This short story was impossible to put down. Charles Brass is an expert at creating suspense in this richly drawn portrayal of an author, Gina, and her downward spiral into darkness. She is living alone after her sister moved out to be with her boyfriend. Gina becomes obsessed with her nit, a missing word from her latest story. With the submission deadline fast approaching, her obsessive nature builds and builds and with no one to ground her we follow her refracted logic to a conclusion that’s, shall we say, surprising and darkly satisfying.

Charles Brass has an easy and effective writing style. In this story, there is just one character and very little dialogue. For me, it added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Gina’s “nit” is so much more than a missing word. It represents an important part of her that’s missing. Perhaps a part that Gina’s sister had kept at bay before she moved out of their apartment. It represents a gap in her sanity that when left untended it develops, matures, and eventually distorts her reality.

All in all a very good read.

For more information, free excerpts, and to purchase a copy, follow this link:  http://www.twbpress.com/nit.html

I was very happy to receive my copy of Jupiter Magazine – Mneme in the post this weekend. My latest story “Mad World” is included. You can buy a subscription directly from the publisher here http://www.jupitersf.co.uk/ or in digital format from Amazon.

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Read on ReadWave.com

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Read on ReadWave.com

Readwave is a website where authors can upload their stories for free. It’s easy to share on social networks and the comments sections allow readers to give feedback. There are options for becoming a ‘fan’ of your favourite authors, or to just ‘like’ a particular story.

I tried it recently and was pleasantly surprised by the website’s simple eye catching design. There are some really great authors posting stories in every genre you can think of.

It’s a great concept and I’m happy to be part of the growing population of authors.

Here’s a link to my short story D.A.V.E. which just found its way into Readwave’s staff picks. http://readwave.com/d-a-v-e-_s1860

Hope you enjoy.

My story ‘Shadow of the Rain Catchers’ is now available for free at The Colored Lens website. http://thecoloredlens.com/?p=3973

Doubleshot Reviews gave Alien Apocalypse a “Triple” (I think that’s a good thing).  Check out the post here:

Alien Apocalypse – The Storm/The Hunger by Dean Giles.

I got a couple of bits of good news recently. First up was an acceptance in Jupiter Magazine, which will be my second story published in the British SF magazine. It is scheduled for release in their April issue next year. Exactly a year after The Post-human Condition was published.

Secondly, I received an honourable mention from Writers of the Future contest. This is my third HM so at least I know it’s not a fluke! I just need to up my game if I’m going to take it further.

It’s amazing how much boost I’ve got from this. Just when I thought it was all going nowhere… This is why I like submitting to WotF contest. The way they structure the results promotes optimism for those who came close but don’t quite make the cut.

Likewise, I can’t believe my luck getting a second story published in Jupiter. This particular story is one of my favourites. It’s called Mad World and is about (yup you guessed it) a world that goes mad.

I’ve been tagged by Edith O’Deer http://edithodeer.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/the-next-big-thing-tag-youre-it/  to talk about my next big thing in this chain-blog. Read on through these Q’s and A’s and you’ll get to see who I pass on the baton to…

What is the working title of your next book?  

This is a hideous insight to my chronic indecisiveness, but I’ve copied this directly from the Word document I’m writing my story in:

The Space Between

Dream Machine

Creep

Subliminal

Catch the Girls

And none of those will probably be the final title!

Where did the idea for the book come from?  

In a nutshell, from dreaming. But I guess it goes a bit deeper than that. Sometimes, when I’m really unlucky, I get sleep paralysis and a recent spurt of bad nights gave me the seed of an idea. However, I’m a little nervous the whole thing is beyond the point of weird and firmly in the realms of lunacy.

What genre does your book fall under?

Most of my stories have a sci-fi element, but this is probably closer to dark fantasy with a sci-fi touch. Crucially (for me), it also has a monster in it.

I like monsters.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Any actor?? Okay, my MC is a loner and has some issues he is trying to deal with in a slightly unorthodox, perhaps misguided, way. I’d have to go with Johnny Depp for the ‘weird’ factor.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?   

Disillusioned loner stalks the dreams of a beautiful stranger and stumbles upon a dangerously dark, and ancient, monster secret.

Will your book be self-published or represented by a traditional publisher?

It will probably turn out at around 15,000 – 20,000 words so I’ll throw it at a few genre magazines. For sure, I won’t self-publish.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Not even there yet. I’m only 5K in.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Not that I could ever compare myself to Stephen King, but the genre is similar

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Overdosing on Black Static Magazine

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?             

I enjoy writing a flawed character, and this one is flawed in a rather perverted way…

If you want to learn more about my stories please visit:

http://deangilessf.com/

http://deangiles.wordpress.com

And I tag:

In turn, I’d like to invite readers to visit the blogs of the following authors in the next few weeks to find out about their Next Best Thing.

Fellow TWB Press author Craig Jones, who has an awesome website here: http://craigjoneshorror.co.uk/