Ronald Kelly's Blog, page 2

Back in the Saddle... Again!Round 3 of my Hailey's Comet ...

Back in the Saddle... Again!Round 3 of my Hailey's Comet Career
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"Okay.... two years worth of writer's block is long enough. Now get your butt behind that keyboard and get to work!"
That's what I told myself in mid-September of 2018. For at least a couple of years (it could have been longer) I was stuck in creative Neutral, not with my foot on the pedal, spinning my tires in anticipation, but in a steady, rumbling idle that was going nowhere. After pitching my Southern-fried zombie novel THE BUZZARD ZONE to David Wilson at Crossroad Press back in 2016, I set to work. Then, when I got three-quarters of the book done, it happened. The fabled Writer's Block. I'd had mild cases of it before, like a brief bout of the stomach flu; twenty-four hours on the mental crapper and then I was fine again. But this time it was full-blown. I was stuck -- like Indiana Jones floundering in quicksand -- and I found myself going nowhere. And, before I knew it, with no fresh material going to publication, I found my writing career dead in the water, like Daffy Duck at the hands of an Elmer Fudd gone wrongfully postal. 
This wasn't the first time my career had been plunged into literary limbo. It first happened in 1996, when the horror market imploded (due to an oversaturation of too much horror fiction on the bookracks...much of it pretty danged bad). My agent called me on an autumn day (October 9th at 3:30 in the afternoon... I remember it well), and I, all excited over the prospect of a new multi-book deal from my publisher, Zebra Books, was shocked out of my socks by the news that the Big Z was shutting the doors of its haunted house of mid-list horror paperbacks. Further more, the two novels that were already scheduled for release, HELL HOLLOW and RESTLESS SHADOWS , would be returned to me with Zebra's blessings... along with a big, fat pink slip.
As many know, that was the beginning Ol' Ron's ten-year hiatus from, not only the horror genre, but from writing as well. There was a couple of reasons for my self-exile. One was the near non-existent horror market in the later half of the 1990s and my agent's sage advice that I "write anything but horror". It was a bit of advice, in my depressed and downtrodden state, that I took entirely too much to heart. I tried writing in other genres -- mystery, young adult, children's book, even a short-lived delving into the "gasp!"romance market. But nothing took. I was a horror writer, dammit, and that was what I was meant to write. The second reason that I abandoned horror for a decade was my religious convictions. I'm a Christian (a genuine dyed-in-wool Southern Baptist) and, at that time, the Holy Spirit  was working overtime on me. I began to rationalize that I wasn't really supposed to write horror... that God hadn't given me the talent to scare and disgust with the written word, but maybe, you know, that other fellow was providing the inspiration. I wondered how I could attend church on Sunday and then turn around write about vampires, werewolves, serial killers, and all kinds of dark nastiness the rest of the week. So I decided to stop writing completely. Just give it up and turn my life and aspirations to something else. And, for ten long years, I was completely miserable.
To make a long story short, after alot of soul-searching and realizing that God wanted me to write horror (perhaps for the sole reason of perpetuating the good-versus-evil story... which had wandered into a gray area in horror at that time) I decided to finally return to horror writing. Between 2006 and 2016, things when great. Both HELL HOLLOW and RESTLESS SHADOWS were published, as well as all eight of my Zebra novels as the Essential Ronald Kelly Collection by Thunderstorm Books. Anthology invitations were steady and the new advent of digital books brought all of my work to the Kindle/Nook reading public. Throw in several short story collections -- MIDNIGHT GRINDING, AFTER THE BURN, and MISTER GLOW-BONES, to name a few -- and Round 2 of my seemingly lost writing career was on track and cruising along nicely.
Then that nasty bout of W.B. hit me (sort of rhymes with V.D. doesn't it... and hits the creative nuts just as hard!) David at Crossroad kept emailing me; sending my e-book royalty statements with cryptic notes attached, chanting zombie...zombie...zombie. I knew that I needed to sit down and finished TBZ; after all David was all ready to publish it and he even had the cover. But I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and finish it. It seemed much easier to come home from work and plop down in front of the TV and watch Netflix, than limber my fingers and begin typing. Then in mid-September of last year, David gave me the kick in the rump that I needed. "We can get this book out by Halloween if you can get it to me by the first of October." The thought of having a book out by All Hallows Eve was appealing to me and so I took a deep breath and sat down in front of the keyboard. And, lo and behold, it all came back to me. I started writing again.
Needless to say, the remaining fourth of TBZ went slower than I anticipated and I didn't get it finished until nearly November. David certainly didn't waste any time, first releasing the book in trade paperback and placing the e-book on preorder status, until it's release in mid-December.


Now things seem to be moving in the right direction again. TBZ is doing well and my much-awaited sequel to my little collection of extreme horror tales, THE SICK STUFF, is finished and in production at Thunderstorm Books. MORE SICK STUFF will be released in a limited hardcover edition this April. After that, Thunderstorm will be publishing a limited hardcover of THE BUZZARD ZONE, and I have several other projects currently in the works.
So, for now, Ol' Ron is back in the saddle again. But in the back of my mind there's that nagging feeling that creative disaster could strike again. It's almost like my career is like a literary form of Hailey's Comet, one that comes and goes every ten years. But I can't let that slow me down now. I'll simply wait until 2028... and, holding breath, keep right on typing. 

Hell Hollow: A Case of Literary Death & Ressurection

There was a weeping and a wailing and a gnashing of teeth...
That was me back in 1996.
Oh, the year didn't exactly start out that way. In fact, my literary career seemed extremely healthy and productive and destined to continue for years to come, without a hitch. I would net multi-book contract after contract and write dozens of mid-list horror novels for that red-headed stepchild of genre publishers, Zebra Books. But then, sometimes, a writer turns a blind eye to bad omens and secretive whisperings in the publishing industry. Sometimes they fool themselves into thinking every thing is just fine and continue onward, spinning their tales, their eyes on a hazy future that could be reality or a clever mirage.
I was one of those unfortunate mass market paperback writers. Yes, I'd heard the news, knew the declining state of the genre I had invested so much time and effort (and imagination) into. Authors were being cut by the publishing houses by the dozens. Publishing houses were abandoning their horror lines because the market was oversaturated with horror fiction, alot of it substandard and just plain bad. The boom of the late 80s had past. Publishers like Tor and Berkley, Pocket and Pinnacle, and the big Z had force fed readers horror pabulum until they were sick and tired of it. Readers stopped buying the mid-list books and, in turn, publishers began to make drastic cuts to keep afloat. And when they couldn't salvage their horror line and it began to sink like a haunted house of a Titanic, they simply gave up. And put dozens of talented horror authors out of a job.
But it wouldn't happen to me, I told myself. Everything was looking great on my end. Several months before, I had sold two novels to Zebra (which would have been my 9th and 10th with the publisher); Hell Hollow and Restless Shadows, and they were even scheduled for publication. So I cooked up two or three new novel ideas and submitted them, expecting a third multi-book contract to keep my productive career afloat. But I didn't get it. They rejected the story ideas -- perfectly good ideas -- without explanation. I asked my agent what was going on and, at that time, he had no answers. Or he knew the answers and hesitated to break the sad and sober news to me.
So I came up with a few more solid horror novel ideas. And they were rejected, too. It was then that the cold and dark shadow of professional dread descended upon me. My wife and I hit a financial brick wall due to me being unable to sell Zebra on another multi-book contract and her losing her job due to sickness. We left Nashville with everything we owned packed in my Camaro and in the back of my father-in-law's SUV and headed for the country. That was April of 1996. We struggled through the summer and hoped for a better autumn. Fall finally came with a dry blanket of fallen leaves and the bitter smell of woodsmoke in the cool, Tennessee air. But still, Zebra was silent and stubborn, and I was stuck in literary limbo.
Then it came. The 9th of October. My own personal 9/11. The call came from my agent in New York. Zebra had ditched their horror line. I was suddenly without a publisher I had depended on for nearly 7 years; the key reason I was able to retire from factory work and write full-time. And, what was worse, both Hell Hollow and Restless Shadows would no longer be published. They would be returned to me to do as a please and, by the way, you can keep the advance money, per the stipulations of the contract signed for the two.
The rest is Ron Kelly history. I grew discouraged and depressed and tried desperately to continue my writing career. It didn't happen. Those who had written for the horror genre and lost their publishers were shunned and ignored... treated like pure poison. My agent's advice? "Write anything but horror." And, unfortunately, I took his advice to heart. I tried to write in other genres, even children's fiction, but none of it took. I was a horror writer, pure and simple, and no one wanted me or what I had to offer. After four months of trying every publishing venue imaginable with no results, I simply gave up. I stuck the two unpublished books back in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet, laced up my steel-toed boots, and went back to the factories that I had escaped back in 1989.
And that was the way it was for ten long years. Working the day shift, first at an electric motor assembly plant, and then at an automotive electro-coating company (where I am still currently employed). There were good times, of course; I grew closer to my wife, Joyce, than I had been when I was spending 90% of my days and nights in front of a keyboard and, together, we began to raise a family. I gave my life to Christ and became a Christian, which put further distance between me and the secular life of a horror author. But despite the peaceful, uneventful life that I lived, I simply wasn't happy. That nagging need to write was still there, deep down inside, wanting to escape from the crypt of my self-imposed exile. But I was stubborn and unwilling to chance it. I ignored the horror genre and anything related to it. I'd had my chance and I blew it. My novels were lost in a past that was painful and tragic, at least in my mind. Everyone had completely forgotten that mid-list Zebra hack named Ronald Kelly.
Or so I thought.
Then in 2006 something strange happened. Folks on the horror forums began to talk about me and my old books began to sell briskly on eBay. Old writing pals and past fans began to contact me, urging me to return to the genre I had abandoned a decade ago. "Things are better now," they told me. "The genre is healthy and booming again." And, with a growing flame of excitement and hopefulness, I began to believe them. What cinched it was a phone call from an old friend, Richard Chizmar, from Cemetery Dance Publications. He wanted to publish me again. We talked and agreed on two projects: a short story collection, which would become Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors, and a novel. And that novel turned out to be the long dead and buried Hell Hollow.
Hell Hollow was published in hardcover in 2009 to rave reviews and steady sales that would result in it selling out. After that, my writing career was back on track and I published numerous books with numerous publishers: Cemetery Dance, Thunderstorm Books, Bad Moon Books, Crossroad Press, etc. After several potential publishers had folded, the Essential Ronald Kelly Collection (all 8 Zebra novels, plus bonus features, published in beautiful hardcover editions) finally found a home at Thunderstorm Books, much to the delight of my fans, both old and new.
But what about the subject of this blog post, you ask? What about Hell Hollow? What about that creepy, Southern-fried horror novel about four kids who battle the hellish evil of the soul-harvester Doctor Augustus Leech; a serial killer possessed by the demonic presence of a murdered medicine show man nearly a century before? An agent of Satan who operated both in our world and in a world of his own, a world of wondrous dreams that could turn into hellish nightmares for the owners of the special playing cards he dealt to his unaware victims?
Well, Hell Hollow enjoyed a year or two of popularity, then sort of faded into the background. The CD edition sold out and was unavailable for purchase. It was offered as an e-book for a while and then an audio book (which is still available through Audible.com). For several years it was totally unavailable in print form. That is, until now. Thanks to the good folks at Sinister Grin Press, Hell Hollow and two other RK novels, Undertaker's Moon and Fear have been resurrected to live among the annals of horrordom once again. The trade paperback edition of Hell Hollow  is now available for purchase at Amazon.com for only $17.59. You can order your copy of HH here. 

Here's your chance to read the RK novel that almost remained unpublished due to the implosion of the horror genre back in the mid-90s. A novel that may have been entombed in the dusty darkness of a filing cabinet drawer, dead and buried, if it hadn't been for your interest and support back in 2006. Thanks for letting me come back to entertain you with my particular brand of Southern-fried horror. I hope you enjoy the evil antics of the sinister Doctor Leech in shadowy, backwoods wilderness known to locals as Hell Hollow.

Sisters of Slaughter: The Literary Rise of Garza & Lason

Something very rare is taking place in the horror genre... something that I haven't witnessed for quite some time. Twin sisters who write the nastiest, most horrifying and effective prose in the form of a single literary entity. Yes, take it from me, it's damn rare. It's enough of a feat for one person to write gruesome and macabre fiction with fluidity and a vision that grabs you by the throat and says "You're mine until the last freaking sentence is over and done with!". But for two writers to do it and do it seamlessly -- almost as though the combined might of two intellects and imaginations had merged into a single flesh-and-blood wordsmith... well, like I said, it's rare. More than that, to us in the genre (both those who read the stuff and write it) it's both exciting and encouraging.


The last time I came across a horror-writing sister duo was in 1991 at the first World Horror Convention. Like myself, this twin-team wrote for Zebra Books and under a single nomenclature. Regretfully, I do not recall their individual names (it has been nearly 25 years), but I remember that they were an odd pair; one was an extroverted party girl, while the other was quiet, reserved, and a devout Christian. But they wrote effective horror novels... not very many, but they consistently accomplished a cohesive story that melded well and did not reveal the fact that two people had collaborated on the project, rather than simply one. I have no idea what happened to them. Like many on the Zebra roster of authors, they faded from the scene after the unfortunate implosion of the horror genre in the mid-1990s and the abrupt shutdown of Zebra's horror line (ask me about it some time and I'll tell you a genuine tale of writer's angst and woe.)


Now we have two more on the horror scene, but with much more potential and originality (and downright freshness) than most collaborative teams I've come across in the past two decades or more. They call themselves the Sisters of Slaughter and when you read what they have to offer you can't help but say "Yeah, that moniker fits just right!". Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason hail from Mesa, Arizona, where they raise their families (they are both loving mommies and wives) and write grisly and gruesome tales of terror that make your skin crawl so much that it's a wonder that it doesn't slither right off your bones and cower beneath the bed, dimpled with goosebumps and shuddering in fright. Like most sibling teams, their personalities vary. Michelle is the outgoing, kick-ass sister unafraid to take risks, while Melissa is the quieter, more reserved , and calculating of the pair. Together, the mixture of their individual talents meld almost psychically, resulting in a horror reader's delight... and a horror writer's respect (and perhaps even a little bitty touch of envy).


So far, they have only published a handful of short stories, but what they have published has proven strong enough and effective enough to make the reading public sit up on the morgue slab and take notice. I've had the pleasure of getting to know these two ladies through the magic of social media (namely Facebook) and, in turn, have read both their published and unpublished work, and even edited for them on occasion. My opinion of their literary efforts thus far is extremely positive, not because I am particularly fond of them (I call them 'cuz" and that's the way it feels... we're kin both in terms of professionalism and friendship), but because they are so damn good at what they do. And like all genuinely talented and versatile writers, they can write almost anything, from present day horror to antiquated gothic tales of the macabre that would give Poe and Lovecraft a run for their money.


If you haven't sampled the fiction of the Sisters of Slaughter, then you're missing out, big-time, and you need to correct that unfortunate situation immediately. You can start your indoctrination with their chilling story "A Church in the Middle of Nowhere" in the James Newman benefit anthology, Widowmakers. (Truthfully, I've suggested to M & M that they should seriously consider expanding this story and its incredible characters -- particularly the antagonists -- into a novel-length offering). After you've recovered from that tale of terror, you can move on to even more savage and sinister doings in "Hydrophobie" in Sinister Grin's latest anthology, Fresh Meat 2015.


For someone like myself, who has been in and out of the horror genre for nearly 35 years now, it is exciting, refreshing, and encouraging to come upon a pair of writers as good and imaginative (as well as humble and down-to-earth) as Michelle and Melissa. When you read what they have to offer so far, you will be as hungry as a werewolf beneath the brilliant and transforming influence of a full moon... hungry for, well, fresh meat. Sometimes I can't help but wonder "Where will these two be in five or ten years?" But it doesn't take much imagination on my part to figure that out. They will be at a signing table at some major horror convention with a line of fans winding its way around the walls and out the door, or mounting the podium to graciously receive one of those spooky little haunted houses reserved for excellence and achievement in our particular field of expertise. And after it's all over and done with, they'll be back at home, wiping snotty noses and writing even more tales of sisterly-inspired horror for all of us to enjoy and carry with us for a day or two (or more). Tales that will lay dormant in daylight and then, in the dead of night, return to haunt and horrify, bringing the frantic feeling that something unseen lurks in the dark corners of the room or beneath the bed, ready to reach out of the blackness and lay it's cold, clawed fingers upon your throat, squeezing tight the scream that yearns to break free.

And the Auctions Begin...

I have now started listing items for the Helping the Hoss Benefit Book Auction for author James Newman. You can check out what I'm listing at the link below:


http://www.ebay.com/sch/rkelly3368/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_ipg&_from

Ladies & Gentleman, Let the Bidding Begin! : The Helping the Hoss Benefit Book Auction for James Newman begins Sunday, May 11th!

As some of you folks may know, I've been putting together a benefit book auction to help raise money for James Newman and his family, to help out with medical expenses, loss of wages due to James inability to work, and household bills. After several weeks of contacting and talking with some of the major authors and publishers in the horror fiction industry, our benefit book auction is about ready to get off the ground. Stacks upon stacks of beautiful books signed by some of your favorite authors in the horror genre are sitting here in the Kelly living room, waiting their turn to be listed on eBay May 11th through the 17th.




If you haven't heard the entire story, here it is. On April 27th , while on a biking trip with his wife Glenda and their two sons, James and his family were relaxing at a table in a picnic area of Sycamore Flats in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina,  when a heavy limb fell from a tree and struck James, causing several debilitating injuries, including four fractured vertebrae in his back and several severe fractures in his left arm. James has had extensive surgery to his arm (which implemented multiple plates and pins) and is wearing a back brace to stabilize his injured spine during the healing process. He will be unable to work for an indefinite period of time and faces months of painful physical therapy. 


James is one of the top authors in the horror genre and is well respected and loved by his peers, readers, and fans. He is also a dear and loyal friend to just about anyone who has crossed his path, professionally or privately. Ol' Hoss (as
I'm fond of calling him) has been a good friend of mine since we became acquainted following my return to horror in 2006. So when I heard what had happened to him, I tell you, I was nearly sick to my soul. After the initial shock passed, I knew that I had to lend a hand any way that I could. So I knocked on some doors (some of them mighty big) and solicited for donations of signed books, then organized this series of horror book auctions to raise funds for James and his family. Day after day, boxes and padded envelopes of books by some of the horror genre's leading authors and publishers began to show up on my doorstep, for which I'm humbly grateful. The horror community has a huge heart, folks; when one of their number falls upon hard times, they are always there to lend a hand any way possible. They go above and beyond the call of duty, with no questions asked.


So far we have 55 signed books written by the likes of Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Robert McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, Graham Masterson, and dozens of others. Now it's time to offer these beautiful tomes full of weird and macabre story-telling goodness to the horror fans who support us and give us the encouragement to keep doing what we do best: scare the living crap out of you!


The Help the Hoss Benefit Book Auction for James Newman will be split into four days of auction listings: May 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. Each book will be listed individually for a duration of 3 days (to give folks time to transfer funds to PayPal if necessary), which will make their auctions end on May 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. If items are not bid on, we will extend the auctions a few days more, relisting the books or combining them in multiple-book sets.


We have autographed books coming in every day, but as of tonight, this is what we have scheduled for the nights of May 11 through 14:


May 11th
The Hunter from the Woods - Robert McCammonGrimm Awakenings - Bryan SmithLesser Creatures - Peter GiglioThe Burden of Indigo - Gene O'NeillVector Borne - Michael McBrideDecember Park - Ronald MalfiRestless Shadows (slipcased) - Ronald KellyBlood Red - James A. MooreScratch (remarque by the artist) - Brian KeeneUgly as Sin - James NewmanThe Summer of Winters - Mark Allan GunnellsColdbrook - Tim LebbonSpecters in Coal Dust - signed by Brian J. Hatcher & Ronald KellyLegends of the Mountain State 3 - signed by Brian J. HatcherScreaming to Get Out - J.F. GonzalezThe Wicked - James Newman
May 12th
Two Bear Mambo - Joe R. LansdaleThe Lurkers - Kristopher RuftyRevival House - S.S. MichaelsDreams in Black and White - John R. LittleFather Gaetano's Puppet Catechism - Christopher Golden World of Hurt (slipcased edition) - Brian HodgeThe Dark'Un - Ronald KellyClickers - J.F. Gonzalez & Mark WilliamsThe Painted Man - Graham MastersonThe Wicked - James Newman666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia - James NewmanReturn of the Mothman - Michael KnostPermuted Press / set of three trade paperbacks
May 13th
Soft and Others - F. Paul WilsonThe Late Night Horror Show - Bryan SmithAfter the Burn - Ronald KellyBack Roads and Frontal Lobes - Brady AllenNew Dark Voices - Gene O'NeillThe Haunted Forest Tour - Jeff Strand & James A. MooreA Soul in a Bottle - Tim PowersThe Forum - James NewmanBurial Ground - Michael McBrideInvisible Fences - Norman PrentissSeal Team 666 - Weston Ochse

May 14th
The Shining (deluxe slipcased) - Stephen KingStealing Night - Peter GiglioThe Way of the Flesh - Tim WaggonerMurder at PK's - Roger Dale TrexlerPitfall - Ronald KellyClickers / Downward Spiral - J.F. GonzalezAnimosity - James NewmanPeople are Strange - James NewmanMissile Gap - Charles StrossPermuted Press 3 trade paperback set3 signed book set by Brian J. Hatcher

Of course there will be more coming in as the week progresses (out of 50 contributors who have pledged books, 22 are still in the process of sending their donations), so the four lists above will grow by several authors every day, so keep your eyes peeled for changing developments.
As with every benefit event there are certain rules and conditions, which I will list below:
1. Each auction will be three-days in duration, to give everyone sufficient time to participate and transfer funds to PayPal if necessary.
2. Bidding will be limited to residents of the United States. We would love to include Canada and International bidding, but the expensive postage and chance of damage during shipments outside the US makes doing so more risky and time-consuming. I sincerely apologize for this exclusion in advance.
3. After each individual auction ends, the winning bidder will be expected to make payment, via PayPal, within three days from the ending time (immediately after winning the item is preferred). Upon payment, the money will be automatically transferred to the Newman family.
4. Shipping of the item will be made by Media Mail through the United States Postal Service, unless the bidder specifically requests First Class or Priority Mail and pays for those charges. Slipcased editions will automatically be tagged with First Class shipping in their individual auctions to expedite swiftly and prevent damage in transit.


5. All sales are final and there will be no refunds.

As well as the book auction, we are also taking monetary donations for James and the Newman family. If you desire to contribute in that manner, you can contact me here.



I hope you'll stop on by at eBay and check out the benefit auctions going on during the week of May 11th through 17th. I'll be providing links on my Facebook page and feed, as well as on Twitter, the Cemetery Dance Forum, RonaldKelly.com, and of course here at Southern-Fried & Horrified. Maybe you'll find some rare and incredible signed books to beef up your bookcase... and have the opportunity to help a good man and his family through a difficult time in the process.



See y'all there!

Helping the Hoss: A Benefit Book Auction for James Newman

Whenever I come across someone who I grow to regard with respect and affection, I usually end up calling them "hoss". Hoss is an expression we Southerners bestow upon someone who is not necessarily large in stature (think Bonanza's Dan Blocker), but, instead, large in heart and soul.

I've been calling James Newman "Hoss" for a while now; since 2006 in fact. I reckon it's because I feel a true kindredship with the man; we come from similar backgrounds, are both working men and family men, and share a mutual faith in God. I first saw his name on the spine of a book. After being on a self-imposed hiatus from horror writing for 10 years, I was tentatively considering a return to the genre and the first novel I pulled off the shelf was Midnight Rain. I read the author bio on the inside cover of that paperback and was intrigued. He was from North Carolina, so he was a fellow Southerner. That was enough to prod me into turning that first page and begin reading. After I finished, I put that book down (it has since become one of my all-time favorite novels), grinned, and thought I think I can do this again... but can I do it as good as this guy? A couple of days later I sat down and tried... and I've been writing ever since. Later I discovered that James  had had a similar experience with my novel Fear years earlier, which inspired him to give horror writing a try. So, in a way, our literary connection was mutually beneficial... even though we didn't know each other personally at that time.

Eventually, we did become good friends, through emails and phone calls and horror conventions. He wrote the introduction to my little collection of extreme horror stories, The Sick Stuff, and I wrote one for the trade paperback edition of Midnight Rain. We shared a room at Hypericon in Nashville and I introduced him to Joe R. Lansdale (who later invited him to lunch... which James graciously declined... the big dummy!). He began calling me Dude and I began calling him Hoss and that's how it has been for going on eight years now.

Then last week I heard about James' unfortunate accident; how a heavy tree limb -- a "widow-maker" the park rangers called it -- had fallen on him while he relaxed at a picnic table during a biking trip with his wife, Glenda, and their two sons. The limb had nearly lived up to its nomenclature, fracturing four vertebrae in his back and fracturing his left arm in multiple places. Truthfully, when I heard about it, I felt sick deep down in my soul. One of the most friendly and humble men I'd ever had the pleasure to know had been dealt a devastating blow. So had his family, although the toll on them had been purely emotional. The Newman family was undoubtedly in for a hard time. There would be loss of work, medical bills to pay, and weeks of physical therapy for the Hoss... and a helluva lot of pain.

Oddly enough, I was dealing with an emotional blow of my own at the same time. While heading to work at 4:30 am on Good Friday, I had collided with a stalled car on the interstate at 60 mph. It was a crash that should have been fatal... should have killed me... but, strangely enough, it hadn't. My car was totaled, but I walked away without a scratch. True, I was grateful for God's intervention, but I still found myself emotionally wounded by the accident. I felt terribly down -- depressed, suffering insomnia, experiencing writer's block, looking at my mortality flat in the face and wondering why I had been spared. Then I heard about James' accident and my pity party stopped dead in its tracks. What right did I have to mope around, feeling sorry for myself, when one of my best friends in the writing community was lying in a hospital bed, experiencing excruciating pain at every little movement?

So I put my personal angst aside and went to work. I began to email and Facebook message every horror author and horror publisher that I knew (and many that I didn't) and began to put something together for the benefit of my friend and his family. Looking back, I believe the Lord delivered me from a potentially fatal car crash because He had things He needed me to do. I believe this is one of them.

And, so, on the week of May 11th through the 17th of 2014, we will be holding "Helping the Hoss: A Benefit Book Auction for James Newman". Dozens of signed books donated by the most talented (and good-hearted) authors of the horror genre (as well as many leading publishers of horror fiction) will be put up for bid in multiple auctions during the course of the week. All proceeds from the sales of these books (minus the shipping charges) will be paid directly to James and his family. I would like to extend a huge "Thanks!" to the folks listed below for responding to my messages and donating the books we will be putting up for auction. All of them know, love, and respect the Hoss, and acted swiftly, compassionately, and without a moment's hesitation to make this benefit possible.

Joe R. LansdaleRobert R. McCammonF. Paul WilsonKealan Patrick BurkeKristopher RuffyJohn R. LittleWeston OchseMichael Wilson/ Permuted PressRonald MalfiChristopher GoldenGary BraunbeckPaul Goblirsch / Thunderstorm BooksGraham MastersonNate SouthardMark Allan GunnellsRichard Chizmar / Cemetery Dance PublicationsBrian HodgeTim WaggonerRoy Robbins / Bad Moon BooksJesus GonzalezBill Schafer / Subterranean PressTy SchwambergerCharles Day / Evil Jester PressBrian J. HatcherDavid Niall WilsonChris Morey / Dark Regions PressBryan SmithBrian FreemanRonald KellyGene O'NeillMichael McBrideJeff StrandMark JusticeTim LebbonPeter GigiloGord RolloMichael KnostNorman PrentissTom MonteloneJames A. Moore
W.D. Gagliani


Mind you, this is an incomplete list. I haven't yet heard from half of those I sent messages to and believe that I will before May 11th rolls around. For all you readers and books collectors out there, this would be an excellent opportunity to beef up your bookshelves with autographed books by your favorite horror authors, as well as help a good man and his family make it through a very difficult time.

 I urge you to join us on the week of May 11-17 for this benefit book auction and help the Hoss.




Restless Shadows... now available in Kindle!

My latest novel, RESTLESS SHADOWS, is now available in Amazon Kindle format... only $3.99! RESTLESS SHADOWS is the long-awaited sequel to my first novel, HINDSIGHT. Head on over and load it up now!

http://www.amazon.com/Restless-Shadow...

Undertaker's Moon Makes the Bestseller Lists: Record Sales at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

This morning I woke up to see something that I haven't had the priviledge of seeing during my entire writing career... one of my books on not one, but two bestseller lists.


Crossroad Press's 99 cent promotion of Undertaker's Moon has paid off, not only with increased sales, but with an increase in name recognition for Ol' Ron.
UM is currently on the Amazon Kindle Occult Horror bestseller list at #2 and the Kindle regular Horror list at #8. It is on the Barnes & Nobile Nook Sci Fi & Fantasy Bestseller list at #5 (it reached the #2 spot earlier this morning). Not bragging... just happy that more and more folks are now enjoying a heaping helping of Southern-fried horror in the form of Undertaker's Moon.

    The 99 cent promotion will be going on through February 4th, so head on over and pick up your copy, either in Amazon Kindle format or Barnes & Noble Nook format. And to all of you who have already purchased UM and helped make this dream come true, many thanks. I really appreciate it and hope you'll come back for more of Ol' Ron's Southern-fried storytelling.

Undertaker's Moon... Now Only 99 cents!

   UNDERTAKER'S MOON, my novel of Irish werewolves wreaking havoc in a rural, Tennessee town, is now only 99 cents!  That's right, for less than a buck you can get UNDERTAKER'S MOON in either Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook ebook formats. It features the original novel, plus a bonus novella "prequel" titled "The Spawn of Arget Bethir". And, of course, you also get Alex McVey's legendary "blue werewolf" cover, painted exclusively for UM.  This special offer is valid for a limited time, so sharpen your claws and head on over and grab yourself a copy! The Howler lives!

Restless Shadows... Now Available!

My latest novel, RESTLESS SHADOWS, is now available from Thunderstorm Books.

RESTLESS SHADOWS is the long-awaited sequel to my first novel, HINDSIGHT. Cindy Ann, the nine-year-old girl with the gift of second sight, returns... this time as an elderly woman who works part-time as a police psychic. When a brutal triple-murder takes place in the old tobacco barn -- a murder almost identical to the one that took place there 78 years ago -- Cindy returns to her hometown of Coleman, Tennessee to investigate the massacre. Accompanying her is her granddaughter, Beth, who also possesses psychic abilities. Together they work to prove a young boy innocent of the crime and track down the true culprit, which the evidence indicates to be the original killer, Bully Hanson... who died violently in the winter of 1936.

RESTLESS SHADOWS has now been published as one of Thunderstorm's Black Voltage titles and is limited to 80 signed and numbered copies. It features an incredibly striking cover by horror artist Alex McVey.

Copies are going fast and Thunderstorm tells me that the print run is close to being sold-out. So head on over and grab your copy fast... before it's too late!