World Book Day 2013 – New & Old Love

 

World Book Day??!!  hell yeah. awesome excuse to make book lists.

 

Top 5 Go-Tos for Random Infusions of Beauty 

Sometimes I need icebears and sometimes I need Mario to tell me about the fans’ sounds at night… these are my shelf-grabs for snippet reading or total re-ingestion

1. Tropic of Cancer – Henry Miller

2. The Strangeness of Beauty – Lydia Minatoya

3. Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace

4. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman

5. East of Eden – John Steinbeck

 

Top 5 Quickest Reads in the Past Year

There’s no way to list the best things I’ve read, there are WAY too many. But for what it’s worth, I devoured these in just a couple days apiece, and I think that says plenty about them. In order beginning with the speediest:

1. Growing Up Dead In Texas – Stephen Graham Jones

2. Full Dark, No Stars – Stephen King

3. Nod – Adrian Barnes

4. Murder and Other Distractions – Michael Estrin

5. The Sound of Loneliness – Craig Wallwork

 

5 Self-Pimps Because Why Not? I’m Proud to Be In This Stuff

1. Warmed and Bound – “The World Was Clocks” available now

2. In Search of a City: Los Angeles in 1000 Words – “Gilded Bones” available now

3. cutaway – “The Cabbage Muse” available now

4. Cipher Sisters – “Asymmetry” (and co-editor) coming very soon

5. The Booked. Anthology – “Short Tendon” coming very soon

P.S. to this list, still a year in the future so can’t really gloat about it just yet - Burnt Tongues – “The Line Forms on the Right” coming summer 2014

Happy World Book Day!!! READ READ READ!!!

Menacing Hedge Spring 2013 Issue LIVE!!

Woo hoo!! The Spring Issue just went up.

Six short stories hand-picked by yours truly, plus awesome poems selected by Kelly Boyker. AND artwork by my awesome friend Ryan Case, that MH was nice enough to allow me to interview.

Click over for brand new fiction by:

Kate Velguth

Court Merrigan

Liz Young

Mia Avramut

Matthew Burnside

Gisella Faggi

Menacing Hedge Spring 2013

Bird of Pray by Ryan Case

Hi, Menacing Hedge

so, Kelly Boyker and Craig Wallwork are having me over to play…. hi, anyone from MH who clicked over to see what qualifications i might possibly have to sift through your work for the Spring Issue.

proper capitalization is obviously not one of them. BUT! i’m confident i can persuade you to send me your loveliest, most beautiful things to read, and i will handle and read them delicately, like scrolls of parchment. i shall light candles about the room in the dead of night and shuffle to my old table with arms full. i’ll unroll them carefully one by one, and believe you me i shall mouth the words while following every single line with the tip of my index finger.

 

Qualifications:

1. In the 2nd grade i did very well in 5th grade reading comprehension, so i have a lot of experience grasping a story. this wasn’t through any sort of school program, there was just a really big 5th grade girl that rode my bus and ‘persuaded’ my friend and i to do her reading homework every day on the way home from school.

2. i read ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’ when i was ten years old. this just illustrates that i read feverishly and compulsively. i wasn’t supposed to read those books, so i hid them and devoured them in delicious secret moments.

3. my first novel was completed at age fifteen – it was shit and i’ll never show it to anyone even though i worked on it for a year. i know how much time it takes to do this! i know you work really hard on whatever you send, and you worked really hard for years before that to get to a place that you wrote things you felt were worthwhile to show the world.

4. i was almost thirty before i ever showed even one written word of my own to anyone in the outside world. it takes serious balls to cut out a little piece of yourself and send it to strangers, only to have them tell you objectively what a part of your insides is worth. this act of courage will never be taken for granted.

5.  i don’t give a shit about your bio. seriously don’t. won’t read it until after the story. if you have seven published novels, an MFA and teach a creative writing class, i won’t know you weren’t a seventeen year old who scribbled her story out in biology class instead of taking notes. because everyone makes magic sometimes, and i don’t need to know where you’ve been to feel it.

6. Craig and Kelly trust me. and i don’t take it lightly. i’ll do my very best, and i’m very excited.

SO SEND ME SOMETHING!

 

here is a photo of me just after my head transplant, so you can be assured i’m using the very best brains available:

http://menacinghedge.com/

And Daddy Tomato Stomps Him and Says “Ketch Up”

how long since i updated here? How long is a piece of string? Too Damn Long. yeah, i’m full of movie quotes this morning, but i’m also full of  UPDATES. first, let’s do a little Curiouser and Curiouser Recap. below are the links to ALL of this spring/summer’s interviews so far:

May:

Stephen Graham Jones – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/stephen-graham-jones/

Craig Wallwork – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/craig-wallwork/

Michael Paul Gonzalez -  http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/michael-paul-gonzalez/

Pela Via – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/pela-via/

Edward J. Rathke – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/edward-j-rathke/

June:

Craig Clevenger – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/craig-clevenger/

Mlaz Corbier – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/mlaz-corbier-2/

Grigori Black – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/grigori-black/

Vincent Louis Carrella – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/vincent-louis-carrella/

July:

Camille Alexa – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/camille-alexa/

Dan Donche/Janden Hale – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/dan-donche-janden-daniel-hale/

Nikki Guerlain – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/nikki-guerlain/

Charles Dodd White – http://curiousinterviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/charles-dodd-white/

And stay tuned!! i’ll be closing out July with Gordon Highland and opening August with Monica Drake! 

that’s a lot of bold lettering. but you know what? you’re too hungry. worry not, my lovelies, the interviews just keep on coming. and i just met you and and i love you.

too much quote plagiarism? groaning, yeah. it’s all right. just click the links.

 

P.S. Dark Knight Rises was awesome.

LA1K hits ebook form! In Search of a City: Los Angeles In 1000 Words

THE LINK:  http://www.amazon.com/Search-City-Los-Angeles-Words/dp/1466338172/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330368769&sr=1-1

seriously, it’s $2.99 and this is what you get:

Table of Contents

Ryan Wilson – “American Trash”

 Stuart Gibbel – “Break on Through”

 Craig Clevenger – “Obsolescence”

 Nik Korpon – “South of Thirteen”

 Dennis Cruz – “Smile Now, Cry Later”

 Pela Via – “Bathhouse”

 Stephen Conley – “Don’t Feed the Animals”

 Grigori Black – “This Was Heaven”

 Doc O’Donnell – “Your Personal Apocalypse”

 Nikki Guerlain – “Sick Ticket”

 Patrick Verhagen – “Swim”

 Craig Wallwork – “El Bordello Alexandra”

 Nicholas Merlin Karpuk – “Ahm’s Bay”

 Nik Houser – “Subtitles for a Silent Film”

 H.R. Tardiff – “Walls in the Sand”

 Richard Thomas – “The Jenny Store”

Bob Pastorella – “Alexandra”

 Simon West-Bulford – “Project Asmodeus”

 Jay Slayton-Joslin – “The Fantasy of California vs. The Reality of London”

 Amanda Gowin – “Gilded Bones”

Chris Deal – “Padre Nuestro”

 Boden Steiner – “Here”

 Gordon Highland – “Fry Girl”

 edward j rathke – “All the Dreams You Dreamt Retold”

 Michael Paul Gonzalez – “Tidal”

 Victor Bengtsson – “Venice, Forever”

LA1K (In Search of a City: Los Angeles In 1,000 Words)

BUY HERE!!

 http://thundadome.com/LA1K/ 

 

BOOKED REVIEW AND INTERVIEW WITH MIKE:

http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2011/11/30/episode-53-michael-paul-gonzalez-and-in-search-of-a-city/

 

and NOW, i name drop:

 Table of Contents

Ryan Wilson – “American Trash”
Stuart Gibbel – “Break on Through”
Craig Clevenger – “Obsolescence”
Nik Korpon – “South of Thirteen”
Dennis Cruz – “Smile Now, Cry Later”
Pela Via – “Bathhouse”
Stephen Conley – “Don’t Feed the Animals”
Grigori Black – “This Was Heaven”
Doc O’Donnell – “Your Personal Apocalypse”
Nikki Guerlain – “Sick Ticket”
Patrick Verhagen – “Swim”
Craig Wallwork – “El Bordello Alexandra”
Nicholas Merlin Karpuk – “Ahm’s Bay”
Nik Houser – “Subtitles for a Silent Film”
H.R. Tardiff – “Walls in the Sand”
Richard Thomas – “The Jenny Store”
Bob Pastorella – “Alexandra”
Simon West-Bulford – “Project Asmodeus”
Jay Slayton-Joslin – “The Fantasy of California vs. The Reality of London”
Amanda Gowin – “Gilded Bones”
Chris Deal – “Padre Nuestro”
Boden Steiner – “Here”
Gordon Highland – “Fry Girl”
edward j rathke – “All the Dreams You Dreamt Retold”
Michael Paul Gonzalez – “Tidal”
Victor Bengtsson – “Venice, Forever”

I Love Zombies and Zombies Love Me (MEDIA!!!)

 An Interview with Bill Grundy’s corpse, via Craig Wallwork:

http://craigwallwork.blogspot.com/2011/10/zombie-interview-2-amanda-gowin.html

Episode #47 – Zombie Extravaganza Spectacular (With Livius waving his arms in the air)

http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2011/10/15/episode-47-zombie-extravaganza-spectacular-with-livius-waving-his-arms-in-the-air/

busy, busy… and inspirational!!

WOOOO!!! Interviewed by a zombie for Craig Wallwork’s blog, which should with any luck go up about the same time this weekend as the Booked podcast i guest-hosted (i have tourette’s, they’re saints to let me anywhere near that podcast) with Chris Deal for Craig’s story ‘Revenge of the Zombie Pussy Eaters’ and general horror topics. chris is so damned smart about that stuff – screw you, chris, you hear me?? i rambled about frickin’ ted nugent and false penises on female hyenas, and pretty much everything you said was insightful and funny. yeah, i’m calling you out right here on this blog no one reads, chris deal!!

so anyway. this weekend both of those things should be up. links forthcoing, also to be found in their respective homes in the blogroll list to the right ->

only two soccer games left. i love the kids. they’re so awesome. i’m actually considering doing this again in the spring. i’m vicariously living their happiness just running and jumping and kicking and getting SNACKS!

rehearsal every night the rest of this week and all next week (except soccer night). i’m trying. my big fear is to be the ‘okay’ one – like, not the one that ruins it, but the one that ‘didn’t ruin it’ – but just barely. like keanu in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. please god don’t let me be keanu….

Friday is our five year wedding anniversary. FIVE FRICKIN’ YEARS! i forgot that we made this joke agreement to go on five year contracts and re-evaluate if we’d go another five at each interval. i sure hope we sign on for another five, because i can’t hold a job. only thing i’m good at is teaching my kid stuff and rambling and… well, to be honest i could always be a hooker.

in conclusion, i would like to say, don’t let anyone tell you that rambling like an idiot about zombies won’t get you anywhere. because it can. believe in yourself, damnit.

this is my inspirational post. i feel pretty good about it.

Mr. Wadsworth and the Flea Circus by Craig Wallwork

 

 

 

 

 

 Mr. Wadsworth and the Flea Circus

(first in a series of 8 stories/posts on Thundadome featuring authors from Warmed and Bound – next on Monday, by Chris Deal!! also i’ll be doing the accompanying site photos for the stories – EXCEPT this one, sorry craig, i begged in late for the job)

 

Warmed And Bound: release date & cover photos – and too much back story

all right. i’ve run in circles, peed a little, danced the dance of Cinderella’s stepmother in the hot iron shoes – only, if that were a happy experience – carried the kitten to the bathroom because she’s afraid of the dark, put the kiddo to bed and sang Suzanne Vega to him until my throat is ragged, planned the things i want to say to my husband at 2am about his unwavering faith in me … i think i’m ready to sit still for a moment and say “Holy shit. This book. How the hell did I end up in this book?”

it will be available FRIDAY JULY 22nd for $15.95 on amazon.com (ebook details soon)

and the book – these people – go meet these people: http://welcometothevelvet.com/forums/

and the book site – get over there, too, that’s where the NEWS lives:  http://warmedandbound.com/

under the photos in this post lives the little acorn of misery, love and inspiration that led to the girls that led me by the hand into this book….

i’m going to be doing a few questions for Jay Slayton Joslin (along with the other amazing people in this list) but here’s the extended and sappy answer to ‘the’ question:

Where did I get the story?

the answer is ugly. think a new baby and insomnia and a sister you rarely see but miss painfully – and think total seething anger for this sister, because in your head is this beautiful ethereal duo tapping their toes and waiting to be drawn in the shapes of letters. they have nothing to do with your family issues. all you can do is resent the bitterness you do NOT want to bleed into this innocence. so you miss your sister. and bite your cuticles and have recurring dreams about peculiar trees. what happens? giving in, what always happens…. you can tie off your fingers at the first digit but the story will only hold so long. the twist ties and kite string snap and through the blood under your fingernails, you watch the core of a something indescribably beautiful take shape in the hate and love and need – and the trees. “The World Was Clocks.”

three years later, everything has changed – but Heather, this story was always for you.

Warmed and Bound – A Velvet Anthology: Author List Announced

wanna see me pee with excitement??? didn’t think so.

instead, check out (and subscribe to!)  this new page for news about the upcoming release of the anthology.

for now, check out the bios. i’m in there. you believe that? me either.

http://warmedandbound.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/authors/