Saturday, June 12, 2010

Brushes with Fame


What do Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell, and Joe Lansdale have in common? They were all in anthologies with the illustrious Charles Gramlich. What about Piers Anthony, Graham Masterton, Brian Lumley, Steve Rasnic Tem, Richard Christian Matheson, F. Paul Wilson, Poppy Z. Brite, and Karl Edward Wagner? Is there anything in common among these great writers? Yep. Gramlich again.

What about one of the hottest names in the writing world right now? No, not J. K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. I’m talking about Neil Gaiman! Even Neil Gaiman has been in an anthology with the mysterious author known only as Charles Gramlich (or sometimes as Charles A. Gramlich, or as Charles Allen Gramlich, or sometimes as another name entirely.)

Or perhaps you’d recognize the names of some more historical authors: Spinosa, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Keats, Hume, Herman Hesse, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, William Blake, Omar Khayyam, Walt Whitman, Anton LaVey and Edgar Allan Poe. Is it possible that any of these famous authors’ names could be found in a table of contents alongside Gramlich? It is. They are. All posthumously , of course. Well, Gramlich is still alive. Or so the rumors have it.

I think it’s kind of cool that Ardath Mayhar, Jane Yolen, Michael Moorcock, and Brian Stableford have had the privilege of appearing alongside Gramlich. I’m glad that Glenn Lord and S. T. Joshi have had that chance. I’m happy for David J. Schow, Joe Haldeman, and John Brunner. It’s not every day you get to have a piece in the same book as a Gramlich.

But then, Gramlich has been privileged beyond belief to be in the august company of a few other writers: Sidney Williams, Wayne Allen Sallee, O’Neil De Noux, Debb De Noux, Del Stone Jr., Rexanne Becnel, Kent Westmorland, John Edward Ames, Charlee Jacob, Marge Simon, Bruce Boston, Ann K. Schwader, Keith Gouveia, A. P. Fuchs, Greg Schwartz, Robert Reginald, Charles Nuetzel, Michael Malefica Pendragon, Wendy Rathbone, Denise Dumars, and a hundred others whose work lifted his own.

And, of course, all joking aside, Gramlich is pretty tickled about everyone in the first four paragraphs of this post, as well. Just goes to show, you hang around the writing world for twenty plus years and you get to brush shoulders with greatness. I’ve been very priviledged!

Bibliography:
Once Upon a Midnight, edited by Jame Riley, Michael N Langford and Thomas E. Fuller.
Dark Terrors, edited by Stephen Jones and David Sutton.
Dark Voices IV, edited by David Sutton and Stephen Jones.
Erotic New Orleans, edited by Debra Gray De Noux.
Choice Words, edited by Robert Reginald
Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, edited by a. p. fuchs.
The Bible of Hell, edited by Michael M. Pendragon.
The Parasitorium: Terrors Within, edited by Del Stone Jr.
F/SF, edited by David Bain.
Small Bites, edited by Garrett Peck and Keith Gouveia.
Bits of the Dead, edited by Keith Gouveia.
Two-Gun Bob, edited by Benjamin Szumskyj.
The 1995 Rhysling Anthology.
The 2002 Rhysling Anthology.

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43 comments:

  1. you goooooOOOOO(ENJOYED DA WHIMSY :)






    Aloha from Waikiki

    Comfort Spiral

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  2. There's a hefty list to be proud to be a part of. You're famous!

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  3. Cloudia, I'm glad.

    Barbara, lol. They always need a few unknowns in some of those books.

    David J. West, all the famous dead authors were with me in a single big collection of poetry chosen by the editor.

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  4. Well dog my cat!

    Last time I had lunch with Baruch Spinoza, he tapped my forehead with a pencil and said, "That's spinoza with a z, or zed, as you Canucks say." :)

    Actually, as any schoolboy knows Spinoza was the greatest Jewish sage of modern times.
    And Charles Gramlich shares space
    with that famous writer of "The Ethics"

    Sheeit.

    All I got for friends are these winos that hang around Simpson's Gravel Pit hereabouts.

    Ivan ignored by Canadian literati!

    Oh Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz (and I hope I spelled that right) :)

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  5. Indeed, very impressive. I would like to jump on the bandwagon by saying I've published Charles Gramlich and will again soon!

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  6. LOL! Okay, that's a great way to look at it. :D

    Angie

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  7. In the rough business of writing you must take positive reinforcement where you can. Occupying a table of contents with greatness is a solid accomplishment.

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  8. This is a a very sweet confessional (of sorts) post.

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  9. Those writers are in great company.

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  10. Ivan, well, I also get to hang around with...Ivan, so you know I'm a big fish. ;)

    David Cranmer, I'll have to do a post of those folks lucky enough to have published the "Gramlich." that's what I'm going to start calling myself now. Like Shakespeare, Hume, and Paris, I need only one name.

    Angie, I'm glad you got the humor I intended for the piece. I started thinking later that folks might not see it as funny as it was meant to be.

    Bernardl, that is very true.

    Artsparker, It occurred to me the other day when I was looking through my books for something and I thought, I've been in an antho with this guy.

    Pattinase, ahh, now The Gramlich is blushing.

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  11. Pretty cool. :) I've often found when I bought an anthology of big names, that mixed among them were the best stories by writers I hadn't previously read.

    Maybe Gaiman will get lucky when somebody picks up a book to read a Gramlich story. :)

    Seriously, good work.

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  12. so, do tell who this gramlich character is already, charles! ;) lol

    well done, indeed!

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  13. some time back i asked if you recalled an sf book based on a chess game; i believe it was this one:

    The Squares of the City, a science fiction novel by John Brunner, first published in 1965 (ISBN 0-345-27739-2).

    It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1966.

    It is a sociological story of urban class warfare and political intrigue, taking place in the fictional South American capital city of Vados.

    It explores the idea of subliminal messages as political tools, and notable for having the structure of the famous 1892 chess game between Wilhelm Steinitz and Mikhail Chigorin.

    The structure is not coincidental, and plays an important part in the story.

    ...a superb read!

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  14. Charles, you are Da Man!

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  15. Lana Gramlich, and you are too sweet.

    Kate S, thankee. I've found the same thing in collections too.

    laughingwolf, thanks. No, I don't remember that book but I'm going to try to find it today. sounds very interesting. I did read a collection called Pawn to infinity, which was short stories about chess or related games in the future that was brilliant.

    Bernita, LOL.

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  16. Yay! I blog with someone famous! :D

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  17. And thanks to knowing you, I feel like *I've* had a brush with fame myself! lol

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  18. I've linked to your blog, that ought to be worth at least a mention...

    Let's see, my first academic paper was in a journal that included an article by Duane Smith, a historian who wrote Rock Mountain Mining Camps... And I thought I was pretty hot (now I'm just being a Smart-Aleck)

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  19. Akasha, or who has met some famous folks at least. :)

    Steve Malley, I don't think it will earn you any money. :)

    Sage, well of course. I know a SAGE, after all! :)

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  20. Love this post, Charles! :-)
    You've done and you're doing great! The bibliography is very impressive...

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  21. And now, with "Tales Out of Miskatonic University" finally scheduled to come out, I get to join the august company of writers priveleged to be published with you!

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  22. And I'm commenting on your blog.... ;)

    all joking aside, congrats.

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  23. Vesper, thankee. I was mostly just trying to poke a little fun at myself.

    Rick, that's true. I'm looking forward to that book. Is it coming out soon? It seems like it's been quite a while.

    Barrie, I am privledged! :)

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  24. You have much to be proud of, Charles! Quite the impressive list.

    I'm honored to have a story in the upcoming Hint Fiction Anthology along with one of your stories! And what a line-up, one that includes ~ Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, Ha Jin, Tess Gerritsen, Stephen Dunn, James Frey, J.A. Konrath, & so many more. Wild!

    Keep up the GREAT work!

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  25. Kathleen, yes indeed. After the Hint fiction work is published I may have to expand this post!

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  26. Charles between your fame and my recent sunscreen article interview there isn't room enough in the blogosphere for our inflated melons. And I'm not talking about boobs, though, because of this pregnancy...that applies too (at least for me) HAHA.

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  27. Charles, I love how you laugh at yourself, but kidding aside-be proud!

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  28. Very glad to know Gramlich is alove and kicking. Very glad. Keep on trucking, man, keep on fightin' the good fight. How things will sort out nobody knows -- but I'd say, so far, so good!

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  29. p.s. alove -- new word? Alive, alive.

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  30. I love Neil Gaiman! :-D Very impressive list, Charles. ;-)

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  31. Heather, I've always heard about the boob fairy. So you're saying she exists eh?

    jodi, I am secretly pleased!

    Erik Donald France, thankee. I kind of like "alove." If it isn't a word it should be.

    Demon Hunter, thank you.

    Rachel V. Olivier, yeah it is kind of cool. It's great to rub shoulders with folks you really admire.

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  32. Hey Charles,

    Loved this post! That's very cool. Hope the next two stories are going well, mysterious as you might be about them. :) What do they say -- never talk away your stories? Probably good advice I need to take!

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  33. Wow, that's quite a list! Thanks for throwing my name in there, but it definitely is at the bottom of that pile!

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  34. Neil Gaiman? How cool is that!
    Spinoza? Definitely out of this world intellectual coolness!

    Earnestly, I am impressed. So good to know that one can make it in this world! Congratulations!

    Btw, did you spell Spinoza the German way for a reason or have you been around blackthorns lately? ;-)

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  35. I read the comments and Barrie's made me laugh out. "And I'm commenting on your blog.... " *chuckle*

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  36. Michelle, I've learned not to even talk my stories too much to myself. Gotta keep myself interested first and foremost.

    Greg Schwartz, the bottom of the pile includes a lot of us, I'm afraid.

    Merisi, yes, if I ever see Gaiman I'll have to mention it to him. lol. I spelled Spinoza the way his name was spelled in that anthology. that was "The Bible of Hell" collection. Not really blasphemous at all, despite the title.

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  37. Can I name drop you sometime? :o)

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  38. Mary, why certainly, my dear.

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  39. Wow, I am impressed. You are such a prolific short story writer, it always amazes me. And a great one, too, but then that goes without saying.

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  40. Candy, thanks. I have yet to be in a book with the famous Candice Proctor though! :)

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