Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the new cover art by Natasha Alterici for Michael West’s new short-story collection, Straightjacket Memories!

Featuring 10 tales of horror, including both previously published stories and brand new ones,Straightjacket Memories will be released Friday in eBook format with a print version in trade paperback to follow one week after. Straightjacket Memories is Michael’s second collection of short fiction, following the critically-acclaimed Skull Full of Kisses.

On the new release, Michael said, “I am just so crazy about this collection! Gathered from various magazines, anthologies, and eBooks–some in print for the very first time–these stories represent some of my best work to date. I’m very happy with the way in which Seventh Star Press has put them all together, and excited that my faithful readers will be able to share in more of my nightmares and slightly twisted imaginings!”

Straightjacket Memories includes the following stories:

“Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite”

“Flowers in Winter”

“The Grove”

“Sandwalkers”

“In Vino Veritas” (Written with Tim Waggoner)

“For the River is Wide”

“Masako’s Tale”

“Hell’s Hollow”

“Inner Goddess”

“Unknown Caller”

The new release continues a banner year for Michael that saw his novel Cinema of Shadowsbecome a national bestseller in horror on Amazon.com and his Legacy of the Gods series take the next step with the recently-released Hades Disciples. For further information on Michael and his work, please visit his site at www.bymichaelwest.com

Synopsis of Straightjacket Memories:

There is a fine line between love and madness, between insanity and pure evil.

This is Michael West at his terrifying best! From heart-stopping horror to the strangest of fantasies — these are tales from the darkest regions of his twisted imagination! All the usual tropes are here — vampires and shapeshifters, ghosts and witches, gods and monsters, mummies and zombies — but none of them are exactly what you would expect…

A dream vacation takes a nightmarish turn when a couple finds they did not come home alone…

A man agrees to a meeting with his estranged wife and learns the horrible, obscene truth of the old saying: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…”

An American platoon, cut off from the outside world, discovers an unbelievable enemy they were never trained to fight…

And a man struggling with depression and grief receives text messages from beyond the grave, messages that push him to the edge of sanity…and beyond…

Ten more reasons to say your prayers.

Ten more reasons to check beneath your bed.

Ten more reasons why you may never want to close your eyes again.

About Michael West:

Michael West is the bestselling author of Cinema of Shadows, The Wide Game, Spook House, Skull Full of Kisses, and the critically-acclaimed Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

Writing keeps him sane.

Looks like I may have a new fan.  The website Beauty in Ruins just reviewed both of my short stories from the Tales of Harmony collection of Seventh Star Singles, “Good Night” and “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry.” 

Here’s a snippet of what they have to say about “For the River Is Wide…”

“It has that campfire ghost-story feel to it, and reminds me in some ways of an old Richard Matheson short. It’s creepy, suggestive, and frightening in its efficiency of words, but never tips its hand by actually showing you the monster. Skeptics are free to walk away and scoff at coincidence, claiming the power of suggestion, but horror aficionados know damn well to stay the hell out of the water.”

And here’s a bit of their review of “Goodnight”…

 “The depiction of the Grim Reaper is one of the best I’ve read in a long time, equal parts Stephen King and Tim Burton, and his confrontation with a young boy is chilling.”

And now it seems they can’t wait to read Cinema of Shadows and my new novel, Poseidon’s Children.  I can’t wait to see what they think of them!

Read the full review here.

Jennifer at Book Den just posted a new interview with me on my two Seventh Star Singles, “Goodnight” and “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry.”  We also talked about my upcoming novels, Poseidon’s Children, the first book in my epic, dark Urban Fantasy series, The Legacy of the Gods, and Spook House and Field of Screams, the next two Harmony, Indiana titles. 

Read the interview here!

Book Den is also giving away copies of all 8 Seventh Star Singles to three lucky people!  This contest will be open until January 31, 2012.  Good luck!

The Sci-Fi Guys have interviewed myself, Steven Shrewsbury, and Stephen Zimmer about our $0.99 short stories and other works available from Seventh Star Press.  They also rated my entries, giving “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry” 4 out of 5 stars and  “Goodnight” a 5 out of 5! 

Read the interview here!

If you leave a comment at the end of the post with your name and e-mail, you’ll have a chance to win a copy of all 8 stories!  Good luck!

The website Between Two Books is giving you a chance to win all the Seventh Star Press Singles e-Books, including my short stories, “Goodnight” and “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry.”  They also conducted an interview with me on everything from my favorite books and writing style to what I think of digital books and the current state of Horror. 

You can register to win copies of the short stories here!

And read the new interview here!

My newest short story, “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry,”  is now available as a $0.99 eBook for Kindle, iPad, and Nook!

In this never before published Tales from Harmony short story, it should be the best time of Becky’s life. Her studies at Stanley University are going well, and her boyfriend, Mark, has just asked her to marry him. But when she returns to her childhood home, Becky finds she must deal once more with the events of one horribly hot summer day, a deadly past that now threatens to steal all her future happiness.

Tales from Harmony short stories offer horror fans much more to experience in the Harmony, Indiana setting that is featured in Michael West novels such as Cinema of Shadows and The Wide Game.

Be sure to check out other eBook short stories that are part of the Seventh Star Singles collection!

As one year ends, another begins, like the chapters of a book that you just can’t put down, eager to see what happens to all the characters on the next page.  And let me tell you, faithful readers, there is a lot of exciting stuff coming on those next pages.  But before we look ahead, let’s reflect a moment on the story so far…

2011 was one hell of a year!  It was a rollercoaster ride of the highest highs and lowest lows.  On the high end, I signed on with Seventh Star Press and saw a record number of works published in various magazines and anthologies. 

“Sandwalkers” published in Fell Beasts

“Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite”  published in Shroud #11

“Masako’s Tale” published in The Beast Within 2: Predator & Prey

The Wide Game  

And last but not least, Cinema of Shadows.

The reaction from faithful readers and critics to Cinema has been especially rewarding, and I thank you all for your kind words and support. 

And for the lows?   Well, they were pretty damn low.

Sara J. Larson, a co-founder of Indiana Horror Writers, my harshest critic, my biggest fan, and one of my closest and dearest friends, has been battling breast cancer for over a year.  There was a time, after her chemo and radiation treatments, when it looked like she would be with us for years to come, but in the fall, her condition took a turn for the worse.  She is now in hospice, and her time is short.  For those who have had a friend or family member fight a losing battle with this disease, you know my sadness and my total feeling of helplessness.  She is in my thoughts and my prayers every minute of every day, as is her incredible husband, Bill.  If you have never had a cancer screening, please do so.  And give what you can to cancer research so that, someday, no one will have to go through this. 

Which leads me to 2012…

One of the projects I am working on for the new year is an anthology of Vampire fiction for Naked Snake Press called Vampires Don’t Sparkle!  The stories will be dark, and gritty, with vampires that do not mope or go to prom, and best of all…all proceeds from the sale of the anthology will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Sara J. Larson’s name.  The stories are in, and I am reading and editing like crazy, so I hope to have a table of contents for you soon.  If you are a fan of Horror, or you just want to help make a difference in the war on cancer, please buy or download a copy when it becomes available in the first half of 2012.

On a much lighter note…

Also coming in 2012 is the first novel in my Legacy of the Gods series, Poseidon’s Children.  This epic, four book saga has been a project that I have been toying with off and on since 1989, and I am so happy that Seventh Star Press is giving me the opportunity to be able to finally share it with all of you.  Look for the limited edition hardcover, paperback, and eBook versions of Poseidon’s Children to surface in March.

I also have three new short stories coming out in the next few months.  “The Grove” will appear in Shroud Magazine, Issue #13, “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry” will be released as a $0.99 eBook from Seventh Star Press, and “Unknown Caller” will be part of an amazing limited edition anthology from MHB Press called Cadence in Decay.

And last but not least, my next Harmony, Indiana novel, Spook House, will be released in September.

I will also be on the road quite a bit in the next 12 months, with appearances at Days of the Dead, HorrorHound Weekend, Fandom Fest, and Scarefest to name just a few.  Check my schedule throughout the year, as it does change from time to time.

Yes indeed, 2012 promises to be another roller coaster of a year!  Let’s hope there are more ups than downs for us all, and I look forward to meeting many of you in my travels.  As always, thanks to you, my faithful readers.  You are why I do this, and I hope to offer you more thrills and chills over the next 12 months and for many years to come.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!