Eightieth Time
Another longer gap between blogs than I anticipated, but what can you do when your bones are essentially lazy? Anyway, I have news!
The first thing is that my story ‘SpinBot’ has been accepted for inclusion in IDW’s Zombies vs Robots anthology. Zombies vs Robots is a series of graphic novels about (guess!) a world overrun by zombies where robots are used to combat the threat, and it’s great to be included. My story is set in the UK and is far more mayhem-ish that my normal stuff, and I’m really pleased with it. Here’s the actual ZvR press release:
HIT GRAPHIC NOVELS GET LITERARY TREATMENT
IDW Unleashes Prose Program for Breakout Comic Series:
ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS
35 Writers Explore, Expand and Remix ZvR World
San Diego, CA (September 6, 2011)—IDW’s gleefully subversive ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS comic book series from creators Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood will soon be eating readers’ brains from the inside via a series of short stories, novellas and more. As announced at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con in July, the company plans for an ambitious slate of original prose stories set at different points in this epic adventure of a zombie apocalypse. In ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS, the clanking robots are built to fight the shambling braineaters, in a desperate attempt to save Earth’s dwindling population.
“It’s gratifying to see that ZvR has taken on an unlife of its own,” asserts Ryall, series co-creator and Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief for IDW. “Expanding from comics into prose is a logical progression, though as the heretofore sole writer of the series I must admit that letting other writers into our subversive little world was at first troubling. But now I’m fine with it. Really. Mostly. Especially since editor Jeff Conner has corralled such a talented array of writers to tackle some really bizarre and creative prose stories. As long as no one expects me to let them write ZvR comics, too…”
A lurching cohort of writers—including such notable talents as John Shirley, Nancy A. Collins, Rio Youers, Brea Grant, Steve Rasnic Tem, Amber Benson, James A. Moore, Rachel Swirsky, Norman Prentiss, and John Skipp & Cody Goodfellow, led by Ryall himself—has been assembled to pen original stories of life during wartime in the ZVR world. “It’s our biggest project so far,” states Conner, the IDW contributing editor helming the ZVR prose program. “In a way it’s a follow-up to our Classics Mutilated release, at least in terms of its anything goes spirit. The results so far have been—um, riveting.”
The rest of the ZVR writer roster includes: Dale Bailey, Amelia Beamer, Jesse Bullington, Simon Clark, Lincoln Crisler, Stephen Dedman, Rain Graves, Rhodi Hawk, Robert Hood, Stephen Graham Jones, Nicholas Kaufmann, Steven Lockley, Nick Mamatas, Jonathan McGoran, Joe McKinney, Gary McMahon, Mark Morris, Bobby Nash, Yvonne Navarro, Hank Schwaeble, Ekaterina Sedia, Sean Taylor, Simon Kurt Unsworth, Kaaron Warren, and Don Webb.A film version of ZVR is currently in development through Sony Pictures, with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes as producer.
Sounds pretty good, huh? And I’m in there…
Other news: Quiet Houses is done and printed! Stocks have arrived, and the launch is ready for 8pm on the Saturday night at FCon, being held alongside my friend Dave Jeffreys’ Campfire Chillers and the Hersham Horror anthology Alt.Dead. Marvellous. My other work at FCon includes a reading at 10.30 on the Friday night (shared with Gary McMahon, so it’s short – it’s a Spectral Press reading, so hosted by Simon Marshall-Jones) and a signing for The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 22 on Saturday afternoon. At some point, I’m being interviewed for Peter Bell’s Impossible Podcast (he’s also reviewed Quiet Houses, and the review is out soon, so fingers crossed he likes it or it’s going to be an uncomfortable interview!!). I’m, as ever, looking forward to catching up with everyone at FCon, especially the friends I don’t see often enough – Steve Volk, Gary McMahon and the rest of the assorted miscreants that I call my chums. I’ll post pictures and a review and (possibly) any apologies I owe after I get back…
Quiet Houses has had another excellent review, incidentally! It’s been reviewed at Shock Room Horror, and the review can be read here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/shockroom/2011/09/13/quiet-houses-by-simon-kurt-unsworth/
One last thing about Quiet Houses: it can now be pre-ordered at the Dark Continents’ website (www.darkcontinents.com). Alternatively, if you want a signed copy, you can buy directly from me – message me direct and I’ll give you details. It’ll be £12.50 Uk and £16 the rest of the world (inc. P&P) if you buy from me, but hurry – over half of the copies I’ve ordered have been reserved or already paid for. Move fast, lords and ladies, they’re going fast…
One last thing: a date for your diaries. On October 27th, I’m doing another Horror at Halloween reading for the Morecambe Cancer Research Shop. I’ll be reading three stories, including the world premier of my latest story, written especially for the event and set in the shop itself (or at least, an off-kilter version of it). As with last year, I’ll be producing and selling chapbooks of various stories as well as copies of the Spectrum Collection and Quiet Houses and the shop will make money on each copy that I sell. Refreshments will be available (including cupcakes make by my better half), you can browse and purchase the shop’s stock of DVDs, books and music, and there’ll be a raffle for prizes yet to be determined but which will be pretty darn good! It promises to be another great night, so please come along if you can. Oh, and it’s free entry!
Right, on with the novel. Back to your lives, folks, I’m finished.
SeventyNinth Time
So: what’s been happening?
Well, we’re into the boring phase of publishing. I’m currently checking (with an eagle-eyed, fine toothed comb) the manuscript for Quiet Houses, picking out where the software conversion has buggered the layout, where my poor typing and struggling brain have led to misspellings, etc – the intention is to have this done in the next week and then I genuinely think that we’re done and it can be sent off. The launch event is shaping up well, and we’ll definitely have free wine available! Rather nicely, Quiet Houses has already garnered three really positive advance reviews, from the award-winning Ginger Nuts of Horror blog, David Longhorn of the highly respected Supernatural Tales and Sean Smith at his blog. The reviews can be seen here:
http://thegingernutcase.blogspot.com/2011/08/quiet-houses-by-simon-kurt-unsworth.html
http://suptales.blogspot.com/2011/08/quiet-houses.html
http://archaism.wordpress.com/
Also, my ebook, Uneasy Tales has received a nice review here:
http://nerinedorman.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-uneasy-tales.html
Remember, Uneasy Tales can be purchased from Amazon or Smashwords! And Quiet Houses can be ordered from http://www.darkcontinents.com, or from me direct if you want a signed copy. Well? What are you waiting for?
So, other news. Some of you may know that I’m the chair of a small charity providing support to people who help care for their ill or disabled relatives or friends. Well, the charity (Lonsdale District Carers) has just lost most of its funding so we’re looking at other ways of raising money, and one way is that I’m going to edit an ebook anthology with all the profits made going to the organisation. So far, having abused my friendships something rotten, the following people have agreed to be involved (in no particular order):
Sarah Pinborough
Gary McMahon
Dave Hutchinson
Guy Adam
Norman Hadley
Mollie Baxter
Paul Finch
Stephen Volk
Joseph DeLacey
Willie Meikle
Eric Brown
Mike Stone
Keith Brooke
Mathew F Riley
Daniel I Russell
Gary Fry
Ian Watson
Joel Lane
Simon Bestwick
Jason van Hollander
Mark West
Ray Russell
Rob Shearman
Rosalie Parker
Allyson Bird
Alison Littlewood
Laurence Clark
Pete Crowther
Steve Lockley
Oh, and some bloke called Simon Kurt Unsworth will write something for it as well
Some line-up, huh? And we’re hoping for more yet! It’s going to be a big project, and I’m really pleased to say that Simon Marshall-Jones from Spectral Press has come on board as co-editor. Although it’ll initially be an ebook, we’re looking at possibly producing limited numbers of a treebook version, but first we’ll see what the response to the ebook is… The title is The Unsung, and it won’t be a book of stories about carers, although some of the tales will touch on illness, disability and the emotional responses we go though. It’ll be mostly reprints, but there will be new some stuff in there – and it won’t just be stories! No, we’ll have poetry, some artwork, and each author will hopefully write a ‘when it all went wrong’ or ‘when it worked out well’ paragraph for us as well. Initial thoughts is to have this out at the beginning of December, and it’ll be available from all the usual places plus directly from me and Simon. Of course, if you can’t wait until then to support this great cause, contact me direct and I’ll tell you how to donate to Lonsdale District Carers directly…
I’m writing again, incidentally: I’m most of the way through the story for the Cancer Research reading, and it’s going well so far. The reading, on October 27th, is also shaping up nicely: I have a good idea of which 3 stories I’m reading, and have decided already which stories I’ll produce as chapbooks to sell on the night. Wendy is definitely making cupcakes to sell, and the shop is already putting aside appropriate stock – horror and scifi novels and DVDs, etc.
Right, enough self-aggrandising and self-promotion! Back to your lives, Lords and Ladies, there’s nothing more to see here…
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