Happy Hallowe'en

This is a fun time of year, when imaginations run wild and friends surprise and delight each other with costumes and spooky treats. My youngest nephew is going Trick or Treating as a banana. I love getting creative with costumes but have opted out this year (I'm getting over a nasty cold.)

But I do want to share a little teaser for something coming up soon.

TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN, VOL 10: ESPRIT DE CORPS is coming soon from Black Coats Press!

It's a bigger than usual volume featuring more talented authors than usual, and the return of legendary fantasy writer Michael Moorcock to the Shadowmen anthology series!

My story Quest of the Vourdalaki is an especially Halloween-y theme. It features Cassave, from Jean Ray's surreal haunted house classic, Malpertuis, Cossacks, and vampires in a story inspired by one of my favorite pieces of music (which is also spookily appropriate for the day.

Have a safe and happy Hallowe'en!

Almost Ready for Print!

This is a big month, as my first two novels (both collaborations) to see print and I'm really excited! My collaboration with Win Scott Eckert is A Girl and Her Cat is now available for pre-order from Amazon (more in my next post.)

My other collaboration is The Vampire Count of Monte Cristo written with the amazing Alexandre Dumas. It's the tender story of Edmund Dantes, a young sailor in Napoleon era France with a promising career, a beloved father, and a beautiful fiancee. Of course, any time a story begins like that, you know there's got to be trouble. Edmond finds himself in a perfect storm as jealous enemies and a prosecutor with a guilty secret conspire to steal his love, his future, and his life. Locked in the dungeons of the dreaded Chateau D'if, Edmund encounters a mysterious man with occult skills and makes a dark pact with unholy powers to gain the power to become a creature of the night and seek his revenge.

Here's a first look at the cover:

It's high adventure meets dark magic, with romance and intrigue galore!

My co-writer, Alexandre Dumas, is excited too. Here's what he has to say.

Bon sang! Quel est le lien américaine fait avec mon histoire?

Midian Unmade

This is an upcoming anthology set in the world of Clive Barker's novel CABAL. Bobbie Metevier and I collaborated on a story that we just sent in before the deadline.

The story is titled, "A Song to Sing in Babylon" and it was a lot of fun to write. The story has a lot of unusual inspirations, including a favorite old song by Don McLean.