Excerpts / Works In Progress7/4/2020 Some works in progress, posted for your amusement...  
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Fill The Void6/6/2020  I am happy to announce that I have been awarded a spot in D&T Publishing's upcoming novel: Fill The Void. I am one of fifteen authors chosen to write a chapter in the novel (Chapter 2, as a matter of fact). Fill The Void is an apocalyptic themed story, set in a world devastated by an nuclear blast (and/or EMP). As a child of the Cold War, this particular story line really resonates with me. It taps my long-standing fear and anxiety of nuclear annihilation and explores what happens to humanity afterwards.
As I understand it, each author will be given 30 days to write their chapter before handing it off to the next author. As you might expect, this is going to be a very organic sort of story approach (which I appreciate, being that's how I write most of my own stories). There's a terrific group of authors tasked for this novel and I am very excited (and honored) to be included. Look for release sometime in 2021. Following is my entry for the contest itself. While I don't think that this will be a part of the chapter that I write, I thought it might be interesting for my regular readers/followers: "Flies. I never thought I would see so many flies. Before the lights flickered out for the last time, they blackened the windows of every home you passed. You could hear their maddened, frenzied buzzing from the street as they spent their tiny lives trying to escape the carnal houses in which they’d been born. There’s not as many now — now that it’s turned colder, but you still see the occasional carrion fly float lazily through the fall air; its blue black body dazzling in the autumn sun; its flight erratic and labored… as though all our mortality has somehow weighed it down. They are the last survivors of the apocalypse… like me." Famous Not Famous4/26/2020  I am excited to announce that I did my VERY FIRST radio interview last week! The interview aired on KAFM 88.1 on their community program: Conversations@KAFM. It was a lot of fun and something that I hope to do more of! You can listen to the interview here:
http://kafmradio.libsyn.com/readers-radio-scenes-from-the-carnival-lounge You know... I could get used to all this fame… ;-) 25th Annual CIPA/EVVY Awards8/18/2019  I am proud to announce that Scenes from the Carnival Lounge received First Place (Horror Category) in the 25th Annual CIPA/EVVY Awards! There were nearly 420 entries in this year's competition (although, not all in Horror). I am thrilled to be recognized by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (especially given how stiff the competition was).  The CIPA EVVYs is one of the longest-running book award competitions on the Indie publishing scene, running for nearly 26 years. The annual contest is sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA), along with the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF). The CIPA EVVYs receive entries from all over the world, including England, Belgium, South Africa, Russia and Dubai.
The judging is tough—the way a book competition should be. Judges are selected through CIPA’s judging qualification process and include teachers, business leaders, authors, critics, editors, readers and others. Our judges know books. CIPA EVVY entries are reviewed and scored according to established minimum criteria. Awards in each category are based on highest scores, however, in order to be eligible for 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, or merit award, each book must receive the minimum scoring requirements set for each award level.  Scenes from the Carnival Lounge is on the finalist list (horror category) for the 25th Annual Colorado Independent Publishers Awards!
The CIPA EVVYs is one of the longest-running book award competitions on the Indie publishing scene, running for nearly 26 years. The annual contest is sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA), along with the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF). Award Ceremony is the 17th! Wish me luck! Freedom of Screech!8/7/2019  I am happy to announce that my short story, "Hey Nonny Ding Dong, Alang, Alang Alang" will appear in Craig Spector's latest anthology, Freedom of Screech (Published by Crossroads Press). The story appears alongside stories from GIANTS in the horror genre including: Chet Williamson, Elizabeth Massie (a two-time Bram Stoker Award Winner), Thomas Monteleone, Richard Christian Matheson, David N. Wilson and a ton of others. I must say that I am thrilled and humbled to be in such revered and talented company.  Of course, the BEST thing for me, personally is the chance to work with my idol, Craig Spector! He's the author who started me down this path, and I am enormously grateful for his advice, direction and inspiration. If you are unfamiliar with Craig, do yourself a favor and pick up either The Light At The End, or The Scream. Not only are the both excellent, but both have given my nightmares for years. Here's his brief but exceptional bio:  Corpse Honey Facebook Page Launch!4/2/2019  I am happy to announce the launch of the Corpse Honey Facebook page! I've been working on compiling posts and graphics for the last couple of weeks, but didn't send out invitations until yesterday. You can find the page here:
Corpse Honey, Facebook This page will be used for updates, excerpts of works in progress, things that may have inspired a particular story and posts for general interest. The book is going to be a follow-up to Scenes from the Carnival Lounge, and will follow the same general format and theme (horror/odd tales), but will likely be shorter (containing ten stories instead of fifteen, and no essays or poems). It's my hope that this improves reader satisfaction with the book, and will make it a little less daunting to read. A tentative list of stories is as follows: "The Bark Men" Story is set in Ouray, Colorado, and told from the perspective of a teenage boy and the summer he spent with his aunt and cousin... and the strange creatures that they encountered in the woods. "On the Other Side of the Sky" For Sam, it was supposed to be just another business trip. But then, nobody expects to die, right? Probably the most surreal of the stories in CH. "In Unison with a Dying Earth" What book of horror stories would be complete without a vampire tale? "In Unison..." tells the story of a lamia and her search for meaning and redemption in the wake of the apocalypse. "Dispossessed"* What happens to the possessed after they are exorcised? Dispossessed tells the story of those poor souls who are forever tainted by their possession and reveals the Devil's end game. "Where the Lower Things Crept/The Dust Bunny Monster" The story of Samuel Mayer and the torments he endures at the hands of The Dust Bunny Monster. "The Topielec" Not all war criminals were punished in The Hague. Story is set in the former Yugoslavia. A tale about the casualties of war and the penance some must pay. "The Hive Mind/Tin Soldiers" Solomon only wants to finds his fellow villagers. But in order to do so, he must confront the ancient evils that lie ever vigilant and deadly in Huachuca Woods. *(this story is currently under consideration for a writing contest and, depending on the outcome of that competition, may or may not be included). Speculations (Weird Poets Society)1/7/2019 I am happy to announce that my Italian Sonnet "The Vampyre's Last Dawn" will be included in the 2018 collection of poetry (Speculations) from the Weird Poets Society! The volume is due to be released in January or February of this year!   My contributor copies for Stranded: Lone Survivor Deserted Island Horror Stories arrived in the mail yesterday! This anthology from Dark Regions Press, contains my flash fiction short story, "Isle for One?" — which took Fourth Place in their writing contest this last summer!  |
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