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Book Review: Witch Hunter: Into the Outside by J. Z. Foster

Witch Hunter: Into the Outside by J. Z. Foster

CreateSpace, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1974522255

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Witch Hunter: Into the Outside by J.Z. Foster is a tongue-in-cheek, ghoulish farce.  Richard, a picked-upon, chubby nebbish, is a member of a group of nerds dedicated to combating supernatural evil.  He suspects that the members are only half serious about their rituals, array of holy weapons and clandestine attacks against evil.  Richard entices Beth, an ambitious, would-be, TV reporter, and Ted, her cameraman, to accompany them on a hunt for a local witch.

Although Richard’s goal is to track down the warlock with a sanctified knife, a necklace with a cross, holy water and a book of spells, none of the small group expects anything to come from the expedition. To their shock, they encounter a series of horrors, including a wight with an insatiable, ravenous appetite, a noxious, deceptive daeva, and murderous sankai with faces of children and bodies of animals.   The confrontations escalate into a showdown with a plague warlock, who has caused stillbirths, deformed births in animals, and other catastrophes in their local community.

With the exception of Richard, most of the characters are one-dimensional, but readers will be caught up in the fast-placed plot.  The chapters alternate between the witch hunters’ increasingly harrowing adventures and Richard’s jailhouse interrogation after he is accused of murdering Beth.  Readers will empathize with his struggle to confront his self-doubt, fears and loneliness.  As Beth wrote,

“He was more than the coward he though he was, or the fumbling nervous man he appeared to be.  Richard was proof that we could all become something greater.  When faced with the impossible, Richard stood.  Richard was the hope of man, and proof that our destinies are unwritten.  Richard was proof that our fates are our own.”

Highly recommended.

Contains: rare obscenity

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

Posted on March 9, 2018 by , Reply

Kickstarter for “It’s All In Your Head” Art Book Illustrates Mental Health Disorders As Monsters

This sounds very cool. The Kickstarter is still going. You can learn more about it below.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD’ BRINGS VISIBILITY TO INTERNAL STRUGGLES
Coss compiles viral illustrations into an in-depth exploration of the mind

AKRON, Ohio – From the creative mind behind Any Means Necessary Clothing and the haunting stories and illustrations of “Kindergarten” comes a new project focused on the dark recesses of the mind.

“It’s All In Your Head” is a compilation of 85 illustrations by Shawn Coss that explore mental health issues and phobias, made famous during the annual Inktober Initiative over the past two years. What began as a simple collection of themed artwork soon turned into a viral sensation.

In 2016, Coss chose mental health disorders as his theme for Inktober, a month-long challenge founded by Jake Parker where artists create an ink drawing each day of October. While many artists work off a set list of prompts, Coss wanted to use this as an opportunity to really study a topic in-depth.

“Given my interest in the human condition and the demand from my fans to tackle mental health, I wanted to take on the various disorders in my own style,” Coss said. “I was intrigued, not only as an artist who suffers from depression, but also a medical professional. I wanted to portray the behaviors and symptoms as monsters that plague us.”

By giving the disorders themselves humanoid form, Coss was able to bring structure to abstract feelings in a whole new way. The response from fans was instantaneous. The art was shared 15,000 times, with more than 600,000 views. It got the attention of many major outlets, such as Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, The Mighty, BoredPanda, The Quint, and Bento.

Creating this level of awareness is really at the heart of the intention of the artwork.

“It was never about capturing every symptom of each issue in one piece of art,” Coss explained. “No one person shares the same symptoms or severity, and it would’ve been foolish of me to attempt to do so. It was about raising awareness, starting a conversation, and letting people know that the way they felt inside was real and valid. People really responded to that.”

In 2017, Coss set his sights on phobias, unlocking a whole new realm of struggles and touching on real experiences of fans across the globe. His art grabbed the attention once again of major media outlets, such as The Quint and BoredPanda.

In a follow-up to the wildly popular Kickstarter campaign for his short story and illustration book “Kindergarten,” Coss is launching another Kickstarter to publish all of his mental health and phobia artwork into one volume. The 180-page book, titled “It’s All in Your Head” will also include the medical insight and personal reflections that inspired each piece of art.

“I’m excited to finally be able to open up about my own mental health battles and connect with those who struggle every day,” Coss said. “I’m blown away by all of the responses from people who have told me how my artwork has helped them. I hope this book will continue to help others and continue the conversation on mental health.”

The Kickstarter campaign is running Feb. 20 – March 22, 2018, with copies of the book, artwork, and other special incentives for donors. For more information or to donate, visit http://kck.st/2sD0rI6.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Shawn Coss is an Ohio based artist who’s been chasing his dream to being an “entreprenartist” for the past 9 years. He’s co-owner of Any Means Necessary clothing, creator of the Inktober Illness Series, and got his start into the craziness of professional art while working (and currently) with Cyanide and Happiness. He’s also achieved his dream gig of working with Stephen King on the movie Cell as a prop design artist, as well as create the album art for bands such as Seether, Cage, and Sadistik. He refuses to leave Ohio because he doesn’t know any better.

http://www.shawncossart.com
http://www.amnclothing.com
https://www.facebook.com/ShawnCossArtist/
https://instagram.com/ShawnCoss
http://www.explosm.net

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Posted on March 8, 2018 by , Reply

2017 Stoker Awards Announced

 From the Horror Writers Association: 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

2017 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners

 

Providence, RI, March 3, 2018

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, announces this year’s Bram Stoker Awards® winners after a ceremony held at the historic Biltmore Hotel in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. “We are excited to announce this year’s winners from another impressive list of finalists. The winners represent a broad spectrum of highly talented writers devoted to horror and dark fantasy,” said Lisa Morton, HWA President and multiple Bram Stoker Award winner. “Our members and awards juries have demonstrated considerable dedication and objectivity to the selection process for outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.”

Named in honor of the author of the seminal horror novel Dracula, the Bram Stoker Awards® are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, poetry, screenplays and non-fiction. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman.

 

We proudly provide the list of talented winners along with the finalist nominees.

Superior Achievement in a Novel

 

Winner: Golden, Christopher – Ararat (St. Martin’s Press)

Also nominated:

King, Stephen and King, Owen – Sleeping Beauties (Scribner)

Malerman, Josh – Black Mad Wheel (Ecco)

Miskowski, S.P. – I Wish I Was Like You (JournalStone)

Tem, Steve Rasnic – Ubo (Solaris)

 

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

 

Winner: Cabeen, Robert Payne – Cold Cuts (Omnium Gatherum Media)

Also nominated:

Davidson, Andy – In the Valley of the Sun (Skyhorse Publishing)

Hayward, Matt – What Do Monsters Fear? (Post Mortem Press)

Hepler, Jeremy – The Boulevard Monster (Bloodshot Books)

Thomas, Scott – Kill Creek (Ink Shares)

 

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

 

Winner: Liggett, Kim – The Last Harvest (Tor Teen)

Also nominated:

French, Gillian – The Door to January (Islandport Press)

Leveen, Tom – Hellworld (Simon Pulse)

Lukavics, Amy – The Ravenous (Harlequin Teen)

Porter, Sarah – When I Cast Your Shadow (Tor Teen)

 

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

 

Winner: Duffy, Damian and Butler, Octavia E. – Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

(Abrams ComicArts)

Also nominated:

Carey, Mike and Arvind, Ethan David – Darkness Visible (IDW)

Ferris, Emil – My Favorite Thing is Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Hickman, Jonathan – The Black Monday Murders (Image Comics)

Liu, Marjorie – Monstress Volume 2: The Blood (Image Comics)

 

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

 

Winner: Jones, Stephen Graham – Mapping the Interior (Tor.com)

Also nominated:

Edelman, Scott – Faking it Until Forever Comes (Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat     Them) (Written Backwards)

Kiernan, Caitlín R. – Agents of Dreamland (Tor.com)

Taylor, Lucy – Sweetlings (Tor.com)

Waggoner, Tim – A Kiss of Thorns (DarkFuse)

 

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

 

Winner: Mannetti, Lisa – “Apocalypse Then” (Never Fear: The Apocalypse) (13Thirty Books)

Also nominated:

Bailey, Michael – “I Will Be the Reflection Until the End” (Tales from the Lake Vol. 4)     (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Chambers, James – “A Song Left Behind in the Aztakea Hills” (Shadows Over Main         Street, Volume 2) (Cutting Block Books)

Neugebauer, Annie – “So Sings the Siren” (Apex Magazine #101) (Apex Publications)

Yardley, Mercedes M. – “Loving You Darkly” (F(r)iction Magazine #8)

(Tethered by Letters)

 

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

 

Winner: Hill, Joe – Strange Weather (William Morrow)

Also nominated:

Kiste, Gwendolyn – And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe (JournalStone)

Malerman, Josh – Goblin (Earthling Publications)

Matsuura, Thersa – The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (Independent Legions Publishing)

McGrath, Patrick – Writing Madness (Centipede Press)

 

 

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

 

Winner: Peele, Jordan – Get Out (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions,

QC Entertainment)

Also nominated:

Del Toro, Guillermo and Taylor, Vanessa – The Shape of Water (TSG Entertainment, Double        Dare You Productions)

Duffer, Matt and Duffer, Ross – Stranger Things: MadMax, Episode 02:01: Chapter One (21       Laps Entertainment, Monkey Massacre)

Frost, Mark and Lynch, David – Twin Peaks, Part 8 (Rancho Rosa Partnership, Inc.)

Palmer, Chase, Fukunaga, Cary, and Dauberman, Gary – It (New Line Cinema)

 

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

 

Winner: Murano, Doug – Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities & Undefinable Wonders

(Crystal Lake Publishing)

Also nominated:

Brooks, Kinitra, PhD., Addison, Linda D., and Morris, Susana, PhD. – Sycorax’s Daughters             (Cedar Grove Publishing)

Datlow, Ellen – Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology (Pegasus Books)

Maberry, Jonathan and Romero, George A. – Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology (St.             Martin’s Griffin)

Manzetti, Alessandro and Lester, Jodi Renee – The Beauty of Death Vol. 2: Death by Water             (Independent Legions Publishing)

 

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

 

Winner: Hendrix, Grady. Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction (Quirk Books)

Also nominated:

Brittany, Michele – Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre (McFarland)

Brooks, Kinitra D. – Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary   Horror (Rutgers University Press)

Jones, Stephen – The Art of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History (Applause Theatre &     Cinema Books)

Mynhardt, Joe and Johnson, Eugene – Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Storytelling      in the Horror Genre – (Crystal Lake Publishing)

 

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

 

Winner: Sng, Christina – A Collection of Nightmares (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Frazier, Robert and Boston, Bruce – Visions of the Mutant Rain Forest (Crystal Lake         Publishing)

Manzetti, Alessandro – No Mercy (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Simon, Marge and Turzillo, Mary – Satan’s Sweethearts (Weasel Press)

Wytovich, Stephanie M. – Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare

(Raw Dog Screaming Press)

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 4, 2018 by , Reply
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