James Dorr's Blog, page 90

Coffers Groan Under Weight of Anticipated Royalty Payment

Yes, another mammoth royalty has been announced.  Though payment has actually not yet been released, it is promised to be by the end of the month, and so the Money Bin is being dusted out and readied for its receipt.  As has been my past practice, the exact amount (and publisher) is being kept under wraps to avoid embarrassment on both sides, but it is above $0.00.  Not much, but above.

Thus the rich life of the writer and poet.

Humanagarie, Crow and Rat Arrive from England; Planet Scumm Spelling

Yesterday afternoon HUMANAGERIE (cf. October 28, 3, et al.) arrived in the Computer Cave Mailbox, all the way from the United Kingdom, with “Crow and Rat” nestled toward the bottom[image error] of the first page of contents.  It’s a very handsome book, moreso than society throwaways like the aforementioned duo are used to, so be sure that they’re on their best behavior.  Moreover, should it be of interest, the world they inhabit is that of my novel-in-stories TOMBS: A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH.  To see more for oneself the anthology can be ordered in both hardbound and softcover editions directly from the publisher, Eibonvale Press, by pressing here.

Then those gimlet-eyed enough may have noticed on Friday’s post, for December 14, a misspelling of my name on the cover of PLANET SCUMM pictured.  A missing first letter, “D,” to be exact.  I’m assured however that the picture is of a preliminary test cover from the printer, that had to be used for advertising on their website, and that the actual finished issues sent to subscribers, etc., have been corrected.

Pre-Christmas Theatre: Players Pub, Evil Dead the Musical

Thursday brought this year’s closing Players Pub Second Thursday Spoken Word Series, co-sponsored by the Bloomington Writers Guild with radio play performances of Lucille Fletcher’s SORRY, WRONG NUMBER; Ray Bradbury’s IT BURNS ME UP!; and, by William S. Burroughs, THE JUNKY’S CHRISTMAS.  This has become somewhat of a tradition, having been the offering last year as well (see December 15 2017), and was followed by an open mike session which, due to a bothersome sore throat, I opted not to join in this time.  The plays, however, were good and I’d especially wanted to hear the Bradbury one again.
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But that was not all for the gala pre-Christmas theatrical weekend.  Friday I managed to cop the one remaining unsold ticket for a local production of EVIL DEAD:  THE MUSICAL, unfortunately for the Saturday afternoon matinee (Saturday evening was the last performance and it, and Friday night, were sold out) which, today being local “S.C.I.F.I.” writers critique day, meant I had to plan to leave the meeting early.  But not to worry, my story on the docket [image error] could wait until January — and at least the sore throat hadn’t gotten (much) worse.
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This is the play that asks the question at only about the second scene, “five teenagers break into a mysterious abandoned cabin in the woods for spring break, and nobody knows where they are.  What could possibly go wrong?”  The play based on the three EVIL DEAD movies, the answer is quite a bit, and quite hilariously, with special honors to the character of Ash’s smarter sister Cheryl, who is also first victim, spending most of the play locked in the cabin’s cellar while still conveying, sometimes by facial expression alone, the sheer manic joy of now being evil.  And then there were the disposable ponchos sold in the lobby — for protection if splashed by stage blood of which there was a lot.  I, forewarned, bought one and sat in the first row, thus being immersed not just in the drama but some of the special effects as well.



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Songs included “Cabin in the Woods,” “Look Who’s Evil  Now,” “What the Fuck Was That,” “All the Men in My Life Keep Being Killed by Candarian Demons,” and the ensemble dance number “Do the Necronomicon.”  Even for people like me who don’t like the movies that much, I recommend it.

“There’s More Scumm Where That Came From, Reader!”

Thus the banner beneath the first few paragraphs of my story, “Holly Jolly,” for a look at which one may click here.  Yes, it’s issue 6 of PLANET SCUMM (cf. November 14, 6, September 7), the “O Scumm All Ye Faithful” issue and mine is the cover story they’ve chosen to excerpt.  While as for the issue as a whole. . . .  The wailing of wind through barren trees.  Black ice on an unlit backroad.  A [image error]baker’s dozen of snowmen in your yard — they sprung up overnight.  Halloween may be the season of tricks and treats, but on Planet Scumm the dead of winter is for horror.
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Inside, we have a skin-stealing witch snuggled up next to a lost traveler — he says he came through the payphone.  There’s a businessman, too, over there by the fire.  He’s hiding from his employers, or so he says to the ghostly woman sitting across the room.  Poor fool can’t tell she’s just a hologram.
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And what’s that jingling on the roof?  Why, it must be the festive stars of our cover story, James Dorr’s Holly Jolly.  Don’t remember Ol’ Kris Kringle needing quite so many elves.  And certainly not with all those weapons. . . . 
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Or as they say, There’s more Scumm Where That Came From, Reader, for more on which one may press here.

Older Anthos in ThriftBooks Sale, Ends December 13

Serendipity strikes again, or, quite by accident I ran across a sale from ThriftBooks with a number of older anthologies that have stories by me in them.  The offer is “20% Off $20 or More” for which one must use the code SALE20 when ordering and some of the titles go back to, well, years before I had even [image error] started this blog.  One example, GRAILS:  QUESTS OF THE DAWN with a long poem by me about the Irish god Dagda — and one of my earliest professional sales!  One caveat is that, when you check it out, many of the titles they show are marked as being unavailable, two of these unfortunately being THE TEARS OF ISIS and TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH.  But a lot that’s there are books you’ve perhaps never heard of (and for me, that I’ve almost forgotten by now), many of which may be worth reading even without my work being in them.  So, bottom line, if you’re interested  or even just curious press here, but hurry because the sale ends tomorrow, December 13.

Serendipity: A Seal With an Eel Stuck Up Its Nose

Okay, there’s no particular reason for it save that, by pure serendipity, I came across this one on the Interwebs and, what the [image error]heck, why not share?  Perhaps good for a laugh — or possibly compassion for our animal friends (the article explains that “the eel didn’t make it”) — but courtesy of POPSCI.COM, herewith “Megapixels:  This Is a Seal With an Eel Stuck Up Its Nose” by Rachel Feltman.  To see all click here (or, to start off your week. . . .).

Party, Party, Two for One Saturday Afternoon, Eve

‘Tis the season and all that, so Saturday had me attending not one, but two parties, the first of which was the Bloomington Writers Guild year-end business meeting, pot luck fest, and open mike for everyone gala (see December 9 2017, et al.).  Chicken, salads, pizza, sweets.  Co[image error]me reading time, my presentation was four very brief, humorous horror poems, all of which were in this Spring’s STAR*LINE: “Never Trust a Vampiress,” “She Did What?,” “The Young Transylvanian’s Guide to Dating,” and “From the Zombie Hunter’s Field Guide: Tracking the Zombie,” all of which I now discover I’d read before but nonetheless which went over well.

That was Saturday afternoon, while evening brought the local Society for Creative Anachronism annual Yule fest:  more food (ham and turkey, pulled pork, deviled eggs, more sweets) and music, the latter of which I helped provide, my recorder group playing carols for a sing along session, followed, as time in the hall ran low, by a Renaissance tune for people to dance to.  In all a pleasant end to the day, but exhausting also.

Doc of the Dead, or, The Zombie Apocalypse Dissected On Screen

So a few things it fails at, to credit the homage to Richard Matheson’s vampire novel I AM LEGEND behind George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  To give much attention to non-English language movies and, in particular, to Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBI II for not only popularizing “zombies” as the name of the shamblers but also attempting to bridge the gulf between the original Haitian beliefs (noted here in, e.g., Bela Lugosi in WHITE ZOMBIE and Val Lewton’s I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, though it does suggest a different “bridge” via science fiction movies where aliens animate dead as puppets, e.g. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE*) and post-Romero popular culture.  But then again, hey, we weren’t there to be literary scholars but just to enjoy ripping good zombie destruction scenes.  And for that, Alexandre O. Philippe’s 2014 DOC OF THE DEAD delivered at Friday night’s Indiana University Cinema [image error]“Midnight” (that is, it ends around midnight, starting at 10 p.m. — we all need our sleep eventually) Movie.

To quote from the I.U. Cinema blurb:  Shot and edited in a cinematically edgy, high-octane style, DOC OF THE DEAD creates a rich pop-culture dialogue between zombie experts, celebrities, and indie filmmakers, including Simon Pegg, Bruce Campbell, and George Romero.  Created by the makers of THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS, this definitive zombie-culture documentary investigates the possibility and ramifications of an actual zombie outbreak.  Contains mature content, including graphic imagery and sexual violence.  Well, it had better contain the latter, that is to say otherwise what’s the point?  But it also ends on a sort of semi-serious note, on the idea of surviving if not “real” zombies, some kind of disease where victims might simulate zombie behavior.

Docent this time was Director Philippe himself as an extra, explaining the film as an attempt to discover “how zombies went from underground (or ‘under cover’) to mainstream in a very short period of time.”  Much thus is a series of short clips, jumping to topics like zombie fandom, zombie walks, etc., along with films that advanced the myth (e.g., RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD with the notion of zombies craving brains), allowing a sort of montage effect — fast moving and fun — with the ultimate question at least somewhat answered:  “Why are zombies such a big deal?”

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*And there is a short sequence actually visiting Haiti, plus a brief reference to Wade Davis (e.g., THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW).

Oklahoma Pagan Quarterly, Great Man Arrives in Computer Cave Mailbox

Today the Samhain 2018 issue of OKLAHOMA PAGAN QUARTERLY arrived, with my story “The Great Man” next to last (as second place winner — see October 19; September 23, 16) in a special section of top ten “Spooky Samhain Contest 2018” winners.  Or to quote Editor-in-Chief Belwoeth Harbright:  This year we have a specially curated concoction of creepy chronicles for you especially eerie individuals. . . .  Our silver honorable mentions come first; then our four finalists round out our 2018 Samhain Edition.  [image error]The contest itself had had three divisions of which I had chosen number two, “Spooky Semi-True Stories,” that is tales which are purported to be true or, at least, that the spooky element might be real, as opposed to the other two, of accounts claimed to be absolutely real (ghost encounters, etc.) and those presented as entirely fiction.

So “The Great Man,” anyhow, has to do with certain beliefs that came up during the French Revolution, about guillotining and when an executee’s brain becomes truly dead.  Is there an interval of maybe a few seconds in which one still has consciousness enough to realize that he’s been killed?

The issue actually has been out since October 1 in print-only format, but if you missed it and have a hankering to check out the fuss, just press here.  You get news and features on  pagan subjects plus nine great stories along with mine (well, just having received it myself, I haven’t yet read the other stories, but if they had the taste to give mine the second prize, I assume the others are good as well), which makes for a nice package of Christmas Eve reading while waiting to see if the snare you set to catch Santa this year will actually work.

Crow and Rat Now Live on Mythic Beast Website

His name was Crow, and she was called Rat.  Both of them were beggars in the New City, not the creative kind, jongleurs or tale-tellers, gossip-mongers or criers or news-spreaders, but rather the shabbier, desperate grubbers of others’ detritus — ghouls as it were of the wealthier precincts’ trashheaps and middens.  Petty thieves, sometimes, when courage a[image error]nd opportunity blessed them.  In other words, common enough to be unnoticed.

Thus starts the tale of “Crow and Rat,” but who however have not been unnoticed.  First in the UK, in the anthology HUMANAGERIE (cf. October 28, 3, et al.), then an Honorable Mention in MYTHIC BEAST’s “Icarus” story competition (November 30 and 11), they have made their mark, not to mention in their tale itself set in the universe of the “Tombs.”  And now a culmination of sorts, the MYTHIC BEAST retelling has just gone live, joining the Icarus contest winner and several companion placements, with several more of the latter to come on a weekly basis throughout December.

For more, read their story as they themselves lived it by pressing here.