Eric J. Guignard's Blog, page 13
January 30, 2022
DAY 6 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 6 OF 30: REX BURROWS
6. Rex Burrows presents “Skandalopetra”
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
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In “Skandalopetra,” an immigrant Greek fisherman follows the “old ways” to collect deep-water sponges, which proves an increasing mystery to his well-meaning grandson.
STORY EXCERPT:
…A stream of bubbles exits Yorgos’s nostrils and begins a long, meandering journey back to the surface. Carbon dioxide has been steadily building in his bloodstream, and on cue, a mild spasm seizes his diaphragm. This is a persuasive warning sign of impending asphyxiation, but Yorgos pays it no mind. Even in the blank sameness of the ocean’s twilight zone, a diver of his gifts knows how to keep track of his depth. He’s just passed a key threshold, the point at which salinity and pressure and darkness come into proper alignment to wake the skandalopetra.
It begins with a flickering greenish light that shines first from one carved rune, then another, then across full sequences of characters. Soon, the glow steadies and spreads across the entire surface of the stone. A warm tingling spreads throughout Yorgos’s body as it begins to coax his anatomy into a more suitable configuration…
—Skandalopetraby REX BURROWS
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ABOUT: REX BURROWS
Rex Burrows is a writer and environmental microbiologist. He’s lived in lots of different places, most recently Washington, DC. His short fiction has appeared in Weird Horror Magazine.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 29, 2022
DAY 5 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 5 OF 30: ALEX WOODROE
5. Alex Woodroe presents “Abandon”
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
In “Abandon," a tour guide takes friends to visit his home village, long-since deserted and languishing under superstition.
STORY EXCERPT:
“And . . . three, two. We’re here in Spooksville, Transylvania with our terror tour guide, C. He’s about to take us on a trip through an abandoned village. How did that happen?”
“It’s hard to be sure. People grow old and die, the younger ones leave. This place isn’t unique, there are hundreds of abandoned villages throughout Romania.”
“But this one’s special, isn’t it? You grew up here.”
“I did.”
“Ever see anything strange?”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering which story to tell them first. Some of them were too good to break out right away. Some of them, I never wanted to tell…
—Abandonby ALEX WOODROE
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ABOUT: ALEX WOODROE
Alex Woodroe was raised—possibly by wolves—in Romania, where she stumbled into weird speculative fiction and an endless supply of folklore. She made a career out of doing terrible things to words in multiple languages, and her favorite horror story is Alice in Wonderland. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association. You can read more of her work at www.alexwoodroe.com.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 28, 2022
DAY 4 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 4 OF 30: CODY GOODFELLOW
4. Cody Goodfellow presents “Hand of Glory”
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
In “Hand of Glory,” a despairing prison inmate studies astral projection in order to escape his cell.
STORY EXCERPT:
… Newcomb lacked the initiative or imagination to conceive an escape, or the skills or connections that would make him an asset in a jailbreak. He had no friends inside. He avoided the gangs. Kept his head down, just doing his time, but he wasn’t going to last another year.
He strolled the yard, avoiding searching eyes while scanning the parade of hard, hate-etched faces. The driving wind was full of sand, so the cons huddled close to the outer wall, scheming and smoking. He came to the end of the line and was ready to give up. Look at the wrong con too many times and you get stomped or stabbed.
He didn’t know how long the other man had been walking alongside him. “Make a wish,” the man said. Voice like a radio announcer, his stale sweat and sage-smoke smell just like the book…
—Hand of Glory by CODY GOODFELLOW
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ABOUT: CODY GOODFELLOW
Cody Goodfellow has written eight novels and five collections of short stories, and edits the hyperpulp zine Forbidden Futures. His writing has been favored with three Wonderland Book Awards for excellence in Bizarro fiction. His comics work has appeared in Mystery Meat, Dark Horse’s Creepy, and Slow Death Zero. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous TV shows, videos by Anthrax and Beck, and a Days Inn commercial. He also wrote, co-produced, and scored the Lovecraftian hygiene films Baby Got Bass and Stay At Home Dad, which can be viewed on YouTube. He “lives” in San Diego, California.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 27, 2022
DAY 3 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 3 OF 30: NATALIA THEODORIDOU
3. Natalia Theodoridou presents “The Mouth”
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
STORY EXCERPT:
…The clock ticks loudly on the wall, and Paul glances at it sideways, as if trying to conceal his impatience. He wants this over with.
“I can’t lose this job,” Samuel says. “I’ve got a mouth to feed.”
Paul raises his eyebrows. His mouth forms a brief O. “I didn’t know you had a child.”
Would that change things, Samuel wonders, if he did?
“Not a child,” he corrects. “Just a mouth.”
The manager laughs. A short, nervous sound, like a hiccup. He thinks Samuel was joking…
—The Mouth by NATALIA THEODORIDOU
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Natalia Theodoridou is a World Fantasy Award-winning author, a Nebula Award Finalist, and a Clarion West graduate (class of 2018). Natalia’s stories have appeared in venues such as Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Uncanny, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Black Static, Nightmare, and The Dark, and have been translated in Italian, French, Greek, Estonian, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. An immigrant to the UK for many years, he has recently returned to Greece. For details, visit www.natalia-theodoridou.com or follow @natalia_theodor on Twitter.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 26, 2022
DAY 2 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 2 OF 30: JO KAPLAN
2. Jo Kaplan presents “Her. House.”
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
In “Her. House.,” a couple visits a haunted house, to discover hauntings may not be as traditionally expected.
STORY EXCERPT:
My mother used to tell me that drinking, for people like her brother, was all about “chasing the demon.” It starts with one drink, a nice little buzz; but once they’ve gotten the taste, they grow convinced there’s a better buzz out there, one for which they search with great zeal. Pretty soon they’re sloshed, but they keep drinking anyway, always convinced a better buzz is hiding just beneath the next bottle. Always chasing the demon.
I never really understood what she meant by that until I started visiting haunted houses for the thrill of it. Not your tacky Halloween haunts, I mean—real haunted houses…
—Her. House. by JO KAPLAN
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ABOUT: JO KAPLAN
Jo Kaplan is a Los Angeles based writer and professor. She is the author of the haunted house novel It Will Just Be Us and the forthcoming gothic western When the Night Bells Ring. She also writes under the name Joanna Parypinski. Her work has appeared in Fireside Quarterly, Black Static, Nightmare Magazine, Vastarien, Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton, and Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthology Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors. She teaches English and creative writing at Glendale Community College.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 25, 2022
DAY 1 OF ANNOUNCING! Table of Contents for: +HORROR LIBRARY+ Volume 7
ANNOUNCING: I’m posting all contributors, one-a-day, to reveal the Table of Contents for +Horror Library+ Volume 7, to be published by Dark Moon Books on March 1, 2022!
DAY 1 OF 30: MICHAEL HARRIS COHEN
1. Michael Harris Cohen presents “Never Better”
###
In “Never Better,” two waitresses begin experimenting with mystical shrooms, both on themselves and on those they serve.
STORY EXCERPT:
It started with two gobs of spit.
Dee wanted what I wanted, what all wage-slaves want—Justice.
If the customer was always right, that made us always wrong.
“Why not go way wrong?” I’d said.
Dead flies followed, stashed under a scallop in a coquilles Saint-Jacques or rolled into a dessert crepe. Other things came later. We were inventive.
I felt like we were throwing tea in Boston Harbor or Tenskwatawa rallying the tribes. Food sabotage was our reckoning.
Dee called it culinary karma. “Stiffers reap what they sow.” …
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ABOUT: MICHAEL HARRIS COHEN
Michael Harris Cohen’s work is published or forthcoming in various places including Conjunctions, On Spec, F(r)iction, The Dark magazine, Pseudopod, and numerous anthologies. He’s won several writing contests and is a recipient of a Fulbright grant and fellowships from the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Hawthornden Castle, The Künstlerdorf Schöppingen Foundation, and others. His first book, The Eyes, was published by the once marvelous but now defunct Mixer Publishing. His forthcoming story collection, Effects Vary, will be published by Off Limits Press in 2022. He lives with his wife and daughters in Sofia and teaches creative writing and literature at the American University in Bulgaria. Find him online at Michaelharriscohen.netand @fictionknot.
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AVAILABLE HERE!:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Horror-Library-7-Eric-Guignard/dp/1949491390/
Publisher’s Page: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Horror_Library_7.html
January 3, 2022
Overview of my 2021 Writing Accomplishments
I don’t usually put together year-end wrap-ups, but I felt inspired last week, and wanted to recap what I’ve done, mostly for goal-setting/ objectives “missed-or-met” purposes, but partly, also, just to have everything listed in one place instead of several dozen separate social media posts!
In the year of 2021, this is what I did:
OVERVIEW
• I wrote and had published seven original short stories
• I wrote and had published four reprint short stories
• I edited and had published four volumes in the series, Haunted Library of Horror Classics (through SourceBooks)
• I edited and published through my press (Dark Moon Books) one Primer book for Ramsey Campbell (part of the Exploring Dark Short Fiction series)
• I edited and published through my press (Dark Moon Books) one themed anthology
(Plus a number of blurbs, reviews, introductions, etc. I didn’t particularly track)
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ORIGINAL STORIES PUBLISHED:
January, 2021
www.cemeterygatesmedia.com
(1,065 words)
www.cemeterygatesmedia.com
(3,724 words)
Published in: Boneyard Soup Magazine, issue #2
April, 2021
www.boneyardsoup.com
(2,838 words)
Down Amongst the Graves, Where Yon Family Lay Eternal
Published in: Unreal Magazine, issue #5
June, 2021
www.unrealmag.com
(3,506 words)
www.brigidsgatepress.com
(4,000 words)
September, 2021
www.curiousbluepress.com
(7,162 words)
Published in: In Darkness, Delight: Fear the Future
September, 2021
www.corpuspress.com
(2,817 words)
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REPRINT STORIES PUBLISHED:
The Shimmer of Trees
Published in: Pseudopod Podcast
December, 2021
www.pseudopod.org
(1,065 words)
The Moon Over Andersonville
Published in: Horror for the Throne: One-Sitting Reads
July, 2021
www.madhousemanor.com
(1,289 words)
Footprints Fading in the Desert
Published in: Longshot Island Magazine
May, 2021
www.longshotisland.net
(3,875 words)
A Case Study in Natural Selection and How It Applies to Love
Published in: Tales to Terrify Podcast
March, 2021
www.talestoterrify.com
(7,491 words)
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HAUNTED LIBRARY OF HORROR CLASSICS SERIES (AS SERIES EDITOR)
The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics
Published by Poisoned Pen Press through SourceBooks
Edited by Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger
http://ericjguignard.com/haunted_library.html
• The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics
Vol. VIII: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James
Edited by Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger
Published October, 2021
• The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics
Vol. VII: The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
Edited by Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger
Published August, 2021
• The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics
Vol. VI: The Parasite and other Tales of Terror by A.C.D.
Edited by Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger
Published May, 2021
• The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics
Vol. V: Of One Blood: or, The Hidden Self by Pauline Hopkins
Edited by Eric J. Guignard and Leslie S. Klinger
Published February, 2021
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EXPLORING DARK SHORT FICTION PRIMER SERIES (AS EDITOR AND PUBLISHER):
Exploring Dark Short Fiction #6: A Primer to Ramsey Campbell
Edited by Eric J. Guignard
With fiction written by Ramsey Campbell
Published by Dark Moon Books
September, 2021
www.darkmoonbooks.com/Primer_6.html
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ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGY AS EDITOR AND PUBLISHER:
Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World (2021 edition)
Edited by Eric J. Guignard
Published by Dark Moon Books
November, 2021
www.darkmoonbooks.com/travel_anthology.html
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+HORROR LIBRARY+ ANTHOLOGY SERIES:
Additionally, I took over the anthology series +HORROR LIBRARY+ and rereleased all volumes (#1–6, plus BEST OF) under Dark Moon Books, AND read 1,200 submissions for upcoming Volume 7!
http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/horror_library.html
January 2, 2022
Interview up today with ITW's THE BIG THRILL magazine
This just in! The latest article today from THE BIG THRILL magazine is for me!!
This fantastic write-up and interview covers my latest anthology book, PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT’S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY TO THE MOST (FICTIONAL) HAUNTED BUILDINGS IN THE WEIRD, WILD WORLD, published by Dark Moon Books!
I’ve been reading the prominent THE BIG THRILL magazine for many years, and am so proud and thrilled to be part of this issue. Published by the International Thriller Writers, and written by Allison McKnight, my thanks to all involved and best wishes for a successful and safe 2022.
= “…PROFESSOR CHARLATAN BARDOT’S TRAVEL ANTHOLOGY TO THE MOST (FICTIONAL) HAUNTED BUILDINGS IN THE WEIRD, WILD WORLD is a guided journey through six continents… a beautifully presented anthology of ghost stories from around the world by writers from around the world. These stories come with illustrations, maps, latitude and longitude, and individual introductions from Professor Bardot himself. (Imagine Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone openings, but instead it’s a widely traveled professor of the obscure and haunted.)… ”
More Here: https://www.thebigthrill.org/?p=73797
December 20, 2021
December, 2021 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)
https://uncharted.submittable.com/submit
Payment: $200 flat
Story Length: 1,000–5,000 words
Deadline: ongoing
Reprints?: Yes (but no pay)
Response: Three months
Description: Any type of genre story: Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, etc. (see submission page for additional themed 1-time calls).
https://www.ravencanticlepress.com/submissions/
Payment: 10 cents a word
Story Length: 3,000–10,000 words
Deadline: December 31, 2021 (open periodically afterward)
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Non-themed speculative short fiction. Prefer horror, but open also to fantasy science fiction, etc.
Fantasy Magazine
https://adamant.moksha.io/publication/fantasy/guidelines
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: 1,500–7,500 words (preferred less than 5,000)
Deadline: open the first week of every month (1st–7th)
Reprints?: No
Response: within 3 months
Description: Original fantasy and dark fantasy stories (including horror).
TWO SEPARATE ANTHOLOGIES from Flame Tree Publishing
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/weird-horror-short-stories-call-for-submissions-0-0-0
Payment: 8 cents a word (6 cents/ word for reprints)
Story Length: 2,000–4,000 words (soft range)
Deadline: January 9, 2022
Reprints?: Yes
Response: 3 months
1. Compelling Science Fiction: Tales which are on the more plausible end of the SF spectrum.
2. Christmas Gothic Short Stories: Dark and moody, the ghastly, the ghostly and the magical Christmas short story!
Factor Four Magazine (Online Mag)
http://factorfourmag.com/submissionsinfo/
Payment: 11 cents/ word
Story Length: up to 1,000 words
Deadline: Continually open
Reprints?: No
Response: 1 month or less
Description: Short fiction in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination of these. We are looking for stories that are engaging to our readers in such a short word count.
http://www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: 1,000–20,000 words
Deadline: Intermittently open
Reprints?: No
Response: Five weeks
Description: Character-oriented Science Fiction stories that is serious, thoughtful, yet accessible (occasional humor), including borderline fantasy, slipstream, and surreal fiction (and some poetry).
***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”
http://parsecink.com/index.php/triangulation-submissions/
Payment: 3 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: February 28, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: April 30, 2022
Description: Theme of sustainable energy; fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror stories that explore the possibility of creating sustainable energy with alternative technologies and/or social change.
https://34orchard.com/guidelines
Payment: $50 flat
Story Length: 1,000–7,500 words
Deadline: Jan. 1, 2022–Jan. 31, 2022
Reprints?: No
Response: February 28, 2022
Description: Dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad.
December 7, 2021
My Upcoming Author Events, In-Person Signing and Virtual Festival Guest Speaker
I’ll be signing books, posters, and movie deals* (*maybe) this SUNDAY, Dec. 12, at Los Angeles’s GREATEST horror-themed bookstore, DARK DELICACIES!
3:00 p.m. start time, or line up early. Dark Delicacies daily parades a veritable Who’s-who of Hollywood actors, authors, artists, and other guests-célèbre!
Bolstering my presence are such grand company as Lisa Morton, Kate Maruyama, PJ Manney, J.D. Horn, and surprise appearances slated by others!!
https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2475/Sun%2C_Dec_12th_3_pm%3A_December_Tales_Ghost_Story_Anthology_TPB.html#/
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And if you can’t book that cross-country flight to attend in-person, join me for a virtual event the following week, as I speak to the state of ghosts, their cultural impact, authors of note, and other discussions of the supernatural for The New York Ghost Story Festival 2021!
Hosted by acclaimed author and festival founder Daniel Braum, I’ll be in conversation along with extraordinarily talented company, notably authors and speakers Jo Kaplan and Kevin Lucia! RSVP requested for the event, scheduled: Friday, Dec, 17 at 5:00 p.m. PST!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1120197698384218/
