The ever-vigilant Scott Dwyer—writer, editor, and administrator of The Plutonian site and its attendant newsletter—has published a generous essay titled “Clint Smith:  Poet of the Weird Underbelly of America.”  Link:  here.

Ghouljaw and Other Stories (Hippocampus Press, 2014)

The Skeleton Melodies (Hippocampus Press, 2019)

Dwyer’s awareness of the horror genre (as well as related genres) is evident in his commentaries and insightful criticisms.  That said, I’m humbled that he would find some merit in my work.  Pursuing character relatability in my stories is of paramount importance—something that produces an echo not only in my audience, but in any errant reader.

With as much fiction currently being produced in the Weird / Horror / Dark Fantasy fields, adroit voices like Dwyer’s are critical for both tempering the dimensions of our creative zeitgeist, and clarifying the fundamental features of these aforementioned mediums.  It’s quite clear that Dwyer does his homework—so if you’re unfamiliar with him, you have some homework too.  An ideal primer is his website, The Plutonian; afterwards, check out his seminal publishing project, Phantasm/Chimera:  An Anthology of Strange and Troubling Dreams.

And keep your eyes peeled on his follow-up project, Pluto in Furs:  An Anthology of Erotic and Strange Horror (he’s accepting submissions through December 31, 2018—details here:   The Plutonian, Facebook).