Press Release: Audio Cascades- The Copper Cascade Chronicles by Kneel Downe

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Are they evil, or just trying to help? This question has plagued the City since Dark Deliverance, Captain Photon and the rest of The Vengeful Squad first appeared. Quickly removed from sight and now housed in Mental Rehabilitation Centre Alpha, known locally as The Copper Cascade, no word reaches the populace of their meaning or their reasoning.

Thanks to the work of investigative journalist Roach Monroe though, we have been receiving audio leaks from within the facility itself and we can now publicly release the interview tapes of Doctor Paul Nyman, the psychologist who is overseeing the treatment and further investigation of the individuals in The Squad. These tapes are not an easy listen and the information contained within will be as divisive as it is shocking. You have been warned...

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Kneel Downe's take on the superhero genre is already well known and was recently collected into the chart-topping chapbook The Copper Cascade, however everyone involved realised that this was never going to be enough for the Vengeful Squad. The transcripts of Doctor Nyman’s audio interview notes from the book were just begging to be realised in their original format – as audio files. DreamCage Media Group, in conjunction with Kneel, approached renowned voice artist RJ Bayley for some thoughts on how we could accomplish this and discovered in RJ a huge fan of Kneel's work who passionately threw himself into the project. The possibility of bringing superheroes to audio is a task that not many would undertake. There's an almost cinematic reason that this genre of pop culture remains within the pages of comic books and on our screens.

Until now.

On 4th July, Audio Cascades will be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world as The Copper Cascade audiobook through Audible, Amazon and iTunes. You HAVE been warned...

Press Release: Kneel Downe's Stolen Indie Anthology

Back in March of this year, author Kneel Downe asked for entries to be submitted through his VirulentBlurb website for a charity anthology with a theme of STOLEN. The only stipulation was that the entries had to fit the theme and be under 1000 words long. The stories and poems came flooding in from all over the world and two months , and many hours of reading, arguing and selecting later, the resulting collection of 15 short stories and poetry is published this week. 

Even though all the authors, some of whom have never been published before and others who are well established as independent writers, kept to the STOLEN theme, it was interpreted in many different styles and the collection spans the genres, from sci-fi to romance to psychological horror. Never one to shy away from difficult and hardcore topics, Kneel has chosen work that deals with both physical and emotional loss, from the poignancy of lost love, through the emptiness of stolen dreams to the brutality of abuse.   This may be a small book but it will leave the reader with a lot to think about. 

As well as giving a platform for independent writers, Kneel also wanted a distinctive cover for the book and asked for artwork to be submitted as part of the anthology call. The winning design (above) is by Trevor Bartlett and captures both the edginess of the theme and the essence of what it means to be an independent creator.

When asked where the idea of doing a charity anthology came from, Kneel said “It can be hard when you're first thinking about putting your work out there. Editing, formatting and pushing your work is a scary and thankless task. I, however, have been blessed to have a backroom staff of close and encouraging friends who have always been there for me, doing those dirty jobs that my simple writer's mind still can't grasp... not so for many others and so this is why we started this project. I believe in helping. Supporting and championing my fellow Indies. I believe in giving back. The fact that any profits from this book will go towards supporting a charity close to my heart makes it all the sweeter.”

Kneel Downe’ Stolen Indie anthology goes on sale on Friday, 20th May, which also happens to be Kneel’s birthday. All profits from the sale of this anthology will go to the charity http://www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/ 

To get a taste of the wonderful writing that was received, you can read some of the anthology entries, both those that made it into the book and those that did not, for FREE on Kneel’s website at http://www.virulentblurb.com/

You can get your copy of the paperback version here and the Kindle version here

Image Credit Trev Bartlett

Interview with Kneel Downe, Virulent Blurb Universe

With the release of a brand new book, An Owl's Tale: Fairy Blurbs, I caught up with Kneel Downe. The Chief Blurbmeister talks all things Virulent and what has influenced him...

Why The Bear Will Never Dance - FairyBlurbs

I have been given one of the new stories, included in Kneel Downe's brand new Virulent Blurb book. Just released today and with pictures by the awesome pen wielder that is Susan Omand, this is not a book you will want to miss..

Press Release: An Owl's Tale - FairyBlurbs

The VirulentBlurb today releases author Kneel Downe's 6th book, a book of Fairy tales, or rather, FairyBlurbs. An Owl's Tale returns the reader to a time of traveller's tales and campfire storytelling as Amelia and her companion Owl head east to begin the quest detailed in the book Amelia's Song. The tales told here stand alone and yet fit characters and stories told before and yet to come in Kneel's own unique style. They are a mix of the classical, the contemporary and the not yet invented and are as reminiscent of Carroll and Grimm as they are as new as Noon and Martin. Fairy tales and sagas that are as future proof as they are familiar.

Kneel writes like no other and constantly pushes the boundaries of what is achievable with words. With the VirulentBlurb, he has created an entire universe that ties together every project he does, no matter how unlikely the link may seem at first. As you know, "Ladybirds are full of secrets" and this collection is a Ladybird spliced with that unique Kneel Downe twist.

With a cover and illustrations by Susan Omand, An Owl's Tale, FairyBlurbs by Kneel Downe is available in paperback on Lulu now, with a Kindle version due next weekend.

Image Credit - VirulentBlurb.