Michael Crane--LESSONS II: ANOTHER MORBID DRABBLE COLLECTION

Michael Crane is an indie author and scribbler of inane babble that can sometimes end up as stories. He went to Columbia College Chicago where he earned a BA in Fiction Writing. He is the author of IN DECLINE and LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES. His work has appeared in DEVIL MUSIC AND 18 OTHER STORIES by David McAfee, A LAND OF ASH by David Dalglish, and EVIL PUPPIES by Aaron Daniels. He lives in Illinois.


LESSONS II:
A sinister puppet finally makes a new friend.
A man learns about his bleak future.
A killer has another painful lesson to teach.

From the author of LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES comes this terrifying and amusing follow-up. 30 100-word shorts about horrible ghouls, monsters and deranged, bloodthirsty lunatics. In these drabbles, you'll run into kid-hungry goblins, sadistic dolls, zombies and psychopaths who believe that violence can solve just about anything.

Disgusting, creepy and darkly comic, LESSONS II: ANOTHER MORBID DRABBLE COLLECTION is bound to entertain, as well as horrify.

There's always time for another lesson...

Features bonus story by David McAfee, from his horror collection DEVIL MUSIC AND 18 OTHER STORIES.


Questions: 
Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
I think people love the combination of horror and dark humor.  They seem to work well together.  Even people who aren't typically fans of horror seem to enjoy the two books because of that.  And even though this is a follow-up, it's okay if you haven't read the first collection, although some reoccurring characters do pop up in a few of the stories.

Q: Why did you go indie?
My dream was always to get my work out there so that people can read and enjoy it.  Right now, I'm living that dream and it's all thanks to going indie.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
As far as horror goes, I've always loved Stephen King, especially his short stories.  And I'm also a huge fan of David McAfee.  33 A.D. and his two short story collections are excellent reads.  I normally write slice-of-life type of pieces, and writers who inspired me with that are Richard Yates and Raymond Carver.


Website:  www.facebook.com/authormichaelcrane
Buy it at Smashwords 
Or Amazon
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Wilbanks/Clarke- Living After Midnight

When he's not trying to become King of the Internet, author David T. Wilbanks writes, edits and publishes in Minneapolis, where he lives with his wonderful wife. Among other things, he is co-author (with Mark Justice) of the Dead Earth series of sf/horror books.
Craig Clarke is an editor and genre-fiction reviewer. His work has appeared in print and online in Dead Reckonings, The Gardner News, The Green Man Review, SF Site, and Video Vista. His fiction has appeared on coffee cans.

Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories consists of six horror and dark-fantasy stories inspired by some of the greatest hard-rock and heavy-metal bands. Each author was invited to submit a story inspired by the band of his choice. The set list is as follows: “Spooky Tooth” by Randy Chandler, “Iron Maiden” by Matthew Fryer, “Black Sabbath” by Steven L. Shrewsbury, “Judas Priest” by David T. Wilbanks, “Motorhead” by Kent Gowran, and “Slayer” by L.L. Soares.  An original lineup indeed!

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
The diversity!  We have ghost, demon, zombie, serial killer, and werewolf stories for those who want the genre tropes.  We have action, love, and magic for those who like a little extra.  We've got mythic and modern, British and American, long and short ... hard and heavy.

In short, Living After Midnight has a little something for anyone who likes their fiction sharp, dark, and more than a little exciting.

Q: Why did you go indie?
All during the submission process, we kept hearing that we had a really good product here but that, simply put, anthologies don't sell without a big name attached.  Indie publishing allows us to find the market we know is out there and not worry about being remaindered or not getting a second book published because the first one didn't sell "enough" copies.  Plus, it's fun!

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Moorcock, F. Paul Wilson, Stephen King, and Richard Matheson.

Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Smashwords
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Erik Lynd - Asylum

Erik Lynd lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two children.

Asylum: Andrew Harland has been a loner since being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is shuffled around from juvenile detention centers to outpatient clinics with expensive doctors. Nothing seems to help. His parents, desperate to have him out of the house, decide to send him off to a revolutionary new psychiatric hospital in the Pacific Northwest.

Andrew is different, and he knows it. He always has. So he doesn't hesitate when the voices in his head tell him to climb out on a window ledge . . .

Haunted by his own son's suicide, Dr. David Styles rescues Andrew from the ledge and takes a personal interest in his case. After getting to know him, Dr. Styles becomes suspicious of the boy's diagnosis. What he uncovers sends him on a desperate journey to rescue Andrew.

Because something is terribly wrong at the hospital.

Treatments are conducted at odd hours. Patients disappear into the bowels of the massive, aged building, sometimes never to be seen again, and the voices in Andrew's head are getting louder. 

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

Well I hope all readers like that while it has a strong story line it is very much a character driven story.  It is a horror novel and as such has a scary and thrilling plot, but I spent equal amounts of time developing the relationship between the group of teenagers and the bond that forms between the two main characters.  For e-reader specifically I hope they enjoy the same thing at a lower price.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Well, Asylum was actually under contract with a print publisher for almost two years.  Just before it was going to hit the printers the publisher made a major change in the direction the company was going.  I didn't agree with their decision so I asked for and received all the rights back for the novel.  I sent the book out to agents and editors and kept getting the same response "great writing, but horror doesn't sell.  Send me anything else."  So while I am writing other novels I am experimenting to see if the Indie route is a viable alternative for "non sellable" books.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Stephen King, Joe Hill, Clive Barker, Peter Straub

http://www.amazon.com/Asylum-ebook/dp/B004478FJS