Hark! The herald angels sing, “E-books! Discounted e-books here! Get ’em while they’re hot! And have a merry freakin’ Christmas—in July!”
They sure can carry a tune, can’t they?
Anyway, as you probably know if you’ve made a visit to retail sites or cable channels these days, we’re smack-dab in the middle of the annual event that’s called Christmas in July, with all the sales you’d expect to go with it—including those for e-books and digital comics!
And if reading horror and dark fantasy and straight-up fantasy is, then you should head over to our e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—and its sister site, DriveThru Comics—who’s definitely in the holiday mood with its annual Christmas in July Sale, during which you can purchase tons of digital books at special prices! It runs from now to July 31st—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.
Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), and among the titles we’re offering at a sweet discount, you’ll find:
On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is our latest release: a sci-fi steampunk thriller from science fiction and fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, Star Trek SCE: Echoes of Coventry), in which Erica Halgrim, a new member of the Angels of Steel courier service, finds herself drawn into political intrigue, and her situation turns even more dangerous when she becomes a murder suspect—and a target for assassins!
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). Perfect for fans of old-school horror comics, this is a nonfiction history of Vampirella—the outer-space vampire who’s been in comics for over 50 years—that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983. In addition to telling the tale of Hammer’s unproduced film adaptation that was to star Barbara Leigh and horror icon Peter Cushing, I provide an in-depth guide to all her Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances (plus the publications from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment that reprinted her Warren adventures); an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey. There’s also a peek at Mr. Cushing’s personal copy of the ’70s Vampirella screenplay; a foreword by Official Vampirella Historian Sean Fernald, a frontispiece by Warren artist Bob Larkin, and photographs from the personal archives of Forrest J Ackerman, Vampirella’s cocreator and the legendary creator/editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland.
Harbinger of Darkness is an original fantasy-adventure novel by Richard C. White in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a 56-page, full-color comic special that features cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella) and contains three original stories. In “Song of the Siren,” by writer Steven A. Roman and artist Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy), the teenaged Goth adventuress matches wits with a man-stealing enchantress who’s set her sights on Pan’s boyfriend, Javier. It’s followed by “After Hours,” by writer Sholly Fisch (Kanga-U, The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), in which a demon walks into a bar to unwind after a long day of scarifying. And rounding out the issue is “Shopping Maul,” a short story by Roman with title-page art by Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), in which Pan and Annie, along with Javier and Pan’s best friend, Sheena, run into a group of Gothic Lolita vampires out to do more than a little window shopping.
Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which a soul-stealing succubus 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 Ghost Rider, it’s written by Steven A. Roman, and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark). It also features work by three legendary Warren Publishing artists: Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide: Other People’s Blood), who provided the cover painting; a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night); and a one-page history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Vampirella, The Grim Ghost).
And 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 the husband-and-white team of Richard C. White and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.
You may have to check the sites over the coming days for availabilty, since it appears DriveThru does the discounts in waves, not all at once. So, if the reduced price isn’t in effect now, it might be later!
Again, the Christmas in July Sale runs now through July 31st, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher pages at DriveThru Fiction and DriveThru Comics, and start your summer-reading shopping!
