James Dorr's Blog, page 54

Fourteen Cult Horror Films With Links To Watch Now

MARTYRS, PULSE (a.k.a. KAIRO — the original, not the English language remake), SESSION 9, FINAL PRAYER.  What do these titles all have in common?  According to Orrin Grey, [t]hese are the movies from out at the edges.  The kinds of stuff that you used to have to stay up late to watch and then, the next morning, wouldn’t be sure that you hadn’t fallen asleep and dreamed the whole thing.  The kind of movies about which your friends ask in hushed tones, “have you seen this?”  Or, to state it more broadly, [h]orror has always had more than its fair share of cult titles, with [image error]films that were banned in other countries or were simply too strange, too unusual, too transgressive, or too offbeat to find their audience right away.  They’ve been with us since the beginning, going as far back as flicks like Tod Browning’s FREAKS through films like THE EVIL DEAD, DERANGED, and more. 

So add TRIANGLE, LAKE MUNGO, FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY. . . .  The article is “14 Dark And Twisted Cult Horror Movies You Can Watch Tonight,” via THE-LINE-UP[dot]COM, and can be found by pressing here.  And best of all as the title implies, the list includes links to Amazon where they can be be streamed right now.

“Secret” Contract Signed, Sent Back Sunday

Ah, the “hurry up and wait” aspect of news in this game, made all the worse, perhaps, by coronavirus.  A week may go by with no news at all, then three days running bring things to announce — though this last only half way.  It’s a “The Writing Life” item, that much I can say; a contract came latish Saturday for an anthology story, but the publisher doesn’t want details reported until it’s ready for a general announcement.  This happens sometimes for a number of reasons, it’s not too unusual — so watch these pages for further enlightenment here in the future — while in the meantime, after a little jiggering to get it into signable form, the contract has been completed and signed and it went back this morning.

Saturday Doubleheader: Unreal, Black Infinity Come In The Mail

Yes!  It’s a two-for-oner, a book and a magazine which both arrived in this afternoon’s mail.  And the magazine itself, at 208 numbered pages, is as big as a book.  The second is UNREAL, out in July from The Great Void Books with my novelette “The Garden” (see July 8, et al., plus two more [image error]recent posts on interviews July 25, 22), itself a whopper in numbered pages at 597.  But it is an anthology of novelettes — no flash pieces here! — so it’s supposed to be a bit bulky.

Then the magazine is the summer edition of BLACK INFINITY, with my “Waxworms” (cf. July 19, et al. — and with flying saucers!) in it.  But even this has a “novella” as well, “Planet of Dread” by Murray Leinster (reprinted from FANTASTIC, May 1962), plus an introduction describing the issue theme of “Insidious Insects” along with a remembrance of 1960s TV’s THE OUTER LIMITS.  So between the two I have plenty to read for the fifth month (is that what it is now?) of COVID-19 semi-isolation.

It Calls From The Forest E-Version Up Now

As promised (cf. August 1, just below), the Kindle version of IT CALLS FROM THE FOREST, VOLUME 2 is available now, with twenty-five tales of horror including my own historically-based “The Calm.”  But not only that, [image error]Eerie River Publishing has offered the first story as a free sample on its blog.  Find out for yourself why reviewers are saying “Donna J.W.Munro blasts the reader into her world-building from the outset, with I Speak for the Trees.  From then on, the stories go further into madness as the trees and all its denizens come to life.”

Curiosity piqued?  To take a look for yourself, press here.  (And don’t forget to check out their page on Facebook here for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.)

It Calls Paperback, Hardback Now Published, E-Edition Due August 7

A week of inaction (curse you, COVID-19!), at least of items reportable here, but at last some action. Today from Eerie River Publishing:  IT CALLS FROM THE FOREST, VOLUME TWO is available right now to buy in paperback and hardcover!  But that is not all.  On August 7, the ebook release will be coming and to celebrate that we will be doing a Giveaway on our Facebook.  So stay tuned for your chance to win a $25.00 Amazon [image error]Giftcard!   This is the anthology with my story “The Calm” (see July 15, June 25, et al.), a saga of eldritch happenings on the Vermont/New York border originally published in NEW MYTHOS LEGENDS.  For more, or to order, one may press here.

And there are several special offers as well, at least if one acts fast.  We are also thrilled to announce we have Author Signed book bundles available to purchase at our brand new online store!  These bundles are available to US, Canadian, and UK residence and include a signed book, an exclusive “It Calls From the Forest” bookmark.  Other packages include a mini writing journal and postcards!  For these one may check out the publisher’s own site by pressing here.

Great Void/Garden Interview Set for Friday, October 2nd

There being no intervening news (curse you, COVID-19?), this is an addition to the post just below, “Great Void Interview Info Sent Tuesday Night,” for July 22.  The interview answers went in, and today Editor Aditya Deshmukh’s reply arrived.  We will publish the interview on 2nd October.  I’ll send you the link one week before, and if you have any changes, I’ll make them within a day or two.  Let me know if the date works, or if you have any questions.

The second of October will be a Friday which should be okay — time to savor it all weekend long before a new interview distracts the following Monday.  Or, anyway, maybe.  In any event, let’s mark calendars now, then watch these pages for a reminder at the end of September.

Great Void Books Interview Info Sent Tuesday Night

Ah, interviews.  As part of its publicity for UNREAL (cf. July 9, 8, at al.) The Great Void Books will be presenting a series of author interviews starting about August 10.  And these look to be fairly extensive matters, with (if the publishers get their wish) detailed comments on individual writing practices (the process, that is, of making an idea become a story), tips for new writers (again in some depth), and the geneses of the anthology’s individual storie[image error]s (in my case “The Garden,” on advanced biochemical science in a gothic setting).  Added to these are the more usual general interest questions on, e.g., inspiration, goals, free time interests and hobbies, diet, even thoughts on “the current picture of the world,” some nineteen or twenty topics in all, though we could skip two or three if we felt so moved.  So, anyway, after about a week and a half, checking, rewriting, at last I was done, and in the questionnaire went last night, along with some pictures, back to The Great Void.

More information (like when and where will we be able to see it?) to come.

Insidious Insects, Black Infinity Sunday Debut

It came via Facebook late today, the announcement that BLACK INFINITY, with my story “Waxworms” (see July 9, et al.), is out today.  Or to let Editor Tom English speak for himself:  A labor of love.  BLACK INFINITY:  INSIDIOUS INSECTS is now available, and it’s our largest issue yet!  18 unforgettable tales by:  Ramsey Campbell, Kurt Newton, Philip K. Dick, [image error]Gregory Norris, James Dorr, Robert Sheckley, Murray Leinster, Jason McCuiston, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Matt Cowan and many others.  Special features include a 12-page, illustrated tribute to the legendary 1964 TV series THE OUTER LIMITS by author/screenwriter Gary Gerani; a brief history of insects in SF; retro movie reviews; weird science fact (by Todd Treichel); and a comics story!  Packed with creepy adventures and stunning illustrations, lots of cool facts and tons of great photos, this issue is guaranteed to make your skin crawl.  Cover by Allen Koszowski.

What’s more to be said?  Information, ordering can be found here.

Third Sunday “Write” Groceries De-Listed

This is one way it’s been touted in the past:  Stretch your writing muscles with prompts, exercises, and activities.  Open to all Writers Guild members, this drop-in, generative workshop is led by local writers on the third Sunday of every month.  It’s the Bloomington Writers Guild’s “Third Sunday Write” (cf. February 16, November 18, et al.), transformed like other Writers Guild features by COVID-19.  In this case gone to Facebook at a private site where, with prompts posted a few days before, we can pick a favorite, post the result of what we made from it (hint:  in my case, not only essays about cats), and garner “comments” from other members.

So it’s working out kinks and, as in the past, won’t be reported here as a regular thing.  Exercises, for instance, may have only benefited me, or, in the best cases, may have resulted in micro stories, or ideas for stories, to be kept by me in the hope they will sell.  But then there are a few times like this week (the second I’ve participated in in its new electronic manifestation) where what’s resulted is an essay which might provide some fun in its own right — or, in this case, a list to answer the prompt:  “Wander the aisles of your favorite store in your imagination.  Create a grocery list describing each item and what you will use it for.”

Thus for, technically, tomorrow’s serving:  There’s the pet food aisle, the 60-pound bags of Octopus Chow for those of us who have aquariums, its variant Squid Chow with a selection of dyes when a change of ink color might be desired, and the ever more popular Giant Clam Chow with its “skin diver” flavor an obvious favorite.  These are often in kibble form for an addition of water and mixing at home, but beware the mistake new pet owners make of just sprinkling the food into the home tank as if it were just an oversized bowl of ordinary goldfish.  No, for mollusks one must premix their food into a sort of slurry, seasoning it perhaps with a quart or two of mammalian blood for the aggressive pet — human is nice, but antelope blood from the Big Cat shelf will do in a pinch.  The thing is, especially for bivalves that feed through a filter, chunks alone won’t pass completely through. And of course, for your larger octopus, you’ll want a sort of semi-solid still thick enough to give tentacles something to grasp on.

Contract Amendments for Eerie River, It Calls From The Forest 2

A quick note, that today brought two amendments for “The Calm” in IT CALLS FROM THE FOREST, VOLUME 2 (see June 25, et al.).  Not a big deal, but rather a small expansion, that this along with some other upcoming Eerie River Publishing offerings will now have an audiobook as well as electronic and print editions; and second, that there can also be a special, deluxe boxed set edition.  But also that royalties (hah!) will be paid to we, the authors, for these new manifestations as well.  So call it housekeeping, or just another small detail in the life of the writer; in any event the amended segments were read, signed, and went back today.