FREE Subscription to APEX? Yuppers...plus AJ
Current mood: optimistic
Category: Writing and Poetry
Free Subscription Is that not just an absolutely gorgeous cover? Oh yes...oh yes it is. Like so many of the Apex Digest of Science Fiction and Horror covers, this one blew me away. This mag has been my favorite since I discovered it a couple of years ago. I'm a Apex for Life subscriber and when I saw that publisher Jason Sizemore put out a somewhat desperate plea for subscriptions I felt like I needed to help.
SO, I offered a chance for a Free Subscription as a way to draw some more attention to Jason's subscription drive, then a whole lot of other folks have jumped in to help with additional prizes. So pop on over to Shocklines for the details (register for the forum if you haven't already...it's an awesome board with LOTS of well-known genre writers in attendance) and just add a post to the thread. It's TOTALLY easy.
Goodkin You know how it is sometimes when you meet someone and they feel like kin? Well, that's AJ Brown and me. He's like my "little" brother and we have so many strange quirky things in common, you'd think we were really kin...and the best kind, goodkin.
Anyway, AJ has been a great inspiration to me with his talent and unbounded enthusiasm and energy. His love of the art of writing and his undaunted pursuit of a good story has helped to keep me writing sometimes when I didn't think I could, so I'm immensely honored that he dedicated a blog to me. If you have a moment, please stop by and visit AJ Brown's blog at the Horror Library Blog-O-Rama at Blogger or at HLBOR MySpace.
You can visit AJ at his Friday column at the HLBOR and anytime at:
BEASTIAL! And a Sign of Lincoln...
Current mood: hungry
Category: Writing and Poetry
Mister Wolfie Romero I've been too busy to keep up on what's going on with all my writing buddies, but with my stories for the collection complete and the edits almost done, I can breathe a bit and share some tidbits from my friends.
Notably, my pal Bill Carl's book, BEASTIAL: Werewolf Apocalypse is coming out in July from Permuted Press. And the thing that makes this especially notable is the blurb it received from one of the horror genre greats, Ray Garton.
Ray's blurb for BESTIAL: "If you have an appetite for werewolves, this book is an all-you-can-eat buffet! Carl has done for werewolves what Romero did for zombies, and he's done it with flair and a sense of gruesome fun." -- Ray Garton, author of LIVE GIRLS and RAVENOUS
I've dubbed Bill, Mister Wolfie Romero, and I can't wait to have a read of this fine bit of wickedness. Permuted Press (through the Horror Mall) has a nice free shipping pre-order deal if you have a hankering for a little werewolfie apocalypse action.
First Signing I remember my first book signing. It was both exciting and scary. Would anyone stop? Would people buy the book? But I survived and actually enjoyed the whole process. A young and ambitious Horror Library member, author Lincoln Crisler recently had his first signing event. He's in the U.S. Army and has spent time in Afghanistan, so I figure a table at Barnes & Noble was a piece of cake for him.
I haven't had the pleasure of reading his book, Despairs and Delights, but I just wanted to take the time to congratulate him on his first signing. Quite an event for any young writer. Woohoo, Lincoln!
With the Mama's Boy collection done (editing not withstanding), my computer shackles have been removed (for now) and I'm off to have a leisurely breakfast. Wish you were here to join me!
From the Mouths of [Eloquent] Babes
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Writing and Poetry
Speechless Not to go all global and green on you again, but this child's eloquence and passion blew me away. She says it all, speaking what my heart feels.
Tree-Hugging Anyone?
Current mood: optimistic
Category: Writing and Poetry
Oh yes, my friends, I'm a tree-hugger...AND kisser!
Just A Little Change Do me (and my tree buddies) a favor?
Small Favor - When you go to a restaurant or stop in for fast food, use one napkin instead of two. Many of us just grab a handful by habit and millions of napkins and the trees that are cut down to make them are wasted everyday. Same thing with public restrooms, when you wash and dry your hands using those crank paper towel machines - consider cranking out a foot as opposed to three feet of paper towel. Takes a lot less to dry your hands than you may think!
Medium Favor - Switch to cloth napkins at home. Napkins take up very little space in the wash and you'll save a ton of money. I've bought a variety of colors and textures for everyday use and I've picked them up for 50 cents to a dollar each on the clearance racks at Target. I keep a basket of them on the kitchen counter.
BIG Favor - Switch to recycled paper products for your paper towels and toilet paper (our Stop and Shop carries it now - also Trader Joes). We did this last year. I used to think these products wouldn't be very good, but they're actually very good quality. They're more expensive, but 1) that makes us conscious over overusing them, 2) we'll pay in many other nasty ways such as pollution and deforestation 3) they use some nasty chemicals for bleaching paper in commercial toilet paper and paper towels...not nice for the bum or for things that may be associated with food (like microwaving...which btw, we don't own one).
Okay, enough favor asking on my part. What are some of the things you all do for the Green of it? Don't be shy. It's okay to be a tree-hugger!
Ahoy Matey! Contest Results
Current mood: breezy
Category: Writing and Poetry
Oh, The Piratey Goodness I really want to thank you all for participating in my mad little inspiration for a contest. It was a spur of the moment thought, and I had some much needed fun in the process. I've been sitting at this computer with a leg iron in place for months working on the Mama's Boy collection, and I kid you not -- going to Cracker Barrel with my husband yesterday afternoon was the first outing we've had together in many weeks (makes note to self...must raise restaurant standards for rare outings). He's a serious World of Warcraft player, so he's been thrilled with my rise-and-write-until-bedtime routine --LOTS of game time -- but I've missed his good company VERY much.
Anyway, all the stories are written, the editing is in full swing and I'm working on the story notes and the afterword. I've timed the end of this project just right with the arrival of Spring here in New England, so I can finally leave my writing cave and go out to the beach and into the sunlight. Ahhh...come join me by the sea for a refreshing tankard of mead. Arrrrrrgh!
Which, of course, leads me finally to why you're reading this blog - the Pirate Contest results!
The Three Amigos In a random drawing, the following lucky folks were chosen to receive a little literary pirate's booty.* Please join me in congratulating them. The rest of you blaggards will have to wait for the next contest...and I promise a new one is on the horizon!
2nd Prize - Hard Covered Edition of Unwelcome Bodies, by Jennifer Pelland**
Winner: Julia Sevin
Pirate Picture Winner- Signed Manuscript of the story, "The Sea Urchin" (retitled for the collection, "The Sea Orphan")
Winner: Lance
Congrats again, gang (I'll contact you shortly with details). And thank you EVERYONE for playing. I really love contests and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Stay tuned for the next round. I'm thinking of doing a 3000+ Friends celebration. What do you think? And what kind of prizes would spur you on to play? Be creative. *wink*
Booty Results Coming Soon - Arrrgh!
Current mood: creative
Category: Writing and Poetry
Loot News The Pirate Contest results will be posted over the weekend, not that anyone is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting, but I thought I'd let you know just in case.
I finally finished the pirate tale (now titled, "The Sea Orphan") and I'm working hard of an even heftier novella for the collection titled, "Fine Print" (from Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales, for those of you who haven't heard me yammering about it yet). Some of you folks may have read the earlier version of this story in its incomplete two parts at the Horror Library. I've been asked by a number of extremely patient readers to finally finish it already so I took their request to heart. Turns out, if I were to continue the story in series form that baby would have been in at least five parts, so it will be a nice addition to the collection -- that is if you like a hefty story.
For Those Patient Readers If you remember reading the first two parts of the original "Fine Print," please post a comment here. I'm contemplating something for you folks, since the first two parts were free and the final version won't be...if you get my drift. I want to be fair to you if you were one of the kind folks who read my stuff before anybody was willing to pay for it.
Well, I've got to get back to work here, since I'm sailing fast toward my deadline a little too quickly. And please forgive me for not being around much. I wish I had more time to visit...I miss you guys. But I'll spare you the maudlin rant and invite you to come back over the weekend for the booty call, pirate style! *wink*
Publisher Sizemore on Bad Chicks & More Booty
Current mood: busy
Category: Writing and Poetry
Quickie One Just a quickie today, gang. I have work spilling down my chin and puddling on the floor. But before I drown, I wanted to share two quick tidbits.
Apex Science Fiction and Horror publisher, Jason Sizemore, is sharing his vivid imagination over at the Horror Library Blog-O-Rama. I do not confirm or deny part three of his essay. When you have a second, pop on over and decide for yourself:
Click On - The Horror of Women. (Can’t get the specific link to work, so just look for The Horror of Women at the top right in the blog listing - thanks!)
Quickie Two Jeesh, I have so much more I want to share with you, but no time to spare. But I need to at least tell you that the Pirate Contest has some additional Booty for the taking. We now have a Second Prize of the hard cover edition of Jennifer Pelland’s 2007 Nebula Finalist, Unwelcome Bodies! But you’ve got to play to win, so if you haven’t walk the plank on over to the contest blog:
Right Here. (Hmm...having some link issues here, too. Just page down in this blog list in my profile for "Why A Shanty." That will take you to the contest blog.)
It’s so easy, a one legged pirate could do it. *chuckles from sleepless delirium*
Thank you to Jason and Apex Book Company for the generous donation to the piratey goodness.
It’s The Drugs Okay, I’m a little delirious. I’ve got the gack (again!), and I’m hold up here in bed with my laptop. Finally went to the doc’s for some drugs to maybe stop this cycle of caca...sick a zillion times this winter it seems. Anyway, in my delirium, I found a vid perfect for my state of mind. I hope you enjoy it, too!
Why a Sea Shanty? A Contest, Of Course!
Current mood: excited
Category: Writing and Poetry
Shanty Me a Story Okay, you may have noticed the sea shanty playing as my profile tune. Why a shanty, you might ask...or maybe not, since I’m just goofy enough to post a sea shanty for the halibut (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Well, I’ll tell you why. Besides the obvious moment of distraction from my story writing to compose a blog, I just needed a little inspiration. Believe it or not, mateys, I’m writing a pirate story. As a matter of fact, I’ve been writing it for hours and hours, hence my state of near madness and my need for distraction.
And yes, it’s a horror story, but with a pirate ship background, and no there’s no sea monsters (that I know of). I suspect this story is not your normal pirate fare, but what do I know? Well, I know I’m writing it, and I’m not normal, so it’s just going to be different. It’s called "Sea Urchin" and it will be one of my dark little lovelies (well, actually it’s pretty long...and ugly) for the short story collection, Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales, due to be released this June from Apex.
Now, if you’ll recall, I’m a Gemini, which means there will be a WIDE variety of story subjects in this book, and if you don’t like pirates stories (I still think you’ll like this one) there will be lots of other madness to indulge in. To name just a few, we’ve got gravy lovers, Pacific islands and nightmares, and science experiments gone wrong. There’s parrots, critters with cleavers, shrubs with an attitude, and of course, there’s that nasty little Stoker finalist, Mama’s Boy.
Oooo, just this moment, this very minute (serious, just now), I had an inspiration. Let’s do a contest! A pirate contest. Yeah!
Okay, here goes...
In the comments section of this blog, post one of the following: 1. Your Favorite Pirate Saying
2. Your Favorite Pirate Book or Movie
I’ll do a random drawing from all the comments with a deadline of April 15th (if it’s good enough for the IRS, it’s good enough for me...tee hee). Watch here the following week and I’ll announce the winner. The prize - A copy of Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales (when it’s released, of course).
BONUS- for an EXTRA chance to win a copy of the collection AND a signed original copy of the manuscript for the story "Sea Urchin"all you have to do is:
Post a pic of youself looking like a pirate in the comments section of this blog . Even an eyepatch will make it so, but feel free to be creative.
So there you have it, my first contest inspiration for the MB collection. I hope you like it. Just remember you shanty-phobes, this isn’t a book about pirates, it’s just one story, but the bugger of a story is haunting my every moment right now, so ARGGGGGH, we’re doing a pirate contest!
Dang, pirates are cranky, aren’t they? *wink*
Have fun, gang, and let me see your pirate within!
optimistic
hungry
hopeful
breezy
creative
busy
sick
happy
excited
