I posted on the Sick Chirpse Facebook page a couple of months ago that Sick Chirpse‘s own depressing nihilist Gary Morton would be releasing his first book of short stories entitled Chop Shop very soon. It was being released by a publisher based in Los Angeles which is pretty impressive considering Gary is based up in Glasgow. At the time Gary said he couldn’t have done it without Sick Chirpse which I doubt is true because he’s a pretty talented writer, but still it was a pretty decent thing for him to say.

Anyway, that announcement was made a while ago and Chop Shop is now available to buy and has been for a few weeks. It’s number two in the new horror category on iTunes and number 45 in the horror genre on iTunes as well, having peaked at number 7. Pretty good going. If you’ve been reading Gary’s stories on Sick Chirpse then you’ll know what he’s all about.  He’s kind of like a Scottish version of Chuck Palahniuk crossed with Bret Easton Ellis.

If you haven’t read them yet, what have you been playing at? They can all be found HERE, my favourite is probably ‘Happy Happy Families‘. If you don’t know what he’s about and are too lazy to click on the links then you’re probably a dickhead, but in any case here’s the blurb for Chop Shop which should give you some idea of what he’s about:

This is the Chop Shop. But this is not only a book. This is an emphatic bloodcurdlin battle-cry. This is a brutal and vitriolic call to arms. This is a glittering impassioned scream painted in blood. This is the stained shard of a shattered mirror where you can look deeply into your own dead, black eyes. This is a portrait of the darkness that has been scraped out of the damp recesses of all of our collective minds. This is the filth that festers in our fears and doubts that refuses to be acknowledged and displayed in the harsh light of day. This is a savage account of love loss hatred obsession disgust pain insanity self-loathing devotion and contempt that no one will ever admit to experiencing. These are the stories that most people are afraid to tell. These are the subversive thoughts that cling to our skulls like a malignant cancer. These are the whispering voices in your head spoken aloud. This is the unwavering brutality of the human race carved into paper for all to see. Here is a heart torn open and bleeding. All you need is the courage to look inside at its scorched sticky black depths. This is a book about being angry and powerless and the burning black resentment that gradually grows in the pit of your stomach as you realise that most of the world doesn’t care about you and your trivial problems.

Sounds pretty grim huh? Well that’s Gary Morton for you and that’s why we love him. Here are a couple of links you can buy Chop Shop from: Amazon (for the Kindle) – this is only £1.98 so you might as well give it a shot – and iTunes – slightly more expensive at £2.99 but probably still worth a look.  I’m not sure if a hard copy of the book is available at this point but if anyone is interested hit Gary up at his twitter HERE and I’m sure he’ll be happy to let you know. I’ve got a copy of it and should be reviewing it soon.