The Fear County Chronicle #6
Summer releases, upcoming books, & the history behind the making of a classic RK cover!
Howdy y’all! Welcome to the sixth edition of The Fear County Chronicle. I hope you are keeping cool as the summer moves past Independence Day into the hellishly hot weeks of July and August. I hope you’ve managed to dodge the Covid bullet, too, since quite a few folks I know, locally and among the horror community as well, seem to have caught a new wave of the virus just within the last few weeks. On a positive note, a few new things have happened of a Southern-Fried horror nature lately that I’m looking forward to sharing with you in this edition of the Chronicle.
Crossroad Press releases THE DARK’UN!
The new paperback edition of my dark horror fantasy novel, The Dark’Un, has just been released by Crossroad Press. This is the first time the novel has been available in paperback since it was originally released as Something Out There by Zebra Books in 1992. The book includes the original novel, plus incredible cover artwork by Zach McCain and the bonus prequel novella “Of Crows and Pale Doves”. You can get it now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook at Amazon.
SOUTHERN FRIED & HORRIFIED at Scares That Care?
That’s right! A limited amount of pre-release copies of my upcoming memoir/writing guide, Southern Fried & Horrified, (hot off the press from Stygian Sky Media) will be available at my Southern-Fried Horror table at Scares That Care Charity Weekend VIII on the weekend of July 29th through 31st in Williamsburg, Virginia. I will also have signed, limited-edition prints of the SF&H cover artwork for sale, courtesy of the incredible Justin T. Coons! And, believe it or not, I will also have copies of Book One of my Death’s Head Press chapbook series, Somewhere South of Hell. If you’re there, stop by my table in the Celebrity Room, say “Howdy!”, and grab a book (or two… or more) and a Coons print for the wall of your writing study or reading nook.
What folks are saying about SOUTHERN FRIED & HORRIFIED…
“Honest, funny, heartbreaking, and full of wisdom, Ronald Kelly’s memoir Southern-Fried and Horrified is a look back at the early life, career, and comeback of a horror legend. From the crushing process of submissions to finding representation and navigating a publishing minefield, Ron’s done it all, and we should listen to the stories he has to tell. Southern-Fried and Horrified is a must-have for the working-class writer.” —Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil’s Creek and Scanlines
"Southern-Fried and Horrified is everything you want in a memoir. It's funny, tender, warm, sad, and ultimately triumphant. I was equally inspired and entertained reading Ron's journey though publishing hell and back again. I can't recommend this book enough." — Sonora Taylor, award-winning author of Little Paranoias: Stories and Seeing Things
“Southern Fried and Horrified is a mashup of memoir, horror history, writing advice and a damn good story. Ronald starts from his early childhood, discussing how he found his way into the horror genre. The family history, curiosity, local legends and more, influenced a young man, turning him into a legend of the horror world. Ronald Kelly has penned a modern classic, blending his southern fried style into a page-turning story of grit, determination, and a love of horror fiction.” — Daniel J. Volpe, Splatterpunk Award-nominated author of Only Psychos and Plastic Monsters.
What’s in store for the second half of 2022?
Along with Southern Fried & Horrified’s official release on September 6th, I have several more books in the publishing queue for the remainder of 2022. Here’s a rundown of what to look for…
The Saga of Dead-Eye, Book Two: Werewolves, Swamp Critters, & Hellacious Haints
In early fall of this year, the zombie gunslinger, Dead-Eye, and his Louisiana mojo man sidekick, Job, will be back for the second installment of The Saga of Dead-Eye series: Werewolves, Swamp Critters, & Hellacious Haints. Book Two has been delivered to Thunderstorm Books for editing, proofing, and preparation of the limited hardcover edition and to Crossroad Press for the ebook, paperback, and affordable hardcover. My favorite narrator, J. Rodney Turner, is also hard at work recording Dead-Eye: Books One & Two, to be released as a duo audiobook soon. This second adventure was a pure pleasure to write with the two heading across the Bloody Mississippi into the Ozark Mountains, then southward through the Indian Territories, Louisiana, and Texas. Book Two turned out to be a genuine monsterfest, with our heroes facing hillbilly werewolves, rambunctious poltergeists, and more creatures and malevolent beings from the otherworldly portal known as the Hole Out of Nowhere. There’s even a return appearance by the demonic bounty hunter, John Legion.
Tales from the Southern Fried Crypt
Also, the second book in my EC Horror-flavored Southern-Fried series, Tales from the Southern Fried Crypt, should be out from Crossroad Press before Halloween. This volume of tales, hosted by the Old Storyteller, will be focused on terrifying tales from the dark swamps and bayous of Louisiana. You’ll encounter some old RK favorites like the evil arachnids, La Sanguinaire, and the monster reptile, Ma Gator. You’ll also encounter the mysterious Cat Daddy (Louisiana’s cousin to the Black Lagoon’s famed Creature). Like last time, I will be featuring my own EC-style comic page artwork for all the stories, as well as more retro-comic advertisements in the back.
FEAR: The Author’s Preferred Edition
That’s correct! Following the demise of Sinister Grin Publications, my magnum opus, FEAR, will once be available in paperback and hardcover editions, this time in a special Author’s Preferred Edition. All I can reveal at this time is that Thunderstorm Books will be doing a special limited and Crossroad Press will release ebook, paperback, and affordable hardcover editions. The contents right now are of a secretive nature, but I will say that the introduction to the book will be by none other than horror author, Brian Keene. Publication dates aren’t concrete at this time, but hopefully we’ll have it available and in your hands by the end of the year.
Alex McVey: Building the Perfect Werewolf
As sort of a retro-trip back in time, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the many trial-and-error steps that an illustrator goes through, taking a basic image idea from infancy to completion. In the case of Alex McVey’s infamous ‘blue werewolf’ cover art for my lycanthrope novel, Undertaker’s Moon, Alex began with black-and-white sketches and progressed to a full-blown oil painting of the savage beast that now graces the upcoming book cover.
I hope you enjoy this look into the creative process of one of the best horror artists working in the industry today.
This is the first experimental werewolf sketch that Alex did. Alex says that it seems more demonic than the familiar image of the traditional werewolf that everyone knows and loves. Alex went hog-wild with this rendition; notice the bristling mouthful of uneven fangs, overly long ears, and feverish eyes. A nightmarish image to be sure!
In the second drawing, Alex goes for a more traditional look. The face has a more angular construction, complete with protruding brow and the canine-like snout that werewolf fans are more accustomed to.
In this sketch, Alex has now figured out the type of lycanthropic image that he wishes to tackle. This werewolf is most definitely of the traditional kind… more wolf than man, reminiscent of the creatures in great werewolf movies like The Howling and A Company of Wolves. Alex has refined the rough edges and settled on a canine inner-structure on which to build upon.
Here, Alex decides that a full-face werewolf staring straight at the viewer suits his needs better than a profile rendering. He lays out the basic facial construction in a diamond-shaped pattern, with an open mouth, bristling with fangs, an exposed tongue, and bestial drool dangling from the lower lip. The depth of the eye sockets cloak most of the eyes in shadow, leaving the orbs themselves as little more than reflective circles. Alex has elevated the image toward the top, providing ample room below for the cover text. This is the basic image Alex has chosen on which to build the eventual cover painting upon.
Taking the black and white image a step further, Alex scans the drawing and employs the computer’s digital paintbrush to add color. He fills the bottom half of the picture with black shadow and chooses eerie tones of blue for the werewolf itself, along with red hues for the inner mouth and tongue.
Alex now shifts into high gear. Having successfully mapped out the image he wishes to create through preliminary sketches, he now renders the image in an actual painting. Alex prefers oils over acrylic, finding it a more accommodating medium. Here the image of the leering werewolf grows more defined and detailed. Like most great talents, Alex works by instinct, adding the correct amount of off-scene moonlight across the cheekbones and around the fur of the ears, as well as battle scars on the brow and snout. Although Alex originally sought to depict the pupils of the beast’s eyes as merely reflective, like those of a dog, they appear to the viewer as though they are twin images of the full moon, which is just fine with Alex.
Here is the completed cover, complete with the text of the author’s name (yours truly!) and the title, which was masterfully rendered by artist Zach McCain. Looking closely, you can see several changes from the first image of the oil painting. Alex has added more shadow to the contours of the face, as well as lengthened the canine teeth of the upper fangs. Ever conscious of the most minute detail, Alex was concerned that the canine teeth were a bit too long and, had this painting been an actual werewolf, wondered if the points of the fangs would have pierced the beast’s lower jaw when the mouth was closed. In depicting both human and animal subjects in art, the artist must possess a working knowledge of physical anatomy, both inside and out, as well as realistic strengths and limitations.
So, there you have it… the finished product. The hirsute image of the perfect werewolf… courtesy of master artist, Alex McVey. And, fortunately for us all, a horrifying nightmare that will haunt us for a long time to come!
Well, it’s time to vamoose and close this edition of The Fear County Chronicle. I know I usually end with the Tomes of Terror Indie Horror feature, but don’t worry, it’ll be back next time with more fodder for your horror fiction-craving imaginations. In parting, be sure to beat the heat and take care of yourselves. Pour yourself a cold glass of sweet tea or a big ol’ bowl of home-churned ice cream (although the store-bought kind will certainly do) and develop a close, personal relationship with the A/C. Watch those chiggers, ticks, and skeeters, and if you hail from down South, you know the rattlesnakes have been right plentiful this year… so watch your step! See y’all next time around and, until then, Many Happy Nightmares!
Love the newsletter. Will you have copies of the chapbook without going to Scares that Cares? So many things to add to my collection.
Greetings from L.A. (Lower Alabama) ; ) I enjoyed the newsletter as always. Can't wait for book two of Dead Eye! The more monsters, the better. Especially southern beasties.