Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities ARC Now Available for Official Review

As of the break of this misty, warm morning, I currently have in my possession an ARC of Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities, which I will send to legitimate book reviewers, review sites, genre-centric blogs, and publications, albeit after a lengthy and most likely painful vetting process that is sure to involve goatskin documents signed in blood.

To receive your PDF copy, which will systematically self-destruct upon reading the last word on the final page, please contact me at thecosmicomicon@yahoo.com.

The book itself, which contains my tale "The Screamer", is a gritty, beautiful beast, with fantastic interior art adorning stories by high level practitioners of the Eldritch Arts (listed here), housed inside a cover by Mythos Master Paul Carrick.  Put simply, your efforts will not go unrewarded.

For those who are link-blind, Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities can and should definitely be ordered here.

Thanks in advance for doing your part.

Publishing News: Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities Released Today by H. Harksen Productions, Featuring 'The Screamer' and a Cover by Paul Carrick

Cover art (c) by Paul Carrick

As of Tuesday, April 10th, you are now literally days away (depending on shipping time to whatever far flung location you call home) from consuming Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities, edited by Henrik Sanbeck Harksen and published through his stellar imprint H. Harksen Productions, in the cozy comfort and relative safety of the six walls that surround you.

I've been anxiously awaiting this release for months, as I'm quite excited to share my story "The Screamer" with a wider audience.  It's the longest piece I've ever written, and was the most grueling to construct and refine.  Special thanks to my beloved Ives for the incredibly thorough editing she did on the tale, and for unlocking the ending that had been plaguing me for so long.  I wouldn't have found "The Screamer" without her.

Check back through these past two blogs (here and here) to get further information and other pretty pictures, or better yet, click your happy ass over to Lulu.com (link to Amazon coming soon) to order Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities while the first printing is still available to the gibbering masses.  The Aklonomicon recently sold out of its first run, and I can foresee the same happening for this anticipated monster.

Just as a refresher, I'll provide the table of contents below:

CONTENTS: 

“Dancer of the Dying” by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
“The Neighbors Upstairs” by John Goodrich
“Carcosapunk” by Glynn Owen Barrass
“Architect Eyes” by Thomas Strømsholt
“Slou” by Robert Tangiers
“Ozeelah’s Lake” by Morten Carlsen
“The Statement of Frank Elwood” by Pete Rawlik
“In the Shadow of Bh’Yhlun” by Ian Davey
“The Screamer” by T. E. Grau
“Night Life” by Henrik Sandbeck Harksen
“the guilt of each … at the end…” by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

And here is the back cover blurb, for those who aren't keen to squint at the wraparound cover art above (the next size up for the cover image nearly ate the top of my top):

What lurks in the damp recesses of urban existence? 

These new tales of weird fiction are a blend of urban horror, pulp noir and dark fantasy. Lovecraftian horrors and Cthulhu Mythos monsters have never been this gritty. 
From haunted Kingsport across the globe to shadowy Berlin and the otherworldly music of Bangalore. From kind, sexy neighbors to cyberpunk paranoia an The King in Yellow. A journalist's search with unexpected results. What really happened to Walter Gilman, and what is the origin of the witch Keziah Mason? And witness humanity fail against the forces from beyond  

From weird sounds to screams of madness. 
Entropy. Chaos. Disorder. Death.  

Beneath cities, on the outskirts of ruined, aeon-old cities and INSIDE cities. The stench, the decay, the hopelesness... it is everywhere.  

Welcome to URBAN CTHULHU: NIGHTMARE CITIES.

As mentioned in the header, the cover is by one of my personal fave Mythos artists Paul Carrick, who shows us how nightmares are made in stop motion below:



If you are a fan of Lovecraftian fiction, cosmic horror, dark urban fantasy, or just twisted shit that happens on the land paved over by human (and sometimes inhuman) hands, order Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities right friggin' now.

It's better to bring it home, than to have it find you.

Publishing News: Aklonomicon Now Shipping, Featuring Original Tales 'Flutes' and 'In the Cave, She Sang' with Art by Paul Carrick

We create, rear, then eventually bid farewell to a loved one, freeing it to the slings and arrows of the wider world.  Then we wait, watching the horizons and ships sailing back to port, newly adorned with silks and spices and faces that we don't recognize.  This is the way of things.

Then one day, a fierce vessel crests the waterline, flying a flag both familiar yet excitingly new, cradling on deck that which you wrought from your flesh and soul, surrounded by a band of new resolute brothers and sisters, all paying fealty to a similar cause.  All bound together under the banner of a New Mission.

After much waiting at the harbor docks, I'm proud and thrilled to announce the highly and long-awaited Aklonomicon has arrived in bulk at the offices of Aklo Press, carrying two of my babies, and is now ready for immediate order.

Yes, the day has finally arrived, and the uninitiated should sit straight, act right, and take note.  This is a big deal, folks, as this is a BIG book with BIG names and BIG ambition, as it's not just another anthology of short fiction, its a multimedia neck kick to your quivering senses.  It's fiction and art and poetry and comics and mash-ups and weirdness and terror and beauty and dread from every corner of the speculative fiction omniverse.  It's Lovecraftian.  It's "Big W" Weird.

It's the Aklonomicon, and few have been akin to it before, and few will be afterwards.

And now it's ready to order by clicking right here.

Where else can you get the work of such mad alchemists as Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Simon Strantzas, Nick Gucker, Paul Carrick, Joe Pulver, JD Busch, Jordan Krall, Garrett Cook, Mike Dubisch, Edward Morris, Ivan McCann, Andrea Bonazzi, Nova McIntosh, Kristamas Klousch, Scott Nicolay, Steve Lines, Livia Llewellyn, Kirill Rozhkov, Brandi Jording, Jason Roberts, Eric Reinert, Tara Vanflower, Daniele Serra, Michael Zigerlig, Johnny Mains, Jeff Thomas, Eric York, Jacob Parmentier, Ann Koi, J Karl Bogartte, Stan Sargent, Tom Moran, David Lee Ingersoll, and Daniel Mills - all under one Dave Carson cover?

I'll answer that for you, silly samurai - You can't.   That's what makes the Aklonomicon so special, and so worthy of your close, heated attention.

I was lucky enough to sneak two of my stories, "Flutes" and "In the Cave, She Sang", under the door just before lights out, and the next morning, art by Master Paul Carrick somehow managed to grow on top of each respective manuscript like a vile, gorgeous lichen.  The patterns that took shape look something like this:

Read more about Paul's art for my two stories here, in Cosmicomicon cycles past.

Welp, I think you and I will both agree that I've spilled enough electronic ink onto ethery pages about this tome, as a quick search of this very blog will bare witness.  My job is over.  Now it's your turn to heed my advice, and warnings, and order this blasphemous creation RIGHT HERE.

Failure to do so could cost you more than you now presently know.

Publishing News: Full Table of Contents and Cover Image Finally Revealed for 'Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities', Edited by Henrik Sandbeck Harksen for H. Harksen Productions

Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities cover by Paul Carrick

March should be a damn good month for devoted readers - and writers - of the Weird, the Cosmic, and the Lovecraftian.

Not only will it see the release of the Aklonomicon, compiled and edited by madcap talented Aklo Press founder Ivan McCann and the legendary Joseph S. Pulver, but it will also go down in barnacled annals of history as the month that saw the release of another monumental tome, titled Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities, edited by Danish Lovecraftian/horror fiction writer, editor, publisher, and Cyclopean pillar Henrik Sandbeck Harksen, released via his extremely active H. Harken Productions, which has several fantastic books coming out this year, including The Eltdown Shards by Franklyn Searight and the Lovecraftian anthology Whisperers in Darkness, among others, listed here.

My personal tie between the Aklonomicon and Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities also extends to the artistic realm, as Paul Carrick - the conjurer who unleashed the cover above - also provided original artwork for and based on my two stories in the Aklonomicon.  As mentioned previously in The Cosmicomicon, I almost can't believe that my writing is now adorned, in even a small way, by Paul's art, which has been a favorite of mine since I first stumbled across the name "Cthulhu" in some tattered tome so many gibbous moons ago.  Paul is a true Lovecraftian legend, and a proud ambassador and trailblazer in the visual interpretation of things often left partially/vaguely described.  He's the terrifying Cliff's Notes of Cosmic Horror and Dark Fantasy, allowing the reader a mind-bending cheat sheet in the endeavor to visualize the unnameable, helping our feeble human minds to correlate a dangerous amount of its contents.  What would we do without magicians like him?

Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities has been flying under the radar for quite some time, as Henrik isn't one to flash his impressive literary plumage.  So, being the often overly enthusiastic fanboy of all of my esteemed colleagues, I'll do the shouting for him, by releasing the Table of Contents below, from Henrik's recent blog on the subject:

CONTENTS: 

“Dancer of the Dying” by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
“The Neighbors Upstairs” by John Goodrich
“Carcosapunk” by Glynn Owen Barrass
“Architect Eyes” by Thomas Strømsholt
“Slou” by Robert Tangiers
“Ozeelah’s Lake” by Morten Carlsen
“The Statement of Frank Elwood” by Pete Rawlik
“In the Shadow of Bh’Yhlun” by Ian Davey
“The Screamer” by T. E. Grau
“Night Life” by Henrik Sandbeck Harksen
“the guilt of each … at the end…” by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

As you can see, the ToC of this anthology is noticeably sparse, reflecting a devotion to showcasing larger works in the anthology format (penned by an exciting line-up of well known names, and some that are new to my eye).  This focus includes my story, "The Screamer," which is my longest piece to date, and perhaps the most personal, as it deals with the strangeness (and worse) that can fester amid the white collar, office drone high rises of west Los Angeles.  "Urban" doesn't necessarily just apply to gritty streets, blighted neighborhoods, and gangland gun battles, as a deeper horror can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.

I'll go into a bit more detail about the story once the tome is finally released, and I once again send out a barrage of electronic smoke signals to possibly annoy and hopefully delight.  But for now, I wanted to get this glimpse of what's coming for you out into the ether, and plant a spore in your brain as we creep toward the anticipated birth of Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities.

Watch this space for the release announcement, and in the meantime, hazard an occasional look out those cold, office building windows.  You never know what could be taking place on the other side of the glass while we all face our computerized headmasters, counting down the minutes...

Publishing News: Aklonomicon Unveils Cover by Dave Carson, Anthology Now Available for Pre-Order Direct from Publisher Aklo Press

Aklonomicon cover art by the legendary Dave Carson

The day draws nigh, true Believers, when the language of Aklo shall be once again loosed upon this unprepared land.

For those new to this world, who have forgotten the last several cycles, Aklo is - according to ChtulhuWiki (courtesy of the beloved Yog-Sothoth.com) - briefly described as the following:

The Aklo language is a fictional language system which appeared in Arthur Machen's short story The White People.  H.P. Lovecraft used the Aklo in a number of his stories, most notably The Dunwich Horror and The Diary of Alonzo Typer. 

...  Although Aklo can be used for communication its primary usage is in incantations and prayers...

"Incantations and prayers"...  Conjuring.  Magick.  The language of Forgotten Gods sleeping in the shadow of dead stars, who can still hear the pleas of those who know how to ask as they dream their way toward us.

AKLO!

This foul gibbering of primal origin is spoken by warp riders Ivan McCann and Joseph S. Pulver, who have gathered together others of a similar ken, to sing their songs in nighted clearings dotted with curiously arranged stones.  Together, McCann and Pulver have expertly orchestrated this unhallowed chorus like maestro Magi, transcribing these terrifying psalms into nearly FIVE HUNDRED PAGES of paeans to the dark, the dreadful, the unclean. Writers, poets, painters, illustrators, and other mad creatives from around the globe received the sharp, suddenly tap on the shoulder to add their pound of flesh to this newly minted black book, and all responded with feverish zeal.

Thus was born the Aklonomicon, populated by the finest practitioners of the darkly written and bloody visual arts, who have built a singular dread folio that should blow the nailed-shut doors off of all that has come before it.  The unquiet ghosts of von Junzt, of Alhazred himself, will sit up and take notice once these pages are exposed to the outside air.

Ware the Aklonomicon, for it is unwholesome and able.

Ware the Aklonomicon, for it seeks to unmake you.

For those bold enough to wade in, neck deep, as the ground drops away below, the Aklonomicon can currently be pre-ordered by contacting Ivan McCann directly through his Facebook page.  If you're not on Facebook, you are to be both praised and mocked in equal fashion.  After this odd dressing up and dressing down, contact me at cosmicomicon@gmail.com, and I'll make the necessary arrangements to hook up your sweet-ass pre-order.

For more on the inestimable Dave Carson, check out his home page at Cthulhuart.com.

As noted in blogs previous (here and here), I'm blessed to have two respective tales published in the Aklonomicon, "Flutes," and "In the Cave, She Sang," both of which feature specially crafted artwork by Mythos icon and uncoiling nightserpant Paul Carrick (previously posted here).

Don't let this one slip through your cold, clattering claws, gentle readers.  I'm a pretty excitable fella, but I can say without hyperbole that the Aklonomicon is going to be a multi-media, printed and bound EVENT that you dare not miss.  The scope, vision and pure balls of this undertaking is something that will echo down through the ages.

You're not imagining things.  Those strange whispers in a language both repugnant yet somehow familiar are real.  Something small inside you remembers, even if everything else refuses.  Aklo...

Get It, before It gets you.  Or before we do.

Publishing News: A Blog About a Blog About a Blog and the Aklonomicon... And Paul Carrick

In case you haven't noticed, I've written about Paul Carrick before.  And yes, by now, everyone knows about my mad Mythos-crush on the artist who first allowed me to dare to dream what Lovecraft's creatures could be, in terms of scope, size, and texture.  I mean, hell, just take a gander at my "Words in the Wheelhouse" section of The Cosmicomicon and witness how many times Paul's name - prior to publishing this blog - has popped up on these very pages:

H.P. Lovecraft (8) Lovecraftian (8) God (5) Miskatonic River Press (5) Publishing News (5) Cthulhu (4) Dead But Dreaming 2 (4) Paul Carrick (4) zombies (4) Aklonomicon 

So, you as you can see, I place him in high regard, just below a Great Old One, and just above the trendiest new undead craze this side of preening teen vampires sporting eyeliner and crushing ennui.  More seriously, this shows just what I think of Paul's work not just as an artist, but also as a devoted and long-time Lovecraftian.  He's important to The Scene.  He's part of the New Roots.

I've already spilled the beans about Paul supplying not one but two pieces of original artwork for my respective stories "Flutes" and "In the Cave, She Sang," which will be published this summer in the toothy, hugely anticipated anthology the Aklonomicon, edited by artist/publisher Ivan McCann and award-winning mad poet and bEast of Berlin Joseph S. Pulver Sr. for Aklo Press.

Well, Paul recently unveiled his two pieces created specifically for my work via his Nightserpent blog.  I now return the favor, creating some sort of reverse linkage, blogging about a blog and a blog and now this blog that just makes my head hurt.  But I sometimes like it when my head hurts.  It means that I'm still alive, and often that something PROFOUND is taking place inside (or just acts as a reminder that I'm getting old and hangovers appreciate with age).

I first viewed his two Aklonomicon pieces a few weeks back, and have since peeled myself off the wall in gibbering excitement.  Now that Paul unleashed his noxious babies into the ether, I figure it's my turn to beam a little with coattail-riding pride at the stellar work he has done, born - in part - by the imagery of my prose.  So...

BOOM!  JAM THESE BAD JACKS INTO YOUR BRAIN HOLES, SUCKAS!:

This first piece is for my story titled "Flutes," which gives a glimpse at what might go wrong when humans start smashing very tiny particles in giant machines deep under the ground.

This second piece is for my story "In the Cave, She Sang..." about the fateful night on New Years Eve, 1968, when Charles Manson trudged up into the hills of Death Valley with a few worms in his pocket to decide the fate of the world.  It could have gone either way, until he heard that song in the cave....  This story was inspired by a seed implanted in my brain by one Mr. Pulver himself.  As a way to pay homage, That Which Paul Wrought above is my nod to him by way of Mythosian avatar (no, not the animated series or the billion dollar movie, silly).  It's beyond exciting to see what has only lived inside your (sometimes throbbing) gourd leap into line, color, and shadow and light.  Into writhing, pulsating life.  It's a writer's dream.

Keep your peeled grapes glued to this space for more announcements about the Aklonomicon and Aklo Press, as the summer heats up, trees die so books can live, and the nights get darker later, and far noisier, as things crawl to the surface to breath the humid air and bask under queer stars...

Publishing News: Table of Contents for "Aklonomicon" Released Today

I haven't discussed this hugely ambitious and potentially groundbreaking anthology project much to this point, as I'm waiting for a few more details to congeal, but based on the following ToC and the sickly talented names contained therein, the Aklonomicon - edited by publisher/artist Ivan McCann and famed dark poet/noir mage/gristle-fed horror writer Joseph S. Pulver for brawny upstart Aklo Press - could be a rarefied, multidimensional experience for the inner and outer eye.

I mean, just take a gander at the assembled clan:
_________________________________________________________________________

AKLONOMICON TABLE OF CONTENTS

DAVE CARSON COVERS

ANDREA BONAZZI FRONTISPIECE

“CAPTURED IN OILS” BY SIMON STRANTZAS WITH ART BY IVAN MCCANN

“HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN” BY EDWARD MORRIS WITH ART BY STEVE LINES

“TRUCKEE STOMP”, “CRACK”, “FEDERAL MANHUNT..”, “FINISHED WITH SANDBURG” POEMS BY LAIRD BARRON WITH ART BY JD BUSCH

“THE GIRLS OF THE WORLD” BY LIVIA LLEWELLYN WITH ART BY KIRILL ROZHKOV

MIKE DUBISCH ART WITH TEXT BY JOE PULVER

“SWAMP DREAMS” BY ROBIN SPRIGGS WITH ART BY ROB SMITTS

“FLUTES” BY T.E. GRAU WITH ART BY PAUL CARRICK

“LETTERS TO G.G.” POEMS BY B.R. JORDING WITH ART BY JASON ROBERTS

“NIGHTMARES IN A PAMPINIFORM MIND” BY JORDAN KRALL WITH ART BY ERIC REINERT

“TIME AND FOREVER” POEM BY JOE PULVER AND TARA VANFLOWER WITH ART BY DANIELE SERRA

“NEVER CALL ANUBIS LOKI’S ROBOTS CHEAP SHIT” BY JOE PULVER, GARRETT COOK AND JORDAN KRALL WITH ART BY NICK GUCKER

“THE BOOK” COMIC BY MICHAEL ZIGERLIG

“HEAD SOUP” BY JOHNNY MAINS WITH ART BY IVAN MCCANN

“WHEN SHE SHINES, POEMS... LIKE CHALICES” POEM BY NOVA RUPERTUS AND JOE PULVER

“COUNTERCLOCKWISE” BY JEFF THOMAS WITH ART BY ERIC YORK

“BRIAN’S GIRL” BY GARRETT COOK WITH ART BY JACOB PARMENTIER

“SILVER NIGHT TRAIN” AND “THE GOD OF SUBURBIA” POEMS BY LIVIA LLEWELLYN WITH ART BY KIRILL ROZHKOV

“NYARLATHOTEP PAINTING” BY ANN KOI WITH TEXT BY JOE PULVER

“IN THE CAVE SHE SANG” BY T.E. GRAU WITH ART BY PAUL CARRICK

"KRISTAMAS AS AN EXHIBITION" PHOTOS BY KRISTAMAS KLOUSCH AND TEXT BY JOE PULVER

“ANA KAI TANGATA” BY SCOTT NICOLAY WITH ART BY JD BUSCH

“THE HANDS OF SOPIALE” TEXT AND ART BY J KARL BOGARTTE

“LORD OF THE HUNT” BY LIVIA LLEWELLYN WITH ART BY DANIELE SERRA

“DARK OUTCOME” BY STAN SARGENT WITH ART BY TOM MORAN

“IF COMPANY SHOULD COME” BY ED MORRIS WITH ART BY DAVID LEE INGERSOLL

“WHISPERERS” BY DANIEL MILLS WITH ART BY DAVID LEE INGERSOLL

“FAINT BAYING FROM AFAR” BY RICHARD GAVIN WITH ART BY DAVE CARSON

"ZYGOTE'S FABLES" BY ERIC YORK WILL ALSO BE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE TOME

_______________________________________________________________________

For the second time this year (with many more to come), I'm truly, truly humbled to be listed amongst the giants of dark fantasy and speculative/horror fiction, poetry and visual art working today.  Once this sucker drops, I think it just might set a new standard in scope, style, and substance.

On a personal note, the first bit of Lovecraftian art I ever purchased was from Paul Carrick, who has always been a favorite of mine, and was the first Lovecraftian artist - along with Dave Carson - that I considered a true rock star in the scene.  Well, friends and fruits, as it sits today, Paul Carrick has agreed to attach not one but TWO of his mind bending works of Mythosy mad art to my respective Aklonomicon stories, "Flutes" and "In the Cave, She Sang."

Yes, Mr. Carrick.  You ARE that dashing.

Aside from working closely with Joe on the creative seeds of "In the Cave, She Sang," having Paul's cosmic, bubbling pigments accompanying my humble words is an honor beyond comprehension, and makes Aklonomicon so special and exciting.

"Cthulhu" by Paul Carrick - I have this beautiful girl hanging on my wall

"Azathoth" by Paul Carrick - Is that a Servitor Flautist I see?  Hmmm...

I must have dug ditches in one of the danker levels of Hades in a former life, cuz I'm living high on the hill in this one...

"Dissecting Cthulhu: Essays on the Cthulhu Mythos" - Edited by S. T. Joshi For MRP

As announced and recently updated on Yog-Sothoth.com, Tom Lynch of Miskatonic River Press has commissioned famed Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi to compile and edit a new collection of essays dedicated to the distillation of HPL's much talked about but rarely deeply analyzed Cthulhu Mythos, even as "The Big C" becomes more and more ingrained into the pop culture landscape (Cthulhu Doggie Sweaters! Cthulhu Beer Koozies! Cthulhu: The Androgynous Boy Band!).

From S. T.'s blog:

Tom Lynch of Miskatonic River Press has commissioned me to assemble a volume of essays on the Cthulhu Mythos, which will include well-known essays by Richard L. Tierney, Dirk W. Mosig, David E. Schultz, Robert M. Price, Will Murray, Robert D. Marten, Steven J. Mariconda, and others. I am again not certain of the schedule of publication, but the volume is already nearly assembled.

The excellent cover is by renowned Mythos artist Paul Carrick (who, rumor has it, is concocting not one but TWO original paintings for my respective stories accepted for publication in Aklonomicon, which is slated for international release in late 2011 by Aklo Press - BUY A T-SHIRT!).

As the release date firms up, I'll keep you posted, nutballs.

Publishing News: Dead But thankfully still Dreaming

 Howdy, weirdos.

Just wanted to take a break from various end-of-year writing deadlines, holiday highjinx, and NOT blogging on The Cosmicomicon to send out a quick publishing update:

Dead But Dreaming 2, the much anticipated follow-up to Dead But Dreaming, recently closed submissions, culled the lot, and shipped off the locked anthology to the Miskatonic River Press Mothership, with my story "Transmission" stowed away aboard.

I really couldn't be happier.  I've always been a fan of Miskatonic River Press, which is deftly tended by the eternally patient and always gracious Tom Lynch, who serves as President and Managing Editor.  Tom, and everyone at MRP (what the cool kids call it), toil endlessly in loving memory of Keith "Doc" Herber, Editor in Chief and CEO of Miskatonic River Press (and co-editor with Ross on Dead But Dreaming), who passed from this dimension on March 13th of 2009.  What Doc left behind was a sizable legacy and rare standard of quality that has made Miskatonic River Press one of the consistently excellent publishers of Lovecraftian fiction and Call of Cthluhu RPG monographs, scenarios, and other gaming materials.

I hear tell that MRP's Kevin Ross, editor of both Dead But Dreaming and Dead But Dreaming 2, doesn't suffer fools lightly, is quite "selective" with what he considers quality Lovecraftian fiction (eschewing simple pastiche), and is certainly no slouch or newby to the weird fiction and Lovecrafitian game based on his impressive resume, which only makes one wonder how my goofy ass got one through the door.  This review from Amazon.com was particularly telling, and indicative of the high standards of the first Dead But Dreaming, and Ross as an editor:

Dead but Dreaming is the finest Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos anthology to see print in a very, very long time (in a strange aeon, if I may...!). Writing in this often-muddled genre gets no better than this. You won't find a lot of "names" herein, but don't let that stop you from buying and reading this amazing tome. Editor Ross set out to collect stories that paid homage to Lovecraft without being trite slaves to his style. This IS, indeed, a collection of Lovecraftian horror, NOT a jumble of pastiches and old-formula Cthulhu Mythos tales. No, this is fresh and enjoyable, with more than a few surprises in store for the reader. Of the fifteen tales presented, there were but a few that didn't "grab" me, and only one that I can actually say I disliked. The majority here are keepers, for sure. As an author, editor, and small press publisher, myself, I have to admit to jealousy on my part: I wish I had been responsible for this book! If you are a fan of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos treat yourself to something very special and buy this book!

Regardless of how it all went down, I'm extremely excited to be included in Dead But Dreaming 2, and eternally grateful for the opportunity to join the hallowed halls of Dead But Dreaming authors, which includes such names as Stephen Mark Rainey, Darrell Schweitzer, Adam Niswander, Mike Minnis, Lisa Morton, Patrick Lestewka, David Barr Kirtley,Walt Jarvis, Brian Scott Hiebert, David Bain, Robin Morris, Mehitobel Wilson, David Annandale, and some British dude named Ramsey Campbell (I've gotta look into him, see if he's done much).

As Kevin Ross would say in his Kevin Ross way, "Okay squids, keep an eye out for this book."

You heard the man.

Tom Lynch, MRP writer/editor/wundkind Oscar Rios, and iconic Lovecraftian artist Paul Carrick (not/rarely pictured, Kevin Ross)

When Viewing the Universe With a Certain Set of Eyes... What Will We See?

How about Azathoth chilling at the center of the Milky Way, for starters.

"Azathoth" (c) by Paul Carrick (http://www.nightserpent.com/)

What else could you call a roiling, gaseous bubble of elemental forces stretching 50,000 light years from tip to tip, that is billowing out of the center of our galaxy?

We were unable to see this until the development and deployment of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, which specializes in the search for gamma radiation, as well as elusive "dark matter," the eldritch stuff that makes up 80% of our known universe, yet has baffled scientists for almost a century.  While on quest, Fermi detected a powerful expulsion of  gamma rays, which are invisible to the naked eye (and capable, apparently, of turning pencil neck scientists into hulking green monsters in tattered purple jorts when agitated), coming from this impossibly massive, bubbling shape towering both above and below our very own galactic plane.  Now, suddenly, we're able to see these mysterious, energy-emitting shapes, which definitely moves us forward in our understanding of the seemingly limitless dimensions of elastic space and time.

Which begs the question:  If this was there all along, looming large, and was only recently seen, what else is out there, or even right HERE, that we cannot see, but is most definitely THERE? Will we see ghosts?  Will we see God?  Will we see GODS?  Should we see ghosts and Gods?  Can our mind handle the knowledge of the things that move unseen around the most likely through us, or are we best left to shortsightedness, boxed up in three ordered dimensions?  Will the extra magnification and the far reaching lenses we send into the very womb of the unknown spacial abyss build us up as a human race, or tear us down with madness and the crushing realization of our own innate insignificance and flimsiness compared to our distant cousins long forgotten, who grew up on the other side of the universal tracks?

With a certain set of eyes, what else will we discover, and will we be glad in our discovery?  Will we one day long for the blindness of ignorance and our old sets of eyes, that saw little, yet kept us safe and blissful in our limited sight, right to the campfire's edge?

Art by Kris Kuksi

What else lurks in the limitless void of darkened chaos that has so far gone unglimpsed?