tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56980792024-03-13T09:34:47.210-04:0013 VisionsArt / Design / Fiction / by Scott ColeScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-60086676658988044552024-03-05T08:00:00.007-05:002024-03-05T08:00:00.322-05:00Headless: Available Now!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9_YphGGE1TlmVtMIA4M-xC82GRSuoP2nsYt080PBR68HVVQAdSnKqkams6B1tKIQ-KpWy1hMH-llr3d0DqvvYm1cazihDjET6lsCQhUr_Ijv-c6gVZMUToUyZDKqJIuUXyPK5QfrbF0qydwy9yFGblRGRnJtBSMQdM-FtuI_8wws7g8z1CnHRw/s1500/Headless%20COVER%20webNEW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="985" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9_YphGGE1TlmVtMIA4M-xC82GRSuoP2nsYt080PBR68HVVQAdSnKqkams6B1tKIQ-KpWy1hMH-llr3d0DqvvYm1cazihDjET6lsCQhUr_Ijv-c6gVZMUToUyZDKqJIuUXyPK5QfrbF0qydwy9yFGblRGRnJtBSMQdM-FtuI_8wws7g8z1CnHRw/w420-h640/Headless%20COVER%20webNEW.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My new book, <i>Headless</i>, is out now!</p><p><i>In the midst of a heat wave punctuated by frequent rainstorms, people are losing their heads. Literally. Not only that, but their bodies are still walking, and attacking others.</i></p><p><i>And to make matters worse, tiny, translucent, maggot-sized worms are falling from the skies like hail.</i></p><p><i>As uncanny violence threatens to take over the city, Linzy, Carter, and Joanna become fast friends and leave for points unknown, hoping to stay alive, hoping to outrun the Headless.</i></p><p>Since the book was first announced, I've gotten a handful of very nice blurbs from some incredible authors, as evidenced by the update to the cover above. Here's what people have been saying:</p><p>“Cole masterfully weaves gore, horror, and aliens, all while providing realistic characters. Absurd, bizarre, and oftentimes funny, <i>Headless</i> is a winner.”<br /><b><i>— Daniel J. Volpe, author of Talia and Plastic Monsters</i></b></p><p>“In the glorious tradition of <i>Night of the Creeps</i> and James Gunn’s <i>Slither</i>, <i>Headless</i> is a midnight movie cult classic waiting to happen. With this bloody good time of a tome, Scott Cole shows he’s in the business of blowing minds.”<br /><b><i>— Bryan Smith, author of Depraved and 68 Kill</i></b></p><p>“I’m split on when’s the best time to imbibe <i>Headless</i>. Whether it’s on an empty stomach, or a full one, your intestinal fortitude is so screwed. Scott Cole takes nausea and turns it into an art form.”<br /><b><i>— Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters</i></b></p><p>“An insane premise firing on all cylinders—gory, nihilistic, and sometimes hilarious, <i>Headless</i> scratches the itch of those joyous late night scary movies watched with a disbelieving gasp.”<br /><b><i>— Laurel Hightower, author of Below and Crossroads</i></b></p><p>If you're a fan of splatterpunk and cosmic horror, this may be just the thing for you. <i>Headless</i> is available now in <a href="https://amzn.to/4bXaxoX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paperback</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3T8zczU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ebook</a>.</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-78696762213202263142024-03-01T11:33:00.006-05:002024-03-03T11:46:21.895-05:00New interviews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFJ0EAew8hxSSa5_mZ3sCTYykYdESnRzvonwL-Pt9_FA9u1lR7tqDJWJ4Z8iU9FvBoAvBpDNWfNUTpJzdpHBZHeWDt6k57GyBSCpBJceQRIBj4sH1fa3CPBWPhx2TlVfCnz5rZdxBwLoVzEq87avX55nMqAwqNQnj9yjgnBtKUfwD4xl8DhOUEw/s1080/GHCjRpZXQAA53z9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFJ0EAew8hxSSa5_mZ3sCTYykYdESnRzvonwL-Pt9_FA9u1lR7tqDJWJ4Z8iU9FvBoAvBpDNWfNUTpJzdpHBZHeWDt6k57GyBSCpBJceQRIBj4sH1fa3CPBWPhx2TlVfCnz5rZdxBwLoVzEq87avX55nMqAwqNQnj9yjgnBtKUfwD4xl8DhOUEw/s320/GHCjRpZXQAA53z9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I was interviewed on the <i>Cemetery Dance</i> website recently, as part of Rick Hipson's regular series, <i>What Screams May Come.</i> It's probably the longest interview I've ever done. We discuss writing process, zombies, and horror-comedy, among other things. Check it out <a href="https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/what-screams-may-come-scott-cole/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>I've got another interview coming up too. But there's a catch with that one: <a href="https://authordileo.substack.com/p/chris-dileo-is-now-on-substack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You have to sign up for author Chris DiLeo's newsletter.</a> He'll be sending that out on <i>Headless</i>' release date, March 5.</p><p>Speaking of which, <a href="https://amzn.to/3T8zczU" target="_blank">have you preordered the ebook yet?</a></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-42923111701337220422024-01-11T12:21:00.000-05:002024-01-11T12:21:14.694-05:00Headless<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95YQFpZ2pRNx-gMkUIb30wYF46dc5JJN_UJAzU3TjQ7o3yT4pd0lu8-XgIffq2co0LiAHu7WBjw2BoIJzFt4qgO2gUxceTuZJ8e_zpVbAarqZ2toDZq3wcXX_71uYJ1BMH1LHzto3g_c6HpvUto75uqbZhxf-ikzENDiBAbsMeDa1X8AMiv9Hcg/s1500/Headless%20COVER%20web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="984" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95YQFpZ2pRNx-gMkUIb30wYF46dc5JJN_UJAzU3TjQ7o3yT4pd0lu8-XgIffq2co0LiAHu7WBjw2BoIJzFt4qgO2gUxceTuZJ8e_zpVbAarqZ2toDZq3wcXX_71uYJ1BMH1LHzto3g_c6HpvUto75uqbZhxf-ikzENDiBAbsMeDa1X8AMiv9Hcg/w421-h640/Headless%20COVER%20web.jpg" width="421" /></a></div><p>Announcing <i style="font-weight: bold;">Headless</i> - my new novella - coming <b>March 5, 2024</b>!</p><p><i>In the midst of a heat wave punctuated by frequent rainstorms, people are losing their heads. Literally. Not only that, but their bodies are still walking, and attacking others.</i></p><p><i>And to make matters worse, tiny, translucent, maggot-sized worms are falling from the skies like hail.</i></p><p><i>As uncanny violence threatens to take over the city, Linzy, Carter, and Joanna become fast friends and leave for points unknown, hoping to stay alive, hoping to outrun the Headless.</i></p><p>Paperbacks will be available on the day of publication, but <a href="In the midst of a heat wave punctuated by frequent rainstorms, people are losing their heads. Literally. Not only that, but their bodies are still walking, and attacking others. And to make matters worse, tiny, translucent, maggot-sized worms are falling from the skies like hail. As uncanny violence threatens to take over the city, Linzy, Carter, and Joanna become fast friends and leave for points unknown, hoping to stay alive, hoping to outrun the Headless." rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the ebook is available for preorder now</a>.</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-90204518964365246572023-09-19T11:27:00.001-04:002023-09-19T11:27:41.377-04:00Upcoming Appearances<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqesTTOE8q7WYWUd9DC07rNu8rDCi0eqRrtpsOPxlk1kIXR-LCntRI0-FZ5Wfcb_UCHpZNBaYV7WNG3qIOu34R7EomEZ3jkfdlBOJaK5H3wlMOC9Csj6qNvS7tD-4jUKDHveWJXIM5-sDqgM2hI3hFxAxjW13MiH11UvH_qLDvQnrWz7Mdd2__w/s1500/Appearances2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqesTTOE8q7WYWUd9DC07rNu8rDCi0eqRrtpsOPxlk1kIXR-LCntRI0-FZ5Wfcb_UCHpZNBaYV7WNG3qIOu34R7EomEZ3jkfdlBOJaK5H3wlMOC9Csj6qNvS7tD-4jUKDHveWJXIM5-sDqgM2hI3hFxAxjW13MiH11UvH_qLDvQnrWz7Mdd2__w/w640-h640/Appearances2023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I've got a few events coming up:</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Saturday, Sept 23</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Skate or Die Film Fest</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pottstown, PA</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Vendor Market: 12-3pm)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farsightedblog.com">farsightedblog.com</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Sept 30 + Oct 1</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Fright Reads Book Festival</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Millersville, MD</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://frightreads.com">frightreads.com</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">November 10-12</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Monster-Mania 57</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oaks, PA</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://monstermania.net">monstermania.net</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Come get some books!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hopefully I’ll be adding one or two more before the end of the year. But who knows!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hope to see you at one.</div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-11777423063686853142022-10-24T07:03:00.046-04:002022-10-26T07:27:19.414-04:00Halloween Horrors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4B19uaszE9g_EfjyQ1YmMW3tOKuOmrHgg3tzAX8wdKNPevH_YfSlSfc03QgaZLVGRbiuES3A71zxkMUzJNfV5lpoD8iK-hJzhcFYvuPxOE2HKxkgQj9uaeSGkc-ENISbA83uobQ9Io-_paRBbPHYqw6zaRWkKrBJcKvVe6MY6q0INLTmNxU/s773/LiterallyDeadCampfireMacabre2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="773" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4B19uaszE9g_EfjyQ1YmMW3tOKuOmrHgg3tzAX8wdKNPevH_YfSlSfc03QgaZLVGRbiuES3A71zxkMUzJNfV5lpoD8iK-hJzhcFYvuPxOE2HKxkgQj9uaeSGkc-ENISbA83uobQ9Io-_paRBbPHYqw6zaRWkKrBJcKvVe6MY6q0INLTmNxU/w640-h496/LiterallyDeadCampfireMacabre2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Halloween is fast approaching! If you're in the mood for some spooky seasonal fiction, I've got you covered with two new stories set on your favorite dark holiday:<p></p><p>"Postcards from Evelyn" appears in <a href="https://amzn.to/3RUjCUX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings</a>, alongside fiction by Jonathan Maberry, Gwendolyn Kiste, Jeff Strand, Steve Rasnic Tem, Lee Murray, Tim Waggoner, Sara Tantlinger, and many more.</p><p>And "Blow Me a Kiss, Said the Jack o'Lantern" is one of over 40 short tales in <a href="https://amzn.to/3N9INkX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Campfire Macabre: Volume 2</a>, a collection of flash fiction that includes the likes of Eric LaRocca, Clay MacLeod Chapman, Ali Seay, Joe Koch, J.A.W. McCarthy, Tyler Jones, Corey Farrenkopf, and dozens of other authors.</p><p>Both are available in paperback and ebook - Just click the links to purchase and settle in for some fall frights. Happy Halloween!</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-52513850958572672652022-07-12T15:19:00.001-04:002022-07-12T16:36:48.528-04:00Departures - Available now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I-iU1o83xLOqjE4IAl0TOXMN2m0_EhPK4mEFiYoVZXiKCQ6eo6e3s-Q4kL39V3xARP3JWjVxgapzhVyW6MtvG1pw5TDeQ_26u_jmmDyWxuxPT5doTYtugKvk0WUVhxFz5ttqwGvHQ2h4oFDAB1cEH7A08-_jvab7-k2TbatHMxRDQHsfQvM/s1500/Departures%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="984" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I-iU1o83xLOqjE4IAl0TOXMN2m0_EhPK4mEFiYoVZXiKCQ6eo6e3s-Q4kL39V3xARP3JWjVxgapzhVyW6MtvG1pw5TDeQ_26u_jmmDyWxuxPT5doTYtugKvk0WUVhxFz5ttqwGvHQ2h4oFDAB1cEH7A08-_jvab7-k2TbatHMxRDQHsfQvM/w421-h640/Departures%20COVER.jpg" width="421" /></a></div><p>Itching for some new short fiction? Surprise! My new book, <i>Departures</i>, is <a href="https://amzn.to/3PhJrwx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">out now</a>! This new collection features ten strange stories, seven of which have never been previously published.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A new homeowner finds a large, inexplicable egg behind a door...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A traveler seeks a bizarre creature from folklore...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>An abused spouse takes matters into their own hands...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A stranger tempts passersby with a mystery in the trunk of his car...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A man discovers a cemetery walled off from the rest of town...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A family finds out what the vacation of a lifetime really entails...</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>And a sleep aid wakes up.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>These are just some of the strange tales within, as Scott Cole returns with a new collection featuring his unique brand of unusual horror stories.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Still on the fence? Check out this blurb that just arrived:</p><p><b>“No other living author writes the uncanny and the weird as compellingly as Scott Cole. His new collection, <i>Departures</i>, is a deftly written tightrope act balancing between moments of quiet gentleness and the chillingly absurd.”</b></p><p><b>— Eric LaRocca, author of <i>Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes</i></b></p><p><br /></p><p>Departures is available in <a href="https://amzn.to/3PhJrwx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paperback</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3yrCF0s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ebook</a>.</p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-85459816256956968612022-04-26T13:09:00.002-04:002022-04-26T13:10:00.860-04:00New stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghD_rJOJyTI7nYxsWpspUgeW2bITCRfHcNhCYktHfFBBxGtwQuFvB0mHKyhsZlaji3TTfeaE4L25-IWqDOS8zEJ0U05ljo_BNdVEIYb-0McFW4vxbpfaeA3xtTMGvZmKBIybD1soVqMj7c0n6IC47vfHKwoV5FKydoJELKa2EPOgCk1jkKD_4/s1944/newstories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1944" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghD_rJOJyTI7nYxsWpspUgeW2bITCRfHcNhCYktHfFBBxGtwQuFvB0mHKyhsZlaji3TTfeaE4L25-IWqDOS8zEJ0U05ljo_BNdVEIYb-0McFW4vxbpfaeA3xtTMGvZmKBIybD1soVqMj7c0n6IC47vfHKwoV5FKydoJELKa2EPOgCk1jkKD_4/w640-h329/newstories.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Looking for something to read? Well, as luck would have it, I have three new stories out in the world...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">“The Trunk” appears in <i><b>Blackberry Blood: A Dark Selection of Poetry and Fiction</b></i>, edited by Aiden Merchant and Julia Lewis, published by Snow-Capped Press. <a href="https://amzn.to/3EOoc1c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">It's available in paperback and ebook</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">“Greetings from Trammel Beach” appears in <i><b>Beach Bodies: A Beach Vacation Horror Anthology</b></i>, edited by Ben Long and Andrew Robert, published by DarkLit Press. <a href="https://amzn.to/3kfPcgU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">It's available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">“SlashGrindTerrorMachine” appears in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of <i><b>Pyre Magazine</b></i>, edited by Ryan Thomas LaBee. This one's <a href="https://www.pyremagazine.com/springsummer-22/scott-cole" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">available to read online for free</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hope you check these out and enjoy!</div></div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-20746744033827038752022-01-08T09:53:00.002-05:002022-01-08T09:53:34.610-05:00Crazytimes Limited Edition Hardcover<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbzZwyUDoHjkLFBBoWZfuSO17LR_1xnuQvcZtUjhtUF3DMRu-q39bXLcRnB-GsNmid1e0N1siitvrvMtAjH5vaKacLdDxB2lQ8iU83Cj5alyBs7iK6Qsv4WtvxKvmynCJPaHxdFuetbitRBLVe_hcSZFR3lYvMu2aaaGs5Tq5Vt5u3kcDMeZo=s1773" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="1773" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbzZwyUDoHjkLFBBoWZfuSO17LR_1xnuQvcZtUjhtUF3DMRu-q39bXLcRnB-GsNmid1e0N1siitvrvMtAjH5vaKacLdDxB2lQ8iU83Cj5alyBs7iK6Qsv4WtvxKvmynCJPaHxdFuetbitRBLVe_hcSZFR3lYvMu2aaaGs5Tq5Vt5u3kcDMeZo=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br />Good news for book collectors - My novella <b><i>Crazytimes</i></b> has received the limited edition hardcover treatment from Thunderstorm Books. I was thrilled to not only provide the words, but also create the cover art and lay out the interior as well.<p></p><p>Part of their Black Voltage Private Reserve line, this version of the book is limited to <i>just 36 copies</i>, all signed and numbered, most of which have already gone out to subscribers. </p><p>If you’re interested in one of the last few available copies, they can be purchased directly from Thunderstorm Books <a href="https://thunderstormbooks.com/thunderstorm/book/crazytimes/" target="_blank">right here</a>.</p><p>Synopsis:</p><p><i>You wake up Monday morning and everyone is crazy. Everyone was already crazy, though, right? But somehow things are worse today. People are angry, throwing chairs out of office windows, eating rocks, violently scratching their necks, and running naked through the streets. They’re killing each other for no reason and laughing through the carnage. The whole city is like this. And meteors are falling from the hazy skies above. How are you going to survive? Do you even want to? This isn’t just another manic Monday. This is Crazytimes.</i></p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-90920474732124203732020-11-26T20:48:00.000-05:002020-11-26T20:49:05.191-05:00New Shop!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyYpwp_ppJc/X8BaOnOuPdI/AAAAAAAAC88/9k4qb8vsVAkdEsOU9AWuBU_VhaztsTNOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/13v%2Bthreadless%2Bpromo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyYpwp_ppJc/X8BaOnOuPdI/AAAAAAAAC88/9k4qb8vsVAkdEsOU9AWuBU_VhaztsTNOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/13v%2Bthreadless%2Bpromo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In between other design jobs, I decided to put together a <a href="13visions.threadless.com" target="_blank">Threadless Artist Shop</a>. I’ve got some horror & pop culture designs available now, with more in the works.<p></p><p>T-shirts, socks, face masks, leggings, pillows, buttons, art prints, beach towels, phone cases, and more. Tons of colors! Tons of options!</p><p>And there’s currently a promotion featuring $12 shirts & up to 20% off everything else. Time to get some gifts!</p><p>You can check out the current selections at <a href="http://13visions.threadless.com">13visions.threadless.com</a> </p>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-25372061032349792152020-11-13T13:57:00.006-05:002020-11-13T14:47:35.477-05:00Casual Friday the 13th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QW2D0xydes/X67iiLPe_4I/AAAAAAAAC8k/rOqfsILFXcQVPmd5pe_wNWvjgAOrvKs0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/casualf13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="1000" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QW2D0xydes/X67iiLPe_4I/AAAAAAAAC8k/rOqfsILFXcQVPmd5pe_wNWvjgAOrvKs0QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h190/casualf13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>To: Jay</div><div>From: Ralph</div><div>Subject: FGCS Office Standards</div><div>Date: Friday, November 13, 2020, 1:57 PM</div><div><br /></div><div>-------------</div><div><br /></div><div>Jay,</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s come to my attention that there have been some recent issues pertaining to our company’s dress code that need to be addressed. I understand that over the last several months your direct supervisor as well as her supervisor have been unable to get through to you regarding these matters, and seeing as how they’re no longer with us, things have made their way through the woods to me, so to speak.</div><div><br /></div><div>I believe our policies here at Forest Green Camping Supplies, Inc. are crystal clear, but perhaps there is some confusion, so allow me to clarify a few things. Mondays through Thursdays, “business casual” attire (collared shirts, khakis or dress pants, etc.) is required. On Fridays, however, the dress code is somewhat relaxed, allowing for jeans, as well as shirts to be untucked (though not unkempt - there is a difference).</div><div><br /></div><div>Our definition of “jeans”, however, does not include those denim overalls you sometimes wear, Jay. I understand Christy spoke to you about this some time ago, prior to her disappearance, but allow me to reiterate the point here. And when we say jeans, we mean no holes, no grass or mud stains, and so on. To be blunt, Jay, they really must be washed. Several of your Team Members have complained about dark stains, and the odors of sweat and iron on your clothing. So I’m afraid I really must insist that you do your laundry more frequently. If there’s a financial burden involved, please drop by my office and we can discuss.</div><div><br /></div><div>The issue of face masks has come up as well. Now, I want to express my most sincere understanding with regard to our current situation. These are trying times, to say the least, and none of us know for sure how long we’ll all be affected by the current pandemic and the ways in which our lives have been altered. So while face masks are a mandatory part of our current workplace attire, I feel I must specify that ‘80s-style hockey goaltender masks are not appropriate for our office environment - not even on Fridays - and that’s not to mention the fact that they don’t offer the same level of protection against airborne pathogens as tightly-woven cotton masks do. I understand Christy’s supervisor Steve attempted to bring this up with you as well, prior to his unexpected retirement last month, but I really must insist that you leave the sports equipment at home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Likewise, over-the-head burlap sacks are also unacceptable. From what I’ve been told, I understand you have a history of body dysmorphia issues, and I empathize with that, but I believe we are able to emote quite a bit from the eyes up, so I would ask that the top half of your head not be obscured for the sake of your colleagues and any suppliers you might need to liaise with.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, if you’re interested in discussing your feelings with regard to your appearance with someone, I would highly recommend Dr. Ginny, our in-house counselor. If you’d like to make an appointment to see her, you can do so in the online portal.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, please wear a face mask that covers only your nose and mouth like everybody else. As I’m sure you know, we do offer face masks with the FGCS logo at cost to all employees, but again, if the pricing is a hindrance for you, please see me, and I’ll look into what can be done.</div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of Dr. Ginny, I’m told several Team Members have met with her recently to discuss not only your lack of verbal communication, but also your habit of keeping a machete at your side while moving around the office (I know you’re going to ask who, but please don’t). This too seems highly inappropriate, and I’m going to have to ask that you, at the very least, leave any bladed or pointed weapons you’ve brought to work inside your cubicle at all times. Such things can be construed as intimidating by others, not to mention dangerous. Let me remind you that we recently restarted our X Days Without An Accident signage, and I’d like to see that number at least hit double digits before having to start it over again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jay, I appreciate your understanding and compliance in all of this. I believe that when we all work together as a team, we can create a better and more efficient workplace. It’s all about synergy, really. I hope we can all be “happy campers” here, if you’ll pardon the pun.</div><div><br /></div><div>I trust that by next Friday you’ll be able to start adhering to company guidelines, but if there are any concerns you don’t think can be resolved by then, feel free to come talk to me. I’m pretty easy to track down most days after lunch.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a great weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sincerely,</div><div><br /></div><div>C. Ralph Cunningham</div><div>CEO</div><div>Forest Green Camping Supplies, Inc.</div>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-60691900654493559682020-04-16T13:34:00.000-04:002020-04-16T13:36:01.749-04:00Thunderstorm! Decibel! Crazytimes!Hi. How are things? I sincerely hope you’re all staying safe and healthy and sane. It’s a strange moment in time, to say the least.<br />
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I wanted to drop in here with some little updates, since - despite the somewhat apocalyptic feel of things out there - a number of interesting developments have happened in the last several weeks.<br />
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First of all, my book <a href="https://amzn.to/2xGgmor" target="_blank"><i>Triple Axe</i></a> recently received the limited edition hardcover treatment from <a href="http://thunderstormbooks.com/thunderstorm/book/triple-axe/" target="_blank">Thunderstorm Books</a>. This is the first time one of my books has gotten a hardcover edition, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. The jacket art is by Erik Wilson, whose art I’ve admired for years. Sadly, this edition is sold out. Being part of Thunderstorm’s Black Voltage Private Reserve series, most of the 36 copies (talk about limited edition!) went out to series subscribers, and any leftover copies disappeared pretty much immediately. If you got one of these, consider yourself pretty lucky!<br />
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Next, I was asked to put together an extreme music playlist for the mighty <a href="https://www.decibelmagazine.com/" target="_blank">Decibel magazine</a>, for their regular feature, <i>Tales From the Metalnomicon</i>. I jumped at the chance, and in the process, realized my list was taking shape in '90s-centric form. So I leaned into that, and assembled a group of 9 songs from the '90s, including stuff from Carcass, Godflesh, Morbid Angel, and Skinny Puppy, among others, while Shawn Macomber from Decibel had some incredibly nice things to say about my fiction. You can check out the entire article and listen to the music <a href="https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/04/01/tales-from-the-metalnomicon-rising-horror-lit-visionary-scott-cole/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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And finally, this past weekend, my next book, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2XrQMlB" target="_blank">Crazytimes</a></i>, was announced. Here’s the synopsis:<br />
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<i><b>You wake up Monday morning and everyone is crazy. Everyone was already crazy, though, right? But somehow things are worse today. People are angry, throwing chairs out of office windows, eating rocks, violently scratching their necks, and running naked through the streets. They’re killing each other for no reason and laughing through the carnage. The whole city is like this. And meteors are falling from the hazy skies above. How are you going to survive? Do you even want to? This isn’t just another manic Monday. This is Crazytimes.</b></i><br />
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If that sounds like your kind of thing, <a href="http://amzn.to/2XrQMlB" target="_blank">the ebook is up for preorder now</a>, and will be unleashed upon this crazy world through <a href="https://grindhousepress.com/" target="_blank">Grindhouse Press</a>, alongside the paperback, on May 19. I’m excited for people to read it, and I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-80081467530137132712020-03-18T12:00:00.000-04:002020-03-18T12:00:01.181-04:00Kindle Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone. I hope you’re all staying safe, staying inside, and staying healthy. I just wanted to pop in here and let you know that the Kindle versions of all my books are currently just .99 - in both the US and UK Amazon stores. The sale lasts through this weekend (give or take a few hours, depending on where you are in the world), so get yourself something to read, sit back, and enjoy. Please spread the word, post reviews, and most importantly, don’t forget to wash your hands!<br />
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Triple Axe: <a href="https://amzn.to/2xGgmor" target="_blank">US</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Triple-Axe-Scott-Cole-ebook/dp/B07DCJJDJP/" target="_blank">UK</a><br />
Slices: <a href="https://amzn.to/2xw2XQv" target="_blank">US</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slices-Tales-Bizarro-Absurdist-Horror-ebook/dp/B073ZPF8BD/" target="_blank">UK</a><br />
SuperGhost: <a href="https://amzn.to/33mcpUr" target="_blank">US</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZZJDQHQ/" target="_blank">UK</a><br />
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Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-49231199364299586632019-12-11T14:02:00.000-05:002019-12-11T14:02:38.362-05:0020Q7A: An interview with A.S. Coomer<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is A.S. Coomer.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My most recent published book is <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2E4A68Y" target="_blank">The Devil’s Gospel</a></i> (<a href="https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/a-s-coomer" target="_blank">Wild Rose Press</a>), a thriller set in the rolling hills of eastern Kentucky. This book delves into religious fanaticism and wayward parental expectations, which makes it somewhat similar to <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Yy9ztO" target="_blank">The Fetishists</a></i> (<a href="https://grindhousepress.com/" target="_blank">Grindhouse Press</a>) as they’re both subversive in nature. <i>The Devil’s Gospel</i> isn’t quite as extreme as <i>The Fetishists</i> is in its methods though.<br />
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I’ve got two new books coming out in the next two months. They’re both different from each other and from the things I’ve had published in the past. I’m deathly afraid of standing still. <i>The Flock Unseen</i> (<a href="https://www.claresongbirdspub.com/featured-authors/a-s-coomer/" target="_blank">Clare Songbirds Publishing House</a>) is my first short story collection and these four stories are about the thin line separating hope and loss, a step away from horror & genre writing. My next novel, my fifth, is unlike anything I’ve written. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3440ASl" target="_blank">Memorabilia</a></i> (<a href="https://1111press.com/memorabilia" target="_blank">11:11 Press</a>) is experimental and deals with meaning and meaninglessness and the act of creation. I focused intensely on the prose and the way it correlated with the protagonist’s corroding mental health.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any creative endeavors other than writing fiction (art, music, knitting)?</i></b><br />
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I do. I’m a musician as well as a writer. I write and play solo as A.S. Coomer and with my band <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecoomers" target="_blank">The Coomers</a>. The Coomers just released a six-song live EP <i><a href="https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/thecoomers/live-at-motherbrain" target="_blank">Live at MotherBrain</a></i>, which was recorded without overdubs in a barn in Evansville, Indiana on a rainy night last April. I also compose and record ambient instrumentals and tone pieces. I haven't released any of these just yet, but that day is coming. I’d like to get my foot in the door scoring films one of these days too.<br />
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I also make visual art when time permits. I like pen and ink drawing and oil painting.<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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Godzilla. Godzilla because Godzilla, though Vigo the Carpathian & Gozer the Gozerian are neck and neck for second place.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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I do listen to music when I write. The style of music depends on the project. Right now I’m working on something very dark and heavy so the music reflects this: lots of sludge and doom. For <i>Memorabilia</i> I listened to a lot of ambient and instrumental music: composers like William Basinski and bands like Hammock & Explosions in the Sky. The music I listen to when I write is not necessarily different from what I listen to when I'm not writing. I tend to gravitate to musics with less words when I write but this is not a hard and fast rule. I don't like rules for the most part.<br />
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<b><i>If you could invent a new sport, what would it be like?</i></b><br />
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NASCAR but with hand and land grenades.<br />
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<b><i>What was your greatest Halloween costume?</i></b><br />
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This year I got away with wearing a Batman onesie. The Coomers played a set at Flywheel Brewing in Elizabethtown, KY and it was probably the steamiest set we’ve played because of it.<br />
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<b><i>What's your secret?</i></b><br />
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I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing in anything. Life is confusing and I’m out here just winging it. The more I look around the more I think I’m not the only one with this secret.<br />
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<i>A.S. Coomer is a writer, musician, and taco fanatic. A.S. was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, for his literary and creative endeavors & contributions. Books include <a href="https://amzn.to/346nxEB" target="_blank">Shining the Light</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Yy9ztO" target="_blank">The Fetishists</a>, Misdeeds (forthcoming), <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/as-coomer/flirting-with-disaster/paperback/product-23957641.html" target="_blank">Flirting with Disaster and Other Poems</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2E4A68Y" target="_blank">The Devil's Gospel</a>, The Flock Unseen (forthcoming), and <a href="https://amzn.to/3440ASl" target="_blank">Memorabilia</a>. He runs <a href="https://lostlonggoneforgottenrecords.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lost, Long Gone, Forgotten Records</a>, a "record label" for poetry, and co-edits <a href="https://cockleburpress.com/" target="_blank">Cocklebur Press</a>. He plays guitar and sings in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecoomers" target="_blank">The Coomers</a>.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-10122802798595935662019-11-13T18:52:00.000-05:002019-11-13T18:52:27.034-05:0020Q7A: An interview with Sam Richard<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Sam Richard.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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I have two latest books that are different in a multitude of ways. The first is my short-story collection, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31PfqLo" target="_blank">To Wallow in Ash & Other Sorrows</a></i>, which came out mid-October through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NihilismRevised/" target="_blank">NihilismRevised</a>. It differs from my previous work in that it is my first stand-alone book. It's 9 stories, 7 of which were written in the wake of my late wife's unexpected death in 2017. These stories are my grief, shock, and utter confusion as I tried to come to terms with what happened. It's weird and transgressive horror that simply drips with grief. It absolutely marks a change in my writing as the personal aspect is much more pronounced.<br />
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The second is <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2BHDrtp" target="_blank">The New Flesh: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg</a></i>, of which I am both the publisher (through my own <a href="https://www.facebook.com/weirdpunkbooks/" target="_blank">Weirdpunk Books</a>) and co-editor (along with Brendan Vidito). This is a big change in several ways. I co-edited the first two Weirdpunk Books anthologies with Emma Alice Johnson, who also ran the press at that time. The third Weirdpunk Books anthology, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/33Zw9x5" target="_blank">Zombie Punks Fuck Off</a></i>, while I edited it alone, was co-published with Clash books, as I had just taken over Weirdpunk and had no idea what I was doing, haha. With <i>The New Flesh</i>, this is the first Weirdpunk book that I had control of from start to finish and had my hands in every aspect of publishing the book. It is also the first time I've worked on a project with co-editor Brendan Vidito, who has been a close friend for several years and I had always wanted to do a project with. And finally, this is the first Weirdpunk Books anthology that isn't punk-forward. The aim of the press when Emma was running it was very much about having the punk element front and center. For me, I'm much more concerned with the diy punk ethos being the spirit in which the press operates, as opposed to needing to be the central focus. So that's kind of a big change. Barring issues with the proof copy, <i>The New Flesh</i> will be out the week of Halloween.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any creative endeavors other than writing fiction (art, music, knitting)?</i></b><br />
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In addition to writing, editing, and publishing, I also play guitar in 2 bands. The first is called Ash Eater and it is my excuse to be in a band with several of my close friends. We play weird, dark, heavy music that we are unable to fully classify. It's like a stew of crusty hardcore and sludge with occasional blackened vibes, grind passages, and catchy weirdo riffs. We've been playing occasional shows around Minneapolis and our demo should be out before the end of the year.<br />
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I also play in a band called Daoloth, which is black metal. This was a project that I was working on a number of years ago that got pushed to the back due to life stuff getting in the way. The drummer and I are just starting to get this up and going again with the goal of tightening up the old songs and finally getting them recorded. This is the musical project that will be the vehicle for my grief, as I've kept that aspect largely out of Ash Eater (aside from the name). As best as we can tell, this will likely remain a studio-only project.<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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This is one of the hardest questions I've ever been asked...<br />
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I'm a massive fan of werewolves, despite thinking they're nearly always done poorly. Something about a person reduced to nothing but primal prey-drive and fully rewilded is incredibly compelling to me, so I'm tempted to go with that, but I actually think my true answer is the <a href="https://amzn.to/2MNgScY" target="_blank">Ghoulies</a>. Small-creature horror is one of my all-time favorite genres - so much so that I'm currently shopping a novella I wrote in that vein - and Ghoulies is probably my favorite entry. I guess that makes the actual answer simply, "demons," but Ghoulies are some kind of special demons. And, if I'm forced to get specific, Green Baby (the unofficial name of the small, bald, green Ghoulie that my friends and I use) is probably my favorite of the Ghoulies. So, I guess my answer is Green Baby. But no one would know what the fuck I was talking about if I just said my favorite movie monster was Green Baby.<br />
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<b><i>What happens when you die?</i></b><br />
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I like how this question could be interpreted generally, like "What happens to us when we die," but is actually super-specific to the interviewee. What happens when I die is the world ends. And I don't mean that to be taken as some kind of ego thing. I think this is true for all of us.<br />
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<b><i>What are your 3 favorite comic books (standalone novels or ongoing series) of all time?</i></b><br />
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Absolutely and without question, my number 1 is <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2PjlUj3" target="_blank">The Invisibles</a></i>, Grant Morrison's master-work of surreal, conspiracy-laden, radical-politics filled, occult how-to-manual, post-modern art as comic-book. There's nothing like it. Number 2 is probably Alan Moore's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2N99wiW" target="_blank">Swamp Thing</a></i> run. Holy fuck is that comic amazing. Poetic, beautiful, haunting. It's just a cut above everything from that era. Number 3 is harder to pin down. I love shit like Charles Burns' <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2BIRleH" target="_blank">Black Hole</a></i>, Hans Rickheit's <i>Chloe</i>, and Daniel Clowes' <i><a href="https://amzn.to/32N91BP" target="_blank">Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron</a></i> so I really want to rep some of those weirder 'indie comics', but at the same time I'm pretty sure my 3rd pick is another classic Vertigo title with Peter Milligan's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2BEW8Oi" target="_blank">Shade: the Changing Man</a></i>. This is a comic that not enough people have read and y'all need to get your shit together and check it out. I can't really even put it into words. It's just incredible. I know that there's a ton of rad stuff happening in comics these days (with much of it being written and drawn by a more diverse crowd than the same old 8 white British/Scottish/Irish dudes), but I'm just not as plugged into comics as I once was, so I'm leaning on old favorites.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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I tend to alternate between writing on my couch and writing at my desk. I generally need seclusion, though I can write if someone else is in the room also doing something quiet (like reading or drawing or also writing), so no coffee shop for me; though I will occasionally write at work on my lunch break. If at home, I tend to throw on music that's heavily atmospheric that has no vocals (CryoChamber mixes, The Haxan Cloak, Black Mountain Transmitter, horror scores) and I pour myself a bourbon and grab a beer. Most writing days, I sit and slowly chip away at the first hour or so, once I get past that my productivity tends to increase from there. I generally write on my laptop, though I occasionally scribble shit down on paper and then revise as I transcribe it.<br />
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<b><i>What was your greatest Halloween costume?</i></b><br />
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One Halloween, a group of my friends and I all made masks like they wear in the original Wicker Man movie and went as a group of Summerisle people. That was a lot of fun. But I think the greatest costume I ever did was with my friend Glenn, who is the other guitar player in Ash Eater. One year, she and I each made costumes that looked like we were members of The Process Church of the Final Judgement. We had black cloaks on, like they would wear, with shirts that had the Processean symbol and the Goat of Mendez sewn onto them. I printed out these little cards that had the iconic photo of Robert de Grimston and made stamps of the Processean symbol and inked them onto the backs. We just handed them out to people at a party and tried to talk with them about joining our group. A few of our friends knew what we were, but I think it was a bit esoteric for most. Either way, I'm super proud of that one.<br />
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<i>Sam Richard is the owner of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/weirdpunkbooks/" target="_blank">Weirdpunk Books</a>, the editor of <a href="https://amzn.to/33Zw9x5" target="_blank">Zombie Punks F**k Off</a>, and the co-editor of both <a href="https://amzn.to/2BHDrtp" target="_blank">The New Flesh: A Literary Tribute to David Cronenberg</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2Pj2WZV" target="_blank">Hybrid Moments: A Literary Tribute to the Misfits</a>. His writing has appeared in such varied publications as Lazermall, Strange Stories of the Sea, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Jotzsz" target="_blank">Breaking Bizarro</a>, Dark Moon Digest, and many others. Recently a widower, his primary focus is on writing weird, transgressive horror with an emphasis on grief. His debut short-story collection, <a href="https://amzn.to/31PfqLo" target="_blank">To Wallow in Ash & Other Sorrows</a> came out Fall of 2019 through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NihilismRevised/" target="_blank">NihilismRevised</a> and he slowly rots in Minneapolis, MN with his dog Nero. You can find him on <a href="https://twitter.com/SammyTotep" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/SammyTotep/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>: @SammyTotep and at <a href="http://towallowinash.wordpress.com/">towallowinash.wordpress.com</a></i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-59099878998270329872019-11-06T15:36:00.000-05:002019-12-04T10:26:09.379-05:00SuperGhost Lives!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’m happy to share the news that my first book, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2pLwYLl" target="_blank">SuperGhost</a></i>, is <b>finally back in print!</b> Here’s the description:<br />
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<i>Mad Science, Phantom Limbs, Giant Monsters, and Ice Cream!</i><br />
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<i>Darren Legend is a former construction worker who’s lost his right arm. Michelle Mayfair is a former Olympic runner who no longer has her legs. And Dr. Griffin Rains wants to talk with both of them. He’s a “phantom limb therapist”...who may also be a megalomaniacal mad scientist.</i><br />
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<i>When Dr. Rains assembles a giant ghost-monster from the phantom limbs he’s stolen from hundreds of amputees, the city is in for the most bizarre nightmare it’s ever seen. And it’s up to Darren and Michelle, with the help of a few friends, to stop Rains and the strange terror of the SuperGhost!</i><br />
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So if you didn’t catch it on the original release (or even if you did!), you can now pick up the reissue, featuring a fresh cover (also designed by me), revised/re-formatted text, and <b>an ALL-NEW bonus prequel short story entitled "The Science Fair"</b>.<br />
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Available NOW in <a href="https://amzn.to/2pLwYLl" target="_blank">paperback</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/33mcpUr" target="_blank">ebook</a>. Also available via Kindle Unlimited.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-3231239277798830932019-10-23T18:30:00.000-04:002019-10-23T18:30:01.812-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Chandler Morrison<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Chandler Morrison.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest book is a modern gothic novel called <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2pbzZED" target="_blank">Until the Sun</a></i>, and it’s coming out from Death’s Head Press on Halloween. It differs from my previous work in a lot of ways—I’m always trying to do something new and fresh with every book I write—but primarily it’s less “extreme” than I think people have come to expect from me. It deals with some dark subject matter, and there’s a fair amount of gore, but there’s not a lot that would be considered tremendously over the top. There’s kind of this misconception about me that I’m just some shock jock exploitation artist, but that’s really not true. If the story I’m writing calls for extreme material, I’m not sheepish about putting it in. Until the Sun really didn’t call for a ton of that, so I wasn’t going to shoehorn unnecessary nastiness into it for the sake of pigeonholing myself into a certain brand.<br />
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<b><i>What's the best movie, new or old, that you've seen for the first time in the past 3 months?</i></b><br />
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I’d probably have to say <i>Never Let Me Go</i>. I’m a huge fan of the book, so I’d put off seeing the movie for a long time because I was adamant that no one could even come close to translating the haunting beauty of Ishiguro’s prose onto the screen. I finally caved and watched it a couple of weeks ago, though, and it’s truly magnificent. The novel still reigns supreme, in my mind, but the movie adaptation really nails the tone of the book. It does an amazing job of painting this bleakly beautiful portrait of young people who are resigned to the hopeless tragedy of their existence.<br />
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<b><i>What are your 3 favorite comic books (standalone novels or ongoing series) of all time?</i></b><br />
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<i><a href="https://amzn.to/2p6jmdi" target="_blank">From Hell</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2W8ISuB" target="_blank">Watchmen</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2JhnmyG" target="_blank">Preacher</a></i>. Brian Keene told me he believes <i>Preacher</i> to be the Great American Novel of our time, and I’m inclined to agree with him in many respects. While the theme of patriotic nationalism probably won’t resonate with younger readers of a particular sensibility, there’s a lot of things about that story that are so universal that I think a person of any generation would be able to find something to which he or she could relate.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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I have this enormous writing desk that takes up a large portion of the west wall of my apartment, and I do all of my writing there. I always type as opposed to writing longhand, because that’s the only way I can keep up with the speed of my thoughts. I generally require complete silence, so it’s difficult for me to write in public. I also like to light candles (always blood-red, and no less than 4.5 inches in height; I’m very particular about my ritualistic practices), and coffee shops usually frown upon that kind of thing.<br />
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<b><i>If you could share a beverage with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you drink?</i></b><br />
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Roland Deschain of Stephen King’s <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31FdW6t" target="_blank">The Dark Tower</a></i> series, no doubt. That guy’s been through some shit, and I’m sure he could help put my own trials and tribulations into perspective. I’d have a tonic water, preferably on the rocks.<br />
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<b><i>What's the most disgusting thing about the human body?</i></b><br />
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Oh, man, that’s a tough one. The human body is, I think, an incredibly disgusting organism if you really consider everything that makes us tick. Sure, from a surface level, the body can be very beautiful, but once you peel back just a single layer—or even just look at the surface under a microscope—it starts going to hell really fast. All of those biological processes, all of that skin and meat and fluid that combine into a walking, talking host for innumerable parasites and diseases…yuck. I try not to think about it. Medical stuff, especially, grosses me out to no end. If I had to choose, though, the reproductive system—both male and female—is probably the worst. If you delve into the hard science of it and start pulling out all of those technological terms, you’re left with a horror story that’s infinitely nastier than anything I could ever dream up. The miracle of birth seems a lot less miraculous when you start talking about mucus plugs and the corpus spongiosum. Add to that the cosmic irrelevance of breeding, and it’s a wonder anyone has sex at all.<br />
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<b><i>What’s your secret?</i></b><br />
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My tan is fake.<br />
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<i>Chandler Morrison is the author of <a href="https://amzn.to/2pbzZED" target="_blank">Until the Sun</a>, Dead Inside, <a href="https://amzn.to/2oaTyfG" target="_blank">Hate to Feel</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/33V6i9n" target="_blank">Just to See Hell</a>. He lives in Los Angeles.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-84199573072752375852019-10-16T18:00:00.000-04:002019-10-16T18:00:07.545-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Sarah Read<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Sarah Read.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest book is my forthcoming collection, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Bgrj2j" target="_blank">Out of Water</a></i>. It will be released from <a href="http://trepidatio.com/" target="_blank">Trepidatio Publishing</a> on November 1st, but pre-orders are up now! Most of the stories it contains ARE my previous work, so I guess it doesn’t differ much at all, but there are three new short stories and one new novelette in the book. These works are more contemporary than my novel, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2nMQ0jw" target="_blank">The Bone Weaver’s Orchard</a></i>. That one is largely historical thriller, while a lot of these stories are straight horror, often paranormal.<br />
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<b><i>If it was socially acceptable to wear anything as clothing, how would you dress?</i></b><br />
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I’d love to wear a Victorian ball gown most days, but then there are days that I just want to cut armholes in a sleeping bag and wear that. Or maybe I’d dress like a pirate or a witch or a fairy. Actually, I kind of already do those last three on a semi-regular basis, but I’m a librarian, so it’s encouraged.<br />
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<b><i>Are you most afraid of ghosts, aliens, or clowns, and why?</i></b><br />
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I’ve never understood the fear of clowns. I find them annoying, but not scary. Aliens, should they ever decide to bother with us, could probably bother with us in such a way as to cause the most grief. But I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of them. And while I love a good ghostly shiver, I suspect ghosts are harmless. Except for when they infiltrate my imagination to the degree that I can’t sleep and then I have cranky days. I suppose I have to say ghosts scare me the most, which is precisely why they’re my favorite trope.<br />
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<b><i>If you could be reincarnated as a sentient but inanimate object, what would you like to be?</i></b><br />
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I think I would like to be a very fine fountain pen. Then I could keep writing stories, and I think I’d be well looked after. I would also still be covered in ink, so it’s unlikely anyone would notice that anything had changed about me at all.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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My writing is highly opportunistic, so my environment might be anything. Today it was in my car, sitting in the parking lot before my first shift started. Regardless of where I happen to be writing, I do always write by hand, though.<br />
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My ideal environment is at my desk in my office, which overlooks my wilderness of a backyard. I’d have my favorite notebook (a Nanami Seven Seas Writer—thin, lined Japanese Tomoe River paper bound with plain black linen) and an array of pens filled with exciting inks. Also, a cup of tea (earl grey with a hint of vanilla, please). My cat asleep on the chair behind me. It would be great if there was a thunderstorm at the time, too. And a few cookies on a plate. Chocolate ones. And, apart from the storm, it would be perfectly silent. Ideal conditions rarely occur, so I’ve learned to write in any conditions.<br />
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I think it’s important to write whenever and however you can. Sometimes that means with a broken crayon on the back of an envelope in the pediatrician’s waiting room.<br />
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<b><i>If you could share a beverage with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you drink?</i></b><br />
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I’d have tea with Merricat Blackwood. It’s fine, I don’t take sugar in my tea.<br />
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<b><i>What's the most disgusting thing about the human body?</i></b><br />
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Fingernails. Or feet. No, teeth. No, pus. I think maybe all of it? I’m not a fan. I don’t like anything about the human body and I’m deeply annoyed to be trapped inside one. And constantly alarmed when I’m surrounded by other ones.<br />
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Sarah Read is a dark fiction writer in the frozen north of Wisconsin. Her short stories can be found in magazines like <i><a href="http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/" target="_blank">Black Static</a></i>, and in various anthologies, including Ellen Datlow's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/33FkR0X" target="_blank">The Best Horror of the Year Vol 10</a></i>. Her novel <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2nMQ0jw" target="_blank">The Bone Weaver’s Orchard</a></i> is now out from <a href="http://trepidatio.com/" target="_blank">Trepidatio Publishing</a>, and her debut collection <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Bgrj2j" target="_blank">Out of Water</a></i> will follow in November 2019. She is the Editor-in-Chief of <i><a href="https://pantheonmag.com/" target="_blank">Pantheon Magazine</a></i> and of their associated anthologies, including <i><a href="https://amzn.to/33CSDUA" target="_blank">Gorgon: Stories of Emergence</a></i>. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When she’s not staring into the abyss, she knits. Follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/Inkwellmonster" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://instagram.com/Inkwellmonster" target="_blank">Instagram</a> @Inkwellmonster or support her on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/SarahRead" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. <a href="http://www.inkwellmonster.wordpress.com/">www.inkwellmonster.wordpress.com</a>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-71036301628597583432019-10-09T18:00:00.000-04:002019-10-09T18:00:02.601-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Matt Cardin<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Matt Cardin.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest book is <a href="https://amzn.to/2AVtN5X" target="_blank"><i>To Rouse Leviathan</i></a>, a collection of weird and cosmic horror fiction from Hippocampus Press. It differs from my first two collections because it's an omnibus that contains the complete fiction contents of the first two plus a third section bringing together several previously uncollected works. I point out that it contains the "fiction contents" of the first two because my second collection, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2pRb4WM" target="_blank">Dark Awakenings</a></i>, consisted of both fiction and nonfiction, with the stories in the first half being complemented by three academic essays in the second. The majority of my work explores the intersection between religion and supernatural horror, focusing on the intrinsic religion of horror and the intrinsic horror of religion. The relationship of these things to art and creativity also keeps cropping up. <i>To Rouse Leviathan</i> amounts to a complete expression of everything I've had to say about this up to now in fictional form.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any creative endeavors other than writing fiction (art, music, knitting)?</i></b><br />
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I'm a pianist and keyboardist. This has been a central part of my life since I was a child, and I suppose it's linked to my writing. When I was very young, I sometimes said I wanted to grow up to be a writer. I also took to the piano like a duck to water when my mother enrolled me in lessons beginning at the age of eight. So writing and music have been intertwined creative outlets for almost as long as I can remember. I had nine years of classical piano lessons, after which I continued to play and expand my skills on my own. I also got into composing and recording with multitrack equipment. When I was in high school and college, this meant a four-track analog recorder that used standard audio cassettes. Needless to say, the audio quality wasn't very good. Sometime later I graduated to digital gear, which enabled me to really manifest the music I heard in my head for the first time. During the aughts I created an album of original instrumental music titled <i><a href="https://amzn.to/339p0K0" target="_blank">Daemonyx: Curse of the Daimon</a></i>. Along with this, I've been a pianist at various Protestant churches, including fundamentalist, evangelical, and mainline -- Southern Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Independent Christian, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran -- for much of my life, although that's presently experiencing a lull. It has also been awhile since I composed or recorded any music.<br />
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Lately I just spend a considerable amount of time playing the piano in private as a kind of meditation. Songs I play repeatedly for this include Satie's "Gymnopédie No. 1"; the main theme from Claudio Gizzi's score for <i>Blood for Dracula</i> (a.k.a. <i>Andy Warhol's Dracula</i>), which I arranged for piano myself from the orchestral version; "The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan" by Chris Zabriskie; Stephan Moccio's "Dukes"; several of Bach's two-part inventions; deeply pensive arrangements of the church hymns "It Is Well" and "Be Still My Soul" (the latter of which is actually Sibelius's tune "Finlandia"); Yann Tiersen's "Comptine d'un autre été" from the soundtrack to the film <i>Amélie</i>; some interludes from Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire albums; Ludovico Einaudi's "Nuvole Bianche"; Liz Story's arrangement of "Greensleeves"; and a fairly enchanting piano adaptation of Davie Bowie's "Space Oddity" that I found on YouTube and learned as soon as I could.<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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I suppose I'll have to name Frankenstein's monster. For six years I taught Ms. Shelley's classic novel to high school sophomores. For five of those years, my students and I read the entire book aloud together. I always had three sections of sophomore English, so when you combine that with the several times I've read the novel on my own, including once for a graduate English class devoted entirely to <i>Frankenstein</i> and its literary and historical contexts, I've read it eighteen times. Maybe that's why I've always loved seeing what filmmakers do with it. I find it odd and sad that there has never been a definitive movie adaptation. They all have something wrong with them. But I can tell you that it's a flat-out epiphany for American teenagers when you take the iconic Universal-Karloffian version of the monster, which they've had implanted and imprinted in their psyches since birth, and show them how different it is from the original monster in the book. They're also invariably fascinated when you show them other movie versions that are closer to Shelley's vision, such as Kenneth Branagh's <i>Mary Shelley's Frankenstein</i> with Robert De Niro's sensitive, articulate portrayal of the monster. You didn't ask, but if I had to name the single best Frankenstein movie, well, I couldn't. But if I were asked at gunpoint, I might name the Hallmark Channel's miniseries adaptation. Yes, Hallmark made a Frankenstein movie, and with Luke Goss as the monster, no less. And how ironic that this one seemed so new and almost revolutionary because it adhered more closely to the source novel than any previous version.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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I tend to listen to dark ambient and classical music when I write. I find this helps to unlock my psyche. I've always responded really deeply to music, and it feels like I can access the writer's trance more easily with the help of it. It can't be music with words, though, unless they're abstract and ethereal like certain kinds of choral music, or like the mesmerizing idioglottic word shapes of a Lisa Gerrard or a Jonsi (Sigur Rós's lead singer). Other favorites for this purpose include Tim Story, Will Ackerman, Jóhann Jóhannsson, David Darling, Bill Douglas, Chris Zabriskie, Ennio Morricone, Arvo Pärt, Denise Young, Clint Mansell, Erik Satie, and the soundtrack collaborations between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, plus various excellent YouTube mixes full of songs whose titles I'll never know. I generally choose soft music that's profoundly beautiful, melancholy, dark, and/or sinister, or sometimes all of these together. I also enjoy this same type of music when I'm not writing, but at those times it's joined by lots of other stuff. I have a serious hard rock and metal streak reaching back to my teens. Blue Öyster Cult reigns supreme, followed by, in no particular order, Queensrÿche, Rob Zombie/White Zombie, Alien Ant Farm, King Diamond (including his early Mercyful Fate days), Rage Against the Machine, Kongos, and a few more.<br />
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<b><i>What are your 3 favorite comic books (standalone novels or ongoing series) of all time?</i></b><br />
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The original <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2oovUMV" target="_blank">Secret Wars</a></i>. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31WVvLz" target="_blank">Power Man and Iron Fist</a></i>. And <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2M0k4BL" target="_blank">Watchmen</a></i>. Sometimes these might switch places with <i>The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu</i>, some of DC's horror comics from the 1970s (<i>The Witching Hour</i>, <i>Unexpected</i>, and so on), and others. I was an absolute comic book junkie in my teens. I collected multiple series, mostly but not exclusively Marvel, and I stored them all carefully in mylar bags after reading them. An investment for the future, you know. When I was 30 years old, my wife and I built a house, and we stored some stuff in the attic before construction was completed and we had moved in. Over the next few weeks, we were robbed three times. Someone got all my comics.<br />
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<b><i>What happens when you die?</i></b><br />
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You wake up.<br />
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<b><i>What's your secret?</i></b><br />
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As a person who, whenever someone asks “What do you believe?”, usually identifies himself a a Buddhist Christian agnostic with Jungian, Lovecraftian, Alan Wattsian, and Robert Anton Wilsonian tendencies, I'll aver that my secret may be contained in the words of the philosopher Tripper Harrison, as manifested onscreen by the philosopher Bill Murray: "It just doesn't matter."<br />
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This very same same point was given quintessential expression in 1977 at a public lecture in front of two thousand people by one of the major philosopher-sages of the modern era, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Here's one account of what happened (and there are several): "Part way through this particular talk, Krishnamurti suddenly paused, leaned forward, and said, almost conspiratorially, 'Do you want to know what my secret is?' Almost as though we were one body we sat up, even more alert than we had been, if that was possible. I could see people all around me lean forward, their ears straining and their mouths slowly opening in hushed anticipation. Krishnamurti rarely ever talked about himself or his own process, and now he was about to give us his secret! He was in many ways a mountaintop teacher -- somewhat distant, aloof, seemingly unapproachable, unless you were part of his inner circle. Yet that’s why we came to Ojai every spring, to see if we could find out just what his secret was. We wanted to know how he managed to be so aware and enlightened, while we struggled with conflict and our numerous problems. There was a silence. Then he said in a soft, almost shy voice, 'You see, I don’t mind what happens.'"<br />
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Eckhart Tolle has also referenced the Krishnamurti anecdote, and he has offered some salient commentary on it: "If some cosmic convulsion brought about the end of our world, the Unmanifested would remain totally unaffected by this. . . . If you remain in conscious connection with the Unmanifested, you value, love, and deeply respect the manifested and every life form in it as an expression of the One Life beyond form. You also know that every form is destined to dissolve again and that ultimately nothing out here matters all that much."<br />
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I can't say that I necessarily live in or live up to such an enlightened state of consciousness, especially when I'm still consumed sometimes by the suspicion that our self-conscious existence as human beings is "malignantly useless," as Thomas Ligotti has brilliantly styled it. But my equanimity has indeed increased with age and experience. Sometimes this has not been conducive to authorial productivity. Sometimes, it has led me to fall into long periods of total silence, both inner and outer. Maybe, like Rilke suggested, my angels have also left me on those extended occasions when I've managed to get rid of my devils. I still don't know whether I should consider myself fortunate that they all keep coming back.<br />
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<i>Matt Cardin is a writer, editor, musician, and college professor and administrator living in North Texas. With a Ph.D. in leadership and a master's degree in religious studies, he writes frequently about the intersection of religion, horror, art, and creativity. His books include the weird and cosmic horror fiction collections To Rouse Leviathan (2019), Dark Awakenings (2010), and Divinations of the Deep (2002) and the academic encyclopedias Horror Literature through History (2017), Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies (2015), and Mummies around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in Religion, History, and Popular Culture (2014). He received a World Fantasy Award nomination for editing Born to Fear: Interviews with Thomas Ligotti. He is also co-editor of the journal Vastarien. His work has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Cemetery Dance, This Is Horror, Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, and more. He's online at <a href="http://www.mattcardin.com/">www.mattcardin.com</a>, <a href="http://www.teemingbrain.com/" target="_blank">The Teeming Brain</a> (his blog), and <a href="http://twitter.com/_mattcardin">twitter.com/_mattcardin</a>.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-52398131815231415672019-10-02T19:01:00.000-04:002019-10-02T19:01:42.077-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Stephanie M. Wytovich<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Stephanie M. Wytovich.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest poetry collection is titled <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2mYGVn0" target="_blank">The Apocalyptic Mannequin</a></i>. I tend to write thematically and each of my books have their own persona. Over the years, I’ve worked with themes of hysteria, grief, religion, sexuality, and trauma, so with this book, I wanted to really challenge myself to go a different direction, which is why I leaned heavily into the apocalypse with a combination of science fiction and horror on its heels. Now this book still has everything that you would want and come to expect from my poetry, but there’s a different glow to it here, something almost uncanny bubbling underneath it all.<br />
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What really inspired me while I was writing—and even beforehand in the brainstorming stage--was our perception of the body and how it changes over the years in regard to how we define it. This book quickly became a Frankenstein-quilt of my personal fears mixed with post-apocalyptic scenery, and it pulls back the skin on who or what is left after everything has been taken away.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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I do listen to music while I’m writing, but it’s strictly instrumental and it ranges from everything from classical, to pagan chants, to movie soundtracks, to drone/ambient noise. Lately, my two favorites who have been on repeat have been Phillip Glass and Johann Johannson.<br />
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I’ll sometimes still listen to that stuff even when I’m not writing, especially if I’m relaxing, reading, or meditating, but for the most part, I like alternative/punk/metal/rock.<br />
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<b><i>What's the best movie, new or old, that you've seen for the first time in the past 3 months?</i></b><br />
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I’m completely 100% obsessed with Ari Aster’s <i>Midsommar</i>.<br />
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<b><i>Have you traveled outside your home country, and if so, where? Where would you like to go that you haven't been yet?</i></b><br />
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I have! I studied Renaissance Art in Italy (Florence, Rome, and Venice), and then I helped run a MFA program in Dublin, Ireland for a bit. I’ve also explored a little bit of Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.<br />
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There’s no end to places that I would love to travel to—I’d go everywhere if I could and I’d travel constantly—but the big ones of my list that I’m hoping to tackle in the next 10 years are: (1) Iceland, (2) Austria, Prague, and the Czech Republic, (3) London, and (4) another trip to Ireland.<br />
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<b><i>What are your 3 favorite comic books (standalone novels or ongoing series) of all time?</i></b><br />
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This is a fun question for me because I’ve recently gotten really into horror comics and have been reading them pretty much non-stop for three years, ha! Right now, I’m really loving <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2mWzexO" target="_blank">Baby Teeth</a></i> by Donny Cates, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2lunYbC" target="_blank">Gideon Falls</a></i> by Jeff Lemire, and then <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2lpb8v4" target="_blank">Saga</a></i> by Brian K. Vaughan just completely took over my life. I have to give a hat-tip to <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2mYS7A3" target="_blank">Redneck</a></i> by Donny Cates and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2mX4bSq" target="_blank">Sweet Tooth</a></i> by Jeff Lemire though, too. I really, really love/loved them as well.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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Lately my writing environment consists of either my office on campus or my office at home. I really hate writing around people/in public and I prefer to do it in a space that I’ve curated and feel comfortable and secluded in. I usually write with some light instrumental music on in the background—no headphones because I like to/need to read my work (especially my poetry) aloud. I used to be an absolute coffee addict, but these days, it’s either tea or water for me, maybe a glass of wine if I’m feeling especially dangerous, but I’m always writing on my laptop. I might outline or scribble ideas/phrases in a notebook while I’m away from my desk, but the actual writing always happens at the computer.<br />
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<b><i>If you could share a beverage with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you drink?</i></b><br />
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Fictional character…hmmm. I think I’m sharing a glass of red wine, invoking the spirit, and hanging out with Nancy Downs from <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2nBNEnl" target="_blank">The Craft</a></i>.<br />
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<i>Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous venues such as Weird Tales, <a href="https://amzn.to/2n1nWbk" target="_blank">Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2m5Hr2m" target="_blank">Fantastic Tales of Terror</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2lpdzOl" target="_blank">Year's Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2</a>, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others.</i><br />
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<i>Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Point Park University, and a mentor with Crystal Lake Publishing. She is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and a graduate of Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Her Bram Stoker Award-winning poetry collection, <a href="https://amzn.to/2lkJMpQ" target="_blank">Brothel</a>, earned a home with Raw Dog Screaming Press alongside <a href="https://amzn.to/2nvRdLC" target="_blank">Hysteria: A Collection of Madness</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2lUcqP9" target="_blank">Mourning Jewelry</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2nBqTzV" target="_blank">An Exorcism of Angels</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2mYkL4t" target="_blank">Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare</a>, and most recently, <a href="https://amzn.to/2mYGVn0" target="_blank">The Apocalyptic Mannequin</a>. Her debut novel, <a href="https://amzn.to/2nBDWkZ" target="_blank">The Eighth</a>, is published with Dark Regions Press.</i><br />
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<i>Follow Wytovich on her blog at <a href="http://stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com/">http://stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com/</a> and on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/SWytovich" target="_blank">@SWytovich</a>.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-34710728155234045512019-09-26T16:00:00.000-04:002019-09-26T16:00:42.852-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Kristopher Triana<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Kristopher Triana.</i><br />
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<b><i>What’s your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My new novel is called <a href="https://amzn.to/2m3d1ho" target="_blank"><i>The Long Shadows of October</i></a>, and it actually is very different from my previous work. It’s not as extreme as <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2lnQ1cx" target="_blank">Full Brutal</a></i> or <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2looVCd" target="_blank">Body Art</a></i>, though it does contain moments of intense violence and dirty, dirty sex. Overall, it’s more of a conventional horror novel. There’s a haunted house, a succubus, and black magic. It’s definitely a Halloween read.<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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The original Michael Myers from the '70s and '80s. The Shape. Not the watered down bore he’s been turned into by bad sequels and even worse remakes. Halloween was a huge influence on me. I saw it when I was twelve and everything about it lured me in. I was already a huge fan of the holiday, and the film honors it with its creepy atmosphere and Carpenter’s excellent score. But what made Myers so memorable was that he wasn’t just a murderer. He was like a force of nature, an evil that couldn’t be explained. I think of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2nzEAiM" target="_blank">Halloween</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2m5LZGb" target="_blank">Halloween II</a></i> and the grossly underrated <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2m544UC" target="_blank">Halloween IV</a></i> as the Myers trilogy.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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I sometimes listen to music while writing but often do it in silence. When I put on music, it’s always instrumental and cinematic. For example, while writing <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2lSOtYu" target="_blank">Shepherd of the Black Sheep</a></i> and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2n2CCa9" target="_blank">The Ruin Season</a></i>, I listened to a lot of Nick Cave & Warren Ellis scores. While writing <i>The Long Shadows of October</i>, it was a lot of Carpenter Brut and Dance with the Dead. I listen to a lot of stuff like this when I’m not writing though, because it puts ideas in my head. Otherwise, I’m almost always rockin’ Judas Priest.<br />
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<b><i>What’s the best movie, new or old, that you've seen for the first time in the past 3 months?</i></b><br />
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I really enjoyed the director’s cut of <i>Midsommar</i>. In a way, my answer contains spoilers, so reader, skip this part if you haven’t seen it. I lost my parents, have bipolar disorder, and went through a painful divorce, so I deeply related to the character of Dani and the suffering she’s going through because of her parents’ death, her uncontrollable depression and anxiety, and her boyfriend distancing himself from her when she needs him the most. The film isn’t perfect but it’s an exceptional horror film about personal pain. I think the more pain you have, the deeper the movie will affect you.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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I’m an old school writer stereotype. I live in a rural, New England farmhouse alone with my dog. It’s very quiet and peaceful. I write on a regular computer, not a laptop, in a room filled with horror memorabilia. My dog, Bear, likes to lie beside me when I write. She’s an exceptional assistant editor.<br />
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<b><i>What happens when you die?</i></b><br />
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There’s new preliminary evidence that the mind continues to work for a good ten minutes after we stop breathing and our heart stops beating, so we may very well be aware of our own death after it happens. After loss of consciousness, the muscles completely relax. Then the body cools down. With the blood no longer flowing, gravity causes it to pool in whatever parts of the body are closest to the ground. Chemical changes cause rigor mortis, then we start to decay. First our cells die, then any bacteria. Then the body actually <i>digests its own organs</i>.<br />
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What many call a <i>soul</i> is actually consciousness—your brain. When the electricity goes out, there’s only darkness and no <i>you</i>. There are no souls or ghosts or angels. You’re just gone. And then one day someone will say your name for the very last time and it will be as if you never even existed.<br />
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<b><i>Are you most afraid of ghosts, aliens, or clowns, and why?</i></b><br />
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We’ve already established that ghosts aren’t real. That’s just silly. As for clowns, the only truly scary one I can think of is John Wayne Gacy. Bozo the Clown doesn’t give me the creeps. Aliens scare me more because they almost certainly do exist, though I doubt human beings have ever come in contact with them. In a universe that is endless, how vain would it be to assume we’re the only ones? We already know that—outside of our solar system—our Earth isn’t the only planet exactly the right distance from a star to support life. Aliens are out there somewhere. Maybe they’re just amorphous blobs, I don’t know. But if they’re intelligent, either they don’t know about us yet or they’re smart enough to stay the hell away from us.<br />
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<i>Kristopher Triana is the author of the novels <a href="https://amzn.to/2lnQ1cx" target="_blank">Full Brutal</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2looVCd" target="_blank">Body Art</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2n2CCa9" target="_blank">The Ruin Season</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2lSOtYu" target="_blank">Shepherd of the Black Sheep</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2m3d1ho" target="_blank">The Long Shadows of October</a> and Toxic Love, as well as the novella <a href="https://amzn.to/2lmtiO0" target="_blank">The Detained</a> and the short story collection <a href="https://amzn.to/2nAlVDv" target="_blank">Growing Dark</a>.</i><br />
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<i>His fiction has appeared in many anthologies, magazines and audiobooks, including <a href="https://amzn.to/2lsW2ou" target="_blank">Chiral Mad 4</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2nAELuf" target="_blank">Year’s Best Hardcore Horror</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2n1cxZ6" target="_blank">Stiff Things</a>, and Blood Bound Books' <a href="https://amzn.to/2nzC4sQ" target="_blank">DOA</a> series, to name a few. He’s drawn praise from Cemetery Dance, Rue Morgue Magazine, Scream Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, and the late, great Jack Ketchum. In addition, his work has been translated into multiple languages.</i><br />
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<i>He lives in Connecticut.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-60532713683431830862019-09-18T18:00:00.000-04:002019-09-18T18:00:06.823-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Michael Kelly<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Michael Kelly.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My third collection of short fiction, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/316rqbK" target="_blank">ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER SEE</a></i>, has just been released. In many ways, it's not all that different than my previous two collections in the sense that these are odd stories that share that liminal space between horror and weird fiction. What is different, perhaps, is that this collection is less speculative, less outre, than my previous work. I'm telling the same stories in a more realist fashion.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any creative endeavors other than writing fiction (art, music, knitting)?</i></b><br />
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I play guitar. I have a couple of acoustics, a couple of electrics, and a bass. I don't write songs or play original material. I cover rock and metal and folk and blues. I find playing music a great cathartic, soul-cleansing endeavor. Mind, I'm not very good. I just enjoy strumming and plucking the strings and making some noise.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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No, I don't. Strange, yes, considering my passion for music and guitar. But I need dead silence when I write. I need to concentrate. Whenever I've tried to write to music I just find myself getting caught up in the music, carried away. Then I reach for the guitar and pretty soon two hours are gone and the writing day is shot. I need as little distraction as possible.<br />
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<b><i>What's the best movie, new or old, that you've seen for the first time in the past 3 months?</i></b><br />
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I just recently saw <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZJuiib" target="_blank">THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER</a></i> and thought it was excellent. Oz Perkins is a really interesting filmmaker. I quite enjoyed <i>I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE</i>, and he's got another film out soon, <i>GRETEL & HANSEL</i>. Quite intrigued to see what he does with Paul Tremblay's book <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZIzGlK" target="_blank">A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS</a></i>.<br />
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<b><i>Twilight Zone or Outer Limits?</i></b><br />
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Oh, wow, tough choice. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2MZMs8A" target="_blank">Twilight Zone</a></i> by a hair, I'd say. But I think <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2HSTCY3" target="_blank">Night Gallery</a></i> topped them both for exceptional psychological horror.<br />
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<b><i>What happens when you die?</i></b><br />
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You cease to exist, except as memory. But, for some time, the hair in your ears continue to grow, weed-like. Then you're put in the ground to rot, or incinerated to dust. I believe the ear hair lives on.<br />
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<b><i>What's the most disgusting thing about the human body?</i></b><br />
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Ear hair!! Actually, so many gross things: toe nails; penises; the epiglottis; teeth. But I'm sticking with ear hair. Disgusting!!<br />
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<i>Michael Kelly is the former Series Editor for the Year's Best Weird Fiction. He’s a Shirley Jackson Award-winner, and a World Fantasy Award nominee. His fiction has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including Black Static, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 21 & 24, Postscripts, Weird Fiction Review, and has been previously collected in <a href="https://amzn.to/3137cQr" target="_blank">Scratching the Surface</a>, Undertow & Other Laments, and <a href="https://amzn.to/316rqbK" target="_blank">All the Things We Never See</a>. He is Editor-in-Chief of <a href="https://undertowpublications.com/" target="_blank">Undertow Publications</a>.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-3537547415404079622019-09-11T19:00:00.000-04:002019-09-11T19:00:01.703-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Christopher Lesko<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Christopher Lesko.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest book is <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31ykJiP" target="_blank">Victim 666</a></i>. It’s straight up Horror compared to my previous work, which is hard to define by genre other than General Fiction or what some would call Bizarro. But it still has my crazy sense of humor throughout.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any creative endeavors other than writing fiction (art, music, knitting)?</i></b><br />
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Other creative endeavors randomly cycle through me as the ideas spark, and that helps relieve burnout. Photography is one I picked up when I lived near Wrightsville Beach, NC. I use it mostly to explore nature and cherish a little quiet time. Abstract paintings using acrylics on canvas I enjoy making as well. Four pieces currently decorate the walls of my home. I design my covers, edit, format, and publish my books as well. I get a thrill out of it all and plan to keep going as long as I can. Video Production is what I have a degree in from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I made a few short experimental films and have them up on YouTube, but haven’t done much recently other than make a book trailer for <i>Victim 666</i>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAaqHWxzf3c" target="_blank">Watch here.</a><br />
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<b><i>Have you traveled outside your home country, and if so, where? Where would you like to go that you haven't been yet?</i></b><br />
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Been to Australia for my younger brother’s wedding. We visited Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Esk—a little country town where I saw something odd that gave me the title for my next book: <i>The Locals Are Watching You</i>. This fall, I’m planning to visit again to see where my brother and his family now live in the Sunshine Coast. As far as where I’d like to go that I haven’t been yet, that would be the Bermuda Triangle. As a kid, I read all about it in books from the school library along with ones about UFOs, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. I’m pretty sure there’s a legendary party going on out there right now.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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Currently, my writing environment is on a laptop at my kitchen table or on my sofa with some incense burning in the background. In silence. Used to be I had to get in the mood to write by smearing white Halloween makeup all over my face and drawing fake tattoos on myself. I’ve chilled out with that. Only because it’s a pain to wash off. After that, I went through a phase of drinking big ass Monster energy drinks while killing a pack of sunflower seeds. That got expensive quick. Now, a small pot of coffee simply does the trick.<br />
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<i><b>Twilight Zone or Outer Limits?</b></i><br />
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<i>Twilight Zone</i> for sure. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen any <i>Outer Limits</i> episodes. Anyway, I still love watching the black and white episodes on TV with my dad and hearing him tell about his favorite one: “Time Enough at Last” (S01E08). It’s about a guy with super thick glasses who likes reading. The shit that happens to him at the end cracks us up.<br />
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<b><i>If you could share a beverage with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you drink?</i></b><br />
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I’d get all full of Fanta with Ashley Schaffer (Will Farrell) from <i>Eastbound & Down</i>. Of course, I’d want the illustrious Cherry Blossom to dance for us too after we eat Mammy’s dumplings.<br />
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<b><i>What’s your secret?</i></b><br />
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For me, the secret is complete and total sobriety (11 years). My creativity exploded after I quit trying to escape reality and became a master of reality. I don’t regret anything from my past, though, and believe everything happens for a reason. Just have to stay positive and be grateful for the good and bad; have a great day no matter what. Ya dig?<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/leskocrazy" target="_blank">Christopher Lesko</a> is a weirdo writer dude from Ohio.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-78488470777082969182019-09-04T18:30:00.000-04:002019-09-04T18:30:10.941-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Sara Tantlinger<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Sara Tantlinger.</i><br />
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<b><i>What's your latest book, and how does it differ from your previous work?</i></b><br />
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My latest book is my debut novella titled <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Hwm16n" target="_blank">To Be Devoured</a></i>, published by Unnerving. It’s a psychological and body horror story about a woman obsessed with vultures and carrion. My other two books, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2TPb5Wj" target="_blank">Love for Slaughter</a></i> and the Stoker Award-winning <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31Wjbzk" target="_blank">The Devil’s Dreamland</a></i> are both poetry collections, so the novella differs in that it’s my biggest prose project out there, but I think it might be my most intense work-to-date, too.<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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I really loved watching <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Z7owGL" target="_blank">The Mummy</a></i> (1999) when I was growing up. Ancient Egypt is one of my favorite time periods to read about, watch documentaries about, and just generally learn about. When the beauty and surrealness of the excavation and treasure hunting gets turned into a nightmare when Imhotep is summoned by the Book of the Dead, he always stuck out in my mind as a great movie monster. He brings the ten plagues back to Egypt, sucks the flesh off people’s bones and makes himself appear more human, but underneath that borrowed skin lurks a monster obsessed with bringing back his own lover from the dead – these are all elements that create a huge win for me!<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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I love creating themed playlists for brainstorming and outlining, but when I’m in draft mode I usually prefer the quiet. The music tends to be what I normally listen to, which honestly is about every genre. I have my preferences, but my iTunes has everything from soundtracks to classical music to pop hits to German metal – so my playlists tend to be very eclectic. When I wrote <i>Love for Slaughter</i>, my “horrormance” collection about bloody, twisted love, my playlist had a lot of She Wants Revenge, In This Moment, and Marilyn Manson on it.<br />
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<b><i>Are you most afraid of ghosts, aliens, or clowns, and why?</i></b><br />
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Aliens! I’m not really sure why, but I’ve always had a fear of aliens since I was very young. Maybe it was because my older sister liked to tell me I was hatched from alien eggs when I was a child? It’s okay, we’re best friends now, but when you’re 8 years apart and you’re a kid when your sister is a teenager, these things happen. Otherwise, the thought of aliens both intrigues and terrifies me. The universe is so extremely vast and strange, I have no problem believing <i>something</i> exists out there.<br />
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<b><i>If you could be reincarnated as a sentient but inanimate object, what would you like to be?</i></b><br />
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I love this question! I think I’d like to be the writing tool that Shakespeare used, which being the nerd I am, I recently watched a debate video about what type of writing instrument he may have used – but whatever the answer, I’d love to be that piece of history and watch the plays and sonnets unfold. It’d be fascinating to observe that time period in any way.<br />
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<b><i>What is your writing environment like? (Are you out in public or in seclusion? Is there noise? Is there coffee? Do you type on a laptop or write longhand on lined notebook paper?)</i></b><br />
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When I’m really into the draft or revision, I usually like a quiet, isolated environment. I have terrible handwriting so while I may sometimes jot down notes on paper, I do most of my writing on my laptop and type up notes on my phone. There is almost always coffee or some kind of tea (I’ve been loving the Numi Moroccan Mint Tea lately); every once in a while, I’ll try to write at a coffeeshop, but I end up people-watching more than writing.<br />
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<b><i>If you could share a beverage with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you drink?</i></b><br />
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Bloody Marys with Dracula.<br />
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<i>Sara Tantlinger is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes. She is a poetry editor for the Oddville Press, a graduate of Seton Hill’s MFA program, a member of the SFPA, and an active member of the HWA. Her other books include Love for Slaughter and To Be Devoured. Currently, Sara is editing Not All Monsters, an anthology that will be comprised entirely of women who write speculative fiction. The anthology is set for a 2020 release with Strangehouse Books. She embraces all things strange and can be found lurking in graveyards or on Twitter @SaraJane524 and at saratantlinger.com.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-88756144255308773522019-08-28T19:13:00.000-04:002019-08-28T19:13:02.253-04:0020Q7A: An interview with Josh Malerman<i>20 Questions, 7 Answers is an interview series for writers of genre fiction. Each author receives the same batch of 20 questions, but they may only answer 7.</i><br />
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<i>This week's guest is Josh Malerman.</i><br />
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<b><i>If you could have chosen your own name when you were born, what would it have been?</i></b><br />
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What a great question. I’ve always thought “Josh” was too soft. I like J names but mine lands on a cloud. “Jack” lands on a motorbike. Okay so... I wish my name was Dungeon Punchinello. As in: a dungeon clown. If you can make people laugh down there, you can be funny anywhere. (I’ve considered using it as a pen name... maybe I will)<br />
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<b><i>Who or what is your favorite movie monster, and why?</i></b><br />
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Anthony from “It’s a Good Life” in <i>Twilight Zone: the Movie</i>. I don’t think I’ll ever quite get past the idea of a god-child and how he could remove his sister’s mouth with a thought. How he made Uncle Walt pull the insane rabbit from the insane hat. There’s an elasticity to this segment that kickstarted my entire affair with the genre. For that, Anthony will probably always be my main monster. But there are many! I have a lobby standee of the Wicked Witch in my office. She stole my heart, too.<br />
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<b><i>Do you listen to music when you write, and if so, what? Is it different than what you listen to when you're not writing?</i></b><br />
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So, I definitely do. And it used to be that music without lyrics was best for me. Now I don’t care, so long as it drives, you know? And the great thing about horror movie soundtracks is that they tend to play a single beat or tone through the whole thing. So you don’t necessarily have to worry about a poppy song cracking the rhythm you got going. And it used to be that the horror stuff was relegated to my office, but ever since Allison and I bought a house, we’ve been playing the scary shit on the outdoor speakers and, for reasons I don’t entirely get, it goes incredibly well with the pond, the trees, the flowers, all that. So now I’ve been listening to soundtracks everywhere and pretty soon I’m gonna mistake my life for a movie.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRFYrh8ViBI/XV1BXsIT2KI/AAAAAAAACoU/4Vqs5SRyJ3IdFrATYH-ZxWYj4ecgyXHkACLcBGAs/s1600/JM-BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRFYrh8ViBI/XV1BXsIT2KI/AAAAAAAACoU/4Vqs5SRyJ3IdFrATYH-ZxWYj4ecgyXHkACLcBGAs/s320/JM-BB.jpg" width="211" /></a><b><i>What's the best movie, new or old, that you've seen for the first time in the past 3 months?</i></b><br />
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<i><a href="https://amzn.to/2Hgu5aU" target="_blank">Hagazussa</a></i> really did something to me. I heard it was a student film? German. I don’t even know. But early on the mother is calling for the daughter, “Albrun! Albrun!” and long after the mother dies we hear that same tone of voice calling for her again, the daughter now all grown up, “Albrun! Albrun!” and it chilled me to the bone. I hear that name in the trees at night now. Loved this movie.<br />
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<b><i>If you could survive on one food for the rest of your life with no health repercussions, what would it be?</i></b><br />
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Does the Indian buffet count as one food? Because there are times I wonder if I have spent my entire life there. Helluva hangover food. Works almost as well as leaping into a pool upon waking.<br />
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<b><i>Are you most afraid of ghosts, aliens, or clowns, and why?</i></b><br />
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I used to think it was ghosts and demons but I’m discovering lately it’s aliens. I was reading Whitley Streiber’s <i><a href="https://amzn.to/31UxjsF" target="_blank">Communion</a></i> and it really messed with me. Had to set it down. Then I was reading a nonfiction account of Roswell, etc, and that messed with me, too. It’s on odd thing for a horror author to chance upon a new fear, you know, you think you’ve already accounted for them all. But for whatever reason, aliens have been scaring the shit out of me as of late.<br />
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<b><i>What's your secret?</i></b><br />
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I like this question. Because we all have them, yes? Mine is that I ate my parents at a very young age. No no wait. The secret I want to talk about is the writing secret, that is, the one that propels me to write a rough draft for a new book as I’m waiting to receive the notes from the editor for the last one. And I think the answer to that is simply not caring, at first, if anything I do is “good or bad.” It may sound simplified, but truthfully, the minute I got rid of those words, a kaleidoscopic life opened up for me. The life of the artist. In full color.<br />
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<i>Josh Malerman is the New York Times best selling author of <a href="https://amzn.to/2Z5QGSM" target="_blank">Bird Box</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Z85FM1" target="_blank">Unbury Carol</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/2HcG5dJ" target="_blank">Inspection</a>. He lives in Franklin, Michigan, with his soulmate Allison Laakko.</i>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5698079.post-53867797768775767922019-08-25T17:19:00.000-04:002020-06-19T22:07:49.424-04:00Meeting Clive Barker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was that now-famous Stephen King blurb on this edition of <i>Books of Blood Volume 2</i> which led me to Clive Barker. Well, that’s not entirely true. It was actually that creepy green mask first. And the title second. The blurb was third.<br />
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I was 12, I think. Maybe 13. Somehow, I convinced my grandmother to buy it for me. I would track down Volume 3 soon after, and get my mom to purchase it. I think she was hesitant at first, but I leveraged the fact that “Grandma bought me Volume 2”. Or maybe she just thought reading would be better for me than watching any of the blood-drenched movies I had become a fan of. The first in the series took me longer to locate, but eventually I found it during a trip to the mall (it was the late '80s in New Jersey). I read them all, mainly in the car on family road trips.<br />
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I picked up <i>The Inhuman Condition</i> and <i>In The Flesh</i> next, then <i>The Damnation Game</i>, and later, <i>Cabal</i> and all the rest. I stared endlessly at the art on the covers, and devoured the words inside.<br />
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I learned of <i>Hellraiser</i> in the pages of <i>Fangoria</i>, and rented it as soon as it was available on VHS. It immediately became my favorite movie. Then I listened to the audiobook of <i>The Hellbound Heart</i> (on cassette), read by Barker himself. I found the fully dramatized audio editions of his stories <i>The Inhuman Condition</i> and <i>The Body Politic</i> next. I was already a fan of old radio dramas, so these were pretty exciting, and I hoped they would continue adapting his stories in that medium.<br />
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I wrote Barker a fan letter (the only person I ever did that for), asking for writing advice, never really thinking I would ever truly be much of a writer myself (I had dabbled in a few short stories at the time)—but what else do you ask writers about when you’re a kid? Months later, to my delight, he answered with a typewritten letter, signed by hand at the bottom. (Joke’s on me now - I guess I followed his advice and kept at the writing thing.)<br />
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I visited comic shops to pick up issues of <i>Tapping The Vein</i> and the <i>Hellraiser</i> anthology series. An artist myself, I was over the moon when I found out about his art book, <i>Clive Barker, Illustrator</i> (and its eventual sequel). I spent hours poring over the drawings and paintings inside, and emulated them in some of my own work.<br />
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In reading interviews, and in the book <i>Pandemonium</i>, I discovered Barker’s history in theater. I quickly became obsessed with tracking down scripts for the plays he had written. I wondered if anyone had filmed any of the productions, and if so, how I could get copies.<br />
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Occasionally I would hear about readings and signings that he had done in bookstores—but always, sadly, after the fact. I would occasionally see pictures in magazines (like <i>Fango</i>, I assume) of the crowds, of him signing books for attendees.<br />
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Some friends and I went to see <i>Nightbreed</i> the Friday it came out. I may have been the only one of us who liked it. Later on, I found a VHS tape of Barker’s early short films, <i>Salome</i> and <i>The Forbidden</i>. I tape-traded for (at the time) rare interviews and TV appearances. I bought the <i>Dread</i> and <i>Lost Souls</i> fanzines via mail order. I dragged my freshman year college roommates to see <i>Candyman</i>, then scrawled “Sweets to the Sweet” on the bathroom mirror in the middle of the night, hoping to be woken in the morning by a scream.<br />
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That Christmas, my parents gave me a copy of <i>The Thief of Always</i>, and to our surprise, it turned out to be a signed copy. I was thrilled, but also wondered: Had Barker done a signing in my hometown that I had somehow missed?<br />
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A few years later I got to see a bunch of his drawings on display. But it was another reminder that I always seemed to miss the chance to meet him or catch a reading. I had all these artifacts, at least—stories, images, a couple autographs.<br />
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Then, many years after that, in 2012, Barker was booked for a Monster Mania convention in Cherry Hill, NJ. By this time I had moved around a bunch, but had eventually circled back to the area, and was now living in Philadelphia, across the river from New Jersey. I was making art, and working as a graphic designer. And I had resumed writing after a bit of a hiatus, and had a handful of stories in print.<br />
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I was excited. I would finally get to meet the man who inspired so much in my own work. And on top of that, there would be a screening of the “Cabal cut” of <i>Nightbreed</i>, which added another layer of anticipation. I bought my ticket and anxiously awaited the weekend of the show. But then, unfortunately, Barker had to cancel at the last minute, due to health issues. I was of course saddened by this for multiple reasons, and was also forced to realize that meeting him was simply never going to happen. I accepted it and moved on.<br />
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Flash forward 7 more years. Suddenly Barker was scheduled for another Monster Mania. I couldn't believe it. A sense of giddiness bubbled within me. Would I actually get to meet him this time?<br />
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My buddy Adam and I made plans to go. We got our tickets. We got in line. A very long line. I wondered what might possibly go wrong this time around.<br />
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Thankfully, nothing did. After standing in line for two and a half hours, most of it outside in the sun, we entered the room and spotted Clive Barker seated behind a table, smiling, shaking hands and signing autographs for fans. His artwork hung about the room, old and new copies of his books were piled high.<br />
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And a few minutes later, the moment arrived. I finally met the man whose work meant so much to me as a kid, and as a young adult. And still today. Adam and I both spoke to him for several minutes. He was absolutely delightful, full of all the enthusiasm I had expected from all the interviews I had seen over the years. I brought with me a <i>Hellraiser</i> comic book promotional print, featuring the design of the Lament Configuration, to have him sign, which he happily did. I told him how important his work was to me, and he seemed pleased. He even did a sketch for me. Later that day, I got to see him again, when he crashed the "Hellraiser Reunion" panel.<br />
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Clive Barker was my first real horror hero. Sure, I found King first, but Barker’s work was different. There was something special about it, something extra that spoke to me in a unique way. Maybe it was his wild imagination. Or maybe the fact that, in addition to being a writer, he was a visual artist like me. Or maybe it was because he worked in so many different mediums—books, movies, paintings, drawings, theater, comics, and so on. Whatever the reason, a connection was made, and fused, and I’m thankful.<br />
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Looking back on what I’ve written here, I suppose it amounts to little more than a fan appreciation post. But that’s okay. Sometimes other creators put the wind in your sails, and inspire your own artistic pursuits. A handful of them, perhaps, can fuel you for a lifetime. Clive Barker has been one of those latter individuals for me, and finally getting the chance to meet him felt like something to commemorate and place on this (digital) shelf.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159420445982511144noreply@blogger.com