A few days ago, I sent a message to the 20 stalwart members of my author newsletter. Now that they’ve had a chance to take a look, I’m ready to announce to the world (or at least my 10 or so regular blog readers): I’ve got a new publication coming!
“Side Roads” is a collection of horror and dark fiction short stories (including one novelette), about half of which have been published in various magazines and anthologies over the past ten years. They include stories like the faepunk horror “IronFae,” which first appeared in Aiofe’s Kiss, the steampunk horror “The Terrible, Vast Pyre of Chief Machinist Kirlisoveyitch,” which first appeared in Dark Moon Digest, and the dystopian superhero short “The Peacemaker,” which appeared in Fantasy Scroll Magazine. Additionally, there are a number of stories (and one poem!) that first made their appearance on this blog in October, when I was doing Lynne Hansen’s 31 Days of Art challenge. In addition to the previously published content, I’ve got two brand new stories, one of which is being edited as I write this blog. (I’ve included the full table of contents below!)
Also, if you read on and the stories pique your interest, I want to let you know that I’ll be sending a free digital copy to my newsletter subscribers. If you’d like to come aboard and check it out, you can sign up here. I send out one email a month (usually… I’m trying to get better about staying in touch with readers, but, well…) If you’d like an ARC, but don’t want to sign up to get one, feel free to hit me up via email at unfamousscribbler ~at~ gmail.
So where did this idea come from? The mundane story is, I’ve been working on a writing career for a long time, but never really with any focus and direction. This past year, I’ve settled down and made a plan, and that plan includes relaunching my werewolf secret agent series. But before I did that, I wanted to offer potential readers a chance to dip into some of the work I’ve published so they can get a taste and a feel for my writing. I view this collection as an author calling card, and will be sharing it as widely as I can (thus, the offer to send it to everyone on my author newsletter.)
But there is something more… The titular story, “Side Roads,” is a piece I’ve been working on for a long time that had its genesis in an adventure I had down a dark New Jersey road in the middle of the night. For those who have heard of Weird NJ, it wasn’t Clinton Road, but it was a very close second. Growing up in the Garden State, urban legends like Big Red Eye, The Devil’s Tree, the Jersey Devil, etc., were all part and parcel of the excitement and frisson of Goosey Night (or Mischief Night, or whatever you call the semi-forbidden adolescent antics of the night before Halloween.) These stories–and the name of the Press–came out of dark nights and cold drives and the feeling that, as winter set in and the nights grew longer, there was more out there in the darkness than the shadows were telling us.
I can’t wait to share that feeling with you…
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Table of Contents
Curiouser & Curiouser ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
Side Roads ~ New Fiction
Spiders ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
Tangled ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
Shadow Pool ~ Imaginarium
IronFae ~ Aiofe’s Kiss
The Carnival Ghost ~ Hideous Progeny: Classic Horror Goes Punk
Pierced Monarch ~ Inspired by painting of same title by Marrus
The Terrible, Vast Pyre of Chief Machinist Kirlisoveyitch ~ Dark Moon Digest
Slither ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
Readers ~ T. Gene Davis’s Speculative Fiction Blog
Membrane ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
Finding Things After You’re Gone ~ Stardust, Always
Terminal Leave ~ O-Dark-Thirty
Holes ~ 31 Days of Art Challenge
The Peacemaker ~ Fantasy Scroll Magazine
And Out Come the Wolves ~ New Fiction
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(PS: Quick note of thanks to John Hartness for helping me out with the title for that last one. Go check out his stuff–he’s got some great titles!)
