James Dorr's Blog, page 4

Blink of an Eye Flash Antho, Urcheida Arrives

Quoting the back cover: 74 AUTHORS.

ENDLESS NIGHTMARES!

CultureCult Press unleashes a dark assault on your senses with flash fictions that detonate inside your mind and leave scars to last a lifetime!

Each razor-sharp tale in BLINK OF AN EYE, complete in mere hundreds of words, delivers a perfect shot of literary adrenaline. From psychological horror that burrows under your skin to crime narratives that leave you breathless. From dystopian futures to supernatural encounters, these stories prove that true terror requires no lengthy introduction.

The book: BLINK OF AN EYE, subtitled ANTHOLOGY OF DARK FLASH FICTIONS (cf. March 11, February 27), and if stories are short, there are plenty of them — seven pages take up the contents list alone! And way, way at the end, itself only three pages, lurks my own story, “Urcheida,” a mini-saga of love with a twist!

Or is that just “twisted”?

In either case, the book itself arrived in the computer cave mailbox yesterday afternoon, one day after St. Patrick’s Day, and a handsome and hefty (285-plus largeish pages) volume it is, promising many days of reading, in comfortably short takes. And even with title-page illustrations!

Or see more for yourself via Lulu (not Amazon this time!) by pressing here.

Blink of an Eye Flash Antho, Urcheida Arrive

Quoting the back cover: 74 AUTHORS.

ENDLESS NIGHTMARES!

CultureCult Press unleashes a dark assault on your senses with flash fictions that detonate inside your mind and leave scars to last a lifetime!

Each razor-sharp tale in BLINK OF AN EYE, complete in mere hundreds of words, delivers a perfect shot of literary adrenaline. From psychological horror that burrows under your skin to crime narratives that leave you breathless. From dystopian futures to supernatural encounters, these stories prove that true terror requires no lengthy introduction.

The book: BLINK OF AN EYE, subtitled ANTHOLOGY OF DARK FLASH FICTIONS (cf. March 11, February 27), and if stories are short, there are plenty of them — seven pages take up the contents list alone! And way, way at the end, itself only three pages, lurks my own story, “Urcheida,” a mini-saga of love with a twist!

Or is that just “twisted”?

In either case, the book itself arrived in the computer cave mailbox yesterday afternoon, one day after St. Patrick’s Day, and a handsome and hefty (285-plus largeish pages) volume it is, promising many days of reading, in comfortably short takes. And even with title-page illustrations!

Or see more for yourself via Lulu (not Amazon this time!) by pressing here.

A Somewhat Jaundiced 2nd Thursday, Coming Eclipse Mark a Beautiful Night

Shirtsleeve weather on the 13th of March (though forecast to be not for many days more) and an impending total lunar eclipse may have made attendance a little bit low for the March 13th “Bloomington Writers Guild Second Thursday Spoken Word” (cf. February 14, et al.) at Bloomington’s downtown Backspace Gallery, but not by much by the time it was over. Singer-songwriter and sometime storyteller Nicholas Graham Hall led us off with song and guitar, followed by first featured reader Indiana spoken word artist and self-proclaimed Magpie Poet, co-founder of Keeping the Flame Alive Press and author of poetry books TALES FROM A BROKEN GIRL and WE’RE ALL STORIES IN THE END, Chris Dean offering an often downbeat view of the world and society, sometimes a bit personal, but also with a few rays of light, e.g. her final poem “I Came Out of the Dark.”

She in turn was followed by writer/musician A.S. Coomer, with books including BIRTH OF A MONSTER, MEMORABILIA,THE FLOCK UNSEEN, THE FETISHISTS, et al., as well as running Lost, Long Gone, Forgotten Records for recordings of poetry, with an also somewhat jaundiced view of contemporary life — this was not a happy group, all in all, though perhaps not entirely despairing either — although in a more rhythmic, declaiming style including (at least for me) occasional reminiscences of the 1950s “beat” era. Then with more music and a break, the “walk-ons” had their turn with me number three of six “Open Mic” poets with (having read a poem about eclipses the previous month) a paean of sorts to the color red, “Red, As In . . .,” as a tip of the hat to the night’s coming “Blood Moon.”

But Even Cthulhu Can Have His Bad Days

The odds were against it. We consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are absolutely exceptional. But we’ve heard that before. And there’s not any pay (well, other than an e-copy of the book), but — remember? — I’m working a policy of getting old stories back into print.

So (sigh) why not?

The call was for original horror stories featuring dark gods, elder beings and forgotten dieties that explore the intersection of humanity and divine malevolence. Give us your fresh takes on cosmic horror and divine terror. We want stories that make readers question their place in the universe and tremble at what might be watching from beyond the veil. The anthology, via Wicked Shadow Press, to be titled WHO LET THE GODS OUT?!

Well — long story short — they didn’t seem to be looking for humor, but that title didn’t exactly speak to staid sobriety either. And I had a tale, “The Reading,” originally published in Spring 2013 in Third Flatiron Publishing’s UNIVERSE HORRIBILIS (as well as a few years later in Dragons Roost Press’s LOLCRAFT, if that gives an idea), starring (guess who?) Cthulhu, so it went out Tuesday February 11.

And exactly a month later, on Tuesday March 11, came the word: We are delighted to inform you that your story “The Reading” has been accepted for inclusion in WHO LET THE GODS OUT?!

Urcheida Last Story in Blink of an Eye; Catskinner, Forgetting Something Received

One of the prime positions in an anthology is thought by many to be the last story. This is the one people will remember if, for instance, the publisher should come out with a second volume. And, should it be the final of 93 stories . . . ?

Well perhaps we’ll find out. The anthology: Culture Cult’s BLINK OF AN EYE with the story, by me, a reprint titled “Urcheida” (c.f. February 27), of whose new home, to quote the blurb, [i]n the time it takes to blink, your world can change forever.

Ninety-three sudden, sharp glimpses into the darkest corners of the human experience await in this collection of flash fictions curated by acclaimed editor of dark fiction, Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. From bone-chilling horror and pulse-pounding crime thrillers to haunting dark fantasy and dystopian science fiction, each story delivers maximum impact in minimal space.

Featuring both celebrated veterans and emerging voices from across the globe, BLINK OF AN EYE showcases the remarkable power of brevity in the hands of masters. These compact literary daggers may be quick to read, but their wounds will linger long after the final word is read.

Unlike most anthologies, however, this one can’t be found on Amazon, but rather — should you be interested — more can be found on Lulu. One need but press here.

And then, to make Monday a bit more interesting, the computer cave’s mailbox disgorged a package, its contents a book: FORGETTING SOMETHING from Page Turn Press — Humorous Tales About Aliens, sayeth the front cover subtitle — with, at a more neutral fifth place in the contents, my science-fictional tall tale, “Catskinner Sweet and the Twirling Teacups of Deadwood City” (see December 16). This one, however, is on Amazon and can be found here.

New Alien Buddha Tombs Available March 3

A trip down Memory Lane to start with, this from an entry way, way below from March 30 2017, concerning pre-publication publicity for a then-upcoming novel-in-stories, TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH: We have another awesome guest post from author James Dorr, as he shares with us the inspiration for TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH, which releases in May. I have to be honest, it has been a true pleasure reading James’ insightful posts, and I am definitely excited to read TOMBS! Without further ado, let’s turn the time over to James!

So begins today’s blog from Heidi Angell, with one small correction: TOMBS is listed by Amazon for release on June 1, though that’s close to May . . . But given her next sentence, how can I resist quoting exactly the words she uses? This, then, is the second guest essay on TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH on Heidi’s blog, the first on “What Is a Novel-In-Stories?” posted on February 9 (for which, below, see February 13). While the first told about the structure of the novel itself, this one, titled “It Began With a Map,” is more on the structure of the world depicted within the novel and how it was developed. To quote myself: The original planning for TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH began with a map — different areas were defined in terms of the people who lived there. More or less “normal” people lived in the New City and the Tombs; ghouls, the eaters of the dead, were in the Old City; boat gypsies lived on the river — they were mostly normal, but prone to disease from the river’s poisons, thus leading short but more intense lives; more or less normal people again lived in the Port City, far down the river, but had a higher proportion of mutants. . . . And so I continued by wondering what various people did for their livings, social relations between males and females (some of which may seem a reflection on where we might be heading now), and end the post with a sort of portrait of a “typical” night in the Tombs itself, the necropolis just to west of New City across the great river.

So, TOMBS had been out of print and worse for some time since its original publication, but as announced (cf. February 4, et al.) it should be out today, Monday March 3, in a new edition from Alien Buddha Press. And so it is, as a quick check attests, perhaps at a bit higher cost than before (as well as more pages due to Alien Buddha’s printing conventions) at $17.50, but such is the way of the world. There’s inflation as well. But the thing is, it’s here!

To see for oneself — and mayhap to order? — one need but press here.

CultureCult’s Blink Takes Older Story, Urcheida

My handwritten note on the call says “Very Old Flash,” part of a strategy I have now of trying to get “ancient” stories of mine back in circulation. A writer’s legacy, yes? Or just a feeling that if some stories are good enough, why not expose new readers to them.

That is always, of course, if one can get them accepted by new editors as well.

So the call, anyway, was for original flash fictions for BLINK OF AN EYE, an upcoming anthology of dark flash fictions, edited by Parth Chakraborty, an editor this time we’ve met before (see January 28, et al.) though perhaps not so often. And my note, a reminder insofar as [w]e consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are absolutely exceptional. Though no pay for this one, but what the heck?

The story I chose, a 900-word love tale with an extra dimension, titled “Urcheida,” was originally published three decades ago in DEAD OF NIGHT, Fall-Winter 1993. And the reply came Wednesday afternoon: We are reaching out to you today with some great news. We are pleased to inform you that your story “Urcheida” has been selected for publication in BLINK OF AN EYE, edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty.

Thank you for your contribution. You shall receive your complimentary digital copy of BLINK OF AN EYE as soon as the book publishes.

Preview of Vamps In Alien Buddha #72; Kalamaras Stars at Last Sunday Poets

Two quick items.  First, quoting from Amazon: ­Alien Buddha Zine #72. Black and white print. March 2025. Fries and Fingers by J.F. Vatsa, A Preview of VAMPS (A Retrospective) by James Dorr, An Excerpt from The Lunasole Class by Stephanie Laterza, and more.  This, my poetry book originally published by Sam’s Dot Publishing in 2011 and not only long out of print but pretty well disappeared altogether (cf. January 30,  et al.), now available in a new, albeit somewhat quick and dirty, edition, has now been previewed in the latest edition of Alien Buddha’s own magazine, ALIEN BUDDHA #72, for information on which or ordering one may press here.

Then, second, Sunday also brought the Bloomington Writers Guild’s February “Last Sunday Poetry” at Morgenstern Books, this time out featuring just one featured writer, former 2014-16 Indiana Poet Laureate and much published George Kalamaris, 2024 Indiana Authors Awards poetry winner for TO SLEEP IN THE HORSE’S BELLY: MY GREEK POETS AND THE AEGEAN INSIDE ME and with a new book due out in the next few weeks, in a swan song of sorts, due to leave Indiana to reside in Colorado next month, dominating the hour with poems about hound dogs (notably “Bootsie,” both muse of a sort as well as initial audience for much of his work) on, yes, hound dogs and woods and images of growing up in Indiana — or, as he put it, “growing up in the woods and with hound dogs” — for an interesting mix of longer, expressive poems, some including a philosophical flavor. This was  followed by a question and answer session with moderator Hiromi Yoshida, keeping us fascinated until there was no time left for an open mic portion.

Valentine’s Day Brings Friday 2nd Thursday Spoken Word

And as true love goes, it was a rather cynical session for the “Bloomington Writers Guild Second Thursday Spoken Word” (see December 13, et al.) at Bloomington’s downtown Backspace Gallery, and, there having not been one last month, the first for 2025. Also postponed to Friday for Valentine’s Day, it was to be a poetry-only celebration, opening with music on voice and guitar by Terre Haute musician Jason Hathaway, followed by the first featured reader and Writers Guild treasurer Tyler Frederick, with work in WHAT IS IN JOHN’S BASEMENT, OCTOBER STORIES, and REBIRTH, with a cluster of generally personal poems about friends (whether real or imaginary), loneliness, aging, and even one that was a love song of sorts although, overall, rather more contemplative than happy.

He was followed by Westley Penland with poetry in his debut chapbook, CONFIRMATION OF LIFE, TRANS*CITIZENS PROJECT, and the anthologies OCTOBER STORIES, REBIRTH, and Guild secretary Hiromi Yoshida’s STORMWASH, VOL. 2, with a “tour of love,” some highly personal (as one poem of breaking up with his ex-wife), and with friendship as well but in general conforming to a mid-February feel of melancholy. After this, a majority vote of the just over a dozen attendees was to skip a break and go directly into the “Open Mic” portion, and a more varied range of emotional content, with me fourth of six with two poems, “Eclipse” (for, again, “busted love,”) on the separation of sun and moon via last year’s solar eclipse on April 8, and a more universal — and hopefully funny — “The World’s Biggest Sneeze” (one person afterward suggesting to me, “body horror” becomes body comedy).

Then, finally, it was back to the music of Jason Hathaway with a serenade written for a woman he’d known, though not a lover, “Sunday Night Dominatrix,” returning to love, but a yet different sort, and imbuing the evening as a whole with a sense of good humor.

Pre-Pub Copies of Tombs Received, PDF Free for Reviews

Saith the back cover blub: It had been a time when the world needed legends, those years so long past now. Because there was something else legends could offer, or so the Poet believed. He didn’t know quite what–ghouls were not skilled at imagination. Their world was a concrete one, one of stone and flesh. Struggle and survival. Survival predicated on others’ deaths. Far in the future, when our sun grows ever larger, scorching the earth. When seas become poisonous and men are needed to guard the crypts from the scavengers of the dead. A ghoul-poet will share stories of love and loss, death and resurrection. Tombs is a beautifully written examination of the human condition of life, love, and death, through the prism of a dystopian apocalypse.

The book, TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH in a new edition by Alien Buddha Press (see January 18, et al.), and with early copies arrived on Monday prior to a March 3 official release.

It is a reprint originally published in 2017 by Elder Signs Press, but out of print now due to Elder Signs subsequent demise, with a quasi-mysterious Amazon notice hinting at possible supply chain problems. That is until now — or at least early March — with this new edition, new cover and all, but with every story word-for-word intact. And not just that, it’s more than a collection: it’s actually a novel-in-stories presenting, as its subtitle implies, a history of a far-flung future demise of Earth, or at least its inhabitants, including as well as “mainstream” humans, those of the New City, the boat people who ply the great river between it and its necropolis, the Tombs, and the ghouls who live in the ruins of Old City and persevere by eating the dead.

But comes the pitch: TOMBS will be available in hard copy only after it’s published, but there are a limited number of PDF editors’ copies available now, in exchange for writing an honest review to be sent to Amazon and to Goodreads when the book is out next month. To obtain one, for free, you can contact the author via edgarc@rocketmail.com, with a subject line reading “TOMBS REVIEW COPY.”