So, it looks like Amazon is having a temporary sale on some horror titles and Buried Tales of Pinebox got included.

So, if you were unsure about getting the book before, now would be a good time to scoop it up for only $9.86. Stories from David Wellington, Jess Hartley, Derek Gunn, Shane Hensley, Jason Blair, Filamena Young, Monica Valentinelli and more.

We spent a few hours exploring the Henry Vilas Zoo today. I had never been and it had been several years since darkshiver had stopped by (and they had done extensive remodeling since then), so it was pretty much a new experience for both of us.

It was pretty hot this afternoon so most of the animals were passed out in the shade if they could be. You could tell some of the kids running around were a little disappointed (even the grown up ones), but I didn't mind so much. I'd be lounging in the shade too if I was stuck in a cage.

We took a few photos and I'll get them posted as soon as I get the chance to download them from the camera. My favorite was probably the giant Tortoise, but the Lions were a pretty close second.

Today is the last day to get your entries sent in for the Send a Friend to Gen Con Indy 2009 contest.

We've had some great entries so far, but could always use a few more.

There are lots of great prizes including games, novels, music and comics.

Bill Bodden's Little Nightmares series continues at Flames Rising. This week Bill takes a look at Privateer Press and some of the minis they are offering for fans of horror and dark fantasy:

Little Nightmares - Privateer Press

Lots of other new Reviews at Flames Rising have gone up recently as well, including: Testament of Longinus, 23 Hours, Slaughterhouse Five and Street Magic.

The Send a Friend to GenCon Indy 2009 Contest continues with great prizes from Pelgrane Press, Nox Arcana, Abstract Nova, 12 to Midnight, Wizards of the Coast and more! Nominate a friend to win a GenCon badge and a bundle of books! We just got some signed limited edition comics from Arzynart Multimedia added to the prize pool.

People often say that there are no such things as monsters. They are wrong. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and other unnamable horrors co-exist with us. Watching us. Using us. Preying upon us.

Welcome to Pinebox, a sleepy little East Texas town with a lot more than its share of trouble. Whether it's the haunted diner luring weary travelers, the unexplained 'alligator attacks", or the crone who just might be hexing neighborhood kids, trouble always seems to be hidden just below the surface. Buried, but not forgotten.

This collection includes horror fiction from:

* Jason L Blair
* Preston P. DuBose
* Trey Gorden
* Derek Gunn
* Jess Hartley
* Shane Lacy Hensley
* Charles Rice
* Monica Valentinelli
* David Wellington
* Ed Wetterman
* J.D. Wiker
* Filamena Young

Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas is now available in eBook format at RPGNow.com for only $4.99.

Order a print book at Midnight Cellar or Paizo.com.

The latest contest has been posted to the Flames Rising website:

Send a Friend to Gen Con Indy 2009!

We have a very cool prize pack that includes a free, 4-Day pass to the convention and some gaming gear from some awesome publishers. Since Gen Con is centered on friendship and fun, we want you to recommend a winner for our contest! That's right, tell us who think should win and why. Details at the link above.

Flames Rising would like to thank these generous sponsors for donating prizes to this contest. Stop by their websites to check out some of the products they offer to fans of Horror & Dark Fantasy entertainment.

Gen Con LLC - www.gencon.com
Abstract Nova - www.abstractnova.com
Pelgrane Press - www.pelgranepress.com
Cubicle 7 Entertainment - www.cubicle-7.com
Nox Arcana - www.noxarcana.com
12 to Midnight - www.12tomidnight.com
Arzynart Multimedia - www.arzynart.com
Jennifer Brozek - www.jenniferbrozek.com
Alex Bledsoe - downinluckytown.blogspot.com
DrivethruComics.com - www.drivethrucomics.com

We are going to be giving away a prize pack that includes a 4-Day pass to Gen Con Indy, Shadows Over Filmland from Pelgrane Press and music from Nox Arcana.

If publishers or authors are interested in adding other material (books, pdfs, t-shirts, etc) to the prize list for this promotional let me know. We will be linking to the contributing publishers/product pages in our press releases and forum posts and generally making sure everyone knows about the very cool stuff that is up for grabs.

Shoot me and e-mail or catch me on IM if you are interested.

Preston posted over at Flametoad that the boxes of Buried Tales of Pinebox should be arriving from the printer later this afternoon.

The book also got mentioned on the Pinnacle website this week.

Drop by the Buried Tales website to listen to some audio previews by some of the authors and check out other features. There is also a free preview available now at DriveThruHorror.com.

Flames Rising's Chapter One Preview of Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti

12 to Midnight's free Buried Tales Preview

One Bad Egg's The Half-Dead Half-Price Sale

I'm putting the finishing touches on my demos for Madison Games Day.

I'm running 3:16, Aletheia and Hunter: the Vigil. I've also got an open slot at the end of the day to either run something else or join a different game. Should be a fun time.

amanofhats is running a playtest of Little Fears: Nightmare Edition I'm looking forward to.

Other folks will be running some Savage Worlds and a couple of board games. Sounds like we will have a pretty good mix of games to pick from.

I recently signed Apex Book Company up on DriveThruSciFi.com. They uploaded their first title, Open Your Eyes by Paul Jessup yesterday and more are on the way.

We've got some very cool things in the works for the DriveThruFiction sites, including new logos and some fresh design updates. I'm also working with some new publishers for more books and other goodies...so stay tuned.

Lots of new reviews have been posted to Flames Rising recently. A good mix of comics, fiction and games. A few highlights: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, The Revenants by the Wildclaw Theatre (Yep Ken Hite is writing reviews at Flames Rising now) and Horus Heresy: Mechanicum by Graham McNeill.

Alana has been following the current story arc in Top Cow's Witchblade comics. So check out her recent reviews.

We have a new fiction preview on the site this week. Apex Publications has sent us the first chapter of Orgy of Souls by Wrath James White and Maurice Broaddus.

We havew more previews on the way from Apex Publications 12 to Midnight, Tachyon Publications and more.

Friday darkshiver and I went to Takumi's for sushi to celebrate my birthday. As always the service and food was excellent and I can't wait to go back again for more.

darkshiver is at WisCon for most of the weekend (it is in Madison, so she did not have to go far). I've been busy working on reviews and my dark fantasy novel. I also hit the trails at the Edna Taylor park for a bit after it stopped raining yesterday. I went back again today for a bit more hiking.

I've got to remember to bring the camera tomorrow. Plenty of great wildlife to try to capture on film.

I have 3 Twitter accounts currently active:

@DriveThruComics - This one is mostly updates on the DriveThruComics site (new products, reviews, etc) and general chatter about comics, super hero movies and all that cool stuff.

@flamesrising - This one is updates on the Flames Rising site (new reviews, fiction, etc) and general chatter about horror books, games, movies and all that.

@mmm666 - This one is my general account where I will be babbling about writing projects, volunteering at the Nature Center and stuff that does not fit in the above two accounts. This one will probably also be updated the least, since I'm fairly active on the other two and eventually get tired of updating Twitter.

I started volunteering at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center this past Saturday. I pulled weeds and helped build a fence around the new Oak Savanna. It was hard work, but we managed to get a lot done in one day. I'll be back for more projects and possibly helping out with some of the classes they offer over the summer.

This week is a lot of work on DriveThruComics.com and the Fiction sites. New publishers, new marketing and other projects.

Feature trailer for Blood: The Last Vampire:

The Buried Tales anthology of horror and supernatural fiction transports you to the rural town of Pinebox, Texas, where secrets are buried but the dead don’t always stay that way.

Buried Tales includes stories by Jason Blair, Preston DuBose, Trey Gorden, Derek Gunn, Jess Hartley, Shane Lacy Hensley, Charles Rice, Monica Valentinelli, David Wellington, Ed Wetterman, J.D. Wiker and Filamena Young.

Stop by the Buried Tales website to check out author bios and to pre-order the book today at Paizo.com or the Midnight Cellar.

Sneak previews and other updates will be available soon, so stay tuned.

Be sure to check out The Raven's Report for an inside look at the strange and mysterious events happening in Pinebox.

We went to Westfield Comics for Free Comic Book Day today. I picked up promos from Radical, Alterna, Dabel Bros, Marvel and Studio 407. I also purchased some Angel (Smile Time #1) from IDW and Mouse Guard from Archaia Studios Press.

There was a sale at Frugal Muse going on as well, but I only found a couple of things worth picking up (good news for my wallet).

A little later billzilla met darkshiver and I at Westgate Mall for an reading/signing with Alex Bledsoe. Alex read from Blood Groove and told the audience a little about the writing process that went into the novel.

A busy and fun day. However it is good to be home now. Maybe I'll get a little writing done this weekend...we shall see.