ON LURID-LIT NOW Book Review: Underneath: Short Tales of Horror and the Supernatural by Dan Dewitt

Catch my review of this collection on lurid-lit.com now!

FETID

Just finished this 710 word piece of flash fiction. After a horrible three day weekend this thing just appeared and took over. Though partial, I like it. Why don't see if a publisher does too.

Memorial Day

All I can say is please remember. Please remember those who have died, who were altered both physically and psychologically so we can whine and complain about others shortcomings and our own perceived slights. Remember those whose duty dwarfs our importance. Please remember those who truly saw evil, and stared it down and confronted it. Always remember and at least tell those veterans you meet or see on the street, 'thank you'.

AARRRGH!!!!!!!!!!! Why Don't They Just Do Their Jobs?

I always pick them. Not all of them. Just a few of them. But I always pick them. Whenever I try to branch my stories out to so-called more 'main stream', 'general' publications that tout they publish a mosaic of genres they don't want horror. Oh, they say they do; they openly advertise for horror to balance off their romance or happy, happy, happy, happy, crap; but they never seem to publish that one horror story.

Now get something straight. I did not and do not submit anything with violence to these publications. I do not submit serial killers, slashers, bloody gore. For these publishers I submit a more PG and even G fare. But what I always neglect to do in my zealotry is truly review their archives and find not one ghost, not even a sparkly vampire or friendly ghoul.

I think they just hate horror. I think they feel horror is not politically correct.

Other general writers tell me I'm wrong.

And maybe that is why the editors of these mags never respond to emails; never answer queries. Maybe it is not over my perceived slight, maybe they don't respond because they are looking for that micro piece of horror flash fiction that appears to be misplaced on their archives.

BLACK OUT CITY PODCAST

I am honored and want to thank Mark Slade for the offer; that I will be writing for upcoming episode of this marvelous noir series. More info to come.

An Oldie But A Goodie

Hey Kids I Recommend NetGalley

"Kitten" A Bizarro Novel Reviewed Now On Lurid-Lit!!

Something we generally don't give much print to --- Bizarro literature, gets their due with the review of G. Arthur Brown's "Kitten'. Give the review a read..

"DIRT" to be published in the June edition of THE CARNAGE CONSERVATORY

On the heels of 'Yard Work', 'Dirt', no relation, will be published in the June Carnage Conservatory. Thank you Emily. Details to follow.

The Link to SURREAL GROTESQUE PODCAST #17

Where we read two stories and talked about Lurid-lit.com and our writing process. Here it is, just cut and paste of your browser:

http://www.surrealgrotesque.com/

Thanks.

And here is an additional link:

http://www.spreaker.com/user/aliensoul77/surreal_grotesque_podcast_17?code=AQCJJWBK78sbX-CaAjH1a-ITcXXLULymqnJd02OibR_rUMPr_syc4f8u5lI4mfNElaLiSUiW0i1paE34xy-V7hXz0ZT-u1-I7i01x5zxgKGjg5dlLMWm7dmD0Djag8ThMiwJyOv4FutJ439HpFlZbBiMZIGaturwjgle1hvTCVKI5Zo19CjfL5a94-X3Z7SRtbU9-2ZuQXUddfE4EFu4UT34iwkdF_KiraVIA0xCgeYTt05ySCQSf7o7lyYzdxpgRkLo_af9HUQUraseAsbkUJJLKMPYgkkj0tqLSa1Ct66p7R82cg_uupqu-EypwLcKtoY

Wow!! Two on the 'SURREAL GROTESQUE' Podcast today

We were fortunate to be allowed to read two pieces on the podcast today. "A Hint of Cinnamon" and "Diminishing Sight"; we also discussed my writing process, the background to these stories and my first story in 'Surreal Grotesque' "A Night In the Country". We had a blast! Thanks guys!!

I Feel Bad

I think I killed a discussion tonight and I feel bad. I think I really killed a discussion tonight and I feel awful; just made it dead; stopped it right in place on the track; brought everybody down. Maybe this IS why I don't get invited anywhere.

Tonight we discussed 'evil'. Real evil. In the face of Cleveland, Boston before it, and Sandy Hook before that; there are, believe it or not, other sickening stories in the news that display the very meaning of inhumanity. The problem is this is a normal day.

I shared an experience I had, and for those of you who know me, you know the story. But beyond that life altering tale, that moment of introspection that drilled through me like a pneumatic diamond tipped bore I left out other frights like the phantom in the basement; the shadow man and his yearly visits; the knife held to my throat; the death threats; God what a mess.

In a way I am lucky to have been in these situations. In a way, I am fortunate to have met, face to face, the evil and the odd, the strange and the dangerous. In some ways it brings a sensibility to what I write and hopefully it has made me not numb but strong.

Whatever we see and read about; whatever we encounter; we all need to take care, watch each others back and recognize and call out evil. We need to shed light on it and make sure it doesn't multiply or persist.

Big news coming....

At least for me and I am excited. An anthology of my own is in the works. Details to follow. More info to come. Stay tuned. And I just ran out of clichés....

Journalism 101

I am glad I never studied Journalism. I am glad the writing decisions I make, and even those mistakes, are mine only. I am glad I don't follow a template drawn up by an insolated, pompous moron with initials following his/her name whose publishing credits are 'literary journals' no one ever reads and only use for coasters.

Look, it's bad enough working in the law dealing with empty headed hacks and politicians. Anyway...

You have to love the story on the MSN feed this morning concerning a migration of 'vicious piranha'....

This is a must read, after all I only know the piranha that are cuddly like Hello Kitty...

Whether it is the writer or the 'uninformed' reader; use the dictionary on your tablet and learn to write.

New Review on Lurid-Lit and it is a bare knuckles classic....

I review "Hills of Fire: Bare-Knuckle Yarns of Appalachia edited by Frank Larnerd and published by Woodland Press. Set a spell, take your shoes off, ya hear?

Christmas in May

I should be happy. My wife told me that my newest story; a Christmas tale titled "There Ain't None", was extremely disturbing, right from the first sentence, "The Devil doesn't exist." No crime story here just supernatural horror. We will see around Christmas, and hopefully someone will publish it. Why Christmas? I have no clue; that is just what came out when I first heard that whisper in my ear....yes, 'The Devil doesn't exist...'

Appearance on Surreal Grotesque Confirmed

I will be appearing on the Surreal Grotesque Podcast this Sunday at 5:30 pm. It will be taped and online shortly thereafter, either later that night or within 24 hours. I will discuss my writing process and will read "A Hint of Cinnamon". A link will follow when ready.

Surreal Grotesque Podcast

We are honored to have been asked, and we have accepted to be on a future Surreal Grotesque Podcast. I will be reading A HINT OF CINNAMON a story that will appear in the June issue.

Since I realize my stories are clearly lodged in the 'weird fiction' pigeonhole, boy this one is in the running as a flag bearer. A HINT was born out of a personal experience of mine, taking walks and discovering one spot that for three months smelled like a rotting corpse. Yes, three months. The odd thing was that the stench was only noticed on the spot --- never in advancement or retreat; just on that spot.

I was by there today and nothing....

More details to follow.

Black Ribbon Society

The link on josephjpatchen.weebly.com is officially working and you can see me as part of that marvelous WebRing; kind of like the Justice League of America or Avengers but of horror. So I'm a geek big deal. Jerry Lee Lewis called me 'Killer' so I'm good...

They're Here.......

Everyone who knows about my writing knows the unusual process I take. I have trouble writing from scratch. My stories and poems come from dreams and nightmares. They appear like live performances in front of my and in order for me to get rid of them I have to write them down; going back and polishing them later for publication.

Well we did hit a dry spell; primarily because of the demands of the day job and that certain side of brain just sat there quiet and all.

Last night I was watching television, my wife went to bed; and in the dark it happened with just one little whisper I heard in my left ear...'the devil doesn't exist'.

I am working in it. The story is titled THERE AIN'T NONE and I'm working on it...

Springtime for......

Spring cleaning. What did you think I was going to say? April was a rough month, just as it was in March. The day job was time consuming and then some. Was it profitable and productive? Hell no; just a lot of nothing except time consuming and angst filled.

So I combed through my few, and I mean few, submissions in search of potential queries. Only one popped up and I should have known the reason why.

Death is final and unless there is a survivor to file an obituary; you simply disappear in an instant without any further notice.

I should have seen the symptoms. My submission was 'lost' twice. I was asked to re-submit and re-submit since April of last year. Oh well, I'm stupid.

Oh well, one less story out there and hopefully in May we will be able to start writing and submitting in earnest breathing life into the stagnation that is my writing at the moment.