Weird and Creeepy Shopping List

As promised, I bring you a small shopping list for the weird reader on your list. (click on the images for purchasing info)

Yes, it may seem a little self-serving (being a Strange Publications book and all), but Cate's collection is wonderful. Check out www.strangemeninpinstripesuits.com and read the reviews.

I'm a big fan of just about everything Kim Paffenroth has written. If you haven't taken a peek at Valley of the Dead yet, you should grab a copy (or buy two and send one to a loved one). Smart horror, folks.

When I was seven, my sister gave me one of the best gifts she could: a subscription to the Star Wars comic book (then produced by Marvel). How about giving that fantasy lover a subscription to a nice small press mag like Shimmer?

Or, for the horror fan on your list, a subscription to Necrotic Tissue, a magazine which never fails to entertain.

Okay, so some people like poetry. Some people like their poetry weird (and somewhat dark). Stuff A Mouth for Picket Fences by Barry Napier in their stocking.

I'll wrap up with a gift which never fails to put a smile on my face: old EC comics from the '50s. Reprints (and some originals) are readily available on eBay. You might even snag one of the increasingly rare hardcover reprints.

What reading material do you plan on buying for the ghouls on your holiday list?

The Sacking of the Public Domain

I've not read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; I barely read the book without zombies. I laughed at the trailer for Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (Carrie Harris posted a link on her blog today). Other titles from the public domain that have received a recent mash up:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...War of the Worlds...The Wizard of Oz...

But I'm done.

Really.

Write something new, okay?

Or, at the least, take an idea and make it new instead of inserting bits into a time-worn classic. I'm looking forward to Kim Paffenroth's zombified treatment of Dante in Valley of the Dead. I enjoy a good nod to the canon without cheapening the original text. War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts, and Zombies? Pleeeeaaase. H.G. Wells's version was pretty damn scary all by itself.

Of course my latest work in progress is Bram Stoker's Dracula and Zombies: Now with Undead on Undead Action!

We Have a Winner-Ninja; Monday Rant (Die, Wikipedia, Die)

First and foremost, Carrie Harris is the winner of my "help this schlub write a query" contest. If Ms. Harris will ninja her address to aaron_polson (at) hotmail.com with choice of book (The Black Garden or Monstrous) I will be happy to ship off her book post haste. I sent one query off with edits recommended by my dear readers and received a full request. Fingers crossed, but not too tightly, 'cause I know it's going to take more than one full request to land an agent. My naiveté is spent on the publishing process. I'm in this for the long haul.

The Rant^TM:

At the risk of angering all those wikis hiding in their parent's basements, I must add to the list of why Wikipedia sucks.

We all know the articles are either too brief or ramble on. The "editors" might check for facts, but sure can't take care of grammar, syntax, or style. I'd rather read a roomful of cereal boxes than a poorly written Wikipedia article, rife with misspelling and misinformation (yes, despite your best efforts, ye Morlocks, misinformation does exist on Wikipedia).

Here's the reason for the rant: Wikipedia has removed the Permuted Press article. Yes, Permuted is a "small press". Yes, I understand the Wikipedia content rules about advertising, promotion, yada yada. But, c'mon? Permuted not worthy of an article?

Permuted books have been optioned for film. Stories from Permuted anthologies have garnered honorable mentions in the Year's Best anthologies. Kim Paffenroth writes and edits for them. Um, yes, that Kim Paffenroth, the one who won the Stoker Award a few years back.

The folks at Wikipedia should not be the arbiters of reality. What happened to an "open source" encyclopedia? What happened to democratizing the process. Is this just further proof that power does indeed corrupt?

Look, a Wikipedia article does not advertise anything, as it shouldn't. But should the Morlocks that offer up articles for deletion be allowed to do so, just because they don't feel like something is important? Have you even read the trivial bull-shite on Wikipedia about semi-pro basketball players, actors, or musicians? Better yet, have you read any article about a video game? Talk about trivial.