Gothic Horrors Abound On Screen…and at ‘Warp Central!

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Steven

CarmillaYesterday, Crimson Peak, the latest gothic tale of horror from acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, Pacific Rim) made its box-office debut in the U.S. Starring Tom Hiddleston (Loki of Marvel’s Avengers and Thor), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), and Mia Wasikowska, this thriller is populated with ghosts, haunted houses, and a creepy brother-sister relationship. Here at ’Warp Central, we’re all fans of del Toro’s work, and can’t wait to see his latest masterpiece!

Speaking of gothic horror, are you familiar with the tale of Carmilla? Written by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Uncle Silas, In a Glass Darkly), this 19th-century vampiric romance has influenced generations of writers from Bram Stoker to Laurel K. Hamilton, and has been adapted for the screen many times, including Hammer’s The Vampire Lovers and Roger Vadim’s Blood and Roses. The StarWarp Concepts edition features exclusive illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Lorelei: Sects and the City). Here’s what it’s about:

Before Edward and Bella, before Lestat and Louis, even before Dracula and Mina, there was the tale of Carmilla and Laura.

Living with her widowed father in a dreary old castle in the woods of Styria, Laura has longed to have a friend with whom she can confide; a friend to bring some excitement to her pastoral lifestyle. And then Carmilla enters her life.

Left by her mother in the care of Laura’s father, Carmilla is young, beautiful, playful—everything Laura had hoped to find in a companion. In fact, the lonely girl is so thrilled to have a new friend that she is willing to overlook the dark-haired beauty’s strange actions…which include a disturbing, growing obsession for her lovely hostess.

Carmilla, it seems, desires more than just friendship from Laura….

Fans of gothic literature have certainly enjoyed it:

“The way Le Fanu blends together desire and predation is spellbinding. A true Gothic story, Carmilla is great fun.”—Gothic Beauty Magazine

“Carmilla is a must-read for any true fan of vampire fiction.”—LoveVampires.com

“Like many vampire romances, Carmilla and Laura’s love is doomed and unhealthy, but glorious.”—io9

“Carmilla is an enthralling wonderland ripe with blood and death. Curl up with this little sleeper if you like your creatures of the night with just a little dash of pixie dust and wolfsbane.”—ClassicHorror.com

Carmilla is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

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Are You a Fan of Spooky Tales?

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Steven

This Friday, October 16, is the U.S. release date for Tales of Halloween, a horror anthology film from Epic Pictures that boasts the directorial talents of eleven directors, including Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II–IV), Lucky McKee (May, The Woods), and Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider). I’ve been a fan of Marshall’s since Dog Soldiers, all the way up to his direcdtorial gig on the pilot for NBC’s gone-but-not-forgotten series Constantine, so I’ll definitely be checking out this one.

Speaking of horror anthologies (he said, putting on his publisher’s/marketing director’s hat), perhaps you might be interested in a pair from this very publishing company, starring two of our critically acclaimed leading ladies: the succubus Lorelei Munro, star of the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City; and monster fighter Pandora Zwieback, of the novel series The Saga of Pandora Zwieback.

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei Presents: House Macabre: It’s Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, in this one-shot special that contains four tales of horror, behind eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Supergirl, Batman 80-Page Giant).

• “The Old, Dark Manse” is written by me and illustrated by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual, The Ex-Mutants, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa) and “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales), and has Lori welcoming readers to this special.

• “All in Color for a Crime” is another tale from me, with art by Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Young All-Stars). Two comic book collectors clash over a rare back issue—and only one of them will be adding it to their long boxes!

• “The Basilisk,” from me and artist John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics, My Teacher Fried My Brains), is a “Lori’s Feary Tale” that examines the history of a supernatural creature that’s a cross between a deadly snake and a…chicken?!

• Wrapping up the special is “Requiem for Bravo 6,” by New York Times bestselling author and comic writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk, Steve McQueen: Full-Throttle Cool) and artist Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo. A special-ops team goes on a life-or-death mission…but will they be prepared for what awaits them at mission’s end?

“This is like a cross between Elvira and House of Mystery, where you’ve got a very sexy hostess who loves the Macabre and tells you stories that are supposed to chill and thrill you…. This whole book is such a pleasant surprise, [and] something that should be sought out by everyone.”—Reading With a Flight Ring

“Any fans of the old-fashioned horror anthology comics (Eerie, Creepy, Tales From the Crypt, etc.) is gonna want to take a look at this one-shot from StarWarp Concepts…. If campy horror fun is your thing, this should be a hit for you.”—The Pullbox

pan_annual_1_large_coverThe Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: A spinoff from the novel series, this 56-page, full-color comic special—with cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella)—finds the teenaged Goth adventuress battling vampires and a jealous, man-stealing siren. It features three original stories of what I’ve termed the “Paniverse”—tales that take place within the fictional universe of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback.

• “Song of the Siren,” written by me and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, Lorelei: Sects and the City), involves Pan and her boyfriend, Javi, attending one of his family’s picnics in Central Park, and running into an ex-girlfriend of Javi’s. An awkward situation, to be sure, made even worse by the realization that with her monstervision, Pan can see the girl is really a siren: a creature from Greek mythology that can hypnotize men with its voice!

• “After Hours” is by writer Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), and involves a working-class demon dropping by his favorite bar.

• “Shopping Maul” is a short story written by me, with title-page art by Elizabeth Watasin (writer/artist of Charm School). Pan, Javi, and their friends stop by a Queens mall to do a bit of window-shopping—only to find themselves caught in the middle of a fight between Gothic Lolita vampires and Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Annie!

“Steven A. Roman demonstrates yet again his ability to write in the voice of a teenage girl without resorting to the petty whining and needless angst that seem to plague a lot of the female teenage characters in books today… I would readily and heartily recommend this comic to anybody.”—Word of the Nerd

“Roman mixes young adult fantasy with themes like ‘young love’ but also with equal parts of ‘female empowerment’ and lets Pandora be a real and true voice. The art by Eliseu Gouveia is just stellar and makes a perfect match for the main story.”—Comics For Sinners

Both titles are available in print and digital formats. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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It’s Those Damn Zombies Again!

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Steven

ZombieTales2Tonight’s the night when the mega-popular television series The Walking Dead makes its season-six debut on AMC. And as long as we’re talking zombies, are you aware that I once wrote my own take on the zombie apocalypse, in the form of a short story?

“Laundry Day” is the tale of a not-so-loveable guy named Josh Kosinki who, late one night, decides to take his growing pile of dirty clothes over to the local Laundromat—only to become an eyewitness to the start of a zombie uprising. It first appeared in 2007, in the Padwolf Books anthology The Dead Walk Again!, then was reprinted in Books of the Dead Press’s 2010 anthology, Best New Zombie Tales, Vol. 2. It garnered quite a bit of praise from reviewers:

“Laced with a brutal humor and some seriously gory violence, this one is a slaughter-fest crowd pleaser for sure. Action from the get-go, with a surprising twist ending that I really didn’t see coming.”—Paperback Horror

“‘Laundry Day’ puts a nice twist on the ‘folks are the worst of all monsters’ trope.”—Necroscope: The Australian Zombie Review Blog

“I friggin’ love that story!”—James Roy Daley, author of Terror Town and 13 Drops of Blood

Best New Zombie Tales, Vol. 2 is still on sale, so follow the link to its page at Amazon. Along with “Laundry Day,” you’ll find stories by such notable horror writers as Mort Castle, Tim Waggoner, Nate Kenyon, and Cody Goodfellow. Order a copy today!

And speaking of The Walking Dead, the final stop on the SWC 2015 convention tour just happens to be at the WD-themed Walker Stalker Con, being held December 4–6 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey; visit their site for more information. Hope to see you there!

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SWC Author Richard C. White at Rocket City Lit Fest

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverTomorrow, October 10th, sees the kickoff of the inaugural Rocket City Lit Fest, a celebration of writing being held in Huntsville, Alabama—and bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) will be there! When not participating in author panels, Rich will be promoting his three StarWarp Concepts projects:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is SWC’s latest release: a reference book for writers, in which Rich takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

seadragon_lrg_cov_revThe Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital pirate-fantasy comic created and written by Rich, drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and features cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (SWC’s The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual). It’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure perfect for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, as well as classics like The Crimson Pirate, Against All Flags, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk—and it’s available for download for just 99¢!

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by Rich and his wife, Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.

troubleshooters_lrg_coverHe’ll also be launching the Kickstarter campaign for his next project, For a Few Gold Pieces More: Tales of the Rogue With No Name, a collection of fantasy stories he wrote that star a mysterious wanderer with a penchant for getting into trouble—if the price is right. Once the funding has been secured, the book will be packaged by Rich’s NightWolf Graphics company, then published in spring 2016.

Terra Incognito and Troubleshooters Incorporated are available in print and digital formats. Chronicles of the Sea Dragon is a digital exclusive. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Rocket City Lit Fest runs Saturday, October 10, to Sunday, October 11, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, visit the Rocket City Lit Fest website.

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Terra Incognito: Bonus Tracy Hickman Interview

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverThis past Tuesday saw the debut of Richard C. White’s reference book for writers and gamers, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, in which Rich—the bestselling fantasy author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, and the writer of the SWC projects Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings and The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special—takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

But wait—there’s more! Rich’s interview with Hickman was so lengthy, and touched upon some topics that didn’t pertain to the world-building focus of Terra Incognito, that I made the editorial decision to cut those parts from the final version of the book. However, if you want to discover what else Rich and Hickman discussed—including their shared experiences in the licensed-publishing writers market—then head over to Richard C. White’s blog this instant and read all about it!

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in print and e-book (PDF, ePub, and Kindle-compatible). Visit its product page for all the ordering information—and then get started creating worlds of your own!

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Wonder Woman ’77 Special #2 Review at Comics for Sinners

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Steven

WW77Special-2Over at the news site Comics for Sinners, you’ll find my review of Wonder Woman ’77 Special #2, currently available from DC Comics. Written by Marc Andreyko (Batwoman, Chastity, Vol. 1: Life/Death) and illustrated by Drew Johnson, Cat Staggs, Jason Badower, and Richard Ortiz, it collects three stories from the digital comic series that picks up where the cult-classic 1970s Wonder Woman television series left off. (You know the one: the live-action show that starred the incomparable Lynda Carter as the Amazing Amazon and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, and which ran for two seasons on CBS.) In it, Wonder Woman—as well as her intelligence-agent alter ego, Diana Prince—faces threats from the Cheetah, undead hulk Solomon Grundy, and a fire-and-ice-powered villainess. Head over to C4S to learn more.

House_Macabre_large_finalSpeaking of action heroines, are you aware that StarWarp Concepts has a few of its own? No? Then allow me to fill you in…

Lorelei: SWC’s first leading lady of horror, Lori is a succubus who revels in devouring the souls of bad guys, and currently stars in two critically acclaimed projects: the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City, in which she battles a cult of Elder God worshippers to prevent them from unleashing hell on Earth; and the one-shot special Lorelei Presents: House Macabre, in which she tries her hand at hosting an old-style horror anthology comic.

Pandora Zwieback and Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin: Pan is a teenaged Goth with the power to see through the human disguises of the monsters that actually exist in the world; Annie is Pan’s immortal, monster-hunting mentor. Together they star in The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, a series of dark-urban-fantasy novels that involve vampire civil wars, fallen angels, and a legion of other monsters. Currently, you’ll find Pan and Annie clashing with monsterdom in the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, as well as the comic book The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.

But long before she started teaching Pan how to deal with the creatures of the night, Annie was also the star of a short-lived “bad girl” comic book miniseries in the 1990s: Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa. Here you’ll find Annie doing a bit of research for an article about gentlemen’s clubs in Times Square—research that includes actually performing as an exotic dancer (I did say it was a ’90s comic, didn’t I?). It’s that part-time gig that brings her into contact with Corum de Sade, a heavy metal singer with a deadly secret: he’s a soul-devouring incubus! All three issues are available for free from this very website, so download them today!

princess_bookfestDejah Thoris: Created by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dejah Thoris is the sword-wielding princess of the Martian city of Helium and the costar of the classic science-fantasy novel A Princess of Mars, first in Burroughs’s “John Carter of Mars” series about a post–Civil War era American who suddenly finds himself on the Red Planet, battling to stay alive against all sorts of alien threats. It served as the basis for Disney’s 2012 film adaptation, John Carter, and inspired a century’s worth of SF works, including Flash Gordon, Star Wars, and James Cameron’s Avatar. Dejah Thoris is no pulp-fiction damsel in distress, ready to fight alongside Carter in his quest to end the ongoing war that threatens to tear apart the red planet.

CarmillaCarmilla: The blood-drenched temptress of a 19th-century novella by author J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla is a vampiress who desires not just blood but love from her victims, and when she enters the life of a young woman named Laura, Carmilla decides that her new friend will become her next great love—and won’t take no for an answer. Regarded as the one of the earliest lesbian vampires—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day.

All titles except Heartstopper—which is a digital exclusive—are available in print and digital formats. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Terra Incognito Ebooks at Amazon, DriveThru Fiction

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverHot on the heels of its publishing debut this morning, Richard C. White’s reference book for writers, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, is now also available at digital distributors Amazon.com, Amazon UK, and DriveThru Fiction!

In Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

TerraIncognito-DTFHottestYou’ll find Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination here at Amazon.com, here at Amazon UK, and here at DriveThru Fiction (available in PDF, ePub, and Kindle-compatible formats)—where it’s already become DTF’s #1 hottest title!

Get started reading today!

And don’t forget to visit the SWC store at DriveThru Fiction, where you’ll find our growing list of digital titles. From monster-fighting Goth chicks and immortal warriors to fairy-tale princesses and soul-stealing succubi (and now writing guides!), StarWarp Concepts is your home for dark fantasy and horror, and you’ll find them all at DriveThru Fiction!

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Terra Incognito Now On Sale!

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_coverThat’s right, fantasy and science-fiction fans, today is the day that StarWarp Concepts releases its first reference book for writers and gamers: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, by Richard C. White!

In Terra Incognito, White—the bestselling fantasy author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as writer of the SWC pirate-fantasy comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special and the supernatural-superheroes graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings—takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion; after all, the more detailed your world is, the better you’ll be able to immerse your readers in the story you’re telling. As a special bonus, Terra Incognito includes an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available for order right now in print and e-book (PDF, ePub, and Kindle-compatible) formats from the StarWarp Concepts webstore, and can be ordered through your local brick-and-mortar bookstore. Coming soon: links to Terra Incognito’s pages at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

Visit the Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination product page for all the ordering information—and then get started creating worlds of your own!

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Steven A. Roman’s “Destinies” Interview Now Available

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Steven

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrAs you’re probably well aware by now, I made an appearance on the late-night radio show Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, on Friday, October 2. Normally a half-hour show, it turned into a ninety-minute extravaganza thanks to WUSB’s overnight deejay taking the night off, which allowed host Howard Margolin and I to chat in length about the origins of Pandora Zwieback and her monster-hunting mentor, Annie; my years as a fiction editor and editor-in-chief for publishing house ibooks, inc.; my recurring feature “Tales of Development Hell” at the StarWarp Concepts blog, detailing licensed writing projects that never made it to completion; and a few other topics. I had a great time doing the show.

However, I know that not everyone out there could stay up late enough to hear the live broadcast—one of the first things a friend of mine asked when I told him I was going to be on was, “Will there be someplace for those of us who like to go to bed at that hour to be able to listen to it later?” Well, of course!

Just click this link, which will take you directly to Friday night’s episode. Like I said, it runs an hour and a half, so grab a favorite beverage and get comfortable while I spin tales of my adventures in publishing!

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SWC News Bits

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Steven

It’s been a busy few days here at ’Warp Central, what with a radio interview and an upcoming book release, so let me fill you in on what’s been happening recently…

On Friday, October 2, I appeared on the radio show Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, hosted by Dr. Howard Margolin. If you missed the special extra-long live broadcast (an hour and a half!), I’ll post a link to the Destinies program archive once the episode is added to it. Howard and I covered a lot of ground about the world of my teenaged Goth monster hunter, Pandora Zwieback, as well as my days as an editor, Tales of Development Hell, and other topics, so definitely give it a listen.

On Saturday, The ’Warp was scheduled to participate in the thirteenth annual Collingswood Book Festival, but the inclement weather created by Hurricane Joaquin caused us to cancel that appearance at the last minute. Apologies to any ’Warp fans who might have been seeking us out. But feel free to come visit our booth at December’s Walker Stalker Con, a three-day lovefest being held in Secaucus, NJ, for Walking Dead fans in particular and horror fans in general.

terra_ingoc_lg_coverBut the biggest news involves tomorrow’s publishing debut of Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, our first reference book for writers and gamers! Written by Richard C. White—the bestselling fantasy author of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil—it takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. As a special bonus, Terra Incognito includes an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

Further news updates will be posted as they become available. We now return to regular ‘Warp blog broadcasting…

BloodReign-SatanAd

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