Sleigh bells ring—are you listening?
No? Then obviously you haven’t paid a visit to the Hallmark Channel these days, otherwise you’d know we’re smack-dab in the middle of what’s become known as Christmas in July. (Not that we watch any of the bazillion yuletide romances HC is running, you understand—we’re merely pointing it out for research purposes…)
Anyway, if saccharine-sweet rom-coms aren’t your thing, but reading horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi- and fantasy is, then you should head over to our e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction, and its sister sites DriveThru Comics and DriveThru RPG, who are definitely in the holiday mood with their 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 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!
King Kong is one of our SWC Illustrated Classics—a republication of the 1932 novelization of the original movie. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, it includes scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. Our version features six original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose work has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Zone, Paul Kupperberg’s Secret Romances, and Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror.
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which Richard C. White takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature 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.
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!) is a nonfiction history of Vampirella 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 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.
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 (Stargate Universe, The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself), 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 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, the teenaged Goth adventuress matches wits at a picnic in New York’s Central Park 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 (The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Kanga-U), 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 just a little window shopping at a local mall.
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!
