James A. Moore's Blog, page 15

Just in case anyone hasn't seen the awesome layout for th...

Just in case anyone hasn't seen the awesome layout for the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book festival as yet: River City Writers Present:
Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival 2016
Saturday, October 22nd 10am to 4:30pm
at Haverhill Public Library, Haverhill, MAJoin us as we celebrate books this Halloween season! 36 Authors and Artists gather to present panel discussions on New England horror traditions, ghost stories, why scary stories are good for kids, and much more! Authors will be selling and autographing their books. This event is sponsored by River City Writers and Jabberwocky Bookshop!This event is FREE and open to the public!!!Please share!!Our lineup of participating authors, artists, and filmmakers includes:Christopher Golden
Brian Keene
James A. Moore
Thomas E. Sniegoski
Josh Malerman
Paul Tremblay
Leigh Perry
Craig Shaw Gardner
John Langan
Kat Howard
Nicholas Kaufmann
Rio Youers
Toni LP Kelner
John M. McIlveen
Glenn Chadbourne
Jack Haringa
Jason Ciaramella
Hillary Monahan
EJ Stevens
Bracken MacLeod
Errick Nunnally
Kristin Dearborn
Douglas Wynne
Christopher Irvin
Izzy Lee
Scott Goudsward
Tony Tremblay
Gardner Goldsmith
Jan Kozlowski
Daniel Braum
Gregory Bastianelli
Amber Fallon
Dan Padavona
Asher Ellis
Trisha Wooldridge
Philip Perron
Liza Gardner WalshPlease note that most of our authors are planning to be set up for the entire event. The following authors will be signing for a limited time, as noted below:Christopher Irvin (12-1)
Douglas Wynne (10-1)
Errick Nunnally (1-3)
John Langan (12-1)
Josh Malerman (1-3)
Kat Howard (1- 3)
Nicholas Kaufmann (10-12)
Paul Tremblay (1-3)
Rio Youers (1-3)Also, please note that (obviously) authors signing all day will be absent from their tables during their scheduled panels.The preliminary schedule of panels at this year's Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival is right here! Don't miss a moment!10 – 11 a.m.A Haunted Legacy: 100 Years of Shirley Jackson
Paul Tremblay, John Langan (M), Toni L.P. Kelner, Leigh Perry, Jack HaringaIn her brief life, Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) produced some of the most enduring horror novels and short stories of the 20th century, including “The Lottery,” “The Summer People,” We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and The Haunting of Hill House. Her work has recently been reissued and re-examined, there is a literary award named for her, and writers from Joyce Carol Oates to Stephen King have spoken of her influence. What makes her work so enduring and so powerful? How does she still influence the writers of today?11 – 12 a.m.Fear in Four Colors: Horror Comics from Past to Present
Jason Ciaramella, Christopher Irvin (M), Brian Keene, Amber Fallon, Glenn ChadbourneSince comic books first hit the stands in the 1930s, horror tropes have been an essential part of the art form, providing villains and settings for the stories that filled those pulp pages. In the 1950s, the success of horror comics nearly brought the industry down, but the creepy, eerie, and monstrous made a return just a decade or so later and its been around ever since. How does the medium lend itself to the horror genre? What are the essential horror comics to read, from both the past and today? Readers and creators discuss how the oldest type of story fits with the original American art form.12 – 1 p.m.21st Century Frights: New Millennium Monsters in Fiction and Film
Daniel Braum, Izzy Lee, Josh Malerman, Rio Youers, Bracken MacLeod (M)Each century brings us its new monsters and frights, either inventing them from whole cloth or refining folklore into literary and cinematic forms. What new creatures stalk the horror landscape in these media, and what might they say about our world and ourselves? Panelists will discuss both their own work and that of their contemporaries.1 – 2 p.m.How to Slay a Demon: Lessons from Growing Up with Horror
Thomas E. Sniegoski, Gardner Goldsmith, Christopher Golden, Hillary Monahan, James A. Moore, Craig Shaw Gardner (M)Neil Gaiman famously wrote, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” Horror novels and films hold lessons for children, too, both inspirational and cautionary. Panelists will discuss their childhood experiences with horror stories and suggest works for a variety of ages.2 – 3 p.m.Quaint Little Terrors: Small-Town New England and the Horror Tradition
Scott Goudsward, Kristin Dearborn, Gregory Bastianelli, John M. McIlveen, Tony Tremblay (M)From H.P. Lovecraft’s Dunwich, Massachusetts, to Stephen King’s Derry, Maine, to John Carpenter’s Hobb’s End, New Hampshire, the small town in New England has been portrayed as a repository, generator, or magnet for the sinister and horrific. Native New Englanders and horror writers all, the panelists will discuss just why those little towns are such perfect settings for horror stories large and small.3 – 4 p.m.Some of my Best Friends Are Vampires: Diversity in Urban Fantasy
Kat Howard, Errick Nunnally, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Douglas Wynne, E.J. StevensMuch of the first wave of urban fantasy and paranormal mysteries didn’t contain many characters that reflected the diverse nature of the real world. They tended to be white, middle class, and North American in both setting and population. A new wave of writers in these subgenres are exploring cities and characters that are more inclusive. Panelists will discuss approaches to broader perspectives, challenges they face, and the best works of urban fantasy that embrace the multicultural nature of our world.~~~~~~~~~~~
Parking update--
There is parking at the library and on both sides of Summer Street (just north of the library).
There is parking at Central Plaza (where the Market Basket is on the corner of Main Street (125) and Water Street.
There is street parking on Bailey Blvd., off of Main Street (125). There is also a parking deck behind the police station and the Pentucket Medical Building on Bailey Blvd.
There is parking in the lot on Merrimack Street (off Main Street-125).
It is advisable to carpool if possible.


Oh and you can't a copy of THIS IS HALLOWEEN  and a few other surprises while you're there. :)

Eeper Weeper and One For Sorrow: The Whitechapel Paranormal Society is coming soon.

One of  the rare and delightful treats about knowing other writers is now and then they let you check out their worlds a little early. That's the case with E.J. Stevens as regards her forthcoming Dreadpunk series The Whitechapel Paranormal Society. I got a chance to read this a while back. Now I get a chance to share it with you. This is an excerpt from Eeper Weeper, a story that is an introduction and prequel to the series coming down the pipeline early next year.








Right HERE is a link to the first part of Eeper Weeper, to whet your appetites. I am waiting as patiently as I can for the next installment.



Like that cover? Try this one on for size, for ONE FOR SORROW.




Right HERE is where you can earn a chance to win an Amazon Gift card fro looking a little deeper into the secrets of the Whitechapel Paranormal Society and the horrors they'll be investigating.

Just for grins, make a post on the link right above as you're entering for your chance to win and E.J will pick one winner at random to get a signed and personalized copy of my forthcoming THIS IS HALLOWEEN short story collection. Why? Because now and then we all like a treat, and I love Halloween.

THE LAST SACRIFICE is now available for pre-order.

Right HERE. 

THE LAST SACRIFICE COVER REVEAL

So here it is. I am IMMENSELY pleased!

Since time began, the Grakhul – immortal servants of the gods – have taken human sacrifices to keep the world in balance and the gods appeased. When the choose the family of warrior Brogan McTyre, everything changes.Brogan begins the toughest battle of his life to free his family from their terrible fate. But when you challenge the gods, you challenge the very fabric of society. Declared an outcast, Brogan and his kin are hunted like criminals – but nothing will stand in his way.

THIS IS HALLOWEEN (Coming soon as a limited release)

So, I teased already. Now I can show you the final work..


The following is the cover for a new short story collection by yours truly.  The collection, called THIS IS HALLOWEEN, will be available this year at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. As the collection directly revolves around Halloween and has MOST of my Halloween stories collected in one place, it seemed appropriate.

This is a limited edition, and only in print for the present time.

The cost will not be prohibitive. More on that soon.

In the meantime. I just wanted to show you the amazing cover by Dan Brereton, who is awesome. Dan knows all about the Halloween spirit, as he is responsible for THE NOCTURNALS, just about the best comic book ever to happen to Halloween and all things creepy.

Before We Even Met

This week several writers are remembering a man who was an influence, a peer and a friend. Maybe you’ve heard of him or read his works. Maybe, if you are very lucky, you had the chance to meet him in person.
His name is Charles L. Grant, and I knew him as Charlie.  He died ten years ago and I miss him.
Charlie was a powerful, subtle and always entertaining wrier. He knew how to bring a shiver down my spine (NOT an easy task, rest assured) with a few words. He also understood and appreciated the art of subtle storytelling. Not everyone gets that. There are a lot of writers out there whom I enjoy, but a goodly number of those very people simply do not have the skills required to make a quiet shiver.
The first time I met Charlie, he was gracious and kind. The second time I met him he chewed me up one side and down the other for not taking care of business properly when it came to my career. He yelled at me regularly about things like getting an agent and reading my contracts carefully. He was, in many ways, a mentor to me when I was just starting out. Rest assured, a substantial portion of the advice I give to other people I learned from him.
Charlie lived in northern New Jersey and I lived in Georgia. Most of the time when we talked it was at conventions or occasionally on a long distance call that, back then, cost more than we probably should have spent as writers.
Except, of course, when I was reading his works. At those times, we talked endlessly. We chatted about the lives of the characters he created from thin air and breathed life into. Well before I met Charlie in person, he’d told me all about THE PET, and took time to sit at THE TEA PARTY (My very first excursion into Charlie’s writing and one that still sticks with me today.) I read every volume of SHADOWS, the anthology that Charlie edited, as soon as I could get my hands on it.
Charlie was a monster when it came to writing. Look him up and you’ll only sew a few books, but he edited a lot, he wrote a lot and he sold a lot under pseudonyms. Lionel Fenn wrote mysteries. Simon Lake wrote horror and suspense. Felicia Andrews wrote gothic romances. They were all Charles L. Grant, who made my output seem insignificant in comparison.
Charlie was an amazing writer.
Charlie was a drinker and a smoker. They took their toll on him in the end and he left us far earlier than anyone would have liked. I point that out only because it wrenches my soul to think about how different the world would have been if he’d been with us for longer.
Charlie lived in New Jersey when he passed. I still lived in Georgia. I could not make it to his funeral. I still miss him.
But when I miss him the most, when I think about his laugh and it gets stuck in my head, I go over to my library and I choose a book from his rather extensive collection of works, and we talk again, like old times, before we even met.

Laura Silverman: GIRL OUT OF WATER

So an author friend of mine, Kami Garcia, brought this to my attention, via Christopher Golden.

There is an outspoken, first time author who has her first book coming out next year. The book is so new that review copies haven't been made.

Amazon has a link, but no image and barely any information is available beside the release date of May 1st.  There's no cover, but there will be in time.

So, with no cover and no review copies available, a strange and demented miracle took place today. Losers and racists decided to post their own reviews on Goodreads.com. The reason for this? Laura has been very vocal in her dislike of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. Frankly, he's made a gigantic number of racist comments (I'm not gonna source that. Look basically ANYWHERE on the internet where actual news is reported and you're going to run across a few references.)

And apparently she offended the racist red neck brigade. who promptly started giving her one star reviews on Goodreads after generating a flurry of spam identities to allow them the privilege.   I understand that a slurry or racial remarks made their way onto Goodreads,too, just to make sure a new author felt welcome.

I don't like racists.  I find they are, as a rule, not nice people. Even the ones who ARE  nice are only nice now and then and under the right circumstances. Left to their own devices, some of them even go so far as to drag people behind trucks for a few miles, chain people to trees, burn crosses in front yards, oh, the list of atrocities is monumental and even leads to genocide too often for my comfort. Not all, but enough to leave me unhappy with their philosophies and enough to guarantee that I would never consider voting for Donald Trump, who seems to believe that pointing at anyone other than himself and calling for blame is the best way to run a campaign (unfortunately it's worked to a very real extent).










This nonsense. Right here.

Let me clarify: REVIEW COPIES ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THEY DO NOT EXIST AS YET. Somehow, a few dozen readers magically got copies and all decided it was a one star book.

This is Laura's first book. You don't like her? Fine, don't buy the book. Don't like her politics? Don't like her religion or her race? Same answer. but to start a smear campaign before the book is out? Well, pardon my language, but that makes you an a douche bag loser of epic scale.  



The following was found on Goodreads:

"Due to trolling and the falsified reviews being posted for Girl Out Of Water which is NOT yet available for review in any form or capacity, we are adding this note from the publisher until the harassment of Laura Silverman on Goodreads is addressed and a resolution has been reached.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting Laura and Girl Out of Water. She appreciates your love and so do we! We hope to solve this problem as soon as possible. In the meantime, please share the pre-order link to Girl Out of Water! and your love for Laura on Twitter #LoveForLaura

Amazon - http://ow.ly/ymjs304hLKC

Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer.

Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word. Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves? (less)"


Seriously, sounds like a proper synopsis to me. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not saying anyone should follow my lead here, but I hope people do. Last I checked the ideas that stood for the most in this country included freedom or religion and freedom from racial/religious persecution. Also, I tend to like it when new writers do well. it means more people are reading and writers are making a living in their trade.

I seriously do not want to know where I would be if this had happened with my first book.

James A. Moore

I'm not SAYING....

I'm not SAYING that I have a special edition book coming out for the Merrimack Valley Halloween Festival, but I'm saying that it's so. Limited edition, but there might be a few available when it's all said and done.

I'm also not saying that the cover is by the amazing Dan Brereton, but there ya go....


This is not the cover. Just an awesome piece by Dan....

Upcoming River City Writers Events

EVENTS 









MERRIMACK VALLEY HALLOWEEN BOOK FESTIVAL
River City Writers Present: Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival 2016 Saturday, October 22nd 10am to 4:30pm at Haverhill Public Library, Haverhill, MA 
Join us as we celebrate books this Halloween season! 33 Authors and Artists gather to present panel discussions on New England horror traditions, ghost stories, why scary stories are good for kids, and much more! Authors will be selling and autographing their books. This event is sponsored by River City Writers and Jabberwocky Bookshop. 
This event is FREE and open to the public!!! Please share!! 
Our lineup of participating authors, artists, and filmmakers includes: 
Christopher Golden Brian Keene James A. Moore Thomas E. Sniegoski Josh Malerman Paul Tremblay Leigh Perry Craig Shaw Gardner John Langan Kat Howard Nicholas Kaufmann Rio Youers Toni LP Kelner John M. McIlveen Glenn Chadbourne Jack Haringa Jason Ciaramella Hillary Monahan EJ Stevens Bracken MacLeod Errick Nunnally Kristin Dearborn Douglas Wynne Christopher Irvin Izzy Lee Scott Goudsward Tony Tremblay Gardner Goldsmith Jan Kozlowski Daniel Braum Gregory Bastianelli Amber Fallon Dan Padanova Asher Ellis 

WRITERS COFFEEHOUSE NEW ENGLAND 
Writers of all experience levels gather to discuss the business and craft of writing. Writers Coffeehouse events are always free, and are an excellent opportunity to learn and to build relationships within the writing community. 
Upcoming Coffeehouses include: 
Saturday October 2016 1st 2-5pm: Bodacious Books and Baubles, 225 Shaker Rd., East Longmeadow, MA 
Saturday December 3rd 2016 1-4pm: Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, ME 
Saturday, February 4th 2017 1-4pm: BookClub Bookstore, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA

The River City Writers are here

So for a while now Christopher Golden and yours truly have been working on something. that something is now here. 

THE RIVER CITY WRITERS

With more than half a century’s combined experience in writing and editing, Christopher Golden and James A. Moore bring their shared love of the written word to all they do. In recent years, the Haverhill, Massachusetts-based authors and editors have expanded their repertoire to include events like the wildly successful Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival and area workshops like the Writers Coffeehouse New England. Now Golden and Moore launch RIVER CITY WRITERS, a company offering book-and-writing-related events, workshops in all areas of writing and publishing, focused and intimate writing retreats, and by popular demand, premium editorial and consultation services.

RIVER CITY WRITERS debuts in 2016 with events including the 2nd Annual Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival, the continuation of the free Writers Coffeehouse New England series, and a combination of single afternoon and multi-day workshops. Golden and Moore will both be offering selective editorial and consultation services as their own busy writing schedules allow.