Happy Tuesday to you, Weirdos, as we are now under tens days to go until the greatness of All Hallows Eve. While I have you here, I'd like to take a moment to announce that my story "Beer & Worms" is now available in The Best of the Horror Society 2013 anthology, which went on sale October 15th, as unveiled by anthology editor Carson Buckingham and The Horror Society founder Scott Goriscak.
"Beer & Worms" is notable to probably no one else but me in that a) the title has been in my head since my early 20's (so, approximately 87 years ago), when I passed a hand painted bait shop sign out on the southwest Omaha hinterlands advertising this tantalizing combo nearly every night for several years; and b) it's my first piece completed for publication that moves away from the supernatural, sniffs nothing resembling the cosmic, and embraces a bit o' Noir (albeit in a very non-traditional Noir setting). I call it "Cornfield Noir," and look forward to exploring similar stories in the coming days. I hope this isn't giving too much away about the story. It certainly might be, but regardless, I really enjoyed telling a dark tale that didn't rely on the crutch of the fantastical, which can always be conveniently utilized to get a writer out of a jam, or to artificially sweeten a plot that has more holes in it than the periwinkle mesh shirt my brother wore to the Motley Crue concert back in '86 (Theatre of Pain Tour, natch).
Here is the book description taken from the official CreateSpace (an offshoot of Amazon) ordering website:
A central coast trip that leads to devastating consequences for wine collectors. An adjoining hotel room that isn't what it seems. A long bus trip with a stopover in an eerie little town. You'll visit these places and more in this volume. Or how about the old woman with the strange plant? Or the odd little boy selling lemonade? Perhaps the sideshow lady who just smells so good? You'll meet them all at the turn of a page and they will remain with you long after the book is closed. The Best of the Horror Society 2013 is an anthology of the weird, the wonderful, and the downright wicked. Within you will discover not only the best of emerging horror writers but seasoned pros whose names you will no doubt recognize as well. So turn out the lights, pull up a chair beside the nearest roaring fireplace and enjoy the ride.
Please note the complete ToC below:
FORWORD - Scott M. Goriscak
INTRODUCTION - Carson Buckingham
CEREMONY - William F. Nolan
TENDRILS NEVER LIE - Kevin A. Ranson
THE MASK - Lisamarie Lamb
LEMMINAID - Carson Buckingham
THE CENTRAL COAST - Jason V. Brock
WHITE HELL, WISCONSIN - Weldon Burge
VICTIMIZED - Richard Thomas
NORMAL IS RELATIVE - Dan Dillard
THE PROCEDURE - Doug Lamoreux
THE LITTLE CHURCH OF SAFE CROSSING - Joe McKinney
MADELEINE - Julianne Snow
IT HAS TEETH - Christian A. Larsen
MASQUERADE - Dave Jeffery
BLACK BIRD - Rose Blackthorn
ADJOINING ROOMS - Scott M. Goriscak
THE INSPIRATION & HORROR OF GEORGE & HUGH - Nicholas Grabowsky
THE CLOWN - Henry Snider
MOVING DAY - Mark Onspaugh
ELLEN - Lee Pletzers
DADDY - Aaron Warwick Dries
SOFT LIKE HER - Charles Colyott
VENUS - L.L. Soares
THE LUMINOUS VEIL - Ian Rogers
BEER & WORMS - T.E. Grau
BLACK MARY - Mercedes M. Yardley
THE BOY IN THE ELEVATOR - Robert S. Wilson
WEIRD - Dean M. Drinkel
HOTTIES - Mort Castle
As you can see, this is a vast and varied line-up (28 STORIES!), and I'm pleased as pickled beets to be included in this anthology, sponsored by the nascent The Horror Society, which is a rapidly expanding collective of individuals who work in and support the Horror industry, from fiction to film to comics to fine art.
(my Horror Society profile featuring a seemingly cornball "pondering writer" pic - taken at a very non-cornball moment while Ivy and I were dining in Pike Place Market in Seattle - can be found here)
Please click on THIS LINK to order up 380 pages of the best Horror fiction written by some of the finest authors working in the genre today, and swing by The Horror Society on Facebook to join up.
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