Our Goodreads Giveaway for Darkness Ad Infinitum 
begins today and ends Friday, October 31st. 

Enter to win one of  three copies available! 

I'm proud to announce that my first official review sale is with this fine publication, which has been bringing readers "thrilling tales of dark wonder" for seven years. 

Every time I see the Shroud submission call posted across various Facebook groups, it is evident how many writers are striving to achieve the kind of status publication in an anthology or issue of Shroud affords. Though I rarely discuss rejections and try to focus on acceptances,  I recently had a fiction submission rejected from Shroud and was both impressed and encouraged by the reply:

"We sincerely wish you the best in finding a home for your work. Please do not look at this as a "rejection." I honestly wish I had more room and resources to publish more writing. I truly hope you submit to Shroud Quarterly again."

I think it's important for us as writers to think of the process this way, as it can become pretty disheartening when you send out a piece of yourself that is not well-received—but it's also uplifting when the editors and publishers are emphasizing that it's not time to give up hope just yet. 

After all...we're in this together, right?

In Shroud Quarterly #14:

Opening Words: Purgatory in Riyadh
by Tim Deal

Fiction

But Now I See
by Nu Yang

Blood of the Vine
by Bracken MacLeod

Tales of K’aeran:
“A New Road”
by
D.W. Craigie

Poetry

Night Thing
by Alan Meyrowitz

Last Call Before Isha
by Olga Slivovich

Nonfiction

Mountain Home, Bracken MacLeod
Review by Shawna L. Bernard

Trending Markets: Eric Beebe’s Jamais Vu
by Tim Deal

Someone Oughta Sell Tickets…!
By Scott Christian Carr

Price: $2.99

Buy it on Smashwords here.

Buy it on Amazon here.

Shroud on Facebook

If you haven't heard, Hellnotes made some changes and is now selecting three drabble entries per quarter for publication in Dark Discoveries.

Read my latest submission here, and tell me what you think...

...because sometimes having a pseudonym can get a little scary. 

http://hellnotes.com/horror-in-a-hundred-parody-by-sydney-leigh

I was asked if I wanted to participate in this traveling blog tour by one of the most talented and kind women I know, Julya Oui. We met when I was reading submissions for an anthology which never came to fruition, and I was devastated that I had to let her beautiful story go. It was called “Mina”, and it’s a story I’ll always remember...for a few reasons.

I was thinking about her story months after that happened, and stumbled upon her website here: http://julyaoui.wordpress.com. 
I could not believe how many creative outlets she pursued, and subsequently found both a fellow writer and friend in Julya on Facebook and via email. She was even kind enough to send me a signed copy of her short story collection, BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE DEAD OF NIGHT...all the way from Malaysia. Thanks for the nightmares, Julya!


Questions

What am I working on?

Oh, man. No one has time to read about all the stuff I’m working on—not even me—but here are a few highlights:

·        I’m currently editing Michael Bailey’s collection of short fiction and poetry, INBLOTS AND BLOOD SPOTS, which is being illustrated by Italian artist Daniele Serra. Michael is an extraordinarily prominent figure in the industry, both as an editor and writer—he’s publishing some of the best fiction out there right now—and it’s a real honor to be working with him in this capacity. And to work alongside Daniele is a truly remarkable experience...watching him come up with the artwork for each piece is just amazing. His work is going to be legendary, without question. He’s one of the greats.

This collection is something Villipede and I are very humbled and proud to call our own. Read more about it here: https://villipede.squarespace.com/iabs.

·        I’m heading the production and development of a unique art book project with Luke Spooner of Carrion House called idENTITIES, which is in my eyes a groundbreaking venture—and another collaboration I am very proud to be a part of. We are exploring the human condition in a way I’ve never seen done before...it’s a very intimate and compassionate representation of afflictions and the individuals who suffer them. Luke is an extremely talented, hardworking, and lovely person—and there is a very distinct style to his illustrations which makes this concept work so well. He’s really captured the nightmarish essence of disorders and syndromes without passing judgment—in fact, just the opposite. Luke’s main goal was to shed light on these emotional and psychological diseases of the mind in a way that would elicit understanding, not pity, from the viewer. And he has really succeeded there. It’s a very intense project which has required a great deal of work from all of us, and we’re not done yet...but when we are, it will be magnificent. Find out more about it here: https://villipede.squarespace.com/identities.

·        I’m also getting geared up to edit two novels for Villipede, which is always exciting...but very time consuming as well.

·        I’m currently working on four short stories for upcoming anthologies, some of which I am over the moon about but can’t share details on just yet. One is for the DEMONIC VISIONS series, edited by Chris Robertson and featuring quite a few very talented writers in the industry. There are three books so far, and the fourth is due out in July. That’s another exciting one...I was lucky to hop on board that train when it first came by. 

Additionally, two of my  stories are for different publishers, but connected through a central character—and that will be a new experience for me. I’ve never had a recurring character or storyline in my work before.

·        Albeit slowly, I’m chipping away at my novella. It’s something I started in 2008 and put down, but never aside. Though I’m not quite sure where it came from, it’s a story that has really stayed with me...and if I can finish it, it’ll be interesting to see what people think.

·        Ever since my accident three years ago, writing poetry has come less naturally to me, so I’ve been working on a few prose poems for consideration by a few different markets. Hopefully there will be news to share on that front soon.

·        I’m busy promoting recent publications, including DARKNESS AD INFINITUM and ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK: THE END IS THE BEGINNING, and looking forward to seeing more feedback from readers on both of those.

·        I have a pretty disturbing short story called “Baby’s Breath” in Great Old Ones Publishing’s forthcoming bugs anthology and am really, really anxious to see how people react to that. I’m thrilled to be sharing pages with B.E. Scully, Lawrence Santoro, and Gregory Norris again, as well as my good friend and talented author Tracy L. Carbone. And Simon Rumley will be writing the foreword, so that’s pretty awesome, too.


How does my work differ from others in its genre? 

Hmm. Well, I think that’s really something more for readers to decide, but if I had to say, I think that some of my work tends to be closer to literary fiction than genre fiction. Also, writing under both my real name and a pen name might give me a little bit more freedom to present different facets of myself and present to readers in a more expansive way. I’d also say that I tend to be a bit dialogue heavy and focus less on action than most writers do in this genre, which is not always appreciated and tends to limit the markets with which I tend to seek publication. But again, it’s mere speculation if I’m critiquing my own work.


Why do I write what I do?

I’ve never been able to answer that articulately. I’ve always been a writer, but in order to answer this question, I had to look up an email from an old professor of mine who after reading a book I compiled and edited asked me:

“Is your view of life as dark as that book would imply?  Or do you just enjoy reading about darkness?”

I guess I’ve always allowed myself to explore the darkness within and around me, and what I have experienced in life, both physically and emotionally, through my work. Perhaps it’s how I cope. I have a pretty decent attitude outwardly, I think, but likely vent my cynicism and resentments and traumas through that darker way of writing. I always loved horror...like most of us, I was reading and watching it at a very young age. So that plays into it, too. 
And most people reading this likely already know what the standard reaction is when people ask what you write and you say “horror”—I could seriously count on one hand the times I didn’t have to say it twice or bite my tongue to keep from getting defensive about it—and sometimes I think maybe that’s why. To give the finger to those people. 
But more than anything, I think it lends itself to the dichotomy in me that’s always been there...maybe it’s my zodiac sign of Pisces, or genetics...who knows. I don’t ever want to just see one side of things, and I feel the same about how I explore myself and the world around me—both the light and the dark—through this art form. My pen name is more than a pseudonym...it’s another persona where I get to be as dark as I want in my writing and not feel guilty or shy about it.


How does my writing process work?

The truth is I don’t have much of a process for anything. I rarely do anything the same way twice—consistency is not my strong suit. Stress and work are the most regular part of my routine, and I am always overwhelmed by my “to do” list. Those that know me have called it “apocalyptic”...writing is always something I have to fight myself to make time for. I often can’t get out of my own way. So typically, the act of writing doesn’t occur until it absolutely has to these days, like when a deadline is approaching, or when I get an invite to something I’d be a fool to pass on. I’ll think about the story and explore ideas in my head for a long time before sitting down to write. And when I do, may the gods help whoever gets in my way. Once I’m there, I don’t like coming back, and essentially have to shut off everything and everyone around me until it’s done. I would never finish a story otherwise.
I also tend to ignore the sage advice of “write first, edit later” and labor over a piece as I go along, which is not something I recommend. That’s likely the editor in me taking over and sitting on the shoulder of the writer as the story unfolds. It’s both a blessing and a curse.


Introduce the people you're passing this on to.

This is the best part! I’m passing off to some really cool people I am proud to call peers and friends.

One is Rose Blackthorn. I wouldn’t know where to begin about her, but above all else, I highly recommend you read her work and get to know her as a person. She is a lovely human being and an incredibly talented writer. Check her out (if you haven't already, which is highly unlikely) at http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Blackthorn/e/B007D91C3K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_5 and 
http://roseblackthorn.wordpress.com.

The next is Carl R. Moore, who blogs and reviews pretty regularly over at http://carlrmoore.com. Last year, I wanted to publish a few of Carl’s stories in the worst way, but like with Julya, things did not work out and I had to back out of projects due to an unscrupulous publisher. So I fell in love with Carl’s work and got to know him a bit and recently had a blast hanging out with him at WHC 2014 in Portland Oregon. Carl is super cool and a truly brilliant writer, and I am excited for what awaits him as he pursues his passions. His novella SLASH OF CRIMSON was published in 2012 by Rymfire Books.

The third is Dot Wickliff, a very private, humble person but an absolutely astounding writer and artist. Dot occasionally blogs over at http://epochellipses.blogspot.com and contributed what might be the best poem I've read in a long, long time to DARKNESS AD INFINITUM. "Love Grudge" simply floored me. 


Thanks again to Julya Oui for asking me to do this, and be sure to check out Rose, Carl, and Dot as they carry the torch for the Writing Process Traveling Blog next Monday. 

...and that's a wrap! Thanks for reading...

Syd

Julya Oui loves to dream up stories and make them happen with the stroke of a pen. She writes movie scripts, plays, novels, short stories and articles with monsters, muses and mystics in the City of Everlasting Peace.

Her first book of horror short stories, "Bedtime Stories from the Dead of the Night" was published in September 2011.

Rose Blackthorn writes speculative fiction from the high mountain desert of eastern Utah.

She has published online and in print, including "Stupefying Stories", "Necon E-books" in flash fiction, "Cast of Wonders" YA podcast, "The Wicked Library" horror podcast, "Kazka Press/713 Flash", "BuzzyMag" and "SNM Horror Magazine" in poetry. She is also included in the anthologies "A Quick Bite of Flesh", "Horrific History" and "Shifters" by Hazardous Press; "New Dawn Fades", "The Ghost IS the Machine" and "Fear the Abyss" by Post Mortem Press. She has stories scheduled for release from HorrorWorld, Grey Matter Press, and Sirens Call Publications. She is a member of the Horror Writer's Association.

Carl R. Moore lives in upstate New York with his wife Sarah and two daughters, Maddy and Izzy. His novella Slash of Crimson is available for purchase from Rymfire Books.

His fiction has also appeard in Rymfire's Heavy Metal Horror and Rymfire Erotica anthologies, as well as webzines Thuglit and Macabre Cadaver. When he's not writing or working the night shift, he enjoys listening to heavy metal music and spinning the merry-go-round as fast as he can.

Find out more—or don't—at epochellipses.blogspot.com.

This is an issue you don't want to miss...buy it here. 


Dark Fiction and Non-fiction featuring:

Amberle Husbands
William F. Nolan
Damien Angelica Walters
Kristi DeMeester
John Boden
Laird Barron
Dominik Parisien
Victoria Jakes
Violet LeVoit
Kurt Newton
S. Clayton Rhodes
M. Bennardo

Stunning cover design by :
Mikio Murakami. 


The following review was originally posted on Hellnotes 
on May 24th, 2014 ...read it here.

***

This was by far one of the best choices I could have made to start the year off right by way of dark fiction reading. I imagine that each issue of Shock Totem is as stellar and pristine as this one, and intend to find out. The cover art alone is captivating and surreal…an apropos precursor to what’s inside. Admittedly, I fell in love with each contributor for various reasons.

Amberle Husbands’ “Among the Elephants” was just the kind of spectacular literary gem I expected to find in a collection from such a highly regarded press—yet in truth, it far exceeded my expectations. One of the many things I love about Shock Totem is “Howling Through the Keyhole”, where we are offered glimpses of the inspiration behind each piece. In it, Ms. Husbands confirmed my suspicion that this story was based on real people and events in her life—and makes a strong case for the advice to “write what you know.” The story is strong, beautiful, and emotionally evocative. It also contains my favorite lines from the entire collection…words that disturbed and awakened a place deep in the recesses of my dark literary heart:

“There’s no such thing as Hell,” Sarah croaked one day, straining to be nearer to my ear as I held her medication up to those hard, twisted lips. “We’ve already come through that part…and this world is the reward for whether we performed nobly there…or not.”
“How does one perform nobly in Hell?” I asked her.
“You plant flowers,” she hissed. “You feed the birds, while they’re burning.”

Those were words I will most assuredly not soon forget.

Damien Angelica Walters’ “Shall I Whisper to You of Moonlight, of Sorrow, of Pieces of Us?” won her a spot in Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Volume One, and rightly so. Told in a haunting second person POV, it is the kind of surreal, magical, unearthly tale for which Ms. Walters is known and loved. There is an element of vagueness to this tale, and once again, through the keyhole we learn that even shewasn’t sure where it was going—or how it ended exactly, for that matter. It takes a strong, devoted writer to successfully leave something so integral to the reader’s imagination…and she is undoubtedly one.

M. Bennardo’s “Thing in a Bag” played out like an old black and white episode of The Twilight Zone, which he cites for inspiration among other old school horror classics. The writing is clear, straightforward, direct—and lends itself perfectly to this type of “creature feature” tale. This was actually the last piece in the collection; a nice touch, given the ending.

I’d be lying if I did not say I was completely disarmed by Kristi DeMeester’s “The Long Road”. Her writing was redolent with the kind of experience and clarity you generally only see from more seasoned authors, and spun a tale one might even find reminiscent of something from one of them. Yet her voice does not mimic—she clearly stands on her own literary prowess. “She filled my bedroom with flowers, and underneath the nightmare smells of salt and decay, the Carolina jasmine breathed its perfume into the night air, and slowly, slowly, the nightmares began to recede. The beasts becoming nothing more than shadowy figures, incorporeal wisps compared to Sarah’s sleeping form, her breath warm against my chest. My childhood shrinking against what we called love.” In fact, Ms. DeMeester also secured a place in Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Volume One with another story of hers…one which I am now rather anxious to read.

The only poetry contribution was a striking piece from Dominik Parisien which proves that Wood and the other Shock Totem editors know their way around verse as well as prose. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I once again found myself reading and rereading “Smoking, the Old Sergeant Remembers 30 Mins Past Ceasefire” with Parisien’s “keyhole” insight in mind, and that continues to leave an especially deep chill in my bones. Good poetry will do that regardless, but I genuinely love the inclusion of the sources of inspiration and context for each piece—it’s a very nice touch—and his is no exception. I should also mention that there are nicely framed, low opacity photographs throughout the publication, and the one accompanying this is a close-up of a Roman numeral clock. This adds a thoughtful visual aesthetic to the poem, though Parisien’s words surely do that on their own: “He breathes out/a smoke and fire fox that drags/out his throat twisted shapes burnt onyx black”.

Being a newly converted Totemite, I was also very impressed by the editors’ contributions to the mix. “Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes” is an ongoing series dedicated to music (this was Part IV: The Sixties) and includes writing just as strong as the poetry and prose. This co-written installment focuses on the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones concert which erupted in violence and, as John Boden and Simon Marshall-Jones suggest, “was a definitive moment in which the final nail had been driven in the coffin of the 60s…The incident was yet another hemorrhage to the already awakening ideals of peace and love, a crimson smear on the doorway into the next decade.”

In Michael Wehunt’s captivating conversation with Laird Barron, the iconic author reveals the territory he plans to explore in his future writing, and both warns and thrills us with the possibilities…”If not the Children of Old Leech or terrors from the Black Guide, then something worse. There is always something worse.” I’ve yet to run across anyone who does not respect and revere Barron’s work, and any insight he offers is welcome. In regards to his exploration into new literary territories and genres, Barron promises he won’t forsake writing horror or the fans it has earned him: “I’m a morose, morbid guy and the macabre is my friend.” For those of us feeling unease about the current state of the genre, Barron focuses on the quality of the writing he sees in some of today’s best and assures us that “This might be a golden age of darkness.”

Victoria Jakes’ “Consumption” is a hypnotic, quietly shocking piece with a voice that gently lures the reader into the same desperate, conflicted corporeal position as her narrator:

“Sometimes, I imagine myself small enough to crawl under X’s skin, into his stomach cavity. There I would find safety amidst his organs. A benign tumor of love… Sometimes I fantasize about desecrating my body for Y. I slice off my scarred skin. I carve away from my hips and stomach and thighs until I am the right shape and size. I open up my skull and present my mind to him as an offering. I would be raw for him.”

This tale has the most breathtaking of climaxes, and an ending I find myself repeating the last line of from time to time. The whole piece is just so strong and seductive—I simply cannot praise it enough. Truly beautiful…dark fiction at its best.

“Stargazer Breech and Choking”, Violet LeVoit’s interview, left me desperate to read her work. LeVoit is clearly a unique personality in the field—bold, brazen, unconventional—and well-respected as a writer. Her words come across as art; colorful, engaging, and representative of her obvious abundance of talent.

The short fiction contribution from S. Clayton Rhodes seems to be a favorite among readers. Through the keyhole, we learn a great deal about the story behind his story—and, ironically, he quotes mentor and co-contributor William F. Nolan as a source of inspiration by way of three words of writing advice: “Make it compelling.” And he does.

Nolan’s own tale is simply marvelous…short, not so sweet, and crafted with the kind of effortless flair the greats exhibit. And to keep the circle going, he cites Joe Lansdale’s Edge of Dark Water as inspiration for “The Horror that Et My Pap—and Other Swamp Stuff”. To know that legends such as Lansdale and Nolan continue to impress and influence each other—and in turn those of us writing on their heels—makes Barron’s prediction all the more believable.

Kurt Newton tells us a true tale of terror with “The Four Horseman of the Parking Lot”…one we are grateful has the ending it does.

As a huge fan of Boden’s work, his non-fiction article leading off the collection was admittedly the most anticipated piece for me. A portrait of some of the most raw and intimate moments in his life, “The Hook, the Hole, and the Garden” was a beautifully written, gut-wrenching reflection on a loss with which not all of us can relate, but can certainly empathize. Boden has a way of writing which makes it nearly impossible to distinguish between fiction and reality…it is all written with the same enviable blend of intellect, imagination, and somber charm.

To reiterate, this Christmas gift to myself was a worthwhile investment, to say the least. I plan on finding ways to stock my bookcase with the current Shock Totem catalogue…and continue adding to it as they publish some of the leading dark fiction—and non-fiction—in the industry.