Great news in our inbox this morning! David Barnett of the Guardian UK gives Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom a glowing review! And we’ve been alerted that there may be a Howard Lovecraft sighting in The Independent this weekend, so we’ll certainly keep our eyes peeled.
In the meantime, please be sure to pre-order your copies and thanks again for your support!
Rebecca
Good Friday morning, my friends! As usual, I am buried beneath a ton of work, hanging precariously above the abyss of derangement by the tips of my tentacles. But I wanted to pause for a moment and share the cover of the highly-anticipated sequel to Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom.
So here it is…
This amazing piece was illustrated by the ridiculously-talented Erik Fokkens, and I think it is breathtaking. (Get it? He’s underwater. Glub, glub.)
Well, the Old Ones are protesting that I am not holding up my end of the bargain and the Earth is looking more and more delectable with every passing moment I am away, so I must sign off for now. Thank you for reading, and I’ll share some exciting news with you very soon. (Okay… I’m coming! Take your bloody tentacles off Pohnpei!)
-D
My good friend and writing mentor (yes, Amy, you are!) Dr. Amy H. Sturgis is featuring a never before seen short story written by Dwight on her blog today!
I know I tend to brag on my talented husband somewhat, and I will continue to do this, but he truly is prolific. He is always writing something or thinking about writing something. And new ideas even come to him when he’s in the middle of writing something entirely different!
Clue: This story has nothing whatsoever to do with Sweeney Todd. I just like the illustration.
When Dwight showed me this twisted little tale, I immediately thought of Amy and her amazing group of Lovecraft fans. The thing about Howard Lovecraft: you either like him or you don’t. Despite the massive amount of stories he produced in his career, he is still not respected as much as he should be for his contributions to literature, and I think that is a shame.
But that is my two cents worth. Enjoy the story!
WARNING: MAY CAUSE A SUDDEN LOSS OF SANITY. CLICK HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Rebecca
I’m sorry, but Disney’s Davy Jones is no Cthulhu.
As you know, I am a fan of Lovecraft and pirates, so here’s what I propose…
The Contest!
Writers: Tell a short horror tale which incorporates pirates and Lovecraftian horror/the Cthulhu Mythos. The word count should be 1000 to 2500 words, and all entries submitted in rich text/Word format.
Artists: Create an illustration which incorporates pirates and Lovecraftian horror. Please send submissions as either lo-res gifs or jpegs. I may ask for a hi-res image at some point in the future.
All entries must be sent to dwightmacpherson at gmail dot com no later than midnight (EST) on JULY THIRTIETH.
The Booty!
One writer and one artist (selected by a team of shoggoth judges, Blackbeard’s cursed zombie and yours truly) will win an autographed copy of the DEAD MEN: DECIMATION original graphic novel, the highly-anticipated sequel to DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES.
So get writing and drawing, mateys–and good luck!
Oh, and most importantly…
HAVE FUN WITH IT!
Hello again, my friends. Sorry for the lapse in blog posting, but I’ve been extremely busy. I will have some exciting news to share in the near future, but, for now, a blog exclusive sneak peek from the upcoming Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom and a couple other things I believe merit a mention on my blog will have to suffice.
Let’s Get it Started
Here. Here is a sneak peek at Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom…
Illustrated by Thomas Boatwright
Mind-boggling–innit?
PISTOLFIST: Revolutionary Hero
My good friend J.S. Earls approached me a couple years ago with several story ideas. One of the pitches which captured my imagination and showed the most promise–in my opinion–was the idea of a superhero story in the Revolutionary War-era United States starring a runaway slave and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.
Yes, seriously!
Over the course of the next few months, J and I tossed around ideas until Salem Attucks emerged as a character with a rich background, explained the origin of his powers, plotted and fleshed out a coherent story, and scripted and edited a three issue mini-series.
Now, I am happy to announce that this groundbreaking alternate-history superhero story is being collected in trade paperback format by Arcana Studio! Check out this amazing trailer JS put together…
It is now available from your friendly neighborhood comic shops and traditional/online bookstores, so please support indie comics and order your copy TODAY!
The Truth is Out There
Talented artist, musician and friend Mark Bell–better known as Tribal Gothic–has learned my deepest, darkest secret.
It happened one dark and stormy night…
Click here to read the rest. WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
Adieu For Now
Thank you for reading, dear friend. Please feel free to share a link to the blog, and do stand by for a couple of exciting announcements!
As many of you know, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, written by yours truly and fellow scribe and best friend Bruce Brown, is well into production.
Well, I’m delighted to say that the rendering stage is nearing completion. Only one chapter of sequentials remains to be illustrated, and then the book will be lettered. After that, it’s off to the publisher for solicitation and printing.
In short, we anticipate wrapping up production on Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom by the middle of June!
After the completed files are sent to the publisher, I will ask a large favor of YOU.
But I mustn’t get ahead of myself.
Show Me The Art
As you may have guessed, this book reunites the creative team behind the Harvey and Eagle Award nominated The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo Book 1. Yes, indeed. Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom is illustrated by none other than the sensational Thomas Boatwright!
Back to Work
I apologize for the short blog update, but I have a looming deadline. Words must be transformed, and snipped, and replaced. And still others must be completely obliterated.
But fear not, I have my wand at the ready and I am more than prepared for the challenge.
So thank you for reading, and please feel free to share!
It’s Coming…
I am proud to announce the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom is well into production! And, whereas I served as the copy editor on the first book, I have co-written this installment with Bruce Brown.
Cover art by Thomas Boatwright
Have You Read the First Book?
While it is not imperative that you read Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom before diving into the sequel, I strongly recommend doing so. Our publisher has notified us that the initial print run is almost sold-out, but you may yet purchase a copy at an online retailer. Your local bookshops (Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, etc.) can also order copies–but make haste, as they are very nearly gone!
Sneak Peek
Without further adieu…
Sneak Peek from Howard Lovecraft & the Undersea Kingdom
Brilliant–right?
We do not have a release date as of yet, but I will let you know as soon as we are notified by our publisher.
Work, Work, Work
Please feel free to share the sneak peek and spread the word about the sequel. In fact, I’d greatly appreciate it if you did. We have a small publisher, so we will not get the PR love the “Big Boys” offer their clientele.
Well… I am up to my tentacles in writing, research, worldbuilding and editing work, so I’ll get back to it. Thank you for reading!
Got your attention, didn’t I? I just love the comment approval setting on WordPress. Keeps the riff-raff off your blog.
Zing! – Dwight
It has been a while since Dwight and I have been on here, but it is not for lack of wanting to keep it up. We are big readers and Dwight believes that as writers, we need to feed our souls from other tomes. He has recently gorged on the long-awaited sequel of The Name of The Wind and I have been plowing through The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Something Tolkien mentioned is ringing very true to us with this new project: we must have a map before we begin our story. So we are going about building the map (with much help from our very talented son Clay who can draw a map like no one’s business).
Before I forget, we discovered another amazing artist, Jess Bradley. I have just sent one of her cute baby Cthulhu magnets to our friend Amy Sturgis, and we plan to purchase more of her stuff in the near future. She is quite the gifted artist, so please check out her website.
Check this out:
Print by Jess Bradley
Lots of activity going on here, so I am keeping this short and sweet.
R
I would like to take a few moments out of a busy writing day to ask you–yes, YOU– for a very special favor.
Last year, my good friend and co-writer Bruce Brown and I teamed with artist Renzo Podesta to create a very special graphic novel titled Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom.
Cover Art by Thomas Boatwright
I say this is a “very special graphic novel” because it was my sons’ first venture into the weird world of Lovecraft. And, over the course of the year, I have learned that it was also the first taste of Lovecraft for many, many little Shoggoths and Deep Ones around the world.
When Bruce and I set out to create a book that would introduce young readers to Lovecraft’s work, I must admit that I was a bit intimidated. As a lifelong (almost) fan, I felt that we were treading on (un)holy ground. What resulted, however, was a true effort of love that Bruce and I can say that we are extremely proud of.
(And wait till you read the sequel!)
The graphic novel has received quite a bit of critical praise, but the feedback we’ve received from readers and educators has been the most rewarding.
Yes, unlike some of those other guys, we CARE VERY MUCH about hearing from our wonderful readers and will always take the time to respond to YOU because, unlike the other guys (you know who I’m talking about), we made this graphic novel out of our love for the medium and for Lovecraft and his work. This isn’t “just another paying gig” for us. Our only reward is a few kind words–and perhaps a recommendation–from our readership.
So… to cut to the chase, I am asking you to NOMINATE Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom for an Eagle Award, and consider voting for Bruce in the best writer category, Renzo for best artist, and yours truly as best editor. Bruce and I would truly appreciate your votes, and you could proudly proclaim “I SUPPORT INDIE COMICS!” and “I LOVE HOWARD LOVECRAFT AND DON’T WANT A SHOGGOTH TO DIE!”
Taking a break from work on the follow-up to last year’s Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom to share a couple links that I found… interesting.
The first is a video of amazing Lovecraft-inspired artwork by Michael Bubisch:
The second is a parody of a commercial produced by the Mormon Church:
I am working on several scripts, manuscripts, proposals, sell sheets and synopses simultaneously, but I’m unable to talk about them at the moment, sadly. I certainly wouldn’t want to jinx anything. But please… stand by. I will have exciting news to share in the very near future.
Unless Cthulhu awakens. If that should happen, we’re all screwed.
-D
