Horror Not Diverse Enough?

Asks one PW blogger, and not just as to race or gender, but as to continent. She applauds the Nebulas for their diversity as to race and gender, and while she doesn't note the numbers in the horror genre, she wonders about how it's dominated by American publishers/writers.

A reasonable query, presented quite innocently and w/o an agenda, I think. I'd press it further and ask about subject matter as well. And it's funny to think of the comparison with other spec fic and their fandoms. When I go to a con, I'd say an SF con is almost all guys, a fantasy con almost all gals, and a horror con pretty evenly divided. Now, as to race - all of them are all white, as far as I see. And of course, these are cons in N. America, so I can't speak to the nationality of people. So it'd be interesting, the extent to which non-diverse fandoms read different kinds of authors.

Another Great Review!

And this one is zombie related! A great review of History Is Dead, rightly singly out some of my favorites tales! It's the little antho that could!

Great Review!

And just to prove I don't just do zombies now! Here's an excerpt from a review of Augustine and World Religions that really captures what I was trying to do with that volume:

"Every so often a book comes along from a truly fresh perspective—one that genuinely captures its subject in a new light and allows its readers to see with greater clarity the contribution and genius of an intellectual forebear. This is one such book. Bolstered by a fine index and a thorough bibliography, this volume will undoubtedly be of particular use not only to scholars of Augustine but to others in religious studies, as well as to students seeking excellent examples of cross-cultural comparison and to those engaged in practical interreligious dialogue and cooperation; it deserves a wider audience, as well."— Spring 2009, Journal of Ecumenical Studies

That is almost as nice as "Woman rips open her stomach to eat her own unborn baby - AWESOME!" (from an Amazon "review" of D2L).

Fellow Hudson Valley Horror Writer

Jason Gehlert will be at the Barnes and Noble in Mohegan Lake, NY, on March 6, 1-4pm, promoting his horror novels -

DEMON REVOLVER

and EUROPA

Come out and support this fine local author, get your books signed, have some coffee!

Stoker Nominees

The final ballot is announced:

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan (Harper)
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin's Griffin)
Quarantined by Joe McKinney (Lachesis Publishing)
Cursed by Jeremy Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A FIRST NOVEL

Breathers by S. G. Browne (Broadway Books)
Solomon’s Grave by Daniel G. Keohane (Dragon Moon Press)
Damnable by Hank Schwaeble (Jove)
The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay (Henry Holt)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN LONG FICTION

“Dreaming Robot Monster” by Mort Castle (Mighty Unclean)
The Hunger of Empty Vessels by Scott Edelman (Bad Moon Books)
The Lucid Dreaming by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)
Doc Good’s Traveling Show by Gene O’Neill (Bad Moon Books)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SHORT FICTION

"Keeping Watch" by Nate Kenyon (Monstrous: 20 Tales of Giant Creature Terror)
“The Crossing of Aldo Ray” by Weston Ochse (The Dead That Walk)
"In the Porches of My Ears" by Norman Prentiss (Postscripts #1)
"The Night Nurse" by Harry Shannon (Horror Drive-in)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN FICTION COLLECTION

Martyrs and Monsters by Robert Dunbar (DarkHart Press)
Got to Kill Them All and Other Stories by Dennis Etchison (Cemetery Dance)
A Taste of Tenderloin by Gene O'Neill (Apex Book Company)
In the Closet, Under the Bed by Lee Thomas (Dark Scribe Press)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ANTHOLOGY (EDITING)

He is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson edited by Christopher Conlon (Gauntlet Press)
Lovecraft Unbound edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse Books)
Poe edited by Ellen Datlow (Solaris)
Midnight Walk edited by Lisa Morton (Darkhouse Publishing)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION

Writers Workshop of Horror by Michael Knost (Woodland Press)
Cinema Knife Fight by L. L. Soares and Michael Arruda (Fearzone)
The Stephen King Illustrated Companion by Bev Vincent (Fall River Press)
Stephen King: The Non-fiction by Rocky Wood and Justin Brook (Cemetery Dance)

SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN POETRY COLLECTION

Double Visions by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions)
North Left of Earth by Bruce Boston (Sam's Dot)
Barfodder by Rain Graves (Cemetery Dance)
Chimeric Machines by Lucy A. Snyder (Creative Guy Publishing)

I Still Insist the Original is Evil

But the photos from the set of the Red Dawn remake are intriguing.

Is it going to be a tea-bagger fantasy, with China cast as the villain of all our racist / xenophobic paranoid fantasies? Or is it a parody of such paranoia? Are the posters against "Corporate Greed" just the propaganda of our Chinese oppressors, or is that what really caused the downfall of our nation in the movie? I'm still betting (and appalled at) the idea that it's going to be played as straightforward xenophobia (like the original), but perhaps one wonders if there's a level of questioning and self-deprecating, dark humor.

Land Down Under!

Great review of The World Is Dead, over at Horror Scope, the Australian Dark Fiction Web Log! G'day!

Kim Realizes Something about Middle Age

And it ain't pretty!

I realized two closely related things while on the way home from work. I had observed both inchoately for some time, but was finally able to articulate them. (I think I'd actually stated #1 in a different way before, but I'd never paired it w/ #2.)

1) When I was young, I'd put up with all kinds of crap from people, almost exclusively for two reasons: to woo them, or to cajole some other favors or benefits from them (most often related to education or jobs). Since woo-ing is pretty much gone by the way, and I'm probably about as advanced in my career as I'm going to get, this incentive seems more or less completely gone from my life.

2) When I was young, my tendency to say "Fuck you" to someone ran very high, but was strongly inhibited by #1. When it wasn't, my indiscretion was written off to youthful high spirits and/or stupidity or hormones. Now, the expectation is much higher that I'll behave myself decorously, and would never think to say or do anything confrontational to anyone. So, w/o #1 to impede me, I've got to make much more of an effort when someone crosses me.

I also realized that the four times I've lost it in public and said "Fuck you" (or its equivalent) to someone in my middle age - well, one time was a stranger, so that didn't do anything one way or another (though it still amuses me to think of it); one time the person actually did interact with me and we came to some better resolution of what was bothering us; and the other two times - I haven't really spoken to those two people since, and, well - fuck them!

So, no swearing is eminent this afternoon, but I just realized why some situations seem more ... tense to me now than they did when I was a kid, even though I was much more of a hothead back then.

And, to be clear: I'm introspective enough to understand that the whole situation is the same,for all those middle aged people who have to deal with me - the likelihood that they'll put up with my crap is much less than it was 25 years ago! Increasingly I think salmon have the right idea: spawn and die before you make a nuisance of yourself!

This One's a Darker Blue!

And I think it's gonna be pretty neat too!

New Blog

Please welcome SURVIVAL WEEKLY to the blogosphere. The blog promises some great content on post apocalyptic (whether brought about by the undead or some other horror) lit, film, and life in general! Check them out!

Objective Christian Ministries

Yup, they fooled me! I thought it was totally crazy enough to be real!

Objective Christian Ministries Exposes Evolutionist Propaganda

I did finally look twice - the anti-evolution stuff is totally plausible from their persepctive, but "anti-triclavianism" made me suspicious (they went to the trouble of making a wikipedia page for "Triclavianism" but I see no other reference to such a thing). I now think it's a spoof:

Objective Christian Ministries? Urban Legend!

Academic Book Reviews

I used to tease that they all fall into the same formula:

1) summarize the book in three paragraphs

2) tell in one paragraph how you (the reviewer) would've done it better, including how you already have done it better on specific points and how your work not being cited was such a major deficiency of the current work

3) list a bunch of typos with page #s. Take your time. Don't just put "This book has too many typos for such an expensive volume" - we really want to know where each missplaced "s" or apostrophe is! Please!

4) conclude in one paragraph how this is nonetheless a valuable contribution to scholarship, blah-blah-blah. Can be spun more negatively, that the reviewer's book on the same subject is the one that should be purchased and this one can be relegated to the dustbin of scholarship

But you know what - now I'm not teasing! That really is the formula (though #2 can be expanded to fit the reviewer's ego, or it can be slipped into the summary as the review goes). Now I see why editors seek me out - I actually write a REVIEW, one that might actually HELP SOMEONE DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO BUY THE BOOK!!! My formula:

1) summarize the book in 3 paragraphs

2) highlight the good parts, and tell why and how they're helpful

3) mention the bad parts, and tell how and why they're not helpful

4) if 2 outweighs 3, suggest buying the book; if 3 outweighs 2, suggest giving it a pass

I don't see the difficulty of this formula, so please let's everyone follow it. KTHNXBY!

Back Yard Bistro

As I blogged last night, we went to this fine establishment for my wife's birthday yesterday. Here's a brief review.

Excellent service. The wait staff did a great job, and having the owner chat everyone up was a nice touch. (I usually find it a little... odd talking to the chef/owner, but she was very unobtrusive and natural about it and it wasn't off-putting.) The little bonuses - a tiny appetizer sample (spicy pork belly) and tiny dessert sample (something like mochi, I forgot what it was actually called) at the end were cute.

The food was creative and eclectic, so you'd have to be in the mood for that. If you want straight up comfort food, or straight up ethnic, I'd say this would throw you too many curves. My wife appreciated the unexpected mixes a lot, so it was a good choice to take her there. (I guess I'm more traditional.) The sauce on the skirt steak was a little too wine-y, but both the skirt and the sirloin were done perfectly, with good flavor and tenderness. I would've preferred the yucca fries instead of the stuffing (aka bread pudding), but my wife LOVES stuffing (never having had it until I made it one year for Thanksgiving, she is now obsessed with it). I didn't think the cloves (I'm pretty sure that was cloves I was tasting) went in the spiced ketchup at all, but that was another point she liked. The sausage inside the veal was amazing - it came out kinda dry and crumbly, while the veal was juicy (i.e. kind of the opposite from what you'd expect): nice complements of flavor on that one. Oh, and it's funny, but I think the consistent highlight for me and my son were the little hashbrowns that garnished both the appetizer and the veal - wow, those were some good hasbrowns. And of the desserts, the cheesecake was definitely the high point: I prefer the denser, sourer kind, but if you like the looser, sweeter, ricotta style, this was a banging batch. Oh, whatever they pour as the house Merlot was excellent, and I thought their wine list was a nice range from $25-$85 bottles, to give people choices across price brackets.

Birthday Dinner!

No, not mine (next month). I've been under the weather the last couple days, so I wasn't 100% sure I'd be able to get out to a nice restaurant for my wife's birthday, but I felt a little better this morning, so I saw if I could get reservations for tonight. I wasn't optimistic, but -

I scored reservations to Back Yard Bistro of Montgomery, NY, whose owner was on Chopped a couple weeks ago! We can talk strategy and everything!! (We already were on the phone and she seems really cool!)

Chopped - Olympic Edition

Chopped seemed more interesting than torch lighting. That's my excuse this time. Okay, okay, I'm getting into the sense of competition on the show - I even pulled for the bald guy this time, cuz he seemed so humble and yet he worked so hard and really deserved it.

Appetizer - sea beans (described as salty, pickled jungle grass - yum!), pork tenderloin, ginger ale

Like the contestants, I wouldn't have known what sea beans are. Unlike them, I think I would've picked one up and bit into it and discovered it was salty. I mean, the saltiness doesn't appear magically during cooking, does it? Blanch those things while searing the pork medallions, rubbed with rosemary, lemon, pepper. (Why does everyone cook the whole slab of meat, cut into it, and is shocked that it's raw?) And WTF - cooking pork in bacon? Geez, some heavy food overkill there, Hans. Saute some red pepper strips, then add the ginger ale and cook it down. Actually, better be cooking the ale down as the peppers are sauteeing - contestants seem to have trouble every week with reductions taking longer than they think. Toss the jungle grass in with that, a little at a time. Correct the seasoning with lemon juice or hot sauce to counter the salt (though I think the sweetness of the ginger ale is the main weapon there). Mound it on top of the pork. Simple, but shouldn't be catastrophic.

Entree - baby artichokes, cashew butter, monk fish, thai peppers (they didn't look dried, but real tiny and hot)

Mild fish again! Let's have sardines and mackerel one week! The cashew butter is throwing me, and I hate artichokes (people make fun of me for liking oysters, but those seem far preferable to hairy, prickly green pine cones), so I think I'm going down in flames. Start the artichokes boiling right away, having cut off the stems and quartered them, as I have no idea how long those take to cook. Sear the fish in fairly small fillets. Cut the little peppers lengthwise and seed them as much as possible, as they seemed to be way too hot for everyone. Dice the little pieces. Saute those and throw in chopped tomatoes and let it cook down. So I got a red, hot sauce. Check the artichokes. Hopefully they've cooked and some of the outer leaves have come off, cuz I want to grab those loose pieces and throw them in the food processor with the cashew butter, some parsley, salt, lime juice, and cilantro - it has to turn out green and not grey for this to work. I think I can do it with the herbs, and w/o making it hot, so it's a compliment to the hot pepper/tomato sauce. Plate the artichoke pieces next to the fish - green sauce on the fish, red sauce on the artichokes. Sprig of cilantro on top. Voila. Hoping plating gets me through this.

Dessert - blueberries, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and jicama

No meat! Yay! No one thought to layer it in a parfait dish again! Go me! Cook the blueberries and some water and sugar into glop. Toast the pumpkin seeds, though I think I'd add a little butter, some salt, and then at the very end some brown sugar to coat. The jicama? So far as I know, it doesn't have much taste, so let's dice it and cook it down to a mash with some cinammon and sugar. Whip some cream as this is going on. So what have I got? Crunchy, salty, sweet layer. Purple, sweet warm layer. White cool creamy layer. Light brown, spicy layer. I think if I layer that in a glass dish it should be nice!

And the bald guy won! Rocky!

Another Guide to Zombie Lit

From MOVE !

(World Is Dead in the righthand bar)

Escape From New York Remake!

Including a contractual agreement that Snake will always be a "bad ass" in the film. That would be a funny case to adjudicate, should it be disputed.

Chopped Once More

And this time I watched it by myself, so I guess I'm the one who's hooked now. I like the armchair quarterbacking for sure!

Appetizer - beef tenderloin, nori (flattened seaweed), maple syrup

My first thought was to go with a negimaki, but I just don't think I'd have time. So I'd fry strips of the beef, serve them over a bed of green with a maple vinaigrette. That should free up enough time to make a tapenade (assuming olives are in the pantry) with the nori and some garlic, which I think would taste awesome. Serve toasted strips of french bread with that spread on them, on top of the beef on top of the greens. I think it'd look neat, but still might be perceived as two separate things w/o integration.

Entree - broccoli rabe, crystallized ginger, gouda, mah-mahi

What is it with them with really mild fish (which I just find the least interesting to make or eat)? Okay, the rabe would be sauteed with some red peppers for color. A gouda sauce goes on top of that (since I really do think cheese should be separate from fish, though this set of judges wasn't as dogmatic as the other). Sear the fillets after rubbing them with pepper. Since the sauce is going to be sweet, a lot of pepper. I'd cook down the ginger with some white wine - but not into a glaze (I HATE glazes on fish) - but just to soften it and bleed out some of the intensity of the flavor and disperse it through the sauce. Then, here's my coup - soy sauce and ketchup into the sauce. Trailer park stuff. But I'd need to keep it simple as I got so much else going on and I think the color would be nice too. If it's coming out too sweet it can be corrected easily enough with either hot sauce or vinegar. I think the whole plate would look awesome, but I fear it'd be two separate piles.

Dessert - (no meat this time!) cherries, pumpernickel bread, curry, yuzu juice (described as Japanese citrus like lime)

Wow, the two guys on there hit it right - I'd never think of french toast till it was too late. I fear I'd run out of time, but I think if I got a big skillet going with just a little water on the bottom, I think I'd have time to steam four little ramekins in it with a glop made out of bread crumbs, curry, eggs and sugar. (At worst it'd fall apart when I popped them and I dont' think that'd be the end.) I'd cook the cherries with the yuzu juice and sweeten it enough. If I could manage it at the same time, a creamy sweet sauce with curry (and maybe mango or some other fruit) could be drizzled over or be a second puddle beside the cherry glop.

VALLEY OF THE DEAD cover art!

A colorized and zombified version of one of Dore's illustrations for Inferno (not that the damned needed much zombification - the guy in the lower left was already missing pieces!). I like it - conveys the sense and mood well! Thanks!

(Depending on your computer it might look too dark - I know I just viewed it on my son's flat screen and it looked GREAT, and on this old computer it looks pretty dark.)

More Snow?

Or so I hear! (Indeed the supermarket was pretty bare a couple hours ago)

End of American Empire (again)

More of a rant than Krugman's, but does point out the inconsistencies of the Right, and chides Obama for not being aggressive enough (which is where the gravity of how I feel is starting to tilt).

WE ARE WEIMAR!!

I'd also point out - a return to the 17th century? That's how ESCAPE FROM LA ends!! Yay us! We've recreated every 80s and 90s apocalyptic fear EXCEPT zombies!

Black Quill Award Winners Announced

FLYNN, SIMMONS TAKE TOP HONORS IN BLACK QUILL AWARDS

LONG ISLAND, NY, February 9, 2010 — A master of otherworldly suspense and a literary fiction darling have taken top honors in the 3rd Annual Black Quill Awards, as winners were announced today by DARK SCRIBE MAGAZINE, the virtual magazine “dedicated to the books that keep readers up at night.”

Chicago-based author Gillian Flynn snagged the coveted Editor’s Choice award for DARK GENRE NOVEL OF THE YEAR for her sophomore effort, DARK PLACES, while veteran dark scribe Dan Simmons took Readers’ Choice honors in the same category for DROOD, his historical reimagining of the last years of Charles Dickens’ life. Simmons was nominated in the same category in 2007 for THE TERROR.

The Black Quill Awards were handed out in (8) categories honoring works of dark genre literature – horror, suspense, and thrillers – from both mainstream and small press publishers. While six of the awards recognized literary efforts, two of the awards recognized important aspects of book publishing and promotion: cover design and artwork and book trailer production — a growing marketing aspect of dark genre publishing. Peter Mahaichuk and César Puch dominated the BEST COVER ART AND DESIGN category for their work on Michael Louis Calvillo’s AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT for Bad Moon Books, while Calvillo himself took Readers’ Choice for BEST SMALL PRESS CHILL. Filmmaker JT Petty won Editors’ Choice for BEST DARK GENRE BOOK TRAILER for his work on the book trailer for real-life wife Sarah Langan’s AUDREY’S DOOR, while up-and-coming trailer producer John Palisano took Readers’ Choice in that same category for Gary Braunbeck’s FAR DARK FIELDS.

First-time nominees fared well in this year’s Black Quills, with Paul G. Bens Jr. taking top honors in the BEST SMALL PRESS CHILL category (Editor’s Choice) and Stoker Award-winner Lisa Morton scoring an Editors’ Choice nod for her editing work on MIDNIGHT WALK in the BEST DARK GENRE ANTHOLOGY category. Jameson Currier snagged an Editors’ Choice award for BEST DARK GENRE FICTION COLLECTION for THE HAUNTED HEART AND OTHER TALES, while David Nickle picked up the Readers’ Choice award in that same category for MONSTROUS AFFECTIONS. Editor Michael Knost took Editors’ Choice honors in the BEST DARK GENRE BOOK OF NON-FICTION category for the how-to compilation WRITERS WORKSHOP OF HORROR, while frequent Stephen King chronicler Bev Vincent earned Readers’ Choice honors in the same category for his THE ILLUSTRATED STEPHEN KING COMPANION. Elsewhere, Sarah Totton and Harry Shannon earned Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Choice nods, respectively, in the BEST DARK SCRIBBLE category. Totton’s short story “Flatrock Sunners” appeared in the UK print magazine BLACK STATIC, while Shannon’s “The Night Nurse” ran on the webzine Horror Drive-In.

Prolific genre editor Ellen Datlow – a double nominee this year – added a Black Quill Award to her lengthy list of honors for her editing work on POE: 19 NEW TALES INSPIRED BY EDGAR ALLAN POE. This was Datlow’s third nomination, following last year’s nomination for INFERNO: NEW TALES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL and a second nomination this year for her work on the LOVECRAFT UNBOUND collection.

Nominations for the Black Quills are editorial-based, with both the editors and active contributing writers submitting nominations in each of the (8) categories. Once nominations are announced, readers of DSM cast their votes for their picks in each category. For this year’s outing, more than 3,300 votes were cast by the magazine’s readers. In a unique spin intended to celebrate both critical and popular success, two winners are traditionally announced in each category – Reader’s Choice and Editor’s Choice. Winners receive recognition in DSM, inclusion in press release materials announcing nominations and winners, a virtual icon to be used on their own website, and a handsome award certificate.

A complete list of all the nominees and winners follows:

DARK GENRE NOVEL OF THE YEAR: (Novel-length work of horror, suspense, or thriller from mainstream publisher; awarded to the author)

• AUDREY'S DOOR by Sarah Langan (Harper)
• CASTAWAYS by Brian Keene (Leisure Books)
• DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn (Shaye Areheart Books) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• DROOD by Dan Simmons (Little, Brown and Company) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• THE LITTLE STRANGER by Sarah Waters (Riverhead Hardcover)
• THE UNSEEN by Alexandra Sokoloff (St. Martin's Press)

BEST SMALL PRESS CHILL: (Novel or novella published by small press publisher; awarded to the author)

• AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• FROZEN BLOOD by Joel Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)
• KELLAND by Paul G. Bens Jr. (Casperian Books) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• LAST DAYS by Brian Evenson (Underland Press)
• THE HARLEQUIN AND THE TRAIN by Paul G. Tremblay (Necropolitan Press)
• VALLEY OF THE DEAD by Kim Paffenroth (Cargo Cult Press)

BEST DARK GENRE FICTION COLLECTION: (Single author collection, any publisher; awarded to the author)

• MARTYRS & MONSTERS by Robert Dunbar (DarkHart Press)
• MONSTROUS AFFECTIONS by David Nickle (ChiZine Publications) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• PUMPKIN TEETH by Tom Cardamone (Lethe Press)
• THE HAUNTED HEART AND OTHER TALES by Jameson Currier (Lethe Press) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• UGLY MAN by Dennis Cooper (Harper Perennial)

BEST DARK GENRE ANTHOLOGY: (Multi-author collection, any publisher; awarded to the editor)

• DARK DELICACIES III: HAUNTED edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb (Running Press)
• HE IS LEGEND: AN ANTHOLOGY CELEBRATING RICHARD MATHESON edited by Christopher Conlon (Gauntlet Press)
• LOVECRAFT UNBOUND edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse Comics)
• MIDNIGHT WALK edited by Lisa Morton (Darkhouse Publishing) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• POE: 19 NEW TALES INSPIRED BY EDGAR ALLAN POE edited by Ellen Datlow (Solaris) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• SHIVERS V edited by Richard Chizmar (Cemetery Dance Publications)

BEST DARK GENRE BOOK OF NON-FICTION: (Any dark genre non-fiction subject, any publisher; awarded to the author[s] or editor[s])

• MORBID CURIOSITY CURES THE BLUES edited by Loren Rhodes (Scribner)
• STEPHEN KING: THE NON-FICTION by Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks (Cemetery Dance Publications)
• THE STEPHEN KING ILLUSTRATED COMPANION by Bev Vincent (Fall River Press) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• WRITER'S WORKSHOP OF HORROR edited by Michael Knost (Woodland Press) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE

BEST DARK SCRIBBLE: (Single work, non-anthology short fiction appearing in a print or virtual magazine; awarded to the author)

• “Flatrock Sunners” by Sarah Totton (Black Static #12 / Print) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• “Following Marla” by John R. Little (Horror World, February 2009 / Virtual)
• “Night Nurse” by Harry Shannon (Horror Drive-In, July 2009 / Virtual) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• “The Loyalty of Birds” by Rachel Sobel (Clarkesworld #30 / Virtual)
• “The Man in the Mirror” by Jameson Currier (Icarus #1 / Print)
• “The Mind of a Pig” by Ekaterina Sedia (Apex Magazine, March 2009 / Virtual)

BEST COVER ART & DESIGN: (From any dark genre work of fiction, novel, novella, or anthology; awarded to artist and/or cover designer)

• AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT / Artwork: Peter Mahaichuk; Cover Design: César Puch [by Michael Louis Calvillo from Bad Moon Books] WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE / WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• THE ESTUARY / Artwork: Johann Bodin; Cover Design: Jacob Kier [by Derek Gunn from Permuted Press]
• THE HAUNTED HEART AND OTHER TALES / Artwork by: Richard Taddei; Cover Design: John Molloy [by Jameson Currier from Lethe Press]
• THE PILO FAMILY CIRCUS / Cover Design by: Heidi Whitcomb [by Will Elliot from Underland Press]

BEST DARK GENRE BOOK TRAILER: (Book video promoting any work of fiction or non-fiction; awarded to the video producer or publisher)
• AUDREY'S DOOR / Production by JT Petty (Author: Sarah Langan) WINNER – EDITORS’ CHOICE
• FAR DARK FIELDS / Production by John Palisano (Author: Gary Braunbeck) WINNER – READERS’ CHOICE
• ISIS / Production by Circle of Seven (Author: Douglas Clegg)
• THE LIFELESS / Production by Coscom Entertainment (Author: Lorne Dixon)
• SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS / Production by Seth Dalton and Ransom Riggs (Author: Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters)

The End of American Empire

I keep saying it!

But now, Nobel Prize Winner Paul Krugman chimes in. (He's said versions of it many times before.) And we're going out with a whimper, destroyed from w/in by the tea baggers, nay-sayers, those who are only out for themselves.

And before you anti-Obama people chime in - yes, he may well have turned out to be part of the problem and not part of the solution, though I bet I think so for reasons quite different than you do. Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone has had several articles on how Obama's hasn't been progressive enough to counter the forces of corporatism that are bringing us down. But we shall see. Canada's looking better all the time, as my Canadian friends always told me!

The Stoker Awards

No, nothing of mine is on the preliminary ballot - and I doubt very much anything of mine will be for some time - nonfiction is my specialty by trade, so it made sense when I swept in with GOTLD. My fiction will take honing in the years to come.

But I wanted to say, that most everyone behaved very decorously to me. I think I got 5 or 6 offers of PDFs (declined) and I got 3 or 4 thank-yous from people I did vote for after they made the preliminary ballot. Compared to a couple years ago, when I was bombarded with dozens of requests, and I don't remember any thank-yous, I think it was a good year. But what the future of the award or the HWA is - no, not in my crystal ball.

But I look at the little statue every day. It could be the WWE Intercontinental Belt and I wouldn't enjoy looking at it as much!

German Edition

I actually hadn't seen the full wraparound version of the cover. I can't quite blow it up enough to read the back cover copy, as the resolution is too low.

It is now due out in May 2010.

Dead Letter Awards!

The World Is Dead is up for one, so pop on over there and vote early and often!!

Thanks for voting, and thanks to those who put it on the ballot!!

A.D. Teaser

WOW!!! (The embed was too wide for some reason, so here's the link and you're gonna love it!)

VALLEY OF THE DEAD

Final proofreading done! Look for it this spring from Permuted!!

Chopped Again

Forgot to give my ideas for Tuesday's episode:

Appetizer - hamachi (big fish like tuna steaks), quail eggs, and dried cherries

I think I'd probably get cut, 'cuz they'd basically be separate on my plate. I'd barely sear slices of the fish, after rubbing it with some chili, salt, pepper, garlic. I'd hard boil the eggs, cuz I don't know what to do with them, though I think halves of them around the plate would at least look nice. Since the fish was spiced, maybe it could stand up to a sweet pungent sauce with the cherries (though I'd have my doubts), so I'd cook them down with soy sauce, maybe some lime and orange juice. I don't know. I find dried fruit cooks up too sweet and too sour at the same time.

Entree - beef tenderloin, mango, gruyere, kochujang (Korean chili paste)

This only came to me later, though it was one of their less bizarre baskets. Sear slices of the meat after rubbing it with the Korean chili glop (score the meat to get some glop inside) - maybe some garlic on there too (and other than the arrogant dope who served the ostrich raw, everyone on there overcooks red meat, so I know to go really rare). Just barely cook some long carrot slices while that's going on, and slice some tomatoes. (I don't know how many vegetables are in the pantry - people always grab potatoes, but I think there's more back there.) Make two sauces: one's mango and curry, the other's melted gruyere with a little pepper. Plate the meat in the center, surrounded on one side by the carrot slices, and on the other side with the tomato slices. The curry sauce goes on the carrots, the gruyere on the tomatoes. Mint sprig on top of the carrots, basil leaf on top of the tomatoes. Plating would win me this one easily.

Dessert - plaintains, prosecco (described as Italian champagne), crystallized ginger, bacon

What is it with them and putting meat in dessert every time? I think I'd try to go cold on this one rather than a cooked down, hot sauce. Make some banana glop with the plaintains and some whipped cream. Meanwhile, cook the bacon. Crumble the bacon, finely chopped ginger, and chopped apples into a cold compote like thing, tossed with the champagne like stuff (that'd be cooked briefly to get off the alcohol, then chilled). Maybe some maple syrup and raisins in the apple mixture, if the champagne hadn't already made it too sweet. Sprig of mint.

I'm only confident of the entree this time. (And, in general, I'd say the main course is my strong suit.)