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!

Book 1:  Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned, by Jake Burrows

Something wicked walks the streets of the picturesque New Hampshire village of Great Bay--something that has inexplicably risen from the grave to wreak a horrifying vengeance. Only one man can stop it—Hiram Grange--provided he can sober up long enough to answer the call!

JAKE BURROWS the author of more than 100 articles, stories, and essays published in a variety of mediums and publications spanning the globe, under various pen names. He is a former Police Constable from West Clare, Ireland and a former Intelligence Specialist with the Irish Defence Forces Directorate of Intelligence.

Book 2:  Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers, by Scott Christian Carr

Hitler has escaped. Twelve of them, to be precise, each cloned from the original, and hiding in the bizarre American underground. Hiram Grange has been tasked with hunting them down. The only problem: he's hit rock bottom. His worst binge ever---a mad dance with absinthe, opium and depression...

SCOTT CHRISTIAN CARR lives on a secluded mountaintop deep in New York's Hudson Valley, where he makes a living writing and producing for film and television and spending time with his family. His fiction has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Withersin, GUD, Horror Quarterly, Pulp Eternity, and assorted anthologies. His recent awards include The Hunter S. Thompson Award for Outstanding Journalism, Scriptapalooza TV: 1st Place Best Original Pilot, and a 2009 Bram Stoker Award nomination.

Book 3:  Hiram Grange and the Digital Eucharist, by Rob Davies

From its global headquarters in Boston, the mysterious Occlusionist Movement is preparing to control the world with its Digital Eucharist, while in the serpentine bowels of the city an ancient demon is unleashed, eager for revenge against the man who imprisoned it years ago—Hiram Grange!

ROB DAVIES lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. His stories have appeared in Interzone, Shroud Magazine, and Weird Tales.

Book 4:  Hiram Grange and the Chosen One, by Kevin Lucia

Hiram Grange doesn't believe in fate; he makes his own destiny.  It's a good thing, because Queen Mab of Faerie has foreseen the world's destruction, and it's all his fault.  He must choose: kill an innocent or save the universe.  It's just another day on the job for Hiram Grange.

KEVIN LUCIA is a Contributing Editor for Shroud Magazine.  His poetry and short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, and he's  currently finishing his MA in Creative Writing at Binghamton University. He teaches high school English and lives in Castle Creek, New York with his wife and children.  Visit www.kevinlucia.net.

Book 5:  Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow, by Richard Wright

Hiram Grange was already broken when his world was turned upside down by the horrifying revelations of a beautiful and dangerous woman. Faced with the possibility that he’s been a pawn in a diabolical game,  he seeks the truth in the snows of Krakow. But the truth is guarded by ancient, winged things—and the truth has teeth...

RICHARD WRIGHT is an author of strange, dark fictions, currently living in India.  His stories have been diversely published over the last decade, everywhere from the Doctor Who 'Best Of' anthology Short Trips: Recollections to the Bram Stoker award nominated Beneath the Surface.

Book 1:  Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned, by Jake Burrows

Something wicked walks the streets of the picturesque New Hampshire village of Great Bay--something that has inexplicably risen from the grave to wreak a horrifying vengeance. Only one man can stop it—Hiram Grange--provided he can sober up long enough to answer the call!

JAKE BURROWS the author of more than 100 articles, stories, and essays published in a variety of mediums and publications spanning the globe, under various pen names. He is a former Police Constable from West Clare, Ireland and a former Intelligence Specialist with the Irish Defence Forces Directorate of Intelligence.

Book 2:  Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers, by Scott Christian Carr

Hitler has escaped. Twelve of them, to be precise, each cloned from the original, and hiding in the bizarre American underground. Hiram Grange has been tasked with hunting them down. The only problem: he's hit rock bottom. His worst binge ever---a mad dance with absinthe, opium and depression...

SCOTT CHRISTIAN CARR lives on a secluded mountaintop deep in New York's Hudson Valley, where he makes a living writing and producing for film and television and spending time with his family. His fiction has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Withersin, GUD, Horror Quarterly, Pulp Eternity, and assorted anthologies. His recent awards include The Hunter S. Thompson Award for Outstanding Journalism, Scriptapalooza TV: 1st Place Best Original Pilot, and a 2009 Bram Stoker Award nomination.

Book 3:  Hiram Grange and the Digital Eucharist, by Rob Davies

From its global headquarters in Boston, the mysterious Occlusionist Movement is preparing to control the world with its Digital Eucharist, while in the serpentine bowels of the city an ancient demon is unleashed, eager for revenge against the man who imprisoned it years ago—Hiram Grange!

ROB DAVIES lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. His stories have appeared in Interzone, Shroud Magazine, and Weird Tales.

Book 4:  Hiram Grange and the Chosen One, by Kevin Lucia

Hiram Grange doesn't believe in fate; he makes his own destiny.  It's a good thing, because Queen Mab of Faerie has foreseen the world's destruction, and it's all his fault.  He must choose: kill an innocent or save the universe.  It's just another day on the job for Hiram Grange.

KEVIN LUCIA is a Contributing Editor for Shroud Magazine.  His poetry and short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, and he's  currently finishing his MA in Creative Writing at Binghamton University. He teaches high school English and lives in Castle Creek, New York with his wife and children.  Visit www.kevinlucia.net.

Book 5:  Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow, by Richard Wright

Hiram Grange was already broken when his world was turned upside down by the horrifying revelations of a beautiful and dangerous woman. Faced with the possibility that he’s been a pawn in a diabolical game,  he seeks the truth in the snows of Krakow. But the truth is guarded by ancient, winged things—and the truth has teeth...

RICHARD WRIGHT is an author of strange, dark fictions, currently living in India.  His stories have been diversely published over the last decade, everywhere from the Doctor Who 'Best Of' anthology Short Trips: Recollections to the Bram Stoker award nominated Beneath the Surface.

The Hiram Grange Chronicles published by Shroud Publishing.

Important change!

In order to create the best poetry anthology we possibly can, after several discussions with Shroud Editor Tim Deal, we've decided to raise the pay rate of the anthology from 1 cent per word to $5 per poem.  This meets a professional rate of pay, as defined by the Horror Writers Association: http://www.horror.org/memrule...htm - #13 "Professional rates" are defined in this case as no less than 25 cents (25¢) per line or $5 for each poem". We at Shroud understand that quality product demands quality returns, and we also know how many writers are dedicated towards working on eligibility for full HWA membership.  Payment within 30 days after publication.

When the snows fell hard this past year, the entire Northeast buckled down for a long, cold winter. Among the states affected most was Massachusetts, and one of the places hit worst was a town located in its northeast region - a small hamlet named Miskatonic Falls. Situated inside the Miskatonic Valley Region, there's only one way in and out. Both were blocked off by heavy snows.

With few connections to neighboring towns - all of which are ten miles away in either direction - with power and telephone lines down, Miskatonic Falls had been cut off from the outside world for more than a month when the Miskatonic County Police Department received a garbled call from a pay phone at the town's only diner. The call consisted of bursts of static, whistles, unearthly cries, and one whispered phrase “…itum insania…ventum.” Scholars at nearby Miskatonic University identified it as Latin, roughly translated as: “…the walking madness…has come.”

Investigators arrive to find an empty town. There are signs of violence, mayhem, bloodshed…even perversion and sadism....but everyone has vanished, without a trace. The mystery deepens when repeated references to the "long man" appear, in abandoned diaries, recovered emails and cell-phone texts, and in graffiti on walls that read: “BEHOLD! THE LONG MAN COMETH!"

What has happened to the people of Miskatonic Falls? What menace has wiped them off the Earth? Who is the “long man”, and what does “…the walking madness” mean? The world may never know. There are no answers, only questions…and this anthology.

What are we looking for? Poetry, between 8 - 34 lines. Any style is acceptable, HOWEVER: consider the poem’s rhythm and clarity. Avoid “word play.” The poem must make sense and have narrative qualities. Also, with rhyming poems: structure always makes it better. Think sonnets.

Subject: the town’s dissolution into madness and disappearance, but as it relates to its townspeople. Husbands, wives. Lovers, co-workers. Fellow students, shopkeepers, priests and constables. As the end approached, what did they think? Feel? Experience? Fear? Hate?  Think “Spoon River Anthology”, by Edward Lee Masters. However, don’t mimic its style - written in the ‘30s as a collection of tombstone epitaphs. Absorb its essence – people speaking beyond the grave - and apply it the anthology’s situation.

We don’t want answers or conclusions. Vague references are fine, but we only want to know what their lives were like as the end drew near. That having been said, for further clarification, the anthology will be split into three “cantos” (sections, chapters), submissions depending:

Canto I: Ventum Veni, The Madness Comes
Canto II: Ventum Dilato, The Madness Spreads
Canto III: Ventum Voro Nos, The Madness Consumes

Important things: We want first print rights to your poem. After publication, the rights revert to you. No reprints. New poems only, please. Multiple submissions are allowed, but only up to three at any one time. The Terror of Miskatonic Falls will be published as a trade paperback.

What you get: $5 a word and a contributor’s copy. The paperback copy of the book will be sent to you upon or shortly after the book’s official release date. Payment is based on final word count from the final edited copy of the poem, so once your poem is ready for print, payment will be sent to you via either check or Paypal.

What to send to us: Please send your poem(s) in standard manuscript format:
Courier 12pt, double-spaced, with any italicized words underlined. Also include your name and contact information on the first page as well as your name in the upper right corner of any subsequent pages. Don’t forget to also number your pages. Please follow these guidelines to the letter. Submissions that don’t will be automatically rejected.

Where to send it: send all submissions as .doc or .rtf files via email to kevin@shroudmagazine.com with the words “Terror of Miskatonic Falls Submission” in the subject line. 

When to send it by: Reading period starts right away and ends when full. You will be notified within two months of your submission regarding acceptance, possibly sooner.

So, here I am...on the eve of my first trip to a Con of any kind. I'm equal parts excited and little worried. Excited because, no matter what, this is me - out there - DOING something, and worried that five people will show up to this thing and it'll be a bust.

Which is not to say I expect to make any cash. Hardly. I expect this will go solidly in the "negative" column. But it's not about that, (although we someday hope it will be, at least a little, right?) This is about me, getting OUT there - hoping to be seen and heard. There's no sitting fee, I have an author's table, (which hopefully will be near Mike Laimo, who is supposed to be there also), I'll be taking part in a reading, and will be on a writer's panel. There's next to NOTHING like this in
our area, so I'm willing to drive. That, and I've never been on a road trip before with the "boys", so I expect some quality "guy" time with my buddy Nate.

This is crazy; it really is. I'm a nobody - relatively speaking. However, this is the year, I suppose to do crazy things like this. I figure from now on, maybe I'll be able to afford one Con a year, plus this free one, and then I'll just be about the
task of writing. This year, however, seems to be the year for me to "let it hang out there"....

January - Borderlands Press Writers' Bootcamp. You have no idea how awesome this was. Brian Keene told me it would a life changer. It literally was.

Tomorrow - Institute of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

May - MoCon IV. I plan on going there and soaking up as much as I can, just be a quiet mouse in the corner, and revel in the awesomeness that will surround me.

July - NeCon. If Shroud goes to this, I'll be there, signing...can you say holy cow?
If not, just like MoCon, it's going to be me, the quiet mouse again - soaking up the awesomeness.

August - Horrorfind Weekend. Now that we've established there WILL be a Horrorfind, I'll be there. I've purchased a table, will be representing myself and possibly Shroud, and will - once again - revel in the awesomeness.

I hope scattered in there somewhere will be Hiram Grange signings in my hometown and surrounding areas. Anyway, suffice to say: I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe I'll look back and say, "Yeah, 2008-2009...that year started it all." Or maybe not. Either way, I quote Ray Bradbury as my inspiration for all this:

"You've got to jump off cliffs and build your wings on the way down. " - Ray Bradbury

So, back in January, I jumped off a cliff. I've been building my wings ever since. Hear the flapping yet?

First, just got news that my poem, Necromancin', was accepted into Coscom Entertainment's upcoming zombie poetry anthology, Poems of the Dead. Everybody needs a little undead free verse to lighten...darken...their day!

Second, I came across a few review blurbs for two anthologies I've placed stories in and I was mentioned, so I thought I'd share....

About my story "Therapy", which is featured in Necrotic Tissue's Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror:

"Kevin Lucia's “Therapy” is a surprisingly honest cautionary tale that I would love to use in a high school class room, but might stand a good chance of getting fired if I did." Read full review.

About my story "Water God of Clarke Street", which is featured in Shroud's Abomninations:

"Buy this and you'll get the added pleasure of seeing the great and mighty Dagon get humiliated by a little girl in Kevin Lucia's 'The Water God of Clarke Street'." Read full review.

Always nice to hear. Provides motivation at 3 AM in the morning!

From Shroud Magazine: 

Many of you know that we had previously signed a deal with Ingram periodicals to get Shroud distributed to major retailers across North America...

WELLLLL... Ingram has submitted their first order amounting to 1,400 copies of Issue #6!

YES!

So in addition to a number of online retailers and national independent book stores, Shroud will be available across major retailers in the US and Canada beginning in MAY!

This is a fantastic opportunity for independent authors, publishers, artists, designers, photographers, and musicians to gain the exposure they need to sell their work.

In an effort to provide cost-friendly exposure to my creative brethren, AND to fund this print run, i am slashing my quarter-page ad rates for Issue #6 by 40%.

This means a $50 ad will now be available for $30.

http://www.shroudmagazine.com/quarter-page-advertising-special.html

These special ads will be sold on a first come basis as only 100 slots are available at this price.

Additional discounts available for multi-issue ads.

Once again: QUARTER PAGE ADS 30 BUCKS: GET NATIONAL EXPOSURE.

We can also help you design your ad as well at no additional charge.

RESERVE YOUR SPACE HERE:

http://www.shroudmagazine.com/quarter-page-advertising-special.html

Hosted By:
Kevin Lucia - Shroud Book Reviews

When:
Monday, February 23, 2009

Where:
Anywhere
Anywhere
Anywhere
13744

Description:
Specials on Advertising Rates for Author and Small Press in Shroud Magazine

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