BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR & EDITOR
PAUL KANE’S NEW NOVEL BLOOD RED NOW AVAILABLE
BIRMINGHAM, UK, September 30, 2015 – Short, Scary Tales Publications (SST Publications) owner, Paul Fry is delighted to announce the publication of bestselling and award-winning author & editor Paul Kane’snew novel BLOOD RED. The book is a reprint of Paul’s 2008 horror fairy tale RED (now incredibly rare) alongside its brand new sequel. The book will again feature cover art from the wonderful Dave McKean (SANDMAN, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, MIRRORMASK), and includes an introduction by Alison Littlewood (A COLD SEASON, PATH OF NEEDLES, THE UNQUIET HOUSE). The book will be published as a Trade Hardcover Edition and a special Signed & Numbered Limited Edition. The Limited Edition is signed by Paul Kane, Dave McKean and Alison Littlewood and is limited to only 100 copies and features dust jacket artwork by Dave McKean and a special ‘blood red’ book board cover design. The limited edition will also come complete with some very special extras. A trade paperback and eBook will follow.
The hardcover editions can be pre-ordered now direct from the publisher’s web site:
https://www.sstpublications.co.uk/Blood-Red.php
SST Publisher Paul Fry says: “I’m really happy to announce that Paul Kane’s new novel BLOOD RED is now available to pre-order! It’s a deliciously dark, sexy and sinister tale brilliantly re-working the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. Paul truly is an incredible writer and the book is a joy to read! The words just drip from the page drenched in blood and grab you by the throat. It’s also an honour to have the incredible Dave McKean providing the fantastic cover art and the wonderfully talented Alison Littlewood writing the introduction to the book.”
Paul Kane is the award-winning, bestselling author and editor of over fifty publications – including the ARROWHEAD trilogy (gathered together in the sellout HOODED MAN omnibus, revolving around a post-apocalyptic version of Robin Hood), THE BUTTERFLY MAN AND OTHER STORIES, HELLBOUND HEARTS AND THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BODY HORROR. His non-fiction books include THE HELLRAISER FILMS AND THEIR LEGACY and VOICES IN THE DARK, and his genre journalism has appeared in the likes of SFX, DREAMWATCH and RUE MORGUE. He has been a Guest at Alt.Fiction five times, was a Guest at the first SFX Weekender, at Thought Bubble in 2011, Derbyshire Literary Festival, Edge-Lit and Off the Shelf in 2012, plus Monster Mash and Event Horizon in 2013, as well as being a panellist at FantasyCon and the World Fantasy Convention. His work has been optioned and adapted for the big and small screen, including for network US television, plus his latest novels are LUNAR (set to be turned into a feature film) and the Y.A. story THE RAINBOW MAN (as P.B. Kane). He lives in Derbyshire, UK, with his wife Marie O’Regan, his family and a black cat called Mina. Find out more at his sitewww.shadow-writer.co.uk which has featured Guest Writers such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Charlaine Harris, Dean Koontz and Guillermo del Toro.
General Quotes:
‘Paul Kane is a first-rate storyteller, never failing to marry his insights into the world and its anguish with the pleasures of phrases eloquently turned.’
—Clive Barker, bestselling author of THE HELLBOUND HEART, ABARAT, MISTER B. GONE and THE SCARLET GOSPELS
‘I’m impressed by the range of Paul Kane’s imagination. It seems there is no risk, no high-stakes gamble, he fears to take…Kane’s foot never gets even close to the brake pedal.’
—Peter Straub, bestselling author of GHOST STORY, MR X, LOST BOY LOST GIRL, IN THE NIGHT ROOM and A DARK MATTER
‘Kane finds the everyday horrors buried within us, rips them out and serves them up in these deliciously dark tales.’
—Kelley Armstrong, bestselling author of BITTEN, HAUNTED, BROKEN, THIRTEEN and OMENS
‘Paul Kane’s lean, stripped-back prose is a tool that’s very much fit for purpose. He knows how to make you want to avoid the shadows and the cracks in the pavement.’
—Mike Carey, bestselling author of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, VICIOUS CIRCLE, DEAD MEN’S BOOTS, THICKER THAN WATER, THE NAMING OF THE BEASTS and THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
Praise for RED:
‘In RED Kane reveals himself to be a sensitive writer, someone who has a solid grasp of relationships and who isn’t afraid to use that knowledge. His characters feel like real people, and that’s essential if you’re going to pit them against such a foe. He makes you care about them. Then he sends them out into the darkest parts of this urban jungle… So get ready to take this journey through a very modern fairytale. It has teeth, but not just at the end. These days, the path itself is full of dangers.’
—Tim Lebbon, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of COLDBROOK, ECHO CITY, DAWN OF THE JEDI and THE SILENCE
‘Kane is well respected in the United Kingdom, getting praise from such giants of the genre as Clive Barker, Simon Clark, Jeff Mariotte and Graham Masterton… RED is a tale about Rachael Daniels, a caseworker travelling through the modern jungle – a crime-ridden, gang-banging city – to help an elderly lady. RED not only tips its hat to “Little Red Riding Hood,” but “Peter And The Wolf,” and “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?” and every werewolf type motif in between… This time around Kane puts a twisted horror spin to it, with even a fair amount of social criticism thrown in for good measure; due to mature themes, you’ll want to keep the kids away from this one… Kane does an incredible job of combing horror and humour into one tasty morsel.’
—CEMETERY DANCE Magazine
‘Kane expands on the “Little Red Riding Hood” mythos with a sharply-written novella that pits a descendent of the classic fairytale character against the “real” creature of the same story. But make NO mistake: this isn’t for kids! You can tell Kane had a real ball twisting time updating “Riding Hood”, especially in how he has crafted this new, psycho-sexual “wolf.” For the sake of not ruining anything else, let’s just say RED is a real BLOODY good time.’
—HORROR FICTION REVIEW
‘RED is a gleefully gruesome tale that moves at an excellent pace. Its length is a joy, reminiscent of a line from another fairy tale: “Not too big, not too small, just right.” Paul Kane does a rip roaring rendition of the Red Riding Hood story… He has the gift of summing up a situation in a sentence. RED is wonderfully written; it is easy to sink one’s teeth into it and devour it with relish.’
—HELLNOTES
‘RED by Paul Kane is a modern-day retelling of a classic fairy tale. The character of Rachael Daniels is one that many can identify with. The monster is a terrifying hunter who has the ability to shape-shift. He is intelligent, patient, and always hungry. He is the sort of monster that does not need any supernatural powers to make him terrifying, however the added abilities make him even more dangerous. It is entirely believable that he has been doing this for centuries in cities all over Europe because he is so smart and clever, and one is reminded of tales of a dark Trickster character from legends around the world when reading this story. The suspense builds from the very fact that the reader has some idea of what is going to happen. When the woman is murdered in the restaurant bathroom, the reader knows that is not the end and is left to wonder what horrors are still to come. The whole story builds up to a rather fascinating climax…This is a good scary story for those stormy nights or bright days. It is strong enough to terrify either way and will stay in your mind for days afterwards. Stories like this don’t come along very often, as all readers know.’
—HORROR BOUND MAGAZINE
‘Once upon a time, there was a British speculative writer named Paul Kane, who was well respected in the United Kingdom… Then one day, Kane wrote a devilish little novella named Red and decided to get it published across the pond, in a faraway land called America… He even dared to do a retelling of the popular Grimm Brothers fairytale “Little Red Riding Hood” but this time around puts a twisted horror spin to it… The novella is bloody brilliant – clever, classy and bound to chill you to the bone.’
—Michael McCarty, HORROR WORLD
‘A relentless and grisly fairytale for dark times, RED is filled with the blackest blood from the deepest parts of our bodies, and is thoroughly recommended.’
—Mathew Riley, BOOKGEEKS
Dave McKean was born in Taplow, Berkshire in 1963. He attended Berkshire College of Art and Design from 1982-86 and, before leaving, started working as an illustrator. In 1986 he met author Neil Gaiman with whom he has collaborated on many projects since. Their first book, VIOLENT CASES (1987), has been printed in many editions worldwide, and adapted for the stage. Since then they have produced BLACK ORCHID(1988), SIGNAL TO NOISE (1990) for THE FACE magazine and MR. PUNCH (1994). Dave has contributed all the cover illustrations and design for the popular SANDMAN series of graphic novels, and a collection of this work, DUST COVERS, was published in 1998. ARKHAM ASYLUM (1989) written by Scottish author/playwright Grant Morrison, still the single most successful graphic novel ever published, was also illustrated by Dave. 1995 saw collaborations with the Rolling Stones (VOODOO LOUNGE), and Rachel Pollack (THE VERTIGO TAROT). Between 1990 and 1996, Dave also wrote and illustrated the 500 page comic novel CAGES, which won the Harvey Award for Best new comic and best graphic novel, the Ignatz Award, the International Alph Art award and Italy’s La Pantera Award. His collection of short stories in comics form, PICTURES THAT TICK released in 2000, won the Victoria and Albert Museum Illustrated Book of the Year Award, and several of McKean’s books are in the V&A collection.
He has won various awards including the international Amid Award for the best album cover of the year (one of over a 150 covers designed, illustrated and photographed since 1990, including recent releases by Michael Nyman, Tori Amos, Real World, Altan, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Bill Laswell, Alice Cooper, Dream Theater, Counting Crows, Front Line Assembly, and Bill Bruford), and the World Fantasy Award for the SANDMAN covers. In 1996 he composed and performed the music for the BBC Radio adaptation of SIGNAL TO NOISE with saxophonist Iain Ballamy, with whom he has recently initiated the Feral Records label. Dave’s Hourglass studio and Allen Speigel Fine Arts in California have also co-published three collections of photographs: A SMALL BOOK OF BLACK & WHITE LIES, OPTION: CLICK and THE PARTICLE TAROT which includes an introduction by legendary director and Tarot master Alejandro Jodorowsky. In the last few years Dave completed his first children’s books: THE DAY I SWAPPED MY DAD FOR TWO GOLDFISH and THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS (NY TIMES Illustrated Book of the Year) both written by Neil Gaiman, and VARJAK PAW (Smarties Gold Award) written by SF Said. Also a book with Stephen King (WIZARD & GLASS), books and TV films with Iain Sinclair (SLOW CHOCOLATE AUTOPSY, ASYLUM and THE FALCONER), and designs for the autobiography of John Cale: WHAT’S WELSH FOR ZEN.
Dave is currently finishing a book of paintings (NITRATE), more travel sketchbooks (PERUGIA, BILBAO and VENICE) and a new graphic novel (CALIGARO). Also, new books with Neil Gaiman and David Almond, and a collection of all Dave’s short film projects is in the works for release in 2015/16. He lives on the Isle of Oxney in Kent, England with his wife and studio manager Clare, and their two children. Visit his official site at www.davemckean.com.
Alison Littlewood is the author of A COLD SEASON, published by Jo Fletcher Books, an imprint of Quercus. The novel was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, where it was described as ‘perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.’ The sequel, A COLD SILENCE, has just been released. Her second novel, PATH OF NEEDLES, is a dark blend of fairy tales and crime fiction, and her third, THE UNQUIET HOUSE, is a ghost story set in the Yorkshire countryside. Alison’s short stories have been picked for THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR and THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR anthologies, as well as THE BEST BRITISH FANTASY 2013 and THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME 10. Other publication credits include the anthologies TERROR TALES OF THE COTSWOLDS, THE SPECTRAL BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, WHERE ARE WE GOING? and NEVER AGAIN. She recently won the Shirley Jackson award for short fiction, and wrote the latest novel in Stephen Jones’ ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! series:ACAPULCALYPSE NOW. Alison lives in Yorkshire with her partner Fergus, in a house of creaking doors and crooked walls. Visit her at www.alisonlittlewood.co.uk.
About the Publisher: “SST Publications is an independent publisher of all things dark. They have published several books; the first title, COLD STORAGE, includes an introduction by legendary author Graham Masterton. Their most recent books include the erotic horror anthology PEEP SHOW, VOLUME 2 and the debut dark, thriller novel DON’T STAND SO CLOSE by screenwriter/director Eric Red.
SST published the classic erotic horror magazine PEEP SHOW, and have recently launched a new horror fiction & dark art magazine BEWARE THE DARK, which is a unique size (7.44 x 9.69 in), full-color, high-quality produced mag of between 100-130 pages bringing you the best dark and disturbing fiction and artwork.
SST has also launched a new Art Book Series and will publish some of the best artists in the genre. The first title VEINS AND SKULLS is by award-winning professional illustrator Daniele Serra. SST owner Paul Fry has recently acquired the exclusive comic/graphic novel rights to Joe R. Lansdale’s entire ‘Hap and Leonard’ series of dark crime books, Richard Laymon’s classic horror novel THE CELLAR, and has signed a three-book deal with Cemetery Dance Publications owner Richard Chizmar, and a five-book deal with legendary author Ed Gorman. SST publishes their titles in multiple formats which are distributed worldwide by Ingram, the world’s largest book distributor.”
PDF ARCs of this title available on request.
