Saturday, November 20, 2010

Sideshow acceptance and other dance moves

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AS I EMBRACE MY JAGGED EDGES, a novelette of mine, was picked up by Sideshow Press! Yay! It will be released digitally as well as in a Limited (25) hardcover edition (which will also feature a bonus story.) A big thank you to Sam W. Anderson for suggesting I send something their way! I’m stoked. I love the passion and quality that goes into the Sideshow line and Tom Moran has been an absolute pleasure to deal with. Plus this will be my first hardcover release!

Here’s a teaser for the story:

AS I EMBRACE MY JAGGED EDGES is a Horror/Dark Fantasy story about Boaz—a gay Jewish boy whose family protects a bronze shard of Solomon’s Temple from people who wish to possess it and use its magick to procure wisdom and power over demons. After his uncle Jack is murdered darkness crouches at their doorstep. Torn with rage at God for letting it happen, and doubting he’ll ever be a normal man worthy of love and hope, Boaz faces his fears and questions, determined to make a stand against the coming chaos.

Interesting reads this week:


Tom Piccirilli’s SHADOW SEASON. This is a gut wrenching tale.

Erik William’s THE REVEREND’S POWDER. Another great story from Erik. The pace is kicking, the plot tight, and the character’s relatable. I see a bright future for this guy. Also features some great artwork by Tom Moran and Jacob Parmentier.

Horror Library Vol. 4: I had a hand in selecting stories for this and it is one badass anthology. With work by Lee Thomas, Bentley Little, Nate Kenyon, Hank Schwaeble, Kim Despins, Erik Williams, Brian Knight, and a ton of other super talented folks.

Recent purchases:

The Bag and The Crow tee for Kara. I have one and look so good in mine that I thought she needed one too so we’re not unbalanced. :D You should get one too. Dress your lady up in something sinister and sexy. It’s good for ‘em!

Bull Spec #3- These guys are high quality. And I have a hard time turning away from anything featuring work by Lavie Tidhar.

Dark Discoveries subscriptions. They’re offering a great deal right now that is irresistible. They’ve teamed up with Bad Moon Books and if you buy a year’s subscription (29.99) you get a free BMB book. Kickass.

Tim Lebbons THE THIEF OF BROKEN TOYS (Chizine Publications)

Mark Allan Gunnells story from Darkside Digital: A fun tale based on a Bruce Springsteen song. Mark also has a free story up at Sideshow Press’s website: here.

The Separation by Ronald Malfi: the first book in Delirium’s new novella series. I love their books and have high expectations.

Shock Totem 3 is coming soon too. Here’s a glimpse at their fantastic cover: Yowzers! Can’t wait to read this issue.

I have a number of things in the works. Loving the process. Thanks for spending some more time with me and my obsession.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Eat Your Wheaties Before Starting a Knife Fight…

***Been a great time creating a mythos that ties together the Red Piccirilli trilogy I’m writing and my Reckoning and Redemption novels. It’s been a blast actually and I see these characters popping up in short stories and novellas too. For some reason they speak to me. Does it come from reading some of my favorite writers who have built worlds within worlds, writers like Gary Braunbeck and John Connolly? I think partly. And I think part of it is there is much to mine from certain storylines and certain characters. When I wrote the original draft of “Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children” I had no idea it was going to branch out and infect other stories, other books, but it has, and I love it. I’ve had a hard time writing short stories because the arc feels so fast, and even at novel length it is still only a smidgen of a characters life. Yeah, I can do this. I can go for a multiple book arc spanning a dozen characters lives because I want to, because it excites me.

What about your writing excites you? Have you thought about it? If so, have you used it?

I’m nearing the end of a very dark book (Within This Garden Weeping) that features Red Piccirilli thrown back and forth between this world and Glory on the Green. He has things he’s overcome, both internal and external, and he wears pride and disgrace beautifully. I hurt for him because the journeys he’s been through have scarred him, but they’ve also made him grow. Nearing the climax of the book I can say, quite firmly, that he is no longer the boy he is in "Before Leonora Wakes." It’s sad to see a child stripped of their innocence though, when all around them adults trundle past in denial, busy, exhausted, pretending they’re happy. Like my novella “Iron Butterflies Rust” I wrote recently (and still need to edit—damn blasted time!) I feel like I’m refining my voice, that it is clearer, more intense, and yet more subtle, and touching in places than I could have executed four months ago. I think I’m learning a lot from my buddies Shaun Ryan, and Kevin Wallis, and my sweet lady Kara. And I’m probably learning some stuff on my own, all of these experiments I’ve subjected myself to finally paying off. Yay!

And I rewrote (for the sixth time, and yeah, I’m really happy with it this time) a long story called “As I Embrace My Jagged Edges” and subbed it to Burning Effigy Press for chapbook consideration. They kick major ass, and if you haven’t heard of them, buy Lee Thomas’s chapbook The Black Sun Set and tell me it’s not outstanding all across the board.

I also subbed a story to the CaféDoom/Shock Totem contest ! It’s a strange story about the bonds of love, about giving up, and about being a man even after life steals your testicles (metaphorically, of course.) Wish me luck!

Also of note:

Mercedes M. Yardley, this fine lass with a silver voice just made for reading her work, was on The Word Count Podcast and it will make you smile and nod your head. Give her a listen and let her know she did a fantastic job. She’s in about the ten minute mark. (Also Aaron Polson, another writer I respect, does a reading on there as well. Give him a nod. Tell him how well he did too.)

My buddy Steve Lowe has a crooked book coming out called "Muscle Memory." He writes lean and mean, and well worth the money. The books will officially release at BizarroCon on Nov. 13(ish) during the annual convention of the weird in Portland(ish), OR.

I hope that everyone is doing great, giving it their all, taking pride in what they do and what makes them unique. Smile, say cheese, because life is constantly taking your picture.