James Dorr's Blog, page 21

Wednesday Brings “Marcie” Rabbit Hole Proof

But . . . needing to check suggested changes on the public library’s newer computer, yesterday’s proof sheet from Editor Tom Wolosz had to wait to go back until today, Thursday. The story: “Marcie and Her Sisters” (cf. May 31), originally published in 2015 in BlackWyrm Publishing’s movie-related anthology REEL DARK.

And not very many changes were there anyway — only three in all, and these all only small ones on the story’s first and second pages. Introductory hints in a way. But subtle too (the story’s a weird bit, with lots of stream-of-consciousness styling), or at least so were my comments on two. In any event, nothing was major, my own takes mainly having to do with foreshadowing. And shades of emphasis.

Or, in short, I think the publisher, The Writers Co-op, is doing a bang up job so far. And, as I told Editor Wolosz too, I’m really, really looking forward for the book, THE RABBIT HOLE vol. VI (a charity anthology too, to help the Against Malaria Foundation), to be released.

“Summer” 3rd Sunday Write for June, July

The prompts actually came Sunday, July 16 — about as early in a month that a third Sunday can be — but also not that far from mid-way from a lateish May (see June 3, et al.) and an August that, on time, still wouldn’t come till the 20th. But then add to that I’m five days late too.

So — on to the chase — herewith my take on the Bloomington Writers Guild’s Facebook page Summer Sunday Write challenge (allinonebreath now):

“Summer” prompt #4 (plus a trace of #2)

BIRDBATH

“A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of of tulips and narcissus in the air.” The last line of Amy Lowell’s “Bath,” but not one she took herself. After all she survived to write the poem.

A crow.

A bath.

A hot summer’s day.

A scent of flowers, peaceful and pleasant, but. . .

A crow!

And hot, sweltering sun permeates the air. Crows don’t sweat like we humans, thus feeling heat much more. And baths contain water.

Cool, soothing water.

A crow. . .

A flap of wings, frenzied — the window is open. A pound and a half of feathers and muscle. This is a large crow! Of beak and claws, sharp — talons we might call them. Piercing through narcissus, tulip scents, suddenly a smell of blood! Screams echoed off tile walls!

Crows, too, are meat-eaters — this one is anyway.

And the bath, cooling. . . .

Until, finally, cawing, a “caw” sounding like a burp, our crow friend — heavily — takes again to the air.

The bath, excepting a few bubbles, now still; the water a flowery pink. The sky still blue and white, save for one black speck.

A crow freshly-washed, and full.

The Sirens Call: Bastille Day Surprise for New Orleans Vamp

Technically the word actually came late Thursday, the 13th, but I didn’t open it until today. The publication, THE SIRENS CALL, for a special issue for Halloween. Or from the Headless Horse’s mouth (that is, as ridden by the Headless Horseman):

In our world, every day is Halloween and we can’t get enough of it!

This issue has a sub-theme of Halloween. We’re also open to pieces celebrating Samhain, Punkie Night, All Soul’s Day, El Día de los Muertos, Guy Fawkes Night, Mischief Night, Hungry Ghost Festival, Pomona and Obon; you get the idea… Celebrate the dead, and what happens when the veil thins, and you’ll make us happy little horror campers! A small caveat to the restrictions on this call: please do not elevate or defame religion vigorously in your submission unless it’s vital to the storyline. We aren’t looking to celebrate religion, we’re looking to celebrate ghosts, ghouls, and all that can go wrong when the oogie-boogies come out to play.

So, if oogie-boogies, why not vampiresses — or, to be more specific, those based on New Orleanian urban legends, that is starring Aimée and the “Casket Girls”? Or even more specifically there is one, a reprint first published in WEIRDBOOK for “mid 2021” (see June 16 2019 — yes, it took that long to finally come out!) that even co-stars Death — what better for Halloween? — the title: “Death and the Vampire.” So off it went, Sunday. . . .

Yes, death travels swiftly when it’s of a mind to. From 9th to 13th (but not opened until today, the 14th, Bastille Day — and complete with an edited proof sheet attached which, a library computer needed to mark it up, won’t go back to THE SIRENS clutches until tomorrow): We’re delighted to let you know that we are accepting, Death and the Vampire, (with one time publication rights) for this issue.

And that is that.

Triana, Who Just Had Her Vet’s Checkup Last Week, Wishes All A Healthy Quatorze Juillet

1st Wed. Return Brings Essays, Poems, Caskets

My return, that is, having had a scheduling conflict last month and missing the June Bloomington Writers Guild’s First Wednesday Spoken Word (cf. May 3, et al.). But this month I was back! And I shared in an especially enjoyable July 5 session at Backspace Gallery downtown.

And that’s even including the sudden rainstorm that trapped us inside for an extra fifteen or so minutes after.

But back to the event, the musical interludes featured guitarist Jason Fickel who introduced us to several distinct styles — e.g. slide guitar, steel guitar, blues. . . — bracketing poet Terry Sloan with sometimes science-based, philosophical, witty, often satirical pieces (as an example, one crowd-favorite titled “On the Failed Attempt of Evil Knieval to Leap the Yawning Chasm of Non-Existence”), accompanied by projected collage/illustrations by Jon Vickers (perhaps best known locally as founding director of the IU Cinema), and followed by writer, director, and audio producer Brian Price with excerpts from two recent books (“of short fiction, monologues, and poetry,” to quote the blurb), THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVER AND OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST (2022) and THE OLD CART WRANGLER, THE NEW SILENCE, AND OTHER NOTIONS (2020).

Then, after a break, came the “Open Mic” section with four walk-on readers of which I was second, continuing my five-part “Casket Suite” tale sequence on the New Orleanian filles à les caissettes who brought vampirism to the New World. Tonight’s was part three, “Reflections,” in which the glamor girl of the group, Lo, explains why the superstition that vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors is, of necessity, false.

Miasma Accepted for Riverine CultureCult Antho

Well, first of all it’s for charity so, for the writer, the take is not great. Quoting the guidelines: Majority of the sales proceeds from all CultureCult publications go towards the care and welfare of street animals in Kolkata, India. But, hey, that means alley cats too, does it not? Or in other words, maybe, “the Goth Cat Triana made me do it?”

Also they were either very picky, or not many authors answered the call. They didn’t really want reprints, for instance — [w]e consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are absolutely exceptional. And, while my own submission went in on time, they did extend their deadline at least once. And for all that, though, they expect to publish — if they keep their schedule — with lightning swiftness: CultureCult Press invites fiction submissions for publication in its anthology of stories about Rivers THE RIVER IN US ALL (Expected release: July 2023). The extended final date for submission is May 31, 2023.

Be that as it may. As they continue: Rivers are beautiful things. They can harbour sinister legends, gift beautiful stories and feed us at night with a generous supply of fishes too! At their worst, they can be monstrous and wash away both life and property!

PLEASE NOTE that this is an anthology with a THEME. ONLY those fictions that feature a river in a prominent capacity, shall be considered for publication. Stories of all genres are invited. . . . Short Story: (between 1500-8000 words) Send no more than TWO short stories per submission.Flash Fiction: (between 50-1500 words) Send no more than THREE flash fictions per submission.

Manuscripts should directly be sent to CCAnthologyRiver@gmail.com

So. I thought I might send a reprint anyway, one from my novel-in-stories TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH (Elder Signs Press, 2017), “Miasma.” One which, re. the cover art depicted above with non-final submission date, does concern a woman who who went down a river — or rather her brother’s quest thus to find her — but in rather a different way than that shown.

Or does she?

In any event, the word came today: We are pleased to inform you that “Miasma” has been selected by the anthology’s editor for publication in THE RIVER IN US ALL. So we’ll find out together: can they keep that schedule and bring the book out before August?

The Goth Cat Triana Wishes To All A Happy Fourth

(but easy on the fireworks, please)

June Last Sunday Poetry Brings Howling Winds, Werewolves

Being primarily a prose writer, I don’t always — or necessarily often — get to the Bloomington Writers Guild’s Last Sunday Poetry (cf. January 29, et al.). And it wasn’t so much howling wind, as it turned out, but there was a loud spattering of hail on the roof at one point at host venue Morgenstern Books. But first things first:

There were two featured readers, both from south of us in Evansville, Indiana, with co-editor of The Grind Stone Press and co-host of Evansville’s Poetry Speaks reading series, C.S. Matthews, in lead-off spot with poems from her recently released REDACTABLE along with several other books, and ending with a sampling of new, yet to be published work. She was followed by MB, “a trauma poet [to quote the blurb] who often leans into dark romanticism and visuals to accompany her writing,” beginning her reading in a bunny suit and with sound effects — music box, burst balloon, kazoo — as well as a sword to enhance an exciting performance art flavor.

Then after the break, roughly half the audience came up for the less formal read-it-yourself part, of which I was about fifth of eight (there was a small mixup with one reader calling the wrong poet to follow him) with “a prose poem and a poem poem,” while also warning I frequently work with horror tropes. Thus the first, untitled, was from a Writers Guild “Third Sunday Write” Facebook workshop roughly a year and a half ago with prompts combining moonlight and gratitude, on hunters and werewolves, and the second, originally published in the UK’s GRIEVOUS ANGEL, September 11 2014, on lycanthropy meeting with working class aplomb.

But then the main event in a sense: even before “open mic” was ended an announcement came over the store PA. The county was under a tornado warning. So . . . nothing else to do, and why not? . . . most stayed on for a bit more than an hour and a half (at least that’s when I left, the sun out again at least for the moment), including two others from Evansville who were poets as well, providing encores in an even more informal post-session session. Relaxed and pleasant, though possibly one we’d just as soon not repeat in the future.

Gigantic June Royalty Promised by Month’s End

We know the drill, yes? For short story writers royalties are seldom huge and, as is my custom, neither story (nor stories) or publisher will be mentioned here to avoid embarrassment either for payee or payer. Suffice but to say that, if in an anthology, the work in question must share its take with all the other tales there as well. Or, if stand-alone . . . well, it is just a short story.

So too this afternoon’s promised cash cascade for the first quarter of 2023, for not one, but two stories — one in an anthology, the other a small chapbook unto itself. A very small chapbook. But combined together, to whisk to PayPal before the month’s end, well . . . one might say, simply, that if allowed to accrue a certain amount of interest, it could be invested in a cup of coffee.

But then all that means is that coffee, these days, has become quite expensive!

Nightmare Abbey Here at New Week’s Start

So, devil begone, my own copy arrived this afternoon, 146 pages containing fourteen stories in all as well as features, dated Summer-Fall 2023. My copy of what? Of the just-published NIGHTMARE ABBEY (see below, May 30, et al.).

Or as Editor Tom English had said on Facebook: ­NIGHTMARE ABBEY 3 is here at last. And don’t think birthing the little monster was not without its share of pain and sorrow. (I have new stretch marks on my fevered brow.) Don’t miss this volume’s cutting-edge terror tales by Steve Duffy, Helen Grant, David Surface, Ian Rogers, Ray Cluley, Gary Fry, Gregory L. Norris, James Dorr, and Darrell Schweitzer; plus Horror Delve by Matt Cowan, and John Llewellyn Probert’s Horror Flying High: Revisiting NIGHT OF THE EAGLE (aka BURN, WITCH, BURN). Copiously illustrated with scores of photos and the fabulous art of Allen Koszowski. Grab this book asap or I’ll fly to your hovel and haunt the devil out of you.

And so it goes. My story is second in the line-up. “The Great Man,” a saga of a bygone era (to quote my own blurb, cf. April 25), originally published in THE STRAND MAGAZINE for Spring-Summer 1999, of post-French Revolutionary times, and soldiers, and guillotines . . . along with some medical speculation of the day and a sort of steampunky final scene. Plus dark fantasy, weirdness — that goes with the course. Some politics of the time is there too, with off-stage nods from notables such as Charlotte Corday, Lavoisier, and even Napoleon (one’s tempted to say, “to add to the madness”).

For more information and/or perhaps order, one need just press here.