Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category
Since the first automobiles rolled down a street, the range of human emotions attached to these machines has run from love to hate, humor to horror, joy to sadness. This book is a sampling of how fiction writers have viewed the automobile, from yesteryear to tomorrow.
Famous writers, experienced story tellers, and new literary voices are mixed together between these covers.
Automobilia is the first in a trilogy of stories and poems featuring that one machine that has changed the face of the earth, for the good and for the bad . . . the automobile.
Authors include: Jack Finney, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Christian Matheson, Richard Matheson, J. P. Seewald, Bruce Boston, Marge Simon, Kevin David Anderson, Katherine Tomlinson, James S. Dorr, William F. Nolan, Dean Wild, Sarah Key, Robbie Sheerin, and J.R. Hayslett, among many others.
This spark any memories? No? Well in fairness there was a mention — that it had been finally published! — as recently as January 22 this year, but prior to that we must journey back to January, two years before, for when I’d received payment; then December, 2021 (contract received); then November, 2020 (story accepted), for a tale which had been submitted in late spring 2016. For a book about cars, that’s some pretty slow driving.
But anyhow, my author’s copy is finally here, chock full of both stories and poems with mine on page 325, “The Christmas Vulture.” And a big book too, at more than 440 pages!
So my story, originally published in UNTIED SHOELACES OF THE MIND, Fall 2010, is about pretty much what its title says — and with automobiles too! But for more, you will just have to read the book — which looks to be a winner! — for further details on which press here!
First seen on Facebook Sunday night: AUTOMOBILIA is finally available in Trade Paperback and Kindle Digital from Amazon.com. Now starts the work of promoting the book to benefit the contributing authors and provide some great reading entertainment for fans of that one machine that affects everyone’s life, the Automobile. The hardcover version will be available in February 2024. Please SHARE if you are inclined to help spread the word. In that it happens I have a story of my own in it. . . .
Or, via Amazon: Since the first automobiles rolled down a street, the range of human emotions attached to these machines has run from love to hate, humor to horror, joy to sadness. This book is a sampling of how fiction writers have viewed the automobile, from yesteryear to tomorrow.
Famous writers, experienced story tellers, and new literary voices are mixed together between these covers.
Automobilia is the first in a trilogy of stories and poems featuring that one machine that has changed the face of the earth, for the good and for the bad…the automobile.
Not much more is said, though it is a whopping 494 pages (“41 stories, 9 poems”), according to the site. And as for my small part, to quote this blog from some time past (cf. November 3 2020): I’d sure forgotten it, yes, a story originally sent on May 26 . . . 2016! Yes, that’s four and a half years. But today the word came from Editor Jason Marchi.
This will come as a shock to you after all this time . . . but after many interruptions, long waits on a number of permissions, and factors beyond our control, the AUTOMOBILIA book is finally nearing completion and will be published in August 2021.
We would like to include “The Christmas Vulture” in the anthology.
“The Christmas Vulture?” Originally published in Fall 2010 in UNTIED SHOELACES OF THE MIND, as well as elsewhere (cf. March 21 2012; December 23 2010), a tale of poor driving habits and an unexpected just-before-holiday rescue, this highway horror will now re-emerge in AUTOMOBILIA in, tentatively, August 2021. Other details were offered involving contracts and payment, to which I sent back my “yes” this evening.
As for AUTOMOBILIA, original guidelines having long been lost, I can still quote from THE GRINDER from way back when: as the title suggests an automobile should be such an integral part of the story that if removed the story collapses. While as for the rest, well, time will tell.
So, yes, such is the writing life, that some things may take a little more time than others. Re. the waitup from 2020 in this blog, see also January 11 2022, and December 10, 2021. And this isn’t even academic publishing, as with Dennis Wise’s SPECULATIVE POETRY AND THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL seen more recently (cf. January 15, et al.) in these pages.
But it has come, at last, and with it my “Christmas Vulture,” for more on which — and for possible ordering — one may check here.
It came to my finally ordering one, an author’s copy not forthcoming (not all contracts offer one in print, but it is a nice thing and much appreciated — at least by me), but then the whole story was kind of based on illusion, wasn’t it? The story, “Marcie and Her Sisters,” originally published in REEL DARK (BlackWyrm Publishing, 2015). And now reprinted.
This is the blurb, via Amazon: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Emerson’s point has been echoed by many, but in the Land of the Weird the question arises, “A journey to what destination?” At the same time, you might ask, “Is the journey therefore the destination?” The journey may well be an individual’s destination, because it will define them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And in the Land of the Weird, that journey can take twists and turns that amuse, sadden, or horrify.
This trip into the Land of the Weird offers you 39 unique trails to follow, assisted by 35 different guides, each leading you down their own singular paths, manifesting their own view of journey as destination, some laughing, some weeping, and some, eyes wide with fear, shaking as they point out the spectral footpath for you to follow on your way down The Rabbit Hole.
And the book: THE RABBIT HOLE, VOL VI (cf. November 7, October 25, et al.) — or THE RABBIT HOLE WEIRD STORIES DESTINATION: JOURNEY, as Amazon lists it — edited by Tom Wolosz, and publisher The Writers Co-op. It was released in a will-o’-the-wisp way, as befits Halloween, on October 31 2023 but the problem then was to actually get it. This is the way I had put it November 7: The book can be found, in some places and some forms: on Amazon it can be bought in e-form . . . [w]hile for paper copies it’s presently “out of stock” — which I understand to mean not yet in stock. But should be coming soon.
So, long story short (and other things going on anyhow), I gave it the rest of the year to settle down, then re-tried Amazon on January 2 and . . . actually bought it! On January 4 I received an email that it had shipped, but the gremlins weren’t done yet. A second email on the day it had been supposed to arrive cited a “shipping delay,” and new expected arrival date of January 15. And today (the 16th) it’s finally here!
And so of my story, as mentioned above (of the subtitled “Journey,” and quoting myself again): “Marcie and Her Sisters” decide one day they might marry zombies — or do they? In any event, the journey (ah, now!) is not one wholly filled with flowers and butterflies. Oh, no! Nor is the narrator entirely reliable. . . . In THE RABBIT HOLE VI in front of me now, then, I’m hoping for the kind of surreality of my own book, AVOID SEEING A MOUSE. But will it be there?
Supply problems presumably over by now, one can check for oneself by pressing here.
It’s from the January 2024 WINNING WRITERS NEWSLETTER, a useful listing of “the best free literary contests” that writers might enter each month, plus a few things more. So I’d let them know specifically about AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL, and a few other matters, for their Subscriber News section. And there it was, a listing with my name amongst others, and a link two paragraphs down labeled “Learn about our subscribers’ achievements and see links to samples of their work.”
So plunk the magic twanger and then, under the aegis “Recent Honors and Publication Credits for Our Subscribers,” there IT was: Congratulations to James Dorr. His story collection Avoid Seeing a Mouse: And Other Tales of the Real and Surreal will be published this month by Alien Buddha Press. In other news, his poems “The Worm in the Wood” and “The Westfarer” were included in the anthology Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival, edited by Dennis Wilson Wise and published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. Visit Dorr’s website for more information about his many books.
Of course, you’ve read it here before (see January 8, et al.; and December 15 2023, et al.) but all publicity helps. And the listing has live links too under the books’ two titles, the one for MOUSE leading to its Goodreads listing, as well as the word “website” which, if pressed, will lead you back here.
So go ahead, try it. To see “Recent Honors” etc. click here. And then, if you wish, explore around WINNING WRITERS itself. The newsletter can be subscribed to free, and you may find it worthwhile.
And then one more announcement: as of last notice, two of three reviews of AVOID SEEING A MOUSE on Goodreads have also migrated to its Amazon listing. But they would like company (or, as noted above, all publicity helps — and that even includes less than five-star ratings)! So to all readers, please check the book out for yourself — it can be found on Amazon by pressing here — and consider a purchase. It’s good for gifts too and, at $12.99, it’s modestly priced. But buy, beg, or steal it (or borrow it from your quicker-to-buy friend), if you’ve read the book please consider reviewing it, even if it’s just a sentence or two, and sending it to Amazon and Goodreads both.
It would really help.
Embark on a mesmerizing journey through the realms where reality intertwines with the surreal in “AVOID SEEING A MOUSE: AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL” by James Dorr.
So begins the blurb for my latest book, officially published and listed on Amazon as of today. In paperback form it’s available for $12.99, an ultra-low price in view of today’s post-inflation standards. It is, to be sure, a shortish collection with just twelve stories (by contrast, my 2013 Stoker® nominated THE TEARS OF ISIS had seventeen plus a poem), but with a purposeful hoped-for effect of piling skewed images, one atop another, inviting readers to see the whole as one prolonged vision — a kaleidoscope of dream reaching toward madness.
Or, quoting the blurb further: From the enigmatic landscapes of ancient Memphis to the mysterious dreams that blur the lines between waking and slumber, Dorr weaves a tapestry of stories that defy conventional boundaries.
Delve into the secrets of an otherworldly love, the apocalyptic visions that haunt the corners of our minds, and the strange encounters that shape the destiny of characters on the brink of revelation.
Dorr’s prose, rich with symbolism and mysticism, invites readers to explore the intricate dance between the tangible and the fantastical. In this collection, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the surreal whispers the hidden truths of existence.
“AVOID SEEING A MOUSE” beckons you to step into a world where dreams and reality converge, inviting you to question what you thought you knew about the nature of the universe.
And thus it goes. It can be found on Amazon for additional information, or — hopefully — ordering, by pressing here. And that isn’t all, there’s even a sample story offered through the publisher, Alien Buddha Press, which can be found here.
And one more item: If you should read AVOID SEEING A MOUSE and find it worthwhile, please consider reviewing it — even if only a single sentence on why you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy it — and posting it on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, along with your own blog and any other place you think appropriate. Or just tell your friends. With so much available on the internet, it’s the personal touch like that that’s the lifeblood of writers, helping a work stand out through the confusion.
Just a quick note that AVOID SEEING A MOUSE, AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL, is still expected out Monday, January 8, and has garnered three reviews on Goodreads thus far. But there’s still time left to get a review copy for yourself, if you’re so inclined.
Avoid WHAT?, you may ask. For an official blurb (actually a condensed version of the original pitch to the publisher, a “trimmed down” synopsis as one might say) see post for January 1, just below. And what then, you say — after reading it for yourself, of course? Well there’s no obligation, but if inclined to look at a copy and, if the spirit moves, write an honest review for posting on Goodreads, Amazon, etc. — as well as any personal blurbs, spreading the word to friends, and the like — there are still some PDF copies available over the weekend. Just email a request (including the words “Free Mouse” in the Subject line) to edgarc@rocketmailcom, including your email, and I’ll send one right out.
And reviews don’t have to be written right away either. A few days, or even weeks later is fine — the sites still will be open. (And for some examples, the ones already on Goodreads can be found now by clicking the book’s picture in the center column.)
And a new trimmed-down blurb written last night, for a Horror Writers Association announcement to come. Or at least one may hope (you send in the information, they decide when — and if — to use it). But one must try, yes?
So the book itself, AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL, is expected out in exactly a week, January 8, if things go as expected. Look for it on Amazon then! Not that I’m not going to plug it here too when the moment comes, and may I remind: There’s still time to ask for a PDF pre-publication copy (cf. December 26, way down at the bottom), hopefully with an eye to writing an honest review — but no obligation. I just want to see the collection read! Although better, of course, would be to buy a paperback copy.
And then, if you like it, perhaps still write a review?
AVOID SEEING A MOUSE is a relatively short collection as such things go — twelve stories combining to just under 40,000 words. But with lots of variety in it, I think. For the “trimmed down” synopsis: AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL offers twelve stories set in times from the mid-part of the previous century to a heat- and pollution-baked far-future Earth, but all in worlds a bit askew from what we might be used to. A city-wide celebration with only the dead invited, an anti-Communist who collects bottles, a twisted take on the ’80s Voyager space probes to Saturn, and a title tale of a 1999 pre-New Year’s Memphis where Y2K fears combine with an ancient Egyptian curse, and more, conspire to blur the lines that separate waking from dreams.
And for me as well, the whole thing was a surprise. I hadn’t expected to write/compile a new book in 2023, but a chance “manuscripts wanted” announcement for a shorter-than-usual collection tempted me to try to put one together — just as an exercise, if for no other reason — and I sent it in. So it was rejected, but then a second publisher’s Facebook post spurred some minor tweaks and a re-sending there, and . . . Bingo! A rapid acceptance (see November 21, et al.) — proof sheets and edits wrapping around the Thanksgiving holiday — covers and pre-publication copies. . . .
And a happy all-but-unexpected New Year!
Set for a January 8 release, AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL (cf. December 14, November 26, et al.) has already received one review on Goodreads. This from fellow writer (and artist) Marge Simon, in part:
. . . This collection doesn’t disappoint. I was glad to find several stories from his Tombs collection. One, loosely based on the Pied Piper, another about the time when ghouls almost died off, which left the populus of a certain planet in dire straits. . . . In another tale, meet a girl named Ipanema, a beauty from Tombs, who witnesses the death of all the lower animals. The collection is packed with juicy stories, all highly entertaining. The title story is last, and possibly the most fascinating fun. “Avoid Seeing A Mouse” set in contemporary times, is an adventure that begins in a magnificent exhibit of ancient Egypt. It prompts a young man’s dreams of the goddess Sekhmet. A mouse is spotted early on, but why should he avoid seeing it? You’ll need to read the book to find out what happens next. Trust me, you’ll never find a story like this one anywhere. The collection is highly recommended, it’s a keeper!
Other stories include zombies, ghouls, and, yes, vampires (at least by repute), along with Egyptian and more recent history, myths, space probes and Saturn. . . . And destructive animals. But what’s your opinion? That is, while I understand AVOID SEEING A MOUSE will be available in print only, I’d like to offer prospective readers, in return for considering writing an honest review, a free pre-publication PDF copy now. Call it a post-holiday gift, if you will. In other words, if other things intervene or if after reading it you think it isn’t worth reviewing, that would be okay — there’s no obligation.
The thing is, what I really want to do is get people to read it, then if they like it spread the word to friends. To generate buzz. And if you’re moved to write and post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. as well, that would be super! And of course, if you’d then like a paperback copy to keep — or perhaps even share as gifts yourselves — I understand the Amazon price in January, according to publisher The Alien Buddha Press, will be $12.99.
But for now, for a free PDF copy of AVOID SEEING A MOUSE AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL just send me an email to edgarc@rocketmail.com with “Mouse” in the subject line.
This is from Amazon’s blurb: If a literary movement arises but no one notices, is it still a movement? In SPECULATIVE POETRY AND THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL: A CRITICAL ANTHOLOGY, Dennis Wilson Wise argues that the answer is “yes.” Over the last ten decades, poets working in fantasy, science fiction, and horror have collectively brought forth a revival in alliterative poetics akin to what once happened in the mid-fourteenth century. Altogether, this anthology collects for the first time over fifty speculative poets — several of whom are previously unpublished — from across North America and Europe. Alongside such established names as C. S. Lewis, Patrick Rothfuss, Edwin Morgan, Poul Anderson, Jo Walton, P. K. Page, and W. H. Auden, this anthology includes representative texts from cultural movements such as contemporary neo-Paganism and the Society for Creative Anachronism. . . .
And of lesser-known poets, one of whom is . . . moi (cf. October 12; June 24 2022; April 29 2021, et al.)! This was how I put it that April 29, two years before: Remember “The Worm in the Wood” and “The Westfarer” (cf. March 28 and February 5)? These were the poems initially published about a quarter of a century back, but with much earlier stylistic roots, to be published anew in a scholarly book. And so the writing life continues, this received today from author/compiler Dennis Wise: Here’s the text of your poems as currently laid out for the anthology, including headnote and footnotes. The only thing I need is your year of birth (for the headnote). . . . The text of the poems themselves should be fine, since I took them directly from the .rtf file you so helpfully sent me earlier.
The book itself is SPECULATIVE POETRY AND THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL, to come out from Fairleigh Dickinson University Press and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers around mid-2022 [sic], with the two poems themselves originally published in STAR*LINE, May/June 2001, and DARK DESTINY: PROPRIETORS OF FATE (White Wolf, 1995), respectively.
And now it’s here! Around late 2023 (contrast the slowness of the academic publishing world, with my AVOID SEEING A MOUSE book just below). But another difference too — warning to readers! — as a scholarly tome in a hardback edition it’s rather pricey. Or $45 just for the Kindle! Or, see for yourself by clicking here.
(But editor/compiler Wise does add that a paperback option should be coming out, in about eighteen months!)
Alien Buddha Press is now accepting submissions across all genres, for poetry chapbooks, novellas, short story collections, nonfiction books, and more. That had been the call, with a note that shorter works — those that, after formatting, might be published in 150 pages or fewer — were preferred. So in mid November I responded and. . . .
Came the reply, from Alien Buddha’s Red Focks, I am enjoying your collection, and would be happy to work with you. . . . Attached is our standard publishing contract. The book: AVOID SEEING A MOUSE, AND OTHER TALES OF THE REAL AND SURREAL (see November 26, 10). And things have been moving rapidly since with, as of now, AVOID SEEING A MOUSE scheduled to be officially published on January 8 2024 with, as I understand, a hard copy price of $12.99.
So this week I’ve received pre-publication copies of the paperback edition — just in time for Christmas gifts should they so be desired! And the book looks quite nice. In general, it is a short collection at just south of 40,000 words (cf. first paragraph above, the note in the call for shorter manuscripts, the reason I’d sent it there in the first place) — i.e., if it were an equivalent single narrative, just on the side of a long novella as opposed to a short novel — though with the actual book as a whole still coming in at about 200 pages. That is, Alien Buddha sometimes prints text with relatively wide vertical spacing, which makes it easy to read, but if more condensed it would probably have come in at comfortably under 150 pages.
Which means, to my credit (ahem!), that Publisher/Editor Focks apparently liked what he saw enough not to mind the “extra length.”
jamesdorrwriter 