This Wave-Wracked World...
... and in my corner of it, the open mic was lovely.
A good amount of people, but not too many. More desserts than we had holes in our teeth to tuck them. And the stories. Oh, the stories.
I opened with a song. To, you know, "break the ice." Now, the nature of "Daughter of the Glade" is such that it not only breaks the ice, it boils it.
Next, Sally Tibbetts read us the first chapter of Kate DiCamillo's "Tale of Desperaux" and a poem.
After that, I did not record the order, but here's the rundown:
pattytempleton read us her new story -- the beginning, anyway -- called "Kill Box Road Trip," and it's the sharpest, funniest, deadliest things she's done to date. Jo and Fenn? They're going places. And their knives are out.
brendandetzner read a story recently accepted into a horror anthology (details forthcoming). I'd heard it before in radio-play format. It's just so stark and startling. He is not lavish with his prose. He cuts each word out of bone.
Michael Penkas, my favorite weirdest writer from the Twilight Tales group, read a love story. Oh, but not just any love story. This one... I can't begin to describe it, because with his stuff, it's not the plot. (Although he manages a few doozies.) It's the WAY. It's his way of taking the most astonishing -- even shocking -- ideas and making them completely sweet. Necrophilia and fetuses in jars, for example. He can undemonize demons. And then he can make a shadow in a closet the frickin' scariest invention since 1348.
Karin read to us about an Irish activist who took it upon himself to save the Kākāpō birds in New Zealand. Dave read from his dreams. Newcomer Dave Munger read the beginning of a fantastical short story set in ancient Imperial China. Alfred read from his INCREDIBLE robot story.
And then I read all of "The Last Sophia." Yes. They totally let me.
I was so happy to have a chance to read it out loud. They were so kind about it -- especially as it was at the end of the night.
***
Over in Japan, the world is shuddering.
Over in North Carolina, my cousin Shoshanna is giving birth to a daughter.
It is a terrible world. It is a shining world. I feel like crying.
***
In the meantime, news from Drollerie Press about The Big Bah-Ha is thus:
Hi Claire,
I'm really sorry for the delay. I have spoken to Deena and she says that the book is formatted and ready to go. She's sending it to the printers shortly. That process takes a while and then she needs to have you sign them, which will take longer. The full process, with everything done and ready to ship might take until the end of the month or so.
Deena is a stickler for quality so I can't imagine that it won't be beautiful, though I've never seen the Hardcovers- as you mentioned, they're a new endeavor, I have the utmost confidence that they'll be phenomenal. :)
Selena Green
Senior Editor, Kettlestitch
Vice President of Communications
--
Drollerie Press
Publishers of Transformative Fiction
http://drolleriepress.com/
***
So. There's that.
***
But there's also this:
time_shark: "As has become her new tradition, Ellen Datlow has posted the full list of Honorable Mentions that she no longer has room to include in her Best Horror of the Year anthologies."
"Braiding the Ghosts" and "The Big Bah-Ha" both made that list.
A good amount of people, but not too many. More desserts than we had holes in our teeth to tuck them. And the stories. Oh, the stories.
I opened with a song. To, you know, "break the ice." Now, the nature of "Daughter of the Glade" is such that it not only breaks the ice, it boils it.
Next, Sally Tibbetts read us the first chapter of Kate DiCamillo's "Tale of Desperaux" and a poem.
After that, I did not record the order, but here's the rundown:
pattytempleton read us her new story -- the beginning, anyway -- called "Kill Box Road Trip," and it's the sharpest, funniest, deadliest things she's done to date. Jo and Fenn? They're going places. And their knives are out.
brendandetzner read a story recently accepted into a horror anthology (details forthcoming). I'd heard it before in radio-play format. It's just so stark and startling. He is not lavish with his prose. He cuts each word out of bone.
Michael Penkas, my favorite weirdest writer from the Twilight Tales group, read a love story. Oh, but not just any love story. This one... I can't begin to describe it, because with his stuff, it's not the plot. (Although he manages a few doozies.) It's the WAY. It's his way of taking the most astonishing -- even shocking -- ideas and making them completely sweet. Necrophilia and fetuses in jars, for example. He can undemonize demons. And then he can make a shadow in a closet the frickin' scariest invention since 1348.
Karin read to us about an Irish activist who took it upon himself to save the Kākāpō birds in New Zealand. Dave read from his dreams. Newcomer Dave Munger read the beginning of a fantastical short story set in ancient Imperial China. Alfred read from his INCREDIBLE robot story.
And then I read all of "The Last Sophia." Yes. They totally let me.
I was so happy to have a chance to read it out loud. They were so kind about it -- especially as it was at the end of the night.
***
Over in Japan, the world is shuddering.
Over in North Carolina, my cousin Shoshanna is giving birth to a daughter.
It is a terrible world. It is a shining world. I feel like crying.
***
In the meantime, news from Drollerie Press about The Big Bah-Ha is thus:
Hi Claire,
I'm really sorry for the delay. I have spoken to Deena and she says that the book is formatted and ready to go. She's sending it to the printers shortly. That process takes a while and then she needs to have you sign them, which will take longer. The full process, with everything done and ready to ship might take until the end of the month or so.
Deena is a stickler for quality so I can't imagine that it won't be beautiful, though I've never seen the Hardcovers- as you mentioned, they're a new endeavor, I have the utmost confidence that they'll be phenomenal. :)
Selena Green
Senior Editor, Kettlestitch
Vice President of Communications
--
Drollerie Press
Publishers of Transformative Fiction
http://drolleriepress.com/
***
So. There's that.
***
But there's also this:
time_shark: "As has become her new tradition, Ellen Datlow has posted the full list of Honorable Mentions that she no longer has room to include in her Best Horror of the Year anthologies."
"Braiding the Ghosts" and "The Big Bah-Ha" both made that list.