A Casserole of Updates (aka Titled at 4:30 AM)

So I never blog. I could blog about the million or so random and ridiculous thoughts that run through my head on any given day, but then there's the whole being horrible at time management thing. But hopefully that'll change soon. I have a sexy dry-erase board that's going up two feet away from me, so that should help me streamline what I need to do on any given day.

First—and most difficult—step: remember to use it. We'll see how that turns out!

But for now, while we're here, some updates.

Rock & Shock 2011 has come and gone, and it was great fun. I shared a booth with Tom and Billie Moran of Sideshow Press. Kurt Newton and my girlfriend, Sarah, the luckiest girl in the world, also helped man the table.


[ Rockin' a sweet Bag & the Crow t-shirt ]
 

[ Me, Tom and Billie ]

A great, silly weekend was had by all. I even managed to sell quite a bit. I sold 10 copies of 52 Stitches, Vol. 2, which contains my flash piece "By the Firelight." I brought 10 and sold seven copies of The Zombie Feed, Vol. 1, which features my story "Goddamn Electric." And I sold 34 copies of Shock Totem! Not bad at all.

I got to catch up with a lot of folks from around New England, including all the great writers in the New England Horror Writers group, though I probably could have spent more time over at their booth. Time seemed to fly by, though, which I think is the universal rule of thumb when determining if fun was had. And I'd say it was quite fun.

I finally got to meet Lee Thompson, which was great. As expected, a very cool dude. I also met Jassen Bailey and his Bag and the Crow crew. Great people. And they make bad-ass t-shirts in my size! Hell yeah!

Can't wait for next year.

On a more personal front, as part of a promotion for the Zombie Feed anthology, Maggie Slater conducted a bunch of short interviews with some of the contributing authors. You can read the interview I did here. And if you're strange and find yourself interested in additional interviews with me, check out the main link at the top of this site.

Writing is going well. I've been very busy these last few months, so I haven't been able to really buckle down and put a shine on things, but I have a lot of rough drafts that just need a little spit and elbow grease. Soon.

I have a couple publications coming up, though.

The first is Epitaphs, the anthology featuring members of the New England Horror Writers group, of which I am one. In it, you will find "A Deeper Kind of Cold," my (light) sci-fi horror/tragic love story. The anthology is being published by Shroud Publishing, on 11-11-11, at Shroud's first annual Anthocon, to be held in Portsmouth, NH. It's shaping up to be a fantastic convention. And Epitaphs looks brilliant!


[ click photo to enlarge ]

The artwork is a woodcut done by Danny Evarts, with some digital coloring. You may recognize his work from the interior illustrations found within Shroud Magazine. A wonderfully unique style within the small press.

So that'll be out in November. If you're attending Anthocon, you'll be able to pick up a copy there, likely autographed by the many attending authors.

Sometime in the coming months, Necon E-books will be releasing Necon E-Books Flash Fiction Anthology: Best of 2011, an e-book featuring the winning stories and honorable mention picks from their monthly flash fiction contests held throughout 2011. My very short story "Skipping Shingles" got an honorable mention nod back in June or July. I really dig this little story. Hopefully the cheap price tag will entice you to check it out.

In February, The Gate 2: Tales of Isolation and Despair should be out, though that is subject to change. This is the anthology Robert J. Duperre began putting out last year. It features some of his short fiction alongside a handful of other authors he enjoys reading, and I am grateful to be included among them. My story "The Candle Eaters," which I love, will be in this anthology.

If this interests you (not so subliminal message: it does!), consider checking out the first volume, The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales.

And there you have it. All caught up with the serious stuff. Be good, folks!