Operation Ice Bat is now officially out of print (can you call something that was only in eBook out of print?). A big thank you to everyone who downloaded a copy to help support a friend in need.
I’ll admit I’m a little sad that “Arrearages” is no longer available to read, especially since it was being positively pointed out in many of the reviews. It was nice to have a little recognition for a change.
As the post’s title suggests, Unfit For Burial: Four Short Stories is officially available in all formats, including a beautiful trade paperback.
I’m excited to announce the arrival of my first chapbook, UNFIT FOR BURIAL: FOUR SHORT STORIES. It compiles my now out of print stories ‘With Many Thanks to Newark’, ‘God Bless You’, ‘A Promise Not Kept’, and ‘Between Those Walls’. This chapbook is the result of a lot of hard work from a few talented people who I consider my close friends. A massive thank you to Jacob Haddon for putting this chapbook together for me, to Bob Ford for the cover design, and Susan Scofield for allowing me use her photograph for the cover. You three are the best. I owe you all big time.
Although the paperback will still be a week or so away (I’m waiting to approve the proof copy that’s being shipped to me as I type this), the chapbook is currently available in eBook form for Kindle and at Smashwords, both for only $2.99 a piece.
I hope you’ll decide to check it out. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Click here to purchase for Kindle.
Click here to purchase at Smashwords.
Unfit For Burial: Four Short Stories
With his father dying in a hospital bed several states away, Tesh Hagman boards a plane of nightmares where not everyone is quite what they seem. “Why the hell is everyone smiling?”
A woman. A killer. A stairwell.
Ted is just trying to lose his virginity to Keira, the girlfriend of his dreams, but how is his eagerness viewed from beyond the grave?
His wife is dying, and Doug Brett is determined to break from prison to see her one last time…even if something unseen is keeping him there. What exactly is Warden Dempson keeping between those walls?
Four short stories of horror and suspense from up and coming author Wesley Southard.
OPERATION ICE BAT is now available to purchase exclusively for your e-reader. This is a new anthology edited by Brian Keene, and it features stories from myself (a brand new one called “Arrearages”) and many of my close writer friends, as well as tales from many well established authors I’m sure you’ll recognize (Keene, SanGiovanni, Ford, Owen, Golden, and Moore to name a few…). A nice blend of old and new stories, all for the sake of raising money for a good friend in need. Please consider purchasing a copy. It’s only $2.99. 100% of the proceeds go to our friend in his time of need.
Here’s the table of contents:
Introduction – Brian Keene
Breathe My Name – Christopher Golden
The Tin Box – Kelli Owen
For Whom We Mourn – Geoff Cooper
Inviolable – Mandy DeGeit
Mouth – Nate Southard
Little King – Nikki McKenzie
Home – J.F. Gonzalez
The Taste of Our Indiscretions – Robert Ford
In the Details – Michele Mixell
The Guardian of Tsalal – Brian Keene
A Family Birthday – Jacob Haddon
Emily’s Kiss – James A. Moore
Pretty, Pretty Shiny – Alyn Day
I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday – Mike Lombardo
The Mime – Mary SanGiovanni
The Wretched Spawn – Michael H. Antonio
Arrearages – Wesley Southard
Noogle Knock – Robert Swartwood
Biographies
Available for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.
From all of the contributors, thank you and happy reading.
It feels like it’s been forever, but I finally have a new story out for sale! My story “By The Throat” is now available in Eulogies II: Tales from the Cellar from Horror World Press. This brand new anthology–edited by Nanci Kalanta, Christopher Jones and Tony Trembly–features over thirty brand new stories and poems, from both new and established horror voices.
1.The Thing with Nothing to Give and Nothing to Lose – Tom Piccirilli
2. Once What Was Bone – Gary Braunbeck
3. Spare the Rod – Lucy Snyder
4. Born Again – Michael Boatman
5. A Serving of Nomu Sashimi – Eric J. Guignard
6. Latchkey Kid – V.M Zito
7. By the Throat – Wesley Southard
8. Loneliness Makes the Loudest Noise – Monica O’Rourke
9. Footnotes – Magda Knight
10. Chuck – Eric Dimbleby
11. Chiyoung and Dongsun’s Song – T.T Zuma
12. On the Hooks – Keith Minnion
13. Jasmine & Opium – Rebecca Brown
14. The Bore – John McIlveen
15. Poetry by Arthur Crowe
16. Dissolution – Sean Logan
17. Touch – Gerard Houarner
18. Neck Bolt Lynch Pin – Steve Vernon
19. Puttyskin – Malcolm Laughton
20. The Second Carriage – Jonathan Templar
21. Song in Absentia – Janet Joyce Holden
22. Meepy – Brent Jenkins
23. The Black Father of the Night – David Schembri
24. Muralistic – Matthew Warner
25. Awaiting Redemption – Maurice Broaddus
26. The Cat in the Cage – Nicole Cushing
27. A Mean Piece of Water – Mary Madewell
28. Kitty – Gary McMahon
29. Mister Whisper – James A. Moore
30. Writer’s Block – Thad Linson
31. The Miracle Material – Abra Staffin-Wiebe
32. The Lilac Hedge – Rose Blackthorn
I am absolutely honored to be a part of this amazing list of authors, including the great Tom Piccirilli, Gary Braunbeck and James A. Moore. And I’m thrilled that “By The Throat” has finally found the home it deserves. It still remains my favorite story that I’ve written, and anyone that knows me personally knows how special it is to me.
And by the way, all proceeds are going to help pay for Tom Piccirilli’s medical bills. Tom had tumors removed from his brain a few months ago, and as we all know, medical bills for such surgeries and treatments these days can be astronomical. Over the last several months, the horror community really stood up and came together to help Tom and his family through this terrible ordeal, and this is Nanci and the contributor’s way of helping. I really do hope everyone decides to pick up a copy–if not for the stories, then for a good cause.
“Where’s your son, Roger? You’ll never find him. He’s dead!”
Ah, eighties horror… What a fun time for movies in our favorite genre of splatter, sex, chainsaws, walking corpses, blood drinkers and madmen. We all have fond memories of our first horror films. Who introduced you to yours? Was it Mom or Dad? Your best friend? Maybe Joe Bob Briggs with Monster Vision? Whatever the case, you’re here because you enjoy horror, both on screen and on paper, but for this blog I want to focus on the visual medium of scary movies–particularly my favorite scenes from the eighties. Why the eighties? Think about it. In that particular decade, most of our favorite horror movie icons were spawned. Jason Voorhees leapt up from his watery grave in 1980. In 1984, a blackened boiler room gave birth to our worst nightmare, Freddy Krueger. 1988 gave us a not-so-Good Guy to play with in “Child’s Play.” And new crops of directors were taking something that was already amazing (Ridley Scott’s “Alien”) and creating something even bigger and better (James Cameron’s “Aliens”).
The eighties were also a time of experimental film making. Puppets and stop-motion animation, though dying in the mainstream, were still holding true in horror. We as horror fans are able to take a lot when it comes to movies. Though most would look at a movie like 1986’s “House” (picture above) with a wide-eyed, slack-jaw expression, we can appreciate the humor and the offbeat use of puppets and people in ridiculous, fat lady, demon suits that many movie makers wouldn’t touch now. It’s unfortunate that movies with practical effects, such as 1982’s “The Thing,” have been replaced with massive amounts of CGI. Would “Pumpkinhead” or “Puppetmaster” been the same movies?
To me, “The Thing” is more or less my favorite film of the eighties. It has everything: an amazing cast, the sci-fi element of the unknown alien species, the graphic and practical special effects. I remember the first time I saw this movie, and I still get those very same chills every time I watch it. I hope everyone out there reading this gets those same feelings when they pop that disk into the player, turn the lights out and relives those memories time and again.
Because, isn’t that what the movies are all about? Kurt Russell throwing a stick of dynamite at a form-shifting alien then yelling, “Yeah, well fuck you too!”?
***
Below are some screenshots from some of my favorite eighties horror films. As a part of this Coffin Hop celebration, if you can correctly guess all of the titles of the films shown, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win two signed books from myself.
Just put your answers in the comment section, and make sure that the email address you use is correct, because it will be the one I will contact the winner through on November 1st . Participants from USA and Canada only. And please be sure to check out the rest of the blogs on the Coffin Hop 2012 tour, which features over 100 authors–all throwing their own giveaways! To find the link to the other blogs, just click on the Coffin Hop poster on the upper right side of this webpage or visit www.coffinhop.wordpress.com.
Good luck, everyone, and have fun!
Keep reminding yourself, it’s only a book…It’s only a book…It’s only a book…
From some of the best writers in the genre comes this all new collection of exciting, exploitative and downright nasty tale. From bug infestations to body mutilations, no stone is left unturned by these sick and twisted minds. Marvel, if you will, at the evil teddies; try to remain calm as the babysitter gets more than just free food and a nice tip; come out from behind the sofa and finish the tale about the flesh-eating clowns; regulate your breathing as the pole-dancer learns some new tricks. It’s all inside this terrifying anthology, and much, much more.
I’m very happy to annouce that Grindhouse, from Crowded Quarantine Publications, has officially been released! Not only does it contain “Home Invasion,” the novelette co-written by myself and Nikki McKenzie, but 16 other stories of madness and chaos from some of the best new writers in the genre. I think I speak for the both of us when I say this story was a blast to write and hopefully a blast to read.
Here’s the description: Luck is in short supply these days, and truck driver Justin Fisher would know. With a gambling addiction threatening his budding family, Fisher sets out to right himself…but what he and his work partner find on a Tennessee mountainside may have other plans…
Patience is also running on empty as his fiancee, Missy, finds her own problem back at home…the squirming, multi-legged type.
Rednecks…aliens…bugs…and lot lizards…
Keep your eyes open. Invaders come from high and low.
As of right now it’s only available on Kindle (Nook version coming soon), but as soon as it’s released in paperback (I’m told in mid-July) or any other format, I will let everyone know.
Happy reading!
I’m happy to announce the publication of Cover of Darkness Magazine’s June 2012 issue, which contains my short story, “Between Those Walls,” can be purchased here. This is my first appearance in a quarterly fiction magazine, so I’m extremely excited, as I’m sure you can imagine.
“Between Those Walls” is actually one of my earliest attempts at short story writing and submitting, and contains one of my favorite characters to date, Warden Jerome Dempson (who I plan on revisiting eventually, maybe even several times). The original final draft came out to around 11,000 words, which I tried to sell as a two-parter to a magazine a few years ago. In a seven paragraph rejection letter (yes, SEVEN), the editor explained in fine detail why he had decided to pass. He went on to explain what he liked about the story, what he didn’t like, and why 11k was far too long for this particular story. He was right on every point. Yes, there are editors out there willing to help newbies and not just push them aside.
Over the course of a few years I slowly cut it down to the manageable 5900 words it currently sits at, and I’m very happy how it turned out. There was something about writing a prison break that was too hard to pass up.
Here’s the description: His wife is dying, and Doug Brett is determined to break from prison to see her one last time…even if something unseen is keeping him there. What exactly is Warden Dempson keeping between those walls?
I hope that you’ll give it a chance. Hell, it’s only $10 (plus shipping)!
I saw author/editor Jeff Burk post something similar today on his website, and seeing as how I love to see other people’s book collections, here’s mine:
As of today, Daily Flash 2012 is finally available to the public! Within the 544 pages are 366 five hundred or less word flash fiction stories, one quick read for every day of 2012 (yes, including February 29th), and includes my official second short story publication. I’m very pleased to be finally sharing the pages of this fine anthology with many of my writer friends, like Brent Abell, Michele Mixell, Sheri White, and Lesley Conner–not to mention the hundreds of other authors that fill these pages.
My story “God Bless You,” which falls on July 19th (I only say this because there’s no TOC in the book), is my attempt at subtle, kind of gross humor. I didn’t want to be overly serious with it, and what came out will hopefully make you laugh and say “WTF?”
Here’s the tagline: A woman. A killer. A stairwell. A completely ridiculous story.
As of right now, it’s available on Amazon in trade paperback. I will update my Biblio page as it becomes available on Barnes and Noble and in its various forms of E-books.
Thanks, everyone! Hope you enjoy!
Wesley Southard 