Blog | StarWarp Concepts | Publisher of Dark Fantasy and Horror

Happy Women in Horror Month 2020!

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Steven

Women in Horror Month is here again, that annual celebration that shines the spotlight on the contributions of all the female creators—writers, artists, movie directors, producers, special makeup artists, special effects experts, etc.—who’ve brought thrills and chills to generations of fans around the world.

And speaking of women writers, we happen to have a title you just might be interested in checking out in celebration of this special month…

White Fell—The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, was originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, and is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. In it, a beautiful woman named White Fell wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? Why does she always carry an ax? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area?He may come to regret being so inquisitive…

White Fell—The Werewolf is available as an e-book, so visit its product page for further information. If you enjoy tales of horror and empowered women (and werewolves!), be sure to give it a read!

Posted in Events | Tagged clemence annie housman, swc horror bites, white fell the werewolf, women in horror month, women writers | Comments Off

Tomorrow Is Take Your Child to the Library Day 2020!

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Steven

library-something-wicked-5

Tomorrow, February 1, is the 9th annual Take Your Child to the Library Day.

Founded in 2011 by librarians Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta, the event is held the first Saturday in February and encourages librarians to reach out to their communities and show folks just how wonderful reading can be.

Before the Internet, libraries were the source for information and reading, and these days they can use our support. So head out now, introduce your children to that big brick building with all the free books to borrow, update the library card that’s been stuck in the back of your wallet for all these years, and renew your acquaintance with a vital partner in the ongoing literacy campaign.

For more information, including the list of participating libraries, visit the TYCLD website.

Posted in Events | Tagged take your child to the library day | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020 Wrap-up

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Steven

This past weekend, the StarWarp Concepts crew rolled into Brooklyn for the second annual Pow Con. So, how’d it go? Well…it could’ve gone better…

Having launched last year at a Brooklyn-based hotel, Pow Con this year expanded to the Brooklyn Expo Center, a glass-paneled gathering place in the fashionable neighborhood called Greenpoint. If the weather hadn’t been so lousy—it rained all day Saturday, sometimes heavily—the view outside might’ve been really nice.

As you can see below, we had a two-table setup in artists’ alley. And since this seemed to be more of a comic-related con, I focused the merchandise being offered to mainly comics, graphic novels, and copies of the X-Men: The Chaos Engine novel trilogy I wrote in the early 2000s—complete with a homemade Cosmic Cube to catch the eye of potential buyers! (Hey, you have to be inventive when it comes to trying to recoup your con expenses.)

Our first sale came about a half hour after the doors opened, but sales overall would be few and far between; at times there seemed to be more vendors than attendees. Maybe the rain chased away a lot of folks, or maybe everybody was over at the New York Boat Show, at the Javits Center (I kid).

Around the time of the first sale, the sweet location we’d snagged became a mixed blessing with regard to the booth diagonally across from us, because that’s where the deejays (whaaat?) were located to serenade us all with almost eight uninterrupted hours (minus panel announcements) of loud, pounding, conversation-killing club music. Imagine being stuck in an endless loop of the rave scene from the first Blade movie—only without the blood sprinklers and vampires—with your seat right in front of the speakers. (And I like Pump Panel’s remix of New Order’s “Confusion.”) But…yeah. Well, at least they were having a good time.

Not that everything was dire, mind you—the rain clouds parted long enough for a rainbow to form high above the streets of Brooklyn! And the people were great, too! Our next-door neighborhood was an extremely talented artist named Sha-Nee Williams, whose work you should definitely give a look-see. Lee Whitley, cohost of the YouTube series The Nerdy Life Show, stopped by to chat about what we do here at ’Warp Central, though the musical accompaniment made it difficult to go into any real depth. And I got into a discussion with Eric Tapper of the digital comic distribution company GlobalComix about the possibility of SWC’s comics joining their growing ranks of titles.

Toward the end of the day, a large crowd gathered around the SWC booth. Unfortunately, they weren’t there to check out our wares, but to attend a raffle drawing and win prizes!

PowCon20-Crowd

“Bet this is the most people you’ve had at your table all day, huh?” a member of the horde asked with a laugh. I smiled and shrugged. He was right…if you overlook the fact that everyone there is looking in the opposite direction! And once all the prizes were given away, the crowd quickly dispersed.

That was when I happened to notice the wad of packing newspaper that had fallen out of one of the boxes of books during setup and lay on the floor all day under the table. When I picked it up, I was surprised to find it was damp. The heating in the expo center hadn’t kept the cold, rainy air outside from seeping into the building, particularly across the tiling under my feet. I’d thought it odd when I noticed fliers and book covers on the tables starting to curl at corners, but when I ran my hands over every box I’d stored underneath, the dampness was confirmed.

PowCon20-Rainbow Well, after the low sales and the daylong aural barrage, that was the final indicator it was time to pack up and head home; we wouldn’t be back for day two. After all, I couldn’t leave all my stuff in there and run the risk of damaging the books. So with a heavy sigh, the crew and I tore down the setup and headed to White Castle for some much-needed comfort food. (All right, it’s my idea of comfort food, but still.) And so our excursion to Pow Con 2020 came to an end.

Bottom line? Pow Con is an enthusiastically run show, in a great location (as long as it’s held on dry, sunny days, I suppose), but between the soft sales and the blaring music it’s just not a venue for us. But we wish you nothing but continued success, Pow Con, and thanks for letting us check you out!

Posted in Convention Reports, Conventions | Tagged convention reports, conventions, pow con | Comments Off

Welcome, Pow Con 2020 Attendees!

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Steven

SWC Thanks for stopping by our booth this weekend and for coming here to check things out at a more leisurely pace. We’re always thrilled to meet potential new readers intrigued by our range of dark-fantasy and fantasy titles, and hope we can add you to our growing fan base.

StarWarp Concepts specializes in tales of horror, fantasy, and dark urban fantasy, and our titles range from illustrated classics (J. Sheridan’s Le Fanu’s vampire romance, Carmilla; the 1932 novelization of the original King Kong) and fantasy-noir (Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase) to graphic novels for adult horror aficionados (Lorelei: Sects and the City) and digital and print comic books (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual#1, Heroines and Heroes). And we’ve got even more exciting projects in the works!

Blood Feud Currently, our most popular series is The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, the young-adult, dark-urban-fantasy adventures of a 16-year-old Goth who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she thought she could see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. Pan’s adventures can be found in the trilogy of novels Blood Feud, Blood Reign, and the upcoming Blood & Iron, and in the one-shot comic special The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1.

Some of our other popular titles include:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an 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.

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales by bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil). In it, Rich introduces you to Theron Chase, a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood. Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia.

Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which a 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 yours truly, Steven A. Roman (X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Stargate Universe, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Eagle, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide), 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).

King Kong is our e-book-exclusive Illustrated Classics edition of the official novelization of the renowned motion picture. 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, the SWC edition of King Kong features 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. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

On Tuesday I’ll be posting my convention report, so feel free to come on back and see how the show went for this indie publishing house.

Posted in Conventions, StarWarp Concepts | Tagged conventions, pow con, starwarp concepts backlist | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020: Steve Roman’s Non-SWC Stuff

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Steven

xmen-chaos01 Yesterday, I told you about StarWarp Concepts’ appearance this coming weekend at the second annual Pow Con, being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center. We’ll be selling copies of our in-print titles, but in addition to that—since we’ve luckily been assigned an endcap booth (A9!) at the corner of two aisles, which means we’ll have two tables—I’ll be offering some of my non-SWC work, which skews more toward mainstream audiences than the adventures of the soul-stealing succubus Lorelei or teen Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback:

X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy: Three original novels that I wrote between 2000 and 2002, published by BP Books. In them, the super-villains Doctor Doom (the Fantastic Four’s #1 enemy), Magneto (the X-Men’s #1), and the Red Skull each get their hands on the Cosmic Cube, a wish-box device that changes reality to suit the desires of its possessor. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’re more familiar with its movie name: the Tesseract, one of the Infinity Stones introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger and last seen in Avengers: Endgame.

Sunn: Another ibooks, inc. release—this one from 2003—it’s a young adult graphic novel about a teen whose father is a Superman-like hero. When Dad is injured battling a super-villain, his son creates his own super-costume identity as Sunn. This one-off origin story features art by Kevin Lau (Vampi, Iron Fist: The Return of K’un Lun) and comic-art legend Alex Nino (Batman Black and White, The Fury of Firestorm).

Untold Tales of Spider-Man: An anthology published by Berkley Books in 1998, this collection of original Spidey adventures includes “The Ballad of Fancy Dan,” a character-driven short story written by Ken Grobe and me about one of Spidey’s old enemies, a member of the non-powered group of thugs called the Enforcers.

Best New Zombie Tales 2: Another anthology, this one from Books of the Dead Press, it includes my story “Laundry Day,” about a group of people trapped in a Laundromat at the start of a zombie apocalypse. A standard-enough setup, perhaps, but reviewers were surprised by the twist it took at the end. If you’re a fan of stuff like The Walking Dead, you should definitely give it a read.

Supplies of the non-SWC titles are limited, and they’re not available through the SWC webstore, so be sure to pick ’em up at Pow! Con while you get the chance.

For more information on the convention, visit the Pow Con website.

Posted in Conventions, Steven A. Roman | Tagged best new zombie tales 2, pow con, steven a. roman, sunn, untold tales of spider-man, x-men: the chaos engine trilogy | Comments Off

Pow Con 2020 Is This Weekend!

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Steven

This coming weekend, January 25–26, pop-culture fans of all ages will be gathering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, at the second annual Pow Con, being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center. It’s The ’Warp’s first convention appearance of the year.

You’ll find us at table A9 in Artists Alley. And since we’ve luckily been assigned an endcap booth at the corner of two aisles that means we’ll have twotables on which to display all our finery.

Pow Con’s show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Guests include comics legend Larry Hama (Wolverine, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero) and the usual complement of Power Rangers, wrestlers, and anime voice actors that have become the norm at today’s pop-culture shows.

For more information on the convention, visit the Pow Con website.

Posted in Conventions | Tagged conventions, pow con | Comments Off

New to StarWarp Concepts?

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Steven

welcome-skull In case you’re wondering who we are, StarWarp Concepts is a publisher of dark-fantasy and fantasy novels, comic books, and graphic novels that are available for sale in brick-and-mortar stores and through select online booksellers and distributors (as well as our own webstore, of course).

We launched in 1993 with the release of the comic book Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0, which introduced readers to the world of Laurel Ashley O’Hara, a woman destined to become the soul-stealing succubus called Lorelei, and in the twenty-five years since then we’ve grown into a publisher of novels, graphic novels, sketchbooks, writers’ guides, and classic reprints.

Currently, our backlist consists of the following titles:

Dark urban fantasy: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). It stars a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into Blood Reign, the second action-packed novel, in which Pan must deal with even greater threats.

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is author Richard C. White’s latest release. It’s a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Nonfiction: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an 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.

Fantasy adventure: For a Few Gold Pieces More is a collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories by Richard C. White. Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original novel 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!

Comic book and graphic novels: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch, with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin, and comic-art legend Ernie Colon. Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger, and Neil Vokes. Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is a one-shot anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna, John Pierard, and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo. Lorelei: Genesis collects Lori’s original small-press comic appearances from 1989 and 1991, written and drawn by her creator, Steven A. Roman, whose other digital-only title, Heroines and Heroes, collects the superhero comic stories he’s drawn. Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan.

Comic art books: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included is a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.

Classic literature: Know a reader with a passion for genre literature? They might be interested in our line of illustrated classics. King Kong is the 1932 novelization by Delos W. Lovelace that adapts the screen story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper used for the classic monster movie, enhanced by six black-and-white illustrations by Paul Tuma. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover—that contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is a science-fantasy epic about Civil War veteran John Carter, who finds love and adventure on the planet Mars; black-and-white illustrations are provided by Eliseu Gouveia. Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883. And White Fell—The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, is considered the first feminist werewolf story.

Most of our titles are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for further information.

Posted in Publishing | Tagged starwarp concepts backlist | Comments Off

Holiday Gifts for Art Fans 2019

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Steven

The Bob Larkin Sketchbook: It’s a collection of incredible pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover artist of Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Doc Savage, and what you’ll discover when you see them is how wide-ranging his subjects are. Sci-fi, horror, Westerns, pulp adventure, crime fiction, movie merchandise, even wrestling stars—as we say on the book’s back cover, there really is little that he hasn’t painted. And the sketchbook features three pieces created especially for it: the Pandora Zwieback cover art; a portrait of Patricia Savage, the fightin’ cousin of pulp fiction’s top-tier adventurer, Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze; and a two-page spread in which Doc faces off against another Golden Age crimefighter—The Shadow!

Blood Feud full-color print by Bob Larkin: Have you ever looked at the cover of Blood Feud, the first novel in our exciting Saga of Pandora Zwieback novel series, and thought, “Man, that’s some awesome artwork. I would sobuy a poster of that!” Well, now here’s your chance! Presented without logos or book-cover copy, this 11” x 17” cardstock print features the art of master painter Bob Larkin, and is limited to just 100 copies. Order yours today while supplies last!

Posted in Bob Larkin, Bob Larkin Sketchbook, Holidays, Pandora Zwieback | Tagged bob larkin, bob larkin sketchbook, holiday shopping, holidays, Pandora Zwieback | Comments Off

The Perfect Holiday Gift for Writers and Gamemasters

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Steven

terra_ingoc_lg_cover Have a budding writer or a dedicated gamer in your life looking for inspiration? Well, look no further than StarWarp Concepts for a gift sure to appeal to them!

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an 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.

What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:

Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
Identifying useful resources for research

Although it was meant to be a how-to book for writers interested in world building, Terra Incognito has also proven to be extremely popular with role-playing gamers and “dungeon masters” looking to make their fantasy worlds more realistic. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media Design (i.e., game design) program at Becker College in Worchester, Massachusetts!

“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang

So if there’s a fantasy writer or gamer on your shopping list this holiday season, consider ordering a copy of Terra Incognito—it might just be the kind of book they’re looking for!

Terra Incognito is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged gamers, holiday shopping, holidays, terra incognito: a guide to building the worlds of your imagination, world building, writers reference, writing reference | Comments Off

Holiday Gifts for Horror Fans 2019

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Steven

As the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” The holidays are in full swing, and that means it’s present-buying time. Have a horror fan in your life? Then allow us to recommend some books that might grab their attention—by the throat, of course!

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: This critically acclaimed novel by yours truly explains how teenaged Goth girl Pandora Zwieback, along with her parents and friends, are drawn into a conflict between an immortal, shape-shifting monster hunter named Annie and warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father! It’s a character-driven action-fest featuring the kind of gun-toting vampires that would make Selene from the Underworld movies feel right at home, and it leads immediately into the second novel:

In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan faces even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. Yes, there’s more vampire gunplay involved—the undead sure do like their firearms—but that’s only part of the dangers Pan has to contend with, as her adventures take her to a mysterious South Pacific island where monsters dwell!

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is the latest release from fantasy Richard C. White (Harbinger of Darkness, For a Few Gold Pieces More). It’s a collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Carmilla is the blood-drenched temptress of this 19th-century novella by author J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Carmilla Karnstein is a vampiress who desires not just blood but love from her victims, and when she enters the life of a young woman named Laura, Carmilla decides that her new friend will become her next great love—and won’t take no for an answer. Regarded as the one of the earliest lesbian vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. The StarWarp Concepts edition features six all-new illustrations by artist Eliseu Gouveia.

King Kong: The ultimate version of Beauty and the Beast (with killer biplanes—and dinosaurs!) celebrated its 85th anniversary this year, was adapted as a hit musical on Broadway, and has its star getting ready for his upcoming bout with the King of the Monsters in November 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong (a sequel to both Kong of Skull Island and this year’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Know a Kong fan or a devotee of kaiju (giant monsters)? Then they’ll definitely enjoy this digital-exclusive Illustrated Classic: the 1932 novelization of the original Kong movie! Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose,it includes scenes cut from the final print and, as a bonus, our edition features six exclusive illustrations by pulp-influenced artist Paul Tuma.

White Fell—The Werewolf: Looking for a tale of female empowerment? Then how about this SWC Horror Bite by renowned author, artist, and suffragette Clemence Annie Housman that’s regarded by scholars as the first feminist werewolf story ever published! Abeautiful woman wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area?

Blood Feud, Blood Reign, Chasing Danger, and Carmilla are available in print and digital formats. King Kong and White Fell are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages and chapters.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged holiday shopping, holidays | Comments Off