Fear the Abyss…and the Scary Tiny Citybots!
Just posted the above video review of a few funky science fictional things I’ve been up to lately: including a teeny tiny ebook device for microfiction, a new experimental (and free!) short-short anthology (#Citybots) and the awesome Fear the Abyss anthology from Post Mortem Press.
FEAR THE ABYSS — a hot new science-fiction/horror anthology from Post-Mortem Press
Science-Fiction Stories by Horror Authors
I’ve been pretty impressed with what Post-Mortem Press has been publishing this year, from Adam Nienaber’s Dexteresque novel, Truly Deeply Disturbed, to Jessica McHugh’s subversively funny bowling stripper story, Pins to Paul Anderson’s anthology, Uncanny Allegories. These are no-nonsense, entertaining books, edited with a gleeful love of the horror genre. So when I heard they were putting together a collection of science-fiction stories by writers primarily known for their horror fiction, I was very happy to join the party.
And what a grand party it is! Here’s the full Table of Contents. It’s a pretty impressive roster, and I trust you’ll recognize many of these writers — along with a cadre of relatively new authors making long strides in the genre…folks you’ll want to keep an eye on. Click on their names to learn more about their work:
• “Cutting the Cord” – Joseph Williams
• “Extraction” – Jessica McHugh
• “Amid the Walking Wounded” – Jack Ketchum
• “A Box of Candy” – Nelson W. Pyles
• “That Which Does Not Kill You” – Matt Moore
• “Human Caverns” – Lawrence C. Connolly
• “The American” – S.C. Hayden
• “What’s Left Behind” – C. Bryan Brown
• “Always Something There To Remind Me” – Gary Braunbeck
• “Neptune Dreams” – Rose Blackthorn
• “Broken Promises” – Jamie Lackey
• “The Great Ocean of Truth” – Tim Waggoner
• “Graphic Violence Equalizer” – Michael Arnzen
• “Parasite” – Kenneth W. Cain
• “If Thine Eye Offend Thee” – Thomas Malafarina
• “Seeing” – Harlan Ellison®
• “A Nice Town With Very Clean Streets” – Paul Anderson
• “The Nostalgiac” – Robert Essig
• “Life After Dead” – Jeyn Roberts
• “Andrew and the Better Mouse Trap” – KT Jayne
• “They Still Sing Beautifully” – Brad Carter
• “What We Found” – Andrew Nienaber
My story, “Graphic Violence Equalizer,” is a brand new story about a new “parental control” device for cable television, that pulls images off “the cloud” in order to creatively censor TV shows and “tame” them for family viewing. It allows parents to adjust various levels of sexual and violent content in their TV shows (sort of like how you can change the frequency levels using an audio EQ)…until things, as you might expect, go horribly wrong.
Where can you get a copy? On Tuesday 11/20, Post-Mortem Press will open up for pre-orders, with a targeted wide release date of November 27th, in ebook and paperback format.
Fear the Abyss — sounds like what I’ll be doing for Thanksgiving as I look deep into the emptied carcass on the dining room table.
Hazard Yet Forward — New Genre Fiction Charity Anthology
I’m proud of the alumni, students, and faculty in Seton Hill U’s Writing Popular Fiction graduate program for putting this new book together, with profits going to assist Donna Munro, a great writer and fellow member of our community who shocked us all by being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.
The kindle edition of the book was just released today on amazon for just $9.99. Totally worth it, given that it’s got over 700 pages of genre stories in it. I wrote one them (first appearance of my story “The Scraper”) as well as the introduction. There are a lot of folks you’ll recognize in the table of contents… in fact, a large number of them appeared in the textbook I co-edited last year, Many Genres, One Craft.
Please help us help Donna by picking up a copy for your Kindle reader. Here’s the official press release…
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Giant multi-author anthology on sale Tuesday, August 7 to benefit cancer fighter.
Date August 2, 2012 Contact: Natalie Duvall hazardyetforwardanthology@gmail.com
Seventy-six writers connected to the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction program have created a multi-genre charity anthology entitled Hazard Yet Forward. All proceeds from this project will benefit Donna Munro, a 2004 graduate of the program. Munro, a teacher living in St. Louis, Missouri, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. An active member of the SHU WPF alumni committee, Munro helps organize the school’s annual writing conference, the In Your Write Mind Workshop.
To aid Munro and her family, faculty members, alumni, students and friends of the Writing Popular Fiction program quickly responded to compile this massive anthology. The book features flash fiction, short stories and even a full-length novella. In total, there are 75 works from various genres, which makes this anthology one that features something for everyone.
Genres represented in the book range from horror to romance to mystery – and everything in between. Some of the notable writers in the anthology are World Fantasy Award winner Nalo Hopkinson, Bram Stoker winners Michael A. Arnzen and Michael Knost, Bram Stoker nominee Lawrence C. Connolly, ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults winner Jessica Warman, Rita finalist Dana Marton, Spur winner Meg Mims, Asimov’s Readers’ Award winner Timons Esaias and WV Arts and Humanities literary fellowships winner Geoffrey Cameron Fuller.
About Hazard Yet Forward, co-compiler Matt Duvall says, “It’s an unprecedented collection of stories from every genre imaginable.” This large volume is an electronic book for the popular Kindle platform and is available for purchase through Amazon starting August 7. It’s also reasonably priced. The book will be on sale for $9.99.
More information about the anthology can be found at http://hazardyetforward.wordpress.com. To learn about the unique and exciting Writing Popular Fiction program, please visit http://www.setonhill.edu/academics/fiction/.
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If you want to contribute more than just the $9.99, then visit this page from Michael Knost.
See the related post on our Many Genres, One Craft weblog.
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Postscript… The book is doing well. Right now, it’s #3 in the amazon bestseller list for short story anthos, right under the works of Poe and the Norton Anthology!
Impressive sales on launch day!
Many Genres Book Signing Friday 6/23 7-9pm at Seton Hill U.
Order at Amazon.com!
The new instructional guide for writers that I co-edited, Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction will have a massive book signing at Seton Hill University — a great opportunity for people in the area to not only buy the book, but get it signed by the many contributors in attendance. The launch will be part of a wine reception and book signing by Writing Popular Fiction alumni at the college. The event runs this Friday (6/23) from 7-9pm in the McKenna Center (look for the gymnasium) on the Seton Hill University campus on the hilltop in Greensburg, PA. Below you’ll find the official press release from Seton Hill University for more details.
This week I’ve been teaching heavily in our MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction, and tweeting lots of photos on my new “social networking” page. Drop by http://michaelarnzen.com to see some neat photos.
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June 20, 2011
News Release
Media contact:
Kary Coleman Hazen, Director of Media Relations 724-830-1069 (work) 724-825-8505 (cell) / coleman@setonhill.edu
Seton Hill U. Fiction Authors Sign Books at Wine Reception 6/24
Celebration Launch of WPF Alumni “Many Genres, One Craft”
GREENSBURG, Pa. –More than 50 authors associated with the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University will participate in a joint book signing and wine reception on Friday, June 24, from 7-9 p.m. in Seton Hill University’s Katherine Mabis McKenna Center lounge located on the University’s hilltop campus in Greensburg, Pa. The event will launch “Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction,” a writing guide featuring contributions from Seton Hill University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction Program faculty and alumni. This book signing event is sponsored by the Writing Popular Fiction Alumni Group. Both the book signing and wine reception are open to the public; the cost of the wine reception is $10 per person. For more information, contact Emily Heinicka at 724-830-1005.
“Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction” is an anthology of more than 60 instructional articles for fiction writers seeking advice on how to improve their writing and navigate the mass market for genre novels. The collection of articles is divided into three parts, craft, genre and the writer’s life. Each of the 60 contributors of “Many Genres, One Craft” is a faculty member, visiting author or published graduate from the Seton Hill University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction Program.
Contributors to “Many Genres, One Craft” include Michael Arnzen, Rebecca Baker, Shelley Bates, Michael Bracken, Gary A. Braunbeck, Jennifer Brisendine, Crystal B. Bright, Sally Bosco, Christopher Paul Carey, Ginger Clark, Lawrence C. Connolly, David J. Corwell, Susan Crandall, Kaye Dacus, Penny Dawn, John DeChancie, C. Coco DeYoung, Matt Duvall, Natalie Duvall, Ron Edison, Elaine Ervin, Timons Esaias, Tess Gerritsen, Venessa Giunta, Leslie Davis Guccione, Anne Harris, W.H. Horner, Lee Allen Howard, KJ Howe, Russ Howe, Scott A. Johnson, Nancy Kress, Chun Lee, Patrice Lyle, Susan Mallery, Dana Marton, Lee McClain, Mike Mehalek, Sharon Mignerey, Barbara J. Miller, Heidi Ruby Miller, Jason Jack Miller, M.A. Mogus, Thomas F. Monteleone, David Morrell, Catherine Mulvany, Nicole Peeler, Adrea L. Peters, Patrick Picciarelli, Steven Piziks, Rachael Pruitt, Lynn Salsi, Mary SanGiovanni, David Shifren, Randall Silvis, Lucy A. Snyder, Maria V. Snyder, Victoria Thompson, Diane Turnshek, Tim Waggoner, Albert Wendland, Teffanie Thompson White, Karen Lynn Williams, Ryan M. Williams and K. Ceres Wright.
Additional authors featuring their work at the book signing include Diana Botsford, Marge Burke, Judi Fleming, Alexis Graves, Meg Mims and Linda Rodkey Ciletti.
Seton Hill’s unique Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Students attend two weeklong, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Readings, classes and online discussion about the history, trends and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student’s experience. For more information about the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill, visit http://fiction.setonhill.edu or contact Seton Hill’s Office of Graduate and Adult Studies at 724-838-4209.
Seton Hill University, founded in 1885 by the Sisters of Charity, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Greensburg, Pa. Seton Hill offers more than 30 undergraduate programs, eight graduate programs, and four graduate certificate programs. For more information on Seton Hill please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.
Preorder: MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT
Many Genres...coming in May!
Readers of this blog who have the writing bug might want to hop on over to Amazon.com and put in an order for my latest book (co-edited with Heidi Ruby Miller), called Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction.
Modeled after the graduate program where I teach — the MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University — Many Genres is a thick hardcover collection of over sixty essays by prominent writers who look under the hood of both the craft of writing for a genre audience and the business of penning novels in today’s publishing world. There are several essays focused on horror and suspense fiction, including chapters by Gary Braunbeck, David Morrell, Lawrence C. Connolly, Mary SanGiovanni, Tom Monteleone, Tim Waggoner, Tess Gerritsen, and, so many more. I contributed six pieces, covering everything from “the art of surprise” in horror to how to make writing workshops work best. I think this book is really something unique.
Many Genres will be in print in May! You might as well preorder it today if you want to get yours hot off the press, and get started on a book this summer. Here’s the introduction and complete table of contents for your previewing pleasure (visit scribd.com, if for some reason you can’t read the window below):
MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: Introduction by Arnzen
We are keeping an active weblog about the book, featuring contributor profiles, bonus articles, and book news. I also hope to have guests appear on the “Instigation” department of The Goreletter as part of the title’s Virtual Book Tour soon.
Currently orders can be placed at amazon.com and barnes and noble online with many more locations to come…
Better yet, please ask your bookseller to stock it! Here are the key specs:
Title: Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction
Author: Edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller
Publisher: Headline Books Date: May 2011
Hardcover. 384 pages. List Price: $29.99 (US)
ISBN-13: 9780938467083
ISBN-10: 0938467085
New Website Launched for MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT
One of my big nonfiction projects this past year was co-editing a huge, 130,000 word collection of instructional articles for writers, called MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, with writer Heidi Ruby Miller. It’s early, but the website for the book has launched, and many insightful features are planned for it in the months leading up to the book’s release this coming Spring:
http://manygenres.blogspot.com
If you write or teach writing, no matter what genre, this book is for you. Horror readers will likely be familiar with some of the names in the book. Gary Braunbeck launches the book with an article on first lines; Mary SanGiovanni appears in the book with an essay on “Mood and Atmosphere in Horror”; David Morrell contributes an insightful gathering of “Five Pieces of Advice for Potential Thriller Writers”; Thomas Montelelone shares the lessons learned from editing his classic Borderlands anthology in an article called “No Such Thing as Original Sin”; Steven Piziks discusses how he got media novelizations for titles like Exorcist IV; Lucy Snyder talks about how to network at genre conventions; Michael Bracken discusses the art of the short story… for my part, I also contributed four articles, including an essay on “The Element of Surprise: Psyching-Out Readers of Horror, Mystery and Suspense.” And that’s just a small sampling of this very large book (60 contributors!).
If you like the “Instigation” prompts on The Goreletter, then this will likely appeal to you. But even if you don’t write, you might find the insights of your favorite writers, talking “behind the scenes” about their genre work, of high interest. As editor, I can tell you that the quality of the advice in this book is really quite impressive. You can review the full contents list via the MANY GENRES weblog.
Legends of the Mountain State
Cover for Legends of the Mountain State 4
Woodland Press is NOW SHIPPING the latest volume (#4) in the LEGENDS OF THE MOUNTAIN STATE ghost tale series. Featuring transformations of “Appalachian myths, ghost tales and folklore” derived from West Virginian lore, this book is sure to be a gem, with stories by Gary Braunbeck, Brian Hatcher, Steve Rasnic Tem, Elizabeth Massie, Lisa Morton, and a raft of other horror greats. My story involves a ghost child at the end of Childer’s Road… I’ll say no more than that.
Order the book directly from the publisher for $18.95 to get it as soon as it’s release in mid October, or visit Woodland Press at the 2010 West Virginia Book Festival to procure a copy.
2009 Stoker Award Winning Books
The 2009 Bram Stoker Award winners were announced by the Horror Writer’s Association at World Horror Convention in Brighton, England, last weekend. I read almost all of these titles and I can vouch that they are superlative reads. (In fact, I lauded Lucy Snyder’s poetry-winning book here in The Goreletter). See the HWA’s announcement for a complete list…congratulations to all the winners!
I contributed work to two of the books (though the editors, not me, rightfully get the awards!). These are pretty amazing books to be a part of, so I want to celebrate them here (and share some breaking news along the way as well):
Tribute to Richard Matheson
The winner in this year’s “Fiction Anthology” category was He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson. It includes stories by myself, Gary Braunbeck, Nancy A. Collins, William F. Nolan (who also received a Lifetime Acheivement Award at this year’s Stokers), Joe R. Lansdale, and, okay, too many great writers to list. This hardcover book is notable among horror collectors because it features the first published collaboration between Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, who have since released it as a part of an audiobook package of novellas with Matheson called ‘Road Rage’. He Is Legend is a great anthology, and — here’s the news I promised: I’m pleased to share that the book has recently been picked up for a trade hardcover by Tor Books releasing this September, and will also soon appear in Italian and Japanese editions! [You can see the illustration Harry O. Morris did for my tale, "She Screech Like Me," in the gorelets.com gallery, by the way.] Congratulations to editor Christopher Conlon and publisher Gauntlet Press!
Learn from 30 terrifying masters
The winner in the “Non-Fiction” category was a fantastic instructional book called Writer’s Workshop of Horror, which includes essays on the craft by a long roster of today’s best horror writers. A coterie of us who teach in the MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University — myself, Gary Braunbeck, Tim Waggoner, and Lucy A. Snyder — all contribute work. (This book also won a “Black Quill” award earlier this year for Best Dark Non-Fiction). If you write, you need to get a copy! CONGRATULATIONS to editor Michael Knost and publisher Woodland Press!
The Bram Stoker Awards are given by the Horror Writers Association. A complete list of this year’s Bram Stoker Award winners appears on their weblog, Dark Whispers.
Darkness on the Edge: Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen – Book Trailer
PS Publishing has announced that Darkness on the Edge: Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen will be shipping later this month. You can pre-order it NOW on the PS Publishing home page. Here’s the book trailer to get you in the mood:
Play Dead in Common
Lots of little things going on, so I thought I’d post a bunch of random news all in one batch:
+ WD Prescott is running a neat contest on his website with a chance to win a signed copy of my out of print novel, Play Dead!
+ You can now order the ‘spoon river horror poetry anthology,‘ Death In Common, edited by Rich Ristow, on amazon.com
+ Two of my critical essays on THE EXORCIST will appear in Studies in the Horror Film: The Exorcist, which promises to be a fantastic — if not the definitive — collection of studies of this seminal shocker, from the always exquisite publisher Centipede Press.
+ Dark Regions is previewing their upcoming book, Nostradamus’ Fate! A must buy.
+ Writers! Don’t forget Writer’s Workshop of Horror…already in its second printing, this book is fast becoming one of the most important ‘textbooks’ on how to write for the genre of the unexpected, by masters of the craft.
+ Do you subscribe to The Goreletter yet? If not, do so. A new issue mounts.
Pluck Your Last Drink Bird Head
Last Drink Bird Head: Flash Fiction For Charity
Awhile ago I got the strangest e-mail message from World Fantasy Award-winning author (and old friend) Jeff Vandermeer. It read:
Who is Last Drink Bird Head? Story, anecdote, 500 words. Don't Think: just write.
And I did. My story was but one of a long list of short-shorts that now appear in Last Drink Bird Head: Flash Fiction for Charity — with all proceeds going to proliteracy.org.
The results are pretty astounding, ranging from hilariously surreal to pensively chilling to deeply touching. The publisher writes: “Last Drink Bird Head is a blues musician, a performance artist, a type of alcohol, a town in Texas, and even a song sung by girl scouts in Antarctica. Contributors include Peter Straub, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Brian Evenson, Henry Kaiser, Gene Wolfe, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Rikki Ducornet, Holly Phillips, Stephen R. Donaldson, K.J. Bishop, Michael Swanwick, Ellen Kushner, Daniel Abraham, Jay Lake, Liz Williams, Tanith Lee, Sarah Monette, Conrad Williams, and Marly Youmans.” …over 80 writers in total! The design of this collectible is great (it even features a neat flipbook in the margins) and the cover art by Scott Eagle is phenomenal.
And if you preorder this book (shipping early November from Wyrm Publishing) you not only get a $5 discount, and a warming of the cockles of your heart for being charitable, but your book will also arrive signed by some of the contributors.
Darkness on the Edge: A Bruce Springsteen Anthology
 | PS Publishing is now taking orders for Darkness on the Edge: Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen. It will soon be available in a signed and unsigned limited edition hardcover. My story is called “The Hungry Heart” — sort of like Poe meets the Boss. Other contributors include Sarah Langan, Gary Braunbeck, Elizabeth Massie, Lawrence C. Connolly and lots of other great dark fantasy writers. Edited by Harrison Howe, with cover art by the infamous JK Potter. Definitely worth a look! The limited edition is available here, and likely to sell out quickly. |
05/20/2013 at 9:55 am 
05/11/2013 at 6:32 pm 
