The Awakening

brettmcbean — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:46:36 +0000

Announcing my new novel, The Awakening, coming soon from Tasmaniac Publications.

For as long as he can remember, fourteen-year-old Toby Fairchild has been afraid of the strange old man living across the street. Along with the rest of the kids in the small Midwestern town of Belford, he sees the reclusive Mr. Joseph as the local bogeyman.

Mr. Joseph’s life is an unhappy one. The memories of his past fill him with deep sorrow, and the kids of Belford have long been afraid of him, what with his unusual features and awkward gait.

However, when Toby accidentally discovers the remarkable truth about Mr. Joseph, an unlikely friendship develops. Over the course of the summer, Toby will come to know about pain and death; loss and the meaning of freedom, as Mr. Joseph recounts the incredible story of his past back in Haiti. A story laced with voodoo spirits, slave plantations, evil sorcerers…and zombis.

Toby will learn that monsters do exist – though not always where you expect to find them.

Quotes taken from Ray Garton’s introduction, It Came From the Wrong Side of the Tracks:

“(Brett McBean) lures us in and settles us into a story that is not designed to make us scream and hide under the covers, but one that lingers after we’re done reading it and haunts us.”

“(The Awakening) has a heartbeat and a grip that pulls you in and keeps you from getting away.”

Introduction by Ray Garton

Cover and internal illustrations by Erin Wells

Limited to 200 copies. Signed by all contributors. 450 pages. $40 US

To secure a copy, send a blank email with TA in the subject heading to: tasmaniacpublications@gmail.com

Jungle Mania

brettmcbean — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:28:50 +0000

Attention all writers! Tasmaniac Publications is running a writing competition, to coincide with the release of NEIGHBOURHOOD JUNGLE. To find out more, read on:

To celebrate the second release of Brett McBean’s Jungle trilogy, Neighbourhood Jungle, Tasmaniac will be holding a short story writing competition.

Here’s your chance to further expand Brett’s apocalyptic vision of nature destroying modern civilization as we know it, and maybe carving yourself a slice of infamy under this dangerous canopy, for the lucky winner will see their story published in the final instalment, Suburban Jungle, as well as receiving a set of the trilogy in hardback form.

Stories need to be set around a year from when nature stamped its authority on the world, to coincide with the novel’s timeline. With a word count around 5000, we’ll be looking for stories with well thought out characters thrust into a story worth telling – whether they’re struggling to cope with their new found environment or quite the opposite.

Submissions will be accepted from now until mid-July.

Send as a word document, double spaced with standard text, along with ‘Jungle Mania’ in the subject heading to: tasmaniacpublications@gmail.com

Hardcopies are also accepted and can be sent to:
Tasmaniac Publications
P.O. Box 45
Hagley
Tasmania 7292
Australia

Best of luck to all entries…and remember, it’s a jungle out there!

Welcome to the Neighbourhood

brettmcbean — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:11:29 +0000

I’m thrilled to announce that the second instalment in the ‘Jungle‘ novella series is now shipping.

Six months have passed since the arrival of the New World. A world plunged into primitive living overnight.

Within this wild and dangerous landscape live two types of survivors: those attempting to restore civilisation, a sense of order and normalcy; and those who have embraced the jungle, governed by new rules, doing anything to survive.

For the group living in the remains of a supermarket – now a make-shift hospital and refuge – their attempts of a safe, ordered life have so far been successful. There’s an adequate supply of food, with injuries and maladies being treated as best as possible by the local doctor. Their main concern is the gang living in the ruined Blockbuster across the river. As wild and untamed as the jungle that has taken over the once-thriving suburban shopping strip, the gang kidnap and murder at will, hanging what remains of the dead from a nearby fast-food sign.

So far they’ve left the small community alone, but it’s only a matter of time before the gang’s blood lust brings forth a deadly confrontation.

In the jungle, only the fittest survive. Welcome to the neighbourhood.

Limited to 180 signed & numbered soft covers ($14 US) and 26 lettered hardbacks (sold out) , order your copy direct from Tasmaniac for free shipping within the US & AUS. Simply send a blank e-mail to: tasmaniacpublications@gmail.com with NJ in the subject heading.

The Mother ebook

brettmcbean — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:11:57 +0000

For all Australian readers: my second novel, The Mother, is finally back in print (well, digitally speaking…). To download the Kindle edition, go here.

Two New Interviews

brettmcbean — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:20:21 +0000

One in English: Should Have Killed the Blog

One in German: Fantasyguide

I Went To The Last Motel…

brettmcbean — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:13:52 +0000

Imagine if my novel THE LAST MOTEL had really been an early ’80s horror movie; an Australian-made low-budget exploitation flick in the vein of Motel Hell or Friday the 13th. That it had fallen into obscurity in the years following its release in 1981, and more than twenty years later I had written a movie tie-in novel.

Well, that’s exactly the premise the folks at LegumeMan Books and I took with the re-release of my first novel.

Since my novel was heavily influenced by low-budget horror movies of the ’70s/early ’80s, we thought it would be fun if this re-release tied in with the cinematic nature of my book. Initially the publishers and I were simply going to design the book in the mould of a movie tie-in, and leave it at that. But the more we talked, the more we liked the idea taking the concept further and actually creating a faux trailer, poster, lobby cards…

So no, there was no LAST MOTEL movie; no ‘Butch’ Callaghan and no Brazilian video containing the only known trailer for the movie. Everything you see in the offical website was created by the talented people at LegumeMan Books (with a little help from me and some friends). The trailer was filmed by us up at Creswick in April, 2010. The cast (including Butch) was played by our friends (I played the corpse!). The music was composed and performed by myself and Matthew Revert. The poster, lobby cards and video cassette were all created specifically for this re-release.

Apologies to anyone convinced this was a real movie and were hoping that one day a copy of this long-lost movie would turn up.

Still, we hope this re-release concept will be taken in the same way the book was written – with a sense of fun and entertainment, and with tongue lightly pressing on cheek. With that in mind, here is the IMDB page for the ‘movie’ THE LAST MOTEL: THE LAST MOTEL (1981)

And here is the trailer: THE LAST MOTEL TRAILER (YouTube)

Lastly, the official website for the movie that never was: The Last Motel – The Movie.

Keene To Close The Keenedom

brettmcbean — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:12:12 +0000

Soon, the message board mecca that was The Keenedom will be no more (Brian lays out his reasons here). As a result, I will no longer have a forum, and will not likely have another anytime soon. However, I will still be posting all of my writing and publishing updates here, and if you’re on Facebook, I’ll be using that as my substitute message board. Here is my Facebook page, if you’re interested in ‘friending’ me.

Check-In Once Again at The Last Motel!

brettmcbean — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:13:30 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that the new edition of my first novel, THE LAST MOTEL, has been released. However, this isn’t just any old re-release. This edition from LegumeMan Books is a true novelisation of the lost 1981 Australian horror movie, complete with a reproduction of the original cover art and 18 pages of movie stills and never before seen production photos! With no known print of the film in existence, this novel will be as close as most people will ever get to actually watching this brutal horror movie. Available in trade paperback, ebook, and special lettered editions. For more information, visit the LAST MOTEL page. For more information about the movie and the book’s history, visit Last Motel – The Movie.

Last Motel Lettered

brettmcbean — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:29:27 +0000

The lettered edition of LegumeMan Books’ re-release of THE LAST MOTEL is now available to pre-order. This will be a truly unique package: along with a signed copy of the book, you also get reproductions of the lobby cards, movie poster, full-length soundtrack and the movie trailer. All this comes housed in a VHS case. For more information, and to pre-order a copy, go here. There will be only 26 copies of the special lettered edition produced, so hurry before they’re all gone!

Vincent Preis Awards 2010

brettmcbean — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:00:56 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that my novel Die Mutter (The Mother) has come in 2nd place in the German horror literary award, Vincent Preis (Vincent Price), for ‘Best International Literary Works 2010′. Sitting among the likes of Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Joe Hill and Simon Clark, I must say I’m humbled and awed. Thank you to all of my German readers for voting for Die Mutter.

Vincent Preis Awards 2010