ALL PULP PAGES

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

PULP IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE!


"The Obsolete Man"
New Pulp creators Martin Powell, Mark Maddox, Anthony Taylor, and Diana Leto join Bobby Nash and the Earth Station One podcast crew for a look at The Twilight Zone.

On the final episode of our Countdown to Halloween, the ESO crew travels to another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, and Bobby Nash, along with special guests Anthony Taylor, Martin Powell, Diana Leto, and the award-winning Mark Maddox journey to a wondrous land whose boundaries are only that of imagination. Our next stop: The Twilight Zone! Plus, artist Bret Herholz spends some time in The Geek Seat! All this and the usual Rants, Raves, Khan Report, and Shout Outs!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: The Signpost Up Ahead Says You Are Now Entering.. The ESO Zone at www.esopodcast.com
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/earth-station-one-episode-135/

A WHITE ROCKET AND A DARK TOWER!


Just in time for Halloween--- New Pulp author and artist David Wright visits The White Rocket Podcast to talk about Stephen King's epic THE DARK TOWER saga with host, New Pulp author Van Allen Plexico.

Spoilers aplenty! Van and David talk about every book and even dig into the ending of the whole story-- what it really meant, and how they feel about it. You can listen now at www.whiterocketbooks.com/wrpodcast.

Note: This is the last episode of The White Rocket Podcast before it officially joins Earth Station One's  ESO Network of shows.

A FREE HALLOWEEN PULP STORY

Just in time for Halloween, New Pulp Author James Palmer has released a free tale of a suppressed Halloween and a futuristic fascist dictatorship at http://jamespalmerbooks.com/2012/10/31/free-story-the-halloween-room.

Happy Halloween!



IDEAS LIKE BULLETS RETURNS TO ALL PULP!


IDEAS LIKE BULLETS- A Column by Tommy Hancock

That's right.  Although I've struck out with my own blog (ideaslikebullets.blogspot.com), I have been encouraged in the last few days to restore the ILB column to its first home.  So, when there is an idea that I feel I want to share, it will most definitely appear here.  There may even be a frew ALL PULP exclusives, ideas that I don't share anywhere but here.... but now to our first new ILB!  

How this game is played, guys and dolls, is simple.  Generally I share an idea that I don't have time to write or run with and give any and all of You a chance to write it.  Sometimes I want to retain ownership and let you play with it.  Sometimes its a freely given seed of inspiration that You may take and do with as You please.  Today's is a bit of both.

This idea I have is very much just an inkling, but it is for a character that I will hold onto at least most of the proprietary rights to, in a 'Concept created by' sense.   The reason for that is I'm toying with this character becoming a regular addition to the Pro Se line up, someone who might show up in every magazine or somesuch like that. But other than that, I'm going to leave the door pretty open to whatever you as a writer want to do with it....and, if enough of You play along, you'll all even get to see your take on this concept in print.

Here we go, first with the idea-  A man, six feet tall, athletic build, black suit and shirt, red tie, red gloves, black shoes, black fedora, red mask that is pulled over the top of his head and ends at the bridge of his nose..so sort of like a full face mask cut in half, the bottom hem resembling a domino cut.  He has a plethora of weapons, reliant on no one in particular, but the weapons are not high tech gizmos- just guns, knives, anything that is needed to fight crime and destroy evil.  No one knows who he is under the mask, but one key element is that when he slips that mask on, he is a total and completely focused Pursuer of Justice.   Justice as he defines it, by the Law if that fits, in the Spirit of Justice if that is more applicable.   He investigates...He brings to trial...and he prosecutes in his own unique way...That is why  they call him... THE D.A.!

Now, the actual reason they call him The DA is, except for the mask, he wears an outfit that is exactly what prominent up and coming D.A. Frank 'Two Fisted' Finnegan wore on every single day he was seen in public.  Finnegan was also mercilessly killed and butchered, first riddled with bullets by unseen gunmen and then literally sliced into pieces by a fast moving blade wielding assassin known only as The Knife...in front of over 300,000 people at a campaign rally in the largest park in the city in October, 1938.  On January 1st, 1939, this character in a mask and Finnegan's outfit delivered The Knife and six gunmen to the city police station, beaten, unconscious and bound.   The papers immediately picked up on the resemblance to Finnegan and theories abounded....so the name- The D. A.- struck and stuck hard.

So, that's the idea...and here's the rest of it.   You, if you're interested, write a 1,000 word story (I know, didn't say it would be easy) focused on the D.A.  Not one word more, not one word less.  1,000.  It must be complete, beginning, middle, and end.   Any and all who write one will not only be reprinted here, but will also find their way into a future issue of PRO SE PRESENTS (after editing of course).
So, you get a chance to breathe life into this character and get published as a result.  Oh and let's say by December 1st, that thousand words.  Work for you? Good.   Just email to tommyhancockpulp@yahoo.com as you get it done with the subject -THE D.A.-IDEAS LIKE BULLETS.  And don't ask me questions about the character...You have all the information you're going to get...the rest, dear Bulleteer, is up to you.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

EBOOK NOW AVAILABLE- THE ROOK VOLUME 1 SPECIAL EDITION!


Pro Se Productions, a cutting edge Publisher of Heroic Fiction and New Pulp, is proud to announce the perfect jumping-on point for fans of adventure – The Rook Volume One Special Edition! NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK!

Created by author Barry Reese, The Rook has become one of the most famous New Pulp heroes. Originally published by Wild Cat Books, The Rook joined Pro Se prior to the release of Volume Six. Now Pro Se begins the process of bringing books 1-5 back into print.




With a beautiful new cover and four interior pieces by George Sellas, The Rook Volume One Special Edition has been completely re-edited and gorgeously packaged by Pro Se designer Sean Ali.
THE ROOK VOLUME ONE SPECIAL EDITION is available from Amazon for the Kindle at 
http://www.amazon.com/Rook-Volume-1-Special-Edition-ebook/dp/B009Z7135U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351721657&sr=8-2&keywords=rook+volume+1+special+edition for $4.99!

Get your copy in multiple formats from Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/250205 for $4.99!


DISNEY ACQUIRES LUCASFILM

George Lucas has sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to the Walt Disney Company. Disney announced plans for new Star Wars movies to premiere beginning 2015.

Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.

Acquisition continues Disney's strategic focus on creating and monetizing the world's best branded content, innovative technology and global growth to drive long-term shareholder value.

Lucasfilm to join company's global portfolio of world class brands including Disney, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel Comics, and ABC.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 feature film targeted for release in 2015.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn.

You can read the full (lengthy) press release at http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2012/10/disney-acquire-lucasfilm-ltd.

There has been no news as yet regarding the future of Lucasfilm’s beloved pulp adventurer, Indiana Jones.



THE SHADOW FAN PODCAST RETURNS

Episode 2 of The Shadow Fan Podcast is now live at http://theshadowfan.libsyn.com/the-case-of-the-shrieking-skeletons.

This episode Barry Reese takes a look at Dynamite's upcoming Shadow comics, reviews the Dark Horse crossover between The Shadow & Doc Savage, talks about the 1994 movie novelization, and gets into some listener feedback.

Monday, October 29, 2012

COLD FUSION MEDIA LAUNCHES SPACE ELDRITCH

Cover Art: Carter Reid
Cold Fusion Media has released Space Eldritch as an ebook with a print edition to follow.

Press Release:

Your long wait is over — your nightmare has just begun!

Startling Stories meets Weird Tales in SPACE ELDRITCH, a volume of seven original novelettes and novellas of Lovecraftian pulp space opera. Featuring work by Brad R. Torgersen (Hugo/Nebula/Campbell nominee), Howard Tayler (multiple Hugo nominee), and Michael R. Collings (author of over 100 books), plus a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia, SPACE ELDRITCH inhabits the intersection between the eternal adventure of the final frontier and the inhuman darkness between the stars.

Contents:
Foreword – Larry Correia
“Arise Thou Niarlat From Thy Rest” – D.J. Butler
“Space Opera“ – Michael R. Collings
“The Menace Under Mars” – Nathan Shumate
“Gods in Darkness” – David J. West
“The Shadows of Titan” – Carter Reid and Brad R. Torgersen
“The Fury in the Void” – Robert J Defendi
“Flight of the Runewright” – Howard Tayler
Contributors
Cover by Carter Reid.

Story samples for each can be read tale at www.coldfusionmedia.us/space-eldritch.

Space Eldritch is currently available as an ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. A print edition is coming soon.

PULP ARK 2013- NOTED CRIME/MYSTERY/NOIR WRITER ADDED AS GUEST!

Pulp Ark 2013, the official New Pulp Creators' Conference and Convention, created and sponsored by Pro Se Productions, a Publisher of Heroic Fiction, tales of multiple genres, and New Pulp, announced today one of its many fantastic guests already making plans to attend the third annual event in its new location, Springdale, Arkansas, April 26-28th!

"It's a big year for us," Tommy Hancock, Founder and Organizer of Pulp Ark stated.  "We're moving, expanding, bringing in old friends and new favorites, so we want any and all news we have to go out as often as it can, to keep Pulp Ark in the forefront of everyone's mind.  And this guest is definitely news."


Crime fiction and New Pulp writer Gary Phillips has written short stories for Moonstone’s Kolchak: The Night Stalker Casebook, the Avenger Chronicles and the Green Hornet Casefiles.  His most current novel is Warlord of Willow Ridge which Booklist said of the work, “Phillips is a veteran crime novelist who creates a plausible postapocalyptic scenario in which the safety of middle-class America can dissolve in a moment. Exciting, violent, and entertaining.”  He has also written essays for the Robert B. Parker tribute book, In Pursuit of Spenser and for The Wire: Race, Class, and Genre, as well is the creator behind the popular detective character Nate Hollis, first seen at Vertigo and most recently in the Moonstone collection Angeltown.  Currently with Tommy Hancock and Pro Se Press, Philips is co-editing and contributing to Black Pulp, pulp stories featuring black main characters, and editing and contributing to a themed linked anthology of short stories, Night of the Insurgents, showcasing America’s super spy before Bauer and Bourne, Jimmy Christopher, Operator 5, for Moonstone. 

Phillips will be a guest at Pulp Ark 2013, participating in Panels as well as visiting with fans, interacting with other creators, and finding all the action there is to be had at Pulp Ark 2013!

For more information on Pulp Ark 2013, go to http://www.pulpmachine.blogspot.com/p/pulp-ark.html ! Stay tuned to that page for early registration, guest and vendor applications, and more!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

VAN PLEXICO’S SENTINELS TRILOGY “THE RIVALS” COLLECTED

Cover Art: Mitch Foust
White Rocket Books has collected New Pulp Author Van Allen Plexico’s second trilogy in the saga of The Sentinels in an omnibus edition. Sentinels: The Rivals: Omnibus 2 is authored by Van Allen Plexico with illustrations by Chris Kohler.

About Sentinels: The Rivals:
The Sentinels and their oldest enemies must band together as four Great Rivals--cosmic beings of unimaginable power, to whom humans are but insects--renew their ancient war high above the Earth.

But even as our heroes and their foes all rush into space in a hopeless effort to drive away these malevolent menaces, new clues to the origins of Ultraa and Vanadium emerge--revelations that will rock the team to its foundations, and challenge everything we thought we knew about the SENTINELS!

This second omnibus volume contains all three novels in the "Rivals" trilogy, including The Shiva Advent, Worldmind, and the PulpArk "Novel of the Year" nominee, Stellarax, along with all fifteen of Chris Kohler's mind-blowing interior illustrations and a new painted cover by artist extraordinaire Mitch Foust.

It's more than 700 pages of cosmic superhero action--continuing the greatest superhero novel saga of them all--from the author Pulp Fiction Reviews calls "The Master of Space Opera!"

Sentinels: The Rivals is now available in trade paperback via Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Sentinels-The-Rivals-Omnibus-2/dp/0984139273 and at CreateSpace at www.createspace.com/3772075 .

Original series co-plotter Bobby Politte will be joining Van Allen Plexico on an upcoming episode of the White Rocket Podcast to discuss their influences in creating the characters and the series.

SANTA GETS PULPED!

Cover Art: Mark Maddox
2011 Rondo Artist of the Year, and New Pulp artist, Mark Maddox has illustrated the cover for the Christmas 2012 issue of Diabolique magazine in stores this November.

From the press release: The cover painting is by the brilliant Mark Maddox. And a very special thanks to Spring Wolf D.D., Ph.D. for writing a superb cover article for us on the dark origins of Santa Claus.

About Diabolique Magazine:
Diabolique is a lavishly illustrated, bimonthly print and digital magazine that explores all aspects of the horror genre, including film, theatre, literature, music, history and the arts, bringing fresh perspective and analysis to subjects old and new, from ancient folklore and Gothic classics to contemporary film releases and modern literary gems. Each issue brims with insightful commentary, criticism, and engrossing information complemented by photos, illustrations and handsome, full-color design. Past issues have included contributors from such horror luminaries as Jonathan Rigby, David Del Valle, David Huckvale, Paul Murray, and Elizabeth Miller. Diabolique is edited by Scott Feinblatt and Brandon Kosters.

Visit Diabolique on-line at www.diaboliquemagazine.com and on Facebook.

NEW TARZAN COMIC STRIP DEBUTS!


All New Tarzan Comic Strips created exclusively for www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics, the first new Tarzan comic strips in over a decade, are available when you subscribe for only $1.99/month. Login any time to see the Newest Tarzan Comic Strip [with Bonus Material included] and also all previous New Tarzan Strips.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Comic Service is here. By signing up for the new Edgar Rice Burroughs Comic Service, you will be able to view New and Coming Tarzan comics as soon as they leave our artist’s desk!

Read the recent All Pulp interviews with Tarzan 2012 comic strip writer Roy Thomas and artist Tom Grindberg.

CHALLENGER STORM AND THE VALLEY OF FEAR EPISODE 6: “LUNCH AND TREACHERY” PREMIERES

Challenger Storm: The Valley of Fear episode 6, “Lunch and Treachery” by New Pulp Author Don Gates is now live at
http://challengerstorm.blogspot.com/2012/10/challenger-storm-valley-of-fear-episode_27.html

A second Challenger Storm novel, The Curse of Poseidon, has been announced for 2013 release.

You can read The Valley of Fear at http://challengerstorm.blogspot.com/
Challenger Storm: The Isle of Blood is still available from Airship 27 Productions.

ALL PULP INTERVIEWS AUTHOR AARON SMITH!


Author Aaron Smith has made quite a name for himself in the last few years, practicing his craft in various genres for various companies.  ALL PULP felt it was high time that Pulp fans caught up with what Aaron, an All Pulp supporter and fan favorite, was doing.

AP:  Aaron, share some background on yourself, both personal and writing.



AS: Well I’m thirty-five years old, I live in New Jersey, and I’ve been seriously writing for about five years now. I was recruited into the pulp community by Ron Fortier of Airship 27 Productions, to whom I will always be grateful for giving me a start. Ron got me going writing for Airship’s series of Sherlock Holmes anthologies, which was a dream come true for me, since Holmes is my favorite character in all of fiction. From there, I started writing other pulp characters like the Black Bat and Dan Fowler and some westerns and war stories. I was allowed to create a few of my own original pulp characters too, which was great fun. After a while, I started branching out into other areas of writing and, as of today, I’ve had over twenty short stories and three novels published, so I think I’m doing pretty well so far. For anyone not familiar with my work, they can find information on it at my blog: www.godsandgalaxies.blogspot.com  
            Regarding personal stuff, I’m married to a great wife who somehow manages to put up with all my eccentricities and creative mood swings and highs and lows and all the other occupational hazards of living with a writer! I’ll never figure out how she does it. For almost twenty years, I’ve been running produce departments for a major supermarket chain. While that doesn’t sound like a very exciting job, it’s really great training for a writer because of the fact that everybody needs to eat, so everybody has to buy food. I’ve been around the rich and the poor, the old and young, the polite and the rude, and all races, ethnicities, backgrounds and professions you can imagine because I work with the public. It gives me so many opportunities to observe those very strange creatures called human beings in their natural habitat! 

AP:  You published a rather interesting take on vampires this past June, 100,000 Midnights.  What makes this work stand out from other vampire novels and how did it come about?

AS: 100,000 Midnights has a slightly convoluted history. It began as a short story of the same title, originally published in Pro Se Productions’ Fantasy and Fear magazine back in October of 2010. A month later, it’s sequel short story was published in the next issue of the same magazine. I intended to do a whole series of stories there. I had eight of them written when I looked at the whole set of files one day and it dawned on me that it might actually work better as a novel.
            At about the same time, a new e-publisher called Musa Publishing began looking for submissions to start up its line of books and it looked like a very good opportunity. I sent the novel to Musa once I had combined all the short stories into one book (with the very gracious permission of the stories’ previous publisher) and they accepted it. I made some changes along the road to the novel being released. I did some heavy editing, both alone and with the help of the editors at Musa, and I lowered the protagonist’s age by a decade because his particular eccentricities seemed to stand out more if he was younger than I had originally made him. The book came out in June of this year, as an e-book only; it doesn’t exist in a print edition, although I’d like it to someday, and it’s sold some copies and received some nice reviews, so it’s worked out well.
            As for what makes it stand out among vampire novels, I’d have to say that the main thing I tried to put into it was fun. Yes, it’s a horror story and it has its bloody, grim moments, but it has a lighthearted side too. In fact, I tried to hit all kinds of moods rather than sticking to one type of vampire story. It has some humor, some romance, a lot of action. It’s not only a vampire story either. While it focuses on a young man and the vampire woman who pulls him headfirst into a world he never knew existed, I threw a lot of other horror-related concepts in there too. On one hand, I think it works as my love letter to many of the great archetypes of horror fiction, and I hope I managed to put a little of the charm of old horror movies like the Universal and Hammer films into the story. But on the other hand, I tried to mix in the things that make modern vampire stories appeal to audiences. The vampires in the story all differ from one another. Some are good, some are evil, and some fall between the two extremes. There’s violence, a bit of sex, and a lot of different elements included in the novel. Poor Eric, the protagonist, gets in one supernatural mess after another. He’s lucky he’s got a three-hundred-year-old vampire girl by his side for most of the ordeal!        

AP:  You've also built up a good reputation as a writer of Public Domain characters, particularly the Pulp type.   What work have you done recently in this area?

AS: In 2012, I’ve had three stories released by Airship 27 Productions. There’s my Ki-Gor story in Jungle Tales Volume 1, which was great fun to write. I’ve liked jungle adventures ever since my grandfather introduced me to Tarzan when I was little.
There’s my second Black Bat story, in Black Bat Mystery Volume 2. This one was actually written before the story that appeared in Volume 1, which was a choice the editor made and which was fine with me. I also have at least one more Black Bat story coming in the future.
            And there’s my second Hound-Dog Harker story. A little background on that: a few years ago, I wrote the Dr. Watson novel, Season of Madness. I needed a short backup story for that book, so I came up with Hound-Dog Harker. He’s the son of Jonathan and Mina Harker of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. It’s the 1930s and he’s grown up to be an agent of the British government. I try to tie each Harker story to a classic novel. The first one is connected to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the second one, “Hyde and Seek,” is related to both “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and HG Wells’ “The Invisible Man.”
“Hyde and Seek” appears as the backup story in Dr. Watson’s American Adventure, in which the main story is written by Erwin K. Roberts.  
            To drop a few hints about my future Public Domain character works, there will be more Sherlock Holmes, and I’ve also got something coming up featuring another famous adventure character that I’m not yet at liberty to name, but it’s a big name!

AP: What appeals to you about writing Public Domain characters?  Do they have a place in the hands of modern readers?

AS: To answer your second question first, the fact that Public Domain characters have a place with modern readers is evidenced every time someone buys (and hopefully enjoys) one of our books featuring those characters.
            As for what appeals to me about writing such characters, almost everything does. We’re able to bring back into the spotlight characters that might otherwise fall into a bottomless pit of obscurity. The Black Bat, for example, is a wonderful superhero-type character and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to find an audience among those readers who enjoy Batman or Daredevil. And using these characters again also brings their original creators back into the public view, which is always a good thing. Many of the pulp writers of the past have been forgotten and if our work in the present makes their names known to new generations, I think that’s good thing.
            There’s also another side to using Public Domain characters and it has to do with responsibility and the preservation of certain concepts as they were intended by their original authors. Let’s take Sherlock Holmes as an example. Holmes is among the most famous characters in literature and in the past few years there’s been a tremendous resurgence in his popularity among the general public. That’s good and it’s bad. Holmes is open to many interpretations, but not all fans of the character agree with all those versions. There are three big ones in film and TV now and they all stray to one extent or another from Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. We have the British series Sherlock which brings Holmes and his cast into the twenty-first century and modern London. At first I was skeptical about such an updating, but after seeing it I was very, very impressed because it maintains the spirit and essence of what made Doyle’s work so thrilling. Benedict Cumberbatch (I love that name!) is a superb Holmes and everybody acts just like they should. Then you have the Robert Downey movies which seem to have added a more action-oriented take to Holmes. And there’s also the new American TV version, Elementary, which I won’t watch. Turning Watson into a woman and taking Holmes out of England turns the whole thing into a version which isn’t really Holmes at all. They’re just borrowing the name! But, because Holmes is available for many different interpretations, thanks to the Public Domain status, there are some writers and publishers out there who are sticking to pure Doyle-style Holmes material and that’s important. Sure, it’s okay to do something new with old characters (within reason), but I’m glad to be among those who work within the format established by Doyle. I’ve made a vow to myself that whenever I actually use Holmes in a story, I will use him, to the best of my ability, as Doyle seems to have intended. I have no interest in modernizing him, pitting him against supernatural forces, or otherwise straying from formula (the Dr. Watson novel was a little different, but it didn’t actually feature Holmes, just mentioned him). So with all the variations of certain Public Domain characters out there, I’m glad some of us see fit to present them as they’ve traditionally been portrayed. If the Public Domain status didn’t exist and Holmes (or others) could be monopolized, we might run the risk of losing the traditional versions to somebody’s ambitious (and maybe unnecessary or even blasphemous) updates. With the way it is now, everybody wins. Everybody can find the Sherlock Holmes that suits their interests.    

AP:  Being a varied writer, you've also ventured into the Young Adult arena recently.  Talk about that a bit.

AS: That was a very happy accident and one of the best moves I’ve made as a writer. Occasionally, I’ll come across an anthology or magazine that’s looking for a specific type of story. I’ll make a mental note of it and let it sit in my mind and see if something pops up that fits. So I was browsing one day and came across a call for paranormal stories that took place at the prom. I didn’t really think I’d have anything for the theme, but it sank into my brain and an idea developed a few hours later. I’d never written anything for the so-called Young Adult audience before, but I went through with it, submitted the story, and was very pleasantly surprised when it was accepted. 
            So I found myself working with a great company called Buzz Books and it’s been a fantastic experience. Malena Lott, who runs the show, is one of the most enthusiastic, encouraging publishers I’ve met so far, and Mari Farthing’s attention to detail as an editor brings out the best in my work. So far I’ve had two short stories published with Buzz Books: “A Kiss on the Threshold,” in an anthology called Prom Dates to Die For, and “Spectral Media,” in a collection called Something Wicked, which was released recently, just in time for Halloween.   
            Jumping into the Young Adult arena with those two anthologies was an interesting experience. When I was a teenager, you never saw a Young Adult section in the bookstore. It wasn’t a term we really used. You had children’s books, adult books, and the classics that sort of intersected age categories. Honestly, when aisles of “Young Adult” material started to appear in the big bookstores a few years ago, I found it a little odd. Did we need that middle category? But now I realize that anything, even if it’s just a category label, that gets people of any age to seek out books is a good thing. And writing for that audience isn’t very different than writing for adults. It’s PG-rated, but that’s not really all that much of a restriction. Readers, no matter how old or young they are, want the same things from stories: interesting characters in dramatic situations that bring wonder and suspense to the experience of reading about them. As long as a story keeps you turning the pages, who cares what aisle of the bookstore it happens to be placed in?

AP:  Why a writer?  What motivates you to tell stories? What is it about Pulp specifically that draws you in as a creator?

AS: My writing, or at least the constant use of my imagination, began as a defensive thing, a shield. When I was a kid in school, I didn’t really fit in, I felt out of place, and I got picked on. It was uncomfortable. So when I needed strength, I used my imagination to get me through the day. In my mind, I was someone else, maybe Captain Kirk on an alien planet or Peter Parker walking around with the knowledge that I was secretly stronger and braver and nobler than the other kids. Later in life, when I was long past those insecurities, my imagination kept working overtime and eventually I turned it into real writing, as opposed to just mental clutter. Now I tell stories because, rather than hiding behind them, I want to share my ideas and dreams with the people who experience them through the books I write. 
            Pulp is just pure fun, for the writer as well as the reader. In the wider world of publishing, I see a lot of people worrying about “rules” when they should be devoting their time to actually writing. “You shouldn’t use exclamation points.” “That point of view or type of narration is unacceptable.” “There’s no audience for that type of story.” Now while some of those rules or assumptions might be true in certain sections of the world of literature, no rule or restriction should ever be considered definitive. If it tells the story in the best way the writer can achieve, how can it be wrong? The new pulp community seems to thrive on having fun with our writing. A good pulp story is driven by excitement and adrenaline and not wanting to slam on the brakes. Pulp, just as  it was many years ago when writers who later went on to be huge names in other genres started out there, is a great place to learn and to share a sort of home with others who thrive on trying to generate that same sort of excitement with their words and characters.
            Pulp is where I learned how to write, where I’ve had the guidance of some great editors and colleagues and friends, and where I gained the confidence to try to go beyond and test the waters in other areas of writing. So now I’m working in other sorts of anthologies and pitching novels to other publishers and exploring various markets for my work, but Pulp began it all for me and welcomed me with open arms. It’s a genre and style that I’ll never get tired of participating in.         


AP:  You have a work in an altogether different genre coming up soon.   Without saying too much, what can you tease our readers with?

AS: I’ve finally written a novel in one of my favorite genres, that of spies and espionage and secret agents! I’ve been a fan of that type of story ever since I saw my first James Bond movie when I was five or six, so I was eventually going to take a shot at writing that kind of book. The novel’s done, it’s been accepted by a publisher (one of the outfits I’ve worked with before in the New Pulp world) and just needs the editing process and all the trimmings before it’s ready to roll. I’m very excited about it. Without giving away more than the basics, it’s about an American intelligence officer who tries to leave government service after suffering a tragedy in his life and going rogue, but gets sucked back into the game and winds up working on missions that are too sensitive for the FBI or CIA or the other usual agencies. Dangerous situations, ruthless villains, beautiful women, and exotic cities are a hell of a lot of fun to write about and this will not be my last visit to that genre.    


Saturday, October 27, 2012

ALTUS PRESS AND THE TERROR TRIO

Altus Press has released a new volume of Terror Trios.

Press Release:

Our newest Terror Trio is out:

Death Underground: Terror Trios Featuring Wyatt Blassingame
by Wyatt Blassingame, introduction by John Pelan

Welcome to another volume of Terror Trios from Altus Press. Each volume in this series will present three novels from the great weird menace pulps from Popular Publications. Dime Mystery Magazine, Terror Tales, and Horror Stories frequently ran lengthy pieces of 20,000 words or more that have sadly been ignored by anthologists due to their length. This series will present for the first time in book form notable works by authors such as Hugh B. Cave, Wyatt Blassingame, Wayne Rogers and others. Noted horror author and pulp scholar, John Pelan has assembled a series of books that will bring back into print some of the most notable works in the genre. Don’t miss a single volume!

179 pages, $14.95

Learn more at http://www.altuspress.com/projects/death-underground-terror-trios-featuring-wyatt-blassingame/

PULPSTERS SCARE UP SOME HALLOWEEN TREATS

New Pulp creators Martin Powell and Mark Maddox visited Earth Station One for a special Halloween-themed podcast that could only be called Earth Station Boo!!!

You can listen to Earth Station Boo now at http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/earth-station-boo/

It’s that time of year when the geeks turn into ghouls and the cobwebs in Earth Station One are decorations rather than poor housekeeping – Welcome to Earth Station Boo! Join Phantom Troublemaker and his co-ghosts Mike STABber and Mike GORE-don as we discuss creepy movies, spooky memories, and all things Halloweeny with our very special fiends Stephen SPLATinum, Eddie Cadaver, and Mark “STARK-RAVING” Maddox. With Special undead guest Martin “The Halloween Legion” Powell taking his chances with 13 questions. This is a ghastly and horrifying DEADcast you can’t afford to miss!

Rondo Award-Winning Artist of The Year, Mark Maddox is an artist extraordinaire, with many magazine covers to his name, including work for HorrorHound, Screem Magazine, Undying Monsters, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Monsters From Hell and much more. He can be found at: http://maddoxplanet.com/

Stephen Platinum is the Creator and Owner of Platinum Championship Wrestling, which can be seen LIVE the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month at The Main Event in Porterdale, GA. Facebook: facebook.com/platinumchampionshipwrestling

Eddie Cadaver is the Lead Vocalist for The Casket Creatures. Their new album – “Sex, Blood, and Rock N’ Roll” will be out this winter! Facebook: facebook.com/thecasketcreatures Reverb Nation: reverbnation.com/thecasketcreatures

Martin Powell is a professional writer, having just entered his second decade with over 300 published credits. His newest project “Halloween Legion” is coming soon to a spooky store near you. Facebook: facebook.com/martin.powell1

Cover Image Provided by Mark Maddox for Screem Magazine #25

If you would like to leave feedback or a comment on the show please call the ESO feedback line at (404)963-9057 (remember long distance charges may apply) or feel free to email us @ esopodcast@gmail.com


WHITE ROCKET UNLEASHES A NEW GOLDEN AGE


White Rocket Books’ newest release brings some long dormant characters back into the limelight in an all-new adventure in THE GOLDEN AGE, a novel by Jeff Deischer.

About The Golden Age:
Published from 1939-56, the Standard/Better/Nedor characters are largely forgotten by today's comic book fans. Now, pulp author and comic aficionado Jeff Deischer brings these classic heroes back in an all-new adventure.

In 1942, the world is at war. Spies and saboteurs seem to lurk around every corner in America. But, in the shadows, real danger awaits. Following the Battle of Midway, the Dragon Society of Imperial Japan sends agents on a secret mission to knock the U.S. out of the war. And only the superheroes of the Auric Universe can stop them.

Join the superheroes of the Golden Age in this epic new saga that legendary pulp author and interviewer Art Sippo called "a terrific read--it doesn't get any better than this!"

Includes an Introduction by comics and pulp historian Will Murray.

The book is available at CreateSpace and Amazon.

THIS MONSTER EARTH!

Mechanoid Press has released a press release for their upcoming anthology, Monster Earth.

Contact: James Palmer
palmerwriter@yahoo.com
http://www.mechanoidpress.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monster Earth Coming Soon!

Atlanta, GA—James Palmer, editor and publisher of Mechanoid Press, an independent publishing imprint specializing in New Pulp, science fiction, and more, is proud to announce the upcoming release of its first anthology MONSTER EARTH.

MONSTER EARTH harkens back to the classic giant monsters of yesteryear like Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, and King Kong, while focusing on the human element and what it would be like to live in such a world where giant monsters terrorize the Earth.

"There have been a few other giant monster anthologies over the years," says Palmer. "But our book is going to be a bit different. It has a unifying concept, as well as a solid pulp style of storytelling."

Developed by MONSTER EARTH co-editor Jim Beard (writer, Captain Action and the Riddle of the Glowing Men), each story in the book takes place in a different decade of the 20th century, which leads to a Cold War fought with giant monsters rather than the threat of nuclear weapons.

"I really wanted all the stories to have an underlying thread that weaves between them all the stories, and Jim really came up with a winner."

The stories in MONSTER EARTH have a strong human angle as well.

"Focusing in on the human beings living in this world is important to me," says Palmer. "The monsters are like forces of nature, with the humans trying to control them. But don’t worry, these aren't just regular human interest stories with a monster thrown in for window dressing. There are plenty of great monster battles and more than enough citywide destruction to please the most discerning kaiju fan – and anyone who loves a good tale.

Palmer and Beard have assembled a great line-up of New Pulp all-stars to give us their visions of a world ruled by giant monsters. MONSTER EARTH will include stories by I.A. Watson (Sherlock Holmes, Blackthorn: Dynasty of Mars), Ed Erdelac (The Merkabah Rider), Nancy Hansen, and newcomer Jeff McGinnis. Beard and Palmer will also provide stories, and there will be a free online bonus tale by Jeff McGinnis coming out shortly before the book's release.

MONSTER EARTH is slated for a Christmas release, and will be available in print and ebook formats.

For more information and updates, including a preview of the cover and table of contents when they are finalized, go to http://www.mechanoidpress.com/ and sign up for our FREE newsletter.
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About Mechanoid Press

Mechanoid Press is a new imprint specializing in science fiction, New Pulp, and steampunk ebooks and anthologies. For more, visit http://www.mechanoidpress.com/ or follow the robot revolution on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mechanoidpress. You can also like Mechanoid Press on Facebook.


Friday, October 26, 2012

HALLOWEEN HORRORS BEWARE-MONSTER ACES DEBUTS FROM PRO SE!


Pro Se Productions, a cutting edge Publisher of Heroic Fiction and New Pulp, introduces a concept that plunges a Team of Adventurers headlong into cataclysmic conflict with classic horror creatures!  They don’t just hunt Monsters… They Destroy Them! They are the MONSTER ACES!

 Having selflessly abandoned their identities, their pasts and their futures, the Monster Aces are all that stand between humanity and the fell creatures that lurk in the shadows. Four men and one woman use their amazing abilities as a team to scour the globe for monsters and bring an end to their unholy existence - whatever the danger, whatever the cost. Through five thrilling tales crafted by some of Heroic Fiction’s most engaging authors you will ride alongside the Aces on the trail of monsters both classic and new. No environment is too severe nor too remote for these adventurers to seek their prey and destroy them forever. The team, lead by a mysterious military veteran, uncover evil in mysterious European villages, in dark forests and fetid swamps, in ancient rivers and on the high seas…monsters are everywhere, but so too are the Monster Aces. Concept creator Jim Beard is joined by writers Ron Fortier, Barry Reese, and Van Plexico for a new twist on the classic monster stories of yore, a unique melding of horror and driving pulp action that will thrill and chill you.

Featuring appropriately creepy and stunning cover art by Terry Pavlet and the always exemplary design and logo work of Sean Ali, MONSTER ACES is equal parts action, horror, and mayhem as Man versus Monster in five titanic tales of terror!

MONSTER ACES is available at Pro Se's Createspace store by clicking HERE!

Get your copy of MONSTER ACES at Amazon by clicking HERE!

Ebook coming SOON!

And join Creator Jim Beard and Contributor Barry Reese at Pro Se's Promotional Party for MONSTER ACES via Shindig on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 2 to 3:30 PM at http://www.shindig.com/event/prose2 .  RSVP Today!

LOST NOVELS OF ARNOLD HANO DEBUT!


3 Steps To Hell
Rediscovering the Lost Novels
of Arnold Hano


Stark House Press, in the business of reprinting some of the best mysteries and supernatural fiction of the past 100 years, is pleased to announce the publication and launch of 3 STEPS TO HELL, an omnibus of three hard-hitting novels by Arnold Hano. 

Many know Arnold’s name as the editor of noirmeister Jim Thompson at Lion books – Hano was the man who guided Thompson during his most productive period.  Others may know Arnold penned A Day in the Bleachers, the seminal book about baseball from a fan’s perspective centered around “The Catch” by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series. But what few may not be aware of is that Hano, under his own name and several aliases, wrote novels featuring driven, flawed characters.

3 Steps to Hell reprints for the first time three of Arnold’s books.  The Big Out was his first novel and was set, appropriately, in the world of baseball.  The story features major league players, gangsters, bribes and the outlaw teams of Canada.  In So I’m a Heel, a WWII vet, with plastic for a jaw shattered by a sniper’s bullet, seeks to blackmail a rich man over his terrible secret, but the scheme goes way wrong.  And in Flint, a western inspired by Jim Thompson’s Savage Night, a tormented gunslinger takes on one more job to kill for money. 

This edition also features an introduction by crime novelist Gary Phillips (The Warlord of Willow Ridge) and a Q & A with Arnold conducted by his longtime friend, playwright Dan Duling.  3 Steps to Hell can be obtained via your local bookstore or direct from Stark House Press --http://www.starkhousepress.com/hano.html

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT TO VAMPIRE NOVEL 'GALEN'

HANCOCK TIPS HIS HAT-Reviews o f All Things Pulp by Tommy Hancock

GALEN
by Allan Gilbreath
Published by Kerlak Publishing


It is no secret, I do not think, to anyone who follows my reviews that I am not the biggest fan of the current books produced by the wave of interest in monsters.  In no way am I a proponent of Zombie fiction, I cough up hairballs at the thought of sexy werewolves, and my blood absolutely runs cold at the thought of sparkling bloodsuckers. So a 'modern monster' book is a really hard sell for me.

Enter 'Galen' by Allan Gilbreath.

A writer known by many far and wide for his ability to essentially conquer any genre he takes a swipe at, Gilbreath is also the maniacal mind behind Kerlak Publishing, a publishing house spotlighting many up and coming works and writers of all types, including a name or three familiar to New Pulpsters and others that will be soon enough.  Gilbreath brings his tremendous talent to bear on a trope of fiction. Vampire tales, that many have believed was so tired and exhausted that it required prettying up and repackaging.

Gilbreath did just that, but not by turning vampires into eternal teenagers, but by taking the beast back to its roots in a lot of ways.  'Galen' is the first book in a series about the title character, a vampire.  Almost instantaneously, Galen reminds readers of the gentlemanly vampire, popularized by Bela Lugosi, the regal bearing, the genteel trappings.   But under that refined sophistication lurks something sinister, something single minded, something hungry.  Allan Gilbreath in just a handful of pages reminds his readers that vampires are monsters.  And Galen, in all his complex dealings to live amongst humans and his meticulous planning as well as his description of potential victims as if they were cattle in front of a butcher shop, is most definitely most modern and monstrous.

'Galen' follows two stories essentially, of course both tying back into our title character.  One concerns a past feeding of Galen's and, when he returns to the area several years later, the renewed interest of one of his victim's friends in the mysterious deaths from before.  The other thread focuses squarely on Galen's need to feed and who and what he seeks out for dinner.  

This book is filled with an eerie pulpiness that many writers don't even attempt to reach anymore.  It's not got explosions, ray guns, or many fist fights.  This book is all about pursuit, the hunt, prey and predator.  In that, Gilbreath builds the action at a subtle pace that ends up being breakneck before you know it.  Galen is reprehensible, yet likable.  He is thirsty, yet affable.   He is hunger made human, but you simply can't get enough of him.

The only technical negative with 'Galen' is that the transition between the two threads was a tad wobbly at times, but that can be overlooked largely by the fantastic way that Gilbreath tied them together when it counted.  

FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIPS OF THE HAT-Definitely no sparkles here (Although Gilbreath will gladly tell you about how that part of being a Vampire is actually part of the original legends!).  Galen is a flat out monster book with a monster you can't help but like. And he'd like you too.  With a pinch of salt.

FORTIER TAKES ON 'TARGET LANCER'!



ALL PULP REVIEWS- By Ron Fortier

TARGET LANCER
By Max Allan Collins
Forge Books
305 pages
Available Nov.2012



John F. Kennedy was the first American Catholic to become president back in 1960.  That was a big deal for this reviewer who was Catholic, 13 years old and entering his freshmen year at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, a parochial school in Southern New Hampshire.  Three years later, while sitting in a study hall as a junior, we were interrupted by the announcement over the public address speakers that President Kennedy had been shot while riding in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas, Texas.

As much as that news was a tragedy for the entire country, those of us too young to realize the consequences of such a murder watched the transition of power take affect just as we’d been taught in our civic classes and found comfort in that process.  Five years later, while serving in army in Vietnam, the news of Bobby Kennedy’s assignation during his own campaign for the presidency had a much deeper impact. Here we were in a strange, foreign country supposedly fighting for freedom and democracy while back home the nation’s future was being decided by an insane gunman’s bullet.  The world seemed to have gone completely mad.

The Twentieth Century certainly had its defining moments, many of them acts of violence forever imprinted on our national consciousness.  Naturally the public wanted answers and within week’s of the President’s death a government investigation was launched and came to be known as the Warren Commission.  At its conclusion, it declared that Kennedy had been slain by one lone, crazed gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald.  As all of you are well aware, Oswald was gunned down in front of the Dallas jail within days of his capture and died before ever going to trial.  His killer was the owner of a local strip joint with mob connections named Jack Ruby.

Ruby swore he acted on his own until his death in prison of cancer.  Yet to many people his silencing of Oswald seemed to be a cleverly staged killing orchestrated by Machiavellian forces that wanted the truth kept hidden; the same cabal that was actually responsible for Kennedy’s death.  As years passed, many investigators, both private and public, began to uncover mountains of damning evidence that in the end turned the Warren Commission’s finding upside down and definitively proved them to be one massive cover up foisted on the American people.

When we learned that Max Allan Collins’ newest Nathan Heller historical thriller would involve the Kennedy assassination we were naturally intrigued.  What new light could the talented Collins and his phenomenal research partner, George Hagenauer, shed on one of the most overexposed criminal events in all of history?  Having just finished reading “Target Lancer,” the answer to that question provides the basis for one of the most gripping mystery plots ever put to paper.  As usual, Collins sets a historically accurate background then superimposes his own thoughts and beliefs about its scenario via his fictional hero, Nate Heller; the owner of the A-1 Detective Agency of Chicago.  At the book’s opening, Heller is recruited by the Chicago branch of the Secret Service to help with security measures for the president’s planned visit to the Windy City.  Apparently during the Fall of 1963, Kennedy’s people had begun to organize his re-election campaign via several big city visits to include Tampa, Chicago and then Dallas.  With only one year remaining in his term, it was time to start politicking once more.

Within days of agreeing to help the local authorities, Heller is sent to interview a Chicago detective who he has come in contact with an irrational ex-marine who might pose a genuine threat.  From this slim lead, Heller and his partner, a black Secret Service agent named Eben Boldt, learn of a professional hit squad made of two Americans and two Cuban refugees apparently surveying the proposed route of the president’s motorcade through the city.  As each new element is uncovered, Heller starts mentally assembling a jigsaw puzzle that perfectly defines a clandestine military operation.  By the books end, he has unraveled a murderous conspiracy made up of gangland figures and corrupted government agents to eliminate Lance; the Secret Service code name for President Kennedy.

What “Target Lancer” exposes is that the there were three identical hit squads, and their duped patsies, established in all three cities prior to that fateful November in 1963.  As with all Heller books, the historical afterward Collins provides is just as informative as his fiction is captivating.  Upon finishing the book, this reviewer couldn’t help but wonder, now that most of the real principles have all died and gone to their eternal court of judgment, what it is we, as a nation can learn from such history?  Evil men do exist and that we must be ever vigilant to assure they do not usurp the rights of the many by their insidious acts of violence. 

For both students of history and lovers of suspense mysteries, “Target Lancer” is a masterful work not to be missed. Collins just keeps getting better and better.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

GREEN HORNET: STILL AT LARGE NOW AVAILABLE AS EBOOK!

Cover: Douglas Klauba
Moonstone Books has released Green Hornet: Still At Large in ebook format at Amazon (Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (Nook).

Edited by Joe Gentile, Win Scott Eckert, and Matthew Baugh, this third anthology featuring the 1960s Green Hornet, based on the television program starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee, follows The Green Hornet Chronicles and The Green Hornet Casefiles.

Cover: Ruben Procopio
Contents:
"Hero" by S.J. Rozan
"The Black Torpedo" by Will Murray
"The World Will End in Fire" by Richard Dean Starr
"The Man Inside" by Matthew Baugh
"Death from Beyond" by Ron Fortier
"Play the Game" by Thom Brannan
"The Gauntlet" by Bobby Nash
"Chaos and the Year of the Dog" by Bobbie Metevier
"Axford's Sting” by Dan Wickline
"Revenge of the Yellowjacket" by Howard Hopkins
"The Man in the Picture" by Patricia Weakley
"Masks" by C.J. Henderson
"Bad Man's Blunder" by John Allen Small
"Losers, Weepers" by Rich Harvey
"Stormfront" by Greg Gick
"The Night I Met The Hornet" by Mel Odom
"Progress" by Win Scott Eckert

Ordering information:
Amazon (ebook)
B&N (ebook)
Moonstone direct (trade paperback)
Moonstone direct (limited hardcover)
Amazon (trade paperback)
Amazon (limited hardcover)
B&N (trade paperback)
B&N (limited hardcover)