Bill Bodden's Blog

Another New Anthology!

So I got involved with a writer’s group — Wily Writers — a while back because the person who was promoting it — Angel Leigh McCoy — was a colleague of mine; we’d both had stories in Changing Breeds: Wild West Tales and I was familiar with some of her work from the gaming industry as well as some of her short fiction. There have been a number of fairly prominent writers involved with this group, and frankly it’s been good for me to see that other writers — even writers whose names I’d heard of and whose work I’ve admired — are struggling to get noticed, too.

Some months ago the idea was floated to...

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http://billbodden.com/2022/07/19/anot...

It's Been a While!

I wrote a new blog post recently, but asit's been years since last time, I forgot to post a linkhere. So here you go!
http://billbodden.com/2022/06/14/its-...

Disappearing Act

Some of you may wonder what happened - my last blog post was in late February; why did I suddenly stop posting? The truth of it is, I started my blog entirely for self-promotion to give my writing career a boost. Since there haven't been too many things to promote, blogging became a real chore, and coming up with fresh ideas every week became more and more challenging. This was complicated by a global pandemic, and the realization that something like 40% of United States citizens are too selfish to wear a mask to protect their fellow human beings was demoralizing. I lost the emotional energy to care.

But that was then; this is now. I have a new book to promote, the Kickstarter for which launches TODAY (April 27)! It's called Transgressive Horror: Reflections on Scare Films That Broke the Rules. Here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ghostshowpress/transgressive-horror?fbclid=IwAR345KnhvqLx586aVpyd0_BrzZniH3_eGf3qWS4Eb3UxQVod3b06xHfAwTg

I have an essay in it. The film I chose to write about was Congo, which is not strictly speaking a horror film, but it includes enough horror elements that I thought it should apply. Also, Congo breaks lots of Hollywood "rules", which should be reward enough all by itself. Check out the Kickstarter, please; it's going to be an awesome book and has a great many talented writers writing about some of their favorite horror films. Rather than a dry collection of academic essays, this should be a fun, dynamic read! I mean, how could you go wrong with a Steely Dan reference right on the cover?

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/04/27/disa...

To Soothe the Savage Breast

I owe a lot of my musical taste to my family.

My brothers were both coming of age in the late 1960s, so I got to listen to a lot of music from that era. My dad was also musical; he could play the organ well enough that he volunteered at church from time to time, and could noodle around with a couple other instruments. His and mom's era was the Big Band sound of the 1940s, and dad had a fondness for classic music too.

So at a very young age I was listening to Tchaikovsky; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; the Beatles; Stravinsky; Cat Stevens; The Who; The Band; Three Dog Night; Duke Ellington; Count Basie; Santana, and a lot more. One day, I was watching Sesame Street, and they had Stevie Wonder on with his band, playing the most funktastic version of "Superstition" I've ever heard, and it was...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/02/24/to-s...

Horrific Women

Besides being Black History Month, February is also Women in Horror Month. (Who decides these things?) I thought I'd take a moment to highlight some of my favorite women horror authors, because what's better than having a new book to read, or finding a new favorite author?

Lee Murray has been a major force in fiction over the last few years, both as an editor and as an author of novels and short fiction. Her Taine McKenna series of novels, set in her native New Zealand and featuring a Maori main character, has garnered significant critical acclaim. One of her newest works, Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, edited with Geneve Flynn, is available in stores now and features stories by Southeast Asian writers. You can learn more about Lee and her books at her web site: https://www.leemurray.info/

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/02/09/horr...

Black is the New Black

To help kick off Black History Month, I'm highlighting several books I've enjoyed that were written by black authors, as well as some that I have on my to-read list.

I've been heavily involved with a monthly virtual book club dedicated to steampunk and steampunk-adjacent books - Temporal Textual Talks, aka Virtual Steampunk Book Club (https://www.facebook.com/groups/565219680824876) - and have been rewarded with the pleasure of reading a number of outstanding books, some of which I'm delighted to share with you here.

I read Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring more than a decade ago, and it sticks with me to this day. I would call it primarily Urban Fantasy, but it has a touch of post apocalyptic-ness to it as well. It's a great story even if it has no connection to Virtual Book Club. Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57504.Brown_Girl_in_the_Ring?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zLQz5sFRgH&rank=2

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http://billbodden.com/2021/02/02/blac...

Snow Day!

When I was a kid, those two words sent an electric thrill up and down my spine. Free day off from school - Yay! Of course the neighborhood kids would all get up early and congregate, hoping to make the most of a school-free weekday.

As an adult, snow days were much less exciting - usually because, instead of going to work, we have to strain our backs and risk heart attack by shoveling snow to clear the sidewalks and driveways. Wet, heavy snow is only second-worst: snow with a crust (or foundation) of ice is much more difficult to deal with, not to mention the elevated risk of...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/01/26/snow...

Coin of the Realm

Some of the coins (and the bag) I got from my grab-bag deal

On a whim, I bought a grab-bag full of coins.

I happened to be on a site that sells coins anyway for other reasons, and this package caught my eye: an assortment of random coins from around the world sold by weight, available in 1/4-pound, 1/2-pound, and 1-pound lots (and multiples thereof.) It was like candy to someone like me.

I am HIGHLY susceptible to the collecting bug. In my life so far I've collected...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/01/19/coin...

My Own Little World

With everything going on, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I'm getting by. It isn't easy, what with a political coup and a global pandemic both still going on. The concept of the disaster bingo card, while hilarious, is also very on-point for 2020-2021, as we reel from one piece of horrible news to another. My coping mechanisms are sorely lacking; trying to stick to some kind of routine helps, but it's easy to get sidetracked.

There's certainly loneliness - I miss...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2021/01/12/my-o...

TODAY ONLY!

An anthology I helped usher to publication is on sale for 50% off TODAY (January 10, 2021) ONLY! This PDF includes an amazing group of talented writers, with stories by Aaron Rosenberg, Angel Leigh McCoy, Joyce Chng, Christine Morgan, Sarah Hans, Rick Heinz, Megan Mackie, Stephen Lickman, Crystal Mazur, and me.
The stories in this book are about other kinds of werecreatures- bears, crows, tigers, spiders and more - all taking place in the Wild West of White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse setting. I hope you enjoy it!

Here's the link to learn more and to purchase a download: https://www.storytellersvault.com/pro...