June 2012 Bestsellers Lists

Non-US authors continue to dominate our top places. In e-books, Campfire Chillers holds its number one spot from last month, and Snareville slips from its number two spot, supplanted by recently added e-book titles Quiet Houses and Inkarna, both of which are enjoying critical acclaim. Daniel I. Russell’s Critique enters the top five this month to represent our popular Darkness and Dismay series, launched in January this year.

 Top Five Bestselling e-books for June 2012

1. Campfire Chillers by Dave Jeffery
2. Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt Unsworth
3. Inkarna by Nerine Dorman
4. Snareville by David Youngquist
5. Critique by Daniel I. Russell *

(* = from the Darkness and Dismay series)

Unlike last month, the bestselling paperbacks list for June closely resembles the e-book charts.  A good-sized order from a zombie-themed online retailer gives the list a strong zombie slant – but the zombie hordes can’t catch Inkarna, number one for a second month in a row.

Top Five Bestselling Paperbacks for June 2012

1. Inkarna by Nerine Dorman
2. Snareville by David Youngquist
3. Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt Unsworth
4. Necropolis Rising by Dave Jeffery
5. Snareville II: Circles by David Youngquist

May 2012 Bestsellers Lists

Our first birthday celebrations have just drawn to a close, and what a year it’s been.  We’ve been adding to our stock list at an average rate of one new title a month, plus we launched the first of our Darkness and Dismay e-book series, so we’ve now reached the point where a Dark Continents Bestsellers List has some significance.

So for those kindred spirits who like numbers and lists, here they are:

Top Five Bestselling DCP e-books for May 2012.

1. Campfire Chillers by Dave Jeffery
2. Snareville by David Youngquist
3. A Gentle Hell by Autumn Christian *
4. Were-wolves, Apocalypses, and Genetic Mutations, Oh My! by Suzanne Robb *
5. Phobophobia edited by Dean M. Drinkel

(* = from the Darkness and Dismay series)

 

 

Top Five Bestselling DCP Paperbacks for May 2012

1. Inkarna by Nerine Dorman
2. The Collector Book One: Mana Leak by Daniel I Russell
3. Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt Unsworth
4. Phobophobia edited by Dean M. Drinkel
5. Campfire Chillers by Dave Jeffery

The paperback bestseller list is an interesting one.  Inkarna does not officially launch for another couple of weeks, and it has rocketed to the top of the charts on the strength of Amazon pre-orders. The list is dominated by non-USA authors; Nerine is South African, Dave and Simon hail from the UK, Dan is a British ex-pat now living in West Australia, and Phobophobia, edited by British author Dean M. Drinkel, features authors from all over the globe.

What does it all mean?  I’m neither a market analyst nor a statistician, so I don’t know for sure.  All I can say is that I love my numbers and lists.

Tales of Darkness and Dismay

We’re proud to announce the release of our new E-book series titled “Tales of Darkness and Dismay”. This highly anticipated collection of novellas and short story compilations by twelve up-and-coming authors is available for immediate download via Amazon.

And the line-up is -

“Blood and Fire”, a paranormal/vampire thriller by Carrie Clevenger and Nerine Dorman.  This novella gives readers a taste of what to expect from Nerine’s novel “Inkarna”, due out from Dark Continents in the first half of 2012.

“A Gentle Hell”, a collection of achingly surreal supernatural stories by Autumn Christian.

“Through a Forest Dark”, a gathering of short stories inspired by the layers of hell from within Dante’s Inferno by Dean M. Drinkel.  Dean is also the editor of Dark Continent’s recent horror anthology “Phobophobia.”

“Beatrice Beecham’s Houseful of Horrors”, a young adult favorite; this is the third book in the Beatrice Beecham series by Dave Jeffery.  Dark Continents recently launched his short story collection “Campfire Chillers” at British Fantasy Con in Brighton.  His zombie novel “Necropolis Rising” is another must-read.

“Along the Splintered Path”, a collection of disturbing stories that explore the dark side of life in the remote countryside by A.J. Brown.

“Were-wolves, Apocalypses, and Genetic Mutation, Oh My!” is the satirical yet satisfyingly horrific group of stories that detail the end of the world, told by the master of dark humor Suzanne Robb.

“Critique”, a true horror novella detailing the downfall of a food critic star as he is driven mad by an appetite he can no longer control, written by Daniel I. Russell.  Look out for Dan’s novel “The Collector” out in early 2012 (yes, we’re publishing that too).

“April Fool and other Antipodean horror stories”. What is the definition of antipodean, you ask? Any two places or regions that are on diametrically opposite sides of the earth – the perfect definition to match the two seasoned horror authors of Tracie McBride (from Australia) and John Irvine (from New Zealand). If this collection whets your appetite for Southern Hemisphere horror, then you will also be interested in Tracie’s collection “Ghosts Can Bleed” and John’s “Blood Curry”.

“Slander Hall”, an elegant sci fi/horror novella inspired by the Jonestown suicides by Australian author Matthew Tait.

“The Drunk and the Dead”, a collection of stories that takes an affectionate and humorous yet still frightening look at some our most beloved monsters, by Andy Taylor.

We’ve even taken all the hard work out of it for you by providing links to all the titles above.  So get clicking!

Much to say by a man of few words

BY: Dave Jeffery

I love writing. But, guess what? I love reading too. To paraphrase Stephen King, you can’t expect to write well if you don’t read wide.

I believe this, wholesale.

After all, the nuances of horror can occur in the most conservative genres. Take Chapter Twelve of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, which – coincidentally – talks of the death of a local, esteemed writer whose viscera is disrespectfully dumped into a gulch by the doctor-come-embalmer, only to have a young kid use the liver for chum and the intestines dragged through the streets by a mangy cur. The horror of the human condition in the images conjured by Steinbeck as human guts become playthings for the living, has stayed with me for many years.

But I have found that the idea of a contemporary literary icon creating such a ghastly image is, perhaps, alien to the general masses. It is a great illustration as to how the broadening your reading can have influence on your output as a writer. And, as such, the stories that you write.

It has been said that I am able to say much with only a few sentences. Not my words, but those of reviewers of my work. I take this as a complement like no other, and again attribute this to Steinbeck’s influence in books such as Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men. The latter book runs at approximately one hundred and twenty-one pages in the edition I own, but those few pages create atmosphere and define characters that would stay in the minds of multiple generations in a way no six hundred page opus ever could.

Such is the power of the word. Such as the power of reading wide.
“So where are you going with this, fella?” I’m hearing folk say. Well the link is perhaps tenuous yet it is still a link. And the link is the use of few words to tell tales.

The link is the short story. See? Seamless. Well, not quite but it does allow me to talk about the imminent release of my Campfire Chillers collection at October’s Fantasy Con 2011 in Brighton, UK.
The book contains thirteen stories of ghosts, horror and the supernatural. It was originally written with the UK Scouting Association in mind, but that particular organisation turned it down, despite their praise for its content, because they felt it was “too unsettling” for their readership.

Bless.

Instead, DCP took it on, shaped it sprinkled their magic on it and “pow!” – it is now ready for Fantasy Con 2011. I have tried to use few words to tell tall tales, using the breadth of contemporary fiction to inform the darkness with those pages DCP have lovingly pulled together. It is my homage to my hero, a kind of Frankensteinbeck, if you will.

Now that the release date for Campfire Chillers is almost upon us, I can’t help but see possible pasts becoming plausable futures. I’m sure Frankensteinbeck would have something to say about that as a concept.

Only a few words, mind.

DJ

Want to pre-purchase this novel before anybody else? Visit

All New Stuff

by: S.L. Schmitz
Dark Continents Publishing is proud to announce that over the next 4 months, we will be launching the following novels. Here are some sneak peeks of what is coming:

Launching September 28, 2011:

Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt-Unsworth:
a deeply disturbing collection of stories, with one common link: a paranormal investigator who understands the difference between what is seen and unseen. And why are all haunted houses so vacant, so devoid of human understanding?

Campfire Chillers by Dave Jeffery: gather round the fire, if you dare. So many new stories to tell, so little time… Jeffrey has created a whole world of frightening creatures that haunt the wood we camp in and hike in… if you think you’re ready for the next generation of scary campfire stories, then this the book for you!

Let It Bleed by S.L. Schmitz: the soft cover, while not launching at the fabulous FantasyCon in Brighton Beach, will transition to Dark Continents from its current wonderful placement at Dead Tree Comics. Soft cover will be available via the Dark Continents catalog as of September 2011.

Launching Black Friday, November 25, 2001

HELL by John Prescott:
The second novel in his memorizing trilogy about the eternal fight between good evil. But who will win? The continuation of the Revelation Chronicles. Journey with Trez and the rest of the core group of believers as the world goes through drastic changes and as HELL itself brings forth damnation and death to the people of Earth.

Phobophobia:
we don’t have a book cover yet, but that doesn’t mean that this anthology of over 25 writers from around the world doesn’t have bite. Dean M. Drinkel is the editor of this intensely disturbing group of stories of what is fearful and what is feared.

Snareville II by D.M. Younquist:
The sequel to the original breakneck novel; face-paced and merciless. Can humans survive the zombie attack, or will the world surrender itself to the living dead?

Monster’s Ink by Scott Nicholson: the highly anticipated collection of stories from Horror Master Scott Nicholson, including the never-before-published, terrifying, post-apocalyptic zombie tale ‘Darker With the Day.’

In 2012, Dark Continents has over a dozen new novels coming out. Stay tuned as Sylvia Shults, Nerine Dorman, S.L. Schmitz, and many, many more publish their newest offerings. We cannot wait to be a part of your new year and your new reading!