Ramsey Campbell’s latest novel is an enjoyable romp through the streets of Liverpool. Mr. Campbell’s attention to detail and his use of historical information added a lot of depth to the book. Though I have never been to Liverpool I can safely say that I have a good understanding of what it is like after reading this book.

For me the book started off a little slow but once well into the book you can understand why there is so much detail. The mystery and suspense are built up slowly and meticulously.

This book is told in first person which with the atmosphere Mr. Campbell injects into his prose can be a bit unsettling as you are not sure if what Gavin is experiencing is real or not. I really loved that aspect of this book. The twists and turns are many and varied. The characters are well thought out and fully realized.

I would have to say my favorite part of the book was the atmosphere Mr. Campbell creates in his version of Liverpool. It was almost like it was a character itself.

I highly recommend this for someone who likes their fiction challenging and detailed with loads of atmosphere.

Brian Keene’s books continue to amaze me.  Darkness On The Edge Of Town is his latest novel and it is exceptional.

Something is keeping Walden, Virginia trapped in a cloak of darkness. No power, no cell phones and no internet. That in itself is probably frightening to the majority of the United States population. Throw in some good old fashioned scares and you have a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It seems with each book Brian’s characters just keep getting better. The characters he populates this tale with are eminently recognizable as someone you know. And that my friends is what makes for a great story. I can relate to these people and what they are going through and they go through a lot.

Take away people’s toys and gadgets, cut them off from the rest of the world and it doesn’t take long for mob rules to go into effect. Throw a religious nut into the midst and you have a total breakdown and that is when the story starts getting fun.

Brian Keene to me never fails to deliver and with Darkness On The Edge Of Town he shows us that monsters can exist in our neighborhoods and cities and it is us…and that is scary.

If you already are a Brian Keene fan you will want to add this to your collection, if you’re not a Brian Keene fan what the hell are you waiting for.

A special thanks to Dorchester Publishing for supplying the book cover and synopsis.

Kemp thought he could escape his past. As time went by he actually began to hope he could leave the nightmares behind him. But he is about to discover that some nightmares have no end and no escape. It’s taken years of patient, inexorable searching, but his past has finally caught up with him. And only his blood will satisfy it. “

Gord Rollo’s new book Strange Magic just may be his best yet.

What impressed my most about Strange Magic was the depth of his characters. This is Mr. Rollo’s third novel with Dorchester Publishing and he just keeps getting better. He tones back on the explicit gore and violence of his earlier books much to my satisfaction. He aims his considerable talent at his characters and storyline and in my opinion succeeds fabulously.

Wilson Kemp has lost everything, his family, his career and his dignity and self esteem to the bottom of a vodka bottle.  Once a young promising escape artist performing to rave reviews with his best friend, Wilson now hides a dark secret from his past. Now the past has come back to take its revenge, putting even his estranged wife and daughter in danger.

Gord  weaves a masterful tale of the horrors of alcoholism and its effects. Set against Wilson’s battle with the bottle is his wife and daughter whom he loves more than anything. But that love is not enough to stop him from drinking.  Not until his past comes for his family can he put aside his addiction and save whom he loves.

And his past is out for blood, his blood. There are scares aplenty and a couple twists and turns you will not see coming.

An extremely well written book by Mr. Rollo and one you should definitely add to your list of must reads for 2010.

Now me personally, fall is my favorite time of year. I love the scent and taste of the air, the pale blue sky and crystal clear cool nights. And Halloween is really just around the corner, now how bad can that be.

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Wolf’s Gambit
by WD Gagliani

“Some people are afraid there’s a wild animal on the loose, savagely tearing its victims apart. Others, like Nick Lupo, know better. Lupo knows a werewolf attack when he sees one. He should, since he’s a werewolf himself, though he’s been able to control his urges and maintain his secret. He’s also a homicide cop, so it may be up to him to hunt down one of his own kind. It looks like there’s a new werewolf in town, a rogue out only for blood. But looks can be deceiving.”

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Flesh
by Richard Laymon

“Something deadly has come to town—a slimy, slithering…thing like nothing anyone has seen before. With its dull eyes and its hideous mouth, it’s always hunting for a new host to burrow into, and humans are the perfect prey. But the truly shocking part is not what it does to you when it invades your body—it’s what it makes you do to others.”

Click on the links for each book to pre-order and while you are there be sure to check out Dorchester’s Horror Book Club, the best deal in horror fiction today.

I would also like to especially thank Dorchester Publishing for contributing to our success at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego.

Leisure is looking for finished horror novel manuscripts, either supernatural or non-supernatural, of 80,000 – 90,000 words. A panel of experts, including Leisure Executive Editor Don D’Auria and editors at ChiZine, will judge entries. The finalists will be announced in November 2009.

From December through July 2010, monthly competitions in categories such as “Best Summary,” “Best First Line,” “Best Title,” and “Most Frightening Scene” will run on the ChiZine.com. Readers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites, and after each deadline, entries with the fewest votes will be eliminated.

The winner will be announced in August 2010 at Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear in Toronto, Canada, as well as on the Leisure Books and ChiZine web sites.

Entries should be sent to Submissions@dorchesterpub.com by September 30, 2009. “Fresh Blood” must appear in the subject line of the email.

For full entry details, visit www.dorchesterpub.com or http://chizine.com.

Leisure Books is an imprint of Dorchester Publishing and publishes two horror titles every month by authors such as Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, and Sarah Pinborough.

Rue Morgue Magazine’s glossy mainstream look and intelligent, yet biting editorial has made it hugely popular with a widespread readership. Rue Morgue Magazine provides interviews with the top names in the horror industry, along with the latest news, films, books, games, music, comic books, art and culture related to the genres of horror, suspense and dark science fiction.

ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words (http://chizine.com) has been publishing subtle, surreal, disturbing, disquieting dark fiction from established authors and newcomers alike since 1997. In 2001 they won the Bram Stoker Award for excellence in editing.

“As a winter storm tightens its grip on the small shore town of Edgeharbor, the residents are frightened of much more than pounding waves and bitter winds. A series of horrible murders has the town cowering in fear. Mangled victims bear the marks of savage claws, and strange, bloody footprints mar the beach. A young policewoman and a mysterious stranger are all that stand between this isolated community and an ancient, monstrous evil.”

Two winter stories to review in a row, life is good.

This is Robert Dunbar’s second novel based on the legend of the Jersey Devil. I do have his first one, The Pines, and unfortunately it is sitting in my to read pile which seems to grow larger every week. After reading The Shore, The Pines made its way to the top of the pile.

The Shore is an impeccably crafted tale, full of dread, horror and it literally drips with atmosphere. It is character driven from the start and doesn’t let up on the intensity. The characters were fresh and fascinating, with intricate personalities and quirks that made them all the more real. He even had a cat in the story with its own personality and substance, which lent itself to the realism of his storytelling. At least I think it was a cat, at this point I am not entirely sure.

What I liked most about this book, is that it kept me thinking. For me it was a very difficult read (meant in a good way) as I had no clue what was going to happen at any given moment. I would go back a few pages to make sure there was something I didn’t miss. The twists and turns were like riding a roller coaster, dizzying and enthralling.

Through the first one hundred pages I had no clue what was going on. I knew a girl had died horribly at the beginning at the hand of some kind of monster and that was about it. I couldn’t figure out who were the good guys, bad guys or monsters, why people were dying or who was going to die next. It was exhilarating to be so far along in a book and not know what was going to happen next.  I like being taxed and challenged to try and figure something out.

When I thought I had it all figured out…bam, Dunbar would twist things completely around. Even after finishing the book I am still left with a feeling of uneasiness and wanting.

His descriptions of the seaside town and all its little complexities were mind blowing. The weather, the ocean and even the boardwalk became living breathing entities under Dunbar’s direction. I for one would not even consider going into a town that remotely resembled Edgeharbor after reading The Shore.

The ending totally blew me out of the water. I thought I had it all figured out and was patting myself on the back thinking, you fooled me a few times Mr. Dunbar, but I got you now. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I love books that end like that.

Definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, I highly recommend it.

Another thank you to our good friends at Dorchester Publishing for supplying the book cover and synopsis.

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COVER by JACK KETCHUM

“Lee is a veteran who came back from the war a changed man. He’s haunted and scarred. And his grip on reality is weakening, especially since his wife and son left him. He keeps to himself, deep in the woods. But today he’s not alone. A group of weekend campers have intruded on his fragile world. For Lee this means he’s back in the war. For the unsuspecting visitors it means a fight to stay alive.”

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PRESSURE by JEFF STRAND

“They first met in boarding school—Alex, shy and nervous, and Darren, constantly scribbling in his journal. They became best friends in college. Alex always knew Darren was a little odd. He didn’t know his friend was murderously insane until Darren asked Alex to join him in his blood-soaked fun. They could be a team, hunting and slaughtering human prey. Alex doesn’t want any part of it. He’s no monster. But Darren is twisted, deadly…and determined. And he won’t take no for an answer.”

Famous Monsters: First off Don, let me welcome you on behalf of Famous Monsters and to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.

In an email you sent me you said that Famous Monsters had an enormous impact on you and your career. Would you care to elaborate?

Don D’Auria: To tell you the truth, I doubt I would be where I am now if it weren’t for Forrest J. Ackerman and Famous Monsters.  I was the classic “monster kid” growing up.  I watched all the movies, built the monster models and of course read FM.  It was really FM that instilled the respect and love for the novels that inspired the movies.  It was because of Uncle Forry that I read Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H. G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, so many people.  I’m very, very glad that I had a chance a couple years ago to tell Forrest Ackerman in person what FM meant to me and to thank him for everything he did, not only for me but for so many other kids who were inspired by him.  You can imagine how delighted I am to be interviewed by Famous Monsters.  It really is like coming home.

Famous Monsters: How did you become an editor and how long have you been doing it?

Don D’Auria: I’ve been an editor now for just about twenty years.  I always knew I wanted to be in book publishing, just because books were always so important to me.  My first job in publishing though was as a sales rep.  I did that for three years and then I decided that I wanted to be more involved with the books and authors and the creative side of things.  So I basically started over.  I took a big pay cut and became an assistant editor at a book packager, where I really learned the ropes.  And I’ve been lucky enough to be an editor ever since.

Famous Monsters: How long have you been at Dorchester Publishing?

Don D’Auria: It’s coming up on fifteen years now.  Dorchester is a great fit for me.  The people are terrific and they really care about the books and the authors.  Plus I get to work on books that I love.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

Famous Monsters: Have you always been a Horror editor?

Don D’Auria: When I first started as an editor I did a little bit of everything.  Fiction and non-fiction, adult and young adult, in a lot of different genres.  It was a great way to learn and get a feel for the business in general.  Then at Bantam I narrowed a bit to primarily men’s fiction like action/adventure and westerns, but I also did some suspense, true-crime and mystery.  At Harlequin I edited historical romance, which was a bit of a change for me.  Then I came to Leisure, where I was able to move into horror.

Famous Monsters: Do you accept unsolicited manuscripts and if not why?

Don D’Auria: I do.  I know many houses don’t accept unsolicited or unagented submissions, but I feel like I’d be missing out on too many potentially good manuscripts that way.  Authors should still send me a query letter before they send in their work, though.  And it always pays to look at our submission guidelines.  You can find them on our website, www.dorchesterpub.com.

Famous Monsters: What is the first thing you look for when you receive a new manuscript?

Don D’Auria: First I read the cover letter to get a sense of what the book is.  Once I start to read the actual manuscript, though, the very first thing I look for is all the basic stuff: spelling, grammar, sentence structure.  Then I start to look for style.

Famous Monsters: How important is a cover letter to you?

Don D’Auria: A cover letter can make a very big difference.  That’s what will make the first impression of both the author and the work.  So if it looks unprofessional, sloppy or poorly written, that’s what I’ll have in mind when I start reading.  Sometimes it can mean the difference between me reading a manuscript or not reading it.

Famous Monsters: Do you have certain criteria a manuscript needs to meet before acceptance?

Don D’Auria: The most important, of course, is the quality of the writing.  A manuscript needs an original, compelling plot, believable characters and good pacing.  It also needs to appeal to a wide audience, since Leisure is a mass-market house.  If I really enjoy the book and I think a lot of other horror fans will too, that’s a big part of the battle.

Famous Monsters: When you decline a manuscript do you make any comments on why it was declined?

Don D’Auria: I wish I could offer personal comments on every manuscript I decline, but I just see so many submissions every day it isn’t possible.  There are certain cases, though, when a manuscript is very close to being accepted but it needs one or two things to be fixed.  In those cases I’ll point out those issues and say that if the author addresses them I’d be glad to see the manuscript again.

Famous Monsters: What is the best part about your job, the worst part if any?

Don D’Auria: The best part is definitely being able to read all this great horror and getting paid to do it.  Being able to work with authors whose writing I’ve loved for years.  The worst part is the rejections.  I know the writers have worked long and hard on their manuscript and I feel bad about having to say no to them.

Famous Monsters: When you are not editing what do you do for excitement or leisure?

Don D’Auria: I actually read a lot of horror on my own time, completely apart from work.  And I love movies, horror of course, but also really all kinds of movies, silent comedies, film noir, foreign, exploitation, you name it.

Famous Monsters: Was there a defining moment for you that led you to love horror?

Don D’Auria: I can’t say because I’ve been a horror fan literally as long as I can remember.  Before I could read, my favorite toys were monsters and monster models.  I watched all the old horror movies on TV.  Then when I learned how to read, my favorite comics were Creepy and Eerie.  And I still remember the first time I saw an issue of Famous Monsters.  My older sister bought it for me to cheer me up after a trip to the dentist.  But where it all started, who knows?  Something must have happened when I was two or three.

Famous Monsters: How many manuscripts would you say you look at a month?

Don D’Auria: It varies dramatically from month to month, but as a really rough average, I’d say maybe two hundred.

Famous Monsters: I received a notice saying that Dorchester Publishing is doing their entire frontlist and selected backlist in Ebook and digital formats. Is this a conscious effort to maintain relevance in this TV/video game obsessed world we live in?

Don D’Auria: Dorchester has always worked hard to stay current, whether it’s via the internet, audio books, ebooks, or whatever new technology comes along.  If we want people to read our books, we need to make sure the books are available and accessible to them.

Famous Monsters: That was quite a shock wave that went through the publishing industry a few months back, do you see that lasting or do you think publishing will rebound?

Don D’Auria: Publishing has been through a lot over the centuries, but as long as people like to read, publishing will exist.  Right now the economy is in pretty rough shape.  All publishers have taken a hit in terms of sales, some worse than others.  I think Leisure fared a little better because we’ve always been fairly lean and efficient all along so we had less fat to trim.  But as the economy improves—which it looks like it’s starting to do now—I think we’ll see our sales go back up.

Famous Monsters: In my opinion one of the biggest single factors in the decline of book sales is that reading is not being taught at a young enough age today and so many children are missing out on the joys of reading. They can name all of the American idols though. What do you see as the biggest reason for declining book sales?

Don D’Auria: There’s just a lot of competition for folks’ time.  There are hundreds of TV channels, the internet, computer games and a million other things all demanding your time.  And there are only so many hours in the day.

Famous Monsters: Enough with solving the world’s problems. What do you like to read?

Don D’Auria: My tastes are pretty broad.  My degree was in comparative literature so I like the classics, but I read a lot of things.  Mostly fiction, but also biographies, true-crime, history, philosophy, humor and psychology.  My apartment is filled with all kinds of books.  Every room has as many bookcases as it can hold.

Famous Monsters: Who are your favorite authors?

Don D’Auria: It varies according to my mood.  But I’ve always loved S. J. Perelman, Fitzgerald, Lovecraft, Poe, Stephen King, Robert Benchley, Peter Straub and Hawthorne.

Famous Monsters: What are your three favorite books (stories)?

Don D’Auria: It’s really hard to limit it to three.  But for right now I might have to go with ‘Salem’s Lot, Moby Dick and The Most of S. J. Perelman.

Famous Monsters: What are your three favorite movies?

Don D’Auria:  Again, it’s hard to narrow it down, but maybe Annie Hall, The Godfather and Bride of Frankenstein.  Or maybe M, or Jaws, or The General, or Psycho, or…

Famous Monsters: Who would you say was your biggest influence in your chosen career path?

Don D’Auria: Honestly, in the grand scheme of things it really might have been Forrest Ackerman, since I feel like he crystallized so much of my love of not only horror but reading and movies in general.  In terms of editing I’d say I learned an incredible amount from Paul Dinas, Robin Hardy and Greg Tobin, my first bosses back when I was starting out as an editor.  They were all terrific teachers and I just tried to absorb and learn as much as I could.

Famous Monsters: The calendar has just turned to 2009 what can we expect from your Horror line in the coming year?

Don D’Auria: One thing I’m especially excited about is a contest to discover previously unpublished horror authors.  We’re finalizing the details right now so I can’t go into specifics, but we’ll be announcing it soon.  Lately I’m seeing an incredible amount of young talent out there, and we want to showcase that.  We’ll be looking for the best horror novel written by a new, unpublished writer.  So folks might want to get their manuscripts ready and keep their eyes open for an announcement.  Watch our website or check us out on Twitter: twitter.com/DorchesterPub.

And we have some pretty terrific books coming up.  In the next few months alone we have novels by Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Nate Kenyon, Brian Keene, and Gary A. Braunbeck.  In June Jeff Strand makes his Leisure debut with Pressure.  Jeff is a prime example of that young talent I’ve been talking about, and I think people will be blown away by Pressure.

I’m also very pleased to have been asked by Cemetery Dance magazine to write a column for them.  Beginning in their upcoming issue 61, I’ll be writing a column called “Editorial Perspectives,” to give readers a view of what it’s like on the other side of the desk, so to speak.  Hopefully I’ll be able to shed a little light on things that readers and authors have wondered about, to generally present an editor’s point of view of publishing and the horror genre, and to have some fun in the process.

Famous Monsters: In closing what words of advice would you give to the aspiring novelist trying to get their first novel published?

Don D’Auria: Don’t give up, don’t get discouraged.  And don’t take a rejection personally.  So much of getting published often comes down simply to timing and personal tastes.  If one house, or ten houses, don’t choose to publish your book, keep at it.

Famous Monsters: Thank you Don, for spending some time with us here at Famous Monsters of Filmland.

Don D’Auria: Thank you!  It’s incredibly exciting to see FM back, and it’s even more of a thrill to be in it.  It’s a dream come true for any monster kid.

New Technology Pops Up on Dorchester Web Site

NEW YORK—April 28, 2009—The widget is here and bringing with it the ultra modern book browsing and expedient shopping experience to Dorchester’s entire lineup.

Through widgets, readers can now sample the work of Dorchester’s most popular authors, including New York Times best-sellers Christine Feehan, Nina Bangs, Angie Fox, Marjorie M. Liu and C.L. Wilson.  Genre fiction heavyweights Brian Keene and Richard Laymon, as well as legendary classic authors like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, will also be inlcuded.

Through our partnership with LibreDigital, Dorchester is pleased to offer this new and exciting option to our authors and readers.  Moreover, we will reach a larger group of consumers, with previews from the books, increased marketing and a convenience of purchase.

“We have always known that our authors have more of the best-written and most creative fiction in all of the genres we publish.  Our long line of award winners is testament to that fact.  The challenge has always been to expand the reading audience,” stated Senior Marketing Executive Tim DeYoung.  “The widgets will introduce more readers to our authors and create an even greater following for Dorchester.”

Dorchester Publishing has published mass-market books since 1971, making it the oldest independent mass-market publisher in America. Recognized for its leadership in romance novels, Dorchester also publishes award-winning titles in horror, the Hard Case Crime (pulp-style mysteries), thrillers and westerns.

For more information, please contact Manager of Marketing Erin D. Galloway at 212-725-8811 x228 or egalloway@dorchesterpub.com.

Deep in the woods a deputy came upon a chamber of horrors straight from a nightmare. And through it all, one child is haunted by visions of the mysterious “blue man,” a madman who brings with him blood and pain and terror, a terror spawned by forces no one can understand.”

Nate Kenyon’s debut novel is the Bram Stoker Award Finalist Bloodstone and his second novel, also a Stoker Finalist is the The Reach.

Bloodstone is more of a traditional Gothic horror novel, The Reach dabbles in man’s incessant need to use science for his own twisted means. I really enjoyed both books. I did a review on The Reach which you can read here.

His third book “The Bone Factory” is due for release in July 2009 from our good friends at Dorchester Publishing.

First off let me state that being from the frozen north myself, I have a soft spot for horror stories with snow, woods and cold as the backdrop.

Nate Kenyon does not disappoint. He is able to paint a vivid life-like picture of this inhospitable land. It is a story of what one man will have to overcome to save his family and his life. He is up against one for the most formidable foes known to man…nature in all its cold frozen glory and a mysterious madman that will stop at nothing to kill those who he perceives are his enemies.

David Pierce it as his wits end trying to find a job after getting fired from his previous one by dubious means. He wants his wife Helen to stay at home to take care of their daughter Jessica. Jessica is prone to night terrors and often wakes up in the middle of the night screaming.

He accepts a job to help get a hydo-power plant on-line in the deep woods of Canada. He moves his family there in the middle of winter at the companies behest with no experience of living so far removed from civilization.

Things then start to happen that will throw David and his family into a terror filled, blood soaked nightmare.

Kenyon’s writing is vastly improving and his character development is getting downright scary.

But the main character in the book for me is the desolate snow covered primeval forest that surrounds the Pierce’s new found life in Canada and Kenyon nails it.

For those of you that have never experienced first hand what it is like in the deep woods in the middle of winter you need to read this book. It will send chills up and down your spine, your heart will race and your breath will come in short frozen gasps.

When David first goes out to the back of his house to appease his daughter’s plea that someone is watching her from the woods he experiences first hand  what it is like to come up against the frozen north.

This scene is one of the scariest, heart pounding scenes I’ve read this year. I know what its like to be out in the woods in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter. The silence is unnerving, the different sounds from the creaking trees to the falling clumps of snow from the pine branches all contribute to one frightening experience and Kenyon describes it beautifully. I had to put the book down halfway through this scene, it was so intense.

If there was one small complaint I had it would be that I wished he would have gone into more detail about the background of the main antagonist. He delved into it somewhat, I would have liked more fully fleshed out.

This in no way takes away from the power of Kenyon’s descriptive prose and story.

If you want to know how it feels to be cut off from civilization, trapped in an unforgiving brutal environment where just one wrong step leads to a slow frozen or a brutal, bloody pain filled death this book is for you and I highly recommend it.