Gregor Xane's Blog, page 5

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What I'm Working On

I figure I should let people who like what I write know that I've got quite a bit of stuff written and making its way through the editing/revision pipeline.

First off, I've got an illustrated novella coming soon. It's called TABOOGASM, and it's about a guy who wins the lottery every time he plays.

There's a new Halloween horror story set to premiere in an anthology this fall.

I also plan on releasing a full-length fantasy novel by the end of this calendar year. This will be the first in a planned trilogy. All fantasy novels come in threes, right?

I've written four new novellas. The first of which, BRIDES OF HANOVER BLOCK, comes out in 2017.

And I'm actively writing a fantasy/adventure horror novel. I have no idea when this sucker will see the light of day. I'm at around the 10% mark with this one. Early days. But it's going well.

So, thanks to everyone who reads my work. Just thought I'd let you know there's much more to come.

Short Story Month Draws to a Close

I'm capping off Short Story Month with a friendly reminder that you can grab a couple of my short stories for FREE, if you'd like.

You can grab "It Came From Hell and Smashed the Angels" for FREE from all over the place.

Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple iBook
Smashwords



Also, if you subscribe to my New Release Mailing List, I'll send you a weird fairy tale called "I Will Tell You About Knoist."

You can go here to learn more and to subscribe .

Or, if you'd prefer to sign up via e-mail or through social media, you may do that, too. Here's a link to a list of places where you can contact me .

Ten Bookish Questions

I've seen this questionnaire making the rounds and thought I'd join in.

1. What book is on your nightstand now?

The Fireman, by Joe Hill.

2. What was the last truly great book that you read?

The Thicket, by Joe R. Lansdale

3. If you could meet any writer – dead or alive – who would it be? And what would you want to know?

I would like to interrogate Philip K. Dick.

4. What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?

There are a few legal thrillers and paranormal romances. I don't read either genre, but books of all types seem to gravitate toward my office. They're all welcome here.

5. How do you organize your personal library?

For fiction, first by favorite author, then by genre. For non-fiction, by subject.

6. What book have you always meant to read and haven’t gotten around to yet? Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read?

A Clockwork Orange, although I'm not embarrassed about not having read that one yet.


7. Disappointing, overrated, just not good: what book did you feel you were supposed to like but didn't? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker was just awful. I actually stopped reading at the 70% mark. I've read (and greatly admire) all of Barker's major works and I honestly don't believe he wrote that book, at least, not most of it. It should not have been published.

The last book I left unfinished was The Double, by José Saramago. But I've abandonded that one twice now, so I might still go back and finish it.

8. What kinds of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of?

I'm drawn to stories about independent investigators getting in over their heads in search of dangerous persons, places, or, especially, things.

I generally avoid romance fiction. I don't look on it with disdain or anything. It's just not my bag.

9. If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

Every sitting president should have to read this one.



10. What do you plan to read next?

It doesn't matter what I plan to read next, I always seem to just go with what I'm in the mood for at the moment. But I'd like to finish off a number of series I've started over the years. Daniel Abraham's Dagger & Coin, Greg Keyes's Age of Unreason, Will Christopher Baer's Phineas Poe, Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf, to name a few.

My Short Story Month Gift to You

To celebrate Short Story Month, I'm offering my short story Mr. Tucker & Me as a FREE download over at Amazon.

This one isn't a horror story. It falls somewhere on the cusp of science fiction and fantasy. It's about friendship and the importance of meditative Sunday drives.

Download it now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Short Story Month Reading Update

I've read a good number of short stories this month. I like to jump between collections written by different authors to keep things mixed up.

Here's what I've read so far in May.

Note: My favorites are marked with an asterisk.

By Flannery O'Conner
A Stroke of Good Fortune
A Temple of the Holy Ghost
The Artificial Nigger*
A Circle in the Fire*



By Israel Finn
Stranded
No Such Thing as Monsters



By Jason Parent
Unseemly



By James Newman
Dirty Black Summer
Bless This Meal, O Lord
Suffer the Children
Always Digging
Keeping Up with the Joneses
A Town Called Hatred*
Holy Rollers



By Craig Saunders
Mr. Wobble
Doubloons
Pour your Beer Slow
People need People...to Eat
Red
The Last Cold Day
Rubble
Playing Favourites
The Dead Have Feelings, Too
The Dream
The Giant Inside*
Edgar Dawn*



Have you been performing your civic duty and reading short stories this month? If so, please feel free to let me know what's good.

May is Short Story Month!

It's May. It's Short Story Month. I'll be reading only short fiction this month.


No, that's a lie.


Joe Hill's The Fireman comes out this month, so I'll be reading that, too.

Which brings me to this list of recommended short fiction collections. First up is...











Note: A Natural History of Hell doesn't come out until July, but it will be good. Jeffrey Ford is one of the best living short story writers.

Grab a book of short stories.
Download a quick read from your eBook retailer of choice.
Support the art form.

April Reading Wrap-Up

In April, I read enough chapter ones from various books to equal the length of a short novel. I picked at books I've had going for a long while, a chapter or two from one thing, a short story from one anthology/collection or another. Not much is holding my interest. I think the problem is my general mood, rather than the material I've been sampling. I just haven't been able to figure out what it is exactly I'm in the mood to read.

But I'll read through it. It will pass.

I did manage to finish three books in April. They are:

Night Squad, by David Goodis - A solid noir read. I'll be picking up some more Goodis for sure.



South of the Border, West of the Sun , by Haruki Murakami - A good book, but only an okay Murakami.



Borderline , by Lawrence Block - Repackaged, old-fashioned sleaze. A serial killer amid sexual adventurers on the US-Mexico border.

Cover Reveal: TABOOGASM!

Summer 2016