Super Tuesday Tunes–M.T.A. by The Kingston Trio
What better song to celebrate Super Tuesday than the classic folk tune written for a Boston mayoral election?
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The Sixth (But Should It Be First?) Person You Meet in A Zombie Apocalypse–The Zombie
Zombies
Whenever people make this sort of lists, they always forget about zombies. But depending on the type of zombie uprising we are dealing with, the undead may be the only thing you see.
It’s commonly accepted among zomboligists that there are three stages of zombie infestation. The first stage consists of one or two isolated cases, at most a small group. Shocking yes, and no doubt the existence of a reanimated corpse would change everything about the way we see the world. But as far as a threat, a Class I event is easily contained and no great threat to the majority of people.
The second stage of a zombie rising affects an area as large as a city. Much worse than a Class I infestation, thousands will die and whatever city is hit will be lost. But unless you live in the city affected, you’ll probably be OK during a Class II event and the military will eventually regain control.
Not so with a Class III event. Class III is the apocalypse. Class III is the end of the world. What are the chances you will survive? What are the chances you will even know what is happening before you come face to face with a zombie? And when that happens, what are you going to do? Probably get bit. And that’s the thing. Most people won’t survive the zombie apocalypse. No matter how well thought out your plan, you probably won’t even get to put it in place. Or something simple will throw you off. You’ll be on vacation. You won’t be able to get back to your apartment and pick up your weapons. Even if you do survive, you are going to see zombies. You are going to have to kill them. No one will survive the zombie apocalypse unscathed. In the end you’ll have to choose—beat um or join um.
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Free Music Friday–Needing/Wanting by OK Go
One of the most original videos in years. Enjoy!
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The Lovecraft eZine (AKA the best Lovecraftian blog on the web) has posted a listing of the best Lovecraftian or Lovecraft influenced novels. Mine’s on the list! Go check it out.
I’m working on a page that will list my favorite Lovecraftian books. It will be divided into 4 sections: Novels, anthologies, non-fiction, and poetry. Here’s part of the novel section, in case you’re looking for something to read. If you have novel suggestions, comment below.
The Amulet, by William Meikle – Derek Adams is a Glasgow PI with plenty of time on his hands. Until the Bogart Case walks in. A priceless family heirloom has been stolen and everyone in town is looking for it. The stars are right once more, and an ancient evil has been awakened from its dreaming sleep. It was supposed to be an easy case, fast money. But pretty soon Derek is up to his armpits in bodies, femme fatales and tentacles. The city’s dark side has him. And it doesn’t want to let the Midnight Eye go!
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The Most Erudite Review Yet of That Which Should Not Be
A friend of mine has reviewed That Which Should Not Be on his book blog, and I thought I would share. Rest assured, a good review was in no way guaranteed. He is the sort of person who would proudly write a review crushing my book under his heel and enjoy every minute of it. (He reviewed Herodatus for goodness sake). In any event, throw him a bone and go visit his site. Consider it a favor to me. Some of his reviews are actually pretty interesting.
http://superfluous-man.com/2012/02/28/that-which-could-not-be-put-down/
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This post has been popular lately. Might as well bring it back to the front page.
I came upon this over at the House of Figs blog. I don’t know whether they came from high school students or not, but I laughed harder than that time that something really funny happened.
- Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.
- He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.
- Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
- From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
- John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
- She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
- The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe…
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Girl Tattoos Boyfriend of 1 Week on Her Arm. A Facebook Thread Ensues
I should probably try and keep this site deep and literary. Dark and scary, that sort of thing. But when I see a story like this, I can’t help but share it. Seriously, what kind of idiot gets a tattoo of her boyfriend’s face after a week? I am calling hoax on this, but for the sake of hilarity I am assuming it’s true. Click here to read a truly epic Facebook thread.
UPDATE: Sadly, it was a hoax, just as I predicted. Things this awesome just don’t happen in real life. But bravo to the pranksters.
Melodic Music Monday–Folk Bloodbath by Josh Ritter
So Runs the World Away, Josh Ritter’s latest album, is a tour de force of musical talent and lyricism. Each song is a gem unto itself, but the album is a diamond. “Folk Bloodbath” is the pinnacle of the album, with Ritter seamlessly combining the Gothic quality of traditional American folk music with the melodic beauty of Ritter’s work. I present to you “Folk Bloodbath.”
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Free Music Friday–Mykonos by the Fleet Foxes
Love this one. Love the Fleet Foxes in general.
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Proud to be Serving as a Juror on the 2012 Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Jury!
Hey guys. The 2011 Bram Stoker Award finalists have been announced, and I’m crossing my fingers that That Which Should Not Be will pull off a victory. But it’s time to think about 2012, too. I’m proud to announce that I’ll be serving as a juror on the 2012 Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Jury. I can’t even imagine the terrific fiction I’ll be exposed to over the next 12 months. Here’s a list of all the jurors.
http://www.horror.org/blog/?p=2344
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My Novel is in the Top 100 on Kindle Horror!
My novel, That Which Should Not Be, is in the top 100 on Kindle’s horror sales list. If you have a kindle and you haven’t picked it up but have been meaning to, do so now. Let’s get that sucker to number 1!
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Looking to Publish Your Horror Novel?
Check out the JournalStone 2012 Novel contest. A year ago this time, after hundreds of rejections from wise agents, I stumbled upon this contest. I sent my novel in as an entry, and now That Which Should Not Be is a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Could happen to you too, but only if you enter.
http://journalstone.com/contest/journalstones-2000-advance-in-2012/
List of Stoker Nominees with Links!
Benjamine Kane Ethridge, author of the 2010 Stoker Award for First Novel, has created a list of this years Stoker nominees with links to each work. Pretty awesome piece of work. Find it here.
Filed under Awards
HWA Press Release on the Bram Stoker Award™ Nominations
A huge good luck to the other books nominated for the Bram Stoker Award™ for Superior Achievement in a First Novel, Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird (Dark Regions Press), Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs (Night Shade Books), The Lamplighters by Frazer Lee (Samhain Horror), and The Panama Laugh by Thomas Roche (Night Shade Books). And good luck to my fellow JournalStone author J.G. Faherty whose book, Ghosts of Coronado Bay, has been nominated for a Stoker award in the Young Adult category.
Finally, a big shout out to Graeme Reynolds whose book, High Moor, was a semifinalist for a Stoker award. I read it and loved it. My review is here.
Horror Writers Association announces
2011 Bram Stoker Award™ Nominees
Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker
Awards™ for Superior Achievement in the field of horror writing, named in
honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work Dracula. Since
1987, the approximately 700 members of the HWA have recommended, nominated
and voted on the greatest works of horror and dark fantasy of the previous
calendar year, making the Bram Stoker Awards the most prestigious award in
the field of horror literature. For the first time in 2011, half the
nominees were chosen by juries.
The awards are presented in eleven categories: Novel, First Novel, Young
Adult Novel, Graphic Novel, Long Fiction, Short Fiction, Screenplay,
Fiction Collection, Anthology, Non-fiction, and Poetry Collection. The
organization’s Active and Lifetime members will select the winners from
this list of nominees; and the Awards will be presented at a gala banquet
on Saturday evening, March 31, at the World Horror Convention in Salt Lake
City, Utah.
This year’s nominees in each category are:
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL
A Matrix Of Angels by Christopher Conlon (Creative Guy Publishing)
Cosmic Forces by Greg Lamberson (Medallion Press)
Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi (Medallion Press / Thunderstorm Books)
Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle Books)
Not Fade Away by Gene O’Neill (Bad Moon Books)
The German by Lee Thomas (Lethe Press)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A FIRST NOVEL
Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird (Dark Regions Press)
Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs (Night Shade Books)
The Lamplighters by Frazer Lee (Samhain Horror)
The Panama Laugh by Thomas Roche (Night Shade Books)
That Which Should Not Be by Brett J. Talley (JournalStone)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
Ghosts of Coronado Bay, A Maya Blair Mystery by J. G. Faherty
(JournalStone)
The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder (Razorbill)
Rotters by Daniel Kraus (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster Books for Young
Readers)
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Candlewick / Walker)
This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor
Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel (Simon & Schuster / David Fickling Books)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
Locke & Key Volume 4 by Joe Hill (IDW Publishing)
Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen (Dark Horse)
Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine by Jonathan Maberry (Marvel)
Baltimore Volume I: The Plague Ships by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
(Dark Horse)
Neonomicon by Alan Moore (Avatar Press)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN LONG FICTION
7 Brains by Michael Louis Calvillo (Burning Effigy Press)
“Roots and All” by Brian Hodge (A Book of Horrors)
“The Colliers’ Venus (1893)” by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Naked City: New
Tales of Urban Fantasy)
Ursa Major by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Rusting Chickens by Gene O’Neill (Dark Regions Press)
“The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub (Conjunctions: 56)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SHORT FICTION
“Her Husband’s Hands” by Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine,
October 2011)
“Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King (The Atlantic Magazine,
May
2011)
“Graffiti Sonata” by Gene O’Neill (Dark Discoveries #18)
“X is for Xyx” by John Palisano (M is for Monster)
“Home” by George Saunders (The New Yorker Magazine, June 13, 2011)
“All You Can Do Is Breathe” by Kaaron Warren (Blood and Other Cravings)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A SCREENPLAY
True Blood, episode #44: “Spellbound” by Alan Ball (HBO)
The Walking Dead, episode #13: “Pretty Much Dead Already” by Scott M.
Gimple (AMC)
The Walking Dead, episode #9: “Save the Last One” by Scott M. Gimple
(AMC)
Priest by Cory Goodman (Screen Gems)
The Adjustment Bureau by George Nolfi (Universal Pictures)
American Horror Story, episode #12: “Afterbirth” by Jessica Sharzer
(20th Century Fox Television)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A FICTION COLLECTION
Voices: Tales of Horror by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)
Red Gloves by Christopher Fowler (PS Publishing)
Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan (Volume One) by
Caitlin R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
Monsters of L.A. by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates (Mysterious
Press)
Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse (Dark Regions Press)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANTHOLOGY (EDITING)
NEHW Presents: Epitaphs edited by Tracy L. Carbone (NEHW)
Ghosts By Gaslight edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers (Harper Voyager)
Blood And Other Cravings edited by Ellen Datlow (Tor Books)
Supernatural Noir edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse)
Tattered Souls 2 edited by Frank J. Hutton (Cutting Block Press)
Demons: Encounters with the Devil and his Minions, Fallen
Angels and the Possessed edited by John Skipp (Black Dog and Leventhal)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN NON-FICTION
Halloween Nation: Behind the Scenes of America’s
Fright Night by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne (Pelican Publishing)
Reflections in a Glass Darkly: Essays on J. Sheridan Le Fanu edited by Gary
William Crawford, Jim Rockhill and Brian J. Showers (Hippocampus Press)
Starve Better by Nick Mamatas (Apex Publications)
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies by Matt Mogk (Gallery
Books)
The Gothic Imagination by John C. Tibbetts (Palgrave Macmillan)
Stephen King: A Literary Companion by Rocky Wood (McFarland & Company,
Inc., Publishers)
SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A POETRY COLLECTION
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison (Necon
Ebooks)
At Louche Ends: Poetry for the Decadent, the Damned & the
Absinthe-Minded by Maria Alexander (Burning Effigy Press)
Surrealities by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
Shroud of Night by G. O. Clark (Dark Regions Press)
The Mad Hattery by Marge Simon (Elektrik Milk Bath Press)
Unearthly Delights by Marge Simon (Sam’s Dot)
###
More information on the Horror Writers Association is at www.horror.org.
More information on the 25th Anniversary presentation of the Bram Stoker
Awards is at http://www.stokers2012.org.
Filed under Awards
Beware The Shadows 