Crypticon Seattle THIS WEEKEND!!!

Crypticon Seattle 2013

I will be at Crypticon Seattle all this weekend selling my book Night Walk as well as other goodies. Come out and say hello!

Free eBooks Daily is hosting my novel Night Walk

I was contacted yesterday out of the blue by Free eBooks Daily.

They were kind enough to feature my novel Night Walk which is currently available for FREE on Amazon Kindle. You can find the article HERE.

There's also some author questions I answered and a fun character interview that I filled out for my character Amelia Wistfell, who is one of the main characters in Night Walk.

You can download Night Walk for free from now until Sunday at midnight HERE

The Dead Parade gets a facelift, without anesthesia

New cover for The Dead Parade

James Roy Daley is a fellow horror author deeply involved in the self-publishing boom. He runs a horror blog called Books of the Dead Press. If you love horror books it's a great blog and you should check it out.

You may recall that I posted a review of his horror thriller The Dead Parade last year. You can find my review here. The Dead Parade is a great read. Non-stop thriller action and horror. James recently did a re-cover for The Dead Parade, which I really like. It screams Thriller. As in the genre, not the Michael Jackson song. Wink.

As my blog readers may know, I followed suit, and did a re-cover of my novel Night Walk, which James was kind enough to feature on the Books of the Dead Press blog here.

But this post is about James Roy Daley's awesome novel The Dead Parade. If you're a fan of the classic George A. Romero style set-up of throwing characters into a disastrous situation while madness unfolds around them in the form of bone-breaking action, you will love his book. I did. If you are a fan of horror, The Dead Parade will treat you right.

You can buy it on Amazon Kindle right now for only 99 cents here.

COVER REVEAL - Night Walk by David Hudnut

Night Walk by David Hudnut

Ka-BLAM!!

How do you like the new cover for Night Walk?

Hopefully this will help sell more books. As any of you self-published authors out there know, the cover is king when it comes to selling a book. I read somewhere the notion that "your cover is your genre." While I liked the previous cover for Night Walk, it didn't fit with a modern, slickly published horror novel.

So I took the original photo I'd shot for the cover and slapped a new logo treatment on it. This cover certainly gets to the heart of the basic plot better than the old one did: family of three, walking alone at night, bad shit happens.

What do you think? Do you like this cover better, or do your prefer the old one?

If you don't care and just wanna get down to the business of reading, be my guest:

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

City of Angels. City of Devils.

In every city big or small, rich or poor, the killers walk alongside the innocent. 

Undetected.

They travel the same streets and breathe the same air. Much of the time, they coexist harmoniously.

But when Devils walk alongside Angels, random acts of violence are bound to happen at any moment…

It was Friday night in West Hollywood. The misty sky overhead glowed faintly orange, illuminated by the tapestry of city lights beneath. Crowds meandered in and out of numerous restaurants and bars along La Cienega Boulevard, enjoying the balmy summer weather.

One restaurant, the award-winning Il Susso, was packed with people sitting elbow-to-elbow while dining on delicious edgy cuisine. The restaurant’s bar overflowed with conversation, laughter, and Friday-night energy.

Tyler Hastings, 22 years old, waited tables at Il Susso. When his shift ended, he cashed out with his boss Giorgio, said goodnight to the cooks and kitchen staff, and walked outside into the fresh night air, smiling. Another successful night at work. Tyler spotted Veronique, the late night hostess, who stood by her podium at the main entrance. Tyler had a thing for Veronique. 

At work, Veronique was Red Carpet ready at all times. On any given night she would fit right in with gorgeous Hollywood A-list actresses who got decked out in exclusive designer wear for the Academy Awards. Tonight Veronique wore blood red lipstick, her hair up in sultry curls, and a form-fitting black dress that caressed her curves elegantly. Peep-toe Jimmy Choo knock-offs completed her ensemble.

“Hey Veronique.” Tyler casually loitered by the hostess podium, pretending to text someone on his phone.

“Hey Tyler! You all done for tonight?” Veronique jotted a note on her seating chart.

“Yup, all cashed out and ready to party,” Tyler quipped.

“Did you get a call back on that Warner Bros. audition?”

“Any day now,” Tyler sighed. “I know it’s a toss up between me, Brad Pitt and Chris Hemsworth.”

“Was Chris Hemsworth the guy who played Thor?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, he’s super hot,” Veronique said wistfully.

“Like I said, they can’t make up their minds between me or him.” Tyler grinned. He wished he was in the same league as Pitt or Hemsworth, but he’d already realized that he was more of the supporting actor type. If Anthony Edwards could go from playing Gilbert Lowell in Revenge of the Nerds to Goose in Top Gun, Tyler thought, maybe I can find my own niche too. Unfortunately for Tyler, his only credits thus far were Customer #2 in an ad for In-N-Out Burger and Grocery Store Bagger in a Ralph’s commercial. “Got any plans this weekend?”

“Yeah,” Veronique said. “Thousands of dates with rich and powerful men, all of them legitimate producers, directors and studio execs. I plan on being famous by Monday.”

“Me too, I’ve got tons of dates lined up,” Tyler said.

“Yeah, probably with the same guys I’m dating! Being bi is so Hollywood.”

“Ahhh, yeah…”

“Well, don’t steal any of my dates,” she said sarcastically and smiled dryly. “If you do, I won’t seat your tables.” Despite Veronique’s stunning appearance, she was yet another beautiful nobody looking for a break. 

“As if,” Tyler replied. One of the other waiters at Il Susso had told Tyler that Veronique’s real name was Julie, but if you called her that she would kill you. Tyler was entranced by the idea that beneath the dazzling, high-gloss exterior of ‘Veronique’ hid an everyday ‘Julie.’ 

What Tyler didn’t know was that ‘Julie’ was three continents away from being single. She was secretly dating several different men. One was older, and had plenty of money. The second was young, and had a killer body. The third was crazy and dangerous and rode a Harley. All three believed they were the only man in Veronique’s life. A girl had needs, after all, and in her experience, one man couldn’t fulfill them all. She kept her dating life lock-down private at work because she hoped to be discovered by any of the many agents, producers and directors who came into the restaurant regularly. Powerful men always made time for attractive single women, even if they weren’t single themselves. Hollywood was all about the appearance of things, not the truth. 

But the truth was, ‘Julie’ didn’t like the life she was living as ‘Veronique.’ Julie didn’t want to date three different guys or obsess over how to manipulate men into making her famous. All Julie wanted was to enjoy life like a normal person. Veronique—Julie—needed an honest, sincere man like Tyler, but she didn’t know it yet.

A low, predatory rumble caught Tyler’s attention. A glistening black Maserati GranTurismo Sport poured into the valet space in front of Il Susso. Two valets sprung into action, opening both doors simultaneously. 

A coifed Mediterranean guy with sculpted shoulders stretched languorously out of the Maserati, as if he knew that the paparazzi cameras were trained on him and rolling. From the other side of the car slid a sizzling young woman wearing an explosion of high fashion clothing and accessories. Dark glasses shielded her eyes from the glaring light of midnight. They were an effortlessly orchestrated ad campaign for beauty. Business as usual in the heart of Tinsel Town on a Friday night.

Three men wearing loose fitting khaki clothing, carrying heavy camera bags, and holding long-lensed Nikons in front of them like assault rifles jogged across four lanes of honking traffic. They fired off semi-automatic strobe flashes, snapping photo after photo of the glamorous couple. The photos would show up within one hour on internet gossip blogs like PerezHilton or TMZ.

Tyler was enthralled by it all, and imagined that one day he might be driving a similar car, with a similar super-model on his arm. Or maybe it would be Veronique on his arm. 

Julie, Tyler thought.

Veronique smiled wide at the mysterious power couple as they approached her podium. “Good evening. Table for two?” She winked at Tyler, a hint that he should move along and let her get back to work.

Tyler winked back at Veronique, telling himself he would see her again tomorrow night, when he could resume his slow burrowing past her chrome-plated exterior, toward what lay beneath. 

To Julie.

He dashed across La Cienega through an opening in traffic and walked onto a side street and headed toward the adjoining West Hollywood neighborhood where he’d parked before work. The neighborhood had an upscale suburban quality reminiscent of Tyler’s hometown of Bloomfield Hills, but also had a smattering of $800-a-month apartment buildings sandwiched between the million-dollar condos. Every block was crammed full of enough parked cars to fill a Walmart parking lot. The streets were surprisingly quiet at night but had a creepy quality that Tyler could never quite identify.

“No matter how nice it seems, it’s still Los Angeles,” his father John would remind him several times a week on the phone. “It’s the big city, Tyler, not Bloomfield Hills. Be careful.”

Tyler tried to keep his dad’s warnings in mind. So far he hadn’t had any problems since moving to L.A. He wondered if his dad was being over-protective. Every city had problems. Even Bloomfield Hills. Look what happened in upper-middle-class Columbine. As long as Tyler was careful, like his dad said, he would be fine.

Two blocks from his car, walking briskly, Tyler caught his foot on the sidewalk. He turned to investigate. No crack or root-lifted pads of concrete. What had he tripped on? He noticed a telephone pole surrounded by tall ivy bushes. Something shuffled in the darkness of the ivy and agitated the branches. A twig snapped. Probably a cat. He turned and kept walking.

Something heavy punched Tyler in the kidneys. It twisted. Intense fire bloomed in the small of his back. A rough hand wrapped around his neck from behind and pushed him to the ground face-first.

Tyler’s nose pounded into the cement. White fireworks exploded in his eyes. One of his front teeth cracked off, but he didn’t realize it. Someone fell on top of him and a heavy knee slammed into his punctured kidney.

Tyler shrieked.

Before Tyler could recover from the shock, cold metal pressed against his throat and sliced. His flesh fell open easily under the sharp edge. Blood poured out of Tyler. It pooled around his head and shoulders on the sidewalk and soaked through the back of his shirt, where he had been stabbed in his kidney.

A hand reached into his back pocket and yanked out his wallet violently, ripping the seams. The seams popped tiny firecracker snaps.

Absently, Tyler thought: You ruined my pants. He couldn’t see who, or what, had attacked him. He heard the voice of his dad in his head: “It’s still L.A., son, be careful.”

The pressure on Tyler’s back was suddenly released as the attacker stood up. 

Tyler’s head was turned toward the street, and he could see the man’s back as he trotted off into the shadows.The man wore sagging jeans and a white tank top. Tyler never saw the man’s face.

Faintly, from the darkness, Tyler heard the following words: “Shit dawg, you fucked dat boy up REAL good, yo.” 

Tyler’s attacker chuckled and replied “Next muhfuckah be yours, yo.”

The two unknown men faded into the darkness.

Tyler tried to push himself up on all fours but collapsed when white lightning ricocheted in his bowels. He hadn’t felt any pain in his throat, but he felt very light headed and tired. Usually he was wired for several hours after working the dinner shift. He lay where he was and his mind drifted off as a blood-chill set into his bones. The eighty-two degree midnight weather would not warm him.

In his remaining moments of consciousness, Tyler thought about his mother and father. What were they going to think? This was the last thing they would ever have imagined would happen to him when he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.

Tyler remembered how last night he had parked right on this same street. There had been no attacker then. Instead there had been a young couple leaning against the side of a parked Audi attempting to swallow each other’s tongues. 

He thought about the fact that his tip money from work was still in his front pocket. His wallet contained only twenty dollars in cash and his nearly maxed-out Visa card. That guy didn’t even bother to check my other pockets. Tyler tried to spit out the word “dummy.” All that came out was a gurgley whisper.

The white stars in Tyler’s vision were fading, as was the faint orange streetlight glow covering him like a corrosive shroud. 

He thought about his roommates Josh and Todd. Who is going to help them pay rent next month?

A faint image of Veronique shimmered in Tyler’s mind’s eye, blotting out all his other thoughts. 

Julie…

She smiled confidently at him. He slowly realized, with a pang of regret, that he would not get to talk with her at work tomorrow. He would never get to know the real Julie.

Julie…

Blackness painted his eyes. He swam toward nothingness.

Tyler Hastings had never previously met the man who had killed him on this night. His murderer did not know him either. They were complete strangers, and would remain unknown to each other for eternity.

* * *

Tyler’s murderer will never be caught despite every effort from his father John. Over the coming year, John Hastings will spend a substantial portion of his savings hiring three separate private detectives to look into the case. All of this effort will yield nothing. No evidence, no clues, no leads, no suspects, no motives. Nothing.

The killer will get away with it. Justice will never be served.

Two years hence, Tyler’s mother Barbara will gently encourage John that it is time they let their son’s memory rest in peace. John will cry for two hours while sitting on Tyler’s bed in the boy’s enshrined bedroom. Barbara will sit next to him, her arm draped around him lovingly. John will hold Tyler’s 1st place Lahser High School Varsity Tennis trophy in his quivering fingers the entire time. The trophy will be damp with his tears when Barbara gently takes it from him and puts it into a box with Tyler’s other things.

No one, not even the murderer, will ever know why Tyler Hastings was killed at the age of 22, for twenty dollars in cash and a nearly maxed-out Visa card. It was purely a random act of violence.

It’s still L.A., son. Be careful.

Despite John Hastings’ cautious warning, his Angel Tyler is dead. 

Another Angel will die in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Randomly.

The mysterious man in the white tank top and his companion will make sure of it.

To find out what happens next, buy the full novel of Night Walk on Amazon.com here.

I will be at Crypticon Seattle 2013

For all you horror fans in the Pacific Northwest, I will have a booth in the Vendor Room at Crypticon Seattle 2013, May 24th thru May 26th.

I will be selling and signing copies of my novel Night Walk and my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories.  I will also be selling art prints, giving away shwag, and displaying my art.

Here's the official press release from Crypticon:

"Hey All!

            We just wanted to give everyone a heads up that we will be appearing at the quickly approaching Crypticon Seattle 2013, on May 24th thru 26th. We've reserved booth space in the main Vendor Room where you can all come say hello. Crypticon Seattle, along with being the largest Horror convention in the Northwest, has a ton of awesome events, like; Zombie Speed Dating, Prom of the Dead, Live Action Role Playing demonstrations, an amazing Film Festival, the Hauntipede,  18 of the horror genre's favorite actors, artists, prop masters and so much more! Don't miss a chance to come see us and have some fun in the process!"

Hope to see you there!

NIGHT WALK now on GoodKindles

Night Walk

GOODKINDLES.net

I'm branching out my advertising process for my paranormal thriller novel Night Walk. Today I posted an ad on GoodKindles.net. It was really easy to do. The entire process was automated and my ad was live in a few hours. The prices are very affordable as well. You have to pay with Paypal, but hopefully you already have an account.

I also did a link share (which required a separate email), so I have an entry on the GoodKindles AUTHOR WEBSITE LIST

Now I get to wait and see how many sales come pouring in. Hopefully millions.

Emerald City Comicon 2013

David Hudnut and James Shipman selling books at ECCC

Lillie Monster from Living Dead Promotions

Emerald City Comicon 2013 is now dead and gone. What a show it was. The volume of attendees was staggering. Tons of great cosplay. It was never this good in previous millenniums.

I was busy selling my horror novel Night Walk and my booth partner James Shipman was busy selling his fantasy-comedy Willie Washer's Local No. 38.

We also had the good fortune of working with Lillie Monster from Living Dead Promotions. She was in costume as Princess Jenny from James' book, for which I did the cover art.

I can't thank Lillie Monster and the rest of the crew at Living Dead Promotions enough for all their hard work promoting us and bringing traffic to our booth. The show wouldn't have been nearly as successful without their tireless efforts.

If you missed the show, you can still find Night Walk and Willie Washer's Local No.38 on Amazon.com

Buy NIGHT WALK here

Buy WILLIE WASHER'S here

Hell Awaits. And it's free to go there.

Night Walk free today on Kindle

NIGHT WALK 
by David Hudnut
FREE TODAY AND TOMORROW ON KINDLE

Have you ever been walking alone at night and realized someone was following you?

Do you ever wonder what would happen if the people following you turned out to be WORSE than real-life serial killers?

What if they did something bad to YOU?

Wouldn’t you want to get revenge?

What if you could…

Find out how in Night Walk by David Hudnut.

Free today and tomorrow on Kindle

At Emerald City Comicon this weekend!!

The cover of Night Walk

This weekend, March 1-3, I will be at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, Washington, selling and signing my novel Night Walk.

For those of you who don't know, Night Walk is a paranormal thriller about a family in trouble.

I have a table in the Gaming Artist Alley, so stop by and say hello.

Willie Washer's

At my booth will also be author James Shipman. I illustrated the cover for James' book Willie Washer's Local No. 38. James will be selling and signing his book as well.

Also, Princess Jenny, the heroine of James' novel, will be at our booth signing autographs.

Wordstock 2012: MORE ZOMBIES!

Meet my zombies

The victims

My zombie army grows. Like the mad necromancer that I have always been, I keep turning more people into zombies. This time, my unsuspecting victims were attendees at Portland, Oregon's very own Wordstock 2012 Book Fair, where I was selling and promoting my new novel Night Walk and my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories. I find large festivals a great source for fresh bodies.

The book lover's party went on for two days, so I had plenty of time to bag a bunch of corpses, bury them in a graveyard overnight, sprinkle magic necromancer powder over their graves, water, and wait for my zombies to grow.

And this time, the zombies sprung up like weeds!

Zombie Monkey attacks!!

Look how many different varieties crawled out of their fresh tombs! My very own botanical garden of monstrosities. It was like a scene out of The Walking Dead, but more gruesome and with no survivors. EVERYONE got turned into a zombie.

So let this be a warning to anybody who decides to purchase my horror novel Night Walk or my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories: if you see me at a book event, and you decide to buy my book, you may very well wake up dead and zombified. 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED...

The Necromancer and his wizard's laboratory

FASTSIGNS of Salem, Oregon ROCKS!!

If you are an author and have been following my blog, then you know that I've been doing a number of book festivals and comic book conventions to promote my new novel Night Walk and my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories. One aspect of my promotion machine is my fondness for large 20" x 30" posters of my book covers for my booth display. I find that these big in-your-face prints are drawing a lot of attention from festival attendees.

It's easy to get someone interested in picking up your book and leafing through the pages if you have a giant poster SHOUTING at them to do so. Then you don't have to do the shouting yourself, which usually scares them away anyway.

"HEY! MISTER! COME OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AND LOOK AT MY BOOK!! I DON'T CARE IF YOUR KID JUST DROPPED HIS ICE CREAM ON YOUR SHIRT!! LOOK AT MY BOOK!! LOOK AT MY BOOK RIGHT NOW!!"

No.

Sales Tip #72: Don't shout at your customers. Let your sales material do it for you.

Me and Mark, the owner of FASTSIGNS of Salem, Oregon

When I needed to find a print shop that could make signage for me, I started with the local FASTSIGNS shop in Salem, Oregon. 

What a lucky decision that was. 

First of all, the entire staff at this branch of FASTSIGNS are awesome. The all know their stuff, are totally friendly, and always make me feel like I'm their most important customer, even though my orders are fairly small. If you've worked with print shops before, you know this is not always the case.

But at the end of the day, customer service is only a part of the process. Because ultimately I'm paying these guys to turn out great prints. 

Well, let me tell you, having worked with plenty of printers over the last 15 years as a print illustrator, I have never seen such a high quality of print output as I have with every single piece I've purchased from the guys at FASTSIGNS of Salem, Oregon. I'm super picky (ask anyone who works at the Salem FASTSIGNS) and yet I NEVER find a single issue with the signage I've purchased from them. The quality is phenomenal. The color is superbly rich, the contrast is maximum, and it ALWAYS matches what I see on my monitor.

I'm genuinely stunned that the guys at the Salem FASTSIGNS have their printer tuned up as well as they do. They are truly artists. If you have worked in or with the print business, you know how temperamental and unpredictable print output can be, and how difficult it is to get consistently high quality prints. Not with FASTSIGNS of Salem, Oregon. The work they do for me is always perfect. I'm not exaggerating here. 

These guys do the best work I've ever seen.

If you are anywhere even remotely close to Salem, Oregon and need the best signage money can buy, get in touch with the crew over at the Salem FASTSIGNS. 

You will not be disappointed.

And tell Mark that David Hudnut sent you.

Meet my Zombie Army

Heavy Metal Hair

I was at the 2nd annual Florence Festival of Books last weekend selling my horror novel Night Walk and my new short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories and I had a great time.  Books were sold and drawings were drawn.

I think for any of you who know me, you all know the real reason I attend so many book festivals is to show off my heavy metal hair. Yeah, I'm metal. Deal with it.

But more importantly, I've been building my very own zombie army. Now before you all get up in arms and waving pitchforks around while shouting "David Hudnut is a necromancer!" calm down. When I say I'm building a zombie army, I don't mean I'm actually going to graveyards and morgues in the middle of the night to steal bodies and later resurrect them in my evil wizard's tower. Because we all know, I would never steal bodies. But I do have my very own wizard's tower, and I may or may not have resurrected dead bodies in it now and then.

At any rate, what I WAS doing at the Florence Festival of Books was drawing a picture of each person who bought a copy of my novel Night Walk or my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories in the book they purchased. In some cases, it was a gift for someone not in attendance, so I worked from a photo.

The zombie army

I did all of the sketches using a Pentel 0.5 mechanical pencil, inked with COPIC 0.35 Multiliner SP, and colored with Tombow Dual Brush pens while I chatted with the customers about eating brains and the end of the world. No surprise that zombies LOVE to talk about brains.

The Brain Lovers Society

As usual, The HUDNUT IMP was trying to steal my thunder by crowding me out and getting in the way the whole time. You can see one of his unnecessarily gigantic comic strips right there in front of my booth! What a scene-stealer and attention whore that guy is!

The HUDNUT IMP trying to steal my thunder

The HUDNUT IMP

But I love the little green guy, so I let him get away with it every time.

Now that the show is over, don't fret. You can still buy my novel Night Walk and my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories on Amazon.com.

And if you want me to turn you into a zombie, I will be at Wordstock this coming weekend, October 13 & 14, in Portland, Oregon selling books and drawing people as zombies.

Until next time,

"BRAINS!!!"

Night Walk reviewed by SeattleBangBang

SeattleBangBang is one killer chic.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my horror novel Night Walk has been reviewed online. The review is by SeattleBangBang, a seasoned zombie hunter and aficionado of zombie body parts. She runs a blog on Tumblr called SeattleBangBang, and you can find her blog and the review for Night Walk here:

http://seattlebangbang.tumblr.com/post/32445684911/photos-from

I met her at the Jet City Comic Show, and she demanded I give her a copy of Night Walk at gun point. I think the lesson here is that anyone who waves firearms in your face while demanding a review copy of your book is likely the right audience for horror.

If you see SeattleBangBang at large, she is armed and extremely dangerous. I'm not 100% sure she only hunts zombies...

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Night Walk is a helluva good read

Demon Super Model Lilith loves Night Walk 

Word in the Netherworld these days is that debut horror novel Night Walk by author David Hudnut is the talk of the terrible town!

That's right! Demons and devils everywhere are raving over Night Walk. Read what they have to say:

"NIGHT WALK scared the poop out of me, which is a good thing, because I eat too much cheese and not enough fiber."

—Beelzebub

"I read a chapter of NIGHT WALK out loud to my minions every morning before they go to work. It gives them great ideas on how to torture all of my tortured souls. Thank you David Hudnut, you make my job easy."

—Asmodeus

"Being a demon is a thankless job. After a long day cracking whips, roaring with evil laughter, and throwing people in flaming cauldrons, all I want to do is go home alone to my creepy cavern apartment, curl up with a hot mug of human misery, and read NIGHT WALK. It's so much more enjoyable when someone else does the torturing for you, and the villains in NIGHT WALK are truly inspired. I wish I could hire them to take over my job so I could stay home and read more books by David Hudnut."

—Moloch

"I liked NIGHT WALK so much, I started reading it a second time as soon as I finished it the first time. I think I've read it 666 times so far, and I re-read it religiously once a week. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!"

—Orcus

"NIGHT WALK by new horror novelist David Hudnut is a helluva good read and is required reading where I teach at Demon Super Model University. I also tell the contestants on my hit reality TV show Project Hellway to take more ideas from Mr. Hudnut. He knows how to chill your bones and melt your brain with soul-scorching terror."

—Demon Super Model Lilith, pictured at left

Buy Night Walk now 

only $2.99 on Kindle at Amazon

Jet City Comic Show 2012

I had the good fortune to attend the Jet City Comic Show last weekend in Seattle, Washington at the Seattle Exhibition Hall. My friend, author James Shipman, was kind enough to share his booth space with me.

James Shipman and David Hudnut, best-selling authors in attendance at the Jet City Comic Show

James is the author of the brilliant new comedy fantasy novel Willie Washer's Local No.38. I have read the book and can attest that it's truly funny. I got a lot of laughs out of reading it, and I know that if you like fantasy novels and a good laugh, his book will do the trick.

Unboxing posters of LifeBringer by David Hudnut

If you've ever been to the Jet City Comic Show, or the Seattle Exhibition Hall, then you will remember how much the space is reminiscent of several 1970s era low budget sci-fi movies. The moment I walked in the front door, I was thinking about both versions of THX 1138, a scene from the original Death Race 2000 in a similarly white and linoleum covered industrial space, and every other episode of either the Six Million Dollar Man or The Bionic Woman. To me, you couldn't pick a better space for a comic convention.

A new addition for me at the show was selling a print of one of my digital fantasy paintings, shown on the left. I was pleasantly  surprised at the response it got from people. I will definitely be selling more prints at future shows, and if anyone has any specific requests for prints from my past art which you can find on my art website at https://www.hudnutart.com/ please let me know.

A high point of the show was when I learned that Kibiri Foxx, a Brigade CO of the Outer Rim Brigade http://outer-rim-brigade.com/, was a big fan of my new horror novel Night Walk. You can see him posing with my book.

Kibiri Foxx loves horror novel Night Walk

For those of you who don't know, it is my understanding that Kibiri Foxx is Boba Fett's older, hipper brother. Long before Boba Fett was cool, Kibiri Foxx was traveling the galaxy, making mayhem wherever he went, and generally paving the way for future generations of bounty hunters like his little brother Boba. I think you'll all agree that Kibiri is 1,000 times cooler than his li'l bro Boba, who is after all, named after a tapioca tea drink that requires kiddie-sized drinking straws to suck up the boba balls. And seriously, who wants to suck Boba Fett's balls through a drinking straw?

I don't.

Kibiri also told me that he tried to get Boba Fett to read my book, but Boba was too scared. Want a wimp.

Another show attendee I met was Lilith Faire, a regular contributor at Geek News Network  and fiction writer in her own right. Check out her ongoing story Book of Souls at her blog. It is dark, grandly Lovecraftian, and creepy as hell. Lilith proves that books really are dangerous, and that she's a writer brimming with fantastic ideas, one to keep your eye on.

While we chatted, I took a moment to draw a sketch of Lilith in a freshly minted copy of Night Walk. I think you will agree that Lilith is a dangerous and witchy woman capable of casting all manner of elaborate eldritch magicks to satisfy her every whim. Do not mess with her or else you might find your soul eternally lost in a dark extra-dimensional abyss. Your mind will be torn asunder by the loneliness and sensory deprivation. The only thing you will be aware of is your own eternal pain, and Lilith's taunting evil laughter.

Author & Columnist Lilith Fiare with her new copy of Night Walk

During the show, I talked to a lot of people, and a common theme was a love of zombies. We can all thank The Walking Dead for bringing some much needed love to the world of zombie fandom. 

I decided to draw sketches of zombies for some of my new readers who purchased Night Walk at the show, in honor of zombies everywhere. You can see some satisfied zombie lovers in the photo below.

By the end of the day I was wiped out from selling copies of the horrifically frightening Night Walk to the hordes of rabid fans. 

Satisfied Night Walk customers & zombie lovers

I had a great time, and look forward to attending the show next year. In the mean time, if you want to purchase a copy of Night Walk, it's available on the Kindle for a bargain at $2.99.

It will scare you to death, or should I say it will scare you to undeath, because I will wager that if you read the book all the way to the end, you will in fact turn into a zombie. For some, I know this is a deterrent, but for most of you, it will be a bonus.

Buy Night Walk Now only $2.99 on Kindle at Amazon

Rose City Comic Con 2012

Me and my booth before the mayhem

I was at the Rose City Comic-Con this weekend up in Portland. Attendance was beyond what anybody expected for a debut convention. It had the density of much larger shows like Comic-Con International in San Diego or Emerald City Comicon, but in a smaller, more intimate venue.

The fans were incredible and full of enthusiasm. A lot of them had never attended a comic convention, or had only discovered the Rose City Comic-Con on the day of the show. I think the Con owes a lot of credit to the large number of people in costume. Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel & DC heroes, and zombies were all in abundance. There was even a Klingon, and my personal favorite: a guy in a "The Greatest American Hero" outfit with a permed blond wig. When you see a crowd of people wearing awesome costumes and lined up outside waiting two hours to get into the show, you probably think "I want to go wherever that guy in the Chewbacca costume is waiting to get into."

I know I certainly wanted to be there.

Although I was at Rose City Comic-Con to sell my novel Night Walk, my short story collection The Nose Knows & Other Stories, and Owie-Cadabra's Verbal First Aid for Kids (written by my friend Judith Simon Prager and illustrated by yours truly), the spirit of the American comic book pantheon was contagious. It wasn't long before I set to work sketching The Incredible Hulk, one of my all-time personal favorite Marvel Comics characters. I ended up working on him most of the weekend, and finished my first official comic convention-drawn Hulk on Sunday. Several people offered to buy the sketch, but I couldn't let go of my first-born comic con sketch baby. But through the magic of the internet, all of you can get to know him better:

My Incredible Hulk sketch from the show

For the artists out there, I drew the Hulk in pencil using a Pentel 0.5 mechanical pencil, inked with COPIC 0.35 Multiliner SP, and colored with a combination of Tombow Dual Brush pens and Stabilo Pen 68 (from the 20 color set), both of which are water based. I've used alcohol markers like Prismacolor and COPIC extensively over the years, but I've found the water-based markers are easier to blend because they stay wet longer. Make sure you draw on thick laser printer paper that has some plastic coating to it. You can tell there is a coating because the paper surface will have a slick feel. I like the Hammermill 28 pound Color Copy Digital, or something heavier like Mohawk Color Copy Premium. You can usually find the Hammermill at any office supply store. If you use cheaper papers with the water based markers, you're likely to soak your paper and the fibers will start to lift and "pill" into little wads, and possibly make a hole in your paper if it's not thick enough.

During the course of the show, I met a lot of great comic creators, including Clayton Crain, Chris Mcfann at RKDN Studios, Ibrahim Moustafa, Jonathan Case creator of Dear Creature, Alex J. Murd and James Johnson with CrazedPixel Comics, Aaron Lopresti, and novelist James Shipman, author of Willie Washer's Local No. 38. Be sure to check out all of their respective work. It's all great stuff.

I will be at Rose City Comic-Con next year for sure! I can't wait!

Thanks to organizers Ron Brister, Dave Brockway, and Matt Makin for making the show a success.

Real Pictures of Heaven

The infinite tower of paperback heaven

I spent some time in Heaven today. And I mean capital "H" Heaven. Look at that photo above. It almost looks like the Tower of Babel. But it's really a giant tower of paperback books. And we're talking genre paperbacks. The good stuff. Yeah, you readers know what I'm talking about. From James Patterson to Nora Roberts, Stephen King to Dean Koontz, John Jakes to Jeffrey Archer. S. M. Stirling to Bruce Sterling, Debbie Macomber to Danielle Steel. All in one palatial place:

Escape Fiction in Salem, Oregon

Escape Fiction in Salem, Oregon. And I was there. I am a changed man.

Escape Fiction is a magical place that transcends the boundaries of space and time, much like Doctor Who's TARDIS, in several ways.

First, it is larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. I think this is due to the many science fiction and fantasy novels on hand in the store at all times.

The magic inside such books is likely responsible for the warping of space that allows Escape Fiction to defy the normal laws of physics.

Inside the Book Maze

Second, Escape Fiction is also a genuine Maze of Books. I think this is what Jorge Luis Borges had in mind when he envisioned heaven. For all we know, Jorge's spirit may in fact reside inside the winding halls of Escape Fiction. I guarantee that if you have never been to Escape Fiction before, and you explore it without a map, you are likely to get lost. I certainly did. It's better than any hedge maze I've ever been in, and it's even better than the hedge maze in the climactic scene in Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining. The difference is that unlike Jack Nicholson's character Jack Torrance, we all want to be in Escape Fiction's maze of books. Some of you readers, like myself, would be happy to live there forever and ever.

Maria and Scott, proprietors

I don't know if the owners of Escape Fiction, Maria and Scott, would actually want you to move in, but they certainly want you to enjoy the endless ocean of literary peace and comfort that their store provides, seven days a week.

Thirdly, Escape Fiction is a cathedral to the book. It celebrates the physical book, and it asks that we bow our heads reverently in respect for that which came before the eBook.

I have spent many an afternoon lost in Escape Fiction's wilderness of paperbacks, traveling through time along the spines of books I have seen in used bookstores since I was a kid.

I can't explain why used bookstores have this effect on me; I remember seeing many of the books contained in them previously as new books in chain bookstores over the years.

The Big Kahuna: Stephen King

And yet, when I see those same titles wearing cracked spines, sporting yellowing pages and tattered covers, the books somehow become better. There, I've said it. Used books are better. Maybe it's because you know that another human being has worked their way through the pages before you, as if that previous owner is saying "This book is a safe road to travel, friend. I hope you will enjoy it as have I."

Maybe I'm romanticizing. Maybe I'm not.

But the used book is still alive and well in America.

Kindles, iPads, Nooks and their ilk cannot kill the used book. The used book is fighting back and Escape Fiction leads the charge. So the next time you feel assaulted by the threat of the electronic book, head on down to Escape Fiction. You will be safe from ones and zeroes during your stay inside their Hallowed Halls.

Lastly, Escape Fiction is a magical domain of unprecedented proportion for the simple fact that they now stock my newest novel Night Walk.

Night Walk on sale now at Escape Fiction

You can see a fresh copy of Night Walk in the photo to the left. Maria was kind enough to place it there, in a position of prominence, at the front register. Where else would I, as a new author, find such support for my work? Not in a chain store.

I am very grateful to Maria and Scott for their willingness to support a local author like myself. Thanks guys! And I'm not the only local author with my book in their store.

You will note also that Night Walk is placed next to a fire extinguisher. I believe Maria put it there in case my book bursts spontaneously into flame. Night Walk is, after all, an intense, thrilling book which contains high-octane and extremely volatile story content. So placing Night Walk next to a fire extinguisher makes logical sense. It's the safe thing to do.

Smart move, Maria.

Some of you may be raising your hands now to protest: "But Night Walk is not a used book! How can you even consider selling it through a used bookstore?"

A quiet place to delve into good, old books.

The answer is simple: because Escape Fiction also stocks a good selection of new books. The popular kind: thrillers, science fiction & fantasy. Books with lots of zombies and vampires in them. J.D. Robb, Stephen King, Sandra Brown. The storytellers. Books we all like to read.

Remember, every used book is first born as a new book. It takes a dedicated, loving reader like yourself to properly rear and raise a new book until it is fully used, and ready to go out into the world so that it can enter the hands of another faithful book lover. I want my book to begin life in the hands of this sort of caring, loving reader; the kind of reader who frequents used bookstores, the kind of reader who shops at Escape Fiction.

That's why Escape Fiction is the perfect place from which to send my novel Night Walk out into the world.

The next time you are in Salem, Oregon, and need to go to Book Church, stop by Escape Fiction and pay Maria and Scott a visit. Tell them I sent you.

Escape Fiction Books

3240 Triangle Dr. S.E.

Salem, OR 97302

503-588-5865

The TARDIS of used bookstores, Escape Fiction. Bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside.