"Baby's Breath" Limited Signed & Numbered Edition Chapbooks in the Wild...
and going Live on Amazon
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...)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Check out TG's Amazon Author page here for all of his publications. He totally rocks!
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.
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.
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.
Thanks for reading,
Syd