GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Guest Post: A Bloodsucking Anthology of Hope with Editor Robert Shane Wilson + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Guest Post: A Bloodsucking Anthology of Hope with Editor Robert Shane Wilson + giveaway

The Origins of Blood Type: An Anthology of Vampire SF on the Cutting Edge
by Robert Shane Wilson


Editor Robert Shane Wilson

A while back, I promised a good friend (whose name I will keep private) that I would do a charity anthology to help fight Cystic Fibrosis. Her daughter has the disease and the more she talked about it, the more I realized just how many great things The Cystic Fibrosis Trust was doing to help. It didn’t take a whole lot of connecting the dots from there. At first, the idea to do a vampire anthology was a completely separate one. 

At the time, late in the process of co-editing HORROR FOR GOOD: A CHARITABLE ANTHOLOGY, I knew at some point, I wanted to do an anthology on my own. And with having broken into the horror scene initially with my first novel, SHINING IN CRIMSON: EMPIRE OF BLOOD BOOK ONE, a vampire novel, it seemed only a natural choice.

The problems I often see with most vampire fiction today is that it lacks one of two things; originality or that truly dark element that had always—in the past—made up some of the best vampire stories of all time. So, I decided to do a vampire anthology consisting of only the most original dark stories I could find. Then life went and sped up, and I was forced to move on to other things.

One day the idea came crawling back and the more I thought about it, I realized the vampire stories that made the most significant impact on me were also technically stories of science fiction. One is more commonly known as a masterpiece of horror and the other is known simply as a work of hard science fiction. Both have made one hell of a mark on their respective genres.

Richard Matheson’s 1956 short novel I AM LEGEND was the first of the two to truly grab me by the throat and well...do what any good dark, original vampire story should. But it did one more thing...It intrigued me with an interesting scientific concept that, although pretty run of the mill now-a-days, had to have been controversial as all hell still in the ‘50s. I won’t spoil it for those of you so unlucky not to have read it before (and having seen the movie doesn’t count!).
The other major spark of inspiration for this anthology has a more personal tie to it. Peter Watts is and shall likely always be my favorite living writer. His novel BLINDSIGHT not only took vampires to a new scientific level but it also turned the concept of what it means to be conscious and how that affects our abilities and accomplishments as a progressive race of beings and turned it on its head.

I’ve been waiting for years for Peter’s second novel in the BLINDSIGHT universe, the novel he has been referring to as the coming sidequal as opposed to a sequel: ECHOPRAXIA. One of my biggest hopes when I started working on this anthology was that Peter would be willing to contribute something. Not only was he willing, in the spirit of the overall concept of the anthology, he wrote a story called "Orientation Day" based in the BLINDSIGHT universe that ties into his upcoming novel ECHOPRAXIA!

So there you have the reasons behind why this anthology came into being; I wanted to do a charity anthology to help support The Cystic Fibrosis Trust and I wanted to do an anthology of dark science fiction. It made perfect sense to put them together and make a science fiction vampire anthology for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.


If you’re a fan of dark vampire fiction—be it science fiction, fantasy, or horror—I do think you’ll enjoy this book as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together. And hey! It supports a hell of an awesome charity that is helping real people.

*Sharon interrupts this guest post*
Isn't the cover bad ass?!
*You may now return to the guest post*


Blood Type: An Anthology of Vampire SF on the Cutting Edge
Published October 30th 2013
All net proceeds from sales of this anthology will go to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
by Robert S. Wilson (Editor), Peter Watts, William F. NolanMike Resnick, Tim Waggoner,  Laird BarronStephen Graham Jones, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Rebecca Brown, Amelia Mangan, Peter GiglioMichael R. Collings, Michael Kamp, Jilly Paddock, James NinnessJason Duke, S.R. Algernon, James S. DorrJohn Palisano, H.E. Roulo, Essel Pratt, GN BraunJay Wilburn, David N. Smith, Tarl "Voice" Hoch, Violet Addison, Jonathan Templar, Jason V. Brock, Brian Fatah Steele, Taylor Grant
Blood Type: An Anthology of Vampire SF on the Cutting Edge is predominately a collection of stories that represent the most cutting edge science fiction-based vampire fiction. Think SF-based vampire fiction like I Am Legend and Necroscope and how they affected the vampire genre when they were first released. Dark Vampire SF that goes where the genre hasn't before.

It is not just an anthology of hard science fiction, however. This book also contains examples of science fantasy as well as some classic vampire stories including an updated reprint from William F. Nolan.


Links
The Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Blood Type on Amazon (Paperback should be available there soon):
Blood Type on the Nightscape Press website (available in Trade paperback and all eBook formats):
Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology on Amazon 
Shining in Crimson on Amazon




GIVEAWAY
one winner will get a special proof copy of Blood Type

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

  1. While the trade paperback isn't yet up on Amazon it is available on Createspace (and if you purchase it there, the charity will receive more royalties!) at https://www.createspace.com/4835268

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