Blankety Blank, A Memoir of Vulgaria
by D. Harlan Wilson

"The exquisite tilt of this novel runs us all off the board and on; its originality is a weapon. Firing at that bullseye on time." Barry N. Malzberg, John Campbell Award-winning author of 70+ science fiction novels

10 Nails on a Screaming Chalkboard
edited and illustrated by Brandon Duncan

coming 2008

Illustrated Bizarro collaboration including stories by D. Harlan Wilson, John Edward Lawson, Dustin LaValley, Andersen Prunty, Bradley Sands, Vincent W. Sakowski, Gina Ranalli, Sean Kilpatrick, Nicole Del Sesto and Brandon Duncan.

For a limited time the book is available for a $3 discount on our site.

Unlike some classics A Child’s Guide to Death not only ages, but also ends childhood in a single sitting! Because if you make a wish upon a star it doesn’t matter who you are...you’re still gonna die.

NEW SIZE WITH 20% MORE DEATH!

February 22-24, 2008
SheVaCon 16
Holiday Inn, Roanoke, VA
Ronald Damien Malfi, Darin Malfi, John Edward Lawson

Congratulations to RDSP author Matthew Warner whose original screenplay, "The Good Parts," is being developed by Almaric/B-Independent Productions into a short (30-minute) movie. It will be directed by Allen Richards, the owner of B-Independent, a popular web portal for filmmakers.

Casting is scheduled to begin in January 2008. Shooting would start the next month and proceed through the spring. Distribution will initially be to movie festivals and perhaps some showings at conventions, hopefully as early as summer 2008.

The book is a collaboration between 4 very twisted minds. How did the idea behind A Child's Guide to Death come about?
I was working at a movie store with good friend Mark Sullivan. Sunday's were mostly slow and together (as the only employees with multitasking skills) we would finish the day's basic labor within the first hour on the clock. One day I came into work with an idea of a child's picture book that taught the ABCs. We both remembered those boring alphabet books and decided to make learning fun for troubled children like we had been. A few hours later we had a few letters noted and some sketches on a yellow note pad. Mark still has that piece of paper somewhere, it's very interesting. We should dig that out . . .

Do you enjoy the collaborative process? How is it different from working on your own?
I love collaborating. My first collaboration was with Robbie Ribspreader on the screenplay for Rise of the Ghosts. It's interesting to work with other creative minds and what they have to bring to the topic. Luckily I got John Edward Lawson involved and every time we would exchange emails I'd have to contain my laughter to get any work done. Writing is a lonely process; alone at the computer, maybe some North Side Kings or CIV playing in the background, besides that it's rather mundane. When another writer is brought in to help out, it's always exciting to see what they have for you.

What was the reaction to the book's debut at Zombiefest?
Word of mouth got around quick. There were people coming up and buying the book because someone had shown them a copy. One woman bought three copies at once, explaining that two were 'Christmas presents.' People were recognizing Darin's black, red and white cover art. Each book opened brought out the demented inner-child in everyone, laughter was abundant at the RDSP booth.

As a martial artist and an author you seem to take both the body and the mind to extremes. What drives you in these areas?Both are ways of life. They're forms of self-preservation, mental and physical growth, and outlets for anger, frustration, sadness - anything that can't be held in. Through writing and training in the martial arts, I'm training my body and mind beyond the norm of society.

Do the two disciplines overlap and feed into each other or are they totally separate for you.
What can't be said with a punch can be said with the nastiest of words, and vice-versa. There have been a few instances where I've been performing a kata or meditating and have been hit with a sudden urge to get up and jot down some notes. There are hints at my training in some of my writing. A reader with common knowledge may be able to pick it up and say, "Hey, that's a textbook instruction for bassai-dai bunkai." Both writing and martial arts demand a high amount of self-discipline and respect.