Today Dan received a new review of his novel, Samhane. We both sat there reading it in a stunned silence. Why? Because it really was a gushing review of Samhane. Here's the review from Scary Minds: http://www.scaryminds.com/reviews/2011/book86.php Here is his review from Shroud Magazine: http://shroudmagazinebookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/samhane-stygian-press-by-daniel-i.html And finally, his German review: http://www.phantastiknews.de/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2596%3Adaniel-i-russell-samhane-buch&catid=42%3Arezensionen&Itemid=62 And to top off all that, to make the year even better still, Dan has been told that he has definitely got a job! Yes, it is a very promising year thus far.
Here are the photos we have of Dan's novel cover. I just have to share them, as they both look so wonderful! This is the front cover for the American/English version of Samhane, which is now on sale. yay! The back cover for the American/English version. This is the author bio and pic for the American/English version. And here is the photo of the book on the publishers book shelf! This is the German version of Samhane, which is on sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. These are currently in Austria with the publisher. Individually wrapped too! Dan's contrib copy is finally on it's way, while the other 4 contrib copies are off to potential reviewers. Aren't they sexy covers?
Really excited, my partner got an article in our local newspaper about his novel release in the US, Germany, Austria and Switzerland! The interview was done over the phone, but the guy came to our house and took his photo for the article. Here is the link if you are interested in having a read. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/southwest/a/-/entertainment/8559045/bridgetowns-own-horror-story/
On Daniel I. Russell's desperate flee from the Cult of Zandathru, he has landed in America. He found safety in the home of poor Rebecca Besser, who foolishly left her bathroom window open when she headed off to the shops late lastnight. If only he knew how twisted this woman was, maybe he'd of just hidden out in the shed. Rebecca Besser, who, while seems sweet and innocent on the outside, just wanted to talk about flying brains, preferred weapon choice and how I would want to die! I think something's wrong. Maybe the God of Chaos has already started to change people here? Will Daniel make it out alive? Will he become a victim to her torturous ways? Only time will tell... http://daniel-i-russell.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-world-tour-date-4-ohio.html http://blog.rebeccabesser.com/2010/11/15/interview-with-daniel-i-russell-and-his-book-samhane.aspx
After much waiting and excitement, the draft cover for the Eglish/U.S. version of Samhane, is revealed! Now, just be aware that this is NOT the finished version. Danny Evarts, of Shroud Magazine, is still working on all the fonts, shades and lighting, and there is still the blurb to go on as well. The artwork on the cover is by Patrick McWhorter, and my gosh, this guys work is AMAZING! I mean, if you look at the attachment below, you will see just how much detail this man puts into his work. I was amazed by just how much detail he has put into this painting. Anyways, for more information on the book and for any other updates from Dan, or to kill a few minutes reading a blog, follow the link below. Have a great one all! http://www.daniel-i-russell.blogspot.com/
With only one week till my mother and father in-law arrive, things have been pretty hectic around the New House! Not only have we been moving beds around, but we've also been battling a major infestation of the dreaded millipede! *yuck!* There are that many, that I was having nightmares about them, thinking they were going to get into our beds and climbs all over us in our sleep! *shudders* Lucky though, they have not. Or I'd of packed up and left by now. LOL! I am going to call in the Pest Control to take care of the problem, because the entire town is just crawling with them, literally! It's horrific! It's something you'd expect in a horror story, or movie, not in your own home. They are really that bad. I wish I was just exaggerating. I hoovered this morning, and within an hour, there were another 30 that had come through the front door. I have even found them in a pair of my socks that I got clean out the draw. I can't take much more of them. They are taking over our entire property in hoards! Outside I hosed the patio down as there was that many I couldn't stand looking at them anymore, and 2 hours later, you'd not even think I had cleared them away. Disgusting little pests they are. I constantly have to watch Tobin as he has picked one up in the past and almost had it in his mouth. I'd hate for him to eat one... EEEWWWWWWWWWWW! I feel sick just at the thought of that.... If anyone knows anything to deter them, that's natural, let me know. I'd much rather that then call in the pest control. But I haven't come across anything that works as yet... be nice to though. Today we also got news that the English version of Samhane is coming closer to being ready and the cover should be revealed either tomorrow, hopefully no later than the middle of next week! Very exciting! The artist did such an amazing job with it, and it was truly wonderful to see the painting change so much from the first image we received. Along with the revealing of the cover, the publisher will be setting up for pre-orders. YAY! It's so exciting watching the entire process of a novel being published. I don't know who's more excited about it all, Dan, or myself! hehe! Other good news is that our mystery fruit tree is now loaded with CHERRIES! LOTS AND LOTS OF CHERRIES! Best part, they are now beginning to ripen! yay! We also have a plum tree, an apple tree, a mandarin tree (which has been pillaged since we moved here), a pear tree and two peach trees! YAY! My kids love fruit, and I spend so much money on it every week, so I'll be savings a lot of money once they are all ready for picking. We have also saved money with our electricity! YAY! This house is just so economic it isn't funny. I love this place so much! If only it had another bedroom, then we'd never have to move again. hehehe! Anyways, for the latest blog tour post and for more news (which will be appearing either tonight or over the weekend), stop by Dan's blog. http://daniel-i-russell.blogspot.com and for his latest interview (should you just want to skip ahead to that) http://shaunjeffrey.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-blog-has-been-hijacked-by-daniel-i.html
This month has quickly become a very busy month for my family and I. With Dan's novel, Samhane, due out any day now with Voodoo Press and Stygian, he's been busy, busy with a world blog tour. He started off visiting The Ginger Nuts of Horror blog, then over to Sarah Masters blog, all the details are here - http://networkedblogs.com/9Tf1a Anyways, not only have we had all that going on, but I've been busy, busy around the house in preparation for Dan's parents arrival on the 20th! I can't wait. Yesterday we got the swing set sorted out, and we also put up a fence around our back patio for Tobin, as he'll be walking soon, so we wanted a safe and enclosed area for him to play in outside. Next is the bedrooms... I've begun with Amity's, getting rid of 90% of the things in her room, then onto Mason's and finally Tobin's. I also have the shed to do. I know the kids will be upset losing a lot of their old toys, but once they realise that their toys are going to be going to other children who have none, they will quickly get over it and be happy with what I've done. They are very giving children and love helping out others in need. Well, I'm procrastinating once again, avoiding getting stuck into the hard work of getting rid of belongings once again. hehe! Sorry I'm not around to do the job I'm meant to as a reviewer, but as you can see, with Marketing for Dan and preparing for his parents arrival, and making our yard safe for the kids and snake free, I've become a very busy woman and will be for the next month at least. Hopefully I'll be back in full swing and doing my job here once again!
Exactly one year ago today, Daniel decided it was time to show the kids the place he works at. They had been very curios as to his work place, as it was in a town 30 minutes away from home, and they had always been really sad about Daddy leaving for work. So we all got in the car, and drove to the high school to show them around. It's funny really, because it was Halloween, and I was pregnant with our first child (Mase and Ami were to a previous failed relationship). When we got there, all was fine, we were all in good spirits and the kids were over excited about seeing Daddy's work place. We walked around the side of the school, and they had just finished redoing the driveway, so the rocks were still a bit loose. Daniel warned the kids not to run, as they may slip on the rocks and hurt themselves. Famous last words!! Next thing we knew, Daniel's feet were slipping out from underneath him, so he tucked his shoulders in, as he knew he was going to go down, and he began to roll! OH MY GOSH was it hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing! But the really funny thing was, whilst laughing at Daniel, something truly wonderful and amazing happened! My waters had broken. I didn't realise it at the time, as it was only a trickle, as Tobin's head was so far down, only a trickle could pass through as his head moved slightly from all the laughter. hehehehe! But I definitely felt something weird happening. I shook it off and we continued on laughing as Daniel got up and we continued onwards. Halloween night, I started thinking it was a bit weird, this trickle, but we dismissed it and went to bed. The following day, the same thing happened, so we phone the hospital and spoke to Sharon, the most wonderful midwife in the entire world! She told us that we had to come up right away. So we packed the kids up and left them with a lady I was friends with at the time (sad that we are no longer friends, and that this truly miraculous event would be the end of such a wonderful friendship.) and headed off to the hospital. The doctor rushed in and did some tests, and yes, it was confirmed, our little miracle child was on its way. He did a quick ultrasound and the worries began as I was contracting, but couldn't feel them, and our baby was extremely tiny for 37+ weeks. He quickly sent me back to my room and phone the Bunbury hospital as he wanted to send me there via ambulance, incase our baby had breathing difficulties, or problems with his heart rate during birth, due to his minute size. We began to really worry by this stage. We ended up with 3 midwives that day, due to the high risk factor, and Bunbury told my doctor it was too dangerous to send me in the ambulance, as with a strong contraction, our baby could arrive in the ambulance, and it could be very risky. So we had to stay put (secretly, we were very happy as we didn't want to be away from home) and deliver where we were. But things weren't progressing and my waters had been broken for far too long now. The risk of infection had become far too high and our baby had to come out as soon as possible! I was quickly hooked up to a drip and they began to induce me, very slowly. Only 1 ml at a time, as the risk of the babies heart rate changing too much, would cause major complications for his birth. I was also aware that pain relief would make him drowsy and affect his heart rate and breathing, so I refused it all! I wanted to be fully alert, and wanted my baby fully alert too. Even with the drip, not much was happening, and they had to suddenly slow it down, as the babies heart rate spiked! I was freaking out, the staff were freaking out, Dan was freaking out. The baby had to be born soon, and talk of a Cesarean were mentioned. I was scared, petrified, and had no idea what was going to happen. But Dot, oh how amazing she was as a midwife, told the doctor that the drip had to go up and up and up to full strength and the baby HAD to come out. Oh gosh how I wish she didn't say that. It bloody HURT! And without pain relief, my gosh that was agony! After a while she said to go to the toilet and the drip would be going up again in strength. I seriously didn't want that and when I got back to the bed, I told her I needed to push. She rang the doctor and yep! It was time to start. I began pushing and the doctor arrived. I was so glad he was there. I wanted the baby out asap! I remember the doctor saying to Dan and Dot, that with a few more pushes, the baby would be out. I thought to myself stuff that! I'm doing it NOW! And said to Dan, "I don't want to push 3 more times. I want it out now!" So with a lot of determination, and my baby co-operating, I gave one almighty huge push, and yes, our little babies head was out! Another and his shoulders were out and the doctor yanked the baby free. "Congratulations, you have a baby boy!" He got Dan to cut the cord, I was so proud and took our baby boy away to clean him up, then I got my first cuddle of my little angel. I just wanted to cry. I was so happy. The doctor even told us he was perfectly strong and healthy and he was amazed at just how strong and healthy for his teeny tiny size. I remember showering and hearing him crying, and thinking, 'sod going out there to the crying baby, this shower is amazing!' but when I got out and saw my little baby boy, Tobin Ian Russell, I was so glad I got out. He was so amazing, and gorgeous, and honestly, looked like a grumpy old man. I remember being totally exhausted and unable to feed him myself through sheer exhaustion, so the midwife gave him some of my expressed milk, and took him away to feed him and give him extra formula so he was fed and strong. When I woke up that morning, Dan had gone to get the kids from our old friend, and Tobin was brought to me. I had no idea what to do with him, did I feed him? Hold him? I'd never been given my baby so quickly before. They were always in ICU. I was really nervous, but soon I had settled into having my baby beside me and enjoying him. Dan came back with the kids, they met their new baby brother the first time and life as we knew it would never be the same again. Tobin will now be 1 year old in just 2 days. He has brought concern over time with his health, as any baby does, he has brought laughter and sheer joy into so many peoples hearts, and continues to do that every single day. It really was a truly wonderful and amazing experience to bring my third child into this world, and I can tell you now, being a parent is the most rewarding job in the world. I can't wait to celebrate his 1st birthday on Tuesday, the 2nd of November. I love my little man so much and so proud of every tiny little thing he does. Today marks a very special moment in time for myself, my family, and my friends. Today truly is a very special day! Anyways, thanks for reading this blog post. I just had to post about it, and share with people how truly wonderful this day is for myself, and everyone I know. Many hugs to you all, and a very happy Halloween!
Well over the last week I've been busy, busy. With Tobin turning one on Tuesday, I had to hunt down a cake to make, and I've found the perfect one! A tiered circus cake. Yup, it's perfect! We took the kids to the circus last week and they loved it. I was surprised just how much our little 11 month old actually enjoyed it. They didn't have lions and elephants, tigers and other dangerous animals. They had geese, dogs, horses and cows. It was really good. The animals don't exactly do much, nor what they are told to do, but it was really great to see the kids enjoy it so much! This week, things have been pretty hectic. Dan's been writing more shorts and sending them off, and he also received his first blurb for his his novel, Samhane, from none other than Fran Friel! Horror lovers rejoice--you're about to be scared...or scarred. Russell's well-crafted nightmares will haunt you long after you've closed the pages of Samhane! --Fran Friel, Bram Stoker Finalist-MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES She told Dan via email that she really enjoyed the read, which ultimately, is what every writer wants to hear! The German version of Samhane is going well, the publisher has informed us that he is sending the documents to the printer next week for a print preview, so the book should be out in German within a few weeks! Very exciting! The US version is just waiting on the last few blurbs, then the layout master will be able to get the cover finished so it can go to print. The interior layout has been done and we were really pleased with how amazing it looks, so the cover we know, will be even more amazing! I've also been out getting my garden ready. Why? Because the other day there was a snake up the road (still debate over the snake. I thought it was a Tiger Snake, someone else thought it was a Dugite). It had been run over and was dead on the road, but it had a distinctive yellow belly. It took 2 and a half hours to do the tiered gardens, I've just got the front to do now. It's exhausting, because this is all grass and weeds. We can't just spray it, and can't mow it, so I'm out there with a Brushcutter, cutting away at the weeds. Which is painful, because the vibration really hurts your arms! Plus, I only get the time in which Tobin is asleep to do it in, as I've no one to watch him while I am in the garden. Then two nights ago, our new neighbour came down to tell us her dog had bailed up a snake in their yard that day. So now we know the snakes are out, we are doing everything to get the yard to a point where we can see under EVERY single tree. Gotta make it as safe as possible for the kids. And on a real high note to end my little rant, Tobin has taken hisfirst 3 steps! Yes! Little baby Tobin is finally taking his first steps! His first steps were taken 6 days before he turns 1. So very proud of him and can't wait till he is up and running around getting into everything. Will be loads of fun! Anyways, that's me this week. I am sure Dan will be posting his own blog about his blurb and how his writing is going this weekend. http://www.daniel-i-russell.blogspot.com/
Hello old friends, it's been a while since I spoke to you all last, hasn't it? There has been a lot going on over the last year and there haven't been enough hours in the days to see me get around to visit and say hello. The last year has seen many changes for my family. I had a baby, little baby Tobin, who came into this world weighing in at just over 4lb, and now... there is only 11 days until he turns the big 1! Where the heck has this year gone? I've no idea. I can hardly believe he is almost 1 year old. Soon, he'll be a baby no more, and will transform into a walking talking toddler, driving us insane with getting into everything and trying to run away from us at every chance he gets. I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun! These last 12 months have also seen the demise of Manji Towers, and the rising of our New House, with the Giraffe BBQ! Yes, it looks like Giraffe spots. hehe! The kids also changed schools, and Dan is still working as head of science at the local high school. It's been great. My 6 yr old has improved his grades and my daughter is loving her new classmates, no more bullying for her! YAY! Me? What's new with me you ask? Not much at all really. I've been doing homework with my oldest, my 5 yr old is writing stories and illustrating them herself (so impressed with her work actually) and I've been teaching Tobin to read. Tobin? To read? Yeah, he is only 11 months now, but it'll set him up for the right start! It's so much fun! He's also learning maths. But yes, this is my grand return to these here boards of the writing forum. I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing and thought I'd try my hand at writing some poetry once again and hopefully, I'll get back to it in the next few months. I've plenty of ideas, but that is only half the battle, getting it to paper is the hard part. I'm reading a book at the moment called: Rhyme's Reason, by John Hollander at the moment, and it's quite good. I've learned a good few things about rhyming that I didn't know before. (yup, you can teach an old dog new tricks!) So much to say really, but you can only keep a persons interest for so long before they wish you'd just SHUT UP! hehe! Me? Shut up? It's hard! Very hard! I'm so bad for getting going with a conversation now, and just never shutting up. I swear I could talk the ear of an elephant of late. There is just so much to talk about! (there I go again, ranting away at random dribble. Terrible!) So yes, hello everyone at WF.org. I hope that the last year has seen you all well and hopefully I won't be so strange... such a stranger from now on. Sherie