Monday, 25 March 2024
Reciprocal ads for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 8
Sunday, 24 March 2024
Self Publishing Workshop
This should be of interest for anyone within travelling distance of Accrington who would like to self publish something they have written or in creating their own small press using print on demand.
I have been running my own small press - Parallel Universe Publications - for over a decade, with hardcover, paperback and kindle ebooks. You can see those books that are still in print here.
The hour-long workshops will be held at 7 o’clock on Friday evenings at a date still to be decided, but hopefully sometime soon, depending on the response I receive. If you are interested please let me know on the email address given below.
The workshops will be held at ReAct Academy of Theatre Arts Studios, 43b Market Street, Church, Lancashire, BB5 0DP, close to Church & Oswaldtwistle Railway Station and bus routes from Blackburn to Accrington and elsewhere. There is also a spacious car park. Please see the map below.
To contact me email paralleluniversepublications@gmx.co.uk
The workshops will last an hour and cost £5. They will cover how to set up your own press, format what you intend to print and how to create covers. They will also instruct you on how to avoid the many pitfalls, not least being amateurish or unattrative publications.
No previous experience in publishing or writing is needed, but you should have a reasonable knowledge of spelling and English grammar.
Friday, 22 March 2024
Update on Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 8
Everything is in line for publication at the beginning of May as a paperback and kindle eBook.
Submissions for Volume 9 will open on the 1st October for one full calendar month, with publication scheduled for November. More details later.
Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6
There was a great recent 5-star review on amazon for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6:
Sunday, 17 March 2024
Day Thirty-Nine of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7
And here we are at day thirty-nine of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications with Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7, which we published last November.
This is the final showcasing. We have published other books (The Winter Hunt & Other Stories by Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis; England 'B': Ninety Minutes of Hell by Richard Stains (Mark Samuels); Will Anyone Figure That This Is A Repackaged First Collection by Johnny Mains; A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains; and A Little Light Screaming by Johnny Mains) but all of these have been discontinued and are out of print.
In 2024 we will be publishing two further volumes of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy
plus a trilogy of interlinked sword and sorcery collections by a
veteran writer (further information to be issued later). All five books
will be illustrated by Jim Pitts.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
The stories and authors included are:
PITILESS by Stephen Frame
UNHALLOWED TOMBS by Paul Batteiger
SORCERIES IN ASSABARR by Andrew GrahamSCHISM 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 SteelePROHAIRESIS by Jon Zaremba
Saturday, 16 March 2024
Day Thirty-Eight of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley
Lucilla - a novella by David A. Riley is available in hardcover for £13.99, in paperback for £5.50, and in kindle for £2.99. 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 in hardcover, £5.50 in paperback, £2.99 in kindle
amazon.com $17.19 in hardcover, $6.70 in paperback, $3.70 in kindle
Friday, 15 March 2024
Day Thirty-Seven of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6
For day thirty-seven of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications it's Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
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
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Day Thirty-Six of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Childe Rolande by Samantha Lee
For day thirty-six of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications, it's Samantha Lee's amazing mix of sword & sorcery and post apocalyptic science fantasy Childe Rolande.
Parallel Universe Publications is proud to announce that we have published Samantha Lee's groundbreaking post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel Childe Rolande as a paperback and kindle e-book.
Originally published by Futura Books in 1989, our new version includes an Introduction by the author and a brand-new cover by talented Scottish artist Paul Mudie, who will be familiar to many for the iconic covers he created for the Black Books of Horror. There is also the added bonus of interior chapter headings by award-winning artist Jim Pitts.
Childe
Rolande has been optioned by Forlan Films for a proposed
TV series and is currently in pre-production development.
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Day Thirty-Five of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead
Day thirty-five of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of our first (and only) chapbook: A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead by David A. Riley, illustrated throughout by award-winning artist Jim Pitts.
What was intended as the start of a series of low-priced chapbooks, A Handful of Zombies: Tales of the Restless Dead included four previously published short stories by David A. Riley with illustrations by Jim Pitts.
All four stories in this collection cover a wide range of tropes within the zombie genre.
Dead Ronnie and I is a tale of high adventure by plane and sea, with an abortive escape by our protagonist to the as yet untainted Isles of Scotland. This was originally published in Sanitarium Magazine No 44 in 2016.
His Pale Blue Eyes is probably the most traditional take of zombie stories today, featuring a young girl’s determined search for her parents during a zombie apocalypse. It’s a story, though, about conditioning and how what someone is taught can radically affect their behaviour. Is the horror in this the shambling undead or the girl herself? See what you think. This first appeared in Bite-Sized Horror edited by Johnny Mains for Obverse Books in 2011.
By contrast Right For You Now, originally published in Weirdbook Zombie Annual No 3 in 2021, harks back to the original concept of the zombie in Voodoo-haunted Haiti, though this tale is set in present-day Britain. It’s a combination of a crime story, revenge, and a man’s obsessive fascination with age-old practices.
Our final tale, Romero’s Children, is more in the way of a science fiction story. The zombies here are certainly the most different. For a start off they are not dead but have been granted near immortality by a drug that swept the world with its promise to stop aging. Alas for those caught up in the frenzied demand to use it, though, its side effects were such that they would have been better off dead. This story appeared in 2010 in The Seventh Black Book of Horror edited by the late Charles Black and was subsequently picked up by American editor Paula Guran for her 2012 anthology Extreme Zombies.
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Day Thirty-Four of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5
Day thirty-four of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications brings us to Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5, which was to be the biggest yet of our popular anthology series.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)
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
Monday, 11 March 2024
Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4
Day Thirty-Three of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4, published in June 2022.
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
Sunday, 10 March 2024
Day Thirty-Two of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3
Day thirty-two of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's the turn of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 3, published in November 2021.
Contents 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
The covers and interior artwork are again by Jim Pitts.
The book is 270 pages and will cost £11.99 (£2.99 kindle).
Saturday, 9 March 2024
Workshops on self and Indie Publishing
Obviously these will only be of interest to people living within a reasonable distance of where these workshops will be held.
Whether you are interested in self-publishing something you have written yourself or in setting up your own independent press, after nearly thirty years of publishing in the traditional way and, more recently, through print-on-demand companies such as amazon KDP and Lightning Source, I would like to share what I have learned so that you will be able to go about it with confidence. There are many pitfalls into which the unwary can fall, yet self-publishing or running your own indie press are not as difficult as you may imagine.
In a series of talks and demonstrations I would like to show the common mistakes many people make, how to avoid them, and how to go about setting up your own books for publication so that they look as good as anything published professionally.
Please read our flyer below.
Day Thirty-One of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror
Day thirty-one of showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications and it's A Grim God's Revenge: Dark Tales of Fantasy & Horror by David A. Riley, published in 2021.
A Grim God's Revenge by David A. Riley includes fourteen dark tales of fantasy and horror ranging from 1971 to 2020.
Dead Ronnie and I was first published in Sanitarium issue 44, 2016
Corpse-Maker was first published in Weird Window issue 2, 1971
The Urn was first published in Whispers issue 1, 1972
Gwargens was first published in Beyond issue 3, 1995
Retribution was first published in Peeping Tom issue 3, 1991
The Bequest was first published in Dark Horizons, 2008
They Pissed on My Sofa was first published in Malicious Deviance, 2011
Old Grudge Ender was first published in The Screaming Book of Horror, 2012
A Girl, a Toad and a Cask was first published in The Unspoken, 2013
Scrap was first published in Dark Visions 1, 2013
Lem was first published in The Eleventh Black Book of Horror, 2015
A Grim God’s Revenge was first published in Mythic issue 4, 2017
Grudge End Cloggers was first published in Scare Me, 2020
Hanuman was first published in Phantasmagoria issue 16, 2020
Friday, 8 March 2024
Day Thirty of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2
Hot on the heels of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1, our book being showcased today is Volume 2.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 2 is available as a paperback and ebook.
The paperback is £11.99; the kindle version is £2.99
The contents of Volume 2 are:
Introduction by David A. Riley
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 £11.99 paperback/£2.99 kindle
Thursday, 7 March 2024
Day Twenty-Nine of Showcasing books published by Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy is intended to be the first in a series of swords and sorcery anthologies.
The contents of Volume One are:
INTRODUCTION - David A. Riley
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