The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H. P. Lovecraft is now available as an ebook for just $7.99. You can get it exclusively at lulu.com/strangesound.

I just found out about a new review of the horror compilation that has one of my stories. I only know what was said about my story by Martin Andersson -

I've now got my own author page on Amazon.com - check it out here.

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLZZLK

Yes, I know - that looks very much like one of the silly hoaxes that
travel around the internet. The truth is, this is no hoax. I see it
every day. I've talked to other experiencing the same thing. We are on
the verge of email disappearing as a viable communication method and
it's not because of any new surcharge or governmental regulation - no,
it's because of spam blocking tools.



Do you use spam blockers? If you do, you are part of the problem. Sure,
spam is a pain in the neck. There's an easy answer, though - it's
called a delete button. Another answer is to block senders who
repeatedly spam you. But using spam blocking tools is a bad idea and I
can give you numerous reasons why.



First off, many of the newer spam blockers are extremely aggressive. I
tried to reply to an email the other day and got a "message
undeliverable." It said my IP address was blocked - so I followed their
link and looked it up - my IP address was NOT blocked - but several in
a fifteen digit range around mine were - and it literally stated that
"similar IP addresses" were blocked. So, I was unable to reply to this
email and there was no way around it.



One of my clients needed a number of links the other day - legitimate
venue pages - and I tried to send them. Their email domain blocked the
email because it "contained a blocked URL." These were legitimate URL's
for music venues. The other bad part of this is, in neither of these
instances does the person even know I tried to send the email. Mind you
in that last case I had another email addy to send to that was on a
different email domain and it went through fine.



In many instances if you hit "spam" on an email they block that email
domain from sending email to ANYONE using your email service. AOL and
hotmail in particular are big on block lots and don't worry about the
legitimate mail that doesn't get through approach. So, you might have
all kinds of email that isn't getting through - and you thiink, no one
ever replies to my emails, my bank isn't sending my statements, etc,
etc. They probably are, but some overzealous spam blocker is keeping
you from getting it.



So, the solution is, don't use automated spam blockers. You are not
only stopping spam from getting into your mail box, but you are
probably stopping legitimate mail, too - and you've got no way to check
on it. If you use an email server that you don't have control over -
say hotmail or AOL or yahoo - email them and tell them that you want to
decide for yourself what you want to read and what you don't and that
you don't want them to block any mail for your account. If you know
someone using spam blocking software tell them to stop. It's not that
big of a deal to delete spam. Personally I delete a couple hundred
pieces of spam a day - at least - and it takes probably thirty seconds.
If I get hit from the same person multiple times in a day I block that
sender - or if it's an obvious spam domain the whole domain. But you
need to make these decisions for yourself. If you let a computer
program make them for you, everyone's email is in jeopardy. Please pass
this around.

I have a short story that will be appearing in a new book late this month or early next. For more information, check it out here.

hplmythos.com

Whatever holiday you celebrate may it be all you hope for.

Gary

Here's a cool contest I've come across.


HL V3 and DRP 10 Debut Contest

The dark geniuses at Cutting Block Press and Dark Recesses Press have been busy gathering some fine reading for their fans. Just a few of the names you'll find in these two volumes of dark goodness: Bentley Little, Clive Barker, Gary Braunbeck, Jack Ketchum, Jeff Strand, Michael Arnzen, Kealan Patrick Burke, Cody Goodfellow and many more. Whether you are a new fan or an old one, you're going to love this contest!

How to Play: All you have to do is post a comment on their blog and you'll automatically be entered into the contest.
http://horrorlibrary.blogspot.com/2008/12/horror-library-vol-3-and-drp-10-holiday.html

For an extra entry: Just post a link to this contest on your blog and leave a comment on their blog with the link to your blog. Here's the main contest link:
http://horrorlibrary.blogspot.com/2008/12/horror-library-vol-3-and-drp-10-holiday.html

Yup, it's that easy. But what do you win?

First Prize
One Copy of Horror Library Vol. 3
One Copy of Dark Recesses Press 10
$10 Gift Certificate to the Horror Mall

Second Prize
One Copy of Horror Library Vol. 3
One Copy Dark Recesses Press 10

Third Prize
One Copy of Horror Library Vol. 2

Fourth Prize
One Copy of Horror Library Vol. 1

Deadline for the contest: December 14th at Midnight, Eastern US Time

Winners will be announced the following weekend.

So there you have it, a great way to win some holiday gifts for your friends or for yourself. Good luck!

Wickedly Yours,
Cutting Block Press & Dark Recesses Press

Hey folks - this blog is a repost of the blog at the MSJ profile. Thought those of you who aren't friends on there might appreciate it.

A New Issue - And Other Cool Stuff

Well, folks, the time is here and another issue of Music Street Journal is live and ready for your vieiwing pleasure. We've got a lot of great articles and something new, too. Now, you don't have to take our word for it on a lot of our reviews. With many of the CD reviews this time you can go to our amazon.com store (astore.amazon.com/musicstreetjourn), click on "current issue" and then "downloads" and then pick the correct genre and download the music. Single songs only cause 99 cents and you can get the whole album for reasonable prices, too. It's handy way to see what we're talking about in these reviews for just a little money and do it while it's fresh in your mind.

OK – so what have we got for this issue? In terms of new progressive rock reviews we've got,  Marvin Ayres - Eccentric Deliquescence,  Emily Bezar – Exchange, Edgar Broughton Band - At Rockpalast, Dave Cousins - & The Blue Angel Orchestra - Boy in the Sailor Suit, Dave Corp - The Sweet Life, Dream Aria – Transcend, Epica - The Divine Conspiracy, The Guy - Only Human, Don 'Sugar Cane' Harris - Sugar Cane's Got The Blues, Inca Maya - Inca Maya (you can check out content from this act in our members area), Jasper van't Hof's Pork Pie – Transitory, Barry Keenan - My Mind. The Moody Blues - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, Roger O'Donnell - The Truth In Me, Persephone's Dream - Pyre of Dreams, Phideaux – 313, The Pineapple Thief - Tightly Unwound, Plastic Crimewave Sound - No Wonderland, Nic Potter - Nic Potter & Friends – Live in Italy, Random Touch – Duologue, The Residents - Present The Bunny Boy,. Uli Jon Roth - Under A Dark Sky, Science NV - Really Loud Noises, Billy Sherwood - At the Speed of Life..., The Strawbs - Live At Nearfest 2004, Robin Taylor - Isle of Black, UK - Danger Money, UK - Live In Boston and Van der Graaf Generator - 1 Prophesy Disaster.

For new metal CD reviews we have these:  Absolution - The Revelation Diaries, Beyond The Void - Gloom Is A Trip For Two, Black Sabbath - The Rules of Hell, The Chair - The Chair, Iced Earth - The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II), Jennie Tebler..s Out of Oblivion - Till Death Tear Us Part, Metal Church - This Present Wasteland, Motörhead – Motorizer and Poison - Seven Days Live.  And in terms of CD reviews that fit neither of these categories we have: Tori Amos - Live At Montreux 1991-1992, Babylon Mystery Orchestra - Axis of Evil(you can check out content from this act in our members area), The Bathtub Sophist - Music From An L-Shaped Room CD / EP, Olivia d'Abo - Not TV, Ian Gillan - Live in Anaheim, The Lizards – Archeology, Mike Mangione – Tenebrae, The Nutley Brass - The Misfits Meet The Nutley Brass - Fiend Club Lounge, Todd Rundgren – Arena, Ringo Starr - Liverpool 8, Sugarland - Love On The Inside (Deluxe Fan Edition), Treologic – Colabo and Uriah Heep - Wake The Sleeper.

We've also got a number of new DVD reviews for you – they are:  Marc Almond - Live at Lokerse Feesten 2000 DVD, Tori Amos - Live at Montreux 1991 - 1992 DVD, George Benson - Absolutely Live DVD, Joe Cocker - Cry Me A River DVD, Neil Diamond - Thank You Australia Concert: Live 1976 DVD, Earth Wind and Fire - Live in Japan DVD, The Groundhogs - Live at the Astoria DVD, Darren Hayes - The Time Machine Tour DVD, Kraftwerk - Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution DVD, Jonny Lang - Live at Montreux 1999 DVD, Marillion - From Stoke Row To Ipanema, Marillion - Recital Of The Script, Marillion - Somewhere in London DVD, Marillion - The EMI Singles Collection, John Mayall - John Mayall - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers: Live At Iowa State University DVD, Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman Live DVD, Art Tatum - The Art of Jazz Piano DVD, Various Artists - Bang Your Head 2007 DVD, Various Artists - Jamaican Gold DVD, Various Artists - Sixteen Days in China DVD, Johnny Guitar Watson - Live in Concert DVD and Yes - The New Director's Cut DVD.

We have new interviews with  Aziola Cry, Blue Öyster Cult (audio of this interview is available in our members area), Equilibrium and Nic Potter. And these concert reviews -  Blue Öyster Cult (review has some pics, but many more are available in a gallery in our members area),  The Flower Kings, Heaven and Hell (review has some pics, but many more are available in a gallery in our members area),  Judas Priest  (review has some pics, but many more are available in a gallery in our members area),  Neal Morse, Motörhead  (review has some pics, but many more are available in two galleries in our members area), Nightwish, Scorpions (review has some pics, but many more are available in a gallery in our members area), Ringo Starr (review has some pics, but more are available in a gallery in our members area),  Styx (review has some pics, but many more are available in a gallery in our members area) and Testament (review has some pics, but many more are available in two galleries in our members area)

Well, that's all for this time. Don't forget, though, you can check out a ton of great stuff in our members area. For an idea of the types of things you'll find there watch the video at the main page at musicstreetjournal.com. Remember, though, that tells you the types of items you'll find, but the video is outdated and is nowhere near to listing all the artists who can be found there. To log in to the members area use the box on the main page. You can buy your membership by hitting the "click to register" link next to the log in box. Memberships start at $6 for one month and you can get a full year for $25. Those members items include the ability to read the book online, too. Not only do you get access all the archives and exclusive materials, but you are helping Music Street Journal survive by buying a membership. We can't continue forever without the support of the artists we help promote and the people who read the site. If you are reading this, that probably means you.

Alright – see you in two months with our Holiday issue. Check out Music Street Journal at musicstreetjournal.com.

I wanted to let everyone know that I've published a new book. It's not so much a literary work, though, as it is an art type book.

I've just added a new story - download only - to my Lulu Store. Go to lulu.com/strangesound and check it out. It's called "The Stars" and is a piece of Lovecraftian fiction set in the distant future. It's only 49 cents. Any reviews would be appreciated.

Here's a couple paragraphs as a teaser...

The war had been a long and devastating one. It began far from Earth on a Tuesday in November of 2125. By the time it was over nearly three quarters of the Earth's population had been killed, but we had won. Still, the enemy in their dying moments had hit us with a killing blow, as well. It was one that we still do not know if we will be able to overcome.

            The colony had been in existence for a little over six months on November 13^th. Terraforming had only just begun, so space suits were still in use everywhere outside of the building complex. The 140 plus colonists (mostly scientists and engineers and their families) were definitely not prepared for battle, and it didn't last long. When the first ship came into orbit, they had no idea that it was an attack fleet. By the time half of the 40 ships were there, it was nearly over. Their first volley had taken out the power, so even if they had left then, the colony wouldn't have survived. They came into the atmosphere, though, and destroyed every building and every person within a matter of a couple of hours. Their technology was far advanced beyond ours, and the only communication the colonists had managed to get off was some hasty descriptions of the attack, some tactical readings and visuals of the ships. It was a slaughter. When the signals reached Earth through the comm vortex warp, we mourned, but figured that it was all over. No one had any idea that it had just been the first strike in an all out war. This had been our first contact with extra terrestrials, and it had been disastrous.

Sorry for not blogging for a while - been kind of busy and not a lot of Strange Sound news at the moment. I wanted to remind everyone that the new issue of Music Street Journal will be going up at the end of the month - so, you need to check it out now if you want to see the current issue. Check it out at musicstreetjournal.com. Remember you can find the book to read online in the members area there - and memberships start at six bucks and include a TON of cool stuff - in fact, I'll be uploaiding a brand new audio interview of Manilla Road later today.

Also, all you bands and labels out there - I'm starting a PR company and will be available to help with your PR needs. Whether you're looking for a press release or a full promotional operation, I can take care of what you need. Drop me an email at pr@musicstreetjournal.com and let's get everything rolling.