Lois H. Gresh's Blog, page 4

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS

Earlier this week, I finished writing the draft of SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS for Titan Books. I wrote the novel in 6 months. In manuscript form, it’s 511 pages and 104,000 words. 

I now must edit the manuscript before turning it into my “real” editor at Titan. 

Most of my friends don’t understand what this means. 

The term, editing, does not mean a mere checking of spelling and grammar. Sure, if I see proofreading-type errors, I’ll fix them. But what I’m looking for during my editing phase are bigger problems: inconsistencies, redundancies, stilted dialogue, weakening of tone or voice, balance of style, coherent logic, character development, lack of tension, wrapping up of any loose ends, overused words or phrases, BALANCE (worth repeating).

How do I explain what I do to my friends, who are not writers? First of all, most of them never ask me about the writing process. They assume that the writer bangs something out, voila, it’s perfect and ready to go, and magically, a publisher comes along and prints it. Anyone can be a writer: anyone. They assume that the publishing house’s editor does all the editing – !

Ask any professional writer if it’s wise to submit a manuscript that requires a huge amount of editing by the “real” editor, and here’s what he or she will tell you: never do it! 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS is my 30th book, and I’ve also published 65+ stories. In addition, I’ve written 200+ technical manuals and 100+ medical and scientific newsletters, as well as 50+ science articles. I’ve edited two short story anthologies in the past couple of years. For 20 years, I was a manager of technical documentation, training, and systems analysis. 

This doesn’t make me a god of writing or editing. It does mean that I have a bit of experience. 

Trust me, you do not want to submit a manuscript to a professional editor unless you’ve edited it yourself. 

With SHERLOCK HOLMES, I’m reviewing my manuscript to make sure that my Holmes and Watson (and various other characters) conform to Arthur Conan Doyle’s canon. I must make sure that my scientific speculation is true to the time period in which I write. I must add something new and vigorous to the canon without contradicting it. 

Given that SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS has a Lovecraftian/weird twist, I must make sure that my Holmes remains true to character while dealing with something extremely odd. 

I typically ground my tales in science. Even if I don’t divulge the scientific (or otherwise factual) underpinnings, a story must make sense to me, or I can’t write it. Sometimes, I do go off on flights of fancy, and venture into the purely supernatural/metaphysical realm; but this is rare. I’m typically jumping off from fact into fiction. 

So in my first SHERLOCK HOLMES novel, you might think I’m in a purely supernatural/metaphysical realm, but I’m not. And my Holmes knows that I’m grounded somewhere in science, too. 

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS is the first novel in a trilogy that I’m writing for Titan Books. While my editor and I hash through book #1, I’ll be researching, outlining, and writing book #2. Busy times ahead! 

In all honesty, I’ve never had this much fun. I’m completely obsessed with SHERLOCK HOLMES, and nothing makes me happier than writing these novels.

It reminds me of the time I got to watch STAR TREK as my “day job.” Or when I read 500 comic books as my “day job.”

Writers work like dogs, but we do have our fun.

 

CULT OF THE DEAD – BOOK RELEASE PARTY, TOC

NECRONOMICON

August 20-23, 2015

Providence, RI

BOOK LAUNCHES and AUTHOR READINGS

Saturday 9-11 am





CULT OF THE DEAD

Cult of the Dead is a special collection of Lois’ weird stories with an Introduction by S.T. Joshi, who writes,

“Over the last decade or so, Lois H. Gresh has done some of the most scintillating work of any contemporary writer of imaginative fiction.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction by S.T. Joshi

2. Cult of the Dead

3. Devil’s Bathtub

4. Dreams of Death

5. Necrotic Cove

6. Old Enough to Drink

7. Death Doll

8. Willie the Protector

9. Wee Sweet Girlies

10. Debutante Ball

11. Let Me Make You Suffer

12. Where I Go, Mi-Go

13. The Lagoon of Insane Plants

14. Soleman

15. Snip My Suckers

16. Psychomildew Love

17. Digital Pistil

18. Algorithms and Nasal Structures

19. Little Whorehouse of Horrors

20. Showdown at Red Hook

21. Mandelbrot Moldrot

22. Acknowledgments

 

 

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES – BOOK RELEASE PARTY, TOC & Editor’s Introduction

NECRONOMICON

August 20-23, 2015

Providence, RI

Saturday
 9-11am

BOOK LAUNCHES and AUTHOR READINGS

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES

CULT OF THE DEAD

Copies of both books will be available for sale and signing at this session, snacks provided!

Readings and discussions with Lois H. Gresh, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Laird Barron, William F. Nolan, Richard Gavin, S.T. Joshi, Joe Pulver, Jim Moore, Jason V. Brock, Jonathan Thomas, and more

Innsmouth Nightmares features original stories by leading writers of weird fiction, including John Shirley, Lavie Tidhar, Laird Barron, Paul Kane, Tim Lebbon, Richard Gavin, Steve Rasnic Tem, Wilum H. Pugmire, John Langan, Joe Pulver, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Bill Nolan, Jim Moore, S.T. Joshi, and many more. This is an all-star lineup of The Weird edited by Lois H. Gresh.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction by Lois H. Gresh

2. Windows Underwater by John Shirley

3. Cold Blood by Lavie Tidhar

4. Fear Sun by Laird Barron

5. Thicker Than Water by Paul Kane

6. Strange Currents by Tim Lebbon

7. Mourning People by Nancy Kilpatrick

8. The Barnacle Daughter by Richard Gavin

9. Between the Pilings by Steve Rasnic Tem

10. The Imps of Innsmouth by Wilum H. Pugmire

11. The Open Mouth of Charybdis by John Langan

12. Water’s Edge by Tim Waggoner

13. Dark Waters by William F. Nolan

14. A Girl’s Life by Lisa Morton

15. The Sea Witch by James Moore

16. Brood by Jason V. Brock

17. Gone to Doggerland by Jonathan Thomas

18. The Scent of the Hammer and the Feather by Joseph Pulver, Sr.

19. Baubles by Nancy Holder

20. The Waves Beckon by Donald Tyson

21. The Cats of River Street (1925) by Caitlin Kiernan

22. Some Kind of Mistake by S.T. Joshi

INTRODUCTION

by Lois H. Gresh

This is the book of my dreams. I’ve always been fond of Innsmouth. Directly over my desk, a painting of Innsmouth hangs on an old hook left by the former inhabitants of my house. I spend most of my life at this desk, so Innsmouth is always with me. There’s something very appealing about the tottering village and its shambling denizens, the cults, the dreariness, the turbulence of the sea, and Devil Reef.

When I proposed this anthology to Pete Crowther at PS Publishing, I told him that I wanted to produce a book brimming with extraordinary Innsmouth stories. I wanted to produce a book that I would never grow tired of reading, a book that I would read every now and then for the rest of my life. I think that I succeeded.

I requested stories from all the top writers in the weird genre. I desperately wanted Ramsey Campbell, but alas, Pete had Ramsey squirreled away writing a trilogy of Lovecraftian novels, so Ramsey was a bit tanked out to pen a short Innsmouth tale. Almost everyone else is in this book–all the writers of weird fiction that readers go ape over. Given my obsession with Innsmouth, I was sorely tempted to add a story, but in the end, decided it would be poor form to write a story for an anthology of which I’m editor.

In short, this book is a killer. Every story supplies a knock-out punch.

Opening the book is John Shirley’s Windows Underwater. This is a fantastic fusion of everything that is classically Innsmouth but with an incredible bizarre and futuristic twist. Tight writing, a scene you won’t forget (I love it!), and a great finale. This is John Shirley at his best.

I’m a big fan of Lavie Tidhar’s work, so I figured, if Lavie writes an Innsmouth story, it’s bound to be radically different from everything else. I couldn’t have guessed more correctly. Lavie’s Cold Blood is unlike anything I’ve read about Innsmouth. Truman Capote as the Ultimate Outsider comes to Innsmouth with Nelle to determine the real truth behind murder. Lavie nails Capote’s character, nails [In] Cold Blood–absolutely brilliant.

Approaching Innsmouth from an entirely different angle, Laird Barron’s Fear Sun is futuristic technopunk-weird. It reads as if it’s the beginning of a much longer tale, one that I would snatch up and read should it become available. Fear Sun gives us Innsmouth run by a tough-as-nuts heiress, and for good measure, Laird dishes up a super-secret mad scientist laboratory, a spook, and a Gray Eminence. The writing is pure Laird, perfect in every way.

Are you excited yet?

After reading the first three stories, you may need to calm down before continuing because the killer tales just keep coming. Or you can just plow through these gems, read to the end, then circle back and re-read the whole book.

In Paul Kane’s Thicker Than Water, a jittery young woman sets off with her fiance to meet her future in-laws for the first time. Yes, they live in Innsmouth, and if you haven’t guessed, wedding bells are not exactly chiming. Paul’s depictions of Innsmouth, the water, the in-laws, and the “good provider” are spot-on. I wrote in the guidelines for this book that I wanted weird stories about water, and Paul certainly delivered.

In Tim Lebbon’s Strange Currents, a man is lost at sea, but does he really want to reach land? What is it about the ocean currents that drives his lifeboat? This story evokes a vague feeling of The Call of Cthulhu as well as Innsmouth.

In Nancy Kilpatrick’s Mourning People, a woman must tidy up her mother’s affairs and honor a promise that can only be fulfilled in Innsmouth. Nancy beautifully captures the chilling, weird, depressing mood of Innsmouth.

Richard Gavin’s The Barnacle Daughter asks the question, So who’s your Daddy, do you even know? Young Rose seeks her lost Daddy–is he dead, is he alive, or is he something else? And assuming she finds him, what will happen?

Steve Rasnic Tem’s Between the Pilings gives us stunning images of Innsmouth and its inhabitants. In Steve’s story, a man returns to the site of a very strange childhood vacation, one that didn’t end particularly well.

In The Imps of Innsmouth by Wilum Pugmire, a girl awakens to the old ways of Innsmouth. Classic Innsmouth. Classic Wilum. What more could you want?

John Langan’s The Open Mouth of Charybdis feels a bit like a Twilight Zone tale. As I finished John’s story, the closing Twilight Zone music actually ran through my head. The moral of this story is: never vacation in Innsmouth. You can change the name of a place, but you can’t change its substance.

Tim Waggoner’s Water’s Edge is told in second person, an unusual approach to weird fiction. In this story, we learn what might have happened to the ordinary creatures of Innsmouth since the village’s destruction years ago. Extra bonus: guest appearance by Lord Dagon.

Also featured in INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES is a new story by the one and only William F. Nolan. Dark Waters is a bittersweet tale about a man who honeymoons in the wrong place. I mean, would you choose Innsmouth for your honeymoon?

Lisa Morton’s A Girl’s Life supplies yet another twist to Innsmouth. In Lisa’s story, a young girl enters puberty, but “the change” isn’t what you think it is.

James A. Moore dishes up dark romance in The Sea Witch. The poor love-sopped fellow in this tale should take a cue from the weird hag who runs the local diner, and he should run for the hills. But he doesn’t. Of course.

In Jason V Brock’s Brood, a local sheriff deals with bizarre corpses and a strange Area 51-like place called The Manuxet River Nuclear Complex.

Then in Jonathan Thomas’ Gone to Doggerland, elderly Fiona gibbers irrationally like any other senile crone–or wait, perhaps her gibbering is something else. Bonus appearance: Aquatic Ape Theory.

Next up is The Scent of the Hammer and the Feather by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., whose poetic prose is unlike anybody else’s working in the weird genre today. Here, he beautifully captures adolescent angst: all the loneliness, the feelings of not belonging, the questioning of one’s very existence.

Nancy Holder’s Baubles is a story of teenage adventure and weird romance. As an aside, would you want a gift bought in Innsmouth? After all, it’s such a cool “hippie” town. Any gift from Innsmouth must be super-cool, right?

In Donald Tyson’s The Waves Beckon, a nurse is fired from the Arkham Hospital and finds work at Innsmouth’s Marsh Care Facility. Oh, need I say more? If you want a fun romp, this is it.

Caitlin R. Kiernan’s The Cats of River Street (1925) evokes the bizarre, bleak, and decaying nature of Innsmouth.

The closing story is S.T. Joshi’s novellete Some Kind of Mistake, in which a born-in-Innsmouth fellow returns home to find Maxwell Gilman, a madman who threatens all of humanity. Beware of global warming. Beware of the technologies that pollute the Earth and its waters. But beware of Gilman? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed editing it. If you like tales about Innsmouth, you’re in for a real treat.

–Lois H. Gresh

March 2015

 

NECRONOMICON SCHEDULE

I’ll be a Special Guest of Honor at NecronomiCon, August 20-23, 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island.

(PHOTO left by Tim Waggoner 2015)

If you read fantasy, science fiction, horror, or anything “weird,” you must come to NecronomiCon.

“Weird” sits on the boundaries and merges the best of the genres.

MY SCHEDULE: 

1.  Friday 4-5:15pm

NEW WEIRD

What are the challenges and rewards of subverting genre cliches? What are the challenges and rewards of mixing different elements of speculative fiction? Who are some of the best new weird fiction writers today? How can more diverse voices be encouraged and diverse fans be included?

Panelists: Lois Gresh, Caitlín Kiernan, Scott Nicolay, Vincent O’Neil, Joe Pulver, Jeffrey Thomas

Moderator: Anya Martin

(DRAWING left from NecronomiCon Website 2015)

2.  Saturday
 9-11am

BOOK LAUNCHES and AUTHOR READINGS

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES

CULT OF THE DEAD

Copies of both books will be available for sale and signing at this session, snacks provided!

Readings and discussions with Lois H. Gresh, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Laird Barron, William F. Nolan, Richard Gavin, S.T. Joshi, Joe Pulver, Jim Moore, Jason V. Brock, Jonathan Thomas, and more

Innsmouth Nightmares features original stories by leading writers of weird fiction, including John Shirley, Lavie Tidhar, Laird Barron, Paul Kane, Tim Lebbon, Richard Gavin, Steve Rasnic Tem, Wilum H. Pugmire, John Langan, Joe Pulver, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Bill Nolan, Jim Moore, S.T. Joshi, and many more. This is an all-star lineup of The Weird edited by Lois H. Gresh.

Cult of the Dead is a special collection of Lois’ weird stories with an Introduction by S.T. Joshi, who writes, “Over the last decade or so, Lois H. Gresh has done some of the most scintillating work of any contemporary writer of imaginative fiction.”

3.  Saturday 1-2:15pm

SHE WALKS IN SHADOWS NO MORE

Many of the most unique and powerful voices in weird fiction belong to women! Although once looked upon incorrectly as a white man’s genre, weird fiction has a long tradition of women writers, and that tradition continues today. Join us in celebrating these talented authors, and find out why they write Lovecraftian fiction.

Panelists: Lois Gresh, Caitlín Kiernan, Anya Martin, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ann Schwader

Moderator: Faye Ringel

4.  Saturday 4:00-5:15pm

MECHANICS OF FEAR

Lovecraft wrote all sorts of terrifying tales. But how do you scare someone? What is horror, as opposed to terror, in a piece of fiction? What are different types of scary stories? Are there elements of a horror story that are guaranteed to make the reader sleep with the lights on?

Panelists: Lois Gresh, Stephen Jones, Caitlín Kiernan, Jonathan Thomas, Damien Angelica Walters

Moderator: Don D’Ammassa

5.  SUNDAY 10-11 am

AUTHOR READINGS

Lois H. Gresh and Ann Schwader

6.  Sunday 2:30-3:45pm

WRITING THE MYTHOS

Mythos and Lovecraftian fiction is bigger and more popular than ever before. What makes a story “Lovecraftian,” and how can a writer make a unique and powerful contribution to this ever-growing genre? Our panel of legendary writers show how they did it and which steps new writers should avoid.

Panelists: Joe Pulver, Darrell Schweitzer, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Rawlik, Lois Gresh, Laird Barron

Moderator: Mike Davis

CULT OF THE DEAD

CULT OF THE DEAD – here’s the cover, folks. Hippocampus Press will release the collection at NecronomiCon Providence. Pre-orders will be available on the Hippocampus website in July.

World Horror Convention – schedule

Stop by my panels at World Horror Convention!

Friday, May 8th at 5 pm. The Real True Detective: When Horror Meets Noir, Mystery and Spy Thrillers
Saturday, May 9th at 9 am. Making Insane Characters Believable
Saturday, May 9th at 3 pm. Weird Fiction Renaissance

MORE DETAILS

FRI 5-6 PM The Real True Detective: When Horror Meets Noir, Mystery and Spy Thrillers – SARNATH

How dark does neo-noir horror have to be? Where do the lines fall where crime fiction becomes horror. Practitioners of the art of crime and thriller fiction shed light on the limits of human depravity.

SAT 9-10 AM Midmorning Madness: Making Insane Characters Believable – SARNATH

From classics like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” to Stephen King’s Misery, to more contemporary works like Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, both film and literature alike have a soft spot for the insane. But what makes these characters believable and why do readers love a madman or a hysteric woman? Well, say hello to Tyler Durdan and get ready for a trip to the asylum because the first rule of madness is that we don’t talk about madness. And if it’s your first time going mad, well, then you have to scream.

SAT 3-4 When the Weird Go Pro: Exploring the Parameters and Considering the Directions of a Literary Renaissance – SARNATH

Some would call it a Renaissance. Not your daddy’s Lovecraft mythos pastiche, the Weird in the hands of today’s writers owes as much or more to literary titans such as Melville, Borges, McCarthy and Carter. Others talk about the New Weird and consider it a global movement. What is Weird fiction? Does defining the Weird focus or limit its growth? Why now, why is this literary movement so exciting, and what does the future hold for the Weird?

Supernatural Crime Thrillers – 3 Novels in a New Series!

THRILLING NEWS! I just received a contract from Titan Books for the first 3 supernatural crime thrillers in an original series.

I’m extremely thankful to Steve Saffel for believing in me. Huge thanks also go to Jonathan Maberry, Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Nancy Holder, Leslie S. Klinger, Loren D. Estleman, and S.T. Joshi.

I’ve spent the past 4 weeks writing an extremely detailed outline of Novel #1. Now I’m filling in details for Novels #2 and #3. I’ve also been buried in research, which is one aspect of writing that I truly love. Research is a great excuse to read a lot of books and learn all sorts of cool things!

 

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES – TABLE OF CONTENTS

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES (PS Publishing, 2015)

100,000 words of really fine weird fiction

Available at NecronomiCon 2015!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction by Lois H. Gresh
Windows Underwater by John Shirley
Cold Blood by Lavie Tidhar


Fear Sun by Laird Barron
Thicker Than Water by Paul Kane
Strange Currents by Tim Lebbon
Mourning People by Nancy Kilpatrick
The Barnacle Daughter by Richard Gavin
Between the Pilings by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Imps of Innsmouth by Wilum H. Pugmire
The Open Mouth of Charybdis by John Langan
Water’s Edge by Tim Waggoner
Dark Waters by William F. Nolan
A Girl’s Life by Lisa Morton
The Sea Witch by James Moore
Brood by Jason V. Brock
Gone to Doggerland by Jonathan Thomas
The Scent of the Hammer and the Feather by Joseph Pulver, Sr.
Baubles by Nancy Holder
The Waves Beckon by Donald Tyson
The Cats of River Street (1925) by Caitlin Kiernan
Some Kind of Mistake by S.T. Joshi

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES

INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES (PS Publishing, 2015) – available at NecronomiCon 2015 – will include stories by the following authors (in no particular order). I had to turn down some wonderful stories for INNSMOUTH NIGHTMARES, and some of the decisions were very difficult. In the end, the book tops 100,000 words and includes some of the finest weird tales I’ve ever read.

Caitlin Kiernan
Laird Barron
John Shirley
Lavie Tidhar
Wilum Pugmire
Steve Rasnic Tem
Paul Kane
Richard Gavin
Lisa Morton
Jonathan Thomas
John Langan
Bill Nolan
Jason Brock
Nancy Kilpatrick
Joe Pulver
Tim Lebbon
Tim Waggoner
Jim Moore
Nancy Holder
Don Tyson
S.T. Joshi

Dreams from the Witch House

I’m delighted to be part of

Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror, forthcoming from Dark Regions Press. (Editor Lynne Jamneck)



From the book description:

“The history of the Old World is shrouded in secrecy. Creatures and forces unimaginable inhabited this realm for eons, long before any human navigated the surface of the earth. As the Old Ones have slumbered or observed from afar, humans have assembled civilization upon this fragile planet. Yet the whispers from the elders have been growing stronger, their energy once again seeping into the world. These whispers are being felt throughout the earth; from the roots of our flora to the dreams of our children. They are preparing us for what is to come.

“In Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror the most intuitive dreamers have been assembled to give us glimpses into these ancient terrors and their whispered warnings. Featuring authors Joyce Carol Oates, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Lois Gresh, Gemma Files, Nancy Kilpatrick, Elizabeth Bear, Storm Constantine and others accompanied by the lavish artwork of Daniele Serra, Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror is a representation of some of the finest cosmic horror and weird fiction from female authors in the field today.”