My Stories

I woke this morning to an email from Shock Totem's editor-in-chief Ken Wood. It seems "Wanting It" from Shock Totem #3 made Ellen Datlow's list of Honorable Mentions for Best Horror of the Year Volume 4 (2011).  I took a gander at the full list, and it seems two other tales of mine, "Molting Season" from Polluto 7 and "Ngiri's Catch" from Historical Lovecraft, also made the list. An honorable mention hat trick.

Thanks, Ms. Datlow. And thanks as well to Ken Wood and the Shock Totem staff, Adam Lowe and Victoria Hooper of Polluto, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, editors of Historical Lovecraft.

Aimee always told me she wished I could stay home and write full time. I just wanted to tell stories, good stories. I wanted her to be proud, too.

I've made "Wanting It" available to read as a PDF for free. Simply click the link below. It's one of my favorite stories, and one which really strikes at the hurt which has burrowed into my chest.

Download "Wanting It"

I hope you're proud, Ziggs. These are for you, especially "Wanting It"; every night now I feel like I'm alone on the farmhouse floor, waiting for you.

Polluto 7

My contributor's copy of Polluto 7 landed in my mailbox the other day. What a lovely (and odd) magazine. "Molting Season" (my story) kicks off the issue with these lines:

Ben began to molt on a Saturday evening after having 'the talk' with Traci. He cut most of his extra faces off with a folding utility knife he used as a stock boy in high school.

How's that for a trip down the rabbit hole? You can buy copies at Polluto's website or straight from the printer.

Tomorrow: I try to recruit some of my fellow travelers for a little mission.

This is Why You Sign a Contract

I've "lost" a few publications in the past, mostly to venues that disappeared before my story could see the light (Grim Graffiti, Our Shadows Speak II, Arkham Tales*). Grim Graffiti vanished without a trace, the editor of OSS II dropped a note on his blog, and Arkham Tales is back.

Last summer, I blogged about an acceptance, and the magazine's TOC is now listed at their website. Behold: my name is not on the list.

So am I angry? Yeah, a little. With myself, too.

This is why you sign a contract, folks. I guess I assumed the line "This one is a yes from us. Payment would be £10. How does that sound?" meant they would print my story. I guess I was wrong. (At least no one's proven I'm not...I queried the mag two weeks ago and they have yet to respond).

So I'm bummed. But smarter. I don't expect every little FTL mag to have contracts. I don't feel so bad about losing a FTL publication.

But this particular magazine (I don't want to be a sour-puss and toss their name around, get it?) is cool. I was stoked. Now I'm just sour.

Where'd I leave that sugar...

*And the resurrected Arkham Tales accepted a story yesterday, more later. So, whoot!

The House Eaters, Continued

Chapter two of The House Eaters is up for your reading pleasure. At this rate, the whole book will be available sometime in 2012. Barring the end of the world, of course.

I also woke to an acceptance from Polluto for a weird little tale about face removal. "Molting Season" will appear in the Identiy Theft and Octopus Kid issue.

Cheers.