Dolph the Unicorn Killer & Other Stories
Self-Publishing Review | “All told, Dolph the Unicorn Killer and Other Stories is a bizarre, gleefully gratuitous, riotously fun collection.“
Readers’ Favorite | “Figuratively speaking, Lastrapes is a madman with a pen.”
San Francisco Review of Books | “At times naughty, at times even insightful, the short stories in this book are little masterworks of ingenuity.“
IndieReader | “…the book will satisfy readers with stories of friendships, fantasy, sex, dialogues, murder, vengeance, fear and everything in between.“
The Vampire, the Hunter, and the Girl
8 Days a Geek | "From the extraordinary mind of Martin Lastrapes comes another great story…and this time a promise of two more books."
Book About | "I enjoyed the inclusion of Dracula and the nod that the author Martin Lastrapes gave to one of the most popular incarnations of the vampire model."
The Bookie Monster | "A love triangle between a boy, a vampire, and a girl. It shouldn’t work, but it does. And it works incredibly well."
Donnie Darko Girl | "Overall, The Vampire, the Hunter, and the Girl is a unique kind of love triangle that reminds me in some ways of one of my favorite TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where here's these interesting characters who have come together and the world isn't entirely safe."
Buried Under Books | "...a mishmash of fun and ick and horror and all the things that come with a good vampire novel."
Readers' Favorite | "Unique and quite entertaining, The Vampire, the Hunter, and the Girl breaks the mold of the traditional vampire story."
Just Us Book Blog | "And my favorite, Victus: That is how vampires [are] supposed to be."
America's Editor | "Lastrapes builds a modern yet intricate system for vampire existence, and the entire series does not disappoint."
Inside the Outside
Matt Cannot Write | "...the details Martin describes and the flow of his narrative [in Inside the Outside] are so beautifully smooth its like listening to a whiskey-toned jazz DJ on a late night drive."
Belinda Frisch, Author | "I can tell you that I haven’t had a book call me back as much as Inside the Outside in some time. The characters are unconventional, flawed, and as real as the world Martin’s made for them."
Green Angel (via the BiblioBabes) | "Before Martin Lastrapes, only one author gave me the feeling that I was reading a book written by someone gifted. This first writer was J.K. Rowling."
Nylon Admiral | "[With Inside the Outside] Martin Lastrapes excels at constructing a complete, and believable story from start to end."
BiblioBabes (Kat) | "I picked this story up, and I literally could not put it down...I was totally hooked, and reading [Inside the Outside] at every possible second. Honestly, I wish all my reading experiences were like this..."
Hello? Is This Thing On? | "What matters to me the most is the way a story stirs something within me to continue reading. And that’s what Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes did."
8 Days A Geek | "With dark thoughts and an ever increasing sense of dread, Inside the Outside is a book I can read over and over again."
Tasha's Take On Books! | "I want more, more of the same twisted story but also more of Martin Lastrapes['] amazing imagination and his talented writing. The way he can lay a story out I am in awe of."
BiblioBabes (Cara) | "It was torturous trying to read faster, to turn the page quicker to figure it out.... But this is what makes the book so great: suspense, confusion, shock, disbelief, more shock."
Exciting Writing (Will Entrekin) | "[Inside the Outside] is an exceptional novel like I rarely encounter."
Book Den | "I classify Inside the Outside with books such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Patrick Süskind's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer..."
Tea Time With Marce | "[Reading Inside the Outside] I was entertained with how the story was being told to me. It felt like I was in [a] dark room, scary but cozy with this adorable storyteller."
Monkeycstars | "...a creepy, spectacular, AMAZING book...Everyone needs to grab [Inside the Outside] right now! "
Blood Red Nightmare | "I LOVE this book...[Inside the Outside] is nearly perfect."
Attore e Scrittore | {In Italian} "Voglio parlare di un romanzo che ho letto negli scorsi giorni, Inside the outside di Martin Lastrapes, che ha come tema proprio il cannibalismo."
Miscellaneous Reviews
BiblioBabes (Kat) | "I honestly believe that Lastrapes could be the next Stephen King."
Annamarie's Book Reviews | "There is no sparkling romantic vampires in ["Adam & Olivia: A Vampire Short"]. It left me wanting more. Everything a vampire story should be."
Monkeycstars | I strongly suggest you read ["Adam & Olivia" and "Jesus the Mexican Vampire Hunter"] now if you're like me and just can't wait for the FULL length story [The Vampire, the Hunter, and the Girl] to come out.
INTERVIEWS
Self-Publishing Review | “I felt like there was a lack of representation for unicorn killers in mainstream media.“
Share a Slice with Sean (Audio)| “Time to tune in and listen about Dolph the Unicorn Killer who tirelessly hunts the unicorn who killed his parents and peed on him at night as a child!“
Coyote Chronicle | “I’ve never been one for the pipe, unless the ‘pipe’ is a metaphor for cheese pizza and root beer floats.”
Coyote Chronicle | "The most important thing I do to combat writer’s block is not validate it as real. Writer’s block—in my estimation—is an extension of the writer’s fears and insecurities. All writers, especially the good ones, are insecure."
The Creative Penn [Video] | "The other primary inspiration, technically it comes from a documentary, but specifically it’s the really famous Mafia hit man—infamous, I should say—The Iceman, Richard Kuklinski."
Press-Enterprise [VIDEO] | "My initial goal was to publish traditionally."
Words 4 Other Words | "If you don’t like a book, put it down and start a new one. A good author should enjoy reading, otherwise what’s the point?"
Attore e Scrittore (Mauro Corso) | "I’m very fascinated with how people grow up to be who they are, what forces around them shape and form their thoughts and beliefs about the world. The story of Timber Marlow and the Divinity was meant to work as something of a metaphor for this idea."
BiblioBabes (Kat and Cara) | "I mean, it’s okay to shock your reader, so long as there’s a substantive purpose at play. Otherwise it’s just literary shock porn."
Warrior Princess Romance Writer (Bernadette Marie) | "My goal, among other things, is to write a vampire novel for folks who don’t like vampire novels."
Dark Lucidity (Brian Moreland) | "For me, characters are there to serve the story and not the other way around. The best reading experiences I’ve had involve books with great narrative plots, so, naturally, those are the types I’ve books I want to write."
Karen Woodward: A Blog About Writing | "Read. Read, read, read. If you're going to be a writer, you have to read and you have to read a lot."
Greg + You = This | “Look, it’s a book. While I am open to a film deal, there is no film for you to pirate.”
Exciting Writing (Will Entrekin) | "Well, the cannibal part came first. I’d become fascinated with writing about cannibalism about 10 years ago, which, not coincidentally, was about the same time I became a vegetarian."
The Inquisition (The Black Abyss) | “I like that [dark fiction] can produce terrifying stories where the monster can simply be the circumstances a character must deal with.”
The Ginger Nuts of Horror | "I didn’t do much reading as a kid, despite the fact that reading came very easily to me for as long as I can remember. I liked comic books, though. And professional wrestling."
GUEST POSTS
Violence, Brutality, and Death: Dark Fiction and Why I Love it | "The fact that we are mortal, that our time here is finite, haunts us daily. And perhaps the only thing more haunting than the idea that we will someday die is the fear that we may one day die a brutal, violent, tortuous death—or maybe that’s just me."
I Kidnapped Martin Lastrapes for a Guest Post... | "Hello out there. I don’t know if anybody is reading this, but, if you are, can you please help me? My name is Martin Lastrapes and I am currently being held hostage on this blog."
A Self-Publisher's Manifesto | "If you’re a reader, a simple lover of books, someone with no aspirations of ever writing or publishing, then there is a very good chance you’re unaware of the culture war that has been going on within the world of publishing for what feels like forever."
One Author’s Attempt to Write a Likable Killer | "I gave myself what turned out to be a pretty difficult problem to solve in that I wanted my protagonist [Timber Marlow] to be a killer. Part of what makes this difficult is most readers don’t want to sympathize with a killer."
Creating the Illusion of Flesh and Blood on the Page | "So, how do you get the reader to care about a character who has done terrible, gruesome things? It’s not quite as complicated as you might think."
The Benefits of Being an Independent Publisher | "What follows is an informal editorial based on my experiences as an independent publisher and is not meant to be regarded as a 'how-to' piece."
Guest Blogger Martin Lastrapes | "And for anybody who hated the book, but chose not to review it, I appreciate you the most!"
What Inspires a Writer to Tell a Story? | “Since the publication of my debut novel, Inside the Outside, I’m often asked the question: What made you want to write about cannibals? For me the answer is obvious: Why wouldn’t I want to write about cannibals?!”
Staying Inspired - Martin Lastrapes | "The truest measure of success is happiness. And writing makes me happier than anything else, which is why I spend so much time doing it."
MISCELLANEOUS MENTIONS
Jonathan Yanez | "I recently had the opportunity to be a guest speaker on [The Martin Lastrapes Show Podcast Hour]."
Michael McCarty | "The tables are turned as Martin Lastrapes interviews Michael McCarty"
Amanda Headlee: It's Always' Darkest Before the Dawn | "My introduction to Martin Lastrapes was in 2012 when I first read his novel, Inside the Outside. I absolutely loved it and shelved the book with my other horror tomes (yes, there is a very special shelf in my house dedicated to this genre)."
The Sarcastic Muse | "In addition to discussing horror and the horror stories that they love, Amanda and Martin talk about pantsing vs outlining, indie vs traditional, the differences between writing short stories vs writing novels, and H. P. Lovecraft."
Ginger Nuts of Horror (Interview with Jake Aurelian) | "...I find [Martin] Lastrapes’ work addictive—the superlative narration, the excitement and intensity of the words, the relatable characters and the nuances of their lives."
Simon & Schuster Canada (Interview with the Bibliobabes) | "Your favourite book in the last year? Kat – 'Tough call! I have a hard time narrowing things down, but I’d have to say...Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes...' Cara - 'Hmmmm, I’d agree with Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes.'"
Paris Book Festival | "The coming-of-age story of a refugee from a cannibalistic cult is the winner of the 2012 Paris Book Festival, which honors the best of international publishing."
Exciting Writing (Will Entrekin) | "It’s not just the best indie novel I read in 2011; it’s the finest novel I read overall, and that distinction might carry back a couple of years besides. It’s devastating and funny, poignant and honest, sincere without over-sentimentality, and most importantly, Lastrapes can write."
The Bibliobabes (Kat) | "Not only is Martin Lastrapes a fantastic writer, he's actually a cool dude as well. He's witty, friendly, and ridiculously down to Earth."
Fearless, Motherfuckers. (Emma Arnold) | "[Inside the Outside] sort of reminds me of Brett Easton Ellis' masterpiece, American Psycho, because it fills the reader with such delicious dread..."
Paranormal Wastelands | "This entire crazy discussion [about eating brains] stemmed from me reading a creepy, spectacular, AMAZING book called Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes. Everyone needs to grab it right now!"
The Warrior Poet (Cameron Conaway) | "...Inside the Outside, has received loads of praise. I’m honored to be a part of what [Martin Lastrapes] does."
On Being Simply True (S. Kay Murphy) | "Martin has been teaching college for some years, but having read an advance copy of his new book, I can see that his future truly lies in written expression."
Belinda Frisch, Author | "Authors, this is a very nice blog to be featured on. Thanks, Martin, for your hard work."
Dreadful Tales | "Being a horror hound and book fiend can really put the hurtin’ on your wallet, but we’re always looking for ways to save...Inside The Outside by Martin Lastrapes debuted this past July and now you can pick this up for your Kindle or Nook at only $0.99!"
BiblioBabes (Cara) | "Me with my new Kobo reading Inside the Outsideby Martin Lastrapes [for Naked Reading Sunday]."
BiblioBabes (Vlog) | Check out the video below as Cara reviews Inside the Outside in the BiblioBabes very first vlog:
The Write Stuff (Marta Chausée) | "He looks sinister in this shot, but he's not. He's the 2012 Paris Book Festival winner and guess what? He's our own local, Inland Empire, cannibal-creating, Mt. Sac professor and fair-haired boy."
Perfect Fourth (Jessica Maybury) | "Oh and I've been completely stuck into Inside the Outside by Martin Lastrapes which I have on my kindle app(lication). It's seriously deadly, so tis! I wonder who did the cover. I can't stress this enough though: GO. BUY. IT."
Menifee 24/7 | "On the other end of the spectrum, literary horror author Martin Lastrapes featured his newly debuted novel, Inside the Outside, which has already been on the Amazon bestseller list three times."