HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

Parallel Universe Publications Book of Horror & The Supernatural

 

After having published 7 very successful swords and sorcery anthologies, (Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy) I am now considering a second series: The Parallel Universe Publicatons Book of Horror & The Supernatural.

This is something I'll be looking into during 2024. This would be a paying market and submissions details would be similiar to those for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy.

Would anyone be interested in buying such a publication and, just as important, submitting stories to it?

Below is a mock up of the cover without, at the moment, any artwork.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

The Writers in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy volume 7

There are eleven writers whose stories appear in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7: Stephen Frame, Paul Batteiger, Andrew Graham, Phil Emery, Gavin Chappell, Jason M Waltz, Jalyn Renae Fiske, Craig Comer, Eric Ian Steele, Jon Zaremba, and Harry Elliott. Here are the pages from the Introduction which tells you a little bit about them.

Merry Christmas from Parallel Universe Publications

 

Blog entries: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

It's always gratifying when authors help to promote a book we've published by posting entries about it on their blogs. 

Published only a few weeks ago two of our authors from Volume 7 and a writer whose tales have previously appeared in the anthology series have posted the following blog entries:

Contributor Jon Zaremba has created a video about Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, with some insights into his amazing story Prohairesis.

 

Editor and publisher of Lovecraftiana Magazine and Schlock! Ezine, Gavin Chappell, whose story The Crossroads in the Forest is also in Volume 7, published this: Gavin Chappell, Author.

 

 

Previous contributor to the anthology series Craig Herbertson has written a detailed review of the volume: Review. This review has also been sent to Trevor Kennedy who, as well as publishing and editing Phantasmagoria Magazine, has a weekly two-hour show each Sunday on Big Hits Radio UK from 12 noon till 2 pm. He will be reading out this review on his show on the 10th December.

 

 

If anyone else has published a blog entry, etc about Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, please let us know. 

Video by Jon Zaremba about Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Contributor Jon Zaremba has created a video about Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, with some insights into his amazing story Prohairesis.

Here is an image of the album that Jon Zaremba made and on which his story was based. I've been listening to it on amazon prime music.

First review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Craig Herbertson has written and published the first review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 on his website Heavenmakers. 

"The seventh in the popular sword and sorcery anthology series edited by David A. Riley contains eleven more appetising tales. Dedicated to the late Charles Black and illustrated by Jim Pitts, Parallel Universe Publications continue their policy of welcoming old favourites and newcomers to the world of Fantasy..."

To read the full review, in which he gives detailed comments about each story, click on the link above. 

Although he enjoyed reading all of the stories in this book, he picks out one in particular for special mention: "I don’t often say this. Jon Zaremba’s Prohairesis is stunningly brilliant. It’s a masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve read anything from a relatively new author which I would describe as faultless. This is. It has everything from conceptual genius, perfect plotting and authentic characterisation to brilliance of expression and a genuine original voice. Not a word is wasted, each sentence seamlessly carries the reader along. Prohairesis should win awards."

 

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 now available in paperback and kindle eBook

We are pleased to announce that our latest anthology Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 is now available to order as either a paperback or kindle eBook. It's our biggest volume so far at 353 pages.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

The stories and authors included are:

PITILESS by Stephen Frame

UNHALLOWED TOMBS by Paul Batteiger

SORCERIES IN ASSABARR by Andrew Graham

SCHISM OF SPECTRES by Phil Emery

THE CROSSROADS IN THE FOREST by Gavin Chappell

WISPS by Jason M Waltz

DARK THE SKY, RADIANT THE ROAD by Jalyn Renae Fiske

THE BLOOD OF KHALID AL'TAHIR by Craig Comer 

THE DARK KNIGHT OF THE SOUL by Eric Ian Steele

PROHAIRESIS by Jon Zaremba

BLADES FOR A BOUNTY by Harry Elliott

The artwork, as always, is by Jim Pitts.

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 now available on kindle

The 7th volume of our popular fantasy series Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy is now available on kindle. The paperback version will be available within the next few days. 

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Now that I have contracts back from all contributors to volume 7 of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy I can finally announce the full line up. The stories and authors included are:

 

PITILESS by Stephen Frame

UNHALLOWED TOMBS by Paul Batteiger

SORCERIES IN ASSABARR by Andrew Graham

SCHISM OF SPECTRES by Phil Emery

THE CROSSROADS IN THE FOREST by Gavin Chappell

WISPS by Jason M Waltz

DARK THE SKY, RADIANT THE ROAD by Jalyn Renae Fiske

THE BLOOD OF KHALID AL'TAHIR by Craig Comer

THE DARK KNIGHT OF THE SOUL by eric Ian Steele

PROHAIRESIS by Jon Zaremba

BLADES FOR A BOUNTY by Harry Elliott

The artwork, as always, is by Jim Pitts.

The book will be published later this month both as a paperback and kindle eBook.

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

I have now sent out all the acceptance and rejection emails to every writer who submitted to Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7.

 

I will announce shortly the full list of stories and their authors that will appear in Volume 7.

 

Many thanks to everyone who sent in submissions. There really was a massive response and I was pleased how impressive the quality was, though this made deciding what to include even more difficult than usual. It is reassuring to see the wide variety of tales our genre can generate.

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Not long now before we can reveal the contents of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, which will be published before the end of November.

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 Reviewed on Big Hits Radio UK this Sunday

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 will be reviewed on Big Hits Radio UK this Sunday by Trevor Kennedy between 12 noon and 2 p.m. The review was originally published in Trevor's Phantasmagoria Magazine. You can read the full review here.

Great new review for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 on Amazon

Thank you to Richard Fisher for this great, detailed review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 on Amazon. 

"Like a freight train Parallel Universe Publications continues to come down the line filled with S&S stories from authors new and old..."

"I eagerly look forward to Volume Seven which should be out sometime later this year."

For the full review click on this link: amazon.com

 

Lucilla - a novella is now available in paperback

Lucilla - a novella is now available in paperback, priced at £5.50. It is already available in hardcover and as a kindle e-book.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

"It was just another standard day at the Women’s Refuge until the arrival of Lucilla. Then Miranda’s world was never the same again.
Unaccountably influenced by what the girl needed, her job, her friendships, even freedom itself were of no importance. It was not until her niece’s life was at risk that Miranda knew she had to act.
But what could she do against someone who had such a tight, insidious grip on her?"

Lucilla - a novella to be published in paperback later this month

A paperback edition of Lucilla - a novella will be available later this month, priced £5.50.

Lucilla - a novella reviewed on the Vault of Evil

The first review of my novella Lucilla is available to read online on the website The Vault of Evil. 

"At 90 medium print pages, Lucilla is equivalent to a slimline 'seventies NEL, and moves like one, too."

amazon UK £13.99 in hardcover/£2.99 in kindle

amazon.com $17.85 in hardcover/$3.70 in kindle

 

 

Submissions for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 are now open for the whole of October

 

Submissions period for Swords & Sorceries Volume 7

 is open from the 1st October till the 31st October 2023

 

 

Payment is £25 per story regardless of length plus one contributor's copy of the paperback. The book will be published as a paperback and ebook. If a hardcover version is published we will pay an additional £25. Please send your submissions as attachments (doc, docx or rtf) headed  

"Submission - Swords & Sorceries 7" 

 to:

paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk

Please send only one submission - the one you consider the best fit for us. 

Although we prefer original stories we are prepared to consider reprints. Just let us know where and when it was previously published. 

You can send in simultaneous submissions, but let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere as soon as you can. Bear in mind you will only have to wait a maximum of one month and a week in which to receive a decision from us.

There is no limit on the size of submissions.  

There is absolutely no need to tell us anything about yourself because the only thing that matters is the story. Everything else is irrelevant.

All rejections and acceptances will be sent out by email by the end of the first week in November. Please don't enquire about your submission before then.

And good luck!

In the past we have received a number of stories that may be fantasy but are not swords and sorcery. If you are unsure what it is, why not get a better idea by checking out volumes 1 - 6. Saying that, swords and sorcery is a broad genre and we are more than willing to consider stories that stretch its limits, as we have in the past.

Also check our dedicated facebook group: 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy

 

   

The contents of Volume One are:

THE MIRROR OF TORJAN SUL - Steve Lines

THE HORROR FROM THE STARS - Steve Dilks

TROLLS ARE DIFFERENT - Susan Murrie Macdonald

CHAIN OF COMMAND - Geoff Hart

DISRUPTION OF DESTINY - Gerri Leen

THE CITY OF SILENCE - Eric Ian Steele

RED - Chadwick Ginther

THE RECONSTRUCTED GOD - Adrian Cole

The cover and all the interior artwork is by Jim Pitts. 

 

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

The contents of Volume 2 are:

The Essence of Dust by Mike Chinn

Highjacking the Lord of Light by Tais Teng

Out in the Wildlands by Martin Owton

Zale and Zedril by Susan Murrie Macdonald

The Amulet and the Shadow by Steve Dilks

Antediluvia: Seasons of the World by Andrew Darlington

A Thousand Words for Death by Pedro Iniguez

Stone Snake by Dev Agarwal

Seven Thrones by Phil Emery

The Eater of Gods by Adrian Cole 

Illustrations by Jim Pitts.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

 

The contents of Volume 3 are:

 

Sorcerous Vengeance by Lorenzo D. Lopez 

 

Seal Snatchers of Jorsaleem by Tais Teng

 

When the Gods Send You Rats by Chadwick Ginther 

 

Mother's Bones by Carson Ray

 

In the Lair of the Snake-Witch by Darin Hlavaz

 

The Rains of Barofonn by Mike Chinn

 

Wardark by Craig Herbertson

 

The Foliage by Rab Foster 

 

In the Lair of the Moonmen by Jon Hansen 

 

Sailing on the Thieves' Tide by Adrian Cole

 

Illustrations by Jim Pitts. 

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 contains eleven tales:

In the Iron Woods by Dev Agarwal

My People Were Fair and Wore Stars in Their Hair by Andrew Darlington

At Sea by Geoff Hart 

The Flesh of Man by Frank Sawielijew

City at the Mouth of Chaos by Adrian Cole

In the Belly of the Beast by Edward Ahern

The Tracks of the Pi Nereske by Wendy Nikel

Slaves of the Monolith by Paul D. Batteiger

The Green Wood by David Dubrow

Demonic by Phil Emery

The Whips of Malmac by H. R. Laurence

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 contains eleven tales:

The contents are: 

The Rotted Land by Charles Gramlich

Skulls for Silver by Harry Elliott

For the Light by Gustavo Bondoni

People of the Lake by Lorenzo D. Lopez

Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs by Tais Teng

The Black Well by Darin Hlavaz

Degg and the Undead by Susan Murrie Macdonald

The Mistress of the Marsh by David Dubrow

Silver and Gold by Earl W. Parrish

Bridge of Sorrows by Dev Agarwal

Prisoners of Devil Dog City by Adrian Cole

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)

amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

 The contents are: 

LAND OF THE DEAD by Dev Agarwal

 

THE HOUSE OF BONES by Carson Ray

 

THRENODY OF GHOSTS by Phil Emery

 

WARDARK AND THE SIREN QUEEN by Craig Herbertson

 

OTRIM by Lyndon Perry

 

GODS, MEN, AND NEPHILIM by David Dubrow

 

GOLDEN WITCH OF ADZELGAR by Scott McCloskey

 

RAIDING THE GRAVEYARD OF LOST SHIPS by Tais Teng

 

A PLACE OF GHOSTS by Andrew Darlington

 

THOSE WHO WEAR THEIR WHITE HAIR PROUDLY by Lauren C. Teffeau

 

TRIALS FOR TREASURE by Harry Elliott

 

GOD OF THE DREAMING ISLES by Adrian Cole

A New Advert Revealed for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy

 

Cover reveal for Volume 7 of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy by Jim Pitts

This may not be the final version, but a glimpse of what the cover for Volume 7 of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy will look like. The illustration is the work of award-winning artist Jim Pitts. 

The submissions period for Volume 7 will open on the 1st October for the full month and will be published towards the end of November.

Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley is now also available as a Kindle eBook

 

Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley, serialised last year in Bewildering Stories, is now available as a kindle eBook as well as in hardcover.

The kindle version is £2.99 in the UK and $3.70 in the United States.

It was just another standard day at the Women’s Refuge until the arrival of Lucilla. Then Miranda’s world was never the same again.
Unaccountably influenced by what the girl needed, her job, her friendships, even freedom itself were of no importance. It was not until her niece’s life was at risk that Miranda knew she had to act.
But what could she do against someone who had such a tight, insidious grip on her?

amazon UK £13.99 in hardcover/£2.99 in kindle

amazon.com $17.85in hardcover/$3.70 in kindle

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 reviewed in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine

Trevor Kennedy, editor and publisher of Phantasmagoria Magazine gives a great review of the 6th volume in our Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy anthology series. 

Many thanks to Trevor for giving us permission to quote his review in full:

NOW IN ITS sixth volume, editor and publisher David A. Riley and illustrator Jim Pitts’ “Swords & Sorceries” series of high fantasy anthologies returns with more of the sort of swash-buckling tales of epic heroes and dastardly villains, sorcerers, witches, gods and monsters that its fans have come to expect, some novella length, and penned by a team comprising of several of their regular contributors, alongside some newbies.
Proceedings get off to a very impressive start with Dev Agarwal’s ‘Land of the Dead’, an imaginative entry involving his recurring characters of the Stone Snake and Princess Irene being imprisoned as we join the adventure, and one which also features the haunting “Land . . .” of the title. This is followed by ‘The House of Bones’ by Carson Ray which sees his hero Knox out for vengeance against the delightfully monikered “Doctor Grimm”. Andrew Darlington’s ‘A Place of Ghosts’ is a superb story with a neat twist of an immortal being sent on a mission by a mage, while one of the S&S genre’s
finest sons, Adrian Cole, is featured in the series once more with his Atlantis-set ‘God of the Dreaming Isles’.

Other highlights would be ‘Wardark and the Siren Queen’ by Craig Herbertson, Tais Teng’s ‘Raiding the Graveyard of Lost Ships’, which is accompanied by a very nice illustration by the author, and ‘Golden Witch of Adzelgar’ by Scott McCloskey.
With no shortage of swords-for-hire, blood-soaked gore and battles, well thought out world-building, creatures of myth and legend, and other tropes aficionados of this particular brand of epic fantasy will surely enjoy, Riley and Pitts’ series continues to grow and give a platform to some of the best writers within this particular field, certainly contributing strongly to a resurgence of sorts within it at the same time.
I think it can be safely assumed that the Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy series is currently in a healthy position, with several more volumes in the planning stages, something that its regular readers will welcome with open arms, and swords and shields at the ready.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is published by Parallel Universe Publications and is available to purchase from Amazon and other outlets. For more details please go to:
paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com
—Trevor Kennedy

Phantasmagoria Magazine is available online from amazon and in certain selected shops, including some branches of Forbidden Planet. 270 pages of articles, interviews, reviews, fiction and loads of first-rate illustrations for a mere £13.99. Amazon.co.uk

New advert for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volumes 1-6

Prior to opening up submissions for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 on the 1st October, here is the latest ad for the first six volumes.

Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley now available in hardcover

 

Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley, serialised last year in Bewildering Stories, is now available in hardcover for £13.99/$17.85. The cover artwork is by Jim Pitts.

It was just another standard day at the Women’s Refuge until the arrival of Lucilla. Then Miranda’s world was never the same again.
Unaccountably influenced by what the girl needed, her job, her friendships, even freedom itself were of no importance. It was not until her niece’s life was at risk that Miranda knew she had to act.
But what could she do against someone who had such a tight, insidious grip on her?

amazon UK £13.99

amazon.com $17.85

Steve Dilks's story from Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1 reprinted in A Book of Blades II

‘The Horror from the Stars’ by Steve Dilks, which was first published in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1 has been republished in A Book of Blades II by the people behind the Rogues in the House Podcast.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - STEVE DILKS

 

David A. Riley: Steve, you’ve been prominent in the swords and sorcery genre for some time now, not only as a writer but as editor and publisher with your own imprint Carnelian Press, through which you brought out two fanzines, The Hyborian Gazette and Twilight Echoes – Tales of Swords & Dark Magic. Which came first, the writing or the publishing, and can you give us a rundown on your career so far?

Steve Dilks: With the fanzines, I just wanted to get something up and running really. The whole REH community was getting pretty boring to me. I wanted to get out of the whole debate, argument and counter argument thing and put something creative out there. I saw a lot of talent lurking in the peripheries, and I wanted a place to express that; a place where I could shout; “Come and look at what these guys are doing!” A lot of great artists and writers ended up getting involved. On that front, The Hyborian Gazette was a real success. It attracted a lot of interest, but it was too much for me to keep up with the demand. I decided to stop doing it, mostly for my own sanity. I was printing it by hand in my bedsit and taking trips to the Post Office everyday but making zero money. Twilight Echoes was an off-shoot where I planned to showcase new talent in the sword & sorcery genre. The idea and execution were great, but it flopped. No one bought it and the whole s-&-s scene exploded a couple of years later anyway with much better realized products.

 

As for my own writing, that was already there. My first proper sale was in 2019 when Weirdbook published my SF story, ‘The Idols of Xan’. I’m currently wrapping up a novelette for Jason M Waltz’ swan-song anthology, Neither Beg Nor Yield, which should be out sometime early next year.

DAR: Which other writers have been the biggest influences on your own sword and sorcery stories?

SD: Ok, I’ll come clean. I’m influenced by all of them! Even the bad ones! Why not? Sometimes it’s just a mesh of everything and nothing. Even other genres!

DAR: Like many sword and sorcery writers your stories have a number of continuing characters, like Bohun of Damzullah. Do you think this is an important feature and something readers prefer?  

SD: For me, it’s a fun thing to do and those who like the Bohun stories enjoy reading them. There’s just something fun about the serial format, following a character on a journey through a pre-classical world, exploring strange cities and hostile landscapes.

DAR: What are your feelings about sword and sorcery novels? These are not common, and some people feel the genre is better suited to the short story and novelette formats. Robert E. Howard only completed one Conan novel. Do you think you would ever venture into attempting one yourself?

SD: I’m actually writing a short s-&-s novel at the moment. I’ve never quite got why people think they’re not common. There are literally hundreds. I could do you a top ten list of my favourites right now! The only reason sword & sorcery was written in shorter formats was because they initially started in the pulps which catered for the short-story market. But even then there were exceptions. A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar, for instance, was published in 1924 and Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword came out in 1954. There have been thousands of sword-&-sorcery novels since the ‘60s. Michael Moorcock wrote a fair few— The Eternal Champion, the Elric, Corum and Hawkmoon books. So did L. Sprague de Camp. Lin Carter did a series or two as did John Jakes and Gardner F. Fox. Then there were Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane novels, David C. Smith’s Oron, James Silke’s Death Dealer series…

DAR: Do you ever worry what constitutes a true sword and sorcery story or are you flexible in your attitude to the genre? Some people seem highly interested in laying down rules and lists of what’s needed to qualify as such. Does this bother you at all?

SD: Nope. If a story is well written it doesn’t need to worry about any of these things.

DAR: Print on demand and the increase in indie publishers has obviously had a big impact on the genre in recent years, with magazines like Savage Realms Monthly and the increased number of anthologies that seem to pop up with impressive frequency at the moment, as, of course, have online magazines such as Swords & Sorcery Monthly, not to mention eBooks – and, more recently, audio as well. Do you sometimes fear we could face an eventual glut of the market and that today’s apparent popularity might result in tomorrow’s boredom?

SD: Absolutely. It will happen, and go the same way the whole Cthulhu obsession did a few years ago. But as Lovecraft himself once wrote— ‘That is not dead which can eternal lie…’

DR: Where do you see the genre going next? Do you expect to see it shrink once more or, because of the proliferation of POD and indie presses, do you see it soldiering on? After all, without a reliance on the big publishers anymore, so long as there is a substantial enough core of fans out there to keep the genre alive, it will remain so. If so, who will be the next giants as such in the genre. In its golden age there were the likes of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, followed by Henry Kuttner, Fritz Leiber, C. L. Moore, Michael Moorcock and a handful of others.  Who do you see as today’s? Or is there instead a vast proliferation of names too numerous to mention?

SD:  So long as the stories are good and the writers, editors and publishers are true to their craft there will always be readers. Those that will make a name for themselves in the genre will be those that can also write beyond it. All the writers you just mentioned are known for other things. Believe it or not, Howard’s biggest success in his lifetime were his humuorous western stories featuring Breckenridge Elkins—which everyone should read by the way. Kuttner was a diverse hand who worked in SF, horror and fantasy. Leiber won the Hugo Award for The Big Time and wrote critically acclaimed horror like Conjure Wife and A Spectre is Haunting Texas. Moorcock edited New Worlds and wrote The Dancers at the End of Time, A Cure for Cancer and Gloriana. A genre is only as healthy as the stimulus behind it. 

 

For more information about books by or including stories by Steve Dilks use the following links:

Steve Dilks UK

Steve Dilks USA

 

For information and news across the swords and sorcery genre join the

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Group