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Enraptured

Cat Links Culture, General Posted on Travis

Gee, I’m so surprised.  I’m still here.  According to a well-fueled media wave, the Biblical Rapture was supposed to happen at 6:00 p.m. yesterday, May 21. Jesus was supposed to come back and spirit away a few million of the most faithful and thus signal the beginning of Armageddon, which was to culminate in Doomsday on Oct. 21 this year. Hmm. Well, I’m still here, so I guess that means I’m not one of the “faithful.”  That’s a big “duh,” I suppose.  We’ll all have a lot more fun with those people gone. You suppose there’s going to be aContinue readingEnraptured

Hook ‘Em With First Lines

Cat Links General, Writing Posted on Travis

I picked up (semi-) random assortment of novels from my TO BE READ pile today in a little exercise of curiosity. A truism for writing fiction nowadays is that the writer must grab the reader’s attention from the beginning.  If the reader (or acquisitions editor) isn’t hooked by the end of the first page, she’s likely to put the book down. So what I’ve compiled a few first lines that handful of my novels to be read.  These range from new authors to old hands and heavy-hitters. So tell me which of these you find the most compelling and why.Continue readingHook ‘Em With First Lines

Bin Laden is Dead, or How to Define a Decade

Cat Links Culture, General Posted on Travis

“It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down.  It is not in cutting people down; it is in killing evil.  It is the stratagem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand.” – Yagyu Munenori, The Life Giving Sword How do you define a decade? By committing an act of far-reaching, shocking, ruthless violence. I hadn’t had such a strange mixture of surprise, relief and hope in a long time, but it was strangely mixed with things like skepticism, sadness, and trepidation. I was trollingContinue readingBin Laden is Dead, or How to Define a Decade

Historical Lovecraft Anthology Now Available

Cat Links General, Writing Posted on Travis

*Insert Author Happy Dance here* Just got my author copy of Historical Lovecraft: Tales of Horror Through Time from Innsmouth Free Press. Since “An Idol for Emiko” is my first Lovecraftian tale, I’m mighty excited to see it in print.  The story places some of Lovecraft’s iconic baddies in a 17th-century Japanese fishing village. Bad things ensue.

All Aboard for Some “Malicious Deviance”

Cat Links General, Writing Posted on Travis

I almost popped a rivet — in a good way — on Saturday when a package came in the mail from Library of Horror Press.  Malicious Deviance, a new anthology that includes a short story by yours truly.  The story is called, “Punishment.”  How far can human beings’ ability to become accustomed to pain and cruelty be pushed? Malicious Deviance: Stories about Bad People is available now on Amazon.

World Fantasy Convention Update

Cat Links General Posted on Travis

I found out today I’ll be participating the Asian Horror panel at the World Fantasy Convention in two weeks, Halloween weekend.  The panel takes place at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28. If you’re planning on being there, check it out! No word yet on whether I have a slot for doing a reading, but I certainly hope so. Needless to say, I’m pretty stoked about this.  This will mark my first panel at a BIG con, so for someone who’s just starting out in this business, it feels like a real milestone. I’m sensing an upcoming Ringu/Ju-on/Kwaidan/Takashi Miike binge…

Upcoming Excursions and Events

Cat Links Appearances, General, Writing Posted on Travis

The rest of the month of October is going to be busy on Ye Olde Fiction Circuit. October 22-24 – Mile Hi Con – Denver, Co: I’ll be doing a panel on the Resurgence of All Things Pulp, joining the SF Poetry Slam, plus doing a reading and a book signing. October 28-31 – World Fantasy Convention – Columbus, OH:  I don’t know if I’ve gotten on any panels yet, but I’m planning on taking part in the Mass Autograph/Book Signing Session, and hopefully doing a reading as well. If you’re attending any of these events, look me up!

Rockin’ and Rollin’ the Short Story Sales… Plus a Leap across the Pacific

Cat Links General, Writing Posted on admin

In the last month or so, my short story sales have kicked into high gear.  Look for these stories to appear in: “Legs” – Nocturnal Emissions Anthology – Library of Horror Press “Punishment” – Malicious Deviance Anthology – Library of Horror Press “Incident in a Small Town” – Pulp Empire Vol. III Anthology – Pulp Empire Press “The Song” – Runner-up in the British Fantasy Society Short Story Contest – Story to appear in either Dark Horizons or New Horizons – British Fantasy Society I was delighted last week when the Indonesian translation of Heart of the Ronin appeared inContinue readingRockin’ and Rollin’ the Short Story Sales… Plus a Leap across the Pacific

Author Interview Series #64 – Catherine Cheek

Cat Links Author Interviews, Writing Posted on Travis

Meet Catherine Cheek, or Kater if you know her.  You gotta love a woman with pink hair (at least it was pink when we met at World Fantasy Convention last fall–my god, has it really been almost a year?). As so often happens at conventions like WFC, amidst a lot of “Where do I know your name from….”, Kater knew who I was because of having read Heart of the Ronin for Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing, and she walked right up and introduced herself to me.  Several interesting conversations later over the course of the convention, here we are. KaterContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #64 – Catherine Cheek

Author Interview Series #63 – Lisa Goldstein

Cat Links Author Interviews, Writing Posted on Travis

Last fall at the World Fantasy Convention, I took the opportunity to attend the banquet, where the World Fantasy Awards are presented.  One of my charming dining companions was author Lisa Goldstein, who won the American Book Award for her novel The Red Magician in 1983. Since then, her books span multiple genres and milieus, from the historical to the purely imaginative.