Best Tales of the Apocalypse featuring "Subtle Invasion"

Best Tales of the Apocalypse edited by D.L. Snell and Bobbie Metevier is now released. It took a while to be released, considering the manuscript was completed more than 5 years ago, but I'm excited nonetheless mostly because of the authors I'm sharing space with.

In these 14 shattering tales by some of the genre’s first and final scribes, the world doesn’t just end once. These are the horsemen, the trumpeting angels. Their words are the bowls of wrath, dumped again and again. This is the book that’s been centuries in the making. The Final Book. And the choir’s singing one last Psalm:

The End is the best part.

BEST TALES OF THE APOCALYPSE

Joe McKinney - Tim Curran - J.F. Gonzalez - Michael Oliveri = David Conyers - Lee Moan - Rebecca Day - Derek J. Goodman - Lyn C.A. Gardner - Ian Randal Strock - Michael Sellars - Dario Ciriello - Daniel R. Robichaud - Ian Rogers - Patrice Sarath

My story is "Sublte Invasion", which first appeared in The Black Book of Horror, was shortlisted for the Australian Shadows Award and appeared in Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 3, and now in my collection The Nightmare Dimension. Yes, a very successful story.

Available from Permuted Press and Amazon.com.

Best New Tales of the Apocalypse Nearly Here

It's almost here, Best New Tales of the Apocalypse, from Permuted Press and edited by D.L. Snell and Bobbie Metevier. It features my story "Subtle Invasion" and makes this the third 'best of' that I've appeared in, so exciting stuff.

Meanwhile, on a related note, Cthulhu Unbound 3 is getting close to completion and it too will be published by Permuted Press. The stories on their last edits. I should, hopefully soon, be able to post who the three remaining of the five unannounced authors are, as one story is a collaboration I've penned with Brian M. Sammons.

More Reviews

The Specusphere has just posted several reviews of Australian books in which my short stories have appeared. Felicity Dowker said of my story "Subtle Invasion" in Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 3 that it was "unnerving, horrific, and well written". Midnight Echo 1 and 2 and Black Box: Shadow Box 2 were also reviewed in the same issue, each of which featured several of my stories.

Over at OzHorrorScope Stephanie Gunn in a review of Midnight Echo #1 said that ""Cactus" by David Conyers is a story at once grounded in reality and yet completely surreal. One of the most original pieces in the magazine, it displays a mastery of imagery."

Some of my stories earlier tales appearing in US anthologies over the last couple of years have been reviewed on Goodreads. Of "Regrowth" appearing in Arkham Tales one reviewer said "Another author worth watching for; a PI takes on the case of some bizarre plants which alters his life forever. A very cool story, one of my favorites." The same reviewer said of my story "False Containment" appearing in Horrors Beyond: "Now, I truly enjoy this author's work, and here he did not let me down one bit. An awesome story that will leave you thinking about politics, the environment and what's wrong with the freakin' world... Very very fine writing."

Always nice to have a positive review, wherever they appear.

Best New Tales of the Apocalypse (It's coming...)

A while ago my story "Subtle Invasion" from The Black Book of Horror was selected for the first volume of Best New Tales of the Apocalypse, edited by Bobbie Metevier and D.L. Snell, and to be publsihed by Permuted Press. Naturally I was excited.

Then for a long time I heard nothing and thought the project was on indefinite hold, but then a recent email from Mr. Snell informed me that this was not the case at all. Then I discovered the table of contents here and thought I would post it myself.

• THE MAN WHO ATE PLANETS ... Lee Moan
• HURRICANE WATCH ... Rebecca Day
• THE ALL-NIGHT, ONE-STOP APOCALYPSE SHOP - Derek J. Goodman
• KELMSCOTT MANOR: IN THE ATTICS - Lyn C.A. Gardner
• THE SIXTH MISSION - Joe McKinney
• ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN'T BE - Ian Randal Strock
• TODAY IS NOT - Michael Sellars
• RESTORE FROM BACKUP - J.F. Gonzalez & Michael Oliveri
• SUBTLE INVASION - David Conyers
• AMERICA IS COMING! - Dario Ciriello
• THE SHAPE - Tim Curran
• BETTY IN SIDESHOW - Daniel R. Robichaud
• EVERYTHING GETS BIGGER AFTER NUCLEAR WAR - Ian Rogers
• PIGS AND FEACHES - Patrice Sarath

Definitely one I'm looking forward to, sometime in 2010. I also hope this becomes an ongoing series.

Meanwhile "Subtle Invasion" remains my most successful story to date, with a reprint in Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Vol. 3, an Australian Shadows nomination, and being read on The Writing Show.

"Subtle Invasion" in Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror Vol. 3

I appear in my first 'Year's Best of' collection today, in Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror Volume 3 by Brimstone Press, one of Australia's leading small press publishers in the speculative fiction field.

The collection contains my story "Subtle Invasion" which was short listed for last year's Australian Shadows Award, was read on The Writing Show's Halloween Gast Fest and will appear in the Permuted Press anthology Best New Tales of the Apocalypse (USA). It originally appeared in The Black Book of Horror (UK) by Mortbury Press. Not bad for one story, probably my most successful tale to date, soon to be published in three different continents.

Edited by Angela Challis, the collection also contains stories by Sean Williams, Marty Young, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Gary Kemble and others. So not bad company to keep.

I'm also pleased that the story is last in the book, my first in such a privileged position.

So that's two publications this year, and plenty more to come. Should have some news on some new stories soon too.

The Fourth Black Book of Horror

Just heard from Charles Black, UK editor of the well received Black Book of Horror series from Mortbury Press, that my story "The Lord of the Law" will be appearing in The Fourth Black Book of Horror. This tale received an honourable mention in this year's Australian Horror Writers Associations Short Story Competition, so I'm excited that it has found a home. I won't say much about the story, except that it involves the dark side of gravity.

I was previously published in Charle's first Black Book of Horror with my tale "Subtle Invasion". It went on to be nominated for the Australian Shadows Award, was read on the Writing Show in California, and will be reprinted in Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror Volume 3 from Brimstone Press and Best New Tales of the Apocalypse from Permuted Press. Probably my most successful story to date.

Charles' anthologies have featured many notable horror authors such as Paul Finch and Gary McMahon, so I'm honoured to be back in the series again.