Shock Totem - who loves them?

Crap! I need to get 5 and 6, too! I really enjoy this publication. Not only have I gotten the first four issues of ST, but I have also downloaded several of the novels reviewed in it. I can highly recommend Husk, by Matt Hults, Draculas, by Crouch, Kilborn, Strand, & Wilson, and The Wicked, by James Newman. All fantastic novels! I'll be getting the next three ST issues!

Yeah, this is a good one. Kind of an iconic image, but enhanced. =)

QuothTheRaven wrote:

Crap! I need to get 5 and 6, too! I really enjoy this publication. Not only have I gotten the first four issues of ST, but I have also downloaded several of the novels reviewed in it. I can highly recommend Husk, by Matt Hults, Draculas, by Crouch, Kilborn, Strand, & Wilson, and The Wicked, by James Newman. All fantastic novels! I'll be getting the next three ST issues!

Thanks, brotherman!

Oh, and this might be of interest to you guys:

Shock Totem Publications is proud to announce Dominoes, by John Boden.

Dominoes is a Little Horror Book, the perfect bedtime read for strange parents and bizarro children, a book not only meant to be read but also experienced.


Cover art and interior illustrations were once again handled by the amazing Yannick Bouchard, who also did the cover art and illustrations for Beautiful Sorrows.

Praise for Dominoes:

“Now for something strangely different: death falls like a hellish deck of bruised songs through the lives of old and young in the unexpected flow of images screaming in Dominoes by John Boden.” —Linda Addison, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend and Being Full of Light, Insubstantial

“Strong stuff. Strange, incantatory, and speaking of things that might already have come to pass. This is some seriously weird shit.” —Gary McMahon, author of Tales of The Walking Wounded, Pretty Dead Things, and The Concrete Grove trilogy

“Equal parts evil and beautiful, John Boden has created a prose poem that reads like a bedtime story that would work best if told right before the apocalypse.” —Adam Cesare, author of Tribesmen, Video Night, and Bound By Jade

“Boden is a master of the surreal. His language is lyrical and haunting, and he packs each sentence with more emotion than other writers manage to accomplish in an entire novel. Dominoes is a wonderfully off-kilter apocalyptic tale of madness and misery.” —Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Asylum, The Quarry, and The Summer of Winters

Dominoes will be released in paperback format this coming October.

As many of you know, John Boden is known Shiney here at HOM. This is an odd book, for sure, so unless you're into what they call "bizarro" fiction it might not be for you. But it's going to look amazing! =)

I ordered ST #7 yesterday. Looking forward to reading the new issue!

nevermore wrote:

I ordered ST #7 yesterday. Looking forward to reading the new issue!

Thank you, sir!

Announcement #2...

Shock Totem Publications is very happy to announce the upcoming paperback/digital release of James Newman's brand-new novel, Ugly As Sin.


Nick Bullman was a wrestling superstar. His alter ego, The Widowmaker, was the monster heel all the marks loved to hate.

But then an encounter with two psychotic fans left his face horribly disfigured. Now, to most, he’s just a monster.

Yanked from the spotlight and thrust into the shadows, these days Nick lives the quiet life of an average Joe. He's angry. He’s alone. And he likes it just fine that way...

Until he receives a desperate phone call from a young lady he barely knows—his daughter.

For the first time in over thirty years, Nick returns to his hometown of Midnight, North Carolina. There he will come face to face with old demons, forge new friendships, and make enemies far more dangerous than those who ruined his face, all in a quest to save the granddaughter he’s never met...and maybe find a little bit of redemption along the way.

Ugly As Sin is an electrifying tale of “white-trash noir,” a taut page-turner that skates the razor edge of a familiar, horrifying reality. At times heartbreaking, funny, and terrifyingly suspenseful, Ugly As Sin may be Newman’s best work to date.

Praise for Ugly As Sin:

“Ugly As Sin is James Newman’s best book yet! I loved every brutal, violent, pulpy page, and I recommend the hell out of it!” —Jeff Strand, author of Dead Clown Barbecue, Faint of Heart, and Gleefully Macabre Tales

"Ugly As Sin is brutal, fast-paced, grimy fun, a compulsive page-turner with characters you’ll be deeply invested in by story’s end." —Blu Gilliand, The October Country

"James Newman is one of my favorite authors. His novels are always engrossing and entertaining. I can't recommend his works highly enough." —John R. Little, author of Miranda, The Memory Tree, and Ursa Major

The paperback/digital editions of Ugly As Sin will feature exclusive artwork and bonus material. Look for it this coming December.

Cool! I'd been pouring over the older issues and looking forward to this.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Cool! I'd been pouring over the older issues and looking forward to this.

 

So here are the other three updates we posted this week:

Shock Totem Publications is excited to announce the upcoming eighth issue of Shock Totem magazine.

We do not have cover art finalized at this time, but it will once again be created by the amazing Mikio Murakami.

Here is the unofficial Table of Contents:

* Article (TBD)
* Highballing Through Gehenna, by John C. Foster
* Death & the Maiden, by David Barber
* Narrative Nonfiction (TBD)
* A Conversation with Cody Goodfellow, by John Boden
* The Barham Offramp Playhouse, by Cody Goodfellow
* Whisperings Sung Through the Neighborhood of Stilted Sorrows, by WC Roberts (Poetry)
* Strange Goods and Other Oddities (Reviews)
* Watchtower, by David D'Amico
* Fat Betty, by Harry Baker
* Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Part 6, by John Boden and Simon Marshall-Jones (Article)
* We Share the Dark, by Carlie St. George
* A Conversation with... (TBD)
* Depresso the Clown, by John Skipp
* Howling Through the Keyhole (Author Notes)

We will fill in the blanks as we draw closer to release. Look for it in January 2014!

Shock Totem Publications is proud to announce a new holiday series of books.

Back in 2011 we released something a little different: Shock Totem: Holiday Tales of the Macabre and Twisted 2011. It featured fiction from Shock Totem Publications staff members as well as the wonderful and insanely prolific Kevin J. Anderson, all based on the end-of-the-year holiday season. It also included anecdotal nonfiction pieces from a wide variety of authors.


The release was a hit. It sold well and continues to do so. But it was only released as an e-book, and since then many of you have asked for a print version. That is finally coming in late November.

Looking beyond that, we have a Valentine's Day issue planned for late January 2014 and a Halloween issue planned for October 2014.


As with the first holiday issue, these releases will feature fiction based on their specific holiday themes. Nonfiction will come from not only authors but the artists and publishers whose talent and contributions to this field are all too often overlooked.

Look for the print version of the debut holiday issue in late November (or download it now), followed by the Valentine's Day issue in late January 2014.

Shock Totem Publications is very excited to announce Zero Lives Remaining, a new novella by Adam Cesare.

Zero Lives Remaining will be released in e-book, paperback, and limited edition hardcover formats. The hardcover will be strictly limited to 75 copies and will come with a very special slipcase, one which we’re pretty sure has never been done before.

Here is the back cover copy:

Robby Asaro is dead.

And alive.

He’s a ghost in the machine, keeping a watchful eye on the arcade where he lost his life two decades before. And the afterlife is good. The best thing ever to have happened to him. But when the conscious electric current formerly known as Robby Asaro makes a decision to protect Tiffany Park, one of his favorite patrons, from a bully, he sets loose a series of violent supernatural events that can’t be stopped.

Trapped inside the arcade as the kill count rises, Tiffany and a group of gamers must band together to escape from what used to be their favorite place on Earth…and the ghost of Robby Asaro.

From the author of Tribesmen, Video Night, and The Summer Job, Zero Lives Remaining is a masterful mix of horror and suspense, dread and wonder, a timeless ghost story that solidifies Adam Cesare’s reputation as one of the best up-and-coming storytellers around. This is Adam Cesare firing on all cylinders—and he’s just getting started.

Look for it in April 2014.

Eyesore wrote:

Oh, and this might be of interest to you guys:

Shock Totem Publications is proud to announce Dominoes, by John Boden.

Dominoes is a Little Horror Book, the perfect bedtime read for strange parents and bizarro children, a book not only meant to be read but also experienced.

Click for full-size images.

Cover art and interior illustrations were once again handled by the amazing Yannick Bouchard, who also did the cover art and illustrations for Beautiful Sorrows.

Praise for Dominoes:

“Now for something strangely different: death falls like a hellish deck of bruised songs through the lives of old and young in the unexpected flow of images screaming in Dominoes by John Boden.” —Linda Addison, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend and Being Full of Light, Insubstantial

“Strong stuff. Strange, incantatory, and speaking of things that might already have come to pass. This is some seriously weird shit.” —Gary McMahon, author of Tales of The Walking Wounded, Pretty Dead Things, and The Concrete Grove trilogy

“Equal parts evil and beautiful, John Boden has created a prose poem that reads like a bedtime story that would work best if told right before the apocalypse.” —Adam Cesare, author of Tribesmen, Video Night, and Bound By Jade

“Boden is a master of the surreal. His language is lyrical and haunting, and he packs each sentence with more emotion than other writers manage to accomplish in an entire novel. Dominoes is a wonderfully off-kilter apocalyptic tale of madness and misery.” —Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Asylum, The Quarry, and The Summer of Winters

Dominoes will be released in paperback format this coming October.

As many of you know, John Boden is known Shiney here at HOM. This is an odd book, for sure, so unless you're into what they call "bizarro" fiction it might not be for you. But it's going to look amazing! =)

Dominoes is available in paperback format (no digital version for this release) from our webstore or Amazon.com (for other regions, see your specific Amazon website) for $6.99.

A sample page (WARNING: Bad woids):

Man, I have got to come around here more often.

Now that I have a new car with a stereo...maybe Ill be more inclined to keep up with music and metal...and actually have input on things.

Anyone who purchased DOMINOES, I thank you...anyone who didn't...why the hell not!?

I kid. It's not for everyone. Part prose experiment/part short story. Illustrated and designed to mimic a children's book. Lyrics and dark visuals swirl. It's a cool thing.

Coming later this month...

Great cover art as usual.

Thanks! =)

Our latest two issues are available! One is Shock Totem #8, the other being a sexy little Valentine's Day issue. Both are available digitally or in print. If you buy the print edition from Amazon, you will now get the Kindle edition for free. In fact, this is retroactive so if you've ever bought a print book from us, you can get the Kindle issue for free (just go to the books Kindle page on Amazon and the price will show as $0.00).



Shock Totem #8 Table of Contents:

* Nosferatu: The Origin of Vampires on Screen, by Joe Modzelewski (Article)
* Highballing Through Gehenna, by John C. Foster
* We Share the Dark, by Carlie St. George
* The Highland Lord Brought Low, by Catherine Grant (Narrative Nonfiction)
* A Conversation with Cody Goodfellow, by John Boden
* The Barham Offramp Playhouse, by Cody Goodfellow
* Whisperings Sung Through the Neighborhood of Stilted Sorrows, by WC Roberts (Poetry)
* Strange Goods and Other Oddities (Reviews)
* Watchtower, by D.A. D’Amico
* Death and the Maiden, by David Barber
* Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Part 6, by John Boden and Simon Marshall-Jones (Article)
* Fat Betty, by Harry Baker
* A Conversation with Adam Cesare, by K. Allen Wood
* Stabat Mater, by Michael Wehunt (2012 Shock Totem Flash Fiction Contest Winner)
* Depresso the Clown, by John Skipp
* Howling Through the Keyhole (Author Notes)

Webstore: http://shocktotem.bigcartel.com/product/shock-totem-8
Amazon: http://amzn.com/0988272377



Shock Totem #8.5 Table of Contents:

* Clocks, by Darrell Schweitzer
* Lose and Learn, by Brian Hodge (Holiday Recollection)
* Hearts of Women, Hearts of Men, by Zachary C. Parker
* Unlearning to Lie, by Mason Bundschuh (Holiday Recollection)
* Sauce, by Catherine Grant
* Something to Chew On, by Kristi Petersen Schoonover (Holiday Recollection)
* Silence, by Robert J. Duperre
* Hanging Up the Gloves, by John Dixon (Holiday Recollection)
* Golden Years, by John Boden
* Akai, by Jassen Bailey (Holiday Recollection)
* She Cries, by K. Allen Wood
* The Same Deep Water As You, by Bracken MacLeod (Holiday Recollection)
* One Lucky Horror Nerd, by James Newman (Holiday Recollection)
* Omen, by Amanda C. Davis
* The Scariest Holiday, by C.W. LaSart (Holiday Recollection)
* Broken Beneath the Paperweight of Your Ghosts, by Damien Angelica Walters
* Everything’s Just Methadone and I Like It, by Violet LeVoit (Holiday Recollection)
* The Sickest Love is Denial, by Richard Thomas (Holiday Recollection)
* The Man of Her Dreams, by Tim Waggoner
* Howling Through the Keyhole (Author Notes)

Webstore: http://shocktotem.bigcartel.com/product/shock-totem-8-5
Amazon: http://amzn.com/0988272385

 

Cool!

Just ordered the Valentine's Day edition from Amazon. Hard copy of course.

The Valentine's Day issue came today.  What's with the "mini-book" format?  Is that just for this special issue or will all the STs be like this now?  It's not a big deal; I'm just curious.

The "special" issues are like that. The regular issues will be....ya know, regular.

I guess I missed the first "special issue" then.  This is the first one I've seen like this. 

Personally I like it better.  I'll be taking this one with me to the Specialty Veterinary Clinic this Thursday when I take my cat for her third chemo treatment so the more compact form works great for me.

Sorry to hear you having to go through that with your cat.


The Christmas one is formatted the same way.

Have you gotten any of our non-magazine releases? What did you think of that stuff?

I think I recall you got THE WICKED but any of the rest?

The only non-magazine release I got was the Psychos anthology by John Skipp but that's not really an ST release is it?  I think Ken was just pimping it.