**My latest poetry anthology, Mondo febrifuge: omnibus poems, was published today

I just published my second of two books this year - Mondo febrifuge: omnibus poems, which mixes older previous published (and reworked) mainstream verses with quite a few newer works penned within the past two years.

The poems are, per my usual style, rough and tumble free verse works that detail a tumultuous youth dealing with my own fictionalized dumbassery and growing up, a journey infused with the loving, often raw elements of familial discontent, religion, sex, horror films, heavy metal, nature (read: animals) and living in northern California and eastern Washington state.  While these poems are mainstream, many of them would sport hard R-ratings if they were films subjected to the MPAA film board.

Like Welcome to Horrorsex County: microstories, published earlier this autumn, it's a personal milestone book - a way for me to officially bid farewell to one phase of my writing and move onto the next, whatever its final form takes.

 Feel free to click on the above links if you (or anyone you know) would be interested in picking up the aforementioned books. They cost $9 or less (+s/h) apiece, and thanks for the support!

 (back cover of Mondo febrifuge)

**Cath Barton published her second book, Candyfloss II

Cath Barton, whose Nothing to be afraid of graced Microstory A Week in October 2011, has published her second anthology, Candyfloss II, a follow-up to Candyfloss, also co-authored with Oliver Barton.

Candyfloss is, according to the book's Lulu page, "[A quirky anthology where] things are not always what they seem, in this collection of short stories and photographs by Cath and Oliver Barton. For one thing, there are quite a number of angels popping up, and some of them are not very angelic. And what about the gnome and the soup?

"After reading them, you might feel it’s better to stay away from trains and bendy buses — but are you on any safer ground in the pub or at home? As with the first volume of Candyfloss, these are stories to tease you, like a quirky box of chocolates. We’ve really enjoyed writing them — all you have to do is bite into them and see what surprises are inside!"

If you've enjoyed - or are curious about - Cath's earlier published, shorter works (The Nun and I, published on FlashFlood; The Edible Woman in the Cinema Box - currently not available - on Leodegraunce, etc.) make sure to check out Cath and Oliver's Candyfloss anthologies, available here!

**Alvin Burstein has published a novella, The Owl, on Lulu

Alvin Burstein, whose work, The crawfish boil, graced the Microstory A Week site last January, has published a novella, The Owl – “a riveting account of an academic swept up in divine war" – on Lulu.

Support an independent author/publisher, and check his novella out!

**MorningAJ's Falling star was published on the Microstory A Week site

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

Morning AJ penned this week's story, Falling star, about an aging actor whose attitude toward his career may need updating.

Check this story out. =)

Freaks That Carry Your Luggage Up to the Room by Will Viharo

(pb; 2011: novella)

From the back cover:

"Freaks That Carry Your Luggage Up to the Room is . . . set within the claustrophobic confines of a mysteriously malevolent hotel, frequented by men and monsters alike; a nightmarish nexus of carnal carnage, with flesh-eating Mexican vampires, alien spies, mad scientists, deviant dwarves, horny zombies, teenage werewolves, Elvis impersonators, hit men, hustlers, clairovoyant cats and other random rebels and rejects feverishly fornicating and ferociously feasting beneath the repressive radar of polite society. This is Extreme Erotic Horror Noir, with a dash of satire and a twist of irony, not for the squeamish, but for anyone who wallows shamelessly in the corporeal illusion called Life."

Review:

Freaks, like Viharo's previous genre-blender, A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge, is a violent, gory, pornoriffic and potent blend of horrors and strange semblances of society and humanity, with overt links to Viharo's other works, particularly his theme- and tone-varied Vic Valentine novels (starting with Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me) and Chumpy Walnut.

Freaks is shorter and less complex, structurally speaking, than Mermaid, but sports the same spirit of Mermaid, with its cinematic references (love the chapter titles), seedy (often relatable) desperation and unrelenting violence.

Worth owning, this. This is one of my favorite reads from Viharo, perhaps topping even Mermaid in its direct, unapologetic simplicity.

Freaks is also available in e-book format.

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If you live in the East Bay, near San Francisco, Viharo hosts free double-features of various b-movies. These tiki-bar get-togethers are called Chillville, and take place on the third Monday of every month at the Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda, where Viharo dispenses, along with his b-movie knowledge and wit, giveaways and prizes. The show starts around 7:30 p.m. (it's best to get there at least an hour earlier for decent seating).

The Jewel in the Moment, by Richard Cody

(pb; 2009: poem anthology)

Review:

The Jewel in the Moment is one of my all-time favorite poetry anthologies. Admittedly, Cody's themes and preference for wry, succinct writing and "haikuish" often align with my own penned leanings, a factor that imbued my reading of his exceptional, cut-to-it versifying with a damn-near-halo-esque glow.

There were a few pieces here and there that I didn't entirely relate to (that's unavoidable with any poetry or story collection), but these pieces were still worth publishing, considering Cody's able takes on the subjects - there's not a meh work in the bunch, which is rare in anthologies, no matter how excellent.

Cody's themed pieces run along these lines: Big Sur, the blues ("For Skip James"), a family tragedy, insomnia, people and animals in urban and forest settings, quirk-ish humor, San Francisco and the brevity of one's youth.

"Here's a taste" - to use a Stephen Colbert phrase - of Cody's work:

Walking home tonight,

scent of jasmine, in the lot

a burst of sparrows!

and:

Old man with a leash -

at the other end a boy

kicking windfall nuts.

If you're into micro-form poetry, make this book your next purchase. It's that wonderful. I don't keep many books, because I don't have a lot of space to store my pop culture and published treasure, but I intend to keep this one.

From the Psycho Ward Level 1 Critical, by Howard Yosha

(pb; 2010: poem anthology/chapbook, sort of)

From the back cover:

"From the Psycho Ward Level 1 Critical is the 7th chapbook of poetry written by Howard Yosha. During 2009 and 2010 Howard ran the 1/2 Marathon in Orange County, California. Became paralyzed with Cauda Equina, had stays in 3 hospitals, 3 ambulance rides, when to rehab hospital and the Psycho Ward Level 1 Critical. Many of these poems were written from the hospital bed."

Review:

Psycho Ward is best read as an experimental scrap book, an uneven mix of paintings, photos, journal entries and poems. Readers approaching this anthology, as I initially did, as a straightforward poetry chapbook, may be disappointed, even dismayed by it, especially after paying thirty bucks for it(self-publishing a book with color photos and artwork is expensive, something Psycho Ward's price likely reflects).

I'll start with what I didn't like about the anthology, so I can end the review on a positive, balance-all-elements note.

Psycho Ward, with its self-conscious/convert-zeal tone, has too much dry-medical fact telling, not enough showing, flaws that are exacerbated by Yosha's constant referencing of his name (referencing oneself once, maybe twice in an anthology works; anything beyond that either reads as Amateur Hour Writing, satire or grand-standing). To be fair, the didactic, adhere-to-explicit names and facts tone of Psycho Ward does potently reflect the anger, terror, resultant activism and spiritual enlightenment of Yosha's experiences.

Approximately half of the twenty-six pieces in this anthology read like writing exercises or plot summations for works that need to be fleshed out, built upon with images and other sensory information, e.g. "30 Day Psychiatric Exercise - I Am Thankful for my parents", which while undoubtedly sincere, and experimental/different, fails as a poem: while I admire Yosha for his willingness to be open to different styles and formatting, this was too dry and generic - there was no personality to this, no sense of him, nor of his parents. Unless he was structure-referencing a self-help or religious mantra, this shouldn't have been included in Psycho Ward.

The same goes for "Fight for your life", which, while reinforcing (and building upon, a little bit) previous poems, isn't diverse enough in its language to justify - for this reader - it being included in the book; as it is, it reads like a repetitive work, not a theme-progressive work.

Yosha clearly has intensity and drive, as well as the aforementioned willingness to try new forms, but the mix-and-match format of Psycho Ward, if this is where his headspace and current work resides, does little to recommend him at this juncture; that said, there are flashes of good, even excellent writing in this anthology.

I am referring only to his writing, by the way. His artwork and photos are good to this non-painter/-photographer's eyes, but, on a practical pricing level, it might bode better for Yosha's sales if he cut down on how many photos and paintings he put into anthologies - at least for now, until someone else is footing the bill, paying him, for his collections.

What I also liked about Psycho Ward are works like the theme-progressive and -different, as well as playful "In Jerusalem", which, in its entirety, reads:

"Three blind mice now see

After a miracle Hokey, Pokey and Jokey

Crossed the street, losing their mind

In Jerusalem they became Jesus, Mary and Joseph"


These theme-evolving not-quite-asides, many of which arrive in the second half of the anthology, show Yosha's talent, unmarred by his experimental lack of editing.

Other standout poems that I enjoyed:

"Journal Mining" - Good use of free-form flow and imagery; reads naturally, without obtrusive medical references or preaching.

"The Survivors" - This sports the same virtues as "Journal Mining".

"Do you want to get married for 99 cents" - Silly, playful, smile-inducing goofiness.

"The Great Depression or, The Second Great Depression" - Intense burst of poetic outrage, and a good snapshot of America's present-day politics.

"Manic episode where I wanted to change my name from Yosha to Joshua" - Reader-engaging hospital tale-verse.

"Jesus Definition" - Interesting, different piece; great exit line.

"Psy Lauren" - Alliterative poem, effective in its humor.

"Devil Bloom" - Excellent flow and imagery to this.

"The Church of Me" - Good language and flow in this one; this anthology capper has a fitting finish, poetic summation and progression of the anthology's self-improvement theme.

What it comes down to is this: at least half of Psycho Ward's poems should have been cut from the book, to be edited (or melded) into better, show-don't-tell pieces - and Yosha's talent-shine pieces, the ones that worked, should have been formatted as a section, perhaps sporting this anthology's title, in a larger and better-edited anthology.

That Yosha has talent, I have no doubt; I also believe - hope - that Yosha's other six books reflect that fervid talent, and, as he grows (as an artist and a man), he'll find his voice, natural and unfettered by the flaws I've mentioned in this stinging but constructive review.

While I can't recommend Psycho Ward for its print price and flaws, I can recommend that you keep an eye out for Howard Yosha as an artist in future books and (possibly) art shows.

For e-book readers: Psycho Ward is also available as an e-book, for $6.49

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

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.

Have a great day. =)

Darker Corners, by Richard Cody

(pb; 2010: horror anthology)

From the back cover:

"In these pages you will meet vampires, murderers, children and others who know where the shadows go.

"This expanded edition of Darker Corners pulls six new tales of dark wonder into the light.

"Read at your own risk. Some things are better left unseen."


OVERALL REVIEW:

This fourteen-story anthology is formed by impressive, taut tales that incorporates clever twists and elements into familiar horror-genre scenarios, with wonderfully nuanced results.

All the microfiction-ish stories in this anthology work. This is a worthwhile purchase.


STANDOUT STORIES:

1.) "A Night at the Games": A stage performer puts on a life-changing show. Short, sharp, effective statement about what constitutes entertainment and humanity.


2.) "Tales of Mercy": The denizens of a small town react differently to a strange "oily rain" that falls from the sky and the equally strange creature that appears in their midst. Odd, spooky, interesting.


3.) "The Language of the Dead": Fun EC/Creepy magazine-evocative piece about a mystical tome, zombies and revenge.


4.) "Newlywed": Marital unease takes on a whole new meaning in this H.P. Lovecraftian story about a culinary accident and its unfortunate, horrifying result. Good, tight write that effortlessly recalls and updates the dread-tones of Lovecraft's work.


5.) "Down By the River, in the Pale Moonlight": Melancholic, clever, effective tale about a birthday reunion that indicates an even more disturbing future.


6.) "Darkness Falls - The River": A post-global apocalypse couple struggle to survive in the wilderness. Excellent, hopeful work.


7.) "Darkness Falls - City Life": Involving, sad story about the further social effects of the forty day-forty night apocalypse that was touched upon in "Darkness Falls - The River".


8. and 9.) "The Interview" & "Idle Hands": The reputedly Satanic history of a youthful rock star, Johnny Moon, is recounted and illustrated from different angles in these character-connected, shuddery and laugh-out-loud bizarre tales.


10.) "The Morning After": A dream-murder turns more surreal when the murderer's regrettable actions and truths are visited upon him. Sly, admirable piece.


OTHER STORIES: "The Homely Child"; "Since the First Day of Our Acquaintance"; "Mary's Place"; "The Black Jelly"

Darker Corners, as well as Richard's two poem anthologies, The Jewel in the Moment and This Is Not My Heart, can be purchased at Lulu.com.

Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me by Will Viharo

(pb; 1993: first book in the Vic Valentine series)

From the back cover:

"Meet Vic Valentine, a San Francisco private eye whose romance is on the rocks, with a twist. An abusive, alcoholic baseball player has hired him to find his missing wife. Trouble is, it turns out she's also Vic's long lost lover. Coincidence? Fate? A setup? Join a hopeless romantic on his quest for the answer in this twisted tale of old-fashioned romance gone awry in a shadowy, postmodern world of lovelorn losers, vengeful vice, dangerous deceit and swingin' Sinatra songs."

Review:

Nostalgic, quotable-quippy, humorous and sharp writing highlights this neo-pulp work, with its nods to classic noir films (as well as Eighties music and San Francisco). Its characters are interesting and relatable, the action never lags, and the character-based twists are often unexpected and always worthwhile: this is one of the best neo-pulp works I've read in long time.

Worth owning, this. You can purchase it at Lulu.com or Amazon.

Actor Christian Slater has bought (and repeatedly renewed) the film options for this dyed-in-the-gray noir-classic novel. The film is currently "in development" as of this updated writing (April 7, 2014).

Love Stories has several sequels.  The first two, Fate Is My Pimp and Romance Takes a Raincheck, have been published as one book.  My review for them is here.