Book Review/Interview: Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke

I am a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, the monthly enewsletter from The International Thriller Writers and most months I have the pleasure of reading a forthcoming release, interviewing the author and writing a review. Although I write what are probably best described as horror thrillers, I do have a fairly wide taste in what I read so, I thought I should post a link at my blog to these articles to bring exciting new releases and introduce some new and talented authors to you - enjoy!

On a scorching hot summer day in Elkwood, Alabama, Claire Lambert staggers naked, wounded, and half-blind away from the scene of an atrocity. She is the sole survivor of a nightmare that claimed her friends, and even as she prays for rescue, the killers — a family of cannibalistic lunatics — are closing in.

Kealan Patrick Burke was born in Dungarven, Ireland and when this book came up I was eager to review it. Not just because he is a fellow Irishman but also because I have enjoyed his previous work; Carnival of Souls and The Hides. It was a happy co-incidence that I was in Dungarven for the weekend visiting friends when I began this novel so it seemed somewhat fated that I would get this book to review.

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Weekly Update - review, currently reading and more...

Well, here we are and another week has flown by. True to my new regime and promise I am back with an update to the blog.

I have finished the review of ‘Plague of Lies’ and it will appear on the ITW website on the 1^st of the month, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ The newly designed website looks great and you can check out all the latest releases and author interviews by clicking the link. If you want to know if I enjoyed the book you will have to read the article, go on it’s free.

I got another few thousand words put to bed yesterday on Vampire Apocalypse 4 and the story is coming along nicely. Working title is ‘Trail of Tears’ though I doubt this will be the final one as I have a few other ideas percolating that may take a larger role yet. Early days but I think you’ll like where it’s going.

I am reading James Herbert’s ‘The Secret of Crickley Hall’ at the moment. Herbert has always been one of my favourites. If you haven’t picked up his books start with ‘The Dark’, ‘The Fog’ and ‘The Rats’ and just see if you can stop buying all of them. He is truly a master of the genre and essential reading for anyone who professes to enjoy horror.

There are a few more reviews on Amazon for VA and it’s great to see that they are still mostly positive. Please feel free to post reviews as I love to hear what you have to say, especially the good ones. There’s even one for ‘The Estuary’. For some reason this book has become a love it or hate it book with very few middle star reviews. The latest review is very positive so I was delighted to see that. It’s strange how some books are received. I loved writing ‘The Estuary’ and even had the next instalment sketched out. Maybe if I get more positive feedback I’ll write it ..hint. Still no reviews for ‘The Gatekeeper’ in the UK so if you’ve bought this one and read it please let me know what you think, again especially if you liked it.

Until next week.

D

Book Review - Hybrid by Brian O’Grady

I am a contributing editor for The Big Thrill, the monthly enewsletter from The International Thriller Writers and most months I have the pleasure of reading a forthcoming release, interviewing the author and writing a review. Although I write what are probably best described as horror thrillers, I do have a fairly wide taste in what I read so, I thought I should post a link at my blog to these articles to bring exciting new releases and introduce some new and talented authors to you - enjoy!



 Hybrid by Brian O’Grady
 A virus engineered for genocide has been released in Colorado Springs, leading to mass and seemingly unexplained violence. Some of the survivors of the infection begin to evolve into something that is both less than and more than human. The race is on to prevent world-wide release of the virus. Read my review and interview with the author over at The International Thriller Writers BIG THRILL

If you get a chance to read the book, let me know what you think!

Weekly Update - Vampire apocalypse 4, Crimson Seas, Writers Centre one day Horror Writing course, Octocon and more...

Okay, a new week and a new resolution. This blog has been very under used in the past. I am sorry for this but I have let myself get side-tracked way too easily and the blog has lost out. For those of you who come here to see if there is an update - I apologise and, to those who didn’t, well you didn’t miss anything. However, I have been sufficiently chastised by my web designer, editor and number one fan, (that’s my wife to anyone who doesn’t know), and I will be posting a blog every Monday from now on – I know this is Tuesday but this is the first one and it doesn’t count. Busy, busy, busy.

I have added another few thousand words to Vampire Apocalypse 4 this week so that is progressing well. Completion is a long way off yet but once started it tends to flow more quickly. I was wrestling with whether the beginning was too drastic for some time now but I have decided to write it and see where it leads. If it doesn’t work I can always re-write. I hate playing it safe though so I am going all out and it should shock a few readers. If I don’t use it in the final draft there’s always the Director’s Cut.

 I’ve started a new book as well for the International Thriller Writers. I review a book every month and it gives me a chance to try new authors that I would not normally have picked up. This month’s book is an historical crime novel by Judith Rock – A Plague of Lies. I’ll let you know how I get on.

 I’ve also been asked to give a writing workshop for the Irish Writers Centre, http://www.writerscentre.ie/html/courses/weekendindex.html, It’s a really big honour for me as I have never done anything like it before. It’s down for October just in time for Halloween and concentrates on horror and supernatural writing. Looks like it’ll be fun. October will also see Octocon, http://www.octocon.com/ where Liz Williams will be joining us as Guest speaker. I am on loads of panels this year and chairing most of them so lots of preparation work for that as well.

The books are selling well this week, so thank you to all who have bought them. The first novel in the HMS Swift series, Crimson Seas, was released last month and I am really pleased that so many of you have bought it. I love this series and had a brief outline for another book but had filed it away as I wasn’t sure it would ever get released. Looks like I will have to write it after all if sales keep going well. If you haven’t tried the HMS Swift series then have a look at the page dedicated to it, http://www.derekgunn.com/hmsswift.html Well, that’s all for today. See you next week, I promise.

 Regards,
 Derek

Crimson Seas, An HMS Swift Adventures Novel

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Crimson Seas is the first novel in my HMS Swift Adventures series. The year is 1791. It is a time of turbulent and fragile peace between the American Revolution, the looming French Revolution and the threat of Napoleon's growing empire.

Captain Thomas Butler and his crew of the HMS Swift, a Class five Frigate in the service of King George III of England arrive into port expecting a few months of rest while their ship is repaired and refitted. Immediately upon their return however, they are sent on a mission to investigate pirate-related reports affecting the lucrative trade routes to the East Indies.

The mission is a confusing one though. Their orders are suspiciously vague. The threat of piracy has not been felt for many years. Two ships have gone missing already in the area though it is inconceivable that mere pirates could have over-run a King’s ship. Butler and his crew find a seemingly abandoned merchant ship drifting at sea and discover the crew gutted and discarded in the hold. Their blood is smeared liberally throughout the ship forming strange and disturbing sigils that suggest devil worshiping.

As war looms and navies engage in heated, yet still sporadic engagements, it is left to the crew of the HMS Swift to face and defeat an evil that has lain dormant for years and now threatens to engulf the whole world.