Congratulations! You can now buy a copy of Volume 2 of Primeval – A Journal of Uncanny, in which you will find my story “The Last, Clean, Bright Summer”. It’s a cheerful tale about a young woman who comes of age in a lazy oceanside town during the annual family reunion – wacky adventures [::INSERT ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE SEXUAL VIOLENCE TRIGGER WARNING RIGHT HERE::] and hilarious hijinks ensue.

Enjoy!

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I’ve long been a fan of the Shirley Jackson Awards, not so much because I’ve been nominated, but because for me the nominations have become my “must read” list for the year. (I suspect many readers of dark fiction feel the same.) So, I’m thrilled to be a juror for the 2014 awards, along with Andy Duncan, Nancy Holder, Simon Kurt Unsworth, and Kaaron Warren. Full bios of everyone are at this page, along with the current Advisory Board members and Board of Directors.

Of course, I’ve already got a big stack of things to read, which is making me even slower in finishing stories (don’t even ask about the novel) – but that just the story of my life. It’s cold outside and the ants are hibernating, so all is good with the world, more or less.

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“It Feels Better Biting Down” is online at Nightmare Magazine. Feel free to not leave any comments, because I really don’t know how anyone is going to react to that story and sometimes it’s just better for me to remain blissfully in the dark. Yeah. And, I’m also part of an Author Spotlight – the link is on the same page as the story.

Edited to add: evidently there’s a podcast of the magazine, including a reading of my story by actress Susan Hanfield. There are links on this page to the rss feed or the iTunes subscription page.

FYI, the illustration is by Reiko Murakami who has an Artist Showcase, also at Nightmare Magazine. Please click to embiggen – it’s quite amazing.

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Two anthologies are out today that I have stories in.

First up is Nightmare Carnival (edited by Ellen Datlow), which has my short story “The Mysteries” in it. I’ve trained myself not to offer up my opinions on other writer’s fiction (mainly for reasons of readers occasionally reacting with the typical internet “I’m going to do X to you because you haz opinion I hate” folderol), but Nathan Ballingrud’s “Skullpocket” is my favorite of the bunch. It’s both horrifying and sorrowful, two emotions that Nathan melds (as usual) to perfection in this story. Nightmare Carnival is available at Amazon and Dark Horse (the publisher); and there’s an excellent interview with Ellen Datlow about her editing process for the anthology over at Adventures in Poor Taste.

Next up is Years Best Weird Fiction Volume 1 (edited by Laird Barron), which has my story “Furnace” in it. You can buy it at Amazon and Chizine (distributor for the publisher, Undertow Books); and over on the Weird Fiction Review website, you can read an interview with Laird and Michael Kelly, who’s the editor for the Years Best Weird series for Undertow.

And that’s it for Tuesday. Now it’s back to writing fiction for which I have blown yet ANOTHER deadline. At least I’m consistent, right? Yep.

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Or in my case, fuck it up enough for people to go “eeeewe, that’s just wrong…” Nightmare Magazine’s Women Destroy Horror! issue is now live – you can read the stories as they come out over the next four weeks (my short story “It Feels Better Biting Down” will be live, along with an interview, on October 15th), or you can buy the issue (ebook or trade paperback, either on the website or at Amazon).

And, a review of the issue is already online at Tangent Online. Apparently my story was well-received. Huh. That is absolutely the last reaction I expected…

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I’ve been horribly lax in blogging, but I’ve been horrifically busy. It’s all good, though. It’s all good.

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In a couple of hours, Robert Levy and I will be taking the train up to the glamorous Burlington Marriott, where we’ll spend the next two days hiding in corners, drinking unhealthy amounts of alcohol, and floating through the walls in the dead of night, draining the sweet sweet energy of other authors as we pass over them like the hideous and lonely ghouls we are.

It’s gonna be a blast!

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Then again, my sporadic bloggifying is nothing new.

I actually have been very busy Getting Shit Done, and totally not at all lounging in my underwear on my couch in my dimly-lit 90+ degree apartment with a glass of wine in one hand and a block of cheese in the other whilst contemplating the low, dark edge of life… but rather than talk about that in this post, I’ll instead ask you all to go to this website, where Steve Berman is running a fundraiser to get the very talented Alex Jeffers back up and running after some rather unfortunate setbacks. Alex was responsible for the cover and interior design for Engines of Desire, and he did a beautiful job – in addition, he’s an incredibly talented, award-winning author. Everyone runs into shit in life, and some of us hit the wall harder than others. I think it’s only right to help people get back up on their feet, if we’re willing and able; and so if you’re so inclined, here’s your chance.

Later this week, I’ll post about the usual things. Ants, bees, writing, the slow inevitable heat death of the universe–and, of course, the fucking humidity.

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For those of you who missed my Lovecraft eZine web chat last night but would still like to see it (so, that’s maybe two humans, five nests of bees, and 52 billion ants, right? right), it’s now posted on YouTube. And if you don’t like Lovecraftian-themed chit-chat or even my writing, just watch it for the mini-epic rant that Joseph S. Pulver goes on about The Love Boat. It’s sort of near the end of the clip – I don’t remember, I think at that point I was starting to black out in horror. So, anyway, enjoy!

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This evening, at 6pm – I know, I know, nothing like finding out at the last minute, right? Well, anyway, go right here to watch me stutter and stammer out various terrible anecdotes and shitty writing advice whilst flicking ants off my computer screen. Fun!

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