Random thoughts...

[Dave1442397]

Was at my local Half Price Books this weekend and snagged some nice trade hardcovers: "Vampire Junction" by SP Somtow and "Secret Strangers" by Thomas Tessier. Have never read either title but have high hopes. I remember that SubPress did an LE for Vampire Junction a while back; so, I figured that it's probably worth the read. For the Tessier, I have read some of his other stuff, such as the Nightwalkers, and enjoyed it; so, I figured I would give this one a try. It's also a Dark Harvest book, and I always loved that press, so that excited me as well!

I liked Vampire Junction, and if you like it, it's the first book in a trilogy. I really don't remember the second two books at this point.

[sholloman81]

Was at my local Half Price Books this weekend and snagged some nice trade hardcovers: "Vampire Junction" by SP Somtow and "Secret Strangers" by Thomas Tessier. Have never read either title but have high hopes. I remember that SubPress did an LE for Vampire Junction a while back; so, I figured that it's probably worth the read. For the Tessier, I have read some of his other stuff, such as the Nightwalkers, and enjoyed it; so, I figured I would give this one a try. It's also a Dark Harvest book, and I always loved that press, so that excited me as well!

[mhatchett]

Sorry to hear about his passing.

While his fiction was hit or miss with me, when he was on his stuff was a lot of fun.

I can’t remember the name, but I always thought his occult detective series co-written with Charles Rutledge should have gotten a lot more attention in the horror world than it seemed to get.

Those book were great!
 
Also really enjoyed The Haunted Forest Tour that he co-wrote with Jeff Strand. 

That book was a blast!

B

  Thanks the tip about the Griffin & Price Series.

[brlesh]

Just heard about James A. Moore's passing via Brian Keene's newsletter. What a bummer! I really enjoyed his output with Earthling Publications, especially his "Blood Red" series. Sending well wishes to his loved ones and readers! 

Sorry to hear about his passing.

While his fiction was hit or miss with me, when he was on his stuff was a lot of fun.

I can’t remember the name, but I always thought his occult detective series co-written with Charles Rutledge should have gotten a lot more attention in the horror world than it seemed to get.

Those book were great!
 
Also really enjoyed The Haunted Forest Tour that he co-wrote with Jeff Strand. 

That book was a blast!

B

[mhatchett]

Look at this BS!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/20470151330...Bk9SR8CUt-PSYw

[TacomaDiver]

Normally, I would just email and ask for an update; however, Haffner stated in that same newsletter that "Unsolicited inquiries regarding order status are not recommended. Your place in line is secure, but not sacred." Because of that, I'm a bit worried about contacting them as I don't want my copy delayed even further, and I also don't have Facebook to contact them online. This was my first ever order with Haffner, and I can't lie, I will never pre-order a book from them again.

Wow! That is something all right.

At least some of these other publishers that we are familiar with that take our pre-order money years in advance aren't confrontational when we inquire about the book's status.

Imagine asking if a book is shipping soon, and instead of being told "it's late because our printer filed bankruptcy" being told "well, you were next in line for shipping, but we just moved you to the back of the line."

[dannyboy121070]

Just heard about James A. Moore's passing via Brian Keene's newsletter. What a bummer! I really enjoyed his output with Earthling Publications, especially his "Blood Red" series. Sending well wishes to his loved ones and readers! 

I was going to post about this a few days ago, but...laziness. Sad news....I have a TON of his books, but have only read a handful of them. I need to fix that, ASAP. On a related note, I noticed that a lot of his e-books were discounted on Amazon earlier today, so now might be a good time to load up your Kindle if you're a fan.

[sholloman81]

Just heard about James A. Moore's passing via Brian Keene's newsletter. What a bummer! I really enjoyed his output with Earthling Publications, especially his "Blood Red" series. Sending well wishes to his loved ones and readers! 

[mhatchett]

I'm just waiting it out....Douche Bag!!

[brlesh]

Yikes. I didn't read the newsletter in question, but if that's their approach to customer service, it definitely sours me doing business with them. I mean, I haven't bought anything from them due to their long wait times, but this continues to smother that flame of interest. And that kinda sucks because I've been eyeing the Fredric Brown books and the Robert Bloch vampire and mythos books. I get that they don't want to be inundated with emails, but let's be honest here, if you offer books for preorder, take people's money, and then proceed to take years to finish the product, you're kinda bringing the email thing upon yourself. I hope this gets sorted out in a positive manner!

Wow!

Take pre-order payment, sit on it for years, and then essentially threaten YOUR customers if they dare ask about the status of their order.

What a completely shitty business model.

I‘ve never ordered from them and now never will.

I’ve also been eyeing the Bloch books, but will wait for them to be listed on Amazon or B&N (or maybe Caprichios will carry them).

B

[Sock Monkey]

Normally, I would just email and ask for an update; however, Haffner stated in that same newsletter that "Unsolicited inquiries regarding order status are not recommended. Your place in line is secure, but not sacred."

Yikes. I didn't read the newsletter in question, but if that's their approach to customer service, it definitely sours me doing business with them. I mean, I haven't bought anything from them due to their long wait times, but this continues to smother that flame of interest. And that kinda sucks because I've been eyeing the Fredric Brown books and the Robert Bloch vampire and mythos books. I get that they don't want to be inundated with emails, but let's be honest here, if you offer books for preorder, take people's money, and then proceed to take years to finish the product, you're kinda bringing the email thing upon yourself. I hope this gets sorted out in a positive manner!

[Ben Staad]

I did not however I did check out their FB and it doesn't appears there has been any updates since December. They did reply to a few comments around 4-5 weeks ago. I would reach out to them.

HAFFNER PRESS • 5005 Crooks Road • Suite 35 • Royal Oak, MI 48073-1239 • ph: 248-288-4765 • [email protected]

Hi All,

Random question, but did anyone order "The Complete John the Balladeer" from Haffner Press? If so, have you received your copy or any sort of update as to when it may be shipped? I saw their last newsletter update in December which stated that the books were in-hand and would be shipping in a first-in/first-out order basis. I placed my order fairly early (May 2021) and would have assumed that I would have a shipping notice by now. Normally, I would just email and ask for an update; however, Haffner stated in that same newsletter that "Unsolicited inquiries regarding order status are not recommended. Your place in line is secure, but not sacred." Because of that, I'm a bit worried about contacting them as I don't want my copy delayed even further, and I also don't have Facebook to contact them online. This was my first ever order with Haffner, and I can't lie, I will never pre-order a book from them again. To me, at least in terms of this book, their level of contact/customer service has been beyond subpar, and being passive-aggressive toward people who want to follow-up on a years old pre-order via email completely sucks. If anyone has received their copy or a shipping notice, please let me know as that might at least dictate whether I should roll the dice and email Haffner to check on the status of mine. Thanks!!!

 

[sholloman81]

Hi All,

Random question, but did anyone order "The Complete John the Balladeer" from Haffner Press? If so, have you received your copy or any sort of update as to when it may be shipped? I saw their last newsletter update in December which stated that the books were in-hand and would be shipping in a first-in/first-out order basis. I placed my order fairly early (May 2021) and would have assumed that I would have a shipping notice by now. Normally, I would just email and ask for an update; however, Haffner stated in that same newsletter that "Unsolicited inquiries regarding order status are not recommended. Your place in line is secure, but not sacred." Because of that, I'm a bit worried about contacting them as I don't want my copy delayed even further, and I also don't have Facebook to contact them online. This was my first ever order with Haffner, and I can't lie, I will never pre-order a book from them again. To me, at least in terms of this book, their level of contact/customer service has been beyond subpar, and being passive-aggressive toward people who want to follow-up on a years old pre-order via email completely sucks. If anyone has received their copy or a shipping notice, please let me know as that might at least dictate whether I should roll the dice and email Haffner to check on the status of mine. Thanks!!!

[Sock Monkey]

How fun! I used to go to the annual VNSA book sale in Phoenix but haven't been in the last few years. The lines and wait to get in just got too long for me. Glad you found something to make your trip worth it!

Thanks! And I live in a pretty small town so there are definitely no lines, which makes it a very calm way to spend an hour or two on a lazy Saturday.

[sholloman81]

Went to a local library book sale this past weekend. I normally strike out on these ventures. Beyond King and Koontz, it's often hard to find any horror or dark fiction among the plethora of James Patterson books and romance novels that seem to populate these sales whenever I go. However, I did get kinda lucky this time. While not horror, I did score a very nice looking paperback of Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Crosby that I've been meaning to pick up. So it was win with just that one book. I also grabbed a hardcover of Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven, which I had heard good things about when it was released and then it promptly left my mind. Also grabbed Demon Seed by the aforementioned Koontz, The Ox-Bow Incident, and a collection of three novels by Zane Grey, whom I've never read, but I figured it was for a good cause so why not. Not a bad haul, I think.

How fun! I used to go to the annual VNSA book sale in Phoenix but haven't been in the last few years. The lines and wait to get in just got too long for me. Glad you found something to make your trip worth it!