Tales from the Ragged Edge

A few years ago, I went to Gen-Con for the first time. It was an incredible experience on many levels, but what really stuck with me was this feeling of “rightness.” There was a real feeling wandering around Indianapolis that the Geek truly did inherit the Earth. We OWNED that town, at least around the convention center. It was a feeling of acceptance for the sub-culture I’d embraced on an unprecedented scale.

Flash to last night’s “Night of Authors” at the Wayward Coffeehouse. Now, the Wayward has always been a sort of Geek-Central. A regular Browncoat rally-point, the owner’s love of sci-fi and fantasy is evident in the decor and the menu. Where else can you get a Wash bagel or Jayne plowman to wash down with a Devil’s Trap Latte? I’m partial to the Sheppard plowman — hummus and peppers — with maybe a Kryten Mocha. But last night was a celebration on a literary level that I’m not used to seeing.

Organized by the lovely and talented Jennifer Brozek, she managed to pull in close to a dozen readers for a three hour block, and fill the house. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror were represented there with names such as Cat Rambo, Jen Brozek, Jeremy Zimmerman, Steven J. Scearce, R. Schuyler Devin, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting. The new Rigor Amortis anthology was well represented, and 3 stories from there were shared. I got to read twice, covering for someone in the first slot who was unable to attend unexpectedly, and closing out the evening with my regularly scheduled slot. I pimped for the Rock is Dead anthology and for Cobalt City Timeslip — both pieces being well received. I was also able to hand out my new Publisher business cards, along with flyers for the Biopunk anthology which will start accepting submissions in just over a week.

It’s weird knowing how many anthologies I’m going to be appearing in over the next quarter or so. And more might be around the corner, as I have a few more stories out and few more to submit. The year of the anthology continues unabated.

October is now my official favorite month.

Ok, not like that’s changed much. I’ve always been an autumn kind of guy. I love the sounds, smells, and temperatures of September-November, (back-to-school to Christmas, actually). I even got married in October once. That didn’t stick, but my love of the season did.

But now, I have another reason to cheer. October 1st of this year sees the release of not one, but TWO anthologies in which I have a story I’m pretty proud of.

One of those I’ve known about for a while, since I’m publishing the Cobalt City Timeslip anthology. I set the date, and even though I’m going to have a few copies before the official release to sell at Foolscap 12, the actual release has been the 1st since the project was conceived.

So imagine my joy when I find out that the Rigor Amortis anthology from Absolute X-press is coming out the same day. Check out that link. Drink in the glory of that cover. It makes a fella swoon, yes indeedy. My story even got mentioned in the description…unless someone else wrote about honkey-tonk zombies.

So mark your calendars. Two stories with a musical bent (honkey-tonk and disco — one with amorous zombies, one with the reincarnation of Norse gods) will be there to brighten your October. And if you’re going past the kitchen, can you snag me a piece of pumpkin bread?

Year of the anthology for me? I think so!

It’s now official. My little honkey-tonk zombie love story will be published in the Rigor Amortis anthology coming out later this year. My part went from amused Twitter conversation to story over the course of a weekend. In that time the little zombie-erotica-anthology-that-could managed to land a publisher. Comprised of what promises to be some of the most disturbing flash fiction you’ve ever seen, it is also my first erotica publication.

Two months, from concept to Table of Contents. This, right here, is why I love small press. The ability to take an idea and run with it makes art and writing vital.

Certainly a lot more vital than the zombies in my story. But that you’ll have to discover for yourself when this dark delight is released later this year.

After a few dedicated and hard-won writing sessions, I put the finishing touches on the first draft of a story I’m doing for an anthology. Entitled “Damn, It’s Hard Out Here For A Brownie!”, it is a sometimes twisted tale about pride in one’s work, labor relations, and how one crazy person can fuck it all up for everyone.

It’s now in the hands of Caroline, the genius editor of Timid Pirate Publishing for a hard, critical look. Then line edits will follow over the next few days. If all goes well, I’ll have it sent off to its final intended destination.

And the funny thing is, this story almost didn’t happen at all. I came up with the title on a whim, and knew I wanted to do something with the little cobbler pixies, but no idea what. Instead, I was going to do a story about a Medusa in the modern world. I still like THAT story, and will probably write it for other markets. But when pitching it to the editor of the anthology I’m writing for, she was underwhelmed with the concept.

Not that she didn’t like the idea of the story. Just that it was not the best fit.

If I’ve learned anything with anthologies, it’s that the story has to be good, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how good it is if it doesn’t fit the editor’s concept of the anthology.

So, back to the drawing board. And those pesky Brownies kept coming back to me. Damned if I’m not happy they did. I ended up being really happy with the story. While not something I would have ordinarily written, it is definitely a Nathan Crowder story.

And in another month or so, I’ll be able to tell you if and when you can read it.

Just saw roughs for the cover of Cobalt City Timeslip, featuring the new, unifying background for all future Cobalt anthologies. I can barely contain my excitement.

There should be a cover to show in the next week or so, with a table of contents in early August. I’ve seen three of the stories so far, and the rest are on the way in the next month.

Hm…guess I should find the time to do a second draft of my new story, “The War at Home” in the next few weeks. Busy busy busy!

In the meantime, I’m about 1,000 words into one of two stories I’m doing for other people’s anthologies. I didn’t know where I was going when I started. I had a title and a dilemma. Once I named my three spritely protagonists — Pip, Blueblossom, and Wayne — the rest started falling into place. I’m quite excited about it now, and hope to have the first draft done in the next week.

The world of haute couture footwear won’t know what hit them!

I realize I’m a little late with this reminder, but I’ll be reading from “Frames of Reference,” my story in Close Encounters of the Urban Kind tonight. There will be several of us reading snippets from the collection, including Rosemary Jones, Erik Scott de Bie, Shannon Page, and Alma Alexander.

If you’re not familiar with the anthology, I’ll just shake my head sadly at you for a moment. It’s an awesome collection that pokes around the gray area where alien encounters and urban legends intersect. And intersect they do, in some surprising, spooky, and fun ways. My story explores my abiding love for junk cinema, noir, and horror.

We’ll be at Third Place Books (one of my absolutely favorite book stores) tonight (June 12th) at 6:30. It might be your last chance to get this many of the represented authors to sign your copy!

Third Place Books is located at 17171 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forrest Park.

Come for the reading, stay for the abduction, implants, and inevitable dismissal of the mainstream media when no one can provide evidence of the aliens. Ain’t that always the way?