Mangled Matters just posted a new interview with me on my life, my work, and my first anthology as editor, Vampires Don’t Sparkle! I also talk about some upcoming projects, including the next chapter in the Legacy of the Gods saga, Hades’ Disciples.
Well, here we are again. Another year over, and a new one just begun. And what a year it was; filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows, with professional triumphs and personal tragedies, and the hope that 2013 will bring something better. But before we look ahead to what the new year has in store, let’s do a bit of review…
The year started off with the release of my short story “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry” as a digital download for $0.99 through Seventh Star Press. This was the first time that I had ever released my work in a purely digital format. The publisher also re-released my award-winning short story “Goodnight” in the same fashion.
March saw the release of Poseidon’s Children, the first novel in my epic Urban Fantasy series The Legacy of the Gods. The project introduced me to a world-wide audience, and to date, it has been sold in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain! This was a project that I had been kicking around for many years, so it was incredibly gratifying to see so many enjoying my story and falling in love with this cast of characters who had been so close to me for so long.
Then, during my publisher’s Summer Open House, my novel Cinema of Shadows became the most downloaded Horror novel on Amazon.com!
Growing up, I can’t tell you how many times I dreamed of having a #1 book, and it was so surreal and exciting to see it actually happen.
I traveled a lot this year in support of my novels – appearing at conventions, book stores, and book fairs in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and as far south as Atlanta, Georgia. It was great to meet my faithful readers face-to-face, to introduce my work to new people, and to get to know a lot of stars from film and television, celebrities I have been watching and idolizing for most of my life, including Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Army of Darkness) and the amazing Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night).
But 2012 still wasn’t done with me yet.
October saw the release of my third Harmony, Indiana novel, Spook House. A mash-up that featured the first meeting of Robby Miller (The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows) and Earl L. Preston Jr. (Poseidon’s Children), the novel proved to be my best reviewed work to date, even making its way onto some year-end lists as one or the year’s best reads! The novel also sent me on my first virtual book tour. For thirty days, I visited various sites from around the world, posting guest blogs, doing interviews, and just generally blown away by the overwhelming response.
And the year ended as it began, with more short story news.
“Trolling,” my tale set during the events of Poseidon’s Children, saw publication again as part of the Beast Within 3: Ocean’s Unleashed anthology. And a new story,, my first real zombie tale, “Hell’s Hollow,” was part of the very limited Appalachian Undead anthology. Hopefully you got your copy of that one before it went out of print!
While 2012 was the best year of my career, it was a year of personal struggles and tragedies.
Sara Larson, one of my closest and dearest friends, and a founding member of the Indiana Horror Writers, lost her long and painful battle with breast cancer. The cancer had moved into her bones and her brain, and the year began with her in hospice care. I visited her often, and she fought hard to stay with us, but on March 17th, she left this world behind and left a huge hole in a lot of people’s hearts.
Then, in September, cancer struck even closer to home when my wife Stephanie got the diagnosis shortly after our 20th wedding anniversary. Thankfully, it was a slow-growing tumor that was confined to the bone in her arm. Surgery replaced the infected bone with metal, and no chemo or radiation was needed. As I type this, she is cancer free, but, because she can no longer physically perform the duties of her nursing job, a job she’s had as long as I’ve known her, she is also job free. We are getting by, however, and I hope that the new year will bring good news.
Which brings us to 2013.
The new year will see the release of a special anthology, one that I’ve been editing off and on for over a year now; an anthology that will donate money to cancer research with each and every purchase. This is, obviously, something that has a personal importance to me, and I am thrilled that it is finally coming together, and coming together so very well. Look for an an official announcement on that one soon. I hope we can do a lot of good with this one!
There will also be a new announcement in the Harmony, Indiana series in May, something faithful readers have been asking for for some time. Sorry to be such a tease – there are a lot of moving parts to it, and some have yet to be set into motion – but trust me, it is something that will make a lot of people very happy, myself included. *nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more*
Now, on to the stuff I can talk about in detail.
My short stories “The Grove” (Shroud Magazine #13) and “Unknown Caller” (Cadence in Decay) will be released during the next twelve months. Stay tuned for exact release dates and more information as those dates draw near.
And last, but certainly not least, I will be working on the next two chapters in my Legacy of the Gods series, Hades’ Disciples and Zeus’ Warriors. Look for the first of these two entries to be released before 2o13 ends, with the second coming out in early 2014.
So thanks to you, all my faithful readers, for your kind words and encouragement over these past twelve months, and for your continued support in 2013 and beyond. Happy New Year! May the future be a bright one for us all!
My next appearance will be at the 6th Annual Paranormal Meet & Greet at the Historic Hannah House in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, August 11. I will be at the Indiana Horror Writers table from 12-4 pm with copies of my novels and other goodies. Admission is free, so I hope to see all my faithful readers there!
The Ginger Nuts of Horror just posted an in-depth interview with me that covers my entire career up to this point, including my short fiction, my book trailers; my collection,Skull Full of Kisses; and all three of my novels: The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, and the just released Poseidon’s Children.
As one year ends, another begins, like the chapters of a book that you just can’t put down, eager to see what happens to all the characters on the next page. And let me tell you, faithful readers, there is a lot of exciting stuff coming on those next pages. But before we look ahead, let’s reflect a moment on the story so far…
2011 was one hell of a year! It was a rollercoaster ride of the highest highs and lowest lows. On the high end, I signed on with Seventh Star Press and saw a record number of works published in various magazines and anthologies.
“Sandwalkers” published in Fell Beasts
“Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite” published in Shroud #11
“Masako’s Tale” published in The Beast Within 2: Predator & Prey
And last but not least, Cinema of Shadows.
The reaction from faithful readers and critics to Cinema has been especially rewarding, and I thank you all for your kind words and support.
And for the lows? Well, they were pretty damn low.
Sara J. Larson, a co-founder of Indiana Horror Writers, my harshest critic, my biggest fan, and one of my closest and dearest friends, has been battling breast cancer for over a year. There was a time, after her chemo and radiation treatments, when it looked like she would be with us for years to come, but in the fall, her condition took a turn for the worse. She is now in hospice, and her time is short. For those who have had a friend or family member fight a losing battle with this disease, you know my sadness and my total feeling of helplessness. She is in my thoughts and my prayers every minute of every day, as is her incredible husband, Bill. If you have never had a cancer screening, please do so. And give what you can to cancer research so that, someday, no one will have to go through this.
Which leads me to 2012…
One of the projects I am working on for the new year is an anthology of Vampire fiction for Naked Snake Press called Vampires Don’t Sparkle! The stories will be dark, and gritty, with vampires that do not mope or go to prom, and best of all…all proceeds from the sale of the anthology will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Sara J. Larson’s name. The stories are in, and I am reading and editing like crazy, so I hope to have a table of contents for you soon. If you are a fan of Horror, or you just want to help make a difference in the war on cancer, please buy or download a copy when it becomes available in the first half of 2012.
On a much lighter note…
Also coming in 2012 is the first novel in my Legacy of the Gods series, Poseidon’s Children. This epic, four book saga has been a project that I have been toying with off and on since 1989, and I am so happy that Seventh Star Press is giving me the opportunity to be able to finally share it with all of you. Look for the limited edition hardcover, paperback, and eBook versions of Poseidon’s Children to surface in March.
I also have three new short stories coming out in the next few months. “The Grove” will appear in Shroud Magazine, Issue #13, “For the River Is Wide and the Gods Are Hungry” will be released as a $0.99 eBook from Seventh Star Press, and “Unknown Caller” will be part of an amazing limited edition anthology from MHB Press called Cadence in Decay.
And last but not least, my next Harmony, Indiana novel, Spook House, will be released in September.
I will also be on the road quite a bit in the next 12 months, with appearances at Days of the Dead, HorrorHound Weekend, Fandom Fest, and Scarefest to name just a few. Check my schedule throughout the year, as it does change from time to time.
Yes indeed, 2012 promises to be another roller coaster of a year! Let’s hope there are more ups than downs for us all, and I look forward to meeting many of you in my travels. As always, thanks to you, my faithful readers. You are why I do this, and I hope to offer you more thrills and chills over the next 12 months and for many years to come.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This will be a busy week! My new novel from Seventh Star Press, Cinema of Shadows, hits the streets on August 9th. I have a new short story, “Masako’s Tale,” available in the second Beast Within anthology, Predator & Prey, available now from Graveside Tales Books. And, last but not least, I have added two new appearances to my schedule.
The first appearance is at the historic Hannah House, a real-life haunted house in Indianapolis, IN. I will be signing books, including Cinema of Shadows, during the Paranormal Meet & Greet from 12-4 pm on Saturday, August 13th.
The second appearance is a book signing at That Book Place, a great little book store in Madison, Indiana, on Saturday, October 22. Just in time for Halloween! Look for more details as the event draws near.
As always, faithful readers can find out where I will be popping up next by going to the Schedule page of my website. There you will find a list of conventions, book signings, etc. Just be sure to check back often, as all dates and times are subject to change. Hope to see you soon!
The foreword to the Indiana Horror Writers anthology, Dark Harvest, has been written by non other than Bram Stoker Award-winner Gary A. Braunbeck.
“(Dark Harvest) is damned serious stuff, and it’s scary, suspenseful, and sweat-inducing; but more importantly — perhaps most importantly — it’s all disturbing as hell, and cannot be easily forgotten. Each author writes as if their very life depends on it…” ~Gary A. Braunbeck
Edited by Bob Freeman, Dark Harvest features the *Best Horror Short Story of the Year, Michael West’s “Goodnight,” Mr. West’s new tale “Trolling,” his non-fiction account of a weekend spent in the oh-so-haunted Woodcarver’s Building in Converse, Indiana, as well as heart-stopping tales by Maurice Broaddus, Tracy Jones, Sara J. Larson, and Michelle Pendergrass.
Dark Harvest will be officially unleashed on June 14th at Mo*Con III: The Intersection of Spirituality, Art and Gender.
*2005 P&E Readers Poll Winner
Michael West is known for his haunting tales of fiction, but it is his true account of the Indiana Horror Writers’ Winter Retreat that has recently caused quite a stir. The event was held in the haunted Woodcarver’s building in Converse, Indiana, and Mr. West’s retelling of the real-life creepiness within is as engaging as any of his short stories or novels. These blog entries will be collected and reprinted in the upcoming Dark Harvest anthology (due in June), but if you can’t wait, you can read them right now on his MySpace blog or in his journal, “Horrid Ravings,” by Michael West.com Messageboard.
Michael West’s short story “Trolling” will appear in the upcoming Indiana Horror Writers anthology Dark Harvest. This anthology of dark and twisted tales will also feature a reprint of Michael West’s story “Goodnight,” the BEST HORROR SHORT STORY of 2005!
(ABOVE) Michael West and author Brian Keene take a moment to enjoy each other’s work.
Mo*Con II was a wonderful event. Readings, panels, a book launch, and great conversations between writers, friends, and family. In addition to helping sponsor the event through
Indiana Horror Writers, Michael West signed books and even a skeleton(!) for faithful readers (BELOW).
