Now that the cat is well out of the bag and skittering down the street, I may as well formally announce that I recently signed a publishing deal with This Is Horror for one, and possibly two, novellas to be published in mid 2016.
As for my reaction to the news, I think my quote available in the article says it best:
"I’m incredibly excited to announce my commission by This Is Horror to write a new work of fiction under their proud banner.
In writing this book, I get the opportunity to work with Michael, Dan, and the whole This Is Horror crew, an outfit that seems to have exploded onto the scene with world-class works of contemporary horror fiction. Joining a roster that includes such names as Nathan Ballingrud, Ray Cluley, Gary McMahon, and Stephen Graham Jones is quite the honor, and I’m delighted by the opportunity.
This will be my first release of new fiction after my debut collection The Nameless Dark, and I’m hoping my new work lives up to the incredibly high standard set by This Is Horror, with the aim of entertaining – and hopefully unsettling – the hell out of their readership."
In related news, I conducted an interview with Michael David Wilson and Dan Hovarth of the famed This Is Horror Podcast a few weeks back, and it just went live this afternoon. Follow this link and give a listen.
We covered a lot of ground, including my journey from fantasy to dark fiction, the horror of screenwriting, judging a book by its cover, the state of speculative fiction, my recent collection and upcoming works, the pros and cons of technology, why wives make the best editors, simplistic writing advice, the importance of reading Lawrence Block, Flannery O'Connor as literary Azathoth, and my unabashed love for most things British. And maybe a couple of other bits.
Give it a go if you have a spare hour, seven minutes, and forty-four seconds.
I'm excited and grateful to be hooked up with This Is Horror in 2016, and hope readers dig the new work. Stay close for more details as they become available.
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| In this podcast T.E. Grau talks about The Nameless Dark, screenwriting, technology, dark fiction and much more. |
Show Notes:
[01:50] Interview start
[02:15] Initial interest in horror
[06:35] Screenwriting’s influence on fiction writing
[08:22] ‘Expat’
[10:10] Crossing genres
[15:00] The release of The Nameless Dark
[17:45] Cover art
[35:50] Writing process
[38:10] Best piece of writing advice
[43:50] Best things happening in dark fiction today
[53:20] Advantages and disadvantages of technology for writers and readers
[56:50] British scene
[58:10] New T.E. Grau release in 2016
[01:02:25] Connect with T.E. Grau
[01:03:00] Writers that intimidate Grau
[01:05:50] Competition time
I have to say that this podcast interview has changed my life. Hearing you speak so frankly about cutting out the fluff and writing clean, about how you can build a story from the ending backwards, from a cool piece of dialogue or a great paragraph ... man, I feel like you've tapped right into all of those thoughts that jumped into my brain that I had to smack down because of years of traditional A to Z writer advice. Also, I loved hearing about how you've got Ivy as your editor. I'm married to a woman who's got an editor brain, too, and I feel like she's my secret weapon. Even if sometimes she hands me back a stack of pages covered in red ink and says, "You need an actual story in your story." It's brutal, and I want to argue, but I know deep down she's right.
ReplyDeleteIt's just really, really nice to hear about someone I can relate to so much. Thanks for sharing!
I'm looking forward to your project with This is Horror later this year! I'll pre-order that on as soon as I can.
Man, I'm so glad this interview resonated with you, Jake, and thank you for responding. It's satisfying to know that these sorts of things are doing some good.
ReplyDeleteYes, the first reaction to editorial notes is always to be defensive. I struggled with that for a LONG time. Luckily, Ivy is patient and amazing, and once I finally got over myself, my writing improved dramatically, taking a step from high schoolish preening to actually telling a story. I owe it all to her. I'm glad you have someone who can do that for you, as well.
Thanks for the interest in my This Is Horror novella, titled "They Don't Come Home Anymore." I'm finishing it up in the next week, and then off to the TIH brass. I'll be sure to post up something here when pre-orders begin.