Happy 85th Anniversary, King Kong!

Posted on March 2, 2018 by steven

King-Kong-Final-FrontCvr Can you believe it? It was 85 years ago today, on March 2, 1933, that movie audiences met the Eighth Wonder of the World: King Kong! The creation of Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace, brought to stop-motion life by effects master Willis O’Brien, King Kong went on to become a worldwide cultural icon that inspired generations of Monster Kids who grew up to be directors, writers, and special-effects creators.

It also inspired the folks at Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, to add the story of the king of the simian monsters to their line of Illustrated Classics!

King Kong is an e-book-only republication of the 1932 novelization of the original movie classic. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, it includes scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. Our version features six original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

Not familiar with the beauty-and-the-beast story of Kong and his “love interest,” Ann Darrow (who was played in the 1933 original by the queen of the scream queens, Fay Wray)? Well, here’s our edition’s back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:

Ann Darrow was a down-on-her-luck actress struggling to survive in Depression-era New York when she met moviemaker Carl Denham. He offered her the starring role in his latest film: a documentary about a long-lost island—and the godlike ape named Kong rumored to live there. Denham needed a beauty as a counterpart to the beast he hoped to find, and Ann was the answer to his prayers.

Mystery, romance, a chance to turn her life around, even the possibility of stardom—to Ann, it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime! But what she didn’t count on were the horrific dangers that awaited her on Skull Island—including the affections of a love-struck monster…

King Kong (the 1932 novelization) is available directly from the SWC webstore, so visit its product page for ordering information.

Quality SWC E-books for the Discerning Librarian

Posted on February 9, 2018 by steven

ghostbusters-library

With this past Saturday having been the seventh annual celebration of Take Your Child to the Library Day, I was reminded of a conversation I once had with Richard C. White, author of StarWarp Concept’s supernatural graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings, pirate-fantasy digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, the fantasy-adventure titles For a Few Gold Pieces More and Harbinger of Darkness, and the popular how-to book for writers, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.

Rich had been a guest at a science fiction convention and had spoken with some school librarians who were interested in adding Terra Incognito to their lists of e-book titles. But how, they asked, would they be able to obtain it? As librarians, they’re required to order books from distributors, not from publishers; that applies to e-books as well.

Well, it just so happens that one of The ’Warp’s digital distributors, Smashwords, makes our titles available to libraries through Baker & Taylor’s Axis360 and OverDrive e-book programs. To quote from Smashword’s arrangement with the programs:

“Library patrons are able to check out only one copy at a time. The books are wrapped in DRM so they time out after a specific period of time. The library can purchase multiple copies if they decide demand warrants multiple simultaneous checkouts. Otherwise, the library purchases a single copy and allows only one copy at a time to be lent out. If a library patron wishes to obtain a book that’s already checked out, the patron is sometimes given the option to purchase a copy through a retailer.”

In the case of OverDrive, “If a library patron wishes to obtain a book that’s already checked out, the patron is sometimes given the option to purchase a copy direct through OverDrive (for libraries that utilize OverDrive’s ‘Buy it Now’ feature).”

Via Smashwords, the following titles can be ordered through Axis360 and OverDrive:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

For a Few Gold Pieces More collects Richard C. White’s fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). It’s “entertaining, old-school sword and sorcery, in the tradition of [Fritz Lieber’s] Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser,” according to author Jim C. Hines of the Magic ex Libris book series, and we at SWC couldn’t agree more!

Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s third title, and his first original novel for SWC. In it, a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!

You can also obtain the Saga of Pandora Zwieback young adult novels, Blood Feud and Blood Reign—written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman. You know how popular young adult books are these days, don’t you? Well, here’s another series your patrons might be interested in!

blood_feud Pan is a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets an immortal monster hunter named Annie that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. You’ll find Pan battling her own brand of evil dead in the following titles:

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: This critically acclaimed novel is the beginning of Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

So if you’re a librarian interested in adding those titles to your digital bookshelves, head over to Axis360 or OverDrive and place your order today!

DriveThru’s Christmas in July 2017 E-book Sale Begins

Posted on July 22, 2017 by steven

Christmas-in-July It’s the time of year when e-book distributor DriveThru Comics—along with its sister sites DriveThru Fiction, DriveThru RPG, and RPGNow—launches its annual Christmas in July sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from now through July 31—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following titles at 25% off:

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2: Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is SWC’s popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

For a Few Gold Pieces More is Richard C. White’s collection of fantasy short stories. Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure, romance—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did).

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood. Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Just like with A Princess of Mars, our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is a spinoff from the novel series. In this 56-page, full-color comic special, the teenaged Goth adventuress battles Gothic Lolita vampires in a shopping mall and a jealous, man-stealing siren in the middle of New York’s Central Park. It features stories by me and Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up, Mighty Mouse), art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), and Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and cover art by award-winning artist Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella).

Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Ghost Rider, it’s written by yours truly, and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide) and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night).

The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital pirate-fantasy comic created and written by Richard C. White, coauthor of SWC’s supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings. Drawn by Bill Bryan (artist of Caliber Press’ Dark Oz and DC Comics’ House of Mystery), and featuring cover art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (SWC’s The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual), it’s 48 pages of high-seas adventure perfect for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, as well as classics like The Crimson Pirate, Against All Flags, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk.

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a general readers’ graphic novel about a group of supernatural-superheroes-for-hire taking on their first case. The team consists of a wizard, a female ninja, a sorceress, a werewolf, and a rock ’n’ roll lighting designer wearing high-tech armor. Sure, they might not be on a power level with the Avengers or Justice League of America—they’re more like superpowered Ghostbusters—but they get the job done. The graphic novel is written by the husband-and-white team of Richard C. White (Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, For a Few Gold Pieces More: Tales of the Rogue With No Name) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman.

King Kong is our e-book-exclusive Illustrated Classics edition of the 1932 novelization of the renowned motion picture. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, the SWC edition of King Kong features scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. What makes our version special is that it contains six exclusive, original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.

Christmas in July runs through July 31, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at DriveThru Comics and start your summer-reading shopping!

Smashwords’ Summer/Winter 2017 E-book Sale Begins

Posted on July 1, 2017 by steven

Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords launches its ninth annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from July 1 to July 31—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion. As for why Smashwords gives this event such an unusual name: “Because Smashwords serves a global readership where it’s summer in the Northern hemisphere and winter in the Southern hemisphere. So whether you’re looking for a great beach read, or you want to curl up in front of warm fireplace with a great read, we’ve got you covered!”

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following titles at 25% off, as long as you make sure to use the specially generated coupon codes when you make your purchase:

Use Coupon Code ZY37X (not case-sensitive) for Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1.

Use Coupon Code KK62H (not case-sensitive) for Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2.

Use Coupon Code UC82A (not case-sensitive) for Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.

Use Coupon Code VD68F (not case-sensitive) for For a Few Gold Pieces More.

Again, the Smashwords Summer Sale runs until July 1 to July 31, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start your summer-reading shopping!

E-books for Librarians in Search of Quality Titles

Posted on March 16, 2017 by steven

blood_feud In recent years, librarians have expressed interest in adding StarWarp Concepts’ titles to their e-book collections. But how, they’ve asked, would they be able to obtain them? As librarians, they’re required to order books from distributors, not from publishers; that applies to e-books as well.

Well, it just so happens that one of SWC’s digital distributors, Smashwords, makes our titles available to libraries through Baker & Taylor Axis360 and OverDrive, as well as around the world through Odilo, Gardners Books (Askews & Holts for public libraries), and, most recently, Bibliotheca CloudLibrary. To quote from Smashword’s arrangement with the programs:

Via Smashwords, the following titles can be ordered:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is a popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

For a Few Gold Pieces More is Richard C. White’s latest release, a short-story collection of ten critically acclaimed short stories. Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did).

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1: This critically acclaimed novel by yours truly is the beginning of Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

So if you’re a librarian interested in adding those titles to your digital bookshelves, head over to your e-book distributor for libraries and place your order today!

King Kong Breaks Loose at StarWarp Concepts

Posted on January 10, 2017 by steven

king-kong-cvr Hey, monster fans! If you grew up a monster kid like I did, you’re probably looking forward to the upcoming release of Kong: Skull Island, the latest movie version of the story about that giant, misunderstood ape and the island of monsters he comes from.

Well, King Kong isn’t just about to appear on movie screens this March, he’s also making his debut that same month at Pan’s publisher. How’s that possible? I’m glad you asked!

Coming March 7, 2017 from StarWarp Concepts is King Kong, an e-book-exclusive reprint of the 1932 novelization of the original motion picture. It’s the latest addition to SWC’s Illustrated Classics line of books, joining J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s vampire romance Carmilla, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s space-fantasy adventure A Princess of Mars, and the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale Snow White.

Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, the SWC edition of King Kong features six brand-new illustrations by pulp-comics artist Paul Tuma (Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Avenger, Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective). The novelization also expands on the world inhabited by this famous monster of filmland and includes scenes that didn’t appear in the movie’s final cut, the most notorious of those being the terrifying “spider pit” sequence, in which a group of sailors in pursuit of Kong falls into a chasm infested with giant, man-eating arachnids. (Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake included this scene, with outright nightmare-inducing results.)

SWC will be doing quite a bit of promotion at their blog for Kong’s arrival, with looks at Kong-related movies (including the original, naturally), comics, toys, and more in order to draw attention to the e-book.

More details to follow as we get closer to the book’s March 7 release—which, by the way, is just three days before Kong: Skull Island hits movie theaters. Why, you’d almost think they’d planned that intentionally…

Merry Christmas…in July!

Posted on July 22, 2016 by steven

blood_feud_lg_cover_2013 A second summer book sale? You bet! First, it was our participation in Smashwords’ Summer 2016 Sale, and right now e-book distributor DriveThru Comics—along with its sister sites DriveThru Fiction, DriveThru RPG, and RPGNow—has launched its annual Christmas in July sale, during which you can purchase a ton of digital books, graphic novels, gaming manuals, and comics at savings up to 40%!

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you’ll find the following titles at special discounts:

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, one of the titles in our Illustrated Classics line, and featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings).

Christmas in July runs until July 29, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at DriveThru Comics and start your summer-reading shopping!

StarWarp E-Books Included in Smashwords Summer Sale

Posted on July 1, 2016 by steven

blood_feud_lg_cover_2013 Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords launches its eighth annual Smashwords Summer Sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from July 1 to July 30—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Use Coupon Code LM72M for Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1.

Use Coupon Code KK62H for Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2.

Use Coupon Code UC82A for Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination.

Again, the Smashwords Summer Sale runs until July 1 to July 30, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start your summer-reading shopping!

A Book Bundle for a Worthy Cause

Posted on April 15, 2016 by steven

A few weeks ago, I got this message from e-book distributor DriveThru Fiction, which sells digital editions of the Pandora Zwieback novels, as well as other StarWarp Concepts titles:

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and once again, we’re going to be putting together some exciting digital Bundles on DriveThruRPG, DriveThruComics, and DriveThruFiction to help raise funds for a great cause. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti–sexual violence organization and was named one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth magazine. Last year’s RAINN Bundle was a huge success and we’d like to try to reach even more donations and spread the word about this cause even further in 2016.

blood_feud I’ve known about RAINN for a while—its biggest promoter is World Wrestling Entertainment’s legendary Mick Foley (aka Mankind and Cactus Jack)—so I immediately offered Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 as a title to be included in the bundle. And now that bundle is on sale!

If you head on over to the RAINN 2016 Fiction Bundle page at DriveThru Fiction, you’ll find Pan’s first adventure is just one of more than a dozen titles you can purchase, all at once—an $80 bundle for just $15! Do it, and help support a worthy cause.

And for more information about Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, visit the RAINN website.

Some Bad News for International Panatics

Posted on March 11, 2016 by steven

blood_feud Heads up, residents of the United Kingdom and the European Continent: Barnes & Noble just sent us some bad news for you e-book fans who purchase titles from their Nook Store—news that affects publishing house StarWarp Concepts, as well!

On March 15, all Nook titles—which, in StarWarp Concepts’ case, means my Pandora Zwieback novels Blood Feud and Blood Reign—will become U.S. exclusives, as Barnes & Noble closes its UK Nook Store and discontinues its Nook Reading app for Android. UK readers will have access to their Nook purchases up to May 31, at which point those readers will have to go to Sainsbury’s Entertainment on Demand to access them.

I know; it sucks. But don’t worry, European Panatics: If you haven’t purchased SWC’s Nook-friendly ePub titles from B&N, you can still buy them directly from the StarWarp Concepts webstore. Just follow the links below:

As you no doubt are aware by now, Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is the critically acclaimed novel that starts Pan’s story, explaining how she, her parents and friends, and the monster-hunting immortal Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father. It’s a character-driven action-fest that leads immediately into the second novel:

Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, in which Pan and her friends and family face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover!

Blood Feud and Blood Reign are $2.99 U.S. each. Sales are made via Paypal, and the books are available for immediate download.

Place your orders today!

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