Brisbane indie film Loyalty releases trailer

Brisbane writer/director Jake Reedy has posted a trailer for his up and coming action thriller Loyalty.

The indie film focuses on the lives of four low-level criminals who, after crossing the local mob, are asked to babysit a rival crime boss being held prisoner for 24 hours as payment.

However, it soon becomes clear that their captive is not what he seems and knows more about the four of them than he should. All of them have skeletons in the closet, but their main concern is to make it until the morning without killing their hostage or each other.

View the trailer here.

Reedy will host a free public screening of the film on its release later this year.

He previously wrote and directed the dramatic thriller Tin God, released earlier this year.

2011 Aurealis Awards open for entries

Entries are now open in the 2011 Aurealis Awards.

All speculative works published for the first time between January 1 and December 31 and written by an Australian or permanent resident are eligible.

Categories include horror novel, short story, science fiction (novel and short story), fantasy (novel and short story), young fiction (novel and short story) and children's picture book.

Entries close on December 31 with winners to be announced in March at an awards presentation in Sydney.

To enter, or nominate a work for entry, go to the Aurealis Awards' website.

You can also email convenors Chris Barnes and Susan Wardle with any queries at convenors@aurealisawards.com.

The 2011 awards are presented by SpecFaction NSW.

Discount offer on Cameron Trost's debut novel

Australian author Cameron Trost has released two ebooks for download through Smashwords.

His novella Let Darkness Take Hold is available for US$1.20, while his debut novel, thriller Letterbox is US$2.99.

Get 50% off the Letterbox this weekend as part of a Smashwords promotional offer until July 31.

Matthew Tait - Ghosts in a Desert World released

Matthew Tait's debut short story collection Ghosts in a Dessert World is available as an ebook through Smashwords.

The book features 13 stories of the macabre and was released this month.

It is available for download for US$1.99.

From the blurb:

Our world is not the only one... From apartments haunted by ghosts both internal and external, and horror museums masquerading as doorways, to towns where vehicular manslaughter is a way of life, and highways are a preying ground for monsters, GHOSTS IN A DESERT WORLD is a collection of 13 macabre tales designed to chill you the core.

Creeping in Reptile Flesh collection released as ebook

A re-released ebook of Robert Hood's short story collection Creeping in Reptile Flesh is available for download from Smashwords.

The collection features all 14 stories from the 2008 Altair Australia Books print release as well as a bonus short story.

It is priced at US$3.95.

Download your copy here.


From the blurb:

This collection by Robert Hood, Australia’s master of the macabre, offers 15 short stories to tantalyze your mind and tempt your appetite. From rotting food to rotting corpses, this collection is vividly thought out madness, with Hood’s mastermind at its core. Leave your lights on for this one — all of them.