Support Australian literature

We’re proud to announce that our two Australian-grown titles are now available on the Australian Online Bookshop.  For patriotic Aussies (and Kiwis who want to take advantage of the cheaper shipping rates out of Australia), here are the purchase links.  And yes, both titles are on special, ‘cos the Australian Online Bookshop is good like that.

http://www.bookworm.com.au/ghosts-can-bleed-9780983160366.aspx

http://www.bookworm.com.au/the-collector-book-one-mana-leak-9780983160380.aspx

Still with the news from the Antipodes, Melbourne residents can now purchase the entire DCP range of paperbacks from the most excellent Notions Unlimited Bookshop.  Find out more about them here -

http://notionsunlimitedbookshop.blogspot.com.au/p/about-us.html

 

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!

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

By Tracie McBride

An ex-boyfriend once said to me, with much disdain, “you’d be useless in the apocalypse.”  He was a huntin’, fishin’, campin’ out under the stars kind of guy, and my lack of interest and ability in any of those things marked me as, not only useless, but probably a liability (I did outfish him once, but he did all the messy stuff, like baiting the hook and gutting the fish; I just had to reel it in and cook it.  At best it was a collaborative effort.  At worst, it was sheer dumb luck on my part that I caught dinner and he caught nothing).

Eighteen-odd years on, and I have not forgotten those words.  They surface with regularity in our household, where How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse is a popular dinnertime conversation topic (the ex was talking more along the lines of a nuclear winter, but I believe the skills required to survive an apocalypse are transferable across most apocalyptic scenarios).

I don’t know how to hunt.  I have only the most rudimentary foraging skills.  I need help to fish.  I can’t build things.  I can identify a trigger on a gun, and I know which end not to look down, but that’s about the extent of my knowledge of firearms.  I have no medical skills to speak of.  I’m not strong enough to wield a bludgeoning instrument with effectiveness, have no archery experience, and armed with a chainsaw, I’d be more of a danger to myself than anything else.  And I’m getting too old to contribute to repopulating the planet.

So what can I do?  I’m a reasonably competent home cook, but I’m guessing that skill will be redundant in the zombie apocalypse; the only thing you’ll need to know about food in that situation is how to avoid food poisoning.  I’m good at writing lists and counting money and filing things in alphabetical order and being nice to small children and animals.  Suffice to say, one thing at which I would be superlative in the zombie apocalypse is tripping over my own feet and providing fodder to the zombies, thus allowing all the useful people to escape.

Snareville - where zombie survival is an art form

“I’d be useless in the zombie apocalypse,” I say to my husband.

“That’s not true,” he says.  “They’ll always need storytellers.”

Pffft.  He can afford to be patronizing; his nine years of service in the New Zealand Army make him better equipped than most for survival.

Oh yes.  That was the other thing I’m good at; choosing a spouse.  Stick with him, and I’ll be able to swan about in the apocalypse, writing lists and patting puppies and telling stories around the campfire.  Much the same as I do now, really.

“Honey…have I told you lately how much I love you…?”