Sunday, July 12, 2015

TOUR: Q ISLAND by Russell James



Q Island Nabs Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review—
Q Island, a novel by Russell James and published by Samhain Horror, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly! In short, “The horrors are not created by the virus itself, but by what it allows people to do to one another. This is a seriously creepy page-turner that will keep readers up at night.” You can see the full review here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-61922-748-4
 
Q Island is the sixth novel (a novella collection with three other authors makes seven) that Russell James has published with Samhain Horror under legendary horror editor Don D’Auria! He’s also published various other books and short story collections that may be found on Amazon.
Q Island, Information—
It’s an epidemic. An ancient virus is loose on Long Island, NY. Its black-veined victims become sociopathic killers, infecting others through body fluids or a post mortem release of spores. Chaos rules. The island is quarantined.
Melanie Bailey and her autistic son Aiden are trapped. Aiden is bitten, but survives. He might be the key to a cure, if she can escape what the world now calls Q Island. Further east, gang leader Jimmy Wade has also survived infection, and become telepathic with a taste for human flesh.
Wade sets his followers on a search for the immune boy who can make him a god, if only Wade can consume him. A scrappy, one-eyed nurse and a retired pipeline technician agree to help Melanie escape, but it’s a long shot that they can avoid the infected, Wade’s tightening grip and a military ordered to keep everyone on Q Island.
Praise for Russell R. James—
“James has a talent for combining action-packed vignettes into a powerful, fast-paced whole.”
—Library Journal on Black Magic
(Five Stars, A Night Owl Top Pick) “I loved the story so much that I’m eagerly waiting to read more from him. He carefully and very intricately wove his storyline to have elements of mystery and suspense throughout. I now have a new favorite book I’ll read over and over again.”
—Night Owl Reviews on Dark Inspiration
“The book had me at the edge of my seat. The writing is so vivid I even jumped a few times. If you're a fan of the genre, love ghosts and are drawn to the supernatural, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book!”
—Long and Short Reviews on Dark Inspiration
“James fills the novel with compete characters that are easy to care about and cheer for (or against) when appropriate. There is a very strong human element to the novel that allows the reader to sink into the story and become involved in its events.”
--The Examiner
“Dreamwalker is the first Russell James novel that I have had the pleasure to read and it was an absolute blast! I am definitely looking forward to exploring his previous and upcoming works. There is something for everyone in this novel - action, horror, fantasy and a hint of romance. Highly recommended!”
 
--The Horror Bookshelf
 
“This could very well be the best horror novel of the year.”
 
--Examiner on Q Island
Purchase or Wish List Q Island—
Amazon:
GoodReads:
Barnes and Noble:
Samhain Horror:
Russell R. James, Biography


Russell James grew up on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and The Twilight Zone, despite his parents' warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn't make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.
After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight. He has written the paranormal thrillers Dark Inspiration, Sacrifice, Black Magic, Dark Vengeance, and Dreamwalker. He has several horror short story collections, including Tales from Beyond and Deeper into Darkness, as well as some science fiction collections. Now, Q Island, released July 7, 2015 and he’s already under contract for his next book for 2016.
His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says "There is something seriously wrong with you." He and his wife share their home in sunny Florida with two cats.

To find out more about Russell R. James, please visit his Website or follow him on Facebook! Join him on Twitter, @RRJames14. Also, feel free to drop him at a line at rrj@russellrjames.com.
Giveaway—
Rafflecoper giveaway for two audiobook copies of Dreamwalker. Two winners will each win one code for a free audio book, open everywhere. Must use a valid email that you can be reached by. By entering the giveaway, you consent to allow Russell to have your email for very infrequent newsletter updates. Contest ends August 31, 2015. Other contest questions can be referred to Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, Hook of a Book Media at hookofabook@hotmail.com.
Rafflecopter Code to Enter:

Guest Post by Russell James, author of Q Island

I Sense a Theme

by Russell James, Author 



My new novel, Q Island, is set on Long Island. A 30,000 year old virus gets loose and turns the infected into red-eyed, black-veined, psychotic killers. The government wants to keep it contained, so they block the bridges, fill the tunnels, dock the ferries, and quarantine the island. Do things go to hell pretty quickly? Hey, it’s a horror novel. You tell me.

My second novel, Sacrifice, was also set on Long Island, in the fictional town of Sagebrook. In that story, a bunch of high school kids in 1980 defeat an evil child-murdering spirit, only to endure a forced reunion thirty years later because apparently it needs to be put to rest again.



I grew up on Long Island. From age 4 to 18, that was my home turf. Since then, I’ve lived in many other places and traveled all around the world. So I have other locations I can draw on, and frequently do. Dark Vengeance and Dark Inspiration are both set in Tennessee. Black Magic is set in Florida. Dreamwalker is set in Atlantic City. But the go-to location seems to be Long Island.

I think that where you grew up leaves a deeper impression on the psyche than anywhere else. Maybe it is because that is where everything is experienced for the first time. Maybe a long stay in the same place, growing up with the same people, gives one a richer feel for the location. Maybe as a kid you just have more time to absorb it all, not yet distracted by a career, a car payment and the never ending rush of parenting. For whatever reason, when I need to conjure a mythical place to torture my characters, Long Island tunes in in high definition.



Hunter Shea is an excellent horror writer, whose terrifying books, like Montauk Monster, are often set on the island we shared as our childhood stomping grounds. He once asked me “Why do we love to hate Long Island?” We don’t hate it at all. By making it a character in our stories, we are just acknowledging that bond we have with the place that helped shape us into who we are. It’s just a shame that scary stuff has to happen there.


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