Thank You

I was working on the next author page for this website and I opened up the book link generator for Amazon.com. (I don't know what they really call it but I plug in an ISBN number for a book they're selling and it generates the proper link for me to use on my website.) It told me that someone or some ones purchased four items from Amazon using my website. I don't know who and I don't know what they purchased, but if they used my website once I'm hoping they'll be back again to see this:

Thank you.

You, whoever you are, were my first real live customer.

I was surprised at the elation I felt. I'm not in this for the money; I'm in it to support a genre I love. But those purchases felt like a confirmation that someone is finding my site useful. That all this work has merit. And that felt pretty freakin' good.

Thank you again to my first customer(s) and thank you to all of you who use my website whether you buy a book from here or not.

And Happy Holidays folks!


(Originally Posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror.)

A Trip to Horror World pt. 2

(Last week we began a trip through Horror World. I intended to finish this article and post it a couple of days later. Unfortunately life got in the way and delayed this post. I offer my apologies.)

Providing a safe environment where you can have a message conversation with your favorite author would be an absolute fantastic accomplishment. Horror World, however, has more -- much more. As the front page says, Horror World is owned and edited by Nanci Kalanta (Remember her?) with help from associate editor Matthew Warner (Yes, the horror writer Matthew Warner). Together they have taken to heart the term "value added".

The Columns

Horror World currently has three columnists who take turns posting a column. For example, this month Matthew Warner (http://www.matthewwarner.com/) in his Author's Notes column writes about obscenity, the First Amendment, and how what happens to porn movies could happen to horror books. The essay was fairly disturbing, especially when you realize that besides writing, Mr. Warner works as a paralegal.

The other two columnists are Will Ludwigsen (http://www.will-ludwigsen.com/) and Lucy Snyder (http://www.sff.net/people/lucy-snyder/). You can find a list of the previous columns in the Horror World Column Archive.

Or you can try one of my favorites:
Matthew Warner: Author's Notes
Will Ludwigsen: Pardon the Entrails
Lucy Snyder: Lucy's Laboratory

The Book Reviews

Nanci Kalanta and Matthew Warner have taken to heart the term "value added"

Each month sees a new batch of book reviews and you can find this month's set here. These are reviews of horror novels and collections by people who know and respect the horror genre. They are short and to the point. They give enough of the storyline to hook your interest and then tell you what the book's strength's are. When there are significant weaknesses in a book, the reviewer points them out but no book review I've read on the site trashed a book.

If you're in need of good recommendations and have a little time to browse, the Horror World Review Archive is a fascinating way to gain a fistful of leads. My only regret about the archive is that there is no search feature or index for the times you want to look up a specific title or author.

The Featured Author of the Month

Each month Horror World has a featured short story. This month's story is Some Dark Hope by Tim Waggoner which can be found on the fiction page. It is a free short story (as always, please respect the copyright) which is made available for your enjoyment. It's a great way to get to know an author. If you like the short story, you can check out his or her other work.

Do keep in mind that a short story can only give you a glimpse of the author's writing style. A published author will have a lot more to offer in a novel, a novella or even a collection of stories.

If you're interested in reading Some Dark Hope you really need to click on the link now because soon, very soon, it will disappear and another story by another author will take its place. Unlike the reviews or columns, stories by the Featured Author of the Month are not archived.

The Interviews

Nanci Kalanta is big on getting the information out there.

Horror World also has interviews. This month Steven E. Wedel interviews Kim Paffenroth, author of the Stoker Award winning Gospel of the Living Dead and the new novel Dying to Live. Steven asks some excellent questions and I found the interview very interesting. I haven't read either book by Mr. Paffenroth -- yet. That will be changing soon, in part because of these interviews.

As with the fiction, the interviews aren't archived and soon another interview will take the place of this one. So hurry if you want to find out how George Romero's zombie movies are like Dante's The Divine Comedy or what it feels like to win the Stoker Award seconds after somebody else's book was announced.

The Announcements

Nanci Kalanta is big on getting the information out there. If you click on announcements in the upper right hand corner of any Horror World page, you'll find a page of links to publishers, bloggers and conventions information. You'll also find a link to Horror World's LiveJournal where Nanci also posts many of the announcements she gets.

And Much Much More

Horror World has a chat room, a library where you can read excerpts of published novels and novellas, a newsletter that you can subscribe to, and a page of links to other websites. Horror World is also the home of The Pod of Horror. But that is a post for another time.

(Originally Posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror.)

Rat's News: A Magazine and Retreat

Noctem Aeternus Debuts in January

Noctem Aeternus: Fiction for the Horror Fan is a free online magazine of horror fiction, interviews and columns. It will be published quarterly and made available for download as a PDF document. For those who don't know, you can read a PDF document using a free computer program called Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The first issue debuts next month in January, 2008. It will have horror stories by Ramsey Campbell, Tim Waggoner, Cherie Priest, Charles Coleman Finlay, and Michael Laimo. It features interviews and quarterly columns as well. And take a look at the beautiful cover by clicking on the Noctem Aeternus link.

Noctem Aeternus is a free online magazine of horror fiction, interviews and columns

The magazine is free but you need to subscribe to get your copy. Subscribing is easy (I did it myself) and painless. However, Noctem Aeternus needs your help to stay free. It needs subscribers. You can check out the Noctem Aeternus home page to get a better idea of what the magazine has to offer or click here to straight to the subscription page.

As Mr. Knost writes on the front page "Help us keep the magazine FREE . . . sign up today!"

The Pen to Press Writers’ Retreat

Are you serious about becoming a published writer? Are you serious about visiting New Orleans, Louisiana? Well, HWA President Deborah LeBlanc has a deal for you: The Pen to Press Writers’ Retreat.

It will be held May 27-May 31, 2008 in New Orleans. 160 people will be chosen from the pool of applicants to attend this 5-day intense retreat. The application process -- a synopsis and first five pages of a novel -- are outlined here. You can register now and get good rates but you don't pay until and unless you've been selected to attend.

Check their website out and see if you aren't intrigued.

(Originally posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror)

A Trip to Horror World

Horror world is run by Nanci Kalanta (Remember her?). It clearly states on the front page that it's horror's #1 community on the web and it has won awards to prove it. Horror World is primarily a message board where people can have conversations with other people who love horror as well as many authors of horror. In fact many horror authors and some publishers have their own message boards where you can write to them directly.

Do you have a favorite author or someone you're interested in? Chances are he or she has a message board dedicated to them. The best way to find out it to click on the links at the upper right hand side of the page: Mass Market and Independant Press. Got a favorite publisher? Maybe you can find them under Publishers. Or you could jump the gun and click on the links I've provided here. Just be sure to come back and finish this post later.

About Message Boards

Have you ever joined a message board? If not, keep reading. Those of you who've done this plenty of time, feel free to skip this part.

First you'll want to register. There is a link to register on the left hand side towards the middle. Register is the first option presented. Click on the link and it takes you to the page: Horror World - Registration Agreement Terms which is basically the rules of conduct. Don't be rude or an idiot. It also uses cookies so your computer may have to be set up to accept cookies in order to register. Once you agree to the terms, you're sent to a page where you fill out some information.

On the profile page you put in your information. That includes making up a username and a password. You can add more information such as the URL to your website, your e-mail address or your handles on various chat and Instant message modes or you can leave them all blank. You can even go back in and edit stuff later.

The e-mail is kept private. If I wanted to e-mail, say Nanci, instead of getting her e-mail address, I get a message page where I can put my missive and a button to send it off to her. It shows up in her e-mail account but I never had access to the address. Clever, no?

What's in a Name?

The profile page asks you to make up a user name and a password. May I make a few suggestions. You should consider using your name as a username. If, however, you like to use a handle like I do, think about including your name in the signature. I do. My username is Greg the Undead Rat. I haven't used it much because I'm kinda shy.

Why use my real name? The internet draws a lot of crazy people and message boards seem to be a Mecca for crazy people and people looking for a flight (called a flame war in internet parlance). Unfortunately message boards dedicated to horror literature and visited by horror authors tend to get the meanest and the craziest of the lot. Many authors have been burned badly in such wars. Signing your post with a name is not only polite but it gives ownership to the comment. It also allows readers and responders to begin to trust you. Hiding behind a made up handle tends to inhibit trust and hiding behind Anymonous is much worse.

Try user names like Greg Fisher (the Horror World message boards do allow spaces in the usernames) or GregFisher, Gfisher, GregF, or GregoryF. As I wrote, I use Greg the Undead Rat but I always sign inside my post --Gregory "The Undead Rat" Fisher so that they know who is talking to them.

The Grand Finish

Once you've registered, you can look at the message boards and see what people are talking about. Already from just reading the boards I found out what Gary Braunbeck's next book will be about and one way he tackles writer's block. Now I can drop Teri A. Jacobs a message "Hello" and let her know that I really love reading The Void. Intrigued? Give it a try.

Next time I'll write about some of the other features of Horror World.


(Originally Posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror.)

Rat's News: A Special 2 for 1 Deal

Nanci Kalanta (You'll be reading about her a bit this week) owns HW Press which recently published a collection of short stories by Lucy A. Snyder titled Sparks and Shadows.

Nanci is making an offer too good to resist -- buy a copy of Lucy's Sparks and Shadows and get a free copy of her humor collection Installing Linux on a Dead Badger. That's two books for the price of one, good through December 31, 2007.

I recently had an opportunity to read some of Lucy's writing and I was very impressed. She has a way of drawing you into a story and not letting you go until she's done. Her style was effortless to read and put me in mind of Stephen King or Douglas Clegg. I read until I realized it was 3:00am and I had to wake up at 7:00am for work. If that doesn't sway you then know this: She's an Ohio author -- enough said.

To get this special offer click on this link and place your order for Sparks and Shadows. You can pay by Paypal or credit card on the Paypal page. And before you know it your Lucy A. Snyder library will be complete . . . for the moment.

Disclaimer: Unlike the books you buy off my website from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, I receive no money from the sale of Lucy's books through HW Press. I took advantage of this offer last night and wanted to share it with you.

(Originally Posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror.)

Summary: A Choir of Ill Children

A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN by Tom Piccirilli

"We move in spasms.
My brothers because they are conjoined at the frontal lobe, and me -- because for me there is no other way to continue moving."

GENRE:

Horror Fiction, Southern Gothic.

DESCRIPTORS:

Horror, Ghosts, Stream of Consciousness, Granny Witches, Conjoined Triplets, Detectives, Mills, Family, Mysterious Deaths, Relationships, Carnival, Speaking in Tongues, Superstition, Swamps, Epilepsy.



SUMMARY:

Years ago Tom's father committed suicide. Thomas inherited the Mill, making him the town patriarch, filling a role his family has always held since swamp-mired Kingdom Come was founded. It also puts him in charge of his brothers, triplets conjoined at the frontal lobe and constantly facing each other. Now dire portents of strife have appeared and Velma Coots calls upon him to do his duty to the town by providing some blood and vinegar (semen) for a spell to ward off the coming storm. Tom refuses.

Weird things begin to occur: Sebastian, one of the twins, falls in love with a film student named Sarah. A girl/woman of indefinite age is found wearing a child's dress with a lollipop and no memory of who she is. Dogs are turning up injured from severe kicking. Erie ghosts are making their presence felt. Then Tom's best friend Drabs Bibbler disappears after giving a cryptic warning about a carnival.

A terrible storm is brewing that will test Thomas and the inhabitants of Kingdom Come, those who are living and those who are dead.

APPEAL:

This book has been labeled Southern gothic. It is an odd -- almost stream of consciousness tale -- told from Tom's point of view, of his pride (refusing to give of his vinegar) and the consequences. It reminded me of William Faulkner's tales or Flannery O'Connor if they were mixing horror into their stories.

This book is not an easy read, you plunge right in and it takes a while to get your bearings. It is also difficult because of some of the subject matter, especially when it involves the triplets.

I particularly like the character of Thomas. He knows he is the town patriarch -- as his fortunes flow so do those of the town -- which is why his one act of refusal upsets Velma and the "Granny witches". Tom is also on a quest for answers, but the book does not wrap everything in a tidy bow.

Thomas must face the ghosts that come with the storm and those that come with the carnival as well.

READALIKES:

A Choir of Ill Children is off-kilter and engaging with just a touch of grotesque. If you enjoyed this novel you might want to try Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner or James Lee Burke's David Robicheaux Mystery series.

(Originally Posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror.)

What’s New for December

Each month I list the new booklists that have been added to my horror book website.

Booklists for December:

Authors:
Wrath James White
Sarah Langan


Series:
No new series.

Themes:
African-Americans Writing Horror
Alien Horror — You’re So Strange
Back From the Dead

Updated Booklists for December:

Authors:
Linda D. Addison
Gina Farago
Charlie Huston
Yvonne Navarro
Scott Nicholson
Matthew Warner

Series:
The Cycle of the Aegis
The Ivy Cole Lykanthrop Series
The Joe Pitt Casebooks

Horror Web Resources for December:

Horror Authors Web Resources
Horror Authors Fan Web Sites
Ohio Fear Masters Web Resources
Horror Book Review Web Resources


What do you think?

(Originally posted in Horror Books with the Undead Rat)