March in Review

March began fairly lamb-like and it looks to end the same.

I wrote three short stories this month: "The Watchful Eyes of Los Abuelos", "Fed by Other Than the Sun", and "Heroes Can Live Forever". The first two are solid efforts. The last needs a good deal of work. I also penned a piece of flash entitled "Inked" which needs another quick edit before it heads out to submission land. A few stories left home for the first time in March, and I hope they don't find themselves too lost out in the wide world.

During March I put the final edits to The House Eaters. Yep, the "s" is back just 'cause I like the way it sounds better than "Eater". The title works either way. Currently, I'm querying for that one. I also tinkered with Rock Gods and Scary Monsters some. More work is needed. One of those 3 AM epiphanies struck me about Rock Gods...a "now playing" list is going to accompany each chapter to help set the tone.

I sold a few shorts, most notably to Triangulation: Dark Glass and Return of the Raven. Some long standing subs came home alone (i.e., were rejected), including a 137 wait from Murky Depths. Try, try again.

Ruthless People's Magazine was kind enough to publish my dirty little "Man Bites Man" and The Black Garden was released in March.

Oh, and I tried to anger some Morlocks, but they wouldn't bite. Do you realize they have a Wikipedia page for Birkin Bags but not Permuted Press? True.

(stupid Morlocks)

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.

Spring Gardening?

The Black Garden is out (available through Corpulent Insanity Press's web site), and my, are there some weird one's in here--and that's just the illustrations.

It's a slim book (108 pages), but loaded with goodness from Evan J. Peterson, Sam W. Anderson, David Dunwoody, Jodi Lee, Sharon M. White, Allison M. Dickson, Felicity Dowker and some chump named Polson.

Speaking of said chump's story, Gerard Brennan writes "Polson gets a little classic King on the go..."

I didn't know I was going anywhere.

But I Like Writing Short Stories...

The title of this post comes from Fred (my subconscious mind/muse/internal voice). He's whining again. He prefers to write short stories, but I'm making him help me with another novel.

The only problem is that ol' Fred only wants me to write YA novels. I'm okay with that. No one (apart from Stephenie Meyer or J.K., maybe a handful of others) makes a living on YA, but I'm not banking on making a living at this anyway (that would be, how you say, a pipe dream--although a very attractive one).

I started working on The House Eaters (which will, no doubt, receive a title change). I tried to work the whole adult horror angle (3rd person, the whole nine yards), but when I hear a narrator's voice, it's a seventeen year old boy. Maybe Freud could help me with that...

So, my narrator moves from the city to a rural farmhouse just before his senior year because his mom has lost her job. Their new place is 1/2 mile from a run down house (haunted? not really). He is suspended on his first day (always bullies, aren't there?), and hears the House (as he calls it) talking to him (no, it's not haunted...not in the conventional sense) while spending the day at home. I'm trying to blend some Native American spirituality with "old dark house" sensibilities with a healthy dose of teenage angst and dissolving family dynamics. Whew.

Oh, and The Black Garden is available for pre-order from Corpulent Insanity Press. The book has received a few interesting pre-release reviews.

Digging in the Garden

Fatally-Yours has a review of The Black Garden. Thanks to Felicity Dowker for the heads up on this via her blog, Here There Be Tygers.

...and I quote:

"The Black Garden is a wickedly fun collection of macabre mayhem that would make a great addition to any horror fan’s library..."

"An old evil inhabits Old Flat Mile Road, an evil that won’t stop until blood has been shed on its pot-hole-riddled black top in “Care and Feeding of the Old Flat Mile” by Aaron A. Polson."

I can't wait to sink my, er, teeth into this one; the stories sound...delicious.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The TOC for The Black Garden has been released, and (licks lips in a sinister fashion) these stories do look tasty:

I. The Kennel by Evan J. Peterson
II. The Indigenous Flora and Fauna of a Small Tropical Island by Sam W. Anderson
III. Teardrop by David Dunwoody
IV. The Legless Ones by Jodi Lee
V. To Feed the Little Children by Sharon M. White
VI. Care and Feeding of the Old Flat Mile by Aaron A. Polson
VII. Aria by Allison M. Dickson
VIII. Ill Conceived by Felicity Dowker

According the the editor, each story will be accompanied by one or two illustrations...delicious.

The Old Flat Mile

I received word yesterday that my short piece, "Care and Feeding of the Old Flat Mile" wiggled its way into The Black Garden.

The Old Flat Mile is an actual road just outside of my hometown (see the picture above and one below). It did inspire quite a load of terror when I was in high school--we would run timed mile intervals there during cross-country practice. Yes, the Old Flat Mile was exactly one mile long, and pretty flat. I remember a lot of sweat and dust on that road. A few blisters, too.

The story is fiction, of course. This should be a fun anthology.

Peace.