Hmm. I wonder what they look like at 3 AM?

Hope you'll listen in.

Hosted By:
The Funky Werepig

When:
Sunday, August 16, 2009

Where:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Funky-Werepig/2009/08/17/TFW-Kevin-Lucia

Description:
Blogtalk Radio Show Interview

Click Here To View Event

Contains my poem, Necromancin'

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-897217-95-5
eBook ISBN: 978-1-897217-96-2

Amazon Kindle Edition

The dead rise. The world dies. Mankind falls and enters Death's halls. Over 90 poems of carnage, hopelessness and despair mixed with oodles of the living dead await you. Featuring poems by W. Bill Czolgosz, Paul A. Freeman, Keith Gouveia, J.H. Hobson, Rich Ristow, Lester Smith, Steve Vernon, Zed Zefram, Zombie Zak and many others, Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes will not only melt your brain...it'll tear out your jugular!

I've decided to "let the dogs out." What does that mean? Okay, imagine this: a trilogy combining Lovecraftian baddies, Dagonite assassins, Virgil the poet (from Dante's Inferno), Ithaqua (wendigo), Judas Iscariot, (on loan from hell), psychic artists and gas station attendants, (and maybe strippers, too), the Jabberwocky, Alice - packing two Glock .9mms - and faeries.

That's right. Faeries. Oh, and throw in the four horseman of the apocalypse, ley lines, gateways to hell, and Cthulhu.

I may never sell this to anyone, but man - this is why I love to write.

Last night, I had dinner with Dan Keohane, Mary Sangiovanni, and Jack Haringa (he who "Must Die!").  Shook Jack Ketchum's hand, sat next to him and John Skipp for lunch (though neither know who I am, at all).  Wrote several pages of WIP. Saw Kelli Dunlap and got a big hug.  Will now go write some more. Awesome workshop coming up with Douglas Clegg. Brain tittering on literary overload!

This will be quick, because I've got some writing to do today, as well as Mother's Day things. AND right up front: I'm not in a blue, bleak moment about my writing skills. I'm to a point where I see myself improving all the time, and I'm willing to do the things necessary - go back to Borderlands, go to conferences, write until I bleed - to get better.

I just get frustrated at how I act, sometimes. I've fully come to believe over the last year that how people perceive you in the writing industry is just as important, at times, as the writing - although in the long run, quality writing always trumps.

The thing is, I look back over the two years, and I wince. Often. I ask myself: "Did I really say that on that forum?" Did I really write a blog about that? Did I actually ask Coach to endorse that little rag, because of a not-so-good-story of mine they published? (Inside joke). Did I really think that publishing idea that burped to life in my head was all that great?

To be fair and honest, I AM having many more moments when I'm thinking straight and clearly. I seem to be talking a lot less and listening a lot more, (which has been a big factor in my diminished blogging, along with time), and with me, that's always good. I managed to not make a fool of myself at Borderlands, and actually came across as someone semi-knowledgeable. I plan on sitting quietly in a corner this coming weekend at MoCon, pen in hand, notebook in lap, listening and learning. I have the same plan for NeCon and Context 22 (well, along with a little Cain raising with Tim Deal and R. Scott). I'm writing tons of reviews, emailing them off to Shroud and Leisure, posting them on the blog and Amazon, and staying quiet about it in the process, just doing the work - which, when I reviewed solely for the CBA, paid off in huge dividends.

Still, I wonder if I'll ever be able to totally not act like a tool. We all have our moments, but I seem to have a lot of them. Nothing bad happened this weekend with my appearance at our church's Arts Festival, it went fine. No, I'm cringing over some emails I sent that sound fanboyish in retrospect, worrying about some crossed wires I had with a publisher over a question I had, and generally just feel goofy today.

I avoid forums and post rarely. I fear flame wars, plus I rarely have anything important to add. I no longer post lengthy "what am I working on" blogs, because...well, let's face it...I'm not Brian Keene. I don't have legions of breathless fans hungry for my next work. I avoid certain snark blogs, just because I don't want the kind of attention they draw. Most of the time, I feel like I'm all grown up.

Others? Eh. Today would be one of those days.

And you know what? It's all good. Part of the process. It's a great mantra, and I'm going to add to it:

"talk less, listen more, and write even more."

That having been said, a stack of reviews is calling to me.

Shroud Magazine Book Reviews is happy to kick off the first installment of our author spotlight series. This week it's Bloody Books, Horror Reanimated, and the fiction of Bill Hussey and Joseph D'Lacey. Featured in this spotlight are reviews of the authors' recent works, an interview with both authors, and a nifty contest with equally nifty prizes. Up for grabs are signed books, a signed issue of Shroud Magazine, Issue #3, and some other cool things. Two contests are running: one exclusively tailored for Joseph D'Lacey fans, and one for Bill Hussey fans. Please, contestants only enter one contest at a time.

For fans of Joseph D'Lacey: Because Joseph's first two novels have strong social cores: meat production and waste disposal, the challenge for Shroud and Horror Reanimated readers is to pitch a vivid, striking, powerful, even disgusting new "social horror" for Joseph to write, something along the lines of: "Animals experimented on by corrupt cosmetics companies mutate into miniature, cannibalistic Zsa Zsa Gabors that terrorize the populace" (Obviously, this one is taken.)

Post your brief plot synopsis in the comments of our interview with Joseph and Bill, and at the end of this week - Sunday - the best three plots will be chosen. The comments will be concealed until the closing of judging. The prizes are as follows:

1st place: Signed copy of "Meat" and "Garbage Man"
2nd place: Signed copy of either "Meat" or "Garbage Man"
3rd place: Signed copy of Shroud Magazine, Issue #3, featuring an original short story by Joseph D'Lacey

For fans of Bill Hussey:

Because Bill's two works have featured mythology, folklore, and religion in such powerful ways, the challenge for Shroud and Horror Reanimated readers is to imagine a story dealing with some favorite mythological, religious, or folklore construct. All of these genres can be blended in your pitch. As with Joseph's contest, post your brief plot synopsis in the comments of our interview with Joseph and Bill, and at the end of this week - Sunday - the best three plots will be chosen. The comments will be concealed until the closing of judging. The prizes are as follows:

1st place: a signed copy of "The Absence" and "Through A Glass Darkly"
2nd place: a signed copy of either novel
3rd place: a signed promotional poster

Note: all prizes will be shipped view parcel post or international airmail, and are subject to all the delays and schedules related to such shipping. Good luck!