Twisted Tails Twists Tales Out of World’s Most Twisted Writers

Summary: The most twisted collection of stories from the unlikeliest group of writers makes its debut at Double Dragon Publishing, Fictionwise, and Lulu. Twisted Tails editor J. Richard Jacobs admits to twisted tactics in forcing writers around the world to produce on time.

(May 1, 2006, Hong Kong) “I did it for art,” said J. Richard Jacobs, editor of Twisted Tails: An Anthology to Surprise and Delight (Double Dragon Publishing, ISBN: 1-55404-339-5) “But more likely I was just crazy enough to believe that something like this could actually happen.”

Reports of J. Richard Jacob’s unusual methods began surfacing throughout the publishing world just hours after the book’s release. According to Twisted Tails author Eugen M. Bacon: “It was like a ghastly dream. Horrific. Every which way I turned, there he was, J, wizard beard and all. Waving a finger, asking, demanding. Finally I complied. One story in a week, I promised.”

There were even stories of Jacobs visiting writers in their homes. “I remember,” said author K.L. Nappier. “I thought it was some weird nightmare. Waking up, unable to move ... the room so hot ... the smell of sulfur ... strange people surrounding my bed, chanting ... J. Richard Jacobs in a black, gossamer robe, a horned crown ... directing them to put a pen in my hand ... putting paper beneath the pen ... I saw myself writing, writing ...”

Speaking from his Swiss chalet overlooking Hong Kong, Jacobs admits: “I was drunk out of my skull when I did it and I don't remember anything more about it. Now, will you please leave me alone?”

There have been reports of threats made against Jacobs’ life by other anthology authors; notably Peter Prellwitz and Biff Mitchell. Mitchell, angry that he was duped into supplying cheap beer and a constant supply of pizza to Jacobs, refused to make any comment, however his gay cat, Pico, shrugged significantly.

A visibly shaken Prellwitz said, “He (Jacobs) called me up and told me he'd found the cooked books, buried bodies, and difficult-to-explain photos. Of course I doubted him at first. But when he emailed me the video of my daschund actually in the tutu, I realized I was trapped into writing stories for Twisted Tails. I hate his (Jacobs) guts.”

Another Twisted Tails writer, Jeremy Davies, says of Jacobs, “The editor? I hate the man.”

Twisted Tails has been described as a unique collection of short fiction from a wide spectrum of genre and writing styles ranging from science fiction and fantasy to dark humor and mainstream. Each of the authors was asked to submit up to four stories, each with a twist at the end. The stories were supposed to reflect the writers’ individual styles, but this did not always appear to be the case.

"Personally, I think J. Richard Jacobs has some kind of power over writers' minds or something,” said author Marilyn Peake. “Last I heard, I was a children's author. Next thing I knew, I had written three twisted tales. Twisted, I tell you - about witch burnings, UFO's, aliens. It's just not right, I tell you!"

Author Jamie Hughes edited one of Jacobs previous books, only to end up on the Twisted Tails chain gang: “"He seemed like such a nice man at first, even sent me cookies, but those cookies must have been laced with something because I woke up chained, and compelled to write."

Publisher Deron Douglas said: “This is a new model we’re experimenting with at Double Dragon Publishing. We hire demons to do the editing. Twisted Tails suggests that we’re on the right track.”

Twisted Tails contains stories by K.L. Nappier, Jeremy Davies, Steve Lazarowitz, Eugen M. Bacon, J. Richard Jacobs, Marilyn Peake, D.L. White, Peter Prellwitz, Biff Mitchell, Margaret Whitley, Jamie A. Hughes and Terence West. It’s available in ebook format at Double Dragon Publishing and Fictionwise, and in paperback at Lulu.com.

Twisted Tails: An Anthology To Surprise and Delight
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
Genre: Anthology/Science Fiction/Fantasy/Humor
Editor: J. Richard Jacobs
ISBN: 1-5540-4339-5
EBook Price: 5.99 USD
Paperback Price: 23.99 USD
Number of Pages: 556

Contact:

Deron Douglas
Publisher, Double Dragon Publishing
info@double-dragon-ebooks.com