“Ten Steps” is now live at ChiZine (The Chiaroscuro)
Posted on April 20, 2011 3 Comments
"Ten Steps"
My story “Ten Steps” is now up at ChiZine (Chiaroscuro) as part of their major new relaunch. I wrote this at the Jack Ketchum intensive at The Cult. So many other great voices here, in the previous, and coming weeks, I can’t possibly list them all but let me shout out at least a few names that I’ve seen up already, or have novels published at ChiZine, or may be part of this launch in the upcoming weeks.
First, I won a contest here at ChiZine back in 2009, the “Enter the World of Filaria” contest with my story “Maker of Flight”. It was quite an honor. My story was selected by the author of Filaria, Brent Hayward, and the Stoker winning man that runs ChiZine, Brett Alexander Savory.
I’ve been a long time fan of Paul Tremblay who has In the Mean Time at ChiZine, as well as Craig Davidson, who has Sarah Court there as well (I reviewed both of these at The Nervous Breakdown, too). These guys are two of my favorite authors there. I’d expect them to have a story up here as a part of this. Also, in the past couple of weeks, we’ve had stories by Stewart O’Nan, Tom Piccirilli, and Neil Gaiman.
So head over and check out my story, but also stay awhile, peep the other stories, and pick up a book or two. Exceptional artwork by Erik Mohr as well. I’ve never read a bad book from ChiZine. Donate some $$$ if you have it, every dollar helps. These are some of the good guys, putting out excellent work, supporting unknown authors like myself, and really on the cutting edge of literary dark fiction.
Stephen Graham Jones and Dzanc Books announce three book rEprint deal.
Posted on April 19, 2011 Leave a Comment
Dzanc Books has great taste, it seems. Not only did they sign Stephen Graham Jones to a two book deal for the distant future, with Flushboy in 2013 and Not For Nothing in 2014, but NOW they’ve announced a three book deal for their rEprint program, putting All the Beautiful Sinners (one of my all-time favorite SGJ novels) and The Long Trial of Nolan Dugatti into the eworld, BUT ALSO the never before seen Seven Spanish Angels.
If you aren’t a fan of SGJ and don’t know what he’s about, well, then wake up son, where you been? I reviewed two of his books over at The Nervous Breakdown (find The Ones That Got Away HERE and It Came From Del Rio HERE) and have been a long time fan of his work.
Hop on board folks. I may have just bought a Kindle.
Out of Touch by Brandon Tietz – Pick up this novel now!
Posted on April 19, 2011 Leave a Comment
Man, I swear I posted up about Brandon‘s book when it came out. Bad label mate. SO, I’m posting up about it now.
I’ve read a lot of Brandon’s short stories, and have been very impressed with his work. Like a lot of Palahniuk fans, I avoided this book for awhile. Maybe I worried it would be a watered down Palahniuk or Ellis, something I would cringe at. It isn’t. I should have trusted my instincts about Brandon’s work and read this much sooner.
“Everyone is two people.”
Lacking the overt violence of American Psycho, but keeping all of the dysfunction, duality and superficiality, Out of Touch could indeed be the bastard love child of Ellis and Palahniuk. What at first seems like only surface, the shallow name brand dropping, the easy fix of coke and sex and booze and club hopping, evolves into a much more complicated character study, the evolution (or devolution) of Aidin.
Brandon does a great job of keeping the tone light, and humorous, while as the same time revealing the worst characteristics of humanity. We may hate Aidin, or we want to be him, but in time we sympathize, we empathize, and by the end of the book, are emotionally and mentally spent.
“…maybe you started something you shouldn’t have…”
This was a wonderful debut novel, really fun to read, captivating, an echo of Glamorama, and early Palahniuk, back when he didn’t suck so much. I look forward to his next book, and having read a good deal of it, I can honestly say that it will probably be even better than Out of Touch.
Brandon Tietz is an emerging author. He is somebody that you should keep your eye on. He hasn’t disappointed me yet.
My interview with Christopher Dwyer is LIVE at Outsider Writers Collective
Posted on April 19, 2011 Leave a Comment
I don’t want to repeat a lot of what I say in the interview, so head on over to OWC to check it out. Christopher is an author of dark fiction, one of my neo-noir brothers, and he writes surreal, layered, intense fiction. Head on over to OWC to read the interview, and pick up When October Falls (Brown Paper Publishing) as well. It’s out now and it’s a wild ride.
Warmed and Bound TOC – Early news
Posted on April 16, 2011 Leave a Comment
Warmed and Bound. Still very early, don’t have a release date, and no cover art yet, but look at this list! Honored to be a part of it. So awesome:
Table of Contents
Death Juggler by Axel Taiari
Click-Clack by Caleb J Ross
The World Was Clocks by Amanda Gowin
Mantodea by Matt Bell
All the Acid in the World by Gavin Pate
Crazy Love by Cameron Pierce
Chance the Dick by Paul G Tremblay
Soccer Moms and Pro Wrestler Dads by Bradley Sands
Take Arms Against a Sea by Mark Jaskowski
This Will All End Well by Nik Korpon
Midnight Souls by Christopher J Dwyer
The Tree of Life by Edward J Rathke
The Killer by Brian Evenson
Headshot by Gordon Highland
Inside Out by Sean Ferguson
Laws of Virulence by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Bruised Flesh by Craig Wallwork
Bad, Bad, Bad Bad Men by Craig Davidson
Three Theories on the Murder of John Wily by by J David Osborne
The Road Lester Took by Stephen Graham Jones
My German Daughter by Nic Young
What Was There Inside the Child by Blake Butler
Seed by Gayle Towell
They Take You by Kyle Minor
The Redemption of Garvey Flint by Vincent Louis Carrella
Blood Atonement by DeLeon DeMicoli
The Liberation of Edward Kellor by Anthony David Jacques
Act of Contrition by Craig Clevenger
Say Yes to Pleasure by Richard Thomas
The Weight of Consciousness by Tim Beverstock
If You Love Me by Doc O’Donnell
Touch by Pela Via
Love by JR Harlan
Practice by Bob Pastorella
Fading Glory by Brandon Tietz
Little Deaths by Gary Paul Libero
We Sing the Bawdy Electric by Rob Parker
In Exile by Chris Deal
“Victimized” released as an esingle
Posted on April 4, 2011 Leave a Comment
“‘Victimized’ is one of the best pieces of bad-ass, hard-core apocalyptic noir I’ve read in a while.” –Scott Phillips, author of THE ICE HARVEST
“Put your dukes up, readers, because Thomas is gunning for the KO with this brutal little ass-kick of a story.” –Craig Davidson, author of SARAH COURT
“As tough, ass-kicking and twisted as fiction gets. Imagine a Dear John letter that Hitler might have written to Lucifer right before he blew his brains out. Then crank things up ten notches.” –Donald Ray Pollock, author of KNOCKEMSTIFF
Hey guys,
I’ve finally decided to self-publish something. I’ve put the extended version of my story “Victimized” up at the Amazon Kindle store for 99 cents.
The original 5,000 word story was published in Murky Depths #15. They do beautiful work, and won the British Fantasy Award last year for best magazine.
To purchase the 6,800 word version, just head over to Amazon and drop your $1 on the counter.
What’s it about? Well, here’s a quick synopsis. It’s one of my favorite stories:
In the near future, Annabelle lives a fractured life, haunted by the shadows of her past, dark moments of abuse and freedom at the hands of her own kin. She has the opportunity to get into a boxing ring and fight her oppressor, to face the man that altered her, to beat him down with all of her rage. This is the way things are now, society given the chance to take on the murderers, the rapists, those that have tainted their lives, hurt their family, destroyed what was innocent and pure. Preparing to go to battle, Belle taps into her true identity, and changes, a warrior entering battle, unwilling to hesitate, ready to kill.
Thank you for your support.
Neo-noir in film – An excellent blog to check out
Posted on April 1, 2011 2 Comments
So I ran across this blog today. It’s called Wonders in the Dark. It is so awesome. I was doing some Googling of the word neo-noir, something I do when I’m bored and ran across this site. Maurizio is a genius. His list of the Top 50 Neo-Noir films is almost a list of my own favorite movies of all time. Add American Beauty and Amelie and we’re just about done. I’ll see if I can’t open up a dialog about neo-noir literature. But if nothing else, peep his list of those films.
Shivers VI gets a starred review at Publisher’s Weekly
Posted on March 31, 2011 4 Comments
Shivers VIThat 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
Posted on March 24, 2011 2 Comments
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
Posted on March 19, 2011 Leave a Comment
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.
- Richard Thomas - 