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.

Since I’ve been asked, here is a list, as of now, of my upcoming releases/projects:

“Inner Goddess” Short Fiction appearing in The Book of the Dead (Jurassic London) October 2013.  Limited Edition (Mummified!) Hardcover now available for pre-order here!

The Legacy of the Gods Book Two: Hades’ Disciples (Seventh Star Press) December 2013/early 2014

“The Grove” Short Fiction appearing in Shroud Magazine #13 ( Shroud Publishing) TBA

Straightjacket Memories  New Short Fiction Collection!  (Seventh Star Press) TBA 2014

The Legacy of the Gods Book Three: Zeus’ Warriors (Seventh Star Press) TBA 2014

That’s the stuff I know about right now, but things are always in flux. LOL And it does not include the big announcement that keeps getting pushed back, but should be coming any day now. I will, of course, keep you all updated as things move forward or become available. And, as always, thank you all for your support!

Hardcover, pre-orders only. £29.99 each ($49.99 US).

Purchases limited to 2 per person.

The Book of the Dead addresses the most fascinating of all the undead: the mummy. The mummy can be a figure of imperial dignity or one of shambling terror, at home in pulp adventure, contemporary drama, or apocalyptic horror. The anthology will be published in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, the UK’s oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

This anthology includes nineteen original stories of revenge, romance, monsters and mayhem, ranging freely across time periods, genres and styles. The stories are illustrated by Garen Ewing, creator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer and introduced by John J. Johnston, Vice Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society.

Authors: Gail Carriger, Paul Cornell, Maria Dahvana Headley, David Bryher, Jesse Bullington, Molly Tanzer, Jonathan Green, Louis Greenberg, Maurice Broaddus, Will Hill, Glen Mehn, Jenni Hill, Lou Morgan, Sarah Newton, Den Patrick, Michael West, Adam Roberts, David Thomas Moore and Roger Luckhurst.

Intro: John J. Johnston

Art: Garen Ewing

• “Ramesses on the Frontier” by Paul Cornell
• “Escape from the Mummy’s Tomb” by Jesse Bullington
• “Old Souls” by David Thomas Moore
• “Her Heartbeat, An Echo” by Lou Morgan
• “Mysterium Tremendum” by Molly Tanzer
• “Tollund” by Adam Roberts
• “All is Dust” by Den Patrick
• “The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn’t, The Mummy that Was and the Cat in the Jar” by Gail Carriger
• “The Cats of Beni Hasan” by Jenni Hill
• “Inner Goddess” by Michael West
• “Cerulean Memories” by Maurice Broaddus
• “The Roof of the World” by Sarah Newton
• “Henry” by Glen Mehn
• “The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey” by David Bryher
• “Bit-U-Men” by Maria Dahvana Headley
• “Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies (Rooms 62-3)” by Jonathan Green
• “Akhenaten Goes to Paris” by Louis Greenberg
• “The Thing of Wrath” by Roger Luckhurst
• “Three Memories of Death” by Will Hill

100 hand-numbered, hardcover copies, with gold embossed titles on midnight blue buckram, dark cream endpapers. The Book of the Dead limited edition is bound (literally) in cloth and sealed in wax, impressed with the seal of the Egypt Exploration Society.

This edition also contains an exclusive illustration by Garen Ewing that will not appear in any other edition. Because of its unique construction, purchasers of the limited edition will also receive a copy of the ebook for free. 

 

Jurassic London is delighted to announce The Book of the Dead, a collection of new short stories, all themed around the most mysterious, versatile and under-appreciated of the undead: the mummy.

The Book of the Dead will be published in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, the UK’s oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

The Society’s Vice Chair, John J. Johnston, who provides the volume’s introduction, explains:

“The mummified remains of Egypt’s ancient dead have fascinated travellers, scholars and museum visitors for millennia and for around the last 180 years, they have provided a potent source of inspiration for authors, artists, and film makers. As an Egyptologist who studies the reception of ancient Egypt in the modern world, I view the fictional mummy as a compelling figure, lurking in the dark recesses of our collective imagination, having been resurrected and refashioned as the object of exotic fantasy; the tragic paramour, tortured by long-lost loves and, most frequently, as the terrifying instrument of ancient vengeance. As such, I am delighted to see this grand literary tradition continue in Jurassic London’s impressive and original collection of new, mummy-inspired short fiction, The Book of the Dead.”

The anthology collects 19 original stories, ranging freely across time periods, genres and styles. Paul Cornell takes an Egyptian monarch on an unusual—and contemporary – journey to redemption in “Ramesses on the Frontier”. Gail Carriger gives readers a peek into the history of the Parasol Protectorate series and the Tarabotti family in “The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn’t, The Mummy that Was and the Cat in the Jar.” Maria Dahvana Headley raises discomfiting new questions about the candy industry in “Bit-U-Men” and Jesse Bullington features a young man who finds an unlikely role model in “Escape from the Mummy’s Tomb.”

The Book of the Dead also contains new stories from David Thomas Moore, David Bryher, Molly Tanzer, Sarah Newton, Lou Morgan, Maurice Broaddus, Adam Roberts, Michael West, Den Patrick, Roger Luckhurst, Jenni Hill, Glen Mehn, Jonathan Green, Louis Greenberg and Will Hill.

The stories are illustrated by Garen Ewing, the creator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer, the acclaimed ligne claire adventure nominated for two UK National Comic Awards and currently serialized in The Phoenix.

The Book of the Dead will be released this October as a limited edition hardcover as well as in paperback and digital formats.

You want more? How about an early look at the entire Table of Contents?

• Maurice Broaddus—“Cerulean Memories”
• David Bryher—“She is Cleopatra”
• Jesse Bullington—“Escape from the Mummy’s Tomb”
• Gail Carriger—“The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn’t, The Mummy that Was and the Cat in the Jar”
• Paul Cornell—“Ramesses on the Frontier”
• Maria Dahvana Headley—“Bit-U-Men”
• Jonathan Green—“Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies (Rooms 62-3)”
• Louis Greenberg—“Akhenaten Goes to Paris”
• Jenni Hill—“The Cats of Beni Hasan”
• Will Hill—“Three Memories of Death”
• Roger Luckhurst—“The Thing of Wrath”
• Glen Mehn—“Henry”
• David Moore—“Old Souls”
• Lou Morgan—“Her Heartbeat, An Echo”
• Sarah Newton—“The Roof of the World”
• Den Patrick—“All is Dust”
• Adam Roberts—“Tollund”
• Molly Tanzer—“Mysterium Tremendum”
• Michael West—“Inner Goddess”

Read the full official post on Tor.com!