A revival? « Tastes of the Darkness
Tastes of the Darkness is querying the field to see how much interest there in reviving the carnivals of short horror fiction. If you’re interested in contributing, head over there and put your hat in the ring.
Tags: horror, Speculative Fiction, tastes-of-the-darkness, Writing
The 100 Voices in the Night flash fiction anthology project is gearing up to really get rolling soon. We’ve filled 17 of the 20 contributor seats available, leaving just three openings remaining. So, if you’re interested in getting your name out there and in writing a few stories to add to this anthology, read the guidelines to apply. We’re looking forward to seeing the final product on this and on working together to learn a bit more about the writing industry as we go. It should be an interesting ride.
Tags: 100-voices-in-the-night, fantasy, flash-fiction, horror, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction
I think there are two brands of horror fiction.
One kind is what I call regular, or normal, horror. It’s the kind of horror that we frequently see on TV or in the movies with the deranged psychopaths who like their shiny metal tools and trap unsuspecting – but beautiful – young adults and torture them for hours. It’s the kind of thing we read about in our newspapers, where people kill (or attempt to kill) others just so they can steal their babies. Or the stories we hear about that could easily be the realizations of our own worst fears. These are the everyday horrors that we hope never come to visit us.
But then there is the kind of horror that can only, and will only, ever take place in our imaginations, the horrors that happen in the future or that have some element of fantasy, magic, or the supernatural. These are the kinds of horrors that frighten us, disturb us, creep us out, but the ones that we ultimately know will never come to visit because they simply cannot happen. These are the “safe” horrors, what I call speculative horror.
I heard it said recently that regular horror is far better because it is far creepier. I have to both agree and disagree with that notion. I think that it can be far creepier and horrific because we know that these sorts of things could happen to us or to someone we love. We recognize that fact, and it unsettles us deeply. On the other hand, though, speculative horror can be easily translated into things that could happen. Our minds modify them and make them real, especially if we find ourselves feeling empathy for character undergoing the horror. Our imaginations take flight, and suddenly those things that go bump in the night might not be just bumps anymore. So I do think that speculative horror can be every bit as frightening as regular horror if the writer crafts the story properly.
Tags: horror, Speculative Fiction
It’s amazing what happens when a community pulls together. Jason announced last night that within the span of 7 days, not only did fans of Apex Digest manage to meet the magazine’s financial need of $2000, they exceeded it. This means that Apex will continue to thrive, with Issue 7 going to the printer today. Additionally, the pay rate for contributing authors increases, as well as the pay for artists. A lot of good stuff, and I’m excited that this one will be able to continue.
Tags: apex-science-fiction-and-horror, horror, jason-sizemore, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction
I’ve written here before that I’m a huge fan of Apex Digest because of it’s unique take on combining science fiction and horror. I’ve sung this magazine’s praises and have bought a copy of all six issues that have thus far been produced.
Well, now Apex Digest is in trouble. Jason Sizemore, the magazine’s editor, has put out a call for help. He needs 200 new subscribers in order to pay off the magazine’s printing debt.
If you enjoy science fiction, if you enjoy horror fiction, if you’ve discovered that the two work together well, if you haven’t already bought a subscription to Apex Digest, then you really ought to do so now. Go to the Apex Store and put in your order now. This magazine is too good to let die now.
Tags: apex-science-fiction-and-horror, horror, jason-sizemore, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction
20 writers. 1 anthology. 100 Voices in the Night. This is the idea that Ben Marroquin of Storymask presented to me a couple of weeks ago. Flash fiction has become a popular pasttime of new writers. Websites have sprung up all over the web with stories ranging from 250 to 1000 words, as writers practice their craft and share these short works with their readers.
100 Voices in the Night is a project to create an anthology of flash fiction stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Twenty authors will contribute five stories each to amass a total of 100 flash fiction pieces. Once completed, this new anthology will be sent to a publisher and the first of what we hope to be an annual project will be born. Each story will be short enough to read in a just a couple of minutes, and many of them will provide brief glimpses into the larger universe of each author’s writing.
The goals of the 100 Voices project are six-fold:
That’s 100 Voices in a nutshell. It’s a project that Ben and I are both very excited about. We’re currently in the planning stages and are still inviting authors to join the team. We have several slots open yet, so if you write in the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres and would like to join the 100 Voices team, please send an email to either Ben at benmarroquin(at)sbcglobal(dot)net or Jim at stitzelj(at)gmail(dot)com expressing your interest. Please also include two or three samples of your work. We’ll review your work and if we like what we see, we’ll get back to you with an official invitation to join the team.
100 Voices in the Night promises to be a fun and interesting collaboration with other writers. I’ll keep you posted here as to our progress and when you can purchase a copy of the anthology.
Tags: 100-voices-in-the-night, fantasy, flash-fiction, horror, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction, Writing
You’ll notice that there’s now a banner at the top of this site for an upcoming Apex anthology called Aegri Somnia. Now, banners and advertising are not generally things that I like to do. In fact, I’ve gone out of my way to deliberately avoid annoying my readers with campaigns and ads. So, it should say something when I believe in a product or company enough to break from my hard-and-fast rule to put ads on my site.
Here’s the skinny on Aegri Somnia (from the Apex Digest website):
Aegri Somnia translated literally means “a sick man’s dreams.” Loosely, it can mean “troubled dreams.” The first twelve Apex Featured Writers were tasked with writing the darkest, scariest short fiction their twisted minds could create using the theme of “aegri somnia.”
- The Details: Title: Aegri Somnia
- Short horror fiction anthology, with twelve new stories
- Each story is between 2500 and 7500 words in length
- Release date will be early December 2006
- The first 200 trade paperback copies preordered and purchased will be signed by the twelve contributors, the cover artist, and the editor
- The first 50 limited edition hardcover copies preordered and purchased will be signed by the twelve contributors, the cover artist, and the editor
- Trade Paperback Price: $14.95
- Limited Edition Hardcover Price: $29.95
The cover art was created by the talented Michael Bielaczyc of Aradani Studios. Justin Stewart designed the lettering.
Aegri Somnia contributors:
- Mari Adkins – July 05
- Rhonda Eudaly – September 05
- Angeline Hawkes – November 05
- Lavie Tidhar – December 05
- Nancy Fulda – January 06
- Christopher Rowe – February 06
- Steven Savile – March 06
- Jennifer Pelland – April 06
- Eugie Foster – May 06
- Scott Nicholson – June 06
- Bryn Sparks – July 06
- Cherie Priest – August 06
Those are the pertinent details folks. I’m a huge fan of Apex’s products, so if you like sci-fi and horror, this is the best place to find to the two together. Aegri Somnia is going to be a fantastic collection. Go put your copy on order.
Tags: apex-science-fiction-and-horror, blogging, horror, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction, WordPress
Now I’ve gone and done it. Flashes of Speculation is now up and running. The goal is to provide a place (a home?) for flash fiction in the area of speculative fiction. Sci-fi, fantasy, dark sci-fi, dark fantasy, even horror with a twist of sci-fi or fantasy is welcome. So, if you write in any of these areas and want to share your work and receive feedback, please go check it out. And please advertise to anyone and everyone. I’d like to see this project take off. I don’t know about you, but my appetite for good speculative fiction never gets sated.
What are you waiting for? Go. Write. Submit.
Tags: fantasy, flash-fiction, flashes-of-speculation, horror, science-fiction, Speculative Fiction
Drive faster!
Rain lashed, wipers slashed, Cort plowed through the pouring rain, the demons of his past – both real and imagined – pursued him close behind.
Wind whistled, debris whirled into the road ahead of him, utility poles fell behind him. That’s how he knew they were still chasing him.
Stomach tied in knots, sweat pouring down his face.
A bump, thump, and the car died. The tension in Cort’s body ratcheted up another few notches.
Gotta run, gotta get away.
Then, They’re here!
He leaped from the car even before it could come to a complete stop. Left the road – that’s where they were – and dashed into the open field beside it.
Gotta hide. Oh, god! Can’t shake them. They’ll find me, anyway, his fevered mind screamed.
Shadows whipped about him, flittered, fluttered. Low hisses of eagerness issued from the assailing darkness.
Skin prickled; invisible claw briefly caressed the back of his neck and was gone. He ran harder.
Out of breath, out of time, out of options.
He screamed in fear and pain. Red ribbons slashed into his back.
Stumbled. Fell.
They were on him in an instant. Dozens of them. Tearing. Clawing. Ripping. He’d never had a chance to get away, even on the highway. Their claws had already been too deeply embedded.
Moonlight filtered through wind-driven clouds. And he was alone, then, as ever he had been.
But the damage was done, life leaking from his savaged body as it lay sprawled there in the moon-washed openness.1
Tags: flash-fiction, horror, jason-evans, Speculative Fiction, stories, the-clarity-of-night, Writing, writing-contests
I received my copy of Issue 6 from Apex over the weekend and absolutely devoured it in short order. I loved the writing, loved the stories, and can’t wait to grab the next issue. Of course, I now have to go back and purchase the first five issues, too. I think Apex will probably be one of the magazines that I buy a yearly subscription to.
Reading Apex has also inspired me to go back and rewrite Spore. After being rejected (even beforehand), I knew it needed a rewrite; I just didn’t have the inspiration at the time for the direction the story needed to go. I was relatively happy with the last half, but the first half just felt like it took too long to get into what I felt was the meat-and-potatoes of the story, so I want to get into the main events a little more quickly and develop them a little more fully. I also want to change the setting. And I was less than happy about the ending, so that will need to go, too. I guess I’m going to essentially gut the story, take it back to the outline, and start just one step beyond scratch. Maybe I’ll be happier with the final product, and maybe an editor will be happier with it, too.
Tags: apex-science-fiction-and-horror, editing, horror, science-fiction
