A COLD KISS AND A COLD BEER

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of finally putting a face to the name of John Rector. He was out at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale for his signing of The Cold Kiss, and being that I was only 45 min away, I made it a point to get down there to meet him and pick up a copy of his book.


Great decision on my part. John is definitely a cool cat, and it was well worth the trip. He was there with Keith Rawson, editor of CRIMEFACTORY magazine, so after the signing, we all headed over to the Hotel Valley Ho to have a few drinks. During those couple of hours, I learned a lot from John and the publishing industry. I was instantly impressed with John’s organization and focus on what he needed to do to promote his book, not to mention, he holds a lot of the same ideals of writing that I do, and I can’t wait to meet up with him again this winter when he returns to Arizona to promote his second novel, The Grove, due out November 2nd.

In any case, if you’re in the Minneapolis area next weekend, August 7th, try to catch him at Once Upon A Crime. He’ll be there from 1:00 to 3:00. You can meet a great guy, a talented writer, and pick up a copy of The Cold Kiss for yourself. It’s a terrific read, fast-paced and full of suspense and you won’t be able to put it down. What’s most impressive about this debut novel is just how smooth the writing is. I’m fairly certain that we’ll be hearing a lot about John Rector in the months to come.


Till next time,


Ciao!

You Know, It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp....

These words couldn't be truer for Sam W. Anderson.  In fact, the lyrics to this song are an eerie coincidence to Sam's journey through the final release of Postcards From Purgatory.  After struggling through three different publishers, with two of them jumping ship, Sam has finally hit pay dirt with Sideshow Press, an awesome publisher with a phenomenal mix of people.  And with Sam's unique voice and and awesome talent, Sideshow Press has a rising star on their hands.

I talked about his collection in my earlier blogs, so you know what a great group of stories Sam has put together.  Now, you get to read them for yourself. 

So go do it!

NEWS, NEWS, NEWS!!

So much going on with Snutch right now, I hardly know where to start!

Except that I do, and it’s with Erik Williams. Right now, his novel, Blood Spring, is up for pre-order at Horror Mall and everyone at Snutch is excited for him, not to mention a little jealous.

As you’ve heard me say before, the man is a machine, and while I’m still working on my first novel, Erik’s already been cranking them out by the two’s and three’s. So take a moment out to purchase a copy HERE. If you don’t, in Erik’s own words, somewhere a puppy will die. And we can’t have that, now, can we? Plus, the cover was done by the talented Jill Bauman, so it’s sure to be something amazing from the get-go.

In other news, another member of Snutch, Sam W. Anderson, has his collection, Postcards From Purgatory, coming out next month. The collection features sixteen stories and an awesome introduction by Thomas Tessier, who, along with being a phenomenal writer, is also a great guy. Read more about it HERE. and keep an eye out for pre-order news on Postcards From Purgatory. While you’re at it, keep an eye out for more from Sam because, let me tell you, he aint done yet, not by a longshot.

That’s not all, but that’s all I’m allowed to tell you for now. I have to be restrained once in a while because, to be honest, I don’t really know when to shut up. And if you don’t believe me, either you don’t know me, or you have the same damn problem I do. Just ask Snutch – they’ll tell you.

Ciao!

When did writing become so difficult? I can’t seem to reach back and grab that great wonderful feeling when the words flowed and all I worried about was how soon could get away and seclude myself into that delicious little world I was creating, word by word, line by line.

Nowadays, it’s become somewhat of a whirlwind of self-doubt and malicious whispers of ‘wannabe!’ This wasn’t who I was two years ago. Two years ago, I was churning them out faster than I could submit them. Of course, my writing is much better these days, but why has the flood choked itself into just a trickle?

I don’t have the answer to this, but it makes me sad nonetheless. I want the self-doubt to go away. I want the bubble of insignificance which is currently burying me under its weight, to dry up and disappear, because if it doesn’t, I fear I will be lost for good.

Push, push, push. That’s what everyone says. Push through it like Larry Fitzgerald on any given Sunday. Well,sometimes that’s easier said than done. How many of us have given that same advice, with a cheery nod and an award winning smile? Most of us, I’ll wager. And I’ll up the ante by saying that those words probably came the easiest to our lips after we’d just finished a short story, just finished hitting ‘send’ on that electronic submission. Or right after we received that much anticipated email from an editor, with the little attachment symbol winking at us with glee. Yes, at that point, all the advice and encouragement flows from us like waterfalls.

I have heard numerous times, ‘If it begins to be a burden, that’s when you should stop writing.’ Or, ‘if you’re not enjoying it, it’s time to stop.’ Well, bullshit. And not because I don’t believe it; quite the contrary, it’s completely true. The thing is, though. I’m not ready to quit. Hell, to be honest, I’m not much of a quitter at all, no matter how small or insignificant the job is. So, to let myself get beaten out of something I love, something I’m good at, well, that just isn’t going to happen.

Bottom line, I don’t have a choice. I just don’t have a choice.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.


Thanks for listening.

Ciao!

Finally! Some Good News!

Finally, some good news!

The writing business can be a son of a bitch, but most of us know that. The thing is, we usually forget that part of our craft, until the moment we hit a wall in our story line, or the moment we get that dreaded rejection, or the absolute worst – when a sale falls through.

When any of those situations happen, it comes rushing back at us with ferocity. And then we tend to forget why we do what we do. The zing of getting the perfect word, the perfect paragraph. The headrush when we re-read a chapter or a paragraph and know without a doubt, that we have just created magic. Futility replaces the magic.

But we also know that writing is a trade-off. You can’t have one without the other – feelings of futility along with the sudden superhuman power to fly. They go hand in hand and for good reason – without one, we can never learn, never grow. We need them both.

Which brings me to the good news – Sam W. Anderson

Sam’s story, “If Mama Ain’t Happy,” will be appearing in The Anthology of Dark Wisdom and let me tell you, he’s certainly in great company! Names like Tom Piccirilli, John Shirley, Alan Dean Foster and Peter Straub. Certainly can’t beat that. Not to mention his collection, Postcards From Purgatory has been sold to Sideshow Press! Nice work, Sam!


Kurt Dinan and John Mantooth both got Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of The Year, Volume 1. Kurt’s story was “Ashes of The Dead” Horror Library, Volume 3 and John Mantooth’s story “On the Mountain,” appeared in Shroud 4.

And while my novel is still in progress, there's a bet going on with my fellow writer's of Snutch, that I won't finish it until 2011. I'll be proving them wrong and collecting $50.00 bucks from each of them in the process.

Nice work Snutch!

Ciao!

A Grand Master of An Idea, Live from Ebay!

Yes, that's right - from Ebay.

Ray Garton, who just happens to be the 2006 World Horror Convention recipient of The Grand Master Award, is offering up his very valuable services to the highest bidder.

Ray's writing experience has spanned over 25 years, and he is the author of over 60 novels, including his latest, Bestial not to mention the February paperback release of his novel, Scissors. Four of his books are on their way to gracing the silver screen, and he's written a great many TV tie-ins, including Buffy, The Vampire Slayer and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

What all of this means to you, is this:

Be the highest bidder and you will be the recipient of a full critique of your unpublished novel.

Yes, you heard that right. A seasoned novelist offering up his services to assist in the rewarding, yet extremely painful process of writing a novel. We as writers sweat blood and tears (yes, I know this is a cliche!) as we struggle to transform our ideas into a whole new world and sometimes the pitfalls outnumber the success. So much so, that sometimes we just quit. Not writing, we would never do that, we couldn't do that. Not if it's our passion. Our one true love.

But quit we do, and we have. I challenge just one of you to say that you've never started something and then put it away because it didn't work, or because you were afraid. Everyone has done this.

And maybe Ray can stop it from happening to you again. Or maybe you're just starting out and you know writing is your passion, but you have no idea if you're good or not. This is the perfect opportunity!

I'm not saying that Ray can guarantee your work will be published after he's critiqued it, and he's not saying that either. But what he can and will do, is take you to the next level, by giving you his opinion on what you've written, an opinion based on mistakes he's already made, lessons he's already learned, which in turn will help you avoid them the first time. And if you get a three book deal out of this, well that would be fantastic, wouldn't it?

Yes it would. So go on - don't be afraid. Get on with the bidding. And good luck!!

Ciao!

So Many Topics, So Little Time

Okay, where do I start?

There's two boook reviews I have been needing to write, updates on my most recent submissions, the submissions of certain members of my writing group Snutch Labs, and most recently, the chat my group had with Paul Tremblay, author of The Little Sleep.

Actually, now that I think about it, let's go with Paul. He's the most recent news of Snutch Labs, and you can read the transcript of the chat, edited for content, of course, here.

I am amazed at how encouraging he was, how accomodating. Some may argue that it's only due to the fact The Little Sleep is his first novel, but I would disagree. Although I don't know him personally, except for the three hour conversation we had, I think that Paul is the type of person who can't help but remain clear headed and down to earth no matter how successful he may become. And if you've read The Little Sleep, I know you'll have no doubt to his imminent success as well.

If you haven't read it, I won't spoil it for you, but I think I'll give some highlights. And then you'll have no choice but to pick it up for yourself.

We've all read our share of the bumbling P.I. mysteries, the down and out detective who's had more failures than successes, but there's something quite different and distinctive about Mark Genevich, the narcoleptic detective who leads this novel into great and inspiring places.

Narcoleptic. That word in itself should clue you in to the originality in which this great story was created. You'll at once feel the sympathy rise as you read through the twists and turns that Mark's disability takes him, while trying to solve a very high profile, not to mention dangerous mystery. One that involves his father, who has been dead for twenty plus years.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer him on. Well, maybe you won't cry, but you get my drift. In any case, I picked up this book and read it in one night. Couldn't put it down.

And I don't think you will either.

Paul Tremblay masters in this debut novel, what most of us aspiring writers could only hope for.

Pick it up and check it out. He's got a link on his website, so you don't have an excuse.

And check out the conversation Snutch Labs had with him. He's a lot of fun.

I'll be back this week with another review on Brett Savory's In and Down. So stay tuned.

Ciao!

Petra