Fran Friel's Blog, page 7

I'm Ba-ack!

What the Hell Happened?
Have you forgotten me, gang? I wouldn't be surprised if you had. It's been more than a year since my last confession, er, blog, and that's a long cotton-pickin' time.

I've missed you--no kidding--but I needed the time away to do some deep healing. Following a long period of illness last year, my dad passed away. The stress of his death combined with a really sucky year took me down...way down (I think I saw Pennywise down there with me...and yes, I was floating...facedown mostly). I'll spare you the gory details of my emotional demise, but suffice to say, it wasn't pretty. It was the yearlong version of the Oprah ugly cry...super-sobber...tearville...brain-dead valley. You get the picture.

As these things tend to be, my recovery was an uphill journey. I can honestly say, I learned a lot along the way, and now I think I'm ready to enjoy the ride again (hopefully, downhill and by the seat of my comfy pants, squealing all the way!). I may hit a few bumps along the way, but I'll keep rollin'.


So Glad to See You!
I really am thrilled to be back in the blogging/writing saddle again, and I'm so glad to see YOU! I hope you'll stick with me. I'll do my best to entertain you and make your time with me not-sucky. Heck, I even have some work being published this year. Yee-Haw!

Well, gang, I know it's not much of a start, but I'm ba-ack. :-)

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Long Time No Blog!

Okay, it's high time I get my blogging chops back in gear after a very long hiatus. SO, you can expect to see something new from Fran Friel's Yada Feast in this space SOON.

*jumps on horse and gallops to her ghost town of a blog*

See you there!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

BlogTalkRadio - Fran Dances with The Funky Werepig

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Werepig Alert!
Hide your children and lock your pantry--the Funky Werepig is on the loose. Or at least he's on the radio. He'll be in his usual spot with his famous Choate Road crew, roasting and toasting his Sunday night interviewee, and tonight I'm the main course.

I'll be reading from my collection, Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales, as well as yammering on about writing, life and whatever Mr. Pig desires.

Please come and join us.

CLICK HERE for the LIVE Show Link or the Archive!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Times Best Seller Viehl Shares Financial Realities of Publishing

Truth Be Told
Wow, it certainly is refreshing to hear the truth for once. A long held sacred cow of the publishing industry is the silence of publishers and authors about advances and royalty statements. The marvelous NY Times Best Selling author, Lynn Viehl (also, S. L. Viehl), lays it all on the line, including her royalty statement, to dispel some of the myths and exaggerations about the writing business.

CLICK HERE to read Lynn's excellent article!

What do you think? Is this similar to your experience or that of your colleagues? Any wisdom, hearsay, ranting to add to the subject?

Have a rest of the week!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

PS - Many thanks to Mari Adkins for the link!

Bram Stoker Award Finalists - MB Made the Cut!

Made the Cut
I'm very pleased and honored to share the news with you--MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES made the final cut is now a nominee for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Collection. The winners will be announced in June at the Stoker Awards Banquet in Los Angeles, but simply making the list of finalists is a humbling experience, especially with the extraordinary talent in the collection category (and on the entire list!). My sincere congratulations to all the nominees.

You can see the complete list below, as well as an interesting explanation of the Bram Stoker Award.

From the Horror Writer's Association Blog:

Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987.

To ameliorate the competitive nature of awards, the Stokers are given "for superior achievement," not for "best of the year," and the rules are deliberately designed to make ties fairly probable. The first awards were presented in 1988 (for works published in 1987), and they have been presented every year since.
The award itself is an eight-inch replica of a fanciful haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

The Stoker Awards, like the Oscars, are non-juried awards. Any work of Horror first published in the English language may be considered for a Stoker during the year of its publication. The HWA membership at large recommends worthy works for consideration. A preliminary ballot is compiled using a formula based on recommendations. Two rounds of voting by our Active members determine first the finalists, and then the winners. The winners are announced and the awards presented at a gala banquet held in conjunction with HWA's annual conference, usually in June.

This year's finalists for the Bram Stoker Awards are:

Superior Achievement in a Novel
COFFIN COUNTY by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure Books)
THE REACH by Nate Kenyon (Leisure Books)
DUMA KEY by Stephen King (Scribner)
JOHNNY GRUESOME by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon Books/Medallion Press)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
MIDNIGHT ON MOURN STREET by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
THE SUICIDE COLLECTORS by David Oppegaard (St. Martin's Press)
FROZEN BLOOD by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
THE SHALLOW END OF THE POOL by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock Press)
MIRANDA by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
REDEMPTION ROADSHOW by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy Press)
THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
PETRIFIED by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
THE LOST by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
THE DUDE WHO COLLECTED LOVECRAFT by Nick Mamatas, and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
EVIDENCE OF LOVE IN A CASE OF ABANDONMENT by M. Rickert (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
TURTLE by Lee Thomas (Doorways)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology
LIKE A CHINESE TATTOO edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
HORROR LIBRARY, VOL. 3 edited by R. J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
BENEATH THE SURFACE edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
UNSPEAKABLE HORROR edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)

Superior Achievement in a Collection
THE NUMBER 121 TO PENNSYLVANIA by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
MAMA'S BOY and Other Dark Tales by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King (Scribner)
MR. GAUNT AND OTHER UNEASY ENCOUNTERS by John Langan (Prime Books)
GLEEFULLY MACABRE TALES by Jeff Strand (Delirium Books)

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
CHEAP SCARES by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
ZOMBIE CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel Press)
A HALLOWE'EN ANTHOLOGY by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR by Amy Wallace, Del Howison, and Scott Bradley (HarperCollins)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
THE NIGHTMARE COLLECTION by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
THE PHANTOM WORLD by Gary William Crawford (Sam's Dot Publishing)
VIRGIN OF THE APOCALYPSE by Corrine De Winter (Sam's Dot Publishing)
ATTACK OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)


Many, many thanks to my wonderful publisher, Apex, and to everyone who has offered their encouragement and support for the MB collection over these many long months. I'm more grateful than you can know. Now, please cross your fingers and toes just one more time!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

PS - If you're an Active HWA member and would like a copy of the collection for your voting consideration, please drop me an email at: franfriel@gmail.com. Don't be shy! My publisher is being very generous to offer copies to voting members.

Clive Barker and Ronald Kelly - Icons at the POH!

A Couple of Marvelous Horrors at the POH
Don't miss the latest POD of HORROR with Mark Justice! Why? Because you'd be missing two magnificent horror icons, Clive Barker and Ronald Kelly. So, stop in to visit with the POD of Horror crew at Horror World for a great show.

From Horror World:
On Pod of Horror #52, we interview legendary author, film maker and artist Clive Barker. Also, 90s horror icon Ronald Kelly has returned in a big way, and we discover where he went and what the future holds for his fans. Nanci is here with the Call of Kalanta, Norm Rubenstein offers a bunch of new reviews and we give away tons of horror in The Tomb of Trivia. Get it at i-Tunes or download it below. Pod of Horror is hosted and produced by Mark Justice.

Click Here to Visit the POD of HOROR!

I hope you enjoy the POD people. They're some of my personal favorites.

In other self-aggrandizement news, MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES is now available for the Amazon Kindle! After much hemming and hawing, I got a Kindle last year, and now they can't pry it loose from my hands. If you have one of those little e-reading beauties, I'd be most grateful if you'd nab a copy of the MB collection. It's only $4.00! Heck, I'm buying one. *wink*

Click Here for a PEEK at MB on Kindle!

Have fun at the POD of Horror! Tell 'em Fran sent ya'!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Sebastian's Voodoo - Don't Miss this Marvelous Little Vid!

Aniboom Grand Winner Video - Well Deserved!
My thanks to Cassandra Lee for forwarding this video to me. I loved the poignancy of this vid, the simplicity of the idea and the wonderful animation. Blew me away! I hope you love it, too!



This from aniboom.com (watch the vid first - SPOILER ALERT!) :

This year the Grand Winner was chosen by the combined ranking of both the Community and Jury, meaning Sebastians Voodoo was loved by all. A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death. Created by Joaquin Baldwin http://www.aniboom.com/boomzones/zell777
Follow me:
facebook: http://www.tinyurl.com/aniboomfanpage
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/aniboom
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/aniboom
If you liked this animation, don't forget to subscribe, you know you want to.

Check out more winners at http://www.aniboom.com/awards2008/

I hope you enjoyed the vid, gang. Got any favorites of your own?

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Apex Friday the 13th SALE - good thru Sunday!

Who Said Friday the 13th was Unlucky?
On the contrary, Apex is celebrating the 13th with a juicy little sale. So, if you've been holding out to get a copy of MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES or any of the great Apex titles from authors Michael A. Burstein, Alethea Kontis, Maurice Broaddus, Nate Kenyon, Sara M. Harvey, Thomas R. Riley, Lavie Tidhar, Brady Schwan, Matt Wallace, Steven Savile and Jennifer Pelland, than this is the sale for you!

Direct from the Apex Alien's mouth:

In celebration of the upcoming Friday, the 13th, we are having a
storewide sale! Get 13% off any item* in the Apex store from now until
Sunday night. Just use the checkout coupon code: FRIDAYTHE13TH.

We don't do many storewide sales like these, so take advantage of the
savings while you can!

Remember, the code is FRIDAYTHE13TH on the checkout screen.

Our store url is http://www.apexbookcompany.com/cart.php


Apex is doing it's darnedest to keep good fiction coming your way and saving you money, too. Please help keep small independent presses like Apex alive, and buy a great book today!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Energy Vampires: Fact Versus Fiction

Where Are Your Vamps?
As you may know, I'm a bit of a treehugger, so I'm always looking for a little angle to help out on the environmental front (as well, as the wallet!). I've heard a lot about energy wasting devices in the house that should be unplugged, but I haven't been sure about the details. I found the following article this morning and it helped to shed a little light on the situation. Maybe it will be helpful to you, too:

Energy Vampires: Fact Versus Fiction

Or

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/50/energy-vampires-fact-versus-fiction.html

If you have any additional links or info to share on the subject, please post here. Thanks!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

"I love Jesus, but I drink a little."

Cracked Me Up Real Good
I haven't laughed this hard in quite sometime, so I had to share this with you. Kevin W. Miller posted this vid over at facebook, and I thank him for cracking me up real good.

Enjoy!



Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel