Run the Gauntlet

This is all I got for ya this week. It’s an old perspective assignment from my Drawing I class. Also happens to be the hallway to my bathroom, minus the holes and knives of course. My favorite part of doing this drawing was finding the mix of handles for the assorted sharp objects.

Next week I should have book covers. Hopefully all the books in Angels Dark and Dumb will also be published/republished. I’m also writing an informative blog post for the ArmLin House Production blog on the remaking of a book series. So far, I’ve acquired the experience of changing my author name from W. J. Howard to Winnie Jean Howard along with changing the series name, two things that kinda make it time consuming to publish. It’s also taken me way too long to write each of the books. Oh yeah, and my experience with way too many publishers for book 1. Blah blah blah…forever complaining about this series. Truth is I like to do things the hard way.

Saw the new Evil Dead Rise this week too. I give it an average review. As I would, I really wanted more comedic moments. Thing I liked most about the movie was the dark and dreary atmosphere and setting. High budget, so of course the special effects were done well. Not gross or shocking enough for me, but good mainstream horror movie.

Enjoy your week!

They Are Free!

Fall for Freedom and Call for Obstruction are FREE on Amazon until April 17th. This is the last freebie before Call for Obstruction is taken off KU, so get it ASAP if you haven’t read it!

In celebration of the changing series name from The Courier to Angels Dark & Dumb, as well as the release of Warrant for Damnation next month, you can get it FREE in an EPUB until it’s published. Here’s how:

1. Follow the Contact link in the menu above to the Contact form.

2. Fill out the form and identify in the “Share Your Thoughts” field that you would like a free copy of the EPUB for Warrant for Damnation.

3. I will email you a copy of the EPUB within 48 hours.

That’s 3 books you can get free to enter Barry’s world. I hope you enjoy the read!

Want an EPUB Copy of Warrant for Damnation?

It’s done! The EPUB for Warrant for Damnation is done and ready for you to read. Yes, this is an old picture of the book. Still waiting on the new and improved cover. Here’s the new book description:

I thought I’d hit rock bottom when I pissed off Satan and ended up on Hell’s Most Wanted List. 

Then something worse happened. A fallen angel with a nun fetish and a desire to rob humans of free will showed up. He’s Azael, the deadbeat dad I’ve never known, and he wants me at his side, expanding his rein over demons and mankind. God’s pissed too but willing to give me asylum if I annihilate Azael. What? Me? Destroy a fallen angel? I think they’ve got the wrong guy!

Warrant for Damnation is the second book in the Angels Dark and Dumb series: “bad taste” horror comedy at its best. The series is know for its unique characters and dark humor. If you like slapstick, farce, and dark humor, you’re sure to have a damned good time!

This book takes Barry to new places with a bunch of new characters. Don’t worry, Margery the Demon is still the usual menace. Warrant for Damnation ties into Barry’s Dad’s introduction in Fall for Freedom, so if you find yourself wondering, you’ll want to read the prequel as well.

If you would like to read the book before it’s published, use my contact form to request it. I’ll email you a copy ASAP.

The Lydia Deetz portrait in Nagel style is also done. Currently, it’s only available to view on Deviant Art. Next week I’ll release it here.

Have a great week! I’m going into it feeling like I’ve finally accomplished something with this series after way to many years.

Revisiting a School Project Featuring the Grim Reaper

This week I’m revisiting a project from school a few years ago. I did this for my Illustration class. Believe it or not, Zap It! is a real product for swatting flies. Google it! We had to take the style from another artist and make an ad in that style for a modern day product. As usual, horror comedy was a theme in my work. As you may have guess, this was done in Adobe Illustrator.

For the artist, I chose Aubrey Beardsley, one of my favorites, who died way before he was able to truly fulfill his potential. He created illustrations for Oscar Wilde, which is another reason to love him. And Beardsley was a huge contributor to starting poster art, so choosing his style for something like this is kinda a given.

Why share it now? Because I’d like to start a series of grim reapers. Why a series of grim reapers? Because I wrote a short story about the Grim Reaper’s son that I outlined into a book. Hmmm… Is there a pattern with me here? Writing stories about sons and fathers. Actually, I’ve written quite a few short stories about Grim. I should drag them all out and reread them.

Otherwise, I’ve made no progress on Angels Dark and Dumb except for some work on cover copy. Covers are still being revitalized. And Lydia Deetz is in the works and will hopefully be in next week’s status post. Have a great week!

Improved Covers on the Way

Azael the Fallen Angel in the Angels Dark and Dumb Series

I’m really starting to enjoy writing these weekly reports. This weeks should be short though. While I had a very busy week, it was filled with communications with my Angels Dark and Dumb cover artist, R L Treadway at Atrtink, who has been creating my covers for years. She does the amazing character drawings for me as well. This is Azael, who is the antagonist in Fall for Freedom, Warrant for Damnation, and Cause for Redemption along with Margery the Demon. Besides changing the series name, she’ll be doing a minor overhaul of my covers to make them more colorful. Can’t wait to see how they turn out. I highly suggest her if you need any kind of artwork.

Anyway, I learned that changing the name of a series requires the publication of a new edition. So, yes, I’ll be doing this for the 3rd time. Figure I’ll rewrite descriptions and do all the work needed to refresh the series too, which means it’ll take a few weeks to publish Warrant for Damnation along with the others.

In other news, I created a Deviant Art account @meanwinniejean. Drop by and watch me. I’m hoping to upload all in the Ladies of Horror this week.

And finally, I posted an interview with myself on my company blog under my real name. Go to Interview with Wendy Spurlin, Founder of ArmLin House to learn more about the real me.

I guess this wasn’t as short as I expected. Have a great week!