Acid Grave Press Author Update

For those who'd like to keep up with the latest from their favorite Acid Grave Press authors, here's a little update with some information on a few of them.

David T. Wilbanks (Hellfighter, "Judas Priest" from Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories) is the subject of an interview over at Ginger Nuts of Horror. Also his second novel in the Dead Earth series, The Vengeance Road (co-written with Mark Justice), is now available as an audiobook.

L.L. Soares ("Slayer" from Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories) recently released his first novel, Life Rage. Soares is also a guest on the latest episode of Pod of Horror (#69), available at iTunes or Horror World.

Randy Chandler (Bad Juju, "Spooky Tooth" from Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories) has a new story available as an e-book: Deadside in Bug City was originally published in Bare Bone #6 and now comes along with an extended preview of Chandler's novel HELLz BELLz.

Kent Gowran ("Motorhead" from Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories) has been one of the guiding forces behind the crime-fiction magazine Shotgun Honey. Gowran and his compatriots have compiled the first anthology from the zine: Shotgun Honey Presents: Both Barrels (Volume 1).

Support these authors and others you enjoy. It's important to treat yourself to a good book. Thanks from your friends here at Acid Grave Press.

Acid Grave Press is Two Years Old!

I know, I can't believe it either.  Did you get us a present?

On November 18, 2010, a new e-book publisher came on the scene with their first book, an anthology of horror and dark fantasy stories and novellas inspired by the music of hard-rock and heavy-metal bands: Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories, edited by David T. Wilbanks and Craig Clarke.

Since then, Acid Grave Press has published two other books: a reprint of Randy Chandler's modern-classic horror novel Bad Juju and an original sword and sorcery novella, Hellfighter by David T. Wilbanks, and it's been such a great ride that I'm already looking forward to what is to come.

If you haven't yet tried one of our books, please do.  They've been quite well received, and they're all available at your e-store of preference, whether that's Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Smashwords or another.

Hellfighter reviews

David T. Wilbanks's sword-and-sorcery novella Hellfighter has been out for a while now and is garnering some excellent reviews, including the following.

Hellbound Times

Vintage Horror

Hellfighter can be purchased at Amazon and Smashwords, with other venues soon forthcoming. In the meantime, check out our Facebook and Twitter pages and stop by the Acid Grave Pulp forum to discuss our books and whatever other genre fiction you're reading these days.

Now Available: Hellfighter by David T. Wilbanks

Pleasure-seeking vagabond, Caddoc, falls madly in love with a saucy tavern wench. Then she disappears, carried off by the mysterious army of evil creatures known as drakuli, her town burnt to the ground. Now Caddoc, joined by a wise old monk and a cocky demon, must literally travel to Hell and back on his quest for true love.

Filled with horrifying creatures, dark magic, and intense battle scenes, Hellfighter is a fantasy novella any sword & sorcery fan will not want to miss.

Praise for HELLFIGHTER:

"David T. Wilbanks gives us a welcome return to my kind of old-school heroic fantasy. Earthy characters, epic fight scenes and more fun than a barrel of monkeys."

—William Meikle, author of BERSERKER and THE CHRONICLES OF AUGUSTUS SETON

"A page-turning, sword-swinging adventure. Highly recommended."

—Iain Rob Wright, author of ANIMAL KINGDOM

“Remember when fantasy was can't turn the pages fast enough fun? David T. Wilbanks does. Wilbanks takes you by the throat, kicks it into overdrive and delivers the goods with HELLFIGHTER.”

—Kent Gowran, writer of nasty little stories and founder of SHOTGUN HONEY.

"Wilbanks's HELLFIGHTER has everything you could want in a fantasy tale ... tavern wenches, black wizards, weird creatures and evil whelps. When […] Caddoc sets off on his journey, saddled with a priest and a boy who is not what he seems, things really go to Hell -- literally! This tale is escapism at its finest. So sit back, pack yourself a pipe of Krellin headbash, and get ready for a wild ride!"

—Christopher Fulbright, co-author of SCAVENGERS and SORROW CREEK

"David Wilbanks has written a two-fisted tale straight out of the Robert E. Howard Playbook. You want action, adventure, swordplay, and blood? HELLFIGHTER will satiate your appetite for all that and more."

—Bob Freeman, author of SHADOWS OVER SOMERSET, KEEPERS of the DEAD, and DESCENDANT

Sinkhole Shakes Up Vinewood Residents

Vinewood, GA — A sinkhole that appeared without warning in the middle of Main Street has the residents of Vinewood up in arms. It has already claimed one life, that of local man Calvin Hull, when it opened up under his car while he was driving. Local pharmacist George “Doc” Taggert attributes Hull’s demise to pure bad luck — simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “It could’ve been any one of us,” Taggert said. “But it just happened to be Calvin on that very spot when the earth fell out from under him. Can you imagine what that must’ve been like? Tooling along Main Street in your new car, then boom. The street falls away and the earth swallows you up.” The sinkhole is currently roped off with yellow “Caution!” tape, and through-traffic is blocked by yellow-and-black saw horses affixed with battery-operated flashers. But one man thinks that is not enough to protect the town. Though scoffed at by officials, Cornelius Weehunt feels he has his finger on the common man’s pulse. “Folks is worried now the whole town might be swallowed up,” he states, pointing down at the slab of Main Street slanting into the deep pit. “Lookit that. Like a road to Hell.” Weehunt has taken to standing guard by the sinkhole at night. “I don’t like standing this close to it, but somebody has to keep watch until it’s filled in and paved over. Nobody else is doing it.” He further explains, “All I care about is making sure nothing evil comes out of there. But if something does, I’ll raise the alarm.” Weehunt likens himself to railroad signalmen, and especially to the boy who stuck his finger in a dyke. Known to locals as “Corny,” Weehunt was nearly killed himself ten years ago when he took a fall from a ladder while painting and landed on his head. Some locals believe that the accident affected Corny’s intelligence, but he disagrees. “People say I’m retarded, but that’s not true. It’s just that part of my brain is dead. And it can’t be one of the real important parts. If it was, I wouldn’t be helping out the town by watching over things at the edge of this sinkhole in the middle of the night, would I? Heck, no. Ain’t no flies on Cornelius Weehunt.” Whether Weehunt becomes a local hero or the sinkhole’s next victim remains to be seen, but the mood has definitely changed here in Vinewood. “Vinewood used to be such a quiet little town,” seems to be a common refrain. Well, it’s very unlikely that things will be quiet in Vinewood for some time to come. Readers looking for more information on Vinewood and its residents are invited to seek out Bad Juju, author Randy Chandler's history of the incident, published by Acid Grave Press.

Coming soon: Hellfighter by David T. Wilbanks

The next release from Acid Grave Press will be Hellfighter, an action-packed sword and sorcery novella from the co-author of the Dead Earth series, David T. Wilbanks. (He also co-edited our own Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories.)

The eye-popping cover art was commissioned from Nick Gucker. Check out what he says about it on his website, Nick the Hat.

Bad Juju by Randy Chandler -- now available from Acid Grave Press

The latest e-book offering from Acid Grave Press is the modern horror classic Bad Juju by Randy Chandler. Now available from Amazon in a bright and shiny Kindle edition (other stores/formats coming soon), Chandler's debut novel is a stunning example of small-town horror. (Cover by Bob Freeman.)

Dark forces are afoot in Vinewood, Georgia, a deceptively sleepy town where the dead don't stay dead and a sinkhole is as sinister as it is deadly. Violent events both natural and supernatural build to a chaotic crescendo of horrors that will threaten the entire town and everyone in it.

An odd handful of townsfolk put their lives on the line to save the town — but the darkness may swallow them up before they have a chance.

"Hot and thick, the atmosphere reeks of earth, blood, and decay. The astringent air carries with it a sense of malevolence and resentment. No matter where you look, no matter how shallow you breathe, this town will touch you."

—Kelly Tomblin, Horror-Web

Randy Chandler is the author of Daemon of the Dark Wood, the forthcoming mystery novel Dime Detective, and HELLz BELLz. He also co-authored Duet for the Devil with the late t. Winter-Damon and has contributed short stories to numerous anthologies, including Acid Grave's own Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories. Randy has been a magazine editor/publisher, a freelance book reviewer, a mental health worker, a gas-pump jockey, an ambulance attendant, a soldier in Vietnam, and a funeral home flunky. He often haunts fields of carnage where angels and devils do battle.

Coming soon...