David Brian's Blog - Posts Tagged "david-brian"

Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria was recently the subject of an interesting article on the Stories of Duskland blog.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Isis Sousa, the founder of the blog, for taking an interest in my writing, and also the works of other indie authors.

For those interested in taking a look, then you'll need to scroll down the page of the blog. The article is dated June 8th, 2014.

The link is posted below:

http://storiesofduskland.tumblr.com/


Isis Sousa is a woman with many talents. She is already recognized as a gifted artist, and has now turned her hand to writing. Her first novel, The Night of Elisa, is a tale of Gothic romance and a thirst for justice, which crosses the boundaries of two worlds.
You can check out Stories of Duskland, and her other work here:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Don't forget to come visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-...




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Hi, folks. Well, it's certainly taken awhile (a lot longer than it should have to be fair), but i've finally gotten round to putting up a couple of signed copies of The Cthulhu Child.

The Goodreads giveaway will run up until September 09.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The ebook has proven to be very popular, so be sure to get your name in the hat for a chance to own this collection of unusual tales.

Ps: I currently have a glitch on my website, so I've been unable to post a direct link from there to the draw. So, please, if you know anyone who may be interested in entering this giveaway, then kindly do me a solid and spread the word!
Many thanks!

David

The annual Stocking Your E-Reader sale (masterminded by Angela Kulig) begins today!




Running between December 29th - January 2nd, the sale has so far attracted input from more than sixty authors. A huge selection of books - covering a multitude of genres - will be available for various e-reader devices, and all for a miserly .99 cents (equivalent currency comparisons apply). A bargain!

This link will become active at 6:00 AM Central Standard Time, 12/29: http://bit.ly/1xr13fQ

And you can also find me here: http://www.amazon.com/David-Brian/e/B...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Brian/e...

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Disclaimer: My own books are currently tied in to the KDP Select program, and therefore only available to users of Kindle devices.

Hi, Kindlings! Just a quick bout of shameless self-promotion to let you know about my new novelette, Gloop! It will be available on Amazon Kindle from January 19, 2015, and at the introductory offer price of .99 cents up until January 31, 2015.

A family day out to visit the site of an old battlefield; a young girl scared and alone; her cries for assistance answered by something ancient. It has lain in the cold and dark of the bog, waiting patiently for a host to set it free. Now, for John Cluer and his family, nothing will ever be the same again.
A novelette of approximately 10,000 words.

Hello, fellow book-lovers. This is just a quick update for those of you who have been following my interpretation of all things Karnstein.

Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria, my re-imagining of J.S. Le Fanu's original novella, continues to garner interest in Europe and - at time of writing - still tops its Amazon U.K. categories.
A big 'thank you' to you guys (an' girls) for that!

As a treat to fang-fans everywhere, I have decided to reduce the price of Carmilla: A Dark Fugue. The eBook will now be available on Kindle for .99cents/.99pence/.99euro.

Carmilla: A Dark Fugue is a 'stand alone' short (approx six-thousand words), which runs parallel to events within the pages of the novel, Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria.

If you enjoy reading this book, then please consider leaving a review on Amazon & Goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

http://www.amazon.com/Carmilla-Dark-F...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carmilla-Dark...

I've just reached something of a milestone: On April 19, 2014, the kindle edition of Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria attained top spot on the Amazon U.K. Gay & Lesbian > Fiction > Horror Chart:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carmilla-Wolv...

http://www.amazon.com/Carmilla-Wolves...

Twelve months on, there hasn't been a week that's passed where the book hasn't reached #1 on the U.K. site.
I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has read my interpretation of the Carmilla story. Seriously, folks, your continued support is very much appreciated.

Some folks are quick to tell you that everything in life happens for a reason, but does it really?
I guess we'll never know. But one thing I do believe; if you are lucky enough that events don't kill you, they can make you stronger.

Just before Christmas 2009, I was enjoying myself at a social function in Northampton. It was only my third night out for quite some time - for reasons I'll get to shortly - and it was to prove quite inspirational.

One of the other attendees was Alan Moore - author of V For Vendetta, Watchmen, and a multitude of other great works.

I walked into the kitchen to grab a coffee, and found Alan deep in conversation with a somewhat obsessive gentleman (who should have been old enough to know better!).

For the sake of this blog post I'll refer to the other guy as Pete. Anyhow, when I say they were having a conversation, what I actually mean is 'Pete' was telling Alan how they'd known each other for years, considered him a friend, and that this was the fourth time they'd actually had a conversation since meeting in the kitchen at Sue's back in ninety-seven.

I poured myself a black coffee, and grinned at Alan's desperate attempts to remove himself from the conversation. My grins turned to grimaces as Pete offered up a 'useful' suggestion to Alan Moore: "I think you should consider opening your own book shop. You wouldn't then need to rely on outlets such as Amazon. It's a great idea. You'd make loads more money!"
Wow! Even I squirmed. Though not as much as Alan.

Now, contrary to the reports of some media sources, Alan Moore is neither reclusive nor grumpy. He has strong opinions on a number of subjects, but generally I have only ever observed him being affable.

Anyhow, getting back to persistent Pete. Alan, noting my presence, used me as a prop to lever himself away from this overzealous admirer. He told Pete that he "needed to speak to me privately", and then added "maybe we'll get a chance to catch up later". They didn't.

I spent the next thirty minutes chatting with Alan, talking about all things Northampton, and never once touching on the written word - Like Alan, my mother was also a product of The Boroughs area of town - known as 'The Burrows' because of the rows of small terraced houses and narrow streets. I too was born in this area, and yet, thanks to the drive of parents who knew the meaning of 'tough times', by the time I was nine years old my family were mortgage free, and living in a two-hundred year old, detached cottage - this was some achievement, as my father hailed from Cotton End, another less than affluent part of town.

Perhaps strangely for a conversation not involving books, it was sharing a cup of coffee with Alan Moore convinced me that I needed to go for the dream.
He is that sort of a bloke. He'll convince you that if you want something it can be achieved.
And at this particular point I desperately needed to prove something to myself.

A few years prior to the events of that night, I was running my own electrical contracting business, my children were still young, though no longer babes in arms, and I had been mortgage free since nineteen ninety-seven. Life was looking very good.
And then the wheels fell off!

I was working on a new build estate towards the edge of town, and had just wrapped up the first-fixing in a cul-de-sac of executive homes. My cousin, who is a builder, happened to be working on the same site. He was a man down, and asked me if I'd mind helping board a ceiling so he could get away on time. I'd finished for the day, and so I agreed to help.
And that is when disaster struck.

The two of us were standing on a scaffold rig, and as we hoisted the board up to the ceiling, everything went weird.

I hit the ground with a considerable 'thump', but that was the least of my worries.
Have you ever woken up and found that you've been sleeping on your arm for hours; only then to find that the limb has become little more than a useless, limp thing, and irritated by unbearable pins and needles.

Imagine that scenario, and then imagine the pins and needles are a couple of hundred times worse than you've ever experienced before. Then imagine that the sensation isn't just confined to one limb, but instead it starts in your tongue and runs down through your neck, chest, arms, and on down through your legs to your toes.
Honestly, I thought I was on my way out.

It took several hours before the hospital confirmed their initial diagnosis. I had somehow managed to rupture two discs in my neck.

I was told that without surgery I would spend the rest of my days in a wheelchair. Even with surgery there was a seven percent chance of ending up paraplegic, or worse.
Seven percent, not bad odds, right?
Except it doesn't seem that way when you are actually faced with them.

I had always considered myself a fighter. I spent a dozen or so of my younger years doing my best for the local boxing club - my mother still claims years of punching peoples fists with my face helped to cause the problem in my neck. She may well be right, but, as well as giving me a face fit for radio, it also helped give me the resolve I needed right then.

Even after a mostly successful surgery, I was laid up for almost two years. For a while it would take two people to move me from the bed to a chair. It was tough on everyone.
But I have a great family, and a good circle of friends.

It took some hard work, but we got there in the end. It wasn't all good news. During the surgery they damaged my spinal chord, and this has left me with heavy legs and (what I can only describe as) an awful toothache sensation down the entire right side of my body. Neither can I make a fist with my left hand.
But, all in all, I'm a lucky boy!

If you met me today (and some of you have), you wouldn't even realize there had ever been a problem.

So, about that conversation with Alan Moore. I guess that, without even realizing it, I was looking for a new direction in my life. My days of running up and down ladders was over, and the paperwork side of the job was boring me to tears.

I had always enjoyed writing stories. I'd had a few minor things published, and his words of encouragement, about life in general, gave me the spur to try my hand at something I had only ever dabbled with before.

I had amassed a few tales down the years, and some of these early writings I later set in print as Dark Albion, and shortly after that Kaleen Rae. There are some good stories in those books, although I don't doubt my writing has improved since those early scriblings.

Just over a week ago The Cthulhu Child, and Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria, both topped charts on Amazon U.K. A large part of that success is down to the book lovers on Goodreads. Thank you for your support, it is always appreciated.

I've said it before, success is only ever relative, but given the road I have traveled in recent years, I honestly feel blessed. I am in a good place. Thank you, my friends.

This is the cover for my new novella, The Damnation Game. I'm in the process of finalizing some changes to my distribution channels, so I'll update you shortly with a definitive release date. Though both paperback and eBook will be released this month.

The Damnation Game is a novella length tale of the supernatural. The serial killer known as Catholic Jack is a man consumed with murderous intent. Meanwhile, Kate Stringer mourns for her own murdered husband, latest victim of the maniacal killer.

However, unknown to either predator or prey, there is another force now in play, something which lurks among the shadows.

Before the night is through, all involved are destined to learn the intricacies of the damnation game.

Footnote: The paper edition contains the bonus story 'Gloop!' formerly available only in eBook-format.

My new novella, The Damnation Game, is now available for purchase across the universe. (Okay, that may have been a slight exaggeration. But you get my drift, right?)

Doubtless there is an army of Nook users (another exaggeration. I really gotta cut this shit out!) currently cheering very loudly and wondering what the hell is occurring.

Let me explain. A while back I took the decision to pull the majority of my titles from wider distribution, opting instead to tie myself into Amazon's KDP Select program.

Slim sales via those other channels meant that it made good business sense to utilize the perks available to authors loyal to Amazon.
It was the right decision at the time.

However, I am regularly being asked when more of my titles will be back in wider circulation, particularly Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria, and The Cthulhu Child.

I understand the frustration of those using Kobo, Nook, and other such devices, when a title they seek is being cloistered by Amazon.

Hence I have taken the decision to start 'leaking' my titles back into the wider market. Whether this will be the right decision (for my wallet) remains to be seen. Getting things right is still a fine balancing act.

I know I have a wider readership than in earlier times, but only time will tell if that translates across the board enough to cover a loss in Amazon borrows.

Still, we'll give it a go. Hopefully I can cover any losses, and it'll stop me further alienating users of 'other' e-Readers.

Here's to the future. So join me and take a walk into darkness!

The Damnation Game is available in paperback and also via:
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Oyster
Page Foundry
Scribd
Tolino

It's that time of the year again. October is upon us, and Halloween beckons to all the dark souls.

Over at Teri Polen's Books & Such, there is a month long extravaganza focusing on authors in the horror genre.

#BadMoonOnTheRise kicks of on 10/01/15 with an interview with Calvin Dean, author of The Epitaph of Jonas Barloff.

I'm slated for a feature on 10/02/15. Though just what I may find to talk about is anyone's guess.

http://teripolen.com/

So, if you find yourself with a spare few minutes, then why not pop on over to Books & Such and check out some of horror's rising talents.