Post-Modern DEAD WOMAN

The gang at Post-Modern Pulps digs David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN. They say, in part:

There is also more conflict with Mr. Dark, the ancient and demonic entity who torments Matt on his adventures.  We are given glimpses of more layers beneath other layers; the plots of the DEAD MAN stories continue to shed light on something much more elaborate, perhaps even epic, taking place with Matt caught in the middle having far more questions than answers.

The DEAD MAN series has gone on for some months now, with several more books on the way, and it is in no danger of growing stale.  In fact, with each new author comes a new perspective, a new lens through which we are viewing this twisted world.

Coming in two weeks... James Reasoner's THE BLOOD MESA!

News from THE DEAD MAN

The cover for THE DEAD MAN #6: KILL THEM ALL by Harry Shannon has just come in from Carl Graves and we think it's one of the best yet. The book comes out in August.


David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN keeps getting kudos. Paul D. Brazill writes "The fourth  adventure in  Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin's exciting  cliff-hanger horror /thriller serial, The Dead Man,  is another beaut" and Futures Mystery Magazine raves "THE DEAD MAN THE DEAD WOMAN excites, is suspenseful and keeps the reader on their toes!  If you like suspense with some horror, you will love this series.  Think Koontz, King and you have it!  Great series and THE DEAD MAN THE DEAD WOMAN does not disappoint! 

Emmy-award winning writer/producer Phoef Sutton has joined the ranks of DEAD MAN writers and his notion for his upcoming novel is, as you might expect, refreshingly original and darkly funny. We can't wait to read it!

Advance reading copies of James Reasoner's THE DEAD MAN #5: THE BLOOD MESA has just gone out to reviewers and bloggers. The book will be published in early July.

Man Eating Bookworm Devours THE DEAD WOMAN

The Man Eating Bookworm thinks David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN is one of the best in the series so far...

This series just gets better and better with each new instalment in Matt Cahill's ongoing hunt for Mr. Dark and the reasons behind his macabre abilities.This is a terrific little book. It's well written, tight and meets with my one requirement for an excellent Dead Man book. A little axe swinging action! [...] I've said before but it's worth repeating. This is a great series. If you haven't jumped onboard yet, you're missing out.

The Tainted DEAD MAN

The Tainted Archive takes an up-close look at THE DEAD MAN series today and interviews co-creator Lee Goldberg about it's evolution. Here's an excerpt:

there have been four titles thus far, with the fifth on the way and more beyond that. In my review of the first book in the series, Face of Evil I commented on the humour which provided ligh relief in what is essentially a very dark series.

"We firmly believe that humor humanizes and reveals characters, especially in extraordinary situations, and allows us to relate to them on a much more personal level. There's humor even in some of the darkest moments in our lives. And where we find that humor, and why we do, says a lot about who we are. We've kind of strayed a bit from the humor in the first book and we'd like to see us get back to that. But that said, we're really enjoying the unique take that each novelist is bringing to their story in the series. It's made it a lot of fun for us...and we're discovering new things about Matt Cahill and his world along the way." Lee Goldberg.

And staying true to the projects origins as a TV script Lee and Bill decided to recruit world class writers from the mystery, western, horror, science fiction and suspense genres to write books from their original outlines. For just as with a TV series a team of writers usually work from a series of outlines, then so too would the writers contributing to the Dead Man series - this allows for an overall structure to be maintained while each new writer brings something new to the series.

Permission to Read

The folks at Permission to Kill think that David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN brings some new depth to the DEAD MAN series. They say, in part:

This entry doesn’t have the sly humour or cynicism of the Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin penned entries, nor does it have the spine-tingling style of James Daniels Ring of Knives. Instead it is more intriguing, and reveals a fraction more of ‘The Dead Man’ mythos. It also sets up a plot deviation that could bring quite a bit of fun in future entries … by fun, I of course, mean blood-stained mayhem! [...]this book is a core book – possibly more important than the second and third stories – as it really delves into what it means to be ‘The Dead Man’ or ‘The Dead Woman’ as the case may be. And as such this insight should prove essential in the ongoing adventures of Cahill.

"Running Cold" and "The Mick Callahan Novels" Kindle Books of the Day!

Harry Shannon here, author of The Dead Man: Kill them All!

We have a very nice Kindle Nation feature today on both "Running Cold" and "The Mick Callahan Novels" at discount Kindle prices. Thought I'd pass it along, hope you will too...

http://kindlenationdaily.com/2011/06/kindle-ebook-of-the-day-harry-shannons-running-cold-the-latest-in-the-popular-mick-callahan-mystery-series-4-9-stars-from-21-reviews-and-just-2-99-on-kindle-read-this-free-sample-and-yo

DEAD WOMAN wins praise

The Dead Man #3: The Dead Woman by David McAfee is off to a fine start, winning raves across the blogosphere. Right What You Know appreciated the "subtle mysterious feel to this book [that] left me wanting more," while Jaime Anastasiow dubbed it "one of my favorite installments...[I] couldn't put the Kindle down."  Gelati's Scoop declared  that they are "hooked on this series; no two are the same, and they appear with regularity. My kind of stuff: a fun steady character, different backdrops and situations, and great action. What more can a reader ask for? [...] You don’t have to be a fan of horror to enjoy this, just a fan of fun." 

David McAfee on writing THE DEAD WOMAN

This was a new experience for me. When Lee Goldberg emailed me and asked if I would like to do a story in a series he and William Rabkin had created called THE DEAD MAN, I accepted because it sounded like a great opportunity to help spread my work around, but I had my doubts I could pull it off. Not because I doubted my chops, but because I wasn’t sure I could write a story in what was, essentially, someone else’s universe. Matt Cahill already had a well-defined personality and back story in place, and they would dictate his reactions and thoughts. Usually, I let the characters do that while I discover who they are. Since Matt already existed, it presented a set of challenges I’d never faced before, and I just wasn’t sure I could operate within those confines. Still, I figured I’d give it a shot. I sent Lee a very basic synopsis of the story idea I had for the series. He emailed me back and gave me the green light, and off I went.

It turned out to be the most fun I’ve had writing in years.

Matt Cahill is an extremely interesting character to write, and it is partially because those guidelines have already been established that I was able to write with such freedom. I didn’t have to worry about establishing character, and instead I stuck him where I wanted and ran with it. The result of this is a novella I am extremely proud of. That’s not to say I couldn’t have done better - I always read over my work and find things I could tweak - but I’m pleased with the end result. I hope the readers will enjoy it, too.

My son was born just before I began writing THE DEAD WOMAN, and for a while it was rough finding the time to spend on the project. It helped that Lee did not establish a deadline. I kinda did that on my own when I told him I would have a draft to him by Tax Day. As the date got closer and my son let us sleep less and less, I started to worry. There were some days I didn’t get to write anything at all. Fortunately I made it by the deadline. Barely.

THE DEAD WOMAN also marks the first time I’ve ever worked with a real copy editor. Up ‘till now it’s just been me and whatever my friends could catch. I have to say that was fun. I can see why it would get less fun over time, because it requires you to go back and revisit areas of the book you thought were done, but for a first timer like me, it was a blast.

And that’s how I would describe my experience writing the book and THE DEAD MAN series in general: A Blast. I had a lot of fun. Hopefully it shows in the writing.

Thank you, Lee, for the great opportunity. May this series last for decades!

DEAD MAN #4: THE DEAD WOMAN now available!

David McAfee's THE DEAD WOMAN, the fourth book in the DEAD MAN series, is out today as an ebook on the Kindle, the Nook , and on Smashwords, as well  as in a trade paperback edition.

The widely acclaimed DEAD MAN series is about Matthew Cahill, an ordinary man leading a simple life...until a shocking accident changes everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld of unspeakable evil and horrific violence that nobody else does...

For Cahill, each day is a journey into a dark world he knows nothing about...a quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and a fight to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.

He thought he was alone with his torment, but in a small town in Tennessee, terrorized by a vicious serial killer, Matt meets a woman sees what he does…and together they must confront a horrific and immortal terror that thrives on death.

David McAfee is the author of the Kindle bestseller 33 A.D., a bloody thrill-ride through biblical Jerusalem that pits Jesus Christ against vampire assassins. So naturally we thought he'd be perfect fit for THE DEAD MAN series.

THE DEAD MAN books have been getting some fantastic reviews...here's just a sampling:

The story races by at a brisk rate of knots, each twist and turn, and shift in time providing another revelation [...] I was enjoying it so much, I didn't want it to end. --Permission to Kill Blog 

THE DEAD MAN FACE of EVIL reminds me of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.[...]a fascinating horror story that leaves you wanting more, more, more!  --Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine 

Hell in Heaven is a direct spiritual descendant of the sorts of awesome pulp action adventure tales that the greats like Robert E. Howard loved to write.  --Post-Modern Pulps

I've not seen a writing tandem like this since the glory days of Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy --Bookgasm

Hell in Heaven is the best so far in an already splendid series and is super rush of a read with plenty of sharp twists and turns and some truly smashing lines. --Paul D. Brazill

This series has kept me rapt from the first page [...]these authors are the Jamaican sprint team doing the 4x100m relay, each stage just gets better and better. --Right What You No

Isn't it time you started reading THE DEAD MAN series?