Comes The Dark…getting ready to rock n’ roll!
Well, it’s been a great ride I’ve been on over the past few years. The Library of the Living Dead was very good to me when it gave me a shot as a new author. I think I was pretty good to them by producing a trilogy that sold a few copies here and there. Good enough that when the time to part ways with the Library was upon me, Jacob, the owner of Permuted Press, was very interested in re-releasing my novels.
It’s been an interesting journey, with a lot of twists and turns. Of course, many of them occurred before the first book was ever published, but there have been quite a few since then. Some ups and some downs, including a gaff with the kindle version of Comes The Dark occurred that required some quick thinking. But all’s well that ends well, and that situation ended well. But now my books are in someone else’s hands, and I’m pretty excited about what’s to come. I miss the Library, and I miss Doc, my old publisher, but it has gone by the wayside, and I doubt, sadly enough, that it will ever publish something new again.
Comes The Dark is being re-released with new edits and new content in paperback, ebook, and audible versions by Permuted press this month. The same will be the case with the two sequels, which are coming in March and April. Some things I have added that weren’t included in the original Dark Stories-some freshly written, some dug up from the crypt where I keep a lot of old, dusty things that just need a little bit of a cleaning up before they’re ready to go. Well…not everything should see the light of day from that old crypt, but this stuff I feel deserves to get a good looking over by someone other than me.
I have to admit, what I’m excited the most about the re-release of this trilogy is that they will be available in audio form. You see, for those of you who don’t know me personally, you may not understand why this is what gets me so excited. But if you do know me and my family, and know my son, Zack, you’ll understand why. I guess that makes me nervous for the book’s release in audio format as well-when your boy tells you that you’re his favorite author, but he hasn’t even read any of your stuff yet…well, that’s a lot to live up to.
I’ve been informed that the ebook version of Comes The Dark will be ready to go in the next few days. Once I have a link, I’ll be sharing it. The paper version of the book will hit roughly around 2/26/13, as will the audio version. The great news is that the link is already up for ordering the audio version of the book, and my guess is it will be the same link for the other versions as well-just click on the option you prefer. So if you have a desire to check out my first book on tape (heh, I’m old enough to remember when they were on tape!), click the cover art below and pre-order your copy. I’ll be posting again when the other versions are available as well, so stay tuned!
Arthur Graham interviews me over on the Bizarro Press Blog
Arthur Graham, fellow author and editor for Tall Tales with Short Cocks Volume 2, for which I wrote a science fiction comedy story called “The Interstellar Quest for Snack Cakes”, took the time out to interview me about my story, about zombies, and about all sorts of strange things. Okay, I admit it-his questions weren’t all that strange, just my answers. But please check it out at: http://bizarropress.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/patrick-dorazio/
My article over at Indie Inside has gone live!
I’d mentioned that I’d written a brief article for Pat Douglas, a fellow author, over on his website, http://indie-inside.com. It has gone live now, and I hope you’ll click on the full link and head on over there: http://indie-inside.com/the-joys-of-the-other-stuff-guest-blog-w-patrick-dorazio/. For anyone who has become a writer and believes that when they get published that they can just sit back and bask in the glory of being famous, this article is for you. It’s also for anyone else who ever wonders how you can get the word out on a writing project. Whether you self-publish, get with a smaller publisher, or manage to swing for the fences and get with one of the big publishers out of New York, much of the promotional work responsibility is in your own hands. There is tons you can do to help promote your stuff, and my article goes over just a small smidgen of that. So pleased check it out…it might make you cringe, but perhaps it will bring a smile to your face…because I tried to be funny (just a little bit-probably failed, but give me a B for effort).
Guest Blog from author Kody Boye!
Every once in a while I get the chance to do something fun because of this writing and reviewing gig I have created for myself. No, I haven’t gotten a space on the next commercial flight up to the international space station, but that would be cool, wouldn’t it? But unless I become a bajillionaire, or they start giving those away for free, I am out of luck on that account.
Nope, that ain’t happening, but something pretty cool is occurring here on my blog. Kody Boye, a young and talented author who has impressed me with his skill with the written word (well, part of it is jealousy, since he is less than half my age and probably has written three times as much stuff as I have thus far in his brief career), suggested that we do a blog swap to promote the release of his new book. What is a blog swap? Well, I’m glad you asked! It is just what it sounds like. One blogger writes a post for the other blogger and vice versa, and then they post them on their respective blogs. So Kody has handed off a post that he wrote specifically for me, and I have done the same for him. I can’t tell you when my babbling will appear on his blog, but you should definitely pop on over there and check it out, and not just for my words, but for his, because Kody is a diverse talent who has written horror, fantasy, and in plenty of other genres. Most recently, Kody’s book, Sunrise, has been re-released after he did some major overhauling of this zombie apocalyptic tale. I read the original version and had the privilege of reading the reworked version not too long ago. Let me just state for the record that Kody wrote Sunrise originally well before he was eighteen. In many ways, it was obvious with that first version how young he was. Kody saw things in a certain way that I think was unique and was coming from the mind of someone who had experienced a lot in a short time, but still had some growing up to do. But don’t we all, even into our forties and beyond? In some ways, losing the haze of youth is both sad and necessary, and as such, the changes with the revised version of Sunrise reflected those changes in Kody. Compare the two versions side by side and you will see how Kody has changed as an author and as a person over the past few years. His writing is crisper, sharper, and inevitably, filled with more of the harsh tones of reality we face in this world and the world of adults. My review of Sunrise will follow this post later tonight, but for now, please enjoy Kody’s simple and eloquent analysis of zombies below, along with the cover of his book. -PD
Zombies: What they Represent and How They Parody the Living
There is much debate as to what zombies represent in the media and fiction. Some say they are a result of our lesser reptilian conscience coming to life in the most stressful of situations; others say that they are meant to reveal the most intimate flaws that exist within each and every one of us. To a writer, zombies can mean many things. Life, death, the present, the future, the past, what happens to us after death and just where our minds (or our ‘spark’) go—we have begged to question just what it was that happens when our physical bodies cease to exist for millennia. Why, we would not be human if we did not think on such things, as it was with higher conscience we evolved to walk as we do now.
To me, zombies are simple.
Zombies represent the most primal instincts within humanity. The animalism presented in their actions, their conscience and desires are what take us back to that fateful age when, thousands of years ago, all we craved was food and survival. We were, however, driven by instinct to protect ourselves. Unlike zombies, we have always had fear to inhibit and hold us back. It is not without reason that as children we are afraid of the dark, as during the night it is said that monsters will rise from under the bed to destroy all that it we feel is safe, and it is not without consequence that we are afraid to commit actions that would otherwise land us in severe trouble. That is perhaps the most terrifying thing about the zombie. Their no-holds-barred, unrestrained behavior when they attack their prey is akin to a predatory instinct that we have long since evolved away from. Sure—we may still hunt our prey on occasion, but we most often do so with simple guns and ammo, possibly even bows and arrows should we be willing to return to our former roots in our ways of hunting. There are very few occasions when we actually physically hunt our prey with tooth and claw—which, to the rest of the animal kingdom, seems outrageous. We were created as omnivores for a reason, to find and seek and hunt and kill the prey and foods that we eat. It is terrifying to think that, once upon a time, we were no more than animals, which is why, in my opinion, people are afraid of zombies. It is not about a lack of conscience, the loss of memories or even the desire to kill those we love—it is the return to animal roots that make them the most frightening.
Kody Boye’s zombie novel, Sunrise, is now available on Smashwords.com and on Amazon in paperback formats (with Kindle forthcoming.) You can find more about him and his future projects by going to KodyBoye.com.
HorrorHound Indianapolis 2011 review
This past weekend, I took part in HorrorHound Indianapolis. Like the event in Cincinnati, it is three days of organized chaos, with tons of horror fans running around in costumes and makeup checking out vendor booths and getting autographs from some of the more famous (and infamous) stars of the horror genre. This was their tenth anniversary show and it was jam packed all weekend long. I got to sit between Tony Schaab of G.O.R.E. Score fame and Dr. Pus’s (aka The Library of the Living Dead) table, which had Doc, Michelle Linhart, and Rich Dalzotto manning the stations. Also in attendance from the Library of the Living Dead crew were Rob and Laura Best. We got to see plenty of folks we know from the facebook and the industry, which was a blast, including the folks from Night of the Living Podcast, who were kind enough to post a review of Into The Dark on one of their recent episodes after reviewing Comes The Dark after HorrorHound Cincinnati back in November.
I sold a few books, got to talk about the third book of my trilogy, Beyond The Dark, hung out with some great folks, and took a few pictures of the event. This was truly a great con and a lot of fun. I definitely hope I have the opportunity to attend next year as well!
Here are a few of the pics I took at the show. Forgive the blur-they were taken with my cellphone camera.
Tony Schaab and his brother-in-law Tom, who is also the graphic designer for the covers of his G.O.R.E. Score books.
Rob and Laura Best
Dr. Pus, my publisher, sitting alongside Michelle Linhart and Rich Dalzotto (sorry you can’t see much of them!)
Just a sample of one of the more wild costumes at HorrorHound this year.
…and another wild costume.
In this picture is the famous “Kitty Zombie”, who has his back to the camera. He is the one with the goggles, armor, and the bald head. He is a pretty remarkable character, and funny as hell without saying a single intelligible word.
Well, that’s about it for now. The rest of the pictures I took were sort of blurry or didn’t show anything specifically of interest. Again, the convention was a lot of fun, and I only wish I could attend more of them after the fun I’ve had at the one in Indy as well as Cinci.
HorrorHound Weekend and some notes on Beyond The Dark
Just wanted to post a note tonight since I haven’t posted anything for a bit except an update on the the book signing I did at That Book Place last weekend. It was a great time with Beth LaFond and Benjamin Rogers, two good friends and fellow authors. I am hoping to post a bit more here in the upcoming weeks, in particular with details on the release of Beyond The Dark, which has been delayed a little bit due to circumstances beyond my control. It is pretty much ready to go, including the artwork I have already shared with you all previously for the cover. I should know a bit more about the release this weekend, when I attend HorrorHound Indianapolis with my publisher, Mike West, aka, Dr. Pus. He has been buried under with a lot of different projects so the release date on the book has been pushed back. My hope is for an April release, though I have no fix on it. The editing is complete, and all that really needs to be done is the formatting, so we are right on the edge of it.
Now, for HorrorHound. This past November, I attended HorrorHound Cincinnati, which was a great event. The aforementioned Dr. Pus, Benjamin Rogers, and Beth LaFond were all in attendance, as was Rich Dalzotto, who runs Horror Realm, another great convention that happens in Pittsburgh every September. It was a great time. Unfortunately, Ben and Beth won’t be coming to Indy, which saddens me greatly, but the good Dr. will be there, along with Rob Best, his lovely wife, Laura, Rich, and Mr. GORE Score himself, Tony Schaab. Since this is the 10th Anniversary for HorrorHound, and Indy is their home turf, it should have quite a turnout. They had over 10,000 people show up last year.
There will be plenty of horror notables there, and while I am not big on getting all the autographs and pictures, it is really cool to see folks walking around that you recognize from a movie or two that you think of quite fondly from your past. And repeat after me: there is nothing wrong with totally geeking out at a convention! Absolutely nothing! So the fact that the guys from Boondock Saints being there makes me giddy is no big deal.
Here is a link for any of you curious about checking out the show if you think you can swing by Indianapolis this weekend. http://www.horrorhoundweekend.com/ It should be well worth the trip. I will, of course, be selling copies of my books and signing them, and will be chatting up my upcoming release of Beyond The Dark, which will serve as the finale for my trilogy. Though…don’t be too sure that after that story is done that this will be the last we will see of the world I created with my Dark trilogy. I have plans for more…
That leads me to a bit more info on what is going on with me these days. As some of you may have guessed, I don’t really make my living off of writing (shocking, I know…har har) and I will be starting a new job immediately upon my return from HorrorHound. I am excited about this opportunity, though I won’t bore any of you with the details. I think one of the things I will be focusing on more of going forward (besides this new job, of course) is writing novels. I have been dedicating myself to writing short stories during the release of my trilogy, and it has provided me with about twenty different acceptances over the past year plus, which has been great. But as much as I love writing short stories, my novel writing has suffered a bit because of that. Not that I can’t multi task, but I think with the trilogy behind me, I think the desire to get something out there that is a bigger chunk of text will be far greater. That is my artful way of saying that I will be devoting most of my effort to writing novels for the foreseeable future. There will be short stories, but not as many-only when the spirit moves me, rather than any submission call that challenges me, which is how I have been approaching it over the last year. The reality is that most of my stories that have been accepted for publication haven’t been released yet anyway, so there will be plenty of them coming out over the next few months for me to promote here. And I think that is what I will be blogging about mostly going forward. Posting excerpts from some of my short stories to hopefully entice a few of you to check out the anthologies they are published in. Anthologies with some really great writers that I am privileged to share the table of contents with. I have been really proud of not only my work, but of the company I have been able to keep in this anthos.
I will be posting pictures from HorrorHound and doing a follow up on the show sometime next week, and then I will be doing my best to post something at least once a week here from now on…hopefully some new writing for all of you to check out.
Again, check out the HorrorHound page and I hope to see you at the show!
Some updates on the trilogy, meandering thoughts and whatnot
It’s been a while since I posted just some random thoughts, or even some updates on my experiences in writing. Most of my blog posts have been book reviews and updates on stuff being released, Dark Stories, etc. So I thought I would post some comments based on how things are looking these days. It’s been around six months now since Comes The Dark came out, and this whole process of writing, promoting, editing, and all that wonderful stuff has changed for me since the book’s release. It used to be that I was always preparing for something to happen, and it seemed like a distant dream. For several years, when I meandered down the path of writing the manuscript that became my trilogy, it almost seemed theoretical that it would ever be published and that this whole effort was being done for nothing more than a “see, I told you I could do it!” perspective. But then it became real, and the first book was released.
Things went great with that, and have been great, no doubt about it. Sure, there have been a few negative reviews, which are almost like a badge of honor for a writer. Having someone tell you that you suck and please stop writing is sort of a tough one to handle at first blush, but you can either ignore it, or try to extract something from that which motivates you to do better. You can’t respond in kind, by lashing out, because it does no one any good, especially me. Even trying to explain why you did something in your book that someone really didn’t like is pointless, because the inevitable truth that you have to embrace as a writer (especially of genre stuff, and in particular, sub-genre stuff as this zombie stuff has been called) is that there will always be people for who your work does not resonate, and in fact, they do truly hate it, because something you said, did, or didn’t do really rubs them the wrong way. And if you try to absorb all that criticism and validate it in your mind, it will drive you crazy. You will have one person who sights that you poured on the emotions far too heavily in one scene, and then someone else will come along and point out that your characters seemed emotionally withdrawn in that exact same scene. I would never say that you can’t extract something out of the critiques you get, but you have to be true to yourself in the end, and let the chips fall where they may. And trying to get everyone to like your stuff is a tough way to go through life, and there will be a LOT of disappointments along the way. I want people to enjoy my work…otherwise, I wouldn’t have tried to get any of it published. But knowing that you have done your best, no matter what, has to stand for something.
I will be the first one to admit that I have a lot to learn about writing, and a lot to learn about the editing process. I know that there is always room for improvement, but at the same time, sooner or later, you have to step back and tell yourself that all that can be done has been done. I’m not sure when that point is, but I think sooner or later I will find it. It probably has something to do with being a bit OCD now and then, and not having the ability to walk away from a story and just leave it be, knowing that I’ve done all I can with it.
With all that said, I am taking another swipe at having some edits done to my trilogy. The third book, Beyond The Dark, is complete and I am satisfied that it is the best it can be, with no further tampering from me. I have had several edits done to it, and I know well enough to leave it be after that, because better editing minds than mine have worked it over and slapped it on the grill. If it keeps cooking it will be overcooked and no one wants that. But in conjunction with the edits being completed on that book, I have had an editor have another go at Comes The Dark and Into The Dark, and those edits will be implemented with the paperback and electronic versions of the book that are sold after the release of Beyond The Dark. In fact, there will be several releases in March for the grand finale of the trilogy. Here they are, briefly:
Beyond The Dark is being released as a paperback and on Smashwords, naturally. The edits, as I mentioned, are complete, and I am very happy with them. I honestly think that this is the most compelling of the three books, for many reasons I won’t divulge here.
Future versions of the paperback and smashwords versions of Comes The Dark and Into The Dark will be the revised versions, though we won’t be advertising that. The new copies sold will just have some new editing touches that won’t change anything with the stories, but will do a bit to get rid of some of the typos and grammatical errors that were in the original releases.
The Dark Trilogy, Revised, Expanded, and with Additional Stories will be released for both the Kindle and smashwords. As I mention here: http://patrickdorazio.com/2010/11/22/announcement-about-the-kindle-version-of-comes-the-dark/, there was a snafu with the kindle release of Comes The Dark. It was the raw, unedited version of the entire manuscript for the trilogy. We pulled that version off the market, but not before a substantial number had been sold, and as you can guess, many of those kindle readers assumed that Into The Dark would end up being an entirely new story, not one that had appeared already in the version they had (mind you, there were some new chapters added and it was edited, which the raw manuscript was not), so we did not release Into The Dark on the kindle, nor are we releasing Beyond The Dark as a stand alone on the kindle either. Instead, we are releasing, as the title describes it, the entire trilogy, plus all the stories that appear here, on my blog, under the page heading “Dark Stories”. It will be around 250,000 words and include a lot of stuff that didn’t show up in that raw and unedited kindle version that went out.
Maybe that will allow my OCD to relinquish control of me and let this trilogy rest for a bit after all that is said and done in March. And that is the key, I think. I need to focus 100% of my efforts on new stuff, and not on revising, editing, messing with, or otherwise tweaking stuff I have already done. Granted, I have written my fair share of short stories and have outlined and even started writing new novels over the past few months, but the focus has been splintered with a LOT of it devoted to the trilogy. I will continue to promote the Dark trilogy via the net and in other places, but it has been crazy for the past year, with so much effort put into something I had already written, and re-written, several times. But that is what it takes to get a novel out there, and ready to go for public consumption. I will even mention that another publisher came along and chatted about buying the rights to the trilogy and doing a re-release, which was very flattering, but a very daunting prospect. The idea of once again diving into this trilogy of books, which has consumed so much of my time, effort, and energy over the past few years, was terrifying. I just couldn’t do that. I love these books-they will always hold a special place in my heart, and I love talking about them, promoting them, and doing whatever is needed to make them appear more polished and professional, etc. but as far as writing, editing, etc…that all needs to be in the rear view mirror for me. I need to focus on other projects and throw myself into them like I did this one.
With that in mind, I though I might give some vague ideas of what the future holds. Because regardless of the guy on Amazon who pleaded with me to stop writing, I plan on doing some more…and I hope to get better at it-perhaps enough, someday, that he might change his mind, or might be able to brag to his friends that his comments were the ones that motivated me to get better and I actually did! I guess there are crazier dreams out there.
I will finish off the Dark Stories. I still have a handful of these stories to offer up to you, and I intend on finishing them before the release of Beyond The Dark.
There are about 15 submission calls for short stories that I would love to tackle. Realistically, I will probably go after no more than 5-10 of them, but I will give it my best shot. Another stab at keeping my writing diverse and not just tackling zombies, but other horror stories, sci fi, fantasy, and other genres as well.
I have two novels outlined, and I will admit that one is a fourth book in the same universe that the Dark Trilogy takes place in. In all, the plan would be for five books total, with the fifth book being the final chapter in the tale. The other novel is another horror tale that includes both our dear friends, the zombies, as well as their arch nemesis (well, at least I think so), the vampires. And no, neither side are made to look like the good guys. This one will hopefully be a very dark, very grim tale.
I have at least two or three other novels floating around in my head, including an overhaul of a book I wrote back in college. High fantasy, as it was originally written. Granted, the book was bad, really, really, bad. But my new slant would be to do an overhaul with a few winks, a nudge here and there, and not try to take it so seriously. Would it be outright comedy? That remains to be seen, but I think I would like to take a swipe at doing my best to overhaul this sucker. Another would be a YA adventure story, which is one that got into my head over the past few months and I really want to run with it. It would be something very personal because of the elements of the story and the main characters, but unfortunately, I really don’t want to divulge much else because again, I haven’t done much with it yet. But one of my longterm goals is to write YA fiction, and this would be my first step into that arena, perhaps beyond a few short stories I plan on doing before the novel would get done. The final book floating around in my mind, and that I have created a description that would fit nicely on the back cover of the book, would be a futuristic novel. It would actually have noir elements, would be at its heart a mystery, and takes place a decade after the zombie apocalypse has come and went-the humans won, and the zombies were wiped out…but someone out there knows the secret to creating zombies, and wants to bring them back…the main character’s job would be to stop them, and discover why they want to do such a crazy thing.
Again, this is all just ideas floating around in my head. It is always fun to come up with ideas that you believe can be turned into novels, and then doing your best to putting them down on paper and get rolling with them. They don’t always continue to speak to you after you start the writing process, and you realize that a good idea was actually only that-an idea. But the ideas can morph and change into something completely different, which is also part of the fun. You have the opportunity to change a story mid-stride and make it into something you never expected, but really gives you the juice to go the distance with it.
I guess that is it for now. Sorry for the long explanation of things, but a lot on my mind lately, and a lot of things going on. And for better or worse, I wanted to share it all with you. 
Check out these cool Library of the Living Dead Calendars!
Hey all! I had to post about the cool calendars that are being sold over at Cafe Press that were put together by some pretty killer artists for The Library of the Living Dead. There are two different calendars and each contains zombified pictures of various authors whose work appears in either Library anthologies or novels. Yours truly is in one of the two calendars and I do have to say that both really kick some major butt!
Give them both a looksee if you get the chance, at this link: http://www.cafepress.com/DrPus?CMP=CJ-CLICK-10461796&tid=skim673X607971&sid=skim673X607971&cjpid=3641109&PID=7532081&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=none&utm_source=cj
And then pick up one or both for yourself and get a few for the zombie lover you know and want to pleasantly surprise for Christmas!
NOTLP from Horror Hound-my interview!
Hey folks-check out my interview out from Night of the Living Podcast from Horror Hound. You should check them out for a lot more-they do a great horror podcast and can be found on Itunes for free downloads. Their website is http://www.notlp.com and you can go to the episode guide from there. It is the most recent episode in their episode guide, and is entitled: HHWCincy10. The Library of the Living Dead has an interview as well, and their interview starts around the seven minute mark. Mine starts at 15:40 mark. Check both of them out and do yourself a favor and listen to the whole podcast! These guys are great and do a terrific job. In fact, you should do like I did, and subscribe so you can stay up to date with what they are doing.
HorrorHound Cincinnati 2010 Wrap Up
I spent this last weekend with several good friends over at HorrorHound, promoting my book: Comes The Dark and the soon to be released sequel, Into The Dark. It was fun mingling with a wide cross-section of horror fans, chat about my books, and have the chance to spend time with Ben Rogers, author of Faith And The Undead, Beth LaFond, Publicist for The Library of the Living Dead, Rich Dalzatto, who runs Horror Realm up in Pittsburgh, and Dr. Pus, aka Mike West, who owns The Library of the Living Dead. I helped my fellow table dwellers sell some of their books and they did the same for me, and we had a good chance to hang out together not only at the show, but at Coco Key’s water park on Saturday night, which is attached to the hotel where the convention took place. I was able to bring my wife and kids along to that event and we had a blast.
I also had the privilege of being interviewed for two podcasts while at the show-stay tuned for links as they are passed long to me. It is always fun to promote my stories and the folks at Night of the Living Podcast and The Creepture Feature Horror Show were great to talk with.
I didn’t take a lot of pictures at the show, but suffice it to say, the crowds were great and things were hopping. I sold a pretty good amount of my books and even met some folks who had already purchased it and had some great conversations with them. Here a few pictures I took when my wife and kids showed up on Saturday.
From left to right: Rich Dalzatto, Dr. Pus, my son Zack, me, my daughter Ali, and Ben Rogers…and Zeb, the zombie that lives in the shed out behind Ben’s house
Me and the kids at my table
Dr. Pus, Zack, me, Ali, and Ben
Book Signing this Saturday
Ben Rogers and I will be taking part in the Books of the Dead Signings at That Book Place in Madison, Indiana. It is located at 337 Clifty Drive and will run from 12-3. There will also be an opportunity for customers to dress up as zombies for this event, so it should be a real blast! I will be signing copies of my book, Comes The Dark, and Ben will be signing his book, Faith and The Undead.
You can check out That Book Place on the web, and become their fan on Facebook, at http://www.thatbookplace.com/. They did an interview with me back in July, which is posted on their website, and they do a lot of other great interviews and reviews of books. Please help support independent book stores like this one, because they bring you a lot of great books and authors that bigger chains seem to pass over.
Thanks!
