News Archive...

December 2003

The most interesting blog I've ever read (Warren Ellis): http://www.diepunyhumans.com

Okay. For fans of old kung fu flicks, Woody Allen's What's Up Pussycat, Monty Python, Mystery Science Theater, Quentin Tarantino, and, dare I say it, hip hop, you MUST check out Kung Faux, a heady mix of classic kung fu flicks shortened and re-edited into half hour programs with comic book style formatting, funky inserted comments, a sound track that samples mostly beat heavy hip hop with some video game (was that Atari I heard?) sound effects, and best of all, completely new and very urban dialogue in a variety of ethnically politically incorrect accents. I caught a mini marathon of the stuff on FUSE, a cable channel I'm not supposed to have in the Bronx, according to my TV guide, but there it was, and on the sacred day (for old-time kung-fu fans) of Saturday, at the holy hour (again, for those of you initiated into the 36th Chamber during the 80's in NYC) of 3PM. It was a miracle. Apparently, it's an English program (what would Americans do without the Brits, I ask you?) sneaking into the US. Maybe all of you know about it and I'm just so out of it that I only just caught up to the show. Oh well. If you haven't heard of it, look for the show on FUSE (if you have that channel) or go to the site, where I believe that have some clips on line.

Busy month for social activities: First, there was the SFWA reception, where everyone wears badges so the important people can look at your face and if, by some remote chance, they recognize you, they check your name to see if they should talk to you. Or, if they're newbies, they just look at the tags to see if you're important enough to talk to. Always good when a former writing teacher, who's also a power agent and editor, does the face/tag routine and then doesn't say hello. Some friends and I vowed to simply put "irrelevant" (capitalizing the word would put us on too high a level) on our tags but, of course, that would be tasteless and unprofessional. Then there was the KGB reading with Jeff VanderMeer and Gregory Maguire, which was overwhelmingly attended. Both readers dipped and skipped through their work, to mixed effect, and both managed to read at least one passage that was memorable for me. As a note to readers, folks at KGB talked about preferring a sustained dramatic story or passage over a mix of material. It would be interesting to hear from folks who attend readings about reactions to what writers choose to read (and how they read).....

November 2003

In another ambush in the small press jungle, the magazine The Horror Within folded without publishing an issue. Fortunately, the story I'd placed there, "Ash Man," magically found its way across certain editorial/publishing desks and will be appearing in Flesh and Blood 15, scheduled for April 2004. Thanks, Teri and Jack!

Holiday shopping season is upon us, and there's no place with more funk and fun than Colleen Crary's Moon Fire Studio.

Paula Guran has posted her review of Dead Cat...Bigger Than Jesus.

Adam Pepper arranged a reading and discussion event at the Bay Terrace Barnes and Noble in Queens (that's a part of New York City for you out-of-towners), and invited Mike Laimo and I along for the ride. The joint was jumping—that is, the bookstore was packed—and we had a very attentive and engaged audience, with people standing in the back, which was quite something to behold. In speaking with the manager, we concluded the event time—1 PM on a Sunday—might have had something to do with the great attendance: weekend shoppers were out in droves in the mall in which the B&N is located. Timing was also good—we were there the weekend before Halloween, so having horror writers speak was interesting and relevant to shoppers, but the holiday wasn't close enough for parents to be too distracted by kids, costumes and parties. The manager said our books had been doing well for a month before the event, as he'd had a display up featuring us and kept switching it around the store, so people who only went to one section would run into it and become interested. Take note, folks, this guy knows what he's doing. Adam did a great job ringing up support for the event from his family, too. All in all, a great event. Thanks, Adam! (Now go buy his book at www.Shocklines.com!)

Dave Barnett, Mr. Necro/Bedlam, has put up his writing site, where you can check out his latest writing projects.

Because life isn't hard enough: www.despair.com

October 2003

Yowza! A mind-bending review of The Beast That Was Max appeared early last month at the Avon Grove Sun website, which is apparently a Philly paper. It made me want to read the damn book!

Later last month, the reviewer, Robert Strauss, did another mind-bending review, this time on Road to Hell.

Paula Guran gave Dead Cat....Bigger Than Jesus a review in the latest release of Dark Echo, her online newsletter, and concluded: "You can look at Dead Cat —who started out as a mummified sacrifice back in ancient Egypt and somehow remains dead, but reanimated as social commentary or philosophical (and theological) satire or the ultimate in anti-cuddly anthropomorphism, but that would make you a geek. It's best to just enjoy the crazy dark humor of it all and be happy that these two wackos channel their energies through D.C."

On October 26, 1 PM, I will be doing a brief reading and Q&A with fellow authors Mike Laimo and Adam Pepper at the Bayside Barnes and Noble, in the Bayside Terrace shopping mall on Bell Boulevard in Queens, New York. COME ON DOWN!

Well, I'm damned now. Dave at Necro/Bedlam has announced both his Damned anthology and Dead Cat's Traveling Circus of Wonders and Miracle Medicine Show, the next Dead Cat project GAK and I put together (lots of guest writers, lots of stories and other stuff by me, lots of art by GAK). For pre-ordering, visit http://www.necropublications.com/.

DAMNED Anthology
Featuring stories of damnation and hell by Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Brian Hodge, Charlee Jacob, Gerard Houarner, Tom Piccirilli, Patrick Lestewka, Doc Solammen, Mehitobel Wilson, John Everson, Gary Braunbeck, Jeffrey Thomas and more.
400 Hardcovers $50
26 Deluxe Hardcovers $200
Winter 2003/2004

DEAD CAT TRAVELING CIRCUS OF WONDER AND MIRACLE MEDICINE SHOW Anthology
(Bedlam Press)
Edited by Gerard Houarner and GAK
150 Hardcovers $45
400 Trade Paperbacks $15.95
26 Deluxe Hardcovers with artbook and other cool things to be announced.
Price not set yet.
Spring 2004

Gordon Linzner brought Trish Cacek up to the Bronx Native American Harvest Festival a few blocks from us late in September. What a treat to see one of the goddesses of horror stab her ear for half an hour with a dull earring she bought from one of the vendors because the last time she had earrings in was two days earlier and she heals FAST. Very FAST. There wasn't even a dimple or a scar or anything at the back of her ear. Pristine flesh, no hole back there for the earring to go through. No sir. And Trish insisted we watch. Gordon even tried to push the blunt object through, but alas, couldn't. It just took time, lots of and lots of time, and pushing effort, and Trish was up for the job. Anything to keep from having to go to a place where they actually PIERCE YOUR EAR, TRISH! Professionally. Oh yeah, with needles. Trish doesn't like needles. So she poked away. We tried to tell her some folks would pay GOOD MONEY to see this kind of action (not us, necessarily, but we know some folks.....). Unfortunately, none of us had a video camera, or Trish would be a damn rich lady by now. Oh yeah, we hung out and had fry bread and there was dancing and storytelling and drumming on a beautiful day, followed by pizza and a DVD. Sometimes life is good. Oh yeah, and Trish got the goddam earring in. Believe it. And there was no blood. (But if we'd taped it, there would have been if George Lucas can go back and edit, so can we....).

September 2003

The Sixteenth Annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror just came out from St. Martin's Press, and I was thrilled to learn that the following stories of mine published last year received Honorable Mentions: "The Bastard," from the Bastard of Alchemy chapbook; "The Fearnaut," from the online site Horrorfind; "The Keeper," from the anthology Asylum 2: The Violent Ward; "The Love in Her Regard," from the anthology Decadence 2; "The Unborn," from the anthology Dreaming of Angels; and "Children in the Moonless Night," "Like Tears, Cast in the Steps of her Mother," and "Those Who Cast Shadows," some of the new stories from my collection, Visions Through A Shattered Lens, ("Children..." was also published in Lone Wolf's Extremes: Africa CD anthology with a video by my buddy Joey "Bones"). She was nice to GAK and me in the introduction regarding Dead Cat and such, as well. We appreciate it!

Of course, the chapbook, anthologies and collection are all available from (say it with me, now): www.shocklines.com.

The magazine/anthology Bare Bone 4, containing my story, "The Road's Mobius Smile," came out at Horrorfind, and can be ordered from, wait, it's on the tip of my tongue, SHOCKLINES! If you think I suck, the book is chock full of poetry and fiction from the lives of Mark McLaughlin, Nick Mamatas, Jeffrey Thomas, Ken Goldman, John Rosenman, Kurt Newton, Harry Shannon, Amy Grech, Rhys Hughes, Kendall Evans, Denise Dumars, Steve Rasnic Tem, Charlee Jacob, Christina Sng, and MORE. It's quite a value for ten bucks, actually.

Speaking of Horrorfind, Linda and I attended this year's convention and thoroughly enjoyed the new venue and old friends. Tom Piccirilli and I read together and, if I do say so myself, we kicked ass. Linda did a poetry jam with John Lawson, and, if I do say so myself, kicked serious ass. We hung out with Tom and Michelle, Gak and Dave Barnett, Vince Harper and his wife, ole Trey Barker his own self, Doug Clegg, the NYC HWA crew, Jack Fisher and the Flesh and Blood crew, Ed Lee (thanks for the encouragement!), Tom and Elizabeth Monteleone (also very supportive), Weston Osche (hey Wes, does this sound familiar? In Valley Girl screech: "Oh-my-god"), Ed McMullen, and we actually breathed the same air as Alice Cooper, we'll never wash our lungs, again! Gordon Linzner ruled a nine-author panel with an iron hand and kept the madness relatively contained. We met Candyman (you know Candyman. Everybody knows Candyman. Candyman is the Man. Candyman was cool OH MY GOD!) and folks from Night of the Living Dead. It was a great con.

And speaking of Horrorfind, that came right on the heels of the big blackout. Fortunately, both Linda and I escaped unscathed. The Child was downtown working, but being 21 he adapted and helped others climb down 34 stories (an unpleasant echo of the twin towers, where he'd worked before they came down), then hung out in the Village. Gordon Linzner, who was supposed to ride to Baltimore with us the next day, scared the crap out of us by appearing out of the darkness on our porch in the middle of utter darkness as we were looking up at the stars and drinking oj and vodka (to save the juice and ice). Apparently he'd walked and taken advantage of free buses, for five hours, finding his way to the Bronx so he wouldn't miss his ride.

That's why he's a PROFESSIONAL tour guide.

My buddy Tom Piccirilli and his honey Michelle Scalise have beautiful new sites up, designed by Michelle.

William Simmons apparently had some difficulties with the publisher of his Vivisections anthology series and has canceled the project. However, he very kindly offered to publish the story I placed with him for Vivisections 2, "Mourning With the Bones of the Dead," in Underworlds 4, due out later this year or early next year. I look forward to seeing the story in that fine magazine.

August 2003

Tales of the Unanticipated #24 is out and available. If you're interested in reading a "different" version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, pick up a copy for my story, "Eight Dead Shrimp." If that doesn't appeal to you, maybe work by Eleanor Arnason, Martha A. Hood, Stephen Dedman, Uncle River, my old small press pal Mark Rich, and many other writers and poets might. This is a very classy production packed with great stories, poems and art. I'm always proud to be a part of TOTU. Their current issue page has links to teasers for some of the stories, including mine, so visit http://www.totu-ink.com/current.phtml.

"The Breath of Bygone Spirits" has been accepted for Brian Freeman's Dueling Minds anthology, coming out from Endeavor Press. The premise for Brian's anthology is that a group of writers use a piece of art work (in this case, a painting by that genius madman Alan Clark) as inspiration for a story. Contributors include Tom Piccirilli, Tim Lebbon, Gary Braunbeck and Brian Keene.

Teri Jacobs has bought "Ash Man" for the premier issue of The Horror Within, a new magazine she is editing. Look for the magazine in October.

Linda and I attended NeCon in July, and had our usual blast. Elizabeth Massie and her crew absolutely killed the audience with their act at the Talent Show, and had Linda vainly vowing not to sing-along to their manic chorus moments before she broke down and, barely containing back tears, sang along. They were diabolical. Also spent some time with two of my heroes, Gahan Wilson and Tom Monteleone, as well as Necon bubbas like Trish Cacek, Yvonne Navarro, Hank Wagner, Bill Sheehan, and the always understated and demure Dave Hinchberger. Looking forward to next year, when Tom Piccirilli makes his guest appearance. For those of you thinking of attending, reserve early: ReaderCon has apparently been canceled for a year or two, and the NeCon organizers anticipate a spike in attendance.

While researching material for the Dead Cat project GAK and I are working on (I won't bore you with the elephant stuff, even if I did find some interesting tactical uses for pigs against war elephants), I ran into this cool site for fairy tales.

July 2003

The HWA weekend early last month in general and the Stokers Award banquet in particular were a regular pal-a-thon. Linda and I were guests at the Leisure table, where bubba pal Tom Piccirilli pulled down two Stokers, and another pal, Mike Laimo presented and waited anxiously for his category to be announced, while the wonderful Anne Laymon and the (well, how can we possibly describe him) -- indescribable? -- (but nicely cleaned-up Ð good job, Cassi!) Brian Keene were great company. Editorial pals Don D'Auria and Leah Hultenschmidt from Leisure presided over us, and another sharp young lady (sorry, the name eludes....) regaled us with tales of airline flight stewardship. Tango Goddess Rain Graves (who deigns to be our pal) and Mark McLaughlin (who's everyone's pal) pulled down the poetry award. Pals who use other names Jack Ketchum and P.D. Cacek performed as MC's, while suave and debonair pal Lee Thomas elegantly helped them with their award presentation duties, as well as assisted a frighteningly frail J N Williamson up to the podium to accept his Lifetime Achievement award. Fabulous pal Nick Kaufman also presented a special award and then accepted awards for others. We spent time in the company of Dallas, Garrett Peck, John Maclay, Gordon Linzner, and others during the after party, with Dallas and Linda taking turns cold-reading T.M. Wright to the group until Dallas could stand it no longer and called Terry from his bed and made him come back to the party room to lavish praise on him and discuss his work. It was a great pal-a-thon.

"The Alchemy From The Towers of Silence" was accepted for the anthology The Decay Within.

"The Wound of Her Making," a Lilith story originally published in Delirium's Dark Testament, and the upcoming "Devoured By Her Enigmatic Smile" from Tooth and Claw have been picked up for two French anthologies on Myth and Urban legends coming from Oxymore Publishing.

For those of you with too much time on your hands, feel free to go to www.tower.org/insult/insult.html and be cursed out randomly Elizabethan style. Writers, editors, publishers and book sellers might find it a useful resource/venting device in business dealings (I'm not speaking from personal experience, of course.....)

June 2003

Bill Gagliani has written a very sympathetic review of last year's Dead Cats Bouncing for The Chiaroscuro web site. You can read it for yourself at http://www.thechiaroscuro.com/deadcatbouncing.htm. And if his words move you, the book is still available at (where else) www.shocklines.com! Or read it to whet your appetite for Dead Cat....Bigger Than Jesus, available right now.

On a completely different note, Dead Cat....Bigger Than Jesus has been reviewed by Garrett at Feoamante.com. And who knew? The chapbook is available over at Necro/Bedlam or (wait for it....) www.shocklines.com!

Visions Through A Shattered Lens was reviewed at the Joe Bob Briggs site, somewhat less enthusiastically than I would have hoped. But when the summary includes a complaint about the collection being too long (not only is that a first in terms of a critique for me, it's the first time I've ever even heard of such a thing), I can't say I'm completely unhappy. She liked my writing and sometimes my plots, but not my characters (damn, there I go again with those unsympathetic characters—I gotta throw in more dogs.....people love dogs.....) and found some of the themes repetitious (once again, not the usual critique I see for a collection—most writers I know pretty much have their subjects or themes and that's what they write about). The book got two out of I believe four stars from the reviewer—for context, she gave the PEN/Hemingway Award winner's collection three stars, so who am I to complain? It was interesting seeing the reaction of a reader obviously expecting more traditional plots and characters (though not particularly heartening in terms of the overall career arc). A great feature of the site is the brief bio and picture of each reviewer—very cool. Anyway, check out the review and don't miss the rest of Joe Bob's site: it is a hoot. (And remember, if this review actually gets you interested in Visions, the book is available at Delirium and Shocklines.)

A review by Faren Miller for Mojo: Conjure Stories in the May Locus did mention my story, calling it eloquent, which I'll definitely take.

Dave at Necro has released more information about DAMNED: An Anthology of the Lost:

This is the first Necro Publications anthology and will be released in late 2003 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Necro. This collection will feature the darkest, most disturbing fiction from today's best dark fiction authors:

Edward Lee
Jack Ketchum
Brian Hodge
Charlee Jacob
Gerard Houarner
Tom Piccirilli
Jeffrey Thomas
Mehitobel Wilson
Patrick Lestewka
Doc Solammen
and more!

May 2003

In case you're wondering what I'd gotten myself into when I announced this last month, there's a wonderful review of Mojo: Conjure Stories, edited by Nalo Hopkinson, at scifi.com. They even mention my story, "She'd Make a Dead Man Crawl."

The reading with Dallas at KGB's was terrific. Dallas, Linda and I were guests on Joe Mauceri's midnight show on WBAI in NY to promote the outing, and despite the holidays and WHC, a decent crowd showed up to hear us. For pictures of the evening (c'mon, you know you want to see Linda Addison pictures....) go to http://www.datlow.com/gallery/kgb/photoskgb11.html.

The new magazine, City Slab, Urban Tales of the Grotesque, has accepted "The Pain Killer," scheduled for the fourth issue. Their site is at www.cityslab.com if you'd like to see what they're about (very professional presentation, featuring folks like Poppy Brite and Brian Hodge). You can order a copy from them or, of course, www.shocklines.com.

Here and Now, The Magazine of Urban Fantasy, published out of the UK, has accepted "Like Tears, Cast In the Steps of Her Mother," a story from the collection Visions Through A Shattered Lens. They have quite a formidable line-up in upcoming issues, so you if you're curious please visit their site.

Hmmmm, maybe I have a future in this urban stuff....

"The Voice of The Lacuna," the story based on William Hope Hodgson's classic The Night Land I sold last month, has been posted.

I will be one of the judges for the short story contest at award-winning The Chiaroscuro web site. The reading period runs from May 1st to June 15th. Visit http://www.thechiaroscuro.com/contest_pre.htm for contest details and where to send stories for consideration. Prizes include professional-rate publication and books.

Apparently, I won an award. At first I thought it was an April Fool's joke. Tom Piccirilli broke the news to me, and I told him it sounded like somebody had been hitting the bourbon a little too hard. I searched for the award on the net, found no reference to me, and then picked up the reference in Hellnotes. It's called the Darrell Award (I can only think of Schweitzer whenever someone says Darrell, but then, I'm old), sponsored by the Memphis Science Fiction Association (MSFA) to promote literacy in the Mid-South by recognizing the best published regional science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

According to their site, to qualify, an author must live in the MidSouth region—an expanded "Greater Memphis" area OR the work in question must feature Memphis and/or the area in a prominent way (which, of course, is how I qualified, being that da Bronx, no matter how South, is still rather North). Additionally, the Darrell Awards are currently intended to recognize Science Fiction or Fantasy (including Horror), so general fiction and non-fiction do not qualify.

The story in question, "Memphis Blue Again," was published in Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, edited by Ed McFadden, and featured an American/Egyptian version of Memphis cast in a cyber-space background thrown into outer space.

Tom Piccirilli asked what the award looked like. Tim Gatewood from the Committee of the Memphis SF Association contacted me and apparently it is a plaque I will be receiving shortly (though I had dreams of a bottle of Tennessee's finest). Thanks, guys.

April 2003

FANTASTIC FICTION at KGB Reading Series Hosts Ellen Datlow and Gavin J. Grant present: Jack Ketchum, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Red, The Girl Next Door, and the forthcoming The Transformed Mouse will be reading from his new collection Peaceable Kingdom and Gerard Houarner, author of the horror novel Road to Hell, will be reading from his recent collection Visions Through A Shattered Lens. Wednesday April 16th at 7pm KGB Bar 85 East 4th Street (just off 2nd Ave, upstairs.) KGB Fantastic Fiction Series 7PM, 3rd Wednesday, Every Month http://www.lcrw.net/kgb

Mojo: Conjure Stories, an anthology edited by Nalo Hopkinson, is due out shortly in trade paperback from Warner Books, featuring stories by Neil Gaiman, Barbara Hambly, Tannarive Due, and, oh yeah, I have a story somewhere in there, too.

If you get the chance, breeze through Ed Bryant's review column in the March issue of Locus. He's written a full review of Road to Hell which completely stunned me.

I've sold a piece, "The Lacuna's Voice," to the Night Land anthology from England. It will apparently be embedded in a larger tale in the second volume. This looks like a very interesting project, especially for those of us who are fans of the this particular visionary work. The editor and participants are frighteningly dedicated and thorough and imaginative in their development of this mythos. I'm just happy to be a part of the project. More to follow.

Dead Cat...Bigger than Jesus merchandise (yes, I said merchandise) here!

Last month, I attended the reading at KGB and met one of the readers, Daniel Perelman. After introducing ourselves to each other, he informed me one of his sales was to Going Postal. Which I edited. So there we were quite surprised to meet each other after all this time. And then who walks in but Alan Beatts and Jude from Borderlands Books in San Francisco, who I normally see at or giving the best parties at every convention I've ever gone to. For a moment, I thougth I WAS at a convention. Very disorienting. Anyway, much fun was had by all. Ellen Datlow has pictures of the proceedings up.

"On The Road," reprinted in Visions From A Shattered Lens from long ago, has been picked up by the anthology Wicked Wheels.

March 2003

Because there just can't be enough Dead Cat, get ready: Dead Cat... Bigger Than Jesus is coming. (Dead Cat wrote an introduction that explains the whole thing. No, really. It's okay. He worked everything out with the Big Kahuna. The title is NOT sacrilegious. Well, not too much, anyway.)

Road From Hell, the third Max novel, is finished. Cue Etta James' "At Last." Two and half years in the making, there ain't no mo' blood left in the brain—it all bled out. The book is off to the agent. Look for it sometime, somewhere—come back for more news.

Dave at Necro has taken the leap and started an anthology project, The Damned. I was fortunate to place a story, "No We Love No One," in the book. Keep a look out for this one, as it will feature some brand new names as well as members of the Necro crew.

If you haven't had a chance yet, time is up this month to visit www.Darkfluidity.com featuring a new story from me, as well as an interview and a truckload of reviews of my work.

My collection, Visions Through A Shattered Lens, and Dead Cats Bouncing, the anthology co-edited by GAK and me, both made the HWA's Preliminary Stoker Ballot. Go see what everyone's talking about and buy a copy of one, or both, a couple of both, or many of one or the other, etc. Remember, www.shocklines.com still has these in stock (as do the publishers).

In what may be stunning news to those of you who see me as a rabid, blood-thirsty and/or occasionally incomprehensible lunatic writer, the story "Midsummer Night's Interlude," originally published at the erotic site Cleansheets, has been picked up by a rather elegant new site emphasizing nudes. If for nothing more than the photography, please pay them a visit.

Mick Farren, madman and musician, is serializing Slide on the Run on his website. You may know him from any one of his science fiction or horror novels (if you can actually limit anything he writes to a particular genre—he's one of those guys who is his own genre), or his contribution to Dead Cats Bouncing from last year. Hang on to your brain and give him a try.

February 2003

www.darkfluidity.com has an interview and a new story up by me, as well as an exhaustive series of reviews of recent work. Please pay them a visit, and let me know what you think of "She Who Speaks For the Dead."

For those HWA members interested in this sort of thing, a PDF file for Visions Through A Shattered Lens is available for review for the Stoker Award. Just remember the thing is 428 pages, so screen reading is probably a more practical option. You can contact me or the publisher.

A recent Hellnotes featured several reviews of my writing, including the following concluding paragraph on Visions Through A Shattered Lens:

"Visions Through a Shattered Lens does indeed offer a skewed portrait of the realities, both seen and unseen, that encompass the mysteries of our existence. This is powerful, primal work by a far from ordinary writer. It taunts with concepts too large to fit on the screen of the mind's eye, illuminating just enough of what can't be clearly conceived to terrify and intrigue, while maintaining the essential mystery of enigma. This is the most definitive collection yet by an author who's only begun his journey of morbid discovery."

Also reviewed was "The Bastard" from the Necro Publications chapbook Bastards of Alchemy, featuring a story from Tom Piccirilli and myself. The reviewer Garrett Peck concluded: "As is often the case with Houarner's writing, not everything is made clear. We don't know exactly what the folks who follow the unnameable path intend to do to the world, only that they're rich and powerful and seek to transform it into something else, presumably unpleasant. That central enigma allows Houarner to hint at things our imaginations make worse than anything he could describe."

The Chiaroscuro site has a great review of Bastards of Alchemy by William Gagliani (look under "Piccirilli" on the list of reviews).

If any of that strikes your fancy, both are available from, who else, www.shocklines.com, as well as your usual big online bookstores, and through an online ordering store I haven't mentioned in a while, http://www.blindside.net/store/.

Speaking of Necro, Dave Barnett was interviewed by Judy Comeau on the Count Gore site. The piece is well worth reading for both its honesty and humor. Also featured on the site are a couple of CD anthologies from Lone Wolf: Bones and Extremes: Africa. A music clip by Web Mistress Natalia Lincoln that accompanied a cemetery photo shoot I did (getting those markers to pose is tougher than you think) is included, as well as a video clip by Joey "Bones" (I'd tell you his real name, but the warrants haven't cleared) based on my story "Children in the Moonless Night" from the Africa anthology.

In an odd turn of events, a story originally scheduled for Bare Bones 1, "The Road's Mobius Smile," has made an circuitous journey back to the Bare Bones series and will be appearing in volume 4. I hope the title fits the story as well as its journey.

January 2003

Greetings all, and best wishes to everyone for the coming year!

Things are starting off a bit slowly, this year. Something about the new year falling in the middle of the week, and schedules being thrown off and such. Anyway, Road to Hell is supposed to be out from Leisure, though folks have yet to find any in the stores (disconcerting).

If you'd like to read my rambling view of Max and the Beast (rather than the usual, and possibly more entertaining, rumor and innuendo), there's a little essay up on the publisher's site. This is a great little special feature in which writers get to shoot the bull about what they've written&emdash;I'm looking forward to reading more from other Leisure authors.

Road to Hell is up at Amazon and BN. I'm sure Matt at Shocklines will get copies any day now. I'm sure I will, too. Any day now.

Things are coming together at the Darkfluidity site, as well. John Urbancik had arranged for me to be the featured author at www.Darkfluidity.com&emdash;there will be a story, we're working on an interview, and there may be some reviews of my work, including, possibly, Road to Hell. Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out the site as Simon Clark is currently featured.

There's a wonderful review of the Visions Through A Shattered Lens collection at the Richard Laymon Kills site.

I've sold a story to Walter P. Simmons' Vivisections anthology series, entitled "Mourning With the Bones of the Dead." The story is scheduled for the second volume, publication TBA.

Jersey State horror writer Meghan Fatras and bubba will be starting a new horror site, which will eventually be up at www.worldofhorror.com. Check on it every now and then, or at her own site.

Eventually, there'll be the usual annual revisions to the site&emdash;minor, this time around&emdash;as well as some more pictures. Stay tuned!

December 2002

Delirium stablemate (the collection Maternal Instinct) J. F. Gonzalez came to NYC for a one day (!) visit, during a nor'easter storm. I gave him a quick, but wet, midtown tour which turned out more "techno noir" (neon lights reflected in rain-slick streets while giant electronic billboards flashed Bladerunner-style overhead at Times Square) than anything else. Matt of Shocklines came by, and we had fun talking books.

I will apparently be the Featured Writer at www.Darkfluidity.com, John Urbancik's great site for horror, following in the footsteps of my horror bubbas Michael Laimo and Tim Piccirilli, as well folks like Simon Clark. I wrote a horror story for the site, mindful of the fact that most of the pieces he's put up have wound up on Ellen Datlow's Honorable Mention list for the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (not that there isn't always pressure to do one's best). There will also be an interview and review of my latest Leisure release, Road to Hell, scheduled to be out in January. The story and interview will be up January through March, 2003, so please visit the site first thing next month, before I even get the chance to pass another update to Webmistress Natalia.

Two books to announce - the Leisure reprint of Road to Hell, and Delirium's trade paperback edition of I Love You And There Is Nothing You Can Do About It. Here's what some folks have said about them:

Easily the most uniquely remarkable thing about Max (and the twin pair of lethal sirens who share his bed and life and warped passions) is that he truly walks in two worlds: the world permeated by shadow conspiracies and the continually shifting political aims of the military-industrial complex, and the even more shadowy world of gods and goddesses (typically demanding) and spirits (typically vengeful). This mixture makes for more than just an intriguingly heady brew. It actually seems within the realm of possibility....and who's to say that it isn't? Boundaries, remember. They're only as enforceable as you'll allow them to be. Brian Hodge, introduction to Road to Hell Houarner's got a great knack for characterization and plotting, for keeping the people real enough (in the context of the story) and delivering a good story that moves along without losing any of the momentum it has at the beginning. If anything, things just get weirder, and for me weird adds interest. Enjoy the Road to Hell, as it appears to be paved with magic, death, guns, desert sand, and sex-starved gods. inet Reviews, online, 9/99 - Road to Hell Houarner does a great job of filling this book with so much weird shit the book never wants for actions or interesting things. Houarner's got a great knack for characterization and plotting, for keeping the people real...and delivering a good story that moves along without losing momentum, never letting up for a breather, but pounding along non-stop. Midnight Hour review, Road to Hell On the surface, ROAD TO HELL is a horror novel, steeped in violence, gore, and the supernaturalÑDeath follows Max like an acolyte, feasting on the carnage he creates. But, to my mind the book is also grappling with the issues of fatherhood and parental responsibilityÑat its heart, it is a book about family ties and obligations. Like many new fathers, Max struggles with his inner demons while trying to understand the emotions, both positive and negative, his child arouses in him. Add to the mix his (admittedly unique) job pressures and personal issues, and ROAD TO HELL can be read as a metaphor for sacrifices and rewards of fatherhood, and for the pain of letting your children grow away from you. This subtext grounds the more fantastic action, lending credibility to some of Houarner's more outrageous scenes. There's much to like about this bookÑHouarner's prose shines, and he displays a truly wild imagination (in his introduction, Brian Hodge refers to it as Houarner's tendency to "color outside the lines"). Hellnotes, Hank Wagner You may not know this just yet, but Gerard Daniel Houarner has been slowly making a name for himself in hardcore horror circles. ...his mix of twisted sex, deadened emotions and black comedy has been garnering him a select circle of fans. The Road the Hell is a well-written work, filled to the brim with twisted ideas. Houarner's work is great, and I recommend you acquaint yourself with it. Fangoria, review of Road To Hell Gerard Houarner is an artist, one that's not afraid to venture into new territories and try different hues and shades in his prose painting. The artist has hung an entirely new show in his gallery, and it's well worth coming in to view, the admission fee is inexpensive and the memories will linger a lifetime. Introduction, John Pelan, I Love You And There Is Nothing You Can Do About It The twelve tales in I Love You and There is Nothing You Can Do About It show us Houarner's philosophical side. These stories concern themselves with the human condition and less with graphic depictions of physical trauma. There's plenty of horrible stuff going on, but the purpose is more to invoke terror... This one will disappear fast and become scarce once the general public meets him. Hellnotes Miss this one and you may well miss one of the most influential volumes of the year, and one of horror's most beguiling, new voices. Lisa DuMond, SF Site, MEviews There is a comfortable range of intensity here...and the stories work together as a whole nicely. "The Oddist..." a weird tale with the tonal impact of a nightmare transcribed... thoughtfulness and attention paid to both the content and its audience. Mehitobel Wilson, Gothic.net This is a very different collection than the author's first -- PAINFREAK (I996), a teratology of the extremes of relationships and the intricacies of fetish and desire -- and a stronger one. These more moderate mappings of the darkside show an enhanced versatility and perception that is, perhaps, overwhelmed in his more extreme investigations. These tales have "staying power." And (did I mention?) stories that stay with you are the best. Paula Guran, DarkEcho ...the stories that flesh out this book (flesh bruised and broken) are hardly romantic trifles, cynical or otherwise. They are instead Grand Guignolish shockers reminiscent of John Shirley's work. Houarner's introductions show a concerned and ethical individual at work, and his sharp literary skills insure that he always adheres closely to his personal moral compass, without sacrificing horrific impact. "Out Lady of the Jars" is my favorite here, straying as it does into the Borgesian territory of imaginary beings. Paul Di Filippo, Asimov's, 8/00 On Books Stark, compelling fiction by this perennial favorite. Highly recommended. Pam Chillemi-Yeager, Fantasque 6 I Love You And There Is Nothing You Can Do About It has plenty of literary scares. ...shows why he is so damn good at what he does. Gerard Houarner is like a thirsty vampire, goes straight for the jugular every time Ð bloody good! Michael McCarty, Indigenous Fiction, The IF Bookworm

Both books will, of course, be available at www.shocklines.com, as well as at BN.com and Amazon.com, and local bookstores everywhere.

Finally, a couple of anthologies in which I have stories, and which were originally published by the defunct Dark Tales, have re-surfaced. The Asylum 2 - The Violent Ward ("The Keeper") is due out in mid-December, and the publisher is offering a free copy of Asylum 1 - The Psycho Ward ("The Child Jar") to the first 200 buyers who purchase a copy through his site (a permanent site, www.paddedroom.net, will be up sometime in January).

November 2002

In a very pleasant surprise, Publishers Weekly reviewed Visions Through A Shattered Lens in their October 14, 2002 issue. I can only quote so much, so here's the relevant sample: "In his fourth story collection, native New Yorker Houarner offers 20 tough, uncompromising horror tales...there's something here for every taste in adult horror."

They singled out the following stories: "Finding the Lost Children," "Bui Doi," "The Chain-Lynched Man," "Children of the Moonless Night," "Visions Through A Shattered Lens," "On the Road," "Mutilation Missionary," "Out of the Shadows," "Things I Wish I Had Not Seen,"and "Signs of Death."

Needless to say, I'm pretty happy.

In a slight mix-up, a story originally scheduled for the first volume of the Lone Wolf CD anthology Tooth and Claw was dropped, despite the advertising out there with my name in the contents line-up. I did, however, sign the signature sheets (!). My story, "Devoured By Her Enigmatic Smile," will be appearing in the second volume available next year, along with a long video clip created by film-maker Joya. Get both volumes if you want a whole bunch of great stories, my signature (!?) and story and Joya's video.

On October 30th, Dallas ("Jack Ketchum"), Doug Clegg, Mike Laimo and I made an appearance at a Mohegan Lake area Barnes & Noble. Linda and I had the honor of taking Dallas up—the ride reminded me of my college days, if you know what I mean. Anyway, a good time was had by all—Doug and Dallas have quite an act together. Mike was his usual handsome self, and I did my best to hold up my end as the "other bald horror writer" of the bunch. Oh yeah, books were sold.

Speaking of selling books, and keeping the holiday season in mind, don't forget a bunch of books available right now that would make great gifts, all available at Shocklines:

• Dead Cats Bouncing, featuring stories about ole Dead Cat by Tom Piccirilli, Jack Ketchum, Charlee Jacob, Ed Lee, Linda Addison, Mick Farren, Yvonne Navarro, Terry McGarry, Paul Di Filippo, Charlee Jacob, David Niall Wilson, Gene O'Neill, Brian Keene. All the stories are illustrated by GAK. (There are also a couple of Dead Cat prints by GAK)
• Bastards of Alchemy, a Necro chapbook featuring a story each from Tom Piccirilli and me
• Visions Through A Shattered Lens

Also available are a couple of albums from Unto Ashes, the band for which webmistress Natalia Lincoln writes music and performs. Samples, band information, photos and such are available at www.UntoAshes.com, give them a listen.

Finally, Space and Time has a great line-up of magazines and books: Jeffrey Ford's real first novel, Vanitas (his second, commercially published, was The Physiognomy, which won the World Fantasy Award for novel); Joe Lansdale's Dead in the West; Linda Addison's Stoker award-winning Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes; Going Postal, an anthology I edited a few years ago with stories from Bentley Little, Melanie Tem, Gordon Linzner, Don Webb, John Rosenman, Linda Addison, Tom Piccirilli, Eliot Fintushel and others; and more fine books, as well as the latest issue of Space and Time magazine, 96, featuring stories and poetry by Charlee Jacob, Kurt Newton, Trey Barker, Marge Simon, Brian Hopkins and Brett Savory, Christina Sng, Shikhar Dixit, Scott Green. Space and Time magazine subscriptions are cheap, but the magazine is high class.

Just a few ideas.....

October 2002

For those of you who haven't heard, Delirium suffered through a terrible flood which destroyed its publishing offices and a great deal of its stock. The publisher has vowed to continue, though has cut back on titles and production. Medium Rare Books has pitched in, and if you pre-order any of Delirium's Upcoming Releases, Medium Rare Books will give you one of their books for free as well. It's nice to see small press publishers sticking together.

Also, in order to help widen Delirium's fan base, Shocklines.com has put all of Delirium's in-stock titles up as Guaranteed Good Reads—you buy it, if you don't like it you return it for a full refund, no questions asked. What do you have to lose? If you haven't experienced Delirium titles yet, this is the perfect way to do it.

Of course, my latest collection is with them, but there are many other fine books available as well as upcoming, so even if you think I can't write my way out of an internet site, please take a moment to check out these offers and see if you can pick up some great reading and lend a hand to a great, hard-working small press.

Do yourselves another favor and visit James R. Barnhard's site—he's the cover artist for the upcoming Road to Hell, and he's done some wonderful work for Charlee Jacob and Ed Lee's books.

Incredibly, the bidding for a Dead Cat story illustrated by GAK with the winning bidder featured in the story topped out at $408 for the HWA/Literacy Volunteers auction. Needless to say, we're both stunned. But happy. Check back at the auction site for Linda Addison's upcoming feature, which will be a poem illustrated by GAK featuring the winning bidder.

The erotic horror anthology Decadence 2, edited by Monica O'Rourke, has just been released featuring an original tale, "The Love in Her Regard." You can order it through Shocklines.

Review season is in:

This very strange collection of stories, poems, and artwork is one of those books that defies categorization. The illustrations are without exception brilliantly twisted. (The stories)....tickled my, well whatever bone it is that is tickled by such demented writing.
     Dead Cats Bouncing, Don D'Ammassa, SF Chronicle

If you're up for something so off-the-wall as to be alien, this is the book for you.
     Dead Cats Bouncing, Thomas Deja, Fangoria

Deja had mixed reactions to the stories, liking some and not getting others, but overall seemed to have a positive view of the book which he summed up as: "I'll take that" (Fangoria 216, Sept. issue).

Bastards of Alchemy review by Brian Keene at Horrorfind giving us 4 out of 5 skulls.

September 2002

Shocklines.com is conducting the auction on behalf of the Horror Writers Association and ProLiteracy Worldwide (formerly "Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc.). All proceeds will be split evenly between HWA and ProLiteracy Worldwide after payment of eBay listing fees, Paypal fees, auction listing fees, and shipping fees. Bookmark this page -- from September 18th to October 2nd, we're going to have rare and amazing items by the likes of Peter Straub, Douglas Clegg, F. Paul Wilson, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Michael Slade, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tess Gerritsen, Jack Ketchum, and many, many more -- all starting with VERY LOW opening bids and no reserves. And it's all for a great cause -- what more could you ask for? Also, show your support for those who donated by checking out their websites, buying their books, and supporting their projects. You can see who has made donations to this auction at http://store.yahoo.com/shocklines/hwabenauc.html.

My contribution is a Dead Cat story illustrated by GAK to be written specifically about the winning bidder. Linda's contribution is a poem illustrated by GAK on a broadsheet about her winning bidder. So if you want a personal Dead Cat story or a personal Stoker-Winning Linda Addison poem, illustrated by GAK, check the Benefit Auction site and bid for one or the other, or both (go on, big spender), and put in a bid!

+

Linda and I attended Horrorfind in Baltimore and had a blast. We spent a good portion of time in the reading room, each giving a reading and supporting what friends we could. My Dead-Cat- through-the-lens-of-Damon-Runyon story entertained the troops, and Dave's allotment of the Dead Cat anthology sold out in the dealers' room. Always good when the publisher's happy. GAK, of course, basked in well-deserved glory and fame as the man who visualized Dead Cat in all its splendor. What? You don't know about Dead Cats Bouncing, an anthology (limited, signed by all contributors) featuring GAK's best art work ever and the likes of Jack Ketchum and Yvonne Navarro and Ed Lee and -- well, I could go on, couldn't I, but it's easier if you just scroll down a bit as I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before once or twice in earlier updates. Yes.

Two titles were launched at the convention: Bastards of Alchemy, a limited-edition signed chapbook featuring a story each by me and by Tom Piccirilli with wonderful art by Erik Wilson. It's the fourth in Necro's line of chapbooks, which are quite fun and beautiful. Dave Barnett certainly knows his stuff.

The other title is Visions Through A Shattered Lens, a signed and limited 140,000 word, 428-page collection from Delirium featuring twenty stories, ten new, including a story I wrote in the week following 9/11, and another written some time afterwards with the event and its consequences resonating strongly in my imagination. Like Picasso, the work is my diary. Cover art and foil-stamp design by IHG-nominated artist Colleen Crary. It isn't a ten dollar chapbook, but if you do pick it up and read it, please let me know your reaction.

All of the above books can be found at www.shocklines.com, where you can search by publisher to take a look at their other fine titles, or by author (I have my own page). Or you can go to the publisher sites at www.deliriumbooks.com and www.necropublications.com.

Doug Clegg has an interesting thread on his web site called The Dark Game where folks post morbid or benevolent games they played as a kid that helped them deal with life. There are some interesting postings......

The erotic anthology Eros Ex Machine, which includes my story "Ménage a Machine," is now available through the Venus Book Club under the new name Sex Machine: Eroticizing the Mechanical. I am perhaps the only one involved with this project who sees a James Brown reference in the title. Be that as it may, if you'd like to see the book or order it, drop by the Club's page for the book.

The latest Year's Best Fantasy and Horror has been published by St. Martin's Press, and the following batch of my stories earned Honorable Mentions:

• "Here Come the Whistle Men," Horror Garage 4
• "When Mom Changed," Scars
• "Smoking Mirror Reflection," Rogue Worlds
• "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," Bloodtype

Look for Linda and me at Horrorfind in Baltimore, August 23rd to 25th. We're both doing readings and panels, and I'll be launching my latest collection, Visions Through A Shattered Lens: 20 stories, half new, 140,000 words, cover by Colleen Crary. Oh yeah, and my blood and soul. Tom and I will also be launching our chapbook from Necro Publications, Bastards of Alchemy. This should be a lot of fun, and will be the last con I do this year, and for a long while.

Leisure sent the cover and proofs for Road to Hell - LOVE that cover! I actually had input, suggesting the icon of a scorpion (among a ton of other things as Don beat me over the head for ideas). It's very satisfying to see a cover as you imagined it would look.

Hope to see you guys at Horrorfind.

July 2002

In the big news of last month, of course, Linda Addison received the Bram Stoker award for her poetry collection, Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes. So now you have absolutely no excuse for not buying the book, right? Check it out at Space and Time, or Matt's all-encompassing horror bookstore, Shocklines.

While we're talking about Shocklines, Matt has put up a page full of books and magazines featuring my horror work, so for a pretty exhaustive catalog of available material, visit http://store.yahoo.com/shocklines/gerardhouarner.html. Don't be shy, buy something! And while you're there, browse the store -- the man is a selling machine. Every day features a new sale or promotion, with guaranteed Good Reads, discounts, giveaways.

"Memphis Blue Again," a Memphis story set in a cyberspace environment on an interstellar seed ship (nothing succeeds like conceptual excess) was published by Fantastic Stories of the Imagination #23, a member of the DNA publishing empire. The issue also includes a Spider Robinson interview by Tom Piccirilli, and stories by Nick Pollotta, O'Neil De Noux, James S. Dorr, Ed McFadden and Chris Bunch, and poetry by Claudia Carlson, Kendall Evans, and David Livingstone Clink. Look for it on the newstands (glossy all the way through).

Wrath's interview with me has been posted on Feoamante.com. Thanks for a great interview, Wrath. (He beat it out of me!) And thanks to the Great Bald One (that's Feo) for featuring it.

Last chance to read "The Fearnaut," up at Horrorfind. Also, I don't know how long this has been up, but I just found an interview Paula Guran did with me a couple of years ago.

In other news, I placed a story, "She'd Make A Dead Man Crawl," in the upcoming Warner anthology Mojo: Conjure Stories, edited by Nalo Hopkinson. This is, for me, rather Large, with a line-up that includes Neil Gaiman, Barbara Hambly, Steve Barnes, Tananarive Due, Andy Duncan, Sheree Thomas, Eliot Fintushel and lots more. The story went over well at a recent Dixon Place reading, as well as at WHC and ICON. I'm always happy to be playing the Big Folks when they let me into their backyard. More to come.....

Silverlake Publishing has apparently returned from the dead. Their website is back up, the company is under new ownership, which means Black Orchids from Aum is again available. Get it while you can!

June 2002

Here's the announcement (which I thought was kinda cute) for the reading in June, right after the HWA weekend:

Dear Friends and Patrons:

Join us for an evening that's 'rightly seasoned' on Monday, JUNE 10, at 7:30 pm, as the New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series at Dixon Place presents Guest Readers IBI AANU ZOBOI* and GERARD HOUARNER. Zoboi will read from a compelling new work that draws on Haitian and Afrikan cosmology, while Houarner, "the son of a French chef and writer lately of mostly urban horror," will try his hand at a fresh recipe of "...nouveau gothic mojo noir gumbo." Bon appétit!

WHERE: DIXON PLACE at the VINEYARD
309 E. 26th Street (just east of 2nd Avenue)
NY, NY 10010
There will be a door charge of $5.
DIRECTIONS: Take the N/R (Yellow) to 28th Street stop on Broadway (Green) to 28th stop on Park Avenue South (Closest subway stop) then walk east to Second Ave. and South to 26th Street
WHEN: Monday, June 10, 2002. Doors open at 7:00 pm, Program begins at 7:30 p.m. Please note, if you arrive late, the doors may be locked and the lobby lights will be out - however - don't panic! We're in there, just ring the bell and be patient and someone from the theater will quietly let you in....
PHONE FOR INFO: 212-532-1546
OR VISIT: http://www.nyrsf.com/
http://www.dixonplace.org/
http://www.hourwolf.com/nyrsf/index.htm

ABOUT IBI AANU ZOBOI: Ibi Aanu Zoboi (pronounced, ee - be / anew / zo-boy ) is a part-time teacher in Harlem and a full time writer and researcher of the science, myth and oral tradition of the Diaspora. She draws from the revolutionary history of her native Haiti and Afrikan cosmology to create inspirational tales of triumph and resurrection. Ibi is a graduate of the 2001 Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop and a winner of the Women Writers of Haitian Descent (WWOHD) Emerging Writers Award for her short story, "At the Shores of Dawn," published in One Respe! literary journal and the Boston Haitian Reporter. Her original work is forthcoming in Dark Matter 2 edited by Sheree R. Thomas.

ABOUT GERARD HOUARNER: Gerard Houarner is a work in progress who fell to Earth in the mid-50's and assumed the identity of a New Yorker. A product of the NYC school system, he graduated from Stuyvesant HS, and studied writing under Joseph Heller, Joel Oppenheimer and others at CCNY in the early 70's. While continuing to write, he earned a couple of Masters Degrees at Teachers College, Columbia University and went on to make a living as a rehabilitation counselor, working in places like Hells Kitchen, on the lower east side at the birth of the AIDS epidemic, and in the Bronx as crack was becoming an epidemic. His writing, never filled with sunshine, turned darker, moving from science fiction and fantasy, like his first novel published by Del Rey Books, to outright horror. He studied with Nancy Kress and Terry Bisson, became one of the co-founders of the writing group CITH, and had a few novels published, as well as over two-hundred short stories, some of which have been gathered in four collections. The percentage of Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Honorable Mentions to be found in his published stories is better than predicted by Sturgeon's Law. He lives in the Bronx with poet and writer Linda Addison, and must occasionally remind people he only works for, and does not actually reside in, a psychiatric center. (Don't let them tell you otherwise.) For the record, he would like his funeral urn to be inscribed with the epitaph: He was the kind of person who wandered away from the village when he was too young, spent too much time in the wilderness, and returned only on ceremonial occasions, or to scare the little children. He assumes his ashes will be consumed by sacred rituals invoking gods and spirits.

Also, join us on Monday...

JULY 15: Richard Bowes and Jim Grimsley
(admission $6 - in support of Dixon Place's summer HOT Festival)
AUGUST 12:
Jack Ketchum
SEPTEMBER 9:
Barbara Krasnoff and Jeffrey Ford, introduced by Gavin J. Grant (*Note: Shelley Jackson, author of Anatomy of Melancholy, who has been on the road with Kelly Link will be teaching in Switzerland this June. Her NYRSF reading, originally scheduled for this June 10, will be rescheduled.)

*The New York Review of Science Fiction is celebrating its 14th Year* Subscribe or submit articles to the magazine! Check the website!
New York Review of Science Fiction
PO. Box 78, Pleasantville, NY, 10570
NYRSF Magazine
Sheree R. Thomas, curator
NYRSF reading series at Dixon Place, 2002
Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora
Winner of the 2001 World Fantasy Award and the Gold Pen Award

*****

In regular news, the Visions Through a Shattered Lens collection page is up for your perusal (and pre-ordering).

Mick Farren, sfnal wild man from Dead Cats Bouncing, was nice enough to have a Dead Cat page put up on his site.

And finally, I placed "The Love in Her Regard" in the anthology Decadence 2, which should be out in August of this year.

As for the thief, he was never caught, but I have a new computer, a new steel door, a security system, and more bills. Thank you. Thank you very much.

May 2002

A new horror story, "The Fearnaut," with a Mature Reader advistory, has been posted at Horrorfind, so check it out.

Dead Cats Bouncing was released at WHC! We had a great signing, and Dave sold some books. Thanks to all the authors for their support, and of course, to Dave and GAK for making it all happen. Some reviews are already in. Garrett Peck at Hellnotes reports:

"Dead Cat Bounce. Chapbook from Space and Time. Gerard Houarner write. GAK draw pictures. Big success. Get Stoker nomination. Win friends and admirers. Star, they say. Famous, they insist. Other writers want tell Dead Cat stories. Whatever, Gerard and GAK say. Edit new anthology for Bedlam Press. Debut at World Horror Convention. Fun!

"You. Buy book. Read stories. Study pictures. Laugh. Gasp. Snarl. Whatever. No eat sand. Purr. But take mouse. Please."

Oh, that sweet talking man.

And Wrath has written a review for Feo's site:

"It's one of the most bizarre premises for an anthology I've ever heard of. "Weird stories these. I confess I scratched my head more than once while reading this book. Why the hell were all these authors writing stories about an undead cat? What tha F%ck? But once you stop trying to get it and just read the damned thing it's a pretty enjoyable little ride this uncanny collection takes you on. Some of these stories are indeed great parables. You can definitely pick up one or two things bouncing through hell with a dead cat. But I would not read these fables to children. A mature audience is suggested.

"I mean this cat dragged himself out of hell where he had every excuse to give up but he didn't. He bounced. Don't you just wish you could fall so far and still land on your feet? Don't you just wish you could bounce too?"

Wrath has some interesting thoughts about the meaning of Dead Cat. Check out FeoAmante.com and see what else is up.

In other publishing news, Asylum 2: The Violent Ward came out at WHC, with my story, "The Keeper," as well as an all-star line-up. You can check the line-up and ordering information at www.darktales.com.

Other work released included Extremes 4: Africa and Stones.

WHC is a bit of a blur by now. I had written a nice little con report, but that was on my old laptop, which was stolen during a break in at our house. Linda's is gone, too. Not much else, though. Except our front door.

Hi to all the nice folks I met at the WHC, however. You made this con a treat!

Also attended ICON, and did a few panels, including one with old pro Ron Goulart, which was a lot of fun, and did a reading.

There's probably other news, but I can't remember it. It's a terrible thing to download your brain, and then lose it.

April 2002

Linda and I will be at World Horror Convention April 11-14th in Chicago. Linda will be promoting her Stoker-nominated poetry collection, Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes, and I'll be launching the anthology Dead Cats Bouncing, illustrated and co-edited by GAK, featuring stories based on the Stoker nominated Dead Cat Bounce short story. Contributors include: Charlee Jacob, Gene O'Neill, Paul Di Filippo, David Niall Wilson, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, John Skipp, Yvonne Navarro, Ed Lee, Mick Farren, Terry McGarry, Tom Piccirilli, Linda Addison. How did we get such a line-up? Hell if I know.... But if you're curious, check out the site. The hard cover is sold out!

Later that week, we'll be at ICON on April 20th. We both have lots of panels and Linda has a reading, so if you're in the neighborhood drop by. F. Paul Wilson will be the Author Guest of Honor. Further information at: http://www.iconsf.org/.

In further appearance news, I'll be participating in the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series at Dixon Place on June 10th, right after the Stoker weekend in NYC, along with Shelley Jackson, who'll be reading from her new collection, The Anatomy of Melancholy. I'll be trying my hand at pseudo nouveau gothic mojo noir gumbo. Yeee-hah. So if you'll be in the city following the HWA's NYC meeting and Stoker Banquet, come by for some further entertainment. Dixon Place @ Vineyard 26, 309 E 26th Street at 2nd Avenue; call 212 532 1546 for more information.

Speaking of the Stoker Weekend, Linda and I have been drafted to be the Masters of Ceremony for the banquet, which means we get to introduce everyone and give out the Stoker Awards. This will be interesting.....

Because one Message Board is Not Enough; because Shane Raley, my Delirium publisher, demands it (and spent lots of money on the technology); because you have too much time to waste on the internet and subliminally begged for yet another place to visit: I HAVE A NEW MESSAGE BOARD! Check it out at the Delirium site.

Don't forget, the anthologies Extremes 4 and Dark Testament are out there, so check 'em out!

March 2002

In very nice news, The Beast That Was Max from Leisure made the Preliminary Stoker award ballot for novel, and "How Do We Say Goodbye," published by Gothic.net, made the Preliminary ballot for short story.

Necro Publications has accepted a story of mine called "The Bastard," and one from Tom Piccirilli called "Alchemy," and is planning to publish them together this year, hopefully in time for the Horrorfind convention, which Tom and I will be attending (along with Linda and Michele, of course). Tom, in his poetic way, has entitled the chapbook The Alchemy of Bastards.

Delirium will be re-printing my collection, I Love You And There Is Nothing You Can Do About It, in trade paperback format early in 2003. Nice to see that one has legs....

Speaking of Delirium collections, a 14,000 word novelette has been added, Visions Through A Shattered Lens, bringing the total word count, including story introductions, over 140,000 words, half original. Nothing like cutting my veins and letting it flow.....
Pre-order at the Delirium site: http://www.deliriumbooks.com/upcoming.htm.

Dead Cats Bouncing has its own page! Check it out:
http://www.necropublications.com/titles/deadcat.htm

Alas, the hardcover is sold out on pre-orders, but the trade is still available.
Trade Paperback
400 Signed and Numbered
$13.95
ISBN: 1-889186-25-2

An all new anthology based on the 2000 Stoker Finalist chapbook written by Gerard Houarner and illustrated by GAK. All original fiction based on the adventures of Dead Cat. Each story is fully illustrated.

STORIES BY:

Jack Ketchum
Edward Lee
Gerard Houarner
Tom Piccirilli
Linda Addison
John Skipp
Yvonne Navarro
Terry McGarry
Paul Di Filippo
Charlee Jacob
David Niall Wilson
Gene O'Neill
Brian Keene
Mick Farren
&
Illustrated By
GAK

Normally I just ask Natalia to add interesting sites to the links page, and if people check it out, fine. But I have to bring this one to anyone stopping by: www.luckymojo.com. You have check this thing out. Put up by Cat Yronwode, a writer I remember from her work in the comics field, it's actually a book in progress and a catalog about hoodoo, African-American folk magic, where the term mojo originated. To receive a thorough schooling in this subject, as well as learning what mojo really means, do yourself a favor and visit this site!

February 2002

A couple of fiction releases this month, which are long-anticipated for me since I really love the stories, and a multi-media collaboration lead the news:

I have a photo gallery in Lone Wolf's STONES CD anthology, accompanied by an ORIGINAL composition by Natalia Lincoln, who belongs to the band Unto Ashes, featured on MTV's Real World and throughout the East Coast. The piece is entitled "Intacta sum" and if you'd like a sample, try her at http://www.cith.org/natalia/intacta_sum.mp3.

But to experience the entire collaboration, as well as fiction and photos by a great line-up (original fiction from Joel Arnold, Steve Eller, J. F. Gonzalez, Ed Gorman, Nicholas Kaufmann, Jarret Keene, Timothy Keltner, Louis Maistros, James A. Moore, Robert Morrish, Monica J. O'Rourke, Weston Ochse, Garrett Peck, Mary Sangiovanni, and David Whitman, and the backdrop for the inspirational photo galleries of M. W. Anderson, Barrie Bryant, Charles L. Grant, Gerard Houarner, Karen Lansdale, Kristin O'Gorman, Loren Rhoads, Judi Rohrig, Chris Schnapp, and Kim Taylor; another musical piece is included by Mason Jones), visit the publisher at: http://lonewolfpubs.com/.

While you're there, check out Extremes 4: Africa. I have a story in that one, "Children in the Moonless Night," which happens to be one of my favorites. And for that piece, Joey "Bones" (last name withheld because, well, it's safer for you that way), NYC video artist, did a mind-blowing video clip. It's a story video. So cool. I'm in there with: M. W. Anderson, Jennifer Rachel Baumer, Janet Berliner, Dicksie Dudeney, William D. Gagliani, Jon Hodges, Charlee Jacob, Dan Keohane, Michael Laimo, Steven Mohan, Jr., Simon Morden, Michael Oliveri, Ear. W. Parrish, Christopher Paul, Diana Price, John B. Rosenman, John F. Saunders, Justin Stanchfield, and James Van Pelt. Interior illustrations by M. W. Anderson. Cover by GAK.

And don't forget Mike Laimo's anthology, Bloodtype, in which I also appear with a nasty piece of work.

Remember, all these CD anthologies are limited, signed editions, and beautifully produced by publisher Brian Hopkins. All available at the above site.

Finally, Shane Raley has released Dark Testament, an anthology which includes another "favored child" of mine, "The Wound of Her Making." This is quite an extravaganza, available in trade and limited editions. Check out the line-up (21 stories!) and GAK cover at http://www.deliriumbooks.com. Let me know what you think of the piece if you get a chance.

Shane will be leading a Release Party chat featuring the contributors on Feb. 24th, 10-12 EST, at the Delirium room at the above site. Come by and visit!

On the review front, Don D'Ammassa put The Beast That Was Max on his "Best Of" list for 2001 in SF Chronicle, saying it "...features one of the most distinctly unusual protagonists ever, and blurs the distinction between good and bad." What's amazing to me is that he's not a fan of hardcore stuff. Managing to appeal to someone like Don with something like Beast is, to me, a hell of an accomplishment.

The big sale news for, well, the year, probably, is "The Shape of the Empty Heart" being accepted for Dark Acts, the HWA anthology. Dancing with the Big Boys and Girls!

"Eight Dead Shrimp," a fractured and horrific fairy tale inspired by the same phrase spoken into a moment's dead silence at an otherwise raucous table as a diner received his shrimp scampi, has finally stopped wandering the earth in failed magazines and anthologies and found a home in Tales of the Unanticipated. It should be published in the Spring issue of this year, or next.

Two more stories added to the upcoming collection Visions Through A Shattered Lens: "Mutilation Missionary," and "Like Tears, Cast In The Footsteps of Her Mother." That makes a total of twenty stories, about 130,000 words, about half of which will be original to the collection, with shared publication dates for a couple of others. Check out the site for ordering information, as pre-orders are indeed being taken. Publication is scheduled for August. PRE-ORDERS ARE BEING TAKEN AT www.deliriumbooks.com. There are three editions, and the limited is apparently selling very well. So if that's the one you want, hurry. I've seen the cover "sketch" (like, a piece to die for) and the art will be stunning.

January 2002

Welcome to 2002, and the slightly revamped site.

UPDATES to SITE

Site changes: The CITH gallery has some additions, and a new Gallery started called Friends. The beginning of the bio was touched up (to make me seem younger, I now claim my hairline began receding at age 3); the bibliography was updated to about last November; New and Current pages were combined and streamlined so you have a better idea of what's going on; and a few covers added to the Cover Gallery. Old news from 2001 was archived.

In publishing news, I had a short short published in Hardboiled 27/28 ("the hardest-hitting little magazine in the world!"). Though the piece is tiny, I'm very proud to be a part of this long-running "noir" magazine. This issue is a two-hundred page double issue featuring dark crime stories, including pieces by Andrew Vachss and Ardath Mayhar. If you like this sort of thing, this is the place to go to. Check out www.gryphonbooks.com for ordering information.

Another story accepted many years ago, "CourtShip," has been published in CyberPsychos AOD, which is apparently out on the newsstands though I haven't received a copy, yet. So look for it if you're interested in a raunchy story (in a science fiction way) about alien desire and sex.

A great review of The Beast That Was Max is up at www.FeoAmante.com, written by Wrath. Wander around the site, as well, since it's quite comprehensive in dealing with the horror genre. If you get lost, the specific address for the review is: http://www.feoamante.com/Stories/Reviews/ABC/beastwas_max.html. Speaking of reviews, I finally saw the Bizarre review of "Dead Cat Bounce." It's brief (but then, so's DCB), and the phrase going on my quote sheet from them is, "Nice nasty." Awwww. Those English fellas sure do know how to turn a writer's head.

And before we leave dead cats behind, check out the following link for a sneak peek at what's coming: http://www.necropublications.com/new.htm.

"The Fearnaut," few year's back, has been sold to Horrorfind.com and should be posted sometime this month or next.

The Garden State Horror Writers proudly presents In a Fearful State, edited by Shikhar Dixit and Drew Beebe. This CD-ROM anthology features the fiction, poetry, art, and non-fiction of the members of the GSHW. For more info, go to: http://gshwgravesite.tripod.com/inafearfulstate.html. Anthology available January 15, 2002; pre-orders are being taken. (They're reprinting a short story of mine, "Molech," originally published in Deathrealm many years ago.)

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