S.M. Douglas

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HorrorNews.net Publishes Glowing Review of Apex Predator

I am absolutely ecstatic to say HorrorNews.net has just published an enthusiastic and positive review of my new novel Apex Predator, offering the following praise:

“It takes mere paragraphs to become addicted to author’s unique style and infectious story telling prowess…pace is swift… rare commodity for one to stumble across… mesmerizing conclusion… vivid description… pulse pounding action… borderline poetic and the crystal clear imagery inspires the suspense fanatic in each of us… eloquent grisly, gory and gruesome prose. Douglas evokes an unsettling level of skin crawling hysteria for even the most cynical of readers…one cannot help but squirm with unease and maybe double and triple check that the locks have been secured for the night. Rest assured Apex Predator is not your Uncle Ned’s Werewolf story. It’s invigorating, innovative and refreshing to see an age old premise composed with a brand new edge…will jump at the chance to embark upon another S.M. Douglas odyssey.”

Needless to say I am beside myself at landing such a wonderful review (though for some reason they refer to me as “him” and not “her” but whatever, I’ll take it in exchange for an endorsement like this from such a highly regarded publication). For those that don’t know, HorrorNews.net is perhaps the number one website for all things horror. It is consistently ranked by Alexa as one of the top four horror related websites as well as one of the top horror websites of all time. This is so cool.

For more of the review see here – http://horrornews.net/117285/book-review-apex-predator-author-s-m-douglas/

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Here’s my recent interview with werewolfbook.com

Yesterday I did a short interview with fellow horror author Brian Ferenz over at werewolfbook.com. We touched on several topics. These include: where my initial interest in werewolves arose from, the role both World War II and the city of Detroit play in my book, some modest tips for aspiring authors, my take on the importance of cover design, and more! What other authors might also find notable is that I did the entire interview via Twitter (where Brian found and contacted me) – a lesson in and  of itself regarding the importance of social media in terms of getting the word out there about your work.

Please check out the interview. It’s a short read and Brian also has interviewed several other author I think werewolf fans will find interesting. These include one from yet another Michigan based werewolf author – Joshua Werner. There seems to be a bit of a werewolf renaissance in the mitten state, so don’t forget to keep your silver handy if you come to visit!

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Maybe Kate Beckinsale Really is a Vampire?

So…I’m just throwing this out there because it’s been like fourteen years since the original Underworld movie and Kate Beckinsale hasn’t aged a bit. Maybe she really is a vampire. I mean, here she is in the original Underworld (from 2003):

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Is Kate Beckinsale a vampire?

Here she is in promo shots for Underworld 5 – being released on my birthday later this week!

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Kate Beckinsale is a vampire!

It’s been fourteen years. However, Her Kateness has the same gorgeous skin, striking eyes, lush lips, and still exudes overall hotness.

The Underworld movies tend to be uneven at best. The first was good, the second had a great opening scene but the rest of it was so-so, the third rocked, the fourth is best forgotten, and we shall see about this one. Nevertheless, Kate is sexier than ever. To channel an inner Wooderson, I just keep getting older and she stays the same age.

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Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t, but it would be a lot cooler if she was one.

All right, all right, all right.

 

Diabolique Magazine Praises Apex Predator in New Review

My new horror novel Apex Predator  just landed it’s first formal editorial review and endorsement!

I am happy to say Diabolique Magazine has just published its review, offering the following praise: “More than just Lycanthropes vs. Wolves of Wall Street, the novel is an ambitious examination of corporate corruption—with carnage that feels cathartic…shapeshifters have definite horror appeal…guaranteed to amuse horror aficionados.”

For those of that don’t know, Diabolique Magazine is like the NY Times or Vogue of horror publications.  It’s a lavishly illustrated print and digital magazine exploring every aspect of horror film, literature and art. Since its inception in 2011, Diabolique and its writers and artists have been nominated for 17 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, including Best Magazine, Best Article, Best Interview, Best Cover, Best Theme Issue, and Best Overall Issue. In 2015, the magazine won the Rondo for Best Overall Issue. Past issues have included contributions from such horror luminaries as Jonathan Rigby, David Del Valle, David Huckvale, Paul Murray, and Elizabeth Miller.

Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled that the magazine has endorsed my work. For more of the review see here –
http://diaboliquemagazine.com/apex-predator-book-review/

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Apex Predator’s Take on the Werewolf Origin Story

As everybody who follows me on social media knows I have been on a historical werewolf kick. Perhaps this should be no surprise given that my new book Apex Predator features several chapters set during the Second World War (chapters an actual WWII historian edited). However, Apex Predator also has several other nuggets for the fan of historical or classic werewolf mythology. To that end it offers what I hope to be an interesting take on the werewolf origin story, which this superb artwork by Jakub Rozalski in part encapsulates – at least in terms of showing the era in which my werewolves first took form.

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In Apex Predator this is all further fleshed out as several primary characters grapple with the fact they are being hunted and try to figure out how to not only survive but also gather enough evidence to prove werewolves do exist and thus get help. I have long been interested by the idea of being hunted by a monster but having no one to get help from because no one would believe it – so I also incorporated that into my novel. But I digress. I have also long been fascinated by the interplay between man and his surrounding environment; particularly at those catastrophic times when nature strikes back. Perhaps no such time was more deadly than during the Black Plague; a time very much salient to that of my novel.

The plague germ Yersinia pestis had been the cause of horrific epidemics before the Black Plague put its stamp on human history in the 14th Century. For instance during the Athenian Plague of 430 BCE; the Antonine Plague of 165-180 CE; and the Justinian Plague, 541 CE, which was the most deadly outbreak prior to the Black Death. However, none of those outbreaks compared to the Black Death; which for reasons unknown  proved particularly adept at producing DNA mutations in humans.

What we know is that what made the Black Death so deadly came from how easily it spread. It ended up killing millions in Asia, and as many as one third of Europe’s population was wiped out in large part because the Black Death spread like wildfire. What is most stunning is that all of this happened for a reason. The Black Death wasn’t an accident, it was the product of a unique set of circumstances fueled by overpopulation, malnutrition, weakened immune systems, climate change, globalized trade, and gross inequality producing a vast human underclass. In addition, this particular strain of plague not only stemmed from a germ carried by simple fleas but which gestated in the body of a small furry animal: the Central Asian marmot. This particular marmot as a host ended up being the perfect vehicle for incubating the plague into something more powerful and dangerous than plague strains found elsewhere in the world.

Trade with Central Asia brought this strain west into the growing slums of Europe’s great cities. Though the marmot incubated strains of plague proved the deadliest – people, not marmots, spread the plague. This plague not only spread, but quickly adapted to and transformed its new human host. This adaptation proved to be an evolutionary process stemming from the action of natural selection, rather than just a series of incidental mutations. Similarly, in Apex Predator these mutations also prove to be anything but random or meaningless. They are part of a process whereby natural selection created another evolutionary response; one every bit as deadly though more circumspect than Yersinia pestis.

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