Michael A. Arnzen's Blog: News from Gorelets.com, page 3

Kaiju Death Spiral: A Class Poetry Ebook

Happy National Poetry Month once again! This year, I’m sharing the work of students in my current undergraduate world literature course in Global Horror, where we’re currently wrapping up the term at Seton Hill University. In that class, we studied everything from current folk horror novels to Servian folk vampires. One week, we practiced Japanese poetic forms, inspired by our study of the Godzilla kaiju films, Junji Ito’s classic horror manga, Uzumaki, and Jisei death poems. The results were so good, I compiled them into a fun and morbidly twisted ebook, called Kaiju Death Spiral, featuring a fantastic piece of cover art created exclusively for the collection by Gina Pivirotto. Please join my students in celebration of National Poetry Month by taking a look at the pdf and letting use know what you think.

Download a free copy of the class ebook (in .pdf format only) here!

Keep on Writing in the Dark

If you came to this post looking for Instigation, you’ve got it. And there’s a prompt at the very end.

Today one of my favorite publishers, Raw Dog Screaming Press (the team who brought you The Gorelets Omnibus and 100 Jolts and others), announced that they are taking pre-orders for my friend Tim Waggoner‘s latest writer’s how-to guide, Writing in The Dark: The Workbook.

I want you to buy it (and when I get to teach horror writing at Seton Hill University — where, incidentally, Tim has taught beside me — you can bet I’ll be assigning this book). It’s a great set of exercises and functions so well as a companion to the original Bram Stoker Award-winning entry that started it all, Tim’s Writing in the Dark (2020):

Writing in the Dark

With the release of this workbook, Writing in the Dark has not merely become a boxed set — it’s grown into something of an instructional empire, and as a horror educator myself, I endorse this series 1000%.

Empire? Yes. Not only are Waggoner’s WiTD books pillars of horror instruction, coupled with his fantastic blog series by the same name, but there’s even more coming from RDSP. For instance, there’s the Writing in the Dark virtual workshops on All Access Con, launched last year and continuing on. People who sign up for them get to learn from Tim Waggoner, catch videos of him teaching the audience or discussing horror in depth with other pros, and more. I gave an exclusive short class to instigate fresh plots and story premises that is available there in reruns now, too. You can be a part of the Spring Edition running April 28-May 1st, 2022, if you register quick!

And then there’s Writing POETRY in the Dark , another guidebook forthcoming later this year from RDSP, rife with great content assembled by their poetry editor, Stephanie Wytovich. This one focuses in on the craft of horrifying verse, with instructional essays contributed by many familiar poets working on the dark side, like Linda D. Addison, Timons Esaias, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Donna Lynch, Alessandro Manzetti, Jessica McHugh, Cynthia Pelayo, Lucy A. Snyder, Sara Tantlinger, Bryan Thao Warra, Albert Wendland… the list is too long to continue! I contributed an essay on humorous dark poetry (called “Like Fright on Lice”) that I really can’t wait for you to read.

And knowing all these creative, energetic people, I’m confident there’s even more to come. I’ll keep you updated. In the mean time, here’s a writing prompt for you as a kind of closing Instigation :

ACTUALLY WRITE A POEM WORKING IN UTTER DARKNESS. No lights, no screens, nothing but pitch black ink around you. As you move to the second line of the poem, imagine that your hand is slowly being guided now by the darkness itself. Allow it to write your line. Your third line can be a struggle to retreive power over the pen or a giving over to the unseen force.

Goreletter 13.2 Contest Winner Announced

In case you missed it, The Goreletter Vol. 13, #2 (“Necro Omicron”) was delivered to mailing list subscribers on 1/28/2022. If you didn’t get yours, please check your spam folder — or re-enter your email address in the subscription page, or contact me. You also can always find a text-only version at The Repository archives!

This issue featured a contest (as they usually do) — this one was entered simply by telling friends on social media about the Goreletter — and the winner this round was writer and editor, Den Shewman, a great guy who I recall fondly from his participation in a few Horror University courses I’ve taught live and online. Den is the author of “On the Blink” (a comedic Christmas tale involving a faulty Rudolph nose) and much more. He kindly shouted out on twitter, “Mike Arnzen is a twisted, twisted soul, and we like him that way. Plus, funny as hell!” as his entry. THANK YOU, DEN! And thanks to all who helped spread the word in entering the contest (or in just out of generosity).

Prizes included this fun book and Arnzen audio.

Den was randomly drawn from entries and won a free copy of The H. P. Lovecraft Book of Puzzles: Cosmic Conundrums from Beyond the Black Seas of Infinity (a clever, if silly, book from Gareth Moore which includes such headscratchers as “Worm Infested Sudoku” and “Dimensional Wordsearches” and “Tentacle Tests”) PLUS a free hard copy of my audio cd, AUDIOVILE, PLUS a handful of free download codes to other audio projects by Arnzen on bandcamp and audible. Quite a haul.

On top of random opportunities like these contests or news about discounts on various horror items (not just my own!) that you can’t get elsewhere, The Goreletter always includes extra material not available here on the blog, including new flash fiction or micropoetry (i.e. “gorelets”), news about my latest publications and events, plenty of oddball observations, suggestions, and freshly churned creative instigation on the dark side.

Don’t subscribe? Check out the back issues or subscribe today at the newsletter’s host, Revue. (If you subscribed prior to 2021, you were on Mailchimp and need to resubscribe because I did NOT automatically import my list — there were too many fake or dead accounts in there).

The Goreletter has been publishing for almost 20 years now and actually won a Bram Stoker Award in Alternative Forms (which is now a retired category). I invite you to peruse the back issues free!

Sportuary FREE all Super Bowl Weekend!

rah rah rah
we’re number one
raw raw raw
the end’s begun

Starting Friday, Feb 11th, 2022 (at Midnight, Pacific time) through Superbowl Sunday the 13th, you can download a copy of my ebook, Sportuary, absolutely free exclusively on amazon.com. Spread the word! Just head to my author page on amazon.com, look for Sportuary (it’s listed in the “Kindle” category), and download your free copy. Enjoy the “pentagramathlon of pain” and please do post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, your Facebook page, or anywhere you like. (Amazon usually ends these promotions at midnight pacific, fyi; better snatch it quick)!

You can read Kindle ebooks without a kindle, of course.

“It is easy to see why many of Arnzen’s readers consider him a master of the macabre. Sportuary is…one hell of a fun read.” –Gary West, The Dream People magazine

Read more about Sportuary on my books for sale page.

Flash Audio Sale at Bandcamp

This Friday (Feb 4th, 2021) is known as “Bandcamp Friday” — a day that happens every now and again, when the audio/music website, bandcamp, doesn’t scrape any profit off the top of sales. This means a lot to the tons of indie musicians and artists they host, so a lot of bands will encourage their fans to buy their music on that day.

Well, I’m no Richard Cheese, but all of my old audio releases (save for Freakcidents, which is exclusive to audible.com) are also on bandcamp, so — as promised in the latest issue of The Goreletter — I am putting them all on sale for Bandcamp Friday.

Normally bandcamp friday is a way to reward the artist with a little extra money. But what I think I’ve done is set it up so that normally the percentage bandcamp would keep from the sale, I’m just passing on to you as a savings.

[p.s. I know some of you are thinking: Wait – can’t I just listen and stream these free online with bandcamp, anyway? Why bother? The answer is: YES you can stream free but only three times; and also, you might not realize you get hidden bonus tracks and extras like exclusive ebooks and photos and other digital oddities secretly included in your download file! Also you’d have the actual audio files themselves to create CDs for your car or mixed tapes or whatever.]

Below is a list of the bargains (in US prices, but I believe international ordering is also available) to be had the weekend of February 3rd. I hope you’ll pick something up on FRIDAY, 2/4, but I’ll leave the discount going from 2/3-2/10/2022. (If you subscribe to The Goreletter, you know there is another, different special offer coming on Superbowl Weekend!). Of course, if you’re feeling generous and want to tip me, you can name your own price above the minimum levels.

Visit http://arnzen.bandcamp.com/ for my audio albums!

Full Digital Discography: GET EVERYTHING FOR $6.29 (46% off)

The price you see on bandcamp already includes the discounts during the sale. The full discography is a steal at 46% off the normal prices because it’s taking 30% off the discounts below.

To purchase individual albums directly, click the following links:

Vampire Stories: Live in Transylvania: Normally $1 .75/ GET IT FREE (yup, 100% off!)Audiovile (Expanded Digital Edition): Normally $6.66 / GET IT FOR $4.99 (25% off)Audiovile (Signed Compact Disc): Normally $15 / GET IT FOR $10 (33% off) while supplies lastThe Attack of the Bleu Man Group: Normally $2.50 / GET IT FOR $1.50 (40% off)Poedown: Live Poetry Slam Arnzen v Wytovich: Normally $3.50 / GET IT FOR $2.50 (30% off)

This is the lowest price they’ll ever be sold, and I won’t do it every bandcamp friday (though I might from time to time… these dates are rare) so if you want any of these, I say get ’em while they’re hot!

Covers to some of the bonus ebooks you get with your purchase, exclusively on bandcamp!

A Holiday Video for You

Here’s a seasonal reading of my short-short, “All Naughty, No Nice” (from the book, Collected Christmas Horror Shorts Vol. 1), and my expression of well wishes to all my friends and readers as we wrap up one hell of a crazy year. Kudos to all of you reading this. You survived. May your 2022 by the year of something grand, something new.

Happy Holidays,

Mike Arnzen

New Online Course: Treacherous Settings

“Treacherous Settings”:

Live Monday, Jan 31st 2022, 8 P.M. EST — Horror University Online

Also Available Asynchronously Following the Event!

DESCRIPTION:

In space, no one can hear you scream. Here there be monsters. Who’s behind the door?

Settings can be as scary and surprisingly deadly as the creatures and killers who populate our books. From craggy caverns to undersea cities, haunted houses to alien landscapes, they can threaten characters with their very lives, and their inherent fear factor always offers a potential stage for delightfully dangerous action, creative conflict, and shocking surprise.

In this 2-hour session we’ll discover different methods for manipulating the elements of SETTING (the time and place of a story) in a way that provides direct and indirect conflict, escalates suspense, or raises the kind of spooky atmosphere that keeps readers glued to the pages. We’ll examine passages of treacherous setting descriptions and practice strategies in class that will help participants create dark places, threatening locales, and dangerous environs. Attendees should be able to generate a stronger sense of atmosphere and even discover possible plot complications for their horror writing projects as a result.

Note: a short story for discussion will be emailed to participants and is required reading prior to the class.

REGISTRATION DETAILS:

The class will run live (synchronously) online on 1/31/2021 at 8pm eastern, as part of the Horror Writers Association’s “Horror University” with ticketed registration and hosting run via Teachable.com The course will be recorded and materials archived for all enrollees, whether you attend the live session or not.

The price for this course is $65 usd. Be sure to visit Horror U for a full explanation and extra details on any discounts or bundles that might be available. Or go directly to the Horror U class on Teachable.com

You can also still enroll in last year’s Horror U class on “The Uncanny and The Abject” while you’re there, which gets you access to all the learning materials and a recording of the live class event.

NOTE: HWA Members and StokerCon attendees also receive a discount on all courses. Discount codes change regularly and are provided both via email and in the Members Only section of horror.org. If you have any further questions, please write admin@horror.org.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Michael Arnzen teaches horror and fiction writing fulltime at Seton Hill University — home of the MFA in Writing Popular Fiction — and has run workshops at World Horror Convention, Odyssey, Alpha, and elsewhere for genre writers, including every stateside StokerCon. The author of INSTIGATION and GRAVE MARKINGS, Arnzen holds four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his twisted fiction and poetry.

This Holiday Season Enjoy…The Filling

Happy Holidays to all my friends! I’ve got a new audio story out in a special Thanksgiving issue of The Wicked Library, called “The Filling.” It should carry you over till the New Year. Enjoy all the pie.

The Wicked Library is a professional podcast run out of Pittsburgh by Daniel Foytik of 9th Story Studios (producers of The Lift), and I’m proud to appear in their dark archives. This episode features Jeanette Andromeda as guest host, the story is read by the amazing actor and voice performer Graham Rowat, and there’s also a musical score by Nico Vettese. While “The Filling” is not really a story about Thanksgiving or the Xmas holiday, it’s all about ghost pie and you totally should listen to this creepy/funny story at the dinner table with family… if they have strong stomachs, that is!

Also available on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Look for a special video interview with Storytime with Crystal Connor (you should ) about my story, coming out in the New Year!

Halloween Season 2021

Image by Jeff C. Carter

Happy harvest time, loyal readers, old friends and new visitors!

October is always the busiest month of the year for horror fiends, and my Halloween season this year is no exception. If you’ve seen my events page, you know I’ll be reading at such places as the Chatham University library and a PARSEC panel of horror writers, along with an outdoor session by the fire at the annual Seton Hill University English Club spooky story night. I’ll be co-organizing a meeting of the Pittsburgh chapter of the HWA at the Horror Studies archive at U Pittsburgh (our first face-to-face meet up since the pandemic hit). And I’m trying to sneak in as much bizarre and scary writing as I can between all that while teaching English full time. Busy, busy!

Speaking of teaching, I’m prepping a new undergraduate course in Global Horror for the Spring at Seton Hill University and couldn’t be more excited. Just putting the syllabus together is a blast, as I’m surveying the non-western world looking for classics and new horror stories and films with gusto. (I’m always open to suggestions of short stories or books, so feel free to add anything you’d recommend in the comments). Here’s a flyer that our wonderful Humanities School Assistant, Jessica Lohr, put together for me:

And there’s plenty more going on, with a few publications to announce too. I’ll be putting together a new Goreletter before Halloween that catches up with all this, and it might even include a new contest, so sign up if you haven’t already done so.

Before I sign off, I want to mention that I hit a milestone on twitter this month by gaining over 10,000 followers! That’s quite a few people reading my weird thoughts! Without announcing it in advance, I awarded a surprise gift of free Arnzen books to my 9999th follower (because that sounds so demonic to me), and the winner was Jeff C. Carter, author of the cool Halloween book, Cold Spell. THANK YOU Jeff, and everyone else who has been following my shenanigans on twitter over the past decade-plus. Jeff shared a photo of his free book prize perched atop pumpkins, which appears at the top of this blog entry!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN one and all! To celebrate, I’ve been posting a micro-story a day for the #TrickOrTweet2021 challenge. See twitter.com/MikeArnzen for more each day! Here’s a sample of two:

Creating Something From Nothing

At the heart of creativity is innovation — that is, the ability to originate, or to act on the impulse to make something new.

I recently was interviewed by my friend in the creativity business, author Matt Betts, who I think of as an innovative writer because he channels his fannish glee for genre literature and movies into some very fresh takes on familiar tropes, often by mashing them together and seeing what happens. He’s written some wildly imaginative novels for Raw Dog Screaming Press, is authoring a sasquatch series, and is continuing the saga of Carson of Venus from the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe in new novels.

Betts just launched a brand new podcast called “Something From Nothing: Talks with Creatives about Creating“ — an interview series that’s part of the Ship It Studios fandom network, all about creativity and innovation in popular genres — and it was a joy to catch up with him and talk shop about this strange business called creative writing.

LISTEN TO “You Got Monsters in My Podcast” HERE:

https://www.shipitstudios.com/somethingfromnothing/episode/281c267e/you-got-monsters-in-my-podcast

If you liked this interview, you might also want to dial back to my talk last year with Brain Squalls — co-hosted by Matt Daigh and another horror writing friend of mine, EV Knight (who, incidentally, just won the Bram Stoker Award for her first novel!). Brain Squalls is another creativity podcast, which invites listeners to “brainstorm” alongside them as they unfold story ideas and respond to prompts, revealing the strange networks of thought that authors follow when they plan out their tales. I was honored to be their first guest, as we talked about my book Instigation, and collaboratively created a hilarious story plot on the spot related to those Toys for Tots donation boxes you often see in American post offices (which I found out later, are sponsored by the Marine corps). For convenience, here’s the stream of that conversation on youtube: