Black celebration: Halloween, 2011

Southside Times, October 27, 2011

Seasons grievings, dear reader.  No—it’s not a work of fiction, but my specter-centric story in this week’s edition of the Southside Times contains a spooky bit of speculation.  “Lady in black dress weaves a woeful tale” is the front page feature for October 27, 2011.  If you’re interested in picking up a hardcopy, the story will be available on local newsstands through next Wednesday (November 3, 2011).  Or check out the story by clicking on the picture at the right of this page.  Also, if you’d like to read more about the Franklin Township Historical Society, follow this link to their website: FTHS.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a pleasantly creepy Halloween.

BFS Journal, Summer 2011

Summer screaming reading program

Well, friends, it’s here:  The BFS Journal, summer 2011 edition—a darkly diverse collection of voices, each an envoy for their literary fields of fantasy, science fiction and horror (yours truly representing the latter).  Echoing chairman David Howe’s sentiments in his introduction, the intent of this installment is to provide “some entertainment, some laughs, and some chills for the Summer months.”

Tomislav Tikulin

The vivid cover artwork was the eerie brainchild of Tomislav Tikulin, a Croatian digital illustrator whose creations have been featured on numerous magazines and novels.

Edited by Peter Coleborn, Andrew Hook, Ian Hunter, and David A. Riley, the BFS Journal is a triumvirate of Prism, New Horizons, and Dark Horizons.  Here’s the lineup:

Prism

  • Editorial by David A. Riley
  • Ramsey’s Rant by Ramsey Campbell
  • Book Reviews edited by Jan Edwards and Craig Lockley
  • Graphicky Quality edited by Jay Eales
  • Media Reviews edited by Mathew F. Riley
  • “The Mark of Fear” by Mark Morris
  • “Profondo Probert Column 5” by John Llewellyn Probert
  • Mary Danby Interviewed by Lou Morgan

New Horizons

  • “In The House of Answers” by Allen Ashley
  • “Grey Magic For Cat Lovers” by Jan Edwards
  • “The Sound Down By The Shore” by Douglas J. Ogurek
  • “Beached” by Eric Boman
  • “The Hawthorne Effect” by Adrian Stumpp

Dark Horizons

  • “Heaven & Helvetica” by Gavin B. Nash
  • “Late in the Day” by Adam Walter
  • Mostly in Shadow: Lesser-known Writers of Weird Fiction, Part 2 by Mike Barrett
  • “Ten Things We’re Going to Have to Live Without After the Apocalypse” by Allen Ashley
  • “The Pet Peeve” by Rick Kleffel
  • “Cellar” by J.R. Salling
  • “Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite” by Clint Smith
  • “A Guttering of Flickers” by Michael Kelly
  • “The Secret in the Village of Dragonsbreath” by Annie Neugebauer
  • “The Last Dance of Humphrey Bear” by James Brogden

It’s humbling to be in such good company with writers like Ramsey Campbell, Rick Kleffel (The Agony Column), and Michael Kelly (editor, Shadows and Tall Trees).  “Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite” was a short story whose nascent draft was something I concocted back in 2006.  I’ve been searching for a home (haunted or otherwise) for this story for a few years now, and I’m honored to have found that home alongside my fellow contributors in the BFS Journal.

Stay tuned for some “wicked” news out of South Africa later this summer.  Until then:  ‘night ‘night…sleep tight…