Sword & Sorcery and Weird Fiction Terminus amateur press association

TRAIL OF DECEIT by Ken Enderby and Greg Rickards a unique contribution to Fantasy literature

2011-10-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's not often you come across a new Fantasy that has the combination of a great plot, thoughtful, exciting characters and brilliantly conceived magic, all presented with lucid and stylish prose. Trail of Deceit by Ken Enderby and Greg Rickards is one of these rare and wonderful novels. It is the kind of story that deserves to have its own cult following. I already miss the characters that have come alive in the telling. Five very different individuals form an unlikely partnership to quest for Talaraia, an ancient and sacred relic lost long ago, possessing powers thought to enable communication with the gods.

The novel opens with the death of a man forced into a flooding river by the magical power of a cruel and ruthless enemy. In the stunning prologue we are thrust into the heart of the mystery, witness to a death through the eyes of both the murderer and his victim.

"Every secret kept by this man belonged to the spellcaster now. Those secrets – and tonight's death – were pledges of bloodshed to come, but that death had been deserved. The guilt for what lay ahead would be the victim's."

The chill reality that somewhere in the story someone will die in this heartless way creates instant tension, as we take the journey with the main characters and many interesting minor characters.

We travel with Troran, the experienced yet ethical military leader, the beautiful Lady Virdyn, privileged by wealth and status yet desperate to test her magic in difficult circumstances, Lord Kaiyl, the self-important spellcaster and ruler of a vast but near bankrupt estate, and the Respected Airu, a retired priestess and healer who is keeper of the expedition’s secrets. By finding Talaraia and returning the throne to its rightful owner, each hopes for some form of life-changing reward - personal, financial, religious or magical.

Two items inspire their quest into the wilds. One is a conventional scroll found buried in a Temple library. The other is an ancient artefact called a layered panorama – a box that displays an illusion which transports the viewer into a cityscape where untold wonders await. Sabotage from an elusive opponent dogs the expedition from the outset – threats, theft, arrest, even a deadly poisoning – anything to thwart their endeavours. Even departing the city becomes a struggle.

As the story unfolds, the reader becomes like a spy or confidant, privy to more than any one partner reveals to the other. The tension builds as we wonder when the key elements of the tale will converge. Will the partners ever learn to trust each other? Who amongst these adventurers will be doomed and who will triumph?

Trail of Deceit is set in a superbly detailed alternative world. It is a mystery and a romance, with some delightfully funny moments. Above all, though, it is an adventure for our times, for the expedition leaves behind the West, where a familiar, green ecosystem has been imposed upon the indigenous and antagonistic red flora, and journeys East into lands where alien creatures hold sway. Devotion to the gods and trust in their magic makes our characters feel superior, but as they get nearer their destination their magic is challenged by something dark and alien. In the ensuing crisis the characters must face a test of their self-worth and of what it is they truly value.

The cover of the novel depicts a creature gifted to Troran in the opening chapter, partly reconstructed using magic. At first sight it simply looks evil, but on closer scrutiny it becomes clear that the creature is winking at the reader. This unsettling image was brilliantly conceived by Nick Stathopolous, the award winning Sydney artist, well-known in speculative fiction circles.

The power of this novel is all the greater because of the partnership between the two authors, Ken Enderby and Greg Rickards. Ironically, the prologue described earlier was the last thing ever written by Greg, who passed away suddenly and tragically at the age of forty-nine. This vibrant and resonant story still begged to be told, so Ken continued the work, both as a tribute to his friend and as a channel for the wonders they imagined together. Trail of Deceit is entirely unique and, as such, deserves a special place on any bookshelf.

- Reviewed by Margi Curtis

THE TRAIL OF DECEIT by Ken Enderby and Greg Rickards is a Distant Realms Pty Ltd publication. Distributed by Dennis Jones and Associates, it is available in all good Australian bookstores. Or you can buy it as an e-book from: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Trail-of-Deceit/book-1GIjvsm_okOtjDyca4JReQ/page1.html

Check out Leigh Blackmore's band The Third Road at Facebook

2011-08-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

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The Third Road popstalgia band in Wollongong NSW Australia

2011-07-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/2761235/1414456/Artist/1414456/Artist/linkhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Proof Perfect Editorial Services can help with your manuscript

2011-06-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

When you’re an author, you want your manuscript to stand its best chance of impressing a publisher.

You want it to communicate clearly. You want your story to be gripping, your words to be error-free and crystal clear, and your ms package to be fully professional.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

Manuscript assessment can help you impress a potential publisher by taking your work to its full potential. PROOF PERFECT will read and assess your manuscript (fiction or non-fiction), and provide a full, structural report on all aspects of the work.

PROOF PERFECT’s commitment to you:

Cost-effective, timely and accurate manuscript assessment for your novel or non-fiction work.

Phone (02) 4226.2692/Mobile: 0411 463 526
Web: www.proofperfect.com.au
Email: leigh.blackmore@proofperfect.com.au
ABOUT LEIGH BLACKMORE

Leigh Blackmore has been writing and editing for over thirty years and has many years of experience in the assessment of book-length manuscripts. He worked for 25 years in the Sydney book trade and publishing environments.

He is now conveniently located in Wollongong but has worked for clients nationwide. Leigh has a passion for the written word, and a flair for helping authors take their manuscripts to the next level. Whether you are a previously published author, or an emerging writer, Leigh can assist you to improve your work. Proof Perfect is able to assess adult novels, children’s fiction, poetry, and nonfiction works.

PROOF PERFECT, with Leigh’s wide experience in editing and publishing, provides you with a full 5000-6000 word appraisal of your manuscript, including:
●Formatting
●Plot
●Structure
●Style
●Characterisation
●Dialogue
●Setting
●Market Position Statement

GIVING AUTHORS THE EDGE

In a highly competitive market, you have to make publishers pay attention. Submitting your manuscript to Proof Perfect Editorial Services gives you, the author, the edge in the complex arena of modern publishing.

What will it cost?
Leigh’s rates depend on the length of the job, but are in the $50-$60 per hour range. Special project rates negotiable.

Contact: PROOF PERFECT Editorial Services (Leigh Blackmore)
Ph: 4226 2692
Email: leigh.blackmore@proofperfect.com.au
“A Passion for Proofreading”

Speculative Poetry at Continuum 7

2011-05-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Melbourne's speculative fiction and pop culture convention, Continuum 7 - Changing Consciousness, is set to feature a number of events for fans and practitioners of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifspeculative poetry. The festival is held 10 to 13 June 2011.

Check out their website, http://continuum.org.au/, for all information and bookings.

As an Australian fantasy poetry publisher, P'rea Press will hold panels, a workshop, and offer sales of books at the convention. Events of interest to poetry lovers:

A poetry panel: What Rhymes With Corpse?, panelists Kyla Ward, Talie Helene, Earl Livings, Danny Lovecraft
10am Saturday 11 June 2011.

A poetry workshop: Searchers After Weird Poetry Haunt Strange, Far Places: A Fantasy Poetry Workshop, conducted by Danny Lovecraft
10am Monday 13 June 2011 & Danny Lovecraft will be doing a reading: 3.20pm Sunday 12 June 2011.

New book of essays by Donald Sidney Fryer focusses on California Romantics

2011-05-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Collects this author's pioneering essays and reviews concerning the California Romantic poets and other writers of weird fiction and poetry.

http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-golden-state-phantasticks/15818269http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

New book from Donald Sidney-Fryer

2011-05-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

The first novel-length fragment of Atlantean literature yet discovered and translated via the French by Donald Sidney-Fryer.

http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-atlantis-fragments/15636545?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1
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Scaryminds blog rates Midnight Echo 5 (edited by Leigh Blackmore) a big nine out of ten stars!

2011-05-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

Review

Leigh Blackmore, editor for Issue 5, presents another jammed packed edition of Midnight Echo as the magazine launches into it's third year. It's been well documented that this Issue has had some delays in getting to the virtual news-stands so the question becomes was the wait worth it? Let's have a look between the covers and make a call.

Festivities kick off with an interesting enough editorial from Leigh Blackmore in which he questions what can be done with horror, and explains his reasoning behind story selection for the Issue. One of the on going discussions around ScaryMinds circles is just what constitutes a horror outing, the changing visage of the genre, and to an extent are the old tropes worn out or do they still have some killing fields in them. Blackmore approaches similar ground and boldly states what he thinks, with of course the included stories (from a massive submission pile) backing up his view point. Special bonus here folks is the inclusion of last year's winners of the AHWA Short Story and Flash competition, and both are very memorable for differing reason. Leigh Blackmore lays down a good foundation for the Issue, well I enjoy a well written editorial at least, and it's on to the shake and bake of the action works themselves.

Guess most people are dialling into the magazine to get their read on with the story selection. Issue Five comes at us with eighteen short story or flash pieces that should get a nod of approval from the punters without too many problems. Included are of course Jason Fischer's award winning flash piece "Goggy", I can't praise this piece enough, it's quintessential flash while get a real chill happening. And Christopher Green's simply excellent "Letters Of The Once And Newly Dead", that blew away the AHWA Short Story judging panel in 2010. Issue Five is worth an investment on Green's entirely unique take on the zombie yarn alone.

Other stand-out stories in the Issue are Christopher Sequeira's Cthulhu Mythos inspired "Too Many Number 16's", with its Stephen-King style lead character, good mix of an urban cynical character with one of the traditional story threads right there. John Goodrich lays down the gore track with the amazing "God Of Chickens", like a good Harold Pinter outing it works but try figuring out exactly how! And for an entirely new twist on a horror standard, Rick Kennett's flash piece "On The Other Side" surprises with a superb twist that had me sitting up and taking notice.

I'm in danger of outliving my welcome here, but allow me to mention a few more highlights in the prose headlights and we'll move on. Jason Fischer has been kicking some goals on the short story front just recently, and "Hunting Rufus" continues a recent sub-genre trend of the killer kangaroo yarn. Absolutely loved this story with it's almost apocalyptic nod at the conclusion. And finally Felicity Dowker makes a welcome return to Midnight Echo with the wonderfully blood dripping "That Which We Create". Makes you wonder what sort of graffiti they have in Melbourne tunnels really. There's a hint of the Lovecraft in this story as well, though I would tend to put it outside the Mythos. Anyway, superb twist on the urban nightmare with victims that have you questioning whether or not they deserve their fates.

For the wine and cheese set there are also twenty four poems to get their teeth into. As stated elsewhere I'm not your go-to-guy with poetry, limited audience not many of whom actually read ScaryMinds, so have no idea. But worth mentioning for those who weigh their magazine purchasing on content quantity. Sorry if that sounds slightly cynical, but if you had to sit through undergraduate poetry you to would be reaching for either a loaded gun or a bottle of single malt. We need a poetry reviewer around these parts!

Issue five contains some pretty cool special features, that had me high fiving the imaginary corpses in the basement. Scott Wilson managed to get an interview with Jeff Lindsay, the Author behind the Dexter books, giving some insight to a Psycho killer writer and a hint of what we might expect in the future from Miami's one man vigilante unit. Another one for the wine and cheese team, artist Chris Mars is interviewed by Juliet Bathory. And to round things out we even get a graphic story from Mark Farrugia & Greg Chapman that pitches an ancient evil onto the battlefields of World War One. Anyone else starting to think that maybe there's something for everyone in what amounts to a sampler bag for horror?

The regular features add the necessary details to our experience. Sinister Reads once again highlights books, and in this case a couple of graphic novels, to keep your eye out for. A couple of titles there that I will be for sure adding to the reading queue. And we get Author and Artist bios for those wanting to explore individual contributors further.

Providing the final gloss to the magazine, Juliet Bathory and David Schembri continue the high level of artwork Midnight Echo has claimed right from the very first issue. On the visual front you are going to be having a lot of fun with the issue.

Okay so clearly I had a lot of fun with Issue Five, and to answer the question posed at the top of this review, yes very much worth the wait. If you want to score your own copy then browse on over to the AHWA shop and for a low $3.00 you can download a pdf of the magazine or for $11.00 you can order a print version.

ScaryMinds Rates this read as ...Nine Stars out of Ten
Leigh Blackmore almost delivers the perfect horror mag, less poetry more movie reviews!

Leigh Blackmore nominated for William Atheling Award for Criticism in Ditmar Awards

2011-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore has been nominated for the William Atheling Award for Criticism in this year's Ditmar Awards. The nomination is for Leigh's essay "Marvels and Horrors: Terry Dowling's Clowns at Midnight' which appeared in Danel Olson (ed) 21st Century Gothic (Scarecrow Press, 2010).

For the full Ditmar ballot (awards are presented at Swancon, Australia's Natcon, April21-23, 2011) see:

http://2011.swancon.com.au/2011/03/natcon-fifty-ditmar-awards/

21st Century Gothic can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-First-Century-Gothic-Great-Novels-Since/dp/0810877287

Leigh is pictured above at Aussiecon 4 (World Science Fiction Convention, Melbourne, Sept 2010) Photo by Cat Sparks.

April Derleth, publisher at Arkham House, dies

2011-03-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

That's Walden and April Derleth above, the children of August Derleth. April died yesterday. Here is the notice from Locus Online News:

"Publisher APRIL R[OSE] DERLETH, 56, died March 21, 2011. The daughter of author August Derleth, April was co-owner of Arkham House with her brother Walden Derleth, and ran the company as president and CEO starting in 2002.

"April Derleth was born August 9, 1954. Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and her father retained custody. August Derleth co-founded Arkham House in 1939 with Donald Wandrei. After August Derleth's death in 1971, Wandrei briefly served as editorial director until being succeeded by James Turner, who oversaw operations until April Derleth took over. She sought to shift the house's focus back to its original emphasis on classic weird fiction. Arkham House has announced that sales and unfulfilled orders will be temporarily suspended."

This is very sad indeed, because Miss Derleth brought Arkham House back to life after years of dormancy, with two excellent new editors and many new books planned and announced. I myself am working on a story for Arkham Nightmares, a new Arkham House anthology edited by the wonderful Lois Gresh, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Mythos Con. August Derleth has been on my mind of late, and I have just started recording a series of vlogs concerning his "posthumous collaborations" with H. P. Lovecraft. It is my fervent prayer that Arkham House can survive and continue under new direction. Peace unto April Rose Derleth."

Reported by W.H. Pugmire on his Tales from Sesqua Valley blog http://lovecraftianhorror.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-r-derleth-1954-2011.html

Midnight Echo 5 reviewed at ScaryMinds.com

2011-03-20T17:49:00.001-07:00

Midnight Echo No 5 (Feb 2011), published by the Australian Horror Writers Association, receives a generally positive review here
http://www.scaryminds.com/reviews/2011/magazine11.php

although the reviewer's taste doesn't run to horror poetry.

Midnight Echo 5 is available for purchase from: http://www.shop.australianhorror.com/

Australian Horror Writers Association seeks new members

2011-03-08T03:19:00.000-08:00

The Australian Horror Writers Association is looking for new members who are interested in reading and/or writing horror fiction.

What Do You Get?

1. Membership! First of all, you actually get to declaim loudly and most proudly that you are an official member of the AHWA. We’ll even send you a neat little membership card!

2. Website Access. Some content and forums on the AHWA website are password protected and only accessible by members of the AHWA. This includes the Market Hive (our extensive list of horror markets), the Business of Writing, more information on the best ways to get published, and much more. This also includes all archived material.

3. Midnight Echo, the official magazine of the AHWA for free! Midnight Echo will be published twice a year and all AHWA Members receive a PDF of each issue for free. Members also receive a discount on the price of a print copy.

4. AHWA Competition Entry. Paid up members of the AHWA will be able to enter the annual AHWA Flash & Short Story competition at a reduced cost. This competition will still be open to non-members but they will need to pay the full entry fee. We will also be running other smaller, fun competitions with special give-aways from time to time (ie, movie passes, books), which will be exclusive to AHWA members.

5. Special Events. AHWA members will be exclusively invited to participate in specially organised events.

6. Discounts & Special Offers. These will change over time, but right now, joining the AHWA will make you eligible for the following:
- Club Discount offered by various Australian conventions (eg, Continuum).
- 15% subscription discount for Aurealis
- 15% subscription discount with SpecFicMe!, one of the best up-to-date market resources on the net.
- 10% off the purchase price for 1 to 2 books, and 15% off for 3 and over books, from P'rea Press.
- 50% discount from Black Glass Press
- 10% discount on novel and short story editing services from the Californian-based The Writing Show
- discounted membership to the online version of The Australian Writer's Marketplace

7. Promotional Opportunities. Members of the AHWA can promote their work on Sinister Reads for free.

Who Can Join?

The Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) is a non-profit organisation that formed as a way of providing a unified voice and a sense of community for Australian (and NZ) writers of horror/dark fiction, while furthering the development and evolution of this genre within Australia. AHWA aims to become the focal point and first point of reference for Australian writers and fans of the dark side of literature, and to improve the acceptance and understanding of what horror is to a wider audience.

So if this sounds like something you want to be involved with, then membership is for you. You don't need to live in Australia (or NZ) to apply, but you do need to be an Australian (or NZ) citizen or permanent resident.
How Do You Apply?

Membership applications can be made by either downloading the Application Form, filling it in and then posting it to us at:

Australian Horror Writers Association
Post Office
Elphinstone, Victoria, 3448
Australia

Or by filling in and submitting the On-line Application Form.
What Does It Cost?

Application Fee: AU$15.00
Annual Membership Fee: AU$20.00

First-year payments of AU$35 (Annual Membership Fee plus Application Fee) can be made using our validated PayPal account:

To join up, follow the following links:

http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=33

Membership Application: http://www.australianhorror.com/membership_application.php

AHWA releases Midnight Echo 5 edited by Leigh Blackmore

2011-03-01T02:33:00.000-08:00

MEDIA RELEASE
NO EMBARGO.

MIDNIGHT ECHO # 5 RELEASED

The fifth edition of the Australian Horror Writers Association’s fiction and poetry magazine, Midnight Echo, showcases the diversity of horror and should cement the publication’s reputation as a genre leader, according to editor and new AHWA president Leigh Blackmore.

Leigh Blackmore, widely-published author, poet and anthology editor has revealed details about his edition, which was released for sale today and offered a glimpse of its promising future.

“There is no overall theme for the issue – the stories range over a wide gamut of horror themes and approaches,” Leigh said.

“For issue five I concentrated on stories of psychological and supernatural horror, a bit of Cthulhu Mythos, some post-apocalyptic scenarios and anything that was well written enough to rivet my attention as a reader who has been absorbing horror for well over 45 years. As to standouts, that will vary with individual reader’s tastes, so I won’t try and sway them.”

“I wanted to build on what has come before (in previous issues), in terms of presenting a range of quality writing in the genre. That said, I applied some of my own preferences to selecting the stories, although I endeavoured to be even-handed about presenting stories ranging from the supernatural to the visceral. “Horror is in many ways such a diverse genre that I wanted issue five to represent this diversity.”

Readers will notice an abundance of darkly delicious poems in issue five as well.

“In the shake-up due to space limitations there are now a few less of each genre, but it was deliberate on my part to include numerous weird and darkly fantastic poems as well as stories,” Leigh said.

“As a horror poet myself, who also writes stories, I’m aware of the fantastic talent poetry out there, and think the AHWA should be supporting this often-overlooked aspect of the genre.

“We also have a graphic story in the issue which helps us support our claim that we promote horror in all media and manifestations.”

Leigh received 150 submissions from authors across the globe for issue five and while he couldn’t publish all of them, he was overwhelmed by the plethora of talented scribes coming out of the shadows.

“The talent out there is very promising. Lots of new and emerging writers who still need to hone their craft, but many writers who are publishing widely and producing material that expands the genre’s boundaries in terms of quality and entertainment value,” Leigh said.

The first edition of Midnight Echo was released in October 2008 and Leigh believes the publication has well and truly earned its place among the world’s best speculative fiction magazines.

“The magazine is definitely cementing its reputation, which I believe is in large part due to the high benchmark set by the magazines founders and early editors,” he said.

“There are also some big changes afoot for Midnight Echo. With issue five we are bringing printing onshore to Australia, which will enable better quality printing and distribution in this country.

“We also have some new distribution and promotional ideas which should improve our visibility – so watch this space for announcements!

“Putting out two issues a year is a realistic goal for us at present. Everyone donates their labour out of love of the genre, and I have to say that without the fantastic art team we have, and their many hours of toil, the Echo would not be nearly as attractive and well-packaged as it is.”

“When Midnight Echo becomes more financially viable, we might look at producing more than two issues per year, but that is still some way off.”

But as President, Leigh wanted to assure readers and AHWA members that the Echo still had plenty of room to grow.

“We are going to do some bookstore and newsagent testing on sales. I hope to push the magazine more at local conventions, and make it available in other venues, as well as continuing to run our online shop and have international copies available via lulu.com to save on international postage.

“Midnight Echo is an important voice for new horror in Australia, and I believe the AHWA has the vision and commitment to seeing it continue for quite some time.

“It’s great that members of the Association can download copies of the PDF version absolutely free, and I hope that alone may encourage some people interested in horror to join the AHWA.

Midnight Echo #5 is on sale now at AU$S3.50 for PDF and AUS$11 (+$3 postage) for a printed copy. Log on to http://midnightecho.australianhorror.com now to purchase your copy.

AHWA members receive a free PDF of the Echo or a print copy at a discounted price of $10 plus postage.

Review copies (PDF only) can be obtained by contacting AHWA president Leigh Blackmore at lvxnox@gmail.com

About the Australian Horror Writers Association
The Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) is the peak professional body for Australian authors of dark fiction (horror, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction) and has 300 members. The AHWA was founded in 2003, and since its incorporation in 2005, the Association has implemented an annual short story competition, a mentorship programme, online writers forums, news and article archives, the fiction magazine Midnight Echo, and The Australian Shadows Award. For further information on the AHWA, visit www.australianhorror.com

Available for comment/interview:

Leigh Blackmore – Mobile: 0411 463 526 or Email: lvxnox@gmail.com

Media contact: Greg Chapman, 0402 303 901 or media@australianhorror.com

Midnight Echo 5 can be purchased in PDF or hardcopy formats here:
http://www.shop.australianhorror.com/

Australian Horror Writers Association announces Australian Shadows Awards 2010 finalists

2011-02-24T13:03:00.001-08:00

The Australian Horror Writers Association is proud to announce the finalists for the 2010 Australian Shadows Awards. The Australian Shadows Awards are Australia's top honour for horror fiction.

Congratulations to the 2010 finalists:

LONG FICTION
Madigan Mine by Kirstyn McDermott (Picador Australia)
The Girl With No Hands by Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healy (Allen & Unwin)
Under Stones by Bob Franklin (Affirm Press)
Bleed by Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet Press)
EDITED PUBLICATION
Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears, edited by Angela Challis & Marty Young (Brimstone Press)
Scenes From The Second Storey, edited by Amanda Pillar & Pete Kempshall (Morrigan Books)
Dark Pages 1, edited by Brenton Tomlinson (Blade Red Press)
Scary Kisses, edited by Liz Gryzb (Ticonderoga Publications)
Midnight Echo #4, edited by Lee Battersby (AHWA)
SHORT FICTION
"Bread and Circuses" by Felicity Dowker (Scary Kisses)
"Brisneyland by Night" by Angela Slatter (Sprawl)
"She Said" by Kirstyn McDermott (Scenes from the Second Storey)
"All The Clowns In Clowntown" by Andrew J. McKiernan (Macabre: A Journey through Australia's Darkest Fears)
"Dream Machine" by David Conyers (Scenes from the Second Storey)

The AHWA would sincerely like to thank the Australian Shadows judging panel - Stephanie Coxon, Craig Bezant, and Jeff Ritchie - for their tireless work over the past twelve months. The Australian Shadows team would like to thank every author, editor, and publisher who submitted their work for consideration.

Guest judges Chuck McKenzie, Rocky Wood, and Kaaron Warren will now read the finalists and determine the winners. The winners will be announced on April 15.

Further information about the Australian Shadows Awards can be found at http://australianshadows.australianhorror.com.

All the best,
Shane Jiraiya Cummings

Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes Festive Xmas issue is brimful of dark delights

2011-02-13T00:57:00.001-08:00

I've been a bit tardy posting about Chris Sequeira's Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes Issue 6,from Black House Comics, which has been in the shops for some weeks now. The lead story is "Christmas Cheer, Yuletide Fear", and it maintains the high standard this comic has been setting for some time now in terms of quality storyline as well as superb artwork. The colour covers on this issue, by Dave Elsey and Philip Cornell, are worth the price of admission on their own! Not only that, but there is a gallery of Holmes-related art by such local talents as W. Chew Chan, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Tim McEwen, Kurt Stone and Paul Mason.

The lead story is delivered in full glossy colour with colour 'Victorianization' and special effects by Dave Elsey. But the added bonus here is a text reprint of the story "The Adventure of the Haunted Showman" by John H. Watson, M.D. (edited by Christopher Sequeira). The story first appeared in the Holmes anthology Sherlock Holmes: The Game's Afoot (ed. David Stuart Davies, Wordsworth, 2009) and if you didn't read it there, this appearance provides another chance to experience this highly memorable tale of Holmesian detection and skullduggery. How the publishers can offer this product (30 pages of nearly full colour throughout) at only $5.95 Aust per issue is amazing.

As usual, highly recommended for both crime and horror fans!

Christopher Sequeira's PULSE OF DARKNESS graphic novel omnibus hits the stands across Australia!

2011-01-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

Christopher Sequeira, author of the acclaimed DARK DETECTIVE: SHERLOCK HOLMES graphic series from Black House Comics, and the writer of X-MEN: CURSE OF THE MUTANTS (X-Men vs Vampires #1)(Marvel Comics) has seen into print his long-awaited complete edition of PULSE OF DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE SYNDROME.

This eye-popping 140 page graphic collection presents, for the first time between one set of GLOW-IN-THE DARK (!) covers, the complete series of Sequeira's PULSE OF DARKNESS STORIES which were originally published as separate comics way back in the 1990s. Working with Kurt Stone and other local artists including David Richardson, Daniel Lynch, W. Chew ('Chewie') Chan, Bryce Stevens, Mark Morte, Ashley Riddell, Jan Scherpenhuzien, Paul Abstruse, Gary Chaloner and Shaun 'Swampy' O'Reilly, and letterer Kerry Kennedy, Sequeira presents in glorious cinematographic black and white, with superb colour splash pages, the story of the town Inverness in regional NSW, where something terrifying is taking place. The focus of the peril: a man named Carl Uda, an enigma linked to a famous theatrical family, a man with appetites grim and relentless.

The collection is introduced by Canadian vampire expert Robert Eighteen-Bisang, and includes an interview with Sequeira by Michael Wolloghan. There is also a spotlight on artist Daniel Lynch who performed extensive restoration work on the 20-year-old original artwork of PULSE OF DARKNESS; and a section of contributor notes.

Some may notice the strange resemblance of certain detective characters in the story "House of Uda" to horror writers Bryce Stevens and Leigh Blackmore. The collection includes five stories in all, the others being"Vampire Castle", "Nachzehrer", "Theatricals", and "Hammer and Nails".

PULSE OF DARKNESS is a publication of Cult Fiction Comics Australia (CFCA Indie). See www.myspace.com/cfcaindie

PULSE OF DARKNESS: THE VAMPIRE SYNDROME is available from Minotaur Books in Melbourne and other key comics outlets around Australia
http://www.minotaur.com.au/site.asp?action=detail&ID=1018658

Danel Olson's massive new volume on the Gothic includes contributions by Australian critics Leigh Blackmore, James Doig and Rob Hood

2011-01-19T22:06:00.001-08:00

Danel Olson's massive (660 pages) new volume of critical essays on the Gothic novel, 21st Century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000, out now from Scarecrow Press, includes essays by various Australian critics including SSWFT's own James Doig and Leigh Blackmore. Rob Hood, another well-known Australian essayist on horror topics also has an essay in the volume.

Doig's essay is "The Perils of Reading: The Gothic Elements of John Harwood's The Ghost Writer". Hood, who has previously contributed fiction to Olson's anthology series ''Exotic Gothic'', contributes "Making Fish Out of Men: Gothic Uncertainty in Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan". Blackmore's essay is "Marvels and Horrors: Terry Dowling's Clowns at Midnight".

21st Century Gothic contains 53 essays by Gothic specialists ranging from creative writers, professors, critics and Gothic Studies program developers. The works discussed represent the most impressive Gothic novels written around the world 2000 and 2010.

Olson's anthology, which has a perceptive Foreword by horror scholar S.T. Joshi and an equally impressive Introduction by Olson, is an absolute must for university library collections, and for other libraries with an interest in the Gothic as a literary form. Not only does the volume include some of the pioneer critical voices in the Gothic field, but the up to date nature of the essays (studying novels which are so new as to have received little or no previous critical attention) makes the volume essential reading for anyone with an interest in the cutting edge of the field right now.

Handsomely presented in pictorial glossy boards, the book is more attractive than the usual library cloth-bound edition without dustjacket, and is as attractive on the shelf as it is fascinating to read. Olson is to be congratulated for assembling such a stellar cast of contributors. A reading of 21st Century Gothic will broaden the perspective an understanding of any student of Gothic and horror literature.

The book is available from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810877287/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1278548962&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1903111285&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0FQ92128Y55T9GWCHCEG

or direct from Scarecrow Press http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0810877287

Gavin O'Keefe art fantasy collection appears from Ramble House

2011-01-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Ramble House have published a beautiful perfect-bound volume of Australian fantasy illustrator Gavin L. O'Keefe's work, containing a plethora of black and white illustrations. Many are published here for the first time. TIME-LINE: SELECTED ILLUSTRATIONS by Gavin L. O'Keefe is 86 pages of high-quality work which will delight all lovers of the fantastique.

Gavin L. O'Keefe (sometimes known as the GLOster) is well-known to cognoscenti of fantastic and imaginative illustration.This volume, with its superb full-colour covers illustrated with some of O'Keefe's unique fairy and elfin/fae-inspired works ('Fairy Goddess", "Flower Fairy" and "The Blue Leaf"), contains a wide variety of illustrations from four decades of visionary work.

Here are works inspired by music (Queen, King Crimson, Brian Eno); by literature (Poe, Sheckley, Lear, Lupoff, Yarbro, Tod Robbins and lesser-known lights). Not the least remarkable of these illustrations is a dark suite of illustrations to stories by H.P. Lovecraft which O'Keefe produced in the late 80's and which see print here for the first time.

Rounding out the volume are a section of "Portraits" and another of "Fantasies". The latter includes works inspired by Lewis Carroll amongst others. In "The Swindle" (1995) one can discern the influence of one of O'Keefe's favourite artists, the Victorian Richard Dadd. By turns surreal, bizarre and extraordinary in their close observation of realms "beyond the worlds we know", these illustrations show O'Keefe at his best. The classic "Half-Shell on the Venus" is the second last piece in the book (a Tarot card illustration is the last). 'Half-Shell" is perhaps an oblique tribute to both Botticelli and to Kilgore Trout, and perhaps (one might speculate) to the work of Terry Gilliam. It encapsulates O'Keefe's unique view of the world.

O'Keefe, despite his myriad influences, remains resolutely his own artist. If these piece are united by their quirkiness, they also show a command of various media and techniques that O'Keefe has perfected over his many years of illustrating.

Highly recommended for all enthusiasts of fantasy art, and for library illustrative collections.

TIME LINE by Gavin L. O'Keefe is available from Amazon.com
http://tiny.cc/ffeic or direct from Ramble House at: http://www.ramblehouse.com/.

Ramble House also publish O'Keefe's ''A Snark Selection'' (By Lewis Carroll and Harry Stephen Keeler) http://www.ramblehouse.com/snark.htm and O'Keefe's illustrated edition of Lewis Carroll's ''Through the looking Glass and What Alice Found There'' http://www.ramblehouse.com/lookingglass.htm

Leigh Blackmore story scheduled for Robert M. Price's anthology "Secret Asia's Blackest heart"

2011-01-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Joe S. Pulver's blog "Yellow Madness", here's a sneak peek at the FINAL "table of contents" for Bob Price's new anthology Secret Asia's Blackest Heart (forthcoming from Mythos Books, no date). The volume includes a story by SSWFT's Leigh Blackmore.

Ernest J. Fischer, “The Event at Gangew Taundon” 23 pp
Michael Fantina, “Leviathan” 21 pp
Pierre Comtois, “Masks of the Puppet Lord” 36 pp
Ben P. Indick, “The Monster in the Lake” 7 pp
Ann K. Schwader, “The Death Verses of Yian-Ho” 11 pp
Leigh Blackmore, “The Return of Zoth-Ommog” 23 pp
Lin Carter & Laurence J. Cornford, “The Doom of Enos Harker” 16 pp
Richard A. Lupoff, “Steps Leading Downward” 25 pp
Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., “The Corpse-Eating Cult of Leng” [14,300+ words]
Stephen Mark Rainey, “Warlords of Leng”
Will Murray, “God General Nakji”

http://thisyellowmadness.blogspot.com/2011/01/bob-prices-secret-heart-of-asia.html

The picture shows renowned Lovecraftian editor, commentator and radical theologian Robert M. Price conducting the Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast at Mythoscon in Phoenix AZ, Jan 2011.

Leigh Blackmore poem in Studies in Weird Fiction 1

2010-12-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Leigh Blackmore's poem "The Golden Goblet" appears in the new journal from Centipede Press, edited by S.T. Joshi, Weird Fiction Review. This journal, to appear annually, will contain (as does issue 1), new horror fiction, criticism, poetry, and perhaps a letters column. Joshi formerly edited Studies in Weird Fiction and Studies in the Fantastic, both now defunct; WFR promises to be a new venue for appreciation of the weird, and for criticism which is not so high-falutin' as to be impenetrable.

With Centipede Press' usual high production standards, gorgeous artwork and 225 pages of prime material by such writers as Cody Goodfellow, Marc Laidlaw, Micahel Aronovitz, Joseph S. Pulver, John Haefele, Donal R. Burleson. S.T. Joshi, Fred Philkips, Ann K. Schwader, Richard L. Tieney, Charles Lovecraft and others, Weird Fiction Review No 1 is sure to become a collectors' item.

Usually $25.00 US, there is an opening special of $20 at centipede's website:
http://www.centipedepress.com/art/wfreview1.html

Graeme Phillips Cyaegha No 3 is special Vol Molesworth Lovecraftian issue

2010-12-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Vol(taire Molesworth) was one of Australia's pulp writers, producing sf numerous novels in the 1940's. He also wrote Lovecraftian stories. While one of them, "Blinded They Fly" was recently reprinted in Marty Young's and Angela Challis' MACABRE anthology (Brimstone Press, 2010), most of his Lovecraftian tales have never been gathered - until now. With the assistance of Leigh Blackmore and James Doig, Graeme Phillips has produced a highly attractive Vol Molesworth Special Issue of his zine Cyaegha.

The issue includes Molesworth's tales "Let There Be Monsters!", "Arkaroo", and "Blinded They Fly", reprinted from the obscure sf periodicals where they first appeared. Additionally, Molesworth's article on Lovecraft, "A Modern Master of the Macabre", written for a 1949 issue of Arna, the literary journal of Sydney University, is included; and James Doig's overview on Molesworth, "Vol Molesworth's Lovecraftian Tales" (previously printed in Australian Studies in Weird Fiction) rounds out the issue. There is a cover portrait of Molesworth by Tom Hubble and a phoo of him inside the front cover, while the inside back and back covers reproduce the covers of various of Molesworth's books.

A figure little-known outside of Australian wartime sf, Molesworth deserves his place in history for these ventures into Lovecraftian horror. The 64-page staple-bound booklet will certainly appeal to Lovecraftian collectors.

Available by emailing Graeme Phillips at:cyaegha@live.co.uk.
See also cyaegha's webpage at: http://www.freewebs.com/batglynn/cyaegha.htm

Leigh Blackmore interviewed re: Australian Horror Writers Association

2010-11-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Writers' blog 'The View from here has interviewed Leigh Blackmore, President of the Australian Horror Writers' Association, about the purpose of the AHWA.

The interview can be read here: http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com/2010/11/interview-with-president-of-australian.html

Leigh Blackmore's Sharnoth's Spores and Other Seeds published by Rainfall Books

2010-11-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore's acclaimed weird poetry volume Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses (Sydney: P'rea Press, 2008; reprint, 2010)has been issued in a new variant edition by Rainfall Books UK under the title Sharnoth's Spores and Other Seeds
.
The new volume features new artwork by Steve Lines, and omits several poems from the P'ress edition, while adding several newer horror & dark fantasy poems penned by Blackmore. (As such, it is a necessary acquisition for Blackmore completists!)

Sharnoth's Spores and Other Seeds is Rainfall Chapbook No. Rain091 and is available to order from

http://www.rainfallsite.com/Disciples12.html.

Several of Leigh's newer poems from the chapbook also feature in Issue 12 of Rainfall's regular magazine, Strange Sorcery.

The complete contents of the Rainfall chapbook are as follows:
Dark Dedication
The Conjuration
Stars Right Soon
Spores From Sharnoth
The Temple
The Dark God
The Doom That Came to Sarnath I
Sarnath The Mysterious II
The Feast of Nargis-Hei III
Pickman’s Models
The Nameless City
The Outsider
The Statement of Randolph Carter
Dream Landscape
Ubbo-Sathla
The Sphinx
In A Sequestered Churchyard Where Once Lovecraft Walked
Providence: March 1937
Recall
Atu: The Fool
Like Scarlet Wine
Lines On A Drawing By Hannes Bok
Phantom Lover
The Goblin Goblet
The Gods Throw Dice
Pulp Jungle
Succubus
The Spiral Tower
To Clark Ashton Smith
Emeraldesse
Searcher
In Splendour All Arrayed

SWWFT amateur press association blog wins place in Top Fantasy Blogs 2010

2010-11-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

Online University

Sword and Sorcery and Weird Fiction Terminus apa blog has won a place in the top fantasy blogs for 2010 presented by Online University http://www.onlineuniversity.org/

"The Top Fantasy Blog Awards are brought to you by Online University.
The award winners for this category were announced on August 15, 2010.

This award highlights the best blogs that are considered to be the authority in their respective category. We here at Online University provide only the best for our visitors, and we hope that you agree with us that these blogs are only that, the best.

Each of these blogs were found by our hard working staff using a system of filtering. We first take all the possible blogs that can qualify for a category, and then filter each blog to make sure they uphold to the values that our site does. Informative, entertaining, and enjoyable; each blog overall provides each reader with the satisfaction that visiting the blog was worth their time. After this list is created, it is then passed on to our judges who then grade each blog on multiple characteristics that can define a blog. Once this is completed, the top 1% of blogs are then chosen, and are given our stamp of approval."

I meet one of my critical heroes at Aussiecon 4

2010-10-17T01:34:00.001-07:00

In September I attended Aussiecon 4 in Melbourne. I have been way too busy editing Midnight Echo 5 for the Australian Horror Writers Association to blog extensively about the con, but I can't resist posting this photo of me with one of my heroes of the literary critical world, John Clute. My top three genre literary critics, and definitely amongst the world's most astute literary critics bar none, are M. John Harrison, S.T. Joshi and - Clute. JC has reviewed sf for many, many years and his reviews are collected in several notable volumes including ''Strokes'', ''Look at the Evidence'' , ''Scores'' and the recent ''Canary Fever''. Mr Clute also co-edited the massive ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' and ''Encyclopedia of Fantasy'', whose critical terms have for many years enriched my understanding of those genres. They are volumes to which I constantly refer. And he is the author of ''Appleseed'', a quite extraordinary science fiction novel.

I've been on his wife Judith Clute's Christmas-card list for some years but had only briefly made contact with Clute himself once before. This time, after hearing him on a panel, it was my great privilege to briefly meet him and have him inscribe my copies of ''Strokes'' and ''Appleseed''. (I'd have loved to have him sign the ''Encyc of SF'' as well, but since that tome weighs a ton, and I was already restricted by baggage limits on the plane to Melbourne, I had him sign a label instead, which I stuck on the title page of my copy when I returned home.)

So, after admiring the man for these many years, here's my picture of myself (Leigh Blackmore) with John Clute. Consider me a critic groupie!!!

Australian Horror Writers Association members interviewed on 2SER radio Sydney

2010-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore, President of the Australian Horror Writers Association http://www.australianhorror.com/, was interviewed during October for an episode, focussing on horror, of the 'Final Draft' program on Sydney's radio 2SER.

Also interviewed was Kyla Ward. Kyla, apart from being one of the authors of horror novel PRISMATIC, is a longtime horror devotee, writer, poet, filmmaker and artist. She is a member of the horror repertory company Theatre of Blood http://www.thetheatreofblood.com/ Her www.tabula-rasa.info site (with David Carroll) is a goldmine of info on Australian horror writers, comics and films. Kyla put together the recent Nightmare Ball at Aussiecon 4, the World Science Fiction Convention. The interview features a reading by Kyla from her story "Erina Hearn and the Gods of Death" from the brand spanking new doorstop-sized anthology of Australian horror MACABRE, edited by Dr Marty Young and Angela Challis.

Leigh understands that Marty Young, former President of AHWA, was also interviewed for the piece, which will air Monday Oct 18, 7-7.30 pm. Tune in to listen or download the podcast
http://www.2ser.com/programs/shows/finaldraft

Pictured: Dr Marty Young; Leigh Blackmore with some of the horror anthologies which have featured his stories; Kyla Ward at AHWA's Nightmare Ball (Sept 2010).

Leigh Blackmore poem to appear in Weird Fiction Annual

2010-10-15T04:22:00.001-07:00

Leigh Blackmore has sold his weird poem "The Golden Goblet" to Centipede Press for publication in Issue 1 of Weird Fiction Annual. The journal's first issue is due out mid-November 2010 and can be pre-ordered from:

http://www.centipedepress.com/home.html

Todd Rundgren is still officially Godd!

2010-10-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't normally use this blog to talk about personal stuff unrelated to writing, but last night I saw Todd Rundgren, my all time favourite musician, at Sydney's The Basement. It was Todd's first appearance ever in Australia (discounting an appearance at an ensemble at the Opera House last January) and having been a fan for 35 year or more, you can imagine the level of my anticipation at seeing the legendary guitarist, songwriter, producer, synth whizz kid and all-around musical genius live for the first time ever, on his Todd Rundgren's Joshnson Down Under tour...

Margi, Graham and I travelled from Wollongong to Sydney. After coffee at a Starbucks at Circular Quay, we went to the Basement where he had a drink or two before the band area opened. Then we had a sit-down dinner. The basement is a very atmospheric yet intimate venue seating only about a hundred people, with room for a hundred more or so standing. I talked to a few other Todd fans (it was obvious who they were 'cause they were singing lyrics from "Want of a Nail") - one bloke had flown up from Streaky Bay, Adelaide to see Todd. "He's ugly as fuck, but man can he play guitar!" opined this guy. Well, I don't second that opinion (except for the guitar playing comment). His mate had been to the US several times to see Todd play, including at the House of Blues in LA, and had met Todd and Michelle on several occasions.

After listening to a two-man support act consisting of Davey Lane (ex-You Am I/The Pictures) and Tony Featherstone (The Badloves), who were actually quite good, but merely delayed the appearance of Todd and his band (I was ravening to see the Toddmeister) - the support act confessed themselves diehard Toddheads - there was a delay of about an hour before Todd and the band took the stage at around 10.30 pm. My friend Danny Lovecraft had turned up as well, which was great - I was really happy that he was going to see Todd live. We both bought the new album (Todd Rundgren's Johnson) which is otherwise yet-unreleased in Australia, before the show.

Todd had come straight over from a couple of gigs in New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington). On this tour he was using Jesse Gress, the guitarist who had just toured with him on the A Wizard A True Star/Healing shows he did in the States recently. I guess I was disappointed that Todd didn't bring Kasim Sulton, longtime Todd offsider and former Utopia member, to play bass, nor Prairie Prince to play drums (especially as apparently they will join Todd on the Japan leg of the tour), but in order to keep costs down in Oz, Todd used a rhythm section of local musos - Damien Steele Scott (of Adelaide funk/soul band Goose) on bass and Mick Skelton (who has played with the Angels, Kevin Borich, Wes Carr, the tongues and others) on drums. These musicians certainly acquitted themselves admirably.

Anyway! This was going to be a showcase for the Robert Johnson blues numbers from the latest album, mixed with various other songs of Todd's career. Part of the anticipation lay in wondering which of Todd's own songs he would perform, and he had a few surprises in store. I'm not that familiar with Robert Johnson's songs, and although I'd tried to acquaint myself with a few of them ahead of time, most of them were new to me, so it fascinating to hear them being performed.

The band came on, a cheer went up from the crowd, and they launched into the Johnson number "Dust My Broom." Man, were they tight! A far cry from the loose, rather shambolic early warm-up performances when this show initially went out on the road in the States. Todd was wearing a white t-shirt with a sort of bull's-eye design on it. As usual, he also wore some very cool shades. After that it was straight through two more Johnson blues numbers, "Stop Breakin Down" and one I have identified as "Kiddy Boy" on the napkin where I scrawled the song titles as they played - but I think I have misidentified that one. Next was "Soul Brother", which I was elated about - one of my favourite Todd songs. The version the played had a slightly more relaxed, laid back feel at first, and Jesse took the solo on guitar whereas it has been played by a flute-like synth in the past (for instance, on the Liars tour). It wound up to hard rock, almost screaming pitch by the end. The place was going off!

Next up was more Johnson - "Walkin Blues" and another one Todd introduced as being a sort of Texas blues (I'm unsure of the name of it). The band were rockin' hard! Next was a real treat - "Bleeding" from Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren. That one fitted right into the funky, bluesy style of the evening's set. Todd switched from the guitar he had used to this point to a red Telecaster - "come dance with me baby, for just one number" quipped Todd - and the band launched into an absolutely blistering version of "Black Maria." After that excitement had died down, there were two more Johnson blues numbers - "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Love in Vain". The crowd was loving it! Jesse was all hair and frantic riffing, the drummer was pounding away like mad, the bass player was confidently playing patterns in supreme sideman style, and Todd was consummate - of course - making every complex lick he played look so easy.

Next up was another treat - the old Nazz classic "Open My Eyes." Lots of people singing along with that one. Funny, in 35 years of being a Todd fan in Australia I'd hardly ever met anyone else who knew his music, but there were quite a few at this gig. Next up was one I'd been hoping for - an actual Utopia number, but fitting right in with the blues theme -"Mystified." As in other recent performances, the band strung this one out for all it was worth, also doing the clever segue in the middle into "Broke Down and Busted" (from Todd's very first solo album, Runt) before coming back to "Mystified" and the epic screams of the "your head might explode!" section. There was the odd cry of "We love you, Todd!" and "Show us your Johnson!" from the audience.

Then it was another one I'd been hoping for - "Unloved Children" from Nearly Human - again, a song which fit right into the hard, driving, funk/blues feel of most of the night. Todd's banter in between songs was entertaining and amusing, as always, displaying his wry sense of humour.

Then - and I could hardly believe it - we heard the opening chords of "I Went to the Mirror" from the Something/Anything album. That was really one out of left field! The band pulled it off in fine style, psychedelic overkill at the end and all...Two more Johnson songs followed, the first being "Come on in My Kitchen." I'm afraid I couldn't identify the second song at all - maybe another fan who was at the gig will remember. Then there was another song which I wrote down as "Keep Movin'" but I don't know if that's the right title. Next up was the classic "No 1 Lowest Common Denominator" from the Todd album of 1974 - a Todd concert staple. Once again, the psychedelic freakout of the middle section was pulled off with aplomb. Yow!

After that, a solitary song from Todd's recent Arena album made its appearance - "Weakness." It was great to hear that live, as it mixes Todd's heavy and melodic sides really well. The band followed up with two more Johnson numbers - "Travelling Riverside Blues" and "Crossroads Blues." The volume and the energy were high, and every song finished with Todd's trademark leap as he hammered down on the last cutoff. At this point, the band had been playing about one and three quarter hours, and briefly went offstage. The audience pounded the tables, calling out for more.

I had wondered if Todd would do any keyboard numbers, and sure enough when they returned for an encore, Todd sat down at the keyboard/synth, introducing his "hit single", "Can We Still Be Friends." A very nice version of that was played, with Jesse and Todd doing the choir-like vocal bridges. Todd got up from the keyboard to rapturous applause, and said "Well, I sense that we haven't quite satisfied your sweet tooth." Then they launched into "I Saw the Light" - still the song that most people would know Todd by, unless they are diehard fans like me.

The gig was nearly over, much to my regret. It was nearly 1 in the morning. I could have cheerfully listened to another couple of hours of material, but the final song was (another surprise!) "Boogies/Hamburger Hell" from the Faithful album. Ending it, Todd flicked a couple of guitar picks into the audience, and the show was over. Man, what an experience!

I waited for the band to appear afterwards, as I had brought some things I had hoped to get Todd to sign. While waiting for Todd, I saw Jesse but didn't get to speak with him, but I did congratulate the local drummer and bass player and shake their hands regarding their tight performance.

After about fifteen minutes, Todd came out to sign for fans at the merchandise booth. This was it! I would finally meet my hero! I had way too much stuff with me, and I knew I couldn't impose on him to sign everything. But when I came to the front of the queue, he kindly signed a photo of himself, my copy of the new album, the book A Dream Goes on Forever and my LP copy of Acapella. So much I wanted to say to him, but there wasn't time! He was very kind, though, and apart from signing my stuff, took a couple of minutes to talk to me about the issues regarding Acapella and its non-re-release on CD, due to Albert Grossman and Bearsville label problems. I also said to him "I've been waiting so long to hear you live...oh - "waiting so long" - that's a familiar line, isn't it?" (referencing "Just One Victory"). He laughed at that. He also took the time with me, as he did for the many other fans queued up, to have my photo taken with him. What a legend! I was in no way disappointed by the night - it was great, and meeting him in person capped it all off. This is one happy Australian Todd Rundgren fan!!!.

After Sydney, Todd goes to Bateman's Bay NSW to play the Southern Blues Festival, then he flies to Melbourne to play the Corner Hotel and after that it's off to Japan. I hope he comes back to Oz one day, but even if he never does, I will die happy! I've finally met the muso who has influenced me more than any other, ever since I heard "Ra" and "A Wizard, A True Star" back in the early seventies. Todd is (still officially) Godd!

In Which Scott Sheaffer Asks for Your Vote

2010-09-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Comic Book Artist Guild nominated me for their best writer award. I initially thought voting was only open to C.A.G. members but it turns out that voting is open to everyone. I've included a link to the best writer poll and others. There are some good people nominated for these awards including J.M. DeSantis, Michele Witchipoo, Jacob Ketron, Brian Brinlee, Ven Yann, Jimmy Palmiotti, Everett Soares and others.

New edition of Leigh Blackmore's Spores from Sharnoth & Other Madnesses weird poetry collection

2010-09-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

P'rea Press has issued a 50 copy numbered/limited revised reprint of Leigh Blackmore's acclaimed weird verse collection Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses (first published in 2008).

The new edition features a differently coloured cover, on glossy stock, updated bibliography, and an extended reviews section. Several of the poems have received revision at Leigh's hand, making these the definitive texts of these poems.

With a Foreword by US critic and scholar S.T. Joshi, and an introduction by the editors of P'rea Press, Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses is an essential acquisition for enthusiasts of horrific and dark verse.

"Excellent poetry of the weird...If you love Lovecraft and admire formal poetic form and structure, then this professional debut collection must be in your collection!" - Scott Green, author Contemporary Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Poetry

Cost is $15 Aust + post. Overseas, please enquire.
To order, please contact Danny Lovecraft of P'rea Press: DannyL58@hotmail.com

If you are in Victoria Australia, you can also signed purchase copies of the book (and other P'rea Press titles) from this wonderful retailer:

OF SCIENCE AND SWORDS
Shop 11/250 Elizabeth St The Strand Arcade Melbourne; VIC 3000
Telephone Number: (03) 9663 4774
Email: ai@ofscienceandswords.com.au

Midnight Echo Issue 4 released

2010-09-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

The Australian Horror Writers Association has released the fourth issue of its dark fiction magazine Midnight Echo. This issue has been edited by Lee Battersby and is a feast of reading for all aficionados of the gruesome, the ghastly and of what Terry Dowling refers to as "the evocative evasion".

Midnight Echo #4, edited by Lee Battersby, is NOW AVAILABLE!

Issue 4 of Midnight Echo is a monster, well, has a story or two about a few monsters anyway. We've packed in twelve exciting stories, three poems, art by eight talented artists and four exciting interviews, including Charlaine Harris!

Orders can be made via the AHWA online shop: http://www.shop.australianhorror.com/

ME4 is available in two formats:

PDF = AU$3.50

PRINT = AU$10 (+ postage) for AHWA Members; AU$13 (+ postage) for non-members.

AHWA Members please log into the Members' Only section of the AHWA website to download your copy for free.

2010 Ditmar Award winners for Australian science fiction announced

2010-09-07T05:24:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Ditmar Awards for Australian SF were announced at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention, NatCon-Dudcon III, on September 3, 2010. The winners are:

Best Novel

* Slights, Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot)
* World Shaker, Richard Harland (Allen & Unwin)
* Liar, Justine Larbalestier (Bloomsbury)
* Life Through Cellophane, Gillian Polack (Eneit)
* Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (Penguin)

Best Novella or Novelette

* “Wives”, Paul Haines (X6)
* Horn, Peter M. Ball (Twelfth Planet)
* “Black Water”, David Conyers (Jupiter)
* “After the World: Gravesend”, Jason Fischer (Black House Comics)
* “Siren Beat”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Roadkill/Siren Beat)

Best Short Story

* “Seventeen”, Cat Sparks (Masques)
* “Six Suicides”, Deborah Biancotti (A Book of Endings)
* “Prosperine When it Sizzles”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (New Ceres Nights)
* “The Piece of Ice in Ms Windermere’s Heart”, Angela Slatter (New Ceres Nights)
* “Tontine Mary”, Kaaron Warren (New Ceres Nights)
* “Black Peter”, Marty Young (Festive Fear)

Best Collected Work

* Slice Of Life, Paul Haines (The Mayne Press)
* A Book of Endings, Deborah Biancotti, Alisa Krasnostein & Ben Payne, eds. (Twelfth Planet)
* New Ceres Nights, Alisa Krasnostein & Tehani Wessely, eds. (Twelfth Planet)
* Eclipse Three, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Night Shade)
* The New Space Opera 2, Jonathan Strahan & Gardner Dozois, eds. (HarperCollins)

Best Artwork

* Cover art, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #42, Lewis Morley
* Cover art, Masques (CSFG), Mik Bennett
* Cover art, The Whale’s Tale (Peggy Bright), Eleanor Clarke
* Cover art, Horn (Twelfth Planet), Dion Hamill
* Cover art, New Ceres Nights (Twelfth Planet), Dion Hamill
* Cover art and illustrations, Shards: Short Sharp Tales (Brimstone), Andrew J. McKiernan

Best Fan Writer

* Robert Hood, for Undead Backbrain (roberthood.net/blog)
* Bruce Gillespie, for work in Steam Engine Time
* Chuck McKenzie, for work in Horrorscope
* Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work
* Tehani Wessely, for body of work

Best Fan Artist

* Dick Jenssen, for body of work
* Kathleen Jennings, for body of work
* Dave Schembri, for work in Midnight Echo

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

* Steam Engine Time, Bruce Gillespie & Janine Stinson, eds.
* Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet (bullsheet.sf.org.au), Edwina Harvey & Ted Scribner, eds.
* ASif! (asif.dreamhosters.com), Alisa Krasnostein, Gene Melzack et al, eds.
* A Writer Goes on a Journey (awritergoesonajourney.com), Nyssa Pascoe et al, eds.
* Interstellar Ramjet Scoop, Bill Wright, ed.

Best Achievement

* Gillian Polack et al., for the Southern Gothic banquet at Conflux
* H. Gibbens, for the Gamers’ Quest CGI-animated book trailer
* Ruth Jenkins and Cathy Jenkins-Rutherford, for the children’s program at Conjecture
* Alisa Krasnostein, Liz Grzyb, Tehani Wessely, Cat Sparks & Kate Williams, for the New Ceres Nights book launch
* Amanda Rainey, for the cover design of Siren Beat/Roadkill (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best New Talent

* Peter M. Ball
* Thoraiya Dyer
* Jason Fischer
* Christopher Green
* Kathleen Jennings
* Pete Kempshall
* Simon Petrie

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

* Helen Merrick, for The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms (Aqueduct)
* Chuck McKenzie, for “The Dead Walk! … Into a Bookstore Near You” (Eye of Fire #1)
* Ian Mond, for reviews on his blog (mondyboy.livejournal.com)
* Grant Watson, for reviews and articles for Eiga: Asian Cinema (www.eigaasiancinema.com)

2010 Hugo Award winners for science fiction announced

2010-09-07T05:22:00.002-07:00

Presented at: Aussiecon 4, Melbourne, Australia, September 2-6, 2010

Toastmaster: Garth Nix

Base design: Nick Stathopoulos with laser etching by Lewis Morley and incorporating the Aussiecon 4 logo by Grant Gittus

Awards Administration: Vincent Docherty, Kate Kligman

* Best Novel: TIE: The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK); The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)
* Best Novella: “Palimpsest”, Charles Stross (Wireless; Ace, Orbit)
* Best Novelette: “The Island”, Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos)
* Best Short Story: “Bridesicle”, Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09)
* Best Related Book: This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is “I”), Jack Vance (Subterranean)
* Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
* Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)
* Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who: “The Waters of Mars” Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)
* Best Editor Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden
* Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow
* Best Professional Artist: Shaun Tan
* Best Semiprozine: Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan
* Best Fan Writer: Frederik Pohl
* Best Fanzine: StarShipSofa edited by Tony C. Smith
* Best Fan Artist: Brad W. Foster

And the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): Seanan McGuire

Leigh Blackmore accepts election as new President of Australian Horror Writers Association

2010-09-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

At the AHWA's annual general meeting, held over the weekend at Aussiecon 4 (the 68th World Science Fiction Convention) in Melbourne, Leigh Blackmore was elected as president of the AHWA, succeeding the association's first and founding president, Dr Marty Young, who bows out after five years of running the association.

All committee positions of the AHWA were declared vacant. Consequently new members of the committee have been elected across the board. New officeholders now include:
Vice-President: Geoff Brown
Treasurer: Scott Wilson
Secretary: Carl Schaller
Membership Officer: Amanda Spedding
General officers: Ian Mond, Jason Crowe and James Doig (official AHWA Historian)

Leigh Blackmore wishes to thank the previous committee and other assistants including Marty Young, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Angela Challis, David Schembri, David Carroll, Mark Farrugia, Felicity Dowker, James Cain, Kim Wilkins, Andrew McKiernan, Mick Piemontese, Felicity Dowker, Mark Farrugia, Chuck McKenzie, Ray Gates, Jeff Ritchie, Scott Wilson and the many others who have contributed to the association's professionalism for all their hard work over the last five years in building AHWA into the organisation it is today.

Leigh intends to continue building on the relationships with the British Fantasy Society and the Horror Writers of America established by Marty Young, and to continue to expand initiatives for members of the AHWA as well as to build on the existing benefits of membership such as participation in the Australian Shadows Awards, Midnight Echo magazine, and mentorship programs for horror writing.

P'rea Press editor proud as punch of weird verse publications

2010-07-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

Danny Lovecraft, proprietor of Sydney's P'rea Press, has published four books in the weird verse field since the press's inception in 2008.

Commencing with a checklist/bibliography of weird poet and novelist Richard L. Tierney by Charles Lovecraft, aptly titled RICHARD L. TIERNEY: A BIBLIOGRAPHIC CHECKLIST (ISBN 978-0-9804625-0-0 (2008) $13.50US/15AU+p), P'rea Press has gone on to publish EMPERORS OF DREAMS: SOME NOTES ON WEIRD POETRY by noted US critic S.T. Joshi (paperback and limited/signed hc editions - ISBN 978-0-9804625-3-1 (2008) $20.25US/22AU+p; and ISBN 978-0-9804625-4-8 (2008) special signed hardbound edition $46.50US/$50AU+p); a collection of weird verse, SPORES FROM SHARNOTH AND OTHER MADNESS by Leigh Blackmore (paperback,ISBN 978-0-9804625-2-4 (2008) $13.50US/15AU+p); and Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Poetry Association nominee Richard L. Tierney's latest massive collection of weird verse, SAVAGE MENACE AND OTHER POEMS OF HORROR (hardcover with full colour d.j. and illustrated by Andrew McKiernan, ISBN 978-0-9804625-5-5 (2010) special illustrated hardbound edition $32.50US/$35AU+p).

To order any of these editions please contact Danny Lovecraft at:
Email: DannyL58@hotmail.com

Please feel free to enquire!

July 4, 2010 Twilight Zone Marathon

2010-07-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

In the worst mistake in American TV history since the Heidi game, Syfy has decided not to run the annual Fourth of July Marathon. This is a tradition that pre-dates the existence of the Sci-Fi Channel. Back in the 1980s, I watched the marathons on a New York cable channel called 11 Alive. If anyone's interested, I've made up my own marathon and posted it on my blog complete with links to each episode I chose.

http://phantazine.blogspot.com/

Just click on the episode titles. When it's done, go back to my blog and click the next one.

Christopher Sequeira to appear at Armageddon 2010 comics expo

2010-06-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

Christopher Sequeira has been a mainstay of the Australian comics industry for several years, creating and writing a horde of heroic and horrific concepts that have appeared on newsstands nationwide, including Pulse of Darkness, Rattlebone: The Pulp-Faced Detective, The Borderlander and others.

He has also written for USA-based publishers including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and Boom! Studios featuring characters like the Justice League, Iron Man and Cthulhu. He is currently writing Australia's premier locally produced comic-book, DARK DETECTIVE: SHERLOCK HOLMES, an original Sherlock Holmes series published by BLACK HOUSE COMICS which has been critically lauded by Holmes fans across the globe. He has plans to unleash one or two of his latest creations at Armageddon in October, so feel free to drop over and see what he's been up to!

Chris will be signing FREE at the event.

News from Fred Phillips

2010-04-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

American member Fred Phillips has sent the following news:

"This reporter is donating more books to his local library, plus additional VCR movie tapes for an in-house video program at a Brooklyn library S.T. Joshi's blog praised the forthcoming book-length collection of Fred's poetry, FROM THE CAULDRON, due for release this November. On Thursday, May 27, Fred and Dee Phillips will pay a visit to Leigh Blackmore and other Australian Kalems with two previously-inscribed Hippocampus Press titles as visitors' gifts--some Shikarring may be in the offing. On Jan.6 in Phoenix, Arizona, Fred is scheduled for a panel on weird poetry at MythosCon,moderated by your OE and mine, S.T. Joshi.On May 22 Derrick Hussey, publisher of Hippocampus Press, will attend another kaffeeklatsch with Fred and his 'Occult tutor', the totally feckless Ken Dupuy, Adjunct Instructor in Philosophy at Fordham University for the purpose of drafting an outline for the Table of Contents of a book about 'book-lore' Dupuy has invited Fred to co-author with him. At the Jan.6 MythosCon Fred and Martin Andersson, Arch-Provost of Sverige in and for the Ancient and Honourable Order of the Drowned Rat, will install Professor Donald J. Burleson and Mollie Burleson (former OE of the Esoteric Order of Dagon) as Co-Provosts of Roswell, New Mexico in and for the Honourable Order. Ann K. Schwader and Kenneth W. Faig, Jr. will likewise be installed as Provosts for Westminster, Colorado and Glenwood, Illinois respective. In early June Leigh Blackmore, Official Editor of the Sword and Sorcery Weird Fiction Amateur Press Association, will be elevated to the dignity of Arch-Provost for New South Wales.No '30'."

Wormwood No 14 about to be published

2010-04-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

English member Mark Valentine has sent us the following news:

"I'm pleased to announce that Wormwood # 14 is now at the printers. Thanks to the fine contributors, it's an excellent line-up, with Joel Lane on The Ruins of Reality: Thomas Ligotti and the uses of disenchantment; Jon Preece exploring E.R. Eddison's manuscripts: Laurence Bush celebrating the “Soft, Delicious Things” of Decadence in R. Murray Gilchrist; Callum James exposing Richard Marsh's past; Adam Daly drawing our attention to Robert Walser: Strange Supplicant, Idiot Savant, Master of the Microgram; Mike Barrett investigating The Exploits of Lucius Leffing:Joseph P. Brennan’s Supernatural Sleuth; and Brian Stableford and Doug Anderson offering their well-regarded columns on decadence and lost classics respectively."

To purchase the issue go here: http://newsstand.pavilion.net/users/users/tartarus/wormwood14.htm

Richard L. Tierney nominated for Grand Master at Science Fiction Poetry Association

2010-03-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Weird poet and novelist Richard L. Tierney, whose legend in the world of Lovecraftian fiction and verse looms large, has been nominated as a Grand Master in this year's awards at the Science Fiction Poetry Association.

Here is the link: http://www.sfpoetry.com/grandmaster2010.html

The full story reads as follows:

Richard L. Tierney

nominated by Charles Lovecraft

Richard L. Tierney's impressive contribution to the field of weird literature goes beyond nearly sixty years of fine literary and poetic output. It extends into the development of ideas and the continuity of a tradition of weird literature.

When Tierney was born in 1936 his chosen mentor H.P. Lovecraft was still alive. In his lifetime he has known and communicated as an equal with many of the great names of 20th century weird literature, people such as Frank Belknap Long, Donald Wandrei, August Derleth, Carl Jacobi, Donald Sidney-Fryer, Ramsey Campbell and Robert M. Price.

His work is an important link between early 20th century and 21st century weird poets. It expands and builds upon the output of greats such as Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. He is truly a part of the great enduring literary stream, as S.T. Joshi pronounces: "The progression of weird poetry over the centuries might be significantly aided with a comprehensive anthology containing work ranging from Homer to Richard L. Tierney." (Joshi, Emperors of Dreams, 2008.)

Tierney's poetry is highly acclaimed by notable practitioners in the weird literature field, such as Campbell, Sidney-Fryer, Joshi, Long, Steve Eng, Robert M. Price, Lin Carter, Leigh Blackmore and Ann K. Schwader.

Tierney has been supportive of other weird poets, for instance reading and commenting, writing reviews and introductions for poetry publications of Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Stanley McNail, Schwader and Blackmore.

He made a major contribution to the understanding and development of the Cthulhu Mythos. He first differentiated the Derleth Mythos from Lovecraft's world view in a letter to the editor of Nyctalops #5 (1971), followed by a more substantial, widely-published essay in 1972. This broke fertile ground and showed the way for the creative effort of others in further developing the great weird literary movement associated with the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraft Mythos.

Tierney's literary work is diverse and prolific. His significant body of fiction showcases his virtuosity and his linkages to masters such as Lovecraft, Howard, Smith, E.R. Eddison, J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Bloch.

Tierney began writing poetry as a youth and continues to this day. His work spans not just six decades but the many schools of thought on literary and poetic matters that held sway in that period. His poetry demonstrates his mastery of poetic expression as he garners and applies the very best from decades of poetic thought. Like Smith, he honed his poetic skills by translating seven of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal. He has in his poetic work given traditional forms of verse fresh impetus and meaning for the modern age. His formal verse is as fine as his freer verse; his use of evocative imagery as wonderful as his use of the plain, direct and vernacular; he creates compelling moods, twists that shock, and chilling understatement that freezes to the core. His poetic repertoire has amazingly extensive range and depth. Schwader notes he "is a poetic craftsman of the first order... His formalism is apparently effortless, his vocabulary both extensive and precisely deployed... He is a poet of the old school in the best possible sense, and richly deserving of more notice by all speculative writers." (Schwader, e-mail, 12 Feb. 2010)

Richard L. Tierney is a quiet, private person known to the greats of the mid- and late 20th century as a literary equal. He is a grand master of weird poetry. It behoves the SFPA to recognize this still vibrant, older master poet while he is yet with us. Now is the time to bestow honors for which he qualifies and to open up his works to another generation while he is able to pass on his gifts in person.

Leigh Blackmore member page at Australian Horror Writers Assocation

2010-03-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

SSWFT Official Editor Leigh Blackmore's member page at the Australian Horror Writers Association has been a long time coming, but it is finally up.

Check it out to see what Leigh is up to, and for links to vodcasts, podcasts, blogs, stories, essays and poems by Leigh online, and other stuff...

http://www.australianhorror.com/member_pages.php?page=86

Ah, you've gotta love relentless elf-promotion via the Internet....

New S.T. Joshi website a valuable resource for information on the critic and editor

2010-03-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

S.T. Joshi, editor, scholar, critic, authority on H.P. Lovecraft and the weird fiction field in general, and Official Editor of the Esoteric Order of Dagon amateur press association, has recently launched a revamped website.

There's a good blog about this at another site, so I'm just going to refer interested parties to Grim Reviews here: http://www.grimreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/st-joshis-website-reanimated
although if you would like to go direct to the new S.T. Joshi website you can find it here: http://www.stjoshi.org/

Leigh Blackmore essay on Terry Dowling slated to appear in Science Fiction magazine

2010-03-09T17:17:00.001-08:00

Dr Van Ikin's prestigious critical journal Science Fiction has accepted for publication Leigh Blackmore's "Deep in the Reality Crisis: Individuation, 'Mytho-realism' and Surrealistic Traces in Terry Dowling's Tom Rynosseros Cycle."

The 15,000 word essay was written as a component of Blackmore's Honours degree in Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong in 2009.

The essay will appear in two parts in the next two issues of Science Fiction.

News: Midnight Echo #5 open to submissions

2010-03-06T22:52:00.000-08:00

Midnight Echo, the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association, is open to submissions for its fifth issue. The submission period runs from March 1 to July 31.

Issue #5 is edited by Leigh Blackmore. Here is what Leigh is after:

"I would like Issue #5 to carry a mix of contemporary stories which stretch the boundaries of the genre in theme or style, and also stories which favour a more old-fashioned approach a la the Weird Tales/Lovecraftian genre. (The latter does not mean I am looking for Cthulhu Mythos stories because I won't be). I am open to ghost stories as well as stories of grue and physical horror. Authors of visceral horror ought to ensure that their writing carries its share of stylistic elegance as well, as I'm not in favour of splatter of the sake of it, and I'm liable to be not very receptive to yet another zombie story. I'd prefer to see tales of psychological horror and tales that are asking big questions about the universe we live in, as does a writer like Thomas Ligotti.

"I would like to see a strong representation of Australian writers in the issue as there is so much talent here, and though we will be publishing work by writers outside Australia, I will hope to receive stories from Australians that are gripping enough and challenging enought to "make the cut" for Midnight Echo Issue 5. Poets and artists are also encouraged to contribute."

Full submission guidelines can be found on the Midnight Echo website.
http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=144

Review of Richard L. Tierney's SAVAGE MENACE AND OTHER POEMS

2010-03-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Richard L. Tierney's massive new collection of weird verse, SAVAGE MENACE AND OTHER POEMS, Edited by Charles Lovecraft, is just about here! P'rea Press is finalising the details but we can show you a glimpse of what the cover will look like.

Leigh Blackmore's review of the volume appears at Ozhorrorscope: http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-savage-menace-and-other-poems-of.html

For further details on how to purchase SAVAGE MENACE by Richard L. Tierney, please contact: DannyL58@hotmail.com

Hippocampus Press forges ahead with publishing weird fiction and critical material on horror

2010-03-02T15:07:00.001-08:00

Hippocampus Press have published an amazing number of quality books related to H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and others of their circle.

They also publish works of weird and horror fiction by some of today's most exciting horror authors, including Joseph S. Pulver, Thomas Ligotti, and Adam Niswander.

In their extensive line of books they also feature no less than four journals of criticism on the weird - Lovecraft Annual, Studies in Weird Fiction, Lovecraft Studies, and Dead Reckonings.

For more information, see their official website: http://www.hippocampuspress.com/

Necronomicon Press back in action with special deals on HP Lovecraft books and others!

2010-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

The legendary Necronomicon Press is back!

This award-winning small press run by Marc Michaud of Providence, RI which published many important editions of works by and about H.P. Lovecraft and writers of the Lovecraft Circle such as Robert E. Howard, went quiet for an extended period over the last five or six years.

Now they are back, with a limited-time special 15% discount on in-stock titles, including issues of Crypt of Cthulhu, Studies in Weird Fiction, and other publications including S.T. Joshi's award-winning biography of Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft: A Life.

Necronomicon Press was founded in 1976, primarily to publish the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors of the horror field. Since that time the Press has issued hundreds of publications covering all aspects of the horror genre, from reprints of old fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, to printing the work of the some of the very best contemporary authors.

In 1994 and 1996 the Press received the coveted World Fantasy Award for its work in the small press field, and also received the equally prestigious British Fantasy Award for its publication Necrofile: The Review of Horror Fiction in 1995. Necronomicon Press has recently approached its 30th anniversary, and hopes to continue its tradition of ground-breaking research and discoveries for many years to come.

More info at the official website: http://www.necropress.com/

World Science Fiction Convention Aussiecon 4 headed for Australian shores

2010-03-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”), will place Australia at the centre of the science fiction and fantasy world. The convention will be held 2-6 September 2010 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre . Guests of Honour include award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning Melbourne artist Shaun Tan, and dedicated fan Robin Johnson.

The Worldcon annual convention brings together people, both professionals and fans, from all over the world who have an interest in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Although the emphasis of the convention is on the literary side, all other forms, such as film, television, and comics, are included. Programming includes panel discussions, lectures, science demonstrations, films, readings, and autographings.

Aussiecon 4 is so named because it is the fourth Worldcon to be held in Australia and all have been held in Melbourne. Previous conventions (1975, 1985, 1999) were widely acclaimed.

The program is not yet finalised but SSWFT's Leigh Blackmore will be appearing on a panel discussing HP Lovecraft's The Necronomicon.

More information about the con can be found at the official website: http://www.aussiecon4.org.au/

Sherlock Holmes: Dark Detective Issue 4 out now! Secret Files of Mycroft Holmes

2010-02-25T22:24:00.001-08:00

Issue No 4 of Chris Sequeira's ''The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes'' comic has hit the stands!

Featuring three new stories from the pen of Christopher Sequeira and with art from Phil Cornell, Dave Elsey, Chewie Chan and Tim McEwen, issue 4 is a side trip into the life Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's mysterious brother and keeper of many dark secrets.

In this stand-alone 'anthology-style' issue Mycroft Holmes relates three suspense-filled tales from his secret files! Firstly, we are introduced to Inspector Blackmoore (hmmm...I wonder where that character might have sprung from!) and Lilith Arcadia of Scotland Yard's mysterious Confidential Branch (aka The Boneyard) as they deal with a supernatural murder! Second, we meet reporter Harry Harker of the Central News Agency, a man who won't let the impossible get in the way of a chilling news story. Finally Mycroft tells us of his own encounter with one of the greatest criminal masterminds of the Victorian age when the diabolical Dr. Nikola returns, and he's not alone!

The comic and all back issues are also available from: http://www.blackboox.net/

Lovecraft Too blog by Chris Perridas

2010-02-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

Chris Perridas, who has been running his H. P. Lovecraft blog for some time, also has a blog called "Lovecraft, Too", which handles overspill on Lovecraft in pop culture - there is just too much, as Chis points out, to put on one blog.

Check it out at:

http://chrisperridas2.blogspot.com/

SSWFT blog coverage expands

2010-02-25T16:48:00.001-08:00

As Official Editor of this blog, which purports to be primarily conveying news of the members of SSWFT, I have made a decision to broaden the scope of the blog to cover more news of interest outside the immediate confines of the APA.

Firstly, SSWFT has a friendly relationship with the EOD (Esoteric Order of Dagon) APA, based in American and devoted largely to the writings of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. In future I will be running more material here related to news from EOD members, and also about the larger world of Lovecraftian popular culture.

Secondly, I will run items about books and publishers which seem relevant or are of interest to the horror/fantasy community generally, rather than confining the blog only to SSWFT-related material.

I believe this will expand the readability and interest level of the blog overall. It will enable me to point readers here to other places of interest on the web, and also perhaps to bring in more readers and hits on general horror/fantasy topics which may then bring more readers to the items posted here about SSWFT.

New illustrated Lewis Carroll illustrated by Australia's own Gavin L. O'Keefe

2010-02-25T16:12:00.001-08:00

Prolific Australian book illustrator Gavin L. O'Keefe has had an ongoing interest over the years in the works of the great fantasist Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). Gavin has illustrated various works by Carroll in the past including an edition of ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (Melbourne: The Carroll Foundation, 1990) and an illustrated edition of ''The Hunting of the Snark'' (1993).

Now O'Keefe has produced a fully illustrated edition of the second Alice book, ''Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There''. This is a must for enthusiasts of Alice and Carrolian fantasy.

Originally published in 1872, Lewis Carroll’s 'Through The Looking-Glass And What Alice Found There' takes us on a very different journey to Alice’s previous excursion into Wonderland. In 'Looking-Glass,' Alice passes through the mirror into a world of chess-people, curious school-boys, a living egg, sentient and loquacious flowers, and a host of other strange and fantastic creatures.

Alice is immediately given an evolving role in a game of chess being played out across the whole of the Looking-Glass world. As she travels through a landscape which at times defies the ‘normal’ laws of nature, she encounters characters who challenge her experience and perception. This world of ‘nonsense’ ultimately offers Alice, and the reader, insights into the ‘normal’ world.

Publication Date: 23 Feb 2010
ISBN/EAN13: 1605434329 / 9781605434322
Page Count: 122
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6" x 9"

The trade paperback edition is available at: https://www.createspace.com/3430328

The hardcover edition is available at: http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/through-the-looking-glass/6444035

Six greeting cards featuring selected illustrations from the book are available at:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/groonster

Benjamin J. Szumskyj's Fritz Lieber collection set to be published

2010-02-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Founding official editor of SSWFT, Benjamin J. Szumskyj, has officially left the field of fantasy and horror editing. However. a major new collection of stories by Fritz Leiber, assembled by Szumskyj, is about to be published by Subterranean Press.

Strange Wonders, a gathering of more than seventy rare and unpublished works by the legendary Fritz Leiber, includes a lengthy uncollected Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story beginning, two Gray Mouser poems, a number of complete stories, poetry, and a miscellany of fragments and writing exercises, many of them appearing for the first time, more than seventy years after being written. This book is truly a treasure trove for those who love Leiber's work. Strange Wonders is already deep in production, and right on schedule for release later this year.

The book can be preordered at: http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=leiber01&Category_Code=PRE&Product_Count=13

Limited: 150 numbered copies, signed by the editor, bound in leather: $60 US
Trade: Fully cloth bound hardcover edition: $40 US

Here are the details from the Subterranean Press website:

Strange Wonders: A Collection of Rare Fritz Leiber Works
By Fritz Leiber
(preorder—to be published in October)[2010]

Edited by Benjamin Szumskyj

Limited: $60
Trade: $40
ISBN: 978-1-59606-324-2
Length: 200 pages (tentative)

In regards to Fritz Leiber, I believe that publication of such unpublished and uncollected works only strengthens his literary greatness. Through fragments, drafts and practice writings, we can clearly see the evolution from Leiber, the amateur, to Leiber, the professional. We are exposed to the clear way in which he dedicated his life to the written word and trained his abilities to produce the award-winning masterpieces that we read even today. While some may object to such a volume, I ask them this—is not the dream just as important as the empire that had been built from it? Are not the blueprints and sketches as impressive as the buildings and the artwork? We must place all this into perspective, and see that publishing such works is not a smear upon Leiber’s legacy. Rather, it completes a full circle. If we are asked to be thorough in the biography of an individual, then we must also do so for their bibliography.

— Benjamin Szumskyj, from his Introduction

Limited: 150 numbered leatherbound copies, signed by the editor
Trade: 2000 fully cloth bound hardcover copies

Table of Contents

* Introduction—The Cream of the Damned by Benjamin Szumskyj

Fragments, Drafts and Miscellanea

* Tale of the Grain Ship—A Fafhrd and Gray Mouser Fragment
* Insanity
* Opaque Corridor
* Preadator Universe
* Social Inventor
* The Adventurer
* The Communicants
* The Feeler
* The Wrong Track
* Trap
* Boom, Boom, Boom!
* Concerning Tribalism and Loving the World
* Final Commentary
* Insanity [2]
* Night Ramble
* Privacy
* Semicentennial
* The Unhuman
* To Jonquil
* Let’s Pursue Happiness
* Notes for Study of Mac
* Practice Writing
* The Lust of the Alien
* Over Twenty Titled and Untitled Fragments

In the Beginning

* Introduction by Fritz Leiber
* Adventures of a Balloon
* Further Adventures of a Balloon
* Riches and Power
* Children of Jerusalem
* The Road to Jordan
* After the Darkness

Poetry

* Demons of the Upper Air
* Ghosts
* The Recognition of Death
* Challenge
* Night of Death
* The Gray Mouser: I
* The Gray Mouser: II
* The Midnight Wall
* 5447 Ridgewood Court
* The Other Side
* Past Druid Guards
* The Voice of Man
* Poor Little Ape
* Santa Monica Beach at Sunset
* 1959: the Beach at Santa Monica

Other Works

* The Mystery of the Japanese Clock
* Quicks around the Zodiac - A Farce

Leigh Blackmore essay in forthcoming volume 21st Century Gothic edited by Danel Olsen

2010-02-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

Leigh Blackmore has an essay (on Australian writer Terry Dowling's horror novel Clowns at Midnight) in a forthcoming critical anthology, 21st Century Gothic, which will be published by Scarecrow Press in either late 2010 or in 2011.

The projected Table of Contents appears below. Olsen (editor of the Exotic Gothic fiction anthology series) asked a number of novelists and critics to write an essay on what they thought was the best Gothic book to be published so far in the 21st century. Here's the list:

21ST CENTURY GOTHIC

ED. DANEL OLSON

Contents

Foreword S. T. Joshi

Introduction Danel Olson

THE ANGEL MAKER (2005) by Stefan Brijs

Jerrold E. Hogle

THE BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED (2004) by Adam L.G. Nevill

James Marriott

BEASTS (2002) by Joyce Carol Oates

Peter Bell

THE BLIND ASSASSIN (2001) by Margaret Atwood

THE BOOK THIEF (2006) by Markus Zusak

Steve Rasnic Tem

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN: PANDORA’S BRIDE (2007) by Elizabeth Hand

Marie Mulvey-Roberts

CANDLES BURNING (2006) by Tabitha King and Michael McDowell

Nancy A. Collins

THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN (2008) by Peter Ackroyd

Judith Wilt

CLOWNS AT MIDNIGHT(2009) by Terry Dowling

Leigh Blackmore

COLD SKIN (2002) by Albert Sánchez Piñol

Brian Showers

THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE (2002) by Michael Faber

Mary Ellen Snodgrass

The DARK TOWER series (seven novels, 1982-2004) by Stephen King

Tony Magistrale

THE DARKEST PART OF THE WOOD (2002) by Ramsey Campbell

Adam LG Nevill

THE DRACULA DOSSIER (2008) by James Reese

Katherine Ramsland

THE EDEN MOORE TRILOGY (FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS (2003),

WINGS TO THE FLESH NOR FEATHERS (2007)) by Cherie Priest

Don D’Ammassa

FATAL WOMEN 2004) by Tanith Lee

Mavis Haut

FINGERSMITH (2003) by Sarah Waters

Lisa Tuttle

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN (2008) by Kate Morton

Walter Rankin

FOUR SOULS (2006) by Louise Erdrich

Danel Olson

THE GARGOYLE (2008) by Andrew Davidson

Karen Budra

THE GHOST WRITER (2004) by John Harwood

James Doig

GOULD’S BOOK OF FISH: A NOVEL IN 12 FISH (2001) by Richard Flanagan

Robert Hood

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK (2008) by Neil Gaiman

Richard Bleiler

HEART- SHAPED BOX (2007) by Joe Hill

Darrell Schweitzer

THE HISTORIAN (2005) by Elizabeth Kostova

Stefan R. Dziemianowicz

HOLY FOOLS (2004) by Joanne Harris

Christopher Roden

THE HOUSE OF LEAVES (2000) by Mark Z. Danielewski

Laurence A. Rickels

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH DEMONS (in UK, MEMOIRS OF A MASTER FORGER, 2008)

by Graham Joyce

K. A. Laity

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL (2004) by Susanna Clarke

Douglass H. Thomson

THE KEEP (2006) by Jennifer Egan

Danel Olson

THE LAMPLIGHTER (2003) by Anthony O’Neill

Bill Congreve

THE LITTLE FRIEND (2002) by Donna Tart

Lucy Taylor

LOST (2001) by Gregory Maguire

Jason Colavito

lost boy, lost girl (2003) by Peter Straub

Steve Duffy

THE LOVELY BONES (2002) by Alice Sebold

August Tarrier

LULLABY (2002) by Chuck Palahniuk

Sue Zlosnik

LUNAR PARK (2005) by Bret Easton Ellis

Peter Coady

MARTHA PEAKE (2000) by Patrick McGrath

Carol Margaret Davison

THE MEANING OF NIGHT: A CONFESSION (2006) by Michael Cox

A MERCY (2008) by Toni Morrison

Ruth Bienstock Anolik

THE MERRILY WATKINS SERIES (ten novels, 1998-2008) by Phil Rickman

John Whitbourn

EVA MOVES THE FURNITURE (2001) by Margot Livesey

THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON (2008) by Lauren Groff

Graham Joyce

NEVER LET ME GO (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro

Glennis Byron & Linda Ogston

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2006) by Cormac McCarthy

Deborah Biancotti

THE OPEN CURTAIN (2008) by Brian Evenson

Stephen Morris [to S.Ryan]

THE PORTRAIT OF MRS. CHARBUQUE (2002) by Jeffrey Ford

Charles Tan

THE PUMPKIN CHILD (2002) by Nancy A. Collins

Karin Beeler

REAL WORLD (2008) by Natsuo Kirino

Weird verse by Hugh Mackay online

2010-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

A rare 1909 book of weird poetry by Australia's Hugh McKay (Hugh Cleland), ''In the Changing Crystal'', can now be accessed online at http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/auspoetry/inter/1321133.shtml.

Many thanks to Phillip A. Ellis for alerting us to this.

Hugh McKay was a ‘modest genius’ – a journalist, chemist, inventor, poet, and writer of speculative fiction.But, as one Smith’s Weekly colleague recalled, he ’sometimes wearied of everything and everybody and retired into a beery twilight from which his harsh voice might be heard addressing humanity as “Insects! All insects! Insects all!”’

McKay is not to be confused with another important Australian poetic weirdist, Hugh Raymond McCrae (4 October 1876 - 17 February 1958). Phillip Ellis has written on McCrae - see “The Weird Verse of Hugh McCrae: A Brief Sketch and Introduction” by Phillip A. Ellis, (ar)in Studies in Australian Weird Fiction No 3 (Apr 2009) but not as much seems to be known about Hugh McKay.

Leigh Blackmore sells poem to new US weird verse anthology

2010-01-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

SSWFT official Editor Leigh Blackmore has sold his poem "Terror Australis" (which first appeared in his collection Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses, 2008)to a new anthology of weird verse to be published by Mythos Books in the US. The anthology, being edited by US critics Steven J. Mariconda and S.T. Joshi, is entitled Dreams of Fear: Poetry of Terror and the Supernatural and will appear in 2010 or 2011.[Photo credit: Danny Lovecraft]

Pre-order Richard L. Tierney's Savage Menace and Other Poems of Horror

2010-01-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

~ Pre-order ~ Savage Menace and other poems of horror

by Richard L. Tierney

Illustrated by Andrew McKiernan

P’rea Press

Release date: January 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9804625-5-5

RRP: $35.00 AUD (Hardcover)

Available from: P’rea Press

Welcome to SAVAGE MENACE AND OTHER POEMS OF HORROR by Richard L. Tierney. Herein you’ll find poems of delectable horror and exquisite savagery and dread. RL “Terminator” Tierney does not hold back from touching on the ghoulish rhythms of decadence and fright that live at the back of all our universes. Make no mistake, horror fantasy lives appallingly in this majestic book of heightened poetic magic and feasts of delirious verse. SM, lavishly illustrated by Australia’s own Andrew McKiernan, will have you kneeling, groveling, and praying at the shrines of Poe and Lovecraft to make it all go away … And it won’t necessarily. Great poetry is never an acquired taste but the presence of mind to go one step further. So be brave, be very brave. Down the dark gruesome corridors of this splendid book’s succulent steps and primeval by-ways you always go one mad step further. Might you look back and see how far you’ve gone? O amazing mazy labyrinth. You may have lost the Minotaur’s thread…

Reviews:

“If there is a finer poet in the tradition of Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, I don’t know of one. Tierney has a vision as cosmic and savage as any of theirs, and his expressive skills are enviable indeed.” Ramsey Campbell

“Richard L. Tierney has achieved a distinguished corpus of work in the fields of imaginative literature not just as a distinctive fictioneer but equally as a disciplined and unique poet forging ahead in traditional forms. The genre and shape are lyrical but the vision is epic and heroic, not to mention cosmic.” Donald Sidney-Fryer

“In his poetry there is not a word out of place, not a line that is other than musical, not a stanza that cannot be considered a triumph of quiet eloquence. In his poems Richard L. Tierney exhibits the quintessence of his multifaceted literary gifts.” S. T. Joshi

“There is no other present-day poet in the entire Lovecraftian galaxy who treasures to quite the same extent as does Richard Tierney the fabulous valleys and high mountain peaks of fantasy, or who has captured their splendors with a greater perceptiveness.” Frank Belknap Long

“Richard L. Tierney has ramped respect as one of the premier poets of the macabre in modern times. His finesse is spectral, and elegant. He has devoted most of his life to the pursuit and expression of fantastic literature, in prose and verse. In Savage Menace he hits the spot most powerfully.” Charles Lovecraft

New James Doig ghost story anthology coming from Wordsworth

2009-12-29T00:25:00.000-08:00

SSWFT's own James Doig has done it again! Not content with having edited two previous anthologies of classic and colonial ghost and horror stories from Australia's glory days (both available from Equilibrium Books in Western Australia), James sold UK publisher a third anthology titled simply ''Australian Ghost Stories''. The volume is forthcoming in feb 2010 and is a must for any collector or weird fiction, especially of Australian-related material. Here's the info:

Australian Ghost Stories
ISBN: 978-1-84022-641-6
Author : Various
Total Pages: 224
Price: £2.99

Australian Ghost Stories

Murderous ghosts, horrific curses and monstrous beings haunt an unforgiving landscape into which travellers stray at their peril. Journey through the dark byways of Australia's Gothic past in the rare stories gathered in this memorable new collection. Work by acclaimed Australian writers such as Marcus Clarke, Henry Lawson and Edward Dyson appears alongside many lesser-known authors such as Beatrice Grimshaw, Mary Fortune and Ernest Favenc. Many of the stories collected here have never been reprinted since their first publication in 19th and early 20th century periodicals and showcase the richness and variety of the Australian ghost and horror story.

James Doig provides an authoritative introduction full of fresh insights into Australian Gothic fiction with detailed biographical notes on the authors represented.

AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2010

Rick Kennett Ernie Pine ghost stories available for download

2009-12-23T19:03:00.000-08:00

Rick Kennett is not a member of SSWFT. Oh no. But he's one of Australia's finest, most prolific (and unjustly overlooked) writers of horror, ghost stories and science fiction.

I recently stumbled across a site which has audio readings of two of Rick's stories of Ernie Pine, reluctant ghost-hunter, available for download. You can get them here:

http://dunesteef.com/category/rick-kennett/

Check 'em out!

Mark Valentine's The Lost Club

2009-12-23T02:41:00.000-08:00

We have neglected hitherto to mention The Lost Club, a journal and website run by SSWFT's Mark Valentine and by Roger Dobson of the UK. The website can still be found at: http://freepages.pavilion.net/tartarus/lost.html and includes profiles of many neglected authors, some supernatural.

It appears the journal itself (published by Tartarus Press) may have ceased: we will seek information from Mr Valentine to clarify this. Meanwhile, the website is well worth consulting for its useful information on authors from Micahel Arlen to Francis Brett Young.

Pictured is Edward Heron-Allen, a writer who published various supernatural short stories and also published novels as Christopher Blayre.

Phillip A. Ellis poetry e-books available

2009-12-23T02:36:00.000-08:00

Phillip A. Ellis informs us: "Travelling North_, a collection of twenty four quatorzains had previously appeared translated into Polish. Now the poems are
available in a printable e-book for $5 only, delivered directly to
your email inbox. For copies, contact phillip.a.ellis@gmail.com to
arrange your payment options. As a special offer, I'll add a unique
free verse sonnet for every additional $5 (Aust)"

Third issue of Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes hits the stands!

2009-11-18T23:20:00.001-08:00

The third issue of the superlative Australian graphic novel mini-series from Black House Comics, THE DARK DETECTIVE: SHERLOCK HOLMES is out now!

Penned by Christopher G.C. Sequeira and superbly drawn by Phil Cornell, with a dramatically brilliant cover by Dave Elsey, and printed in full colour, this issue will knock your socks off, as the conclusion of the story featuring the mythical chimera creature unfolds!!

Only $5 Australian at your local newsagents. Snap them up while they last, these are sure to become collectors' items.

Overseas (outside Australia) readers should contact the publisher at:

http://www.blackhousecomics.com/the-dark-detective-sherlock-holmes.html

Tasmaniac Publications a boon for horror fans

2009-09-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

We'd like to put in a plug for our friends at Tasmaniac Publications. This Tasmanian-based horror publisher is producing some really good work in the field.

Check 'em out at:

http://www.tasmaniacpublications.com/

Brimstone Press is one of Australia's foremost horror publishers

2009-09-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Angela Challis and Shayne Jiraiya Cummings have run Brimstone Press for some years now. They have a great range of horror books and e-anthologies, including the annual 'Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror' available from their website:

http://www.brimstonepress.com.au/

Check out Horrorscope for news of Australian horror

2009-09-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

HorrorScope is an award-winning Australian news and literary criticism zine dedicated to dark fiction (and some speculative fiction). HorrorScope is published by Brimstone Press and acts as the official news source for the Australian Horror Writers Association. Catch more dark fiction news from their Twitter site.

General enquiries to:
Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Managing Editor

News items to:
Talie Helene, AHWA News Editor

http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/

AHWA publishes Midnight Echo Issue 3

2009-09-25T17:35:00.001-07:00

The Australian Horror Writers Association publishes an excellent horror magazine with a different guest editor each time.

From Issue 3 onwards, Midnight Echo will be available directly from the AHWA.

For members:
AU$10 + postage ($2.75 anywhere in Australia)

For non-members:
AU$14 + postage ($2.75 anywhere in Australia)

AHWA also have a limited number of print copy backorders of Issue #1 and #2 available at the above rates. The deadline for placing an order for these is September 30, 2009.

Please contact them at midnightecho@australianhorror.com for more information.

The reading period for Midnight Echo Issue 4, edited by Lee Battersby, is 1 September 2009 to 31 January, 2010. Full details and Submission Guidelines can be found here.

http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=115

M. John Harrison official blog

2009-09-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

M. John Harrison, author of the 'Viriconium' series, and acclaimed sf novels 'Light' and 'Nova Swing', amongst many others, has his own blog at

http://www.mjohnharrison.com/

If you like Harrison's oblique fictional observations, you may enjoy his oblique observations of life to be found here.

H.P. Lovecraft and His Legacy blog full of Lovecraftian treasure

2009-09-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Chris Perridas' blog 'H.P. Lovecraft and His Legacy' has been going for some time now. It's full of fascinating information and images which will enthrall even the most longterm Lovecraft fan or enthusiast. Worth checking out at:

http://chrisperridas.blogspot.com/

A Feast of new Terry Dowling books on the horizon

2009-09-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

There is a veritable feast of new publications due from Australian writer Terry Dowling.

We have already reported on the two new volumes from Ticonderoga Press, 'Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear' and 'Make Believe: A Terry Dowling Reader'.

As if all that wasn't enough, Terry has a major new collection of previously uncollected and acclaimed stories of sf, fantasy and horror appearing soon in America. 'Amberjack: Tales of Fear and Wonder' will appear from Subterranean Press in 2009 and boasts a glorious cover by none other than Nick Stathopoulos, renowned Australian artists who provided covers for Dowling's Rynosseros cycle books.

And! Terry's horror novel 'Clowns at Midnight' is forthcoming from PS Publishing in England in either late 2009 or early 2010.

Now all we need is a reprint of 'Blackwater Days' and 'Wormwood'...

Alan Gullette website recommended for fans of supernatural literature

2009-09-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Alan Gullette has a very useful and informative website which most SSWFT members would fascinating, and which of course is useful to anyone interested in the classic authors of horror and the supernatural. It covers authors such as Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood, Lord Dunsany, William Hope Hodgson, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, M.P. Shiel, Fitz-James O'Brien (perhaps a more more minor writer than the rest), and also has an excellent range of links and a photo gallery.

You can find Alan's site here: http://alangullette.com/lit/horror.htm

Leigh Blackmore Honours thesis on Terry Dowling completed

2009-09-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore has just completed his 15,000 word Honours thesis for the Bachelor of Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong. The critical component of the thesis is on Australian writer Terry Dowling and is entitled : "'Individuation', 'Mytho-realism' and Surrealistic Traces in Terry Dowling's Tom Rynosseros Cycle". This is the first tertiary thesis to have been devoted to Dowling's work. It examines Dowling's four-volume cycle of stories set in a futuristic Australia and featuring the hero Tom Tyson, via C.J. Jung and Joseph Campbell's conception of the 'monomyth' and via Surrealist theory.
Leigh will be looking for a suitable journal to publish it once marking at the university has been completed.

The Creative component of Leigh's thesis is a 25,000 word self-contained excerpt from Leigh's novel in progress, Ghosts in the House of Life, which focusses on the relationship between Pre-Raphaelite poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his lover and model, poet-painter Lizzie Siddall. Leigh plans to complete the writing of the novel after his graduation, during 2010.

Leigh Blackmore Lovecraftian essay reprinted on web

2009-09-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore's essay "Leon Stone: Amateur Journalist and Pioneer Lovecraft Collector" was originally published in his zine Red Viscous Madness [vol. 1 no. 1] dated August 1984, circulated in the October 1984 mailing of the Esoteric Order of Dagon Amateur Press Association.

In April 2009 it was reprinted in The Fossil (official organ of The Fossils amateur press association), Issue 340 (Vol 105, No 3), courtesy of American Lovecraftian Kenneth W. Faig.

The Fossils website now has a Word Document and a PDF version of the essay available for download. Go here: //www.thefossils.org/fossil/index.html">

Monsters and Bloodsuckers special - more info

2009-09-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

For those that missed the "Jennifer Byrne Presents: Monsters and Bloodusckers" special which screen last night (Tues Sept 8, 2009) on ABC1 Australia, and may want to catch up on it, you can get a vodcast (video streamed copy) of the show here:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/video/podcast.htm

(You need to scroll down to the Jennifer Byrne Presents heading, and click on either WMV or MP4, next to "Vampires, wrewolves and man made monsters in literature".

A written transcript of the show (as edited for air) is available here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s2674298.htm (Click on transcript tab)

If you're in Australia and missed it, there's also a repeat next Sunday night Tues Sept 13, at 7pm on ABC 2.

Leigh Blackmore on ABC1 TV "Monsters and Bloodsuckers" Special

2009-09-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

From the Australian TV online blog "throng.com.au":

Jennifer Byrne Presents is a series of individual treats for lovers of books and writing. It features discussions with leading authors and investigations into the popularity of writing genres such as crime, sex and romance and fantasy.

Tonight (Tues Sept 8, 2009), Jennifer and her guests explore the very darkest of literary worlds. From zombie mayhem in Jane Austen's core text, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... to the Twilight vampire series, horror is hot, and in fact it always has been. There is something we love about books that scare the hell out of us.

For the Monsters And Bloodsuckers special, Jennifer has summoned a quorum of dark souls to lead us through this murky world: Catherine Jinks is the author of more than thirty books in most genres and for all ages - including The Reformed Vampire Support Group. She's currently up to her neck (ahem) in werewolf research for her next book...

Will Elliott's first novel, The Pilo Family Circus, picked up many major horror awards and was shortlisted for the 2007 International Horror Guild Award where he was up against fellow horror-meisters, including Stephen King. His latest book, Strange Places, is a memoir in which both werewolves and vampires have walk-on roles.

Leigh Blackmore is an academic, editor and contributor to such blood-drenched journals as The Australian Horror and Fantasy Magazine, Terror Australis and The Encyclopedia of Supernatural Fiction - to name just a few.

Tara Moss writes best-selling crime novels and reads in even darker places, counting Dracula and Frankenstein among her favourite gothic ghouls.

Jennifer Byrne Presents will be repeated on ABC2 - Sunday, September 13 at 7:00pm http://abc.net.au/iview/

SSWFT supports Australian Horror Writers Association

2009-08-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

SSWFT proudly supports the Australian Horror Writers' Association.

AHWA can be found online here:
http://www.australianhorror.com/

Wormwood issue 12 published

2009-08-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Wormwood Issue 12 is now out from Tartarus Press. The issue includes essays by no less than four SSWFT members - Mark Valentine on Peter Vansittart, Ben Szumskyj on William Hope Hodgson, John Howard on Gunter Eich, and Mike Barrett on Edward Lucas White. Other worthies including Joel Lane and Brian Stableford contribute to the issue.

You can buy it direct from Tartarus Press here:

http://freepages.pavilion.net/tartarus/wormwood12.htm

New online poetry cycle by Phillip A. Ellis in English and Polish

2009-08-27T02:14:00.001-07:00

Our own Phillip A. Ellis continues his prolific publishing of his poetic output. His cycle "Travelling North: Twenty Four Quatorzains" is now online at the Polish site magazyn-cegla.net, with dual English language and Polish-translated versions.

See:

http://magazyn-cegla.net/nadeslane,phillip-a-ellis,travelling-north-twenty-four-quatorzains-%5Btomik-on-line%5D,5591.html

New book "The Night-Farers" by Mark Valentine from Ex Occidente Press

2009-08-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surpirse when trolling around the net to find that Ex Occidente Press has just issued another short story collection from our own Mark Valentine - The Night-Farers. (2009)

A detailed review by D.F. Lewis appears here:
http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/the_nightfarers__by_mark_valentine.htm

There's another, by Rafe Mcgregor, here:
http://rafemcgregor.blogspot.com/2009/07/nightfarers-by-mark-valentine.html

You can buy it via Paypal direct from Ex Occidente Press here:
http://www.exocccidente.com/nightfarers.html

The Rite of Trebizond and Other Tales by Mark Valentine & John Howard - sold out

2009-08-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

I had been rather neglectful in not mentioning the fourth collection of tales of Mark Valentine's aesthetical occult detective"The Connoisseur" - THE RITE OF TREBIZOND AND OTHER TALES, which was published by Ex Occidente Press in October 2008. I have just gotten around to looking it up in order to post about it here, to find that the limited print run of 400 copies has sold out from the publisher. presumably this will now be a sought-after item on the collector's market. Nevertheless here is the description from the publisher's site:

"Almost five years have passed since we last heard anything from that monarch of dim visions and recondite Mysteries, The Connoisseur. There were whispers of a long planed retreat in the sun stricken Mithraic caves of Cappadocia. Or was it to a mysterious and unnamed Coptic monastery in Alexandria? Others sustained The Connoisseur was captured by a group of Armenian ether drinkers, somewhere in an unknown village in Prussia. Something about a terrible “black ikon” was mentioned. A year ago, the author himself claimed that The Connoisseur was dying. Confronted with such contradictory, ambiguous and indeed - uneasy information, we decided to find out the truth on our own. We are pleased to say we have good news. The Connoisseur is alive and sends his august regards. For proof, we have three new long tales to infirm all rumors. Enter through one carved door, and you are in a lost domain, an English enclave with its own rights and privileges, the sanctuary of an ancient and holy lineage, at the start of a strange quest that leads to the Black Sea and beyond. The fissure in another wall reveals a garden cinema, built in the New Egyptian style for a curious purpose, where visions of the future are not only seen on film. A third entrance leads to the hidden manufactory of an esoteric incense-maker, who deals in lichen and mummy dust, yew-berries and rare resins: has he the craft to undo the oldest, gravest curse of them all? And what is the significance of the red elephant and the ruined abbey? Mark Valentine & John Howard offer here three new excellent episodes from the casebook of the aesthetical occult detective, The Connoisseur, whose adventures have been described as “curious and wonderful” and “shot through with authentically fin-de-siècle gleams of decadence”. Four further stories complete the collection. What is the significance of the shining coin found by a churchyard wall, and how does it involve two adepts of the Imperial Exploration Service? Here, a simple talisman opens up remarkable possibilities. What is the secret of Prince Zaleski and what exactly was the role of the Herb Committees during the War? And what if a great Edwardian artist of the macabre really had illustrated the keynote book of verses by the young and fervent poet of Samarkand? In this final tale, as with the other six, we are led to see singular visions that do not quite stay on the page.

Contents "The Rite of Trebizond" by Mark Valentine & John Howard "The Serpent, Unfallen" by Mark Valentine & John Howard "The Temple of Time" by Mark Valentine & John Howard "Mrs. Wintergreen" by Mark Valentine "Out of the Obelisk" by Mark Valentine & John Howard "Prince Zaleski's Secret" by Mark Valentine "Sime in Samarkand" by Mark Valetine

The Rite of Trebizond and Other Tales is a sewn hardcover book with illustrated and laminate boards (no dustwrapper) of 110 pages with endpapers and a full-color frontispiece (Six-winged Seraph by Mikhail Vrubel). Edition limited to 400 copies. $35 inc. p&p to Europe and USA, $40 to the rest of the world." Ex Occidente press, which publishes many other works of interest to the connoisseur of fantasy, the weird and the decadent, is at: http://www.exocccidente.com/

Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes Issue 2 by Christopher Sequeira out now!

2009-08-27T00:04:00.001-07:00

Another sensational issue of Christopher Sequeira,Dave Elsey and Phil Cornell's graphic novel mini-series Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes is out this week in newsagents Australia-wide.

No 2 of this series features another superb cover by Academy-Award winner Elsey, with a gripping script by Sequeira and stunning full-colour-throughout art by Phil Cornell. This really is a quality product. By all accounts issue 1 has been extremely successful, and if you haven't caught up with it, now is the time before the series gets too far advanced.

Issue 2 is titled "Verdict of Horror". I don't want to give the story away, except that it opens in the London Hospital Mortuary, and continues from the tale told in No 1 where a horrible and impossible murder scene took place - a burglar killed, torn to pieces by a statue of a mythical monster - a deadly Chimera: part lion, part scorpion, part goat!'

If you love Sherlock Holmes mysteries, or just enjoy a dark chilling read, this graphic mini-series is a must! It retails in Australia for only $5 per issue.

If having trouble finding it at your local newsagent contact Baden Kirgan of Black House Comics - badenkirgan@blackhousecomics.com.

Danny Lovecraft of P'rea Press to publish new poetry collection by Richard L. Tierney

2009-08-26T21:32:00.001-07:00

Richard L. Tierney, poet and novelist, resides in Mason City, Iowa. He is legendary amongst fans of Robert E. Howard for his series of Red Sonja novels (written with David C. Smith) and his poetry collection ''Collected Poems'' (published by Arkham House). He has also written written novels including ''The Winds of Zarr'', ''The House of the Toad'' and his latest, the magnum opus featuring his hero Simon of Gitta, ''Drums of Chaos''.

Danny Lovecraft of P'rea Press (not a SWWFT member, but in EOD, and a close friend of the SSSWFT universe) has already published ''Richard Tierney" A Bibliographic Checklist''. Now Danny Lovecraft is gathering what may be Tierney's last major collection of poetry, to be issued in 2010 as ''Savage Menace and Other Poems''. Tierney, now 73, was recently interviewed by the Mason City Globe Gazette. The interview can be found online here:
http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2009/08/23/news/latest/doc4a90d34d6c80e586578601.txt

P'rea Press publications can be obtained by emailing: DannyL58@hotmail.com.
They include:
Charles Lovecraft. Richard L. Tierney: A Bibliographical Checklist. ISBN 978-0-9804625-0-0 (2008) $15AU+p
Leigh Blackmore. Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses.(Foreword by S.T. Joshi). ISBN 978-0-9804625-2-4 (2008) $15AU+p
S.T. Joshi. Emperors of Dreams: Some Notes on Weird Poetry ISBN 978-0-9804625-3-1 (2008) $22AU+p (Enquire for hardcover limited edition signed by Joshi at $70AU+p

There's a good overview of the Tierney booklet from bookseller Gavin Smith here:
http://www.gavinicussbooks.com/books/178.html

Perry Grayson's Falcon release DIE WONTCA CD

2009-08-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Perry Grayson is a good friend of ours. Former US resident, now Aussie (yes! we have claimed him!), publisher of Tsathoggua Press (which produces small limited editions of works by authors such as Frank Belknap Long and Clark Ashton Smith), and a former member of SSWFT, Perry is a longtime muso and music journlist. His metal band is Falcon, and their latest album DIE WONTCHA is now available. We can't resist giving it a mention here.

DIE WONTCHA - Falcon

Basic Tracks Recorded Live. Recorded Oct. 21-26, 2006.
Mixed & Mastered at Polar Bear Lair Studios in Middletown, MD.
Produced by Falcon & Chris Kozlowsi
Engineered & Mastered by Chris Kozlowski, Mixed by Chris Kozlowski with Perry Grayson

Perry Grayson - Guitar / Vocals / Keyboard on #
Greg Lindstrom - Bass / Keyboard / Lead Guitar on *
Darin McCloskey - Drums

1. Jimmy Clark ( Lindstrom) *
2. Elfland's Daughter (Grayson)
3. Corporate Whore (Grayson)
4. The Wreck of the John Deere (instrumental, Grayson / Lindstrom) *
5. Falcon (Grayson) #
6. No Future (Grayson)
7. Careless (Grayson)
8. Everything There Is To Know (Lindstrom) *
9. Show You All (Lindstrom)
10. Leader (BUFFALO cover) *

Note that Track 2 reflects Perry's love of lyrics based on classic fantasy novels, this one being based on Lord Dunsany's THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER!

The CD is available via Falcon's official website at:
http://www.falconband.net/

You can also follow Perry's livejournal blog Perry's Prattlings at:
http://perryfalcon.livejournal.com/data/rss

Ramble House a goldmine of forgotten authors

2009-08-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

We'd like to put in a recommendation for Ramble House, an eclectic publishing house started by Fender Tucker which reprints many obscure and forgotten works by worthy authors in the crime/mystery and fantasy/science fiction genres. They started by publishing the works of Harry Stephen Keeler, and have now brought back into print about sixty of his books. Other authors they have published include Joel Townsley Rogers, Anthony Boucher, Norman Berrow, Joseph Shalitt, Philip Jose Farmer, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Ed Gorman, Richard Lupoff, and the list goes on.

One of the major attractions of Ramble House's books is the wonderful and evocative dustjackets designed by Australian illustrator Gavin L. O'Keefe, a veteran of many past Australian fantasy projects including the GO ALICE and the graphic novel Jonny Flathead: Psychotronic Werewolf.

Ramble House's website is at:
http://www.ramblehouse.com/

It includes a gallery of Gavin O'Keefe's artwork, which can be accessed directly at:

http://www.ramblehouse.com/GavinGallery/GavinOkeefe.htm

Aussie SSWFT members in Lovecraft Annual No 3

2009-08-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Both Phillip A. Ellis and Leigh Blackmore have essays in the new issue of Lovecraft Annual No 3 (2009), out now from Hippocampus Press.

This is Phillip's third appearance in the journal of Lovecraft criticism, and Leigh's first.

ISSN 1935-6102
ISBN13: 978-0-9824296-2-4
August 2009
198 pp
$15.00

Table of contents
•Lovecraft and the Ray-Gun............T. R. Livesey
•What Is "the Unnamable"? H. P. Lovecraft and the Problem of Evil............James Goho
•Some Notes on the Topographical Poetry of H. P. Lovecraft............Phillip A. Ellis
•The Theme of Distance in the Tales of H. P. Lovecraft............Lorenzo Mastropierro
•Lovecraft's Avatars: Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Dagon, and Lovecraftian Utopias............Brandon Reynolds
•Self, Other, and the Evolution of Lovecraft's Treatment of Outsideness............Massimo Berruti
•Some Notes on Lovecraft's "The Transition of Juan Romero"............Leigh Blackmore
•"The Shadow out of Time" and Time-Defiance............Will Murray
•Poems Not in The Ancient Track............H. P. Lovecraft
•Lovecraft and the Polar Myth............John M. Navroth
•Plus Reviews and Briefly Noted

That Hippocampus Press website again: http://www.hippocampuspress.com/

Martin Andersson writes foreword for new Swedish edition of Lovecraft

2009-08-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

SSWFT and EOD member Martin Andersson has written a foreword and some textual comments for the new Swedish edition of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness from Alastor Press, which is out now in Sweden.

Martin has also written various reviews for the journal Dead Reckonings, which is available from New York's Hippocampus Press. See Hippocampus' website at:

http://www.hippocampuspress.com/

Mike Barrett publishes essays with New York Review of Science Fiction

2009-08-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

SSWFT member Mike Barrett has published a number of essays on fantasy and science fiction writers with The New York Review of Science Fiction, including one on Mary Elizabeth Counselman, and one on Lord Dunsany.

Copies can be obtained from the NYRSF website at:

http://www.nyrsf.com/

Scott A. Sheaffer's blog

2009-08-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

SSWFT's 'Emergency Editor' Scott A Sheaffer has an online blog which includes various views and reviews including one of his main love's Rod Serling's Twilight Zone Tv series.

You can check out the blog at:

http://phantazine.blogspot.com/

He also has some American football articles at: http://bleacherreport.com/users/8941-scott-sheaffer

2009-08-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

SSWFT member James Doig is a prolific researcher and writer. You can find a bibliography of his published work at the Australian Horror Writers' Association site:

http://www.australianhorror.com/member_pages.php?page=50

Fred Phillips assembles poetry

2009-08-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

SSWFT and EOD member and longtime self-described 'apahacker'Fred Phillips is in the process of assembling much of his poetry for a possible collection of verse, penned over a period of many years.

Fred's poetry ranges from formalist verse to more free-form pieces and covers a range of subjects, with a large proportion of it being devoted to fantastic subject matter.

Watch this space for further details....

Jennifer Byrne Presents: Monsters and Bloodsuckers special airdate announced

2009-08-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Further to a previous post, SWWFT editor Leigh Blackmore will appear on Australian TV programme 'Jennifer Byrne Presents', as part of a special recorded recently under the title "Monsters and Bloodsuckers".

Leigh guested with novelist Will Elliott, novelist/model Tara Moss and childrens' novelist Catherine Jinks, to discuss with Jennifer Byrne classic horror novels including 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' and "The Werewolf of Paris'.

"Monsters and Bloodusckers" will be screened on ABC-1 on Tues 8 Sept 2009. The airdate is likely to be 10pm, however check your programme for details.

For viewers outside of Australia, there should be a vodcast at the ABC website later.

Temporary site for John Howard's Walden East

2009-08-26T19:44:00.001-07:00

SSWFT member John Howard has a temporary site for his "Walden East" pages, pending a revamp of the site.

John's site has some excellent information, with major sections devoted to writers August Derleth, Henry David Thoreau, Fritz Leiber, Arthur Machen and Charles Eric Maine.

There is also a section of John's photos of the city of Berlin

Walden East is at: http://www.waldeneast.co.uk/

Phillip A. Ellis revives Calenture jounral

2009-08-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Calenture is an electronic journal devoted to the study of speculative poetry, that is, poetry written in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and associated genres. In addition to criticism, it contains essays by authors of speculative poetry, interviews, reviews, verse, correspondence and bibliographical articles.

Calenture is available free for download as a pdf document. If you wish to reproduce any materials contained therein, you will need to contact the author(s) of the piece, as copyright reverts to them after publication.

Calenture is published three times a year, in January, May, and September.

The new webpage for the journal is at: http://www.geocities.com/calenture.journal

Book of critical essays on Robert Bloch published

2009-08-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Man Who Collected Psychos
Critical Essays on Robert Bloch
Edited by Benjamin Szumskyj
Foreword by Robert Hood

ISBN 978-0-7864-4208-9
bibliography, index
262pp. softcover 2009

Description
The author best known for his fictional cross-dressing serial killer Norman Bates in Psycho has seen little critical review of his work. These 12 essays examine Robert Bloch’s novels, short stories and life, as well as the themes and issues explored in his influential canon. Bloch’s fascination with killers, man’s inhumanity to man, the dichotomy of tragedy and comedy, and his contributions to screen adaptations of his work are here covered by leading scholars of fantastic literature. The volume charts the growth of Robert Bloch from a writer of amateur pastiches to an acclaimed author bridging the gap between H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.

About the Author
Benjamin Szumskyj, a private high school teacher and qualified library technician, has edited anthologies and essay collections on such authors as Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Thomas Harris and William Peter Blatty. He is also the editor of Studies in Fantasy Literature and Studies in Australian Weird Fiction. He lives in Melville, Western Australia.

The Man Who Collected Psychos includes essays by both Leigh Blackmore and Phillip A. Ellis of SSWFT (as well as many others, of course!)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi
Foreword: The Heart of a Child
ROBERT HOOD 1

Preface 5
Introduction 7

Robert Bloch: The Psychology of Horror
STEVE VERTLIEB 13
A Literary Tutelage: Robert Bloch and H.P. Lovecraft
S.T. JOSHI 23
Lessons from Providence: Bloch’s Mentors, Bloch as a Mentor and Bloch and Fandom
PHILLIP A. ELLIS 41
The Lighter Side of Death: Robert Bloch as a Humorist
DARRELL SCHWEITZER 57
The Twisted World Inside Our Skulls: The 1950s Crime and Suspense Novels of Robert Bloch
LEIGH BLACKMORE 68
Yours Truly, Daniel Morley: An Examination of Robert Bloch’s novel The Scarf
JOHN HOWARD 89
The Keys to the Bates Motel: Robert Bloch’s Psycho Trilogy
SCOTT D. BRIGGS 102
“Better the House Than an Asylum”: Gothic Strategies in Robert Bloch’s Psycho
REBECCA JANICKER 121
Ripping Good Yarns: Robert Bloch’s Partnership with Jack the Ripper
RANDALL D. LARSON 134
Robert Bloch and His Serial Killers
PHILIP L. SIMPSON 150
Hell Is Other People: Robert Bloch and the Pathologies of the Family
JOEL LANE 169
Programming Bloch: The Small-Screen Career of Psycho’s Creator
MATTHEW R. BRADLEY 186

About the Contributors 233
Index 239

You can buy it direct from McFarland Publishers here:
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/contents-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4208-9

Leigh Blackmore essay on M. John Harrison published in Studies in the Fantastic

2009-07-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore's essay on M. John Harrison's duology 'Light' and 'Nova Swing' appears in the new issue (No 2, Winter 2008/Spring 2009) of Studies in the Fantastic, edited by S.T. Joshi for University of Tampa Press, Florida. The essay is titled "Genre Expectation, Subversion, and Anti-Consolation in the Kefahuchi Tract Novels of M. John Harrison." Also featured in the issue are essays on American Gothic by Zachery Z.E. Bennett, Robert Aickman by Philip Challinor, Ambrose Bierce by S.T. Joshi, and on Robert Bloch and Thomas Harris by Benjamin Szumskyj, as well as fiction by Daniel Pearlman and Michael Aronivitz, poetry by Robert Southey and an essay by Lafcadio Hearn, "The Value of the Supernatural in Fiction".

Studies in the Fantastic is available from:http://utpress.ut.edu/index.cfm/fuseaction/homeItem/PubId/159

New Terry Dowling books forthcoming

2009-07-14T02:35:00.000-07:00

Ticonderoga Press has announced two exciting and important new collections of work by Australian master fantastist Terry Dowling.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7 July 2009

The Best of Australia's Master Fantasist in Two Volumes

The best work of Terry Dowling, Australia’s master of fantasy, will be released in two elegant volumes published by quality independent publisher, Ticonderoga Publications.

The two volumes, Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear and Make Believe: A Terry Dowling Reader, collect thirty stories from Dowling’s almost 30-year career.

Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear was first published in 2006, selling out its print run and winning the International Horror Guild Award for Best Collection. This new release will be the first Australian publication of a collection, described by the American Library Association as “One of the best recent collections of contemporary horror.”

Basic Black was also nominated for the Stoker Award for Best Collection.

Make Believe comprises 12 stories hand-picked by editor Russell B. Farr to showcase the best of Dowling’s SF and fantasy, including work from his acclaimed Rynosseros and Wormwood cycles.

Renowned French surrealist Paul Delvaux’s “La Vénus Endormie” provides a stunning cover for Make Believe.

For true aficionados and collectors, 100 copies of each volume will released as a numbered hardcover edition, each one signed by Terry Dowling.

Trade paperback editions of each title will be available in time for Christmas.

Dowling’s fiction has won 21 national and international awards: eleven Ditmar and four Aurealis Awards (two of them Convenors’ Awards for Excellence), an Australian Shadows Award, the International Horror Guild Award and two Readercon Awards in the US, a Prix Wolkenstein in Germany and a Grand Prix at Utopiales 2001 in France. He has received three World Fantasy Award nominations and a 2007 Stoker nomination for Best Collection.

These landmark volumes are available for pre-order from www.indiebooksonline.com

Terry Dowling can be found online at www.terrydowling.com

For more information:

Russell B Farr, Editor Ticonderoga Publications
editor@ticonderogapublications.com
Ticonderoga Publications, PO Box 29, Greenwood WA 6924

Sherlock Holmes: Dark Detective by Chris Sequeira issued by Black House Comics

2009-07-14T02:20:00.000-07:00

My longtime friend and colleague Chris Sequeira has launched his gorgeous new Dark Detective comic about Sherlock Holmes, which is from new Australian publisher Black House comics.

Issue #1 is out now in newsagents nationwide, distributed by Gordon and Gotch, and it's a real cracker. I can't resist giving it a plug. Whether or not you're a comic reader generally, I recommend this as a cool read - $5 bucks for an issue. Please consider supporting a great local talent (that's Chris) as well as co-conspirators (yes, they're also great talents!) Phil Cornell, Dave Elsey and Jan Scherpenhuizen by lobbing out to your newsagent and picking up a copy.

For more details see

http://pulpfaction.net/node/125
http://www.armageddonexpo.com/au/comics-sci-fi-fantasy-trading-cards/christopher-sequeira

If you can't find it in newsagents, contact Black House Comics direct:
http://www.blackhousecomics.com/

There's also a nice review of Issue No 1 here:

New quarterly mailing deadlines for SSWFT

2009-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

SSWFT members, don't forget that the new quarterly mailing deadlines are now:

Feb 2
Apr 30
Aug 2
Oct 30

If you're reading this and are interested in joining SSWFT,(that is, in contributing ongoing quarterly zines that explore the worlds of fantasy, sf and horror) please contact the Official Editor, Leigh Blackmore, at: lvxnox@gmail.com

Leigh Blackmore sells Sherlock Holmes story to GASLIGHT GROTESQUE anthology

2009-07-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Leigh Blackmore has sold his Sherlock Holmes meets Aleister Crowley story "Exalted Are the Forces of Darkness" to a new Canadian anthology, GASLIGHT GROTESQUE: NIGHTMARE TALES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.

THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON BAKER STREET!

Between the shadowy realms of fear and the unforgiving glare of science lies a battleground of unspeakable horror. In vile alleyways with blood-slick cobblestones, impenetrable fog, and the wan glow of gaslight, lurk the inhuman denizens of nightmare.Faced with his worst fears, Sherlock Holmes has his faith in the science of observation and deduction shaken to the core in 13 all-new tales of terror from today’s modern masters of the macabre!

Cover art is once again provided by Timothy Lantz. The frontispiece is by Neil Vokes.

GASLIGHT GRIMOIRE: NIGHTMARE TALES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Edited by J. R. Campbell and Charles Prepolec

Foreword: Tales of Terror & Mystery by Leslie S. Klinger
Introduction by Charles V. Prepolec

Hounded by Stephen Volk
The Death Lantern by Lawrence C. Connolly
The Quality of Mercy by William Meikle
Emily’s Kiss by James A. Moore
The Tragic Case of the Child Prodigy by William Patrick Maynard
The Last Windigo by Hayden Trenholm
Celeste by Neil Jackson
The Best Laid Plans by Robert Lauderdale
Exalted Are the Forces of Darkness by Leigh Blackmore
The Affair of the Heart by Mark Morris
The Hand Delivered Letter by Simon K. Unsworth
Of the Origin of the Hound of the Baskervilles by Barbara Roden
Mr. Other’s Children by J.R. Campbell

GASLIGHT GROTESQUE: NIGHTMARE TALES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES will be available for purchase in November 2009 from all fine booksellers. Pre-orders are currently available through Amazon.com.

http://astore.amazon.com/bakerstreetdo-20/detail/1894063317

GASLIGHT GROTESQUE: NIGHTMARE TALES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Publisher: EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing; 1 edition (November 15, 2009)
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-10: 1894063317
ISBN-13: 978-1894063319

Earl Lavender, with an intro by Mark Valentine

2009-06-18T00:19:00.001-07:00

Following in the tradition of Don Quixote, Earl Lavender is the story of two impecunious gentlemen who run away from their conventional lives, style themselves 'Earl Lavender' and 'Lord Brumm', and set out to preach the new creed of Evolution. Their hilarious romp across London leads them to all sorts of strange adventures, such as a wild hansom cab chase, a sojourn among a subterranean society of flagellants, and the discovery of the evolutionary 'Missing Link'.

A key Decadent text, Earl Lavender (1895) is also Davidson's response to what he saw as some of the more ridiculous ideas and behaviours of the age. This new edition features a new introduction by Mark Valentine and a reproduction of the original frontispiece by Aubrey Beardsley.

John Davidson (1857-1909) was a Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist. Although during his lifetime he was compared favourably with Hardy, Housman, and Yeats, and admired by Shaw and T. S. Eliot, Davidson's reputation has languished since his tragic suicide. Long out of print, Earl Lavender is now restored to modern audiences, who will find that Davidson's humour and satire are as fresh today as in 1895.

Arthur Machen biography by Mark Valentine

2009-06-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

His writing revolutionized the music of composer John Ireland while other testifying admirers have included Oscar Wilde, H. G. Wells, Siegfried Sassoon, John Betejeman, film-maker Michael Powell, cellist Julian Lloyd Weber, and Barry (Dame Edith) Humphries. Through his stories of the supernatural and his reworking of the Arthurian Grail legend and his Angel of Mons series, Machen became a cult figure in America, while The Terror made him the precursor of recent quasi-scientific novels in which animals conspire to destroy Mankind. Mark Valentine's valuable study should be owned by all enthusiasts of the writings of this weird master.