This morning I saw that Boing Boing posted news about the Alpha SF Workshop for Teens — and it occurred to me that I’ve been remiss about announcing that I’ll be teaching at this writer’s workshop for young genre fans this year, alongside Tamora Pierce, Timothy Zahn, and the very cool Chris McKitterick. Application deadline is March 1st.

I will also be leading a Flash Fiction writing workshop at Context SF Convention in September. It was exceptionally cool to be the Horror Guest of Honor at Context last year; this year’s guest horror writer is Brian Keene, and other horror luminaries in attendance will include Tim Waggonner, Gary Braunbeck, and critic Paula Guran. Should be fun!

On a semi-related note: keep your eyes on the Odyssey SF/F Workshop and their podcast page…they will be podcasting an excerpt from my guest lecture in 2007 on Humor in Genre Writing. I highly recommend Odyssey for science fiction, fantasy or horror writers who want to take their work up a professional notch.

I’m also presently teaching a Horror Writing course as part of my undergraduate load at Seton Hill University and it’s going to be a lot of fun. The books I’m using, for those who want to give themselves a crash course in this stuff, include On Writing Horror, The Dark Descent, Night Shift, and Imaginative Writing. I’m sure I’ll post about it from time to time on my apologetically dry and academic weblog for teachers, Pedablogue.

By the way, if you already have a college degree and want to learn how to write a horror novel, be sure to consider Seton Hill University’s Master of the Arts program in Writing Popular Fiction. I’m on the faculty.

Whew, that’s a lot of horror learnin’! I love it, though. In fact, I’ll even be presenting a paper about the importance of teaching horror at the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts held in Orlando this coming March. Hope to see some of you there.

The Preliminary Ballot for the 2007 Bram Stoker Award is now public. My latest book, Proverbs for Monsters, is a contender in the “fiction collection” category, and I’m very pleased. There are a LOT of great books up for the award this year, and the ballot reads like a good “recommended reading” list for 2007, so check it out.

The Stoker is the top accolade for writers of horror fiction, chosen by peer professional authors in the Horror Writers Association, and the competition is always stiff. It really is an honor to be nominated (which technically means making the final ballot, not this early one…but I’m still honored anyway!)

To learn more about the Stokers, visit the HWA home page. A final ballot will be announced this Spring; after pro writers vote on that, the winners will be announced at the end of March, in a banquet at World Horror Convention 2008. Although I haven’t registered yet, I am likely to attend that convention…it’s always fun.

“If death had only negative aspects, dying would be an unmanageable action.”
–Emile M. Cioran (died 1995)

The Horror Mall (the “Dark Oddities Emporium”) is a fantastic new online store for lovers of all things horror and bizarror. Check out my author page there for some good deals on my books, especially hard-to-find editions:

Update: Horror Mall now features Audiovile as a downloadable audiobook. Drop by!

Bad Moon Books is now taking pre-orders for the my novelette, The Bitchfight.

THE FIGHT IS ON! Here’s the twisted story description from the back cover:

Somewhere deep in the Black Mountains outside of Vegas, men of all kinds secretly gather to wager on a very special sport. A crowd of them surrounds a pit in the ground, cheering as money changes hands and spotlights beam down from the tops of tractor trailers, illuminating the dusty arena in a sickening glow. Cages are carried to opposite sides of the ring, like Egyptian queens. The crowd goes nuts. Somewhere in the din, a dog howls…and a child mewls.The Bitchfight — the mob’s most bizarre underground dogfighting operation — is about to begin.And as the mob’s newly acquired “ringside doctor” is about to find out, it will take much more than a degree in veterinary medicine to help save these animals — and himself — from their terrible fate. A horn blares. The cages open. The animals charge in a flurry of leather and spikes and sharpened teeth. Welcome to the ring.

ACCLAIM…
“Savage and grotesque — and oh so well done.” – Simon Wood, author of Paying the Piper

“The Bitchfight is like a nesting doll of depravity–every time you think Arnzen has maxed-out the possible weirdness level, he pops open another doll and there’s something even more messed up inside. But, hey, it’s a Mike Arnzen story, which by definition means that it is a) utterly demented, and b) utterly brilliant. Another twisted classic from one of my all-time favorite authors.” –Jeff Strand, author of Pressure

Introduction by Brian Hodge. Art by Caroline O’Neal. 75 pages. $15 limited trade edition. Preorder it before the bell rings.

I’ve been busy over the holidays, catching up with promises and deadlines… Lots of new things are in the works for the year ahead, but some I can’t really announce until their time is at hand.

My book, Proverbs for Monsters (released from Dark Regions Press in November) has gotten some awesome reviews. Head over to Dread Central, for example, to see what author Scott Johnson had to say about this “guided tour of insanity and the macabre, with a few moments of touching grace combined with repulsive terror.” Full coverage of the book, including a TOC and sample illos, is available on the creations page on my website, gorelets.com

One of the projects I’ve been working hard on over the break is a rather discomforting novelette called The Bitchfight — which author Jeff Strand, in an advanced review, has rightly called “A nesting doll of depravity.” I like the ring of that. This seventy-five page book will feature an introduction by the great writer, Brian Hodge. Be sure to visit specialty publisher Bad Moon Books, who will soon be announcing full details.

Last week I received my contributors copies for a book called You Have Time For This (a collection of great flash fiction, including stories by Bruce Holland Rogers, Marge Simon, Aimee Bender, Bruce Boston and more…). Check it out — you DO have time for it, with each story no longer than a page long!

I also just received copies of the special holiday issue of Doorways magazine, which horror fans should consider subscribing to. My weird poem, “The Truth About Mistletoe,” appears therein. (And you can’t handle the truth.)

Lots more news to come in the year ahead…I’m very excited! Keep reading. I invite readers of this blog — whether regular RSS subscribers or passers-by in the dark of night — to subscribe to the e-mail edition, which features extras and surprises and rewards you won’t get here. It is a very low traffic list, delivered roughly every three months. The next issue is currently in progress for release in the weeks ahead.

Belated HAPPY NEW YEAR! — Michael Arnzen

p.s. Mac users: visit Mac Heist II for an awesome bundle of software, cheap…with proceeds going to great charities…this cool offer expires on Jan 23rd!