reading & writing by pub light

Quotes 1/28/12

2012-01-28T00:23:00.000-08:00

“The problem with this part of the world is they have too many fairy tales.” – dialogue from the 1970 film The Vampire Lovers

“Work that pole like a Russian immigrant!” – dialogue from the 2009 film Date Night

“Everybody is looking for the American Dream, but it’s a sucker’s bet.” – dialogue from the 2009 film My One and Only

“ ‘Piffle, man, piffle,’ exploded Iffy in reply. ‘A minor detail. Did Columbus stop investigating the globe because he couldn’t eat it? Did the flavor of the apple that hit Newton on the head affect his theory of gravity, eh?’” – Bruce Dickinson, from his novel The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace

“Reality and unreality, logic and illogic live side by side in similar forms – two parallel rails that never cross. We mentally drive with a wheel in each. A politician who is supposedly as solid as a rock relies on the revelations of a spiritualistic medium. A religious figure who tells us he has transcended this world spends his evenings figuring out ways to avoid taxes. . . Completely avoid the illogical rail and you’ll end up with a cold heart, but lean too far towards it and people will think you’re crazy. Either way, you’re likely to crash.” – Miyuki Miyabe, from her novel The Sleeping Dragon

“Real or not, that’s not something you want to be flashing around like the ass end of a sea donkey!” – dialogue from the 2009 film The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu

“I have a great respect for the Chinese. As a nation they possess that elusive thing, poise, which I sometimes think we [Americans] are losing.” – Sax Rohmer, creator of the character Fu Manchu, in a 1938 article refuting the English-perceived “yellow peril” [fear of nationalistic Chinese in the Western Hemisphere]

“ ‘I’m a great believer in doing things for oneself. The minute you start bringing in officialdom, you’re lost.’ “ – Graham Masterton, from his novel Walkers

“Check out those barbarian idiots with their cockamamie farce of a legal system, locking people up for fishy reasons and putting criminals to death. Good thing Americans put an end to all that nonsense long ago.” – Sarah Vowell, commenting on the 1692 Salem Witch Trials in her non-fiction book The Wordy Shipmates

“I overdone my fun and so poked my paw in the bear trap.” – dialogue from the 1955 film The Kentuckian

“ ‘Smell’ doesn’t begin to touch it. Even ‘stench’ is inadequate. Another word is needed. Perhaps ‘reek,’ or ‘miasma,’ or possibly ‘fetor.’ You could have planted beans in his body odor. Some said it would show up on radar. Paint discolored as he walked by. Flies dropped from the sky behind him.” – Spider Robinson, from his novel Very Bad Deaths

“All bands eventually break up because of one or more of the four P’s: power, property, prestige, p*ssy.” – Dave Mustaine, from his autobiography Mustaine (co-authored with Joe Layden)

“I’d like to strap her on and wear her like a gas mask.” – dialogue from the 2008 film The Messenger

“Never make life decisions with a hard-on and a fifth of tequila.” – dialogue from the animated television show Ugly Americans (Season 1, episode #1: “Pilot”; original air date: 3/17/10)

“Sex designed to procreate? Uhchh! F**kin’ gross!” – dialogue from the animated television show Metalocalypse (Season 3, episode #6: “Fertilityklok”; original air date: 9/26/10)

“Having a baby is like getting a DUI from the universe.” – comedienne Natasha Leggero, from her comedy special Comedy Central Presents: Natasha Leggero (original air date: 3/25/11)

“I don’t mean this in a gross way, but kids are going to have a major hard-on for you.” – dialogue from The Sarah Silverman Program (Season 3, episode #1: “The Silverman and the Pillows”; original air date: 2/11/10)

“Diabolical d*ck-shrinking motherf**ker!” – dialogue from the 2009 film Black Dynamite

The Haunting Hour, by R.L. Stine

2012-01-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2001: kid's horror anthology)

Overall review:

Okay anthology from Stine - a few of these stories ("Revenge of the Snowman"; "How to Bargain with a Dragon"; "Take Me with You") feel too-predictable, lazy, hackish, even for a young audience like Stine's: these are not the worthwhile works of a writer of Stine's publishing stature.

On the other end of the spectrum, these are standout stories: "Can You Draw Me?", "Are We There Yet?" and "The Bad Baby-Sitter".

Not a complete waste of time, this anthology is disappointing, at best.

The Haunting Hour - not these particular stories in their published forms - became the basis for a children's horror series, which began airing on October 29, 2010.

Review, story by story:

1.) "The Halloween Dance" - Two boys, bored at home, go out for kicks n' giggles, and discover how sinister Halloween night can be. Decent story.

2.) "The Bad Baby-Sitter" - Fun, excellent tale about a voodoo-minded babysitter (Lulu) and her two young charges.

3.) "Revenge of the Snowman" - A prank backfires in a big, terrifying way for one of the pranksters (Rick Barker). Decent set-up, plot-lame finish.

4.) "How to Bargain with a Dragon" - Interesting story about a peasant boy (Ned) who must capture a dragon in order to work for a cruel (but infamous) wizard.

This would have been a good story if Stine had provided logical foreshadowing for its end-twist. Disappointing, at best.

5.) "The Mummy's Dream" - A boy (Connor Franklin) suffers from a serious case of mistaken identity. Decent story.

6.) "Are We There Yet?" - Oddball, engrossing tale about a family road trip.

7.) "Take Me with You" - A girl (Kat) is given a musty, haunted trunk. This otherwise solid, mood-effective story is marred by a predictable, lazy ending that easily could have been improved with a mini-twist sentence or two. Disappointing, at best.

8.) "My Imaginary Friend" - Shawn, a boy with an imaginary friend (Travis), gets into big trouble because of Travis. Solid work.

9.) "Losers" - Two judgmental brats at the carnival get their comeuppance. Solid morality tale.

10.) "Can You Draw Me?" - Excellent, fun story about a young artist whose talent abruptly, mysteriously takes a disturbing turn.

**55: Wetlands settlements

2012-01-27T14:41:00.001-08:00

By Steve Isaak

Post-oil spill, the petroleum company lawyer told the work-deprived fishermen that they’d get financial compensation if they agreed to “certain conditions”.

The residents, sick, broke and angry, agreed.

Collecting their signed claims, the lawyer reassured them it’d be okay, that the company was “in control.”

The huge, sudden gator who later ate him felt otherwise.

Copyright ©2011, 2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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This was posted for Mr. Knowitall's latest/weekly Friday Flash 55 writing prompt.

Join us in this 55-word scribble and post joy. =)

Also, leave a comment, if you feel so inclined and have the time!

John Dies at the End, by David Wong (aka Jason Pargin)

2012-01-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2009: prequel to This Book is Full of Spiders)

From the inside flap:

"STOP

" • You should not have touched this book with your bare hands.

" • NO, Don't put it down. It's too late.

" • They're watching you.

"My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours.

"You may not want to know about the things you'll read in these pages, about the sauce, and Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye.

"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THIS:

" • The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension.

" • John and I never had the chance to say no.

" • You still do.

"Unfortunately for us, if you make the right choice, we'll have a much harder time explaining how fight off the otherworldly invasion currently threatening to enslave humanity.

"I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about the terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind:

NONE OF THIS IS MY FAULT."

Review:

Good, gory, zinger line-laden apocalyptic and imaginatively funny novel that would have been excellent, if the author had tightened up the rambling storyline, whose bizarre thrills threaten to peter out in the third quarter of the book. The ending redeems John with its intriguing and (like the rest of the novel) funny finish, which promises a sequel.

Worth reading, despite its excessive length.

Followed by This Book is Full of Spiders, whose draft, according to Wong/Pargin's site, is "now with the publisher".

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The resulting film is scheduled for stateside release sometime in 2012.

Chase Williamson played Dave. Rob Mayes played John. Fabianne Therese played Amy. Paul Giamatti played Arnie. Clancy Brown played Dr. Albert Marconi.

Glynn Turman played Detective Lawrence "Morgan Freeman" Appleton. Doug Jones played Roger North. Daniel Roebuck played Largeman. Jonny Weston played Justin White. Jimmy Wong played Fred Chu. Tai Bennett played Robert Marley.

Angus Scrimm is listed as one of the film's actors, but his role isn't named.

Don Coscarelli scripted and directed the film.

*T F Rhoden's Drywall was published on the Microstory A Week site

2012-01-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

T F Rhoden penned this week's story, Drywall, a warm-hearted suburban piece about a musing, home improving soccer coach.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you have the time and are so inclined!

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Are you or somebody you know looking to publish stories on an experimental-writing-friendly, 700-words-or less site?

If so, check out the Microstory A Week site, which is in dire need of new stories.

The site is a mix of speculative/horror fiction (think Richard Matheson, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison), slice of life works, humor (think Douglas Adams) and everything in between. No X-rated stuff, please.

Here's the guidelines.

**POEM: tap-tap-tap (sanitarium sixteen)

2012-01-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

By Steve Isaak

typing their dark fun lyrics
listening to spun black,
seeking solace
from nerd-smash bullies
and parental marital tensions -
dreaming love
with a metal hearted, raw like sushi
eclectric witch
whose illustrated thighs
instigate bliss and howls, storied vengeance
for later years: our tales,
our lines, our magick –
not theirs

Copyright ©2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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This poem is included in my forthcoming poetry anthology, tentatively titled Leftover poems. It's scheduled for autumn 2012 publication.

I posted this poem for The Mag, #101. (Photo and prompt provided by Tess Kinkaid - thanks, Tess! Pictured Japanese exhibit: Ever by Boris Hoppek.)

tap-tap-tap (sanitarium sixteen) was also posted for Mostly Fiction Mondays, created by Stranger and Me, whose theme for this week is "Parents".

If you have the time, talent and are so inclined, come play with us in these writing prompts! =)

**New website for environmentally-friendly, coupon-using consumers!

2012-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Melinda B., editor and contributor to the sites Melinda Makes Cake and Horses, Cakes and Other Things I Love, and her friend, Kristi, have started a new site for environmentally-friendly, coupon-using consumers: Welcome to Green Mamas. It’s educational, it’s entertaining, and it’s life-changing stuff.

Check it out, if you’re so inclined and have the time. =)

**55: Constance & Cunby go to the big city

2012-01-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

By Steve Isaak

Cunby and Constance, widely considered comely for bridge trolls, left their small town, and entered the Comely Bridge Troll Couple Contest, in the big city. After only winning runners-up (largely because of Cunby’s one large nasal mole), they slaughtered all of the contest’s attendants, in true troll fashion, and took the prize home, beaming beatifically.

Copyright ©2011, 2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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This was reposted for Mr. Knowitall's latest/weekly Friday Flash 55 writing prompt. (This microstory was originally, briefly posted on May 29, 2011, before being taken down for publishing reasons.)

Join us in this 55-word scribble and post joy. =)

Also, leave a comment, if you feel so inclined and have the time!

**POEM: Wonderstruck

2012-01-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

By Steve Isaak

(for Ana Ribeiro)

My future companion,
revealed in two soft letters:
H, I

Copyright ©2004, 2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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This poem is included in my forthcoming 2012 poetry anthology, the tentatively titled Leftover poems. It's scheduled for autumn 2012 publication.

This was posted for Writing Our Way Home's Mindful writing prompt #29, for their theme of "The Wonder in this World".

Have a moment or a few? Join us in the joyous scribble and post derby!

**Sarah Gamutan's New weather was published on the Microstory A Week site

2012-01-18T00:29:00.002-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Sarah Gamutan penned this week's story, New weather, where a vacationing woman struggles to come to terms with her marital failure.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you have the time and are so inclined!

**One of my microstories, Magnolia crows, was published on the Leodegraunce site

2012-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

One of my older mainstream microstories, Magnolia crows, was published on the Leodegraunce site.

This 121-word story about corvine shapeshifters, love and betrayal will appear on the site from January 16 – 22, 2012 (after that it will be replaced by another microstory - Leodegraunce doesn't archive stories).

Check it out, maybe leave a comment, if you’re so inclined and have the time. Thanks!

Hypothermia, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2012-01-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2007, 2009: sixth book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb)

From the inside flap:

"Inspector Erlendur has spent his entire career struggling to evade the ghosts of his past. But ghosts are visiting him, both in the form of a séance attended by a dead woman and also in the reemerging puzzle of two young people who went missing thirty years ago. And there's the ghost of the detective's disastrous marriage, which despite the pleas of his drug-addled daughter, he is unwilling to confront. In addition, he's still obsessed with the disappearance of his brother, who vanished without a trace when they were boys.

"He can only run from his ghosts for so long, and when they finally catch up with him, Erlendur is forced to face the heart-shattering truth of his past."

Review:

Structurally ambitious, entertaining and character progressive entry in the Reykjavik Thriller series.

As with previous Erlendur Sveinsson novels, the mystery element doesn't necessarily extend to the identity of the perpetrator(s) or the victim(s), but, rather, the hows and wherefores of the case(s).

Worth owning, this series.

**POEM: Slay that dragon, already

2012-01-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

By Steve Isaak

(for Larissa Menns)

Fumbling with his sword,
earnest gentle words fall
from his boyish lips:
his hesitance renders
his armor ironic,
she thinks,
wishing he’d fell the beast.

Feigned patience curves her smile,
her cliff-attached chains
and flowing red robes
both willingly donned.

Her wrists yearn for his freeing fingers;
her lips, their first kiss,
as the leafy-plated beast
rages in the air, roaring down rocks, land
into brine,
fire in the dragon's inimitable stare.

“Yes, I understand,” she says, eying
her key-weighed necklace.

Copyright ©2002, 2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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This poem is included in my forthcoming 2012 poetry anthology, the tentatively titled Leftover poems. It's scheduled for autumn 2012 publication.

I posted this poem for The Mag, #100. (Photo and prompt provided by Tess Kinkaid - thanks, Tess! Sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor.)

Slay that dragon, already was also posted for Mostly Fiction Mondays, created by Stranger and Me, whose theme for this week is "The Crush".

Next Monday's (1/23/12) theme for Mostly Fiction Mondays (aka MFM) is "Parents".

If you have the time, talent and are so inclined, come play with us in these writing prompts! =)

Image of the Beast, by Philip José Farmer

2012-01-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1968, 1969. Foreword by Theodore Sturgeon)

From the back cover:

"A grisly love-murder is recorded as a home movie. It is so hellish that seasoned policemen turn from it in horror. Then a second film is discovered. It shows the startling transformation of a beautiful, sensual woman into a ravening wolf. And this is only the beginning. . ."

Review:

This multigenre novel (in actuality two conjoined, plot-bound novellas, Image of the Beast and Blown) is one of the best science fiction/horror/neo-noir novels I've ever read. It seamlessly melds elements of the above genres into an often hilarious, reader-seizing read.

The plot: Herald Childe, a P.I., is investigating the horrific, freakish murder of his slimy business partner (Matthew Colben), when his tempestuous ex-wife, the aptly-named Sybil, disappears, too, leading him deeper and deeper into a fluid-splattery cosmic struggle that he couldn't have foreseen.

The darkly-comedic, carnally-explicit, over-the-top and literature-sourced storyline will likely appeal to horror/science fiction/neo-noir readers who don't mind mixing their genres, or seeing clichés skull-blasted into something original and unforgettable.

Worth owning, this. Pick it up, already! =)

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Big thanks to Gary Russell, a great friend who recommended - and sent - Image to me almost ten years ago. (I told you I'd get around to reading it!)

Gary Russell is an accomplished author of many stories, including Morph. and Nikkatsu. He co-edits the microfiction website, Leodegraunce - check it out! - with the incomparable and talented Jolie Du Pre

**One of my stories, Splatterdays, was published in the Best Gay Romance 2012 anthology

2012-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

I just received two copies of the Richard Labonté-edited anthology, Best Gay Romance 2012, which contains one of my stories, Splatterdays. (Splatterdays is about two guys who fall in love at a thrash metal concert.)

Not only am I thrilled to see this story published (and get paid for it), I'm also thrilled to be sharing anthology space with C.C. Williams, whose distinctive work I've continually admired since I read it in the Erotica Readers & Writers Association online writing group! (C.C.'s excellent, tender story is called The Prisoner.)

This anthology is scheduled for January 17, 2012 publication, for those readers who are inclined towards the erotica genre, and arent' (strictly) hetero in their reading habits.

Here (again) is the home site for the anthology, which can also be purchased at Amazon.com.

Quotes 1/12/12

2012-01-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

“I was watching the Bowery Boys on TV one day and Satch did something stupid. Muggsy turned around to him and said, ‘Hey, Satch, school’s out!’ As street talk that meant wise up. I liked that, the way it sounded.” – Alice Cooper, on the inspiration for the song “School’s Out” (Gallery magazine, November 1975)

“My twelve-year old son and his friends make short video films all the time. They also play music together, and are in a couple of bands. Watching them work, the choices they make on instinct, and seeing how much of a kick they get out of it makes me think, ‘Yeah, I need more of that.’ “ – actor/director Steve Buscemi, on what inspires his work (Filmmaker magazine, Fall 2003 issue)

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Writing is a dog’s life, but it’s the only one worth living.” – Gustav Flaubert

“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” – Oscar Wilde

“It took me twenty minutes to snort all the cocaine the dog had on her coat. The fringe benefits of this were that the fleas, the dog hair, the mud and the sweat went in my nose, too. It’s not a good flavor coming off the dog.” – actor Gary Busey, in a Maxim magazine interview (August 2003 issue)

“The more you know about yourself and what you want, the less things upset you.” – dialogue from the 2003 film Lost in Translation

“Dad, I’m surrounded by man-eating chickens right now. . .” – dialogue from the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

“Justice and revenge. That’s chocolate and peanut butter, as far as I’m concerned.” – dialogue from the television show Burn Notice (Season 4, episode #16: “Dead or Alive”; original air date: 12/9/10)

“You know, strictly speaking, throttling the staff is my job.” – dialogue from the television show Torchwood (Season 1, episode #2: “Day One”; original air date: 10/22/06)

**Alvin G. Burstein's The crawfish boil was published on the Microstory A Week site

2012-01-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Alvin G. Burstein penned this week's story, The crawfish boil, where a Louisiana BBQ get-together is interrupted by an uninvited guest.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you have the time and are so inclined!

Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies, by Shel Silverstein

2012-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

(hb; 1964: children's poetry book)

Review:

Fun, imaginative, often laugh-out-loud funny collection of (mostly) short poems by Silverstein, whose penned verses are accompanied by his equally idiosyncratic illustrations.

I loved eighteen (the majority) of the poems in this collection - especially:

The Crawfee

That silly fish, the Crawfee,
Has been swimming in my coffee,
But now I've drunk it up
And he isn't in the cup.
And he's nowhere to be found. . .
Do you think that he has drowned?

and

About the Bloat

In the undergrowth
There dwells the Bloath
Who feeds upon poets and tea.
Luckily I know this about him,
While he knows almost nothing of me.

Don't Bump the Glump! is a wonderful, smile-inducing work for readers of all ages. Worth owning, this.

**HAIBUN: No heater

2012-01-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the bathroom, clipboard and paper balanced on my knees, penning paying lines, knuckle-brushing my silky cat, who’s terrified by my construction-shuddered apartment, outside parking lot shattered, asphalted by metallic-rattle equipment and daylong Spanish – worried and broke, I’m still better, stronger than I was in my earlier, crappier years, which you say define me.

still, I ask
my cold quake cat:
who’s soothing who?

Copyright ©2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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I wrote this for my forthcoming 2012 poetry anthology, the tentatively titled Leftover poems (inspiring title, yes). It's scheduled for autumn 2012 publication.

No heater is a companion/contrast piece to the poems No air conditioning and three days, which were published in my most recent anthology, Behind the wheel: select poems (also available in e-book form at Lulu.com).

I posted this haibun for The Mag, #99. (Photo and prompt provided by Tess Kinkaid - thanks, Tess!)

No heater was also posted for Mostly Fiction Mondays, created by Stranger and Me, whose theme for tomorrow is "Best Friends".

If you have the time, talent and are so inclined, come play with us in these writing prompts! =)

New Hope for the Dead, by Charles Willeford

2012-01-06T15:09:00.001-08:00

(pb; 1985: second book in the Hoke Moseley series)

From the inside flap:

"Miami homicide Hoke Moseley is called to a posh neighborhood to investigate a lethal overdose. There he meets the alluring stepmother of the decedent, and begins to wonder about dating a witness. Meanwhile, he has been threatened with suspension by his ambitious new chief unless he leaves his beloved, if squalid, suite at the El Dorado Hotel and moves downtown. With free housing hard to come by, Hoke is desperate to find a new place to live. His difficulties are only amplified by an assignment to reinvestigate fifty unsolved murders, the unexpected arrival of his teenaged daughters, and a partner struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. With few options and even fewer dollars, he decides that the stepmother of the dead junkie might be the solution to all his problems."

Review:

This follow-up to Miami Blues is gentler in tone than Miami.

Like Miami, though, New Hope is a masterful blend of neo-noir, relatable (and series-progressive) characters, and dark absurdist humor - near-impossible-to-set-down, classic read, this: own it, already!

Followed by Sideswipe.

**POEM: Six years gone

2012-01-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

(for Thomas Michael McDade, fellow road verse warrior and female curve appreciator)

Goodbye, Pacific Northwest:
I threw off years of self-exile,
self-sabotage,
ready to caffeinate ‘n’ roll,
black metal melodies,
Mindcrime II and statewide tree blur,
ditching cold divorce carniwhore
bruises and blues,
East Bay bound –
sad to leave my Spokane family,
I knew I’d miss New Years
with Jon, Salina, Jasmin and Tom,
cannibal holocaust hockey games,
Seattle and Portland roadtrips,
and my ex-stepson,
whom I’d probably never see again;
still I was glad to return home,
see the City,
with its cinematic Midnight Masses,
trashy tranny showgirls,
used music and book shops,
and orgasmic pizzerias –
one day, I might even have tea with
that witty Whittier woman
who had moved, haunted me
before the carniwhore.

Copyright ©2012 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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I wrote this for my forthcoming 2012 poetry anthology, the tentatively titled Leftover poems (inspiring title, yes). It's scheduled for autumn 2012 publication.

I posted this for The Mag visual writing prompt, #98: Marina Moevs' 2005 River (seen above).

**One of my stories, Love, Loud as a Bomb, will be published in Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories

2012-01-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

One of my erotica stories, Love, Loud as a Bomb, is getting published in Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories, set for a June 12, 2012 release.

Love, Loud as a Bomb is a light, fast-moving, theme-tasteful story. Its elements include: prescience, a natural disaster and a hetero date. It's fluff, but it still (somewhat) reads like one of my oddball works. I'm looking forward to reading the other authors' stories, as well, especially Remittance Girl's Proof of Desire (hi, Rem!).

Quick correction to the anthology promo site: Love, Loud as a Bomb is not set in Hawaii - a point mentioned in my story.

This anthology was edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, who’s snipped, expanded and otherwise put together forty-plus other erotica anthologies.

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Rachel Kramer Bussel is offering copies of Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories to you, the reader, for no charge, if you're willing to read and review the anthology on its Amazon page (link below) by June 30, 2012.

Here's the details, from her email to all Suite Encounters contributors:

“The official pub date is June 12th. . . I'm definitely in search of Amazon reviewers (must be in US and must have an Amazon.com account they've made a purchase from) if you know anyone who wants a free book (and a chance to plug your work!). They can just send me their mailing address with "Amazon" in the subject line and they will get a signed copy hot off the press from me, before books are even in stores. I just ask that they review it by June 30th.”

Rachel’s email address: hoteleroticabook@gmail.com

Check it out, and take supportive advantage of Rachel's offer, if you're so inclined - also, per her request, please click the Facebook "like" on the anthology's Amazon page if you find yourself agreeing with that button!

Miami Blues, by Charles Willeford

2012-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1984: first book in the Hoke Moseley series. Introduction by Elmore Leonard)

From the back cover:

"After a brutal day investigating a quadruple homicide, Detective Hoke Moseley settles into his room at the un-illustrious El Dorado Hotel and nurses a glass of brandy. With his guard down, he doesn't think twice when he hears a knock at the door. The next day, he finds himself in the hospital, badly bruised, with his jaw wired shut. He thinks back over ten years of cases, wondering who would want to beat him into unconsciousness, steal his gun and badge, and most important, make off his with his prized dentures. But the pieces never quite add up to revenge, and the few clues he has keep connecting to a dim-witted hooker, her ex-con boyfriend, and the bizarre murder of a Hare Krishna pimp."

Review:

Darkly and brutally hilarious crime comedy that fans of Elmore Leonard will likely enjoy. It's all there: character quirkiness, effective violence and humor, and water-tight, character-centered plotting and pacing.

This is a wonderful neo-noir read, worth owning.

Followed by New Hope for the Dead.

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Miami Blues was released stateside as a theatrical film on April 20, 1990. George Armitage scripted and directed the film.

Alec Baldwin played Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (aka "Junior"). Fred Ward played Sgt. Hoke Moseley. Jennifer Jason Leigh played Susie Waggoner.

Charles Napier played Sgt. Bill Henderson. Nora Dunn played Ellita Sanchez. Paul Gleason played Sgt. Frank Lackley.

An uncredited Brent Armitage, son of the film's director, played "Carjacked Dealer".

**Janet Yung's Behind the shed was published on the Microstory A Week site

2012-01-04T01:54:00.001-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Janet Yung penned this week's story, Behind the shed, where a girl's secret could result in parental blowback.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you have the time and are so inclined. =)

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I am in need of new stories for the Microstory site, if you or anyone you know is looking to get published somewhere other than their blogs.

I'm a big fan of speculative fiction/horror/anything that mixes genres (particularly Ray Bradbury, Chuck Palahniuk, Douglas Adams, Richard Matheson, Clive Barker, Harlan Ellison), but I'm also open to other mainstream elements.

Here's the guidelines.

Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher

2012-01-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2008: memoir)

From the inside flap:

". . . In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of 'Hollywood in-breeding,' come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.

". . . Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It's an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty - Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher - homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandised on eerything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning that the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed."

Review:

Hilarious, admirably entertaining and breezy read about what could have been a dark, sad read about a likewise life: lifelong (and often surreal) fame, bipolar depression, drug addiction, sexual/romantic confusion (in her choice of date mates), and other, in her words, "f**ked up" stuff.

Good, word sly and often sarcastic read, this.

**One of my stories, The Woman on the Grass, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site

2012-01-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

One of my older stories, The Woman on the Grass, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site.

This story was originally published on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website in December 2001 (and later in my anthology Charge of the scarlet b-sides: microsex stories & poems, available through Lulu.com) – Woman is a romantic “strangers in the night” homage to the works of Anaïs Nin.

Check it out, and leave a star rating/comment, if you’re so inclined, and have the time. =)

Arctic Chill, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2012-01-01T11:41:00.001-08:00

(hb; 2005: fifth book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb)

From the inside flap:

"On an icy January day, the Reykjavik police are called to a block of apartments where a body has been found in the garden: a young, dark-skinned boy, frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Erlendur and his teams embark on their investigation and soon unearth tensions simmering beneath the surface of Iceland's outwardly liberal, multicultural society. Meanwhile, the boy's murder forces Erlendur to confront the tragedy in his own past. And before long, facts emerge from the snow-filled darkness that are even more chilling than the Arctic night."

Review:

Good, entertaining and character progressive entry in the Reykjavik Thriller series, as worthwhile as the previous Erlendur Sveinsson books.

Worth owning, this series.

Followed by Hypothermia.

**Michael A. Kechula's Ugly duckling was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Michael A. Kechula penned this week's story, Ugly duckling, where a misfit woman's transformation sets into motion of a series of events she could not have foreseen.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Quotes 12/28/11

2011-12-28T04:57:00.000-08:00

“Waiter, will you serve the nuts – I mean, will you serve the guests nuts?” – dialogue from the 1934 film The Thin Man

“Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon.” – dialogue from the 2009 film The Hangover

“He who seeks power by riding the back of a tiger usually ends up inside it.” – President John F. Kennedy, from his Inaugural Address

“But I like my life – it fits me like an itchy Christmas sweater.” – dialogue from the animated television show Ugly Americans (Season 2, episode #9: “Mummy Dearest”; original air date: 8/25/11)

“Experience is a good teacher, but a costly one.” – Golden Rules Brake sign (Spokane, WA., 12/10/03)

“Do alligators alligate?” – dialogue from the animated television show The Simpsons (Season 22, episode #3: “Money Bart”; original air date: 10/10/10)

“ ‘I have to go to the bathroom,’ she said, wondering if kinky sex with the lizard-mutant man was really worth the pain and paranoia. As she limped out of the room, she recalled her many orgasms, more combined than she’d experienced in twenty years of marriage to a man she could no longer stand, and realized, yes, it was worth it.” – Will Viharo, from his novel A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge

“It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily.” – dialogue from the 1932 film Shanghai Express

“When one is at the end of a catalogue of perversions one can always start all over again through the corruption of an innocent, he reflected.” – Ken Cowley, from his story “The Last Sin” (published in the anthology Vampire Stories, edited by Richard Dalby)

“Forget voodoo, we’re doing flyers.” – dialogue from the animated television show Bob’s Burgers (Season 1, episode #10: “Burger Wars”; original air date: 4/10/11)

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Quotes lists are posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays, by Heather Brewer

2011-12-27T08:48:00.002-08:00

(hb; 2008: second book in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod)

From the inside flap:

"If middle school stunk for Vladimir Tod, high school is a real drain. Besides being a punching bag for bullies, he's still stalled with dream girl Meredith, and he's being tailed by a photographer from the school paper. Needless to say, practicing his vampire skills hasn't exactly been a priority for Vlad - until now. A monumental trip to Siberia with Uncle Otis is Vlad's crash course in Vampire 101. Training alongside the most gifted vampires is exactly what Vlad needs to sharpen those mind-control skills. . ."

Review:

Good, reader-hooking, story- and character-expanding follow-up to The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites.

Worth reading, this.

Followed by The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Tenth Grade Bleeds.

**Jim Harrington published an interview with me on his Six Questions For. . . site

2011-12-27T08:48:00.001-08:00

Jim Harrington, whose story, The good lie, graced the Microstory A Week site, published an interview with me on his Six Questions For. . . site on December 26, 2011.

The interview was in regards to my Microstory A Week site (which publishes a different author every week).

Here's the link for the interview.

Jim's site is a great resource for working authors. Check it out, if you're inclined and have the time!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer

2011-12-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2007: first book in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod)

From the inside flap:

"Junior high really sucks for thirteen year old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vladimir has a secret: his mother was human but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers and no one to teach him, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a strange substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he realizes he has a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer who is closing in. . . fast!"

Review:

Eighth Grade Bites is a fun, waste-no-words take on vampirism and high school with plenty of humorous and respectful nods at other fang-themed works and legends (e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer), while maintaining its own distinctive elements.

Adult or well-read readers will no doubt spot the twists long before they happen, but, bearing in mind that this is a tween book, these twists are effective foreshadowings of what is likely to happen in future Vladimir Tod books.

Worth reading, this.

Followed by The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays.

**Rayna Bright's Meat, spuds and turnips was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-12-21T00:17:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Rayna Bright penned this week's story, Meat, spuds and turnips, where a family meal takes on new significance.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division, by Jon Ginoli

2011-12-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

(pb; 2009: rock 'n' roll memoir)

From the back cover:

"Deflowered is Jon Ginoli's journey of self-discovery, musical passion, and drive to become the founding member of Pansy Division, the first out and proud punk rock band to make the national scene. We follow the band from their inception in the early '90s in San Francisco, to their search for a music label, and their current status as indie rock icons. We see the highs - touring with Green Day - and the lows - homophobic fans - of striving for acceptance and success in the world of rock. Featuring behind-the-scenes photographs and replete with the requisite tales of sex, drugs, groupies, band fights and label battles, this rollicking memoir is also an impassioned account of staying true to their artistic vision of queer rock 'n' roll."

Review:

Engaging, humorous, and fast-burn read that's more focused than most rock memoirs. More than another self-absorbed "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" make-cash book, this has progressive political passion to it, lending itself to a bigger, necessary movement.

Fun, thoughtful, important work - worth owning if you're a rock/pop punk memoir collector, a proponent of the LGBT movement or a Bay Area resident.

If you're a California resident, and interested in seeing the band live, they're playing two California shows next month - one in Berkeley (Friday, January 27, 2012) and another in Los Angeles (Sunday, January 29).

The Draining Lake, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2011-12-18T23:56:00.001-08:00

(hb; 2004, 2007: fourth book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder)

From the inside flap:

"Following an earthquake, the water level of an Icelandic lake suddenly falls, revealing a skeleton that is weighed down by a heavy radio device bearing inscriptions in Russian. Inspectors Erlendur, Elinborg, and Sigurdur Oli's investigation takes them back to the Cold War era, when bright, left-wing students in Iceland were sent to study in the 'heavenly state' of Communist East Germany.

"But one of the students went missing, and her friends suspected that her 'heavenly state' was all too real. Erlendur follows a long cold trail that leads back to Iceland, international espionage, and murder."

Review:

Absorbing, fast-paced and worthwhile entry in the Reykjavik Thriller series. The mystery isn't so much who the killer is, but how the pieces fit together, made even more interesting by its settings, past and present, and its series-progressive characters (ongoing and new).

Worth owning, this series.

Followed by Arctic Chill.

Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento, by Maitland McDonagh

2011-12-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1991, 1994, 2010: non-fiction)

From the back cover:

"The horror films of Italian filmmaker Dario Argento have been described as a blend of Alfred Hitchcock and George Romero - psychologically rich, colorful, and at times garish, taking the best elements of the splatter and exploitation genres and laying them over a dark undercurrent of human emotions and psyches. Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds, which dissects such Argento cult films as Two Evil Eyes, The Bird with the Crystal Plummage, Suspiria, and Deep Red, includes a new introduction discussing Argento's most recent films, from The Stendahl Syndrome to Mother of Tears; an updated filmography; and an interview with Argento.

Review:

Excellent and interesting analytical study of Argento's oeuvre - his great, not so great and in-between works: a must-read for Argento fans.

Worth owning, this.

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Argento's influence found its way into this poem I wrote and published in 2010: Rotten tooth blues (Dario Argento mix).

**Thomas Michael McDade's Weber-o-lantern was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-12-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Thomas Michael McDade penned this week's story, Weber-o-lantern, where war, guilt and other life-dark elements are the topic of a profanity-laden, heated jailhouse conversation.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

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I am in need of new stories for the Microstory site, if you or anyone you know is looking to get published somewhere other than their blogs.

I'm a big fan of speculative fiction/horror/anything that mixes genres (particularly Ray Bradbury, Chuck Palahniuk, Douglas Adams, Richard Matheson, Clive Barker, Harlan Ellison), but I'm also open to other mainstream elements.

Here's the guidelines.

**The Every Night Erotica site is looking for submissions

2011-12-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

Erotica writers, past, present & future:

Every Night Erotica - its adult content and publishing schedule inherent in its name - is looking for submissions.

Editor Jennifer Case accepts stories that are mainstream-ish and experimental, as long as there's a sexual element to them - judging by some of my quirky stories that the site has published (e.g., Porn buddy booty call). Not only that, Jennifer is easy to work with.

The site pays $3 per 2K-or-less-words story, and often publishes the same authors - like myself - twice a month. I know it's only $3 per story, but it adds up over time, particularly if you're re-peddling old, dust-covered stories and dashing off fun fluff pieces. (Your work being published online automatically makes it a viable work for many higher-paying 'Best of' print anthologies that come out during the year, also, provided your work fits their themes.)

If you're interested in writing and publishing such stories, but uncomfortable using your real name, write under a nom de plume.

As with any site/calls for submissions, make sure you check out the site and its submissions guidelines.

**I will be 'guest editor' on the popular Leodegraunce site for their May 2012 issue

2011-12-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

For the month of May 2012 I will be guest editor on the Leodegraunce site (which pays $5 per accepted story). The writing theme for that month is Cinema, as in: movies.

Associate editor Gary Russell will be reading my 4-5 final selections, to ensure that the stories are exactly that – in short: don’t send scenes, make sure there’s a plot arc in your work(s).

The popular Leodegraunce, normally edited by Jolie Du Pre and Gary (thanks, guys!), publishes 200-words-or-less microfiction. And your work(s) must be 200 words or less (word count doesn’t include title and by-line). Any works, even an excellent 201-word story, will be rejected automatically, due to the high number of submissions the site receives every month.

Note that the site allows authors to submit as many flashers (200 word stories) as they want per theme/month.

Get those stories written and submission-ready – May will be here before we know it - and let your imaginations run riot: anybody who knows me knows I’m open to different ideas, wild, mild or in between as they may be. Make sure you read Leodegraunce's site and guidelines before you submit any stories.

In the meantime, Leodegraunce's theme for their January 2012 issue is freedom; the deadline for this issue is December 31, 2011.

Quotes 12/12/11

2011-12-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

“I love any holiday where we celebrate a Bloody Mary. . . I love any holiday that involves three kings bringing gifts of gold, Frankenstein and fur . . . What?. . . What the hell is myrrh? Well – I love any holiday where we throw a Yule log on the fireplace and wait for a fat guy to drop down so we can roast his nuts over the open fire! . . . Well, that’s how I celebrate it – everyone has their own traditions!” – Elvira, aka Cassandra Peterson, from her midnight movie show Elvira’s Movie Macabre (Season 1, episode #10: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians [1964]; original air date: 12/25/10)

”I don’t want to cause any panic, but if you’re not currently panicking that is reason enough to freak out. . . I don’t know who, but someone keeps dumping suspicious white powder on my lawn every winter!” – Stephen Colbert, from this variety television show The Colbert Report (original air date: 12/8/11)

“Stupid snow! I always knew I’d die caked in something!” – dialogue from the animated television show The Simpsons (Season 12, episode #8: “Skinner’s Sense of Snow”; original air date: 12/17/00)

“Ho. . . ho. . . ho. . . crap.” – dialogue from the television show Eureka (Season 4, episode #10: “O Little Town”; original air date: 12/7/10)

“Tell me something. . . is this a midweek seduction, or the opening gambit of a con job?” – dialogue from the 1966 film Assault on a Queen

“We don’t lie to people, we don’t do that. We just believe invalid truths.” – dialogue from the 2010 film Get Him to the Greek

“Candy canes are not elf bones.” – what Bart Simpson is writing on the school black board in the introduction to the animated television show The Simpsons (Season 22, episode #9: “Donnie Fatso”; original air date: 12/12/10)

“You know, that’s always been my problem. People think I’m being vulgar when I’m being serious. And they think I’m being serious when I’m being vulgar.” – dialogue from the 1984 film The Razor’s Edge

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” – Albert Camus

“A man learns by two things. One is reading. The other is association with smarter people.” – Will Rogers

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Quotes lists are posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

No Beast So Fierce, by Edward Bunker

2011-12-12T14:57:00.001-08:00

(hb; 1973)

Review:

Excellent, straightforward, no-frills crime drama-tale about an ex-con (Max Denbo), who, out on parole, works hard to stay "straight" (out of prison), only to be pushed back into his shady, sometimes violent ways by the very people who are supposed to be helping him become a better man.

The author, Edward Bunker, was himself a longtime prison inmate who discovered the pragmatic catharsis of writing while in the joint. He turned this into a lucrative post-joint career and had a few of his novels turned into good films (e.g., The Animal Factory). The upshot? Bunker knows what he's writing about.

Worth owning, this.

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The resulting film, Straight Time, was released stateside on July 14, 1978.

Dustin Hoffman played Max Denbo. Theresa Russell played Jenny Mercer. Gary Busey played Willy Darin. Kathy Bates played Selma Darin. Jake Busey, billed as Jacob Busey, played Henry Darin (Jake is the real-life son of Gary Busey - in the film he plays his father's character's son).

Harry Dean Stanton played Jerry Schue. M. Emmet Walsh played Earl Frank (the cinematic equivalent of the novel's Joseph Rosenthal). Rita Taggart played Carol Schue. Sandy Baron played Manny.

Source novel author and co-screenwriter Edward Bunker played Mickey.

The film was co-directed by Ulu Grosbard and an uncredited Dustin Hoffman, from a script penned by Edward Bunker (as mentioned before), Jeffrey Boam, Michael Mann (uncredited) and Nancy Dowd (uncredited), which itself was based on Alvin Sargent's story/adaptation.

**One of my stories, Schlock Cinema, was published on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-12-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Schlock Cinema, a Sapphic, romantic, explicitly sexy homage to horror films (namely actresses Ashley Laurence and Ingrid Pitt, as well as Hammer Films), was published on the Every Night Erotica site.

Schlock Cinema is an indirect sequel to Hot Flicks and Wreck room; it’s a prequel to Kat & Mirah’s midnight show (all of these stories have been re/published on the Every Night Erotica site).

Check these stories out and leave a comment, if you’re so inclined and have the time. =)

Batman: Tales of the Demon, by various writers and artists

2011-12-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1991: graphic novel; "Introduction" by Sam Hamm; "Afterword" by Dennis O'Neil)

From the back cover:

" 'There was no doubt that Batman needed a worthy opponent. We set out consciously and deliberately to create a villain in a grand manner, a villain who was so exotic and mysterious that neither we nor Batman were sure what to expect.

'Hence, Rā's al Ghūl - "the demon's head."' - from the introduction by Sam Hamm"

Review:

This graphic novel brings together several Batman-related comic book series: Batman, issues #242-244; Detective, issues #411, 485, 489, 490; and DC Special. They were published in 1971, 1972, 1978, 1979 and 1980.

I owned an earlier, slightly shorter version of this graphic novel when I was kid, in the mid-Seventies - it was a slender, 11x17" affair, its cover showing Batman screaming over a seemingly dead Robin, while Rā's al Ghūl and his sexy daughter, Talia, look on from the background.

It was the first graphic novel that I owned, purchased by one of my aunts - thanks, Ant K! - who knew what a Batman fan I was. (Sadly, I no longer own that comic book - I don't know what happened to it.)

Reading the more recent/retitled effort as an adult, I encountered similar, continual frissons that I'd first felt as a kid, while memorizing the older version - though this time my excitement was mixed with nostalgia.

Rā's al Ghūl was - is - just as dangerous, "exotic and mysterious" (to use the back cover description) as he was when I was a pre-teen; Talia, his seductive daughter, even wilder and more tastefully amatoric, and Batman darker, rougher and more ambiguous in his hero/outlaw identity. This, no doubt, was an intentional, opposite reaction to the entertaining cheesiness of the late Sixties television show, on the part of those who wrote and drew these comics.

Excellent, sensational, visually dramatic and macabre as it was thirty-plus years ago, this graphic novel is book-ended by an "Introduction" (by Sam Hamm) and "Afterword" (by Dennis O'Neil), which provide further, illuminating behind-the-scenes context regarding the tales contained therein.

Worth owning, this.

**Baird Nuckolls' Scarred was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Baird Nuckolls penned this week's story, Scarred, where a young girl and her brother learn about how tricky pumpkin carving can be.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Shivers III, edited by Richard Chizmar

2011-12-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

(pb; 2004: horror anthology - prequel anthology to Shivers IV)

Overall review:

Warning: (possible) - necessary - spoilers in this review.

Shivers III is a decent, but disappointing anthology, considering the talent involved in this endeavor.

Stories that disappointed: "Itsy Bitsy Spider. . ." - Meggan C. Wilson & F. Paul Wilson (with its lazy, Amateur Hour it was all a dream but not really finish); "Hedges" - Al Sarrantonio and "This, and That's the End of It" - Tom Piccirilli (which hinge on odd, intriguing Twilight Zone-esque concepts, only to spin their plot wheels, without going anywhere); "End of the Line" - Michael Laimo (solid tale, at least until its lazy, dogsh*t finish).

The rest of the stories are either standout endeavors (see below) or not quite solid pieces that feel generic, rushed or overly long (see the bottom of this review).

Shivers III is worth checking out from the library. Don't buy it without reading it first.

Standout stories:

1.) "Underneath" - Kealan Patrick Burke: Good, entertaining tale about a nerd (Dean Lovell), a bully (Freddy Kelly) and an ugly girl (Stephanie Watts).

I saw one of the key twists coming straightaway, but it didn't ruin the story for me, as the twist could have, with a few altered lines, gone in way different direction.

2.) "Horn of Plenty" - Thomas F. Monteleone: A mid-level jazz band leader (George Thurston) recounts the story of his trumpet player - or "Horn Man" in jazz parlance - and a strange midnight blue horn.

Good, entertaining story.

3.) "Becoming Men" - Douglas Clegg: In a rehabilitation camp for juvenile delinquents, inmates are spurred to action when of their own is murdered. The twist isn't unexpected, but the story is solid, attention-keeping.

4.) "Flip Flap" - Elizabeth Massie: A carny midget (Mattie) and her lover, Edward, look for - and possibly uncover - a way to unsaddle Mattie of her abusive, drunken slave-master of a boyfriend.

Noiresque, succinct revenge and love story. One of the best entries in this collection.

5.) "A Question of Doves: A Brackard's Point Story" - Geoff Cooper: Intriguing tale about a malevolent little girl, birds and strange disappearances.

Excellent piece.

6.) "Panteon Version 2.0" - Brian Keene & Michael T. Huyck Jr.: When dead celebrities return from the dead - not as zombies, but as cognizant beings - it's the first event in a series of dark, often humorous events.

Solid, entertaining work.

7.) "Celebrate With Us" - Paul Melniczek: The presence of spectral trick-or-treaters reminds a man (Jim) of a recent tragedy - and its belated correction.

Good, engaging piece, with an effective plot wrinkle.

8.) "The Lingering Scent of Brimstone" - J.F. Gonzalez: A little girl (Amy Doyle) is kidnapped, and when her captor is gorily dispatched, and Emily recovered unharmed, the questions begin: who killed Amy's attacker, and why do Amy and her parents (Emily and Jeff) have missing pinkie fingers?

The twisty, relatable explanation isn't unexpected, but it's well written and well-foreshadowed. Good read.

9.) "Run Away" - Wrath James White: A former drug addict/dealer confronts literal people-eating demons.

Solid, character-interesting read.

10.) "Please Let Me Out" - Edward Lee: Joyce Lipnick, a wealthy businesswoman, tries to reign in her straying pretty-boy lover (Scott), with interesting results.

Effective, distinctive, twisty tale. One of the best entries in this collection.

Other stories:

"Initiation" - David G. Barnett; "What They Left Behind" - Brian Freeman; "The Hole" - John Maclay; "This House is Not My Home" - Robert Morrish

**Eric Svehaug's A hint of wind was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-11-30T14:04:00.001-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Eric Svehaug penned this week's story, A hint of wind, about a contemplative priest riding out doubtful tides.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Macho Sluts, by Pat Califia

2011-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1988: erotic/BDSM story anthology)

From the back cover:

"Macho Sluts showcases the best erotic fiction from Pat Califia. Here she explores S/M fantasy in previously taboo territory: a lesbian's encounter with three gay male cops, a leatherman who loves to dominate other topmen, an incestuous Victorian triangle, a lucky girl who gets to take on eight topwomen, and more - even a dash of vanilla."

Overall review:

This is one of the best BDSM anthologies I've read because Califia's writing reflects his (she had a sex change operation) mission to not only produce hot wank writing, but to educate his audience about the politics and social/personal dynamics that shape the lives of LGBT people, in and out of the sack.

The blurb on the front cover isn't hyperbolic salesmanship: this is a "landmark erotic" work - for those readers/writers who want to go beyond the usual pornoriffic/romantica/vanilla fluffiness that often suffuses erotic anthologies.

Macho Sluts is worth owning for sex writers and readers, not only for its diverse, intriguing tale-telling, but for its educational and assuredly subversive tone.

Review, story by story:

1.) "Introduction" is exactly that: a non-fiction passionate, mostly positive piece that honestly shows what sexual freedom (including BDSM) entails, and how restricting those freedoms is a dangerous, life-negative practice and mindset.

This is an informative, wonderful, logical article that ably refutes the venomous, small-minded emotionalism of those who would deny others the right to seek what makes more open-minded folk happy in the bedroom.

2.) "Jessie" - Liz, a lesbian, hooks up with a BDSM aficionado (Jessie) for an overnight session that yields more than the usual dominative/submissive orgasms.

Excellent, romantic, engaging story with characters that are relatable (on key levels) and also worth rooting for.

3.) "The Finishing School" - Boundary-widening tale about a family of women - Berenice, her daughter (Clarissa) and Clarissa's aunt (Elise) - and their incestuous love-play and history.

While "Finishing" initially squicked me out, I respect that the story keeps with the spirit of Califia's oeuvre - that is, brazenly and intelligently pushing the erotica envelope. His writing ranks among his best writing, so, for me, it (mostly) dispels my discomfort with the subject matter.

4.) "The Calyx of Isis" (novella) - Alex, a dyke, vigorously tests the sincerity of her lover's love via sexual punishment by a dozen BDSM lesbians hired at a club.

This 92-word tale incorporates a variety of sex play, characters, and their attitudes. Occasionally, with so many characters, the story threatens to become a dramatic plug-the-orifices-by-numbers catalogue, but for the most part, Califia avoids that, pulling off a piece of work that shows different levels of domination, love and respect, with Califia's inherent gender and political messages intact.

Excellent, ambitious novella.

5.) "The Hustler" - A cross-dressing butch woman (Noh Mann) revisits her socio-sexual history as she angles to get ahead in a dystopian hellscape of pain and fleeting bliss.

Intense, succinct-in-its-descriptions, stand-out work that bristles with natural, raw urban energy.

6.) "The Surprise Party" - Solid, relatively light-toned piece about a dyke's secret fantasy of getting kidnapped and rough trade f**ked by three gay men finds real-life, good-natured expression.

7.) "The Vampire" - So-so, chatty entry about about a bloodsucker (Kerry) and her adoring stalker (Iduna).

8.) "The Spoiler" - An emotionally out-of-touch Dom discovers that ignorance regarding his long-term effect on others may become the reason for his downfall.

Interesting, effective, educational blend of gamic/subgenre philosophy, drama and sex-play.

9.) "A Dash of Vanilla" - Exemplary, melancholic roller coaster of a cunnilingus story, about a lesbian with low self-esteem, who's in a relationship with a selfish lover.

10.) "A Note on Lesbians, AIDS, and Safer Sex" - Non-fiction, practical/educational piece about the titular subjects. Excellent for its informational writing.

**One of my stories, Trust, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-11-29T22:45:00.000-08:00

Trust, a noir-nasty sex tale inspired by the work of Jim Thompson, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site.

Trust was originally published on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association site in June 2001, under the nom de plume “Qi Fear”. It was later republished under my real name in my 2010 anthology Charge of the scarlet b-sides: microsex stories & poems.

Succulent Prey, by Wrath James White

2011-11-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

(pb; 2008)

From the back cover:

"Could serial killers be victims of a communicable disease? Fifteen years ago, Joseph Miles was attacked by a serial child murderer. He was the only one of the madman's victims to survive. Now he himself is slowly turning into a killer. he can feel the urges, the burning needs, getting harder and harder to resist. Can anything stop him - or cure him - before he kills the only woman he's ever loved? Or before he infects someone else?"

Review:

Succulent Prey is a blunt, sexually- and cannibal-direful novel that reminds me of Jack Ketchum's earlier work (specifically Off Season) in its ugly, unrelenting ferocity.

White's over-the-top tale pushes that rawness into unique and genre blending (and blasting) territory, gouging new ideas out of familiar flesh-rending. Fans of graphic sexual and gut-roiling horror will likely enjoy this unsettling, milestone work.

Worth owning, this.

**Richard Cody’s poem, Haunted, was republished on the Phantom Kangaroo site

2011-11-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

Richard Cody, whose microstories – Alice and Lisa - appeared on the Microstory A Week site, has republished another powerful poem, Haunted, in issue 13 of Phantom Kangaroo.

This poem was originally published in one of Richard's poetry anthologies, This is Not My Heart.

Check out his work, and these sites, if you’re so inclined and have the time!

Voices, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2011-11-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2003, 2006: third book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder)

From the inside flap:

"The Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand Reykjavik hotel when Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson is called in to investigate a murder. The hotel Santa has been stabbed, and Erlendur and his detective colleagues have no shortage of suspects between hotel staff and the international travelers staying for the holidays.

"But then a shocking secret surfaces. As Christmas day approaches, Erlendur must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a possible romantic interest, and untangle a long-buried web of malice and greed to find the murderer."

Review:

Voices, like its predecessor novels - Jar City and Silence of the Grave - is a fantabulous, focused police procedural with engaging (and succinctly drawn) characters, wry humor, riveting writing, and equally riveting case-based revelations.

Worth owning, this.

Followed by The Draining Lake.

Quotes 11/28/11

2011-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

“I require three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid.” – Dorothy Parker

“Ah, there’s nothing like the sweet smell of a domesticated woman.” – dialogue from the television series Jack of All Trades (Season 1, episode #2: “Sex and the Single Spy”; original air date: 1/24/10)

“. . . I don’t believe in love’s generosity. When analyzed it is, on the contrary, one of the most selfish passions in creation. It absorbs us entirely within its influence. “ – Anonymous, from the story “The Weird Woman” (from the anthology The Twelve Frights of Christmas, edited by Isaac Asimov, Charles G. Waugh and Martin Harry Greenberg)

“The only reason you read Moby Dick was because you thought d*ck was in it!” – Sam Kinison, from one of comedy routines

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin

“What’s good in a morning with sex toys in it?” – dialogue from the 2004 movie A Dirty Shame

“So this morning, as I look into your eyes and into the eyes of all my brothers in Alabama and all over America and all over the world, I say to you, ‘I love you. I would rather die than hate you.’” – Martin Luther King, Jr., in a November 17, 1957 sermon in the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church [located in Montgomery, Alabama]

“We must delight in each other, make each other’s condition our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body.” – Massachussetts Bay governor [and Puritan] John Winthrop (from a speech given sometime in the mid-1600s)

“That’s what writing is. You’re keeping people alive in your head.” – Carl Reiner

“The more history I learn, the more the world fills up with stories. Just the other day, I was in my neighbhorhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey caffé mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exploration of Aztec caocao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle’s Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention and consumerism served with whipped cream on top. No wonder it costs so much.” – Sarah Vowell, from her non-fiction book The Partly Cloudy Patriot

“It was quite a trick to write when [my three] children were small. Fortunately, they got used to being ignored. Kids need a modicum of being ignored, just as they need a soupcon of boredom. Being ignored is how you find out you’re small potatoes, exploration, and discovery.” – Tabitha King, from the magazine Onyx Reviews (May 2006)

“I would’ve knocked, but my fists had other plans.” – dialogue from the television series Jack of All Trades (Season 1, episode #1: “Return of the Dragoon”; original air date: 1/17/10)

“Karate? The Dane Cook of martial arts? No. . .” – dialogue from the animated television series Archer (Season 1, episode #1: “Training Day”; original air date: 1/14/10)

“And Sunny crawled around solemnly biting each of Edgar and Albert’s shoes, leaving small bite marks in each one so she would not be forgotten.” – Lemony Snicket, from his children’s book A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First: The Bad Beginning

#

Quotes lists are posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

V is for Vengeance, by Sue Grafton

2011-11-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2011: twenty-second book in the Kinsey Millhone mysteries)

From the inside flap:

"A woman with a murky past who kills herself - or was it murder? A spoiled kid awash in gambling debt who thinks he can beat the system. A lovely woman whose life is about to splinter into a thousand fragments. A professional shoplifting ring working for the Mob, racking up millions from stolen goods. A wandering husband, rich and ruthless. A dirty cop so entrenched on the force he is imune to exposure. A sinister gangster, conscienceless and brutal. A lonely widower mourning the death of his lover, desperate for answers, which may be worse than the pain of his loss. A private detective, Kinsey Millhone, whose thirty-eighth birthday gift is a punch in the face that leaves her with two black eyes and a busted nose.

"And an elegant and powerful businessman whose dealings are definitely outside the law: the magus at the center of the web."

Review:

Good, entertaining, fast-read book - the Kinsey tale is a crime novel, not a who-done-it. The mystery element, if there is one, lies in how the facts, events and characters fit together (and will end), not who the murderer is.

V is for Vengeance comes together in satisfactory fashion, with deft foreshadowings of possible sequel events.

Worthy entry in the Kinsey Millhone series.

**Matthew Dexter's The wizard of the airport was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Matthew Dexter penned this week's story, The wizard of the airport, which takes readers on a disturbing tour of an airline employee’s mind.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

**One of my erotica stories, Asia’s seasons, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-11-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

One of my older microfiction-quadrilogy stories, Asia's seasons, was republished on the Every Night Erotica site. It was originally published on the Erotica Readers & Writers Assocation site, May - June 2003.

This sex-heavy, fast-moving, prose-poetic work is about a couple who engage in sexual experimentation, and learn their limits – as individuals, and as a couple.

This story also appears in my erotica story/poem antho, Charge of the scarlet b-sides: microsex stories & poems.

Check the story and/or the book out, if you’re so inclined and have the time. =)

**John Flynn’s poem, “Olneyville,” was published on the Gutter Eloquence site, November 2011

2011-11-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

John Flynn, aka Basil Rosa, had one of his poems, Olneyville, published in issue #18 of Gutter Eloquence. (Great job, John!)

John, by-lined as Basil Rosa, also published a story, He held on and she kept saying time to go, on the Microstory A Week site in October 2011.

If you have a moment, and are so inclined, check out John’s work!

Them Or Us, by David Moody

2011-11-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

(hb; 2011: Book Three of the Hater trilogy)

From the inside flap:

"The war that has torn the human race apart is finally nearing its end. With most towns and cities now uninhabitable, and with the country in the grip of a savage nuclear winter, both Hater and Unchanged alike struggle to survive.

"Hundreds of Hater fighters have settled on the East Coast in the abandoned remains of a relatively undamaged town under the commandof Hinchcliffe - who'll stop at nothing to eradicate the last few Unchanged and consolidate his position at the top of this new world order. This fledgling society is harsh and unforgiving - your place in the ranks is decided by how long and how hard you're prepared to fight.

"Danny McCoyne is the exception to the rule. His ability to hold the Hate and to use it to hunt out the remaining Unchanged has given him a unique position in Hinchcliffe's army of fighters. As the enemy's numbers reduce, so the pressure on McCoyne increases, until he finds himself at the very center of a pivotal confrontation, the outcome of which will have repercussions on the future of everyone who is alive."

Review:

Like the first two Hater books, Hater and Dog Blood, this wrap-up novel is - for the most part - a hard-to-set-down, emotionally trepadatious and ferine read that deftly eschews and reworks zombie-work bromides into something bracing and worthwhile.

My only nit about Them Or Us is that near novel's end Moody has his main character, the melancholic and sick Danny McCoyne, uncharacteristically engage in two Plot Convenient Stupid Moments (aka PCSMs), in order to set up the novel's otherwise edge-of-your-seat finale.

I expect these PCSMs from The Walking Dead (hello, Clichéville!) - that is to say, Moody could have, with a few sentence trims, just as easily set up his homicidal conclusion without McCoyne acting wildly out of character.

That minor nit aside, Them Or Us is still a worthwhile and satisfactory wrap-up to this landmark series, and its end-image, nuanced but honest, is appropiately disturbing.

Worth owning, this.

**Walter Campbell's Big cats was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-11-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Walter Campbell penned this week's story, Big cats, where two hikers are confronted bythe wild.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

In the Flesh, by Clive Barker

2011-11-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

(pb; 1986: story anthology)

From the back cover:

"In the depths of an abandoned steam bath, strangely beautiful women seduce two businessmen into a ritual of macabre sexuality; in a Greek asylum, wise men race frogs to decide the fate of the world; a petty convict's cellmate reveals to him the gruesome birth of evil; a young woman's slum research leads her into the hook-handed grip of The Candyman, a vicious supernatural killer."

Overall review:

This is one of the few perfect anthologies I've read. Barker's writing is word-tight, character-memorable and idea-wild, its themes relevant and relatable, with many of its lines quotable.

In the Flesh is easily one of my all-time favorite anthologies, as well as one of my favorite Barker reads.

Worth owning, this.

Review, story by story:

1.) "In the Flesh" - Cleve Smith, an incarcerated felon, gets a new cellie (Billy Tait), a young man whose quiet manners conceal a harsher, gorier world.

Perfect, gripping, exemplary read that references one of Barker's other stories, "The Books of Blood" (collected in the anthology Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume One).

2.) "The Forbidden" - A woman (Helen), writing a sociological theme paper, happens upon a shadowy urban legend that may be far more relevant than she ever imagined.

Thought-provoking, wise (in its roots-of-fear way), exciting and unique - not to mention (again), perfect.

Two directly-linked films resulted from this story.

The first, a 36-minute short titled after the story, was released in 1978.

Peter Atkins played Faust. Doug Bradley, Julia Blake, Phil Rimmer and Lyn Darnell also acted in the short, though their roles aren't named on imdb.com.

Clive Barker, who scripted and directed the film, also acted in it.

#

The second version, Candyman - this one a full-length work - was released stateside on October 16, 1992.

Virginia Madsen played Helen Lyle. Tony Todd played The Candyman (aka Daniel Robitaille). Xander Berkeley played Trevor Lyle. Kasi Lemmons played Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh. Vanessa Williams played Anne-Marie McCoy. Ted Raimi played Billy. Rusty Schwimmer played "Policewoman".

Bernard Rose scripted and directed the film.

Two sequels, both of them starring Tony Todd, followed: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and the direct-to-video Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999).

3.) "The Madonna" - An abandoned bathhouse is the site of damnation or salvation for two men, a wealthy thug (Ezra Garvey) and his business partner (Jerry Coloqhoun).

Gripping, distinctive and science fiction-wild take on the themes of masculinity/femininity, religion and motherhood, with a story finish that is reader-resonant.

In 1989, Eclipse Books published a comic book mini-series, Tapping The Vein, that is based on Barker's writings.

Fred Burke adapted, and Stan Woch, Fred Von Tobel and Mark Farmer illustrated "The Madonna" in issue #4 (its front cover is seen below). This same issue contains an adaptation of one of Barker's other stories, "Hell's Event" (published in Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Two).

4.) "Babel's Children" - Vanessa Jape, an insatiably curious, roadtripping woman, stumbles upon a long-held, world- and life-changing secret on a backroad.

Fun, relatively light work, that's as fascinating and relatably weird as the other stories in this anthology.

Quotes 11/12/11

2011-11-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

“Sunday morning and Scotch on your breath?” – dialogue from the 1960 film Butterfield 8

“Dude, this van’s like Rolling Probable Cause.” – dialogue from the animated television show Archer (Season 2, episode #13: “Double Trouble”; original air date: 4/21/11)

“Shank rolled down the street thinking, what to do now? How far could he get with two unwilling men in his truck? He’d just committed a violent crime and was driving with an unconscious whore next to him and a tied and gagged Laotian in the back, all of this in a stolen truck. Cops would soon be everywhere thinking there was a violent abductor of gay Laotian and Nazi whores roaming the otherwise safe streets of Toronto. A new plan was needed.” – Rick Polney, from his short story “Shank’s Lesson” (published in the story anthology Taken By Force, edited by Christopher Pierce)

“Time travel? That’s a reasonable plan?” – dialogue from the television show Supernatural (Season 6, episode #18: “Frontierland”; original air date: 4/22/11)

“. . . I’m a multi-multi-multi-millionaire. I’m an American entrepreneur. The irony, right now, is that I feel like an anaphylactic polar bear with a bunny rabbit shoved up its ass. I’m not going to explain it to you, it’s just that thing – money, money, money, money. . . Everybody’s trying to get to that bunny rabbit.” – dialogue from the 2009 film Middle Men

“. . . why does one so powerful waste so much time. . . with talk?” – dialogue from the 2009 graphic novel Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Two, by Alan Moore, Stephen Bisette and John Tottleben

“. . . this town is full of fools. They think money is the great intimidator. They don’t realize the more you rely on money the weaker you become until your brain goes flabby with disuse and you make all the wrong decisions.” – Eric Van Lustbader, from his novel Sirens

“This isn’t Wall Street! This is hell! We have a little something called integrity.” – dialogue from the television show Supernatural (Season 7, episode #8: “Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!”; original air date: 11/11/11)

“. . . Archer claims that if you, as a living, alive person, hear the song ‘You’re the One That I Want’ from the musical Grease three times in a single day – seemingly by accident. . . it indicates that you’ll surely die before sunset. In contrast, the phantom odor of scorched toast merely means that a deceased loved one continues to watch over you and protect you from harm.” – Chuck Palahniuk, from his novel Damned

“Was it wise to always believe what the dead told you? Were they purged of all deceit by the act of dying, and delivered into their new state like saints?. . . Most likely, they took their talents with them, good and bad, and used them as best they could. There would be shoemakers in paradise, wouldn’t there? Foolish to think they’d forgotten how to sew leather.” – Clive Barker, from his story “In the Flesh” (published in his anthology In the Flesh)

“In my experience, any time anyone offers you a ‘golden’ anything, you say ‘no.’” – dialogue from the animated television show Good Vibes (Season 1, episode #1: “Pilot”; original air date: 10/27/11)

#

Quotes lists are posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

**Natalie McNabb's August at the Fair was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-11-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Natalie McNabb penned this week's story, August at the Fair, where an perspicacious girl visits a carnival.

Check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

**Several of Dani Harris' pieces will be published on the Spark site, November 8 - 29, 2011

2011-11-07T23:50:00.001-08:00

Dani Harris, whose prose-poetic stories have graced the Microstory A Week site, has had two poems, moonlight sonata and passionflower, published on the Spark site recently.

Her verses work in conjunction with Ainsley Allmark's colorful photographs.

If you're inclined, and have the time, check them, and dani's website out!

The Looking-Glass War, by John le Carré

2011-11-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

(hb; 1965)

From the inside flap:

"Vital films of Soviet troop movements in the Eastern Zone of Germany are lost and the courier killed. A small intelligence unit is authorized to put an agent over the frontier. . ."

Review:

This is a decent read. It has interesting characters, intradepartmental intrigue and edge-of-your-seat action, particularly when British agent (Fred Leiser) finds himself pursued by German troops on foreign soil, cut off from any support his agency (the Department) might offer him.

As an added treat for le Carré's regular readers, George Smiley and his boss, Control, get in on the spy-play, as well.

The element that mars this book is some of the transitional segments, where le Carré shows the workings of the agencies as Department agents, long out of the field, analyze their information and train Leiser for his secret border crossing; while some of the character chatter is necessary, these parts run a bit long - perhaps, as they might, in real life: to the novel's minor detriment, it sometimes bogs down the storyline.

So-so book, with some great characters and intriguing bits.

#

The resulting film, The Looking Glass War, was released in the UK in September 1969. It was released stateside on February 4, 1970.

Timothy West played Taylor. Ralph Richardson played LeClerc. Paul Rogers played Haldane. Ray McAnally played "Undersecretary of State". Anthony Hopkins played John Avery. Christopher Jones played Leiser.

Maxine Audley played Mrs. LeClerc. Anna Massey played "Avery's Wife". Pia Degermark played "The Girl".

Frank Pierson, billed as Frank R. Pierson, scripted and directed the film.

**One of my stories, Wreck room, was published on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-11-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

One of my less plot-oriented erotica pieces, Wreck room, a trashy, fun tale about a lesbian church quickie, was published on the Every Night Erotica site.

If you’re so inclined and have the time, check it out, and leave a star rating/comment!

**Jim Harrington's The good lie was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-11-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Jim Harrington penned this week's story, The good lie, where a potentially painful mother-adult child conversation is negociated.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk

2011-11-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

(hb; 2011)

From the inside flap:

" 'Are you there, Satan? It's me, Madison,' declares the whip-tongued thirteen-year-old narrator of Damned. . . The daughter of a narcissistic film star and billionaire, Madison is abandoned at her Swiss boarding school over Christmas while her parents are off touting their new projects and adopting more orphans. She dies over the holiday of a marijuana overdose - and the next thing she knows, she's in Hell. Madison shares her cell with a motley crew of young sinners that is almost too good to be true: a cheerleader, a jock, a nerd, and a punk rocker, united by fate to form the six-feet-under version of everyone's favorite detention movie. Madison and her pals must trek across the Dandruff Desert and cross the Valley of Used Disposable Diapers to confront Satan in his citadel, and all the popcorn balls and wax lips that serve as the currency of Hell won't buy them off."

Review:

Damned is a sly, snarky, voice-true, twisty and reader-addictive novel that ably melds YA fiction, dark hilarity and Dante's The Inferno.

Worth owning, this.

**One of my microstories, Evie, was published on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association site

2011-10-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

One of my more somber 200-word stories, Evie, will be published on the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website for the entire month of November.

While this R-rated, disturbing microstory, which explores childhood memories, death, emerging sexuality and hope, has brief carnal references in it, it isn’t what I, or most people, would call “erotica” – it reads more like a dark mature drama.

If this sounds like something that might interest you, check it out. =)

Silence of the Grave, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2011-10-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

(hb; 2002, 2005: second book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder)

From the inside flap:

". . . a corpse is found on a hill outside the city, and Detective Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his team think the body may have been buried for some years.

"While Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, slowly but surely he finds out the truth about another unhappy family. Few people are still alive who can tell the tale, but even secrets taken to the grave cannot remain hidden forever."

Review:

Silence of the Grave is a high-quality, pins-and-needles Jar City follow-up that balances the warm, succinct humanity and humor of the characters and the wince-evincing facts and action relating to the mysterious bones.

Worth owning, this.

Followed by Voices.

Quotes 10/28/11

2011-10-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

“There is nothing more powerful than this attraction towards an abyss.” – Jules Verne, from his novel Journey to the Center of the Earth

“I would love to get killed in a horror flick.” – dialogue from the 2010 film 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams

“[We’ll call these hybrid monsters] ‘Jefferson Starships’ because they’re horrible and hard to kill.” – dialogue from the animated television show Supernatural (Season 6, episode #19: “Mommy Dearest”; original air date: 4/29/11)

“A car cannot be killed. It was murdered.” – dialogue from the animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Season 1, episode #1: “Rabbot”; original air date: 12/30/00)

“I didn’t want to kill it, but some things are more beautiful when they’re dead.” – dialogue from the 1958 film Frankenstein’s Daughter

“There’s things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.” – dialogue from the 2003 film Open Range

“They reanimated us [from the dead], which effectively makes us zombies, and I’m not really comfortable with that.” – dialogue from the television show Sanctuary (Season 3, episode #11: “Pax Romana”; original air date: 4/15/11)

“No wonder [he] couldn’t get the car started – it won’t run on blood.” – dialogue from the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Season 5, episode #20: “Hollywood Brass”; original air date: 4/21/05)

“The sight of red always makes my pink wet.” – dialogue from the 2010 film 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams

“Catholics with options are called Protestants.” – Stephen Colbert, from his variety show The Colbert Report (original air date: 5/14/09)

“Slasher brought his corrugated, unshaven face right up to Butler’s nose, so close that Butler could smell his foul breath. It was as if a cow’s bottom had exploded every time he spoke.” – Bruce Dickinson, from his novel The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace

“I hate funny robots.” – dialogue from the television special Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (original air date: 11/15/09)

#

Quotes lists are posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

**Michael A. Kechula's Let's trade was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-10-26T08:30:00.001-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Michael A. Kechula penned this week's story, Let's trade, about a deal that may or may not be ideal for the two species involved.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Modesty Blaise: The Black Pearl, by Peter O'Donnell & Jim Holdaway

2011-10-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

(pb - graphic novel; compiled and republished in 2004. Fourth book in the Modesty Blaise graphic novel series)

From the back cover:

"She's beautiful with a bullet! Modesty Blaise - cult creation of best-selling author Peter O'Donnell - returns for another searing slice of '60s chic thrills set in the shadowy underworld of espionage and mystery.

"In the wilds of Tibet, Modesty must repay the debt she owes an ancient mystic who once saved her life, by finding the mysterious Black Pearl. Before her stand marauding bandits, the might of the Himalayas and the power of Red China! This. . . volume also includes The Magnified Man, The Jericho Caper and The Killing Ground."

Review:

The continuous-story comic strips (with the exception of "The Killing Ground") ran in the London Evening Standard newspaper, from December 1966 to April 1967. ("The Killing Ground" ran in a Scottish paper, from April 1967 to May 1967.)

"The Black Pearl" - Modesty and her knife-wielding, lady-killer sidekick Willie Garvin are pursued by the Red Chinese army in the Himalayas, when they locate and take a mysterious item, the Black Pearl, to its new, rightful owners.

"The Magnified Man" - When Willie accidentally blows the cover of a Deuxieme Bureau agent and old flame (Denise Rouelle), he and Modesty tangle with a shady criminal (Herr Bilke) and a returned enemy, Jules, who are setting up a huge train heist, via a bizarre contraption.

"The Jericho Caper" - A village, threatened by woman-stealing bandits, is protected by Modesty, Willie, and a group of men led by an old friend, Flynn.

"The Killing Ground" - Modesty and Willie, kidnapped by an old foe (Bellman), are placed on an island, where they're hunted by three professional killers. Despite echoing Richard Connell's distinctive, famous storyline (from "The Most Dangerous Game"), it's still fun, with our heroes quickly turning the tables on the hired assassins.

This story - "The Killing Ground" - was later adapted into a novella by author O'Donnell, in the final Modesty Blaise book, Cobra Trap.

The stand-out story strips in this collection are "The Black Pearl" and "The Magnified Man," with their cleverness, twists and wild-card elements; "The Jericho Caper" and "The Killing Ground" are enjoyable, too.

Followed by Modesty Blaise: Bad Suki.

Double Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay

2011-10-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

(hb; 2011: sixth book in the Dexter series)

From the inside flap:

"A witness. Such a simple concept - and yet for Dexter Morgan, the perfectly well-disguised monster, the possibility of a witness is unthinkable. But when Dexter is on a very private, very satisfying excursion one evening with a wretchedly deserving playmate, the unthinkable happens: someone sees him.

"Dexter is not at all pleased. As an upstanding blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he has always managed to keep the darker side of his life out of the spotlight. . . the fun part, where he finds truly bad people - murderers who have escaped the reach of the justice system - and quietly gives them his very special attentions. But now that he's been seen and identified by his witness, Dexter must launch himself into a different kind of hunt.

"Making matters worse, a brutal cop killer is targeting Miami's police detectives, leaving behind bodies that are battered beyond recognition. . . and completely bloodless. As the department grows more fearful of the psychotic killer in their midst, Dexter must handle his own crisis and come to terms with the fact that his witness is not only circling him but determined to expose him. Dexter is being followed, manipulated, and mimicked. . . leading him to realize that no one likes to have a double, especially when his double's goal is to kill him."

Review:

Dexter and his inside-his-head Dark Passenger negociate their particular brand of justice amidst wild familial moods and threatening events, career- and literal.

Double Dexter is another burn-through-it, often hair-raising and hilariously subversive take on American life, with an effective wraps-it-up-for-now, sequel-friendly finish.

Worth owning, this.

**One of my poems, Our City of Darkness, was published on the Every Day Poets site

2011-10-24T03:29:00.000-07:00

One of my mainstream (but bleak-humored) poems, Our City of Darkness, was published on the Every Day Poets site.

Check it out and leave a comment/star rating, if you're so inclined and have the time. =)

**On-site Behind the wheel previews

2011-10-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

For those poetry lovers who might be interested in purchasing my latest verse anthology, Behind the wheel: selected poems, but aren't sure whether or not it will appeal to them, I've compiled a list of sixteen poems that are in the book and have been published on this site.

This book, like my other anthology, Charge of the scarlet b-sides: microsex stories & poems, is also available in ebook format.

I post this promo piece with the understanding that times are financially rough, and looking to get worse. Whether or not you buy a book, I hope you enjoy the posted work. =)

Band & diadem

Behind the wheel, 2010

Behind the wheel, 2011

The blinds (tanka)

Eidola (sedoka)

Everglades (sijo)

F (cinquain, which was also published the Erotica Readers & Writers Association website; this poem also appears in Charge of the scarlet b-sides: microsex & stories)

The fall (haiku)

Fish & the leaking roof

Glacier lake leap (haiku)

Magpie (cinquain)

No air conditioning

Rotten tooth blues (Dario Argento mix)

Shred, gouge, fly

Summertime (tanka chain)

Windowside tree (haiku)

**Cath Barton's Nothing to be afraid of was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Cath Barton penned this week's story, Nothing to be afraid of, a tale about two girls and a cliff.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

**One of Basil Rosa's stories, "Boss Visa," was published in new anthology, A Small Key Opens Big Doors

2011-10-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

One of Basil Rosa's stories, "Boss Visa," was published in a new anthology, A Small Key Opens Big Doors - Volume Three: The Heart of Eurasia.

According to Basil, the anthology, edited by Jay Chen, "focuses on Eurasia, and is one of a four-volume series, with each volume focused on a different part of the globe, all of them celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. Sales of the book go to help fund the work of the Peace Corps in developing nations."

Check it out, if you're so inclined and/or have the time!

If you're interested in more of Basil's work, also check out his website and his haunting story, He held on and she kept saying time to go, published on the Microstory A Week site on October 5, 2011.

That Was Then, This Is Now, by S.E. Hinton

2011-10-17T17:00:00.001-07:00

(pb; 1971: YA novel)

From the back cover:

"Bryon and Mark have been as close as brothers for as long as they can remember. Now things are changing. Bryon's growing up, and thinking seriously about who he wants to be. Mark still just lives for the thrill of the moment. The two are growing apart - but holding on - until Bryon makes a shocking discovery about Mark. Then Bryon faces a terrible decision. . ."

Review:

Lean, immediately engrossing, for-mature-kids novel that straddles the gritty worlds of adulthood and "childhood." Hinton's fast-paced, (mostly) dead-on writing rings true on all levels - emotional, story- and action-wise - at least until the end, which feels rushed and tacked on.

Worth checking out from the library, this.

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This was released stateside as a movie on November 8, 1985.

Craig Sheffer played Bryon Douglas. Emilio Estevez, who scripted the film, played Mark Jennings. Kim Delaney played Cathy Carlson. Larry B. Scott played Terry Jones. Frank Howard played M&M Carlson. Jill Schoelen played Angela Shepard.

Barbara Babcock played Mrs. Douglas. Morgan Freeman played Charlie Woods. Emilio Estevez's real-life brother, Ramon Estevez, billed as Ramon Sheen, played Mike Chambers. Sharon Thomas Cain, wife of the film's director, played a "Doctor".

Christopher Cain directed the film.

The Hellbound Heart, by Clive Barker

2011-10-16T02:22:00.000-07:00

(pb; 1986: novella)

From the back cover:

"Frank Cotton's insatiable appetite for the dark pleasures of pain led him to the puzzle of Lemarchand's box, and from there, to a death only a sick-minded soul could invent. But his brother's love-crazed wife, Julia, has discovered a way to bring Frank back - though the price will be bloody and terrible. . . and there will certainly be hell to pay."

Review:

The Hellbound Heart is an intense, excellent, horrific (in a good way) blast of a read. The story in this 164-page novella is notably different than that of the 1987 film (retitled Hellraiser) - e.g., in the book, The Engineer is the head Cenobite in the "Order of the Gash"; Pinhead doesn't exist. In the film, The Engineer was replaced by the physically dissimilar Pinhead. That said, both versions work.

Worth owning, this.

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The resulting film, Hellraiser, was released stateside September 18, 1987.

Andrew Robinson played Larry Cotton ("Rory Cotton" in the novella). Claire Higgins played Julia Cotton. Ashley Laurence played Kirsty Cotton. Sean Chapman played Frank Cotton. Robert Hines played Steve. Oliver Smith played "Frank the Monster".

Doug Bradley played Pinhead/Captain Elliot Spenser. Nicholas Vince played "Chattering Cenobite". Simon Bamford played "Butterball Cenobite". Grace Kirby played "Female Cenobite".

Novella author Clive Barker directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie.

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A theatrical remake has been greenlit, with Barker's vocal support, but filming hasn't begun on it.

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Eight sequels, many of them direct-to-video, have followed the original film. The latest, Hellraiser: Revelations, is supposed to be coming out sometime this year. This ninth Hellraiser film, a DVD/Blu Ray release, will be the first where Doug Bradley doesn't play Pinhead. (This does not bode well for the film.)

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In 1989, Epic Comics published an anthology comic book, Hellraiser, with various authors and illustrators - including Bernie Wrightson, John Bolton and Ted McKeever - creating their own short stories about the Cenobites, their victims and their universe(s). I don't know how long this series was published, but I know it ran for at least eighteen issues. (The first comic book image seen below is the cover of issue #1).

In 2011, Boom! Studios revived the series, with the same name (Hellraiser) with new Cenobite stories, written by different writers and artists - Clive Barker co-wrote the first issue's story, "Pursuit of the Flesh," with Christopher Monfette.

Seen below is one of the three alternate covers of issue #1, illustrated by Tim Bradstreet. Leonardo Manco provided the interior art.

The First Book of Ghost Stories: Widdershins, by Oliver Onions

2011-10-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

(pb; 1911, 1935, 1971, 1978: ghost anthology)

From the back cover:

"Oliver Onions (1873-1961) held a particular view about ghosts. In his 'Credo' he wrote that ghosts are like stars in the daytime. They cannot be seen, but if all the senses are put to work and all clues are followed up, they can be detected. Onions, known as well for his psychological and detective stories as he was for his stories about ghosts, was one of the best to do the detecting. From a few apparently innocent clues and a few actions which otherwise seem ordinary, you are on the scent or perhaps the feel of a ghost who wants to say something to you. These ghosts are intricately reacting to you as well as to situations of which you have no comprehension. . ."

Overall review:

Widdershin is an uneven, but okay ghost anthology. Onions employs varied structures and settings for these mostly mood-effective tales, which keeps them sharp and distinctive from each other.

The stories that don't work still show flashes of what an excellent writer Onions can be; they fail, in comparison to the other stories, because: they're predictable ("Benlian"); or needed to be trimmed and simplified, word choice-wise, to make the story flow better ("Hic Jacet").

Because of the stories that do work, Widdershins is worth checking out from the library.

Review, story by story:

1.) "The Beckoning Fair One" - A writer (Paul Oleron), seeking to communicate with his haunted flat, becomes obsessed with it, even as his potential fiancée, Elsie Bengough, tries to save him from himself and his murderous abode.

Elegant, engaging (if occasionally chatty) mounting-mood read.

This story became an episode of the television show Journey to the Unknown, which aired on December 12, 1968.

Robert Lansing played Jon Holden. Gabrielle Drake played Kit Beaumont. John Fraser played Derek Wilson. Larry Noble played Mr. Barrett. Gretchen Franklin played Mrs. Barrett. Clive Francis played Crichton.

Don Chaffey directed the episode, from a teleplay by John Gould and William Woods.

2.) "Phantas" - Abel Keeling, a sailor on a slowly sinking ship, reflects on his past life and impending death, when - out of the dead water mists - another ship appears: are its crew members rescuers, or harbingers of demise?

Solid, atmospheric work.

3.) "Rooum" - A talented and frazzled co-worker, Rooum, proves to have good reason for being so, according to this tale's narrator.

Intriguing, unique piece.

4.) "Benlian" - Predictable, overly long story about the titular character, a sculptor who gets too much into his work.

Skip this piece.

5.) "The Accident" - Romarin and Marsden, estranged friends, sup together four decades after a terrible brawl.

Good - again, intriguing - read.

6.) "The Lost Thyrsus" - Entertaining, dramatic-finish story about a woman (Bess), whose wild dreams have changed her, distressing her fiancé.

7.) "Hic Jacet" - I couldn't get through this one; "Hic Jacet" is confusing and is filled with artsy-fartsy/obscure verbiage, as if Onions, while writing this tale, caught an exaggerated case of Lovecraftitus - which usually works for Lovecraft, but not for other authors. There's a glean of a good story here, but it's buried under obfuscatory language.

8.) "The Cigarette Case" - A casual comment about a lost (and oddly found) cigarette case leads to a story about a memorable night with some odd English ladies.

Solid, fun, if (again) chatty, piece.

**One of my stories, Porn buddy booty call, was published on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-10-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

One of my odder erotica pieces, Porn buddy booty call, a tale that brings together crazed squirrels, strange paintings, a trashy seduction and a kept promise, was published on the Every Night Erotica site.

This story was inspired by a dream I had a few months back, and wrote down upon waking; aside from a few minor edits - ramped-up sex, a couple of details - this story was written as I dreamt it.

Check it out, and, if you feel compelled, leave a star rating/comment!

Modesty Blaise: Top Traitor, by Peter O'Donnell & Jim Holdaway

2011-10-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

(pb - graphic novel; compiled and republished in 2004. Third book in the Modesty Blaise graphic novel series)

From the back cover:

"With a mind as sharp as her fashion sense and fighting skills worthy of any she-samurai, Modesty Blaise - cult creation of best-selling author Peter O'Donnell - is back in another classic collector's edition from Titan!

"In three thrilling, nerve-shattering stories - Top Traitor, The Vikings and The Head Girls - Modesty must rip deeply through her own organisation to uncover a spy, do battle with homicidal Norsemen and cross claws with a pride of she-kittens led by an old adversary!"

Review:

The three-frame, continuous-story comic strips in this collection ran in the London Evening Standard newspaper, from February 1966 to November 1966.

Modesty Blaise and her sidekick, Willie Garvin, retired Syndicate operatives, thrice again help - not as employees, but free agents - the British government foil nefarious and bizarre foes.

In "Top Traitor," Sir Gerald Tarrant - Blaise and Garvin's close friend and main government contact - is kidnapped, and made to look like a Kim Philby-esque spy. Of course, those who have worked with Tarrant (namely Blaise and Garvin) know better, and set out to not only rescue him, but prove his innocence.

The second story cycle, "The Vikings," reunites Blaise and Garvin with a former, blundering Syndicate employee, Olaf, now working under a retro-minded robber (Magnus), who favors ancient Norse attitudes and violent, money-minded raids.

"The Head Girls" finds Blaise and Garvin figuring out, and thwarting an old enemy's blackmail scheme to steal a new formula that could irrevocably alter the government's military strategy - fans of the "The Gabriel Set-Up" will likely, particularly, enjoy this one.

These strip story-cycles are just as exciting, charming, clever and cliff-hanger-ish as the ones that preceded them in Modesty Blaise: The Gabriel Set-Up. (I haven't read the second Modesty graphic novel, Modesty Blaise: Mister Sun, because I don't own it - yet.)

Fans of Sixties spy films, television series and books (Ian Fleming's fourteen-book 007/James Bond series, the Flint films, etc.) will likely appreciate the thoughtful, stylish stories contained in these Modesty volumes.

Followed by Modesty Blaise: The Black Pearl.

**dani harris' guardian angel {sorta} was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-10-12T02:07:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

dani harris penned this week's story, guardian angel {sorta}, a partly poetic, playful tale about an angel who goes her own way.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Quotes 10/12/11

2011-10-12T02:03:00.001-07:00

“For me there are only two types of women: goddesses and doormats.” – Pablo Picasso

“I don’t mind robbing this safe, but why do we have to take this zombie with us?” – dialogue from the 1943 serial Batman (episode #1: “The Electrical Brain”)

“Zombies always find a way in.” – comment on a Bloodwave [DVD company] Facebook conversation thread, regarding “zombie proof” houses (4/29/11)

“We’re in a creepy house in the middle of nowhere, there’s a trap door in the kitchen with weird noises coming from underneath. What the f**k do you think is gonna be down there?” – dialogue from the 2008 film The Cottage

“She’s built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro.” – dialogue from the animated television show Futurama (Season 3, episode #5: “Amazon Women in the Mood”; original air date: 2/4/01)

“Dolores thought: zombie bites werewolf. That can’t turn out well for anyone.” – Will Viharo, from his novel A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge

“Can you murder someone in your socks?” – Arnauldur Indiđatson, from his novel Jar City

“The dude’s wife crushed his head with an ATM machine.” – dialogue from the television show Breaking Bad (Season 2, episode #7: “Negro y Azul”; original air date: 4/19/09)

“Deft manner of proving your innocence.” – dialogue from the television show Sanctuary (Season 4, episode #1: “Tempus”; original air date: 10/7/11)

“You are so f**king hot when you have blood all over you.” – dialogue from the cable series True Blood (Season 4, episode #8: “Spellbound”; original air date: 8/14/11)

“Blood on my boobs!. . . Note to self: possible memoir title.” – Elvira, aka Cassandra Peterson, on her midnight movie show Elvira’s Movie Macabre (Season 1, episode #16: Tormented [1960]; original air date: 4/30/11)

“He suddenly wanted to take her, there, in the aisle. What the hell if she was just a fiction: fictions are f**kable if you don’t want marriage.” – Clive Barker, from his short story “Son of Celluloid” (published in the anthology Clive Barker’s Books of Blood Volume Three)

“You bet your hairy love eggs we are!” – dialogue from the 2011 film Paul

**One of my microstories, Behind the wheel, 2006, was published on the Leodegraunce site

2011-10-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

One of my mainstream microstories, Behind the wheel, 2006, was published on the Leodegraunce site today. It will be up on the site until next Sunday (10/16/11).

This story is a semi-autobiographical work, about an interstate road trip I took in February 2006.

Check it out, if you have the time and/or are so inclined. =)

A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge, by Will Viharo

2011-10-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

(pb; 2010)

From the back cover:

"A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge is a lushly, lurid, exotically exploitative, sensationally sensual pulp-noir potpourri where star-crossed lovers, sea sirens, monster men, gangsters, porno filmmakers, jazz standards, and an Elvis-spawned zombie apocalypse all intermingle across several parallel dimensions in time and space. This story is unlike anything you've ever read."

Review:

Another neo-noir genre-blender from the wonderful Will Viharo, whose work, this time out, updates a David Lynchesque (specifically: Lost Highway) template, traversing three alternate realities - actually levels - that are grindhouse violent, retro-revering, and over-the-top horrific and pornographic.

When the levels begin to meld, the characters' degeneration, the werewolfery, the zombies (which read like cognizied versions of Lucio Fulci's putrefied undead) and the dizzying swirl-cycle of bloodthirstiness, sex, skewed humor and desperation acelerate into a satisfying come-together finish.

If you're fan of grindhouse, neo-noir, retro-culture horror or science fiction-ish work, you should own this novel, which can be purchased here or on Amazon.com.

Or you can talk to him when he hosts Thrillville, once a month, and buy it from him directly (after he orders it for you).

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Actual Rafiq composed an "original book score" for Mermaid, titled Music for a Drowning Mermaid. This exhilarating four-song instrumental CD, which reflects and complements the mood of the book that inspired it, is on sale at Lulu.com for $8.

**Basil Rosa's He held on and she kept saying time to go was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Basil Rosa penned this week's story, He held on and she kept saying time to go, an emotive, bordering-on-poetic tale about a hunter and his prey.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

"3 Word Week" is going on hiatus

2011-10-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

My time-expansive circumstances - looking for a job (a.k.a. banging my head against a wall), maintaining a strict writing schedule (which I've also been good about), and balancing other life elements - have compelled me, for a time, to stop posting 3 Word Week writing prompts.

At some time in the future, I'll probably resume posting the prompts - I love learning new words, even if I don't use them a lot - but for now, my grim financial reality is forcing me to shed some joys.

I'm posting this as a courtesy, though 3 Word Week wasn't on a lot of folks' radars. (No biggie. I didn't expect it would be.) Thanks to everybody who played along with me in the word hunt. =)

Cain His Brother, by Anne Perry

2011-10-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

(hb; 1995: sixth book in the William Monk series)

From the inside flap:

"Victoria's London was the queen of the universe, a dazzling metropolis from whose magnificent mansions and discreetly luxurious clubs flowed the strategies that built the greatest empire ever known. Meanwhile, the city's poor suffered and died in hopeless obscurity. Inspector William Monk knows his city's best and its worst - or so he believes, until the day when charming Genevieve Stonefield comes to plead with him to find her missing husband.

"In his family life, Angus Stonefield had been gentle and loving; in business a man of probity; and in his relationship with his twin brother, Caleb, a virtual saint. Now he is missing, and it appears more than possible that Caleb - a creature long since abandoned to depravity - has murdered him.

"And so Monk puts himself into the missing man's shoes, searching Stonefield's comfortable home, his prospering business, his favorite haunts, and, finally, the city's dangerous, fever-ridden slums for clues to Angus's fate and his vicious brother's whereabouts. Slowly, Monk inches toward the truth - and, also, unwittingly toward the destruction of his good name and livelihood."

Review:

Clever, mostly gripping read. The mystery portions of the novel are excellent, though I did see the end-twist coming from a ways off. (That may be due to my distrust of anybody who claims to virtuous; I believe everybody is guilty of at least one big evil.)

What flawed this book - and, thus far, this series - is Perry's insistence of keeping Monk and Latterly at each other's throats: after all they've been through - life and death situations, even a shocked kiss - the author hasn't let the characters progress to a more believable semi-acceptance of each others' foibles. I don't expect Monk and Latterly to not disagree, given their wildly divergent personalities, but the antagonism/frustration level between them feels ramped up, forced, writerly, considering that six books have passed since they've met.

I've ignored this Monk/Latterly incongruity in previous William Monk books because I hoped they would, realistically, progress in their mystery-solving relationship. Perry has, in many other books, shown that she can do realistic, interesting characters when she chooses to, so her ability to progress Monk and Latterly (as a mystery-solving, non-romantic duo) wasn't initially in doubt.

Read the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series instead, if you're interested in realistic and interesting characters, and often excellent mysteries.

Followed by Weighed in the Balance, though I'm not sure if I'm going to read any more books in this series.

**One of my stories, Nightwired, was published on the Every Night Erotica site

2011-10-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

One of my erotica/romance fluff pieces, Nightwired, an homage to longtime love and black [occult] metal (specifically King Diamond), was published on the Every Night Erotica site.

Check it out, and, if you feel compelled, leave a star rating/comment!

**Jenny Catlin's Socks was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-09-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Jenny Catlin penned this week's story, Socks, a tale about a quirky serial killer.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Quotes 9/28/11

2011-09-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

“First I find out you killed someone, then I find out you’re a mime. That’s weird, man.” – dialogue from the 1992 film Shakes the Clown

“Clown slaughter. It happens more often than you think.” – dialogue from the animated television show Futurama (Season 6, episode #17: “Law and Oracle”; original air date: 7/7/11)

“So, it’s a tad creepy when you admire the killer’s handiwork.” – dialogue from the television show Bones (Season 5, episode #17: “The Death of the Queen Bee”; original air date: 4/15/10)

“All I’m tryin’ to do, folks, is rid the world of all these fevered egos that are tainting our collective unconscious and making us pay a higher psychic price than we can f**king imagine.” – comedian Bill Hicks, in 1993

“Black comedy should be two things: exceedingly morbid and ball-bouncingly funny.” – Patrick Galloway, from his non-fiction book Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand

“There’s nothing like a little mayhem to cheer one up.” – dialogue from the 1972 film Sleuth

“The enemy of love is never outside, it’s not a man or woman, it’s what we lack in ourselves.” – Anaïs Nin, from her novel A Spy in the House of Love

“Beware the destroyer of worlds that we call ‘Murray’!” – dialogue from the television variety show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (original air date: 3/16/10)

“Ah, ham. Nature’s candy.” – dialogue from the animated television show Ugly Americans (Season 1, episode #1: “Pilot”; original air date: 3/17/10)

“. . . I’m not my zombie brother’s keeper.” – dialogue from the 2008 film Otto; or, Up With Dead People

“Why does it always have to be about my looks? I mean, just because I dress slutty doesn’t mean I am slutty.” – dialogue from the 2005 film Waiting

“All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.” – Denis Johnson, from his short story “Beverly Home” (from his anthology/fractured novel Jesus’ Son)

“It’s a wise father that know his own childhood.” – Marcelene Cox

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Quotes lists are sent out and posted on the 12th and the 28th of every month.

3 Word Week #30

2011-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's the guidelines for Three Word Week.

I'll have a new 3 Word Week posted by 4:00 p.m., every Monday from here on out.

The weekly deadline for posting 3 Word Week stories is the following Monday, at midnight.

Post your pennings to your websites. List your name and the link of your post in the Mister Linky widget below. On your site posts, please be sure to mention/hyperlink this site's central 3 Word Week link. (Thanks!)

Please submit one story per week - and list it once in the Mister Linky Widget.

I look forward to reading your work! =)

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I.) accismus - n. (Rhet.) An affected or false refusal.

II.) conurbation - n. A predominantly urban region including adjacent towns and suburbs; a metropolitan area.

III.) residuum - n. -
1.) Something remaining after removal of a part; a residue.
2.) Law The remainder of a testator's estate after all claims, debts, and bequests are satisfied. Also called residue.

Plural: residua.

Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume Three, by Clive Barker

2011-09-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

(hb; 1984: story anthology)

Overall review:

Stunning, classic anthology, this -- wow-worthy as Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volumes One and Two. Worth owning, and re-reading a few years after your initial perusal of it.

Review, story by story:

1.) "Son of Celluloid" - Restless, collective ghosts in an old movie theater literally turn cancerous when the theater is reopened after a few decades.

Imaginative, focused and truly horrific, in a sick, film iconic way.

In 1991, Eclipse Books published a graphic novel version of this story. Steve Niles adapted Barker's story to comic book form, while Les Edwards illustrated it (the front cover is below).

2.) "Rawhead Rex" - An ancient earthbound monster, accidentally freed from its centuries-long prison, vents its divine, slaughteramic outrage on the modern day villagers of Zeal.

Grisly, nobody-is-spared, gripping piece.

The film version debuted in Italy in October 1986. It was released in the United States on April 17, 1987.

Donal McCann played Tom Garron. Kelly Piper played Elaine Hallenbeck. David Dukes played Howard Hallenbeck. Niall Toibin played Reverend Coot. Ronan Wilmot played Declan O'Brien. Niall O'Brien played Det. Insp. Isaac Gissing. Hugh O'Conor played Robbie Hallenbeck. Eleanor Feely played Jenny Nicholson. A costumed Heinrich von Schellendorf played Rawhead Rex.

George Pavlou directed the film, from a screenplay by story author Clive Barker. (Barker was reportedly unhappy with how the film turned out.)

3.) "Confessions of a (Pornographer's) Shroud" - A murdered man, now a vengeful spirit, hunts and kills those who wronged him.

Clever, quirky, imaginative, entertaining tale.

4.) "Scape-goats" - Two couples on an island-crashed sailboat quickly cognize that there's something wrong about the rocky mass their boat is abutting.

Atmospheric, solid read with an interesting island backstory.

5.) "Human Remains" - An apathetic gigolo (Gavin) rediscovers his humanity, via violence and physical detachment, when a trick goes weird.

One of the most original, genre-transcendant and unpredictable stories I've read in a long while, and perhaps the best story in this collection.

In 1989, Eclipse Books published a comic book mini-series, Tapping The Vein, that is based on Barker's writings.

P. Craig Russell adapted and illustrated "Human Remains" in issue #1 (its front cover is seen below). This issue also contains an adaptation of one of Barker's other stories, "Pig Blood Blues" (published in Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume One).

**3 Word Week/Magpie Tales/55: Gratitude

2011-09-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

By Steve Isaak

The Vanguardist rebel, Dale, cut the hostage’s rope bindings. The senator’s daughter looked surprised as he freed her. Hitherto last night’s dream about a flutist snake charmer bearing her face, he would’ve obeyed orders – it never occurred to him that he had Lima’s Syndrome.

The girl grabbed his gun, and shot him in the face.

Copyright ©2011 Steve Isaak. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any form, including electronic, without the author’s express permission.

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I posted this for 3 Word Week #29, Magpie Tales #83 and G-man's Flash 55 prompts. Join the word joy. =)

**Kyle Hemmings' Simple sister was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-09-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Kyle Hemmings penned this week's story, Simple sister, where a child's life takes dark and tragic turns.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)

Jar City, by Arnaldur Indriđason

2011-09-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

(hb; 2000, 2004: first book in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder)

From the inside flap:

"When a lonely old man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Inspector Erlendur, who heads the investigation team, discovers that many years ago the victim was accused, though not convicted, of an unsolved crime. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him?

"As the team of detectives reopen this very cold case, Inspector Erlendur uncovers secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man - secrets that have been carefully guarded by many people for many years. As he follows a fascinating trail of unusual forensic evidence, Erlendur also confronts stubborn personal conflicts that reveal his own depth and complexity of character."

Review:

Jar City is an excellent, focused police procedural with engaging (and succinctly drawn) characters, riveting action and equally riveting case-based revelations.

Comparisons between Indriđason's Reykjavik Thrillers and the ten-book Martin Beck Mysteries have been repeatedly made, and rightly so: both are reader-grabbing-from-the-git-go, character-progressive and humane reads.

Worth owning, this.

Followed by Silence of the Grave.

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The first film version was released in Iceland on October 20, 2006.

Ingvar Eggert Sigurðson, billed as Ingvar E. Sigurðson, played Erlendur. Áugústa Eva Erlendóttir played Eva Lind. Björn Hlynir Haraldsson played Sigurður Óli. Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir played Elínborg. Þorstenn Gunnarsson played Holberg. Theodór Júlíusson played Elliði. Kristbjörg Kjeld played Katrín. Þórunn Magnea Magnúsdóttir played Elín. Guðmunda Elíasdóttir played Theodóra.

Baltasar Komákur directed and scripted the film.

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An American remake is scheduled to hit theatrical screens sometime in 2012. Michael Ross is set to script the film.

When more remake information becomes available, I'll update this book review.

**My new poetry anthology, Behind the wheel, is available for purchase at Lulu.com

2011-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

My new mainstream poetry anthology, Behind the wheel: selected poems, is available for $10 (+shipping and handling) at Lulu.com.

The seventy-five dark humored poems in this collection span multiple poetic forms, moods and locations - it details the journey of a man, from youth to middle age, from joy to heartache and back to (relative) joy: interspersed in this road trippy mix are a few nature-appreciation verses.

If you order this anthology before September 23, 2011 and enter the code OKTOBERFEST you can "enjoy 15% off" of your purchase price. =)

3 Word Week #29

2011-09-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the guidelines for Three Word Week.

I'll have a new 3 Word Week posted by noon, every Monday from here on out.

The weekly deadline for posting 3 Word Week stories is the following Monday, at midnight.

Post your pennings to your websites. List your name and the link of your post in the Mister Linky widget below. On your site posts, please be sure to mention/hyperlink this site's central 3 Word Week link. (Thanks!)

Please submit one story per week - and list it once in the Mister Linky Widget.

I look forward to reading your work! =)

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I'm repeating the words from last week, because of last week's weeklong illness - cold medicine knocks me out, makes me loopier than usual - and I really wanted to write a story with these words, a story that has yet to be even thought up.

I.) hitherto - adv. Until this time.

II.) Lima Syndrome - n. A phenomenon in which kidnappers become so concerned for their hostages that they free them without using them as bargaining chips

III.) vanguard - n. -
1.) The foremost position in an army or fleet advancing into battle.

2.)
a. The foremost or leading position in a trend or movement.
b. Those occupying a foremost position.

ALSO: vanguardist; vanguardism.

The Secret Pilgrim, by John le Carré

2011-09-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

(hb; 1990: sixth novel in the George Smiley series)

From the inside flap:

"Nothing is as it was. Old enemies embrace. The dark staging grounds of the Cold War - whose shadows barely obscured the endless games of espionage - are flooded with light; the rules are rewritten, the stakes changed, the future unfathomable. . .

"The man called Ned speaks to us. All his adult life he has been in British Intelligence - the Circus - a loyal, shrewd, wily officer of the Cold War. Now, approaching the end of his career, he revisits his own past - an intricate weave of suspicion, danger, boredom and exhilaration that is the essence of espionage and of his own sentimental education. He invites us on a tour of his three decades in the Circus, burrowing deep into the twilight world where he ran spies - 'joes' - from Poland, Estonia, Hungrary, men and women to whom he gave his most profound love and hate. Along the way we meet a host of splendid new characters and reacquaint ourselves with the legendary old knights of the Circus and the notorious traitor, Bill Haydon.

"Telling the story of his own life's secret pilgrimage, Ned illuminates the brave past and the even braver present of George Smiley - reluctant keeper of the flame - who combines within himself the ideal and the reality of the Circus. Smiley, Ned's mentor and hero, now gives back to him the 'dangerous edge' of memory which empowers him to frame the questions that have haunted him - and the world - for thirty years, and that haunt us still."

Review:

Excellent, intimate capping novel for the George Smiley legend (within the Circus) and the mindsets that made up the Circus - Ned, the narrator, is alternately the voice of appropriate awe and character balance as he recounts some of his more notable cases; many of these cases also involve Smiley, whose post-retirement wrap-around recountings anchor and create further layers of wisdom, intrigue and, again, intimacy.

Worthy finish to an exemplary, dare I say, epic-in-scope series.

**Richard Cody's Alice was published on the Microstory A Week site

2011-09-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

A new story is up on the Microstory A Week site.

Richard Cody penned this week's story, Alice, where love gone awry takes on a new vividity.

Be sure to check this short story out, comment on it, if you're so inclined. =)