God...I've become that writer who only blogs when he has something to promote. It would be far too easy to blame it on our delayed flight last night and 2 AM bedtime, but I digress. I'll have a bit about our trip to post later, but in the meantime you can read some stories, if you're so inclined.
In the first issue of Basement Stories, you can read "Dancing Lessons", a reprint from last year's Triangulation: Dark Glass. This story only saw the light of day in print, so enjoy it while it's free, eh?
And from the vault of something new and weird, I bring you "Climbing" from issue #7 of the recently resurrected Arkham Tales. It's one of my favorite pieces. (You'll have to shell out $1.99 for the download, but Arkham Tales is always worth it.)
I'll write something profound once I'm more lucid. Okay...I'll try to write something profound.
I'm working on something. I should be working on something else or on another something else, but I'm not. I'm working on this something. And that's what I'll be doing today and tomorrow and, I guess, we'll see. You could say I've resurrected something--although it's more to do with feet than brains.
Talking of resurrected things. The wonderful
Arkham Tales--the magazine that refused to die--has just released issue seven. It features fiction from
Aaron Polson,
Leah Clarke and Robert Masterson, amongst others. And it's only $1.99.
The wonderful Nathan Shumate, editor of Arkham Tales has tagged me in a most wonderful meme that proves I do have a lot of books on my shelf and leaves me thankful I don't have a really weird, long name. Here be the rules....
From the biggest bookcase you have, pick out one book whose author’s last name starts with each letter of your last name. If you have no books by an author whose last name starts with a particular letter, go to the next letter. If you have two of the same letter in your last name, get two separate authors, not two books by the same author. Bonus: If you can, pick the first book you haven’t read off your shelf, unless you’re one of those people who’s read all the books you own.
- Post the first sentence of each book, along with the author and title. Feel free to skip prefaces and such, especially if they’re by a different writer.
***I expect you might think the story I am about to tell you is untrue or perversely Gothic in some unhealthy way. (
Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack
Gantos - read and most truly a brilliant book).
So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee. (
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse
Anderson - read and loved).
My mother used to tell me about the ocean. (
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie
Ryan - excellent, sequel now please).
Peter Trilling watched quietly as the other children played in the dust by the side of the porch. (
The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K.
Dick - memorable).
Maybe if he had one more drink they'd leave him alone. (
The Twelve by Stuart
Neville - to be read).
And out of the Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us. (
Mr Toppit by Charles Elton - to be read).
The pipe under the sink was leaking again. (
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah
Rees Brennan - can't wait for the sequel).
***
And I tag:
Aaron Polson,
Carrie Harris (who can make hers up if she wants and do a super twist on it),
Jamie Eyberg, and if he has the time,
Barry Napier (to wake him up).
I think there are a few funny lines in some of my stories – I don’t think anyone has ever needed surgery after splitting open their sides, but they may have chuckled. Setting out to purposely write a funny story though is just hard, hard, hard. Dark is so much easier.
I submitted something to the Dead Jesters anthology in August and failed. I thought it was funny enough but not dark enough, while the editors thought it was dark enough but not funny enough. Ho-Hum! That story later sold to Arkham Tales. Phew! I wasn’t going to try again, but thanks to a recent post by Gustavo Bondoni, I was persuaded to give it one more try.
So back to the beginning of my blog post – I think there are a few funny lines in some of my stories, though I’m convinced there are none in Bottling Dead Men’s Breath (working title). One line even resorts to bottom humour and that is always the last resort. Okay, not quite the last as I also have a line about David Hasselhoff in it.
Ooh, and I received an email from Amazon about thirty minutes ago – The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman – as if you need me to tell you that) has been dispatched. Woot! Oh wait, I have to read my books in the order I purchased them… Scratches chin and decides ‘sod that’.
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Excellent covers on both of those. I too fell off the blogging wagon of late. It'll happen when it happens :)
I hope the vacation was fun. I look forward to hearing your adventures. Love the woodcut in the first pic, btw.
Two stories - well done! Heading over to read :)
If I only knew the meaning of "profound", maybe my blog could be deemed worth reading...on good days anyways.
I hope you had a fun trip!
Congratulations!
"Don't worry about blogging," said the girl who just stepped back up to her blog after nine months.
Dancing Lessons is a fine, fine story, Aaron. Killer of an opening line too – loved it.
Too true, Mary.
Jamie - Too much fun. We're still hung-over (in a figurative sense, of course).
I hope you enjoy, Danielle.
Andrea - Ha! (and we did)
Bobbie - Welcome back, of course! I don't "worry" about it, per se. I just kind of miss it.
Thanks, L.R.