T.E. Grau's Blog: Author Website, page 7

"The Screamer" story art by Tom Kristensen Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities , the widely renowned anthology of gritty Lovecraftian fiction edited by Henrik Sandbeck Harsken and published on his H. Harksen Productions press, is now available not only on Lulu, but also on Amazon.

I'm quite fond of this book and proud to be among the stellar names assembled within its Paul Carrick cover piece.  The raves for the antho have been fantastic so far (including those in HorrorWorld, She Never Slept, and Unfilmmable.com), and the specific reviews and blurbs for my story have quite frankly floored me.  I have to admit that although "The Screamer" is probably my favorite story that I've written so far (as it hews closest to my own rattling bones in terms of setting and the pseudo factual basis for the story), I was still a bit shocked and delighted that it resonated with peers and reviewers - especially the ending, which was supplied to me by Ives when I was casting about in the dark trying to figure out where this story needed to go.  She showed me The Screamer, the path opened up, and everything fell into place.  I couldn't have done it without her.

Below are a few of the extremely generous and humbling thoughts on "The Screamer" provided by an array of highly regarded - and personally respected - dark fiction writers, readers, editors, reviewers (and often a combo of all of the above):

Jeffrey Thomas said:

"'The Screamer' is one of the best modern horror stories I've read. Ever. I keep wanting to discuss it at greater length and detail, to acknowledge its remarkable construction, its superb prose voice, its volcanic build-up of power (from subtle anxiety to all-stops-pulled-out-madness), and its brilliant sense of metaphor, but I have been too distracted. Oh wait...I kinda just did, a little.
That one story is better than entire short story collections I've read by respected and (so far) better known writers. If you took all the stories in those collections and condensed them into one small mass like a collapsed star, you'd have 'The Screamer'. For real. 

I liked how characters I thought were merely placed in there for background detail (and that would have been fine) reappeared later under other... circumstances. I liked the prose voice. I liked the masterfully tuned shift in volume from 0 to 11... The beautifully balanced ending. It is one of my favorite modern horror stories. 

I wish I'd written this." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matt Cardin said:

"I read 'The Screamer' today and it was a massive enjoyment. T.E. Grau's use of language, his unfolding of the cosmically apocalyptic-horrific premise, the delectable evocation of honest-to-gods dread -- all were wonderful. Hats off! The words 'the real deal' are prominent in my thoughts as I come away from Grau's depiction of a truly harrowing urban-cosmic undoing of everything." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Marshall Smith said:

"Very, very powerful indeed. One of the best breakdown stories I've read in a long time - I love the richness of the collapse, the blurring of reality/unreality, the sense of terrible cataclysm both within and without the main character - and the language and description is suggestive of a lot more going on beneath the surface. I'm not surprised 'The Screamer' is being put up for nomination." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scott Nicolay said:

"I don't manage to read much anymore, but I read a story a few days back that has stuck with me: 'The Screamer' by T.E. Grau. I'd heard it was good, and it is. Damn good. In particular, I keep going back to what Ted did with the ending. It is horrific on a cosmic scale yet elegantly understated at the same time. I expect this one to appear again in reprints, maybe The Year's Best. The Next wave of horror is in good appendages, my friends. Oh, yes it is." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marc Nocerino said:

"'The Screamer' by T.E. Grau is the best story I have read all year. In fact, it tops any short story I read the year before, too! Grau masterfully weaves a tale of terror and madness with a sneaky surprise ending that I definitely did not see coming."  (Full review published by She Never Slept) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Sammons said:

"I want to group up three authors right at the start, as there are a lot of similarities between them for me. I became aware of each of them around the same time (about a year to year and a half ago), I’ve read a quite a few things by them since then, often in the same books, and they have never disappointed me with their story telling skills. In fact, they consistently blow me away. They are Glynn Owen Barrass, Pete Rawlik, and T.E. Grau and their stories here, 'Carcosapunk', 'The Statement of Frank Elwood' and 'The Screamer' respectively. These three are the best of the bunch here. When I suggested that there were young Turks in this book, these guys are the ones I was thinking of. They have each rapidly become three of my favorite writers. All fans of Lovecraftian fiction should consider them bright shining stars that need to be carefully followed."  (Full review published by HorrorWorld)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Julia Morgan said:

"The second wonderful story is 'The Screamer' by T. E. Grau... I spent a lot of time trying to second-guess the storyline, and failed to do so. Epically. The denouement was so much better than anything I imagined."  (Full review published by Unfilmmable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven't already, your excuses are no at an end.  Pick up your copy of Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities , in which "The Screamer" rubs jaw bones and neon with a chorus of stellar writers that make up the following ToC:
“Dancer of the Dying” by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
“The Neighbors Upstairs” by John Goodrich
“Carcosapunk” by Glynn Owen Barrass
“Architect Eyes” by Thomas Strømsholt
“Slou” by Robert Tangiers
“Ozeelah’s Lake” by Morten Carlsen
“The Statement of Frank Elwood” by Peter Rawlik
“In the Shadow of Bh’Yhlun” by Ian Davey
“The Screamer” by T. E. Grau
“the guilt of each … at the end…” by Joseph S. Pulver



Come ye to the city, a hive of madness and black matter.  Come ye to the city, to die utterly alone.

"The Screamer" story art by Tom Kristensen Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities , the widely renowned anthology of gritty Lovecraftian fiction edited by Henrik Sandbeck Harsken and published on his H. Harksen Productions press, is now available not only on Lulu, but also on Amazon.

I'm quite fond of this book and proud to be among the stellar names assembled within its Paul Carrick cover piece.  The reviews have been fantastic so far (including those in HorrorWorld, She Never Slept, and Unfilmmable.com), and still coming in, with some pretty big ones on the horizon.

On a more personal note, my story, "The Screamer," has been receiving some acclaim, as well, both critically  and professionally, including its recent inclusion on the 2012 Stoker Award Recommendation Reading List, which is the first stage before actual Bram Stoker Award nominations are decided and announced by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) early next year.

My story reside in the "Long Fiction" category (as "The Screamer" is over 7,500 words, and less than 39,999 words), snuggled right between Stephen King & Stewart O'Nan and Trent Zelazny (stellar company), trying not to look too awkward and out of place.  This is very preliminary, but let's see if the story gains any traction and survives the first, massive cut.  Keep fingers, toes, and all other malleable appendages crossed for me, dear readers.

The reviews and blurbs the story has received have quite frankly floored me.  I have to admit that although "The Screamer" is probably my favorite story that I've written so far (as it hews closest to my own rattling bones in terms of setting and the pseudo factual basis for the story), I was still a bit shocked and delighted that it resonated with peers and reviewers - especially the ending, which was supplied to me by Ives when I was casting about in the dark trying to figure out where this story needed to go.  She showed me The Screamer, the path opened up, and everything fell into place.  I couldn't have done it without her.

Below are a few of the extremely generous and humbling thoughts on "The Screamer" provided by an array of highly regarded - and personally respected - dark fiction writers, readers, editors, reviewers (and often a combo of all of the above):

Jeffrey Thomas said:

"'The Screamer' is one of the best modern horror stories I've read. Ever. I keep wanting to discuss it at greater length and detail, to acknowledge its remarkable construction, its superb prose voice, its volcanic build-up of power (from subtle anxiety to all-stops-pulled-out-madness), and its brilliant sense of metaphor, but I have been too distracted. Oh wait...I kinda just did, a little.
That one story is better than entire short story collections I've read by respected and (so far) better known writers. If you took all the stories in those collections and condensed them into one small mass like a collapsed star, you'd have 'The Screamer'. For real. 

I liked how characters I thought were merely placed in there for background detail (and that would have been fine) reappeared later under other... circumstances. I liked the prose voice. I liked the masterfully tuned shift in volume from 0 to 11... The beautifully balanced ending. It is one of my favorite modern horror stories. 

I wish I'd written this." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matt Cardin said:

"I read 'The Screamer' today and it was a massive enjoyment. T.E. Grau's use of language, his unfolding of the cosmically apocalyptic-horrific premise, the delectable evocation of honest-to-gods dread -- all were wonderful. Hats off! The words 'the real deal' are prominent in my thoughts as I come away from Grau's depiction of a truly harrowing urban-cosmic undoing of everything." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Marshall Smith said:

"Very, very powerful indeed. One of the best breakdown stories I've read in a long time - I love the richness of the collapse, the blurring of reality/unreality, the sense of terrible cataclysm both within and without the main character - and the language and description is suggestive of a lot more going on beneath the surface. I'm not surprised 'The Screamer' is being put up for nomination." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scott Nicolay said:

"I don't manage to read much anymore, but I read a story a few days back that has stuck with me: 'The Screamer' by T.E. Grau. I'd heard it was good, and it is. Damn good. In particular, I keep going back to what Ted did with the ending. It is horrific on a cosmic scale yet elegantly understated at the same time. I expect this one to appear again in reprints, maybe The Year's Best. The Next wave of horror is in good appendages, my friends. Oh, yes it is." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marc Nocerino said:

"'The Screamer' by T.E. Grau is the best story I have read all year. In fact, it tops any short story I read the year before, too! Grau masterfully weaves a tale of terror and madness with a sneaky surprise ending that I definitely did not see coming."  (Full review published by She Never Slept) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian Sammons said:

"I want to group up three authors right at the start, as there are a lot of similarities between them for me. I became aware of each of them around the same time (about a year to year and a half ago), I’ve read a quite a few things by them since then, often in the same books, and they have never disappointed me with their story telling skills. In fact, they consistently blow me away. They are Glynn Owen Barrass, Pete Rawlik, and T.E. Grau and their stories here, 'Carcosapunk', 'The Statement of Frank Elwood' and 'The Screamer' respectively. These three are the best of the bunch here. When I suggested that there were young Turks in this book, these guys are the ones I was thinking of. They have each rapidly become three of my favorite writers. All fans of Lovecraftian fiction should consider them bright shining stars that need to be carefully followed."  (Full review published by HorrorWorld)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Julia Morgan said:

"The second wonderful story is 'The Screamer' by T. E. Grau... I spent a lot of time trying to second-guess the storyline, and failed to do so. Epically. The denouement was so much better than anything I imagined."  (Full review published by Unfilmmable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you haven't already, your excuses are no at an end.  Pick up your copy of Urban Cthulhu: Nightmare Cities , in which "The Screamer" rubs jaw bones and neon with a chorus of stellar writers that make up the following ToC:
“Dancer of the Dying” by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
“The Neighbors Upstairs” by John Goodrich
“Carcosapunk” by Glynn Owen Barrass
“Architect Eyes” by Thomas Strømsholt
“Slou” by Robert Tangiers
“Ozeelah’s Lake” by Morten Carlsen
“The Statement of Frank Elwood” by Peter Rawlik
“In the Shadow of Bh’Yhlun” by Ian Davey
“The Screamer” by T. E. Grau
“the guilt of each … at the end…” by Joseph S. Pulver



Come ye to the city, a hive of madness and black matter.  Come ye to the city, to die utterly alone.

It seems like I merely blinked my eyes and it was October again.  And not a moment too soon.  What took it so long?  AND WHERE THE HELL HAVE I BEEN LATELY?

The late summer sear is (mostly) gone, the trees are ready to slumber, and the night becomes more interesting, now contrasting more starkly with the heat and light of the day with its quick descent into the cold.  The smell of the mountains and sea is now sometimes tinged with wood smoke, allowing one to imagine a place where fire keeps the deadly chill at bay, instead of being used merely as a romantic prop.  Los Angeles is the land of two seasons, so imagination of the elements is a must.  Filmmaker and dark artist Tim Burton, while growing up in Burbank, discerned which holiday was approaching by the decorations at the local department store.  The room temp blue sky world outside doesn't give many clues.

Around our place, we have decorations, too, and October - the official start of Holiday Season - kicks off with the annual Grau Haus Nightmares Holiday Season Photo Shoot, when we celebrate the horror of All Hallows' Eve and look toward Christmas/New Years - the alpha and omega of the seasonal celebration - all in one fell swoop of makeup and hair and molded latex.

Last year, we debuted the GHNHSPS (yes, that looks like a bloated high school acronym, or yet another failing educational district) with our homage to the Addams Family.  Seemed fitting, cuz, well... we pretty much are the Addams Family in our neighborhood.  You know, the family that everyone labels "the weirdos."  The one house on the block where odd music and cryptic verse can be heard filtering from low lit, partially open windows at all hours.  I just wish our domicile was creepier, at least on the outside.  Frightening townsfolk without even raising a pen, or an eyebrow, would be glorious.  But I have hope, and the first time those strolling Latino 'hood missionaries from the local Pentecostal church perform a sign of the cross as they pass by our place will be a proud day for this fella.  Now, I realize that Pentecostals don't perform the sign of the cross, but I want to scare these folks so goddamn much they momentarily revert back to Catholicism, if only for the backup.


This year, we decided to go with a nod to Jame Whale's  The Bride of Frankenstein , as we are such huge fans of the film, and the Universal Monster movies in general.  I'm also particularly fond of including Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron in the beginning of the film.  I think audiences need to be reminded that these monsters came from the mind of a brilliant teenage girl in the early 19th century.  Also notable is the fact that Mary and The Bride were both played with aplomb by Elsa Lanchester.

And BTW, Franz Waxman's suite in Bride of Frankenstein is magical.  Haunting, soaring, full of dread and weirdness and that classic beauty very rarely found in modern film scores.  This is the perfect background music for writing, reading, dining, raising the dead or just raising your children.  Check out this 1993 re-recording below:

.
.
.Now that you've got the mood set, please enjoy a few additional pics from the 2012 Grau Haus Nightmares Holiday Season Photo Shoot.  I think it goes without saying that I'm one hugely lucky monster to have two beautiful brides rattling around this spooky old castle with me.

A kiss after dying... I think this is how I'm going to walk her down the aisle someday....Instead of doing a prosthetic for my Frankenstein's Monster look (remember kids, that big squared headed fellow isn't "Frankenstein," as Frankenstein is the last name of the doctor who created him... He's just known officially as "The Monster"), as we originally planned, we picked up this excellent looking and extremely well made Frankenstein mask from Rubie's Costume Co via Amazon. 





Finished and flawless - The Brides in WhiteAs a professional makeup artist, Ives naturally did the makeup, as well as the hair (mine came pre-finished on both counts).  For Fish, Ives  "erased" Fish's natural eyebrows with glue stick first (to set them down and flat), applied concealer, and then drew in the new shape with liquid liner, which she also used to make the stitches on their faces.

For the white streaks in their hair, Ives used Professional Cream Makeup in white by Fun World DIV, which is a pure white liquid foundation that can be used to lighten makeup (and can be purchased from any major drug store, including Rite Aid).  In this case, Ives tested out hair extensions and decided the liquid white looked more natural, as it bonded and moved with the hair, instead of shaping an extension and applying it.  Ives' interesting factoid:  the consistency of the cream hardens the hair and naturally curls it in the shape of the actual Bride's serpent streaks if your hair is naturally wavy.
I requested a sass shot.  The two came through with flying colors I love how Fish is curled up into a ball in Momma Bride's arms I found a Little Bride in the woods...  Fish's expression here is priceless.  No coaching required.  Point and shoot.  She gets it, and always has.  Just an amazing child, and true citizen of the dark and interesting places. ... and kicking everyone's ass.Happy Holiday Season, everyone, from the Grau Haus Nightmares.  Halloween is just the beginning, with the end everlasting...

(Dead But) Dreaming in Pewter:  Cthulhu Pin from Queen Penguin ProductionsThe dawning day of the 2013 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Los Angeles is rapidly approaching, and as the minutes speed up, the fest is coalescing and taking a monstrous shape, building on the last two years, while also morphing and expanding, sprouting new tentacles of interest while keeping the torso strong and dangerous.

Ives and I - both sporting our team pin pictured above, so we're not confused with tourists from Des Moines who have downtown San Pedro on their Bucket List - will be serving as Guest Authors (and unofficial Balcony Hooligans) at the fest, participating in the Saturday "Brunch 'n Fun," where we will be sharing the Mythos writing and artistic stylings of Grau Haus, following the lead of our eight year old daughter in a sort of intra-family round robin.  Unlike years past, when the literary portion of the festival was limited to readings and a discussion panel, festival organizer Aaron Vanek and authorial overlord Cody Goodfellow have decided to nuance the slate, adding in an oral storytelling portion that is refreshingly old school.  Should be a good time (more detail below).

In addition, Ives and I threw our Jazz age lids into the ring as Official Screenplay Judges for HPL-LA '13.  I'm just glad that 11+ years of working as a script doctor/punch up artist/ghost re-writer for various lousy studio and indie screenplays (while unsuccessful shopping my own apparently unsellable scripted turds) is finally paying off.  These poor screenwriters from the world over (from such far-flung, exotic locales as Ireland, France, and New Jersey) must now deal with an embittered ex-script monkey-turned adjudicator bent on destroying dreams.  Those who can't - judge!

This year's crop of submitted scripts, while not showing a field as deep as 2011, has some truly excellent offerings, including one that received a Grau Haus perfect score from both of us.  The contest finalists are:

"The Crawling Chaos" by Nicholas Kubik
"House of Yhargoth" by Faye Hoerauf & Dom Zook
"Call Girl of Cthulhu" by Chris LaMartina & Jimmy George
"This Vehicle Has Been Checked for Sleeping Children" by John Burdeaux

The judges are currently working through these last four competitors, with the winner announced on Saturday night in a ceremony that had better include balloons and confetti (please note that all screenplays submitted after September 1 will be considered for 2013).

As for the films, this year's fest is plating up some of the latest and best independent shorts from around the world, including:

"Doctor Glamour" by Andrew W. Jones
"Seizures" by Nicolas Simonin
"The Music of Jo Hyeja" by Jihyun Park
"Bedtime for Timmy" by Thomas Nicol
"Cultist Co. Starter Pack" by Thomas Nicol
"GAMMA" by Jonathan Gales
"Stay at Home Dad" by Andrew Kasch, John Skipp, and Cody Goodfellow
"George Jones & the Giant Squid" by Vincenzo Perrella, Dan Osborn
"Odokuro" by Aurelio Voltaire
"The Captured Bird" by Jovanka Vuckovic
"Feed A" by Clarke Mayer
"The Artifact" by Jason Voss
"Chompers 3D" (Preview screening) by Jesse Blanchard
"Shine 3D" by Jesse Blanchard
"Space Bugs" by Jesse Blanchard
"In()Between" by José Luis Martínez Díaz
"The Shunned House" by Eric Morgret

Also screening is the full length feature film "The Thing on the Doorstep" by Tom Gliserman

The festival special guest for 2012 is
Mr. Reaves will receive the coveted Howie Award for his contributions to Lovecraft cinema, as he also penned "The Real Ghostbusters" famed episode "The Collect Call of Cathulhu", which is significant in that it's the first time Cthulhu appeared on television.

The still-growing roster of guests includes - but is certainly not limited to - such authors, artists, musicians, and filmmakers as Ives and I, Cody Goodfellow, Denise Dumars, Michael Tice, Bryan Thao Worra, Frank Woodward, Mike Dubisch, Andrew W. Jones, Aurelio Voltaire, David Milano, Diana Levin, Jason Voss, Hello, The Future, Natalie Ewert, Nicholas Simonin, and William (Liam) Thomas Damon.

A fantastic array of vendors will again be lining the corridors on both levels of the Warner Grand, catering to your every Lovecraftian, Weirdling, and Goth/Fez/Workworm/Fantasy Art shopping urge, including:

SighCo
Arkham Bazaar
Fez-o-Rama
Badali Jewelry Specialties
The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
Upon a Midnight
Diana Levin Art
Perilous Press
Mike Dubisch Art

Visitors can and are encouraged to stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (three blocks from the Warner Grand in the historic district of San Pedro) at a discount. Use code HPL when booking online (discount only good until 8/28).  Booking a room is wise, as things get a bit nutty as the night progresses.  Selling beer and wine with popcorn and Jujyfruits at the concession stand is such beautiful thing.
___________________________________________________________________________

Friday, September 28

Pre-festival dinner at the Whale & Ale on Friday, from 5pm to 7pm, before the theater opens.  The menu for this specially priced dinner (only available to festival attendees) is as such:

Our famous Whale & Ale salad of mixed baby lettuces, sliced mushrooms, crumbled blue cheese,
chopped walnuts & creamy peppercorn dressing.  Irish Soda bread & sweet butter, then Penne Toscana: a house favorite: penne pasta sautéed with fresh tomato, leaf basil, chopped garlic, light marinara sauce (vegetarian), or English Fish & Chips; Icelandic cod filet deep fried in our own Bass ale beer batter, with English Chips; on the side:  lemon wedge, tartar sauce, malt vinegar & tomato ketchup, or Farmhouse Steak & Mushroom pie: diced filet mignon, simmered with quartered button mushrooms in a rich beef demi glace, topped with mashed potatoes and browned in the oven; fresh steamed vegetables, then English Sherry Trifle: traditional English sponge cake soaked in sweet sherry layered with strawberries, custard & whipped cream

Menu as above: $21 per person, inclusive of tax at 8.75%, or guests can pick any two courses for $17 per person, including tax.

This pricing and menu is available only to HP Lovecraft Festivalgoers, and is not available to the general public.

The theater schedule is as follows:

7pm-7:30 - Shopping, Mingling, Not Correlating One's Contents
7:30 - 7:40  Official Intro, Raffle
7:40-9:10  "The Thing on the Doorstep"
9:100-9:25  Break, Raffle
9:25 - 9:55   Macabre Fantasy  "Statement of Randolph Carter" (radio drama)
9:55 - 10:10  Break, Raffle
10:10 - 11:15  "South Park: The Complete Coon Trilogy"
11:15-11:30  Raffle, Shopping, Carousing
11:30- wee hours - Whale & Ale party (with happy hour specials) and Lovecraft Pub Trivia (hosted by filmmaker Frank Woodward)

Saturday, September 29

Brunch 'n Fun at the Grand Vision Annex, a few doors down from the Warner Grand Theatre.

The brunch menu will consist of eggs, bacon and/or sausage, potatoes, toast, apple or OJ, cold cereal and milk.  Rumors of a cash bar at this event fills one with mimosa wishes and Irish coffee dreams.

Card and video games will be played throughout brunch.  Be prepared for celebratory howls and good natured ribbing.

Noon-12:30 = Filing-in, seating, mastication (food served until 3pm)
12:30 - 1pm = Prayers to Cthulhu (Cody Goodfellow)
1pm - 1:45pm = Hello, The Future (musical performance)
1:45 to 2:30 = Author Readings
2:30 - 3:15 = Panel Discussion, guided by the fitting theme "cosmic horror."
3:15 - 3:40 = Oral Storytelling
3:40 - 4pm = Wind down, head out to theatre

The oral storytelling is a Portland tradition started by Scott Glancy telling "The Dog's Head Story". It involves getting up and telling a true anecdote (you can stretch the truth) about an unusual or spooky occurrence in real life... Something where, because we are into Lovecraft, we look at the real world differently.

Back at the Theater:

4pm - 4:30 = Shopping
4:30 - 4:40 = Raffle, Intro #2
4:40 - 5:25 = "Real Ghostbusters" & "Scooby-Doo"
5:25 - 5:35 = Break/Raffle
5:35 - 7:05 = Shorts Block #1
7:05 - 8:35 = dinner/shopping
8:35 - 8:45 = Howie award to Michael Reaves
8:45 - 10:15 = shorts block #2
10:15 - 10:25 = break
10:25 - 11:00 = raffle, filmmaker & screenwriter awards
11:00 - 11:30 = The Evil Clergyman
11:30 - late = Raffle/After Party at Grand Vision Annex

There will be a cash bar at the after party for the Grand Vision Annex, with complimentary dessert.

SATURDAY SHORTS SHORTS BLOCK #1 (85 minutes)
Bumper - "Five Year Old Niece Explains Cthulhu", "Wasted Land" Trailer
"Space Bugs" - 05:31
"Shine 3D"  - 02:49
"Chompers 3D" 2:30
(3D glasses will be available for these two movies)
"George Jones and Giant Squid" - 14:15
"The Artifact" - 3:49
"Music of Jo Hyeja" - 20:02
"Bedtime for Timmy" - 02:50
"The Captured Bird" - 12:13
"Doctor Glamour" - 19:31


SATURDAY SHORTS BLOCK #2 (87.5 minutes)
Bumper - "Cthulhu for President"
"Cultist Co" -  01:08
"Feed A"  -  10:51
"In Between"  - 14:45
"Gamma"  -  06:47
"Odokuro"  -  06;16
"Seizures"  - 19:16
"Stay at Home Dad"  -  15:00
"Shunned House " - 11:00


Sunday, September 30

"The Lash of St. Francis", a Lovecraft-themed scavenger hunt designed by Roselle Hurley, will run in the San Pedro Historic area.

All participants will meet at 11:30am, at either the theater or the Whale & Ale (most likely the latter).

There, they will receive directions and guidelines on the adventure. The cost is $5 per team, not per person.

___________________________________________________________________________
The official trailer for the 2013 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Los Angels is now up on Youtube, and posted for your convenience below:



See you down in the bay, Cosmicominauts and wonderful Weirdlings.  This fest should be a cornerstone of your Lovecraftian year, as it is for us.  See you all in two weeks.  Be there, or being boringly square (as opposed to interestingly non-Euclidean).

GET YOUR FRIGGIN' TICKETS HERE!!

(just in case you missed the link in the capture to the photo above, the "Elegant Aged Pewter Cthulhu Pin" from Queen Penguin Production available by clicking this Etsy link)

Horror writing for centuries has made hay off of stories pertaining to the undead.  We're fascinated by it, the conquering of the Grand Veil.  We fear it, we hate it, but most of all, we love it.

But what if the medium for the writing itself was that which rose from seeming oblivion?

This is the triumphant story of iconic fiction journal  LORE , which founders and constant cemetery gardeners Rod Heather and Sean O'Leary are about to share with you below (with minor editorial formatting and tweakery by yours truly).  Take it away, lads:
____________________________________________________________________________

Who Goes There?

LORE began in 1995 as an approximately 70-page, saddle-stitched, digest-sized labor of love. It ran for nine issues until 2000. Throughout those five years, we printed some outstanding work by writers and artists we had admired for years and ones we would come to know and regard as friends. We gathered many cherished memories, accepted two awards for our efforts: The Deathrealm Award and the Dragon's Breath Award, and were thrilled to be featured on The Sci-Fi Channel's Sci-Fi Buzz! Many of the works we published received Honorable Mentions in Datlow & Windling’s The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, and some of the work we published even went on to win awards such as The Bram Stoker Award and The World Fantasy Award. LORE surpassed our wildest dreams!

But we were younger then, and the unpredictability of real life at the time and demands of emerging careers eventually forced closed the vault doors in 2000.

Fast forward to January 2011 in Tempe, Arizona at MythosCon, a celebration of the life and work of H.P. Lovecraft, where something was stirred to life. Through the hazy weekend merriment with some old comrades like Dan Clore, Robert M. Price, Michael Cisco, and Peter Cannon, we got the idea to take a prybar to those vault doors and let some fresh air in (and the old spirits out). LORE would return!

The intervening five months have been a flurry of activity: meetings, conference calls, tracking down old friends. And, finally, we are able to start setting down the next chapter in LORE’s history.

This site is the culmination of our shared love for imaginative fiction, in its many guises. It is also a work in progress. Through the coming days and weeks, we will present compelling content here, and continue to refine the components we’ve set into motion. Our ultimate aim, of course, is to publish outstanding fiction, and more will be announced to this end soon.

We hope you will join us and be a part of our continuing journey.

LORE 2.0 is GO , back with its first collection of new horror, science fiction, and fantasy tales in over a decade!

Lore Volume 2, Number 1 (April 2012) now available (artwork above), featuring:

"Fairy Gold" by Peadar Ó Guilín

"Picking Roses For Chateelet" by Garrett Ashley

"Wait" by Kevin Wallis

"Splash" by Don Webb, Richard Lupoff, Scott Cupp,
Michael Kurland, Michael Mallory, Paul Di Filippo,
and Jim Kelly

"Toll and Trouble" by David A. Hill

"Lonely, Lonely" by Daniel P. Swenson

"She Wanted to Go Into the Trees" by Patricia Russo

"The Spacetime Subway Station" by Clinton Lawrence

"The Deposition of Leodiel Fand" by Brian McNaughton
Cover artwork by Richard Corben

- 172 pages -

Order the latest issue of LORE at the official LOREstore at Amazon right here.
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LORE: A Quaint and Curious Volume of Selected Stories


Herein you will find a selection of the terrifying, thrilling, weird, and wonderful tales for which LORE became known, many of which have never been reprinted, including the Lovecraftian round-robin tale "The Challenge From Below" by Robert M. Price, Peter Cannon, Donald R. Burleson, and Brian McNaughton.

It's not everyday that bygone weird fiction journals from the past couple decades are resuscitated, but LORE: A Quaint and Curious Volume of Selected Stories does exactly that. The 1980s and 1990s experienced a tremendous flowering of brilliance in the broad field of literary horror, and Lovecraftian fiction specifically. In fact, the pioneering efforts of these unforgettable 'zines and journals arguably led to the strong position this genre enjoys today online.
LORE was one such effort that garnered a small, but devoted following in the late 1990s. Now, editors Rod Heather and Sean O'Leary have pieced together the finest samples from the magazine's history. Lovecraftian readers and weird fiction fans will find plenty to admire in these pages.
Tales by recognizable names such as Harlan Ellison, Jeffrey Thomas, Brian Lumley, and Robert M. Price abound, rare items that haven't seen the light of day again since the 'zine closed its doors. This latest incarnation of LORE: A Quaint and Curious Volume of Selected Stories brings back several award winning tales, and some experimental efforts that are too interesting to pass up. “The Challenge from Below” by Robert M. Price, Peter Cannon, Donald R. Burleson, and Brian McNaughton is particularly creative, conceived as a Lovecraftian round robin story by several veteran observers in the field.
Best of all, it seems this volume is merely the debut for a resurgent publishing imprint called The LORE Firm. This new enterprise aims to build on the little acknowledged success of the old publication by bringing out new content in both print and online media. What better way to build interest than by reminding readers of the predecessor's wonders?
LORE: A Quaint and Curious Volume of Selected Stories is a treasure trove of hidden Lovecraftiana and weirdism. Hopefully, it constitutes a firm starting point for new explorations that will prove just as impressive.
An anthology of short horror, science-fiction, and dark fantasy tales culled from the pages of the award-winning LORE magazine. Cover art by M. Wayne Miller. Contents: "Chatting With Anubis" by Harlan Ellison, "Vision" by Brian McNaughton, "The Game of Kings" by Tim Emswiler, "The Mandala" by Kendall Evans, "The Guide" by Richard Lee Byers, "Rat Familiar" by Patricia Russo, "Empathy" by Jeffrey Thomas, "The Vehicle" by Brian Lumley, "Thanks" by Elizabeth Massie, "The Galvanic" by James S. Dorr, "Sheets" by Donald R. Burleson, "Water and the Spirit" by Brian McNaughton, "The Unkown Elixir" by Dan Clore, "Rile Fouts and Dead Jake Sorrel" by Lawrence Barker, "The Challenge From Below" (a four-part Lovecraftian round-robin tale) - part one: "Under the Mound" by Robert M. Price - part two: "The Trial" by Peter Cannon - part three: "The Horror at the Lake" by Donald R. Burleson - part four: "Beyond the Wall of Time" by Brian McNaughton.  - 200 pages -

Available at the LOREstore at Amazon by following this link.

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NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!

WHAT DO WE LIKE?

FICTION: We will consider short stories that can be classified broadly as belonging to the Horror, Science Fiction or Fantasy genres. Expand our horizons, challenge or fine-tune convention. We love well-done genre blending and bending, too, like John W. Campbell, Jr.'s “Who Goes There?,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “At The Mountains of Madness,” Philip K. Dick’s “The King of the Elves,” and C.S. Lewis’s “Space” trilogy. Other authors whose work we enjoy include Jorge Luis Borges, Harlan Ellison, R.E. Howard, Shirley Jackson, M.R. James, Brian McNaughton, Clifford D. Simak, Clark Ashton Smith, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Submissions should be between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Send query to [email protected] if shorter or longer than this. Also, if you're asking that we take a look at a work outside these word count parameters, tell us why we will want to make an exception for your work.

REPRINTS: We will not consider unsolicited reprints. Query first. We will want to know such information as when/where did the work first appear? This includes electronic publication (blog, your fb page, excerpts, etc.). Send query to [email protected]. While asking that we consider your reprint, too, tell us why we will want make an exception for your work. Please note, we will only very rarely be interested in considering a reprint. It would need to be something entirely extraordinary to pique our interest.

NON-FICTION: We will not consider unsolicited works of non-fiction. Send query to [email protected].

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: No. Too often, we have had someone withdraw a story from consideration because it was accepted elsewhere. If your story is under consideration somewhere else, please do not submit it to us until you have heard back from the first market.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No.

WHAT DON’T WE LIKE? Genre clichés with nothing new to offer. YA-oriented fads. Superfluous and gratuitous gore or sexual content.

We like poetry, but are not currently considering it for LORE.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Not responsible for unsolicited material.

FORMAT: Points will be adjusted for proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and formatting, one way or the other. It behooves you to present your work in the best possible light.

Standard manuscript format: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuscri...

Submissions should be sent electronically to [email protected] as an attachment in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf format. In the subject line of the email, include your name, and the name of the work you are submitting. In the body of the email, include your contact information, the word count of the work you are submitting, and some brief biographical material. We only accept electronic submissions at this time.

Snail mail inquiries may be sent to:

The LORE Firm, LLC
PO Box 10051
Lancaster, CA 93584

If querying by snail mail, please be sure to include an SASE in order to accommodate a reply.

All queries may be sent to [email protected].

RESPONSE TIME: Update effective 6/1/12: Beginning on 6/1/12, our response time will officially go up to 90 days for submissions received on or after that date.

PAY SCALE: Made by check or by Paypal, as requested.

Fiction: US$.05/word, payable upon publication. Plus, one copy of the edition in which the work appears, as applicable.

Reprints: US$.02/word, payable upon publication. Plus, one copy of the edition in which the work appears, as applicable.

RIGHTS: Exclusive First World English Rights for print and First Electronic Rights for one year from date of print publication. Rights are then no longer exclusive and revert back to the author.

After a ten-year hiatus, the award-winning magazine, LORE, returns to bring you some of the best dark and imaginative fiction, artwork and web content being offered today.

During its initial run, LORE won The Deathrealm Award for Best Magazine, The Dragon’s Breath Award for Best New Magazine and was featured on The SciFi channel’s Sci-Fi Buzz, in addition to seeing coverage in a great many mainstream media outlets.

Some of the fiction LORE published went on to win The Bram Stoker Award, The Deathrealm Award, The World Fantasy Award, and garnered a great many Honorable Mentions in Datlow & Windling’s Years Best Fantasy & Horror. LORE published original works by such luminaries as Harlan Ellison, Brian Lumley, Tom Piccirilli, Jeffrey Thomas, Brian McNaughton, Richard Corben, and many others.

Visit LORE at www.lore-online.com for compelling content, submission guidelines, ad rates, and subscription information. You won’t want to miss the next exciting chapter in LORE’s storied adventure. Be a part of it!

Rod Heather, Editor/Publisher – [email protected]
Sean O’Leary, Editor/Publisher – [email protected]

Zdzislaw Beksinki After just recently launching my new column "The Extinction Papers" (Chapter One available here) at The Teeming Brain, Matt Cardin's electronic meeting place of horror fiction, philosophy, religion, and apocalypse - about which I will go into more detail in the coming days here at The Cosmicomicon - I stand poised to dribble the dark stuff that leaks out of my head into a new corner of the cyberverse.

The Horrifically Horrifying Horror Blog , an always active and endlessly interesting horror corridor which begs to be read regularly based on title alone, just today posted their newest installment in their ongoing project "What Scares You?", which - as of a few minutes ago - now features your truly.

In addition, Emma Audsley, founder and top banana (pronounced "ba-nah-ner" in the UK) of THHHB, has gone daft and extended me an offer to write a regular piece for the site, which will be named "Murmurs from the Ether."  This was initially planned to be the title of my debut collection, but I think it's more appropriate for an electronic column.

The parameters are pretty wide open, but will definitely involve the latest happenings in the Speculative, Horror, and Weird Fiction multisphere.  "Murmurs from the Ether" will differ from my usual postings here at TC in that they will be more timely and thankfully more concise.  Quick hits, rather than a prolonged beating. I think it'll be fun and informative, so keep watching The Horrifically Horrifying Horror Blog while I correlate my contents and dive into a new outlet for my yammering.  Also, for all horror authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, publishers, editors, throat singers, and interpretive dancers - send me news of your recent, current, and coming projects, releases, and gigs, and I'll add them into "Murmurs from the Ether."  Do my job for me, I beg of you, as they're ain't much room left on this stove for any more steaming pots.

And now, get thee to a nunnery.  Failing that, scamper on over to THHHB and check out what frightens the holy hell out of me, then stick around and check out what the monstrous site has to offer.  You can thank me later for stealing your next 4-6 hours.
Another Beksinski, as much like Pringles and obsessive hang-ups, you can never have just one.

Original Festival and Poster Art by Nicholas CollinsSeptember is the Burning Season in Los Angeles.

Rain is a memory. Everything shunned by irrigation and the army of imported gardeners stumbles, dries, and dies. The heat is such that residents are reminded that the marine layer has its limits and we are, indeed, subject to the ravages of an American summer that seems to get hotter every year.

Then the flames come, down from the high country, chewing up hillsides and turning palm tress into 50 foot birthday candles; taking back what we think we own and digesting into the sandy dust that is as old as the stars that birthed it.

Yes indeed, September is the perfect time to run from the city and suburb and head to the ocean, where the air is still clean and the waves still remember our long ago march from the reef. Come September, we'll all gather by the sea, where we'll be safe. Right?

Not exactly...

September in L.A. also means madness filtering down from the incomprehensible void beyond space and time, as the annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Los Angeles turns quiet, quirky downtown San Pedro into a garrison of cosmic horrors our feeble minds are unable to process. Yes, true believers, the festival is back, and bigger than ever. Kicking off September 28th, the HPL FF LA 2012 provides a safe haven for Lovecraftians from far and wide to gather at the edge of the continent to beat hideous drums, watch features and shorts, engage in a Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast, listen to author readings and panel discussions, shop, congregate, debate, Q&A, eat, drink, and be merry - all while wearing a fez.

This is year three of the festival's move south to Los Angeles, and the gala keeps growing. Attendance nearly doubled last year, and is expected to take a huge leap forward again in 2012 (please see reports from festivals of years past here and here).
I will provide more details as we grind towards September's end, but for now, check out the conveniently hyperlinked-up press release below, and purchase your passes now via Brown Paper Tickets before they become scarce.
The Grand ol' Warner:  Deco to Die For - photo by Fez-o-rama's head monger Jason RodgersThe H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® - Los Angeles

September 28 and 29, 2012

NOTE: Although this is "Carmageddon II", and the 405 freeway will be closed between the 10 and 101, the 110 and 105 will be open, and the festival will continue. Don't be afraid of the freeways!

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® promotes the works of famed American science fiction and horror author H.P. Lovecraft through motion pictures by both professionals and amateurs, current and classic, national and international. The festival was founded in 1995 by Andrew Migliore in Portland Oregon to promote and encourage film and television adaptations of Lovecraft's great works and other, similar weird tale writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, M.R. James and Robert E. Howard.

This is the third year the HPLFF-LA® has played at the classic art deco Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California.

The HPLFF-LA® is partnered with the Grand Vision Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer-run 501(c)(3) organization.

Grand Vision's mission is to preserve and promote the historic Warner Grand Theatre and foster artistic, cultural and educational activities in the Theatre and the Harbor/South Bay area of Los Angeles.

We are sponsored by the San Pedro Historic Waterfront Business Improvement District (PBID).

Tickets purchased here are cheaper than at the door.

FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL EVENTS

5pm to 7pm - Join us for dinner at the nearby Whale & Ale, a Victorian-era themed English pub.

Reservations must be made directly with the Whale & Ale here or on their Facebook page.

The are offering us a special discounted meal (salad, choice of entree, dessert) for fest-goers at $21 per person, tax included or, for $17, choose any two entrees off the menu.

Make your reservations directly with the Whale & Ale for Sept. 28, between 5 and 7pm.

11:15pm to 1am - A post-festival party as the Whale & Ale bring us a happy hour menu and prices: $4 English tap beers, house wines, cocktails & a special Happy Hour food menu.

SATURDAY SPECIAL EVENTS

Noon to 4 pm - Brunch 'n Fun at the nearby Grand Vision Annex. Enjoy a delicious catered breakfast from Happy Diner along with indie Lovecraftian games (card, board, and video), spooky author readings, story time, digital art show and the inimitable Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast led by Cody Goodfellow.

THIS IS A SEPARATELY TICKETED EVENT. PURCHASE TICKETS WITH YOUR FESTIVAL TICKETS.

Admission includes food but not alcoholic drinks. Cash bar for 21+, bring photo ID.

11:30 pm to 2am - Post-fest party at the Grand Vision Annex. Cash bar
Theater Schedule

Friday (September 28) - doors open at 7pm

Macabre Fantasy Radio Theater will present a live audio drama of The Statement of Randolph Carter.

Films announced soon!

Saturday (September 29) - doors open at 4pm

The Real Ghostbusters episode "The Collect Call of Cathulhu" - Written by Michael Reaves and originally aired in 1987, this is the first introduction of Cthulhu to the small screen, and a classic, landmark episode.
The Ghostbusters must track down a stolen copy of the Necronomicon. Many inside references mentioned in the dialogue for the HPL fans.
Winston - "Cathulhu? I heard of him. He's bad, right?"
Egon - "He makes Gozer look like Little Mary Sunshine."

South Park: The Coon Trilogy - uncut and uncensored, the kids take on Great Cthulhu himself after he was summoned from BP drilling on the moon.

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated : Season 1 episode "The Shrieking Madness" -- Following the break-up of Mystery Inc., the gang decides to move on with their lives by touring a nearby university, but they are forced to delay their plans when the campus is terrorized by a mysterious creature known as Char Gar Gothakon, whose screams can destroy anything in its path. With the voices of Jeffrey Combs as "H.P. Hatecraft" and Harlan Ellison as Himself.

Short Subjects: the latest and best independent shorts from around the world

Doctor Glamour by Andrew W. Jones

more films announced later!

GUESTS

Our special guest for 2012 is Michael Reaves, a writer known for scripting series such as Batman: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Twilight Zone. An anthology he co-edited with John Pelan, Shadows Over Baker Street , features Sherlock Holmes stories set in the world of Lovecraft.

Mr. Reaves will receive the Howie Award for his contributions to Lovecraft cinema, penning the classic 1987 episode of The Real Ghostbusters entitled "The Collect Call of Cathulhu", the first time Cthulhu appeared on television.


AUTHORS:
Cody Goodfellow
Denise Dumars
T. E. Grau
Michael Tice
Bryan Thao Worra

VENDORS:
Fez-o-rama
Badali Jewelry Specialties
The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
more on the way!
Visitors can stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (three blocks from the Warner Grand in the historic district of San Pedro) at a discount. Use code HPL when booking online (discount only good until 8/28).This festival is presented courtesy of the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® and Lurker Films (www.lurkerfilms.com).
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This is one of the few times in Southern California when fans of cosmic horror and the Weird can come together, drink beer and wine from large paper cups in a movie theater, and just soak in two full days of Lovecraftiana. It shouldn't be missed. It CANNOT be missed. Come down to the bay and dream with us squids, won't you? The Man Under the Hat Behind the L.A. Fest - Aaron Vanek( TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE )

Remember when vampires were cool?  Menacing?  Legitimately sexy to anyone other than a 14 year old girl?

I don't really either.  The long, proud, once horrifying legacy of accursed bloodsuckery has been sadly tainted nearly beyond repair by CGI glitter and slouching faux teenagers.  What a thousand years made, three sequels have almost surely destroyed.
The 21st Century:  Wussing up horror for twelve years and runningI used "nearly" and "almost," as vampires are indeed immortal, and will live on, one way or another, until the end of time.  And while their street cred has been damaged, the root of the vampire remains unchanged, as long as there are those who recall and champion what made vampires the terror of the Eastern Hemispehere for centuries, chilling blood at the very mention of these monstrous creatures who are more apt to suck you dry and/or rend you in two than take you shopping at the local teen mall.  Although manually rending asunder a cow eyed fanperson at the local teen mall does sound quite wonderful...
Ah, to be wizened enough to remember when vampires were scary as shit and wanted to eat you, not mope you to deathSo, if you're like me, and a fan of the Old School (and often Old World) when it comes to creatures of the night - or creatures of any time of the day, really - as well as a geography dork/history buff, do yourself a goddamn favor and check out In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide , written by Steven P. Unger, which is a fascinating, exhaustive exploration of the real roots of Count Dracula and the overarching vampire mystique.  This is history told on the ground, through travel, research, and first hand exploration.  Living, breathing history of those that no longer do, nor never did.  This is the past told the right way.
Bran Castle - The Carpathians ain't no Disneyland, son.The official press release - which does a much better job than I ever could explaining the book's attributes and accolades - is provided below:
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My book, In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide, is published and distributed by World Audience Publishers. (http://worldaudience.powweb.com/pubs_...).

Photoarticles describing my book have been published in the online magazine Romar Traveler at http://www.romartraveler.com/ROMAR07/... Patricia's Vampire Notes at http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogsp... and in The Copperfield Review at http://www.copperfieldreview.com/inte..., among many other sites.  In September 2011, In the Footsteps of Dracula was ranked 5th in a survey of the World's Best Romania & Moldova Travel Guides (http://www.flaier.net/c/The_Best_Roma...), ahead of Lonely Planet Romania (ranked 7th) and National Geographic Traveler: Romania (ranked 12th).

Comprising approximately 30,000 words and 185 photographs, In the Footsteps of Dracula is the first and only book to include:

*   For the armchair traveler, pictures and descriptions, in memoir form, of every site in England and Romania that is closely related to either Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his historical counterpart, Prince Vlad Dracula the Impaler.

* A thorough history based on original research and face-to-face interviews with experts—such as the Man in Black of Whitby, England—of how the novel Dracula came into being, and almost never happened.

* The true life story of Vlad the Impaler, connecting his lineage for the first time in print to the Brotherhood of the Wolf, which had already survived for two thousand years when Prince Vlad was born in 1431.

*  For the independent traveler who would leave his armchair for the Great Unknown, a Practical Guide to the Dracula Trail, including a complete Sample Itinerary with recommendations for lodging and detailed instructions on traveling to each British or Romanian Dracula-related town or site—at a small fraction of the cost of Western European-only travel.  Also in the Practical Guide are sections on money; recommended reading; modes of transportation; security and health; internet access, shopping, and cable TV; and alternatives to independent travel.

Between January 2010, when the 1st Edition of In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide was published, and December of that year, almost 100 related reviews and articles appeared in print and online.

Ranging from horror fanzines to scholarly journals, and originating from locations throughout the United States to countries as disparate as England, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa, the reviews of In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide were not only overwhelmingly positive, but cried out for more back-story, travel guide updates, and even deeper insight into the mind of Bram Stoker and the influences and inspirations that drove him to write his undying Gothic novel, Dracula.

In response, the 2nd Edition of In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide was released on December 21, 2010.  The 2nd Edition, available now as a paperback and e-book from its dedicated World Audience Web page well as from www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.de, and www.amazon.com/Kindle), includes:

     -- References, Web Links, and Costs Updated to December 2010;
     -- The First Review of Dracula Ever Written, Published in the Manchester Guardian on June 15, 1897;
     -- A New Section on Bram Stoker's Dublin;
     -- A Rare Photo of a Wolf-Dragon, the Original Source of the Name "Dracula," Carved Within the Ruins of a Prehistoric Dacian Temple in Transylvania; and much, much more!

In Flames Rising Dot Com (http://www.flamesrising.com/footsteps...), reviewer Jason Thorson wrote:

In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journal and Travel Guide (Second Edition) is exactly what the title implies it is.  But what the title doesn't imply is how rich this book is with information.  It really is stunning.  Steven P. Unger deserves high praise for the mere existence of his opus; but moreover, the book is well written and provides the ultimate tome of Dracula data for classic horror fans.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a more entertaining nonfiction read.

Book Title:   In the Footsteps of Dracula:  A Personal Journey and Travel Guide
Author:  Steven P. Unger
Publisher:  World Audience, Inc.
ISBN:  978-1-935444-53-4
Publication Date:  December 2010
Price:  $20.00; 258 pages with 185 black-and-white photos

Distributors:  US: Ingram (www.ingrambook.com), Amazon.com (www.amazon.com), Baker & Taylor (www.btol.com), Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), NACSCORP (www.nacscorp.com); UK: Amazon.co.uk (retailer, www.amazon.uk), Bertrams (wholesaler,www.betrams.com, Blackwell (library supplier, www.blackwell.com/library_services), Book Depository (Amazon Marketplace, www.bookdepository.co.uk), Coutts (library supplier,www.couttsinfo.com), Dawson (library supplier, www.dawson.co.uk), Gardners (wholesaler,www.gardners.com), Mallory International (wholesaler, www.malloryint.co.uk), Paperback Bookshop (Amazon Marketplace, www.paperbackshop.co.uk).
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For those of you in the New Orleans area this weekend, or keen for some last minute travel to one of America's truly great Gothic outposts, Steven will be signing In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide Sunday, July 15 at the Boutique du Vampyre (the "original New Orleans Vampires Store" - ain't competition a bitch?) at 3:00 pm, as part of the A Midsummer Nightmare Festival, which kicks off today in one of my favorite cities in this world or any other.

Along a quiet, tree-lined street doth lurk...As much as it brings convenience to our silly, self important lives, technology kills a great many beautiful things.  The hiss of steam engines.  The clack of a typewriter.  Actually looking at your surroundings while outside, instead of staring down at that glowing rectangle clutched in your hand.

But one of the greatest harms wrought by the explosion of Electronic Everything is the slow bloodletting of the local bookshop trade.  What Amazon couldn't kill by making an impulse book purchase just a mere  click away, eBooks have nearly snuffed by beaming printed page into another one of those damnable glowing rectangles.  Your average Joe Ma & Pa book retailer - hell, even the gargantuan book chains - just can't keep the lights on in an environment such as this.  Humans are fickle, easily distracted water sacks, jonesing for the next toy rather than realizing the toys we already have are more than could possibly ever need.

So how wonderful is it that not only is an independent bookseller thriving in media-addled Los Angeles (okay, Burbank, to be exact), but an indie book shop devoted entirely to horror fiction and related ghoulish media.  That's what Dark Delicacies does, and has done, since 1994, when Del and Sue Howison creaked open the crypt doors and shared with the lighted world one of the most comprehensive shops devoted to the gruesome and macabre the west coast had - and has - ever seen.  Dark Delicacies is the home for horrorheads in Los Angeles.

I'm not proud to say that up until about a month ago, when chum and colleague John Palisano had his book signing there, I had not yet darkened the door of Dark Delicacies.  Ives and I had been meaning to get out there several times, but the vagaries of schedule, and weekends devoted almost entirely to either family or writing/editing the last few years, have kept casual browsing time among haunted stacks to a nearly non-existent minimum.  So, I was super excited and happy for the excuse that John's release and signing of his debut novel Nerves afforded me.  To the darkest heart of Burbank I sojourned....
This is Dark Delicacies - HorrorHead ground zero in L.A.I was not disappointed.  After queuing up and waiting while John chatted with fans new and old, I ducked down aisles and poked around in corners, finding pretty much anything a devoted fan of horror would ever want.  Books, toys, movies, t-shirts, fragrances, collectibles, graphic novels, antiques, oddities, bizarrities, rarities, and novelties.  And lots and lots of signed merchandise, as all dark roads through Southern California eventually travel through Dark Delicacies, bringing in hundreds of individuals devoted to horror and dark fantasy in fiction, film, television, and the visual arts to launch and/or sign their creations.

This place had - and has - everything I've always wanted in one store but dared not dream to discover.  I felt like a gearhead at Pep Boys.  A stoner in a donut shop.  A redneck at a gun show...  I felt giddy, and in between reaching for my wallet as yet another coveted item caught my eye, I felt like I had come home.

To give you a better feel of this unique hollow of beautiful shade, please enjoy a mini-gallery of photos, without the cloying nature of my reportage:

Readers really fucking rule. This is the closest Cthulhu has stood next to Sweeney Todd without violating a restraining order The inestimable Jeffrey Thomas gets some well deserved top-o'-the-stacks rack space. If they can sell 'em, why the hell not make 'em? We do love our toys, don't we? 'Dark Delicacies III' gets my hornish seal of approval.   Every horror film worth watching, both great and small Doing my best to insert myself in the cabinet of interesting horrors The Dark Del Himself - as in Howison Every bookstore I enter must endure the Laird Check.  Dark Delicacies passes with flying colors.
Meanwhile, at the signing...

Stoker Award nominated author John Palisano, signing my copy of his debut novel 'Nerves.' I paid Palisano 60 bucks and Coffee Bean Groupon to stick his hand up my bum and make me his Puppet Boy
Go here for more information on Dark Delicacies, and here for more on John Palisano's Nerves, published by the esteemed Bad Moon Books.  Go here for pictures of a dude pulling his eyes off of his face, and here for a delicious green been casserole recipe (you're welcome).

cover by JD BuschSometimes its better to be lucky than good.

This is exactly how I feel about my current position as the Fiction Editor of Strange Aeons magazine, which was a favorite, four-time-a-year read of mine long before I was set up with a SA e-mail account.

As a child of the late 70's/early 80's who haunted dingy book stores and "hobby shops" - as retailers devoted to RPGs, lead figurines, models, comics, fiction, and other geekery were known back then - whenever I could get my mother to drop me off for a few hours, my foundation is girded with the aesthetic of pulpy fantasy/sci fi mags like Heavy Metal , oversize horror comics like Eerie and Creepy , wargaming journals like Dragon and White Dwarf , and brawny, ultra violent sword & sorcery black and whites like Savage Sword of Conan .  My inner world of fantasy was carved out by illustrators and writers of the ghastly and the fantastic, at that age when my mind was a sponge and imagination was my dearest friend.  As such, these images and textures are ingrained in me, bonded with that peculiar childhood DNA that shades the rest of one's days.

This was before I knew who H.P. Lovecraft was (although I was absorbing his echoes almost everywhere), or that Weird fiction existed as a vibrant, established scene, with proud roots, a present, and a future.  This was before I knew that I wanted to be a writer (or an editor), but I was certain - then, and now - that I loved to live in those dark, haunting, exhilarating worlds more than any other. Reality for me was doomed in the face of such unconquerable competition.  Fantasy, and all of its far flung outposts, would be my mental escape route when the dulling grind of reality threatened to pull me down in the morass of the crushingly common.

So, imagine my childish glee when I stumbled across Strange Aeons a few years ago, just as I embarked on my creative journey back home to my roots. It took me back to those cramped, out of the way shops, to that distinctive smell of moldering paper and ink and musty air spiced with junk food wrappers stuffing the bin behind the counter. Strange Aeons seemed like a throwback to those times, and celebrated a tradition of fantasticism and FUN (a concept often forgotten in this often grim, post ironic days) that I had missed so much.

Making the Masthead, flanking a stellar ToCI quickly became a fanboy of the magazine, and struck up a professional relationship with Strange Aeons creator K.L. Young, who - along with
Stay tuned, true believers, and bring that inner child in from outside.  Playing football in the street is fun, but we have so many things to show you best seen under lamplight in a darkened room, while the rest of the flat world sighs.

And now, a walking tour gallery of page shots taken from Strange Aeons Issue #9.  Enjoy, and realize that until you feel that paper between your greasy fingers, you ain't seen nothing yet:

After a very tough selection process, in which I read the works of many of THE top Weird/horror/sci fi fiction writers working today, I finally settled on "Welcome to the Reptile House," by the unparalleled Stephen Graham Jones.  Having an original, fresh-off-the-brain piece from a true rock star of the speculative fiction scene mark my first issue as Fiction Editor is something I never could have dreamed, and makes me so incredibly proud.   Mostly, it serves as concrete testament to the reputation of Strange Aeons among the top level creatives working in the industry.
The first page to SGJ's spanking new story, featuring art by The HatIn "The Corpse's Crusade", you are treated to a further tale of Zothique, Clark Ashton Smith's fabled land of charnel gods, necromancy, and bloodied steel, wrought from the poisoned pen of Cody Goodfellow, who once again joins up with long time collaborator Mike Dubisch to create a boldly illustrated tale that hearkens back to the best of the Pulps and graphic novels that truly are exactly that.
Evil tyrants, flesh eaters, and corpse humpers - Must be another Strange Aeons tale!Issue #9 brings to our regular readers the first regular installment of "Anno Ktulu" (written by K.L. Young and Vincent Ferrante, pencils by Ben "1314" Hansen, graytones by Chris Hagerman, letters by Eduardo Martinez) recently launched with the special edition, oversize one-shot currently available at the Strange Aeons website, which premiered to resounding acclaim at Crypticon Seattle and the 2012 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland last month.  The one-shot ties into the ongoing "Anno Ktulu" storyline that will be running all year in Strange Aeons.  Get in on this innovative story of superheroes set in a Lovecraftian universe now, as you definitely don't want to miss this.


With "Hell Dorado", SA's own cigar chomping Editor-In-Chief Laurence Amiotte pens a story of gunslingers and hellish monsters in the new old west, illustrated by Rob Corless.

Double threat Lee Davis offers up Part 3 of his supernatural zombiedrama "Bloodworm."
Eric York brings to life an excerpt from H.P. Lovecraft's epic poem "Fungi From Yuggoth" with his distinctive artistic style.

The Eldritch Words segment starts out each issue, giving a lowdown around Strange Aeons HQ, providing a bit of staff and related news, and introducing the wonders in the pages to come. Notice the smiling gent on the right. That's Strange Aeons staff artist Nick "The Hat" Gucker, who has decided that 2012 is now officially his.  Thank goodness he likes to share.



Also included in Issue #9 is an official report taken from Portland's recent H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, where SA's own Nick Gucker won the first annual "Pickman's Apprentice" competition, besting such worthy adversaries as renowned artists (and Strange Aeons favorites) Mike Dubisch and Lee Moyer.  Congrats to The Hat, and to all of us, as we're all winners based on the three mind bending end results.  YAY for everyone, and puppies too!

Book reviews are "Forbidden Lore" to us.  In this this issue, we give the business to Rough Music by Simon Kurt Unsworth, Lucky Bastard by S.G. Browne, and Laird Barron's The Croning , with a shout to All Monster Action by the above mentioned Cody Goodfellow, Nick Gucker, and Mike Dubisch in the "Currently Reading" circle.


Our "Unearthed" section features all the cool shit you need to know about, including the Monopoly-style board The Doom That Came to Atlantic City (which absolutely destroyed its goal on Kickstarter), the always fantastic Lovecraft eZine (which has featured work by yours truly), and this wonderful reproduction of Lovecraft's ghost written Weird Tales piece for Harry Houdini titled "Under the Pyramids" (aka "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs"), complete with a working lock and vintage-style U.S. mailbags, featuring art by our global landlord Nick Gucker (who proffers more info here).
In each issue, we always include something extra, from lobby cards to mini posters to your very own kitten (I MIGHT be fibbing a bit about one of those).  In Issue #9, the staff of printing gnomes stashes two "Anno Ktulu" trading cards by some guy named Nick Gucker into each magazine before mailing.  Collect them all, and trade with your friends.  Way cooler than the seventeen Ken Griffey Jr. cards doing exactly nothing in a cigar box in my parents' basement.
Well, that's the penny tour, kids.  Interested?  Goddamn right you are.  Now click through here and pick up the latest Strange Aeons, then work backwards on the previous issues, like any good collector of comics and the Pulps.  We're just getting warmed up, so watch us grow tall, dark, and infinitely monstrous.  We have such Things we'd like to show you...