Beyond Fiction

It may be Wednesday but there's no WIP post from me today, I'm too hyper to string more than eight words together. I've been a total pimp this week... And the worst sort, it's all me, me, hey have you heard about me. Thank you to everyone who's played along (or intends to play along) with my cheeky meme contest. Your support is much appreciated and I hope you all win. erm...

Anyhow, apologies for yet more pimpage (it ends here), but Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits just received its first review from Simon Marshall Jones over at Beyond Fiction and it is fanblinkingtastic. Many thanks to Simon, Mark Deniz and all the guys over at BF who've seriously made my week.

Eek! Late addition to the post...

Thank you to everyone who preordered a copy. I can't believe I left that part out.

My Soul Ain't Dead

I may have squealed in work today when I got a phone call to say that there was a delivery of books waiting for me. The word may is an absolute lie. How beautiful are the below specimens...

Dead Souls, edited by Mark Deniz, contains my story When the Cloak Falls, along with stories by Michael Stone, Ramsey Campbell, T A Moore, Paul Finch, Gary McMahon, Bernie Mojzes, Carole Johnstone, and Bill Ward. And Mark had my contributor copy signed for me at FantasyCon by himself, Gary McMahon, Paul Finch, Ramsey Campbell, Rebecca Lloyd and Carole Johnstone. Carol also signed my copy of Grants Pass, which alas I'm not in, but the wonderful Katey Taylor is.

And I know I've shown this before, but how can you resist buying this book after watching the trailer:

The Anthology That Wouldn't Die

It's beginning to feel like TOC week - apologies for one Table of Contents following another, but this one was far too cool to ignore. The TOC for Dead Souls has been announced and it features two Scousers (aka people from Liverpool) - that is me and Mr. Ramsey Campbell.

Okay can someone please pick me up off the floor.

Now, Mr. Campbell doesn't realise it but I think I may have been in his head for some time. Apparently his novel The Face That Must Die features a main character called Cathy Gardner who just so happens to live in Liverpool. Someone (an Editor about ten years back) told me that not only does the character live in Liverpool but in the same suburb as me. I've checked that bit out on the internet (will you just buy the book already) and that part seems to be a no (apparently she lives in Cantril Farm, I don't), though he has written stories based in my suburb (concealed for fear of fans stalking my home - ahem!).

Anyway, here's the TOC (in alphabetical order):

Elizabeth Barrette - Goldenthread
Ramsey Campbell - The Dead Must Die
Stephanie Campisi - The Ringing Sound of Death on the Water Tank
Michael Colangelo - Poseidon’s Claw
Brendan Connell - Black Tiger
Tom English - Dry Places
Paul Finch - June
Catherine J. Gardner - When the Cloak Falls
Ken Goldman - Mercy Hathaway is a Witch
Robert Holt - In the Name
Robert Hood - Sandcrawlers
Sharon Irwin - Begin with Water
Carole Johnstone - The Blind Man
Christopher Johnstone - The Unbedreamed
Lisa Kessler - Immortal Beloved
Lisa Kessler - Subito, Piano
Rebecca Lloyd - Contaminator
Anna M. Lowther - The Price of Peace
Gary McMahon - A Shade of Yellow
Bernie Mojzes - The Collector
T. A. Moore - Genus Loci
Reece Notley - Tatsu
James R. Stratton - Your Duty to your Lord
Michael Stone - The Migrant
Simon Strantzas - More to Learn
Ben Thomas - The Pagans
Bill Ward - When they Come to Murder Me
Kaaron Warren - The Blue Stream
Ron Yungul - The Lords of Chickamauga

The Wolf Dude and I are in envy mode

I'm in a happy, happy mood... I almost have a title for The Poisoned Apple II - Okay, let me rephrase that. I thought I had the perfect title for TPAII but it garnered a raised eyebrow and an 'are you sure', so the brain is still ticking over.

Anyway, I'm browsing the aisles of Asda (large British supermarket known as Walmart in the US) and I come upon the little dude below. I had to have him. He has a strange walk (like me) and a gruff voice (unlike me) and sings rather badly (yep, just like me). I'd like to show him moving and singing on video but a) I can't upload videos to my computer and b) he's a doll, I mean you're not exactly missing out. Anyway, he is now my inspiration for the fearsome Wolfram Lavoisier in the above book. Oh, and the title relates to him and the more I think about it the worse it sounds.



Next we have two fabulous books that arrived in the post this morning from Morrigan Books. I squealed when I saw the parcel and I'm not even in one of them. At this juncture in the post let us take a moment to think of poor old Frog and his Mail Order Bride who are yet to find a home. *Cough Cough* to the people at Hotel Guignol where the story is currently submitted (along with, I imagine, many other Voices rejects). This book contains, among others, a story by the fabulous K.V. Taylor. 'The Mirror' is set in room 105. Katey, I am insanely jealous - the book looks awesome.

The other book is How to Make Monsters by Gary McMahon. A collection of 14 short stories - and kudos to Mr. McMahon, for whom among us doesn't want a collection of their stories in print.




And here we have the cool Wolf Dude and the spines of the books - because I love spines of books and I'm loving my Wolf Dude.