Announcement: Darkness on the Edge

Posted on June 3, 2008

I’ve mentioned this one before, but here’s great news I wanted to share. I just want to say how excited I am about this one. It’s an incredible honor to share a table of contents with such wonderful authors.

And a special thank you to Brian Keene for introducing me to Harrison! 

From Editor Harrison Howe:

Darkness on the Edge: Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen

Hello all,

You may have heard mention, on this message board and other places, about the above-mentioned anthology. I’m pleased to announce that the final manuscript has been delivered to PS Publishing. The TOC is as appears below. As soon as there’s a link to pre-order the book, I’ll post it here. It’s slated to see publication in Spring 2009. It was a long and tough journey and I thank everyone involved for helping making this exactly as I envisioned it.

Here’s the list of fine stories and songs from which they drew inspiration:

Darkness on the Edge:
Tales Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen
Edited by
Harrison Howe

CONTENTS

Nothing Forgiven………………………………………………..Lee Thomas
(Inspired by “Something In the Night”)

Fire……………………………………………………………….Elizabeth Massie
(Inspired by “I’m On Fire”)

Atonement……………………………………………………….Gary A. Braunbeck
(Inspired by “My Father’s House”)

Kneeling In the Darkness………………………………………Lorne Dixon
(Inspired by “Point Blank”)

The Hungry Heart………………………………………………Michael A. Arnzen
(Inspired by “Hungry Heart”)

Die Angle…………………………………………………………Lawrence C. Connolly
(Inspired by “Murder, Inc.”)

From the Dark Heart of a Dream………………………………Tom Piccirilli
(Inspired by “Adam Raised a Cain”)

Independence Day…..…………………………………………….Sarah Langan
(Inspired by “The Rising” and “Independence Day”)

Ain’t No Angel Gonna Greet Me……………………………..…Guy Adams
(Inspired by “Maria’s Bed”)

With These Hands……………………………………………..…Kurt Dinan
(Inspired by “Factory” and “Two Faces”)

Wings for Wheels………………………………………………….John Palisano
(Inspired by “Thunder Road”)

Across the Border………………………………………………….Peter Abrahams
(Inspired by “Across the Border”)

The Room………………………………………………………….Jeffrey Thomas
(Inspired by “Candy’s Room”)

Fog Boy………………………………………………………………T.M. Wright
(Inspired by “My Father’s House”)

Darkness on the Edge of Town…………………………………….James A. Moore
(Inspired by “Darkness on the Edge of Town”)

Lightning Can’t Catch Me…………………………………………Gerard Houarner
(Inspired by “State Trooper”)

In Winter…………………………………………………………….Nancy Kilpatrick
(Inspired by “Streets of Philadelphia”)

Armageddon, Now Available in High Definition…………………Nate Southard
(Inspired by “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”)

Devil’s Arcade……………………………………………………….Mark Newton
(Inspired by “Devil’s Arcade”)

Hooray for Kelli!

Posted on June 2, 2008

Kelli Dunlap has an announcement.

Free Norm Partridge Fiction

Posted on May 19, 2008

The first part of Road Dogs, a new novella by the incredible Norm Partridge, is now available for free online.  I understand Part Two will follow soon.  Go check out some great fiction.

Upcoming Appearance: STAPLE!

Posted on February 19, 2008

On March 1st, I’ll be appearing live in front of your steaming eyes at STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo (and best comic con in at least 300 miles).

This will be my fourth year at STAPLE!, but I’m more excited for this year than I have been for any other.  Guests of Honor Brian Wood and Eric Powell are two of my favorite creators working in comics today, and landing them is a great step forward for the con.

This year, I’ll have copies of Drive, A Trip to Rundberg, and Brian Keene’s FEAR at my table, as well as a few copies of The Dead Walk Again!  On top of that, I’ll have a FREE short story chapbook for the first 100 folks to stop by my table.  Come by and pick up a copy.  I’ll be the bald guy drinking hot tea all day.

STAPLE! is being held March 1st, 11am-7pm at the Monarch Events Center on the northwest corner of the I-35/Hwy 290 interchange in North Austin.

Muy Mal returns

Posted on January 9, 2008

I’ve written about Muy Mal in the past (check out the original review here).

For a quick rundown, I’ll tell you that Muy Mal is the brainchild of the incredibly talented writers Mike Oliveri, Weston Ochse, and John Urbancik.  It’s a site full of free fiction revolving around a world much like ours, but one where magic never completely died.  There’s everything from horror and fantasy to gritty criminal dramas and Republic Serial-style adventure… and it’s all free.

Well, in the after math of their end of the world crossover Cataclysm, the boys are back to close out the world of Muy Mal for good.  They even updated the site’s look (and it’s a beautiful site, probably should have looked like this from the start). 

Go read.  Get caught up and learn the whole story.  There’s some incredible stuff there.

So this is 2008

Posted on January 4, 2008

Weird.  It feels a lot like 2007, only the air is dryer.  Stupid January.  Cold as hell, dry as sandpaper month that doesn’t even hold the charm of my birthday at the end of it.

I think this year saw my favorite Christmas since I moved to Texas.  Well, more to the point my favorite Christmas Eve.  Shawna and I spent it together in the new house, snuggling with the dogs, watching TV, blowing our noses as allergies attacked, and putting our new coffee maker through its paces (we can now make more than two cups at a time!).  We’d planned to open presents after dinner (I made Shawna scallops), but just before noon Shawna starts throwing presents in my lap and telling me to open them.  Really, it doesn’t get better than that.

But that was more than a week ago.

In the days since Christmas, I’ve been churning out prose at an alarming rate.  Well, I guess it’s not alarming if I’m just following goals I set for myself.  I’d love to tell you what I’m working on, but I’m trying to keep a better lid on these things.  Why tell you about something that might not sell, right?

That said, I hope to have exciting news in the next month or two. Things are looking up.

In the meantime, I’m preparing for the World Horror battle.  Gotta get all my ducks in a row and such.  Joy of joys!

STAPLE! Registration Open!

Posted on November 8, 2007

When I’m not busy alienating both friends and strangers who have enough money to buy stuff like Rock Band, I’m helping with the organization of STAPLE!, a indie comics con here in Austin. 

Here is you STAPLE! news…

Hey everybody!

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is back for its
fourth annual show! Come out Saturday March 1st, 2008
to a new location – the Monarch Event Center next to
Highland Mall – www.monarcheventcenter.com. This
exciting new venue occupies the site of the former
Lincoln Village Theater in the Lincoln Village
shopping center in north central Austin. It’s been
completely remodeled and refurbished into a lovely new
spot just perfect for a bigger and better STAPLE!
www.staple-austin.org

We are very pleased to announce a very special guest
for STAPLE! 2008 - BRIAN WOOD! Author of Channel Zero,
Couriers, DMZ, Demo, Local, Supermarket, and the
forthcoming Northlanders (available December 5th),
Brian has made his mark as an influential and eclectic
pioneer of independent comics creation. We are very
honored and excited to have him appear at STAPLE! For
more on Brian go to www.brianwood.com

And if you’d like to start making your own mark, you
can be an exhibitor at STAPLE! Exhibitor registration
is now open and tables are available at $65 for an
eight footer and $35 for a half – cheap! They always
sell out fast so to get yours now go to
www.staple-austin.org/register

STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo is the Southwest’s
only convention for independently produced comics,
zines, graphic arts and animation. The fourth annual
Expo is Saturday, March 1st, 2008, 11am-7pm at the
Monarch Event Center in Austin, Texas. Admission is
STILL only $5 at the door! For more info go to
http://www.staple-austin.org

Thanks! Hope to see you there!

From Me to You

Posted on October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Necon Thank You’s

Posted on July 25, 2007

Well, with a couple days recovery time between myself and the Northeast Writers’ Conference, I’m ready to talk again.  They’ve got this whole “What happens at Necon stays at Necon” thing, but I suspect it’s an idle threat.  Just in case, I will limit my talking to a series of heartfelt thank you’s.

Thanks to Dan Fox for picking me up at the airport and teaching me the beer opening trick.

Thanks to Paul Puglisi for the apple brandy and for talking me up at his panel.

Thanks to Cassi for the high-test coffee.

Thanks to Kelli Dunlap for support, editing my drunk speech on the fly, and continuously inviting me over for coffee.  Couldn’t have done it without ya.

Thanks to Dave Thomas and the three Jo(e)’s for giving me folks to pal around with, though Big Joe needs to let other people carry stuff now and then.

Thanks to Nate and Nicole Kenyon for being far too cute once again.  It gives this cynic something to rail against.

Thanks to Monica Kuebler for listen to a drunken pitch that took five minutes somewhere around three in the morning.

Thanks to Wrath for looking colder than me.

Thanks to Jeff Strand for the laughs.

Thanks to Bob Booth for the ride to the airport, and to Weston and Yvonne for the offer.

And an extra thanks to Weston Ochse for swooping out of the dark to save the day like the sleeveless Batman he is.

Thanks to Kelly Laymon for sobering up the entire con for a few hours.

Thanks to Jim Moore for paralyzing me with his elbows and giant man hands.

Thanks to Chris Golden for putting me on a panel and in the program book.  Above and beyond, man!

Thanks to Sarah Langan for explaining environmental medicine to me.

Continued thanks to Keene for advice, friendship, racing me at lunch and dinner, and for laughing at all my jokes (I remain unconvinced they were that funny).

And an extra special thanks to Dan Booth, the Booth family, and the rest of the Necon board.  You guys go above the call of duty in every way, and you’ve created the best con out there.  Thank you so much.

A Special Magic

Posted on July 10, 2007

“Nothing lasts forever,
That’s the way it’s gotta be.
There’s a great black wave in the middle of the sea.”
The Arcade Fire, “Black Wave/Bad Vibrations”

I spent the last weekend, Friday through Monday morning, in the cluster of small Indiana towns that make up where I came from. I went to spend time reconnecting with my brothers and to see a boat race that used to be the most important day of my year. I saw old friends and fell in love with those friendships all over again. My family and friends really made me feel like I was home. I made sure to give each of my friends a strong hug as we said goodbye on the upper deck of the Grand Victoria Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana on Saturday night, then I walked at the back of the pack so they wouldn’t see me wipe away tears. I did the same thing as I hugged my family members goodbye over the following days.
Because, as special as all those folks are to me, everything else wore me down.

My hometown-that I originally loved, then decided to run away from-isn’t there anymore. There are a few withering cells left: the Gold Star Chili and the Skyline Chili. One of the used car lots is still there, and the Tandy’s IGA is still standing, but the spreading cancer of “progress” is all over the place. I found a strip mall almost a half-mile long where a beautiful hillside home used to be. Maybe another dozen dotted Highway 50 between Aurora and Lawrenceburg. I couldn’t see my high school from the road because the new middle and elementary schools block the view. Rising Sun, a tiny river town, now has a fire station bigger than Austin’s.

The people are still there, though. They still seem suspicious and a little sad, kind of like people everywhere. I won’t lie and say it didn’t hurt when I received more than a few of those “You’re not from around here, are you?” looks, because maybe I never was. Maybe I spent twenty-two years faking it.

Then again, maybe I do belong there. Maybe that’s why my friends just happened to be in town on Saturday. Maybe that’s why Randall drove all the way from Florence to Rising Sun late at night to hang out with us for a few hours.

Or maybe it’s something else. Maybe there’s a magic family members and friends share, something that reaches through the years and just feels right.

And maybe that’s enough. I hope so.

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