Author's note: Terror Town, my second novel, was written before I had started my publishing company, Books of the Dead Press. Originally, the rights for the book had been signed away to two separate publishers, one was planning to release the trade paperback and the ebook while the other had dibs on the hardcover. After my publishing company was created I reacquired the rights before the book had been released. Terror Town is now available in paperback and ebook formats; currently there is no hardcover edition.Unlike my first novel, The Dead Parade, I wanted the plotlines in Terror Town to break some of the writing "rules" I had learned in school. I wanted to explore a little, and find out what happens when you add an extra amount of some components, and remove some of the others. I also decided to push the "horror" element up a notch, so the book is quite graphic once it gets going.I can now safely say that messing with the writing rules can bring mixed reviews. I've had people tell me that Terror Town is one of best horror books ever written, while others have said they hated it. Also, graphic violence, I've discovered, is something that many horror fans do not enjoy, which honestly surprises me. Somehow watching gory stuff in films is amazing but reading gory sentences is considered too much. Strange.One of my favorite books is Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot. The amazing thing about Mr. King's storytelling is his ability to make the reader believe that a town like 'Salem's Lot exists, with real people living within it. He sets up a lot of characters and makes sure to bring each of them to life. By crafting his story this way his town comes alive on the page. And later on, when he destroys the world he created, the reader feels it.That's what I aimed for--I created lots of rich characters, and I did my best bringing the town to life before knocking it over.There are too many stories with no "real" town, country, or planet. Too many tales where the author decides to obliterate something that had not yet been created. Saying "the city was overrun with monsters" is not the same as showing it.Terror Town is a BIG book--lots of characters, lots of plot lines, lots of monsters running wild in the streets. You know how everything turns crazy in the film, The Cabin in the Woods? That's how extreme everything becomes in Terror Town. There is an absolute TON of stuff happening, and the story develops into something that is as violent, gory, and as gruesome as possible. Also, there's a villain inside Terror Town that is the true embodiment of evil. The way his mind works is atrocious.So, is Terror Town the right book for you? I don't know.If you like the hardcore books from Edward Lee, Brian Keene, and Jack Ketchum... then maybe. But make no mistake... Terror Town is hardcore horror, not for the squeamish. Meaning, if you want your fiction to be soft and gentle, this is probably not the right book for you. But if you're thinking about walking on the wild side, maybe just once, strap yourself in... this book is it.Happy reading.~James Roy Daley

Terror Town

Literature & Fiction

Daley, James Roy

Genre Fiction

Books of the Dead

Collection Includes:The Exhibition: A screamer. My two main characters enjoy a night on the town and venture into a "One Night Only" exhibition called "The Horror Show". They find more terror than they can handle. The Confession: A throwback tale, reminiscent of Richard Matheson. George Lewis, arrested for murder, desperately explains that he's not the dangerous one. It's the man alongside the tracks the police should look for, the man the train rolled past... every few miles. Baby: The opening scene is a Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan romance. Could there be anything less threatening? Too bad Tom's a werewolf and Meg's pregnant. A full moon during the third term is anything but romantic. Ghost in my Room: Many of my stories are plot driven, but this one focuses on mood. Read it in your bedroom at night, while you are alone. Jonathan and the Perfect Ten: In this plot-heavy piece Jonathan Weakley is a small-town scientist that creates giant monsters. People are willing to pay good money to see his creations. He figures they'll pay more to watch the monsters fight. Of course, some of the townsfolk deem giant monsters a problem.. that's okay. Jon's got a plan to take care of the non-believers. The Hanging Tree: In the old west punishment comes swiftly, especially when the crime is murder. But the hanging tree has a terrible reputation, and what dies on the tree doesn't always stay dead. Thoughts of the Dead: A story like no other--a letter, typed by a dead man. As the living corpse clicks away at the keys some of his words are rooted in logic. Other thoughts, however, are a little tougher to interpret. The dead rarely stay focused... and there are better things for a dead man to do, than type. Summer of 1816: Mary Shelley is having problems in her personal life. She heads into a terrible storm searching for inspiration, and finds more than that. A monstrous man challenges her thinking and offers her a glimpse of what she desires most.Fallen: Business as usual during the zombie apocalypse. In this flash fiction piece we catch a glimpse of a man during his final minutes of life, and his first moments of death. It's a shame he's in no position to be reborn.The Relation Ship: I've recently been told this piece should be required reading in high school. Maybe because the tale is filled with metaphors and timeless imagery, and was scripted with a gentle touch. It is a hardcore fantasy piece, exploring the innocence of youth and the relationship between a man and woman. Or in this case, a young man and the mythological creature... Lilith. Suffer Shirley Gunn: One of my favorite sci-fi short stories is called Puppet Show, by Fredric Brown. In Puppet Show an animal speaks. What I enjoyed so much wasn't the talking animal, but the fact that I believed it. Suffer Shirley Gunn is my take on the hardest sell in fiction: talking animals. Humpy and Shrivels: When I'm asked to read a story at a writers convention Humpy and Shrivels always sits near the top of my list. I broke all the rules on this one, and wrote a nice big joke: two men sitting in a bar, one by one they leave for home, and enter the cemetery... but of course, the cemetery is haunted. The perfect yarn to share while sitting around the campfire.Curse of the Blind Eel: Of all the short stories I have written none have caused more of an uproar than this one. Some have called it the funniest story ever written. Others have threatened to pull out their eyes and jump in front of a streetcar. Vampire hunters enter Dracula's castle, problems ensue... and that's when the shit hits the floor. Literally.

13 Drops of Blood

Author's Note: Into Hell, my third novel, is an uncomplicated story--the tale of a woman looking for her daughter. It was inspired by the Silent Hill video games, which are straightforward yet terrifying. Here's the set up: Stephenie Page and her daughter Carrie are driving down an empty highway. They pull off the road at a gas station that has a restaurant attached to it. Carrie enters the restaurant in need of a bathroom. A moment later, when Stephenie steps inside the building, she discovers that the restaurant has become a slaughterhouse. There are dead bodies everywhere, most of which have been chopped apart with an axe. And the worse part of it is: her daughter Carrie is suddenly missing. Simple, huh? When I was writing this book I wanted to do something different than my first two novels. With my first novel, The Dead Parade, I crafted the story in a classic way. The story's structure is close to perfect. With my second novel, Terror Town, I decided to add lots of different characters and a handful of plot lines. The story is as complex as can be. But with this one, Into Hell, I wanted to keep everything very straightforward--there's only one storyline, and one thing to focus on. With every page the situation becomes a little worse, and a little worse, until the blood-soaked climax has been reached. By doing things this way I think I achieved my goal of having the reader feel like they were the one locked in hell. However, I found out the hard way, some people don't want to be locked in hell... (I guess I should have seen that coming.) A lot of people said they LOVED the book, and couldn't put it down. But others wanted more plotlines, which I can understand. Sometimes I've wanted to say, "You want more plotlines? Check out Terror Town; it's loaded with them." You ever see the Blair Witch Project? Some people adored that movie--they were right there in the woods with those kids, scared out of their pants. But other people weren't buying it. In their minds, the film was stupid. And let's face it--if you're not there, IN THE WOODS, the movie could be considered stupid. The characters are just walking around, doing nothing. How boring is that? I think, for some people, that's what happened with Into Hell. Some readers were THERE, in hell, LOVING IT. But others--for whatever reason--weren't there... and they, consequently, they didn't like the story. So, is the book right for you? If you love horror, and you're going to sit alone, putting yourself in the story, then yes... this book is right for you. But if you plan on reading it while sitting on the bus, getting interrupted every few minutes, then no. Don't bother. If you approach the book this way you will not be engaged and at some point you'll say that you didn't like the story. But I think the tale is a good one. I was very proud when I was finished writing it; I honestly felt that it was the best thing I had ever written. Now, a few snarky reviews have a way of making me question things, but then again, some people have read the book more than once. In the end, what do I know? I'm the author, so my opinion doesn't count. However, I'm still proud of this one, and I think horror fans should give it a shot. But make sure you read it alone...

Into Hell

The Dead Parade was my first completed novel, written shortly after I graduated from film school. It was published by Permuted Press as a trade paperback, then Bad Moon Books released it in a 'deluxe hardcover edition' with artwork by punk legend Eerie Von of the Misfits. The ebook rights had been originally signed by Permuted Press, but were later acquired by my newly formed publishing company: Books of the Dead Press. Of all the books I have written, a majority of people seem to connect with this one the most. I can only presume that people are drawn to the main character - James McGee - a man the reader can identify with and sympathize with, but travels a very dark road. His character-arc is well defined, his problems are constantly mounting, and his actions are far from appropriate. The book has been called, amazingly well written, a page-turner, and impossible to put down. It has been compared to Stephen King's early work many times, early Clive Barker a handful of times, and one of my publishers referred to it as 'the horror version of the movie Crank'. I've never seen that movie, but the comparison sounds okay to me. When I was writing The Dead Parade I focused on two things. The first thing I focused on was clean writing. I didn't want run-on sentences, I eliminated every unnecessary word, and I avoided all the literary BS that pulls the average reader out of the story, forcing the thought, What do those words mean? The other thing I focused on was storytelling--straight up, non-diluted, storytelling. And having just finished the writing courses in film school, I knew how to craft a story that could hook most readers. So what's the story about, anyhow? You ever see the Zuni fetish doll that terrorizes Karen Black in the film Trilogy of Terror? I had forgotten all about that movie, but once the book was released everyone kept saying my book was like that story, which was written by a hero of mine, Richard Matheson. In hindsight, I suppose that 'everyone' was right. During The Dead Parade my character James McGee gets a little monster resembling the Zuni fetish doll chasing him across the city, and while the monster chases him around he makes a mess of things, turning everyone in town against him. Making matters worse, James pisses off the wrong people while he tries to deal with his real-life problems. All this, as he fights an extremely serious infection that's making him bug-shit crazy. If you're thinking about buying this book, or reading the copy that's sitting in your 'to-be-read' pile, I can make the decision easy for you. If you want to lose yourself in a fast-paced thriller, this is the right book for you. If you want to read a book that focuses on literary wordplay, rather than story, this isn't the right book for you. Either way, thanks for your time, and happy reading. ~James Roy Daley

The Dead Parade

Dunwoody, David

Permuted Press / Swarm Press

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Books by Daley, James Roy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Daley, James Roy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Terror Town

13 Drops of Blood

Into Hell

The Dead Parade