Richard Gavin's Blog, page 33

DARKLY SPLENDID paperback

The trade paperback edition of The Darkly Splendid Realm is now available.

Copies can be obtained directly from Dark Regions Press, or through Amazon.com. Do note, however, that Amazon has yet to receive their stock, so initial orders will take longer to dispatch than they will from Dark Regions.

For those fully immersed in the Digital Age, the E-Book version of Realm is currently in the works. Details will be announced in due course.

A Poem for Bob Bloch's Hideous Progeny...

Games Night at the Bates Motelby Richard Gavin

In the end

they're only little games we play.

Check into a one-room cell
& for a night or two
call it Home-Sweet-Home

undergarments tucked in foreign drawers
passions spelled out on strange beds
intoxication chilled in a little plastic pail of complimentary ice.

Sometimes we may even falsely register
as Mr. Smith or Ms. Doe, or as Marie Samuels.
Thin white lies,
little games
to rejuvenate the puppet-cord routine
of punch-clocks and 9am boardroom conclaves.

A Poem for Bob Bloch's Hideous Progenies...

Games Night at the Bates Motelby Richard Gavin

In the end

they're only little games we play.

Check into a one-room cell
& for a night or two
call it Home-Sweet-Home

undergarments tucked in foreign drawers
passions spelled out on strange beds
intoxication chilled in a little plastic pail of complimentary ice.

Sometimes we may even falsely register
as Mr. Smith or Ms. Doe, or as Marie Samuels.
Thin white lies,
little games
to rejuvenate the puppet-cord routine
of punch-clocks and 9am boardroom conclaves.

JK Potter in Rue Morgue

Issue 98 of Rue Morgue magazine hits newsstands March 1st. It features my interview with and career profile of the inimitable horror illustrator J.K. Potter. I think it's safe to say that J.K. and I really hit it off. He was a true pleasure to talk with and his interview is fascinating. The Rue Crew appears to have put together another great one. How can I complain when my work appears in an issue with both King Diamond and a Paul Naschy cover story? It doesn't get much finer than that.

On Knowing

Wisdom from Meetings with Remarkable Men

Simon Strantzas on THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM

My friend and fine author of strange stories, Simon Strantzas, has posted a wonderful review of The Darkly Splendid Realm, which you can read here.

One of the most flattering comments Simon made was:

"I honestly believe there is no one writing like Richard Gavin today..."

That's always exhilarating to see.

You see, I have a near-fanatical desire to only publish stories that are unlike anything else in the genre, past or present. I may not always succeed, but will always make an earnest attempt. M...

THE DARKLY SPLENDID REALM: Now shipping!

Dark Regions Press has announced that all pre-orders for the Deluxe and Limited Editions of The Darkly Splendid Realm will be shipping this week. Huzzah!

The Deluxe Edition is completely sold out, however there are a limited number of the hardcover Limited Editions currently in stock at Dark Regions. Copies can be ordered here.

In other news, it's Bram Stoker Award season, so Monica at Burning Effigy Press is kindly offering all Active Members of the Horror Writers Association a free PDF of my ...

Monstrous Musings

I would like to write a story involving monsters, and monsters only.

Now, I'm aware that fiction is brimming over with vampires and zombies and werewolves and unnameable tentacled things. But there is a common element to all these stories, and it is one I'd like to try (stress try) to erase from my story: the human element.
I've been mulling over how one might go about writing an actual story (I'm not talking about a vignette or a mood piece here, but something with plot and a beginning...

Wise Words for Short Story Authors

Jeff VanderMeer has released a very concise and helpful article entitled "Seven Points to Consider When Submitting Short Fiction." If you have ever written, are writing, or one day hope to write a short story for possible publication, you owe it to yourself to read Jeff's article, which can be found here. (I feel point number seven is particularly wise and important.)

A shout out to Laird Barron for bringing this article to my attention.

A Ghost Story for Christmas & a REALM Update

For those in the Toronto area, I encourage you to join us tonight at The Central (603 Markham St.) for A Ghost Story for Christmas: books, spirits, and live readings! This is a free event. We hope to see you there.

Also, for anyone who pre-ordered the Deluxe or Lettered editions of The Darkly Splendid Realm: as of earlier this month, Dark Regions Press were just waiting on the arrival of the dust-jackets, which were due imminently. Once the dust-jackets are received, all orders will begin shi...