Two for 2016

No politics here, just noting that POLLY WANTS MY SINS and SWITCH are slated to be in Weirdbook issue #3 in the Spring of 2016.

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....

You Like Your Rats Alive And I Like Mine Dead

I was told by someone that my use of dead rats in a story is too over the top. I was told that the rats should be live and scurrying about rather than dead and rancid. I was told that by using dead rats I am somehow offending readers who love animals and who are in favor of animal rights. Yeah? Well its not like I'm using real rats here; this is a literary device. Hello?

Horror Reprints-----Check These Out

Popular Publications is selling 1930s and 1940s reprints of the pulp titled HORROR STORIES. You have to check these out if you can. Understandably some of the writing may be melodramatic and even stilted by our standards; but considering the contemporary junk that is being pedaled to readers you can obviously do worse. The cover art alone is worth the purchase price. But I think it is always important and fun to see from whence we have come.

My Ghost Stories on Saugus.Net

I haven't publicized these as much as my ezine and print appearances but you can find two funny/satirical ghost stories of mine at the Saugus.net Ghost Story contest site. In 2011 we placed third under the Adult category with "A Visit" and this passed 2012 contest we finished second with "The Death Knell" a satiric look at writing, at ghost and horror stories, death, yes death and even Edgar Allan Poe himself. Stop by...more news to come about Saugus and their long running and world renown juried contest. Stay tuned....

NEW REVIEW POSTED ON LURIDLIT.COM NOW!!!

My review of the independent book "HORROR D'OURVES" by Lisa McCourt Hollar is posted on Luridlit.com now. Catch my review of small bite horror and find out whether I asked for more or had indigestion.

Time For An Experiment

I am now being told, as publishers die off, that the future is in writing labs or workshops as precursor befor publishing. This is sort of a focus group approach to publishing thus taking the editor off the hook for decisions that might be too controversial or questionable. Here a writer will submit a work to the 'collective' of other writers in the shop will review the piece and offer suggestions to the writer as to how to shape the work for publication. Once the story has been workshopped the editor will review the piece and comments and the revised piece and make a final decision. I understand the commercial use of this but am concerned about how a writer makes a name for him/herself by writing a daring tome. Well, I have decided to approach this process with one of my new stories and here we will report the results. More to come.

As We Wait On Hurricane Sandy

That is for the monster known as Sandy, we clean our desk to help us compartmentalize understanding that the demons that dance in our imagine are not as powerful and horrific as those who actually walk among us. Hurrican Sandy is a force of nature that simply cannot be defeated. She can only be respected and feared. We cannot strike back against her assault only accept it. Our fear and feeling of dread is heightened so we wait and work on cleaning our desk... And when you come across the story of a New York City Police Officer who plotted to kill and eat up to one hundred women the shudder you feel rattles your spine. People disappear everyday. Bodies are found. The monsters are truly out there and while we have fun this Halloween with our candy and costumes and movies and with our tales of terror the monsters are truly out there...be safe everybody.

We will return to writing....

Yep. Longer pieces being written with longer wait times...we're getting there.

The Cover for RIGOROUS MORTIS A MORTICIAN'S TALES is unveiled

The Cover for RIGOROUS MORTIS A MORTICIAN'S TALES is unveiled on the Scarlett River Press website. Awesome job. The book with my story 'Mr. Friedenhandler' is coming out very soon.

31 More Nights of Halloween is on the shelves!!!!

"31 More Nights of Halloween" has hit the bookshelves and the kindles. My story "Carbon Copy" is night 16 or rather Chapter 16 in this horror anthology. Available now on Amazon.com. Check out the table of contents. I'm there and I should have my paperback by the weekend or so they tell me. Check it out.

Luridlit Has My Review of DEAD BAIT from Severed Press

Check out Luridlit for my review of the first Dead Bait anthology; horror stories themed to fish and fishing. Does it smell? Check it out.

TITLE GOES HERE: KILL THEM DEAD

It's there. My story of revenge, "KILL THEM DEAD" has been published in in issue 2.8 of the magazine TITLE GOES HERE. Go there and read it, please.

Book Review: Sesta & Other Strange Stories by Edward Lucas White

I know. I know. I normally write reviews for Luridlit, and I will continue. But this is one of my own volumes and something I simply just felt like writing about. Edward Lucas White, who lived between 1866 and 1934, is not a household name but someone you should give some time to. Besides writing a considerable amount of historical fiction, he wrote the horror out of his nightmares. Gee, sounds familiar. Sesta, published by MIDNIGHT HOUSE in 2001 in an edition of 460 collecting many of his best horror shorts for the first time since the 1920s. Overall, this 'greatest' or 'selected hits' volume is intriguing. The language is not stilted, the stories breeze along, and while the situations are mundane, the essential plotting is marvelous. The execution of these tales, at times can be a little bumpy; but overall this a book you should read as as a bridge from Poe and Bierce to Bloch, Matheson, Beaumont and Bradbury.

Horrorus Interruptus

So an editor writes me that his editorial panel is disappointed with my horror story and they will not publish me because a character was killed. Yes, someone in my story was murdered. Yes someone's life-force was extinguished to further the tale along. (Before I continue I want to thank Monty Python for a good portion of this copy) True the character had ceased to be. The character was pushing up daisies. The character had gone to see the choir invisible. He was a dead character. (Please check out the Dead Parrot sketch of Monty Python, one of the most brilliant pieces of comedy ever written.) Even if I voomed with him with 50,000 volts he wouldn't budge... Okay. Enough of making light of this. What makes horror horror is the blurring of the line between life and death. It is the very existence of death that scares us; it is the dead who terrifying us. Skin crawls and cringe at the sight and smell of rotting putrid death. Without the element of death what do you have? Nothing. Please editors if you wish to spice up your pages and increase your readership with a dabble in horror understand this genre cannot be translated in 'politically correct'. Understand that death is a staple of horror just as it is a staple of life.

A new medium is opening

Stay tuned for live readings in your area. Details to follow.

A NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY Bumped to July 1st

So nothing surreal or grotesque will happen until July 1st. For those of you already in contact with me know we were not in issue 2 as we were originally slotted. We have been bumped back to the month of my birth July. Somehow that is more fitting. See you July 1.

You Are Not A Writer....

Maybe not. Even if a literary critic agrees I won't believe it anyway. I am happy with our progress but unhappy with those who insist I shouldn't attempt this because of my day job. Recently a sales person told me she pulled up my name online and found my law office website and my writing website. How dare I have a writer's website after all -- "You are an attorney not a writer!" Yeah, great way to make a sale. I realize we live in an era where people find it abhorrent to break form the pack. I realize it is easier to stay in my little box and not dream for more. Hey sheep, don't include me. I can do both. While we are on the subject I am also not happy with those, some of them close to me, who are bothered about this. 'Why would anybody want to do this?' Well that is a pure insult. Look, we have had some success; we are a little ahead of schedule; and we have a long way to go. But I enjoy writing my stories; I enjoy entertaining and scaring people; I enjoy when someone writes or calls or tells me they enjoy my work. This is why we do what we do and if someone has a problem, then get out of my way. Frankly I enjoy writing more than anything else. It is the hardest work I have ever done. It is the most challenging work I have ever done. It is angst driven. It is tiring, physically, psychologicall and emotionally; but I love it. I love being around other writers; I love talking about writing; I love being challenged to write. Again, if you don't or can't understand this, I am sorry, but please get out the way.

Tales For The Toilet

I am honored to be there. I am honored to announce that I was notified today by Crowded Quarantine Publications Ltd, England that they have chosen my story FLIGHT 377 for their horror anthology due October 8th. Details to follow. Thank you gentlemen. I am both honored and humbled.

We Have A New Website.......

Come and visit and read JOSEPHJPATCHEN@WEEBLY.COM for a more in depth look at this blog.