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"Baby's Breath" in the Wild...& Going Live on Amazon

7/4/2015

1 Comment

 

"Baby's Breath" Limited Signed & Numbered Edition Chapbooks in the Wild...
and going Live on Amazon

I'm thrilled to announce that the Second Edition of "Baby's Breath" is live on Amazon. The paperback chapbook is just slightly different than the First Edition—unsigned and unnumbered, of course, and will be followed by an e-book edition. It is also available on the CreateSpace eStore.  

Matt Edginton, VP Wizard, made a neat page for it on the Villipede Publications website, which has blurbs, details , and other info. 

This was actually supposed to be released on Monday, the same day I'll be going to Mass General Hospital to get the pathology results on my recent surgery. But I'm hoping the timing is good fortune, and that Amazon was just a little eager to make it available  before I head in for my news. 

There have been so many great things happening lately—it's actually hard to keep track
―and yes, I've been sick and have had a lot problems with my health getting in the way of being as productive, creative, involved, and efficient  as I'd like to be. But I'm trying to keep up. And by that mean keep a positive attitude, as well. 

And although there's much I want to say about all the good news there is to share, I'm going to keep this post short and sweet―(inserted retroactively―no, I'm not) and just post all the great pictures I have of the "Baby's Breath" chapbooks in the wild and some things about the people who bought or sent photos of them. (Okay, so there's a bit more here, but bear with me...)

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Daniel Knauf―#1.
I'm talking to Daniel on the phone as I type this, and he's revealing his plans for global domination to me. While I won't share those with you, I will tell you that I would not have put this chapbook together without him. He's not just a writer, creator, director, producer, or poet―he's also an artist―and so besides helping me with the design and layout of the interior and cover, it was not until the *very* last minute that I rather casually asked, "Do you think I should put blurbs on the back?" 

Seconds later, I got my first one, which I have committed to memory, and will never forget: 


"Sydney Leigh's narrative squirms into the deepest, darkest, most primitive folds of your lizard brain, curls up and oozes dread." 
~Daniel Knauf, Creator, Carnivàle, Writer-Producer, The Blacklist

I am so grateful for all the help and support Daniel has given me along the way, both with this and my other projects. 


He is also one of the best friends that I've ever had. And he doesn't need much more introduction here from me, I'm sure. 
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A man whose opinion matters: Tony Tremblay, aka T.T. Zuma
This was one of our first "Taco Society" meetings at Shorty's, which eventually led to our monthly show on Goffstown TV, "The Taco Society Presents." 

If you don't know Tony, well, your life isn't as rich as it could be. He's a great man, a fantastic writer, an avid reader and reviewer for Horror World, and now he's a TV star on top of it all. I haven't met his beautiful wife Paula yet, but it's no surprise she looks like a model and sounds like a really wonderful person.


Tony does a phenomenal job hosting our show, and I am so proud to be a part of it along with him, Gardner Goldsmith, and Phillip Perron. 

If you happen to get the local channel our show airs on, you can see the schedule for it here. You can also see Episode One and Two on YouTube, and check out our latest episode where we interview members of Tony's writing group The Blank Page here. 


He's got a story in ANTHOLOGY: YEAR THREE, which recently debuted at AnthoCon, and also co-edited EULOGIES III with Nanci Kalanta and Christopher Jones, out now on Amazon with stories from Ray Garton, Brian Hodge, David Morell, and more.
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Spectacular photo courtesy of MJ Preston
Mark "Mj" Preston (aka "Nark")  is a writer, artist, photographer, ice road trucker, military veteran, and all around really cool guy. 
His novels THE EQUINOX and ACADIA EVENT have generated some buzz...check out his site for more information on those here.

I love this picture because it's awesome, but also because of page 89 in Gene's O'Neill's killer novella from Written Backwards, AT THE LAZY K, the fact that I edited B.E. Scully's THE TOWER OF TOGETHER, *and* I reviewed both DREAMSCAPES INTO DARKNESS from Firbolg Publishing (review due out soon on Hellnotes) and Great Old Ones' anthology CANOPIC JARS. 

Guess that means I should read BAD APPLE, stat!

I do love Kristi Peterson Schoonover...so I'm sneaking in a couple pics of us from AnthoCon here just because. 
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Bob "The Miracle" Meracle
Bob and I were both at the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend and 25th Anniversary World Horror Convention 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia, but never crossed paths. We made up for it in Portsmouth, though, and have been talking ever since―and I am really glad he drove all the way from Wisconsin to stay at America's Worst Inn and attend AnthoCon. We had a blast! He's been wonderful to me. Such a good man. Thanks for the friendship, support, and encouragement, Bob.
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Nelson Pyles
What can I say about Nelson? He's very tall, for one. So tall! And he takes great selfies with books...hmm. What else?

He also has a killer voice, and hosted the popular podcast The Wicked Library for an infinite number of phenomenal episodes. I was fortunate enough to have him read my short fiction on Episode 503. To make it more effective, he even had his wife read "Transference," which is the opening paragraph of "Baby's Breath" and was originally published on Hellnotes as a Horror in a Hundred. 


Nelson rocks. Check out his author page here. He just sent me his novel DEMONS, DOLLS, AND MILKSHAKES, and has been checking on me since the day he knew I was ill. He is a great guy, and extremely talented. 


Nelson. Nelson Pyles. He's got a cool name, to boot. 
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Aaron Sterns—#16—Australia.
To be honest, it still blows my mind that Aaron Sterns has been such a source of support for me with this story. I'm a huge fan of his, and respect his work―and work ethic―a great deal. What he gleaned from "Baby's Breath" was exactly what I wanted to hear from a reader, and it meant the world to me to hear it from someone like him. 

No doubt you know him for the WOLF CREEK & WOLF CREEK 2 movies, but if you haven't read WOLF CREEK: ORIGIN, his novel co-written with Greg McLean, please, do yourself a favor and check it out. It is one of my very favorite novels...just an incredible look into the shaping of a killer like Mick Taylor, and brilliantly written. 
Aaron has some exciting projects in the works, so I'm anxious to see what's in store for him. He is a wonderful man
―so humble―and such a source of inspiration. 

Check out his website to stay up to date. 
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Gard The Great!
Gard is the best! He has become such a dear friend to me, I simply don't have enough room or time to go on about him. And I know...I said I would keep this short...

He is so wonderful at helping and encouraging people with whatever they do, and is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. We have a lot of fun on our show, but he also hosts his own show called Liberty Conspiracy and you can listen to his podcasts of those here. 


His writing is amazing. He has done too much for me to mention, but I recently read his novella BITE, which I loved, and he and I are sharing pages with our poetry in the upcoming CHIRAL MAD 3 anthology, edited by the one and only Michael Bailey. 


The Written Backwards panels we recently took part in at WHC Atlanta and AnthoCon were phenomenal. I still need to do a recap on those...


Thanks for the support, Gard. You are going to continue to do great things, and I consider myself fortunate to call you a friend and a peer. 
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Michael Randolph―#31―all the way to New Delhi, India.
He doesn't let me call him my boss, so I will call myself his boss. Well, okay. Maybe not. 

Michael has been great to me, and I am thoroughly enjoying my job at Eldritch Press as the Chief Editor of the Novels Division. My health issues have been a bit of a challenge, but I am trying to rise to the occasion because I respect Michael very much and love what he is doing at Eldritch. I also love editing, and look forward to our future projects together. He is so supportive and helpful...and a great friend. Thank God they let him out of India. 


He has an author page...check it out if you haven't yet. On top of being a small press publisher, he's a really talented poet, short story writer, and more. Check out his website, as well. I don't want to gush, since I was supposed to be taking the day off. 
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Patrick %$^#! Lacey. That little #%$^@* of a &^%$#*.
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I mean, really. Just look at him.
I used mind control on Patrick to buy a copy of "Baby's Breath" AND a copy of INKBLOTS AND BLOOD SPOTS, Michael Bailey's collection of short stories and poetry illustrated by Daniele Serra. Then, I forced him to be a guest on our television show this month, where I will place him under extreme duress and determine how he came to be such a extraordinary writer and cool human being with ridiculously great taste in music (and books―obviously!―), a perfectly sarcastic sense of humor, and bad ass tattoos all by the age of like, what, sixteen? 

*Note to self: We'll need a fake ID for Shorty's.


I also stole this photo from Sandy Shelonchik (whose name I do know how to pronounce) because it just says it so much about how awesome this guy is. 

Read his work in the BUGS anthology in which "Baby's Breath" originally appeared,  CHIRAL MAD 1
,  WIDOWMAKERS, and more. Then watch him on our next Episode of "The Taco Society Presents," taping July 22nd! No doubt he'll steal the show, and possibly some of the set props...we'll have to keep an eye on him. 
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Courtesy of Morgan Griffith, modeled by Little Sweet. Notice The Library of the Dead hiding behind it, too.
Val Tiley, aka Morgan Griffith, has been a friend since I first read her work way back. She is a fantastic writer, and also happens to have pet rats, which we have in common. When she recently got two new babies, she let me name one Silas, who was too lazy to pose with my book. Little Sweet came to the rescue...Silas is below. 
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Look for Morgan's excellent flash fiction in IN CREEPS THE NIGHT, as well as poetry in THE HORROR ZINE and short fiction in various anthologies, including the upcoming A MYTHOS GRIMMLY anthology from Wanderer's Haven Publications.

She's also an extremely talented artist, and has sent me cards with original artwork that I treasure dearly. Check out the Christmas card I got last year. 
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Cool, huh?
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John Foster, who bought a copy at WHC and put it with some good company!
John thought "Baby's Breath" was poetry, but that's okay. Why? Because he has a novel called MISTER WHITE  coming out this fall with only like, my favorite press, ever, Grey Matter Press, run by Anthony Rivera and Sharon Lawson, as well as a novel called DEAD MEN due out this month from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing.

John F.D. Taff (who needs no introduction) has called MISTER WHITE
 "frenetically paced, spectacularly gory and eerie as hell." 


John Foster also loves dogs and has a cutie called Coraline. Enough said.  
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The wonderful Kenneth Cain—#6.
Kenneth is a wonderful writer and person. He is a champion for other writers and very humble about his own work, and always seems to show up in Facebook chats with cheery emoticons and inspiring messages when you least expect it but need it most. 
He created this awesome list of markets for writers on his website and has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. He's a very cool human being, and one of the few people I know who can keep a saltwater aquarium running and the things in it alive. 

Another bit of exciting news about Kenneth is that he will be publishing a poetry collection with Eldritch Press, VOYAGE OF A MANY DARKENED SOUL. 

I appreciate him more than he knows and am looking forward to meeting him in person one day. 
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The post-AnthoCon pile of books & music Dr. Alex and B.E. Scully took back to Oregon.
Where to begin with the Scullys? I know I said I would keep this short. I realize we're way past that now. So, bullets. 

1. Firbolg Publishing is an amazing press. They publish writers of the highest caliber, produce stunning anthologies every year, and give back to the community and greater world around them in endless ways. 


2. Dr. Alex Scully is a brilliant editor, and more well-versed in Gothic literature than anyone I know. She is also intensely dedicated to authors and the writing community.

3. She and B.E. are amazing individuals, and so cool to be around there is just no way I can put all that into words. 

4. B.E. is an exceptional writer―she definitely stands out among others in our industry―but is as humble as she is gifted. So you should check out her website and not miss out on any chance you get to read her work.

5. I was lucky enough to edit B.E.'s first YA Novel, THE TOWER OF TOGETHER, which is a lovely story, and would be a great gift for any younger readers on your wish list. The cover is spectacular, and also done by Mikio Murakami of Silent Q Design, who did "Baby's Breath" for me.

I just can't say enough about the Scullys, so I'll leave it at that. Well and this awesome picture of them from AnthoCon. But that's it. 
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"Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Writers..."
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Adam House—Canada—#19.
Adam has always been extremely supportive of both me and the work we do at Villipede Publications. He is a champion for indie presses and authors, and a fine writer as well. 

Check out his story in our first horror and dark speculative fiction anthology, Darkness Ad Infinitum. "The Song that Crawled" even got a mention in a review from Dave Simms over at Horror World
―you can read it here.
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JG Faherty and his post-WHC pile, of which I am proud to be a part!
I met Greg Faherty for the first time at the 2014 World Horror Convention in Portland, and last May we had an absolute blast at Daniel Knauf's Carnivale party at the World Horror Convention in Atlanta. He and I traded books―I got a copy of his novel THE CURE released by Samhain Publishing in May. 

Check out JG's Facebook page and website to stay up to date on his releases. He's a fantastic writer and truly one of the coolest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my entire life.


Plus, he is a master at taking selfies...that's me, him, and my imaginary roommate, Ted, who drove all the way from Kentucky to be in that picture with us. 
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Selfie master.
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Andrew "Freud" Freudenberg...all the way to England. #2.
Freud is difficult to explain in words. He's a very unique individual―by unique I mean awesome and extraordinary―and I get a little choked up thinking about him since he and his beautiful wife Sallyann have been so kind to me. They have three beautiful boys and the coolest accents you've ever heard, if you're not from England too. They are also the proud parents of a Pug named Gomez. 

Freud is a great writer, an amazing father, just played Scrabble 19 hours ago, and has killer taste in music. He also dons a sublime beard and LOVES to read...he's got a bit of an addition to books, methinks. 


If you know Freud, this is not news to you. He's just the kind of person you feel lucky know once you do. 

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The Freudster
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The lovely and oh-so-talented Julya Oui...all the way to Malaysia.
Julya has been supporting my work for so long now...I consider her a great friend and and am In awe of both her creative abilities and altruistic gestures. She is, quite simply, an amazing human being. 
In her neat blog post "I Am No. 8" she posted this picture and the one below, which is the note card I included with the chapbook. 


Her collection HERE BE NIGHTMARES has been long listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Awards, which makes it even more special to have a story in the collection dedicated to me and a mention in the acknowledgments. 

Thank you, Julya, and good luck! <3 
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Thank heavens I did not spill coffee on this one...
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TG Arsenault! \m/ #43 \m/
I met TG for the first time at AnthoCon, and he was as cool as I expected―even more so. We had so much fun! He's someone else i can share a love of metal with, so we have that in common...and Andrew Wolter, as well. We had to divide our time up with him at the con, but we did pretty well, I think!

Check out TG's Amazon Author page here for all of his publications. He totally rocks!
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Gard and Phil
I look like the cat who ate the canary, but in all actuality, I had just eaten a monster burrito. More on Phil Perron in a bit.
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Jonathan Lees
I nearly died when I ran into my old North Andover High classmate Jonathan Lees at the World Horror Convention in Atlanta! If I remember correctly, we were standing outside with Jack Ketchum when we saw each other. I could NOT believe it. I was like, "I grew up with a Jonathan Lees..." as if there were no possible way it could be him. I mean, what are the odds?

Jonathan and I have a lot of catching up to do, and I can't wait to find out what he's been up to all these years. I'm so glad to be back in touch and know that I have a fellow in horror from my hometown! It was so kind of him to buy a copy of the book, and I am anxious to see some of his work soon as well. 
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Aaron Gudmunson—#4.
Aaron Gudmunson is awesome. 

I just love his work, and soon I'll be editing his novel for Eldritch Press! He was kind enough to provide a blurb for "Baby's Breath," and has always been supportive of me in all of my endeavors. He's just an overall super cool guy. 


Be sure to check out his fantastic story "The Morgue" in Firbolg Publishing's Enter at Your Own Risk: Dreamscapes into Darkness as well as SNOW GLOBE, his impressive debut novel.
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Bob and me at AnthoCon in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
I tried to sell Bob TWO COPIES, but instead he went home and mailed me all of his t-shirts. He even sent Holden treats! We are so lucky to have such great friends.
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The guys.
I already talked about Tony and Gard, so I'm going to focus on the guy on the left here: Phillip Perron. 

Phil is the whole reason I'm typing this post, this epic post that started long ago and was supposed to be short and sweet but has taken on a life of its own...

Phil runs Great Old Ones Publishing, and accepted "Baby's Breath" into the Bugs: Tales That Slither, Creep, and Crawl anthology back in April of 2014. I will never forget how worried I was that he had just had a baby, and my story would be too much for him...as soon as I hit "send" I had a panic attack. 

But, he liked it, and sent it off to great British writer and director Simon Rumley, who was writing the Foreword of the anthology, and who said some amazing things about my story along with some other stories in the anthology, including Phil's―he called Phil's "dreamlike and almost Lynchian...enigmatic and beguiling."

Phil is a character, and incredibly intelligent. I LOVE his writing, and we can talk about movies non-stop...in fact, check out Dark Discussions, his podcast about horror films. Be sure to check out the Great Old Ones website for submission opportunities and releases, as well.They have some great work out already, and more lined up. I started reading the CRYPTIDS anthology and absolutely loved Simon Rumley's story, "The Kind Wolf of Surrey Downs." I'm sure there are more must-reads in that one.


Thom Erb also has a new short story collection out with them called DARK GARDENS with an introduction from Gord Rollo, which looks great. 

We have a great time at our "Taco Society" meetings, and I swear, he is so funny he could do stand-up comedy―but when we go on air for "The Taco Society Presents," he is as serious as a heart attack and hosts that show like nobody's business. 

So...I have Phil to thank for accepting this story into the anthology, for sending it to Simon, for choosing it as the anchor tale, for supporting and encouraging me along the way as it was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award and won the Best Horror Short Story Award in the P&E Reader's Poll, and then for allowing me to reprint it with Villipede Publications as a chapbook to take to the World Horror Convention and AnthoCon for readings and signings...

And finally, for allowing me to release it on Amazon today.

Print Edition available now, e-book version to follow. 



Thanks to all of you, as well. I could not have done this without your help, guidance, encouragement, and support.
As always, 
Thanks for reading,
Syd

Buy the Print Edition 
of 
"Baby's Breath" 
on Amazon
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Baby's Breath—Bram Stoker Nomination & WHC Atlanta

3/17/2015

2 Comments

 

Bram Stoker Awards, WHC Atlanta, and other news...

I could not have been more shocked to learn that "Baby's Breath" made it through to the Final Ballot of the Bram Stoker Awards, released last month by the Horror Writers Association.

You can find the full list of nominees here. Best of luck to all the finalists, and congratulations on your nominations! 
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I wrote a longer post about this on Facebook, but the simple truth is that this nomination is extremely humbling and all very surreal. 

There are a lot of people I feel are a direct result of any successes I achieve in my writing or otherwise, so really, most of my posts end up consisting of a long list of names anyway.

But this story has proven to be pivotal for me in a lot of ways...it was an accomplishment for me just to write to begin with, and Simon Rumley's words of praise about it  in the Foreword of Bugs: Tales that Slither, Creep and Crawl quite literally meant the world to me.

Then to have it go on to win the award for Best Horror Short Story and now this is just mind blowing, really. 

I'm absolutely thrilled to be nominated in the same category as writers I so greatly admire, and the ballot is full of works I enjoyed and hold in extremely high regard. Three years ago, Stephen King won in this category, and in the years since, Lucy Snyder and David Gerrold. Past and current nominees include Gene O'Neill, George Saunders, Kaaron Warren, Bruce Boston, Michael Bailey, Rena Mason, John Palisano, Joe Lansdale, Norman Prentiss, Damien Angelica Walters, Usman Tanveer Malik, and more stellar writers than I can even wrap my head around. This is just truly, truly amazing to me.


You can read "Baby's Breath" here. I'll also be bringing a limited number of chapbooks to the World Horror Convention in Atlanta and possibly AnthoCon to sign, so if you'd like a copy, let me know. I'm working with an outrageously talented artist who I'm keeping under wraps for now. But I'm really excited. 

My eternal gratitude goes to the HWA and each and every member who felt my work was worthy of this prestigious nomination. It's something I will treasure for the rest of my life.

I'm also very grateful to Marge Simon, who asked me to guest her Blood & Spades Column for the April issue of the HWA Newsletter. I've written an essay called "The Slow Bite of Horror's Tiny Teeth" and incorporated a few of my poems into the column, which was a lot of fun. Last month Michael Bailey guested the column and talked a lot about Inkblots and Blood Spots
, the collection Villipede released of his last November. He also included "Open Auras" and "All But the Things That Cannot Be Torn," two of my favorite poems from the collection. 
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Another reason I'm grateful to Marge is because she invited me to be on the Dark Poets Panel at this year's World Horror Convention. It's such an honor...and if you'll be in Atlanta for the con, I do hope you'll stop by.  

Aside from doing the panel, I'll be hanging around with my good friend Daniel Knauf, who I don't know what I would do without, Gard Goldsmith, one of the most fabulous writers--and people--I know, and Jeremy Wagner, who will be on tour in Europe with his kick ass band Broken Hope next month! There are so many great people I'm looking forward to seeing this year...John Boden (and hopefully Ken Wood) of Shock Totem Publications, Villipede author Kurt Fawver, John Dixon (!), Alex and B.E. Scully of Firbolg Publishing, Taylor Grant, Rena Mason, John Palisano, Michael Bailey, Usman Malik, Anthony Rivera of Grey Matter Press, J.G. Faherty, Randy D. Rubin, Stephanie Wytovich, Jason and Sunni Brock, Jim and Janice Leach of The Daily Nightmare, Maddie Holliday Von Stark, and on and on...

In other words, if you're going, I'm looking forward to seeing you...and if you're not registered yet, you should be. 

My imaginary roommate Ted is even making an appearance! Ted is driving all the way from Kentucky to be there...I can hardly believe it myself. 

There are three people who won't be going that I'll miss dearly, though: Rose Blackthorn, Geno Mortensen, and Carl R. Moore. Those three were my WHC crew last year in Portland, and it won't be the same without them. But check out Rose's new release from Eldritch Press--I'm really proud of her--her first poetry collection, Thorns, Hearts and Thistles is almost as beautiful as she is. And Carl has a novella called Torn From the Devil's Chest forthcoming from Charoin Coin Press, and his website has free stories, poems, and updates on the progress. Carl posts great reviews and also has another fantastic collection called Slash of Crimson and Other Stories coming out in the near future, as well.

Lastly, my interview with Jack Ketchum will appear in the Souvenir Book this year, which is really exciting. I absolutely loved reading his answers to my questions, and can't wait for you to see them, too. I was thrilled when Eric Guignard reached out to me to interview Jack for his Lifetime Achievement Award. Here's a picture of last year's Souvenir Book. 
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Anyway, to tie off, some of you know that my son has been in the hospital for a week now, and between my health issues and his, we've had an extremely challenging year. I'm certainly nervous about the timing of the convention and have been wrapped up in family matters here at home, but am really looking forward to seeing everyone and taking some time away to focus on my second love. I'm sure you all know what that is by now. 

No, not booze. Horror. 
Thanks for reading,
Syd
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Baby's Breath—Preliminary Stoker Ballot & Best Horror Short Story Award

1/21/2015

2 Comments

 
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It's been a good year for horror . . . and for me. 

Recently, I was lucky enough to be awarded Best Horror Short Story for "Baby's Breath" in the 2014 P&E Readers' Poll. I'm so grateful for everyone who took the time to read the story and vote for me, and especially appreciative for those of you who took the time to leave feedback. It meant a great deal. This award means a great deal.
Yesterday I found out that "Baby's Breath" also made the 2014 Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot in the category for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction. What an honor. Just last month I upgraded from Affiliate to Active Status in the HWA, and feel truly blessed to be part of such a talented, gracious community of writers, artists, and professionals in the horror industry. 

I mentioned recently on Facebook that "Baby's Breath" carried a substantial amount of personal significance to me for a few reasons. In a nutshell, it's a tribute to someone I never met, but have learned to love through the eyes of another. I've come to know this woman from someone who has become a stronger person for all of her weaknesses and the tragedies she faced throughout her short, sad, and pained life. And despite her weaknesses, she also had many strengths. 

That said, the Diane in my story is not the same Diane about whom I am speaking. Though based on some fact, I took her story to the extreme--as we often do in horror--and in my own way, sought some vindication for her that she was unable to find on her own.
In addition to basing this story on the real-life story of someone else, an astute friend pointed out that a lot of "Baby's Breath" seems to be an unveiling of some of the emotional, physical, and psychological horrors I faced in the many years following the accident which retired me from teaching at 36 years of age. That friend was right. 

There's quite a bit of symbolism in "Baby's Breath" that dwells beneath the uncomfortable, unpleasant, and often unbearable surface of the narrative. Those years following my accident were long, lonely, and excruciating--and coming to terms with the grief of losing a career I had worked and fought so hard to secure was not easy. I had a lot of support from my family and friends, and can't imagine what it must be like for someone to endure such an ordeal without that--so relatively speaking, I always tried to consider myself extremely lucky.

Writing the story was hard. It was only the second I wrote start to finish after emerging from the black hole into which I had fallen after the accident. Years of pain, post-concussive symptoms, surgeries, fighting the nightmare that is worker's compensation, depression . . . there was a time I never thought I would read again, let alone write. Diane's descent into madness, insecurity, paranoia, and reclusivity was likely an exaggerated depiction of what I experienced during that time, though while writing it I'm not altogether sure I was aware of this. I think it takes a step back--or even someone else pointing it out after the fact--to recognize something like this happening in our writing. 

Do you ever find yourself unintentionally writing about your own experiences in your work? Writing yourself into your characters? 

Like King said, "Fiction is the truth inside the lie."
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My "write nights" with Tracy were instrumental in my recovery--as both a functioning human being and writer. I wrote the first paragraph of "Baby's Breath" and had it published as a hundred word piece called "Transference" on Hellnotes in January of last year, and at the prodding of Ann K. Boyer, another good friend, fleshed it out into a short story for the BUGS anthology.

Simon Rumley's praise for "Baby's Breath" in the Foreword did more for me than I can describe in words. But I will say that reading what he said about my work was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments I will never forget. I'd be remiss not to thank the great Daniel Knauf for his invaluable support both as a friend and professional, as well. 


And to all of you who have offered help and assistance along the way--be it through friendship or support of this story and/or other work--thank you. You can't possibly know how much it means to me. 

My first "professional" experience assimilating back into the industry was negative and unpleasant to say the least, and if it weren't for the kindness and actual professionalism so many of you showed to outweigh that, it would have been easy to just give up. 

But if an accident like the one I had  can't keep me down, and cancer can't beat me, one bad apple in the barrel sure isn't going to make me toss the whole thing out. It just makes me appreciate the goodness of the others that much more.

There are way too many good apples to mention, but in addition to those I’ve named, special thanks for various reasons go to Morgan Griffith, Rose Blackthorn, Carl R. Moore, Gretch, Sandy and Mark, Julya Oui, Suzy Saylor, John R. Little, John Palisano, Rena Mason, Gard Goldsmith, Taylor Grant, Kurt Fawver, Michael Randolph, Randy D. Rubin, Maddie Von Stark, Kristi DeMeester, Ken Wood, John Boden, Tim Deal, Freud, Sal, Matt Edginton, Mark Matthews, Daniele Serra, Jeremy Wagner, Dr. Alex and Bobbi Scully, Aaron Gudmunson, JDS, Stephen Williams, Jon Moon, David North-Martino, Colum McKnightmare, Josh Black, Kenneth Cain, Amie, Aaron Sterns, John Dixon, Ted, Sean Padlo, Matthew Bartlett, ChickaDee, Tracie Orsi, Adam Domville, Stephanie Wytovich, Marge Simon, Alexander Zelenyj, Eric J. Guignard, Matt Manochio, Michael Bailey, Chris Kelso, Greg Norris, Ken MacGregor, April Hawks, John Urbancik, André Øvredal, Anthony Rivera, Paul Fry, Joe Lansdale, Norman Prentiss, Kami Garcia, Lawrence Connolly, Robin Spriggs, Emma Audsley, Richard Thomas, Killion Slade, Gene O'Neill, John DeMember, Dave Dormer, Douglas E. Winter, and many others who hopefully know who you are. 


If you haven't read "Baby's Breath" yet, 
you can read it here. 

These are some of the kind things readers and peers have said about it:


“The narrator's slow unhinging is perfectly paced 
and the author pushes against the border of the grotesque 
just enough to make the story as viscerally disturbing 
as it is psychologically unsettling . . . 
A supremely skilled tale of the decomposition of a relationship and the horrifying consequences of failed parenthood.”

“I was in pain the entire time I read this story. A fantastic piece of horror that burrows deep into the psyche as well as the skin.”

“exquisitely grotesque” 

“A visceral story that gets right under your skin.”

“The writing is tight and spare . . . 

The non-sequential narrative is handled effectively, 
allowing the story to open with a strong hook before rewinding to fill in the details of the germinating horror.”


“utterly chilling . . . Diane's macabre narrative 
is a powerful shot of multifaceted strangeness.”


“engrossing from the first page until the last, 

and deliciously horrific throughout.”

“short, sharp, emotional and uncomfortable”

“An exquisitely dreadful story.” 

“The most chilling short I read all year.”

Of course I am *beyond* thrilled that both "Dandelion Clocks" and Inkblots and Blood Spots appear on the ballot, as well. 

We at Villipede are very proud of that collection and honored to be representing Michael Bailey's stellar work. I simply can't say enough about the collection, except that I believe with every fiber of my being that it fully deserves to be on the ballot. You've all heard me rave about it for some time now, and I am pleased to see it among such fine company in its category. 


As far as "Dandelion Clocks" goes, well . . . Michael seems surprised it made it through, but I'm not. Again, he's in really good company! But I fell head over heels in love with that novelette and think he deserves a place on the ballot as much as anybody. And the fact that Douglas E. Winter guest-edited that piece makes it even more special to me. 

Michael blogged about the Preliminary Ballot here . . . slightly more eloquently than me, perhaps. Thanks for the kind words, Michael!

Here is the ballot, as announced by the HWA:

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the Preliminary Ballots for the 2014 Bram Stoker Awards®. The HWA is the premiere writers organization in the horror and dark fiction genre, with over 1,300 members. We have presented the Bram Stoker Awards in various categories since 1987.

Superior Achievement in a Novel
Tim Burke – The Flesh Sutra (NobleFusion Press)
Adam Christopher – The Burning Dark (Tor Books)
Michaelbrent Collings – This Darkness Light (self-published)
Lawrence C. Connolly – Vortex (Fantasist Enterprises)
Craig DiLouie – Suffer the Children (Gallery Books of Simon & Schuster)
Patrick Freivald – Jade Sky (JournalStone)
Chuck Palahniuk – Beautiful You (Jonathan Cape, Vintage/Penguin Random House UK)
Christopher Rice – The Vines (47North)
Brett J. Talley – The Reborn (JournalStone)
Steve Rasnic Tem – Blood Kin (Solaris Books)


Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Maria Alexander – Mr. Wicker (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
J.D. Barker – Forsaken (Hampton Creek Press)
Janice Gable Bashman – Predator (Month9Books)
David Cronenberg – Consumed (Scribner)
Michael Knost – Return of the Mothman (Woodland Press)
Daniel Levine – Hyde (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Josh Malerman – Bird Box (Harper Collins)
Whitney Miller – The Violet Hour (Flux)
Chantal Noordeloos – Angel Manor (Horrific Tales Publishing)
C.J. Waller – Predator X (Severed Press)


Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
Ari Berk – Lych Way (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Jake Bible – Intentional Haunting (Permuted Press)
Ilsa J. Bick – White Space (Egmont)
John Dixon – Phoenix Island (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books)
Kami Garcia – Unmarked (The Legion Series Book 2) (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
S.E. Green – Killer Instinct (Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse)
Tonya Hurley – Passionaries (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Micol Ostow – Amity (Egmont)
Peter Adam Salomon – All Those Broken Angels (Flux)
Stan Swanson and Araminta Star Matthews – Horror High School: Return of the Loving Dead (Curiosity Quills Press)
Johnny Worthen – Eleanor: Book 1 (The Unseen) (Jolly Fish Press)


Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Charles Burns – Sugar Skull
Emily Carroll – Through the Woods
Victor Gischler – Kiss Me Satan
Joe Hill – Locke and Key, Vol. 6
Joe R. Lansdale and Daniele Serra – I Tell You It’s Love (Short, Scary Tales Publications)
Jonathan Maberry – Bad Blood (Dark Horse Books)
Paul Tobin – The Witcher


Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
Michael Bailey – Dandelion Clocks (Inkblots and Blood Spots) (Villipede Publications)
Taylor Grant – The Infected (Cemetery Dance #71) (Cemetery Dance)
Eric J. Guignard – Dreams of a Little Suicide (Hell Comes To Hollywood II: Twenty-Two More Tales Of Tinseltown Terror (Volume 2) (Big Time Books)
Kate Jonez – Ceremony of Flies (DarkFuse)
Joe R. Lansdale – Fishing for Dinosaurs (Limbus, Inc., Book II) (JournalStone)
Jonathan Maberry – Three Guys Walk Into a Bar (Limbus, Inc., Book II) (JournalStone)
Joe McKinney – Lost and Found (Limbus, Inc., Book II) (JournalStone)
Gene O’Neill – Ridin the Dawg (Mia Moja) (Thunderstorm Books)
John F.D. Taff – The Long Long Breakdown (The End in all Beginnings) (Grey Matter Press)
Gregor Xane – The Riggle Twins (Bad Apples) (Corpus Press)


Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
Dale Bailey – Sleep Paralysis (Nightmare Magazine, April 2014) (Nightmare)
Hal Bodner – Hot Tub (Hell Comes to Hollywood II) (Big Time Books)
Patrick Freivald – Trigger Warning (Demonic Visions Book 4) (Chris Robertson)
Sydney Leigh – Baby’s Breath (Bugs: Tales That Slither, Creep, and Crawl) (Great Old Ones Publishing)
Usman T. Malik – The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family (Qualia Nous) (Written Backwards)
Alessandro Manzetti – Nature’s Oddities (The Shaman: And Other Shadows) (self-published)
Rena Mason – Ruminations (Qualia Nous) (Written Backwards)
John Palisano – Splinterette (Widowmakers: A Benefit Anthology of Dark Fiction)
Sayuri Ueda – The Street of Fruiting Bodies (Phantasm Japan) (Haikasoru, an imprint of VIZ Media, LLC)
Genevieve Valentine – A Dweller in Amenty (Nightmare Magazine, March 2014) (Nightmare)
Damien Angelica Walters – The Floating Girls: A Documentary (Jamais Vu, Issue Three) (Post Mortem Press)


Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
Michael Bailey – Inkblots and Blood Spots (Villipede Publications)
Stephen Graham Jones – After the People Lights Have Gone Off (Dark House Press)
John R. Little – Little by Little (Bad Moon Books)
Helen Marshall – Gifts for the One Who Comes After (ChiZine Publications)
David Sakmyster – Escape Plans (Wordfire Press)
Terrence Scott – The Madeleine Wheel: Playing with Spiders (Amazon)
Lucy Snyder – Soft Apocalypses (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Robin Spriggs – The Untold Tales of Ozman Droom (Anomalous Books)
John F.D. Taff – The End In All Beginnings (Grey Matter Press)
Alexander Zelenyj – Songs for the Lost (Eibonvale Press)


Superior Achievement in an Anthology
John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey – The End Is Nigh (Broad Reach Publishing)
Michael Bailey – Qualia Nous (Written Backwards)
Jason Brock – A Darke Phantastique (Cycatrix Press)
Ellen Datlow – Fearful Symmetries (ChiZine Publications)
Kate Jonez – Halloween Tales (Omnium Gatherum)
Eric Miller – Hell Comes to Hollywood II (Big Time Books)
Chuck Palahniuk, Richard Thomas, and Dennis Widmyer – Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press)
Brian M. Sammons – The Dark Rites of Cthulhu (April Moon Books)
Brett J. Talley – Limbus, Inc., Book II (JournalStone)
Terry M. West – Journals of Horror: Found Fiction (Pleasant Storm Entertainment)


Superior Achievement in a Screenplay
Scott M. Gimple – The Walking Dead: The Grove, episode 4:14 (AMC)
Jennifer Kent – The Babadook (Causeway Films)
Alex Kurtzman and Mark Goffman – Sleepy Hollow: “Bad Blood” (Sketch Films/K/O Paper Products/20th Century Fox Television)
John Logan – Penny Dreadful: Séance (Desert Wolf Productions/Neal Street Productions)


Greg Mclean and Aaron Sterns – Wolf Creek 2 (Emu Creek Pictures)
Steven Moffat – Doctor Who: Listen (British Broadcasting Corporation)
Cameron Porsendah – Helix: Pilot (Tall Ship Productions/Kaji Productions/Muse Entertainment/Lynda Obst Productions/in association with Sony Pictures Television)
Jack Thomas Smith –Infliction (Fox Trail Productions)
James Wong – American Horror Story: Coven: “The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks” (FX Network)

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
Massimo Berruti, S.T. Joshi, and Sam Gafford – William Hope Hodgson: Voices from the Borderland (Hippocampus Press)
Jason V. Brock – Disorders of Magnitude (Rowman & Littlefield)
Hayley Campbell – The Art of Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins Publishers)
S.T. Joshi – Lovecraft and A World in Transition (Hippocampus Press)
Leslie S. Klinger – The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft (Liveright Publishing Corp., a division of W.W. Norton & Co.)
Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley – Horror 101: The Way Forward (Crystal Lake Publishing)
Robert Damon Schneck – Mrs. Wakeman vs. the Antichrist (Tarcher/Penguin)
Lucy Snyder – Shooting Yourself in the Head For Fun and Profit: A Writer’s Survival Guide (Post Mortem Press)
Tom Weaver, David Schecter, and Steve Kronenberg – The Creature Chronicles: Exploring the Black Lagoon Trilogy (McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
Robert Payne Cabeen – Fearworms: Selected Poems (Fanboy Comics)
G.O. Clark – Gravedigger’s Dance (Dark Renaissance Books)
David E. Cowen – The Madness of Empty Spaces (Weasel Press)
Corrinne De Winter and Alessandro Manzetti – Venus Intervention (Kipple Officina Libraria)
Wade German – Dreams from the Black Nebula (Hippocampus Press)
Tom Piccirilli – Forgiving Judas (Crossroad Press)
Michelle Scalise – The Manufacturer of Sorrow (Eldritch Press)
Marge Simon and Mary Turzillo – Sweet Poison (Dark Renaissance Books)
Tiffany Tang – Creepy Little Death Poems (Dreality Press)
Stephanie Wytovich – Mourning Jewelry (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

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Huge congratulations to everyone on this list. 
I am so incredibly honored to be included in such company!
Voting for works on the Preliminary Ballot will take place between February 1st and 15th, and the Final Ballot will be announced on February 23rd. Anyone who appears on the Final Ballot will be a Bram Stoker Nominated Author or Artist.

Voting HWA Members: For copies of "Baby's Breath," "Dandelion Clocks," or Inkblots and Blood Spots, feel free to shoot me an email or PM via my contact page. They are also available to download on the HWA Forum. 

The lucky winners of the Bram Stoker Awards will be announced on May 9th at the awards ceremony during the 2015 World Horror Convention in Atlanta. 

No matter what, I'll be there to cheer everyone on. 
Thanks for reading,
Syd
xox
2 Comments

Goodreads Giveaway: Darkness Ad Infinitum

9/13/2014

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

Enter to win one of  three copies available! 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Darkness Ad Infinitum by Shawna L. Bernard

Darkness Ad Infinitum

by Shawna L. Bernard

Giveaway ends October 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win
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    Author
     & 
    Editor

    Sydney Leigh is the evil literary double of a mostly sane writer, editor, photographer, artist, English teacher, and native of the North Shore. Her poetry, short fiction, and reviews have appeared in numerous  publications.

    Her best friend is a Border Collie, and despite holding degrees in English, Psychology, and Graphic Design, she spends most of her free time doing her teenage son’s laundry and playing rock-paper-scissors with her imaginary roommate, Ted.

     She currently works for Villipede Publications
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