HELLNOTES has posted a fabulous review of my horror collection, Shades of Blood and Shadow.  Check it out.

Shades of Blood and Shadow is intelligent horror, which doesn’t mean it sacrifices emotional punch. Angeline Hawkes knows when to go for the gut, the jugular, or the heart; she does it with restraint and timing. There is a sense of place and purpose in her writing. She strikes the right balance between the blood and the shadow.

Good news! Daniel's paperwork is making its way through the Korean immigration system now. Barring any unexpected complications, we're looking at a probable arrival date of anywhere from 4 weeks to the end of December. The way things have been moving, we're hoping for somewhere around Thanksgiving!

Many people have asked so, since his impending arrival now seems like it's ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN instead of the waiting waiting waiting, I broke down and did a gift registry at TARGET.com. I'm assuming it shows up at the actual brick and mortar stores too. I haven't registered at Amazon yet, though I will soon. Target and Amazon were the 2 places people suggested. It's been nearly 10 years since I had to scrounge up things for a baby, lol, back then baby registries were new and I never used one. At least I don't remember doing it, lol. Another thing that goes after 10 years...all the former baby gear one once possessed and whatever was left of your mind. The online registry ships automatically to our address.


Target Registry ID Registry ID: 014399700798550

It's coming! My horror story, "Virgin of the Sun" will appear along with the other fabulous writers mentioned in the new Dark Regions Press anthology, Nostradamus' Fate and Other Dark Prophecies.

Stay posted for release date and information.

It's almost Halloween....everyone needs a bit of fright on Halloween night! Shades of Blood and Shadow is just waiting to fill that void! Paperback's on Amazon. Hardback from the publisher.

And, while I'm talking with you...in our adoption news, the next stage of the game we were waiting on, is now past. We received our I-600 application approval this week and are also logged into the National Visa Center! I'm hoping for more good news this week! Now we're waiting on the Korean Emigration Permit and to be logged out of the National Visa Center.

Send those prayers and good thoughts and vibes...we're still hoping to bring Kiddo#3 home in December [earlier would be fabulous!]

In the meantime I got a gig writing non-fiction copy which is doing great things for our Legal savings account for all the things we have to write checks for once we get our little man here! Busy as can be, but very grateful for the opportunity to earn some extra money.

Okay...so we're going to get some coffee and find a birthday gift for Chris's dad...it's a chilly Fall day outside!

PS. Christopher Fulbright announced his latest acceptance on his journal : Bad Moon Books will publish Chris' novella, The Bone Tree, in 2010. Yay!

Okay all of my crazed and fabulous readers! The paperback version of Shades of Blood and Shadow is now available on Amazon! It begins shipping very soon! Fabulous illustrations by the talented Tom Moran and 13 delicious tales of terror to tickle your fancy! JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN and Samhain!  Here's the backcover copy:

The palette of history and horror mingle in the hues of crimson blood and blackest death. The ghosts of the past mourn for lives unfinished, vengeance unfulfilled, and loves lost. The heart beats in a cacophony of anticipation and fear, echoing with the memory of those that once were, once danced, once believed.

Hues of fear, of woe and dying. Shades of death, of blood and shadow. Fallen women, queens, and angels. Angry men, ghosts, and devils. Life is woven in a tapestry of joy and sorrow; painted in the colors of pain, and triumph, and love. What artistry is found within the soul of every man -- some perfection, some wretched -- painted words and pictures of things glorious and of things unspeakable.   Angeline Hawkes writes with the fatalistic poetry of unstoppable history gone disturbingly wrong. -- John Everson, Bram Stoker Award winning author

Shades of Blood and Shadow represents only a taste of the hundreds of short stories penned by Bram Stoker Award nominated writer Angeline Hawkes. From ancient Mayans to the horrors at Chernobyl, she pulls you into the hearts and minds of fiendish creatures and tortured man. History offers up the wayward and the monstrous in this collection of ghoulish hues.

And some general blurbage:

Angeline Hawkes's … imagination seems to tend toward a Lovecraftian-meets-George Romero-in-a-dark-alley sensibility. -- Robert Butterfield, Necropsy: The Review of Horror Fiction

…Angeline Hawkes conducts an orchestra of creatures that are both bloody and sexy. You won’t forget this tour through historical horror; it’s a sumptuous smorgasbord for beasts craving variety. --Gregory Lamberson, author of Johnny Gruesome and Personal Demons

…every story is unique, and every story works. Angeline Hawke's writing is sharp, elegant and satisfying in the most deliciously dark way. -- Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Zombie CSU and Patient Zero

Angeline Hawkes…conjures dark and dangerous experiences, satisfyingly horrorific stories seasoned with sly humor, historical epics slipstreaming into alternate realities… hellishly inspiring, fantastically inventive, a collection of dark fiction impossible to forget! -- C. Dean Andersson, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of I Am Dracula, Raw Pain Max, and the Bloodsong Saga

Here's a sample story and the table of contents and list of illustration.

Other News:

We received our I-600A approval from immigration. We're now waiting on the next necessary approval, our I-600. Also waiting on Emigration Permit aka EP from the Korean end of things. The wheels are moving, slowly, but moving! This week we were surprised with 2 new photos and a medical report. We really hadn't expected any additional photos as we received 3 new ones from his first birthday well child exam...so we were THRILLED to have new photos. Getting new photos is a mixed bag. On one hand, we're elated to have a new look at his little face...heart aching to have him home...on the other hand, we're struck with the poignant reminder of how fast he's growing up without us around! It makes us want the wheels to turn even faster so we can bring him home and start the bonding process.

I got a mold for Sugar Skulls for this Halloween. I also got a mold for the Easter Sugar Eggs...but the skulls are going to be cool. The mold company left out the back of the skull, so I'm waiting for the other half to arrive. Should be fun. Making the skulls and eggs is something I've always wanted to try!

Well, that's my scoop for now.

BIG Congratulations to Christopher aka Christopher Fulbright for his honorable mention in Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the year 2008, for his story "Mechanix" which appeared in Bound for Evil, from Dead Letter Press.

This weekend is once again time for that most fabulous of all conventions, FENCON!! Here's my panel schedule: Friday  6:00 pm  Addison Lecture Hall Love me, love my neck! Description: What is behind the Renaissance of the Vampire? From Novels, to TV & the Movies. Some said it was a fad, but it's still going...

___________________________ Saturday  12:00 noon  Trinity 1/2 Meat And Blood Description: From Zombies and Vampires, people's fascination with the taboo diet in film and print. You might think twice before bringing your lunch with you to this one...

___________________________ Saturday  2:00 pm  Gallery 2:00 pm - Description: Autographs

___________________________ Saturday  6:00 pm  Trinity 3 Zombies. Vs. Werewolves Vs. Vampires:The Cycle of Fads Description: Interest in these paranormal characters seems to wax and wane - not unlike the cycles that seem to rule the habits of these paranormal creatures. What's hot now? What's cooling off, and what's the next hot trend?

___________________________ Sunday  2:00 pm  Pecan Discussion: Adopting an International or Special Needs Child Description: Angeline Hawkes and Christopher Fulbright host a Q&A on the process, the challenges, and rewards of adoption.

I should have copies of Symphony for the Forgotten. [Waiting for them to arrive via the mail] If not, I still have some Advanced Readers Copies that will be $5. We'll also have a few copies of the out of print, Blood Coven, by myself [Angeline Hawkes] and Christopher Fulbright. Our author table will also have copies of Spicy Slipstream Stories, Frontier Cthulhu and a few other books.

I won't have trade paperback copies of Shades of Blood and Shadow yet, but hope to have those next year for ConDFW in Feb.

In writing news: I've been busy querying agents and publishers for 2 novels. I have a 3rd ready to go out too, but I may wait awhile before sending that out as the other 2 are tying up all of the available parties that would also be interested in the 3rd. I'm also soon to be back at writing another novel that's about 1/4 of the way finished.

In adoption news: We're currently waiting on a September update on our kiddo. We're still hoping he'll be home in December. The cogs of the machine move very slowly and the wait is excruciating. Chris and I will have dvds, vhs, books, bunnies and lambs for sale at our author table as part of our fundraising this weekend too!

Some days all it seems like I do is wait...writing and adoption wise. lol.

In sewing news: I listed 2 holiday ensembles on ebay for Bleuette. And don't forget the adoption fundraisers of hearts, bunnies and lambs! I've got a Bambino gown set to list and am nearly finished with a dress from a 1930s McCalls pattern also for Bambino or 10 inch baby doll equivalent.

Yesterday I broke out the Halloween decor and decorated the inside of the house. Last year I was sick and we only really had decorations up for a couple of weeks, so since we got ripped in 08, I decided to start early in 09! lol. That and the end of this month is crazy busy with school and other commitments, so now was the best time!

Kiddo#3's bedroom is now mostly done. We have to do the closet rod/shelf, but for the most part the drawers are full, the toy box is getting filled up, the bookcase is getting stocked, and we can't wait to actually have the kiddo that the room is for!

So, that's my scoop. Come out and see us in Addison this weekend!

BLACK MERCY FALLS Coming in 2010 from Bloodletting Press

 

Christopher Fulbright and Angeline Hawkes are proud to announce that their new horror novella, BLACK MERCY FALLS, has sold to Bloodletting Press for publication under their Morning Star imprint in late 2010.

 

About the book…

 

The small Colorado town of Black Mercy Falls has a ghastly past. 

 

The folks who live there just call it Mercy Falls. And while the “black” part comes from the massive waterfall above the town whose waters run thick with black iron oxide, there are hushed suggestions that something diabolic is responsible. Tense whispers of the locals connect a list of missing children and teens with the old tale of Nehemiah Jacob, a mid-1800s pioneer who threw his deformed inbred children over the falls thinking that their deformities were caused by demonic possession, hoping the waters would cleanse their souls and release them to heaven. When he named the place Mercy Falls all those years ago, some say the waters were crystal clear. And when the darkness came, it came to stay. Is the waterfall haunted?  Possessed? Or is the town cursed with something that stalks its children by night?

 

Now the town’s namesake waterfall and the land that it’s on have been bequeathed to Lance Evans by his estranged uncle. But when Lance brings his pregnant wife and son to explore the inheritance, they scarcely have a chance to marvel at its beauty and settle in to the rustic cabin when good fortune is overshadowed by the dark legacy of Mercy Falls.  Pitting Lance against unknown forces, the truth is even more horrific than the rumors suggest as he fights for the lives of his wife and son, and mists of the past rise as tendrils from the shadow of tragedy that threatens to end it all, and take away once and for all the lives of those he loves. 

 

BLACK MERCY FALLS is the third horror novella by Christopher Fulbright and Angeline Hawkes, authors of BLOOD COVEN, which was released in 2007 from Dead Letter Press, and their 2006 debut novella THEN COMES THE CHILD, which was lauded by Gary Braunbeck, who said “if all extreme horror had this much grace, style, and intelligence, I’d read a hell of a lot more of it”; James Moore, who said it was “beautiful, dark, and disturbing as hell”; and John Everson, who pronounced it a “bloody good read.”  Please visit http://www.fulbrightandhawkes.com and the authors’ blogs for all the latest updates.

 

For more information about Bloodletting Press and all of their titles, please visit http://www.bloodletting-press.com.

 

SHADES OF BLOOD AND SHADOW, a collection of 13 stories by Angeline Hawkes, is shipping now!

Catch a review of the book at Pod of Horror

[if listening for review only, go to about 3/4 of the way through the broadcast]

Norman Rubenstein writes that the collection has "...relatable characters, interesting situations, plenty of conflict & drama...more than sufficient well-plotted & presented horror to keep readers sprouting goosebumps and running to turn on the lights no matter what time of night or day it is..."

He goes on to say: "The bottom line is that the book is filled with deliciously fun and chillingly entertaining stories that will provide hours of worthwhile reading at a most agreeable price."

First review...AWESOME review...of Shades of Blood and Shadow is in...Pod of Horror #55, if listening for the review by Norman L. Rubenstein, click a little past the half way mark. Very happy camper!!

Shades of Blood and Shadow ships this week!

Bloodletting Press will publish BLACK MERCY FALLS, as part of their Morningstar imprint, in 2010. The horror novella, by Angeline Hawkes and Christopher Fulbright, promises lots of atmosphere, thrills, and mystery as the reader discovers exactly what puts the black in mercy falls.

More info to come!

                

Okay, so I couldn't resist to Squirrelize my photos. I even did Shades of Blood and Squirrel...hmm, Shadow! lol. By the way, have you got your copy of Shades of Blood and Shadow yet? Well....they're selling out fast....you better get you one!  They start shipping next week!




Couldn't resist a Fulbright & Hawkes & Squirrel photo either!

 



Bunnies, and Hearts, and Lambs...OH MY!

They say to do what you know to raise money for your adoption expenses. I know 2 things: writing and sewing. I'm writing up a storm. AND I sewed one too...Check out my fundraising auctions!

Created from vintage/antique quilt squares, quilts, and embroidered doilies, runners and such. This is a fun way to reclaim/recycle lovely pieces that some woman spent countless hours working on in ages past! 

All proceeds go into our adoption fund to help bring our baby boy, Daniel Harding Gyeong-bin, home from South Korea!

Wow! The last week and a half has been a blur of activity what with school getting ready to start back up in one more week, writing/editing, and the news of our impending arrival! We were matched with a 14 month old boy [will be 15 mos on Monday]. Daniel Harding Gyeong-bin Fulbright will be home in 3-6 mos. It really all depends on how fast all of the paperwork gets processed by all of the various agencies involved.

My good friend since the dark ages back in high school, Pam, is coming by tomorrow to notarize all of our documents for our agency so we can get all of our ducks in a row on this end. Then it's sit back and wait until this form or that can be sent into the pipeline. Tonight we begin construction on the nursery wall. As soon as it's built, then I can paint the last mural and move all of the furniture into place, hang the valance, put together the dresser, and start putting clothes and toys away as they arrive in the mail. All of the grandmas and grandpas are on alert and a shopping blitz has begun!

We can't wait to have Daniel home!

In the meantime, I'm staying busy with all of the forms, etc that have to be filled out for the big kiddos for school. All supplies and clothes are ready and waiting. New lunchboxes await on the fridge. They are ready to go back. Kiddo#2 has already planned her "arrival" ensemble in detail. She will be The Cuteness as is expected. We're also getting ready for her upcoming 9th birthday here in a couple of weeks. All of the gifts are bought, I just need to wrap them and come up with the clues for the Birthday Treasure Hunt.

In writing, I've been editing a completed novel to send out. Sent another one out to a publisher and to an agent. After I brush up the one I'm just about done brushing up, I'll run the other completed novel through the "look over" machine, and then send it out. Then it's back to the grindstone on the new novel, as well as edits that should be coming in for a novella Christopher and I sold. More on that to come.

Sooooo, I've been keeping busy. Am hoping my tomato plants and cucumbers are going to start delivering here soon too. The jalopenos have been a bust this year. Last year they were constant producers.

Chris and I got back from the Dallas Comicon a couple of hours ago. Was packed to the gills this year! I scored a couple of Cryptkeepr figures and a Wilton spiderman head cookie/cupcake pan. Chris got some comics from his list to fill some run holes. Also a few paperbacks. No Buck Rogers figures or toys that we were looking for, however. Seemed to be less dealers, and more people this year.

Well, I'm off to work on Daniel's baby book and life book until it's time to start on the wall frame. Be sure to get your order in for SHADES OF BLOOD AND SHADOW   It's selling fast. Also will keep you posted on Inferno: Tales of Hell and Horror, also coming from Dark Regions Press. I don't know who the artist is yet, but Robert Weinberg  has written an awesome introduction for my all new horror collection.

Just heard...we have a baby boy! 14 mos old! More details to follow. We're so excited...and stunned....kids are dancing around the living room!

Just a got a copy of Shades of Blood and Shadow in today's mail. The artwork is really exquisite. The Deluxe and Limited editions ship this month. There are only 13 Deluxe versions...one of my favorite stories appears in the deluxe...wish it was in all of the versions! "Darling Clementine" is a twist on the old folk song with quite a different interpretation of the events that unfolded in those rocky mines. All of the versions have "The Woeful Tale of Fiona MacLean" -- a haunting tale of a rather sexy ghost. And, another favorite, "Incident Beside the Striped Tent: What the Fruit Seller Saw" -- a delicious little tale about a not so very nice demon. I'm absolutely thrilled by Tom Moran's spectacular illustrations. The cover art is from the story, "The Highwayman of Epping Forest"...creepy little ghoul, ain't he?

In other news, sent off my novel, Blood Alone, and am fine-tuning another, The Pestilence, to go out this week. After that, I'm getting Comes the Dark Horse into ship-shape condition and sending it out too. Then I start back at work on my latest horror novel which is a collaboration with a well-known author (not Christopher this time :) ) I've been very neglectful at sending the novels out to publishers...I like the writing part. lol. It's the submission part that I find exhausting! Christopher has our fantasy novel, The Priestesses of Banitu, it's about 10-15k words shy of being ready to be sent out as well. Got 5 other novels in various stages of completion waiting for me....busy worker bee.

In adoption news: we have a toddler we're interested in, but it's another committee deal, and there are other families interested in him.....so we have to go to the committee [or rather our file does...we wait for the phone call] and they decide which family is the correct one for the kiddo. It's a nail-biting, emotionally draining process. Naturally, we have our heart set on the little guy...but if we're not chosen we go back to waiting for a girl referral. This little one was very appealing to us, so we deviated away from our girl plan. We'll see how it goes. Keep us in our prayers. We should know something within a few weeks.

In the meantime, the summer is winding down. The kids are ready to go back to school. Clothes and supplies have been bought. New lunchboxes are waiting on top of the fridge. Christopher heads back too. And with the start of school, the new writing will begin for me. Christopher and I also have a new major publishing announcement that we're waiting to share with everyone too!

Well, that's my scoop! Off to edit.

Just listed 51 lots on ebay.

Tons of nonfiction books. History. Excellent resources for writers. Ghosts. Paranormal. Antique/collectible books. Celtic. Druid. Gypsy. Tudors. Various historical periods. I'm still listing books. I ran out of boxes, so today we may go on a box hunt so I can list the rest of the pile. Most of the books are in lots of 3 or more, grouped according to time period, topic, etc.

Also listed are tons of children's clothing. Girls sizes 6-8. TONS of girls shoes sizes 2 - 2.5 youth. Boy's clothing sizes 10-16. And my Bleuette and Bambino ensembles.

Chris is listing DVDS, CDs, VHS, and more collectible/rare horror, sci fi, fantasy, etc books. Check his auctions out here. He has huge lots of thrash, metal, rare metal, christian metal, death metal....keep him bookmarked if you're looking for these types of items because he has a HUGE pile of items he's listing as we get the boxes to pack them in. Seriously, folks....like a whole room full of good stuff.

We're serious about raising funds to bring our baby home from South Korea. If you know anyone who is interested in books and the other...please feel free to share the links!

Yep, that's me...the scandal causing Angeline Hawkes. Apparently, my new book, Shades of Blood and Shadow, coming from Dark Regions Press, and illustrated by the talented artist, Tom Moran...is too hot for MySpace to handle.

The photo of the book cover was deleted and when I inquired as to why, I received a form letter with a link to their terms of service and they told me the photo violated said terms.

I wrote them back to ask HOW it violated their terms of service. I got another form letter telling me that they thanked me for bringing this photo to their attention and that the account was scheduled for deletion.

Sure enough. Account gone. BAM. Just like that the big <insert cuss words here>. So, apparently under the MySpace terms of service a ghoul sitting on a log under a full moon constitutes some sort of lewdness. Next time, I'll be sure to have a big pair of bouncing boobies on my cover that way MySpace will be sure to NOT DELETE THAT photo...naturally, I sent them a scathing "You suck" email back and pointed out the strippers, porn stars, and all around cheap sluts that have everything but their nipple [and some nippluar action has been spotted in the past as well] posted....who knows. Whatever.

MySpace is Teh Suck anyway.

But, hey...I got the street cred now. I'm notorious. The book cover BANNED by friggin MySpace...YOU KNOW I'M BAD...uh-huh...banned by nudie stripper paradise MySpace...go figure!

So go buy a copy of the book [ships in August] as now that it's completely scandalous...I'm sure they'll be selling like hotcakes...flyin' off the shelves the world over.

In other news...we got our appointment to be fingerprinted by Immigration finally!! YayYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! I'm so excited! One more step in our journey to bring our baby home from South Korea!

Also, BIG NEWS coming about a novella of Christopher and mine that got accepted. More details on that soon.

So, that's my big scoop! Tomorrow I will be spending all day listing stuff on ebay for our fundraising efforts : kids clothes, nonfiction books mostly of horror, paranormal, haunting, history, and other miscellaneous items...I spent 3 days photographing and describing everything! Whew!

Big shout out to Randy Ray at Eerie Books in Wylie, TX too...last week was Steven E Wedel and Gabrielle Faust's Vampire vs Werewolf signing and Teh Hotness aka Christopher Fulbright and I stopped in to chat...Randy took all of the writers and the customers still in the store to eat at Texas Roadhouse and dropped a huge bag o'cash on the dinner. What an unexpected treat! BIG THANK YOU to Randy for his excellent AWESOMENESS...seriously, go check out his store. The ONLY ALL HORROR Bookstore in the state of TEXAS!

Eerie Books & Collectibles is hosting a book signing today at noon in Wylie, Texas, for Steven E Wedel and Gabrielle Faust in the first of their signings in their new Vampires vs Werewolves campaign. There will be a charity fundraiser for bats and wolves among the events. Come on out and see the writers!

Christopher aka Teh Hotness and I went to Bagwell, TX yesterday to do some research on the area for our Robert E Howard United Press Association zine. We canvased the town taking photos of this and that. We spoke to several local residents and gleaned as much information as we could. We also came away with quite a few resources and contacts, so that was excellent. I had a bad run in with a pickled hot sausage...who pickles sausage? Let's just say, I don't say, "Stop the car, I need to spit!" very often!  OMG...I didn't see the pickled part on the package. Just thought it read Hot Link Sausage...it was bad. Very bad. lol. Anyway, more on that later after the info comes out in our REHupa zine. It was a perfect day for it and a lot of fun!

Updates:

I've been busy working on this and that. My hiatus officially comes to a close on the first day of August. I have to make myself do these things or I'll work myself into an early grave. lol. We still haven't built the nursery wall. That is a priority before my writing starts up again. I need to have it finished so it's there waiting and I can worry about writing while we wait for the baby to come home. We still don't have a referral. Naturally, you and everyone's dog will know about it just as soon as we receive the referral for our baby girl. lol. I'm not exactly shy.

It's been a hot summer but with an unusual amount of rain. The garden is doing great, though the cucumbers have flipped out this year and have taken over...now if they'll just start producing cucumbers! So far we've had tomatoes and jalepenos. The strawberry plants are doing well too. We also planted 2 pear trees. They're holding their own back there in the yard.

Been doing a lot of sewing. I saw these nifty stuffed hearts and assorted stuffed animals created from vintage embroidered fabrics and quilt blocks and quil portions at an antique store and have expanded on that idea. I've been busy sewing hearts, bunnies and lambs, and also newborn baby shoes and plan to unleash them all on ebay when finished in a fundraiser called Sewing for Seona Belle Adoption Fundraiser. I have to finish all the things first. So far, I love the bunnies best....and the little baby shoes too, though they're the most complicated.

So that's my scoop really. Just been doing mom things and poking around at a few submissions. I'm lining up assignments and projects to start in on in August.

Shades of Blood and Shadow  from Dark Regions Press starts shipping in August too! 

Bleuette ensemble ebay auctions closing today...all have been marked down to $20 or less with free shipping.