Michael Bailey's Blog, page 17

CHIRAL MAD 3 – NOW AVAILABLE!

The highly-anticipated third volume in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Chiral Mad series of psychological horror is now available! This marks the first anthology by Written Backwards as an imprint of Dark Regions Press.

Click the book cover above to order Chiral Mad 3 directly from Dark Regions Press in trade paperback, eBook, or to pre-order one of the 26 deluxe hardcover editions signed by everyone but King (these will go incredibly fast, so if you’re even thinking about ordering a copy, you should probably just order one). We may release this incredible book in hardback later down the road, but if you’re a collector, the signed/lettered deluxe edition will sell out quickly, so act fast.

You can also order a copy of the trade paperback or Ebook editions on Amazon.com. Chiral Mad 3 will also appear in various bookstores and libraries throughout the world, and wholesale pricing will be made available to retailers in Ingram Catalog (ipage). Email written@nettirw.com for more information.

This stunningly beautiful book is illustrated throughout by legendary artist Glenn Chadbourne (45 images), with 400 pages of fiction and symmetrically placed poetry (see full table of contents below), and features a special introduction by Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club and the Bram Stoker Award nominated Beautiful You. Yes, this anthology is insane.

Introduction: Observations on Horror Burnout – Chuck Palahniuk

Fiction:

01. The Poetry of Life – Richard Chizmar

02. The Last Rung on the Ladder – Stephen King

03. A Rift in Reflection – Hal Bodner

04. Windows, Mirrors, Doors – Jason V Brock

05. Prayer – Mort Castle

06. The Agonizing Guilt of Relief (Last Days of a Ready-Made Victim) – Paul Michael Anderson

07. The Black Crow of Boddinstraße – Emily B. Cataneo

08. A Flash of Red – Erinn L. Kemper

09. Red Runner vs. The Surgeon, Issue 18 – Jessica May Lin

10. The Dead Collection – Mercedes M. Yardley

11. Watch Me – Meghan Arcuri

12. The Bigger Bedroom – Josh Malerman

13. That Perilous Stuff – Scott Edelman

14. Know Your Code – Ramsey Campbell

15. 3-Dot People – Gene O’Neill

16. Silver Thread, Hammer Ring – Gary A. Braunbeck

17. Those Who Watch From on High – Eric J. Guignard

18. Blood Dust – Max Booth III

19. The Offering on the Hill – Richard Thomas

20. The Whipping Girls – Damien Angelica Walters

21. Seconds – Jack Ketchum

Poetry:

01. Fair – P. Gardner Goldsmith

02. Fail-Safe – Jonathan Balog

03. Folie à Deux – Sydney Leigh

04. Reflecting on Reflections – Bruce Boston

05. Mirror Image – Marge Simon

06. Black River #1 – Elizabeth Massie

07. Prescience – Rose Blackthorn

08. The Speed of Sound – Ciarán Parkes

09. Welcome Home, Darling – Stephanie M. Wytovich

10. Whisper #1 (A Warning) – Erik T. Johnson

11. Whisper #2 (A Prophecy) – Erik T. Johnson

12. Put Me to Dream – Stephanie M. Wytovich

13. Recognizing Trees – Ciarán Parkes

14. Arbitration – Rose Blackthorn

15. Black River #2 – Elizabeth Massie

16. Reflections Through the Raven’s Eye – Marge Simon

17. Beyond Symmetry – Bruce Boston

18. Folie à Plusieurs – Sydney Leigh

19. Insomnia in Reverse – Jonathan Balog

20. Promise – P. Gardner Goldsmith

Grab a copy today!

THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH

The first book in The Cal Wild Chronicles by Gene O’Neill, THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH, is now available in trade paperback and eBook. This is the first book released by Written Backwards as an imprint of Dark Regions Press. Click the cover below to take you to the DRP ordering page. You can also order a copy on Amazon.com.

The book is illustrated throughout by Orion Zangara, and contains an introduction by John R. Little. All four books will act as puzzle pieces to Gene O’Neill’s magnum opus, with the front covers, back covers, as well as the spines, completing larger images when placed together. Here’s a synopsis of book #1:

A post-apocalyptic vision of California comes to life in the first book of The Cal Wild Chronicles, a series of novels by Gene O’Neill that span horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Over the last 30 years, Gene has explored this colorful world called Cal Wild through award-winning short fiction, long fiction, and novels, and now his magnum opus is collected within four volumes, and illustrated throughout by Orion Zangara. It all starts with this recently expanded version of the Bram Stoker Award nominated novella, THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH, where the accused are judged and permanently dyed for their crimes. DP’s, or Dyed People, roam Cal Wild, and every day they are faced with prejudice and brutality while they try to survive a new non-colored world. A crimson man, a lime green woman, the rightfully and wrongfully accused, some dyed amber, some dyed indigo… ST. ZACH will take you from the beginning of the end, and lead you to THE BURDEN OF INDIGO, the story that started it all.

Check out some of the amazing illustrations by Orion Zangara below, and make sure to start your collection by purchasing the first book in this amazing series by clicking on the cover above.

WHAT IS ENSŌ?

100 70 remaining!

Reserve a copy by emailing enso@nettirw.com. Price will be $10 (shipping included).

ENSŌ is a dark children’s book by yours truly, illustrated throughout by Luke Spooner, and consists of four intertwined fables involving a pair of curious caterpillars, a protective black widow spider, honey bees, a monarch, a ditsy bird, a deaths-head moth, a lost fox, and a brave field mouse, as well as a few other creatures.

The entire book is structured in typical nonlinear Bailey form, and provides a unique take on the circle of life. The book is aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 12, but with its multi-level story-line, the book can be enjoyed by all, over and over again. Get a copy for your kids and read it aloud to/with them. Don’t have kids? I’m sure you know a few…

ENSŌ will be in print soon as a signed and numbered limited edition trade paperback, with only 100 copies available, 10 of which will be offered to Gamut Magazine campaign backers within the next few days. If you want to reserve one of these 100 copies, I urge you to visit and back the Kickstarter page for Gamut Magazine. This will reserve a copy for you, and you will support a fine project by Richard Thomas.

In the meantime, check out some of these wonderful illustrations by Luke Spooner:

2015 BRAM STOKER AWARDS® PRELIMINARY BALLOT

The Horror Writers Association recently announced the Preliminary Ballot for the 2015 Bram Stoker Awards®, and I am proud to announce that I have a few things that made the list this year, and have a bunch of friends whose work made the list as well.

The Library of the Dead, by Written Backwards (now an imprint of Dark Regions Press), made the preliminary ballot this year. Many fingers are crossed that it finds its way onto the final ballot. Qualia Nous was officially nominated last year for Superior Achievement in an Anthology (although it bowed to Ellen Datlow’s Beyond Symmetry), and two short stories from the anthology took home statues for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction (Usman T. Malik’s “The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family” and Rena Mason’s “Ruminations”).

Norman Partridge’s “Special Collections” from The Library of the Dead made the preliminary ballot as well for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction. His introduction/story starts off the anthology, and apparently impressed the HWA’s long fiction jury.

Below is the complete table of contents for The Library of the Dead, which is illustrated throughout by GAK, and concludes with a tribute/dedication to J.F. Gonzalez by Mary SanGiovanni. I’m a bit bummed not to see some of the short fiction on the preliminary ballot, but seeing Norman’s introduction/story on the ballot brought a smile. The other stories within received over 40 recommendations collectively, which is saying something…

Norman Partridge – “Special Collections” (long fiction)
Yvonne Navarro – “Those Who Shall Never Be Named”
Mary SanGiovanni & Brian Keene – “The Last Things to Go”
Roberta Lannes – “A Raven in the Dove’s Nest”
Kealan Patrick Burke – “I’m Not There”
Chris Marrs – “A Chimera’s Tale”
J.F. Gonzalez – “I’m Getting Closer”
Weston Ochse – “Reliving Through Better Chemistry”
Lucy A. Snyder – “Cthylla”
Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon – “Fault Lines” (long fiction)
Rena Mason – “Jaded Winds”
Michael McBride – “Tears of the Dragon”
Erinn L. Kemper – “Phantom on the Ice”
Sydney Leigh – “Night Soliloquy”
Gene O’Neill – “Broken Lady”
Gary A. Braunbeck – “Tales the Ashes Tell”

Also making the preliminary ballot in the long fiction category is the first book in the Allevon series of illustrated novellas by Written Backwards: At the Lazy K by Gene O’Neill. This small book, illustrated by L.A. Spooner and introduced by Rena Mason, is causing quite the buzz, which means the Allevon series will continue. More news on the next title soon. I would also like to note that along with At the Lazy K making the preliminary ballot, and Gene having a story in The Library of the Dead (an idea conceived by the awesome duo that is Gene O’Neill and Gord Rollo), Gene O’Neill is on the preliminary ballot for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection for the wonderful The Hitchhiking Effect by Dark Renaissance Books, as well as for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for his recently released chapbook for his story “The Algernon Effect.”

If you are a voting member of the Horror Writers Association, you can email written@nettirw.com to request either a digital copy or a trade paperback of the following:

1. The Library of the Dead – Superior Achievement in an Anthology.

2. At the Lazy K by Gene O’Neill – Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

3. “Special Collections” by Norman Partridge – Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

I hope to see The Library of the Dead on the final ballot alongside those I admire in the world of anthologies: Ellen Datlow (The Doll Collection), Christopher Golden (Seize the Night, which has an incredible long fiction piece called “Paper Cuts” by Gary A. Braunbeck, which also made the preliminary ballot for long fiction), Stephen Jones (Horrorology), Jonathan Maberry (X-Files: Trust No One), and Richard Thomas (Exigencies). See below for the complete list.

The long fiction category is always one of my favorites. Along with rooting for Gene O’Neill for At the Lazy K, the long fiction category this year includes Norman Partridge’s “Special Collections” from The Library of the Dead… as well as an incredible story by Scott Edelman called “Becoming Invisible, Becoming Seen” and Gary A. Braunbeck’s “Paper Cuts” and Mercedes M. Yardley’s “Little Dead Red” and other fine stories.

I’m also excited to see that Shadow Show: Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury made the preliminary ballot for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel, which Mort kindly gave me a copy of when I made a surprise visit in Chicago last October.

Who else am I going to name-drop here? Let’s see: how about Clive Barker, whose novel The Scarlet Gospels made the list, or Patrick Freivald for his novel Black Tide, or Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts. There’s also John Palisano’s “Happy Joe’s Rest Stop” and Damien Angelica Walters’ “Sing Me Your Scars” for short fiction. And of course fiction collections, another favorite category: along with The Hitchhiking Effect by Gene O’Neill, we have Gary A. Braunbeck’s Halfway Down the Stairs, which I’ll be reading later this week, and Lucy A. Snyder’s While the Black Stars Burn, which I’ll also be reading later this week. And of course some wonderful poetry from Bruce Boston’s Resonance Dark and Light, and Marge Simon’s Naughty Ladies, and Stephanie M. Wytovich’s An Exorcism of Angels. So much to read… so much to read…

As previously mentioned, Horror Writers Association voting members may request a PDF or print copy of The Library of the Dead (anthology), and/or At the Lazy K by Gene O’Neill (long fiction), and/or “Special Collections” by Norman Partridge (long fiction) for consideration by emailing written@nettirw.com. They will also be made available on the HWA message board.

Congratulations to everyone who made the preliminaries this year! And congratulations to those who did not make the list, but probably should have. 2015 was a great year for horror fiction. I see familiar names on the list this year, and names I don’t recognize, which is either a good thing, or a bad thing. Some I have published, some have published me, and some have shared the table of contents with yours truly in various anthologies or magazines over the years. And some, well, perhaps someday I can say I recognize those names as well.

Here is the complete list of the categories in which I have a part this year (plagiarized from the Horror Writers Association page):

Superior Achievement in an Anthology:

Michael Bailey – The Library of the Dead (Written Backwards)

Ellen Datlow – The Doll Collection: Seventeen Brand-New Tales of Dolls (Tor Books)

Shannon Delany and Judith Graves – Beware the Little White Rabbit (Leap Books, LLC)

Christopher Golden – Seize the Night (Gallery Books)

Stephen Jones – Horrorology (Quercus Publishing)

Nancy Kilpatrick and Caro Soles – nEvermore! (Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing)

Jonathan Maberry – X-Files: Trust No One (IDW Publishing)

Eric Miller – 18 Wheels of Horror (Big Time Books)

Doug Murano and D. Alexander Ward – Shadows Over Main Street (Hazardous Press)

Joseph Nassise and Del Howison – Midian Unmade (Tor Books)

Jeani Rector – Shrieks and Shivers from the Horror Zine (Post Mortem Press)

Richard Thomas – Exigencies (Dark House Press)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction:

Gary A. Braunbeck – Paper Cuts (Seize the Night) (Gallery Books)

Ben Eads – Cracked Sky (Omnium Gatherum)

Scott Edelman – Becoming Invisible, Becoming Seen (Dark Discoveries #30)

Jeff Gunhus – The Torment of Rachel Ames (Seven Guns Press)

Lisa Mannetti – The Box Jumper (Smart Rhino Publications)

Seanan McGuire – Resistance (The End Has Come) (Broad Reach Publishing)

Gene O’Neill – At the Lazy K (Written Backwards)

Jason Parent – Dia de los Muertos (Bad Apples 2) (Corpus Press)

Norman Partridge – Special Collections (The Library of the Dead) (Written Backwards)

Mercedes M. Yardley – Little Dead Red (Grimm Mistresses) (Ragnarok Publications)

For a complete list of of the 2015 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot, you can visit the official release here: horror.org/9296-2/ 

Good luck, everyone!

BONES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN, by Paul Michael Anderson

So this is happening…

2016 is going to be an exciting year for Written Backwards, which was recently announced as an imprint of Dark Regions Press. The first anthology to be released under this new imprint will be Chiral Mad 3, a book completely illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne and introduced by the wonderful Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, the Bram Stoker Award nominated Beautiful You), and will feature fiction by Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, Josh Malerman, Gary A. Braunbeck, Scott Edelman, Richard Chizmar and a bunch of others (including Paul Michael Anderson from the image above), along with interwoven poetry by Elizabeth Massie, Marge Simon, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and a bunch of others. The Confessions of St. Zach, the first novel in The Cal Wild Chronicles by Gene O’Neill (a 4-book series that will also include The Burden of Indigo, The Near Future, and The Far Future) will be out soon as well, and this entire series will be illustrated by Orion Zangara, and will feature individual introductions by John R. Little, Lisa Morton, Meghan Arcuri, and Scott Edelman. But you know about these projects…

What you should be asking yourself is “What can I expect from Written Backwards now that it’s an imprint of Dark Regions Press?” Well, Written Backwards is still going strong, and even stronger thanks to Dark Regions Press. The Allevon series of illustrated novellas will continue (more on this soon), the Chiral Mad series will continue, there will be new anthologies, and perhaps some other fine books. There are many projects lined up through mid-2017, but the first project I can announce deals with the beautiful cover above (created by Pat. R. Steiner).

Later this year, Written Backwards will release its first fiction collection, Bones are Made to be Broken, by Paul Michael Anderson. Paul’s work fits perfectly within the Written Backwards mold. In fact, he’s made an appearance in a few of my projects. His story “In the Nothing-Space, I Am What You Made Me” appeared in Qualia Nous, the also-long-titled “The Agonizing Guilt of Relief (Last Days of a Ready-Made Victim)” will soon appear in the aforementioned Chiral Mad 3, and his most recent story, “The Universe is Dying,” will appear in the science fiction anthology I’m working on for Dark Regions Press called You, Human (I plan to announce this officially within the next few days).

Bones are Made to be Broken will be released in trade paperback, eBook, and 26-lettered limited edition hardback with an expected fall release date.

WRITTEN BACKWARDS AWARDS ® / DRAWA

Also known as the DRAWA, the Written Backwards Awards ® celebrates the recognition of literary marvels. For those unfamiliar with this somewhat-annual tradition of virtual award-giving, here are the details (most plagiarized from the previous award year):

The prestigious DRAWA / AWARD is not determined by jury, not by recommendation counts of any kind, and not by a jury/rec superpac, but is decided upon by Written Backwards and its staff… meaning one person, Michael Bailey. He determines whether a literary work is DRAWA eligible by reading or looking at various readable or lookable things throughout the year, whether it be a short story, novelette, novella, novel, screenplay (which we all know is just watching a movie), soundtrack, grocery list, magazine, website article, literary journal, pretty picture/artwork, or whatever else he sees fit, mentally scores this work on a scale of suck to badass, and from that point creates a preliminary ballot in his head from which to randomly choose ballotees. From this “preliminary” ballot, he then carefully and skillfully and adverbly removes “preliminary” altogether, thus creating what is known as the Written Backwards Awards® final ballot, which may or may not have to include works from the previous year. DRAWA winners are determined from this mental list, if remembered, depending on eligibility.

There is no hindrance on publication date, as long as the publication date does not surpass the year in which an award is planned for issue. For example, if Joe King publishes an award-winning masterpiece in March 2016, he is not eligible for a 2015 award because, well, his work is from the future, and future literary works are prohibited, as mentioned somewhere in the figurative small-print. Awards can go to the dead, although they cannot be accepted in person.

Please note that all writers whose work appeared or will soon appear in Written Backwards anthologies are not only eligible for a DRAWA, but automatic recipients of the Written Backwards Awards ®. This includes the following anthologies not covered previously: Qualia Nous, The Library of the Dead, as well as the upcoming Chiral Mad 3 and You, Human. If your work appeared or will soon appear in the aforementioned anthologies, you are hereby or soonby an alumni recipient of the Written Backwards Awards ® for the given year of publication. See anthology table of contents page for a full list of alumni recipients.

So, without further ado, Written Backwards is proud to introduce the the latest winners of the Written Backwards Awards ®, also known as the DRAWA (name not yet a registered trademark). The following works were admired greatly since the last award season, and can forever be considered literary marvels from this point onward. If you haven’t read these books, do so now. I’ll even supply a direct link where you can buy these books, as well as a few kind words about each…

Slade House – There’s a reason writers such as Joe Hill, Dean Koontz, Anthony Doerr and Gillian Flynn blurbed this novel; while Cloud Atlas had its share of fictional history, science fiction, and even horror, Slade House is Mitchell’s first take on straight-up horror. Some are describing this book as our generation’s The Turn of the Screw. I read a lot of both published and unpublished dark fiction, and this is one of the finest, most well-structured short horror novels I’ve read in the last ten years. The book is a work of art, inside and out. I adore this book completely.



The Bone Clocks – Just before so beautifully tackling the horror genre, Mitchell beautifully tackled the science fiction genre with The Bone Clocks, a novel composed of six interconnecting novella-length works. “Tackled science fiction” is not strong enough. “Crushed it” may fit better. In fact, he won the World Fantasy Award and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for this novel. And he should have won the Nebula, in my opinion. Again, one of the finest, most beautifully-constructed science fiction novels I’ve read in the last ten years.

The Reason I Jump – Jon Stewart probably says it best: “One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.” And I agree 100%. This is a translation (by both David Mitchell and his wife) of a memoir by thirteen-year-old Naoki Higashida, a boy living with autism. If you want to understand autism, this is the book to read. As Stewart said, “eye-opening.” This should be required reading in schools. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve loaned this book for someone else to read.

David Mitchell – Slade House, The Bone Clocks, and The Reason I Jump (yes, two novels and a nonfiction book from a single author made the list this year). I fell in love with Mitchell’s first novel, Ghostwritten, and then Number9Dream, and then Black Swan Green, followed by Cloud Atlas, which was adapted to the screen by the Wachowski’s, and although I haven’t read The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, I highly enjoyed the audio book. In writing these books, which all connect in subtle ways, Mitchell has quickly become my favorite contemporary writer, hands-down. His latest three books are probably some of the most important books written in the last however-many years, and are some of the most literary/accessible works I’ve had the pleasure of reading (and re-reading, since I will be revisiting each of these books in the future). It’s probably safe to say that David Mitchell is the most important writer working today.

IQ84 by Haruki Murakami caught my eye as I was perusing a bookstore in some airport a few years ago, mostly because of its size. This book could be a… well, a bookend, or a doorstop. It’s 1,184 pages, to be exact, which works well with the title. I’ve read this book in print, as well as listened to the audio book, and it’s a trip, a long trip, but one worth the journey. Part fantasy, part science fiction. My only regret is that I’m sure it’s lost some of its beauty in translation. If you’ve got some time to kill, kill it with this book.

So Fifty Shades of Grey happened not long enough ago… Now imagine that book as not one of the worst things ever written, and imagine something better, so much, much better, written with… what’s the word… English, and then add a splash of end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it horror, and let it come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Survivor), and you have Beautiful You (novel), probably the strangest book to win a DRAWA. Nominated last year for the Bram Stoker Award, this is… well, interesting. I guess I should let the Amazon book description do its thing: “when Penny discovers she is a test subject for a line of female sex toys so effective that women by the millions are lining up outside the stores to buy it on opening day, she understands the gravity the situation. A billion husbands are about to be replaced.” Yep. It’s like that.

Since we’re on the subject of love (sort of), Stephen King wrote Lisey’s Story (novel) over ten years ago, and it’s good enough to make it on my list this year, mostly because I want people to give it a shot. I’ve read it three times now. Some people love it; others hate it. My opinion? This is Stephen King’s best novel (yeah, I said it, so what?). Even Stephen King thinks it’s his best work. It’s sort of a ghost story about the secret language of love… of all things. I’m guessing you’ve never read it. If not, read it. Now. It was up for the World Fantasy Award, as well as the Bram Stoker Award for long fiction back when the original “Lisey and the Madman” was published a few years prior to the novel.

Birdbox (novel) by Josh Malerman is the first book in a long while that kept me riveted, to say the least, and the book refused to be put down for a break, and every time I did (sometimes I had to), it left me wondering “what’s next?” and wanting to finish the rest of it. I’d think about it all day, wanting to get home to read more. Why? A woman and two four-year-old children float down a river, blindfolded, with someone or something out there making noises, perhaps following them. Malerman’s debut novel deserved the Stoker for first novel, in my opinion (although there was some fierce competition), and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Whether you loved it or hated it (seems to be a toss-up, either one or the other, and never anywhere in the middle), The Martian (novel) by Andy Weir made the cut for this year’s DRAWA. As of writing this, I haven’t seen the movie (although I’ve heard it’s Ridley Scott’s best thing since Alien and Blade Runner), but the book held me. I read this thing in three sittings. Plus, I love science, and this book was full of nerdy sciency stuff. If I were stranded on Mars, this would probably be close to my memoir. I guess you could say I liked it…

I read a lot of short fiction for my anthologies (millions and millions and millions of words each year) so it’s a nice surprise to find a gem of an anthology from talented peers, such as Burnt Tongues (anthology), edited by Richard Thomas and Chuck Palahniuk. Although I’ve never heard of a single name in this book (other than its creators), this is a great collection of short fiction by some writers that should probably be a little more well-known (so give them a shot!), and an anthology deserving of the recognition its received. Kudos to Richard Thomas for putting together such a fine looking book, and to Chuck.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts (novel) takes home the Bram Stoker Award this time around. It’s a fine novel, one that gave Stephen King a scare, no less. I’d never heard of Paul Tremblay until this book was mentioned on Brian Keene’s podcast, The Horror Show with Brian Keene. Brian had enough kind things to say about this book that I gave it a read. And, well, it’s incredible. Slade House will probably be overlooked for the Stoker, so A Head Full of Ghosts would probably be my next vote.

Since I mentioned Brian Keene, and I’m sure he probably wouldn’t mind a nod, Where We Live and Die (nonfiction) made the cut this year. Brian Keene. Nonfiction. Enough said, right? This is how I like my nonfiction! Many know Brian’s work because of The Rising and The City of the Dead, or his novel about giant earthworms (all great books, by the way), but I discovered Brian by accident by reading a lesser-known novel of his called Terminal, which would make my list of all-time favorite books, if I were to make such a list. Jeff Strand‘s Pressure would probably make that list as well, which I’d consider his best book… But enough about fiction. Read this nonfiction.

The last DRAWA this year goes to John Skipp for The Art of Horrible People (fiction collection). “Savor this book. Savor this writer.” Josh Malerman rightfully states this in his introduction. The Art of Horrible People collects Skipp’s fiction in a way I’ve never experienced before in a fiction collection, offering a reflection of our sick selves in the process, a look at just horrible we’ve become, and how beautiful that can be. Skipp is perhaps the living example that the phrase “there are no original ideas” is a load of crap. Skipp can crank out originality like it’s-not-going-out-of-style.

You have 12 new books to read (or perhaps re-read if you’ve read them already). Buy yourself something nice this holiday season. Like 12 books. And then read one each month for the next 12 months.

That’s it for this year, except…

Last year there were some special Written Backwards Awards ® given to those making a noticeable difference in the writing community. This year, Written Backwards proudly presents the DRAWA Presence, Inspiration, and Voice. (See how that works? AWARD is spelled backwards, with the subject of the award after… so, this would actually be a Presence Award, Inspiration Award, and a Voice Award… clever, right?)

Anyway, the DRAWA Presence recognizes an individual completely dedicated to the craft, someone who’s been around awhile and knows what they’re doing, and is not afraid to share that knowledge for the greater good. The DRAWA Inspiration recognizes an individual somewhat new to the craft, someone with emerging talent, a strong, literary powerhouse waiting to erupt; this is the person to watch closely. Lastly, the DRAWA Voice recognizes an individual  with a fresh, unique literary voice, someone who quite clearly knows all the rules, and is very good at breaking them; this person has their own genre of awesomeness, in other words. Who are these people?

DRAWA Presence – Mort Castle is a teacher, a counselor, a man willing to mold the future of all things literary. He is an inspiration, and he inspires.

DRAWA Inspiration – Emily B. Cataneo was first introduced to me by Jack Ketchum a few years ago when I was on the hunt for short fiction. Emily likes to send me stories with incredibly long titles, such as “A Guide to Etiquette and Comportment for the Sisters of Henley House” and “The Rondelium Girl of Rue Marseilles.” I have now published three of her stories, and all three of them are golden. Keep an eye out. Her words are beautiful.

DRAWA Voice – Paul Michael Anderson also likes to send me stories with incredibly long titles, such as “The Agonizing Guilt of Relief (Last Days of a Ready-Made Victim)” and “In the Nothing-Space, I Am What You Made Me.” And I publish every single one of them, because they are incredible.

And in case you missed last year’s Written Backwards Awards ®: http://wp.me/p2gHzu-9W 

CHIRAL MAD 3 IN TRADE PAPERBACK and SIGNED/LIMITED HARDBACK!

With the recent announcement that Written Backwards is now an imprint of Dark Regions Press, many exciting things are emerging, such as signed / limited hardback editions of past, present and future Written Backwards titles. The first will be the highly-anticipated Chiral Mad 3, which you can pre-order now by clicking the image above. This will take you to the Dark Regions Press Ever-Expanding Grab Bag #2 campaign, where you can reserve your copy (only 200 will be made), and snag everything the ever-expanding grab bag has to offer while you’re at it. The more people contribute, the more will be included as perks.

Campaign-exclusive trade paperback editions of Chiral Mad 3 are also available for pre-order now for only $20! If you’re been waiting for this anthology, which is illustrated throughout by Glenn Chadbourne (with 45 images), now is the best time to snag a copy… and perhaps a few other goodies from this plethora of wondrous books recently announced by the epicness that is Dark Regions Press and Written Backwards. Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents:

Fiction:

01. The Poetry of Life – Richard Chizmar

02. The Last Rung on the Ladder – Stephen King

03. A Rift in Reflection – Hal Bodner

04. Windows, Mirrors, Doors – Jason V Brock

05. Prayer – Mort Castle

06. The Agonizing Guilt of Relief (Last Days of a Ready-Made Victim) – Paul Michael Anderson

07. The Black Crow of Boddinstraße – Emily B. Cataneo

08. A Flash of Red – Erinn L. Kemper

09. Red Runner vs. The Surgeon, Issue 18 – Jessica May Lin

10. The Dead Collection – Mercedes M. Yardley

11. Watch Me – Meghan Arcuri

12. The Bigger Bedroom – Josh Malerman

13. That Perilous Stuff – Scott Edelman

14. Know Your Code – Ramsey Campbell

15. 3-Dot People – Gene O’Neill

16. Silver Thread, Hammer Ring – Gary A. Braunbeck

17. Those Who Watch From on High – Eric J. Guignard

18. Blood Dust – Max Booth III

19. The Offering on the Hill – Richard Thomas

20. The Whipping Girls – Damien Angelica Walters

21. Seconds – Jack Ketchum

Poetry:

01. Fair – P. Gardner Goldsmith

02. Fail-Safe – Jonathan Balog

03. Folie à Deux – Sydney Leigh

04. Reflecting on Reflections – Bruce Boston

05. Mirror Image – Marge Simon

06. Black River #1 – Elizabeth Massie

07. Prescience – Rose Blackthorn

08. The Speed of Sound – Ciarán Parkes

09. Welcome Home, Darling – Stephanie M. Wytovich

10. Whisper #1 (A Warning) – Erik T. Johnson

11. Whisper #2 (A Prophecy) – Erik T. Johnson

12. Put Me to Dream -Stephanie M. Wytovich

13. Recognizing Trees – Ciarán Parkes

14. Arbitration – Rose Blackthorn

15. Black River #2 – Elizabeth Massie

16. Reflections Through the Raven’s Eye – Marge Simon

17. Beyond Symmetry – Bruce Boston

18. Folie à Plusieurs – Sydney Leigh

19. Insomnia in Reverse – Jonathan Balog

20. Promise – P. Gardner Goldsmith

Yeah, it’s going to rock.

Also available, as an addition to this campaign, is the signed / limited hardback of The Library of the Dead, illustrated in color by GAK. Scroll down toward the end of the campaign page for more information on how to reserve your copy. Similar to the other Written Backwards signed limited hardback editions, only 200 will be made. This anthology of entirely new fiction includes collaborative work by Mary SanGiovanni and Brian Keene, Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, and stories by Gary A. Braunbeck, Weston Ochse, Yvonne Navarro, Gene O’Neill, Erinn L. Kemper, Chris Marrs, Michael McBride, Lucy A. Snyder, Kealan Patrick Burke, Sydney Leigh, Rena Mason, and starts off with an introduction/novelette by Norman Partridge. The stories within are interconnected by a piece called “The Librarian” by editor Michael Bailey.

There are many other incredible books available in this campaign, including the first volume of Christmas Horror, edited by Chris Morey, which includes stories by John Skipp, Joe R. Landsdale, Jeff Strand, J.F. Gonzalez, Cody Goodfellow, and more.

And what are these other two books?

Marc Levinthal’s debut novel, Other Music, is the first science fiction novel we will be releasing through Dark Regions Sci-Fi, a project I am proud to be working on as our first book in the newly revamped science fiction line at Dark Regions Press. This incredible novel features an introduction by John Skipp. The other is Stephanie M. Wytovich’s debut novel, The Eighth. Both of these incredible books are available in this campaign in both trade paperback and signed / limited hardback. The trade paperbacks are $20 each, and the hardbacks for a little more. Each will be beautiful, so you will definitely want to get your mittens on these.

Check out the campaign. Contribute. Take home some awesome books in the process. As of this evening, the campaign has reached initial funding, which means digital copies of Chiral Mad 3 will be going into the ever-expanding grab bag. The first stretch goal was also reached, which means a digital copy of Other Music will also be going in the bag. And the second stretch goal is nearly upon us, which means a digital copy of The Eighth will go in… and there are many more stretch goals in the works…

What are you waiting for?

THE CAL WILD CHRONICLES by GENE O’NEILL

Starting this fall, Written Backwards will release The Cal Wild Chronicles, a four-book illustrated post-apocalyptic series of novels by Gene O’Neill. This is a highly anticipated trade paperback release of what some consider Gene’s magnum opus, a collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror that spans 30 years of his writing endeavors.

The spines of each book will work together to create a unique image for your bookshelves, and both the front and back covers, when placed side-by-side-by-side-by-side, will create additional panoramic images. Each book will include at least 10 black-and-white illustrations (artist to be announced soon), and each book will matte finish covers.

The front:

The back:

THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACH, the first in the series, will be released around October/November 2015, and will include an introduction by John R. Little. This will be closely followed by THE BURDEN OF INDIGO around January/February 2016, which will include an introduction by Horror Writers Association president Lisa Morton. THE NEAR FUTURE will be released around April/May later in the year, and will include an introduction by Meghan Arcuri. Wrapping up the series will be THE FAR FUTURE around July/August 2016, which will include an introduction by Scott Edelman.

 

WHAT IS CAL WILD?

What is Cal Wild?

(either read this, or click any of the images throughout this post to go directly to the campaign, but I recommend reading this first, and then visiting the campaign)

Cal Wild is California, years from now, nearly destroyed by civilization, with not much left but desolation and a few glimpses of humanity… and some hope. If this were television, Cal Wild would stretch a seven- or eight-season series on HBO, or perhaps Netflix, and you would fall in love with each of Gene’s characters to no end. Perhaps someday this series will get to that, but it all starts with these books, which will hopefully paint a world for you in more colors and more depth than can ever be adapted to screen.

Over the last 30 years, Gene O’Neill has created this colorful world, and now he’s ready to share it with you in this collection of illustrated trade paperback books. GAK will be illustrating each book in this series, and is currently at work building a four-part panoramic front cover that will span across each of the books if placed one next to the other, and when flipped over, will create a four-part panoramic back cover! How awesome is that? If you’ve had a chance to at least flip through the latest Written Backwards anthology, The Library of the Dead, you realize what you’re in for with GAK illustrating all four books of The Cal Wild Chronicles.

The Confessions of St. Zach starts the series, introducing the crimson man, named such after he is dyed a dark crimson red for his crimes, That is what we do with our criminals in Cal Wild. He is one of the Dyed People, or DP’s, each whose body is completely stained (for life) the color fitting the crime. During his survival, he runs across a green woman, and others that are dyed various colors spanning the spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue… what does it all mean? The trade paperback for this book is scheduled for late fall / early winter 2015.

Then comes The Burden of Indigo, the second in this series, and perhaps one of Gene’s most beloved novels about a man dyed for the ultimate sex crime. “The Burden of Indigo” is one of (if not the) first short story published by Gene, expanded as a novel, and follows an indigo man who thinks his colors are slowly fading. The trade paperback for this book is scheduled for late winter / early spring 2016. This book will make you weep.

Late spring / early summer 2016 will bring the third in this series, The Near Future, a fitting title, since the book will be published in the near future, and you will have it in your un-dyed hands sooner than you think. But… you can look forward to a novella included in this book that offers a love scene between a scarlet man and a light blue woman, among other things.

Last in this series of four books isThe Far Future, which is scheduled for a late summer / early fall 2016 release. This fourth book should wrap up this colorful world in a nice little package, and will include an original short novella called “The Dark Green Woman.” When you get to the end of this book, you will realize what an amazing journey Gene O’Neill has taken you through, and will want to pick up the first book and start all over again.

So, there you have it. Four books by Gene O’Neill to paint his imagined Cal Wild, each completely illustrated by GAK, and released each quarter from the end of 2015 to the second half of 2016. Consider this your subscription service to Gene’s O’Neill. Help with this campaign, and you can get a new book by Gene delivered to you each quarter, and perhaps some other fun swag (and books!) depending on how much you contribute, and how far these stretch goals… stretch.

Why a campaign? Well, this is the first time Written Backwards has ever taken on such a large project as this (4 illustrated books, all at once, along with other projects in the works), and doing such takes an amount of resources that would otherwise not be there, and, as many writers out there are aware by now, Written Backwards pays its contributors what they should be properly paid. This will see to that.

If you want to test out the waters, or are limited by the amount of dough in your wallet, I recommend pre-ordering the first illustrated book in the series, The Confessions of St. Zach, or perhaps starting with one of my favorites, The Burden of Indigo. This will only cost you $25, will help this campaign immensely, and if stretch goals are met, you will take home not only 1 of these fine books, but a copy of Gene’s latest illustrated novella, At the Lazy K, along with your choice of any book from the Written Backwards library. So, 3 books for $25, and free shipping (in the US)! Can’t really beat that. But yes, you can…

For a $100, you help this campaign even more, and get a copy of all four illustrated books, including The Confessions of St. Zach, The Burden of Indigo, The Near Future, and The Far Future, which you can arrange side-by-side to create either a four-part panoramic image spanning the four front covers, or you can flip the books over and arrange them side-by-side to create a four-part panoramic image spanning the four back covers. Plus you get a copy of his illustrated novella At the Lazy K, which has a tie-in character to these books, along with not 1 book of your choice from the Written Backwards library, but 3! So, 8 books for $100, and free shipping (in the US). I’d say you can’t really beat that, but, well…

A few other perks include Gene O’Neill writing you into one of his stories, or perhaps a print of any of GAK’s creations from this entire Cal Wild series, along with those 8 books (including shipping in the US), for not that much more of a donation to this worthy cause. Yet, there are even better deals if you’ve got the dough to spare…

For $250, you can be an official Cal Wild sponsor, getting you all the perks mentioned above, plus recognition and cross-promotion up the wazoo until the end of this four book series.

For $500, you can be an official Written Backwards sponsor, getting all that previously mentioned stuff, plus recognition and cross-promotion up the wazoo until the end of 2017, along with copies of any or ALL (yes, all) Written Backwards titles, including future releases to the end of 2017. So, 11 potential books to-date, plus however many are published over the next two years (probably 4, or maybe more depending on how many novellas are released), plus a few best friends for life, and some (I’m going to mention it again because I’ll stick to it) seriously crazy cross-promotion. I’m looking for authors and editors and publishers to fill these sponsor roles. You will get your money’s worth, no doubt.

Anyway, if you haven’t yet had the chance to visit the campaign, feel free to do so now, although you may just want to scroll down a bit through these stretch goal images… and then click on any to visit the campaign.

If you can’t meet the $25 minimum for books, any amount you can provide to this campaign will help. But look at all this cool stuff you can get!

One final question, which is usually a staple question with publishing campaigns: Where will all the money go? The answer should always be: The the writers, and illustrators, and well, the bare amount necessary to bring these books to life. Feed the creators of this world. Help bring Cal Wild to life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LIBRARY OF THE DEAD / QUALIA NOUS / EVERYTHING ELSE

The Library of the Dead was recently launched at the World Horror Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, where members of the Horror Writers Association, and many guests, were able to get a first look at this anthology at an hour-long Written Backwards event called “Readings and Shenanigans from The Library of the Dead and Qualia Nous.” Both anthologies were celebrated for their various awards and recognition, with both artwork and books on display (speaking of artwork, I hope to post a blog soon called “Illustrations for the Dead” to cover the beautiful artwork GAK has created for this project).

Readings and Shenanigans for the Library of the Dead and Qualia Nous

The first half of the panel included an introduction of panelists, a short discussion covering the real library of the dead and the original conception of the anthology, how the project was acquired by Written Backwards, as well as a discussion about the photography and the artwork (by GAK) used throughout the anthology. Yvonne Navarro read from her story “Those Who Shall Never Be Named,” followed by Weston Ochse reading from his story “Living Through Better Chemistry.” 10 copies of The Library of the Dead were given out to audience members for asking questions about the anthology. Erinn L. Kemper, Chris Marrs, Rena Mason, and Lucy A. Snyder discussed their stories as well. John Everson and Sydney Leigh (Shawna Bernard) from The Library of the Dead were also in attendance.

The second half of the panel covered Qualia Nous, a literary blend of science fiction and horror. Qualia Nous was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology, later to be given out by the Horror Writers Association at the Bram Stoker Award ceremony, although the prize eventually went to Ellen Datlow for her anthology Fearful Symmetries. Both Usman T. Malik and Rena Mason were recognized at this panel for their Bram Stoker Award nominations for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction from this anthology (Usman for his story “The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family” and Rena for her story “Ruminations”) and both later took home the prize in a tie. Marge Simon was recognized for her Rhysling Award nomination for her poem “Shutdown,” and I’m happy to report that she also recently took home that prize, which was given out by the Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA). Qualis Nous also recently received The Benjamin Franklin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy (I stopped in to the award ceremony in Austin, Texas a month prior to accept the award), along with being a finalist for the Indie Book Awards for anthologies, a silver medal finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and winning the International Book Award for science fiction (also a finalist for their anthologies category), and bronze medal winner of the Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards / INDIEFAB (also a finalist for both their science fiction and horror categories).

Readings and Shenanigans for the Library of the Dead and Qualia Nous

Anyway, at the Readings and Shenanigans event, Marge Simon read her two poems from the anthology: “Shutdown” and “Tomorrow’s Femme,“ followed by James Chambers reading part of his story “The Price of Faces,” which sparked curiosity in Josh Malerman (author of the stellar Bird Box), which later resulted in his involvement in the upcoming Chiral Mad 3, but much of that will be covered later. Usman T. Malik, Rena Mason, Erinn L. Kemper, Patrick Freivald, Lucy A. Snyder, Jason V Brock, and William F. Nolan also discussed their stories. 10 copies of Qualia Nous were also give away to audience members asking questions about the anthology, so in total 20 books were given away to happy panel attendees at this event.

Tom Monteleone captivating the Anthocon audience

Then came Anthocon, one of my favorite conventions, organized by the Four Horsemen in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At Anthocon, Written Backwards held another one-hour release (and re-release) event, which proved to be just as successful. At the Lazy K, the first of the new Allevon series of illustrated novellas by Written Backwards (and the latest novella by Gene O’Neill), was first up, and Gene was on hand to discuss thoroughly, along with Rena Mason, who wrote the introduction. Instead of Q&A giveaways of books, we handled things differently. Leading up to the event, those who stopped by the Written Backwards vendor table received 5 raffle tickets for each book purchased (and received a copy of At the Lazy K for only $5 (including 5 more raffle tickets)) if purchasing any book offered at the table, which also included Gene O’Neill’s most recent collection, The Hitchhiking Effect. Throughout the hour, we raffled off a few books by Gene, a few books by GAK, along with some of his artwork, freebies from the Written Backwards table, and a few books offered by Chris Marrs. And we discussed more books this time around, including At the Lazy K, The Library of the Dead, Qualia Nous, and the three Chiral Mad volumes.

Anthocon panel and book release

In attendance at the Anthocon panel: Thomas F. Monteleone (who did an unforgettable reading of “When I Was” from Chiral Mad 2, and has a story in Qualia Nous), Gene O’Neill (who discussed At the Lazy K and has stories in just about every Written Backwards release), Christopher Golden (who co-wrote a story with Tim Lebbon for The Library of the Dead called “Faultlines”), James Chambers (who read from his story in Qualia Nous), Kevin Lucia (who also read from his story in Chiral Mad 2), Gardner Goldsmith and Sydney Leigh (who both read some of their poetry from the upcoming Chiral Mad 3 and have stories in the various Written Backwards anthologies), Chris Marrs (who read from her story “A Chimera’s Tale” in The Library of the Dead), Rena Mason (who recently won a Stoker for her work), Meghan Arcuri (from the original Chiral Mad, and one of my fellow Borderlands boot camp grunts from long ago… which made up half the panel, actually), and of course the wonderful GAK (who illustrated The Library of the Dead and will have his hands full in future Written Backwards projects). Gord Rollo was also in attendance. He and Gene O’Neill first conceived the project after visiting the real library of the dead, a place called Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, California.

Both conventions were incredible, and both book releases/panels were highly successful. Although I took few books with me to the World Horror Convention, nearly every book sold out at AnthoCon, which was roughly 120 pounds or so of books.

What’s next? Promoting At the Lazy K and The Library of the Dead throughout the book award season. Speaking of which, if you are a member of the Horror Writers Association and would like a copy of either of these titles for Stoker recommendation/consideration, please let me know. Send an email to written@nettirw.com to request either a trade paperback of PDF of either or both titles.

Have you seen the official book trailer for The Library of the Dead? If not, take a gander:

What’s next after all that?

Chiral Mad 3.