I’m delighted to show the cover of the newest Weird Tales Magazine – Issue 367, the cosmic horror special. Honored to have my story, “Call of the Void—L’Appel du Vide” in such wonderful company!
Coming in mid-May.
https://www.weirdtales.com/store/p/3gxpcllz8jrtt65el14ewkkqj4p7b7
My year in 2022! (I’ll gently add that all the new works are eligible for Bram Stoker Award consideration)
I co-edited two anthologies:
– EVEN IN THE GRAVE with James Chambers – terrific ghost stories from a variety of places and times.
– A WOMAN UNBECOMING with Rachel A. Brune – a charity anthology containing horror and dark tales of women’s rage, power, and agency to benefit reproductive healthcare rights, assembled in two months after Roe v. Wade was reversed.
New stories:
– Sold two new stories & a poem, to be announced & published 2023
– FORGET ME NOT cryptid novella published in April – A monster is said to lurk beneath the waters of Lake Erie. Jane and her twin brother Rob are haunted by just that – as children, they lost half their family to a terrible boating accident. They haven’t left dry land since. Only, at the age of sixteen, they allow friends to lure them onto the lake.
But should they have held their ground? When something nearly swamps their boat, years of secrecy are swept away, and the children’s father shares their family history with the supposed Monster of Lake Erie.
Will the tale bring closure or just more tragedy?
– “The Tapping” – chosen by my co-editor to be in A WOMAN UNBECOMING – a domineering man and his wife move in with her aunt. He investigates the strange tapping sound he hears in the house, but the house is judging him at the same time.
Sold three reprints, two of which published this year:
– “Freshest Catch” in Weird House Magazine Volume 1
– “Under the Mistletoe” in Soul Scream Christmas Sneak-peek
– “AutomaTom” will appear next year in Soul Scream antholozine
And, I’ve almost finished a collection of stories to be completed next year. I mean, THIS YEAR! Wait, I mean this month!!
All in all, a good year of words!
I am over the moon to learn that my short story, “The Yellow Crown,” is on Ellen Datlow’s long list of Recommendations for Best Horror #14. These are stories that were published in 2011. While it is, indeed, a long list–she made multiple posts on her site to be able to include them all–I am delighted! Thank you, Ellen!
https://tinyurl.com/BlackFriday2022-CatLadies
It’s time to turn the “man and his dog wandering through a dystopian world” trope on its head, and tell the stories about cats and their women – their badass women! Only $0.99 thru Monday, November 28.
Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse wanders through broken worlds with stories of survival, technology, magic, and sheer determination. But – like their cats – the authors frequently slipped out the upstairs window or knocked things off of countertops, and their stories are stronger for it.
In these pages, cats help their women find a better life, protect and defend and fight for the women who have sheltered and protected them – and vice-versa. Because these are not only stories about surviving troubled times, but of the relationships between the women and their cats, between the members of communities both small and large, and how they thrive, even in the face of catastrophic loss.
Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse – it’s time to take them seriously!
Contains stories by Mia Moss, Hannah Hulbert, L.C.W. Allingham, Audrey McLennan, Hannah Trusty, Annie Reed, Caryn Larrinaga, Karli Sullivan, Misha Herwin, Joy Kennedy-O’Neill, Leigh Saunders, J. Ivanel Johnson, Carol Gyzander, Joanna Z. Weston, Kathryn Carson, Meyari McFarland, Sidney Williams, Joe Borrelli, Virginia Elizabeth Hayes, Wayland Smith, and C.J. Erick. Edited by Lyn Worthen
Coming to Philcon this weekend? I will be drinking lots of coffee – come find me!
TIME ROOM TITLE
Fri 6:00 pm Plaza 2 Novellas are Hot
Fri 7:00 pm Plaza 5 Octopi: The Ultimate Aliens?
Fri 9:00 pm Plaza 3 Climate Fiction—Hopepunk or Dystopia?
Fri 10:00 pm Readings Late Night Ghost Stories
Sat 12:00 pm Crystal 3 Horror Without Gore
Sat 1:00 pm Plaza 3 Science Fiction Disguised as Mainstream
Sat 3:00 pm Crystal 3 Why Join Professional Associations?
Sat 4:00 pm Readings Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Readings
Sat 8:00 pm ConSuite Book Launch Party by eSpec Books – We are launching Even in the Grave and my cryptid novella Forget Me Not, among other great books, to our Philcon audience.
Sun 11:00 am Plaza 2 Recent Trends in Horror
Sun 1:00 pm Readings Readings: Carol Gyzander (followed by my friend, Sally Weiner Grotta at 1:30 pm)
Sun 2:00 pm Autograph Table: Carol Gyzander
And in between, I’ll likely be at the HWA NY table in the dealer room, where we can tell you more about HWA. I’ll have copies of A Woman Unbecoming!
I was tickled to read this great article by Randee Dawn on Today.com–all about great ghost movies. She quoted me and James Chambers, my co-editor from the Even in the Grave ghost anthology that is releasing on July 1.
There are some great movies on here! Jim and I were pleased to see that some of our favorite movies made it onto the list.
https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/best-ghost-movies-rcna31491
If you’re looking for some ghostly words in addition to all those great movies, check out our Even in the Grave anthology! Here’s the beautiful cover by Lynne Hansen:
You can find it at a variety of booksellers:
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1141164222
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1956463038
Direct from the publisher, the Systema Paradoxa imprint of eSpec Books https://buff.ly/3vPVLxp
More to come soon!
Plan your word count
You’ll need to figure out how long your reading selection should be. Here are some notes for your initial estimate of word length:
NEVER go over time! It makes life difficult for your host/emcee, and you want to be a good guest so you are invited back!
Reminder list of what to bring with you:
Final thing to remember: when you’ve done enough preparation in advance, you’ll feel more comfortable and relaxed. Have fun and enjoy the event!
If you’re interested in our Galactic Terrors online reading series from the HWA NY Chapter, tune in to our YouTube channel every 2nd Thursday, 8pm EST at http://tinyurl.com/y4gj654q
And, sign up for our Galactic Terrors newsletter at http://eepurl.com/hdjz6z
What is legend? What is truth?
A monster is said to lurk beneath the waters of Lake Erie. Jane and her twin brother Rob are haunted by just that. As children, they lost half their family to a terrible boating accident. They haven’t left dry land since. Only, at the age of sixteen, they allow friends to lure them onto the lake.
But should they have held their ground?
When something nearly swamps their boat, years of secrecy are swept away and the children’s father shares their family history with the supposed Monster of Lake Erie.
Will the tale bring closure or just more tragedy?
Oh golly, this novella was so much fun to write! It’s set on Lake Erie in the Buffalo, NY area – where I grew up – in both 1969 and 1939. Let’s be clear – I was not there in 1939, but I was there in the 1960s. I had fun tapping on my experiences out on the Niagara River on our family motorboat. Niagara Falls plays a key role in the story, and we used to go there often as it was only ten miles from my house.
And hey – what is that in the water?!
It is such an honor for my weird fiction story, “The Yellow Crown,” to be nominated for a Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction!
It was published by Hippocampus Press in Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign, edited by James Chambers. The anthology’s stories take a new look at the world that was influenced by Robert W. Chambers’ classic work of weird fiction, The King in Yellow (1895), and the Yellow Sign. The anthology itself has also been nominated, for Superior Achievement in an Anthology.
I am delighted to be in the company of such wonderful women, all friends, on the ballot. Congratulations to all!
If any HWA Active or Lifetime members would like a copy of the story, please reach out to me under the Contact tab above. I can also put you in touch with the editor or publisher for a copy of the anthology.
Thank you so much to all the people who took the time to read the anthology and my story!
I am over the moon! My story, “The Yellow Crown,” from Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign, is on the Preliminary List–as is the anthology itself! Edited by James Chambers and published by Hippocampus Press.
It’s important to note that this does NOT mean it is nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. This is just the short list that people have recommended. There is a first ballot going out to HWA Active and Lifetime members this month, and the actual nominations and final ballot will likely come on February 23ish. But I am indeed delighted that many people liked my story well enough to recommend it, and am honored to be in such good company:
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
Gwilym, Douglas – “Year Six” (LampLight Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 1) (Apokrupha)
Gyzander, Carol – “The Yellow Crown” (Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign) (Hippocampus Press)
Joseph, R.J. – “I Just Want to Be Free” (Paranormal Contact: A Quiet Horror Confessional) (Cemetery Gates Media)
Joseph, R.J. – “Soulmates” (Dark Dispatch Issue #2: Deadly Love) (Dark Dispatch)
Murray, Lee – “Permanent Damage” (Attack From the ‘80s) (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
O’Quinn, Cindy – “A Gathering at the Mountain” (The Bad Book) (Bleeding Edge Books)
Oreto, Frank J. – “The Care and Feeding of Household Gods” (Beyond the Veil) (Flame Tree Press)
Taborska, Anna -“Two Shakes Of A Dead Lamb’s Tail”(Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands) (Telos Publishing)
Ward, Kyla Lee – “A Whisper in the Death Pit” (Weirdbook #44) (Wildside Press)
Yates, Pauline – “The Best Medicine” (Midnight Echo Issue 16) (AHWA)
Many thanks to editor James Chambers for inviting me into the anthology, and congratulations to him for the awesome book appearing on the Preliminary List for anthologies! There are so many wonderful stories in here. It’s in some tremendous company as well:
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Chambers, James – Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign (Hippocampus Press)
Cluff, Michael and Becker, Willow – Humans are the Problem: A Monster’s Anthology (Weird Little Worlds)
Datlow, Ellen – When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (Titan Books)
French, Aaron J. and Landry, Jess – There is No Death, There are No Dead (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Guignard, Eric J. – Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (Dark Moon Books)
HOWL Society – Howls From Hell (HOWL Society Press)
Johnson, Eugene – Attack From the ‘80s (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Schlossberg, Josh – The Jewish Book of Horror (Denver Horror Collective)
Showers, Brian J. – Uncertainties: Volume V (Swan River Press)
Thomas, Ben – Tales from Omnipark (House Blackwood)
And a huge thanks to our publisher, Derrick Hussey of Hippocampus Press!
Congratulations as well to Ellen Datlow, also from HWA NY Chapter, for her anthology on the list. Seriously, it’s a huge honor just to be on here with her. And, great job to all my friends and other writers on these lists!
I’ve got a lot of reading to do!