Icons to Ashes

In a time when the undead bloodsuckers of legend have become a shadow of their former selves thanks to watered-down romance novels like TWILIGHT and the SOOKIE STACKHOUSE series, horror author C. Dennis Moore returns the icons to their former glory with his collection of 6 short stories, ICONS TO ASHES. Featuring 3 previously published stories plus 3 all-new tales, ICONS TO ASHES doesn't shy away for one moment from the bloodshed and ferocity of these killing machines. In "Become", Brian wakes up one night to find his girlfriend Jennifer trying to get into his room. The problem is, Jennifer was buried only a few days ago. But she tells Brian she needs him to come with her, that something's happened and her parents have been slaughtered. With an orgy of the damned that trumps anything in THE HOWLING series of movies, "Become" is a perfect blend of sex and death, written just for the hardest of hardcore horror fans. In "Birth Day", Douglas Neville wakes up battered and bruised in an alley with a severed head belonging to no one he knows not far from him. He's confused and unsure of who he even is, and when the police show up and take him into custody, he wonders who's the worse off for it, himself or the cops who think he's at their mercy. "Day Sleeper" sees a world where the vampires have become citizens with equal rights. Some people still hold prejudices, though, and when Dale learns of an opportunity to move somewhere no vampires are allowed, he jumps at the chance. Maybe a little too quickly. In "Family Name", Jody wanders the streets at night, just trying to clear his head enough to understand what the red line he feels compelled to follow really is. The surreal dreamscape of his mind keeps his thoughts muddled until the line leads him to the door of a familiar face and Jody finds himself helpless in the wake of unnatural urges. "The Sacrifice of Victor" is one of Moore's most reprinted stories and connects directly to his novel REVELATIONS. In it, Victor is an ancient vampire who's grown tired of the endless cycle of life and finds solace in the memory of his wife as he ponders whether or not to finally end his existence. And finally, "When Jessica Went Home" reveals what happened to the local girl who vanished several years earlier after a viscious attack in the park near her home. She's home to say goodbye to her dying father, but some old enemies just can't leave well enough alone. C. Dennis Moore is the author of over 60 published short stories and novellas in the horror field, most recently appearing in the anthologies VILE THINGS, WHAT FEARS BECOME, DARK HIGHWAYS, DARK HIGHLANDS 2, DEAD BAIT 3, and he edited the INTO THE DARKNESS anthology from Necro Publications. His novel REVELATIONS was also published by Necro in 2012. Praise for ICONS TO ASHES: "C. Dennis Moore remains one of the best, and yet undiscovered, writers of the macabre working in the small press today. He handles his heroes and his monsters with equal amounts of respect. He weaves his tales with skill, and talent shines through. I'm hoping that Icons to Ashes does as much for his reputation as it does for a tired subgenre." --Christopher Fulbright, author of Of Wolf and Ma "Vampire fans in need of a quick bite can look forward to C. Dennis Moore's Icons to Ashes. This collection clots nicely." --Steve Vernon, author of Long Horn, Big Shaggy "Doing away with the gothic trappings, his vampires are clearly monsters--sometimes willing, somethings haunted by what they have to do to survive. That pull between the vampires' brutal existence and the last vestiges of their humanity provides a lot of the tension in this great collection." --Kristopher Reisz, author of TRIPPING TO SOMEWHERE and UNLEASHED.