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Post by jamesdoig on Oct 7, 2016 20:48:30 GMT
Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso is an MA graduate of Creative Writing, Swansea University Wales. That's where I studied many moons ago - a fine place it was too.
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Post by David A. Riley on Oct 19, 2016 23:42:39 GMT
Parallel Universe News: We have three collections of short stories scheduled to be published over the next few months. One is only waiting for the cover to be finished, while the others are still in the editorial stage. Next year, though, PUP will be concentrating on a major new project, a deluxe limited edition hardback of the work of award-winning artist Jim Pitts. This will be filled with both black and white and colour illustrations spanning his career from the 1970s to the present day, with articles and interviews about him and his work. It will be a mammoth project and one which will take up much of the first half of next year. More information later. Incidentally, one of the books I am working on for completion this year is a collection of stories by Pan Books of Horror veteran David Williamson, who had four stories published in the series. The new collection will include all of these stories.
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Post by David A. Riley on Nov 24, 2016 18:13:41 GMT
I am pleased to be able to announce that the next book to be published by Parallel Universe Publications will be by Pan Books of Horror veteran, David Williamson - The Chameleon Man & Other Terrors. This book will see the first publication since they appeared in the legendary Pan series of T he Sandman, The Too Good Samaritan, The Not So Good Samaritan, and No Room at the Flat. Also included are stories that previously appeared in the Black Books of Horror, Demons and Devilry, Alt-Zombie, Horror Uncut, and Horrific History, as well as some origional to this collection. paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.co.uk/
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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 8, 2016 19:55:04 GMT
Just in time for Christmas, David Williamson's The Chameleon Man & Other Terrors has just been published by Parallel Universe Publications. The trade paperback version is now available from both amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. trade paperback: amazon.co.uk £8.99 amazon.com $11.99 This collection includes four tales that originally appeared in the Pan Books of Horror. Contents are: The Procedure The Scryer No Room at the Flat The Sandman The Too Good Samaritan The Not So Good Samaritan The Chameleon Man The Switch Rest in Pieces Ashes to Ashes Blind Date Herbert Manning's Psychic Circus The Boy Ten Weeks Din-Dins for Binky A Reflection of the Times And the Dead Shall Speak Boys will be Boys A Night to Remember A Problem Shared David Williamson has been writing horror stories for many years, and was first published in the prestigious Pan Book of Horror series, where he had a tale in number 28. This was followed by a further three stories in Pan number 30 which, sadly, turned out to be the last of that great series. It was not until he was contacted by Johnny Mains, a walking encyclopaedia in the field of Pan Horror and its authors, that his passion for writing horror was once more re-kindled, and Johnny introduced him to Charles Black, the editor of The Black Book of Horror. Since then, David has been a regular contributor to the wonderful Black Books series, alongside many other well known authors both from the Pan era and more recent times. He has also appeared in several other anthologies from publishers such as Hersham Horror, Gray Friar Press and Hazardous Press. He lives in West Sussex near the sea.
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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 13, 2016 17:58:47 GMT
We have three books lined up for publication in the opening months of 2017. The first will be Joseph Rubas's fine collection of stories, titled Shades: Dark Tales of Supernatural Horror. Joseph Rubas began writing in 2002 after reading Stephen King’s The Stand. His earliest efforts reflected his deep love of that novel; he tried again and again to write a rip-off, but finally gave up around 2006 and resigned himself to writing original fiction. His first short story was published in May 2010 on the now defunct Horror Bound Online website. His second story was published in September 2010 in a Pushcart Prize nominated literary magazine for new and beginning writers called The Storyteller. Since then, his work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. His first collection, the now out of print Pocketful of Fear, was released by a small publisher in 2012. His second collection, After Midnight, appeared in 2014. His short fiction has appeared in: Nameless Digest; The Horror Zine; Eschatology Journal; Thuglit; Manor House; All Due Respect, and others. He has self-published three longer works: The Rocking Dead: Seasons 1-3 (a parody of the AMC series The Walking Dead); The Rocking Dead: Season 4; The Shapeshifter; and Dracula 1912, the latter a novel. In addition to writing, he has also edited two anthologies: A Thorn of Death (2012) and The 3rd Spectral Book of Horror Stories (2016). He currently resides in Albany, New York. The second will be a collection written by Carl Barker: Parlour Tricks. No cover available to show yet, but it will be the work of award-winning artist Jim Pitts. Further details on this in the near future. The third will be a collection from Mike Chinn: Radix Omnium Malum & Other Incursions. Mike Chinn lives in Birmingham, UK, with his wife Caroline and their tribe of guinea pigs. In 2012 he took early retirement so he can spend more time writing (and not housework). Over the years he has published over sixty short stories, as well as editing three volumes of THE ALCHEMY PRESS BOOK OF PULP HEROES, and SWORDS AGAINST THE MILLENNIUM, also for The Alchemy Press. His own contribution to the Pulp Adventure genre, THE PALADIN MANDATES garnered two nominations for the British Fantasy Award in 1999. A second Damian Paladin book, WALKERS IN SHADOW, is to be published by Pro Se Productions; as is a Western: REVENGE IS A COLD PISTOL. In 2015, his Sherlock Holmes steampunk mash-up, VALLIS TIMORIS (Fringeworks), sent the famous detective to the Moon.
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Post by David A. Riley on Jan 7, 2017 12:41:21 GMT
Joseph Rubas's collection, Shades: Dark Tales of Supernatural Horror, published by Parallel Universe Publications, is now available to order in paperback. Jeani Rector, award-winning editor of The Horror Zine:“Joseph Rubas really delivers the scares in this collection of unexpected twists and exciting plot-lines. His work is fresh and original, and rich with dark delights. Don’t miss this book of frights; and keep your lights on at night when you read it.” Joseph Rubas began writing in 2002 after reading Stephen King’s The Stand. His earliest efforts reflected his deep love of that novel; he tried again and again to write a rip-off, but finally gave up around 2006 and resigned himself to writing original fiction. His first short story was published in May 2010 on the now defunct Horror Bound Online website. His second story was published in September 2010 in a Pushcart Prize nominated literary magazine for new and beginning writers called The Storyteller. Since then, his work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. His first collection, the now out of print Pocketful of Fear, was released by a small publisher in 2012. His second collection, After Midnight, appeared in 2014. His short fiction has appeared in: Nameless Digest; The Horror Zine; Eschatology Journal; Thuglit; Manor House; All Due Respect, and others. He has self-published three longer works: The Rocking Dead: Seasons 1-3 (a parody of the AMC series The Walking Dead); The Rocking Dead: Season 4; The Shapeshifter; and Dracula 1912, the latter a novel. In addition to writing, he has also edited two anthologies: A Thorn of Death (2012) and The 3rd Spectral Book of Horror Stories (2016). He currently resides in Albany, New York. This Collection includes: Passing the Buck Midnight Aokigahara Snowbound Deja Vu The Ghostly Hitchhiker Just a Mask Meeting Ray Bradbury 5051 Bartley Square The Witching Hour Potter's Field The Warlock Confessional The Thing in the Woods The Lake House Chomo The Traveling Show of 2016 Evildoer A Perfect Life Fury Paint Night of the Dog trade paperback: amazon.co.uk £9.99 amazon.com $12.99
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Post by David A. Riley on Jan 19, 2017 10:18:06 GMT
I can now confirm that the new (or, more correctly, reinstated Hazardous Press cover) by Luke Spooner is now available as a trade paperback and an ebook. After leaving Hazardous Press and republishing Their Cramped Dark World under the Parallel Universe imprint, a new cover (based on a Goya painting) was substituted for the one by Luke Spooner. I was never wholly happy with this, if only because, on reconsideration, the Goya painting was a bit too overly familiar. Now, though, the original cover, specially designed for this collection by Luke Spooner, is back again. The stories in Their Cramped Dark World range from 1972 to 2012 and have all been published before by publishers such as Sphere Books, Corgi Books, Peeping Tom and Mortbury Press. Table of Contents: Hoody (first published in When Graveyards Yawn, Crowswing Books, 2006) A Bottle of Spirits (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 2, 1972) No Sense in Being Hungry, She Thought (first published in Peeping Tom #20, 1996) Now and Forever More (first published in The Second Black Book of Horror, 2008) Romero's Children (first published in The Seventh Black Book of Horror, 2010) Swan Song (first published in the Ninth Black Book of Horror, 2012) The Farmhouse (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 1, 1971) The Last Coach Trip (first published in The Eighth Black Book of Horror, 2011) The Satyr's Head (first published in The Satyr's Head & Other Tales of Terror, 1975) Their Cramped Dark World (first published in The Sixth Black Book of Horror, 2010)
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Post by dem bones on Jan 19, 2017 12:40:08 GMT
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Post by David A. Riley on Feb 22, 2017 19:37:27 GMT
The next book from Parallel Universe Publications, Mike Chinn's collection Radix Omnium Malum is now available in paperback. An e-book version will be out within the next two weeks. amazon.co.uk £9.99 amazon.com $12.99 Mike Chinn lives in Birmingham, UK, with his wife Caroline and their tribe of guinea pigs. In 2012 he took early retirement so he can spend more time writing (and not housework). Over the years he has published over sixty short stories, as well as editing three volumes of THE ALCHEMY PRESS BOOK OF PULP HEROES, and SWORDS AGAINST THE MILLENNIUM, also for The Alchemy Press. His own contribution to the Pulp Adventure genre, THE PALADIN MANDATES garnered two nominations for the British Fantasy Award in 1999. A second Damian Paladin book, WALKERS IN SHADOW, is to be published by Pro Se Productions; as is a Western: REVENGE IS A COLD PISTOL. In 2015, his Sherlock Holmes steampunk mash-up, VALLIS TIMORIS (Fringeworks), sent the famous detective to the Moon. Radix Omnium Malum and Other Incursions includes the following stories: “Radix Omnium Malum” originally published in THE GRIMORIUM VERUM ©2015 “Two Weeks Saturday” originally published in DARK HORIZONS 23 ©2004 “Kittens” originally published in READ RAW ©2009 “Blood of Eden” originally published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF DRACULA ©1997 “Suffer a Witch” originally published in SALVO 7 ©2003 “Cheechee’s Out” originally published in SECOND CITY SCARES ©2013 “The Owl that Calls” originally published on WikiWorm ©2013 “The Pygmalion Conjuration” originally published in THE TENTH BLACK BOOK OF HORROR ©2013 “To Die For” originally published in BFS JOURNAL 10 ©2014 “Sons of the Dragon” originally published in kZINE 1 ©2011 “Only the Lonely” originally published in DARK VALENTINE 4 ©2011 “Rescheduled” originally published in FINAL SHADOWS ©1991 “Considering the Dead” originally published in DARK MUSES, SPOKEN SILENCES ©2013 “Wednesday Morning at Five O’Clock” originally published in PHOBOPHOBIAS ©2014 “The Streets of Crazy Cities” and “The Mercy Seat” are original to this collection. ©2017
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Post by David A. Riley on Mar 24, 2017 11:10:44 GMT
We are pleased to announce that Benjamin Blake's acclaimed collection of poems, Standing on the Threshold of Madness, is the latest book available from Parallel Universe Publications. Respected Lovecraftian scholar S. T. Joshi had this to say about Benjamin Blake's collection: "I was most impressed with Standing on the Threshold of Madness. These dark, brooding vignettes do far more than send a shudder up one's spine (although they do that again and again, with elegance and panache). Benjamin Blake has found a way to infuse into his horrific lyrics a keen sensitivity to human emotions, an understanding of the fragility of life, and a bleak portrayal of the evanescence of all existence. This is a volume that aficionados of weird poetry will want to read over and over." S. T. Joshi. Other comments about Benjamin Blake and his poetry: “Benjamin Blake relishes funereal lyricism with a spice of surrealism.” - Ramsey Campbell "Language and imagery rule in this collection of dark visions. Blake has a distinctive voice, rich in surrealism, and he uses it to considerable effect." - Bruce Boston, SFPA Grandmaster Poet “A plethora of dark and haunting poems that could be likened to a bone chilling symphony overall! Mood enhancing language that will curdle the blood, and excellent, original imagery!” - Marge Simon, Bram Stoker Award winning poet amazon.co.uk £9.99 amazon.com $12.99
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Post by David A. Riley on Apr 26, 2017 16:56:46 GMT
In a bit of a departure for Parallel Universe Publications, we have just published a hard cover version of one of our books, Fishhead: The Darker Tales of Irvin S. Cobb, for those who prefer hard cover books over paperbacks. Copies are available from Parallel Universe. paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.co.uk/
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Post by David A. Riley on Jun 29, 2017 11:40:49 GMT
Our biggest project so far - and the reason why no other new titles have been published in the last few months by us - The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts: Rolling back the years... is now nearing completion. It's a large book - 8.5 x 11 inches, 212 pages, with a laminated hardcover - jam-packed with black and white and full colour illustrations. It will be launched at Fantasycon at the end of September, when many of the contributors will be on hand to sign copies. Amongst the contributors, with articles about their involvement with Jim over the years, are Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, David A. Sutton, Nick Caffrey, Peter Coleborn, and Jon Harvey. This is a copy of the front, back cover and spine:
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Post by David A. Riley on Jul 16, 2017 17:51:47 GMT
The next book to be published by PUP will be a collection of short stories called Nightscape from Eric Ian Steele. Eric Ian Steele is a novelist and screenwriter from Manchester, England. He is the writer of the horror novel The Autumn Man, as well as the thriller feature film The Student (2017) and the action/sci-fi feature film Clone Hunter (2010). He won the prestigious Writers on the Storm screenwriting contest in 2012 and has had short films produced across the USA. He has also written for hire on a children’s sci-fi animated TV series. His short stories range from science-fiction to horror and fantasy and can be found in numerous anthologies and magazines including Terror Tales alongside fiction by Neil Gaiman and Kim Newman, The Lovecraft E-Zine, Horror Without Victims, the superhero fiction anthology POW!erful Tales, and the zombie poetry collection Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes! Unlike earlier PUP books, Nightscape will initially be published in hardcover, price £19.99 and will be available for order within the next few weeks. It includes eleven tales: Charlie - first published in Terror Tales #4, edityed by John B. Ford and Paul Kane The Musical Box - first published in Chaos Theory: Tales Askew #13, edited by A. A. Roberts The Groaner in the Glen - first published in The Lovecraft eZine #29, edited by Mike Davis City of the Damned - first published in In Bad Dreams II Black Annis - first published in The Willows #1, edited by Ben Thomas After the Fall - first published in Chaos Theory: Tales Askew #3, edited by A. A. Roberts Moths - first published in Scifantastic Cycle - first published in Terminal Earth A Dahlia Among the Roses, Ars Armortia, and Indian Summer are original to this collection.
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Post by David A. Riley on Aug 3, 2017 13:12:26 GMT
As well as the hardcover version of Eric Ian Steele's horror/SF story collection, Nightscape, a trade paperback version (£9.99) will also be available within the next few days. As a screenwriter, Eric's latest movie, The Student, will be out soon, starring Alica Leigh Willis and Blake Michael. Below is the poster from this movie. And this is the cover of the paperback version of Nightscape, which is very little different to the hardcover.
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Post by David A. Riley on Jan 3, 2018 15:06:43 GMT
Although we are still closed to submissions for novels and collections, we are now open for a charity anthology we will be publishing later this year.
The book will be Kitchen Sink Gothic 2, and all proceeds will be donated to a charity for the homeless (details to be announced soon). As such, there will be no payment for any of the stories appearing in this book other than a contributor's copy, but we are open both to original stories and reprints.
As with the first volume the book will be edited by David and Linden Riley. This time it will have an introduction by John Gilbert, editor of Fear magazine.
To give an idea of the kind of stories we are looking for, here is the Introduction from 2015's Kitchen Sink Gothic:
"M. John Harrison used the term kitchen sink gothic in association with Robert Aickman. After quoting John Coulthart’s description of Aickman as having the “quotidian Britishness of Alan Bennett darkening into the inexplicable nightmares of David Lynch”, he added: “I often return to BBC4′s The Golden Age of Canals, which features Aickman as a broody, nerdy TE Lawrence of the waterways, for its footage of decaying tunnel entrances, drained locks & Kitchen Sink Gothic clutter embedded in wet mud."
Coined in the 1950s, Kitchen Sink described British films, plays and novels frequently set in the North of England, which showed working class life in a gritty, no-nonsense, “warts and all” style, sometimes referred to as social realism.
It became popular after the playwright John Osborne wrote Look Back In Anger, simultaneously helping to create the Angry Young Men movement. Films included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Entertainer, A Taste of Honey, The L-Shaped Room and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. TV dramas included Coronation Street and East Enders. In recent years TV dramas that could rightly be described as kitchen sink gothic include Being Human, with its cast of working class vampires, werewolves and ghosts, and the zombie drama In the Flesh, with its northern working class, down to earth setting.
It’s an area of writing that fascinates me, especially coming from a working class background and having been brought up in a terraced street in a solidly Lancastrian mill town which any viewer of Coronation Street would recognise as typical of its type. My formative reading in weird fiction, though, came from middle-class Americans (Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury and H. P. Lovecraft) or from upper middle-class British writers like M. R. James, Algernon Blackwood, the Bensons. etc. I always felt there was a place for working class horror fiction whose characters were more than merely just comic constructs.
For me, within the horror genre, kitchen sink gothic is the antithesis of Jamesian or Lovecraftian horror. There are no distinguished scholars. The settings are unglamorous, perhaps unatmospheric in the accepted sense of the word in supernatural literature. And gritty.
I was reminded of my own occasional leanings in that direction after someone reviewed one of my stories (Dark Visions 1, Grey Matter Press, 2013): "Scrap by David A. Riley could easily have been a kitchen sink drama, depicting the lives of two brothers growing up in a poverty-stricken council estate in England."
Shortly afterwards I came across John Braine’s novel The Vodi, listed by M. John Harrision as amongst his top ten novels: “Constructed round the fantasies of a recovering tuberculosis patient, this novel was the defining moment of an as-yet-unreported genre, kitchen sink gothic. One of my favourite books of all time, it doesn’t seem to be in print with the rest of Braine’s backlist.” Fortunately, Valancourt Books rectified this situation, republishing it in paperback in 2013.
In the anthology you are now holding you will find stories that cover a wide range of Kitchen Sink Gothic, from the darkly humorous to the weirdly strange and occasionally horrific. I hope you find the genre as fascinating as I do."
If any potential contributor would like to take a look at volume 1 to get a better idea of the type of stories we will be interested in, please email us at paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk for either a free mobi copy or a pdf, which we'll gladly email to you.
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