Saturday, April 24, 2010

News and stuff

Okay, another week, another blog. I’m going to try to make these posts a little more regular, but don’t count on it!

We’ve been blessed with a little sunshine this week, so I’ve been out on the garden doing a little reading. At the moment, I’m dipping into Johnny Mains’ BACK FROM THE DEAD: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories. Anyone old enough to remember the Pan series of books will know that they were the cornerstone of horror up until the late 80s. Mr Mains is single handedly carrying the torch for this series and in this limited edition collection, he’s gathered a host of new scares from a plethora of the original Pan authors: http://www.nooseandgibbetpublishing.com/ This morning, I was reading it in the Play Barn, surrounded by screaming children. Now that’s true horror.

On news of The Kult, the director, Kip Shelton has started a journal about the film. Check it out here: http://gharialproductions.com/the-kult-directors-journal/ Also, casting starts next month. For any actors out there interested in the film, which will be shooting in Late September, they are looking for 5 males in their 30s, 2 females in their 30s and 1 female between 20 and 40. Auditions will be held on May 16th and May 23rd, 2010 in Temecula, California. Those wishing to audition should contact the director, Kip Shelton at kip@kipshelton.com for information.

Well Deadfall is now shipping from various locations, and I'm hearing reports that people are receiving copies. I’m hoping to see some reviews of Deadfall start cropping up soon, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that people like it. There are also some giveaways for both Deadfall and The Kult on http://www.goodreads.com/

On the writing front, progress on the latest Prosper Snow novel has slowed as I’ve put him in a situation that’s hard to find a way out of. But I’m sure he’ll get out of it eventually. At least I hope he does, anyway.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

This, that and t'other

I was having a browse through the charity shop yesterday, and picked up:
The Black Druid - Frank Belknap Long (Panther 1975)
The Taste of Fear - Edited by Hugh Lamb (Coronet 1977)
A Wave of Fear - Edited by Hugh Lamb (Coronet 1976)
Weird Tales - Selected and Introduced by Peter Haining (Sphere 1978)
More Weird Tales - Selected and Introduced by Peter Haining (Sphere 1978)
The Blockhouse - Jean-Paul Clebert (Ace Books 1960)

There are some real gems out there waiting to be unearthed.

Talking of books, I don’t know whether it’s just me, but I’ve been pretty disillusioned with what I’ve been reading lately. Nothing seems to have grabbed me, and I find that after struggling through a number of pages, I abandon the story. Still, I’ve got plenty of unread books to have a go at, and I’m sure there must be something among them that keeps my interest.

As for my own writing, I’m nearing the end of another novel featuring the protagonist from The Kult, Prosper Snow. I’ve put him through the grinder again, but then if I didn’t, it wouldn’t make for much of a story, would it.

There’s also progress on The Kult film too, and casting calls have been set for May 16th and 23rd. It will be a real revelation seeing my story translated to film. The director, Kip Shelton has been seeking some unsigned metal bands for the project, and I believe he’s approached a few to see whether he can acquire their work. The film is going to rock in more ways than one.

In other news, the first review of my latest book, Deadfall was a good one: http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/reviews/deadfall-shaun-jeffrey.html

And in a scenario straight out of a novel, it will be interesting to see the long term repercussions of the Icelandic volcano. We take so much for granted nowadays, and we don’t realise that so many things enter the country via the airports. One thing that immediately springs to mind is airmail postage. Then there’s food that’s now rotting in warehouses that was destined for these shores. If the situation continues, then I think food shortages are certain to happen, and as of yet, no one knows how long the ash will leave us a no fly zone. For the first time in ages, we can see how small an island we are, but more importantly, how reliant we are on international trade.