On Amazon, Mary thought Apocrypha Sequence: Deviance was a 5 out of 5, with this comment:

I really loved this story [sic - technically, a collection] and am looking forward to reading the sequels. Keep [sic] me on the edge of my seat.”

Deviance also picked up some love at Barnes & Noble. One 4-star review was simply titled “weird and gory” (awesome!), and another anonymous reviewer said of Deviance:

I liked the first story, Hear No Evil, the best. Interlude, With Lavender was good too.”

The latter comment really brightened my day. “Interlude, With Lavender” was a kind of connective story in my Stratton Memorial Hospital sequence. I hesitated about including it in Deviance because not much really happens in the story, but I took the time to rewrite it from its original form, and I was fairly happy with the results. I kind of expected people to hate the story, or at least be ambivalent about it, so it’s heartening to hear at least some people enjoyed it.

Linda rated The Smoke Dragon 5 out of 5 on Amazon, and had this to say:

This novella is perfect for anyone looking for a quick read and a good time. The story-line is intriguing, and the flow and rhythm of the piece (though simplistic) stirs the imagination and muse of the reader. An excellent tale. It leaves you hungering for more!”

Thanks, Linda! As I said in my last news post, there will *definitely* be more stories in the Adventures of Yamabushi Kaidan.

And lastly, on Amazon, Amy had this intriguing (and somewhat perplexing) 4-star review of Rage Against the Night:

Rage Rage against all disease of spirit and body! Stories range from scary to cynical inducing chicken skin smiles and even unexpected gag reflexes and shrieking. Rocky must truly rock at his core to have inspired such an anthology. RAGE ON!!”

I don’t know what a chicken skin smile is (and should I?), but for the record, Rocky does truly rock at his core. He’s done more than most people would suspect to promote horror in Australia and internationally.

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A promotional blurb in my ebooks touted that the first novel in the series, Circle of Tears, would be published in 2012. Well, apologies to the fans, but 2012 has come and gone. However, the battle between Yamabushi Kaidan, Akio, and Yumi and the evil forces of the Circle of Tears WILL be chronicled in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future.

I’m currently working on a young adult horror novel set in the Australian outback, but in the second half of 2013, I plan to return to Circle of Tears and I hope to have it published before Christmas. Before then, my fingers are crossed that both my forthcoming collection, The Abandonment of Grace and Everything After, and the horror novel I mentioned, Blood Red Dirt, will published.

2013 has brought about in me a renaissance. I’m fitter, stronger, happier, and perhaps most importantly, I have a renewed determination to write, and I want to reward the small but amazing group of fans who have been following, reviewing, and appreciating my books. I’ll detail more on special fan-only exclusives in the coming months. I’ll also expand the Yamabushi Kaidan page on this website to give more depth to the characters and setting.

In the meantime, I’ll update my Yamabushi Kaidan ebooks to reflect the changed publication date for Circle of Tears.

Thanks for your patience!

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I’m excited about this story, as I always look forward to returning to my Ravenous Gods cycle (there are many, many missing pieces to Calder’s backstory, which I’m looking forward to filling in.

So what is “Dreams of Destruction” about?

A terror cell known as the ‘Reign of Terror’ has surfaced in Australia. Backed by the savage power of Kurpannga and its Dreamtime monstrosities, and masterminded by a madman from the past, the terrorists attempt to detonate a supernatural weapon of mass destruction at a meeting of world leaders in Perth, Western Australia. If successful, their bold plan will cause worldwide chaos and devastate much of Australia and Asia. Opposing them, mercenary Captain Max Calder and the alluring Professor Momochi infiltrate the cult to bring it down from the inside – with a bang.

Yeah, Max Calder, Cthulhu Mythos, yakuza, and Dreamtime dingoes. I’m gonna rock this one! It’s a nice way to ease myself back into writing.

I should have the story finished soon, and then I can provide further publication details.

The Ravenous Gods pages gives further background on this series of stories.

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Here is a selection of those amazing reviews…

Cameron on Goodreads said:

This collection of short stories really blew me away. The man writes some really great characters, but what I love about this collection is that he creates a whole sort of mythos around the character, and then gives us just a glimpse inside it. Each story has a richly thought-out background, and we step in as readers just when it gets juicy for the character, the height of their experience within it … and then the author pulls us right back out again.

I love stories like that, but I definitely want to read some of his longer works to see how much he can draw out and develop a set of characters and their situation beyond just a handful of (e-)pages.

I’ve bought the other three books in this Sequence and am VERY MUCH looking forward to reading them.

Matthew on Amazon said:

I first discovered Cummings in a Scott Nicholson collection of short dark horror stories [SJC - Gateway Drug]. I liked his morgue story so much that I decided to see what else he had to offer in one of his own collections.

Deviance is a collection of very disturbing and very creative short dark horror stories. They’re mostly chilling without being over the top in terms of gore and shock value which I found to be a refreshing change of pace. A lot of writers in this genre tend to lean too much on shock value in order to make up for thin stories. That’s not the case with this collection. The atmosphere and deranged goings on serve as a dismal backdrop for the characters and how they react to the sick twisted world they inhabit.

Very good stuff.

Jennifer on Goodreads said:

This compilation of short stories is sure to please fans of the macabre, fantasy, and outright madness. I preferred some stories over others as is common with a collection of shorts. Fans of this collection will be delighted to know that the Kindle edition of this book is currently free on Amazon. Additionally delightful is that there are 3 more books in this series at low cost on Amazon for the Kindle. The author is from Australia. I stumbled upon this book by accident and am glad I did. I now have a new author to add to my list in the horror and macabre category. Enjoy. And happy…nightmares.

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the kind words. More importantly, I appreciate that people I don’t know, people who aren’t peers or connected to the Australian small press (my previous haunt), are reading and enjoying my stories! Ebooks are providing a genuinely global avenue for work from authors such as myself to be enjoyed.

If you’re interested in reading Deviance, you can download it for free from Amazon and elsewhere. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts! If you enjoy Deviance, you will certainly enjoy the other three volumes in the Apocrypha Sequence (Divinity, Insanity, and Inferno)

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In the meantime, all my ebooks are cheap as, bro!

Everything of mine, with the exception of Rage Against the Night and my free books, is now just 99c! ALL OF THEM! 99c!

Find ‘em on Amazon and Smashwords.

In the same spirit, Rage Against the Night and other Brimstone Press ebooks (including Macabre and The Last Days of Kali Yuga) are on sale throughout January. More details on the January Brimstone sale can be found on the Brimstone Press site.

Grab these special books at super-cheap prices while you can!

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