Altered States: Vampirella Review at Comics for Sinners

AlteredVampi-CovNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Altered States: Vampirella, now on sale from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Vampirella series scribe Nancy A. Collins (Swamp Thing, Sunglasses After Dark) and illustrated by Francesco Manna (Vampirella #100, Army of Darkness #1992.1), this one-shot special puts a 180-degree spin on Vampi’s 1960s origin as an outer space vampiress from a planet of bloodsuckers. In this situation, Ella is a human astronaut traveling from Earth to the planet of vampires—where the fluid in their veins isn’t blood, it’s life-giving water! Filled with small nods to Vampirella’s Warren Publishing past, it’s an “Elseworlds” take that should appeal to longtime fans. Head on over to C4S to read all about it.

Speaking of otherworldly bad girls, have you met StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus, Lorelei? She currently stars in two critically acclaimed projects:

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Satana the Devil’s Daughter, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night). It’s available in both print and digital editions, so visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s debut as the hostess of a horror anthology comic. Behind that eye-catching cover by bad-girl artist supreme Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella/Lady Death), you’ll find stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) and Dwight Jon Zimmerman (Iron Man, Web of Spider-Man). Art is provided by Uriel Caton & “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics), and Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo. It’s available in print for $3.99 (plus shipping) exclusively from the StarWarp Concepts webstore, and in digital form for $1.99 from DriveThru Comics and the SWC webstore. Visit the Lorelei Presents: House Macabre product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages

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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-book at Oyster Books

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrE-book lovers, take note: you can now find the ePub edition of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—at digital subscription library Oyster Books! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

You’ll find Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 here at Oyster. Add it to your subscription queue today!

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is also available at Oyster. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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Dawn/Vampirella Review at Comics for Sinners

DawnVampi01-CovNow at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Dawn/Vampirella #1–3; issue 3 is currently available from Dynamite Entertainment. Written and illustrated by Dawn creator Joseph Michael Linsner, it’s the first time his goddess of rebirth and horror comics’ vampiric queen of the bad girls have crossed paths, and only because they’ve been kidnapped by a demon in search of a bride. But instead of getting into a catfight to settle who gets to be the loser, the two supernatural ladies settle for a storytelling contest to postpone their fate (shades of Scheherazade and her 1,001 Arabian Nights!). Head on over to C4S to read all about it.

Speaking of femmes fatales, especially those of the redheaded variety, have you met Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus? Making her comics debut in 1993, Lori has remained SWC’s first leading lady of horror, and currently stars in two critically acclaimed projects:

Lorelei: Sects and the CityLorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Satana the Devil’s Daughter, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (Stan Lee’s Alexa, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night). It’s available in both print and e-book formats, so visit the Lorelei: Sects and the City product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

House_Macabre_large_finalLorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s debut as the hostess of a horror anthology comic. Behind that eye-catching cover by bad-girl artist supreme Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella/Lady Death), you’ll find stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) and Dwight Jon Zimmerman (Iron Man, Web of Spider-Man). Art is provided by Uriel Caton & “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics), and Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo. It’s available in print for $3.99 (plus shipping) exclusively from the StarWarp Concepts webstore, and in digital form for $1.99 from DriveThru Comics and the SWC webstore. Visit the Lorelei Presents: House Macabre product page for all the ordering information, as well as sample pages.

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Designing Pandora Zwieback’s Book Covers

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrToday over at the Pandora Zwieback website, we’ve got the start of a three-part examination of the cover-design process for the novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign, which feature cover paintings by legendary artist Bob Larkin. Since we here at ’Warp Central take great pride in the exemplary work of book designers Mat Postawa and Mike Rivilis (not to mention that of webmaster supreme Dave De Mond), we thought it was time to spotlight the creativity that goes into the eye-catching covers that have helped introduce readers to the adventures of Ms. Zwieback. Head over there now and check it out!

And while we’re talking about Pandora Zwieback novels, don’t forget that the latest book in her series, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 (written by yours truly) is now available for order from most online and brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Visit the Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 product page for all the sales links—not to mention a free sample chapter that you can download!

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Blood Reign: Pandora Zwieback 2 E-book On Sale at iTunes

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrHey, e-book lovers, now you can purcahse the ePub edition of Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2—my young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel—at Apple’s iBookstore! Here’s the synopsis:

She was stabbed in the heart with an ancient mystical spear. Her mother was kidnapped by a band of vampires led by a fallen angel—their goal: unleashing hell on earth. And every living creature on the planet faces extinction at the hands of a race of biblical monsters. But for Pandora Zwieback, the worst may be yet to come.

In this terrifying next chapter of the story begun in the critically acclaimed novel Blood Feud, join the teenaged Goth adventuress as she discovers that death is only the beginning of her saga…

You’ll find Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 here at iTunes. Order it today!

And don’t forget: the first Pandora Zwieback novel, Blood Feud, is still available from iTunes. Want to know how Pan begins her saga? Then purchase Blood Feud and Blood Reign and get started reading!

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Are You a Fan of Fairy-Tale Princesses?

SnowWhite_coverThen you’re probably aware that today is the U.S. release date for Cinderella, director Kenneth (Thor) Branagh’s live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale, starring Lily James as the magical rags-to-riches heroine and Helena Bonham Carter as her fairy godmother. If you’re making plans to see it this weekend, perhaps you might be interested in a fairy tale of our own…

Snow White is the original story by the Brothers Grimm, and not only is it one of the titles in our Illustrated Classics line, but it’s a digital-exclusive title available for immediate download for the wickedly low price of just 99¢! Featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings), this is an e-book you shouldn’t miss out on. Visit the Snow White product page for more information, including sales links and sample pages.

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Blood Feud Editing: The End Result

blood_feud_largeToday over at the Pandora Zwieback website, it’s the finale of the three-part series about the collaborative process I shared with editor Howard Zimmerman during the creation of my young adult, dark-fantasy novel, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1. Pan’s first outing wasn’t the awe-inspiring book you’ve come to know and love—not in its first draft, anyway. And in this series of posts I’ve driven you down part of the bumpy creative road I traveled that led to the book’s final form—a journey that, in retrospect, was well worth taking. So, head over to the Pan blog and see how it all turned out.

 

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrAnd in case you weren’t aware (and how could you not be!), the second book in Pan’s series, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 (also written by yours truly) is on sale right now, available for order from most online and brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Visit the Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 product page for all the sales links—not to mention a free sample chapter that you can download!

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Blood Feud Editing

blood_feud_largeToday over at the Pandora Zwieback website, it’s the second in a three-part series about the collaborative process I shared with editor Howard Zimmerman during the creation of my young adult, dark-fantasy novel, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1. After getting Howard’s honest opinion on what I later agreed was an extremely weak first-draft manuscript, it was time to fix what was wrong—and it began with creating a brand-new chapter that gave me a better understanding of my leading lady. Head over there and see what I’m talking about!

 

Blood-Reign-FinalCvrAnd don’t forget that the second book in Pan’s series, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 (also written by yours truly) is on sale right now, available for order from most online and brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Visit the Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 product page for all the sales links—not to mention a free sample chapter that you can download!

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Why Book Editors Matter

blood_feud_largeToday over at the Pandora Zwieback website, you’ll find the first in a three-part series about the collaborative process I shared with legendary editor Howard Zimmerman—the former editor-in-chief of Starlog magazine who worked with such science-fiction literary giants as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Silverberg—during the creation of my young adult, dark-fantasy novel, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1. For budding writers—and some professional ones—it’s an examination on the importance of having a knowledgeable editor (not some family member, or one of your friends) involved in your writing. Head over there and see what I’m talking about!

And while we’re talking about Pandora Zwieback novels, don’t forget that the second book in her series, Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 (also written by yours truly) is on sale right now, available for order from most online and brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Visit the Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 product page for all the sales links—not to mention a free sample chapter that you can download!

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Blood Reign: Ask Author Steven A. Roman Questions at Goodreads

Goodreads-logoThe online promotional tour for Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2 kicks off at Goodreads, the Internet home of book lovers around the world! I’ve had an Author Page there for a couple of years, and today I activated its “Ask the Author” function to help spread the word about Ms. Zwieback’s latest adventures, in this follow-up to her debut in book 1, Blood Feud. So if you’re a Goodreads member, and you’d like to know what sort of trouble Pan and her supporting cast have found themselves in now, then head on over there and ask away!

But it’s not only The Saga of Pandora Zwieback I’m willing to discuss. Want some insight to Lorelei, the adventurous succubus I created back in my small-press-comics days, and who now stars in the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City, and the comic Lorelei Presents: House Macabre? Looking to discuss my forays into licensed publishing, with the novels X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy and Final Destination: Dead Man’s Hand? Curious about what it’s like to write tales of zombie apocalypses, crimefighting web-slingers, and time-traveling Time Lords?

Just Ask the Author!

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