Friday, July 31, 2015

Unholy War: The Gathering Storm...The Playlist

Readers of Unholy War: The Gathering Storm will notice that there's a playlist included at the very beginning of the book, and might be interested to know the selection of songs on it is not only no accident, but the songs are sequenced to sync up with the scenes of the book. For reference, here's our official Gathering Storm playlist...
“Hollywood Forever” – LA Guns
“Scratch My Back” – Roxx Gang
“California” – Beasto Blanco
“Face Down” – LA Guns
“Not That Much” – Mojo Gurus
“Crazy Nights” – Therion
“Tempo Of The Damned” – Exodus
“Can’t Catch Me” – Roxx Gang
“Subhuman Race” – Skid Row
“Moonchild” – Gypsy Pistoleros
“Over The Edge” – LA Guns
“Pleasure Of The Pain” – Nasty Idols
“Lord Of The Jungle” – Roxx Gang
“Jihad” – Shotgun Messiah
“One Man Army” – Dregen
“Shoot For Thrills” – LA Guns
“The Mob Rules” – Black Sabbath
“Wish You Were Alive” – Nasty Idols
“Endless Vacation” – The Ramones
“Live Fast, Die Loud” – Beasto Blanco

Granted, it's gonna take a lot longer to read the book than listen to the playlist, but if you imagine the book in terms of a movie, certain songs match up quite nicely with certain scenes.

Since the book just got released on Monday, I'm not going into any great detail here today, to avoid major spoilers and such, but here are a few highlights, with minimal spoilers ahead...

"Hollywood Forever" and "Live Fast, Die Loud" are the beginning and ending credits, respectively. "Hollywood Forever" provides a driving intro to the world of the (R)Evolution, while "Live Fast, Die Loud" is meant to serve as a thunderous closing note for readers. Beasto Blanco is a good way to send people out into the street feeling hyped...


"California" is the moment early in the novel when Steele and friends are heading into Los Angeles for an evening hunt. This song has a big, expansive, irresistible sound, and if The Gathering Storm were a movie, you'd see lots of pretty shots of Steele's Chevelle tearing down the highway and entertaining the grimy neon wonderland of the bad side of L.A.

"Tempo Of The Damned" is a bit heavier than the rest of the selections, but for years now I've felt the Steve Souza-fronted version of Exodus largely captures what Rapture would sound like. Donita's got more than a little punk mentality, and Souza's demon-possessed Mickey Mouse vocals are perfect for our gypsy half-blood.

"Subhuman Race?" Steele vs. the revenant. Most of the attention always seems to go to Skid Row's ballads, and a lot of people forget just how HEAVY they could get...songs from Slave To The Grind and Subhuman Race were at times on par with what thrash bands were cranking out during the same era. "Subhuman Race" is Skid Row at their dirty, blistering best...the perfect song for getting into a life-or-death struggle with a subhuman monster on the wrong side of town.

"Scratch My Back" and "Pleasure Of The Pain" are a lean in the direction of what the (R)Evolution Eternal sounds like. Florida's Roxx Gang crossed with Sweden's Nasty Idols? Totally. The (R)Evolution Eternal should not only be able to purr and sneer, but scream and scorch, as well. Here's Nasty Idols demonstrating that...


"Endless Vacation" is my favorite Ramones song, period. I always loved it when Dee Dee got to sing, because he was so completely and unapologetically obnoxious. If Popeye were a punk, he would've sang just like Dee Dee Ramone, and Dee Dee's vocals always make me grin. So obviously, something funny's happening towards the end of the tale if this little chestnut's playing. When you read the book, I'm sure you can figure it out.

Some of the bands on the playlist are obviously going to be a lot easier to find than others...you can find Roxx Gang's Things You've Never Done Before and L.A. Guns' Hollywood Vampires a bit more easily than you can track down Nasty Idols' Kalifornia or Dregen's self-titled solo album. But if you're into hard rock or 80's metal at all, do yourself a favor and find these bands and their albums...there's some truly fantastic music here put out by some of the most talented, dedicated rockers to walk the Earth. Support these guys so they'll keep making music!

Besides, for maximum enjoyment of The Gathering Storm, you should have this playlist pounding in your ears as you read...gotta create the proper atmosphere, yes?

And to close it out, here's the song and video that started it all when I decided to write a vampire tale way back at the end of the 90's...Roxx Gang's "Scratch My Back." Rock on, kids.


If you haven't already picked up Unholy War: The Gathering Storm, snag it at Amazon for a mere $3.99...it'll last ya a lot longer than a cup of coffee.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Children of the (R)Evolution,

The long wait is finally over...the gathering storm has arrived at long last. After all the waiting, hints, teases, and all that jazz, you can download Unholy War: The Gathering Storm in ebook format, and it's only $3.99. So whaddaya waitin' fer, kids? Get on out there and snag it! You can pick it up at...



With other places to follow! Also, don't forget to add it to your Goodreads profile...


And of course, if you like it, please do leave a review and recommend it to your friends. That's one of the best things you can do for an author, and one of the best ways to help spread the word of a book you love. I would vastly appreciate it!

In case you missed it, Jay Bonansinga, the New York Times bestselling author of the awesome Walking Dead novels, had this to say about the Unholy War saga...
 
Like the literary equivalent of classic power chords, Matt R. Jones's UNHOLY WAR saga takes the archetype of the modern vampire rock god and kicks it up to eleven: Sexy, groovy and gruesome, the book kicks out the jams. Highly recommended!

And James R. Tuck, urban fantasy badass and author of the killer Deacon Chalk series, had this to say...

This series takes the vampire genre by the throat! Matt R. Jones is a mad God of Mischief playing in a wild universe he's created and I love reading it. These are vampires who enjoy themselves and it's an absolute BLAST to read. No brooding, no angst, and No FUCKING Sparkles, just mayhem from cover to cover. You'll be grinning ear to ear whether you have fangs or not. Strap up and wrap up, the (R)Evolution By Night is a bloody good time.

So don't take my word for it...The Gathering Storm most definitely isn't a shark sandwich!

Print editions of both this book and the forthcoming Unholy War: Rage And Redemption (available in ebook on August 24th) are on the way, once Crossroad works through their big backlog of books, so for those of you holding out for paper, I'll keep you posted.

Well, gang...we did it. Some of you have been with me since as early as 1998, while some of you have just hopped aboard in the last few months. Regardless of when you discovered the (R)Evolution -- or the Hollywood Vampires, as it once were -- I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and for sticking by this series.

This is a day I never thought would come, but by damn...there's something to be said for being too dumb to know when to quit, and to have a hell of a lot of good people backing you up. You guys rule, and I'm delighted to have you aboard.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Unholy War Release Dates...And Covers!

I'm gonna keep this short, sweet, and simple. We've all been waiting and waiting and waiting, and now things are finally on the move, so let's get to it!

I've spoken with the fine folks at Crossroad Press, and we have Unholy War release dates, at least for the ebook editions. Crossroad publishes a LOT of books, and they currently have a backlog, so the print editions will be out a few months after the ebook editions...once I have more exact dates, I'll let you know.

But in the meantime, Unholy War: The Gathering Storm is gonna be available July 28th, and Unholy War: Rage And Redemption will be released on August 24th...in less than two months, you'll have the whole epic tale in your (virtual) hands! And remember, even if you've read the original Unholy War a dozen times already, there's been a lot of streamlining of excess verbiage and a nice amount of new material added, including a brand-new opening scene in Rage And Redemption. My intrepid editor Nerine Dorman made me work HARD towards improving the duology, and I think you're gonna love the evolution it's undergone!

And now, for the moment I've been waiting for since I first saw the artwork last year...like "Love Is For Suckers," the artwork was done by the immensely talented Daniel S. Hugo, who was a joy to work with and totally nailed it. Behold...



Beautiful, ain't they?

The wait's almost over, gang. Enjoy the pretty pictures...you'll be hearing a lot more from myself and the (R)Evolution By Night in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for reading, and thank you for believing.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

"Love Is For Suckers" Cover...Final Version

And here it is, complete with cover text...courtesy Crossroad Press. Pretty slick, eh?


The PDF edition of you can download here has been updated to include the final cover, as well!

It should be appearing just about everywhere ebooks are sold within the next day or so, so you'll be able to find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and the works. In the meantime, you can download the PDF of it via the link below. Remember, this is a free ebook, so you're welcome to share it to your heart's content, and even print it out if you like!

Monday, May 11, 2015

Presenting... "Love Is For Suckers!"

It's been a long time since I've been able to do this, what with all the editing and preparation that's gone into getting the Unholy War duology ready for publication. All the work and waiting has been well worth it, and with the duology coming this summer, the fun is truly about to begin!

But even so, it's been around two years since the last time I released a new tale for you guys, so I'm doing this with more than a little glee! Especially since this story is an answer to a question many readers have posed to me over the years: how did Steele and Clarisse first meet?

Today you finally get the action-packed, blood-splattered answer, and I think you're gonna love it. Below is the link for the "Love Is For Suckers" .pdf file, which is available for free. You can download it to your computer, phone, tablet, or whatever. You can print it out and give it to your friends. If you present me with a hard copy, I'll happily sign it for you. You can link to it on your website or Facebook or Twitter or whatever. Spread the word far and wide and have fun!

Not only that, but "Suckers" has a special preview of Unholy War: The Gathering Storm to whet your appetite. Enough talk. Time to travel back to August of 1987, where Steele is feeling very sorry for himself after a messy breakup with a succubus...

Friday, May 8, 2015

"Love Is For Suckers" Cover!

After nearly two years of waiting and preparation, the floodgates of new (R)Evolution By Night material will be opening soon, and it begins this Saturday with "Love Is For Suckers," the never-before-told tale of Clarisse and Steele's first meeting.

"Suckers" will initially be available to attendees of the Peoria Artist & Comic Expo (ACE), where I'll be appearing on this weekend. It's at the Noble Center in Lakeview Park in Peoria, Illinois, and will be running from 10 to 7 on Saturday the 9th and 9 to 5 on Sunday the 10th. I'll be handing out special little postcards that'll have a QR code on it that you can scan with your phone and immediately download the story, so if you're at the Peoria ACE, stop by and say hello!

I'll also be posting the link to "Love Is For Suckers" right here after this weekend, so if you're not in the area, don't worry...you'll be reading it very soon. Within a few weeks, Crossroad Press -- my publisher -- will be making it available pretty much everywhere, so you'll be able to get it for your Kindle, Nook, or whatever.

So in preparation for the imminent release of "Love Is For Suckers," I'd like to officially reveal the cover artwork for the tale, as done by the immensely-talented Mr. Daniël S. Hugo. Daniël's built upon what the incomparable Nathan Smith did with our heroes, took some bits from the original inspirations for the characters, and has given us a vision of the vampires of Hollywood that's both new and dynamic and yet immediately familiar.

Without further ado, here's Daniël's cover for "Love Is For Suckers," featuring Clarisse and Steele, together for the very first time...


Be sure to check back here on Monday for the full story behind this lovely cover! Also, in the meantime, check out more of Daniël's wonderful work at Daniël Hugo Illustration!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Vampires Formerly Known As...

The (R)Evolution By Night started life all the way back in 1997 as the Hollywood Vampires, building a small, but fiercely loyal following around the world. The mixture of adventure, humor, and 80's-era rock 'n roll caught on with readers looking for something different in the realm of urban fantasy, and as I wrote story after story, more elements of horror, sci-fi, and the fantastic began creeping in, as well.

I self-published five books in the series between 2001 and 2011, and then the Vampires were signed by Dark Continents Publishing in 2013, thanks to the efforts of my tireless publicist Sylvia Shults. Then, unfortunately, DCP had to close its doors in 2014...but because my intrepid editor, one Nerine Dorman, believed in me and the Hollywood Vampires, she got me signed to Crossroad Press immediately afterwards.

Fast-forward to spring of 2015, and I discovered Alice Cooper and some of his friends were forming a supergroup called the Hollywood Vampires. Oh really? And they'd trademarked the name. Oh crap. But Alice was a part of the original Hollywood Vampires, a drinking club dating back to the 1970's, and since I got the name from L.A. Guns -- who'd gotten it from Alice in the first place -- I figured if the name truly belonged to anybody, it was Alice.

Besides, my vision for the Hollywood Vampires had been growing and expanding far beyond the confines of modern-day Hollywood, and the name -- while beloved -- seemed almost limiting considering what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. With the series, I wanted to reach back to ancient Rome (and even farther back) and look to the stars above. The world I was creating was very much like ours, but different. Jimi Hendrix was still alive. The Space Age didn't come to an unsatisfying end. Humanity was, as a whole, a little less stupid thanks to vampires preying on the idiots for centuries on end.

With the series, I wanted to take a look at what kind of fantastic adventures vampires would have, and how they'd change the world...and how the world would change them. Because these vampires are as human as you and me, and at the end of the day (night), they just want to live, laugh, and love. But as the ancient werewolf proverb says, that which doesn't grow...dies. It's about moving forward, learning, fighting, winning, losing, and forever evolving. It's a vampire revolution, treading places immortals have never gone before.

(Well, in between tales about rock 'n roll, monsters, and off-the-wall shit. Not every story has to have much of a point...sometimes you just wanna see a vampire slug it out with a foul-mouthed chupacabra and call it good. And as my longtime readers know, I've got a fondness for telling vampire vs. horrible monster stories.)

So before any cease-and-desist letters had any chance to fly, I stepped away from the name...it's in good hands with Alice. Thus, the Revolution By Night was born. Or, if you will, the (R)Evolution By Night. It's about revolution and evolution, beneath the eternal star-shot vault of the night skies.

The Hollywood Vampires are no more...that era has come to an end. Long Live The (R)Evolution!