Shameless Self Promotion No. 13

To read my story "Newfound Gap," check out the anthology Grants Pass, recently published by Morrigan Books.

Within, you'll find some excellent end-of-the-world fiction revolving around a central theme: In each of the tales, survivors struggle to reach Grants Pass, Oregon, rumored to be the last bastion of civilization. Grants Pass was edited by Jennifer Brozek and Amanda Pillar.

In addition to my contribution, this collection features the work of Kayley Allard, Scott Almes, Jennifer Brozek, Ivan Ewert, Ed Greenwood, Stephanie Gunn, Carole Johnstone, Pete Kempshall, Jay Lake, Martin Livings, Seanan McGuire, Shannon Page, Jeff Parish, Amanda Pillar, Cherie Priest, James M. Sullivan and KV Taylor.

In his review on HorrorScope, Chuck McKenzie calls Grants Pass "a remarkable, disturbing, and worthwhile read, and one that is likely to stay with the reader for some time to come."

In another review, posted on LiveJournal, the reviewer wrote "I’ve only held onto one anthology for more than a year in my entire life. Grants Pass will make it two."

Yet another LiveJournal reviewer wrote specifically about my story, "Newfound Gap," saying it "had me with hope, that desperate kind which pushes people forward. Sometimes that drive pays off and sometimes it doesn't. My need for Kleenex was based out of one of those two ends. I'll let you read the story and find out which."

There are several positive reviews posted on the Goodreads website, too.

Grants Pass may be purchased online at the Morrigan Books website.

Review - Potter's Field 3

Everyone who chances upon this blog post should immediately venture forth and read my review of Potter's Field 3, for two reasons. First, it's a great anthology ... handsome, full of scary stories and nicely priced. It's available through Sam's Dot Publishing. If you're a fan of speculative fiction and you are not familiar with this publisher - you should be.

Reason No. 2 is more self-serving. I was recently informed that the Literary News section of Tampa Bay Newspapers is in danger of being discontinued due to low traffic. Furthermore, it was suggested that people aren't reading as much anymore. For some time, book reviews in the printed editions of Tampa Bay Newspapers' weeklies have been rare. Many daily newspapers also have transplanted their book review sections to the Internet or have eliminated them altogether.

I find the trend discouraging, particularly because book reviewers have the ability to take books like Potter's Field 3 and introduce them to a broader audience. While I do review mainstream books from big publishing houses, I prefer to balance that with titles from lesser known companies - books by authors and editors whose skill and dedication rival bestselling literary figures but whose works have not yet reached the peak audience.

So, I'm hoping that some of those devoted readers - who aren't reading as much anymore - will take a moment to check out the Literary News section at Tampa Bay Newspapers, or visit their own hometown newspaper to see what their own local book reviewer is recommending these days.

Shameless Self Promotion No. 9

Edited by Thomas Brannon and John Sunseri, Cthulhu Unbound is now available from Permuted Press.

Cthulhu Unbound is the first volume in a two-volume set of anthologies focusing on genre-blending Cthulhu Mythos tales. My story, "The Hindenberg Manifesto," is presented in this fine collection. Set in 1937, the tale mixes historical events, sinister spies and secret societies as a clandestine American organization tries to recover crucial, encrypted information smuggled out of Germany by an opponent of Hitler's Nazi regime.

From the publisher's description of the book:

Welcome to a place where bleak noir cityscapes share a Technicolor sky with combat fighters, where you can find gunslingers from the Old West and a lost chapter from a literary classic, all with something in common: Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. This is a place where the Crawling Chaos has to solve his own murder and the Old Ones come up against the Gods of Las Vegas, a place where the new player in London's underground isn't human and masked heroes go toe-to-tentacle with eldritch horrors.

Other authors included in this volume are Linda L. Donahue, Trent Roman, Kevin Lauderdale, Doug Goodman, Bennet Reilly, Dr. Kim Paffenroth, Steven Michael Graham, D.L. Snell, Lisa Hilton, Rick Moore, Ben Thomas, John Goodrich, John Claude Smith and C.J. Henderson.

That should serve to whet your appetite for what is being called one of the best Cthulhu Mythos collections in years. Visit the Book Store at Permuted Press or purchase a copy at Amazon.com, Horror Mall, Barnes & Noble, or Powell's Books.

Shameless Self Promotion No. 4

My short story “Starless and Bible Black” appears in Withersin’s Unkindness anthology, released on Oct. 31, 2008.

The first anthology from Withersin Magazine, the book collects “13 dark, different and pleasantly sinister tales with a twist.” The complete list of tales includes:

• “Inspiration” - Ken Goldman


• “An Unnatural Death” - Ben Duiverman


• “Complete Breakfast” - MP Johnson


• “Doddering Fools” - Gregory Story


• “Vanguard of Blood” - Patrick McCully


• “Medicated” - James Marcotullio


• “Starless and Bible Black” - Lee Clark Zumpe


• “Chemical Man” - Mike Norris


• “The Forgotten House” - Patrick Rutigliano


• “Goatman” - Robert Sullivan


• “Updating” - John Rosenman


• “Interruptions” - JG Faherty


• “Paint it Black” - Brian Schiavo

Also included is an interview with Graham Hancock.

Unkindness is available from Withersin Magazine.