This Halloween marks two decades since my Bram Stoker Award-winning first novel, Grave Markings, was published by Dell/Abyss Books. The story dramatizes a tattoo artist’s descent into madness, and the subsequent “artistic” killing spree that results.
I was fortunate that ten years ago, it was reprinted in a fancy leatherbound and collectible hardcover run by Delirium Books — but only the most die-hard collectors could afford to acquire the tenth anniversary edition and that great book is now rare and long out of print.
This year, happily, the novel has been resurrected by Raw Dog Screaming Press in a special 20th Anniversary Edition for a new generation, in affordable format available in ebook and trade paperback!
Grave Markings XX is available now, whether directly from the publisher or on amazon.com or through your favorite retailer. This new edition includes 50 pages of bonus material — articles I’ve written about this book over the years, as well as a batch of short stories — tattoo tales I wrote for biker magazines in the early 1990s. There is also an exclusive link in the back of the book that points to a secret page of online extras, for those interested in more!
There’s an excerpt and more info on my books page if you’re interested in learning more. And for a limited time, the publisher is also offering a raffle on goodreads for a lucky reader who wants a signed copy.
Fittingly, there is an early release party (and “Bizarro Horror” event) to be held in an art gallery (the Terrault Contemporary) this Saturday, 10/25/14 — free and open to the public — in Baltimore, MD, at 7:30pm. Raw Dog Screaming Press will have copies on hand for those who want it first. I will also have some copies on-hand at my reading at Rickert & Beagle Books in Pittsburgh on Oct 28th.