Darkwater Syndicate | News

The Slant Six Is A 2017 RPLA Semi-Finalist!

10/23/2017

Good news comes in two’s! Last December we announced Chris Cobb was joining Darkwater with our first ever two-book deal. Mr. Cobb signed on with double barrels loaded with twin sci-fi sensations: A Moon Called Sun and The Slant Six. The latter of these is his latest work, and it is rockin' the literary scene!

Staring with glowing praise from NYT bestselling author Piers Anthony, the book is blasting off to new heights with an award nomination and reviews! See below for more info.

I read The Slant Six by Christopher F. Cobb. This is a wild one! The title refers to the spaceship that Loman Phin pilots in the year 2252. It's somewhat of a rattletrap, but it's fast and it's his... If you want a story that really is different, this is your ticket.

Source: http://www.hipiers.com/16april.html

In case you were wondering what the book's about: you've got classic cruiser spaceships, sexy space vampires, wisecracking robots, and a wild chase across the solar system. Add to the mix a washed up race driver fighting for a big paycheck and a mysterious woman sitting shotgun, and what you've got is the recipe for white-hot sci-fi action.

The Slant Six Makes The 2017 RPLA Semi-Finals!

It's just been announced that The Slant Six is a semi-finalist in the 2017 Royal Palm Literary Award Contest in the category of published book-length science fiction. The RPLA is a prestigious award competition hosted by the Florida Writers Association. The judging is stringent and the competition is fiercer than ever. Placing as a semi-finalist is a major achievement in itself. Wish Chris luck as the competition enters is final stages. We'll have the results in October at the RPLA annual banquet.

Underground Book Reviews Takes A Ride With Slant Six!

Underground Book Reviews has just accepted The Slant Six for review consideration. This is big news, because they are selective with the books they choose to send to their review team. They support indie authors, and are set up to be a literary community where authors can connect with each other and with service providers such as cover designers and freelance editors. Through both user recommendations and professional reviews, the diamonds in the rough are given a chance to shine. Underground Book Reviews is here to embrace the indie community by bringing you the reckless creativity of independent authors, while promising a polished finish to rival the standards of traditional publishing.

Shadows & Teeth In The Running For Major Industry Awards

9/12/2017

It's only been a year since we launched Shadows And Teeth, but the book series is advancing by leaps and bounds. And with each volume, we reach higher yet. Case in point: volume three is in the running for several major industry awards:

30th Annual IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award: Winners will be announced April 7, 2018.
22nd Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY): Medalists per category will be named in April 2018; medals will be presented on May 29, 2018.
2017 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award: Finalists will be announced in March 2018; winners will be announced in June 2018.

Shadows And Teeth 3 features a star-studded roster of international horror talent: the UK's legendary Guy N. Smith, Adam Millard, Nicholas Paschall, and many more. The competition will be fierce, but S&T3 is a strong contender, and we're certain that it can go the distance. Watch this space!

Shadows & Teeth Scores A Sterling 4-Star Review From SFReader!

9/8/2017

SFReader, a premier review site for all things sci-fi and fantasy, has reviewed Shadows & Teeth, vol 1, and they've given it an outstanding four-star review. See immediately below for a sound bite, and further below for a link to the full review.

As some people may know, I don’t read many anthologies, but I’ve not gotten many new horror novels lately and needed a strong dose of the scary. Luck was with me for Shadows and Teeth delivered... overall this is a great horror anthology. I would recommend it to all lovers of horror and look forward to receiving more from Darkwater Syndicate.

Read the full review here:
http://sfreader.com/r/book-review/horror/anthology-horror/shadows-and-teeth-edited-by-r-perez-de-pereda

Purchase: Shadows & Teeth, Vol. 1

Shadows & Teeth Declared Darkwater Syndicate's Most-Awarded Series

8/15/2017

Critics and readers agree, Shadows And Teeth is a rockin' good horror series. With seven accolades since April of 2016, it has become our most-awarded line of books. Looks like it's time to expand the trophy rack!

The series, curated by R. Perez de Pereda, now boasts three volumes containing thirty stories by such horror luminaries as the UK's legendary Guy N. Smith; the Croatian Queen of Horror Viktoria Faust; the prodigious and wildly popular Adam Millard; up and coming master of horror Nicholas Paschall of San Antonio, Texas; fantasy novelist Antonio Simon, Jr. of Miami, Florida; thriller writer Ken Pelham; and many more.

Bring home the horror - each of our volumes is available in paperback, ebook, special edition hardbound, and audiobook narrated by the talented Wyatt S. Gray.

2017: Adult Horror

2016: Adult Horror

2016: Short Story

2016: Anthologies

2017: Horror

2017: Anthologies

2016: Horror

Shadows & Teeth, Vol. 2 Receives Gold Medal And National Recognition

8/7/2017

Courtesy of (and adapted from) the Florida Authors and Publishers Association.

* * *

Lake Buena Vista, FL (8/5/2017) – The Annual 2017 Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards has awarded the gold medal to Shadows & Teeth, Volume 2, in the category of Adult Fiction, Horror.

Hosted by the Florida Authors and Publishers Association, this prestigious national award is open to books published between 2016 and 2017.

“The FAPA President’s Book Award exists to promote excellence in the publishing industry by recognizing talented contemporary authors who put both heart and soul into their work. FAPA is proud to be a champion of authors and publishers going the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect,” said Jane R. Wood, President-Elect of FAPA.

Shadows & Teeth is a premier horror anthology series published by Darkwater Syndicate. With this latest honor, the series has won seven major accolades since its inception in 2016, with volume two earning three on its own. The contributing authors to volume 2 are: Antonio Simon, Jr. and Ken Pelham, both from Florida; Bryan Cassiday of California; Reed W. Huston of Malaysia; Chris Lynch and Barnaby King, both from the UK; Steven S. Stafford of Tennessee; Kelson Hargis of Indiana; and Justin Cawthorne and Daniel Russell, both from Australia. The series is edited and curated by R. Perez de Pereda of Florida.

Medals were awarded at the annual FAPA President’s Book Awards Banquet held this year at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in the Disney Springs Area of Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“We are proud to announce this year’s winners who truly embody the excellence this award was created to celebrate. We had a record number of entries this year. Competition was stiff! We salute all of our winners for their fine work,” said FAPA’s President, Terri Gerrell.

The Florida Authors & Publishers Association is an organization for authors, publishers, independent publishers, illustrators, editors, printers, and other professionals involved in the publishing industry. It focuses on providing the highest quality of information, resources, and professional development to members and others interested in the writing and publishing profession.

About Shadows & Teeth
Now in its third volume, this horror anthology series offers readers an international perspective on horror and features such names as the UK's legendary Guy N. Smith and the Croatian Queen of Horror Viktoria Faust. The series is a favorite among readers and critics alike, having earned seven accolades since its inception in 2016.

About Darkwater Syndicate
Darkwater Syndicate is the publishing company with a defense contractor's name, and that sums up their approach to books: they refuse to be mainstream, and are not afraid to push boundaries or buck trends on their mission to promote uncommonly good reading. Founded in 2008, Darkwater began as an outlet for short stories. The company really took off in 2014 following the rampant success of The Gullwing Odyssey, its first full-length novel to hit #5 on Amazon's best-sellers list. Thereafter, the indie press has released between one and three titles a year. Ever one to punch above its weight, between January and July of 2017 the company released ten new titles by authors at home and abroad, making this its most ambitious year yet. They are headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Shadows & Teeth, Vol. 2 Wins Big Again!

7/13/2017

Looks like it's time to expand the trophy shelf - Shadows & Teeth, Vol. 2 is taking home another medal. The Florida Authors & Publishers Association has just announced that S&T2 will be the recipient of the President's Award medal, and we are honored and humbled by this accolade. We wish to convey our sincerest gratitude to the contributing authors who made S&T2 the nightmare-inducing fear-fest that it is.

With this latest win, S&T2 in particular has earned three accolades (1st place in horror, finalist in anthologies, International Book Awards 2017; FAPA President's Award 2017 medalist). The series as a whole has garnered six total honors since it began in 2016.

Shadows And Teeth 2 Is A Hit With DLS Reviews

7/12/2017

DLS Reviews, a premier horror review website in the UK, has released a brilliant review of our horror anthology, Shadows And Teeth, Volume Two. Here's an excerpt:

"You thought your worst nightmares were scary–you might want to think again after reading this... This sort of calibre of blood-chilling horror is what truly makes anthologies like this."

Read the full review on their website:
http://www.dlsreviews.com/shadows-and-teeth-vol-2.php

Purchase: S&T Vol. 1

Purchase: S&T Vol. 2

Purchase: S&T Vol. 3

Snakebite Reviews Gives Shadows And Teeth 1 & 2 Stellar Four-Star Reviews

7/7/2017

Snakebite Reviews, a blog from the UK that reviews books and films, gave stellar four-star reviews to volumes 1 and 2 of Shadows And Teeth.

"Twenty very different tales make up these eclectic collections... Some surprising tales from some up and coming writers that you should definitely keep an eye (and ear) out for."

Read the full review on their website:
http://snakebitereviews.weebly.com/book-reviews/shadows-and-teeth-volume-one-and-two-rating-reviewed-by-nathan-robinson

Purchase: S&T Vol. 1

Purchase: S&T Vol. 2

Purchase: S&T Vol. 3

2016 Foreword Indies Winners Announced: Shadows & Teeth, Vol. 1 Is A Finalist

6/24/2017

The following is courtesy of the Foreword Indies Book Awards:

As part of their mission to discover, review, and share the best books from small, university, and indie publishers (and authors), independent media company Foreword Reviews is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

These finalists represent the best books published in 2016, and submitted to Foreword Reviews for award consideration, and were narrowed down by Foreword’s editors from over 2,200 individual titles spread across 65 categories. A complete list of finalists can be found at:

https://awards.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2016/

“Choosing finalists for the INDIES is always the highlight of our year, but the choice was more difficult this time around due to the high quality of submissions,” said Victoria Sutherland, publisher of Foreword Reviews. “Each new book award season proves again how independent publishers are the real innovators in the industry.”

INDIES finalists are moved on to final judging by an expert panel of librarians and booksellers curated specifically for each genre and who will determine the books who will be named Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award winners. Winners in each genre—along with Editor’s Choice winners, and Foreword’s INDIE Publisher of the Year—will be announced during the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago on June 24, 2017.

About Foreword: Founded in 1998, Foreword Reviews is the only independent media company completely devoted to independent publishing. Featuring a Folio:Award-winning bi-monthly print review journal, and online publication, Foreword exclusively covers small, university, and independent (non “Big 5”) publishers, the books they publish, and the creators they work with. Foreword is based in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, and has employees and writers all over the world.

Shadows And Teeth, Vol. 2 Wins 2017 International Book Award

5/30/2017

American Book Fest announced the winners and finalists of the 2017 International Book Awards (IBA) on May 22, 2017. Over 300 winners and finalists were announced in over 80 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Volume two of our horror anthology, Shadows And Teeth, took top honors.

Publishing houses great and small competed with the likes of giants like HarperCollins and Tor/Forge. Now in its eighth year running, the contest recognizes mainstream and independent titles from all sections of the publishing industry.

Shadows And Teeth, Vol. 2 took home the following:
- Winner, in the category of Fiction: Horror
- Finalist, in the category of Fiction: Anthologies

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, said this year’s contest yielded over 1,500 entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results.

Keen says of the awards, "The 2017 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the world."

Purchase: Shadows And Teeth, Vol. 2