Author & Musician Jeremy Wagner Releases New Edition of Acclaimed Novel, “The Armageddon Chord”, Today via Riverdale Avenue Books/Afraid Books

 

"Wagner debuts with a highly entertaining blend…of heavy metal and hardcore horror…electrified by breakneck pacing, a cast of over-the-top characters and memorable lines..."

— Publishers Weekly

Jeremy Wagner, founder of internationally acclaimed death metal band Broken Hope, wrote his first novel about the power of heavy metal and its horrific possibilities in the wrong hands. Almost a decade later, The Armageddon Chord is being republished through Riverdale Avenue Books’ Afraid imprint with a new cover and interior illustrations by artist Claudio Bergamin (Rabid Heart, Judas Priest) and a new introduction that puts the genesis of the book in perspective. In addition to ebook and trade paperback editions out today, the book will be available in hardcover (May 9 release) and audio (summer release) for the first time soon.

Pick up your copy of the new edition in Paperback via Amazon and in eBook format via Amazon and Barnes & Noble

The horror novel follows the discovery of an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph that contains music so evil that it has the power to unleash the Apocalypse upon the world and grant immortality to the chosen who will reign with Satan.

Festus Baustone III, a multi-billionaire with a drive to crush anyone who defies him and a desire to live forever, will do anything to bring the Song of Sethis to life—even if it means sacrificing his own daughter and anyone else who stands in his way.

Kirk Vaisto, known as the “God of Guitar” by his millions of worldwide fans, is given an offer he can’t refuse. Caught between the forces of divine good and monumental evil, Kirk will find that there’s a powerful evil lurking in his very guitar strings as he transcribes the Song of Sethis for Festus Baustone and Helmut Hartkopff.

Turning Aknaseth’s hieroglyphics into music will be the first step into the abyss...

Kirk Vaisto sets off on a musical journey that takes him from an unholy chapter in ancient Egyptian history to the Holy Cross, to the concert stage and to the very edge of Hell itself as he gives the performance of a lifetime. Will it be immortality, annihilation and the Apocalypse, or salvation and deliverance from evil? All is at stake by Kirk Vaisto’s hand when he strikes The Armageddon Chord.

“I’m beyond delighted to see The Armageddon Chord get a proper re-release,” said author Jeremy Wagner. “Joining forces with Riverdale Avenue Books/Afraid is the best thing that could’ve happened for this novel. I can’t wait for new readers to get this in their hands for the first time, and for my longtime readers to experience all again in it’s bigger, badder, and apocalyptic glory!”

In 2011, Wagner released The Armageddon Chord to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone called the novel, “Pulp fiction at its breeziest best.”

Call for Stories for Three New Anthologies

Rachel Kenley will be editing three new anthologies for us this year!

Dangerous Curves

Size doesn’t matter – not when it comes going for dreams and goals or when thinking about love and romance. For this anthology Riverdale Avenue Books is looking for authors to give us your non-traditionally accepted weight main characters (and, yes, by traditionally accepted weight we mean skinny) who are going for big dreams and big love. Nothing airbrushed to perfection. Show us their love for life, their appetite for success, and their passion for… passion.
LGBTQ+ and underrepresented characters/voices are welcome and encouraged.
All submissions will receive an acknowledgement email and a response by or before April 16, 2019. Please inquire about reprints. Original, previously unpublished work is preferred. Payment is prorated share of the epub, print and audio royalties split evenly among all contributors, a pdf and print copy of the book. Rights are for seven (7) years, reusable with permission and notification.
All submissions should:

• Be submitted as a Word document
• Be between 4000-8000 words long (query for longer stories)
• Be proofread and edited
• Include a HEA or HFN ending
• Use Times New Roman 12 point and underline italics
• Use ### or *** centered for scene breaks with a blank line above and below
• Include title, last name and page numbers in upper right hand corner using the ‘header’ feature.
• 
  

Submission deadline: April 16, 2019 or until filled
Expected publication: June  2019
Send submissions via attachment to
Submissions@RiverdaleAveBooks.com
Put Curves Anthology in the subject line

Retold Fairy Tales – The Villain Wins

Sometimes it’s so very good to be bad. And why shouldn’t the villains have their chance at love? If Maleficent can have her happy ending –can’t some of our other favorites?
Riverdale Avenue Books is looking for retold fairytales with a specific twist – the villain is now the hero/ine and has the happily ever after. Wolves win over those who might harm them. Witches seduce and enchant. And good little boys and girls? Well, theirs are the motivations that come into question. Familiar and foreign tales are welcome, just put the villain at the center of your story.
LGBTQ+ and underrepresented characters/voices are welcome and encouraged.
All submissions will receive an acknowledgment email and a response by or before September 7, 2019. Please inquire about reprints. Original, previously unpublished work is preferred. Payment is prorated share of the epub, print and audio royalties split evenly among all contributors, a pdf and print copy of the book. Rights are for seven (7) years, reusable with permission and notification.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Do not submit a retelling of The Little Mermaid. That one is already claimed! J)
All submissions should:

• Be submitted as a Word document
• Be between 4000-8000 words long (query for longer stories)
• Be proofread and edited
• Include a HEA or HFN ending
• Use Times New Roman 12 point and underline italics
• Use ### or *** centered for scene breaks with a blank line above and below
• Include title, last name and page numbers in the upper right-hand corner using the ‘header’ feature.
• 
  

Expected publication: November 2019 – to coincide with the release of Maleficent 2
Submission deadline: September 13, 2019
Put Villains Win Anthology in the subject line
Send submissions via attachment to
Submissions@RiverdaleAveBooks.com

Sexy Super Heroes

Men in tights.
Women in capes.
Super powers and super passion.
As if it’s not hard enough to build a relationship! Riverdale Avenue Books wants your superhero themed short stories. New couples dealing with one or both having extraordinary abilities. Established couples trying to keep a relationship going and romance alive while working to keep the world safe. All characters must be created by the authors – no established superheroes will be accepted.
LGBTQ+ and underrepresented characters/voices are welcome and encouraged.
All submissions will receive an acknowledgement email and a response by or before September 7, 2019. Please inquire about reprints. Original, previously unpublished work is preferred. Payment is prorated share of the epub, print and audio royalties split evenly among all contributors, a pdf and print copy of the book. Rights are for seven (7) years, reusable with permission and notification.
All submissions should:

• Be submitted as a Word document
• Be between 4000-8000 words long (query for longer stories)
• Be proofread and edited
• Include a HEA or HFN ending
• Use Times New Roman 12 point and underline italics
• Use ### or *** centered for scene breaks with a blank line above and below
• Include title, last name and page numbers in upper right hand corner using the ‘header’ feature.
• 
  

Submission deadline: April 6, 2020
Expected publication: June 2020 – to coincide with the release of Wonder Woman 1984
Put Sexy Super Heroes Anthology in the subject line
Send submissions via attachment to
Submissions@RiverdaleAveBooks.com

Afraid Author Jeremy Wagner Featured Guest at Texas Frightmare Weekend May 2-5

Afraid Author JEREMY WAGNER will appear at the Texas Frightmare Weekend event on May 4, where he will launch and sign copies of his second novel with RiverdaleAveneue Books, THE ARMAGEDDON CHORD, which will go on sale May 2. The award-nominated novelist has also written hundreds of lyrics and songs spanning several albums with his internationally-recognized death-metal band, BROKEN HOPE.

 

Texas Frightmare Weekend, presented by Arrow Video, takes place annually in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – this year from May 3-5, 2019. True to their tagline – “The Southwest’s Premier Horror Convention” – Texas Frightmare Weekend‘s goal is to provide fans with an unrivaled experience by celebrating all aspects of genre films. Texas Frightmare Weekend hosts celebrity appearances, autograph signings, screenings, exclusive parties and horror memorabilia vendors from all over the country. Texas Frightmare Weekend is also extremely proud to have featured the rising talents of many Texas “Frightmakers” in screenings, panel discussions and Q & A’s.

 

Texas Frightmare Weekend draws thousands of attendees annually and has hosted genre legends such as Brad Dourif, Danny Trejo, George A. Romero, Clive Barker, Malcom McDowell, Robert Englund, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Cary Elwes and hundreds more.

 

This year, Texas Frightmare Weekend will host the likes of Jenna Jameson, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Meat Loaf, Bruce Campbell, Scott Ian, Robert Englund, Sam Raimi, and many more!

 

Tickets and info available now at www.texasfrightmareweekend.com.

Just in Time for NaNoWriMo - RAB Announces Contest

I believe in NaNoWriMo. It didn’t exist when I was in high school and college writing my first novel.  I am sure I would have gotten to The End (instead of writing two 100 page novels that petered out mid-way) if I had known I was part of a national wave of writers working on their 50,000 word first draft. *

I also believe that NaNoWriMo books are good books—books worthy of publication with a little spit and polish.  I know a lot of people think they are throw-away books, but Riverdale Avenue Books had a NaNoWriMo contest in 2014 and we published what I consider to be one of the best science fiction titles I’ve ever read.  Untrustworthy by JR Gershen-Seigel is an LGBTQ Hand Maid’s Tale.  It is so good that I had to ask the author if she had really written it in 30 days, or if it was a work shopped trunk novel she had submitted for the contest. 

The point of that is that I want to encourage NaNoWriMo.  So, I begged my wonderful staff of free lance editors to commit to reading NaNoWriMo submissions this year, and Riverdale Avenue Books will be having a NaNoWriMo contest again.  Submission details to follow.

And Romance Daily News will be supporting NaNoWriMo all month long with as many encouraging articles as we can print.

Please feel free to send an editorial note if you’d like to guest post on this subject, lori@romancedailynews.com.

* NaNoWriMo began in 1999 when 21 San Francisco writers pledged to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days in July. The next year, November was the chosen as the month, and 140 writers participated, most of who were not from San Francisco. The following year, 5,000 people joined. In 2017, a little under 500,000 people joined the NaNoWriMo website, but many authors write a NaNoWriMo novel without registering.

Here is the official website where you can sign up and get helpful advice. https://nanowrimo.org/

Join us for a Pub Party for The Princess of 42nd Street

We're celebrating the publication of THE PRINCESS OF 42ND STREET: Surviving my Childhood as the Daughter of Times Square's King of Porn by Romola Hodas on Thursday, September 13 at Manhattan's Museum of Sex, 233 5th Ave, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

The book is getting great press (here's link to the article that ran in The Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-news-porn-hodas-princess-20180731-story.html)

Next week on HBO's The Deuce, the series that explores the world of 1970's porn in NYC, the character of the author's father, Marty Hodas, appears. Saul Stein, the actor who plays her dad, called the book, "A testament to the awakening and reclamation of self, Romola Hodas [is] such a courageous voice and blessed to be given the opportunity to listen and learn. [The Princess of 42nd Street is ] a most welcome book.”

The event is free. Just ask for the Disco Room at the back of the museum.

The Princess of 42nd Street: Surviving My Childhood as the Daughter of Times Square's King of Porn Just Pubbed

Author Romola Hoda Pens her Inspiring Memoir About Growing as the Daughter of the Man Who Created New York City’s Pornography Empire

Behind the salacious headlines, Marty Hodas’ family paid a terrible price. In her shockingly honest, no-holds-barred memoir, Romola describes hanging out as a child in her father’s porn shops on 42nd Street and meeting the eclectic clientele who frequented the stores, making friends with the girls who performed live sex acts on stage, and spying on her parents’ sex orgies and crazy all-night swinger parties. Romola relates, in moving detail, how she cared for her three younger siblings when her brilliant, bipolar mother broke with reality, and how she survived verbal, physical, and emotional abuse; a year in reform school; her father’s three stints in prison; two kidnapping attempts by the mob (one while at summer fat camp); and how her baby brother, Jarrett, actually was briefly kidnapped by mobsters wanting to send Marty Hodas a clear, unambiguous message.

“My story has its darker moments, but it is also infused with humor and hope. Hope always burned brightly inside me, even during the darkest of times,” said Romola Hodas. “My book is provocative, but also inspiring.”

For all its darkness, The Princess of 42nd Street is, at its heart, an uplifting and inspirational story of how one young woman overcame incredible odds to become a successful businesswoman who now devotes her life to helping others. Raw, unflinching, and devoid of self-pity, The Princess of 42nd Street is a one-of-a-kind story.

Deadline Extended to Sept. 9 for Divorce Diaries Comedy Anthology

Call for Submissions to Divorce Diaries Anthology Edited by Michele Traina

Michele Traina, a regular at Caroline’s on Broadway and various East Coast comedy clubs, has put together a comedy showcase where performers share their amusing divorce stories. Inspired by that, award-winning New York publisher Riverdale Avenue Books is now collecting anecdotes like these into an anthology.

Divorce Diaries is a comedic journey examining families, careers, and love before, during, and after divorce.  In this anthology, writers, actors and comedians share how they, their family or friends have been touched by divorce, and replaced their tears with laughter. 

Michele Traina said, “Divorce led me to uncover different facets of my life and affected my journey as a stand-up comic. I live with my parents, make fish sticks for dinner and I’m far from the average soccer mom. But I enjoy my daughter’s silly moments and show her how to find the humor in life's roughest.” 

The collection is intended to inspire the reader, and motivate them through any life-transition. Reminding them to laugh because nothing is perfect forever, and remember that you have the power to change your life.  

The anthology is looking for humorous prose in the 1,500 to 5,000 word range.  Please include a short bio with your submission.  If you are on the East Coast, you might be asked to bring your routine to the stage.  Please send submissions to: submissions@riverdaleavebooks.com, attn: Divorce Diaries.

Deadline for submission is September 9.  Publication will be November 1, 2018.  All participants will receive a copy of the ebook and a print book, as well as a pro rata share of the royalties.  The book will be on sale online, as well in bookstores throughout the United States, and available in English throughout the world.