Monthly Archives: March 2011

Shivers VI gets a starred review at Publisher’s Weekly

*
FROM PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY:
Shivers VI
Edited by Richard Chizmar.
Cemetery Dance
(www.cemeterydance.com),
$20 (410p) ISBN 978-1-58767-224-8
*
“This sixth more or less annual mix of reprint and original stories celebrates some of the best and brightest talents who contribute regularly to Chizmar’s genre-leading magazine Cemetery Dance. Stephen King tops the list with “The Crate,” a darkly funny monster-on-the rampage tale rarely reprinted since its first publication in 1979. Lisa Tuttle’s “Bits and Pieces” is a deft and disturbing fantasia on the battle of the sexes, and Peter Straub’s novella “A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter” is a grim tale whose stand-alone incarnation was named one of 2010’s best books by PW. The other 18 stories, which include work by Glen Hirshberg, Melanie Tem, Brian Hodge, and David B. Silva, run the gamut from supernatural terror to psychological suspense, and from subtle dark fantasy to violence and gore. The uniformly high quality of writing makes this volume a must for any horror fan. (May)”

That line there “…other 18 stories” oh yeah, that’s right, that’s me. My story “Stillness”. HA. Hard to stand out amongst these giants, but nice to see the press anyway. Congrats Cemetery Dance.

Review of Normally Special by xTx is now live up at The Nervous Breakdown

My review of Normally Special by xTx is now live at The Nervous Breakdown.

This is the debut collection from Tiny Hardcore Press and Roxane Gay. INTENSE stuff. How intense? Well, I lead off the review with this quote:

“It is difficult to masturbate about your father, but not impossible, as it turns out.”

This collection, wow, it does not pull any punches. I really loved it, and have been meaning to read more work by the elusive xTx, and this collection certainly has me down as a lifetime fan now. Whatever she’s dishing out, I’ll take a serving, second helping even. Come prepared, do not flinch, and do not look away. xTx is in that community of powerful female voices that I now keep an eye out for, and continue to devour, alongside Amelia Gray, Lindsay Hunter, Mary Miller, Holly Goddard Jones, Tina May Hall, Amber Sparks, and many others. Hop to it.

Review of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers

My review of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know (Riverhead Books), the touching, courageous, heartbreaking memoir by Heather Sellers, is now live at The Nervous Breakdown. It’s the story of a woman who has face blindness. She can’t remember anyone’s face. Heather came down to Murray State where I’m getting my MFA to speak, and she was so funny, a great teacher, smart, beautiful, just a really giving person. I had no idea she had all of this going on. Really endearing, her story. Head on over for the full review and excerpts.

“Splintered” is live at PANK

My story “Splintered” is now up in the March issue of PANK. Thrilled to be here, alongside a ton of talented people, they do such awesome work at PANK, I can’t even begin to list the authors that came before me here that I just love. Thank you Roxane for the support.

This is my attempt at a pick your own ending, or choose your own path adventure story. I’ve been meaning to write one of these for awhile. Of course, it has my usual neo-noir, demented, sexual stamp on it. That’s what makes it an “adult” story and not one for the kiddies. Hope you dig it.

Review of Sarah Court by Craig Davidson

Sarah Court (ChiZine Publications) by Craig Davidson was one of my favorite books of 2010. I’ve been reading Craig for years now, and am a big fan of The Fighter and Rust and Bone. Head on over to The Nervous Breakdown to read my review, but here’s a quick summary from the dust jacket. If you haven’t picked this up yet, by all means do. With stellar reviews from Chuck Palahniuk, Clive Barker and Peter Straub, how can you miss?

SUMMARY:

“Sarah Court. Meet the residents . . . The haunted father of a washed-up stuntman. A disgraced surgeon and his son, a broken-down boxer. A father set on permanent self-destruct, and his daughter, a reluctant powerlifter. A fireworks-maker and his daughter. A very peculiar boy and his equally peculiar adopted family.

Five houses. Five families. One block.

Ask yourself: How well do you know your neighbours? How well do you know your own family? Ultimately, how well do you know yourself? How deeply do the threads of your own life entwine with those around you? Do you ever really know how tightly those threads are knotted? Do you want to know? I know, and can show you. Please, let me show you.

Welcome to Sarah Court: make yourself at home.”

Review of The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones is live

My book review of The Ones That Got Away (Prime Books) by Stephen Graham Jones is now live up at The Nervous Breakdown. Such a great collection. Nominated for a Bram Stoker award too, for the best in horror, collections. Best of luck Stephen. This dark assortment of haunting, emotional, layered stories is one of my favorite books of 2010.

Excerpt from the review:

“[This collection] tiptoes into the darkness, luring us deep into the woods, up into crawlspaces, and to distant islands, where the people, the sacrifices, the losses are our own, our universal fears come to life.”

Kindle and Nook for Transubstantiate

When you’re a small press, and a relatively unknown author, sometimes it takes time for things to get done. It can be red tape, it can be heading out into new waters where nobody knows what to do, or it can be that your fate is in the hand of others, giant corporations that do things on their own timeline.

We finally have Transubstantiate online for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook so if you’ve been waiting for this, here you go. Thanks for your patience and support.