Books

Launch of ememess.com

Loath though I am to steal the thunder of whatever trivial piece of news Apple has for us later in the week, I’m delighted to announce the launch of Ememess Press, a site dedicated to the short fiction of, well… me.

The site comes courtesy of the web wizardry of Fictitious Bob and his coding elves, and the idea is to make my short stories available — for the first time — in e-format. Every fortnight, three short stories will be published. (For now, ememess press is focussing on Kindle format. In the fullness of time iBooks and others may be brought into the fold. Imagine it as being a bit like when The Beatles finally hit iTunes. I certainly do.) The site is also optimised for use with iPhone, iPad and Kindle Fire.

The stories will range from alleged classics to lesser-known rarities and B-sides. Issue One, out today, features British fantasy Award-winning MORE TOMORROW, optioned-for-film HELL HATH ENLARGED HERSELF, and a lighter piece DIET HELL. You can buy the stories individually, or in Issue format — in which case, the third one comes free.

The site will also feature occasional special items, and they’re kicking that off with the publication of my only novella so far, THE VACCINATOR. More of this kind of thing to come in the months ahead. It’s been fun getting the thing up and running, and I really hope that you enjoy the stories…

ememess Books, Tech 16

UK Book Tour

Just to let you know that there are three events planned around the publication of KILLER MOVE in the UK.

Wednesday 6 July 2011 at 7:00PM
Waterstones, Manchester Deansgate
0843 290 8485
www.waterstones.com

Thursday 7 July 2011 at 6:30PM
Waterstones, Sauchiehall Street Glasgow
Southern Scotland
0843 290 8345

Friday 8 July 2011 at 6:30PM
No Alibis Bookshop, Belfast
Northern Ireland
028 9031 9601
http://www.noalibis.com/

It’s not entirely clear whether the Waterstones events are ticketed, so it may be worth calling to check. The No Alibis event is definitely ticketed.The events will involve the usual reading, answering questions, summoning of Dracula, the Lord of the Undead, and so forth. I’m not doing the nude tightrope-walking again though.

For those who can’t make it, the book is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I’m just saying. Don’t feel you necessarily have to order it for yourself, your family and every single one of your friends, even if they can’t read.

Anyway – enough about me. How are you?

ememess Books, News 20

Delight

Longboat Key, Florida

Anybody out there? Been a long time since I posted, I know. I doubt anyone cares, but the reason has been a headlong rush to finish the first draft of a new novel. That’s done (though an edit will doubtless occur soon, oh happy prospect). I’m doing some screenwriting in the meantime, and tomorrow I’m heading to Brighton for the World Horror Convention. But for now…

This may read rather like coming across a re-run of the snow-blown Christmas Special of some old sitcom in mid-March, but this lunchtime I happened to be leafing through old recipe cuttings (yes, my life really is that dull), and came across one of those features that magazines run like clockwork during the festive season:

“Why not try something different to boring old turkey this year?”

Indeed, I thought, as always — or, on the other hand, why not stop trying to establish some dreary measure of self-definition by opting out of well-established and non-harmful ways of being? Christmas and its associated culinary traditions are — for those not directed otherwise through parallel belief systems — one of the few moments of national or international bonding left (apart, of course, from those relating to the death of a ‘celebrity’ or the climax of some witless cultural cancer like The Gag Factor or Big Moron). And… it only happens once a year. How can something you do just once a year have got to the stage of being so unutterably boring? To be fair, allowance must be made for Americans in this regard, who may have eaten the same thing only a month before: but, for everyone else, let’s get this straight — can you only bear one pasta dish a year, or one pizza, or one Chinese takeout? No, I thought not.

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