Brett Williams 'Family Business'

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2014 7:40 pm

I sure hope you don't mind me posting this in here Ed, but it's a little review about a book I thought would fit right in here with all the Ed Lee fans.

Brett 'Fucking' Williams. You hear that shit? I'll fucking say it again then, Brett 'Fucking' Williams. Come on and say it with me Brett 'Fucking' Williams. It's an important name and if you bare with me I'll explain why.

The name is actually Brett Williams. I added the 'Fucking' for gravitas. See you can do that shit with a good first name 'Brett' followed by a good last name 'Williams'. You try doing that shit with some other authors and it can turn out all types of wrong. Take Edward 'Fucking' Lee for instance, see that shit turns out fucked don't it? You get yourself an image of some guy called Edward going at it with some dude called Lee. Could be worse though, you could try Wrath 'Fucking' James White... see how fucked up that is? Wrath pounding into some guy called James who didn't start out white but sure as fuck was once Wrath had finished with him. So be carefull with your gravitas and stick to the format... like Brett 'Fucking' Williams.

Right, now lets get down to why you motherfuckers be needing to know about this motherfucker. FAMILY 'FUCKING' BUSINESS is why. It ain't a new book, but I gots a feeling that some of you folks still be needing to be educated about it. You know how I know that shit? Cause it's got one fucking review on amazon. No it ain't my review, cause I'm semi retired in the horror genre now, but I've come out of that retirement cause I ain't sleeping too good knowing that there be fine folks out there like Brett 'Fucking' Williams that have created something special and something real and nowhere near enough people know about it.

Ok there's a story here that goes back a few years. I can't remember exact dates but it goes back to what I think may have been the horror mall forum in one of it's guises. I was in there one night shooting the shit and seen this dude called Brett Williams, talking about taking some orders for a book of his that he was going to do a small self publishing run of called 'Family Business'. I believe the numbers he talked about were something like $10 and the run was going to be 25 copies. I didn't read the blurb about the book cause that ain't how I roll, but I liked the cover... showed some sad looking chick in panties and bra stuck in a cage, yeah sure that may be sexist of me but fuck it I didn't put her in there so my conscious is clean.

A few weeks later I got the book in the post and I liked the heft of it, it was a trade paperback size and packed a fair few pages. Now usually I throw stuff like that on my tbr pile and it would have slid off the top and ended up down the back somewhere covered in dust bunnies waiting for the day that I'm finally bed ridden with some wasting diesease and have the time to read through all that shit before I die. But this book felt different, and I got stuck into it pretty soon after I got it.

Now incase you don't know me, I got to stop for a second and let you know that kind of shit I'm into. I like Edward Lee, Wrath James White, John Everson, Richard Laymon, Monica J. O'Roarke, Charlee Jacob, Shane McKenzie, you know the stuff. I like my horror with some balls, I like my horror to be hardcore, I like that shit to be real, I don't like to waste time with your main stream shit, that kind of shit don't do nothing for me no more, I like it groaty, I like it real, I like it siction. So if you ain't into that shit, then you may as well stop reading right the fuck now and get back to your Stephen King or Koontz or whatever the fuck floats your boat cause there ain't nothing more for you here man, sorry for wasting your time but thanks for stopping by all the same,

Still with me? Good that means you're hardcore, that means me and you see eye to fucking eye man. Ok so where was I? Right so I started reading my copy of a tiny little print run self published book by Brett Williams. And it's a book I'll never forget, it went right up there with Header, Ever Nat, Poisoning Eros, Soma, you know all them hardcore pieces that only the chosen few had even heard about back in the day. And that's when Brett Williams became Brett 'Fucking' Williams. Soon after I contacted him again asking him to do another print run so I could get a stack for my little ebay store cause I thought the book was important and wanted to do my little part, no fuckers bought them so I gave them away as presents, I later got a chance to meet Brett at Killercon 4 I think it was and traded him a ticket to an adult show for some more copies... which I ended up giving away as more presents, I'm a generous soul like that when the notion takes me. I even sent a few copies out to some publishers hoping someone would have the good sense to give me a limited edition of that shit. So when I later heard from Tom Moran at Sideshow Press that he would be publishing it I was over the moon, I had sent him a copy and while I don't know if Brett did the same as of this moment I can sit here happy thinking that it was me that put the book in the right place and got it a wider release, while it's not the limited edition it so very much deserves, it made it as a Gallows Press paperback. For some reason or another it seemed to take an age to come out but as of September last year it's out there... here's a link for you lazy fuckers....

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-B ... 788&sr=1-3

So do me a favour and get a copy to read, fuck it do Brett a favour and get a copy so he can make some money and get some fucking love for his book. Fuck it do yourself a favour and get fucking a copy cause I tell you this, this book deserves to be read. Over the years I feel like horror has been watered down by droves of urban/gothic homo erotic crap and while this may be only one book it goes a long way to restoring the balance. I don't know if it has a fucking ebook version that many of your guys are so fond of these days but splash out and get a paperback anyways, for fucks sake a tree has died for much less than putting it's life and soul into a book like this. And when you've read the book and seen it for the work of genius that it is and start telling folks how fucking good it is and they get all like 'hey man, can I borrow it?', you tell them to go fuck themselves and get their own damn copy, tight assed motherfucking skinflints.

Also if you want go all real hardcore, then don't read the blurb on the back of the book or website or wherever the fuck you see the blurb. Trust me and go in dry, all you need is my say so that if you enjoy hardcore then you will enjoy this. I give it the Jack Staynes mushroom stamp of approval. Who the fuck am I to be coming in here telling you what the fuck to do with your fucking hard earned dough? I'm Jack 'Fucking' Staynes that's who the fuck I am. At the turn of the century I had quite the pull when it came to telling motherfuckers what the fuck was what in the horror genre, so you could do a lot worse than listening to me.

ronin57 · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 4:24 am

Nice one, Jack. Rumor has it that Brett is working on a sequel.

Erik

kresby · **Joined:** Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:28 pm **Posts:** 331

And I won't miss it for nothin'. He ROCKS!

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2014 8:24 am

The horses mouth told me he's had ideas in his head for a trilogy. But if 'working' on a sequel actualy means that it's getting done then these be great days.

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

Hey, Jack!
I don't know WTF the problem was but I gave up on registering for this forum a long time ago. Well, I tried again and this time received activation. Whatever. I'm here now. I can't express how much I appreciate you and all the other fans of Family Business.

What Erik says is mostly true. This loosely-connected series that I consider the "Breeder Series" was written a while ago, as I told you at Killercon, so they need to be rewritten. For various reasons I won't go into (probably) I kept delaying rewriting them. After all, Family Business is an early novel of mine, and most of these other manuscripts were written even before FamBiz. Blah, blah, blah... not that you care about that.

Long story short, I've started writing the next book, which is sort of a prequel, only in that it takes place before Family Business. Basically, the actual sequel to Family Business is also the sequel to my current work in progress, which is going to be my longest story to date (approximately 110-115K works, or nearly 450 pages). It's about halfway complete and I plan to make major progress on it in the upcoming weeks (time off from the day job).

Thank you for not forgetting about me and Family Business. Thank you too, Kresby, for the kind words. Between the three of you, Cass, and my own goddamn mother (Lucifer's Children -- the novel I'm writing -- has been the manuscript she's compared everything else I've written to and is one of her favorites), not to mention I love the Kat character (she appeared in two or three chapters toward the end of Family Business), these books are much closer to completion.

Readers have waited long enough, and while there will still be a wait, I expect these books to be released in a timely manner, even if I have to do it myself.

Thanks again,
Brett fucking Williams

kresby · **Joined:** Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:28 pm **Posts:** 331

Hey Brett - now I'm really excited. Can't wait.

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Sun May 25, 2014 9:38 am

Yeah! Brett 'Fucking' Williams... see how it sounds? Imagine how that shit would look on your Drivers licence or credit card.

However you release it is fine with me, sure I'd hope someone like Samhain would pick you up for paperbacks or maybe someone even bigger cause just cause something a little hardcore don't mean that it's not an important book. I'm glad you are still plugging away at it Brett, I hope you are having fun writing it too. Also glad to be in touch again, I stopped going to boards for a fair few months again but glad to find you here and at the Drive In.

Edward Lee · **Joined:** Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:30 pm **Posts:** 1722

Thanks for the tip; this sounds like a must-read (I only hope I can handle the puppy mill stuff!)
Good luck with the book, Brett!

Best
Edward Lee

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

Thank you, Ed.

Wow. That would be so cool to have you read my book. If you want me to send you a copy, I'd be thrilled to do so. By the way, you've written plenty of scenes that I could barely handle. So... it's all good.

-Brett

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2014 1:05 pm

Well Jack. Your jizzling finger pointed again! I ordered a copy and will pay attention to Brett Fucking Williams.

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Sat May 31, 2014 7:18 pm

DecayedFace · **Joined:** Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:06 pm **Posts:** 157

What's this puppy mill business??? I gotta check this guy out.

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Thu Jun 05, 2014 1:09 pm

I got the book last night. I think I am ready to dive in!
#jizzmonkey
#blowchunks

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:25 pm

Well, here it is two days and 329 pages later. I have a confession to make. My attention span is micro-seconds. If I am not interested, I am gone. I have purchased forty books in the last few months and read 3 or 4 all the way through. I can barely watch a TV show for a half hour straight run.
I read this novel front to back in a couple days. Fun stuff. It stayed interesting for the most part, and when I felt it dragged , it wasn't enough to get me to put it down.
Brett "Fucking" Williams indeed! Good writing, man. Congradulations.

kresby · **Joined:** Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:28 pm **Posts:** 331

That's good to hear Jim. We need a sequel.

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

I'm glad you enjoyed Family Business, Jim. I'd bet the other 3 or 4 books you finished reading were Ed Lee titles.

Speaking of Ed Lee, this is supposed to be his forum. Any mods out there willing and able to relocate this thread?

-Brett

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2014 5:23 pm

You got your own section of the forum now fella? Or you looking for one? cause I can't see it.

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

I was referring to a general area.

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2014 9:39 pm

Try emailing editors@horrorworld.org

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:04 pm

I actually finished THE SPARTAK TRIGGER By Bryce Allen. It's a Necro Publication. I have had problems with their Fresh Flesh series and the Bedlam titles were not much better. I thought to myself " I will fucking try to read a Necro title all the way through with maximum attention and no distractions. I will read it and decide if I want to continue my lettered subscription with the publisher or not, based on this one book."
It was truly enjoyable!
Then there was THE CRONING, Laird Barron. Bit of a stretch for him. He does better in a shorter form. I thought THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS also went on too long. I can see how an author hates to waste a great idea on a poor paying short story. Because the idea is fucking great...doesn't mean it can be stretched out. In his case a sequence of events to the inevitable end seems tough to pull off. An opening event, the excruciating wait, the finality of the doom. Love Laird's work, anyway.
Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road. I read it all the way till the end.
I keep wanting something that strikes as deep as Lee's THE DRITIPHILIST. Or awes as much as Lestewka's CONFESSIONS OF THE ARCHIVIST. Brings dread as much as Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Saddens and sickens a person as much as Jacob's SOMA.
Yeah. I don't ask for much.
The other book I finished lately is Jack London's THE SEA WOLF. The last third is shit, but that doesn't take away the power of the story. Read a classic now and then. Get some perspective.
I couldn't read another book for years after Fyodor Dostoyevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. Nothing had comparable strength. Just for something to do I picked apart puns in FINNEGAN'S WAKE and re-read some Kesey.
Find some fun in Farley Mowat's NEVER CRY WOLF. It ain't all horror...

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2014 11:18 pm

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:32 pm

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

I sent an email alerting forum editors of your request for my own forum, guys. Keep your fingers crossed.

UPDATE: Email bounced. I'll fool with this later.

Jack Staynes · **Posted:** Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:34 pm

JPOKELA · **Posted:** Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:14 am

I would recommend this book to anyone in this forum.

kresby · **Joined:** Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:28 pm **Posts:** 331

What J. said.

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

I get no response from moderators, so I created a thread in the general area. You guys might want to check it out.

Hats off to Ed Lee for allowing this thread in his forum.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13983

splatterhead4ever · **Posted:** Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:57 pm

Thanks Jack! Ordered it today.

Edward Lee · **Joined:** Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:30 pm **Posts:** 1722

Brett: I just got Family Business in the mail and am very much looking forward to dipping into it!

Best
Edward Lee

brettwilliams · **Joined:** Fri May 23, 2014 8:27 am **Posts:** 21

Ed Lee: I hope you enjoy Family Business half as much as I've enjoyed your books.

-Brett

Brett Williams 'Family Business'

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