Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hey guys. I haven’t been posting as much lately. You can thank the Chinese government for that (they insist on censoring wordpress). More evidence that Communism sucks. Anyway, I am beyond their reach now, and I have a special treat for you. I’m going somewhere very interesting tomorrow. I’ll be out of communication for two days, but I have prepared some hints for the interested about where I’ll be. See if you can figure it out. Until I return…

Check it out here. I know I am biased, but I think Limbus, Inc. is going to be huge!

I picked up the first book in something called the Singularity Cycle today. Here’s the description for The Immortal Body:

Detective John Mitchell thought he understood murder. But that all changes when monsters are born during a faith healing at a local church.

Psychic Medium Sarah Lynn Beauchamp thought she understood the dead, but the dead have a new plan for her.

SAS veteran Dr. Menard thought the War was through with him until an unspeakable evil returns from the depths of a forgotten time.

Behind it all, a mysterious figure lurks, controlling the actors from the shadows, ushering an end to reason, sanity and the world as we know it.

Sounds interesting, and I’ve heard good things in the grapevine. I’ll let you know what I think later.

For so many reasons.

Brett J. Talley’s addition to the Lovecraftian Mythos is simply brilliant. A must read for any H. P. Lovecraft fan.

I searched for weeks for a free download of this novel, until I read the author’s website and his response about someone similar searching for a free download. I felt shamed and actually bought the book. It was one of the best investments I have made in a long time, and made me rethink how I support authors. In the future Mr. Talley, you have my money, I just want more stories from you.

“Limbus, Inc. is a brilliant concept that lets writers share a world while allowing their imaginations free rein. Ethridge, Mayberry, Nassise, Petty, and Talley take full advantage of all that creative elbow room and serve up some tasty stories. Do not miss this.”

“Limbus, Inc. is the best shared world anthology I’ve come across in the last twenty years. It was absolutely outstanding – five perfect stories from five of the top names in the business. Even the best shared world anthologies can, at times, play a little fast and loose with continuity, but not so Limbus, Inc. Editor Anne C. Petty has put together such a flexible, yet finely realized world here that the five voices she’s brought together sound like a choir warmed up in hell. This book is going to set the bar for shared world anthologies for a long time to come. Mark my words.”

Pre-order Limbus, Inc. Now!

“The five novellas in Limbus, Inc. are the kind of horror fiction I love most: Smart, scary, funny, edgy, melancholy, and set in a world I recognize all too well. The most frightening elements here aren’t alien princesses with insatiable appetites, ancient murder cults, or shapeshifting assassins, but desperation, hunger, neverending wars, and a wealthy class all too eager to prey on the rest of us. Limbus, Inc. isn’t just kickass – it’s five kinds of kickass.”

Pre-order Limbus, Inc. Now!

“Get street level in crazy town. Limbus, Inc. finds a new kind of noir.”

Pre-order Limbus, Inc. Now!

“Limbus, Inc. is one of the strangest, creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. Guaranteed to send all you conspiracy theorists out there into paroxysms of paranoid delight! Well, you did warn us.”

Pre-order Limbus, Inc. Now!

“Listen up, fans. Limbus, Inc. is a delight. Remember all those alternate universes suggested by classics such as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone? Turns out they’re for real. Only one sinister corporation controls all of the entrances–and there are no exits.”

Pre-order Limbus, Inc. Now!

The first review of Limbus, Inc. is in, and it’s from Michael Collings, one of the most respected names in the business. The review speaks for itself, but here’s a preview.

Stories within stories, truth within truth…even truth within lies. Everything from aliens to ancient gods, time-travel to space-travel. All fascinating tales and, within the purview of art, true.

Highly recommended.

I find that one problem with voting in the Bram Stoker Awards is that I rarely have the opportunity to read all of the entries. I usually read several, but not them all, no matter how much of an effort I put forward. But this year I am in a rare spot when it comes to the Long Fiction category. I had the honor of serving on the Long Fiction Jury and thus I read just about every piece of long horror fiction that was written in the last year. I’ve blogged about some of my favorites before (you shouldn’t have to scroll down far to find them), and today I wanted to share my recommendations from the preliminary ballot. First, here’s a list of the ten works that made the shortlist.  By that virtue alone, they are worthy of a read.

1. Burke, Kealan Patrick – Thirty Miles South of Dry County (Delirium Books)
2. Faherty, JG – The Cold Spot (Delirium Books)
3. Giglio, Peter – Sunfall Manor (Nightscape Press)
4. Ketchum, Jack, and Lucky McKee – I’m Not Sam (Sinister Grin Press)
5. Malfi, Ronald – The Mourning House (Delirium Books)
6. McKinney, Joe, and Michael McCarty – Lost Girl of the Lake (Bad Moon Books)
7. Miskowski, S.P. – Delphine Dodd (Omnium Gatherum Media)
8. O’Neill, Gene – The Blue Heron (Dark Regions Press)
9. Prentiss, Norman – The Fleshless Man (Delirium Books)
10. Thompson, Lee – When We Join Jesus in Hell (Darkfuse)

Of these ten, my favorites are “Thirty Miles South of Dry County” by Kealan Patrick Burke, “The Cold Spot” by JG Faherty, “The Mourning House” by Ronald Malfi, “Lost Girl of the Lake” by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty, and “When We Join Jesus in Hell” by Lee Thompson.

These five are truly fantastic, but there are three that really stand out. If you read any long fiction this year, read “The Mourning House,” “When We Join Jesus in Hell,” and “The Cold Spot.” You can’t go wrong with those works, and I can honestly say they are some of the best pieces of writing I have picked up in a very long time. Check them out.

Several of them up on Circulating Ideas. Here’s the list. Some great company to be a part of.

The Walking Dead (graphic novel) by Robert Kirkman
The Void by Brett Talley
The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle.
Flesh and Bone (Rot and Ruin trilogy) by Jonathan Maberry
A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel (Book Two in The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Seed by Ania Ahlborn

In a post discussing 2012 in horror, RA for All was rather gushing about my publisher (Journalstone) and me. You can read the whole article here, but I cherry-picked the best parts (well, in my view at least…)

•  But in print, this was a year in which it was easy to find a wide range of horror titles, one for just about every type of reader.  I detailed these in Library Journal back in October, and you can use the link to see more, but from this group there are 2 standouts I want to mention:
  • Brett Talley’s The Void.  Talley is a new writer, only on his second book, but he is already a force to be reckoned with.  The Void specifically harkens back to the science fiction tinged horror of H.P. Lovecraft. Enter a world were people can easily travel through space while sleeping. There is a catch however. Travelers are held hostage to their nightmares while in flight; nightmares customized to their own fears; nightmares that have been know to drive people mad. Six travelers, each with a secret encounter an abandoned aircraft, and bad things begin to happen. But is it a dream, their paranoia, or a monster?  Talley creates a creeping sense of unease from the start ofThe Void, an anxiety that never lets up, continuously builds, and leaves the reader looking over his or her shoulder while frantically turning the pages to find out how it all ends.

And then this on Journalstone…

The real reason the paperback horror title returned from the dead in 2012 is because of the diligence of independent publishers.  Leading the pack is JournalStone. I spent a lot of time talking about JournalStone during my 31 Days of Horror feature here, so click through for more details. But if you just want the short version, what JournalStone has done is to go out and find the best horror to publish and then they promote the heck out of it. In 2012 they got multiple titles in the hand of reviewers for BookList, Library Journal, and PW, with the spectacular Brett Talley leading the way in their catalog.

She’s right about JS. Great people, and I am lucky to be a part of that group.