Tomorrow, bright and early, I'm off to Massachusetts to attend Readercon 20 along with my Canadian compadres Simon Strantzas and Ian Rogers. I confess to being pretty eager about it. This conference comes at the perfect time, as I've just finished scouring the proofs of The Darkly Splendid Realm with a fine tooth comb and am now more than happy to simply hang out and talk shop with friends both old and new.
Barring any unforeseen detours, strip searches at the the U.S./Canadian border, or traffic jams, I'm hoping that our party will be at the hotel in time to catch Laird Barron, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Ellen Datlow reading from and discussing the forthcoming Lovecraft Unbound anthology. I'm also very much looking forward to Saturday's panels on short horror fiction, and another later that day that will examine the question "Is all fiction inherently evil?" But to be honest, I've no idea where we'll be at or what we'll be getting up to over the weekend. Frankly, this sits just fine with me. I've never been one for strict itineraries.
If you happen to be attending Readercon, please do come up and introduce yourself. I'd like to meet you and I'll even have some swag to offer: some chapboooks (including a handful of copies of Primeval Wood as well as a special Readercon-only publication, courtesy of the notorious Simon S.), and some handsome cards that my lovely wife did up to announce The Darkly Splendid Realm. You'll definitely want one of these, since the cards offer a preview of the incredible cover art that Harry O. Morris has done for the book.
I hope to have much to report come Monday. In the meantime, I'm off to fill my suitcase with books, pens, paper...and maybe a change of clothes if there's space.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
RIP - John A. Keel
John A. Keel --- Cryptozoologist and occult theorist par excellence --- has died.
In a field that is overrun with childish fantasies, inane pseudo-science, and general idiocy, Keel stood apart as a mature and insightful voice, primarily because of his fascinating notions about how "supernatural" entities are in fact longstanding facets of our world; facets that modern man would prefer to keep out of sight and mind.
To me, Keel's finest works were rooted in the exploration of consciousness, human and non, rather than in goofy tabloid accounts of martians and monsters. His famous book The Mothman Prophecies remains one of the most fascinating and terrifying works of the esoteric I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
A memorial and career overview can be found here.
In a field that is overrun with childish fantasies, inane pseudo-science, and general idiocy, Keel stood apart as a mature and insightful voice, primarily because of his fascinating notions about how "supernatural" entities are in fact longstanding facets of our world; facets that modern man would prefer to keep out of sight and mind.
To me, Keel's finest works were rooted in the exploration of consciousness, human and non, rather than in goofy tabloid accounts of martians and monsters. His famous book The Mothman Prophecies remains one of the most fascinating and terrifying works of the esoteric I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
A memorial and career overview can be found here.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Welcome to THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM
If you’ve felt strange eyes studying you from the shadows, it has seen you…
If crooked branches have rapped upon your window at night, it has summoned you…
If your dreams are plagued by half-glimpsed terrors, it has claimed you…
I am extremely proud to announce that my latest full-length horror collection, The Darkly Splendid Realm, will be published by Dark Regions Press.
Featuring 13 new nightmarish tales (almost all of which are exclusive to this book), an Introduction by none other than award-winning author Laird Barron and cover art by legendary artist Harry O. Morris, The Darkly Splendid Realm will initially be offered in two distinct versions:
-100 signed and numbered limited edition hardcovers with dust jackets
-13 Deluxe Editions. These will be leather bound, signed, and will feature a slipcase and other bibliophilic delights.
The Darkly Splendid Realm is currently slated for a late-2009 release. Pre-order information shall be announced in the very near future.
I am both thrilled and humbled to be working with Laird, Harry (once again!) and Dark Regions Press. I am also very, very proud of the stories in this book. It is unquestionably my best collection to date.
Thank you all for your interest. Onward and downward!
If crooked branches have rapped upon your window at night, it has summoned you…
If your dreams are plagued by half-glimpsed terrors, it has claimed you…
I am extremely proud to announce that my latest full-length horror collection, The Darkly Splendid Realm, will be published by Dark Regions Press.
Featuring 13 new nightmarish tales (almost all of which are exclusive to this book), an Introduction by none other than award-winning author Laird Barron and cover art by legendary artist Harry O. Morris, The Darkly Splendid Realm will initially be offered in two distinct versions:
-100 signed and numbered limited edition hardcovers with dust jackets
-13 Deluxe Editions. These will be leather bound, signed, and will feature a slipcase and other bibliophilic delights.
The Darkly Splendid Realm is currently slated for a late-2009 release. Pre-order information shall be announced in the very near future.
I am both thrilled and humbled to be working with Laird, Harry (once again!) and Dark Regions Press. I am also very, very proud of the stories in this book. It is unquestionably my best collection to date.
Thank you all for your interest. Onward and downward!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Toronto Small Press Fair
I will be signing copies of Primeval Wood at the Toronto Small Press Fair , which takes place this coming Saturday (June 13th) from 9am until 5pm at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge St., Toronto).
Look for me at the Burning Effigy Press table. I will be there right when the doors open at nine and will be signing books until around eleven or so. Burning Effigy is one of about eighty different small and independent publishers from across the country that will be on hand to sell their wares. A slew of authors and poets will be signing throughout the day, so if you are in the area I urge you to drop in.
While I'm on the subject of Primeval Wood, I've just received word that the chapbook is already heading into its second printing (!) next week. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy. Doing so has not only shown support for my work, but also for the efforts of a great Toronto press.
Look for me at the Burning Effigy Press table. I will be there right when the doors open at nine and will be signing books until around eleven or so. Burning Effigy is one of about eighty different small and independent publishers from across the country that will be on hand to sell their wares. A slew of authors and poets will be signing throughout the day, so if you are in the area I urge you to drop in.
While I'm on the subject of Primeval Wood, I've just received word that the chapbook is already heading into its second printing (!) next week. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy. Doing so has not only shown support for my work, but also for the efforts of a great Toronto press.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Readercon & the British Fantasy Awards shortlist
This July will find me piled into a car, along with my fellow Canadian nightscribes Ian Rogers and Simon Strantzas, and heading down to Readercon. This will be the first time any of us have experienced Readercon, but the organizers describe the gathering as one that concentrates solely "on the writers, editors, critics, and readers of written science fiction, fantasy, and the wider realm of imaginative literature that involves some element of the fantastic.
We feature a near-total focus on the written word. No art show, no costumes, no gaming, almost no media — just a thought-provoking program, a well-stocked Bookshop, and of course some parties."
Ah! A convention with grown-ups talking about grown-up topics, without the riffraff of basement dwellers dressed like Chewbacca milling about. I'm looking forward to meeting (or re-meeting) many of the excellent authors and editors who will be in attendance. I've already cemented plans to buy Laird Barron a drink or six, and I'll be lugging copies of my favourite works by Michael Bishop, Peter Straub and others to get signed. Movie stars and politicians put me to sleep, but put me in a room filled with dark fiction authors and I swoon like a Victorian lady...
In other news, the British Fantasy Society has announced the shortlist for the 2009 Awards, which you can view here. There are so many excellent names and works this year that I don't envy the voters. A big nod to Joel Lane, Des Lewis, Simon Strantzas, and Gary McMahon (who garnered no less than FOUR nominations). I cross my bony fingers for you all.
We feature a near-total focus on the written word. No art show, no costumes, no gaming, almost no media — just a thought-provoking program, a well-stocked Bookshop, and of course some parties."
Ah! A convention with grown-ups talking about grown-up topics, without the riffraff of basement dwellers dressed like Chewbacca milling about. I'm looking forward to meeting (or re-meeting) many of the excellent authors and editors who will be in attendance. I've already cemented plans to buy Laird Barron a drink or six, and I'll be lugging copies of my favourite works by Michael Bishop, Peter Straub and others to get signed. Movie stars and politicians put me to sleep, but put me in a room filled with dark fiction authors and I swoon like a Victorian lady...
In other news, the British Fantasy Society has announced the shortlist for the 2009 Awards, which you can view here. There are so many excellent names and works this year that I don't envy the voters. A big nod to Joel Lane, Des Lewis, Simon Strantzas, and Gary McMahon (who garnered no less than FOUR nominations). I cross my bony fingers for you all.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Burning Effigies launched
I'm several days behind in posting my appreciation to everyone at Burning Effigy Press for putting on a fantastic launch party last Sunday. A very special thank you to Monica S. Kuebler, who worked her fingers to the bone getting everything just so. Another heartfelt thanks to all the folks who came out to The Central that night to support us.
It was a full house. I was pleased to see so many familiar and friendly faces in the crowd when I stood behind the mic to close the evening's program with a reading from Primeval Wood. I had some tough acts to follow: Gemma Files set the bar very high with her poem and an excerpt from her forthcoming novel, A Book of Tongues (A weird western where the cowboys sling hexes as readily as guns. What's not to love?). After Gemma came Dave Alexander, the Managing Editor of Rue Morgue magazine. Dave made a smashing debut as a fiction author by reading a sample of his tale "Growth Spurts"; a story that weaves pubescent body horror with Kwaidan-style surrealism.
My reading went well, I think. I and the other B.E. authors all signed and sold some books, and after the crowd thinned out, some of us closed the place down. I enjoyed late-night food and drink, and even better conversation.
Now that the party's over, it's time to see what the world thinks of my latest work. The early indicators are all positive, so we'll see what readers and critics make of Primeval Wood.
It was a full house. I was pleased to see so many familiar and friendly faces in the crowd when I stood behind the mic to close the evening's program with a reading from Primeval Wood. I had some tough acts to follow: Gemma Files set the bar very high with her poem and an excerpt from her forthcoming novel, A Book of Tongues (A weird western where the cowboys sling hexes as readily as guns. What's not to love?). After Gemma came Dave Alexander, the Managing Editor of Rue Morgue magazine. Dave made a smashing debut as a fiction author by reading a sample of his tale "Growth Spurts"; a story that weaves pubescent body horror with Kwaidan-style surrealism.
My reading went well, I think. I and the other B.E. authors all signed and sold some books, and after the crowd thinned out, some of us closed the place down. I enjoyed late-night food and drink, and even better conversation.
Now that the party's over, it's time to see what the world thinks of my latest work. The early indicators are all positive, so we'll see what readers and critics make of Primeval Wood.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
If you go into the woods today...
Primeval Wood is now officially available!
Copies can be ordered through the Burning Effigy Press Store, which you can find here. A copy can be yours for a mere $8.00.
And don't forget about tomorrow night's launch at The Central in Toronto.
Copies can be ordered through the Burning Effigy Press Store, which you can find here. A copy can be yours for a mere $8.00.
And don't forget about tomorrow night's launch at The Central in Toronto.
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