Saturday, April 30, 2011

PRO SE ANNOUNCES NEW LICENSES!!


Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions announced today the licensure of several new characters, some already previously a part of Pro Se's magazine line up.  In the last two months, Pro Se announced that its three magazine titles would be making the transition to yearly anthologies and that Pro Se, still living by its slogan 'Putting the Monthly Back into Pulp', will produce a full length novel, anthology, or collection every month.   In line with this shift, Pro Se has begun acquiring licensure on characters being used in its stable as as well as acquiring new characters, the most notable and first example of this being the acquisition of Barry Reese's THE ROOK and all related concepts three months ago.

Today Hancock unveiled even more acquisitions by Pro Se, having this to say about each of them-

"Pro Se Press is honored and welcomed to announce that author Chuck Miller, already well established as an online producer of New Pulp, is bringing his single greatest creation and all that goes with it to Pro Se!  Chuck's BLACK CENTIPEDE is definitely a character rooted deeply in the golden age of Pulps, but also a concept riddled with layers, conspiracies, and enough angst to satisfy any modern reader.   THE BLACK CENTIPEDE and all related concepts will be a part of the Pro Se lineup beginning with the debut of Chuck's first full length CENTIPEDE novel, CREEPING DAWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK CENTIPEDE, in August 2011 from Pro Se Press!  And be on the lookout for extras, peeks, and goodies from the mind of Chuck Miller and the universe of THE BLACK CENTIPEDE!"



"Pro Se Press is known for being an avenue for both new writers and those who have established themselves in the New Pulp field.  It is with great pride and honor that we welcome another star from the galaxy of New Pulp to Pro Se.  Joshua M. Reynolds, author of DRACULA LIVES!, JIM ANTHONY: THE HUNTERS, and author/creator of MR. BRASS, is bringing another stellar original creation to Pro Se Press.  CHARLES ST. CYPRIAN is an Edwardian monster-hunter who, along with his spunky side-kick in post WWI England has adventures complete with plenty of thrills, chills and the occasional spill.  This action packed, humor laden series is one that adds a facet to Pro Se Press that everyone will thoroughly enjoy!  Look for the first St. Cyprian work, billed as 'A Unique Novel with a Novelette' entitled 'OUT OF BLACK AEONS' will debut from Pro Se Press in March, 2012!"


"Readers and followers of Pro Se Press are familiar with THE SOVEREIGN CITY PROJECT.  If you're not, this is the brainchild of myself (Tommy Hancock), and noted pulp authors Barry Reese and Derrick Ferguson.  Originally conceived for the Pro Se magazine line, each author created an individual character that had its adventures in Sovereign City, a setting all three characters cohabitated within.  I am completely excited to announce that THE SOVEREIGN CITY PROJECT, one of the most ambitious current New Pulp projects, will continue.  Barry Reese's LAZARUS GRAY, Derrick Ferguson's FORTUNE MCCALL, and my own 'DOC DAYE, THE 24 HOUR HERO will continue as licensed characters for Pro Se Press.  Look for a back to back three month slate, starting in September with the first LAZARUS GRAY collection, followed in October with the Doc Day novel, DEATH MEANS LITTLE, and wrapping up with the first FORTUNE MCCALL collection.  And that's not all!  Sovereign City fans need not worry for there will be plenty more from this trio of writers, including Barry Reese's first full length Lazarus Gray novel, DIE GLOCKE!  Welcome to Sovereign City and to Pro Se Press!"

"Many writers have great ideas!  Many writers write a few of those ideas.  Not many writers write their own creations so prolifically that they very quickly become sort of their own universe.  Fortunately, Pro Se Press does have one of those writers.  Fantasy pulp author Nancy Hansen has been a mainstay of Pro Se's magazines since our inception and will continue to be the same into the future.  Nancy not only has one or two characters that Pro Se is tickled to death to license and to publish, but literally she brings a multitude of heroines, villains, creatures, adventurers, and even pet dragons to Pro Se's pages for you to read!  From 'Masquerra and the Storm Lord' to tales about to Roshanna the Huntress, the Windriders of Everice, the Vagabond Bards, The Silver Pentacle, the Companion Dragon Tales, The Song Heroes, and many more, Nancy is definitely a New Pulp powerhouse and will be bringing hours and hours of enjoyment and adventure to readers from Pro Se!  This great legacy begins in June 2011 with FORTUNE'S PAWN, the first book in the Roshanna The Huntress/Greenwood cycle and Nancy's debut novel!!"

Hancock promises that these are only the first of fantastic announcements regarding licensing new characters and bringing both established Pro Se authors and new faces into the fold to help Pro Se continue to be one of the leading forces in New Pulp!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

All Pulp Interview with Tommy Hancock about his new book YesterYear.

AP: Thanks for joining us, Tommy! Can you tell us a little about the genesis of Yesteryear and what it's about?

TH: Thanks, it’s cool to be sitting on this side of the interview again.The genesis of YESTERYEAR is rooted way back in my fan fiction days. I was making a decent name for myself writing Golden Age inspired Fan Fiction on the internet in the late 1990s and up into the early 2000s, but, like so many writers of said stuff, realized it was simply what its name implied, fiction written by a fan.So, I started putting my thoughts toward original work and several great ideas came out of that period. Most of those ideas ended up populating one particular story line, one universe in my imagination. I started looking at what the impact of super types would be on our world if they simply just started on one day in history. What would they make their costumes out of? Why would they even wear costumes? And what about history, would heroes and villains impact history as dramatically as we think they would or would history have rolled on pretty much the same as it has? Out of that came the concept of public perception versus private realities. That’s the genesis of YESTERYEAR and mostly what its about.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Pro Se Joins New Pulp Movement!

From Tommy Hancock-
I sat down to write this…what you are reading…as an announcement and it is that, of course.  But it’s not an announcement of a new Pro Se magazine or book, although Pro Se Productions will obviously be involved…obvious when you finish reading this, that is.  It’s not a new ALL PULP column even though ALL PULP and any other news site, blog, page, etc. that is interested in Pulp will be a part of it if they choose to be.  And it’s most definitely not a Tommy Hancock project.  I hope to be pivotal to its execution as I hope many others are, but I’m simply the guy who hopefully is the spark that starts the fuse that leads to the revolution.
Heady words, right?   But I don’t feel like they’re the wrong words. 
Pulp Fiction has many layers.  More than a genre or a field of writing, Pulp is a historic event, has been since the first cheaply made, quickly written magazines hit the newsstands so many decades ago.   Was it necessarily a whole new form of literature, then?  No, not when you take into account the dime novels and such that preceded pulps.  What it became, however, is an unstoppable force, an unbelievable influence on writers of the era and especially writers, both famous and unknown, of every year since.   The simplistic, yet layered storytelling, the one-two punch of the dialogue and the action, and the over the top antics, characters, and resolutions that made readers believe in the amazing, the fantastic, and the incredible have leaked into modern literature in ways that no one expected. 
As a writer of New Pulp, something that has been going on really since the original era of the Pulps ended, I have heard many people say and have even said myself that we are in the midst of a Pulp Renaissance.   That now with the advent of things like the internet, Print on Demand, and an overall increase in interest, Pulp is becoming more and more popular and noticed every day.  I believe this simply because of the number of writers, artists, and especially publishers I am aware of that have  set up shop in the last 5 or so years, creators who are simply out to do one thing-write Pulp.  And even before this new crop of artisans, Pulp still had a strong foothold.  Collectors, dealers, and fans of the original works and legendary stories have been active enough over the decades that Pulp has shown up at a variety of conventions and venues, even so much so that there are at least two major Pulp conventions a year, not to mention smaller dealer shows and other events throughout the year.
It’s a proven fact.  Pulp, if it ever really went away, is back and with a Norvell Page like vengeance. And out of this resurgence in interest, out of the dedication of dealers and collectors keeping the love of Pulp alive, and out of the creative, inspired minds of modern creators thirsting to express their ideas, stories, thoughts through the prism of Pulp, something else has arisen.  Something innovative, yet not disconnected for the established work.  Something original, yet grounded solidly in inspiration and influences past.    Something novel, but familiar at the same time.
This is the era of New Pulp.
Pulp will never die.  What has come before will never change.  Dent, Gibson, et al. will continue to be the almost mythic purveyors of this most awesome fiction.  But they have descendants in spirit, authors and artists who have picked up the banner and carried the standard of Pulp forward.  The past of Pulp will be preserved by the historians, touted by the collectors, distributed by the dealers, and reprinted by the fantastic resources that have taken that on.   Those unbelievably great adventures will thankfully never fade away. 
And out of that legacy, out of that history, out of that imaginative period and body of work has come New Pulp.  
It is time to define New Pulp as its own entity.  Not separate from Pulp as a whole, but as something defined within the genre.  What is New Pulp?  Well, as far as my definition goes, the explanation is fairly simple.  New Pulp is fiction written with the same sensibilities, linear storytelling, pattern of conflict, and creative use of words and phrases of original Pulp, but crafted by modern writers, artists, and publishers.  New stories with either completely original characters or new tales of established characters from Pulp past.   It’s really that simple.  New Pulp is Pulp written today.
So much New Pulp is now available, including work from noted pulp historians such as Will Murray and Tom Johnson as well as the entire Wold Newton family of creators and beyond.   Add to that the literal multitude of mavericks and new guns that have stepped forward, myself thankfully included, and New Pulp is suddenly more than just a group of guys and gals telling stories like the ones we grew up on.  It’s  its own movement, its own subgenre, within Pulp as a whole.   And that doesn’t mean it is set apart from Pulp as we’ve all known it until now.   New Pulp will always be a part of Pulp conventions, dealers shows, and the continuing appreciation and discussion of classic Pulp and all that made it what it was.
But I think it can be that…and much more.
Here’s what I’m proposing.  And understand, this is a proposal, an idea…a suggestion.  Having said that, I have discussed this line of thinking with other writers and creators, even if they didn’t know what my intent was at the time we discussed it, and feel that this is the right time for a defining of New Pulp.  So, I bring this to you with some ideas and concrete plans.   And with an invitation, but that’ll come later.
In order to define New Pulp, to bring in new audiences, to find and take on new markets, and to shine light on this wonderful literary form that thus far has been shined elsewhere, the first step is coming together.  As a publisher myself, I know that there’s a certain level of competition, that ‘my stuff has to outsell your stuff’ mindset and that’s okay.  That’s healthy.  But we are at a point that if we want to break out, if we want people to walk by a bookshelf and see a New Pulp title and say, ‘Hey what is this?’ and in some instances if we even want to get on some bookshelves, then we have to recognize that although we are individual creators and companies, we are also invested in the same genre.  We are all a part of New Pulp.
With that in mind, here’s what I’m proposing.  A push for New Pulp.  Getting the word out that New Pulp exists, that it is both a part of something classic and great and is its own movement.   To establish an identity for New Pulp, a way that when someone encounters a tale published, written, or drawn by a New Pulp creator, that they know they have a New Pulp work in their hands. 
One way to do this is combined advertising.   We need to come together and work up some ads, print, net, and otherwise, that tout New Pulp, not just as a concept, but with creators, publishers, and product from various New Pulp purveyors.  Pro Se, Airship 27,Wild Cat, White Rocket, Granton City Press, Seventh Realms, Moonstone, and the list goes on.   Advertising, either free or paid (with each party tossing in a share of course) is crucial to any endeavor breaking beyond its established fanbase, but it is particularly critical for a field wanting to establish itself.   To that end, I had Sean Ali, a great friend and Pro Se’s designer, develop a logo that will be free for any publisher of New Pulp to use.  A handful of writers and publishers have already agreed to participate in efforts under this logo and anyone else in the New Pulp field is welcome to join in. 

Also, I’ll announce that PULP ARK, the writer’s conference/convention that Pro Se is hosting May 13-15, 2011 in Batesville, AR, will be the first NEW PULP Conference/Convention.   At current count, 25 writers, publishers, and artists of New Pulp will be in attendance at Pulp Ark, the biggest gathering of New Pulp creators in one place to date.  Dealers and collectors are also welcome and several will be present, moving everything from classic pulp magazines to reprints to cds to all sorts of Pulp related material.  But Pulp Ark will focus on New Pulp creators with panels, classrooms, and programming designed to promote New Pulp and welcome fans and new readers into the world New Pulp has established.
If Pulp Ark makes the mark we feel it will, talks are already in works for adding a convention in a different location under the New Pulp banner as early as next year.  This would be done in an effort to give New Pulp creators who can’t make it to Arkansas every year to have at least one other venue, maybe even two eventually, to be a part of.  And of course, it would also open up New Pulp to new fans and readers.
Another aspect of this is that shared, cooperative pages can be established.  Already in the works are ideas for a NEW PULP site that spotlights all New Pulp creators who wish to participate and hawks their wares, either print or e-books.  That piece will take a bit to get set up, but it is in development.
These few ideas and plans are just the tip of the iceberg.   As I said at the start, this is not a Pro Se or a Tommy Hancock project, but I did feel and was encouraged by others that someone had to sort of step up and take the reins.   The yahoo group PulpDefined, that some of you have requested membership, will be a major workplace for the New Pulp movement.  If you are interested in participating, email me at braedenalex@centurytel.net that you are a writer, artist, or publisher and wish to be a part of Pulp Defined.  Or if you just have questions or comments, the same email is good for those, too.
Of course, there is no rule that says you have to identify with, work with, or even support what I’ve proposed.   This is one person, with the encouragement of a few others, who has recognized a need and hopes we can come together to fill it.   We are all individuals, but we are also all New Pulp.  It’s time to let the world know that we not only exist, but that we are here to stay and will provide them with endless fantastic tales and exciting adventures.  That is our world.  That is New Pulp.

Tommy Hancock
4/26/11

THE OPTIMIST BOOK ONE: You Don’t Know Jack By Chuck Miller - Chapter Six


BOOK ONE:

You Don’t Know Jack

By Chuck Miller





CHAPTER SIX:

Then there was the whole ghost thing. That stunk to high heaven. If the Centipede’s theory was correct, that I flushed him out of hiding so the “Moriarty” could have a crack at him, then I had been played in a most devious and bizarre fashion. Can a crime lord hire a ghost? Or forge one? It might have made sense, if it had made any sense.




I knew ghosts were real because I had encountered them before. The worst by far had been the spirit of Jack the Ripper.  In fact, it was one of the first cases Johnny and I worked after he took me on as his partner. It was a rough one. I may talk about it in greater detail later on, but only if I just cannot avoid it.


Anyhow, we thought we got rid of him, but he came back two more times before we teamed up with Doctor Unknown to cast him out of this plane of existence forever.


So, I could accept the ghost of Captain Mercury as a concept with no trouble. But even if I had seen a genuine ghost, it might not necessarily be who it said it was. There are some ghosts out there who are terrible liars and total assholes, and they’re liable to do anything, regardless of how shitty it is.


The Ripper, for example, had first gained reentry to our world by convincing a gullible spirit medium that he was actually Amelia Earhart. I swear to God. Spirits of the dead pretty much have to be deceptive because they can’t get back into our world without help from the living.


Sunday, April 24, 2011

FIRST REVIEW OF YESTERYEAR ON AMAZON!

YESTERYEAR, Tommy Hancock's debut novel from Pro Se Press, now has its first review from a reader on Amazon!  Check it out, then purchase YESTERYEAR at http://www.amazon.com/!!

Over the last couple of months, I waited with anticipation for the release of "Yesteryear", the debut novel of Tommy Hancock. Several teasers, such as excerpts and illustrations, popped up on various websites, such as All Pulp and Pulp Machine. Last week, when my copy arrived via UPS, I ripped the package open to admire the artwork on the glossy, front cover. After enjoying a rousing, energetic introduction by Derrick Ferguson, I immersed myself in Tommy Hancock's world of heroes and villains.

The main storyline, which takes place in the current time, deals with events which affect the protagonist, J.C. Smithenson. Smithenson finds an unpublished book on his doorstep, which turns out to be an expose of the secrets and origins of heroes and their villainous counterparts. "Yesteryear" alternates back and forth between Smithenson's storyline and excerpts from the book. Hancock transports the reader to different eras, such as The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, and even a secret land called Creativa, to introduce heroes (and villains) and explain how they developed their extraordinary powers.

"Yesteryear" is a smooth, fast-paced novel with some powerful moments: a high-rise inferno involving a sinister arsonist named Firedancer, and a tragic sequence of events which leads to the birth of a supernatural vigilante who calls himself The Night. Hancock states that "Yesteryear" is the beginning of a series of books. I'll look forward to the next installment with even more anticipation than before...I highly recommend "Yesteryear" as an addition to anyone's bookshelf!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Tommy Hancock's YesterYear

YesterYear



by Tommy Hancock 

YesterYear by Tommy Hancock, Published by Pro Se Press. Cover Art by Jay Piscopo, Interior art by Peter Cooper, Format and Design by Sean Ali.

A world where heroes and villains existed since the day the market crashed and the world almost collapsed. Common people granted great powers and awesome responsibility. A world where one of them knew all the secrets, good and bad, and put them down in a book. A world where that man and that manuscript disappeared.

Until now.

YESTERYEAR is the first book in an epic series chronicling the adventures of Heroes and Villains, both in the Heroic Age of the 1920s-1950s and in the modern day. Centered around a missing manuscript that might hold information that could literally change history and even mean the end of the world, YESTERYEAR alternates between a fast paced modern storyline about the man who ends up with the legendary book and excerpts from the mythic tome itself. Marvel to pulp like adventures of glory and adrenaline and become engrossed in the humanity and horror of being a Hero.

YESTERYEAR by Tommy Hancock-Sometimes the Greatest Mystery of Tomorrow happened Yesterday!


and buy your copy today!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A Timeline for the Rook Universe




THE ROOK VOLUME SIX 
COMING SOON

Major Events specific to certain stories and novels are included in brackets. Some of this information contains SPOILERS for The Rook series.

Also included in this timeline are references to the adventures of Eobard Grace, Leonid Kaslov and Felix Cole, all of whom occupy the Rook Universe.
 
1865 - Eobard Grace returns home from his actions in the American Civil War. Takes possession of the Book of Shadows from his uncle Frederick. [The Conquerors of Shadow]
1877 - Eobard Grace is summoned to the World of Shadows, where he battles Uris-Kor and fathers a son, Korben. [The Conquerors of Shadow]
1885 - Along with his niece Miriam and her paramour Ian Sinclair, Eobard returns to the World of Shadows to halt the merging of that world with Earth. [The Conquerors of Shadow]
1890 - Eobard fathers a second son, Leopold.
1895 - Felix Cole (the Bookbinder) is born.
1900 - Max Davies is born to publisher Warren Davies and his wife, heiress Margaret Davies.
1901 - Leonid Kaslov is born.
1908 - Warren Davies is murdered by Ted Grossett, a killer nicknamed "Death's Head".   ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One, more details shown in "Origins," the Rook Volume Two] Hans Merkel kills his own father.  ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two]
1913 - Felix Cole meets the Cockroach Man and becomes part of The Great Work.  ["The Great Work," Startling Stories # 5]

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

THE OPTIMIST BOOK ONE: You Don’t Know Jack By Chuck Miller - Chapter Five



BOOK ONE:

You Don’t Know Jack

By Chuck Miller



CHAPTER FIVE:


I was a little bit leery, but I got over it quick.
The Centipede's Lair was the stuff of legend. Nobody I knew of had ever been there. It was rumored to be absolutely impregnable. As for the location, that was anyone's guess. Some said it was in the mountains outside of Zenith, others said it was near the North Pole, a few seemed to actually entertain the possibility that it was on the moon.
Therefore, I was nonplussed when he drove us straight downtown and parked in a garage right across the street from City Hall. We exited the garage, walked down an alleyway, and found ourselves at the rear entrance to the Benway Building. This is an art deco nightmare of steel, white brick and blue glass that dates back to an era when people were both prosperous and arrogant and scoffed at the idea of restraint. The architecture was about as subtle as an Egyptian pharaoh's mausoleum, and almost as cheerful. It would have been right at home—though still uncomfortable-- in some hellish German expressionist film from the 1920s. It would have been considered an eyesore if people had any taste at all. Instead, it was a landmark. You can buy snow globes with tiny models of it inside them.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

YesterYear Trailer!!!

Check out the Trailer of Tommy Hancock's New Book - YesterYear!!!!

and buy your copy today!!!!!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

PRO SE UPDATE!

PRO SE PRESS IS LIVE AT WINDY CITY!  Tommy and Fuller have entered the building in the company of the likes of The Rook, Peculiar Oddfellow, Masquerra, The Divine Wraith, Aloha McCoy, Lazarus Gray, Hugh Monn, and many more fantastic characters in our PRO SE line!!   Check back here for updates!

Pro Se Hits Chicago!!!


         For the next three days, Pro Se will be shaking hands and kissing babies at the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention. Feel free to bring all your babies and hands to the Convention for the Pro Se stamp of approval.  

Thursday, April 14, 2011

PULP ARK ROOM RATE DEADLINE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!


From Tommy Hancock-Pulp Ark Coordinator-

If you have not gotten your room for PULP ARK yet, today is the last day you can get it at the con rate of 79.00 a night.  Rooms will still be available, but they will go up to the 100 or so nightly rate.  Mail to gm.ar119@choicehotels.com before midnight tonight! That is Debbie, the manager, and she will take your reservations!!  Do it now!  If you don’t, there are other hotels and rates range from 80-110 bucks, so you could get a room somewhere else, but several of us will be at Debbie’s hotel!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

YESTERYEAR IS FOR SALE! AND EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW!


YESTERYEAR, the debut novel from Tommy Hancock as well as Pro Se Press' first foray into the field of novels and anthologies, is now for sale!  Printed via Createspace, YESTERYEAR, 190 pages, can be purchased for $12.00 here.  In the next 1-3 weeks, it will be available via Amazon and after that available via online at other markets as well!

The following is taken from the Estore Page-

YesterYear

YesterYear by Tommy Hancock, Published by Pro Se Press. Cover Art by Jay Piscopo, Interior art by Peter Cooper, Format and Design by Sean Ali.

A world where heroes and villains existed since the day the market crashed and the world almost collapsed. Common people granted great powers and awesome responsibility. A world where one of them knew all the secrets, good and bad, and put them down in a book. A world where that man and that manuscript disappeared.

Until now.

YESTERYEAR is the first book in an epic series chronicling the adventures of Heroes and Villains, both in the Heroic Age of the 1920s-1950s and in the modern day. Centered around a missing manuscript that might hold information that could literally change history and even mean the end of the world, YESTERYEAR alternates between a fast paced modern storyline about the man who ends up with the legendary book and excerpts from the mythic tome itself. Marvel to pulp like adventures of glory and adrenaline and become engrossed in the humanity and horror of being a Hero.

YESTERYEAR by Tommy Hancock-Sometimes the Greatest Mystery of Tomorrow happened Yesterday
!

THE OPTIMIST BOOK ONE: You Don’t Know Jack By Chuck Miller - Chapter Four

PULP MACHINE EXCLUSIVE!!!!!!


BOOK ONE:

You Don’t Know Jack

By Chuck Miller


CHAPTER FOUR:


A Yardstick For Lunatics, One Point of View 




Why was I going to do this? I was of at least two minds about the Johnny’s ghost incident. I wasn’t very interested in revenge, to be honest. The way I felt about Johnny at that moment, I wouldn’t walk across the street to avenge him, much less hunt down one of the most mysterious and dangerous men in the world. But it was a challenge. I  found that I couldn’t resist it. I knew I could do it, but I had to prove it.
I explained the whole thing to Vionna. She listened with great enthusiasm and many questions.
"How do you find a guy like that?" she wanted to know. "You don't know anything about him at all, really. Where do you even start?"
"Nowhere," I replied. "I can't find him. It's totally impossible. An absurd idea."
"Oh."
"I said I can't find him. But if I give him a reason, I bet he can find me."
"Oh!" she said, her face brightening. "Hey, that's good. You just turn it around. That's kinda brilliant, really."
"No, it is incredibly brilliant. I am incredibly brilliant. A genius."