran, writer and editor of the journal, “we will present provocative works that leave the lingering, haunting aftertaste of dread and dark wonder that all timeless literary works of horror and the supernatural awaken in readers. These all-new, never-before-published stories (along with one classic), come from some of the most acclaimed writers in the world who, in addition to time spent on the New York Times bestseller list, have been presented with the PEN/Faulkner Award, Bram Stoker Award, Edgar Award and National Book Award consideration, among a host of other accolades.”

THE BURNING MAIDEN EDITOR, GREG KISHBAUGH

Each annual edition of The Burning Maiden will be made available in various editions. Beginning this December, a special commemorative hardcover edition will be offered as a pre-order to mark the debut of the publication, and will be released in May 2011. It will also be made available as a trade paperback, digital book for Kindle, iBooks and Nook, as well as on the upcoming Evileye Reader App for Apple iOS devices.

About Evileye Books

An imprint of Pulp+Pixel Entertainment Co., Evileye Books publishes quality books in horror, crime, dark fantasy and other speculative genres.

Editor's Note: If you are interested in reserving your copy of the commemorative Collector's Edition hardcover, please send an email to TheBurningMaidenHC@evileyebooks.com.

The Origins of Crooked Hills

2010-11-02T10:49:00.004-05:00

An inside look at Cullen Bunn's brain, and the origins of his new fiction series, Crooked Hills.

THE CONJURER

by E.D. Bryant

Stranger Than Fiction

I’m being punked. I must be. The big city boy with all his science and logic and gadgets being strung along by the disarming charm of southern legends and folklore, and their flawless delivery by a man known to come from a long line of hypnotists and storytellers. The best of them blur the lines between fiction and reality, and Mr. Bunn conjures history and embellishment before me with equal dexterity and dazzle, juggling the brilliance of his tales like a circus performer juggling fire before a wide-eyed and dumbfounded audience.

He begins with the truth, which, as it turns out, is hard to believe.

In a more superstitious time, when the night was dark and full with stars, and otherworldly creatures rose from their slumber to hunt and play in the mountains of southern Missouri, in the region known as the Ozarks, children would lay in their beds to hear stories of a dreadful sort.

One tells of a distraught woman who kills her baby, cooks it and serves it to her unsuspecting husband. When they are asleep, the ghost of the child can be heard crying, “Pennywinkle! Pennywinkle! My maw kilt me, my paw ate me, my sister buried my bones under a marble stone. I want my liver an’ lights an’ wi-i-i-ney pipe! Pennywinkle! Pennywinkle!”

Another bedtime story may sound familiar. After a day of butchering hogs, a family retires to bed. Soon after, they hear a voice: “Where’s my hog’s feet at?” The father is startled awake, but sees nothing. Later the same voice cries out: “I want my hog’s feet!” The father searches the home but finds no one, until he peers into the chimney, where upon he is startled by the sight of fierce, glowing eyes. “What’s them big eyes for?” he asks. The voice echoes, “To see you with.” The father asks, “What’s them big claws for?” The voice replied, “To dig your grave with!” The old man asked, “What that big bushy tail for?” After a silence: “To sweep off your grave with.” The last question the old man is known to have asked: “What’s them big teeth for?” “TO EAT YOU WITH!”

Other stories tell hair-raising tales of headless dogs, bones of murdered men rattling inside the trunks of trees, monstrous black boars that are said to foretell the death of its seer, and even bringing on rain by dunking a cat in sulfur water.

As Mr. Bunn winds down, he darts a look at me and hesitates. My face must betray what I’m thinking. Seemingly to sweep aside what he clearly deems as pesky incredulity, Mr. Bunn reveals his source: Vance Randolph. Look it up, he says with a playful and wicked defiance. And I do. Later, in the relative safety of reality and distance from Mr. Bunn, I verify that, indeed, Mr. Randolph was a real man, a folklorist that lay witness to two centuries, and who held a life-long obsession with the folklore and culture of the Ozarks. It comes as no surprise, then, that in the introduction to his 1964 book, “Ozark Magic and Folklore”, Mr. Randolph characterizes the people of the backwoods of the Ozarks as “[…] the most superstitious people in America.”

With that, it all comes together in my mind, and I can’t help but shudder. Yet, I am more troubled by the tingling of insatiable curiosity that wells up in me. I’ve lost. I am under the conjurer’s spell. Against the backdrop of such a rich—if not harrowing—cultural legacy, Mr. Bunn, aims to introduce us this Halloween, to Crooked Hills, the most haunted town in America. The echo is deliberate and haunting.

Ruby Red

As Mr. Bunn tells it, among the generations of residents of the Ozarks town of Crooked Hills, evil witches lived among the townspeople. They used their black magic to poison crops and livestock. They would strike in the dead of night, flying over the hilltops and valleys, swooping down at unsuspecting prey. Because the witches were hidden by the cover of night, the only way the people of Crooked Hills could see them coming was by watching the skies for what looked like red eyes that flickered in the darkness. The red eyes were actually magical rings made of rubies that the witches wore on the index fingers of their right hands. Lore passed down from family to family told that if you saw the faint red flicker in the sky, you had a chance to find shelter. But if you were unlucky enough to see it stop blinking, the witch was too close, and you were as good as dead.

No witch was more feared than Maddie Someday, for she did not simply kill off your cattle or corn; she stole your children. The terror she struck was so fierce, so paralyzing, the children stopped playing in the fields and hills and creeks. That is until one day—there is always “one day” in Mr. Bunn’s stories—a generation of children that had grown up, rebelled and devised a way to capture Maddie Someday. After her capture, the savage mob cut her into pieces and buried her across the deepest parts of the woods in unmarked graves, including her ruby red ring. After that, the evil witches seemed to disappear from Crooked Hills almost overnight, and not one child has disappeared since.

Until now.

There is always an “until now” in Mr. Bunn’s stories. Then, you hang on those words to hear the rest of the story.

A Boiling Cauldron of Genre Stew

Throughout his writing career, Mr. Bunn has managed to pull off acts of literary bravado others might ruin their reputations in merely attempting. He has been dubbed a king of the genre mash-up, and comics fans can’t seem to get enough of his particular brand of narrative spectacle. The slight of hand began to take on a polished form in front of indie comics audiences when, as an unknown writer, he teamed up with artist Brian Hurtt to create a noir story about humans versus demons during the rat-tat-tat years of Prohibition, a tale with all the stylish cinematic flavor of “Miller’s Crossing”, if you add some smooth-talking, cigar smoking demons in fedoras. The supernatural crime miniseries, “The Damned” was published in 2006 by Oni Press. Its improbable mix of genres garnered the attention of the comics industry, and—as happens a great deal of late—Hollywood, which has optioned it for film. The original series was subsequently collected into book form, and has spawned two sequels, “Prodigal Sons”, a three-issue miniseries that appeared in 2009, and the upcoming “Daughter’s Danse”.

If “The Damned” dazzles us with an alternate universe rendition of the American gangster mythos, Mr. Bunn’s latest effort attempts to re-imagine the Old West in a way that is less spaghetti, and more John Wayne meets Lord of the Rings. Set in the dark years following the Civil War, “The Sixth Gun” tells of a band of dispicable men that use magic to raise a dead Confederate general to seek out one of six cursed pistols of otherworldly power. As with his first book, Mr. Bunn has teamed with Mr. Hurtt once again to tell this supernatural western tale in an ongoing comicbook series. Although only the first two issues have been published, “The Sixth Gun” has already captured the imagination of fans, and to some, more importantly, retailers. The free full preview of the first issue was made available during Free Comic Book Day last May. At a signing event in Austin this spring, Messrs Bunn and Hurtt signed copies for hundreds of fans lining around the store entrance and around the mall, purportedly the largest turnout the store had ever hosted for such a signing event. During its official debut in July, Oni Press released the first two issues on the same day, and has been sold out at comicbook shops since.

Mr. Bunn is also creeping up on the mainstream comics scene. Blending the supernatural with martial arts, he has written an Iron Fist tale that appeared in Marvel’s “Immortal Weapons”. He has also blended his penchant for action with his comedic timing to pen several Deadpool stories.

Beyond comics, Mr. Bunn has his eyes fixed on the prose fiction market for young readers. With the ongoing novel series, “Crooked Hills”, Mr. Bunn hopes to continue casting his narrative spells, this time turning his leering gaze and untiring imagination toward doing what would seem to be the impossible: scare the heck out of kids, and have their parents love it. Here, his southern charm will come in handy.

The Ties That Bind…and Cut Off Circulation

If the Internet is to be believed, the surname, Bunn, originates in France during the thirteenth century. A derivative of the Old French word, “bon” it’s principal meaning is that of “benevolent”, and was used as a nickname to describe a good person. So it would seem appropriate to float a new nickname for Mr. Bunn in reference to his notable skills as a gentleman charmer and storyteller: Cullen The Good, perhaps? Mr. Bunn himself seems to enjoy the prospects of its power to assuage his audience.

“It would certainly help wouldn’t it?”

The help to which he refers is the challenge of bringing his brand of supernatural stories to children, for until now, his primary reader has been a male in his twenties—the typical profile of a comic book reader. Junior novel readers, middle grade readers—however you want to label them—are a bit harder to entertain, gender diverse, and hard to scare. To be sure, ghost stories for readers eight to fourteen years old are not new. Modern book series such as “Goosebumps” have set the bar by cultivating large, ravenous fan bases that devour every book in the series as soon as they are printed in the hopes of being scared witless. Even a part of the runaway success of the Harry Potter books is surely due to its riveting, and often, frightful scenes. Despite the high expectations, it seems Mr. Bunn welcomes the challenge.

“The wonderful thing about the folklore traditions of the Ozarks, especially the juvenile bedtime stories,” he says, “is they don’t dance around death or gore. And they are unpredictable. Kids like to be scared … and they like to be surprised.”

Indeed, like the original tales of the Brothers Grimm, many of the stories found in Vance Randolph’s body of work about Ozark culture don’t sugarcoat lessons meant to keep children safe in a geographic region that, for much of its settled history, could often be deadly for its inhabitants.

“The stories they told are memorable because they aren’t mere entertainment. They provide instruction—sometimes warnings—but always, somehow, they tie back to the daily life of the Ozark family. I think that’s the power of these stories, and it’s the spirit I want to capture with Charlie and the residents of Crooked Hills.”

Charlie Ward is the fourteen-year old protagonist of the series. Due to a dramatic family event, Charlie, his brother and mother find themselves traveling to visit family in Crooked Hills, a small town, proudly known for its hauntings. For Charlie, moving from the big city to a small dead town is the least of his problems, as he confronts local bullies, crazy old ladies, ghost dogs and witches back from the dead. How he reacts seems to be far more important.

“At its core,” asserts Mr. Bunn, ‘Crooked Hills’ is a ghost story; but it’s also a coming of age tale. The move to the small town comes at a time in Charlie’s life where he is changing physically, mentally, and spiritually. How he confronts the adversity will define him as an adult. Really, the spooks and creatures are the least of his worries. In these types of stories there’s always a potion or spell or dumb luck that gets one out of harm’s way. But the lessons of identity and self-determination, those are the enduring themes of Charlie’s journey.”

The Voices of Place and Legend

Mr. Bunn’s own travels have led him through a life journey that is as colorful and adventurous as the one he has set down for his young Mr. Ward.

“My father was, among other careers, a salesman, an auctioneer, and—yes—a stage hypnotist. But, more than anything, he was a born tale-teller. I grew up hearing about legends of The Devil’s Stomping Ground and the Maco Light, and my dad would add to all the ghost stories that circulated in the area. He used to tell me about blood-crazed bulls roaming the countryside, witches that lurked in the woods, and other creatures and culprits.

“He once told me that when he was 18, he was riding his motorcycle along a deserted back road. It started to rain, so he took shelter near an old, abandoned church. As he hunkered down near the church, he heard a piano playing inside…and a woman weeping, and a baby wailing. The church was empty, but the sounds emerged loud and clear. He ran for the hills, leaving his bike behind, and he didn’t return until later the next day.”

Himself born in North Carolina, the fictional town of Crooked Hills represents a literary amalgam of the places in which Mr. Bunn lived during his childhood: towns like Newton Grove and Goldsboro in North Carolina; Koshkonong and Thayer in Missouri, where his family moved to raise cattle.

“When we moved to Missouri, the cultural shock was significant. I had never lived in such a rural environment. Once, when we first moved to Thayer, we were driving along a dirt road and I saw thousands of tarantulas migrating across the road. It was really strange and creepy. Another time I was attacked by a swarm of hornets, another by scorpions, yet another by cougars—yeah, cougars—and I even got caught in a flash flood. Those impressions are all echoed in Charlie’s move to Crooked Hills.”

Mr. Bunn’s use of his life and experiences has always been a thread weaving through his growing literary canon. Crooked Hills is one of several fictional locales huddled in the Ozarks that he has employed as backdrops for his stories. Imaginary towns, Spider Creek and Black Oak, make up Mr. Bunn’s mythical cycle, what he dubs, his “answer to Lovecraft Country.”

Beyond place, however, it is the impressions and stories lived and heard over a lifetime that make up the rich and singular literary voice that charms us into submission. In this next chapter of his career, he turns to our children, and their impulse will be to run for the hills. But as we have already come to know, they won’t be safe there at all.

Not when he soon will raise the ruby red ring of Maddie Someday.

Editor's Note: If you would like to reserve a copy of the upcoming Collector's Edition hardcover, please send an email to CrookedHillsHC@evileyebooks.com. For more information on the series, visit our sister site, Earwigpress.com.

Pesky Corvus

2010-11-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

For his sake, the crow better not crap on the weapon.

Crooked Hills Hardcover

2010-11-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

If you are a Cullen Bunn fan, and you haven't already, you might want to head over to Evileyebooks.com to peruse the new Crooked Hills section, which includes a sneak peek at the first chapter of the book, a rather revealing profile of Mr. Bunn, and the opportunity to reserve your copy of the limited edition hardcover.

If you can't wait to order, send us an email straight away to CrookedHillsHC@evileyebooks.com to reserve your spot to get one.

The Answer Key

2010-11-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here is our final tease for one of our upcoming announcements this week. It's the answer key to the clues offered last week. Pretty heady line-up of writers, don't you think?

All that's Missing is Ricardo Montalbán and Corinthian Leather

2010-11-01T09:52:00.003-05:00

We'd like to share some more details about our upcoming Collector's Edition hardcover of Mike Oliveri's The Pack: Winter Kill.

As you can see by the 3D render to the left (please click on the image for a much larger and gorgeous view), the book will sport a dust jacket styled to recall the now seemingly ancient days of letterpress printing when color was applied one at a time by lead plates pressed against the paper as it was brought up to meet a giant ink disc by the platen.

The case binding will feature fine red cloth with silver foil stamping on the front cover and spine, with dark gray endsleeves, creme colored interior paper and a stitched-in cloth bookmark ribbon.

But perhaps most interesting to collectors, of course, will be the title page. It will be hand-numbered, embossed with a certification seal from Evileye Books, and include Mike Oliveri's signature.

Reservations for this limited edition are open for a limited time only. To reserve your place to acquire your copy, please send an email to WinterKillHC@evileyebooks.com.

Oh No We Di'int

2010-10-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

Oh yes we did.

Rivalries aside, it's another clue.

The Road

2010-10-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's another tease, a kind of riddle.

All The Sin, Half the Guilt

2010-10-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a teaser promo for one of our announcements next week. Can you solve the clue? Where's Blue when you need him?

The Evileye Reader

2010-10-28T10:36:00.005-05:00

We've been a bit shy about our digital plans, mainly because we can't shake our superstitious nature, or at least our inner Woody Allen. But it's time to share a short note about one particular initiative that is well under way.

Some time ago, we hinted at the creation of a destination where fans of Evileye Books and its authors could visit to immerse themselves in our wonderfully twisted world. In the fashion of the times, we christened it The Evileye Reader. This was before the iPad was announced, and before the Flash war erupted between Apple and Adobe.

At the time, we envisioned it as a website, designed in Flash. But as soon as Apple announced it would not support Flash on any of its iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, etc.), our plans were quickly derailed.

So we regrouped around the idea of migrating The Evileye Reader to Apple's iOS as an app readers can download for free and collect within its shelves our catalog of books and comics, and work across devices. Not much hand-wringing ensured. One look at how books can be presented in the iPad via Apple's iBooks, Amazon's Kindle App, and the increasingly impressive Nook app, and we were sold.

Well, we are now elbows deep in programming and whatnot. We expect to launch in late Q1 2011, and will keep you posted as we near. Heck, we are so excited, we might even give away some iOS devices to celebrate. Stay tuned.

The Dark is Nigh

2010-10-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Jack Harlow never wanted the gift. More like a curse, he'd say. But he's a watcher caught between two realms. And he is forced to choose sides. A choice—a sentence—he doesn't want to make.

And that is the short version of how John Urbancik throws us into the supernatural noir world of DarkWalker.

The book has just finished the market testing phase, and will now move to the final editing stage. We expect a Q2 2011 launch.

Because it's a series, book two is already complete. Expect an acceleration of news in the coming months, leading up to the launch.

Crooked Hills Update

2010-10-28T09:48:00.001-05:00

Cover to Book One. Art by Brian Hurtt

Stories that scare the hell out of kids seem to have a particularly twisted, morbid—not to mention satisfying—fascination for some parents. Maybe it's the Al and Peg Bundy in all of us. Still, it seems there are a few Al and Pegs in the publishing industry.

Critical interest in Cullen Bunn's upcoming supernatural series for independent readers (middle grade ages 9-13 or so) is high. You can read an absorbing profile of Mr. Bunn and the series here. And so we are ready to lift the curtain a bit on this wonderfully scary story this Sunday—yes, Halloween—at our official website, Evileyebooks.com.

Be sure to log in after 10 p.m., when it's dark and cold and silent in the house, with only the eerie whistling of the wind tickling your earlobes.

The Dead Shall Rise

2010-10-28T09:22:00.001-05:00

We're happy to announce that book one of The Dead Sheriff is complete. We are now in the editing stage with an eye toward a Q2 2011 debut.

The series, created and written by Mark Justice, is a homage to the legendary western dime novels of the nineteenth century, but with a supernatural bent and story twists that define Mark's entertaining talent.

As we approach publication, we'll begin to release information about editions and availability. We will also bring you a series of short comics that take place in the sheriff's universe. We also have some surprises in store that will be, we think, music to your ears.

For many reasons, we are especially pleased to see this project coming to fruition. Mark has managed to deliver a solid, entertaining story that strings you along, then delivers something wholly unexpected. Then, in the spirit of those early tall tales of the west, you want more.

A Titillating Oxymoron

2010-10-27T09:40:00.001-05:00

Three-Pack

2010-10-26T10:32:00.002-05:00

A trio of announcements this morning regarding Mike Oliveri's supernatural thriller series, The Pack.

Book Two is Official
The second installment in the series has an official title: Lie with the Dead. The nuances of this title will slap you across the head (and you'll like it) when you read the book, which is scheduled for a mid-2011 release. The second book in the series follows the events of the debut work, Winter Kill, and takes you deeper into FBI agent Angela Wallace's obsessive quest to unearth the secrets of the Tyler family. Lie with the Dead builds on book one of The Pack, and what horror master Brian Keene calls "a masterful blend of crime, suspense and the supernatural," and what one reader has said is "Quentin Tarantino meets Elmore Leonard meets werewolves." Stay tuned for more updates about Lie with the Dead and The Pack, and please be sure to follow our announcements on Twitter at Twitter.com/Evileyebooks.

Holiday Promotion
To help you get ready for book two, we are making the digital edition of book one, Winter Kill, available at a near 50% discount for $4.99 through Amazon.com. The Kindle edition can be read on a Kindle device, iPad, iPhone, iPad Touch, PC or Mac, Android or Blackberry. A neat trick of the software, of course, is that you can start reading the book on one device and pick up where you left off on another device seamlessly. The promotional pricing will go live in the coming days on Amazon.com, so keep an eye out for it, and will be effective until December 31, 2010. Please help spread the word.

Limited Edition Coming in 2011
Here's a sneak peek at the mock-up cover for a limited edition of Winter Kill. It will be a hardcover, signed and numbered. It will also include an exclusive story and other content surprises not found elsewhere. The edition will go to press when pre-orders have been filled.

This hand-crafted, highly collectable edition will be made available on a pre-order basis. Only those readers that have expressed a preliminary interest will be notified when it is available, and will be given additional sneak peeks into its production and content. To get on the Acquisition List, please send your email of interest with your full name in the message, and, if you wish, alternate contact information to

WinterKillHC@evileyebooks.com

Pre-order interest begins today. Final pricing will be announced in 2011. There is no payment required to get on the Acquisition List.

Beware of Talking Corvus

2010-09-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

Here's the first full teaser for a new series debuting in 2011. It's been a long time coming, and well worth the wait. We'll be making the full announcement in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the teaser art.

What's in a Name?

2010-09-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Battle Cry

2010-09-08T13:55:00.002-05:00

The Literary Wrath of Hell

2010-08-17T12:45:00.000-05:00

Cullen Bunn Profiled on Comics Bulletin

2010-08-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

Evileye Books author, Cullen Bunn, has been profiled in an indepth feature over at ComicsBulletin.com. Head on over for the an inside look at Mr. Bunn's early influences that led to his creation of the upcoming Evileye Books series for young readers, Crooked Hills.

Photo Credit: Randall Siefert

Preview: Big Bad Wolves

2010-07-13T19:43:00.003-05:00

These are the first three pages of the short graphic story by Mike Oliveri titled, Big Bad Wolves. It features key characters in his new supernatural crime series, The Pack, the first prose book of which some of you will know is available as a trade paperback and ebook for Kindle, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Readers interested in story continuity may be intrigued to note that the incident told here is a prequel to book one of the prose series, Winter Kill, and leads directly into the key events of that story.

This short story is headed to our upcoming Evileye Reader site, which will feature weekly comics and behind the scenes sketches, videos, and a few surprises.

Big Bad Wolves will also be available in a future ebook edition of The Pack prose series, which we will announce in August.

Lastly, to serve as a shout-out, the artwork is by the very talented Mike Henderson. Some of you will know his work from his graphic novel, Smuggling Spirits. We are very happy he chose to work with us. We think his style blends perfectly with the complex tone of horror, comedy and noir this story required. He pulled it off beautifully.

Meantime, enjoy the preview.

Cullen Bunn's Crooked Hills

2010-07-01T07:54:00.003-05:00

This fall, fan favorite horror writer, Cullen Bunn, and Evileye Books bring to life the otherworldly legends and ghost stories of the fictional Ozark town of CROOKED HILLS in a multi-book supernatural series for the kid in everyone.

For Charlie and his brother Alex, an unexpected trip to visit their Aunt Mary in the haunted town of Crooked Hills turns into a life-changing adventure, forcing them to confront local bullies, hell hounds, dead witches, and girls with slingshots! A throwback to classic adventures like that of the Hardy Boys, mixed with the creepiness of GOOSEBUMPS and CIRQUE DU FREAK, Cullen Bunn's CROOKED HILLS blends mystery and adventure to weave a fun and unforgettable story of will, friendship and family bonds.

"Crooked Hills, Missouri, is a combination of many of the small towns in which I grew up," said Mr. Bunn, "from Newton Grove, North Carolina, to Thayer, Missouri. (Thayer in particular helped to form a template for Crooked Hills.) Those towns were rich with interesting people and even more interesting urban legends and ghost stories. With CROOKED HILLS, I imagined sitting in the heart of a dark forest around a campfire, telling kids those kinds of spine-tingling ghost stories. So it seemed to me that having a witch come back to life to kidnap kids and be eaten by a hell hound would scare the living daylights out of almost anybody. But in that nightmare, I also saw a chance to explore what happens when kids face their fears; to overcome them can be incredibly liberating and empowering."

Book one of the prose series is scheduled for release in various editions beginning this fall, in time for Halloween, and continuing through 2011. In addition to the novels, a web comic and graphic novel editions are in development. According to the terms of the agreement, one new book in the series will be published annually.

For Evileye Books, CROOKED HILLS is the first of a number of new prose and comic book series to be announced that are aimed at kids and young adults. The move into books for younger readers follows the launch of the imprint late last year by Pulp+Pixel Entertainment Co. to publish series-oriented prose and graphic novels in various genres. Its first release, THE PACK: WINTER KILL, by Bram Stoker AwardWinning Author Mike Oliveri, was published in December 2009.

"The wonderful thing about supernatural stories is they can be told to different audiences in different pitches and still come off creepy and haunting, no matter what the age. With CROOKED HILLS, we saw the opportunity to capture the spirit of the classic campfire story," said A.N. Ommus, Editorial Director of Evileye Books.

For Mr. Bunn, this is the second series collaboration with Evileye Books. The first, a dark fantasy titled, RAZE, (co-created and written with Shawn Lee) is aimed at adult prose and comic book readers, and will debut in various formats later this year.

CROOKED HILLS Series Profile

Series Title: Crooked Hills
Creator: Cullen Bunn
Target Readers: Upper Middle Grade and Young Adults with a core age range of 10-14+
Book One Publication Date: Edition rollout October 2010 to late 2011
Formats: eBook, trade paperback, limited hardcover, library edition, comic book
Special Content: Illustration Bookplates, Audio (ebook editions), Study Guide
Pricing: To be announced

Promo Illustration by the one and only Brian Hurtt

The Hard Easy Interview

2010-05-24T10:28:00.002-05:00

New film interview with The Hard Easy creator, Bernie Gonzalez.

The Hard Easy

2010-05-17T09:30:00.112-05:00

THE HARD EASY

Crime noir at its grittiest, blood spittin', backstabbin' best

There are criminals, and then there are professionals. Deacon is a pro, making his living by following a few simple rules...

Stay off the radar. Work alone. Live to cash another paycheck.

But Deacon slipped. A million dollar mistake. And now he’s gotta pay it all back. Ten jobs, $100k each, and then he’s free and clear.

If he can make it through each one, Deacon might just get his life back…one job at a time.

That's the setup for The Hard Easy, a graphic novel and prose fiction series coming from writer Bernie Gonzalez and Evileye Books.

The Hard Easy will debut this fall with the first graphic novel, a Richard Stark meets John Woo take on crime noir that promises to deliver brawls and betrayals at blockbuster breakneck speed.

"Bernie Gonzalez is one of those rare talents that goes under the radar of most tastemakers in an industry, and suddenly one day—BAM!—he explodes on the scene, and people go gooseneck crazy wondering where the hell he came from," said A.N. Ommus, Editorial Director of Evileye Books. "So get ready is all I'm saying."

Under the agreement with Evileye Books, Mr. Gonzalez will develop both graphic novels and book-length fiction. Evileye Books will begin giving readers behind-the-scenes looks at The Hard Easy beginning in June, as we lead up to the first graphic novel release.

Mr. Gonzalez will also develop a second series, which will be announced later this summer.

The Hard Easy creator, Bernie Gonzalez in the backstreets of Chicago

Teaser

2010-05-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

Last tease before tomorrow's announcement...

Teaser

2010-05-14T08:42:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately for Deacon, they're getting warmer

New series announcement of Monday.

Teaser 2

2010-05-13T09:32:00.001-05:00

Deacon Needs New Friends...

Teaser for Monday's new series announcement.

Teaser

2010-05-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

Meet Deacon

New series to be announced next Monday.

Eye Candy: 'Raze'

2010-05-11T10:13:00.002-05:00

Here's another tease from a short comic book story from our upcoming Raze series, created by Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee. Art by Jeff Wamester, who is debuting his first full comic book work this week with Frenemy of the State from Oni Press. Short write-up here.

The Garbage Man

2010-05-06T23:51:00.058-05:00

Evileye Books and Acclaimed Horror Writer Brett McBean Launch New Fiction Series, 'The Garbage Man'

We are proud to announce that Australian writer, Brett McBean, has signed on to develop The Garbage Man, a new crime and horror fiction series to debut in late 2010.

The collaboration will see Mr. McBean write book-length stories annually, blending the best of the crime and horror fiction traditions with black humor, a dark character study of Edmund Mullroy, the protagonist of the series, and all set against the real-world backdrop of the violence in Melbourne at the end of the twentieth century.

"I'm fascinated by human monsters, serial murderers in particular," said McBean. "What compels them to carry out such heinous deeds time and time again? There's nothing more terrifying to me. But even more intriguing is this: What kind of person would willingly help killers destroy evidence? How does one end up there? Those are the haunting crevices of the mind I explore through Ed Mullroy."

Book one of the series, Dirty Laundry, will debut in October.

"The Garbage Man is one of those stories that you can't shake because of the outrageous nature of its concept, and yet how rooted it is in the real violence of our modern world," said A.N. Ommus, Editorial Director of Evileye Books. "The whole idea of someone cleaning up after serial killers seems unreal, until you realize it's not that far-fetched from the kinds of headlines we read every day, of the horrors that happen all around us. Then the sense of unreal leads to that voyeuristic, morbid curiosity we all love to deny ourselves, but always give in to. That's how Brett and The Garbage Man grab you, and you can't help getting hooked."

Series Synopsis

Edmund Mullroy isn’t your typical garbage man. Sure, he collects the town’s garbage once a week – it’s his legitimate work, his bread and butter. But Ed has a dirtier, sinister side gig. For over twenty years he has been collecting – and disposing of – the victims of serial killers.

It’s peace of mind for the killers, and it’s good money for Ed.

Only things don’t always go to plan.

Dark, gritty, and laced with black humor, Brett McBean's The Garbage Man takes the reader into a dark and sordid world of blood, violence and serial murder, throwing the reader into the mayhem of Australia’s recent violent history, from the late eighties to present day. Through the multiple volumes in the series, McBean will also reveal the secrets and inner demons that haunt Ed Mullroy and his battle to contain them. The Garbage Man is a classic character study of the human condition and dystopian society.

About the Author

Brett McBean is the author of the novels The Last Motel and The Mother, which was nominated for the Aurealis, Ditmar, and Ned Kelly awards for best novel, 2006; the novellas, The Familiar Stranger, Sins of the Father (from New Dark Voices II), and Concrete Jungle (the first in the ‘Jungle’ trilogy); and most recently the short story collection, Tales of Sin and Madness. His stories have appeared in anthologies such as Asylum Volume 3: The Quiet Ward; In Delirium II; Festive Fear, and the upcoming In Laymon's Terms, and in magazines such as Dark Discoveries. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and German shepherd. Visit him on the website at: www.brettmcbean.com

Praise for Brett McBean

“The Mother is one helluva read. Sleek, dark, and impossible to put down. Reading this one good woman's descent into grief and madness felt like a sledgehammer to the stomach…but I couldn't stop turning the pages.  The Mother did what every great book should do — it made me think.” —Richard Chizmar, Cemetery Dance Magazine

“I love Brett McBean's writing, and The Mother is McBean at the top of his form. It's a thrilling, scary, and heartbreaking story. I highly recommend it.” —John R. Little, Bram Stoker-winning author of The Memory Tree, Placeholders, and Miranda

“The Mother is a brilliant new offering from McBean that sees him slide among contemporaries such as Jack Ketchum and Richard Laymon. McBean manages to capture something rare in The Mother – a book that is both moving and horrific, demonstrating that good horror can do more than just scare your pants off. The Mother does for hitchhiking what Psycho did for showers and I guarantee you’ll think more than twice before thumbing a ride again.” —Mark Smith-Briggs, Oz Horrorscope

“The Last Motel is fun; a thrilling, white-knuckled suspense read. McBean's voice is one that should be heard - a hint of Laymon and Koontz, yet distinctly his own. Genuinely creepy stuff!” —Brian Keene, Author of The Rising and Terminal

“Brett McBean is as brash and brutal as a young Jack Ketchum. He visits the dark rooms inside us all. The Last Motel is the first stop on his way to the top.”   —Scott Nicholson author of The Manor and The Farm

“A thrilling read about fate, coincidence and murder. McBean pumps up the tension to unbearable levels, and then lets rip.”   —Tim Lebbon author of Fears Unnamed and Desolation

“Brett McBean's The Last Motel is dark and gritty, relentlessly fierce but tempered with keen wit and characters so real you can hear them breathing. The book is a loving, bloody homage to an underappreciated genre and McBean's writing compels you to keep turning pages even as you cringe. A book as hard to put down as Misery -- I couldn't look away even when I wanted to. The Last Motel makes the Bates Motel seem like a trip to Disneyland.”   —Tamara Thorne author of Thunder Road

“Brett McBean’s The Last Motel moved me to that level of horror rarely visited. He writes without a safety net and crosses all lines as he illuminates the true essence of fear. Mesmerizing and frightening.” —John Paul Allen author of Gifted Trust

“The Familiar Stranger is a concerto for sadist with piercings of black comedy.”   —Simon Clark, author of London Under Midnight and Vampyrrhic

“Brett McBean has written another winner, a creepy tale of haunted angels, tortured souls, and a bloodthirsty serial killer. The most original idea I've read in quite some time . . . . I read it in one sitting, ‘cause I couldn't stop till I found out what the hell was going on! Mark my words: You won't be able to put it down either.”   —James Newman, author of Midnight Rain, The Wicked, and Animosity

Works by Brett McBean

Novels

Torment (Morning Star Books, forthcoming)
The Mother (Hachette Livre Australia, 2006/Thunderstorm Books, hardcover edition, 2009)
The Last Motel (Biting Dog Publications, 2005)

Novellas

Buk and Jimmy Go West (Morningstar Books, forthcoming)
Concrete Jungle (Tasmaniac Publications, forthcoming)
Sins of the Father (from New Dark Voices II, Delirium Books, 2009)
The Familiar Stranger (Necessary Evil Press, 2006)

Short Story Collection

Tales of Sin and Madness (Thunderstorm Books, 2009)

Meet Our New Consulting Editor

2010-05-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

Ray Bradbury Award Winner Joins Evileye Books as Consulting Editor

We're excited to announce that Greg Kishbaugh has joined our ranks as Consulting Editor.

A veteran editor in the publishing industry for more than twenty years, Mr. Kishbaugh will oversee manuscript development of new series and standalone books. To his credit, he is also a rabid comics fan.

Mr. Kishbaugh was awarded First Place recognition in the annual Ray Bradbury Writing Contest for his short story, "Magnificent Desolation".

His story, "Water Babies", which appeared originally in Cemetery Dance magazine, was awarded an Honorable Mention in The Years Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. His story, "Darkness Closing", also appeared in Cemetery Dance.

His short story "Madly, Deeply", appeared in the Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthology, Bell, Book & Beyond.

Mr. Kishbaugh has completed two screenplays entitled "Blackbeard on the Bowsprit" and "Return to Eden". He is also finishing his first young adult novel and is working on a prose trilogy for Evileye Books, which will be announced soon.

The Pack is Running Wild on the iPad

2010-05-01T08:00:00.020-05:00

Mike Oliveri's 'The Pack: Winter Kill' is on the iPad

If you're one of the lucky million that has so far gotten their mitts on a shiny new Apple iPad, and you like crime noir and the supernatural, you'll be happy to know that you can get The Pack: Winter Kill for the iPad via the free Kindle App that already makes our books available on the Amazon Kindle, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac and PCs. Did we mention the app is FREE?

The Pack: Winter Kill is Book One of an ongoing series of prose fiction and original graphic novels. Book Two is scheduled for late Fall 2010, so picking up the first storyline sets up everything that follows in this thriller that acclaimed author, Brian Keene (The Conqueror Worms, Urban Gothic), calls "a masterful blend of crime, suspense and the supernatural."

If you still prefer a traditional pulp book in your hands, well, we have that too. Just head on over here to get yours at a great price.

Flash was so last Month

2010-04-29T08:00:00.005-05:00

Eyewire is the new online news hub for Evileye Books

Technology sure does change quickly, doesn't it? If you blink, you might miss the next Big thing. Not so long ago, Flash was all the rage for online games and dazzling multimedia websites. But that was so last month. Just ask Apple.

With the launch of the Apple iPad, and a myriad of players in the digital space for books and comics turning toward HTML5, we find ourselves having to adjust to the new reality a bit as well. We launched our main site, Evileyebooks.com, as a Flash-based destination so we could take advantage of a number of multimedia features. Yet, as consumers are ever more ravenous for mobile media, we find ourselves being pulled away from our readers and followers.

So we have launched Eyewire as a way to deliver our news-related items through a transparent and ubiquitous channel. For a time, we will offer Eyewire and Evileyebooks.com separately, at least until the whole Flash/HTML5 dust settles. Please pardon our dust as we settle in to the new digs, and get to know the place.

Meantime, we hope you become a regular reader of Eyewire, and maybe even follow us on Tweeter (@evileyebooks). We are excited and itching to share news about our projects debuting in 2010 and beyond.

A.N. Ommus
Editorial Director
Evileye Books