The New Breed

Firstly, my short Anhednia was the featured story for January's issue of the Absent Willow Review. Probably my last story of the zombie persuasion for quite a while, though there are still a few slated for publication. I'll let you know when those anthologies are out.

Speaking of anthologies, Eternal Night: A Vampire Anthology is now on the virtual shelves. I just got my copy yesterday, and I'm already enjoying it greatly. Perhaps, if I have the time, I'll be giving you a story by story review. So far, I've read Axel Taiari's "A Light to Starve," and buddy is that something fun. He seems to hitting the Huston example of vampires, with emphasis on the clan aspect, but though substituting the Manhattan base of Huston's Joe Pitt Casebooks with Paris and adding in the "hunters" of the church, perhaps a reference to Carpenter's Vampires and John Woods' warrior priest. Regardless of the touchstone's, Axel's prose is top notch and world creating, and my piece, "Goat Sucker Blues," suffers by having to follow up that one.

If you want to read up on vampires of a distinctly none Rice and Myers vein, definitely check this collection out. I'm looking forward to hitting "Amiko" by Simon West-Bulford, "Suicide Angels" by the beast, Christopher Dwyer, the tall one Richard Thomas' "Transmogrify", Edward J. Rathke's "Song for Shadows", Caleb J. Ross's "Born Again Michael", and "Devil Children Unite" by Nik Korpon. Sure, there are other authors in the mix, but the above gents are some of the most talented writers I've had the pleasure of reading.

And, of course, that brings up some other rather cool news:

Otherworld Publications of Louisville, KY is excited to announce the signing of Chicago author, Richard Thomas for his debut novel, Transubstantiate, for release in June of 2010.


With this being the debut novel for both Otherworld Publications and Richard Thomas, they are thrilled to reveal that they will offer a signed, limited, hard cover edition with special features as well as a paperback version at its release.


About Richard:


He was the winner of the ChiZine Publications2009 “Enter the World of Filaria” contest. His short story "Maker of Flight" was chosen by Filaria author Brent Hayward and Bram Stoker Award-Winning editor Brett Alexander Savory. Some of his publishing credits include Cemetery Dance (Shivers VI, early 2010), Living DeadPress (Eternal Night: A Vampire Anthology), 3:AM Magazine, Word Riot,Dogmatika, The Oddville Press, Colored Chalk, Cause & Effect, Gold Dust,Vain, Nefarious Muse, Troubadour 21, Cherry Bleeds and Opium.


In his spare time he edits and designs for ColoredChalk and Sideshow Fables and is a workshop moderator at The Cult (chuckpalahniuk.net).


He is currently writing his second novel, a neo-noir, transgressive thriller entitled Disintegration. Richard is also a member of the Horror Writers Association.


Richard lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago where he has worked as an art director for the past 14 years. He was born in St. Louis, MO, attended Webster Groves High School, and did his undergraduate studies at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. He is currently pursuing an MFA at Murray State University in Murray, KY. (note: he is also rather tall.)


About Transubstantiate:


“They say Jimmy made it out. But the postcards we get, well, they don’t seem...real."


When an experiment with population control works too well, and the planet is decimated, seven broken people are united by a supernatural bond in a modern day Eden. Most on the island are fully aware of this prison disguised as an oasis. Unfortunately, Jimmy is on the mainland, desperate to get back, in a post-apocalyptic stand-off, fighting for his survival and that of his unborn child. Back on the island, Jacob stares at the ocean through his telescope and plots his escape, reluctant to aid the cause. Marcy tries to hide from her past, sexual escapades that may be her saving grace. X sits in his compound, a quiet, massive presence, trapped in his body by ancient whispers and yet free in spirit to visit other places and times. Roland, the angry, bitter son of Marcy is determined to leave, and sets out on his own. Watching over it all is Assigned, the ghost in the machine. And coming for them, to exact revenge, and finish the job that the virus started, is Gordon. He just landed on the island and he has help.


Transubstantiate is a neo-noir thriller, filled with uncertainty at every portal, and jungles infiltrated with The Darkness. Vivid settings, lyrical language, and a slow reveal of plot, motivation, past crimes and future hope collide in a showdown that keeps you guessing untilthe final haunting words.


Transubstantiate: to change from onesubstance into another.

and:


Otherworld Publications of Louisville, KY is thrilled to announce the signing of author Nik Korpon for the release of Stay God in December of 2010.

ABOUT NIK

Nik has been published in numerous magazines and journals, including 3:AM, Out of the Gutter Cause and Effect, Gold Dust, Colored Chalk, Troubadour21, Sex and Murder, The Mechanics Institute Review, short-story.me and Sideshow Fables, as well as the upcoming Shadow Kindred Anthology from Living Dead Press. His novella Old Ghosts is currently being serialized on Troubadour 21.com. He also has a chapbook forthcoming in late 2010. He reviews books for the Outsider Writers Collective, co-hosts Last Sunday, Last Rites, a monthly reading series in Baltimore, and is a Fiction Editor for Rotten Leaves Magazine. Somewhere between all of that, he is writing his second novel.(note: he has tattoos.)

ABOUT STAY GOD

Damon lives a content life, playing video games and dealing drugs from his second-hand store while his girlfriend, Mary, drops constant hints about marriage. If only he could tell her his name isn’t really Damon. If only he could tell her who he really is. But after he witnesses a friend’s murder, a scarlet woman glides into his life, offering the solution to all of his problems. His carefully constructed existence soon shatters like crystal teardrops and he must determine which ghosts won’t stay buried—and which ones are trying to kill him—if he wants to learn why Mary has disappeared.

Plus, I hear cool things about a couple other writers in that group, and once I have the go ahead, I'll be doing a bit more whoring.

It feels good to not be sick.

updates to the update

2010 has started off in an interesting way for me. first two days of the year/decade have given me my first two publications of the year/decade.

First off, there was Chinaski's Nirvana over at Oprah Read This, a very cool limited-run online-anthology of sorts. Some really, really good stuff exists on that page, I recommend you hit it with a vengeance.

Our Lady of the Shadows went live over at Flashes in the Dark. A story about Santa Muerte, I'm leaning to being proud of this one.

Just heard, for sure, that a letter of mine will feature in Letters from the Dead, an anthology that will be published later this year by Library of the Living Dead. It concerns zombies, so you should enjoy that.

Oh, also, part two of the Troubadour Horror Zone went up the other day, featuring an essay of mine concerning werewolves, as well as a story, Bloodlines, by Rick Huffman. Part 3 should go up before too long, as well as part 4 of my series, Throw Back.