Lucas Mangum, myself, and Encyclopocalyse Publications are proud to present THE FINAL GATE, a fiction tribute and loving homage to the films of Lucio Fulci! Also Includes a wonderful introduction by Ryan Harding. Coming August 3rd 2021 in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. Pre-order the e-book here. Paperback will be available on the day of release.

BACK COVER COPY:
Something is terrifying the residents of St. Luke’s Orphanage. Gurgling moans echo through the hallways. Hulking shapes lurk in the surrounding woods. And those who wake in the morning will find one less child under their roof…

Brandon and his girlfriend, Jillian, believe his younger brother is in serious danger. Even though the caretakers at St. Luke’s told them that he’s been adopted, Brandon has his doubts. With the help of a friend and a mysterious guide, they will do whatever it takes to find out just what is happening inside the orphanage walls…and at the bottom of the basement steps…

From Splatterpunk Award-Winning author Wesley Southard and Splatterpunk Award-Nominated author Lucas Mangum comes The Final Gate, the ultimate tribute to Italian horror master Lucio Fulci. With blood, guts, and all the nightmarish madness you’d expect from the Godfather of Gore himself, Southard and Mangum present a loving homage to spaghetti splatter and the glory of 1980’s Euro horror.

Though the official release isn’t until this Saturday, May 22nd, the trade paperback of WHERE THE DEVIL WAITS, the new book from myself and Mark Steensland, has been released a few days early from Cemetery Gates Media! You can head over to Amazon and get your own copy. The e-book will still be coming out on the 22nd.

Official Back Cover Copy:

All Frank wanted from his Friday night was to drink beer and bullshit with his friends: Chris, Doug, and Stan. But when Stan challenges them to test a local urban legend about a church where you can race the devil, things get hot fast. Old conflicts soon surface and Frank finds himself going along for the ride just to keep the peace. At the church, Stan shows them how it’s done, running the race and claiming he won, which means the devil is now his personal genie. After Frank runs the race and loses, he quickly dismisses his supposed fate—that he’ll die before sunrise—as just another attempt by Stan to get back at him for stealing his girlfriend. But before the night is over, all four find themselves in a new reality, where the supernatural has suddenly become normal, and Stan’s power grows to terrifying heights. Will these friends find a way to defeat someone in league with the devil, or will they succumb to the awful fate he has planned for each of them?

Coming May 22, 2021 from Cemetery Gates Media…

WHERE THE DEVIL WAITS from Wesley Southard and Mark Steensland.

What would you do for all the money in the world? Or to get with the girl of your dreams? What if you could make other people do anything you told them? What if all this and more could be yours just for winning a race…against the devil?

A long-abandoned church on top of a mountain in the Pennsylvania backwoods is where the devil waits for anyone brave enough to challenge him. The course runs from the gate, through the cemetery, to the church doors.

If you win, the prize is yours.

If you lose…you die at sunrise.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

To four college students looking for a good time, nothing could be further from the truth.

My new novel CRUEL SUMMER is officially available from Death’s Head Press! Thanks to Jarod Barbee and Patrick C. Harrison III for helping to get this novel into the world. I’m very proud of this book, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can buy both editions here.

Back Cover Copy:

Melissa Braun is a broken woman. Only wanting what’s best for her family, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to mend her fractured relationship with her abusive boyfriend. In a last ditch effort, she hopes the sun and sand of a much-needed Florida vacation will bring them and her son closer together.

Patrick Braun is a demoralized kid. Quiet and sullen, he only wants his mother to see her boyfriend’s torment as it cripples everything he loves. After years of silence, he refuses to stand by and let the abuse continue to tear them apart.

Hoyt Rainey is a vile man. Unable to keep his hands to himself, he finally takes his anger one step too far. Only this time he finds himself on the receiving end of his own punishment. Down and down he goes, plunging deeper into the dark blue abyss of the sea.

Melissa and Patrick finally believe they are safe, the trouble now behind them for good. They are wrong.

Gods never really stay dead―they only lie in wait. And when a beast as old as time discovers Hoyt…he, too, won’t stay gone for long.

The nights grow darker, the water flows colder, and the cruelty of summer lives on.

Last week, author Stephen Kozeniewski had me on this regular FB Live show Publish Like A Motherfucker, where he and a guest discuss the in’s and out’s of being an author. On this episode, Stephen and I discuss contract rights and current events in the world.

I’m proud to announce I have signed a contract with Fireside Horror to produce an audiobook for my upcoming novel CRUEL SUMMER! I’m really excited to finally dip my toes in the audiobook realm. Coming 2021.

Death’s Head Press and I have decided to move up the release date of my upcoming novel CRUEL SUMMER from January 15th 2021 to January 10th, 2021. So now you’ll get to check it out five days sooner! The pre-order price is $3.99, but it will go up after release, so get it cheap now!

Here’s the final cover layout for my upcoming novel CRUEL SUMMER, coming January 15, 2021 from Death’s Head Press! I absolutely love it! The Kindle edition is up for pre-order right now, and the paperback will be available on release day.

The contract has been inked, and I’m thrilled to announce that Mark Steensland and I have signed on with Cemetery Gates Media to release our new collaborative novella WHERE THE DEVIL WAITS in May 2021! Full release date and cover art coming soon.

Official Back Cover Copy:

What would you do for all the money in the world? Or to get with the girl of your dreams? What if you could make other people do anything you told them? What if all this and more could be yours just for winning a race…against the devil?

A long-abandoned church on top of a mountain in the Pennsylvania backwoods is where the devil waits for anyone brave enough to challenge him. The course runs from the gate, through the cemetery, to the church doors.

If you win, the prize is yours.

If you lose…you die at sunrise.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

To four college students looking for a good time, nothing could be further from the truth.

Hey, everyone! My sincere apologies for the severe lack of updates here. It’s been a crazy couple of months, and I’m trying to stay busy with my writing in any way I can. Here’s what’s been happening:

Since the last time we spoke, I’ve managed to squeeze in two different convention shows. The first was in Newville, PA at the Cumberland Drive-In for Creature Feature Weekend. Though the event was two days, I was only able to make it out for the Saturday, which turned out to be enough. I was shocked at the turnout and ended up selling a ton of books. Also, big shouts out go to Joseph Pesavento who came all the way down from New York City, and Jeremy Megargee who drove over from West Virginia. It was a pleasure to meet you gentlemen. The other show was last weekend in Monroeville, PA for Living Dead Weekend at the infamous Monroeville Mall. I was joined by my good friend, filmmaker Mike Lombardo, and we had a blast. We both sold a ton, and we’re really grateful to all the wonderful fans in the Pittsburgh area. Hopefully, depending on what next year looks like, I will have a ton of conventions going on all over the country, so I hope to see you all on the road.

My wife and I were able to sneak off for a short vacation last month, and while we were gone, I was able to record some promotional material for the upcoming release of my novel CRUEL SUMMER. I was able to shoot a video I think will be really cool for people to watch, but only after the book has been out for a bit. All will make sense soon.

Speaking of CRUEL SUMMER, hopefully I will have a cover and release date for the paperback and e-book soon. But I can tell you the cover will be kick-ass. Also, there may be news on an audiobook version very soon, as well.

On the foreign front, I have signed a couple of contracts with my Italian pubisher Dunwich Edizioni for the rights to CRUEL SUMMER and SLAVES TO GRAVITY (co-written with Somer Canon). Though the latter doesn’t have a date yet, CRUEL SUMMER will see print in Italy in June 2021.

Short stories galore! A few weeks ago, the epic MIDNIGHT IN THE PENTAGRAM anthology was released, which included my new story “My Body.” The story has already been getting shout outs in the few reviews that have shown up online, so that’s pretty nice to see. On November 15, I will have another short story in the Frank Michaels Errington tribute anthology ONE OF US. That story is called “We Bare All” and I’m quite happy with how that one came out. The last story to be released this year will be out soon. The anthology hasn’t been announced yet, but from what I hear it’s going to have quite a fantastic lineup. I’m really looking forward to it coming out.

As far as upcoming longer works, there’s a lot to look forward to. Earlier this summer, I co-wrote a novella with someone (it’s a secret for now), and we’re currently waiting to hear back from a publisher on it. As we teased on social media a few weeks ago, Lucas Mangum and I have started work on a project that we’re both really excited about. If you’re a Lucio Fulci fan, you’re going to love this. And lastly, I’m currently outlining a new novel, which will be my take on the old haunted house trope, of course with my own twist. It’s shaping up quite nicely. I’m super excited to get this outline done so I can finally start it.

And that’s it for now. You keep reading, I’ll keep writing.