The Empty Thoughts Of Writer Jay Franklin

Sketchbook Of The Dead! FREE for 5 days only!

2012-07-31T23:37:00.001-04:00

To coincide with the ebook release of Sketchbook, it will be available as a free download starting tonight at 12am pacific time on all amazon worldwide sites.

Amazon USA is HERE
Amazon UK is HERE
Amazon Italy is HERE
Amazon Germany is HERE
Amazon France is HERE
and wherever amazon.es is HERE

So download it for free, let's give the artists involved a #1 ranking!

Jay

and here is a teaser...

The goings on here...

2012-06-21T23:57:00.002-04:00

Saw the final pencils from Stefano for the first ten pages of the comic adaption of RED BAND! and all I can say is the full book will be insane!

I'll have a few pics soon, this is going to be a great adaption that also expands on the original story (I'm also going to re-write the original book as well, change it up a bit and just make it a more streamlined story).

I never thought that the idea for RB! would turn into a minor success like this. It was always a joke, nothing that I expected to be anything but a big pile, I'm still not sure how it happened.

How long the original version stays in print hasn't been determined yet. I don't see the paperback lasting much after the comic is released since it has been refined quite a bit. Plus the re-write will blow the original out of the water.

This is the original pencils for the character design of Ritchey, it really shows the unique art style of Stefano...

And here is the final inked and colored artwork that was made into a poster by inker and colorist (and quite the artist in his own right) Mark Lone

In other news, kind of jumping from story to story, not focusing on anything. I did come up with a new story idea based around two very nasty diseases and the pathology behind them. Still sorting through what to make of it before I start writing. The research has been very involved so far with in depth case studies of actual sufferers of the diseases. This is going to be fiction but grounded in medical fact. All the way down to the forms that the CDC require the medical community to report patients suffering from these rare but fatal dieseases. Not releasing which dieases they are but to give you an idea, one affects roughly 300 americans every year and the other has only 24 reported cases since 1980.

And that is it...for now...

Jay

Tales From The Dead issue 1 is now free!

2012-06-09T00:56:00.001-04:00

You can now read my first comic story for free right here My story is black box that ends the issue. Enjoy! Jay

Open call to everyone...

2012-06-05T00:39:00.003-04:00

As with anything, people LOVE reviews, makes them more secure in trying something new.

I have a favor to ask all who have read my books, stories, comics...all of it.

I need reviews, especially on amazon. I really need reviews, as many as I can swindle out of people.

so i ask...can anyone please give some write ups of my books? Nothing special, but HONEST reviews. That is all I ask for. Even if the review is summed up in the words "SUCKS BALLS!" or the more popular "He is teh awesome!"

This is what my books have been missing, reviews. From the page counts that I have, there have been visits in the 4 to low 5 figures for my books on amazon. However when I ask people who have contacted me why they didn't go for the book(s) is simple, there weren't enough reviews to justify buying them.

If you have any of my books, love them or hate them, can I bother you to give a (repeat) HONEST review of the book.

I've been passive on this whole promoting oneself (or as i call it: whoring) I have realized that I have to be much more aggressive in promoting myself if I want this to be something that I can actually do something with.

I've made it easy for you too by having the link to my works on amazon right here

Thanks
Jay

Update...

2012-06-04T22:50:00.002-04:00

Working on a buch of things tonight....

Plague: An isolated small town in North Dakota, a war hero and a legion of the dead growing outside the town's limits.

Skin Eater: Keeping this secret for a bit...

Protocol 42: Sulfur....going back to Sulfur. Can't break myself from this bastard.

and of course RED BAND! the Comic and RED BAND! 2! The sequel

I'll let you in on some work in progress if you would like, but you have to tell me!

Join my facebook page HERE and let me know.

Jay

There will be much more activity in the near future...

2012-05-21T22:23:00.003-04:00

Due to various things occupying my life, I've been lacking on posting any updates and more importantly... writing.

Now that my plate is empty for a bit, I'm going to be much more active with this page.

Just be on the lookout...

Jay

Sci-Fi In The Valley....

2012-05-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

Here at Sci-Fi In The Valley, after a pretty good first day, i expect a big second day since i'm not sure if i will be here all day sunday due to the 3 hour drive back home.

My only issue is that people are expecting horror to be "kid friendly" now thanks to the twilight series and the hunger games. This makes it difficult for me to see people regress and be taken aback that there are still true "horror" creators making traditional horror stories/comics/movies.

Other than that elephant in the room, it's been good so far....oh...and those rasslers...those damn obnoxious rasslers....

First Character Sketch from RED BAND!

2012-03-20T23:48:00.000-04:00

Meet Ritchey, the drunk, redneck hero of REDBAND!

Go ahead and pledge to see REDBAND! made into comic book HERE

2012-03-08T23:16:00.000-05:00

Mark, Stefano and I are making our push to finish the RED BAND! proposal and we need your help. We need only $225 to finish the proposal (if it is not picked up, it will be published by Deaf Mute Comics).

Help keep the indy spirit alive and make a donation today HERE

Thanks!
Jay

Slaving away...

2012-02-22T22:19:00.000-05:00

On Sulfur: The Last Family, RED BAND! 2!, the script for issue 2 of the RED BAND! comic book. Wrote a short story called "run like hell", still finishing it up, the only problem is i have nowhere to submit to since it is...different.

Watched THE DEAD, a cool lilttle throwback zombie flick featuring romero/fulci slow zoms. I thought it was kick ass.

I really have nothing to post about, just hard at work writing...

J

RED BAND! Issue 1 Script

2012-01-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

Has been emailed to Mark and Stefano. It will be soon, very soon, before the 5 page preview is completed and then shopped around to a handful of comic publishers. There will be a lucky few who will get a sneak into the world that is RED BAND!

Nothing else has really been happening around here lately. Mostly just working on RED BAND!, the sequel RED BAND! 2! and other small things. More on those later....

J

RED BAND! Concept Art

2012-01-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

RED BAND! Concept Art By Stefano Cardoselli!

This is not final art, just some kick ass artwork to give you an idea what to expect!

Quickie! A new review of RED BAND!

2011-12-31T00:34:00.000-05:00

The G.O.R.E. Score review of RED BAND!

You know you want a copy now!

UPDATE A Go-Go!

2011-12-28T20:33:00.001-05:00

A few things going on right now...

The draft for the first issue comic book adaptation of RED BAND! has been completed. Going to run through the draft and clean it up, it goes through the first 10 chapters of the book. I've introduced a new character who is a friend of mine in real life that I promised long ago that I'd put him in a book. He will be a major character throughout the story, plus I've expanded on how the sauce came to be as well.

I can't express how much fun it is going back to this story and turning it into a visual medium. I can finally describe the small things that I couldn't put into the story since it would slow it down to a snails pace. There will be alot of visual gags throughout that will probably translate into a contest at some point.

The kickstarter campaign will be restarted in a few weeks. Look out for the link....

I was contacted recently for an interview with newspaper regarding writing to publishing and using kickstarter. Will be setting that up in the next week. More details to follow.

May 18-20 2012, I will be at Sci-Fi In The Valley in Johnstown Pa. This is a new convention spanning Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy. Panels will be announced in a few weeks but I'll be part of at least one of them. Also I'll need a bit of help for the weekend since Barb can't go. Any takers? Drop me an email at deafmutepress@gmail.com

Reminder:
Let's Go To Hell is available through amazon for FREE to all amazon prime members for their kindles Here, if you are not a prime member or kindle owner, you can still pick it up for only $.99!

RED BAND! is still only $.99 on amazon Here and is free if you join the Uwe Boll must make RED BAND! into a movie facebook page.

That about wraps it up for this installment. Everybody be safe over New Years, if you do something stupid, make sure you got someone sober to drive you home...

Jay

Amazon Kindle Links

2011-12-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

RED BAND! is Here it's only $.99 or you can join the UWE BOLL must make RED BAND! into a movie facebook group and get it free HERE!

Let's Go To Hell, the out of print chapbook is now available on the kindle now too, get it Here! it is also $.99 and is not slated for reprinting.

Here is my author page at amazon, not much to look at yet. If you've read anything that is listed, go ahead and leave a review. Good or bad, I want to know what you think.

Sketchbook Of The Dead is being printed now. should be good to go in the next week or two. More details once the books are in hand (again this is the limited to 25 copies version, the regular version will be released later this month.).

There will be a kickstarter campaign to produce RED BAND! into a comic book mini series. Once that is live, I will post the link here. Backing starts at $5 and goes from there with some really cool free stuff for the backers of the project.

I'll have more to post later....
J

New additions to Amazon's Kindle Store...

2011-12-01T00:18:00.001-05:00

Over the next few days, two additional titles will go live on Amazon.com's kindle store.

RED BAND! is coming to kindle! God help us all! only $.99 or you can join the UWE BOLL must make RED BAND! into a movie facebook page to download it free! Yes! FREE!

The other title is the now out of print These Terrible Times Presents: Let's Go To Hell! Number 1. This will be the only place you can get this hard to find title ANYWHERE! Only 25 copies were printed and they have SOLD OUT. Originally released May 7, 2011 to commemorate my signing appearance at Planet X Comics for Free Comic Book Day. This is not scheduled to be reprinted for at least two years.

Links will be posted once the titles are available.

Over the next few weeks, be on the look out for news concerning RED BAND! being adapted into a comic book mini-series and possibly a very limited edition of Sketchbook Of The Dead.

J

Project: "UWE BOLL must make RED BAND! into a movie" facebook page is now LIVE!

2011-11-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

Go here, you must, it is your duty if you are on facebook!

I've decided the time is right to start pestering Mr. Boll to make my one regret into a movie. It has everything, beer! zombies! motorhead! monster trucks! and every other cliche known to horror writers the world over!

So help me get the word out and get UWE BOLL to make RED BAND! into a movie!

if you join the group, you get a free e-book copy of the worst book ever made!

RED BAND! copyright 2010 Jay Franklin and dedicated to Ed Wood and Uwe Boll.

Update on "Sketchbook Of The Dead"

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Now that Halloween is almost a month in the past, I'd like to fill in everyone in the status.

The book is at the printer as we speak, I tweaked the book and completely re-did it all. There are still two versions being printed....

Cover Price: $2.99, only available through Deaf Mute Press. 8 Pages

Dead Letter Edition: Still only 25 copies will be for sale, and they are hand numbered to 25.

Cover: Still the zombie clown and monkey artwork by Stefano Cardoselli, but now in a really cool sketch version. The color cover will now be regulated to the regular edition. This was done to keep the price point of the Dead Letter Version to under $3.

Interior: Originally black and white, it is now going to be in full color. Content change is minimal, again to keep the price under $3.

Availability: Good News/Bad News, the numbers 1-5 have been sold. That leaves 6-12 & 14-25 left. What about #13? That is the file copy.

Release Date: Early December 2011

Sketchbook Of The Dead Regular version:

Cover Price: $3.99, available worldwide. 20 pages

Cover: Full Color

Interior: Full Color

Availability: Unlimited Print Run.

Release Date: December 2011

There is a possibility of a very limited edition of 5 copies, I'm still working out the logistics. The plan would be a price point of $50-$100 for this Ultra Limited Edition. More details when they become available.

Sketchbook of the Dead 2? Possibly. Depending on my workload with other projects (mainly projects I have something to add, since I have no artistic talent, I just do the design and logistics on the sketchbooks).

I am possibly discontinuing the regular website to focus only writing and this site so my email address at this time is changing to deafmutepress@gmail.com . Please do not send anything further to dmp_jay@deafmutepress.com at this time.

Also, I have been throwing out the idea to actually propose RED BAND! to the one and only Uwe Boll to possibly make into a movie. Since the book was written to be made into an absolutely horrible movie, I'd like to see it happen. May start a page dedicated to swindling him, err, I mean, asking him to make it a reality. Couldn't be any worse than Daredevil could it?

Until the next one....
J

The Suicide Man.

2011-11-17T20:34:00.001-05:00

Chapter 1 of "The Scarred Man" isn't quite ready for posting. In it's place is the original concept of "The Suicide Man".

Please remember, this story is covered under international copyright laws and reprint of this story is only permitted with my permission. T
his is the first draft with minor edits for continuity. Fee free to leave comments regarding the quality or lack of quality either in the comments section or by emailing me at DMP_Jay@deafmutepress.com.

Thanks!
Jay

THE SUICIDE MAN

Jay Franklin

The kitchen table is dirty with cigarette ashes and rotted food. Raymond sits, he pushes away the filth. He stares at the man across from him, his eyes dead and heavy bags under his eyes. His wife beater stained from long eaten food and drink.

The man from across the table speaks, “Tell me your story, I would like to know your rationale for your actions”

Raymond responds, “Not much to tell, I've lived in this shithole my whole life. My mom was always sick, she never left the house, and if she did, it was to get her medicine.”

“What did she suffer from?” the man asks.

“A little bit of everything. From what I remember, she was always taking pills. When the money ran out, she would sell herself.”

Raymond takes a swig of whiskey from the bottle sitting on the table. “My dad was a janitor who showed his emotions with his fists. If it wasn't my mom on the end of a punch, it was me.”

Raymond bows his head, “my dad, he was a janitor, he didn't make shit for money and there were more times than I could remember when we had no food or heat during the winter.”

In a warm tone, the man asks him to continue. “Please go on, your story needs to be told.”

Raymond looks perplexed, “Why do you care?”

“Someone has to? Everyone deserves to be heard.” The man speaks plainly.

“Anyway, as I was saying, my dad beat us all the time. Sometimes he was drunk and other times he just wanted to. I learned a lot from dear old dad. One time, he came stumbling home early and found mom with a guy. She was doing what she had to; she did it so she could get her pills.”

“What happened, Raymond?”

“Exactly how you think it would. The guy left with a broken arm and my mom was in a coma for a week.” Raymond says, sitting back in his chair. “Every day that week, he went to the hospital and he kept whispering to her, IF YOU DO THIS AGAIN...I WILL KILL US ALL.”

The man asks “Did he threaten you as well?”

Raymond laughs “Of course he did. I was scared shitless. Even though I was only nine, I knew this would happen again. She was a whore after all.”

“Do you think your father was just in his actions?”

“Sure, she deserved it and I deserved what he did to me. He worked hard for nothing. He had a whore wife and a worthless kid.”

“Now Raymond, even at that age you didn't feel that his behavior was wrong? Is he the one that taught you violence was a means to an end?”

“Look, you asked asshole. I don't usually talk about my life story but since you want to write a book about some loser like me, I'm not going to hold back.”

“I am just trying to understand what made you into this...monster.”

“Well, a couple of months later, I was at my grandmother's when my dad shows up. He was covered in blood when my grand mom answered the door. She didn't have a chance. All I saw was the claw of the hammer shatter her skull.”

“Where were you?”

“I stood right behind her.”

“Why didn't he hurt you?”

“My uncle, he was in the kitchen making dinner, he ran in and tackled my dad before he could hurt anyone else.”

“That must have been horrible. I couldn't imagine.”

“No fucking shit! He ended up on death row. Found guilty on four counts of murder. My mom, the guy she was with, a neighbor and my grandmother. He was fried on my fifteenth birthday. I long turned to drugs and drink well before he was dead.”

“Who took care of you? After all that had happened?”

“My uncle, Sure he drank but he never put a hand on me. After what happened to my family, he sank further and further into the bottle. I had free reign to do whatever I wanted to.”

“What was the first violent crime that you committed?”

Raymond looks back with fondness. “That's easy. Me and a bunch of my friends jacked this cab driver. We beat him so bad that he had brain damage from it. I just remember feeling so good making someone hurt so bad.”

“Did you get caught?”

“Yeah, a few weeks later I got busted for breaking and entering. The cops matched my fingerprints that were inside the cab when I was booked. The best thing was I served all of eight months. I got away with it and it made me feel alive. I felt invincible. It made me want to do it again just for the thrill.”

Tipping his head backwards and exhaling, Raymond reminisces about the power he welded. He could choose life or death over anyone.

“Do you have no remorse? No compassion for the man?”

“No, why would I? If it wasn't him, it would have been someone else. Survival, that is the name of the game when you don't have shit.”

After another swig from the bottle, Raymond offers to the man interviewing him.

“Here, join in on the fun. Have a drink with me.”

“I have to decline Raymond. I do not drink.”

“You don't drink? Or do you not drink with a son of a bitch?”

“I do not drink.”

“Well, tonight you are asshole.” Raymond pulls a knife from his boxers.

“Please put the knife down. It will not solve your problems. Dialog is your only salvation.”

The scene shifts to an empty street. Raymond stands alone on the dimly lit corner. A lone car pulls up to the stop sign at the intersection.

“Ray! What’s up?”

“I'll take the best you got Dominic! Only the pure shit!”

The dealer smiles, “You sure you got enough to cover it?”

“Fuck yeah I do! How much?”

“It'll be 3 large Ray; you won't find this shit anywhere else.”

Ray pulls out a gun and empties the rounds into the dealer. He swipes the bag from the dealer's hand and runs off; leaving a bloody mess to be found once the sun comes up.

“Did you kill him?

“I guess so; I didn't stick around to take his pulse or anything. I got what I needed and hauled ass. Once I got home I got so fucking high!”

Ray wipes snot running onto his lips.

“Speaking of which, I need to smoke a bit. You mind?”

“Raymond I must insist that you stay conscious during our conversation.”

“Why not? I'll do it if I want to! If I'm gonna tell my story, I need to kiss the glass pipe a bit.”

“No Raymond, you will not. Continue with your story.”

“Fine!”

Raymond becomes more irritable as the time passes by. He rubs his eyes with his palms, trying to think of what to talk about next.

“Alright, let's get back to it. Melanie Bunt. She was a bit retarded and easy to influence. Since she would do anything you told her, I took advantage of that.”

“What did you make her do?”

“Anything you could think of. I made her eat my shit, drink my piss and got her to put things in her body. Fucked up thing was no matter how much it hurt it, she still did it.”

“Did you receive great pleasure in what she did?”

“Yeah, some of it was a power trip and some of it was...sexual.”

“What happened to her?”

“She was committed to some looney bin. I got her to molest her little brother; she did some sick shit to that kid. Told her I'd kill her family if she told anybody. When her parents found out, they sent her away.”

“You are a sick pervert. How can you live with yourself?”

“I don't really feel bad about any of it. How I've lived my life is how I wanted and no one can change me.”

“Are you sure?”

“No one.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Really? Fuck you.”

“Yes Raymond, there is someone who can change this.”

“Let me guess, God right?”

“No, not god. There is someone who has much more power. Real power.”

Ray rolls his eyes.

“Don't start preaching to me asshole. If you want to hear the last bits of my life, you'll shut up and I'll finish up.”

“Fair enough, continue.”

Taking a large swig from his bottle, Raymond gulps down the whiskey, leaving a large sigh in his wake after.

“So you want to know the really dirty secret I've been carrying do ya?”

“Raymond, there are no secrets with you, thinking that no one has known the terrible things you have done is your greatest weakness.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? You don't know what I've done.”

“You would be surprised, you have left quite a trail leading up to your doorstep.”

A look of concern jumps from Raymond's face, he slowly slides his chair backwards from the table.

“Raymond, I am not here to judge or punish you. My purpose is to find out why you've done what you have.”

Raymond moves his chair slightly forward.

“OK, there was this immigrant, she came from Africa or some shit country. She was a waitress at the diner down the street. She barely spoke English and had no family or anything over here. Since I needed cash and she had just got off work I decided to follow her home.”

“I take it you only wanted to rob her and that was it?”

“At that time I just wanted her money, but I didn't have a plan.”

“Continue”

“I followed to her apartment, it was a cheap place so there was no buzzer and I just followed her in. Lucky for me she was only on the second floor so I didn't have to trudge up a million steps. I kept walking once she got to her door. I waited in the far stairwell for a few minutes before I made my way back to her door.”

“What did you do?”

“I knocked.”

“Just knocked?

“I've done this a million times; I wasn't pumped up or anything. I was going to go in and get what I wanted and leave.”

“But you changed your mind didn't you?”

Grinning, Raymond looks into the man's eyes with a dead stare.

“Once I showed myself in, I got a real good look at her and decided to have some fun too.”

Taking another swig, Raymond continues.

“I tied her up first, had to show her who was in charge. Didn't make the lamp cord too tight around her wrists, just enough so she couldn't get free.”

“Showed who was in charge?”

“Yeah, she had no control over anything and I told her what I was going to do.”

“Such as?”

“I told her I was going to have fun with her weather if she wanted to or not. I was going to violate her with unnatural objects because that is what I like. She was going to feel pain like never before.”

“You are a monster; it is a pity that humanity has dealt with you this long.”

“Ha-ha, fuck you, I'm not done!”

“I don't know if I can hear anymore.”

“Deal with it; you wanted to hear, so you are going to hear it all. I don't care if it makes you sick.”

“Just get it over with” the man says, rubbing his temples.

“She took the rolling pin with barely a whimper, I branded her with wire hanger, put a goddamn heart on her ass!”

Raymond laughs; the man slams his hands onto the table.

“Enough of the laughing, just continue the story.”

“When I got bored, I just punched her in the face a couple of times, by that time she was moaning almost non-stop.”

“How long did you torture her?”

“About a day, I didn't penetrate her until the end. It wasn't until she had blood running from every hole that I did her. Hell I don't even know if she was still alive by then. I stabbed her a few times just to make sure.”

“You are a monster.”

“Maybe I am. Should I feel sorry for what I've done? Probably, but I don't.”

“Raymond, do you have anything else to confess?”

“What are you a priest or something? I haven't confessed to nothing, just telling a story.”

“I am neither a priest nor an officer of the law. I am here to cleanse your soul.”

“What the fuck are you on?”

“You have caused too much pain in this world, you've been allowed too much. The world has no use for you and it is your time to stop.”

“Stop what? I ain't stopping anything.”

The man stands from the table and moves towards Raymond.

“Stay away from me asshole” Raymond pulls a pistol from his waistband. “Stop there or I shoot you fucker! Don't think I won't!”

“I have no doubt, but you won't”

The man touches Raymond’s hand.

“You MUST do this, your time is over.”

Raymond's eyes swell with tears; a lifetime of pain inflicted on others hits his chest.

“I'm...I'm...sorry.”

“I know son.”

The man comes from the shadows, revealing his face.

“Dad? You're dead. This can't be happening”

“Raymond, place the gun to your head and pull the trigger.”

“But dad, I did all of this to be like you. I wanted to know how you felt.”

“I understand son, but you must pull the trigger.”

“Yes dad...”

Raymond pulls the trigger; his head explodes onto the wall behind him. Fragments of skull and soupy gray matter stain the tattered wall paper. The man stands in the center of the room, “Poor Raymond, I never was your father, I am and always will be the Suicide Man."

Changes in mid-writing

2011-11-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

It's a good thing that I decided from the start to take my next projects slow since, well, I changed the whole basis of The Last Family today. Almost a rebirth but not quite, the basis of the story has changed due to large plot points being re-written. Why is that? Because when I am writing, I always come up with something to add to the basic plot (I don't write or plan out endings when I start a story, I can go through dozens of endings even for the shortest stories).

My works straddle the line between taking events from reality and equally from fantasy. To me, there has to be a small amount of realism in what I write or I'm not satisfied with it and it goes into the "never to be seen again box on our second floor", that box has no less than 100 stories that probably will not see the light of day.

Why am I posting this? It's simple, for the Armageddon Trilogy, I have the first two books set (the sulfur books) but I couldn't figure out what to do with the third book since the way they are being written, the second book has a very narrow story. Until now.

This third book started out as a short story or comic book that had nothing to do with the sulfur universe. That changed while I was working my regular job, Change the plot in The Last Family and this other story now fits, the third book in the trilogy will be called The Mass Revolution.

The timeline of the three books:
Present time:
Protocol 42

Five years after Protocol 42:
The Last Family

One Year After Last Family:
The Mass Revolution

So there it is...the final title in the trilogy.

Over the last week or two I have thought hard about what I want to say (if anything) with the words that I write. For myself, entertainment is priority but I have this push to provide commentary in what i see day to day as well, so this will be the big experiment, mixing commentary and entertainment in one.

Only time will tell if it will float....

jay

A New Printer, Conventions and other randomness....

2011-11-07T22:48:00.002-05:00

I am slowly making progress on a few stories. My non-writing schedule may be very hectic for the next few weeks as well as prepping the first chapter of The Scarred Man for publication as well.

The biggest news is the change in printers for Sketchbook of The Dead, I decided for my own sanity that it was just not a good fit with the original printer and I have shift the responsibility to Ka-Blam.com (which I should have stuck with anyway, but I'm always willing to help out a small business to try to succeed. Shame on me!).

I promise I will have a lot of news and goodies for all of you in the coming month, just trust me as it may be slow to release.

One hint, there may be some news regarding a project between me and a previous collaborator in the near future as well...

Conventions for 2012. The prospective schedule will be known in the next two weeks, the only absolute is HorrorfindWeekend 14 over Labor Day Weekend 2012. Other than that convention, nothing is set in stone yet. As much as I would like to go back to Chicago for C2E2 2012, it looks like the cost will be too high at this time. There may be a DMP presence, I unfortunately won't be able to make it. I'm torn about Baltimore Comic Con, I love going back to my hometown, but being mostly a novelist, it just isn't a good fit (and i end up spending more on books than I make selling mine.

So that is it for today's update....

Jay

Upcoming in the next few weeks...

2011-11-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

A redesign of this page and the first chapter of "The Scarred Man". This will be my first in a planned bi-weekly novella revolving around a serial killer and his only living victim. This will go live at 9 p.m. EST on November 17th.

I will also start posting older short stories (circa 2008-2010) for review and critiquing by you, my readers. I plan to start posting these stories by the end of the month, those will be under the Fiction Testing Ground link at the top of the page. With those, I am looking for feedback. Regardless if positive or negative, please post your thoughts. Some will be flash (500 words or less) and others will be regular sized short stories (up to 1500 words). Don't be shy, but be honest. I can't get better if you kiss my ass.

J!

The plan for the remainder of 2011

2011-10-31T21:52:00.000-04:00

There are a few things brewing for me when it comes to conventions for 2012. There is talk about a local Pop Culture Convention that would be a major breath of fresh air for this stagnant area we live in.

Hopefully it will happen as after talking to the person who is spearheading this proposal. This has a great feeling of DYI and just a day of massive fun.

The second is a bit different, I received an email from the promoter of a new Sci-Fi and Horror convention in Johnstown, PA in May 2012. I am debating on this one at this time and will really depend on finances at the start of the new year if this one will be a go or not.

The signing at Planet X Comics yesterday went great. Sold a few books and had a good time with Tim and Kim Fling, if you ever make it to York PA, stop there and they will take care of you (and buy more of my stuff since they stock all of the DMP in-print catalog).

For the remainder of 2011 and probably the first quarter of 2012 will see very little production from me as I will be continuing to work on the two Sulfur Books and re-writing Free Weapons and The Innocents. I may post some short stories here and there as well.

In sad news, The Twisted Library had to halt production of their upcoming anthologies including "Zombology 3" that was to feature my story "The Filthy Rotten". The rights have converted ack to me and I'm debating if i want to shop it around as is or turn it into a novella or novel. This was the first story I was actually proud of and I still feel that this is my strongest work I have done (and it was written back in 2008!). The other anthology I have a story in "Rapid Decomposition" is still being released but has not been given a release date at this time.

My first novel "Bakersfield" continues to be transcribed and once the first draft is fully transcribed, I will start on second draft. This is scheduled to be a trilogy.

Here is what is on my plate:
Sulfur: Protocol 42 (novel) @ 3k of 80k written 1st draft (high priority)
Sulfur: The Last Family (novel) @ 5k of 75k written 1st draft (high priority)
Free Weapons (comic book ongoing) Plotting first arc (low priority)
The Innocents (comic book mini-series) 1st draft of script written (mid priority)
Bakersfield (novel) 60k of 60k written 1st draft (high priority)

That is all for now, if you have any questions , drop me an email DMP_Jay (@) deafmutepress.com

Jay!

I am not accepting any submissions at this time. I have decided to focus on my own work and will not be publishing other writers/artists at this time.

Last Signing Of The Year!

2011-10-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday October 30th, 2011

From 1-3pm at Planet X Comics in York, Pennsylvania.

Sketchbook Of The Dead will have it's debut at Planet X Comics!

This is a special limited edition of the sketchbook limited to only 25 copies.

The best part? it's only $2.99!

Featuring the artwork of:

Stefano Cardoselli (Heavy Metal, Vincent Price Presents)

Mark Lone (Rise Of The Mutant Underground, Tales From The Dead)

Scott Conner (SFX Artist for numerous best selling movies)

Amber Russell (Painter)

William Cook (Artist & Writer)

And

Andrew Villar (Plan B Comics & Ambush Comics Philippines)

I will have limited copies of Tales From The Dead, The DMC 2010 Convention Preview (Featuring cover artwork used by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for their zombie preparedness feature), In Life, Everyone Dies and ONE copy of These Terrible Times (all that is left of the 50 copies).

Unfortunately, Let's Go To Hell has sold out and will not be reprinted at this time. RED BAND! is available only through the printer HERE (softcover) and HERE (hardcover).

The Push For 2012

2011-10-20T22:28:00.000-04:00

First before I go any further, allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Jay Franklin, Semi-Professional Writer of HORROR and SCIENCE-FICTION. I am based out of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. I have been writing since 2007 and a handful of my stories have been published. I purposely do not submit my stories to numerous publishers so that is one reason why you may not have heard of me.

I have decided to only publish chapbooks for the foreseeable future as I have decided to focus my energy to obtain "the deal" with a traditional publisher. For the rest of 2011, I have begun writing two volumes of my "Armageddon" trilogy to begin shopping around by spring 2012.

This is a departure for me as I usually have a fast turnaround time on my full length books. I average about a month from first draft to final draft before sending for print. Since I started on the trilogy in July, going almost ten months for two books is unheard of for me.

My goal is to be a success in writing, I don't want to be Steven King, I'd be happy being able to live off my writing comfortably with my wife for decades to come. I don't want to be famous, I'd be happy just being that guy who writes.

So with that out of the way, let's get this started....

Deaf Mute Press currently has five titles in print:

In Life, Everyone Dies
This is my first full length, released in 2008. All the characters in the book are real people. I gave my friends a choice, they can be either good or evil, but they had to die at the end of their story. This is what they chose.

RED BAND!
My second book, this is my Plan 9 From Outer Space. Written as a bad b-movie in mind, this has it all. Zombies, Booze, Rednecks and Monster Trucks. If you take an open mind into reading this book, you might see the humor in it. Regardless how many dick, fart and farm animal jokes, this is what it is. Soon to be made into a Major Motion picture from Uwe Boll! Actually, just kidding, this story is too good for him.

Tales From The Dead
A collaborative comic book made by comic fans. I have a six page story "Black Box" with long time collaborator Mark Lone closing out the book.

DMC Convention Preview
A teaser comic of upcoming stories by myself and a few friends, including Gavin Williams (cover artist for These Terrible Times and back cover artist for In Life).

Sketchbook of the Dead
Releasing on Halloween. A sketchbook featuring artists from around the world.

Out Of Print Titles

These Terrible Times
Limited to 50. Featuring two stories of mine, "Leave A Light On" and "60 Days". Also includes the first chapter of "Dead Drunk" from Gavin Williams first previewed in the Convention Preview. Released for Horrorfind Weekend 12.

Let's Go To Hell
Limited to 25. A fun little chapbook that was a departure for me. It revolves around a couple who have lost everything and the choice they make for their future.

Tales From The Dead Baltimore Comic Convention Edition
Limited to 120. Same as the regular version but with a black and white cover with a BCC logo. A variant was released with a different cover and limited to 10. Exclusive to the Convention only.

Titles from other publishers:
Letters From The Dead
My piece of flash, "Albany" is part of this great book.

Zombology 3
Releases late 2010. Has one of my best stories, "The Filthy Rotten" included. A nice mid size short story. The ending is the best part.

Rapid Decomposition
Releases Early 2012. "She Never Ceases To Amaze Me", my thought on what a zombie outbreak would be like in Harrisburg.

That is it. This encompasses what I have released or has been released since 2010.

Since I have put out a pretty good amount over the past year and a half, I am going to really focus on making my push for next year. If you are willing to try out an unknown talent, give my works a try. You won't be disappointed (well, if you only read RED BAND! then maybe).

Thanks for reading...

Jay