James Dorr's Blog, page 108

And Now for Something a Little Different: School Nights in Spanish

The objective of this group is to go towards the realization of an anthology of microfictions between 200 and 300 words whose subject is human life as an essential value.  The thematic axis must be the struggle of human beings to preserve or gain their dignity, identity and integrity.  I will have preference for texts describing abuses, mistreatment, persecution and discrimination against women, children, the elderly, the different, persecuted for political or religious reasons.  The deadline is September 30, 2017.

Such was the call, the book TODO EL MUNDO EN UN LIBRO or ALL THE WORLD IN A BOOK, but in Spanish, though submissions in English would be okay.  So why not?  I had a less than 300-word piece called “School Nights,” about a girl who discovers a vocation to be a vampire, which sort of fit the scheme anyway.  So off it went to “Compiler” Sergio Gaut Vel Hartman.  And now, via FaceBook, we have announced what I think is the final list of forty accepted authors and stories:

Aquí va la lista de los cuarenta siguientes:

“Estás igualito”, de Jorge Ariel Madrazzo

“El vagabundo”, de Samuli Antila

“Emporeio”, de Kostas Paradias

“Antes de que sea tarde”, de Luisa Axpe

“Confesión”, de Armando Azeglio

“Estado de sitio”, de Eduardo Cerdán

“El sacrificio”, de Fabio Calabrese

“La biblioteca humana”, de Martijn Adelmund

“Pasos en la arena”, de Giovanni Agnoloni

“El asalto”, de Carlos Almira Picazo.

“Noches de aprendizaje”, de James Dorr

“Barro”, de Jay Caselberg[image error]

“Dayland”, de Alejandro Marcelo Guarino

“Artesanal”, de Sergio Gaut vel Hartman

“Otro día”, de Pedro José García Gambín

“Diamar”, de Julia Martín

“El hombre del tren”, de Bruce Memblatt

“Esta ciudad”, de J.S. Meresmaa

“¿Alguien lo vio?”, de Hector Ranea

“Niños y gatitos”, de John Paul Allen

“El final de la vigilia”, de Mark E. Pocha

“Otro día en la vida”, de Holly Schofield

“Amor sobre todo”, de Betina Goransky

“La condición femenina”, de Karen Jennings

“Transformación”, de Valjeanne Jeffers

“La partida”, de Alberto Chimal

“La sala de descanso”, de J.J. Haas

“Asesinato sin testigos”, de Javier López

“Penas cultivadas”, de Rosana Canosa.

“Renacimiento”, de L.V. Cervera Merino

“Espejo del cuarto de hora”, de Juan Pablo Noroña

“Circulo vicioso”, de João Ventura

“Cinco amigos”, de José Eduardo Lopes

“El espantapájaros”, de Carlos Manuel Cruz Meza

“Dice mi madre”, de Lucas Cristofaro de Vincenti

“El timbre sonó durante un largo rato”, de Katica Kulavkova

“Deseos”, de Leonardo Killian

“Solux”, de Michael Marrak

“Sacrificio de vida y muerte”, de Gerard Houarner

“Decisión”, de Jorge Candeias

“School Nights” (or translated here, “Nights of Learning”) was originally published in GOTHIC BLUE BOOK IV: THE FOLKLORE EDITION (Burial Day Books, 2014 — cf. October 13 2017; October 29 2014, et al.), with TODO EL MUNDO EN UN LIBRO originally set to be published in Spain in March, but with the announcement of authors out just this month (originally to have been December 31), could be running five or six seeks late.

Aimée Is Alive on Ariel Chart; Pole to Pole Contracts Signed and Sent Back

“Casket Girls” (see January 23, et al.) is now alive and readable in the February ARIEL CHART, as announced by Associate Editor Marchelle Young.  This is the tale of Aimée and her part in the founding of New Orleans, and with it [image error]is an appropriate casket-like, ladylike illustration.  To see and enjoy for yourself, press here.  The issue will remain on site until March 1, at which time it will go into ARIEL CHART’s archives.

Also, yesterday afternoon the contracts arrived for “The Game” and “The Blade of Gudrin” for RE-LAUNCH and RE-QUEST from Pole to Pole Publishing (cf. February 4 and 2, respectively) and were signed and sent back, with countersigned copies received by me today.  And so the “writing life” goes on.

How About Some Horror Movies You May Not Have Seen Yet? (Tombs Misses Final Stoker® Ballot)

So in one respect the second part of this saves some worry, plus lets me get to StokerCon without likely to be unrealized expectations.  Still TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH having missed the final ballot (cf. January 25, et al.) is a disappointment.  So how about watching a movie inst[image error]ead, maybe one not seen before, as listed in “11 Severely Underrated Horror Movies You Should Watch Tonight” via THE-LINE-UP.COM?  The fourth on the list, in fact, has been reviewed here (cf. “With Snow on the Ground Casey Surely Was Freezing in that Miniskirt, Though,” December 27 2015).  For the others, press here.

And for me, one thing that might cheer me up:  If you’ve read TOMBS and feel, at least, it did deserve being on the preliminary ballot, perhaps you could post a review of it on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, et al.

Thanks.

Game for Pole to Pole “Re-Launch”; Feb. First Sundays for Valentine’s Day

And so the second report came in this morning from Pole to Pole Publishing (see just below):  Thank you for sending “The Game” for Pole to Pole Publishing’s “Re-Launch,” anthology.  We appreciate the chance to read it, and have decided to accept “The Game” for inclusion in the anthology.  Your contract and additional information will be sent to you in a few weeks.  RE-LAUNCH, we’ll recall, is to be the science fiction half of Pole to Pole’s reprint dyad, with my story “The Game,” about an “on the beach” spaceman earning redemption, was originally published in Britain’s HUB magazine on November 7 2007.  More will appear on both publications as it becomes known.

Then Sunday afternoon brought the Bloomington Writers Guild’s “First Sunday Prose Reading & Open Mic” (cf. January 7, et al.), this time in a County Library conference room as it continues to seek a new [image error]home, with featured readers Molly Gleeson, a one-time teacher of English in China, Saudi Arabia, and Japan now working as a writing tutor at a Bloomington community college reading her short story “House of Atreus”; international doctoral student Maureen Chinwe Onyeziri with a story about a young girl identified as a malevolent spirit, “Taming the Spirit,” followed by a brief memoir of a recent visit to her home in Nigeria; and local poet and fiction writer Cara Hohit with three short stories linked by a theme of intimacy, both old and new and both wanted and shunned.  My own contribution, third of six when it was time for the open mike segment, was a recent tale especially chosen for Valentine’s Day, “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” about a first meeting between a vampiress and a just-in-the-process-of-changing werewolf.

“Gudrin” Accepted for Re-Quest by Pole to Pole Publishing

There was a note of urgency to the listing.  Update on the RE-LAUNCH and RE-QUEST anthos from Pole to Pole Publishing — we’ve accepted 21 of the 26 pieces needed to fill the 2 anthos.  We have 1 new submission yet to read, and 4 (2 per antho) we’re still considering.  If you’re thinking of sending us something — don’t wait!  (Reprints only, 3,000 – 5,000 words).  Well, I had been thinking of sending [image error]them something and so, at the very, very end of January, I sent a story to each.

So now, only two days into February, the first word has come back from Editors Kelly A. Harmon and Vonnie Winslow Crist:  Thank you for sending “The Blade of Gudrin” for Pole to Pole Publishing’s “Re-Quest,” anthology.  We appreciate the chance to read it, and have decided to accept “The Blade of Gudrin” for inclusion in the anthology.  Your contract and additional information will be sent to you in a few weeks.  This is for the fantasy entry of the pair (with RE-LAUNCH for science fiction), with “The Blade of Gudrin” going all the way back to the Spring 1993 issue of SPACE AND TIME (there was a premium for reprints first printed a long time ago).  While as for the other . . . well, time will tell, but if it’s accepted too you’ll find out about it here.

Eclipse Photography, or, Why What Didn’t Work for the Sun Probably Wouldn’t for the Moon Either?

So if, like me, you missed last night’s Super, Blue, Whatever Else Total Lunar Eclipse (in my case in part because where I am it wouldn’t have been total anyway), maybe this won’t be a super big deal.  But if you saw it, and tried to take pictures and if, like me, have a totally inappropriate camera, pause for a mome [image error] nt and review last summer’s solar eclipse post, “The Crummiest Solar Eclipse Picture of the Year” (August 22 2017).  Look for the second picture posted, the one with the buses, and observe the lenses on the cameras the two “professionals” were setting up.  The ones that presumably got good pictures.
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And now, a day too late for last night’s photo bugs, but maybe next time, a possible reason why discovered today via POPSCI.COM, “How to Take a Picture of the Moon that Doesn’t Look Like a Tiny, White Blob” by Stan Horaczek (who also took the lunar picture shown just above).  Curious?  Press here.
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So maybe next time, it might work for the sun too?

DeadSteam Web Page Open, Partial Author List

DEADSTEAM is on the way and with my story “The Re-Possessed” in it (cf. January 16, 11).  Scheduled for October 2018 and with a publisher, Grimmer & Grimmer Books, now announced, there is also a website for more information, including profiles on authors thus far.  As well as a definition of “Dreadpunk” and tidbits on what to expect:  DEADSTEAM is an anthology of dreadpunk, gaslamp, and dark steampunk.  These are tales of the ghoulish and the gothic, chilling stories of haunted streets, of vampires and demons stalking the city from fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gas lamps.

17 chilling stories of the monsters lurking around every corner, the ghosts haunting the [image error] darkest streets of Victorian London, and the dead things crawling out of their graves to consume the flesh of the living.

Featuring stories by David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), DJ Tyrer, Jay Seate, Lawrence Salani, James Dorr, Lori Tiron-Pandit, Rob Francis, Ross Smeltzer, CC Adams, Alice E Keyes, Steve Carr, E Seneca, and Bryce Raffle (The Complications of Avery Vane).

And maybe more stories and authors to come?  To find out, check here.

StokerCon Panel Schedule Revealed (Well, Mostly)

For those going to StokerCon at the beginning of March this year, the program (or at least a preliminary version of it) has been published.  Or more to the point for me, I’m listed on two panels.  Thus, the first of these is on Friday afternoon:  Dark Poets Face to Face Redux (Moderator: Marge Simon), 4:00 PM, A select panel of talented contemporary horror poets read and discuss each other’s works.  The audience is encouraged to participate and will be given copies of the poems for comments as well.  Panelists will be asked for three poems, 50 lines max per poem.  I will share all the poems with everyone in advance and they pick another poet’s poem to read to the audience.  They must pick 3 poems by different poets on the panel.  After reading it, they will state why they chose it, and/or what sparked their feelings about it.  Audience will have copies of all poems read.  The round continues until time is up, so every poet will have at least one or two poems read aloud and discussed.

And then, for Saturday:  Vampires:  The Next Generation (Moderator: James Dorr), 4:00 PM, Sparkly vampires are dead!  Long live ugly vampires!  With the popularity of young adult vampires in books, such as the TWILIGHT series, and television shows, such as THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, finally waning, where do vampires go next?  There are plenty of vampire romance novels.  But there’s also a swing back to the vampire as a monster, as seen in THE STRAIN books and television series and Justin Cronin’s PASSAGE trilogy.  What’s next for horror’s favorite undead bloodsucker?

As for this second, I don’t at this moment know who the other panelists will be, but insofar as, going back at least to the lamiae of ancient Rome, allure has traditionally been one of the vampire’s deadliest weapons it’s possible that not all vamps we’ll discuss will be physically ugly — albeit still dangerous.  For instance, I’m kind of into mermaid vampiresses at the moment, including the film THE LURE (see below, April 25 2017, but also in poetry in the current STAR*LINE), as well as, to continue with films of the past few years, Ana Lily Amirpour’s survivalist (sort of) A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AFTER DARK (see January 11 2015) and the gorgeous, if nevertheless unsparkly, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (June 26 2014).  Any ideas that you could add too?

And then, finally, for the “well, mostly” part of the headline, I will hopefully also be doing a short reading from TOMBS, but, since airline schedules have me arriving by nearly evening Thursday, and leaving around dawn Sunday morning, I had to pass up the first time slot offered.  Hopefully though one will be found for me (as set up, I believe, these will be hour sessions with three readers each, giving us about fifteen minutes apiece, so it may possibly take their finding some other already scheduled reader who’ll be willing to trade for a Thursday or Sunday slot).

At the Movies: As Boas Maneiras (Good Manners)

If you have a chance to see a movie called AS BOAS MANEIRAS, or in English GOOD MANNERS, do so. It’s a long film at about two hours and fifteen minutes and, as confessed by the docent introducing it at the Indiana University Cinema Thursday night, almost anything you can say about it would be a spoiler.  So, at the risk of spoilers, here’s what the IU Cinema catalogue says:  Mysterious and wealthy Ana hires Clara — a lonely nurse from the outskirts of São Paulo — as housekeeper and nanny to Ana’s soon-to-be born child.  Against all odds, the two women develop a strong bond, but a fateful night changes their plans.  Oliver Lyttelton from THE PLAYLIST perhaps best articulates the you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it AS BOAS MANEIRAS as “the year’s best Brazilian lesbian werewolf musical melodrama.”

Lesbian werewolves, what more could one ask for?  Except that’s not really what the film is about.  Also, toward the end, there’s what one recognizes as the classic torch-bearing peasants storming the castle – in this case a São Paulo slum apartment – scene, except that’s not really what it’s about either.  In a way,[image error] in fact, it’s really two films and, yes, what girl-on-girl action there is falls in the first part. Except maybe one of them’s really sleep-loving.  But then the second part is very different.  And if there’s a theme it may be about innocence — that of children and mother’s love — and trying to do the next right thing when dealt a weirdly bad hand by life.

Except that there is a werewolf too, and maybe someone should have known better.  But what’s one to do, especially if one’s from the lower classes and almost anything one might try isn’t likely to end well?  And how much truth should one tell a child?  And, even with werewolves, could something like all this really happen — I mean, there are secrets, but maybe some have just too many loose ends?   So, probably not, but the final scene is both sad and heroic — and brought applause when the audience realized the film had ended.

To my best knowledge, the film’s not available on DVD, at least not yet, but if you should have a chance to see AS BOAS MANEIRAS, I think there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it.

Second “Two-Figure” Royalty Paid, Early Earnings from Tombs; Stoker(R) Prelim Voting Begins

2018 may be an unusual year.  One might recall the CAMPFIRE TALES windfall only a few days ago (see January 19, below), of more than ten dollars — this for a single anthology story.  A second royalty has just arrived in Wednesday’s mail from Elder Signs Press for more than six times that amount!  And while one may also recall last July 23 and a check that would cover a decent romantic dinner (although without drinks) for two, for two separate stories in two separate books aided perhaps by the fact they’d both received a brief showing on actual bookstore shelves, today’s [image error]check is for considerably more than that amount too.  And here’s the thing:  This one does not include the anthology stories (which happened to have no payout this period due to returns) but, also published by Elder Signs Press, covers only the first sales for TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH.  I’ll also add that if you might be interested in buying TOMBS, you can click its picture in the center column; or if you’d just like to read some reviews for now, press here.

Then, speaking of TOMBS, voting also started Wednesday to pick the official 2017 Horror Writers Association Stoker(R) nominees.  Five can be voted for in each division with, I believe, eleven titles in all in “Fiction Collections” with TOMBS.  And one more item going back to the notice above, with Amazon and Barnes & Noble both still offering substantial print copy discounts which may be a factor, print sales for TOMBS in the previous six months appear to have outstripped electronic copies by more than ten to one!