Aaron Polson's Blog, page 52

Print Will Always Be Undead

I don't usually post twice in a day, especially on a Friday, but JA Konrath wrote a cute little "play" about the death of print. You can read it at the Huffington Post.

Remember folks, Konrath is here to sell books. He makes money selling books. He makes his living writing and selling books. And yes, he's doing well.

But he's still here to sell you books, and he doesn't give a shit if you buy a paperback or an e-version of his latest. Wait...maybe he does. I think the profit margin on e-...

Virtual Buildling Blocks

I've started hammering together a site for Loathsome, Dark, and Deep--www.loathsomenovel.com. Yes, I'm hosting at Blogger. Yes, I'm doing it because it's easy. I hope to have sites for my other forthcoming books soon, but these things always take more time than they should, especially for a slacker like me.

Speaking of slack, I knocked out the end of my novella/novelette project yesterday, and feel the need for a writing vacation.

...

Okay, the vacation's over. I have a few short stories I w...

WIP Wednesday: Guns and Ammo Edition

For the record, I have given 'em both barrels once. One of my long-time buddies has a double-barrel, Granny Clampett style 20 gauge shotgun with dual triggers. Even though it was a 20 gauge (a smaller shell), the damn thing nearly tore my arm off at the shoulder.

This:


Is not a shotgun. It's a Sharps Model 1874 "buffalo" rifle. The caliber on this bad boy starts at .40 (which means the barrel opening is 4/10ths of an inch in diameter and, by extension, the size of the cartridge used in the gun...

Give 'em Both Barrels

Remember when I started Loathsome, Dark, and Deep and said I was writing with the small press in mind? I do.

Well, the wonderful Jodi Lee at Belfire Press has given the thumbs up to the book for publication late this year (tentatively November 2010).

Me: stoked. I love Loathsome, Dark, and Deep. It was a helluva good time to write, and I'm thrilled the world (at least those who so choose) will be able to read it.

But wait, I said give 'em both barrels, right?

Okay...the magnificent Cynthia Re...

Monday Pimpage: Dark Pages volume 1

My contributor copy of Blade Red's Dark Pages (volume 1) arrived on Friday, and it's pretty. The stories are pretty (in a dark sort of way, of course), the cover is pretty, and I'm pretty stoked to be part of the project. Thanks to editor Brenton Tomlinson for finding my short-short "Cargo" worthy of this line up:

"The Stain of the Psychopomp King" by Lucien E G Spelman
"Heart Of Ice" by Martin Livings
"Neptune's Garden" by Lisa A Koosis
"Dust" by Naomi Bell
"To Die For" by S D Matley
"The Franch...

Flashback Friday, with Bonus Fiction #fridayflash

I did a little house cleaning this week. Exciting times. From a September 1986 Weekly Reader...Giant Sharks, Soviet Circus Couples, and a Rambo reference...


Man, how time flies. I was eleven when I read those articles for the first time. My students weren't alive when the Soviet Union was a country. But giant sharks...giant sharks are still scary as hell. (click the picture to enlarge and read if you're so inclined)And a tiny bit o' fiction (a once-upon-a-time accepted story who lost its...

The Ecstasy and the Agony

So I received a great bit of news yesterday in the ol' in box. I replied...then woke to a "Delivery Status Notification (delay)" this morning.

Ack!

I love you, InterwebTM, but please...please do not toy with a writer's emotions so. I will be forced to unleash the power of fiction on your ass. (Oh, that's really a good idea, Aaron. Threaten the InterwebTM.)

As you can see, I'm not thinking clearly today. So, other places to gain lucidity...

I found this interesting food for thought re...

WIP Wednesday: Secrets and Scares

Two WIPs today...

I'm chugging away on a "secret project" involving a man who wears his dead wife's teeth as a necklace. Don't worry--he didn't kill her. More later. Promise. The second is a short story (on which I should slap "The End" today) called "Crushing on Mr. Nose": Before first hour on the second day of school, Mr. Lutz picked his nose in the darkened office at the back of the classroom. Mandi Ferris and Libby Jenkins watched the whole, ugly affair. A new teacher at South, Lutz...

Precious Metal in Albedo One #38

Albedo One #38, including my short-short "Precious Metal" is available for purchase at their website. Check out that gorgeous (and slightly provocative?) cover art.

And...WTF?

My name's on the cover? I'm honored--in this case, being an Irish mag, honoured.

(did I do that right?)

This is one of my many stories in which a premise from a children's book provided the seed for an imaginative romp. In this case, a romp through a junkyard in a post-apocalyptic world in which no one manufactures an...

Happy St. Mother's Day

Max has started calling Mother's Day, Saint Mother's Day.

Mothers of the world, who also happen to be ladies, here you go: