William Cook - Writer: New Release: Fresh Fear: An Anthology of Macabre H...

William Cook - Writer: New Release: Fresh Fear: An Anthology of Macabre H...: It is with great pleasure that I can finally announce the release of Fresh Fear: An Anthology of Macabre Horror (2nd edition). This new...

William Cook - Writer: New Zealand Horror Fiction - Does It Exist?

Recently I had the pleasure of talking with fellow New Zealand author, Lee Murray. She asked questions - I responded, oh yes, that's right, it was an interview! And here it is (please make sure to check out Lee's great blog and subscribe). Thanks for reading.

Welcome William! Give us your personal definition of horror. How would you describe it: blood curdling spatter, or through the looking glass, darkly?

I’m not sure my personal definition of horror is different than standard definitions, but here goes: Horror, in its many guises ‒ fiction, cinema, real events ‒ is a highly subjective phenomena directly related to the individual’s own interpretation of things that inspire fear in the imagination. Fear is the greatest component of horror as an experience. The fear of losing one’s life, the fear of someone close to you losing their life, the fear of a threat that borders on the incomprehensible . . . and so on. Horror is an experience that builds in the mind with the enormity of its potential effect on the individual. It is apprehension that builds terror in the imagination, to the point where madness threatens to eclipse the fear with the suffocating and sublime realization that our greatest fear is real and present. The imagination is a huge determining aspect of the scope of the horror experience; and an essential ingredient that must be considered when writing horror or portraying it [horror] cinematically. If the author cannot engage the reader’s imagination, to the point where the reader can visualize and emotionally trigger their own fears in response to what is in front of them, then the author cannot hope to instill fear and thereby ‘horror’ in their writing. As Arthur Conan Doyle suggested: “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.”

Good, well-crafted, horror must create an emotional response in the reader that both engages and triggers an emotional and intellectual response. It is not enough to bombard the reader with ‘gore for gore’s sake’ or gross depictions of violence without basis or necessity as part of the story – horror, must build to the point where it is inescapable, where the reader has not become desensitized to the point where at the intersection of plot, action and narrative, they feel nothing. It is in the apprehension and the emotional interplay of fear where the best horror lurks. It is a rare skill for an author to be able to build an experience of horror, which gains purchase via the reader’s subjective experience of fear; that triggers a deep intellectual response which, whilst frightening, also provides an element of resolution or satisfaction in the experience.

The confrontational aspect of horror fiction (and film) can either harm or heal depending on how it is done. For example, I distinctly remember, after reading Stephen King’s The Shining, the thrilling but exhaustive feeling that coursed through me as I put the book down for the last time. The story replayed in my mind and my heart beat rapidly as I marveled at the effect that the book had on me. Tied in with my emotional response was a sense of accomplishment: that I had got all the way to the end of this massive book, that I had confronted all the terrible ghosts that haunted the Overlook Hotel, that I had battled the demonic hedge-maze monsters and that I had survived the worst monster of all, the frightening and all-too-human monster, Jack Torrance. It wasn’t a quick read, it didn’t have an abundance of gore and gross-out violence, and the horror experience wasn’t completely realized until the final chapter where it seems as though everything has worked out well for Halloran, Wendy and Danny after the tragic death of Jack and the destruction of the hotel. There is that lingering sense that beneath the surface, beyond the brightness of those who ‘shine on’, the darkness threatens to return.

So, in light of my own personal opinions about horror, you have probably guessed by now that I prefer ‘quiet horror’, the kind that creeps up on you for maximum sublimity. I also like reading more visceral and extreme horror by authors like Edward Lee and Jack Ketchum, but I don’t get the same response to it as I do with more subtle and intricately crafted works like King’s The Shining, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, or Ghost Story by Peter Straub.

In many countries, genre fiction is considered the stepchild to mainstream literature, and horror even more so. Do you think this true of New Zealand? [And what can we do?]

Mention NZ Horror and most people would cite Peter Jackson as being its main proponent. Indeed, the history of NZ Horror is evident in a relatively short film history dating back to the late ‘70s, but not so in the history of our literature. Examples of works exhibiting various tropes and themes found in international mainstream horror fiction can be traced back through select works by some of NZ’s leading writers of their day. The likes of past (and present) NZ literary notables: Maurice Gee (Under the Mountain, and Firestarter), Ronald Hugh Morrieson (The Scarecrow), and Katherine Mansfield (The Daughters of the Late Colonel). All had elements of the horrific in their work, usually of the quasi-gothic variety with dark and ghostly romanticised scenes. Indeed, many of New Zealand’s leading fiction authors have been noted as having various ‘dark’ themes, a synchronicity shared with our cinematic productions. Much has been made of the Kiwi Gothic, but usually only in reference to film in this country:

The Kiwi Gothic constructs New Zealand not as a place of some pastoral idyll but rather as an environment where danger and horror lurk everywhere. The Antipodean gothic is generally considered to be an expression of the settler anxiety that derived from the confrontation with a hostile and alien environment, such as the native New Zealand bush. Unlike the European gothic, which often tells ghost stories set in old castles, the Kiwi version of the gothic often deals with alienation, family traumas and uncanny experiences in very familiar places.

The concept of Kiwi Gothic in NZ cinema can be quite easily aligned to our fiction.  The same characteristics and tropes are readily available in most contemporary NZ fiction. Unfortunately, the best and brightest of New Zealand authors of dark genre fiction have found more success overseas than here in our own country. I don’t even think that the literary elite of this country even consider horror to be a literary genre, let alone a part of the NZ literary canon and in some ways they would be correct. We don’t really have a firm tradition of stereo-typical horror fiction being written in this country (or at least being set here in NZ). I can’t recall ever reading or seeing a book written by a New Zealander about werewolves, zombies or vampires, roaming about our green countryside.

Most NZ authors (myself included) of horror, seem to understandably appeal to a greater international audience, rather than a small regional one where the best-seller lists are populated by sports biographies, cooking books and the occasional historical drama. It is almost too hard to break into the restrictive NZ literary market as a horror author, let alone an independent writer of the dark stuff. Any author of dark fiction who seems to be moderately successful, has achieved that success outside of the NZ market. There are a few exceptions, such as the brilliant and dark works of Mike Johnson (Dumb Show, and Travesty), paranormal author Eleanor Gill and the dark fantasy works of Elizabeth Knox, and then there are the crime fiction authors who write gritty thrillers such as Paul Cleave, Ben Sanders and Vanda Symons, but even then these authors mostly achieved their initial successes on international best-seller charts.

The only way works of horror can be accepted as a viable New Zealand genre, is if the reading public accepts them, seeks them out and purchases them on a regular basis through regional distribution channels, which also sell other NZ books. If the reader buys one of these hypothetical books knowingly; that is, knowing that it is a New Zealand horror story, it is advertised as such and appeals because of its genre basis, then we are halfway there. If enough local readers order said NZ horror books, then a channel will be created due to popular demand, but until there is enough of a trend in the fickle NZ book-buying market place, the main route for books of this nature will be either through savvy local suppliers and/or authors who know how to market on a regional level. 

Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, the market-place is so much bigger internationally that it does not make much financial sense to sell books locally, as so much still needs to be done to create awareness AND demand, for our particular genre. Because these distribution channels are currently so tightly controlled by a select network of suppliers and publishing houses, it is extremely difficult for small players to meet the same demands of a reading public who have settled largely for whatever is placed before them as representative of our literary culture and what is seen to be of the most popular appeal. Read: what will sell the most.

This also implies, that if an author (of horror) is not published by one of the main traditional publishing companies in NZ, then their chance of acceptance by the literary community (including readers) is very slim indeed. The horror genre has always had a certain amount of stigma attached to it anyway, no matter what country it is from. I think a large part of the problem for horror authors trying to get a foothold in the NZ market, is that we are comparatively such a small market-place. The fact that international statistics generally show that the horror genre is near the bottom in terms of sales and readership, also betrays the fact that when you transfer those same stats to the NZ market it is even less. The NZ reading public has a propensity for non-fiction which is our biggest seller according to recent surveys[i]; this fact alone makes the possibility of success, with one of the least popular genre-types, a rare thing indeed and is no surprise to those of us who have tried to get horror works published in this country. Thankfully, there have recently been a few small publishing houses who have started publishing dark fiction here. Independent publishers like Paper Road Press and Steam Press are producing quality horror/dark fantasy titles, but also carry other slip-stream genre titles due to necessity (I presume).

Horror, will probably never be the bread and butter of NZ publishing unless it also serves an international market (especially digitally). Although, in saying that, with an ever-increasing population and small enclaves of writers of dark fiction popping up around the country; potentially, it could be a growth market with the right marketing and distribution network, but in my opinion would need a pioneering publishing company (or author) to take the reins and drive quality works of dark fiction to market in a sustainable and stimulation manner.

What can be done in the future, to open the market-place for NZ authors of dark fiction? Authors need to stand up and take hold of the reins and write distinctly New Zealand horror and not be afraid to be pigeon-holed as horror authors. Perhaps, Elizabeth Knox has been the leading proponent of this attitude – she has written publicly of her love of the horror genre and the influence it has had on her own work. Knox’s novel Wake could be seen as a prime example of what a good NZ horror novel should be:

1.) It is set in New Zealand

2.) It is written in a distinctly New Zealand vernacular

3.) it is pitched at the New Zealand reading public as a horror novel and,

4.) it has been accepted by the New Zealand reading public as a reasonably popular choice at the time of publication.

The New Zealand Listener even noticed this point of difference in Knox’s work, compared to the majority of NZ fiction that is usually classed as literary fiction:

Elizabeth Knox has long shown a studied indifference to those readers (and critics) who demand a strict separation between genre and literary fiction, to the benefit of both.

The same critic, Craig Ranapia, goes on to astutely point out that:

Horror fiction – and that’s what Wake splendidly is – will always be the red-haired stepchild of that already disreputable literary clan, genre fiction. How could it be otherwise? No matter how popular horror fiction is, those who trade in knowing what we most deeply fear, and why, are never entirely welcome guests.

And it is perhaps in this last statement that the answer to Lee’s question lies; like an undead zombie caught in a perpetual state of ‘dead-alive,’ the horror genre (New Zealand or otherwise), is always attempting to rise above the hubris that keeps it buried on the literary outskirts of acceptable mainstream popular fiction.

Poetry has always been a means of addressing our personal demons. Does this mean dark poetry is more likely to gain wider readership? What has been your experience with your volume Corpus Delicti?

No, not at all. ANY type of poetry, dark or otherwise, only appeals to a very limited market. Despite dealing with subjects many other poets choose to ignore, dark poetry has a very select readership and in my experience is not widely read, let alone understood. Once again, because the horror genre has such a small slice of genre sales ‒ unless it is rebranded as something else like Stephen King’s works ‒ it stands to reason that dark/horror poetry has an even smaller slice of that same pie. Dark poetry is a great way to confront issues and fears from the writer’s perspective, but depending on the tastes of the reader of verse, the appeal is limited by both the formal aspects of the poetry and the scope of the subject matter and the way it is transcribed. Most people find poetry tough-going at the best of times, especially poetry that doesn’t operate on a simplistic, superficial level. Poetry that deals with difficult themes and is technically adept and intellectually complex, will always only appeal to a select few and usually then, only other poets or academics who do nothing else but study the form and technique of poetry. That is, it seems to ‘take one, to understand one.’ If, for example, you are a poet who does not write in traditional forms and who doesn’t employ conventional rhyme schemes, then your audience will be limited once again, as opposed to the poet who writes ‘sing-song’ verse where everything rhymes to the point where the poem just becomes a cliché or facsimile (style-wise) of gothic poets like Edgar Allen Poe, and reeking of imitation.

Personally speaking, I don’t like contemporary rhyming verse, and almost always prefer a free-verse style that allows the poet to tell a story, as much as describe something in an aesthetic manner. Poetry brought me to short fiction and short fiction to long-form narrative and for that reason I feel it is important for me, as a writer, to continue to practice the craft of poetry to complement my fiction writing skills. To be able to write succinctly and with impact and meaning is a skill I learned from years of writing poetry and I guess without having that vent of creative expression, my personal demons would have existed more off the page than on. So, yes, I have addressed and entertained many personal experiences and imaginations with my poetry but unless a reader identifies with my experience ‒interspersed with literary style, technique and the ‘meaning’ I want to imply and reveal ‒ then it really has no appeal to a wider readership. Many readers weave their own experiences and meaning into the poems and I love that and it is something I aspire to achieve with my poetry: that it will at least invoke a response or provoke the imagination on some level with the reader.

I am currently working on a new collection, titled Beyond the Black Gate which is deliberately written in a confessional style that focuses on a single subject in order to solicit identification with the reader. The collection deals with the topic of depression. The Black Gate is a play on the conventional use of the Black Dog as a metaphorical symbol/mascot for depression. Here is the first poem which is written in a loose traditional form (sonnet) and with a subtle rhyme scheme, but also written in a contemporary manner:

Black Gate Sonnet

This is no ‘Black Dog’; such an animal

does not exist. This curse names of itself

The Black Gate – it’s mind is all of its own

a sentry of pain guards one’s mental health

permitting entry to none but the self

once inside, the gate is closed until death –

comes calling, or the night grants some respite

as black mists swallow the heart’s shallow breath

and the dark veil envelopes the sick mind

shutting out the world’s grim realities,

and once again the Black Gate covets time;

imprisoned life, jailed so mercilessly.

Deep inside, the mind heals slowly until inured

out the Black Gate goes, the self, degrees improved.

There are two main reasons for my use of a semi-traditional style or form in the lead poem. For me, poetry always follows and builds upon tradition and the canon which comes before – mainly because poetry has existed for centuries and most human subjects and experience have been written of previously, by far greater poets than myself. I am a big fan of Shakespeare and Donne’s sonnets and usually model any poems in the sonnet form on a select example by one of these two greats. I do so as a nod to my heroes and also just to leave readers in no doubt, that what they are about to read is poetry and, hopefully, intellectually and aesthetically challenging poetry that will demand they at least know how to read poetry. Once the initial poem is read, then I switch predominantly to the free-verse style I championed above. The stories begin, imbued with all the tropes and technique used in traditional verse forms, but written in a contemporary narrative style. I love using metaphor, simile, analogy, and allegory amongst other poetic devices. I also love cryptography and often hide words and secret anagrams in my verse, in the hope that an astute reader might break the code and reveal another layer of meaning that enlarges the scope of the poem. Sometimes, I also like to subvert the process and add archaic terminology or foreign phrases to reference another (usually classic) poem within the free-verse contemporary form. The collection essentially relays my own experience of depression, with a selection of poetry that deals with the dark side of this disease of the mind and also the light that comes after the darkness has gone. The verse is not horror poetry per se but it deals with fundamental human experiences of dark themes related to the depressive state. Hopefully, it might resonate with someone else who suffers from the same malady and, at the end of the day, it will be a cathartic experience for myself upon completion.

If you were stuck with [insert name of favorite international horror writer] in an elevator, what is the one thing you would hope they would take away about New Zealand horror. 

Interesting question. Of course, it would have to be the ‘king of horror’ – Stephen King – trapped in the elevator with me. I would hope to convince him that New Zealand was a highly literate culture, with the gothic underpinnings of a dark and tumultuous colonial and cultural history that readily lent itself to producing fine works of literature that employ the genre tropes and practices of the best horror writers. That we are growing, not just in terms of population but in terms of ideas and the scope of our realization, that we can indeed be top players in an international market place. That we have a distinct voice (when we are not afraid to use it) and that that voice is unique and distinctive and interesting to the rest of the world, if done properly. I would suggest he looks at the landscape and the people in order to understand our literature and to see the dynamic potential of future works of dark fiction, set in such a dramatic and sublime environment.

You’re overnighting in a crypt with only one candle, what book are you reading?

The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Can you name some Kiwi horror talent we should have on our radar right now? Anyone coming through the ranks who we should note?

A hard question merely by the fact that my recommendation is only as good as my reading experience. I’m sure that there are NZ authors of horror who I am not aware of and who I have not read and if you are out there, please accept my personal invitation to join my Facebook group: NZ Horror Writers. Okay, well the ones I have read and enjoyed are as follows: Tim Jones (Extreme Weather Events, Landfall and Transported) although he’d probably suggest his work was more speculative fiction than horror. Cat Connor (her Byte series especially), Gary Cross (Borderland), Paul Haines (deceased – The Last Days of Kali Yuga) and Paul Mannering (Tankbread series) to name a few. I’ve also heard that a recently released book called Into the Mist is a terrifying read by a talented New Zealand author, goes by the name Lee Murray – you might’ve heard of her [wink]. Unfortunately, I wish I could give you more names of new talent writing horror in New Zealand but I have yet to read/hear of them.

Aw thank you. [Blushes]. Moves on. You’ve written a book on self-publishing, advising writers about building their platforms. Any special tips for horror writers? 

Most of what I have learned about self-publishing, outside of my own experience, has been from my interactions with writers who have successfully achieved best-seller status as independent authors. I’m not sure I can offer any advice for horror writers specifically, but for all indie/self-published authors – having your own website is a no-brainer. Even a blog will do, where you can list your books with live links so that your readers can purchase them and where you can build an email list for future promotions and interactions with your readers. There are a whole bunch of things you can do to promote yourself, but perhaps the best piece of advice I can offer is to find a mentor or role-model. Someone who is where you want to be and who is happy to share advice on how to get there. After interviewing over fifteen successful authors who have been able to maintain financially viable existences as full-time writers, key commonalities stand out. 

In the first volume of Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors I analyzed the interviews and compared answers so that I could summarize the best practices of each and all of the interviewees.  My best advice would be to do your homework and take advice from those who have actually achieved best-seller status (if that’s where you want your writing to take you) and, perhaps most importantly, enjoy what you do, don’t give up, and build your passion so that even if you don’t earn the big dollars, you’ll have a damn good time along the way. If you are interested in what the top-dogs have to say about their self-publishing adventures, you can buy a copy of Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors here. Also, all the interviews are available via my new website where you can also download a cheat-sheet that will help you boost your online presence and sales efforts.

Your worst fear? Is it a feature of any of your own work?

Sharks give me the heebie-jeebies and no, I seem to have avoided them in my work to date.

Work you’re most proud of and why?

I guess Blood Related because I have invested so much time in doing it properly and tweaking it to be the best it can be as my flag-ship publication. I am also really proud of Fresh Fear: Contemporary Horror, which I edited and compiled. It was a real learning curve putting together this anthology and put me in the position of being able to connect and communicate with some great writers that I have looked up to for so long. Authors like Ramsey Campbell, J.F. Gonzalez and Charlee Jacob to name a few. I have just recently received the rights back and will be republishing a new edition with a new cover and new lay-out, so I am looking forward to being able to give it a new lease of life and continue to promote the authors included.

I have read Fresh Fear. That is one scary book! So what’s on your horizon? Any new projects?

Lots of things. I always have at least two projects on the go at any given time. As mentioned, I am working on a new collection of poetry titled Beyond the Black Gate; I am also working on a sequel to Blood Related which is looking on track for a December release all going well. I have a few other projects that will keep me very busy until the end of the year and should be able to maintain a steady publication schedule throughout the remainder of 2016 into 2017. A new collection of short (dark) fiction is nearly complete, as is a collection of miscellaneous multi-genre fiction, tentatively titled ‘Quirks’ – both of which should be published before Christmas. To stay tuned for details, please subscribe to my website. For a limited time I am giving away a free digital edition of my collection, Dreams of Thanatos to new subscribers here. You can also follow me on Amazon to get regular updates whenever I release a new book. Thanks for the great interview, Lee.

Thanks for stopping by William!

LINKS

Website: http://williamcookwriter.com

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/william-cook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/williamcook666

[i] http://www.booksellers.co.nz/members/services-membership/contemporary-fiction-aotearoa

Paul Cleave, Ben Sanders, Vanda Symons, Elizabeth Knox, Mike Johnson, Eleanor Gill, Paper Road Press, Steam Press, NZ Horror, New Zealand Horror Fiction, New Zealand Horror, Craig Ranapia, Stephen King, Cat Connor, Paul Mannering, Tim Jones, Paul Haines, Gary Cross, Lee Murray, Ramsey Campbell, Charlee Jacob, J.F. Gonzalez 

William Cook - Writer: RECOMMENDED TOP TEN MOTIVATIONAL BOOKS - WILLIAM C...

William Cook - Writer: RECOMMENDED TOP TEN MOTIVATIONAL BOOKS - WILLIAM C...: Over the course of my reading years, several non-fiction books have stood out for me that I have referred to time and time again. Whenever ...

Anatomy of a Poem

Recently I was asked to select a poem to be read for a podcast called ‘Whispers in the Dark’. The narrator and producer for the show is Viktor Aurelius. The poem is titled ‘Reflections Upon Life At The Point Of Death’.

Background and thought behind the poem:

The key to the meaning of this poem is in the title. It is essentially a meditative hypothetical poem that questions what it is to be alive – in particular, from the viewpoint of a poet in the midst of an existential crisis. The romantic imaginings of the poet reference slices of motifs from his favourite literature, e.g. Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Billy Budd, Pilgrim’s Progress, Leaves of Grass, The Inferno etc. The poet’s life in death reflects the art to which he has devoted his life and by which he has been guided. The existential poet’s concluding stanza reveals the hopelessness of art and the futility of mortal existence, as he realizes that ‘life’ is nothing more than an experience to be lived. Nothing more, nothing less.  The poem is written self-consciously and with the reader in mind – the verse intends to leave the astute reader with as many questions as impressions. Make of it what you will.

The poem was originally titled 'To Traverse This Time'

 

Reflections Upon Life At The Point Of Death

Am I awake or in a dream?

Wandering in hopeless night

a huge hole in the black peat

of some lonely mist-bitten moor

I fall into its depths to land

on a hard slab of worm-ridden Norwegian wood.

Through a crack in the lid I see

a million gleaming skulls – between

there and now I recognize . . .

a cracked cranium, a gold filling

a glass eye, a captain’s cap

all in various stages of decay.

Now, standing on the lip of the mouth

I ask myself, Am I a memory

an ancient form, a word, a clown

a fool, a reptile, or an embryo . . ?

I begin to walk away, to wander more

to search for signs, a light in dark

blood on the stones, evidence

of my life in all life . . . something.

Am I an infant, a bird, an energy

an aardvark, a cracking bone, a stretch of skin . . ? 

I reach the point, the line, where worlds

become one – where one ceases to exist

as they have before, but yet as they always have . . .

Am I a moment in time and place, a feeling

of pain or joy, a breath, a reflection,

a youth, an aged dying being, someone

aware of their limits and capacities . . ?

I go beyond that place to the land of ghosts

and Prophets; to nature’s time, to the unknown

but the imagined, to the stars and the core

of the earth, to my heart and to a line that is

not to be traversed, but traced . . .

Am I a dream, an old being, a state of mind

a veil of blood floating on a mirrored lake . . ?

When I get there I have many questions

that will remain forever unanswered,

yet glimpses will avail themselves, only

to be discovered on another plane;

another sphere of experience, far from finite . . .

Am I a sick thing, a dead one, a chain-link

a tree, a grain of sand, a construction of chaos

a dissolution of matter . . ?

I am here now. I have gone and returned.

I have ceased to breathe, in order to live . . .

Here I truly am alive, in death and dreams

unburdened of the physical realm,

now just another fading memory.

New Release from William Cook + #FREE #Book Promotion

Hi everyone  - hope all is well with you and life is going swimmingly. I have some exciting news to share today. Finally, the redux version of my debut novel, Blood Related, is available in both print and EBook exclusively through Amazon (U.S. & U.K. links below). After getting the rights back from my previous publisher I decided to self-publish through my imprint, King Billy Publications. With much research and debate I decided to go for it! I had it professionally edited and formatted, I cut and trimmed and shaped it, into a more fast-paced, tension-filled, thriller novel. I am very happy with the results and hope you guys will like it too. If you're uncertain, check out the free preview on Amazon to get a taste for the novel. Hopefully you'll enjoy it enough to leave a review which would be a great help (wink, wink). I have set the price low for the first month on Amazon ($2.99 - Kindle, $12.99 - Amazon print) so get in quick before it goes up at the end of August.

I have had the good fortune to receive some fantastic blurbs/reviews from some of the leading authors in the Horror and Thriller genres. This is what Graham Masterton, best-selling author of The Manitou and The House That Jack Built, says about Blood Related: "William Cook tells a gruesome story with a sense of authenticity that makes you question with considerable unease if it really is fiction, after all." Joe McKinney is another best-selling author who read Blood Related and offered this fantastic blurb: "This man is simply scary. There is both a clinical thoroughness and a heartfelt emotional thoroughness to his writing. He manages to shock as well as empathize, to scare as well as acclimatize, yet beneath it all is a well read intelligence that demands to be engaged. I loved Blood Related. Ordinarily I hate serial killer stories, but William Cook won me over. He is a unique and innovative talent." 

 

Here is the blurb and the new links for the book. Remember if you get in quickly you can get the book now at the discounted cost before it goes up end of August:

For over two decades, Detective Ray Truman has been searching for the killer or killers who have terrorized Portvale. Headless corpses, their bodies mutilated and posed, have been turning up all over the industrial district near the docks. The remains of young female prostitutes have been the killer’s victims of choice, but now other districts are reporting the gruesome discovery of decapitated bodies. It seems the killer has expanded his territory as more ‘nice girls’ feel the wrath of his terrible rage. This horrifically disturbing tale of a family tree of evil will embed itself in the mind of the reader, long after the last page has been turned. A crime thriller in the vein of other power-packed thrillers like Thomas Harris's 'Silence of the Lambs' and James Ellroy's 'Killer on the Road.'

Meet the Cunninghams . . .
A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.

Meet Caleb Cunningham . . .
Caleb is a disturbed young man whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his Father’s suicide, Cunningham’s disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is to be released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose when the brothers combine their psychopathic talents. Eventually stepping out from the shadows of his murderous forebears, Caleb puts in motion his own diabolical plan to reveal himself and his ‘art’ to the world. He’s a true aesthete. An artist of death. His various ‘installations’ have not received the status he feels they deserve, so Caleb is expanding his ‘canvas.’

Meet Ray Truman . . .
A tragic cop whose personal demons won’t let him rest. Overworked and underpaid, Truman is tenacious as a pit-bull. He won’t rest ‘til he’s brought to justice Portvale’s infamous serial killer. His battle with his own demons gives him the strength to chase the shadows and to cut corners when necessary, as he embarks on the hunt of his life. His search leads him to the Cunningham’s house of horrors. What he finds there will ultimately lead him to regret ever meeting Caleb Cunningham and the deviant family that spawned him. The hunter becomes the hunted as Truman digs deeper into the abyss that is the horrifying mind of the most dangerous psychopath he has ever met.Warning: R18+ contains adult content + graphic violence & psychological horror.

PAPERBACK

AMAZON U.S. - http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Related-William-Cook/dp/151511547X/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437343378&sr=1-1&keywords=Blood+Related+William+Cook

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KINDLE

AMAZON U.S. - http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Related-William-Cook-ebook/dp/B011LSLNSM/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437343378&sr=1-1&keywords=Blood+Related+William+Cook

AMAZON U.K. - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Related-William-Cook-ebook/dp/B011LSLNSM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437343530&sr=8-2&keywords=William+Cook+Blood+Related

Did you grab your copy? Great (and thank you).

Anyway, in other news, I have just lined up the next mob of authors for my popular interview series - 'Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors.'* The first series, including authors: Matt Shaw, April M Reign, Mark Edward Hall, Russell Blake, William Malmborg, Matt Drabble and Michaelbrent Collings, was such a hit that I will continue it for as long as there are best-selling self-published authors out there (long may it last). As a result of the success of the first series I have edited and compiled the interviews into a book that will be released early August. Along with the original interviews, there is a significant essay written by myself and in-depth analysis of each author's tips and their individual success stories. This book is essential reading for any author who is thinking about venturing into self-publishing and for self-published authors who are looking to lift their game and increase their sales and online presence. It will also be of interest to fans of these authors and anyone interested in the process of writing and/or self-publishing. Check out the interviews here and stay tuned for the opportunity to pre-order on Amazon. The new line-up of best-selling self-published interviews, includes the following fantastic writers: David Moody, Iain Rob Wright, Armand Rosamilia, Michale Bunker, J Thorn, Jeremy Bates, Michael Bray and Michael Thomas. The next run (yes, there will be more) I hope to bring you more successful female self-published authors. 

*Personal invitation: if you are a best-selling (paid, not free rankings) self-published author and would like to be part of this project, please leave a comment below or email me here.

Thanks again for reading my blog/website and I hope you take advantage of the various things on offer today. If you haven't subscribed already to this site, please do so now and receive a FREE copy of my popular collection of macabre tales, 'Dreams of Thanatos.' Just click on the image below or click this link here.

 As a final bonus, here's another freebie for you. Have a great week. 

Until next time.

PERMA-FREE - GRAB A COPY NOW! 

Fast Train To Hell . . .
From the belly of the swamp issues forth a visit in the middle of the night from a force as dark and unimaginable as hell itself. Poor pig-farmer Abel Laroux, must battle the demons of his past as well as the nightmarish reality of the present, as he confronts a devilish visitor who has come to collect on an outstanding debt, inherited by Abel from his forefathers.
Bonus Features: Includes an excerpt from the author's novel, 'Blood Related' + the long poem 'The Temper of The Tide', in its entirety.
Warning: contains adult content + themes of supernatural & psychological horror.

AMAZON U.K.

#Amazon #FREEKINDLE  #Horror  #Kindle  #mystery  #novel #psychologicalthriller  #thriller  #ThrillerNovel  @Amazon, Amazon, Blood Related, Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors, 

Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors #1 - Mark Edward Hall

Hi everyone - hope you are all well and enjoying life as much as possible. For those of you readers who sometimes wonder what all the hullabaloo is about self-publishing vs traditional publishing, this is the first in a series of exclusive interviews with best-selling self-published authors. The interviews will pretty much reveal all you need to know (plus more!) about why some authors choose to publish their work independently (as opposed to traditionally). For authors (and prospective authors) thinking of self-publishing, or wondering similar questions, I hope that this series of interviews will offer you some valuable tips and advice from these best-selling self-published authors that you can use to navigate and hone your own adventures in today's exciting digital publishing world. Without further ado, let's kick it all off with this fantastic interview with best-selling author Mark Edward Hall.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your writing and for the way you brand yourself as an author?

As a writer my inspiration comes from the world around me. I’m a news junkie and I like to use current events as inspiration. I’ve also done a lot of reading in my life and use historical events in the mix.

My unique author branding comes from a mix of genres. For the most part my novels are hard to categorize. They’re a mix of crime, scifi, horror, fantasy and apocalyptic. Some say this is the kiss of death but it’s been very successful for me.

There’s always a little romance (and sex) in there as well, because to me it can’t be real without the tensions of love, the single most important driving force in human history. You have to remember that love and sex were here long before money and greed.

I do write some straight horror, and I love it, but the supernatural thriller is where I’m most at home.

Did you try to get publishing contracts for your books early on with traditional book publishers? If so, did you have any success there or if not what was it that made you decide to self-publish the majority of your work?

My first novel, The Lost Village, was completed in the late nineties. At the time the Scott Meredith agency in New York had something called the Discovery Program. You send them four hundred bucks and they promised to put your book at the top of the slush pile and get back to you within a few months. They were a major agency with a great reputation, so I said, why the hell not and sent it along. They were true to their word. Within sixty days I heard from a kind editor who told me the book was amazing, that I had a promising future as a writer, but The Lost Village was too long and therefore unpublishable. He said there wasn’t a publisher on the planet who would publish a 258,000 word novel from an unknown. He said if I was King or Patterson, no problem. But I wasn’t King or Patterson. Please send something else along that’s at a more appropriate length, say 90 to 110 thousand words.

This was in 2002 and I said screw it and published it myself. Back then, there weren’t any kindles or nooks so I went with one of those vanity presses. The book came out quite well. It was in hardcover and paperback and I was happy with it. I joined the New England Horror writers, did some group signings and actually sold quite a lot of books.  To the chagrin of some of the other members who were all traditionally published authors. I was the only outlier.

I did a tremendous amount of self- promo and soon I was receiving fan mail, some from as far away as Australia and the UK. By 2004 I had written two more books, The Haunting of Sam Cabot and The Holocaust Opera, both horror stories. I self-published them both. In 2009 I got an email from a new small press publisher called Damnation Books who wanted to publish my work. They subsequently republished all three of my novels. I signed away my rights for five years. I wish I never had. The royalty rate was a little higher than most traditional publishers but still terrible. That was about the time kindle exploded on the scene. Damnation did very little for me other than put my books out there and let them go stagnant. I was sorry I’d given my rights away.

In the meantime, I wrote three more novels and several novellas. These I self-published. No way was I ever going to let another publisher have my books. Apocalypse Island came out in 2012 and has done amazingly well. Soul Thief, its sequel, came out the following year and is doing very well also. I’m publishing the third in the series (Song of Ariel) as a serial novel simply because my readers are demanding more now.

I know this is a long answer to your short question. The simple answer is, this is my publishing history. I never sent out queries to hundreds of publishers like so many other writers did. I’m independent and love going it alone. Damnation Books was my one fall down and I’ll never let that happen again. By the way, I received the rights back to The Haunting of Sam Cabot last September, and have sold more copies in five months than I did in five years with a publisher. I get the other two books back this year. That’s it, unless I am offered millions of dollars from a major publisher, I will never ever consider signing with one again. And I will never sign away my digital rights for any price. This is the future and any author who doesn’t retain his or her digital rights is a fool.

Once you have decided that self-publishing might be your route, what financial and artistic considerations should you keep in mind before you begin?

Keep in mind that it’s all on you. You hire an editor. You hire a book cover artist. You either learn how to do the formatting and uploading yourself or you hire someone to do it. If you’re willing to do the work the rewards can be tremendous, if you’re not willing to do the work, keep sending those queries out and hope someday some publisher will shine his light down on you. You’ll earn 17.5% of the retail price of the book. If you publish yourself you’ll earn 70%. To me it’s no contest. You can hire a lot of editor and cover artist for the difference.

What do you see as your most innovative promotional strategy?

Freedom. Freedom to play with the price point, freedom to change the cover art if the old one isn’t working, freedom to change the product description. Freedom to promote at will and reap all the benefits. There are many.

What kind of marketing did you do to establish your author brand and what do you think is the most successful type of marketing for self-published authors?

It’s different for everybody. A mailing list is essential. You can set one up at Mailchimp. It’s easy. Put the link in the beginning and at the end of each book. If they like your work they’ll sign up. When you put something new out send them a notification. These are almost guaranteed sales.

Play with price points. Use paid ads. Book Bub is a good one if you can get accepted. Trust me, it’s well worth the cost.

Social networks don’t really work well for me. I rarely advertise my books on social. Getting around and being friendly without always trying to sell your work will get you more brownie points than hawking your wares like an insurance salesman. Try promoting your friend’s books, it’ll come back to you in spades.

By the way, when you’re on social networks, don’t be a jerk and don’t get political. You want people of all political bents to buy your books.  

Is there any one thing that you have determined has helped you sell more books – i.e. could you outline your path to establishing your brand and your most successful sales method/s as?

I’ve given away more than a million books. That’s my secret. And in doing so I’ve sold tens of thousands.

‘Oh, but Mark, if you give them away you’re losing valuable sales.’ I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this, and it’s simply not true. Those are people who would never have bought your book to begin with. They never would have heard of you. What you’ve done is put your books in the hands of readers who might never heard of you, and if they like your book, will tell a friend or family member and they’ll buy your book. I know, it’s happened to me hundreds of times. Exposure is the name of the game, and you will get no exposure if you wait around for them to find your book on Amazon and then agonize over whether they should buy it or not.

The first time I did a bookbub promo I gave away more than fifty thousand books. Getting to #1 Free on Amazon sets off all sorts of algorithms and gives you tons of exposure. Immediately following the promo, I sold six thousand books. The book was Apocalypse Island and at 3.99 a book, I make 2.70 each. You do the math. BookBub will only consider a book once every six months so the more books you have out the better chance you have of doing this on a regular basis. 

How important are ‘series’ books to your success as a self-published author?

Extremely important. Essential. My Blue Light Series has made me an Amazon bestseller. I’m on the third book now with a fourth scheduled. After this series I have another one planned. Readers love series.

Do you design your own covers? How important do you think cover design is to a potential reader and how big a part do you think it has played in your success to date? 

I’ve designed about half my covers. I think covers are very important. If a cover works I leave it alone, if it doesn’t I play around with it until it starts to work. Like I said before, it’s one of the great things about being independent.

In your opinion, is traditional publishing on the way out? Do you think that traditional publishing can continue to keep up with the rise of self-publishing?

I don’t think traditional publishing will ever go away. There are those who will hold out for a traditional deal forever, even if it means starving to death. Good luck to them. I think traditional publishers need to retool. Strangely enough, I don’t think they foresaw the rise of ebooks, and if they did, they ignored it, hoping it would go away. They need to start treating their authors better. I’m not talking about celebrity authors who have the power to negotiate huge book deals, I’m talking about the midlist authors who barely make a living. These are the majority and they’re getting screwed. There’s an exodus going on right now and if publishers aren’t careful the only authors they’ll have are the top one hundred you see at the airport book store.

Do you feel there’s a good sense of community within the self-publishing industry?

I don’t know if I can adequately answer that question. Like I said, I don’t do much with social, I don’t do Kindle boards. I find it too hard to navigate and there are too many jerks over there. They can have it.

I’m on goodreads although I don’t do much with it. I find that goodreads reviewers are much more brutal than Amazon reviewers. I read a lot of complaints from authors about it.

What would you say is the single biggest advantage of deciding to self-publish?

Freedom!

Are there things you feel as though you missed out on by not going down the traditional publishing route (working alongside an editor, for example)?

Not at all.

Would you recommend other aspiring self-publishing authors pay for particular services? Editing or cover design, for example?

Absolutely. You want to be a writer? Take charge of your own career. The days of nurturing are over.

Are you in regular contact with other self-published authors and how important was any input you may have received early on in your career?  Do you have a mentor in terms of your self-publishing success – someone who may have inspired you to ‘give it a go’?

I gave it a go, all on my own, as I stated earlier in this interview, but yes there are several people who have inspired me and helped me along the way:

Joe Konrath, Hugh Howey and David Gaughran. If you’re a self -published writer and you don’t know who these people are, you’d better look them up. There’s a wealth of information on their blogs.

Where to from here? Are you currently represented by an agent and are you working with any publishers on future projects?

I don’t have an agent and I’m not working with any publishers at the moment. That could change. I would like to enter the foreign language market and you really do need an agent to handle the details. I’m working on it.

Can you offer any advice to fellow writers if you could go back in time and “do it all over?” What’s your top tip for other indie authors?

If I could go back in time I don’t think I’d change a thing. Everyone has his or her own individual journey, and no two are alike. Mine has been bumpy but rewarding.

My top tip for other indie authors is to hang in there. Don’t get discouraged. If you really want to be a writer, sit your ass in the seat and write the best book you can.

Finally, thanks for sharing your thoughts on self-publishing. Where is the best place for readers to find your books?

You’re very welcome, Will. I’ve enjoyed it. The best place to find my books is my Amazon author page here.

Mark Edward Hall Bio

Mark Edward Hall writes fast-paced thrillers with strong, relatable characters. His books have gained a steady following with readers who enjoy his blend of scifi, paranormal, occult, and suspense. His first book, "The Lost Village," became popular enough for Mark to focus entirely on writing. Since that book, Mark's popularity has grown, with "Apocalypse Island", the first book in the "Blue Light Series" becoming his most-read book to date and an Amazon Bestseller. "Soul Thief", the second book in the "Blue Light Series" is quickly gaining ground. Mark takes on big subjects with his books, dealing with government conspiracies, matters of faith and the heart. With his most recent book, "The Haunting of Sam Cabot" Mark presents a story that focuses on a small family, a haunted house and the father's slow decent into madness. Mark draws compelling characters whom readers are sad to leave behind when the book is finished.

Visit his blog at: http://www.markedwardhall.blogspot.com where you can sign up for e-mail updates and be the first to hear about new releases.

Connect with Mark on Facebook. He loves to chat with readers.

Follow him on Twitter.
 

What others are saying about Mark's books:

"Apocalypse Island is a major achievement." ~Kiana Davenport, internationally bestselling author of SHARK DIALOGUES, and THE SPY LOVER

"...an ambitious thriller..." ~New York Times Bestselling Author, Allan Leverone

"...eerily seductive ..." ~Midwest Book review

This interview was originally posted here on www.williamcookwriter.com

Mark Edward Hall, Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors, Self-Publishing, #selfpub, Writing, Amazon Best-sellers, Selfpublishing vs traditional publishing, Mark Edward Hall, William Cook, Joe Konrath, Hugh Howey, David Gaughran