Video Interview with the Tombkeeper!
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

"Tombkeeper" JL Comeau interviewed me on video at the bleary-eyed end of this year's HorrorFind Convention, and our conversation is now available on the fabulous Count Gore de Vol website. -- Mike Arnzen ..
Meet Author Michael Arnzen from Gore De Vol on Vimeo.

Currently listening : Televise By Calla Release date: 2003-01-21

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Horrorfind 08 Report
Category: Parties and Nightlife

For those who like incriminating evidence and tiresome reportage, I've posted a con report for HorrorFind 2008 and the Raw Dog Screaming Press Fifth Anniversary Celebration over at gorelets.com.

Back to it,  -- Mike Arnzen

Currently listening : You & Me By The Walkmen Release date: 2008-08-19

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Podcast Interview at ’Ghost in the Machine’
Category: Podcast

Gail Z. Martin, author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, recently interviewed me for her ongoing series of podcasts with dark fantasy, paranormal and science fiction writers. Our chatty conversation about gore, humor, death and the attraction of horror stories is now available in a podcast on Gail's site, which presently features an all-star roster of writers, including Jeffery Thomas, Tony Ruggiero, Justin Gustainis, Alethea Kontis, and Mark Chadbourn. Gail's latest book is The Blood King, available now from amazon.com, and her new book, Dark Haven is due soon from Solaris Books. Topics we discuss in our interview:

• fantasy vs. realism
• teaching horror in the post-Virginia Tech world
• literary vs. cinematic horror
• death and the draw of horror in a sanitized world
• the cautionary tale -- then and now
• optimism, humor, laughter and impalement in horror fiction

Currently listening : Giving Up the Ghost By Windsor for the Derby Release date: 2005-08-16

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"The Popular Uncanny" now online!
Category: Blogging

I'm building a new weblog called THE POPULAR UNCANNY.  It's a supplement of sorts for my upcoming non-fiction title from Guide Dog Books by the same name.

The book is a critical study of theories of the Uncanny/"das Unheimliche" as they appear in advertising, film, bestsellers, and online.  Chapters include examinations of such topics as the icon of the dismembered hand in the history of horror cinema, and a treatment of the advertiseming world's "Doublemint Twins" as uncanny doppelgangers.  (The Popular Uncanny was originally my doctoral dissertation at the University of Oregon.)

While the entries in the new blog will tend lean toward the "academic" side and may refer to theories not all readers will be familiar with, my hope is that the blog will keep my research fresh and fun while also giving me a place to muse about the weirdness in pop culture -- in addition to raising awareness about theories of the Uncanny.  Comments and recommendations are always welcome.

The site design and structure is still under construction, but posts have already been released on such things as the "gaze" in The Ring and the uncanny in on a new robot exhibit by Talking Heads frontman, David Byrne.  Come on by, anytime.

-- Mike Arnzen

ps. The most recent issue of my horror newsletter, The Goreletter, was mailed out two days ago.  If you did not receive yours let me know -- or if you'd like to subscribe, drop by gorelets.com and sign up free.  There is a special contest with prizes for e-mail subscribers that ends on July 7th, so act soon!

Currently reading : The Nightmare Factory By Joe Harris Release date: 2007-09-04

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Worlds of Horror at HL’s Blog-o-Rama
Category: Blogging

Do you consider yourself a horror fan?  If so, I issue you a challenge in today's guest blog entry over at Horror Library's Blog-o-Rama, in an entry called Worlds of Horror.

-- Mike Arnzen, http://www.gorelets.com

Currently reading : The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics (Mammoth Book of)

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*Rejected* Rejected Wack-ee Packages
Category: Writing and Poetry

Rejected Rejected Wack-ee Packages

PRODUCT NAME: Top Parts
ARTWORK: Toaster sizzling the ears and bleeding noses that spill out of the slots.
REASON FOR REJECTION: Close, but the crusty 'parts' aren't quite pastry-esque enough.. 

PRODUCT NAME: Fearios Breakfast Feareal
ARTWORK: Eyeballs floating in a bowl of blood.
REASON FOR REJECTION: Two fears is one too many.  Eyes too wet for dry cereal.  Try again, maybe with screaming mouth Os?

... keep reading at The Goreletter !

-- Mike Arnzen

Currently listening : Audiovile Release date: 2007-08-14

08:56 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

THE GORELETTER HAS MOVED
Category: Blogging

While changing web hosts recently, I decided to consolidate and upgrade my weblog along with my home page, gorelets.com -- so please come by, update your bookmarks and RSS feeds, leave a comment, and let me know what you think of the new digs.  I've also added a new image gallery to gorelets.com and will be uploading more photos soon!

Please post a link on your own page or help me spread the word.  My pages were dropped from google because of the host change, and your links will help bring it back from the dead.  Do it for the zombie nation, if not for me.

-- Mike Arnzen, http://www.gorelets.com

Currently listening : Abattoir Blues Tour (2CD+2DVD) By Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Release date: 2007-03-20

06:38 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

gorelets.com is changing hosts
Category: Web, HTML, Tech

I'm in the process of changing webhosts for the gorelets.com domain -- the ISP I have had for that site since 2001 is going out of business and that means moving to a new host.

This shouldn't pose any major problems for visitors, but there may be unexpected site outages in the weeks ahead for gorelets.com and The Goreletter. My weblog for The Goreletter will still be up and running; but I may take advantage of the new host to make some changes to how I run that, as well.  If you have any input about what you'd like to see on my website, please let me know and I'll take it into consideration.

If your e-mail to me is returning rejected, try sending it to arnzen@gmail.com as a temporary substitute.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. -- Mike Arnzen

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Proverbs for Monsters Wins Bram Stoker Award!

I’m still stunned, so I’ll keep this relatively short...

The HWA’s Bram Stoker Awards were announced last night in Salt Lake City at the 2008 World Horror Convention.  My book, PROVERBS FOR MONSTERS, tied for the win (along with Peter Straub’s wonderful book, 5 Stories) in the "Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection" category.  This is my fourth Stoker trophy and since this particular award is going to a book that collects stories from across my career, I’m obviously overjoyed.  I’ll be posting the acceptance speech and more on gorelets.com shortly.  But for now, I want to shout out a huge THANKS to the HWA and to anyone who has picked up Proverbs and enjoyed it.

Here’s the full list of winners...and all of these books are just GREAT so if you like horror fiction, this is the stuff you should be reading, folks!:

Bram Stoker Award Winners 2008

Superior Achievement in a Novel
THE MISSING by Sarah Langan (Harper)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
AFTERWARD, THERE WILL BE A HALLWAY by Gary Braunbeck (Five Strokes to Midnight)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
THE GENTLE BRUSH OF WINGS by David Niall Wilson (Defining Moments)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology
FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT edited by Gary Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble (Haunted Pelican Press)

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
PROVERBS FOR MONSTERS by Michael A. Arnzen (Dark Regions Press)
5 STORIES by Peter Straub (Borderlands)

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
THE CRYPTOPEDIA: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange & Downright Bizarre by Jonathan Maberry & David F. Kramer (Citadel Press / Kensington)

Superior Achievement in Poetry
BEING FULL OF LIGHT, INSUBSTANTIAL by Linda Addison (Space and Time)
VECTORS: A WEEK IN THE DEATH OF A PLANET by Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon (Dark Regions Press)

HWA Lifetime Achievement Award:  John Carpenter & Robert Weinberg

***

For more information about the Stoker awards, visit the Horror Writers Association.

For more information about Proverbs for Monsters, see my website, Gorelets.com or pick up a copy at the Horror Mall.

Back to celebrating...  Cheers!  -- Mike Arnzen

07:09 AM - 15 Comments - 30 Kudos - Add Comment

Grim Henzon Productions
Category: Writing and Poetry

GRIM HENZON PRODUCTIONS
by Michael A. Arnzen

Wormit the Legless Frog Everybody's lovable green buddy crawls back from the grave on his two lanky arms, his backside grotesquely tapered much like the tadpole he once was. He haunts the parking lots of French restaurants...and in his nasal-congested voice cries out for "leggggsss!" He leaves a snotty trail behind him. He is frequently run over by cars.

Googee Monster He chaotically throws fistfuls of cookies into his mouth, munching wildly, growling "Gooooogeeee." Sometimes you can see his razor-sharp teeth cutting into his own bloody gums. And sometimes you see human fingers jumbling in the mouth fuzz, and they're not the puppeteer's.

Clownt von Clownt Combining the worst elements of a vampire and a clown, Clownt von Clownt's lofty domed forehead broods above the eyes and mouth painted not with grease but with the blood of the innocent. But he is tortured with immortal irony. He loads the chambers of his revolver with five blanks and one live round, playing Russian Roulette in front of the camera. "Uh-one," click. "Uh-two," click! "Uh-three...," BAM! And the pointy teeth go flying.

Big Dead Bird His yellow feathers are fading and falling out. Patches of death-pale gooseflesh are visible everywhere. But worse: large earthworms writhe in his Big Rib Cage. His enormous eyes are always closed. He smells. Badly. The children avoid him.

Shuffleupeatus This shy wooly mammoth is oh so cute...and everyone thinks he's just Big Dead Bird's imaginary friend, until he shuffles up within trunk-grabbing distance of you. His trunk is always larger than the children calculate. He teaches them how to count with each determined mash of their bones between his perfect, poisonous tusks. They never really get past three.

Burnie and Dirt Burnie died in the apartment building fire, but now he's back from the grave along with his old pal Dirt, his old roommate, who he now carries around in a funerary urn. Dirt perpetually reminds Burnie that the fire was all his fault and that he warned him and he should have listened...when he's not otherwise whining about having to share his urn with Rubber Duckie. Together they roam the streets, forever homeless, seeking a bathtub.

Scar the Grump There's nothing but scabrous tissue where you thought you'd see lips. He's still a grouch, but at least his nonstop complaining is less annoying, all mumbles and muffled screams behind that stretchy scab where his mouth should have been. His trashcan abode bears the placard for biomedical waste.

Smellmo No one wants to tickle this stinky scab-colored creature (especially not in those nasty underarms), but that doesn't stop this monstrosity from sitting in the alleyway, tickling himself in the dark shadows, chortling with perverse glee.

O-ver This skinny blue corpse dons his grim reaper cowl and scythe. He has come back to the Street, with a lesson to teach the little ones....

***
Related Viewing:
Tickle Me Emo

The above is excerpted from the upcoming issue of THE GORELETTER, which is seeking new subscribers. You should subscribe to this award-winning e-mail newsletter now to get more weirdness like this, to keep up with Arnzen, be eligible for contests, get exclusive coupons to horror genre goodies, and more.

Currently listening : The Dio Years By Black Sabbath Release date: 11 March, 2008

07:37 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A Finalist for Bram Stoker Award!
Category: Writing and Poetry

The 2007 Bram Stoker Award Finalists have been announced, and I'm proud to report that my story collection, Proverbs for Monsters, is a contender in the category for "Outstanding Achievement in a Fiction Collection".

This is no trivial thing, and given that this book is a retrospective look at my career's work to date, I'm not only elated, but honored. Thanks to everyone who's written in to pat me on the back. I appreciate it.

And congratulations are due to ALL the nominees...every one of them is quite deserving of the award and your attention. If you're a horror fan, this annual award list is really a guide to what you should be reading in the genre, I think. You can probably find many of them at Shocklines.com and the Horror Mall. So go forth and shiver.

-- Mike Arnzen, gorelets.com  

08:22 AM - 8 Comments - 18 Kudos - Add Comment

Arnzen Week at Fearzone
Category: Writing and Poetry

It's been Arnzen week at Fear Zone, one of my favorite horror news sites... they've gone live now with an exclusive excerpt from my new novelette, The Bitchfight...a review of the book that reads like a charm...and a funky interview conducted by the inimitable Mr. Jeff Strand. All good fun, right here:

fearzone.com

And to learn more about The Bitchfight, visit Horror Mall or my website gorelets.com.

Did I tell you that you can download the full disc of Audiovile from The Horror Mall?  Check them out.

A new issue of The Goreletter is going to delivered in the next few weeks, so please drop by gorelets.com and sign up if you don't want to miss out on any exclusive contests, etc.

Cheers, Mike Arnzen

Currently listening : One Step More and You Die By Mono Release date: 08 April, 2003

06:05 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

At The Horror Mall
Current mood: cooky/wacky
Category: Writing and Poetry

The Horror Mall: Dark Oddities Emporium now has a cool Arnzen shop where you can find collectables and brand books.... like the just-announced preorder for my latest novelette (coming in Feb from Bad Moon Books): THE BITCHFIGHT!

"The Bitchfight is like a nesting doll of depravity -- every time you think Arnzen has maxed-out the possible weirdness level, he pops open another doll and there's something even more f*cked up inside. But, hey, it's a Mike Arnzen story, which by definition means that it is: a) utterly demented, and b) utterly brilliant. Another twisted classic from one of my all-time favorite authors." -- Jeff Strand, author of Pressure

 Visit The Goreletter for more news as it breaks! -- Mike Arnzen

Currently listening : Philosophy And Underwear By Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds Release date: 31 January, 2006

07:36 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

PROPSgiving
Category: Friends

I've been so busy that my Thanksgiving has been delayed for a few weeks (and I'm thinking about cancelling Xmas altogether!).  But it is time to give thanks.  My new book, Proverbs for Monsters -- now available for sale from Horror Mall, Amazon.com, publisher Dark Regions Press, and other stores -- couldn't have been what it is without the help of a lot of people who contributed in one form or another.  I figure they deserve a virtual round of applause, along with my deeply felt thanks. 

So if you're browsing around the web, bored out of your skull with nothing better to do (after all why are you here?), then go check out their websites in the narrative that follows!  You'll be entertained...and I bet you'll find some excellent holiday gifts that you wouldn't have found at the local mall.

Horror humorist Mark McLaughlin collaborated with me on two of the stories.  Check out his new myspace profile for The Great Sewer Clam who Thinks Brains are Yummy.

Bizarro surrealist Vincent Sakowski was the editor that Raw Dog Screaming sic'd on me for my book, 100 Jolts: Shockingly Short Stories -- and his feedback was amazing.  In fact, he added so many funny comments and ideas to the story, "Stabbing for Dummies" (the musical version is available in Audiovile!) that he deserved a co-author credit.  Check out his myspace profile to learn about his hot new title, Misadventures in a Thumbnail Universe!

The designer and layout guru who worked on this book behind the scenes is David Barnett, who also runs his own press -- Necro Publications --  which has just released preorders for some awesome books by my myspace buddies, Gerard Houarner, Ed Lee, and Adrienne Jones (I've just read her book Gypsies Stole My Tequila and recommended it for a Stoker Award... it is HIGH-LARRY- US!)

See that cool multi-headed creature on the cover art yet?  There's more where that came from inside the pages of Proverbs for Monsters.  Matt Schuster added a handful of neat imaginary creatures to the book...and I love it.  He is definitely a one-of-a-kind artist!  Visit his gallery at MPS Industries and by all means check out his artwork in the stupendously cool artist collaborative, ODDICA!

And finally, this book would not exist without the efforts of publishers Joe Morey and Bobbi Sinha Morey at Dark Regions Press.  Visit their site for information on not only Proverbs for Monsters, but all sorts of cool new titles by the likes of Jeffrey Thomas, James S. Dorr, and Bruce Boston. 

To learn more about Proverbs for Monsters -- like what's in it, where to buy it, or what people have been saying about it -- just head on over to my horror website:  gorelets.com

Thanks again to all...and all of you who continue to read this stuff. -- Michael Arnzen

Currently listening : This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation By Various Artists Release date: 17 July, 2001

08:42 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Zombiefest
Category: Writing and Poetry

I had a lot of fun hanging out with the undead at Zombiefest 2007 at the Monroeville Mall (site of Dawn of the Dead) last weekend.  See Raw Dog Screaming Press' photo account of the event, along with Greg Lambersons coverage at FearZone.com for details.  I've also uploaded a few shots to my "events" album (myspace pics).

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interviewed me at the convention, which you can read now in an article called "Little Things Mean a Lot in Horror Writing"

I've been doing a number of public readings throughout the Halloween season, and I've recorded almost all of them... I'm currently sorting through these and pulling out some gems for a very limited edition CD I'm working up that will accompany the hardcover edition of a book I'm working up for Bad Moon Books (tentatively titled "The Bitchfight") Fans of Audiovile might want to keep their eyes peeled for that.  Expect me to post an audio outtake of some kind here on myspace in the near future.  You can find Bad Moon titles and more at the new online horror bookstore, Horror Mall.

Currently listening : Talk Normal: A Laurie Anderson Anthology By Laurie Anderson Release date: 17 October, 2000

06:24 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment