Wednesday, February 28, 2024

"Bat Country" in Illustrated Worlds


It's been a hot minute since I had a new short story for your consideration, but the day is finally here! My tale of a strange encounter in the wasteland on the edge of realityotherwise known as “Bat Country”is now available in Illustrated Worlds #5. Here's a sample:

I was on the edge of the Shadelands, near the Plain of the Shrieking Towers, when one of the void bats I’d spent months there to study was hit by a Greyhound bus. 

I didn’t know that it was a bus, or what the word “Greyhound” signified at the time. But there, where the tower-studded plain met the slope of rubble from Realm 348, a slice of road from an unknown Logic dimension had pressed against the fabric of Chaos Space. The void bats, drawn like moths to this fissure, feasted upon a trickle of alien laws of physics. They were usually deft at dodging the machines that shot along that otherworldly highway.

Not this time. As I spied through my optiscope from high up the mound of debris, a large block of metal with markings in an alien script plowed onto the road, surprising one of the two-dimensional bats and smashing it into goo across the machine’s face.

The whole issue promises to be fantastic. From the publisher:

Issue #5, the Spring 2024 edition of the horror and fantasy magazine, features incredible artwork by Reggie Thomas, Ruben Aldenhoven, Amuri Morris, Nick Stevens and more. Fifty pages of top quality fiction exploring the Hammer horror vibe of an all girls' school, a dimension hopping researcher studying bats and a ghost haunting phone apps. Stories by the likes of Scare in a Box, Fiona Scott Stevenson and Jonathan Balog bring the human imagination to life and explore the darker side of our souls.

Do I need to say more? Check it out now.

Monday, February 26, 2024

CoastCon & Nerdi Gras

It's going to be a busy month, with not just one but two conventions in the next few weeks! First off, I'll be returning to Biloxi's CoastCon from March 1-3, followed by Nerdi Gras in Duluth, Georgia from March 15-17. Click below for details:

It seems like it's been hardly any time since ChattaCon back in January. Here's a shout-out to everyone I shared Author's Alley with back in Chattanooga: Be sure to check out their books!

Alexander Nader - author of Beasts of Burdin
Bob McGough - author of The Jubal County Saga
Ben Meeks - author of The Keeper Chronicles
Devon Eriksen - author of Theft of Fire
George Weinstein - author of Hardscrabble Road
John G. Hartness - author of The Black Knight Chronicles
Kenneth Meade - author of Something Wicked
Kim Conrey - author of Ares Ascending

Every time I go to a convention, I always end up adding a whole new bookshelf to my reading list. But hey, you can never have too many books, so be sure to head to your nearest SF convention with a wad of cash in hand! (hint hint)

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

ChattaCon 49


It's a brand new year, and it's convention time again! In just a few days (that's Jan 12-14) I'll be in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee for ChattaCon 49, the latest installment in the South's longest-running gathering of science fiction fans (outpacing Dragon*Con by a decade, no less). The fun begins at 4:00pm Friday and keeps on going through Sunday afternoon. If you're anywhere in the area, come and join the party!

Next up on the schedule: a return to Coast Con in Biloxi, with even more shows in the following year. Oh, and a new story or two lurking on the horizon.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

ColumbiaCon, October 1

 

Greetings, loyal followers! I just got home from AshevilleCon (which I completely forgot to blog about), but I'm turning right around and heading back out to ColumbiaCon on October 1. This will be the third convention I'm attending this year put on by promoter Carmine de Santo, and I have to say that the first two (in Huntsville and Asheville) were fantastic, well organized, and well attended. I'm also looking forward to AugustaCon on November 4, which will be the closest to home I'll be conventioning this year.

As for ColumbiaCon, I'm really excited that they've got Fabian Nicieza as the guest of honor. He's billed as the cocreator of Deadpool, and to be clear - Rob Liefeld may have designed the character, but Nicieza's the one responsible for his snark. He also wrote nearly 50% of the Marvel books I collected in the 90s, so now I've got to pull out an issue or two to get autographed. I may be an author myself, but I'm still a goddamn nerd.