Fantastic Frontiers

RIP Howard Hopkins

2012-01-20T22:01:00.002-06:00

I was out of town when I heard this news: Howard Hopkins, a writer and editor who I knew through his work with Moonstone. I was stunned to hear that he suffered a heart attack at the age of 50.

Howard was a talented writer and one of the best editors I've ever had. He was friendly and helpful but also uncompromising in what he asked for from writers. That is an amazing combination of qualities in an editor and helps writers to be their best.

Howard was a good guy and I wish I'd known him better. He leaves behind his wife, Dominique. Unfortunately, he also left behind some staggering medical bills.

At the request of Howard's wife, Dominique, Chuck Juzek has passed the following info along to the pulp fan community. Due to a mistake by their insurance agent 6 months ago that Dominique only became aware of after Howard's death, Howard's life insurance had lapsed at the time of his death. As a result, in addition to everything else that his passing means to her, she's now scrambling in order to find the funds to pay for his funeral expenses. If you have the ability, she's accepting donations to help pay for those expenses; at her request, below is her address for anyone that wishes to contribute.

Dominique Hopkins
2 McKee Drive
Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064

New Year's Stories

2012-01-03T13:55:00.002-06:00

I decided to try to find good homes for all my rejected stories (and a couple of new ones) for the new year.

"Trail of the Brujo" is going to an upcoming anthology to be put out by Science Fiction Trails

"Draugr" has been sent to Dark Discoveries

"Adrift 'Neath Strange Skies" has gone to Lore

"Closing Time at Galaxy Video" was sent to Apex

"Gilgamesh" went to Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

a new story, "Hunter's Blind" went to 3 Lobed Burning Eye

Finally, my mash-up novel The Vampire Count of Monte Cristo has gone to Permuted Press

Christmas Mood Music

2011-12-21T20:52:00.002-06:00

This cover by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is way too much fun!

Daily Science Fiction :: Schrödinger's Outlaw by Matthew W Baugh

2011-12-12T10:05:00.002-06:00

Here it is!

Daily Science Fiction has archived Schrödinger's Outlaw and made it available to anyone who would like to read it through the lonk below.

Daily Science Fiction :: Schrödinger's Outlaw by Matthew W Baugh

This was a fun story to write and DSF was a great webzine to work with. Check out my story and linger to see what else they have to offer. Their stories tend to be very short but of the highest quality. They will make you chuckle, get a little misty, or make you think.

Enjoy!

Santa vs. Jack Bauer

2011-12-10T14:22:00.001-06:00

Jack Bauer meets the one man even he can't break.

Black December at Permuted Press

2011-12-06T09:52:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite small presses, Permuted Press, is offering great deals all of December for KINDLE, NOOK, and all ofhter E-reader titles.

You can pick up 15 great Permuted Press titles for under $30 total!
Click here to see their catalog.

Two For Sale!

2011-12-03T01:53:00.004-06:00

I just learned that two new anthologies with stories of mine are available for sale.

TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN: AGENTS PROVOCATEURS is available for sale. it can also be ordered at Amazon.

My story, Don Camillo and the Secret Weapon is a light-hearted adventure set in Cold War Italy. Rival spies chasing a doomsday weapon find that rules in the Po Valley are different from what they expected.

I've recently become a fan of the Don Camillo stories of Giovanni Gaureschi, which tell the comic adventures of a country priest and his struggles against the Communist mayor of his little town. My tale can't hold a candle to Guareschi's magical stories but I hope it is a fitting homage.

In other news, THE TRIGGER REFLEX is available at the Pill Hill Press website.

This is the second volume in Pill Hill's Monster Hunter Hunter set of anthologies and features my montster hunting gunslinger, Mysterious Dave Mather in a story called Damned Pretty Woman. Dave is sent to kill the pretty new schoolmarm of a little western town because of her occult connections. When he meets her he finds that things are not what they seem...they are far more dangerous.

Happy reading!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T14:37:00.001-06:00

Schrödinger's Outlaw

2011-11-21T12:58:00.000-06:00

My humorous flash story is being sent to subscribers of Daily Science Fiction on Monday, December 5. And will appear on their website a week later!

I'm very excited!

The Lone Ranger Rides Again

2011-11-14T01:44:00.000-06:00

COMING FROM MOONSTONE MARCH 2012

The LONE RANGER Chronicles
Authors: James Reasoner, Johnny D. Boggs, Denny O’Neil
Edited: Matthew Baugh, Tim Lasiuta
Cover: David Palumbo
6" x 9", 288pgs, $18.95
978-1-936814-23-7

THE FIRST EVER COLLECTION of NEW Lone Ranger prose stories!
The masked ex-Texas Ranger and his Native American companion Tonto fight injustice in the Wild West!

Stories include meetings with The Cisco Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, as well as the origin of Tonto and the origin of Silver!

Authors include Spur Award winner Johnny D Boggs, Spur Award winner Troy D. Smith, James Reasoner, Alex Award winner Mel Odom, Anthony Award winner Bill Crider, Matthew Baugh, Tim Lasiuta, Joe Gentile, Paul Kupperberg, Denny O’Neil, Kent Conwell, David McDonald, Thom Brannon, Troy D. Smith, Chick Dixon, and Richard Dean Starr.

Edited: Matthew Baugh, Tim Lasiuta

One More Song for Halloween

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-05:00

French Adventures

2011-10-24T00:10:00.000-05:00

I sent a story to Jean-Marc Lofficier at Riviere Blanche Press which is the French imprint of the same company that puts out the Tales of the Shadowmen. It's a collection of prose stories featuring characters form a French comic book line called Hexagon Comics.

The book, Dimension Super-Heroes features my story, in which Hexagon hero, Jed Puma teams with Doc Holliday to face vampires in the Old West. The story was originally titled High Noon of the Living Dead, which is a title I've wanted to use for some time. That apparantly didn't translate well so Jean-Mark changed to which translated to A Fist Full of Crucifix which is probably better title. It still plays with the title of a classic western movie, and fits with the text as Jed Puma (a cowboy who uses judo instead of a gun) finds a new use for a buddhist holy symbol called a konga or vajra.

Halloween Mood Music

2011-10-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

I love spooky classical music, and I love music that tells a story. As Halloween approaches, I thought I'd share some of my favorite mood music.

1) "Infernal Dance" by Stravinski from The Firebird.

I've never seen the ballet, but would love to someday.

2) "Danse Macbre" Saint-Saens - The "Danse Macabre" or Dance of death was a motif in art that was really popular in Europe during periods of the Black Plague. The idea was that, when Death calls you to dance, you have to go; young or old, rich or poor, we are all equal in death.

These illustrations were dome for a PBS special in the 1980s. The music is haunting and wonderful.

3) "Mars, Bringer of War" by Holzt - Not spooky so much as ominous; I've often wondered if this was a partial inspiration for Darth Vader's theme (Imperial March),

4) In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Greig. For sheer musical fun you can't beat being trapped underground with a bunch of trolls, and if the troll king's daughter wants to marry you . . . run!

I love the way this music becomes wilder and crazier by the moment as Per Gynt runs from the trolls.

5) Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorsgy (I'm probably spelling that wrong). This is the version from Walt Disney's Fantasia. The devil figure is technically Chernibog, a pre-Christian Russian god of darkness, rather than Satan, as he's introduced in the movie. Still, the image means pretty much the same thing either way. I love the drama in this from the rising of the giant devil to the way it recoils from the sound of the church bells.

By the way, the actor that Disney got to model the actions of the giant devil was Bela Lugosi.

7 Supernatural Sleuths You May Not Know

2011-10-08T18:13:00.000-05:00

I like scary movies, but generally don't like the traditional horror movie where you the heroes are faced with seemingly overwhelming supernatural forces, and then they all die. I much prefer movies where the characters have at least a fighting chance. That's a theme I like in shows like The X-Files (the first few seasons, anyway), Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and it's companion series Angel. In fact, I like the premise so much that I still watch Supernatural even though I think it jumped the shark after the end of season 5.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite heroes who have done their bit on film or TV to save us all from the forces of evil.

1) Carl Kolchack - In his out of date, perpetually rumpled suit, Kolchak is an everyman hero. It was refreshing to have a hero who wasn't Mr. Suave-Master-of-the-Mystic-Arts. Kolchak cared about people, but his main goal was getting a pulitzer by proving that one, just one, of his many adventures was real. Failing that he did his best to keep from getting fired from his third-rate newspaper.

2) The Duc de Richlieu - The hero of The Devil Rides Out (1968), Richelieu has the distinction of being one of the few good guys that legendary horror actor christopher Lee ever played. Lee said it was one of his favorite roles and wished that he had been able to plat the Duc in other movies. It could have happened too; "The Devil Rides Out" was an adaptation of one of a long series of supernatural thriller novels by author Dennis Wheatley featuring Richelieu and his companions. It's a shame that it didn't happen because this was a wonderfully atmospheric movie with Lee perfectly cast as Richelieu. He is a heroic man with enough occult know-how to help the heroes when they fall afoul of a diabolic cult led by the evil Mocata (based on real life occultist Alistair Crowley).

I actually like the movie better than the book in this case. Wheatley's politics comes out of the old British upper-class clubland set, and are often racist, sexist and generally offensive.

3) John Thunstone - Manly Wade Wellman's heroic champion against the forces of darkness only appeared on film once. Alex Cord played Thunstone in an adaptation of Rouse Him Not for an episode of the anthology series Monsters. It's a shame that they didn't do more of these, "Rouse Him Not" was one of the best episodes of monsters but one of the weakest of the print stories. Alex Cord did a good job as the suave and good-hearted adventurer whose silver-bladed sword cane handily dealt with the show's monster.

Alas, this version of Thunstone never got to strut his stuff against Wellman's other monsters, like the sinister Shonokins, or the evil sorcerer Rowley Thorne (inspired by real life occultist, Alistair Crowley).

It's interesting to note that two of the villains I've mentioned here, and one that I mentioned in my last post, are all inspired by Crowley.

4) David Sorrell - The hero of Fear No evil (1969) was a sauve west coast psychologist who was a little out of his depth dealing with the supernatural. Despite this, his intelligence and cool head served him well in two TV movies, though it wasn't enough to get him a series. That's a shame, because Fear No Evil, was a well written and genuinely scary story involving ghosts and a demonic mirror. The following year, Sorrell was back in another failed pilot, Ritual of Evil involving an evil cult and an immortal sorceress. Ritual of Evil was also marked by superior writing and a creepy atmosphere.

5) Tom Kovacks and Michelle Brant - In Baffled! (1973) Tom (Leonard Nimoy) is an Indy car racer who gains ESP following a crash. Michelle (Susan Hampshire) is the student of the paranormal who wants to teach him how to use his powers for good. The plot was slight and the dialogue silly, but Nimoy and Hampshire had great chemestry. It's a shame this wasn't made into a series that would have offered them some better adventures.

6) William Sebastian and "Ham" Hamilton - Spectre (1977) was yet another failed TV pilot, this time from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry featuring occult investigators in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. Sebastian (Robert Culp) is a Holmsian investigator with a brilliant mind but lacking in social skills. His Watson is Dr. Amos "Ham" Hamilton, a physician who struggles with troubles involving alcohol and women.

7) David Norliss - The last of my investigators was writer David Norliss (Roy Thinnes), kind of an upscale version of Kolchak. Norliss was the hero of The Norliss Tapes, yet another unsold TV pilot. The premise for the show was to be that Norliss had spent a year investigating occult matters only to disappear, leaving behind a box of audio tapes. Each week his publisher would listen to another tape, revealing a new adventure and, hopefully, providing another clue to what happened ot Norliss.

Looking over this list, I guess the lesson to learn is: if you create a pilot for a TV show, don't do something I'd like. It's the kiss of death.
:-)
Happy Halloween

10 Monster Movies You Might Not Know

2011-10-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

It's October and I decided to do something Halloween-themed with the blog this month. I am not the biggest fan of horror movies, but I love a good monster movie. There's a lot of pverlap between the two to be sure, but a monster movie always includes a monster which (in my humble opinion) is just about always better than a psychotic killer, a deadly disease, unseen demonic forces, or a number of worror elements.

Why? Because monsters are cool, of course. :-)

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite movie monsters.

1) Gargoyles (1972) This was a made for TV movie that both scared and fascinated me when I was a kid. Mercer Boley (Cornel Wilde) is a scientist who, along with his pretty daughter, is stranded in a flyspeck of a Southwestern desert town. They discover a bizarre skeleton on display in a souvenier shop. Boley thinks the horned, clawed, and winged humanoid figure has been cobbled together from the bones of half a dozen different creatures. Of course, he's wrong; the skeleton belongs to one of a race of gargoyles that have lain dormant for centuries but are now due to reawaken.

This is a fun movie with minimal voilence and gore but a lot of tension and atmosphere. The odd mix of real folklore about gargoyles with the odd setting worked surprisingly well and Berney Casey is great as the charismatic leaders of the creatures. Watch for a very young Scott Glenn as the leader of a biker gang who decides to help our heroes.

2) Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon (1957) This is a wonderfully scary based on a story by the brilliant English writer of ghost stories, M.R. James. The story features Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) a psychaitrist who has come to England to debunk the occult pretensions of Julian Karsewell (Niall MacGuinness), a cult leader patterned on real-life occultist Alistair Crowley.

As you might gusee, Karsewell really does have occult powers, though the movie plays this idea out with delightful subtlty. I'd love this one without the fire demon that appears briefly at the end (the producer insisted in inserting a monster against the wishes of the director and star) but it's a special treat when the beastie briefly appears.

3) The Gaint Majin (1966), Return of Gaint Majin (1966) and Wrath of the Giant Majin (1966) The three movies are all about the same monster, all very similar in plot and all came out the same year. Other than that, the plots of the movies are unrelated. The premise is simple: the majin (Japanese for "devil-god") is a supernatural being that watches over the people of a small community in feudal Japan. An evil warlord comes in, takes over, and brings great suffering. The people cry out and the stone statue of the Majin comes to life and stomps the villain out of existence.

The appeal of the Giant Majin (or Daimajin as more recent English dubs renter it) is that it is unstoppable. The warlords send their armies at it but the monster ignores arrows and musket balls, swords and spears, and brushes away warriors like they were insects. Not even explosives stop the inexprable march of the giant. It's slow, ponderous movements accompanied by the sound of impossibly heave footfalls make it the perfect embodiment of divine justice, slow but unstoppable.

4) Hellboy (2004) This one you probably know, but I had to include the Hellboy. He's a tough guy with a heart of gold; a monster cum superhero who raises kittens in his spare time; he has a fantastic character design, including an absurdly large right hand; and his movies are a rip-roaring combination of pulp adventure and old school horror. add to that the fact that Hellboy is played by Ron Perlman who has made a career of playing great characters under a ton of makeup and prostetics and you have a winner!

5) The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1957) The first of three Sinbad movies featuring special effects by legendary stop-motion animator. Kerwin Matthews is okay as the hero in this movie, which stays closer to the Arabian Nights stories than either of the sequils. The real stars are the animated skeletons, the two headed roc, the cyclops, and the dragon. The movie concludes with a rousing fight to the death between the cyclops and the dragon.

6) The Golden Voice of Sinbad (1974) The second of the Harryhausen Sinbad movies has hprehaps the best casting with John Phillip Law as our hero and Tom Baker as the evil sorcerer, Koura (the best villain in the franchise). It also features some excellent animated monsters of course, including a griffon and a one-eyes centaur. The best sequince of the movie is when a statue of the six-armed goddess Kali comes to life and engages in a srowdfight with a number of human combattants.

7) Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) This is the third of the Harryhausen Sinbad movies, and possibly my favorite (though its a hard call). Ptrrick Wayne is a good Sinbad, and the young Jane Seymour is my favoirte leading lady in the series. There's also a heroic monster, a giant caveman called the Troglodyte, who accompanies our heroes and defends them in mortal compbat with a gigantic saber-toothed tiger.

That monster fight, though rousing, was actually a bit of a let down for me. I really wanted to see the Troglodytre fight the Minoton, a bull-headed mechanical man made of bronze.

8) Mighty Joe Young (1949) As you can probably tell from this list, I like monsters, but I like heroic monsters even better. You can't get much more heroic than Mr. Joseph Young, a ten foot tall gorilla who (like King Kong) is brought to civilization so the rubes can gawk at him. Poor Joe is so badly mistreated that you can't blame him when (again like King Kong) he breaks free and goes on a destructive spree. Unlike Kong, the gentle Joe can't resist his heroic impulses and risks his life and freedom when he stops to rescue a little girl from a burning orphanage.

Ahem... excuse me. I'm not tearing up, I just got an ember in my eye.

9) The Valley of Gwangi (1969) I love dinosaurs, but I doubt that anyone reading this needs me to tell them about Jurassic Park. What you may not be aware of is this much earlier, but still fun, dinosaur western. Cowboys and dinosaurs! What more do you need to know than that?

10) 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) This is the story of a little alien called Ymir (after the frost giant of Nordic myth) who hitches a ride on a probe to Venus and comes to earth. Once here, he grows into one of my favorite monsters of all time. The way Harryhausen cobbles together unique monsters and imbues them with personality is amazing. His animation may seem clumsy by our standards, used as we are to digital effects, but Ray built his creatures and then took them through the painstaking process of animating them one frama at a time. He did this by hand, and all by himself.

You've got to admire that kind of artistry and dedication.

The Monsters of American Politics

2011-09-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

I've run across several articles recently that have looked at how monster movies help explain the US.

In a 2009 article, the San Diego Union News pointed out that the leection of Barack Obama coincided with a spate of vampires movies in the theaters. They also pointed out the high number of zombie movies made during the George W. Bush administration.

It's likely just coincidence, but maybe not. The writer points out that vampires might be the boogieman of the left, who fear the blood-sucking tactics of Wall Street, and zombies may frighten the right with the specter of an uprising of the undead hordes of the ravening poor descending on Washington.

On the other hand, this recent article from Cracked.com takes the opposite tack. It explains that the right fears vampires because they're immoral sexual deviants who want to drain the blood from capitalism, and the left fears zombies as mindless consumers who swarm after anyone who doesn't conform.

Could this be right? And if that's the case what about other monsters? Does liking werewolves mean you're a Libertarian? Are fans of the Creature from the Black Lagoon mean you're voting Green?

I'm a little worried. Does the fact that my favorite movie monster is King Kong mean that I'm a closet royalist???

Zombies vs. Vampires

2011-09-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

Maybe I'm still a boy of six at heart, but the question, "who would win a fight between . . ." has always fascinated me. That's why Deadliest Warrior quickly became one of my favorite shows. This show gathers a variety of experts to answer such classic questions as who would win a fight between a Viking and a Samurai, between a Comanche horseman and a Mongol warrior, between George Washington and Napoleon Boneparte. It is geek heaven!

DW just finished their third season with something different: Zombies vs. Vampires.

CAUTION: The embedded video features strong bloody violence.

The show was a lot of fun and I LOVED seeing the scientific tests. I think they got the zombies (the slow kind, like you see in George Romero movies) exactly right. On the vampire side, they used the superhuman killing machines seen in 30 Days of Night. This worked well because it brought a modern version of the vampire to the fight.

In the show, Steve Niles, the creator of 30 Days, says:

The romantic vampire started in Bram Stoker's version of th ebook, and then Bela Lugosi came along turning the vampire into this sort of suave seducer and that's where vampires got stuck. When it came time for me to do 30 Days of Night, I just wanted to strip all that away. I looked at all the examples of vampires that I'[ve really enjoyed, like some of the Blade movies, where they were just treated as bad guys. What if they don't want to seduce you? What if we are just their food? And just that little twist makes then incredibly frightening.

I agree to a degree. He is right that Stoker, and then the movies, transformed the vampire into a romantic figure. Subsequent versions, like Barnabbus Collins in the soap opera Dark Shadows made the vampire into a romantic lead, and modern versions, like Twilight brought this to it's most absurd and sparkly extreme. I think Mr. Niles' insight that vampires are pure predators who only want us for our blood is a good one.

Where I part company with him is that his vampires are purely physical predators with razor sharp claws and rows of teeth like a shark. They use their strength, speed and ferocity to attack and kill humans the way an apex predator like a tiger would.

That sounds scary, but it also sounds a lot like a werewolf to me. I prefer a version of the vampire that acts less like this and more as an intelligent predator. It doesn't like to get into a physical conflict, and generally doesn't have to. Vampires have the perfect camofluage because they look like us until they open their mouthes. I think vampires should be seducors, not because they are interested in love or sex, but because we are. They use their intelligence, their appearance, and they may even have some sort of ability to fascinate a potential victim and draw them to an isolated spot where the kill can be made with a minimum of fuss.

But that doesn't detract from the show at all. Vampires won out, BTW, which is good with me. Whatever form they take (except sparkly) they are one of my favorite monsters.

Tales From the Cauldron

2011-09-07T06:55:00.000-05:00

I just ran across a final table of contents for Library of the Living Dead's long-awaited anthology of witch stories. There are a lot of writers I know in here, including former workshop buddies Anna Haney, Kody Boye, and Paula Stiles. Some others I know from the Permuted Press forum but have not yet had the pleasure of reading include Sheri Gambino and Patrick Rutagliano.

I am looking forward to this.

Many Ways to the Grave - Timothy W. Long
Black Button - Chris Castle
Tsuchi Kijo: Earth Witch - T. Patrick Rooney
What You Wish For - John Irvine
Delilah - Kody Boye
In a Cloak of Midnight Feathers - Mike Phillips
The Last Minute - Jim Kelley
The Witch's Cave - Jeffery Scott Sims
In A Quiet English Village - Paul A. Freeman
Over the Volcano - Paula R. Stiles
The Lost Summer - Anna Haney
Till Death Do Us Part - Casey Quinn
Trixie’s Thirteenth Birthday - Sheri Gambino
If These Bones Could Talk - Rob Rosen
To Touch A Witch - Derek Rutherford
Taking Root - Aaron Polson
Symbols of Love - Paul A. Freeman
Pickman's Next Top Model - William Todd Rose
Trail of the Brujo - Matthew Baugh
For Want Of A Nail - David E. Chrisom
Solitaire, And Other Games Children Play - Jamie Eyberg
Wicked Trick - Keith Gouveia
Feather - Sasha Pearl
The Last Known Whereabouts of 268 Rainey Street - Patrick Rutigliano

Last Post for a Busy Day

2011-09-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

I just heard that my western/horror story "Damned PRetty Woman" has been accepted for the anthology THE TRIGGER REFLEX which is Vol 2 of Pill Hill Press' Monster Hunter Anthology.

Tales of the Sahdowmen contents

2011-09-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Black Coat Press has anounced the table of contents for Tales of the Shadowmen, Vol, 8, Agents Provocateirs

Contents:
Matthew Baugh: Don Camillo and the Secret Weapon starring Don Camillo, James Bond, Eva Kant.
Nicholas Boving: The Elfberg Red starring Rudolph Rassendyll, Raffles, Countess Cagliostro.
Matthew Dennion: The Most Dreadful Monster starring Madame Atomos, Bruce Banner.
John Gallagher: The Books of Shadows (illustrated portfolio)
Martin Gately: Leviathan Creek starring Rouletabille, Kapitan Mors.
Micah Harris: Slouching Towards Camulodunum starring Becky Sharp, Sâr Dubnotal.
Travis Hiltz: In the Caves of the Serpent starring El Borak, Orlando, The Wandering Jew.
Paul Hugli: Sleep No More starring Harry Dickson, The Spider, Dr. Skull.
Rick Lai: Vampire Renaissance starring The Vampire Countess, Dracula
Joseph Lamere: Satan's Signature starring C. Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Jekyll.
Olivier Legrand: Lost in Averoigne starring Jules de Grandin, Jirel of Joiry.
J.-M. & Randy Lofficier: The Affair of the Necklace Revisited starring The Avenger, Judex.
David McDonald: Catspaw starring Flashman's son, The Nyctalope's father, Dr. Moreau.
Chris Nigro: Patricide starring The Phantom of the Opera, The Frankenstein Monster.
John Peel: More Imaginative Sins starring Carnacki, Baal.
Dennis E. Power: Passing through the Hands of Steel starring Passepartout, Johnny Brainerd, Winnetou.
Pete Rawlik: Before the War, Five Dragons Roar starring Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, Madame Atomos.
Joshua Reynolds: The Carolingian Stone starring Jim Anthony, Belphegor, Jan Mayen.
Frank Schildiner: The Death Bird starring Jean Kariven, Albert Campion.
Michel Stéphan: With the Compliments of Nestor Burma! starring Nestor Burma, Madame Atomos.
Michel Vannereux: The Warlord of Vaha starring John Carter, Cal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The international anthology devoted to paying homage to the world's most fantastic heroes and villains returns in this eighth installment focused on those who provoke or entice evil… The Agents Provocateurs who thrive in the shadows and lurk on the periphery of our world…

Gathered here in an all-new collection of amazing adventures are the terrifying Creature of Frankenstein and the monstrous Phantom of the Opera, the awesome Dracula and the Vampire Countess, the otherworldly Body Snatchers and the dead Necromancer of Averoigne, the merciless Madame Atomos and the deadly Countess Cagliostro, the Wandering Jew and the slithering Serpent-Men of Lemuria ...

With a special art portfolio by John Gallagher illustrating the Books of Shadows.

New From Moonstone

2011-09-02T07:38:00.000-05:00

There are two new anthology titles out from Moonstone Books. The first is The Green Hornet Casefiles which is volume 2 of all new stories about the man who poses as a masked criminal to fight crime. Though the stories are based on the TV series, my entry picks up on a bit of trivia from the radio version of the character. Britt Reid (the Green Hornet) is a descendant of John Reid (the Lone Ranger). In "Auld Acquaintance" the Hornet is called on to help a descendant of the Lone Ranger's partner, Tonto.

The second book is The Avenger: The Justice Inc. Casebook is the second volume of stories about the pulp-era crimefighter with the dead face that can be molded into any disguise. The Avenger is notable among the old adventure pulps because it was one of the few that resisted negative stereotypes of African Americans. Two of the Avenger's assistants, Josh and Rosabel were depicted as being as smart and capable as any. My story "Invisible Empire" builds on this as the Avenger clashes with the Ku Klux Klan.

Though it's only available for pre-order, Sherlock Holmes, the Crossover Casebook can also be found at Amazon. This volume crosses over the great detective with a number of noted historical and literary characters. My story, "The Adventure of the Ethical Assassin" pits Holmes against Ivan Dragomilov, the head of The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. from the unfinished novel of the same name by Jack London.

An Order of Bacon to Go

2011-08-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves bacon; we serve it for breakfast, on top of our cheeseburgers, and even crumble it in our salads. At the same time, we know that bacon isn't very good for us. In fact, bacon can kill you.

That's right . . . kill you!

If you have any doubt, Baconology: Fried Strips of Horror is now available from Amazon with a generous helping of bacon-themed horror stories. It includes my story, "The Un-Kosher Golem" about what happens when medical nanotechnology meets the deli counter and unleashed a monster of living bacon on the world.

Enjoy!

Yay!

2011-08-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

I've had stories accepted at professional rates by anthologies before but never in a pro magazine. That changed this weekend when Daily Science Fiction decided to accept my flash fiction story, "Schroedinger's Outlaw."

Yippee!

What is it with vampires this week?

2011-08-10T03:25:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't know, but. . .

Doctor Omega and the Shadowmen is out, featuring stories of the eccentric French time and space taveller. This collection from Black Coat Press features new stories plus a number of reprints of Doctor Omega stories from Tales of the Shadowmen. One of these is "The Heart of the Moon", my story about the doctor and a motly crew of vampire hunters who travel to the vampire city of Selene.

In related news, I'm working on a Jed Puma story for Black Coats' French language imprint, Riviere Blanche. Jed Puma is a French comic book character from yesteryear who travels the Old West with his judo instructor, Tashi. Jed is a skilled martial artist and prides himself on never wearing a gin. My story teams him with Doc Holliday in pursuit of (you guessed it) a trio of vampire gunfighters.

I'm having a lot of fun working on the story and, whenever I finish a scene, I use google-translate to put it into French. Hopefully side by side English and French manuscripts will help the editors because this story is being published only in French.

and another retry

2011-07-29T04:13:00.000-05:00

I've been wondering about another marked for "Gilgamesh" sinch the Zombie Kong Anthology passed on it. It's an odd piece; I essentially rewrote the Gilgamesh Epic updating the characters to the pulp era. Gilgamesh is the "Man of Bronze" who lives on the 86th floor of the tallest zigurat in the city of New Urku, Enkidu is the wild man raised by apes in the jungle, and Humbaba is the giant ape who scales skyscrapers with a pretty woman in his hand. It was as fun as anything to write, but hard to find a market for.

I just sent it off to the good folks at "Strange Horizons".

Fingers crossed.

Try Try Again

2011-07-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

I just got a rejection from Asimov's for "Schrödinger's Outlaw." That's not a huge surprise though I had my hopes. It's off to Daily Science Fiction now, where it will be a much better fit, IMO.

Wish me luck!

Productive Month

2011-07-21T02:04:00.000-05:00

I've finished up my second draft of my mash-up novel. I don't want to say too much but it's something in the tradition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, however where P&P&Z is humorous parody, my reworked classic will be a horror/adventure novel more in the vein of Peter Clines' The Eerie Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Lycanthrope. I am itching to spill the beans on the title, but don't want to give anything away without the publisher's say so.

In the meanwhile this has been a very productive month for Short stories. I just wrapped up "Kemosabe" for Moonstone's Lone Ranger anthology, "The Gray Reapers" for the Spider Chronicles by the same publisher, and "Don Camillo and the Secret Weapon" for Tales of the Shadowmen vol 8. Now I just need to put together something for vo3 three of Moonstone's Green Hornet anthologies and I'll be done with licensed characters for a bit.

It is a wonderful thing to be able to write stories about characters I've loved since childhood, but too much of it and I really start missing creating my own characters and their adventures form scratch.

The Doldrums

2011-05-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've got so many projects and so little energy for any of them.

Darn you seasonal allergies!!!

On another note

2011-05-21T00:17:00.000-05:00

Two rejections followed in short order by a contract. My story "the Un-Kosher Golem" will appear in Baconology: Fried Bits of Horror by Library of the Living Dead Press.

Yay!

Rejections Still Sting

2011-05-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

I just heard from the folks at Tor.com that they're going to pass on "Closing Time at Galaxy Video." That wasn't unexpected, Tor is a hard market to crack.

I also received a rejection from James Roy Daley for "Gilgamesh", my submission for his Zombie Kong anthology. His note was friendlty and encouraging, and suggested that he liked the story but that it just wasn't a good fit.

Rejection is easier these days than when I first started out. I think my first rejection was a form letter from Omni magazine for a flash fiction story I wrote in college. I was so crushed by that and a few other rejections that I stopped sending stories in for about 20 years.

Rejection is part of the business. Since I started writing again I've had more than 20 stories accepted, and that affirmation helps a lot. It also helps when you get an encouraging note with the rejection and (IMO) shows a lot of class on the editor's part. Just the same, even the kindest rejection still stings, and I find myself wondering if my stories are complete rubbish and whether I should just stop.

If you've ever felt this way, I can sympathize. My only advice is what I tell myself: "Don't quit. Keep writing and keep sending those stories to people who might reject them. When an editor gives you encouragement, take it to heart. When an editor gives you criticism, take that to heart too and learn all you can from it. But as long as there are stories in you that want to be told, don't ever give up!"

News

2011-03-31T01:32:00.000-05:00

Because I don't update this silly thing enough.

First, good news on the weird westerns front. The long delayed TALES FROM THE CAULDRON is moving ahead again with a new editor. That means that "Trail of the Brujo" should see print in the near future. That is a story in which gunfighter and monster-hunter Mysterious Dave Mather takes on a centuries old sorcerer. Also, another Mysterious Dave story called "Wolfers" has been picked up by LEATHER, DENIM AND SILVER: LEGENDS OF THE MONSTER HUNTERS.

Also, MORE TALES OF ZORRO is out from Moonstone and the book looks great. It features two stories of mine, "Zorro and the Bruja" and my collaboration with Richard Dean Starr, "Just Like Magic."

If you notice a similarity in a couple of the titles (eg Brujo/Bruja) that's not accidental, but I'll leave you to figure out what metafictional connection there could be.

Green Hornet Review

2010-11-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com has posted a nice review of The Green Hornet Chronicles.

There's a deserved nod to Richard Dean Starr's story and overall praise for what I agree is a a very nice anthology.

That's my opinion, at least, even if I am "just a fan."

;-)

My Interview

2010-10-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

I was recently interviewed by First Comics News about the Captain Action / Green Hornet crossover story I'm working on for Moonstone.

Fun Stuff!

BTW, the picture is the Green Hornet accessory kit to convert the Captain Action toy to the Hornet. I only ever had the Batman accessory kit, but this still brings back fond childhood memories.

Winter Special

2010-10-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

I'm doing a short, but historic, prose story for Moonstone's Captain Action Winter Special.

"Reflections in Green" will feature the first ever crossover story of Captain Action and the Green Hornet.

The story is a lot of fun to write (though I keep wanting to make it longer than the format will allow). It's also nostalgic for me as I can remember when both characters came out in 1966. Captain Action was the original superhero action figure, and my favorite toy. The Green Hornet was right up there with Batman and Star Trek as my favorite TV show, though, sadly, it went away after one season.

There's another connection besides my childhood fandom. The Captain Action toy had a set of disguises you could buy to transform him into a whole variety of superheroes including The Green Hornet.

It's amazing the cool ways things come together sometimes.

The story is still in progress but here is the cover by the talented Reuben Procopio.

Titles

2010-10-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

This is (for me at least) one of the hardest parts to a story. Sometimes inspiration strikes and the perfect title just pops into my head. When this happens, the title comes up as a part of the writing process.

Unfortunately those moments are rare (for me at least). I usually try to come up with a working title while I'm writing. It's usually not very good, but it serves as a place holder. If it's bad enough to grate on my nerves, it serves as a motive to come up with something better.

Usually there's a phrase or an image that comes up once the story is complete that makes a much better title than the place-holder. Sometimes the place-holder becomes the final title.

That was the case with "The Cwoss-Time Twavelew". It was a fairly ordinary time travel title written as if spoken by Elmer Fudd. There is a character in the story who uses Fuddspeak and one friend commented that she loved any story that used the word "ewectwical". Unfortunately, "Traveler" is not a word that comes trippingly to the tongue when bereft of the letter "r".

Lane Adamson liked the story but pointed out that the title was clumsy. He suggested a simpler and (to my mind) vastly superior alternative.

The upshoot of this is that, while I still struggle with titles, "Acwoss Time" has been accepted for the anthology TIMES OF TROUBLE!

HOOWAY!

2010-10-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

Announcing Tales of the Shadowmen 7: Femmes Fatales, from Black Coat Press

US$22.95/GBP 14.99 - 6x9 tpb, 324 pages - ISBN-13: 978-1-935558-44-6

on sale: December 1, 2010 / cover by Phil Cohen

This seventh volume of the only international anthology devoted to paying homage to the world's most fantastic heroes from popular literature spotlights the females of the species: beautiful, deadly, tragic, accursed, enticing… all gathered here for an amazing collection of new adventures...

Tremble as Christine Daae meets Herbert West the Reanimator and Dr. Loveless Nurse Ratched! Experience thrills as Milady tries to outwit Captain Blood and Lady Blakeney the Black Coats! Watch in awe as Becky Sharp foils the designs of Sâr Dubnotal and Amelia Peabody those of mad King Tut! Wonder as the Bride of Frankenstein challenges the power of Dr. Omega and the vampire countess Marcian Gregoryi that of Victor Frankenstein and the Illuminati! Also starring Carmilla! Catherine Levendeur! Rosa Klebb! Fah Lo Suee! And the Eyes Without A Face!

With a foreword by Xavier Mauméjean and a portfolio by Matt Haley.

Contents:

* Matt Haley: My Femmes Fatales (portfolio)
* Xavier Mauméjean: My Femmes Fatales (foreword)
* Roberto Lionel Barreiro: Secrets
* Matthew Baugh: What Rough Beast
* Thom Brannan: What Doesn't Die
* Matthew Dennion: Faces of Fear
* Win Scott Eckert: Nadine's Invitation
* Emmanuel Gorlier: Fiat Lux!
* Micah Harris: Slouching Towards Camulodunum
* Travis Hiltz: The Robots of Metropolis
* Paul Hugli: Death to the Heretic!
* Rick Lai: Will There Be Sunlight?
* Jean-Marc Lofficier: The Sincerest Form of Flattery
* David McDonnell: Big Little Man
* Brad Mengel: The Apprentice
* Sharan Newman: The Beast Without
* Neil Penswick: Legacy of Evil
* Pete Rawlik: The Masquerade in Exile
* Frank Schildiner: The Tiny Destroyer
* Stuart Shiffman: Grim Days
* Bradley H. Sinor: The Screeching of Two Ravens
* Michel Stéphan: The Three Lives of Maddalena
* David L. Vineyard: The Mysterious Island of Dr. Antekirtt
* Brian Stableford: The Necromancers of London

Invasion of the Spambots

2010-09-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

This is not the title of a new story.

Recently many of the comments I've received for blog posts have been spam. That's not entirely new, but their numbers are increasing, and they're getting smarter.

I remember the day when spam was easy to spot because it didn't pretend to be anything other than what it was. The message would pop up offering WAYS TO MAKE THOUSANDS FROM HOME, or NAKED PICTURES OF BRITNEY SPEARS, or REGROW HAIR, RESTORE POTENCY AND LOST FAT, ALL WITH ONE HERBAL SECRET. Then these wonderful benefactors of mankind would add a link so you could go directly to their product and/or service.

In the very early days it was human beings on the other end of the spam, but they swiftly discovered how to make spam-bots. These programs would troll the internet seeking new life and new potential markets, then they would drop their messages on unsuspecting websites and forums.

Now the spam is getting smarter. Instead of promising LONELY UKRAINIAN BRIDES up front they show up with comments like: "I really liked your last post, the insights were very helpful" or "This is a great site! I've loved this subject for years and was glad to find a community that shares my interests." Some even offer halfway coherent computer generated comments on the last post. Often the only way I can tell it's spam is the clickable link in the signature file that routes me to WALTER BRENNAN, PICTURES OF THE ACTOR NAKED.

I suspect it's only a matter of time before they become as charming and insightful as human beings. What happens then? Will there be blogs where the only commenters will be smart spambots? Will bloggers form close friendships and even on-line romances with charming programs that only want to use them to sell HOUSEWIFE'S AMAZING TECHNIQUE TO WHITEN TEETH.

Hmm... Maybe this should be a story.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

2010-09-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

This has been my most successful year so far for short stories, which is ironic because I'd decided to set aside all by short fiction writing and focus on a novel.

My best laid plans have gang oft aglay. (Now I know how the mice feel.)

Anyway, I heard back from jean-Marc Lofficier last night. It looks like "What Rough Beast" will be a part of vol 7 of TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN. I say "looks like" because there are enough good submissions that he may have to push a story back to the next volume.

Anyway, the year to date looks like this:

Acceptances
"The Inside Man" - THE GREEN HORNET CHRONICLES
"Decently and Quietly Dead" - SIX GUNS STRAIGHT FROM HELL
"Zorro and the Bruja" - MORE TALES OF ZORRO
"Just Like Magic" (with Richard Dean Starr) - MORE TALES OF ZORRO
"What Rough Beast" - TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN: VOLUME 7
"Invisible Empire" - THE AVENGER CHRONICLES II

Submissions I Haven't Heard Back on Yet
"Adrift on Other Seas" - HIGH SEAS CTHULHU II
"The Cwoss-Time Twaveller" - TIMES OF TROUBLE
"The Adventure of the Ethical Assassin" - SHERLOCK HOLMES ANTHOLOGY
"Kumiho" - KOLCHAK, THE NIGHT STALKER ANTHOLOGY
"The Un-Kosher Golem" - BACONOLOGY

I suppose a little ganging aglay never hurt anyone, but 2011 will be the year of the novel!

GREEN HORNET CONTENTS

2010-09-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

The contents information for THE GREEN HORNET CHRONICLES is out (I lifted this from Win Eckert's blog.

* Edited by Joe Gentile and Win Scott Eckert
* Covers by Glen Orbik and Rubén Procopio/interior illustrations by Procopio

CONTENTS:

* "Reflections on The Green Hornet": Introduction by Van Williams
* "The Night Car" by Will Murray
* "I Had The Green Hornet’s Love Child!" by Greg Cox
* "Weakness" by C.J. Henderson
* "Topsy-Turvy" by James Chambers
* "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Richard Dean Starr
* "Just a Man" by Thom Brannan
* "The Cold Cash Kill" by James Reasoner
* "Flight of the Yellow Jacket" by Howard Hopkins
* "By Scarab and Scorpion" by Mark Ellis
* "You Can’t Pick the Number" by Rich Harvey
* "Eyes of the Madonna" by Ron Fortier
* "Stormy Weather" by Patricia Weakley
* "The Auction" by Terry Alexander
* "Go Go Gone" by Robert Greenberger
* "Mutual Assured Destruction" by Bill Spangler
* "The Crimson Dragon" by Mark Justice
* "Fang and Sting" by Win Scott Eckert
* "The Inside Man" by Matthew Baugh
* "The Soul of Solomon" by Harlan Ellison(R)
* "Life at 90 MPH": Afterword by Dean Jeffries
* "The Green Hornet's Hunch" by Dennis O'Neil (bonus story in Limited Editions only)

There are a lot of good writers and a couple of good illustrators there. The Harlan Ellison story (fragment actually), with a short essay is the same story that also appears in vol 3 of THE PHANTOM chronicles.

The introduction is by Van Williams, who played the Green Hornet on the TV series, and the afterward by legendary props man Dean Jeffries who built the Black Beauty car.

I can't wait!!!

Progress

2010-09-08T00:16:00.000-05:00

I just finished the first draft of "What Rough Beast" for Tales of the Shadowmen, Vol 7. It's easily the most violent story I've ever written, though I had a reason for that. I wanted to show the ugliness of rationalizing violence. The central character is a very violent man who doesn't realize how close he is to the mindset of his worst enemies. While this is basically just an adventure story with horror elements, I hope that aspect comes across.

In other news I heard from the editor of the TIMES OF TROUBLE anthology that my story made round two! He asked for dark and grim stories of time travel cone wrong and I wrote something called "The Cwoss Time Twaveler" which incorporates Wile E. Coyote gadgets into a story that the editor says made him laugh out loud.

It usually doesn't work to write against expectations like this, but sometimes...

Six Guns Straight from Hell

2010-09-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Here's the cover!

I'd make it bigger, if only I knew how.

Re-Imagining

2010-08-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

I've been working on a story for vol 7 of Tales of the Shadowmen for most of the Summer.

It was a great idea! Tales of the Shadowmen invited authors to use the characters of French, American, British and other pulp literature who are in the public domain in new adventures in crossover stories that shed new light on the familiar archetypes. The subtitle of this volume is "Femmes Fatales" and many of the stories will focus on the great villainesses.

I wanted to use Antinea, the queen of the hidden Atlantean city in Pierre Benoit's novel L'ATLANTIDE. This heartless villainess seduces visitors to her city and then dips them in gold to preserve them forever. It seemed to me that the perfect foil for the queen would be Maciste. If you don't know his name, Maciste is possibly the first character ever to have a series of films made about him. He was the strongest man in the world and saved the day in more than a score of silent Italian movies.

As I cast around for more characters to throw into the mix, I discovered P.C. Wren's classic adventure novel, Beau Geste. Friends also told me about a Jules Verne novel, CITY IN THE SAHARA about a city of criminals hiding in the Sahara and raiding civilized countries in their amazing flying machines.

It seemed like an irresistible combination. A lost outpost of Atlantis, a cruel queen and hr gilded lovers, flying machines, the Foreign Legion, and the world's strongest man.

Sadly, I never could find a way to make it work. It happens like that sometimes. All the elements are there, but nothing gels. The idea lacks some little spark that could bring it to life and just sits there. That used to drive me crazy. It still does, actually, but I get over it much more quickly these days.

I checked with Jean-Marc Lofficier and he graciously allowed me to switch stories in mid-stream. The new tale tells of the World War 1 meeting of Judex (a black cloaked mystery man who predates the better known characters the Shadow and Batman) and Hugo Danner, the superhuman protagonist of Philip Wylie's novel Gladiator.

The result is a little like the classic comic book teaming of Superman and Batman, but only superficially. These guysd are not the characters that comic fans know so well, and the story is profing fascinating to write.

It's also starting to flow in a way the first idea never did. Sometimes a complete stop and re-think works wonders!

WOW!

2010-08-15T01:22:00.000-05:00

I heard back from SIX GUNS STRAIGHT FROM HELL today, and they want the story! I think that's the fastest acceptance I've ever gotten!

The All-Nighter

2010-08-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

I remember doing a few of these in college. Looking back, I don't know how I ever lasted through the day after.

Occasionally I will still stay up all night working on a story; it happened last night. Sometimes the words are flowing so well that you are afraid to stop. It's as if the magic will disappear and so I press on.

At the end there's a feeling of great accomplishment. Finishing a story (a first draft anyway) is a wonderful thing. At the same time, I can't help thinking that I need a better writing schedule. :-)

But "Kumiho" is done and off to a couple fo trusted beta-readers and my writing workshop. No more all nighters for me! (At least not this week.)

Mysterious Dave Rides Again

2010-08-10T13:27:00.001-05:00

Hopefully...

A few years I wrote something for a project Ron Shiflet was working on. Sadly, the project seems to have folded and I haven't been able to get ahold of Ron. I hope he's well. He's a talented writer and a heck of a nice guy.

Anyway, I put the story, "Decently and Quietly Dead" into my metaphorical trunk for a bit on the chance an opportunity would throw itself at me. This weekend it did.

My friend Win Scott Eckert sent me an email introducing me to Laura Givens who is working on an anthology called SIX GUNS STRAIGHT FROM HELL for Science Fiction Trails Publishing. I think it'll be a great fit, but am keeping my fingers crossed until I see if they agree.

Dramatic Skies

2010-08-04T15:37:00.000-05:00

I'm visiting my parents in Albuquerque for a few days. One thing that always strikes me when I come back to the southwest is the view of the sky. I don't mean to speak ill of the midwestern skies, which are often lovely, but there is a difference.

It's a different type of beauty here with vivid blues and whites as big well-defined clouds pile deep on the western horizon. I don't know enough about meteorology to say for sure, but I think the climate here produces a different kind of cloud formation. I see massive thunderheads piling in banks or sailing along like individual roaming mountains.

It's odd to think of clouds as "massive" but there is nothing wispy about these giants. Seen from the ground they seem as solid and imposing as the granite mountains to the east. It's easy to imagine walking or climbing on them.

These are the kind of clouds that tempt the imagination too, with their solid seeming fantastic shapes they look like colossal impressionist sculptures. Last night I must have been in an Egyptian mood because I saw a sphinx sitting a bust of Anubis, with his jackal ears and sharp muddle presiding over a sea of monuments and sarcophagi.

Then again, maybe it's just that when I'm at home, I'm too busy to watch the sky.
:)

Grammar Nazis

2010-07-28T02:41:00.000-05:00

A video by College Humor that can be appreciated by writers, editors, and Freedom Fighters everywhere. The Grammar Nazi division of the SS instills terror.

Correct English saves lives people!

New Covers!

2010-07-26T00:59:00.000-05:00

Waiting

2010-07-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

It has been too long since I updated anything here! This time (he said again) I will do my best to update things at least once per month.

Status of stories...

Accepted but not yet out:
"The Inside Man" for Moonstone's GREEN HORNET CHRONICLES
"Trail of the Brujo" for TALES FROM THE CAULDRON
"Zorro and the Bruja" for MORE TALES OF ZORRO
"Invisible Empire" for THE AVENGER CHRONICLES II

Submitted:
"Adrift on Other Seas" for HIGH SEAS CTHULHU II
"The Cwoss-Time Twaveler" for TIMES OF TROUBLE
"The Adventure of the Ethical Assassin" for Moonstone's Sherlock Holmes Anthology

In Progress:
"Kumiho" for Moonstone's Kolchak, the Night Stalker Anthology
"Like Magic" for MORE TALES OF ZORRO

A Fistfull of Hollars

2010-03-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

The final title for the silly western anthology is A FISTFULL OF HOLLARS, OR HOW THE WEST WAS SILLY. I just got the galley proofs and it looks like a great (though very silly) book. I was especially pleased to see that the'd done a full page illustration of a scene from my story, "The Tragic Tale of Tyrannosaurus Tex". Seeing the great dinosaur gunfighter in all his glory took my breath away.

I hope to have a copy of the illustration I can post here, pronto!

New From Moonstone

2010-03-13T12:48:00.000-06:00

The new "Green Hornet Chronicles" anthology from Moonstone is nearing completion. Though there may be some small last minute changes, the authors slated for Volume 1 of this two volume porject have been finalized.

I'm in this book and am very proud to be included in this amazing company. I'm told that Volume 2 is already filled and will (fingers crossed) include a story by fellow PIT writer's workshop member, Thom Brannon.

The authors for Vol 1 are:

Ron Fortier
Denny Oneil
Harlan Ellison
Will Murray
Greg Cox
Bob Greenberger
Patricia Weakley
Richard Dean Starr
Matthew Baugh
James van Hise
CJ Henderson
Win Scott Eckert
Bill Spangler
Mark Ellis
Howard Hopkins
James Reasoner
James Chambers
Mark Justice
Terry Alexander
Rich Harvey

Top 10 Rules

2010-03-02T13:22:00.000-06:00

A friend passed on this great article about writing. Every author sees this differently, but each has some excellent, thoughtful, and sometimes hilarious advice.

I can't think of much to add to this collected wisdom so I'll just add something that Michael Moorcock alluded to. This is Lester Dent's advice on writing a pulp story. As one of the most prolific, successful and talented writers of the pulps, he knew whereof he spake. (This formula actually works well for any genre and any length.)

The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot

This is a formula, a master plot, for any 6000 word pulp story. It has worked on adventure, detective, western and war-air. It tells exactly where to put everything. It shows definitely just what must happen in each successive thousand words.

No yarn of mine written to the formula has yet failed to sell.

The business of building stories seems not much different from the business of building anything else.

Here's how it starts:

1. A DIFFERENT MURDER METHOD FOR VILLAIN TO USE
2. A DIFFERENT THING FOR VILLAIN TO BE SEEKING
3. A DIFFERENT LOCALE
4. A MENACE WHICH IS TO HANG LIKE A CLOUD OVER HERO

One of these DIFFERENT things would be nice, two better, three swell. It may help if they are fully in mind before tackling the rest.

A different murder method could be--different. Thinking of shooting, knifing, hydrocyanic, garroting, poison needles, scorpions, a few others, and writing them on paper gets them where they may suggest something. Scorpions and their poison bite? Maybe mosquitos or flies treated with deadly germs?

If the victims are killed by ordinary methods, but found under strange and identical circumstances each time, it might serve, the reader of course not knowing until the end, that the method of murder is ordinary.

Scribes who have their villain's victims found with butterflies, spiders or bats stamped on them could conceivably be flirting with this gag.

Probably it won't do a lot of good to be too odd, fanciful or grotesque with murder methods.

The different thing for the villain to be after might be something other than jewels, the stolen bank loot, the pearls, or some other old ones.

Here, again one might get too bizarre.

Unique locale? Easy. Selecting one that fits in with the murder method and the treasure--thing that villain wants--makes it simpler, and it's
also nice to use a familiar one, a place where you've lived or worked. So many pulpateers don't. It sometimes saves embarrassment to know nearly as much about the locale as the editor, or enough to fool him.

Here's a nifty much used in faking local color. For a story laid in Egypt, say, author finds a book titled "Conversational Egyptian Easily Learned," or something like that. He wants a character to ask in Egyptian, "What's the matter?" He looks in the book and finds, "El khabar, eyh?" To keep the reader from getting dizzy, it's perhaps wise to make it clear in some fashion, just what that means. Occasionally the text will tell this, or someone can repeat it in English. But it's a doubtful move to stop and tell the reader in so many words the English translation.

The writer learns they have palm trees in Egypt. He looks in the book, finds the Egyptian for palm trees, and uses that. This kids editors and readers into thinking he knows something about Egypt.

Here's the second installment of the master plot.

Divide the 6000 word yarn into four 1500 word parts. In each 1500 word part, put the following:

FIRST 1500 WORDS

1--First line, or as near thereto as possible, introduce the hero and swat him with a fistful of trouble. Hint at a mystery, a menace or a problem to be solved--something the hero has to cope with.

2--The hero pitches in to cope with his fistful of trouble. (He tries to fathom the mystery, defeat the menace, or solve the problem.)

3--Introduce ALL the other characters as soon as possible. Bring them on in action.

4--Hero's endevours land him in an actual physical conflict near the end of the first 1500 words.

5--Near the end of first 1500 words, there is a complete surprise twist in the plot development.

SO FAR: Does it have SUSPENSE?
Is there a MENACE to the hero?
Does everything happen logically?

At this point, it might help to recall that action should do something besides advance the hero over the scenery. Suppose the hero has learned the dastards of villains have seized somebody named Eloise, who can explain the secret of what is behind all these sinister events. The hero corners villains, they fight, and villains get away. Not so hot.

Hero should accomplish something with his tearing around, if only to rescue Eloise, and surprise! Eloise is a ring-tailed monkey. The hero counts the rings on Eloise's tail, if nothing better comes to mind.
They're not real. The rings are painted there. Why?

SECOND 1500 WORDS

1--Shovel more grief onto the hero.

2--Hero, being heroic, struggles, and his struggles lead up to:

3--Another physical conflict.

4--A surprising plot twist to end the 1500 words.

NOW: Does second part have SUSPENSE?
Does the MENACE grow like a black cloud?
Is the hero getting it in the neck?
Is the second part logical?

DON'T TELL ABOUT IT***Show how the thing looked. This is one of the secrets of writing; never tell the reader--show him. (He trembles, roving eyes, slackened jaw, and such.) MAKE THE READER SEE HIM.

When writing, it helps to get at least one minor surprise to the printed page. It is reasonable to to expect these minor surprises to sort of inveigle the reader into keeping on. They need not be such profound efforts. One method of accomplishing one now and then is to be gently misleading. Hero is examining the murder room. The door behind him begins slowly to open. He does not see it. He conducts his examination blissfully. Door eases open, wider and wider, until--surprise! The glass pane falls out of the big window across the room. It must have fallen slowly, and air blowing into the room caused the door to open. Then what the heck made the pane fall so slowly? More mystery.

Characterizing a story actor consists of giving him some things which make him stick in the reader's mind. TAG HIM.

BUILD YOUR PLOTS SO THAT ACTION CAN BE CONTINUOUS.

THIRD 1500 WORDS

1--Shovel the grief onto the hero.

2--Hero makes some headway, and corners the villain or somebody in:

3--A physical conflict.

4--A surprising plot twist, in which the hero preferably gets it in the neck bad, to end the 1500 words.

DOES: It still have SUSPENSE?
The MENACE getting blacker?
The hero finds himself in a hell of a fix?
It all happens logically?

These outlines or master formulas are only something to make you certain of inserting some physical conflict, and some genuine plot twists, with a little suspense and menace thrown in. Without them, there is no pulp story.

These physical conflicts in each part might be DIFFERENT, too. If one fight is with fists, that can take care of the pugilism until next the next yarn. Same for poison gas and swords. There may, naturally, be exceptions. A hero with a peculiar punch, or a quick draw, might use it more than once.

The idea is to avoid monotony.

ACTION:
Vivid, swift, no words wasted. Create suspense, make the reader see and feel the action.

ATMOSPHERE:
Hear, smell, see, feel and taste.

DESCRIPTION:
Trees, wind, scenery and water.

THE SECRET OF ALL WRITING IS TO MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT.

FOURTH 1500 WORDS

1--Shovel the difficulties more thickly upon the hero.

2--Get the hero almost buried in his troubles. (Figuratively, the villain has him prisoner and has him framed for a murder rap; the girl is presumably dead, everything is lost, and the DIFFERENT murder method is about to dispose of the suffering protagonist.)

3--The hero extricates himself using HIS OWN SKILL, training or brawn.

4--The mysteries remaining--one big one held over to this point will help grip interest--are cleared up in course of final conflict as hero takes
the situation in hand.

5--Final twist, a big surprise, (This can be the villain turning out to be the unexpected person, having the "Treasure" be a dud, etc.)

6--The snapper, the punch line to end it.

HAS: The SUSPENSE held out to the last line?
The MENACE held out to the last?
Everything been explained?
It all happen logically?
Is the Punch Line enough to leave the reader with that WARM FEELING?
Did God kill the villain? Or the hero?

Lester Dent (1904 - 1959) was a prolific pulp fiction author of numerous stories, best known as the main author of the series of stories about the superhuman character, "Doc Savage."

News, because it's been too long

2010-02-08T14:43:00.000-06:00

My New Year's resolution was at least one post a month on my blogs. So far, I need a little work to catch up :p

Anyway, I don't think I posted this before, but my story "Trail of the Brujo" was accepted for Library of the Living Dead Press's upcoming anthology, "Tales from the Cauldron" edited by Rhiannon Frater.

I'm particularly excited about this one because it will also include stories from two very talented fellow members of the PIT writing workshop: Anna Haney and Victorya.

My story is one of gunfighter Mysterious Dave Mather and dark magic in 1880's Dallas.

Movies Pt 3: The Book of Eli

2010-01-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

This is, by far, the best of the movies I've seen recently. In a future where the earth is barren and only a few humans survive, a man names Eli (Denzel Washington) makes a pilgrinage across North America carrying a book. As it happens, a local warlord named Carnagie (Gary Oldman) has been looking for that same book and the power it can give him.

This feels a little like "The Road Warrior" and a little like "A Fist Full of Dollars" but it's not a copy of either. Eli is one of the smartest and best acted movies I've seen in a long time and explores the power of faith (both negative and positive) is some amazing ways. It's easily the best use of an explicitly religious theme I've seen at the movies in a long time. It's filled with clever twists and left me feeling deeply satisfied. I recommend it highly.

Movies Pt 2: Avatar

2010-01-28T11:10:00.000-06:00

The second movie I got to see was Avatar. I'd been hearing the pundits talk about being anti-American, anti-US military, anti-Christian, and anti-capitalism. It's funny to me that people can get so worked up over something as silly as a science fiction movie.

My take on the movie is that the theme is simplistic, but a worthy theme for all that. Basically the idea is that wealthy developed planets like earth, should take care when exploiting the natural resources of remote life-supporting moons. It's not nice to disrupt the eco-system or to trample on the rights of the 10 foot tall blue aliens.

The plot is familiar and this by Matt Bateman summarizes it better than I can.

If I was a Marine I'd probably be a little annoyed at the portrayal of the military in the movie. Jake is one of many ex-Marines hired as mercenaries by the corporation and they are one dimensional villains (except for Jake and one helicoptor pilot, who rise to the level of two dimensional heroes). I can sympathize because I'm a minister and members of my profession are regularly portrayed as one dimensional villains also. Still, I don't think any of us should kick too hard. Like bad preachers, bad military types are easy to find in real life.

I don't believe this is a cheap shot at the military, though. The movie just needed some convenient villains for the big fight scene and Blackwater-type mercenaries fit the story logic. James Cameron's disturbing comment about being a fan of Eco-terrorism aside (I really hope he meant to say "eco-tourism"), the movie isn't very sinister. It reminds me a lot of "Starship Troopers" actually. This is a left-leaning movie and that one leaned to the right, but they're both ultimately harmless fun with dazzling special effects.

As for the effects, Pandora is dazzling and would be worth the price of admission even if there was no plot at all. The world and it's creatures takes your breath away.

(One odd note in closing: the animals of Pandora remind A LOT of the Martian animals in Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series.)

Anyway, the plot and acting are so-so, but go for the scenery, and don't let silly ideological angst keep you away. This is an uncomplicated, fun movie.

Movies Pt 1: Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-28T10:59:00.000-06:00

I had a chance to get to the movies several times in January. I don;'t do that much these days and it was a treat. Here are my thoughts about them, FWIW.

SHERLOCK HOLMES - I was ready to dislike this. I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective since I read "A Scandal in Bohemia" in the sixth grade and had reservations about Holmes played as an action hero by an American actor.

As it turned out the screenplay was very clever and surprisingly true to the spirit of the original stories. There were some plot holes, but nothing glaring and the cast was excellent. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the best actors around. He picked up on both the brilliance and the troubled side of the character and made me believe. My only problem with him is that he doesn't look even remotely like Holmes is supposed to, but I can overlook that for a first rate performance. Jude Law was excellent as Dr. Watson, and the story worked, both as a self-contained story, and as the set up for a sequel.

I've heard that there is another Holmes film in the works with Sasha Baron Cohen as Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson. I think I'd rather chew off my own foot than be trapped in a theater with that, but we'll see I suppose.

News!

2009-09-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

I really need to update this thing more.

I heard back from Cemetery Dance who decided to pass on "The Beauty Thief". that's disappointing, but I will place a story with them someday (shakes fists at the heavens).

I did have some better news from "Tales from the Cauldron" who just accepted my story "Trail of the Brujo" (Yay!)

And i'm editing another book for Permuted Press, a well-written tale of werewolves and those who hunt them.

C-Realm Podcast

2009-08-10T19:55:00.000-05:00

There's a nifty interview with Lane Adamson, editor of Robots Beyond on the latest podcast at C-Realm episode 165.

Take a listen. Buy the book. That is all.

Story acceptance!

2009-08-10T19:41:00.001-05:00

The folks at Cyberwizard Productions have accepted my story, "The Tragic Tale of Tyrannosaurus Tex" for their upcoming anthology, tentatively titled Silly Western Anthology.

It's a short piece, the sad story of the greatest of the gun-slinging theropods of the old west. It has action, drama, true love, and a little humor.

Big News at Permuted!

2009-07-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Something really great came up today for the good folks at Permuted Press. Here's the press release:

POCKET BOOKS PARTNERS WITH PERMUTED PRESS TO PUBLISH ZOMBIE FICTION

New York, New York (July 1, 2009) – Anthony Ziccardi, Vice President and Deputy Publisher of Pocket Books, has announced a new co-publishing venture with Permuted Press, best known for horror, dark fantasy and science fiction novels . The seven book deal was brokered by Marc Gerald at the Agency Group. The books will be Zombie focused, with the first release DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON by J.L. Bourne, slated for October 2009.

“I am excited to be the pioneer author for the Pocket Books and Permuted Press joint publishing venture. Horror fans are in for an absolute thrill and can expect to enjoy bold, fresh and riveting fiction as a result of this project. The journey with Permuted Press has been a great success and I know that success will be further enhanced as we shift gears into a new and exciting relationship with Pocket Books. Keep your doors locked!” --J.L. Bourne

Jacob Kier, Publisher, Permuted Press, said “I couldn't be more excited about teaming up with Pocket Books to bring some of Permuted's most exciting and thought-provoking tales of the end of the world to a larger audience.”

Permuted Press began its publishing program in 2004 and quickly became noted in the horror fiction genre. Bourne’s DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON is Permuted’s biggest seller, with sales of approximately 25,000 copies. Other titles entering the co-publishing venture have sold between 10-20,000 copies. Permuted has achieved unprecedented success for a small company operating from a remote corner of Missouri and, until now, has utilized only a print on demand (POD) centered publishing model.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Permuted Press and expand their very successful brand.” said Anthony Ziccardi. “We feel the horror genre and zombies in particular, will be a growing category at retail. Even Hollywood seems to be focused on zombie tales and we feel that we are well positioned to capitalize on this trend.”

Titles to be included in the joint venture are:

* Day by Day Armageddon and sequel by J.L. Bourne
* Plague of the Dead by Z.A. Recht
* Dying to Live by Kim Paffenroth
* Down the Road by Bowie Ibarra
* Empire by David Dunwoody
* The Zombie Chronicles: Escape by James Melzer

Congratulations Jacob and all the authors!

Daikaijuzine 4.5

2009-06-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

The latest issue of Daikaijuzine is out today. It's a web-zine so no hard copies :(. The magazine's unusual name is derived from the Japanese "dai" ("large" or "giant") and "kaiju" ("strange creature" or "monster"). A daikaiju is a giant monster. More specifically, it is one of the gigantic monsters Like Godzilla, King Ghidorah, or Mothra that appear in Japanese movies. With a name like that it seemed like the perfect market for a tale of a 400' foot pangolin terrorizing the city of Chicago.

The story is Panzersloth, and, if you notice an extra amount of wonderfulness in the telling that's due to my co-author, the extremely talented Leah Clarke.

I hope you'll find the story as much fun to read as it was to write.

Brave Blue Mice

2009-06-06T20:28:00.001-05:00

Brave Blue Mice.com is a nifty little e-zine run by my friend Greg. It hosts stories by a number of talented writers, including alums from the PIT writer's workshop, Kody Boye and Bobbie Metevier. He's also accepted a story of mine recently.

"Taking the Horn" is an excursion into high fantasy. It came about as the result of an on-line conversation about which would win a fight between a unicorn and a zombie. From such unlikely beginnings my story, this story of three unlikely adventurers and their desperate quest was born.

Shameless Self Promotion

2009-06-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

I'd posted that I was mentioned in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 2008 Edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant. Well, it's a little late but I finally tracked down a copy and here are the citations:

High Seas Cthulhu, edited by William Jones (Elder Signs Press), is an anthology of twenty Lovecraftian tales set on the sea. All but one are original and although every story is readable, there isn't enough variety in tone, setting, or style. The more interesting stories are by Matthew Baugh, Tim Curran, John Shire, Stewart Sternberg, Charles P. Zaglanis, and Lee Clark Zumpe.

The other mention was also from something Edited by the very talented William Jones.

Frontier Cthulhu Ancient Horrors in the New World, edited by William Jones (Chaosium), is a pretty good anthology of fifteen Lovecraftian stories taking place in the American West. The best originals are those by Matthew Baugh, Lon Prater, and Jason Andrews.

Didja notice that there's one name in common on both lists? Huh? Didja? Didja?

(Okay, I'll be quiet now.)
:)

Longest Running Fictional Character

2009-05-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

My sister Allison sent me this article asking about the longest running fictional character of all time. The writer has indeed stacked things in favor of Superman, and both comic books and newspaper comic strips seem to have a huge advantage in this kind of contest.

Still, the Phantom who was created in 1936 beats Superman out by several years, and (from reading the blog's responses) I see that people have pointed out that the characters in Gasoline Alley and Little Orphan Annie both trump the Man of Steel as well. Annie has been an orphan since 1924 and Gasoline Alley started publication in 1918. Even the relative newcomers Dick Tracy (1931) and Prince Valiant (1937) have maintained continuity for longer.

My first thought for the all time champion was Nick Carter an adventurer/detective whose published adventures began in 1886. Sadly, though Carter continued to appear regularly until 1990, the series ended at that time.

There has got to be some mention of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. They have been teen detectives since 1927 and 1930 respectively.

I know that the article was really trying to make a point about the problems with allowing character series to continue for such long periods of time, but this has turned into a fun game.

I'm sure there are some I'm missing. Any suggestions?

LAMB

2009-05-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

I just finished this novel by the amazing Christopher Moore. The full title is: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. I really like Moore. He is one of the funniest writers around and has the best titles of all time, my favorites being Island of the Sequined Love Nun, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, and The Stupidest Angel (The last is a heart-warming Christmas story with zombies).

Lamb is not a terribly orthodox (big surprise) retelling of the Gospel stories, nor is it strictly accurate from a historical point of view (another big surprise). Moore is well-known for his absurdism and goody sense of humor, and both are on full display here.

Levi, the son of Alpheus, aka 'Biff', Joshua (the name used for Jesus throughout the story) and Mary Magdalene aka "Maggie" are inseparable childhood friends. Biff is a natural con man with a heart of gold, Maggie is the smart, brave, pretty girl who both boys adore, and Joshua is the Son of God. It makes for an eventful childhood that is by turns touching, funny, and sad.

Childhood ends when Joshua and Biff decide they need to leave Judea to find the three wise men and learn what Josh needs to know about being the Messiah. It's a bizarre journey that takes them as far as the Shaolin Monastery in China, where Joshua learns kung fu and creates his own non-violent martial are of Jew-do. Finally the friends return to their home where they gather disciples, are reunited with Maggie, and run through the familiar events of the passion.

I put off reading this one because it's so hard to do a Jesus story well. People either tend to do pious rehashings of things that have been done a million times already, or else harsh debunkings that reveal shocking secrets.

Moore doesn't go in for either of those paths. He writes with a healthy disdain for conventional piety, but also with real affection. His Joshua is wise, loving and fearless, but far from omniscient. He makes mistakes, generally because he cares too much, but learns from them without ever becoming cynical. It's also refreshing to see someone having so much fun filling in the lost years of Jesus. Moore recognizes the absurdity of this kind of endeavor and uses it playfully.

It's not theologically earth-shaking (nor was it meant to be) but it's a good read, funny and fast moving with the occasional nice insight of affecting scene. I liked it better than any Jesus fiction I've seen in a long time.

Arrived Today!

2009-05-01T16:25:00.001-05:00

I got my copy of ROBOTS BEYOND in the mail! It's a great looking book and exciting to finally have in hand. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Zorro and the Plot Twist that Would Not Work

2009-04-27T15:56:00.001-05:00

I'm working on something for MORE TALES OF ZORRO which is a joy and a struggle. It's a joy because I love the character and doing this brings back good memories. It's a struggle because there are two mutually exclusive things I'd like to have happen at the conclusion of the story.

This started as the story of how Zorro's father came to learn his secret. That would have been fun to tell, but it wasn't approved. I'm trying to save the best parts to tell a story about Zorro and Esperanza (the woman he's married to in the beginning of "The Mask of Zorro"). It's not quite clicking yet but possibly after tonight.

It's an interesting challenge to write a licensed character. In some ways it's much harder and less satisfying than creating your own. When you've created a character you can do anything you want to him or her. It's unrestricted creativity, and what's not to love about that. There's also a connection you feel toward characters you have created that just isn't there for another author's brainchild.

When writing a character like Zorro, there is a strange tension. It's something I think that every writer handles differently. On the one hand, you have to honor the character's existing back-story, established personality, relationships, etc. It's something the fans (and the copyright holder) want you to do, and I think they have a right to have some expectations.

That can clash with the author's legitimate desire to do something unique and fresh with the character. Nobody wants to write retreads of someone else's stories after all. But I think there needs to be a balance between these two extremes.

Years ago I read a Sherlock Holmes pastiche in which it was revealed that boredom and drug abuse had driven the detective mad. Unable to find a worthy adversary, he created the identity of Professor Moriarty and began planning crimes. Later, when even this was not enough of a challenge, he became Jack the Ripper.

It was a clever idea and (as I remember) pretty well executed. However, it violated my expectations of what the character was supposed to be like so badly that it nearly made me sick. The reason I was reading Holmes pastiches at that age was because I was a big fan. I really loved the character and his adventures, and the revelation felt like a personal betrayal. The writer did something that was perfectly legal, and artistically valid, but it's something I'd never want to do myself. Having been on the other side I think that the writer should balance his creative drive with the expectations of the fans.

So in my story Zorro will not turn out to be Professor Moriarty, or Jack the Ripper. He will be (I hope) dashing, clever, romantic, etc. I hope I can bring something uniquely mine to the story, but even more I hope I can capture some of the magic that I felt when I first saw Guy Williams or Tyrone Power or Alain Delon out fencing and outwitting the forces or tyranny and injustice. That part feels even more important to me than adding my own special touches.

Speaking of, I have a plot twist to grapple with!

Epitaph

2009-04-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

This is something that the young Ben Franklin came up with. I've always liked it. (His actual epitaph was much less creative).

The body of
B. Franklin, Printer
(Like the Cover of an Old Book
Its Contents torn Out
And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding)
Lies Here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be Lost;
For it will (as he Believ'd) Appear once More
In a New and More Elegant Edition
Revised and Corrected
By the Author.

This Idea Stolen From...

2009-04-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Catherine Gardener had a great idea (which she lifted from Aaron Polson) and I thought it would be fun to pirate it for myself. Here are the ten stories of which I am proudest (in no particular order).

1) Mysterious Dan’s Legacy (Arkham Tales) - The first of the Dave Mather stories (though I had to change the character's name in this for legal reasons). It's one of my first and IMO contains some of my best characterization.

2) Nano-Domini (Robots Beyond) - It's a short story about noano-robots discovering God... sort of. It was thematically ambitious but came off pretty well.

3) Clown Fish (High Seas Cthulhu) - A pirate story that tries to be creepy and ironic. I love the way the title connects to the end of the story.

4) Snake Oil (Frontier Cthulhu) - Another Dave Mather story with lots of authentic snake lore and a last paragraph I'm proud of.

5) The Beauty Thief (Submitted) - This one is based on a Navajo ghost story. It has an experimental structure, is told in first person present, and has a confusing ending. Despite this, I think it's one of the very best things I've written.

6) The Cold Comes South (In Lovecraft's Shadow #1) - Another Dave Mather story and IMO perhaps the creepiest. I think I got the sense of the barren frontier just about right in it.

7) Fool’s Gold (Hell's Hangmen) - Yet another Dave Mather story. This one has some characters (including Wyatt Earp) who I became very fond of. I also liked the last line quite a bit.

8) City of Masks (You Don't Know What You've Got) - My first zombie story. It's still got flaws, but I was happy witht he final form it took. It was written at a very painful time in my life and that actually sharpened the writing a bit.

9) Closing Time at Galaxy Video (Submitted) - A humorous tale of alien invasion that I have a lot of affection for. I'd love to write more in this vein.

10) The Tragic Tale of Tyrannosaurus Tex (Submission) - A very short story and probably my funniest. I've had the title kicking around for years and am very happy finally to have a story to go with it.

Robots Beyond

2009-04-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

I just found out that Robots Beyond from Permuted Press is now available at Amazon. This was a fun one ot work with, largely because editor Lane Adamson and a lot of the contributors are friends of mine. I had the chance to see some of the stories in the workshop stage and there is some seriously great stuff in here.

The table of contents is:

- Electric Crown by Thom Brannan
- The Last Protector by Billy Wong
- Franchise Hell by Ren Holton
- Burning Down the House by Paula Stiles
- Tinman by Jesse A. Lynn
- Crocus by William Carl
- Narrative Device by Alistair Bishop
- Other Dreams by Dave Dunwoody
- The Strange Affair of the Artisan's Heart by Joshua Reynolds
- Surveillance by R. Thomas Riley
- Primero by Richard Mosses
- The Cure by Christopher Donahue
- Hothead by Mark Patrick Lynch
- How Coyote Made Robot by John W. Oliver
- Again, Iabrochium by Joel Sutherland
- Be Swift, My Soul by Lane Adamson
- A Robot Named J35U5 by Matt R. Jones
- Nano-Domini by Matthew Baugh
- Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Doug Wojtowicz

What has the Government Ever Given Us?

2009-04-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

I usually don't do political type blogs, but the tea bag protests this week triggered a memory of this scene from a favorite movie.

The Hunger Site

2009-04-15T17:04:00.000-05:00

This is a post that I’m putting on both my blogs because it needs to have the word spread. You may know about these already, but, if you don’t, here they are.

The Hunger Site started in 1999 and is a click-to-donate website. What that means is that you can click a button on the site once per day and it will translate as a small donation to the famine relief organizations Feeding America (formerly known as America’s Second Harvest) and Mercy Corps. The action is free and, thought the donation is small, it adds up over time and is an effortless way to make a difference.

It is linked to a number of other websites with the same set up and similar missions.

The Breast Cancer Site gathers contributions for free mammogram screenings.

The Child Health Site focuses its efforts on providing medicine and medical care to low income children.

The Literacy Site uses the funds they gather to purchase books for literacy campaigns.

The Rainforest Site buys up areas of endangered rainforest so they cannot be developed.

The Animal Rescue Site purchases food to care for animals in shelters.

Each of them is worth a click a day. They are my first six visits when I go on line. I hope you'll consider them.

Two Books I Read

2009-04-14T13:56:00.000-05:00

I've been reading two books side by side for the last few days and finished them both this morning. They are as different in most ways as two books can be, but drew forth similar feelings from me.

NEVERWHERE is a fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman. It's the fairy-tail like story of a nice but very ordinary young man named Richard who accidentally slips out of the normal world of London and ends up in the surreal world of London-Below. He ends out helping a girl named Door on a quest, makes friends, faces monsters, meets an angel, and grows up to a truer sense of who he is and what he wants in life. It's a magical book in a way that few books (even those with lots of magic) ever are. It touched me because it was so good at recognizing that true magic has to do with friendship, and kindness, and unselfish compassion. It does a wonderful job of showing how what we believe about the-way-things-are can beat us down and blind us to the truth of this magic.

It's got some honest, ugly and frightening moments, but the moments of wonder, joy and love are just as honest (more actually) and make the journey more than worth it.

VELVET ELVIS by Rob Bell is a brilliant, unconventional look at Christianity and what it is really meant to be. It does a wonderful job of cutting past the dogma and layers of tradition and striking at the heart of faith, which, even after 2000 years is beautiful, radical and inspiring. For Bell, real faith isn't about following a set of ecclesiastical rules to get into Heaven. It's something that changes us in the here and now, helping us to see the world as God sees it, helping us love the people God loves (which is everyone) and living out that love.

In other words (I'm simplifying here) but true faith has less to do with the beliefs we hold and more to do with things like friendship, and kindness, and unselfish compassion. He also does a great job of showing how what we believe about the-way-things-are can beat us down and blind us to the truth of God.

In the end these two very different books were a great combination to read. I recomment either, or both, without reservation.

Article of Faith

2009-04-06T01:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Leah told me about this story featured on the Escape Pod podcast. She said it made her think of something I might write. The subject matter, about a robot who explores the possibilities of faith in God, is is certainly something I'd love to work with, and the themes of acceptance vs. exclusion are close to my heart. Of course I can only dream that I'll ever be able to write like Mike Resnick, who has won more honors for his science fiction than anyone else.

His story, "Article of Faith" is a 2009 Hugo Award nominee for short fiction. It's found here and is episode 193.

I highly recommend listening to it!

Lost Generation

2009-04-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

This very cool video is making its rounds on the internet right now. It was conceived and produced by a 20 year old and is the second place winner in a vdieo contest.

Rules to write by

2009-03-31T13:41:00.001-05:00

The original (wonderful) list is from William Safire, ca. 1970. This expanded version is from a nifty blog I discovered today.

- Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.

- Don't use no double negatives.

- Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.

- Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.

- Do not put statements in the negative form.

- Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

- No sentence fragments.

- Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

- If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

- Steer clear of incorrect verb forms that have snuck into the language.

- Take the bull by the hand in leading away from mixed metaphors.

- Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

- Like, be aware that "like" is, like, easily misused.

- Try to never split infinitives.

- Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

- Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

- I must have told you a million times to resist hyperbole.

- Also, avoid awkward and affected alliteration.

- "Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks" ' ".

- Avoid commas, that are not necessary.

- A writer must not shift your point of view.

- And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

- Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!!!

- Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.

- Write all adverbial forms correct.

- Avoid un-necessary hyphenation.

- When dangling, watch your participles.

- It is incumbent on us to avoid archaic phrases.

- Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

- It's hard to imagine a phrase when you will have needed the future perfect.

- Unqualified superlatives are the worst.

- Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

- A preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.

New Blog

2009-03-24T23:16:00.000-05:00

Some of you know that I have a blog for my churchly musings as well. I'm moving it from journalscape to Blogger because it's a much easier platform for me to use. If you're interested in what a pastor who writes horror stories has to say about faith, justice and sundry topics, check out God and Stuff.

No Escape for me

2009-03-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

I got a rejection letter (a very nice one actually) from Jeremiah Tolbert at Escape Pod. They didn't want "Closing Time at Galaxy Video" so I'll have hunt for another market. On the plus side he said he likes my writing.
:)

Supernatural Gets Good

2009-03-20T01:13:00.001-05:00

I don't watch that much television, but something I have kept up with for the last few years has been the show "Supernatural". The basic premise is that there are people who secretly hunt the ghosts, monsters and demons that plague humanity. It focuses on the activities of two of these hunters, Sam and Dean Winchester, as they fight the good fight.

I didn't get into the show in the first season. It seemed to me too interested in gimmicks and a cool image and not enough in substance. That's changed (at least my perception of it has changed) as the show has become smarter, funnier, and more insightful. It does a nice job of exploring the ethics of difficult choices, and it's two fallible heroes often choose poorly, but never without consequence. Their long campaign is making them tougher, wiser, and more cynical, just as real-world wars so often do to the people who fight them.

The series has been focusing on demons for some time and largely ignoring ghosts, vampires, and other sundry monsters. That's not a bad thing IMO, because different monsters give a story a different mood and feel. A vampire story is different from a ghost story is different from a werewolf story and so on. Finding a niche, as "Buffy" did with vampires is a good idea.

Very recently the show crossed into less familiar territory as it introduced angels as characters. There have been shows like "Highway to Heaven" and "Touched by an Angel" that have done this before but their angels have been benign, and rather bland, creatures. The angels on "Supernatural" are darker, more awe-inspiring, and more frightening. It's also not a foregone conclusion that they are good. They can be arrogant, callous, and justify terrible actions in the name of their holy war on the powers of evil. It's led Sam and Dean to question whether the angels are any better than the demons.

Dark territory, and relatively new for television, but this bleak view of heaven has been a part of speculative fiction since the 1970's when the war of Heaven and Hell became a frequent parallel to the Cold War. They became two super-powers, one 'good' and the other 'evil' but so ruthless in their struggle that neither cares about the collateral damage they cause.

There have been a number of novels that have picked up on this theme. So many, that it's become something of a cliche. In television it's an idea that was ably explored on the SF series, "Babylon 5", but when I saw "Supernatural" heading in that direction my first thought was, "Oh no, not again."

But tonight's episode suggests that something different, and far more interesting, is happening. Castiel, the main angel character, is conflicted about the ruthless things he is told to do.

In tonight's episode, Castiel recruits Dean to torture information out of a captured demon. He is tormented by having to do this, but believes that it is God's will. Anna, an angel who has deserted fromHeaven's ranks, challenges Castiel's obedience.
She suggests that the orders form on-high aren't coming from God and challenges him to think for himself.

The parallel to the US war on terror is apparent. Is it a okay to justify torture and other terrible things in the name of a good cause? It's also a good critique of many people's experience of Christianity where good people have often been co-opted into heartless actions and attitudes by those who claim to represent the will of God.

If I'm right about where they're going, the message isn't to reject God. Far from it, the message is to follow God by doing those things that God loves, showing honesty, compassion and courage. It's a call to grow up and take responsibility for our own actions. To give up unquestioning obedience to those who claim to speak for God.

As a writer, I like the insight and originality of the direction the show is taking. As a pastor, I hope this is a theme that we see a lot more in the years to come. It's good for Christians to remember that their faith was founded by one who questioned the authority of religious leaders all the time.

Another Chapter Down

2009-03-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

Nearly 4,000 words in this one, and it gives us a better look at the vampires' lair as well as the past of out homeless hero, Gus. This was a very difficult chapter to get started, but once it took off it was fun to write and just flowed.

I checked my trusty copy of THE VAMPIRE ENCYCLOPEDIA by Matthew Bunson and came up with some really neat lore about roses that looks like it will become very significant. I think there are some genuinely creepy moments in the abandoned buildings that Gus and the deputy investigate, and a scene with one of the vampiers and a gun that I've wanted to write for years.

It's off to Bobbie for review and edits. I can't wait to see where she takes things from here.

And one more...

2009-03-07T13:23:00.000-06:00

When I was working on the superior scribbler award I missed one that should have been obvious. Win Scott Eckert has been a good friend for quite a while now. He's an up and coming writer with a great imagination and an unflinching work ethic (just take a look at his Wold-Newton Universe website and you'll see what I mean).

You Don't Know What You've Got

2009-03-06T18:07:00.000-06:00

I got my copy of this anthology from Gryphonwood press in the mail toady. I've only had a chance to glance at it, but it looks great. The stories are all built around the theme of "loss and dispossession" and look like they take a wide variety of forms. I'm looking forward to reading htis over the weekend.

The Scribbler

2009-03-04T02:32:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my friend, Bobbie Metevier whose blog can be found at EXPRESSIONS for awarding me a Superior Scribbler Award! The rules say that I get to pass this on to five deserving folks so I've chosen the following...

1) Writer on Writing who is a great writer and a great guy. Lots of helpful tips here, especially for aspiring screenwriters.

2) Rakie at Armageddon Checklist who doesn't post often but is one of the funniest people ever.

3) The (not so infamous) Michelle McCrary, who recently saw her first story acceptance (YAY!)

4) William's Ramblings by William Jones of Elder Signs Press, one of the most helpful editors ever.

5) And finally, the first editor to accept something of mine and a friend, Jean-Marc Lofficier who is also the owner/publisher of Black Coat Press.

Don't Mess With Lawyers (Unless You're Groucho)

2009-03-04T00:48:00.000-06:00

This is an old favorite story that I rediscovered a few days ago. it seems that, when the Marx Brothers were working on their movie, A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA, they received a letter from Warner Brothers Studios warning them that they were infringing on the studio's intellectual property rights. A few years earlier, WB had put out the classic movie, CASABLANCA and they feared...I'm not exactly sure what they feared, to tell the truth. In any case, they got a letter back, written in classic Groucho style...

Dear Warner Brothers,

Apparently there is more than one way of conquering a city and holding it as your own. For example, up to the time that we contemplated making this picture, I had no idea that the city of Casablanca belonged exclusively to Warner Brothers. However, it was only a few days after our announcement appeared that we received your long, ominous legal document warning us not to use the name Casablanca.

It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather, while looking for a shortcut to the city of Burbank, had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his alpenstock (which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common), named it Casablanca.

I just don’t understand your attitude. Even if you plan on releasing your picture, I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I don’t know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try.

You claim that you own Casablanca and that no one else can use that name without permission. What about “Warner Brothers”? Do you own that too? You probably have the right to use the name Warner, but what about the name Brothers? Professionally, we were brothers long before you were. We were touring the sticks as the Marx Brothers when Vitaphone was still a gleam in the inventor’s eye, and even before there had been other brothers—the Smith Brothers; the Brothers Karamazov; Dan Brothers, an outfielder with Detroit; and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (This was originally “Brothers, Can You Spare a Dime?” but this was spreading a dime pretty thin, so they threw out one brother, gave all the money to the other one, and whittled it down to “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”)

Now Jack, how about you? Do you maintain that yours is an original name? Well it’s not. It was used long before you were born. Offhand, I can think of two Jacks—Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and Jack the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day.

As for you, Harry, you probably sign your checks sure in the belief that you are the first Harry of all time and that all other Harrys are impostors. I can think of two Harrys that preceded you. There was Lighthouse Harry of Revolutionary fame and a Harry Appelbaum who lived on the corner of 93rd Street and Lexington Avenue. Unfortunately, Appelbaum wasn’t too well-known. The last I heard of him, he was selling neckties at Weber and Heilbroner.

Now about the Burbank studio. I believe this is what you brothers call your place. Old man Burbank is gone. Perhaps you remember him. He was a great man in a garden. His wife often said Luther had ten green thumbs. What a witty woman she must have been! Burbank was the wizard who crossed all those fruits and vegetables until he had the poor plants in such confused and jittery condition that they could never decide whether to enter the dining room on the meat platter or the dessert dish.

This is pure conjecture, of course, but who knows—perhaps Burbank’s survivors aren’t too happy with the fact that a plant that grinds out pictures on a quota settled in their town, appropriated Burbank’s name and uses it as a front for their films. It is even possible that the Burbank family is prouder of the potato produced by the old man than they are of the fact that your studio emerged “Casablanca” or even “Gold Diggers of 1931.”

This all seems to add up to a pretty bitter tirade, but I assure you it’s not meant to. I love Warners. Some of my best friends are Warner Brothers. It is even possible that I am doing you an injustice and that you, yourselves, know nothing about this dog-in-the-Wanger attitude. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover that the heads of your legal department are unaware of this absurd dispute, for I am acquainted with many of them and they are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits and a love of their fellow man that out-Saroyans Saroyan.

I have a hunch that his attempt to prevent us from using the title is the brainchild of some ferret-faced shyster, serving a brief apprenticeship in your legal department. I know the type well—hot out of law school, hungry for success, and too ambitious to follow the natural laws of promotion. This bar sinister probably needled your attorneys, most of whom are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits, etc., into attempting to enjoin us. Well, he won’t get away with it! We’ll fight him to the highest court! No pasty-faced legal adventurer is going to cause bad blood between the Warners and the Marxes. We are all brothers under the skin, and we’ll remain friends till the last reel of “A Night in Casablanca” goes tumbling over the spool.

Sincerely,

Groucho Marx

Let's Roll Kato

2009-02-26T19:26:00.000-06:00

It seems that I can talk about this after all. I'm helping work on the story 'bible' for Moonstone's upcoming anthology of Green Hornet stories.

The Green Hornet was a huge favorite of mine when I was 5, and the memory has stuck with me through all the ensuing years. I was a sucker for superheroes but he was more than just another masked hero. He had (IMO) better gadgets than Batman, and his car, the Black Beauty was at least as cool as the Batmobile. I also really liked his assistant, Kato, who had amazing fighting skills. It wasn't until years later that I learned Kato had been played by the then-unknown Bruce Lee!

This is going to be fun!

Because Everyone Needs to Know

2009-02-26T19:09:00.001-06:00

Who is this 'Batfink' I mentioned? When I was in Kindergarten, he was my hero. Click the link and see why.

Next week: "Who is Anna Karinina?"

I Can't Tell You

2009-02-25T15:56:00.000-06:00

I'm working on something but I can't say what it is yet.

Maybe I could give you clues...(this is probably a bad idea)

It's something for Moonstone, who have previously done anthologies for licensed characters like Zorro, the Phantom, and Kolchack, the Night Stalker.

No, it's not Zorro, the Phantom, and Kolchack, the Night Stalker.
No, I can't tell you who it is.
No, it's not an anthology about Darby O'Gill and the little people.
Yes, I do remember that a young Sean Connery was in that movie.
No, it's not a cross-over about 007 and the Little People (where do you come up with this stuff?)
Yes, it has to do with a licensed character.
Yes, it was a favorite character from when I was young.
Yes, they did have fictional characters way back then! How old do yuo think I am, anyway?
(Darned kids these days!)
No, I can't tell you who it is.
No, it's not Batfink. This is a much more serious character than Batfink.
No, it's not Anna Karinina!
Yes, I know that Tolstoy is more serious than Batfink, but that doesn't automatically mean...
Let's just say this character is in the middle ground between Batfink and Anna Karinina.
No, it's not a tragic Russian heroine who poses as an animated crimefghter. That's really not what I meant.
Aaaaaaah! You're driving me crazy with these incessant quesitons.

Okay, if you won't leave me alone I'll tell you. it's

There, are you satisfied?

The Shack

2009-02-20T11:28:00.000-06:00

I've been reading the novel that's been such a runaway best-seller for the last couple of days. If I get the time I hope to finish it tonight or tomorrow. It's the story of a man whose life is shattered when his young daughter is taken from him in an act of terrible violence and cruelty. Several years later he returns to the shack where he believes she was murdered and encounters God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all in human form.

The book deals with a question as old as faith. If God is all good, and all powerful, how can there be such terrible suffering in the world? So far, I've been impressed with the novel, which doesn't fall back on facile doctrines or easy answers of any kind. Author William Paul Young shows us a God who isn't offended by honest questions, doubt, or even anger. His version of God (who the protagonist, Mack, sees as a large black woman) is more interested in offering a steady, compassionate presence than easy answers or miraculous fixes.

I was pleased and surprised to see some theological sophistication in the book. The author has clearly studied some wonderful sources in preparing this. But more importantly--much more importantly--what he is giving us in the book is something that is very sincere and real to him. The God we encounter in these pages seems to be the God Mr. Young has encountered in his faith, the one who has helped him through his moments of loss. I think the authenticity of his vision, and the sincerity of his faith are what people find so convincing.

I have to say that I struggled with he first few chapters as he sets up the back-story to the encounter with God. Mr. Young's prose is clumsy and made for slow going. He commits many errors of style and a few of grammar, and he's terrible about telling us about things rather than showing them happen.

Most of the problems evaporate when we come to the sections with God in them. And, even in the early chapters it's easy to forgive him his literary sins. You get a real sense of the author in the book, and come to like him a lot. This isn't an elegant book from a literary point of view, but it intelligent, wise, honest, and deeply compassionate.

I've still got about 80 pages to go so I suppose he could still blow it, but I don't think he will. I have faith that it will stay wise and genuine right through to the end.

More on Writing With Cats

2009-02-19T00:33:00.000-06:00

My other cat, Squeak, decided to offer her kind assistance to me tonight. I was working on my laptop in the living room as I watched the episodes of LOST and DEAD LIKE ME I'd recorded.

Quick note: DEAD LIKE ME is wonderful! I never saw this one when it was on, but it's a sharp, darkly hilarious look at the unlife of a young woman who becomes a Grim Reaper after she is killed by a falling piece of space junk (a toilet seat from a Russian space station).

Anyway, I was lying on my stomach, typing away as I watched the shows (it's sad, but that's the only way I watch TV anymore) when Squeak came to see me. She is an affectionate kitty, but is a little like the princess whose sleep was disturbed by a single pea. She will sit in your lap and purr contentedly but a sudden noise, a shift in position, or even the tensing of muscles to indicate I'm thinking of shifting position is enough to end lap-time. She will leap away, then, to demonstrate that she wasn't really startled she will casually stroll away.

Squeak has an impressive stroll. She is a fluffy black cat and her hindquarters resemble nothing so much as an old-fashioned set of women's ruffled bloomers. When she walks away you know that you have been well and justly snubbed.

Anyway (tonight seems to be tangent night) as I lay there, I felt Squeak climb up on the back of my thighs. I lay very still while she spent a considerable period of time pacing around to judge the perfect spot to settle. I thought she was going to curl up in the small of my back, as she has sometimes before, but she chose the higher ground slightly to the south.

I lay still and stopped typing for the next half-hour, enjoying the weightless warmth of her tiny body. I could feel her purr but never heard it. That is a peculiarity of hers, when she purrs it is so quietly that you can only feel it. It's as if she wants the purr to be for you and you alone. Moments of closeness like that are rare for her, and I treasure them when they come.

Scype

2009-02-17T23:09:00.000-06:00

I just signed up for this service. It's a free download for audio conversation with anyone on the planet, free. The only catch is that they have to also be on scype...and have a computer...and speak a language I understand...and want to talk to me. But aside from that I can talk to anyone on the planet for free! How cool is that?

If all else fails, the headset is one more thing to sit on the desktop and amuse Mayan.
:)

When is a Rejection Not a Rejection

2009-02-16T13:23:00.000-06:00

I received my nicest letter ever today telling me why a story I've submitted will not see print. I'd sent a story to "Tales of the Gun" sometime back on the recommendation of a friend who thought it was what they were looking for. It turns out she was right, they really liked the story. Unfortunately, they have not received enough quality submissions to allow them to move ahead with he project.

It's a shame on several levels. First, because my story needs a new potential home (and this one has really made the rounds). Secong because I really liked the sound of the 'zine these folks were putting together. Mention that you want to publish stories like Manly Wade Wellman used to write and you've got my respect.

I wish them well.

My Writing Buddy

2009-02-13T13:41:00.000-06:00

I have two cats, Mayan and Squeak. I sometimes refer to them as black but, if you see them lying in a patch of sunlight, you notice that there is actually a complex mix of brown and black in their fur. They are able to diaappear into the shadows, but this also lets them seem almost invisible lying in a patch of brown leaves.

Anyway, Squeak tends it ignore me when I am on the computer. Such things as writing are beneath her notice when there are better ways to spend her time, such as sleeping on the end of the sofa, washing herself, sleeping under the coffee table, chasing Mayan, sleeping on the china cabinet, letting Mayan chase her, sleeping under the kitchen table...you probably get the idea.

Mayan, on the other hand likes writing. More precisely, he likes spending time with me when I'm writing. He usually announces his presence by meowing. If that fails to get more then a 'hello' and a quick head scratch he will, very gently, sink his claws into the back of my calf. He's gotten good at startling me without ever breaking the skin.

He's learning that I have a low tolerance for this and he will be shut out of the room if he persists too long, so the next step is to hop up on the desk and talk to me. His favorite place to stand is directly in front of the screen. When I move him to the side he has several options. He may perch sphinx-like on the desk, and watch me with unconcealed disapproval. Alternatively, he may amuse himself by sliding various objects to the edge and watch them fall (the game is so interesting that he can play for hours).

He has discovered that the most comfortable place to lie is directly on top of my mouse (the irony of a cat on my mouse hasn't escaped me). He curls up on the hard lump of plastic with boneless grace and purrs contentedly. His face looks so innocent as if he's saying, "Hey, I'm just a cat looking for a place to nap. I couldn't possibly understand how this is interfering with you, could I?"

Sometimes he will even help me type. I have to say that, as smart as Mayan is, his writing is not very sophisticated, and contains many errors. Still, there is a certain elegance to a sentence like, ;loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo';

Mayan's favorite place to nap is in my chair. He waits until I'm leaning forward to make his move, and manages to slide into the very narrow space between my back and the back of the chair. He snuggles down until he is as tightly wedged in as possible and begins to purr. I welcome these moments and reach pack to pet him before resuming my work. He gets the closeness he wants so much, and I get a lot more done. I also find his warmth of him against the small of my back, and the drone of his purr soothing.

It's not efficient to have a writing buddy like mine, but it can be very nice.
:)

I thought for sure I'd be the cleric

2009-02-10T00:44:00.000-06:00

I haven't played since college, but this "What Dungeons and Dragons Character are You?" quiz looked fun. It turns out that I am (more-or-less) Gandalf, which works for me.
:-)

I Am A: Lawful Good Human Wizard (6th Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-13

Dexterity-12

Constitution-14

Intelligence-13

Wisdom-15

Charisma-12

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment because it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard's strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

You Don't Know...

2009-02-07T11:01:00.000-06:00

Here's the cover scan of YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT, TALES OF LOSS AND DISPOSSESSION from Gryphonwood Press. It's a beautiful cover and the release date is slated for Feb 28.

Resubbed

2009-02-04T00:36:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the good folks at the PIT a revised and improved version of "Closing Time at Galaxy Video" is off to Escape Pod. It would be a great market to break into and I'd love to hear how they would adapt this to podcast.

Another Chapter Down (hopefully)

2009-02-02T16:17:00.000-06:00

This one was a stinker for some reason, probably because it features a vampire on-stage for the first time ever and I had a hard time figuring out what the guy should be like. I'm still ambiguous about this one, though I think there's some good stuff in it.

It's off to my partner in crime for her review.

Speaking of Oxes (Oxen?)

2009-02-02T01:17:00.000-06:00

The Chinese New Year reminded me of a series of books to recommend. It's a series by Barry Hughart which combines Chinese history, Chinese myth, mystery stories, and a gently whimsical sense of humor. The series of about Master Li Kao, an aged but brilliant scholar/detective and his assistant, the muscular Number Ten Ox.

I've only read BRIDGE OF BIRDS, but there are two other novels in the series, THE STORY OF THE STONE, and EIGHT SKILLED GENTLEMEN. The Year of the Ox seems like the perfect time to catch up with the rest of the series.

And my ox-luck seems to be started already. I see that the SF channel is doing a marathon of Doctor Who tomorrow. It looks like they're all of the Martha Jones that I hadn't seen. Once I see them, I'll be completely caught-up on the series.

Chinatown

2009-02-01T23:48:00.000-06:00

I never knew that Chicago had a Chinatown until I moved here. It's not as big, or as famous as those in New York or San Francisco, but is a wonderful place. I rushed to my car after church and headed there. Sadly, the parade started at 1:00 pm. so I only made it for the tail end. The good part is that the thing I wanted to see the most (the lion-dancers) didn't end with the parade.

There's a tradition I'm not familiar with that I saw a lot of today. Many business owners will hang a bunch of lettuce, sometimes with oranges, in front of their place of business. One of the lions will come up (there seem to be four lions, each a different color, another tradition I am not familiar with) and "eat" the offering. A moment later it will "spit out" the lettuce, now shredded, and the oranges, now quartered. The lion will also do an elaborate dance which seems to involve a lot of bowing to the business and the customers. I'm guessing it's all about blessing the merchants with prosperity and good luck for the coming year. Since that's the whole focus of the Chinese New Year, it seems like a pretty safe guess.

It's the beginning of the Year of the Ox, and I was born in the Year of the Ox. That's extra good luck for me, if you believe in such things. I hope it works out because 2008 was a stinker as years go (and I've got some friends who I hope a little of my Ox-luck rubs off on too.

My birth year has always seemed kind of appropriate. The ox is supposed to be kind, patient and deliberate. That fits pretty well, plus it works physically too. I stand out in most places, but in Chinatown I'm as conspicuous as an ox in a herd of deer. On the one hand, it was nice during the parade, because I could see things pretty well over everybody's heads. In the crowded, tiny stores, not so much. I stayed on my best behavior, smiling a lot and trying not to knock things over. The motto of Chinatown, repeated in just about every store I visited was:

"Lovely to look at, delightful to hold, but if you break it, consider it sold."

I spent some time looking for a cricket cage as a favor for a friend. There was a time when cricket-fighting was a big deal in China (or so I've read) and the insect gladiators were housed in beautiful little cages of carved wood, bamboo, ivory or jade. Sadly, the few merchants who knew what I was talking about said that they used to carry the cages, but not any longer.

As the crowds faded into the late afternoon I started looking for a place to eat. There's a great, enclosed plaza a block over from the main tourist drag and I headed that way. As one point, when I was about the only person on the street a small, plump grandmotherly woman with her hair in a tightly curled perm stuck her head out of the door of a shop and called me over.

"You want massage?"

I politely declined, and it wasn't until I started walking away that the suspicious part of my brain kicked in. What kind of massage did the little storefront have to offer? Yikes!

Dinner was hot-sour soup and orange chicken. I also sampled a glass of plum wine. It was too sweet, especially with the chicken, but the name has had me curious for a long time. On the way back to the lot I was accosted by two college aged girls who said they were in a bad situation because the friend who was supposed to give them a ride home had stood them up. If I could give them money for train fare, they would mail it back to me as soon as they got home.

I had a little recording go off in my head, my ex-wife scolding me for believing stories like this, and for giving money to total strangers. She's more practical about such things than I am, and was always telling that I was asking for trouble.

I gave the girls $15 and told them there was no need to repay it. I had mixed motives there, if they were on the up and up, the kind act is its own reward. If they were crooks, they don't have my address. I was kind of proud to have combined altruism and paranoia so neatly. :-)

All in all, a great day, and (I hope) an auspicious start for the Year of the Ox.

Done!

2009-01-31T18:41:00.000-06:00

Finished copy-editing the novel ahead of expectations. I'll go over the corrections again tomorrow or Monday but it looks good.

This one was easy; nice, clean writing and a fantastic story. It makes the work a pleasure!

Things Aren't What they Seem

2009-01-31T00:57:00.000-06:00

I just got word that this anthology has passed on my story "Closing Time at Galaxy Video". Rejections are never fun, but two recent acceptances do help take the sting away. Plus I got some good critical comments from the folks at the PIT that should help me improve that one.

I'll probably send it back out in about a week, when I've had a chance to re-work it a bit.