SLOW BURN is here!
Anita and I travelled to Readercon in Boston earlier this month to see friends we’ve not seen in anywhere from 18 months to five years — and also to accomplish something akin to an official launch of my newest collection of horror stories and dark poetry, Slow Burn. I read excerpts from the book to a select few Saturday afternoon, read a little more from it during Sunday’s open mic poetry reading, and sold enough copies that I have to order more to be able hawk the book at Necronomicon in Providence next month — the next stop on the unofficial Slow Burn “tour.”
Slow Burn officially went live on July 16, but as Anita and I were among the “lucky” couple dozen who contracted COVID at Readercon, my plans for launch day and after spun out and crashed. To counter my dismay, I had to keep reminding myself that the long game matters more, and that’s far from over.
Picking ourselves up again, here at last is the information on the celebratory sale that belatedly accompanies the launch! I consider Slow Burn to be the third book in a trilogy of horror tomes that begins with Unseaming and continues with Aftermath of an Industrial Accident — and I’m doing my best with the resources I have to make it possible for readers to consume the whole in the way I dream of these stories being consumed.
Scarf them up while you can!
Artwork by Anita Allen
SLOW BURN/UNSEAMING TRILOGY
discount e-book sale special
For a limited time!
Purchase all three e-books in the Unseaming Trilogy in the format of your preference at a steal-deal price of $5 — that’s 75% off total retail price! → → →Or buy them individially at discounted prices at the online store of your choice! ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
|
|
Slow Burn
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon FR | Amazon DE
|
|
Aftermath of an Industrial Accident
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon FR | Amazon DE
|
|
Unseaming
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon FR | Amazon DE
|
Just what is in Slow Burn?
The book includes my novella “The Comforter” and short story “The Feather Stitch,” the conclusion and the prequel, respectively, to my horror sequence that starts with “The Button Bin” and “The Quiltmaker.” The title story, “Slow Burn,” brings to an end of sorts the sequence that begins with my Lovecraftian yarn “The Sun Saw.” There are ten more stories besides and a host of poems, many previously uncollected, that serve as thematic transitions between the longer works, hand-picked by Anita to work just so.
The cover art by Lasse Paldanius and interior illustrations by Paula Arwen Owen are all dynamite. Three-time Bram Stoker Award winner (and my dear friend ) Christina Sng was kind enough to write the introduction.
I’m also thrilled by the many kind words the book has received from reviewers and blurbers in the months leading up to publication. Just a sample below:
“Nerve-racking anticipation and dread . . . An assemblage of horror tales and somber verses that frighten and fascinate.” —Kirkus Reviews (read full review here)
“Will appeal to horror fans seeking something fresh.” —Publishers Weekly (read full review here)
“This collection of horror and dark fantasy poetry and short fiction needs to be on the shelf of any horror reader.” —Cemetery Dance (read full review here)
“Allen is a master at serving up striking imagery and evocative, atmospheric settings. He also excels at creating characters who feel fully realized, then dropping them into horrific situations, keeping the reader invested in their journeys and well-being.” —A.C. Wise (read full review here)
“Mythical, chilling, and visceral . . . a slow burn readers will crave to simmer in.”
—Ai Jiang, Bram Stoker and Nebula award-winning author of Linghun“Slow Burn is a multifaceted, multifarious feast for the horror-hungry.”
—Matthew M. Bartlett, author of Gateways to Abomination and Where Night Cowers“By turns gorgeous, horrifying, gruesome, furious, darkly erotic, wickedly funny, and frequently all of those things at once, this extraordinary collection never shies away from pushing the reader’s boundaries. Allen masterfully succeeds in being transgressive in all the best and most beautiful ways. I adore this book.”
—Sunny Moraine, author of Your Shadow Half Remains
The debonair L.C. Marino invited me onto his podcast, The Suspense is Killing Me, to talk about Slow Burn and a host of other topics:
If you want to taste before you buy, on my Instagram page, you can find sample passages from twelve of the included pieces.
Another story connected to the “Sun Saw/Slow Burn” sequence, called “Machine Learning,” just came out in the newest issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly. I love, love, love this creepy yet cute cover art.
However, my story ain’t got no cat in it, just for the record. An elevator pitch for it would sound something like, “What if Skynet served Nyarlathotep?”
My thanks to the gents at Cosmic Horror Monthly for allowing the inclusion of “Machine Learning” in the Slow Burn stew.
If you’ve read this far down, I certainly hope all of this has tempted you. More to come!
