Cover Reveal - Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires from the Sisters of Slaughter Rings in a Sinister Fall

Sinister Grin Press is thrilled to announce that the Sisters of Slaughter are back with us for another book, just in time to ring in the Autumn and Halloween season! Twin Lakes:  Autumn Fires is perfect for setting the mood and will appeal not only to fans of thrilling horror, but also small-town crime. The outstanding cover art we reveal to you here was done by artist Zach McCain. He captures the atmosphere and mood of the book, and the autumn fires, perfectly. We hope you love it – let us know!

The cover coupled with an excellent story brings about a book you absolutely need on your bookshelf this Fall. We also reveal the back-cover copy below the cover, so be sure to check that out too.

You can pre-order now at a discount to receive the e-book on the release date of September 30th.  A beautiful paperback will be available on release date.

(Pre-Order Link)

Now, without further hesitation, we present to you the cover for Twin Lakes:  Autumn Fires.

 

 

It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? In his own words, artist Zach McCain talks about how the cover came about through his mind and hand. Check out the work in progress below.

Creation of the Cover by Zach McCain

The direction for this cover was a campfire casting a shadow of a demon and some satanic looking runes worked in.  The tricky part was figuring out what this “shadow” could be cast on seeing that it’s an outdoor setting and how the runes would be worked into the image.  I did three quick sketches.

 

 

My first idea was that the demon’s shadow could be cast on a giant rock and that the runes would be chiseled into the rock.  The second idea was that the shadow would be cast on the ground and the runes would be sketched into the dirt.  And the final idea I had was that the shadow wouldn’t be cast on anything at all and just be darkness and that the runes would be made of sparks from the fire.  What ended up being chosen was the third idea.

 

When I started drawing the actual thing I got the idea that part of the shadow/demon would “bleed” into the empty spaces between the trees.

 

 

As the drawing progressed I started to add the runes to the fire and continued making the dark areas darker and the light areas lighter.

 

 

I initially planned for the image to have movement but when I looked at the final version I realized while it had motion there wasn’t enough to make me happy so I digitally adjusted the flow of the fire and the demon.

 

 

This was a cover that was difficult at the start but ended up being a very fun one to work on. I was quite pleased with the final product.

 

Twin Lakes: Autumn Fires

A campfire in the distance should be a relief to a victim on the run, but instead, it signals darkness and the doorway to evil….

When Liz accepts a ride from a stranger, she ultimately becomes the victim of a heinous crime. After fighting off her attacker, she stumbles towards a campfire in the distance and onto the scene of a violent murder. The terror of discovering a decapitated young woman is only the beginning, as when the shadows begin to move, she finds that this new killer has set his sights on her. He wants her to share in an autumn fire.

Meanwhile local law enforcement, along with a secret group of town founders, are working to solve the murders and end to the autumn fires. Can they stop the perpetrator in time before he gets to Liz? The ancestors have centuries of wisdom on their side, and yet, will it be enough to stop a murderer calling upon the power of demons to guide him? After generations of hiding, will their identity be revealed to the unsuspecting citizens of Twin Lakes?

From the Bram Stoker nominated authors of Mayan Blue comes a new tale woven to introduce you to the creepiest of towns. For fans of Twin Peaks, Wayward Pines, or the new Castle Rock, this one is sure to draw you in.

(Pre-Order Link )

Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason, Biographies

Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason are a twin sister writing team from Arizona. They have been writing together since they were little girls and have been dubbed the Sisters of Slaughter for writing a mixture of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. They’ve been published by Sinister Grin Press, JEA/Wetworks, Thunderstorm Books, Bloodshot Books, Eraserhead Press, and Fireside Press. Their debut novel Mayan Blue was released by Sinister Grin Press, earning a nomination for a Bram Stoker Award. They’re currently working on Silverwood: The Door with Brian Keene, Richard Chizmar, and Stephen Kozeniewski, which is a serial horror story put out through Serialbox, the HBO of literature. Check the sister writing duo out on Amazon for more details about their other projects and find them on Twitter or their Facebook Author Page.

About Sinister Grin Press

Sinister Grin Press publishes horror, fantasy, science fiction, urban, and western novels. Most of our books are so horrifying they’re categorized as “books that’ll carve a smile on your face!” However, we are very proud of our other genres as well. Please peruse our back catalog for an array of titles and follow us to learn about our new and upcoming books. We have some superb authors on board to offer you what we hope will be some of your best reads of the year. Find us at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kill Hill Carnage is a full-adrenaline ride like nothing else you’ll read this summer. From all of us at Sinister Grin Press, we can’t wait to share it with you on its debut of July 15, 2018, when it will be available in e-book and paperback.

Check out this amazing cover by Zach McCain, reminiscent of an 80s VHS release! We hope you like it as much as we do. You’ll be sweating on the beach for more reasons than one!

“Zach nailed the cover,” author Tim Meyer, said. “Love the design. I mean, this beauty captures the story’s tone perfectly. Just look at that mutant! Epic. Already have it hanging on the wall in my writing office.”

(PRE-ORDER HERE)

McCain, the cover artist, gives us a glimpse into the “making of” the cover so you can see the inside scoop and process. Thanks Zach!

The Making of Kill Hill Carnage

“I was very excited to work on this cover because I would have the chance to draw a monster, McCain said.  “It’s ironic that being an illustrator in the horror business I can count on one hand the opportunities I’ve had to put a monster on a cover.  I was really looking forward to this one.

The direction was to have a cabin or campground with a monster looming over it.  So I did a couple of very basic sketches.  The decision was to go with #1.”

 

 

“At first, I liked the basic pyramid composition of the #1 sketch even though it has been used countless times on horror covers but once I started doing the actual drawing it started to look stiff,” McCain continued.  “Like there was a lack of energy behind it.  I started completely over but kept the general composition intact.”

 

 

“I had the idea that the trees would blend into the veins on the monster’s body,” McCain said.  “Suddenly it started to look and feel much better to me.

As with most covers I do it’s always the beginning part of the process that is the most difficult.  Once I got the image looking the way I wanted the rest was just a matter of color.”

 

 

“Something that I was worried at first might look boring ended up being one of the more enjoyable covers I’ve worked on,” McCain said.

 

PRE-ORDER E-BOOK NOW

 

Kill Hill Carnage, Synopsis -

These woods are dark and full of monsters…

In 1991, hell was unleashed upon Saint Christopher’s Summer Camp for Kids. The killers left behind piles of bodies and rivers of blood. Some say a family of inbred cannibals was responsible. A masked psychopath with a butcher’s knife is another popular theory. Some still believe a camp counselor lost his mind and went crazy on everyone with an axe. But there’s also the mysterious, derelict factory that sits nearby, atop Kill Hill. A place where urban legends are manufactured, both the grotesque and bizarre.

Twenty-five years later, the factory on Kill Hill is still said to be operational, but no one can get near it. It’s safely guarded along with the secrets within. But there are a few loose strings and hitman Frank Harmon has been sent to tie them up. His kill list is short, but the night is long and full of unspeakable horrors. With the help of a few college students on an impromptu camping adventure, Frank must contain the mess at Kill Hill before it spreads to the neighboring towns. Before it infects the entire country. Before it invades the entire world.

From the fantastical, high-octane mind of Tim Meyer, author of Sharkwater Beach and In the House of Mirrors, comes his most frightening tale yet! Summer camp this year is at your own risk.

 

Tim Meyer, Biography -  

Tim Meyer dwells in a dark cave near the Jersey Shore. He’s an author, husband, father, podcast host, blogger, coffee connoisseur, beer enthusiast, and explorer of worlds. He writes horror, mysteries, science fiction, and thrillers, although he prefers to blur genres and let the stories fall where they may. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter as @timmeyer11, or his blog www.timmeyerwrites.com.

Media/Reviewers -

Digital ARCS will be available in July for those interested in reviewing, so plan your schedule now or put in an early request. Scheduling is also underway for interviews or features with Meyer. Please contact Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi at [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @erinalmehairi, if interested.

Sinister Grin Press -

Sinister Grin Press publishes horror, fantasy, science fiction, urban, and western novels. Most of our books are so horrifying they’re categorized as “books that’ll carve a smile on your face!” However, we are very proud of our other genres as well. Please peruse our back catalog for an array of titles and follow us to learn about our new and upcoming books for 2018. We have some superb authors on board to offer you what we hope will be some of your best reads of the year. Find us at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Cover Reveal: Under the Bronze Moon is SGP First Fantasy Release of 2018

Sinister Grin Press is very excited to reveal the cover for our first fantasy title of the year, UNDER THE BRONZE MOON, by Richard O’Brien. It will be published on June 15, 2018 and available in e-book and paperback formats.

This adult fantasy novel is a beautiful literary work of art that will take you through time via flashbacks, but you’ll always feel in the moment with these characters who’ve set their course on redemption. We hope fantasy readers who love the great works of literature in history will appreciate this novel.

Learn about the creation of the cover here and be sure to let us know what you think!

“I was fortunate enough to be presented with a few different ideas from Zach regarding the cover for Under the Bronze Moon,” said O’Brien. “Then came the cover that changed everything. As soon as I opened the image, I thought this is absolutely the right cover for several reasons. The cover captures the overall otherworldly aspects of the book. In addition, the lone figure standing before the moon is done in such a way that his identity remains a mystery—perhaps symbolizing three different characters who witness firsthand, at various points in the story, something that is not supposed to exist. Lastly the giant moon, rather feral-looking as it dwarfs the lone figure, represents the magnitude of a long-held secret that is revealed within the story.”

Creation of Under the Bronze Moon
by Zach McCain, artist

The direction for this cover was a bronze colored moon rising over the horizon and a man standing in front of it.  The author mentioned liking a series of covers done by another artist, so I looked her up and tried to do something in a similar style.

  

The author ended up choosing to go with my traditional style artwork instead.  I did a simple thumbnail sketch which was approved.

I worked so quickly on this one that I forgot to take progress shots along the way.

The finished image:

Next, I did a few different versions with text and this is the one that was finally approved.

It took a lot of different ideas and drafts before getting rolling but once the sketch was approved everything came together very fast.

We appreciate Zach working so hard to produce such a phenomenal cover for Richard’s glowing literature. Fantasy fans don’t want to miss out on this one.

Under the Bronze Moon, Back Cover Copy –

In Under the Bronze Moon, Professor Harold Miller discovers the otherworldly inspiration for the late writer R.J. Hyatt’s only published novel, The Land of Dust and Honey—a long, dense exploration into an alternate world discovered by a soldier of The Great War and a young girl from a different century. When his publisher tasks him with locating a ‘lost novel’ by Hyatt, the scholar travels to meet Hyatt’s literary estate heir, May Weldon.

There he learns that May wants his assistance in her passing from this world. For his help, Miller is rewarded with a well-guarded treasure and access to the fabled world from which Hyatt drew his inspiration. For a scholar who devoted his adult life to R.J. Hyatt’s work, it is a dream fulfilled. How long the scholar will remember his life-changing experience, after May is gone for good, is something else altogether.

Pre-Order Kindle Version Here

Richard J. O’Brien, Biography –

Richard J. O’Brien’s stories have appeared in 13 Horror, Disturbed Digest, Encounters Magazine, The Del Sol Review, Vicious Circle: Season One, and other publications. His novels include The Garden of Fragile Things (Vagabondage Press, 2015) and Infestation (Sinister Grin Press, 2016). Richard lives in New Jersey. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. When he’s not busy writing, he teaches writing and literature at Rowan College at Gloucester County and Stockton University. Find out more on Richard J. O’Brien at his website.

Media/Reviewers -

Digital ARCS will be available soon for those interested in reviewing, so plan your schedule now or put in an early request. Scheduling is also underway for interviews or features with O’Brien. Please contact Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi at [email protected] or find her on Twitter at @erinalmehairi, if interested.

Sinister Grin Press -

Sinister Grin Press publishes horror, fantasy, science fiction, urban, and western novels. Most of our books are so horrifying they’re categorized as “book that’ll carve a smile on your face!” However, we are very proud of our other genres as well. Please peruse our back catalog for an array of titles as well as follow us to learn about our new and upcoming books for 2018. We have some superb authors on board to offer you what we hope will be some of your best reads of the year. Find us at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.