My NYC Big Book Award for Best Horror of the Year - DEATH OF HEAVEN, & Video Book Trailers

Right off, two links:

Press release: Author JZ Murdock receives national recognition for Death of Heaven (cover title as, Death of heaven) through the NYC BIG BOOK AWARD® for Horror!

My author profile page for my books on Amazon. This includes my ebooks and audiobooks (also on Audible.com). Also Smashwords for only ebooks.

First up, congrats to winners of the Horror category:

Some NYC Big Book Award (a part of the Independent Press Awards) winners in the Horror category from over the years:

• 2024: "Death of heaven" JZ Murdock (Amazon)
• 2023: "River of Ashes" Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor (Amazon)
• 2022: "Annihilation" Kaylin McFarren (Amazon)
• 2021: "Roseneath" Dana McSwain (Amazon)
• 2020: "Canni" Daniel O'Connor (Amazon)
• 2019: "The Poor and The Haunted" Dustin McKissen (Amazon)
• 2018: "The Last Odinian" Alec Arbogast (Amazon)

OK, here we go...

Back in 2012, I was asked to adapt a novelist's book to screenplay. That was Dark of kNight by TL Mitchell. That led to another adaptation of her friend's book, Mitchell was starting her own publishing company. She pulled her books from her publisher and got to work. But she wouldn't publish my works. I found that frustrating. She turned me onto Cal Miller at Zilyon Publishing and he published my first book, Anthology of Evil, a collection of all my initial, original short horror and sci fi fiction. 

I took all my short stories I thought could stand alone and put them in that book. Originally I put all my short stories into that book at nearly 1,000 pages. But he said, "Uh, thanks, but maybe cut that by half?" So I did and he published it.

But I had a bunch of other stories left over so I put them in a second book. I thought I might make it into a portmanteau novel of sorts. Frame those stories and build another book within the book in a kind of meta book surrounding the book. How to tie that all together. This is something I've always excelled at. In college and later in various positions at corporations.

I had been a senior technical writer on various high-end, high-tech IT teams around the Pacific Northwest. I worked at US West Technologies, Holland American Cruise Lines, just missed out on a job at McCaw Cellular, and kept turning down a job at some place called Network Data Expresss (NDEX, or NDEx) which I finally took a job with after 5.5 months out of work during a period in the Pacific Northwest that experienced massive layoffs in high tech.

So I created my book, Death of Heaven in 2012 and Cal published that book also. I thought the cover was interesting but I thought it was too light. I had wanted a more hyperreal format of graphics, but when you get offered by an incredible artist to do you cover, you say, Thank you! Also, didn't need the "By" but we learned as we created, just the author name. 

Also, you can buy his art on Redbubble, which includes my book cover art and his art from over his amazing career. The image above is from his Redbubble profile

He made a banner like that for my book...

Three of the Tiny Colony "Gods" from Death of heaven

Then in 2014, my friend I worked at the same company with, Kurt Giambatiani (who wrote some of my favorite books in his "Fallen Cloud" series of revisionist history where Native Americans rode dinosaurs that terrified the horses of the US Army...where Custer never died at Little Big Horn but became President of the United States and his son joined the US Army...this is a great series of fun books. I highly recommend them. Kurt has moved on from that series. Check him out: K. R. A. Giambastiani.

Anyway, his wife Ilene had helped edit his books so I took a chance and asked and she decided to edit my book. We had a great time. She worked from their home in north Seattle, while I worked from my home in Suquamish, Washington, just a Bainbridge Island ride away from downtown Seattle, where both Kurt and I worked in the same building over by the 9th Avenue Seattle light rail (subway).

In 2014, I published a revised version of Death of Heaven. It was interesting as once he sent me this version he said he didn't know what he was thinking about the lighter cover version. 

In 2013 I had gotten into making book video trailers of my books. I broke out some of the short stories and made ebooks out of them. I also eventually made some audiobooks of them. After I retired and moved to Bremerton, I got my friend Tom to read my audiobooks. 

After a couple of years, after having made a short film ("The Rapping" an Edgar Allen Poe reference from his poem, The Raven), I moved to my current location about a mile from my last house. I made a new film, "Gumdrop", a short horror. Tom was the lead.

It's now years later after health problems since catching COVID-19 in February 2020 before we knew what it was, having caught it twice again. In 2022 I made another film, a filmic poem/WWI documentary that's now won about 63 international film festival awards.

I had retired in 2016 to write and turn my writings into films. I've done that. What I hadn't done until I got into the film festival circuit and got used to applying for and winning many awards, I thought about my books/writings. So last year I submitted things for book awards. And this year I won the 2024 New York City Big Book Award for Death of heaven. I've written about that title before.

Originally I got the title from my son who in his senior year of high school produced a CD of his own music he engineered at school. I liked the title of one and he said I could use it for my book. When my younger brother, an artist, who has done all my book covers, redid my cover for the 2nd edition, he left the "h" in "Heaven" lowercase.

 Somehow we didn't notice it and when we did, I realized it actually fit the book and the stories within. So you will see my title in various places as either "Death of Heaven" the correct format for entities like Amazon (you can't use a loser case in a title), or "Death of heaven", as it now is on the book cover with a special font my brother made just for this book. 

The lowercase "h" made sense to me as, well... you'd have to read the book to understand why that is. But it makes total sense, other than and outside of the rules of grammar that require it be capitalized. But writing is also art and as a poem can not just be in a stanza form but also printed on the page in a form to mimic the meaning within the poem. As in a "concrete poem" or a "shape poem". 

I've had a weird relationship with poetry. In the late 80s I tried unsuccessfully to create a magazine and in the tenets of the magazine, no poetry was allowed. I'd taken poetry at university and learned a lot. I think my feelings had to do with pretentiousness. My 2022 documentary film is a "filmic poem", something I learned about in my first college cinema class.

I wrote a poem around 2014 on the topic of Maurice Ravel and his composition, "Bolero" (which I explain more on elsewhere). I researched him and that song and learned a lot. Like he had been in WWI in a way that Hemmingway had. I researched and rewrote it over the years and even had a professional poet read it and comment. 

I used that poem in my film as a centerpiece to exemplify the horror of war and I hired two French-speaking actors to do the speaking parts in the film. As I composed the film, I altered the poem, and back and forth over 6 months while I was recuperating slowly, painfully slowly from Long Covid. 

In 2013 I made a bunch of book trailer videos as I detail in my blog back then: New JZ Murdock Video Book Trailers (for reference, I include the links in that below). I remade one for the 2nd edition of Death of heaven in 2014,

2024 NYC Big Book Awards / Death of heaven page

Now that I've won a book award, I thought I'd use the videos. What the heck, right? They were a lot of work, regardless how they may now be viewed.

And so here they are...

I now have more I would like to share with you. I hope you find them intriguing. If you would like to keep track of my channel, go to: TheJZMurdock on YouTube.

UPDATE 1/18/2013: Before I get to the fiction video book trailers (book trailer videos?), I have just created two new ones for a couple of my non-fiction articles:

Synesthesia, and the Need for More Information - Video Book Trailer
This article is free and also included in:

Some Notes on Field Theory, Albert's Mind and the Status Quo - Video Book Trailer

Okay then, here are my fiction trailers:

Books
Anthology of Evil - Video Book Trailer

Death of Heaven - Video Book Trailer

Novella

Andrew - Video Book Trailer (this is at the end of "Anthology of Evil" and now there is a 2 volume sequel to that, this is also the origination story of Death of heaven).

Short Story ebooks

EarVu - Video Book Trailer

Gumdrop City - Video Book Trailer

In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear - Video Book Trailer

Japheth, Ishvi and The Light - Video Book Trailer

Poor Lord Ritchie's Answer to a Question He Knever Knew - Video Book Trailer

Sarah - Video Book Trailer

Simon's Beautiful Thought - Video Book Trailer

The Mea Culpa Document of London - Video Book Trailer

That it, that's all I've got for now.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Weird Fiction, Cosmic Horror, and a Book Award – 'Death of heaven' Takes the Spotlight!

First up, I won a book award for Horror for my book, "Death of heaven"!

There is a press release out on AP (Associated Press) and elsewhere around the world for it.

"Author JZ Murdock receives national recognition through the NYC BIG BOOK AWARD®!"

Cover art by Marvin Hayes

Amazon

What is the New York City Big Book Awards?

The New York City Big Book Award is a prestigious competition that welcomes submissions from a wide range of authors and publishers, both independent and major. The event is held annually and celebrates literary excellence across various genres and formats, including fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and audiobooks. The award’s scope is global, attracting entries from countries like the UK, India, Australia, and Canada. This diversity in participation highlights its significance in the literary world.

The NYC Big Book Award emphasizes quality content and presentation. Books are judged based on their editorial merit and audience appeal, allowing smaller independent presses to compete directly with larger publishing houses. This competition creates a level playing field, promoting the democratization of the publishing industry. Winners and distinguished favorites receive recognition in multiple categories, helping them gain visibility and credibility in the crowded book market. The award is positioned as a celebration of outstanding ideas and content, making it a valuable honor for authors looking to expand their reach and gain recognition.

For 2024, my book's recognition in the horror category places my work among the top in its field, highlighting its impact and quality in a competitive genre. The NYC Big Book Award’s focus on both independent and major publishers underscores the significance of such an accolade, especially for gaining broader visibility and elevating your work in the literary landscape.

So, there it is.

Anyway, "weird fiction"...

Wait! Hey, there's a video book trailer for this book, too.

Anyway, again...friend and fellow director Kelly Hughes sent me a link to:

Weird Fiction Explained | Horror Explored by Daniel J. Blackwood

Kelly shared this video with me about weird fiction thinking of me and my writings. See, as I've described below to Daniel, people always seemed to have trouble working out where to put my writings. Publishers were confused, saying my story (whatever story I had sent them) was too much this, not enough that, or they weren't quite sure if, or...sigh...whatever.

I knew it was good, and they often praised the story. But where to fit it, always seems to confuse them. I've always tried to produce what I found fascinating or to not do what's been tried and true. One learns the rules, then breaks them. Something that got me a medal in the military and various awards in other areas all through my life.

It also led me to leave a note on the video to its creator, Daniel J. Blackwood:

Daniel,
Great video! A fellow director Kelly Hughes just shared it with me. Probably because of my own writings and films. I was a fan of Robert E Howard as a kid in the late 1960s, Poe before him, and HP Lovecraft. I was deep into sciFi before that. I've found myself in a never-ending cycle that goes from SF, to fantasy (weird, horror, or otherwise), then science fact, renewing that cycle throughout my lifetime.
It's been hard for some to categorize my fiction and weird fiction certainly fits. BTW I don't have a problem with your pronunciation, I just assumed it was somewhere near Scotland.
I'd offer two other stories, turned onto my psych class in phenomenology (my concentration) at university (as a psych major) by my advisor Dr. Rees, which has influenced me. Even as a foundation of one of my books (Death of heaven):
Secret Snow, Silent Snow by Conrad Aiken and
Over The River by P. Schuyler Miller.
Perhaps one of my own, Poor Lord Ritchie.
Thanks for the effort and video.
Cheers! Sláinte!

There it is, or was.

Death of heaven is a hybrid narrative that blends various storytelling elements, embracing genres such as horror, science fiction, revisionist history, and cosmic horror. It delves into Lovecraftian themes, emphasizing the terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible, rather than relying solely on shock and gore—though some visceral moments are present. The novel spans the creation of the Earth through to its possible demise, exploring profound existential questions and the interplay of fate and choice in an ever-unfolding cosmic tapestry.

Where to go from here? I thought, perhaps, a history of my evolution as a writer could be useful. To someone. Or not.

Moving on...

ChatGPT:

JZ Murdock is an author, filmmaker, and producer, known for his work in horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction. He has a diverse creative background, producing films, writing books, and working on various screenplays. His storytelling often involves dark, surreal themes, including cosmic horror, virtual reality, supernatural adventures, and psychological terror. He has produced a variety of works across different mediums, including a manuscript that was a finalist for the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards and a short film that won 13 international awards.

Murdock co-founded the Gorst Underground Film Festival and the Slash Night Monthly shorts festival. Though the latter ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murdock acquired COVID-19 on February 9, 2020, which led him to write the first hand account of his experiences and research on the disease in the book, Suffering "Long Covid". He also contributes to blogs and has been actively selling his books on platforms like Amazon. His projects explore themes ranging from deep personal experiences, like his battle with Long COVID, to more fictional explorations of horror, mystery, and science fiction.

Some of his notable works include a screenplay titled "The Teenage Bodyguard," a project that has nearly been produced multiple times, and "Ahriman," a screenplay involving themes of virtual reality and interplanetary conflict. Additionally, Murdock has been working on adaptations of works by other authors and original stories for film.

Gemini AI:

Death of Heaven is a horror novel by JZ Murdock that delves into themes of trauma, friendship, and the supernatural. The story follows two boys who bond over a shared childhood trauma and later find themselves entangled in a web of horrifying events that lead them to uncover a dark secret about the world they inhabit.   

Key elements of the story include:

• Eldritch Horror: The novel leans heavily into the eldritch horror genre, featuring cosmic entities and otherworldly forces that are difficult to comprehend and terrifying to encounter.   
• Trauma and Healing: The characters' experiences with trauma play a significant role in their development and relationships, exploring the lasting effects of such events.
• Friendship and Loyalty: The bond between the two main characters is central to the story, showcasing the power of friendship in the face of adversity.
• Dark Secrets: The novel unfolds a series of revelations that challenge the characters' understanding of reality and the world around them.

Without revealing too much, here's a brief overview of the plot:

• Childhood Trauma: The story begins with two young boys, James and Jimmy, who share a traumatic experience that bonds them deeply. James and Jimmy are two childhood friends who share a traumatic experience and later find themselves drawn into a terrifying world of cosmic horror. Their bond and their journey to uncover the truth about the supernatural forces that threaten their lives form the heart of the story.
• James: Often described as the more level-headed of the two, James is a character who strives for normalcy. His experiences with trauma have deeply affected him, and he seeks to understand and cope with the extraordinary events that unfold around him.
  Jimmy: More impulsive and often drawn to the mysterious, Jimmy's curiosity leads them into dangerous situations. His connection to James is profound, and he relies on their friendship to navigate the challenges they face.
• Unveiling the Truth: As they delve deeper into their newly uncovered history of the world, they uncover a horrifying secret about the world they inhabit and the nature of reality itself.
• Cosmic Horror: Over the course of the novel, introducing a new twist on Lovecraftian Eldritch entities and otherworldly forces that threaten to consume everything, the two friends experience various stories of others throughout the book who have been "touched" but greater and frightening forces leading them by the end to understanding what the world is truly all about. And more, because the truth lies far beyond the edge of Earth's biosphere.
• The Battle for Survival: James and Jimmy must confront their fears and fight for their lives as they become entangled in a terrifying cosmic struggle.

Death of heaven is a haunting tale that explores themes of trauma, friendship, and the terrifying unknown. If you're a fan of cosmic horror and psychological thrillers, this novel is definitely worth checking out.

There it is...

Cheers! Sláinte!