Andrew J McKiernan - Author/Illustrator

New Image - The School Bus

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:58:56 +1100

Just added to the Gallery - my cover illustration for ASIM #46 based on the story 'The School Bus' by Jason Fischer.

Click on the image for the full size view.

Classic Australian SF - Covers

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:39:02 +1000

Chimaera Publications, publishers of Aurealis magazine, will be launching a series of six books at Worldcon 2010 (Aussiecon 4) reprinting some long-forgotten classics of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here are some draft cover designs for the first 6 books in the series.

Classic Australian SF 1: The Crowned Skull by Fergus Hume (with an Introduction by Sophie Masson)

Classic Australian SF 2: The Shrieking Pit by Arthur J Rees (with an Introduction by Sean Williams)

Classic Australian SF 3: Vandals of the Void by James Morgan Walsh (with an Introduction by Sean McMullen)

Classic Australian SF 4: A Bid for Fortune, or Dr.Nikola's Vendetta by Guy Boothby (with an Introduction by Ian Irvine)

Classic Australian SF 5: A Week in the Future by Catherine Helen Spence (with an Introduction by Lucy Sussex)

Classic Australian SF 5: Out of the Silence by Erle Cox (with an Introduction by Van Ikin)

Click on the images for a larger view.

Shards: Short Sharp Tales

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:24:57 +1000

Available now:

SHARDS: Short Sharp Tales

Written by Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Illustrated by Andrew J. McKiernan

ISBN: 978-0-9805677-2-4
160 pages - B Format paperback

Shards is dark fiction at its shortest and sharpest. Each shard is an imaginative fragment, broken, sharp, and poised to draw blood.

Shards is 31 tales of terror by award winning author Shane Jiraiya Cummings, each tale accompanied by a suitable disturbing full-page illustration by myself.

Shards is now available direct from Brimstone Press, or in all good bookstores. If they don't have a copy ask them to order a copy or two in.

"With SHARDS author Shane Jiraiya Cummings and artist Andrew J. McKiernan take us on a guided tour of the darkest backroads of the imagination. It is wonderfully moody and creepy."

– Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PATIENT ZERO and THE WOLFMAN

“Shards cuts you right open and then sets about infecting the wound. Cummings' prose is as the title suggests: short, sharp, and deadly. The tales themselves are relentless, battering you with their suggestive intensity or mocking with bleak humour. Add to this darkly disturbing illustrations by Andrew McKiernan and Shards is one hell of a nightmare.”

– Dr Marty Young, President, Australian Horror Writers Association.

"Shards offers a worthy selection of short-short stories that reflects the author’s prominence in the contemporary upsurge of 'flash fiction' among Australian horror writers. Fans of the short-short form will welcome this darkly entertaining foray into a world gone subtly—and at times unsubtly—askew, from one of Australia’s 'new bloods' of horror. Combined with a wealth of evocative illustrations from Andrew McKiernan, Shards represents a unique horror experience."

– Robert Hood, the 'Godfather of Aussie Horror' and award-winning author of Creeping in Reptile Flesh

"Shards is a maelstrom of images that delivers to the reader intense stories, and repeated sucker punches to their emotions."

– Sharyn Lilley, Eneit Press

"Reading Shards is like being strapped to a rocket, once you're on you can't get off till the end."

– Stuart Mayne, Editor Aurealis Magazine

Shards: Short Sharp Tales
By Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Illustrated by Andrew J McKiernan
Published by Brimstone Press - August 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9805677-2-4

New Image - Santa's Little Bitch

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 12:25:11 +1000

Just added to the Gallery - my illustration for Mark Farrugia's story "Santa's Little Bitch", to appear in the Tasmaniac Publications anthology "Festive Fear" later this year.

Click on the image for the full size view.

New Story - Midnight Echo #2

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:46:04 +1000

Issue two of Midnight Echo, the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association has been released into civilisation.

Edited by Angela Challis and Shane Jiraiya Cummings it contains thirteen dark, creepy and downright terrifying tales, including my own story "The Message".

Other authors with fiction in this issue include: Joanne Anderton, Jason Crowe, Bob Franklin, Kurt Newton, Shaun Jeffrey, Felicity Dowker, Christina Alexander, Chris Read, Kris Ashton, David Conyers, Trost and Benjamin Hayes.

Midnight Echo is available as either a print magazine, or as a downloadable PDF.

Electronic PDF Download (ISSN 1836-3873)
Cover Price: US$3.50

Paperback Edition (ISSN 1836-3865)
Cover Price: US$12.95 (plus shipping)

Slice of Life - book cover

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:28:29 +1000

"Slice of Life" is a collection of short stories by Australian author Paul Haines, scheduled to be published in September 2009 by The Mayne Press. It includes his Ditmar award winning story "The Devil in Mr Pussy (or How I Found God Inside My Wife)" along with 16 other, equally disturbing, tales. The cover has just been finalised and is on its way to print. It features an illustration by Jordi Elias and an overall inspiration to the old Mayflower and Panther novels of the 70s and early 80s, especially those of Michael Moorcock. The inside text is set with much the same inspiration - being extremely simple and modelled somewhat after the Mayflower release of Moorcock's 'Book of Martyrs'.

For a larger view of the cover, click the thumbnail.

Free fiction - short stories posted

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:42:52 +1000

I have just posted two pieces of free fiction to the stories section for your reading pleasure. Both are previously unpublished.

The Memory of Water is a 3000 word story that seems to defy genre classification.

Last Words is a much shorter Flash Fiction story that is also quite dark - most definitely horror.

I hope you enjoy them both.

Black Roads, Dark Highways

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:40:43 +1000

Black Roads, Dark Highways was my regular article and comic strip in the unfortunately short-lived magazine "Black: Australian Dark Culture". The idea was, that I would write an article and accompanying comic strip for each issue focusing on the various myths, legends (ancient and urban) and conspiracy theories associated specifically with Australian culture.

It is sad that Black's initial run only lasted 3 issues (and my own column only the last 2 issues) but it was a great magazine and the articles were fun to write and draw.

I tried to be dark as well as whimsical; gross as well as humorous - or at least I thought they were humorous in my own twisted way. Judging from the comments I received from readers, I think I succeeded pretty well.

But, Black is gone for now (although it might one day resurrect itself) and I thought I'd post the articles and comic strips here on the site for others to read (and hopefully enjoy),

You can find them both at the following links:

I hope you enjoy them!

New Gallery Images

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:36:17 +1000

A few images have now been added to the Gallery in the following albums:

Welcome - new site online

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 15:34:37 +1000

Welcome to the official website of author/illustrator Andrew J McKiernan.

The site is a bit empty of content at the moment, but things will fill up over the next couple of days. Very soon the image Gallery, Stories and Articles pages will be added to quite extensively.

Until then, please bear with my while I get things up and running and sort out the various bugs and other issues with the new code.

Thanks for your patience.