Ginger Nuts of Horror reviews A Distasteful Horror Story

"A Distasteful Horror Story is an unusual and audacious debut novel, combining Mains’ love of genre with a rollocking and twisty narritive and a payoff that will, I’m sure, be hotly debated for some time to come. I found it to be a disturbing joy to read."

To read the full review click on this link.

A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains is now available on Amazon

A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains is now available to order on amazon, price £11.99.

"A darkly humorous, satirical look at the tight-knit world of horror writers - and their fans. Contains no scenes of violence against actual books, only their authors”Johnny Mains has been prominent in the horror genre ever since his 2010 debut anthology, Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2011 for best anthology. Mains has been at the forefront of the UK’s new wave of horror, editing Best British Horror (Salt Publishing and NewCon Press), Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians (edited with Robin Ince), and The Screaming Book of Horror.Mains has also written several collections of his own stories: With Deepest Sympathy (2010), Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types (2012) and A Little Light Screaming (2015).Mains has also written the introduction to Stephen King’s 30th anniversary edition of Thinner, and has discovered ‘lost’ works of fiction by Algernon Blackwood, Edith Nesbit and Daphne Du Maurier.
"Johnny Mains is the Herbert van Thal of our age" - The Independent
"Mains' knowledge of fantastical fiction is enormous" - Robin Ince
"Mains is the Minister For Horror" - Charlie Higson"

Amazon UK £11.99
Amazon USA $15.99

A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains

Cover artwork: David Whitlam

Started the process to get A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains published within the next few days. Providing there are no unexpected glitches the book should be available in paperback on amazon later this week, priced £11.99.

"A darkly humorous, satirical look at the tight-knit world of horror writers - and their fans. Contains no scenes of violence against actual books, only their authors”

Johnny Mains has been prominent in the horror genre ever since his 2010 debut anthology, Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2011 for best anthology. Mains has been at the forefront of the UK’s new wave of horror, editing Best British Horror (Salt Publishing and NewCon Press), Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians (edited with Robin Ince), and The Screaming Book of Horror.
 
Mains has also written several collections of his own stories: With Deepest Sympathy (2010), Frightfully Cosy and Mild Stories for Nervous Types (2012) and A Little Light Screaming (2015).
Mains has also written the introduction to Stephen King’s 30th anniversary edition of Thinner, and has discovered ‘lost’ works of fiction by Algernon Blackwood, Edith Nesbit and Daphne Du Maurier.
 
"Johnny Mains is the Herbert van Thal of our age" - The Independent
"Mains' knowledge of fantastical fiction is enormous" - Robin Ince
"Mains is the Minister For Horror" - Charlie Higson"

An extract from A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains

From A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains, due out from Parallel Universe Publications soon:

"Our biggest score was Ramsey Campbell. I was gutted, as was he. It was the worst day of my life, but Carson had him targeted, but didn’t think that he would ever have been able to take him down on his own. We took him down at a convention of all bloody places, the most stupid, and riskiest thing we could have ever done. Ramsey, in a rare move, was alone, his wife did not accompany him on this trip, for whatever reason. He was, by all accounts, having a rare old time of it – he was there to pick up a lifetime achievement award; he even mentioned Carson in his speech, prompting the audience to give Carson a round of applause. That, at least, gave Carson safety when it came to the police questioning everyone. Nobody would ever think that he would have ever wanted to kill anyone."

A Distasteful Horror Story by Johnny Mains

Parallel Universe Publications will very shortly be publishing the paperback and ebook versions of Johnny Mains' satirical horror novel, A Distasteful Horror Story. I've just requested a proof copy and, provided there are no unexpected glitches to it, the book will be available within the next couple of weeks.
The book's cover is the work of artist David Whitlam. It also has an introduction by Reginald Oliver.

Nightscape by Eric Ian Steele reviewed on the British Fantasy Society website

There's a review of Eric Ian Steele's Nightscape collection on the BFS website by Pauline Morgan.

"The first thing that catches the attention is the beautiful production of this book and the excellent choice of cover – Joseph de Ribera’s Hecate: Procession to a Witches Sabbath – which perfectly indicates the intended mood of the stories inside. There are eleven of these, the first eight of which were originally published elsewhere between 2003 and 2014. The final three are original to this collection." To read the rest of the review click onto this link.

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!  

Nightscape is being published in hardcover, price £20.00. It is also available as a trade papetrback and an ebook.

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.

hardcover

amazon.co.uk £20.00

amazon.com $26.00

trade paperback
amazon.co.uk £9.99 
amazon.com  $12.99

ebook
amazon.co.uk £2.76
amazon.com $3.65

Into the Dark reviewed in the next issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine

The horror novel Into the Dark is reviewed in the next issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine this coming weekend.

A review of INTO THE DARK by Andrew Jennings. Review by Helen Scott for Phantasmagoria Magazine.
It is bad enough for Janice Burroughs that she is afraid of travelling home from work in the dark but now there is a serial killer at large in London. The nights are drawing in and she is all too well aware of how vulnerable she is, a single woman, living and travelling alone. Then there is her creepy neighbour Jimmy. He won’t stop asking her out and hanging around. She tries to make as little noise as possible at home so he doesn’t catch her at the door, prompting another awkward exchange. Until one night there is a power cut and Jimmy comes to her rescue. Thinking he’s not such a bad bloke after all, she agrees to go on a date with him. Then as she gets to know him, he starts to pick her up from work in his old BMW - at least that way she doesn’t have to be afraid of travelling alone, what with a killer on the loose.
Meanwhile, Chief Inspector James Yates and Detective Sergeant McKenna are investigating three brutal murders. They are hunting for a killer who likes to slice off the faces of their victims before applying grease paint. Jimmy’s name comes on their radar as he has a connection to the family of one of the victims. He did some plumbing work for them and has been previously arrested for domestic violence against his ex-wife.
To complicate matters, Fiona, a barmaid on her way home one night, not only witnesses but thwarts an attack on another woman. Hailed as a hero and interviewed by the papers she doesn’t realise that all the publicity is making her a target for the attacker. That is until late one night Fiona is attacked in her own home and it has serious consequences. Not only that but now the police are looking for a man who drives a BMW.
But what has all this got to do with Craig, a thirteen year old boy abducted from a train station in Lancaster? Finding himself manacled and mutilated by his ‘doctor’ abductors, he has given up any hope of escape.
Janice and Jimmy soon find themselves embroiled in a set of circumstances that means they have to flee London and head north.
I first read this book last June, then when I was asked to review it I read it again. I have to say that I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. It lost none of its appeal or tension, even though it was familiar. That is because Jennings writes so well. His characters are written in such a way that they have a familiarity to them and as the reader you just get taken into the story. The whole plot is wonderfully thought out and executed, leaving you, the reader, wanting more. I know I certainly did. Definitely worth a read and as it’s only £1.99 on Kindle how could you possibly say no. Go on, treat yourself.

Into the Dark is available to purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Wordery and direct from Parallel Universe Publishing.
Helen Scott.

trade paperback:
Amazon.co.uk  £9.99
Amazon.com  $12.99          Barnes & Noble $11.63

Ebook:
Amazon.co.uk  £2.99
Amazon.com  $4.30

Volumes 1 and 2 of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts now available in softcover

The softcover versions of the limited, signed hardback edition of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts are now both available to order online, £15.99 each. Volume 2 contains a small number of recent full colour and black & white illustrations not included in the hardback.

Amazon UK - volume 1
Amazon UK - volume 2


Amazon USA - volume 1
Amazon USA - volume 2

Volume One of the softcover version of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts now available

Volume One of the softcover version of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts is now available online. Volume Two will follow shortly.

Amazon UK: £15.99

Amazon USA: $21.73

Kitchen Sink Gothic 2

We'll be starting work shortly to choose which stories will be in Kitchen Sink Gothic 2.
Below is the cover, though it could still be subject to change. The cover art is by Allen Koszowski.