Interview with Muzzleland Press
Interview with the Haunted Omnibus
Interview with 31 Hath October
Interview with The Plutonian
Random Ass Interview with Spooky Sean
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Necronomicon 2015 was okay.
Below I go on and on for a bit. Necronomicon was, for me, a respite from a nasty bugger of a year, a year of loss and pain and worry. All the good points of this terrible year were, in Providence, on that weekend, so powerful and strong and concentrated that the rest was pushed into a far background blur. I've said I dislike blogging, and I'll say it again, so there's your caveat. Below, I bleat:
The uninitiated might picture a convention dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft thusly: bent, twisted Practitioners of the Weird slink and lurch down the streets of Providence, heads in hands, some nearly clipped by rushing traffic as they navigate the orange- and white-striped construction cones, bemoaning the modernity of the whole affair. Silent, frowning men loom in booths, purveying worm-riddled tomes and moldering artifacts. In dimly lit elevators that stink of low-tide at some seaside resort gone to rot, fish-faced writers in tattered overcoats pick at the sores that fester on their necks. At night, from a high room in the storied Biltmore, a solitary writer looks down upon wretched creatures in the park below as they stare up at the stars with gape-mouthed dread. He retreats to the expansive bed, head swimming with thoughts of forbidden things, sleep an unlikely prospect. He scribbles madly on hotel stationery, occasionally crying out at the terrors leaking from his pen onto the tear-mottled page.
NecronomiCon was a touch sunnier than that.
I left Northampton at around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, bags packed, along with a box of books I hoped to have the authors sign, as well as books of my own that I hoped to sell. Behind me, I left a time of financial uncertainty and banal dread. It disappeared in the rear view mirror.
I pulled my car into the convention center garage and contacted Sam Cowan using Facebook Messenger. He was busy running around trying to get his table set up, so I took the elevator down and sat in the lobby. The air was cool, almost chilly, a relief from the powerful humidity that would wait until Saturday to break. I wandered upstairs and happened upon the registration table, where I gave my name and retrieved my badge and pin. I turned around to see Sam rushing along. He looked…well, exactly like he looks in Facebook pictures, longish hair, bright eyes. The only difference was that he wasn’t ten feet tall like I’d pictured. He was trying to find the loading dock. We introduced ourselves and I joined him in his quest. The convention center staff were baffled by the question.
“Loading dock … hmm, loading dock …,” one said, scratching his head. Eventually, someone gave us vague, decidedly non-Euclidean directions. We headed bravely into the bowels of the convention center.
By some miracle we managed to locate artist Dave Felton in a side alley standing next to a car full of books and art. He was bald, bearded, and, like us, excited to be there, despite the stultifying humidity. Back the three of us went into the center, boxes in hand and on cart, down hallways crowded with stacked chairs and giant spools and rolled-up vinyl signs and miscellaneous this-and-that. We got turned around a few times. It reminded me of that scene in This is Spinal Tap when the band is lost backstage, yelling “Rock and Roll!” as they look in vain for the entrance to the stage.
“Weird fiction!” I yelled. Dave and Sam held aloft their books and bellowed, “Literary horror!”
At some point, Sam and his wife Rachael and I found time for lunch over at Murphy’s, an Irish pub with a pastrami-heavy menu. The Cowans were kind enough to provide me lodging in their room’s second bed for my first night, before I moved over to my reserved room at the Biltmore. They are kind, gracious, genuine people, and one of the best parts of NecronomiCon for me was that we became friends.
Soon after, we met up with authors Scott Nicolay and Anya Martin and helped them carry their stuff to the table.
The next few days were a joyous blur, and I fear I would bore you to death if I continued in narrative form. I want to get the highlights down. I want to remember them. Somewhere along the way someone said that going to this con was like Facebook come to life. It was better than that: it was Weird Fiction come to life, on every corner, in lobbies and in vendor rooms and in elevators and in restaurants.
So, the highlights:
-Meeting author Scott Nicolay (Ana Kai Tangata, After) for the first time.
-Meeting Scott Thomas for the first time, and hanging out with Jeffrey Thomas again (we’d met at Readercon).
-Watching Justin Steele emerge from the darkness like a plaid-clad Shuggoth (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) in the park across from the Biltmore, having had to make backup travel arrangements when his flight was cancelled.
-Sharing meals and/or drinks with Jeffrey Thomas, Damien Angelica Walters, Dominique Lamssies, Scott Nicolay, Anya Martin, Dave Felton, Michael Cisco, Nikki Guerlain, Michael and Lena Griffin, Sam and Rachael.
-Seeing both Ross Lockhart and Scott R. Jones in person, standing proudly behind the books they’ve published … and getting my Word Horde and Martian Migraine Press books signed. Both guys sold out of the books they’d brought—not a surprise. First-rate stuff.
-Attending readings by Daniel Mills, Sean Hoade, Joe Pulver, Scott Nicolay, Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, Anya Martin, Michael Wehunt, Peter Rawlik, David Neilsen, Tom Lynch, Robert Waugh, Jeffrey Thomas, and Scott Thomas.
-Meeting Nick Gucker—who will be illustrating the cover of my next book, Creeping Waves—and Dave Felton, who will be doing the cover and interior illustrations for The Stay-Awake Men, the book after that. And Michael Bukowski, who did the artwork for Scott Nicolay’s excellent book after. Are all horror/weird artists this great in person? I can only assume from this representative sample that, indeed, they are.
-Listening in on Simon Strantzas and Scott Nicolay’s late-night conversation about the coming Weird Horror boom, that is, Hollywood taking an interest: is it inevitable? Will it be good or bad for the writers swept up in it?
-Meeting Daniel Mills and swapping books with him.
-Seeing my friends Tom Breen, Joe Pastula (in from Japan), and Ray Majerski for lunch on Friday. Tom and I had gone to NecronomiCon 2013 together, and we marveled at how much had happened since then.
-The Future of Weird Fiction Panel: S.J. Bagley’s expert moderation; hearing Justin Steele mention Gateways to Abomination; listening to Joe Pulver talk about the writers and stories he loves.
-Telling Ramsey Campbell I loved his work when he was behind me in line at Starbucks.
-Talking with John Langan, whose work I love.
-Signing books at the Dim Shores table and dropping by the New England Horror Writers’ table.
-My wife Katie joining me on Saturday night and meeting a lot of the people about whom I’ve been raving for months, people whose work moves and inspires me.
-Seeing paperback copies of Rangel for the first time
-listening to Joe Pulver talk about…well, about anything.
-Spending money in the vendor room. I’d saved up bonus money from work and earmarked it specifically for NecronomiCon. In 2013 I did buy a few books, but spent most of my money on shirts, memorabilia, and artwork. This time around, it was mostly books. Let’s see if I can recall my haul from memory:
At Fear’s Altar by Richard Gavin
Conference with the Dead by Terry Lamsley
Bone Idle in the Charnel House by Rhys Hughes
The Lord Came at Twilight by Daniel Mills
Revenants by Daniel Mills
Children of Light by Daniel Mills
Cthulhu Fhtagn! edited by Ross Lockhart
The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell
Cassilda’s Song edited by Joe Pulver
The Doom That Came to Providence edited by Joe Pulver
The Infusorium by Jon Padgett
The Narrator by Michael Cisco
Cthulhu Attacks by Sean Hoade
The Glittering World by Robert Levy
Purge Status by Shawn Mann
When It’s Time for Dead Things to Die by Clint Smith
I (Heart-cat) Ulthar t-shirt
Resonator artwork by Nick Gucker
I didn’t get to every talk and panel I wanted to, and there were events I had to miss, but such is the nature of NecronomiCon.
It might sound disingenuous to say, but it’s the plain truth: to a person, everyone was friendly, everyone was enthusiastic, everyone was great. The writers I mention above are people whose work has excited me and inspired me. It was a kind of oasis—dream-like and beautifully strange. Maybe some of it didn’t happen. I hope it did.
I’m already looking forward to 2017.
The uninitiated might picture a convention dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft thusly: bent, twisted Practitioners of the Weird slink and lurch down the streets of Providence, heads in hands, some nearly clipped by rushing traffic as they navigate the orange- and white-striped construction cones, bemoaning the modernity of the whole affair. Silent, frowning men loom in booths, purveying worm-riddled tomes and moldering artifacts. In dimly lit elevators that stink of low-tide at some seaside resort gone to rot, fish-faced writers in tattered overcoats pick at the sores that fester on their necks. At night, from a high room in the storied Biltmore, a solitary writer looks down upon wretched creatures in the park below as they stare up at the stars with gape-mouthed dread. He retreats to the expansive bed, head swimming with thoughts of forbidden things, sleep an unlikely prospect. He scribbles madly on hotel stationery, occasionally crying out at the terrors leaking from his pen onto the tear-mottled page.
NecronomiCon was a touch sunnier than that.
I left Northampton at around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, bags packed, along with a box of books I hoped to have the authors sign, as well as books of my own that I hoped to sell. Behind me, I left a time of financial uncertainty and banal dread. It disappeared in the rear view mirror.
I pulled my car into the convention center garage and contacted Sam Cowan using Facebook Messenger. He was busy running around trying to get his table set up, so I took the elevator down and sat in the lobby. The air was cool, almost chilly, a relief from the powerful humidity that would wait until Saturday to break. I wandered upstairs and happened upon the registration table, where I gave my name and retrieved my badge and pin. I turned around to see Sam rushing along. He looked…well, exactly like he looks in Facebook pictures, longish hair, bright eyes. The only difference was that he wasn’t ten feet tall like I’d pictured. He was trying to find the loading dock. We introduced ourselves and I joined him in his quest. The convention center staff were baffled by the question.
“Loading dock … hmm, loading dock …,” one said, scratching his head. Eventually, someone gave us vague, decidedly non-Euclidean directions. We headed bravely into the bowels of the convention center.
By some miracle we managed to locate artist Dave Felton in a side alley standing next to a car full of books and art. He was bald, bearded, and, like us, excited to be there, despite the stultifying humidity. Back the three of us went into the center, boxes in hand and on cart, down hallways crowded with stacked chairs and giant spools and rolled-up vinyl signs and miscellaneous this-and-that. We got turned around a few times. It reminded me of that scene in This is Spinal Tap when the band is lost backstage, yelling “Rock and Roll!” as they look in vain for the entrance to the stage.
“Weird fiction!” I yelled. Dave and Sam held aloft their books and bellowed, “Literary horror!”
At some point, Sam and his wife Rachael and I found time for lunch over at Murphy’s, an Irish pub with a pastrami-heavy menu. The Cowans were kind enough to provide me lodging in their room’s second bed for my first night, before I moved over to my reserved room at the Biltmore. They are kind, gracious, genuine people, and one of the best parts of NecronomiCon for me was that we became friends.
Soon after, we met up with authors Scott Nicolay and Anya Martin and helped them carry their stuff to the table.
The next few days were a joyous blur, and I fear I would bore you to death if I continued in narrative form. I want to get the highlights down. I want to remember them. Somewhere along the way someone said that going to this con was like Facebook come to life. It was better than that: it was Weird Fiction come to life, on every corner, in lobbies and in vendor rooms and in elevators and in restaurants.
So, the highlights:
-Meeting author Scott Nicolay (Ana Kai Tangata, After) for the first time.
-Meeting Scott Thomas for the first time, and hanging out with Jeffrey Thomas again (we’d met at Readercon).
-Watching Justin Steele emerge from the darkness like a plaid-clad Shuggoth (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) in the park across from the Biltmore, having had to make backup travel arrangements when his flight was cancelled.
-Sharing meals and/or drinks with Jeffrey Thomas, Damien Angelica Walters, Dominique Lamssies, Scott Nicolay, Anya Martin, Dave Felton, Michael Cisco, Nikki Guerlain, Michael and Lena Griffin, Sam and Rachael.
-Seeing both Ross Lockhart and Scott R. Jones in person, standing proudly behind the books they’ve published … and getting my Word Horde and Martian Migraine Press books signed. Both guys sold out of the books they’d brought—not a surprise. First-rate stuff.
-Attending readings by Daniel Mills, Sean Hoade, Joe Pulver, Scott Nicolay, Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, Anya Martin, Michael Wehunt, Peter Rawlik, David Neilsen, Tom Lynch, Robert Waugh, Jeffrey Thomas, and Scott Thomas.
-Meeting Nick Gucker—who will be illustrating the cover of my next book, Creeping Waves—and Dave Felton, who will be doing the cover and interior illustrations for The Stay-Awake Men, the book after that. And Michael Bukowski, who did the artwork for Scott Nicolay’s excellent book after. Are all horror/weird artists this great in person? I can only assume from this representative sample that, indeed, they are.
-Listening in on Simon Strantzas and Scott Nicolay’s late-night conversation about the coming Weird Horror boom, that is, Hollywood taking an interest: is it inevitable? Will it be good or bad for the writers swept up in it?
-Meeting Daniel Mills and swapping books with him.
-Seeing my friends Tom Breen, Joe Pastula (in from Japan), and Ray Majerski for lunch on Friday. Tom and I had gone to NecronomiCon 2013 together, and we marveled at how much had happened since then.
-The Future of Weird Fiction Panel: S.J. Bagley’s expert moderation; hearing Justin Steele mention Gateways to Abomination; listening to Joe Pulver talk about the writers and stories he loves.
-Telling Ramsey Campbell I loved his work when he was behind me in line at Starbucks.
-Talking with John Langan, whose work I love.
-Signing books at the Dim Shores table and dropping by the New England Horror Writers’ table.
-My wife Katie joining me on Saturday night and meeting a lot of the people about whom I’ve been raving for months, people whose work moves and inspires me.
-Seeing paperback copies of Rangel for the first time
-listening to Joe Pulver talk about…well, about anything.
-Spending money in the vendor room. I’d saved up bonus money from work and earmarked it specifically for NecronomiCon. In 2013 I did buy a few books, but spent most of my money on shirts, memorabilia, and artwork. This time around, it was mostly books. Let’s see if I can recall my haul from memory:
At Fear’s Altar by Richard Gavin
Conference with the Dead by Terry Lamsley
Bone Idle in the Charnel House by Rhys Hughes
The Lord Came at Twilight by Daniel Mills
Revenants by Daniel Mills
Children of Light by Daniel Mills
Cthulhu Fhtagn! edited by Ross Lockhart
The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell
Cassilda’s Song edited by Joe Pulver
The Doom That Came to Providence edited by Joe Pulver
The Infusorium by Jon Padgett
The Narrator by Michael Cisco
Cthulhu Attacks by Sean Hoade
The Glittering World by Robert Levy
Purge Status by Shawn Mann
When It’s Time for Dead Things to Die by Clint Smith
I (Heart-cat) Ulthar t-shirt
Resonator artwork by Nick Gucker
I didn’t get to every talk and panel I wanted to, and there were events I had to miss, but such is the nature of NecronomiCon.
It might sound disingenuous to say, but it’s the plain truth: to a person, everyone was friendly, everyone was enthusiastic, everyone was great. The writers I mention above are people whose work has excited me and inspired me. It was a kind of oasis—dream-like and beautifully strange. Maybe some of it didn’t happen. I hope it did.
I’m already looking forward to 2017.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
New book trailer for The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts
Special thanks to Lou Columbus for this little gem of a book trailer:
Book Trailer: The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts
Book Trailer: The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Necronomiconduits
My memory of that evening is hazy now, but I'm certain it went something like this: Tom Breen and I were walking along by the Providence River (or was it the Moshassuck?) after Waterfire (there was a night gaunt on a raft, wasn't there?) and talking about the self-published book called Dead Air that I'd put out through Blurb.com in 2008. Dead Air had glossy black pages with white print, was obviously created from templates, and consisted of stories I'd been writing on and off since 2005, as well as scans of old daguerreotypes and pictures I'd taken around town. I'd been thinking of doing another book, something affordable, more widely available, maybe even through Amazon. A trade paperback. We joked about it being "discovered."
We drove separately to Rhode Island, having booked a big suite at the Biltmore for two nights. Tom wasn't too big on the panels, the talks, and the readings, and the weather was glorious, so we spent much of two days we were there spending money in the vendor areas and at Cellar Stories, walking around Providence, and eating, though we did go see a talk and a panel or two. After one of the panels, Tom introduced me to S.J. Bagley, who he knew mainly through Livejournal. We went to dinner at a Korean barbecue place. Bagley was (and is) personable, opinionated, and fiercely bright. I enjoyed his company immensely.
Necronomicon was the highlight of the summer of 2013.
A lot has happened since then. In a few days I'll be returning to Necronomicon. My books will be available at the New England Horror Writers' table and at the Dim Shores table (where I, Scott Nicolay, Jeffrey Thomas, and Michael Bukowski will be signing books at 2:45 on Saturday). I'm excited at the prospect of meeting people I've known only online in the two years since the previous Necronomicon: writers, artists, publishers, aficionados of the Weird, old, new, and Renaissance.
What follows is my (very likely to change) itinerary for Necronomicon 2015, the panels and readings I hope to see, etc., hastily typed into a Word document yesterday:
Thursday
where the day takes me
We drove separately to Rhode Island, having booked a big suite at the Biltmore for two nights. Tom wasn't too big on the panels, the talks, and the readings, and the weather was glorious, so we spent much of two days we were there spending money in the vendor areas and at Cellar Stories, walking around Providence, and eating, though we did go see a talk and a panel or two. After one of the panels, Tom introduced me to S.J. Bagley, who he knew mainly through Livejournal. We went to dinner at a Korean barbecue place. Bagley was (and is) personable, opinionated, and fiercely bright. I enjoyed his company immensely.
Necronomicon was the highlight of the summer of 2013.
A lot has happened since then. In a few days I'll be returning to Necronomicon. My books will be available at the New England Horror Writers' table and at the Dim Shores table (where I, Scott Nicolay, Jeffrey Thomas, and Michael Bukowski will be signing books at 2:45 on Saturday). I'm excited at the prospect of meeting people I've known only online in the two years since the previous Necronomicon: writers, artists, publishers, aficionados of the Weird, old, new, and Renaissance.
What follows is my (very likely to change) itinerary for Necronomicon 2015, the panels and readings I hope to see, etc., hastily typed into a Word document yesterday:
Thursday
where the day takes me
Friday
9 am Ramsey Campbell interview
1030 Author Readings (both 17th floor Biltmore)
1 pm annotations of madness (omni) and/or author readings
(Biltmore)
230 author readings
4 pm New Weird Grand ballroom Biltmore 17th floor
530 author readings
Saturday
9 am Small Publishers
1030 Ask Lovecraft and/or Secondhand Mythos
1 pm author readings
245 Dim Shores signing
4 Lovecraft/Racism
530 Author Readings
Sunday
9 am Clark Ashton Smith
1030 Future of Weird Fiction (BAGLEY!)
1 pm author readings and/or religion in lovecraft
I'm looking forward to this oasis of the Weird. I hope to see you there.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
News and notes from Leeds
I recently referred to my blog as "oft-neglected." It's terrible and it's true. But here I am. It's been a while since I've updated, so let me fill you in on what I'm working on.
First and foremost (though I'm not going chronologically - you see, this is WHY I neglect my blog) is "Creeping Waves," the follow-up to "Gateways to Abomination." This book will consist of short pieces I left out of Gateways (they were written within the same time period), stories that have appeared in anthologies over the past 7 months, and a substantial amount of brand new work.
During the next several weeks, I will be wrapping up two or three of those new pieces, including a story tentatively titled "The Egg," a five or six-part story entitled "Vernon Golden," which is a framing piece that will give the book something like a narrative structure, and a few others. Perhaps an additional "Uncle Red Reads To-Day's News" installment, too. Muzzleland Press will be publishing this follow-up, and it will be a considerably longer book. It will also likely include a significant visual component. If you liked "Gateways," I think you'll like it. If you didn't like "Gateways," (I know you're out there) you might like this, as there are longer, more traditional stories within. Either way, the publisher and I are having a good time hashing out the details. I think the result will be a hell of a book.
Life is busy right now, so these stories are coming a paragraph at a time. I don't yet have an ETA for this. One thing I keep thinking about: blurbs. I've never sought blurbs before, nor had a publisher do so on my behalf. I suppose it's time to start thinking about it.
Second: I've put out an illustrated chapbook entitled "The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts." Alex Fienemann did the lovely illustrations. It's a curious little volume of fictional biographies.
Third: Soon Dim Shores, Sam Cowan's new publishing venture, will be putting out a chapbook of my story "Rangel." Rangel Bantam is a young woman mentioned in "Gateways" and elaborated upon, just slightly, in "Anne Gare's Rare Book and Ephemera Catalogue." The latter, by the way, I may have unnumbered and unsigned copies of to sell at Necronomicon this August. Stay tuned to find out who will be illustrating and doing the cover for "Rangel." Dim Shores has started out strong with Jeffrey Thomas's exquisite "Ghosts in Amber." I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Fourth: Next year, around June, will bring a limited edition hardcover from Jordan Krall's highly regarded Dunham's Manor Press. As soon as I wrap up work on "Creeping Waves," I'll work on this. It's about half written now, and is darker, more bleak. I'm extremely excited about it.
Well, in fact, I'm extremely excited about all three publishers I'll be working with over the next several months. I'm nearing a full year since the release of "Gateways to Abomination." That little self-published book changed my life.
The one thing I haven't done lately is submitted anything to any anthologies. All the stories I had out were either picked up or declined. I hope to start again soon with new stories, when time allows.
What else? I went to Anthocon and was on a self-publishing panel moderated by Hal Bodner, along with Jeff O'Brien and E.J. Stevens. It was my first time at Anthocon and my first time being on a panel. It was well-attended and interesting. Had it gone on another hour, I wouldn't have minded. I also saw excellent readings, sold a few books, bought a bunch of books, and got a print of the artwork for "Wicked Tales" signed by the artist. I met a lot of great people, but didn't spend nearly enough time hanging out with them. Next year I'll stay in the hotel.
For the record, a list of available anthologies that include my work:
"Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond." ("Machine Will Start When You Are Start")
"High Strange Horror" ("Night Dog")
"Xnoybis #1" ("Carnomancer, or The Meat Manager's Prerogative") - sold out, I think, but Dave Felton will have copies for sale at Necronomicon.
"Wicked Tales" ("Master of Worms")
"Siren's Call - A Scream in the Night" ("Following You Home") - free to read on the site
"Dark Lane Quarterly Anthology Vol. 1" ("Great Uncle Eltweed" from "Gateways to Abomination")
"Faed" ("Pharaoh" from "Gateways to Abomination")
More news soon, more details, more updates. Thank you for reading.
First and foremost (though I'm not going chronologically - you see, this is WHY I neglect my blog) is "Creeping Waves," the follow-up to "Gateways to Abomination." This book will consist of short pieces I left out of Gateways (they were written within the same time period), stories that have appeared in anthologies over the past 7 months, and a substantial amount of brand new work.
During the next several weeks, I will be wrapping up two or three of those new pieces, including a story tentatively titled "The Egg," a five or six-part story entitled "Vernon Golden," which is a framing piece that will give the book something like a narrative structure, and a few others. Perhaps an additional "Uncle Red Reads To-Day's News" installment, too. Muzzleland Press will be publishing this follow-up, and it will be a considerably longer book. It will also likely include a significant visual component. If you liked "Gateways," I think you'll like it. If you didn't like "Gateways," (I know you're out there) you might like this, as there are longer, more traditional stories within. Either way, the publisher and I are having a good time hashing out the details. I think the result will be a hell of a book.
Life is busy right now, so these stories are coming a paragraph at a time. I don't yet have an ETA for this. One thing I keep thinking about: blurbs. I've never sought blurbs before, nor had a publisher do so on my behalf. I suppose it's time to start thinking about it.
Second: I've put out an illustrated chapbook entitled "The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts." Alex Fienemann did the lovely illustrations. It's a curious little volume of fictional biographies.
Third: Soon Dim Shores, Sam Cowan's new publishing venture, will be putting out a chapbook of my story "Rangel." Rangel Bantam is a young woman mentioned in "Gateways" and elaborated upon, just slightly, in "Anne Gare's Rare Book and Ephemera Catalogue." The latter, by the way, I may have unnumbered and unsigned copies of to sell at Necronomicon this August. Stay tuned to find out who will be illustrating and doing the cover for "Rangel." Dim Shores has started out strong with Jeffrey Thomas's exquisite "Ghosts in Amber." I'm looking forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Fourth: Next year, around June, will bring a limited edition hardcover from Jordan Krall's highly regarded Dunham's Manor Press. As soon as I wrap up work on "Creeping Waves," I'll work on this. It's about half written now, and is darker, more bleak. I'm extremely excited about it.
Well, in fact, I'm extremely excited about all three publishers I'll be working with over the next several months. I'm nearing a full year since the release of "Gateways to Abomination." That little self-published book changed my life.
The one thing I haven't done lately is submitted anything to any anthologies. All the stories I had out were either picked up or declined. I hope to start again soon with new stories, when time allows.
What else? I went to Anthocon and was on a self-publishing panel moderated by Hal Bodner, along with Jeff O'Brien and E.J. Stevens. It was my first time at Anthocon and my first time being on a panel. It was well-attended and interesting. Had it gone on another hour, I wouldn't have minded. I also saw excellent readings, sold a few books, bought a bunch of books, and got a print of the artwork for "Wicked Tales" signed by the artist. I met a lot of great people, but didn't spend nearly enough time hanging out with them. Next year I'll stay in the hotel.
For the record, a list of available anthologies that include my work:
"Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond." ("Machine Will Start When You Are Start")
"High Strange Horror" ("Night Dog")
"Xnoybis #1" ("Carnomancer, or The Meat Manager's Prerogative") - sold out, I think, but Dave Felton will have copies for sale at Necronomicon.
"Wicked Tales" ("Master of Worms")
"Siren's Call - A Scream in the Night" ("Following You Home") - free to read on the site
"Dark Lane Quarterly Anthology Vol. 1" ("Great Uncle Eltweed" from "Gateways to Abomination")
"Faed" ("Pharaoh" from "Gateways to Abomination")
More news soon, more details, more updates. Thank you for reading.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Anne Gare's Rare Book and Ephemera Catalogue February 2015
Anne Gare's Rare Book and Ephemera Catalogue is a list of ten books in the Rare Book Room of Anne Gare's infamous bookstore in the devil-scarred city of Leeds, Massachusetts.
The book titles are:
These pieces deepen and enhance the world of Leeds, Massachusetts and provide a little more information about its doomed residents and the shadow under which they live. It can be considered a companion piece to Gateways to Abomination, but also (I think) stands fairly well on its own as an odd little collection of vignettes.
Caveats: this is a chapbook made at a copy shop. It's not fancy, not coptic bound nor stab-stitched - it's stapled. Also, the short pieces therein will likely appear in a somewhat different form in a future collection in the follow-up to "Gateways."
Paypal $5.00 to parker70400@yahoo.com and include your address, and I will mail you a copy. Additional caveat: I cannot easily get to a post office on weekdays. Most likely I will mail the book the Saturday after the money is received.
The book titles are:
- The Libellus Vox Larvae
- The Stockton Pamphlets
- The Barkerton Parade and Others by Ebenezer Chancre
- ME by Grancois Trumbull, Sr.
- The Dither Family Cookbook
- Bastions of Disquiet by Rangel Bantam
- Me and Your Shadow by Stephen King
- The Holy Bible
- Scrapbook
- ...
These pieces deepen and enhance the world of Leeds, Massachusetts and provide a little more information about its doomed residents and the shadow under which they live. It can be considered a companion piece to Gateways to Abomination, but also (I think) stands fairly well on its own as an odd little collection of vignettes.
Caveats: this is a chapbook made at a copy shop. It's not fancy, not coptic bound nor stab-stitched - it's stapled. Also, the short pieces therein will likely appear in a somewhat different form in a future collection in the follow-up to "Gateways."
Paypal $5.00 to parker70400@yahoo.com and include your address, and I will mail you a copy. Additional caveat: I cannot easily get to a post office on weekdays. Most likely I will mail the book the Saturday after the money is received.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
In the works
New projects in the works:
Anne Gare's Rare Book Room Catalog, my first DIY project, will be released before the end of February. 50 copies will be printed, numbered and signed. The price will be under $5.00 and it will be available here only. There may be 50 more copies after that, unnumbered, if the first 50 sell out. This will be a small chapbook collated and stapled locally by an independent print shop, to ensure quality. So, maybe not entirely DYI, but damned close. These bits of fiction will likely be included in my next collection, but I think this will be a nice, pretty piece to own. Previews here soon.
The Witch-Cult of Western Massachusetts, an illustrated chapbook, will be available on Amazon by, I hope, the end of April. The illustrations, by Alex Fienemann, are coming fast and furiously via gmail...and this, my friends, is going to be a very pretty book.
I have a publisher for my next collection. This is big news. The book will be more than double the size of Gateways to Abomination, and will feature full length stories, as well as at least one novella. We're looking at the end of the year for this title.
Faed has been released, which includes my story "Pharaoh" from Gateways. I've begun reading the anthology, and I based upon what I've seen so far I can recommend it without reservation.
RESONATOR: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond will be available mid-March. This is going to be a great one. Preorder and enter to win a signed copy of Nick Gucker's excellent cover art.
High Strange Horror from Muzzleland Press will include my new story "Night Dog." Look for further information as Spring approaches (it really is approaching, they tell me).
The New England Horror Writers' third anthology will include another new tale of mine, "Master of Worms," along with new stories by Bracken MacLeod, K.H. Vaughn, Rob Smales and others. This is out in June and will be available at Anthocon.
Anne Gare's Rare Book Room Catalog, my first DIY project, will be released before the end of February. 50 copies will be printed, numbered and signed. The price will be under $5.00 and it will be available here only. There may be 50 more copies after that, unnumbered, if the first 50 sell out. This will be a small chapbook collated and stapled locally by an independent print shop, to ensure quality. So, maybe not entirely DYI, but damned close. These bits of fiction will likely be included in my next collection, but I think this will be a nice, pretty piece to own. Previews here soon.
The Witch-Cult of Western Massachusetts, an illustrated chapbook, will be available on Amazon by, I hope, the end of April. The illustrations, by Alex Fienemann, are coming fast and furiously via gmail...and this, my friends, is going to be a very pretty book.
I have a publisher for my next collection. This is big news. The book will be more than double the size of Gateways to Abomination, and will feature full length stories, as well as at least one novella. We're looking at the end of the year for this title.
Faed has been released, which includes my story "Pharaoh" from Gateways. I've begun reading the anthology, and I based upon what I've seen so far I can recommend it without reservation.
RESONATOR: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond will be available mid-March. This is going to be a great one. Preorder and enter to win a signed copy of Nick Gucker's excellent cover art.
High Strange Horror from Muzzleland Press will include my new story "Night Dog." Look for further information as Spring approaches (it really is approaching, they tell me).
The New England Horror Writers' third anthology will include another new tale of mine, "Master of Worms," along with new stories by Bracken MacLeod, K.H. Vaughn, Rob Smales and others. This is out in June and will be available at Anthocon.
RESONATOR PRE-ORDER
Pre-order RESONATOR here and get a chance to win a signed print of the excellent cover art by Nick Gucker. Among stories by Scott Nicolay, Anya Martin, Christopher Slatsky and others you will find my brand new story "Machine Will Start When You Are Start."
Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. It's out mid-March.
Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. It's out mid-March.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
On cats
On cats:
As many of you know, tomorrow I lose an old friend, a cat. This is sad and inevitable. So for the moment, let's talk about the joy cats have brought into my life.
Phoebe was my first cat. In 1997 I was managing the Waldenbooks at the Eastfield Mall in East Springfield. A young women came in one day to buy a magazine. She had the folds of her coat a tiny tabby kitten. She put the kitten, no bigger than my fist, onto the counter and I fell immediately and irrevocably in love. "That's the most beautiful cat I've ever seen," I said.
The girl said, "Do you want her?"
Phoebe was taken from her mother too soon, I think. She tried to nurse at my beard. She was the sweetest thing. She talked the whole ride back to Northampton, and I talked with her.
In 2000 I sensed that Phoebe needed something, a companion more her size. I decided to get a second cat. A woman at work had a cat who'd just had a litter of kittens. I went to London that year, in May, and when I got back she had a tiny little greasy spindly dude waiting for me. He was black with three white spots: belly, chest, neck. Like a Chocodile. I'd observed the large number of Nigels and Simons I'd met in London, so I went with the former for a name. Phoebe was deeply aggrieved, and would not allow anyone to touch her for more than a month. Eventually, they found their way around one another and all was well.
In 2004 I met Katie. In 2005 we moved in together. She had two cats. Mehitabel she got from a friend. She's white and grey, skinny but healthy. Then there's Poop. The name has nothing to do with anything unsavory*. Initially his name was Livy. Then on TV Katie heard someone say, "You're getting fat, Pupkin." He also was getting fat. The name stuck, then was abbreviated. He is black and white, with a stub for a tail and white markings on his nose and chin.
We transitioned Poop from indoor/outdoor to indoor-only. He was having none of it. One day in October of 2005 he got out. He was gone more than 5 weeks. In our grief, we went and picked out a kitten. Sneech was his name, though now he answers to Peach Pie**. Within a few days, Poop came home. I was leaving for work and saw him dart under the porch. I got Katie and we snatched him up and brought him inside. (He'd do the same thing again a year later, four weeks gone that time; I found him by spotting his description in the paper - cat found, medium sized, black and white, half tail.)
That is us, our five, my Pride. Someone said that each cat has so many qualities unique to that cat that there aren't a lot of qualities one can say applies to all cats.
This is true.
Nigel is social, agreeable, affectionate, chatty, something of a brat, and crazy for food.
Mehitabel is a bit aloof. She sits on the radiator when it's cold. You can drape her over your neck like a stole. She takes whatever the vet does without the slightest complaint - a vet's dream, truly.
Phoebe is the most loving cat I've ever met and also the craziest. She's as old as Poop and she still bounces around the room like a superball. Not just anyone can pet or hold her. I have the most privileges. Katie has slightly fewer.
Peach Pie loves all cats, even the ones who growl at his approach. He's playful, silly, a goofball, a troublemaker, and an unexpected mouser. He and Poop curl up together, sometimes forehead to forehead.
Poop exudes a kind of stoic wisdom. My wife's sister says that it's like having another person in the room. He is an excellent old gentleman, an avid snuggler, and a calming presence.
Tomorrow we have to let him go. I'm not ready, and I'm sure Katie's not ready. But we will do right by him. I'm not going to replace every cat we lose, but we are going to get a kitten. Peach Pie will need a distraction. Us too.
*That doesn't mean we're not childish. I remember very distinctly saying "I spent a half hour trying to get Poop back inside last night."
**There are other names. Sneech the Peach McGeech from Geechy Gulch comes to mind.
As many of you know, tomorrow I lose an old friend, a cat. This is sad and inevitable. So for the moment, let's talk about the joy cats have brought into my life.
Phoebe was my first cat. In 1997 I was managing the Waldenbooks at the Eastfield Mall in East Springfield. A young women came in one day to buy a magazine. She had the folds of her coat a tiny tabby kitten. She put the kitten, no bigger than my fist, onto the counter and I fell immediately and irrevocably in love. "That's the most beautiful cat I've ever seen," I said.
The girl said, "Do you want her?"
Phoebe was taken from her mother too soon, I think. She tried to nurse at my beard. She was the sweetest thing. She talked the whole ride back to Northampton, and I talked with her.
In 2000 I sensed that Phoebe needed something, a companion more her size. I decided to get a second cat. A woman at work had a cat who'd just had a litter of kittens. I went to London that year, in May, and when I got back she had a tiny little greasy spindly dude waiting for me. He was black with three white spots: belly, chest, neck. Like a Chocodile. I'd observed the large number of Nigels and Simons I'd met in London, so I went with the former for a name. Phoebe was deeply aggrieved, and would not allow anyone to touch her for more than a month. Eventually, they found their way around one another and all was well.
In 2004 I met Katie. In 2005 we moved in together. She had two cats. Mehitabel she got from a friend. She's white and grey, skinny but healthy. Then there's Poop. The name has nothing to do with anything unsavory*. Initially his name was Livy. Then on TV Katie heard someone say, "You're getting fat, Pupkin." He also was getting fat. The name stuck, then was abbreviated. He is black and white, with a stub for a tail and white markings on his nose and chin.
We transitioned Poop from indoor/outdoor to indoor-only. He was having none of it. One day in October of 2005 he got out. He was gone more than 5 weeks. In our grief, we went and picked out a kitten. Sneech was his name, though now he answers to Peach Pie**. Within a few days, Poop came home. I was leaving for work and saw him dart under the porch. I got Katie and we snatched him up and brought him inside. (He'd do the same thing again a year later, four weeks gone that time; I found him by spotting his description in the paper - cat found, medium sized, black and white, half tail.)
That is us, our five, my Pride. Someone said that each cat has so many qualities unique to that cat that there aren't a lot of qualities one can say applies to all cats.
This is true.
Nigel is social, agreeable, affectionate, chatty, something of a brat, and crazy for food.
Mehitabel is a bit aloof. She sits on the radiator when it's cold. You can drape her over your neck like a stole. She takes whatever the vet does without the slightest complaint - a vet's dream, truly.
Phoebe is the most loving cat I've ever met and also the craziest. She's as old as Poop and she still bounces around the room like a superball. Not just anyone can pet or hold her. I have the most privileges. Katie has slightly fewer.
Peach Pie loves all cats, even the ones who growl at his approach. He's playful, silly, a goofball, a troublemaker, and an unexpected mouser. He and Poop curl up together, sometimes forehead to forehead.
Poop exudes a kind of stoic wisdom. My wife's sister says that it's like having another person in the room. He is an excellent old gentleman, an avid snuggler, and a calming presence.
Tomorrow we have to let him go. I'm not ready, and I'm sure Katie's not ready. But we will do right by him. I'm not going to replace every cat we lose, but we are going to get a kitten. Peach Pie will need a distraction. Us too.
*That doesn't mean we're not childish. I remember very distinctly saying "I spent a half hour trying to get Poop back inside last night."
**There are other names. Sneech the Peach McGeech from Geechy Gulch comes to mind.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
2015
Good morning. Dispensing with 2014, as wonderful as it was for me, here is a list of the books I read in order.
I'm sorry to hear that 2014 was not a good year for many of you. My demon year was 2013. Even now I flip the furious bird at that year. Sometimes I argue in the shower with people who went out of their way to make my life difficult that year. In my head, I mean. I wouldn't invite any of those bastards into my yard, never mind my shower. Except for the little oasis at Necronomicon and a few lovely excursions with friends, it was a year of worry and quotidian fears.
2015, as I've said, will see some of my stories hitting anthologies for the first time. I'm so excited about this I'm tempted to alienate everyone on Facebook by bringing it up every day. I also have a few stories out for consideration, one of which I may restore to novella length soon. I have works in progress too, of course, and ideas, ideas, ideas.
As far as books, the next thing will be a DIY chapbook which I'm having a lot of fun writing. That will necessarily be a limited thing, as I'm doing it all myself, or paying a local copy shop to do it. Obviously there will be no eBook version. Signed and numbered because why not. After that will be "The Witch-Cult of Western Massachusetts." The illustrator has sent me five of the thirteen illustrations and they're so damned good it's a daily temptation to share them.
As for reading, I've recently bought a large number of books with Christmas money. If I didn't buy another (ha!), I'd have more than enough to read this year. Also, new books are due to be released from Nathan Ballingrud, Simon Strantzas, Mike Griffin, and others, and I'll be spending some dough on those. I'm straddling the years reading "The White Hands and Other Weird Tales" by Mark Samuels now, and finding the stories terrific.
Here at the Bartlett-Saulnier stronghold, we wound down 2014 with sundaes and Star Trek. We began 2015 with jowl bacon and fried eggs and strong coffee. Soon we will enjoy brunch with some friends. I always find New Year's Day to be a dreary affair. I feel adrift and vaguely depressed. This new tradition of getting together with a few good people alleviates that quite nicely.
If 2014 was your demon year, I hope things come together for you better this year. I anticipate facing some powerful losses soon, but my support system is strong and sturdy-hearted and kind. I hope to see my old friends and meet my new friends for the first time. I look forward to making new friends at conventions and online. I may even try to get less fat by the time Necronomicon rolls around.
May 2015 treat you well.
- The Black Spider - Gotthelf
- Going Clear - Wright
- Autobiography - Morrissey
- The Accursed - Joyce Carol Oates
- Seven Footprints to Satan - A. Merritt
- Night Magic - Thomas Tryon
- Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon
- Mindfuckers - Felton, Green, Dalton
- The Model - Robert Aickman
- Now You See It - Richard Matheson
- The Scarf - Robert Bloch
- Anarchaos - Curt Clark
- The Businessman - Thomas M. Disch
- Some of Your Blood - Theodore Sturgeon
- The Third Reich - Roberto Bolaño
- Excavation - Steve Rasnic Tem
- A Call for the Dead - John Le Carre
- More Than Human - Theodore Sturgeon
- The Three Impostors - Arthur Machen
- Nazi Literature in America - Roberto Bolaño
- The Spectral Link - Thomas Ligotti
- A Heart So White - Javier Marias
- The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
- Conjure Wife - Fritz Leiber
- The Pilgrim Hawk - Glenway Wescott
- Woodcutters - Thomas Bernhard
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
- A Murder of Quality - John Le Carre
- The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
- All Souls - Javier Marías
- Burnt Black Suns - Simon Strantzas
- Autumn in the Abyss - John Claude Smith
- North American Lake Monsters - Nathan Ballingrud
- Ana Kai Tangata - Scott Nicolay
- Every House is Haunted - Ian Rogers
- Gardinel's Real Estate - Orrin Grey and M.S. Corley
- Revival - Stephen King
- Secret Things - Stacey Longo
- Desolation - Tim Lebbon
- When the Stars are Right - Scott R. Jones
- The Nickronomicon - Nick Mamatas
- The Sea of Ash - Scott Thomas
- Wolf in White Van - John Darnielle
- Devourer of Souls - Kevin Lucia
I'm sorry to hear that 2014 was not a good year for many of you. My demon year was 2013. Even now I flip the furious bird at that year. Sometimes I argue in the shower with people who went out of their way to make my life difficult that year. In my head, I mean. I wouldn't invite any of those bastards into my yard, never mind my shower. Except for the little oasis at Necronomicon and a few lovely excursions with friends, it was a year of worry and quotidian fears.
2015, as I've said, will see some of my stories hitting anthologies for the first time. I'm so excited about this I'm tempted to alienate everyone on Facebook by bringing it up every day. I also have a few stories out for consideration, one of which I may restore to novella length soon. I have works in progress too, of course, and ideas, ideas, ideas.
As far as books, the next thing will be a DIY chapbook which I'm having a lot of fun writing. That will necessarily be a limited thing, as I'm doing it all myself, or paying a local copy shop to do it. Obviously there will be no eBook version. Signed and numbered because why not. After that will be "The Witch-Cult of Western Massachusetts." The illustrator has sent me five of the thirteen illustrations and they're so damned good it's a daily temptation to share them.
As for reading, I've recently bought a large number of books with Christmas money. If I didn't buy another (ha!), I'd have more than enough to read this year. Also, new books are due to be released from Nathan Ballingrud, Simon Strantzas, Mike Griffin, and others, and I'll be spending some dough on those. I'm straddling the years reading "The White Hands and Other Weird Tales" by Mark Samuels now, and finding the stories terrific.
Here at the Bartlett-Saulnier stronghold, we wound down 2014 with sundaes and Star Trek. We began 2015 with jowl bacon and fried eggs and strong coffee. Soon we will enjoy brunch with some friends. I always find New Year's Day to be a dreary affair. I feel adrift and vaguely depressed. This new tradition of getting together with a few good people alleviates that quite nicely.
If 2014 was your demon year, I hope things come together for you better this year. I anticipate facing some powerful losses soon, but my support system is strong and sturdy-hearted and kind. I hope to see my old friends and meet my new friends for the first time. I look forward to making new friends at conventions and online. I may even try to get less fat by the time Necronomicon rolls around.
May 2015 treat you well.
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