Chatting About a Goth Adventuress

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Today at the book-review blog Fiction Fascination you’ll find an interview with me, conducted by the site’s owner, Carly. It’s one more part in my ongoing effort to make fans of dark urban fantasies aware of the exciting world of Goth adventuress Pandora Zwieback, starting with her first novel, Blood Feud. And since Carly is a major fan of Ms. Zwieback’s, how could I say no to a chance to talk about her?  😉

Carly and I cover such topics as my favorite books, my personal quirks, and what some of my writing inspirations are (a topic I’ll be discussing further at the Pandora Zwieback blog in the days to come). And then there’s this:

“At some point I became obsessed with a TV show on the Food Network called Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and I’ve been experimenting with recipes. I haven’t killed anyone yet…”

Not expecting a comment like that in an interview about a monster-hunting teen, were you? Hey, it can’t all be about gun-toting vampires and heroic Goth chicks, y’know!  😀

In addition to the interview, we’re giving away a signed copy of Blood Feud (still on sale in print and e-book editions). If you haven’t gotten around to picking up a copy, here’s your chance to get one for free!

Read the interview, and find out more details on the giveaway, by clicking on the Fiction Fascination logo.

Wonder Goth Powers… Activate!

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Why, lookee here—it’s the latest positive review of Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, this time courtesy of the online fantasy-themed magazine Black Gate and its resident Goth Chick, Sue Granquist:

“Now you may assume that it was simply the cover art and the promise of a story with a Goth chick heroine that ultimately got me, but you’d be wrong. Actually, it was the first chapter that got me; and then the next, and then the next…”

So, it’s true, then: Zwieback is highly addictive…  😉

Read the entire review by clicking on the logo above.

A Monstrous Appetite for Zwieback

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And so we close out January 2012 with another enthusiastic recommendation of Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, courtesy of reviewer Sheila Shedd and the site Monster Librarian:

“Blood Feud is a roller coaster read; the action never lets up…. Highly recommended for ages 15 and up for complexity of plot and violence.”

Read the entire review by clicking on the logo above. And hey, all you librarians out there, how about adding Blood Feud to your YA sections and introducing your readers to a certain Goth adventuress? You never know—they might really enjoy meeting Pan!

StarWarp Concepts Webstore Opens!

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It’s true— the SWC webstore is finally up and running! Now you can spare yourself the frustration of hunting down Pan’s adventures, and order them—as well as other StarWarp Concepts titles—directly from her publisher.

Currently available are print editions of Blood Feud, the classic vampire tale Carmilla (with illustrations by Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 comic artist Eliseu Gouveia), and The Bob Larkin Sketchbook (which features Pan on the cover). And since the sketchbook is an SWC exclusive not available in stores, the webstore’s the only place you’ll be able to get it—not counting when we sell it at conventions, of course.

Also:

The official Pandora Zwieback T-shirt! You asked for it (repeatedly) and now you’ve got it! Available in both men’s and women’s sizes, it’s the same devil-girl T that Pan wears on the cover of Blood Feud, and an essential piece of clothing for every budding Goth adventuress.

The Blood Feud Art Print! It’s Bob Larkin’s cover art for the first Pan novel—as you should be well familiar with by now—presented on 11” x 17” cardstock without text, and limited to 100 copies.

So, head on over to the StarWarp Concepts site and start ordering already—I gotta clear some space in this office!  😉

Fascinated With a Fictional Goth Adventuress

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D’oh! Here’s a review I missed—another positive one, of course!—from back in November (sorry, Carly!), courtesy of the blog Fiction Fascination:

“Pan is such a strong in-depth character, which I instantly liked and related to…. All in all a 5-star read.”

Read the entire review by clicking on the logo above.

“Pandora Zwieback” Cover Artist’s Online Gallery Launches

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This is fantastic news! Bob Larkin—the legendary artist whose work graces the covers of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novels, as well as the pages of his own Bob Larkin Sketchbook—now has an online gallery, and it’s open for business!


Bob Larkin: The Illustrated Man was launched on January 6 by two of Bob’s biggest fans, Courtney Rogers and Scotty Phillips, and it showcases a wealth of painted covers, movie posters, and toy packaging that Bob has created during his long career.

From pulp hero Doc Savage to superheroes like the Hulk and the X-Men (even the Toxic Avenger!) and horror icons like Dracula, the Wolfman, and Godzilla, one look at the gallery and you’ll see why Bob has been such an inspiration to a generation of artists.

Just click on the logo above to get started, and prepare to be amazed!

The Queen of Queens

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Well, this is a nice way to start off 2012—with further praise for Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1! This time it’s from D. W. Jones of the online horror magazine Blood Moon Rising:

“Roman brings horror to NYC and spins a tale that keeps the reader enthralled….  I recommend this book for all horror readers and especially to young girls.”

The fact that Blood Moon Rising’s offices are based in Queens, NY—Pan’s home borough—makes the positive reaction all the sweeter. I mean, who doesn’t love a monster-fightin’ hometown girl?

You can read the entire review—as well as a review of Carmilla, StarWarp Concepts’ first classic reprint (with illustrations by The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 comic artist Eliseu Gouveia)—by clicking on the cover. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the magazine!

Blood Moon Rising is also the sponsor of The Institute of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction, a one-day gathering being held this March at the main branch of the Queens Public Library, which is located in Flushing—a neighborhood that is immune to all your petty, childish jokes about toilets, so don’t even bother!  😀  Click the link in the Events listings for more information on the show.

Books That Bite Back

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An addendum of sorts to the previous post, for those of you who don’t think I work enough around here. 😀  Among all the goings-on at the StarWarp Concepts offices during the holiday break, I forgot to mention an interview I did that was conducted by Michele Lee of the young adult book site Reading Bites:

“Any creature of the night that sparkles in sunlight isn’t a vampire—it’s somebody who got covered in glitter at an all-night rave and stumbled outside in the morning!”

You can find that and all the other potentially controversial comments I make by reading the entire interview here.

New Year, New Excitement

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Happy Belated New Year’s wishes to one and all! Yet even with the holiday season come and gone, there’s never any rest for the wicked over here at Zwieback Central, where stuff was continuing to happen while you were away. Let’s review what you might have missed, shall we?

E-books

A reminder from the end of last year: Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is available for your e-reader—and for the incredibly reasonable price of just $3.99! If you’ve been holding off from buying the print edition, or know someone who might be interested in giving Pan’s literary debut a read, then here’s where you’ll find it:

Amazon.com: Available at the Kindle Store.

Barnes & Noble: Available at the Nook Book Store.

DriveThru Fiction: PDF edition available at the StarWarp Concepts store.

Smashwords: Apple iPad-, Kindle-, Kobo-, Nook-, Palm-, and Sony Reader–compatible files available at the StarWarp Concepts store.

Critical Acclaim

Posted just a few days before Christmas, there was yet another positive review of Blood Feud, this time courtesy of Melissa Voelker at HorrorNews.net:

“Far and away one of the best young adult supernatural fantasy novels released in the last few years…. [Pan is] exactly the kind of teen heroine that readers should be standing up and cheering for.”

Read the entire review by clicking on the logo above.

Free Pan Comic Update

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0—our free, downloadable comic that you’ll find in the sidebar—has been updated! No more references to past selling dates, and now it has the actual text from Blood Feud for the comic’s sample chapters. If you know anyone who might be interested in Pan’s adventures, then please spread the word and have them download this special introduction to the book series.

And as for some non-Pan-related updates…

The SWC 2012 Catalog

Over at the StarWarp Concepts site, you’ll find the final version of The ’Warp’s publishing list for the entire year, now available for download. Go read it—the company’s not all about Pan, y’know! And wait until you see what’s listed among the SWC offerings for this year’s Free Comic Book Day celebration in May!

What, Another Site?

I’ve now got my own Author Page at Amazon.com! As some of you folks know, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is just my latest project; the Author Page is where you’ll find a list of all the other books I’ve written or contributed to, and what’s still available for completists who can’t get enough of my exceptional writing. 😉  Zombies, superheroes, Doctor Who, Final Destination—is there nothing cool that I haven’t written?

Were we busy over the holidays, or what? And we’re just getting started!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a sequel to Blood Feud to get back to writing…  😉